Friendly Fire chapter 18

I don't own Rizzoli and Isles. I don't own Melinda McDaniels...crap, yeah I do.

Jane gripped her gun tight as she made her way to the door. "Who is it?" The tone of her voice was enough to stop the next round of knocking.

"Jane."

"Korsak?" Jane angrily opened the door. "What!"

Korsak gave Jane a minute to calm her nerves. "I thought you may have been sleeping."

"Any other time you call." Jane raised her gun to show Korsak what his visit had done to her nerves.

"Cindy McDaniels called the precinct. Wants to talk to you Asap." Korsak stepped past Jane into Maura's home. Jane eyed the two uniformed officers that followed in behind Korsak.

"Korsak, I'm not leaving her. Can't this wait until morning." Jane glanced at the clock on the wall. "A few more hours?"

Korsak glanced toward Maura who had made her way into the living room. "Dr. Isles."

"Korsak, any word on McDaniel's?" Jane made her way over to Maura, telling her with her eyes that everything was okay.

Korsak nodded before taking a few steps toward the front door. Jane closed her eyes as she raked her fingers through her hair.

"Jane, it's okay. I know you need to go." Maura lightly touched Jane's arm, but pulled away when she realized what she had done.

Jane looked into Maura's eyes a long few seconds before turning her attention to the uniformed officers. "Nobody gets in here. Nobody. Is that clear?" Jane had no problem pulling rank, her suspension not factoring in at all. She figured the officers knew why they were there.

Jane turned, making her way back into Maura's bedroom where she grabbed her jacket. She pulled it on quickly, looking up when Maura entered the room. "I won't be long. This could be very important."

"I know." Maura's voice shook just a little but Jane easily noticed. She closed the distance with two steps, taking Maura's face in her hands. The kiss she placed on Maura was everything they had just been and everything she had hoped they'd be.

"Do not leave, Maura. Please stay with the officers. They will have orders to shoot anybody that tries to get in here." Jane refused to let go of Maura's face until she agreed.

"Be careful, Jane."

Jane kissed Maura again quickly before leaving her standing alone in her bedroom. Maura wrapped her arms tightly around herself in an attempt to stop the shaking. She felt safe when Jane was with her and when she wasn't she seemed to be afraid of everything. She could only hope that when this thing with Melinda was over that would change.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jane, if I felt this could wait..."

"I know, Korsak. It's fine." Jane kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead of them. "Cindy McDaniel's is afraid of Melinda as well, I could tell that every time I went to her house."

"If McDaniels is there or shows, you have to get off scene." Korsak took quick glances at Jane as he drove. "Jane, don't make me regret this."

"Yeah, I got it." Jane nervously tapped her fingers against the car window.

"Is Dr. Isles alright?" Korsak's tone changed and Jane could only appreciate his concern.

"She's hurting. She's scared, but she'll be okay." Jane kept her eyes forward, ignoring the knowing look Korsak was shooting her. "She'll be better once Melinda is in custody."

Korsak pulled up in front of Cindy McDaniels' home where he shut the car off and sat in silence. "Jane, we'll find her and we'll figure all this out. Just have to keep your head in this."

Jane answered by getting out of the car. Her body argued with her as she realized just how exhausted she really was. The walk up to the front door seemed to take forever as Jane continuously scanned her surroundings. Korsak was equally as cautious as he knocked on the door. Jane kept her hand on her gun and her eyes focused on anything behind them.

"Jane, please come in." Cindy McDaniels was nervous, Jane could see that immediately as she quickly shut the door behind Korsak. "I'm sorry to call now, I know it's late."

"Cindy, what is going on? Do you know where Melinda is?" Jane took Cindy by the arms, directing her to the couch.

"No. She's not here, and neither are her belongings." Cindy looked from Jane to Korsak and back to Jane. "I heard she hurt Dr. Isles?"

Jane only nodded, not trusting her voice at this point. Melinda was on the run and she had no intentions on coming back to her brother's home.

Cindy closed her eyes as she shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Jane. I'm sorry I couldn't say anything earlier, but..."

"Has Melinda hurt you as well, Cindy?" Korsak was blunt, earning him a cautious look from Jane.

"Jeff had a very healthy life insurance plan. With his line of work we thought...with the kids..."

"Okay, Cindy. I understand." Jane's comforting voice encouraged Cindy to continue.

"Melinda has threatened to...she threatened to leave my children without either parent if I didn't sign over the insurance check." Cindy looked up at Korsak.

"So, this is about money?" Korsak knew there was more to it than that, had to be.

"No. There's more." Jane held her hand up to Korsak. "There is more, isn't there Cindy? Has the check come? Is that why she left?"

"No, Jane. It hasn't come yet. Jeff and Melinda had a huge fight not long before he died. He refused to tell me what it was about, but he was very upset. He and Melinda had always been close growing up." Cindy got to her feet, her actions telling the detectives she would return in a moment.

"Do you think she knows that they aren't siblings?" Korsak whispered to Jane.

"Yeah, I think she does...now." Jane rubbed her temples hoping to fight off the impending headache while she waited for Cindy to return.

Cindy entered carrying a small box that she handed to Korsak. "I think I realize what the fight was about and why Jeff was so upset."

Jane stood directly in front of Cindy, making sure her attention was focused on her alone. "Tell me, Cindy. Tell me what you know."

"Jeff must have found out that Melinda was not biologically related to him. The paperwork he filed for is all in the box. He must have had a reason recently to look into it because he never mentioned having any suspicions before." Cindy looked at Jane with a pained expression on her face. "Jane, there is a name written on Melinda's birth certificate in Jeff's handwriting. I recognize the name from hearing Jeff talk with is partner and the news and so forth."

Jane glanced up at Korsak before quickly looking back at Cindy. "What's the name?"

"Charles Hoyt."

Korsak was immediately close to Jane, letting her use him to help steady herself. Jane grabbed her head with both hands as she tried to accept what Cindy's suspicions were. "Korsak? You said Maura suspected they weren't siblings. Has she had a chance to run any DNA samples yet?" Jane's voice was very low, very controlled.

"I'm sure she has. She would've said something I'm sure if the results were back." Korsak opened the box, pulling the birth certificate with Jeff's handwriting on it out and handing it to Jane.

"Cindy, you can't stay here. We need to get you and your girls someplace safe until we find Melinda." Jane was suddenly frantic and Cindy's expression said she understood the urgency. "Korsak?"

"Jane, slow down. We need to follow up on what ever Jeff had found. Charles Hoyt was a big name for the Boston PD. Jeff was involved as well." Korsak pulled out his phone to call for transportation for Cindy and the girls to a safe house.

Jane briefly looked through the rest of the contents in the box. Jeff had either sent for or received all of Melinda's records from the NYPD as well as her medical records as well. Jane knew there were ways to obtain pretty much anything he may have wanted to see and she didn't doubt Jeff used his clout as a Boston homicide detective to help his cause.

Jane waited until Korsak hung up the phone before stating what she felt to be true. "Melinda is at the very least behind Jeff's murder, probably because he found out who she was. If she truly is Hoyt's child, there's reason to believe he trained her as he trained so many others."

"Jane, you're jumping to conclusions." Korsak couldn't help but agree with Jane's theories despite his caution.

"Am I, Korsak? It all makes perfect sense. Melinda won't stop until she kills me, per daddy's instructions." Jane started to wring her hands together, a nervous habit that came with any mention of Hoyt. "Maura just got caught in the crossfire."

Jane sat down on the couch, letting her head fall into her hands. "Jane, you couldn't have known."

"But I did know. I knew something was not right from the minute she showed up." Jane was suddenly angry and got to her feet quickly. "She used Maura to get at me. She could've just come for me, but she wanted to torment me in every way possible. I will never be free of him, Korsak."

Cindy had hurried and had the girls ready when the officers arrived. "Jane, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you earlier, but..."

"I know, Cindy. I know." Jane barely looked at Jeff's widow. She couldn't help but feel responsible in some ways and helpless in others.

The ride back to Maura's was done in silence, both Jane and Korsak lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until Korsak shut the car down in front of Maura's home did he try to even say anything to Jane. "None of this is your fault, you know that."

"Korsak, how am I supposed to tell Maura that Melinda's only intention with her was to hurt her to hurt me?" Jane's defeated tone filled the car and caused Korsak to turn in his seat so that he was facing Jane head on.

"Give her a chance to understand." Korsak lightly touched Jane's hand with his finger. "I know what you went through. She knows what you went through. Just be there for each other."

Jane sat in silence a while longer. She wondered where Melinda would have gone to. Her first thought was that she was on the run and had left the area. Then she thought about what Maura had said about Melinda hurting her so that Jane would come for her. That alone told Jane that she had to still be in the area. She wanted Jane to find her. Maybe it would be better to let Melinda come for her instead. Jane was so tired she couldn't think straight. She knew she would have to lie down and get at least a few hours of sleep, but first she would have to make sure Maura was okay.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Jane excused the officers once she entered Maura's house, but they insisted on staying. They had their orders and Jane gave Korsak a wave when she realized he had given those orders. Jane reiterated the importance of not allowing anybody to enter the house, deadly force was not only permitted if necessary, but expected.

The sound of Maura's soft breathing was enough to make Jane stop in the doorway of the room. She truly was beautiful and even more so as she slept. Jane could tell it was in no way a peaceful sleep as Maura seemed to adjust constantly. Jane felt almost guilty for taking the few minutes to take Maura in. The misplaced guilt was just that, but still Jane couldn't help but feel the need to apologize to Maura.

"You're exhausted. Please, come lie down." Maura's voice almost made Jane lose it as she did as Maura had asked. She pulled her jacket and boots off before placing her gun close by her on the table by the bed.

"I'm sorry, Maura. You don't deserve to ever be hurt like this. Ever." Jane's voice was exceptionally raw as she let her body collapse onto the bed next to Maura.

"Sleep, Jane. I'll be here when you wake up." Maura let her fingers trace the scar on the back of Jane's hand as she draped it over her abdomen.

Jane wanted to look at Maura, to tell her what she had found out; what they had suspected but she couldn't pry her eyes open. Instead she concentrated on the sound of Maura's breathing and the feel of her fingers on her hand as she told Jane without words that she probably already knew what Jane had just found out.

"We're going to get through this." Maura's soft, comforting voice was the last thing Jane heard before she lost her battle against consciousness.