Chapter 4
A few minutes earlier, Laurie had been looking at the books lining the walls of the Judge's library, then had a funny feeling, like something was out of place. "Oscar, something's not right." she told her uncle, who was waiting by the chamber door. "What, honey, do you remember where you saw the second man in the car before?" he asked, concerned. "Just so familiar, it feels like it's right there." she sighed, then took off her glasses to gaze at the pictures of previous judges.
Suddenly a cold sensation, like icy on her back, caused her to look back at Oscar. "No!" a scream came from her lips as she saw a man raising his arm to strike down her uncle. Half-turning, Oscar managed to block part of the blow to his head, but fell to the floor, stunned. She picked up a paperweight from the table next to her and threw it at the assailant, hitting him in the head and sending him to the carpet.
"Oscar, are you all right?" she cried, rushing to his side once she saw the man was unconscious. The older man opened his eyes, then seeing the attacker on the floor, smiled at her. "Laurie, you did that? Good girl."
Dropping to her knees, Laurie tried to help Oscar sit up, not noticing the chamber door open, then click shut.
"Mrs. Simon, what happened here?" Startled, Laurie looked up and saw Paul Jacobsen, standing at the courtroom door. "Mr. Jacobsen, please call Captain Johnson and Rick, this man attacked my uncle." she replied, pulling out a handkerchief and dabbing a cut on Oscar's head .
Suddenly she saw a shiny bracelet on the prosecutor's arm, and the memory of where she had seen him before returned. "Of course, Mrs. Simon." he said, then caught her staring at him. He smiled, then turning toward the door, closed and locked it. "I see your sight has returned, and your memory, hasn't it, my dear?" "Yes, they both have, Mr. Jacobsen." she calmly answered, surreptitiously hitting the send control on her watch.
Suddenly the prosecutor lunged forward and grabbed Laurie by the wrist, dragging her up from the floor. "Let go of me, you murderer!" she yelled, struggling with him. Oscar tried to get to his knees, then gasped with pain as Jacobsen viciously kicked him in the stomach. Angered by the attack on her uncle, she twisted futile to escape his grasp, screaming "Rick!", only to be slapped in the face, then Jacobsen pulled her arms together and bound them with his tie.
Dragging her to his side, the state's attorney snarled at her furious uncle, "if you follow us, I'll leave her in the desert to rot!" Pushing open the emergency exit, he started to head out the door, only for a shot to ring out above his head. Whirling around, Jacobsen saw Oscar holding a gun, then smirking, he pushed Laurie in front of him and pulling out a pistol, used her as a shield. "What's it going to be, Mr. Goldman? Your daughter or me?"
Rick burst in with A.J. at that moment, then froze, seeing the danger his wife was in. He saw the terror in her eyes, then a flicker of anger. She sent a thought to him, "I'm not going with him, I'll faint first." she told him.
"Don't hurt her, she's not well, please!" Rick told the older man, then Laurie moaned and closed her eyes, momentarily distracting Jacobsen. As she started to slide down, Rick nailed the prosecutor with a shot to the shoulder, causing him to let her go. Instead of collapsing, the older man ran out the door. Rushing forward, Rick caught his wife and lowered her to the carpet, untying her wrists, then told Oscar "take care of her."
Both brothers raced after her assailant through the emergency door, as Laurie opened her eyes and clung to her uncle.
Following the trail of blood, Rick soon spotted Jacobsen hiding behind a car. As he approached him, the prosecutor pulled a weapon and came over the top of the corvette he was hiding behind, yelling "Looks like your luck's run out, Simon!" Rick saw him raise his weapon, then heard a round go off, as A.J. shot the crazed attorney.
As the older man slumped to the ground, Captain Ron ran in, then seeing the wounded man, breathed a sigh of relief and said "Good work, A.J. ! I'll wrap it up from here. Rick, Oscar and Laurie are still in Mason's chambers, I think Rudy should look at them both."
"Thanks, Ron! I'll check with you later!" Rick took a deep breath, then went back into the courthouse. As he came back into the court chambers, he found Laurie had gotten Oscar onto a couch, and was trying to put some ice in a bag on his head. She looked up at him in relief as her uncle said "Did you get him, son?"
As Rick told them how A.J. had saved his life, Oscar nodded, "Good work by both you guys." A.J. came in and embraced both Laurie and Oscar, then told them, "Ron said he'll get us a ride to the hospital, Rudy'll meet us there." As he went to meet the captain, Oscar looked at his niece, and took the ice pack from her. "I can handle this, honey." he grinned, then moved over so Rick could sit down next to Laurie.
Putting his arms around her, Rick felt her shaking, then she buried her head against his shoulder. "Sweetheart, you're safe, I'm here." he comforted her. "You scared me, I thought you had fainted." Laurie raised her eyes to look at him. "I was too angry to, Rick, then when he taunted Oscar, I..." she put her head against his shoulder. Rick saw her wince. "My brave girl, did he hurt you?" Tilting her face up, he saw a handprint and bruises on her cheek, and anger boiled over. "Darlin', he hit you, God, I'm ...."
Laurie saw his expression then interrupted him. "Rick, darling, I'm all right, he scared me more then anything. When he kicked Oscar, oh...and here we trusted him!" Her uncle put his hand on her shoulder, "Let it go, baby, he won't hurt any of us again."
"Okay", she sighed, hugging him. "Thanks to my little brother!" she beamed at A.J. as he came back in the room. "And his big brother.", she said, kissing him. Helping her up, Rick put his arm around her. "Laurie, hold that thought. I want to get you two checked out, then we'll head for home!"