Chapter 6.

Ten minutes later, Mac stood in front of the team in the conference room. He could feel their nervous excitement - they knew Adam had found something important.

'I won't waste any time here,' Mac said, 'Adam found DNA on a cigarette butt. It was trapped under the carpet in the rear passenger footwell. The killer was probably smoking a cigarette while he was waiting down the street from the restaurant where Danny and Lindsay were eating that night. When he saw them come out, he probably put the cigarette out and put it in the ashtray on the center console. When the vehicle hit Lindsay, the force of the...impact probably dislodged it and sent it rolling under the driver's seat into the rear passenger footwell. It was initially hidden in a small rip in the carpet. Adam found it when he went over the car again, and ran a DNA check. He got a match to one Patrick Sandoval.'

'Wait, as in Ruben Sandoval?' Don asked, looking deeply shaken.

Mac nodded grimly.

'Patrick is Ruben's father. After he got the hit, Adam ran a check on court records and hospital records. In 1997, Rikki and Patrick Sandoval had Ruben. In 2004 they divorced. For whatever reason, Rikki kept the name 'Sandoval', perhaps to have the same surname as her son. She and Ruben moved to New York, and eventually into Danny's building. In 2006, Patrick went to prison on a five year stint after he seriously assaulted another man in a bar brawl. He was still in prison in 2007 when Reuben was killed.'

Mac paused briefly to explain the Sandoval case, and Danny's involvement in it, to Jo, then continued,

'I checked the visitor records for the the prison where Patrick was serving his time. During his whole sentence, the only visit he got was one from Rikki, the week Reuben was killed. Presumably she told him about Ollie Barnes' role in what happened, and she may have mentioned Danny as well. Even if she didn't, at least one of the newspaper reports at the time did - he was credited with responding to the bodega robbery. So Patrick would have learnt of his involvement as well as Ollie Barnes' and Lucy Scott's.'

'So...what, he blames Danny in part for his son's death? Danny had nothing to do with it!'' Don said angrily.

'We all know that,' Mac said, 'But Patrick Sandoval doesn't.'

Jo nodded in agreement. 'He gets to wondering why his kid dies when he's out with an NYPD detective, when he should have been totally safe. He's grieving and angry, and he believes Danny's at least partially to blame for what happened to Ruben. It's not rational, but he would have been looking for anyone to blame. Maybe he was jealous too, of Danny being involved in Ruben's life. Taking a kid to get his bike blessed is something a father usually does, and Patrick was denied that privilege. That has to be a bitter pill to swallow.'

'That's his own goddamn fault! Maybe if he wasn't a criminal, he'd have had the chance to see his kid.' Don growled, slapping the table.'How do we find this bastard, Mac?'

'Can't we ask Rikki Sandoval?' Hawkes interjected. 'Maybe she has some idea where her ex-husband might be.'

Mac shook his head.

'Rikki died in 2009. She killed herself.'

'Yet another death Patrick might just blame Danny for, along with Barnes and Scott. If Ruben hadn't died, Rikki would never have killed herself.' Jo put in. 'Who knows. maybe Patrick still cared for her, and was planning to make things right when he got out of prison. But then Ruben died, and the one good thing he ever did in his life is taken away. He would be desperate for someone to blame.'

Mac nodded, then tapped a few keys on his laptop, bringing the report on Ollie Barnes' murder the previous year. 'I suspect Danny wasn't Patrick's first or only target. After all, it was Ollie Barnes and Lucy Scott who were primarily responsible for Ruben's death. Patrick was released from prison in 2011. He kept a low profile, but some transactions on his bank account show he was in New Jersey the week Barnes was killed. It's a tenuous connection, but it's very possible Patrick killed Ollie.'

Jo nodded.

'There's a kind of justice to it, in a twisted way. Ollie Barnes robs a store with a gun. He inadvertently causes Ruben's death. So Patrick shoots him in a drive by.'

'What about the woman who actually accidentally shot Ruben? Lucy Scott?' Hawkes asked.

'Lucy is still doing time for second degree manslaughter of Ruben.' Mac said, 'She got a nine year sentence, because although she fired the weapon in the course of a robbery, she fired into a street, and the victim was a minor. She's due out in a couple of years. There's no way Patrick could get to her, not yet at least. That leaves Danny.'

'But he killed Lindsay,' Don said, 'Why didn't he wait for Danny to step out into the street, if it's Danny he blames for what happened to Ruben?'

Mac sighed.

'I've come up with two answers for that. Danny was just a few steps behind Lindsay, so it's possible that Sandoval was going for him and misjudged his aim or timing. Or there's the worse answer.'

'There's a worse answer than that?' Don said.

Jo caught Mac's eye, and he knew she'd worked it out too, from the sickened look on her face.

'The other answer is that Sandoval deliberately chose to go after Lindsay. That in his twisted logic, he chose to kill someone Danny loved just like, as he sees it, Danny was responsible for the death of someone he loved.'

'He wanted Danny to suffer like he had to,' Jo said. 'Wanted him to lose someone he loved. Maybe wanted Danny to see it happen and be powerless to stop it. Just like Patrick was powerless to save Ruben. Or Rikki, for that matter, given what happened to her.'

A heavy silence, full of disgust, anger, and a quiet kind of horror filled the room. Eventually, Don broke the silence.

'What about Lucy Scott's brother?' he asked. 'If what you say about Sandoval's motives are right, Mac, and if he can't get to Lucy herself, maybe he'll go after her brother, so she 'pays the price' of losing someone she loves too.'

'I thought of that too,' Mac agreed, 'Justin Scott is a possible target. Like Danny, both the Scott siblings were mentioned in the media coverage of the case. Patrick may decide to go after him to get revenge on Lucy. Don, can you see if you can find out where he is, and get a watch on him?'

'On it,' Don said.

'So what do we do now?' Jo asked.

'We find Patrick Sandoval,' Mac said.

As the team left to begin the search for Sandoval, Mac said,

'Adam, can I talk to you for a minute?'

'Sure, boss,' Adam said, a little nervously.

Once they were alone, Mac smiled at Adam.

'Adam, I just wanted to say that you did brilliantly on this. It was you who went back to the car, you found the cigarette butt, and you identified Patrick Sandoval. A lot of people might have missed that rip in the carpet in the rear footwell.'

'I missed it the first time,' Adam muttered.

'Yes, but the first time you were focussed on the front of the car. What matters is you went back and you went over that car until you found the evidence we needed. You didn't give up. You're the best lab tech I've had the privilege to work with, Adam, and you'll make an excellent CSI one day if that's what you want. More importantly, it's because of your work that we're going to be able to put the bastard who killed Lindsay away, and give Danny and Lucy the answers they deserve.'

Adam flushed bright red with pleasure, and rubbed at the back of his neck. Despite the horror of this whole case, and how exhausted he felt, warm pleasure and pride filled him. Mac had said he was the best lab tech he'd worked with. Not 'one of' the best, but *the* best. Mac, who he so respected, Mac, who was more of a father to him than his own miserable one had ever been, was proud of him. Adam glowed.

'I...um...thanks, Mac,' he said, unable to get his words out over his rush of emotion. He wanted to hug Mac, but guessed that might not be smart, however proud of him Mac might be right now. Instead, he held up a clenched fist. Mac smiled, and bumped it with his own fist.

xxxx

Mac knocked on the door to Danny's apartment. Back at the precinct and the lab, Don, Jo, Hawkes and Adam were calling on every possible resource to locate Patrick Sandoval. A part of Mac wished he was back there too. But he had made a promise to Danny, to keep him updated on the case, and as much as he hated having to break this latest news, he wanted to be the person to do it.

Robert Monroe opened the door.

'Mac,' he greeted.

'Robert, we know who killed Lindsay,' Mac said, 'We're in the process of tracking him down now.'

Robert Monroe closed his eyes briefly and sagged slightly against the doorframe.

'That's good to know,' he said. 'It doesn't bring her back, of course, but it helps. You will find this bastard, won't you?'

Mac nodded. 'Yes, we'll get him, no matter what it takes. He will pay for what he did.'

'Do you have a motive?'

'I think maybe it's best if Danny fills you in on the details later. This guy is someone from a past case of Danny's, someone who holds Danny responsible for the death of someone close to him, even though Danny was not in any way responsible.'

'Oh, Christ, it's that Ruben kid's relative, isn't it?' Robert asked. 'Lindsay told me about what happened. How it tore Danny apart.'

Mac nodded.

'His father, Patrick Sandoval.'

'Shit,' Robert clenched his fists. 'That bastard. I should feel sorry for him because he lost a child, but he...he took my Lindsay from me, she had nothing to do with any of it. How can he possibly justify taking someone else's child from them when he knows how that feels? I mean, if he killed the actual people directly responsible for his son's death, that I can understand. But what the hell did Lindsay ever do to him?'

'I'll make sure to ask him that when I have the son of a bitch sat opposite me in the interrogation room, and he will answer, Robert,' Mac said. He felt his own fury and disgust rise, and again, images of Lindsay, both in life and death, flashed through his mind. Part of him wondered how it would feel to put a bullet in Patrick Sandoval's head. He wondered if he'd feel anything at all.

'What do you need me to do?' Robert asked, visibly pulling himself together, and pulling Mac from the dark turn his thoughts had taken.

'Could you take Lucy somewhere while I tell Danny what happened? I think it's best I talk to him alone, and when he doesn't have Lucy to worry about. I also need you to watch him until we catch Sandoval. I don't want him trying to find this creep himself, or doing something dangerous because he feels guilty. Danny blames himself enough for what happened to Ruben, and this is going to bring all of that up again and make it worse. I'm worried about him.'

Robert nodded.

'I get that. Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him like he's my own son. He'll be safe.'

Mac nodded his thanks. Robert let him in to the apartment. Danny was in Lucy's room, reading to her.

'Hey, honey, why don't you and me go to the park while Mac talks to your daddy about some very important grown up stuff?' Robert asked.

'Okay, Grandpa,' Lucy said.

Danny's eyes met Mac's, a question in them. Mac nodded. He watched as the younger man's face reflected a sudden tumult of emotion - excitement, fear, and that ever present aching, raw, grief.

When Robert and Lucy had left, and Mac and Danny had moved into the living room, Danny swallowed hard. His voice was rough and barely audible when he choked out three words.

'Tell me, Mac.'

Mac wasn't going to drag this out for him.

'It's Ruben Sandoval's father,' he said, gently, 'His name is Patrick Sandoval.'

Danny's face paled. 'Ruben...' he said, and the one word sounded like it had been squeezed out through sandpaper and broken glass. He suddenly lurched up from his chair and stumbled into the direction of the bathroom. Mac heard him throwing up. He rose and followed Danny into the bathroom, resting his hand on his back and rubbing soothing circles. Danny finished, and Mac helped him up, handing him a glass of water.

Danny used half the glass to swill his mouth out, and drank the rest.

'Shit, I'm sorry 'bout that, Mac.'

'Don't be. You need a minute?'

Danny shook his head.

'No. I want to know everything.'

They went back into the living room, and Mac took Danny through everything they'd found. Danny paled again when Mac told him about Rikki.

He dropped his head into his hands.

'All my fault, Mac. It's all my fault. All those people who told you I'm a screw up over the years? They were right. You should never have hired me. Rikki should never have moved into this building. Ruben should never have met me. Lindsay should never have married me. If she hadn't, she might be alive now. It's all my fault.'

Mac winced at the despair and self-loathing in Danny's voice. He'd blamed himself for Claire's death, despite the fact that he logically knew he could have done nothing to save her. He was getting over that now, and no longer blamed himself as much as he once had. But that didn't mean that the questions didn't come to him still. What if you'd gotten there faster? What if you'd been able to save her?

He moved to sit next to Danny.

'Danny, the people responsible for Ruben's death were Lucy Scott and Ollie Barnes. Not you. And you're not responsible for Lindsay's death. She loved you, Danny, and you loved her. That counts for a lot. None of this is your fault.'

'Then why do I feel like it is?'

'Because you love Lindsay, and you would give anything to have been able to stop what happened, to save her. But the world is a shitty place sometimes, and unfair, unjust things happen. Things we're powerless to stop.'

Danny nodded, wiping at his eyes, shuddering.

'Is that how you felt after Claire died?'

Mac nodded.

'It really fucking hurts, doesn't it?' Danny whispered.

Mac nodded again.

'You're going to catch him, aren't you, Mac? Patrick Sandoval?'

'I promise you we will, Danny. He will pay for what he did. Frankly, I'd like to put a bullet in his head, but that would be too good for him.'

'Prison's too good for him, too,' Danny said. 'At least a bullet would end the son of a bitch.'

'Danny, you once stopped Rikki from putting a bullet in Ollie Barnes. Because he wasn't worth her going to prison for. Patrick Sandoval may deserve to die, Danny, but he's not worth you going to prison. Lucy needs you. We need you, too, all of us at the lab, and Don and Sid. I promised you we'd find Patrick. I need you to promise me that you won't try to find him. For your own sake, and Lucy's, I need you to promise me that.'

Danny cursed under his breath, then said,

'I promise, Mac. For Lucy. And for Lindsay. But god, it's hard.'

'I know,' Mac said. He thought about how he'd been denied the chance to see the men responsible for Claire's death, and that of so many other innocent people, brought to any kind of justice. How much that still hurt.

Mac stayed with Danny until Robert returned with Lucy.

'I'll call you as soon as we have him.' he told both Robert and Danny. Lucy tugged on his jacket, and Mac knelt to her level.

'Did you find out about the bad man?' Lucy asked.

'I did,' Mac said.

'Are you going to catch him and put him in prison for a long long long time, like...a whole year?'

'Yes. He's going to go to prison for lots of years, Lucy.'

She nodded, solemnly, and hugged him.

'I love you, Mac.'

'I love you too, sweetie,' Mac said, 'And I need you to do a very important job for me.'

'What kind of job?'

'I need you to take care of your Daddy for me. Can you do that?'

Lucy thought for a second, then nodded.

'Yes.' she said, taking Danny's hand in hers and looking very serious. 'I can do that.'

'Thank you, Lucy. I knew I could rely on you' Mac said, winking at her, and she smiled a little, obviusly pleased to have been given such a 'grown up' responsibility.

He stood to leave, and he and Danny exchanged a quick, fierce still looked devastated, but the news that they'd identified the man responsible for Lindsay's death, as shocking as it had been, seemed to have given him some kind of strength. He finally had an answer, however wrenchingly painful it might be.

xxxxx

An hour later, Mac was back at the lab. Jo tapped lightly on his door and he gestured her inside. She took one look at the grim, frustrated look on his face, and said,

'You told Danny it's Patrick Sandoval?'

Mac nodded.

'Is he going to be okay? He's not going to try going after Sandoval himself is he?'

'I wouldn't blame him if he did,' Mac said. 'I frankly don't care if Sandoval dies. But I won't let Danny ruin his career and his life over that bastard. Patrick Sandoval has taken enough from him already.'

Jo nodded.

'You have someone looking out for Danny?'

'Yes, Robert Monroe. He won't let Danny do anything stupid. How's the search for Sandoval going?'

'We're in the process of getting every bus station, train station, and airport in the city and the tri-state area covered. An APB has been issued to all units in the city. I also called in a few favours with some old friends back at the Bureau and they have guys keeping a look out wherever they can spare them. Adam's searching records to find an address for Sandoval, and Don's chasing down his old parole officer as we speak. Unless Patrick's already left the city, the net is closing in.'

'Good. I don't think he's gone. He still hasn't tried to get at Lucy Scott, and she's the one who fired the bullet that killed Ruben. If Patrick can't get to her, he's going to do what he did to Danny, and go after the family. Where are we on that?'

'Hawkes ran a search. Both the parents are dead, and the only other relatives other than Justin are an aunt in Ohio and a cousin in Minnesota. So Sandoval probably has Justin in his sights. That's likely why he stayed in the city after killing Lindsay. From what we have so far, he takes his murders one at a time, planning and carrying them out individually. First Ollie, then Lindsay. He left quite a gap between Ollie and Lindsay. But Lindsay's murder would take more planning than Ollie's and was much more of a risk. If he had any sense, and wasn't so hellbent on revenge, Sandoval would be in the wind already after killing a cop. But like you say, with Lucy Scott as yet 'unpunished' as he no doubt sees it, he's waiting around so he can go after Justin.'

'Do we have a location on Justin yet?'

'Hawkes is working on locating him now. What do you want to do when we find him?'

'We need to get him somewhere safe. But Sandoval might be watching, so we have to be clever. We don't want to spook him.'

Jo nodded.

'Is that why you put a hold on releasing Sandoval's identity to the press?'

Mac nodded.

'We need him to think we haven't made the connection to him yet. That's another reason I don't want Danny trying to find him. He'd probably tip him off, and Sandoval might run...or he might lie in wait and kill Danny. Danny needs to stay out of this for now. Though I hate having to keep him away.'

Jo nodded.

There was another knock on the door. Hawkes entered.

'We found Justin Scott. He's due to land at JFK in an hour, he's on his way back from a family visit to Michigan. He currently owns another bodega, this one in the Village.'

'What do we do, Mac?' Jo asked.

'Patrick won't try anything at the airport, it's too risky with all the security and the people,' Mac said, thinking things out as he spoke, 'He'll probably go after him either at his home or the bodega. Okay, this is what we do. We get to Justin at the airport. I doubt Patrick will be there, he's probably watching either Justin's house or business, waiting for him to get back. And he'll want to stay away from anyplace which has lots of security. Once we have Justin safe, we can plan our next move. We have at least a couple hours until Patrick would start to suspect anything - for all he knows, the flight was delayed, or Justin stopped off someplace on the way home. We just have to work out a way to get him out in the open.'

'I'll go wait for Justin at the airport,' Sheldon said.

'And I'll work on finding a safe house for him if we need it,' Jo said. 'I'll get a couple of plain clothes units to keep an eye on his home and business too. Nothing that Patrick will notice if he turns up. You have those addresses, Sheldon?'

Hawkes nodded, and they left together.

Mac glared at the mugshot of Patrick Sandoval stuck onto the glass wall of his office.

'Where are you, you son of a bitch?' he muttered, 'I know you're not finished.'

Just then his cell phone rang.

'Mac Taylor,' he said,

'Mac, it's Don. I just heard from Adam, he found a couple of possible addresses for Sandoval. One was a dud, but the other was the right one. I'm here now.'

'I'm assuming you didn't find Sandoval sitting there with a nice cup of tea waiting for us to arrest him,' Mac said, noticing Flack's grim, too-flat tone.

'No, it's never that easy. But what I did find...well, it's pretty obvious that Patrick was planning to kill Lindsay before he actually carried out the act. And your suspicions about Barnes and the Scott kid are right, Mac.'

'How do you know?'

'I think you better come down here and see for yourself.' Don replied.

xxxxx

Thanks for reading, guys. Hope you liked it. Not too long to go now. Your comments and reviews on previous chapters are so much appreciated, they mean a lot to me, and I'm trying to keep this updated fairly regularly for you all.