Jane fished her phone from her pocket as soon as the wheels on the plane hit down. Her foot tapping as she waited, impatiently, for the service to kick on. Maura was her first call.
Maura answered on the second ring, 'Jane?'
'Hey Maur,' Jane said, feeling suddenly heavy. She wanted to be with Maura, comforting her, helping her. Jane also knew the best way, the only way, to help Maura was to get Cailin back, safe and sound. So that was what Jane was going to do. 'Just wanted to let you know, we landed. Korsack is picking us up and we'll head to BPD.'
'Okay,' Maura said sounding exhausted, 'we're a few minutes away from Panda's. I'll call if we learn anything.'
'Me too,' Jane promised.
'Hope called, she's on her way to BPD too. Will you…' Maura trailed off, her voice cracking with emotion.
'Take care of her?' Jane asked, her own voice tight. 'Yeah, you know I will.'
'Thank you Jane,' Maura seemed to whisper.
'Always. I've got ya Maura. Love you.' Jane said back, softly.
'I love you too Jane. Be safe.'
Jane fired off a round of texts while they waited to disembark from the plain. Noemi was several rows in front of her, waiting for Jane. Jane texted Frankie they had landed and were on the way, she texted Korsack they were getting off, then she texted her Ma asking her to pack some of her extra sweats and toiletries for her and Noemi and bring it to the precinct. Then, for reasons Jane wasn't entirely certain, she decided to text Cailin. Any kidnapper worth their salt should have ditched the phone by now but Jane couldn't help it. 'We're coming Cailin. Just hold on.' Maybe Cailin would never get that particular text. Maybe it was just to ward off Jane's growing sense of foreboding but sending it made Jane feel better.
Not having bags made the process of getting to Korsack a quick and fairly easy one. She hugged the grizzled man hard, allowing herself a moment of weakness, before pulling back to introduce Noemi and Korsack.
'Noemi Baccay,' Jane said gesturing, 'meet my retired sergeant Vince Korsack.'
Korsack held out a meaty hand with a good natured grin, 'Nice to meet ya, I taught her everything she knows.'
Baccay, ever uncomfortable with strangers, shook the mans hand and grunted.
Vince raised an eyebrow at Jane, 'a quiet rookie? What'd ya do to score that?'
Jane shook her head shoving the man back towards the car, 'shut up old man before you step in it. She'll speak when she decides whether you're worth her time or not.'
'Worth the time?' Korsack said in mock offence. 'I'll have you know I am a precious gem.' Jane thought she heard Noemi snort but a glance at the back seat showed Jane an unchanging and stoic as ever face.
'He's an acquired taste,' Jane said to Noemi. This time Jane saw the fast little upturn of Noemi's lips. Relief coursed through Jane. She hadn't realised how badly she wanted Korsack and Noemi, her recruit, to get along. Aarna would have been easier, of course, she was a people person but Noemi was the true test. Noemi didn't waste her time on niceties. It was one of Jane's favourite things about her. Jane turned to Korsack, 'what? No rascal pups today?'
Korsack laughed, 'nope, just you Janie.'
Jane let out a perfunctory grumble even as she felt her spirits lift. God she had missed this. She smiled at Korsack who grinned back, his eyes a bit watery.
'I've missed you Janie,' Korsack said patting her arm in a fatherly way.
'Yeah, yeah. You too old man,' Jane said blushing. 'Can we get going now?'
'Don't let the tough guy exterior fool you,' Korsack said to Noemi, 'Janie here is a big ol' softie.'
'Korsack!' Jane squeaked, feeling ratted on.
'I'm aware,' Noemi spoke for the first time, a wicked grin across her face, 'I've seen her with Doctor Isles.'
'Noemi!' Jane yelped.
'She's always been particularly fond of the doc,' Korsack said as he began driving, 'it took them long enough to figure it out.'
'What's that supposed to mean?' Jane asked, feeling uncomfortably caught between the pair of them.
'That it took you two forever to admit you're in love!' Korsack said, 'Frost thought…' Korsack trailed off. Jane could see the sadness on his face, felt it echo in her heart.
'What? Huh?' Jane asked, trying to sound tough even as she missed her friend, 'did he have some stupid bet on us or something?'
Korsack chuckled, 'we did. He woulda lost too. He thought you guys would have figured it out within the year. Turns out you needed a few more. He woulda owed me a round.'
Jane punched Korsack's arm lightly then in a peace offering she said, 'how about I buy it for him? When this is done.'
'Deal,' Korsack said with a grin.
'Wait,' Noemi said, 'so Agent Rizzoli and Doctor Isles haven't always been all over each other?'
'Oh no,' Korsack said with a laugh, 'they have. They just thought it was platonic!'
Jane blushed a furious red. 'That's not true,' Jane said.
'That you haven't always been all over each other?' Korsack asked his eyebrow raised.
'Or that you aren't all over each other now?' Noemi finished for him with her own eyebrow arch.
'Alright,' Jane growled, 'would you two just drive? Can we focus please?'
'Uh oh,' Korsack said with a laugh, 'someone is getting grumpy we better feed her.'
Jane punched the man again, this time with enough power to give it some bite. Korsack laughed but surrendered with open hands. Jane had to laugh too. There was no one at the FBI who could rib her like this. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
Jane knew they needed to move on, even if she was loathe to change the atmosphere in the car. 'So,' Jane said, 'here's what we know.' Catching Korsack up was simple enough. She told him about Rondo, about the recruits investigating. He interrupted to ask Noemi a few questions. Jane was immensely proud when Noemi could answer with clarity and precision like a true detective. Korsack must have picked up on her feelings because he sent Jane a quick wink. Then Jane told him about Maura's phone call with Russo and about her relationship with Panda.
'So Russo is obsessed?' Korsack asked thoughtfully, 'and he didn't ask for a ransom? So this is less of a kidnapping and more of an abduction with the intent to kill.' Jane flinched but nodded. 'And is there any reason to think Cailin is even still alive?' Jane felt ill at the question.
'He wanted to torture her,' Noemi supplied. 'He wants to cause her as much pain as possible so he can hurt Doctor Isles as much as possible. Which means he's some place he thinks can't be connected to him. Somewhere isolated, probably, so her screams won't be heard.' Vince and Jane exchanged a look, Vince raised his eyebrows. Jane just offered a wry smile. 'Was that not right?' Noemi asked.
'Did I mention Baccay is top of her class?' Jane asked Korsack.
'Are you saying you taught her everything she knows?' Korsack asked teasingly.
'Yes,' both women responded. Jane's tone teasing, Noemi's blunt with a hint of gratitude. Jane found herself blushing but pleased. Korsack just laughed.
'The question,' Jane said trying to recenter herself, 'is if they're even still in Boston.'
Korsack pulled in to a BPD guest parking spot, 'Frankie might have a better answer for that than us. Let's go ask, shall we?'
Jane entered BPD, signing in as a guest. It was strange, nothing had changed and yet it all felt so different. Jane nodded to the officers she knew, laughing when a few of them called out 'suit alert' in a teasing manner. Frankie and Nina were a flurry of movement in the bull pen which was now full of new tech that Jane hardly recognised. Korsack and Noemi headed towards them, Jane however, noticed Hope sitting in the conference room, alone. 'You guys go ahead, I'll be right there.' She gestured towards Hope and Korsack nodded. Noemi didn't say anything, which, to Jane, meant acceptance. Jane trusted Korsack to introduce her to everyone.
Hope looked small at their conference room table. Jane always thought the room was too big for its primary purpose, telling victims family's what happened. Hope's hands were clasped, her lips pressed tight, her skin pale. Jane entered quietly, not wanting to scare the woman. 'Hope,' Jane said softly, 'I'm so sorry.'
Hope looked up, her eyes were rimmed in red, 'Maura said you're going to find her. So I'll be here waiting until you do.'
'Do you need anything?' Jane asked, approaching the older woman, 'coffee, water, tissues?'
Hope touched her cheek almost absentmindedly, wiping away the tears there, 'no, no. I'm fine. Agent Bennet is taking care of me.'
Jane didn't know who that was but she could guess. 'Do you have any way to contact Paddy?' Jane asked, not sure what she was hoping the answer would be. 'He might be able to help.'
'Do you think Paddy is responsible for this?' Hope asked sounding panicked and distraught.
'What?' Jane asked in surprise, 'no, not at all. He just… he loves you. He would want to help. If he could.'
Hope let out a long breath, 'no I don't have any way to contact him. I suppose you could try Maura's gravestone but who knows.'
Jane nodded, 'the FBI is probably watching it. I would be anyways.'
Silence stretched out between them. Jane patted Hope's shoulder awkwardly before turning to leave. At the door, Hope spoke, forcing Jane to look back at her. 'Find her, Jane. Find my baby, please.' Jane could feel the pain in her words, the raw ache consuming her.
Jane swallowed a lump, her throat tight, 'I will Hope. I'll bring her home.'
Jane walked in to the bull pen, 'Frankie! Where are we at?'
Frankie looked up, something like irritation or perhaps jealousy on his face. Jane supposed she was being a suit. Coming in, demanding information, taking over. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to coddle Frankie's emotions. There was a mother and a sister depending on her, her specifically, to bring Cailin home. Whatever it was, Jane would deal with it later. She raised an eyebrow at Frankie who sighed and then began to report. 'We've interviewed Hope. Have a layout of Cailin's schedule for the day. We talked to her lab partner a Sofia Walsh, who saw her get grabbed. Said she tried to chase after them but she lost them in the dark and snow. Nina's going through campus cameras, trying to track Cailin through the day. We already know the camera didn't get a shot of the kidnapping itself but Nina thinks there might be something from earlier in the day. Someone hanging out near her or something.'
'Anything on the Russo Bolo?' Jane asked.
Frankie shook his head. 'Nothin'.'
'And you couldn't track her phone?' Jane asked, though she expected the answer.
'No,' Frankie said, 'last ping was on campus just before she got grabbed. Walsh said she had texted her mother. Hope confirmed. Russo musta turned it off before they left.'
Jane nodded, looking at the case on the board in front of them, 'did lab techs get anything from the scene?'
'A burner phone, it's got prints that we assume match Russo's but we're waiting on Virginia to confirm,' Frankie said, 'nothing else really. Snow made it near impossible to search.'
'Baccay,' Jane said turning to Noemi who looked surprised, 'tell Frankie what we know. I'm going to talk to Walsh. Where is she at?'
'You're not going to get anything from her that I couldn't,' Frankie said to Jane's surprise. Jane raised an eyebrow and Frankie scowled, 'she's in the cafe.'
Jane took a step toward her little brother, speaking softly so only Frankie could hear her, 'Frankie, you're doing great. I just… this is Maura's sister. I can't take the back seat on this one. I just can't.'
Frankie looked at her guiltily, 'I know Janie. I just feel like the other Rizzoli all over again. I've been a lead detective for months and you swoop in and suddenly I'm the kid fresh outta his uniform again.'
Jane grinned, 'you're always gonna be the rookie next to me little brother, doesn't mean you aren't one hell of a detective.' She punched Frankie's shoulder. 'Now let my rookie tell ya what she knows so we can sync up okay?'
Frankie nodded, relief evident in his eyes. 'Sure,' Frankie said with a smile, 'you know I'll always look up to you Janie.'
Jane did. She nodded, smiling at her little brother. It was one of those classic big sibling moments. One of those moments she needed to make sure Maura got to have again, which meant finding Cailin.
Thomas stared at the front door of the decrepit cabin. The cold made his nose run and his fingers numb. He'd circled the cabin three times. He'd crossed the yard. He couldn't find Russo. Which meant he was gone, which seemed unlikely given that he had a captive and Thomas had seen no other car tracks. Or he was in the cabin. There were only two windows, one in the living room which had Cailin in it and one in the kitchen. Thomas couldn't quite make out the rest of the cabin but he supposed there was a bathroom and bedroom somewhere. Maybe even multiple bedrooms. What Thomas did know was that in all that time, Cailin hadn't moved.
Panic was starting to seep in. Either she was dead, seriously injured, or drugged. None of which boded well for either of them. Paddy would kill him if anything happened to her. Sheer desperation had brought him to this door. Russo was likely inside, possibly sleeping, but definitely occupied. What were the chances of getting in and out without him knowing? Thomas didn't like his odds but they had to be better than his chances of explaining what the hell went wrong to Paddy.
Paddy who was on his way. Paddy who should be there any minute. Thomas reached for the door handle. Maybe it would be enough if he had a plan, an entrance. As quietly as he could, Thomas turned the handle, amazed when the latch clicked open. He tested it, barely cracking the door open before quietly pulling it closed. Thomas didn't like that. Russo had just left the door unlocked? Was he that stupid? Or was he arrogant enough to think no one would find him and Cailin wouldn't escape? Thomas chewed his cheek.
Russo had been missing for close to 35 minutes. That would have been plenty of time for Thomas to get Cailin out of there. Thomas had hesitated, wasted time. He took a breath, steeling his nerves, and he opened the door again, stepping inside. He closed it quietly behind him, moving silently across the room to Cailin. He checked her pulse first, it was there strong and steady. He let out a small sigh of relief. Not dead was good. Very, very good.
Thomas wasn't expecting her eyes to fly open, terror filling them. She opened her mouth, letting out a strangled cry. Thomas put a hand over her mouth. 'Quiet,' he whispered, 'I'm trying to help you Cailin.' Of course she didn't know him, didn't recognise him. He'd gone through great lengths to make sure she never realised he was watching her. He was surprised it kind of hurt, a silly remnant of his affection. He tried to smile and exude kindness. Willed her to trust him. She nodded up at him, big brown eyes brimming with tears.
'Can you walk?' Thomas whispered.
Cailin nodded again, trying to shift her weight to sit up. Thomas removed his hand over her mouth to help her sit. Cailin let out a quiet groan before grabbing her head. Concussion. A bad one, then.
'I'll help ya,' Thomas whispered, stowing his gun in its holster after a furtive glance towards the back rooms. He hadn't heard anything but that wasn't particularly comforting at the moment. He helped Cailin in to a standing position, slinging her arm around his left shoulder. They took one, two, three limping steps before Thomas heard a door open.
He looked up in to pale blue eyes full of fury and a gun levelled at his chest. Thomas shoved Cailin back towards the cot as he grabbed for his own gun. He was aware of two sounds, the first a scream falling from her lips and the second an echoing bang that made his ears ring. He felt a lance of pain in the right side of his chest and down his right arm. His knees hit the ground.
'No!' Cailin shouted, 'what did you do?'
Thomas was confused. Why was she upset? He was trying to get her out of the way of the gun. Didn't she know that? What was he supposed to do? Let her die? Thomas glanced down. His red shirt was oozing from a round hole in his winter parka. That was odd. Shirts weren't supposed to ooze, were they?
Cailin was beside him then, 'you're okay. You're going to be okay.' Her voice was sad. Thomas didn't like that. He tried to speak but instead of words, out came bubbles. Tangy bubbles. Thomas swayed, feeling woozy. Maybe he just needed to lie down a bit. He fell forward, Cailin's arms cushioned the blow. She was touching his face, brushing a cheek. Her voice was soft and sounded so far away, 'you're okay. You're okay.'
Thomas tried to tell her that he was fine. It was just a few bubbles. A little pain. But moving his jaw was exhausting and the world was growing dark. Just before it all faded to black, Thomas heard the tell tale wheeze of an old man. Like a death rattle. Like Paddy. Thomas smiled at that, the last of the firelight sputtering out.
