"I've got it!" Dr. Allen came running from his offices, then unlocked the door and thrust it open in one motion. Rick was right on his heels, then as the lights came on, gasped to see his wife on the floor, partially covered with a blanket. A piece of paper was next to her.

Whipping the covering off of her, Rick heard a small groan from his wife. "Laurie, darlin'. Wake up, angel." He dropped to his knees, ignoring his painful ribs, then stroked her face. She started to move her hand to her face, then Rick took it and held it gently in his hand.

Rudy knelt next to her, carefully checking for injuries. "Missy, it's all right, you're safe. Rick, look." He held up a dampened cloth.

"God, no." A.J. panicked. "Someone took Linny and knocked Laurie out?"

At the sound of their voices, Laurie's eyes opened, then a whimper, "Rick? Linda, where's ….oh, no."

"Shh, it's all right." Rick bent over and picked her up, then managed to put her down on the sofa. Holding her, he rubbed her wrists as Rudy went to get some water.

"Rick, someone grabbed me, he was so big, I couldn't breathe, darling." She gasped, then calmed down as Rick kissed her face.

"My brave girl, it's all right, we'll find her. Just rest."

"Rick, did you see this?" Allen held out the paper that was next to her.

"Next time it's her."

"Oh, sweetheart." Rick tightened his embrace, then saw tears in Laurie's eyes.

"Rick, we've got to find her, the man who attacked me, I heard Linda cry out, then, he said, it was awful, I feel so sick." She choked.

"What did he say, love. It's okay." Rick tried to soothe her, then he saw his wife take a deep breath.

"He said "unless Anita gets what she wants, you'll never see your friend again. You're next." Then there was a noise, and he dropped me. There was something about him,…so familiar."

A.J. swore, then put an arm around his 'big sister" as she tried to sit up. "Whoa, honey, stay put for a moment, let Rudy look at you."

"I'm okay, but I feel sick, oh, Rudy, where did you come from." She replied dazedly, as their friend gave her some ginger ale to ease her stomach.

Within a few minutes Ron Johnson came to the waiting room to say that surveillance cameras had picked up a hooded man pushing a "patient" in a wheelchair into the parking garage. Fortunately a license plate was recorded, but it was a rental.

"I've got an APB out on this van, we'll find her, A.J.. Laurie, I want Rick to take you home, this guy is not making you his next target!" Ron told her, then saw her shake her head.

"I feel much better, thank you, Ron. I can help look for Linda, if I could just remember what it was, so …oh, I remember, peppermint, he smelled of peppermint."

Ron and Rudy started to protest, then Rick interrupted them.

"Guys, we can keep a better eye on Laurie if she's with us. A.J., we'll need to have you wired so in case Anita contacts you, we can track her whereabouts. I may be crazy, but I don't think she's the brains behind this."

Just then a page sounded for "Laurie Simon", and Dr. Allen looked puzzled.

"Laurie, how many people know you're here?"

"Not many, Allen, just Mom and the children and….wait a minute, let me take it in here." She answered. Quickly Allen arranged the transfer, then Rick made her comfortable as he plugged in a speaker attachment to the phone so the others could listen and not be heard.

Laurie picked up the receiver. "This is Mrs. Simon."

"Laurie, hi. It's Roman. Listen, can you talk?" The man sounded nervous.

"Yes, I'm waiting for the doctor, something awful happened!" she matched his tone

"I'm sorry, honey, look, I think Anita may have done a very bad thing, can you meet me at the corner coffee shop over by the hotel on Phoenix Way?" Rick cringed. He didn't like the words "very bad".

Laurie looked at the others, then A.J. mouthed "ask if' it's about Linda."

"Is this about my sister-in-law? Is she with Anita?"

"I don't know, but she might know where she is. Can you meet me?" the tone hardened, and Rudy shook his head vehemently.

"Yes, I can be there in about 20 minutes. I can take a cab there." She replied.

"Good, I'll see you then. Thanks." Click.

Allen and Rudy immediately started protesting. "Missy, there is no way you should go there, he wants to eliminate you as a witness!" the older man told her, then Dr. Allen added, "Rick, she's not to go, it's a trap like Rudy says."

A.J. looked at both men, then reluctantly agreed. "Honey, they're right. It's too dangerous, Rick and I will go."

Laurie glanced at her husband, then spoke, gazing at her friends.

"I love you guys, but this is the only way to find Linda, alive. It's Roman all right, he always smelled of homemade peppermint from his father's candy story. Don't worry, I said I'm coming in a cab, so Rick and Ron can follow me. A.J., " she put her hand on his, "I promise this will work. If it gets too hairy I'll make an excuse and go to the bathroom and the three of you can take it from there."

Rick looked at the determination in her eyes, then put his arms around her. "She's right, A.J., this is our only chance. You promise me, sweetheart." He moved his hands to her shoulders. "if he says anything that leads us to believe he's on to you, you'll head for the back door, capice?"

She nodded, then hugged him tightly. "Capice."

Less then 15 minutes later, Laurie stood at the curb, waiting for a cab. When one pulled up, she was surprised to see their friend "Downtown" Brown driving, wearing a non-descript hat.

"Corner of Phoenix Way and Biltmore, please." She said, climbing in.

"Sure, lady." Towne grunted, then pulled away from the hospital.

"Towne, I'm glad to see you, but where did you come from?" she wondered.

"Rick called me when that Anita first surfaced, I was worried when Ron told me what happened to the guys. You're sure you know what you're doing?" he asked, seeing her anxious look.

"Yes, but I'm scared, Towne. Anita could do anything to Linda. I just hope we're right about her and Roman." Laurie replied, relieved to be honest with Towne.

"Honey, just leave your transmitter on, we'll be right there if he tries anything." He reassured her.

Just then they pulled up in front of the Corner coffee shop, where, not surprising, Roman Baker was standing outside waiting for her. As Towne started to get out of the cab to help her out, her former schoolmate strode forward and opened her door.

"Oh, thank you." She mustered a smile then turned back to Towne. "Thanks, driver, keep the change." She said, handing him a ten.

"Ma'am." He nodded, then saw the disdainful look the man gave him. "What a creep." Towne growled as he drove down the block, then pulled over.

"Rick, can you read me?" he spoke into his transmitter.

"Loud and clear, he was right there, huh." Rick's tone was disgusted.

"Yeah, he was eyeing Laurie too, I really don't like this." The former detective didn't hide his concern.

"Well, she's not going to be in there long, A.J. and I are going to be in the alley, can you take the driveway?" Rick was busy listening to Baker ordering lunch.

"Sure, he won't get past me. Be careful, pal." Towne warned.

Rick clicked off, then froze as he saw a grey van matching the description of the one that hit him and A.J.. It was parked in a blind spot by the back door of the restaurant, and he could see two figures inside.

"A.J., look."

His younger brother stared at it, then made as if to unbuckle his seat belt.

"No you don't." Rick firmly told him, then set his jaw as A.J. retorted, "I have to, I don't want them to hurt her. They'll let her go if I just talk to Anita."

"She might, but Roman won't. There's something bigger here at stake, A.J.. Oh, oh…." Rick heard Roman start telling Laurie about Anita.

"Anita just wants A.J. to talk to her, that's all. I'm sure if he agrees to meet with her, she'll tell him where his wife is." Roman sounded so reasonable, then his next words sent a chill through Rick.

"Of course she wants an apology from you and Rick, but I'm sure you've never been anything but nice to her. It's Rick who's made her so angry. He's not the man for you, honey. He'd never notice the little things about you, like how sweet you are. You need someone like me."

"Roman, that's very nice, but you're wrong about Rick, he's a good man. Why, he's the one who helped A.J. find out who killed Anita's brother. It's sad of course, that her parents never…oh!" Rick heard Laurie catch herself, then saw from the look on A.J.'s face he realized Laurie had made a slip.

"What about the Coopers?" Rick heard an edge in the store owner's voice.

"That her parents never could handle Anita and A.J. dating, but of course Mom couldn't do anything about it." Laurie covered her slipup, then made a slight moan.

"Oh no!" Rick blanched, then recovered when Roman asked "is something wrong?"

"My filling, of all the luck, Roman would you excuse me, I need to see if my filling is broken."

There was the scraping of a chair, then Roman's murmured, "of course."

Rick waited until she was in the bathroom, then "called", "Laurie, go out the back way, now."

His transmitter flicked on, then she whispered, "Darling, I'm sorry, I blew it, didn't I."

Her husband just shook his head, "No, angel, you covered it okay, I just don't trust him. Go now, sweetheart."

"I'll be right out." Laurie listened at the door, then opening it slightly, slipped out and turned toward the rear entrance.

Suddenly a strong arm grabbed her, pinning her arms against her body..

Struggling in vain, Laurie managed to turn, then saw the smiling face of Roman Baker .

"Roman, what are you doing, I told you…." Laurie saw the threatening glint in his eyes as he put a hand over her mouth.

"Not another word, Laurie. I'm afraid your filling's going to have to wait." He quietly warned her, then added, "I'm going to take my hand off your mouth now, but any screaming or calling for help and I'll shoot anyone in my way, understand?"

She nodded, then "heard" Rick tell her "just go with him, sweetheart, I'm coming, I won't let him take you away, darlin'."

Roman pulled his hand away from her face, then grabbed her by the arm and pushed her in front of him down the hall to the rear exit. Laurie felt the muzzle of a gun in her back, and "told" her husband, "He has a gun, Rick, he's forcing me out of the restaurant."

"It's all right, Laurie, when I tell you to drop, drop." Rick ordered her, as he came around the corner of the parking lot and stopped.

"A.J., you wait here, Towne's on the other side, You can see the van from here." He killed the motor then saw A.J.'s anxious face.

"Rick, please be careful, Anita's crazy…."

"I won't let them hurt her, I promise. There's Roman now." He paused, seeing his wife being pushed toward the delivery van.

Rick slid out of the truck, then darted from car to car until he was beside the vehicle.

Suddenly the side door opened, then he saw Linda, tied up, with a smirking Anita holding a gun on her.

"Here comes that friend of yours, I'm going to enjoy watching Roman taking care of her." He heard the disturbed woman grate. Linda started to protest, then Rick saw Anita turn as if to strike her.

"Drop, Laurie!" he "called" as Baker approached with Laurie. Instantly she let herself fall, only to be surprised when Roman yanked her up by her arm. "No you don't, Laurie, no tricks. Rick, wherever you are, throw out your weapon and come out or they're both dead."

Frantic, Rick came out from behind the adjacent car. "No, don't hurt them, Roman, they've haven't done anything to you. It's me you're after, take it out on me." He held up his gun, then saw the look of indecision in the man's eyes.

"Please Roman, let us go. If you cared about me, you wouldn't want to hurt me, and it would kill me to have you hurt either Rick or Linda just to get back at me." Laurie pleaded, gazing into his eyes.

For a moment he froze, then Anita's voice sounded. "No, it's all your fault, you caused all this, shoot them both, Roman!" The man wavered a moment, then Laurie looked at the woman. "Anita, if you loved A.J. so much, why did Roman try to kill him and Rick? You'll never get A.J. to talk to you now!"

"Wait a minute, you said you just tried to get Rick, how could you, Baker? I trusted you!" Anita let the gun drop as she furiously glared at her accomplice.

The hard look came into his eyes. "As long as the Simons' are alive, neither of us will be happy." In desperation Laurie wrenched herself free, as Rick shot the gun from Roman's grasp then knocked him to the pavement. Suddenly Linda used her bound hands to push Anita out of the van, then Laurie turned and punched Anita in the face.

"No, you'll ruin everything!" the hysterical woman cried, then Laurie had a sudden flash of memory, as she stared at Anita, now collapsed sobbing on the ground.

Rick finished subduing Roman, then turned to see Anita on the pavement.

Surprised, he glanced up and saw Laurie untying Linda and helping her out of the van. "Sis, you were great. She didn't hurt you, did she?" Laurie asked, then hugged her when Linda shook her head. "No, she slapped me when she tied me up, but, I was more afraid of what she was going to do to you."

Rick saw Towne covering both Roman and Anita, then he put an arm around his sister-in-law as he glanced at Laurie. "Uh, sweetheart, did you….?"

She looked over at him, then nodded, her rage fading. "Yes, Rick, I slugged her. I was so angry at what she did to A.J. and Linda…."

"Linny!"

All four of them raised their heads, then Linda let go of Rick and started running toward A.J., who had managed to climb out of the truck and was balancing himself against it.

"A.J.!" she cried, then she was weeping in his embrace.

Rick let out a sigh, then turned and pulled Laurie into his arms. "Darlin', I'm proud of you."

"Oh, love." She rested her face against his chest, as he stroked her hair, saying, "I know he scared you, darlin', but I wouldn't have let him hurt you. I just needed to get him to meet up with Anita."

"Darling, I was more frightened for Linda then for me, but you could have told me why you wanted me to go with him. I wouldn't have let on, you know that." Laurie gazed at him, then finally gave him a smile as he fumbled, "I'm sorry, Laurie. I should have, only I didn't want you to try anything on your own."

"My funny love, don't you know, Rick, when you speak, " she kissed him, "I obey."

"You do, huh?" Rick answered her archly, then passionately kissed her, only releasing her lips at the clearing of a throat.

"Uh, Rick, Laurie, you might want to wait until you get to the station to finish that." Towne smirked, pointedly looking at Laurie's right hand. Rick winced as he saw it starting to swell. "Sweetheart…."

She took a sharp breath, "I didn't even feel it, but." She put her face against Rick's wearily, "It hurts, Rick."

"Then I'll have to kiss it to make it better, darlin'" he soothed, as some of Johnson's men came to take their assailants away.

Towne hugged her, then said, "I'll call Ron so he'll know you're on your way." then added, "besides, A.J. and Linda already have a head start on you in "making it better" department!"

Rick laughed as Laurie blushed. "Can't have my little brother beat me at that!"

Taking Laurie's arm, he led her to his truck where A.J. and Linda were still holding on to each other and helped them climb into the back of the cab, then lifted his wife into the front seat.

"Well, partner, we'll pick up where we left off after we see Ron, capice?" he kissed her then climbed in.

She nodded and snuggled next him. "Capice!"