Author's Note: This is the second part of chapter 4. I'm sorry to anyone who was displeased by this, but I have lots of things going on in my real life at the moment that are distracting me a lot – my final year at school, illness in the family, and a few other more minor issues. I posted as much as I could last time, and then decided that instead of making you guys wait for longer, I would post that part, and try and come at the second bit with an open mind, as I wasn't getting anywhere with it. I'm sorry if this upset anyone, but there wasn't anything else I could really do.

Sorry … I'm not meaning to sound cross at you guys; especially those of you who review – I love you all! But I have a lot on my plate at the moment; I'm updating as fast as I can and sometimes I have to take shortcuts. I'm not a super computer, just a writer living in the real world!

I had to say all that I'm afraid. Apologies to all of you to whom it wasn't directed :-)

I don't have time to do shout-outs today, I'm afraid … I will do them next chapter I promise!

CHAPTER 5

"Here we are – Electrical Goods. Owned by Steven Barker," Danny said, getting out of the car. He paused on the doorway, before saying quietly to Martin, "Let me take the lead in there, OK?"

Martin nodded. "Sure."

Danny entered the shop before Martin, and automatically surveyed his surroundings. The room was littered with computers and computer parts. A tall, brown-haired man stood behind the counter, his head bent over a sales ledger. He looked up briefly as the agents entered. "Can I help you with something?" he asked politely.

"I'm Martin Fitzgerald; this is Danny Taylor. We're with the FBI." Both men showed their badges. "You are Steven Barker?"

Barker frowned slightly. "Yes; is something wrong?"

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about Ricky Hunter."

"I don't think I know the name …"

"Well," Danny said, "isn't that strange? Because we have a prison log that says you visited him a few months ago while he was serving a term for computer crimes." He cocked his head to one side and watched Barker squirm. "Now that's very strange, wouldn't you agree, Agent Fitzgerald?"

"Very strange," Martin echoed quietly, nodding grimly.

"So, Mr Barker, care to try that again?"

Barker shot nervous glances at them, gripping the edge of the counter so hard his knuckles were white. "I … you're right. I did know Ricky Hunter, and I did visit him in prison."

"Why?" Danny demanded.

"Just a social visit," Barker replied nervously. "That's it."

Danny sighed, shaking his head and looking down for a second, then looked back at Barker with a slight grin on his face.

"Wrong answer," Martin said. "Let's talk about this down at the FBI building."

"Do not pass 'Go', do not collect two hundred dollars," Danny said, taking Barker's arm. "You might want to lock up – we could be a while."

Sam got into the car with a frustrated sigh. Jack said simply, "I agree."

"Why is it that no one can ever remember anything of importance?" Sam asked, exasperated. All the warders had been able to tell them was that Ricky and Mortis had hung around together a lot, especially in the weeks preceding Ricky's release.

"Well, here's a possible scenario," Jack began, knowing that talking would help him clear his mind and organise his thoughts. "Ricky somehow manages to get into Mortis's debt while in jail. Mortis – knowing that Ricky is a hacker – sticks close to him throughout the duration of his sentence, then has some of his buddies keep an eye on Ricky till he gets out. Upon his release, he goes to see Ricky to get his money back. Ricky can't pay, so he abducts him for ransom."

Sam nodded. "Yes … but why wait until he was released? Couldn't some of his friends have got the money just as easily?"

"But Ricky may not have paid them … or maybe Mortis had a grudge against Ricky and wanted to take the money personally. Maybe Ricky couldn't pay until now."

Sam nodded slowly. There were gaps in the theory, but it was still sound enough. "So what happened? There's no evidence that Ricky was killed in the struggle at his house … so was he kidnapped, or did he flee? Or did he escape later and try to find Martin?"

"That's the next thing we have to find out. Maybe the boys will have had some luck …"

"You know, Steven, this attitude is really not helping you," Danny said, pacing the room. He turned abruptly to face Barker, leaning over the table towards him. The other man started backwards, then recovered himself and met Danny's gaze.

"I have nothing to tell you. Ricky worked for me a few years before he went to jail. I was paying him a visit for old time's sake."

"That so?"

"Yeah." He glared back at Danny, who shrugged, and pulled back.

"Well, Mr Barker," Martin said, after a pause. "Thank you for your time. We will be back in a few moments to let you out." He pulled Danny out of the room.

"I need a few minutes alone with him," Martin hissed.

Danny immediately shook his head. "Sorry, Martin. I can't do that."

Martin rolled his eyes, exasperated. "I won't hurt him." Danny showed no signs of backing down, and Martin conceded. "Fine, you can stay in the room – but don't say a word, no matter what. Just back me up."

Danny nodded slowly. "What are you planning?"

Martin smiled grimly. "Wait and see." He re-entered the room, and sat down opposite Barker, while Danny followed, leaning against the wall near the door and wondering how the hell he had gotten into this … and what 'this' was anyway.

"Mr Barker, we apologise for the delay," Martin said smoothly, conjecturing that Barker would not have much idea about how the FBI worked, "but we just have to ensure that there's nothing our boss wants to ask you. It's a standard procedure; it doesn't mean anything, but we have to follow it. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two."

Steven Barker nodded. "OK … thanks. I … no hard feelings …"

Martin nodded. "Of course not. We just have to do our job."

Barker nodded. "Yeah … so what's happened to Ricky?"

" 'Happened to him'," Martin began. "Why …" He grinned. "Sorry about that. A reflex response."

Barker smiled back. "No worries. You must do this a lot."

Martin nodded. "You have no idea."

"So … Ricky?"

"He's disappeared."

Barker frowned. "Disappeared? When?"

"Yesterday."

Danny moved forward and tapped Martin's shoulder. "I'll check if that clearance has arrived."

"Yeah, thanks," Martin replied, turning to face Danny. "It should be here by now." The veiled meaning was clear. Danny walked outside, counted slowly to thirty, then re-entered the room.

"He's clear," he said. Martin got to his feet, and Barker followed suit.

"We can drop you back at your shop," he offered. "We're following a potential lead down that way anyway," Martin explained. Both he and Danny noticed Barker pale slightly.

"That's good, isn't it?"

"Very," Danny replied, picking up on Martin's train of thought. "We hope to find Ricky this afternoon."

"That is good," Barker replied, paling further.

"We should catch the others this afternoon too," Martin added as they walked through the corridors towards the lift.

" 'Catch'?" Barker queried. "Was Ricky …"

"He was kidnapped," Danny finished helpfully. "Let's go," he finished as they walked to the car. He couldn't help but notice Barker's agitation.

Nice one, Martin, he thought ruefully. You sure picked this one … and everyone else missed it.

"Are you expecting something to happen?" Alison asked, her eyes straying towards the phone.

"I'm afraid we don't know what will happen," Vivian replied, "however Miss Ward, we are doing the best we can."

"I know …" She smiled. "Thank you."

The phone rang, and Alison's hand shot towards it. However, Viv stalled her movements, then coordinated their hands so that they picked up the phone at the same time.

"Hello?" Alison said nervously.

"We have your boyfriend," said an obviously scrambled voice. "We want $500 000. We will call you at 6pm with the details." They hung up, even as Alison called:

"Wait! Wait … Ricky?" Tears formed quickly in her eyes. Viv took the receiver out of her hands and replaced it.

"I will pay," Alison said. "But …"

"It's OK, Miss Ward. We have agreements with two New York banks – they will cover the ransom for you."

Alison nodded. "OK." Vivian watched her, seeing the effort it took for this young woman to hold herself together. "I just … I just want him to be OK," she whispered, tears spilling down her face. "He's already been through so much … the jail term … his parents … his family … his best friend … he doesn't need this."

Vivian held her silently until the young woman said carefully, "I'm OK."

Viv released her. "OK … now, Miss Ward, I'm going to make a few phone calls and arrange some things, then I will be back. I will be just outside."

Alison nodded, and Vivian stepped outside. She called Jack first.

"Malone here."

"It's me. There's been a ransom demand." She could almost see him straighten and hear his breath quicken. "They want $500 000," she added, knowing exactly what she would ask. "They're going to call her again at 6pm to give her instructions. She's going to pay, of course."

He sighed. "Yes – probably for the best, unless we have a major breakthrough in the next few hours."

"Have you heard from the boys?"

"They're trailing Steven Barker. Martin is convinced that he knows something."

"Ah-ha. And you think …"

There was a very pregnant pause. "They're both good agents. If there's something there, they'll find it out."

"Yes." Both of them knew that he hadn't really answered the question, and both were a little frightened about what Martin was doing. "Where are you?" An obvious, but much needed, change in topic.

"Driving back from the jail. Nothing much new – only that Mortis and Ricky were seldom seen apart, especially in the weeks preceding Ricky's release. Bring Alison to the office and set up there; get the techs to set up the phone lines."

"I'm on it." She hung up, before re-entering the room. "Miss Ward?"

Alison looked up. "Yes?" She had cleaned herself up, but earmarks were still obvious on her cheeks.

"We'd like you to come into the office now, please."

"Sure," she said, picking up her handbag from the floor by the lounge. "I'm ready."

"So, what now, Sherlock?" Danny asked.

"We wait – and we watch," Martin replied, choosing to ignore Danny's sarcasm. "He's gotta make a move."

"So …"

"So what?"

"So, what put you onto him first?"

"Ricky mentioned him to me. He worked for him in the months before he was arrested."

Danny whistled. "You're thinking Barker had something to do with the virus?"

Martin shrugged. "I'm not sure … he's certainly knowledgeable enough, and it wouldn't be too much to assume that he knew what the boys were doing; hell, maybe even helped them. But either way, I'm certain he has something to do with this." He grinned suddenly. "There he goes!"

Danny slipped the car into drive and slowly followed Barker around a corner. They watched as their quarry entered a building in the side street. Martin pulled out his cell phone and rang Sam.

"Sam, it's Martin. Where are you?"

"The office," she replied, "why?"

"Can you run an address for me?"

"Sure. Give us a second … OK, fire away."

Martin read the address out, and a few seconds later was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath from Sam. "Well, well, well. That building is owned by Shaun Mortis – Alan's brother."

"Thanks Sam," Martin replied, ending the call. "It belongs to Shaun Mortis," he told Danny.

Danny looked up quickly. "Mortis? As in …"

"As in, Alan's brother." He got out of the car. "Let's pay him a visit, shall we?"

Danny grinned. "I'm feeling pretty sociable." He followed Martin to the door.

Martin knocked. After a few seconds, Steven Barker opened the door. His eyes opened in shock as Martin pushed him back. "FBI, Mr Barker, keep your hands where we can see them."

"But … how …" Barker made to follow Martin, but Danny slowed him down with a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Take it easy, pal," he said, guiding Barker up the stairs. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Martin reached the top of the stairs to find the upper level – which consisted of only one room – deserted. He turned back to Barker and Danny as they reached the top of the stairs, before turning away to search the room as Danny shoved Barker onto a chair. Martin bent down and then straightened, holding a bloody cloth gingerly in one hand, before dropping it into a plastic bag.

"You'd better start talking," he said grimly.

"I swear I didn't know what they were going to do," Barker said, panicking.

"Well, just tell us what you do know," Danny retorted.

"I wasn't in on the start of it. I swear I don't know how he came here …" He was obviously still scared out of his wits, and Martin decided that he wasn't a career criminal. One small push, and the whole truth would be their's.

"You are looking at a jail term," he told Barker. "How long would you estimate, Agent Taylor?"

Barker's eyes flew to Danny, and his breathing quickened from fear.

"Well, we're looking at causing grievous bodily harm – if not murder – as well as kidnapping, extortion, plus a rash of computer crimes …" He shook his head with a sigh. "You got kids?" he asked. Barker nodded nervously. Danny grinned. "Ever want to see your grandchildren?"

Barker paled even further. "But … what about plea bargaining? I've heard of that."

"You haven't given us anything to bargain with," Danny told him. "So …"

"I swear I was just here cleaning up. I …"

"Alan Mortis. Shaun Mortis. Ricky Hunter," Martin said. "Those names ringing bells?"

"Yeah …" He swallowed nervously. "This place is Shaun's. He's an accountant. It's a part of some complicated scheme that gets him a tax break … I don't really understand the details. He and Alan worked for me … as did Ricky. They overlapped with him for a few months, actually. A few times I would catch Shaun or Alan out the back on one of the computers; they would always close the window when I came in. I figured maybe they were playing games or something; I wasn't too worried. Then … Alan was arrested for hacking. I was suspicious, but it turned out that nothing had been done from those computers. Shaun apparently had not had any part in it. A year or two ago, I met him again, and he now manages my accounts. And yes, my visit to Ricky in jail was purely social … he wasn't a bad kid, you know. Just fell in with the wrong crowd, I guess.

"Well … yesterday, Alan came to see me. He said he'd been out for a week, and apologised for any troubles he had caused. I told him straight out that he had caused troubles, but they were all well over, and it was all water under the bridge. He said he was glad, as he had a situation he needed my help with. He asked me to come round to this building immediately. That would have been about 1pm. I came at once; I called it a lunch break. I found there were four men in the room, plus Alan and me … and … there was a body." He paused, staring at the floor, and Martin felt sick. Oh no … it can't be …

"I …" Barker continued. "I thought he was dead, at first, but they said he'd fallen and hit his head. They knew I was good at first aid, so they asked me to help him. I … was doubtful about the fall."

"Why?" Danny asked.

"It didn't look like that sort of wound," Barker admitted. "He was very pale and there was blood all over his face. It wasn't until I washed off the blood that I recognised him." He stopped again, and seemed unable to continue.

"Who was it?" Martin asked, struggling to maintain his equilibrium.

Barker looked up, looking pained. "Ricky," he answered. "It was Ricky."

Author's Note: That's Chapter 5! Next part coming soon … hums WaT theme ;-)

Review please :-)