Chapter Four - I Just Want Back In Your Head
Lindsay had never known such pain. She quickly realized that the pads that had been connected to her chest, legs and arms were linked to a car battery. The man, her kidnapper, was sending low voltage electric shots through her body. And as she shook and quivered on the seat, her body humming with pain, she wanted to kill him. She idly thoughts of ways to do it and only the pain distracted her from those thoughts. She knew it was hopeless, that she would have to wait for rescue. When he finally ceased the current, she fought her chattering teeth to ask a question.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled widely and Lindsay felt a wave of revulsion.
"You don't remember me? You hadn't gotten here at that point I believe. I'm Matthew Clark."
Lindsay felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Her brain clicked through the mental images associated with that name and knew within seconds her fate if she was not rescued. He would torture her as long as she could survive, possibly even reviving her just to keep the game going before raping her and dismembering her corpse. They would find her in scattered pieces all over NY. Then the thing that made her Danny's Montana came through and she knew that if this was it for her, she wasn't going down without a fight. Matthew Clark will remember her as much as she would remember him.
"Why me?"
"I told you, you were happy with Danny. I promised that I would strike back when he was happy"
Lindsay gritted her teeth.
"It was you on the phone"
"And it was me following you in the supermarket. I know you felt something but you brushed it off. I've been watching you for a while now."
Matthew gave another wide smile before flicking the switch which sent Lindsay back into the world of pain.
The drive to the airport was the longest in Danny's life. His thoughts were with Lindsay the entire way. And his mind wondered where he didn't want it to go; to the reality of the situation before him. If he took out the fact it was Lindsay, pretending for a moment it was just another victim, another face to a person that he would never know in life, the number's were up. Matthew Clark was not known for leaving his victims alive. The torture that the other victim's endured was horrendous, the bodies were images that took him months to shake. He knew that Lindsay had to live. Danny Messer had never been an overly sensitive man, had never been a man that wore his heart on his sleeve. His life had always consisted of work and the occasional conquest, the only thing that varied was the cases that the violence in the city bought him. He would have laughed in the face of the person that told him that he would meet Lindsay and everything that he was would become redundant. He loved her and was never afraid to say it. She made everything that he hated about himself better and she made the good things even more impressive. She dragged out a side of him that he never knew that he had. As dumb and as overly romantic as it was to say, she completed him in a way that he never knew possible. The idea of her not being in his world was something that he didn't want to imagine. She had to live because if she didn't, he would die too. He finally got to the airport, dragging his way through to arrivals and waited. It wasn't long before Mr. Monroe appeared, complete with a battered cowboy hat. In a move that surprised Danny, Mr. Monroe pulled him into a tight hug and for a moment, Danny almost broke down. For some reason the smell of hay and horses made him think of Lindsay. Mr. Monroe cleared his throat and pulled away, a strong hand still gripping Danny's shoulder.
"I have just one suitcase."
Danny nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. They moved their way across the airport to pick up the suitcase, Mr. Monroe allowing him to carry it to the car for him. It was only when they were on the highway that Mr. Monroe finally spoke.
"Who has Lindsay?"
Danny shook his head, his hand scraping the stubble on his chin.
"With all do respect Sir, you don't want to know that part of things. The knowledge is killing me and I would hate to think what it would do to you"
"I want to know Son. And you will tell me. You owe me at least that"
Danny paused, thinking about the wisdom of letting this man know the fact that his daughter may face.
"His name is Matthew Clark. My team and I arrested him a few years ago before hand. He tortured, raped and dismembered his victims. He always vowed revenge but we didn't take him seriously, most criminals say that"
"Now he has Lindsay?"
"We believe so, yes Sir. He's the logical choice."
Mr. Monroe nodded and glanced at the window, his voice soft when he spoke again.
"Her dreams were always too big for Montana. She wanted to change the world, always wanted to catch the bad guys that made the world unsafe. I didn't take her dreams seriously until she was almost finished with college. After what happened to her when she was a child, with the murder of her friends, I always thought that that would push her into a normal life. Something to do with horses or owning a store. Something normal, something safe. But I was wrong. What happened to her friends made her angry and it was that anger that drove her to finding this life, this career."
Danny cleared his throat unsure of what to say. Mr. Monroe's gentle musings didn't leave much room for answers.
"She's great at her job Sir. The best"
Mr. Monroe nodded, his face still turned to the window.
"Oh I know. I collect every article that has to do with her or her team. My walls and fridge are littered with articles about you CSI's. And when she calls me, she's like a child at Christmas. Yabbering on about latent fibres, trace evidence and bullet fragments. Every time I talk to her, I keep my laptop close by just so I know what she's saying"
Danny had to smile at that comment. He had seen Lindsay get excited about evidence, had seen the yabbering factor get incredibly high as she verbally tried to process what her brain had already achieved.
"Don't worry Sir, she does that to me all the time"
"I don't want you to think badly of me Danny. I love my daughter with all my heart and all I want as a father is for her to be safe. This is not the life I wanted for her. But I also know in my heart that this job is part of who she is. It just kills me that it has put her in so much danger."
Danny cleared his throat, fighting back tears. He brushed his eyes roughly with his hand.
"Sir, I know you don't know me or my team that well but I can promise you one thing; my team will not rest until Lindsay is home safe and Matthew Clark is dead or behind bars."
Mr. Monroe nodded.
"Good. And I'll correct you on one point Son. I do know you, better then you think. I may be Lindsay's family in Montana but you are her family here. I feel like I have known you all for as long as she has"
Danny offered another small smile.
"So she talks about us huh?"
"Yeah she does. Chatters on like no ones business. That's how I knew that she loved you"
Danny felt like he had been slapped. He knew that Lindsay loved him but the development had only happened in the last few months.
"When did she tell you that?"
"I'm her father, she didn't have too. As soon as she mentioned you it grew from there. Most conversations we had started with something you had done. She even cried when she was unsure what she was meant to do with the feelings she had for you"
"And you told her what?"
"That if you hurt her that I would kill you. Then I told her that she was wiser then she realized and she should follow her heart. And I know that you love her too."
Danny had paused the car at the lights and was finally able to turn to Mr. Monroe and look at him properly. The big tough man had tears in his eyes and tracks down his cheeks.
"How did you know?"
"You gave yourself away when we first talked. And then again when you called me to tell me she was missing and once again as I look at your face now. You're heart is breaking like mine"
Danny nodded and Mr. Monroe leant over and gripped his shoulder again.
"We need to be strong for Lindsay. If she finds out that we were crying and musing like little old ladies over her-"
"She would kick both our butts."
Mr. Monroe nodded with a small smile.
"Exactly. So Son, where are we headed?"
Danny cleared his throat an concentrated on driving again.
"I'm going to drop you off at my place and then - "
"No"
Danny glanced at Mr Monroe.
"Sir?"
Mr. Monroe looked at Danny, his face hard.
"I'm trailing you on this one Son. I'm coming with you to the lab"
Danny wasn't sure how his new shadow would go down with the rest of the team but he knew where Mr. Monroe was coming from. Danny knew that there was nothing that they could do but they still wanted to be there regardless. Mr. Monroe lead the charge, knocking briskly on Mac's door before entering.
"Mac Taylor, I'm Samuel Monroe. It is an honour to finally meet you"
Mac glanced over Mr. Monroe's shoulder to Danny but all he did was shrug. Mac turned his focus back to Mr. Monroe, shaking the older man's hand firmly.
"I wish we could be finally meeting under better circumstances."
Mr. Monroe nodded once before taking off his hat and sitting in a chair across from Mac.
"Just so that we clear, I made Danny bring me here He's not to blame, I am"
Mac nodded slightly.
"Ok but why?"
Mr. Monroe played with his hat, spinning it slowly on his finger.
" I know that there is nothing I can do, nothing I can offer but I need to know everything that is happening with Lindsay. She is my daughter and I want to know the truth, regardless of how ugly or horrid."
Mac nodded slowly as he took his seat, glancing between Danny and Mr. Monroe. Whatever he was planning to say was interrupted with the appearance of Stella ,who paused at the door, looking to Mac for answers.
"Stella, this is Mr. Monroe, Lindsay's father"
Mr. Monroe moved out of his seat and grasped a surprised Stella in a hug.
"Stella, such a pleasure to meet you. My daughter is a huge fan of yours."
Stella laughed slightly, giving the older man a smile.
"We're big fans of hers as well. We'll find her Mr. Monroe"
Stella handed a file to Mac, her face back to a frown.
"I can't find Clark. The only person who has any kind of lead as to where he is is Malcolm Jones but he's not talking."
"Do we know why?"
"I'm presuming that he's been threatened. He's kind of reformed himself and he's got a family now."
"We need to talk to him"
"I know. But I think our best move he is to give him protection, get his family out and then make a move. Most of the people joined with Matthew Clark are in jail but there are still a few around. There is a real danger there, Jones isn't just being paranoid."
Mac flicked through the file quickly, freezing when Flack, of all people, entered his office. It was the last thing that they needed. Not only was Danny there but also Mr. Monroe, two of the last people on earth that Flack needed to run into. Flack didn't pay much attention to anyone as he moved further into the office, file in hand.
"You need to contact Matthew Jones."
Mac ignored the file with a stiff nod.
"I know. Stella just told me"
Flack frowned.
"Ok. I'll get right onto that then, shall I?"
Flack turned and was faced with Danny, who had moved from the corner of the room. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw clenched and his fists in tight circles at his side. Stella made a move to separate them but Mr. Monroe was faster. He slipped between the two men, facing Danny, he put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sit down Danny"
Danny moved forward again and Mr. Monroe pushed him back firmly. After a quick glance in the older man's direction, Danny nodded slightly and sat in the seat that Mr. Monroe had vacated. Mr. Monroe then turned to Flack.
"You must be Detective Flack."
Flack frowned.
"You know who I am, who are you?"
Mr. Monroe offered out his hand.
"Mr. Monroe, Lindsay's father"
Flack opened and closed his mouth, glancing at Mac before looking again at Mr. Monroe.
"Did they tell you everything?"
Mr. Monroe studied Flack, his face hard.
"They haven't told me anything but you just did. You had something to do with this"
Flack said nothing. Stella had moved around the men and stood beside Danny, a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in his seat. Violence and anger would not bring Lindsay back and she knew that any move that Danny made now he would have to live wit. And she knew Danny well enough to know that if he hurt Flack, he would regret it. Mr. Monroe moved closer to Flack.
"Danny is angry with you. From what I know of this cowboy, not a lot gets under his skin. If Lindsay doesn't make it home, I'm not going to stop him from hurting you. In fact, I'll join him. Got it?"
Flack nodded.
"Yes Sir"
Mr. Monroe turned back to Mac, his face hard.
"So what's the next move?"
When Lindsay woke up, for a moment she forgot what had happened. For a few seconds she moved slightly waiting for her body to make contact with Danny, the way it had every morning for months. It was then that she remembered. She shifted her body, finding her arms bound, a piece of tape over her mouth, laying on her side, her face pressed into a mattress. Her body ached from the electric shocks but she was mainly cold. When Clark had taken her, she had just gotten out of the shower, dressed in nothing but her underwear and thin robe. Wherever he had her, it was cold. She finally opened her eyes and was faced with darkness. She couldn't really see anything. There was a small strip of light coming from under the door. She could hear movement on the other side, disembodied voices that she couldn't make out. She wondered what her team was doing, she wondered if they knew where she was. She hoped Danny was ok and not doing anything stupid or Messer like. She knew what he could like when he was upset. Her thoughts froze when the door opened, the light blinding her for a moment. Then Clark stepped through the door, another man behind him.
"Hello Lindsay, glad to see you with us again. I thought you had died for a moment there but you surprised me with your will to live."
Clark stepped aside, letting the other man moved forward more. The man approached Lindsay and she instinctively tried to back away but there was nowhere for her to go. The man smelt like cigarettes and whiskey. He wasn't as tall as Clark, his face thick with a beard, a tattoo creeping up his neck, his thick lips pulled back in a smile. His hand moved closer, brushing some strands of hair off her face. His hand was hot against her cold skin.
"This is Angelo Jonas, a colleague of mine."
Lindsay whimpered trying to get some sort of sympathy from Jonas but the only response she got was a wider smile.
"Jonas here has done me some good turns over the years and I wanted to return the favour. So Jonas, Miss Monroe here is all yours. When you're done with your fun, I'll get rid of her."
Lindsay's fought against the bonds, her wrists rubbing painfully together but to no avail. Jonas moved closer to her, his hand running down her arm and sitting on her hip. She shivered against his touch, pulling her body away from him.
"Such a pretty wee thing."
Jonas's voice was rough and cold. Clark moved forward and clapped him hard on the shoulder.
"Enjoy you gift my friend. "
Clark turned on his heel and headed back to the door, pausing to flick on the light. Lindsay squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding pain. She pressed her body further over the bed but had nowhere to go as she found herself up against the wall. Jonas moved closer still, coming to sit on the bed with her. He began running his hands over her body, pushing the robe roughly aside.