Summer 2007 Alphabet challenge at the Numb3rs Forum. Sequel to I is for Imbroglio. AU, after Janus List. This is the 10th in what will eventually be a series of 26. Q is for Quagmire is the 1st. There will be no further updates to this piece.
--
"Pull!"
Sean watched quietly from the entrance to the balcony as the clay pigeon shattered to pieces. He turned at the sound of a voice behind him.
"Welcome to the Shenandoah Skeet and Hunt Club. I'm Richard Corker, the owner of the Club. I understand you're staying at the lodge for a few days?"
Sean shook the hand that was extended to him, and replied, "Sean O'Malley. Yes. I read about this club and decided to check it out while I'm in the area." He nodded at the mountains around the lodge. "It's beautiful out here."
"Yes, it is," Corker agreed, smiling. "We have a deer hunt scheduled for tomorrow morning. Will you join us?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Sean told him. He nodded in acknowledgement when Corker excused himself.
He watched the skeet shooters for a few moments more, when the man running the area asked him genially if he wanted a turn at the skeet. He smiled, "I'd love to but my guns are in my room."
"You're more than welcome to use these we have out here for general use," he offered. "Jim Austin." He introduced himself.
"Sean O'Malley. And I'd love to, thanks!" Sean moved forward eagerly. It had been a while since he'd been skeet shooting, and he would have to get used to a shotgun that didn't belong to him, but those were challenges he relished.
"American Skeet or Olympic Skeet?" Austin asked.
"You have both?" Sean asked in surprise. At Austin's nod he replied, "Surprise me."
Austin raised an eyebrow but complied.
After ten skeets, Sean put the gun down with satisfaction. Austin had provided him with a random mix of American and Olympic skeets. He'd just barely clipped the first skeet, but had immediately adjusted to the shotgun. He had no trouble hitting the skeet squarely after that.
"You're quite a shot, O'Malley," the gentleman waiting his turn commented. "Gene Lasko."
Sean nodded in acknowledgement and since Lasko was already loading his gun only said, "Thanks." He stayed to watch Lasko shoot his skeet. When Lasko was done, he asked as they walked back to the lodge together. "Does everyone go on the deer hunt tomorrow?"
"Pretty much," Lasko answered. "I'm sure everyone would have heard of your prowess with the skeet by then." He grinned, "Don't be surprised at any bets or challenges." He nodded and went on his way.
Interesting, Sean thought, and went to his own room to send an all clear for his check in.
--
"I've been trying to figure out why this anomaly persists," Charlie said in the FBI conference room. He looked around to see the attentive looks on the faces in the room. Don, Megan, David, and Colby. It was almost like old times.
"What anomaly is that, Charlie?" Don asked, when Charlie paused a little longer than he liked.
"Well, if you take a look at the top ten list I've come up with, you can see the reasons why eight of them are there. They're people that Kannin frequently comes into contact with either for personal reasons or in the course of his work as a Senator. But for this one here, well, there was only one email exchanged with an antiques store owner out here in Los Angeles and that email seems innocent enough, and the other, while the relationship is regular enough, it's only with the owner of an antique store that Kannin frequents in Washington."
"Maybe we should start with those two," Megan said slowly.
"Even though I can't find the reason why they showed up in the top ten?" Charlie looked surprised.
"Especially because you can't find the reason why," Colby told him as he got up to head back to his desk. Well, the desk he was using while he was there anyway.
"Colby."
"What's wrong?" Colby demanded sharply when he saw Steele standing at the doorway. "Hannah..."
"Hannah's fine," Steele's expression softened. "But we do have an emergency." He looked at Don, "I'm afraid I'll need him. I trust you can hold down the fort on this investigation for the next few days?"
Don nodded. Though he was as curious as anyone else in the room, he didn't ask any questions. The worry on Steele's usually impassive face was enough of an answer for now. "Megan, you work with David on those two names for now," he told them as Steele and Colby left.
--
"I'm worried about Sean," Steele told Colby on their way to the airport. "We got the all clear this morning, saying that he would be on the deer hunt with them. I think the Mastermind will be targeting Sean next, while he's alone and vulnerable. I don't want to wait for his next check-in, especially since it takes six hours to get to West Virginia. Grab your change of clothes; we've got the charter ready."
Colby nodded but had to ask, "Hannah..."
Steele smiled gently, "Luke's set up a protection schedule for her. He's very fond of her, and wanted to be sure she'd be fine while we dragged you away."
The relief at Steele's words made Colby a little weak at the knees. "I'll have to thank him later," Colby murmured. There would be no time to waste on personal things when they got to the charter plane.
"Any problems with Fiona making her own way there?" Steele asked Luke when they met him on the plane.
"No, everything's fine." Luke glanced at Colby. "I've got your weapons here, plus a survival pack, in case we need to hike in the Shenandoah Mountains."
Colby nodded and went to work checking his equipment.
Luke turned to Steele, "I've packed the portable stretcher, just in case."
"Alright," Steele said softly, "Better be prepared, I suppose. And we'll send Fiona a signal if we need her to provide a distraction," Steele went to work as well, checking his own equipment.
"Did he provide any specifics about the hunt?" Colby asked.
"White-tailed deer on private property," Luke told him. "Mostly rifle hunting, but he thought some of them would be bow-hunting as well. It's a large private preserve and some of the hunters will be on horseback."
"Does Sean ride?" Colby asked idly as he put the last few items back in his pack.
"Very well, as a matter of fact," Luke answered. "I'm sure they'll have horses he can use." He smiled faintly. "If things are truly on the level, he'd have enjoyed a few days hunting on Uncle Sam."
"I hope, for his sake, that it's on the level," Steele murmured, before he settled in his seat for takeoff.
Colby nodded as he did the same.
Because I would never forgive myself otherwise, thought Steele with a worried frown.
--
Sean was pleased with how the hunt turned out. The mare he'd picked was a sleek beauty, responsive to his kneed commands, leaving his hands free for shooting. And he was looking with a great deal of pride at seven-point buck he'd bagged.
"Look's like you'll take the top prize for the day's hunt," Corker stopped by to admire the buck.
"I'd forgotten how good it feels to bag one," Sean told him, grinning.
"Glad I put my money on you," Lasko was grinning too.
Sean chuckled. He'd refrained from making any bets, but he'd heard the betting going on before they left for the hunt that morning. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Lasko glance questioningly at Corker.
"He just thinks you should join the club, O'Malley," Corker said, smiling. "We're hunting big game next."
"Bigger game than deer?" Sean looked surprised. "I thought bear season was over."
"Not bear," Lasko told him excitedly. "Smarter game than that."
"People," Corker's eyes gleamed.
Sean struggled to keep his face impassive, but something must have shown through because Corker looked angry.
"Hunt or be hunted," he said coldly, and rode off.
Lasko looked worried, and Sean tried to get himself back in the game. "Are the prey dressed differently?"
"Corker has lists," Lasko said, glancing around.
"Lists? How do you mean, lists?" Sean was puzzled.
"Of the hunters," Lasko said softly.
Sean finally made the connection and said in outrage, "And the hunted? How does he decide which hunters get hunted?"
"Mostly when they don't agree to hunt," Lasko replied nervously. "Sometimes when Corker's angry with them. They're the ones who end up without a list of prey at the end of the day."
"And that's how they know they've turned into prey?" Sean's eyes narrowed with fury. They both looked up at the sound of a hunting horn.
"That's the signal," Lasko said in alarm.
"Why are you worried?"
"Neither one of us got a list!" He was frantic now. "I'm sure it was a mistake! I have to go find him!" He rode off quickly, leaving Sean alone.
I hope like hell the batteries are fresh enough to last till the cavalry gets here, Sean thought grimly as he sent a quick SOS. He tied the horse loosely and shimmied up a tree, leaving the little communication device set to send the SOS periodically. When he got back down on the ground, he looked at the buck with regret. I hate to leave you behind, buddy, I might need something to eat later. Or maybe not, since I probably won't want to build a fire.
Carefully, he tied a camouflage bandanna over his hair. Shame I don't have any camo paint for my face. He took off the bright orange vest and stripped off everything that made him visible to another hunter. Then he got back on the horse, "Come on, Beauty, let's see if we can dodge these hunters." And carefully guided the horse downwind, picking his way over areas that were less easy to track. He figured there were four hours left till full dark, and he wanted to find the best place he could to hole up for the night, when he was most vulnerable.
I didn't think they would move that quickly, he thought regretfully. I hope that's not the last mistake I'll ever make.
--
"We have an SOS, sir," the first officer had made his way to the passenger cabin from the cockpit to deliver the message to Steele.
His words brought all three men to full alert.
"Anything else from it?" Steele asked sharply.
"Just a position, sir," he spread a topographical map out for them and pointed to where the SOS was originating from.
"It's stationary?" Colby asked frowning.
"Yes, sir. Set to repeat every ten minutes. It's just sending the SOS on our frequency. No other message." The first officer returned to the cockpit when Steele thanked him.
"That's not good," Colby was worried.
"No," Luke murmured, "It means he was taken by surprise. They must have moved faster than he anticipated."
"We've a full hour before we land," Steele was tense from the worry. "He'll have left the area by then. Why wouldn't he put it on his person?"
"Just in case the hunters can track him," Luke said gently. "I would have done the same thing."
"He'll move downwind," Colby said thoughtfully, "And try to keep to rockier ground."
"I'll see if the pilot can find out what the wind direction is," Steele needed to do something useful. When he got back, Luke and Colby had marked out a likely area that Sean would be heading in.
"When's Fiona due in?" Steele asked anxiously.
"Not for two hours after we get there," was Luke's reply. "We'll have to find him on our own."
"It'll be full dark three hours after we get there. Maybe less," Colby said grimly. "And we still need to get there from the airport."
"We'll need to be careful, that we don't end up getting hunted ourselves," Luke said quietly, knowing that he was voicing something that they'd already thought of.
--
Johnson. Sean recognized a plump, hearty man who had been a terrible shot. He shook his head with pity, it was a messy kill and Johnson looked like he might have bled to death slowly and agonizingly. Must have been one of the first to go. He moved cautiously, wondering if the hunters were still nearby, stalking their prey.
A few paces later, he heard the unmistakable twang of a bow. Reflexively, he lunged off the horse away from the sound, and heard the horse's whinny of pain before it slowly began to collapse. He grunted with the effort and wriggled away just before the horse fell on him. Sean spared a second of regret, Beauty had been a fine horse, and it was a waste to kill her like this. But that was all the time he could spare. He needed to get out of there. Grateful that he'd already slung his spare rifle across his back and the dagger in his belt, he grabbed the rifle he'd kept handy in the saddle holster, and began a steady jog away from the dead horse.
Lasko. But no horse. He'd been shot in the back of the neck. A quick kill, at least. Sean paused long enough to grab what ammo was left on him, and pull Lasko's jacket off him. He won't be needing either. He wondered if Lasko had made it onto the prey list because he had been mistaken about Sean, or if there had been some other reason.
No regrets, he told himself. He had to survive this, and put Corker behind bars.
Cautiously, he approached an outcropping of rock. If they hunted in this area all the time, an outcropping like this would be frequently checked. But for now, it was empty and Sean decided to rest awhile. He listened carefully, letting the sounds of the forest wash over him. Slowly, he began to separate and identify the different sounds. He thought he could hear hunters coming, and tried to gauge if he had enough time to make it up a tree for a shot at them. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. He grinned wryly at himself for the trite proverb.
Two men. He wondered if they were hunters or hunted, and decided it didn't matter. He was a target to either. Carefully, he sighted down his rifle and squeezed off a couple of quick shots. He climbed down the tree quickly and took off just as quickly. Or they would find him from the angle and direction of the shots. But he was sure he'd got both of them. At least, he'd heard two different cries of pain. If his aim was true, and it usually was, they wouldn't be hunting again that night.
Ah, lucky day! Sean came upon a deserted bear cave. He slipped inside cautiously, and tried to gauge the last time a bear had been in there. Probably last winter, when they hibernated. He hoped they wouldn't need it anytime soon. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped by a bear.
Slowing his breathing, he began to listen to the forest again. The faint sounds of a hunt could be heard through the trees, but he thought they were distant enough for him to stay put. But it didn't stop him from grimacing when he heard shots and cries from where he was, faint though they were.
A couple of hours went by, and Sean went on the alert when the sounds of the hunt began to get closer. Time to go. He went up another tree, and saw three men in the distance, but heading in his direction. They must know about the cave. He narrowed his eyes in the failing light, trying to determine if he could wing them and still get away. Deciding he was safe enough in the tree, he waited till they came within range. He squeezed off three successive shots. This time he watched to be sure. Yes! Got them in the trigger hands. They wouldn't be shooting anymore that night.
He got down the tree, and heard too late the whine of a bullet. It slammed into his thigh. He fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. He saw Corker in the distance, turning his horse towards him. Sean struggled up, and aimed. He squeezed a shot off and saw the horse collapse, with Corker under it. Sean pulled off his bandanna and tied it around his thigh. He scrambled up and began to pray as he hobbled back towards the bear cave as fast as his wound would allow. But he knew from the sound of the thrashing in the brush behind him that Corker wasn't far behind, and stopped behind a rock to load up and take aim.
Corker stopped when he saw the rifle aimed at him. "Not bad for a beginner," Corker said with some admiration. "I don't think any of the prey we've had in our hunts have ever taken any of the hunters out, and you've taken out two that I know of, and a few more the last few minutes by the sound of it."
Sean watched him warily, keeping a tight hand on the bullet wound. He hoped it hadn't hit the femoral artery. That would be the end of him, and he rather liked hanging around. "Why the hunt?"
Corker laughed, "Because I'm bored."
Sean's eyes narrowed.
"I'm going to enjoy watching you die," Corker said, laughing softly, as shots rang out towards Sean.
--
"Come on, Sean! Send a signal," Steele muttered to himself as they pulled the little signaler out of the tree, still steadily sending out the SOS every ten minutes.
"Seven pointer, what a waste," Colby murmured. "He's pretty good at hiding his tracks too. Wish Edgerton was here."
Luke smiled, "You underestimate your own skills, Colby. Lead on, we'll follow."
They moved quickly and quietly, finding first Johnson, then Lasko, and several other bodies along the way.
Steele's face got grimmer with each body they passed. He took several quick shots with his digital camera, just in case the bodies were cleaned up before they could get back.
They broke into a run when they heard shots and shouting in the distance.
"That's Sean's voice," Luke said grimly as he ran.
--
Sean cried out as a bullet hit him in his side, spinning him off kilter. He managed to squeeze a shot blindly in the direction of the shot but fell back to the ground. The impact jolted his rifle out of his hands. He heard Corker scramble around the boulder. When Corker came around the boulder, Sean threw his dagger as hard as he could at Corker.
"Arghhhh!" Corker yelled with the pain as the dagger buried itself in his arm. His rifle went off.
Unable to dodge it at close range, it hit Sean in his left shoulder, and Sean cried out again.
"I'm going to kill you if it's the last thing I do," Corker screamed in a rage, and brought the rifle back up with one hand at point blank range.
Helplessly, Sean looked up the barrel of the gun at Corker, unable to reach his own rifle. He winced when he heard a couple of shots, then realized it had come from the side. "Oh, thank God!"
Luke had shot Corker, and Colby had shot the other guy.
"Easy, Sean, easy," Colby said, dropping beside him.
"Am I ever glad to see you guys."
They all heard the hitch in his words and swallowed the lumps in their own throats.
"It's going to be alright now, the others are being rounded up, and the helicopter is on its way." Steele reassured him.
"I'll get the stretcher out," Luke said as he moved away.
"It's a through and through in the thigh. You're lucky, it missed the femoral artery. I'm going to re-tie the tourniquet around it, okay?" Colby told him as he pulled out some bandages from his pack. He winced in sympathy when Sean grunted as the tourniquet was tied. "Hold still, I'm going to pour this hydrogen peroxide on it to keep it clean."
"Jeez." Sean gritted his teeth at the pain. "Somebody get me a real doctor."
"Alright, the bullet's still in your side. I'm going to wad a bandage against it, and try to tape it down. The shoulder is a flesh wound, I'll get some hydrogen peroxide on it and wad a bandage against that too. We'll get you back to the lodge on that stretcher as quickly as we can. Hang tight."
With Luke and Steele on the heavier upper end, and Colby at the legs, they managed to make good time back to the lodge, where it was a hive of activity. Steele had called in the state police and every law enforcement agency he could mobilize. The hunters had been rounded up and were being led to police vehicles in cuffs. The paramedics hurried to them and began to work on Sean.
"Is he alright?" Fiona asked anxiously. She had just arrived and had managed to confiscate the lists from one of the hunters.
"He's passed out from the pain, and he's lost a lot of blood. We'll have to see what the paramedics say. But he's alive," Luke told her. "I know," he said when she sighed, "It's still a very close thing."
It took the better part of the night, but with the lists Fiona had, all the hunters were rounded up.
--
"Sean O'Malley's room, please," Hannah asked at the nurses desk when she got to Mt. Sinai Hospital. He had been stabilized at a hospital in West Virginia and air-lifted back to Los Angeles at Steele's insistence, despite the protests from the doctors in West Virginia.
The petite dark-haired nurse looked up from the chart she was working on to look at Hannah. That's the second redhead to visit him in as many hours, she thought to herself in surprise. Wonder if they know about each other? But she only said, "He's in room 274 over there. He's still a little delirious, but he's lucid more often than not now."
Hannah looked startled, "I thought he'd been stabilized?"
"There was something on the bullets and infection set in on the wound in his side and in his shoulder. There were also some complications with the procedures and the medication they had put him on. He's on his way to recovery though."
"Alright, I'll just sit with him a while."
The nurse nodded, "He's on an IV for fluids, but sometimes when he wakes up, he's parched. We've done what we could to keep his lips from cracking and we try to feed him ice chips when we're around. But," she looked around the ward and shrugged, "We're spread pretty thin."
Nodding her thanks, Hannah headed towards Sean's room. She saw some flowers that Fiona had probably brought to brighten up the room. But the pale and worn man in the hospital bed brought an ache to her heart. She found a washcloth in the bathroom and rinsed it with cool water. Sitting by his side, she gently wiped the light sheen of perspiration away from his face.
Sean stirred and his eyes opened. He gazed unseeing in Hannah's direction and murmured on a soft sigh, "Sarah. What are you doing here?"
"It's Hannah," she said softly, looking worried.
He shook his head, "No, no. Don't leave me, Sarah. I love you. How am I going to survive without you?"
"Oh, Sean," Hannah patted him on his arm. "Everything's going to be fine. You're safe now."
His eyes closed and he muttered a little, but he seemed to settle into sleep. After a long while, his eyes opened again, and this time his gaze sharpened and focused on her.
"Hannah," Sean smiled weakly. "I hope you haven't been sitting here long."
"Not at all," she said gently, alarmed by the condition of the man lying on the hospital bed. He was a shadow of his usual self. His usually vivid blue eyes were dull, the wicked, charming gleam replaced by listlessness. "Want some ice?"
"Thank you," he looked grateful as she slowly fed him the ice chips to ease his parched throat.
"I just knew if I looked away for a second you'd be hitting on my girl," Colby ragged him from the doorway.
Sean tried to grin, but managed a mere shadow of his usual grin. "She's too good for you, and you know it."
"Just because that's true doesn't mean that I won't fight to keep her," Colby said easily as he dropped in the armchair by the bed. Hannah shook her head at him but she was smiling. "How do you feel, Sean?"
"Like someone put three bullets in me. How do you think I feel?" Sean said dryly. "But thank you. If it weren't for the three of you, I'd be dead. What made you head out there anyway?"
"Something Luke said made Steele put two and two together. But hey, enough about work. Is there anything you'd like us to bring you?" Colby asked him with concern.
"Yeah. You could bring me my playing cards," Sean made a soft huffing sound.
When Colby realized that was Sean's effort at a laugh, he left far more worried than when he'd arrived.
--
"How is he?" Megan asked as Colby joined them in the bullpen after his visit to the hospital. She started to worry when Colby just frowned.
Finally, he said slowly, "I'm not sure. The doctors seem to think he's recovering well from the infection. But Hannah says he thought she was someone else, and he's had very little energy."
"Is she spending a lot of time with him? What about the store?" David asked.
"She goes there when she can, which is more than I or the others have been able to, but a lot less than she'd like to." Colby sighed with frustration as he went back to the searches he was doing on the computer.
They looked up as Don and Charlie hurried into the bullpen.
"I've discovered the connection between Kannin and the two anomalies!" Charlie said excitedly. "Kannin collects netsuke and has done a lot of business with the antique store in DC. He's been trying to get hold of a particularly rare netsuke, specifically a ryusanetsuke. Those are in the shape of disks and are carved like lace. The email was to an antiques dealer here in Los Angeles who apparently has a line on it."
"Netsuke," David looked at Charlie. "What does netsuke have to do with the Mastermind?"
"I don't know," Charlie looked crestfallen.
"I'll get Fiona to check it out," Colby said, trying to cheer Charlie up. "She's been haunting the antique stores anyway, trying to find Luke a present."
"That works, Colby," Don patted Charlie on the back. "You can't win them all, Charlie."
"These anomalies mean something, I'm sure of it," Charlie muttered in frustration.
"I've also been checking the others on the list, Charlie," Megan asked. "This one senator on the President's Intelligence Reform committee looks interesting. He and Kannin have had some public run-ins, but they apparently met once or twice outside of the sessions."
"Intelligence Reform?" Don looked up with interest. "That might dovetail in with Breston and Steele being targets."
Colby looked thoughtful, "I'll let Steele know about him."
--
"What can I do for you, miss?" the warm, friendly voice came from behind Fiona.
She turned and peered into the gloom, while her eyes took a few minutes to get accustomed to the darkened store. The shaft of light that pierced through the blinds, with dust motes shimmering and dancing through it, only made the gloom seem even darker. Eventually, she made out the form of an older man fussing with several jewelry boxes on a display shelf. "I'm looking for a sword," she said pleasantly. "A Japanese sword, specifically a katana. One from the Koto era."
He smiled at her, "Those are very difficult to come by."
Fiona returned the smile, "I know. But it's to be a gift, for a very special man. And I can wait."
"I have some you might want to take a look at, from the Shinto era," he offered. "They're back here."
She followed him to the back of the store, glancing curiously around her as she went. "I hear you specialize in netsuke."
He glanced back at her, "Yes, there's quite a collector's market for those items."
"I'm sure," she said lightly. "I've heard that a rare ivory ryusanetsuke carved with a heron, from the Edo period has come on the market. I'd love to get my hands on it."
Chuckling, he replied, "You and every collector in this area." He looked at her curiously, "How did you hear about it?"
Casually, she replied, "I was at a campaign party and overheard Senator Kannin talking about it. I understand he's quite a collector."
"Indeed?" he murmured. "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the senator. Ah, they're over here." Turning to Fiona, he smiled and waved for her to follow him.
Focusing on the swords, and Fiona never saw the man behind her swing a heavy wooden statue to hit her on the head.
--
"Granger," the vaguely familiar voice spoke when Colby answered his cell phone.
"Yes?" he answered cautiously.
"Che Lobo."
Colby's eyebrows went up in surprise when he recognized the name. "What can I do for you?"
"It's what I can do for you. I owe you one, remember?"
"Way I remember it, I was just doing my job," Colby replied mildly. Running around Los Angeles hoisting a bag with $3.2 million dollars on his shoulder certainly hadn't been his idea of fun.
Che Lobo chuckled, "Sure. But you saved my boy's life, and I'll never forget that."
"What's going on?"
"Word on the street is that someone's gunning for you. I just want you to know, so you can be careful."
"That's not different from any other day," Colby remained cautious.
Che Lobo laughed, "Maybe not. I hear you've had an exciting few months, and you're more than you seem. But I also hear that you have a weakness, a pretty redhead with a jewelry store. You got folks watching out for her and I got folks watching out for her. But they can still use her to get to you. Watch your step." He hung up.
"Who was that?" David asked when Colby frowned at his cell phone.
"Che Lobo Santiago," Colby replied slowly.
David raised his eyebrows in a silent question.
"He thinks someone is going to use Hannah to get to me. He's got people watching out for her, but wants me to be careful."
"Don't go anywhere alone," David warned.
"I won't," Colby answered, but he was already answering another call on his cellphone.
"This is the security company, the alarm is going off at Ms. Evans' jewelry store," the calm voice at the other end told him. "Ms. Evans had requested that you be contacted when it goes off."
"I'm on my way."
"Where?" David asked sharply. When Colby told him, he said, "I'm going with you."
Colby smiled gratefully, "Thanks."
Things looked calm when they came to a screeching halt at the jewelry store. They still pushed their way in, with guns drawn. Only to come face to face with an astonished Hannah. "What's wrong? Why are you here?"
"I'm not sure what's going on," Colby said grimly.
"They wanted to divert you. Why?" David was just as grim.
"Fiona," Colby said slowly.
"Don and Megan," David said sharply.
Both men scrambled for their cell phones.
"Fiona's missing," Luke said curtly when Colby got him on the line. "She'd gone to the antique store to find out what she can and hasn't checked in. I'm going out there."
"I'm on my way," Colby told Luke about Che Lobo's call and the subsequent false alarm from the security company.
"I'll see you at the antiques store," Luke said, terrified now, for Fiona's safety.
"Don't go in till I get there," Colby warned him, but all he got was a dial tone in reply.
"I can't get them," David said, worried now. "I'm calling for backup."
"Will you stay here with Hannah?" Colby asked. "I'll feel much better if you do."
David nodded as he was connected with FBI dispatch. Colby didn't wait.
--
"Eppes," Don answered his cell.
"I suggest you take a look at the link I sent you," a soft voice told him.
He glanced at Megan and they both watched as the link brought them to a video. It began to stream.
"What's this?" Don asked sharply.
The voice laughed, "Just wait and see." The camera slowly panned out to show a quiet park, then moved to zoom in on three people. Two gentlemen were playing chess. One onlooker with dark curly hair watched them play. They were talking and laughing, as though the onlooker was giving unsolicited advice.
"What the hell is this?" Don was agitated now, when he realized it was his father, playing chess with Larry, as Charlie looked on. Alarm was written all over Megan's face.
Three sets of sniper crosshairs appeared, one focused on each person's head. "Say goodbye." And the screen went black.
--
"It looks empty," Luke said curtly when Colby got to the antique store. His face was tight with worry, and it had taken all his self control not to go into the store till Colby got there. "But her car's still here."
They went in. The tinkling of the chimes on the door announced their arrival, but no one greeted them. Cautiously, they searched the area.
"This way," Luke said quietly. Colby followed him, but they went back to back, so Luke could see in front of them, and Colby, behind them. Then Luke cursed.
"One of Fiona's earrings. And blood on this statue. No sign of her."
They headed towards the front of the store and started to leave.
Then something caught Luke's attention and he had just enough time to yell, "Duck!" before shots were fired at them.
Both men ducked under the windows and tried to see if they could tell who was shooting at them. But the shooting had stopped.
"Why would they stop shooting?" Colby frowned as he tried to find the shooters.
Luke was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Unless they wanted us inside for a reason."
They stared at each other, then their eyes widened in alarm, "Bomb!"
--
Across the country, the Mastermind laughed as his countdown clock clicked to zero. "Ka-boom!" he said softly to himself. "Four of your best agents down, and the FBI agents with problems of their own to handle."
He looked out the window in satisfaction. "Let's see how well you do with most of your best agents out of the picture."
--
A/N: Stay tuned for M is for Mastermind, coming up next!
My apologies again, this time to skeet shooters, hunters, doctors, and netsuke collectors. I had to imagine most of it; hopefully none of it was too far wrong.
Thank you all for reading!