Chapter Nineteen

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hawkes had that patented look of disapproval that all doctors had when a patient went against orders. Crossing his arms over his chest, he shook his head at the frustrating, but nevertheless welcome sight of Mac sitting behind his desk the following Monday morning. Although Mac had done nothing but paperwork all morning with Stella all but hovering over his shoulder, the doctor in him wanted to shoo his boss off home to bed. For the fifth time that morning, Hawkes strolled into Mac's office to inquire about his health.

Mac and Stella acknowledged his presence with a glance and noticing Mac looking a little pale, Hawkes asked, "Have you taken the pain pills Mac?" At a nod, he sighed. "I really think you should be at home, if not back at the hospital."

Mac just gave him a tired smile. After going against his doctor's orders, but in the same vein, couldn't argue as Mac had given his word to take it easy and rest whenever possible, the doctor had stood by as Mac checked himself out. Almost immediately, Mac was faced with another battle as he called Chief Sinclair and fought to reassure the man that he was fit enough to take back his office. It took a while, but knowing what kind of a dangerous man and useful ally Mac Taylor could be, Chief Sinclair gave up in the end. Mac had laughed at Stella's glee when Detective Branco did not show up that morning. "I'm fine Sheldon, if not moving a little slow. Stella has already procured a promise from me that I not leave this desk." He gestured to his desk. "I'm just doing paperwork and fixing it up."

"Thanks to that harpy of a woman," Stella started spewing out angry insults about Branco, much to Mac and Hawkes' amusement.

A knock on the glass door and Flack appeared with Angell trailing behind. "Hey, if it isn't the indestructible Mac Taylor!" he greeted jovially. "Weren't you shot last week? And here you are; skin must be made of steel." The group chuckled.

"Flack. Angell. What brings you here, besides my expense?" Mac asked.

Angell's face was grim. "We've got another body that looks like the same as our original Jane Doe. Shot in the head and heart. I'm going to need one of you." Stella and Mac exchanged looks. While checking the body last time, Mac had been shot, but according to Danny and Hawkes' findings, the shooter was willing to shoot any of them; would the killer be waiting to take another shot this time round too? As if understanding the silent question, Angell elaborated, "The body is in a private dance studio, no windows, one door, and the scene has been looked over and secured to the fullest."

Stella straightened. "I'll go and I'll call Danny. Hawkes, you stay here." The good doctor understood her silent request. Out of everyone, he was probably the best to keep watch over a still-frail Mac.

"I want you and Danny to wear bullet-proof vests just in case Stella. Don't argue with me." Mac's face was stern. "Let's not take any chances."

Nodding and a brief smile passing over her face, Stella left with Angell and Flack, who was going along since the body was surely connected to Mac's case, leaving Hawkes alone with Mac.

"They'll be all right."

"Let's hope."

Danny meanwhile, was taking the time before his shift started on the phone frantically trying to track down someone with information about Lindsay. He'd heard from Stella that Branco had been asking questions about Lindsay missing her day back at work. Stella had covered for her yesterday, but the same trick wouldn't work twice and he was beyond worried. Worried for her job, worried about her parents, and worried for her. She hadn't acknowledged his call to her, not that Danny expected her too, but Lindsay hadn't returned anyone's calls, not even Stella's. He had been put on hold three times, transferred twice, and was currently listening to some bad country music. All Danny wanted was to know what was happening. Without access to Lindsay's file or her apartment, Danny was forced to call the Bozeman PD, who thought he was a reporter and almost hanging up before Danny shouted out Lindsay's name. Taking a moment to explain that he was a co-worker and that he was worried, the police still couldn't put him in contact with someone with specific information. It seemed like everything was a mad rush over there and no one had any time to spare a few minutes to reassure some shmuck from New York.

Danny groaned when his cell phone started ringing and seeing it was Stella on the display and knowing that it was about a case, he sighed heavily and hung up his home phone disappointedly. Damn it.

"Messer."

"Danny, meet me at 175 Clennan Avenue on the east side; we've got another body like Jane Doe's."

His eyebrows raised. A break in the case, finally something going their way. "On my way."

It took him less than half an hour to get to the place only to be immediately accosted by Flack, holding out a bullet-proof vest while wearing one himself. "You really think the shooter's here?"

His tall friend shrugged, ushering Danny into the building, blue eyes alert. "Mac doesn't want us to take a chance."

"Mac?"

"Yeah, man, he's at the office."

"Mac's back?" Danny asked incredulously as they walked up some stairs. His blue eyes took in an abnormally large number of police roaming.

"And better than ever," Flack finished the cliched line with a grin.

Walking into the room, Danny saw Stella already examining the body of a woman dressed in a red cocktail dress, appearing in her early thirties, with blonde hair and brown eyes that were open with shock.

"No ID," Stella reported as he crouched across from her. "Same M.O, but there's a different message." Stella indicated the woman's dress, shredded in the middle and revealing her carved and bloody stomach. ACCOMPLICE. She looked at Danny. "Let's start processing."

Though a man with somewhat eclectic taste in music, Mac Taylor had to admit that the country music he was forced to listen to was just plain awful. And he had been forced to listen to it for over two minutes now. He sighed and then waved to a concerned-looking Hawkes, who was once again hovering around his office. Really, while Mac could admit to some pain and discomfort, with the pain pills and as long as he did no sudden movements, he was fine. He'd been through worse in the marines.

"Detective Taylor?" a stressed-sounding man with a mid-Western accent spoke into the phone. "This is Chief Carter. Sorry for the wait, things have been hectic here. You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes Chief, I was just calling to check if Detective Monroe is there?"

Chief Carter gave a sigh of annoyance. "That infernal woman! Coming here and almost immediately causing trouble, her and that sweet-talking brother of hers. Stubbornly insisting that if I didn't let them go up the mountain to search for their parents, they'd go anyway and then when I agreed, they immediately ignore the search area designated to them, heading off into unmapped terrain. I thought sending Detective Sheridan with them would keep them in line, but no, I should have known better. And now this, deliberately disobeying orders when I recalled all the search teams..." One could imagine him shaking his head.

As he listened, Mac became more concerned. Mountain? Unmapped terrain? Recalled search teams? Breathe, Mac, one question at a time. "Chief, I must confess to a bit of confusion right now. What mountain? Have there been any leads on Detective Monroe's parents?"

Silence followed by a tired chuckle. "By golly, I forgot who I was talking to! Sorry there, detective, I was just a bit frustrated. Let's start at the beginning..."

The frown on Mac's face grew and grew as Chief Carter explained the situation, causing Hawkes (hovering outside his office once more) to worry. Suppressing the urge to run a hand through his hair, Mac settled for sighing heavily. It looked like things in Montana were heating up dangerously, and Lindsay was in the thick of it. Despite his disappointment at her behavior, Mac could certainly understand her desperation; time was running out. He shuffled the papers around his desk, searching for a specific form. With slight diffidence, Mac wrote something and then signed off on it.

"Chief Carter, did you question Lindsay about her appearance in Montana? With her being so personally involved in the case and all," Mac asked when the chief finished updating him.

"Well no, I didn't really have the chance too. Girl just came and went so fast. I did think it was strange that you let her come, not only because of it being her parents, but because it was Katum too."

"What if I told you that I gave Lindsay strict orders to remain in New York during this whole search and that she deliberately disobeyed them?"

Chief Carter's response was to start spitting incoherent words furiously.