~Chapter Four~
The Pieces Begin To Fall
Early the Next Morning
Both Sydney and Gage were up and out of the house early, both intent on facing Lillian Millson in hopes of finding out Luke's plans. Now as they waited for Lillian to be brought up Gage began to pace.
"Are you all right?" Syd asked watching him walk back and forth in front of her. It had been a long night and neither of them had gotten much sleep.
After getting the kids settled down Gage and Julie had finally sat down to clear the air. What Syd had gathered from talking with Gage later was there had been a lot of things that happened that Julie didn't know about. Plus Lillian had been very convincing that she had been just as much the victim as Julie and Gage had been.
Gage had never told Julie about Luke's threat against them either. "I can't believe as close as we are that there are still so many things that we never confided in each other," he had told his wife as he lay beside her holding her.
"You guys went through so much Gage its little wonder that you weren't able to share it all," Syd had tried to comfort. "What we need to try to do is concentrate on catching this Millson and putting him where he belongs."
"You're right Honey," Gage had agreed kissing her brow and pulling her closer…
"Rangers," the guard had come to take them to Lillian. Getting up they followed her to the interview room.
Gage took a deep breath as he stood outside the door. He faced dangerous situations all to often in his line of work but nothing seemed more terrifying then facing this woman who had helped cause him and Julie so much pain. His hand shook as he reached for the door and grasped the doorknob.
Placing her hand gently on his back Syd quietly spoke to him, "I'm right here partner."
Twisting the door handle he opened the door and let them in.
Lillian Millson looked up hearing the door open her eyes meeting Gage's face. She would have known him anywhere. "Francis Julie said you would come she said you would help, she said you would forgive me…" Lillian started to say only to be cut off.
"I'm not here to help you Lillian or forgive you I'm here to find out where Luke is hiding," he told her placing his hands on the table to lean forward and staring in her face. "I know you Lillian you haven't changed, you haven't got religion or anything else. No what I think happened was you did everything that you are charged with. Then some where along the line you found Julie and learnt that I was a Ranger. You played on her sympathies convincing her what happened to us as kids was all Luke's doing hoping I would buy the story too and get you out of the jam you're in. How am I doing so far?" Gage asked his eyes still burning holes in her.
"Still high and mighty aren't you I thought Luke and I had beat that out of you," she challenged not about to back down from him.
"Ah now that's the Lillian I know so well your true colours showing through," Gage sneered at the woman.
"You want to know where Luke is you find him yourself," Lillian shrilled standing up at the same time her hand shooting out to strike Gage in the side of the head like it had many times before. He had her by the wrist before she could follow though with the strike.
"That's the last time you'll ever raise your hand to me or anyone Lillian," Gage told her through gritted teeth forcing her back into her chair.
"Lillian think about it," Sydney began trying to talk sensibly to the woman as Gage released her arm. "Luke is using you he doesn't care if you rot here in jail for the rest o f your life. He's just using you to get to the Gages and now he has made a kidnapping attempt on the ranger's daughter. And you want to know something else his little girl looks just like his sister did when she was little. That same beautiful blonde hair, those bright blue eyes, that same cherub smile of innocence that he always goes for.
Lillian sat stone quiet rubbing her wrist staring past both Syd and Gage.
"Lillian," Gage tried again. "Even if it doesn't matter if you care or not what Luke does to these children just by involving Julie and I and feeding Luke the information you will still be charged as an accomplice. Right now attempted kidnapping has been added to the list…"
"I wish to go back to my cell," Lillian replied as if she hadn't heard a word that had been said to her.
Sydney looked at Gage for a moment both knowing they would get nothing from the woman before Syd added, "At least think about what we said."
Again no response and both rangers turned leaving the woman to sit there staring past them.
Outside the Detention Center
"That was a waste of time we're no further ahead finding Millson then before," Syd commented dryly to her partner.
"Maybe not," Gage agreed, "But I feel a hundred times better that was one old fear I needed to face."
Smiling at her husband Syd let her hand come to rest on his arm. "I'm glad it helped you Gage," Syd told him refraining from putting her arms around him and hugging him.
Putting his hand over hers he gently squeezed her fingers holding them for a moment before continuing to the car. Gage had started around to the driver's side when on second thought he called out to Syd, "How bout you drive?" and tossed the keys at her. She made a move to catch them but missing them she reached down for them as they hit the pavement. As her fingers grasped the keys a gun fired off the bullet pinging into the fender of the car instead of Syd.
"Get down," she screamed to her partner drawing her gun scrambling for the front of the car.
"Syd are you all right?" Gage was frantically shouting making his way to her.
"Fine. You?" she returned.
"Fine too," he answered both partners searching the area with their eyes for the would be shooter.
"Guess Luke don't like us talking to Lillian," Gage further commented.
"You might be right," Syd, agreed an uneasy feeling about the whole thing creeping over her.
A Little Later Anna B and Sumner's
"Did you want any more coffee?" Sumner called out to Anna B as she hurried herself for school.
"No thanks," she called back still not appearing in the kitchen.
Sumner flipped the coffee machine off and rinsed the pot and still no Anna B. "I don't mean to rush you but you're going to be late if you don't get moving," he called just as she hustled into the kitchen.
"You were saying?" she asked leaning forward to kiss him.
"You're sure you have to go to school today are you?" he smiled trying to reciprocate on the kiss.
"Positive and if you don't stop fooling around I'm going to be late," she told him grabbing up her books.
"Okay just checking," Matt laughed reaching for the door and pulling it wide waiting for Anna B to exit ahead of him.
"You know you are a lot like Gage," she teased on the way by him.
"Ouch what did I do to deserve that?" Sumner asked looking wounded by the comment when in actuality he took it as a complement.
Laughing she began to answer, "It's just that…" was all she got out before the loud bang of a gun firing sounded the bullet striking Sumner in the chest.
Seeing Matt fall Anna B shrieked out his name dropping her books and diving to cover him from further attack. Grabbing hold of him as best she could she dragged him back inside. Yanking out her phone she dialled 911 literally screaming she needed the EMTs she had a ranger down.
The next instant she was dialling again hearing the phone connect she cried out, "He's been shot Matt's been shot."
~~~~~
Sydney and Gage made it to Anna B and Sumner's the same time as the EMTs arrived. Walker's familiar ram with Trivette riding partner just behind them.
It was all Gage could do to pull Anna B away from Sumner to let the emergency people work. "Honey you have to let them look after him," he coaxed her tears running down her cheeks, blood staining the front of her.
"Gage what if he dies?" she softly sobbed against him her eyes never leaving Matt as the EMTs worked over him getting him ready to transport.
"He's not going to die you got that," Gage plainly told her hugging her close.
"Anna B," it was Walker who spoke. "Can you tell us what happened?"
"We were just leaving for school," she answered new tears forming in her eyes. "Matt opened the door for me and I walked out. He was just pulling it closed when bang he was on lying on the porch bleeding. I dragged him inside and started calling for help."
"We're ready to transport," one of the EMTs was calling to them. Matt was all ready on the stretcher and they were moving.
"Gage go with her I'll finish up here with Walker and Trivette then come to the hospital with clean clothes for her," Syd told him.
Gage nodded yes following Anna B who had hold of Matt's hand moving long side the stretcher.
"Just one shot," Syd murmured under her breath.
"What's that Syd?" Trivette questioned.
"I was just thinking out loud that's all," Syd answered.
"And did you draw any conclusions?"
"It's just that there was only one shot at me this morning…"
"You think there might be a connection?"
"We thought the logical shooter this morning was Luke Millson but now I don't know," Syd confessed.
"If not Millson then who?" Walker asked joining the conversation.
"McMurtrie," Trivette answered.
"My thoughts exactly," Syd agreed.
"Run the bullet you recovered this morning against the one in Sumner," Walker told them adding, "And when we know for sure Trivette and I'll go and have a talk with Mr. McMurtrie."
Memorial Hospital
Anna B sat unmoving clutching tightly to Gage's hand waiting for someone anyone to come and tell them how Matt was. "Honey did you want some coffee?" Gage was asking her but she wasn't hearing him. All she could see was the bullet hitting Matt then him falling backward and all the blood…
"Anna B," Gage tried again.
This time she heard him shaking her head no. "I've got to call Matt's Mom and Dad…" her voice trailed off. "I just don't know what to tell them," she whispered tears clouding her eyes again.
"I'll call once we know something," Gage told her taking charge.
"Gage anything?"
Both Anna B and Gage looked up to see Sydney coming towards them. "Not so far," Gage retorted.
"Trivette called his parents they are on their way in from Houston. They're wanting to know that you're all right Honey," Syd told them taking Anna B's hand the girl falling into her arms.
"Rangers?" a voice called them from the doorway of the waiting room. All three Syd, Gage and Anna B all looked up. "I'm Doctor Ashton I've been looking after Ranger Sumner. He's out of surgery and in recovery everything went very well I expect a full recovery."
"Thank God," Anna B whispered falling against Gage the sobs of pure relief overwhelming her.
"When can we see him?" Syd asked for her friend.
"Probably in about another hour once we have him out of recovery," the doctor answered with a smile. "Someone will come and get you."
"Thank you, thank you so much," Anna B was grasping the doctor's hand as she spoke.
Smiling Doctor Ashton nodded heading off back down the hall.
"How bout we go get your clothes changed so Matt doesn't think you were shot too," Syd suggested putting her arm around Anna B to lead her down the hall too.
Stopping for a moment she turned and put her arms around Gage whispering to him, "Thanks for caring about me so much."
"Hey anything for my fishing buddies," he teased her letting her squeeze him tighter.
A moment later she pulled away from and went with Syd to change Gage watching them walk down the hallway together until the elevator doors opened letting Trivette and Walker out.
"How's Matt?" Trivette asked.
"In recovery and doing good," Gage replied happy to give them good news. "How bout you find out anything?"
"Your wife was right," Walker told him, "The same gun that shot and missed her this morning is the gun that shot Matt."
"He hasn't got anything to do with Millson," Gage started to say still thinking he was the one that had shot at his wife earlier that morning.
"Yes but all three of you have something to do with Anna B and John McMurtrie," Walker answered.
"McMurtrie," Gage murmured under his breath. "It makes perfect sense."
"It may make sense but we have nothing to physically tie him to it," Trivette reminded them.
"Syd let the police guards outside our place know to be looking for McMurtrie?" Gage asked.
"That and sent a car over to the schools to bring the kids home too," Trivette informed him.
"Walker, Trivette," Syd greeted the senior rangers as she and Anna B came back to join the group. "Anything?"
"You were right bullets match," Trivette told her.
"What bullets?" Anna B stared at them as she asked.
"Hey relax," Gage was comforting, "It just seems that who ever shot Matt was shooting at Syd and me this morning."
"Gage you and Syd too," she cried.
"We're fine we're going to stay that way and make sure no one else gets near Matt," Sydney told her, her arm going around the girl.
"Anna B," it was Walker speaking now. "We are assigning an officer to both you and Sumner.
"All right thank you," Anna B said swallowing hard. "Gage you know it's him it can be nobody else."
"We're going to start there if he is behind it we'll stop him. You don't worry about your father you are going to have enough to do making Sumner behaves when he wakes up," Gage told her.
"Miss McMurtrie," one of the nurses was calling for her. "Ranger Sumner is awake and asking for you."
"Get him and put him back where he belongs," she softly spoke to one and all.
Sydney And Gage's
Julie nervously looked out the kitchen window making sure that the police officers were still guarding the house. "Aunt Julie what are you looking at?" came a small voice from behind her.
"Cat!" Julie exclaimed startled slightly by her niece. "I'm just checking on the police car that your Mom and Dad have out there to keep us safe while they are working," she told the little girl crouching down to her level.
"Aunt Julie I'm really sorry about running away like that yesterday," Cat began to confess her lower lip quivering as she spoke.
A smile crossed Julie's face as she looked into Cat's seeing so much of herself in the little girl. "Honey it's all right I know you didn't mean for things to turn out the way they did," Julie soothed.
"But Mom and Dad thought they taught me better," Cat continued using Syd's words.
Again Julie smiled at her young niece putting her arm around her and picking her up. "Well I think that if you learnt a lesson from what happened…"
"Piper was right you are a lot like Dad," Cat informed her.
"Is that what Piper thinks?" Julie laughed hugging the little girl Cat hugging her back.
"Now isn't that touching?" A gruff voice came from behind them.
Julie's blood ran cold turning quickly and still clutching Cat she came face to face with Luke Millson coming in the back entrance.
"How did you get by the patrol car?" Julie hissed out at him.
"Always with the questions aren't you Julie," Millson sneered. "Now how bout you hand that little girl over to me."
"You go to hell," Julie told him through clenched teeth.
Laughing out loud Millson began walking closer to where Julie stood with Cat; "I'm all ready there and plan on taking you and the kid with me."
Julie set Cat on the counter stepping in front of her trying to shield the little girl from Millson. "You don't need her I'll come with you. We can pick up where we left off all those years ago," Julie began rambling trying hard to keep her voice even, keeping her eyes on Millson the whole time.
"Oh you'll come with me all right both you and your little niece," he sneered coming closer still.
The back door suddenly burst open Chris followed by Piper arguing with each came racing in. "Hey you're the guy," Chris hollered Millson turning to see the kids standing there. It gave Julie just enough time to bring the cast iron fry pan up from the stove and connect it with the side of Millson's head. She hit him not once but a half dozen times rendering him unconscious on the floor.
"Chris help me tie him up, Piper get your Dad on the phone," Julie directed the kids jumping into action.
TBC
