Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT

Chapter 25

Tuesday - October 4, 2005
Ken Blake's Apartment
9:40 am

Standing in the kitchen, Ken gripped his phone tighter and delivered the much awaited news to his son, "All I know is that he's been taken to the infirmary and the unit is on lockdown."

Catching his breath, Paul whispered, "The infirmary means he's been hurt."

"But how severe is the question." Ken glanced down at his watch. "I'll call you as soon as I have more information."

The Vartanns

9:43 am

Intrigued by his mother's opening statement, Tony cradled the phone in the crook of his neck and continued washing carrots for that evening's dinner. "What kind of shocking information?"

"I just got off the phone with Amy and she gave me an earful about Becca. She told me she's worried about you because your new wife is a psycho with a history of irrational behavior. She told me she's scared that Becca will grab one of your guns and shoot you in your sleep. She asked me if I knew if my new daughter-in-law was truly divorced, or did her first husband die a mysterious death. She has a theory that Becca might be a Black Widow spider or something…you know, like the movie, she kills her husbands and then changes her identity. She begged me to talk some sense into you."

"Unbelievable." Relieved that his wife had gone to Carrie's house for a BPAC meeting, Tony addressed his mother's concerns. "Ma, I met Becca's Ex in California this past weekend. I assure you he's quite alive and quite an asshole…pardon my French."

"She also told me Becca had an abortion and attempted suicide. Is that a lie too? Amy said she had proof."

God damn her! Reluctantly, he answered his anti-abortion activist mother, "It's true. She was in college." He paused to give his mother time to overreact.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph! You said she had issues, but an abortion? Suicide? Do you see what happens when you marry a person you know nothing about?!"

"Ma, come on…everyone has a skeleton or two in their closet." If you knew the ones in mine you'd disown me.

"You married a baby killer."

I knew that was coming. Gripping a butcher knife, Tony began chopping carrots and curtly replied, "Yeah, as a homicide detective, I have a really good grasp on the concept of murder. In my opinion, a scared and confused twenty year old in her sixth week of pregnancy, whose boyfriend is threatening to kill her if she doesn't have an abortion, is a baby killer. A baby killer is a guy who shoots a one year old for crying during the playoffs because he's got fifty bucks riding on the game and his team is losing."

"I don't care how old you are, don't you dare be a smart ass with me, Anthony."

"Doesn't the fact that she tried to kill herself afterwards signal that she was emotionally unstable and not happy with her decision?"

"It signals that every time she has a problem she tries to make it disappear. What if her next problem is you?! I don't want to be called to identify your body on a slab."

"Come on, Ma! Don't you see what's happening here?" Tony chopped faster. "Amy only told you that stuff to create tension between you and me when there wasn't any. If you want to let her cause you grief, that's your choice, but I'm done letting her make me miserable. If you don't want my wife stepping foot in your house, just say the word, but I've never been happier and I'm standing by her. We're a package deal."

"You know I wouldn't ban her from the house. I'm just disappointed, and now whenever I look at Becca, the abortion is all I'm going to think about. I wish Amy never told me."

Slamming his butcher knife on the counter, Tony snarled, "I'll tell you what I'm starting to wish…that Amy would do us all a favor and jump off a cliff. Maybe her new boyfriend will shove her off one, because that's how his fiancée died."

Macy's

9:49 am

Checking her reflection in the mirror, Amy remarked to the sales clerk, "Don't I look drop dead gorgeous in this dress?"

"Yep! It accentuates all your assets," Mindy, the bubbly twenty-one year old employee, replied. "Do you have a special someone you're trying to impress?"

Feeling an instant rapport with the total stranger, Amy enthusiastically shared, "I'm making my ex-husband jealous by dating his ex-friend, not that the ex-friend knows that I'm using him…he's clueless."

"Sounds like something I would do," the co-ed snickered.

"The Ex married this skinny, needy, shrew, and it's only a matter of time before he gets bored playing her savior and wants me back. You should have seen her looking like a fish out of water with him at the gym today. It was ridiculous." Checking out her cleavage, Amy grinned. "The LVPD Banquet is coming up and when he sees me in this dress, he'll be reminded of what he's been missing, and Becca will be on her way out the door."

Nick and Carrie's

9:53 am

Walking through the front door, Becca quizzed, "Who's crying?" A child's shrill sent a shiver up her spine.

"We're babysitting Drew's kids, that's why I wanted to meet here instead of the office. I have to watch them while Nicky's out doing a homeschool history lesson with Sean and their grandmother is food shopping." Carrie shut the door and waved for her guest to follow her to the kitchen.

"Ooh!" Becca pounced on the opportunity. "This is great! I need kid practice before I see Tony's niece, Sierra, again. Her mother was afraid to let me hold her last time."

"I'll coach you." Chuckling, Carrie asked, "Would you rather make Play-doh sculptures with Matt or change Claire's diaper?"

Neither option appealing, Becca replied, "Uh…doesn't Drew have a five year old daughter? How about I take her shoe shopping?"

"She's at Kindergarten."

Becca burst into a grin. "Perfect, I'll teach her how to skip school to go to the mall. I'm an expert at that."

"Stokes kids don't skip school. They also don't get anything less than a B, they have to participate in a minimum of two extra-curricular activities, and when they're sixteen they have to hold a part-time job."

"I did two extra-curricular activities in school…smoking pot and shopping."

"Let's not share that with Grandma Stokes when you meet her, okay?" When they reached the kitchen, Carrie announced, "Matt, this is a good friend of mine, Mrs. Vartann."

"Howdy!"

Carrie whispered to Becca, "Nicky's whole family does the 'howdy' thing, it's a little odd at first, but you get used to it."

"Howdy!" Becca played along.

The dapper four year old quickly stood. "It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Vartann."

Accustomed to country club kids, Becca shook the child's hand and politely replied, "It's very nice to meet you, Master Stokes. You're every bit as charming as your Daddy."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

Carrie retrieved the wailing baby from her high chair. "And this little darling is Claire."

Becca waved her hand in front of her nose. "The little darling smells like she belongs on a pig farm."

"You're funny!" Matt cracked up as he bashed Play-doh with his fist. "I think she smells like a pig too."

"Come on," Carrie started walking out of the room. "Time to learn how to change a diaper, Becks."

"Seriously, I don't have to know how to change a diaper, the nanny will do that stuff."

"Just in case the nanny calls in sick one day, we'll practice." Carrie placed Claire on the towel she had on the bed/changing table. "This smell used to bother me too, but now I'm used to it."

"Oh! What do they feed her?!" Becca covered her mouth. "Oh my god…that's deadly."

Ely State Prison

9:58 am

"It was a lethal blow," Dr. Atoya stated. "He was gone before they got him here."

"Shit!" Grabbing his phone, the associate warden snarled, "Two fatalities to report was the last god damn thing I needed today."

Drew's House

10:04 am

"Make sure you get everythin' today," Drew huffed in his soon to be Ex-wife's direction when the security guard he had hired took a restroom break. "The sooner, the better."

Lissa slowed to a turtle's pace, "Why? So you can bring Tawny, the blonde bimbo with the big boobs, to take my place?"

"Tawny's stayin' married to Greg."

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "That's just for show, so she doesn't appear to be the gold-digging bitch that she is, but from the looks of that scene in your office, I'm sure she won't have to wait too long before you take her up against the wall again."

"I have no plans to bring Tawny or any other woman into my children's home."

"Then I guess it will be up to Nanny Marta to warm your bed." Lissa released a hearty laugh. "She sure has enough blubber to do the job. She'll be a big switch from size zero Tawny. You better double your work out routine if you plan to ever lift that heifer up against the wall."

Eavesdropping from the adjoining nursery, Marta covered her mouth in time to shield her gasp. In silence she waited to see if Drew would join in the bashing.

"Marta's been a Godsend to the kids," Drew fired back. "You have a lot of nerve bashin' her. That girl is a saint for puttin' up with your bullshit all these years. She told me what you said to her, about why you hired her...that I wouldn't be attracted."

"I was right, wasn't I?" Lissa moved to the closet. "You barely noticed her existence, which is a miracle considerin' the size of her ass."

When the security guard returned, Drew marched for the door. "I'm headin' to Nicky's to check on the kids."

Paul's Office

10:08 am

"Dad, I had to check in," the anxious son whispered into the phone.

"I was just about to call you. I heard from my contact. He saw the associate warden storm out of the infirmary telling his assistant there were two fatalities."

"Two." Paul's hopes soared. "I feel guilty for being so excited, but…I am."

"Don't count your chickens, Son. Prison fights often turn into free-for-alls and it could be anyone."

"I know, Dad, but a guy can dream."

The Grissoms

10:12 am

"Having a day dream?" Sara asked upon catching her husband staring into space as he sat in his favorite arm chair. "Let me guess…beetles eating your flesh after the bees carried away your soul?"

"That would have been lovely, but I was taking my pulse."

"Why?"

Moving his fingers from his wrist, Gil explained, "Because I felt incredibly relaxed and wondered what my heart rate was."

"And?"

"Sixty-eight," he proudly replied. "Where are you going?"

"Taking Flash for a walk, I thought maybe you'd want to join us?"

"You want me to run interference in case Marlene jumps out from behind a bush, don't you?"

"Yep." Smirking, Sara handed over two plastic dog-litter bags. "And in case of poop."

The Sanders Home

10:15 am

"Where's Greg?" Tawny inquired when she saw Scott working on the IKEA furniture alone.

"Bathroom break." Scott lowered his screwdriver. "He may be a while, because he took a set of directions with him and mumbled something about eating too much junk food last night."

"I did see a bunch of fast food wrappers at the apartment," Tawny giggled as she held up a large parchment envelope. "I just picked up our mail from the townhouse. Greg got an invite to the LVPD Banquet. I wonder if he'll ask me," she joked. "Not that I have anything to wear since my belly popped overnight."

"If he does, I'll take you shopping for a new dress." Scott stood and wiped the sweat from his brow. "It will fill the void of not having a daughter to see off to the senior prom."

"Aww, I never got that moment with my dad either." After giving her father-in-law a hug, Tawny said, "Did Greg tell you we felt the baby kick this morning?"

The former Obstetrics student didn't have the heart to say it was about two weeks too early and was probably just gas. "Very excitedly, yes."

"Hey! Great news!" Greg hurried into the room waving his cell phone. "Daniel got into the group home that Carrie found for him."

"That's terrific, Son."

"Yeah," Tawny enthused. "Good for him."

"It's only about fifteen minutes from here, so it'll be a lot more convenient to check on him."

"I have some more good news." Tawny handed over the invitation. "It was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, so I opened it. It's for the LVPD Banquet. Must be pretty swanky because it says it's black-tie."

"Seriously?" He took the envelope. "Only Level Threes and up are usually invited to this."

"Maybe it's because you're on the list of honorees. There's a letter inside explaining it's for saving Sara's life when that guy pulled a gun on her in the desert."

"I bet Gris recommended me."

"Nice work, Son." Scott proudly patted his boy on the back. "You already own a tux, so all you need is a date and you're good to go. Maybe you should ask your girlfriend."

Glancing up from the invite, Greg beamed a smile in his wife's direction. "Will you be my date?"

"I'd be honored," Tawny eagerly replied before winking at Scott. "I can't wait to go shopping for a special dress."

Amy's Townhome

10:27 am

Swinging her dress bag on her finger, Amy entered her home whistling a happy tune and plotting ways to drive her ex-husband wild. "Oh!" she screamed as someone grabbed her from behind and then clamped a palm over her mouth.

"You went too far this time," Tony snarled in his ex-wife's ear. "I told you to stay out of my business, but you didn't listen to my warning, did you? Did you?!" He slammed her back to the wall. "I can't believe you called my mother and told her that shit about Becca!"

"I knew that would throw you over the edge!"

Grabbing her throat, Tony barked, "Is this rough enough for you, Baby?!"

"Much better" She gasped for air. "I knew…if I could piss you off enough…you'd…react."

"I'm pissed off alright." He tightened his grip. "Pissed enough to…"

"To do what?" she panted when her Ex released her. "C'mon, Baby, don't stop now. I've been working so hard to make you angry. You have to finish."

"Don't worry, I'm gonna finish." Tony pulled his Gloch 22 from its holster. "On your knees."

"Oh yeah, now we're talkin'." Smiling, she knelt before her Ex and pointed to her temple. "Put the barrel right here while I…"

Unfortunately the phone rang and interrupted Amy's fantasy just as her salacious imagination was getting to the best part. "Dammit!" Opening her eyes, she rolled her unsatisfied body to reach for cordless on the nightstand. "This better be important."

"It's about Mike," Schultz somberly replied. "I'm calling to let you know there won't be a limo ride on Friday."

The Sanders Home

10:33 am

Helping Greg secure the entertainment center to the wall, Scott said, "Are you going to rent a limo for that shindig?"

"Nah, I won't be drinking, so I can drive." Chuckling, he added, "My girlfriend knows I can't afford that kind of stuff and she's cool with it."

"You're a lucky man, Son." Scott handed over another wood screw. "Speaking of lucky, I have a date tonight myself."

"Wow, I didn't think you were ready to…"

"I'm just kidding you. It's not a real date. It's Lily from the office. She's visiting her sister's family and called to see how I was doing. She felt sorry for me and asked if I wanted to have dinner."

Greg grinned as he tightened a screw. "How long did she work for you? Fifteen years?"

"Twenty."

"How long has she been divorced?"

"Oh…uh…five years I think."

"It's definitely a real date."

"What?!" Scott broke into an easy laugh.

"She's probably been crushin' on you for years. Now that you're available, she's making her move. Face it, Daddy-O, you're a hot commodity…single, financially sound, good-looking, and straight. It's totally date." Greg jumped up and placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "Do you have condoms, young man?"

"Would you stop?!" Scott half-laughed, half-scolded. "I'm not dating. It's not date, and I certainly don't need condoms."

"That's what I said, right before I got Tawny pregnant with twins."

"Lily is forty-five!"

"Ooh, Daddy likes 'em young."

"Gregory…."

"Ha! I've got you goin'." Greg rushed to open the next box of furniture parts. "Forty-five, huh. That makes her thirteen years younger than you. Gris has you beat, Sara is fourteen years younger than him."

"For the last time, Son…it's not a real date." The frustrated father crouched down and returned to working on a bookshelf. After a few minutes working in silence, he asked, "Do you really think it might be a real date?"

"Just in case, I'll give you my unused condoms."

"I'm not going to sleep with her on the first date!" Scott blasted. "Lily is hardly the type of person to sleep with a man on the first date."

"Well, you're hardly a stranger, you've worked together for twenty years and are close friends. Think about it, if she's been a lonely divorcee for five years, she may very well be hopin' you'll sleep with her. Maybe she wants the two of you to be 'friends with privileges'." Teasing his dad, Greg snickered, "She's probably fantasized about you two getting it on during one of your long-nights at the office." He faked a woman's voice. "'Dr. Sanders, you must be exhausted after hours of reconstructive surgery, how about I give you a neck rub?'"

Dropping his screwdriver, Scott huffed, "Are you happy? I'm officially a nervous wreck now."

"Why would you be nervous about sex? It's not like you haven't had plenty of experience. I heard you having experience all over the house when I was growing up and as recently as my engagement weekend, so I know you're not rusty. Anyway, I'm sure you're right, it's just dinner." Greg ripped open his next cardboard box. "But….just in case it really is a date, I'll safety call you."

"What?"

"Safety call…I call an hour into the date and if you're having a bad time, just pretend that I'm telling you I need help with something, apologize and beat it out of there. If things are going well, cut the call short and get back to the date."

"I like that idea. Yeah, that's good, okay, do that."

"If you need to refill your Viagra prescription, there's a pharmacy two blocks from here." Greg ducked so a flying couch pillow wouldn't hit him in the head. "Oh, that's right…you use Levitra." To busy laughing to duck, he took a pillow in the face.

Nick and Carrie's

10:37 am

"Ow!" Becca rubbed the top of her head as she crawled out from under the dining room table. "Got it!" Emerging with a pacifier in hand she presented it to the eighteen-month old frantic girl crying in the middle of the room.

"Wait!" Carrie shrilled. "You have to wash it before giving it to her!"

"Are you kidding me?! She's been all over the place putting her hands in her mouth, so what difference does…"

"Wash it!"

"Yes, Boss." Only an inch away from popping it in the wailing child's mouth, Becca pulled the pacifier away. "Sorry, kid, your aunt is a germ phobe and…"

"We're baaaaaack!" Nick announced as he walked into the room with Sean. "Guess who I found parking his car out front? Detective Vartann."

When she saw her husband behind Nick, Becca shoved the unwashed pacifier into Claire's mouth and whisked the now contented little girl into her arms. "Look, Honey! I'm playing house with the kids. I'm the mommy and they love me. I've been making designer shoes out of Play-doh and then Matt crushes them with his dinosaur! This little munchkin was screaming her head off until I picked her up and cuddled her, right, Carrie?"

Cringing from the thought of a dust mite-covered pacifier in the girl's mouth, Carrie droned, "Uh huh."

"You look like a pro, Becks." Smiling at his wife's effort to convince him she was ready to be a mom, Tony walked over and squeezed her shoulder while patting the blonde little girl on the head. "Aren't you a cutie?"

"What are you doing here, Honey?" Becca asked as she poured on the maternal charm.

"I was heading out to the range and thought I'd swing by to see if I could pick up some lunch for you hard working lawyer types on the way back. I didn't know Nick had the day off too."

"Quiznos!" Carrie blurted. "Sorry, I've been wanting an Italian sub from there ever since I saw the commercial this morning."

"Quiznos sounds good," Nick seconded. "Hey, Carr…Tony asked me if I wanted to go to the outdoor rifle and pistol club with him and I had this great idea about tying rifles into Sean's homeschool lesson on Colonialism. He's all for it."

"Are you kidding me?! Wendy will flip out if you put a gun in Sean's hands!"

As rehearsed, both men whipped out their NRA cards and said, "Are you proposing to ignore the second amendment when teaching American History? We object!"

"Lawyer wannabes." Carrie rolled her eyes. "Keep your day jobs. Unless you have a musket, I don't see how going to the range ties into Colonialism."

"Ha! I have two!" Nick beamed with pride for outfoxing his legally-gifted fiancée. "Darlin', you can buy muskets. What do you think people use when they do those battle-recreations? My grandpa gave me one for my twelfth birthday."

"Dang!"

"Seriously, my mom will be back soon to watch the kids. How about you finish your work while we grab some take out, and then you ladies tag along with us to the range?" Nick suggested. "I think you'd feel a heck of a lot better about us bein' in the field after you see how well we shoot."

Tony egged on his buddy, "Yeah, Becks, just wait until you see how much better I shoot than Stokes."

"That sounds like a challenge," Nick stated as he took Carrie in his arms. "But in reality, it's just wishful thinkin'."

Carrie turned to Becca. "Do you smell the testosterone-laced BS filling the room?"

"Is that what the smell is?" Becca laughed. "I thought Claire needed a diaper change."

Nick made one last push, "Honestly, with the guns in the house, I'd feel a lot better if you knew how to use one." And with Mike getting out any day now it's prudent.

Ely State Prison

10:49 am

Zipping up the black body bag, the Public Information Officer asked, "Has the family been notified?"

"Parents are deceased," the associate warden replied. "There's a brother in Vegas. He's on his way here."

Sunrise Elementary School

10:51 am

"Daddy's here!" Drew called out to Cassie, when he saw her sitting in the nurse's office. "I'm right here!"

When the little girl saw her father, tears gushed from her eyes once more.

"What's goin' on, Sugar?" Drew knelt before his daughter and took her in his arms. "Is it your tummy? Did you throw up?"

"I don't wanna go to school anymore."

"What? Why? You love school."

"This got her very upset." Nurse Sandy walked over and handed the distraught father the worksheet Cassie had been given in class that morning. "She told me what's happening at home."

When Drew saw the words 'My Family' at the top of the paper, his heart broke. "Yeah, I can see why this would be a problem today."

"I explained that family doesn't just mean a mommy and daddy living in the same house, that families can look very different. We have just about every scenario here and many children aren't living with both parents, so Cassie shouldn't feel as though she's the only one."

"Thank you." Drew picked up his little girl. "It's okay, Honey. You don't have to stay today. How about we go visit grandma and eat some of her yummy chocolate chip cookies? Marta packed your swim suit and Uncle Nicky has a real nice pool, we can go swimming after cookies."

"One…hour," she sniffled into her father's neck. "Marta makes me wait one hour after eatin' so I don't get a bellyache."

"Oops, Daddy forgot that rule. Marta's right, we'll swim first, then have cookies." Taking the worksheet in his free hand, Drew nodded at the nurse. "We'll work on this at home and see how it goes."

"Okay. Bye, Cassie," the nurse waved. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

The Grissoms Front Yard

11:07 am

"Hi, neighbor!" Marlene beckoned as she darted out of the house with her new German Sheppard. "Do you like my new doggie?! I just picked him up at the pound. It's a welcome home gift for my husband."

"How fitting," Sara droned when she saw the hound from hell bare his teeth at a Chihuahua being held by its frightened owner as they hurried by.

Crossing the street, Marlene cackled, "I bet my boy here could take that fat-ass basset hound of yours any day!"

With the mail in hand, Sara snarked, "To play it safe, let's not arrange any play dates."

"I'll try to remember to keep a tight hold on his leash when I walk him, 'cause I'd hate for anything bad to happen."

Sara calmly stood her ground while secretly wishing the German Sheppard would go for its owner's throat. "Good plan, because the city has a leash law and should anything bad happen when your dog is off leash, you'll be held accountable."

"That would probably look bad for my cop husband, huh?"

"He doesn't have his badge, so he's still an ex-cop."

"You have a nice day, Mrs. Grissom." Marlene's smile spread as she stood in front of her neighbor. "Oh…and be on the lookout for an invitation."

Holding up the invite to the LVPD Banquet, Sara replied, "Already got it, thanks."

"That's not the one I was talkin' about." Marlene tugged on her dog's leash. "Let's go, Lady Killer."

"You named your dog Lady Killer?"

"What? I said Lady. Jesus, your over-active imagination must be playin' tricks on you again."

The Blakes

11:31 am

"Paul?!" Wendy shot into the living room and was surprised to see it empty. I could have sworn I heard the front door. Ugh, it's the waiting and stress making me crazy.

Sighing, she returned to the kitchen to complete the batch of chocolate chip hot-cross buns that she was making. Normally she only made them during Easter week, but she was tired of occupying herself with usual banana bread and cookies. One batch had quickly become two when she remembered Nick enjoying the treat earlier that year. Two turned into three when she recalled Jim Brass's profound appreciation of her baked goods. Three turned into four batches when she remembered the drama at little Cassie's house.

With her frosting dispenser in hand, Wendy began making the traditional icing crosses on each bun. I have an urge to make a food symbolizing crucifixion on the day I'm hoping for Mike's violent death. What would a shrink say about that?

To end the self-analysis session, she began singing the child's nursery rhyme, "Hot cross buns…hot cross buns. One penny, two a penny…hot cross buns."

The sharp ring of the phone caused her to squeeze a huge dollop of frosting on one bun. "Shoot." Tossing the dispenser, she raced for the phone. "Hello!"

"Wen…"

"You know, don't you?"

"Honey…"

Wendy focused on the counter full of baked buns. "It didn't work."

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart," Paul's voice cracked. "He received ten stitches and was released."

"From the infirmary?"

"From prison."

"What?!"

"Shultz got someone to lean on the warden citing that if anything else happened to Mike when he had been unjustly imprisoned to begin with, there would be hell to pay. I guess he was supposed to be moved to Administrative Segregation yesterday and it didn't happen, so there's already a lawsuit in the works. The bottom line is…they pushed the paperwork through and let him walk today instead of Friday."

Wendy clutched the counter. "Hot cross buns…I was wrong, they don't symbolize crucifixion."

"Honey?"

"They symbolize the resurrection after the crucifixion." Wendy rushed to the back door and checked the lock. "Ashley!"

"Sweetheart?!"

"I heard something earlier!" The terrified mother raced through the house. "Ashley!" Throwing open the nursery door, she saw her nineteen month old daughter sleeping soundly. "She's okay."

"Honey, Ely is a five hour drive, he couldn't possibly…"

"What if he flew?"

McCarran Airport

1:43 pm

"Michael!" The pastor opened his arms for his prodigy to walk into as soon as he cleared the security barrier. "Welcome home." Beside him, a photographer hired by Schultz snapped pictures.

"It's great to be here." Mike handed Schultz his bag and accepted the embrace. "I'm lucky to be alive."

"It wasn't luck, my son." The pastor placed his hands on Mike's shoulders. "It was divine intervention. The Lord…He had different plans for you."

"Speaking of plans…sadly, I lost the opportunity to counsel Amy Vartann on Friday as planned." During a recorded prison phone call he had bullshitted his mentor that he was luring the wayward woman with a promise of wild sex, because she wouldn't have accepted his invitation if he revealed his true purpose…to rescue her from her wicked ways and encourage her to accept Jesus Christ as her Savior. He was certain the conversation would sound quite convincing on playback when the time came. "I'm sure another opportunity to meet with her will present itself soon enough." Because if I don't screw that bitch by midnight, I'll explode. "Right now, I just want to get home to my loving wife and prepare to serve the Lord while protecting the people of Clark County as a sworn officer of the LVPD." He burst into a sunny smile. "It's the simple things I crave…leaving my home whenever I please…walking my dog…" His grin spread wider still, "…greeting my neighbors."

The Grissoms

1:51 pm

"Jim…" Gil answered the phone in his home office.

"Did you get your invitation to the banquet?"

"Sara has it hanging on the fridge." Tossing his pen, Gil gripped the phone tighter. "We own refrigerator magnets with smiley faces on them, can you believe it?"

"Just in time, because parents need those to hang their kid's drawings on the fridge."

"Exactly why we bought them."

"I can remember hanging Ellie's first fingerpainting on our fridge back in Jersey. God that was an ugly piece of shit."

"The painting?" Gil remarked in surprise.

"No, the fridge. It was an olive green seventies leftover."

"Ah."

After sharing a laugh, Jim reluctantly broached the subject neither wanted to acknowledge. "So…the day finally came."

"Yeah." Gil removed his glasses.

"How's Sara?"

"Oh, as good as a woman is expected to be when the guy who drugged her and almost raped her is moving in across the street."

"The warden said he killed both guys who came at him. I don't even think he had help."

"Let me guess," Gil sighed, "he walked away without a scratch."

"No, he needed ten stitches to close a slice across his chest, which is very encouraging, because it means he's not immortal like I was starting to believe. He bleeds red like the rest of us, but I guess a six foot three, two hundred and seventy-five pound gang banger wasn't the right Goliath."

"Or maybe it just wasn't his day to die." Opening the wood shutters on his office window, Gil watched Marlene decorating her front porch and yard with balloons. "Which makes me wonder…whose day is it?"

Stryker Shooting Range

2:02 pm

"Did I kill the bastard?!" Becca excitedly asked when Tony returned to the concession area with her targets.

"Not quite." He placed the three papers on the picnic table. "The third time, you actually hit the paper though."

"How did I do, Nicky?" Carrie coyly inquired of her stunned fiancé.

"Talk about beginner's luck." Fanning out the three papers, he remained dumbfounded. "A kill shot every time."

"I never said I was a beginner," Carrie stated as she eyed her success. "You assumed I was and I kept my poker face. Tell him, Sean."

"Grandpa bought her lessons," the teen explained. "My dad too. Grandpa's friend owns a range in California and they shot skeet a lot."

Carrie winked at Nick. "Did I forget to mention that my Daddy is a marksman?"

"As if your father didn't already scare the crap out of me. Thanks, Carr."

"Sorry, Nicky…and Becca..." Carrie held out her palm. "You owe me twenty bucks."

"You're a real shady shark, Roxie." Becca opened her designer wallet and forked over the cash. "You're buying the frozen yogurt we talked about getting on the way home."

"Deal."

"How did I do?" Sean anxiously asked while trying to peek at the last set of papers in his uncle's hand. "Can I see my targets?"

"Not too shabby, pal." Nick proudly placed the papers on the table. "I credit your coach."

"Wow! Ryan is going to be so jealous I got to do this with you!"

Carrie placed her arm around her nephew's shoulders. "I'd tell Ryan he could come next time, but there won't be a next time because your mother is going to kill Nick for letting you hold a gun."

"Hmm…I see they have archery here," Becca casually commented. "How about we try that? Carrie, since I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll go double or nothing."

"I bet they had a very nice archery program at haughty Camp Dunmore," Carrie said, after seeing one of Becca's tells. "And I bet you were an expert by the end of the summer."

"Busted!" Becca laughed. "I was motivated, because the instructor was a hottie."

"Kind of like the instructor you had just now, huh?" Tony cracked to his wife, and was quickly rewarded with a kiss to the cheek. "Okay, archery's on me."

"I'm not shooting at paper deer!" Carrie immediately stipulated. "I'm not a Bambi killer."

"I'm with you, Rox. The idea of killing an innocent creature makes me ill." Becca winked at her husband. "Instead, I'm going to draw a picture of Tony's ex-wife on the target." Grinning, she said, "I predict a string of bulls-eyes."

Nick joked, "Hey now, let's not talk about who we'd like to see dead while we're in front of the impressionable teen…cough Mike Rodgers cough."

The Grissoms

2:17 pm

Standing in the window of his office watching Mike's arrival, Gil took his pulse for the second time that day.

"What's your pulse at now, Honey?" Sara asked from the doorway.

"Ninety-two," he answered while moving his gaze from his watch to the window. "He has an entourage."

Sara joined her husband and peered through the slats of the wood blinds. "You neglected to mention his shoulders doubled in size."

"Prisoners lift weights to pass the time."

"And their workouts, they get to enjoy cable TV and eat junk food." Her words dripping with sarcasm, Sara remarked, "I think it's great that the prison system encourages our best killers to get stronger instead of weaker. Now Mike can snap a neck with one hand, instead of two. Ugh, look at Marlene slobbering all over him." Sara shivered. "She's cuddling up to a rapist and a cold-blooded killer. Marlene, how the hell can you not sense it?"

"Ted Bundy's girlfriend was asked the same question."

"He's looking right at us," Sara flatly stated when Mike turned to face their house. "He's watching us watch him."

Suddenly Flash reared to his hind legs and stood between his owners.

"I think he senses the evil," Sara remarked while petting her dog's head and when the animal barked, she jumped. "Marlene's falling for the act, but Flash isn't."

"Good boy."

Stryker Shooting Range

2:21 pm

"Take that!" Becca excitedly watched her arrow pierce the target. "Yessssss! I hit the stick-bitch I drew, right between the eyes! Let's see you do better than that, Stokes!"

"She's really not a violent person," Tony informed Sean, who was watching Becca dance and put a hex on Nick.

"Dammit!" Nick lowered his bow in a huff. "We're not leavin' until I get a friggin' bullseye. All of y'all got 'em! This sucks."

"Nicky…" Carrie pointed to Sean. "Let's set a good example for the boy."

"Sorry." Nick grabbed another arrow. "Sean, when at first you don't succeed…try, try again."

Circus Circus

2:33 pm

"We'll try again," Ken told his son as they walked through the crowd. "But not right away. Fights happen in prison all the time and it's easy to explain it away. Out here though…they'll round up the people with motive. You'd be at the top of the list along with Gil Grissom and Sara."

"Yeah."

"That works two ways though." Ken leaned against the rail and watched carefree people having fun. "Mike will be the obvious suspect if anything happens to the family too. He knows that and I suspect he'll lay low and take a little time to gain the trust of those around him."

"And while he does that…"

"We bide our time and wait for the right opportunity." Focusing on the arcade in front of him, Ken smiled, "As a cop he's bound to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time eventually. Who knows, maybe we won't even have to hire someone. Maybe he'll push Nick's buttons enough to have him do it for free. It's not common, but cops are killed by friendly fire when all hell breaks loose."

"Nick doesn't strike me as the murdering kind, Dad."

"I wasn't either…until something happened to your sister." Ken turned to his son smiling. "Carrie is Gwen Stacy."

"Huh?"

"A smart bookish girl and most importantly…Spiderman's first and true love, the girl he planned on spending the rest of his life with."

"But I thought Mary Jane was Spiderman's girlfriend."

"That's because Spiderman doesn't go around telling people how he failed Gwen in the most important of ways. Trust me…once the Green Goblin comes sniffing around Carrie, Nicky will put himself in the right place at the right time."

"What if Mike doesn't bother Carrie?"

Ken stared into his son's eyes, "Then someone will simply have to make it look like he is."

Stryker Shooting Range

2:47 pm

"Bullseye!" Nick rejoiced as he imagined Mike dropping dead and Carrie rushing towards him safe and sound.

"It's about friggin' time," Tony groaned.

"Where is everyone else?"

"They went to the snack bar for sodas." Tony stood and stretched. "I was enjoying feeling superior to you far too much to leave."

"Thanks for playing the part of my asshole big brother." Nick laughed and packed up the rental bow. "Becca was right. Visualizing the enemy worked like a charm."

"Yeah, that and thirty-six tries."

"Shut up." With the case in hand, Nick walked with his buddy. "Is Amy really bein' that much of a bitch? I don't remember her bein' that way to me."

"Probably because she wanted to sleep with you behind my back." Tony slapped on his sunglasses. "I just found out she was with Rodgers right before the thing with Sara, maybe before then too, who the hell knows."

Nick's stomach twisted. "That would coincide with him tellin' me he was really lonely because his wife died."

Macy's

3:01 pm

Walking to the men's department with Tawny, Scott said, "Greg thinks that Lily asked me to dinner because she's lonely. He thinks it's a real date, not just dinner, so…I thought I should get a new shirt just in case. You know…because I wouldn't want to show up in something she's seen a bunch of times if she's expecting the evening to be special."

"I think it's pretty obvious where Greg gets his sweet side from."

"And he gets his insanity from Bev." Scott shook his head. "That was awfully catty."

"And very true." Tawny lunged for a shirt that caught her eye. "Ooh, I think this will look very nice on you."

"It's a little young for me, don't you think?"

"I met Lily that day you took me to the office, remember?" Tawny held the shirt up to her father-in-law. "She'll like this and no, it's not too young for a handsome fifty-eight year old getting back into the dating scene. Ooh, that reminds me…Greg wanted to make sure you have nice new boxer shorts in case it turns into a sleepover."

"Tawny!" Scott's cheeks burned red. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with my daughter-in-law."

"Don't be embarrassed," she giggled, "I'm used to having sixty year old men talking about far dirtier things as I sat on their laps earning rent money."

"Yeesh, let's go back to talking about boxer shorts, because that visual makes my skin crawl. Men are such pigs."

Nick's Armada

3:45 pm

"Seriously, Sean," Nick prodded, "is that the best burp you can do? You need to work on that, pal. When you're out with the guys, it needs to sound like this."

When his uncle let one rip, the well-mannered boy got over the embarrassment of his accidental burp and laughed. "I think Ryan is louder than you."

Taking a big gulp of Diet Coke, Becca said, "But can you say words while you burp, Stokes?" She proceeded to annunciate 'girls rule' while burping.

"Nice, Honey." Tony smiled approvingly. "Next time we're with my brothers, pull that trick out of your hat and they won't think you're a prissy girl."

"C'mon, Carr," Nick poked his uber-competitive fiancée. "Let's see what you got."

"No way." She covered her mouth with her palm. "I'm a lady."

The Duke Motel

5:14 pm

"You're an animal," Amy panted as she pulled herself up off the filthy floor where she had been thrown and ravaged. "That was so damn hot."

"You're nuts," Mike laughed as he tossed his condom in the trash. "That says a lot coming from me, but whatever…it's a free country, psychotics are entitled to get off too."

"I love your wacky sense of humor."

Bending down, he picked up the switch blade he had used during the role play. "Humor and my hand-to-hand combat skills were my coping mechanisms in the joint." Tucking in his shirt, Mike explained, "So…here's our cover. We'll meet for Bible chats three times a week and on Sundays, you start attending church looking more and more devout each time. It's a place called Desert Springs. Stokes and the Blakes go there too. I'll be bringin' the missus there as well. You do that for me and I'll do you anyway you want, Baby."

"Sounds fair," she purred while picking up the thong Mike had sliced off her.

"Do you have the work schedules I asked you to bring?"

Tossing her underwear in the trash she answered, "They're in my purse."

"Thanks, with you and Val helping, Sara and I will eventually end up somewhere together. Preferably someplace dark and on the outskirts of town, that'll be good for a laugh."

"You're not actually going to hurt anyone right?"

"Of course not, Baby." He tenderly stroked Amy's disheveled hair. "I'm a lover, not a fighter. Trust me, it's in my best interests to make sure Wendy, Grissom, Stokes and their loved ones stay alive and well, because if anything happens to one of them, all fingers will be pointed at me. I need payback though, so I'm gonna screw with their heads. Their over-active imaginations and paranoid minds will kick into high gear and they'll start to look ridiculous. It'll be great. Actually, I probably won't even have to do much, they'll start driving themselves and each other crazy, you'll see. They're all a bunch of uptight whack jobs, just like your ex-husband."

"Yeah, what about Tony?" she asked with a gleam in her eye. "You said you'd help me give him a little grief without hurting him."

"Don't worry." Gliding his hands over Amy's bare shoulders, he grinned, "I've been thinking about that ever since you asked during your visit to Ely and I've come up with the perfect plan."

"Oooh! Tell me what you planned!"

After running his tongue over her jugular vein, Mike whispered, "I want it to be a surprise."

Author's Notes:

Me too! Me too! Although I bet you're catching on faster than Amy!

Now that he's alive, here are a few hints:

Mike thinks of crime like wine…it's takes a little time before it's fine.

Ken really knows his psychos (uhh…takes one to know one, maybe?). Mike's words to Amy almost match Ken's to Paul. The game of chess is just beginning and it's impossible to make a direct hit to the King…but direct hits aren't any fun for Mike anyway, they've never been.

Killing, while not a problem for him, isn't Mike's goal. He only kills when a player is hindering the advancement of the mental game he's taken time to structure…or when someone busts him. He never intended for Sara to get sick in Tahoe, he didn't know she had taken allergy medication. He had just started the game in Vegas. Here's a secret…he never even intended on sleeping with her that night, he planned to make her think they had and then feel insulted for her not remembering it.

For comic book lovers…the bad guy (The Reverend) is back in action and he has amassed a bunch of disgruntled people on his side (like any good villain would), but the good guys are stronger, wiser and there are more of them than the first time around. Most importantly, unlike before, they're together, not functioning in their own little worlds.

If you think about it, all the characters have been referenced in comic book names along the way…The Bug Man, The Texan, Chuckles, Good Cop, etc. Then there are the women… Roxie, Boom-Boom, Princess…there's even a Boy Wonder, right? They work and live in Sin City, trying to make the world a better place, but along the way they've encountered a host of villains and peril.

They all have their own unique strengths and skills…and their own weaknesses. No one is invincible, but together they're strong.

There are always a few characters who fall somewhere in the middle…they're fighting for good, but crossing the line to do it. Ken Blake anyone? Does anyone remember the story of Gwen Stacy as told to Sean by Nick seven million chapters ago in FS? LOL

Sooooooooooo….what does the Bad Guy usually do in comic book stories? LOL there are multiple answers to this question…

Next Chapter posting: Wednesday, October 18

Thanks for reading!
Maggs