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February 3, 2004
“Where the hell is Fitzgerald?” Jack asked, annoyed.“Over here, boss,” Martin replied.
Jack looked around for Martin, having heard his reply, but still didn’t see him. “Where’s here?” he asked.
“Under Danny’s desk again,” Vivian answered, pointing to the desk in question, and the legs sticking out from under it.
Jack glared at Danny.
“What?!” Danny balked. “Is it my fault whoever designed the computer layouts around here didn’t take long legs into account when they hooked the damn things up?”
“What I’d like to know,” Jack began, “is why you haven’t figured out how to reconnect the wires by yourself by now.”
“I know how to do it,” Danny quickly retorted. “Fitz just does it... faster.”
“Right,” Jack deadpanned. “Well, it can’t all be fun and games around here, we’ve got a job to do, people.”
Martin gave Danny a dirty look as he crawled out from under the desk and brushed off his pants.
“That’s the last time, Taylor,” he said.
“What, and give up the money Viv and Samantha have been paying me so they get to see you on your hands and knees with a great view of your ass? No way!”
Martin rolled his eyes at Danny and headed toward the conference table. As the two men seated themselves, Jack began speaking.
*******
Martin and Danny were in the parking garage heading to their car. They had a list of people they needed to interview regarding their latest case, one involving a missing college student, Colleen McMurphy.
“So Viv and Samantha can look at my ass?” Martin asked after the doors to the car closed.
“Didn’t know I was taking money on the side now, didja?” Danny replied smoothly, setting the car in motion. “You thought it was just me getting the cheap thrills.”
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do with you, Danny,” Martin said with a sigh.
“Anything you want, Fitz my boy. Anything you want,” Danny said with a smile. “And don’t start rolling those eyes at me again, Fitz. You know it’s true.”
“Can we just get on with the case now? Please?”
This time Danny rolled his eyes. “Fine. Who are we going to see first? The girl’s boyfriend, ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend?”
“Ex-girlfriend, Tammy Gruberstein, is closer; might as well start with her,” Martin replied. “According to the mother, they broke up last month after going out for six months. That’s when she started dating the boyfriend. Guess she decided that she liked boys better.”
“Don’t we all?” Danny quipped, then quickly added, “And don’t roll your eyes at me again, Fitzgerald! You were thinking it, too!”
Martin laughed, knowing he’d been caught. “Fine, Danny. You got me. But can we get back on the case now? Like Jack said, it can’t all be fun and games.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Danny groused. “So what, the last time anyone saw Colleen was Wednesday after her biology class. Her roommate said she stayed after class to ask some questions about an assignment and was supposed to meet her later for dinner.”
“And didn’t show,” Martin finished. “Up there on the left,” he then said, directing Danny to an apartment building down the road. “And then when she didn’t show up Thursday or Friday at home or at class, she called Colleen’s mother, thinking that she went home.”
“Because she’s done that before,” Danny said, picking up the train of thought as he parked the car. “Mom said Colleen has had some problems with school and being away from home at times, but usually she doesn’t skip class.”
“Thus, us.”
The two men walked up the sidewalk and into the apartment building foyer. Double checking their information, Tammy Gruberstein’s address, they headed up to the second floor and apartment 2C. Martin knocked on the door.
After a few minutes the door opened and a middle-aged man answered the door.
“Yeah?” he asked.
Martin and Danny opened their badge cases and showed their identification.
“We’re looking for Tammy Gruberstein. Is she here?” Danny asked.
“She don’t live here anymore,” the man said gruffly.
“And you are...?” Martin asked.
“Her father. Or, at least I used to be.”
Danny and Martin quickly got the impression that the father and daughter had parted under less than friendly circumstances.
“Can you tell us where she lives now?” Danny asked.
The man closed his eyes and sighed. “Why? Is she in some kind of trouble?” There was worry in his voice now.
“Actually, we’re looking for a friend of Tammy’s. Colleen McMurphy?” Martin replied. “Do you know her?”
“Colleen? Oh, shit,” Mr. Gruberstein muttered. “Look, why don’t you boys come in. This might take a bit.”
The two agents entered the small apartment and were shown to the living room, where they sat on the couch at the man’s urging. After a few minutes of silence, Danny spoke up.
“Mr. Gruberstein?”
“Colleen and Tammy... they uh, they were dating. Each other,” he said, not quite meeting Danny or Martin’s eyes, unsure of how they’d take the news.
“We know,” Martin said quietly. “Colleen’s mom told us.”
“I guess she wasn’t too happy about it, either,” Gruberstein said. “But for different reasons than me.”
“How’s that?” Danny asked.
“I love my daughter. And I’ve known about her preference for dating other girls and I haven’t cared. Hell, after the abuse her sister put up with, with her boyfriend and husbands, I’d almost been glad about it.” He stopped then.
“But...” Martin prodded.
“But then she met Colleen.” Gruberstein’s eyes met Martin’s directly. “Damn spoiled brat was almost worse than any boy. At least with the boys Tammy knew what they wanted, expected them to string her along and break her heart.”
“Who broke off their relationship?” Martin asked.
“Colleen did. Flat out told my Tammy that she’d just used her. Experimented.”
“So what happened between you and Tammy?” Danny asked.
“Tammy wouldn’t let her go. She became obsessed. Spent this whole last month thinking she’d get her back. She quit work, quit school... We argued all the time.”
Danny and Martin exchanged looks. They now had reason to believe that foul play may be involved in Colleen’s disappearance, and quite possibly, Tammy was their suspect.
“Do you know where she is?”
“I wish I did.”
“If you talk to Tammy, or have any other information, can you give us a call?” Martin asked, handing Mr. Gruberstein his business card.
“Sure.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gruberstein,” Danny said, shaking the man’s hand as they left the apartment.
Outside the apartment building, walking to their car, the two shared their thoughts.
“So we have a jilted ex-lover,” Danny said. “One of the more popular angles.”
“Now we just need to find her. When we get back to the office, I’ll run checks on her credit cards and see if she’s updated anything at the DMV or school. So, now, on to the ex-boyfriend’s?”
“Lead on, McDuff!”
*******
Danny sat at the table and took another sip from Martin’s coffee cup as he listened to Martin’s side of a conversation with Jack.
“Yeah, Jack. We just got done talking with Steve Farrell’s mother. According to her, he hasn’t seen her in almost eight months, since they broke up. Nah, he graduated last year. That’s when they broke up, when he went on to grad school out of state. She got mad because he wouldn’t stay around here for grad school and dumped him. You gonna have the Boston office talk to him in person? Might as well.”
“Ask him if Viv found anything at school yet,” Danny told him.
“Danny wants to know if Vivian found anything,” he relayed. “Uh huh. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, we’re heading to the current boyfriend’s next. Later.” After he closed his cell phone, he turned to Danny and relayed the information he’d gotten from Jack. “Samantha’s been checking with the phone company. No phone calls on Colleen’s cell since Tuesday night to her mom. Vivian talked a couple of Colleen’s professors. She’s been doing fine in school this semester. No drastic changes in grades or anything, her attendance is above average. She’s got another year before she gets her degree in biology.”
“Biology, huh?” Danny mused, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah...” Martin replied, warily, not knowing where Danny was going.
“I wonder if that includes human biology, you know, mating rituals and such...”
Martin’s head dropped down so that his chin touched his chest. He was shaking his head as he raised it back up and said, “You are seriously deranged, you know that?”
“That’s why you love me.”
“You drank all my coffee, too,” Martin groused, ignoring Danny’s comment as he stood up and headed to the diner’s counter to get another one.
Danny just smiled and followed Martin, putting a couple of dollars on the counter to pay for the coffees before Martin could.
*******
“So, David, when was the last time you saw Colleen?” Danny asked.
David Kemper, Colleen’s current boyfriend, had been expecting them. He’d already been in contact with Colleen’s mother, his number being the first she’d called when Colleen went missing.
“Wednesday morning,” he replied. “She’d stayed here overnight. She had to get up early for her eight-thirty, so I’d say it was around seven or so.”
“Did she seem okay to you? Or was she worried about anything?” Martin asked.
“You two have a fight?” Danny put in.
“She seemed fine. At least I think so. I mean, we’ve only been going out for a couple of months,” David replied. “There’s still a lot I don’t know about her.”
“A couple of months?” Martin asked.
“Yeah... I asked her out right around Thanksgiving time.”
“Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Colleen?” Danny asked.
“Hurt her?” David repeated. “No. Not hurt her.”
“Someone came to mind, though. Maybe not to hurt her... Who are you thinking of, David?” Danny asked.
“You’re gonna think this is crazy.”
“Try us,” Martin countered.
“She’s got this chick after her. Keeps calling her cell phone and stuff. The girl’s freaky.”
“That wouldn’t be Tammy Gruberstein, would it?” Danny asked.
“That’s her.”
“When’s the last time you saw or heard from her?” Danny asked.
“She was here Tuesday night. She followed Colleen here. Accused me of stealing Colleen from her. I told her that if she didn’t leave I was gonna call the cops,” David replied.
“Did she leave?” Martin asked.
“Yeah, finally.”
“Do you know where Tammy lives?”
“Yeah, over on Twenty-third. It was the first place I went to look for Colleen.”
“I take it you didn’t find her?” Danny asked.
David shook his head and said, “Tammy wasn’t there, either.”
“Why don’t you write down the address for us,” Danny told him, giving him a pen and a piece of paper.
“And if you can think of anything else, give us a call,” Martin added, giving David one of his business cards.
*******
“Well, it looks like the jilted-ex is still the number one suspect,” Danny said as he drove toward Twenty-third Street.
“Jack and Vivian are already on their way,” Martin said as he closed his cell phone. “Samantha did a background check on Tammy and came up empty. No criminal history, not even a parking ticket. They’re bringing in her father for another interview to try to get some more background information on her.”
“And according to what David said, it looks like he started dating Colleen before Colleen broke up with Tammy. So not only is Tammy the jilted ex, but the cheated on ex, too,” Danny mused.
“Which puts another spin on things,” Martin remarked.
“What would you do if I cheated on you?” Danny asked.
“Excuse me?!”
“What would you do if I cheated on you?” Danny repeated.
“I don’t know...,” Martin replied slowly, warily. “I don’t have to be worrying about that, do I?”
“Would you dump me? Or, would you stalk me to try to win me over once and for all?” Danny pressed on. “Would you forgive me?”
“Danny, why are we having this conversation?” Martin asked, clearly uncomfortable. “And why are we having it now? We’re on our way to a suspect’s apartment, for Christ’s sake!”
“What if I cheated on you with a woman? Would that be worse than if it was another guy?”
“Will you stop this!!” Martin yelled.
“I’m just trying to get a frame of mind - to try and figure out how Tammy might be feeling,” Danny finally reasoned.
“Well it won’t work,” Martin replied tersely. “She’s ten years younger than us and female. Totally different perspectives. There’s no comparison.”
“So, what would you do?” Danny asked.
“I’m already thinking of shooting you,” Martin replied, garnering a smile from Danny.
*******
The four agents arrived outside Tammy’s apartment and discussed their plan. Danny and Martin would go to the front door, and talk to Tammy, in the hopes that they’d also find Colleen, safe and sound inside. Jack and Vivian would provide back up in case anything didn’t go according to plan.
Danny knocked on the door. After a minute or so, he heard footsteps approach the door.
“Who is it?” a feminine voice called out.
“FBI, Ms. Gruberstein,” Danny replied. “We’d like to talk to you. Can you open your door, please?”
When they received no response, Martin added, “Tammy, we really need to talk to you. We’d like to do this the easy way, but if you don’t open the door, we can get a warrant.”
Finally, after a few tense seconds, they heard the door unlock, and Tammy opened the door.
“What’s this about?” she asked.
Danny pushed the door open further and looked around the apartment as he stepped in, Martin following.
“We’re looking for Colleen McMurphy,” Danny said. “Have you seen her?”
“Colleen?” Tammy asked, tremors in her voice. “Uh, no. No I haven’t seen her in weeks.”
“David Kemper says different,” Martin replied. “He says you saw her Tuesday night.”
“He’s lying.”
“So then you wouldn’t mind if we looked around, would you,” Danny said.
“No, of course not,” Tammy replied. “But I don’t know why you’d be looking for anything here. Colleen dumped me last month. She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Doesn’t mean you don’t want anything to do with her, though,” Martin retorted as he started looking around the apartment.
Danny and Martin headed for the hallway, which led to the bedroom and bathroom, they presumed. They had Tammy walk ahead of them, so that they could keep an eye on her. Tammy opened the bathroom door first and Danny peered in, opening up the shower curtain and looking under the vanity.
Then Tammy opened the bedroom door. She stepped to the side of the door as Danny and Martin entered and began looking around. Then, as Martin headed for the closet door, she let out a shriek and barreled toward him, jumping on his back and sending him head first into the door.
“No! You can’t have her! She’s mine!” Tammy shouted.
“Martin!” Danny called, rushing around the bed to help his partner.
Tammy was pounding her fists about Martin’s head and back as she yelled and screamed again as Danny grabbed her around her waist to pull her off Martin.
Though shorter and lighter than he was, Danny had his hands full as Tammy continued to struggle, kicking and screaming in his arms. He’d just about lost his grip on her when he Jack and Vivian entered the bedroom and helped subdue her, each grabbing a hand and putting a handcuff on a wrist. Danny shoved her to the floor and Jack and Vivian brought Tammy’s hands behind her back and cuffed her wrists together with both of their sets of handcuffs.
As soon as he knew Tammy was secure, Danny rushed over to his fallen partner, calling, “Fitz?”
Martin turned over with a groan, bringing his hands up to his forehead and rubbing it lightly. “Check the closet,” he ordered, remembering Colleen.
Danny put his hand to Martin’s cheek and met his gaze, assuring his condition, before opening the closet door.
There, inside, was Colleen McMurphy, bound and gagged, frightened eyes brimming with tears.
“It’s alright, now,” Danny soothed, carefully removing the gag from the young woman’s mouth. “You’re safe.”
He watched as Colleen’s gaze went to Tammy, who was being hauled up to a standing position by Jack and Vivian.
“I did this for us!” Tammy cried. “I love you!”
“Get her out of here,” Danny requested, and watched as his teammates led Tammy out. “Are you okay?” he then asked Colleen as he cut the ropes that bound her hands and feet with his pocket knife.
“I am now,” she replied shakily. “But what about him? Who’s he?” she asked, pointing to Martin.
Danny looked at Martin, who was still lying on the floor, now with his eyes closed.
“Fitz?” Danny called. “Martin?” He reached out and gently tapped Martin’s cheek and got no response. “Shit,” he cursed and reached out to feel for his pulse. He sighed in relief when he found a good strong one and reached for his cell phone. “I need an ambulance up here, Jack. Martin’s out cold.”
*******
Danny sat next to the bed and turned the page on the magazine he wasn’t reading. The doctors said Martin had sustained a minor concussion as a result of having his head slammed into the closet door, and would be feeling its effects for a few days to come.
In the six hours since they’d taken him to the hospital, Martin had regained and lost consciousness at least five times. And each time Danny was there to reassure him, to tell him that they’d solved the case and saved Colleen McMurphy.
“I thought you said there’d be no comparison, Fitz,” Danny murmured, gently running his fingers through Martin’s hair. “Yet, she attacked you anyway.”
“Yeah, she attacked me, not Colleen,” Martin murmured, opening bleary eyes to look at Danny. “Still no comparison. I’d still shoot you,” he added, groaning and closing his eyes again as he moved his head, trying to get more comfortable.
Danny chuckled, glad that despite the pain his partner must be in, he still had his sense of humor.
“Nah, I’m too cute. You wouldn’t want to mar this body.” He waited for Martin to agree with him. “Right?”
“I think you’re smart enough to know what you’ve got and not risk losing it,” Martin finally said. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Danny. “I know that’s how I feel, anyway.”
“Don’t worry, partner, I know what’s important. And who.” He smiled down at Martin, gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and added, “Now you close your eyes again and get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up again.”
“You’re just waiting around for the nurses to give me a sponge bath so you can see my ass,” Martin said as he closed his eyes.
“You’re onto me, Fitz. You a cop or something?” Danny laughed.
“Or something.”
END