Maura was in the lab overseeing the evidence found on Jane's car when her phone rang, the number was from inside the BPD.
"Dr Isles,"
"I'm sorry to bother you Doctor, but you have a delivery at the reception. I'd sign for it for you but they're insistent you have to have it in person."
"I'm not expecting anything, can you ask Detective Korsak to meet me there."
"Doctor?"
"Call it an instinct, please call him."
Standing to the side of the elevators the doctor waited for the older man. She was twisting the ring on her finger as she craned her neck to try and see who was waiting for her. A soft hand on her shoulder brought her attention back.
"Your intestines talking again Dr Isles?"
"More like twisting, I don't like it."
"This isn't going to be you, Frankie and the coffee machine all over again is it?"
"Why do you think I called you instead of him?"
"I don't know if I should be insulted or not. There's our courier, wait it's just a kid. They look familiar to you?"
"Not at all,"
They stopped short a few feet in front of a bored looking teenager.
"You have a delivery for Doctor Isles?"
"Yeah, here. Look can I go now?"
Korsak took a large padded envelope from him and grabbed his sweater as he turned to leave.
"Hold up short round, you're not going any where just yet."
"Look I don't know what it is, all I know is some guy gave me fifty big ones to deliver that envelope to a Dr Isles."
A loud gasp from behind them drew their attention, with a hand still on the delivery boy Vince looked over to Maura with a questioning look on his face. She had opened the envelope without turning out the contents, right now she didn't need to.
"It's a detective's badge, there's something that looks like blood on it."
"Jane's?"
"Without testing it I can't be sure,"
"Call it my gut, but I'd stake my bonus that it is. Right kid, you're coming with us."
"I already told you, a guy paid me!"
Maura's eyes became cold, "I need to take this for testing to be sure."
Vince nodded quietly as he walked the teenager to the elevators. Maura double timed it to the stairs heading to the lab. Pushing through the doors she quickly built up a wall of rationality. Until testing was complete what she was holding could be anything from a child's toy to her worst nightmare. The sudden rush startled her team, the Doctor zeroed in on her Senior Criminalist.
Word had gotten around the lab like wildfire, Detective Rizzoli was missing, and Doctor Isles was on the warpath. Gathering herself under the steel gaze Suzie stood ready to accept her instructions.
"This was just delivered to me upstairs, I need the substances and badge number identified. Given the circumstances I hypothesise it to be blood, run a comparison against Detective Rizzoli's DNA on file."
"Right away Doctor Isles, can I just say something? As much as there has always been a "Them and us" dynamic between the lab techs and the detectives, Detective Rizzoli is your friend. We want to help in anyway we can to get her back."
Breathing deeply she nodded curtly.
"With a sample on file the comparison should be relatively quick to complete,"
Handing over the package she turned to her office,
"Dr Isles! Wait, there's someone-" Maura was already gone.
Her walls were beginning to crumble, unshed tears lined her eyes. Bowing her head she hid behind a curtain of blonde hair until she reached her office door. Closing it behind her she rested her forehead against the solid door and allowed herself to sob. There was no doubt in her mind that the badge was Jane's, she was also highly confident that the substance on it would be a match for her blood. It was all too much, too fast. Heart wrenching sounds were torn from her chest.
She froze when two hands placed themselves on her hips, lips resting against her shoulder blade. Wrenching free from the grasp she turned with a fist raised ready to attack. Jack flung his arms in the air and hastily stepped away. Her arms dropped, her face a haze of confusion.
"Jack? What are you doing here?"
"When you said you couldn't come and see me tonight I thought I would surprise you here instead. I had no idea that this 'incident' was this serious,"
Running a hand through her hair she sniffed before wiping her eyes. Resting her hands on her hips she fixed him with a harsh look.
"You can't just turn up expecting me to, to, what ever it is you came here expecting."
"I just wanted to make sure you were ok, what's happened that could possibly make you so upset?"
She wrapped her arms around herself looking away as he stepped closer,
"Maura, please, let me help,"
"You can't, I'm not even sure there's anything I can do."
"What's happened?"
"It's Jane, she's, she's missing. She's missing and she's hurt. And I'm here and I have no idea how to find her. I don't know what to do."
He opened his arms, she allowed the embrace as she let her tears fall. Burrowing her face in his neck she finally let the emotions of the day come forth.
"Let me take you home, I don't have to stay if you don't want me to. But you beating yourself up here isn't going to help you or Jane."
"Thank you Jack, that's sweet. But I'm going to take Angela home shortly, my house is going to be full of Rizzoli's. I won't be on my own."
"Well if you need anything, no matter what time. You'll call me right?"
She nodded with a weak smile she placed a quick kiss on his lips.
Somehow she had fallen asleep in the dank, cold room, the door opening had woken her.
"I come bearing gifts Jane."
"Well aren't I lucky."
"In your position, I wouldn't be so glib. Here, I can't have you dying of starvation."
"Ooh Ramen, this day keeps getting better and better."
If he had reacted to her sarcasm, he didn't show it.
"And what goes in,"
A metal bucket was placed next to the steaming cup of noodles. Jane hadn't stopped glaring at him, her eyes had long got used to the darkness. Yet she couldn't see his face or anything to help her identify him.
"Just what the hell do want from me?"
"Not a lot, I'm not going to rape you if that's what you're worried about."
"I'd have to be dead before that would happen,"
"I'd also have to be interested in that. No Jane you're already serving your purpose. You just be a good girl and behave, you'll have nothing to worry about."
"I'm chained to the floor like some fucking dog, just what makes you think I'm not going to try and get out of here. What makes you think I won't kill you?"
He laughed warmly and crouched near to her head, "You're going to be a model captive. Do you know why that is? If you so much as scratch these chain links, I'll go after her."
She sucked in a deep breath, "Detective I hope you don't play cards, your poker face is completely transparent."
She was snarling now, in a beat she had gotten to her feet and lunged as far as the chain would allow her. He had anticipated her rage and dodged her strikes.
"Don't you dare touch her, I find out you so much as displaced a hair on her head and I will rip your throat out!"
Something about this amused him greatly "Does Doctor Isles know about these violent feelings?"
"Just what the hell are you talking about."
"Most people would bargain for a friend, you, well you acted with an aggressive passion."
"Is there a point in this cluster fuck of a conversation?"
He laughed, "You're telling me that this violent rage at the mere thought that I could get to Doctor Isles is because she's your friend? No Jane, you're acting as if she was your spouse."
"My what?"
"You love her,"
"She's my friend, of course I love her."
"Well as much as this conversation has been enlightening, I have places to be. Maybe I should go and see how Maura is handling your disappearance."
She practically roared as he walked away, the metal cuff digging painfully into her wrist as she wrenched her arm.
"You touch her and I will kill you I swear it!"