CHAPTER 10.

"Miss, you need to calm down," Francesca's voice was firm, but friendly. "Please, I can't understand what you're saying." She listened carefully as the caller tried to speak more slowly. "Are you sure?" asked Francesca and she began frantically waving across the bullpen to Ray and Fraser.

They ran over to her as she tapped some details into her computer. "OK, there are officers on the way to you now," she said reassuringly, "and I have Detective Vecchio here." She handed the telephone to Ray . "It's Marnie," she explained to him, "Robert Downland's PA." Ray took the receiver from her and began talking to the woman, while Francesca continued to explaining the situation to Fraser. "She said there's a guy there with Downland and she thinks he has a gun. They're holed up in his office, she doesn't know who the guy is, but she's pretty sure that Downland knows him. They're yelling at each other. I sent a squad car over, but she asked for your help."

When they arrived at the luxury offices of Robert Downland's firm, people were pouring out of the glass doorway as the security staff were evacuating the building. Marnie was standing with a uniformed officer who Ray recognised as Diablo, a very experienced Police officer and he appeared to be doing an excellent job of calming down the terrified young woman. Ray, Fraser and Diefenbaker ran over to them.

"Hey, Diablo, what've we got?" asked Ray.

"No visual yet, but Miss Brown here confirmed we're looking at one hostile individual, possibly carrying a firearm, engaged in what we currently believe to be a hostage situation. One male hostage."

"Have you heard gunfire?" Fraser asked Marnie.

"I don't know," she answered, "there's been a lot of noise, it sounded like a shot just now, but maybe he's throwing furniture around, or something." She looked nervously towards the office and they followed her gaze. The blinds had been firmly shut.

Ray shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was running scenarios through his head. They had one guy, probably armed, in a confined space with a civilian hostage. On paper it should be an easy take down for three armed cops and a Mountie…and a wolf.

"What are your orders, Sir?" asked Officer King. He was fresh out of the Academy and he wanted to see some real action. "Do we call SWAT?"

"No!" exclaimed Marnie. Sudden images of a bloodbath filled her head and she wouldn't allow that to happen to Rob. She wished she hadn't watched so many cop shows on TV.

"It's alright," Fraser tried to reassure her, "I don't think that will be necessary." He looked at Ray. He was the senior officer here, he needed to make a decision.

Ray nodded to his buddy. "OK, King, cover the door," he said, pointing to the office. "Diablo, take the, er, the left. Fraser and I are gonna…" but he was interrupted by Dief barking.

Everyone's eyes flew back towards Downland's office in time to see the blinds twitch closed.

"He knows we're here," Ray said, frustration evident in his voice.

Fraser nodded. "Unfortunately the advantage of surprise no longer exists."

Just then, the telephone on the front desk rang. Marnie was going to ignore it, but she glanced at the digital display and gasped. "It's the phone in Mr Downland's office," she explained.

"OK," Ray raised his eyebrows and glanced at Fraser. "So our guy's got demands," he offered.

"Shall I answer it?" Marnie asked in a shaky voice, the ringing noise was driving her crazy with fear.

"Yeah," Ray replied urgently, they couldn't afford to miss this chance to negotiate.

Fraser smiled encouragingly at her and Marnie snatched at the receiver. "Front desk, Marnie speaking," she said, determined that she would help Rob somehow. "Yes…yes…he's here." She held the phone out towards Fraser. "He said he'll only speak to the Mountie."

Fraser glanced at Ray as he took the phone. "Constable Benton Fraser speaking," he said.

"Put it on speakerphone," hissed Ray to Marnie and she clicked the button.

"Here's the deal," came the voice of Bill McArthur. "I'm getting out of here and then I'm leaving town. I figure you're a Canadian, so you've gotta be polite and let me do what I want, but if anyone tries to stop me, this lucky bastard dies like he should've done fifteen years ago."

"Mr McArthur, am I right in assuming that you are armed at this juncture?" asked Fraser, calmly.

"Yeah, still got the gun the Chicago PD kindly gave me," replied McArthur. "No one ever asked for it back when they kicked me out, guess that wouldn't happen now, stupid forms and paperwork."

"Please release your hostage," Fraser requested, "and then we can discuss your requirements face to face."

"Look, Mountie, I'm a cop remember…at least I was," growled McArthur, "so don't try any of that negotiating crap with me. I'm not negotiating anything, I'm just gonna walk outta here, understand?"

"Understood," replied Fraser, reluctantly and McArthur slammed the phone down.

Then suddenly the door of the office opened and immediately Ray, Diablo and King drew their weapons. McArthur walked out with one hand gripping Downland's arm tightly and the other hand holding a gun to the man's head.

"Do you have a shot?" Fraser asked Ray in a low voice.

Ray shook his head. Then with his gun still trained on McArthur he pulled his glasses from his pocket and put them on. Fraser raised his eyebrows expectantly, but Ray shook his head again. Fraser made a mental note to discuss the option of contact lenses with his friend when all this was over. Ray glanced at the other two officers, but McArthur knew exactly what he was doing, he was keeping Downland close to him, directly in the line of fire and neither Diablo, nor King, could risk taking a shot. Downland was leaning heavily on his walking stick and was in no position to move out of the way in a hurry.

"You realise that we cannot allow you to escape," Fraser took a step forward as he spoke. "You are surrounded by armed Police officers."

Dief growled and bared his teeth to make sure McArthur was aware of his presence too.

"I'm not scared of your dog," scoffed McArthur, shoving Downland forward. The younger man lost his grip on his stick and it clattered to the ground. If McArthur hadn't had such a tight grip on his arm, Downland might well have ended up on the floor too.

"For god's sake let me have my stick!" Downland was fuming. If only I wasn't a damned cripple, he thought to himself, I could take this old bastard out myself. He looked pleadingly at Ray. "Just take him out, will you."

"Ya know I can't," sighed Ray.

"Shut up!" McArthur yelled at Downland. "Don't talk to him, he's one of them. He's a Vecchio."

"I should make you aware that Karen Rourke has told us everything," said Fraser.

"You know you can't believe anything she says, she's crazy," scoffed McArthur. "She cuts herself, surely you saw the scars. I've seen college kids who do that, but never a grown woman."

"Self harming isn't exclusive to young people," replied Fraser, "and Mrs Rourke was quite clear about your involvement in the attacks on the Vecchio family."

"Don't say that name," hissed McArthur.

"Vecchio was that young rookie you had with you that night, wasn't he?" asked Downland, trying to make sense of the situation. "And are you really in contact with Simon Rourke's wife?" Downland hated that he'd just said that name again. Simon Rourke was the man who'd killed his partner and left him in constant pain and relying on a walking stick just to get around and just the sound of his name made Downland feel sick.

"Didn't he tell ya?" asked Ray in mock surprise. "He's got her doin' all his dirty work."

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on here!" Downland suddenly exploded, not caring now that he was in danger, he just wanted answers. "I haven't seen you for years, but today you burst into my office, put a gun to my head and start rambling about Vecchio and Rourke and something that happened fifteen years ago. Why?"

"You know why," replied McArthur with a wild look in his eyes, "you were meant to die that night with your little buddy, but now look at you in your flash office, with your Rolex and your fancy car, how is this fair? I live in a crappy apartment and show idiots how to take good vacation snaps for a living. I was meant to be somebody, not you."

"Are you jealous of my life?" asked Downland, incredulously, "Is that what all this is about? You have no idea what my life is like, you moron!"

All the while this exchange was taking place, Fraser, Ray, Dief and Officers Diablo and King were slowly manoeuvring themselves into slightly better positions, taking their lead from Diablo who was out of McArthur's eyeline and able to use subtle hand signals.

"Do you really expect me to feel sorry for you, just because you walk with a limp now?" McArthur was becoming more and more agitated and it was making the four Police officers nervous. They all knew that keeping McArthur calm was the best chance they had of keeping everyone alive, including McArthur himself.

"Downland, talk about this later, OK?" urged Ray. "Right now, all I want is for all of us to get out of here."

"I'm getting out of here right now," snapped McArthur, dragging the hobbling Downland towards the door. Before he could get there, Diefenbaker was standing in his way. King's trigger finger twitched, but Diablo looked at his young partner and shook his head, there was no need for anyone to die today.

"I strongly recommend that you give yourself up," said Fraser, slowly walking towards them. "My wolf is very protective of the Vecchio family, he's not at all happy about the way you've hurt them."

"What did that happen that night?" asked Downland, looking a little nervously at the growling wolf. "I have absolutely no idea what this is all about. It was years ago, Simon Rourke is in jail, I thought it was all over."

"How am I ever going to get over it when everywhere I turn I find goddamn Vecchios?" yelled McArthur, "and don't pretend you don't know what happened. I know you figured it out, even Vecchio figured it out. I thought he was a lazy rookie with an attitude problem, I thought he'd be handing out parking tickets his whole life, but it turns out he was smart after all."

"You're crazy," hissed Downland, he was still very confused. "For god's sake let me go. We were both cops once, you know how this ends. You have a hostage and you're armed, it ends with a bullet in your brain."

"Jeez," sighed McArthur, "if only Vecchio's Pa and his buddies hadn't stumbled into the middle of it all, I would have finished you off that night.

"Wait a minute," Downland's voice started to turn red with rage. "You mean…you did this to me?" You killed Ash Leyland, he was a good man with a wife and child and you killed him and then you let someone else go to jail for it. You're a piece of scum." Downland snarled at him.

"Hey, I was trying to protect myself," replied McArthur, "Vecchio's Pa couldn't get outta there fast enough, his buddies too, but Vecchio freaked when he saw him and I guess in all the confusion I was able to convince him that Rourke had fired those shots."

There was the briefest of pauses as everyone digested the details of McArthur's confession. Fraser and Ray glanced at each other, they were suddenly aware that Downland's famous temper was about to boil over…at they were correct.

Before McArthur had time to react, Downland swung a punch aimed squarely at his nose. McArthur staggered backwards and fell to the floor.

Without McArthur holding him up, Downland couldn't support himself any longer and he stumbled forward, ending up on his hands and knees.

Everyone reacted at once. Ray moved in and immediately kicked McArthur's gun across the floor out of the reach of the semi-conscious man. For a second or two, Ray thought he might actually be dead, but before he had chance to check for a pulse, McArthur groaned and half opened his eyes. Ray grinned. "You're under arrest," he said rolling the man onto his side, despite his protests. "Er, I think this is the recovery position," he added and he proceeded to snap his handcuffs around McArthur's wrists and read him his Miranda Rights.

Menawhile, Fraser had run forward to help Rob Downland to his feet. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I think so," replied Downland. His voice was suddenly shaky as the reality of what happened fifteen years ago and what could have happened today hit him hard.

Marnie ran forward, picking up the walking stick and handing it back to the grateful man. She was smiling through the tears of relieve that were suddenly running down her face. "Oh my god," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Who is that guy? I thought he was going to kill you, I thought…I thought I was going to lose you." She flung her arms around her stunned boss and hugged him tightly.