Chapter 4 – In praise of plastic bags.

Sid stepped out of the elevator to see Sheldon standing in the corridor looking as though he were watching a tennis match. His head flicked back and forth between Mac's office and the AV lab. "Any news?" he asked as he rushed forward. Sheldon shook his head. Sid ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm afraid I can't be of any help. The bullet was too damaged to get stria. I've brought the fragments in case they can get you something." He held out a small plastic evidence bag.

Sheldon took the bag and examined the little shards of metal wondering if he could reconstruct a bullet from them. He didn't hold out much hope. He wasn't surprised by Sid's news. He had surmised as much but it was still frustrating as hell. "Jo's talking to Alice, Stacy's foster-mother. Her husband Hank is on his way in. He's working on a construction project down town." He gestured towards Mac's office where Alice and Jo sat, their heads bowed in conversation. Cold cups of coffee sat forgotten on the table in front of them. Sheldon twisted around to look at Adam who was skidding his chair across the room to tap furiously at another computer. He turned to look at them, his face a picture of misery. "Dammit," Sheldon muttered under his breath. "Their phones must have been destroyed. Adam can't trace them," he added for Sid's benefit. "He's trying to identify the vehicle that they used but it's not as easy as it sounds. Nothing is standing out on the traffic cams. Adam's trying to identify any private security cameras that might have footage but so far ..." He left the phrase hanging.

"Do we have any clue who's taken them?" asked Sid sounding a little breathless.

Sheldon grimaced. "No." He waved a hand. "Mac's made a lot of enemies. Put away a lot of dangerous men." Sid nodded. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. "Danny and Lindsay are processing the grocery bags and the dry-cleaning. Hopefully we can get a lead ..." Before he could say anything further, the elevator dinged again and Don stepped out accompanied by a solid looking man with short dark hair. Not as tall as Don but twice as heavy he was dressed in jeans and work-boots and wore dark jeans and a checked lumberjack shirt. He looked around at the lab in awe. As Don guided him towards them, the man spotted the two women in Mac's office.

"Alice!" He dashed forward. Alice Graham shot out of her seat and threw herself into his arms. Jo looked at them through the glass, the expression on her face one of despair. Deciding to give them a few minutes she stepped out into the corridor.

"Anything?" asked Don.

Jo shook her head. Sid couldn't help but look at his watch thinking Mac and Stacy could be anywhere by now. Seeing the impromptu meeting in the corridor Adam stepped out tentatively hoping for some good news. He hovered in the doorway glancing back at the multitude of screens desperately willing one of them to beep. "I've put out a BOLO on both Mac and Stacy across all five boroughs. I've also sent word to neighbouring states." Jo nodded her thanks.

"How's she doing?" asked Don looking at Alice.

"She's okay," said Jo as she looked back at Alice in Hank's arms. They could see his lips moving while he held her close. "But it's tough. Stacy has been with them for almost six months and it's been an uphill struggle. According to Alice, Stacy was picked up for stealing a sandwich from a bodega. When the police had her checked out they found that she was malnourished and underweight. They reckoned she had been living on the street for some time. She was clearly traumatized and had been through some kind of ordeal that resulted in multiple contusions and cuts but she was unable or unwilling to talk about it." Jo's face took on a thoughtful look. "When they did a background check, they came up with nothing. No birth certificate, no school registration, no missing persons report. They reckoned that she had run away from an abusive home and was giving them a false name for fear of being sent back so they placed her with Alice and Hank." Jo gave a weak smile as she looked back at the middle-aged couple who were both clearly distraught. "They've been foster parents for almost twenty years and have had thirty-two children pass through their home. They specialize in taking fragile, abused children." She took a deep breath. "Mac mentioned them once. He said they are wonderful foster parents."

The four men listening didn't respond although they were all thinking the same thing. Could the abductor be one of Stacy's real parents? But if so, why take Mac too?

"Guys!" They all turned around as Danny burst out of a nearby doorway. "We've got something." They all rushed down the corridor. Adam hesitated not wanting to leave his computer searches but curiosity got the better of him and he trotted after them. Automatically they all spread themselves round the light-table. "We've processed everything. We've hit a dead end except for the dry-cleaning."

"Fortunately Mac's suits were protected by a polythene bag," Lindsay pointed to the item in question that was hanging in a fumigation cabinet. "And I was able to lift a print."

"And we got a hit in AFIS," finished Danny exchanging glances with his wife.

"Well?" asked Don desperate for some news. Any news.

Danny and Lindsay looked at one another. Don's stomach flipped. It was obviously not good news. Lindsay turned a screen to face them. "It belongs to this man. His name is Victor Gaunt." They all stared at the mug-shot of the man Mac had taken to calling Jowls. "He's an ex-boxer known to the Miami PD. He's got several convictions for public disturbance, brawling and aggravated assault but nothing recent. He's kept a low profile for a number of years."

"Miami? What's he doing in New York? He got some kind of beef with Mac?" asked Adam.

Lindsay shook her head. "I don't know. As far as we can tell their paths have never crossed but it's definitely his print on the dry-cleaning. What's worrying us is his ties to this man." Lindsay tapped an icon at the bottom of the screen. Another picture appeared but not an official police photograph. It looked as though the person had been caught with a telescopic lens walking to a private plane. The man pictured was completely different from the first. He had a handsome albeit slightly angular face with high-cheekbones and a long aquiline nose. Although the file said he was only thirty-eight he had gone prematurely grey and his thick hair was cut in a short, almost military style giving him a rakish air.

"Who is he?" asked Don

Both Danny and Lindsay opened their mouths but it was Jo who answered. "Cyrus Mason" They all looked at her in surprise. "He's an arms dealer at the top of the FBI's most wanted list. They've been trying to get something on him for years. He's suspected of selling arms to all the major terrorist groups. How are he and this Gaunt related?"

Danny rocked on his heels. "According to his file, Victor Gaunt is believed to be Cyrus Mason's right hand man."

Jo frowned. "Why would he go after Mac?"

Lindsay shrugged. "We have no idea. We can't find anything that even remotely relates them."

There was a moment's silence. Suddenly Jo realized everyone was looking at her. The knot in her stomach tightened as she realized they were waiting for her orders. Mac was missing and that put her in charge. "Okay, Lindsay, Danny keep digging. We need to know everything about Cyrus Mason and Victor Gaunt." She looked at Sheldon who kept fingering the bag Sid had given him, the only outward sign of his nervousness. "Sheldon, see if you can get anything from those bullet fragments. Adam, I know it's a long shot but keep on those traffic cam's. If we can identify the vehicle then we might have a chance. Run a facial recognition search on Gaunt too. We may be lucky and get a hit." Adam nodded. "Don, I need you to go see Rachel Willis at Child Services. She was the person who handled Stacy's case."

"You thinking that this might be about Stacy rather than Mac?"

Jo shook her head. "I don't know Don. What does a Miami gun runner, an ex-boxer, a thirteen-year-old runaway and Mac Taylor have in common?" Fortunately she didn't wait for an answer "We have to explore all possibilities. I'm going to talk to Stacy's foster parents."

Jo's mind was whirling with potential answers to her own question. She paused outside Mac's office, her stomach turning at seeing his chair empty. The whole situation seemed crazy. And she felt guilty. It was her fault. Jo closed her eyes as she recalled her words to him the previous day.

Her jewellery jingled as she stuck her hands on her hips. "You need to take a day off."

"Jo!" Mac looked up from the piles of paperwork on his desk, his voice taking on an exasperated tone.

"Don't Jo me! Look at you. You're exhausted. You need a break. I don't want you to come in tomorrow." Mac had rolled his eyes and gestured at the papers covering his desk. "I'm serious Mac. You're working yourself into the ground. Finish the Bronx case and then leave the rest till Monday. I'll finish the personnel reviews and the promotions grid. Take a day off. You haven't been home in three days and you've worked the last two weekends. You need a break and, I suspect, do some laundry and get some groceries. Do you even have anything to eat in your fridge?" Mac had the grace to look sheepish. She was right. His fridge was empty. Well there was some milk and juice but he was pretty sure they had gone off. And he didn't even want to think what life-form the bread had probably turned into by now. "Please Mac? For me."

Mac looked at her. She had her best smile fixed on her lips and she looked downright adorable as her big brown eyes pleaded with him. What had she said? For her? He nodded slowly. "Okay but on one condition." She looked at him inquisitively. "Chicken Alfredo"

"Chicken Alfredo?" she spluttered confusion written all over her face.

A tiny smile played around the edges of his lips. "Chicken Alfredo. Tomorrow evening at seven?"

She looked startled. "Are you … asking me to dinner?"

"I am." He looked at her intently pleased to see a small blush spread across her cheeks and a large smile light up her face.

"Oh!"

"It's my speciality!"

"Well in that case how can I refuse?"

Jo was pulled from her reverie as she saw two anxious faces peering at her. Alice and Hank sat side by side on Mac's sofa. She gave them a reassuring smile though her heart was heavy. She hadn't the faintest idea what she was going to say to them.