"Alright Nicki I'm going to be right out in the hall. We've got cops patrolling the grounds." Jamie began. "You do not leave the building without me you do not go out into the building without me. Period." Jamie warned her.
"I understand. I'll just be glad when this is over." Nicki muttered.
"I know. I've already scanned the classroom. This is the only enterance into it. There is no way to get in through the windows. It's all good." Jamie smiled down at his niece. No one should have to indure this type of a nightmare.
Nicki shrugged. Jamie watched as she found her seat opened her book up and sat there. Jamie stood up against the wall standing at his post.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
"You can't be serious?" Gritted Danny.
"Very. CSU found some prints on it but they aren't in our system. As for Wyatt's school record pure fiction. I'd like to know how he slipped through the cracks. I mean how does a kid register himself for school?" Baez stated.
"More importantly how is he getting in and out like he owns the place?" Danny added, rubbing the back of his neck he fell silent for a few minutes. He looked up at his partner. "So what was in the box?"
Baez frowned, " it was a rat. Dead." Baez solemnly replied.
"This kid is sick, I'm glad Nicki didn't open it. She would have freaked. It was bad enough that she had to go into school to find he was already in her locker." Danny slammed his fist onto his desk. "If I get to this kid first, I'll kill him."
^*^*^BB^*^*^
"Sweetheart I wish I had more to tell you, Garrett is digging into files right now. As we speak. I'm sure we'll have more by afternoon. Jamie is watching Nicki like a hawk." Frank assured his daughter. "I'll see you when you get here." Frank hung up dropped his head. He sat there in the brief silence of his office trying to digest what had happened in the last day and a half. Nicki's face was burned into his memory. She looked haunted, scared. As Frank tried to gather himself back up together to attempt to get through the day a knock brought him back into Commissioner mode. "Yes."
"Commissioner I'm getting ready to head over to Sacred Heart." Informed Baker.
"Thank you Baker. Officer Reagan will have Nicki's class schedule and anything else you may need."
Baker offered a smile, "yes sir. Commissioner I'm glad she's okay."
"Thank you Baker, Abaigal." He corrected himself. It wasn't often that he called her that, but when he did it was meant as a form of affection. A friend to a friend.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
"Detective Baker will be here shortly." Began Jamie. "You are to do exactly what she tells you. No funny stuff. You get done with tutoring Gerald it's straight to PP1. No stops." Ordered Jamie.
"Why am I the one being treated like a prisioner?" Countered Nicki.
"Right now its the safest approach. Wyatt is walking around here like he owns the place. Until we figure out how he is getting in that is how it has to be. Nicki I'm sorry I know this sucks. Me, Uncle Danny and everybody else is working double time to get him. You've just got to hang in there."
"I know. You've been great. I really thought that I was going to end up being locked in my room with windows nailed shut." Quipped Nicki.
Jamie grinned. "I know it's hard everybody trying to protect you. Feels like their smothering you instead."
"Is that how you felt when you joined the force?"
"Something like that. It was hard for dad and even Danny to adjust. I guess they didn't think I was strong enough."
"Mom acts like that. She doesn't want me to join. I think she's afraid that she'll loose me. Like we lost Uncle Joe."
"Your mom loves you. She doesn't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Uncle Jamie right now I'm being stalked by a crazy guy. I don't think it could get any worse."
"If it's still what you want then she'll accept it. It'll be hard but she'll support you."
^*^*^BB^*^*^
Danny and Baez headed to PP1. "I hope Dad has more then we do." Danny piped up.
"You and me both. I mean how did this kid do this?"
"I've got our best tech guy heading over to the school to see how he got into the computer system. I'm hoping he'll be able to track him."
"Here's hoping."
As they parked the car they were greeted by Jamie. "Baker is with Nicki now. She's got a tutoring session with Gerald. My opinion it'll be the last. She didn't eat anything but what I coaxed her into eating this morning." Jamie told Danny. "Tell me you two have something."
"More questions then answers." Danny told him.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
"Commissioner," greeted Danny as they all filed into the office.
"Detectives, Officer Reagan." Nodded Frank.
They all took a seat. "We just got the report back from CSU, not good. The fingerprints didn't match anything in our database. And the 'gift'," Danny paused looking at his father, "it was a rat."
Jamie jaw tightened. His fist clinched.
Frank sat there absorbing what he'd been told. "Does Nicki know?"
"No she just wanted it gone." Answered Jamie.
Frank blew a sigh of relief, a small sigh. "I'm expecting Garrett any minute now with information from his assignment."
"Baez and I were talking and we've got two very good questions. One, how did he register himself for school? Two, how is he getting in and out of the school like he owns it?"
"I'll get the building blue prints for it." Frank noted.
"Sorry I'm late," interuppted Garrett.
"Tell me you have more then we do." Pleaded Frank.
"Well it took some digging. Wyatt Parker has been in and out of foster families since he was eight years old. His last foster home was in Queens. I've got the address." He told them as he handed it to Detective Reagan. "There are no criminal records on him. That's not even the worst of it, I found his birth certificate." Garrett gave Frank a look. "Take a look." He handed the paper to Frank. Who narrowed his eyes on the paper and raised an eyebrow.
"Well this does explain a bit." Frank concluded as he handed it over to Danny.
"Are you sure about this?" Inquired Danny looking up at Garrett.
"Very I double checked it." Defended Garrett.
"So this is telling us at least one answer, he'd been watching her for a while. He planned this whole thing." Danny stated as he began to pace. "Makes sense, no teenager is this meticulous."
"What how old is this guy?" Jamie pounced. He snatched the paper from Danny, "this is worse then we thought. He's twenty?" Jamie asked baffled.
"Make's sense, how he's able to move around like he does. How did he find her? How long has he been doing this?" Danny looked out of the window. "We've got no choice, he's way to organized we need to pull her out of circulation."
"You do that it'll take away what little power she has. Listen to me Danny you don't know what it's like to have some complete stranger come into your life and completly dismantle it. To look out of your window and see them staring up into it. To get phone calls all hours of the night. You have no idea the power that someone like that can hold." Jamie ran his hands through his hair and kicked at the floor.
"Oh but you do?" Danny asked.
Jamie shook his head, "I need some air." He stalked out of the office leaving both his brother and father confused.
"Did we miss something?"
^*^*^BB^*^*^
Jamie leaned up against the building closing his eyes. They hadn't understood. They never would. He knew all to well what Nicki was dealing with. He hadn't realized how easy old scars re-open. He'd never told his family what had transpired his freshmen year of Harvard. Just Joe. It had been one simple run in, it had been an accident he'd lost his balance and knocked into anther student, Shelley Cummings. She had turned his world upside down and inside out. In the end she had ended up in a mental hospital. Her family had been more then apologitic to Jamie. He gathered himself back together, this wasn't about what had happened to him it was about Nicki and what she was going through. He turned to see Danny standing there. "What?" Jamie asked.
"You just seem to take this more personal then most." Shrugged Danny.
"Well she's my niece too so that makes it personal." Jamie replied as he came up beside his brother.
"That's not what I meant and you know it." Danny pointed.
"It's nothing. Let's just get this guy off the streets." Jamie half heartly smiled.
Danny looked at his brother full of doubt.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
Frank looked up to see his son's returning. "Jamie you alright?"
"Fine. So what do we do now?"
"I vote for pulling her out of circulation. Let's see what kind of buttons that pushes. Maybe he'll make a mistake." Danny suggested.
"Or maybe it'll send him over the edge, making him more dangerous then what he already is." Popped Jamie.
"So what we leave her out there dangling like bait?" Shot Danny.
"Did I say that?" Growled Jamie.
Danny turned to his father, "Commissioner what do think?"
"As a cop I say let her have some control over her life. As her grandfather I want her in the house under guard." Frank admitted.
"You know what do what ever. Pull out of circulation. Then when she gets to the breaking point and she will she'll do something foolish."
Frank and Danny stared at Jamie.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
"So how has your classes been?" Baker inquired.
"Okay, I just hate all of this. Everybody is staring at me. Whispering behind my back. It's humiliating."
"I know." Baker hugged the young woman. "Just hang in there."
"That's what Uncle Jamie has been sayin'."
"He's not wrong." She pointed out, "okay so where do we go from here?"
"The library I have a tutoring session with Gerald. My last one. I'm going to refer him to a friend of mine's brother." Nicki grimmly replied.
"Why?"
"I have a stalker who stabbed my best friend. Who is following me everywhere. I don't want Gerald to get hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt."
"It's your call."
"Thanks."
Baker paused, "Renzulli." She called over the radio.
"Renzulli here," he replied.
"Can you meet me at the library so we can make sure it's clear."
"On my way."
^*^*^BB^*^*^
He had lurked waiting for the right time. Finally his patience had paid off. Quietly and quickly he entered the library. he found the back table they used. He set the gift onto the table, with a note. soon, my love soon.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
"Detective Baker." Greeted Renzulli.
"Hey Tony." Baker replied. "Okay so Nicki has a study session today in the library I just need you to clear it."
Renzulli nodded and headed in.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
He took each section one by one. Finally reaching the tables he stopped. "Baker we've got a problem. Get Nicki to go to PP1 now." Renzulli radioed. He looked down at the note. "Reagan aint gonna like this." He told himself as he plucked his phone out of his pocket.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
"I'm not arguing, do whatever." Shot Jamie who fell down onto the couch. He listened to his father and brother just then his phone rang. "Reagan." Jamie listened intently. "Are you sure? Alright." Jamie looked up at his brother and father. "He's left her flowers, with a note. And I quote. Soon my love, soon. Renzulli found it when he went to clear the library. Baker is bringing her straight here.
"That's it we do it my way." Danny firmly stated.
^*^*^BB^*^*^
Baker and Nicki headed towards the main doors. "Hey Nicki." Called Gerald.
Nicki turned, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Hey."
"What's wrong?" Gerald asked cupping her hand to his.
"Wyatt. It's always him. He makes me sick, I...I hate him." She sniffed.
"Is there anything I can do?" Gerald offered.
"No, but I do have something for you." She held out a slip of paper, "it's a friend of mine's brother, a real math genius."
"What about us?"
"Gerald I like you but right now I can't. Wyatt is lurking around here, spying. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to end up like Donna or worse, dead. I couldn't live with myself. Promise me you'll stay away from me. You won't go after Wyatt let my Uncle's worry about that. Promise."
"Alright. What do I do if I see him?" He asked looking at Detective Baker.
"Call 911 immediatly." Instructed Baker.
"Nicki be safe. Will you be in school tomorrow?"
"I doubt it. After today my family is not going to let me onto the front porch." Nicki sighed. She turned to Baker, "let's just go."
Baker looked over at the young woman, it tore her up to see someone, anyone being emotionally shattered like this. This was Nicki the oldest of the Reagan grandchildren. Her bosses only granddaughter. She had watched her grow up, Nicki spent more time at PP1 then she did. "Alright let's go."
^*^*^BB^*^*^
He watched as she walked out of the school with a blonde woman, a cop. "Don't worry love no one will keep us apart. No one." Wyatt had watched as she took a seat in the front of the car. He watched as they pulled out. Hadn't they learned by now he was smarter then them. That he would win in the end...
^*^*^BB^*^*^
Hmm... so was the Jamie thing too much? I just had to have a tiny bit of Jamie angst.
What's next? Jamie confides to Nicki about something from his past. How will Nicki handle being confined to the house? What is Wyatt next move?