Chapter Seventeen

A little more than a half an hour after he had left Katie's building, Martin was staring at the white dry-erase board right now. "What the heck why I am doing this?" thought Martin while staring at the board that is showing his daughter's name, Sara's age, their home address, and the case number underneath the rest of the information. Also, the picture of Sara that he had on the glass wall surrounding his desk was also on the board. Martin stared at the photo and smiled at it, remembering the day he took that picture.

It was the day Martin had officially became Sara's father. It was Saturday afternoon when the two of them got back to his apartment after taking her out to eat. When they got into their home, Martin kindly asked his daughter to sit on the couch and stayed there while Martin goes into his bedroom to get something out of his room. "What are you getting out of your room, Martin?" asked a smiling Sara in her sweet little voice. Martin smiled at her again for about the thousandth time that day while putting his hands on Sara's shoulders and told her that he is getting something out of his bedroom to do something with it so he can put it at his desk and stared at it while he works. Silence had filled up the room afterward. It lasted a minute or two but it was broken by that sweet little girl of his.

With another smile on her face, Sara asked her father something that involved Martin's answer moments ago. "Sure, Sara. What's it?"asked Martin. "Are you going to take a picture of me?" asked Sara who is still smiling at him. Martin stared at her and thought to himself, "How does she knows about that?" To find the answer, Martin asked Sara that particular question. With another cute smile on her face, Sara told him her answer while staring at his face. Trying to be smart to him, Sara said to him, "Martin. When you told me that you are going to do something that you are going to put it at your desk and stared at it, I was starting to think that you are getting a camera out of your room and take a picture of me so I can be with you at work. Isn't that true?"

After hearing that coming out of Sara's mouth, Martin thought to himself again, "How on earth that a four years old girl had just said that in so many words? Why nobody didn't tell me about this?" and was confused by it. He saw Sara strangely staring at him a minute after thinking for a while. Don't want to make his newly adopted daughter being confused from all of this, Martin calmed himself down while putting his hands back on Sara's shoulders again, Martin said to her, "Sara Fitzgerald, I don't know that you was reading my mind or something but you're right about that. I am taking a picture of you so I can take it to work and put it on my desk so I can think about you while working."

After explaining that, all that Sara did afterward that she told him that she's okay with it and gave him a bear hug. Martin hugged his daughter back and playfully said to her, "Okay, Little Miss Smartie. You better get on the couch while I go into my room and when I come back, you better be sweet and I will take a photo of you. Got that?" Playing with Martin, Sara told that she is fine with it, gave another hug, and stayed there while Martin went to his room to grabbed a camera and took pictures of his little girl for nearly an hour.

That was a little over a month ago but Martin can't believed that wasn't that long ago. It felt like it was a few years instead of a month. Keri told him a few days before becoming Sara's father, it will go fast. "And a lot whole things that you will learn." thought Martin, who was completed Keri's sentence with his own words. Over the past months, Martin had learned a lot of different things about Sara. She is smarter than him in a couple things and always beats him when they played games but Martin let her win most of the time so he can how good Sara is playing. The other thing that Martin had just learned that his co-worker, friend, neighbor, and probably one of the nicest women that he ever met just turned out to be Sara's godmother.

Martin always liked Katie since the moment she came to NYC but not in that way anymore. Since he had founded out, both Martin and Katie had gotten closer than before and he meant closer. For the first time, Martin was starting to think that he might like Katie Carter romantically. The reasons why Martin was thinking about that he noticed things about her. He saw that Katie had the bluest eyes that he ever saw, had a warm smile that kind of looked like Sara's own, and it had been a very long time since Martin last started noticing it but he saw that Katie had a pretty nice ass. Plus, out of the blue, they had kissed each other on the lips a couple of times and once, they were almost making out in the Tolands's kitchen. From the look of it, Martin had noticed something right now after thinking about Katie. "Oh crap. I think that I might be in love with her. It can't be true. Isn't it?" thought Martin, referring her as Katie Carter, his co-worker, friend, neighbor, and a woman.

The moment that he had thought about that, Martin wanted it to be out of his mind until they had founded his daughter which probably a couple of hours or maybe and not wanted to happen, longer. Martin agreed with his little thought and to do that, Martin walked away from the dry-erase board to whatever that could passed the time.

During that time, Martin made himself a cup of coffee and drank it, went on his computer to check for something, and even went to visit Viv who was putting an all-nighter, working on her Human Trafficking cases for about ten minutes. After seeing Viv and helping her out with something, Martin made another cup of coffee and walked back to the office with it. When Martin got back, he wanted to know what time it is? To do that, Martin looked down at the watch and checked the time, which is fifteen minutes before eleven. "That was a short time." thought Martin when he had looked down. Martin Fitzgerald had just spent all of the things that he did in just about fifteen minutes but it seems longer.

Seconds later, Martin had heard somebody calling out his name. "Martin" said the voice. From the way the voice had sounded, Martin knew that Katie was calling out his name and turned around to find Katie walking toward him. With a smile on his face, he saw Katie stopped walking a couple inches away from him. "Hey, Martin. How you feeling right now?" asked Katie who was looking at him. "Good for now, Katie." answered Martin and turned to the board afterward to looked at his daughter's face again to cheer him up. Katie knew that Martin didn't felt good about it and it worries her. "Martin needed Sara right now. I should help him out with it." thought Katie and moments later, Katie also turned to the board and did the thought in her mind.

"Martin. I know that you missed Sara right now but I will swear to God that Sara is probably out there and wanted us to find her." said Katie who turned her head around to see if Martin is okay with it? From where she is at, Martin gave her a nod but he looked like he was thinking about something else right now. "Probably something about Sara." thought Katie when she saw the face Martin was making right now. To see that was true, Katie asked her friend, "Martin. Are you thinking about Sara right now?"

Seconds later, Martin turned to her and with those blue eyes of his and that smile of his, Martin answered her question, "Yeah. I was thinking about something that Sara did in the last couple of nights." Katie got interested about what Martin had told her and asked him about it. During the last couple of minutes, Martin told her about it. "For the last couple of nights, I was starting to think that Sara had a recurring nightmare." said Martin. To make sure that Katie was listening to him, Martin turned to her and saw her 'keep going' face. Katie saw Martin staring at her and seconds later, Martin told her the rest.

"When Sara came to my room in the middle of the night each night, I asked her if she had a bad dream and she told me yes most of the time." "Before I let her sleep with me, I just stared at her." said Martin. "What does she looked like when you stared at her?" asked Katie. Martin turned to Katie again and answered her question, "Sara was just standing still next to my bed, giving me that scared face and holding her teddy bear tightly. Before I knew it, I let Sara sleep with me for the last couple nights." After hearing that, there was silence between the two of them for a few minutes. Katie broke it afterward and asked Martin if Sara is doing well for the last couple of days? Martin answered her question that Sara is doing quite well. Just seconds later, Katie asked Martin another question. "Martin. Do you think that Alanna might made Sara had those nightmares?"

Martin turned to Katie and told her from what she just told him, Alanna might had kidnapped her. After hearing Martin's answer, there was another silence. Minutes later, something had broken the silence. A cell phone was ringing. Martin and Katie was listening to the tone and trying to think whose cell was it? Moments later, Katie figured out that it was hers and pulled it out of her sweater pocket. Once she flipped her phone out, Katie put it to the right side of her face and answered the call, "Carter."

From where he was standing, Martin had figured out that Lucy might got something from the security tape at the ATM machine across from the apartment building. After talking for a minute or less, Katie told Lucy that she and Martin will be there in a couple of minutes and shut off her phone ten seconds later. The moment Katie put her cell phone back into her sweater pocket, Katie turned to Martin and with that warm smile on her face, Katie said to him, "Martin. Lucy got something on the security tape at the ATM machine and might founded the person who might had Sara right now. I told her that we are coming in a couple of minutes."

Martin smiled at her and told her that he is cool with it. Katie smiled at him again and turned around to walk to the tech room where Lucy was at to see the tape. Milliseconds later, Martin turned to the photo of Sara and said to the picture of his daughter, "Don't worry, Sweetie. I will find out who might had you." After that, Martin smiled at her and did the same thing that Katie just did earlier. With Katie, he got out of the office, walked to the tech room where Lucy was at, and looked at the tape to find out who might had Sara Elizabeth Fitzgerald.

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When they got to the tech room where Lucy was at five minutes later, both Martin and Katie founded Lucy sitting on her chair, looking at one of the computer screens. To tell her that they are here, while walking over to Lucy, Katie said to her, "Hey, Lucy. What you got tonight?" Lucy turned around and founded both Special Agent Fitzgerald and Special Agent Carter looking at her a couple feet from where she was sitting. Lucy smiled at them and greeted them, "Oh. Hi, Martin. Hi, Katie." Martin smiled at her and asked the young tech, "Hey, Luce. What you had founded out from the tape?" Lucy turned to the two agents again and told them that she might had founded someone who had might had his daughter.

Lucy turned to the computer screen in the middle and did something with the keyboard which made the black and white image of their apartment building appeared on the screen. Katie and Martin got to each side of Lucy to see the video. Lucy noticed that the both of them are ready to watch the tape seconds later and moved her mouse to clicked on the 'play' button on the screen. Moments later, the video was playing right in front of the three of them.

In front of them, the tape was fast-forwarding, showing many cars but very few people driving and walking in and out of the screen quickly. During it, Martin and Katie think that they just saw the both of them coming in and out of the building. After about thirty seconds, Lucy stopped the fast-forwarding and did something else on the keyboard to make it all stop at around 9pm and the three of them got closer to the screen so they can see it clearly.

After a few seconds of nothing, they saw something. "Martin. Look at that." said Katie who was pointing at the screen. Martin looked at the spot where Katie was pointing her finger and moments later, something very interesting had just happened. Both Martin and Katie are looking at the person who was getting some kind of rope out of one of the windows of the seventh floor and it reached one of Katie's windows at the floor below the seventh. Seconds later, they saw a person coming out of the opened window and climbing down to the window below.

"What is the heck she was doing?"asked Katie. Martin turned to Katie and joked to her, "Well. I am starting to think that she just did one of the weirdest things that I might seen in my entire thirty-something years." Katie smiled at Martin and went back to see what else had happened? Moments later, at around ten minutes after nine, they saw the woman doing something to the glass window. From the look of it, it looked like the woman was breaking the window with her bare hands. "I hope that she won't let her blood be all over Sara." thought Katie who had really talk it out loudly. Lucy and Martin looked like that they had just heard that and both of them had agreed with it.

The next minute had made both of Martin and Katie quite mad. For the next minute, the both of them saw Alanna getting in and moments later, she was out again but this time, she was carrying Sara in her arms. "Oh my. I can't believed that Alanna just did that. That God-fricking bitch!!" said Katie who was mad about it. To calm her down from destroying herself and out of the blue, Martin got behind Katie and put his arms around Katie's waist. From the look of it, Katie seems fine by that little gesture Martin just did and calmed down quickly.

Together, they watched the rest of the tape. Seconds later, something else interesting had occurred on the screen. A couple minutes before nine-twenty, Alanna and Sara got safely on the sidewalk, walked over to a silver sedan and still with Sara in her arms, Alanna opened the backseat door and immediately put a still sleepy Sara inside and shut the door moments later. After of that, Alanna walked around the car, opened the car, got in, and drove away from the sidewalk curb seconds later.

Right away, Martin asked Lucy to get the license plate number of the car so they can see who owned the car. Lucy did what Martin just told to do and right away, they got the license plate number of the screen and onto one of the computer screen. Moments later, both Martin and Katie stared at the computer screen at the far left and founded out that it was a rental car from a NYC rental car center called AAMCAR. Wanting to do something for the case, Martin turned to Katie and said to her, "Katie. I will get the info of who was driving that car if that it is okay with you?"

Seconds later, Katie told Martin that she is okay with it because she got to get something from her desk that she needed. Martin smiled at her and said to her, "Fine, Kate. I will be here if you want to find me." Katie smiled at him and told him again that she is fine with it. Martin smiled at her again, grabbed a chair and sat in front of the computer screen with the rental car center with his cell phone laying on the table right in front of him. After Martin did that, Katie turned around, walked out of the tech room, and went somewhere that she didn't tell Martin about at all.

--

Twenty minutes later, Martin was in the tech room all alone while Lucy was out of the room, getting something to eat. Once Martin shut off his phone after a longer than he had expected phone conversation with the owner of AAMCAR, he heard the door being opened. Thinking that could be Lucy or Katie, Martin had turned around to expect those two women but it was a different woman.

Viv was smiling at him when she got through the door and got inside while greeting him, "Hi, Martin. How are you feeling right now?" Martin smiled at Viv the moment she came in and told her that he's feeling better now. Viv smiled at him again and sat down on the chair next to him. They chatted for a few minutes until Martin had asked her a question. "Viv. I know that you are not working around there that often but have you seen Katie yet because it was about twenty minutes ago when I last seen?" asked Martin who was looking at Viv right now.

"Where she told you the place she was going?" asked Viv who looked a little confused. Martin saw his friend's confused face and said to her, "Katie told me that she was heading back to her desk to get something." After telling Vivian that, Viv told Martin her answer. "Martin. I don't think that Katie isn't telling you the truth." said Viv. Martin stared at Viv like she was speaking in a foreign language and asked Viv why she thought about that?

Viv told him that when she was getting back to the building for something, Viv saw Katie getting out of the building, walking to the curb, tailing a taxi, and got in. After hearing that, Martin was a little shocked of what he just heard and asked Viv again, "Viv. You just are telling me that Katie had just lied to me." Viv nodded and right away, Martin was asking himself a question. "What will Katie is trying to do next?" thought Martin.

Five minutes before Martin had founded out that Katie had lied to him, Katie was standing in the freezing night, tailing a cab with her arm, hanging up in the air. Once Katie finally got a taxi after a couple of the yellow cars had just passed her and didn't even noticed her, Katie opened the door and got in. The moment Katie got inside and sat down, the cabbie smiled at her from the front seat and asked her, "Where you wanted me to drive you to, Sweetheart?" Katie smiled at him and answered his question, "To McLaren's Bar at 240 W 55th St, please."

The cabbie listened to what Katie was saying to him and drove off to that particular bar, which is one of the many places where Katie might think that Alanna Hennessey will be at and that woman will be telling her where Sara Fitzgerald is at.

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