Arc Five: Something Smells Rotten in the Big Apple

Part 4: Bandits Strike Back

Behind the Plaza Hotel

December 23, 1991-3:13 P.M.

(Christine's PoV:)

'Damn! Damn! Damn! Why can't we catch a break from these maniacs trying to kill us?!' I mentally scream at the Heavens. The bandits hold us at gunpoint again in the alleyway behind the hotel, after just escaping another lunatic, who tried to kill the three of us. I shield both of my scared siblings. I quickly see Kevin shove his hand into his coat pocket and extend the mic on his Talkboy out far enough where those idiots won't see it. 'Smart thinking, Kev,' I think to myself.

"Who gave you that shiner on your cheek? I want to send them a present," the midget bandit asks me, gleefully. He gently strokes the bruise on my face with his finger, making me shiver in disgust.

"It's none of your damn business, Lime," I spit at him, not caring that I addressed him by his last name. I'm shivering from where that insane manic, Mr. Hector, assaulted me.

"Wow. The lady knows your last name, Harry. I wonder if she knows mine?" Marv chuckles.

'I have to wonder if Merchants was dropped on his head at birth, and that's how he ended up being such a goof…' I wonder.

"She most-likely does. Since our names were in the paper, you idiot," I hear Lime insult that goofball Merchants, not feeling any sympathy for him after he put a gun into Linnie's back.

"So, what are we going to do with them, Harry?" Merchants asks his partner.

"We're taking them to the lake in Central Park," I hear Lime nastily tell his partner, knowing that's going to be my siblings and I's final resting place, bearing any more miracles. Lime suddenly slugs his fist hard into my stomach, causing me to cry out.

"You dirty son of a bitch!" I cry, holding my throbbing stomach. I bend over, collapsing onto my knees in pain.

"That's for spitting on me and causing us to slip on those pearls. Next time, I won't be so nice," he warns, pulling out his gun. He places it on the tip of my forehead. I tearfully close my eyes, waiting to join Grandpa McCallister and my good friend, Sarah, in Heaven. My siblings are now openly bawling. Merchants grabs a hold of them, screaming and shaking them to stop crying, scaring them even more. Lime suddenly grabs me by my hair. I yelp, as he painfully yanks me back onto my feet. He shoves his gun into my back, clicking it as a warning that his patience with me is wearing thin. "Alright, you three, move it. We've got other plans tonight, and, for your sake, you'd better not make us late!" Lime barks, as he prods me with the gun to move.

"Yeah, we're robbing Duncan's Toy Chest at midnight. We're taking all the cash that old fool is planning to give to the hospital…" Marv blabs, forcing Kevin and Linnie to move, by dragging them by their shirt collars, to their discomfort and to my anger. They also set a new low in scumminess for their plan to rob money from sick children on Christmas Eve.

"Marv, will you shut up?!" Lime screams at him, horrified. Unknown to Marv and us, Harry is scared that he's going to blab about the cartel. He looks around, paranoid, afraid someone else is listening. Lime and Merchants aren't aware that Kevin is recording everything they're saying.

"Don't worry, Harry. They're not going to tell anyone, except the Grim Reaper," Marv says, grinning.

"It's not them I'm worried about. You know who might have ears listening," Harry cryptically warns. We're unaware that he's talking about Hector and his goons, especially Louis, who's currently listening.

"Oh," Marv finally realizes he might end up dead at the lake, too, if he keeps talking.

"I'll feel a lot better, once we get these three to the lake in Central Park and put them on ice for good," Harry savors with glee. I sense the terror and despair my siblings are feeling, which is what I'm feeling, too…

(Louis' PoV:)

I watch from a secluded spot near the hotel, feeling the urge to kill Merchants, to prevent him from blabbing any more cartel plans to the McCallisters. Dr. Petrov updated me about who the trio I saved was, and their possible relation to the McCallister siblings, who foiled the cartel's heist in Stockholm.

I gently rub the scar on my face, remembering what that McCallister bitch did to give me this scar six years ago, during the struggle I had with her in the sewers of Stockholm, over the treasury bonds the cartel was after, at the time.

I pull out my radio and alert Hector of the situation about the bandits capturing the trio. Unsurprisingly, Hector is enraged at the news about the capture, and the bandits' blabbing of the plan about robbing the toy store, after hearing glass breaking, two gunshots, and a thump. Hector also takes the time to explain what happened at the hotel with the McCallisters…

Streets of New York-Near Central Park

December 23, 1991-4:43 P.M.

(Christine's PoV:)

It's déjà vu all over again, as we're being marched to our deaths, by two sick men, wanting revenge. It doesn't bear repeating, after it's all said and done, my siblings and I are going to be dealing with a lot of mental issues from all the mental and physical abuse we've encountered, so far. That's if we can escape these idiots again… Both my stomach and jaw ache from where those bastards, Hector and Harry, hit me.

Lime and Merchants haven't said a word for the past several blocks we must have walked, and that scares me. We approach another street corner, joining a crowd of pedestrians, waiting for the traffic signal to change.

I notice a blonde female, standing in front of us. She seems to be in her late thirties. Kevin seems to like her, with the way he's blushing. His eyes are focused on her, and it's giving me an idea on how we can escape these idiots.

"God, please forgive me for what I'm about to do, and that I don't get caught," I silently pray. I quickly pinch one of the blonde's butt cheeks, causing her to yelp in surprise. She quickly turns to see who touched her; her icy blue eyes widen in a mixture of anger and shock, when she sees the Wet Bandits.

"Well, hello, beautiful," Marv flirts, grinning at the blonde woman. It earns him a glare from Kevin, and a well-deserved punch to the jaw from the blonde woman. It knocks him onto his back, grabbing Harry's attention.

"What'd you do that for?!" Harry questions the blonde woman, looking pissed, as if he wants to kill her on the spot.

"He's the one, who grabbed your butt!" Kevin rats out to the blonde, pointing at Harry.

"I did not!" Harry snaps, now glaring at my brother. He reaches for his pocket, and I know full well he's going for his gun, so he can shoot Kevin right here, right now.

The blonde woman turns her icy glare onto Harry, quickly punching him in the jaw. It sends him flying painfully onto the ground, to my siblings and I's glee. This is our cue to run, as I grab both of my siblings' hands. I thank the lady for her help, seeing the blush on Kevin's face become more intense.

She just nods and goes about her business. I hope the bandits don't go after her and hurt her in any way. My siblings and I take off running, unaware we're heading deeper into Central Park, once we see Harry and Marv stirring about on the ground.

I swear, I see her quickly glance at my siblings and I with a pang of sadness, before she continues walking away. I think of the fun I'm going to have, teasing Kevin about his little crush in front of the family, once we get back home. That's if we make it out of New York alive…

(Blonde Lady's PoV:)

Feeling a mixture of emotions I experienced a few moments ago, I quickly rush for the nearest payphone. I grab the receiver off the hook, placing it to my ear. I drop some change into the slot and dial the number.

"Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York, Office. How may I direct your call?"

"I need to speak with Agent Roman Donovan please. It's urgent," I request.

"Agent Donovan is out of the office, at the moment. I can connect you to Agent McCallister, instead?"

Donovan must be out looking for leads about the cartel, a crime syndicate believed to be behind the crime wave in New York. They're suspected of using the burglaries as a cover-up for something more sinister.

McCallister, on the other hand, is leading the search for the escapees I just ran into, Lime and Merchants, and that search has brought her to New York. They're suspected to be involved with the cartel.

"That would be fine," I reply, as I wait to be connected to Agent McCallister. I try to shake the sick feeling I'm currently experiencing in my body after being molested earlier by that horrible man, Harry Lime.

Another thing that bothers me, is what would've happened to those two kids and that woman, if they didn't escape from being held captive by those men. I cringe at the first thought that pops into my head. "They wouldn't dare. Those sick perverts…" I become disgusted in my stomach, wanting to punch the both of them again.

"Agent McCallister speaking,"

"Andrea… It's Gabrielle,"

"Agent Colville, this is a surprise," Andrea says.

"Well, I just had an unexpected and interesting encounter with Lime and Merchants, the two escapees you've been looking for, near Central Park. It seems our mysterious contact, who tipped us off about them being in New York City, was correct," I try to keep my composure.

"That's good news! Gabi, can you tell me what exactly happened during your encounter with Lime and Merchants?"

Bursting into tears, I say, " I think I blew my cover, Andrea. Lime and Merchants were holding three hostages, but I freed them after I intervened," I think about the two kids and woman, who escaped. I hope they're safe, knowing I last saw them run deeper into Central Park.

"They did what?! Tell me in detail what happened!" Andrea suddenly becomes upset. I tell her about my encounter with Lime and Merchants, and about freeing the three captives. "First of all, Gabi, I don't think you blew your cover. You did what you had to do, to protect yourself and the captives. Speaking of the captives, did you get a good look at them or any names, by chance?"

"I didn't get any names, sorry, but I did get a quick look at them. One was a red-headed female, in her early twenties. Another was a teenage girl, blonde, around thirteen or fourteen. And, the last one was a blond boy, around seven or eight. I saw them heading into Central Park. I'm sorry I didn't get a better look. Everything happened so fast. I wish I could've done more to help them, but I couldn't, being undercover, you know. I didn't want to make myself stand out, if the bad guys were watching. I couldn't even arrest Lime or Merchants for that reason," Feeling guilty, I hear a brief pause from Andrea.

"That perfectly fits the description of the three, who ran away from the Plaza Hotel, that I heard on the police radio. So, it has to be them! Why are Lime and Merchants interested in them?" I hear her loudly worry to herself, before she speaks, "Gabi, you helped them get free, and possibly saved their lives. So, don't go blaming yourself or thinking you didn't help enough. Are we clear, Agent Colville?"

Feeling a little better, I reply, "We're clear, Andrea," Andrea always tries to focus on the positive side of things, even in bad situations.

"Good. I have a personal assignment for you, if you're interested. It's voluntary and strictly off the record,"

"What is it?" I ask, curiously.

"Check out the Plaza Hotel, and find out what exactly occurred there today. Question the staff for names… I need to know if the three people, who fled from the hotel, are my missing nieces and nephew. I have a strong feeling that is who the captives you saved might be, but I need to be for certain,"

Andrea explains the story about her two nieces and nephew getting separated in Chicago from the rest of her family, the Miami Airport Police informing her that her nieces and nephew are somewhere in the State of New York, and her dark thoughts about what she wants to do to Lime and Merchants; especially if they're messing with her family.

"I'll do it, my friend. I promise, I'll contact you, once I find out something,"

She's the reason why I decided to work for the F.B.I., in the first place. I remember she invited me to come with her and hear one of her Father's lectures all those years ago, when we attended college together.

Andrea replies, becoming emotional, "Thank you, Gabi. It means a lot to my family you're doing this. I know my brother and sister-in-law are both worried sick, and are desperate for answers…"

END