A/N: Madison Bellows, thank you very much.

Chapter 23: Playing cat and mouse

In the meeting room the attention of the whole team was fixed on Mac, who was quickly summing up the latest developments in the case.

"Sal Ginzburg" he said as a picture of an ordinary looking man with brown hair and gray eyes appeared on the screen. "A year ago Sal and his fiancee were involved in a car accident. He was driving and she died. Guess you all can see the similarity with our victims. A couple of months later, he started volunteering at the help line. He built very few friendships, and even these people - questioned by Flack and Angell - said he is a person who prefers spending time by himself. One of his help line acquaintances added that it looks like volunteering is the last goal of Sal's existence. Jess and Don are at his last known home address, and they should let us know something soon. By the way, it's been some days since he went to work or to the help line."

"I guess he disappeared when we appeared."

"His boss says he's a quiet worker, though too secretive, and he has a tendency to close off. But he does his job without creating problems."

"Aside from the cell phones."

"Sadly, the owner hadn't noticed the cells had been stolen. It's probable that if we didn't say anything..."

"Okay, he's not Sherlock."

"And the weapon used in the crimes? Ginzburg doesn't have a license."

"He doesn't, but Corey did. And she used to go to the firing range quite often. The gun she owned, a Desert Eagle, was a present from her father."

"The gun we fathers love to give to our precious daughters."

Standing in front of the closed door, protected by their Kevlar, the two detectives were gathering the concentration needed to break into the apartment. Flack looked at Angell who nodded, the determination shining in her eyes.

"NYPD, open the door!" Don's voice resounded loud and menacing through the whole floor. No noises were heard from inside. Flack knocked soundly, "Sal Ginzburg, open up!" Nothing. He glanced at his partner while putting his hand on the doorknob. He counted silently to three and then turned it. The door opened slowly.

"I see he has already been arrested", Danny spoke, "six months ago for public nuisance and squatting. Looks like he was annoyed at a mega store that was supposed to be built on the site where his girlfriend died. Then he disappeared."

"There's one thing I still don't get. The crime scenes were where the accidents took place, but what about where the bodies were found?"

Stella intervened, "those locations are key points in Corey's fan fiction. They're important places for the story itself."

Flack entered first. Jess followed quickly along with the rest of the team. They started searching the apartment, looking in every room.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Damn it!" the detective swore, punching one of his thighs, "he screwed us over."

The two detectives took a look around. Furniture was still there and the house still seemed lived in. A dark sweater was thrown carelessly on the couch, a dirty cup was in the kitchen sink. Angell went to the bedroom where the mess was worse. The bed was unmade and the covers were on the floor. Jess noted the closet door was half-open. She moved closer to take a better look: some clothes were clearly missing. She shook her head, going back to the living room, "I don't think he plans on coming back here."

Flack heavily snorted, passing a hand through his hair, "okay, I want his laptop in the lab. Then I'll have the CSIs here, they need to check every single inch of this place." He grabbed his phone, speed dialing Taylor's.

"Yes, Flack?"

Stella nervously observed her boss. Mac was the perfect poker player, able to hide the smallest emotion, but, after spending so many years together, she had developed the ability to notice the tiniest change on the man's face. So, even as Mac said very little on the phone, she knew, "nobody was there, right?"

Mac nodded, "he took some clothes and fled. He knows we're looking for him. We need to figure out out his hiding place."

"You think he's going to leave town?" Danny asked.

"I don't think so. This is the city of his love story. By the way, Flack is strengthening airport and bridge controls and he's spreading Ginzburg's identikit. In the meanwhile, Danny and Hawkes, go to his house and check everything, every corner, every drawer, everything. Adam, his laptop is yours."

"He left it behind?"

Mac nodded.

"That's good."

"Lindsay and I are going to investigate Corey's life more deeply. She still seems to be very important to him."

"What about me?" Stella asked.

"You can go home for a while. Rest a little."

"Mac..."

"No objections", he stopped her, arching an eyebrow, you check when and if I eat but I check when and if you sleep, he said to her silently before continuing. "Be careful, we can't let him escape. I feel we're about to get him. I'm asking you all for one last push."

His team nodded. They were always eager to stop a murderer.