Chapter 2
Rick called first Linda, then A.J.'s names again, while Oscar used another line and got a car to take them to Linda's apartment. He also called the agent on duty outside her place, only to get no answer.
Rick was at the door with his jacket on by the time Oscar Finished his calls, and the two of them rode in silence through the quiet streets, followed by two more agents.
Arriving at the small cul-de-sac where Linda lived, they were met with a fire engine, police car and ambulance, whose attendants were loading a man's, figure onto a gurney.
Barely waiting for Oscar to stop the car, Rick raced over to the emergency vehicle, only to see that the person on the stretcher was a stranger.
"Oscar, is this your guy?" he called, waving him over. The OSI Chief came to the man's side, then said, "Johnson, what happened?" The man opened his eyes, then weakly replied, "I was outside Ms. Rosand's place, when I heard someone call my name, then someone hit me, I, came to and heard the explosion. I managed to get inside, but both Ms. Rosand and Mr. Simon were gone. The voice I heard sounded so familiar, Mr. Goldman, I know I've heard it before." Oscar knelt by Johnson, saying,
"Try to remember as much as you can, in the meantime, take it easy, ok?" The paramedics rolled him away, as a policeman approached them.
"Mr. Goldman, it's been a long time, sir." Oscar nodded, then turning toward Rick, introduced him, "Rick, this is Captain Stevens, he's the chief of police for this area. Chief, this is Rick Simon, a friend of mine and the brother of one of the Missing people, A.J. Simon." The Chief looked him up and down, then said, "Aren't you the private eye who married Ms. Scott?" "Yes, Captain, but how did.?" The policeman smiled faintly, Ms. Scott used to live a couple of blocks over, she and I had a couple of occasions to work together several years ago, I remembered seeing your picture when you two got married. Mr. Goldman, suppose you tell me what happened here."
Curtly, Oscar related the circumstances of Linda and A.J.'s call, then the explosion, and the voice leaving the same bizarre clue. "We were just about to go inside when the firemen declared it safe, to see if there are any clues. " The chief nodded, "I'll go with you, Mr. Goldman, this is my jurisdiction now. Mr. Simon, I know you'll want to get involved, but I don't allow private investigators to interfere with police matters, understand?"
As he turned and walked ahead, Rick angrily started to go after him, only to have the big man grab his arm. "Not now, Rick, we need his cooperation. He's all brass and bluff, but he's a fair man. Besides," Oscar gave him a faint grin, "I always thought he had a crush on Laurie, maybe he'll weaken when he knows what's at stake."
Following the policeman inside the apartment, both men fell silent, seeing the smoke marks on the walls near the entrance, and the furniture strewn around. Rick caught sight of A.J.'s jacket, and his heart dropped, for next to it was a torn picture of his brother with Linda, and blood on the carpet. Careful not to touch anything, he knelt down and looked to see if there were any other clues, only to see another picture, also torn.
Picking it up, he was horrified to see it was Steve and Jaime, "Oscar, look at this." The big man took one look, then pulled out a transmitter and hit a button. "Steve, come in, it's Oscar, can you hear me?" Nothing but static came out of the receiver, so he punched in another number and called Jaime.
Still nothing, so Oscar called over Captain Stevens. The Chief took one look at the pictures, then pulled out his radio and called in an APB. "Roger, I have a report of four more missing people, possibly kidnapped by, " he glanced at Rick, who said, "We think it was Aaron Caparelli, of the crime family. His brother died trying to kill Laurie and myself some years ago, we think this is some twisted revenge." The policeman frowned, "I remember, where is Mrs. Simon right now." "At home in Arizona, we have the local sheriff staying at our home, just in case."
Oscar spoke up. "Steve and Jaime live just a couple of miles from here, they weren't answering a while ago, but maybe we can beat Caparelli over there."
Just then a beeping came over his transmitter, and When Oscar opened the frequency, Laurie's voice came over. "Oscar, Rick, something's happened to Steve and Jaime, they're hurt or something."
Goldman swore under his breath and handed the device to Rick, who replied, "Sweetheart, it's Rick, when did you hear from Steve?"
About 15 minutes ago, I heard him calling for Jaime, then I felt a pain and I couldn't reach him. I tried calling Oscar and I reached Allen, who said he was with you and that something had happened to A.J. and Linda?"
Rick took a deep breath, then filled her in on their disappearance. She was silent for a long moment, then just as he said, "Laurie, are you there?" she answered, "Rick, it's going to be ok, I'm calling the airport and I'm going to have Rob drive me into Phoenix. Please, I can't stay here while you are all in danger, and Rob and Robin will be safe with the Chief here." The older Simon started to argue with her, then catching Oscar's eye, realized that she would probably be safer with them. "Alright, sweetheart, you call as soon as you know what time you arrive and I will meet your plane. Be careful."
He lowered his voice, "I love you." Her voice trembled, "I love you, too, Rick. We'll find A.J. and everyone, I promise."
Clicking off the transmitter, he looked up at Captain Stevens. "She hasn't changed at all, Mr. Simon." he said with a half- hearted grin. "Why don't we go to Colonel Austin's home and check it just in case, maybe we'll have better luck there."
At dawn, Rick and Oscar were at the local hospital, waiting to see Agent Johnson.
They had found much the same scene at Steve and Jaime's house as at Linda's; evidence of a flash bang device, signs of a struggle and the odor of gas. Piecing it together, all three men came to the conclusion that both of their friends were knocked out by a nerve gas canister. The only saving grace was that there was no evidence that their daughter Crystal was taken, which Oscar verified by calling Jim and Helen Austin and finding out the child had stayed the weekend with them.
Trying to allay their fears, Oscar told the couple they knew who had taken their son and daughter-in-law, and were doing everything to find them.
Now, waiting for the agent to wake up, Rick was curiously relieved to know that he would be picking up Laurie in a few hours, having gotten an early flight in from Phoenix to Burbank. He glanced at Oscar, only to see a weary smile on his face, and turned red, realizing the older man had read his thoughts.
"Much as I know Steve and Jaime love each other, I can never get used to the way you and Laurie are together, or even apart." Oscar paused, then quietly added, "I pray nothing ever happens to tear you two apart. I know it would destroy her." Rick cleared his throat, "I love her so much, Oscar. I can't handle it when she's hurt or in danger, I fall to pieces. The day I met her again, I was a goner. She just gives me so much."
The big man nodded. "I think of her as my own daughter, heck, she could have been my child once, but, Rick, once this is over, I have no reason not to tell her the truth about her father, Once I retire from the OSI, there'll be no excuse not to tell you both."
He got up and went to confer with the doctor, leaving Rick very confused. What about Laurie's father? All was supposedly revealed almost 8 years before, when Laurie was on assignment and found her niece and nephew. What now?
Suddenly something Laurie said struck him. Allen, Oscar's deputy, he had told Laurie where to reach them. How did he know that something had happened? When they had left OSI HQ, Oscar had only told him That there had been an attack. Rising from his chair, He met Oscar coming out of Johnson's room, "Rick, he just woke up, I was coming to get you." "Oscar, listen, what did you tell your deputy, Allen, about A.J. and Linda being attacked?" he replied. Goldman frowned, "Nothing much, just that there had been an explosion at Linda's apartment and we were on our way there." Abruptly Oscar turned on his heel and led the way into the injured agent's room. "Ben, it's Oscar and Rick Simon, can you hear us", he asked as they sat at his bed. Johnson opened his eyes, then squinting at his boss, said, "Mr. Goldman, I remember, the voice," Goldman nodded,"Ben, was it Allen Capp you heard?'
A gleam came into the agent's eyes. "Yes sir, it was Mr. Capp, he called my name and I turned and something hit me. Did you find Ms. Linda yet?"
Oscar shook his head, a faint grin as he looked at his loyal agent. "No, but with your help, we now have an idea how to find her and the others. You just rest, and I be back as soon as we have news."
Rick reached out and shook, Johnson's hand, as the agent looked at him and added, "I hope you find your brother soon, Mr. Simon, he's a nice guy."
Rick just nodded, a lump in his throat. Leaving the room, he caught up with Oscar as he grabbed his transmitter and called one of his men. "Gregson, this is Oscar Goldman, where is Allen Capp right now?" There was a pause, then, "I want you to follow him at a distance. When you see where he goes, call me at this frequency." He shut his device then turned to Rick. "If you wouldn't have been a pain in the rear, you and your brother would have been two of my best agents. Where did you get the idea about Capp?" Rick, touched by the compliment, told him what Laurie had said about Rick being with Oscar and that something had happened. Goldman was quiet for a moment as they left the hospital and climbed in his vehicle, then, "Rick, I trusted that man with our people and our country's security. Now I know its time to retire, when I can't even choose the right people." "Oscar, there is no way you could have guessed he would be a traitor, any more than you would have known how crucial Johnson's presence would be to finding where Rudy and the others are. Don't retire just because Caparelli found someone he could corrupt." Oscar started to interrupt, only to have Rick add, "I have to tell you, A.J. and I have always been a little scared of you, but it was because of what you've stood for and how tough you are. Whatever you decide, I owe you several times over my life and Laurie's, and you will always have a place to hang your hat with us."
There was silence, then Rick heard him say, "Thanks, Pal, that's the nicest thing I've ever heard." Oscar paused, Then said, "Scared, huh?"
The older Simon turned to see a faint grin on Goldman's face. "Well, yeah, especially when I would kiss Laurie and you weren't exactly, uh, "
"Sure you would be a good husband? When I heard her say, "Yes, Rick", and mean it, I knew you were the man for her. Rudy thought you might do, but I had to be sure she wouldn't get hurt."
Rick shook his head, "You and me both!" Just then, Oscar's transmitter went off, and clicking it on, he listened to a lengthy message, then replied, "Close in and stop him when he comes out, We'll be right there!"
He looked at Rick, "We found where he's got them, Capp just entered an industrial park five blocks from here. We'll let him get a short distance away, then close in."
A few minutes away, A.J. came to, head pounding. Stiff and sore, he tried to move, but found he was shackled by his wrists to a rail or pipe, he couldn't tell in the semi-darkness. Focusing his eyes, he saw a figure opposite him, also attached to the same support, and realized it was Linda, watching him. "A.J., are you all right? O thank God, I was so scared." He managed to scoot his bruised body closer to her, "Honey, I'm ok, just a little sore, are you hurt anywhere?" She shook her head, then closed her eyes, "That wasn't a good idea, my head aches, I think I was only dazed by the explosion, but I remember someone dragging me out, then dropping me. A.J., where are we?"
Before he could answer, he heard a voice nearby shakily ask, "Linda?" "A.J., its Rudy," she said, excited, "Yes Rudy, it's me and A.J., where are you?" A.J. hit the illumination on His watch, and using it as a flashlight, shone it in the direction of the older man's voice.
"Right here, son, ", Rudy called, indicating where the younger Simon was to aim his light. Following the sound, A.J. directed it a few feet away and saw the doctor handcuffed to a chair, a dazed look on his face. "How long have I been here, " he questioned, looking around at their dank prison. "You've been missing a couple of days, Doc, are you ok?" he replied concerned at his haggard appearance.
Rudy nodded, "Just woozy, I think our captor put something in my food, after I was brought here, a masked guy brought me a sandwich and coffee, and uncuffed one of my wrists so I could eat, only I don't remember much after that. Do you know who took us?"
A.J. paused, then said, "We think it's Aaron Caparelli, the brother of that monster who tried to kill Laurie and Rick. We flew in yesterday, at least I think it was yesterday, and we found out that he escaped from prison last week. Somehow the notice of his disappearance never made it to Oscar, otherwise we could have been on guard." Rudy sighed, "Oscar must be taking this hard, the worst part is I think I know how Caparelli got my address and took you two. I heard a knock on my door and a familiar voice answered when I asked who was there. All the man said was, "I have a message from Mr. Goldman", it sounded like Allen Capp, so I looked through the peephole and boom, something hit me.
When I came to, I heard a voice saying I was the bait for seven letters, then someone laughing and I was alone." Just then, A.J. heard a stirring in the darkness, someone moaning. Oh, God, not Rick, he thought, frantic. "Is someone there, " he called out, then heard Steve Austin's voice, "A.J., is that you?" He flashed his watch light and saw in the faint glow two figures on the ground, both chained together to a post. "Steve, are you ok, is that Jaime with you?" "Yes", came the faint voice, then he heard the colonel talking to his wife. "Jaime, honey, wake up, can you hear me?" "Steve, can you move?" Rudy asked him, trying to jerk his chair toward the big man. "Just barely, I think they got us with some kind of nerve gas, it was tossed in our window and when I got a whiff, it was like I was paralyzed." He called Jaime's name again, then she answered, groggily, "Steve, I, I can't move, what happened?"
Austin filled her in, and then he tried moving his bionic arm, finally getting it to work enough to break off the chain on his other arm, then taking Jaime's chains off. After a couple of minutes, she was able to move and they set about freeing the others. Suddenly Steve froze, then said, "I can read Laurie, she knows we've been taken and she's trying to reach Oscar. She's on her way here from Phoenix." As Jaime pulled the handcuff off A.J.'s left hand, he gasped in pain, realizing it was swollen and nearly unusable. Linda came over and taking a look at it in the faint light, sighed "Darling, I think it's broken, I remember you landed funny when you pushed me out of the way during the attack." He saw tears fill her eyes and she raised his injured hand to her cheek as she said, "I'm sorry I said no, A.J., I love you, nothing is worth us being apart."
Filled with emotion, A.J. took her in his good arm and replied, "I'll ask you again when we get out of here, I love you too."
Looking up at Steve and Jaime, he said, "There's got to be a door somewhere, maybe we can rig something to get us out of here." The two bionic agents nodded, as Steve said, "My arm isn't working well enough to bust a wall, yet, but maybe between all of us, we can at least make some noise so someone can hear us."
Gunning the car, Oscar and Rick made the drive from the hospital in less then a minute, then pulled into a driveway and joined a small group of agents.
As they took their positions behind a run-down office building, they saw a man come around the corner, waited until he crossed the street, then two agents shone a light on him and yelled, "Capp, freeze!"
The man turned frantically, then tried to sprint back in direction he came from, only to have Rick and Oscar bar his retreat. "Oscar, Mr. Goldman, what's going On, I, " Rick grabbed him by the collar and raising His fist, growled, "You have 30 seconds to say where My brother and our friends are, or you're dead meat!"
Looking around at the closing circle of stern-faced Agents, he gulped, then said, "Mr. Goldman, he Blackmailed me, he knew I had a record and he Was going to rat me out unless I helped him. I didn't mean to hurt anyone, they're ok, and I'll Show you where they are!"
Shaking, his arm tightly grasped by Gregson, the agent who had tracked him, Capp led them to a building down the block, and unlocking a rusting door, went down a staircase to a basement room. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard a pounding noise on an interior door. "A.J., Steve!" Rick called, then fell silent as so they could listen for a response. "Rick!" a faint voice answered, and as the older Simon yelled for them to stand away from the door, Oscar shot out the lock and the door flew open. Shining a light inside, they saw Steve Austin, helping A.J. and Linda off the floor, and Jaime supporting a haggard Rudy Wells.
As they came out of the airless room, Rick grabbed his brother, bloodied and grimacing in pain, and hugged him tightly. "Thank God we found you, did he hurt you?"
"Just my hand, I think it's broken, I landed on it when we hit the floor after the explosion." Linda grabbed Rick's shoulder and squeezed it. "Your brother saved my life, if he hadn't pushed me out of the way, well, I owe both of you."
Oscar hugged Jaime and Steve, then patted his old friend on the shoulder. "Hell of a way to start your retirement, isn't it, Rudy?"
The disheveled doctor beamed at the big man. "Should have known you'd lead the charge, Oscar, tell you what, you tear up your retirement letter and I'll sign up for another year."
As the two men broke into laughter and climbed the stairway to the outside, Rick hugged Steve and Jaime, saying, "thank God you got through to Laurie, she'll be relieved to know you're ok."
Steve looked around, then said, "Isn't she with you, I managed get through to her a few minutes ago and she said she was meeting you."
A cold feeling swept through Rick, "No, I'm supposed to pick her up at the airport, I told her to wait there." Steve shook his head, a worried expression on his face, "No, she said she got a message you were going to meet her at her old apartment."
"Steve, tell her not to go there, Capp, did you tell her to go there?" he swung around and faced the traitor as he came up from the basement. Capp turned away, then let out a yell as A.J. grabbed him with his good hand and flung him to the ground.
"Answer him, did you, no you wouldn't have led her into a trap, " A.J. advanced on Capp, who shakily replied, "Caparelli made me do it, I told you, all I did was pick her up and drop her off a little while ago. He promised he wouldn't hurt her." Rick didn't wait to hear any more, yelling "Steve, tell her to leave, get away from there, Oscar, we've got to find her!"
Rushing for Goldman's car, Oscar shoved Rick aside, saying, "I know where it is, I'll drive."
Yelling for the agents to take Rudy and the others to the hospital, they sped away and headed toward the hill section of town.
Popping open his transmitter, Oscar gave directions to his agents what to do with Capp, then repeated for Steve to keep in contact with Laurie. Steve came on himself, saying that he had just heard Laurie. "I told her to get away, Oscar, wait, ."
Laurie stood outside her old apartment, weathered fence, broken sidewalk, not much had changed. Too many memories, plus, there was something, a cold feeling, foreboding, She didn't know what. Why would Rick meet her here, unless, .
She started to turn away, then she caught sight of a shadow in the window, someone in the apartment. Against her better judgment, she started up the walkway, carefully picking her way up to the narrow porch. Just as she was about to knock on the door, she "heard" Steve. "Laurie, honey, where are you?" She closed her eyes, telling him she was at the old apartment. "Trap, it's a trap, leave, Rick's not there", immediately she started to back away from the entrance.
As Laurie turned to leave, the door opened behind her, and something, someone grabbed her, pulling her in. She let out a scream, only to have it muffled by a hand across her mouth, an arm pinioning her against a thin body. She twisted and turned, trying to wriggle away, only to be slammed against a wall, knocking her breathless. Her face crushed against the curtains, she couldn't move as her wrists were tied in back of her, and as she was pulled away, she opened her mouth only to have a gag tied around her face tightly. She looked at the figure in front of her, seeing a face, oh my God, she thought, closing her eyes, Aaron Caparelli, He leered at her in the dim light, as she tried to struggle. He picked her up and carried her kicking to a beat-up couch, dropping her onto it. "My dear, only mules kick, so I'll have to take care of this", he whispered, grasping her ankles and wrenching them together, causing her to gasp in pain. Whipping a rope out of his pocket, he bound them tightly together, then pulling her up by the front of her blouse, he stuck a gun in her face.
"Remember the rhyme, my dear, you and your husband are the missing letters,
when I find him, you will complete the seven. This", he waved the pistol, " is what waits for your husband, my dear Mrs. Simon. All you have to do to spare yourself a lot of pain is tell me where he is and I'll have him find you. I will set your friends free, all you have to do is tell me where he is."
She shook her head. He flung her backward on to the couch, then pulled a small case out of his pocket, opening it to show a vial of liquid, and a syringe. "See this, my dear, all for you, unless you tell me where Rick Simon is." She froze, unable to think, hearing Steve's voice the whole time, "They're on their way, hold on, honey, Rick's coming in the front, hold on." "NO", she thought, "Trap, don't let Rick come, please, Trap!"
Rick called first Linda, then A.J.'s names again, while Oscar used another line and got a car to take them to Linda's apartment. He also called the agent on duty outside her place, only to get no answer.
Rick was at the door with his jacket on by the time Oscar Finished his calls, and the two of them rode in silence through the quiet streets, followed by two more agents.
Arriving at the small cul-de-sac where Linda lived, they were met with a fire engine, police car and ambulance, whose attendants were loading a man's, figure onto a gurney.
Barely waiting for Oscar to stop the car, Rick raced over to the emergency vehicle, only to see that the person on the stretcher was a stranger.
"Oscar, is this your guy?" he called, waving him over. The OSI Chief came to the man's side, then said, "Johnson, what happened?" The man opened his eyes, then weakly replied, "I was outside Ms. Rosand's place, when I heard someone call my name, then someone hit me, I, came to and heard the explosion. I managed to get inside, but both Ms. Rosand and Mr. Simon were gone. The voice I heard sounded so familiar, Mr. Goldman, I know I've heard it before." Oscar knelt by Johnson, saying,
"Try to remember as much as you can, in the meantime, take it easy, ok?" The paramedics rolled him away, as a policeman approached them.
"Mr. Goldman, it's been a long time, sir." Oscar nodded, then turning toward Rick, introduced him, "Rick, this is Captain Stevens, he's the chief of police for this area. Chief, this is Rick Simon, a friend of mine and the brother of one of the Missing people, A.J. Simon." The Chief looked him up and down, then said, "Aren't you the private eye who married Ms. Scott?" "Yes, Captain, but how did.?" The policeman smiled faintly, Ms. Scott used to live a couple of blocks over, she and I had a couple of occasions to work together several years ago, I remembered seeing your picture when you two got married. Mr. Goldman, suppose you tell me what happened here."
Curtly, Oscar related the circumstances of Linda and A.J.'s call, then the explosion, and the voice leaving the same bizarre clue. "We were just about to go inside when the firemen declared it safe, to see if there are any clues. " The chief nodded, "I'll go with you, Mr. Goldman, this is my jurisdiction now. Mr. Simon, I know you'll want to get involved, but I don't allow private investigators to interfere with police matters, understand?"
As he turned and walked ahead, Rick angrily started to go after him, only to have the big man grab his arm. "Not now, Rick, we need his cooperation. He's all brass and bluff, but he's a fair man. Besides," Oscar gave him a faint grin, "I always thought he had a crush on Laurie, maybe he'll weaken when he knows what's at stake."
Following the policeman inside the apartment, both men fell silent, seeing the smoke marks on the walls near the entrance, and the furniture strewn around. Rick caught sight of A.J.'s jacket, and his heart dropped, for next to it was a torn picture of his brother with Linda, and blood on the carpet. Careful not to touch anything, he knelt down and looked to see if there were any other clues, only to see another picture, also torn.
Picking it up, he was horrified to see it was Steve and Jaime, "Oscar, look at this." The big man took one look, then pulled out a transmitter and hit a button. "Steve, come in, it's Oscar, can you hear me?" Nothing but static came out of the receiver, so he punched in another number and called Jaime.
Still nothing, so Oscar called over Captain Stevens. The Chief took one look at the pictures, then pulled out his radio and called in an APB. "Roger, I have a report of four more missing people, possibly kidnapped by, " he glanced at Rick, who said, "We think it was Aaron Caparelli, of the crime family. His brother died trying to kill Laurie and myself some years ago, we think this is some twisted revenge." The policeman frowned, "I remember, where is Mrs. Simon right now." "At home in Arizona, we have the local sheriff staying at our home, just in case."
Oscar spoke up. "Steve and Jaime live just a couple of miles from here, they weren't answering a while ago, but maybe we can beat Caparelli over there."
Just then a beeping came over his transmitter, and When Oscar opened the frequency, Laurie's voice came over. "Oscar, Rick, something's happened to Steve and Jaime, they're hurt or something."
Goldman swore under his breath and handed the device to Rick, who replied, "Sweetheart, it's Rick, when did you hear from Steve?"
About 15 minutes ago, I heard him calling for Jaime, then I felt a pain and I couldn't reach him. I tried calling Oscar and I reached Allen, who said he was with you and that something had happened to A.J. and Linda?"
Rick took a deep breath, then filled her in on their disappearance. She was silent for a long moment, then just as he said, "Laurie, are you there?" she answered, "Rick, it's going to be ok, I'm calling the airport and I'm going to have Rob drive me into Phoenix. Please, I can't stay here while you are all in danger, and Rob and Robin will be safe with the Chief here." The older Simon started to argue with her, then catching Oscar's eye, realized that she would probably be safer with them. "Alright, sweetheart, you call as soon as you know what time you arrive and I will meet your plane. Be careful."
He lowered his voice, "I love you." Her voice trembled, "I love you, too, Rick. We'll find A.J. and everyone, I promise."
Clicking off the transmitter, he looked up at Captain Stevens. "She hasn't changed at all, Mr. Simon." he said with a half- hearted grin. "Why don't we go to Colonel Austin's home and check it just in case, maybe we'll have better luck there."
At dawn, Rick and Oscar were at the local hospital, waiting to see Agent Johnson.
They had found much the same scene at Steve and Jaime's house as at Linda's; evidence of a flash bang device, signs of a struggle and the odor of gas. Piecing it together, all three men came to the conclusion that both of their friends were knocked out by a nerve gas canister. The only saving grace was that there was no evidence that their daughter Crystal was taken, which Oscar verified by calling Jim and Helen Austin and finding out the child had stayed the weekend with them.
Trying to allay their fears, Oscar told the couple they knew who had taken their son and daughter-in-law, and were doing everything to find them.
Now, waiting for the agent to wake up, Rick was curiously relieved to know that he would be picking up Laurie in a few hours, having gotten an early flight in from Phoenix to Burbank. He glanced at Oscar, only to see a weary smile on his face, and turned red, realizing the older man had read his thoughts.
"Much as I know Steve and Jaime love each other, I can never get used to the way you and Laurie are together, or even apart." Oscar paused, then quietly added, "I pray nothing ever happens to tear you two apart. I know it would destroy her." Rick cleared his throat, "I love her so much, Oscar. I can't handle it when she's hurt or in danger, I fall to pieces. The day I met her again, I was a goner. She just gives me so much."
The big man nodded. "I think of her as my own daughter, heck, she could have been my child once, but, Rick, once this is over, I have no reason not to tell her the truth about her father, Once I retire from the OSI, there'll be no excuse not to tell you both."
He got up and went to confer with the doctor, leaving Rick very confused. What about Laurie's father? All was supposedly revealed almost 8 years before, when Laurie was on assignment and found her niece and nephew. What now?
Suddenly something Laurie said struck him. Allen, Oscar's deputy, he had told Laurie where to reach them. How did he know that something had happened? When they had left OSI HQ, Oscar had only told him That there had been an attack. Rising from his chair, He met Oscar coming out of Johnson's room, "Rick, he just woke up, I was coming to get you." "Oscar, listen, what did you tell your deputy, Allen, about A.J. and Linda being attacked?" he replied. Goldman frowned, "Nothing much, just that there had been an explosion at Linda's apartment and we were on our way there." Abruptly Oscar turned on his heel and led the way into the injured agent's room. "Ben, it's Oscar and Rick Simon, can you hear us", he asked as they sat at his bed. Johnson opened his eyes, then squinting at his boss, said, "Mr. Goldman, I remember, the voice," Goldman nodded,"Ben, was it Allen Capp you heard?'
A gleam came into the agent's eyes. "Yes sir, it was Mr. Capp, he called my name and I turned and something hit me. Did you find Ms. Linda yet?"
Oscar shook his head, a faint grin as he looked at his loyal agent. "No, but with your help, we now have an idea how to find her and the others. You just rest, and I be back as soon as we have news."
Rick reached out and shook, Johnson's hand, as the agent looked at him and added, "I hope you find your brother soon, Mr. Simon, he's a nice guy."
Rick just nodded, a lump in his throat. Leaving the room, he caught up with Oscar as he grabbed his transmitter and called one of his men. "Gregson, this is Oscar Goldman, where is Allen Capp right now?" There was a pause, then, "I want you to follow him at a distance. When you see where he goes, call me at this frequency." He shut his device then turned to Rick. "If you wouldn't have been a pain in the rear, you and your brother would have been two of my best agents. Where did you get the idea about Capp?" Rick, touched by the compliment, told him what Laurie had said about Rick being with Oscar and that something had happened. Goldman was quiet for a moment as they left the hospital and climbed in his vehicle, then, "Rick, I trusted that man with our people and our country's security. Now I know its time to retire, when I can't even choose the right people." "Oscar, there is no way you could have guessed he would be a traitor, any more than you would have known how crucial Johnson's presence would be to finding where Rudy and the others are. Don't retire just because Caparelli found someone he could corrupt." Oscar started to interrupt, only to have Rick add, "I have to tell you, A.J. and I have always been a little scared of you, but it was because of what you've stood for and how tough you are. Whatever you decide, I owe you several times over my life and Laurie's, and you will always have a place to hang your hat with us."
There was silence, then Rick heard him say, "Thanks, Pal, that's the nicest thing I've ever heard." Oscar paused, Then said, "Scared, huh?"
The older Simon turned to see a faint grin on Goldman's face. "Well, yeah, especially when I would kiss Laurie and you weren't exactly, uh, "
"Sure you would be a good husband? When I heard her say, "Yes, Rick", and mean it, I knew you were the man for her. Rudy thought you might do, but I had to be sure she wouldn't get hurt."
Rick shook his head, "You and me both!" Just then, Oscar's transmitter went off, and clicking it on, he listened to a lengthy message, then replied, "Close in and stop him when he comes out, We'll be right there!"
He looked at Rick, "We found where he's got them, Capp just entered an industrial park five blocks from here. We'll let him get a short distance away, then close in."
A few minutes away, A.J. came to, head pounding. Stiff and sore, he tried to move, but found he was shackled by his wrists to a rail or pipe, he couldn't tell in the semi-darkness. Focusing his eyes, he saw a figure opposite him, also attached to the same support, and realized it was Linda, watching him. "A.J., are you all right? O thank God, I was so scared." He managed to scoot his bruised body closer to her, "Honey, I'm ok, just a little sore, are you hurt anywhere?" She shook her head, then closed her eyes, "That wasn't a good idea, my head aches, I think I was only dazed by the explosion, but I remember someone dragging me out, then dropping me. A.J., where are we?"
Before he could answer, he heard a voice nearby shakily ask, "Linda?" "A.J., its Rudy," she said, excited, "Yes Rudy, it's me and A.J., where are you?" A.J. hit the illumination on His watch, and using it as a flashlight, shone it in the direction of the older man's voice.
"Right here, son, ", Rudy called, indicating where the younger Simon was to aim his light. Following the sound, A.J. directed it a few feet away and saw the doctor handcuffed to a chair, a dazed look on his face. "How long have I been here, " he questioned, looking around at their dank prison. "You've been missing a couple of days, Doc, are you ok?" he replied concerned at his haggard appearance.
Rudy nodded, "Just woozy, I think our captor put something in my food, after I was brought here, a masked guy brought me a sandwich and coffee, and uncuffed one of my wrists so I could eat, only I don't remember much after that. Do you know who took us?"
A.J. paused, then said, "We think it's Aaron Caparelli, the brother of that monster who tried to kill Laurie and Rick. We flew in yesterday, at least I think it was yesterday, and we found out that he escaped from prison last week. Somehow the notice of his disappearance never made it to Oscar, otherwise we could have been on guard." Rudy sighed, "Oscar must be taking this hard, the worst part is I think I know how Caparelli got my address and took you two. I heard a knock on my door and a familiar voice answered when I asked who was there. All the man said was, "I have a message from Mr. Goldman", it sounded like Allen Capp, so I looked through the peephole and boom, something hit me.
When I came to, I heard a voice saying I was the bait for seven letters, then someone laughing and I was alone." Just then, A.J. heard a stirring in the darkness, someone moaning. Oh, God, not Rick, he thought, frantic. "Is someone there, " he called out, then heard Steve Austin's voice, "A.J., is that you?" He flashed his watch light and saw in the faint glow two figures on the ground, both chained together to a post. "Steve, are you ok, is that Jaime with you?" "Yes", came the faint voice, then he heard the colonel talking to his wife. "Jaime, honey, wake up, can you hear me?" "Steve, can you move?" Rudy asked him, trying to jerk his chair toward the big man. "Just barely, I think they got us with some kind of nerve gas, it was tossed in our window and when I got a whiff, it was like I was paralyzed." He called Jaime's name again, then she answered, groggily, "Steve, I, I can't move, what happened?"
Austin filled her in, and then he tried moving his bionic arm, finally getting it to work enough to break off the chain on his other arm, then taking Jaime's chains off. After a couple of minutes, she was able to move and they set about freeing the others. Suddenly Steve froze, then said, "I can read Laurie, she knows we've been taken and she's trying to reach Oscar. She's on her way here from Phoenix." As Jaime pulled the handcuff off A.J.'s left hand, he gasped in pain, realizing it was swollen and nearly unusable. Linda came over and taking a look at it in the faint light, sighed "Darling, I think it's broken, I remember you landed funny when you pushed me out of the way during the attack." He saw tears fill her eyes and she raised his injured hand to her cheek as she said, "I'm sorry I said no, A.J., I love you, nothing is worth us being apart."
Filled with emotion, A.J. took her in his good arm and replied, "I'll ask you again when we get out of here, I love you too."
Looking up at Steve and Jaime, he said, "There's got to be a door somewhere, maybe we can rig something to get us out of here." The two bionic agents nodded, as Steve said, "My arm isn't working well enough to bust a wall, yet, but maybe between all of us, we can at least make some noise so someone can hear us."
Gunning the car, Oscar and Rick made the drive from the hospital in less then a minute, then pulled into a driveway and joined a small group of agents.
As they took their positions behind a run-down office building, they saw a man come around the corner, waited until he crossed the street, then two agents shone a light on him and yelled, "Capp, freeze!"
The man turned frantically, then tried to sprint back in direction he came from, only to have Rick and Oscar bar his retreat. "Oscar, Mr. Goldman, what's going On, I, " Rick grabbed him by the collar and raising His fist, growled, "You have 30 seconds to say where My brother and our friends are, or you're dead meat!"
Looking around at the closing circle of stern-faced Agents, he gulped, then said, "Mr. Goldman, he Blackmailed me, he knew I had a record and he Was going to rat me out unless I helped him. I didn't mean to hurt anyone, they're ok, and I'll Show you where they are!"
Shaking, his arm tightly grasped by Gregson, the agent who had tracked him, Capp led them to a building down the block, and unlocking a rusting door, went down a staircase to a basement room. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard a pounding noise on an interior door. "A.J., Steve!" Rick called, then fell silent as so they could listen for a response. "Rick!" a faint voice answered, and as the older Simon yelled for them to stand away from the door, Oscar shot out the lock and the door flew open. Shining a light inside, they saw Steve Austin, helping A.J. and Linda off the floor, and Jaime supporting a haggard Rudy Wells.
As they came out of the airless room, Rick grabbed his brother, bloodied and grimacing in pain, and hugged him tightly. "Thank God we found you, did he hurt you?"
"Just my hand, I think it's broken, I landed on it when we hit the floor after the explosion." Linda grabbed Rick's shoulder and squeezed it. "Your brother saved my life, if he hadn't pushed me out of the way, well, I owe both of you."
Oscar hugged Jaime and Steve, then patted his old friend on the shoulder. "Hell of a way to start your retirement, isn't it, Rudy?"
The disheveled doctor beamed at the big man. "Should have known you'd lead the charge, Oscar, tell you what, you tear up your retirement letter and I'll sign up for another year."
As the two men broke into laughter and climbed the stairway to the outside, Rick hugged Steve and Jaime, saying, "thank God you got through to Laurie, she'll be relieved to know you're ok."
Steve looked around, then said, "Isn't she with you, I managed get through to her a few minutes ago and she said she was meeting you."
A cold feeling swept through Rick, "No, I'm supposed to pick her up at the airport, I told her to wait there." Steve shook his head, a worried expression on his face, "No, she said she got a message you were going to meet her at her old apartment."
"Steve, tell her not to go there, Capp, did you tell her to go there?" he swung around and faced the traitor as he came up from the basement. Capp turned away, then let out a yell as A.J. grabbed him with his good hand and flung him to the ground.
"Answer him, did you, no you wouldn't have led her into a trap, " A.J. advanced on Capp, who shakily replied, "Caparelli made me do it, I told you, all I did was pick her up and drop her off a little while ago. He promised he wouldn't hurt her." Rick didn't wait to hear any more, yelling "Steve, tell her to leave, get away from there, Oscar, we've got to find her!"
Rushing for Goldman's car, Oscar shoved Rick aside, saying, "I know where it is, I'll drive."
Yelling for the agents to take Rudy and the others to the hospital, they sped away and headed toward the hill section of town.
Popping open his transmitter, Oscar gave directions to his agents what to do with Capp, then repeated for Steve to keep in contact with Laurie. Steve came on himself, saying that he had just heard Laurie. "I told her to get away, Oscar, wait, ."
Laurie stood outside her old apartment, weathered fence, broken sidewalk, not much had changed. Too many memories, plus, there was something, a cold feeling, foreboding, She didn't know what. Why would Rick meet her here, unless, .
She started to turn away, then she caught sight of a shadow in the window, someone in the apartment. Against her better judgment, she started up the walkway, carefully picking her way up to the narrow porch. Just as she was about to knock on the door, she "heard" Steve. "Laurie, honey, where are you?" She closed her eyes, telling him she was at the old apartment. "Trap, it's a trap, leave, Rick's not there", immediately she started to back away from the entrance.
As Laurie turned to leave, the door opened behind her, and something, someone grabbed her, pulling her in. She let out a scream, only to have it muffled by a hand across her mouth, an arm pinioning her against a thin body. She twisted and turned, trying to wriggle away, only to be slammed against a wall, knocking her breathless. Her face crushed against the curtains, she couldn't move as her wrists were tied in back of her, and as she was pulled away, she opened her mouth only to have a gag tied around her face tightly. She looked at the figure in front of her, seeing a face, oh my God, she thought, closing her eyes, Aaron Caparelli, He leered at her in the dim light, as she tried to struggle. He picked her up and carried her kicking to a beat-up couch, dropping her onto it. "My dear, only mules kick, so I'll have to take care of this", he whispered, grasping her ankles and wrenching them together, causing her to gasp in pain. Whipping a rope out of his pocket, he bound them tightly together, then pulling her up by the front of her blouse, he stuck a gun in her face.
"Remember the rhyme, my dear, you and your husband are the missing letters,
when I find him, you will complete the seven. This", he waved the pistol, " is what waits for your husband, my dear Mrs. Simon. All you have to do to spare yourself a lot of pain is tell me where he is and I'll have him find you. I will set your friends free, all you have to do is tell me where he is."
She shook her head. He flung her backward on to the couch, then pulled a small case out of his pocket, opening it to show a vial of liquid, and a syringe. "See this, my dear, all for you, unless you tell me where Rick Simon is." She froze, unable to think, hearing Steve's voice the whole time, "They're on their way, hold on, honey, Rick's coming in the front, hold on." "NO", she thought, "Trap, don't let Rick come, please, Trap!"