Bye Bye Baby
Chapter 13
Bryant Street : Approaching 5am;
Mike stood bending over the desk beside Steve's pouring over a large city map where Sergeant Bob O'Neill had marked certain properties in red pen for him. Damacov's properties were widespread and there were far too many to check in such a short space of time with the manpower he had available from the night shift, even despite the fact that extra men had been appearing into Homicide over the last few hours offering assistance of their own volition since news of a fellow officer in trouble had spread like wildfire throughout Bryant Street. Mike was always heartened to see the response from fellow officers when a colleague was in crisis and the one rewarding thing about being a Police Officer was that you always felt that your back was covered by all those wearing the badge.
Mike straightened back up and reached up under his black rimmed glasses to rub at his tired eyes as the tiny black print on the map that he had been staring at and scrutinizing so intently, started to take its toll. Dropping his hand back down then and allowing the glasses to fall back down into place on the bridge of his nose, he stole a quick look around at the bustling, over crowded Department as numerous officers fielded phone calls and others poured over files and lists. He picked up his coffee cup and drained his fourth cup of extra black coffee in the last two hours and sighed heavily in frustration. Bob's informants were not providing any useful information just as Bob had predicted and so they were no closer to finding out Steve's whereabouts and the clock was ticking. Just as a feeling of hopelessness was beginning to manifest inside him, the bullpen outer door burst open and Norm, Dan and Lee returned in quick succession, one after the other.
Dan approached Mike first waving paperwork and smiling triumphantly.
"Ok, Mike, Charlie's just finished the print check. There were two sets of prints on Steve's gun and his ID wallet. Just as I thought his gun hadn't been fired and it looks like it was taken from him and you called it right Mike, Steve did leave the powder as a clue. The two sets of prints that Charlie pulled off both items belonged to Steve and one Mikhail Balashov. He's ex Russian Military and he's showing up on our books for alleged assault and battery last month in an incident in the Golden Gate Park ..."
"Alleged? " Mike piped up as his brow furrowed.
"Yeah, the victim later withdrew the charges. Claimed he "fell "instead."
"How convenient ..." Mike remarked before sitting back against the desk and raising a hand towards his upper lip as he seemed to mull over the latest updates carefully.
His face darkened as the confirmation came through that they were indeed dealing with the violent Russian gang but yet that fact hadn't come as a complete shock. All their evidence so far even down to Pat's description of a Russian accent used by the man who had kidnapped and ruthlessly murdered Patricia Callaghan pointed to the gang but before he could respond, Norm, who had been waiting with increased impatience for his turn to speak, piped up enthusiastically.
"We also got a hit on one of the sets of prints off the gunman's weapons at Stow Lake. I ran them through Interpol and one came back as one Yuri Chenkov. He's ex Russian military too but he's wanted over in Moscow for terrorist activities. Their intelligence suggested that he was more than likely now here in the States. The second one is still a mystery but they're still checking for us. I sent photos of the body."
Mike processed that new information and looked hopefully across at Lee.
"You have any luck with the Autopsies?"
"Not as much no, but Bernie did report that both men were sporting the same tattoo on their upper right forearm. Looks like some kind of military tattoo. He gave me photos. I was going to start checking up on that now. "
"No, no Lee. Leave that. I think it's more than likely some sort of Russian military tattoo. That was good work guys but all we've really done is confirm what we already suspected. We're dealing here with some pretty cold, calculating and slippery individuals. Right now what we need is a location where they could be holding Steve. I want all manpower now focused on that. There are just too many places to check and we just don't have the manpower to check them all and we're running out of time ... Steve was taken almost three and a half hours ago now... DAMN IT!"
Mike's volume grew on his last two words and he turned away from his men and fisted the map covered desk in front of him in frustration and unspoken worry as all those in the bullpen quietened suddenly and turned to look at him sympathetically. Rudy was the first to approach his exhausted and fraught with worry Lieutenant and spoke encouragingly.
"Mike, you just tell me how many men you need and I'll get them for you. I'll call them back off leave if necessary. We're going to FIND Keller if it's the last thing we do. You mustn't give up hope Mike. Steve's counting on all of us to hold our nerves and bring them home safe."
Rudy watched as Mike's shoulders rose and fell sharply from the strain of the ongoing events and then slowly he looked over his shoulder at Rudy and smiled as best he could under the dire circumstances. He reached out and patted Rudy's arm gratefully and then seemed to strengthen his resolve.
"Yes, yes you're absolutely right. We've got to hold it together for both their sakes. I ... I guess I just dropped the ball there for a minute. I ... I'm ok now ... Sorry ..."
Rudy patted the hand on his arm and spoke seriously and with understanding.
"No need to apologize Mike ... We all know how much Steve means to you and we know the dangers Keller and that poor child are facing. So? How many men do you need?"
"It's not just the men Rudy. We need to narrow down the search somehow. This is just my gut talking here but I think if he was going to try and hide a cop and a baby somewhere it would have to somewhere not very populated or frequented. He's not going to risk getting seen or caught. You heard what Bob said about Damacov being a slippery character and very intelligent. He knows as soon as Steve went missing we'd have all points bulletins out on him ... No, I think we can safely rule out the city areas and concentrate on the warehouses down by the docks. Especially at the time he was taken those areas would be deserted but come dawn, there will be increased activity down there. They'll either keep them out of sight or ... move them before then ... "
Rudy was heartened by Mike's renewed sense of direction and strength and he watched as Mike's brain appeared to work overtime, however he had noticed the slight pause before he had mentioned them being moved and knew his friend and colleague was concerned that it would be the two bodies they would be moving if they didn't find them soon. Seeing his Lieutenant's face light up with an idea, he watched as Mike started barking firm and clear instructions and the worry that he had held for his friend's emotional well being just seconds before melted into insignificance. Mike was back in firm control of the crisis.
"Lee, get over to my house and pick up Bill. The scene should be wrapped up by now. I want you two to get another unmarked car to join you and start patrolling the docks area of the Embarcadero. Make sure you're both very careful though. These guys are no pushovers. If they so much as get any inkling of a police presence, they'll ... well Steve and the baby will suffer the consequences ... so err on the cautious side. We're looking for anything strange or even remotely suspicious. Men loitering suspiciously outside on lookout. Fancy cars outside otherwise unused looking or dilapidated premises especially sedans. This Damacov seems to have a preference for them. If you spot anything, DON'T MOVE IN! You call it in and you wait for us. Rudy, can you check if the Armed Response Unit is ready to mobilize yet, please?"
Rudy and Lee didn't hang around and headed off immediately to carry out Mike's instructions, Rudy grabbing the nearest desk phone which happened to be Steve's and dialing a number and Lee grabbing his jacket and heading out of the bullpen at high speed. Norm and Dan stood patiently and waited for further instructions. Mike smiled at them both and spoke warmly.
"You two stick here with me. As soon as we get word, we roll, ok?"
The two detectives nodded and then slowly retreated to their desks and wearily sat down, everyone now starting to feel the full effects of an extra long shift and the stress and worry of the situation. Mike looked across to where Rudy was half seated on Steve's desk talking into the receiver and glancing down, a lump rose in his throat, as his gaze fell on the name plate that now hung precariously off the edge of the desk having been disturbed in Rudy's haste just moments before. He stepped forward and grabbed it before it fell and stood turning it in his hands as the "S. Keller" name glared up at him and in that moment he could almost feel Steve's anguish and knew deep in his heart that his young partner was waiting desperately for him to rescue them. Rudy finished his call and had seen the nameplate being caught by Mike and flustered accordingly.
"Oh ... Sorry about that Mike ... I didn't mean to ... well ..."
Mike spoke barely audibly, a pinched and tortured tone dominating his voice as he stared at the name plate almost wishing it would speak by magic and reveal the young man's current location.
"I'm letting him down Rudy ... I let him down when I left him there without back up and now I'm letting him down again. He needs me and I ... I still don't know where he is ... or ... how he is ..."
Rudy got off the desk and gently placed a gentle, understanding hand on his friend's back.
"Mike, listen to me will you? Steve is one of the most resourceful and capable young officers I have seen in my long time on the force and on top of that, he has been taught by the best." He watched as Mike caught that statement and blushed modestly before continuing to try and bolster Mike's sinking spirit. " Why for all we know he's already planning his own escape. Have faith in him Mike. He won't give up without a fight, you know that."
Mike listened and looked up, still twirling the name plate in his grasp all the while.
"Yes ... yes I know that and under any other circumstances I'd agree with you but this ... well ... this is different Rudy. It's not just him fending for himself. He has a two month old baby in his care as well. You didn't see him earlier ... He looked about as far out of his comfort zone as he could possibly be. He's never had to watch over a baby before let alone, be in a hostage situation with one. Now he has to look out for her as well. How can he defend himself or escape with a tiny baby in his arms. He's in over his head on this one Rudy and we're his only hope. This ... this could end badly Rudy and if it does ... I mean ... if anything happens to him I'll ... well I'll never ..."
Mike was audibly struggling to complete his sentence and pre-empting what he was about to say Rudy quickly intervened.
"MIKE. Snap out of it! No good comes from trying to predict the future or second guess the past. And it was YOU who taught me THAT! Right now we have no evidence to suggest that Steve is anything other than alive and well. There were no bloodstains at your house, his gun hadn't been fired and the only evidence of anything wrong with that young man according to your next door neighbor is a bruise to his face. And until someone gives me evidence to the contrary, I'm still counting him as an officer needing assistance. Now let's stop writing him off and let's keep trying to find him! Lieutenant Collins' Unit is ready to roll at your command. All he's waiting for now is an address. So let's work on getting him one, ok?"
Rudy saw Mike's initial startled reaction to his forcefully given lecture and felt a slight pang of remorse but he had known Mike for a very long time and he knew that when Mike was like this he sometimes needed a firm and strong hand to pull him back to the task at hand especially when, as was the case this time, Mike was way too close to be objective. Glad of the Captain's common sense to pull him out of his emotional stupor he nodded with more determination than ever and Rudy could tell that his lecture had worked. Reaching over he took the name plate from Mike's hand and placed it carefully back on Steve's desk, adjusting it until it was perfect before uttering determinedly to his friend and colleague.
"He's going to need that in place when he gets back to work."
Mike appreciated Rudy's optimism and drew strength from it. He went to thank the Captain but before his words could form, Art Sekulovich came rushing towards them and spoke urgently.
"Sorry Mike, I don't mean to interrupt but Laura is getting very distressed. She wants to talk to you."
Mike glanced towards interrogation room one and saw the young girl almost hysterical, as Officer Cynthia Bertram stood trying to console her, her arm around the young woman's shoulders. Mike hurried back with Art and entered the small enclosed room to hear Laura Reynolds' high pitched and heartrending cries.
"PLEASE ... tell me what's happened to my baby ..." she sobbed as Mike rushed in and knelt in front of her.
"Hey, hey now. It's ok. We're going to find your baby and we're going to get her back to you but you have be strong for us."
"Lieutenant Stone. They'll kill my baby ... She needs me ... I should have never abandoned her like that ... It's all my fault ... I love her so much but I ... I thought she'd be safer ... without me ... "
More hysterical sobs broke from the young woman's lips and she fell forward into Mike's grasp inconsolably. Mike draped his strong arm around her and patted her back soothingly, his own emotions mirroring Laura's. He struggled to get his voice to work but clearing his throat purposefully, he spoke bravely.
"I know ... Believe me I know what you're going through. Not knowing what's happening is tough. But your baby is with my partner and there's one thing I DO know. He won't let anything happen to that little child if there's an ounce of strength left in his body so she couldn't be in better hands than his. Now we're getting closer to finding them and soon ... well soon we're going to have both of them back safe and sound ... You'll see ..."
Mike swallowed hard as he hated having to lie to the young woman about how close they were to finding both Steve and Brigitte but he had no choice. He couldn't afford for Laura to lose heart and try to leave the safety of her current surroundings in order to embark on any misguided mission to trade herself for the child. A parent's love could not be taken for granted and he had no doubt that she would do that in a heartbeat if she felt her child's safety would be assured. The trouble was that Mike knew any such trade would still result in both their deaths as they were dealing with a cold blooded killer like Damacov who cared little about sentiment. So he had to keep Laura's spirits up and reassure her as best he could. He only wished he could manage to feel as optimistic as he was pretending to be for her sake.
After Mike's reassurances, Laura's sobs quietened and Mike lifted her gently away from him to look tenderly at her.
"Now right now, the best thing you can do for that special baby of yours is stay right here with Officer Bertram and Sekulovich here and let us find her and reunite you with her, ok?"
Laura sniffed a couple of times and nodded sadly at the Lieutenant who had helped her so much over the last six months and who had just recently saved her life. She owed him a lot and she trusted him over many others. For now she was reassured that the kindly Lieutenant would be true to his word and find her baby before it was too late.
"Ok ... Lieutenant ... I will but ... please find her soon. She's gonna be hungry ..."
More silent tears this time rolled down her cheeks and Mike stood and patted her shoulder and reaching across the table he grabbed a tissue from the box and handed it to her. He was glad at least that for Steve's sake and Brigitte's that they had managed to feed and change the baby before they had been taken but he knew Laura was right. That had been five hours ago and she would be hungry again soon. Everything seemed to be going against them. He found himself frowning subconsciously at that thought but seeing Laura's face turn anxious at the sudden unexplained change in his demeanor, he quickly checked himself and allowed a forced smile to cross his face as he spoke more optimistically.
"Hey, hey now. Dry those tears. We'll have Brigitte home in time for her next bottle ... You mark my words!"
Desperately hoping they would get a break soon so that he could keep that promise to the frightened and distraught young mother he then left her in the capable hands of Bertram and Sekulovich and headed back out to the bullpen, closing the door over behind him. He stood unmoving for a few moments as he got his own frayed emotions back under control as Rudy headed purposefully towards him and as the phone rang on Norm's desk loudly at the same moment. Rudy reached Mike and asked pointedly.
"Is she ok? What did you tell her?"
"I told her we'd have her baby back in time for her next bottle. But now I need a miracle to happen in order to keep my promise."
Rudy thought of something to lighten the tension of the moment and spoke in a light hearted tone.
"Well, you're more in tune with the man upstairs than I am Mike, maybe you should ask him for one."
Mike half smiled and replied seriously.
"What? You think I haven't already?"
As the two men grinned at each other, Norm suddenly spoke loudly.
"YES! ... "
As all eyes alighted on the burly Armenian detective, they saw him smiling broadly and as he held his hand over the mouthpiece, he spoke animatedly.
"I think your prayers just got answered Mike. There's a young Russian woman downstairs at the main desk requesting to speak to you. She says it's about Steve and the baby!"
Back At The Warehouse: A Half Hour Earlier
Every tortuous step up the dusty, dingy, damp metal stairwell sent a fresh wave of agony through Steve's knife impaled thigh and across his injured rib cage. He had wanted to stop several times during his ascent to regulate his breathing and allow himself a few moments of respite from the torture but he knew that he didn't have that luxury. They could find them gone from their rat infested prison at any stage and he had to get them out of plain sight as soon as was physically possible which in his current condition was slower than he would prefer. When he finally reached the top, his hair was slicked with perspiration and the agony was written clearly all over his face. Trails of pain induced tears glistened on his flushed cheeks and his breathing was coming in irregular heaves.
Pulling open the heavy door at the top which caused another jolt to his already abused ribs, he limped precariously out onto the roof, as the door closed shut behind him. The initial blast of fresh air blowing in off the sea chilled Steve to the bone and set his teeth chattering as the damp shirt that still clung to his upper body provided no warmth whatsoever. It was that time of morning where the dark was still prevalent but from the horizon, Steve could tell that the first faint light of dawn wasn't far off. A dim emergency light above the doorway he now stood at, cast a little light around him but the roof seemed quite sparse and he frowned as it provided little choice of a good hiding spot.
Deciding that first he needed to try and secure the door from the outside so that he could put as many obstacles between the Russians and them as he could, Steve glanced around to find something he could wedge into the outside bar therefore making it more difficult to open from the other side but there was nothing fitting that description available that he could see. The best he could find was a wooden plank of wood and ramming it across the door sideways through the metal bar he frowned as he knew that some of the bulky Russian henchmen would easily burst their way through it if they tried hard enough. But with nothing else available he had to settle for what he could and with the wooden plank in place he limped painfully across the exposed roof in search of shelter of any sort.
Scrambling forward in the dark his hand outstretched and the other clasped around the makeshift sling, clinging to Brigitte for dear life and hoping desperately that the cold sea breeze wasn't having the same bone chilling effect on her that it was having on him through the woolen baby blanket and his jacket that she was wrapped securely in.
His hand hit concrete and he felt around it as he found a small concrete structure that seemed to house an old air conditioning outlet from a time when the warehouse had been in use and before it had been left to go to wrack and ruin. Feeling his way around the small wall he found an opening on the other side that he felt was wide enough for them to squeeze through and there was sufficient space inside to sit and wait for Mike to come. It was not fully enclosed so it did not provide complete protection from the freezing night air but it provided the most important protection of preventing them from being seen straightaway from the doorway to the roof and yet there were still gaps in the concrete whereby Steve could keep an eye on his captors if they breached the doorway and therefore he felt he could have some control over his hiding spot if he needed to make a further hasty escape.
Squeezing through the gap, Steve slowly shifted himself painfully down into a sitting position and winced and grimaced as the drop jolted bruised parts of his body that protested the sudden move. He sucked in a long deep breath of the chilling night air and finally allowed himself a few moments to recover from his harrowing journey from his prison down below to the new concrete prison he was now crouched in. His new surroundings were not much better, wind exposed and smelling of rusty metal from the huge rusty air conditioning fan that was now behind his back and from the faint whiff of fish in the sea air, he figured there must be a fish processing plant close by as well. The fishy, rusty combined smell now assaulting his nostrils while not as bad as the decomposing flesh smell from down below, still succeeded in making his building nausea increasingly worse and he fought back the urge to throw up again, knowing that would only make his current cramped conditions even worse.
His leg was starting to really bother him. The sharp intense movement induced agony from minutes before was starting to fade but where the knife now lay embedded in his thigh, a faint pins and needles sensation was starting to manifest itself and a terrible burning had taken over from the sharp pain that had been there before. Now secured in their hiding spot, he allowed himself time to take the small knife he had obtained from Sergei from his trouser pocket and he used it to cut the material away from the knife wound. It was too dark to get a good look at his leg but as the material gave way and exposed the flesh of his thigh beneath, he felt the sticky and oozing blood from around the impaled knife and also felt the intense heat emanating from around the wound.
He was no medical expert but he felt that the heat was not a good sign and combined with the sudden stark realization that he was sweating profusely and yet feeling chilled at the same time, he came to the unnerving conclusion that there might be an infection starting to take hold. He closed his eyes as a bleak foreboding washed over him as his tired brain started contemplating the dire consequences of what the possibility of gangrene setting in would be and worry felt like it gripped his heart in a deadly vice. He was going to need medical help soon and fast.
He could still feel the woozy effects of the blood loss and from the bone dry feeling in his mouth and throat he knew dehydration was another issue he was facing. The damp attire meant that hypothermia was also a distinct possibility if he was not found within a reasonable time frame. His left side was throbbing badly and his poor split lip was now fairly swollen, causing his mouth to feel strange on one side. He ran a hand up behind his right ear and felt another sticky blood soaked tender patch of skin where a small piece of his hair had been viciously removed and the memory of that worrying ordeal caused his stomach to violently somersault again and a chilled shudder to wash over him. The worst fear however remained that if Dmitriy and his cronies found them before Mike could get there, gangrene he knew would be the least of his worries. Taking out the small gun Elena had given him, he placed it on the ground at his right hand just in case he needed it.
He longed for a cool drink of water to ease his parched mouth and throat and found himself wishing it would rain so that he could at least moisten his cracked lips somehow. As his emotions started to unravel as he cowered in this freezing cold, bleak, self imposed prison and his numerous injuries started to make themselves known, his next worrying thought went to Brigitte. He hadn't felt her moving for quite a while now and his blood felt like it suddenly froze in his veins at that stark realization.
He reached a trembling hand inside the blanket and hesitated before touching her tiny hand for fear it would feel cold and lifeless, as tears started to once more spring to the young Inspector's eyes. Finally finding the courage to continue his check, he touched off her tiny fingers and almost choked on the relief as they felt warm to the touch. He suddenly realized that he wasn't sure how to check a baby's pulse having never had to do it before but he continued reaching his hand in until it felt the baby pacifier still in Brigitte's mouth. He waited anxiously for several seconds until he felt the faint pull of the soother in and out as Brigitte suckled it in her sleep and he slumped back against the rusty vent as the relief of her still being alive hit him hard and caused his already fragile emotions to collapse.
She was in his care and if anything happened to this small person, he knew he would never forgive himself so as the sea breeze seemed to suddenly pick up and blow across them where they now sat, he held her closer and felt his tears start to fall as he once more prayed that rescue would come as soon as possible. He wasn't sure what he was going to do when Brigitte needed feeding again as he cursed his clumsiness again at losing the bottle Elena had gone to the trouble of getting for him. He began wondering where she was and if she had reached Mike yet.
Mike! His thoughts went out to his partner and friend as he wondered if he would ever get to see him again. He knew that Mike would by now be frantic with worry at their disappearance and he only hoped that Elena's words would bring some comfort to the older man that he was at least alive and well for now. He knew Mike would mobilize quickly once his location was known and so a little more comforted by that knowledge he found the tiredness and blood loss taking their final toll as his eyes started closing of their own accord and he felt the urgent need to rest his eyes for a little while. He tried to fight the pull of unconsciousness but his body was in no fit state to put up much of a fight as he finally succumbed and his head slumped gently forward as he drifted into blissful oblivion.
