The next morning, they got their flight back to New York. It took two hours to get there. Mac thought it would be the longest two hours of his life. When they arrived at the airport, there were two agents there waiting for them. One of them started to put cuffs on Mac. "Do you have to do that?" Don asked. "He's not going to run."

"He ran once," the man said. "He's not running again."

Mac was cuffed and put into the car. Carry was not a suspect in the case, so she stayed with Don and the Marshall who would transport her back to the precinct to be a witness in this case.

When Don walked into the precinct, he quickly got Carry processed so that they could get her statement here. She was taken to an interrogation room to wait. Jo came down to the squad room. "Where is Mac?" she asked.

"He should be here shortly," Don said. "He was probably taken before the judge right away."

Jo frowned. "I can't believe this."

"We have that witness in there so she should be able to clear all this up."

"I want to talk to her."

"You better let the Marshall there handle that. She's going to be a federal witness. She will eventually bring Melinda Holmes down along with the rest of her associates."

"Sounds good to me."

When Mac was brought into the precinct, Don was waiting. "I'll take him from here," he said.

"He's on federal fugitive charges now," the agent said. "He's a flight risk, so those cuffs stay on until this is cleared up."

Don nodded. "Okay," he said and took Mac to another interrogation room. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am alright," Mac replied.

Don uncuffed him and cuffed his hand to the chair. "That's good enough."

"Don't get in trouble over this, Don."

"As long as you don't go running off on me, everything will be fine."

"You know I'm not going to do that."

"I'll be back."

Don left the room. Mac stared at the wall and frowned. Then Jo walked in. "Mac!" she said and went to him. She saw that he was cuffed to the chair. "Do they have to treat you like a criminal?"

Mac looked at her. "I am a criminal," he said. "Maybe not a willing one, but I am one."

Jo sat down beside him. "Mac, that is not so."

"Yes, it is."

Jo could see that Mac was in no mood for anyone to try and make him feel better. She leaned on the table. "What have they told you?"

"I'm facing those murder charges until they get the evidence that what I said was true," Mac said. "That shouldn't take long but I have flight charges too."

"I knew you shouldn't have run off like that. What were you thinking?"

"What was I supposed to do? Sit here and wait for them to arrest me?"

"Something like that! You made things worse by running."

"I had to find her, Jo. She was the only one who could clear me."

"We would have found her, Mac."

"You might not have found her in time."

"Oh, yes, no one can do what the great Mac Taylor can do."

Mac frowned at her. "I didn't say that. I just wanted to do it myself."

"You're never going to let anyone into your life."

"Maybe nobody 'needs' into my life."

Jo stared at him a moment. "You don't mean that," she said. "After all we've been through together?"

"It doesn't matter, Jo."

Jo stood up. "Well, if that is how you feel, I sure won't complicate your life anymore."

Jo went out and slammed the door. Mac slumped in the chair. He was sick and tired of this situation. Now, he had hurt Jo's feelings and maybe chased her away. What else could happen?

Just then, Don came in. "They're talking to Carry," he said. "They'll probably drop the murder charges cause she has a lot of information that they want and she knows what happened to you. As for the flight charges…they will probably drop those too since you're not guilty of the murder and you had not been arrested anyway. Plus, the chief is on his way down and he is not happy about this situation."

"I don't care," Mac said. "I'm not happy about it either."

Don wished he knew something to make Mac feel better but Mac was not responding to anything. He had seen Jo come out of his room not looking happy at all. She had gone back up to the lab without a word. "Mac, can I say something?" he asked.

Mac looked at him. "How can I stop you?" he asked. "I'm a prisoner, remember?"

Don leaned on the table. "Don't push away the people who care about you," he said. "We all care about you and are trying to help you."

"I didn't ask for your help."

Don frowned. "Is that the way it is?" Don left the room.

Mac just sat there and stared at the table. They could all get mad at him if they wanted to. He did not care right now. He was glad he would be suspended. He could have some time and he would be away from this place.

By the time evening came, Mac was cleared of the charges. Carry's testimony was enough to shed doubt on Mac's guilt and there was an APB out for Melinda. Mac was suspended for two weeks without pay for running like that. He went up to his office and passed by the lab without even looking in there. Danny and Lindsey saw him pass by. Danny went to Mac's office. "What happened?" he asked.

"I'm suspended," Mac said without looking at him. He was getting his stuff from his desk that he wanted to take with him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving."

"Mac, where are you going?"

"I suppose I'm going home."

Mac finished what he was doing and then walked around the desk. He looked at Danny. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just don't feel like talking about this."

Danny watched as Mac left the office. Mac glanced down the hall at Jo as he left. He did not feel like crawling to her either. He was tired of everything.

Mac went out and got a cab but instead of going home, he went down to the harbor and walked out onto the pier. He stood there and looked across the water as the wind blew in his face. He was so tired. He thought maybe he could rest now…although he knew Melinda was not through. He did not think she would be through until he was dead.

Just then, Mac heard someone walk up on the pier. He looked to see Melinda walking over to him in her prissy, haughty way. "So, you managed to weasel your way out again," she said. "You're as slippery as an eel."

Mac glared at her. "What do you want?" he asked. "You can't make me to be a criminal. Justice will win out."

"You always manage to cheat death."

"Well, why don't you just shoot me?"

Melinda shrugged and then held up a gun with a silencer on it. "That's what I've decided to do," she said.

Mac ducked as the silent bullet made a path through the space he had just been in. He ran toward Melinda and they struggled over the weapon, but then Mac realized she was not alone. He saw Thomas and another man coming that way. Mac shoved Melinda down and ran and jumped over the rail of the pier. It was a long fall to the water and then he crashed in feet first.

"You let him get away!" Melinda screamed. "Get down there! He'll have to come out under that pier!"

Mac swam until he was under the pier and then came up for air. He had to be careful of the waves or they would shove him against one of the pier supports, although the water was pretty calm right now. He looked around him and there was no choice but to go on up to land under the pier. He swam until he was on land and got out of the water. He was under the pier among the supports and then he heard and saw Melinda. "Find him!" she demanded.

Mac knew they would see him if he went out on the sand but he had to get some help or they would kill him and it was starting to get dark now. He also knew that the tide would be coming in soon. He moved down further under the pier. He could not get any help under here. He frowned at that thought. He had talked bad to his friends…the people who would be there to help him. He supposed he had no right to call them and ask for help. He would have to handle this alone and then call the police.

Mac could see Melinda standing on the sand at the side of the pier while Thomas and the other man searched for him under the pier. Mac wanted to capture her but he knew that would be dangerous without him knowing where the other two were. He walked out from under the pier. "Here I am!" he yelled.

Melinda whirled around. Mac could see her blond hair shining in the fading light of day and he could almost see her glare. He did see the glimmer of light on the weapon she had in her hand as she raised it up to aim at him. Mac ducked and ran.

"He's up here!" Melinda yelled.

Mac started running across the parking lot beside the pier. He was close to the ship graveyard which was not a good place to be. It was a lonely, quiet place but he would lose them there. He ran that way toward the shadows of old ships that had once carried sailors across the water. He heard Melinda yell, "Get him!"

Mac tried to run faster as he was approaching the ship graveyard. There was an old Navy ship out there which was not rotted down, of course. It was steal but it was not sea worthy anymore. He ran toward the old ship and passed by the sign that said "Danger: Do Not Enter".

"There he goes!" Melinda yelled as she saw Mac running up the ramp toward the old ship.

Mac had been on enough of these ships that he could lead them into a maze that they could not find their way out and he would get out. He went up onto the deck of the old ship and then went through the old rusted door into the lower decks and compartments. He knew he could lose them there and it would take them a while to find their way out. He went through another hatchway and then he heard the door above creak as they were entering the upper deck. Mac went on through the next hatchway and then turned to his left. He wanted to get back around so that they would be going the wrong way to find him. He stopped a moment to listen but could not hear anything, not even footsteps.

Mac moved on through the compartment he was in and went through another hatchway which had a ladder that led up to the next deck through a manhole. Mac got up through that manhole with no words to describe the noise it took to get it open and closed again. He figured there was no way to be quiet on a ship like this…except for Melinda and hers because he had not heard them make the slightest sound. That was beginning to make him nervous. Had Thomas ever been in the Navy or anything? Mac did not know.

Mac was sweating as it was very warm inside the ship. He moved down the corridor very slowly while he listened for any sounds. He knew if they appeared in this corridor, he was in trouble because it was very narrow. He soon came to the end of the corridor and peeped around the corner. He saw nothing so he moved down the next corridor toward, he hoped, the way out of this ship. He had not been in one of these ships in a long time but they were all basically the same and he remembered how they were designed.

As Mac went down the next corridor, he was even more nervous. He finally came out on the deck again and did not see anyone at first, but then Melinda appeared around the corner. She fired the silent shot before Mac could move this time. He grabbed his shoulder as he felt the hot missile penetrate his flesh. He ran around the other side of the deck and headed down the gangway and onto the pier again. He was wounded now and he would have to have help. Melinda would not give up on finding him. He could hear them already coming along the pier and he heard the pop of a bullet as it hit the pier rail beside him. He could not jump into the water this time, he had to get out of here.

Mac finally made it off the pier and ran over to Melinda's car. He saw that the keys were in the ignition but the door was locked. It had one of those electronic locks. He went on running. His plans were not working. He had thought he could lose them in that ship but it had not worked. Now, he was on the run and they had a car. He could hear the ships at the shipping yard which was not that far away either. He would have to get over there to get help. He wished they could capture Melinda too but he had to think about his condition first. He had been shot and he was losing blood. His breath was starting to come in ragged gasps. As he was running, his mind went to all the things he had been through the last few months. It would be so easy to just give up. Did he have to keep running? He could barely feel himself running now. What was he running for? He thought of Jo and what they had been through together…he had hurt her. "Jo," he gasped. He had to get back to her to let her know how he felt and that he was sorry. He had to keep running.

Mac suddenly felt a pain in his right arm which brought his mind back to reality. He realized a bullet had hit him just above his elbow. However, it hit that nerve that was so sensitive in the elbow. It hurt worse than the shoulder wound. He looked toward the shipping yard. He did not know if he would make it. It seemed like a million miles and his legs felt like lead. Would this be the end of him? Would he die here at the hands of Melinda?

Just as Mac was thinking that, he heard sirens. He looked around to see where they were coming from. If he could get to them, he could get help. They were coming toward the pier. Melinda and her two stopped as well. "We better run!" Thomas declared as he turned back toward the car.

"We have to get him!" Melinda said.

"You get him! I'm leaving!"

Melinda turned the gun on Thomas and Mac saw as she shot him right in the chest. Thomas looked shocked as he looked down at the blood on his hands. He looked at Melinda and then collapsed. Melinda looked shocked herself. She looked toward Mac with anger. "This is your fault!" she yelled. Then she realized that her other associate was running so she shot him in the back.

Melinda was surprised when Mac grabbed her from behind. "Let go of me!" she demanded.

"You're not getting away this time!" Mac informed her.

Melinda elbowed Mac in the stomach. He almost bent double and lost his grip but he got the weapon from her. He pulled the hammer back as Melinda whirled around to face him. "Stop right there," he said. "I'll shoot you and won't have any second thoughts about it."

Melinda glared at him. "I hate you," she said. "You ruined my life!"

"You tried to ruin mine!" Mac said as he held the gun toward her. His hand shook, not only from fatigue but from anger.

"Mac!" someone yelled. "Mac!"

Then Don ran up to Mac and put his hand on the weapon. "She's finished," Don said.

Mac looked at him and then collapsed. Don realized Mac was wounded. "Get an ambulance!" he yelled.

"Don't you let her get away again, Don," Mac said. "She killed those two over there and she would have killed me."

"I can see that," Don replied. "Don't worry. You just hang on until we can get you out of here."

Mac sighed a long sigh and closed his eyes. "I'm tired, Don."

"Mac, it's over now."

"I'm sorry I talked to you like I did."

"Don't worry about that either."

"I 'do' need my friends."

Don held Mac's hand. "You have us, Mac," he said. "We'll always be here for you."

"Tell Jo I love her and I didn't mean it."

"Tell her yourself!"

Mac did not say anything else. Don listened to his heart and could still hear it and he was still breathing. He had passed out. He looked around at the others. "Is that ambulance coming?"

"It's on its way," someone said.

Don looked at Mac. "Don't you give up," he said.