Thanks for the reviews and stuff! :)
Let's find out if Spencer has anything to do with Greg's kidnapping!
While Nick was searching Spencer's apartment, Russell talked to him. "Why did you leave the hospital so soon? You're risking your health, you know that?"
"I had to. I needed to do something to help find Greg," Spencer replied with a sad look on his face.
"And how were you planning to do that?"
"I visited Albert a few days before he died. He was scared of Novak, he was sure if he wanted to hurt him, he'd find a way. Even when both were in different prisons. That's why he couldn't tell me but... I knew he wanted to tell me something."
"Like what?"
Spencer started to whisper. "I think someone at the station was working for Novak, too. Maybe he's still working for him... Maybe..."
"...This person is responsible for what happened to Greg?"
"I think so."
"Why didn't you come forward earlier?"
"Because I wanted to protect Albert. I figured Novak was behind bars and no threat anymore. When Al died, though... I contemplated telling Brass."
"But you didn't."
Spencer sighed. "I didn't want to get anybody in trouble who might be innocent. I know what that feels like and I didn't want anyone else to go through it. It was just a hunch, after all. So I decided to do some investigating myself."
Russell raised his eyebrows. "Did you find anything useful?"
Spencer got off his seat and grabbed a folder out of his bookshelf. He handed it over to Russell. "I tried to link everybody from the station to Novak and got nothing. So I kept thinking... What if the person wasn't from the police station but somebody from the lab?"
"...You're thinking someone from my lab is involved?"
"Well, after all your DNA tech was involved, right?"
"That's different, she..."
"She was in a similar situation like Al was. She was just a bit more lucky than him. That's what Novak does. He uses desperation."
Russell didn't know what to say. Spencer was right, after all. "So... Did you come up with anything?"
"Not yet. That's why I checked myself out of the hospital. I wanted to get to the bottom of this."
Nick walked in. "You should've told us. We could've helped."
Spencer looked to his kicked-in door, then back at Nick. "Yeah, you've proven yourself to be very helpful already."
Russell, Nick and Spencer spent quite some time trying to figure out who from the lab might be involved with Greg's abduction. They hoped that this person might lead them to their friend. Only problem was, they came up with nothing.
"It's hopeless. We'll never find that person..." Nick was starting to lose faith. "I just can't believe it. I trust these people. I can't believe anyone would do something like that."
"No one would've thought Robin was capable of doing something like that, but she did, didn't she?" Spencer said while looking through some of his files.
"She didn't mean to hurt Greg."
"Oh please. She risked his life. And if something happens to him now... She's to blame."
"It's not helping Greg to discuss these kind of things now. We need to stay focused," Russell said, trying to get them back on track.
Nick sighed as they got back to work.
"Good news, I got something to keep you busy..." The texan walked in with a weird face. Greg couldn't quite read it, but he knew something about him was off.
"A laptop?" Greg asked confused.
The texan faked a smile. "Sorry, no internet. Just a video I'm supposed to show you..."
Greg had an exhausted look on his face. "Can't you just leave me alone?"
"Sorry, have to." He pressed play and placed the laptop so that Greg could watch.
It showed Novak, sitting in an apartment, with a big grin on his face, drinking a beer. "Greg, my love. I'll soon be with you, don't worry. Just have to take care of some things before..." He kept talking about how he was looking forward to seeing him again, until Greg snapped and kicked the laptop across the room.
The texan just stood there, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, looking at Greg. After watching Greg breaking down for a couple of minutes, he pushed the couch closer to him so that he could lie down on it. "That's probably a lot more comfortable than the floor, right?"
After two hours, Nick and Russell came up with something.
"Yeah but we can't be sure. What if this guy doesn't have anything to do with this?" Russell rubbed his forehead.
"What if he does? We have to check this out!" Nick was eager to leave the lab to find out if their person of interest actually was a suspect. A lab intern who started working at the lab a few weeks ago seemed to be rather suspicious. They knew he had some financial problems that got taken care of a few days before Novak broke out of prison. Plus, he was at home ever since Novak got out, claiming to be sick.
"We'll never get a search warrant for his house over a hunch."
"Come on, now, Russell, it's more than just a hunch!"
"I'm afraid a judge would feel different about that."
"Okay, listen. I don't care if we got a search warrant or not, alright? I'd rather find Greg and not be able to prosecute his capturer than not find him but be able to prosecute his murderer!"
"As your boss I have to tell you that our hands are tied..." Russell opened the drawer in his desk. "But as Greg's friend I'd tell you that you'll find the address in my drawer..." Russell left the room, letting Nick know what to do.
Russell had to stay at the lab while Nick went to the intern's home. He took Sara with him for backup, not knowing what to expect. First, they tried the civilized way of ringing the door bell. When no one answered, they pulled out their guns and kicked the door in. The TV was on and they could smell food being cooked in the kitchen, but no sign of the intern Martin Colfer. Sara and Nick shared a look, both knowing someone had to have been here mere minutes ago. They walked through the small apartment with their guns drawn, looking for Colfer. When Nick walked towards the bathroom, shots were fired in his direction. Him and Sara took cover and Sara quickly called for backup from behind the couch. Nick was taking cover behind a big chair.
"Where's Greg?" Nick yelled. "It's over, Colfer, get out of there!"
After a few silent minutes, Colfer threw his gun out of the bathroom. "Alright, I'm coming out... Please don't shoot!" He walked out with his arms raised and tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry..."
Nick walked up to him, angrily pushing him against a wall and cuffing him. "Where is Greg? Tell me!"
"Nick, watch out!" Sara yelled as she saw a gun being pointed at Nick from inside the bathroom. Nick could take cover at the last second, then the gun was shot in his direction several times.
"Are you alright?" Sara asked from across the room.
Nick panted. "I'm fine. Who's in there?"
Colfer slowly crawled towards Nick and answered once he was able to take cover, as well. "It's Novak," he whispered.
Sara and Nick shared a look again. "Where's Greg?"
"I'm so sorry, I... I didn't have a choice I..." Colfer started rambling.
"Concentrate! How many guns does Novak have in there?"
"Just one... He should be out of bullets... His gun can only hold ten."
Both Nick and Sara were pretty sure they heard ten shots by now. Nick looked over to Sara. "It's worth a shot... Give me backup."
"What? No, Nick! That's too dangerous. Just wait for the SWAT-team!"
"Greg needs us! Come on!" Nick got up and walked towards the bathroom. Sara followed, making sure she could fire when she had to.
Nick slowly opened the door. They found Novak sitting in a corner, with his gun lying next to him. Nick grinned. "I was waiting for this moment..."
"What, you're gonna shoot an unarmed man?" Novak laughed.
"Unfortunately we need you alive. Show me your hands!"
Novak slowly raised his hands, but had a gun in his left one.
"What do you want me to do now? Come on! No, just let me... But..."
Greg could hear these words from the other side of the door. The texan walked in with a cell phone in his hand and a rather sad, depressed look on his face. Greg knew this wasn't a good sign at all. "What... What's going on?"
Without saying a word, the texan grabbed a chair standing near Greg and forcefully smashed it against a wall. Greg startled surprised. The man sighed as he sat down on the ground, burrying his face in his hands. "This all is getting out of control." He looked at Greg with watery eyes. "Are you from Vegas?"
Greg looked a bit confused.
"Where do your parents live?"
Greg had no idea what this was about, but he figured it would be best to just answer the texan's questions. "California."
"You see them often?"
"Not often enough. I work too much."
"They look like nice people." When he saw Greg's look, he continued. "I saw pictures of them when I was in your apartment. No siblings, huh?"
Greg shook his head.
The texan looked to the ground. "You never knew what it's like to love your siblings, no matter in what kind of trouble they are..."
"...You don't do this only because of the money, don't you? Novak's not a friend of yours... isn't he? Did he hurt your family?" Greg suspected this for some time now.
The texan got off the couch. "Alright, here's the deal. Neil's not coming. They got him."
"...They did?" Greg couldn't believe his ears. Novak wouldn't get another chance to hurt him. "...Thank god..." He started crying tears of joy.
The texan gave Greg a look to let him know that this wasn't a reason for him to think he'd be able to go home just like that.
"...Please, just let me go. There's no need to kill me..."
The texan looked at his gun for a while, then over to Greg.