He whirled around and there was the very devil again! That smug smile and slow clap nearly drove him insane. Dashing madly through the crowd and with difficulty emerging through the court doors, he frantically searched for the familiar straw hat. Murdoch couldn't believe his eyes. There were straw hats everywhere! As he turned man after man around, their heads rolled from their shoulders, majorly freaking him out. Quickly he got over his fright and instead screamed out in frustration.

"Show yourself Gillies! I know you're out there!"

The only response was deep laughter, further infuriating him. Then like the red sea parting, the headless men dispersed and a hooded man dressed in black was revealed at the end of a long pathway. He was standing on a raised platform; a gallows. Murdoch's blood ran cold as he watched the hangman place a noose around the neck of a woman with a sack over her head.

"Stop!" he yelled and began running down the aisle of headless men. "I beg of you! Please stop! I'm the one you want! Leave her out of this!"

Again there was a booming laughter, this time it seemed to shake the very ground beneath him. The hangman tightened the cord around the quivering woman's neck and Murdoch ran faster than he had ever run before. He was almost at the gallows when the man pulled the lever and the woman plummeted through the trap door, a sickening crack breaking through the silence.

"Noooo!"

Abruptly he awoke, covered in sweat, knocking his head on the low hanging light fixture here. This recurring nightmare was always the same torturous affair and he had had it every night (or rather every time he passed out from utter exhaustion) since Julia's conviction. That was six days ago now. There was only one and a half days left before her scheduled hanging, (on Monday night) and Murdoch had yet to even catch a glimpse of Gillies. It had gotten to the point where the others didn't really believe that he had ever seen him and in fact had simply imagined the villain at the courthouse. Most likely they were right but Murdoch refused to believe that Gillies wasn't the mastermind behind this debacle. Of course the others wanted very badly to believe that there was some reasonable explanation for everything that had happened, but there was nary a piece of evidence to link Gillies to Julia's frame up. She was still the only viable suspect and her time was almost up.

Every lead they had pursued had led to a dead end. In vain Murdoch had tried to prove that the woman in green was not Julia. But Darcy's mistresses alibi was rock solid and there was no breaking it. But if not her, then who?

Murdoch wearily glanced at his watch and saw it was just after five o'clock in the morning. If he didn't have a major breakthrough within the next thirty six hours or so, it was all over. With that thought in mind, he was further jolted to attention and quickly got back to work. Where was he? Not at home and not in his office. He was at their secret headquarters (an abandoned warehouse). It was necessary to conceal their actions from Giles as he had threatened to kick them off the constabulary for good if they continued an investigation without his permission, (or their badges).

Murdoch once again pored through every single scrap of information they had but unfortunately he was still none the wiser.

Confound it! What am I missing?

"Murdoch did you hear what I just said?"

"What?" he said focusing on his friend for the the first time that day. "Sir, when did you get here?"

"Only a moment ago, Murdoch. Anyway, I asked you if you had eaten anything yet today."

"I'm not hungry," he said, lying, not wanting to waste time on such a trivial thing.

"Murdoch, you have to eat something. You need to keep your strength up. Here," he said, shoving some donuts into his hands, "eat. That's an order."

"Oh very well," he said taking a nibble.

"I've brought some tea as well," Brackenreid said, shaking a full canister. "It's an extra strong batch that Margaret brewed herself."

Murdoch received that too. "Thank her for me later," he said as he took a sip and felt himself perking up a bit.

Brackenreid simply nodded.

"Will George be assisting us today, sir?"

"He telephoned about twenty minutes ago to say he would do his best." Scowling, "Giles has taken over the station house with an iron fist! The bastard's barely letting them take a piss if he can help it! I don't know what that goddamn wanker is trying to prove but I'd like to knock a little sense into that thick skull of his!" He punched an open palm as he said this.

Murdoch didn't respond.

"I'm assuming by your glum look that you haven't uncovered any new leads?"

Shaking his head slowly, Murdoch said, "No, sir, I have not."

"Well, we best get out there again." He gestured to the various blackboards crammed full of names and places, "This lot is of little use to us anymore." Trying to sound like his normal chipper self, he grabbed his shoulders lightly and said, "The answers out there, me old mucker. I'm sure of it. We just have to find it."


The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Murdoch thought George and Emily had joined them at one point but he couldn't be certain. Needless to say, their search for Gillies had been less than productive, once more. It was maddening to Murdoch that there was less than twenty four hours before his beloved would be dead and he was powerless to stop it. Well, not entirely. He promised her that he would get her out of this mess, no matter what. So regardless if they located Gillies in time, Murdoch would keep his word, even if it meant destroying his career once and for all. He was not about to lose Julia without a bitter fight.

Late that evening, back at the warehouse, George and Emily interrupted Murdoch and Brackenreid's silent ruminations, (the latter enjoying a night cap). Even though they were all exhausted, none of them could sleep, so they got to discussing alternative avenues of attack.

"We've run out of time," said Emily. "We need to break her out."

Brackenreid and George shared a look but Murdoch appeared not to be paying attention.

"Detective, did you hear what I said?"

Still not looking at her, "Yes, Dr. Grace, I did."

"And?"

"And I can't allow you to do that."

Emily frowned. "The woman you claim to love will die if you don't do anything!"

Catching her eye, "You misunderstood me, doctor. I simply meant that you can't be a part of it," - he gestured to the others, "any of you."

"Now hold on, Murdoch," said Brackenreid. "You don't mean to say that you plan on undertaking this jail break yourself?"

"That's exactly what I mean, sir."

"But you can't, sir!" exclaimed an up till then uncharacteristically quiet George. "You'll never manage it on your own! You're sure to be caught as well!"

Murdoch was briefly silent. "That may well be the case but I can't ask you to-"

"Oh bloody hell, Murdoch! This is no time to be so chivalrous! We're already involved!" He smirked, "What's a little jail break between friends?"

Silence.

"I know you have a plan somewhere in that brilliant mind of yours, so out with it! That's an order!"