Chapter Seven: Positive Identification
"I'm not hungry anymore," Lucie said in a small voice as Officer Higgins left.
"Sure ya are," MacGyver insisted, pulling her into his lap. "You girls finish up your dessert, an' then we'll go down to the police station. After that, I'll take ya on home. Sound good?"
"I wanna go home," Lucie agreed, cuddling against him.
"Then how about finishin' your ice cream?" He pulled the plate over on the table, and she sat up on his lap. "Okay." But all three girls were more subdued now, and there was some pie left on each of their plates when they declared themselves finished.
"Ready?" MacGyver asked, standing and pulling out his wallet. He left a bill on the table to cover the meal and tip, then shepherded his little flock toward the door.
The hostess was staring at him in awed wonder, and MacGyver gave her a teasing wink and a wave. "So long."
Before she could stammer a reply, he and the girls were out the door.
oOo
"I don't want to see the bad men again," Lucie whimpered as MacGyver opened the back door of the Rover at the police station.
"They can't hurt ya anymore," MacGyver assured her, lifting her out. She clung to him, and he shifted her to his hip before reaching a hand to help Mari and then Juli from the car. Juli gripped his hand tightly, and even Mari latched onto the back of his jacket. If he'd really been called upon to protect them, he thought wryly, he'd be hard pressed to find room to move. But he foresaw no need for that, and didn't attempt to loosen their hold.
Higgins pushed open the door to the police station as they approached. "Little attached, are they?" he remarked.
MacGyver grinned. "They're nervous; can't say I blame them."
"Me, neither," Higgins admitted. "But there's nothing to be afraid of, girls; the men won't even be able to see you."
The girls looked at him with wide eyes, but said nothing.
"Right on back this way; Chief Allenwood's waiting," Higgins continued.
"C'mon," MacGyver encouraged gently, tugging on Juli's hand and moving forward until Mari was forced to follow or lose her hold on his jacket. "All you'll hafta do is say if they're the same men who grabbed ya. That sounds easy, doesn't it?"
"Thanks for bringing them," Chief Allenwood said by way of greeting. "You girls know what you have to do?"
"Uh-huh."
Chief Allenwood looked at MacGyver. "Normally witnesses would go in one at a time to avoid having them influence each other, but I'll make an exception; it doesn't look like things would be very pleasant if I tried to make them leave you." He grimaced as if remembering the last time he had to deal with a screaming child.
"Thanks."
Chief Allenwood touched the intercom. "All right, Stevens."
The two-way mirror at the far end of the room brightened, revealing four men. The girls instinctively pressed closer to MacGyver, and Lucie whimpered and buried her face between his shoulder and her teddy. MacGyver leaned his head against hers in an attempt to comfort her. "It's all right, baby; Mr Mac's got you."
"Well, girls?" Chief Allenwood pressed.
"It's the same men," Mari agreed softly.
"Yeah," MacGyver agreed. "Two of them are definitely the ones I saw, and one of the others has a mark on his face that he probably got from the booby trap I set up."
The chief nodded and gave the word to darken the mirror again.
"I have a statement for you to sign," he told MacGyver as he led them into the bright outer office.
MacGyver glanced over the paper quickly, then looked down at his hand. "Juli, honey, I need my fingers for just a minute."
She reluctantly allowed him to pull his hand free, leaning against his leg, and MacGyver quickly scribbled his name. *
"Thank you. Is there a number where we can reach you if we have any questions?"
"Sure," MacGyver agreed, jotting the number down. "I won't be home for a day or two, but leave a message and I'll get back to ya."
"Will do. Looks like you're free to go, then; I'll have Higgins call Pine Valley and let them know you're on the way."
"Sounds good," MacGyver agreed. "Should take me two or three hours, but I'm not gonna make any promises travelin' with this crew. How about it, girls? Ready to head on home?"
Their smiles were all the answer he needed, and this time it was they who pulled him toward the door.
* Illustration for this scene can be found at www . deviantart . com [slash] femalechauvinist [slash] art [slash] Borrowed-Fingers-869181374
Next chapter coming next week! (Unless the library closes again. Due to a recent change on the Fanfiction website, I may not be able to post from my phone, as I did over the spring and summer.)
I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!
Please note that I have only minimal internet access, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. (But they are much appreciated, even if you're reading this story long after I originally post it!) If you have questions regarding my MacGyver alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie
