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Jane couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong. All the clues had been leading her to think her Ma was in danger, but it turned out that she was following a wrong lead. Her Ma was fine. Scared but fine. Korsak and Frankie were with them. Nina and Maura were at the precinct. Everyone was safe. At least, for now. But it wasn’t over. Some psycho was still after her. They were seeking revenge ( what for exactly? ) and promising to take everything from her. They had already burnt down her condo. It was only material and could be replaced rather easily, but it was her home, and it never was easy to lose a place where you thought you were safe and protected from the horrors of the external world. They had deprived her from her shelter, had backed her into a corner and now she was confused about what to do anymore.
She glanced at the people gathered in Maura’s kitchen, deaf to the world around her. They were chatting and throwing jokes, relieved that her intuition had been wrong this time. A beer was waiting for her (she wasn’t one for Scotch, she preferred much softer alcoholic drinks) but she hadn’t touched it yet. Her thoughts were racing in her head but she couldn’t sort them out. Something wasn’t right and she couldn’t put her finger on what it could be. Why send a such a warning and do nothing afterward? Did they want her to be on alert until she couldn’t take it anymore? So that way they could move into action as soon as she would let her guard down. Or were they lurking in the shadows waiting for the right moment to strike? What should she be expecting? Where would they hit next?
Nothing was right. She was spiralling, falling into the hole they were digging under her feet to trap her. And then, what would they do with her? She was done playing cat and mouse with an invisible assailant who was always ahead of her. She needed a name, a direct confrontation. She didn’t have the patience for this chess game, especially when she was losing so miserably. Her family and friends were in danger because of her. Who would be the next in line if not her mother? Korsak and Frankie were both here. Only Maura was missing. But she was working late at the office, right? She didn’t know that Jane had dashed off to her house thinking her mother was in danger. How would she? They all had rushed here without a second thought. Maybe she was on her way home. She would be surprised to see them all here, and they would release the stress with a few glasses and some banter.
That feeling of uneasiness wouldn’t leave her in peace. She had to make sure Maura was okay, that she was either on the way or still at the office. Her hands were trembling on her phone as she selected Maura’s number and pressed the call button.
“Who are you calling?” asked Korsak.
“Maura. She’s at the office, right?”
“I think so.”
Maura didn’t pick up her phone the first time. Jane grew even more anxious. She ran a hand through her hair and called again, and when her friend did pick up, she didn’t give her the time to say a word. The situation was too urgent for her to get all wordy.
“Where are you?”
“On a crime scene. I had a call earlier. There’s a patrol car but no one inside.”
That was it. Dread clutched her heart, her hand tightening its hold on the phone. Something was wrong. She was on call herself and hadn’t gotten the call from dispatch for that homicide. It could be a prank, but it could also be trap.
“I didn’t get anything.”
“What does that mean?”
“Get back to your car and drive away from there.”
“Jane…”
“Get away from there, Maura! It’s a trap!”
“Wh–”
Maura’s voice was cut by a loud gasp followed by the sounds of a violent struggle and muffled screams. Jane’s stomach dropped in her chest. She kept calling Maura’s name, asking her to hold on, to give her a hint of where she was, telling her that she was on her way, but all she could hear were the weakening cries of her best friend and the grunt of the person assaulted her.
A male voice cried out. Maura was defending herself like a lioness and yelling for help. No one was coming to her rescue though, and Jane had no idea where she could be. She was begging her to give her a clue to her position so she could before it was too late. Maura didn’t hear her. She must have dropped her phone in the fight.
Jane climbed in her cruiser. She wasn’t aware of Korsak and Frankie following her, their own phones stuck to their ears as they tried to find a precise location of that fake crime scene Maura had been called to. Forgotten were the jokes, the drinks and the exhaustion, they were all back on alert, back on work mode. Maura was not only their medical examiner, but she was also part of their family and they wouldn’t let her down when she needed them.
A body slammed loudly against a metallic surface. More struggling, more muffled screams, and suddenly, nothing anymore. An eerie silence settled on the line. A silence so heavy that Jane could hear her heart shattering into thousands pieces. She dropped her phone. The car hadn’t moved. She hadn’t even started it up. Where would she go anyway? Maura could be literally anywhere in Boston. Without a localisation, she wouldn’t be able to get to her. And even with the exact coordinates, what could she do now? They either had taken her to their hideout, or they had killed her. She didn’t want to see that. She never wanted to see that happen.
It was all her fault. She had been so concentrated on her Ma that she had omitted that Maura could be a target as well. Frankie and Korsak could defend themselves, and they were armed. Her Ma had been the most vulnerable in her close circle and the clues were leading to her. Not a single second had she thought that Maura could be on the list of people they could use against her when she obviously was the person she was the closest to. They were spending their time together, were talking about everything together. Maura knew all of her secrets, everything that she wouldn’t tell her family, and Jane was lost without her. It was the most obvious choice after her Ma. Why hadn’t she considered it? Why had they all wanted to protect her and her family, but had left out Maura? How could she have been so stupid?
She placed her hands flat on the steering wheel, closed her eyes and took a shaking breath. What now? Maura was strong, capable and smart, but she hadn’t been trained to resist assault, kidnapping or torture. She was a doctor. She shouldn’t even have to face such threats. It was all because of her. If she hadn’t been her best friend, she wouldn’t have been in this situation. What if they hurt her? What if they killed her? She wouldn’t be able to live with it. She couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever. She was the best thing to have ever happened in her life, and the opposite was true. She remembered Maura’s crumpling face when she had told her that she might marry Casey: ‘how am I gonna live without my best friend?’ She had been so scared to lose her then, and now Jane was experiencing the same fear in a much worse way.
“Janie!”
The weight of her guilt was crushing her chest. She found it hard to focus; harder to breathe. She had to pull herself together, had to start looking for Maura before she was too late to save her from whoever was after her. But she couldn’t think straight and her ears were filled with the deafening sound of her racing heart.
“Jane, come on. Look at me.”
Hands. Large hands on her face. A male voice calling her name. Her chest hurt. Her lungs were desperate for a breath of fresh air, but her throat was tight. She griped the wrists of the person holding her face and forced herself to look up. Her gaze was met with brown eyes, fairer than her, but so familiar. His lips were moving, he was talking to her but she couldn’t hear him over the tumult of her heartbeats.
She focused on his lips, on what he was saying to her, although he had always been much better than her at this game. But what he was saying didn’t matter much right now. She just needed to focus on something that wasn’t her guilt for letting Maura down, for throwing her in a trap, for leading her to an almost certain and painful death.
“That’s it. Stay focused on me, deep breaths.”
For once, she did as she was told, and soon she was aware of the world around her again. Slowly, the first sounds filtered through the heavy fog of her brain. She wasn’t in her car anymore. She had been extracted from her seat and taken out. She was slumped against the vehicle, surrounded by her Ma and Frankie. Korsak was gone.
Her Ma gave her a glass of water that she gulped down, hoping it would wash away the remnants of the panic attack she just had. She was thankful not to have been alone and ashamed that her family got to witness her weakness. She couldn’t allow herself to have such moments. Maura needed her.
“They managed to pinpoint her phone’s latest location. Korsak’s gone with a patrol. They found her car. Her keys and wallet are still inside. The good news is that they only wanted her. That means she’s alive and they’re keeping her somewhere to use her against you.”
“I have to find her.”
She made a movement to stand. Her body was shaking, her limbs were jelly. Her brother had to slip an arm around her waist to keep her on her feet. Her Ma gave her a disapproving look but her eyes were filled with the same sadness and worry she was going through when her kids were in danger.
“I’ll drive.”
Jane was honestly glad that her brother had stayed with her because she wouldn’t have been able to drive by herself in the state of mind she was in. Before leaving, she hugged her Ma tight and promised her to bring back Maura home. She pecked her on the cheek and climbed in the car.
Frankie drove straight to the now official crime scene. It was filled with uniformed officers and detectives. Even Kent had been called on the scene. It was an all hands on deck matter now. All of Boston police would be looking for Maura until they could find her. Hopefully alive. But according to the large puddle of blood Kent was observing, Jane was starting to doubt again…