Breaking the Lock

Eleven

Denny Byron worked at a small insurance office tucked away in a strip mall off the highway. Nathan made it to the office just after lunch but Byron was out running errands for the office. The receptionist pointed to a seating area offering to let Nathan know when he returned. Nathan declined to wait in a comfortable place for Denny Byron. Instead, he returned to his car and waited for him to return. He wanted to take Byron off guard in case he was trying to hide information about his father.

While he waited, he tried to remember every detail he could about Frank Byron. When he had met Byron, Nathan had been a green rookie adjusting to working with the older, more experienced policemen. Nathan ran afoul of Byron early, questioning him on practices that seemed out of the ordinary. He steered clear of Byron and his cronies as much as he could but no one who worked in the same precinct could avoid him forever.

He could remember quite clearly the moment he knew Byron was dangerous and it was long before he watched him torture and murder an innocent kid. Nathan had been working a robbery case, interviewing the owner of a small jewelry store, when Byron had entered with two of his usual buddies. The owner took one look at Byron and stopped answering Nathan's questions almost immediately. Byron bullied his way into the crime scene and took over immediately despite Nathan's protests.

Byron's buddies pushed Nathan out the door and off the case. When he complained to his sergeant, Nathan learned firsthand how far Byron's reach went. The sergeant implied that Frank Byron could and did whatever he wanted without consideration or punishment. The jewelry store was in his territory and he would do whatever he liked. From that moment on, Nathan stood back and watched. He remained silent about most of it; ratting out another officer was out of the question. Until.

Nathan would never forget the brutality of that day. Not only would he never forget it, he would never regret turning the guy in to Internal Affairs. He had received a promotion shortly after his testimony but his career in Manhattan was never easy. There was pushback from the officers who weren't swept up in the house cleaning after Byron went to prison. When Silas Clay left Manhattan, Nathan took that as a sign to get out as well. He didn't regret that decision either. What he did regret was not staying on top of what was happening in his old precinct.

Nathan retrieved his phone from his pocket and scrolled through the phone numbers until he found the one he was looking for. It rang twice before his friend at the precinct answered.

"Hey Josh. It's Nathan."

"West! How are you? Damn, man. I haven't heard from you in months. What's going on?"

"A lot," Nathan replied. He told Josh about Britt and Maxie going missing and the break in at her apartment. He finished by telling Josh about the only lead he had which was the license plate. "I ran it down to a woman in Rochester," Nathan explained. "Josh, her brother is Frank Byron."

There was a full moment of silence from Josh before Nathan heard a soft oath from his friend. "Nathan, hasn't anyone called you about Byron? He got out on a technicality last summer."

Even though he had expected something like that, it still hit him hard. He had no doubts anymore. Frank Byron had them and he wanted Nathan to know it.

"Where is he now?" Nathan asked even though he knew the answer.

"Damn, I wish someone had called you. Look, he got out in August. He followed up with the department through October but sometime last November, he disappeared. Sullivan has been looking for him but he got pulled off to work on a high profile murder."

Nathan spotted Denny Byron pulling into the parking lot. He glanced at his watch. It was nearly four. "Do me a favor. Find out everything Sullivan knew before he got pulled and call my partner in Port Charles. His name is Dante Falconeri. He can follow up. Thanks Josh. Give my best to Sarah,"

Nathan added. He hung up and climbed out of his car, intercepting Denny as he was walking towards the office. He had his badge in hand and showed it to the young man. "Dennis Byron?"

Denny Byron looked from Nathan's badge to his face, his expression shifting from mild curiosity to apprehension. "Yeah?"

"Could I have a moment of your time? I'd like to talk to you about the car your aunt let you borrow."

Denny glanced over his shoulder at the car he had just parked. Nathan followed his gaze. It wasn't the same car used in the break in at Maxie's apartment. He returned his attention back to the young man standing in front of him. His shoulders were hunched over as he kicked at a crack in the sidewalk. Denny shifted his gaze back to Nathan and twitched uncomfortably under Nathan's scrutiny.

"What about it?" Denny asked, his voice wavering just a little.

"Your aunt's car was used by someone who broke into an apartment in Port Charles and may have kidnapped the young woman who lived there," Nathan answered. "She says she loaned it to you so you could drive to work. That isn't her car."

"Yeah, it isn't. I let my girlfriend borrow it. Aunt Suzy doesn't like her so I lied to her and told her it was for me."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "Really? What's your girlfriend's name?"

"Jenna. Why?"

"I'd like to talk to her and verify your story. Jenna what?"

"My story? What the hell does that mean? You think I drove my aunt's car to Port Charles and broke into some random apartment? You're nuts."

Nathan leaned closer. "Actually, I don't think you did that. What I think," he said in a low voice. "Is that you loaned that car to your father and he drove to Port Charles, broke into the apartment and kidnapped the woman who lived there."

"I haven't seen my father since he went to jail two years ago," Denny snapped. A look of recognition flickered over Denny's face and he shook his head in disbelief. "God, you're that cop that testified against him. I should've known. Didn't you do enough damage? You got him convicted of murder and he finally got out last summer. You think you need to keep after him and keep him miserable, don't you?"

Nathan opened his mouth to respond but his cell phone rang. He looked at the number and held up a hand to Denny. "I'm going to take this. We aren't finished." He turned his attention to the phone call. "Yeah, Dante, what do you got?"

"Nathan, a gunshot victim was just picked up outside Geneva, her description matches Britt."

"Gunshot? Is she okay?"

"It's a flesh wound. She's lost some blood but she'll be okay. She's also suffering from hypothermia and dehydration. The hospital says she's got some bruises as well. From their description, they could be consistent with the pictures of Britt on your phone. She's at the hospital in Geneva. You better get over there to identify her but I'm almost certain it's her."

"Thanks Dante. Look, someone from my old precinct is going to be sending you all the info they have on a guy named Frank Byron. He was a cop who went to jail a couple of years ago for murder. I testified against him at his trial. He got out last August and no one has seen him since November. See what you can do to track him."

"You think this is the guy?"

"I know it is, Dante." He paused not wanting to ask the next question. It had to be asked though. He had to know. "Look, if this is Britt...was she alone?"

"Yes. No sign of anyone with her," Dante replied. "Don't give up hope though. Get over there and ID her. If it's Britt, she'll be able to help us find Maxie. As soon as I get the info from your buddy, I'm heading up there. I'll meet you in Geneva."

Nathan hung up and turned to Denny, glowering at him. "If I were you, Mr. Byron, I'd get a lawyer fast. And then I would head over to the Rochester police department and start talking. You could be in a world of trouble this time tomorrow." He turned on his heel and headed to his car. He didn't need to ask Denny Byron any more questions. If it really was Britt in the hospital in Geneva, she would be able to give him all the answers he needed. Particularly, just where he was holding Maxie.