A/N : Many thanks for the follows/favourites/reviews. Will be publishing two chapters at a time from here on in order to finish before the Autumn Vacation.

Chapter 10 - The Forty-Sixers

Jo Danville had spent an uncomfortable night though it wasn't due to her surroundings. The motel that had been booked for them was clean and comfortable. The linen was fresh and plentiful but despite a good meal the previous evening, a long reassuring chat with Ellie and a warm bed she felt utterly drained. She had managed only three hours of sleep before dreams had awoken her and she had spent much of the night staring out of the windows at the rain-drenched parking lot frustrated by their lack of progress the previous day.

A tap at her door drew her away from her thoughts. She peered through the spyhole before opening up to find Don standing there, dark shadows beneath his eyes. She suspected he had had as little sleep as her. "You good to go?" She nodded and returned for her bag. Don took it from her and carried it over to the car where Danny stood, seemingly nonchalant as he leant against the hood but Jo could tell that he was as tense and worried as they were. Just as they were getting in a squad car rolled up. Randall Wade jumped out and ran over to them.

"One of our boys has found your van. In the parking lot of the local mall on the north side of town." Jo hesitated and looked pleadingly at Danny.

"I got it." Danny smiled at her. Jo looked unsure. "It's okay Jo. You and Don go ahead. I'll check it out and let you know what I find." He pushed away from the car and opened the trunk. He pulled out his overnight bag which he slung over one shoulder before pulling out his kit. He slammed the trunk closed. "Go. I'll catch up with you." Jo smiled her thanks and she and Don got in and drove off. Danny smiled at Randall Wade who offered to take his overnight bag. They jumped into the cruiser and set off.

"It'll take us about half an hour." Randall explained as Danny looked at the family photograph on the dashboard. The two kids looked like chips of the old block, both solid looking lads with sandy coloured hair. "My boys, Randall Junior and Grady," he said proudly. "You got kids?"

Danny nodded. "A daughter. Lucy. She's five."

Randall nodded grimly as his grip tightened on the steering. "The missing girl, Stacy? How old is she?"

"Thirteen."

"Damn. Same age as my eldest." Randall's face took an angry look. "Poor kid. After the crash and all. To have go through this."

"We're gonna' find 'em." Danny announced with more conviction that he felt. It had been almost forty-eight hours since Mac and Stacy had been abducted. Too long for his liking and he remembered a course he had taken back in the academy. The first forty-eight hours are crucial. He pushed the thoughts away. "Mac'll keep her safe."

"That's some tough terrain up there. And the weather last night wouldn't have helped." Randall flipped a switch to turn on the sirens as they approached an intersection. "Not a good night to be out on the mountain."

"Well Mac'll be all right. He was a Marine. And he'll do everything to protect Stacy. That you can be sure of."

"A Marine?" Danny could see Randall's interest was piqued. He looked at the buzz cut and then he thought about the man's bearing and firm manner. Another Marine. Had to be. "You know which unit?"

"Er … I believe it was the 1/8."

"The Beirut Battalion?" Danny could tell that Randall Wade was impressed. "We'll be there shortly Sir. I got a couple of our boys asking around for the driver." Danny shuffled uncomfortably not used to being called Sir. "If we're in luck they might have found something by the time we arrive." He gave another blast of the siren to clear the traffic ahead.

.

Don's face was grim as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. They glanced across the playing field to where the helicopter stood. The door of the chopper was pushed open and a man jumped out raised his hand in greeting. He was wearing khaki cargo pants tucked into solid boots, a white tee-shirt with a leather aviator jacket and shades. Don locked the car as he shouldered a small back-pack. They made their way across the grass. Don stuck out a hand. "I'm Detective Don Flack. This is Detective Jo Danville."

The sandy haired man nodded. "Carl Rogers at your service. I'm real sorry I couldn't get you in the air last night folks. Can't control the weather I'm afraid but she's fully fuelled and ready to go when you are. Randall said to take you folks anywhere you need. "

"Thank you Mr Rogers. Randall says you know the area well?"

"Yes ma'am. I've worked for the park authorities for nigh on twenty years. And I'm a Forty Sixer."

"A Forty-Sixer?"

"Yes ma'am." He pointed proudly at the green and yellow badge sewn on his sleeve. "Climbed all forty-six of the High Peaks. Know the park like the back of my hand."

"Well we're looking for the site of a small plane crash. This would have happened about eight months ago. We've identified these areas as being the most likely." Jo held out a tablet with a copy of the map that Adam, Sheldon and Lindsay had worked on. It showed an extensive area of mountain and forest with three areas marked in red and a dozen green dots. Carl nodded in agreement as he studied the map. "We believe that they may have had access to an old wooden cabin. One at least thirty years old. They're marked in green."

Carl nodded again as he rubbed thoughtfully at the ginger stubble on his chin.. "I know some of these. You can discard these two." He pointed at two of the most easterly dots. "They're being renovated. They've got no roofs at the moment. A buddy of mine is working on them. Your guys wouldn't be able to use them as a hide-out." He pointed at another. "And I know the couple who live here. Let me give them a call while you get yourselves settled." He opened the rear door and gestured for them to climb aboard before pulling a cell phone from his pocket. A young woman with a long sandy-coloured braid hanging out the back of a blue Adidas cap sat there. She smiled broadly at Don.

"Hi I'm Lina." Don made the introductions. "I was told that you may need a paramedic and someone with climbing skills." Both Don and Jo were impressed at Randall Wade's foresight. They also noticed the same green and yellow badge sewn on her sleeve.

"A Forty-Sixer huh?"

Lina smiled happily. "Yeah. Gotta be with Dad and Uncle Randy." She tipped a thumb at her father as he eased himself into the cockpit. "I could climb before I could walk!" she joked.

Carl smiled at his daughter. "I talked to the Corks. It's all quiet up there and they said that they dined with their neighbours, the Marshall's yesterday so that's another two you can knock of your list." He handed the tablet back to Jo.

She tapped at the screen and four green dots disappeared. "Another eight to go. Where do you suggest we start?"Lina peered over her shoulder quickly picking up on the significance of the dots when she heard the names Cork and Marshall. She pointed to one set slightly south and west of the others.

"Well that one is the most isolated. If you wanted a hide-out it would be pretty good. On it's own, quite a way off the road. It wouldn't be on the tourist trail like these ones further north."

Jo smiled. "Then let's start with that one."

.

While his brother-in-law and niece were taking off with Don and Jo in search of Mac and Stacy, Randall Wade stood staring at the black interior of the van. He couldn't imagine being locked in the back of the van for hours. He watched Danny with interest as he processed the van. He was impressed by the thoroughness and meticulousness of the search. Having done an overall inspection Danny was now moving onto the details. Of particular interest was the debris that Danny scraped from the tires. Randall peered at the paper Danny held out to him. "Looks like pine needles and sand and ..." Danny moved the grains of dirt around with his finger. "...asphalt. It's still tacky."

"I'll let Carl know. There's no road works in town so it has to have come from further north." Randall was glad to be able to do something. Danny nodded his thanks.

Danny's tablet bleeped. He smiled as he tapped the screen and propped the tablet on the dashboard so he could continue working. He pulled a brush and dusting powder from his kit and started on the steering wheel and controls. Lindsay's face appeared on the screen. "Hi babe! How you doin?"

She smiled but she looked worried. "We're fine. Anything?"

"Well I'm just processing the cab. Nothing so far. How about on your end?"

"Adam and Sheldon have run the plates. They're fake but the VIN you sent over corresponds to a rental from a small firm in Queens. They said it was paid for in cash by a man who identified himself as John Edmonds." Her face said it all.

"Let me guess. Fake ID?"

Lindsay nodded. "The guy from the rental company is sitting with a sketch artist as we speak trying to come up with a composite but it would be really nice if you could get us some prints. Cos so far all we have is that he's tall, skinny with long hair tied in a ponytail."

Danny huffed. "Yeah, well don't get your hopes up." The handles, steering wheel and stalks had yielded nothing. He moved onto the lights and radio controls. Lindsay suddenly turned away from the screen as though being called.

"Adam may have something. I'll call you back." The screen went black. Danny couldn't help feeling disappointed. He tried dusting the handbrake lever and the cigarette lighter. Nothing.

"Dammit!"

.

Adam and Sheldon looked like they had slept in the chairs they were sitting in. The normally immaculate doctor was dishevelled, his shirt crumpled and his sleeves rolled up. He looked as red-eyed as the young lab-tech sitting next to him. Lindsay looked at them hopefully.

Adam ran a hand through his hair. If his intention had been to smooth it down he failed miserably. It stuck up at all angles giving him the aspect of a well-loved teddy bear. "Okay we had a revelation … well sort of ..." He saw the look on Lindsay's face and decided a short version would be wise under the circumstances. "The inside of the van was a custom job right? There aren't that many places that do that kind of thing. So we rang round and found a garage that specializes in custom interiors. The guy confirmed that our John Edmonds ordered the work and paid cash with a BIG bonus for a rush job. What is interesting however is that when this John Edmonds turned up to drop the van off he was accompanied by another guy in a silver SUV who sounds suspiciously like our friend Victor Gaunt. Same thing when he came to collect the van. Victor Gaunt dropped him off."

"And that's where it gets even more interesting." Sheldon picked up where Adam left off. "When Gaunt dropped Edmonds off to pick up the van, the owner said he saw a large number of bags on the back seat of the SUV. All from the same store. They had the name McAllisters written on them."

"McAllisters?" Lindsay looked puzzled.

"Get this. They specialize in outdoor gear, particularly climbing gear." Lindsay frowned.

Adam twisted the screen to face her. "We just called MacAllisters. They remember the guys who came into the store. According to them they bought..." Adam consulted the screen in front of him. "... a rope bag, rope, a harness, a standard rack of quick-draws, a four foot sling, a daisy chain, four carabiners, belay devices, man-sized belay gloves, two sets of nuts and a set of SLCDs … that's … er … spring-loaded camming devices to you and me."

Lindsay looked a little nonplussed. "Okay I have no idea what half of those things are for."

Sheldon shrugged. "Nor do we. But the guy from McAllisters says they're what a solo climber would require to rappel and then climb a two to three hundred foot drop."

Lindsay's jaw dropped.

"So that's why they took Mac as well."

All three turned around to stare at Sid who was stood in the doorway with a tray of coffees and a large bag of pastries from the team's favourite bakery. His face was creased in concentration. "Jo said that Stacy's foster father Hank worked on a construction site. I couldn't help noticing his hands. They displayed distinct signs of Stenosing Tenosynovitis."

Sheldon nodded. "Trigger Finger. A common ailment among climbers."

Sid waved a hand in the air. "Our kidnappers were looking for Stacy in the company of a man, solidly built, dark hair. I remember hearing Hank say to Jo how he took her out on a Saturday morning when he wasn't working."

Lindsay gasped as the penny dropped. "They think Mac is Hank. They're looking for a plane that has crashed in a mountainous region. They not only need Stacy to pinpoint the spot but they need Hank to get it for them."

The four of them looked at one another for a minute as they pieced together the snippets of information. It was Adam who finally plucked up courage to ask the all important question. "What happens when they find out that Mac can't climb?"