Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the wonderful WAT characters for a little while.
Spoilers: Anything we've found out about the characters up to season four is fair game, but the focus is mainly on Danny. Surprise. Surprise.
Notes: Everytime I tell myself I'm going to take a break from writing, I get a new idea. I'm going to attempt to write a true case file here. I hope it works. Please read and review.
Friday, January 22nd, 2003 – 8:15 pm
While descending the stairwell in his apartment building, Danny Taylor's cell phone began to ring.
"Taylor," he answered quickly as he turned the corner to walk down the last flight of stairs.
Upon hearing the voice on the other end, he stopped in his tracks. Shaking his head, he mentally berated himself for not checking the caller ID before answering.
"What do you want?" he asked in a short tone.
"Look, I told you before that I couldn't—"
Cut off by the voice on the other line, he listened while running a hand over his face in obvious frustration.
"I don't have time to meet you right now. I'm on my way out," he responded in a softer tone. Continuing to listen, he sighed deeply before relenting.
"Okay. Okay. Fine. I'll be here," he said before hanging up and continuing down the stairs.
Pulling his leather jacket tighter around him, he stepped out into a bitterly cold January evening. Hunching his shoulders against the frigid air, he quickened his pace and disappeared into the darkness.
Monday, January 25, 2003 – 8:15 am
"Hey. Morning," Martin called out to Sam and Vivian as he approached his desk.
"Morning," the two women replied in unison.
"Everyone have a good weekend?" he asked as he folded his coat onto the back of his chair.
"It was so cold that I didn't even leave my apartment. I literally hibernated," Sam replied, shivering at the memory.
"That sounds like heaven. Reggie had two birthday parties this weekend. Can you imagine? We just got over the holidays and parents want to throw birthday parties. I don't know where they find the time," Vivian answered before asking Martin, "Did you get down to D.C.?"
"I cancelled. I'll be in for a major guilt trip, but I didn't think I could deal with another Fitzgerald family weekend so close after the holidays," Martin responded. Grabbing his coffee mug from off his desk, he held it up. "I'm getting coffee and a bagel. Anyone want anything?"
"No thanks. I'm set."
"No thanks," replied Sam.
Ten minutes later, Jack walked into the bullpen. "Morning," he greeting them gruffly. Without missing a beat, he addressed Vivian, asking, "Viv, did you get a chance to review the Holland report from Friday? Danny said he was going to have you look it over before handing in the official report."
She frowned. "He told me he'd e-mailed it to me, but I didn't see it in my inbox this morning. I left early on Friday so I'm not sure what happened."
"Where is Danny?" Jack asked, looking at his watch.
"Haven't seen him yet," Sam replied and then smiled at him slightly. "But it's not even 8:30, Jack. Let's give the guy a break. Maybe he had a big weekend. Something tells me he wouldn't let the cold weather get in the way of his fun."
"When he does show up, make sure he gets you that report. Van Doren needs it by noon," Jack said as he looked in Viv's direction.
"Will do," Viv replied.
"Morning, Jack," Martin called out, returning to his desk with a coffee and bagel in hand.
"Morning," Jack mumbled as he headed toward his office.
"He get up on the wrong side of the bed?" Martin asked, still not sure how to tell the difference between Jack being Jack and Jack in a really bad mood
"Danny was supposed to send me a report on Friday. I didn't have it in my inbox, so he was just wondering where it was," Vivian explained.
"That might be my fault," Martin responded sheepishly.
"Your fault?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, he'd planned on staying late on Friday to finished it, but I asked him to fill for one the guys at the basketball game – so he said he'd come in this weekend or early this morning to finish it."
Her eyes widening in surprise, she asked, "You got Danny to participate in the FBI basketball league?"
Martin nodded. "It wasn't easy, believe me. It took me all afternoon. He said he could think of about a million other ways to spend his Friday evening, but he finally took pity on me," Martin explained before telling her the kicker. "And I told him I'd finish his expense spreadsheet this quarter."
"That explains it. He'd do anything to get out of completing the dreaded spreadsheet. As would I," Samantha added as she smiled sweetly at Martin.
"That doesn't explain why he hasn't completed the Holland report. He didn't come in this weekend or early this morning. That's not like Danny," Viv said as she turned to face them.
Sam picked up her phone. "Traffic's a bitch this morning. He probably just got held up, but I'll call him to find out."
She dialed his cell phone number and then listened to the rings. "No answer," she said as she listened to Danny's outgoing message. "Danny, it's Samantha. It's Monday morning and we're just wondering where you are. I know it's still early, but Viv's got to finish reviewing your Holland report before turning it over to Jack. Give us a call if you're on your way."
"Maybe he's on the subway," Sam said as she hung up the phone.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Martin said as he returned to his desk.
10:30 am
Two hours later, Danny still hadn't arrived.
"It's not like Danny to be late all, but definitely not like him to not call or to miss a deadline," Viv said as she tapped her pen on the center table.
Martin watched as Sam spoke into her phone. She was leaving Danny yet another message. They'd called his home and cell phone three times each.
"Could he be somewhere other than home? Does he have a girlfriend?" Martin asked.
Viv and Sam looked at each other and shrugged. "No telling," Sam answered as she closed her cell phone. "You never know with Danny. Did he seem okay on Friday night?"
"Yeah, he was great. He hit the winning jump shot to win our game. He was pretty psyched about it, even though he said that playing with a bunch of FBI agents was lame," Martin answered with a smile, shaking his head. "I invited him to come out with the team to celebrate at McHale's pub, but he said he had a thing. That was at about 7:30 on Friday night. I thought it was strange that he didn't want to go, but…"
Viv and Sam shared a knowing look as Martin trailed off.
"What?" Martin asked.
"Nothing," Viv answered quickly. "Danny's just not the type to fraternize with people from work. He does his own thing."
"Yeah, I sensed that," Martin replied. "Back to where he might be: What about family? Does he have any family we could call?"
Viv and Sam shared another look.
"What?" Martin asked again, slightly frustrated this time.
"I honestly don't think he has any," Sam replied in a quiet tone.
"What do you mean? You mean he doesn't have family in the city?"
"No, I mean I don't think he has any at all."
Martin frowned and was about to asked another question, but Jack interrupted as he walked into the bullpen.
"Any luck on tracking Danny down?" he asked, his voice now laced with concern.
"He's not answering his phones, and he hasn't called in," Sam responded, worry now creeping into her voice as well.
Pondering something for a few moments, Jack sighed heavily. "I don't want to dwell on this too much or make a big deal about it. It's most likely nothing, and he'll be here or call any minute. But in the four years that Danny has worked for me, I don't think he's ever been late or not shown up without calling. So if you guys would indulge me, I'm thinking we should make a couple of phone calls and maybe stop by his apartment."
"I think you're right," Viv said, rising from her desk. "It's probably nothing, and we can take turns thumping him in the head when he shows up, but it wouldn't hurt to just make sure everything is okay."
"I know Danny's building. He lives about ten blocks away from me. I'll check that out," Samantha volunteered.
"Great. You and Martin go. Viv and I will make some phone calls here," Jack responded.
Watching Martin and Sam gather their coats and walk out of the bullpen, he pulled a chair over to Viv's desk. "Something's not right, Viv."
"I could tell you are more concerned than you wanted to let on. This really isn't like Danny at all, Jack. Do you want me to start all the preliminary calls?" she asked in a hesitant tone.
Jack nodded as he rose from the chair. "I'll call Lieutenant Davis at NYPD. Maybe he can sniff around without making anything official."
As Jack walked back toward his office, Vivian picked up her telephone started dialing the first number on the list of hospital and morgues that she kept taped to her desk.
11:15 am
"This isn't the best neighborhood," Martin said as he parked his car on the street.
"It's actually been getting better. They're slowly regentrifying this area. Danny figures if he stays here long enough, this neighborhood will become a hot spot. Of course, he's been saying that since I first met him. He's lived here for a long time."
They exited the car and approached the front door of his building. Finding Taylor on the control panel, Sam pressed the corresponding button to buzz his apartment. After a few moments, she pressed it over and over again.
"Either no one is up there or this thing isn't working," she said in a frustrated tone.
Just then, the door opened and a young man walked out. Before the door could close, Martin grabbed it. Holding it open, he waved Samantha through, then followed her in.
"You know which apartment is his?" Martin asked.
"Third floor is all I know," she said as they started to walk up the stairs.
They got to the third floor and both sighed gratefully when they only saw four doors. Wordlessly, they each went to a door on either side of the hallway and knocked. No sound came from Samantha's door, but Martin heard someone stir after he knocked a second time. He knocked again until he heard a female voice call out, "Hold your horses. I'll be there in a second."
"That's definitely not Danny," Martin whispered.
When Sam heard that, she immediately went to the next door and knocked. While she waited for an answer, a young woman finally answered the door Martin waited in front of.
"Can I help you?" she asked in a slightly annoyed tone. Sounds of children playing came from her apartment.
"I'm looking for Danny Taylor's apartment," Martin said, flashing his FBI ID. "Do you know which one is his?"
"Next door," she said motioned to the door next to hers. "But he hasn't been home all weekend."
Turning, Samantha walked over the where Martin was standing. "How do you know that?"
"I usually hear when he comes in or out. These walls are pretty thin. I figured he was working. He works a lot. But when he is around on the weekend, I usually see him on Sundays."
"Sundays?" Martin asked.
"There's a 10 am Mass at St. Luke's. I take my kids to it; I see him there sometimes. And when Danny's home on the weekend, he'll usually check in on me. My husband is serving in the Gulf – has been for nearly a year now," she said as her tone saddened.
"I'm sorry. I'm sure that's very hard for you. I'm Samantha and this is Martin. And you are?" Sam asked.
"Karen. Karen Ruiz."
"Thanks for helping us, Karen. So he wasn't here at all this weekend?" Samantha continued.
"Not as far as I know."
"Do you know if he has a girlfriend? Has he spent a lot of time away from the apartment recently…like maybe he doesn't live here all the time?" Martin asked.
"He's pretty private. I don't know much about him. My husband got to know him a little before he left for the war. My husband's Cuban, like Danny, so they had a little bit in common. Anyway, before my Andy left, he said that Danny was trustworthy and that he'd look out for the kids and me since we don't have any family here. So Danny makes sure we're okay. It's not like I see him every day or even once a week. He's just a friendly face in a not so friendly neighborhood. That said, I don't think he has a regular girlfriend or someone he goes and sees. He seems to be here most of the time when he's not working. But recently, a woman has been stopping by his apartment. She was here on Friday night."
"Danny? Danny?" a female voice called out from the hallway.
Opening her door, Karen poked her head out. "He's not here, honey."
"Strange. He said he'd be here tonight," the woman said as she looked over at Karen. "Do you know where he could be?"
"I actually haven't seen or heard him much all week, but I thought I heard him leave earlier tonight, around eight or eight-thirty.
"Do you have a pen and piece of paper? I'd like to leave him a note," the woman asked.
"Sure," Karen replied.
"I gave her a pen and paper. She scribbled a note to him and slid it under the door. Then she thanked me and left."
"Did she seem angry?" Samantha asked.
"A little, but more annoyed than angry. She looked tired. She was wearing hospital scrubs, like maybe she'd been working a long shift at the hospital."
Before they could follow up with another question, Samantha's cell phone rang. "Spade," she answered.
"You got anything?" Jack asked.
Turning away from Martin and Karen, Sam answered, "His neighbor says she doesn't think he's been home all weekend. Apparently, a woman was here on Friday night looking for him, but other than that, his neighbor doesn't know where he might be. Have you found anything?" she asked in a hesitant tone, knowing that Jack and Viv were contacting hospitals and morgues.
"No. Nothing. I know it's not even noon yet, but since it seems like he hasn't been home in days, maybe you should try getting into his apartment. There might be something in there that will tell us where he went and why."
"I'll find the super to let us in," Sam responded. "I'll call you back."
Closing her phone, she turned back to Karen and Martin. "Is there a super on the premises?"
"On the first floor," Karen replied. "You want him to let you into Danny's place?"
"Yes. We work with Danny. He isn't the type to not show up for work, so we just want to make sure he is okay."
Nodding, Karen opened the top drawer of the bureau by her front door. "In that case, I can give you my key."
"You have a key?" Martin asked curiously.
"Don't get any ideas. Danny's just a friend of our family. Besides, Danny's not my type. Who needs tall, dark and handsome when I have my Andy – he's short, stocky and probably only handsome to me," she said as she handed Sam a picture from the top of the bureau.
Sam looked at the picture of Karen, who was short and plump in a very cute way, her twins and her husband in his serviceman uniform. "You have a beautiful family. I'm sure your husband misses you like crazy," Sam said with a smile.
Karen smiled and then continued. "I only have a key because Danny takes pity on me. He pays me every week to do some light housekeeping. Mostly, I just pick up his dry-cleaning and unload his dishwasher. He's a low-maintenance guy who keeps his apartment neat as a pin," Karen said. Opening the door to his apartment, she told them, "Stay as long as you need. Drop the key off when you're finished. I can't leave the twins alone." With a quick glance at them, she hurried back to her apartment.
Sam and Martin entered, quickly surveying the one-room apartment to make sure Danny wasn't lying unconscious or that there weren't any obvious signs of foul play.
"She's right," Sam said in a surprised tone. "Besides the unmade bed, it's as neat as a pen."
"This is weird," Martin said as he glanced in the kitchen area.
"What?" Sam responded, turning to him.
"Just this. I mean, are we actually supposed to start rummaging through Danny's things like we would on a case? I haven't known Danny long, but from what I've gathered so far – he's not going to like it."
"Well, then, let's start slow. We won't start going through drawers and medicine cabinets just yet," she said as she turned back toward the door and picked up the note that the woman had slid under it on Friday night. "I'll read this while you find his answering machine and see if there are any messages that might tell us where he is."
"Okay," Martin replied as he walked toward the nightstand, next to the bed.
Feeling a little nervous, Sam opened the folded note and began to read aloud:
Danny,
I stopped by tonight like we planned, but you aren't here. Call me tonight when you get home. I'll be on-call for the rest of the night.
Em
"Hmmm," Samantha mumbled as she silently read over the note again. Then she heard a beep coming from where Martin had found the answering machine.
1st message – "Hey, Dan the man, you said you'd be at the 9:00 meeting. What gives? Call me."
2nd message – "This is getting ridiculous, Danny. You're the one who said you don't like games. Call me. Don't call me. Just…I…just…I don't want it to end like this, on a bad note. So call me. Please."
3rd call – hang up
4th call – hang up
5th-8th messages – from Samantha
"Okay, so we've got one message on Friday night at 10:30 pm from an unidentified male who Danny was supposed to meet at 9:00."
"He did say that he had a thing when he left the gym on Friday," Martin said. "But I just thought he was blowing me off. And then the next message definitely sounds like the woman who was supposed to meet him at 11. In fact, I'd be willing to bet the two hang ups are from her as well."
"You're assuming she's some overly needy stalker chic?" she asked, arching her eyebrow.
"Maybe Danny's trying to avoid her," Martin replied. "Maybe he just had to get away for the weekend."
"Then why would he ask her to meet him here at 11?" Sam asked skeptically.
"Maybe she just said that to Karen. Maybe she was lying."
"Maybe," Samantha finally agreed hesitantly.
"Okay, so the note isn't giving us much. The messages didn't give us much either. So now do we have to start rummaging?" Martin asked, his tone and facial expression a dead giveaway as to how much he dreaded the task.