Busy- ness and house guests that are related to me. I'm sure you understand. Anyway...those are my excuses for being slow. Hopefully I'll be able to be better about updating from now on. Here's the next chapter!

- kp "free at last" 1185

Chapter 14

Laura shuffled sleepily into Sabrina's kitchen and sank down in one of the chairs around the table. It was still dark outside, but she guessed it to already be early morning. She yawned and looked around the still unfamiliar apartment in search of a clock to check her guess against. After nearly a minute of searching, she was a little embarrassed to discover a large silver clock hanging prominently above the bookshelf right in front of her. She rolled her eyes and leaned forward to see. Though the sun had yet to come up, there was enough light from the busy city street seeping in from the window so that it was fairly easy to read.

5:27

Laura heaved a frustrated sigh and buried her face in her hands. Her body was exhausted, yet she couldn't stay asleep longer than a few hours. Nightmares, memories of the past three traumatizing days, and overwhelming guilt disturbed what little sleep she had been able to get.

A car horn suddenly blared outside, making her bolt upright and pulling a startled yelp from her throat.

Laura immediately clapped her hand over her mouth and flitted her eyes to the couch, where Kelly was sleeping. Kelly stirred and murmured something into her pillow before rolling over and resuming her deep, steady breathing. Laura exhaled in relief and looked down at her trembling hands. She clasped them together and let out a soft groan.

The nightmares were bad, the guilt was horrible, and the fear was sickening. But overshadowing them all was this perpetual feeling of anxiety that felt like it was sucking the life out of her. Any sudden sound, any footsteps coming from outside, any unfamiliar voices from the hallway. Anything could be Gary, and everything terrified her, twisted her stomach in knots, and made her heart beat so fast she felt sure she would pass out. She had never felt so nervous and jumpy in her life. Surely nothing could feel this horrible.

Kelly mumbled again in her sleep, distracting Laura from her thoughts. After a few seconds, she shifted in her spot, causing her blanket to slip off of her and pile in a soft heap on the floor.

Laura looked at the blanket and sighed, wondering if she should give it back to her. She had caused these four women a lot of grief already, though none of them had complained.

She padded quietly over to Kelly and awkwardly returned her blanket before making herself comfortable at the table again.

When Charlie's call still hadn't come by eleven o clock last night, the girls had decided to give up and start fresh tomorrow. Jill had been put to bed in Sabrina's room hours earlier, unable to fight the effects of her medication. So, exhausted and unable to do anything, the girls decided to follow her lead. Sleeping arrangements were cramped in Sabrina's one bedroom apartment and jokes had been flying all night about how Jill and Kelly needed to be more irresponsible. But they had managed well enough. Kelly had already fallen asleep on the couch so the girls left her there. Kris shared Sabrina's bed with Jill, and Sabrina politely offered her the other couch while she herself slept on the floor of her bedroom.

They had all been tired throughout the day and hoped a full night's sleep would catch everyone up.

Everyone but her. Laura had slept in fits throughout the night and spent most of her time staring at the ceiling of Sabrina's living room and listening to the random and half formed mumbles and whispers coming from Kelly. She had never met someone who talked so much in her sleep. Finally, after waking from a particularly vivid nightmare, she had gone to sit at the table. For some reason it felt more productive than lying on the couch fighting insomnia.

Laura sat quietly with her thoughts until she noticed the entire apartment was illuminated with soft morning light. Another glance at the clock told her it was nearing seven in the morning. As if the sunlight was permission for her to be up, Laura finally decided to get up and wander around the apartment. Shefound herself in Sabrina's kitchen and leaned against the counter thoughtfully.

These girls had done so much for her, surely breakfast would be a nice gesture.

A quick search through the fridge yielded not much more than eggs in the way of breakfast. But at least coffee would be a good start as she mulled over her options. As quietly as she could, she rummaged through the cabinets in search of some coffee When the cabinets proved to be lacking, she tapped her finger on her chin in thought. Maybe Sabrina was like her and kept the coffee in the freezer?

It was worth a try.

Laura wandered to the freezer, wrapped her hand around the handle and tugged. To her surprise, the freezer door appeared stuck. She frowned to herself. Just like her fridge door at home. And just like her fridge door at home, this freezer just needed a good sound yank.

She braced her feet, whispered a quick prayer that it wouldn't be loud, and gave a good hard pull. As she expected, the freezer door jerked opened with a soft pop and swung past her head with her momentum.

As she didn't expect, the swinging door came to a sudden and jarring halt before it had opened all the way. The door bounced back at her, to Laura's extreme confusion, rattling with the force of whatever it had hit.

"Ow!" came a hissed whisper from just beyond her view.

Startled, Laura hurriedly shut the freezer door and, for the first time, noticed Sabrina standing there. To her absolute horror, her new friend was doubled over, cursing under her breath, with both hands clutched to her face.

Laura felt her face instantly turn bright red. Why did this keep on happening?

"Oh- Oh Sabrina, I'm so sorry!" she sputtered, rushing forward to steady her friend. "I didn't mean- I- Are you ok?"

Sabrina straightened and nodded her head. "Yeah, yeah. Fine." she mumbled. She touched her nose and then examined her fingertips. When there was no blood to be found, she decided she would live.

"What were you doing in the freezer anyway?" she asked, still rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Laura stepped back and let out a nervous chuckle. "Um, I was looking for some coffee." she admitted. "I had this brilliant idea to try and make breakfast for you girls."

Sabrina stopped rubbing her nose and raised an eyebrow. "You were looking for coffee in the freezer?"

Laura smiled. "I keep it there."

Without a word, Sabrina reached up and plucked a heavy glass jar of coffee grounds from the top of the fridge and plunked it on the counter. Laura stared stupidly at it. Tall people just lived in another world.

"Coffee in the freezer." Sabrina repeated, shaking her head sadly. "You're just like Jill." She suddenly smiled, putting Laura at ease. "Just don't tell her, huh? It's more fun when she's the only one with weird habits."

Laura smiled awkwardly, still embarrassed. "I won't breathe a word."

"Good." Sabrina answered. She looked around the kitchen and then back at Laura. "Are you a better cook than I am?"

"Uh-"

"You don't have to answer that." Sabrina said with a grin. She grabbed up the jar of coffee. "How about I make the coffee and you whip us up some eggs? I think I can even handle toast too."

Laura smiled.

"Sounds like a plan."

Sabrina acquainted her with the organization of her kitchen and then set about starting coffee as per their plan. She sighed to herself as the two girls bustled around in the kitchen.

Too bad breakfast was the only plan they had.

"You're just getting yourself worked up."

Gary looked up, turning blood shot eyes to his friend. "Oh, am I? he spat back sarcastically. "I guess I should be calm like you. We'll both going to prison if we don't find those girls, but hey, let's not get worked up over nothing. Thanks, Dr. Murphy."

"Oh, fuck you." Murph sighed under his breath, shifting the sock full of ice that was draped over his sore neck. After hearing on the radio that the girls had managed to get to safety, they had made their escape as well. Thinking Emmitt dead at first, the two had holed themselves up in a cheap motel room to figure out their next move. It was here that they had seen on the news that Emmitt was alive and the girls had talked to police. Gary had been simply impossible to be with since they had arrived back in Los Angeles the day before. His best friend's foul temper was nothing new to him, but this past week Gary had been a completely different person.

Murph glared at him and got up to refill his soggy tube sock. His boyhood friend hadn't always been the hot tempered and volatile man that he was now. The war had changed Gary. Both men had been drafted together in 1971 and shipped off to Vietnam just after their twenty first birthdays which were two days apart, a constant source of humor and reminder of their brotherly friendship before the war. It was also the reason they had gone to Vietnam together.

He had been a medical student before being drafted, and immediately after boot camp, found himself stationed as a medic in a makeshift hospital. Gary, however, had seen active combat and though both had witnessed firsthand the horrors of war, he had come home irrevocably changed in 1973.

Gone was the funny, charming, and carefree Gary Moore he had grown up with, only to be replaced with this angry, brooding, and frighteningly violent stranger. But he was still Gary, and changed though he was, Gary was still his best friend.

Murph hissed as he pressed the cold sock against his neck again. Unfortunately, this loyalty to his friend had gotten him into a great deal of trouble. He had gone to meet Gary that night after an urgent phone call and had been horrified to see that his best friend, with his violent temper, had actually killed a man. But Gary was desperate, had weaved a convincing story, and he had no desire to see his friend in jail for the rest of his life.

So he called up trusted mutual friend, Emmitt Tierson, and went to help get rid of the body.

And then poor Laura had walked in on them as they sat discussing what to do. And once again, Gary had lost it. And nothing that was said could stop him.

Murph sighed. He liked Laura, but that night he knew if he didn't go along with Gary that his best friend might just kill him too.

So he had. And that desperate plan had been shot to hell. Laura had escaped, run into those campers, and just like that, all five of them knew their secret and the only way to stop them had been to kill them all. He had always wondered how Gary could be so ruthless, seeing the shortest way to getting what he wanted no matter who or what he hurt. Now he could see. He had no desire to spend the rest of his life in prison. Hell, he wasn't even thirty yet. He hadn't even lived.

No. As good of a person as he had believed he was, Gary had changed the rules on him. Those girls could ruin his life. If there was a way to get them to keep quiet without killing them, then he would have done it, he told himself. Only a fool would have believed that though. As much as he hated it, it was him or them and killing them was the only way to live his life.

And then they had gotten away too and the impending feeling of doom was almost unbearable. They couldn't have much more time before all of this caught up with them, blew up right in their faces.

"Brian!"

Murph looked up, startled out of his thoughts by hearing his seldom used first name. Ice water trickled down his back and he pulled the sock away, slightly embarrassed at having been caught day dreaming.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Dozed off." Murph said evasively. "What do you want?"

"Pain killer." Gary answered simply.

Murph groaned, fished a bottle out of his backpack and tossed it to his friend. "You need to go to a damn hospital. I didn't even finish med school, you're going to lose your leg." he grumbled.

Gary was busy popping two of the large tablets. "It's getting better." he insisted.

Murph scoffed. "It's getting infected. That's what it's getting."

"You took the bullet out already, what else is there to do?" Gary returned heatedly.

"It's not that easy, Gar."

Gary suddenly flung the bottle of pills across the room. The plastic bottle struck the far wall, splitting the lid in two pieces that went ricocheting in different directions. The pills themselves exploded from their broken container and clattered across the tile floor, the windowsil, and the card table in the corner. Murph flinched and whirled around to his friend in surprise.

"What, do you want me to go check myself in at the hospital right now?" Gary bellowed, his face bright red with rage. "You think Laura hasn't identified us? You think cops aren't looking all over California for a guy with a bullet wound in his leg named Gary?"

Murph sighed. "Emmitt said we were dead."

"And how long do you think the cops are gonna buy that crap, huh?" Gary sneered angrily. "They'll see that girl's house and know we were there!"

Now it was Murph's turn to get angry. He rose to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at his friend. "No, they'll see that you were there! If you hadn't gone flying off the handle and torn up that living room then there wouldn't be a problem!"

Gary laughed derisively. "Don't be stupid, Murph. They would have found out anyway. How long do you think it'll take for them to realize that they can't find our bodies in the woods because we aren't dead?"

"Lots of people get lost and are never found." Murph countered stubbornly.

"Why don't you get lost?" Gary shot back in irritation. He shifted his hurt leg over on the bed and cleared his throat. "Besides, those girls will tell if we don't get rid of them."

"How do you know they haven't already? We should be getting out of the country already, to Mexico or Canada."

Gary shot him a piteous look, his entire demeanor suddenly changed. "Christ, Murph. Canada?" he asked in wonder. "I'd rather be in prison."

"Gary-"

"Seriously, man. Have you tried Canadian beer? I'd rather wring out one of Emmitt's sweat socks and gargle with that."

Murph rolled his eyes. The old Gary was suddenly back, but he was too angry to appreciate it. "It's been awhile. They've talked to the cops about the house. Emmitt is a bone head. You think the cops are gonna believe anything he says once Laura goes in there to clear herself?"

Gary leaned back into his pillow and laughed, the way he used to laugh before the war. "She hasn't, man! It would have been on the news!" He laughed again and pushed himself off of the bed.

"C'mon, Murph. Look at it. Girl on the run, falsely accused, chased by her evil boyfriend." he laughed. "This is Days of our Lives shit, man! The press would be eating it up if she had already talked!"

He limped past Murph's chair, giving him a hearty clap on the back as he did, and bent down to pick up the pills he had scattered across the floor.

"Naw, bro." he said, as he scooped the pills back into their cracked bottle. "She's on the run. Cops came calling for her and she split. Those other girls might be hiding out with her, but she's not gonna talk to anyone."

Murph sighed and watched his friend clean up his mess. "And how do you know that?"

"Because I know Laura. She's scared." Gary replied simply. He flattened himself out to reach underneath the table for the last pill.

"She should be."

The hidden meaning behind those words didn't go unnoticed by Murph. He narrowed his eyes and watched his best friend flop back onto the bed, the cracked bottle still in his hands. "Then you want to stay here and kill them."

Gary looked up. The familiar old light in his eyes was gone, replaced by the more recent dark and sinister glow. "We have to." he said quietly.

Murph threw up his hands in disgust. "Why? Why Gary? Cause that little blonde shot you? I got my ass kicked by two of them and I'm a Vietnam vet. I don't care! I just want to get the hell out of here!"

Gary calmly set the bottle of pills on the night stand and again stood up to his full height. Even though Murph stood a full two inches taller, it didn't seem that way. Gary seemed to be towering over him. He took a step backwards, intimidated by the dark and barely concealed rage emanating from his friend.

"That's funny, I've never known you to step away from a challenge." Gary said quietly. He stepped forward until the men were less than a foot apart. "You scared?"

Murph fought the urge to back away from Gary's intense stare. He felt sweat bead up on forehead and the back of his neck.

"No. I'm not scared." he answered back in as brave a voice as he could muster.

Gary continued staring a moment longer and then suddenly smiled. "Good. Because I need your help."

He limped away and sat himself down with a grunt at the table. Murph exhaled in relief, following his friend with his eyes. Gary seemed normal again and waved him over just as casually as he would if he were waving him over to an empty seat in a movie theater. Not knowing what else to do, Murph joined him. Gary started speaking the moment he was seated.

"They're hiding somewhere and they're probably all together" he started matter of factly. "Now, we're not the only ones that'll be looking for them. Cops aren't stupid. If they're looking for Laura, they're gonna want to talk to those girls too."

He leaned back with a smug look on his face. " So how do we use that to our advantage?" he asked cheerfully.

Murph blinked at him, still unsettled. "Uh- I-" he stammered.

"We follow the cops around!" Gary said, slapping the table as if revealing the punch line to a joke.

Murph paled. "Follow the cops? Are you crazy?"

Gary shook his head. "They won't expect it and it's not like anyone is looking for us here. They think we're dead and no one has told them otherwise just yet."

"That's a stupid idea, Gary."

Gary's grin immediately faded from his face. "Do you have a better one?" he asked coldly.

"You already know what my ideas are." Murph sighed in frustration.

Gary went on as if he hadn't even spoke. "So, if we keep at it enough, a cop is bound to lead us to either Laura, one of those girls, or somebody else who knows where to find them."

"I don't know, Gary." Murph started. "Those girls weren't normal. They could fight and shoot a gun. I dunno, maybe they're cops or something, we should just let this go."

When Gary continued glaring at him without a word, Murph sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Fine. How long do you think that'll take?"

Gary flashed him a grin that made him extremely uncomfortable and gave him a light punch to the shoulder.

"As long as it takes."

Later that evening, the girl's were sitting around Sabrina's apartment, ready to explode with all of their pent up frustration. Bosely had called twice that day. Once at nine thirty in the morning to tell them that Charlie hadn't yet found out anything and once more around one thirty to tell them that they needed to keep Laura hidden. There was some kind of complication Charlie was still trying to get through.

In other words, Bosely had called to tell them to do exactly what they were doing. And with no plan of action except to stay put, the girls were slowly going crazy. Mostly recovered and caught up with sleep, they now paced restlessly, unable to sit still or pay attention to the movie Jill had suggested they watch on T.V.

"Was that the phone?" Kelly asked anxiously, leaning forward to turn down the volume for the sixth time.

Sabrina sighed in irritation. "No, Kelly. The phone is sitting right next to me." she said wearily. "Trust me. If it rings, I'll hear it."

Kelly slumped her shoulders in defeat and turned the volume back up. She hugged her knees to her chest and resumed her restless fidgeting in front of the screen.

The girls had been bickering and squabbling amongst each other for the better portion of the afternoon and evening. If Kelly, Jill, and Sabrina weren't arguing about something, then Jill and Kris were going at it. Only Laura remained the neutral party and though they didn't mean to fight in front of her, their frustration and restlessness made it impossible. While they hadn't minded each others company at first, they had soon discovered Sabrina's apartment was too small for all five of them. The cramped conditions coupled with their cabin fever were too much.

Kelly was just about to lean forward again when the phone actually did ring, startling all five of the girls. They shot to their feet, betraying any semblance of calm they might have been showing.

"Get it!" Jill cried, waving her arms. She was the only one who hadn't immediately leaped to their feet and crowded around the phone. But she was no less excited.

"Sabrina!" she yelled impatiently.

Sabrina snapped out of her trance and finally picked up the phone, just as Kelly reached forward out of impatience to grab it.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver, hoping her tone was neutral.

With Kris, Laura and Kelly huddled close to hear what was going on, Sabrina bent forward and listened carefully to her caller. After a few seconds, she moaned loudly, pushed Kelly out of the way and slammed the phone down in it's place.

"What?" Kris and Kelly pressed at the same time.

Frustrated with their crowding, Sabrina got up and shouldered her way past them.

"Nothing!" she fumed.

Jill sat up. "What do you mean n-"

Sabrina whirled around. "I mean nothing! It was someone selling insurance, not Bosely or Charlie!"

The girls stared at her silently, and suddenly feeling bad for snapping, Sabrina's angry expression softened. She dropped her hands to her sides and sank down onto the arm of the couch.

"I'm sorry." she said, rubbing her face. "I'm sorry. Look, I know how you guys feel. I'm just as frustrated and tired of waiting as-"

Her apology was cut off by a sharp, urgent knock at the door. All five girls whipped their heads around to it and froze in their spots.

Sabrina recovered first and in three quick strides was standing directly in front of her door. She glanced at her friends who were still standing motionless in her living room, wide eyed and nervous.

"Uh- Who is it?" Sabrina stammered.

"L.A.P.D." came a gruff, no nonsense voice from the other side.

Sabrina felt the color drain from her face. "Just a second!" she called through the door. She immediately turned to her friends and though they had heard the voice themselves and were already acting, frantically motioned for them to leave.

"Hide!" she mouthed silently, waving them away. She waited until the four had scrambled into her bedroom and shut the door, before sliding the locks free.

She slowly opened the door to reveal two impatient looking middle aged men in brown suits.

"Sabrina Duncan?" the short of the two asked, flashing his badge by way of greeting.

Sabrina forced a demure smile. "That's me."

"We'd like to talk to you."

Sabrina's smile widened, in an expression that she hoped conveyed utter confusion. She opened the door and gestured for them to come in.

"Is this about the woods?" she asked innocently. "I've already told all I know to the-"

The taller of the two men, who Sabrina instantly discovered was also the rudest, cut her off mid-sentence. "This isn't about that, Ms. Duncan."

Sabrina paused and tilted her head to the side. "No?" she asked. "Then what is this about, officer?"

The two men exchanged looks and the shorter one stepped forward. "I'm Officer Langley and this is my partner Officer Morin. We're trying to locate the whereabouts of Laura Jacobi. Have you been in contact with her?"

Sabrina looked puzzled. "No. Not since the other night."

"The Fresno police said she left with you and your friends."

The blunt accusation was designed to catch her off guard, but Sabrina was prepared for it. If the two policemen were looking for her to panic, then they were sorely mistaken.

"Well, yeah, we gave her a ride home." Sabrina said nonchalantly, leaning against the arm of her couch. "It was the decent thing to do and all. But I haven't seen her since."

Langely nodded, and leaned forward to peer around the empty apartment. "And your three friends? Kelly Garrett and Jillian and Kristine Monroe?"

Sabrina shrugged. "We spent the night at Jill's, but we took the week off of work, ya know, so I haven't talked to them since this morning."

As she talked, she noticed Morin step further and further away until he was peering into her kitchen. She felt her stomach flip. They couldn't search her apartment unless they had a search warrant, but that didn't make her any less nervous. Protesting his snooping would only make her seem guilty.

"None of them were at their homes." Langely replied, almost accusingly. His voice jerked Sabrina's from Morin back to their conversation.

"Really?" Sabrina asked, feigning mild surprise. "How bout that? Looks like the three of them took advantage of their vacation." Her eyes followed Morin back into the living room and towards her open bathroom door. The closer he got to her bedroom the more she felt like being sick.

Langely looked unimpressed. "All three?"

Sabrina shrugged again, her eyes still on the other man. "Well, I don't know. Jill was hurt pretty bad, her sister could have taken her up to her mom's place in Burbank and Kelly went along to help." she rattled off. "They could have gone anywhere, I don't keep tabs on them."

She knew Morin was standing directly in front of her bedroom door now, but she didn't dare watch him.

"But you went to the academy together. And they're your coworkers."

"Jill and Kelly are. I hardly know Kris." Sabrina explained, pretending to be annoyed. She didn't have to try very hard. The smug officer was irritating her, the wandering officer was making her extremely nervous, and she hoped to God that neither could hear her heart hammering away in her chest. She silently willed them to just leave her alone.

"Look, we've worked together for awhile but we aren't all that close." she snapped. "We took a trip together, but you can call the Fresno police and see how that worked out." She let out a bitter laugh. "I'm not in any hurry to spend any more free time with my coworkers, you can trust me on that."

Her false bitterness seemed to satisfy the officer. He nodded and tucked the notepad he had been writing on into his jacket. As if that was a cue, Morin stepped away from her door and joined his companion. It took everything Sabrina had not to heave a huge sigh of relief.

"Alright, Ms. Duncan." Langely said cheerfully. "Give us a call if you hear from any of them. It's important that we speak to them, especially Ms. Jacobi."

He smiled, a weak attempt to mask his frustration, and handed Sabrina his card. She took it and stuck it her pocket without a word.

"Good night, gentlemen." she said politely, escorting them to the door. They bid her goodbye and left her apartment. The moment the door clicked shut, Sabrina nearly collapsed in relief. She pressed her ear against the door and listened to their footsteps retreat down the carpeted hallway until she was sure they were gone.

Still jittery with adrenaline, she relocked her door and hurried over to her bedroom on shaking legs.

"They're gone." she called softly into her seemingly empty bedroom.

Five heads slowly revealed themselves from various parts of the room. Kris and Kelly from under the bed, Laura from the closet, and Jill from behind the long curtains covering the window. Though she knew they were hidden somewhere, the sudden sight of her friends from unexpected places was still a little surprising.

"Wow." she laughed. "You four really know how to get out of sight."

The four girls weren't as amused.

"What did they want?" Jill asked quickly, shuffling over to her on one crutch.

Sabrina turned towards Laura and gave her a rueful smile. "You had two suitors with badges."

Laura paled and slowly sank down onto Sabrina's bed. "They're still looking for me." she whispered weakly. "Is Charlie going to be able to clear me?"

"We don't know yet, Laura." Sabrina answered gently. "Trust him, though. He'll handle it."

"I don't know how much longer I can handle this." Laura whispered, covering her face with her hands. Kris sat down next to her and patted her back in a weak attempt to comfort her.

"I'm with her." Kelly suddenly cut in. "I'm tired of this. I'm going down to the police station myself."

Sabrina grabbed her arm. "Don't Kelly. Let's just ca-"

Kelly yanked her arm away. "We've been calm enough! I'm tired of just sitting here waiting for someone else to find us!" she shot angrily. "I'd feel better if we were doing something about it. What if our next visitor comes with more than badges and questions?"

The two stared each other down for a few tense seconds before Jill cleared her throat, redirecting their attention.

"Bri, maybe she's right." Jill said quietly. "I'd feel better if we were doing something about it too."

Sabrina cursed softly under her breath. "Well, so would I! But we have Kris and Laura to worry about and I don't want to take any chances."

"Then I'll take the chance and you stay here." Kelly shot back, turning to go.

"Kelly, wait!" Sabrina called. To her surprise, Kelly actually stopped and turned around, arms crossed determinedly in front of her chest.

"Let's wait until it gets dark. Another hour, ok? Then we'll both go."

Kelly was quiet for a moment and then slowly nodded her head. "Fine. But you're right. We won't leave them long." she said, tilting her head towards Kris and Laura. Laura seemed relieved, but Kris rolled her eyes, earning her a stern glare from her older sister. She ignored it. Maybe they could talk while Kelly and Sabrina were out.

Sabrina relaxed and flopped down on her bed, immediately dissapating the tense atmosphere her and Kelly had created with their stand off. "So, what do you want to do at the police station, Kelly?" she asked. "Try to vouch for Laura? You only met her a few days ago."

"No." Kelly replied. "I want to show them my living room. That's proof enough that someone's still looking for us, isn't it?" She hopped up on the bed next to Sabrina, all previous hostility forgotten. The girls sat quietly, thinking of what to do now that they had decided to do something.

Jill suddenly limped from her spot by her sister and sat down next to Sabrina, a huge grin on her face. "I know no one asked me-" she started teasingly. "But, I say the guy we need to talk to the most is Emmitt. He's the one that can set everything straight."

Kris laughed. "Why would he cooperate?"

Jill scowled and reached out her crutch to poke her little sister. "You don't know us, dear Kris. We can make him talk."

Sabrina and Kelly shared a look and then grinned. This could work.

"I'm glad you didn't hit your head too hard, Jill." Sabrina joked, patting the top of Jill's head. "There's alot going on underneath all that hair."

Jill giggled and swatted her friend away. "Glad you finally figured that out." she said airily.

"What do we do for an hour?" Kelly asked, looking out the window at the fading sunlight.

Kris shrugged. "We can teach Sabrina how to make toast?"

The girls burst into tension releasing laughter at Sabrina's expense.

"We only have an hour." Jill quipped, thrilled at not being the butt of a joke for once. "We'll barely be able to teach her to spell it."

Too restless for passive movie watching, the girls ended up playing cards for the next forty five minutes. Though they seemed relaxed and enjoyed themselves, all five of them could be caught sneaking discreet glances at the big silver clock above the bookshelf. Finally, the sunlight from the windows faded into the dull orange glow of street lamps and the girls mutally set their unplayed hands face down on the table. It was time to go.

Even though only Sabrina and Kelly were going, Laura, Jill, and Kris were just as nervous. They had been able to find what hospital Emmitt was in through an earlier news report and had the entire car trip to figure out a way to get alone with him. It shouldn't be too difficult. Merely a case of deception, depending on if his room was guarded or not.

With strict orders to be careful, Kelly and Sabrina hopped into the orange pinto and as secretly as possible, drove out of Sabrina's parking garage into the dark city streets. The hospital Emmitt was being treated at was a good twenty minute drive with light traffic. Unfortunately, though it was night, it was still early enough for the traffic to be annoyingly heavy. Kelly and Sabrina groaned in frustration. There was so much traffic, their trip would be extended an additional fifteen minutes.

So much, in fact, that neither Kelly or Sabrina was aware of the junky, faded red car that was stealthily ftrailing them from a safe distance.