Chapter 2
"Hi, Linda, I got here ok, just waiting for Robbie to come by for lunch." Laurie said as she set Mike's water dish down. Smiling at the speed with which the puppy drank, she told her sister-in-law, "You'd think this dog was a camel, I know Robbie gave him water and food this morning. Gazing up at the front window, Laurie saw a strange car pull up to the gate, then back out and park on the road.
"Linda, can you hang on, I think I got a lost tourist, they made a u-turn and parked on the road. I'd better see where they think they are." "Honey, no, don't go outside, leave the chain on and see who they are first," Linda warned. "You're right, I'll wait till they come to the door. Oh, geez, you should see the loud shirt on this guy, he looks like a stereotype!" she giggled, going to stand by the door as a blond haired man with a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses started up the walk.
Opening the door but leaving the chain on, Laurie saw the youngish looking man approach. "Hi, can I help you?" she inquired. "Yes, maa'm, are you Laurel Light Simon?" he said. "Yes, I am, is there something I can help you with, sir?" she answered, for no reason suddenly fearful.
"Yes, Mrs. Simon, there is." he grinned, then abruptly kicked in the door. Taken by surprise, Laurie was flung against the wall, hitting her head then falling to the floor. Dazed, she tried to reach for the portable phone she had lost out of her hand, only to have the stranger push it away from her. She opened her mouth to scream, only to have him lean over and put his hand over her mouth, saying, "No noise, Mrs. Simon, nice and quiet or I'll have to hurt you." Suddenly Mike came racing out of the kitchen at the noise and launched himself at the man, biting and snarling at his arm. Releasing Laurie, he swung at the dog, as she crawled away from the man, yelling for Linda to call Robbie.
"Call off the dog, Mrs. Simon or I'll kill him," her assailant ordered, trying to swipe at Mike with a gun. "No, don't!" she cried, then managing to get to her feet, knocked the gun out of his hand.
The man shook the dog off his arm, then grabbing Laurie around the neck, started dragging her out the door and down the walk, kicking Mike when the puppy tried to follow.
Laurie struggled to free herself from her assailant's grasp, then felt him pick her up, with an evil laugh. "No use, Mrs. Simon, we're going for a nice road trip; I want to see what your husband thinks is so special about you!" Terrified, Laurie gave another wriggle, then heard a siren approaching.
At once the man dropped her hard on the ground, then a car started, and screeched down the road as the siren stopped and she heard Robbie's voice.
"Mom, Mom, oh, no!" she felt her son's arms around her and she opened her eyes to see his worried face. "Robbie, thank God you came, that man tried to kidnap me, he hurt Mike."
"Easy, Mom, just stay quiet, I'll take you inside." her son told her, shaking as he picked her up and rushed her into the house.
Once inside, Robbie laid her on the sofa then retrieved the portable phone. He found the puppy whimpering and trying to stand in the hallway, and gently lifting him up, put him on the chair next to his mom. Closing the door, he saw how the chain had been snapped and he seethed with anger as he called first into the sheriffs station and gave a description of the car, then to Oscar and Rudy.
Laurie heard Robbie talking to Rudy, and tried to sit up to tell him she was all right, only to have him come kneel next to her. "Mom, you're hurt, please stay still," he pleaded. "All right, darling, my head's the only thing that hurts, I was behind the door when he kicked it open." she told him. "Mom, if Aunt Linda hadn't called me..." he cleared his throat then hugged her. "Honey, it's ok, you came when I needed you." Hearing a whimpering sound, Rob put his hand on Mike and calmed the brave dog, "You know he fought that man, he gave me a chance to tell Linda to call you, he really is a lifesaver. I hope Mike'll be all right, if anything happened to him." Laurie paused.
"Robbie, I have to tell you, something must have happened to your father and A.J., that man said he was taking me on a road trip, he wanted..." she swallowed and took a deep breath. "Mom, it's ok, do you want to wait and tell Uncle Oscar?" he asked. "No, darling, he said he wanted to find out why your father thought I was so special."
"Mom, I'm sure Pop's ok, why don't you try to reach him, he'll be really angry if you don't tell him what happened!" Robbie added, terrified at what her assailant had threatened to do to her.
Just then a car horn sounded, and he stood up to see Oscar Goldman's car at the gate. Hitting the entry buzzer, Robbie let their friends in, then went to grab an ice pack for his mother.
Coming immediately to her side, Oscar dropped to one knee next to his niece and grabbed her hand. "Laurie, what happened, who did this to you?" She told him about the intruder, then the strange statement regarding Rick. "I think something's going on, Rick's a target or something; I want to try to reach him on my transmitter."
"In a moment, honey, first let's make sure you're all right," Rudy interrupted, kissing her forehead, and gently probing to see where she was injured.
Finding a swelling and small cut on the back of her head, the doctor checked her responses and her sight then cleaned and bandaged the back of her head. "Laurie, you're lucky enough to have a hard head, I don't think you have a concussion, but I want you to stay put for the rest of the day, no moving around."
"Yes, Rudy," she promised, "I know it's not your bailiwick, but could you look at Mike, that monster kicked him and I think he hurt his leg."
"Sure, honey," the doctor promised, then carefully examining the dog, found no apparent broken bones. Putting a bandage around Mike's injured leg, he was rewarded by the grateful puppy jumping in his lap and licking him.
Laurie couldn't help but smile at the sight, as Robbie brought her a glass of water. Setting the ice pack on the back of her head, he helped her into a sitting position, then watched as she set her transmitter to send, then started calling for Rick.
After an hour of trying, Laurie left the setting on receive, and asked her son to try reaching Downtown and Temple, as well as his replacement Abby at SDPD. Oscar started tracing the license plate on the car of Laurie's assailant, only to find it was reported stolen in San Diego.
"Oscar, this feels worse all the time, all they were doing was going camping. what really bothers me is I don't know of any case they're on right now that could trigger my assault or some attack on the guys!" she worried.
Her uncle came over to her, "Honey, I know this isn't easy, but I'm sure Rick and A.J. are fine, maybe they're just out of range." he reassured her, putting an arm around her.
"Mom, I've got Temple on the line, she wants to talk to you." Robbie said, bringing her the extension. As she took the phone, she noticed her son talking to Oscar and her heart sank. "Hi Temple, have you heard from Towne yet today?" she asked. "Yes, honey, he called me an hour ago, didn't Rick or A.J. reach you? It rained so hard last night they broke camp early and spent the rest of the night at a motel. He says the guys were going to stop at your Mom's to check on things then head for home," her friend told her.
Laurie took a deep breath. "No, Temple, as a matter of fact Rick hasn't called since Saturday. He isn't answering his transmitter either. I'm going to call Linda, just in case I missed him somehow."
Oh, honey, I'm sure everything's ok, as a matter of fact Rick was going to stop and see his friend Carlos's family. Towne said he got a message that they wanted him to stop by." Temple assured her. "Thanks, you're probably right. It's just that something's happened and, well, I have to make sure the guys are safe." Laurie responded.
"Laurie, Robert told me, I'm going to call Towne, maybe he might know of a reason why you were targeted. You take it easy and if I or Towne hear from Rick or A.J., we'll have them call you." Temple promised. "Thanks, honey, I appreciate it. Talk to you later." Laurie ended the call, then looked up at her uncle.
His face wore that look of concern she knew so well; something was wrong. "Oscar, what did you and Robbie find out?" she asked. "Honey, I just got word from a friend at the FBI office in Phoenix that an associate of Matthews, the guy Rick helped put away last year, had a bounty put out on Rick, A.J. and you. Apparently Matthews' is up for appeal and somebody doesn't want you guys to testify."
"Oscar, no," she felt numb. "Temple said Rick got a message that Carlos's family wanted him to stop by; it's got to be a trap! We need to find them." Robbie came and put an arm around her, "We'll start looking right now, Mom. I'm sure we'll reach them in time. I'm calling Andy, I want him to take my shift so I can stay here with you."
"No, Robbie, much as I want you here, it's more important that you do your job, just keep in touch. Besides," she was interrupted by Oscar. "Rudy and I will be here, son. Your mother will be safer with us here and you patrolling the area."
Her son looked at Laurie, then hugged her tightly, as she patted his back. "It's going to be all right, darling, I know it will. You go to work and I'll stay put until we hear from either your father or your uncle."
An hour later, she waved Robbie out the door, then sank back on to the sofa, exhausted. There was still no response from Rick's transmitter, Towne had called in and was alarmed at Oscar's information. He called Abby Marsh, the captain in Charge at SDPD, and she already had an APB out on Rick's truck.
Laurie had spoken to Robin, who was upset at the attack on her mother. "Mom, Grandma's here, I want to come home and be with you." "No, honey, you're safer with your Aunt and Grandma; as a matter of fact your Uncle trusted you to keep an eye on them and Ricky. I'll let you know the minute I hear anything, I promise." she insisted.
Having assured her daughter, now Laurie's fears returned in full force. Closing her eyes for just a second, she had a flash of a truck going off a cliff, then heard Rick's voice calling "A.J.!"
She sat bolt upright, gasping for air. "No!" she cried, then felt Rudy holding her. "Laurie, honey, what is it!" he said. "Rick, he and A.J., they've gone off a cliff, I heard Rick yelling for A.J., oh, my God, they're hurt somewhere!"
"Hi, Linda, I got here ok, just waiting for Robbie to come by for lunch." Laurie said as she set Mike's water dish down. Smiling at the speed with which the puppy drank, she told her sister-in-law, "You'd think this dog was a camel, I know Robbie gave him water and food this morning. Gazing up at the front window, Laurie saw a strange car pull up to the gate, then back out and park on the road.
"Linda, can you hang on, I think I got a lost tourist, they made a u-turn and parked on the road. I'd better see where they think they are." "Honey, no, don't go outside, leave the chain on and see who they are first," Linda warned. "You're right, I'll wait till they come to the door. Oh, geez, you should see the loud shirt on this guy, he looks like a stereotype!" she giggled, going to stand by the door as a blond haired man with a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses started up the walk.
Opening the door but leaving the chain on, Laurie saw the youngish looking man approach. "Hi, can I help you?" she inquired. "Yes, maa'm, are you Laurel Light Simon?" he said. "Yes, I am, is there something I can help you with, sir?" she answered, for no reason suddenly fearful.
"Yes, Mrs. Simon, there is." he grinned, then abruptly kicked in the door. Taken by surprise, Laurie was flung against the wall, hitting her head then falling to the floor. Dazed, she tried to reach for the portable phone she had lost out of her hand, only to have the stranger push it away from her. She opened her mouth to scream, only to have him lean over and put his hand over her mouth, saying, "No noise, Mrs. Simon, nice and quiet or I'll have to hurt you." Suddenly Mike came racing out of the kitchen at the noise and launched himself at the man, biting and snarling at his arm. Releasing Laurie, he swung at the dog, as she crawled away from the man, yelling for Linda to call Robbie.
"Call off the dog, Mrs. Simon or I'll kill him," her assailant ordered, trying to swipe at Mike with a gun. "No, don't!" she cried, then managing to get to her feet, knocked the gun out of his hand.
The man shook the dog off his arm, then grabbing Laurie around the neck, started dragging her out the door and down the walk, kicking Mike when the puppy tried to follow.
Laurie struggled to free herself from her assailant's grasp, then felt him pick her up, with an evil laugh. "No use, Mrs. Simon, we're going for a nice road trip; I want to see what your husband thinks is so special about you!" Terrified, Laurie gave another wriggle, then heard a siren approaching.
At once the man dropped her hard on the ground, then a car started, and screeched down the road as the siren stopped and she heard Robbie's voice.
"Mom, Mom, oh, no!" she felt her son's arms around her and she opened her eyes to see his worried face. "Robbie, thank God you came, that man tried to kidnap me, he hurt Mike."
"Easy, Mom, just stay quiet, I'll take you inside." her son told her, shaking as he picked her up and rushed her into the house.
Once inside, Robbie laid her on the sofa then retrieved the portable phone. He found the puppy whimpering and trying to stand in the hallway, and gently lifting him up, put him on the chair next to his mom. Closing the door, he saw how the chain had been snapped and he seethed with anger as he called first into the sheriffs station and gave a description of the car, then to Oscar and Rudy.
Laurie heard Robbie talking to Rudy, and tried to sit up to tell him she was all right, only to have him come kneel next to her. "Mom, you're hurt, please stay still," he pleaded. "All right, darling, my head's the only thing that hurts, I was behind the door when he kicked it open." she told him. "Mom, if Aunt Linda hadn't called me..." he cleared his throat then hugged her. "Honey, it's ok, you came when I needed you." Hearing a whimpering sound, Rob put his hand on Mike and calmed the brave dog, "You know he fought that man, he gave me a chance to tell Linda to call you, he really is a lifesaver. I hope Mike'll be all right, if anything happened to him." Laurie paused.
"Robbie, I have to tell you, something must have happened to your father and A.J., that man said he was taking me on a road trip, he wanted..." she swallowed and took a deep breath. "Mom, it's ok, do you want to wait and tell Uncle Oscar?" he asked. "No, darling, he said he wanted to find out why your father thought I was so special."
"Mom, I'm sure Pop's ok, why don't you try to reach him, he'll be really angry if you don't tell him what happened!" Robbie added, terrified at what her assailant had threatened to do to her.
Just then a car horn sounded, and he stood up to see Oscar Goldman's car at the gate. Hitting the entry buzzer, Robbie let their friends in, then went to grab an ice pack for his mother.
Coming immediately to her side, Oscar dropped to one knee next to his niece and grabbed her hand. "Laurie, what happened, who did this to you?" She told him about the intruder, then the strange statement regarding Rick. "I think something's going on, Rick's a target or something; I want to try to reach him on my transmitter."
"In a moment, honey, first let's make sure you're all right," Rudy interrupted, kissing her forehead, and gently probing to see where she was injured.
Finding a swelling and small cut on the back of her head, the doctor checked her responses and her sight then cleaned and bandaged the back of her head. "Laurie, you're lucky enough to have a hard head, I don't think you have a concussion, but I want you to stay put for the rest of the day, no moving around."
"Yes, Rudy," she promised, "I know it's not your bailiwick, but could you look at Mike, that monster kicked him and I think he hurt his leg."
"Sure, honey," the doctor promised, then carefully examining the dog, found no apparent broken bones. Putting a bandage around Mike's injured leg, he was rewarded by the grateful puppy jumping in his lap and licking him.
Laurie couldn't help but smile at the sight, as Robbie brought her a glass of water. Setting the ice pack on the back of her head, he helped her into a sitting position, then watched as she set her transmitter to send, then started calling for Rick.
After an hour of trying, Laurie left the setting on receive, and asked her son to try reaching Downtown and Temple, as well as his replacement Abby at SDPD. Oscar started tracing the license plate on the car of Laurie's assailant, only to find it was reported stolen in San Diego.
"Oscar, this feels worse all the time, all they were doing was going camping. what really bothers me is I don't know of any case they're on right now that could trigger my assault or some attack on the guys!" she worried.
Her uncle came over to her, "Honey, I know this isn't easy, but I'm sure Rick and A.J. are fine, maybe they're just out of range." he reassured her, putting an arm around her.
"Mom, I've got Temple on the line, she wants to talk to you." Robbie said, bringing her the extension. As she took the phone, she noticed her son talking to Oscar and her heart sank. "Hi Temple, have you heard from Towne yet today?" she asked. "Yes, honey, he called me an hour ago, didn't Rick or A.J. reach you? It rained so hard last night they broke camp early and spent the rest of the night at a motel. He says the guys were going to stop at your Mom's to check on things then head for home," her friend told her.
Laurie took a deep breath. "No, Temple, as a matter of fact Rick hasn't called since Saturday. He isn't answering his transmitter either. I'm going to call Linda, just in case I missed him somehow."
Oh, honey, I'm sure everything's ok, as a matter of fact Rick was going to stop and see his friend Carlos's family. Towne said he got a message that they wanted him to stop by." Temple assured her. "Thanks, you're probably right. It's just that something's happened and, well, I have to make sure the guys are safe." Laurie responded.
"Laurie, Robert told me, I'm going to call Towne, maybe he might know of a reason why you were targeted. You take it easy and if I or Towne hear from Rick or A.J., we'll have them call you." Temple promised. "Thanks, honey, I appreciate it. Talk to you later." Laurie ended the call, then looked up at her uncle.
His face wore that look of concern she knew so well; something was wrong. "Oscar, what did you and Robbie find out?" she asked. "Honey, I just got word from a friend at the FBI office in Phoenix that an associate of Matthews, the guy Rick helped put away last year, had a bounty put out on Rick, A.J. and you. Apparently Matthews' is up for appeal and somebody doesn't want you guys to testify."
"Oscar, no," she felt numb. "Temple said Rick got a message that Carlos's family wanted him to stop by; it's got to be a trap! We need to find them." Robbie came and put an arm around her, "We'll start looking right now, Mom. I'm sure we'll reach them in time. I'm calling Andy, I want him to take my shift so I can stay here with you."
"No, Robbie, much as I want you here, it's more important that you do your job, just keep in touch. Besides," she was interrupted by Oscar. "Rudy and I will be here, son. Your mother will be safer with us here and you patrolling the area."
Her son looked at Laurie, then hugged her tightly, as she patted his back. "It's going to be all right, darling, I know it will. You go to work and I'll stay put until we hear from either your father or your uncle."
An hour later, she waved Robbie out the door, then sank back on to the sofa, exhausted. There was still no response from Rick's transmitter, Towne had called in and was alarmed at Oscar's information. He called Abby Marsh, the captain in Charge at SDPD, and she already had an APB out on Rick's truck.
Laurie had spoken to Robin, who was upset at the attack on her mother. "Mom, Grandma's here, I want to come home and be with you." "No, honey, you're safer with your Aunt and Grandma; as a matter of fact your Uncle trusted you to keep an eye on them and Ricky. I'll let you know the minute I hear anything, I promise." she insisted.
Having assured her daughter, now Laurie's fears returned in full force. Closing her eyes for just a second, she had a flash of a truck going off a cliff, then heard Rick's voice calling "A.J.!"
She sat bolt upright, gasping for air. "No!" she cried, then felt Rudy holding her. "Laurie, honey, what is it!" he said. "Rick, he and A.J., they've gone off a cliff, I heard Rick yelling for A.J., oh, my God, they're hurt somewhere!"