The week went by pretty quickly. As everyone had promised Rick's fake funeral was in full swing. He tried to relax. But even he couldn't help reading the paper and watching the news. It wasn't amusing how serious it looked. The local paper had announced the ceremony on Thursday. The news had taken the story up and even Sergeant Hanson was interviewed on the details.

Of course there weren't too many details Hanson could give out. He shied away from her asking anything about if they knew who the killer was and if they would take any precautions at the funeral.

"We're not sure who did this. We don't even have a reason to worry about the funeral." Hanson replied straight faced. They wanted their target to feel comfortable coming up to the funeral home that was going to be crawling with police.

Chances were Richter would just stand far back and watch quietly.

When Saturday arrived everyone did their best to get sad. Everyone had their own ways. Alex took her time getting Rick ready. He wasn't very fond of the wig she was adjusting on his head.

"This feels ridiculous." He complained.

"Yes but Walter's hair is lighter than yours. Now the shade of the oak tree should hide your features well if you keep your head down. Don't try to look around at everyone. Just focus on trying to pick Richter out of the crowd. You're job is to make sure we get him."

Rick nodded. "I know." He said. She replaced the covering over his eye with one that was almost a perfect match for his skin color.

"That should do it. Remember, head down. Grant will push you around so whisper to him. And keep your voice down. That accent of yours is going to give you away." No matter what, his voice would always be the one thing that bothered her.

Rick just smiled at her.

He adjusted the black tie again. It was pressing against the stitches in his neck. While Rick's bruises and majority of shallow gashes were faded enough that a little makeup hid them completely, his deeper injuries were still painful.

Rick was already in the wheelchair. He had to leave the mansion in it.

Loading up the car Penny tried very hard not to talk to her father. She wanted to smile at him and talk about what was going to happen.

The car ride was subdued. "Everyone know what they're doin'?" Rick asked.

"Yes." Came the group response.

Grant was driving the Explorer while Alex pulled out a bottle of actor's tears. "Anyone need these?" She asked. She had an onion in a bag that she'd been saving. "Everyone should take a whiff of this before we get out of the car."

Penny wrinkled her nose and took Jessica's hand in her left and Rick's in her right. She held them tightly. The girl was obviously scared of losing either of them.

At the funeral home a crowd of police in their blues let the car through to the parking space nearest the plot of earth that had been dug up.

Only a few of them were aware of what was happening. Rick kept his head down.

Alex passed her onion around after taking a big sniff of it. Her eyes immediately began to water. She held it up to her husband who breathed it in deeply. It took a few moments to work but the corners of his eyes grew moist.

Jessica breathed in the onion and shuddered. She had more emotional stimuli for tears than she cared to admit.

Penny obediently sniffed it before adjusting her black dress. Rick kept his head down as Grant helped him into the wheelchair.


From Rick's standpoint the ceremony was rather dull. It was a closed casket service. Jessica had refused to speak. She didn't think she could look at Rick sitting alone in a corner of the field and keep up her sorrowful act. Alex on the other hand was more than eager to make a small statement.

She kept it to the point. That she had grown to love Rick as a brother and that he would be sorely missed. She had lost a dear friend. Her sister was lucky to catch him and she was sorry that she couldn't work another miracle on the skilled detective.

Rick watched the people with his good eye. He was pretty sure he saw Richter standing at the far back of the crowd. The man was standing with a blond woman. Both were dressed in black leather.

Once or twice Rick had to look down when the man glanced his way.

As the service came to an end Richter began to pull back slowly. Rick wheeled towards him his head still low. He made a wide arc as if he were heading somewhere else and suddenly decided to go another way. Richter looked at him with cautious disdain.

Everyone had turned to the two men. Greg Tanner in his fancy uniform was already slowly approaching. He had been the first to jump at the chance of getting to sting Richter. Unlike the movies, it was not very often that such an elaborate plan worked perfectly.

Richter could feel the dozens of eyes on him and turned to look at the armed officers approaching. His eyes darkened. The woman next to him grabbed his arm and gasped.

Rick stood up in one quick fluid motion removing the wig. He offered Richter his lopsided grin. "I guess you're more gullible than I suspected." He said coolly. "I had you fooled didn't I?" Guns were raised. There was no way out of this one.

"You bastard." Richter growled. He kept his arms at his sides.

"You shoulda done your homework a little better." Rick whispered. "You forgot that I'm one stubborn man. It'll take more than fancy weapons to put me in the ground."

Richter tried to punch Rick on his blind side but the detective had been expecting it. "Ya know what your problem is?" Rick said grabbing the other man's arm in a vice grip. "You're plain predictable." He murmured.

Richter tried to yank free. "Take your filthy hand off of me!"

Guns grew nearer and Richter's partner was grabbed and cuffed without resistance. "Don't make it harder than it has to be." Rick said softly. "I ain't in the mood to fight you."

Richter spat in Rick's face. The saliva struck him just under the left eye. Rick didn't flinch. "Cuff him." He said coldly.

Greg was behind him in a heartbeat a pair of cuffs out and ready. As Richter was cuffed and read his rights he yelled at Rick who watched with a solemn gleam in his eye. "You're a devil! Do you hear me! Only a demon could withstand such an attack and survive! Mark my words you are no man!"

Rick turned away and scrubbed at his face with his sleeve. Jessica was there hugging him. "It's over." She whispered. "Let's just go home and take a break." She pleaded.

Penny grabbed his hand and tugged on him. "Let's go daddy." She begged.

"Yes, let's." Rick agreed. He let them pull him along as his fellow cops focused on watching Richter get stuffed into the car. There was a thunk and then an indignant cry.

"You did that on purpose!" Richter screamed. It was Rick's guess that Greg had forgotten to make sure Richter didn't hit his head getting into the squad car. Whether it was intentional or not was not of importance, because the man deserved it either way.