Wow!  I'm on a roll—I've got two chapters posted this week!  Actually, I had hoped to finish it as this is my spring break, but life and certain professors who shall remain unmentioned deemed otherwise, and I wound up with a bunch of projects to get done.  I'm even avoiding one project to get this done—a book review that has to be written on a book I haven't read yet and don't have time to do so.  Oh well.  I'm good at BSing things—the fact that I've made it to my senior year in college is proof of that! : )  This is more important anyway, right?

NOTE of WARNING:  There's a lot of Ally in this chapter as well, but like before, it's to clear up the cliff hanger that I left on the last chapter.  Please don't shoot me!  It's still got a lot of Ezra and Vin and JD in it, as well, and isn't as in depth as the other chapter, I promise!  The next chapter will have a bit of her and Eddie in it too, but I promise that it's only for clerical purposes and that there's still plenty of the guys in it and following chapters!  Honest! So stick with me, please?  The climax is coming!

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CHAPTER 16

           Ezra's eyes turned hard and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  "It makes sense," he said at last.  "If Bartinol had the network that your father claimed, he would not have been sure who to trust.  He would have cut his contacts down to a minimum, and thus his partner would have been the last person he trusted unless given a reason otherwise.  Though the severing of communication at the end would indicate that your father became suspicious.  Do you think he suspected Thomas?" he asked.

           Alex slumped back against the entertainment center and closed her eyes a moment, relieved that they were at least willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.  "I don't know," she sighed as she rubbed her forehead.  "He didn't say anything, and I think he would have warned Mom if he did.  After Eddie and Uncle Tim left that night, dad told mom about the disks and that he knew someone close to the top was leaking information to Bartinol, but he said he wasn't sure who.  He said he had cut all ties to everyone for safety's sake, so maybe he thought that the leak was using Eddie or Uncle Tim, but I don't believe he thought either of them were the actual problem."

           "So if your dad didn't suspect anything, what makes you think that Thomas was the leak?" JD questioned in confusion.

           Alex's eyes narrowed.  "I heard it from his own lips," she stated harshly.

           Vin sat down on the arm of the couch beside JD and gave her one of his penetrating looks.  "I think you'd better tell us the whole story," he said quietly.

           Alex sighed and crossed to the fireplace.  She sat down on the hearth and drew one knee up in front of her as she fingered the fire poker absently, gathering her thoughts. "I left one little detail out the other night," she started with another sigh.  "You see, dad kept a journal of his thoughts, his suspicions, his personal feelings.  He talked about everything in that book, from daily events he wanted to take note of to whatever case he was working on.  But no one knew about that journal except for mom and I think grandpa—not even his partners.  That night, before we left, he gave it to mom for safe keeping, told her that if something should happen to him, that she was to get it to Uncle Tim or Eddie, which is another reason I don't think he suspected his partner."

           "So what happened to it?"  JD asked.

           "When Dad barred us into that back bedroom and shoved me out the window, he gave it to me and told me the same thing—that if the worse should happen I was to get it to Uncle Tim."

           "But you didn't do that," Ezra observed, sitting down on the couch where she had been moments earlier.

           She pulled her hand back to her lap and leaned back against the stone with closed eyes.  "No," she said softly as she looked down at her fingers and picked at the frayed hem of her shirt.  "Not at first.  I didn't want to let go of the last link I had to my father.  I had nothing of home with me except that journal and this locket," she pulled a small gold chain from under the collar of her shirt.  "Of course, I was put straight into protective custody as soon as I got to DC, and wasn't allowed to go home.  So I kept the journal.  At night, when I couldn't sleep, I'd sneak it out and read it.  It made me feel close to him again, like he was there with me, you know?" her expression became wistful.

           "What did you learn?" Ezra asked.

           She exhaled slowly.  "Plenty," she answered, looking back up at them with a somber expression.  "But most importantly, I found out where the back-ups were."

           Vin raised an eyebrow in surprise, a look that was mirrored on the faces of the other two men.  "I thought you said no one had found them."

           She smiled up at him wanly.   "It wasn't a complete lie.  You see, Eddie was on guard that night, and as soon as I read that part, I took the journal to him and showed it to him.  It was kind of funny really," she smirked.  "Dad hid those copies right under everyone's noses.  He had those disks in the files room of the Interpol building."

           "You're kidding," JD burst out in disbelief.

           "Nope," she grinned.  "It was simple. He just snuck back into the building one night, put the disks in an old file that wasn't all that important, and then misfiled it somewhere else, noting where he put it in his journal.  Even if someone figured out where the copies were and what file he put them in, they would have had to have searched the entire archives to find it.  It was like trying to find a misplaced book in the library—you'd have better luck finding that needle in the haystack."

"Hiding them right in plain sight," Ezra murmured in admiration.

"Well, like you said, sometimes that's the best place to hide," she agreed with a mischievous grin.  "Anyway," she picked up the narrative as the smile slipped from her face, "Eddie went that night, got the disks, and brought them back to the safe house.  He fed me some cock and bull story about how he didn't want to tip anyone off so he would wait and show them to Uncle Tim that morning and so on.  And I believed him—had no reason not to."

"So what changed your mind?" Vin asked.

Alex drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she stared at the floor in front of her.  "Like I said before," she answered with a shrug, "my Dad was a cautious man.  And this being the most important case of his career, he was even more cautious than usual.  According to the journal, he had a third copy as well, stashed somewhere else.  The journal mentioned an envelope, but we didn't find anything.  That evening, I left Eddie downstairs in the study and went up to bed.  I needed something from my bag—I can't remember now just what it was I was looking for—but I couldn't find it so I dumped everything out of the bag onto the floor.  An envelope fell out with the rest of my things.  When I opened it, I found a letter and a key to a locker in a bus terminal in Roanoke, Virginia.  It must have come out when I stuffed the journal in there before.  When I realized what it was, I grabbed it up and raced downstairs to show it to Eddie.  But when I came to the study door, I heard him on the phone, so I waited outside.  He was talking to someone on the speaker phone while looking at the information on the disk."  As she told the story, the memories of that night came to her mind:

She stood outside the partially open study door and peaked through the crack to see Eddie Thomas leaning back in the leather desk chair, fiddling with an ink pen as he scanned the screen.  "It's all here," he spoke out loud toward the phone. "Everything that you say was on the originals is here as well."  He spoke in a monotone, as though he had resigned himself to doing something he hated.

"Good.  Destroy them."  Her heart dropped into her stomach and she had to muffle the involuntary gasp that came to her throat as she recognized the voice on the phone.  No—it couldn't be! She thought frantically.

But even as the words crossed her mind, she watched in horror as Eddie—her father's partner, his friend, and a man she thought she could trust— hit the delete key.  In seconds, all her father's work disappeared.  As the computer overwrote each disk, Eddie popped them out and physically tore them apart.  Finally, the fragments of all five diskettes were lying in a pile before him on the desk.  "It's done," he said heavily, leaning his elbows on either side of the pile and resting his head in his hands, running his fingers through his mussed hair.  Weary defeat radiated from him.

"Now, about the third copy that was mentioned in the journal," the voice on the phone continued.

"I don't know where they are.  The journal just mentions them—it doesn't say where the location is," Eddie said without looking up.

"That may be, but it did mention an envelope that was supposed to have been in the back.  Where is it?"

"I don't know. The journal was all that Ally brought me."

"Then she must have it somewhere.  Get it.  I do not want any copies of those disks floating around, waiting to be stumbled upon."

"I've already asked her about it.  She says she doesn't know what it was talking about, that the journal was all she had."

"Then search her things, question her again, look for it.  I want those disks found!"

"I'll ask her about it.  I can search her room, but she never lets that pack alone. I don't know if I can get to it. And I don't want to tip my hand to her.  She trusts me—I don't want to jeopardize that."

"Then perhaps I should send one of my men to retrieve the envelope."

Eddie looked up, at that, his eyes wide.  "No!" he said sharply.  "I-I'll take care of it.  Just leave her alone.  You've done enough to her.  She's just a kid—she can't hurt you!"

"As long as she knows the whereabouts of those disks, she is a danger to me, and I will not tolerate any threat to myself, no matter if it be man, woman, or child.  Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir.  I'll get the envelope.  Just please, leave her alone."

"I expect results, Agent Thomas.  You've done good work for me up until now, keeping me informed of Sanders whereabouts, of what he had against me, of where he was going last week.  I would hate to have to eliminate you as a source.  Get them, or I will take care of matters myself."

She heard the click of the phone going dead and watched Eddie sit back in his chair and rub his face.  She stumbled backwards, knowing that she couldn't let him know what she had just heard and that she had to hide the key, but as she turned, she tripped over a hump in the rug and fell to the floor with a loud thud.  She rolled over onto her knees and looked back toward the study door—and straight into the eyes of Thomas. Their eyes held for a moment, and his widen with shock as he realized that she knew. "Ally," he said softly, jumping up from his seat and rounding the desk to take a step toward her.  "It's not what you think—"

She scrambled to her feet and backed away.  "How could you?" she whispered.  "You were his partner, his friend! And you betrayed him to the enemy!  It's your fault they're dead!" her voice grew louder with each word until she was shouting.

"Ally, you don't understand," Eddie said quickly, reaching for her shoulder, but she pushed him backwards.  He lost his balance and hit the floor painfully.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed, turning to run down the hall.  "Leave me alone!"

"Ally!"  Thomas shouted as he scrambled to an upright position, intent on heading her off.

She reached the front door, terror racing through her as she fumbled with the lock, trying to get it open.  She could hear Eddie coming closer and closer….

The latch came undone with a click and she pulled the door open, glancing over her shoulder frantically as she rushed out the door—and crashed into a warm body.  A strangled scream escaped from her lips and she pulled back, but felt two hands grab her wrists.  She struggled to be let go, aiming a kick for a knee as she looked up into the man's face—and recognized her Uncle Tim.  Relief flooded her as she collapsed into his arms, sobs wracking her body as she tried to get air back into her lungs….

"But that was good, wasn't it?  Or was Agent Johnson in on it as well?" JD interrupted.

She shook her head.  "No, he wasn't—at least, I don't think so.  I tried to tell him what I heard, what I saw, but of course Eddie denied everything.  He denied the telephone call, the disks, the journal, even the late-night trip to the offices.  We went back into the study, but the pile of disks was gone.  The journal was nowhere to be seen, and I had no proof that it had even existed.  Uncle Tim called security at the building and even had someone go in and check the file room, but there was no record of Eddie's being there, and the files that the journal referred to were just where they were supposed to be.  All the vehicles outside had cold engines. He even called the cab company to see if any of the drivers had a fair that evening with Eddie's description, but there was nothing.  It was just my word against Eddie's."

"And Johnson believe him," Vin said with a frown.

Alex nodded dispassionately.  "Yes.  At first, Uncle Tim was inclined to believe me, and launched a full investigation, but nothing was found that could even remotely connect Eddie to anything.  He was squeaky clean.  And then a week later, they found someone else in the director's office that clearly had ties to Bartinol and who confessed to everything.  Since Uncle Tim and Eddie both reported directly to the director, everyone figured that was where the leak was and the case against Eddie was quietly closed."

 "But how did this other guy know about the boathouse on Vancouver?" JD asked.

She sighed.  "The investigators found evidence that he knew one of the men dad was using as guards.  But that was ridiculous!  Those men that were waiting for us at the boathouse weren't feds, for one thing, and for another, dad was trusting them with the lives of his wife and daughter!  He was trusting them over his own partner and supervisor, both men who were some of his closest friends!  If dad was trusting them like that there is no way they would have given anything up to anyone like that!  Dad would have warned them about the leak!" she declared emphatically.

"We believe you," Ezra reassured her, holding up a hand in surrender.  "Tell us what occurred next."

Alex studied him for a moment then slumped back a little, almost as though she couldn't believe that they truly did believed her.  "Like I said, after the other guy was arrested, the case against Eddie was dropped.  They hadn't found anything after all, and as Uncle Tim tried to tell me, Dad had kept Eddie in the dark as much as himself.  And after I was forced to visit one of the company psychologists, everyone definitely just dismissed my claims." She snorted.  "How did he put it?  Oh yes.  His explanation was that I was suffering from paranoia brought on by the shock of watching my parents' murder, as well as the stress of the run through the woods and the whole case altogether.  According to him, that as a child, I couldn't cope with the issues that surrounded me and needed an object to focus my anger and grief on.  Because Eddie was my father's partner, I therefore expected him to protect my father, and was blaming him for their deaths out of my own guilt at not being able to stop it.  He also reminded everyone that I was suffering from very vivid nightmares at the time, ones that I was supposedly having trouble distinguishing from my real memories.  So his explanation for what I saw and heard in the study was that I had dreamed it.  And of course, Eddie latched onto that explanation and ran with it."  She gave a short, bitter laugh.

"And since you couldn't prove otherwise, everyone took his word for it, and ignored you," Vin finished for her, the disgust evident in his voice.

"What happened to the key?" Ezra asked, shaking his head.  He was angry at those who had dismissed the girl's claims as well, but he understood all too well how it happened.

"I kept it with me at all times, and managed to stay away from Eddie as much as possible.  Uncle Tim humored me when I begged him not to leave me alone with Eddie, especially when the psychologist said that it was probably the best idea for my mental health.  But the morning of the move to North Carolina, Eddie caught me alone and demanded the key."

She packed slowly, preparing for the trip and for the new life she was about to face.  Finally, after zipping the bag closed, she sat down on the bed with a sigh and carefully pulled the locket out from under her shirt.  She fingered it reverently for a moment before flipping it open to reveal two tiny pictures—one of her grandparents when they were much younger, and the other of her parents.  Loneliness and grief overwhelmed her and she allowed the tears to silently trickle down her cheeks as she rubbed her thumb over the pictures.

A sound at the door startled her and she savagely wiped at her eyes in attempt to hide the evidence that she had been crying. She looked up to greet the person but shrank back in sudden fear as Eddie quietly entered the room and shut the door.  She scrambled to the other side of the bed, trying to put as much distance between herself and him.  He turned to her, his hands held high.  "I'm not going to hurt you, Ally.  But we both know what I'm after."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered.

"Yes, you do.  I found the envelope, Ally.  It was buried in the garbage can in the kitchen.  I know you have the key." He advanced on her slowly.

"No I don't!  I don't have any key!"  She pressed herself tightly into the corner.

Thomas stopped in front of her.  "Yes, you do," he said soothingly.  "Ally, let me have it.  I'll destroy the disks, make Bartinol happy.  Once they're gone, he'll leave you alone.  You won't be a threat to him.  Everything will be alright then."

She shook her head fiercely.  "No it won't!  My parents will still be dead and he'll get away with it, be able to hurt other people!  My dad gave his life to see that Bartinol pays for what he's done.  I won't let that be in vain!"

"You don't understand who you're dealing with, Ally," he said sternly. "Bartinol has no qualms against murder.  You've seen that.  Those disks could send him to prison for a very long time, probably even get him the death penalty.  He can't afford to let them fall into the wrong hands, won't let that happen."

"Then give the disks to Uncle Tim!  Have him arrested!  End this!" she begged.

He shook his head sadly. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I just can't.  Give me the key, Ally. Let it end here."

"No!" she declared emphatically, trying to push by him. 

"Listen here, girl!" Eddie hissed sharply, grabbing her arm and jerking her around to face him as his patience finally ran thin.  He pinned her against the bed and squeezed her arms in a bruising grip.  "Bartinol will stop at nothing to have those disks destroyed, and he's willing to do whatever is necessary to do it!  He knows you have the key, Ally!  That makes you a threat, one that he is perfectly willing to eliminate!  Do you want to die?  Do you want him to go after your uncle, your grandfather?  Do you want to see them dead? Do you? Because that is what will happen if you keep being stubborn!"  He shook her in exasperation.

"Let me go!" she cried, struggling to escape.

"Then give me the key!"

"No!" she finally pulled free of his grasp and stumbled to the door and past a startled Tim Johnson.

"He was right, you know," she said softly as she rested her chin on her knees, a melancholy expression filling her features.  "If Bartinol had gotten to Eddie, then who knows who else he was paying off.  He probably knew exactly where the rest of my family was, and he would have been perfectly willing to use them to get to me.  I couldn't let that happen, so when Bartinol's men attacked, I ran."

"What happened to the key?" Ezra asked softly, pulling her attention from her memories and back to him.

She shrugged lightly.  "I don't have it anymore."

"Why not?"  JD asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Because I turned it in at the bus terminal," she said as she looked up at them, her blue eyes darkening with purpose.

They all focused startled gazes on her, and Ezra drew in a sharp breath.  "Then you have—"

"The third copy," she finished for him with a nod.  "Yes, I do." She stood up and walked back over to the couch to where her bag was lying on the floor and knelt down, rummaged around inside.  She finally found what she was looking for and slowly pulled a small black case out of the depths.  Ezra reached to take it and she held on a moment, looking deeply into his eyes as though she was asking if she truly could trust him with this.  He held her gaze firmly in assurance, and she finally slowly let go and sat down on the coffee table.  "I headed for Virginia and the bus terminal from North Carolina.  Since the journal just mentioned the key and not what it was for or where it was to be used, neither Eddie nor Bartinol had any idea where to look."

"But Bartinol knows that you have the key, and probably the disks, then," JD pointed out as he jumped over the back of the couch and grabbed his laptop from the small table across the room.  He plopped back down beside Ezra and quickly powered the machine up.

Ezra handed the boy the first disk.  "Though you were the sole witness to the murders, killing you wouldn't have necessarily ended the threat, as the authorities had ample evidence concerning other crimes to ensure a conviction and imprisonment.  However, since said authorities had no cognition as to his whereabouts or base of operations, he really had nothing to fear."

"But those disks could lead them directly to him, and since you knew where they were, you became a serious problem for him," Vin picked up the thread as he rounded the couch to lean over the back, peering over JD's shoulder at the computer screen.

JD opened the first file on the disk and let out a low whistle as he scrolled through the information.  He quickly opened other files and other disks, perusing their contents as well.  "Wow," he finally uttered in awe.

Ezra shook his head slowly as he scanned the computer screen.  "Your father had truly done a remarkable job, my dear," he breathed.  "Names, dates, places, maps, account numbers—he has everything. It is no small wonder that Bartinol wanted this destroyed nor that he was willing to see it done himself!"  He sat back and looked at the girl, a hint of admiration in his eyes.  "With the information on this disk, not only would Bartinol be convicted twenty times over for a myriad of crimes ranging from smuggling black market goods to narcotics production and marketing to the sale of all sorts of illegal weaponry, he would also be implicated as the mind behind several high profile murders and as the supplier for several notorious terrorist groups.  And with the list of cohorts that your father has compiled, a number of government officials across the world would fall with him!"

"That, along with the lists of all his favorite hiding places, would see to it that there wouldn't be many places he could run," Vin observed.

"Yes.  And even with it being six years out of date, this evidence is still quite lethal for Mr. Bartinol," Ezra agreed.  "I can understand why he would want to ensure that it never came to light."

"What a minute, guys," JD spoke up suddenly, concern filling his features.  "Eddie knew that Ally was here, right?  What if he's contacted Bartinol?"

"S**t!" Vin pushed back from the couch as he realized the truth in JD's words.

"Indeed," Ezra murmured.  He stood up and began pacing in front of the television, rubbing at his mouth inadvertently as he furiously tried to think of a solution.  "That would mean that we are now on guard not only against Randolph but Bartinol as well."

"And Bartinol's a whole lot bigger shark than Randolph," Vin pointed out.

"Shark?  Bartinol's a d**n killer whale!" JD exclaimed as he followed Ezra's pacing with his eyes. 

Alex stood to her feet in a rush and ran a hand through her hair, resting it on the crown of her head in distraction.  "Then I'm not safe here, and I'm putting you in danger just by staying around," she whispered.  "I need to leave, now." She went to reach for her bag, but Ezra grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Hold up a minute," he said quickly.  "I don't believe that Eddie has had a chance to contact Bartinol yet."

"But he's known where I'm at since yesterday!" Alex protested.

"Yes, but he hasn't been alone in all that time!  Think about it!" he said quickly as she shook her head in denial.  "Johnson didn't tell him what was going on until they were on the plane—he said that himself.  Josiah and Nathan met them at the airport and brought them here.  They stayed here last night and have been in the company of one of us throughout the day.  He hasn't been by himself more than ten minutes at any given time."

"That's plenty of time to make a phone call," Vin pointed out.

"Yes, but what happened this afternoon when Johnson had him contact an associate in Berlin?" Ezra asked excitedly.

JD looked up, his eyes wide.  "He had to borrow a phone!  His wouldn't work out here!"

"Exactly!  And he made that call here in the presence of everyone!"  Ezra gave the computer wizard a smile of approval.

Vin set a hip on the arm of the couch beside JD and crossed his arms.  "He could have swiped someone else's, or just made the call from one of Chris's phones.  It would have only taken a minute." he commented.

Ezra shook his head.  "No, I don't think so." He resumed his pacing.  "He wouldn't have risked using someone else's phone, because of the records that would have been kept there.   The same reasoning applies to the use of Mr. Larabee's phones as well.  And JD can always check for us to be absolutely sure. No, that's a simple rule you learn quickly while working undercover—when making contact with the team, either use your own device or a pay phone—never something that can implicate you later on, as you never know who could be listening in.  So, since his phone isn't working and there obviously isn't a payphone available in this area, unless he has been able to do so tonight, I think we can assume that he has not informed Mr. Bartinol of the present circumstances."  He stopped pacing and looked up at them, his eyes burning as a plan took form in his mind.  "With a modicum of luck, we should be able to apprise him of our proposal before he has had a chance to do so."

"What proposal is that?" Alex asked suspiciously.

Ezra stopped in front of her and grinned widely, his gold tooth glinting in the faint lamp light.  "Why, the opportunity to obtain the disks in exchange for our safety and silence, provided that he remain silent as well concerning the operation on Friday, of course."

A slow grin came to Vin's face as he realized what Ezra was planning.  "JD, you think you can have something wired up by morning?"

"Sure, no problem.  I've got some equipment out in Buck's truck," he grinned back, understanding Ezra's idea as well. "Given a little more time, I can even get you a video feed."

"Perfect," Ezra directed his smile toward his teammates, his emerald eyes glinting in anticipation.  "You gentlemen begin laying the trap while I provide the bait to lure our prey into our hands.  Mr. Dunne, can you get me the number for his cell phone?  It should be working in the city."  He reached for the phone.

"Wait a second," Alex said, putting her hand on his and stopping him from lifting the receiver.  "If you're planning to use those disks to get Eddie here so you can get a taped confession of his involvement with Bartinol, I'm all for it.  But I'll call him."  

"I don't believe that would be a good idea—" Ezra started, his features falling into a frown.

"Look.  He knows that I had the key and that I knew about the disks.  All I have to do is call him and agree to meet him here for an exchange.  If he knows that I told you guys, he's going to be suspicious of any kind of meeting at the least.  But if he thinks it's just me and that it's my idea, he'll fall for it."

Ezra shook his head stubbornly.  "That would require you meeting him alone.  I will not allow that.  It is too simple for something to go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong," she said firmly.  "Eddie doesn't want to hurt me, and if I'm willing to just hand over the key or the disks, he'll let me go.  Like you said, without the disks, I'm not much of a threat to Bartinol.  Besides, you guys are going to be just out of sight to back me up."

"She's right, Pard," Vin spoke up.  "He's not going to go for it if he knows we're involved."

Ezra looked from one to the other before finally releasing the phone with a sigh. "Alright," he reluctantly agreed. "But when Mr. Larabee learns of our little covert operation and of her involvement, you will take the heat." He pointed an accusing finger at the sharpshooter, who grinned back at him.

"Sure, Ez.  Whatever you say."

Alex shook her head in amusement before picking up the receiver.  "Now that that's settled, what's that cell phone number?"