The kidnappers' van was found in a hidden alley. NYPD swiftly sealed off the scene, and by the time Jack and his team arrived, medical examiner Lanie Parish and CSI techs from the New York crime lab were already working beside the vehicle.
Having a forensic specialist on-site was never a good sign. Bryan remained composed, but Castle immediately lost it.
"Don't do anything that could compromise the scene." Jack led them past the police tape, handing them gloves while issuing a stern warning.
The van's side door was wide open. Lanie was bent over a testing kit, her hands moving with practiced precision. Inside the vehicle, a large pool of blood stained the floor, a sight that made Jack's stomach tighten.
"Oh, my God!" Castle's legs gave out at the sight. If Bryan hadn't reacted quickly and grabbed his arm, he might have collapsed on the spot.
"Whose blood is that?! Did someone die in there?! Lanie!" Castle's voice cracked with panic.
Jack, also uneasy, yanked open the passenger door and inspected the driver's seat carefully.
"Castle, no bodies were found. Lanie and I just got here." Beckett, who had arrived moments before them, had been questioning nearby witnesses. Hearing Castle's near-hysterical cry, she rushed over to reassure him.
"The blood loss isn't fatal. The trail leads from the driver's seat to the back, which means the driver was injured—Hasim must have landed at least one shot before he died."
Jack spoke quietly to Bryan, who nodded, his expression slightly easing.
"Hey, Castle," Jack called, watching the desperate writer's face, "What's Alexis' blood type?"
"A—A-type."
Jack then turned to Bryan.
"The same."
"Give me a minute. I'm almost done." Lanie, still focused on her work, dropped an ABO reagent into the test tray.
Jack signaled Beckett with a glance, and she wordlessly guided Castle away from the van. Blood type testing was much faster than DNA analysis—if the procedure went smoothly, they'd have an answer within five minutes.
The moment Lanie lifted her head, Jack already knew.
Castle, still a mess, anxiously blurted out, "Does it match?"
"B-type. Not your daughter's." Lanie's words made Beckett visibly relax as well.
"Okay, let's clear out and let Lanie do her job." Jack grabbed Castle by the arm, intending to pull him out of the crime scene.
"No, no, no—she's nearby! She has to be nearby!" Castle wiped his tears with a trembling hand, scanning the surroundings.
"Not anymore," Bryan, who had been examining the front of the van, stood up. "The blood trail ends here. They switched vehicles."
"A black Yukon," Beckett added. "A witness saw it speeding away shortly after the van entered the alley. It even knocked over a trash can on its way out."
The Yukon was a full-size SUV from GMC, commonly used as a luxury transporter.
"Agent Tavoller!"
Sara's parents, the Elmasris, had arrived at the scene, desperately waving to Jack from beyond the police line.
Jack nodded to two officers, allowing them through. "Your daughter's blood type?"
"O," Sara's father answered, barely holding back tears.
"Then she should be safe for now. The blood found in the van is B-type." Jack's words brought a visible sense of relief to the couple.
As the three sets of parents stood together, Sara's mother turned to Castle, who was still dabbing at his teary eyes. "That means there's still hope, right?"
Castle, his tears now mixed with a wavering smile, nodded repeatedly. "Yes, absolutely."
"I'm sorry your daughters got caught up in this," Sara's father said, looking genuinely remorseful as he addressed Castle and Bryan.
Castle simply waved a hand, unwilling to say more, but Bryan, after a moment of contemplation, asked, "Are you sure you have no idea who's behind this?"
"I wish I knew." Sara's father gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing with a flicker of something dangerous.
A businessman who had made powerful enemies in government circles was never an innocent man himself. To be targeted at such a high level suggested a certain degree of power in return.
"My family in Egypt is investigating. Any information will be relayed to the FBI immediately."
Bryan remained silent, turning his gaze back to the bullet-ridden windshield of the van.
As a man with a background in covert operations, he despised this helpless feeling—armed but with no clear enemy to fight.
—
CSI's Stella Bonasera was personally overseeing evidence collection. Jack had introduced them earlier; now, all they could do was hope forensic science provided useful leads.
—
"Jack! Jack, look at this!"
Years of reflex kicked in as Jack instinctively blocked Castle's outstretched hand from grabbing his shoulder. He bolted upright from the couch.
Last night, he and Bryan had crashed at Castle's place. Most of the fugitive task force had stayed as well. Hannah and Clay had gone to the hotel where Bryan's ex-wife and her husband were staying. Another team of FBI agents was with Sara's parents.
"What is it?" Jack asked, adjusting his jacket as Castle thrust a laptop toward him. A video was playing—one of Alexis' personal vlogs.
On-screen, Alexis happily introduced Kim as her new friend and mentioned that she, Kim, and Sara would be attending a climate change lecture. She also talked about her upcoming travel plans, thanking her cool dad for letting her take time off school.
"The kidnappers must have learned their schedule from this!" Castle's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot as he gripped Jack's arm. "Get your techs to trace every IP address that accessed Alexis' page after 2:36 PM the day before yesterday!"
Jack sighed, rubbing his temples. "How do you think I knew about Alexis and Kim's entire week-long itinerary?"
Yawning, he reached for the coffee pot and poured himself a cup.
"The IP traces have already been checked. Alice and her team chased them through multiple proxy servers across three continents—no luck."
What Jack didn't mention was that he had also reached out to Justin. But so far, even he had turned up nothing—not because it was impossible to find, but because they simply didn't have enough time.
"You staying up all night isn't going to help find Alexis," Jack said, nudging his chin toward the other couch, where Bryan lay still, eyes closed.
"He's a worried father, just like you."
"I couldn't sleep either," Bryan suddenly spoke, his voice steady. He opened his eyes and looked at Castle. "But I know that if I let myself get overwhelmed, I'll make bad decisions when it matters most."
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