Chapter 8

Day 5

Armed with markers edged out on the map that Flack held, they set out. Danny had phoned Stella and had coordinated with the fiery Italian around possible places where Mac could've been stashed. In the back of his head, he also knew that Peter was somewhere in the mix. Possibly pointing to where Mac was but the boy was a hidden element that had his stomach clench tight in worry.

Dave had made a few phone calls and they were now surrounded by a dozen park personnel, all of them coming across as competent. Flack had called in more units to help with the search, assigning two men per guide as they divvied up positions.

Danny made sure his radio was on the right frequency as he strapped on his backpack. Inside was packed a hastily put together medical survival kit. He knew enough, having learned a few things from Sheldon, that he felt comfortable that he'd be able to at least do something when they found Mac. He set off with the group, splitting up from Flack as he went down the path marked to Greenbrook Pond.

They passed by the marker that led to the Women's Federation Memorial, keeping to the track. It took them around thirty minutes to reach the point where some of the rangers had indicated would be a good place to start looking.

The two men who were assigned to him, were both in their early forties. Mike, a swarthy man with a darker complexion and Steve, a bit younger but still older than Danny, his blond hair in contrast to Mike. Both of them had been working at the park for the last five years and knew it very well.

They went off the pathway, into the bush. Danny was careful where he put his hands, watchful for poison ivy's distinctive three leaf pattern. Their breaths were harsh in the quiet, mingling with birdsong and the rustle of leaves as a small breeze shifted between the trees. Danny imagined he could see hints of the Hudson but the chances were that he was imagining the river. Yet he followed the experienced guides as they stopped often to check the route they were taking against the map, angling their bodies to a GPS held against the paper. Mike also had a compass in hand and he explained to Danny that using the very decidedly low tech item would seem ridiculous next to the GPS but it was helpful if batteries died or for some reason the instrument wasn't working. There were one or two dead spaces in the woods and it wasn't that uncommon to revert back to handheld devices like a map and a compass when they went off track.

Everything kinda looked the same to his own inexperienced eyes. Give him the city anytime. He'll probably be able to make his way between alleyways blinded – just be the smell alone. Queens smelled different to the Bronx. Smelled different to the Upper East Side. Your nose could guide you around the city if you knew about it.

"Danny?"

He looked up. The two men were standing in front of him, pointing to something on the ground. Danny's sharp eyes noticed for the first time an indent; a sharper outline of a half circle edged into the soil. He stepped closer, crouching down as he ghosted his fingers along the outline.

"It's a smaller shoe?" He asked as he took out a ruler from his bag and placed it on the ground, he took three photos at different angles. It might be nothing but it didn't seem likely, looking at the two guides. They seemed somewhat excited.

He pulled the radio from his belt after he put away the ruler and camera.

"Hey Flack."

"Yeah."

"Might have something. We're going to take a look. Check-in in five minutes. We're currently at …"

He looked at Steve, who gave him coordinates. He read it off the GPS the man held in his hand, making sure Flack repeated it back to him. Giving a small nod, he followed the two other men, who carefully stepped over the spoor.

It was slow going. They lost the trail ten minutes in, and Danny used the opportunity to check in with Flack again. He was just returning the radio to his belt when Mike motioned him over to where they were standing about fifteen feet away. He had his map open and indicated an area on the map.

"There's a small ravine just here. It's out of the way for most of it, the runoff from a stream joins this one here…" he said, pointing, "…that leads to a bigger one that goes over a small waterfall. Mostly a step waterfall, but pretty."

"You think he dumped Mac there?"

"Maybe…" The man stared down at the trail and then wiped the back of his neck. "The trail is definitely going that way. I don't see any indication that whoever had made these," he swung his arm wide, to indicate the trail, "…came back this way. Look, it might be the kid you're looking for, right. The shoe size is small enough. It definitely isn't an adult." He grimaced. "Sorry."

"Okay…" Danny took a deeper breath as he weighed up his options. Even if this wasn't Mac, it still might lead to Peter. And finding the boy is just as important as finding his boss.

"Let's see where this goes." He said in the end. The man nodded and turned, going deeper into the woods.

It took two more check-ins with Flack before they found the clearing. One of the rangers found the plasters and a good indication that the person they'd been following had lain there. Danny took photos and bagged the plasters before they set off again. He let Flack know who was coordinating with Stella in getting an EMS unit on standby, while he made his way back from where they had been searching to Danny's position. Things were definitely starting to look a little more positive and Danny hoped that finding the boy would mean finding Mac.

Danny wanted the rangers to speed up. Wanted to get to the ravine as fast as possible. His gut told him that it was there that they were going to find the pair. He couldn't quantify the feeling. Couldn't put his finger on the pulse of it except for the churning feeling that increased his heart rate and felt like the buildup of pressure that needed a release.

But evidence was important. Evidence is his job and that you could never rush.

So, they took as long as they needed to make sure there was no more dropped rubbish or scuffed shoe imprints and as horrible it was to even contemplate, making sure there were no hidden bodies in the undergrowth as they moved closer to their end goal.

It took them a slow fifty minutes before they stood on the edge of the ravine.

Flack was fifteen minutes behind him by that time, his own guides leading the way as they followed in Danny and his team's footsteps as it were.

"Over here!"

Danny followed the man, who was carefully leaning over the edge. He blinked as he looked down.

Looking up at him, blinking in the afternoon light was Peter – who was sitting next to a body that looked barely alive from this distance.

He felt his throat tighten, his heart echoing back at him at a rapid speed as he desperately tried to see if Mac was breathing. The boy had his hand on Mac's shoulder, and it looked like he was rolled into a blanket and the bright blue of what looked like a bundled-up t-shirt mashed against Mac's back with…

Is that a bandage?

Without thinking about it, his hand curled around the radio. He flicked the button, his voice breathy as he looked for a way down while at the same time calling Flack.

"We need EMS at our position."

"Okay, I have two guys with me."

Danny closed his eyes briefly as thankfulness for Flack's anticipation ran through his body in a release that tightened his throat. He was gruff as he acknowledged it and nothing more needed to be said but the overwhelming urge to get down there was burning its way through him.

"This way…"

He stepped towards where one of the guides was indicating, already leading the way down. Danny followed, slithering his way down part of the way on his backside. He had no idea how the boy had made it down and he looked with new respect at Peter when he finally reached the bottom.

Closer to the boy, he could see the lines of fatigue on his face. Dark circles underline his eyes that stared back at Danny with sadness and also a determination that he didn't miss.

"You okay, kid?" He asked as he knelt by Mac and slid his bag off his shoulders and settled it next to him.

"Uh…yeah."

The voice wasn't what he expected out of a boy his size. It was soft, the tone just a little off. He had to do a retake and remind himself that Peter wasn't much older than thirteen. That what this boy had done was nothing short of a miracle.

The boy wiped a hand through his hair. A nervous gesture as he shifted and then grimaced when he put his foot down on the ground.

"You injured?" Danny asked as he checked Mac's breathing. He wasn't an expert but even he knew that Mac's stuttering breath wasn't normal.

"I'm okay."

Danny looked up. Met the brown eyes with a frown.

"I saw plasters back up there in a small clearing." He said, indicating with his head up the ravine. "Those weren't yours?"

The boy looked away, his hand shifting into the ground next to him, playing with a tuft of grass.

"Hey kid." Danny waited until the kid looked at him. "You did good okay. Now let us take care of things for a bit." Waiting for a heartbeat to make sure that Peter heard him, letting his words sink in before he asked. "Peter…are you hurt anywhere?"

"I cut my foot…uh, yesterday or uhm…two days ago?"

"Okay. Will you let Steve over there look at it while I take a look at Mac?"

The boy nodded and Danny let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, as he turned his full attention to Mac. He used scissors in his pack to cut through the bandage and carefully peeled the t-shirt away. There was a pad stuck to the shirt, and it came away with the material. Danny saw all the evidence of a gunshot wound, the exit wound was heated and angry. He got a whiff of something, wrinkling his nose at it. He very carefully put the shirt back. He knew if he turned Mac, he'd find the entry wound.

From the damage, he was certain that it was a pistol. Not a big calibre either, probably the reason why Mac was still alive. Danny didn't want to move Mac too much. Didn't want to unravel the blanket. He was concerned about any more injuries he couldn't see. There was nothing more to do until the EMS guys came here.

He looked at his watch, while Steve looked at the cut underneath Peter's toes. It was impressive, the fact that the boy had trekked here on that foot. A slow grumble suddenly filled the air and the boy blushed. Danny and Steve's eyes met as they realised both at the same time that Peter probably hadn't eaten anything in a while. Danny rummaged in his bag and got out a nut bar, passing it wordlessly over to Steve.

Peter took the bar slowly, looking at Danny and Steve. Finally, it seemed to sink in to the boy that he wasn't alone anymore. That he was safe.

"I'm s…sorry." He said, his head drooping. He seemed to fold into himself, his fingers playing with the wrapper of the nutbar.

"Hey…you found Mac. In my eyes, you did good, kid."

Peter blinked, his face transforming and suddenly Danny saw how young he actually was. Peter opened his mouth but whatever he was going to say, was lost as a shout came from the top of the ravine.

"Oi, how did you get down there!"

He looked up. Flack's head was just visible against the sky that was now darkening rapidly.

"There's sort of a pathway to the right of you. Just be careful. It's pretty gnarly."

"Yeah yeah. Got ya."

Danny watched with trepidation as Flack and two guys with heavy packs followed the clearly disturbed path he and the others had made coming down. He moved out of the way as one of the guys knelt down next to Mac.

Flack swore when he saw Mac. Danny understood it clearly. It didn't look great but at least Mac's still alive. The EMS guys were efficient. He had to give them that. They talked to each other as they assessed Mac.

It didn't take them long to get an oxygen mask onto Mac, opening the small portable canister they carried with them fully. Mac's breath still stuttered into the mask, condensation forming in the cool of evening as the sun went down. Danny held a flashlight as did Flack while the paramedics both now sported head lamps. Peter had an emergency blanket draped over him and he was shivering in the dark, brown eyes glistening from the residual light that wasn't focused on Mac.

They had unravelled the bandage; the cut pieces littered the ground around Mac as they worked on padding the wounds. The blanket was discarded to the side and Danny made a mental note to bag it as evidence. They had cut off Mac's shirt, the bloody garment a faded memory against the background of the bubbling brook and shadowed granite. Black and blue was mottled across Mac's skin. Danny was certain he could see a boot print on his stomach and he winced at the thought of Mac lying cuffed and vulnerable on the apartment floor as he was kicked.

He looked up when a bright spotlight centred on them. The thump thump of a helicopter filled the silence of the hollow they were in. It didn't feel that long before Mac was strapped in and pulled up into the air.

Throughout it all, Mac had not woken. Not made a sound except for his stuttering breath that showed that he was still alive. Still fighting.

Danny vowed to find the men responsible for this.

He turned, looking at the mess around them of discarded bandages, Mac's shirt and the blanket. At Peter who was going to be walking out with the rest of them as the lift into the helicopter had been tricky enough as it was with Mac and sheer winds that swirled around them briefly coming down the ravine walls from the helicopter's backwash.

"What do you want me to do?" Flack asked as Danny still stood, contemplating his options.

There was the jurisdiction nightmare to deal with too. Technically they were in New Jersey. He trusted Stella to sort it out as he got his kit out. He passed a set of gloves to Flack and started taking photos. It wasn't ideal but he did the best he could with the light available to him.

Afterwards, they bagged and tagged everything, signing and dating everything they picked up. Only when he was done, did he wearily turn to go back up.

Flack wordlessly took one of the bags and slung it onto his back. Peter was waiting up top with one of the EMS guys. He was sipping from a bottle under the direction of the paramedic. His foot had been cleaned and wrapped and he was back in his shoe. But he looked a little better than when they had found him earlier. An impromptu saline drip had helped with dehydration and all that remained of that was a butterfly bandage on the back of his hand.

The trekked back. The woods were dark, shadows playing along the tree trunks where their torches didn't reach. Danny didn't remember much of the walk.

All he knew was that he was tired by the time they got back to the main centre. Stella and Lindsy were waiting there, a sort of command centre had been set up. It felt a bit much but Danny didn't say anything as he handed over the evidence, watching as it was logged and put into evidence boxes.

"Any news?" He asked as he gratefully took the cup of coffee and sandwich that Lindsy gave him.

"He's being operated on. Nothing more than that. Sheldon is there. He'll let us know when he's got news. He bagged the rest of Mac's clothes."

"Okay." Danny sat down, stretching his legs out before him. The chair was hard, a green plastic chair that is common in community rooms around the city. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on and he blinked around the spots that appeared in his vision.

"Hey, you okay?"

Lindsy had a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head. He gave her a half smile.

"Just tired. It's been a few long days."

"He's alive, Danny."

"Yeah…I know."

She reached down, curled her fingers around his. He watched their hands intertwine, suddenly grateful for what he had in her.

"Okay, we can go. New Jersey has agreed to jurisdiction, allowing us to run the evidence." Stella said, joining their little group. Flack was off to one side, speaking to one of his men. Danny couldn't see Peter. Concern flared but Stella seemed to see what he was missing.

"They've taken him to Lincoln for assessment. He's fine, Danny. It's just precaution. I'll interview him tomorrow."

"His parents?"

"His dad had a heart attack. That's why he asked about money when he phoned. Flack put protection on him in case Joe gets wind of the kid. We're looking for JJ. He's not at the apartment."

"You think they're in danger?" Danny asked as he sat up. His feet were hurting. He'd done a lot of walking today. Unexpected hikes he hadn't exactly planned for.

"We're not sure. Peter is traumatised by what he'd seen. I'm going to have to take it slow."

"Yeah…that makes sense." He sighed. Lindsy's hand gave him a small squeeze, letting him know that he wasn't alone. Danny looked down at his feet. The floor was tiled. A brown pattern that would be easy to clean from those hiking along the different trails, leaving muddy footprints when they entered the Centre.

"Danny?"

He focused on Stella. A small frown had settled as she studied him. He wiggled his nose, his thumb turning in small circles around Lindsy's. It was a calming motion and he wasn't so sure if that action was for Lindsy's sake or his own.

"Who's going to take the photos…uhm…of Mac?"

"Sheldon."

He nodded. Out of all of them, Sheldon was probably the most qualified to make sense of all those bruises. Make sense of what Mac had gone through because Danny didn't doubt at all that the last five days were written on Mac's skin.

"Why don't you and Lindsy go home." Stella said in the silence. "There's not much more we can do at the moment. The evidence isn't going to go away. They'll be waiting for tomorrow and it will give us all a chance to just decompress. Recover while we can?"

"Maybe…I don't know."

Stella sighed, wiping a tired hand through her curls. "Okay, then what is it you wanna do, Danny?"

"There was a boot print on his stomach."

Stella blinked; her mouth opened as his words registered. Lindsy gave a small gasp, her other hand covering her mouth as her eyes watered.

"The only way he survived is because the pistol that was used was a small calibre. That and Mac's stubbornness."

"Hey!"

Flack stood in front of them. Blue eyes met Danny's. He could read so much in that gaze.

"We're going to catch these guys and put them away. Ya hear me, Danny. Until then, Mac needs you guys to do what you do best. Look at the evidence so you can tell me and my boys were to go to arrest these bastards."

Stella nodded, giving Flack a tired smile. She reached out, her hand briefly squeezing the detective's arm. Danny rose, taking Lindsy with him.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked Lindsy.

"Hospital. Check in on Sheldon. See if there's any more news. Then the lab."

Stella crunched her face at those words but Flack nodded. Seemed to agree.

"I'll make sure they eat something, Stella." He said as he indicated to Danny and Lindsy to follow him.

"Okay. I'll meet you at the hospital after I've finalised the last few things here with the locals."

Danny tiredly sank into the backseat, sitting next to Lindsy as Flack drove them back towards New York.

Somewhere, while he was still contemplating Mac and what he'd seen, he fell asleep.