She climbs into her bed, after a long day, and a quick shower. She pushes her unruly hair out of her way, and meets up with her pillow. She pulls the covers over herself, and closes her eyes. Before she can even get situated, her phone begins to ring. She rolls over, and reaches for the phone, that rests on her bedside stand.
"Rizzoli," she answers, in irritation.
"See you in fifteen, I'll text you the address," her partner tells her.
"I just got into bed," she admits.
"I hadn't even made it there, yet," he reveals.
"Ok, Frost, I'll see you in a few," she agrees.
She gets out of the bed, and stumbles into the closet. She pulls on the first clean outfit that she can find. She slides on a pair of shoes, and grabs her badge, keys, and gun, and heads out of the apartment. She finds herself parked in front of a nice brownstone, less than half an hour later. She walks across the street, towards the crime scene tape. Her partner meets her in front of the steps.
He looks at her, nervously. He hands her a pair of booties, and shakes his head.
"Put these on," he warns.
"How bad?"
"The victim is Hannah Gabriel, forty seven. Neighbor found her."
"Oh?"
"I doubt that Maura will be able to determine cause of death, here," he adds.
"Why not?"
"She's not a miracle worker," he replies, as they begin their ascent of the stairs.
"Meaning?"
"The victim, and the house are both covered in blood."
She follows him into the house. Korsak waits on them. He stands over the body. A woman, wearing a pencil skirt, and a button up blouse lies on the floor, covered in blood. She lies face down, on the dark hardwood floor. Jane squats, to get a better look. She hears heels clicking on the floor. She looks up, and finds Maura coming towards them. Maura pulls on gloves, squats, to examine the body.
Jane rises, and looks around the room. Things are strewn across the room. Furniture is overturned. Family pictures, on the wall are covered in blood. Jane studies the family picture, on the wall. The victim, her husband, and a littler girl. It is hard to make out the faces, through all the blood. Frost moves towards Jane.
"The neighbor said she thought that the daughter was supposed to be at home, with her mother. The victim's husband, James Gabriel, is supposed to be out of town."
"So, we've got a missing kid?" Jane questions.
He shrugs, "Maybe."
"Ok," she walks out of the living room, towards the stairs. She heads up the stairs, with a flashlight. She does a quick sweep of the master suite. She moves past a bathroom, and a spare bedroom. At the end of the hall, on the left she stops. She finds a closed wooden door, with a decal on it. It reads: Abbie's Room. She turns the knob, and pushes the door open. She flips on the light, to the right of the door. The light reveals a desk, a dresser, and a throw rug. There are toys scattered all over the floor. The pink bedspread rests over a chair, and the foot of the bed, serving as a fort. Jane squats, she lifts up the pink bedspread, and looks underneath. She finds dolls stuffed underneath. She pushes some of them out of the way, only to reveal more dolls. Satisfied, she gets off the floor.
She moves towards the closet. She opens the door. She finds a closet full of clothes. There are clothes on the back of the door. Clothes on the shelves. Clothes on the rack. There are even clothes on the floor. And shoes, congregated in a back corner. Jane notices a pair of purple converse, that seem out of place. She squats, and reaches for the shoes. They don't move, as she gently tugs.
She feels her stomach do a back flip. Her heart begins to pound. Her heart sinks into her stomach. She feels horror, for what she thinks that she is about to encounter. She swallows hard, expecting to find a dead child. Before she reaches for the pile of clothes, to get a better look, a voice startles her.
"Who are you?" A voice questions, towards the back of the closet.
Jane furrows her brow. She pushes aside some of the clothes, that are hanging, over head. Jane smiles, and sighs, in relief.
"I'm detective Jane Rizzoli, what about you? What's your name, sweetie?"
"I'm Abbie," she reveals.
"Abbie why don't you come out of there, for me?"
"Ok," the girl nods, reluctantly.
Jane steps out of the closet, allowing the girl room to maneuver. She dumps the clothes off of herself, and pushes herself off the ground. She stands up, and comes out of the closet. Jane just stares at her, as she moves towards her.
"Abbie, can you tell me why you were hiding in the closet?"
"I was up here, playing in my fort."
"That's a very nice fort," Jane comments, "did you make it yourself?"
"Yes," she answers.
"What happened, when you were playing in your fort?"
"I heard shouting, and then I heard things breaking. I got scared, so I hid in the closet."
"Abbie, how old are you?"
"Six," she smiles, widely, revealing a missing front tooth.
"Abbie I'm going to have you come with me, ok?"
"Where are we going? What happened? Is mommy ok?"
"Abbie do you have any family that lives nearby?"
"My brothers. Josh, and Andy."
"How old are your brothers?"
"Andy is twenty, and Josh is twenty four."
"Do you know their numbers?"
"Yes," she points to her desk, "I have them, right here."
Jane looks at the desk. There are papers, and pencils, and a random assortment of items all over the desk, kind of like her own. Abbie reaches the desk. She moves one pile, and pulls out the paper that she is looking for. She hands it to Jane.
"Here you go."
"Abbie why don't you pack some clothes? I am going to make some phone calls, ok?"
"Please stay here, with me," Abbie begs.
"Ok," Jane nods in agreement.
Abbie tosses some clothes into a backpack. Jane grabs a blanket, off the bed, as Abbie zips up her bag.
"Abbie can you listen very closely?"
"Yes," Abbie nods, in agreement.
"I am going to take you downstairs. I am going to carry you, because I don't want you to step in any broken glass. It's kind of chilly outside, so I'm going to wrap this blanket around you."
"I have a jacket."
Jane watches, as Abbie climbs under the desk. She furbishes a jacket. She slides it on. Jane smiles at her. She pulls the hood, over the little girl's head.
"I want you to keep you eyes closed when we go downstairs, ok?"
"Why?"
"I think that it would be better if you didn't see what's down there."
"Where are you taking me?"
"I am going to take you out to my car, while we wait on some people. Ok?"
"Ok," Abbie nods.
Jane lifts Abbie onto her hip. She slings Abbie's backpack over her shoulder. She secures Abbie's hood. She leaves the room, flipping off the light. She walks down the hall, stopping at the top of the stairs, for a brief moment. She descends the stairs. Her co-workers stare at her, as she rushes through the living room, out the door, and down the stairs. Frost follows her out. She stops at a police cruiser, and sets Abbie on the hood. Abbie peels off her hood.