Chipping Through the Ice

Chapter 46

"You're early," Lanie notes when Farley shows up at her lab.

He grins down at her. "I won't have any business to do on my case until I hear from Barbara Stratton and I wanted to see you. Also, I wanted to tell you that I talked to Lisa, and she's going to try to get her husband to double with us. She suggested that if we want to drag him away from his work for a while, we should pick a Scandinavian restaurant - one that serves lingonberry jam. She said it's one of his few weaknesses. I don't even know what that is," he admits with a crooked smile. "I've never had it."

"I did once," Lanie recalls, "when I was at college. An exchange student from Sweden brought it to a potluck to go with some meatballs. It wasn't bad. It tasted sort of like cranberry sauce. One of my girlfriends who got hooked on a crazy fish diet said there's a Scandinavian place uptown. We could…"

A "Law and Order" doink-doink emanates from Farley's pocket. "That's my ring tone for Kate. I should get it." He stares at the image in the attachment. "Sonofa…"

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"A stalker I thought I'd left behind in Detroit has shown up in New York, outside OOTC."

"That's scary! What are you going to do about it?"

"That deranged woman believes she's in love with me and that I could fall in love with her." Farley gathers Lanie in his arms. "I'm not afraid for me, but she kept saying that there's no one who could ever love me the way she does. She might be unhinged enough to come after you. I can't let that happen. I need to talk to her."

"How are you going to find her?"

"She's outside OOTC right now, probably waiting for me to show up. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Be careful, Baby," Lanie urges. "I've had more than one body on my table of a victim who was sure they could deal with love gone crazy."


Cyril hates having to do business with Kate Beckett-Castle. She's probably just like the Hendriks old woman, taking charge, bossing men around, but he can use the money. His business has been falling off lately. A couple of college brats started a competing company. They're hiring students cheap to work for them and undercutting his prices. Locking commercial buildings into contracts is what can keep him going.

At least the coffee is good. The bitch gave it to him in a fancy mug, so he can't take it with him when he leaves, but he can drink it while she jaws. She seems to be jawing a lot about New York grime and how she likes windows she can see through. He forces a smile. "Ma'am, if you want your glass to really shine, we're talking about service at least once a month."

"That is what I was thinking, Mr. Mulligan," Kate agrees. "Do you have a standard contract we can fill in or shall I use an OOTC form?"

Mulligan reaches into a soft leather briefcase he's carried ever since starting his business and pulls out several printed sheets. The case was expensive, but it has generally conveyed the right image. "I always come prepared."

Kate carefully hands him a pen. "So do I."


Farley can smell the chips even before he spots Janelle's hiding place. Her mouth falls open as he towers above her. "Janelle, you can't do this."

She jumps at him, trying to wrap her arms around his neck. "Farley, you need me. Those other women - they're nothing. They'll never understand you the way I do. I'm a part of you, your other half. I always have been."

Farley uncoils her grasp. "Janelle, you need help. I can get it for you - counseling, whatever it takes - but it can't be me. I don't love you. I never will."

Janelle pushes away from him. "I don't need no counseling. It's that bitch, isn't it? The one at 520. She's in your head. But can't you see? I'm better. I know your heart. You will love me. You'll have to love me. I can feel it."

"Janelle, you're wrong. That's never going to happen."

Janelle's anguished scream echoes across the parking lot. "It will! I'll get that bitch, and you won't stop me!" She flies at him, fingernails raking at his face.

Farley captures her hands before quickly lifting and throwing her over his shoulder. "I didn't want to do this, but I'm making a citizen's arrest for assault. I'm going to bring you inside where I can keep you from hurting anyone else until I get the police over here. You're going to get some help whether you want it or not."


Hunt's encrypted phone vibrates with an alert. труб – 1044 is a designation for a pipe inspection crawler, the schematic and the specs are attached. What the hell would Volkov want with a…? A picture forms in Hunt's mind as he scans the documents. Volkov could launch that thing from anywhere in the general vicinity of the loft. He could do… Damn! Hunt knows what he could pull off himself with a tool like that. He's blown targets up with cellphones. He can only imagine how much explosive Volkov could load on the little robot. At least with the specs, he's got the frequency for the telemetry. He can home in on the robot and on Volkov, but he damn well better grab a scanner and get down to Soho - fast.


Rick shakes his head when he gets the call from Kate. She went to OOTC to get evidence on a murderer, and the situation ends up with Farley having to grab his stalker. As Rick's favorite spaceship captain says, "Nothing ever goes smooth." The grammar is bad, but the sentiment is accurate. Kate will be staying around OOTC until the police finish taking a report. After that, Paula and Mick will be accompanying her home. He checks the fridge. At least there's a bottle of breast milk for Callie. And Kate will probably be famished too. She sounded proud of herself about getting both DNA and prints from Mulligan and springing a trap on bad guys always makes her ravenous.

He can put Callie in her swing near the kitchen while he puts together a crime buster's dinner. He studies the contents of the shelves. There's leftover spicy chicken that he can throw in with pasta, and there are plenty of veggies for one of the huge salads Kate likes. He'll need something for dessert. He's considering what to do with fresh strawberries when a loud rap on the door breaks his train of thought.

Rick never thought he'd see his father standing on his doorstep again. "Richard - you've got to take the baby and get out of here. And don't let Alexis or Martha or Kate come near the place."

"I've got security," Rick protests.

"I know," Hunt acknowledges. "I had to show them ID before they'd let me come up. Listen, I don't have time to explain, but the guy who planted that camera doesn't have to get close blow this building sky high. I think I can stop him, but I have to know you're all going to be safe."

"Shouldn't I call the police, the bomb squad?"

"By the time they get it together to handle this, it may be too late. Please, son, just do what I tell you."