A Plan
"Mark, I'm fine," Jesse said. "I've had it up to here with being a patient in the hospital. Let me out of here!"
"Jesse, you sound like a lunatic! Fine, if you are well enough to argue, you may as well go home."
"Not without me," Steve said, walking into the examining room. "How's the head?"
"How does it look?"
"Like it hit the windscreen of a car," Steve replied.
"There you go then," Jesse said. "And why do I have to home with you?"
"Because you and Ally are being hunted by a murderer, and he happens to know that you live in the Beach House."
"That puts you guys in danger, too," Jesse sighed. "I'm sorry…"
"You don't need to be sorry," Mark told him. "We should be sorry that we didn't give you enough protection."
"Protection begins now," Steve told him.
At that moment, Amanda brought Ally into the room. "How cool is this?"
"Very cool, a broken arm," Jesse said, sore from the pain in his head.
"No, the cast! Neon green, it glows in the dark!"
"You mean I've got a radio-active cast in the room when I try and go to sleep at night?" Jesse asked in dismay.
"Ever tried shutting your eyes?" Ally asked him sarcastically.
"Enough," Mark said. "Steve, I think we need to borrow your car."
"Thought you might," Steve said. "I'll drop you at home, but I'm going back to the station. You said you had a name for the guy who was chasing you?"
"Yeah, my oh-so-nice Uncle Eric," Ally rolled her eyes. "He was always mean to me. I always got socks for Christmases and Birthdays."
"Does Uncle Eric have a surname?"
"Birch."
"Right, we'll track this guy down and have him before you can say mass murderer." Steve left the room first, and the others followed.
"He's got a real one-track mind, that Steve guy," Ally whispered to Mark as they left.
It was as Amanda came into the house for breakfast that Mark got the idea. She was carrying a black sack of something.
"You know, Amanda, we left the trash outside for a reason," Steve said, chewing on a piece of toast.
"This isn't garbage, these are some of the toys for the children's ward that Mark wanted," Amanda said. "Only the plastic blocks have teeth marks on, the others are fine."
"Thanks Amanda, set it down just over here," Mark said, showing her to an empty corner of the room.
"You'd have never known the difference between the trash and the toys," Jesse noted. "They're all just the same shape really."
Mark had been struck in the face with an idea. "Jesse, you are a genius," he said, snapping his fingers.
"Those are words you don't hear too often," Steve remarked, getting a thump on the back for it.
"What Jesse has said has made me think of plan, one to lure Eric Birch to us, instead of chasing him, which hasn't actually worked so far."
"Didn't you find him yesterday?" Amanda asked.
"Waited for over an hour, but it was obvious that no one was home," Steve said.
"So, how do you plan on luring him out?" Ally spoke up.
"He wants you dead, am I right?"
"He's given me a really big hint of that," Ally told him.
"So, we give him to you, dead," Mark said.
"That's giving him what he wants, you know," Ally said.
"But you won't really be dead," Mark explained. "You will be in a bodybag, pretending to be dead."
"What, so you leave him a note, giving up as it were, and leaving a body somewhere for proof?" Amanda asked.
"He'll come and collect it, and we'll ambush him," Steve finished.
"What if he goes and makes sure I'm really dead?" Ally asked.
"We'll equip you in bullet-proof vest and helmet," Steve told her.
"I don't think that Ally should do it, now that I think about it," Mark said. "It's too risky, you've got a broken arm already."
"We'd need someone about her size to go in her place," Amanda said. All eyes looked at one person.
"Me?" Jesse squeaked.
"It will be harmless," Steve assured him. "We'll be right there in the wings for when he comes to collect the body."
"And you'll be properly bullet-proof," Mark added.
"You've got nothing to worry about," Amanda put in.
It was the look in Ally's eyes that made Jesse agree. The look that asked him to do it for her, so that it would all be over, and she could start to live a normal life. Jesse couldn't say no to that look.
"I'll do it," he mumbled. "But this plan had better work!"
"When have any of my plans gone wrong?" Mark asked him.
"I'm going to leave that as a rhetorical question," Jesse muttered.
"Mark, I'm fine," Jesse said. "I've had it up to here with being a patient in the hospital. Let me out of here!"
"Jesse, you sound like a lunatic! Fine, if you are well enough to argue, you may as well go home."
"Not without me," Steve said, walking into the examining room. "How's the head?"
"How does it look?"
"Like it hit the windscreen of a car," Steve replied.
"There you go then," Jesse said. "And why do I have to home with you?"
"Because you and Ally are being hunted by a murderer, and he happens to know that you live in the Beach House."
"That puts you guys in danger, too," Jesse sighed. "I'm sorry…"
"You don't need to be sorry," Mark told him. "We should be sorry that we didn't give you enough protection."
"Protection begins now," Steve told him.
At that moment, Amanda brought Ally into the room. "How cool is this?"
"Very cool, a broken arm," Jesse said, sore from the pain in his head.
"No, the cast! Neon green, it glows in the dark!"
"You mean I've got a radio-active cast in the room when I try and go to sleep at night?" Jesse asked in dismay.
"Ever tried shutting your eyes?" Ally asked him sarcastically.
"Enough," Mark said. "Steve, I think we need to borrow your car."
"Thought you might," Steve said. "I'll drop you at home, but I'm going back to the station. You said you had a name for the guy who was chasing you?"
"Yeah, my oh-so-nice Uncle Eric," Ally rolled her eyes. "He was always mean to me. I always got socks for Christmases and Birthdays."
"Does Uncle Eric have a surname?"
"Birch."
"Right, we'll track this guy down and have him before you can say mass murderer." Steve left the room first, and the others followed.
"He's got a real one-track mind, that Steve guy," Ally whispered to Mark as they left.
It was as Amanda came into the house for breakfast that Mark got the idea. She was carrying a black sack of something.
"You know, Amanda, we left the trash outside for a reason," Steve said, chewing on a piece of toast.
"This isn't garbage, these are some of the toys for the children's ward that Mark wanted," Amanda said. "Only the plastic blocks have teeth marks on, the others are fine."
"Thanks Amanda, set it down just over here," Mark said, showing her to an empty corner of the room.
"You'd have never known the difference between the trash and the toys," Jesse noted. "They're all just the same shape really."
Mark had been struck in the face with an idea. "Jesse, you are a genius," he said, snapping his fingers.
"Those are words you don't hear too often," Steve remarked, getting a thump on the back for it.
"What Jesse has said has made me think of plan, one to lure Eric Birch to us, instead of chasing him, which hasn't actually worked so far."
"Didn't you find him yesterday?" Amanda asked.
"Waited for over an hour, but it was obvious that no one was home," Steve said.
"So, how do you plan on luring him out?" Ally spoke up.
"He wants you dead, am I right?"
"He's given me a really big hint of that," Ally told him.
"So, we give him to you, dead," Mark said.
"That's giving him what he wants, you know," Ally said.
"But you won't really be dead," Mark explained. "You will be in a bodybag, pretending to be dead."
"What, so you leave him a note, giving up as it were, and leaving a body somewhere for proof?" Amanda asked.
"He'll come and collect it, and we'll ambush him," Steve finished.
"What if he goes and makes sure I'm really dead?" Ally asked.
"We'll equip you in bullet-proof vest and helmet," Steve told her.
"I don't think that Ally should do it, now that I think about it," Mark said. "It's too risky, you've got a broken arm already."
"We'd need someone about her size to go in her place," Amanda said. All eyes looked at one person.
"Me?" Jesse squeaked.
"It will be harmless," Steve assured him. "We'll be right there in the wings for when he comes to collect the body."
"And you'll be properly bullet-proof," Mark added.
"You've got nothing to worry about," Amanda put in.
It was the look in Ally's eyes that made Jesse agree. The look that asked him to do it for her, so that it would all be over, and she could start to live a normal life. Jesse couldn't say no to that look.
"I'll do it," he mumbled. "But this plan had better work!"
"When have any of my plans gone wrong?" Mark asked him.
"I'm going to leave that as a rhetorical question," Jesse muttered.