A/N I have decided to place this story after AYNOHYEB and FO I. So, picture
about a month between last week and this. Secondly, I appreciate the
feedback everyone. It's been wonderful. Thank you very much. Hopefully this
chapter will work out all right. Oh and this one is still Martin and Viv
light. Sorry.
~~~~~~
"What!" asked Vivian alarmed. Martin glanced at her as he gave the gas a little more pressure. They were in the car headed towards Raymond's building.
"How many packs does he have on him?"
"From what I could see, three," said Danny, pacing back and fourth. He was afraid. They were all afraid. The bear didn't even have the detonator in it. The poor boy thought Danny was crazy for playing doctor with his teddy bear on the kitchen island. Danny grabbed the largest knife he could find and went at it. There was only stuffing in the bear with wooden blocks at the feet and butt to help it sit upright.
"And the cops aren't there yet? You called the bomb squad right?" asked Vivan.
"Yeah I called 'em. Wait," Danny paused, straining to listen over the traffic. "I think I hear them coming right now. I gotta go."
"Okay. We just dropped the kids off at the hospital. We should be there in fifteen minutes," said Vivan.
"What's going on over there?" asked Martin curiously as Vivian closed her phone.
"Dr. Raymond has three packs of C4 strapped to his body and a few more stashed somewhere else. Both Sam and Jack are with him right now."
"So that's where she went? How'd she know it was him?"
"Maybe Melanie told her something. I don't know," said Vivian, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. She pulled out her phone again and started dialing. "I gotta call my husband. This isn't going to end any time soon."
"This will end as soon as possible if you just tell us where the detonator is," said Jack with an authoritative tone of voice.
"You know Agent Malone, I was about to follow Agent Spade to the police when you so rudely interrupted," Raymond said. He leaned casually against a small table at the opposite end of the living room, and pulled out his pipe.
"Well, you had your time, now it's our turn," Jack said as began walking towards Raymond. He had one hand on his gun and the other retrieving his handcuffs.
He looked back at Sam, "Go clear the rest of the apartment." She nodded and went to the hallway beside the kitchen.
"Dr. Raymond, I'd appreciate it if you'd sit in that chair," he said, motioning to the chair to Raymond's right. Dr. Raymond gave Jack a long, deep look, then slid off the table and sat in the chair.
Jack handcuffed Raymond's hands behind the chair, checking the cuffs to make sure they were secure.
Sam walked down the narrow hallway, decorated with black and white photographs of various areas around the city. She had to squint to see clearly, it was dark outside and there weren't any lights on in the rooms.
She kept her gun pointed towards the ground, her back against the wall, and slowly entered the first room she came to. It was a small and neat room, lined with bookcases and a desk against the center of the far wall. Sam backed out of the room carefully and continued up the hallway. Two rooms left.
The next room she entered was a bedroom. She couldn't tell if it was his or only a guestroom. A soft breeze coming from an open window on the side of the room drew her attention. The window was fully opened, the sheer curtains flapping silently in the wind and the light from the street cast a hazy glow about the room. She took a quick glance around before approaching the window. Leaning out, she realized it was a fire escape with stairs leading both up and down. She brought herself back inside to holster her gun, and was met by a large hand being placed around her mouth.
"Dr. Raymond, where is the detonator?" asked Jack, quickly growing impatient.
"At this point, I'm not sure where it is," said Raymond, leaning his head against the back of the chair. "That Agent Spade, she's a firecracker. Are all of your agents like her?"
"How about I ask the questions," said Jack as he looked out the window, checking outside for the cops. He could see Danny pacing back and forth below, pulling his phone off of his belt.
Sam struggled quietly, trying to flip the person over her.
"It's no use Samantha," she stopped at the sound of his voice, realizing who it was. "I know a lot more than you think I do."
Clayton held her arms to where she could not move them, tightly grasping her wrists. He positioned his legs to where hers were pinned against a large chair that was placed in the corner beside the window.
"Jonathan thinks he's so great, planning this whole thing," he whispered into her ear. "Well, who got the girl and who got the handcuffs?" he brought his head down, kissing her lightly on the nape of her neck. She began to squirm when she could feel his tongue make contact with her skin. He pressed her harder into the chair, pushing himself closer against her.
"I assume Melanie is safe now," said Raymond, trying to break Jack's focus. Jack was walking around checking for more C4 and even the detonator.
"Cut the crap Dr. Raymond. How many more packs do you have?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Because," he drew out the word, irritation slightly evident in his voice. "I'm not the one who obtained the C4, nor am I the one who duct tapped them to my back, or planted it around the building," said Raymond.
Growing dizzy from the lack of oxygen, Sam thought of one more thing she could do. She stood taller and stiffened herself against him, then went immediately limp, catching him off guard. He lost his grip long enough for her right arm to break free from his grasp. She elbowed him in the gut and turned quickly, giving him a left hook to the jaw. He reeled backwards against the wall, grabbing his jaw in pain. She kicked him square in the knee, bringing him down to the ground. She brought her left knee and placed it right between his shoulder blades, rendering him immobile and cuffed his right hand, then his left.
"You never had me," she said harshly once the cuffs were tightly fastened.
Jack turned at the sounds being produced from Samantha's direction. Forgetting Raymond, he walked through the kitchen, "Samantha?"
No answer. He heard another thud and rushed to the source, watching as Sam stood, her gun drawn.
"I found Clayton," she said, gasping for breath. He walked closer to her and on the other side of the bed, he saw Clayton Hodges handcuffed and lying on the floor.
"You okay?" he asked, looking at her closely. She kept her eyes focused on Clayton, not daring to look up.
"I'm fine," she said with a harried voice as he bent down to help her pick Clayton off the ground.
"How are you Mr. Hodges? Enjoy your stay?" asked Jack tauntingly. His nose was mere centimeters from Hodges' cheek. "Where'd you put the detonator?"
"I don't have the detonator. Jonathan does," he replied through clenched teeth.
"Funny, he says he doesn't know where it is," Jack started patting Hodges down, looking for the detonator.
"Where are the other bombs?"
"I can't remember. I took a nasty blow to the head," he said sarcastically. Jack applied pressure to Hodges' bad knee for the last remark. Jack stood at the sound of booted feet filing through the apartment's entrance.
"Cavalry's here," said Sam as she glanced at Jack. She began pushing Hodges forward towards the door, while Jack walked on the other side of him.
They entered the room to find three bomb squad members, their dogs and a seven man S.W.A.T. team frozen with their weapons pointed at Jonathan Raymond. Danny followed up the rear, shaking his head.
"The elevators were out. All of them," said Danny as he pushed his way through the officials. "We had to take the stairs to get up here."
Jack nodded at Danny while walking towards a member of the bomb squad.
"Special Agent Jack Malone," he said, holding out his hand.
"Captain Paul Thorpe," he shook his hand and looked around cautiously. "Don't worry, we'll get this situation under control soon. Do you know who has the detonator?"
"No. It could be on a timer for all we know."
"Okay, thank you. We'll clear the apartment and give it a look around. I have other men evacuating everyone from the building as well."
" Good. I know he's got three packs on him, and there are more, but we don't know where yet," said Jack as he motioned towards Raymond.
The S.W.A.T. team dispersed as the other two bomb squad members commenced their search.
Danny walked over to Sam and helped her watch Clayton while Jack continued talking to Captain Thorpe. Neither Hodges nor Raymond said a word.
Soon after, Martin came up through the doorway with Vivan close behind.
"What's going on?" asked Martin as he approached Danny and Sam.
"They can't find the detonator and Jack can't transport Raymond until we know he won't blow up," said Danny as he watched a bomb squad member checking Raymond over.
"Why don't they just rip the tape off?" said Martin.
"Because the detonator could be taped under it," said Sam, "and if the pressure was released -"
"It would be the Fourth of July. Great. How'd you know where to find him?" asked Martin as the two men looked at her inquisitively.
Sam didn't hear Martin. She was watching as Jack and Vivian spoke with each other.
"I want you to take Hodges in, question him. Get everything you can. If Raymond has done this in the past, then Hodges probably helped him out. Don't forget, he was an investigator so keep pounding him 'til you get something out," said Jack.
"Okay. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to stay here until this mess gets taken care of. Hopefully we'll be able to take Raymond and interrogate him. If not, we'll be heading back as soon as we're done."
"And Samantha?" she asked, quickly glancing at the blond agent.
"Her too. She's got some explaining to do. Plus, Van Doran's going to want to know what happened, and I can't give her a full report until I talk to Sam."
"Jack, I'm sorry I let her up there. I didn't know she wasn't supposed to be with us, but there was no one else who could save that girl," she said quietly.
"Don't worry about it. Thanks for the help," he said in an uncharacteristically kind voice. Then he turned as two S.W.A.T. team members waited to speak with him.
"We're going to take Hodges in and question him," said Vivian as she looked at Martin.
"You all will be coming with Raymond as soon as they find the detonator and disarm him," she said while addressing Samantha and Danny.
"Okay," said Danny. "See you back at the office," he said as they prepared to take Hodges.
Clayton glanced back at Sam as he exited through the door, giving her an eerie smile. She turned away, crossing one arm against her chest while her other hand went to the back of her neck. Her fingers stung her neck as they gently glided over her soft skin. She winced in pain as she turned her wrist the wrong way. Examining her hand, there were no evident signs that she'd just struggled for her life less than ten minutes ago. Of course, tomorrow there would probably be bruises to show the strength of Clayton's grip.
Danny watched Sam looking at her wrists. He saw that her left hand was red and swollen from the left hook she'd given Hodges. As he walked closer to her, he made a mental note to never get in a fight with Sam.
"Here, let me take you into the kitchen and get some meat on that," he said while grabbing her hand carefully.
"Thanks Danny, but I'll be fine. Really. It's just a little red," she said as he started pulling her towards the kitchen.
"Come on, you're beat. At least let me do it so I can feel better," he turned back and grinned.
Dr. Raymond watched while Sam followed Danny in the kitchen. There were two officers guarding him while he sat quietly, watching as people clad in black went about his apartment, pilfering through his belongings. It was much more boring than he'd anticipated. He hadn't even been shot yet. What was wrong with the justice system in this country?
His eyes followed Agent Malone as he came away from the room that housed Raymond's piano. Jack walked towards Captain Thorpe and said a few words to him quietly. Thorpe went to the piano room and spoke with his men. Dr. Raymond smiled as Jack walked towards him, his anger apparent.
"If you don't tell us where the detonator is, then we can't help you. You are only making this worse for yourself in the long run. Tell me where it is, and we can work out a deal for you," said Jack as he stood in front of Dr. Raymond.
"I'm sorry Jack. I already told you, I didn't plant the C4. How would I know where the detonator is?"
"Fine. Suit yourself," Jack said gruffly. He scanned the room looking for his remaining agents and turned towards the piano room once he saw them in the kitchen.
"How you holdin' up?" asked Danny as they walked out of the kitchen.
"I'm doing fine," she paused as she looked at Dr. Raymond and found his eyes fixed on her. "It's been a long day," she said, putting an emphasis on long.
"No kidding. It's about time we called it quits," he glanced at her sideways as they stood beside the bookshelves.
"Hey uh, Agent Taylor could you give us a hand over here," said one of the S.W.A.T. team members as he leaned out of the guestroom. Danny followed the officer while Sam stood awkwardly, silently wishing herself out of the room.
"Samantha," said Jack as he propped himself against the wall, "come here. We need your help.
Sam nodded and started walking, trying to avoid the dogs as they sniffed around the apartment. As she walked by Dr. Raymond, she accidentally knocked a coaster off the table and bent down to pick it up. She returned it to the table while trying to avoid Dr. Raymond and his gaze.
"Now Samantha be careful, I don't need you to go around breaking things," he said oddly.
She gave him a confused look, trying to process his words as she continued to walk towards the piano room. She walked over to Jack and stood as he and Captain Thorpe continued to evaluate the situation.
Jack looked at her and started saying something, but she wasn't paying any attention. Her mind was twenty feet away, thinking about what Dr. Raymond has just said. It was the way he said it, like his words held a double meaning.
Images flashed in her mind, she was in his office, and he was pushing her against a bookshelf. Her hands were clawing at him, trying to push him away. She began feeling around behind her and she felt a smooth vase on the third shelf. She grabbed the vase and broke it against his the side of his head. He fell to the ground as ceramic went everywhere, shattered into a thousand pieces. Blood started trickling from the gash in his head, but he didn't care, he shook away the spinning room and got right back up again only to force her to the floor.
She blinked the image away as she felt Jack grab her arm. Seeing the perplexed look in his and Captain Thorpe's eyes, she muttered an intelligible phrase and turned around quickly.
"Samantha, what are you doing?" asked Jack as he watched her leave.
Sam stepped over the large dog in front of her, walked around the end table with the remote on it and went down the two steps into his sitting area. She bent down and picked the ceramic vase off of the table and bent it towards the light, trying to get a look inside.
Jack watched as Sam turned and dropped the vase on the floor. The chaos halted at the sound of glass shattering. He glanced at Raymond who had a blank expression on his face, wondering if he had anything to do with this. Sam bent down and picked a large piece of the vase off the floor. Attached to it was the detonator. Immediately, she was accosted by a bomb squad member who took the detonator and went into another room where he could disable it correctly.
"We should be out of here soon," said Captain Thorpe glancing around the now almost empty apartment. Three officers had escorted Raymond to jail; the bomb squad had removed all traces of C4 and a few other S.W.A.T. team members were still going over the apartment.
Jack thanked him and walked over to Sam who was standing out of the way, in a corner. He didn't say anything, just stood by her, watching as a woman from forensics got prints off what remained of the vase.
Sam pushed her hands in her pockets, trying to break out of her daze. She felt a small metal object at the bottom and pulled it out, remembering it was the key from the card. She held it up and looked at it, trying to figure out what it went to.
"Hey Jack, Sam, come take a look at this," said Danny as he turned around and headed towards the bedroom across from the guestroom.
They walked into a large bedroom with a bathroom on one side and a closet on the other. Danny squeezed to the side as an officer walked out of the closet. Jack crossed the room, curious as to what was in the closet, while Sam tried to ignore everything that was Jonathan Raymond. His bedspread, his dresser, the fixtures on the wall, they were him. She wanted to run out of the apartment and go home, lock her doors and never come out.
"Is it a hidden room?" asked Jack as they stood in the good-sized closet, looking at well-disguised door panel.
"We think so. But we can't figure out how to open it." Sam leaned against the doorframe, watching as they examined the rest of the closet, looking for a keyhole or special knob.
"Hey look, I got it," said Officer Jones, pushing the light switch to the side to reveal a typical dead bolt lock. Sam felt the key in her hand, wondering if this was what it went to.
"Why don't you try that," said Danny catching a glimpse of the key. Sam shrugged and walked over to the keyhole, inserting the key. The panel gave way as Jones and Jack peered inside. Danny followed as another officer walked in before him. Sam looked around, and finding the rest of the room empty, she followed suit. She paused right as she stepped over the myriad of clothing and shoes piled on the floor.
"Holy-" "Wow."
Danny looked around as a dim light in the corner illuminated the rest of the windowless room. It reminded him a lot of Chet Collins' apartment, covered with newspaper clippings and photographs. Except there were a lot more pictures. Hundreds of pictures of different shapes and sizes covered almost every inch of all four walls, from floor to ceiling. No specific pattern or display - just pasted up in a haphazard fashion.
Jack pulled out a flashlight so he could get a better look at the pictures. They were all women. Every single picture had a woman in it. For a room that was fourteen feet long and about eight feet wide, that was impressive.
Sam walked in hesitantly, fearing the exclamations from inside. Getting a look of Jack's face, it made her want to run out of that room, out of that apartment, out of that building. But she couldn't. Her feet were planted to the floor. She remained calm, glad the others paid her no heed as they were completely enraptured by the pictures.
"Hey Jack," said Danny looking at a few pictures back and forth. "These walls-"
"Have the same women on them."
"But this wall only has one -"
Sam looked around, completely stunned. The largest wall had a long table against it, covered with scraps and scissors, dozens of pictures. This wall wasn't completely finished, but it was the only one that had two different women on it as well. She couldn't hear what the men around her were saying, they seemed to be conversing back and forth, but she could only hear that song, the one from the CD they'd found in Melanie's apartment.
Watching me wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Saving me raping me
Watching me
On the wall that had the small doorway, were pictures of Samantha Spade. Jack hadn't seen that wall yet, he was still in his corner. Danny was right behind her, looking at his wall.
Everywhere that Sam looked, there were pictures of her. Some only of her, others, she was with a man. One particularly large black and white photograph was of her running through the woods. By the shirt, she could tell she was back at Quantico, training for the timed trials. How did this happen? Who took these? Why? She walked further down and saw herself in an evening gown. She was dancing on a terrace with her neighbor who needed a date to a charity function. A little above that one was a shot of her and Kyle walking along the street. Right beside it was one of her and Kyle in a passionate embrace on the roof of his building. He'd just proposed. Tears filled her eyes as she stood there looking at the past ten years of her life pasted on the wall.
Everywhere she looked, there was a man she'd been with, a friend she'd gotten coffee with, an agent she'd run with through the park. Everything began spinning, the song got louder, turning into random sixteenth notes flying around in her head. She felt like she was standing in the middle of an orchestra warming up.
Trombones and french horns running up and down their scales, increasing octaves each time. She was leaving the bookstore. Saxophones and clarinets fingering their keys, exercising their fingers. Her first date with a man she slept with later that night. Trumpets and flutes squealing along, emphasizing each beat of her heart. The day after Christmas, she was alone and headed towards work. Violins and bases plucked along, urging each tear that escaped her eye. The symbols and drums crashed in, easing into a quick crescendo. The morning after she'd slept with Jack. Reaching quadruple forte, it ceased and the only sound she could hear was her deep breathing and her heart.
Everything was spinning, pictures were flashing around, men were talking to her now, their words getting lost along the way. She closed her eyes to block out the images, she bent over placing her hands on her knees.
Jack and Danny stood beside her, trying to get her to say something. No words came, her eyes remained shut, her hands braced on her knees. Danny grabbed her hand carefully, hoping it would shake her out of shock.
She felt the world fall from beneath her and her eyes shot open. The room hadn't stopped spinning, nor had the people who were standing in it. Nausea was overcoming her.
"Oh God," she uttered breathlessly.
"Samantha? Are you okay? Sam?"
"Talk to us Sam, say something," said Danny, slowly rubbing her back.
She looked at the two men on both sides of her and tried taking a deep breath. She shook her head and ran out of the room, headed straight towards the bathroom.
"We better get back," said Jack following her out.
"I'll be right there," said Danny as he caught a glimpse of two pictures on Samantha's wall. The first was of her and Jack. She was leaning against the car, he had his arm propped up on the roof, and both were staring intently at each other. The other, was of the two of them sitting in a park, he had his arm wrapped around her, the wind ruffling their hair. Danny grabbed the two pictures off the wall and pocketed them, hoping that no one else had seen them.
Sam exited the bathroom and saw the two men waiting for her patiently. She rolled her eyes, furious with herself. She was shaking from the attack on her nerves, wanting nothing more than to be alone.
"Come on Sam," said Danny, "let's go back." He brought a hand up and tried to grab her elbow, but she reared back.
"Don't," she said fiercely, "touch me."
Danny looked back at Jack with questioning eyes, Jack could only offer him a shrug and a shoulder pat.
Sam piled into the back seat, seething. She should have shot them both. Why did she let Raymond go free? He deserved to die. Everything about her was on that wall. Those girls on the other walls were the same victims of this vicious crime. At least Melanie was safe. Yes she was safe. For the time being.
The ride back to the office was awkwardly silent. Neither man knew what to say, knew what to do. The woman in the back wanted all men dead.
When they'd parked in the garage, Danny climbed out along with Samantha and Jack. They walked through the building that was constantly full of people, even when it was 11:21 at night. They stood in the elevator; their eyes focused forward, each lost in his or her own thoughts. As they approached his office, Danny walked on as Jack stood in Sam's way, urging her into his office.
He didn't talk, didn't do much of anything except remove his jacket and hang it in its rightful place. Sam stood relatively far away from his desk - almost as though she were still at the apartment - unwilling to step any further. Jack couldn't look at her. He felt too many emotions at once to feel like sorting them out at that moment. He knew she was beyond consolation. Her behavior in the car ride on the way back had shown that. He started to get angry. Half of this wouldn't have happened if Sam had stayed in the car when he told her to.
"Sit."
"No thank y-"
"Sit down." She complied with his wishes, although not completely. She chose to lean against the arm of the couch that was a good deal from his desk. He remained standing, looking at the file, and checked the clock. He turned away from the clock and finally took a look at the agent sitting across the room who was staring at her feet, completely disconnected from the world.
"Why were you in the car with me? I can't remember."
"After I made my request, you got the phone call and I went with you and Danny."
"Even though you weren't supposed to," he said while taking a seat. He sat there waiting for her response, thumping a pen up and down.
"Even though I wasn't supposed to, yes."
"Did I ask you to stay in the car?"
"Yes."
"Good. Because I can't remember everything that happened, and I have to explain to Van Doran what the hell you were doing on top of that building and why you were in that apartment."
"I hadn't filed a formal request yet, so it isn't like there was any real documentation that I wasn't supposed to be there."
"Except, that in the next week, everything will be uncovered that proves you shouldn't have even left this building except to get us bagels. Why did you never do anything about this?" Jack asked, his voice a little louder than he would have liked, unsure as to whether he would actually receive an answer. Silence filled the office.
"Jack?" Martin poked his head in Jack's office. Jack looked up at him. "I had the pleasure of sharing an elevator with Van Doran," his voice betrayed an overwhelming sense of sarcasm. "She requests an audience with you immediately."
Jack sighed, knowing that he would rather climb to the top of that building on one leg than speak with her.
"Got it. Thanks Martin."
"Hey Sam I forgot to tell you earlier. Great job up there. That was - amazing what you did," Martin beamed with admiration for the other agent.
Instead of saying anything, she offered a head nod and a smile. She glanced at him then returned her eyes to the ground.
Jack stood up and straightened his jacket. He wanted to come back and not be irate. He wanted the agent in front of him to be fine. He wanted this day to be done.
"Don't move," he said while he left his office.
She watched his retreating form head towards the elevator, then stood up.
TBC. I'm not kidding. Don't move. Okay, this party has one more chapter left. Then all will be done. Well, at least for this "episode." Hope this wasn't too confusing or crazy.
~~~~~~
"What!" asked Vivian alarmed. Martin glanced at her as he gave the gas a little more pressure. They were in the car headed towards Raymond's building.
"How many packs does he have on him?"
"From what I could see, three," said Danny, pacing back and fourth. He was afraid. They were all afraid. The bear didn't even have the detonator in it. The poor boy thought Danny was crazy for playing doctor with his teddy bear on the kitchen island. Danny grabbed the largest knife he could find and went at it. There was only stuffing in the bear with wooden blocks at the feet and butt to help it sit upright.
"And the cops aren't there yet? You called the bomb squad right?" asked Vivan.
"Yeah I called 'em. Wait," Danny paused, straining to listen over the traffic. "I think I hear them coming right now. I gotta go."
"Okay. We just dropped the kids off at the hospital. We should be there in fifteen minutes," said Vivan.
"What's going on over there?" asked Martin curiously as Vivian closed her phone.
"Dr. Raymond has three packs of C4 strapped to his body and a few more stashed somewhere else. Both Sam and Jack are with him right now."
"So that's where she went? How'd she know it was him?"
"Maybe Melanie told her something. I don't know," said Vivian, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. She pulled out her phone again and started dialing. "I gotta call my husband. This isn't going to end any time soon."
"This will end as soon as possible if you just tell us where the detonator is," said Jack with an authoritative tone of voice.
"You know Agent Malone, I was about to follow Agent Spade to the police when you so rudely interrupted," Raymond said. He leaned casually against a small table at the opposite end of the living room, and pulled out his pipe.
"Well, you had your time, now it's our turn," Jack said as began walking towards Raymond. He had one hand on his gun and the other retrieving his handcuffs.
He looked back at Sam, "Go clear the rest of the apartment." She nodded and went to the hallway beside the kitchen.
"Dr. Raymond, I'd appreciate it if you'd sit in that chair," he said, motioning to the chair to Raymond's right. Dr. Raymond gave Jack a long, deep look, then slid off the table and sat in the chair.
Jack handcuffed Raymond's hands behind the chair, checking the cuffs to make sure they were secure.
Sam walked down the narrow hallway, decorated with black and white photographs of various areas around the city. She had to squint to see clearly, it was dark outside and there weren't any lights on in the rooms.
She kept her gun pointed towards the ground, her back against the wall, and slowly entered the first room she came to. It was a small and neat room, lined with bookcases and a desk against the center of the far wall. Sam backed out of the room carefully and continued up the hallway. Two rooms left.
The next room she entered was a bedroom. She couldn't tell if it was his or only a guestroom. A soft breeze coming from an open window on the side of the room drew her attention. The window was fully opened, the sheer curtains flapping silently in the wind and the light from the street cast a hazy glow about the room. She took a quick glance around before approaching the window. Leaning out, she realized it was a fire escape with stairs leading both up and down. She brought herself back inside to holster her gun, and was met by a large hand being placed around her mouth.
"Dr. Raymond, where is the detonator?" asked Jack, quickly growing impatient.
"At this point, I'm not sure where it is," said Raymond, leaning his head against the back of the chair. "That Agent Spade, she's a firecracker. Are all of your agents like her?"
"How about I ask the questions," said Jack as he looked out the window, checking outside for the cops. He could see Danny pacing back and forth below, pulling his phone off of his belt.
Sam struggled quietly, trying to flip the person over her.
"It's no use Samantha," she stopped at the sound of his voice, realizing who it was. "I know a lot more than you think I do."
Clayton held her arms to where she could not move them, tightly grasping her wrists. He positioned his legs to where hers were pinned against a large chair that was placed in the corner beside the window.
"Jonathan thinks he's so great, planning this whole thing," he whispered into her ear. "Well, who got the girl and who got the handcuffs?" he brought his head down, kissing her lightly on the nape of her neck. She began to squirm when she could feel his tongue make contact with her skin. He pressed her harder into the chair, pushing himself closer against her.
"I assume Melanie is safe now," said Raymond, trying to break Jack's focus. Jack was walking around checking for more C4 and even the detonator.
"Cut the crap Dr. Raymond. How many more packs do you have?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Because," he drew out the word, irritation slightly evident in his voice. "I'm not the one who obtained the C4, nor am I the one who duct tapped them to my back, or planted it around the building," said Raymond.
Growing dizzy from the lack of oxygen, Sam thought of one more thing she could do. She stood taller and stiffened herself against him, then went immediately limp, catching him off guard. He lost his grip long enough for her right arm to break free from his grasp. She elbowed him in the gut and turned quickly, giving him a left hook to the jaw. He reeled backwards against the wall, grabbing his jaw in pain. She kicked him square in the knee, bringing him down to the ground. She brought her left knee and placed it right between his shoulder blades, rendering him immobile and cuffed his right hand, then his left.
"You never had me," she said harshly once the cuffs were tightly fastened.
Jack turned at the sounds being produced from Samantha's direction. Forgetting Raymond, he walked through the kitchen, "Samantha?"
No answer. He heard another thud and rushed to the source, watching as Sam stood, her gun drawn.
"I found Clayton," she said, gasping for breath. He walked closer to her and on the other side of the bed, he saw Clayton Hodges handcuffed and lying on the floor.
"You okay?" he asked, looking at her closely. She kept her eyes focused on Clayton, not daring to look up.
"I'm fine," she said with a harried voice as he bent down to help her pick Clayton off the ground.
"How are you Mr. Hodges? Enjoy your stay?" asked Jack tauntingly. His nose was mere centimeters from Hodges' cheek. "Where'd you put the detonator?"
"I don't have the detonator. Jonathan does," he replied through clenched teeth.
"Funny, he says he doesn't know where it is," Jack started patting Hodges down, looking for the detonator.
"Where are the other bombs?"
"I can't remember. I took a nasty blow to the head," he said sarcastically. Jack applied pressure to Hodges' bad knee for the last remark. Jack stood at the sound of booted feet filing through the apartment's entrance.
"Cavalry's here," said Sam as she glanced at Jack. She began pushing Hodges forward towards the door, while Jack walked on the other side of him.
They entered the room to find three bomb squad members, their dogs and a seven man S.W.A.T. team frozen with their weapons pointed at Jonathan Raymond. Danny followed up the rear, shaking his head.
"The elevators were out. All of them," said Danny as he pushed his way through the officials. "We had to take the stairs to get up here."
Jack nodded at Danny while walking towards a member of the bomb squad.
"Special Agent Jack Malone," he said, holding out his hand.
"Captain Paul Thorpe," he shook his hand and looked around cautiously. "Don't worry, we'll get this situation under control soon. Do you know who has the detonator?"
"No. It could be on a timer for all we know."
"Okay, thank you. We'll clear the apartment and give it a look around. I have other men evacuating everyone from the building as well."
" Good. I know he's got three packs on him, and there are more, but we don't know where yet," said Jack as he motioned towards Raymond.
The S.W.A.T. team dispersed as the other two bomb squad members commenced their search.
Danny walked over to Sam and helped her watch Clayton while Jack continued talking to Captain Thorpe. Neither Hodges nor Raymond said a word.
Soon after, Martin came up through the doorway with Vivan close behind.
"What's going on?" asked Martin as he approached Danny and Sam.
"They can't find the detonator and Jack can't transport Raymond until we know he won't blow up," said Danny as he watched a bomb squad member checking Raymond over.
"Why don't they just rip the tape off?" said Martin.
"Because the detonator could be taped under it," said Sam, "and if the pressure was released -"
"It would be the Fourth of July. Great. How'd you know where to find him?" asked Martin as the two men looked at her inquisitively.
Sam didn't hear Martin. She was watching as Jack and Vivian spoke with each other.
"I want you to take Hodges in, question him. Get everything you can. If Raymond has done this in the past, then Hodges probably helped him out. Don't forget, he was an investigator so keep pounding him 'til you get something out," said Jack.
"Okay. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to stay here until this mess gets taken care of. Hopefully we'll be able to take Raymond and interrogate him. If not, we'll be heading back as soon as we're done."
"And Samantha?" she asked, quickly glancing at the blond agent.
"Her too. She's got some explaining to do. Plus, Van Doran's going to want to know what happened, and I can't give her a full report until I talk to Sam."
"Jack, I'm sorry I let her up there. I didn't know she wasn't supposed to be with us, but there was no one else who could save that girl," she said quietly.
"Don't worry about it. Thanks for the help," he said in an uncharacteristically kind voice. Then he turned as two S.W.A.T. team members waited to speak with him.
"We're going to take Hodges in and question him," said Vivian as she looked at Martin.
"You all will be coming with Raymond as soon as they find the detonator and disarm him," she said while addressing Samantha and Danny.
"Okay," said Danny. "See you back at the office," he said as they prepared to take Hodges.
Clayton glanced back at Sam as he exited through the door, giving her an eerie smile. She turned away, crossing one arm against her chest while her other hand went to the back of her neck. Her fingers stung her neck as they gently glided over her soft skin. She winced in pain as she turned her wrist the wrong way. Examining her hand, there were no evident signs that she'd just struggled for her life less than ten minutes ago. Of course, tomorrow there would probably be bruises to show the strength of Clayton's grip.
Danny watched Sam looking at her wrists. He saw that her left hand was red and swollen from the left hook she'd given Hodges. As he walked closer to her, he made a mental note to never get in a fight with Sam.
"Here, let me take you into the kitchen and get some meat on that," he said while grabbing her hand carefully.
"Thanks Danny, but I'll be fine. Really. It's just a little red," she said as he started pulling her towards the kitchen.
"Come on, you're beat. At least let me do it so I can feel better," he turned back and grinned.
Dr. Raymond watched while Sam followed Danny in the kitchen. There were two officers guarding him while he sat quietly, watching as people clad in black went about his apartment, pilfering through his belongings. It was much more boring than he'd anticipated. He hadn't even been shot yet. What was wrong with the justice system in this country?
His eyes followed Agent Malone as he came away from the room that housed Raymond's piano. Jack walked towards Captain Thorpe and said a few words to him quietly. Thorpe went to the piano room and spoke with his men. Dr. Raymond smiled as Jack walked towards him, his anger apparent.
"If you don't tell us where the detonator is, then we can't help you. You are only making this worse for yourself in the long run. Tell me where it is, and we can work out a deal for you," said Jack as he stood in front of Dr. Raymond.
"I'm sorry Jack. I already told you, I didn't plant the C4. How would I know where the detonator is?"
"Fine. Suit yourself," Jack said gruffly. He scanned the room looking for his remaining agents and turned towards the piano room once he saw them in the kitchen.
"How you holdin' up?" asked Danny as they walked out of the kitchen.
"I'm doing fine," she paused as she looked at Dr. Raymond and found his eyes fixed on her. "It's been a long day," she said, putting an emphasis on long.
"No kidding. It's about time we called it quits," he glanced at her sideways as they stood beside the bookshelves.
"Hey uh, Agent Taylor could you give us a hand over here," said one of the S.W.A.T. team members as he leaned out of the guestroom. Danny followed the officer while Sam stood awkwardly, silently wishing herself out of the room.
"Samantha," said Jack as he propped himself against the wall, "come here. We need your help.
Sam nodded and started walking, trying to avoid the dogs as they sniffed around the apartment. As she walked by Dr. Raymond, she accidentally knocked a coaster off the table and bent down to pick it up. She returned it to the table while trying to avoid Dr. Raymond and his gaze.
"Now Samantha be careful, I don't need you to go around breaking things," he said oddly.
She gave him a confused look, trying to process his words as she continued to walk towards the piano room. She walked over to Jack and stood as he and Captain Thorpe continued to evaluate the situation.
Jack looked at her and started saying something, but she wasn't paying any attention. Her mind was twenty feet away, thinking about what Dr. Raymond has just said. It was the way he said it, like his words held a double meaning.
Images flashed in her mind, she was in his office, and he was pushing her against a bookshelf. Her hands were clawing at him, trying to push him away. She began feeling around behind her and she felt a smooth vase on the third shelf. She grabbed the vase and broke it against his the side of his head. He fell to the ground as ceramic went everywhere, shattered into a thousand pieces. Blood started trickling from the gash in his head, but he didn't care, he shook away the spinning room and got right back up again only to force her to the floor.
She blinked the image away as she felt Jack grab her arm. Seeing the perplexed look in his and Captain Thorpe's eyes, she muttered an intelligible phrase and turned around quickly.
"Samantha, what are you doing?" asked Jack as he watched her leave.
Sam stepped over the large dog in front of her, walked around the end table with the remote on it and went down the two steps into his sitting area. She bent down and picked the ceramic vase off of the table and bent it towards the light, trying to get a look inside.
Jack watched as Sam turned and dropped the vase on the floor. The chaos halted at the sound of glass shattering. He glanced at Raymond who had a blank expression on his face, wondering if he had anything to do with this. Sam bent down and picked a large piece of the vase off the floor. Attached to it was the detonator. Immediately, she was accosted by a bomb squad member who took the detonator and went into another room where he could disable it correctly.
"We should be out of here soon," said Captain Thorpe glancing around the now almost empty apartment. Three officers had escorted Raymond to jail; the bomb squad had removed all traces of C4 and a few other S.W.A.T. team members were still going over the apartment.
Jack thanked him and walked over to Sam who was standing out of the way, in a corner. He didn't say anything, just stood by her, watching as a woman from forensics got prints off what remained of the vase.
Sam pushed her hands in her pockets, trying to break out of her daze. She felt a small metal object at the bottom and pulled it out, remembering it was the key from the card. She held it up and looked at it, trying to figure out what it went to.
"Hey Jack, Sam, come take a look at this," said Danny as he turned around and headed towards the bedroom across from the guestroom.
They walked into a large bedroom with a bathroom on one side and a closet on the other. Danny squeezed to the side as an officer walked out of the closet. Jack crossed the room, curious as to what was in the closet, while Sam tried to ignore everything that was Jonathan Raymond. His bedspread, his dresser, the fixtures on the wall, they were him. She wanted to run out of the apartment and go home, lock her doors and never come out.
"Is it a hidden room?" asked Jack as they stood in the good-sized closet, looking at well-disguised door panel.
"We think so. But we can't figure out how to open it." Sam leaned against the doorframe, watching as they examined the rest of the closet, looking for a keyhole or special knob.
"Hey look, I got it," said Officer Jones, pushing the light switch to the side to reveal a typical dead bolt lock. Sam felt the key in her hand, wondering if this was what it went to.
"Why don't you try that," said Danny catching a glimpse of the key. Sam shrugged and walked over to the keyhole, inserting the key. The panel gave way as Jones and Jack peered inside. Danny followed as another officer walked in before him. Sam looked around, and finding the rest of the room empty, she followed suit. She paused right as she stepped over the myriad of clothing and shoes piled on the floor.
"Holy-" "Wow."
Danny looked around as a dim light in the corner illuminated the rest of the windowless room. It reminded him a lot of Chet Collins' apartment, covered with newspaper clippings and photographs. Except there were a lot more pictures. Hundreds of pictures of different shapes and sizes covered almost every inch of all four walls, from floor to ceiling. No specific pattern or display - just pasted up in a haphazard fashion.
Jack pulled out a flashlight so he could get a better look at the pictures. They were all women. Every single picture had a woman in it. For a room that was fourteen feet long and about eight feet wide, that was impressive.
Sam walked in hesitantly, fearing the exclamations from inside. Getting a look of Jack's face, it made her want to run out of that room, out of that apartment, out of that building. But she couldn't. Her feet were planted to the floor. She remained calm, glad the others paid her no heed as they were completely enraptured by the pictures.
"Hey Jack," said Danny looking at a few pictures back and forth. "These walls-"
"Have the same women on them."
"But this wall only has one -"
Sam looked around, completely stunned. The largest wall had a long table against it, covered with scraps and scissors, dozens of pictures. This wall wasn't completely finished, but it was the only one that had two different women on it as well. She couldn't hear what the men around her were saying, they seemed to be conversing back and forth, but she could only hear that song, the one from the CD they'd found in Melanie's apartment.
Watching me wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Saving me raping me
Watching me
On the wall that had the small doorway, were pictures of Samantha Spade. Jack hadn't seen that wall yet, he was still in his corner. Danny was right behind her, looking at his wall.
Everywhere that Sam looked, there were pictures of her. Some only of her, others, she was with a man. One particularly large black and white photograph was of her running through the woods. By the shirt, she could tell she was back at Quantico, training for the timed trials. How did this happen? Who took these? Why? She walked further down and saw herself in an evening gown. She was dancing on a terrace with her neighbor who needed a date to a charity function. A little above that one was a shot of her and Kyle walking along the street. Right beside it was one of her and Kyle in a passionate embrace on the roof of his building. He'd just proposed. Tears filled her eyes as she stood there looking at the past ten years of her life pasted on the wall.
Everywhere she looked, there was a man she'd been with, a friend she'd gotten coffee with, an agent she'd run with through the park. Everything began spinning, the song got louder, turning into random sixteenth notes flying around in her head. She felt like she was standing in the middle of an orchestra warming up.
Trombones and french horns running up and down their scales, increasing octaves each time. She was leaving the bookstore. Saxophones and clarinets fingering their keys, exercising their fingers. Her first date with a man she slept with later that night. Trumpets and flutes squealing along, emphasizing each beat of her heart. The day after Christmas, she was alone and headed towards work. Violins and bases plucked along, urging each tear that escaped her eye. The symbols and drums crashed in, easing into a quick crescendo. The morning after she'd slept with Jack. Reaching quadruple forte, it ceased and the only sound she could hear was her deep breathing and her heart.
Everything was spinning, pictures were flashing around, men were talking to her now, their words getting lost along the way. She closed her eyes to block out the images, she bent over placing her hands on her knees.
Jack and Danny stood beside her, trying to get her to say something. No words came, her eyes remained shut, her hands braced on her knees. Danny grabbed her hand carefully, hoping it would shake her out of shock.
She felt the world fall from beneath her and her eyes shot open. The room hadn't stopped spinning, nor had the people who were standing in it. Nausea was overcoming her.
"Oh God," she uttered breathlessly.
"Samantha? Are you okay? Sam?"
"Talk to us Sam, say something," said Danny, slowly rubbing her back.
She looked at the two men on both sides of her and tried taking a deep breath. She shook her head and ran out of the room, headed straight towards the bathroom.
"We better get back," said Jack following her out.
"I'll be right there," said Danny as he caught a glimpse of two pictures on Samantha's wall. The first was of her and Jack. She was leaning against the car, he had his arm propped up on the roof, and both were staring intently at each other. The other, was of the two of them sitting in a park, he had his arm wrapped around her, the wind ruffling their hair. Danny grabbed the two pictures off the wall and pocketed them, hoping that no one else had seen them.
Sam exited the bathroom and saw the two men waiting for her patiently. She rolled her eyes, furious with herself. She was shaking from the attack on her nerves, wanting nothing more than to be alone.
"Come on Sam," said Danny, "let's go back." He brought a hand up and tried to grab her elbow, but she reared back.
"Don't," she said fiercely, "touch me."
Danny looked back at Jack with questioning eyes, Jack could only offer him a shrug and a shoulder pat.
Sam piled into the back seat, seething. She should have shot them both. Why did she let Raymond go free? He deserved to die. Everything about her was on that wall. Those girls on the other walls were the same victims of this vicious crime. At least Melanie was safe. Yes she was safe. For the time being.
The ride back to the office was awkwardly silent. Neither man knew what to say, knew what to do. The woman in the back wanted all men dead.
When they'd parked in the garage, Danny climbed out along with Samantha and Jack. They walked through the building that was constantly full of people, even when it was 11:21 at night. They stood in the elevator; their eyes focused forward, each lost in his or her own thoughts. As they approached his office, Danny walked on as Jack stood in Sam's way, urging her into his office.
He didn't talk, didn't do much of anything except remove his jacket and hang it in its rightful place. Sam stood relatively far away from his desk - almost as though she were still at the apartment - unwilling to step any further. Jack couldn't look at her. He felt too many emotions at once to feel like sorting them out at that moment. He knew she was beyond consolation. Her behavior in the car ride on the way back had shown that. He started to get angry. Half of this wouldn't have happened if Sam had stayed in the car when he told her to.
"Sit."
"No thank y-"
"Sit down." She complied with his wishes, although not completely. She chose to lean against the arm of the couch that was a good deal from his desk. He remained standing, looking at the file, and checked the clock. He turned away from the clock and finally took a look at the agent sitting across the room who was staring at her feet, completely disconnected from the world.
"Why were you in the car with me? I can't remember."
"After I made my request, you got the phone call and I went with you and Danny."
"Even though you weren't supposed to," he said while taking a seat. He sat there waiting for her response, thumping a pen up and down.
"Even though I wasn't supposed to, yes."
"Did I ask you to stay in the car?"
"Yes."
"Good. Because I can't remember everything that happened, and I have to explain to Van Doran what the hell you were doing on top of that building and why you were in that apartment."
"I hadn't filed a formal request yet, so it isn't like there was any real documentation that I wasn't supposed to be there."
"Except, that in the next week, everything will be uncovered that proves you shouldn't have even left this building except to get us bagels. Why did you never do anything about this?" Jack asked, his voice a little louder than he would have liked, unsure as to whether he would actually receive an answer. Silence filled the office.
"Jack?" Martin poked his head in Jack's office. Jack looked up at him. "I had the pleasure of sharing an elevator with Van Doran," his voice betrayed an overwhelming sense of sarcasm. "She requests an audience with you immediately."
Jack sighed, knowing that he would rather climb to the top of that building on one leg than speak with her.
"Got it. Thanks Martin."
"Hey Sam I forgot to tell you earlier. Great job up there. That was - amazing what you did," Martin beamed with admiration for the other agent.
Instead of saying anything, she offered a head nod and a smile. She glanced at him then returned her eyes to the ground.
Jack stood up and straightened his jacket. He wanted to come back and not be irate. He wanted the agent in front of him to be fine. He wanted this day to be done.
"Don't move," he said while he left his office.
She watched his retreating form head towards the elevator, then stood up.
TBC. I'm not kidding. Don't move. Okay, this party has one more chapter left. Then all will be done. Well, at least for this "episode." Hope this wasn't too confusing or crazy.