DISCLAIMER: Well, again, don't own 'em. Love to play with them, though.
CHAPTER 4 – And the Chase Is On
As Leo sat there in booth eight next to Seth, he sighed deeply. He was truly tired of the chase. Although he was still quite irritated with his daughter-in-law, it had been quite a while since he had last been angry towards Gabby. Now, his focus was on one thing only, and that was to see her and the children returned home once again.
At the very least, he wanted to get Mindy and her sibling out of the freezing north. Truly, this had to be the most inhospitable place he had ever visited. Even the winters in the sewers of New York City could not compare to what Alaska offered, even if the arctic state was on the verge of spring.
He was not too keen on Don's idea, either, with how he decided to handle this problem. Yet, Leo had to agree that Gabby's love for her children would force her hand.
He wondered, too, if Thomas and Devon would be fast enough. Where he didn't like the feeling he had sensed earlier, it worried him that Gabby may have already detected their presence.
Fearful of that happening, Leo shut his presence down even more.
While he sat there and while he observed the humans that were milling around, Leo was a bit amused with their fascination with such a place as the nightclub. Most seemed inebriated, obviously more interested in looking like fools that enjoying an evening of music. Some were young, possibly college students taking a break from their studies. He sniffed once and wrinkled his snout up at the ever-increasing stench of alcohol and smoke.
"How could anyone enjoy this?" he grumbled silently. It just offended his very being.
This was definitely not his favorite environment. However, as he looked over at Raph, Leo could tell that this was standard territory for him. A certain familiarity graced his brother's face that said he was used to such surroundings. Leo could only shake his head and marvel at the extreme differences between Raph and him.
No wonder they rarely got along with each other.
Regardless, though, Leo was confounded that Gabriella would even consider working here in the first place. It defied common sense, as far as he was concerned.
Leo knew that she had little cash with her when she left them five years ago. Then, before Seth shut their account down, she had managed to withdraw nearly a thousand dollars over the next few days from their ATM account.
Then, there was the Connecticut home that Professor Perry had left to her. With her trail leading elsewhere at the beginning of the chase, no one had suspected that she would have made it to the house before anyone else did. However, when the trails turned cold and Don's focus went to the New England home, he discovered, too late, that she had already been there.
Quite a few small antiques belonging to the professor were now missing. When Don became more involved with the chase, he discovered later that a local antiquities dealer had purchased them. Not only that, they discovered a hidden safe in the floor of the professor's study rifled through, as well. Left behind were a few dollar bills, tucked under a manuscript that the professor had obviously written. It turned out to be an account of his initial experience with the clan.
Don briefed over it at the time, somewhat amused with Perry's first-person recollection of those days. Yet it was obvious to him that the man had kept a ready supply of cash, too; something that he was unaware of but, more importantly, it was something that Gabby knew about.
The turtle chided himself for not considering the house initially, finding Raphael adding to his chagrin with an "I told ya so!" He had then grumped about getting too old for 'this stuff' and lamenting about how "in 'the old days', every stone would be upturned no matter if it looked suspicious or not."
"I think I need retirement, Leo! Why didn't we check that house first thing? It made perfect sense for her to go there before going anywhere else."
"I think we're all pretty tired, Don. I mean, every clue and rumor had her in Europe. So don't go beating yourself up, okay" his brother had encouraged.
Yet, as Leo thought about it, sitting in the booth and waiting for her appearance on stage, even the money from selling her adoptive father's possessions would not have supported Gabby for very long. Therefore, the question about how she was able to work and not show some form of identification caused Leo some concern.
Just how desperate would she have to be to work in a place that cared little for who you really were? He thought of Seth and his strong Christian beliefs, wondering if he had thought about the same thing. Swallowing a little, Leo knew from when he and his family patrolled the streets of New York City how many women, and young men, were desperate enough to do anything to stay alive.
Would Gabby be so willing? Shaking his head, Leo hoped not.
While he sat there and listened to the same pre show music repeat itself for the third time, he thought back to that day they almost had her.
They had been so close and had even passed that particular motel, but dismissed it as too unlike Gabby to consider. It was seedy looking, it was in the worse part of town, and only those looking for a 'high' or 'something else' would even venture there. Ironically, though, and as it turned out, it was their assuming what she would do and would not do that was their downfall. It took a while, but by the time they realized how she was operating, she had disappeared completely, with all trails turning cold.
Just the same, Leo thought back to the early stages of the chase. The maid in Las Vegas had been correct in that Gabby had taken the shuttle to Utah. It did not take long to find out what bus she took, either, considering the time of day the maid saw Gabriella and Mindy. This forced the team to race after her into Arizona and then into Utah, only to discover that, based on what the driver recalled, she disembarked in Cove Fort.
The man had been aware of a newborn on board, too; hearing it cry occasionally from the back of the bus where the mother and the older child sat. From his observation, the mother completely shrouded herself from view in a hooded coat and lightweight gloves.
In the high heat of summer, it seemed odd, yet he figured it had something to do with a religious sect.
At least, that's what he told Leo. Either way, the man largely ignored her, except for the cry of the baby and the fussing of the toddler.
When Leo went inside the bus terminal and talked with one of the cashiers, he found that Gabby had bought a transfer ticket to another line. The woman showed him which route the girl had taken and, before too long, the team found themselves trekking east across the state along Highway 70.
Now, they were heading for Denver, with high hopes of catching up with their runaway clan member.
"She's probably planning on Connecticut, Leo!" Raph announced from the co-pilot seat of the suburban. He turned to look back at his brother, who sat in the middle row as he stated, "Make sense, when you think about it!"
"That's a long way to travel by bus. Remember, she has a newborn to care for and a toddler to keep quiet. Someone's going to pay attention to that fact and remember her." Leo commented thoughtfully.
"Yeah, but why can't we just put out an APB on her. If Don was up and able, he'd have every law enforcement agency alerted."
"No, Raph, he gave specific orders to keep the locals out of this. They would require too much information and it's just too risky. She might panic and then tell them why she fled in the first place." He sighed, "I doubt the rumors about her psychosis would work way out here."
"Yep, that's all we would need!" Mike grumbled as they drove along the nearly deserted Highway 70. "I can just hear the APB, now – "All cars, be on the look-out for a black suburban filled with ninja butt-kicking mutant reptiles!" He laughed at the very thought, even though Mike knew how true it actually was.
"Yes, I agree with you, Mike," Leo commented, "As it is, few Americans understand the traditions of ninjitsu, especially the law, unless Don has made contact with them first. But, out here? I doubt any of them have even seen the likes of us, outside of a few reports and those movies made about us years ago," Leo replied glumly.
Once they arrived in Denver, the cashier at the bus terminal admitted seeing an adult wearing a hood coat and caring for an infant and one toddler. It seemed the way that they were dressed had caught her attention.
"In this part of the country, sects like that stand out," the girl had told them, convinced initially that whoever it was that Leo was looking for was someone belonging to a religious order. Yet, despite her surprise over Leo's appearance, the cashier told him that Gabriella had hailed a cab right after disembarking.
It took a while to connect with the right dispatcher for the taxi company, but when they did, dispatch told them the cabbie had driven Gabby and the kids south to Colorado Springs. Learning that the driver had dropped them off at an Amtrak train depot, Leo then called that company. Patched over to an assistant manager it was through her that he learned Gabriella had purchased tickets for two to El Paso, Texas. The train, in fact, was already three hours on the road and almost two hours away from its first destination, yet it gave the clan a bit of hope in catching up with her.
"Is there a way that you can alert the conductor to our situation, maybe stop the train, or slow it down?" Leo asked the woman after briefly telling her about their search for a run-away mother.
"Unless you have a court order or have the police involved, no, we cannot," the manager replied glumly, "However, I can let him know that you're looking for someone and he could have personnel note what she does after she gets off in El Paso. If she gets off anywhere along the way, I can give you a call." She paused, as if distracted, before coming back to the phone and commenting, "If she's running away, then you need to know that, unless she has a passport or an ID and her birth certificate, she won't be able to get into Mexico."
Leo groaned. Gabby had taken her passport, along with what money they had at the house, that much they knew. At the time, they feared she would try to leave the country, maybe even fly to England to hide out at her half sister's home. Serena might cooperate, depending on what Gabby told her. Then again, she just might be their best hope and keep her sister from fleeing further, maybe give her some good old fashioned big-sister advice.
Then, it dawned on him that Mindy did not have a passport. He was unclear if the infant would need one. "Probably not, where it's so young," He surmised. Yet he was certain, though, that his granddaughter would.
He then sighed with a breath of relief, knowing that Gabby would have to supply the authorities with her daughter's necessary facts to get a passport, and even then, it would take a while. Where they mailed them out to the recipients, she would have to be in one location to receive it.
Leo wondered if maybe she was going to Connecticut and using a confusing mix of trails to distract them.
The manager's next comment tore Leo away from his thoughts, "Give me your cell number, and I'll do my best; that's all I can promise you."
"That will be great," Leo replied and then gave her Mike's cell number.
After hanging up and handing the phone back to Mike, Leo announced to his brother, "When this is all over, you're going to need to change your cell. They're radioing the conductor to keep an eye on Gabby when she disembarks. She's paid her way through El Paso. They can't stop her from getting off once she arrives without the police involved, but at least someone knows of our situation."
One could almost hear an audible sigh of relief from every member in the car, the confidence level rising ten-fold where it appeared they were closing in on their 'prey'.
As the team returned to the road again, Raph was the most vocal about what everyone else was thinking, "If she cuts into Mexico, we'll lose her for sure!"
"Mindy doesn't have a passport, Raph; so I doubt she'll be able to." Leo remarked.
Seth had then announced angrily, "I don't care where she goes, I'm following. I don't care if we have to break border laws to do it, either."
Raph grinned wide,"Now, that's what I'm talking about!"
"No," Leo declared hotly, truly becoming more irritated with the chase,"We do as Don has always done; we work within the laws and by laws of the system whenever possible." He sighed deeply, though, as he added, "Unless we feel her life is in jeopardy."
"Well," Mike mused as he drove the suburban south along the 25, "If Gabby crosses the border, she's going where she's never gone before, which – could technically put her in danger."
Raph cuffed his youngest brother in the shoulder, declaring, "You've always found the loop hole in things, Mike. 'S why we always got a long!"
Mike chuckled to himself and then settled back as he guided the car down the highway.
Shortly thereafter, Mike's cell phone went off. He handed the phone over to Leo, who quickly opened it up, hoping that maybe the Amtrak manager had found a way to help them even more.
"Yes?" Leo said into the phone. "What? She got off? Where?" He listened to the reply before mimicking, "Las Vegas?"
"Nevada? How'd she get to Nevada from here?" Devon asked from the rear of the suburban.
"No, no, don't worry about it. Does the conductor know what she did after that?" Leo listened some more, expelling a sigh of frustration as he shook his head in disbelief, "Okay, well, at least he called you. Please express to him our appreciation. Yeah, thanks." With that, he angrily snapped the cell phone closed, "She got off just before Santa Fe in a town called Las Vegas, but not the one in Nevada." He glanced back at Devon and Seth, "They have a depot there, and one of the train personnel saw her get off."
"What is that girl thinking? She just had a BABY!" Raph grouched. "So help me, Leo, if we get that girl, there's gonna be hell to pay!"
"Mind if I stand in line?" Devon seethed from the backseat.
"Right behind me, bro!" Seth agreed next to him, "If any harm comes to that baby, I'll personally deal with Gabby myself."
Once in Las Vegas, New Mexico, they checked the terminal cashier but found that no one with Gabby's description had purchased tickets. They then checked local bus routes, taking hours to do so and putting that much time between them Gabby. It did not sit well with any of them, either. Yet, uncharacteristically, Raphael remained mute, although Leo could quite easily sense his brother's rising ire. The way he was posturing himself in the front seat and the way he focused on the passing scenery, Raph was building up for one monumental confrontation with his wayward daughter.
Leo pitied the girl when that day came, too.
Finally, they took a chance and ducked into a Greyhound bus terminal. All heads turned in their direction as the strangest group of beings the town had ever seen walked through the front doors. Yet, their purposeful and deliberate stride told everyone around them to keep their comments to themselves.
As Leo strode up to the cashier, he whipped out a picture of Gabby, not wanting to have to describe her again. "See this girl? She may have had a hooded coat on, tan in color, a little dirty, has a baby in one arm and leading a little girl, also wearing a coat and hood?"
The cashier, slightly wide-eyed, replied as she gulped back a bit of trepidation, "Y-Yes, I have. She bought a ticket to Denver, I think. Left two hours ago."
Once back in the car, Mike remarked with what everyone else thought, "So, what are the chances that Gabby's on to us?"
Seth sighed glumly, "I'd say, pretty good!"
COMMENTS
PACPHYS - Yeah, I mean, what else would anyone say, right? I think Raph would have certainly given this woman more to remember than Mike would have, that's for sure! LOL And, I could just see Raph and Seth shifting from one foot to th'other, antsy and eager to get on with the hunt for Gabby, too. Well, what story would be worth the reading if there wasn't something to go wrong, although I won't allude to what quite yet. I do like rainbows and bunnies, though. :0) Thanks for the help with Alaskan stuff and for your honest comments re: the RR flashbacking I did. Hard not to when it's anyone's guess who's new to this TMNT universe. I might just brief it up even more, now that you've mentioned it. I trust your wisdom in this area. Thanks for reading and reviewing, of course. Be blessed.
PRETENDER FANATIC – Gabby is smart, more so than she needs to be, but then it may serve her well down the road a ways, too. Yet, she's heading for heartache, as well. ahahaha…. So many spouses do take the kids and just 'disappear', sad to say. Well, as always, thanks for being faithful by reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
LUNAR-NINJA – Ms. Housekeeper was just surprised is all and we all make comments in our mind that somehow find our mouth! I've done it I don't know how many times and it's really embarrassing, believe me. My husband will accuse me of mumbling when I wasn't even trying to say anything! Sometimes I think my ears disengage when my brain and mouth are still operative! LOL Anyway, I noticed that you did read Yosutebito Daughter, so maybe you sort of forgot that Gabby and Seth married near the end of that story? Yeah, in RR, they had been married a little more than four years by the time Rama entered their lives. So, in Passions, they would have been married something like nine years. Hey, you have a few years to go before you need to start thinking about marriage, so don't berate yer-self. :0) Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.