Chapter 4

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Pam sat on Bill's couch as she continued to listen to the police scanner. The phone rang, she picked up the reciever. "Bill?? ... Yes, I heard it on the scanner. ... It IS Sheila." she said confirming it to herself as she sighed.

"Any more reports?" Bill's voice asked over the phone.

"No, none since the one you were at." Pam answered.

"Okay. I'm gonna check out one of her old haunts I happened to remember." Bill said into his car phone.

"Thanks for the pun. ... Yes, I'll stay here. ... I will. Thanks, Bill." she said hanging up the phone.

---

"Century City Towers, time to pay the happy homemaker's place a visit." Bill said as he parked the car. He exited the car and entered the building. Finding the elevator he headed to Sheila's penthouse.

Bill knocked on the door, "Candygram for Mrs. Redman," he said but didn't recieve an answer. He opened the door. "Ralph?" he called as he looked around the place upon entering. "Nobody home." He paused, "But it looks like Goldie Locks paid a visit." he said as he looked at the giant hole made in the wall.

Bill whistled, "Long way down." He commented as he looked out the hole down to the street. He looked around for anything that would give him clues on what Sheila is planning with Ralph and the suit and where his ... her location is. Bill found a handful of old letters and thumbed through them. "I guess she'll ditch this place since both Ralph and I know it's location.."

"Well, well, well, what have we got here?"

He picked up a piece of paper that was on the floor among others and examined it. "Old bank bonds." He looked up remembering something. "Sheila, you just dropped your guard. How can you go on a permanent vacation without some change in your pocket?" He asked tossing the bank bond to the floor. "Hopefully, I've still got time." He said looking at his watch. Bill walked out the penthouse door and headed to the elevator.

"Better call Davidson in on this scenario." Bill said as he waited in the elevator.

---

"Nooooooo! Not again!" screamed a female voice. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!", shouted "Ralph" as he crashed into a brick wall and tumbled off a garbage bin.

"Stupid suit," he said punching the garbage bin, denting it and sending it a few feet. "It's as if you need instructions to figure out how to use it."

As he stood up on his feet "Ralph" thought, "I could force Maxwell to tell me how to use it. Tormenting hi-.." He paused. "Ralph" clumsily stepped towards the nearby wall placing his hand on it to balance himself. "Tormenting him again would be gre-.."

He put his hand on his head, blinking his eyes as if he felt dizzy. "Ralph" let out a groan as he fell to his knees. He rubbed his face.

"This isn't the warehouse where Foster was." Ralph looked around feeling a bit confused. "My head feels like a truckload of cars fell on it." Ralph put his hand on his head feeling where the gun struck him. "Sheila! If she harmed Bill or Pam, I'll never be able to forgive myself." Ralph started pacing. "I've got control over myself. Now think! I can't get near Bill or Pam in case she resurfaces again." Ralph paussed, "I can't GO near, but maybe I can give them a window to keep track of me." Ralph looked up to the sky, "Okay.. Green Guys, I'll need your help with this." Ralph placed his hands on his head, his fingertips touched the temples of his forehead. He closed his eyes. "Bill, I need your help." Ralph said in deep thought. "I need you to find me. Find me before Sheila causes serious trouble. Bill, help me."

Ralph quickly opened his eyes and started gasping for air. He felt dizzy and collapsed to one knee. His eyes flashed red for a second.

"Ralph, what were you trying to do?" A female voice said. "Ralph" looked up and flashed an evil grin. "Were you being naughty, Ralph? I'll have to put a stop to that." he said as he walked off.

---

Bill got out of his car and shut the door. He headed up the stairs to his flat apartment.

"Bill, I need your help." a voice said out of nowhere. Bill stumbled, feeling dizzy. "Bill, help me." the voice said. Bill leaned against the stairwell wall. He took off his aviator glasses, shook his head and blinked a few times trying to clear his head. He looked at the wall and started to see an image grow. He examined it closely and saw Ralph concentrating in an alley way. The image quickly disappeared. He started walking towards his apartment again, at a faster pace.

Pam opened the door for Bill. "What's wrong?"

"I found some old bank bonds scattered around her place and remembered her trying to bribe Ralph with a loaded safety box when that dame had control of me. I have a bad feeling she's gettin' ready to ditch Los Angeles and probably the country." Bill said rubbing his eyes.

"We have to stop her." Pam said, noticing what Bill was doing. "What's wrong?"

"Not sure, but ya know those holographs Ralph usually gets?" Bill asked Pam.

"Yeah, the ones that help the both of you with solving cases." she replied.

"Those are the ones. Just like the one I supposedly got a few seconds ago in the stairwell." Bill said.

"You got a holograph? Bill, you're not even wearing the suit." Pam said in amazement.

"Counselor, I know that but I am sure I just had one. I saw Ralph standing in some alley way trying to focus or somethin'." Bill explained.

"Maybe Ralph was trying to reach out for you. Ralph gave you the ability to see holographs!" Pam replied.

"Me? See holographs? Uh uh, no way. I'm still gettin' used to the powers Ralph has, I don't need powers of my own! I can't deal with that stuff!" Bill defended.

"We'll deal with it together. Otherwise, we'll lose Ralph." Pam said urgently. "Now, the last time Ralph dealt with Sheila he had to send her back to the house and through that dimension to stop her."

"Yeah, but the house isn't there anymore. It was demolished." Bill said.

"Then we need to figure out another way." Pam replied. "I remember, Ralph mentioned talking to some psychic that Rhonda knew. I believe her first name was Edith, she helped the police with a missing persons case. I think we should pay her a visit."

"I hate it when you're right, Counselor." Bill begrudgingly admitted.

"Because you didn't think of it first?" Pam asked with a half-grin.

"That's the reason. Let's go." Bill said as he and Pam left the apartment.

---

"A hairdresser that tells fortunes? Goodie, I want to know my hairline outlook." Bill joked as he and Pam walked up to the front door.

"Bill, she's a legit psychic. She helped find that missing child." said Pam reaffirming their visit as Bill knocked on the door.

"Even so, I don't like this kinda stuff. Never have and never will." Bill said just as the door opened.

"There's always a first time." said the black haired woman standing in the doorway.

Bill cleared his throat retrieving his wallet. He held it in front of himself. "Agent Bill Maxwell, FBI. Are you Edith the Psychic Hairdresser?" He asked.

"Some would say that." Edith responded.

"Edith, I'm Pamela Davidson. We're friends of Ralph Hinkley. May we come in?" Pam asked.

"Yeah, come on in." Edith answered holding the door for Bill and Pam to enter.

"Hinkley, I remember him. He came here wanting to know about the fourth dimension. Did he ever get his friend back?" she asked.

"Uh yeah, I'm that friend." Bill reluctantly answered.

"I thought so!" Edith said pointing her finger at Bill. "I got some kinda vibe from you when you entered. Glad to see you're back among the living."

"Vibe Schmibe.. Listen up, we've got serious problems here. That dame that Ralph tried to send back to the fourth dimension or whatever you wanna call it, has returned. This time, she's got Ralph and the house to send her back to has been demolished a couple months back." Bill said showing little amusement.

"Returned? She was supposed to go with the building. That's what I told Ralph." Edith said shocked at what she heard.

"We have reason to believe a type of magic was used with an ametrine gem stone." Pam spoke up explaining the situation.

"Ametrine? Yeah.. It makes sense now. That stone being used with magic is dangerous stuff. In Sheila's case, I'm thinking that when she was sent to that room that's guarded by the beast someone used ametrine to continue her curse."

"Wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't that Burrows woman doing it from the grave." Bill said casually.

"When that house was destroyed, the gem was put into use with the magic and so Sheila left that room to be trapped forever in the ametrine stone. That stone was to be her prison for the rest of eternity," she explained offering Bill and Pam a cup of tea. "The only problem, ametrine is fragile."

"So we've noted." Pam said.

"Then she escaped her prison in that gem and now has control over your friend." Edith continued.

"Yeah, so how do we get Ralph back and Sheila trapped again." Bill asked.

"With no fourth dimension gate to go through, you have only one option. Get a bigger, harder rock." she answered.

"What?? We don't have time for rock hunting." Bill protested.

"It'll be like moving from the county jail to a maximum prison stockade. She won't get out this time." Edith explained.

"Where do we find this rock?" Pam asked.

"Getting the rock is the easy part. Getting your friend back and putting the spirit into the gem is another story." Edith said.

"I love stories. Go on." Bill replied.

Edith replied, "Okay, here's what you do..."

---

"So, here's the scenario, Counselor." He said glancing over to the driver seat where Pam is looking at a map. "Sheila was able to escape again. This time, she got Ralph and the magic jammies. She decides to use the suit to help her escape." Bill looked towards the sky hoping not to find anyone in a red suit flying. "Which of course, having the suit she can easily do it. Before she can make her getaway and start a new life, she needs a vault full of dollar bills. I'm almost certain she's going to try and dip into her safety deposit box and probably everybody else's bank account. The only problem, where can her deposit box be?" Bill asked as he glanced at his watch.

"Hard to say." Pam said scanning the map very carefully. "My guess would probably be the one near her old house or possibly near where you found her." Pam placed her finger on the map pointing out the location "Ralph" was last seen. "She was here, and the nearest post office has to be..." She moved her finger over to the right of the map. "Pico Boulevard and the address is.." Pam slid in her seat, losing her place in the map. "Lost it. Bill would you watch the curves?" Pam requested still looking at the map.

Bill blinked his eyes and shook his head as if he was seeing something. "Counselor, would you please take the wheel." Bill said a bit nervously.

"What's wrong? Getting tired?" Pam asked still studying the map.

"Not quite." He paused. "Getting a holograph and I can't focus on driving at the moment." Bill replied in a nervous tone.

Pam looked over at Bill and quickly took control of the steering wheel. "What are you seeing?"

Bill looked in the rear view mirror as the holograph cleared up. "Ralph" was filling up a bag full of money. He grabbed a bank teller and forced her out the door. The holograph zoomed in on a wall with the bank name and logo.

"Yeah, skip the post office. She's at Union Bank and we've gotta get there fast. She's got a hostage." BIll said rubbing his eyes. "..and I've got the willies. Remind me to not thank Ralph for these holographs. Geez!"

---

"Ralph" held onto the bank teller by the arm with one hand and a bag of money in the other, as he led her out the back of the building.

"Let me go!" pleaded the bank teller wincing from her arm being in pain from his grip.

"I can't do that just yet, honey. You're my insurance out of here." he replied ordering her to climb a fire escape.

"Insurance?? Against what??" She asked.

SCREEEEEEECH

"HOLD IT, SHEILA!" Bill shouted as he got out and stood behind the car with his gun aimed at "Ralph".

"There's your answer. Everybody's favorite little FBI Agent." He said pointing towards Bill. "Billy, don't worry I haven't forgotten about you or my exacting revenge on you. I just need some funds to help me enjoy it more." laughed "Ralph".

"Ralph! Can you hear me?" Pam called out.

"Davidson!" Bill said trying to hush Pam.

"Davidson? Pam! We finally get to meet. Ralph has said.. Thought so much about you. It's such a shame that it has to end though." He asked.

"She's not part of this and neither is that lady you're holding hostage up there." Bill stated.

"Is that so?" frowned "Ralph". "That's too bad. I always like it when new people drop in. Speaking of dropping in.."

"Ralph" tossed the bank teller over the railing. Bill scrambled to catch her and succeeded, though falling backwards in the process.

"Are you alright?" Bill asked her.

"Yes, just shaken." the teller answered rubbing her arm.

"Your heroics sicken me, Maxwell. I'll deal with the both of you later." said "Ralph" as he flew away.

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