Jo remembered the last thing she thought before he appeared. The air was bitter cold, and she couldn't wait to get back to the precinct, where there would be nothing but warmth. As she watched Henry grab his coffee, she heard something in the alleyway. She'll never understand what caused her to investigate. Maybe it was her inner detective's curiosity that caused her to look. Maybe it was her need for adventure. Whatever it was, it was wrong.
Horribly wrong.
The man came out of nowhere. Jo knew it was a man by his utter strength, as he pulled her into the alley. Before she could comprehend what was happening, he hit her across the head with something sharp. It knocked her unconscious, which was a blessing, because where she was headed was dreadful.
Jo wasn't certain how long she had been unconscious, but when she came to, her first thought was of Henry. Specifically, his concern for her safety. Well, I guess he was right, she thought, as she felt blood trickling down her face.
Light trickled in through the windows above her, causing her to examine her surroundings. The room she was in stood empty, except for herself and the chair she occupied. It looked to be an old warehouse, but she wasn't totally sure. There was no sound besides what sounded like water. Water. A warehouse.
"You cannot be serious," She mumbled, her voice hoarse. "He brought me back to where we found them."
Her head began to pound in combination with this realization, and the wound. Jo had been taken, just like Henry had feared. His anxiety was not irrational at all. It was perfectly plausible. Regret began to tug at the sides of her heart. Maybe she should have taken Henry's worries more seriously? She would have been on her guard, and maybe this wouldn't have happened.
"I'm sorry, Henry," She whispered to herself.
Suddenly, the sound of a door caused her to jump. Even though the room was relatively dark, Jo knew the man standing a few feet away from her was their killer. There was no fear in her heart, only bitter anger. The man must have sensed it, as he began to laugh.
"You're a feisty one, aren't you?"
"They'll find me, and when they do, there will be hell to pay." Jo said sharply.
He laughed again, taking a step closer to her, revealing his features. "Oh, I hope for it."
This surprised her. "Why?"
He smirked spitefully, before leaning toward her. His breath smelled of coffee and cigarettes. "Because I want them to see my work. My great-grandfather had a knack for this skill set, and he evidently passed it down to me. Call it a tribute to him. Oh, he would be proud."
Henry tried to keep his composure as he raced back to the precinct. The coffee shop wasn't but a few blocks away, so he decided to run out his anger. However, as he opened the door and stepped in from the cold, his anger had grown from a simple spark to a raging fire. Skipping the elevators, he took the stairs, two by two, until he reached their floor. Lieutenant Reece was just closing the door to her office, when she caught a glimpse of Henry. He must have looked like a madman, because concern covered her features.
"Henry, are you okay?"
He did his best to walk slowly into her office. Despite his best efforts, his anger slithered out into his tone. "He took her...that, that...that despicable creature took Jo."
Reece's eyes widened. "Are you certain?"
"I would stake my life on it," He said more loudly than he intended. Taking his tone down a notch or two, he elaborated. "When I came out of the coffee shop, the car was there and I saw Jo's gun and badge at the entrance to the alleyway. You know as well as I do, she would never just leave those on the ground like that. And..." His voice faded off.
"What?"
"I saw some blood. Not much, but enough for me to guess it's Jo's."
Within moments, Reece picked up the phone and began the search for the Detective. The entire precinct was on high alert, considering it was one of their own. It did not matter whether their search would take them a couple blocks down the road, or to China. They would find Detective Martinez, and bring her home safely.
While everyone seemed to have something to do, Henry felt like a restless child. He stood outside of Reece's offices, fidgetting. Even though he had been on countless cases with Jo, he still knew he wasn't an official detective. They would humor him, and even bring him evidence from the case, but nothing more. In essence, Henry was helpless.
All the fear and anxiety came rushing back to him, this time stronger. It was as if his anger toward Jo's captor fueled the rest of his emotions. Henry was not a man to cry, but he felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes. Turning away, he made his way back down to the morgue and into his office. He slammed the door and closed the blinds. No one needed to see him like this. The last time he allowed himself to feel uncontrollably was when Abigail disappeared.
It was late in the evening, when Henry finally got home. The lights were out, which was a surprise to him. Abe would be in bed already, but Abigail always waited up for him, no matter how late he was. Memories from that night flashed through his mind. He had called out to her again and again, but there was no answer. The silence was deafening. The frantic search began, until Henry realized she was gone.
Abducted. Taken. Lost.
Now, as he stood in his office, throwing things across the room, he realized it was happening again. Jo was abducted. Jo was taken. Jo was lost. And it was all his fault. If only Henry had been more careful. If only he had been more watchful of her. This could have been prevented.
"Where are you?" He whispered, letting the tears roll down his face. "Oh Jo, where did he take you?"
Lucas stood at the entrance to the morgue, with Hanson standing next to him. Both of them remained silent as they listened to the commotion going on in Henry's office. Neither of them said a word until the crashing ceased.
"I asked him what was wrong," Lucas said quietly. "But he just brushed right past me, and slammed the door." Turning to Hanson, he frowned. "Do you know what this is all about?"
Hanson hesitated slightly, before answering. "Henry and Jo were investigating the double murder case, when...when Jo disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
He nodded. "Henry believes our killer took her."
"Detective Martinez is gone..." Lucas said in disbelief.
Hanson nodded again, submitting to another round of silence. Both men couldn't believe what was happening. How could one of their own been taken so easily? Surely, Jo put up a fight in order to keep from being taken. That's why her badge and gun must have been lying on the ground. That's why blood was found. Jo Martinez was a fighter, and no one was going to hurt her without paying for it.
"I didn't see it until now," Hanson said quietly, looking back up at Henry's door.
"See what?"
He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Lucas, think about it. Henry and Jo are friends, so naturally her disappearance would affect him. It has affected us all. But no one gets that upset over the loss of someone who is just a friend."
Lucas's eyes widened. "The Doc and Detective Martinez?! No way."
"I'm not saying Jo feels the same way, but I would bet my life savings on Henry's feelings.
He loves her."
