Chapter 2
Samantha Spade strolled along the city sidewalk, smiling as she recalled the conversation that she and her good friend Rachel had shared over lunch. She had really enjoyed catching up with her again. It had been an age since the two had spent time together. The last time she saw Rachel, Finn wasn't even born. She missed not having her friend around anymore. It would have been nice to have her there to talk to, especially after she broke up with Brian. But Rachel was now assigned to the Baltimore office and was only in town for the weekend to visit relatives. They shared a lovely lunch together and chatted and Sam showed off her photos of Finn. It was great to meet up again, she thought as she ambled home.
Sam looked at her watch and realised that it was way past three thirty and was conscious that she had told Jack that she would be back home by then. She felt a little guilty. Jack had always been so kind to her, but even more so since Finn was born. He was her rock. However, she didn't want him to think that she took him for granted, so as she was passing Rosella's Bakery, she called in and picked him up a sweet apology before continuing the three blocks to her apartment.
She climbed the two flights of stairs and stood outside her apartment door, rooting in her handbag to find her keys. Having located them, she turned the key and let herself in.
"Sorry I'm late," she called in to announce her return. "We kinda lost track of time."
There was no reply. She thought it odd that no one was home, but considering what a nice afternoon it was, she presumed that Jack had taken Finn for a walk in the park. Stripping her jacket off and hanging it up, she saw the child's stroller outside his bedroom door and realised that wasn't the case after all. She hung her handbag on the coat stand beside her jacket.
"Jack? Are you here?" she called, kicking off her shoes and throwing them into her bedroom as she walked down the short hall towards the living area, a box of cannoli in hand.
Odd, she thought, as she wandered into the living room and looked around. Then she noticed something out of place on the sideboard. The ornament that her sister had given her the previous Christmas was missing and her picture of her, Finn and Brian was lying face down. Strange, she thought, why would Jack do that?
"Hello? Jack, you here?" she called again, not really expecting an answer.
Sighing, she put down the box with the cannolis and looked over to the lounge area where she noticed Finn's blanky on the floor in front of the sofa. As she bent down to pick it up, through the corner of her eye, she saw something odd near the breakfast bar: feet, shoes to be exact. She instantly knew something was wrong. She rushed into her tiny kitchenette and balked at the sight that greeted her. Jack lay face down in a puddle of spilt coffee, broken glass and congealing blood.
"Jack! Oh my God! Jack, can you hear me?" she yelled as she knelt beside him.
There was no response. She tenderly placed her hand on his shoulder as she took a deep, preparatory breath. Then she felt his neck for a pulse. It was there and surprisingly strong, much to her relief. She rolled him onto his side and placed him in the recovery position. She looked around the kitchen and then hurried back out to the living room. There was no sign of Finn. With growing alarm, she ran to the child's bedroom, hoping to find him in his crib but he wasn't there. Panic started to take hold. She couldn't think straight.
"Jack, where is he? Where's Finn?" she bawled, running back to the kitchen.
"Jack!" she cried loudly, hoping to rouse him.
Again she knelt beside him, this time physically shaking him, in an effort to wake him. He didn't move. Then she realised how crazy she was acting and started to see sense. Jack needed help. She grabbed her cell phone and dialled 911. She explained as calmly as she could to the 911 operator that she needed an ambulance and the police. Then as she explained to the operator that her child was missing, her distress grew. The operator told her to remain calm and promised that help was on the way. Sam begged them to hurry and hung up. She returned her attention to Jack and the gaping wound on his head. She reached for a clean towel from the laundry hamper and gently covered the wound to try and stem the bleeding. She realised that her hands were shaking as she held the towel. She had never been so scared in her life. Not only was Jack hurt, but her son was missing.
All sorts of thoughts were flashing through her mind. Where was he? Who would do this? She recalled that the door wasn't damaged when she entered, which led her to presume that whoever did this was invited in. That was good, right? That meant that they probably wouldn't harm Finn, didn't it? It had to be someone Jack knew or someone Sam knew, otherwise Jack wouldn't have let them in. But why would somebody take Finn? Why would they take her son? And as she asked herself question after question and tried to make sense of it all, she had an epiphany – Brian!
It had to be Brian. How could he do this? He must have lost his mind. Attacking a federal agent, kidnapping; he really had lost it as far as she was concerned. This type of outburst was exactly what had pushed her to end their relationship in the first place. She had seen a side of him that he hid very well, but she always suspected that he was capable of lashing out.
The sirens of the approaching ambulance interrupted her train of thought as they grew louder on the street outside. She felt some relief knowing help was imminent.
"You're going to be okay, Jack," she said, trying to comfort him despite her own personal upheaval. "Help is on its way."
However, her maternal instinct ultimately took over and she knew she couldn't be there for both Jack and Finn. She had done all she could do for Jack, now she had to help her son. She took out her cell and called Brian's number. It rang and rang but he didn't answer. Son-of-a-bitch, she thought. She knew he was ignoring her calls. She then called Vivian and explained what she had come home to and what she assumed had happened.
"I need your help, Viv," she pleaded.
"Of course, Sam. Is Jack okay?" Vivian enquired with concern.
"He's unconscious. The ambulance is on its way," Sam explained with composure.
"Okay, I'll call the rest of the team and get someone over to you ASAP," Viv told her. "Send me Brian's details and I'll run down cell phone and credit card activity when I get to the office. We'll find him, Sam."
"Thanks, Viv," Sam said gratefully. She was startled by a sudden loud knock on her door.
"Paramedics, can you open the door please?"
"I've got to go Viv, the paramedics are here," Sam said, urgently signing off.
She ran to the door and let them in.
"He's in here," Sam said, showing them to where Jack lay.
One of the paramedics knelt down beside Jack, checking his pulse. The other remained by Sam's side.
"Is this your husband, M'am?"
"Oh, no. We work together. He was looking after my son while I was at lunch," Sam explained nervously.
"And you just found him like this?" the paramedic asked curiously.
"Yeah, I got back about ten minutes ago," Sam replied.
"And where is your son?" the second paramedic asked, looking around the living room.
I wish I knew.
That was when Sam broke down and sobbed inconsolably. The two paramedics exchanged enquiring glances.
"Is your son hurt, Miss? Where is he?" the paramedic insisted, worried that the child had been injured.
"He….I don't know," Sam weeped. "I think someone took him."
The paramedics looked at each other in disbelief. What the hell was going on, they wondered. The medic kneeling beside Jack continued to work expertly, securing an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth before placing a gauze bandage over his head wound. He tried talking to Jack, hoping to get a response, but there was none. He pressed his knuckles into Jack's sternum in an effort to rouse him but again there was nothing.
"He's unresponsive to pain," he said to his colleague as he shone a light in Jack's eyes. "Pupil's sluggish and dilated."
"What does that mean?" Sam asked fearfully.
"It means that he may have sustained a serious head injury. We need to get him to the hospital," he told her as he got to his feet.
As he and his colleague were preparing to lift Jack onto the gurney, the police arrived. Detectives from the local precinct introduced themselves to Sam.
"I'm Detective Quincy and this is my partner, Detective Kellerman. Would you like to tell us what happened here?"
Samantha sighed deeply and put her hand on her forehand as if trying to wipe this whole nightmare away. Then she saw a friendly face among the strangers that were filing into her apartment. Special Agent Martin Fitzgerald walked through her door, showing uniformed officers his ID. He introduced himself to the detectives before hugging Samantha. He got a shock when he saw the paramedics wheel Jack through the hallway and out of the apartment.
"How is he?" Martin asked Sam.
"Not good. I should go with him," she said, still very emotional.
"I'm sorry, Agent Spade, but we need to take your statement," Detective Kellerman told her. Martin nodded, understanding that the detectives had a job to do.
"I'll go with him to the hospital if you like. You stay and help the detectives. He'll be okay, Sam," Martin assured her.
"Thanks, Martin," Sam said appreciatively. "Why did he do this? Why did he take Finn?"
"Who?" Martin asked, rightfully confused.
"Brian. It has to be Brian. How could he hurt Jack like that?" she wondered in disbelief.
"I don't know, Sam," Martin replied, shaking his head.
"Who is Brian?" Quincy interjected, eager for answers.
"Sam, talk to the detectives. Explain everything. I'll call Elena to come over and keep you company. I gotta go," Martin said, rushing to catch up with the paramedics.
"Thanks," she whispered as he disappeared out the door.
Martin hurried down the stairs and caught up with the paramedics as they were placing Jack in the back of the ambulance. Showing his ID and explaining that they were friends and colleagues, he asked to ride with them, which they duly allowed.
"Is he going to be okay?" Martin asked the paramedic who accompanied Jack in the back.
"Hard to say, head injuries can be unpredictable," he replied truthfully.
Martin nodded. He knew exactly what he meant. He feared for his boss. What if this was a life-changing injury? The fact that he was still unconscious worried Martin. It took Martin back to the time he had found Jack, half drowned with a bullet hole in his chest a couple of years ago. They almost lost him back then. It was a time he would never forget. Seeing Jack so vulnerable was unnerving. The wailing sirens dulled his thoughts and brought him back to the present. He couldn't think straight. All he could think about right now was the ailing man in front of him.
The rest of the journey to the hospital was a blur. The ambulance screeched to a halt after a matter of minutes. Almost as soon as they stopped moving, the doors of the ambulance burst open and there was a flurry of activity. One minute Martin found himself consumed by a crowd of medical personnel rushing into the ER, the next he found himself standing outside a trauma room, alone, trying to peek in every time a nurse or doctor opened the door.
Meanwhile, Samantha was being questioned by the two detectives in her apartment. With each probing question she became more agitated. What good were questions? They should be out there finding her son. The irony, she thought, realising how many times a missing person's family member had yelled that very same suggestion at her over the years. But still the questions came. She tried to tolerate them and answer as best she could. She knew the answers could provide important information in finding her son. At one point, she strained to see over the detective's shoulder as the CSU team began to examine her kitchen, dusting for prints and bagging the obelisk that lay on the kitchen floor.
"Agent Spade," Kellerman said, trying to regain Sam's attention.
Sam looked back at him, disbelief and shock etched all over her face.
"I asked how long you and Agent Malone have been in a relationship," Kellerman asked repeating his question.
"Relationship? Me and Jack? No….we're not….I mean sort of. We're taking it slow," Sam said, embarrassed having to reveal intimate details of her life to strangers.
"Taking it slow, eh? So what happened? Did he get tired of waiting?" Quincy cruelly asked, with a dubious look in his eye.
"Excuse me?" Sam exclaimed in disgust.
"Did he try to force it on you and you fought back?" Quincy asked, his tone accusatorial.
"I don't believe you! My son is missing and you're trying to conjure up a motive for me to assault Jack. Unbelievable!" Sam snapped, her patience dwindling.
"You didn't answer my question," Quincy replied, not relenting one bit.
"No! Jack did not come on too strong. I wasn't even here. Now will you get up off you friggin' asses and find Brian Donovan?" Sam yelled, getting boldly to her feet.
"Sit down, Agent Spade," Kellerman ordered crossly.
Sam glared at him in defiance. There was a moment of sheer tension between the two, which was thankfully broken by the arrival of Special Agent Elena Delgado.
"Is there a problem here?" Elena asked, giving Sam a brief hug.
"They think I did this to Jack. Can you believe it?" Sam told her, not disguising her contempt for the two detectives seated on her sofa. "They haven't gotten to the part where they accuse me of harming Finn yet."
"That's ridiculous," Elena agreed. "Have you explained about Brian?"
"Well, I tried," Sam said crossly. "I think they have target fixation."
"Have you finished with your questions?" Elena asked the detectives. They looked at each other briefly before nodding that they had.
"For now."
"Let's go then, Agent Spade," Elena said with authority. "The FBI will be taking over, as we are dealing with a probable kidnapping."
"Fine, but don't go too far, Agent Spade. Domestic assault is still our jurisdiction and we will be continuing our investigation," Kellerman told her menacingly.
"Why don't you do your job and I'll do mine," Sam said, turning her back and grabbing her handbag from the coat stand. "I have to find my son."
TBC
Hope you like it so far. Thanks for reading!