By the time McCoy had reached the man who had helped set up his first meeting with the Russian embassy's resident counsel, Andrei Karpovich, it was late afternoon and US undersecretary Charles Sheehan had seen the reports of Malinowski's kidnapping.
After a series of phone calls between the state department and the Russian embassy McCoy received an invitation, through Sheenan, to meet him at five thirty in the lounge of the Russian Tea Room.
By the time he arrived, the Russian's order for caviar and a bottle of vodka with two shot glasses had arrived. As McCoy took a seat across from Karpovich, the other man handed him a plate and a glass.
"When I received your request from Mr. Sheenan, I knew it was too much to hope for, that it was to set up another reenactment of the old Checkpoint Charlie exchanges. I was truly sorry to hear of your recent troubles, Mr. McCoy. Here please, take and eat. You'll need to look after yourself until you're Miss Malinowski is able to look after you herself again."
McCoy smiled for the first time since Malinowski's disappearance. He was both surprised and touched by the other mans subtle effort to portray the return of the woman he loved as something realistic to hope for…something to be assumed would occur.
"If she were here she'd tell you it's 'Ms.'," he said, politely spreading the black fish eggs onto the warm toast.
Karpovich smiled as well.
"Of course. American women, so independent," he said with a nod. "Forgive me. Perhaps when she returns, the three of us could come back here to celebrate?"
"When she returns," McCoy said softly, before downing the shot of cold vodka.
The clear liquid coated his throat with a cool sensation that quickly turned warm. Although he would have preferred a shot of scotch, he stayed with the vodka, fearing that if he were to order his signature drink he wouldn't stop with oly one shot.
"What can I do to help you?"
As the Russian listened to McCoy's story, he removed a pad and paper from the inside of his suit jacket and took down significant details, as McCoy spoke.
"Brezin was right to send you to me," he said finally. "When you receive this tape he talked about, call me. I can work with you and your police to set up some sort of fake exchange, if need be, to buy your people time to find Ms. Malinowski."
"I appreciate you doing whatever you can," McCoy said sincerely.
Sensing by the discomfort in the other man's face, that something had gone unsaid, McCoy waited.
"I do have a question."Karpovich said at last. "You said your fiancée was taken from your daughter's room. I assume your daughter is, what? Maybe twenty four or twenty five?"
"Becky is twenty seven, but she looks much younger. Why?"
"I won't waste your time by... how you say? 'Sugar coating' the truth? You know what Rostov is. It is unusual for him to engineer a plan like this …to target a woman he can't easily use in the sex trade. I suspect Ms. Malinowski wasn't his intended target."
McCoy nodded.
"We know they were after my daughter. She's in protective custody now."
"With people you know you can trust," Karpovoch asked. He smiled with relief when McCoy nodded. "Good. Knowing your child is safe will make it easier for you to..."
"Excuse me. Mr. McCoy," the waiter said. "There is a Detective Logan in the reservation area asking for you."
Moments later the three men were being escorted to an empty banquet room. McCoy could tell by the look on the younger man's face, the news wasn't good. Once inside, the waiter made some quick adjustments to the audio visual equipment in the room and left the three men alone.
"Jack, they want you to drop the charges on a Russian Mafia guy named Sheffen," Logan began. "They expect to see something in The Ledger tomorrow morning or they say … they say Brooke will suffer the consequences."
"I know who Sheffen is, "McCoy said as he watched Logan remove a video tape from the manila envelope in his hand. "He was one of the Valenski's crime family's 'accountant's'. Bett's down in Larceny is supposed to have him up for an arraignment tomorrow morning. I can have him drop the charges and refile when this is over."
Karpovich nodded knowingly.
"Yes, this is like Rostov, to start with something small and work his way up to who or what he really wants. To have you do something you'll be uncomfortable with, but something you know won't result in some sort of tragedy. He knows letting a money launderer go free will inch you closer to letting a murderer go free, when the time comes."
"I've spoken to the press. I've had the word put out that the DA's office needs to be kept informed of what they plan to run before it goes out to the public. I can get The Ledger to play along and publicize Sheffen's release in whatever light you think best," McCoy said turning to Karpovich.
"Good, "the other man said as he extended his hand. "I suspect you and the detective would be more comfortable viewing this tape alone. Call my private line when you need me again, day or night."
McCoy took the business card from his hand and firmly shook the other man's hand before Karpovich departed.
"Listen, I know I'm probably the last guy you want to watch this tape with..."
"Is Green still with my daughter," McCoy asked sharply, as he turned towards Logan and the bright blue screen.
"They just arrived at the safe house. Ed should be back in the city in the morning."
"Then you know I don't have time to wait," he said brusquely. "You've seen it already?"
Logan nodded.
"When the package came for you, the uniformed we have stationed at your office took it to Van Buren," he explained. "She had it screened and fingerprinted before she and I viewed it... just she and I. The good news is, Brooke looks like she's in pretty good shape. The the more severe injuries are to her face. Not pretty, but not ther worst either of us have seen. But, I have to warn you..."
"It's all right detective," McCoy said tas he reached for the remote."This isn't the first hostage tape I've viewed."
Logan bit his tongue and watched as the screen came to life. McCoy took a sharp breath, when he saw the battered face of his fiancée, who leaned against a porcelain basin in what appeared to be a residential bathroom.
Looking at Malinowski, his first glimpse of Alex Borgia battered face flashed through his mind. The black and blue blotches and swollen jaw and nose did appear superficial, at least compared with the injuries both men had seen on the bodies of other kidnap victims.
"John," she said looking into the camera."I need you to do whatever you have to do, to deal with the demands of my captors. They want you to release Alexi Sheffen by Thursday afternoon, tomorrow, or I will suffer the consequences…"
McCoy's senses took in everything about her, as he kept his eyes glued to the set. Her use of his given name did not go unnoticed by either man.
She was still wearing the jeans and cotton button down shirt she'd worn to shop for her wedding dress in. Although her face was badly bruised, the only other clue to her discomfort seemed to be the large dark circles under her eyes.
He searched her face for a hint as to how she was really doing. The bright blue eyes looked out at him with her usual steadiness in an effort, he was sure, to reassure him.
"…do what you have to do," she said again. "By now, I'm sure you know who is calling the shots. They will be looking for confirmation in the Friday morning edition of The Ledger that you have acted in good faith So far I have been treated well, with the exception of consequences I brought on myself, when I foolishly tried to escape. It's not a mistake I'll make again. If you do not cooperate, they're will be graver consequences. You've been though this sort of thing enough times to know, they mean what they say. You told me not too long ago, to trust our love. I am doing that now. I trust you to do what you have to, no matter what the consequences, John."
McCoy looked at Logan in confusion when the tape suddenly went dark.
"There's more," Logan said taking the remote and hitting 'pause'. "There's a short delay after they switch speakers. It gets harder to watch..."
"She's telling us one of them is named John,"McCoy interjected, ignoring Logan's attempted warning. "She'd never call me that unless…"
"Yeah, Van Buren figured that. It's not much, but she's pulling all of 'John's' that have any connection to Kostov. Anything else you noticed?"
McCoy sighed as he shook his head. 'Do what you have to do'…..How can she think...How can she even ask me to...She's giving me permission to let her die...
"She's trying to tell me ... she's saying not to give them what they want," he said at last."She's letting me know…She expects me to let to follow procedure...as if this were a typical kidnapping."
Logan knew McCoy was right. He had picked up on it the first time he watched the tape. While the exchange didn't appear scripted, he knew she had been told what they wanted said. In his dealings with Malinowski, Logan could remember remarks she had made to him that reflected her pride in Jack McCoy. Her unwavering faith in a man she viewed as ethical beyond reproach. A belief he had found amusing at the time. Now it seemed tragic.
"Jack, remember she's probably disoriented …in shock..."
"The room…the reflection in the mirror over her left shoulder," McCoy said trying to regain his composer as he rewound the tape and paused it at the spot he was referring to."Look past the archway. Is that a living room it's adjoined to? A house or apartment…"
Logan nodded. He and Van Buren had given the tape the same kind of scrutiny before he left the 2 7. Logan doubted McCoy would find something the two experienced officers had overlooked, but he knew pointing that out to McCoy would be futile. Battling with McCoy over any thing would just waste more time.
"Brezin said they'd keep her close to me," McCoy continued with forced detachment."The archway...the type of door ... maybe a brownstone or construction from the same period? The only window seems to be in the shower area. The light sources seem to be track lights in both rooms. Maybe a converted basement or part of one but where, I could begin to say. Did Van Buren have any of this magnified..."
"The bathroom. Beacause of the angle of the recording, not much of the adjoining room showed up. Van Buren has part of the squad checking rentals in and around your office and apartment. Jack, you know Van Buren isn't going to rest until we find her."
McCoy nodded impatiently. Every instinct in him told him she was dead the moment she opened the door to his daughter's room. He had seen too much, knew too much, to be able to hold on to the ray of hope Logan offered. He had to let the prosecutor in him take over or risk giving into his personal sense of despair and guilt.
"The loft. There are a lot of renovated brownstones in the neighborhood..."
"Covered," Logan said without thinking."I gave Van Buren the address."
Logan swallowed hard as McCoy's expression changed from puzzlement over Logan even knowing about the loft, to comprehension. The memory of the night Logan had brought Malinowski home after they had spent evening together crossed McCoy's mind, with obvious distain.
"Look, Jack," Logan akwardly began."I know this probably isn't the best time to..."
"You're right," McCoy snapped, as he pressed the play button. "It isn't. "
Logan silently watched as McCoy dispassionately viewed the remainder of the tape. Enough though he knew what was coming, Logan cringed as the heavy set man in grey coverall and a plastic Spiderman mask came on the screen.
McCoy noted the faintest Eastern European accent, as the man spoke about the need for McCoy to leave the police out of any further dealings.
"This is what you Americans call a 'freebie'. We know the police are involved. We would be suspicious if they weren't. If you want to see your woman alive and well again, law enforcement will stay away, from now on. We have people in your office and various law enforcement agencies that will know if you defy us. To ensure you understand how serious we are, we will provide you an example of what will happen repeatedly, should you try to trick us."