Chapter 4

In horror Bill watched his friend slowly sink to the floor from the bullet he just fired. Running over to where his friend lay he knelt down and rolled him over, catching his breath when he saw the dead, lifeless eyes. Blood was pooling around him. He pressed trembling fingers to the cooling flesh of Ralph's neck at the same time repeating over and over "hold on, please don't be dead". Suddenly as if his words or touch gave life, Ralph's hand grabbed him by the forearm "It's your fault," he hissed, Bill let out a shout and tried to pry the hand pulling at the fingers, but they wouldn't budge and instead held him in place so he couldn't runnaway. "I'm dead because of you, It's your fault"

Somewhere in the house alarms where ringing. Bill tried in vain to get away " No" He shook his head franticly prying at the fingers. "I didn't know, the suite should've protected you…" The ringing grew louder.

"Its your Fault"

" Nooooo"

Riiiiingg

Bill woke with a start then feeling sick quickly made his way, across his small apartment, to the sink splashing water on his face in attempt to wash the nightmare away. "It was just a dream, just a dream."

Riiiiiinnnnnnggg

The insistent phone ringing brought him further from the dream, looking at the clock he reached for the phone "12 o'clock in the stinking morning this had better be good."

"Maxwell" he barked into the phone

"Tick Tock, Agent Maxwell, Tock Tick"

'Who is this"

Hickory….. dickory…… dock……" The voice rasped out. "The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck 12 and your partner has fallen down. Hickory… dickory… dock…..

At the mention of his partner, His heart stilled and the images from his dream rushed forward "I'm dead because of you, It's your fault"

"who is this…"

"Tick tock Tick tock" The voice on the other end laughed "Won't you come play with me"

The phone went dead; Maxwell slowly placed it back in the cradle. The Nursery rhyme still going through his head mixed in with his dream. "Hickory…..Dickory…Dock…." Bill watched his friend slowly sink to the floor from the bullet he just fired. "The clock struck 12 and your partner has fallen down." Kneeling down next to his friend, Bill carefully rolled Ralph onto his back, catching his breath when he saw the dead, lifeless eyes.

RIIIIINNNNNGGG

The phone ringing again shattered the image as Bill quickly reached for the phone.

"Listen you creep , you better tell.."

"Bill…."

He recognized it as being the counselor. Now he knew something was wrong if the councilor was calling him at 12 o'clock in the morning. He cleared his throat.

"What's wrong"

"Bill, is Ralph with you."

"Ralph…um no prince charming should be at home sleeping" He force a laugh to cover the uneasy feeling that was growing. She huffed into the phone out of frustation.

"Why did I bother calling, Bill you're not listening…I'm sorry I woke you up"

"Now hold it counselor," Bill pinched the bridge of his nose; he was going to have a head ache in the morning "You are the one who woke me up" It wasn't true but he wasn't going to tell her about the call before hers, it was probly just a prank call. He was going to have to change his number again. There was a long silence on the phone and he wondered if she had hung up. If she did he knew he had blown it. She was worried and he knew it took a lot to rattle her, had seen her hold up under lot worse with out so much as a flinch. And it had her worried enough to call him.

"Counselor?"

"I'm here"

"Now tell me what's wrong, why do you think Ralph is here"

"He's not home." She said simply Bill waited for her to continue " He called me this afternoon, and sounded tired, said he had a head ache and his shoulder hurt from breaking up a fight at school. I told him to call me after he got out of the teachers meeting tonight. But he hasn't and I tried to call him but there isn't an answer all I get is a busy signal…"

"Busy huh?" He hoped the kid had just gone home taken a couple of aspirin and took the phone off the hook. But he also knew it wasn't like Ralph to miss a check in, especially with the counselor. In the back of mind he hoped it was nothing, but was having a hard time convincing himself of that with the Rhyme playing over and over in his head.

" Look, the Kid, probably just knocked the phone off the hook…."

"Bill…"

"C'mon Counselor" He was worried, but didn't want the counselor to know it. He didn't want her to worry more than she already was. "don't worry Ol' Uncle Bill will take care of it, anyway Like I said the kid probably just knocked the phone off the hook ok? I'll just go over there get this mess figured out ok?"

"ok Bill,"

"Why don't you try to get some shut eye and I'll will call or Ralph will I promise Later" He waited till she acknowledge him then He hung up the phone and took a deep breath "Don't make me a liar here kid" Remembering what the counselor said about the phone being busy Bill picked up his communicator. After several tries with no response he grabbed his coat and left.

--------

30 minutes later he pulled up in front of the house. He noticed Ralph's car wasn't in the normal spot. Getting out he looked up and down the street, thinking maybe he had parked it on the street for some reason. Not seeing it he started up the driveway. Everything was dark; the only light was from the street light.

He stopped when he reached the door and pulled out his gun. The door looked like it had been forced open. "Hickory….. dickory…… dock……The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck 12 and your partner has fallen down. Hickory… dickory… dock….."

Slowly pushing the door open he called out Ralph's name again, when he didn't hear a response he pushed the door further open and stepped into the entry way. Once there he closed the front door and scanned the hallway.

"Ralph" He called out before finding the switch for the light and turning it on.

The light came on in the living room. The room had been trashed. Slowly he made his way through the rest of the house, finding it in the same condition as the living room. Somebody was definitely looking for something.

"But what? The kid didn't keep anything worth much….the suit!" Bill made his way to the closet where Ralph kept the suit. He panicked for a second when he saw it wasn't there till he remembered Ralph had it with him. He continued to look around the house, finally ending back in the living room. Finding the only unbroken chair, he sat down leaning forward on his knees trying to figure this all out.

"Ok Maxwell, think, the something they where looking for was the suit. But why just go after the suit, Ralph was the only one who could use it. But whoever was looking for it probably didn't know that. And when they didn't find it here they went to the source"

Bill ran his hand over his face. "Hickory….. dickory…… dock…… The mouse ran up the clock. Won't you come play with me"

He shook the rhyme away then scanned the room stopping on the fire place. There was a envelope sitting on it addressed to him. He pick up it up on the corner and carefully opened it. He didn't want to disturb any evidence that is if there was any.

He pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. As he did something fell out landing on the floor. Bill picked it up.

It was a picture of a car, Ralph's car he realized. It looked like it had been totaled in a wreck. He could see Ralph in the front seat. Looking he could tell most of the damage was on the passenger side "Must have hit him on the passenger side, probably the only thing that saved him , the seatbelt and hopefully the suit." Bill thought, looking closer he could see Ralph did not have the suit on. "Aw, no why don't you ever listen to me kid" He whispered as he kept his emotions in check. Bill couldn't tell if he had any other injuries, but he could tell the wound on his head, a deep cut ran across his forehead, was pretty bad and he was unconscious.

Putting the picture down he picked up the note.


Hey, Billie, Willie, lets play cat and mouse.

The cat and you in the middle

The cow jumped over the moon.

The little dog laughed

To see such sport.


With a growl he crumpled up the paper anger and threw it "It doesn't even Rhyme" Then sat down again as everything seemed to crash down.

"Hickory….. dickory…… dock…… The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck 12 and your partner has fallen down. Hickory… dickory… dock….."

His dream was becoming reality and it was out of control.

Ralph's hand grabbed him by the forearm "It's your fault," he hissed, Bill let out a shout and tried to pry the hand pulling at the fingers, but they wouldn't budge and instead held him in place so he couldn't runaway. "I'm dead because of you, It's your fault"

"I'll get you out of this Kid, I promise, You just have to hold on, I promise"