A short chapter, but a logical place to stop, I believe.
CHAPTER EIGHT
By the time an increasingly worried Alex arrived at Major Case, a massive search was underway for Bobby. Alerted by the guard at the front desk, Ross met Alex as she stepped off the elevator.
"Don't worry," Ross assured her. "We'll find him…We've got good information from you and him…I've pulled a lot of the Squad to find him."
"I should've gone with him," Alex muttered as she walked to her desk. "I shouldn't have let him go alone…"
"Don't do that to yourself, Alex," Ross said gently. "I need to tell you…Before Goren went to that bar…" Ross hesitated. "He visited Declan Gage."
Alex sat heavily in her chair. "I knew he was up to something like that," she said with more resignation than anger. "I knew it."
Ross was relieved at her response. "I was told it didn't go very well for Goren…I understand what he was trying to do, Alex…I know he was trying to get information to help us find Mark Caldwell. I can't fault him for that."
As angry as she was at Bobby for his action, Alex found she also couldn't fault him for trying to deal with the case and protect her.
The search continued for the rest of the night and into the next morning. Knowing she'd ignore any order to go home, Ross ordered Alex to stay at her desk, and she worked at trying to trace Caldwell, the mysterious Thomas Linley, and that white van that worried Bobby. By the time the sun started to rise, detectives had tracked down the bartender who worked where Bobby met Linley. The young man, who'd just gotten to bed after working a long shift, recognized Bobby as the man who'd suddenly taken ill and had to be helped from the bar by an older man. In addition to recognizing Bobby and giving a good description of the older man, the bartender identified Mark Caldwell as a man who'd left a young woman at the bar. The woman was so inebriated that the bartender had called her a cab, and so he was also able to provide her address.
"He's given us a lot," Ross said reassuringly to Alex when he made one of his frequent reports to her. "He may be the first person to get a good look at Sebastian…"
Alex bit her lip. She felt horrible exposed sitting at her desk in the middle of Major Case. "But if Caldwell and Sebastian have Bobby…"
"We'll find him," Ross insisted.
"I…I know what Sebastian does," Alex said. She looked up at Ross, who couldn't meet her eyes. "From what Bobby told me…and from what Jo did to me…"
Megan Wheeler appeared waving several papers. "We've tracked the van," she said excitedly. "It's registered to a Michael Sinclair. He's the right age to be Sebastian. He was released from prison several months ago."
Alex rose quickly to look at the reports.
"What was he in for?" Ross asked.
"Assault and attempted assault of two women in their twenties," Wheeler replied. "He got out early because of good behavior…Including participating in a couple of academic studies…One of which involved a class with…"
"Mark Caldwell," Alex breathed.
"Tracing and finding that van is our best bet," Ross said. "We have to find Goren as soon as possible." He looked at Wheeler and Alex. "I've read some about the Sebastian case too," he said softly.
Alex struggled not to shiver. She knew from Bobby and her own study that Sebastian kept and tortured his victims for two to three days. She knew that from her own experience at Jo Gage's hands. Marian Brewster's body indicated she'd been kept alive for four to five days. The clock was ticking for Bobby, and as it clicked he was in great pain.
The shrill ring of Alex's cell phone broke the silence. Alex pulled it from her pocket, opened it, and her blood froze as she read the message on its screen.
HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME WITH YOUR PARTNER. TOO BAD YOU'RE NOT WITH US. SEBASTIAN AND MARK.
She mutely held the phone out to Ross, who blanched as he read the message. "Get me a tech," he shouted. "We have to trace this…"
"Oh, God," Alex prayed. The terrible memory of the fear and pain returned. For one horrible moment she thought she felt the muscles in her arms and shoulders ripping and tearing. "Bobby…Bobby…Don't give up…Please…Please…"
END CHAPTER EIGHT