The search had gone through the entire day, unsuccessfully. With the entire precinct keeping a look out for her, the team on watch, and every place imaginable, Lindsay was still missing. Danny cursed himself mentally for snapping at Pratt. If he'd had a little more control, Lindsay would've been spotted. Not that Danny blamed Lindsay for running from them. After what Pratt had done to her, she deserved to run. Now the sun was setting over the city. The day life was coming to a slow ending. Danny hated the idea of giving up the search because of the night. Who knows what Lindsay would do in the dark?
His phone rang in his pocket, breaking him from his thoughts. Danny retrieved his phone and accepted the call. "Messer."
"Dan it's Hawkes, any sign of Lindsay?" Hawkes asked.
"Not one." Danny answered.
"Damn. This is unbelievable. Where could she have gone?" Hawkes replied.
"I wish I knew." Danny stated.
"We'll find her, Danny." Hawkes said.
Danny nodded. "I hope so. I'll call you back in an hour. I'm gonna keep searchin'."
"Alright. Good luck, Danny." Hawkes said. And the call ended.
Danny slid his phone into his pocket and stared out at the city. He was on the docks on the west side. Danny propped himself up with his hands on his bike. "C'mon Montana, where'd you go?"
He watched the ships pass through the water. Danny thought back when he last stood there. They had brought out a young woman, dressed in a mermaid suit, from the water. Danny had joked about wheat fields with Lindsay. And Lindsay, being the one to stay focused, simply brushed his comment off.
Danny exhaled deeply. "C'mon, Messer. You've known her for a few years. Just think like her."
Lindsay enjoyed the outdoors. Being part of the team. The opera. Sports. Work. Talking to her family. But that was before Pratt had taken everything from her. Who knows what Lindsay was thinking now? Lindsay was unpredictable now, and that made finding her all the more crucial.
Danny lowered his head and thought back on Pratt's case. Actually, any rape case they'd handled. There had been many in Danny's years as a CSI, but there were few that suck with him. DJ Pratt's cases for starters. But there was one that Lindsay had a year ago, connecting to Pratt. A young hostess had been found dead under a bridge. Pratt's DNA had been isolated during the investigation. Danny remembered reading statistics of recovering woman who'd been raped. Many became abscessed in cleaning themselves.
Danny's head shot back up. That was it! Lindsay may not digress completely to that, but she would show some signs of that. And Lindsay couldn't go back to her apartment either, that was still a crime scene. Danny revved his engine and headed for Coney Island Beach. It was a long shot, but the water was always freezing cold and rarely had people swimming this time of year. Danny prayed he was onto something as she drove through the city.
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The waves washed against Lindsay's body. She stood waist deep in the water. She'd forgotten how long she'd been standing there, all day maybe. Lindsay had walked into the water, accepting the cold water. She become numb within minutes, but refused to leave to safety of the water. She wanted to dive in, wash everything from her. She wanted to wash her memories of the morning permanently from her mind. She wanted to forget everything. The icy temperatures could surly do that for Lindsay.
Every time Lindsay attempted to move further into the water, faces of her coworkers and friends flashed through her mind. Everyone would be disappointed in her. They wouldn't understand why she'd do it. Lindsay wrapped her arms around her chest, holding herself tightly. Tears rolled down Lindsay face. She couldn't remember if she'd every stopped cry at all today. The day just seemed too tormenting to recall anything with certainty. Lindsay pulled her foot from the sand and took a step further into the water.
"Don't even think about it Montana."
Lindsay froze. Her hands trembled around her arms. Lindsay looked out at the greeting waters. The darkening horizon seemed to be calling to her. Beckoning her to come. Lindsay bit her lip. She wanted to move further out. She wanted to dive into the icy waters and forget the terrors of the day. But he kept pulling her back.
"Can I help?"
The team could get by without her. They had already proven that while she'd gone to Montana, and even before Lindsay joined the team. Her family would see it differently, though. They wouldn't understand. They would demand answers. They would hurt. But they weren't with her. They weren't hurting now, Lindsay was. Lindsay was hurting deeply and she couldn't find another way out. The waves were calling her, and she was going to answer them. And not even Danny Messer could pull her back.
Lindsay unplanted her other foot and moved deeper. She walked further into the icy waters. The water rose up to her chest. The winds danced around her hair. She could hear the traffic of the city. The activity on Coney Island.
"Lindsay Monroe!"
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i onw nothing
