Danny was standing at the edge of the crime scene, his eyes wide behind his rimless glasses, his good hand hanging at his side, flexing and un-flexing. His injured arm was tucked under his jacket, hugged close to him. He was gritting his teeth and nodding his head rapidly too, and Mac was eying him closely as he walked over.
"You're either pissed or in a lot of pain" Mac stated.
"So?" Danny asked without looking at him.
"Did the doctor give you painkillers for your arm?" Mac pointed to Danny's arm where the younger CSI was almost pressing it into his body.
"Yes" Danny answered, short and sharp, clearly in pain.
"Have you taken any?" Mac spoke in a slightly condescending tone, feeling as always with Danny that he was dealing with a stubborn kid. Not that he thought Danny was childish but when he was like this, in this type of mood, Mac felt like the only way to get through was to talk down to him.
"They make me foggy" Danny told him.
"Foggy?" Mac frowned.
"My head isn't clear when I take 'em, I can't think clear, I lose track of things" Danny explained irritably.
"Tia says that when you're doped you're adorable" Mac allowed himself a half smile as Danny finally looked at him.
"Tia said that?" Danny asked.
"Yup"
"I'll take one later, I just need to be clear for this" Danny nodded to the scene.
It was a quiet street outside a pleasant, new looking apartment building. Tracy Woods was ten years old but looked a lot younger due mainly to genetics, her mother was petite too, just about five feet tall. Tracy could easily pass for six or seven years old. She had been in the rec centre of her apartment building, an enclosed arcade built next the building itself so parents didn't have to worry that their children where walking the streets to go to an arcade. Tracy had been with friends playing the games, buying snacks from the machines, their regular nightly practice. The rec room was attended by two security guards, hired by the tenants of the building from a security company run by ex cops. Tracy and her friends had left the rec room to walk home, only having to travel a dozen or so feet from the rec room to the apartment building, all of the girls had keys and had let them selves into the main building, only for Tracy to dart back out into the road/walkway to retrieve her dropped purse. Melvin, driving a car that had already been reported as stolen had swung the vehicle around next to the walk way which acted as an entrance to a small residents parking lot, and dragged Tracy into his car. There where bright lights on both the rec room and the main building, enough that Tracy's friends had gotten a clear look at Melvin when he grabbed Tracy, enough to describe him and confirm it was him from a photo line up.
Mac nodded "We've got uniforms looking for the car…and we found his stash of sedatives so she wont be asleep. People are looking for Melvin and we've taken out an amber alert, so Tracy's face is splashed across every new channel in the state" Mac was speaking as much for his own assurance as Danny's. "There's an APB out on the car, but chances are he'll dump it as soon as he gets the opportunity, but with all the publicity on this case some ones bound to see em" they watched as Aiden and Stella talked to a group of mothers just outside the apartment building. Nicole was standing in front of a the security guards from the rec centre, taking their statements- they had already told Mac that they had watched the girls get to the building, seen them go in, but Nicole was going over the statement again to clarify some things, Flack had jumped in a car with a uniform and was off patrolling the city. Mike was in the jeep nearby, talking rapidly into a walkie talkie, a map of the city laid out in front of him. He had called Melvin's attorney on the way over to the scene and brow beaten the man into checking into his clients properties, hoping to find some other location Melvin's wife didn't know about. Mike opened the door to his jeep and leaned out awkwardly "He has a house!" he yelled.
Mac and Danny jogged over, frowning "What?" Mac asked as they both climbed into the jeep to escape the rain.
"Melvin bought a house 'bout two months ago, but he bought it under a business name, Interhome designs, an internal design company. He uses the house as offices and show rooms, each room done up in a particular style or theme, you know modern or feng shui or Victorian? The house is one of only a dozen on that block that isn't being torn down in two months to make way for a new renewal scheme, the city wants to put a public garden in…half a dozen houses are gonna be used to house some of the builders and gardeners both during and after construction, Melvin's house got saved, a long with some elderly residents who don't wanna move, after an extensive campaign." Mike explained.
"What makes you sure that's where he would go?" Mac asked even as Mike keyed the ignition and honked the horn, signalling Nicole to come over which she did.
She too climbed in out of the rain.
"The lawyer I talked to, he put me through to the bank and insurance company Melvin uses, who are one and the same by the way and, remember how we thought the way we found Lily mighta meant something? Well that building? That's where the bank is based. And two weeks ago, they refused to give Melvin another loan to expand his business- I talked to Sheldon too, he told me that the last cases, the other little girls Melvin killed? They where all randomly dumped, and at the time they where abducted and killed, I checked, Melvin was making a comfortable living. Now though, Melvin is gonna have to fold his little company…he dumped her in that lot because he's angry at the bank…but he still owns the house" Mike looked around at them all "But like I said, its not under his name so it wouldn't immediately show up in his paper work! It's practically a secret hideout" Mike shrugged " We know he takes them back to his place, but there are things that don't fit…what if he takes them to this house to kill them? What if what ever it is he shows them is there?" Mike asked the whole car.
Mac still looked doubtful "But if we go in there with back up and we're wrong its guys who coulda been out looking for his car getting pulled off the streets for nothing" he reminded them.
Nicole took the notepad Mike had written all his numbers on from his hands and pulled her cell phone from her pocket, dialling the number for Melvin's business. There was a tense pause in the car then Nicole swore quietly and paused again "Hi, I guess you're not in, a girlfriend told me you do interior decorating and I'm looking to get my dining room redone but I'll just call earlier tomorrow, thanks, bye" she said in an actually pretty good faux American accent. "machine" she explained as she clicked the phone off "but if he's there and not just not picking up, leaving a message makes it seem like its just a customer calling, not a cop tryna see if he's in" she told them. She paused, staring at her phone "I say he's there" she looked around at them.
Danny nodded in agreement and Mac paused briefly before nodding to and looking over at Mike.
"Go" Mac told the young detective.
Mike pulled up near Aiden and Stella and the younger CSI jogged over "We're gonna check out a possible location, Mike's gonna call Don in, do you have any samples?" He asked.
"There are non to have, he grabbed her and ran without ever leavin the car" Aiden told them.
"Okay, you and Stella follow behind" Mac stated and Aiden ran to get Stella.
Mike stepped on the accelerator and everyone in the car said a silent prayer that they where right.
Tracy Woods was furiously biting the ropes tied around her wrist. She had been told all about Lily Carter in school, about how the man had given Lily bad sweets. This guy hadn't given her sweets but she knew what coincidences where and knew that her being grabbed, wasn't one, this was the same guy.
The man who had tied her up and thrown her so roughly into the back of his car had red hair like it said on the news, and was tall and bulky like they said too. He had scratches on his face and a bald patch over one of his ears and seemed madder than anyone Tracy had ever seen, and that included her daddy that time when her mom had accidentally put bleach in with all his work shirts. Eventually daddy had seen the funny side and calmed down, but Tracy didn't think this man would calm down anytime soon. She had cried in the car, sobbed and screamed for her mom and dad even though the man had told her to be quiet. He had driven her around a lot, making her lay down on the floor, then they had driven into some kind of garage. He had carried her into a house then down into a basement, sitting her down on the floor and leaving her. That had been about a half hour ago and he still hadn't come back, so Tracy had gotten to her feet and wandered around the basement, finding a window that she could climb up to and out of if she could get her hands free. She was scared, she felt sick to her stomach and sort of feverish but cold, as if she had a bad flu, but she knew that the man would do terrible things to her and that sitting in the dark and crying to herself wouldn't help her. Tracy had never been a big crier, even if she hurt herself, fell down while she played and skinned a knee, she would never scream for her mom, just go and find her. Crying didn't get you any where she had explained to her mother once when asked why she never got upset. Tracy knew her mom had been proud that Tracy was so grown up when she had said that, but had told Tracy that sometimes it was okay to be upset or afraid. And Tracy was, more afraid than she had ever been, but now more than ever she needed to be a grown up and to get herself out of this basement.
So she chewed the rope, or rather, the tight knot that kept her hands pinned so tightly together that her hands where numb. She had already decided that if the man laid a hand on her she was going to scratch his eyes out, so even if she couldn't free them she needed to loosen the rope and get the feeling back.
It hurt her teeth to chew such tight rope, and her lips where bloody from where her teeth had slipped and clamped down on her lips, but she could feel the rope beginning to loosen up as she chewed. She remembered playing with her brother Jake once, playing Peter Pan. Tracy had pretended to be princess tiger lily, Jake acting as Captain Hook. They didn't have a Pan so Tracy had had to free herself from the ropes Jake had tied her up with. Tracy had learned that tight knots got easier to loosen if you wet them, so as she chewed, she spat on the knot, working the liquid in with her teeth. On of the loops of the knot came loose enough that Tracy pulled at it, twisted her arms around, and actually felt the rope begin to give a little under. She flexed still numb hands as much as she could and felt the numbness begin to recede enough that she could move them more. She attacked another loop of the knot, unable to find any specific end piece to work on, and began to tug at that, wincing as she slipped again and her teeth clacked together so hard she thought she might have cracked them. She took a second to check but the pain faded and she went back to work, freezing when she heard the thump of someone walking over head. The footsteps, it seemed to Tracy, where of someone pacing around the house. The man who had taken her, who she remembered from the news was called Melvin, had been stomping around since he dropped her down here, his path taking him over head every couple of minutes, Tracy had counted. At one point she had thought she heard the phone ring but she couldn't be sure.
The sounds passed again and Tracy went back to working on the rope, chewing at it hurriedly. She had a feeling it wouldn't be long before the creep came down for her so she began to flex her wrists at the same time. "Come on!" she muttered through a mouth full of rope, feeling another loop begin to loosen.
She twisted her right wrist awkwardly, painfully, feeling the rope dig into her skin, but the more she moved it, the looser the bonds became. With one more twist her right hand slid free and she fell back as the tension she had been putting on the rope suddenly vanished. "yes!" she hissed.
Tracy stood. Pausing to see if she could tell where Melvin was. She counted up the minutes in her head and realised he hadn't passed over her like he should have. Even as she realised something was wrong the basement door at the top of the stairs creaked open. Tracy hesitated, wondering if she should run or stay and play along until he left again. But then there was the chance he might try something…Tracy slipped her hand back into the loop, grateful that it didn't look as loose as it now was. She sat back down, keeping her hands close to her body as Melvin walked unsteadily down the stairs, carrying a tray of food.
There where two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a plastic cup of soda and an banana split, freshly made by the looks of it. The sandwich was on one of those paper plates you get at parties, Tracy noticed, a fancy looking one with some kind of design drawn on.
"I thought you might be hungry?" Melvin smiled awkwardly at her as he put the tray down.
Tracy raised an eyebrow at him. He must of thought she was stupid. "You're the guy who killed Lily Carter, its on the TV, I'm not eating anything you give me" she stated.
Melvin sat down cross legged and picked up one of the sandwiches "Are you sure you don't want to eat? I make the best PB and J in the world, my daughter tells me so!" he grinned again, ignoring her other comments.
"You have a kid? Do you molester her too?" Tracy sneered at him.
"What? That's a terrible thing to say, who taught a nice little girl like you to say such awful things!" Melvin frowned "Eat your dinner and I'll forgive you" he tried to be nice again.
Tracy looked at the glass bowl the banana split came in and had an idea.
"You have to leave" she stated "You get out or I'm not eating a thing"
Melvin stared at her and she could see his face tighten as he tried to keep from getting angry with her. "If stay we could talk about some things" he suggested.
"What could you and me have to talk about?" Tracy asked doubtfully.
"Lots of things. What you like to do for fun, who your best friends are, what games you like to play, anything you want!" Melvin took another bite of his sandwich.
"I want to talk about Lily Carter" Tracy said and Melvin's smile faded as he finished his bite, swallowing painfully.
"That's not appropriate conversation over dinner. Hurry up and eat, I made that ice cream special for you so you don't eat it all before it melts" he pushed the tray toward her.
"Get out and I'll eat, I'll yell when I'm done" Tracy shrugged, looking away as if she was bored, but inside she felt like her stomach was trying to crawl up her throat.
Melvin stared at her for a long minute, then took his plate and stomped up the stairs and out of the basement.
Tracy waited for a minute, finally hearing the thump of him walking away from the door, then slid her hands free again.
She grabbed the tray and carried to over to a far corner, taking everything off it. The tray was light, made of a thin board of wood, the plastic cup and paper plate where useless but the glass bowl would definitely be useful.
Tracy turned the bowl upside down on the ground then put the tray over it. She jumped on the tray with both feet and heard a crunch as the bowl broke. Ice cream and banana slices oozed out from under the tray but Tracy ignored them as she moved the wood and found the longest shard of glass she could. It hurt to grip it in her bare hand so Tracy slid the long sleeve of her sweater down over her hand then gripped the shard in her now covered hand. It didn't hurt to hold the glass tightly and Tracy grinned; now she had a knife.
Mike was doing a very good impression of a stunt driver as he weaved through the evening traffic, ignoring the honks of protest form other drivers as he overtook, cut up, cut off, and generally broke almost every road rule that he could think of as he broke it. As they sped through the rain, everyone proposed plans of how to get into the house if it turned out that Melvin was in fact there. Nicole and Danny came up with one that would work to get some one into the house, and would also provide a distraction if need be- Nicole would simply ring the doorbell claiming to be a potential customer who heard about the themed rooms from a friend and decided to stop by on a whim since she was in the neighbourhood visiting friends anyway. If he was there, she would try and get him to let her in while Danny, being the smallest, would sneak around back and try and get into the basement through any kind of window or entrance there. They had already figured that with every room in the house as a show room, the basement would be the most likely place to store a kid. The plan worked two ways-if Nicole could get in then they had two armed police officers inside the house with two more outside and back up on the way. If not, it still left at least one cop in the house with back up on the way and three ready to rush in if need be.
"Are we sure that having some one knock and claim to be a buyer isn't gonna set off any alarms since se just called him posing as a buyer?" Mike looked at Danny and Nicole in the rearview.
"Even If he doesn't let me in, if Danny can get into the basement and find Tracy, its better than nothing" Nicole shrugged. They pulled over so Danny could slip out, a few houses up, Nicole could drive and Mac and Mike could hide in the passenger seat so it seemed like Nicole was alone.
Nicole adjusted her hair and make up enough so it seemed she was really was who she claimed to be, watching carefully as Danny crouched beside the jeep. She swung the vehicle around slowly driving up to Melvin's house. Danny was jogging along side and as she pulled the car across the street to park outside Melvin's, Danny dropped back and ducked behind the neighbours hedge. Danny dropped into a low crouch and sprinted up the driveway, disappearing behind the house.
Nicole took a big deep breath, then blew all the air out. "You'll do good" she heard Mike whisper form behind her and she climbed out of the jeep, running full pelt to the porch, one hand held above her head as a less than adequate shield from the rain.
She rapped on the door, plastering a smile onto her face as she wiped her jacket down, trying to seem like a regular Jane nobody who had gotten caught in a storm.
There was no answer to Nicole knocked again, this time calling out "Hello? Is this Interhomes? I called a little earlier, I'm in the area visiting friends and I hoped I might catch you in!" she yelled, hoping she sounded whiny and desperate enough that he would just open up. "Oh please be in, hello!" she called as she knocked again.
Danny slid feet first into the basement, feeling a solid surface beneath him and dropping into a crouch. He didn't have his gun drawn because with his shooting arm re injured, he had one free hand and he had been using that to get himself through the window.
"Tracy?" he hissed into the darkness that filled the basement, closing the basement window on the sounds of what had become a full blown storm a few minutes ago.
No one answered so Danny called again, lowering himself to the floor. He pulled a small torch from clip on his belt and clipped it on, casting the beam quickly around the room. There was no Tracy, but in one corner there was a small mess, what looked like spilled ice cream and shards of glass. The pattern of the glass told Danny that the…bowl he surmised, had been crushed, not dropped and he wondered if Tracy had been passed out on top of the bowl or, he looked more closely at the broken glass, noting the missing shard, fashioned a weapon. "Good girl" he murmured, wondering where she must have gone.
He climbed the stairs almost silently, moving like a cat, stepping on the very edges of the steps so as to avoid making too much noise, and checked the basement door. It opened and he pushed it forward a half inch. It didn't creak so Danny put the torch away and drew his gun. He pushed the door again slowly, another half inch, repeating the slow process until he heard the first inkling of a creak. Then he stopped and simply peered out. By listening hard he could just make out Nicole's voice as she prattled on about wall papers and paint, speaking almost every thought that came to her mind to keep Melvin at the door. Danny was thin enough that he could step into the small, neat kitchen without having to open the door any further and push the door closed behind him. He glanced around and saw a staircase, heading straight foe it and skipping up it with that same nimble cat speed as before.
He came to the first floor landing and paused, but the conversation from the car came back to him – all the rooms where show rooms, so he wouldn't put a kid in one. Danny looked up, spotting a tell tale panel in the ceiling up ahead, the trap door for the attic. He reached up, rising onto his tip toes to snatch the cord and pulled it toward himself, his gun raised to shoot Melvin if the ladder came down loud. It slid down easily with barely a bump as it touched the floor which was concealed by a rumble of thunder. Danny climbed the ladder hurriedly, knowing Nicole could only conceivably keep up her lie for so long, and reluctantly holstered his gun as in order to pull himself into the attic.
"Tracy?" he repeated.
"Here!" came a high, but calm voice.
Danny turned and saw the girl standing near the window, a tangle of ropes wrapped around one wrist, a shard of glass clutched in her hand. "Tracy I'm a cop, I need you to come over here okay?" Danny asked, holding up his badge for her to see.
"He brought me up here a little while ago, he though I was groggy but I wasn't and he though I was tied up but I wasn't" she motioned to the tangle of ropes "I was gonna go out the window but he brought me up here" Tracy whispered to Danny as she walked over to him.
"Has he hurt you in any way?" Danny hated to ask but it was important that he know in case she was injured or traumatised.
"No, apart from tying my hands too tight" she shrugged "There's a school over there" she said suddenly.
"What?" Danny frowned at her.
"Out the window, there's a school, its right across the street" she told him "I thought it was kinda weird is all" she shrugged again.
Danny crossed the attic quickly and looked out at the school, reading the name on the sign in a lightning flash.
"That's his kid's school" he realised, murmuring it to himself.
Realisation hit Danny so suddenly it almost staggered him. The odd bruise patterns on the little girls bodies, the lack of physical evidence in the bedroom the involvement of his daughter…Danny quickly shone his torch around and saw a smaller version of the bed from Melvin's apartment shoved against the far wall of the attic. Unlike its double, this bed was clearly used unkempt. What could have been a pair of child's underwear had been dropped by the side of the bed. Danny saw it in his minds eye, Melvin took the girls, using his daughter as a lure. He took them back to his regular apartment to placate his daughter and to secure his possession of them, letting them sleep, un harassed in the princess bed there. After wards, when his daughter was gone and whatever circumstances had arisen that made him comfortable, he transported the girls, sleeping or awake, to this house, where the real ordeal began. When he was done with them he brought them over to this window to show them…his daughter. He would show them his daughter at play with her school friends. Danny and Mike had done basic checks on Melvin's wife and daughter and had found that they both lived simple little lives, Rachel, Mel's ex, worked all day while Chrissie was at school. On the weekends Chrissie visited her dad, or not, but every Sunday she attended a fair organised by the PTA of her school along with her mother. She would play with her friends while her mother sold cakes or cookies or raffle tickets. You would be able to see them from this window. Danny held is victims so he could see Chrissie at play…so he could see how they had been betrayed.
Danny shuddered backing away from the window, his eyes feeling hot, heavy with tears. He shook himself back to the present and turned to Tracy.
"We need to get out of here" he stated "But I don't think we can go the way we came"
"Where is he?" Tracy asked, peering toward the open trap door in the floor.
"I have a friend trying to distract him downstairs, but I don't know how long she can keep it up" Danny explained, motioning Tracy toward him. She ran over to him, stepping around the trap door hurriedly.
Danny turned back to the rain beaten window, scanning the edge. There was no visible seam and he cursed, running his fingers over the layer of paint sealing the only safe escape.
"Shit" he spat.
"Maybe this will help?" Tracy held out the shard of glass.
Danny took it, thanking her, and scraped at the paint. Some of it came up but there where layers of it and the whole window had been painted. "Keep at it" he told Tracy, handing her the shard.
He crouched on the floor beside the trap door and leaned over, straining to listen. He could just make out Melvin's voice, sounding as if he was bidding farewell to Nicole. He headed back to Tracy, knowing their time was limited.
"I got a plan but it's dangerous" Danny told her "The next big thunder rumble I'm gonna smash the window and we're gonna head out, okay?" He crouched in front of her.
"We're three storeys up" Tracy stated.
"Yeah but there are trellises on the wall, with vines on em? We can climb down like a ladder" Danny explained "it's the only way out that doesn't take us past Melvin"
"We could just sneak" Tracy looked afraid.
"Yeah, but he might walk away from my friend and be moving around the house and we wouldn't know" Danny pulled his gun from the holster on his hip and checked the safety was on. "Get behind me" he told Tracy.
"Like Satan?" Tracy remarked and Danny shot her a look.
"My aunt used to say it all the time whenever she wanted a cigarette-she was tryna quit" Tracy explained.
"You're not like most kids" Danny chuckled.
"My mom says that. She says I'm too smart for my own good but then she says 'on the plus side, you're too smart for your own good'" Tracy smiled proudly.
She stood behind Danny as he raised his gun, butt first. "Cover your eyes" he reached his broken arm back awkwardly and pulled her slightly closer to his back so that his body shielded her even more. "Don't fart I'm butt level" he heard her mutter.
He laughed nodding his head slightly as he waited for the rumble of thunder he needed so badly. He imagined he could already hear Melvin coming toward them and resisted the urge to just throw caution to the wind and smash the window. The thunder came sudden and loud and he felt Tracy jump behind him.
Danny swung the gun and the window shattered, the sound mostly masked by the thunder which sounded like a rock slide or some kind of great roaring creature. He cursed as one of the jagged edges of glass sliced neatly through his hand but the window fell away, wind and rain sweeping into the room.
Danny leaned out and looked down, seeing that the trellis was easily within reach for both himself and Tracy. He looked out and saw the jeep pulling out of the driveway but only moving a few yards down the street. In the bad weather it was impossible to see the dark coloured vehicle under a copse of trees.
Danny reached back to Tracy, holstering his gun again, knowing he would need his hands free to climb down. A hand that couldn't belong to Tracy gripped his upper arm and he turned around, feeling like a kid caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. Melvin wasn't much bigger than Danny but he was heavy, that kind of solid weight that could be fat but was really muscle. Tracy was crouched in a corner, her hands hidden behind her knees. Danny reached for his gun lightning fast but Melvin butted him, his forehead smacking against Danny's with a thunk that Danny assumed Mac could hear in the jeep.
Danny felt Melvin's hand pull Danny's gun from the holster as he tried to think past the explosion of pain in the centre of his forehead. Danny slid slowly down the wall, holding his hands up to show they where empty, staring up at Melvin. "Melvin-" he started to say.
"Shut up!" Melvin snapped, his voice high, his tone bordering on hysteria. "How did you get in?" he grabbed at his own thinningreddish hair.
"Your security is shit" Danny spat, knowing he should try to talk Melvin down, being distracted by the crawly, filthy feeling on his forehead where Melvin's skin had touched his own.
"You where in my apartment, you went through my things illegally!" Melvin snapped at him, waving the gun uncertainly.
Danny was watching the weapon, very aware that Melvin hadn't touched the safety. Danny risked a glance at Tracy who hadn't moved from her corner but had a coiled look to her, as if she might bolt at any second. Danny saw her eyes flick from Melvin to Danny and twisted his hand so it made a 'stop' signal, like a traffic cop. Tracy nodded minutely, her eyes fixed on Danny's hand for his next signal.
"It wasn't illegal, the magazine cover you left at the park led us straight to you, you sick fuck" Danny sneered.
Melvin kicked him in the leg, not hard enough to do damage but it hurt and Danny kicked back instinctively, his heel catching Melvin's knee. Melvin rewarded him by hitting him with the butt of the gun, knocking his glasses off. Danny silently replaced his glasses as Melvin paced the room. "Mel put that gun down" Danny advised.
"You alone?" Mel asked.
"Yeah" Danny lied, unable to deicide if it was better for Melvin to think it was just him or if he had back up.
Melvin stared at him and Danny knew that the guy believed him and wondered how some one so stupid had gotten away with his crimes for so long.
"So what do I do with you?" Melvin glared at Danny.
Danny shrugged, feeling rain from the open window soaking his hair and the back of his shirt. He shuddered again, from the cold this time more than his fear of Melvin. As long as he kept Melvin distracted Tracy might still be able to get out.
"I can't kill you…I kill a cop…I'm dead" Melvin theorised.
Danny raised an eyebrow and resisted the urge to tell Melvin that as a paedophile and child killer he was already dead but if Melvin thought he didn't need to keep Danny alive he would do away with him and that would leave Tracy all alone. Danny wanted to suggest that Melvin let Tracy and Danny leave but Melvin seemed to have forgotten about Tracy for the time being and Danny preferred things that way.
Melvin walked over to a far, darkened corner and came back with a length of rope and a roll of masking tape. "Hands together" Melvin demanded.
Danny shook his head slowly so Melvin aimed a kick at Danny's raised, broken arm. Danny cried out and pulled his arm toward him, and Melvin, who was surprisingly fast for a large man, swooped in and looped the rope around Danny's good arm, then his broken one, pulling it tight so Danny's hands where tied in front of him.
Danny tried to struggle but Melvin literally sat on him and pinned him down, wrapping the masking tape around his mouth, his whole head. Danny was cursing at him but the tape muffled every word he spat as Melvin pressed the tape tight against his lips. Danny tried to reach for the gun with his bound hands but Melvin held it out of reach and slapped Danny across the face, and open handed strike that left Danny's ear ringing. Melvin grabbed Danny's hair and thumped Danny's head off the floor hard enough to leave Danny dazed and immobilized. Melvin climbed to his feet and strode over to Tracy as Danny fought against the fog in his head.
"No!" he heard Tracy yell "Lemme go!" he twisted awkwardly to see Melvin had gripped Tracy's arm and was dragging her toward the filthy bed.
Tracy's hand swung out and Melvin let her go, clutching at his face. Danny saw the glint of the shard of glass in her hand, and realised Tracy had slashed Melvin with it. Melvin back handed Tracy, sending her crashing to the floor as Danny tried to roll so he could sit up.
"Little bitch!" Melvin barked, "You fuckin' bitch" he grabbed her wrist this time, squeezing until she dropped the shard.
Danny heard a crash that wasn't a rumble of thunder, but was a door being kicked open and realised Nicole, Mike and Mac had come inside.
He kicked at the floor as hard as he could from a prone position, yelling through the tape over his mouth.
Melvin turned to stare at him, confused at his actions. Danny looked at Tracy and thumped his head against the floor, hoping she would get the idea. It took her all of a second to figure it out and she began yelling for help, screaming and stomping her feet like a kid throwing a tantrum. Melvin balked and ran over to Danny, dragging him to his feet a shoving him, hard against the wall. Danny felt his head impact and began to wonder about the long term damage being done with all the head injuries he was enduring inhis increasingly jumbled conciousness.
Melvin scooped Tracy up and carried her to the bed, throwing her down roughly. He still had the gun and pressed it to Tracy's temple, causing her to freeze in her struggling. Melvin looked desperately toward the open hatch, then something came over him, his fearful face twisting into an in human mask. He rounded on Tracy, something in his face making her scream but he clamped his hand over her mouth, dropping the gun, his free hand hovering over her body. Danny pushed off the wall and staggered toward Melvin, looping his bound hands over Melvin's head, around his neck, dragging the man backwards. Tracy immediately swung her legs off the bed and ran to the hatch, yelling "Here, we're up here, the attic, help!" as loud as she could.
Danny was doing his best to choke Melvin but he could only use one arm and Melvin was tucking his head into his shoulders like a turtle, protecting his throat. Danny growled, shouting as Melvin staggered backwards, his bulk pushing Danny back. Danny tried to plant his feet but Melvin was heavier and Danny felt his back hit the wall yet again. He had tucked his own head in though, so avoided another hit on the head. But he felt the air rush out of his lungs and his grip on Melvin slackened enough that Melvin ducked out from the loop of Danny's arms and turned, grabbing the front of Danny's shirt. Danny jabbed at Melvin's eyes and the man spun away. Danny grabbed the tape around his mouth and painfully pulled the whole loop off his head, feeling it pull several strands of hair out, dropping it to the floor.
"Tracy go down there and just keep yellin' tell 'em where we are honey" he told Tracy who immediately disappeared through the hatch way.
Danny saw his gun and ran for it but Melvin was suddenly behind him, dragging him backwards. He snaked an arm around Danny's waist and clamped his other hand over Danny's nose and mouth, squeezing hard. Danny tried to call out but Melvin squeezed harder and Danny's lungs began to ache for oxygen. Danny reached for Melvin's hand trying to pull it away but Melvin had too solid a grip and seemed unconcerned that Danny was scratching the back of his hand bloody.
The ache in Danny's chest became more severe and he felt throbbing behind his eyes.
"Let him go Melvin" One of the Beatles on helium demanded and Danny felt Melvin swing around.
Nicole was kneeling on the floor beside the hatch, her gun held unwaveringly on Melvin. She was soaked through but looked cool and composed. "I said let him go" she stated.
"I'm dead" Melvin told her "They're gonna put me in prison for life and you know what'll happen to me in there" he whined.
Danny was working his jaw, trying to bite Melvin's hand.
"If you let Danny go now we may be able to make a deal" Nicole lied "But if you kill him, there is nothing we can do for you" she kept her voice low and calm, talking Melvin down.
"What kind of deal?" Melvin didn't move his hand at all.
"I don't know exactly but I can talk to the DA and explain that you showed mercy and they may be able to arrange something" Nicole said.
She let her gun drop just a bit "See, I'm trusting you, you trust me now okay?" she half smiled, kindly, warmly.
Melvin seemed to relax, Danny felt the tension draining away but his hand was still clamped over Danny's face and Danny was seeing black spots and purple streaks in his vision. He 'mm'd' vehemently at Nicole urging her to hurry up.
"I could walk away" Melvin sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
"M-maybe" Nicole stumbled over the blatant lie "But you have to let him go right now because he's fading" Nicole let a note of urgency enter her voice.
Melvin still didn't release Danny and took a step back "I walk away" Melvin said more firmly "You want him" he shook Danny a little "I walk away, right now"
Nicole blinked at him, raising an eyebrow, an 'oh please' look on her face. She sighed. "He armed?" she looked directly at Danny, who shook his head no minutely
"Let him go Mel" Nicole said blankly.
"Only once I'm free and clear" Melvin growled, sounding more confident.
"For Fucks sake, Melvin I'm a crack shot, you don't have a gun and Danny is a lot smaller than you. Let him go or die" she raised her gun again aiming it squarely at Melvin's head.
"What?" Melvin asked, all trace of confidence gone from his voice.
Danny shot an elbow awkwardly backwards, making Melvin 'oof' painfully and loosen his grip enough that Danny ducked and Nicole fired.
Danny fell on his front, groaning as more pain shot through his arm, sucking in a big breath. The spots faded from his vision and the headache receded as he breathed out and in again. "Danny!" Nicole was kneeling at his side.
"I'm good, where's Tracy?" Danny asked as Mac and Mike came into the attic.
"Down stairs with a female officer, she's sayin he never touched her, you stopped him" Mike joined Nicole, helping Danny to stand up.
Melvin was sitting against the wall, one hand pressed to the wound on his shoulder, whimpering incoherently.
"Good shootin Tex" Mike grinned at his partner.
"The stupid twat actually thought he could walk away" Nicole shrugged.
"Paramedics are down stairs with Tracy…we should take Danny down there and make sure they take a really long time checkin him out before we send em up for Mel here" Mac stated.
"Yeah" Mike said.
"Cos we don't want to have a cop die because some one was distracted" Mac was staring at Melvin, making no move to help him.
"Plus he's shit and deserves to suffer so we should avoid helping him in any way at all" Danny said.
"Yeah, that too. Danny where's your gun?" Mac asked "And I'll need yours too Nicole, protocol" Mac shrugged.
"S'over there somewhere, he took it away from me" Danny motioned near the bed.
"Oh my god" Nicole breathed as she spotted the bed.
"Yeah, and his kids school is across the street. He held em that awkward way so they could see her, I figure so he could say she had betrayed them" Danny told them.
Mike cocked his head to one side like a bird. "Really?" he asked, his voice oddly empty.
He turned to Melvin and pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, protocol when dealing with blood. He crouched, gripping Melvin's injured shoulder way tighter than was strictly necessary and squeezed, making the man cry out.
"Don't want him bleeding to death on us" Mike looked around at the others who all nodded. "You guys go ahead and take Danny downstairs, get him seen to, Mac and me will preserve the scene and make sure Mel here doesn't run away"
"Sounds good to me" Nicole nodded.
"Flack should be on his way up, let him know we're gonna need kits and people to close off the scene for me…oh and call Aiden and Stella in" Mac told Danny.
Danny nodded again as Nicole helped him climb awkwardly down the stairs, avoiding touching his bad arm. He swayed slightly as they reached the bottom groaning as his head began to thump in time with his pulse.
"There are times," he began to tell her as he negotiated the flight of stairs leading to the ground floor "When I really truly hate this job"
They reached the door and walked out side, heading automatically for the fleet of ambulances that had pulled up. Tracy was wrapped in a blanket, sitting beside a female officer who was talking to her softly.
"Is this one of them?" Nicole asked.
Tracy looked up and saw Danny, running over and throwing herself into his arms with a cry. She hugged him the way only children can, that impossibly tight grip full of so much trust and affection. Danny hugged her back as she began to weep into his shoulder, her façade of bravery finally crumbling now that she knew she was safe.
Danny looked up at Nicole, his eyes wavering with unshed tears "No" he whispered.
He blinked once and the tears where gone, and Danny was Danny again. "Hey, hey, hey?" He gave a gentle laugh "Whatsamatter sweetie, you're okay now, its okay" he soothed Tracy effortlessly, walking with her over to an ambulance and sitting on the back step so a medic could examine him.
Nicole sat on the opposite side of Tracy, letting the girl take her hand and squeeze it tight.
Danny sighed wearily and closed his eyes. He said a silent prayer of thanks that they had gotten here in time, and silent prayer of apology to those they had been unable to save.
Finished at last. Thanks for R+R'n, its been fun. Let me know if you want more because I'm well up for the writing! Laters my dears.xxxxx