Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews on this story, they really do make my day. Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it :)
Jo poked her head around the break room door to see Flack and Lindsay sat on the couch, she had her head resting on his shoulder and they looked to be in deep conversation. Jo smiled at the sight, she was so pleased that Lindsay had someone like Flack to be there for her in a time like this, not that any of the others weren't there for her because of course they all were. Flack was different though, he was the closest Danny now had to a brother after Louie died and because of that he became close and protective of Lindsay. Which is what Lindsay needed now, someone who was close to her and her family.
"Flack" Jo called, hating herself for interrupting their conversation.
"Hm?" he asked looking up at her.
"Can I have a word?"
"Yeah sure" he smiled standing up, before going over to the door he turned back to Lindsay "You better get on with making that coffee you promised me"
"Yeah, okay" she gave him a small smile and made her way over to the side where the coffee machine was situated.
Flack walked out of the break room and followed Jo to Mac's office. "Everything okay?" he asked sitting on the small couch.
"Yeah" Jo replied as she perched on the edge of Mac's desk "We've had another lead"
"You have?"
Jo nodded "Adam found a picture of a house in Owen's possessions. I know that's not much, but who frames a picture of just a house unless it means something to them?"
"Not many people"
"Exactly, so I've phoned Mac and we're going to check it out but he's asked me, to ask you to come along as well"
Flack scratched the back of his neck "What about Lindsay?"
"What about me?" Lindsay asked as she stood in the open door way with Flack's cup of coffee.
"Nothing" Flack replied.
"No, it's something and I want to know" Lindsay insisted as she came in and placed the coffee cup on Mac's desk.
Jo sighed "Okay, look we might have another lead as to where Danny and Lucy are. That's all it is though, Lindsay, a lead, nothings for definite"
"I know that, it's the same for every case" Lindsay said.
"Exactly, well anyway Mac wants Flack to come with us to the house"
"What house?"
"A house in the Bronx, Owen had a photo of it in his apartment"
"The Bronx?" Lindsay asked as she creased her brow, she remembered Owen mentioning the Bronx a lot when they were younger but now, she couldn't remember why.
"Yeah, why?" Jo wondered.
"He mentioned the Bronx a lot when we were together, I'm sure he had an Auntie or a Grandma who lived there"
"It's his Grandma's, it was on the back of the photo" Jo explained remembering what Adam had seen on the back.
Flack frowned "I love my Grams, but I ain't going to be framing no picture of her apartment"
Jo smiled "So are you okay to come, Flack?"
"If it's okay with Lindsay"
"I want to come" Lindsay told them.
"Linds, you know that's not possible" Flack sighed.
"Please? I'll stay out of sight I just... I want to be there in case you find them"
"Well..." Jo started "I was going to ask Adam to come along with the surveillance van. To keep an eye out on the outside of the house while we go in, so I guess you could sit in there with him."
"I will, thank you" Lindsay replied.
"You've got to stay in there though, Lindsay. No running out because you hear or see anything, okay?"
"I promise"
"If Owen is there I don't want him knowing that you are that close to him"
"Okay" Lindsay replied "I won't come out of the van without your say so"
"Good, well you both go and get ready and I'll meet you in the parking lot with Adam"
Flack and Lindsay both nodded before heading towards the locker room.
An hour later they all arrived at Vincent Street, the neighbours all peeked out of their windows as they made their way down the road. It seemed like a nice neighbourhood, somewhere where you didn't get police raids very often. They stopped outside number 742. It was a lovely home with blue panelling, big bay windows, a big oak tree in the front garden and a white picket fence running around the front. It was the sort of house that Lindsay wanted for Lucy to grow up in, a big house with lots of room.
"Right, I'm gonna go in with the two of them" Flack said as he leant over the arm rest to speak to Adam and Lindsay who were in the back. "Hawkes is gonna stay here with you, just in case anyone is injured"
"Okay" Lindsay replied as she pulled the NYPD hoodie that she'd got from Danny's locker tighter around her.
"Everything will be okay, Lindsay" Hawkes said reassuringly from where he sat in the passenger seat.
"Let's hope so" she replied.
Flack, Jo, Mac and a couple of ESU's made their way up the path and to the front of the house. Mac banged hard on the door "NYPD open up" they stood waiting for what seemed like forever but there was no answer, so Flack kicked the door down.
Walking around the house, it seemed normal just like Owen's apartment had done. Photos hung on the walls, there was a small table with a phone sat on top of it at the bottom of the stairs and shoes were lined up neatly by the front door. None of the three detectives recognised any of the shoes though. "Let's split up" Mac whispered "I'll take up stairs and you two take down here"
"Okay" Jo replied before all three of them headed off in separate directions. Mac upstairs, Flack to the kitchen and Jo into the sitting room.
Mac tiptoed up stairs, he couldn't hear anything and he didn't like that, he didn't like quiet, it unnerved him slightly. All houses should have some noise, whether it was the ticking of the clock or the hum of the radiator but in this house you would be able to hear a pin drop.
Slowly pushing open the first door he came across a bathroom, nothing out of the ordinary was there, towels were folded neatly on the rack, toothbrushes and toothpaste were in the cup on the sink, toilet rolls were stacked on the windowsill. The shower curtain was pulled across though, Mac pulled out his gun and held it in his right hand and then with one sweep of his left he pulled the curtain back, revealing nothing but an empty bath.
Mac made his way from the bathroom to the next room, pushing that open he found a bedroom, with a large double bed, a massive white wardrobe and a vanity table. It was a very simple room with only a few pictures and ornaments on the windowsill. Mac guessed that this was probably the guest room. He had a quick look around, checking underneath the bed and in the wardrobe before moving on to the next room.
Jo walked around the sitting room, something didn't feel quite right to her but she wasn't sure what. It was a lovely house, there were two couches and an arm-chair in the living room all facing a medium-sized TV. A coffee table was placed in the middle with a few magazines stacked on top and a large fire-place stood at the end of the room. Which was all very nice but Jo still felt something was missing, wandering round she tried to figure it out. Picking up the remote control, she tried to switch the TV on but nothing, just a black screen. Placing the controls back on the coffee table she caught a second glimpse of the top magazine on the stack, the date on the top surprised her 'November 2000' the magazines were over a decade old, who kept magazines for that long? Jo slowly came to realise what was wrong with this house, it was a family home that didn't feel homely.
Flack wandered around the kitchen opening random cupboards and drawers on his way. They were all full with food, cutlery or plates. The table in the middle of the kitchen had one of them ugly fruit bowls, that his Auntie would send him and Sam every year sat on top. Picking up an apple from the bowl, he sniffed it, plastic. Frowning, Flack placed the apple down and made his way back over to the cupboard, had all the food been plastic?
Opening the cupboard he pulled out a tin of beans. Not plastic but empty, lifting up a couple more he realised all the tins in the cupboard were empty; Who does that? Flack turned around to find Jo to tell her what he found when a door on the other side of the kitchen tucked next to the shelving unit caught his eye. Walking over, he pulled his gun out of its holder and held it ready. He pulled open the thick, heavy door and that's when he heard it, the only sound he'd heard since coming into the house. The sound of a child sobbing.