CHAPTER 44
Ellen managed to get a few hours sleep before her mind picked up where it left off earlier that morning. She couldn't get the idea out of her head that somehow she needed to return the favor Connor MacLeod had done for her and try to find a way to help the tortured soul that had almost taken her head the night before.
She knew there was no way he'd listen to her, and she wasn't about to become a walking target for the lethal immortal who wanted nothing less than her head. "So if I can't reach you, what can I do?" she pondered her options.
There was only one thing she could think of and that was to try and get to someone he would listen to.
"What was that city again? Seacrest? Seaside?" She booted up Riley's computer and started looking up cities in Washington State. "Seacouver." She smiled, clicking on the telephone listings. Ellen didn't waste any time. She knew she might lose her nerve if she did.
Finding the listing she wanted, she dialed the number and waited for an answer.
"This is Dawson." The voice on the other end sounded.
"Is this Joe Dawson?" she asked. "The Watcher Joe Dawson?"
"Who is this?" he demanded, a little taken aback by such a direct reference from an unknown voice.
"I need to know if I have the right listing." She explained. "If you are Joe Dawson, then you might have heard of me . Ellen Hanley? If you are near your computer you could look me up. I'll wait."
Joe had indeed heard that name before. Tragic life. Ellen wasn't known for taking many heads, but was a formidable opponent when necessary.
"I'm listening." Joe said flatly.
"So I'm right then?" she wanted to be sure.
"Right enough to know better than to contact me like this."
"I had to. Your friend needs you." Ellen replied.
"You know where Richie is?" Joe almost jumped from his chair.
"Richie?" she replied. "No, I'm talking about Adam, Adam Pierson."
Joe let out a breath of disappointment. "Adam doesn't seem to think he needs anyone these days."
"Well he's wrong." She retorted. "And if you are his friend you know that."
"Is he in trouble? Or are you?" Joe asked.
"He almost took my head last night if that's what you are asking." She replied. "He's the coldest, most determined son of a bitch I've ever faced, but we both know it doesn't have to be this way. You know why he's doing this. I just thought if you knew where he was you could tell him the truth."
"Lady I'm beginning to think you are on a fishing expedition and I'm not playing this game." Joe wondered what she thought she knew, but was more afraid this was a setup . a test from the Watcher's.
"He's in Chicago." She blurted out. "I don't know where he's staying but if you come here I'll help you find him."
"You aren't telling me anything I didn't know, and I'm not buying." Joe said, but before he could hang up she told him where she was staying. "Call Riley Quinn and you will find me."
Joe spent the next hour trying to figure out what just happened. Was it a test? It had to be. Why would some woman who almost lost her head to his crazed friend want to help him? And how did she even know he could be helped, or give a damn for that matter? It didn't make sense.
"Well if it is a test then I'm sure as hell not going to walk into it." He said to himself before leaving the bar and driving a few blocks to pick up a shipment of liquor. Impatiently he waited in the seat of the van while the distributor checked his order and called for a stock boy to load it.
"Aww hell." He grumbled, not able to resist any longer. Joe dragged himself out of the van and walked into the main office. "Red can I use your phone?"
The manager nodded and walked out to be sure the order was correct.
"Mac, I have some news." Joe explained the strange conversation to Duncan, who had arrived in Chicago a few hours before to search for Richie. He also explained why he couldn't talk to him from the bar. "If this is a test, then they're listening in. Hell, they're probably already doing that. Methos has everyone as nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers."
"You know how I feel about this Joe." Duncan reminded him. "He's not the man I thought I knew. And so help me if he touches Richie ."
"I know, I know Mac. And you know my first instinct was to try and convince him myself. But he wouldn't listen to me, I know that now." Joe reminded him. "You could make him listen."
"Joe if he doesn't listen you know what that will mean don't you?" Duncan replied. "You know he won't back down."
"Then shoot the damn fool and drag his dead carcass back here until we can knock some sense into him." Joe responded. "I'd come do it myself if I thought I could get there before Richie had a chance to stumble across him."
"God Joe, are you hearing yourself?"
"I know, I know. But I'm not ready to give up on him yet. You should have heard this woman. She doesn't even know him and she was convinced he could be reached. Yesterday I'd have agreed with you, to just stay out of his way if we could, but today. Call me a sentimental fool, but her call gave me hope . it gave me hope Mac."
Duncan could hear the emotion in his friend's voice and resisted the urge to deny his request. "I'll talk to her." He said. "I can't promise anything else. I'll call her and see what this is all about."
"Thanks Mac. Take care all right. And remember what I said. If he won't listen, just shoot him. I am not ready to close a file on either of you, and Amanda would kill me if anything happened to you on my account." Joe told him sincerely.
"I'll be in touch." Duncan said before the line went dead, making no promises.
Meanwhile in the belly of a Scandinavian freighter, Richie awoke from the drug-induced sleep he'd been drifting in for 3 days. The room was cold and dark, and the motion of the freighter made his empty stomach lurch. His hands were tied behind him, making it difficult to move, but somehow he managed to sit up against the wall. Richie had no idea what was happening. The last thing he remembered was picking up his bags at the house and then . nothing.
"This is bad." He said to himself. "This is very bad."
Ellen managed to get a few hours sleep before her mind picked up where it left off earlier that morning. She couldn't get the idea out of her head that somehow she needed to return the favor Connor MacLeod had done for her and try to find a way to help the tortured soul that had almost taken her head the night before.
She knew there was no way he'd listen to her, and she wasn't about to become a walking target for the lethal immortal who wanted nothing less than her head. "So if I can't reach you, what can I do?" she pondered her options.
There was only one thing she could think of and that was to try and get to someone he would listen to.
"What was that city again? Seacrest? Seaside?" She booted up Riley's computer and started looking up cities in Washington State. "Seacouver." She smiled, clicking on the telephone listings. Ellen didn't waste any time. She knew she might lose her nerve if she did.
Finding the listing she wanted, she dialed the number and waited for an answer.
"This is Dawson." The voice on the other end sounded.
"Is this Joe Dawson?" she asked. "The Watcher Joe Dawson?"
"Who is this?" he demanded, a little taken aback by such a direct reference from an unknown voice.
"I need to know if I have the right listing." She explained. "If you are Joe Dawson, then you might have heard of me . Ellen Hanley? If you are near your computer you could look me up. I'll wait."
Joe had indeed heard that name before. Tragic life. Ellen wasn't known for taking many heads, but was a formidable opponent when necessary.
"I'm listening." Joe said flatly.
"So I'm right then?" she wanted to be sure.
"Right enough to know better than to contact me like this."
"I had to. Your friend needs you." Ellen replied.
"You know where Richie is?" Joe almost jumped from his chair.
"Richie?" she replied. "No, I'm talking about Adam, Adam Pierson."
Joe let out a breath of disappointment. "Adam doesn't seem to think he needs anyone these days."
"Well he's wrong." She retorted. "And if you are his friend you know that."
"Is he in trouble? Or are you?" Joe asked.
"He almost took my head last night if that's what you are asking." She replied. "He's the coldest, most determined son of a bitch I've ever faced, but we both know it doesn't have to be this way. You know why he's doing this. I just thought if you knew where he was you could tell him the truth."
"Lady I'm beginning to think you are on a fishing expedition and I'm not playing this game." Joe wondered what she thought she knew, but was more afraid this was a setup . a test from the Watcher's.
"He's in Chicago." She blurted out. "I don't know where he's staying but if you come here I'll help you find him."
"You aren't telling me anything I didn't know, and I'm not buying." Joe said, but before he could hang up she told him where she was staying. "Call Riley Quinn and you will find me."
Joe spent the next hour trying to figure out what just happened. Was it a test? It had to be. Why would some woman who almost lost her head to his crazed friend want to help him? And how did she even know he could be helped, or give a damn for that matter? It didn't make sense.
"Well if it is a test then I'm sure as hell not going to walk into it." He said to himself before leaving the bar and driving a few blocks to pick up a shipment of liquor. Impatiently he waited in the seat of the van while the distributor checked his order and called for a stock boy to load it.
"Aww hell." He grumbled, not able to resist any longer. Joe dragged himself out of the van and walked into the main office. "Red can I use your phone?"
The manager nodded and walked out to be sure the order was correct.
"Mac, I have some news." Joe explained the strange conversation to Duncan, who had arrived in Chicago a few hours before to search for Richie. He also explained why he couldn't talk to him from the bar. "If this is a test, then they're listening in. Hell, they're probably already doing that. Methos has everyone as nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers."
"You know how I feel about this Joe." Duncan reminded him. "He's not the man I thought I knew. And so help me if he touches Richie ."
"I know, I know Mac. And you know my first instinct was to try and convince him myself. But he wouldn't listen to me, I know that now." Joe reminded him. "You could make him listen."
"Joe if he doesn't listen you know what that will mean don't you?" Duncan replied. "You know he won't back down."
"Then shoot the damn fool and drag his dead carcass back here until we can knock some sense into him." Joe responded. "I'd come do it myself if I thought I could get there before Richie had a chance to stumble across him."
"God Joe, are you hearing yourself?"
"I know, I know. But I'm not ready to give up on him yet. You should have heard this woman. She doesn't even know him and she was convinced he could be reached. Yesterday I'd have agreed with you, to just stay out of his way if we could, but today. Call me a sentimental fool, but her call gave me hope . it gave me hope Mac."
Duncan could hear the emotion in his friend's voice and resisted the urge to deny his request. "I'll talk to her." He said. "I can't promise anything else. I'll call her and see what this is all about."
"Thanks Mac. Take care all right. And remember what I said. If he won't listen, just shoot him. I am not ready to close a file on either of you, and Amanda would kill me if anything happened to you on my account." Joe told him sincerely.
"I'll be in touch." Duncan said before the line went dead, making no promises.
Meanwhile in the belly of a Scandinavian freighter, Richie awoke from the drug-induced sleep he'd been drifting in for 3 days. The room was cold and dark, and the motion of the freighter made his empty stomach lurch. His hands were tied behind him, making it difficult to move, but somehow he managed to sit up against the wall. Richie had no idea what was happening. The last thing he remembered was picking up his bags at the house and then . nothing.
"This is bad." He said to himself. "This is very bad."