Chapter 8
Maura woke the next morning and found that she was alone in bed and Jane's side of the bed was cold. Just as she was beginning to worry she heard Jane coming down the hallway. She lay back and relaxed when she heard Jane humming as she came through the doorway carrying a tray laden with food. "You were supposed to be sleeping so I could kiss you awake with my surprise."
"Shall I pretend I'm asleep?"
Jane shook her head no and pretended to pout. "I just wanted to do something special for you."
Maura sat up and patted the bed next to her. "This is very special Jane. No one has ever served me breakfast in bed." Jane ignored where she patted the bad and signaled for Maura to move forward and she climbed in behind her then pulled her back against her.
"You are special Maura and you deserve breakfast in bed every day but that would get rather mundane don't you think?" Jane smiled as she fed a strawberry to Maura. "Now sit back and enjoy your breakfast we've got about an hour before we have to head in to work." Jane said as she fed her one of the blueberries doused in cream.
Maura was having such a good time that what Jane had said hadn't registered right away then she sat forward quickly only to have Jane pull her back. "Jane I can't possibly get ready in that amount of time." She tried to get out of bed but Jane held her down.
"For once forget about trying to look like a runway model and enjoy the moment. There will be plenty of time for you to get ready. You can do it." She felt Maura relax in her arms.
"You know Jane I could get used to this. Not just breakfast in bed, although that was a very pleasant surprise but I could really get used to waking up next to you and spending this quiet time together before we have to face the realities our jobs. I feel so safe when I'm in your arms." She leaned her head back and pulled Jane down for a kiss that started out slow but quickly became very heated.
"You keep that up and we'll never make it into work." Jane reached under Maura's arms and took one of her bare breasts in her hand and was pleased with the quick intake of breath from Maura. "Finish your breakfast while I take a quick shower. I have to distance myself from you because you are far too tempting and we've got a murderer running around our town that we need to stop." She stood up then turned to kiss Maura very soundly. "I'll use the guest bathroom so you can have your domain to prepare yourself when you are ready." She looked at the clock. "You have about ½ an hour. By the way, you are beautiful when you sleep and you are beautiful as you look right now. And I too could get used to waking up next to you every morning." She turned and sashayed out of the room putting and extra sway in her hips for Maura's benefit.
Maura threw some of the fruit in her mouth then headed for her bathroom knowing she was not going to be able to take her time in her preparations as she usually does. She smiled all through her showing remembering some of the things she and Jane had done to each other the night before. She wondered if Jane would be a willing participant if she introduced a few toys into their lovemaking. She could picture Jane taking her hard and fast with a strap on and wondered how adventurous Jane would be. Just the thought was getting her hot so she forced her mind to concentrate on getting ready. She surprised herself by being ready in less than half an hour and she joined Jane in the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She actually blushed when she entered the kitchen and saw Jane and pictured her taking her right there in the kitchen with the strap on.
"What are you thinking Maura?" Jane handed her a cup of coffee just the way she liked it. "You're blushing so something's up. Spill it."
"Spill what Jane?" Maura asked trying to deflect her question. "Do you want me to spill my coffee? What would be the purpose of that?"
Jane walked up and wrapped her arms around Maura. "You have something on your mind and if it's causing you to blush I would really like to know what it is."
"I think it's too soon in our relationship to be discussing what's on my mind. It might scare you away." Maura dropped her head to avoid Jane's stare.
Jane placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face so she could look her in the eye. "Maura, we've been through a lot together and it would take something totally horrendous for me to walk away. I mean real horrendous."
Maura bowed her head again. "I was imagining you using a strap on on me while I was showering and it really turned me on." She heard Jane's breathing hitch and she was afraid she had gone too far.
Jane used the same finger to raise her chin again and waited until Maura opened her eyes before she allowed the smile to escape. "I was thinking about it last night but I wasn't sure it was something you'd be into. Of course I've never done it before but it can't be too hard right?" She gave Maura a smirk.
"I think between the two of us we should be able to figure it out. So do you want to go with me to buy it?"
Now it was Jane's turn to blush. "If you don't mind I'll leave that up to you."
Maura leaned up and kissed Jane. "Thank you. Now let's get to work I've got some shopping to do." She gave Jane one more quick kiss and headed to the car.
"Oh you are going to be the death of me." She said as Maura handed her the keys. "I am so the man but you got me whipped." She muttered to herself as she followed behind Maura.
"Did you say something about whipping?" Maura turned back to Jane with a smirk of her own.
"Oh no you did not hear that." Jane said the last as she was pulling the car out of the garage.
"Too bad." Maura smiled at Jane and sat back and rested her head against the head rest and closed her eyes.
"What are you thinking? Forget I asked I'm not sure I want to know." She shook her head and laughed.
"I'll show you later." Was Maura's last remark as they pulled into her parking spot behind the precinct. "I hope we have a quiet day today. I want to finish the autopsy on our latest victim and maybe we can go home at a fairly decent time."
Jane kissed her at the elevator. "I'll see you later and I'll let you know if anything comes up. See you at lunch?"
"Count on it." Maura turned towards the morgue as Jane headed upstairs to the bullpen. As Maura was preparing for the autopsy she heard the back door bell ring and she knew she was the only one there at the moment. She went to answer it and when she opened the door she didn't have time to react before the hooded man's fist made contact with her chin. She felt the needle prick before she could fight back and the world went black in a matter of seconds.
About an hour later the three detectives we're surprised when Suzy came running into the bullpen. "You guys need to come with me, fast." She turned and headed back to the elevator without waiting. Jane gave Frost and Korsak a look and shrugged her shoulders then headed out to follow the lab tech. When they entered the elevator Suzy began to speak fast. "I went to the morgue to ask Dr. Isles a question but when I got there she wasn't there."
"Did you check the bathroom." Frost asked from the back of the elevator.
Suzy turned and gave him a look that said 'duh'. "Don't you think I thought of that? I checked her office then the restroom then I went towards the back of the morgue and found the door wide open and one of Dr. Isles' shoes lying on the floor. Why would there only be one shoe? Where's the other one?"
Jane almost ran out of the elevator and crashed through the morgue door and headed straight for the back door. She saw Maura's shoe lying there and started to reach for it but was stopped by Korsak's voice. "Gloves Jane! We can't take any chances." Jane turned to him with a dazed look on her face. "Maybe you should sit down."
"It's him. I don't know how or why but I know this is the guy whose handiwork we've been investigating. And now he's got Maura if we don't find her soon she's going to look like that." She pointed to the body still on the autopsy table. She turned and walked out of the morgue towards the bathroom and she stood at the sink and held on for dear life. "Fight Maura, I'll find you, I promise I will find you."
Maura woke about an hour later and knew instantly that she was in trouble. She looked up and saw that her hands were tied above her head and the rope was tied to one of the wooden beams overhead. Her feet touched the floor so at least there wasn't any strain on her arms although they we going to be numb soon. She looked around the room and saw the little girl lying on the bed. "Hey sweetie are you ok?" All she did was nod her head. "My name is Maura what's yours?"
The little girl scooted down to the end of the bed as far as the chain would let her and looked at Maura then held one finger to her lips. "Shhh he told me I shouldn't make any noise."
"Maybe if we just talk loud enough so we can hear each other you won't get in trouble. Do you think you can do that?" Maura's arms were going numb from lack of circulation but she was trying hard to keep it from this little girls. "So what is your name?"
"My name is Jenny, are we going to be ok?" Jenny looked like she was going to start crying and Maura wasn't sure what she should do.
"Sweetie, you're going to be just fine. It may take a couple of days but you'll be ok." That seemed to calm her down a little bit. "I have a friend who works for the police department and she's probably looking for me right now so we won't be here long."
"Is she a good police officer?" Jenny settled down on the end of the bed.
"She's the best. She's a decorated hero." Maura remembered back to the award ceremony and hoped she'd be able to tell Jane how proud she was that night.
"What did they decorate her with? Mommy always uses crepe paper and rainbows for my parties because I really like rainbows. Did they decorate her with rainbows?" Jenny sat back as if she was very proud of herself.
"No honey not that…" Maura smiled at the naiveté of the child and for the first time in her life she wished she were a child again. "They decorated her with a ribbon."
"I like ribbons too. But not as much as the rainbows my mommy made. Am I going to see my mommy again?" Jenny started crying. "I miss my mommy."
"Yes sweetie you will see your mommy again. Maybe not today but very soon. I promise. My friend will get all of her friends to find us, they are probably looking already and they won't stop until they find us."
"Are you sure?" She looked up at Maura hopefully.
"Yes I am." Maura hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.
"So are you two getting to know each other?" Maura turned towards the voice that was over in the direction of the stairs. She had to turn her head away when a very bright light was shined in her direction. She heard his boots on the floor, they were very heavy steps. She couldn't tell if it was because the boots were heavy or because the man was big. She still couldn't look into the light because it hurt her eyes. She felt his breath on her neck and when she tried to turn her head to look at him he hit her in the jaw with a closed fist.
"Don't hit her she's a nice lady." He turned toward Jenny.
"Leave her alone." Maura said through the blood on her lips. "It's ok sweetie. I'm ok. Don't worry about me just try to be quiet. Can you do that for me?"
"I'll try." Maura's heart broke at the sound of the tiny voice. She also knew that this was just the beginning and she didn't want Jenny to get hurt.
"Try really hard ok?" Then she turned towards the man. "Don't hurt her ok? You didn't hurt any of the others and I'll do whatever you say as long as you don't hurt her." The wind was knocked out of her when he punched her hard in the solar plexus.
"You are in no position to be trying to make deals. I'll do whatever I please to either of you. And you already know what's in store for you. You've seen my handiwork first hand. I've followed you and I must say you've done well for yourself."
"Why would you have followed me? I mean nothing to you." Maura had a feeling that she was not a random kidnapping.
"Oh I've followed all of my little girls just like I will follow Jenny for the rest of her life. You're my shining star Maura. You seemed to have taken what happened to you and used it to push yourself above and beyond most people's expectations."
He took another puff on his cigarette as he walked towards Maura. "You're a very beautiful woman Maura. Has anyone ever told you that? I'm sure your equally beautiful Detective Rizzoli has told you often enough." He grabbed the front of Maura's shirt and ripped it downward to expose her flesh. He raised the cigarette and ground it into her left shoulder. Maura couldn't stop the scream that escaped her lips but she was quick to smother it. "Oh you're going to be able to start out strong but by the end of the day today you'll be begging me to stop.
Maura took a deep breath and raised her head to look at the man. "What do you mean when you say you've followed all of your girls? I don't remember you."
"Are you trying to tell me you don't remember what happened to you when you were Jenny's age? When you were in her position and another woman was in yours." He took pleasure in her look of surprise. "I know that you and Detective Rizzoli paid a visit to your mother and I would hazard a guess that it was to discuss your childhood. So who put two and two together?"
"Jane did just yesterday." She felt the back of his hand make contact with her cheek and knew the ring on his finger broke the skin maybe even more. The pain was intense.
"So what did mommy dearest have to say about it? She denied it didn't she? Just like she thought she hid you from me by keeping you out of the limelight. I knew who you were and I was able to watch you from afar. When they refused to pay the ransom they signed your death warrant. You see, there were parents who paid the ransom and their children have been spared what you are going through now. Those who didn't pay are paying the price now." He slapped her across the face again.
"But all of the children were released."
"Maura are you ok?" Came a quiet voice from the bed. "Did he hurt you? I don't want him to hurt you."
Maura could hear the tears in her voice. "No Jenny I'm fine. Just be good ok? Can you do that for me?"
"It's hard but I'll try. Mister can you be nicer to her. I don't like it when my friends get hurt." There was pleading in her voice.
The man turned around to Jenny and sat down next to her on the bed. "I'm only going to hurt her a little more, you can close your eyes if you don't want to watch and if you put your fingers in your ears you can hardly hear her." Maura was surprised at how gentle he was with Jenny. She watched as Jenny listened to his every word and she hoped for the little girl's sake she believes him and doesn't suffer too much. "Do you want to listen to some music? I have some Disney songs you can sing along with. Does that sound good?" Jenny nodded her head solemnly. "Wait right here I'll be right back."
After he left the room and Jenny turned to Maura. "Is it ok if I listen to music? I don't want you to feel left out."
"Oh honey it's great if he has some music you'll like. I don't mind at all. I really hope you can sit back and enjoy it."
"Can I close my eyes? I don't want to watch him hurt you. I wish I could help you but I'm too little." Her voice was breaking again and it was breaking Maura's heart.
"You are helping me Jenny. Every time you smile I feel better and I bet you're a real good singer so when he brings the music I want you to sing as loud as you can ok? Sing for me ok?"
Jenny smiled and nodded her head vigorously. "Mommy says I sing like and angel so I will sing for you so maybe it won't hurt as much. Will that help?"
"Yes sweetie that will help very much. You have no idea how much that will help." Maura smiled at her and tried not to wince at the pain she was feeling.
The man came back with an iPod and headphones. "Here you go Jenny. Do you know how to work that?" He asked as he handed her the iPod.
She nodded. "Mommy bought me one for Christmas last year." She put the headphones on then looked up at Maura as if asking her permission. Maura nodded and Jenny turned the music on and lay down on the bed.
"Can I at least know your name as long as you are going to kill me anyway?" Maura tried to see his face but once again he was standing with the light behind him and she couldn't make out his features. Maura smelled the cigarette smoke again and she tried to prepare herself for the pain but it was no use. She screamed as he ground the cigarette into her stomach then relit it and repeated the action on various parts of her body. She could smell the burning flesh and she never thought the smell would get to her but I guess it's different when it's your own flesh. She felt the bile rise in her throat and she fought the urge to throw up.
"So had any of this come back to you yet or did your mother have you reprogrammed so good none of this can break through the wall your therapist helped build? You were such a vivacious outgoing little girl and you seemed to take the whole experience in stride. But after you went to Europe and I assume some therapy it seemed as if you gave up on ever being happy again. It's almost as if they wiped out any memory of your life before the day I took you. You and I spent the first day together alone and you were very inquisitive and happy even though you knew there was something wrong with the situation. I told you some of what was going to happen and I don't think you really grasped it until I brought the woman in."
Maura thought about what he had said and she wondered if there was some truth to what he said. Her early years had always seemed hazy but her mother always brushed it aside when she brought it up. She looked up at the man in front of her and knew that he was telling the truth. She wondered what other things in her life were missing. She hung her head and tried to think. She looked down at his shoes and tried to remember every detail she could about this man. She watched as one boot swung back them came forward and made contact with her left shin. She heard bone break and she almost passed out. She tried to stand on just one leg so it wouldn't hurt as much but he kicked the other leg too. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head up so she would have to look at him.
"Don't you ever ignore me like that again or I will do much worse. I don't want to do too much on the first day, we have to make this last. Have a good night. Hope you can sleep." He gave and evil laugh and left the room.
After the light was turned off she looked over to the bed and it looked as if Jenny was sleeping so she didn't say anything but she quietly started crying.
"Guys you work the morgue I have someone I need to visit." Jane turned and started to leave the room but turned when Korsak cleared his throat. "What?"
"Do you want some company?" Jane knew he wasn't asking as a cop but as a friend.
"No this is something I have to do by myself. But thanks." She turned and walked out to the parking and she hopped in her cruiser and headed out. She arrived at her destination in record time and pounded on the front door and it didn't take long for it to be answered. She didn't give the woman who answered the door any time to say anything but headed for where she knew her quarry was. She opened the door and watched as Constance jumped in surprise. She was sitting there in jeans and a sweatshirt (designer jeans but jeans nonetheless) and Jane was surprised at how different Constance looked when she was all made up for her public. "Now you are going to tell me what you refused to tell Maura last night."
"Detective you have no right to come into my home unannounced. Make an appointment and come back them." Constance turned and tried to ignore Jane and she hoped she couldn't see how intimidated she felt.
"I have every right Constance. We've had two murders and they affected Maura in a way that no other murders have and now the son of a bitch has Maura and she is going to wind up on the slab in the morgue if you don't tell me everything you know about this case." Jane watched as the color drained from Constance's face and she almost felt sorry for her.
Constance grabbed the back of the chair she had been standing behind and used it to walk around and sit in the chair. "Oh my god he has Maura? What can I do?"
"You can start by telling me the truth about what happened when she was a child, the truth you withheld from us last night. It's somehow connected to this isn't it?" Jane could not hide the anger in her voice nor did she want to.
"Would you like something to drink? This may take awhile." She walked over to the bar and poured herself a drink at 10:00 in the morning.
"No thank you I'm on duty. Do you have coffee?" Jane walked up beside her and watched as she reached for a coffee pot. "Why don't you go sit down and I'll pour my own." Jane poured her coffee then took a seat in a chair across from Constance. "You can start anytime but I don't think we have time for the long version, you can save that for Maura when we get her back."
"You sound so sure you'll get her back. None of the other women got out alive." Jane watched as reality set in for Constance.
"None of the other women had me and all of the Boston Police force looking for them. Maura is our friend and we'll stop at nothing to get her back. Now tell me what I need to know."
"Maura was kidnapped when she was 8 years old and she was forced to watch that madman torture and kill that poor woman. That's what's happening to her now isn't it?" Jane just nodded and Constance could see the strain on Jane's face and knew that Maura was very important to her. "The man called on the second day and demanded a ransom and Maura's father refused to pay it because he said all of the other kids were released without paying the ransom. Three days later we get a call from the police that they have our daughter."
"Did you think to call in any other agency for help? You know like the police or the FBI? They could have helped." Jane was pacing as she always did when she was agitated. And she was definitely agitated with Constance Isles right now. "How could you do nothing to get your own child back?"
"He told us if we brought in the police he would kill Maura and she would be returned to us in a body bag. I couldn't risk that." Jane could see she was reliving the nightmare from 30 years ago.
"But you thought if you didn't pay the ransom he would return her safe & sound?" Jane's voice was dripping with sarcasm and she noted that Constance picked up on it.
"We were told the other girls were released without the ransom." Constance stood up and headed for the bar again.
"And who told you this?"
"We hired a private investigator and he told us that this had already happened to 4 other families and the children were released when the police found them." Constance poured herself a glass of water and Jane noticed that her hand was shaking.
"Did he tell you what happened to the women? They were tortured relentlessly and beaten until they were dead and that is what's happening to Maura as we speak. Personally the idea of what may be happening to her breaks my heart and sickens me and I would like to find her as soon as possible so the bastard doesn't do too much damage. Now what else can you tell me?" Constance was openly crying now but Jane didn't have time to be sentimental.
"Oh my god!" Constance sat down again and looked up at Jane with pleading eyes. Jane felt a short stab of guilt but it didn't last long. "When we got Maura back we decided we didn't want to drag her through anything after the police finished questioning her so we took her to our chalet in Switzerland. We had the best psychologist money could buy come and spend time with Maura until she seemed to be ok. It took about 6 months before she could even leave the house. Then all of the sudden she was playing again, maybe she wasn't as happy as before but she never again mentioned those days he had her. She told me some of what happened but she never went into detail and after she saw the psychologist it was never mentioned again."
"Did you talk to the psychologist and ask him what was said or what he did behind closed doors?" Jane was running out of patience, this was getting her nowhere. She knew something was up when Constance lowered her head and mumbled something. "What was that? I didn't hear you."
"We had her hypnotized. She doesn't remember it." Constance was almost shouting at Jane.
"You had it erased from her memory? What else did he wipe out? Is that why her memories of her early childhood are so vague? How could you do that to her?" Jane was shouting right back.
"Richard, Jane's father, thought it was the best thing to do under the circumstances. She was traumatized and we didn't know what else to do?"
"So you had her memory erased by using hypnotism? What kind of people are you? You think just because you have money you can do whatever the hell you want. Well let me tell you this, for the past week your daughter has been having flashbacks that have been driving her crazy because she couldn't figure out where they were coming from. Then last night you sat here and lied to her face and now she's going through hell. If I had known I could have protected her, I would have stayed with her to make sure this didn't happen." Jane was openly crying at this point.
"Jane you can't blame yourself." Constance stood up and walked over to the young woman who obviously loved her daughter very much. Jane turned away before Constance could touch her. "We made a decision a long time ago to never tell her what happened and I decided last night that it would only make things worse."
"Worse for who, you or Maura? She's been going through hell the last couple of days and just by confirming her suspicions last night you could have made things right. But no, you were too busy thinking about yourself, protecting your dirty little secret. Look where that got us. I have to go, I've got to do whatever I can to find Maura." She turned to leave but was stopped by the hand on her arm.
"Jane I know you don't think much of me right now but I do love Maura very much and thanks to you I've been able to show her that over that last month or so. Can I come with you and help in any way possible?" Her voice was so low Jane almost didn't hear her.
"Ma's going crazy in the diner so I guess you can keep each other company. That way I can pick your brain if I need to. Come on I don't have time to wait for you to primp." Jane turned and didn't wait to see if Constance was following or not. She got in the car and started the engine as Constance opened the passenger door. She waited just long enough for her to shut the door then pulled off. "If anything comes to your mind I want to hear it. If you have any ideas I want to hear them. Nothing is too small and no idea is insignificant. OK?" Jane glanced over to Constance.
"I understand. You love her very much don't you? I'm glad." Jane almost did a double take. "What? You didn't think I knew. I've never seen Maura as happy as she is when she's with you. Does she know?"
"Yes she does, we've been dating for a couple of days now. She makes me very happy and I will not stop until I find her and bring her home. She my reason for waking each morning." Jane blushed when she realized what she had just said.
"I knew you'd be good for her. She needs someone who will be her equal and challenge her and she values your opinion and you'll keep her on her toes. I'm very sorry I kept things from both of you last night and realize now how wrong it was and I'm sorry. I will do whatever can to make it up to both of you, I promise."
Jane pulled into her spot and almost lost it when she saw Maura's car sitting in her assigned spot and felt Constance's hand on her back gently guiding her into the building. They went to the diner and Jane left Constance there with her mother with orders to keep the food and coffee coming and headed upstairs. She walked into the bullpen and tried to smile at Frost and Korsak sitting there looking at her with frowns on their faces. "Ok Frost I want the names of all of the children who survived 30 years ago including the names of the little rich girls. Constance finally told me that Maura was one of them. I want to compare the list of names to the two women who have already died. I want to see if he is revisiting the survivors and using them as the women now. If he is we need to contact them and tell them what is happening. Right now we need to find a way to find Maura before he inflicts too much damage." Jane sat down at her desk and lowered her head to her arms resting on her desk. The guys had no idea what to do so they just left her alone and went to work.