Chapter 2: Jigsaw Puzzle
. . .
Jo got off the cab and closed the door with a graceful swing of her hip. She moved towards the front door and opened it. She glanced down at Lily while waiting for the elevator. Her head was comfortably placed in the crook of Jo's neck and she was sleeping.
Jo entered the elevator and turned slightly, checking in the mirror if Mr. Whiskers was still placed in her handbag. It was too big to fit in, so its head was sticking out. The bright light made Lily stir and she looked up at Jo, suddenly awake.
''Hi, little one.'' Jo smiled at her and brushed her hair off her face. ''We're going to my place. You'll be sleeping there tonight.''
They reached Jo's floor and got off the elevator. While inside the apartment, Jo lowered Lily to the floor and took off her coat. She pulled Mr. Whiskers out of her handbag and placed it on the coffee table. Curious about the new place Lily started to walk slowly across the room.
''Are you hungry, Lily?'' Jo asked. She looked up at her and shook her head. ''Thirsty?'' Jo asked again and Lily shook her head once more. ''So what? We're going to sleep?''
Lily didn't answer to that, instead she yawned wide, making a quiet sound. Jo laughed slightly, thinking she got her answer.
''I have to find you something you could sleep in.'' Jo said and moved to Ellie's room. She searched in her daughter's closet for some T-shirt Lily could wear. She found a white one with the Pink Panther on the front. It was too small for Ellie now, but she refused to throw it away as it used to be her favorite T-shirt.
Jo turned around and saw that Lily was right behind her, admiring Ellie's room. Then she glanced up at Jo.
''It's my daughter's room. She's 14. Almost 15.'' Jo corrected herself, smiling slightly. ''Her name is Ellie.''
''Where is she now?'' Lily asked.
''She's on a school-trip to Niagara Falls. She will be back in a few days.'' Lily moved closer to Ellie's bed and carefully touched the yellow fluffy blanket. ''You want to sleep here?'' Jo asked.
''Can I sleep with you?'' Lily asked, looking at Jo with her big, blue eyes.
''Sure.'' Jo smiled lightly at her. ''Come on.'' She said, taking the blanket. They left Ellie's room and moved to Jo's bedroom. Jo handed Lily the T-shirt and asked, ''You need some help with undressing?''
''No, I can do it.'' Lily answered.
''OK, so do it, I'll be right back.'' She said and disappeared in the bathroom. She looked for some spare toothbrush into the cabinet and she found one. It wasn't perfect for a 4-year old, but it was better than nothing. She unwrapped it and walked back to the bedroom. Lily was changed, as her clothes were already placed on the armchair. The T-shirt was too big for her as it fell below her knees, making it appear as if it was a nightgown. But, it looked comfortable to sleep in it.
''Brush your teeth first and then you can go to sleep, OK?'' Jo asked.
''OK.'' Lily answered, following her to the bathroom.
Jo handed her the toothbrush with some toothpaste on it and watched how Lily, slightly clumsily as the toothbrush was too big, brushed her teeth leaning above the bathtub. Jo found herself making a list of things she should buy for her in her mind. Then she sighed. What was even the point of doing this? Lily would stay with her for a maximum of three days.
When Lily was finished, Jo handed her a cup filled with water. After she rinsed her mouth she glanced at Jo with questioning look.
''OK, so now you're going to sleep.'' Jo said, taking the mug from her and placing it down on the sink. She helped Lily to climb onto the bed and Lily lay down as she placed her head on the pillow.
''I'll be right back, I'm going to take a quick shower.'' Jo told her with a light smile. Before she went to the bathroom, Jo moved to the living room and grabbed Mr. Whiskers. She placed it down on the pillow, next to Lily.
Then, Jo disappeared in the bathroom. When she was finally in her pajamas and ready to sleep, she turned off the light in bathroom and moved into the bedroom. She carefully slipped under the duvet and she froze for a moment when she heard how Lily sniffed quietly.
''Hey, honey...'' Jo whispered, reaching out and stroking her hair.
''I want my mommy.'' Lily complained in a broken voice as she sobbed quietly.
''I know, baby.'' Jo told her softly, moving slightly towards her and pulling her into a hug.
''Can you take me to her in the morning?'' Lily asked. ''Please?''
Jo clenched her eyes shut, feeling how a couple of tears escaped from beneath her eyelids.
''I'm sorry, but I can't.'' Jo whispered, feeling a deep ache in her heart. ''She's no longer here.''
''Why did she leave me?'' Lily sobbed and Jo started to cry openly as well.
''She didn't want to leave you. She loved you very much. But she had no choice.''
''And my daddy? He's gone, too?'' Lily asked and somehow Jo sensed she already knew what was the answer to it.
''Yes, he is.''
''Did he go with my mommy?'' Lily asked, still crying.
''Yes...'' Jo whispered.
''That's good. She won't be alone.'' Lily said quietly and Jo felt her heart breaking. She cuddled Lily tightly to her chest, trying to stop her as well as herself from crying. ''And Rickie?'' Lily asked suddenly.
''I don't know, honey.'' Jo whispered. She silently prayed for the boy to be safe and sound as he was the last person in this world that Lily had.
Finally, after a long time, Lily cried herself to sleep. Jo tried to fall asleep as well, but every time she closed her eyes, her mind was tormenting her with the visions of what could have happened to Rick. She also thought about Mac. He was probably at his office or in the lab right now. She knew he was doing everything in his power to find the boy. She heard his voice in her head, telling her what he always did when she got frustrated by the lack of evidence: Look at everything again... every report, every crime scene photo. Answer's in there somewhere. Even if there was a little chance of finding any piece of evidence, she was sure that Mac would make it his priority to look for it. And with that slightly conforming thought Jo drifted into the shallow sleep.
. . .
Mac swirled around in his chair and looked through the window. The sun was already rising. He always liked the sight. The sky was beautifully painted in so many shades of colors – from dark blue in the west to light pink in the east. The orange and red beams were reflecting on the skyscraper's windows, creating an illusion that the whole city was bathed in a warm light. Usually it brought so much comfort to him. The silent, lonely night was over. The new day was starting.
But not this time. This time it only reminded him that time was flying and the chances to find Rick were fading away.
Mac slightly closed the blinds a little and turned back to his desk. He glanced at the papers and then reached for his mug, but it was already empty. He sighed deeply and studied the photos from the crime scene once again. There was nothing he could use as a clue to find the boy. He sighed and glanced at the clock. 6:54 am. For a brief moment he closed his eyes and slipped into a hazy, dreamy state. The image of Jo holding Lily in her arms stood in front of his eyes and he wondered how Jo handled putting her to sleep. He smiled slightly. He was sure she had done great. There was something about this woman, this positive air around her. She was able to put everyone at ease – even a small, terrified child. It wasn't really surprising to him that while seeking some comfort, Lily turned to Jo and refused to leave her side. Never in a million years he would say it out loud, but he had to admit to himself, that he knew the feeling very well. The fact that he was not a 4-year old, but a grown-up man didn't really make any difference. There was nothing more soothing for him than Jo's presence when he felt down.
The buzzing of his phone dragged him out of his thoughts. He glanced at it, wanting to check the caller's ID. Christine. He didn't move. He only stared blindly at the screen. It was 7 am. She was calling him first thing in the morning, just after she woke up. He knew what she would say. They had been in this scenario many times before. The buzzing stopped, but in a second it started again. She was calling him for the second time. He sighed and reached for his phone.
''Taylor.'' He said automatically.
''Mac, are you still at work?'' Christine asked. He could hear she was trying to sound calm, but he knew her too well – this barely audible tone in her voice was making it clear that she was upset.
''Yes. We got some nasty case in the middle of the night, an 8-year old boy is missing and...''
''As always.'' She interrupted him and he got an awful feeling that she didn't really care about the missing kid. He came to an understanding that she had never been in a situation like this before. She had never seen what he had seen. She hadn't seen his father laying motionlessly on the floor of his own house or his mother's eyes opened wide in a frozen horror. She hadn't seen his little sister shaking like a leaf. Maybe if he hadn't seen it, he wouldn't care as well. But what really hurt him was that she didn't seem to care about him caring about finding the boy.
''I was waiting the whole night for you, Mac.'' She said sharply and slightly annoyed – this time, she did not even try to hide it in her voice. ''I really don't fancy falling asleep and waking up in an empty bed.''
''I'm sorry, Christine.'' Mac sighed. ''You know I'd rather be with you... if only I could.''
''Yeah, whatever.'' She murmured and he was sure she rolled her eyes. ''Will you find some time later to come to my restaurant and eat lunch with me?'' She asked.
''I can't promise anything...'' He admitted honestly. ''But I'll try, OK?''
''OK.'' Christine agreed, knowing it was as much as she could get. ''Bye.'' She said and hung up before he had a chance to answer.
Mac placed his phone down on the desk and went through the witness' statements. He had a feeling he already knew them by heart. Yet, he was anxious he had missed something. He tried to stay focused, but he was so tired. All the statements started to blend into one, hazy mass.
'I heard three gunshots slightly after 9 pm, but I thought it was some movie on TV...'
'I saw an old, green van standing on the pavement when I walked by with my dog. The engine was running...'
'I remember I came home from a date and when I was unlocking my door, I heard a single gunshot coming from Coopers' house. It was around 11 pm. As soon as I got inside I called 911...'
'I looked outside through the window and I saw two men. They were wearing black and one of them was carrying a bag. They opened the back door of a van and jumped inside. It drove away immediately...'
Mac blinked a few times and read over the last statement again and again. Then he rose to his feet and rushed to the lab. He found Danny sitting in front of the computer, his head placed on his hands and his eyes closed.
''Hey, Danny...'' Mac said, waking him up.
''Umm... I'm just waiting for the results on fingerprints.'' He told his boss, slightly embarrassed.
''It's OK, we're all tired.'' Mac told him. ''We have to check something else. I read the witness' statements once more and it seems there were three of them, not two.'' He said, pulling a chair, and sat down next to Danny.
''Three? But we found DNA samples from only two donors at the crime scene.'' Danny recalled. He looked into his notes and said, ''Blood drops next to the broken window on the back of the house, blood spatter on the carpet in the living room and then two samples from under the fingernails of the woman in the bedroom. And two samples of semen...''
''I know.'' Mac cut him off. ''I'm thinking that while Dribs' brothers were inside, someone was waiting for them in the green van.'' Mac noted. ''That's why they got into it by using the back door.''
''That makes sense.'' Danny nodded.
''I want you to check who was in the cell with Dribs' brothers when they were in a prison.'' Mac ordered.
''OK, let's see...'' Danny murmured. ''Terry Dribs. His cellmate, Joshua Bowman is still in prison.''
''How about Henry Dribs?'' Mac asked.
''Henry Dribs... His cellmate, Pete Murray was released three months ago and he was killed in a shooting two weeks after.'' Danny glanced at Mac, who furrowed his eyebrows. It seemed to be a dead end. He was rising from his seat as Danny stopped him. ''Wait a moment...'' He murmured. ''Henry Dribs was in prison for four years, Murray was his cellmate only for the last year.'' He said. ''Before that it was... Dennis Brown. Released 3 and a half months ago. He disappeared instantly after that and he never contacted his parole officer... There is a blue Chevrolet Express registered to him, but there is no address.''
''Perfect.'' Mac said as headed towards the door. ''I'm calling Adam. I want him to come to work earlier and you two check this guy from the top to the bottom. I want to know everything about him.''
''OK.'' Danny nodded. Then he looked at the screen again. ''Umm... Mac? There's more.'' Mac stopped in his tracks and turned around to face him. ''Dennis Brown was convicted of drug possession, assault with a deadly weapon and... child sexual abuse.''
Mac felt the mother of all headaches approaching. He pinched his nose and breathed in deeply. With every passing minute, things were looking worse and worse for Rick.
''We have to hurry.'' He murmured more to himself, then to Danny and exited the lab.
. . .
Slightly after 10:00 am Jo's mobile phone buzzed. She quickly grabbed it from the nightstand and slipped out of the bed, being careful not to wake Lily up. She moved to the living room while closing the bedroom door behind her and then answered the phone.
''Danville.''
''Hey, you're awake.'' Mac said happily.
''Yeah.'' She sighed.
''Did I wake you up?'' He asked.
''No, you didn't.'' Jo told him and this time he was able to determine this odd tone in her voice. It was sadness.
''Lily had troubles sleeping?'' He guessed.
''Yeah. She woke up a few times.''
''Listen, Jo... I think I have to talk to her. She could have heard or seen something that could help us find Rick.''
''You want us to come to the precinct?'' Jo asked.
''Umm, you know... actually I think it would be better if I came to your place. Lily would feel more comfortable and maybe she will tell us something that we could use.''
''That makes sense.'' Jo agreed. ''You want to come now?''
''Is that a problem?''
''No, I just want to know how much time we have to make ourselves look presentable.'' She told him and he smiled, hearing that her usual playful tone was back.
''I'm sure you look just fine. Both of you.'' He said. ''OK, so I'll be there in a half an hour.''
''OK, see you.''
''Bye.'' He said and hung up.
Jo looked out through the window for a longer moment, smiling unconsciously. Then she sighed, turned around and thought she better get moving. She had to get dressed and wake up Lily. She suddenly stopped and saw that the second part was already done, as Lily was standing by the bedroom door as she held Mr. Whiskers by its ear.
''Hey, you're awake.'' Jo greeted her. ''Aren't you cold?'' She asked as she approached her.
''No.'' Lily told her. ''But I'm hungry.''
''We'll make some breakfast.'' Jo said as she stroked her dark-brown hair that was adorably tousled from her sleep. ''What do you want to eat?''
''Pancakes!'' Lily answered happily which made Jo frown a little.
''Pancakes, huh?'' She murmured.
. . .
Mac knocked quietly on Jo's door and he didn't have to wait long until she opened it for him.
''Thank God you're here!'' She told him, catching his arm and pulling him inside. He instantly tensed.
''Did something happen?''
''I'm sure you know how to make pancakes.'' Jo said, looking at him hopefully.
''Umm... yeah, I do.'' Mac confirmed. Then he looked at her. She was still in her long pajama pants with cupcakes printed all over them. ''Am I... too early?'' He asked, following her to the kitchen.
''No, why?'' She turned around to face him. Then she caught what he meant. ''You did say I look presentable no matter what, didn't you?'' She teased, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Then she moved to the fridge and studied its contents.
''Yeah, I did.'' He said. He spotted Lily sitting on the table and drinking milk from a glass with a straw. ''Hi, Lily.''
''Hi.'' She answered. He moved closer to her and lightly tickled her neck with his finger, causing her head to tilt to the side.
''Don't fall down.'' He told her. He noticed she was drinking with a chocolate magic straw and he raised his eyebrow. ''You still buy Ellie magic straws?'' He asked Jo.
''Eee... yeah, they're Ellie's. You don't think I buy them for myself, do you?'' She asked and laughed slightly nervously.
''Of course not.'' Mac told her, allowing his lips to curl in a half smile. She moved from the fridge and turned to face him.
''So... pancakes?'' Jo asked pleadingly.
''Yeah, pancakes!'' Lily echoed and Mac's smile grew. He moved to the counter and glanced at the open laptop that was placed there.
''I can see you have a really professional approach.'' He laughed. ''Searching a phrase 'how to make pancakes' in Google.''
''Oh, be quiet...'' Jo murmured, closing her laptop and moving it to the chair. Mac rolled up his sleeves as he continued to laugh quietly.
''I need... flour...'' He ordered and Jo pushed a jar of it in his direction, making it slide on the counter. He stopped it and placed it aside. ''Salt and sugar...'' He said and two more jars followed the first one. ''Baking soda...'' He added and Jo opened the cupboard, pulled out a little package from a box and tossed it to him.
''What else?'' She asked.
''Butter... and milk...'' Mac told her and she moved to the fridge. She grabbed an unopened brick of butter and tossed it to him as well. He put it on the counter just in time to catch a plastic bottle of milk. He made a funny face, as for a moment he thought he was going to drop it on the floor.
''Stay tuned.'' Jo told him with a smirk. Then she glanced at Lily and he followed her gaze. The girl was watching their every move, having a huge grin on her face.
''Anything else?'' Jo asked.
''Yeah... two eggs. Just don't toss them!'' He added quickly, with a clear horror in his voice. Jo smiled slightly and Lily started to giggle. He turned around and started to put all the ingredients into a bowl.
''That's all?'' Jo asked, looking over his shoulder.
''Yup.''
''I'll make us coffee.'' She offered and he nodded.
In no time, a nice pile of pancakes was ready. Mac picked up Lily and sat her on the chair and Jo placed a bottle of maple syrup and a jar with strawberry jam on the table.
''How do you like to eat them?'' She asked Mac.
''As they are.'' He said and took a bite of a plain pancake.
''Phew. You're no fun.'' Jo told him, wincing slightly.
''They're already sweet.'' Mac said.
''But they can always be sweeter.'' Jo pointed. ''Lily, you want maple syrup?''
''Yes, please.''
''Jo, can you give me a banana?'' Mac asked and Jo reached out for one, pulling it out from the basket.
''Here you are.''
''Thanks.''
Mac peeled it and cut it into slices on his plate. Then he placed a half of it on top of Lily's pancakes that were covered with maple syrup. She looked at him, furrowing her little eyebrows and he slightly leaned forward, raising his eyebrows like he was waiting for her to protest. Jo looked at Mac, then at Lily and back at Mac. She wondered who was going to win this staring contest. Much to her surprise, without saying a word, Lily put a slice of banana onto her fork and ate it.
''You want some?'' Mac asked Jo, moving his plate towards her.
''Yeah, thanks...'' She murmured, still being slightly amazed by what had just happened. She ate her pancake and glanced at Mac. ''Did you make any progress on the case?''
''Not much. We know the identity of all three guys, but we have no idea where we can find them.'' Mac said and Jo nodded.
''That's not good.'' She sighed. They both were aware that time was working against Rick. ''Do you think we can find him?'' She asked. Mac looked at her, seeing the look in her eyes and he sighed. It was one of those questions that rendered no real answer.
''I hope so.'' He said and glanced at Lily. She was already finished eating and she slid from her chair to the floor. She carefully took her plate and placed it into the sink. ''If they wanted to kill him, they could do that in the house.'' He added quietly.
''Right.''
Lily stood up next to Jo's chair and looked up at her.
''Thank you for help, honey.'' Jo said, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Then she glanced at Mac, who was rubbing his eyes. He looked really tired. ''Maybe we can move to the living room?''
''OK.'' He answered and quickly finished his coffee. Then he helped Jo to clean the table.
They moved to the living room and Jo sat on the couch. Lily immediately climbed on the couch as well and then on Jo's lap, which made Mac smile. He was more than sure that nobody could tell they knew each other for no longer than a day. Then he sighed deeply and his smile faded away. He didn't really want to awake those horrible memories and make Lily go through it once more. But there could be something she had witnessed, that they might be able to use to find her brother.
''Lily... last night, when you were hidden in the closet... Did you hear anything?'' Mac asked, crouching in front of the couch. Lily looked directly at him and nodded.
''There was a loud noise downstairs.'' She said quietly.
''What kind of noise?'' Mac asked. ''Like firecrackers on 4th of July?''
''Yes. And then mommy was screaming. First downstairs, then in the bedroom. And she was crying.'' Lily swallowed hard and Jo cuddled her closer to herself. Mac looked at Jo, seeing how glossy her eyes were. He sighed and asked:
''Did you hear those strangers? What did they do?''
''They were laughing.'' Lily told him quietly and Mac noticed how Jo clenched her hand on the edge of the seat. He looked up at her face, seeing her eyes were closed and he knew she was struggling with emotions. He placed his hand on her knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
''Did they say anything?'' Mac asked.
''Something about little neck.'' Lily said, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to remember exactly what she heard. Jo looked at Mac and their eyes met. They didn't need any words to know what the other one was thinking. The first thing that came to their minds was that it sounded like a common threat – breaking boy's little neck.
''Anything else?'' Mac asked, desperately wanting to get some clue. Lily stayed silent for a moment and then she murmured, ''And something about stones that you hop from one to another.''
Mac frowned as she tried to make sense of her words. He looked at Jo. She seemed to be as confused as he was.
''Why do you have to hop from one to another?'' Jo asked softly.
''Not to get wet.'' Lily explained.
''So the stones are... in the water?'' Mac tried to follow little girl's way of thinking.
''Yeah.''
''Stepping stones.'' Mac said and Lily looked up at him.
''Stepping stones? Does that sound familiar, Lily?'' Jo asked.
''Yeah.''
''They talked about stepping stones?'' Jo asked again, wanting to be sure, and Lily nodded.
''Do you remember anything else, Lily?'' Mac asked and for a moment Jo thought how different his voice sounded when he was talking to Lily. It was so low and velvet.
''No.'' Lily made a sad face.
''It's OK, honey.'' Jo told her soothingly. She took Mr. Whiskers, that was placed near them on the couch, and handed it to Lily.
''That doesn't give us much...'' Mac murmured and stood up. He started to pace nervously across the room.
''Yeah.'' Jo agreed. ''Stepping stones... and little neck.'' She whispered, staring blindly into space. Suddenly Mac stopped dead in his tracks.
''What did you say?''
''Stepping stones and little neck.'' Jo repeated louder.
''God, of course! Little Neck Bay and Stepping Stones Park.'' Mac said. ''There is also a Stepping Stones Lane. It's an address!'' He added and rushed towards the door, grabbed his coat from a hanger and put it on hastily. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket. ''I have to call Flack and we have to go there as soon as possible...''
''Mac, wait!'' Jo lifted Lily off her lap and sat her on the couch. She quickly moved closer to Mac and placed her one hand on the door he was just about to open. ''Be careful, Mac.'' She told him in a quiet voice. Something flicked in her eyes, but it lasted no longer than a heartbeat.
''I will. I always am.'' Mac simply said.
Jo raised her hand and he frowned slightly. He thought she was reaching to touch his cheek, but her hand suddenly hung in the air for a fraction of a second and then she adjusted his collar.
''Call me when you find him.'' Jo said in her usual tone and he nodded.
Mac left her apartment, closed the door behind him and Jo locked it. She leaned against it and sighed. She had some bad feelings about this.
. . .
A/N Many thanks for those of you who reviewed, followed the story or/and favorited it. It gave me a huge boost to come up with another one quite quickly.
Again, it's Jess (csinyfan28) who is responsible for chasing all glaring mistakes away (Will I ever remember that door is singular in English?! I hope I will now!). And those tiny little ones, too ;) Thanks a lot, dear!
Don't forget to let me know what do you think ;)