Chapter 9
Jesse was still uncertain, so he asked, "Are you sure you want to do this, Sam?"
"Yeah, it's time to get face to face with Maddie and find out what is going on. If she knows something that can help us find Mike and Fi and she's holding back..." Sam shook his head. "He's her own flesh and blood. Why wouldn't she want him home safe?"
"I have no idea."
Sam looked at Jesse with an intensity in his eyes. "If a mother can turn on her son like that for something beyond his control, what kind of mother is she?" He shook his head again, slowly. "I just don't believe for one second that Maddie is that kind of woman. Let's go. I want to find out. The suspense is killing me."
You and me both, Jesse thought. Aloud, he said, "Alright, let's do it."
The ride to Maddie's house wasn't long, but it seemed to take forever. All the way Sam's mind was occupied, wrestling with what he would say, wondering if he'd even get a chance to speak or if she would throw them both out the second they appeared on her doorstep. By the time Jesse parked in the driveway, Sam trembled and needed every bit of support the cane offered him. He didn't care if it made him look old. Jesse walked beside him, and out of the corner of his eye Sam noted his concern.
"I'm fine, Jess."
"You don't look fine," Jesse replied, still studying Sam. "You're looking kind of sick."
"Thanks. Nothing a little sunlight won't cure, trust me," Sam replied with a gruff tone. He reached the back steps and looked up at the wooden door with doubt. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
It was too late to turn away. The door opened and Madeline Westen stood inside the frame puffing on a cigarette. Some things never changed. The screen made it difficult to see her face, but she pushed on it and it opened, and Sam and Jesse gazed up at her.
"I was wondering when you two would come around," she said, her voice rough. Her eyes stopped at Sam and the way he stood leaning to one side. When she saw the reason why, her eyes softened. "Can you… why don't you boys come in?"
"Thanks, Maddie," Sam said and took the first step. She stood watching his every move, and when he glanced up at her she didn't even try to hide the pity she felt for him. That was a good sign. Maybe she wasn't as mad at him as he thought.
He and Jesse entered the house and Maddie led them to the dining room table where the team always congregated. It was clear of everything but an ashtray full of cigarette butts. "Can I get you a beer, Sam? Jesse?" Her tense voice held no anger, and her welcome wasn't exactly like the warmth they received in the past, but it was far from what Jesse and Sam expected.
"Uh, no, thanks, Maddie," Sam answered with longing in his tone, but looking at Jesse and seeing the warning in his eyes curbed his desire. "Just water or something would be fine."
Her smile was more like a nervous twitch. "Of course, you're probably on something for the, um…. I'll be right back. Anything for you, Jesse?"
"I'll have the same, thanks." Jesse and Sam settled into chairs at the table, and Maddie soon reappeared with glasses of water for them and a diet soda for herself. She puffed on her cigarette and asked, "How are you doing?"
She tried to deflect with chit-chat, like Sam had been off on a mission and just came home. He didn't want to chat: he wanted answers. Taking a swig of his water, he swallowed before replying. "I'm getting better, Maddie. Trying to deal with this, and Mike and Fi, and Elsa all being gone. If it weren't for Jesse, I'd feel like I'm all alone." He locked his eyes on her. "Why didn't you come to see me at the hospital?"
"At first, I was mad at you," Maddie replied, bowing her head in an attempt to get away from his intense stare and examining a nail. "I blamed you for my son's disappearance."
"Why? I had nothing to do with it," Sam said with a wounded tone.
She raised her head and looked straight at him. "I know that, but I was hurting. I lost one son, now another one." She turned away and stared out the open front door. "I needed someone to blame because somehow it made sense, but it didn't ease the pain."
"That I understand. But later, you could have stopped by. I would have loved to see you." He smiled.
She mirrored the expression, reached across the table, and took his hand. She squeezed it and said, "I'm sorry. I wish I could explain, but…." She trailed off and turned her head to look at the potted plant in the corner. "There are things in this house that are bugging me." She inclined her head toward the plant.
Sam and Jesse's eyes widened as Maddie's underlying message became clear as day. Someone bugged her house, and the transceiver was in the plant. Sam said, "Well, maybe we should get some lunch. Carlito's, Jesse's buying."
Jesse gave him a look.
"No! I can't do that. I can't." Maddie shook her head, her voice trembling when she spoke.
"Oh come on, Maddie, it looks like you need to get out of the house too," Jesse said.
"I'd love to, boys, but it would be bad for my health if I did." She pulled the chair back and pointed to her ankle as she stepped away. She pulled up her pant leg and revealed a klunky black ankle bracelet attached to her.
Sam almost exclaimed his outrage aloud. Instead, he mouthed, "CIA?"
Maddie shook her head. Aloud, she said, "I have something here I want to show you. Pictures I found." She turned to the buffet, reaching inside to pull out a pad of paper and a pen. She returned to the table and scribbled on it, then showed Jesse and Sam what she wrote. "Strange men came looking for Michael. Put this on me, said I would die if I left the house."
Jesse gestured and Maddie gave him the paper. He wrote, "We can remove it."
Taking back the pad, Maddie responded, "No! They'll know and they'll kill me."
Sam's eyes met hers and she saw the determination in his when he shook his head. "Hey Jesse," Sam said aloud. "I see Maddie's got a problem with that outlet over there. Why don't you go to the garage, get the toolbox, and we'll take care of it?"
Picking up on Sam's idea, Maddie spoke with exaggerated thankfulness in her voice. "That's so nice of you. With Michael not here, a lot of things don't get done."
Jesse ran to get the toolbox while Sam knelt to examine the ankle bracelet. It wasn't easy getting down on the floor, but he did it. This wasn't just a standard law enforcement issue. He located a box attached to it with three holes facing Maddie's skin. It was situated right over the inside of her ankle where needles could spring out and inject something into her veins. Within minutes, she would be dead.
Jesse came back to the house, and Sam asked, "How long do you think it'll take to get this fixed?" He pointed at the apparatus.
"A couple minutes, five at the most. It's a real easy thing to take care of," Jesse answered.
"Good. If you need any help, let me know." Sam used the table to pull himself up. "Woah," he said, took a couple steps back and knocked over the plant. "Aw jeez, Maddie, I'm sorry." The bug fell out of the pot and lay on the floor among the scattered dirt. One sidestep and it crunched. "Whoops."
The three looked at the crumpled bug. She asked, "Do you think that was enough to destroy it?"
"Yeah," Sam replied with a worried tone, because he knew they weren't out of this yet. He picked up a matchbook and handed it to Jesse. "Okay, five minutes might be about all you've got, Jesse. Work fast, and stick that in between the box and Maddie's ankle. Don't want to set it off by accident."
"What happens after you get it off," Maddie asked with anxiety in her voice.
"After that, we get out of here and take you somewhere safe," Jesse answered. "No doubt your friends will come back to check on their faulty bug."
"But I don't have anything packed!" She stared at Sam.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of that. Jesse, how's it going?"
"Maybe two or three minutes I'll have this cracked," Jesse replied as he worked on the bracelet.
"Great. I'll be back." Despite the pain and heaviness that plagued his legs, Sam hurried to the stairs to Maddie's room. Not knowing what she would need or how long she would be away, he grabbed everything out of her dresser and half her closet, stuffing it all into two suitcases he found in one side of the closet.
"Sam, I got it! Let's go!"
He couldn't carry the cases down, no matter how much he wanted to try. "Jesse! I need your help up here!"
Jesse took the cases and led the way downstairs. He glanced back at Sam to make sure he was coming. "You need help?"
"Don't worry about me. I'm coming!" Jesse disappeared around the corner at the bottom of the stairs. He was never so glad as when his feet hit the landing. He moved toward the front door to close and lock it just as two shadowy figures approached the steps.
He recognized the members of Borovsky's team. The men raised their guns, but Sam was faster. He shot both of them through the screen, then slammed the door and locked it on the off chance that one of them was capable of rising and breaking into the house. The short explosions of gunfire coming from the back yard told him that Jesse had his hands full. Sam didn't think he could run, but if there was ever a time to do it, now was that time. He limped through the dining room. Tinkling glass and the thump of a bullet impacting with the wall to his right got him moving faster. He burst out the back door and found Jesse and Maddie piling into Jesse's car.
"Sam! Come on!" Jesse yelled at him as he started the vehicle.
The front passenger door was open and waiting for him. So was another of Borovsky's men. He shot at Sam, missed, and fired again while Sam ran to the car and got off one shot before throwing himself inside. Jesse pulled out of the driveway, swung the car in an arc, and the momentum slammed Sam's door as he took off.
"Okay, that went well," Jesse said with a sarcastic tone. "Where to now?"
"Let's go down to the beach, take cover in one of those cheap motels, and you'll have to ditch the car somewhere Jess. Sorry," Sam said and glanced at him.
"Yeah, don't worry about it." As he drove, Jesse checked the rear view mirror to make sure that no one followed them. He found a motel in one of the busier parts of the strip and Sam and Maddie got out. Jesse brought the luggage from the trunk. "You two get the room, and I'll take care of the car."
"Be careful," Sam urged him.
Maddie didn't say anything. She just patted his arm, picked up one case, and followed Sam, who struggled with the other case. She tried to take it from him but he wouldn't let her. At the door, she turned and spoke to Jesse. "Please, come back to us, Jesse."
"I will, Maddie. I promise." He replied with a reassuring smile.
"Maddie, come on. You're a sitting duck out there," Sam whispered to her, pulling on her arm to get her to enter the motel office.
She nodded, turned, and followed Sam inside.
