Chapter Four:

Bo pulled on a pair of gloves as he walked into her house.

“Alright people what do we have?”

“Not much, this is the only thing we’ve found so far, but it’s a biggie.”

Antonio hands Bo the note already sealed in an evidence bag.

“Where did you find this?”

“It was lying on her desk on top of the mail.”

“Thomas”

“Yes sir?”

“I want you and John here to go through all of Nora’s past client files. From the sound of this letter someone’s out for revenge. I want you to look through the files for those clients she defended but were found guilty. Go back as far as you can.”

“Yes sir.”

“Okay so let’s go over what we know so far. Nora and I left the station at approximately 12:45 this morning. She obviously made it home since her car, briefcase and purse are here. She found this letter, maybe went to bed. Maryann and Matthew came home around 7:30, but no Nora. So far there’s no visible evidence of a struggle between her and the person who took her.”

“Commissioner I’m going to take this letter to the lab and have it dusted for fingerprints. I doubt we’ll find any prints other than Nora’s.”

“Thanks Jamison. (walks over to the other officers that were looking through her desk) Have you guys found the envelope?”

“No sir, not yet. We just started to go through the desk and trash can.”

“Commissioner?”

“Yeah Antonio?”

“We found something, sir.”

Bo walked over to where Antonio and another detective were examining the bookshelf behind Nora’s desk.

“What have you got?”

“Blood, sir.”

Nora pulled herself further up against the wall. Her arms were aching from being bound behind her back and the rope around her ankles had already cut her skin. The gag in her mouth was making her nauseous, or was it the fear? So many of the same fears she had when she was being held by Colin rushed to the surface. She tried to move her wrists hoping maybe the knot would come loose but all she succeeded in doing was to cut her wrists. She could feel the blood dripping down her arm as she tried to fight back the tears.

She could hear Nick out in the other room and wondered when he was going to make an appearance; she didn’t have to wait long.

“Good afternoon, Nora.”

Nora just stared at him trying not to show him how scared she was.

“I bet you’re hungry. I brought you some soup.”

He walked over and took the gag out of her mouth. She looked at him wanting to smack that grin off his face. He sat down on the bed and brought a spoonful of soup to her lips. She turned her head away. He grabbed her face and forced the spoon in her mouth. She spit the clear liquid in his face. He looked at her and slapped her causing her lip to bleed.

“Still a tough one I see. Well when I’m done with you, you won’t be so tough. I’m going to knock that holier than thou attitude right out of you. I’m going to enjoy knocking you down a peg. (he stands up and lays the soup bowl back on the table. He walks over sits back down beside her on the bed.) Poor Bo, I bet he’s going out of his mind trying to find his beautiful wife.”

“Ex-wife, Nick. Bo and I have been divorced for a while now.”

She studied his face trying to read his expressions. Part of this plan was revenge on Bo basing it on the fact that her and Bo we’re still married. She saw something flash in his eyes but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Well I am sorry about that Nora but its still going to be a pleasure taking someone from him he cares about, someone he once loved very much. I’ve been watching you for the past couple of weeks and I’ve seen the two of you with your son. He’s the spitting image of his father.”

“You stay away from our son.”

“I’m sorry that this is all happening to you but you see you brought it on yourself. Like they say what goes around comes around. My son lost his father, your son loses his mother. I lost my wife, Bo loses you.”

“No Nick, you lost your son and wife the minute you decided to break the law.”

“No Nora, you failed my son when you half-heartedly defended me, the LPD failed my son with all of their red tape and policies.”

“I gave your case my all, Nick, just like I give every case.”

“That’s not the way I see it and since I’m the one that just spent the last 7 years locked away from his family I’m going to be the judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to getting justice for my family and for myself.”

“I still don’t see what you think kidnapping me is going to accomplish, Nick.”

“I want the commissioner to know what it feels like to loose the most important thing in his life, to have his world crumble around him.”

“I already told you Bo and I aren’t married anymore.”

“Doesn’t really matter, married or not you are still an important part of his life, besides it doesn’t take much to see the way you two look at each other when you’re with each other. Like I said I’ve been watching you closely. I’m not blind, although you two must be.”

“You’re mistaken Nick. Bo and I are just friends.”

“No you’re more than that you’re the mother of his child Nora and there aren’t many connections in this world as strong as that.”

He reached over and ran a finger down her cheek. Images of her time with Colin flashed before her eyes and she was having a hard time breathing.

“That’s a really nasty cut on your head.”

“Go to hell.”

“Very well Mrs. Buchanan. Oh, you might as well make yourself as comfortable as possible. We’ll be spending quite some time with each other.”

“You’re one sick bastard Nick Manzo and when Bo finds you you’ll be lucky if you’re still standing.”

He walked back over to her and grabbed her face squeezing so hard she could feel his nails cutting into her skin.

“He’ll be the one brought to his knees when he realizes he was too late to save his precious, Nora.”

He grabbed the tray and walked out of the room leaving her alone once again.

“Hurry Bo, if anyone can find me it’ll be you.”

Bo was sitting in his office waiting for the forensic reports to come in on the letter and the blood they found. He picked up the picture that was sitting on the corner of his desk. He looked into the eyes of their son and he could feel the emotions rising up and trying to take over. He sits back and closes his eyes thinking to himself….

“Good one Buchanan. It takes her getting kidnapped for you to finally realize what she means to you. You’re a fool Buchanan, a big time fool. It takes her “dying” before you realize you had forgiven her a long time ago for the past. She’s alive and you become friends, best friends again. You go from one lousy relationship to the next knowing deep down if you were just honest with yourself you would’ve seen those relationships were doomed to fail because they weren’t Nora. Now you share a child, the child you both wanted and longed for, you fight your feelings once again and now it takes her life lying in the balance before you finally pull your head out of the sand and listen to your heart.”

He sat up and looked down at Matthew’s picture before putting it back on the corner of his desk. He’s brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Sir we have the reports.”

“Okay let’s have it.”

“The only prints we found on the note were Nora’s. They came up empty in her house too, just Nora’s fingerprints, Matthew’s, the nanny, and yours.”

“And the blood?”

“It’s Nora’s and it’s fresh. Within the past 12 hours fresh.”

“Damnit, Nora where are you?”

Antonio looked at Bo and he knew right then and there that finding Nora was a matter of life and death for her and for Bo.