The Chase

Chapter 10

Daniel and Max had followed Donnie to a bus stop and now they think psycho killer Gene Yuss had entered the bus and sat next to him.

"So is it him?" Max asked excitedly as he made sure the Volvo followed the bus closely, even driving in the bus lane at times, "is that really Yuss sitting next to Donnie?"

Daniel held the binoculars as close to his eyes as possible.

"I can't tell."

"What do you mean you can't tell?" Max asked impatiently, as he made a right hand turn when the bus did it first, "aren't you looking through a pair of binoculars?"

"It's not the Hubble Telescope, Lewicki! Besides this guy is wearing a beard and Yuss only had a mustache. Of course, that beard could be a disguise," Daniel analyzed, "I'm still trying to get around the possibility that it could be Yuss. Could it really be that easy that in the middle of a city-wide manhunt, a suspected killer just nonchalantly gets on a bus and then sits right next to one of the victims?"

"That's because you're thinking too logically, Doc! There's a reason why we say a killer does crazy stuff! Because he's cra-cra! Anyway, my money is on that it IS Yuss and we are just one vehicle away from nabbing him! Just tell me if anything exciting happens on the bus, like Donnie pulverizes the dude or vice versa."

"Nothing much is going on now," Daniel stated as he continued to peer into the binoculars, "Wait... Donnie just handed over a paper bag from his backpack to the other guy!"

"Really, Doc?" Max was really getting excited now, "You think it might be a bomb?"

"Killers usually use the same method of killing, so I doubt it's a bomb. And it usually doesn't come in a paper bag, either."

"Riiiight! Okay, Doc, just keep looking and maybe the guy will-" he interrupted himself as he looked in the rearview mirror, "...uh...oh-oh.."

From behind him, he saw flashing lights. And as it approached directly behind him, he heard the sirens as well.

"The guy didn't even bother to open the paper bag," Daniel was too involved looking through the binoculars to notice, "in fact..." now he paused for his ears perked up, "Lewicki, is that a siren I hear?"

"Glad your hearing is good, Doc. It's the cops. I've gotta pull over."

Daniel immediately brought the binoculars down, clearly not understanding, "No, don't! Why? You weren't speeding!"

"No I wasn't," Max stated calmly, "but I made the unfortunate move of driving in the bus lane. I believe that's a no-no in CopLand!"

Daniel panicked.

They were so close to breaking the investigation wide open.

"No, you can't do that, Lewicki...we'll lose the bus!"

"Oh, so you want to take the chance that I, as a young black dude, could outrun the police? It won't end well for me, I guarantee it!"

Daniel made a snap decision.

"Fine! Then pull over and stop the car," Daniel suggested, "I'll follow the bus on foot!"

"On foot? Okay, but then, you better take my cellphone!" insisted Max, who started to hand it over.

"So I can call you from jail?" Daniel asked as Max pulled over.

"No! So you can take pictures!" Max yelled out frustrated as Daniel unbuckled his seat belt.

"I don't know how to take a picture with a cellphone, remember?" Daniel stated as he rejected the cellphone and quickly opened the passenger side door.

He began running. From behind him, he heard the blaring sirens stop and a police officer yelling something and Max shouting back that he was a consultant of the FBI and if they could only contact Agent Kate Moretti...

Daniel didn't hear anymore of Max's situation, for he was thinking of what was occurring in front of him, not behind him. He followed the bus and ran down Lincoln Avenue. Luckily there were few pedestrians on the sidewalk, otherwise he knew he would leave a slew of fallen bodies behind. He continued on, his legs working at top speed.

He ran another two blocks and then he turned the corner and suddenly in front of him he saw four buses in the bus lane in addition to two taxis and three cars. Daniel paused to catch his breath he looked for bus number 151. None of those buses had that number.

Damn! Breathing heavily, he doubled over from sheer exhaustion, Daniel knew it was hopeless. He had lost the bus. Tiredly he returned back to where he last left Max.

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When he returned back to Max, there were two additional police cars, but everything seemed cleared up, for the police seemed to be getting ready to leave. Max was talking on his cellphone as well as the police transmitter. He handed the transmitter back to the police just as Daniel walked up.

"You missed it all, Doc," Max stated calmly, "but I thanked each police officer for protecting the sanctity of bus lanes!"

"Well, you've got more accomplished than me," Daniel stated, "I can't believe I've lost the bus! I've should have started sooner; run faster."

From behind him, he heard a familiar female voice.

"...And if you had started sooner and run faster, it would only mean you would have ended up being tired sooner and faster," Kate said.

Kate!

But of course, Lewicki had to call someone who had the power to get him out of getting a ticket. Who better than an FBI agent?

Daniel didn't know whether to be elated or fearful as he turned to look at her.

She sure didn't look happy with him.

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Half an hour later, Kate had sent Max home and she had driven Daniel back to the university since he would be starting a lecture in an hour and a half. Throughout the entire drive, she didn't say a word to him, but her bottom lip sticking out told Daniel everything he needed to know.

As he sat behind his desk in his office, Kate watched him, thinking of what she would say to him.

"By the way, Max told me about you two following Donnie and what happened on the bus, " she told him in a matter of fact way, as if she were discussing an investigation with a fellow agent, "I had sent some agents over to stop the bus and they were able to stop it at the end of line."

Daniel perked up, "And?"

"And it was truly the end of the line," Kate sounded tired, "Neither Donnie nor this mysterious man was on it. We questioned the driver, but he wasn't able to give us anything," she sighed, "so once again, the budget for my investigation balloons out of control and we have nothing to show for it."

Daniel got up from behind his desk and went sat in the other visitor's chair, right next to Kate.

"Kate, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I had been watching Donnie. It's just...something didn't seem right. But really, I was hoping that nothing would happen and if something suspicious HAD happened, I would be the first one to tell you that."

She stared straight ahead, "Do you think Donnie suspected that you were following him? Because, you know, if he did, he would also think that I was the one who put you up to this."

"No, I doubt he realized he was being watched; he never looked my way," Daniel told her.

She turned to him. Her eyes had lost their luminous sparkle and he could see the slight bags under her eyes. She shook her head as if she didn't want to hear any more excuses.

"What is it with men?" she asked in a defeated tone, "why must they always be hiding something?"

She then turned away and looked down on her lap.

Daniel's heart ached. She looked so lost; this strong, independent woman who wanted to make a difference in the world.

"Kate," he humbly stated, "I may not have handled everything the right way, but I want you to know that my intentions were in the right place. All I ever wanted to do was help you. Just like all the times you had helped me."

He gently reached over and touched her cheek. Kate's cheek immediately reddened as she slowly turned to look at him. There was something about the look of his comforting eyes that gripped her; that made warmth spread throughout the inside of her body.

For the first time in a long time, when Daniel looked in her eyes, he read understanding in them; that she wasn't angry with him, though she had a right to be. Right now, if he could, he wanted to reach over and put his arms around her and hold her until she trembled with happiness. Then he would tell her she was the most remarkable woman he had ever met.

But he had no right to even think those thoughts.

"Kate, I need to know...are we good now?"

Slightly embarrassed at what just occurred, she slowly nodded and he looked relieved.

"So, Daniel, tell me...did you really tried to outrun a bus?" this time her tone sounded teasing and she had a touch of a smile on her.

Things were good between them.

"It's to be expected that the bus would beat me," he straight-faced,"I've never even been able to even outrun a turtle."

Kate's eyes lit up, telling him that she enjoyed the bantering.

"So you never stood a chance against the bus?" she asked.

"The first 50 yards I ran like the wind," Daniel told her, "it's the next 42,000 yards that was challenging."

Kate laughed.

And her entire body relaxed.

"You know, Daniel," she said truthfully, "I still don't want to believe Donnie is involved, but today you've shown me that maybe I didn't know him as well as I thought. I've left him a phone message and hopefully he'll call back. In the meantime, maybe we should have an officer stationed in an unmarked car out in front of my apartment. I'll explain to Donnie it's for his own protection. Meanwhile I can get a warrant for his recent calls. Max told me he made a call on his cellphone on the way to the bus stop. It certainly wasn't to me, so I assume he was talking to that man."

Daniel was encouraged.

"Maybe we could also follow the money," he suggested, "After all, there's still $40,000 missing."

"It certainly didn't go into Donnie bank account," Kate said, leaving Daniel surprised that she had already checked his account. That told him that she had suspicions as well, "but maybe I need to search deeper and see if he has opened any offshore accounts," she decided, "and if I find one, he'll have a lot of explaining to do!"

At that thought, she seemed to sadden a bit but Daniel could completely understood. After all, her entire world has been turned upside down with this case. At best, even if Donnie were clean, it would take some time for her to trust him again.

If this is what love did to a person, Daniel knew why he had shied away from this emotion.

"This whole point may be moot, however," Kate said, still trying to sound objective, "it may be that Donnie just up and disappeared. Just like Yuss. But I hardly doubt it."

Daniel had to admit. Kate really stood steadfastly by Donnie's side. Of course, what other choice did she have?

"I'm glad you have so much faith in Donnie, Kate."

"It's not all about faith; I didn't get to tell you yet," she explained, "I have some evidence that Donnie was not involved with the killings at all."

Daniel lifted an eyebrow, "I'm actually relieved to hear that," he said truthfully, "what is this proof?"

"Before Larry Stevenson was shot, he made a call to 911," Kate told him, "and it showed that Donnie had no knowledge of-"

Just then Kate's cellphone rang. Daniel and she exchanged tentative glances before she looked at the caller ID. By her placated expression, Daniel knew who was on the other line.

She brought the phone to her ear.

"Donnie?"

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