Chapter 3: Cops and Robbers
. . .
''So, how's the little one doing? Lily, right?'' Flack asked as he glanced at Mac. They were driving for almost 25 minutes and Mac didn't say a word.
''Yea, Lily. She seems fine. She had some troubles sleeping, but Jo managed to calm her down.''
''I bet. Even Porky Pig from 'Looney Tunes' would stop stuttering while being near her.'' Flack joked and Mac cast him an unsure glance. ''I think she should adopt her.'' Flack stated. ''She's really great with kids and the girl fell in love with her at first sight.''
''It's not that easy, you know. A decision like that shouldn't be made at the spur of the moment...'' Mac murmured and added, ''… and the adoption procedure is quite lengthy and complicated.'' He added.
''Well, that's true, but she's already been there, with Ellie.'' Flack said, but Mac made no comment on that. ''I'm just saying that Lily would be really lucky, considering the circumstances, to have Jo as a mother.''
''There is no question about it.'' Mac agreed.
They drove in silence for a couple of minutes, until Flack asked again, ''How exactly do you want to find these guys?''
''I'm not sure. I think that driving along the Stepping Stones Lane and looking for the blue Chevrolet Express would be a good start.''
''And then what? Even if we see it parked in front of one of the houses, we wouldn't be able to come in, as we don't have a warrant.'' Flack noted.
''I wouldn't get any warrant based on something that 4-year old girl overheard from inside the closet and my guts.''
''I'm just saying...'' Flack sighed.
They reached the Stepping Stone Lane and Mac slowed down and carefully looked around.
''Isn't this neighborhood a little too fancy for common robbers?'' Flack asked.
''It probably is.'' Mac admitted. ''But they could have broke into one of the houses and made their den there.''
They drove almost to the end of the street and Mac started to lose his hope. Then, he suddenly he spotted the blue van parked in front of the small villa. He pulled over and stopped the car.
''Boom! That's Brown's car.'' Flack said as he studied the license plate and compared it with the number he had in the file.
''Boom? Did you steal Danny's line or what?'' Mac murmured. Then he dialed Adam's number.
''Hi there, boss.'' Adam greeted him.
''Adam, I want you to check an address for me. Stepping Stones Lane 3.'' Mac asked him.
''Sure thing...'' Adam murmured. Then he went silent for a moment and finally he said, ''The house belongs to Jane Thompson... Her husband was killed in a robbery 2 months ago.''
Flack and Mac shared a look, as they heard that.
''Where was this robbery?''
''On Calyer Street.''
''I remember this case.'' Flack said. ''There was no evidence at the crime scene and no suspects.''
''OK. Thanks, Adam.'' Mac said and hung up. ''Calyer Street. It's very close to Greenpoint Avenue.''
''I'm sure it was Dribs brothers who did it.''
''Makes sense. They could have found out about the villa and even stole the keys...''
''I bet Jane Thompson left the city after her husband was killed and this doesn't seem like the kind of neighborhood where people pay attention to what's going on across the fence.'' Flack said and Mac only nodded. They both watched the villa carefully for a moment. ''How many of them could be inside?'' Flack asked.
''I have no idea. Maybe three, maybe more.''
''So what are we doing? Wait for some backup?''
''It will take at least an hour before they get here.'' Mac said gloomily. And Rick does not have another hour, he added in his mind.
''How about we enter the house and quietly check how many of them there are?''
''Sounds like a plan.'' Mac agreed.
They got out of the car and headed towards the villa.
''I'm taking the back door.'' Mac said.
''OK.''
Mac rounded the house and came closer to the back door. He gently tried the doorknob. Much to his surprise the door was open.
. . .
Since Mac had left her apartment this morning, Jo felt uneasy. She tried to keep herself busy, but she wasn't able to focus on anything. She helped Lily get dressed and she brushed her hair, pulling it into two little buns on each side of her head. Then, she moved to Ellie's room, as she wanted to look for some book that Lily would find interesting. But before she could find any, she heard her phone ring in the living room. She rushed to it, as she hoped it was Mac. But instead of his calm, low voice she heard Christine's high-pitched, slightly irritated tone.
''Hi, Jo. It's Christine.''
''Hi...'' Jo answered quietly, feeling how her stomach made a triple flip. Her first thought was that something bad had happen to Mac. She sat down on the couch, as she suddenly felt weak.
But then Christine asked, ''Is Mac with you?''
Jo released a relieved breath and almost laughed at her own, completely irrational reaction. If something bad happened to Mac, she would have known before Christine.
''No, he isn't.''
''Do you happen to know where he is?'' Christine asked, with a clear annoyance. ''He promised to come for lunch at my place, but he didn't and he isn't answering his phone.'' She complained.
''It's because he's in the field right now. He went with Don outside the city to find the 8-year old boy who got kidnapped and...''
''Oh yeah, that case again.'' Christine cut her off. The way she said it, almost flippantly, made Jo frown. ''Anyway, if he contacts you, please tell him to call me.'' She asked. ''In case he doesn't notice over a dozen missed calls from me.'' She added ironically and Jo felt how anger starting to rise inside. Judging by her actions, she came to the conclusion that Christine wasn't her usual self, acting like that. She was probably worried sick about Mac in which Jo understood very well.
''Sure... I'll tell him.'' She answered quickly.
''Thanks. Bye.'' Christine told her and before Jo had a chance to answer, she hung up.
Jo blindly stared in space. She was thinking again about little Rick again, along with Mac who was trying to find him. She really hoped they were both fine. She sighed deeply. Usually she wouldn't be worried like that. It was their job. They were put in danger on a daily basis. But this case was getting far beyond being usual for Jo.
A gentle touch on her hand brought her out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw Lily standing next to the couch. She was handing her Mr. Whiskers. Jo took the bunny from her and raised her eyebrows, not sure what she was supposed to do with it.
''Give him a hug.'' Lily said. Jo looked at her for a moment, surprised why Lily wanted her to hug Mr. Whiskers. Then she smiled widely. Lily must have notice that she was worried and came up with a solution, thinking that what was bringing her some comfort, should work for Jo as well.
''I'd rather hug you.'' Jo told her, pulling her onto her lap. Lily cuddled her head on Jo's chest and sighed softly. Then she reached out and touched Jo's necklace and made it jingle. She looked up and Jo was able to see how her eyes were sparkling and how she was smiling lightly. She smiled as well and kissed her head. She thought that she had to do something, otherwise all this waiting would completely wreck her nerves. Lily made her necklace jingle again and Jo came up with some idea.
''Lily, how about we go to do some shopping? You need a nice pair of pajamas and a toothbrush. What do you say? Are we going?''
''OK.'' Lily said and smiled again.
''You think Mr. Whiskers should go with us?'' Jo asked in a serious tone. ''Does he need anything?''
Lily furrowed her eyebrows, thinking hard, then she said, '''He's fine. And he doesn't really like shopping.''
''Of course he doesn't.'' Jo said with a laugh.
. . .
Mac closed the door behind him and slowly moved along the narrow hall. He heard a TV playing in the next room. He quietly walked to the door and peeked into the living room. The room was almost gray with cigarette smoke and there were many beer bottles scattered on the floor. But other than that, it seemed to be empty.
Mac carefully walked to the back of the armchair that was placed in front of the TV and turned back to the door. He noticed the beer bottle beside it on the floor. It was covered with condensation, which meant that someone had taken it out of the fridge not so long ago. Mac gripped his gun tighter and in a swift movement, moved in front of the armchair, aiming at whoever was sitting in it. Much to his dismay, the armchair was empty.
Suddenly Mac heard a gunshot and then the whistle of the bullet, that flew very close to his ear. He ducked behind the couch, but before he was able to do that, he heard a second gunshot and another bullet grazed his left arm. He hissed in pain as he hit the floor.
''Dennis! We've got company!'' A man yelled somewhere close. Mac turned on his back, getting ready to fire when he'd approach the couch. He heard some quick footsteps coming down the stairs.
''What the...'' The second voice said and the footsteps stopped abruptly.
''Drop the gun!'' Flack shouted.
''OK, OK! Don't shoot!'' The man yelled back.
''Drop the gun and show me your hands! Now!'' Flack repeated.
Mac looked out from behind the couch and saw how the second guy was standing with his back against the wall as he moved slowly towards the door. He was really close to it, which meant he could easily aim for Flack any moment now. Without even thinking, Mac pulled the trigger and it hit him in the shoulder. He yelled in pain and dropped his gun. Mac quickly rose to his feet and moved towards him. He pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed him.
''Easy there, man! You just shot me!'' The guy cried out.
''Oh really?'' Mac asked sarcastically.
''Mac, you OK?'' Flack asked, as he entered the room, leading the second man by his arm. He was already cuffed as well. Mac pulled his left arm out of the sleeve of his jacket, wincing a little as he looked down at it. His shirt was torn and slightly soaked with his blood.
''You're bleeding.'' Flack noticed, slightly concerned.
''It's just a scratch. I'll be fine.''
. . .
Jo was standing in front of her front door. She was fumbling for her keys in her bag, when her phone started to ring. She almost cursed out loud but stopped herself at the very last moment when she realized that Lily was standing right next to her. She knew she had to answer that, as it could be Mac with some news about Rick. Finally she fished out her phone from her pocket.
''Danville.''
''Hi, Jo!'' Lindsay greeted her.
''Hi, Linds. What's up?'' Jo asked and she dropped the keys. She rolled her eyes. The task of getting into her apartment with all the bags and packages she was holding was getting harder with every second. Before Jo figured out how to pick up the keys without dropping anything else, Lily did it for her and handed them over to her and it made Jo smile.
''I was thinking... since I have a day off and we're stuck at home, me and Lucy I mean, because of the weather, being bored to tears...''
''You want to come over to my place and meet Lily?'' Jo asked, as she pushed the door open and she let Lily inside.
''Yeah, I was thinking it would be fun...'' Lindsay admitted. ''But if you have some other plans, or you're just busy...''
Busy. Right. Jo thought. Busy with losing my mind while waiting for the call.
''No, I'm not busy and I would really appreciate your company right now.'' Jo admitted.
''OK!'' Lindsay said joyfully. ''So we'll be at your place in about half an hour. Is that fine?''
''That's perfect. We'll prepare something yummy.''
''Sounds great. See you soon!''
''Bye.'' Jo answered and hung up. She glanced at Lily. She was standing in the middle of the hall, looking at her curiously. ''We're gonna have guests. My friend, Lindsay and her daughter, Lucy will come over to visit us. Does it sound good?'' Jo asked. Lily shrugged her shoulders slightly.
''I don't know. Are they nice?'' She asked and Jo laughed.
''They are. Lucy is 4 years old, just like you. I think you'll have fun playing with her.'' Jo told her. ''But first we have to unpack our shopping bags.''
''OK.'' Lily nodded and Jo placed the bags and packages she was holding on the couch. She pulled a colorful pair of pajamas that Lily had chosen for herself and a fluffy, violet blanket out of the bag and she carried it to the bedroom. Then, she fished out from a big paper bag a new pink toothbrush, a tube of strawberry flavored toothpaste and a bottle of a bubble bath that smelled just like bubble gum from a paper bag. After placing it all in the bathroom, Jo returned to the living room and smiled, as she saw that Lily was already sitting on the couch with her new coloring book and a box of crayons. Then Jo carried a new set of dishes for Lily to the kitchen and a nice, blue top she bought for Ellie to her daughter's room and placed it on her bed.
For a moment she wondered what Ellie would say if she told her that she was taking care of a little girl. Ellie always complained about having a brother as she wanted a sister instead. But in reality Jo wasn't really able to predict how she would react if suddenly she, practically the only child, would turn into a big sister. Would she be jealous? Or maybe she would be pleased of not being in the center of attention anymore? Jo sighed and then shook her head. Why am I even thinking of that? She scolded herself mentally and walked back to the living room. She slumped to the couch, next to Lily and glanced at the drawing she almost finished coloring. A princess had dark hair, violet dress and pink shoes. Lily placed the crayon on the table and showed her work to Jo.
''And a cat?'' Jo pointed at the contour that wasn't filled with any color.
''The cat is white.'' Lily answered.
''Oh.'' Jo smiled lightly.
Before Lindsay and Lucy arrived Lily managed to color another two drawings and Jo made four vanilla yogurt parfaits with granola and raspberries. Lindsay brought Lucy's favorite blocks and girls quickly started to build a castle.
Jo moved to the kitchen, as she wanted to make some coffee and Lindsay stood in the doorway, watching the girls playing.
''She's so cute.'' Lindsay said with a smile.
''She is.'' Jo confirmed. ''She seems to be a little quiet, but I think it's because she's in a new place.'' Jo said as she pulled two mugs from the cupboard. ''I'm sure that if she stayed here for a week or so, she'd be a little menace.'' She added with a smile.
''Yeah...'' Lindsay nodded. Then she glanced at Jo. ''You'd like her to stay, wouldn't you?''
''Well, I think it's better for her to stay here for now and not in a foster care.'' Jo said with reserve.
''No, I meant...'' Lindsay started, but she bit her tongue. ''Oh, never mind.'' She turned slightly to Jo and asked in a casual tone, ''You want some help with that?''
''No, thanks.'' Jo answered automatically. ''What did you mean, Linds?''
''Umm... To be honest, I thought you would apply for her being placed with you. At least on a short term basis, while she's waiting for adoption.'' Lindsay told her, getting more and more concerned about what she just said, as Jo stayed quiet. ''I mean, you two get along pretty well. No wonders, you're just so good with kids, Jo... and...''
''You know, if I did that, I probably wouldn't be able to give her away and I'd end up adopting her herself.'' Jo cut her off. She tried to sound as if she was joking, but Lindsay already knew her too well and was be able to catch all the emotions that were present in her voice.
''And that would be a bad thing?'' Lindsay asked, casting Jo a hesitant glance. Jo stopped making the coffee for them and turned to face her.
''I'm not sure, Lindsay.'' She sighed. ''I have to admit I did think about it. On first sight it seems like a perfect idea, but... I already did it once with Ellie. And don't get me wrong, it was the best decision in my life, I'd never change it. But, I can't save every kid.''
''You know... you may not save the world, but you can save the world for Lily.'' Lindsay blurted out. Jo stared at her and blinked several times. Then she laughed slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It was her trademark gesture when she was nervous.
''I can't possibly adopt a child every time I feel lonely, can I?'' Jo asked with a forced smile and Lindsay frowned. She wondered how it was possible that Jo felt lonely. She had two great kids, many friends and colleagues. Everybody simply adored her. She was smart, funny and really pretty. Jo could date just any man she wanted. Yet, as far as Lindsay knew, she wasn't dating anyone. She wanted to ask what Jo actually meant by that, but she didn't get a chance to do so as Lily entered the kitchen. She moved closer to Jo and gently tugged on her sweater to get her attention.
''Yes?'' Jo asked, looking down at her and smiled unconsciously.
''I'm thirsty, Jo.'' Lily told her.
''What do you want? Pineapple juice?''
''Yeah.''
''Can you ask if Lucy wants some, too?''
''OK.'' Lily answered and hastily left the kitchen. She was back in a flash. ''She doesn't.''
Jo only nodded and poured some juice into a brand new cup that had colorful stars all over it. Lily jumped twice as she impatiently waited for her drink.
''Here you go.'' Jo said and handed her the cup. She took a few quick sips and coughed a little. ''Hey, slow down, sweetie.'' Jo told her as she stroked her hair lightly. Lindsay smiled at the gesture. She had a chance to watch Jo with Lucy several times before and she was always amazed how easy it was for Jo to find a way to her daughter. But with Lily this connection seemed to be even stronger.
''Enough?'' Jo asked.
''Yes!'' Lily answered, being already in the hall. Both, Jo and Lindsay, laughed.
''She doesn't have time, she's too busy playing.'' Lindsay said.
''Yeah.'' Jo agreed, still laughing. Then she sighed slightly. ''I so hope that her brother is fine.'' She said quietly, pulling her phone out of the pocket of her jeans. She glanced at the screen. Although she knew there were no new messages or unanswered calls, she still had to check. She ran her fingers over the keys and for a moment considered to give Mac a call but decided not to. She knew that they would call her if they found the boy. The silence meant that nothing was known yet.
. . .
''Where is the boy?'' Mac roared at Henry after he cuffed him.
''I told Terry to kill the brat!'' Henry told him and started to laugh. ''He was useless anyway.''
''Where is he?!'' Mac repeated his question, pushing him against the wall.
''I don't know, somewhere in the woods...''
''Why did you even take him with you?'' Flack asked, feeling his blood boiling as well.
''For Dennis. We had our fun at the house.'' Henry said and laughed even more. It took all of Mac's strength not to punch his lights out but he had to get some information out of him first. ''I felt sorry for the guy. I knew he likes kids, if you know what I mean...'' He chortled, but immediately stopped, seeing the expression on Mac's face. ''But that bastard told us he's into little girls, not boys.'' Then Mac lost it and punched Henry in the face and knocked him out. But it actually didn't make him feel any better.
''Thank God! My hand itched so much to do that.'' Flack murmured.
Mac rose to his feet and glanced at Terry. He was lying next to the table and was totally drunk. He hadn't even noticed when Flack put cuffs on his wrists.
Then Mac looked at Don and said, ''Keep an eye on them until the backup arrives. I'm going to go to the woods and look for Rick.''
''But this idiot said...''
''We have to find him anyway.'' Mac told him and Flack only nodded.
. . .
A/N First of all, thank you very much for all the lovely reviews! I'm really happy that you enjoy this story so far and I hope you'll enjoy it even more later ;)
So here comes the next chapter. It's slightly shorter, but at least it's up quite quickly.
Again big huuuug for Jess (csinyfan28) for correcting it at really high speed. You're a rock star!
There is more to come. Soon, I hope.