1XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Disclaimer: You know the drill...I'm tired of typing it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Nancy put a hand to her chest when she saw who it was.
"Andy!" Nancy gave a nervous laugh. "You scared me half to death!"
Andy smiled at her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. What are you doing here in the dark anyway?"
"Oh, the lights just went out. I was working. I was actually about to go see what the problem was." Nancy said.
"Do you always work this late?" he asked, tracing her doorframe with his finger.
Nancy shook her head. "No, but I had a good bit of work to catch up on."
She reached into one of her drawers and pulled out a flashlight. She turned it on to make sure that it worked.
She then looked at Andy curiously. "You didn't just hear anything, did you?"
"No, why?" Andy asked, stepping back to let her out of the office.
"I thought I heard something a couple of minutes ago. It could have been you or just my imagination playing games with me." Nancy said.
Nancy stepped out of her office and began to make her way out into the bullpen. She shined her flashlight everywhere, keeping a look out for anything. The building had an almost eerie feel to it now.
"Officer Thomas?" she called into the darkness. She shined her flashlight all around, but saw nothing.
"Who are you calling for?" Andy asked.
"An officer that the police sent over." Nancy said, not wanting to tell him much.
"Because of that killer that's after you?" He asked.
"Yeah." Nancy said absently. She thought she had just seen something on the floor by the emergency exit.
Nancy crept closer and her breath caught in her throat when she saw that it was a person. She looked beside the body to see blood everywhere. She leaned forward to see that the person was Officer Thomas–and his throat had been slit.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Frank Hardy was still confused. He could have sworn that Fitz was the one behind Ashley's disappearance. But she had said that it was the new intern, Andy.
Ashley's voice broke into his thoughts. "Where's Nancy?" she asked.
"What?" Frank asked, finally turning his attention back to her. She was rubbing her sore wrists.
"Where is Nancy? Is she with you?" Ashley asked.
Frank didn't like the fear in her voice. "She's at the Tribune offices. She's fine. There's a policeman watching over her."
"Tell us what happened to you." Joe said.
Ashley seemed to finally notice him. "Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Joe Hardy–Frank's brother." Joe said. "So, what happened to you?"
Frank studied Ashley as she talked.
Ashley let out a tired breath. "I had a lunch appointment today. I went to it and it lasted for about an hour and a half. After that I hailed a taxi, and the next thing I know, I'm tied to a chair. It was a few minutes later when the door opened, and I recognized Andy. I thought that he was there to help me."
"But he's the one who kidnaped you." Joe said.
Ashley nodded. "He then sat down and told me everything. He told me about the murders and about why he was doing it. He said it was all because of Nancy. He said that's why he became Andy. He wanted to be by her at all times."
Frank was starting to get freaked by everything Ashley was telling them. "Why did you ask if Nancy was with us?"
"He said that I was a diversion." Ashley said. "He said he had to get her."
"Are you sure?" Frank asked, a felling of dread coming over him.
Ashley nodded again. "He said that he was going to get her. That tonight was the night."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
All Nancy could do was stare at Ethan Thomas's body. She finally found her voice after two minutes of trying to talk.
"Andy, we need to call the police," she said shakily. She wished to God she could turn her head away.
She didn't hear Andy walk away.
"Andy, did you hear me? We need to call the police." she said again.
"No, we don't." Andy said softly.
"Of course we do. A man has been murdered." Nancy said.
"I know that. But we don't need to call the police." Andy said. He grabbed her from behind.
Nancy struggled in his grasp. "Andy, what are you doing?"
Andy tightened his grasp and leaned down so he could whisper in her ear. "We don't need to call the police because I killed him."
"What?" Nancy asked in a shocked voice. "Why would you do that?"
"Because we need to be alone." Andy said. He grabbed her hands and jerked them behind her back. He then wrapped a phone cord around them. Nancy let out a pained gasp as he jerked the cord tight one last time.
"Now, let's go somewhere we can talk." Andy said. He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her to her office. When they got in, he pushed her down roughly on her couch.
Nancy struggled with her bonds, but he had tied them tightly.
"I don't understand, Andy. Why are you doing this?" she asked desperately.
"You still haven't figured it out, have you, Nancy?" he asked.
"Figured what out?" she asked.
"Who I am." He said. "Tsk, tsk, tsk...I'm shocked. And you call yourself a great investigator."
He leaned closer to her. "Look into my eyes, Nancy. Tell me who I am."
Nancy's eyes widened in fear. She knew who she was looking at now. She was staring into the face of Mike Fitzgerald.
"I was right in front of you the whole time and you never knew." Fitz said. "You never suspected 'Intern Andy'."
"Why?" Nancy asked. "Why did you do it?"
"Why not?" Fitz asked. "I wanted to get you, Nancy. I wanted to see you hurt and scared. I had to keep an eye on you somehow. And I have to say, I think I've done a pretty good job."
Nancy watched as Fitz reached under his shirt and pulled a large hunting knife from its sheath. What she saw on it scared her. It was fresh blood. Officer Thomas's, she guessed.
Fitz smiled at her as he took a rag from his pocket and began to wipe the blood off of the blade.
"I used this knife to kill them all, you know." he said casually. "And I wiped their blood off each time."
Nancy watched him as he cleaned the knife with tender care. She was starting to feel sick.
He threw the rag he was using on her desk. He then stepped closer to her and put the blade up against her throat.
"But when I kill you, Nancy, "he said chillingly. "I'll never wash your blood off of it." Nancy cringed as the blade grazed her neck.
"Then do it." Nancy said through clenched teeth.
Fitz smiled at her again. "You would love for it to be quick, wouldn't you, Nancy?" he whispered.
"Why not?" Nancy asked. "You made it quick for the others. Why not me? You hate me, don't you?"
"Because I didn't care about the others. I killed them for fun and because I knew that I could." He reached out and caressed her face. Nancy recoiled from his touch.
"It was you who I wanted all along. But I knew that I had to be patient." Fitz said. "And I have to say, you were well worth the wait."
Nancy was starting to get scared, but she couldn't let him see it. She was trapped in a dark building alone with a deranged killer. She needed to get away from him. She wasn't going to let him kill her without a fight.
She waited until Fitz turned around and then kicked out at him with both feet. She connected with the back of his knees. He fell forward and hit his head on the corner of her desk. She knew he wasn't unconscious, just stunned.
Nancy didn't waste any time. She brought her bound hands under her legs and then brought them through where her hands would be in front of her. She knew that she had to get out of her office–fast.
She ran out into the main room that housed all of the cubicles. She ducked into one of the cubicles and began working on her hands. She tried moving her hands where it would loosen the cord, but it wouldn't budge. Just as she was going to go at the knots with her teeth, she heard Fitz moving around.
"That was a stupid move, Nancy." Fitz said.
Nancy carefully stuck her head out and saw him coming out of her office. He was holding his head where he had hit it. Even in the faint moonlight, Nancy could see blood streaming down his face. Good, she thought.
Nancy kicked off her heels. It was going to be hard to run with her hands tied, but she was willing to do whatever it took to stay alive. Nancy darted out of the cubicle she was hiding in and ran into another one.
"I hear you moving around, Nancy." Fitz said. "Do you think I won't find you? You forget, I know the layout of this building, too."
Nancy tried to keep her breath shallow, but that was hard when she knew that he was right.
"I bet you think Frank is going to come in and save the day. But he won't. I made sure of that." Fitz said.
"What did you do?" Nancy asked.
Fitz laughed. "I needed to keep him busy. He's looking for someone right now–Ashley. By the time he realizes it was a trick, it will be too late. The only thing he'll find is you dead."
Nancy looked on the desk beside her for any type of weapon she could use. She spied a sharp letter opener and picked it up with both hands. She then walked out of the cubicle into the aisle. Not paying attention, she didn't hear fitz behind her.
"Boo!" he said.
Nancy screamed and turned around. She brought the letter opener up with both hands. Just as she was about to plunge it into his chest he grabbed her hands in his and squeezed until she dropped it.
Nancy let out a cry of pain.
"That's not a weapon, Nancy." He said and pulled out his knife. "This is a weapon!"
Knowing what he wanted to do with that knife, Nancy stepped back and kicked the knife out of his grasp. She pushed him down again and took off running.
Nancy ran to the emergency exit and pushed the door open with all her might. She could hear Fitz running after her. Nancy took off down the staircase, but lost her footing when she was halfway down. She tumbled down the steps and fell at the bottom in a heap.
The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was Fitz slowly coming down the steps.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's words still stuck with Frank.
"Tonight was the night."
"Joe, we have to get to Nancy." Frank said.
"I know." Joe said. "What about Ashley?"
"We take her with us. We can call the police from the Tribune offices. He could be there with her." Frank said.
"You said you had a guard on her." Joe said.
"After this little trick that he pulled, I'm thinking that isn't going to stop him." Frank said.
They jumped into his car and Frank tore off down the street, pulling out in front of traffic. A couple of people honked their horns at him, but he didn't care. He also didn't care how many laws he broke getting there. He had to get to Nancy.
Before it was too late.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When Nancy regained consciousness, she saw that she was back in her office, this time tied to a chair. Her head was killing her and she could barely concentrate.
"You're lucky you didn't get hurt, Nancy." Fitz said. "Don't you know that a tumble down the stairs can kill you?"
His chuckle sent chills down her spine.
"Not feeling too talkative, huh?" he asked. Nancy saw that he was still holding onto his knife.
Nancy looked up at him. "What did you do to Ashley?"
"Oh, so you do want to talk." Fitz said. "Okay. I didn't kill her, if that's what you mean. I just stashed her away somewhere and I sent lover-boy out to find her."
"Do you promise me you didn't hurt her?" Nancy asked.
"Scout's honor." he said holding up his right hand.
Nancy closed her eyes and sighed. "Thank God."
"You know what? I'm going to be famous when I kill you." Fitz said. "I imagine that you have a lot of people lining up, wanting revenge on you. But I will actually be the one who gets to kill you." Fitz said.
Nancy sent him another look.
"And you'll still manage to get on the front page." Fitz said. "I can see the headline now: 'Reporter Killed in Tribune Offices.'"
He leaned in so that he was inched from her face. "Too bad your last headline will be about you death."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Frank pulled into the Tribune parking lot in ten minutes flat. Record time considering the theater was twenty minutes away.
"Joe, you go in at the other door Ashley told you about. We have to take him by surprise." Frank said. He then turned his attention to Ashley. "Call the police and tell them to get here as fast as they can, but under no circumstances are they to enter the building until I give the okay."
Ashley nodded. "I got it. Just get in there and save Nancy."
Frank looked at her for a moment and gave a determined nod. He then took off inside.
He was going to save Nancy. Even if her had to give up his own life to do it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You know, I'm thinking out loud here, but I may go after your friends when I'm done with you. I haven't seen Bess in a while and her cousin isn't bad to look at either." Fitz said playing with his knife. "Just for kicks."
Nancy struggled in her chair. "No! You leave them out of this! You have me! I'm the one you wanted!"
Fitz smiled. "I knew that would get a reaction out of you."
Nancy's head perked up when she thought she heard her name being called.
"Nancy!"
"Frank!" she screamed.
Fitz ran up behind her and put his hand over her mouth.
"Scream again and I'll make sure he dies too. Understand?" Fitz whispered fiercely in her ear.
Nancy nodded.
Fitz cut the cord around her chest and pulled her up. Just then she heard the emergency door open and footsteps running in. Then the lights came back on.
Frank pulled out his gun. "Let her go, Fitz."
Fitz smiled at Frank. He kept the knife at Nancy's throat. "I don't think so, Detective."
"Are you okay, Nancy?" Frank asked.
Nancy nodded, but it was hard with the blade pressing into her throat.
"Frank asked you a question, Nancy. The least you can do is answer him." Fitz said and dug the tip of the knife into her neck.
Nancy inhaled sharply. "I'm fine."
Frank sent Fitz a look of pure hatred.
"Where's your brother, Frank?" Fitz asked. "I'd hate for him to miss the big finale."
"He's with Ashley." Frank said.
"Is she okay?" Nancy asked.
"She's fine." Frank said. "Don't worry about her."
Frank spied movement behind Fitz and Nancy and quickly diverted his eyes to see Joe give him a thumbs-up.
"You know you won't get out of here alive." Frank said.
"Probably not. But at least she will be dead." Fitz said. "Now, put down you gun."
"No way." Frank said.
"No?" Fitz asked. He tightened his hold on Nancy. "Do I need to show you I'm serious?"
"All right." Frank said. He put down his gun and raised his hands. He then sent Joe a look and Joe got the hint.
He launched himself at Fitz and tackled him to the ground. He loosened his hold on Nancy and she quickly scooted out of the way. Frank picked his gun up off the floor and aimed at Fitz again.
Joe landed a punch on Fitz's jaw and Fitz landed one of his own. Joe went flying back and fell to the ground, hard.
"Where do you think you're going, Nancy?" Fitz asked. He picked up his knife and approached her.
He raised the knife up with both hands when three shots rang out, hitting Fitz in the chest. Nancy could only look on in horror. Fitz looked at her and smiled.
"It looks like you won, Nancy." he said. He then fell forward on top of her.
"Nancy!" she heard Frank say. He pulled Fitz off of her and grabbed her up in a huge hug.
"It's okay, baby." he whispered, kissing her in the forehead. "It's all over now. He can't hurt you anymore."
Frank looked over and Joe for confirmation and Joe nodded. Joe then took Fitz's knife and cut the cord around Nancy's wrists. She threw her arms around Frank and held him tightly.
God, I was so close from losing this, she thought.
She then felt the tears come and she cried into his chest when that realization hit her.
Joe left them alone and went outside to get the police and paramedics.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Author's Note: So, what did you think??? Did you like it? Let me know. I know there will be one more chapter in this story, just to wrap up everything. I know a lot of you want the wedding I have been promising in this story, and believe me, I plan on giving it to you. It will be in another story called Today I Marry My Best Friend. I will get started on it as soon as this one is wrapped up!