Author's notes: Sorry there was no update this weekend. Our town had its annual celebration and I was roped into helping at the food/beer tent! This is a short chapter, the next one should be longer. Have decided to change rating since I have checked and others containing F word were rated lower than a M. So without further adieu.
Mac and Danny walked down the street, each man looking for any clue that might yield the answers to their questions. After covering two blocks, Mac stopped and waited for Danny to catch up. He looked around, "If you were being chased, what would you do to throw off your pursuer?" Gazing down the street, the scene played out in his head. A man running down the street, a dark haired detective in close pursuit.
Danny thought momentarily, "I sure as hell wouldn't keep going straight. I'd duck down a side street or alley, a lot of in and out. Try to lose them or double back and get behind them."
Mac's vision of possible events showed the fleeing suspect swerving and ducking down narrow alleys. Looking now at Danny, Mac nodded in agreement, "I think we need to focus more on where someone might be able to gain access to one of these buildings." Pulling out the PD radio he had pocketed earlier, he relayed the request to the officers who had joined the search.
The first side street showed no points of entry. The men turned and started up the next. One building had broken windows but no way for someone to get inside. Danny looked at his watch; fifty-five minutes had passed since they had begun the search. It was hard not to let the hard edge of panic that had been building inside of him grow. Flack was a good friend. It had all started with pick-up games of basketball and the occasional after work beer, but it had developed into a deeper bond. Flack had been there for Danny when things got rough and Danny had in turn done the same. The mere thought of losing another friend was too much to deal with. Danny blinked rapidly as if to bury these thoughts back deep inside him.
Suddenly he realized that Mac had stopped and was looking at a pile of shipping pallets that had been knocked over and now extended into the alley. Mac looked at Danny; "Maybe you'd push something into his path hoping to trip him up?"
"Yeah, slow him down a little." Danny sounded hopeful as they skirted the edges. "There's two more buildings, lets check them out first Mac."
Mac weighed the decision momentarily. What little trace this might add would only prove if Flack or his suspect had went this way, not where Flack was now. "Good idea. I'm not seeing anything standing out here."
The next building was locked up tight; a sign posted alerted trespassers to the legal ramifications if they thought about entering.
The final building's door was shut and locked, but a gap in the door was large enough to admit someone. Mac's eyes narrowed as he looked at the gap. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of latex gloves. A small piece of material was caught on a jagged board. "Danny do you have a bag?"
Danny checked his jacket pockets and came up with a small evidence bag that he handed to Mac. The young man's impatience was barely contained. "Mac. Flack could be lying in there bleeding or something. Can't we collect the evidence if we need it? Hell, that could be some wino's blanket for all we know."
"Danny, I'm worried about Flack too, but we still have to keep a chain of evidence." Mac could see the scowl on Danny's face. "Remember we need proof before we go rushing in. Flack could be in there, as could a dangerous felon." Seeing Danny calm slightly Mac continued. "Now, I'll go in first to the right and you follow low to the left." Mac drew his weapon and stepped into the opening.
Alert for any sounds that might indicate a hostile presence, Mac held his position to the side of the opening and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Danny stepped in and moved to the opposite side, crouched, and waited for Mac's command.
The only sound that Danny could hear was that of his own breathing. He then heard Mac move further to the right. Glancing around, his eyes could see no indication of anyone else. There were plenty of places that could conceal a person.
"Danny check over there," Mac indicated a large mound of cast off equipment, "I'll head over towards the doors at the far end and work my way back."
"Ok Boss." Danny moved towards the darker part of the deserted building, pulling out his small flashlight and scanning for anything out of the ordinary.
Covering the distance quickly but carefully, Mac too switched on his light. By the dock doors, the concrete was marked with white scrapes. At one time large crates or something had been pushed across the surface. Near the door Mac noticed a darker mark, he followed it back for over five or six feet, when he noticed something. "Danny I think I have blood."
Within twenty minutes Lindsay and a limping Stella were helping set up spotlights. A quick check had confirmed that it was blood. Mac had taken samples of the dark scrape marks and was combing the area outside for additional clues. He had bagged one fresh looking cigarette butt and a crumpled gum wrapper. A shout from inside brought Mac to his feet quickly and he hurried back inside to where the other CSI's had gathered.
"I found this in the pile of junk, I've got blood and some hair." Danny held two pieces in his gloved hands. "Looks like it splintered apart when it hit something." Everyone knew what that "something" likely was.