The Other Side
Part 3
By: ioanhoratio
AN: Wow guys! Thanks so much for the support for this story. I feel like I am WAY out of my element, but it is fun to stretch the ol' writing muscles. I just really appreciate all the feedback and encouragement! Thanks a freakin' million to: afrozenheart412, cklovesm-m, laurzz, LindsayMesser, Daisy1966, alexindigo, webdlfan, and kdzl! You guys are fabulous!
It was dark now; the only light that ever shown was when the Man opened the door. It was the only way she knew if it was day or night. The only food he brought were cakes, and cupcakes, and doughnuts. She wanted to go home. She wanted her mommy and her daddy. She was so alone now, now that her friend was gone.
Lindsay carefully edged her way towards the open door, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. As quietly as she could she made her way to the coat closet where Danny kept his baseball equipment. She winced as the door squeaked, but made quick work of grabbing his baseball bat.
She stood for a moment in the silence, straining her ears for any movement. Grateful for her training, she was able to calm her breathing enough to no longer be overwhelmed by the sound. The lights in the living room showed there was no one there, and Lindsay's biggest fear, that someone was already in Lucy's room, was beginning to take over.
Stealthily she glided along the wall toward the juncture of the door and the hallway leading to the bedrooms, her bare feet not making a sound on the carpet. Using the bat, she nudged the door opened enough to peer out.
It was dark in the hall way. The evening lights were dim, meant to give the illusion of night. It was bright enough for people to get their keys in the door and in their apartments, but shadowy enough to encourage the nocturnal to be quiet and respectful of those sleeping. She had to force her eyes to adjust, and risking turning her back on the apartment she began to nudge her head out into the hall.
That's when she heard it.
It was the sound of someone else breathing, someone behind her.
Lindsay tightened the grip on her bat, slowly bringing it up into strike position. She needed the advantage of surprise and without hesitation she whirled around ready to swing.
"Lucy!" she cried out in surprise, lowering the bat.
Standing there perfectly still and calm, staring right back at her was her three year old daughter.
Lindsay's eyes darted around the apartment, still aware of the possibility of a threat. "Come here baby," she demanded, physically indicating it as well by waving her arm.
Lucy didn't budge. "I sowwy Mama," she offered softly, "she told me to go to the door, but I was too stared."
At her daughter's confession, Lindsay felt a cold grip of fear. There was someone in the apartment. Without hesitation she reached out and grabbed Lucy, pulling her up into her arms. She dashed out the door not caring that neither of them had coats or shoes and were currently dressed in their pajamas. As an after thought she slammed the door closed behind her then ran down the hall toward the elevator.
In her desperation to be as far from the apartment as possible, she nearly missed someone calling her name, "Mrs. Messer? Mrs. Messer!"
Lindsay swung around, the bat at the ready, clutching tightly to a crying Lucy.
"Whoa!" the man stepped back, bring his arms up defensively and dropping the bag of groceries he had been holding.
"Mr. Bob!" Lindsay cried with relief, the air rushing out of her lungs. She looked at their kindly neighbor.
"Is everything alright?" he pressed, "I was just going into my apartment when I heard a sound then saw you come flying out like a bat outta hell...o, uh…hello Miss Lucy," he amended quickly.
Ignoring the man's attempt to not swear in front of her daughter Lindsay frantically replied, "I need your help please. I believe there is someone in my apartment. I need to call the police, and my husband, and get Lucy some where safe."
"Someone in your apartment?" Mr. Bob responded with surprise. He turned back to their door and grabbed the handle in a show of masculine indignation. "I'll chase 'em off!"
"No!" Lindsay shouted, "It's not safe. If they are still in there we need to let the police deal with it."
Another door in the hall opened, causing Lindsay to jump, her nerves on edge. "What in the world's goin' on out here?" cried Ms. Stacy, her tiny dog yelping at her feet.
"Someone's broke into the Messer's apartment," Mr. Bob explained.
"Mercy!" exclaimed the elderly lady, "I'll get my gun."
"No!" Lindsay again denied firmly, but in a softer voice added, "But it would be a big help if I could use your phone."
"Of course! You two get in here," the woman instructed. Without asking she grabbed the bat from Lindsay and turned to Mr. Bob. "Take this, and make sure if anyone comes outta there you whack 'em good."
Mr. Bob dutifully took up his post in the hallway and Lindsay followed Ms. Stacy further into the apartment to where the phone hung in the kitchen. Shifting a quietly crying Lucy to one hip, Lindsay bounced up and down gently, offering soothing assurances even while she dialed 911. She reported the break in, then quickly dialed Danny's phone.
"Pick up," she pleaded over and over again. She allowed a curse to slip out as it went to voice mail. She hung up and immediately redialed. He picked up on the second ring.
"Messer," he answered, she could hear the hesitation in his voice since he didn't recognize the number.
"Danny," she said simply, but it was enough.
"Lindsay? Lindsay what's wrong? Where ya callin' me from?" he shot off the questions in rapid succession.
She assured him they were both safe, then told him what happened. He promised to be there in twenty minutes and made Lindsay stay on the phone until the police arrived.
"Lindsay Messer?" a young uniformed officer asked.
Lindsay looked up from the couch where she had wrapped Lucy in one of Ms. Stacy's knitted throws.
"Yes, that's me. Detective Messer actually," she corrected, "With the crime lab."
"Yes Ma'am," the officer acknowledged. "I thought I recognized the name. We received a report of an intruder."
Lindsay repeated the tale and indicated which apartment, and drawing their guns they entered. She then sat on the couch pulling Lucy onto her lap and waited. Her neighbors waited with her, offering distractions through conversation. Lindsay tried to relax, but the idea of someone being in her home brought back unpleasant memories and it was difficult to not be tense. She began slowly rocking side to side, helping a yawning Lucy to doze off.
"Lindsay!" she heard Danny call out. Lucy, hearing it too, jerked awake.
"Daddy!" she wailed, her tears coming anew.
Danny followed the sound and walked into Ms. Stacy's open apartment door. Lindsay's attempts to stay cool suffered greatly at the prospect of feeling safe and she flew off the couch into his arms. Danny held them both tightly, long enough to assure himself they were both fine and long enough to assure his family they were safe now.
As the two detectives stepped apart, Danny pulled Lucy, still wrapped in the blanket, fully into his arms and the tired girl stuck her thumb in her mouth and rested her head against Danny's shoulder. It was then that Lindsay noticed Mac and Don standing in the doorway.
"Hi guys," she greeted, for the first time feeling a little sheepish about being barefoot and in her pajamas.
Mac's stern face gave very little away. "Danny told us what happened. Are you and Lucy alright?"
Lindsay nodded. "Just a little shaken up I think."
Mac returned her nod. "You and Danny wait here."
Without another word he and Don made their way into the Messer home.
Lindsay let out a frustrated breath. "I just want to get in there and take a look myself," she admitted.
"Yeah, I know the feeling'" Danny responded. "But you did the right thing getting you two out of the apartment and callin' the police. Now we gotta let them do their jobs."
Lindsay stepped back into his arms. Now that the adrenaline was beginning to wear off she was left feeling shaky and tired. She began rubbing circles on her daughter's back, offering support and comfort.
Danny held them both, but turned to the couple present in the room. "Mr. Bob, Ms. Stacie, I can't thank you guys enough for helpin' my family," Danny told them.
The two quickly asserted that it was no problem and they were happy to help.
Mac stepped in and motioned for Danny and Lindsay to follow him. With parting words of appreciation, the small family left the neighbors and followed their boss into their home.
Flack was finishing up with the officers when they entered. Turning to his friends he said, "Officers Adcox and Wilburn have done a thorough sweep of the apartment and whoever was here is gone now."
Officer Adcox, the one who had spoken to Lindsay before, stepped forward. "Right now it doesn't look like there was any other point of entry or exit beyond the front door. Detective Taylor has advised he will be handling the investigation from this point. We will need a statement from you Detective Messer, ma'am, but we can take care of that at the station tomorrow. We'd post an officer outside for the rest of the night but Detectives Taylor and Flack assure me they have it under control."
"Thank you officers," Lindsay said, "I appreciate it."
Danny echoed her thanks, showing the Officers the door.
Once the group stood alone Mac had Lindsay tell him again what had happened. She explained about finding the door unlocked, locking it, and then coming out and finding it open. She then told them what Lucy said about someone talking to her.
"Lucy," Danny called softly, the exhausted toddler still resting against his shoulder. "Baby girl I need you to sit up for a minute, 'k?"
She did as he asked, blinking up at him wearily.
"I know ya tired little thing, but I need ya ta tell Daddy what happened tonight."
Lucy gave him a confused look.
Loving combing Lucy's hair back with her hand, Lindsay jumped in. "You told Mommy that some one told you to go to the door."
"My fwiend, she told me to det up, but I was too tired. She dot mad at me. She said…said…dat I should det Mommy and doe to the door but I was too stared."
All three men looked to Lindsay to translate.
"She said her friend told her to get up, come get me and go to the door but she was too scared," she explained then turning to her daughter asked, "What friend Lucy?"
"Tate. She was twing because of the Bad Man."
"Crying because of the Bad Man?" Danny clarified. Lucy nodded.
Turning to his wife he said softly, "What the hell Lindsay?"
Lindsay gave him a perplexed look and just shrugged.
Mac stepped forward. "Hi Lucy."
"Hi Untle Mat."
"Lucy, you didn't open the door did you?"
Lucy shook her head.
"She can't Mac," Danny answered for her. "She's not tall enough to reach the lock."
Mac acknowledged his statement with a nod. "Do either of you know who this friend is?"
Again Lindsay and Danny had no answer.
Lindsay replied, "We didn't hear about her until a few days ago. Apparently she lives in the building. But I have no idea how she could have gotten into our apartment. Her name is…Lucy, is it Tate or Kate?"
"Tate," Lucy answered.
That didn't really clarify for Lindsay since Lucy's "k" sound usually came out as a "t" so she tried it again.
"Is it Kate like Kite?"
"Yes, tite," Lucy answered.
"It's like another language," Don observed quietly.
Ignoring his friend's comment, Danny continued where Lindsay left off. "So this Kate person came into our apartment to warn Lucy about a bad man."
"Well, I'm still unsure about what happened tonight," Don confessed.
"The joys of a toddler being your informant," Lindsay observed dryly.
"Daddy," Lucy began to whine, "I tired. I wanna go to sweep." Her voice began to rise and both parents knew the tears were going to start again.
"Here, go to Mommy baby girl while Uncle Don an' I look through the apartment one more time, then we can get you in bed 'k?"
Sniffling, Lucy agreed, reaching out for her mother.
Wordlessly the men began moving through the apartment.
"I've got Hawkes on the way," Mac told her, "He's going to dust the door for prints. Don's going to crash on your couch tonight, just as precaution. And hopefully in the morning we can track down this Kate person."
"Thank you," Lindsay said for what felt like the millionth time, though no less sincere. She was again swaying side to side, trying to help her overly tired daughter. "I know it is important to get details right away, but if she stays awake any longer things are going to get awful. She's not going to be much more co-operative. I'm actually surprised she's behaved this well so far."
"I understand," Mac told her. "We will talk again in the morning."
"All clear," Danny said as he and Don reentered the living room. "You wanna lay down with her in our bed?"
Lindsay agreed. "Yeah, I'll stay with her until she falls asleep, then I'll come back out here."
"We'll get this figured out Lindsay," promised Mac.
Lindsay gave him a small smile. She just wished she could shake the feeling that someone was watching them, hiding just around the corner.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Mac's phone went off. He stepped aside to answer and Danny took that moment to tell his daughter good night, kiss her cheek and tell her how much he loves her. He kissed Lindsay's head too before the mother/daughter team left the room.
"Damn," he heard Mac mumble.
"What is it boss?"
"That was Jo. We think the killer in the Murphy case has abducted another girl."
Thanks for reading!
So I know this was a little bit of a "filler" chapter, but I needed a bit of levity since I was scaring myself. LOL! I think we are at about the halfway point in the story. More to come…oooooooo….(that's a ghost sound).
And kudos to all the "Kate" guessers out there! Stayed tuned to find out what's really going on!