Chapter Text
Tim walked into Lucy's apartment and was immediately hit by the smell of something burning. Without taking off his shoes or backpack, he rushed to the kitchen to find the sauce on the pan nearly evaporated, and onions, garlic, and peppers charred and stuck to the bottom of the pan. He turned the stove off and faced the living room again. The ambiance was dim, with only a few lit candles arranged haphazardly around the room - far fewer than the usual amount for one of Lucy's romantic evenings in. He also spotted the lighter he had seen many times before discarded on the ground.
"Lucy?" Tim called out, but only silence answered him.
"Tamara?" Still no response.
He dropped his backpack and ran to Lucy's room, forgoing knocking and nearly breaking the door down. He searched in the room, bathroom, closet, and even out the window, but there was no sign of either of them. Moving on to Tamara's room, he knocked softly at first, then more frantically until he pushed the door open. His face fell when he saw it was empty too.
Back in the living room, Tim made three calls. The first to Lucy rang for what felt like forever before going to voicemail, the second to Tamara went straight to voicemail, and the third to Angela, who thankfully picked up.
"What's up, everything okay?" Angela greeted, already sounding concerned. Tim and Angela had been best friends for a long time, but they rarely called each other unless it was a holiday, one of their birthdays, or they were making plans.
"Hey, I need you," he said urgently. "Lucy's gone." He closed his eyes tightly and willed his tears back. Saying the words out loud made things more real and it hurt so damn much.
"Gone?" Angela asked, and Tim could see her frown through the line. "Wait, did she brea-"
Tim cut her off with a pained sound at the back of his throat. "No, not like that. She's been taken," he explained, his voice strained.
"What?" Angela stuttered in shock. "I just saw Lucy at the station two hours ago."
"Yes, and I saw her this morning, but now she's gone," Tim rushed to say, knowing they were already many steps behind and running out of time.
Angela talked to someone in the background, presumably Wesley, but the white noise in his head was too loud and he couldn't make out the words. "Tim, I'm putting you on speaker. Start from the beginning, what happened?"
Tim tried to remain calm and explained everything. He listed the steps that led to his discovery in a robotic, stoic tone, like when he talked to victims or suspects, but Angela hummed, and he knew she could hear the panic hidden behind his words. He was trying to detach himself from the words coming out of his mouth but each one left a trail of heartbreak behind.
"Is it normal for Tamara's phone to be off?" Angela asked.
Tim took a moment to think through her question before he replied, "Yes, but only if she's on an exam or something. It's finals week, so it makes sense."
Angela hummed in understanding. "Okay. Does anything look off?"
Tim heard a door closing and quick footsteps through the phone's speaker, and it spurred him on. He looked around the living room, noticing that nothing was really out of place. "No, but…" He trailed off, and really looked. "Wait, yes. But only if you look hard enough. If you know what you're looking for."
Angela sighed, and Tim knew he sounded crazy even to someone who knew him as well as her. "Okay, Bradford. You're not making much sense, but here's what we're going to do," she said. "I'm on my way there. Wes already called Grey, and he's having Thorsen or Nolan pick up Tamara. And I'll call Harper when we hang up."
Angela fell silent, and Tim could hear movement on the phone, so he knew she was keeping her word. Wesley talked to Angela before she asked, "Do you know Tamara's class?"
Tim thought back to the previous nights and eventually settled on what he thought was the right answer. "Last few times I was here, she mentioned studying for Sociology and Analytics, so if I had to guess, I'd say it's one of those two."
"Okay, that's good. Thank you," Angela said.
Tim nodded, even though Angela couldn't see him, but his mind was running through a loop of worst-case scenarios, and he struggled to shake them off.
"Tim?" Angela's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Yeah?" He replied, his voice tight with anxiety.
"Calm down, I promise we will figure this out. I will be there soon," Angela reassured him.
Tim took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing thoughts. He nodded again, grateful for Angela's support. As she hung up, a tear rolled down his cheek, but he quickly wiped it away, determined to stay strong for Lucy.
-x-x-x-
As he waited, Tim retraced his steps, hoping to find something he had missed in Lucy's apartment, but the search was as fruitless as the first. Exhausted and disheartened, he slumped against the wall, burying his head in his knees.
As his mind ran through a new list of worst-case scenarios, the sound of the elevator bell interrupted his thoughts, and Tim found himself enveloped in an embrace from Angela. She held him tightly, offering him the comfort and support he desperately needed.
After a moment, Angela pulled back and instructed Tim to wait for the others to arrive while she started searching. "Don't bother. I already tried," Tim said, his eyes downcast.
But Angela, being a detective and his best friend, was determined to help. "Let me try, yeah?" she said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her."
Tim nodded and sat down on the ground, pulling out his phone to call Lucy once again. But all he got was her smiling face staring back at him from her profile picture. "Where are you, Luce?" he whispered to himself.
Needing a distraction, he scrolled through his camera roll, looking at pictures of Lucy. Each image felt like a fresh stab in the heart, but he needed to remind himself of the good times to get through this ordeal. He was lost in thought when Angela's voice brought him back to the present.
Angela poked her head out from the door and fixed her gaze on Tim. "Hey, do you happen to know the code to Lucy's alarm system? I want to make sure it hasn't been tampered with," she said with urgency, her voice tinged with worry.
"Yeah, it's my badge number," Tim replied, dragging his fingers through his hair.
Angela rolled her eyes fondly, amused at the sweetness of their relationship. "Any security cameras?" she asked, continuing her search.
Tim pointed to a camera on top of a bookcase, then explained, "I'd forgotten she even had one. Nolan, Jackson and I helped her set it up after… Caleb."
"Okay, that's good. I'll call Grey to get us access," Angela said, stepping away to make the call.
As she waited for Grey's response, Angela noticed the numerous candles scattered throughout the room. "Does Lucy always have this many candles?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Tim nodded somberly, but a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Angela shook her head in disbelief. "I hope you guys have the fire department and Bailey on speed dial," she added, half-jokingly.
Despite the gravity of the situation, they both chuckled before Tim was overcome with emotion. "Come here," Angela said softly. She hugged him tightly, offering words of comfort and reminding him that they would find Lucy, her own tears finally falling as Tim's soaked through her shirt.
After a few minutes, they resumed their search, checking every nook and cranny in Lucy's apartment. As they combed through the kitchen, Tim noticed a small slip of paper sticking out from beneath the burnt remains of the vegetables. He felt a knot form in his stomach as he carefully retrieved the paper and read the message scrawled on it.
-x-x-x-
Tim stared at nothing in particular, his heart racing as he read the words over and over in his mind. 'We have your girl. We will be in contact soon.' He had handed the note to Angela, who immediately pulled out her phone and called the station, but the words were seared on his brain.
"They're sending a forensic unit," she said, hanging up. "Nolan and Juarez are heading back to the station to start checking cameras nearby. Grey and Harper are almost here."
Tim's mind was spinning as he took the note back from Angela. He couldn't help but think about the last time Lucy was kidnapped, buried alive in a barrel. That day he had promised himself nothing bad would happen to her again, but he had failed. "I can't do this again, Ange," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "How am I supposed to go through this again?"
Angela reached over to squeeze his forearm. "I'm sorry, Tim. I wish I could say you don't have to, but you do. We all do. But you're not alone. Lucy is not alone. And we will do everything we can to find her."
Tim nodded, fresh tears glimmering in his eyes, and he brushed them away roughly. "I did two tours in the Army and have been in the LAPD enough years to make it to Sergeant. I've never been taken but Lucy is only a P2, and she's already been kidnapped twice. How is that fair?"
"Life isn't fair," Angela said as a way of an explanation. "I get what that feels like, thinking you've let someone down. Feeling like you weren't there when they needed you. The guilt eats at you. But this isn't your fault. Lucy being kidnapped by Caleb and now once again, it isn't your fault."
Tim turned his head to look at Angela, a sad, knowing look on his face. "Jackson dying wasn't your fault. You didn't fail him." She made a noise that said she disagreed, but Tim shook his head, cutting off whatever she wanted to say. "If this isn't my fault, then Jackson isn't your fault either. We did the best we could for our rookies, and we know this is a tough job. We accept the risks, for us and for them."
"Okay," Angela agreed, taking a deep breath, then added, "But I'll be damned if we're both losing our rookies, especially when Lucy is so much more than that for you. We have to find her."
Tim swallowed hard and nodded, his mind racing with the possibilities of where Lucy could be and who could have taken her. And even though his heart felt heavy with worry and fear, he willed himself to stay calm and focused so he could find her before it was too late.
-x-x-x-
Commander Grey and Detective Harper arrived at Lucy's apartment floor just as Tim and Angela finished talking. Grey acknowledged them with a nod and entered the apartment, Harper trailing behind. Once inside, Tim led them through the apartment, pointing out details that were off. He gestured to the half-lit candles and the dirty dishes in the sink, explaining that Lucy never left them that way. He also mentioned the open blinds, which was unusual because Lucy always closed them at night. To an outsider, everything may have seemed normal, but to Tim, it was clear that something was off.
After they finished the tour, Grey and Harper continued searching before they conferred quietly in the kitchen, their expressions grim. Tim watched as they talked but he couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew it couldn't be good news. When Grey's phone beeped, he pulled it out of his pocket and checked the notification.
"Access to Lucy's security system has been granted," he announced, pocketing his phone. "Let's see what we can find."
They all gathered around Grey's tablet, and he started clicking through the video footage. Tim's heart raced as he watched the familiar living room and kitchen come into view. There was Lucy, standing at the stove, stirring a pot. She looked so peaceful, so happy, and it made Tim's chest ache.
As they watched, the doorbell rang. Lucy checked her phone, frowned, and walked to the door; phone still pressed tightly in her palm. Tim felt a lump form in his throat. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't stop himself from watching.
Lucy peered through the peephole, and her expression changed. She tensed, but she still opened the door. Tim's heart raced even faster. He knew this was where it all went wrong.
On the video, they saw a man holding out a piece of paper to Lucy. She looked at it, then back at the man. The tension was palpable as she hesitated, but ultimately nodded and followed him out of the door. They caught a glimpse of the man's face as he turned, but it wasn't clear enough for a positive ID. Then, another figure with their face obscured by a hood came into view, making their way to the kitchen. They did something out of frame, and then quickly left. A few seconds later, the front door closed, and the image remained undisturbed until an hour later when Tim came inside and started his frantic search.
"Who is that?" Harper asked, rewinding the footage and pausing it on the man with the hood. "Can we enhance this? Get a clearer view of his face?"
Grey nodded and leaned forward; his eyes fixed on the screen. "I'll have the tech team work on it. But let's focus on the paper first. Can we see what it says?"
They watched as Lucy opened the door and the man handed her the paper. "It's too far to see clearly," Tim said, squinting at the screen. "It looks like there's a picture on it, but I can't tell what it is."
Harper leaned in, trying to get a better look. "It looks like a photo. Maybe they were trying to show her something," she said, her brows furrowed in concentration.
"Or someone," Angela proposed sternly. "Maybe they were trying to send a message."
"Either way, we need to find out what that picture is and what it means. Whatever it is, it's the only explanation why Lucy went along without a fight." Tim clenched his fists, feeling a surge of anger and frustration. He couldn't stand the thought of Lucy being used as some kind of pawn in whatever this was.
Grey nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Agreed. We need to start digging and see if we can find any connections or leads. I already sent a copy of the video to have it analyzed."
"Meanwhile, we need to figure out who these guys are and what's their connection to Lucy. Our top priority is finding her," Harper reminded the group.
"We'll find them," Tim stated, determination ringing in his voice. "And we'll bring Lucy home."
-x-x-x-
Tim couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he was missing, so he watched the footage again and again. With each viewing, his fear and desperation grew, his heart racing with a sense of urgency that he hadn't known in years.
The first time he watched, he focused on the words being spoken. The second time, he tried getting something more off the quick glimpse he got of the kidnappers. The third time, he focused on Lucy's body language. It wasn't until the fifth try that he finally noticed.
"Hey, I think I've found something," Tim called out to Grey, Angela, and Harper as they joined him. He pointed to the screen where Lucy was being shown a picture. "Here, see how Lucy raises her arm? From the angle, I think she's reaching for her neck."
Tim paused the video and zoomed in on Lucy's necklace. "It's the necklace I gave her for Valentine's Day," he said. "It's small enough that she can wear it under her uniform, and she rarely takes it off now." He rewound the footage and played it again. "The necklace shifts when she raises her arm, so she must be holding it. I think she's trying to tell us something."
Harper raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" she asked. "Couldn't she be holding it for comfort or something?"
Tim shook his head, pointing to Lucy's fingers on her leg, even if he liked the thought of his gift bringing her comfort. "Watch her fingers here," he said as the video resumed. "I think she's using morse code to send us a message."
"How can you be so sure?" Angela asked, squinting at the blurry image on the screen.
"I just know, okay?" Tim huffed, but he seemed to catch his tone and raised his hands apologetically. "Lucy loves true crime," he started to explain, more calmly this time. "She always gets excited when someone uses morse code to send a message in a case. And look, she left her ring as a beacon for us to find her when Caleb took her. She's not wearing her ring now, but I'm sure she found another way to guide us."
The group exchanged dubious glances, but Grey decided to check it out. He made a call to the station, and when he hung up, he confirmed that it was indeed morse code. "T-A-M, over and over. Impressive."
"Tamara," Tim said, realization dawning on him. "Could she be in trouble too? What if she got taken before Lucy?"
"Let me call Thorsen." Angela stepped away, coming back a moment later looking positively relieved. "He's got her. She was almost done with her final and he decided to let her finish, but they're on their way to the station now."
As the group breathed a collective sigh of relief, Harper interjected. "Could this be about Tamara? Maybe somebody took Lucy to get to her."
Tim shook his head, but it was Angela who spoke up. "No, I think the picture was of Tim and Tamara. That's why Lucy touched her necklace and signaled Tamara's name. They probably threatened them, and that's why Lucy went along willingly."
Tim nodded, glad somebody finally caught up to his reasoning, even if he hated the idea that he'd been in any part responsible for what happened to Lucy.
"That makes sense," Grey acknowledged. "The note was addressed to Tim, after all."
Harper hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided on speaking her mind. "Whoever took Lucy must have been surveilling her long enough to know that they could use us as leverage to intimidate her."
Tim's eyes darkened, but he nodded in agreement.
"Alright, this is where we're at now," Grey began, surveying his officers. "I'm not going to try and call any of you off this case. I know you won't listen, and it would only put everyone in more danger. But we need to be smart about this. Someone was able to make Lucy go with them without a fight, and if we assume that they threatened the people closest to her, then we're all potentially in danger."
Grey paused, allowing his words to sink in before continuing. "So, nobody is to be alone. You're always to be with someone whenever you leave the station. Lopez and Harper, you can stick together. Nolan and Juarez will be partnered up, and Thorsen will join them after he takes Tamara in safely."
"What about me?" Tim asked, feeling slightly excluded.
"You're coming with me and staying at the station," Grey said, rolling his eyes when Tim predictably protested. He ran a hand down his face and sighed deeply. "Bradford, we might all be at risk here, but if anyone knows Lucy well enough and has been surveilling her, they'll know that you're the most important person in her life. Not just because you're dating now, but because you've been close for a while, even if you were the last to realize it. I might be ending the day with one of my officers missing, but I won't start tomorrow with two of you unaccounted for."
Grey's words had a sense of finality to them, but Tim was nothing if not stubborn. "I'm not on patrol anymore. I'm Metro now. I'm not one of your officers," he tried.
"Oh, Tim. It doesn't matter where you work. You'll always be one of mine," Grey replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Now let's get to work. We have a lot of security footage to review. If someone really was surveilling Lucy, then that gives us plenty of opportunities to find them."
Tim forced a smile, although it didn't reach his eyes. He was still worried about Lucy, but he felt slightly more hopeful now that they had a plan. And if he was prepared to take matters into his own hands if reviewing security footage didn't yield any results, then nobody had to know.