Chapter 7

"Right back here, take a look for yourselves," the gas station manager said while leading the officers to the cramped office in the back. "I pulled up the two store cameras first. They're cued up to the time you mentioned your brother was here. We didn't have any other customers at that time from what my clerk told me, so it was easy to find him. It was a slow night in the store," he directed at Danny. The manager took the only seat available to play the video as the other three men crowded behind him.

"There he is, that's Jamie," Joe announced as his brother entered the store.

"He looks okay," Danny reported as he watched Jamie casually walking up and down a few aisles, checking out snack options. He grabbed a small item from a shelf and made his way to the coolers.

"He looks tired," Joe commented as he leaned in to further study the black and white video. The back angle provided a clear image of his little brother standing in front of the refrigerated beverages for longer than it should have taken him to grab a drink and go. It looked like he zoned out for a moment, but once he made his purchase, he went back out to the car.

"Outside is where it gets interesting," Darte announced as he switched to the video taken of the pumps outside. "I watched it earlier while waiting for you folks to come in, I was curious," he explained sheepishly at the questioning looks he received.

The three cops watched Jamie pull in and run his card at the pump, he then left his car gassing up while he went inside. The manager zoomed ahead to the moment Jamie came back out and they followed along as he replaced the nozzle and secured the gas cap, then turned his attention to the approaching form.

Even from this angle, the brothers could see Jamie sizing up the stranger and making mental notes. Of course he would, he grew up around cops, Joe thought.

Danny frowned at the exchange between Jamie and the white male. Who the hell is that? he asked himself.

They watched on, wondering what they were talking about when the stranger's shoulders tensed. Even though they could see nothing but his backside, he was clearly speaking forcefully as his hands gestured sharply in tandem with the bob of his head. Jamie stiffened, but continued listening to whatever he was saying.

"Whoa, whoa, what's he doing?" Danny worried as the man took a few threatening steps toward his youngest brother.

"I don't know," Joe replied as he watched Jamie tense up further, making a clear decision to make one last quick statement to the stranger before jumping back into his car.

Both Reagans clenched their teeth in anger when they saw the other man slam his fist on the trunk of the Civic, making a last ditch effort to reach for the driver's side door, but Jamie was quick to hit the gas and leave the station.

They watched as the stranger went to the ground from his failed attempt to get to Jamie. His shoulders rose up and down before slamming his hand on the ground in obvious anger. When he finally got up and turned in the direction of the security camera, the manager paused the video.

"Who is that guy?" Danny asked.

"We're going to need copies of all of that," Adler requested.

"We're also going to need to see where he came from. That's our only lead. We need to figure out who that is," Joe stated.

Jamie's second return to consciousness was less eventful than the first, but no less painful. His mind was a little clearer but nothing else about the way he felt had improved since he was last awake.

Injuries aside, his first concern was whether anyone knew where he was. Hell, what even happened? He'd crashed the car, obviously, but did he fall asleep at the wheel? Suddenly his father's voice echoed through his mind with warnings about falling asleep at the wheel.

He didn't even know where he was…maybe somewhere in Connecticut, or so he thought. The start of a long drive home and a brief, jumbled conversation with Joe was all he could remember. That and a big white car…or maybe it was a truck? The image of a large white vehicle would flash across his mind as Joe's laughing voice called him grandpa.

The only thing that gave him hope was knowing his family, which included two current and two former NYPD detectives, had to be looking for him as soon as he failed to make it home. They would find him somehow, he believed that. But that would happen faster if he helped them find him.

Jamie felt like warmed over crap and being proactive meant there was about to be a whole lot of pain and discomfort coming his way.

So be it, I can push through, he cajoled himself.

Then a more realistic thought arose: Easier said than done, Jameson. It was why he sat here as long as he did, summoning up the strength to move.

He decided that his first task was to locate his phone. If he could manage a call for help, they could come to him. Sadly, a hopeful tug of the charger cord failed to produce it. God only knew where it ended up, but it was here somewhere. It had to be.

Unfortunately - or maybe if was actually fortunate - it didn't end up in the passenger's seat where he'd lost his lunch earlier. He tried everywhere he could see and reach from his position - under his seat, between the seats and the console and in between seats, the footwells. Nothing.

Jamie sat back and faced the inevitable…what's the saying - no pain, no gain? No pain and I freeze my balls off in this wreck, he told himself. Jamie zipped up his jacket and got himself ready to move.

He had to get himself out of the car first.

And there they go, Joe and Danny have a solid lead and Jamie isn't planning to wait for help to come to him, just not sure how far he'll be able to get in his condition.