"See Nick, I told you you'd catch your limit!" Oscar Goldman ragged his friend as they walked toward the ranch.

"I hear you, I hear you, Oscar. Rick, does your father-in-law do this all the time?" Father Nick asked, laughing. Rick turned around with a grin.

"Only when he's the low man on the fish count. Dad, somehow I just don't think old cheese makes it for bait anymore."

"Very funny, Rick. See if you get any of these fine specimens of trout!" the older man retorted, then a beeping from Rick's watch caught all their attention.

"Rick, it's Ron; is A.J. there by any chance?"

"Yes, he's right here, why?" Rick got a cold feeling which was borne out by the chief detective's next words.

"Arnold Pearson's been released on bail, that new judge believed that liar about his having the flu and with the epidemic in the jail, he was released and placed under house arrest. I don't want A.J. out of your sight until after the preliminary hearing, understand?"

"Gotcha, Ron. He's staying put until they lock that creep up. I can't believe it though, what was Gomez thinking of?" Rick replied, glancing over at his brother's puzzled face.

"It wasn't Gomez but that substitute judge, Mason. He says since Pearson is entitled to fair medical treatment. As it was, I had to threaten the idiot with filing a complaint just to get Pearson fitted with the tracking device." His friend raged.

"It'll be all right, Ron. I'll tell A.J. We'll still see you in court tomorrow, they didn't postpone that?" Rick asked, then heaved a sigh when Ron told him no.

"We're just now coming to the house, Ron, I'll alert everyone and we'll take care of things on this end."

As the men reached the house, Rick explained what had happened, and had to talk Oscar out of immediately calling up the Judge to get Pearson back in jail.

"Oscar, thanks, but I'll be all right, just as long as I know Linda and the children are safe." A.J. told their friend, and Father Nick immediately volunteered for the night watch, with Oscar and Robbie taking turns.

As the weekend passed with no sign of further trouble, Rick told Laurie that he would be trailing his brother's car as he got ready for work that Monday. "I'm going to pick up Mom from the airport afterwards, so she'll be here for lunch.

"I'm glad she's coming back, darling. I missed her, but at least she's been safe with your Aunt. I'm sure A.J. will be fine, he has the best protection in town." she replied, fixing his tie for him. "I know, darlin'." he put his arms around her and held her tight. "I won't let anything happen to my little brother."

"You better not, he's my little brother, too!" Laurie teased gently, then kissed him deeply, savoring his breath in her mouth.

"Mmm, hold that thought, Laurie." Rick pulled away as he saw what time it was. Grabbing his lunch and his notes, he gave her one last squeeze, then met his brother in the living room.

"Come on, A.J., I'll follow you to the courthouse, then I'll go pick up Mom then meet you at Phoenix PD." He explained.

"I'll be all right, Rick, you go get Mom and I'll go to the courthouse myself. Pearson's no fool, he won't try anything today." A.J. retorted, nervously.

"You bet he won't, because I'm going to follow you into the parking structure, then out and then to the airport." Rick argued, his temper getting short.

"Time out, guys." Linda stepped into the room on the other side of her husband, then arched an eyebrow at her sister-in-law.

"Why don't Laurie and I pick up Mom, then go back to the condo to wait for you guys."

"That way, I'll be watching over Lin and Mom and the kids, and you'll be watching over A.J.." Laurie added.

Before Rick could protest, a pair of lips were on his, then a "please, Rick." was in his ear.

Glancing over at his brother, he snickered to see him getting the same treatment.

"Yes, my princess." He replied, then finished their kiss.

As he and A.J. pulled into the courthouse parking structure, one of the bailiffs came to Rick's side of the truck.

"Mr. Simon, Captain Johnson asked if you could let your brother off here. We'll take him up and you can join him inside." He said politely.

"Sure, I'll see you upstairs, A.J..."

His brother grinned, then got out and walked around the back of the vehicle. Rick moved forward into the line of cars dropping others off, then went to leave the parking level.

As Rick drove away towards the street, he happened to glance backwards, then a chill went up his spine.

His brother was being forced into a car, which immediately sped away.

Like a flash, Rick wheeled his truck around, then gunned it up the ramp. Suddenly Ron was on the walk next to him, and he opened the door for his friend to hop in.

"Phony, phony cop, they've got..." he started, but Ron cut him off.

"I just saw what happened, I was coming down the escalator at the guard station. If I hadn't been on the phone."

Rick shook his head as they raced down the street in the direction of the brake lights, then veered to the left only to have to stop dead, a train crossing in front of them.

"Damn it!" both men swore.

As they waited out the train and the ensuing traffic jam, the chief detective radioed a description and partial plate on the car used to abduct A.J., as well as contact the court and put out a warrant for Pearson.

Arriving back to the courthouse, they faced a swarm of police, as well as a shamefaced administrative Judge and defense attorney.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Simon. I got a call from Mr. Henderson here that his client apparently skipped his custody arrangement." Judge Mason said, bravely looking Rick in the eye.

Biting back an angry reply, Rick instead turned to the white-faced attorney. "Well, where is he, where could he have taken my brother?"

"I don't know, Mr. Simon, but I'll make all my files available to you. One thing you should know, I don't believe he'll harm your brother, at least until he tries to have him refuse to testify. That's what he let slip to me yesterday. "I bet he can be persuaded not to testify." Henderson said.

Ron shook his head. "I'm not going to count on that. Rick, I want you to take those files then go home to the girls. No taking chances on Pearson using his usual tactics of fear and retribution on your family." Rick started to protest, then saw the fear in his friend's eyes.

"All right, Ron, I'm relying on you to keep me posted, on anything, anything you hear."

Just then his transmitter sounded, then Robbie's voice came over the speaker.

"Pop, it's Robbie."

Hitting send, Rick answered "Son, your Uncle's been abducted by that killer. Have you heard anything?"

"Yes, I just went past a late-model four-door here near the airport. I think the partial Ron broadcast matches it. Do you and Ron want to send a team over here?"

Relieved at something turning up, Rick looked over at Ron, then replied, "Sure, let's do it."

After the car was swept, Rick finally headed back to his brother's house, files and promises of help in hand. He dreaded having to face his family.

"My fault."

"I should have questioned why someone would be waiting for us."

Thoughts reverberated in his head as he pulled into the driveway, then watched as a Phoenix PD car stationed itself at the curb.

As soon as he pulled into the garage, the door opened and Linda stood in the doorway, a worried look on her face.

"Linda, honey.." Rick started to say as he got out of the truck, only to have her pull him inside then hug him. "Rick, it's okay, I know he'll be all right."

"Honey, I'm sorry, I'll find him, I promise you." Rick managed, then cleared his throat when he saw his mother hovering behind her daughter-in-law. Suddenly he realized he didn't see Laurie, and a pang of anxiety went through him.

"Thank God you're safe, Ron called and said what happened." Cecilia put her arms around him too, and he gratefully embraced both women.

"Has he called in the last few minutes?" Rick took his coat off, then sat heavily at the kitchen table.

"No, but he said he'd notify us the second he has information." Linda replied, taking his coat from him then whispering, "Laurie's in with Ricky, she insisted we see you first."

"Thanks." Rick blessed his wife for thinking of the others. Getting up he went down the hall, then found Laurie just closing the door to the nursery. At once she turned around and put her face against his chest as her arms closed around him.

"Rick." That was all he heard, as she held onto him. After a moment he let out a deep breath.

"I let him out of my sight for just a minute, and they took him."

"You didn't know, darling. You didn't know. You'd give your life for A.J., we know that." She murmured, then led him unresisting to the living room to rest.

As the afternoon and evening wore on, Rick grew increasingly agitated, as lead after lead fizzled out.

Finally Ron called with the forensic results on the car used to abduct A.J., and Rick put on his coat to go over to Phoenix PD.. Oscar and Rudy had been alerted, and they were both on their way from Ojai. He'd convinced his daughter and son-in-law to stay safely in Las Vegas, despite Ian's offer to take off from his performances to bring Robin home.

"I'll call you if I need you, son, you take Robin with you to work, just in case." He told him, then saying goodbye, found Laurie at his elbow.

"Rick, here's some sandwiches, promise you and the guys will stop to eat something." She said, holding out a brown sack.

"No, Laurie, I'll just get sick if I eat anything. "he replied brusquely, then when she persisted, something snapped.

"Damn it, Laurie, I'm not going to eat anything until I find him, do you hear me?" he yelled, then froze, realizing how he must sound.

He turned to look at his wife, and found her gazing at him. Suddenly she put both arms around him and just held him.

"I'm scared what they've done to him." He found himself saying. "It's my fault."

"Richard Simon, it is not your fault." Came the retort, and she pulled back to face him, eyes blazing.

"I'm the one who convinced you to let me pick up Mom instead of you, maybe a couple of minutes might have made the difference. I don't know. All I know is you and A.J. were fooled by a criminal who's played the system for ages and now he did it to you." She told him, then tears came down her face.

"No, sweetheart, don't." Rick couldn't bear to see her upset for him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Darling, I'm sorry. I know you're hurting, I'm scared too. But you'll find him, I know you will, I bet Ron'll have a list of places by the time you get there. Rick." She stopped, a look of concentration on her face.

"Ask Ron if he can pull up any ownership records under his lawyers' name as well as his, in case he hid any of his assets."

'That's a good idea, Laurie. You're pretty smart, you know." He pulled her face to his and kissed her quickly.

"I married you, didn't I?" she sniffed, then took his hands and pressed them to her lips then to her heart. "I love you, Rick. Be careful, please."

"I will, darlin', you lock up now and don't let anyone in but one of us or Ron's men." He warned, turning and going to the doorway, where he met up with his mother and Linda.

Exchanging hugs, he started out the door, then turned and picked up the sack of sandwiches.

Winking at his wife, he mouthed "I love you." Then left.

Locking the door behind him, Laurie turned, then hugged Cecilia and Linda.

"They'll find him, we just have to wait." She comforted them, then Ricky's voice sounded behind them.

"Where's papa, did Uncle Rick find him yet?"

Linda turned, then scooped up the little boy.

"No, Ricky, not yet. Uncle Rick just went to go look with Uncle Ron and your cousin. We're just going to be patient, okay?" she said, calmly.

"Yes, Mama." He replied, a sad look on his face.

Laurie couldn't stand to see him upset. "Ricky, how would you like to help make dinner, we could have hot dogs?"

A light went on in his eyes. "I can help?"

Linda glanced with a faint smile at her friend, then nodded. "Yes, big guy. You and grandma and I can make the hot dogs and Auntie Laurie will get Ceci and Rob ready for supper."

"Cool!" the little boy exclaimed, and despite their anxiety, the women laughed.

As happy talk filled the kitchen, Laurie got the other children into their high chairs in the dining room, then heard the doorbell.

Remembering her husband's warning, she called, "Linda, call Ron and see if any of his guys are in front. I'll see who it is."

Laurie went to the door, then saw through the glass that a policeman stood there.

"It's okay, tell Ron it's one of his." She called back to her sister-in-law as she opened the door.

"Yes, Officer?" she started to say, then the uniformed man shoved a gun in her stomach as he put his gloved hand over her mouth.

"Not a word, Mrs. Simon. Come with me or I'll kill everyone here." he said, threateningly.

Terrified, Laurie nodded, then heard a noise in back of her.

Instantly the man released his hand from her mouth. "Tell him it's all right."

She turned to see Ricky peering from the living room doorway.

"It's all right, Ricky, mind your mama and go to the kitchen, okay?" she said as calmly as possible. "I'll be right back."

The little boy stared at her, then seemed to understand and ran back down the hall.

"Very good, Mrs. Simon." The fake cop quietly told her, then he grasped her by the arm and led her out of the house. As they reached the sidewalk, a van pulled up and her abductor pushed her inside, then slammed the door as they pulled away from the curb.

Breathless, Laurie tried to sit up, only to have her arms jerked in front of her and a rope tied around them. A gag was thrust into her mouth then she was blindfolded, making her feel helpless. "No, please." she tried to protest, only to hear the man warn her, "No use resisting, Mrs. Simon. We'll take you to your husband, maybe you can convince him to tell the judge he's changed his mind about testifying."

Frightened, she realized that he thought that she was Linda.

"Rick, Rick, please hear me, darling. I've been kidnapped!" she "called" out to him.

Rick was waiting in Ron's office to go over their leads when Ron jerked around.

"Rick, try to reach Laurie, someone's grabbed her from the house!"

At the same time he felt his wife's faint call.

"Laurie, honey, what is it?" he picked up her panicked call, then put his transmitter on when he "heard" the word "kidnapped".

"Sweetheart, are you all right?" he worried, then picked up her voice in his head, even weaker then before.

"Yes, but I'm scared, this guy is dressed like a police officer, but he's not, he thinks I'm Linda. He says he's taking me to A.J. to persuade him to tell the judge he's not going to be at the preliminary hearing."

"It's okay, darlin', we'll find you, I'm tracking you as we speak.", Rick tried to reassure her as he told Ron what had happened.

"Another patrol just found the cop who was supposed to be on duty in a nearby alley, unconscious. Linda says Ricky saw the man, he was dressed in a policeman's uniform and he had a gun on her. She managed to tell him to go to the kitchen before she was abducted." His friend angrily replied.

"Thank God he minded her." Rick said tersely, then heard his wife's thoughts again..

"Rick, I have a bad feeling about all this." she "told" him, then a ding from his watch told him that coordinates were registering thru his transmitter.

"Don't worry, love, just stay calm." He relayed to her, then listened as two men spoke in the background.

"We're almost there, Mrs. Simon. Soon you'll be with your husband." A deep voice smirked. Rick could hear the screeching of brakes, then the motor being clicked off.

"Bring her along." A higher pitched voice ordered, and Laurie "told" Rick "It's a warehouse of some kind, it smells like boxes and paper."

"Go ahead and take the blindfold off, let me see if her picture does her justice." A familiar voice came within transmitter range, then an angry shout blasted their ears.

"You idiots, this isn't Simon's wife!"

Rick shuddered, then Ron whispered "Pearson's lawyer says he has two manufacturing plants under his name and her coordinates lean toward the outskirts of town about 20 minutes from here."

There was the buzz of voices, then Pearson's voice was louder.

"If you're not A.J. Simon's wife, ...wait a minute, you're his brother's wife, aren't you?"

"Go ahead and tell him, darlin'" Rick "told" her, and he heard a rustling noise, then her voice.

"Yes, A.J.'s my brother-in-law, is he all right?"

"For the moment, my dear, but this works out just as well. You two wait here, come on, Mrs. Simon, I'll let you see for yourself."

Relieved, Rick looked up at his son as he came into the office.

"Any word?" ,Robbie asked, then paled when his father told him of his mother's abduction.

"Pop, I should have been there. Is she all right?"

"Yes, she managed to turn her transmitter on, and Ron has a possible location where she and your uncle are at. Pearson's taking her to him now." Rick explained, then turned up the volume on the transmitter.

Footsteps sounded, then Pearson's sarcastic voice.

"Here you are, ma'am, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you, or for that matter, anyone."

"Oh my God, A.J.!