Long Time Coming - by Pho
part - 01
The 101st was alive with the spirit of the season. Mary Margaret
and TJ had once again joined forces to decorate the squad room with
the garlands and tinsel so important during the holidays. Jody had
contributed a small, artificial tree that had slowly acquired a hodge-
podge of ornaments and lights. It was not a 'Better Homes and Gardens'
display by any means but even the most Scrooge-like members of the
101st precinct had stopped some of their annual grousing.
Karen Simms was still humming a Christmas tune as she walked
across the squad room toward her office. Kermit Griffin took a sip
of too-strong coffee and grimaced as she passed.
"What's wrong, Detective? Not enough Christmas spirit?"
"Not enough sugar, Captain." Turning back to the wobbly table
that held the very old Mr. Coffee, Kermit upended the sugar bowl
into his mug.
"Even that much won't sweeten your personality, Kermit." Peter
Caine teased as the ex-mercenary tried again to drink the brew.
"Try adding a peppermint stick." Quickly popping a candy-cane into
his friend's pocket, Peter took advantage of the slight distraction
to dart back across the room to his desk.
"Skalany, be careful. This chair isn't meant to stand on."
"Just hold it steady, Jody. I've got to get the mistletoe in
just the right spot."
"Why does a police precinct need mistletoe, anyhow?"
"You never know when some good-looking, available man is going
to wander through. Kinda like that one."
Jody turned in the direction that Mary Margaret had indicated.
"Whoa."
"Yeah. Whoa."
A tall young man stood awaiting the desk sergeant's attention.
At around six-one, he towered over most of the people in the lobby.
Light brown hair framed a strong, handsome face. Even at a distance, his wide, sky-blue eyes revealed both a good nature and intelligence.
Strenlich's voice suddenly cut through the din, "Caine, Captain's
office, pronto, and bring your files."
Groaning, and wondering what he'd done this time, Peter stood
clinging desperately to his cup of caffeine. Balancing coffee mug
in one hand and paperwork in the other, he dodged the chaos and
headed toward Simms' office.
A cry of "Katy, no" was accompanied by a child's shrill scream
of "Uncle PETER". The startled young detective whirled at the sounds, then lost his precarious balance as he was impacted by a fifty pound bundle of lightning. Folders, and their contents, flew in multiple directions, accompanied by the mug of coffee that was, fortunately,
now cold. Peter's feet left the floor and he landed heavily on his
back in a puddle of brown liquid. A little girl of seven clung to
his neck as the young man attempted to sit up.
"Katy, what on earth? Honey, you're choking me..."
"Oh, God, Peter, I'm sorry. Katherine, let go. Here let me help
you." Steve Jones rushed forward as he spoke. Focusing only on coming
to his friend's aid, Steve failed to notice the papers on the floor
in his path. Reaching hastily to retrieve his child, he, too, lost
his footing as the papers slipped under his feet. Toppling over, he landed with his face in Peter's lap. Scrambling into a sitting position as fast as he could, Steve met Peter's eyes and began to laugh in earnest. "I think we've b..been here b..before, don't you, Peter?"
The remainder of the 101st could only watch in astonishment as
Peter Caine also dissolved into uncontrolled laughter, replying,
"Y..es, but you look better in yellow paint than in b..brown coffee."
"Daddy? Uncle Peter?" The child's eyes were identical in color
to her father's. Confusion played across her pretty features as
she tried to make sense of the situation around her. "Are you being silly on purpose?"
The laughter died on Peter's lips as he caught sight of Karen
Simms' solemn face. Scrambling quickly to his feet, he pulled Steve
upright with him. "Uh, Captain, I'll be right there."
"With your paperwork, Detective?"
"YES, ma'am, eh, NO, ma'am." Glancing around helplessly, Peter
asked nervously, "Could I have a few minutes, Captain?"
Dryly, the woman replied, "I think it will take more than a few
minutes, Caine. Powell, bring your paperwork. The Chief and I will
start our review with you. Detective Caine just moved to the bottom
of the stack." Turning back into her office, Karen glanced once more
at the disaster area on her squad room floor. "Oh, and Caine?"
"Yes, Captain?" came the weak reply.
"Get the mop from the janitorial closet. No need for them to have
to clean up your mess."
"Yes, ma'am. Mop. No problem, Captain." Peter sighed with relief
as his commanding officer disappeared into her office. Jody gave him a thumbs up sign as she followed the Captain and the Chief.
"I'm sorry if we've gotten you into trouble, Peter." Steve's voice
was contrite and he now had an iron grip on his daughter's hand.
Skalany interrupted before Peter could reply, "Oh, he's in no more
trouble than normal. At least this time he's got an excuse for his
paperwork being a disaster. Hi. I'm Mary Margaret Skalany and you
must be Steve Jones and daughter Katy."
Nodding, Steve replied, "Pleased to meet you, Detective. Say hello,
Katy."
"Hello. Do you work for my Uncle Peter?"
"No, sweetheart. I work with your Uncle Peter. He's my partner."
"Uncle Andy's my daddy's partner but he didn't come with us."
"I see, well..."
"Before Skalany tells you lies, Steve, let me introduce the rest
of the 101st. That's Detective Blake just leaving. Sergeant Broderick
is manning the front desk and Detective Kincaid is right..."
"Over here. We've heard a great deal about you and your family,
Detective Jones."
"Please, call me Steve."
"Thomas Jefferson. Don't call me TJ. Here's my card..." TJ was
about to continue when he was interrupted by his phone.
Peter hastily pulled his friend toward Kermit's office. The former
mercenary was leaning against the door frame, watching the chain of events with barely concealed amusement. "You remember Kermit."
Steve shook hands with the older man, "Yes, of course. You came
to get Peter."
Katy giggled when she saw Kermit. Kneeling to face the child,
the detective asked seriously, "What's so funny, shortstuff?"
"Momma said you wore your sunglasses cause it was so sunny in
California. But you've got 'em on here and it's not sunny at all
so I get to tell Momma that she was wrong."
Gently patting the child's head, Kermit replied, "I'm sure she'll
want to know that."
"Oh, yes." The little girl replied seriously.
"Tell you what, Katy, why don't you, your daddy and I go play with my computer while your Uncle Peter cleans up his mess?"
"Can we, Daddy?"
"May we and yes, you may, but Daddy's going to help Uncle Peter."
Kermit nodded to his friends, then escorted Katy into his den,
telling her he'd just installed a brand new computer game that
morning.
"So that's what he was so busy with. Humph. Well, Steve, let
me get the mop and you can fill me in on why you're here."
"That's fine, Peter. Uh, I'll start picking up your paperwork,
what's left of it." Groaning silently, Steve thought, "this could
take awhile." The childish giggles from Kermit's office brought a
smile to his lips, "Well, at least Katy's having fun on this trip."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 02 ↑
Peter returned shortly with the mop and proceeded to put it to
good use. Completely in line with his character, he talked as he
worked, "I'm glad to see you and Katy. What're you guys doing here?
I mean, it isn't Christmas break yet in California, is it? Where are Amanda and Helen?"
"Mandy had to attend a nursing seminar up here of all places.
When we found out where it was being held, we arranged with the
school to get all Katy's work for a week and pulled her out so we
could all come."
"How long will you be here?"
"Well, we haven't had a real vacation in years so we're planning
on staying until the 23rd. We've got plane tickets back on the 10 am
flight that day."
"Pity you won't be here for Christmas, you could come to Mom's."
"Maybe another year, Peter. Katy's seven and this will probably
be her last year for Santa Claus. Naturally, we've got to get home
cause the man in the red suit might not find her here."
"Oh of course. But where's Helen?"
"We tried to talk Mom into coming but the shelter gets so full
this time of year. I promise that I'll bring her next time."
Thrusting the mop into a corner, Peter knelt to reclaim his
files. Glancing around at the mound of scattered paper, he commented, "Steve, you really don't have to..."
"Peter, Katy got away from me and messed up your case files.
The least I can do is help you get them back in some order, even if
they're not totally right. Normally I'd make her do this by herself
but she can read well enough now that I don't want her close to police case files. She and I WILL have a talk about her carelessness."
"Don't be too hard on her, Steve. She was just excited."
"Oh, I know, but she needs to understand the trouble she caused."
Pausing his eyes widened as he read the paper in his hand. "Whoa,
this is one sick puppy."
"What've you got?"
Steve handed Peter the coffee-stained document.
"FANTASTIC. That's the last piece I needed for the Carter file."
"Peter, is this guy on the streets?"
"Huh? Oh, no. Actually he's in solitary at the main city jail.
I finally got him yesterday, no, the day before."
"Good."
"AH HA! Found it." Peter lunged suddenly under the desk across
from his. Merrily plunging the stapled documents into another folder,
he grinned at Steve. "I go to court before Christmas on this one. Look, half of them are back together."
"Yeah, if even they are a little soggy."
The shadow of impending doom raced across Peter's face, "OH, NO!"
"What?"
"You don't think.. She wouldn't... Of course she would.. Oh, Damn."
"Peter?" The obvious distress on his friend's face worried Steve.
"I just realized that the Captain will probably make me redo the ones with coffee-stains."
Steve Jones glanced around and commented, "That's almost all of
them."
"I know!" came the anguished voice.
Steve quickly ducked behind a nearby desk in an effort to keep
Peter from seeing his grin.
He was saved by a small voice, "Daddy, I'm hungry."
Glancing at his watch, Steve gasped, "Peter, tell me it's not
almost twelve."
"I could tell you that but I'd be lying. Why?"
"Because we're supposed to meet Mandy for lunch at noon at the
University cafeteria. She gets an hour break. How long will it take
to get there from here? I've got a rental car in the visitor's lot outside."
"At least thirty minutes, if you stick to the main roads and
you'll get totally lost on the back ones. Wait a sec - I've got an
idea."
Steve and Katy watched stunned as Peter suddenly dragged all
the 'yet to be rescued' papers into a mound, gathered them into his
arms and stuffed them, unchecked, into his desk. "Peter, are you.."
"Hey, if I've got to redo them anyway, I can sort them out as
I do that. Let's go."
Fifteen minutes later the party of three stood waiting for Amanda
Jones in the garden lobby that served as the main entrance to the cafeteria. Mandy could soon be seen hurrying along the brick pathway
in the garden.
"Momma!"
Mandy swept her little bundle of energy into her arms, "Hi, sunshine! I hope you and Daddy haven't been here too long."
"No, Momma. We just got here. I rode with Uncle Peter. Daddy followed us in our car. Uncle Peter's car's kinda neat. Wanna see?"
"Later, pumpkin. Peter, it's so good to see you." Mandy moved
swiftly forward and embraced her friend. Planting a welcoming kiss
on his lips, she hugged him tightly and whispered a heartfelt, "Thank
you, again" before she released the young man.
Steve Jones laughed heartily as the traces of red shot up Peter's
face. "Mandy, my dear, I think you've embarrassed our friend."
"No, nothing like that, I, uh, I ..."
Steve frowned in pretended severity, "Thought Mom talked to you
about the lying thing, my friend."
Peter blushed even deeper, "She did, boy howdy, she did."
"Peter, won't you join us for lunch?"
"Yes, plleaase!" Katy added her plea to her mother's request.
"I'm sorry, gang. I've got to get back to the station. My
Captain's like a fire-breathing dragon when she's waiting on something
and I'm way overdue on my paperwork. But, how about having dinner
with P..Dad and me, tonight? You've never met my father and I'm
sure he'll want to meet the three of you."
"That'd be great. What about Mrs. Blaisdell?"
"Mom's at Carolyn's for a couple of weeks. Kelly exempted her
exams so she's home from school already. Carolyn and her husband
Todd talked them into coming to New York for a while. They'll all
be back here for Christmas day."
"Oh, I was looking forward to seeing her. But dinner will be
fine. How about 6:30? We're staying at the Regency."
"Great, P..Dad and I will meet you there, then we'll decide
where to go for dinner AND what to do after dinner. We'll see
you then." Peter talked as he walked backwards. Mandy gasped as
the young man stumbled over a planter, caught himself, then waved
and raced for the parking lot.
"He seems fine, doesn't he, Steve?"
"Yes. I'll call Mom after lunch and let her know. She'll be
so relieved."
"I know. I was worried, too. His letters always seemed OK but.."
Mandy, realizing suddenly that little ears weren't always little,
abruptly changed the subject, "Who's hungry?"
A loud, high-pitched "ME" brought laughter to both adults as
the happy family group entered the cafeteria.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 03 ↑
"Yes, Mom. He looked and sounded fine. It was kind of strange
seeing him in his squad room. I got used to him at the shelter. And
no, that nervous energy of his has gotten worse rather than better.
He talked and moved ninety-nine miles a minute. ... No, his Mom's
out of town and probably won't be back until after we leave BUT we
are having dinner with both him and his father tonight. ... Yes, I'll
call and give you all the sordid details when we get back tonight.
... Mom, Mandy and Katy are fine. Don't worry so much. ... Yes, I
know, we haven't been away in years, that's why we're all here....
I'm sorry Mom, Katy fell asleep on the way back to the hotel. With
us going out tonight, I'm going to let her sleep. I'll give her
your love. ... I love you too, Mom." Disconnecting the phone, Steve
slipped into the single bedroom in the suite. Katy was snuggled up
to the large pillows and it was obvious to her father that she would
be out for a while. He rearranged the covers over the child's tiny
body, and stepped out in the main room to watch television while he
waited on Mandy to get back.
************************************
"Nice of you to join us, Detective Caine." Frank Strenlich's
voice contained more than a hint of displeasure with his detective.
"I'm sorry, Chief. It won't happen again."
Strenlich's eyebrows shot up toward his receding hairline as
he responded, "Right. Well, let's get on with the report from the
Commissioner's office."
As Frank turned to the charts on the wall, Skalany leaned over
and whispered, "Welcome back, partner. What happened?"
Keeping a wary eye on the chief, Peter replied quietly, "I showed Steve how to get to the University quickly from here, then got stuck
at the hamburger joint on campus. I had no idea it took so long to
get carry-out there."
"Are we boring you, Detective?" Karen Simms stood, arms crossed,
just to Peter's left.
Wincing, Peter responded, "No, ma'am. It's all very interesting,
Captain."
Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and quickly turned her head, knowing
the young detective had just blown it.
"I'm please you find the annual budget report so interesting,
Detective Caine. Most officers find that information pretty dull."
Peter choked back a gasp of dismay.
"What was that Detective? I couldn't quite hear you."
"Nothing, ma'am, nothing at all." Peter crossed his fingers and
prayed for the best. It didn't come.
"Well, a man who likes budget reports should have no trouble at
all getting his paperwork together for review by eight am tomorrow
morning. That's eight am CENTRAL time, Detective Caine, NOT Pacific
time. Be there, on time for a change."
"Yes, ma'am." As Captain Simms returned to her office, Skalany
dared a glance at Peter. The strain on his face brought a giggle to
her lips. Since Frank was still talking, the only option open to the
aggravated young man was to stick out his tongue.
************************************
Five pm came and went and Peter Caine was still 'fixing' his
case files. Leaning back in his chair, he sighed, and glanced at
the clock. Noting the time, he grabbed his jacket. As he struggled
into the bulky material, Strenlich wandered up, "Going somewhere,
Detective?"
"Yes, Chief. I'm having dinner tonight with my friends from
San Francisco."
"I wouldn't risk antagonizing the Captain any further if I
where you. She's still upset with you over the Downs incident
last week."
"That wasn't my fault. Well, not entirely."
The Chief addressed the interruption, "Tell that to the garage.
The cruiser was totaled." Giving a moment for that news to sink
in, Strenlich continued. "That paperwork had better be in top form tomorrow morning, or you're liable to have your butt kicked from
here to California."
"I'll come back after dinner and finish. Don't worry, Chief,
it'll be ready. Gotta run."
Frank Strenlich watched as Peter Caine dashed out the door.
Shaking his head, he spoke to Peter's empty chair, "I'M not the
one who should worry, son. Nope, not at all."
************************************
"I want both cops dead now. Not later. Now, today."
"Sir, it's not that simple."
"Why the hell not?"
"Well, sir. We've got to be certain that suspicion doesn't
fall back on you."
"Why the hell should I care about that? As long as nothing
can be proven."
"Sir, we're trying to maintain your reputation as an honest
businessman who's suddenly and inexplicably been targeted by the
local cops. These cops in particular."
"It's taking too long."
"Sir, it's much, much safer this way. You hired me to handle
this sort of thing. Please trust me to handle it."
"I've got too damn much at stake to trust anyone. Their testimony
would send me to prison for the rest of my natural life."
"I realize that, sir, but I'm the best at what I do. I will
take care of it. Ever hear of an assassin called 'Chaos'?"
"Yes. He's expensive."
"He's the best. Chaos stepped into the void left by the arrest
of the Phoenix. Rumor has it they worked together for a while."
"Interesting. How soon do the cops die? The damn trial starts
just before Christmas. I want to spend the day with my grandchildren
in Chicago. Once the trial starts, I won't be able to leave the
city."
"I don't know, sir. He's promised they'll be out of the way
by the twenty-third but that's all he'll say."
"Have you met him? What's he like?"
"No, sir. We've spoken in a private chat room on the Internet
only. Completely secured by passwords, etc. The man's obviously
very careful. It took three days for me to convince him that I
was your assistant. As you requested, I did ask for a personal
meet, but was turned down. I do know him by reputation. He doesn't
care who goes down when his target dies. I have a feeling that he
thinks in terms of more is better."
The old man glared at the younger. "Pity, I'd rather look in
a man's eyes. They're right when they say the eyes are the windows
to the soul."
"I rather think he hasn't got one. A soul, that is."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 04 ↑
"POP, are you here? POP!" Peter bounded up the steps two at a
time.
Kwai Chang Caine turned as his son raced into his apartments.
"I am here, my son."
Gasping, Peter said, "I..can..SEE..that now,..but, oh never mind."
"What is so important that you must hurry so, Peter?"
"I left work late and you don't have a phone so I couldn't get
hold of you and I was really worried you wouldn't be here and I had
to park down the block so I ran all the way here." Peter paused,
making an attempt once more to catch his breath.
Caine took advantage of Peter's silence. "My son, I would be
honored to accompany you and your friends to dinner tonight."
Stunned, Peter choked out, "How.."
"Ah, Mary Margaret came by for her Kung Fu lesson. She explained
your, eh, 'situation'".
"Oh, I thought .."
"Yes, my son?"
"Nothing, Pop. We're supposed to meet them at 6:30. Do you
need to do anything?"
"I am ready now, my son."
"Great, Pop, let's go...HEY!" Peter winced as his father's
hand impacted, gently, with his face.
Pointing a thin finger at Peter, Caine replied, "Tonight, my
son, please remember, do not call me 'Pop'."
Grinning Peter responded, "Yes, Father, I will try very hard
to remember."
******************************
As Mary Margaret left the precinct, she couldn't shake the
feeling that she was being watched. With senses finely tuned through
years of police work, she scanned the area but could detect nothing
unusual. Climbing into her car, she started the engine to let the
motor warm. "That's it, Skalany, you've been hanging around Caine
too long. Just because HE picks up on things, doesn't mean you can.
Get a grip." Concentrating on mentally encouraging her thermostat to
show a rise in temperature, she failed to notice the man sloshing
through the snow in the precinct parking lot.
******************************
"Sir?"
"What is it, Slater?"
"I've just heard from Chaos. Target one has been eliminated."
"You're certain? From our earlier conversation, I didn't think
it would be this soon."
"Yes, sir. I was also surprised. His communiqué included some rather graphic pictures."
A feral grin spread across the wrinkled face, "Bring them in.
I'd like to see."
"Certainly, sir."
"Target two?"
"He's the more difficult target, sir, but you already knew that."
"Damn the man, yes. I'd love to hire him but he's too damn honest.
His ability to dig out the solution to a problem is why I was able to
be charged in the first place. And he has an uncanny ability to sniff
out danger."
"Yes, sir. I'm aware of that, sir. Chaos believes he will be
eliminated within the week."
"Indeed, How?"
"Chaos did not supply any details, sir."
The old man grumpily went back to reviewing the portfolios on
his desk, "Damn. Well, Slater, make sure you let me know when he's
dead. Doesn't matter what time of day or night."
"Yes, sir." Slater turned to leave.
"Oh, and Slater?"
"Sir?"
"Make sure that a 1995 Holiday Barbie and the Princess Di Beanie
Baby are in my bag for Chicago. My granddaughter has her heart set
on those two things."
"Yes, sir. The Beanie Baby has been purchased and we're in negotiations on the price of the Barbie."
"Who has the Barbie?"
"A doll collector in Texas. She's out of state at the moment
but her agent is handling the negotiations."
"Slater, don't waste too much money or time. If the doll can't
be purchased, steal it."
"Already in the works, sir."
"Excellent, Slater. I may find that hiring you was not a mistake,
after all."
"Thank you, sir."
******************************
"So by the time Mandy made it back to the kitchen, the dog had
the chicken bag and was headed through the pet door." Steve wiped
tears from his eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen her so mad. She
chased that dog around the backyard brandishing a wooden spoon and
screaming 'Bring that back or you're dead meat.' The poor animal
finally squeezed through a hole in the fence. We didn't see him
for three days. If the neighbors hadn't known I was a cop, they
might have called one."
"You didn't think it was so funny, when he dragged your steak
off the grill, Steve." Mandy was laughing almost as hard as Steve.
"Well, that was BEEF. You can't possibly compare it to CHICKEN."
"Brownie didn't mean to be bad, Daddy. He just likes hamburger."
"Ten ounce ribeyes are NOT hamburger, pumpkin, but I get the
message." Turning to an openly laughing Peter and a smiling Caine,
Steve said, "Brownie really is a good dog. He just has this passion
for people food. We usually lock him in the garage when we're cooking
now."
"And we always save him a hamburger or a chicken leg. He likes
them best when I take them to him, doesn't he, Daddy?"
"Yes, baby, I'm sure he does."
"Momma, I have to go to the bathroom."
"Gentlemen, if you will excuse us." Mandy rose and reached for
Katy's hand.
"MOMMA, I'm too old for that."
Mandy and Steve gave their daughter a sideways glance.
Steve's voice grew severe, "Young lady..."
Mandy interrupted, "Katy, you're absolutely right. I don't need
to hold your hand. But I do need you to hold mine."
"You do?"
"Yes ... please."
"Well, OK." Katy left the table holding tightly to Mandy's hand.
A stunned Steve looked after his girls, "I don't get it. What's
the difference?"
Caine replied softly, "Nothing to an adult but to a child, the
difference is significant. Your wife, Steven, is a very good mother."
Steve smiled, "Yes, she is. DAMN!"
"What's wrong, Steve?"
"My damn pager's gone off. Excuse me, Peter, Caine. I'll be
right back." Steve walked off muttering, "Dammit, I'm on vacation.
This had better be good."
Mandy returned a few minutes later, minus her child.
Peter glanced quickly around Chou's restaurant, "Where's Katy?"
"Don't worry, Peter, I didn't lose her. She was yawning big
time so Mrs. Chou offered to watch her in the office. Katy, of
course, protested but was asleep before her head hit the sofa
pillows. The time change has certainly messed up her sleep patterns.
Now for my question, where's Steve?"
"His pager went off. He was not happy." Peter laughed. The
laugh faded on his lips, "Mandy, here's Steve now but something's wrong."
Mandy turned in her chair and leaped to her feet at the site of
her ashen-faced husband. "Good Lord, Steve, What's happened? Is
Helen.."
"No, Mom's fine. Honey, there's been a car accident. It's Andy, baby, Andy's dead." Steve dropped like a rock into his chair. "Oh, God, Amanda. He's dead and so are Stephanie and the kids."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 05 ↑
"Oh my God. Steve, W..What Happened?"
The shaken young man replied softly, "They don't know yet. The
car went off the side of the mountain into the surf on the coast
highway. Some fishermen saw it go over the edge and called 911."
Mandy placed her hands on Steve's as her husband struggled to continue,
"I..It exploded on impact."
Peter asked quietly, "Andy?"
"I..I'm sorry, Peter. Andy Cantrell is..was my partner."
"I don't remember meeting him, Steve."
"You didn't. He transferred in right after you left. We've been
partners ever since. He was such a great guy." Steve gave a short
laugh. "It was such a joke around the precinct. Andy and Stephanie
with Mandy and Steve. Mandy and Stephanie hit it off right away.
I can't believe they're gone."
Mandy's tears flowed freely and her voice quivered, "Steve, you
said Stephanie AND the kids?"
"I'm sorry, hon, that's what the Captain said."
"We just were just with them day before last. Katy went to
Julian's ninth birthday party. He was so excited with his new
roller-blades and Maggie, she turned eleven back in August." Her
voice turned into a whisper, "I..I finished wrapping their Christmas
presents before we left."
"I'm sorry, Peter, Caine. We'd better get Katy and go back to
the hotel. I..I have some calls I need to make."
"We understand, Steve, Mandy." Peter placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm truly sorry. If there's anything we can do?"
Caine echoed his son's sentiments but remained strangely silent.
"No, thank you, at least not now. We'll take Katy back to the.."
The young father froze and stared in horror at his wife. "Mandy?"
She nodded, "I know, Steve, I know. How do we tell Katy that
they're dead? I mean, we've never even had to bury a pet much less
a person."
Caine eyed the distraught young couple sympathetically, "You
love your daughter very much, but you cannot protect her from life
or death. Rely on the strength of your love and the right words
will come. It will not be easy, but they will come."
"Thank you, Caine." Rising from the table, Steve and Amanda
linked hands tightly and left to handle the unavoidable.
Peter watched them leave, Steve carrying the sleeping Katy
through the door of the restaurant, Mandy's hand still tightly
clutched in his.
"Damn, Pop. What a horrible thing to have happen and during
the holidays as well as their vacation. They'll have to cut it
short, now. Pop? Are you with me?"
Kwai Chang Caine looked somberly at his son, "Yes, Peter, I am
right here."
"No, Pop, I mean, you looked as if you were somewhere else. I
know that look."
"I cannot be certain, Peter. I have felt uneasy all evening. Perhaps it was but a foreshadowing of the news your friends just
received."
"But you cannot be sure?"
"No, my son. I am sorry. I cannot be sure."
******************************
Helen Jones answered the phone, fully expecting it to be Steve.
"Hello? ... Steve, honey, what's wrong? ... OH, my God. Son, I'm so
sorry. No, I haven't seen it in the news but I haven't watched in
a couple of days. Where did it happen? ... How horrible! ... What
a terrible reason to cut short your trip. Do you know when the
funeral is?... Certainly, sweetheart, I'll be glad to check for you.
Give Mandy and Katy my love and I'll call you tomorrow."
******************************
Steve turned to his wife as he hung up the phone. Her face
wore a puzzled frown.
"Mandy?"
"Steve, I know that stretch of road very well. Katy and I
go that way to visit Mrs. Schaffer all the time. It's not even
very curvy there but the drop-off is very steep."
"Mandy, I don't..."
"Steve, hear me out. I guess I've been married to a cop too
long. Andy was an excellent driver, you've said so yourself and he
made Stephanie take a defensive driving course after the bump and
mug became popular. I just don't see either of them ..." she paused
and studied his face. "You've already thought of all this, haven't
you?"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't want to bother you with my
suspicions."
"Steve, what's going on?"
"I don't know, Mandy. I just dammit, don't know."
******************************
Seven-thirty found a bleary-eyed Peter Caine on route to the
precinct. Failing in his promise to the Chief, he'd never made it
back there the night before to finish his paperwork. The tragedy
that had befallen his friends had revived painful memories and much
of the latter part of the evening had been spent in conversation with his father. He now attributed the feeling he had of impending doom
to the lecture, and possible disciplinary action, that he would receive upon entering his Captain's office.
As usual traffic was bumper to bumper on the interstate. It
was moving much slower than usual but Peter attributed that to the weather. A light snow was falling, adding to the sludge already in place and the local residents were adjusting their speed accordingly. He grinned as he watched a black Trans-Am with Texas plates follow cautiously behind a very old, dilapidated truck. The Trans-Am had
his, no, Peter corrected himself, her blinker on, in a so far unsuccessful bid to change lanes. Slowing, Peter motioned the pretty red-head to merge in front of him. Smiling and waving in gratitude,
the young woman neatly moved her car ahead of his. Her blinker was still going, and Peter soon realized that she was headed for his exit. The young detective frowned as the black car suddenly accelerated down the exit ramp. "Damn lady, the forty-five speed limit is for ideal conditions, not the ones you've got now."
His words preceded the not so unexpected chain of events by a
matter of seconds. The Trans-Am fish-tailed dramatically toward the
bottom of the hill. Over-compensating, the driver fish-tailed in
the other direction. The car's snow tires could not grip the frozen
sludge at the bottom of the ramp and Peter watched in horror as the
black car slid sideways across two lanes of traffic toward the inner
concrete wall that divided the highway. Miraculously, the Trans-Am
impacted with absolutely nothing. The driver re-gained control and
steered the vehicle toward the emergency lane. As Peter pulled in
behind her, he saw her drop her head onto the steering wheel.
Jumping out of his Stealth, Peter raced to the window. Tapping
lightly, he quickly asked, "Ma'am are you ..."
She started violently and gave a half-gasp of fear. Peter hastily
displayed his badge and smiled inwardly as a flush of embarrassment covered her pretty features. Her hair was a deep, natural red and
her eyes were a dark slate-gray. Peter found himself melting into
the woman's eyes even as he completed his question, "all right?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 06 ↑
The honking of a horn brought Peter back to the present. He waved
in mute apology as he started through the green light. His thoughts
then returned to the woman in the Trans-Am. Because he'd been running late, Peter hadn't issued her a ticket. Instead, he'd warned her to
drive more carefully in the snowy conditions. "Was it really because
I was late?" he wondered, "or could it have been those eyes?" He'd
felt himself tumbling into her eyes the minute she really looked at
him. Peter could not remember EVER seeing a shade of gray that warm and her voice had such a wonderful, musical quality. Regretting only
that he did not know her name, Peter turned into the parking lot.
The image of the pretty red-head faded quickly as Peter Caine
raced into the 101st at twenty minutes past eight. Strenlich spied
him immediately and roared, "Caine, Captain's office, NOW!"
Peter made a dash for his desk to get what he had of his case
files when Strenlich placed a solid hand on his shoulder. Startled, Peter turned to face the Chief of Detectives. Frank minced no words, "You won't need them, this time, son."
Gulping, a very nervous Peter headed for Simms' office and what
could only be his demise.
*******************************
"You look troubled, my friend." Lo Si motioned Kwai Chang Caine
to be seated.
"I am." Caine took the tea cup offered by the Ancient. "Peter's
friends from California have arrived for a visit." The priest fell
into silence, staring morosely into his cup.
"Cookies?" Lo Si held the plate out toward his friend.
Caine's head rose, and a shadow of a smile touched his lips, "No,
thank you."
Lo Si's patience was soon rewarded.
"Peter was so happy when they arrived. I have rarely seen him
so pleased. True joy is something that has been sorely lacking in
his young life. Sorrow, anger and fear have followed my son for
too many years."
"Young Peter has suffered much tragedy but as iron is forged by
fire, so has his spirit been molded by adversity. He is a fine young
man, and a son to be proud of."
"I am sorry. You are correct. I did not mean to imply otherwise.
I have been fortunate to share many delightful moments with my son.
But the pleasure that he takes in the friendship of these people
mirrors the love he has for his family. In the short time that I
have been privileged to see them together, I have observed a closeness that is usually reserved for family. Peter and Steven often finish
each other's sentences. It is almost as if they were brothers, not merely friends."
"Perhaps, in another time, and place, they were."
Caine smiled at the thought, "That is possible. It would explain
much."
"But what troubles you, Kwai Chang Caine?"
"Peter's friends received word of a tragedy last evening that
will curtail their visit here. That their visit has been marred
by tragedy weighs heavily on Peter's heart."
"That is indeed a shame. But this is not all that bothers you,
is it, my friend?"
"You are too perceptive, Lo Si. For much of last evening, I
found myself to be uneasy, but I did not understand why. When Steven
received word of the death of his friends, I assumed that this was
the cause of my distress."
"But it was not?"
"No, old friend, I find that this morning I am even more disturbed
than I was last night, but I cannot discern the cause of my anxiety."
*******************************
Straightening his tie and his shoulders, Peter tapped lightly on
the Captain's door, determined to meet his fate without flinching,
at least not noticeably.
"Come."
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Peter opened the door, talking,
"Captain, I apol...." The words froze on his lips and his eyes
widened in surprise.
"Hello, Peter." Steve Jones looked up morosely from his seat in
front of Karen Simms' desk.
Frank Strenlich gently pushed a stunned Peter further into the
room, then entered himself and shut the door.
"Steve? What? Why? When?" Confusion ran rampant across Peter
Caine's face.
Karen Simms interjected quickly, "Please be seated, Peter. First
of all, your current caseload is being re-distributed to Powell and
Kincaid."
An indignant detective protested, "Captain, I know I'm behind
on my paperwork but I don't need help with my job."
"LISTEN to my words, Detective, I did not say Powell and Kincaid
were to assist you on your cases, I said your cases were being turned
over to them."
"Captain, those are my cases, you can't..."
"Dammit, Peter, for once just listen without talking."
Peter opened his mouth to protest once more but Steve placed a
hand on his arm. "Peter, please, you need to hear what she has to
say."
"Fine. I'm listening." Crossing his arms, Peter settled back
in his chair, determined to fight back as soon as possible.
Glaring at her impudent detective, Karen began to speak, "First
of all, I know you are aware of the L'tasco syndicate."
Peter's mind sped off in a myriad of directions upon hearing the
name. The L'tasco 'family' as it was known had few real blood ties.
Instead it was an organization of talented, but depraved individuals
whose only goal seemed to be making money by whatever means was the
most expedient. Drugs, guns, porn, this group had dealt successfully
with them all and unlike many syndicates which were regional, this
bunch competed successfully on a national level.
"For years, the Feds have been attempting to bring them down.
Various local law enforcement agencies in all fifty states have
worked with the Feds in numerous capacities trying to make cases
that stick. Sometimes they've been successful, sometimes not. One
month ago, a warrant was issued for the arrest of a middle management
member of the organization. Or so the officers involved in the
arrest believed. What they were unaware of was the fact that the
Feds believed this man to be much, much higher in the organization
than the local authorities realized. It appears that the man is
either at the top of the pyramid or just below the top."
"The officers in question handled it like a normal case, didn't
they, Captain?" Peter's voice was grim. He'd recalled a number of
occasions when a Federal 'failure to communicate' had almost cost
the 101st dearly.
"Yes, had they known, the arrest would have been handled in a
much, much different manner. And one of arresting officers would
still be alive."
"Damn! Why didn't the Feds ..." His voice trailed off as the
reality of the situation struck home. "Steve?"
His friend nodded slowly, "Yes, Peter, Andy and I were the
arresting officers."
Peter Caine barely heard his Captain's next words, "This is why
your cases have been reassigned. Your new assignment is now top
priority, Detective Caine. You're to keep Detective Steve Jones and
his family alive."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 07 ↑
"Where are Mandy and Katy now?"
Steve smiled, "Katy's playing computer games with Kermit and
Mandy's in the canteen with Mary Margaret."
Peter nodded, "I assume you've already moved out of your hotel
room."
"No."
"NO!?"
"No. We haven't moved out of our hotel room, Peter, and we're
not going to."
"Why the hell not? We've got ..."
"Safe houses. Yes, I know but," Steve raised his hand to
forestall Peter's comments, "Hear me out, please, Peter. Word on
the street back home is that Chaos has the contract." Seeing the confusion on Peter's face, Steve hurriedly continued, "I was just explaining this to Captain Simms when you arrived. I see you haven't heard of him either. You're lucky. We've had the misfortune to
deal with him before. He doesn't care how many die to achieve his
objective. He's an unofficial suspect in several of the unresolved bombings, plane crashes, you name it, that have occurred over the
last five years. If he knows I came here, and there's very little
doubt that he does, I cannot afford to go home by any means of public transportation. Too many people's lives would be at risk."
Peter's eyes had narrowed with fury as Steve spoke, a sudden
suspicion playing in his mind, "Steve, surely you're not setting
yourself up as bait for this assassin?"
"You know me too well, my friend. Yes, that's exactly what I
intend to do."
"Mandy and Katy?"
"Mandy and I spoke after your Captain sent Kermit to get us and
..."
"Huh?"
Simms broke in, "You were not at home, Peter, when I got the
call from Steve's Captain. I sent Kermit to get them into safety
as fast as possible."
A faint blush of shame worked its way up Peter's face. Before
he could speak, Steve jumped in, "Peter, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You have a life. You also had no way of knowing
we were in danger. Kermit did startle us, though. He arrived at
2 am, complete with sunglasses. I thought Katy was dreaming when
she wandered into the bedroom to tell us that someone was beating
the door up. Mandy and I were trying to unwind by watching a movie
and didn't hear anything."
Peter's eyes shone with suppressed laughter, "Beating the door
up?"
"Yes, Kermit was making so much noise that the guests in the
next room called security. The rest I'll leave to your imagination."
"Doesn't take much thought, I KNOW what Kermit did. Now, tell
me why you think I'm going to let you be bait for a killer?"
Steve's brow wrinkled as he frowned, "Peter, 'let' is not exactly the word I would have chosen."
"Too bad. There is no way you are going to be bait. What
would Mandy and Katy do if something went wrong and you died?"
"The possibility of death is one of the job hazards, Peter.
As to what they'd do, well, they'll survive just like Mom did when
Dad was killed."
Karen Simms and Frank Strenlich watched with barely concealed
amusement as Peter glared at his California friend.
"Dammit, Steve, Mandy will go nuts in a safe house, not knowing
what's happening to you."
"That's why Katy and I aren't going to a safe house, Peter."
So intent were all parties on the disagreement in the small
office, that no one noticed as the Captain's door opened and Amanda
Jones entered. All heads turned toward the young woman.
"Mrs. Jones, I thought we'd agreed that you and your daughter
would be safer in police protection." Karen Simms was the one
frowning now.
"Captain, I did agree to police protection but NOT to a safe
house."
Karen sighed deeply as the young woman moved forward and took
her husband's hand, "You can't possibly understand how dangerous
this is. Think about your daughter."
Mandy faced Simms, unflinching, "Excuse me, Captain but I find
that remark rather condescending. I've been the wife of a police-officer for ten years. I know the job hazards. Let's face facts. Chaos is a professional assassin who's gotten away with murder, literally, for years. From what Steve told me last night, I can only assume that this, this killer, studies his victims carefully and knows their strengths and weaknesses. Steve's weaknesses are," she paused,
smiling at her husband, "Forgive me, sweetheart. Myself, our daughter and his mother. Even if Chaos cannot find us in a safe house, Steve
will be distracted by our absence, and 'not knowing' as Peter put
it. No, Steve will be much less likely to be distracted if Katy and
I are with him."
As she paused, Steve lifted her hand to his lips and lovingly kissed it. Mandy smiled, touched his face gently, then turned her attention back to a fuming Simms, "Captain, I apologize if I have
joined your list of 'difficult' people. But you see, I trust my
husband, and our friend, Peter, to keep us safe. I also firmly believe
that Peter will take down this person, with Steve's help of course. Now, I really must go rescue Kermit from my little girl." Amanda
Jones squeezed Peter's shoulder and smiled confidently at him as
she left the office.
Peter gazed dismally after the young woman, then muttered,
"Great, no pressure there."
Karen Simms watched the door shut and turned to Steve. The
young San Francisco cop shrugged, and said, "You won't change her
mind, Captain. The only one who'd have a shot at it is my Mom and
she's not here. To be perfectly honest, Mom would probably agree
with her, right Peter?"
"Much as I hate to admit it, Helen would definitely back up
Mandy's decision." Peter grinned as he remembered the older woman's
stubborn streak. It had been his salvation a few months back and
he'd be damned if he'd allow her son and his family to be killed.
"OK, now that we know where we stand, let's talk about security
arrangements at the hotel." Simms knew when she'd lost a battle
but she prayed fervently that she wouldn't lose the Jones family.
"NOT the hotel." Peter interrupted quickly.
"Peter, we've been..."
"No, Steve. I agree, reluctantly, with you becoming bait but
from what you've said about Chaos, too many people would be at risk
at the hotel. No, I vote we go someplace else and I have just the place."
Strenlich eyed him suspiciously, "Peter, surely you're not thinking
of ..."
Peter grinned, "Yes, Frank, I am. We're going to stay with my Father."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 08 ↑
"I WIN!" Katy Jones bubbled over with delight, "That makes
THREE wins for me."
"Yes, it does. Want to try for four?" Kermit Griffin leaned
back in his chair, surveying the child through his ever-present
sun-glasses.
"Kermit, Is my little girl behaving herself?"
A small whirlwind flung herself at Mandy, "Momma, Momma. Come
and see. I WON. THREE times!"
"I see, and how many times did Mr. Kermit win?"
"Seven, but that's 'kay, cause he's big. He's supposed to win
more." Katy bounced her way back to Kermit's PC.
The ex-mercenary lowered his glasses and peered over the rim,
"I won because I'm big?"
"Uhhuh, and cause you've already done the second grade. I'm
only half done, so I shouldn't win as much."
Not even trying to understand that logic, Kermit turned his
attention to the young mother, "Mandy, your daughter is very good
at computer pinball."
"Doesn't surprise me, she plays it with her Daddy all the time."
Casting a very unthreatening look at the giggling little girl,
Kermit said, "Oh, she does, does she? Funny, she never mentioned
that."
"No, I imagine she didn't." Mandy hugged her daughter tightly.
The printer next to Kermit's desk began to chatter loudly,
demanding his attention. He twisted his head enough to read the
first lines on the paper, nodded with satisfaction, then returned
his attention to Amanda Jones.
"Where is Steve?"
"He's closeted with Peter, your Captain and the Chief." She
sighed, "They're busy doing what Helen calls, 'that cop thing'. I figured I'd stirred the pot enough and left."
"Stirred the pot?"
"Yes, by announcing that we weren't going to a safe house."
"Amanda.."
"And don't you even start, Kermit Griffin." The glint of steel
in her eyes brought a grin to the ex-mercenary's lips.
"Wouldn't even think about it, Mandy."
******************************************
Discretion has always been the better part of valor and Karen
Simms and Frank Strenlich were masters at both. The Captain and her Chief of Detectives exchanged meaningful looks and left the pair of young detectives alone, behind closed doors.
"Peter, I cannot, and will, not ask your father to put his life
on the line for us."
"You don't have to, I will."
"That's not what I meant." Steve Jones glared at Peter.
Holding his friend's eyes with his own, Peter replied, "I know that."
Steve suddenly rose and began to pace the office. For once,
Peter Caine sat motionless, and speechless, waiting on his friend
to come to grips with the recent turn of events. Steve finally
slowed in his pacing and walked toward the door. Leaning on the
door frame, his shoulders began to shake. Peter rose quickly and
went to Steve's side. Placing a gentle hand on the San Francisco
cop's shoulder, a simple "Steve?" was all it took to turn the other
man to face him.
Unshed tears swam in Steve's eyes, and, with shaking hands, he wiped them quickly away. "Oh, God, Peter."
"Steve, please talk to me."
"P..Peter, I've only been this scared two other times in my
life, the first was when D..Dad was killed, and the second was when
we almost lost Katy, and you, a few months ago. I mean, I faced the possibility of dying in the line of duty a long time ago. You have
to if you're to function as a cop for long and I know Mandy accepts
the idea of my being killed. I don't think she really believes it
could happen, but she accepts the idea. B..but this is different. Because of MY job, my wife and child could die. A..And I don't
k..know what to do to protect them. God help me, Peter, I can't save them." He collapsed against the door frame, buried his head in his hands and began to weep.
Knowing instinctively that words would not help his friend,
Peter offered the only solace he could, human touch. Without
hesitation, the youngest Caine pulled Steve into his arms, and held
him tightly as he wept. Tears filled his own eyes as he remembered
the horror that his California friends had saved him from. Without
the love and friendship shown to him by the Jones family, Peter
knew that he might never have returned to the family, job and life
he loved.
*******************************
"Mary Margaret?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"He's probably already on the way here, but just in case, please find Caine and tell him that we need him at the precinct right away."
Mary Margaret glanced over the Captain's shoulder to the office
where Kermit Griffin was playing pinball with a seven-year old. The
child's mother sat quietly watching her offspring, a sad smile
evident on her pretty face. Turning back toward Simms, Skalany commented, "Peter's going to stash them with Caine, isn't he?"
"That's his plan, if Caine agrees."
"Oh, he'll agree all right. He'd help them regardless of who
they were but with what they did for Peter, well, he will be repaying part of the debt that he feels he owes them. The Joneses will be
safer with him than in Fort Knox." Grabbing her keys, Skalany waved
to Mandy through the window, then left for Chinatown.
"Captain?"
"Yes, Sergeant?"
"This video-tape came in for Detective Steve Jones. I've already
had the bomb squad check it. It's nothing but a tape."
"Thank you, Broderick, I'll get Peter and Steve. Chief, please
set up the VCR in the conference room."
Ten minutes later, a select group, including Kermit, huddled
around the VCR. Simms hit play and the tape whirred into focus on
the TV screen. There was no sound but the pictures were crystal
clear. Steve's face paled as he saw the images on the screen. A thirty-something couple and two children walked out of a yellow ranch style house to climb into an oversized station wagon. The next scenes were a nightmare for all involved. Dramatic editing showed the wagon driving along a highway in the mountains. The ocean ran parallel to
the road as it curved along the cliffs. Though no words were spoken, there was no doubt in 101st's collective mind that this was the
recently deceased Cantrell family. Steve's whimper of distress was enough to confirm the thought. Peter made a single vain attempt to
pull Steve out of the room, but was shoved harshly away. All present watched in dismay as the wagon suddenly veered off the road, plunged over the cliff and exploded on impact against the rocks below.
Without warning the pictures changed, showing a street scene
of what could be Chinatown, AnyCity. An older woman with graying
hair could be seen in front of what appeared to be a homeless
shelter. Steve's cry of terror, combined with Peter's gasp of
horror, sent shivers down the spine of everyone in the room. "OH,
God, that's Mom. The son-of-a-bitch is trailing my mother."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 09 ↑
A panicked voice filled the room, "I've got to go home. Mom
can't defend herself. Oh, dear God, What have I done?"
Peter Caine was standing frozen, staring at the now paused image
on the screen. In the short time he'd stayed with Helen Jones, she'd become a second mother to him. The only woman that meant more was Annie. He knew he should say something to comfort his friend but
for the first time in recorded history, he could find nothing to say.
Kermit Griffin stepped forward quickly and rested a hand on each
disturbed man's shoulder. "Steve, your mother will be safe. I promise
you that."
"H..How can you make that promise? Look what h..happened to
Andy!"
Karen Simms interrupted, "Steve, Peter. Helen Jones has been
under police protection since before Captain MacMahan called me.
Your deputy-commissioner has taken a personal interest in ensuring
her safety. Trust me. Chaos cannot get to her and we'll make damn
sure he doesn't harm you or your family here."
Forcing himself to calm down,Steve turned to face Karen Simms.
He glanced at the officers in the room with him, then said, "I'm sorry, Captain. Mom means the world to me but I'm not sure that killing me
is his game."
"Steve, he's an assassin, what other game could he have?
Peter glanced at the video-tape and picked up where Steve had
stopped, "No, Captain, you don't understand. I don't believe any
of you get it. He found Steve here. He KNOWS Steve's at the station right now. That means that right after this tape was made, Chaos
hopped a plane, flew here and tracked him down. The SOB wants Steve
alive, at least for right now."
"Peter's right, Captain. If he wanted me dead, I'd be dead now
and so would Mandy and Katy, if the Cantrell deaths are any indication.
No, he's been ordered to do something BEFORE I die. I just don't
know what. If I'm dead, then there's no case. I would think that
would be the most expedient course of action. It doesn't make any sense."
Kermit spoke up, "Steve, tell us about the case. Are there any
unusual circumstances? Anything that might be considered a 'hole'
by the bad guys if you die?"
Steve thought hard, "Malcolm Weathers is a respected businessman
in San Francisco. He's also a major player in the local and state
political arena and been touted as a potential candidate for Governor
in the next election. Andy and I had to give hours of testimony to
a grand jury to get them to indict the man on racketeering charges.
We then got the pleasure of serving the arrest warrant. The trial's
been postponed a couple of times already. His attorneys tried and
failed to get another one. It's scheduled to begin December 23.
I can't think of ... Oh!"
"What?"
"With Andy gone, it's my word against theirs. If I'm dead, well,
the evidence we gathered might stand on its own with any other suspect but NOT against Malcolm Weathers. His influence is just too great.
The issue as I see it, is that he can't afford to have a cloud of
suspicion hanging over his head."
Strenlich was confused, "I don't get it, if you're dead and
your DA can't make the charges stick, then shouldn't that solve Weathers' problem?"
Steve sank slowly into the nearest chair, "There's a big difference. I don't know about here but in California, the fact
that the grand jury indicted him will cause major problems with
the syndicate's political aspirations. Having the next Governor
actually be one of yours is a win, win scenario. Much better than having to buy the next one. Getting the charges dropped because of
lack of evidence won't give Weathers the freedom he needs to campaign
successfully, particularly if the two cops who were to testify, both
die in a short time frame, under mysterious circumstances. But if I change my testimony, then I'm branded a bad cop, the case is blown,
the asshole goes free, and I go to jail for perjuring myself to the grand jury and probably die there." His voice faded as he glanced
again at the image on the TV, "And, my family stays alive.
****************************************
"Now look, Deputy-Commissioner Spencer, I realize that you mean well, but I have a shelter to run. I cannot and will not be hindered
in that by police protection."
"Mrs. Jones, perhaps you don't understand. Your son and all
members of his family are targets of an assassin."
"I understand perfectly well. You forget that I was the wife
of a policeman long before I became the mother of one. I did not
say that I refused protection, only that it cannot interfere with
the primary function of this shelter and that is to provide a safe
haven for anyone who needs it."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but certain precautions are necessary."
"Such as searching and otherwise intimidating the new arrivals
to my shelter? That's why your original officers were asked to leave."
"I don't believe that honest people would object to..."
"To having what is left of their dignity stripped bare by the
police?"
"Mrs. Jones, I do not think...."
"Obviously. Let's see if I can explain my position a little
better, Deputy-Commissioner. I will not allow any inhabitants of
this shelter to be searched or harassed. If you have suspicions
about one of my people, then you will have to find a discreet method
of making your inquiries. Further, many of these people fear the
police for one reason or another. I would prefer that your officers
do not identify themselves as policemen unless absolutely necessary.
If I find that you have violated my wishes, I will seek a court order requiring your officers to vacate these premises. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Ma'am. My officers will be most discreet."
"Fine, then they may stay."
Without another word, the Deputy-Commissioner turned and stalked
out of the door. Stilted, angry tones could be plainly heard in the street outside giving orders to the policemen waiting there.
Helen Jones turned to find herself facing one of her more recent
arrivals. The short, stocky man was unusually reticent but had
insisted on helping with the chores. A faint smile played over his
lips as he leaned on his broom. "Mrs. Jones, is there a problem?
May I be of assistance?"
"Oh, it's nothing I can't handle, but thank you for asking."
"The Deputy-Commissioner has an interesting personality."
"I don't know if I would call it interesting. I remember when
he was a rookie cop, working with my late husband. He said Spencer
was a, pardon the expression, pain in the rear-end then, and I don't believe that tendency has changed over time."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 10 ↑
Mary Margaret flew through the front door of the precinct and
took the steps two at a time. She smiled once again as she pressed
the remote that controlled the doors to HER Taurus. Even though it
had been several months since she had traded her piece of junk for
this wonderful machine, she still found that some of the features of
the new car were entirely too much fun. Going from a vehicle whose doors stuck, even when unlocked, to this sleek machine whose doors opened from a distance, had been an eye-opener for the detective.
She felt she now understood Peter Caine's total fixation with his Stealth. So absorbed was she in her thoughts that the hand on her shoulder caused her to start violently.
"OH!, Caine, It's, uh, you. I mean, uh, you're here." Blushing
slightly, she thought, "Great, here I go again, looking the complete
idiot just because HE'S near me. Damn it, Skalany, get a grip."
Kwai Chang Caine gently took her hand, "I am sorry, Mary Margaret, I did not intend to startle you."
The red in her face deepened as she replied, "Oh, that's all
right, Caine, I guess I've been kinda distracted this week. TJ
scared me to death here the other night, in just about the same
spot."
"You are leaving on an assignment?"
"Actually, you are the assignment. Captain Simms wanted me to
go get you. Why are you here?"
"Peter is greatly disturbed. I felt it necessary to seek out
the reason for his distress. Peter is inside and there is a problem?"
"Problem doesn't even begin to cover it, Caine. Come on, I'll
explain as we go inside."
*************************
"I wanted them DEAD by now." Malcolm Weathers' eyes flashed
with fury. "What do you mean by changing the plan? Without even
consulting me?"
Eric Slater didn't flinch. "Sir, I realize that this news has
taken you by surprise. I had really hoped to be here when the wire
came in."
"Why? So you could conceal your agenda from me for a little
longer?"
"No sir. It's YOUR agenda, not mine. You're the one who wants
to seek the Governorship."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"May I speak freely?"
"Yes, dammit, but hurry."
"Well, sir, it has been decided that the elimination of the
witnesses is not enough. You must appear to be the victim of a
corrupt police force. Your exoneration will lead to an investigation
that will do away with the 'corrupt' elements on the San Francisco
police force. These elements will, of course, have ties to other
police departments throughout the state, leading to a state-wide
shake-up of law enforcement."
The older man laughed, "Slater, I am impressed. Would I be
safe in assuming that the 'corrupt' elements are the ones who have
given us the most trouble over the last few years?"
"Yes, sir. Even as we speak, evidence is being planted on a
dozen incorruptible officers in this city. Over the next few weeks, this procedure will be repeated on other officers in this and other cities."
"And Detective Steven Jones?"
"He, sir, is the key. As you have said yourself, he is too
damn honest. When he changes his testimony, he will start the
domino effect that will shake this state to its core."
"How can you be so sure he'll cave in to your threats? After
all, as a cop, committing perjury before a grand jury will get him
the maximum sentence. He will get jail time, not probation."
"His family, sir. His mother is under surveillance and Chaos
is well-entrenched at Jones' current location."
"His mother is under police protection, from the inside."
"His mother is under surveillance, from the inside."
"What makes you think he'll fold? He is a man of honor, something
I don't believe you know anything about, Mr. Slater."
"I understand 'honor', sir. I just don't buy into that garbage.
Detective Jones will fold at the threat to his family. It may not
be quick, but he will cave. He has such a pretty little girl. She's
seven, I believe. Such an innocent age. And as you are aware, sir,
there is a large market in the third world for such innocence."
"I don't want to know details, Slater."
"Yes, sir. Then of course there's the other child."
"What?"
"Oh, our sources show that Amanda Jones is two months pregnant.
According to our information, she plans to give her husband the news
as his primary Christmas present this year."
"Excellent, Mr. Slater, excellent. Carry on."
Eric Slater turned to leave, but turned back toward his employer's
voice, "Oh, Mr. Slater?"
"Sir?"
"Earlier you said 'it has been decided' not 'I have decided'.
Who is 'it'?"
"The Committee, sir. The Committee."
Gulping nervously, Malcolm Weathers replied, "I see. Mr. Slater,
I did not accidentally stumble upon you, did I?"
Smiling serenely, Eric Slater replied, "No, sir, you didn't."
************************
Karen was concerned, "Steve, you're not considering changing
your testimony, are you?"
Twin voices, rang out, "No! I'm (He's) not". Peter and Steve
exchanged looks, then Steve inexplicably deferred to Peter, "Steve
will correct me if I'm wrong, but," he grinned at his friend, "I'm
not. Steve thought about it for a very brief moment but realized
that he would be destroying his family by doing that. Having Steve
go to jail on charges she'd know were false would kill Mandy and
having Katy grow up with the stigma of a convict father, well it
just isn't really a possibility. Right, Steve?"
Steve nodded in agreement, "Right, not to mention the fact that
my mother would kill me, figuratively speaking, you understand."
A knock on the door brought an immediate halt to the conversation.
Mary Margaret poked her head around the door, "Captain, I found Caine,
or rather, he found me in the parking lot outside. Should I send
him in?"
"Yes, and you stay also, please, Skalany."
Kwai Chang Caine entered and walked swiftly to where his son
and Steve were standing. Placing a hand on Peter's shoulder, Caine
said, "Steven, Mary Margaret has told me of the situation. You and
your family will, of course, stay with me."
"Sir, I appreciate the offer but I cannot ask you to risk your
life for us."
"Steven, you do not have to ask. And I will not take 'no' for
an answer. I can do no less for one who has done so much for my
son."
"Sir, I..."
"No, Steven, you have no choice in this matter."
As Steve Jones silently nodded his acquiescence, Peter's smug
voice could be heard, "Told ya."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 11 ↑
Sergeant Broderick looked up into slate gray eyes. Stuttering
briefly, he asked, "M..May I help you?"
The beautiful red-head replied, "I hope so. Your Captain sent
in a request for assistance in manning the phones over the Christmas
season. I've been sent over from Temp-Services to help you out.
Here are my credentials."
Broderick reviewed her paperwork, "Well, Mrs. Paul..."
"That's Miss or preferably, Ms, Paul, Sergeant."
"Um, yes. Your paperwork appears to be in order. The Captain
and the Chief of Detectives are in a meeting at the moment. Let me
see ... Detective Kincaid?"
"Yes, Sergeant?" TJ walked over to the front desk.
"This is Ms. Laura Paul. She's here to help with all of the
Holiday season phone calls that we get." The Sergeant grinned as
he watched the young detective's jaw drop. Broderick continued,
"That extra desk by the Captain's office has been set up for her.
Would you help her get settled?"
"With pleasure. I mean, certainly, Sergeant. This way, please,
Ms. Paul."
Smiling, the young woman replied, "Please, call me Laura."
"I'm Thomas Jefferson. You can call me TJ. Right this way."
Laura looked around the busy squadroom curiously. Noting the
presence of a small child in one of the offices, she asked, "Does
the staff bring their children in often or only during the holidays?"
"What?" Following her line of vision, TJ replied, "The young
woman is not a cop. She and her little girl are, um, involved, uh,
part of an ongoing case."
"Oh, that's too bad, what kind of case?"
"Laura, you're new here and not familiar with precinct rules.
You are here to answer the phones, take messages, file, whatever.
It would be best if you maintained your distance from the ongoing
investigations. For one thing, they are none of your business, and
for another, many of them are very gruesome. I don't think you'll
want to know too many details."
"My apologies, TJ. I did not mean to pry."
"That's all right, Laura. In a few days, you'll be an expert
on what to ask about and what to ignore. Here's your desk, and,"
TJ began searching the desk, "AhHa, Here it is. I thought the Captain had this put together and left with this workstation."
"What is it?"
"It's an information sheet on procedures as well as what we
need help with. Phone calls and messages being number one."
Laura Paul took the paper from TJ's hand and started to peruse
it. "This is most helpful, if I have any questions, should I look
for you?"
"For the time-being, yes. I'll verify that with the Captain
as soon as possible. Is there anything else you need?"
"No, I think I've..." The phone on the desk began to ring,
"Excuse me, TJ. 101st - how may I help you?"
"Broderick certainly wasted no time in transferring calls to
her." TJ thought. Reluctantly he left the pretty red-head to her assignments; he had his own to deal with.
**********************
"What about our things?" Steve asked. "They're still at the
hotel."
"I've already sent someone to collect them." Simms looked
mildly embarrassed, "I, uh, also am having your luggage examined
for anything unusual."
"I understand, Captain. A lack of privacy is just one of the precautions that we'll have to take, if we intend to survive this
mess." Steve grinned, and glanced at Peter, "But there are certain
items that we absolutely cannot be without."
All eyes turned to Peter as he started to laugh, "Such as one
'little people' blanket and Annabelle Lee?"
An emphatic "Yes" caused Peter to laugh even harder.
"OK, I'll bite, what are you two talking about?" Kermit asked.
"Oh, Annabelle Lee is Katy's favorite doll. Katy always sleeps
with both her and Miss Clarissa. She says that the dolls are scared
of the dark without her. As for the little people blanket, well, Mom
made it for her when she was a baby and I don't think she's slept
without it since. If anything happens to any of this stuff, I am
leaving home."
"Miss Clarissa?"
"A rag doll. We managed to come without her. Katy decided that Grandma needed company while we were gone so Miss Clarissa and our
dog are over there."
A buzzer interrupted the conversation. Strenlich hit the switch,
"What?"
Broderick's voice responded through the intercom, "Blake's back
with the Jones' things, and downtown finally responded to our
personnel request. We've got a new temp already at work answering
the phones."
"Thank you, Broderick, we'll be right there." Simms turned to
the chief, "Frank, have the lab make copies of this damn tape. I
want it analyzed every way possible. That tape has a story to tell
and I want to be the first to hear it. In the meantime, I'll call Captain MacMahan and tell him what the asshole sent Steve."
"Right, Captain, on it."
**********************
Blake and crew had already deposited the luggage in Kermit's office
by the time the others reached the squadroom. Mandy was engrossed
in making a quick survey to ensure everything was present. Katy was clutching a very large, soft doll with blond curls with one hand and
attempting to work the pinball controls with the other.
"Blake?" Simms kept her voice low.
"No incendiary devices, Captain, the bomb squad says the room and
the luggage are clean."
The officers present breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Not so fast," Blake's voice was grim. "I found and destroyed
three listening devices, including one on the doll."
Steve Jones lost what little color he had left. "T..The D..Doll?
Chaos got close enough to us to put a bug on my baby's DOLL?"
Peter put a steadying hand on Steve's shoulder, "Easy, my friend,
that was BEFORE you knew to keep your guard up and ..."
He was interrupted by a squeal of delight, "Daddy! Uncle Peter!
Come and see. I can play pinball, sortof, with only one hand."
The two men were headed toward the excited child, when Peter
stopped and stared across the room. "What the?? Who??"
Steve looked in the same direction, muttered "Same old Peter"
and went to hug his daughter.
Kermit grinned and said, "Whoa, down boy. You're on the job."
"Who is she?"
"Well, since she's answering phones, my guess would be the temp
that Broderick just mentioned."
"Thank you Mr. Griffin. It's just too strange. I was late this
morning because a car spun out in front of me and I stopped to make
sure the driver was OK. It's a small world."
Kermit glanced back across the room, "Don't tell me..."
"OK, I won't." Peter grinned broadly as he followed Steve to
Katy's side.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 12 ↑
Lo Si had once informed a small girl that 'a cricket is luck
to the house, a Shaolin priest is luck to the community'. At that
time the Chinese community had been uncertain of Kwai Chang Caine's intentions and had done everything it collectively could to keep
the man in their midst. Caine had since become a mainstay of the neighborhood, lending his apothecary skills to the aid of the sick,
his compassion to the beleaguered, his wisdom and advice to those
who sought it and his kung fu skills to the oppressed. His heart, however, was not lent to anyone. It was given, free and clear, to
his only child.
Many months had passed since Peter had vanished into the night, overwhelmed by a guilt that was not his own. In his despair, Peter
had shut off the love of his family, and friends, to wander alone in darkness, without hope. Call it fate or destiny, at that time his
son's path had merged irrevocably with that of Steven Jones and his family. That joining of souls had resulted in a bond which would,
Caine knew, last many lifetimes. The danger that these people now
found themselves in weighed heavily on both father and son.
As Caine watched the forced lightheartedness displayed by Steve
Jones for the sake of Mandy and Katy, he knew he was not the only
one to sense the depth of fear, helplessness, and anger felt by the young San Francisco detective. Amanda Jones would put on a brave
front for the sake of her husband and child, but Kwai Chang Caine
knew the young woman also suffered deeply.
Moving with the grace developed through years of martial arts training, Caine knelt by Mandy as she looked over her family's belongings. It was taking longer than it should, and he knew that
the reality of her situation had set in when the luggage was brought back from their hotel. Caine reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. The action caused Mandy to turn her head to face the older man. Unshed tears swam in her eyes. Oddly, the warmth and compassion she found in Caine's eyes did much to calm her spirit.
"You and your family will not be harmed. You have my word on
this. You must go into hiding for a time, but all will be well."
"Do you really believe that, Caine?"
"Yes, Amanda, I do. Use this time to support your husband and
to enjoy the company of your daughter. But," he smiled, nodding
toward her abdomen, "for the sake of the other, do not over tire
yourself." Rising he moved on toward Kermit's PC, leaving Amanda
Jones to stare after him in astonishment.
************************************
Kwai Chang Caine's apartments were never secured, a fact that
was not missed by the two men stealthily entering the rooms.
"Would you look at this place. I've never seen anything like
it. Wonder why he doesn't lock it?"
"I don't know, but forget that. We're not here to tour, we've
got a job to do. We probably don't have long."
"What are all the candles for?"
"How the hell should I know? I hear that the dude's some sort
of priest."
"I don't see any crucifix."
"Well, he's Chinese. Maybe they don't use them."
"Who's the statue of the fat guy?"
"I..DON'T..KNOW""
"Why are you shouting?"
Exasperated, the other man responded slowly, "We have been hired
to plant bugs in these living quarters. As I said before, we do not
have a great deal of time."
Placing one of the small devices underneath the altar, the first man replied, "OK, OK. I'll hurry... WHOA!"
"What NOW?"
Reaching to pull Caine's sacrificial dagger from its sheath, the first man said, "Think I'll take this with me."
His hand never made it to the sheath. It came to a stop in
route as his wrist was seized and twisted brutally by his associate. Whimpering in pain as he was released, the first man dropped heavily
to his knees. The voice of his companion took on an ominous note, "Think again, asshole. Let's see if I can make this really simple
for you. You will take nothing. You will move nothing. You will
touch as little as possible. No one is to ever suspect that we were here."
Rising slowly to his feet, the first man replied meekly, "I got
it. Plant the bugs. That's all. No problem."
"Fine." The two men worked quickly and quietly, totally oblivious
to the small, elderly Chinese gentleman, sitting motionless in a
darkened corner of the main room.
Lo Si only smiled serenely as he watched as the men went about
their work.
********************************
"Peter - call on line one." Broderick's voice cleared the din
in the precinct.
With the wave of a hand, Peter acknowledged the call and quickly
lifted the receiver. "Caine, 101st ... Donnie, my man, what do you
have for me?...Now? ... Donnie, I don't know ... I've got...Calm down,
Donnie... I won't make you late... Yes, I know Lula will kill you if
... Fine, Donnie ... twenty minutes in the park... yes, I ... yes...
DONNIEEE ... I said I'll be there ... right." Shaking his head,
Peter replaced the receiver and turned his attention back to Steve
and Katy, "Sorry, gang, I gotta run but I'll be back as quick as I
can."
"Snitch?"
"Yeah, what gave it away?"
"I've had similar conversations back home."
"Daddy, can I go with Uncle Peter?"
"No, baby girl. Uncle Peter's working."
"Oh. Uncle Peter, do you have to work now? You haven't played
pinball with me yet. I've won three games with Mr. Kermit."
"I'm sorry, Sunshine. I'll play with you when I get back."
The disappointment in the child's face caused Peter to kneel to
face her, "I tell you what, Katy. Why don't you show my father how
to play pinball on the computer?"
The child eyed the approaching priest suspiciously. "Why doesn't
your daddy know how?"
"Father doesn't have a computer, Katy."
"Oh, OK. I'll teach him real good."
"That's fine." Peter rose to face his father, "P..Dad, Katy's offered to show you how to play computer pinball while I go meet
Donnie Double D."
Caine tilted his head and nodded to the little girl, "I would be
honored."
Katy's eyes widened slightly, "Was that 'yes'?"
Peter laughed and hugged her tightly, "Yes, sunshine, that was 'yes'."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 13 ↑
Peter Caine stomped his feet impatiently. A light snow was
falling and the park was deserted. Because of the possibility of
snow in the forecast, he'd elected to wear his long overcoat rather
than his black bomber jacket. The damp cold was seeping through the
coarse material and he wished he'd taken the time to insert the wool
lining. Shivering, he pulled the fabric around him more tightly in
an effort to keep out the wind. Time passes slowly if one is freezing and he was growing increasingly annoyed with his snitch when a sound near the bridge, drew his attention, "Donnie?"
"Pete, is that you that my eyes behold?"
"Yeah, Donnie. Now what was so important that you couldn't
tell me over the phone?"
"The phones have been known to acquire ears, Pete."
"I haven't seen you this nervous in quite some time."
"It is not everyday in my humble existence that the presence
of a world-class assassin comes to my attention. I would not wish
to make Lula a widow. She would be most displeased with me."
Peter's features froze into a mask, "Assassin?"
"To my absolute amazement and befuddlement it is the truth. An
international killer has found his way into our humble community."
"Any idea why?"
"Word on the street is that this man has been employed to murder
a police officer."
"Who, Donnie?"
"There have been no names intimated, but the description is
that of one whom Lula and I admire greatly. We would be most
distressed if some misadventure were to befall him."
"ME?"
"That is the conclusion that I have been drawn to."
"Why?"
"The police officer is described as honorable, courageous,
young, and much beloved of his family and fellow officers."
"And you thought of me?"
"Immediately, Pete. I wish you to know that anything either
Lula or myself can do to assist you in your time of trouble, we
will do."
"I really appreciate the thought, Donnie. Will you keep your
ears to the ground?"
"Most assuredly, Pete. Both Lula and I will expand our ears to
the utmost."
"Uh, thanks, Donnie..." Peter reached for his wallet.
"No, Pete. This one is 'on the house'. I do not appreciate
the possibility of the murder of a friend."
***************************
"Mrs. Jones, wait. You can't go...."
She glared at the young plain clothes policeman, "Can't?"
"Uh, I actually meant -shouldn't-, ma'am."
"Better but not acceptable."
"Ma'am..."
"Young man, I realize that your superiors have assigned you to
protect me. However, I have a shelter to run and I cannot do that
sitting in my office. I go to the fresh air market every two to
three days to get vegetables and fruits. I really must go now if
I am to get the best produce."
"Ma'am, please. Let someone else go this time."
"Son, while many people make this shelter a temporary home,
many others rely on it as their main source of sustenance. Without
the food supplied by us, many of the homeless would grow ill or die
from malnutrition."
"But why do you have to go yourself? I..I don't know if I can
protect you in a market environment."
"I like to select the vegetables and fruits myself. Old habits
die hard. Also, I would prefer that nothing appear out of the ordinary
for as long as possible. If I do not keep to my normal routine, the
regulars will notice and gossip will run rampant. I need to leave
now. Are you coming with me?"
The young officer stared for a minute at Helen Jones. "Mrs. Jones,
I have a confession to make. I wasn't handed this assignment. I volunteered for it."
"What does that..."
"Ma'am, please. My father was your late husband's partner. He.."
"You're Eric Wilson's son?" Helen gasped in astonishment.
"Yes, ma'am. Your husband saved my Dad's life at the cost of
his own. I will not let anything happen to you, ma'am. Now if you
really want to go shopping we'll go,..."
"Th..."
"BUT, and I mean this, Mrs. Jones. You will do exactly as I
say, without question. Deal?"
"Young man, you ARE Eric Wilson's son. I recognize that glare."
Smiling, Helen continued, "Yes, we have a deal."
************************
Broderick skillfully juggled the phones and the stream of holiday
traffic that inundated the front desk. Having the new temp had enabled
him to concentrate on the flow of people in the precinct lobby but
occasionally the young woman was overwhelmed with the calls. In the
short time since she had arrived, they'd worked out a system - if
the phone rang more than four times, Broderick would get it. Sighing
in relief as he transferred an irate caller to an unfortunate Jody
Powell, he was startled to see the diminutive form of the Ancient
appear before him. Uncertain how to address the elderly man, the
Sergeant stumbled over his words,
"Well, if it isn't the, uh, Ancient. What can I do for you?"
"I have come in search of Caine."
"Peter's not here right now."
"No, I am seeking the father, not the son."
"Oh, well, uh."
"It's all right, Sergeant." Karen Simms motioned to Lo Si to
come around the barrier. "I'm afraid that Caine is occupied at the moment."
"I understand, Captain, but I must speak with him. It is most
urgent."
Captain Simms studied the intense ebony eyes for a short moment
before replying, "He's in Kermit's office."
Lo Si bowed to the Captain, then crossed the room in search of
his old friend.
************************
Peter Caine watched as Donnie Double D disappeared deeper into
the park near Chinatown. He'd known the little snitch for a number
of years, and knew that he too counted the man as a friend. Peter
smiled as he remembered his experience as Donnie's best man. Hind-
sight said that he should have expected just about anything given
the couple getting married, but the only meltdown he'd anticipated
was Lula's.
Walking through the snow, Peter rubbed his hands together in
an attempt to warm them. He'd rushed out of the 101st so fast, that
his gloves, and hat, were left behind.
"DAMN." The expletive exploded from his lips as he approached
the Stealth. Glaring at the unexpected flat tire, he muttered, "Must
have picked up a nail." Fingers stiff with cold clumsily unlocked
his trunk. Leaning forward to release his spare tire and jack, he
failed to notice the figures moving furtively up behind him. The
crunch of snow alerted his frozen senses too late. He began a swift
turn toward the sound but never saw the blow that sent him into
oblivion. After tipping the unconscious figure into his trunk, the taller man, reached into Peter's pocket and withdrew the young cop's
wallet, badge and handcuffs. While he secured Peter's hands behind
his back, the other man changed the tire. A gag was quickly fixed
in place, Peter's ankles were bound, the trunk was slammed shut and
the taller man slid behind the wheel of the Stealth. As Peter's car pulled away from the curb, the second man glanced around for possible witnesses. Seeing none, he turned and walked leisurely back in the direction from which he'd come.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 14 ↑
"You win,... again. Are you SURE you've never done this before,
Mr. Caine?"
"Yes, Katy. Perhaps my winning is due to your being an excellent
teacher." His compliment did much to alleviate the disappointment
that was evident in the child's face.
"Really?"
"Yes. You were quite clear in your instructions." Caine was
sincere in his praise. The seven year old had painstakingly taken
him through every step of computer pinball, including the 'cheat'
option, which, of course, was never to be used.
"That's good. I hafta practice teaching stuff, cause I want to
be a teacher like my Grandma. She's a really good teacher. Momma
said so. Daddy says Grandma's got lots of awards and stuff for being
a good teacher."
Kwai Chang Caine suddenly winced and put his hand to the back
of his head.
"Mr. Caine, are you all right?"
The Shaolin glanced at the child to see intense blue eyes filled
with genuine concern watching him closely. "Yes, Katy, I have only
developed a headache."
"Momma's a nurse, she can give you an aspirin, if you want one.
She can't give shots, though, not unless Dr. Li says so. Isn't that
right, Momma?"
"What? I don't.." Seeing Caine rubbing his neck gingerly,
Mandy asked quickly, "Master Caine, you are in pain. Can I do anything
to help you?"
"No, thank you, Amanda. I will be fine. Ah... Master. You wish
to learn the computer?"
"Not at this moment, thank you. Kwai Chang Caine. We must speak."
Caine nodded at his friend, then turned to the mother and daughter, "Amanda, Katy, this is Master Lo Si. He is an old friend of mine and Peter's."
To the astonishment of both Shaolin and her mother, the little girl left her seat at the computer, faced the older man, bowed deeply then spoke very solemnly. "Hello, my name is Katy Jones."
Lo Si graciously returned her bow, "I am very pleased to meet you
Katy Jones."
"Amanda, Katy. I must speak with Master Lo Si. If you will excuse
us for a moment."
"Of course. Katy and I will be fine here."
As the Shaolin left Kermit's office, Katy turned to her mother,
"Momma, did I bow OK?"
"Yes, sweetheart but why did you bow?"
"Grandma says you ALWAYS bow to old Chinese people. It's very
polite, you know."
************************
"Kwai Chang Caine, I have come to let you know that men have
planted listening devices in your living quarters. They were most
careful but did not see me."
Caine looked troubled, "How many?"
"Two. But they were followers, not leaders."
"Ah. I see."
"My old friend, please, tell me what is wrong. Is Peter.."
"Peter is .. fine .. but his friends are in great danger."
"You speak of your son reluctantly, Kwai Chang Caine."
"He is in some difficulty but I cannot discern what that may
be." Caine sighed heavily, "But for now he must fend for himself.
I have sworn that Steven, Amanda and Katy will be kept safe. I
cannot abandon them to search for Peter."
"You will remain at the precinct?"
"No, if it were just Steven and Amanda, that might be possible
but this environment is not good for a small child. Little Katy has
a gentle and giving heart in combination with a rare intellect. She
cannot be allowed to roam freely, even within these walls. There
are too many dangers inherent to a police station."
"I understand, my friend. Kwai Chang Caine, will you go with
them to a safe house?"
"Amanda refuses to go into hiding. I believe this is because
she knows that Steven would refuse to accompany his family to a safe
house. Steven is enough like Peter that I know he will attempt at
some point to set himself up as 'bait'. At any rate, I do not believe such a place will provide a haven for them. There is an evil force
stalking them and I sense that it will find them sooner or later.
Their only safety may lie in 'a good offense' as Peter calls it."
Caine paused and studied the elderly Shaolin closely, "Master, I do
not like the look in your eyes. What are you planning?"
"I am planning nothing that you have not already thought of,
my friend."
The gleam in the elderly Shaolin's eyes caused Caine to smile,
"I see. Then you will help us?"
"I would be honored, my friend."
************************
Peter's low moan was muffled even further by the constriction
of the gag. His head throbbed and the pain at the back of his skull
marked the spot where he'd been struck. Gingerly opening his eyes,
Peter winced in pain and waited impatiently for his vision to clear. Cold metal on his wrists told him where his handcuffs could be found. His legs were cramping from their awkward position and he quickly discovered that they were secured much too tightly. His feet were growing numb but he couldn't tell if it was the cold or lack of circulation that was making them this way. The motion and odors surrounding him combined with the taste of blood in his mouth to
make him slightly nauseous.
Knowing that gagged as he was, he could easily choke if he were
to vomit, Peter concentrated on controlling his illness by attempting
to identify the sounds he could hear. He quickly came to realize that
he was in the trunk of the Stealth. The smooth running engine was too close to his heart not to be instantly recognized by the young man.
The road noise beneath the car registered as asphalt. Soon, however, the car turned and the road became extremely rough. Peter knew his
car had left the main road and was traveling along dirt. As his headache increased in intensity, Peter failed to notice, at first,
that the Stealth had stopped.
As the Stealth's engine noise ceased, Peter became aware that another vehicle was approaching. The second vehicle stopped and footsteps advanced on his position. Peter braced himself as the trunk was thrown open. It was snowing more heavily now but the light was still blinding to the young prisoner. He squinted, trying to see his captors but to no avail. The figures remained infuriatingly just out
of his line of sight.
"Is he alive?"
"I sure as hell hope so. Yeah... see, he's still breathing
and, yep, he's awake. Nothing personal, you understand, Detective.
We're being well-paid to do this." Turning to his companion, he
asked, "The wallet and badge?"
"Should be arriving at the front desk of the 101st right about
now."
"I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they get there."
"Me, too. But what now?"
Slamming the trunk closed, the other man laughed, "We leave."
"But the cop?"
"Will freeze to death in a few hours."
"Why not just kill him?"
"Don't know. The only thing I was told was 'divide and conquer'."
Peter cursed to himself as the other vehicle could be heard
pulling away. Taking a deep breath, he took the only option left
open to him, he began to work to free himself.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 15 ↑
Broderick was speaking earnestly, trying to calm an overwrought elderly woman whose cat was missing. "Ma'am, I really understand
that she's your best friend."
"Officer, she's out in the snow alone. It's wet and cold.
She'll be so frightened. I..I don't know what I'll do if anything
happens to her."
Broderick glanced around and spotted a young rookie just
getting off duty. "Officer Jeters!"
The young woman turned, startled by the Sergeant's call, "Yes, Sergeant?"
"Would you be so kind as to escort Mrs. Applebee home and see
if you can locate her cat?"
"Sir?"
"Her cat has gotten outdoors and Mrs. Applebee is concerned
for its safety."
The young policewoman smiled understandingly, "Yes, sir. No,
problem, sir. It IS Christmas after all." She took the elderly
woman's arm and walked with her through the door.
Broderick shook his head and smiled as he watched them leave,
"Yes, Jeters, it is Christmas... Where is that log book?" Glancing
around, he spotted it on the floor at his feet, "How did...oh, well."
Retrieving it quickly, he dropped the book onto the counter next to
a man's wallet. Surprised, he stared at the wallet for a short moment,
then glanced around to see who left it. The lobby was still packed
with people, but no one was close to the counter. Not touching it,
he looked closer and saw that a paper gift tag protruded from something
underneath the wallet. Noting the name on the tag, he frowned and pressed the intercom button under the counter, buzzing the Captain.
"Captain, We've had another delivery out here that I think you should see. Yes, ma'am, second mystery drop today, and yes, this
one is also addressed to Steven Jones."
******************************
Teeth chattering, Peter struggled to reposition his body.
Turning slightly relieved the cramping in his legs but did nothing
to ease the pain in his shoulders. Noting that the trunk of a Stealth
was not designed to hold anything, uh, one over six feet tall, Peter
kicked out at the lid. The sound echoed in his ears, almost deafening
him as he continued to kick. Endless minutes passed before the lock
popped loose and the trunk lid sprang open. Blood stained his face where the gag grated against his mouth. Throwing his legs outside
the trunk, he struggled into a sitting position. Squinting in the unaccustomed light, Peter looked around, thinking, "Great, the middle
of nowhere. Shit."
The handcuffs allowed him enough room to maneuver his hands
underneath him and over his feet. Shoulders aching with the effort,
he continued the upward motion and jerked the gag out of his mouth.
Spitting blood into the snow, he mumbled, "Better, much, much better.
Now for the feet." A wave of dizziness almost toppled him into the
snow as he bent to untie his ankles. Stretching and rolling his numb
limbs soon brought tingles of returning life to his feet. Staring in
disgust at the handcuffs binding his wrists, he muttered, "Hope the
car isn't locked."
******************************
Steve Jones got to the front desk before anyone else. Kermit
yelped "Don't" as the younger man reached for the wallet.
"It's not rigged, Kermit." Steve replied bitterly as he pulled
the wallet to him, "and you won't find any prints, either." Staring
angrily at the wallet and newly revealed badge case, he continued,
"And does anyone have any doubt who these belong to?"
Karen Simms took the smooth leather wallet from Steve's hand
and reluctantly opened it, confirming what those present already
knew. The string still dangled like a waiting noose from the edge
of the badge case. Steve Jones glared at it for a moment, then
opened the case and read the short post-it note inside.
-- 42nd street bridge
twenty minutes, alone.--
"How do you get to the bridge?"
"Steve, you don't really think we're going to let you go,
do you?"
"Captain Simms, I really don't see how you can stop me."
"Detective, you are in protective custody, and ..."
"And Peter's out there alone, probably injured and facing
certain death if I don't go."
"He's probably already dead." Simms choked on the words, even
as she spoke them.
The anguished "I KNOW THAT" caused even the jaded mercenary
to cringe.
They'd all forgotten the father. Kwai Chang Caine's quiet voice drew their attention, "Peter is not dead. He is not even gravely injured, but he is in trouble."
Steve looked in disbelief at the priest, "How ... Never mind,
Peter always said...."
Strenlich made a last ditch effort, "Son, as the Captain said,
we have our orders."
"Sir, the only way you will keep me here is if I am in a cell
and I'd really like you to explain THAT one to Mandy. Now where did
you say that bridge is?"
*******************************
Limping around the back of the Stealth, Peter made his way to
the driver side door. Luck, for once, was with him - the door was
unlocked. Shivering, he flung himself behind the wheel and shut the
door, savoring the relative warmth of the car's interior. He sat
motionless for a long moment, before the urge to free himself overcame
his desire to rest. He reached eagerly for the police radio, only to find it dead. Cursing under his breath, Peter leaned into the other
seat, opened the glove box and pulled out an extra pair of handcuffs, complete with keys. The sight brought a smile to his lips and he
winced in pain as that action re-opened the cuts caused by the gag. Peter dropped the key twice as his numbed fingers struggled to open
the handcuffs. Rubbing his raw wrists, Peter climbed back out into
the weather to retrieve his spare key from under the muffler. To his dismay, he found that the magnetic key holder was gone.
Since his kidnappers had not locked the car, he could only
assume that the box had been jarred loose as his car had traversed
the rough dirt road. Remembering a trick Paul had once taught him, Peter popped open the hood to the Stealth, hoping the hot-wire
technique worked on newer model cars as well as old. He gasped in dismay as he peered under the hood. The single glance told him that
the Stealth would not start again without a visit to the garage. Furiously slamming the hood shut, Peter stared around him. There
was no sign of smoke in the air, the one sure sign he knew of human habitation. His only course of action was to follow the tire tracks back to the main road and hope for assistance. Sighing in resignation, Peter returned to the rear of the car and began following the tire
tracks that were rapidly disappearing as the snow continued to fall.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 16 ↑
"I don't like it."
"You don't have to like it, just wear it, and the vest."
"I'm not wearing a vest."
"Detective, the...."
"Captain, please, hear me out. We're talking about an international assassin here. Not only that but no one has a clue
as to what this asshole looks like. A bullet-proof vest is not
going to do anything against the head shot he'll use if he really
wants me dead."
"A wider target is easier to hit."
"Granted but who says he'll need an easy target. Where's that
transmitter?"
"Here. Take your pick." Blake handed the young detective two
small pins, one in the shape of a Christmas wreath, the other formed
into a small cross.
Steve eyed them suspiciously, "Distance?"
"The wreath carries a mile. The cross is smaller so it carries
only half a mile. I'd recommend the wreath."
The young detective juggled both pins for a moment, then selected
the cross.
Blake nodded and said, "OK, pin it where you want it and let me
run a sound check."
"Steve, the wreath carries farther."
He smiled as he looked at the cross in his palm, "I know, Mary
Margaret, but somehow I think we need all the help we can get in this
little escapade." Fastening the cross on the collar of his sweatshirt,
he turned his attention back to Blake. "Testing, one, two, three."
The dour expression never left Blake's face as he waved his
approval of the sound quality.
Strenlich rapped on a nearby table, "People, if I can have your
attention."
All heads turned his way. "The patrol car we sent to the park
turned up nothing. Peter's Stealth has not been seen for several
hours." Groans went up all around. "But," the chief said, "we
really expected that. Every officer in the city is aware that Peter
is missing. Someone will find him. So let's turn our attention back
to the bridge." Strenlich positioned a city map on the table next
to him. "Steve, the bridge is here. This guy's no dummy. There's
open terrain for at least one hundred yards in all directions.
Hampton runs along one side of the river, Taylor on the other. The
river feeds the harbor there and there's a port authority dock and boathouse just north of the bridge."
"Where are your people going to be posted?"
Simms pointed out the locations on the map, "Chin in the
warehouse, Powell in the boathouse, Blake's going in the car to
man the receiver and Kincaid's already under the bridge."
"That's too close."
"The homeless..."
"Won't be under the bridge this time of day. The other three
are fine, but the bridge location is out."
Simms glared at the young man, "Do you give YOUR Captain this
much trouble?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I believe I do."
"Steve, you're not covered without the fourth position."
"Then I'm not covered." Glancing at his watch, he said, "I'm
assuming it'll take ten minutes to get there. We're running short
on time. Let's move people." Walking rapidly toward the door, he
continued, "Have Kincaid out of there before I arrive." Steve then
disappeared down the stairs.
Sighing in defeat, Simms looked at Caine, "Are you sure they're
not related?"
Shrugging, Kwai Chang Caine replied, "Perhaps in spirit?"
Kermit leaned against the door frame, grinning in spite of the
gravity of the situation. "Oh, yeah."
**********************
It came as somewhat a shock to Peter Caine to discover how much
he really hated snow. It wasn't enough that the stuff was miserably
cold and wet. No, it had to be coming down quickly enough now to
sting when it struck the exposed portions of his skin. His face was
beginning to chap and he'd forgotten exactly how many fingers he had
when he'd started this trip. His arms were in a no win situation.
If he kept his hands in his jacket pockets, his arms were at such an awkward angle that they started to cramp. If he kept them at his
sides, then his hands went numb, causing his arms to ache from the
cold. He'd tried stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets but the
damn things were much too small. Obviously fashion designers never
wore their own creations.
Even his boots were failing him. Apparently made for show and
not for functionality, they were doing a poor job of keeping the
slush away from his feet. Frostbite weighed heavily on his mind as
he trudged through the snow. The tire tracks he'd been following
along the narrow dirt road had vanished a good way back. Peter knew he'd been very lucky in the path his kidnappers had chosen to take.
The brush had rubbed along the sides of the Stealth and broken
branches were now his only clue as to the direction he should take.
Exhausted, he found himself leaning wearily against the smooth
wood of a telephone pole. It took a long moment for that reality to
sink in. "Damn, Peter, get it together. You can't afford to lose
it out here." The plowed highway was less than forty yards away.
Exhilarated, Peter Caine made for the pavement.
*******************
"Momma?"
"Yes Katy?"
"Where's Daddy going?"
Amanda and Katy had watched Steve's preparations from the safety
of Kermit's office. "He's gone to find Uncle Peter, sweetheart."
"Is Uncle Peter lost?"
"Yes." Amanda could think of nothing else to say as Kwai Chang
Caine approached. The lines of concern weighed heavily on his features.
Amanda knew without being told that this man was as concerned for the
safety of her husband as he was for his son.
Before she could speak any words of consolation, a small voice
piped up, "Don't worry, Mr. Caine. MY Daddy will find Uncle Peter."
Gently touching the little girl's face, Caine replied softly,
I am sure he will, Katy. I am sure he will."
*********************
Peter's enthusiasm had increased dramatically with the appearance
of the highway. To his disgust, however, two cars and a truck had
passed him by, ignoring his frantic petitions for aid. Flashing
lights behind him caused him to breath a sigh of relief. Turning,
he smiled as the two sheriff's deputies approached.
"Fellas, you don't know how glad I am to see you."
The thin, blond deputy asked politely, "Car trouble, sir?"
"Yeah, it's definitely dead."
"Where'd it die?"
"It's off the road back there." Peter pointed in the direction
they'd come from.
The older deputy finally spoke, "Son, I don't know what you're trying to pull but there's no car back that way for at least ten miles."
"No, I was way off the highway when it died." Peter found he was reluctant to tell these strangers about the kidnapping.
"Right. There are NO public roads off the main highway for five
of those ten miles. It's private property. Let's see some id."
Reaching for his wallet, Peter blushed, "Uh, it was stolen.
Look, I'm a cop."
"Sure. Assume the position."
"WHAT!"
"I'm quite sure you know what that means. DO IT."
Peter opened his mouth to argue, then he noticed that the younger
deputy was reaching for his firearm. "OK, OK, don't do anything
hasty." Peter placed his hands on the cruiser's hood and managed
to hold his tongue as the older man frisked him.
"He's not armed. Young man, what's your name?"
"Peter, Peter Caine. Look if you'll let me explain." Peter
started to turn around, but the older deputy slammed him back into
position and twisted his left wrist behind his back.
"Save it, Caine, you're under arrest for vagrancy and hitchhiking.
Not to mention trespass if the tree farm wants to press charges."
As a stunned Peter Caine was read his rights and stuffed into
the back seat of the cruiser, all he could think of was that for the
second time in less than a day, he was wearing handcuffs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 17 ↑
"Amanda, I must leave for a time but you and Katy will be safe
in the precinct." Kwai Chang Caine smiled at the child as he spoke.
"Caine, is something wrong? Steve? Peter?"
Cupping her chin in his hand, Caine replied, "Nothing is 'wrong'. There is something I must attend to but you must trust me. I will be near."
Amanda Jones once again knew that there was something the priest
was not telling her but the insistent pull on her sweater by the child
at her side, prevented her from indulging her curiosity.
*****************
Peter tried for the third time to gain the ear of the deputies,
but to no avail.
"Look!" the older officer snapped, "I won't tell you again. Be
quiet. We've heard all of your pathetic little story that we care
to hear."
"Ben, I'm not so sure..."
"OH, GOD, Jeremy. Surely you're not falling for this cock and
bull story?"
"It does sound fantastic," the younger man admitted, "but if
he's really a cop, then we're interfering in his case."
"Huh. If he's a cop chasing a killer, then where's his backup? Answer me that, will ya?"
A quiet "oops" from the back seat of the cruiser was missed by
the arguing deputies.
"You have a point, but..."
"But, nothing, kid. This guy's trouble with a capital T."
"Ben..." The younger cop glanced away from the wheel at his
partner.
"All right. All right. We'll be running his prints when we get
to the station. I'll bet you ten bucks his prints turn up something."
"You're on."
From the back seat, an indignant Peter Caine moaned, "OH, for
the love of..."
"Dammit. NO MORE SOUNDS. Next time I'll gag you."
Slumping back into the seat, Peter thought grumpily, "Why not,
everyone else does."
***********************
Steve had been gone for thirty long minutes when suddenly Katy took off through the door of Kermit's office.
"Katy, where are you going?" Mandy grabbed her daughter's hand
quickly and pulled her to a halt.
"Momma, I gotta go to the bathroom."
"Oh, ok." Not releasing the iron grip she had on the child,
Mandy led Katy, Annabelle Lee firmly in tow, into the crowded precinct lobby toward the ladies room.
A few moments later Kermit returned to his den, carrying a cup
of coffee and a soft drink. "Mandy, I thought you and Katy might
like some... Mandy?" Whirling frantically, Kermit hollered "AMANDA!"
at the top of his lungs. The entire precinct came to a stand-still.
Even the impatient throng in the lobby froze.
Mary Margaret rushed toward the ex-mercenary. Kermit waved her
off. "Skalany, check in that direction. They're not in here."
The temporary paralysis that had plagued the personnel in the
precinct disappeared in a frenzy of activity, as phones, bookings and
statements were forgotten in a mad rush to find the Joneses.
*******************
Helen Jones and Officer Eric Wilson III arrived at the fresh
air market two hours later than was usual for the retired teacher.
Wilson followed her closely, eyes searching the crowds for trouble
as she wandered the stands checking the produce.
"Here, make yourself useful." Helen suddenly thrust a basket
into his arms.
"Mrs. Jones, I can't go for my gun and hold this at the same time," protested the young officer.
"You can't use it anyway, with the crowds the way they are."
"Ma'am, I..." Eric glanced around and admitted defeat. "What
do we do now?"
"Look for tomatoes that still have some green on them. They'll
last longer that way. I'll get the carrots."
"Mrs. Jones, the carrots are nowhere near the tomatoes. Get
something else, first."
"I don't want anything else around here."
"Then help me pick out tomatoes, because you're not leaving my
side."
"Eric, it's forty feet away."
"Forty feet that you're not going." Officer Wilson placed the basket down on the ground as he spoke.
Puzzled, Helen forgot the carrots as she looked at the dearth
of tomatoes, "Why..."
"DOWN!" the young plainclothesman shoved Helen to the ground as
he drew his weapon. Simultaneously, a rifle cracked, and the screams
of frightened shoppers filled the air. The ensuing panic prevented
Eric from doing more than hustle Helen into the safety of his car.
Ordering her to stay low, he radioed for backup.
*******************
All exits had been sealed within five minutes of Kermit's
discovery. All visitors were asked, almost politely, to remain
where they were for a few minutes. Sergeant Broderick was in the
process of making a cursory search of the locker room, when the
slamming of a metal door drew his attention. Rounding the corner
of the shower area, he spotted a young patrolman peering under
the cabinets.
"Officer Dawkins!"
"OUCH!" The young man's head impacted with the countertop
as he leaped to his feet. Eyes widened as he saw who faced him,
"Sir!"
"What the hell are you doing, Dawkins?"
"L..Looking for Mrs. Jones and the kid, sir."
"Under the cabinets, Dawkins?"
"Well, it seemed, I thought, uh, bad idea, sir. I, I'll
just head back to the main rooms." The young man slithered toward
the doors and vanished through them as Broderick glared.
Shaking his head, the annoyed Sergeant muttered, "Where the
hell do they find them?"
Karen Simms was in the process of hearing reports from the searchers by the time Broderick got back upstairs. The news was
dismal - there was no sign of Amanda or Katy Jones. And, as Mary
Margaret quietly reported, Kwai Chang Caine was also not to be
found.
*****************
A tall figure stood alone and forlorn in the snow next to the bridge. The enormity of his situation weighed heavily on the young man's thoughts. His partner and his family were dead, his own family was in deadly peril, and his best friend in the world was missing.
Nothing he could have done would have changed Andy Cantrell's fate.
It had been sealed when they'd booked their suspect. Peter was a
different story. Steve Jones knew, without a doubt, that Peter's
current predicament was due solely to his own presence. His hand
went unbidden to the small cross on his collar as he said a silent prayer that he would not lose another friend this week.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 18 ↑
By the time the sheriff's deputies arrived at their headquarters,
the weather had improved dramatically. Not so the mood of one Peter
Caine. The young detective scowled at the older deputy as he was
pulled unceremoniously from the back of the cruiser. The only
redeeming feature of the whole affair was the warmth of the old jail.
Ben held firmly to his arm as Jeremy opened the door. Peter
grudgingly admitted to himself that the two men were doing everything
by the book. This meant they would, he hoped, process him quickly and
that should lead to his release. That knowledge, however, did nothing to alleviate the growing concern he felt over his friends' welfare. Kwai Chang Caine's reappearance in his life had brought with it what could only be called 'Shaolin complications'. His ability to sense danger had increased ten-fold and every instinct he owned told him something was very wrong.
As Jeremy released his hands, Peter was granted a short moment
to rub his wrists, before suffering the indignity of being finger-printed. The required mug-shot was next and Peter sincerely hoped
that he could gain control of the prints before they could end up on
the bulletin board at the 101st.
The trip back to station had not been nearly long enough for
Peter's feet to thaw out and he stumbled while being escorted to the
single jail cell. Only the quick action of the younger deputy prevented
a fall. Jeremy looked at the floor for obstacles and took in the
condition of Peter's boots in a single glance.
"Ben, get over here."
The older deputy turned from the fax machine where he had loaded
Peter's prints and hurried to his partner's side. "Shit. Better get those boots off. There're wet through and through. Hope he doesn't
have frost bite. I wouldn't want to have to get Doc Mallory over here."
"Why not? It's still light outside."
"The annual bridge tournament at town hall."
"Ohhhh."
"Look I hate to interrupt, but my feet are only numb and I think
you're forgetting something."
The two deputies looked quizzically at their prisoner.
"A phone call. Don't I get a phone call?"
Shoving Peter through the cell door, Ben slammed it shut, "Yep,
as soon as the phone lines get repaired. This last snow must of
taken some of them down."
As Peter stared in disbelief from behind the bars, the older
man continued, "Of course, last time it took three days."
***********************
Steve stood shivering beside the bridge. He was grateful that
the snow had stopped since that increased visibility, however, the
temperature had taken a turn for the worse. Ice-crusted snow crunched
underfoot as he paced in a small circle. An incessant ringing pierced
the fog that had settled over his thoughts. Following the noise, he
found a cell phone positioned out of the weather under a bridge lamp. Steve knelt beside the ringing phone, checking carefully for hidden wiring. Spotting none, he took a chance and retrieved the phone.
"What?"
"Detective Jones. We have not spoken before. Allow me to
introduce myself. I am Eric Slater. I believe you are acquainted
with an associate of mine, Malcolm Weathers."
It took all of Steve's control not to curse at the name behind
his current nightmare, "What do you want?"
"I believe you already know that Jones. You are, after all,
scheduled to testify in Mr. Weathers' upcoming trial."
"Right." The young detective's tone was scathing.
"First let me reassure you that the sniper missed your mother,
but the local media reports it was very close."
"You son of a bitch!"
"Temper, temper, Steve, may I call you, Steve?" Without waiting
for an affirmative, Slater continued, "There is something under the bridge that should be of interest to you. I'm sure you'll want to
speak with me later."
"How?"
"That, shall we say, Steve, is your problem."
Steve discarded the phone into the snow and began making his way
carefully down the snow-covered bank. His confidence overcame his
caution as he neared his goal. An unexpected icy patch on the slope
upset his balance and only a desperate grab of an ice-covered shrub,
prevented a slide into the river. Shivering now with more than just
cold, Steve Jones steadied himself on his feet and made his way across
the last remaining feet to the underbelly of the bridge. Eyes widening
in horror, he reached out, hands shaking uncontrollably. Tears welled
up in his eyes and spilled over onto his cheeks as he clutched
Annabelle Lee to his chest.
*****************
"Hey Suz. Where ya been?"
The young dispatcher stomped snow off her boots as she appeared
in the outside door. Plopping a grocery bag on the nearest counter
she pulled her gloves off and replied, "Replenishing the coffee supply.
Someone," and she looked meaningfully at Jeremy, "forgot to add it to
the shopping list when he made the last pot."
"Sorry, Suz." Jeremy looked contrite as he passed some old shoes
into the cell with Peter. "Here try these for size." Without waiting
for a reply, he turned his attention back to the woman.
"No problem, I had to get some stuff for the house anyway and with
the phone lines dead, there aren't a lot of calls." Glancing toward
the solitary cell, she continued, "Hey, who's the hunk?"
"Some guy we picked up on the main highway. As soon as the lines
come up we'll run his prints." Ben yawned as he spoke.
The young dispatcher stared for a moment at Peter, then said, "Guys,
have you even looked at the bulletins today?"
"We got bulletins? But the lines are down."
"They've only been down for about an hour. Do I have to think
of everything? Sometimes I feel like a baby-sitter." She walked
as she spoke towards the dispatch desk and began searching through
the latest broadcast bulletins. "Ah, I thought so, Peter Caine.
Your dude in the cell."
Ben glanced triumphantly at Jeremy, "Told ya! What's he wanted for?"
"Nothing, he's a big city cop that went missing earlier today.
Foul play definitely suspected."
The dumbfounded look on Ben's face combined with the look of
triumph on Peter's caused Jeremy to laugh and duck his head, only
partially successful in covering his embarrassment as he moved swiftly
to unlock the cell.
"Sorry, sir. Do the shoes fit OK?"
"Yes, thank you. Do you have a working radio or a cell phone?
I've got to get hold of my precinct." The feeling of impending doom
had made itself into an intolerable burden and the young detective
prayed that it was only his imagination.
"No cell phone, but Suz here can connect you with just about
anyone on that radio of hers." Ben nodded toward the dispatcher's
desk.
Peter smiled his most charming smile at the young woman. She
cursed under her breath as she found her hands trembling under the
gaze of those intense hazel eyes. Glancing briefly at the bulletin
with his picture, she took a deep breath and settled into working
the radio. Shortly she'd made contact with the 101st. Peter took
the headset from her, squeezing her hand gently in gratitude as he
did so. She blushed and backed away to give him room, stumbling over
her chair in the process. Peter caught and steadied her, increasing
her embarrassment. Once certain she would not fall, the young man
turned his attention entirely to speaking with Captain Simms.
"Well, Ben?"
"Oh, yeah. You owe me ten bucks."
The younger man stared in shock at his older partner, "I WHAT?
He's not wanted for anything."
Ben smiled at his younger partner, "I never said THAT. What we
bet on was that 'something would turn up' and I believe that it has.
Now, pay up."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 19 ↑
Steve gradually regained his composure. Wiping the tears from
his eyes, he looked sorrowfully at the doll. His features turned to
stone as he spotted the note:
*** Lose your companions.
Phone booth
Hampton and Lady
thirty minutes
BTW - Cute kid ***
Crushing the note in his tightening fist, Steve struggled for
a breath that refused to come. Gasping, he went to his knees, a
low moan escaping his lips. He quickly turned his head as unusually
light footsteps made their way towards him. A small Oriental man
of incredible age stood watching him serenely.
For a moment, Steve felt he was sinking into the ebony eyes of
the old man. Shaking his head in an attempt to regain command of
his senses, he forced himself to stand, "I..I can't stay here. I've
got to go."
"You are correct, Steven Jones."
"WHERE ARE THEY?" Steve lunged at the elderly man, and to
his utter amazement found himself seated in the snow.
"In grave danger. Kwai Chang Caine asks that we join him as
quickly as possible. Come."
"I..I'm sorry. I saw you at the precinct. You're the man Peter calls the Ancient."
Reaching down, Lo Si effortlessly pulled the younger man to his
feet. "Yes. Please come with me before your friends come to see what
is wrong."
"What? I don't understand. I'm wearing a bug, the 101st knows you're here."
"They do not. Even now they are wondering how one of Detective Blake's fine devices could cease to function so quickly."
*************
The landing in the parking lot of the 101st could be described
as bumpy at best. Peter Caine sat frozen beside the pilot, eyes
screwed tightly shut.
The pilot studied her passenger's colorless face and trembling
hands and said gently, "Peter, it's OK. We're on the ground."
"For good?"
"Yes, you can get out now, but stay low. The blades are still
going."
Peter forced his eyes quickly open and heaved a sigh of relief
as he saw the station house. "Thanks, Martha, I, uh, appreciate the
lift."
"Anytime, Peter, anytime."
Peter called backwards over his shoulder, "I don't think so,
Martha. Nope. Not at all."
Kermit was waiting impatiently as Peter hastily put distance
between himself and the chopper. The ex-mercenary did a cursory
once-over of his young friend as he approached.
"Do I pass inspection?"
"For now. No broken bones, internal bleeding?"
"Nope, just stiff, sore and madder than a wet hen. What the
hell happened while I was gone?" Peter broke into a near run as he distanced himself from the police helicopter.
"Don't know. Went back to my office and they were gone. We've
searched the entire building. I have no clue how they were grabbed.
No one saw a thing."
"And the security cameras?"
"Budget cuts. They recycle the film every thirty minutes - again, no good."
Peter held the door for Kermit, "Pop?"
"He hasn't been seen since then either. I don't know if he was
taken..."
"He wasn't." Peter paused, as if listening to something, or someone.
Kermit's eyes narrowed as Peter's face went blank for a moment, "Peter, kid, don't go there. The Captain's waiting."
"Huh? What?"
"I said Karen's waiting."
"Apologize for me, she'll have to wait. Pop needs me."
"Peter, what are you going to do?"
"Give me your keys."
"Not no but HELL NO."
"Kermit, I do not have time to argue."
"Then why do it. I'LL drive."
*****************
Karen Simms struggled to maintain her temper. It was not the
rookie's fault that Peter and Kermit were not in her office. The
young man positively quaked in his boots as he watched the blood
rush to her face. Her voice tight with emotion, she said, "How
long ago?"
"M..Maybe ten minutes, ma'am. They were leaving as I was
p..pulling in."
"Thank you. Dismissed."
The relieved young cop fled the office as Karen punched the
intercom, "BRODERICK!"
The harried voice of the desk sergeant replied, "Captain?"
"Put out an APB on Detective Griffin's car. I want it found
yesterday."
"Right away, Captain."
Breaking the connection, she muttered to herself, "Ought to id
them as armed and dangerous."
********************
Kermit Griffin kept a wary eye on his young friend as he drove.
As far as the ex-mercenary was concerned, this entire day sucked the
big one. Peter had left his friends in the care of the 101st and
the entire precinct had failed their young detective miserably. Kermit
blamed himself more than anyone. He'd read the reports on Chaos
long before anyone else. Hell, now that he thought about it, he'd heard of the damn man in a seminar on terrorism that he'd attended
in the fall. Now that beautiful young woman and a seven year old
girl were in the killer's power. Kermit's stomach turned at the thought.
"It's not your fault, you know."
Kermit almost put his green Corvair into a snow bank at Peter's
words. "What?"
"Kermit, it's not your fault. Mandy and Katy's disappearance,
I mean."
"I know what you mean, I just don't see how you can be so...so
forgiving."
"It's a Shaolin thing."
Kermit ignored the implications of that remark to inquire,
"Where exactly am I going?"
"Chinatown."
"Any particular street? It's a pretty large area, you know."
"I'll let you know where to park."
"Gee, thanks Kid. You're all heart."
****************
Blake's emotions ran the gamut from elation to despair as Mary
Margaret radioed the dual messages that Peter had been found and
the Joneses were missing.
There'd been no way to tell Steve either message without blowing the stakeout. The experienced detective made the difficult call not
to pull the 'bait' in hopes of gaining the upper hand. Blake's bug
had picked up only Steve's side of a cell phone conversation before giving out as the young man disappeared underneath the bridge. For
a brief moment, Blake had assumed the old bridge was interfering with the transmission, then he remembered that HE'D put the transmitter together himself. He smashed the radio button, "Youngsters, something's wrong. Close in on the bridge."
Jody Powell and Roger Chin arrived at the bridge at almost the
same moment, with TJ Kincaid a short distance behind them. Chin lost his balance on the snow and started to slide down the embankment.
Jody grabbed his arm, and joined him in the trip. Blake was gasping
for breath by time he reached the old bridge. TJ was halfway down
the embankment as the older man leaned heavily on the stone railing. Knowing they were too late, Blake hopefully called out, "Anything?"
Jody's voice held a hint of a sob, "Better call it in. Steve's
gone."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 20 ↑
"Turn right." Peter's direction took Kermit by surprise,
startling the older man out of his melancholy thoughts. "Park
behind the dumpster." Peter was out and moving before the Kermit-
mobile was completely still.
"Damn it, Peter. Wait. SHIT!" Kermit leaped out of his car
and flew after his young friend, vowing bodily injury to anyone
who touched his car in his absence.
By the time Kermit caught up with Peter, doing injury to the
younger Caine's body was definitely on his mind. He'd fallen twice
on the ice in the narrow alleyway, landing in a pile of rubbish
both times. Peter stood at the doorway to an old building, in deep
conversation with an unseen person. At least, Kermit hoped it was
a person. "Shit, Griffin, do not let this Shaolin stuff get to you."
The older man seized Peter's elbow just as the younger was about
to disappear through the doorway.
"Kermit, what..?" Peter turned puzzled eyes to his friend.
"Do not feign innocence with me, kid. I've known you too long.
You are not, repeat not, going anywhere without me. Got it?"
"Fine, but we have to go now. Bad guys are coming."
"Oh, Yeah."
*********************
"Momma, aren't you cold?"
Amanda Jones pulled the fabric of her woolen blazer more tightly
around her little girl. She was thankful that she hadn't taken it off
in the precinct. She pulled the child closer to her and smoothed her
hair. "Not really, baby. How about you?"
"Uh Uh. Can I have a blazer for Christmas?"
"We'll see."
"Is Daddy coming soon?"
"Yes, Katy."
"Momma, can we go play pinball?"
"No sweetheart, we'll have to wait awhile." Amanda looked warily
around the dingy room where she and Katy had been taken. She mentally
kicked herself for accompanying the young man but he HAD been in uniform. She had realized her mistake when they'd been forced out
a back door into the weather. Mandy had buried her own fear to keep
her child from realizing their plight. Unused to snow or extremes
in temperature, Katy wasn't confused by the fact that they had no
coats. She was instead intrigued by the Ford Bronco that had brought
them to their prison. Only the chill of the sparsely furnished room, and the lack of anything to do, seemed to bother her. Amanda had
been able to fix the first problem by wrapping her little girl firmly
inside her own red blazer. The second was less easily resolved as
her supply of stories was about at an end.
"What about Uncle Peter?"
"I'm sure he'll try to get here." Amanda said a silent prayer
that Peter was not dead. She knew that Steve would attempt to rescue
them as soon as he discovered they were missing but he didn't know
this city. Peter might just be their only hope of survival. While
Mandy respected the faith Peter had in his father, the man was not
a cop and could not be expected to find them. Her thoughts turned
to fear that her husband had walked into a trap and would be unable
to even attempt a rescue. That thought died quickly as she realized
that they would not have been needed as hostages if Steve was to be
killed. With a sigh of relief, Mandy resumed her worry over Peter's
fate, merging his disappearance with the Cantrells' deaths. With the confusion of their relocation to the 101st, neither she nor Steve had taken the time to tell the child about the Cantrells. She did not want to add Uncle Peter to the list of heartbreaks before Christmas.
***********************
It was incredibly dark in the old building. Kermit was soon
forced to stash his sunglasses in his jacket pocket. Even so, he
struggled to see Peter only a few feet away. "How the hell do they
see in the dark," he muttered, "must be part cat. Yeah, that would
fit with the nine lives." A sudden movement on Peter's part caught
the ex-mercenary's attention. Before the young detective could
disappear around a corner, Kermit reached out and seized his belt.
Startled, Peter stopped, causing Kermit to nearly collide with
the younger man. "Kermit, what the hell?"
Tightening his grip, Kermit replied, "Told ya, kid. You are not
getting away from me."
Scowling, Peter started to protest when a hand unexpectedly
covered his mouth. Kermit grinned as Kwai Chang Caine moved out of
the shadows. Releasing his son, Caine said, "Come" and disappeared
down the hall.
Kermit Griffin almost choked as he heard Peter's urgent, but
muted cry of, "Damn it, Pop, don't rush off without backup."
************************
The click of a lock caught Mandy's attention and she clutched
Katy to her chest.
"MOMMA, I can't breathhhh."
"Sorry, sweetie." Mandy relaxed her hold slightly as she waited
for someone to enter the room. To herself she sobbed, "Oh, God, Steve, where are you?"
***********************
A fortyish woman in a business suit waited impatiently for
Broderick's attention. The desk sergeant slammed the phone down
and wondered for the third time in less than ten minutes how women
managed to turn a bathroom break into an afternoon outing.
"May I help you?" Broderick asked, as politely as possible.
"Other way around, Sergeant. I'm here to help you."
"What?" Broderick was too confused now to be polite.
"I'm your temporary help. You did request help, didn't you?"
"Yes, but..."
"Look, it's late, they pulled me off of annual leave to do this
job so where do you want me?"
"We've got someone. I mean they already sent someone."
Frowning, the woman said, "Not from the union, they didn't. I
certainly hope you didn't go out and bring in NON-UNION labor."
"No, she had papers,.. Uh, very much like yours. Would you mind waiting over there? I think someone's playing a joke on us."
"Fine, but I get time and a half for anything past five." The woman left as Broderick waved frantically for the Chief. The desk
sergeant ignored both the phones and the crowds as Strenlich
approached.
"What's wrong, Broderick?"
"Sir, that woman over there in the red suit claims she's our
temp. Her papers also appear to be correct. Now I'm not stupid
enough to believe downtown sent us TWO temps."
"Shit. Ask Miss," Strenlich glanced at the paperwork, "uh,
Mrs. Hendricks to come to the Captain's office. Where's Ms. Paul?"
"Bathroom break, ten minutes ago."
"Find her, quickly."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 21 ↑
The boardroom consisted of standard material for a corporate entity. A oblong mahogany table with fourteen leather-covered desk chairs filled out the center of the room. An oriental rug lay beneath the table. The wainscoting was also mahogany, adding to the opulent
feel of the room. The twelve men and two women seated around the table
also could belong to corporate America. Standard issue business suits
blended well with the furnishings. Only the Renaissance art, missing
from Europe since World War II, hinted at the true nature of the
group in session.
Even to a casual observer there was no doubt that the man at
the head of the table was in command. This was no Camelot, with a
round table that screamed of the equality of its members. This was
an autocracy in its purist form. The tall, portly gentleman manning
this seat could have been mistaken for anyone's grandfather, except
for his eyes. There was no light of life and love evident in the
sea-green orbs; instead his eyes were as cold as the arctic sea.
"For our final order of business, we have a report from Ms.
Chambers. Marci?"
The woman stood and faced her associates, "I regret to report
that the situation was not well analyzed. There have been enough significant blunders to warrant a complete review of the problem."
"Have you had enough time to gather the information necessary
for this group to reach a decision?"
"Yes, sir. I have."
"Proceed."
"First, I must reluctantly point out that this entity voted to
have Mr. Slater hire the assassin known as Chaos. I say reluctantly
because this association was a mistake."
The man to her left interrupted, "How so? We all thought it
was a good idea."
"We were wrong, Mr. Jeffreys. We've all been away too long from
the 'streets', so to speak. We underestimated the impact that the
murder of the Cantrell family would have. If Chaos had been able to
take out a train or plane with hundreds of lives, then it would have
been better for our cause. In a tragedy of massive proportions, the
general public has no way of bonding with all of the victims. Oh,
they may empathize temporarily with each victim they see in the
news but the connection quickly fades. The Cantrells, however, were
a small enough unit to arouse public sympathy. In short, they have
become a focal point of public outrage against organized crime."
"Recommendations?"
"Only one, sir. Cut our losses. The name of Malcolm Weathers
has become inextricably linked with the Cantrells. Even if Steven
Jones could be persuaded to change his testimony, I project less
than a twenty percent chance of Mr. Weathers being successful in
his bid for public office."
"Discussion?"
"Ms. Chambers, what are the odds that you are mistaken in your
analysis?"
"It is not just my analysis, Mr. Wilson. My staff has been
running statistical models on the various potential scenarios for
the past several days. Only one model has the numbers necessary
to guarantee us any modicum of success. That one is to cut our
losses and clean-up as necessary. And to answer your question,
there is a less than fifteen percent likelihood that my staff's calculations are in error."
"Any further discussion?" Seeing none, the man at the head of
the table said, "All in favor of following Ms. Chambers' recommendations? ... Opposed? ... The ayes have it. Ms. Chambers,
would you be so kind as to contact Mr. Slater as soon as possible?"
"Certainly, sir."
"Now, for the next order of business - Steven Jones."
"Sir, I thought we already voted on that issue."
"We voted on Malcolm Weathers, Mr. Matthews. A decision has
yet to be reached on the fate of Detective Jones. Ms. Chambers?"
"The statistical models are basically neutral. He is out of
town and his death would be only a passing news article here in
San Francisco. The decision now must be made solely on the issue
of examples."
"Examples?"
"Really, Mr. Jeffreys. Do we make an example of this cop or
do we ignore his existence? I now turn the issue over to the chair
for a vote."
"Thank you, Marci. Ladies and Gentlemen, the next vote will be
on the death of Steven Jones."
***************************
It was a very dejected crew that returned to the 101st. Jody
hurled her coat at the coat rack, not noticing it land on the floor.
TJ Kincaid sank, defeated, into his chair, lifted the phone from
its cradle and began dialing informants. Blake's always noticeable
bowed shoulders were bowed even further under the weight of his
failure. Only Roger Chin was able to maintain an air of normality.
He'd been stopped at the desk to translate for an elderly Chinese
man attempting to communicate with Sergeant Broderick.
"Blake!" Strenlich's voice could be heard over the din, "Captain
wants to see you."
"Figures." Blake dropped his gloves and hat onto his desk in one
fluid motion and continued on to Karen Simms' office. He knocked on
the door frame, and was motioned inside by Simms.
"Captain, I assure you that my staff is not incompetent. We will
find the Joneses." Simms winced visibly as an obviously scathing
remark was returned over the line. "Yes, I realize how valuable he
is right now. Does that mean you wouldn't give a damn about him at
any other time? I have said that we will find them and we will,
alive. Now, if you don't mind, Captain, I have a job to do." Simms
missed the cradle with the first slam of the handset, but connected
on a second satisfying thrust. She took a brief moment to regain
her composure, then turned on Blake, who gulped noticeably.
"Explain."
The question and answer session went on for quite some time.
*******************
Malcolm Weathers left the opera by the side door. It was raining
heavily and he'd opted to stay under shelter as long as possible.
He'd begun having trouble breathing during the last act and had almost left at that time. Now the pain radiating up his left arm into his
jaw was almost unbearable. Even rubbing the arm proved ineffective.
His driver opened the door and Weathers stumbled into the back of
the limousine.
"Sir, are you all right?" Eric Slater's voice was moderately
concerned.
"Just take me home. I have to go home." Weathers leaned back
against his leather seats, resting his head against the door jam.
It was the last thing he ever did.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 22 ↑
Karen Simms frowned at the two women in her office. The latest
arrival, Carol Hendricks, glared openly at Laura Paul, who remained
unconcerned by the whole situation. The Chief leaned against the
door frame, massive arms crossed over his chest. The Captain glanced
once more at the paperwork each woman had presented. They were
identical in every respect, except for the name of the admin.
"Ladies, we have a small problem. I requested one temporary
employee to help out during the holidays. I seem to have acquired
two. Now, we all know that in city government, that just isn't
possible."
"Captain Simms, I don't see a problem. I was pulled back in
off annual leave to assist your command. I don't know who this woman
is. I've never seen her at the agency." The frost in Carol Hendrick's
voice would have frozen the proverbial pumpkin.
"Captain, I have to agree with Ms. Hendricks that there is no
real problem. One of us has simply been assigned in error to your precinct. I'll be glad to call downtown and see where she's really
supposed to be."
"It's not quite that simple, ladies. Due to certain 'events'
that have taken place in the past twenty-four hours, I must ask
each of you to submit to a fingerprint and background check."
Carol Hendrick's furious "I don't think so" was issued at
precisely the same moment as Laura Paul's "No problem, Captain."
Simms' eyebrows raised slightly at the vehemence in the older
woman's tone. "I don't believe you understand, Mrs. Hendricks.
Given the special circumstances we are operating under, 'no' is
not an acceptable answer."
**********************
Eric Slater studied his former employer's inert form for a
moment, then flipped open his cell phone.
"Sir, it's done.... Yes, sir.... Right away, sir. And the
other matter? ... Yes, sir. I'll take care of it.... Thank you,
sir." Disconnecting his phone, he hit the intercom, "Driver,
quickly, the nearest hospital. I think Mr. Weathers is having a
heart attack."
As the limousine picked up speed, Slater leaned back against
the leather seat and relaxed. Smiling slightly, he dialed another number and spoke softly into the mouthpiece, "Solo." Flipping the
phone closed, he slid it casually back into his pocket and prepared himself for their arrival at the hospital emergency room.
**********************
An indignant Carol Hendricks worked in vain to wipe the ink off
of her fingers. "Captain Simms, I just want you to know that you
are making a terrible mistake. The union will not tolerate ...."
"Mrs. Hendricks, one more word and I'll have you arrested."
Simms was in no mood to deal with the histrionics of this woman.
The flabbergasted secretary's jaw dropped noticeably as her
constant diatribe on the stupidity of the 101st ceased. Furious, but
afraid to say more, she stalked to the nearest desk and flopped into
the chair, her body language daring anyone to ask her to move.
Laura Paul also worked to remove ink from under her manicured
nails. "Captain, if you don't mind, I'll go back to answering the
phones."
Simms nodded absently and turned her attention back to the
Chief. "Frank?"
"Report just came in. A cruiser found Kermit's car in an alley
near Heathway. No sign of Kermit or Peter."
Captain Simms turned, "Blake, Powell, Chin, Kincaid. Time to
redeem yourselves."
The four detectives looked bemused as she continued, "The Chief
has the location of Kermit's car. Let's see if the four of you can
find Kermit and Peter."
Laura Paul answered one more ringing phone and transferred the
call to the Chief. She quickly punched another ringing line only
to frown as she realized she'd missed the call. The caller id on
the line allowed her to make a rapid call back. Dialing the number
she spoke a few words, then hung up, staring puzzled at the phone.
"Boy, was that a wrong number."
"What's the matter, Laura?" Broderick was genuinely curious.
"It was a radio station. Some sort of holiday charity drive.
I really hope I wasn't live on the air."
Broderick laughed and returned to the front desk. Ten minutes
later, he found himself overwhelmed with phone calls. Glancing behind him, he was startled to find that neither Laura Paul nor Carol Henricks
were in the squadroom.
**********************
"Pop, wait!" Peter rounded a corner and slammed into his father's
back. "What!?"
"Be still for a moment, my son. Something has changed."
Kermit watched the struggle on Peter's face as he attempted not
to ask any questions. Finally the young man's impatience overcame
the injunction to be silent. "Father, are Mandy and Katy...?"
"They are near, my son, and they are alone."
"I don't understand. They were kidnapped from Kermit's office. Surely they're being guarded."
Caine's voice contained more puzzlement than Peter could ever
remember hearing, "They were being guarded. There were six men here
earlier. Two were incapacitated, the remaining four could not be reached without endangering Amanda and Katy. All are moving away
from their prisoners."
"Toward us?"
"No." Caine closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment.
"It would seem they are leaving."
"Pop, that doesn't make any sense. Surely..." Peter's voice
trailed off and both he and Kermit drew their weapons as footsteps
approached.
Caine pushed Peter's Beretta down, "That will not be necessary,
my son. It is Lo Si and Steven."
"Oh, of course. Right." Peter jammed the Beretta back into
its holster as the elderly form of the Ancient came into view, Steve
hot on his heels. The frantic young San Francisco cop nudged his
way around Lo Si and raced toward his friend.
"Peter! Where are they? Are they all right? Have you seen them? What happened to you? How did you get away? Are you all right? Where
are they?"
"Whoa, Steve, Pop says they're fine and they're close - right,
Pop?"
"That is correct, my son. Except for the, as Peter would say,
'good guys', there is no one left in this building."
"You're sure?" Kermit cursed his stupidity even as he asked
the question, "Never mind, of course you're sure."
Peter started to speak, then gasped loudly, eyes widening in
horror. "Pop, I ..."
"I know, Peter."
"I, also, know, young Peter."
"OK, fun and games are over. WHAT do the three of you know?"
Kermit sometimes found three Shaolin to be three too many.
Peter turned to face his friends, "We don't have much time,
there is a bomb in this building."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 23 ↑
"Blake, there's Kermit's car!" excitement colored the tones
in Jody's voice.
"Where?"
"Behind the dumpster, see over there!"
Blake's tired eyes followed the line dictated by the young
blonde's finger. "Got it." Blake skillfully maneuvered the large
sedan into the alley. Three doors opened simultaneously, followed
closely by the driver's door. With the energy born of youth, Chin, Kincaid and Powell leaped from the car and started eagerly toward
the green Corvair.
"Hold it, youngsters!" The older detective caught their
attention as he eased worn muscles from the vehicle. "Look at the
ground."
The younger members of the squad had the grace to look mildly
abashed as they saw the footprints that led away from the car.
"Snow has its advantages," Blake commented dryly.
"You're sure the footprints are Kermit's and Peter's?" Chin
asked.
Jody glared at the young man, "Who else could they belong to?
They're leading away from the car not toward it."
"And," TJ added, "there are no other prints around."
"Well, uh, what if Peter and Kermit weren't in the car when it
stopped here?" Chin asked solemnly.
Jody and TJ looked first at each other then back at Chin but
found they had no answer for the frightening question.
"Nope. It's Peter and Kermit." Blake's voice was confident.
"How do you know?"
"Shoes. Unless they were kidnapped by someone who for some
reason changed shoes with them, those are definitely the prints of
our delinquent detectives' shoes. Shall we go?"
TJ and Chin led the way up the alley. As Jody walked beside Blake, she asked "You been studying shoe tread long?"
"Nope, it's a new hobby."
"Blake, you need a life."
****************************
"A BOMB!" Steve's voice was aghast at the images raised by the
declaration.
"Where is it, Peter?"
"Give me a moment, Kermit." Peter's eyes were closed as he
concentrated on the bomb's location.
Kwai Chang Caine exchanged a quick look with Lo Si. The fact
that Kermit addressed his question to the youngest Shaolin in the
group, had not gone unnoticed by either man. Inwardly pleased at
the confidence Kermit had in his son, Caine nevertheless knew that
Peter needed some assistance in his search. Taking hold of Peter's
elbow, Caine spoke softly, "Focus on your goal, Peter. Visualize
the bomb and the location will be revealed to you."
Sweat beaded on Peter's brow, "It's in a box... a red box.
It's dark, very dark and there're pipes. The basement...the damn
thing's in the basement." His eyes shot open, "Kermit, we've got
to get down there, now!" Peter looked frantically around for the
stairs.
"Wait, my son!" Caine's voice broke through Peter's frenzied
words. All eyes turned toward Caine. "You have seen the bomb but
is there nothing else to see?"
"Pop, I don't have time for riddles."
"LOOK again, Peter!"
It was obvious to the son that the father would brook no
disobedience. The younger man shrugged his shoulders, looked
helplessly at his friends, then closed his eyes once more.
"See the bomb, Peter. Look very closely."
"I see it, Pop. It's your standard wired device, complete with
digital timer that shows..." His voice faded.
"Shows what, Peter?" Steve's anxiety filled the room.
Peter opened his eyes and stared at Caine, "It's not running.
The timer's not running. There's no countdown. The damned thing's
not even armed."
Kermit decided quickly that enough was enough, "FINE! Nothing
personal but I'd just as soon not stay around to find out how good
Peter's Shaolin senses are. Does anyone know where Amanda and the
kid are?"
"I'd like to know the same thing." Steve was trying in vain
to control his fear.
"Ah, they are this way." Lo Si turned as he spoke and started
down a nearby passageway, Steve and Kermit close on his heels.
Peter started to follow, but was stopped by a gentle hand on
his arm, "My son, you did well."
Startled at the unexpected praise, Peter blushed, "Pop, I, uh."
As Caine walked away from Peter, he added, "But you must continue
to practice in order to improve."
Peter sighed and followed, "Gee, thanks, Pop."
****************************
Mandy Jones listened closely for several long, agonizing moments. The doorknob had turned slightly, but no one had as yet entered the room. She rose slowly from the hard bench and walked carefully
toward the door. Katy started to follow but a stern "No" accompanied
by the traditional finger pointing to the bench, caused the little
girl to drop back down on the plywood surface. Mandy paused as she reached the door and found she was holding her breath. Releasing
it slowly, she listened for something, anything on the other side
of the door. Hearing nothing, she tried the knob. It was unlocked.
She stood, frozen, staring at the door. "OK," she thought, "Now what
do I do?" Mandy knew she'd made a major mistake in accompanying the
officer at the precinct. She also reasoned that if the door was
unlocked, 'they', whoever 'they' were, probably wanted Katy and her
to attempt to escape, but why? What did 'they' want? She agonized
for a few moments on her next course of action - should they stay
or should they go? If the bad guys wanted them to run, shouldn't
she maybe stay where she was?
"Shit, no! Katy, come with me."
Eyes wide, the seven year old warily approached her mother,
"Momma, you said a bad word."
"It's OK, Katy."
"But Momma, Daddy doesn't like it when you say bad words."
"Katherine, do not say another word and do exactly as I tell you.
Understand?" Fear put more intensity to her words than Amanda had
originally intended.
The little head nodded, completely confused by her mother's
behavior.
"Good girl. Now take my hand and stay close to me." Grasping
the child's hand firmly, Mandy took a deep breath and opened the
door.
***************************
The footprints ended at an old doorway. Chin reached for the knob,
but was stopped by Blake. "Youngster, if you want to live to be an
oldster, check for wires, first."
Roger Chin nodded and carefully surveyed the door frame for hidden
wiring. "It's clean."
"Fine. TJ, you and Chin head around front. Keep an eye out for
lookouts and booby-traps. Jody and I will go inside."
Both TJ and Chin looked as if they were about to argue when Blake
added, "It's not open for discussion."
"Chin, shall we go?"
"Hey, no problem."
Jody shook her head as the men disappeared, "Well, Blake?"
"Ladies first, Jody, ladies first."
As she kicked open the door, she replied, "You always were the gentleman, Blake."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 24 ↑
"WHAT! When? ... I see... No, there isn't any word yet on the
Joneses. We do have a very good lead that my officers are following
up on at the moment... Yes, Captain, I will certainly keep you posted.
..What? No, it really won't be necessary to send some of your people
out here, but thank you for the offer. Good-bye." Once again the
headset slammed into its cradle.
Frank Strenlich had observed the exchange between Karen Simms
and the San Francisco police captain with barely hidden amusement,
"I'm assuming the 'very good lead' is Kermit's car?"
Guilt flew across Karen's features, "Well, I didn't really say
a lead to what, now did I?"
"Actually, no."
Karen sighed, "But in fairness to the man, he didn't call just
to harass me about Steve. The suspect Steve was to testify against
is dead."
"WHAT!"
"That was my reaction. The man had a heart attack leaving the
opera. His limo driver raced him to the hospital but he was DOA."
"Real or induced?"
"'Looks' real, according the hospital. Good timing, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. Does that mean Steve's not a target anymore?"
"I don't know, but I wouldn't assume he's safe. I wouldn't
assume any of them are safe, yet. He did gather evidence on a high-ranking mobster. That could easily leave him a target still. Any
word from,... anyone?"
Strenlich frowned, "No, not yet. Fingerprint checks won't be
back for a while - down phone lines, but I'm betting Ms. Paul isn't
real. Her last vanishing act appears to have been for good."
"Great. How's Mrs. Hendricks?"
"Answering phones, but still very angry. I've never seen anyone
able to go from ranting to totally polite in such a short period of
time. You do realize we'll hear from the union on this?"
Karen winced visibly, "Oh, Yeah!"
*******************************
Mandy swallowed hard and struggled to see in the dimly lit
corridor. Her heart beat so loudly that she could no longer tell
if she and Katy were making too much noise. She prayed fervently
that they were not. Katy had protested only once when Mandy had
squeezed her hand too tightly.
They arrived at an intersection of halls in the old building
and Mandy gasped in dismay. There were three possible ways to turn,
not counting the way they'd come. Mandy frantically looked in all directions for some indication of which way she should go. The room
in which they'd been held was at the end of a hall so she'd had no
real decision to make, then. Now there were three possibilities, two
of which would be wrong.
Katy watched her mother's behavior and thought, not for the
first time, that grown-ups could be really weird. "Momma?" she
said as she pulled to get loose from Mandy's iron grip.
"Hush, Katy. Momma's thinking."
"Bout what?"
"Shhh - about which way to go."
"Why?"
Realizing that Katy would continue to ask questions until she
got what she considered a 'real' answer, Mandy replied, "I'm trying
to remember which way we came in so we can leave. Now please be
quiet.... We'll go this way."
Mandy turned and pulled Katy along with her. The child was forced
to run to keep up. "Momma, slow down."
The frantic mother slowed her pace slightly, "Sorry, baby, now hush."
"Momma?"
"Hush!"
"But, Momma?"
"What, Katherine!"
"We came in that way." Katy pointed down the hall behind them.
Mandy stopped and stared at the child, "Katy, are you sure?"
"Yes, ma'am. It had yellow bricks on the floor. This hall doesn't
got none."
"Yellow bricks?"
Katy nodded. "Lot's of them."
Mandy glanced backwards down the corridor. Sure enough, there were
yellow bricks on the floor. "Fine, we'll go that way."
"'Kay."
*********************************
The mood of the searchers had lightened with the realization that
the bomb was not armed and the bad guys had mysteriously vanished.
The men were all confused as to the 'why' but at the moment none of
them really cared. Answers could come later.
Peter caught up with Caine, Lo Si, Kermit and Steve just as they
reached another turn. Peter glanced at the bricks on the floor and
mumbled something about 'following the yellow brick road'.
Steve heard and grinned in spite of himself, "Yeah, I noticed but the only munchkin I want to see is mine and the good witch is named
Mandy."
Caine looked puzzled, "You refer to your wife as a 'witch'?"
"No. Absolutely not!"
"No, Pop. It's an old movie."
"Yes, old friend. It is a classic." Lo Si shook his head in
dismay at his friend's ignorance.
"Ah. I..."
"DAAAAADDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYY!" A small hurricane flew into Steve's
arms.
Steve wrapped strong arms around his daughter and clutched her
tightly to his chest. Mandy meantime had frozen in her tracks and
slid weakly to the floor, sobbing. Still holding Katy in his arms,
Steve raced to his wife and dropped to the floor beside her.
"Oh, God, Mandy, are you all right? Did they hurt you or Katy?
Baby, don't cry, please sweetheart."
"I..I'm s..sorry. I'm fine. We're fine. I was just so..so..." Mandy stopped herself just before admitting fear.
"Momma, what's wrong?" The sight of her mother in tears was
causing the child to become frightened for the first time since they'd been taken from the 101st.
Drying her eyes, Mandy said, "Nothing sweetheart. Momma's just
tired."
Simultaneously Steve said, "Momma's scared the bad guys will come
back."
Katy pushed away from her father, "Bad guys? There were bad guys
here?" Her eyes widened as she spoke, a slight tremor to her voice.
Mandy took the child from her stunned father as she rose from the
floor, "Thank you very much, Steven. WHERE is the exit?"
"Amanda..." Steve began as his furious spouse attempted to push past him. "Please, sweetheart." He grasped her arm firmly, pulling
her stiff body into his arms. As she gradually relaxed in his hold,
Katy was able to pull her little hand from her mother's. Running
quickly to Peter's side, she found herself swung into a bear hug,
"Uncle Peter, were there bad guys here?"
"Yes, sunshine, but they're gone now. Okay?"
"'Kay. Mr. Kermit, can we go play pinball?"
The ex-mercenary grinned, "Yes, little one, I think that could
be arranged."
From her position in Peter's arms, Katy glanced back at her
parents, "Might as well leave them, they've gone all squishy. Yuck."
Before Peter could respond, a dry voice from behind said, "Well,
isn't this touching, but in case you've forgotten there's an assassin
out there."
"BLAKE!"
Jody broke in, "I take it the building's secure?"
Kermit grinned, "Yeah, sweetcakes, Caine says only us good guys
here."
TJ and Chin rounded the corner and slid to a halt, staring in
amazement at the group in front of them.
Blake looked grimly at the horde in the hall and commented, "I
don't think we'll all fit in the cars."
****************************
Across the alley, a silent figure waited patiently on the rooftop,
rifle in readiness, time on his side.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 25 ↑
Kermit suddenly remembered, "Chin, go call the bomb squad, and
while you're at it, get another car or two over here."
"Bomb squad!" Chin and TJ spoke in unison while Jody just stared,
stunned. Blake on the other hand mumbled, "Figures."
Ignoring the consternation of the younger detectives, Kermit
continued, "It's not armed but I'd rather get the pros over to get
rid of it before something happens."
"Right", the young man replied weakly, "Bomb squad, no problem."
Chin started to turn back the way he came, when Blake caught his arm,
"Son, it's faster the way we came in."
"Oh, yeah."
Blake watched Chin's retreating backside for a moment, then
muttered, "Kids."
Kermit seconded the sentiment with a nod, then said, "OK, listen
up people. Let's stop lollygaging around here and get the heck out
of this building. Steve, Amanda, front and center."
The embarrassed young couple moved quickly to join the rest of
their friends, but Peter was quick to notice that Steve never let
go of Mandy's arm. As they approached him, Steve grinned at his
friend, "Peter, you seem to have quite an arm full there, let me
take her off your hands."
Peter handed Katy to her father, ignoring her squeal of protest,
"Dadddyyy, I'm too old to be carried."
Steve kissed his daughter's hair, delighting in the scent that
was uniquely his child's. Painfully aware that he might have lost
both her and her mother, he replied, "Not this time, baby girl. Let
Daddy carry you for right now, OK?"
Not understanding exactly what was going on, but sensing it was
something unusual, Katy reluctantly said, "Weelll, OK, but not for
long."
***********
"Captain, I was right. Mrs. Hendricks checks out clean but
Laura Paul's fingerprint check came back with no matches. I've
started an inquiry now with Interpol." Strenlich's voice was grim.
"None?"
"No, and unless she's a lot older than she looks, she's much
too young to have gotten a city job without a background check."
"Damn, and she was so helpful. OK, Chief, we'll go on the
assumption that she's part of the syndicate. Get Skalany to talk
with anyone on the staff who spent any time talking to her. And
use caller id to track every call she got or made since she stared.
"Right."
As Strenlich turned to leave, Simms sighed heavily, "Frank."
"Yes, Captain?"
"Ask Mrs. Hendricks to step in here a moment please."
"Captain?"
"I, uh, I'm hoping to avoid too many union repercussions
with a formal apology. Otherwise we may never get another temp."
"Oh, of course. Right away, Captain." Strenlich walked out
of the Captain's office thinking, "Better her than me."
***********
Peter and Kermit moved in unison to take the lead down the hall.
TJ and Jody positioned themselves directly behind the small family
unit, with Blake not far behind.
"Pop, do you. . . What? Where? Dammit, Pop!" Peter glanced
around but his father was not in sight.
Blake's dry voice intoned, "The Ancient's gone, too."
"Peter?" The ire in Peter's tone had dragged Steve's attention
away from Mandy and Katy. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know, but when those two disappear like that, expect
anything, and I mean anything to happen. Blake, did either you or
Jody notice anything unusual coming into the building?"
Double negatives came from both detectives. Before Peter could
ask, TJ said mournfully, "No, I didn't see anything either but then
this hasn't been my day for being observant."
Peter grinned, "I know what you mean, I'M the one that got
grabbed, remember."
Kermit pulled Peter off to one side and spoke very softly,
"Peter, maybe the dude you were talking to knows something."
The puzzled look on Peter's face caused the hair on Kermit's
neck to raise, "Kermit, what are you talking about?"
"Kid, don't try to fool a pro. When I followed you to the
building, you were standing in the doorway talking to someone."
"Kermit, the door was closed until just before you grabbed
my elbow. I was, uh, 'doing' the lock and I was kneeling, not
standing."
"Peter..." Kermit's voice held a warning note.
"I'm serious Kermit. The lock popped, then I shoved the door
open and was about to go in when you grabbed me. There was no one
else there."
Jody suddenly interrupted, "You left the door open?"
"Yes."
"It was closed when we got here, and locked. I got to kick
it in."
Peter Caine looked concerned, "Blake, TJ, I know Pop said there
were only 'good guys' left in here, but I'd like you guys to scout
ahead and look for trouble. Jody, you and Kermit take point. I'll
bring up the rear." He glanced worriedly down the hall, "I really
hope Chin's OK."
The group waited only long enough to let Blake and TJ get out
of sight before starting down the dimly lit passageway. Contrary
to her earlier protests, Katy had quickly fallen asleep on her
father's shoulder. What was left of the decimated door was being
held open by TJ when Jody and Kermit got there. Signaling the
younger man to catch up with Blake, Kermit held onto what was left
of the door. Jody slipped past him and followed Blake and TJ
toward the cars.
A rank smell wafted in from the alley, causing Kermit to
wrinkle his nose in disgust as he left the building. Peter was
not far behind, along with the Joneses.
As they reached the door, and the odor, Mandy suddenly lost
all color and swayed dizzily. Steve tightened his grasp on her
arm as he saw her start to fall.
"Katy, honey, get down quickly. Peter, help me!" Steve
placed the sleepy child unsteadily on her feet and turned all
his attention to his wife.
Peter whirled in the doorway and called out, "Steve, what's
wrong?"
Kermit Griffin caught Peter's rapid turn out of the corner
of his eye, and whirled around himself. A feeling of dejavu
crept over him as he suddenly realized that Peter was in exactly
the same position that he'd been in earlier that day. The hair
on the back of his neck tingled unmercifully as he saw Peter in
conversation with Steve who was barely visible behind Peter. Not
knowing exactly why, Kermit screamed, "Peter, DOWN!"
Peter dove into Steve, successfully taking the three Joneses
and himself to the ground. Simultaneously, a single bullet
impacted the wall, missing Steve's head by mere inches as he fell.
"ROOF!"
The single word caused TJ and Jody to head for the stairwell
of the building across the alley. Chin called in a frantic 'Officer
needs assistance, shots fired' call and Blake raced toward the group
on the floor of the old building. Kermit beat him to the door and
gasped in fear as he saw that Mandy was unconscious.
"Mandy? Honey. Mandy!" Steve quickly checked her for injuries
but could find nothing.
"Daddy, what's wrong with Momma?" Katy's frightened little
voice caused Steve to control his fears in order to comfort his
child.
"It's OK, baby girl. Momma seems to have fainted. Go to the
car with Mr. Kermit and do exactly as he says."
"But..."
"No, buts. Momma will be fine, I promise. Now go."
Kermit quickly pulled the child into his arms and ran with
her to the car, shielding her small form with his much larger one
as he went.
Peter knelt beside Steve who was cradling his wife. "Steve,
she wasn't shot?"
"No. There're no injuries. I don't know what's wrong. Peter,
I need to get her to a doctor."
"Already been to one. God, that smell is awful. Can we leave
now?" Mandy was struggling to rise, even as Steve strove to prevent
her moving.
"Not until I get a stretcher for you - what do you mean you've
already been to a doctor?"
"Before we came here. I had to confirm the home test."
"Home test?"
"Steve Jones, for a smart detective you are one slow father.
I'm pregnant."
Assassins, mobs, death threats, all were forgotten in the
whoop of joy emitted by Steve Jones and echoed, to a smaller
degree, by Peter Caine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 26 ↑
Steve's joy abated quickly as he remembered the shot from the
roof. He helped Mandy to her feet and together he and Peter covered
her as they made their way to the cars. Neither he nor Peter wanted
to stay any longer than necessary in a building rigged with explosives. Only when TJ signaled the all clear from the roof, did both men relax.
Mandy sank gratefully into the passenger seat of the green
Corvair and put her head between her knees in a desperate attempt
to keep from passing out again. Caine appeared as if by magic and
held out a vial to Mandy.
"Drink this, it will help the sickness."
"What is it?" Steve asked, "She can't take just anything
because she's pregnant."
"It is an herbal mixture that will help her and the baby."
Caine spoke softly as he gently rubbed a pressure point on Mandy's
neck. The dizziness and nausea faded slightly and she lifted her
head to slowly look around her. Caine pushed the vial into her hand
and again said, "Drink this. Please."
Mandy eyed the colorful liquid in the vial suspiciously for
a moment, then drained the vial in one large gulp. Grimacing at
the taste, she quickly ducked her head again, fearing a worsening
of the nausea. To her complete surprise, the nausea and dizziness
disappeared within seconds of ingesting the fluid.
"Caine, that's amazing. You could make a fortune selling
that stuff to pregnant women."
Caine shrugged, "I could not. It is designed for your needs.
Every woman is different. Most would not be helped by what you
drank."
A small voice piped up, "What baby? I don't see a baby."
Mandy smiled at the curious child, "Well, sweetie, Momma's
gonna have a baby in a few months."
"Like Tiffany Nichol's Momma did last summer?"
"Yes. And this one will also be a summer baby."
The little girl eyed her mother's stomach for a moment, then
said, "You do know you're going to get really fat, don't you?"
Steve controlled his own laughter but Peter and Kermit had to
duck behind the Corvair rather quickly. Even Caine's eyes danced
as Amanda replied, "Yes, darling, but it won't be for long."
"OHHH, Momma, look!" Katy pointed in excitement as fire engines and other specialized vehicles converged on the alley.
"Steve?"
"It's OK, sweetheart. There's a bomb in the building that needs to be taken care of."
"A bomb? We were in a building with a bomb?" Mandy's voice
had a touch of panic in it.
"You're not in it anymore, sweetheart."
"It wasn't armed anyway." Peter added, helpfully.
Amanda Jones looked from one man to the other, "No matter how
much I try, I do not think I will ever understand you people."
Steve and Peter looked at each other in dismay but said nothing.
Kermit, however, could not stand it, "What people? Cops?"
"NO! MEN! Katy sit back. Momma's closing the door - it's
getting chilly in here." The passenger door in the small car slammed noisily. Peter, Steve and Kermit winced at the sound. Steve looked apologetically at the other men, "It's the hormones. She was like
this with Katy, too."
"Oh." was all either Peter or Kermit responded. Blake motioned
for their attention.
"Pop, you'll stay with Mandy and Katy?"
"I will."
Peter glanced quickly around, "Where's Lo Si?"
"Ah, he is taking the homeless to the shelter."
"There were homeless people in the building?"
"Yes."
"So that's where the two of you disappeared to."
"It is."
"Why didn't... oh, never mind. Come on Steve, Kermit. Pop
will stay here." Peter walked away shaking his head, leaving Caine
standing beside the car.
"Peter?"
"Yes, Steve?"
"Is your Dad always so, so cryptic?"
Before Peter could respond, the ex-mercenary interjected, "Oh, Yeah!"
*********
Two hours later, Katy was happily playing pinball with a still
annoyed Amanda. Steve was closeted with the 101st in one of the
interrogation rooms reviewing the Pandemonium of the last few days.
Strenlich entered the room with a disgusted look on his face,
"The lab says they'll try to trace the explosives and the rifle but
the odds are not good. Every bit of identification has been
erased from both the bomb and the rifle. The rifle I understand, but
the explosives?"
Steve sighed, "The bomb was never intended to be detonated even
though it could have easily been set off."
"What about the shot?" Jody asked.
"That was a sincere attempt on my life." Steve replied, "If
Mandy hadn't fainted, then I wouldn't have turned slightly. And if
Peter hadn't tackled us then I would be dead now, even with the
shift in position."
"I wouldn't have done that if Kermit hadn't yelled. Kermit?"
The ex-mercenary carefully concealed his vision from the rest
of the 101st, although he suspected that Peter, and Caine, knew
the truth. "Mercenary rules" was his only reply.
Simms spoke up, "I've spoken to your captain, Steve. He seems
to believe with Malcolm Weathers' death, it should be safe for you
to return to San Francisco."
Skalany asked quickly, "What about the assassin who missed?"
A buzzer drew there attention. Karen Simms depressed the button
"Yes?"
Broderick's confused voice came through the intercom, "Captain,
there's a..a voice on the phone asking to speak to Steven Jones.
I've got a trace on the call."
"Thank you Broderick." Karen nodded at Steve who pressed the
talk button on the speaker phone.
"This is Steven Jones."
A gender neutral voice, obviously disguised, replied, "Ah, yes.
Detective Jones. You have a very nice family. And I really must
congratulate you on the new baby."
Peter watched in concern as his friend's eyes narrowed in
anger. The Shaolin cop placed a steadying hand on Steve's arm.
The other detective looked sharply at Peter for a short moment,
then responded simply, "Thank you."
"Of course, the Cantrells were a nice family, too."
Peter tightened his grip as Steve struggled for control, "Yes
they were."
"I thought it only sporting to let you know that I was only
authorized for a single attempt on your life, and only your life.
Unless something changes in the future, your family, including
your mother, is safe."
"I suppose you expect me to thank you."
A laugh came through the phone, "Not really, although it would
be polite."
Peter could stand it no longer, "What do you want, Chaos?"
"Ah, Detective Caine. You threw quite a crimp in my plan by
escaping the trunk. I shall not forgot that."
"Fine. What do you want?"
"I just called to let Steve know that unless he pursues me in
a hopeless attempt to avenge the Cantrells, he is safe. The contract
has been revoked."
Steve stared at the phone for a moment, "I can't promise that,
Chaos. It may take a long time, maybe the rest of my life but I will
bring you to trial for the deaths of my friends."
"I see. Well, I had to try. Very well, I will take that under
advisement. But your life will not be forfeit unless you get too close. I don't mind giving you that much." The phone disconnected leaving
those listening more than a little depressed.
"What will you do now, Steve?"
"Go home, tell my child about the Cantrells, and get ready for the
new baby."
Peter smiled, "In other words, get on with your life."
"Yeah, what other choice do I have?"
"None." Caine replied grimly, "But do not expect it to return
to what it was."
Steve shuddered slightly, "I know. I'll always be looking over
my shoulder."
*********
Less than twenty-four hours later, Peter drove his friends to
airport. Caine and Kermit had both said their good-byes at the precinct, preferring to give Peter time alone with his friends.
Katy sobbed openly and clung to Peter's neck as he carried her to
the terminal building. Amanda hugged him tightly and reminded him,
once again, not to be a stranger. She then took her child by the
hand and led her through the boarding gate. Steve lingered behind. Ignoring the stares of other passengers, Steve pulled Peter into a
warm embrace.
"Well, my friend, once again I owe the lives of my family to
you... and your friends. Not to mention your father. Do you think
we'll ever be able to get together without something going wrong?"
Peter laughed, "I doubt it. Trouble seems to be our middle name."
"Well, promise you'll fly out after the baby's born?"
"No problem. I want to see this god child as soon as possible."
Hearing the last boarding call, Steve turned hurriedly toward
the gate. He was in the doorway, when he suddenly turned, "Oh,
by the way, if the baby's a boy, he'll be Peter Matthew. Don't know
where Katy got the idea." Before Peter could respond Steve disappeared
through the gate.
Peter watched as the plane taxied down the runway. A gentle hand
on his shoulder caused him to turn, "Oh, hi Pop."
"My son. You are distressed."
"Not really, just lonely. Pop, do you think I'll ever be lucky
enough to find someone who'll love me the way Amanda loves Steve?"
"Yes, my son, one day I am sure that will happen."
Peter hugged his father tightly and said, "Let's go home, Pop.
I guess for some people, true love is a long time coming."
The End