December 3rd
Nicki turned her head to glare at her mother balefully. Her hair was a mess after taking a shower and her mood was a sour one, which she showed by being extra short with Erin during lunch. Her mother was as annoyed as her daughter, so quickly a fight broke out. Nicki' voice rose to meet the agitation of her Mum while the lawyer tried desperately to stay calm.
"We can't have arguments about petty things like clothes in times like these", she tried, clasping her hands in front of her chest. Nicki stuck her tongue out, which was childish but appropriate considering her mother had just tried to prevent her from wearing a short skirt to school.
"Don't argue about my clothes and we don't have an argument. It's as easy as that."
"Nicki..."
"Erin...", Nicki mimicked her mother, whose face showed real anger. After a silent long look between them, Erin sighed and got up to do the dishes. Her posture was slightly hunched, enough to worry her daughter. Lately she spent a lot of her time worrying.
"You walk like an old hag", Nicki teased, "square your shoulders, Mum. Just because Jamie is nearly dead and Danny is in hospital, you shouldn't slump around like that."
"Nicki!"
"What? Can't you be the strong one for once? I hate feeling like the adult in the room, hate the constant dance around the important topics, hate the pressure, hate the waiting and most of all hate the videos! Sometimes I even hate Uncle Jamie a little", Nicki admitted, tears in her eyes after her sudden outburst. When her mother got over her shock and tried to embrace the teenager, Nicki grabbed her stuff for school and made her way to the door.
"See you later, Mom. And no, I don't want to talk about it. Actually, I don't want to talk to you at all."
"Nicki..." Resolutely, the girl slammed the door, cutting off the words of apology or chastisement or whatever else Erin thought appropriate. She made her way over to the diner at a leisurely pace, keeping a lookout for any cameras that been newly installed. Finding none, she allowed herself to smile while she opened the door and sat down at a booth.
"I think he bought it", Nicki said to her granddad, reaching across the table and snatching up one of the cream-filled bagels. Frank smiled back at the girl and Nicki thought she'd detected a hint of pride in his demeanor. As much as she hated being mean to her mother, the goal was to resemble a family that was crumbling down. Frustration bubbling to the surface, stress that got too much to bear and arguments for no reason. Things that would entertain the criminal that was watching through the cameras and things that would hopefully help to convince him that Danny was indeed in hospital after a bad fall down the stairs and not trailing Arabella, who was on her way back from the meeting to Mexico.
"How is it going so far? Have Jackie and Danny been successful with the flight?" That had been the tricky part, catching a plane to Mexico that would land at the same time at the same airport the obscure Arabella had chosen.
"Yes, they made it. They're staying in a hotel just across the street from the one she's staying in."
"You're not sure whether Danny's plan is a good one", Nicki guessed from the slight scowl on Frank's face. Surprisingly, the man admitted to his doubts, praising her abilities to read emotions.
"I'm certain Danny is convinced that he interpreted the code right. I'm also sure that if he finds his brother, he'll take care of things. It's just the many possibilities where we could have erred that keep me awake at night. And the fact that I'm putting both my sons in danger by sending my eldest on his own."
"He's not alone. He's got Jackie to back him up, they'll be alright." Wow, when had she taken on the role to assure the older man? Alert to the irony of the situation, Frank smiled at her and patted her hand.
"Yes, he is. He's gonna be just fine as long as we can keep the perp occupied. What do you say, want to stop by at my office later to complain about your Mom and then shout at me?"
"Sure. Anything for my two favorite Uncles", she answered, keeping her tone light. The nervous cold lump in her stomach never fully vanished since Danny had explained about his devil may care- plan. I hope you're really alright, she thought, munching her bagel and imagining the worst.
Danny was pretty sure Arabella had not noticed she'd been followed, an assumption his partner Jackie shared. The attractive woman had been devastated when they'd cut her in on the recent developments the day before yesterday. She'd also taken sick leave from the force to accompany him, not asking any questions about the numerous risks. When confronted with the definitely not legal tracing of Arabella's phone, Jackie hadn't batted an eye. Now they were staking out the woman's appartment.
"Hey, something is happening." Sitting on a chair behind the closed shutters and surveying the street, Jackie had noticed movement from Arabella's windows. The red haired woman was obviously about to leave, and, judging from the haste in her step, the business was urgent. Danny watched her head for the stairs and wished he could have planted a bug in the phone she was currently using to have a heated discussion with somebody. Maybe it was about groceries, or global warming, or the last football game, or just maybe about Jamie.
"Do we tail her?", Jackie asked, leaving him the reigns which was appreciated because Danny did not know whether he could have followed orders right now. He was aware of the huge clock counting down the seconds their risky bluff would last, especially since they'd arrived in Mexico the ticking kept echoing through his mind. Let me be in time. Don't make me be too late. Anything but that.
"Let's hurry", Danny said, already on his way to the back entrance, his gun held ready. It wasn't needed, though, Arabella was only renting a car – paying cash – and then took off with astonishing speed on the road out of town. Even as a trained police officer, the busy, narrow streets were a challenge and a few times he thought he'd lost the gray BMW in traffic. Luckily, it always reappeared in sight, so the mad chase could continue. But as the cars became rarer while Arabella first continued on through the suburbs, then completely left the tarred roads in town, their cover was decreasing. Soon they were forced to choose between detection and aborting the mission.
"Do we follow?", Jackie asked again, frowning. Her hand was resting on her legs, close enough to reach her gun in seconds should the need arise.
"We need to, even though I don't like it", Danny replied, frowning at the curved road that would at least provide cover but also a possibility for Arabella to shake her tail. Jagged rocks were blocking the view often and Danny was tempted to decrease the gap between the two cars, but Jackie held his impatience at bay.
Rounding the next sharp turn to the left, he saw that the road hat split and the BMW was nowhere to be seen. Oh, how he would have loved to curse and blame it all one Jackie, yet he knew that they'd long been discovered had he been alone and as tense as he was, they could not loose their head now.
"Which road do you think...?", he started only to be silenced by a loud crack. Out of instinct, both detective's dove down while the windshield shattered. Somebody - Arabella - was shooting at them! Now Danny did curse, and colorfully so. Jackie's humor was darker than the night when she commented that at least they had not lost the target. Wonderful.
Carefully, Danny opened his door and peeked out. Bang! His shards of glass rained down on him, as the upper corner of the window was hit. The hole was bis enough to suggest a long range weapon and Danny didn't want to take any risks, so he stayed in the car and exchanged an exasperated glance with his partner, who was crouched in the leg area on the other side. Two more shots rang through the heated, dry air, then an engine started.
"She's making a run for it!", Danny shouted angrily and tried to follow suit by gaining speed with his car as well, but nothing much happened. They had a flat, actually two of them on either side of their rented vehicle, effectively nixing any chance to continue the chase.
"Fuck!"
"Well played", Jackie answered grimly, bowing her head in admittance. "She probably saw us on the open road miles back but waited for the right moment to strike. Clever woman."
"Clever, but not clever enough", Danny objected, having brought out a detailed map of the surrounding countryside. It showed only two possible destinations, a wellness-resort for old people to the right and an old house along the road to the left. A farm or big estate, judging from the huge grounds around it. Aside from the few buildings, nothing was around for miles, therefore the choice was fairly easy.
"The relaxation temple is out of the question. Means five buildings left to check. Jamie has to be in one of them", Danny reasoned, trying to stay calm and think things through. He could barely sit still, knowing that he was so close to his brother.
"Or she's just visiting her mother. Your contact could be making house calls to any other client, Danny. Be reasonable. We should try to repair the damage and return to the hotel. Arabella might not have identified us from the distance. She might come back and then we should corner and interrogate her properly."
"No, that could be too late."
"Danny..."
"Go back if you want to, but I will not abandon Jamie to that sick son of a bitch!"
"Fine", Jackie snapped, stepping out of the car and taking the extra ammunition with her. Her fingers were steady, the complete opposite of his flushed exterior, which didn't mean much, though. Soon Danny's training overruled his emotions and her fell into step beside his partner, scanning the area and measuring the distances. It would be a long five miles, he thought, studying the map.
"He will probably be protected", Danny murmured, estimating the confrontation already. Two people charging a well-armed fortress would not last long. Nor would any sneak attack work if the houses indeed were mansions with the proper alarms and guards. Additionally, the criminal was a tech geek and would have prepared himself.
"We need a diversion or something", he said nodding into the distance. Jackie agreed reluctantly, obviously torn whether she should suggest backup. Seeing as Danny had more experience and had also received military training, she decided to leave the issue to him, which her partner appreciated. In silence they marched across the sandy street, deep in thought, planning. In fact, Danny almost stumbled when his phone rang unexpectedly.
"Reagan?"
"He send another video. We can't stall any longer", Erin explained without bothering with formalities. Immediately, Danny's pace quickened to a relaxed run he'd keep up until they reached the house. Five long miles indeed.
