CHAPTER 53

Duncan grabbed the package before it fell into the floor as Methos fumbled to open a blue note he'd noticed tucked beside the grotesque hoof. His hand literally shook as he focused on the neatly printed words.

"I wonder if your children will fare better than this unfortunate beast? I'm not out of matches."

"Oh God." Methos handed the note to Duncan and reached for his cell phone.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't use that. Airline security policy doesn't allow the use of cell phones or other electronic devices in flight." The flight attendant smiled as she recited company policy.

"You don't understand." Methos continued to dial the numbers, not having the patience or the time to argue . "MacLeod make her understand."

"Sir I need you to give me that phone." Other passengers began to notice as well as a male flight attendant who was bringing the cart down the aisle.

"Marlene." Duncan read her nametag and used his most charming smile. "My friend just received a very disturbing message and he needs to make sure his family is all right. Please help us make sure they are all right."

The young woman wasn't understanding. "Message? How could he receive a message? I didn't see him using the phone before. Sir were you using your phone?"

She stepped back to let the male attendant step between she and Duncan.

"Sir move aside. We need that cell phone and we need it now." He shoved Duncan out of the way and made the mistake of putting his hands on Methos. Beth's sleepy voice was just starting to answer when the man grabbed the phone from his hands.

Unable to control his rage or frustration, all Methos could think of was that although it was morning in Rome, Beth and the children were asleep in their beds unprotected and unaware of the danger. His fist connected with the flight attendant's jaw, bringing him down hard.

In a matter of seconds two other passengers who thought this was a hijacking were on top of both he and MacLeod and an Air Marshall stood in the aisle with his firearm drawn as he ordered them to lie face down.

"Please." Methos plead with the man as he looked up over his shoulder from the floor. "My wife and children are in danger. Please someone just tell her she needs to call her brothers. Please You have to take this plane back to Rome. I have to get to them. I have to protect them."

He could hear her voice calling out to him from the cell phone that lay beneath the seat. The flight attendant he'd slugged picked it up, his eyes boring into Methos' pleading gaze as he closed the cover, leaving Beth to wonder what had happened.

"You bastard!" Methos gritted between his teeth as the Air Marshall clicked the handcuffs behind him and drug him to his feet. "If anything happens to my family I'll kill you. Do you hear me? I will kill you."

"Adam please." Duncan had been cuffed in a seat at the back of the plane alongside him. "You aren't helping."

"I don't care. I have to make them listen." Methos wasn't thinking rationally.

"What is this?" One of the flight attendants handed the tin with the charred hoof to the Air Marshall. They both wrinkled their noses in disgust.

Duncan gave Adam's leg a kick and a look that said he should shut up and let him handle it. He was just as upset, but at least could see that a much calmer approach might make it possible for them to help Beth and the children.

"That is what I was trying to explain to Marlene." He nodded toward the flight attendant trying to calm passengers. "My friend was given an overnight package as we left our hotel this morning. He didn't open it until we were here on the plane. Two nights ago his family's stables were burned. They thought it was an accident, but if you check under the seat for the note that came inside you will see it is not."

The Air Marshall nodded to one of the passengers who had helped him and the man moved to check under the seat. There was no note. Without anyone noticing, the male flight attendant had picked it up and put it in the garbage. There was no proof.

"Would you at least please call the authorities in Ridgetop, Tennessee?" Adam had to keep trying. "They will tell you about the fire and you can have them put my family under protection."

The Air Marshall did make a call, but not to Ridgetop. Instead he called Airline Security and what he learned did not leave him inclined to make any further attempts to authenticate the story. The office had received a fax with a description of Adam Pierson that morning. It was attached to an alert that tied him to a remote terrorist faction unhappy with recent developments in South Africa. A second fax was an alert that he was wanted for questioning in conjunction with the murder of a woman in Ireland and might be travelling under the name Dr. Benjamin Adams.

The next ten hours were filled with anguish as Methos couldn't even consider his own dilemma for worrying about Beth and the children. When they arrived in Sydney, he and MacLeod were spirited off to the offices of the Australian Federal Police, where they were separated and questioned for more than five hours before officials were forced to admit that aside from the disturbance on the plane, they didn't have anything to hold Duncan on.

He hadn't actually been party to the assault on the flight attendant nor had he resisted any order given him, so they were forced to set him free. They did not however allow him to speak with Adam, who was trying his best to pull himself together under interrogation.

Duncan's first call was to Peter Harris. He had a suspicion Beth was probably worried out of her mind after the phone call where Methos hadn't been able to say anything. His suspicions were right. In fact Beth was at her Father's house with the children, pacing the floor when he called.

"Is that Duncan?" She picked up the extension when her Father nodded. "Duncan? What's happening? Where is Adam? There were men here from the FBI Duncan. They were asking a lot of questions."

Duncan had been afraid of this. Whoever was setting Adam up was certainly covering all their bases. It was becoming more clear that Amanda's death was a part of something much bigger. "Beth, Adam is fine. He's in police custody here in Sydney, but aside from being sick with worry over you and the children, he's fine."

"Worried about us? Why would he be in custody? Duncan, what is going on?"

"Beth you need to stay as calm as you can. Peter? Are you still there?" Duncan wanted to make sure she had support when she heard the news.

"I'm here Duncan. Just tell us what is going on."

"Adam was detained initially because he caused a disturbance on the plane." Duncan began. "This morning before we left the hotel he received an overnight package from you Beth, but didn't open it until we were already in the air."

"A package? Duncan I didn't send a package."

"We know that now, but Beth whoever sent it used the decorative return address labels you put on everything. It looked like a baking tin but there weren't any cookies inside." Duncan took a deep breath. "Beth it was a threat. The note inside the box eluded to the fact that the stable fire was not an accident and that you and the children are a target for another fire. That's why he was so upset. They wouldn't let him use his phone to call you. You can imagine how crazy he was. For the past 15 hours he's been imagining you being burned alive in your sleep." He purposely left out the part about the charred hoof. There was no need to make this any worse than it was for her.

Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing. "They threatened us? But why? Who is doing this Duncan?"

"We don't know, but I am going to find out. In the meantime you need to concentrate on keeping yourself and the children safe while I figure out a way to get Adam out of police custody."

"Can't he just pay a fine for the disturbance Duncan? I can have the chief of police here in Ridgetop speak with the authorities there. They could explain " Peter Harris interrupted.

"I'm afraid that is the least of his worries." Duncan went on to explain the other information the authorities were holding Adam on. There were no formal charges yet, but legally in Australia they could hold him for five days without filing charges and then there were any of a number of things they could use to hold him.

"Duncan do whatever you have to do to get him out of there." Beth fought hard to keep her voice steady and under control as she saw all three of her children standing in the doorway hearing everything.

"Make sure he knows that we are all right. He's probably so worried about us he can't focus on his own situation. You've got to ease his mind and let him know we are safe." Beth wanted so badly to go to him.

"We'll protect Leandra and the children." Peter assured Duncan. "I'll call Kyle and Justin as soon as we hang up, and the police. They won't be able to get to them. You know I won't let that happen now that we know they are in danger."

Duncan knew that for now this was all he could do and he would have to trust Beth's family would indeed keep them safe. He needed to work on his end to free Methos if he could.

Beth explained to the Ryan, Joey and Cassie that there had been some kind of mix-up. They had been at home when the FBI came to answer questions, and now they were even more confused.

"We've just got to sit tight and wait for your father to clear all of this up." Beth tried to make them feel more confident by appearing certain this would all work out.

"But I heard Grandpa say he was going to call Uncle Kyle and Uncle Justin and the police. I heard him say we needed protection." Ryan's questions were quite direct.

Beth fell back on the story they had used so many years ago, knowing her Father would pick up on it and support her. "Ryan, your father used to work undercover. This was before you were born before I met him, but even though it was a long time ago, there are people who won't let it go."

Cassie immediately knew this was a cover story, but also knew she had to keep silent.

Joey had heard his cousins mention this before. Some had been old enough to understand when their parents talked about the time they thought his father was dead. "So someone is trying to get to Dad by threatening us?"

Beth nodded. "The fire in the stables wasn't an accident. It was a warning."

Kyle was just coming in the door when he heard the end of the conversation. "Now do you understand why we didn't want you to stay with him Leandra?"

Beth knew her brother was upset, but she wasn't going to hear this not now. "Kyle you know how much I love Adam. Please don't make me fight you on top of whoever is trying to hurt my children and my husband. Please "

Kyle kept his silence, but he wasn't going to drop the subject forever.

He and Justin decided it would be easier if their sister and the children stayed with their father. They would take turns staying with them. They were sure Rayna and Chris's husbands would be willing to help, and the police promised to keep a car on patrol around the clock.

When Duncan called back later to say he had been allowed to speak with Adam briefly, he breathed a sigh of relief that they had made all the arrangements to protect themselves. "Adam will be relieved to know."

"Tell him we love him." Beth made him promise.