A/N: I was hoping I would wrap this story up by this fiftieth chapter, but it's looking like another two or three chapters are ahead :) Meowser also helped with a lot in the Jimel bathroom scene. She's just such a lifesaver, you know? Hope you all enjoy! xx Mariah
Ned paced back and forth in front of his desk. Jamison had just gotten the footage back from the security camera in the front hall and kitchen, but the position in the kitchen was toward the back door.
"Have you found anything yet?" He asked.
"Not yet, but I've only gone through an hour of that day. Five o'clock to six." Jamison explained, pausing the footage to look up at him. "You said she left her mother's store according to Melinda at approximately five twenty, but she still hasn't come home on the tapes, so calm down. Stop asking me questions every five minutes. Can you think of a place she might've gone before coming home?"
Ned sat down in his chair, but couldn't stop himself from tapping his fingers against the armrests. He spun his chair back and forth, taking in his surroundings as he moved. The department hadn't had a moment of silence since he had arrived five hours ago. "The last time I saw and talked to her was that morning on my break. I stopped by Melinda's store, it was maybe nine thirty and they had just opened up. We went into the backroom and…" he trailed off as he remembered the moment. That was last time he'd seen her. He'd laughed with her, kissed her, touched her, all in that last moment. "We talked. She said Mason hadn't talked to her in a few days. I thought things were good," he brought his closed fist to his mouth and he fought everything not to cry. He had lost all pretense of patience long ago. He would have gone to the corporate office himself to get the footage a long ago, but Jamison knew that he would have done exactly that, so he handled it himself. "I was going to stop by for dinner. She was going to make me a plate." He looked up at his partner. "She could've gone to the grocery store. She'd go to Marketplace on 3rd and Howard."
Jamison nodded, turning in his chair. "Ramirez, Nicols. Go to the Marketplace on 3rd and Howard. Show them Katie's picture and see if anyone working the 22nd remembers anything. Look through the tapes and collect any if you need to go over them here."
Both nodded and left the precinct, nodding to Ned as they left.
LeTrai's door to his office opened for the first time all of Ned's shift and he stepped out. "Ned, my office. Now." The man walked back inside, leaving the door ajar as Ned walked toward it and closed it behind him.
"Yeah, Capt?" He asked.
"How'd you sleep last night? That room in my house working for you? I know you'd rather be home now that… this has happened but it's still an active crime scene." LeTrai explained, sitting in his chair.
"The room is fine. Thank you for everything you've done over these past few years for me, really, Josh, thank you." He said sitting down in front of him.
"I know it's gotta be hard to keep your head leveled." LeTrai cleared his throat.
"Why do you say that?" He asked, looking down at his wedding ring he'd taken to messing with it these past few days that Katie has been missing.
Two days.
Katie had been missing for two days. That was entirely too long.
His gaze fell upon a picture he had as his background on his phone. It was one that Katie had insisted on taking after a disastrous night out. They looked thoroughly disheveled happy, and Ned's lips tilted up into a small smile as he gazed over at his fiancé at the time.
He remembered that night so clearly. "Katie, I am really sorry." Ned had winced when he once again got a look at the huge sauce stain on Katie's, pretty, light blue dress. It was all down the front of her dress and very hard to miss, but she had been walking around like that since they had left the restaurant.
Katie gave her fiancé a bright smile. She linked her arm with one of his and squeezed reassuringly. "It's not your fault that the waiter dumped the pasta all over me, Ned."
The newest waiter at the restaurant had tripped over his own feet and dumped a plate of pasta all over Katie. The server had only made matters worse by attempting to wipe the sauce off himself, which only succeeded in embarrassing Katie and angering Ned.
As a result, they'd gotten a free meal.
The night had only got worse when the same waiter accidentally clocked Ned in the forehead with the glass water jug. Ned had a dark bruise blooming on his forehead.
Somehow, though Katie had managed to find the good in the evening. "We still had a wonderful time though, didn't we?" She had assured him.
He had nodded his head in agreement and finally relaxed enough to smile at her. He was glad that she was looking at this situation with humor because he really wanted to be mad at the waiter, but it was hard with her being so understanding.
Ned remembered the moment Katie had stopped walking, reached up, and pulled his face down to hers. The kiss she'd planted on him was tender and sweet, with the promise for more once they got home to their apartment. Ned was wearing a dopey smile when she'd pulled away, and it caused her to giggle. Pulling her phone out of her purse, she held it up and settled back against Ned.
"Come on, let's take a picture!"
Ned, who was still dizzy from the kiss, replied with an intelligent, "huh?"
"Ned Banks, we hardly ever take any pictures anymore, please?" Katie had tried to sound scolding, but she didn't succeed as she couldn't keep the large smile off of her face. "Smile for the picture and I just might kiss you again."
Ned usually did as Katie wished and smiled as she held up her phone again. When the picture was done, he didn't wait for her to kiss him again; he'd kissed her himself.
She'd leaned into him, before eventually pulling back and resting on her flat feet. "C'mon, let's go to my mom's store." She'd moved her hands from around his neck and flattened them on his chest. She tapped them there lightly and nudged her head toward the store. "Our moms are both looking at us through the front doors and are probably wondering what happened to my dress."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go over and talk to them," he'd said and she pulled him along with a wink.
Ned looked up to find LeTrai looking at him worriedly, sighing. "Sorry." He said.
"Ned, nobody's blaming you. You know that, right?" LeTrai stood up, moving to lean against the front of his desk.
"I got that, Capt," he muttered, looking up from his phone.
"You're still the primary on this, Ned, but that doesn't mean you don't need to check in with me. I want to know how you're doing. I know you're handling this as well as you can." LeTrai sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Just know I'm putting a lot on the line to let you keep working Katie's case. Don't be stupid."
"My wife's life is on the line. I know," he blinked out a few tears and LeTrai rested his hand on his shoulder as he took a moment to gather his thoughts and breath. "What's the agenda?"
"The only agenda I have is finding Katie in one piece as soon as possible. You don't want as much as I don't want to have to knock on Melinda and Jim's front door and tell them she's gone now, do you?" LeTrai explained, standing up.
Ned stood, clearing his throat and wiping away any fallen tears. "No. I got it. I would never risk her life."
"Good. Now, what's your partner up to?" LeTrai moved back to his desk as his phone rang and he silenced it at first.
"Jamison is looking through our security footage. He hasn't found anything yet," he explained.
There was a knock on the door then and Jamison stepped in. "That's not true. I just hit the jackpot." Jamison said.
Jim looked at the clock just as it turned seven o'clock. He'd just pulled his mother's casserole out of the oven as she came in from the dining room. He'd gotten off work about thirty minutes ago and had gotten home ten minutes prior. He'd checked on Lana, Aaron, and Emma who were in the living room.
Emma, who was nine months, was in her playpen fast asleep, like an angel he'd thought when he'd touched her warm belly and kissed her head. Lana was sitting on the couch beside her big brother watching a superhero show they were both into, despite Aaron quietness beside the almost four-year-old.
"Good, you're home. Mackenzie and I set the table," Jim's mother pressed a kiss to her son's cheek as she walked past him. "Is Ned still coming by? Mackenzie was asking about him."
"I don't know. I'll give him a call after I go check on Melinda," he whispered. "Can you get Lana ready for dinner? She's watching one of her shows in the living room."
He was just going through the motions of his day. After being called into an all night and day shift yesterday, but he'd been given the next two days off to rest.
Yet his daughter was missing.
How could he rest when his Katie was out there somewhere with that pitiful excuse of a man?
"Of course, Jim. I'll get everything settled down here. Take your time with Melinda, I remember the first days after we lost Dan. Katie may not be as gone as Dan is, but she's still not safe or here." His mother explained as she put on hot-pads to pick up the casserole and bring it into the dining room.
Jim made his way around the counter and toward the stairs, seeing his son let his girlfriend in. "Hey, Lucy. It's good to see you,"
"Not under these circumstances," the sixteen-year-old girl whispered, turning to hug the man tightly. "I'm really sorry this is all happening, Mr. Clancy."
Jim pulled back and smiled at the girl. "We're just all praying Katie comes back home." He nodded and turned to pat Aaron's shoulder. He knew he was taking it hard. He'd heard the crying all around the house last night. "Excuse me, now I've got to go check on my wife. You two stay downstairs, maybe keep company with Lana. Dinner is ready. There is plenty for you to stay if you'd like Lucy."
"I don't think I'll stay that long. I just came to check on Aaron for a little bit, but I'd love to see Lana." Lucy said, walking with him into the living room as Jim rounded the canister and walked up the stairs.
Mackenzie was in her way out of their room when he came up the last few stairs.
"How's mom?" He asked, seeing her wipe away the few tears off her cheeks.
"I got her up," his twelve-year-old daughter whispered. He opened up his arms and she walked into them
quickly. "She's getting ready to come down."
"Oh, good. I'll go talk to her. Thank you." He turned his head down to kiss the top of her head. He held onto her so tight. "Hey, you're doing good right?" Mackenzie was still here. She wasn't going anywhere. He had to keep reminding himself that. Mackenzie was safe and Katie would be again too. "I've been so busy these past few days that we haven't talked very much."
"I really miss her. It's only been two days, but it has been almost a week since I'd seen her. And I just keep thinking of every memory I have with Katie. I don't want to forget any," Mackenzie explained never letting go of her dad for one second. Just holding onto him tighter. "What if she doesn't come back?"
"Don't talk about things like that," Jim said, pulling back and touching her face. He touched her chin, smiling at her as he wipes away her falling tears. "It only puts negative energy out there."
"You sound like mom," she smiled, wiping away a few tears on her own.
"Well, she's rubbing off on me after all these years." He chuckled, going to hug her again. "Mackenzie, you know Ned is doing everything in his power to bring Katie back right?"
"That's why he isn't coming," she whispered. "I just really wanted to see him."
"I know that he'll be here if he can," he said, pulling back and he walking toward the bedroom door a little more this time. "You said he promised you right?"
"Yeah. When he dropped mom off yesterday," she nodded. "That's when mom brought home that riddle I… never mind we can talk about that once you talk to mom."
"What'd you find out about the riddle?" He asked, knowing better than to doubt any of his children's investigative abilities.
"I'm good at word puzzles," she sipped the paper out of her back pocket. "Katie and I used to do them all the time when it rained at the cabin."
"Looks like all that time with your sister was pretty helpful," he said, looking at the paper.
At first, the imprint had just been...
G e d l
Now Mackenzie has puzzled it together to possibly be Glendale.
"What do you think it means?" She asked. "Glendale?"
"How did you figure it out?" He asked.
"I just kept putting letters together until a word came out that sounded like a road or a town like Ned said." She explained, shrugging. "There was a small like on the copy mom had that made me think the first letter after the g was an l. And it just went from there."
"This is gonna help a lot." He kissed her head. "Go wash up for dinner. Good job, Mack."
"Thanks, dad. Let's hope it's enough to get Katie back," she nodded, dashing down the stairs.
When Jim came into the room, it was the dark. The curtains were drawn and the blankets were pushed back, an imprint from where Melinda had been laying most of the day and last night.
The bathroom door was ajar, the light was polling from under the door and over the bed. He placed the silver riddle Mackenzie had given him in the side table to show Melinda after.
He could hear the faucet and shower running before he even opened the door. Melinda was standing in front of the mirror, brushing her teeth.
"So I talked to Rick," Melinda said, spitting in the sink.
He was tired after his long shift, but his wife was standing there, Jim didn't even know how long she'd been waiting to talk to him since he'd been scheduled to be off at eleven the previous night. He'd been in surgery and hadn't been able to text. They were short in the ER and he'd been pushed in after a bus crash had left too many injured.
"Yeah?" Jim wondered, pressing a gentle kiss to her should and sliding his arm around her in what was meant to be a brief hug, but Melinda turned around and pulled him closer, clinging to him, so instead, he wrapped his arms entirely around her.
She wasn't crying, but Jim had a feeling that was only because there were no more left to cry.
"We talked," she continued. "About so much. We yelled at each other. We fought. Jim. You didn't ever...worry about me with Rick?"
"What do you mean?" He wondered, smoothing her hair.
"If I was off with Rick, did you worry?" She wondered. "I know you never liked me ghost hunting with Eli."
"I never said that," Jim began but Melinda just shook her head.
"Don't defend it," she said. "We both know it's true and I know why, I accept why. He doesn't keep me safe."
"Rick did," Jim said. "He would have if it came down to that. Does Rick have feelings for you? Hell yes. But he would never act on them, and you would never let him. I trust both of you. I have only the greatest respect for him."
Melinda pushed herself up to sit on the counter, moving to wrap her arms around his neck. "It was a fight I've only ever had with you," she whispered. "That was why it unsettled me. I've never fought like that with anyone but you."
He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. "Mel. I love you. You love me. You have close relationships with other men. It doesn't threaten me. I know you too well, babe."
"Yeah," Melinda whispered, her hands stroking his face.
In the light, this could have been twenty-five years ago, they could be newlyweds, having this conversation for the first time.
"I love you," she continued and pressed a kiss to his face.
"I love you more," he replied, cupping her cheek. "Dinner is ready. My mom made another casserole."
"Okay. I was gonna shower first if you wanted to join me." She smiled, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Of course, I do," he grinned, pulling her off the counter.
Melinda slipped the nightgown she was wearing off and walked into the running shower. He slipped in not long after, after undressing himself, leaning her back against the shower wall, and beginning a dance as old as time.
Katie rolled her arms around in an attempt to relieve some of her discomforts. She didn't know how long she had been laying in that same chair in the bedroom, but it had been more than long enough.
When Mason had showered her, he'd gotten off and brought her back into the room to put some sort of clothes he must've grabbed from her bedroom. She remembered opening the Christmas present from her mom with the lounging clothes for when she moved to college.
Once he helped her out the clothes on he brought in a chair and tied her wrists to the chair arms.
Something had to give, and she was really hoping that it would be the ropes around her wrists.
Katie wasn't entirely sure if she had loosened the ropes somewhat, or if she was just tricking herself into thinking she had. Either way, it wasn't enough for her to free herself. She huffed indignantly and rocked the chair from side to side slightly, just to have something to do.
"Damn it!" Mason yelled from the other side of the warehouse. Apparently, he didn't like the clanging sound the chair was making against the floor. "Shut up!"
Katie waited another moment and clanged the chair again. She heard him curse and bit her lip hard to stifle her giggle. At this point, she was probably going stir crazy. That would probably explain why she was provoking the dangerous stalker criminal.
Mason appeared and righted her chair. "You know, you really shouldn't do that," he said, but he was kind of smiling before he pulled out the knife and brought it up to her cheek. "I'm trying to figure out a place to go. Your husband is making this a bit difficult, so I wouldn't go making this any more difficult, alright?"
Katie's mouth snapped closed and she stared at him with concentrated eyes. He put a finger to his lips and then slowly backed away without cutting her.
Katie could hear her heart pounding loudly in her ears, and she tugged lightly on her wrists. The ropes were loose enough that she would be able to slip out but were still looped enough so that it looked as if Katie was still restrained.
Straining in the chair, she tried to see where Mason was in the house as he left the bedroom. But he could come back at any moment, so she couldn't waste her time.
She wasn't going to anyway. She had been given a chance to escape, and she was going to take it.
Katie slipped her hand sit of the loops and grasped the sore joints. The bruises were dark, and they hurt like hell as she stood up from the chair.
The floorboards creaked as she took a step, but there wasn't any sound. Mason didn't make any sound to make her think he'd heard her. She took a step closer to the door and leaned up against the door to peek out into the hallway. She could see Mason pacing in the opposite room. She found herself leaning back against the wall pinned with fear.
If he saw her, she was done for. He'd come after her with his gun or knife, or worse.
Katie leaned over to see Mason again, as he shifted uneasily and glanced towards the window. He walked up and shut the curtains then.
Mason was still occupied with whatever he was busying himself with, but that didn't mean that Katie was comfortable running out into the open. Mason's shoulders slumped, and his face was full of shame as he stared down at the ground.
"No," he muttered, his voice rising to a yell. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
Katie dashed back to the chair, slipping her hands into the arm loops. Maybe she could get him to cut her loose.
Maybe.
"You don't have to hurt anyone, you know." Katie was shouting now, too, because she could hear Mason finishing up his discussion with himself in the other room. There were footsteps leading to Mason's arrival at the door. "You don't have to get any more involved in this. In fact, you can help fix it. All you have to do is tell Ned where I am, and—"
He chuckled. "You're still on his side," he muttered. "Of course." He stepped toward her, bringing out his knife from his back pocket. She flinched as he got close to her and he chuckled again. "You should be scared." He traced the knife up against her arm and then brought it down to cut the ropes on both of her arms and pulled her up. "But I'm not gonna hurt you with the knife this time. Maybe next time."
Ned watched the video over and over again.
Mason shoved his gun into his wife's back and pushed his way into the house. He hated seeing the look of terror on her face as he pushed her up against the stairs, screaming at her. He watched as Katie talked him down, her way with words would always be able to get her out of situations. Her good looks helped too, no doubt, but she was beautifully smart.
That's what he'd fallen in love with about her.
Jamison tapped the surface of Ned's desk, jerking him out of concentrating on the video. "We're going," his partner said simply.
The second they had gotten a clear picture of Mason's face they'd begun showing it around. Eventually, they found out he was a bank teller at the local bank and had worked there for quite some time. He'd been divorced and they were going to pay Mason's ex-wife a visit, along with his apartment just a few blocks away from downtown Grandview.
Ned was up, out of his seat, and at the task team table before anyone else in the department was. The rest weren't that far behind him, and they all piled into figure out the plan.
"How did we get the address, anyway?" Ned asked Jamison. He checked the clip on his handgun and then clicked it back into the place with sure, decisive movements. He tucked his gun into his first holster and then checked the second gun he had tucked away. They weren't sure what they find when they finally got to the house, but they certainly weren't taking any chances.
Jamison made a face. "Don't forget your vest, Ned." His partner reminded him. "We got the address from his ex-wife. Leslie called it over on the radio."
That statement caused a sinking feeling in Ned's gut. He knew that they were going to get Katie out safely—there was no other option for an outcome in this situation. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Mason was unstable, especially if his ex-wife gave up any kind of location for him.
"You're kidding me," Ned finally said. "You think there was any abuse there?"
"Not sure yet. Leslie will fill us in once we're back," Jamison shrugged.
Ned opened his mouth and then shut it when he realized he didn't know what to say. No matter what,
Mason was still a criminal and would have to answer for the crimes he'd done.
His phone rang and he saw it was Jim. He should probably check in. He had promised Mackenzie he'd come over for dinner.
He pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"We're heading out," Jamison said.
Ned nodded, waving him off as he stepped away to listen. "Hey, Ned." His father-in-law's voice came through the phone. "I was just calling to see if you were stopping by still. Dinner is done and the little ones are down, but I was wanting to talk to you with Melinda and I think Mackenzie wanted to see you too."
"I mean… I can see if LeTrai will let me out for an hour or two." He said, running his hand through his hair. He supposed it would be good to clear his head. LeTrai would probably opt to send him home for the night, even if he didn't ask. Jamison could hand seizing Mason's house. He didn't want to see what kind of gross show was there. "How is everything going over there? Is Melinda doing better?"
"Yeah. She's still taking everything pretty hard, but that's to be expected." Jim sighed, his voice sounding tired. "Everything is staying together. The little ones are fine. Mack is… she's having a hard time. Aaron won't talk about anything to me, but he's talking to Lucy so I guess that's something."
"How are you doing? One sec on the answer though Jim," He stood up, walking over to Jamison. "Go on without me. I need to check in with Katie's parents." Jamison nodded and lead the task force out the front door. "Just check in with me later." Ned went to grab his keys and wallet, putting them in his pocket as he went to LeTrai's office door, which was shut. "Okay. How are you doing, Jim?"
"I'm managing," Jim said. "I'm worried out of my mind for my daughter and I want her home, but I'm keeping things together for my family. They need someone. My mom is here and she's helping out because Melinda is out of it. Your mom was helpful as well. You have been here too. Thank you for keeping us in the loop with the investigation. I actually have some helpful information, but we should talk about that in person."
Ned nodded, raising his hand to knock on LeTrai's door. "Alright. I'm about to talk to my Captain. I'll text you when I'm on my way. We'll talk later."
Ned turned onto Hazen street and had to on the street when he saw the driveway was full of Melinda, Jim, and his mother's cars.
He parked, shut the car off and crossed the street quickly to slip into the house. Melinda noticed him first, not saying anything as she poured herself a glass of wine. Jim came down the stairs as the front door closed and Mackenzie and Aaron turned around to see who it was. The blonde smiled, waving at Ned and he turned to walk over to her and her brother.
Jim smiled and hugged him before he went to see Melinda in the kitchen.
"Hey, guys," Ned said, sitting beside Mackenzie. "How's everything?"
"Quiet," Aaron said, nodding. "Everyone's just really quiet."
He nodded. "These things can be hard. It's been hard on me, no doubt your parents and all of you. Even Lana and Emma." Both of them nodded and Aaron stood up to leave. "What about you Mack?"
"Mom's really sad," Mackenzie whispered. "It's hard to see her like that. Same with dad."
"Yeah. I bet," Ned wrapped his arm around the twelve-year-old. "I heard from your dad that you solved the riddle?"
"He told you that?" Mackenzie shrugged, smiling up at him.
"Where did you learn to get so good at word puzzles from?" He asked, laughing as he nudged.
"Katie. We smiled to do them all the time," she smiled.
"Of course," he smiled. "That's good. I'm glad you're good, Mack. You know you can always call me right?"
"Yeah. I know, Ned." Mackenzie nodded. "Thanks for coming over. Even if it wasn't for dinner."
"Things were really busy at the station. I'm trying to be there for every step I can," he explained. "I hope you can understand that."
"I do," Mackenzie stood up. "I'm just glad you came when you could."
"Of course," Ned stood up and hugged her. "Have a good night, Mack. We'll talk again soon, okay?"
She nodded and walked toward the kitchen, going to hug both of her parents before heading up to her room as Ned came into the kitchen as well.
"How are you, Ned?" Melinda asked immediately, sipping her wine. "Jim said things were going well at the precinct from your phone call on your way here."
"Yes. The security tapes in the front hall showed Mason push his way in with a gun to Katie's back and then him shaking her up by waving the gun in her face before coaxing her into the kitchen to make them dinner. There were some more tapes, but I haven't gone through them all yet," he nodded, rubbing his face and running his hands through his hair. "It got to be all too much after a while. Seeing Katie like that was just too much. Jamison is going after a lead, but he hasn't told me anything yet."
"Oh, God." Melinda sighed, shaking her head. "My poor, Katie. I hate that son of a bitch."
"Me too," Ned said, walking over to sit on the stood.
Jim nodded, pressing a kiss into his wife's head as he rubbed her side. "We just have to stay strong through all of this. We can't let him win."
"Jim's right," Ned said. "So where's the riddle?" Jim pulled out the paper and slid it over to him across the counter. "Glendale… that could be a few places. There are a few roads around town with the name Glendale Ave or Road. Glendale is a town a few counties over." He nodded. "This could help us find a second location. Or something. Anything. A lead, hopefully."
"Yeah. Hopefully," Jim sighed. "We're hoping it's something to bring us that much closer to bringing Katie
home."
"Yes. That's the endgame," Melinda nodded. "Katie being back home."
Ned felt the same way, smiling at the two.