Chapter 11

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Elizabeth knocked lightly on the wooden door in front of her, tucking her hair behind her ear before looking up to see the door opening and Red standing in front of her, the first thing she could see was how tired he looked, obviously he hadn't slept in days and the second was the smell of scotch on his breath.

"Elizabeth?" He said, surprise in his voice.

"Hey…you look like hell."

"Well thank you, come on in or is this a flying visit."

"No I…I need to talk to you, about Mr Kaplan."

Red could only nod as he stepped aside to allow her inside, as he closed the door behind him, Elizabeth made her way over to the table and took a seat, pushing the bottle of scotch to one side as she sat her bag on the side of the table, waiting for Red to join her.

"Where's Dembe?"

"He went out, he thinks I need to eat."

"Well he's right, alcohol won't help solve anything."

"You sound like Kate." He said as a small laugh escaped his lips.

Elizabeth watched as he drank what was left of the scotch in his glass, sighing at him, letting him know she didn't approve.

"I wondered when you'd come and see me, I was beginning to think I'd never hear anything."

"I've been busy."

"With Kate's disappearance I hope."

"Well of course I have…actually, that's what I want to talk to you about."

"I thought you might have come to apologise."

"Apologise? For what?"

"Never mind."

"I don't regret the things I said to you, you were wrong to make her give up the baby and I stand by that, I take nothing I said back…I'm sorry."

"Well you're honest, I'll give you that. So, what did you want to ask me, about Kate? Has there been any developments?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath before she began to tell Red about them finding the address and the name of the woman who had taken Kate.

"We got a finger print match from the carousel, the finger print matched that of a woman on the police database, she's in her thirties, she's been in and out of foster care her whole life. She's been arrested for theft and assault, she spent some time in juvenile detention when she was a teenager and because she was on the database, so was her DNA."

Elizabeth stopped when Red's head shot up and looked directly in to her eyes, in that moment she knew he already knew what she was going to say before she even said it.

"So you were right, it's her…our daughter has taken Kate, and Kate has no idea."

"I'm not so sure about that?"

"What do you mean Lizzie?"

Red watched as Elizabeth went in to her bag and brought out the stuffed bear that Paul had given back to her when they'd finished processing the evidence. Elizabeth took it out of the plastic bag and passed it to Red, who didn't say a word when he was handed it. Red sat for what seemed forever as he looked down at the bear in his hands, not saying anything.

"Do you recognise it?"

"I do…Kate bought this just before the baby was born. She said she wanted her to have something from her parents so that she wouldn't feel so alone. You found this at her house?"

"We found it in the room she was keeping Mr Kaplan in."

"Kate's seen this, wait…you found Kate, well where is she, we have to go to her, she'll…."

Elizabeth was up in seconds as Red go up ready to leave, Elizabeth came to stand in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at her.

"Hold on, we don't have Mr Kaplan."

"But you said this was in the room that Kate was in?"

"It was."

"Well then I don't understand?"

"When we got to the house, neither Mr Kaplan or your daughter were there."

"Then where is she? What's she done with Kate?"

"I spoke to one of the neighbours and according to her…I need you to try and not panic when I tell you what I'm about too."

"Just tell me Lizzie."

"Mr Kaplan was taken away in an ambulance, and according to the neighbour…your daughter went with her."

"Well then she can't be that hard to track, you just ring around the hospitals and you…"

"We've all ready done that, there is no one booked in under Kaplan or Sanders."

"Sanders?"

"Abigail Sanders, that's her name."

Red stood back before retaking his place at the table, running his hand over his face.

"You okay?" She asked.

"How can she do this…to her own mother."

"You can't blame her for being angry, for wanting to know where she came from. The life she's had, sounds awful and right now she's looking for someone to blame, and that's you and Mr Kaplan."

"But it's not me, is it? Kate's the one she's putting though hell right now, not me."

"I don't know about that, look at the state of you. You're tired, drinking, angry. She's taken someone she knows for a fact you care about. I think right now, she's putting you both through hell."

"You said they weren't at any of the hospitals?"

"We've checked them all, they is nobody listed under Kaplan or Sanders."

Red sighed as Elizabeth took a seat beside him, taking hold of his hand.

"Red if you know anything, you have to tell me. If we have any chance at finding Mr Kaplan, you need to tell me."

"You need to go back to the hospitals and ask them to check the name Nemec."

"Nemec…but I don't…"

"It's Kate's real name, Kathryn Nemec. If our daughter has done her homework which I believe she has, then she'll know everything, including Kate's real name."

"Okay, I'll get Aram on that right away."

Elizabeth got up to leave, Red getting to his feet, following her.

"Lizzie wait…I'm coming with you."

"Red I really think you…"

"I've done enough sitting around and waiting, I did it your way, now we're doing it my way. I need her back, I need to make this right…please."

It wasn't very often Red pleaded with someone, but this time it was for Kate, and there was nothing that he wasn't willing to do."

"Fine, but you follow our lead. You so much as step a foot out of line, I'll arrest you."

"Lizzie you.."

"I'm serious, we can't do anything that might cause more harm to Mr Kaplan, if you come with us, you do it our way."

"Fine, you win…I'll do what you want…for Kate."

…

To Be Continued…