Author's Note: I'd like to thank KenH for his review. KenH: All will be revealed in this chapter. There are two flashbacks in this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 38

Indian Ocean, 1834…

True to his word, the captain had let Henry select one of the open bunks after he had tended to the sick crewman. The others who had been snatched had to earn their right to a bunk and they had slowly been allowed out of the cage. Most of the time, Henry found himself looking at the small cuts, abrasion, and occasional broken bones of the men. When there wasn't anything for him to do medically, the captain had him looking after the food.

They had been at sea for several weeks at this point. "Captain, how much longer before we reach our destination?"

"That all depends on the weather." The captain looked up from his map. "But we should be in Canton in a couple weeks. Why? Are we running low on something?"

"No, sir. Most of the food is in good supply. I was simply curious."

"I take it you've never been to China before."

"I have not."

The captain smiled. "Where we're going is a den of sin and debauchery. Yer fancy schooling will be very out of place there."

"How so?"

"Let's say that the slums of London will seem like the Queen's palace after you've been in Canton for a day."

Henry took his leave of the Captain and returned to the galley to help the "chef" with the next meal. Henry had been raised with the gentry, always a member of the wealthy class. After Nora's betrayal, he'd lived in the slums, stealing food and trying to find somewhere dry to sleep. If Canton was an awful place to live, why did people live there? Why conduct trade there? He shook his head. There was no use wondering about things now. He'd see the place soon enough.

Present day…

Jo stood up to get feeling back in her arms. While she was standing, she managed to get the nail to balance in the space her handcuffs were thread through. When she sat down again, she tried to use it to pick the lock on her handcuffs. It took several tries to get the point of the nail into the key hole. She'd even stabbed herself trying to blindly find the right spot. After trying to get the cuffs open for twenty minutes, Jo thought she was getting close. Until the nail dropped from her hand and bounced away.

"Damn it."

"You wouldn't have gotten away." Adam had somehow entered the room without her hearing him.

"You seem pretty sure of that." Jo turned around so she was facing him.

"The door is locked from the outside and I'm the only one with the key." Adam held up the Polaroid camera. "One more picture."

"Are these for your scrapbook?" Jo blinked when the flash went off.

"No, these are for Henry. I've been leaving them around the city, leading him from one place to another until he gets here to you. Think of it as… proof of life." He headed for the door, but stopped when his pocket buzzed. "Someone tripped the silent alarm."

"Who?"

Adam grinned as he looked at the security footage. "Henry. And he's alone." He taped the photo to the door. "Not a word, Detective."

Minutes earlier…

Henry got out of the cab at the gate to the warehouse facility and slowly walked inside. There were a lot of buildings here. Plenty of places to hide someone without anyone knowing about it. He wondered if he should call Detective Hanson, but he had no phone so that wasn't really an option. Henry double checked the note for the millionth time for the warehouse number. This way. He turned left and started walking.

When he got to the right building, he tried the door and found it was open. His heart was pounding in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Jo is supposed to be here. He might be able to get her out, or he was about to see her die. Or she was going to see him die again. As long as Adam let her go, dying would be worth it. His footsteps echoed down the hall. He almost walked right by the door when he noticed the picture taped to it.

Under the picture was a key, which Henry used to unlock the door. "Jo?"

"Henry? Henry, it's a trap!"

Henry opened the door. "Jo, where is he?"

"Behind you!"

"Umph!" Henry grunted as he was hit from behind and fell to the floor.

"Henry!" Jo was frantic, but Henry had to tune her out as his attention was focused on Adam.

Adam shut the door behind him. "Hello, Henry. I was surprised to find out that your partner missed your disappearance last year." He stabbed Henry in the stomach as the doctor stood up. "She won't miss this one."

Henry groaned in pain. "Why are you doing this?" He could still hear Jo, but everything was getting foggy as the pain clouded his mind.

"I already told you; I plan to make your life a living hell. You should have kept me out of prison, out of the system. Now you'll have to run too. Just like me." Adam twisted the knife and Henry collapsed as he passed out.

Canton, 1834…

Canton, called Guangzhou by the locals, was densely populated down at the docks where foreigners were confined, but it looked like the city was just as populated. Henry had not expected to see the western style architecture along the waterfront, but it made sense; the countries that came here to trade would have needed to build their own headquarters. The flags of all the different nations marked which buildings belonged to which nation. When Henry stepped onto the dock, he was stunned by the sights and sounds of such a foreign place.

One of the sailors approached Henry. "Need a guide?"

"I think I can manage." Henry looked around and noticed a sign on a nearby building that read, "Doctor needed." He pointed to the sign. "When I'm released from duty, I'll inquire over there."

The sailor read the sign. "You want to stay here?"

Henry nodded. "For a time. I've always been a curious man. I'd like to stay and learn what this culture has to offer."

The sailor shook his head as he walked away. "You're a strange man, Doc."

Seconds earlier…

Henry opened the door. "Jo, where is he?"

Jo was happy to see Henry, but horrified to see Adam standing right behind him. "Behind you!" Adam swung a board into Henry's upper back and knocked him to the ground. "Henry!"

Adam shut the door behind him. "Hello, Henry. I was surprised to find out that your partner missed your disappearance last year." Henry was just standing up when Adam thrust a knife into his stomach. "She won't miss this one."

Henry groaned in pain. "Why are you doing this?"

Jo was pulling on her restraints, trying to break them or slip her hands out. "Henry, stay with me!"

"I already told you; I plan to make your life a living hell. You should have kept me out of prison, out of the system. Now you'll have to run too. Just like me." Adam twisted the knife.

"Henry!" Jo's wrists, which had only been chafed before, were now bleeding. "Henry, talk to me!" Henry fell and passed out. "Henry!"

Adam pulled the knife from Henry's body. "He's only got a few moments left. Are you ready?"

Jo was crying. "Henry!" Part of her was surprised that she was so emotional. She'd seen Henry die before. But Adam was trying to find a way to end his "curse," so his involvement tonight was a terrifying thing. "Henry, come on! Wake up!"

Henry exhaled for the last time and then his body vanished. Jo jumped back, half to fool Adam and half because it was still so strange to watch. Adam smiled at the shock on her face and, without a word, tossed the keys to her handcuffs in her general direction before walking out of the room. Jo took a few deep breaths and then started trying to get the key off the floor. They were just out of her reach. Just before she gave up, Hanson and several uniforms burst into the room.

"He took Henry. Adam just took him!" Jo stopped struggling when Hanson snatched up the key. "They left a couple minutes ago."

"Are you all right?"

"No! That psychopath has Henry!"

Hanson unlocked the handcuffs. "Jo, stop. You're bleeding."

"We have to stop Adam!" Jo stood up and rushed out the door.

Meanwhile…

Henry's head broke through the water and he sucked in a deep breath. Jo! Adam killed me without releasing her. Henry swam for the buoy and then dove down to retrieve his clothing stash. He was worried about Jo, but he had to get dressed before he could go looking for her. He reached the bank of the river and toweled off before getting dressed. Right as he finished, he heard Jo shouting his name. Henry shoved his bag under a bush and then jumped back into the river.

"Henry!"

"I'm here!" He waded out of the river.

"Oh, thank God." She ran to him. "When Adam took you, I thought…"

Henry quickly figured out the scenario that Jo was giving him. "I'm all right. I… managed to escape."

Jo stepped back. "Why were you in the river?"

"That's the only place I could go to get away." He looked at her wrists. "You're bleeding."

Hanson handed Henry a first aid kit. "One of the uni's grabbed this from their car."

"Thank you." Henry say on a nearby bench so he could tend to Jo's wrists. "I can bandage your wounds, but you should still get them looked at. You don't want to get an infection."

"Okay."

Henry cleaned and wrapped up Jo's wrists. At some point a blanket had been draped over Henry's shoulders and an ambulance arrived to take Henry and Jo to the hospital. Henry sent a text to Abe from the paramedic's phone. Jo pretended to send a text too, but actually, she was making sure to erase the text Henry had sent. Now Abe knew Henry and Jo were safe and that he needed to retrieve the bag his father had stashed. Jo handed the phone back and leaned her head on Henry's shoulder.

"The blanket's wet."

"At least it's warm in here." Henry kissed the top of his head. "Are you okay?"

"I am now."

Meanwhile…

Adam had concealed himself near where Henry would surface and watched what happened. Detective Martinez, followed by the others, had arrived at the river a little too quickly for her to have not known ahead of time. She's good. He had bought her act, but that's all it had been. She should have been shocked to see Henry walking around uninjured, but not only had she been fine with it, she had come up with a lie to explain how Henry had ended up there.

"If threatening those you love won't change you, Henry, then maybe I'll have to change how I play the game."

Later…

Jo was being kept in the hospital for observation. Adam hadn't fed her at all, so she'd been exhausted and starving when the ambulance arrived at the hospital. They'd hooked her up to fluids, checked and re-wrapped her wrists, and brought her some food before she passed out for the night. Henry was given a checkup, but other than being wet, he was fine. Abe brought his father some dry clothes and Henry fell asleep in Jo's room, holding her hand.

In the middle of the night, Jo startled awake. "Ah!"

"Jo?" Henry woke up.

The rapid beating of the machines brought Jo back to where she was. "Bad dream. It was nothing."

"You're sure?" Henry sat on the side of her bed.

"No." She sighed. "I dreamed Adam was here, in my bedroom taking me again."

"He can't get to you in here. Two uniforms are outside. He won't get past them."

"I know." She lay back down. "You're not leaving, right?"

"No, I'm not leaving."

Jo scooted over and pat the spot next to her. "No need for you to be uncomfortable."

Henry smiled and lay down, pulling her into his arms. "If you insist, my Lady."

Jo laughed and they fell asleep with Jo's head on Henry's shoulder, an arm draped across his chest. When her doctor came in to check on her in the morning, Henry slipped out of the bed and left to search for his breakfast. By the time he came back to the room with his food and coffee, Jo was awake and eating what had been brought to her. She smiled when he walked in and they ate in silence, comfortable just to be together.

Hanson looked exhausted when he came in. "Morning, you two. Get a good night's sleep?"

"Looks like you didn't." Jo handed him her juice.

"Thanks." Hanson gulped it down. "I was out with the search parties all night. We couldn't find him. An APB is out on him, but if he's smart, he'll be in Canada by now."

"Border's been notified?"

"Yeah, but the Canadian border's not as tight as the one for Mexico. There are ways."

Henry shook his head. "He won't go to Canada."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not there. He'll stick around, but he'll be laying low, waiting for a chance to strike."

"I hope you're wrong, Doc."

"So do I. But the fact remains that he is obsessed with me. He'll be back."

"Then we'll be ready for him." Hanson set the glass on Jo's tray table. "Thanks for the juice. I'm heading home to get some rest."

"See ya." Jo waited until Hanson was out the door. "Will we be ready?"

"We're talking about a man with two thousand years of experience. There's no way to prepare for that."

A/N: The next case is typed up, so there should just be a week off before I begin posting it. Stay tuned!