Special thanks to all those who went to the trouble of reviewing – greatly
appreciated as ever!!
Thank you as always to my beta, Alaidh, for doing such a great job!!
Chapter 20
"I don't understand why your father would be so willing to destroy Eyes Only?" said Max, "I would've thought he'd be right into all that 'take out the bad guys' stuff."
Phillip MacFarland stood up in an angry gesture. "Oh, I know who's to blame for 'that'," he stated, beginning to walk the floor in his agitation. "Buddy Franklin."
"Otherwise known as Theodore Durant," added Logan.
Phillip looked at him, a brief look of wonderment on his face. "How do you know so much?"
"It's called being a smart-ass," said Max, surreptitiously giving Logan a warning look.
"Buddy Franklin," continued Logan unperturbed, "is a well-known extreme right-wing activist. If he's had your father's ear, there's no telling what garbage he's fed him."
"I overheard my father talking with Franklin one day. At first he said no to the whole idea, but when he found out there was an offer of these 'super soldiers' he said anything would be worth it to achieve his goals."
"And Melody was the meat in the sandwich, holding the whole mess together," sighed Logan bitterly.
"What about the vigilantes themselves?" queried Max, eager to push the conversation in a different direction. "Who are they? Mercenaries?"
Logan looked up at Phillip, who was still restlessly pacing. "I'm guessing some of Franklin's group?"
Phillip nodded again.
"Worse than mercenaries, 'fanatics'," spat out Max with disgust.
"All the more dangerous because they believe in what they're doing," agreed Logan, arms folded, frowning at a particularly ugly still life print of flowers and fruit that was the only art work to adorn the room. Not only was it particularly ugly, but it annoyed him all the more because it hung crookedly on the grimy wall.
"You seeking inspiration?" asked Max, breaking in on his thoughts.
"Yeah," he said dryly.
"It's crooked," said Max, her gaze following Logan's.
"I know," he replied with considerable restraint.
Not being overly particular about such matters, nonetheless she got up and straightened it.
Pulling his gaze away from the print, Logan said, "We've got to find out exactly what it is MacFarland has planned for tonight, before he kills someone else."
"I've got a few ideas in mind," he added, more to Max and Zack.
He noticed that Zack had been noticeably silent since the revelation of the soldiers with barcodes.
Unlocking his brakes, Logan spoke decisively to the brothers, "I'm gonna leave you here. It's the safest place for you both. Your father doesn't know you're here."
Both brothers nodded grimly.
"Have either of you got cell phones on you?"
Only Phillip gave a nod of assent.
"Give it to me. I don't want your father to use it to trace you here. There's a phone here. I'll use that to contact you."
Byron, who'd said virtually nothing since his release, stood up as Logan prepared to leave. "I don't really understand why you're doing all this. I guess you have your reasons, but I don't think 'anyone' would have helped us like you have." His gaze took in Max and Zack as well as he finished
Logan, looking a little uncomfortable with his gratitude merely replied, "Well, let's not start congratulating ourselves yet."
**********************************************
"At least we're starting to make some real progress now," commented Logan to a silent Max and Zack as he started the car.
With raised brows at their lack of response, he murmured, "Is this what they call X5 freeze out?"
Still getting no reply he tried, "I am susceptible to the cold if you remember- extreme icy conditions can be particularly dangerous." He finished with a smile in Max's direction
At any other time, she would have been pleased to hear him joke in that way about himself, taking it as a healthy sign, but this wasn't a normal situation, and instead she turned to him in anger.
"How can you make jokes when we ... 'I'm' to blame," she corrected herself, "for this whole Manticore versus Eyes Only crap!"
Logan nodded his head slightly. "Oh, I see," he replied, knowingly sarcastic. "I thought we'd be getting back to this."
Surprisingly, Zack spoke from the back. "I feel the same way Max does on this. You've put your own life in danger by doing that X5 Eyes Only broadcast. The blame should be mine, Max," he added, speaking earnestly to her. "'I' messed up on that whole deal."
"What, the two of you don't think I'm a big enough boy to make my own decisions?" cut in Logan impatiently. "In case you hadn't noticed, I chose a career path that wasn't especially conducive to a long life well before I'd even heard of Manticore."
"Don't speak like that," said Max quietly, in an urgent tone he'd never heard before.
He looked across at her quickly, but the moment had passed and she had herself well in control.
"Look," he tried again, "I just think it's a waste of time trying to attach blame. I did what I did," and here he looked across at Max, "because 'I' wanted to, and it was no one else's decision."
Max just looked at him. "Have it your own way," she said coldly.
***************************************************
Logan looked up in surprise as he opened the door to his apartment to see Bling standing there.
"We were just leaving," explained his trainer with a smile, motioning with a movement of his head to Riley and Bob, who were standing behind him.
Bling stepped back to let them enter, smiling when he heard Riley's very warm hello to Max.
"Hey, you saved our asses last night," Max told him, kneeling down to ruffle the fur around Bob's neck with her two hands.
Bob thought this was especially nice, panting happily and resting his front paws on Max's knees.
"So, you're leaving us?" smiled Logan at Riley, rightly interpreting the boys look that he wished he were Bob.
"Yeah," responded the other, pulling his eyes away, with difficulty, from the sight at his feet.
"Riley has a friend who's a trucker," put in Bling. "He'll be comin' through Seattle this morning, so I was just about to grab a cab for them to get to the diner where his friend'll be stopping on his way through."
"Take my car," said Logan at once.
"You sure, man?"
"Yeah, it's the least I can do for you," smiled Logan at Riley. "You're a handy young man to have around. You'll have to come and visit some other time when we're not ..."
"Tryin' to save the world?" suggested Max sweetly. Turning to Riley, she said, "Better not wait till then or you'll be an old man before we see you again."
Riley smiled back at her a little nervously. He was absolutely dazzled by her perfection, but daunted by her sophistication – there always seemed to be a strong current of unspoken meaning in her words when she spoke to Logan that he found a little overwhelming to one brought up to let his 'no be no and his yes be yes.'
Watching the look that Logan now gave her, he felt a sense of envy that this man could be so close to the girl he hadn't stopped dreaming about ever since they'd left Morristown, always imagining himself coming to her aid and heroically rescuing her in the face of insurmountable danger.
"'Anyway'..." started Logan, with a final look in Max's direction, "We'd love to have you back in Seattle some day. And Bob too, of course," he added, this time being the 'heroic' one, which made Max's mouth twitch slightly, in spite of the knot in her stomach from the revelation of Manticore's definite involvement.
Logan passed the keys over to Bling as they were heading out the door, then looked around suddenly to Max. "Did you have my laptop?"
Max shook her head, as did Zack.
"I must have left it in the car," mused Logan.
"I'll go down and get it for you," offered Max immediately.
"No, that's okay. I'll go down with the others and grab it," he responded, turning to follow Bling and Riley into the elevator.
Zack saw Max open her mouth as if to say something, but when she saw him watching her she quickly closed it.
"You wanna drink?" she asked airily, going through to the pristine kitchen, her thoughts jumbled. She was mad at Logan for not letting them take responsibility for the Manticore involvement - not that it would make any difference to the outcome, but she would have felt better about things. Then for some perverse reason she was annoyed that Zack had caught her look of concern for Logan. I'm not Logan's mother, she chided herself.
"That MacFarland's a mean guy," commented Zack, to no particular purpose.
"Which one?" asked Max, refusing to be drawn in.
"I don't think he'll be too happy about losing both his sons," continued Zack.
"Yeah, well he'd better get over it," snapped Max coldly.
Trying a more straightforward manner, Zack asked, "You gonna let Logan go down there by himself?"
"Bling's with him," Max answered lightly.
Zack shrugged. If he'd discovered one thing about being in the company of Max and Logan it was that they rarely reacted quite how he would have expected them to.
But then, what do I know about it, he thought cynically. I've never been in love.
********************************************
"So, I take it all went well this morning?" asked Bling, as they rode the elevator down.
"Another MacFarland son has defected to the light side," Logan told him, but with no hint of a smile. He was beginning to feel the pressure of time ticking by and they still had no idea what MacFarland Senior was planning for that night.
"I'll tell you about it when you get back," Logan told him, seeing the questioning look in Bling's eye.
Logan looked round at Riley standing towards the back with a very obedient Bob, who sat unperturbed on the elevator floor.
The elevator door opened, but Bling made them wait a moment while he checked the surrounding area, much to the annoyance of Logan, who by this time was single mindedly formulating a plan to try and discover MacFarland's scheme.
"All clear," said Bling, coming back.
With an ironic raise of his eyebrows indicating he thought this was all a waste of time, Logan wheeled towards his car, with Riley and Bob following behind.
They were half way to the car when Bob began barking wildly, and ran off in the opposite direction.
Logan turned with an annoyed sigh. "Get him Riley," he muttered, continuing on to the car.
"Must be those mice again," said Bling, as he unlocked the door and reached in, bringing out the laptop.
"You heard from Candy?" asked Logan, with the hint of a smile in his eyes behind the glasses.
"No, but I should call around to her apartment and make sure she found her cat," Bling said thoughtfully.
"Well, I'm sure you're worried about it," Logan told him with mock seriousness.
They had to wait some minutes for Riley to get Bob.
"Looks like he's got him under control, more or less," Bling said, as they watched the boy returning.
"More less than more, I'd say," remarked Logan.
Riley returned at that point with a recalcitrant Bob, shepherding him with difficulty into the car. "Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile at the other two.
"No problem," answered Bling. "We've been told there are mice down here."
"Bob, shut up!" roared Riley at the dog, who was now barking profusely.
Wondering if Bling would still work for him after subjecting him to the noise of such a large dog barking in his ear, Logan gave him a sympathetic goodbye and headed back to the elevator.
************************************************
"He sure is loud," commented Bling to Riley, his own deep voice booming to be heard over the barking as they turned into the street.
"I can't understand why he's goin' on like this," said Riley, shaking his head. "He's normally pretty ..." 'quiet' was the last word he had been going to say, but instead he grabbed Bling's arm urgently.
"You gotta turn back!"
Without question, and quickly checking for traffic, Bling swung the Aztek in a tight circle and headed back into the parking lot.
"There!" yelled Riley, pointing furiously as they came to where they'd left Logan. "That's him."
***********************************************
Logan got to the elevator just as the doors closed and the contraption headed up without him.
He glared at the elevator doors balefully, cursing them and life in general because he was fast falling into that sort of a mood. "Dammit," he muttered, as he thought of how close they were to outing MacFarland and his gang of fanatics, and how frustratingly little his two sons actually knew. Their father had certainly played his cards very close to his chest where those two were concerned.
Logan had just wheeled back a little from the doors in case there was someone coming down who'd need to exit, when his ears picked up the soft thud of a footstep, as if someone were trying to muffle the sound.
Logan looked back to the elevator. According to the floor indicator lights, it was only beginning its descent.
He was so single-mindedly set on the task before him of uncovering MacFarland's plans, that all he could feel was frustration. I just don't have time for this, he muttered under his breath as he looked around. The area appeared to be deserted.
The sound of a car screeching into the area made him turn his head, and in spite of his earlier thoughts, a look or relief swept his features. The sensation was unfortunately of short duration, as a voice worryingly close to him grated, "Cale! Get over here, now..."
"Now!" the voice urged, in an even more threatening tone.
With something that was a cross between a grunt and a sigh, Logan began to swing slowly around when the fury that was Bob leapt from the Aztek, and with a snarl, launched himself at the man holding a gun on Logan.
Completely unprepared for the attack, the man took his eyes off Logan, crying out in pain as sharp teeth sank deep into his leg.
Seeing his opportunity, Logan reached forward and grabbed at the gun in his attacker's hands. He almost had it when the man, who had been so preoccupied with the dog biting him, realized what he was up to, and tightening his grip on it, brought his gun up high, preparing to crash it down on Logan's skull.
The man was hampered by several things: Bob, who still held him painfully in a vice-like grip, Logan, on seeing his intention, desperately trying to push himself away from the arc of the man's arm, and thirdly, Max, who had come down in the elevator, finally unable to take the suspense of not knowing why Logan was taking so long, slamming her foot into the man's ribcage, which was the deciding factor in him dropping the gun and sinking to the ground, now oblivious to Bob's bite because the pain of three broken ribs was so much greater.
"Call him off," called Logan to Riley as he and Bling ran up, looking down with distaste at the man who now lay moaning at his feet.
"Bob, here boy," said Riley.
Bob looked up at Riley, and apparently sensing that his job was completed, he happily trotted over to Riley's side.
"Bob to the rescue," smiled Max.
"Riley actually," put in Bling. "He's the one who figured out why Bob was barking."
"Well, I remembered the only time I'd seen him go off like that was the day I met Logan in Morristown, and he was barking at the man you thought might have killed Charlie."
Riley felt himself go very red as he found Max's eyes on him, her face wreathed in a wide smile of gratitude, murmuring to him quietly as if it were just their secret, "Looks like I owe you one."
Logan, who was feeling decidedly ambivalent about being rescued by a dog, was contemplating their captive as the elevator opened once more and this time Zack came out. "Why don't we make it a party," he commented, looking anything but thankful.
Bling, reading the tone, ushered Riley and Bob back over to the car. "We'd better get going or you'll miss your lift."
"Aren't you gonna thank him?" Max asked Logan, as the boy turned to go.
"Yeah, thanks," he responded, with the distracted air that Max knew meant all he was thinking about was getting back in front of his computers.
With a sideways glance at Logan, Max stopped Riley as he was about to get in the car.
"I said I owed you one," she reminded him, leaning in to kiss him, at first with the intention of kissing him on the cheek, but at the last moment, and aware that a certain person was watching, she changed it to a quick, but soft kiss on the lips. After all, she thought, he did deserve something special for saving Logan.
"Thanks again," she whispered in his ear.
Too tongue tied to talk, and now blushing more furiously than ever, Riley could only manage to wave goodbye, as a very amused Bling drove off. The boy couldn't help but think that while he hadn't saved Max, saving Logan had proven to be almost as rewarding.
Max turned to find both Logan and Zack regarding her, each with a small frown.
"D'you think you should be leading him on like that?" asked Logan evenly.
Blithely ignoring his remark, she turned her attention to the man still groaning at their feet.
"What are we gonna do with this fine example of scum?"
"If you two haul him upstairs, I'll contact Matt Sung and see if he can use him."
"Fine," said Max brightly, Logan's reaction not lost on her.
***************************************************
"Do you have a name?" Max asked the pile of misery that lay moaning on Logan's sofa, his view of Logan's study hidden by the closed translucent panels.
The man refused to even turn his head in her direction.
"I guess he's sensitive about being taken down by a girl," commented Logan, getting off the phone from Matt Sung. "How does the name Walter Zarb suit you?"
Max saw the man look at Logan with something like fear in his eyes.
"Things are lookin' up. Matt was able to trace the prints on the gun we gave him. The gun we took off 'you' in Morristown," he added, directing his last words to the injured man. "Looks like you've been a bad boy."
"Matt has something on him?" asked Max.
"The prints belonged to one Walter Zarb. Wanted for murder, theft and who knows what else. Matt's happy to go with the first two for starters."
"Great. Even if we don't get him for Charlie's death, at least he'll be up for murder," commented Max with satisfaction.
Wheeling closer to Zarb, who, for all his pain, still managed to look at Logan with something very like hate, he said, "What do you know about MacFarland's plans for a major assault tonight?"
"You think I'd tell you, even if I knew?" ground out the other man.
"Well, I would think things just may go a little easier for you with the detective who we're gonna deliver you to if you help his investigation," suggested Logan.
"Go to hell," spat Zarb, looking at Logan as if he'd like to get up and thump him one.
Max, who'd been standing next to Logan, hands on her hips, decided she didn't like his attitude. "We don't have time to mess around with your tough-ass stunt. Now either you tell us what you know, or I'm adding to the pain in your side."
Looking into her eyes, Zarb had no doubt she wouldn't make good her threat. He felt a fresh wave of sweat breaking out on his face.
"MacFarland told me nothing. I was hired by Buddy Franklin."
Logan leaned forward saying intently, "It was Buddy Franklin who arranged Charlie's death?"
Zarb clammed up on that one. He had no intention of admitting to a murder he hadn't been charged with.
Logan looked at Max, about to speak, then swung his attention to the door as Bling came in.
"Dropped Riley and Bob off okay," he remarked to Logan, looking at Zarb with interest.
"Great." To Max, Logan said, "We're not gonna get any more out of him. I need you to take Zarb and meet Matt at the same place where you dropped the gun to him."
"Fine," replied Max curtly, noting the absence of 'please' or 'thank you', which indicated Logan was at his most obsessive.
"I'll go with her," put in Zack, who had watched the questioning of Zarb from the window.
Logan didn't answer or wait for them to leave before heading back to his computers. He was desperate to check his Informant Net to find out if any one had any lead on MacFarland's intentions.
Bling handed Max the keys to the Aztek, then held the door open for them as she and Zack, none too gently, dragged Zarb from the sofa, and hustled him downstairs to the car.
*****************************************************
Max and Zack had to wait some time for Matt Sung, who was most apologetic when he showed.
"Sorry, I'm snowed under doing the security for a conference, just couldn't get away."
"That's fine, Matt," Max assured him.
"He looks a bit worse for wear," remarked the detective, looking at Zarb, who sagged uncomfortably between the two.
"He had a gun at Logan's head. There wasn't much time for finesse."
Matt looked at Zack, assuming he'd done the damage.
Opening his car door, he first handcuffed Zarb, then bundled him inside with Zack's help.
Standing back a little so that he could keep the prisoner in his sight, he said, "Tell Logan I've done what I can, but I've found no word on the street that pinpoints to what this MacFarland is up to, and I can't spare the manpower to look into it." He sighed, shaking his head.
"I'll let him know," Max assured him.
"I hate to leave him on his own with this," Matt continued in a worried voice, "but my hands are tied."
Max shook her head. "No big dealio. We got it covered."
"Yeah, well," and he paused, "I'd sure like this whole thing cleared up," he said with meaning to Max.
So would I, thought Max to herself as Matt Sung drove off.
***********************************************************
"Anything?" Max asked Logan as she and Zack strolled back into his apartment, heading in to where he sat at his computer.
"Don't ask," he replied with a grunt of disgust.
"Not one lead?" she asked incredulously.
Logan studied the screen with a particularly harassed look that spoke volumes.
"How is it that no one knows MacFarland's deal?"
"Go figure," replied Logan, jabbing with particular force on the keyboard.
"You tried the 'Brothers Grimm' again?" she suggested.
Unlocking his brakes, Logan swung around to face her. "'I' have tried 'everything'," he told her, his frustration fast turning to anger. "'Nobody' has any intelligence about a meet of even shoplifters, let alone crime lords."
"Well, the shop owners should be happy," tried Max.
The look he threw her way before swinging back to the screen, and locking the brakes he'd only just taken off, told her that he'd gone past inane jokes quite some time ago.
"You said you tried the MacFarland brothers again?" asked Zack.
"Oh yeah," muttered Logan, stabbing at the keys in his quest for a lead. "Those boys must have walked around with paper bags over their heads."
Max suddenly had a horrible suspicion. "Logan, you don't think we've been had again?" she said urgently.
Logan paused, his right hand now on the mouse, closing his eyes with a grimace.
"I've thought about that," he admitted.
"But you don't think so," said Max, pre-empting him.
"I don't think so," he agreed, then added, "'think' in this case being the optimum word."
"For what it's worth, I bought their story," said Zack quietly.
"So did I," admitted Max.
"Which brings us back to square 'one' – who is MacFarland's target?"
Max looked at the time on her pager. "We've still got five hours."
"Might as well be five minutes if I can't figure this out."
******************************************************
Logan's phone was busy for the rest of the afternoon as his various informants called in, but among all of them, there was not one single solid lead to go on. It was as if crime had taken a holiday for the next few days.
"I need to get my bike from the motel," said Max a few hours later, coming in with coffee for him. "Mind if we use your car? Bling's offered to drive me."
"Fine," answered Logan, gratefully drinking the hot liquid.
"Zack'll stay here with you," she added inconsequentially.
"Right," agreed Logan, scrolling down the screen and letting some of his annoyance show as he said, "What, now that Bob's not here you mean? What are your teeth like, Zack?"
Ignoring his comments, Max called to Bling and headed down in the elevator.
****************************************************
By the time Max got back, they were down to one hour, and Logan had virtually given up. His body was certainly giving up, he thought.
"Bling's headed home," she commented as she came in, then added, "I talked to Byron and Phillip. Not a clue," she finished succinctly. "They did tell me that their father hated gangs, criminals generally, syndicate men, crime lords, politicians and you'll love the last one: journalists.
Logan looked up at her as one confused. "What was the last bit?"
"They told me that MacFarland doesn't like journalists. Apparently the reporting of his wife's death really pissed him off."
"No, before that," said Logan, speaking slowly as if the gears in his mind were turning slowly.
"Politicians?"
Logan gave her such a look that for a moment she thought he was having a relapse from the drug that had been injected into him.
"Why didn't they tell us this before??" said Logan tensely, grabbing his phone and saying to Max and Zack as he waited for the other end to pick up, "Matt Sung is doing the security for the Governor's Convention."
"Damn," stated Max, Logan's previous expression mirrored in her eyes.
"Phillip?" Logan spoke curtly into the phone.
Max looked across at Zack as they both waited for Logan to finish his conversation. The same thought in both their minds, "This was bad."
Logan hung up, then immediately dialled Matt Sung's number. With yet another grunt of annoyance, he turned to Max, "I just tried getting a hold of Matt - he's not answering."
"What did Phillip MacFarland say?" asked Max.
"Apparently his father blames government corruption for the present state of affairs. Phillip tells me it was one of his pet hates." Venting his frustration with yet another annoyed sigh as he pushed redial for Matt's number, he added, "Why didn't they tell us this before? I've spent all day chasing the wrong leads."
He looked up at them as he hung up the phone. There was still no answer from Matt Sung.
"I need you to get down there ASAP," he told them urgently. "The conference is at the Seattle Convention Center."
Without hesitation they grabbed their jackets and headed for the door.
"And Max," called Logan to her as they were nearly out, "be careful."
TBC
.
Thank you as always to my beta, Alaidh, for doing such a great job!!
Chapter 20
"I don't understand why your father would be so willing to destroy Eyes Only?" said Max, "I would've thought he'd be right into all that 'take out the bad guys' stuff."
Phillip MacFarland stood up in an angry gesture. "Oh, I know who's to blame for 'that'," he stated, beginning to walk the floor in his agitation. "Buddy Franklin."
"Otherwise known as Theodore Durant," added Logan.
Phillip looked at him, a brief look of wonderment on his face. "How do you know so much?"
"It's called being a smart-ass," said Max, surreptitiously giving Logan a warning look.
"Buddy Franklin," continued Logan unperturbed, "is a well-known extreme right-wing activist. If he's had your father's ear, there's no telling what garbage he's fed him."
"I overheard my father talking with Franklin one day. At first he said no to the whole idea, but when he found out there was an offer of these 'super soldiers' he said anything would be worth it to achieve his goals."
"And Melody was the meat in the sandwich, holding the whole mess together," sighed Logan bitterly.
"What about the vigilantes themselves?" queried Max, eager to push the conversation in a different direction. "Who are they? Mercenaries?"
Logan looked up at Phillip, who was still restlessly pacing. "I'm guessing some of Franklin's group?"
Phillip nodded again.
"Worse than mercenaries, 'fanatics'," spat out Max with disgust.
"All the more dangerous because they believe in what they're doing," agreed Logan, arms folded, frowning at a particularly ugly still life print of flowers and fruit that was the only art work to adorn the room. Not only was it particularly ugly, but it annoyed him all the more because it hung crookedly on the grimy wall.
"You seeking inspiration?" asked Max, breaking in on his thoughts.
"Yeah," he said dryly.
"It's crooked," said Max, her gaze following Logan's.
"I know," he replied with considerable restraint.
Not being overly particular about such matters, nonetheless she got up and straightened it.
Pulling his gaze away from the print, Logan said, "We've got to find out exactly what it is MacFarland has planned for tonight, before he kills someone else."
"I've got a few ideas in mind," he added, more to Max and Zack.
He noticed that Zack had been noticeably silent since the revelation of the soldiers with barcodes.
Unlocking his brakes, Logan spoke decisively to the brothers, "I'm gonna leave you here. It's the safest place for you both. Your father doesn't know you're here."
Both brothers nodded grimly.
"Have either of you got cell phones on you?"
Only Phillip gave a nod of assent.
"Give it to me. I don't want your father to use it to trace you here. There's a phone here. I'll use that to contact you."
Byron, who'd said virtually nothing since his release, stood up as Logan prepared to leave. "I don't really understand why you're doing all this. I guess you have your reasons, but I don't think 'anyone' would have helped us like you have." His gaze took in Max and Zack as well as he finished
Logan, looking a little uncomfortable with his gratitude merely replied, "Well, let's not start congratulating ourselves yet."
**********************************************
"At least we're starting to make some real progress now," commented Logan to a silent Max and Zack as he started the car.
With raised brows at their lack of response, he murmured, "Is this what they call X5 freeze out?"
Still getting no reply he tried, "I am susceptible to the cold if you remember- extreme icy conditions can be particularly dangerous." He finished with a smile in Max's direction
At any other time, she would have been pleased to hear him joke in that way about himself, taking it as a healthy sign, but this wasn't a normal situation, and instead she turned to him in anger.
"How can you make jokes when we ... 'I'm' to blame," she corrected herself, "for this whole Manticore versus Eyes Only crap!"
Logan nodded his head slightly. "Oh, I see," he replied, knowingly sarcastic. "I thought we'd be getting back to this."
Surprisingly, Zack spoke from the back. "I feel the same way Max does on this. You've put your own life in danger by doing that X5 Eyes Only broadcast. The blame should be mine, Max," he added, speaking earnestly to her. "'I' messed up on that whole deal."
"What, the two of you don't think I'm a big enough boy to make my own decisions?" cut in Logan impatiently. "In case you hadn't noticed, I chose a career path that wasn't especially conducive to a long life well before I'd even heard of Manticore."
"Don't speak like that," said Max quietly, in an urgent tone he'd never heard before.
He looked across at her quickly, but the moment had passed and she had herself well in control.
"Look," he tried again, "I just think it's a waste of time trying to attach blame. I did what I did," and here he looked across at Max, "because 'I' wanted to, and it was no one else's decision."
Max just looked at him. "Have it your own way," she said coldly.
***************************************************
Logan looked up in surprise as he opened the door to his apartment to see Bling standing there.
"We were just leaving," explained his trainer with a smile, motioning with a movement of his head to Riley and Bob, who were standing behind him.
Bling stepped back to let them enter, smiling when he heard Riley's very warm hello to Max.
"Hey, you saved our asses last night," Max told him, kneeling down to ruffle the fur around Bob's neck with her two hands.
Bob thought this was especially nice, panting happily and resting his front paws on Max's knees.
"So, you're leaving us?" smiled Logan at Riley, rightly interpreting the boys look that he wished he were Bob.
"Yeah," responded the other, pulling his eyes away, with difficulty, from the sight at his feet.
"Riley has a friend who's a trucker," put in Bling. "He'll be comin' through Seattle this morning, so I was just about to grab a cab for them to get to the diner where his friend'll be stopping on his way through."
"Take my car," said Logan at once.
"You sure, man?"
"Yeah, it's the least I can do for you," smiled Logan at Riley. "You're a handy young man to have around. You'll have to come and visit some other time when we're not ..."
"Tryin' to save the world?" suggested Max sweetly. Turning to Riley, she said, "Better not wait till then or you'll be an old man before we see you again."
Riley smiled back at her a little nervously. He was absolutely dazzled by her perfection, but daunted by her sophistication – there always seemed to be a strong current of unspoken meaning in her words when she spoke to Logan that he found a little overwhelming to one brought up to let his 'no be no and his yes be yes.'
Watching the look that Logan now gave her, he felt a sense of envy that this man could be so close to the girl he hadn't stopped dreaming about ever since they'd left Morristown, always imagining himself coming to her aid and heroically rescuing her in the face of insurmountable danger.
"'Anyway'..." started Logan, with a final look in Max's direction, "We'd love to have you back in Seattle some day. And Bob too, of course," he added, this time being the 'heroic' one, which made Max's mouth twitch slightly, in spite of the knot in her stomach from the revelation of Manticore's definite involvement.
Logan passed the keys over to Bling as they were heading out the door, then looked around suddenly to Max. "Did you have my laptop?"
Max shook her head, as did Zack.
"I must have left it in the car," mused Logan.
"I'll go down and get it for you," offered Max immediately.
"No, that's okay. I'll go down with the others and grab it," he responded, turning to follow Bling and Riley into the elevator.
Zack saw Max open her mouth as if to say something, but when she saw him watching her she quickly closed it.
"You wanna drink?" she asked airily, going through to the pristine kitchen, her thoughts jumbled. She was mad at Logan for not letting them take responsibility for the Manticore involvement - not that it would make any difference to the outcome, but she would have felt better about things. Then for some perverse reason she was annoyed that Zack had caught her look of concern for Logan. I'm not Logan's mother, she chided herself.
"That MacFarland's a mean guy," commented Zack, to no particular purpose.
"Which one?" asked Max, refusing to be drawn in.
"I don't think he'll be too happy about losing both his sons," continued Zack.
"Yeah, well he'd better get over it," snapped Max coldly.
Trying a more straightforward manner, Zack asked, "You gonna let Logan go down there by himself?"
"Bling's with him," Max answered lightly.
Zack shrugged. If he'd discovered one thing about being in the company of Max and Logan it was that they rarely reacted quite how he would have expected them to.
But then, what do I know about it, he thought cynically. I've never been in love.
********************************************
"So, I take it all went well this morning?" asked Bling, as they rode the elevator down.
"Another MacFarland son has defected to the light side," Logan told him, but with no hint of a smile. He was beginning to feel the pressure of time ticking by and they still had no idea what MacFarland Senior was planning for that night.
"I'll tell you about it when you get back," Logan told him, seeing the questioning look in Bling's eye.
Logan looked round at Riley standing towards the back with a very obedient Bob, who sat unperturbed on the elevator floor.
The elevator door opened, but Bling made them wait a moment while he checked the surrounding area, much to the annoyance of Logan, who by this time was single mindedly formulating a plan to try and discover MacFarland's scheme.
"All clear," said Bling, coming back.
With an ironic raise of his eyebrows indicating he thought this was all a waste of time, Logan wheeled towards his car, with Riley and Bob following behind.
They were half way to the car when Bob began barking wildly, and ran off in the opposite direction.
Logan turned with an annoyed sigh. "Get him Riley," he muttered, continuing on to the car.
"Must be those mice again," said Bling, as he unlocked the door and reached in, bringing out the laptop.
"You heard from Candy?" asked Logan, with the hint of a smile in his eyes behind the glasses.
"No, but I should call around to her apartment and make sure she found her cat," Bling said thoughtfully.
"Well, I'm sure you're worried about it," Logan told him with mock seriousness.
They had to wait some minutes for Riley to get Bob.
"Looks like he's got him under control, more or less," Bling said, as they watched the boy returning.
"More less than more, I'd say," remarked Logan.
Riley returned at that point with a recalcitrant Bob, shepherding him with difficulty into the car. "Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile at the other two.
"No problem," answered Bling. "We've been told there are mice down here."
"Bob, shut up!" roared Riley at the dog, who was now barking profusely.
Wondering if Bling would still work for him after subjecting him to the noise of such a large dog barking in his ear, Logan gave him a sympathetic goodbye and headed back to the elevator.
************************************************
"He sure is loud," commented Bling to Riley, his own deep voice booming to be heard over the barking as they turned into the street.
"I can't understand why he's goin' on like this," said Riley, shaking his head. "He's normally pretty ..." 'quiet' was the last word he had been going to say, but instead he grabbed Bling's arm urgently.
"You gotta turn back!"
Without question, and quickly checking for traffic, Bling swung the Aztek in a tight circle and headed back into the parking lot.
"There!" yelled Riley, pointing furiously as they came to where they'd left Logan. "That's him."
***********************************************
Logan got to the elevator just as the doors closed and the contraption headed up without him.
He glared at the elevator doors balefully, cursing them and life in general because he was fast falling into that sort of a mood. "Dammit," he muttered, as he thought of how close they were to outing MacFarland and his gang of fanatics, and how frustratingly little his two sons actually knew. Their father had certainly played his cards very close to his chest where those two were concerned.
Logan had just wheeled back a little from the doors in case there was someone coming down who'd need to exit, when his ears picked up the soft thud of a footstep, as if someone were trying to muffle the sound.
Logan looked back to the elevator. According to the floor indicator lights, it was only beginning its descent.
He was so single-mindedly set on the task before him of uncovering MacFarland's plans, that all he could feel was frustration. I just don't have time for this, he muttered under his breath as he looked around. The area appeared to be deserted.
The sound of a car screeching into the area made him turn his head, and in spite of his earlier thoughts, a look or relief swept his features. The sensation was unfortunately of short duration, as a voice worryingly close to him grated, "Cale! Get over here, now..."
"Now!" the voice urged, in an even more threatening tone.
With something that was a cross between a grunt and a sigh, Logan began to swing slowly around when the fury that was Bob leapt from the Aztek, and with a snarl, launched himself at the man holding a gun on Logan.
Completely unprepared for the attack, the man took his eyes off Logan, crying out in pain as sharp teeth sank deep into his leg.
Seeing his opportunity, Logan reached forward and grabbed at the gun in his attacker's hands. He almost had it when the man, who had been so preoccupied with the dog biting him, realized what he was up to, and tightening his grip on it, brought his gun up high, preparing to crash it down on Logan's skull.
The man was hampered by several things: Bob, who still held him painfully in a vice-like grip, Logan, on seeing his intention, desperately trying to push himself away from the arc of the man's arm, and thirdly, Max, who had come down in the elevator, finally unable to take the suspense of not knowing why Logan was taking so long, slamming her foot into the man's ribcage, which was the deciding factor in him dropping the gun and sinking to the ground, now oblivious to Bob's bite because the pain of three broken ribs was so much greater.
"Call him off," called Logan to Riley as he and Bling ran up, looking down with distaste at the man who now lay moaning at his feet.
"Bob, here boy," said Riley.
Bob looked up at Riley, and apparently sensing that his job was completed, he happily trotted over to Riley's side.
"Bob to the rescue," smiled Max.
"Riley actually," put in Bling. "He's the one who figured out why Bob was barking."
"Well, I remembered the only time I'd seen him go off like that was the day I met Logan in Morristown, and he was barking at the man you thought might have killed Charlie."
Riley felt himself go very red as he found Max's eyes on him, her face wreathed in a wide smile of gratitude, murmuring to him quietly as if it were just their secret, "Looks like I owe you one."
Logan, who was feeling decidedly ambivalent about being rescued by a dog, was contemplating their captive as the elevator opened once more and this time Zack came out. "Why don't we make it a party," he commented, looking anything but thankful.
Bling, reading the tone, ushered Riley and Bob back over to the car. "We'd better get going or you'll miss your lift."
"Aren't you gonna thank him?" Max asked Logan, as the boy turned to go.
"Yeah, thanks," he responded, with the distracted air that Max knew meant all he was thinking about was getting back in front of his computers.
With a sideways glance at Logan, Max stopped Riley as he was about to get in the car.
"I said I owed you one," she reminded him, leaning in to kiss him, at first with the intention of kissing him on the cheek, but at the last moment, and aware that a certain person was watching, she changed it to a quick, but soft kiss on the lips. After all, she thought, he did deserve something special for saving Logan.
"Thanks again," she whispered in his ear.
Too tongue tied to talk, and now blushing more furiously than ever, Riley could only manage to wave goodbye, as a very amused Bling drove off. The boy couldn't help but think that while he hadn't saved Max, saving Logan had proven to be almost as rewarding.
Max turned to find both Logan and Zack regarding her, each with a small frown.
"D'you think you should be leading him on like that?" asked Logan evenly.
Blithely ignoring his remark, she turned her attention to the man still groaning at their feet.
"What are we gonna do with this fine example of scum?"
"If you two haul him upstairs, I'll contact Matt Sung and see if he can use him."
"Fine," said Max brightly, Logan's reaction not lost on her.
***************************************************
"Do you have a name?" Max asked the pile of misery that lay moaning on Logan's sofa, his view of Logan's study hidden by the closed translucent panels.
The man refused to even turn his head in her direction.
"I guess he's sensitive about being taken down by a girl," commented Logan, getting off the phone from Matt Sung. "How does the name Walter Zarb suit you?"
Max saw the man look at Logan with something like fear in his eyes.
"Things are lookin' up. Matt was able to trace the prints on the gun we gave him. The gun we took off 'you' in Morristown," he added, directing his last words to the injured man. "Looks like you've been a bad boy."
"Matt has something on him?" asked Max.
"The prints belonged to one Walter Zarb. Wanted for murder, theft and who knows what else. Matt's happy to go with the first two for starters."
"Great. Even if we don't get him for Charlie's death, at least he'll be up for murder," commented Max with satisfaction.
Wheeling closer to Zarb, who, for all his pain, still managed to look at Logan with something very like hate, he said, "What do you know about MacFarland's plans for a major assault tonight?"
"You think I'd tell you, even if I knew?" ground out the other man.
"Well, I would think things just may go a little easier for you with the detective who we're gonna deliver you to if you help his investigation," suggested Logan.
"Go to hell," spat Zarb, looking at Logan as if he'd like to get up and thump him one.
Max, who'd been standing next to Logan, hands on her hips, decided she didn't like his attitude. "We don't have time to mess around with your tough-ass stunt. Now either you tell us what you know, or I'm adding to the pain in your side."
Looking into her eyes, Zarb had no doubt she wouldn't make good her threat. He felt a fresh wave of sweat breaking out on his face.
"MacFarland told me nothing. I was hired by Buddy Franklin."
Logan leaned forward saying intently, "It was Buddy Franklin who arranged Charlie's death?"
Zarb clammed up on that one. He had no intention of admitting to a murder he hadn't been charged with.
Logan looked at Max, about to speak, then swung his attention to the door as Bling came in.
"Dropped Riley and Bob off okay," he remarked to Logan, looking at Zarb with interest.
"Great." To Max, Logan said, "We're not gonna get any more out of him. I need you to take Zarb and meet Matt at the same place where you dropped the gun to him."
"Fine," replied Max curtly, noting the absence of 'please' or 'thank you', which indicated Logan was at his most obsessive.
"I'll go with her," put in Zack, who had watched the questioning of Zarb from the window.
Logan didn't answer or wait for them to leave before heading back to his computers. He was desperate to check his Informant Net to find out if any one had any lead on MacFarland's intentions.
Bling handed Max the keys to the Aztek, then held the door open for them as she and Zack, none too gently, dragged Zarb from the sofa, and hustled him downstairs to the car.
*****************************************************
Max and Zack had to wait some time for Matt Sung, who was most apologetic when he showed.
"Sorry, I'm snowed under doing the security for a conference, just couldn't get away."
"That's fine, Matt," Max assured him.
"He looks a bit worse for wear," remarked the detective, looking at Zarb, who sagged uncomfortably between the two.
"He had a gun at Logan's head. There wasn't much time for finesse."
Matt looked at Zack, assuming he'd done the damage.
Opening his car door, he first handcuffed Zarb, then bundled him inside with Zack's help.
Standing back a little so that he could keep the prisoner in his sight, he said, "Tell Logan I've done what I can, but I've found no word on the street that pinpoints to what this MacFarland is up to, and I can't spare the manpower to look into it." He sighed, shaking his head.
"I'll let him know," Max assured him.
"I hate to leave him on his own with this," Matt continued in a worried voice, "but my hands are tied."
Max shook her head. "No big dealio. We got it covered."
"Yeah, well," and he paused, "I'd sure like this whole thing cleared up," he said with meaning to Max.
So would I, thought Max to herself as Matt Sung drove off.
***********************************************************
"Anything?" Max asked Logan as she and Zack strolled back into his apartment, heading in to where he sat at his computer.
"Don't ask," he replied with a grunt of disgust.
"Not one lead?" she asked incredulously.
Logan studied the screen with a particularly harassed look that spoke volumes.
"How is it that no one knows MacFarland's deal?"
"Go figure," replied Logan, jabbing with particular force on the keyboard.
"You tried the 'Brothers Grimm' again?" she suggested.
Unlocking his brakes, Logan swung around to face her. "'I' have tried 'everything'," he told her, his frustration fast turning to anger. "'Nobody' has any intelligence about a meet of even shoplifters, let alone crime lords."
"Well, the shop owners should be happy," tried Max.
The look he threw her way before swinging back to the screen, and locking the brakes he'd only just taken off, told her that he'd gone past inane jokes quite some time ago.
"You said you tried the MacFarland brothers again?" asked Zack.
"Oh yeah," muttered Logan, stabbing at the keys in his quest for a lead. "Those boys must have walked around with paper bags over their heads."
Max suddenly had a horrible suspicion. "Logan, you don't think we've been had again?" she said urgently.
Logan paused, his right hand now on the mouse, closing his eyes with a grimace.
"I've thought about that," he admitted.
"But you don't think so," said Max, pre-empting him.
"I don't think so," he agreed, then added, "'think' in this case being the optimum word."
"For what it's worth, I bought their story," said Zack quietly.
"So did I," admitted Max.
"Which brings us back to square 'one' – who is MacFarland's target?"
Max looked at the time on her pager. "We've still got five hours."
"Might as well be five minutes if I can't figure this out."
******************************************************
Logan's phone was busy for the rest of the afternoon as his various informants called in, but among all of them, there was not one single solid lead to go on. It was as if crime had taken a holiday for the next few days.
"I need to get my bike from the motel," said Max a few hours later, coming in with coffee for him. "Mind if we use your car? Bling's offered to drive me."
"Fine," answered Logan, gratefully drinking the hot liquid.
"Zack'll stay here with you," she added inconsequentially.
"Right," agreed Logan, scrolling down the screen and letting some of his annoyance show as he said, "What, now that Bob's not here you mean? What are your teeth like, Zack?"
Ignoring his comments, Max called to Bling and headed down in the elevator.
****************************************************
By the time Max got back, they were down to one hour, and Logan had virtually given up. His body was certainly giving up, he thought.
"Bling's headed home," she commented as she came in, then added, "I talked to Byron and Phillip. Not a clue," she finished succinctly. "They did tell me that their father hated gangs, criminals generally, syndicate men, crime lords, politicians and you'll love the last one: journalists.
Logan looked up at her as one confused. "What was the last bit?"
"They told me that MacFarland doesn't like journalists. Apparently the reporting of his wife's death really pissed him off."
"No, before that," said Logan, speaking slowly as if the gears in his mind were turning slowly.
"Politicians?"
Logan gave her such a look that for a moment she thought he was having a relapse from the drug that had been injected into him.
"Why didn't they tell us this before??" said Logan tensely, grabbing his phone and saying to Max and Zack as he waited for the other end to pick up, "Matt Sung is doing the security for the Governor's Convention."
"Damn," stated Max, Logan's previous expression mirrored in her eyes.
"Phillip?" Logan spoke curtly into the phone.
Max looked across at Zack as they both waited for Logan to finish his conversation. The same thought in both their minds, "This was bad."
Logan hung up, then immediately dialled Matt Sung's number. With yet another grunt of annoyance, he turned to Max, "I just tried getting a hold of Matt - he's not answering."
"What did Phillip MacFarland say?" asked Max.
"Apparently his father blames government corruption for the present state of affairs. Phillip tells me it was one of his pet hates." Venting his frustration with yet another annoyed sigh as he pushed redial for Matt's number, he added, "Why didn't they tell us this before? I've spent all day chasing the wrong leads."
He looked up at them as he hung up the phone. There was still no answer from Matt Sung.
"I need you to get down there ASAP," he told them urgently. "The conference is at the Seattle Convention Center."
Without hesitation they grabbed their jackets and headed for the door.
"And Max," called Logan to her as they were nearly out, "be careful."
TBC
.