Chris ran up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. He hadn't even taken his coat off after returning to the office from a stakeout when he got the text. He didn't know exactly what was going on upstairs, but any message that includes the word 'Ezra' and 'trouble' meant there was no time to waste. Arriving at the 9th floor he took only a few seconds to catch his breath before running toward the conference room. His arm was grabbed as he turned the corner, stopping him from entering, and he spun to find himself staring at Josiah. Before he had a chance to say a word, and he had a few choice ones lined up, the big man raised his hand in a silencing gesture. Reluctantly, Chris reined himself in.
"Ezra came up here to drop of the reports the Judge wanted on the Blair case." Josiah wasn't exactly whispering, but Chris still had to move a bit closer to hear him. "When he got here a couple of the clerks were huddled outside the door. Well, you know Ezra. Sixth sense for when there is some kind of trouble, so he starts charming them into sharing. A few minutes of that and he finds out that Jane Simmons has holed up in the conference room. Apparently, she was really upset about something, but no one seems to know just what. So, he turns on the charm again and gets in there to talk to her. Door was left partway open, meaning our eavesdroppers here could figure out that Jane wasn't in the room anymore. She was outside. On the ledge."
"Shit. I assume someone has called for rescue." He could hear sirens approaching even as he asked. "Ezra still in there with her?"
Josiah looked a bit uncomfortable, glancing into the room. "Not exactly. Nathan's in there right now, keeping an eye on things."
"And Ezra?" Chris didn't understand. It wasn't like the southern gentleman to abandon a lady in distress, and this certainly seemed to qualify. "Why did he leave her?"
"Well, he didn't. He's with her."
"You don't mean?"
"Yeah, he's out there with her."
Chris closed his eyes, offering up a quick prayer for patience, something he found himself doing on a frighteningly regular basis. He added a thought for Ezra's safety, although he was certain Josiah would have sent that request already. Never hurts to overdue something like that though. "Don't suppose he's got a safety harness or anything? No, of course not. What was I thinking?"
"Didn't really have the time."
"OK – do we know why she's out there?" Chris was trying to picture the young woman in question, but was having a hard time bringing her to mind.
"He's working on it. The other ladies claim to have no idea."
"Claim?"
Josiah shrugged. "I think they might have a thought or two on the matter. Not sure who they think they're protecting, but they are definitely reluctant to talk about it." He reached out, stopping Chris in his tracks once again. "Remember, they're not suspects in anything Chris. Just a couple of co-workers, and probably equal parts fascinated and terrified by what is going on."
"I'm not going to interrogate them Josiah."
"You aren't to good at questioning people any other way, especially when you're – well, let's call in anxious. Buck is in with them. Give him a few more minutes to work his brand of charm on them. You can be our 'Plan B' this time."
Chris nodded and quietly opened the conference door a bit further, stepping in. He could hear Ezra outside. He was too far to make out the words but the tone wouldn't have told anyone that the man was standing on a foot-wide window ledge nine stories above the parking lot. Nathan turned at the sound of his entrance and made his way over to him. He did whisper.
"He's keeping her talking. Think he has calmed her down some. I'm still not totally clear on what sent her out there in the first place. Thank God she picked the boardroom. At least these windows have a decent ledge. Course this is one of the only places the windows open so maybe a different room would have been better."
Chris looked at his agent. "Nathan, you do know you're rambling, right?"
"Yeah, sorry. Guess this has me a bit rattled."
"Good. I'd hate to be the only one."
"Do you think you gentlemen might consider taking your discussion to a different venue? Miss Simmons and I are trying to have a conversation, and you are proving to be a most annoying distraction." Chris couldn't get over how calm Ezra sounded. He might just as well be sitting at a café table sipping his morning cappuccino.
"Apologies Ezra. Miss Simmons." He didn't move closer, but increased his volume. "Don't you think you might have a more pleasant conversation if you were to come back in?"
"We are, at present, examining that possibility. So, if you would be so kind as to retreat into the hallway?"
"You mind if I just come check on you first."
"Keep him away from me." It was the first time Chris had heard her voice, which was again bordering on hysteria. Obviously, his presence wasn't helping matters.
"Don't worry, I'll stay here near Ezra." He leaned out the window, trying to get a better idea of the options. There weren't many. "Other than giving you some privacy, is there anything we can do?"
"I would say at this point that is the only thing we need."
Chris reached out and gently touched Ezra's arm. He could only just reach, but it was close enough to drop a microphone into the pocket of his jacket. Ezra acknowledged with a wink that he was aware of what had happened.
"OK, but you need us, we'll be close by." Walking out was the last thing they wanted to do, but at the moment Ezra was in charge of all decisions, so they did as asked.
"There you go. Alone again as requested."
"Th-thank you Agent Standish. I think you should go with him."
"No, I'm afraid that cannot happen. A proper gentleman would never walk out on a lady in distress. I many not be a perfect gentleman, but there are some rules I do believe in maintaining."
"I think you're a gentleman Agent Standish. Certainly more than a lot of the others around here."
"Thank you. And would you consider, under the circumstances, calling me Ezra? Agent Standish seems unnecessarily formal."
She laughed. "You want me, a simple clerk, to call you by your first name? You still call your teammates Mister."
"They are a group of often unruly reprobates who constantly need to be reminded of proper behaviour. You, on the other hand, are a lovely young lady, and I never pass on the opportunity to hear my name as spoken by a charming female voice."
Her laugh this time was bitter. "Lovely? What? You think I don't own a mirror. Mama knew what she was doing when she named me Jane. Bet you never met anyone who suited the title "Plain Jane" more than I do."
"My dear, 'lovely' goes far beyond any attributes than can be altered by a good hairdresser and the application of cosmetics."
"Just what would you know about my attributes? No one around here knows anything about me. They don't ask, and they don't care."
Ezra watched her carefully for a minute, giving her time to calm herself while giving himself time to determine how best to answer her. He could sense more than see the commotion on the street below, and was sure Jane had noted it as well. Rescue vehicles had been arriving over the last few minutes, and he had no doubt they were setting up all the standard safety procedures below. He had no idea if it was even possible to survive a fall from this height, assuming one hit the airbags he was sure were being set up below. Of course, if Jane jumped, he knew she wouldn't be aiming for them. He also had no desire to find out today how effective the rescue strategies were, so the plan was to convince her of a much safer way down – like the elevator.
"Perhaps you are correct. At times, we do seem a little intensely focused on things in this office, but that does not preclude at least some of your co-workers from noticing things. You clearly have a compassionate soul, particularly when it comes to animals." She looked up, startled by the accurate assessment. "You have a calendar from the SPCA on your desk, along with a small ceramic cat." He smiled. "And traces of cat hair on your clothing, most noticeable when you wear your lovely black cardigan. And despite the fact you believe that others have no time for you, that does not discourage you from keeping the candy dish on your desk filled with treats, and from leaving home made banana bread by the coffee machine on a periodic basis."
He noted with relief that she seemed both amazed and pleased by his observations. He took another chance. "Regardless of whatever feelings you have that brought you to step out here, you know that there is someone who cares for you. Deeply. That locket – a gift from your mother? Possibly handed down in the family. It looks to be a genuine heirloom, as does the cross you wear with it."
"The cross was from my dad. The locket," she stopped as her voice cracked slightly, "my grandmother was given it for her confirmation. It had been her mothers before that. It gets passed to the first daughter in each generation." She reached up to hold it again, her other hand resting on her stomach. It was a gesture she had repeated several times since Ezra had joined her, and he had the sinking feeling he now knew why.
"When you told me earlier you were in trouble, it went beyond the concerns you expressed over being arrested for shoplifting." It wasn't a question, but she didn't respond directly.
"I work for the ATF. You don't think they'll let me keep my job with a criminal record, do you? It was stupid, but I needed what I took. It's not like I was stealing a cell phone or jewelry or something."
"You never did share with me the details of your difficulty."
"I stole vitamins. And some stuff for - well, some other over the counter stuff from Thompson Drug Store. I didn't have the money. My rent went up, and I had to send some money home last month for my sister and I'm over the limit on my credit card…" she was starting to cry again. "I just needed a few things."
"You weren't really taking anything for yourself, were you? It's for the baby?"
Jane stared at him for 30 seconds without speaking, and Ezra was beginning to think he'd misplayed this.
"I'm out here talking to one of the best agents in the ATF. Why am I surprised you figured it out?"
"I assume then that your status is not common knowledge? That not even your family knows?" She shook her head. "And the father? He is not willing to take responsibility?"
Her reaction terrified him as she turned swiftly away from him. Certain she was about to fall he moved as quickly as he dared to get closer, stopping only when she leaned back against the wall again.
"No. He doesn't know. I don't want – he won't help. I can't tell you – can't tell him. It wasn't…" she was shaking badly, and gasping slightly for breath.
"Jane. Please. I did not intend to upset you. You don't have to share any information if you don't want to."
Her breathing settled slightly. "I'm sorry. See – I keep messing things up."
"You have not messed up anything. As I said, I will not force the issue with you, but I think you need to re-examine the decision to keep this from him. If he cares at all for you-"
"He doesn't" she interrupted. "This was a mistake. It was a joke."
"I don't understand."
She hung her head and turned away. "It was after the New Year's party. I didn't think I'd had too much to drink, but maybe I was wrong. Everything is a bit fuzzy. He was talking sweet to me. Really nice things. I thought maybe I finally was going to fit in around here. When I told him I was feeling a bit dizzy he offered to take me to the lounge so I could lie down for a bit. He got a bit more friendly when we got there, but when I said no, he backed off. Brought me some water, then helped me get settled. I woke up later – don't know how long. My clothes were on the floor, and he was getting dressed."
"Who?"
"No. You'll get yourself in trouble. Besides, he was right."
"In the name of God, about what?"
"He said no one would believe me. He is someone special around here and I'm just a plain, frumpy clerk. No one would take my word over an agent."
Ezra knew yelling wasn't going to help and he fought every instinct he had to do so. When this was over though, he was going to find out who the bastard was. He'd anticipated putting a good deal of thought and planning into just what he would do after that, and how to hide the body. Then he realized that the rest of the team was probably listening in on this, and he doubted he'd have any trouble finding helpers for that task.
"Jane, listen to me. I believe you."
"Why? You have no reason to."
"I have no reason not to. Additionally, some people believed in me when they had no reason to, and it saved my life. You're giving me a chance to repay that honour."
"It really doesn't matter how it happened. It's gonna kill mama. She'll be mortified. Daddy will disown me. They all will."
Based on his own family experiences, Ezra was more than familiar with the fear Jane was expressing. "I cannot imagine anyone turning their back on their own grandchild. They may be upset, but once they understand what happened, I have no doubt they will come to love the baby."
"No, they won't. This is a sin. I was at a party. I'd been drinking. They won't forgive me and won't accept any of it." Ezra was looking forward to setting them straight on that. "And I'm going to lose my job once Judge Travis finds out about getting arrested. I'll lose my apartment, my health insurance. Everything. I just – I don't know what else I am supposed to do. I can't fix this."
"A Standish never gives up, and I intend to see to it that you do not either. There are ways to take care of this."
"No! I can't do that. I can't 'take care' of a pregnancy. That would be a sin!"
"No, my dear, I assure you that is not what I meant at all." He didn't think this was the best time that jumping off the building would have the same effect. "Allow me to rephrase my thought. There are things that can be done to make sure you keep your job, your insurance, and your baby."
"I can't work here with a criminal record." She repeated.
"Well I can assure you I will do everything in my power to ensure that doesn't happen. You may have heard that I can be quite persuasive when I choose to yield my powers for good, and once we get back inside, my first actions shall be to have a friendly conversation with Mr. Thompson. There will not be any need for you to concern yourself with criminal charges."
"You shouldn't do that Agent Standish."
"Ezra." He corrected.
"You'll just end up in trouble with Judge Travis. You know how he feels about anyone using their position for personal issues. And, no offense, but you manage to get yourself into enough trouble without getting into more on my account."
"Again, not a matter for you to concern yourself with. Yes, I am very good at getting into trouble, but the fact that I am still an agent in relatively good standing should prove to you I am equally adept at getting out of it."
"I can't take care of a baby." The sadness in her voice was breaking his heart.
"I think you might be surprised by what you are capable of with the right motivation."
"You don't think what's going on here right now might make people think I'd be an unfit mother?"
"Now that," Ezra said, "is a subject on which I have an inordinate amount of familiarity. Trust me when I tell you that I have seen women far less suited to the task raise a child. This current situation can be dealt with, but I admit the more time we spend out here, but more difficult that process might be."
Jane gave no indication of a willingness to leave her perch. Ezra decided it was time to play his last card.
"You said this pregnancy, this baby, was a sin. How is a human life a sin? Jane, you don't really want to do this. In your heart, you know you can't. Please, let me get you inside and we will deal with anything we have to after that. I promise you, no matter what happens, you don't have to do it alone. I will stand by you, and if I am any judge of character – and I am – there are 6 more men who will be right along side. Please."
"I want to. I just don't know… You'd really do all that. Talk to Mr. Thompson? To Judge Travis?"
"Absolutely. As I said, I can be quite persuasive when I choose to me."
She looked at him with what appeared to be the faintest hint of a smile. "Bet even you can't sweet talk me out of the other trouble I'm in."
"I shall be happy to accompany you when you talk to your parents. I don't know about sweet talking them, but I shall do what I can."
"No, not them. Like you said, I've been talking about committing a mortal sin here. Doubt even you can sweet talk God."
Ezra tilted his head, acknowledging her assessment. "I would have to concur that that particular discussion might be a tad outside my area of expertise. I think I have far too many marks against me to make me your ideal advocate. However, you and Mr. Sanchez might want to have a conversation on the matter. I warn you he will use terms like understanding and forgiveness quite extensively." He smiled. "Are we ready to go back into the warmth of the building. I expect a single call out is all I would need to bring assistance with remarkable speed."
She hesitated, frightened of the consequences she would be facing.
"Do you trust me Jane?"
She looked into the face of the man she'd barely known 30 minutes earlier. "Beyond all reason." She answered.
"Mr. Larabee. Mr. Jackson." Ezra called loudly. "If you have a moment, Jane would like some assistance coming back in from her lunch break."
7-7-7-7-7-7
Vin arrived at the ATF building to be greeted by the sight of barricades and flashing lights. He couldn't get to the side to see exactly what was going on, but could see most people were looking up. Bypassing the crowd, and flashing his badge at the uniformed cops outside, he entered the lobby. Before he could ask, the security guard approached him. "Damnedest thing, isn't it Agent Tanner."
"What's going on Gus?"
"A woman up on the 9th floor was threatening to jump. They got somebody out there talking to her. Shrink probably. From what I heard on the walkie talkie they just got her in though."
"Well, that's a relief." Vin headed to the elevator, glad to have a crisis averted for a change. He reached to hit the button for the fourth floor, but realized the team would likely be up on 9, so changed is destination. He smiled to himself when his suspicions were confirmed. Buck, JD and Nathan stood outside the boardroom. There was a strange blend of relief and anger on their faces. Glancing down the hall he could see Chris and Josiah escorting a young woman into Travis's office. She looked familiar to him, but no name came to mind.
"Take it this ended well." He asked, approaching the others.
"Not really over, but yeah, the important part is she's safe." Nathan answered.
"What do you mean not over?"
Nathan lowered his voice. The halls had been cleared before Jane was walked out of the boardroom, but there might still be people close by.
"She was raped and when we find the bastard who did it, then this will be over. Well, once we handle things with him."
"I'm thinking castration might be a good starting point. We can get creative after that." Buck suggested.
Vin understood their attitude, but the venom was more than he might have expected. JD saw his confusion. "It was date rape Vin – and it was an ATF agent."
"It was rape JD. Date rape makes it sound like it wasn't such bad thing. She was assaulted and violated, and that is rape, plain and simple."
"I know that Nathan, I didn't mean anything."
"I know that. I'm sorry. It's just that term – date rape. Makes it sound like less than it is."
"And we know it was an ATF guy because…?" Vin asked.
"She told Ezra. He got her talking. Was quite the job he did."
"Wait. You're telling me Ezra – our Ezra – stood at the open window and talked into coming back in?"
"Not quite. He stood out on the ledge with her, and talked her into coming back in." Buck corrected.
The colour drained from Vin's face. "He went out there?"
"You OK Vin?" He turned at Chris's words.
"Where is he Chris? Where's Ezra?"
"I don't know. Josiah and I took Jane straight to the Judge's office. Imagine he's still in the boardroom, likely catching his breath a bit." The last words were spoken to Vin's back as the man went charging into the boardroom. Concerned, the others followed close behind. The room was empty, and Vin headed straight to the window.
"You think you might be ready to come in Ezra? Kinda chilly out here."
The others looked at each other in confusion, not believing Ezra was still outside.
7-7-7-7-7-7-7
tbc
