Many thanks to AZWriter.

Chapter XIV

Kovran met Callie's look with a shrewd one of his own. Quick as a cat, he sprang to his feet and shoved past her on the narrow platform.

His movement jarred the catwalk and shook Frank's tenuous grasp. "Callie - " he choked.

Callie looked at the gun. She knew she couldn't shoot a man in the back, and her aim wasn't true enough for this dark, enclosed space. She also knew that if she ran after Kovran, Frank would fall. Easing the hammer back into place she tossed the gun aside and knelt on the catwalk, grabbing Frank's wrist with one hand and his forearm with the other.

"I've got you." she said, breathing hard. "Can you pull yourself up?"

Frank shook his head. "I'll pull you over."

"Don't worry. I'm wearing my harness. How did you think I made that entrance?"

Frank set his teeth. "Divine intervention."

With Callie's help, Frank managed to heft himself back onto the catwalk.

"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously.

Frank nodded, trying to regain his breath, watching Kovran's retreating back with mounting frustration. He scrambled to his knees and threw himself into a low, driving tackle. Kovran hit the catwalk with a force that made it rattle, only steps from the ladder. Frank pushed himself up to grab him around the waist, but there was something familiar about that position...he moved his head slightly as Kovran kicked out, enough to diminish the violent blow, but not quite enough to escape it. An orange starburst exploded behind his eyes, and he went limp. Kovran slipped free and down the ladder.

"Frank!" cried Callie, hurrying toward him as best she could in the confined space. Frank dragged himself dizzily into sitting position and reached for the ladder.

"Callie. He can't get away."

Callie clung firmly to his arm, listening to a faint sound over the thundering music, and smiled. "Sounds like he's not. Come on. Let's go see."

000

Joe was about halfway up the ladder when a pair of feet descended suddenly before his eyes. They were beautifully shod in black silver-toed boots.

Without pausing to think, he grabbed onto them and pulled. He and the owner of the feet tumbled down the ladder, crashing into the Prop Table so that one side collapsed and props rained down on them. Somewhere in the background, voices were singing a religious choir.

Joe's head was reeling from the fall, and he was on the bottom, with his captive and a variety of props on top, but he held on with all his might. The figure grabbed a pitcher from the collection of props and aimed it at Joe's head. Joe managed to turn aside, but caught a stinging blow on the shoulder. He answered with an uppercut to the jaw, somewhat hampered by the fallen table. The other guy was groggy, but not out. He managed a vicious blow to Joe's midsection.

Joe's air left him in a whoosh of pain, and he almost lost his hold. All right, he thought, enough fun and games. He groped among the props with his free hand. With his other, he maintained a death grip on the guy's collar.

Hope this tuxedo's not a rental, pal, he thought grimly as his searching hand found some sort of handle and closed around it. He lifted experimentally, felt a satisfying degree of weight, and swung. It made contact with a hollow thwack, and the tuxedo slumped against him.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Joe looked up into the astonished, irate face of the Assistant Stage Manager. He pushed the tuxedo guy off of him and stood up.

"Just looking for my props. Pretty flimsy table, huh?" Just then Frank and Callie made it down the ladder. Joe turned his prisoner gingerly onto his back. "Kovran?" he asked.

Frank nodded.

The Assistant Stage Manager went pale. "Oh! Mr. Kovran! What have you done! I - I'm calling the police!"

"No need." They all looked up, blinking, as applause marked the end of Act IV and the lights came on. A plain clothesman flanked by two uniformed officers stood at the backstage entrance, displaying a badge.

"But - how - " Frank looked past the officers and broke into a slow grin. "Gabby!"

Gabby moved forward, looking from one to the other anxiously. "Are you kids all right? Oh, no, not again!" Frank met her look uncomprehendingly.

"You're bleeding," Callie explained helpfully.

He put his hand to his forehead. Sure enough, it came away red.

The Assistant Stage Manager stared at the policemen. "I don't understand." he said in bewilderment.

"Lt. Richards," answered the plain clothesman briskly. He looked down at Kovran, who had begun to stir. "This the one ma'am?"

Gabby nodded. "Yes, lieutenant. That's him."

One of the uniformed officers went forward and cuffed Kovran's hands behind him, pulling him to his feet. "Sergei Kovran, you are under arrest for conspiracy of grand theft. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right - "

Kovran, now fully conscious, was looking around at them, smiling faintly. "I am so sorry to disappoint you," he said quietly. "But I am afraid I must. You can not arrest me. You see, I have diplomatic immunity."

Joe stared, doubling his fists. "No," he said angrily.

Frank sat down on one of the prop barrels. "Yes," he said with a groan.

Joe stared at Kovran, his big fists working. "So, what happens now?"

"He walks." said Frank bitterly.

Gabby looked from one to the other disbelievingly. "But - that's impossible!"

Lt. Richards shook his head. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry, but if he's with the embassy, it's true. Kelly, undo the cuffs."

Officer Kelly reluctantly fumbled for the keys and began to unlock the handcuffs. Joe, Frank and Callie looked on miserably, while Kovran sneered with triumph.

"Well, Sergei Grigorovitch. As I always thought you'd look most natural." A musical voice made them turn. Galina Kareechniva stood smiling a cool, bitter smile, totally unlike the one she'd bestowed on Joe.

"Galina Illyovna. So sorry to disappoint you, but they are currently releasing me. Perhaps I will not sue for false arrest. This is a wonderful country, is it not?" He delicately tugged his sleeves back into place.

Galina's smile faded and she narrowed her eyes at Lt. Richards, her expression searching. "Releasing?" she said sharply. "And his crime is, please?"

Lt. Richards looked acutely unhappy. "Conspiring to steal the Romanov Rose."

Galina's face furrowed. "Please to understand. Why he is free then?"

"Diplomatic immunity," mumbled Frank, accepting Gabby's handkerchief and pressing it against the cut that had reopened on his forehead.

Galina's frown deepened. "But the Romanov Rose - she is Russian, yes?" They all looked at her. She gestured impatiently. "Is crime against Russia, yes? He has not immunity in Russia, no?" She made a grand flourish. "As Russian citizen, I insist you arrest for crime against Russian people. You arrest and hold for -for - " she struggled for the word.

"Extradition," Frank supplied breathlessly.

She beamed her dazzling smile at him. "Yes. For this." She kissed her fingertips. "Beautiful and smart. These American boys. You send Sergei to Russia. He has many friends there be please for opportunity to discuss his other crimes. Friends who no forget." Sergei went pale. The lights flashed, and she turned. "Intermission over. I must do last scene - death in prison." She smiled slyly at Kovran. "You watch," she suggested sweetly. "Is good reference, yes?"

Kovran leapt at her, but Joe was more than ready. He stepped in with a neat uppercut to the jaw. "That's for my brother," he said cheerfully, following it with a pile driver jab to the breadbasket. "And that's for my vacation."

Kovran folded with an audible "Oof."

Joe stood smiling down at him, rubbing his fist.

"Nice work." said Gabby admiringly, as Officer Kelly reapplied the cuffs. "I've been wanting to do that myself for a long time."

"Thanks, but the pleasure was all mine." They could hear the sounds of the audience reseating. "Say, what made you decide to bring the police?"

"Oh, I don't know." Gabby smiled over at Frank. "That guy, I guess. Made me want to do the right thing."

"Yeah." Joe grinned, enjoying Frank's embarrassment. "He has that effect on people. Even me, sometimes."

Callie rolled her eyes. "The Hardy brothers. Irresistible to women of all ages, all nationalities. Come on, champ. Let's see if we can find you an icepack."

Lt. Richards gestured them ahead of him through the offstage door just as the lights went down and the music came up for the last act. A third uniformed officer was waiting there with Jerry in handcuffs. He looked desolate, but his face lit when he saw Gabby.

"Gabby!" he said in relief. "You're all right!"

"I'm sorry, Jerry." said Gabby steadily. "I brought the police."

Jerry smiled crookedly. "Figures. Sorry I got you messed up in this, babe." He took in Callie and Frank and Joe. "Thank heaven you kids are all right anyway."

"Oh, that's rich!" said Joe indignantly. "After you left us at Alcatraz to be killed!"

Jerry's eyes widened. "To be killed!" he repeated in astonishment. "I led you there to keep you alive!" He looked at Frank. "I went to Gabby's to give you the second injection. I knew she'd never do it, and I knew there'd be trouble if you came round. I saw you were gone, and I was kind of relieved. But then I saw you at the theater and I knew that if Kovran saw you around he wouldn't take any chances this time. He'd kill you. So I thought - if I could just keep you out of sight for a while - "

Joe gaped at him. "You've got to be kidding! We saw this guy come to get us!"

Jerry turned to stare at Kovran. "You followed me?" he asked stupidly. Kovran returned his gaze coldly. "Gabby, I swear - "

"I know, Jer," she shrugged slightly. "Suckers, both of us."

Frank looked from Lt. Richards to Gabby. "What happens to Gabby - I mean, Ms. Townsend - now? She stopped the theft. Maybe even an international incident."

"And she only got involved to help me." Jerry blurted. "I have a record...I never came clean about it with the Opera House. Kovran found out somehow and was using it to blackmail me."

Lt. Richards looked serious. "It's not for me to decide."

"She did everything she could to keep me alive." Frank insisted. "I'll be happy to give a statement - "

"I'll want statements from all of you," Richards interrupted. "I'm taking you down to the station."

"What I'd like to know," said Joe as they followed Richards down the hall to the labyrinth of dressing room corridors, "is how Kovran knew Frank was here. What made him come backstage to begin with?"

"Oh," Frank made a face, looking for a dry spot on his handkerchief and reapplying it. "I think I figured that out." He looked at Kovran. "It was the surveillance cameras, wasn't it? That's what you and Carstairs were talking about in that room. You were watching the tourists at the exhibit and suddenly there I was, alive and on the air." Kovran didn't deign to reply, so Frank continued. "You knew I was hanging around the Opera House and you probably figured out why, and since you have free run of the place, it wasn't so tough to track me down. Then you just - " he stopped dead. "Oh, no! Callie! The gun! We left it in the catwalks!"

"The gun!" Richards repeated. "What gun?"

"The gun this guy was going to shoot me with." Frank explained. "We shouldn't leave it just lying around."

"Shouldn't - it's backstage?" Richards was aghast.

"I'll get it," Frank volunteered.

Joe stopped his brother with a hand on his arm. "No, you look kind of rocky. I'll get it. Where is it?"

"The catwalks. Should be near the top of the ladder you found Kovran on, but - " Joe was already halfway to the stairs. It seemed as though he was gone for a very long time. When he returned, he had the gun mounted on his sword by the trigger guard and an expression of suppressed excitement that made Frank eye him quizzically. Joe met his look with a grin, eyes dancing.

"Thank you," said Lt. Richards, a little impatiently. "Officer Hoblock, take the weapon, please." Officer Hoblock obediently relieved Joe of the gun.

"Show's over," said Joe conversationally. "They're encoring Galina again and again."

Lt. Richards frowned at him. "We'll go now, if you don't mind. This promises to be a very long night."

Joe shrugged. "Sure." then seemed to remember something. "Oh - Lieutenant - "

Lt. Richards turned and fixed him with a steely eye, his face a mask of rising irritation. "Well?"

"You don't want to forget this." He tossed something lightly underhand.

Lt. Richards snatched it out of the air. It slithered in his grasp and he stared at it, his face suddenly gone white.

In his hand was a small, black velvet bag. It had a drawstring neck that was partly opened, spilling its contents. Dangling half in and half out of the neck of the bag and glimmering richly under the fluorescent lights was an immense ruby in a petal-like setting.

The Romanov Rose.

TBC