Maura slips away and heads down to her office. She pulls up all the reports and analysis she has. She's desperate for some clue that might tell her where Jane is. While she's working she receives a text message. She looks at her phone and to her amazement the message is from Jane, at least that's what she thinks until she reads it. 'If you ever want to see your friend again, meet me at your house in half an hour. You are the only one that can save her; you are part of my master piece. If you tell anyone or try to set me up, she and her mother will die! JH'
Maura stares at the text wondering what she should do. If she goes to Korsack and Cavanaugh he says they'll die. If she goes to him without telling them she could be walking into a trap. In the end she comes to the conclusion that she handed Jane and Angela too Hughes this morning when she gave him her address. If it's a trap it's probably what she deserves and if not; if it really is an opportunity to save Jane and Angela, what choice does she have but to try. She turns off her computer and heads home.
Maura's terrified. With trembling hands she unlocks her house and goes inside. Not more than five minutes later there's a knock on her door. "Hello, Dr. Isles." Hughes smiles at her as she opens the door.
"I never liked you" is all Maura says.
"Funny, the feeling's mutual." Hughes ties Maura's hands behind her back; he gags her and blindfolds her. He takes Maura through her garage to his car and forces her into his boot. Maura figures she's in his car not more than half an hour when he stops. He opens the boot and helps Maura out of the car. He removes the blind fold and gag, and escorts Maura to another room. When he turns the lights on Maura realizes she is in a very advanced laboratory.
"Is this where you put together all your poisonous formulas," Maura says with disdain.
"Ah; so you have discovered I've been poisoning Jane; personally I think you're a little slow Dr. Isles." He smiles at her. "If you continue to be slow you will definitely kill Jane."
"How do I even know if you've got Jane," Maura doesn't like that she is part of some game he's playing.
"Let me show you." Hughes presses a button and a section of his laboratory floor pulls back. "Come and have a look for yourself" he says.
Maura looks through the window; she turns and runs towards Hughes trying to hit him, Maura's emotions getting the better of her. He grabs her flailing arms and pulls them behind her back. He hurts her. "I suggest you get yourself together Doctor Isles. Take a good look; if you fail my test you will all die."
Maura look through the window again. Jane is unconscious; lying on the floor. Angela is sitting with her back against the wall nursing Jane's head in her lap; she looks terrified. There is another woman beside her that could pass as a sister for Jane. Maura tries to pull herself together, through a voice straining to hold back her fears she asks what the test is. He lets her go. "I'm so glad you asked. First I would like to tell you a little story."
"Oh is there where you tell me that Jane rebuffed you at some point; she rejected your advances and this is her payback, because you're sick!" Maura scoffs. He slaps her hard across the mouth. Maura feels her teeth cut into her lips and tastes the blood emanating from the wound.
"I suggest you shut up and listen; you are wasting time and I can assure you; you…" He looks down on his guests below. "They are running out of time quickly!" Maura stares at him but doesn't speak.
"Charles Hoyt was my brother." Maura takes a gasp of air at this news. "Ah, yes; you knew Charles of course. Our father was a hard man; did you know that Dr. Isles. He beat Charles and me within an inch of lives on many occasions. He had an obsession with the medical profession and Charles and I had no choice but to be Doctors. When Charles was expelled from medical school, father made my life hell.
"He sent you to study in the UK, didn't he," Maura asks.
"Ah so you know about me" He looks at Maura in surprise.
"The license plate on the car you drove to abduct Rosie Darren last belonged to your brother" Maura can't help but explain. "We started to dig."
"It was a great blessing when Charles killed father. It freed us both to live our own lives. He became proficient with his scalpel. He loved taunting the husband by having his way with the wife before slitting both their throats. I always found that tedious and messy. No I've always wanted to use science to kill. It took years to perfect it; but the rewards have been great."
"You have a problem with women Hughes; you don't just rape your victims…" Maura's taken back by the force with which he wraps one powerful hand around her throat.
"My brother loved me until he fell in love with the detective bitch downstairs," spit flies from his mouth and sprays over Maura as he shouts at her. Through her choking Maura manages to utter she's sorry. He releases his grip. "Then she took him from me. Your friend killed my brother before he could witness the beautiful and lethal process of killing with my poisons. Do you see Dr. Isles?" Maura just nods.
"Charles wanted his beloved Jane to live in constant fear until he could wash in her blood. He never got the chance Dr. Isles. I want her to suffer and die in the cruelest possible way for taking him from me; yes I want her to by your hands Dr. Isles."
"What?" Maura gasps.
"Charles always said Jane was his only worthy opponent. While I was researching her demise I discovered you. You see Doctor Isles, you're my greatest challenge. Have you figured out what killed Lilly and Maria" he asks. Again Maura just nods. "I'm impressed Doctor Isles; then I am really going to enjoy our little game." He laughs. "Your friend managed to put Charles behind bars; whether you win my little game or not; that's not something you or your friend will ever do to me. I'll prove to Father and Charles that I am the true genius of the family. Do you hear me Dr. Isles" he shouts at her from just inches from Maura's face. She flinches in fear.
"What about the game" Maura tries to get him away from her.
"Yes Dr. Isles; you're right it's time to play." He moves to the laboratory bench. "See those two clocks up their Doctor?" Maura looks where Hughes is pointing. "The clock that says twenty-two hours, fourteen minutes and twenty seconds is how long until this entire building and everyone it is explodes."
"What?" Maura says in shock.
He laughs; "you look surprised. See the second clock? That's how long Jane has before she dies; give or take five or ten minutes." The clock says Jane will die within one hour, after the first clock has run down.
"You're crazy" Maura whispers.
"But I'm alive; the only way you'll be, is to identify the unique formula of poison I injected into Jane when she arrived. That formula will deactivate the explosives in this building. When you're certain, you enter it into this computer." He points to the computer that's obviously controlling the explosives. "Of course if you are wrong Dr. Isles, the explosives will detonate immediately the incorrect formula is entered."
"No, that's not fair! I need more time than that; I need access to my lab and my team." Maura is starting to feel panic overtake her.
"Everything you need is here Dr. Isles. Oh and by the way; if you use any of these computers for anything other than this exercise. For instance should you try to contact anyone for any sort of help outside this lab, the explosives will also detonate immediately." Maura can't speak; her hands are shaking and her mouth has gone dry.
"Doctor Isles should you be successful in finding the formula that will deactivate the explosives then you have about an hour to work out the antidote that will save your friend. Without the antidote; she'll die and given I really want her to die for killing Charles; that's not a lot of time for what's required. Any questions," he smiles at Maura.
"What about you; where will you be" Maura asks; daunted by the task ahead of her.
"Given I don't think you'll solve the first part of my puzzle; let alone the second. I'm getting out of here. I'll be long gone and safe when your time us up." He laughs as he picks up his jacket and keys. "Oh and there's one more thing I forgot to mention. Once I leave you are completely locked in, unless someone actually finds this place; which they won't. There isn't any way out of here for any of you."
"This is insane; please you can't do this. Let's talk; I can get you counseling and support if you just let us go. Please don't do this" Maura begs.
"You are free to move around inside the house, in fact you'll need to, to solve the puzzle; your other alternative is to go and be with Jane and her mother when this all goes up. It's your choice, Dr. Isles."
Hughes moves to the exit. "No" Maura screams.
He laughs as he looks at the first clock; "gee twenty-two hours and ten minutes. Have fun!" Maura hears him lock the door behind him. She stands there trying to take in everything Hughes, Hoyt or whoever he is, has spelt out to her.
"Think, she tells herself. OK let's treat this like any scientific problem. Maura sits at the lab bench and writes down everything she knows from her own analysis back at BPD. Once she's satisfied she's recorded everything she can remember she gets up and goes over everything available to her in the laboratory. It fills her with a little hope. It is a very sophisticated operation. Maura also scans all the operating computers careful not to do something she shouldn't. She realizes she does have all the computer programs she needs; the only thing she doesn't have is the internet or any outside lines.
Maura takes a deep breath; the next thing she needs to do is take a blood sample from Jane. It means she has to go and face Angela and the other woman being held hostage for no other reason than having a striking resemblance to Jane. What she's terrified of is how she explains everything or whether she should explain everything. She quickly shakes the thought; she really doesn't have time to worry about that. She grabs what she needs to draw the blood; before she heads downstairs she looks again at the scene in the cell below. She fights back tears at the sight of the very frightened Angela and the very lifeless Jane.
Angela recites a decade of the Rosary as she holds Jane. Jane is delirious. Her fever is high, she's sweating and shivering and she's mumbling gibberish. Angela's terrified and helpless. Pauline wakes from a listless nap. "He hasn't brought food for a while now" she mumbles.
Angela stops her prayer. "No he hasn't." Moments later they both freeze as they hear the door being unlocked. Angela can't believe her eyes when Maura walks in. "Oh my God; Maura sweetie, how did you find us. Jane's really sick we have to get her to the hospital; you have to help us. Oh Maura I'm so glad to see you." Angela is rambling and Maura is trying everything to get her to stop talking.
"Angela, stop I need to talk to you" Maura asserts. At Maura's tone Angela stops and looks at her.
"Maura, what's wrong" she asks. Maura explains everything to Angela and Pauline. They just stare at her. They can't believe what they've just heard.
"I will need your help" Maura explains. "First of all we are free to walk around the building. If you find a phone line or any connection with the outside world do not touch it; do you hear me. Every communications piece connected to the outside world is wired to the explosives he's set up. Is that clear?" Angela and Pauline just nod.
"OK, Angela, see if you can find somewhere where we can get Jane up off the floor. See if you can find blankets. I know she has a fever but I'm worried about the shivering. Pauline, see if you can find fresh running water. Do not drink or eat anything without running it by me. However, if we have clean running tap water that will be a big plus." Maura explains. "The lab he's left is on the next floor up. That's where I'll be operating from. The first thing I need is to take a blood sample from Jane." While she's doing that Maura asks Angela and Pauline if there was anything unusual about the injection Hughes gave Jane.
Pauline jumps straight in "It was a funny colour."
"Really" Maura's excited at this news, "what colour was it?"
"Well it was white; it made me think of milk at the time" Pauline explains.
"That's really helpful; thank you." Maura finishes taking the blood and races upstairs to start processing it. Angela and Pauline go off to explore the rest of the building.