A/N : Special Smartie points go to tlh45. The film was Imposter. The music during the shower scene was John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Boom and Oldham was his character's name! And now to find the George Washington and get Mac into a bit of trouble ... oh come on you know I love a little Mac peril!
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Chapter 4
Jo, Don and Danny arrived at Mac's and rang the bell. Mac grinned as he let them in.
"Hey Christine!" Jo plopped herself onto the couch and gave her a hug. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling much better, thanks Jo."
Elliot jumped up onto the back of the couch and scowled. You!
Don grimaced and lingered near the door. There was a short stand-off between man and feline until Danny intervened. "So where's this treasure then?" he asked enthusiastically. Mac pointed to the coffee table. Danny pursed his lips thinking that Mac was joking but, on realizing that he wasn't, he slowly picked up the book. "Welsh Traditional Cooking?" Mac nodded. "Oh … kay! … So this is some rare first edition worth millions?" Mac shook his head and allowed himself a small smug smile. Seeing that the book had a page marked, Danny opened the book half-expecting a hollowed out centre or a treasure map. "Honey Cakes? The treasure is a recipe?" Danny lifted the book in his right hand.
Mac shook his head as though he was addressing a four year old. "The other hand." Danny looked at his left hand and the bookmark.
"But this is a postcard ..." Danny peered at the picture on the card that appeared to be covered in a layer of plastic wrap. "Hey, isn't that the Washington Monument in DC?" Danny grinned as he turned the card over. "Maybe there's a clue to where the treasure is hidden." Don peered over his shoulder as he read. "Dear Glenys, I do hope you and the baby are well ..." His voice trailed away as he scanned the rest of the text. Danny looked up at Mac. "So not a clue ..." Mac shook his head and lifted his eyebrows. Danny looked at him and then back at the card. Clearly he was missing something "I don't get it Mac … what the … oh I don't believe it!" Danny's face lit up.
"What?" Don demanded.
Jo sat up glancing at Christine who had the same smug smile as Mac. "Come on. The suspense is killing me."
Danny turned the card around for her to see. "The stamps!" Jo peered at the insignificant brown and blue stamps in the corner of the card and her eyes widened.
Mac pointed to one of the stamps. "The one in the corner is worth about sixty cents but the George Washington next to it is worth about a hundred and sixty thousand dollars, the Benjamin Franklin next to that about a hundred thousand dollars."
Jo was stunned. "Oh Good Lord! Are you saying Danny is holding a quarter of a million dollars?"
Danny sank into the nearest seat. "Wow Mac you guys are rich! Hey you can really tie the knot in style with this."
Christine smiled at Mac. "Clever."
Jo clapped her hands. "Stamps!"
Don sneezed. "Bloody cats!"
Elliot scowled. Cat-hater!
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Tristan Merchant kicked the wall in frustration as he spotted the squad cars near Tamako's apartment. He knew he couldn't go back there and he couldn't go to his sister's. He needed a fix and for that he needed money. He thought back to the woman in the restaurant, the woman who had his inheritance. He couldn't believe it. After all that searching, it was that damned plastic-covered postcard that Granny had insisted on using as a bookmark that had been worth a fortune. He kicked at the wall again as he recalled sitting at the kitchen table and watching her cover it. "We wouldn't want George Washington to get spoiled now would we children?" If it hadn't been for the report on the evening news about that kid selling his father's stamp collection that turned out to be worth over two million dollars, Tristan would never have given the scrappy little card another thought. But he could picture it now, him and his sister in the little kitchen that smelled of honey and fresh baking, and his granny covering her special bookmark with plastic wrap.
It was his and he meant to get it back from that rich bitch with the fancy restaurant. His hands shook as he pulled out his phone. He called the operator and asked to be put through to the hospital. He waited for a few moments and then asked after her but the hospital informed him she was being discharged. He shoved the phone back in his pocket. What to do? A passing cab with it's for hire sign lit up made the decision for him. Tristan flagged it down and headed towards the hospital all the time wondering how he could get back what was his. He waited outside the hospital until she appeared. He watched her walk unsteadily towards the waiting cab but as she did so he recognized the man with his arm wrapped protectively around her. Tristan Merchant couldn't believe his eyes. Mac Taylor, the bastard that had arrested him all those years ago. He watched as he handed her into the cab. Clearly he was more to her than just a concerned police officer. Tristan Merchant smiled to himself. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage and gain a little revenge at the same time.
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Don walked into Jo's office to find Sheldon perched on the edge of her desk. Sheldon grinned as he approached. "We've got him. We have a match to the vic's blood and the fibres we found from the green sweater found in Tristan Merchant's apartment. The trace from his boots is the same as the bonsai tree soil. And we have Sally Merchant's deposition not to mention … the ... 'George Washington' ..."
"... and don't forget … the ... 'Benjamin Franklin'," added Jo.
"So all we need is … the … Tristan Merchant!" Don folded his arms. "I've got his photo out everywhere, airports, bus stations, train stations. And I've got a couple of my guys checking out his usual haunts. It would help if Tamako wasn't flying … if you know what I mean."
Jo grimaced. "She still as high as kite?"
Don's face matched Jo's. "Oh yeah! She's giving the boys down at the precinct one helluva show, I'm tellin' ya', not to mention she's giving Geisha's a bad reputation!"
"Hey Jo." Adam came waltzing in. "I tracked down those importers for the Akadama and one of them is called Hiro Satou. He's Tamako's brother-in-law and has a nursery over in Queens."
Don nodded. "He could be hiding out there. It might be worth checking."
Jo nodded but as she was about to say something her phone rang. She picked it up. "Hey Christine … whoa … slow down ... when? … don't worry … no stay where you are … we'll be right over … do not open the door to anyone but us!"
The three men could feel the hairs on the backs of their necks stand on end as she spoke. "What the hell is going on Jo?" asked Don as he saw the blood drain from Jo's face.
"Tristan Merchant just contacted Christine. He told her if she didn't bring him the postcard he's going to kill Mac."
"What?" Don couldn't believe his ears. He watched Jo dial Mac's number. It went straight to voice-mail.
"I'm going to run a trace." Adam whirled around and ran out of the office.
"How did this happen?" Sheldon's face was as hard as stone.
"I don't know. All she said was that Mac went out to get groceries for supper. She was just wondering where he had got to when she got the call. Don, she's frantic. We have to get over there now." Jo's face said it all.
"Okay, I'm going to call Danny and get him to come back in and then see if I can help Adam trace Mac..." Sheldon was interrupted as Don's phone rang.
"Flack," he answered tersely. He listened for a moment. "Yeah, when was this?" He held a finger up at Sheldon to wait. "Are you sure? Get a APB out on that licence plate now. Give me the number." He flicked his fingers to Jo for a pen and paper. She and Sheldon looked over his shoulder as he wrote down the details. "Get that to Adam," he whispered. Sheldon grabbed it and ran. "All right listen up, your suspect sounds like Tristan Merchant. He's wanted for the murder of Richard Locke and we believe he may have abducted Mac Taylor." Don hung up the call swearing under his breath. "Forty minutes ago, a man hijacked the driver of a cab under pretext of getting his injured friend to hospital. It took place one block from Mac's apartment. They found Mac's wallet on the ground nearby. The driver described the attacker as six foot, dark hair, brown eyes, unshaven, wearing jeans, denim jacket and green tee-shirt. Sounds like Merchant."
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Mac Taylor was royally pissed off. His head hurt, his jaw hurt and the pain in his stomach was excruciating. He forced himself to sit up and waited till the pain in his stomach abated. He looked around and was surprised to find himself in the back of a cab. He peered out through the window and was even more surprised to see rough brick walls lined with shelves of boxes, shallow ceramic pots in varying shades and a huge table with a couple of miniature trees standing in front of a panel adorned with dozens of tools ranging from wooden handled picks and hooks to metal shears and spatulas. Mac caught the sound of voices and glimpsed three men approaching the lock-up. He recognized Merchant and he felt his anger burn but he knew he had to play it cool so he lay back down. Mac knew he could take Merchant given the chance and the smaller of the two men that accompanied him but the other guy looked like a Sumo wrestler. He closed his eyes and waited. The voices got nearer.
"You should not have brought a cop here. You are a fool." A heavily accented voice spoke angrily.
"Look once I get the stamps, I'll be able to pay you back and Tamako and I ..."
"Shut up! Kimo, take the cop and lock him in the cellar until I can decide what's to be done. And get rid of the cab. You come with me." Mac heard two sets of steps walk away. There was a noise and a shadow fell across the back of the car. The door of the cab opened. Mac cracked an eye open and waited until Kimo's face appeared in the frame of the door then he offered up a short prayer, drew back his leg and kicked out with everything he had. The huge man flew backwards colliding with the shelves. The force with which he hit them made them shudder and a box tumbled down on top of him, bouncing off his head to land in a pile of packing straw. Mac sat up and peered cautiously out of the door. The man didn't move. He just sat there, his legs splayed like a gigantic over-stuffed rag doll. Mac couldn't help a look of surprise.
"Huh? Well I'll be damned. That was easy," he muttered to himself as he looked to see if Merchant and the other man had heard anything but there was no one in sight. He pulled himself up and winced as he tested out his jaw. He prodded gently at the back of his head already able to feel the huge bump that was forming there. He climbed out of the cab. Cautiously making his way to the entrance of the lock-up, he looked around the enclosed yard. To his left was a solid wall, evidently the back of another building, and to his right was what appeared to be a greenhouse. The fourth side of the square was obviously the store. It's service door stood partially open next to a large archway with a high metal gate. Mac's eyes fell despairingly on the large shiny pad-lock. No exit there. Tristan and his companion had obviously gone into the store. Mac made a quick decision and headed for the greenhouse. The old-fashioned building had a brick base and tall, green-stained windows. He quietly opened the small door and looked around. The long narrow room stretched away to his left and Mac swore on seeing that there were no other exits. Narrow tables stood around three of the edges and in a long line in the centre of the room. The nearest wall was taken up with a large water-tank, a row of watering cans, several brooms and a rusty wheelbarrow. Dozens of trees in a myriad of colours covered every table. If Mac had had the time and the inclination he would have paused to admire them but at that moment all he was concerned about was finding a phone and a way out, and not necessarily in that order.
Voices echoed from the door at the other side of the courtyard so Mac pulled the greenhouse door closed and ducked down. Careful not to be seen he risked a quick look and spied Merchant accompanied by the small Japanese man who was heading purposefully towards the lock-up carrying a hand-gun. They went straight into the lock-up and Mac heard then the man shout. Mac ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he looked around the greenhouse. He was trapped.