CHAPTER 5-ATTRACTION, MYSTERY...AND A BETRAYAL?

Robert wasn't quite sure he had heard Mickey right-he glared at his young protegé with a frankly astonished expression. "Are you quite certain?" He asked again, and Mickey sighed. "McCall, I'm telling you," he insisted. "I checked it out-Amy Knox had a bank account and a savings account. Both of them have been cleared out completely."

McCall felt a sudden sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach-he suddenly found himself wondering if Amy had taken off of her own accord-and taken all of her money with her.

If this was true, then Nicole had been lied to. She had been betrayed. Again. And Robert was not looking forward to informing her of that.

As if he'd read his mind, Mickey piped up, "You know, suddenly this doesn't look like a kidnapping. It looks like..."

"Yes, thank you, Mick." Robert snapped. "I'm well aware of what it looks like. However, I made a promise to Nicole-and I intend to see it through. There is no use in speculating-we need evidence that Amy did all of this of her own accord."

"Maybe somebody forced her to take out all her money." Robert fetched another aggravated sigh, then turned to regard his son, Scott, who was sitting on the sofa, watching the two men intently. Robert couldn't quite remember the exact moment when his son had become involved in his 'cases'; perhaps it had really started on that weekend at the cabin. What was meant to be an opportunity for some father-son bonding had turned into a full-scale siege. However, much as he was loathe to admit it, Scott had shown a great deal of bravery and tenacity in that situation, helping him to keep those thugs at bay and protect that girl. But he had never wanted Scott involved in any of this. He still didn't.

Apparently oblivious to his father's misgivings, Scott continued, "I mean, if someone forced her to write that note, then maybe they forced her to clear out all her accounts too. Maybe this is about money." He pointedly ignored Robert's glare; that might work on his clients and the bad guys, but he was no longer intimidated by his father. If he ever had been.

Finally, Robert turned away. "Whatever it's about, I promised I'd call Nicole." He said. "In fact, perhaps it'd be best if I went over there, explained the situation face-to-face." "I can pick her up, bring her here." Scott suggested, and when his father glared at him again, he added, "Come on, Dad. I'm not doing anything else, anyway. Let me do something to help. Besides, you know I love driving the Jag."

"Fine." Robert ceded, though he wasn't at all happy about it. He wanted to keep his son out of trouble, not involve him in it. "I'll call Nicole, let her know. Bring her directly here, alright? And for pity's sake, be careful."

Nicole knew right away that something was wrong, from the tone of Robert's voice. He told her he had some news, but sadly, it didn't look very good. "My son Scott is going to pick you up at the college and bring you here." He told her. "He'll be driving my car, so you'll know him when you see him. He'll be in, say, twenty minutes? I'll see you soon."

She was surprised to learn Robert had a son, and again, she acknowledged that she knew almost nothing about this man to whom she owed her life. She wondered what Scott would be like-stern and serious, but kind, like his father? Moreover, however, she was worried what Robert would tell her about Amy.

Melissa insisted on waiting outside The Gallery with her, saying she also wanted to see what Scott would be like. "If his father's anything to go by, he's probably really serious. Could be boring as Hell too. Hard to tell. "

Nicole was unwilling to admit her thoughts had strayed in pretty much the same direction, so she merely rolled her eyes. "Sounds like you've condemned the guy before you even see him." She said, more sharply, perhaps, than intended. Funny, how protective she'd become of Robert McCall-even the slightest derogatory remark about him or anything concerning him, and her hackles went up.

Before Melissa could retort, a familiar black Jaguar materialized out of traffic, and pulled up to the curb. The driver's window rolled down and Nicole walked over, Melissa trailing behind.

Nicole Baker had never really been interested in guys; the ones that had inhabited the streets as she had, had only really been after one thing anyway, and she knew of many girls in similar circumstances to hers who had prostituted themselves to any man willing to pay. But she had managed to stay away from that sordidness. As a result, no guy had ever caught her attention.

Until now.

She watched as a handsome face, framed by wavy blond hair, poked out the window, gazing at her uncertainly. For a moment, it felt to Nicole like everybody else in the world had disappeared, except the two of them, and then she heard herself say, hesitantly, "Scott?"

"N-Nicole?" She wasn't the only one who had been instantly affected. Scott McCall had seen plenty of pretty girls, had dated quite a few, but this was by far the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Gorgeous blue eyes, dark hair...and a tough, wary aura that strangely reminded him of his father. When she nodded in the affirmative, he said, stammering like some nervous schoolboy, "Uh...h-hi. I'm Scott."

"Yeah, I know. Your dad said you'd be coming." Nicole looked amused now, and Scott found himself wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him. He had never felt so completely tongue-tied and ineffectual around a girl. "Oh. Right." He replied lamely. "Yeah, he, uh...I offered to do it." He almost told her his name again, but forced his mouth shut. God, he was being such an idiot.

Nicole got into the car, trying to ignore the knowing smile on Melissa's face as she turned away from her. True, she had never felt such an immediate attraction to someone, but Scott McCall was not what she'd been expecting. She hadn't expected this blond, good-looking guy, who was seemingly as nervous around her as she was around him. Then she remembered exactly who he was, and admonished herself. This was Robert's son, and she used to be a kid from the streets-it would be totally inappropriate to even think about him in such a way.

They travelled in silence for several minutes, and then Nicole asked the question that was niggling at her, " So, do you help your dad a lot?" Scott seemed startled by the query, but recovered quickly, and said, "Oh. Uh...not really. He doesn't really like me getting involved, usually, but...I kind of persuaded him. I don't have practice today, and I wanted to help."

"Practice?" Nicole repeated, and Scott smiled, while still keeping his attention firmly on the road ahead. "I'm a musician." He told her. "I play classical violin, some guitar." He felt himself blushing; suddenly, something he loved doing sounded totally stupid. Probably did to her, anyway.

Nicole had to stop herself from gawping. This guy was so not what she'd been expecting. To make matters worse, her attraction was growing by the second. Scott McCall really was too cute for his own good. "Are you any good?" The question was a bit direct, she realized, and even Scott's eyes widened, before he chuckled softly, and replied, "I don't know. You'd have to hear me play."

"Maybe I will." Oh god, was she flirting with him? She didn't even know how to flirt! She might be a little worldlier than most, but not when it came to the opposite sex. And Robert was a friend...maybe. This was just totally wrong.

Scott absorbed her words with a slight smile. He liked this girl already-she was upfront and direct, which he admired. And she was gorgeous, which was obviously a plus. Then his smile faded when he remembered that Nicole was his father's client; he'd overheard him reading Mickey the Riot Act once about getting 'involved' with a client. His father would not approve.

But did he care?

"Dad says you're an artist." He said, just as they pulled up outside Robert's brownstone, and Nicole nodded, remembering once again exactly who and what she used to be. She knew Robert was a good man, but she would never be an appropriate girlfriend for his son.

Girlfriend? Jeez...was she jumping the gun or what?

"Yeah." She replied shortly. "Your dad helped me get into college. I'm very grateful." She needed to remind him that she was his father's client, to try to put distance between them. Because nothing would or could ever happen.

It was Mickey who opened the apartment door, and he grinned at Nicole. "Hey, kid." He greeted her. "Long time no see." She suppressed a smile at his use of the word 'kid', and replied casually, "Mickey. Good to see you." His smile this time was much more genuine, as he stepped aside to let Nicole and Scott in. It didn't escape his attention, though, that the two of them seemed kind of nervous and edgy around each other; nor did the surreptitious glances and red faces, and Mickey felt a faint twinge of dismay and sympathy.

Nicole and Scott were attracted to each other. And if it was obvious to him, it was sure as Hell going to be obvious to McCall.

Right on cue, Robert appeared in the hallway, and sure enough, his gaze flicked over Nicole and Scott, and he frowned, but quickly, his face took on a grim, determined look. "Nicole, hello." He said quietly, then nodded to his son and added, "You've met my son, Scott, and obviously, you remember Mickey. Come on through to the kitchen."

Nicole obeyed automatically, following Robert's lead, and she stopped short when she saw there was a man sitting at the kitchen table that he hadn't met before. He looked a bit younger than Robert, with receding hair and what looked like a perpetually defeated expression. He smiled awkwardly at her, and behind her, Robert said, "Nicole, this is Jimmy. He's a, um...friend of mine. Just stopped by."

Jimmy stood. "I gotta go, McCall." He said; even his voice sounded defeated. "I can't even afford to spend time these days, you know, with the..." "The divorce, yes." Robert sounded wearily amused. "You will be available though Jimmy, if I need you?" He shrugged. "Yeah, sure." He drawled. "Just give me a call, okay?"

Nicole suddenly felt like she had stepped into something far more significant than it seemed. Jimmy seemed harmless enough, but she somehow had the feeling that Robert McCall didn't keep company with harmless men. Catching Mickey's eye, she raised an eyebrow in silent question, and he affected an innocent expression and shrugged.

Yep-there was definitely more to this scenario than met the eye.

As soon as Jimmy had departed, Robert cut to the chase, inviting Nicole to sit. "I asked Mickey to make some discreet enquiries about Amy, Nicole." He told her grimly. "Apparently, both her bank and savings accounts have been emptied."

Nicole looked completely puzzled. "But..." She said hesitantly. "Why would she empty her...?" Robert could have groaned aloud at the suddenly hard, contemptuous expression that crossed her face. Nicole was a smart girl; he knew exactly what conclusion she would come to.

"She really has taken off, hasn't she?" Her tone was flat, but nobody could miss the anger flashing in her eyes. "This wasn't a kidnapping; she's made a fool out of everyone. She even fooled me."

Nicole now wore the familiar weary expression of someone well accustomed to being fooled, to being betrayed. Robert reached for her, but to his surprise, it was Scott who got there first, laying a gentle, soothing hand on her shoulder. "Listen," he said quietly. "If you think somebody forced this woman to write the note, then maybe someone forced her to take out all her money. Do you think maybe someone had it in for her?"

"Scott..." There was a hint of warning in Robert's voice, but Nicole was staring at his son, suddenly rapt. Finally, she replied, "Your dad already asked me that, Scott. I don't know. It just feels now like I've done this for nothing." Glancing at Robert and Mickey, she added apologetically, "I'm sorry if I've wasted your time."

"Nicole, you have not wasted anyone's time." Robert returned sternly, while Mickey piped up, "I gotta ask, kid-how did you figure this was a kidnapping in the first place?"

She smiled slightly, then responded, "The lamp, Mickey. The overturned lamp. And the open window. It just didn't make sense." "Why not?" Robert frowned at his son's questioning, but Scott paid no heed. "Amy's a neat freak." Nicole said. "Not in a bad way, or anything...everything just has to be in order and tidy, and...I don't care what kind of hurry she was in, she wouldn't have been that careless. At least that's what I thought."

"I have to be honest, Nicole." Robert said. "When Mickey first told me of his discoveries, for a few moments, I also thought the worst of your friend. But now, considering what you've just said...I still believe something happened to Amy. And I think Scott may have a point. It definitely merits further investigation."

"What are you planning to do?" Nicole felt a little ashamed for being so quick to think the worst of Amy, but it had looked pretty bad. Still looked pretty bad, admittedly.

"I have a friend on the force, Lieutenant Jefferson." As he had expected, the very mention of police made Nicole's face drop, and she muttered, "Cops?" Scott was looking at her curiously, and she just shook her head at him, again reminding herself that Scott McCall was out of her league.

"Not all cops are..." Robert trailed off, remembering that Scott was still in the room, then said hastily, "Lieutenant Jefferson is a good man, Nicole. I'll run all of this by him, anyway. We should also talk to the people at the bank, and that neighbour." He paused, then added, "I'm sure something will turn up. Whether it'll be what we want or expect, remains to be seen."...

(Next-Lieutenant Jefferson tries to help, while at the bank, there is a development. Also, Nicole tries to fight her growing feelings for Scott, then a meeting with an old friend leads to a terrifying ordeal. Please R&R, thank you! *PS-My story will not be canon. As far as I can remember, Scott didn't even meet Mickey until the events of Mission McCall, an episode I may explore in a possible sequel to this story.*)