Natalie couldn't help smiling as they walked off the elevator and onto the parking garage, "My Mom looks better now than she did this morning. Just think—soon she'll get to come home and be able to have her old life back."

John looked at her and smiled also, "I'm glad you can say those words."

"Me too. I mean I was so worried, and so scared that we wouldn't get a heart in time but we did, and now you are almost ready to arrest Dr. Long."

"Yeah, I just wish I could figure out who killed Paul," he said as they heard gun fire and he shoved Natalie behind a car, "Stay here—do not move until I come back," he said as he kissed her and began to move around the cars. He couldn't see where the gun fire came from, but luckily their first shot was a bad shot. He pulled his cell phone out and dialed quickly, "Antonio," he whispered. "We've got a gunman on the second level of the parking garage shooting at Natalie and myself."

"I'll be there in a few." John exchanged cell phone for his gun as he tried to figure out the location of the gunamn. He stood up for a second and then ducked immediately from a bullet.

"John!" screamed Natalie from behind him.

"I'm ok," he yelled back. Now he knew where the shooter was so he slipped over a few more cars and then cut across without the person noticing. He began slipping back towards where the bullet came from and soon had come up behind the gunman, "Put the gun down! Put it down now before I blow your brains out!"

The guy turned around and still had his finger around the trigger.

"Don't do it—I swear I'll blow your brains out," he said as he also put his finger on the trigger and aimed it at the guys head and the guy dropped his gun, "Good—you aren't as dumb as you look after all. So tell me who your boss is," he said as he still kept the gun on the guy.

"I—I don't know their name."

"Whatever—how else could they know you finished the job? I didn't fall off the turnip wagon yesterday man."

"All I know is her last name," he stuttered out.

"And that would be?"

"Fitzgerald."

John felt a lump in his throat, "What?"

"Yeah, she met me last night at some bar on the edge of town—gave me $10,000 and your picture. Said I'd probably find you with some red head at the hospital today and to take you both out."

John grabbed the other gun and pushed it behind him with his foot and put his gun back in the holster as he saw Antonio coming over, "Book him," he said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed, "Hey—this is Officer John McBain. I need an arrest warrant put out on an FBI Agent by the name of Kathryn Fitzgerald—K-A-T-H-R-Y-N. Yeah, she put a hit out on me and my girlfriend. I think she is either the killer or heavily involved in the death of Paul Cramer."

"Kathryn? She did this?" asked Antonio.

"Yeah—I knew something was messed up when she said Paul was found in Atlantic City and not Newark. I just didn't realize she was a dirty cop."

"Well, it's hard to believe your friends can change like that. Where is Natalie?"

"Natalie, come out," he called in the direction of the car he'd left her at but didn't get a response and walked over, "Nat? Natalie!" he yelled when he realized her purse was on the ground and she was gone. He turned around to look at Antonio and suddenly a black Ford Expedition went roaring past both of them.

"Was that who I thought it was?" asked John as he ran back over and they heard the police sirens coming up the deck.

"Yeah, it was Kathryn."

--------------

"Here you go Commish—I dotted all my I's, crossed all my T's, and now I'm going to go help on the search for Natalie," said John as he turned in his report on the apprehension of the trigger man Kathryn had hired along with Natalie's kidnapping and turned to leave.

"John, wait."

"What is it Bo?" asked John as he leaned his head against the door jam.

"I think the search is too personal for you to help in."

"Bo--."

"Let me finish, ok? She's my niece, and that's why I'm here in the office instead of out there looking for her. When things get personal--."

"You don't see as clearly as you should and may impede the investigation, I know. I promised you once I wouldn't let Natalie get hurt because of me, and I've failed you because she's missing now. Let me make it up to you and the rest of her family by finding her and bringing her home."

"Natalie wouldn't want you hurt either. Just go back to your place, rest a little, and then I'll see you back here later. Don't worry about the search—Antonio's got it covered."

John turned to leave got five steps out the door and turned back, "One more thing before I leave—Antonio, he's a good guy and I trust him with my life, but he has as much of a personal interest in this than we do—why is he still on the case?"

Bo just smiled, "I guess because he's not kissing her and telling her he loves her?"

John smiled and gave a small laugh, "Thanks, Bo."

-----------

Natalie sat there in the dark, she hoped Kathryn would be back soon and hadn't just planned to leave her here forever. Finally she heard the far door open and then the light above Natalie's chair turn on, "What in the hell do you think you are doing?" she asked. She remembered Kathryn had given her something to knock her out on the drive over, and she had grabbed—was it still in her pocket? Her arms were tied behind her so she couldn't feel for it, but she hoped it was still there to give to John when he saved her.

Kathryn walked to the edge of the light, barely visible for Natalie to see, "I'm taking the law into my own hands."

Natalie wanted to pull her into the edge of the light so she could watch her facial expressions, not that she had many, "Taking the law into your own hands? I didn't do anything wrong!" she yelled but regained her composure, "I thought you were a good cop Kathryn—what changed?"

Kathryn started pacing, "I changed when I lost my sister."

A lump caught in Natalie's throat, "I'm sorry about Caitlyn, but what do I have to do with her death?"

"Nothing actually," she said as she gave a sigh and finally came into the lighted circle, "You are really just bait to get to a bigger fish I want to catch in this whole scheme?"

"A bigger fish—John? For what—killing your sister? He didn't pull the trigger Kathryn, Haver did."

"But John taunted him and now I'm without my sister."

"John has been without Caitlyn for over five years too, he cared for her also—but now he's ready to move on, don't you want him to be happy?" asked Natalie as her voice calmed down a bit. "No! If I can't be happy then neither can he."

"He's going to find me Kathryn—he'll search until he's about to fall down from exhaustion, but he will find me."

Kathryn gave a half smirk, "Yeah, he'll find you alright—at the bottom of the Llantano River. Too bad he won't be able to prove who did it since he'll be behind bars for Paul's murder."

Natalie realized she was talking to someone who was not completely rational at the moment, "He can't be charged because we gave our statements on where we were--."

"These statements?" said Kathryn as she held up the papers and started reading them, "I met up with John McBain at---."

"You little--."

"What? Bitch? Yeah, so?"

"So? You are killing innocent people and condemning others—that's not what you were sworn to do. You are supposed to uphold the law, and make sure justice is served."

"But justice will be served—right before John is put away for life for the murder's of Paul Cramer and Natalie Buchanan Vega."