For a moment Rick was frozen, then A.J.'s voice crackled over his transmitter. "Guys….what's going on…this van is going 90!"
"A.J., they've got Laurie…it's the kidnappers, at least 2 of them, they grabbed Laurie…." He started, then Ramona broke in, her voice shaking.
"Dad, a big guy grabbed me, then Mom hit him and he let go of me…she told me to run but then someone threw a sack or something over her….they think she has Chelsea."
"They do, huh….son….help Ramona into the car…" Rick determinedly said, then saw Oscar peel into the garage and head their way. As he stopped short of Rick's vehicle, Ron beckoned him over.
"Oscar, can you take care of Ramona, We're going after Laurie…" He explained.
The older man's face was set as he nodded helped the shaken woman into his car. "I'll take her to A.J.'s." Oscar offered, then Rick nodded at him as he climbed into Ron's cruiser.
"Dad…I'll radio you when I know where Laurie is…." He explained, as Robbie got in the other side. Instantly the chief of detectives threw the car into gear and tore out of the garage. Racing down the main street, Rick called to A.J., "Where is the van now? Ron, can your men set up a road block?"
"Just about to, Rick….this guy is driving like a maniac….do you know who the kidnappers are…" the chief asked tersely, getting off his radio.
"I think one of them is that Reverend Heatherly, Ron…Robbie and I saw a van come out of the "Loving Homes" parking lot right about the time of Ramona's appointment." Rick told him, then their friend responded.
"Okay, two of my units have got this guy stopped, Capital and Bellevue…."
Within a minute Ron pulled up to the kidnapper's van, which was surrounded by A.J.'s vehicle and 4 police cruisers. The two Simons watched as Ron got out of his cruiser, his radio speaker in hand.
"You are surrounded, throw out your weapons and release Mrs. Simon…" he demanded. At the sound of his voice the panel door slid open, then a tall man with a ski mask appeared, holding a gun in one hand and a dirty burlap sack in his free arm.
"Come any closer and this lady gets it!" he bellowed, and Rick snarled under his breath, recognizing the formerly polite voice as that of "Reverend" Heatherly.
"Show us Mrs. Simon is all right, and we'll talk.." Ron yelled back, then A.J. swore over his transmitter as the masked man said something, then a hand came out from the van and pulled the sack open, showing a disheveled Laurie Simon. She was white-faced and trembling, and Rick leaned out of Ron's car, trying to catch her eye.
She peered around for a moment, then focused on Rick's face.
"Chief….don't give into them…" she called out, then the kidnapper slapped a hand over her mouth.
"You've had your look, now everyone back off…or she gets a bullet in her head…" he barked. Ron looked at his friends, then nodded.
"We'll move, but first you let Mrs. Simon go…."
"No deal, you've got 30 seconds or, bang!" the masked man retorted.
Ron stared at the man, then glanced at Rick, who didn't mince words.
"Let them go, but follow them…they'll kill her if we don't…"
"Hold your fire!" Ron yelled at his men, as the masked man pulled the sack over Laurie's tearful face and yanked her back into the van. As the door slammed closed, Rick frantically "reached out" to Laurie. "Darlin'….hold on …."
"I love you" was all he "heard" back from her, but the feeling of terror was so strong that Rick shook inside as the van slowly moved past the police cars, then sped up and turned onto the highway. Immediately Rick told Ron, "Don't let them out of your sight."
Without missing a beat Ron got back in, then gunned his cruiser away from the curb. He then followed the van on to the freeway, as suddenly Laurie's transmitter came to life. Rick saw the red light on his watch blink, as a muffled voice sounded over the speaker.
"We've got to ditch the lady, that'll slow 'em down!"
"No, she stays with us until we reach the border, then we'll dump her in the desert…they'll never find the body." The formerly refined voice of Malcolm Heatherly filled Rick with anger. Just then the first voice swore and yelled, "that cop is gaining on us…get rid of Mrs. Simon now!"
At once Rick knew he had one chance to save Laurie before they tossed her from the van, and he told Ron, "Pull alongside the van!"
Just as the police cruiser came up on the blind side of the kidnappers, the panel door opened and Rick saw the dirty burlap sack holding his wife being dangled perilously out of the van. Instantly he opened his passenger door, and when they drew even with the van, he reached out and ripped Laurie from the masked man's grip.
Startled, the man tried to reach for her again, only for Robbie to lean out and aim a gun at the man.
"Move one finger and you're dead….." he yelled. Immediately the driver of the van gunned the engine and zoomed ahead. Rick managed to throw himself and Laurie back into the cruiser. There was a muted cry from inside the filthy material, and instantly he tore the material from her face. Robbie somehow was able to grab the open door and slam it shut as Ron radioed "Mrs. Simon is safe, continue pursuit, keep me updated on the van's position."
"Sweetheart, can you hear me?" Rick begged, seeing tears fill her eyes. Her right eye was swollen, and blood dripped from a cut on her lip. He ripped the rest of the disinigrateing sack from her body and saw how her clothing was stained and torn.
"Rick….thank God…" she murmured, dazed. Her good eye focused on Robbie's worried face, then she reached out her hand to touch Rick's cheek.
"My brave men…..they didn't hurt Ramona, did they?"
"No, Mama…" Robbie's voice quavered, and he leaned over to kiss her forehead as Rick stroked her hair.
"Laurie, you saved her….Oscar took her to A.J.'s…and Jaime has Chelsea safe and sound…where did those animals hurt you?"
"That awful minister, he socked me in the eye when he saw I had a baby doll….then another man slapped me when I wouldn't tell them where Chelsea was. My whole face hurts…." She told them, tears rolling down her cheeks. She started to calm down as Rick held her and stroked her face, then he pulled a Kleenex from his pocket and dried her eyes. "Thank you, love…." Laurie began, then there was a sudden outburst from their friend.
"Those bastards…..hold tight, guys…." Ron growled, then pulled back onto the highway. Surprised, Rick saw the fury in his eyes as Robbie quietly told their friend, "Ron…let your men handle this…."
"I am, Robbie….but I want to make sure…" the chief said tersely, then his face hardened as he thumbed his radio.
"Phoenix 12…what's your position?"
"We have the van cornered on Mountain Road and Valley Way, one block east of the tracks, but we can't get any closer….shots have been fired…do you know who we're dealing with, Chief?" came the response.
"Malcolm Heatherly, and two other males, no other description….wanted for kidnapping and attempted murder. Hold your position, Dalton…and call in a 2nd response." Ron ordered. "Have Fernandez give one more warning, and if they fire again, shoot a round of tear gas into the rear of the van."
"Affirmative, Chief….what's your eta?"
"About 2 minutes….I'll come in off of Valley…." Ron answered, then told Rick, "Have A.J. meet us at the corner of Valley and Hillside….I want you guys out of the way…that means you, honey." He added, giving Laurie a half-hearted smile.
"Thank you, Ron…but please….be careful." She said emotionally, then rested her face against Rick's chest. Rick gave his friend a warning look.
"You heard the lady..."
Just then the sound of a horn let them know A.J. was next to them, and both cars pulled over to the curb. Robbie got out first and opened the rear door of the cruiser, then helped lift his mother from the back. A.J. swallowed hard when he saw the injuries to his sister-in-law's face, and gently helped settled her in the rear of his car.
"We'll head for General, Rick..." he started to say, then his brother turned to Robbie.
"Go with Ron, son...I don't want him doing anything crazy..."
"I will, Pop...take care of Mama.." he returned, then smiled as Laurie leaned up to hug him.
"He will, honey, now watch your back..."
Robbie nodded, then closed the door and vanished back into the chief's cruiser. Immediately it peeled back onto the road, then veered across the tracks and disappeared.
"Ok, A.J…..let's go." Rick said, putting his arm around his wife as A.J. made a u-turn, then started towards the freeway. Halfway to the hospital, Laurie stiffened, then gasped, "No…..get down, Ron….!"
"Sweetheart?" Rick saw her face turn white as her eyes widened with fear. She started to hyperventilate. "Rick….call Robbie, they're going to shoot Ron when he rushes the van…don't let him..it's going to explode and kill both of them!"
"All right, darlin'…just let it go…A.J….step on it!" He urged, then turned on his transmitter.
"Robbie, it's Pop…don't let Ron rush the van, grab him, knock him down, whatever you have to do…Your mother saw that Heatherly's going to shoot him!" he called. For a moment he could barely hear his son's voice, then after a burst of static, Rick listened to his friend arguing with Robbie.
"No…let me go…I need to get those monsters…"
"Ron…listen to me, Mom saw you being shot and the van exploding, killing us both! Please …if not for you, for Mom!" Robbie's voice seemed to stop the older man in his tracks, then a burst of gunfire went off and Laurie started to sob.
"Rick….I was too late…oh, love…" Aching for his wife, Rick rocked her in his embrace, trying to sooth her.
"It's okay, sweetheart…just hang on….they'll be all right…shhhh.." For several long minutes the sounds of sirens and voices yelling filled the air, then just as A.J. pulled into the hospital parking lot, a familiar voice came over Rick's watch.
"We got one of them, Rick….Heatherly and his partner Everett Jacobs are dead, but their driver is in custody…." Ron reported weakly, then Robbie's voice came on.
"Don't move, Ron….Get me a paramedic, now!"
"Robbie, what happened, is Ron hurt?" Rick called, then he let out a deep breath after a few minutes when his son replied, "Yes, Pop…he was grazed by a ricocheting bullet..another inch and he'd be on the ground."
"Maybe now he'll listen with that hard head of his." Rick said wryly, as he gently wiped Laurie's eyes. She took a deep breath and gave a weary smile as Ron added, "Don't rub it in….I never saw those guys until they burst from the van….but thanks to Robbie…..well…my cruiser's cooked but I'm not."
"Well, I do have a smart son…but my brave girl's the one who saw what was going to happen…."Rick answered, kissing his wife's face. Worn out, Laurie snuggled into Rick's arms, as Ron told him, "Thank her, too…and please tell our buddy I promise to always listen to her."
"That's all I want…" she replied, returning Rick's kiss, then grinning gingerly as he closed his transmitter and said, "and I will always listen to you too, princess. But I'm never going to let you out of my sight again, comprende?"
"Si, comprendo." Laurie returned softly, as A.J. parked in front of the emergency room. He smiled as Rick scooped up his wife and refusing help, carried her inside. Just then the younger Simon's transmitter went off, and he answered it.
"Hey, Oscar…we're at the hospital…how's Ramona doing?"
"She's fine, A.J. Jaime and Steve and Chelsea are with her now….but is Laurie all right?" the older man asked, worried.
A.J. took a deep breath. "You'd better sit down, Oscar…you're not going to believe what happened…."