What can I say? Except sorry…I have no excuses for not posting for so long. However the story is complete! Totally finished. There are 6 chapters left so I'll post one a day. Thanks for your kind reviews and most especially for your patience!

Chapter 18

Day 5 cont…

"Tell your agents to pull back, Jack, that's an order! I'm not having them mess things up... I have the best SWAT team in the land waiting at the other end of a phone line. I go in their alone and the SWAT team follows, and I won't hear another word about it. If he hadn't gotten so damn involved in your precious missing persons unit maybe my son would be sitting in the president's office instead of in handcuffs."

Jack Malone held the phone away from his ear, wincing at the harshness of deputy commission Fitzgerald's tone.

"Look SIR, if Danny's right then we wont need your SWAT Team, and with all respect Victor, I hardly thing your in a position to be in charge of twenty minute trained to shoot on command…"

The beep beep on the other line told him that Fitzgerald senior had hung up…

Danny raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked across at this boss. "I take it ol Vic's not happy then" he said, raising his voice to be heard above the whirr of helicopter blades. Both men were in an FBI helicopter making there way over the New York evening skyline.

"It's his only son; tell me you'd be any better in his position." He changed the subject "Why are you so sure Jameson Snr is telling the truth?"

Danny sighed heavily and then turned from where he had been looking out the window to face his boss.

"I asked him why he thought Michael was so upset after all these years, why he was so angry with Martin and with Victor….I just think its funny you know, I mean if it was me and something had happened like that with Raph, the yes I would be upset, but I think I'd be more upset with Raph for getting himself into that position, for ending up in prison and leaving me alone.

I said this to Mr Jameson.

"That's then funniest thing about it…"'Jameson senior coughed harshly down the phone. "The way he was talking to me, it was like he was more angry with Stan that anyone else…that's why I don't understand."

Jack nodded, realising what Danny was saying. "You think maybe Michael feels abandoned or betrayed or something and he wants to show the world how messed up he is because of what his brother did.

Danny nodded. "Right; and I also think he wants to finish what Stan started all those years back.

"And the first time, Martin was taken to a house about forty miles south of Washington called Healysville…" Jack continued.

"And forty miles south of New York there's a small village also called Healysville." Danny finished.

Jack sighed. "It's a pretty crappy lead Taylor."

"Yeah, but you know as well as I do it's the only one we got if we want to beat Victor and his SWAT team." He paused before adding "Otherwise you wouldn't have splashed out on the transport.

Jack smiled, the veiled humour in Danny's statement helping to clear some of the cloud of tension they were all under.

The sound of his cell phone was barely audible through the noise of the helicopter.

"Jack, its Vivian, Sam and I are about 20 miles south of New York, we just turned off interstate 20 onto highway 67, so far we seem to be going in a circle, and I don't know what the hell is going on."

"Well just keep on after him and keep calling it in." Jack replied. "Jameson has to be in contact with him to give him directions, and if this idea of Danny's turns out to be a wild goose chase then we need to know where Victor is at all times"

"And be careful," he added, a little awkwardly, not really knowing why he was saying it.

The helicopter touched down as he finished his call. They were about a mile from the town and as they peered out into the darkness, the two agents could see the lights of a car and a tall thin man in brown uniform coming towards them.

"I'm Sheriff Mike O'Neill". He shook both their hands. "What can I do for the FBI?"

"Jack Malone; this is Agent Danny Taylor. We're looking for a man called Stanley Jameson; we have reason to believe that he might be holding one of our agent's somewhere in Healyville. Can you tell me offhand of any abandoned or unoccupied buildings in or around the town?"

"Sure" Sheriff O'Neill turned his car onto a dirt track as he spoke. "There's the old grocery store over on Chandler for one, been condemned for five years and we're just waiting' for it to be torn down." He paused for a moment to think before continuing "Then there's the old schoolhouse out on Route 90…I can't think of anywhere else."

By this time the car had stopped and the three men emerged. The town itself was small, with a few businesses dotted here and there; it looked quite rundown, as if it had known better days.

They quickly split up, Jack and the Sheriff heading for the schoolhouse and Danny and another officer who had met them started for the old grocery store.

It was one of those eerie still nights that you only get in small towns or in the countryside. To Danny Taylor, a city boy born and raised it kind of spooked him. He gratefully accepted the flashlight given to him by the young officer and keeping it and his gun trained in front of him he made his way up to the back entrance to the grocery store.

Inside it smelt damp and very, very dusty. Silently they checked each room one by one, guns to the ready. It became evident pretty quickly though that the building was deserted.

Danny entered what seemed to be the old storeroom and shone the light around. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust…everything that it except for two things, a chair standing close to the door and part of the floor close to a radiator. Quickly Danny pulled out his cell phone…

"Jack?" Danny's voice came through to Jack Malone who was just exiting the schoolhouse.

"Go ahead"

"They were here." A heavy sigh followed. "There are marks on the ground, like someone was sitting on it, and there are scratch marks on the radiator. Someone's been here alright.

"Okay, I'm on my way" Jack motioned to the sheriff as he spoke.

"Jack?" Danny's voice was a little unsteady this time. "There are other marks on the ground; looks like blood, a lot of blood."

Jack sighed heavily… "I've another call coming through Danny; I'll be there in five minutes. Jack Malone."

"Jack, its Sam. Listen Victor just pulled onto the hard shoulder, about five miles south of Healyville, isn't that where you and Danny are? It look's like he's talking to someone on his cell phone. Viv and I just drove by and we are going to pull in a little further and wa….."

But she didn't finish her sentence. Jack heard a screeching of brakes….then shouts..

"Viv!..look out!…"

"Sam? Sam? What's going on?"

There was no reply, nothing except the sound of a disconnected call…..