It wasn't even 5 yet when he got back to the station. He'd still have some waiting to do on Lenny before anything could be done. The squad room was nearly empty as he crossed it. His eyes going first to Bo's door, which had been shut since he'd left the other day when all this started. His eyes went to her desk, which sat empty at the moment. He didn't let himself think about the last time he'd seen her there, when she'd been angry at him. He kept walking right to his shut office door.
He found a manila envelope taped up on his door. Another note. Knowing no one was around, he ripped it down and stepped into his office, taking it out of the envelope.
Lenny walks or I start harvesting her organs.
The paper under that was a picture. Natalie's eyes were shut, probably knocked out, drugged or something. She wasn't wearing a shirt. But what made his heart stop, then beat a hundred times faster, was that on her shirtless body there was permanent marker outlining her liver, her stomach, her heart, some other words he couldn't make out.
A million thoughts raced through his mind.
She was hurt. She was drugged. She could obviously be killed easily. She wouldn't want anyone knowing any of this. He'd have to hide the picture. It was Truman. It had to be. No one else would care if Lenny was picked up or know how to harvest a person's organs. He swallowed against the bile he felt rising in his throat.
"this is Natalie. You can't possibly be objective"
"What if you do slip up? What if you let your emotions get the best of you? Then we might lose Natalie and lose your father's case?"
This was exactly what Hugh had been wary of. This exactly what he'd sworn he could handle.
In the end, all those thoughts meant nothing. Because he was going to handle it and Hugh didn't need to know how.
He put the papers down on his desk and headed to the officer on holding. He was a low-level cop, and he prayed he didn't really know what was going on.
"Hey Olsen" he said when he got to the desk.
"Yes, sir"
"What did Lenny Kravitz get brought in for again?"
The cop took a minute to look at the records from the overnight.
"Looks like his tags were expired"
"Huh" he said, and sighed, "we can't have him sitting in here this long for a traffic violation, IA'll have my head on a platter" he said, "why don't you write him the proper tickets, cut him loose"
"Sure thing, sir"
He knew he couldn't be around when Lenny was let out, couldn't let it seem like his being let go had an impact on him.
He went back to his office.
"They're using her to get to you"
And it was working. He picked her photo up again. The thought of how this photo was taken – she was drugged, stripped, drawn on, it made him so mad and so upset. It was intentional, he was sure, something Truman could do to test how he'd react, something to prove how easily he could hurt her if he wanted.
And that was a gamble he wasn't going to make.
He put the photo in his desk drawer. He was sure the threat was real, but he couldn't pass that photo on. Natalie wouldn't her colleagues seeing it, nor would she want it plastered all over the news if it leaked. Too bad he couldn't save himself from seeing it. He knew it would live in his mind until she was back and away from that creep.
He grabbed his phone, texting Bo and Balsom, wanting to make sure if news about him letting Lenny go got out, they at least knew what was going on. And maybe they would have a lead or something.
He sat at his desk, pondering his next move, trying to calm his pounding heart. Through the office blinds, he could see Lenny making his way across the squad room. That didn't do much for calming himself down. This guy got Bo kicked off the force, with just a flick of a pen and neither he nor Truman had to pay for it.
"You'll get him" he heard from his office couch.
"Dad?" he was surprised.
"Need someone to talk to?"
"Where do I even start" he rubbed his eyes. He didn't always mind imagining his dad, but he had to find Natalie.
"How long has it been since you took a break?"
"Can't take a break"
"Why's that?"
"She's already been gone for three days, I can't waste any more time"
"You miss her, huh"
"Dad-"
"It's just me here, son. And you know I'm not really here either"
"Yeah I miss her. I'm really worried-"
"Worried?"
"Truman wants me to know he can hurt her whenever he wants"
"Why's that"
"He wants to get away with murder" he said.
"You looking for my permission to let him?"
"Dad-"
"I don't need you to solve this case John" he said, "if you face that choice, you best choose her. She's still alive"
"He said he'd harvest her organs"
"You must be scared" he said, "I know how much you love her"
"Dad-"
"Johnnie, don't you think it's about time you stop lying to yourself about that? You don't know what's going to happen to her-"
"I don't know if she's going to want to see me after all this" he said, "we got into a pretty bad fight. I told her she didn't matter more than the case. She was so mad"
"Then I guess its time you stop ignoring your feelings for her. You find Natalie, you make sure you tell her you love her. My case- you don't need to solve it, John"