I am gonna warn you ahead!!!!!!!!!!! This story contains parts of the saddest of the saddest episodes of Silk Stalkings ever!!!! If you don't want to read any further because you don't want to start crying {sniff, sniff}, it's okay with me. It's a free world and everyone can do what they want, but don't think I can forgive you for not reading this good, very good, excellent story!!!!
A Mysterious Woman
written by Sammy
Chris drove his car up to North Shoreline Drive. His hands were trembling, his mind only thinking about Rita. Where was he when those guys kidnapped her? He should have been with his wife and his baby. Chris was lost in his thoughts when he noticed a black limousine drive towards him and stop.
The door to the driver seat was opened and a tall man got out, holding a gun in his hands. He opened the door to the back seat. A moment later, Montoya appeared. Behind him, he dragged Rita out of the car.
Chris got out of his car with the bag of tapes in his hands. As he slowly approached Montoya, he saw that Rita's hands were tied.
"Are you okay?" he asked seeing his wife nodding reluctantly.
"I've known for some time that Ray had a little insurance policy. I've even known where he kept it, but I could never get to it without a warrant." Montoya said as a chuckle escaped his lips. "I apologize for these tactics. I hate using women." Montoya sneered, "Especially a beautiful and charming one as this."
Rita turned away in disgust.
"You touch her again, and I drop you where you stand!" Chris uttered through gritted teeth; his eyes still focused on Rita.
"Ah, I suppose the message for today is 'Chivalry is not dead - yet'. The bag."
Chris slowly opened the bag and showed Montoya the tapes. Then he closed it, saying, "My wife."
Montoya gestured to his man to let Rita go. Chris moved forward and gently shoved her behind him. Then, he handed Montoya the tapes. The trade was finished. Montoya went back to his car, which disappeared in the distance a moment later. Chris silently turned to free Rita's hands. Rita let out a loud sigh when Chris pulled her close and hugged her.
"Sam, I am so glad you're all right!"
"I thought that was gonna be you."
"I'm not going to leave you again."
They walked back to the car, kissing, holding on to each other tight. Chris opened the passenger door for Rita, when something caught his attention. He turned his head and saw a street hockey goalie with a mask blading in their direction.
Suddenly, the goalie pulled out a gun and started firing at them. Chris frantically pushed Rita inside the car while at the same time, reaching for his gun. Chris returned fire, but missed the goalie several times. One shot was successful, but at the same moment, one of the skaters bullets pierced through Chris' bullet proof vest. He was hurled back against the door, but continued to fire. A second bullet hit him, and he went down.
The moment Chris fell to the ground, the shooter was gone, nothing but silence remained. Rita jumped out of the car, loudly screaming his name, "Chris, you're hit! You're hit!"
"Through the vest!" Chris gasped. "Can't get my breath!"
Rita rushed back to the car, grabbing the radio.
"Officer down! At beach parking, North Shoreline Drive, officer down!"
She then rushed back to Chris and knelt down next to him, desperately trying to keep him awake. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she kissed him, "Chris, just keep talking to me and you'll be okay. You're gonna be okay. Just keep talking!"
Rita kissed him again and again, hoping to keep him awake with her love.
"I love you!" she sobbed. "Just keep talking."
"I love you, I love you!" were Chris last words before he slipped into unconsciousness.
Later in the hospital, Cap came to check on Chris. Rita was siting next to Chris' bed, holding on tightly to his hand. She tenderly stroked his cheek, ignoring the beeping sounds of the machines in the room.
"Rita... I... I don't even know where to start." Harry stammered.
Rita let go off Chris' hand and raised from her chair, "You don't have to say anything."
Harry hugged her close. At this moment, he wasn't their Captain, he was their friend, more like a father to them. Rita knew it was as hard for him as it was for her. She wiped the tears out of her face.
"How is he?" Harry asked concerned, his gaze wandering over to Chris.
"I don't know. They don't tell you much, you know, about his chances or anything." Rita paused for a moment, "It was two Cop Killers, Cap, right through the vest!"
"Chris is a fighter! If anybody can bounce back from this, he can!" Harry uttered, wishing he was right with this.
"I believe that, Captain. He promised me he would be there for me and the baby. Oh, Cap." Rita sobbed, going right back into Cap's arms the moment Holly Rawlins entered the room.
"Any change?"
Rita shook her head, wiping the tears away, "No."
"Rita, I am... I'm so sorry."
"Not now Holly. We all need to send Chris positive energy right now."
Rita went back to Chris' bed. She sat down in the chair she'd been sitting before and took Chris' cold hand into her own.
"I just can't help but think that if it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened." Holly said, looking over at Chris.
"Chris was investigating the murder of Ray Quiller. It had nothing to do with what happened to you. He was shot protecting me. He would never let you take the blame for that, neither would I."
"Well, I... I just want to know if there's anything I can do, anything at all..."
"You can find the one who shot my husband. And, you can take down Montoya." Rita sniffed, turning her gaze back to Chris.
"You got it. We've got several units canvassing the area right now. In fact, we've located a witness who claims to have gotten a look at the shooter."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Harry asked, astonished at the news.
"Since I am so close to this thing, I want backup. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings."
"Okay, I am your man." He turned his head to Rita, "Rita?"
"Yeah, Cap, you guys go. I will be fine."
Cap and Holly left to look for Montoya and the shooter. Indeed they found him. He started firing, but Holly and Cap were the only ones to hit their target... but the moment Montoya's heart stopped beating another heart stopped beating as well. In a hospital room several miles away, the heart of Sgt. Chris Lorenzo stopped his work. He died on Dec. 10, 1995.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen."
As the guns sounded in honor of Chris, Rita couldn't help but jerk with each shot fired. Two such shots had taken away the man she loved most, the father of her unborn child, her best friend, her partner, her soul mate....
Amazing Grace started to be played by the bagpiped nearby as Rita was handed the folded flag that had been lying on Chris' casket. She clutched it to her chest. At the moment, she didn't care who was at her husband's funeral and who was not. Therefore, she didn't even take notice to the mysterious blond woman standing in the front row between her and Holly.
It was time for Rita to say good-bye to Chris even though she wasn't sure she was strong enough at the moment. She slowly walked to the white casket and placed the red rose on the top. She bent forward and kissed the casket, whispering, "I love you" before she returned to the others.
Frannie was the first to take a step forward. Together with Harry, Holly, Michael, George and the mysterious woman, she laid her rose on the casket, saying her good-bye to Christopher Lorenzo the man who had become a son to her and her husband.
As the days passed and Rita pretended to be strong, strong for herself and strong for the baby she was carrying, but she knew she had lost the battle. Palm Beach would never be the same without Chris. The PBPD would never be the same without him. There was only one decision that she could make. She had to leave Palm Beach.
Rita was sitting at Chris' grave, her tear stricken eyes hidden behind her dark sunglasses.
"How am I supposed to do this, Chris? How am I supposed to raise our baby all by myself?" she uttered sorrowfully, but a tone of anger lingered in her voice. She took the sunglasses from her face and laid them next to her.
"You... you promised me that it would be you and me forever. You remember that?" she sobbed, absently twisting Chris' wedding band whic hung on a chain around her neck.
"I will always carry a piece of you around in my heart. I am never gonna let you go." She wiped the tears from her face before she continued, "You know, I can... I can feel you alive inside of me... inside our child. I can't wait to see your smile and hear your laugh again."
Rita couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They streamed down her cheeks, "I know you're with me, I just... I just miss you so much! I just need you to come to me in my dreams... and just hold me, for all time!"
Rita rested her face in her hands, crying heartbreakingly as a car pulled up behind her. Harry exited, walking over to her. Rita tried to compose herself. She grabbed her sunglasses and got up, wiping the tears from her face.
"Ah, how are you doing?" she asked Harry, but she could already tell from his looks that he had to feel almost as miserable as she did.
"We shouldn't have to come here to be with him, Cap."
"No, there's nothing fair about this at all. Rita, he loved you more than life itself."
"He's never gonna get to see his baby, Captain." Rita sniffed and paused for a moment before she continued, "I've... I've been trying to think of the words to tell you, to explain what I have to do."
Cap shook his head slightly, silencing Rita as he placed his index finger on her mouth, "I know your heart, Rita. You don't have to say it. Where are you gonna go?"
"I don't know. I just know I can't stay here, I... I can't let anything happen to the baby, Cap, it's the last piece of Chris I have." she sobbed, desperately trying to blink back the tears.
"Anytime, anywhere, for any reason I am there, you know that."
Rita nodded, softly saying, "Okay."
"Do you know how special you are to me, Rita?" Harry uttered, trying to smile a bit.
"Oh, Cap!" Rita hugged Harry close, as the tears fell freely on her face, "Yeah."
"You call the minute you go into labor, day or night, East coast or West coast, you promise?"
"I promise." Rita wiped the tears out of her face and tried to compose herself once again, "Chris and I wanted to ask you and Frannie if you could be the godparents."
"We thought you'd never ask."
"Good."
Harry reached for Rita's hand and gently took it into his, "Rita?"
"Yeah?"
"Please, please take care of yourself, Rita. You're taking a big piece of my heart with you."
Rita opened her arms and pulled Harry into a hug, whispering, "I love you, Harry."
"Rita, I love you." Harry responded, before he pulled back.
"You... you give Frannie a kiss, okay?"
"Sure."
"Bye."
Harry watched Rita leave the cemetery. In his hands, he held a golden Lieutenant's shield, Rita's shield. At that moment, he knew he would never hear about Rita Lee Lance again. Her heart was broken, and he wasn't sure if the baby she was carrying was strong enough to heal it, strong enough to fill the gap that Chris had left behind.
Most of the stuff in Chris' loft was packed. Rita was ready to leave. She was only going to take two boxes and two bags of her clothes with her, that was all. She didn't know yet where she was going to go, she just knew she couldn't stay here, not with the baby.
Her car was packed, and Rita stood in the middle of Chris' loft. She absently caressed her belly, as the memories came flooding back to her. All the time she'd spent with Chris here... the time they'd spent talking, laughing, but also crying.
"Get a hold of yourself, Rita!!!" she told herself, shaking off the thoughts.
She grabbed her purse and turned when she heard a knock at the door. Wondering who that could be, she went to open the door. In front of her, a young blond woman was standing. The woman from the funeral.
"Yes?" Rita asked obviously irritated.
"Ms. Lance, I am Cindy Londan. Can I come in for a minute?" the young woman said.
Rita began to rub her shoulder, as she always did when she was kinda nervous, "This is a bad time. I was just about to leave."
"That is why I came. Please!"
Rita sighed, "Okay, come in."
Rita closed the door behind Cindy. The young woman looked around the loft. She turned back to Rita and handed her a folded piece of paper.
"What is this?" Rita asked, unfolding the letter she had in her hands.
"Please read it. I am gonna answer any question you may have as well as I can after you've read it."
Rita immediately recognized Chris' handwriting. She began to read...
My Sammy,
if you are reading this, then I am already gone. Please, please, please trust the person who brought you this letter and is standing in front of you. Do it for me, please, Sammy. Remember I will always love you and our baby!
Love,
Chris , your Sam forever
Tears trickled down Rita's cheeks when she looked up.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why?" she shouted at Cindy.
"Please, Ms. Lance, Rita, there is more about this than you know. Chris..."
"What?" Rita cut her off, "Chris is dead, my husband is dead, DEAD!"
"You have to trust me. There is more to this than anybody on the outside knows. I want you to meet someone at this address. It is very important."
Rita read the address on the business card Cindy had given her.
"This is in Seattle. What should I do in Seattle? And what is this all about?" Rita inquired.
"It's for your own safety. And your baby's of course. I was asked to keep an eye on you. I tried to do my job as well as I could, but I don't think you're safe here any longer. Since you wanted to leave, I needed to arrange something for you really fast."
Cindy handed Rita a flight ticket and a driver's license.
"The flight is departing in one hour. Your ticket is made out for Sam Walker. There's a new driver's license for you, made out for Sam Walker as well. There won't be any problems with that. I..."
Suddenly, the glass from the front window shattered onto the floor and Cindy fell to the ground. Rita ducked when she felt the blood on her hands.
"Go, go, leave me, go!" Cindy whispered, trying to shove Rita off of her. "Seattle. Seattle, go!"
"Hold on." Rita said, desperately looking for the phone that had been disconnected already.
"Go! Chris... Chris... Chris..." Cindy gasped, her voice getting lower and lower.
"What is with Chris?"
"Chris... Chris... I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!" she mumbled over and over.
Rita heard footsteps in front of the door. She didn't want to leave Cindy alone, but she felt that she and the baby were in great danger. In a rush, she grabbed her purse from the ground, reached for the papers and rushed upstairs. She heard the door downstairs being pushed open while she climbed out the window to the fire-escape and climbed down the stairs.
She was glad that she'd parked her car not in the back of the loft, but right in front. She jumped in and sped off in direction of the airport...
The same night in Seattle.
"Mrs. Walker, your rental car is parked in spot 34, row B outside in the parking lot. I hope you enjoy your stay in Seattle." a friendly smiling woman said to a distracted Rita as she handed her the keys for the rental car.
"Thank you." Rita replied, returning the same smile.
She left the building and walked out to the dark parking lot. She was surprised to find the taxi driver who had driven her from the airport to the AVIS car rental still waiting for her, keeping an eye on the two bags and the two boxes she had with her.
"Where is you car parked, Miss?" the driver asked politely, reaching for one of the bags.
"No, that's really not necessary. I can handle that myself." Rita responded insistently, grabbing a bag herself.
"Please, a woman in your condition shouldn't carry such heavy bags. So, where is your car parked?"
Rita sighed, but smiled, "Row B, spot 34. No clue where that is."
"Ah, I think I know. It's at the other end of the lot. Let's get that stuff over there back into the car."
The driver grabbed the rest of the stuff, and they headed to the parking lot where they found a bright red car parked in spot 34. While the man placed the bag and the boxes down, Rita searched for a $5 bill in her purse. The taxi driver raised his hands when Rita wanted to hand him the bill.
"Please, I insist."
"Miss, I can't take this. Really, it would insult my honor if I were to take it."
Rita placed the bill back in her purse, "Thank you. I really appreciate your help."
"Let me give you a little hint. Some parts of Seattle may not be the appropriate place for a lady like you at this time. If you're looking for a hotel room, I suggest you try to get a room at one of the airport hotels for tonight. You shouldn't drive into town alone."
The driver nodded and vanished in the darkness of the parking lot before Rita could say anything further. She packed the stuff in the trunk of the car and drove off in direction of the nearest airport hotel where she spent the night.
"Chris, you're hit, you're hit!!! Talk to me, everything will be all right, just you talk to me!!! NOOOOO! CHRIS!!!!"
Rita shot up in bed. Again, like every night after Chris had died, she had the dream, the dream of him getting shot. She saw him lying in the hospital bed, she saw his lifeless body, his open eyes staring at her. The sweat poured off of her face when she climbed out of bed. She went to the bathroom and turned the water on, splashing ice cold water on her face.
Never in her life had she felt so alone. She was at a point in her life where she didn't know whether she could go on or not. If it wasn't for her baby, for Chris' baby, she was sure she would have lost the battle and the fight to live. Pretending to be strong was one thing that came naturally to Rita. The tough exterior remaind intact, but she wasn't sure how long she could remain strong, even fore her baby, Chris' child.
She studied her face in the mirror. There was nothing left of the Rita Lee Lance she used to know. Her warm, glimmering green eyes had turned into eyes cold like steel filled with sadness and anger. This face had never seen a real smile after Chris' death.
Rita turned the water off and went back to bed. Like every other night, she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, Rita decided to give the address she was given a try. She really didn't know what the hell she was doing in Seattle at that time of the year, it was cold and freezing. But one thing was sure, she needed to know what was going on. The note Cindy had given her was from Chris, she knew that, it was his handwriting. She was in danger, though she couldn't think of one reason why she should be. Something big was going on, and Chris had somehow been part of it.
It was exactly 11 am when Rita stood in front of a huge building in the center of Seattle. It was an office building, and she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing there. She entered the building and stood in a huge hall. There was a directory on the wall in front of her. She scanned the list for the name written on her card, but to her surprise, she couldn't find it.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away out of reflex.
"Ms. Lance..." a voice began.
When Rita turned, she saw the taxi driver from the previous night standing right in front of her.
"How do you know my name?" she stammered.
"I know. I also know that you were sent here." he continued. "We have major troubles which must be addressed. You need to follow me."
"But..." Rita tried to object as the man led her in direction of the elevators.
"Please, Ms. Lance, you need to trust me on this one. Cindy Londan is dead and you are in great danger."
"I want to know what is going here and who you are. NOW!"
"Later, you just need to trust me."
The elevator brought them up to the top floor. The man led Rita into an office where he left her alone.
"What...?!?" she gasped as the door was shut behind her.
"Good day, Ms. Lance. Welcome in Seattle." a male voice welcomed her.
Rita turned and saw the chair behind the desk turning around. She faced a middle-aged man. He scrutinized her intensively.
"Why am I here? And who are you?" Rita asked insistently.
"Why don't you sit down first, Ms. Lance. I think we should have a long, nice talk."
Rita hesitated, but then she sat down on the couch the stranger had indicated. He raised from his chair and walked over to her.
"I am Special Agent Anthony Andrews, FBI." the agent introduced himself and sat down in one of the chairs opposite Rita.
Rita stared with an open mouth at the man before her, "FBI? What the hell is going on?"
"You are here because we had to get you off of the street immediately. You are in great danger, Ms. Lance, I don't know if you are aware of that."
"Why am I in danger?"
"I think I should start right at the beginning, so that you'll understand what I mean. One of our Special Agents is working undercover in Palm Beach at the moment. I am sorry I can't tell you their identity, but this person will also be in great danger if anybody were to find out their real identity. You and your husband were being observed the last couple of weeks. You two were coming pretty darn close to a drug ringwe have been cuilding a case against for the past 3 years. This drug 'association' is spread all over the country and has its wings to several South American countries. A couple of weeks ago, we lost contact with another one of our agents, Special Agent Cindy Londan. She was in Palm Beach to observe you and your husband and to warn you about how dangerous Jesus Montoya would be. He was just a little rat in this organization, but your husband came too close. Cindy was there to protect both of you, but she failed. She contacted me yesterday morning, telling me that she was on her way to meet you. I learned about the shooting in your apartment last night. Cindy's body hasn't been found, no traces have been left. Those people are experts, they know what they do." Agent Andrews paused for a moment, "As of right now, there's a reward on your head, Ms. Lance. The only reason you're not dead as of the moment is that a mobster known as Donnie Dogs has made it that if something ever happens to you, he will seek revenge. No one wants to take these chances, but one day, certainly one day, there will be one person to who will tempt fate."
"Why me?" Rita exclaimed. "I don't know anything about this."
"You know that, and I know that, but they don't know it. They see a potential danger in you."
"And, what I am supposed to do now?"
"There are still several questions I need you to answer for me. After that, we're gonna take you into a hiding place. You'll get a new identity and I hope you, and your baby will be safe then."
"You hope so?"
"I can't promise you anything at the moment. We will do our best to protect you, but there are several things that are still unanswered. As long as we don't have those answers and as long as our observation is going on, I can't promise you anything."
Rita shook her head, "Thank you very much, I think I will just take my chances as they are at the moment."
She started to get up and walk towards the door, when Agent Andrews caught her arm and held her back, "Ms. Lance, you already lost your husband. Do you want to lose your baby as well? Or do you want your baby to lose its mother? We only want the best for you, believe me!"
Rita knew he had a point. The baby was the last thing she had, and she would do anything to protect Chris' baby. Silently, she walked back to the couch and sat back down.
"That's better." Agent Andrews smiled. "Now, I have some questions for you. Once you've answered them, I will be more than eager every little question you might have."
"Okay, go on. I'll try my best."
"Let's start with Cindy Londan. When was the first time you met her?"
"Yesterday at the loft. Wait, no, that's not right. She was at Chris' funeral."
"You first met her after your husband died?"
Rita nodded, "Correct. I never saw her before, but I guess she met Chris. She gave me a note that was from him. It said I should trust her. That's all I know about her."
"What do you know about Jesus Montoya?"
"Other than the fact that he kidnapped me, that he killed my husband and that he got what he deserved, I really don't know anything about him. It was Chris' case, he and his partner Holly Rawlins were investigating. Well, Montoya had two moles in our department, but he killed them as well."
"We know about that, Ms. Lance. See, Montoya was in charge of the Floridian wing of the drug ring. Your husband, his partner and you got too close to him. They saw a threat in you three. Word spread that soon after Quiller, there would be another dead cop."
"Chris." Rita whispered. "Uhm, this drug ring, what do you know about it?"
"We don't know much about it, just that it is spread all over the country and several South American countries. We know some of the smaller bosses, like Montoya, but we're not after them. We're after the heads, and as of the moment, we don't know who they are. There's a list almost as long as the phone book of West Palm Beach of people they have killed. We don't want to give them the chance to add another name."
"Where do you want me to go?"
"You're going to stay here in Seattle for the next few weeks. We need to find Agent Londan's records. We need to know how much she told your husband and how much he knew about this. Once this is cleared up, we'll find another place and identity for you and your baby."
Rita only nodded in agreement. At the moment, she didn't care much about where she was gonna stay the next few weeks. Every place was okay as long as it wasn't Palm Beach and as long as it didn't bear any thoughts and memories of Chris.
The same day, Rita was moved into an apartment that used to be Cindy Londan's. The apartment building was under constant surveilence by the FBI and all apartments were occupied by FBI agents ensuring Rita's safety.
Rita looked around curiously as Agent Chariko, her driver from the previous night, carried her stuff in the living room.
"This is Cindy's old apartment." he stated calmly as he dropped the bags on the ground.
"You knew her?" Rita asked.
"Yeah, we worked together a couple of times. She was a great lady and an incredible agent. She was the best. I miss her."
"I know that feeling."
Agent Chariko went quiet for a moment. Then he turned and walked to the door, "Ms. Lance, I live in apartment 2C. If you need anything, if you need to talk, come over. I am there"
Rita nodded, "Thank you, but I will be fine. I think I just need to relax a bit. The last few days have been quiet hectic, and I am just tired."
"Okay, but remember that I am there."
"I will. Good night."
A few minutes later Rita was alone in Cindy Londan's apartment. She plopped down on the couch and dragged one of the boxes that were standing near her. She placed the lid aside and stared at the contents of the box. Photos, notebooks, letters, a blue hat and several t-shirts. She grabbed a stack of pictures, thumbing through them. Those were old photos, showing Chris as a child. She'd found them in a box when she was packing up the stuff in the loft. All of a sudden, the baby began to kick her.
"Hey, what was that?" she half chuckled, placing her hand on her belly. "You shouldn't play football in there."
Rita placed the photos aside, holding only one of a 5 year old Chris in her hands.
With one hand she gently caressed her belly, talking to her baby, "Hmm, I wonder what you will look like when you're 5 years old. I wish your daddy could be there to see you grow up, to see you take your first steps and say your first words." Rita sighed, blinking back the tears, "I know your daddy loved you. He loved you more than life itself, but... but... it's breaking my heart to know that... that he's never gonna get a chance to see you."
Tears fell from Rita's face, dropping onto the photo she had in her hands. She wiped them away and placed the photo back in the box. Then she got up, looking for the bathroom. She found it down the corridor, right next to the bedroom. When she entered, she accidentally knocked the basket of dirty clothes over. It fell to the ground, scattering its contents all over the floor.
"Dammit!" Rita muttered as she bent down to pick up the clothes and place them back in the basket.
Suddenly, she had a stack of papers in her hands that obviously had been hidden at the bottom of the basket. In huge letters, PB, FL. was written on the cover of the file. Rita got up, the file still in her hands. Curiously, she opened it. Right on the first page, a picture of Chris and her was pinned. The first page bared excerpts of both their personal records.
"What the hell...??" she exclaimed and flipped the pages. In this file, practically everything about her and Chris was written down, from their childhood till the moment they got married. Rita closed the file and hurried out of the apartment, down to apartment 2C where her fists hammered against the door. A confused Agent Chariko opened the door.
"Can you tell me what this is?" Rita blurted out, raising the files in her hands.
Agent Chariko recognized Cindy's handwriting immediately. He took the file out of Rita's hands, saying, "Not here. Come in."
He closed the door behind Rita and showed her the way to the living room. They sat down on the couch.
"This is Cindy's record on you. Where did you find it? I looked for it everywhere."
"In the laundry basket. I accidentally knocked it over."
"Sheesh, the oldest place to store such things..." Chariko chuckled. "I thought I told her better."
"Tell me about this file, please." Rita insisted.
"Okay. This is what she learned about you. She had contacts in Palm Beach. As of the content of the file, I don't know anything about it. It was her case, I didn't even know what she was working on until I was told to pick you up at the airport yesterday."
"I noticed that there are several personal notes in that file. You think I can read them?"
Agent Chariko nodded reluctantly, "The file is about your life, go on."
He handed her the file back. Rita placed it on the table in front of her and opened the folder, placing several pages next to each other. Agent Chariko reached for the picture on the front page.
"Is this your husband?" he asked, studying the picture.
"Yeah, that's Chris."
"How long have you known each other?" Chariko looked up when Rita didn't respond. "Ms. Lance, I am sorry if I said something wrong."
"No, no, it's okay. It's just... it's just so hard to know that I am never gonna see him again."
Agent Chariko nodded silently. He knew that feeling too well.
"Chris and I knew each other almost 10 years." Rita began. "We were partners and best friends for 5 years before we got married..."
"You don't need to talk about this if you don't want to."
"It's just hard without him, that's all."
Rita turned her attention back to the papers in front of her. She turned the last page as she saw there was something written on the back. It was an address and a phone number in Manitou Springs, CO.
"Manitou Springs?" she wondered aloud, handing the note over to Agent Chariko.
"I know that address. It's one of our contacts, but I honestly don't know what it's doing in that file."
"Agent Chariko..." Rita started, but was cut off immediately.
"Bill, please."
"Okay, Bill. Regarding these files, her task was it to protect us. What would that involve? I mean, what would she do? Other than just follow us."
"For the first few days, she was to observe you. If it got too dangerous, she was supposed to warn you." Bill explained.
"Yeah, she did a great job of that..." she started to mutter to herself. "Nevermind, she had to warn us, okay, but what else? I mean, just warning us wouldn't be enough."
"She had to get you out of the line of fire, like she did with you."
Rita rubbed her shoulder, whispering, "Get us out of the line of fire."
She recalled Cindy's last words... 'Chris, Chris, Chris...' She knew she'd talked to Chris, but when and how? Maybe... Suddenly, Rita jumped up.
"Bill, who's your contact in Palm Beach? I need to know that!!"
"I am not allowed to give you this information, I am sorry."
"Please, Bill." Rita pleaded.
"What do you need this information for anyways?"
"Agent Andrews told me that you know nothing about what Cindy Londan did in Palm Beach, that you have no idea when and how she talked to Chris. Her last words were 'Chris, Chris', I think she wanted to tell me something. I need to know what your contact knows about all this."
"Ms. Lance, Rita, I can't tell you anything about that, but... I will see what I can do for you. No promises, okay?"
"Okay. I think I better go back now. I think I've bothered you enough for tonight."
Bill smiled, "No, you didn't bother me at all. I'll be here if you need something."
Rita nodded, "Thank you."
Rita didn't sleep well that night. It wasn't the fear having nightmares again that kept her awake, it was more the fact that she wanted to know what had been going on in Palm Beach before Chris died, before the man she loved more than anything had been taken away from her and their unborn child.
She turned on her side, when the phone on the night stand began to ring. Rita turned the lights on and answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Rita, I have to make this short." a female voice said breathlessly. "There's more about this case than you and I know. I have to find Cindy's notes. Once I've found them, there will be no blanks in this case. I can only tell you one thing. I am not sure about this, but she had a deal with Chris. I don't know what that deal was about, but he entrusted her your life. Trust Bill. He will help you. Bye."
"Holly? Holly!" Rita shouted into the receiver.
She shook her head, placing the receiver back in its cradle. One blank was filled for her, as to who was the undercover agent in Palm Beach. Holly Rawlins! And, all fit well. She came in shortly before people became suspicious about Ray Quiller and his connection to Jesus Montoya. She was the one who knew almost everything about him. She was the one who had gotten Chris and her involved in that case. But another question began to form in Rita's mind... What kind of deal did Chris have with Cindy Londan? And, why didn't he tell her about it?
Rita was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast when there was a knock at the door. She went to open the door and found Bill Chariko standing outside. She let him in.
"What gives me the pleasure of this visit?" she asked, half chuckling when she saw that he was only dressed in a robe.
"Guess who called me 5 minutes ago. Agent Anthony Andrews, my boss. What the hell did you do last night that made him so furious?"
"What I did last night? I was in bed, sleeping. At least, I tried until I got a mysterious call." she replied through gritted teeth.
"I should have known. I shouldn't have called our contact in Palm Beach."
"You mean Holly?"
"How...? No, I really don't wanna know. Andrews is jumping up and down my throat because of what Holly did."
Rita raised her eyebrows, "Why you? I thought you weren't involved in this."
"I was the one who had to go in for Holly first, but she was so insistent on this. She's green, too green, this was her first big task ever."
"But, you will let me know about any news from Palm Beach, won't you?"
Bill nodded silently before he left the apartment.
The days passed by that Rita was hiding in the apartment. She'd tried to do her grocery shopping a couple of days earlier, but once she had stepped outside the building, two FBI agents immediately had been by her side and led her back into the apartment. Now Bill stopped by twice a day to see how Rita was doing and if she needed anything. When he knocked on the door that afternoon, he was not only carrying a bag with groceries, he also had news from Palm Beach.
"You forgot the milk." Rita said annoyed when she began to put the groceries away.
"Sorry. I have news for you. Holly found Cindy's notes."
Rita's head shot up, "She did? Tell me everything you know."
She stopped putting the groceries away and sat down at kitchen counter opposite Bill.
"Now, the notes didn't tell us much, but they fill in some of the blanks. She contacted your husband the day Montoya kidnapped you. He went to the bank to get the tapes, and once he was told Montoya had kidnapped you, he called Cindy. That's where the notes ended, sorry. But there's one strange thing that caught both my eye and Holly's... the address in Manitou Springs."
"Did you call your contact there?"
"I tried, but I couldn't locate him. So, I asked around and was told that he has been working undercover in New York for the last 3 months!"
Rita frowned, "I know something strange is going on here, I just can't put my finger on it. Bill, I need to go to Colorado as soon as possible."
"Colorado? Rita, you can't even leave this house, how will you get to Colorado?"
A devilish smile broke out on her face, "You will help me."
Midnight had passed. The whole apartment building was quiet, as two people sneaked down the hallway. They made their way down to the garage. A dark green Chrysler LeBaron, like Rita's own, was parked in one of the spots. Bill reluctantly opened the trunk.
"I still don't think this is such a good idea. You're pregnant, Rita, I can't let you hide in the trunk, not even for the short distance out of the building." he argued, staring at the small trunk of his car.
"Believe me, you can. I am gonna be okay. Just you help me in."
Bill sighed, but helped Rita climb into the trunk.
"Iget you out as fast as I can. You keep quiet in there, all right?"
Rita nodded, before Bill closed the trunk. He jogged to the driver's door and opened it, jumping in. A moment later, he drove off in direction of the exit. He stopped his car when the night guard waved him to do so.
"Huh, lousy working hours?" he chuckled, looking around in Bill's car.
Bill nodded nervously, "Got that right."
"Wait a sec, I am gonna open the barrier for you."
The guard disappeared and opened the barrier for Bill. He drove out of the garage and around the corner, where he parked the car. He hurried to the trunk and opened it.
"You okay?" he asked as he helped Rita climb out of the trunk.
"Yeah, yeah, I am fine. Let's go. I don't think our flight will wait for us."
"Hum, I think differently..."
About 30 minutes later, they arrived at a small airport outside Seattle. Bill stopped his car in front of one of the hangars.
"What are we doing here?" Rita asked astonished and followed Bill right into the hangar.
"I figured it'd be better if we didn't use a regular flight to Colorado Springs." Bill replied, grinning. "Say hello to your pilot."
"You?" Rita exclaimed.
"I've been flying practically all my life long. I got the license when I was 16. It's one of my hobbies. The plane belongs to a good friend of mine, he will cover for me."
"And, you're sure we will arrive safe in Colorado Springs?"
"Trust me, Rita. This is gonna be an easy task for me."
About 3 hrs later Bill landed the plane safely in Colorado Springs. It had been a stormy ride, they nearly had been caught in a snowstorm right over the Rocky Mountains. Rita's knees were shaking when she climbed out of the small plane.
"Ooh, you don't look very good, Rita."
"It's just my sto...." Rita covered her mouth with her hands. "Rest rooms? Rest rooms?!?"
"In the back of the hangar."
Bill watched Rita running towards the back of the hangar. He giggled slightly, shaking his head. A short time later, Rita reappeared, her face covered in light green.
"You sure you are okay?" Bill asked concerned.
"I guess you just never flew with a pregnant woman before. I think I better take one of the big planes the next time."
"If you think so. Our car is waiting outside the hangar."
Rita followed Bill to the car that was parked outside. She got in the passenger's seat and within a few minutes after he had driven off, fell asleep. She awoke to realize that the car was parked in front of a motel in Manitou Springs. She blinked when she caught a dark figure returning to the car. A moment later, Bill opened the car door.
"I see you're awake. Come on, I got us a room. You need the rest."
Rita nodded silently. Bill helped her get out of the car and led her to a door at the back of the building. He inserted his key in the slot, and the door opened. Turning on the lights, he entered, closing the door behind Rita.
"I hope you don't mind the two beds in one room. I figured I could have a better eye on you that way. If you rather want a second..."
Rita raised her hand, "No. At the moment, I don't mind anything. I am too tired. I just need a bed, that's everything."
Bill nodded understandingly, "I am going to get our bags in here. You make yourself comfortable in the meantime."
Bill left the room. By the time he returned with the their bags, he found her sound asleep curled up on the bed. He dropped the bags to the ground, careful not to make too much noise and decided to hit the sack as well. It was just a matter of minutes until he was out.
When Rita awoke the next morning, she found Bill sitting at the table in the room, trying to read the map in front of him. He turned it around several times, placed it back on the table, turned it again, and again had no clue how to read it.
"Sh..." he exclaimed, when he realized that Rita was awake. "Oh, good morning."
"Good morning." Rita responded, climbing out of bed. "You trying to read that map or what?"
"Yeah, never been good at that."
A small chuckled escaped Rita's lips, "First things first, turn it around." She pushed the map on the table, making a 180° turn. "Now, that's better. What are you looking for?"
"First, tell me where we are."
"Okay, you give me the address of this motel."
Bill did as he was told. A moment later, Rita's finger landed on a spot on the south-east end of the map, "Here. What else?"
"The address from Cindy's notes. Where's that?"
It didn't take Rita long to find that street on the map. She pointed at a small spot at the north-west of Manitou Springs.
"What are we gonna do now?" Rita inquired, folding the map and placing it on the table.
"You go and get yourself ready first. Then we'll go grab something for breakfast, ugh, lunch and then we're gonna pay this addy a visit."
"How about I go get ready and we pay this addy a visit?"
"How about we do it my way?" Bill grinned, gently shoving Rita towards the bathroom.
"Okay, okay, I know, you're in charge here."
"Yes, Ma'am, absolutely right. C'mon, get dressed."
Lunch at a small restaurant near their motel was quiet. The silence was unbearable, so Bill thought he should ask Rita right away what they were doing in Colorado.
"No objections, I want an answer to that question. What do you expect to find here, Rita?"
"I honestly don't know." she replied, taking a sip of her water. "I only know that Chris' death still bears so many blanks. I want to know everything about it. I owe this to Chris. I owe it to our child. Besides, it keeps me from constantly thinking about his... his death." she finished quietly.
"You think these blanks can be filled here, here in Manitou Springs?"
"I don't know, I just know I need to know why this address appeared in Cindy's note. I need to know what kind of deal she had with Chris and why he entrusted her my life, and that of our child. I need to know why he never talked to me about that. We never had any secrets, never."
"Maybe, he never got the chance to tell you. See, Cindy talked to him the day you were kidnapped, the day he died."
"I know that, but why did her notes stop at that particular time? She was at Chris' funeral, she was right next to me. There isn't even one single note about what she did to protect me, not one word. Don't you think that is strange?"
"I do, but..." Bill stopped right in his sentence. Something was forming in his mind, he knew Cindy too well. He chewed on his food, staring at the woman sitting at the table opposite him. "Forget it. We're gonna check this out and then we're headed home. Finished. I am already in serious trouble for what I did."
"Fine, fine, whatever."
Bill parked the car in front of an apartment building in the north-west of Manitou Springs. Rita was a bit nervous when she exited the car, though she didn't know why she should be. She nodded over at Bill before they entered the building. They didn't get far, as an elderly woman blocked their way.
"You looking for someone?" she asked, scrutinizing both Bill and Rita.
"Yeah, indeed we do. Apartment 5."
"Empty. Has been for the last 3 months."
"You sure about that?" Rita asked.
"What? You mean I am suffering from CRS?"
"What?"
The elderly woman looked at Rita up and down, "I don't suffer from Can't Remember Shit Syndrome! You here me?!?"
Rita stepped back in surprise, "I nev..."
"She didn't say that." Bill cut in.
"You police or what?"
"Ye..." Rita stopped right in the middle of the word when she became aware that she no longer was a police officer. She had turned in her badge.
Bill took her by her arm, shaking his head. He ushered her out of the building towards their car.
"We were so close, Bill, why did you do this?" Rita yelled at him.
"What were we close to? The apartment is empty. This is a dead end, Rita. C'mon, get in. I need to get you back to Seattle."
"It's not a dead end, I know that!" she argued, but got in the car.
"What do you expect to find here? Your husband? Rita, he is dead, he was killed!"
Bill realized immediately that the tone in his voice had been too rough as tears began to trickle down Rita's cheeks.
"I am sorry, Rita." he apologized immediately. "I didn't mean anything by it."
Rita silently wiped the tears out of her eyes. She turned her head away from Bill when she caught a figure entering the building. He was dressed in military trousers, a black leather jacket, he was wearing a hat and a beard was growing on his face. Something familiar seemed to be in his walk.
"Did you see this guy?" Rita asked with a shaky voice.
"Hmmm?" Bill murmured.
"That guy who just entered the building. I could swear I've seen him before."
She opened the door and got out of the car. Bill stopped her half way to the building.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think? I wanna know who this guy is. I think I know him."
"Oh no, you'll return to the car.Rita, your husband is gone! He's not coming back, I am sorry." he whispered.
"Don't you think I don't know that? Every night, I lay there and dream about him, I see him die every freakin' night! But, I need to know everything about his death. I can't tell our child that he died and not know why. Can't you understand that? Now, I am going to find out who that was."
Bill looked at Rita who was on the verge of sobbing. He glanced at the building behind him and then back at Rita.
"All right, I'll go, but this is the end, okay?"
Rita nodded her head and then raised her eyebrows, "Bill, is there something you are hiding from me?"
"No, no, NO!" he objected immediately. "I just think I better do this alone. You in your condition..."
"Okay. I'll give you 10 minutes. If it takes longer than that, I will come in."
"Deal."
Bill had no idea why he was giving into Rita's request, but he somehow managed to go past the elderly woman living on the 1st floor. Apartment 5 was his destination. He walked upstairs when he caught glimpses of the person Rita must have been talking about. When he stood in front of apartment 5, he wondered what he should do. Break in like a storm or knock. He settled for the first. He kicked the door open and immediately was standing in the middle of a deserted apartment.
"Great, nothing at all!" he muttered and turned around, when someone caught him from behind. A gun was held at his temple.
"What do you want?" a male voice asked him.
"Nothing, really. Wrong apartment, oops!"
Bill felt his pockets were being searched. This guy had his badge in his hands a moment later.
"FBI?" he gasped, letting go off Bill.
Bill rubbed his neck and turned to face his aggressor. Though he had never seen him before, he knew exactly who this person was.
"Good day, Mr. Lorenzo."
Chris jerked at the sound of his name, "Chris Lorenzo is dead. My name is Sam Walker."
Bill tried to stifle his laughter. Oh boy! Cindy gave them the same name!
"I am sorry, Mr. Lo.... Walker. Oh sheesh!"
"So, you are FBI? Where is Cindy? She was supposed to contact me here a couple of days ago!" Chris asked.
"She's dead. Killed a week ago in Palm Beach."
"Oh my god! Rita! How's she? How's my wife?"
"She's fine, really. Cindy got her out of town just in time. She's... she's here."
Chris eyes grew wide as he gasped, "She's here in Manitou Springs?"
"Yeah. She kinda forced me to take her here."
"Does she know I am alive?"
Bill shook his head.
"She mustn't know this! It's too dangerous for her and our baby. I don't want to drag her into this. She deserves better than this, than a life on the run. Our baby deserves better."
"Chris, she already is on the run."
Chris ran his fingers through his hair. Was everything he had done in vain? Was their plan to protect Rita and the baby failing? He had sacrificed everything for the woman he loved, for their child, and now everything was in vain? No, he couldn't take the risk. Rita could never know that he was alive. That was the best for her and the baby's safety - at least that was what Chris thought.
"You get her out of town, ASAP! And, you don't dare telling her I am still alive. I am serious about this. I love my wife too much to get her into danger. Not with her expecting our baby. Is that clear??"
"Yeah, absolutely. Who else does know you're here?"
"Nobody. Cindy and I worked this out on our own. I think I am kinda stranded here now, huh?"
"Yeah, I would say that." Bill chuckled lightly. "I'll get Rita out of town as soon as possible, and I will get you a new contact."
"Okay. Can you do me a favor?"
Bill nodded.
"One day, when our child is born, will you tell him or her that I love them?"
"I will. I better go before your wife decides to come up here. We wouldn't want that, would we?"
"I know my Rita. She would do that." Chris smiled. "You know where to find me. And next time, knock."
"I'll think about that the next time."
The two men shook hands. Bill left the apartment, closing the door behind him. Chris went over to the window and looked outside on the street. It didn't even take him a second to spot Rita waiting next to the car. She was so near and yet so far. His heart began to ache. He wanted to hold her in his arms, he needed to feel her near to him, but he'd made a decision that had been the only chance for both them. One day, he was sure about that, one day he would return to Rita and their child.
"What did you find?" Rita asked curiously as she saw Bill walking towards her.
"Nothing. The apartment was completely empty. We need to go."
"But..."
"I said we need to go!"
Rita shrugged her eyebrows. What the hell had happened in apartment 5? A feeling began to nag her, a feeling that Bill was lying to her. She needed to check out apartment 5 herself - soon!!
It had begun to snow on their way back to the motel. That was just freaking great, now Bill didn't have one chance to get Rita out of town! The silence in the car was unbearable. She was up to something, Bill knew that exactly. And indeed, Rita was planing her return to apartment 5.
Darkness had fallen over Manitou Springs. It was near midnight, snow still falling from above, and Bill was sound asleep in their motel room. Rita climbed out of her bed, trying not to make too much noise to avoid waking Bill. She got dressed quickly. It didn't take her long to find the keys for the car. A moment later, she sneaked out of the room without Bill even waking up.
It was colder outside than Rita had expected. The roads were covered with snow, but Rita didn't care much about that at the moment. She parked the car and got out, staring up at the dark windows of where apartment 5 had to be. She had luck on her side, the front door to the building wasn't locked, so she walked in. Once in front of apartment 5, she somehow wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to be there alone.
"Oh well, I take my chances." she whispered barely audible. In her hands, she had Bill's gun.
What was she going to do now? She couldn't break the door open, not in her condition and not alone. She decided to give the old trick with the credit card a try. And voilà, it worked! The door slowly cracked open, and Rita walked into darkness. Her hand searched for the light, but when she tried to turn it on, nothing happened. Not being aware that right behind her was a door to a second room, she stepped forward when two arms suddenly reached for her. Rita tried to scream, but her mouth instantly was covered with a hand. She accidentally dropped the gun, so all she could do at the moment, was kick and fight the person who was holding her. She bit him in his hand.
"OUCH!" was heard, along with a "Calm down!"
Rita froze. She knew that voice too well. She stopped fighting herself as the man let her go. Without even turning, Rita dropped on her knees, crying.
"Sam?" a voice whispered, forcing her to turn around. In the darkness of the room, Rita stared right into Chris' blue eyes. "Sam?" he asked again.
"Chris?!?" Rita gasped, her hand reaching out to touch Chris' face.
Chris nodded as he placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing it gently. Suddenly, all the anger she had buried inside her for weeks was too much. She couldn't keep it inside any longer.
"Why did you do this to me? WHY DID YOU DO THIS?" she cried, hammering her fists against his chest. Chris stopped her from doing so and pulled her into a gentle hug.
"It's okay, Sammy, it's okay. I am here now. I am here." he appeased her, tenderly stroking her hair as she sobbed into his chest.
"Why did you do this?" Rita sobbed again.
"I wanted you and the baby to be safe, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."
"But you thought we could bear the thought of losing you, huh?" she exclaimed through her sobs.
"Shh, Rita, calm down. I am gonna explain you everything. Just stop crying, Sammy."
Rita looked up at Chris. He gently wiped the tears out of her face with the back of his hand.
"That's better. C'mon."
He pulled her to her feet, leading her to the room next door where a mattress was lying on the floor. Chris indicated Rita to sit down as he lit up three candles in the room. It was freezing cold in there, and Rita began to shiver.
"Here, this will warm you." Chris smiled and laid a blanket over her shoulders. Then he sat down next to her.
"Why did you go away, Chris? Why did you leave me?" Rita asked, her deep green eyes searching and waiting for an answer.
"Look, while Holly and I were working on the Montoya case, I was told that the FBI had two moles in our department. They were on Montoya, and they knew that he had his moles in the department as well. One day, a FBI agent suddenly appeared, telling me that I was in great danger. It wasn't exactly Montoya they were after, but a huge drug chain spread over the whole country. Montoya knew exactly that if I dug any deeper I would come too close to the whole thing. I wanted you and the baby to be safe. I only wanted the best for you. I made a deal with the FBI that was supposed to guarantee your safety. When I was told that Montoya had kidnapped you, there was no time for any explanation or anything. We needed to act fast. The FBI was to fake my death. I would go into hiding and you would be safe. The shooter at the lot was one of them. I was never shot, I was never hit by two cop killers, it was all faked. I am so sorry I had to put you through this, believe me, Sammy. I love you too much to let anything happen to you."
"You should have told me, damn you, Chris! We never had any secrets!!"
"I was told it was best if you didn't know I was still alive. Rita, day by day I have been sitting here, my heart aching because I know what I did to you, what I put you through, but knowing that you and our baby were safe was worth it. You don't deserve to be on the run all the time. You and the baby deserve better than that."
"I am on the run, Sam. Cindy Londan was killed in front of my eyes! The FBI has me in a safe place in Seattle, but I won't return there. I am staying with you, Chris."
Chris reached for Rita's hands, forcing her to look him straight into the eyes, "Listen, Rita. You need to return to Seattle. I want to know that you and the baby are safe."
"We are safe as long as we are together. I don't wanna lose you, not again!"
"Believe me, you need to go. Sammy, please, do it for me, do it for our baby. You aren't safe with me."
"I'll take my chances, Sam. I need to be with you, our baby needs to know its father. I can't bear the thought that you wouldn't be there when our baby is born, when it is making its first cry. I need you with me!"
Chris wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close, gently rocking her back and forth.
"Believe me, this decision wasn't easy for me to make. I miss you, Sam, every second of the day. The only thing that keeps me going is to know that you are safe."
"The only place where we're really safe is when we're near you, Christopher. I love you too much to let you go again."
Chris grinned, "I never knew you could be this stubborn, Rita Lee Lance."
"See this ring?" Rita held up her wedding band. "You promised me for better or worse, in prosperity and adversity. Don't you try and quit on me now."
"No." Chris chuckled before he leaned in and kissed his wife. "I love you, Rita, more than I can say!"
Rita lay sound asleep in Chris' arms. For the first time in weeks, she slept peacefully without any nightmares. Chris lay awake, he couldn't take his eyes off of Rita. How could he ever leave her, how could he ever let her believe he was dead? The guilt of what he put her through, all this pain of losing him made his heart ache. The memories of her sobs and cries in hospital, he could remember everything. The drugs hadn't been powerful enough to keep him out completely. He was about to place a kiss on her forehead when he heard a cracking noise coming from the other room. Someone was at the door.
Carefully, he slid his arm away from under Rita, trying not to wake her. He reached for the gun and slowly moved to the door, stepping outside. He saw a person entering the apartment. The wooden floor cracked under his steps. He approached him, walking backwards, as Chris aimed his gun at his neck.
"Don't move!" he whispered.
"Oh, geez, Chris, put that gun down!"
Chris dropped the gun as he recognized Bill's voice, "Hell, what are you doing here?"
"I am looking for your wife."
"You need to watch Rita Lance really closely, don't you?" Chris chuckled. "She's sleeping in the next room."
"She's here?" Bill asked astonished.
"Yeah, just because you didn't watch her close enough."
Mumbling sounds from the other room suddenly had their attention, "Chris?"
Chris shot Bill a look, then turned and went back to Rita. She sat on the mattress, tightly wrapped into a blanket.
"I thought you left." she murmured when she pulled him closer to kiss him.
"No, I wouldn't leave without telling you, not now. See, a certain FBI agent is paying us a visit."
Rita looked up and saw Bill standing in the doorway. She grinned sheepishly, "Oh, I think you miss something, don't you?"
"Yeah, a certain gun and car." Bill replied.
"Sorry, but I had to go."
Bill sighed, "I know. So, now we have a bigger problem here. You two together. I don't think that's gonna work out real well."
"You can say what you want, there will be no arguments in the whole world that can make me leave my wife and baby again!" Chris argued.
"Hum.... First I'll get you out of here, it's freezing. I am gonna call headquarters later, and we'll see what we can do for you."
"Thank you, Bill."
"No, don't thank me. You did the work, Rita."
Several days had passed that Chris and Rita spent in hiding in a motel room in Manitou Springs. Chris had shaved, as Rita had ordered. Soon they would get new names, they would be moved into a new home, they would start a new life - as a family.
"Aren't you at least that bit curious as to where we're going to live?" Rita asked while Bill drove the car to the airport.
"No, not one bit." Chris chuckled.
"Oh, you guys are hiding something from me, aren't you?"
"Maybe..." was the answer she got.
"Christopher Lorenzo, you better tell me immediately where we're going!!"
"No way! Maybe, I will tell you at the airport."
Rita sat back, teasingly groaning. Bill and Chris had worked out something, and she wasn't sure whether she liked the way this all started out. When they arrived at the airport, Bill walked them inside.
"Seems like this is the end of our story together." he began.
"Doesn't have to be. You can keep in touch." Chris said as he shook Bill's hand.
"Nah, I think it's better if we don't have any contact." With that, he pulled out several documents and handed them to Chris. "Birth certificates, driver's licenses, your permits to carry a weapon and your tickets. I wish you two all the best."
"Thanks, Bill." Rita smiled, hugging him. "You've been a great help."
"You better go now. Your flight is waiting."
Chris and Rita nodded. They said good-bye and headed for their gate.
"Now, tell me, Mr. Lorenzo, where are we going?"
"First of all, it isn't Mr. Lorenzo any longer." Chris stopped and handed Rita some of the documents. "May I introduce you to Mr. Samuel Walker, Mrs. Samantha Walker?"
Rita couldn't suppress a chuckle, "Nice names, Sam."
"Yeah, you're right, Sam! C'mon Hawaii is waiting!!"
Rita stopped in her tracks, "Did you just say Hawaii?"
"Yeah, sunshine, Hawaii. I couldn't picture us in towns where it's this damn freezing in winter. So, Hawaii it is, my lady!"
Chris headed for their gate, but Rita held him back for a moment.
"Thank you, Sam. I love you."
"I love you, Sammy!"
The end
Standard Disclaimer: The characters of Chris Lorenzo, Rita Lee Lance, Holly Rawlins and Frannie and Harry Lipschitz belong to Stephen J. Cannell and USA Network. The photo of Rob Estes was taken from the Oct 20, 1997 issue of People magazine. However, everything else belongs to me. No infringement intended.
Special thanks to my twin for all the help with this story and to my EFs who I bugged through ICQ.. nevah will forget that!!