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Arriving home, Mark noted the two non-descript vehicles in the driveway which spelled police in bold letters. One was Frank's vehicle, but the other one he couldn't put a name to. Casually walking up the sidewalk and into the house, Mark was still thinking about how he was going to tell Hardcase about today's events.

Mark strode through the house and into the den where he could hear Frank and Hardcastle talking. "Hey, I'm home," he called as he entered. "Hey, Frank, how's it going?" as he nodded at Lieutenant Frank Harper, who gave Mark a serious look. A tingle of the hairs on the back of Mark's neck told him that all was not well, as he spotted the FBI agent who was rising out of his chair in front of Hardcastle's desk.

"Agent Brunner, meet Mark McCormick," introduced Hardcastle.

Mark stepped forward and extended his hand to greet the agent, while pasting a smile on his face, hoping to hide any fears he was feeling.

"Agent Brunner, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Mark questioned smoothly. As if I don't know.

"Agent Brunner is with the FBI," Milt quickly interjected, "he wants to ask you some questions."

"Questions about what?" There go those alarm bells again.

"Where have you been most of the day Mr. McCormick?"

"Ahhhh, I was with a girl," as Mark glanced quickly at Hardcastle, his eyes returned to the agent "but why is that any of your business?" Mark allowed a little of his ex-con suspicions out.

They know something about my relationship to Pat, but what and how much do they know?

"Just answer the question, Mr. McCormick," snapped the agent crisply.

With this scalding, Mark clenched his jaw and closed down, he stared blankly at the agent, not daring to look over at the judge.

Hardcastle witnessed the change in Mark's body language. He became stiff almost rigid, his face went blank and cold, with his jaw set, Milt knew Mark was done answering questions fired at him in this manner. "Agent Brunner, this is most inappropriate," Milt attempted to intervene.

Frank was also on his feet; he had also seen the change in Mark and did not like it. "Agent Brunner, let me talk with Mark a minute. I'm sure he would be more than happy to answer all your questions, it's just you kind of ambushed him here and he's feeling a little violated."

"Enough time has been wasted," the agent snapped loudly as he pulled handcuffs from his jacket pocket.

Mark saw him pull out the handcuffs; rolling his eyes, he whined, "You've got to be kidding me!"

Agent Brunner started reciting Mark his Miranda rights as he grabbed Mark's arm and spun him around. He quickly frisked Mark and pulled his arms behind his back and snapped on the handcuffs.

As the cold steel snapped tightly on his wrists, Mark realized his gut had been warning him all day of the impending doom he was facing. The butterflies in his stomach made him swallow hard. He had held himself rigid as the agent had frisked and cuffed him to avoid resisting in any way. He finally let out a breath with the exclamation "Ju-d-ge!"

The honest plea from McCormick sounded just like the skittish kid he had rescued from prison more than seven years ago, a sound that shook Milton Hardcastle to the bone, Mark only used that tone when he was terrified, when the judge had gotten past all his smart-aleckiness, this was Mark at his core. "Don't worry about this McCormick, we'll get it straightened out," Milt reassured him.

"Agent Brunner, can you tell us what this is all about, I think we have tried to be cooperative, but now you are crossing a line, what are the charges? What you arresting him for?" asked Hardcastle as he physically blocked the agent's exit from the room.

"I'm taking him down to the Bureau for questioning, since he seems a little reluctant to answer my questions, now I am asking you, Judge Hardcastle, to get out of my way or find yourself on charges for obstructing justice," came the trenchant remark from the agent.

Hardcastle reluctantly moved out of the agent's path to the door, "But I am his attorney, and I am following you to the Bureau, so you had better make this good, Agent Brunner," he let his words drip with incisiveness as Frank came up beside him and touched his arm.

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