A Hope Waiting In The Dark

Let's Not Jump To Conclusions

Linda got out of the tub, her skin ice cold. She had emerged herself in a boiling hot tub, and stayed in until the water turned ice cold. She looked down at her thigh, where a long, thin, red line stood out. The blood dropped all the way down her leg, and onto the floor. She closed her eyes, tears slowly coming down. She quickly bandaged the cut, the antiseptic cream stinging the exposed skin.
Linda grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, then sprayed her hair with detangling/damage protection spray. She ran a brush through her wet hair, bent over, and wrapped a towel around her head. She walked into the bedroom, wanting to check her phone for any missed calls or texts. The knife was in her hand, still bloody; once dressed, she was going to simply clean it off, and that would be the end of that. She was not expecting everything to go wrong.
************
Danny looked up from the file, making a weird face. He frowned, "Ever get the feeling something wrong just happened?"
"What?" Baez wondered, looking up as well.
"Like something has shifted for the worse in the universe?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I don't know," he answered, looking at his phone. He put it to his ear, waiting for the person of interest to pick up.
"Who're you calling?"
"Linda.... come on, baby. Pick up." He groaned when he got her voicemail. "She's not answering." He texted her a quick little message, saying to call him as soon as she received the message. Minutes passed with nothing coming back to the detective. "She's not answering..." he stood up, grabbing his jacket.
"Where are you going?" Baez wondered, following close behind.
"To check on my wife."
**********
Danny nearly jumped out of the car before it was fully parked. He noted that her car was still parked outside, so either her phone went dead, or— Danny didn't even want to think about that 'or'. He ran up the front steps, and immediately noticed the door. The gasket had been broken, which meant someone had illegally entered his house. He pushed the door open, "Linda! Linda!" He practically flew up the stairs, looking in all the rooms. She was no where to be seen, "Linda!"
Baez looked at the downstairs, "Linda!" She looked at every room, continuously calling for the blonde. "She's not here," she reported to Danny who was coming down the stairs. "I know. Let's check my dad's house."
********
Once at the commissioner's house, Danny barged through the door. "Linda!"
Henry came walking into the foyer, to find Baez peeping into the living room. "What's going on?"
"We can't find Linda. She's not answering her cell. I think..." Baez paused, lowering her voice to a whisper, "if she's kidnapped again...."
Danny came down the stairs, "please tell me you know where Linda is!"
"I thought she was at your house," Henry responded, still confused.
"Danny, we should-"
"No! I have to find Linda! She's my wife, and she can't- I just- I can't-" he sat down on the stairs, his chest feeling tight.
"Let's not jump to any conclusions, okay? If she has her cell on her, we can maybe pin it." Baez looked to Henry, searching for an answer she wasn't sure of.
"Yeah, let's call around first," Henry put his hand on Danny's shoulder.
"You're right," Danny rubbed his eyes, banishing the possible tears.  "Let's call Dad. And Jack and Sean and Jamie and Erin. Her phone's probably dead, or she left it in the car, or something logical like that, right?"
"Right," Baez nodded, pulling out her phone.