The Other Path ~ Season 1
By Thomas Mc

Authors Note : Paracelsus, "The Alchemist", is dead, killed in the story 'The Road Not Taken', this will be a totally new story with no real connection to the TV episode 'The Alchemist'. However before his death Paracelsus interacted with other nefarious characters and left behind a legacy of sorts so his shadow will have some influence on this story. Also some unresolved elements from 'China Moon' will come into play.

Legacy Of The Alchemist

Catherine smiled across the table at her father and responded with a negligent gesture. "You know what I want."

Charles shook his head with a bit of a snicker. "You always get the same thing every time we come here." He grinned. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

She grinned back. "I think between Vincent, little Edward and my job, I get more than my share of adventure."

Charles chuckled at her response then looked around for the waiter. "I wonder if the food will be as good here now that Henry is gone."

Catherine shrugged as she glanced around 'The General Lee Chinese Restaurant'; its appearance had not changed for as long as she could remember. She and her father had been coming here several times a year since they had moved to Manhattan after her mother died. Back then it had belonged to Henry's father and it still carried that man's name. "Eddie is still here. I'm sure the food hasn't changed."

At that moment Eddie approached their table and Charles greeted him. "Ah, Eddie, good to see you again."

"Hello, Mister Chandler, Miss Chandler." Eddie responded. "It's good to see you both. How are you two doing today?"

"We're doing fine." Catherine responded. "I hear that you are the new owner of this place."

"Yea, Henry signed the place over to me and left town." He shrugged. "I haven't heard from him since he left and I'm a bit worried about him. I wish I knew where he went."

Catherine shook her head as she remarked. "I've heard rumors that he ran afoul of the local Tong." She shrugged. "I'm sure that he's OK."

Charles shrugged while looking at his menu. "I'm sure he's fine wherever he is." Then he looked up. "I'll try the Mu-Goo-Gye-Pan today." He closed his menu. "Cathy is having her usual."

Eddie nodded. "I'll have that right out to you." He took their menus and headed to the back of the restaurant.

Charles looked closely at his daughter. "Why did you say that about Henry?" He inquired in a low voice.

Catherine shrugged. "Eddie is Henry's closest friend. They're practically like brothers." She cast a sympathetic look at Eddies retreating back. "I think he deserves to know that Henry is OK." She frowned then quickly turned her head toward her Father.

Charles could tell that she was not really looking at him and her frown deepened. "What?" Her father inquired.

Catherine's mouth tightened into a hard line. "There are two known Tong members sitting in that back booth. Eddie went straight over to them." She schooled her expression into a smile but Charles could see the anger simmering behind her eyes. "Now they have become very interested in us."

"You think Eddie is involved?" He asked her.

She nodded stiffly. "We wondered how Chiang knew where to ambush Henry and Lin." She closed her eyes momentarily and sighed. "I think we just found out. Henry will be devastated."

At that moment two uniformed cops that Charles had met several times entered the restaurant. They paused at their table and the older officer greeted Catherine. "Hello, Miss Chandler, nice to see you again." He then nudged his partner. "Miss Chandler is the one I told you about." Then he turned to his partner. "Ms Chandler recommended this place to me a couple of months ago."

Catherine lowered her voice slightly, just enough that Eddie and the two Tong members wouldn't be able to make out what she was saying. "Confidentially, this place can get a bit wild when the gang's all here." At the same time she rolled her eyes toward the back of the restaurant.

Officer Johnson glanced in that direction, also without perceptibly turning his head. After a second his eyes swiveled back toward her and he winked. "I'm telling you, Jack, you got to keep your eyes on this woman at all times." His voice filled the room, then he chuckled at his partner's puzzled expression. "This woman can cause chaos just by walking into a room."

A few more pleasantries were exchanged then Johnson grabbed his partner's shoulder steering him away from Catherine's table. "Let's get a table over there. I'm sure they don't want to spend their lunch together entertaining a couple of beat cops." The two officers went to a table halfway across the dining room from Catherine and Charles. They both sat so that they were facin the center of the room. Charles noticed the serious look on Catherine's face and frowned.

Catherine noticed her father's look of confused concern and explained. "Those two gang members were starting to get up when -" She nodded her head toward the two officers. "- those two officers entered. They're not looking particularly pleased with the police presence." She glanced over at the two officers. "Ever since the death of Peter Chiang the whole of Chinatown has been abuzz with word that there is a reward for any useful scrap of information about Henry Pei and Lin Wong. I'm afraid that I may have just put us on the Tong's radar."

"Do you think we're in danger?" He inquired worriedly.

"Not at this moment." She glanced over at the two officers. "Especially with Officer Johnson and his partner over there watching over us. Officer Johnson a very smart cop and got the meaning of my 'Gangs All Here' remark." She looked back at her father. "But I think we should both be extra careful after this. For now our best protection is to act like there is nothing unusual going on."

"Makes sense." He responded

Her eyes developed a hint of mischief. "So what's the latest gossip around the office? Is Bernadette still chasing after that new clerk?"

Charles laughed despite his concern. "Cathy, you're incorrigible."

Catherine grinned back. "So, sue me. You're the one that 'incorriges' me with all the juicy office gossip."

Charles chuckled at her bad pun then brought her up to date on the office grapevine. The rest of the dinner was full of good food and small talk about the people in their respective offices. Shortly after the officers arrived, Catherine passed them on her way to the restroom and discreetly called their attention to the two gang members. Officer Johnson, just as discreetly, acknowledged her hint.

Catherine and Charles finally left the restaurant just ahead of the two police officers, which, apparently, annoyed the two thugs.

~ o ~

An hour and a half later Catherine and Charles were below in Father's library. Father, Vincent, Henry, Lin, and Doctor Wong were also present. Henry's eyes were downcast and Lin had her arms around his waist her eyes expressing her sorrow.

Catherine reached out to touch his arm sympathetically. "I'm sorry Henry. I know he was your friend."

Henry raised his gaze to Catherine's face and responded. "I can't really blame Eddie. The Tong rule Chinatown with an iron fist. He probably had no choice in the matter."

"That may be so . . ." Lin hugged him a little tighter. ". . . But it doesn't make the feelings of betrayal any less painful."

Catherine was thinking hard on the possibilities that Eddie's connection to the Tong presented. She wondered if there might be a way to use that connection to bring Chiang and his organization down. She would have to discuss it with Joe.

~ o ~

An hour later Shin Li Chiang sat in his office like a spider in the center of his web addressing his lieutenants. "This is the fourth time that Catherine Chandler's name has popped up in association with a major disaster in our operations. First there was the sudden disappearance of that Paracelsus and his very lucrative drug. Then the loss of the Gabriel network. Two weeks ago she was involved with the Burch Tower fiasco."

He paused and looked over at the two young men that had been in the 'General Lee Restaurant' an hour ago. They looked a lot less arrogant as they both shuffled nervously. "And now I'm informed that she was possibly connected with Pei and the Wongs." His intense gaze swept the room. "Put out the word, I want to know everything there is to know about this woman. Have her watched. If she knows where those three are hiding then she will lead us to them . . . one way or the other." With a wave of his hand he dismissed them and they quickly scattered.

Chiang turned to address the two nervous young men. "I want you to watch Eddie. If he hears anything more I want to know immediately."

The two young men nodded and beat a hasty retreat.

~ o ~

The next morning Joe called Catherine to his office. Jerry Poholski was there leaning against Joes desk looking intently at her and Joe was sporting a worried frown. Joe spoke quietly as soon as she entered. "Cathy, close the door, will you."

Puzzled, Catherine complied then took the chair Joe had indicated and glanced at Jerry. "What's up, Joe?"

"Poholski just came by to inform me that Shin Li Chiang has taken an interest in you." Joe responded.

Poholski jumped in. "I just got word from my sources in Chinatown that Shin Li Chiang has put out the word on you. He wants to know everything about you."

Catherine shook her head. "I was afraid of that."

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Joe inquired.

Catherine took couple of deep breaths to compose her answer. "Dad and I had lunch at Henry Pei's place yesterday. Eddie mentioned that he missed Henry and hoped he was all right and I happened to mention that I had heard that Henry had run afoul of the local Tong but that I thought he was OK." She shrugged. Eddie reacted pretty strongly to the comment. Seconds later I saw him talking to two punks at the back of the restaurant." She shrugged. "I think that Eddie was the one who set Peter Chiang on Henry's trail."

Joe shook his head. "Cathy, you've managed to put yourself on Chiang's radar. I've half a mind to order you into witness protection." He glanced over at Jerry. He would have liked to say more but he couldn't mention Vincent or the tunnels in Jerry's presence.

Catherine spoke up. "Maybe we can use this situation. Possibly feed information to Chiang . . . set a trap for him."

Joe shook his head as he slapped the top of his desk. "No!" He paused to regain his cool. "I will not have you putting yourself in any more danger over this. Chiang is too powerful and too dangerous. Leave this to the police."

"Joe is right Miss Chandler." Jerry spoke up. "I've already lost three good people to Chiang's brutal methods. I don't want Joe to lose you the same way. We will get Chiang eventually."

The very worried look on Joes face was enough to break Catherine's natural stubbornness. She was also pretty sure that Vincent would feel the same way as Joe about this. She sighed. "OK Joe, I'll stay out of it."

Joe's features relaxed a bit and he nodded. "That makes me feel a little better, but I wish you had not gotten on his radar in the first place." A hint of a smile touched his features. "Now get out of here, Radcliffe. Go do some of that legal stuff you're so good at and stay out of trouble for awhile . . . if you can."

After Catherine left the office Jerry turned to face Joe. "Unfortunately, according to my sources, this is not the first time that Chiang has been inconvenienced by Miss Chandler's activities. But this time he has taken notice of her. Her name has been tied to that Gabrial business and, according to my sources her name has been tied to the disappearance of some shadowy drug supplier that called himself Paracelsus." He looked inquiringly at Joe a moment before continuing. "Apparently both of those incidents were very costly to the Tong's drug operations, especially the disappearance of that Paracelsus character."

"I know all about Cathy's involvement in the Gabrial affair." Joe shrugged. "I don't know anything about anyone called Paracelsus."

"No one knows anything concrete about Paracelsus. Most of us think he was just a myth but I'm not so sure anymore. The rumor is that he was the supplier of a particularly nasty new drug that was flooding the streets a couple of years ago. Then the drugs and their supplier disappeared." He raised an eyebrow at Joe. "Chiang believes that Ms Chandler was somehow involved in his disappearance. How he came by that idea no one knows." After a short pause, and Joe's lack of comment, Jerry shrugged theatrically. "Now that Chiang has taken more than just a casual notice of Miss Chandler, he's not going to stop 'til he gets what he wants." He shook his head. "She's in danger."

"I know." The frown had returned. "Just keep me informed of anything you hear about Chiang and her." He took a deep breath. "She's the best ADA I have." He shook his head, the worry reasserting itself. "She always has been a trouble magnet from the day she started here, but she's tougher than she looks and, with her connections, she has access to resources that I can't even touch."

Jerry nodded sympathetically. "If you want, I could assign one of my people to keep an eye on her."

Joe hesitated a moment before finally shaking his head. "No . . . Cathy may have a tendency to end up in the middle of trouble but, like I said, she is also quite able to take care of herself. She also seems to be much more effective when working without official watchdogs looking over her shoulder." He didn't mention the she also had a very powerful lion-man already watching over her and constant police surveillance would seriously hinder Vincent's ability to protect her.

"Yea, I've heard that about her." Jerry commented.

Joe took a deep breath. "I'm half afraid that, regardless of what I say, she's going to end up entangled in this mess anyway." Joe shrugged with a resigned sigh. "I can't really expect her to change now."

Jerry shook Joe's hand. "If you change your mind, let me know."

Joe nodded. "Thanks for the offer but for now just keep your ears open and if the situation changes please let me know immediately."

"If that's what you want." He approached the door then paused. "I'll keep in touch." Then he exited the office.

Joe sat there for a moment then got up and closed his door. He returned to his desk and stared at his phone for several seconds then checked his watch. He would probably be home by now. With a sigh, he remarked under his breath. "She'll probably kill me for this." Then he picked up the receiver and dialed a number that he had made a point of committing to memory.

"Hello Vincent, it's Joe." . . .

~ o ~

Catherine had been looking through a case file making notes when she became aware of a definite sense of worry coming from Vincent. She sighed in resignation. He must have found out about the situation with Chiang. Probably Joe or her father had spilled the beans to him.

She closed her eyes and projected reassurance to him just as he became aware that she was feeling his worry. He projected love back at her with a hint of caution thrown in. She got the message.

She would go home by way of the tunnels tonight, just to be safe. They could talk about it after she got home and decide what to do.

~ o ~

Catherine spotted Officer Johnson hanging around the front of The DA office building talking to the man at the magazine rack. He waved to her as she passed him. She crossed the street to the adjacent building and descended into the sub-basement that she knew had access to the tunnels. An hour later she arrived home by way of the tunnels to be met at their brownstone's underground access by Vincent. They entered their brownstone together where Vincent had dinner already waiting.

They both avoided any talk about what had happened until after dinner. Then Vincent told her about the phone call from Joe and she filled him in on what Joe and Jerry had told her.

Later that evening Kipper came by and informed Catherine that a couple of Chinese men had been spotted hanging around her home and her work.

~ o ~

Chiang glared at his underling. "What do you mean by 'She disappeared'?"

The underling was practically quaking in his boots. "She left her office at around seven, entered the building across the street and never came back out."

"Why didn't you follow her?" He spoke in a soft controlled voice but there was steel behind it and his eyes flashed in annoyance.

"There was a policeman at the News Stand and some street kid on a skateboard collided with me at about that time drawing his attention." The man's voice quavered. "I didn't dare draw any more attention by following her."

Chiang turned his attention on the other underling in the room. "And when did she arrive home?"

Now it was that underling's turn over the fire. "I . . . don't know." He flinched at Chiang's glare. "I never saw her arrive home but I saw the lights go on around eight." He swallowed nervously. "A police cruiser drove by several times last night."

Chiang dismissed the two men and they scurried out of the room as quickly as they dared.

Chiang settled back in his chair deep in thought. Over the last twenty-four hours he had learned a lot about Catherine Chandler. He had heard from several sources that this female was a lot more dangerous than she appeared. Now it seemed that the woman was turning out to be surprisingly elusive as well. Although there was no real evidence, he had become increasingly convinced that she may have been directly responsible for the three worst setbacks in his long criminal career. And now there were indications that she might know something about the disappearance of Henry Pei and Lynn.

His mind wandered back to the first time he had dealt with Paracelsus. He had only met the man twice.

The first time was when they had met in a darkened parking garage and worked out a deal to buy that drug that he had recently started manufacturing. Paracelsus had been a tall slender, very cultured man with a slight British accent. The man had been accompanied by a pair of hulking brutes but they had been less intimidating than Paracelsus himself who had radiated a slightly unstable menace that had sent a shiver up Chiang's spine.

Paracelsus had insisted on being paid in gold coins, which had significantly complicated the deal, but the drug that the man supplied had turned out to be the most lucrative the tong had ever sold.

The second time he had personally encountered Paracelsus was a year and a half later. There had been a darkly maniacal air about the man and he had become obsessed with someone named Catherine Chandler. He wanted any information he could find on the woman. Shortly after that meeting, the man and his drug seemed to vanish off the face of the earth leaving no clues to his fate. No one had ever been able to duplicate the drug and the loss of that source was a terrible financial blow. That was when he first took notice of that woman's name but she had turned out to be just some rich lawyer's college age daughter and Chiang had shrugged it off.

The Chandler woman's involvement in the Gabriel debacle had been a lot less nebulous. What had apparently started as an investigation of a low level drug user had slowly but steadily led the DA's office up the chain until it was endangering Gabriel's organization. Then Gabriel had tried to stop their investigation and only managed to draw Chandler and Maxwell's attention to himself. Shortly after that they had clashed directly and now Gabriel was a broken man and his organization destroyed. Chandler's name had figured prominently in that disaster. The loss of the Gabriel network and with it one of the Tong's major drug supply lines became a very costly inconvenience while new supply lines were being established. As far as the Burch Tower fiasco, her involvement had seemed to be from the sidelines but now Chiang was not so sure.

Now, it seemed that that woman was somehow involved in this latest fiasco. She had apparently been a thorn in his side for a while now and he was just now realizing it. The fact that she had suddenly become so elusive suggested that she must be aware that he was now interested in her. How she found out he didn't know and that worried him. It was about time that he dealt with the problem more directly.

He called in one of his best Tong soldiers.

~ o ~

Vincent woke up with a start, his heart racing. Something was wrong. He was sensing a cold malice from somewhere close by. He listened intently. Someone was moving around downstairs. It sounded like there were three of them.

Vincent gently woke Catherine. "We have uninvited guests." He told her quietly then slipped out of the bed.

In the dim nightlight Catherine gave his form the quick once over. She couldn't help it, he looked so good standing there in nothing but a pair of boxers. She shook herself out of the last fragments of sleep fog and climbed out of bed. With an economy of motion, she slipped on her robe and grabbed her revolver from the night stand. She had started keeping it there since the incident in the Chinese food restaurant.

She joined Vincent at the bedroom door. Vincent glanced down at the gun then up into her determined eyes. He knew that she would not be kept out of this and she would shoot rather than allow him to put himself in danger. Sometimes he wondered just who really protected who in this relationship. After a moment he quietly opened the bedroom door and they stepped out into the hall.

They stopped at the top of the stairs and Vincent listened intently for a few seconds. Finally he spoke very quietly. "They're still on the first floor. There are three of them and they are most definately unfriendly and determined. Together they descended to the second floor and paused again to listen.

"They're heading for the stairs." Vincent reported.

Vincent stepped behind the stairs and Catherine faded into the shadows beyond the top of the stairs.

A minute later three dark figures appeared silently at the top of the stairs. To Catherine's surprise, all three of them were carrying swords. It looked like she had a definite advantage here. As they started to spread out from the stairwell Catherine stepped out of the shadows into a standard shooting stance and yelled. "FREEZE !"

There was a moment of frozen surprise then the three invaders moved swiftly and simultaneously with swords swinging ominously. Catherine only had time to pull the trigger once, Then a roaring Vincent was among them and all three of them went down, out cold on the floor.

The next instant Catherine felt a sharp sting along her left arm. She looked down to see a nasty looking six inch long slice along her forearm and a rivulet of blood running down to her wrist where it dripped to the floor. The next instant Vincent was at her side. He took the gun from her hand then applied pressure to the inside of her elbow while leading her to the second floor bathroom.

Vincent quickly bandaged the wound on her arm then he made two quick calls.

~ o ~

Joe was startled awake by the ringing of his phone. "This had better be good." He groused as he rolled over to pick it up. "Maxwell!" He spoke curtly into the annoying device.

A second later he was sitting up alertly intense as he listened to the voice at the other end.

Finally he responded. "Damn, this is the second time in three days." He took a moment to think. "OK . . . Make sure that they are well secured but do nothing else until I get there." He listened a few more minutes. "I understand. I have to make a couple of calls then I'll be there as soon as I can."

He hung up then quickly dialed a number that he had just recently added to his list of contacts.

~ o ~

Joe came up up through the tunnel entrance into Catherine's place. As he stepped through the secret door into the basement he heard Vincent's voice calling from the stairway. "We're in the kitchen Joe." At the top of the stairs Joe paused to take in the strange scene before him.

Three young unconscious Chinese men were securely tied to three fancy dining chairs. One of the young men was stripped to the waist and his chest wrapped in several layers of heavy gauze bandage. The other two had large discolored bruises on the sides of their faces. Laid out in the center of the dining table were three wicked looking swords and Catherine's little semi-automatic. Doctor Peter Alcott was on the other side of the dining table treating an apparent wound on Catherine's forearm. Vincent was standing over her looking both worried and annoyed.

His first concern was Catherine's welfare. "Cathy, what happened to you?"

Catherine glanced at the forearm and shrugged. "It's just a flesh wound."

Peter looked up at her startled. "Flesh wound!? It took ten stitched to close that thing up and you lost a fair amount of blood." Peter finished wrapping the forearm in gauze. "Now keep that dry and change it once a day. If it continues to seep after ten days or starts to bleed again you are to come see me right away."

"Cathy, that does not look like just a flesh wound to me." Joe remarked. He could already see several spots of blood of the gauze bandage.

"I'm OK, Joe. The other guy is who you should worry about." She indicated the young man with the gauze wrapped chest. "He came at me with one of those swords and I had to shoot him."

Peter spoke up before Joe could ask the obvious question. "The man's in pretty bad shape but he will live." Peter shrugged. "I did everything I could for him but he needs to be taken to the hospital and have that bullet removed."

"Did they see Vincent?" Joe asked.

Catherine shook her head. "No, the house was dark and Vincent came at them from behind. They may have heard his roar but they didn't see him."

Peter jumped in. "I gave them all a mild sedative so it will be quite a while before they wake up."

Joe stared at the three Tong soldiers for a moment. "At least they didn't follow you down into the tunnels like that one two days ago."

Catherine shook her head. "I know. I got careless and he was able to follow me down."

Joe put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Radcliff. These guys have turned sneaky into an art form. Did he ever find his way out of the maze?"

Vincent shook his head. "As far as we know, he's still in there. If he had found a way out, one of our sentries would have spotted him. We keep a very close watch on the access to the Maze because it is so easy to become lost in there."

There was the sound of voices coming from the back of the brownstone. Catherine turned to Vincent. "That's probably Isaac. You had better get upstairs."

Vincent quickly left the room. Several seconds later a bemused looking Isaac Stubbs entered the room right behind Jamie and Mouse. Isaac was speaking. ". . . and that's how we met. Even then I knew there was more to her than met the eye." He paused as he took in the scene before him. After a couple more seconds to digest the situation he spoke. "I see you've been at it again Chandler." His glance centered on the dining table and its contents. "Those three appear to be Tong soldiers." He looked back at Catherine. "What have you gotten yourself into this time? And what do you need me here for?"

Catherine shrugged. "Just the usual; I was just minding my own business but I've somehow attracted the attention of the local Tong." She glanced at the three invaders then shook her head. "What I need from you is a very large favor."

"And that is . . ." He glanced at the three unconscious men the back at Catherine expectantly.

"I need you to be my official rescuer . . . if you don't mind covering for me to the police." She shrugged. "The person you would be covering for didn't do anything wrong here but he cannot become involved with the police."

He cocked his head and a ghost of a mile crossed his face. "Oh, you want me to fill in for your creature friend?"

"What . . . how . . .?" Catherine sputtered in surprise. "I don't know what . . ."

Isaac interrupted her attempt to cover her slip. "I've heard all the same stories about the 'Creature of Central Park' that Jason Walker had heard. Over the last couple of years events, as well as a couple of claims by some street people I know, have led me to believe that there might actually be something behind those stories of the creature. Then the thing with Jason happened and I assumed that he was the source. However, some recent events that have come to my attention that causes me to suspect there is something else out there and that you may be acquainted with him." His expression softened a bit. "Judging by your reaction just now, I think that I'm right about the creature and you."

Catherine stared at him dumbfounded.

His smile widened. "I really would like to meet this creature, maybe someday when this," He swept his hand indicating the three men and the potential problems they represented. "has been cleared up."

Catherine sighed. "Maybe someday."

Catherine gave Isaac the general outline of what had happened and what Isaac's part was supposed to have been. Isaac agreed to do his part. Joe assured Isaac that he would keep his name out of any official reports. He would just be listed as an anonymous friend.

After a few more minutes Officer Johnson and Detective Jerry Poholski arrived, escorted by Kipper and Winslow.

"Wow Chandler." Jerry remarked, looking around. "You have a secret access to the city utility tunnels."

"Yea, I discovered that after I bought the place. Joe thinks it must have once belonged to a Prohibition bootlegger." She shrugged. "Comes in handy when I want to interview a witness without being followed."

"That explains a lot about your rather impressive reputation." Jerry merely cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned then his attention centered on the three tied up men and the swords causing the other eyebrow to go up. "Tong!?"

Catherine explained what had happened and reported that there still was a fourth Tong soldier hanging around outside watching her home.

After a statement from Isaac and some discussion among themselves a plan was hatched. The three Tong soldiers would be spirited out through the utility tunnel and taken to a high security jail infirmary where they would be kept incognito. It would be easy to simply lose the paperwork for a little while. Maybe the disappearance of his soldiers would knock Chiang off balance and leave a crack in his armor. If it made him get sloppy then they might finally be able to take him down.

One at a time the three unconscious men were carried out through the utility tunnel to Johnson's police cruiser, parked three blocks away. An hour later everyone had gone and the brownstone was again quiet. Little Edward was gently wrapped in his mother's arms. She in turn was wrapped in Vincent's arms.

Catherine looked down at the baby nestled in her embrace. "I'm so thankful that he slept through this unharmed." She looked up at Vincent. "I think maybe we should leave him in the tunnel nursery for a while until this situation is settled." She looked back down at Edward. "I'm really going to miss having the little guy around though."

Vincent nuzzled then kissed the top of her head. "I think won't be too long. People like Chiang don't handle being thwarted very well. He'll get angry and sloppy. Then Detective Poholski will catch him."

~ o ~

Chiang threw the valuable antique tea pot across the room, barely missing the frightened soldier quaking before him. The tea pot shattered against the far wall. When he spoke his voice was cold, deadly. "What do you mean 'they vanished'?"

The hapless soldier stood there shivering with the knowledge that he had no reasonable explanation.

"Answer me." Chiang spoke with cold furry.

"I don't know what happened? I was told to act as lookout then they went into the place. A few minutes later I thought I heard a gunshot. A few minutes after that it looked like a light went on in the back of the place. A few hours later the light went out. I stayed there until long after noon." He shrugged, shaking his head. "Nobody went in or out of that place after those three went in." He stood there silently awaiting his volatile master's next action.

"Somebody went out." Chiang growled. That Chandler woman was seen at her work this morning."

The frightened man cowered visibly. "I swear to you, nobody could have gone in or out of that place without me seeing them and I never took my eyes from it." He cringed.

Chiang glowered silently at him for a very long time. "Get out of my sight!" He ordered, his voice dripping scorn and anger.

The Tong soldier scurried from the room, half expecting a knife to sprout in his back at any moment. Once the doors closed behind him the he breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. He didn't which he feared most, Chiang, ruthless leader of the Tong, or that she witch Chandler. Three days ago Chiang had sent one of his best soldiers to retrieve Chandler. He had vanished without a trace. There had even been whispers that she had a powerful demon at her beck and call. A shiver ran up the man's spine and he hurried down the hall, intent on getting as far away from Chiang's office as he dared.

Chiang glared at the closed doors, brooding, his thoughts dark. This situation was becoming intolerable. He had now lost four good men. All four had vanished without a trace. The rumors of her seeming mystical invincibility were spreading through the ranks leaving doubt and a nebulous fear in their wake. He needed to deal with her decisively now or he could very well lose control of the Tong.

Finally he summoned his most trusted lieutenants.

~ o ~

It was the second day after the invasion of her home when Jerry Poholski appeared at her desk. She looked up at him with a combination of curiosity and worry.

"Rumors from the Tong world have reached my ears." He jumped right in. "Something very big is going down tonight but what it is, no one on the street knows. The word is that Chiang will be personally involved. My suspicion is that he is coming after you."

Catherine released a deep sigh. "I suspect that you may be right." She cocked her head at him. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Jerry studied her a moment before responding. "I already know that telling you to leave town or go into hiding is a waste of effort." He grinned at her expression then continued. "So I thought that we could use that tunnel access of yours to set a trap for him."

Catherine nodded. "Sounds like a possibility. What do you have in mind?"

"First we should only bring people in through the tunnels that already know of them. Then with a little bit of old fashioned misdirection we leave the opposition with the impression that you are home alone . . . or nearly alone. It will probably be more effective if they think that you have a single friend with you as guardian."

Catherine nodded her agreement and Jerry proceeded to lay out his plan.

~ o ~

Chiang and his minions were holed up in a currently unoccupied brownstone across the street and a few units up from Catherine's home. The one on watch called to Chiang that something was happening. Chiang came up and watched the action for himself. Two police cruisers had just pulled up to Catherine's brownstone. Five police officers exited the cars and looked around. Chiang pulled back from the window to avoid being seen. Catherine got out of the lead cruiser and the five officers escorted her into her home.

Inside the home they were met by Officer Johnson, Detective Henderson, Detective Poholski, Isaac Stubbs, Joe Maxwell and FBI Agent James McClendon who had all come up earlier from the basement. There were also four tunnel people dressed as New York police officers.

Fifteen minutes later Chiang and his top lieutenant watched four officers exit the brownstone and depart. The lieutenant commented with a derisive snort. "They left one officer behind to guard her. I'm insulted."

Chiang responded with an evil chuckle. "They will soon learn the error of their ways."

They continued to watch the place until the lights finally went out. Only one dim light could be seen in a second story window. After a quick check of the street Chiang signaled to the eight men with him and they quickly moved out. They stopped at the brownstones front door while one of the tong members disabled the alarm and another picked the locks on the front door.

The nine men drew very wicked looking swords and moved into the first floor. They quickly verified that there was no one else on that floor. None of them noticed the two identical books, sitting at two strategic locations, overseeing the entire first floor. Nor did they notice the basement door, hidden by a drapery that had not been there yesterday.

They gathered in the main hall by the staircase and Chiang spoke. "Spread out in pairs. Kill anything that moves but leave the woman to me. I'll deal with her personally. She will beg for death before I kill her."

The nine men headed up the stairs. An officer stepped out of the room at the far end. "Kill him!" Chiang ordered. The next instant all the doors opened and more officers stepped out. At the same time Detective Henderson and Detective Poholski appeared on the stairs behind the Tong invaders. "Freeze, You're all under arrest!" Poholski yelled.

The next instant Swords swung and shots were fired. Two seconds later seven of the nine Tong were on the floor, dead or injured. Three of the officers had been injured but were still standing. Only Chiang and the youngest of the invaders were still standing. Chiang had lost his sword when a bullet had shattered his wrist. The other standing Tong soldier dropped his sword and surrendered. Chiang looked over at the stairs to the third floor and saw Catherine Chandler calmly standing there, flanked by Isaac Stubbs and Joe Maxwell. She gazed, unflinchingly, back at his malevolent stare. Seconds later a dozen more officers came pouring in through Catherine's front door.

Three of the Tong invaders were taken away in the coroner's wagon. The remaining living invaders were quickly taken out to waiting police wagons and carted off to the local jail.

~ o ~

Joe had told Catherine to take her time coming to work in the morning so it late the next morning when she arrived at her desk. Joe was in his office talking animatedly on the phone. He glanced up giving her a pleased grin and a half-hearted wave as he continued his conversation. She shrugged and headed to her desk. She was sure that Joe would fill her in on any important developments later. In the mean time she had stacks of reports and paperwork to catch up on.

Shortly after lunch, Joe stopped by Catherine's office. "I thought you might like to know how everything went this morning after you went back to bed." He commented with a hint of self-satisfaction. "We had a judge waiting in the wings. The footage from those two 'nanny-cam books' was more than sufficient to get search warrants issued just minutes after Chiang was captured." He leaned back against the door frame. "The FBI, led by agent McClendon raided Tong headquarters. Chiang's records not only exposed his whole operation, they included evidence of Chiang's connection to the cartel that Elliott Burch tangled with just recently."

Catherine leaned forward with increased interest. "Oh? Did we get anything useful about that cartel?"

Joe's grin widened. "Agent McClendon told me that they were able to track down two fully funded accounts and the names of several other cartel members. The FBI Organized Crime Task Force is acting like it's Christmas morning."

Catherine chuckled at the picture of Agent McClendon behaving like Joe described. Then she turned more serious. "What about Chiang?"

"He's going to spend the rest of his life in prison. For every charge his lawyers manage to beat, we have two more to throw at him and the Feds have just as many federal charges. He is being held without bond due to the number and severity of the charges and because he is head of a violent organized crime ring." Joe shook his head. "To top it off he seems to be a broken man. His gang has lost faith in him and when the FBI goes after the other members of that cartel, they will have little trouble guessing where the info is coming from. A few minutes ago I was on the phone with Poholski and he told me that Chiang is convinced that you are the Devil incarnate."

Catherine laughed. "Well you know what they say, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman . . . etcetera'."

The End (of episode 14)

'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.