PART 4:

Jesse walked into Mark's office, balancing tow cups of coffee in his hands. He made his way over to Mark's desk.

Sitting down on the edge of his desk, he held on of the cups to him. "Coffee?"

Mark threw a file down and sat back in his chair. "Thanks, Jess."

Jesse motioned to the file. "What was that all about?"

"Cheryl was kind enough to drop off a copy of the report on what was found at the airport."

"And?"

Mark took a sip of his coffee. "Nothing in the parking lot or inside the airport."

"Damn it! Did Cheryl say if there was any word on the streets?"

"Nothing. No one heard of anyone planning on kidnapping a cop."

Mark took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"I'm going to talk with Torres," Mark said.

"Oh sure, talk with Torres," Jesse said sarcastically. "He'll let you know where Steve is." Jesse looked over at Mark and for the first time he saw the fear in his eyes he had for Steve. He immediately regretted what he just said. "I'm sorry, Mark. Not knowing anything on this case is starting to get to me."

"It's getting to me too, Jesse. I want to find Steve just as badly as you and the cops do."

"Well isn't that what we should do?" Jesse asked. "Leave it to the cops like Captain Newman said."

"As much as Newman's threat to arrest me if I get involved is nagging at me," Mark replied. "I just can't sit here and do nothing."

"So, you think talking with Torres is going to help?"

Mark took a deep breath. "Not really, but it couldn't hurt to see if we can get him to say something about Steve's whereabouts."

"When are you going to see him?"

Mark looked at his watch. "Visiting hours start in an hour. I was planning on going then."

"I'll come by your office in an hour. I want to go with you."

"Jesse, you don't have to come with me," Mart stated.

"I know I don't, but I want to," Jesse replied. "And besides you shouldn't be going to see Torres by yourself."

"I think I can handle Torres by myself."

"I'm sure you can," Jesse said. "But I want to help."

"What with the questioning?" Mark asked.

"No, I'm sure you'll handle that just fine."

"Then what are you going to help me with?"

"I want to be there to help bail you out once Newman arrests you for what you're doing," Jesse replied.

Mark smiled as he watched Jesse walk out of his office.

Ellison sat in Judge Thompson's office waiting for him to come in.

She kept glancing at her watch. What is taking him so long?

At that moment Judge Thompson walked in. "Make this quick, Ellison. My wife has dinner waiting at home for me."

"Your Honor, I need to speak to you about the Torres case."

"Where's Mr. Torres' attorney?"

"I didn't inform him of this meeting, Your Honor."

Judge Thompson stared hard at Ellison. "You know I can't discuss this case without his attorney present. Why are you wasting my time and yours?"

"Your Honor, the reason I didn't ask Goodwin to be here is because my witness Lieutenant Steve Sloan, has disappeared. The Los Angeles Police Department believes that Torres might be behind his sudden disappearance."

"Do you have any proof of this?"

"Not yet, Your Honor, but the police department is working on it. I'm asking you to postpone this case until we can find Lieutenant Sloan and prove it was Torres who kidnapped him."

"You want me to postpone this trial past tomorrow, and yet you have no proof that Torres did anything to Lieutenant Sloan?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did you actually think I would go for this, Ellison? If Lieutenant Sloan isn't in court by tomorrow morning at nine a.m. then consider this case over." Thompson stood up. "That's my final decision."

Ellison rose. "No, wait!"

The judge stopped and looked angrily at Ellison.

"You have to keep Torres in jail," Ellison insisted. "If you don't, he'll be back out on the streets selling his drugs to those kids again. Could you live with yourself, knowing that's what this man is doing?" Would you want him selling those drugs to your own grandchildren?"

Ellison saw the judge's angry stare soften, but nonetheless he continued to stare at her before he sat back down at his desk.

"Please, Your Honor," she pleaded. "You have to keep this guy in jail."

"You have seventy-two hours, Ms. Ellison." He coughed suddenly. "I must have caught that flu bug that's been going around."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Ellison said with a smile.

"Goodwin's going to want another judge put on the case," Thompson said. "But I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"Again, thank you."

"The thought of him selling drugs to kids, especially my grandchildren was a cheap shot, but it worked," he said with a wry smile. "Don't ever do it again, just find Lieutenant Sloan and have him in this courthouse in seventy-two hours."

"I will, Your Honor."

Mark paced the floor in the meeting room, while Jesse sat at the table. Both were waiting for Torres to be brought to them. Mark stopped once he heard the door open. Cheryl walked in and over to Mark.

"Doctor Sloan," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Torres."

"You want Captain Newman to arrest your for interfering?"

"No," Mark answered. "But please Cheryl, let me do this.

"I'll probably get in trouble for this," Cheryl replied. "But alright you can stay."

They all looked at the door once they heard it open again. A guard walked in with Torres, he stood in front of the door.

Showing her badge to the guard Cheryl said. "We would like some time alone with this prisoner."

The guard looked at the identification and satisfied at what he saw, he left the room.

Torres walked up to the table and sat down. "Hello Doctor Sloan," he looked at Jesse and then Cheryl. "New partner, Lieutenant Banks?"

"No Torres," Cheryl answered. "Lieutenant Sloan is still my partner."

"Oh he is, is he?" Torres sneered. "That's funny because he didn't show up for court this morning. So I thought he just decided to give up his day job."

Mark walked over to the other side of the table and sat down beside Jesse. "You know where he is, don't you?"

Lacing his hands behind his head, Torres sat back in his chair and smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Mark felt his anger start to build in the pit of his stomach.

"Why are you being so cooperative?" Jesse asked.

"If there was any way that I could help you in finding Lieutenant Sloan, I would, but I can't."

"Stuff it Torres, you know where he is and we're going to prove it," Cheryl said angrily.

"Now how would I know where he is? I've been in jail this whole time."

"Tell us now," Cheryl said, "and I'm sure the judge will go easy on you."

Torres smiled. "How can I tell you something that I know nothing about?"

Mark launched himself at Torres.

Jesse's hand shot out, grabbing Mark's upper arm. "Mark!"

"He knows where Steve is," he protested.

The door to the meeting room flew open. Goodwin with Captain Newman behind him came rushing in, and walked up to the table.

"What the hell is going on here?" Newman demanded.

Looking at him, "They think I had something to do with Lieutenant Sloan's disappearance," Torres said.

Goodwin looked at the three of them. "You questioning my client without his attorney present?"

"He agreed to this meeting, Goodwin," Mark answered.

"We just wanted to see if he knew anything about Lieutenant Sloan," Cheryl said.

"Well, my client has nothing more to say. And I'll be filing a harassment suit against the both of you tomorrow morning."

Mark and Jesse stood.

Mark walked up to Goodwin and with a cold stare said, "You do what your have to do, and I'm going to do what I have to do. And that's to prove that Torres is behind my son's disappearance."

"Let's go," Newman said.

Mark and Jesse followed the two cops out of the room.

Goodwin sat down at the table with his client. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Look, I knew what they were going to ask me," Torres explained. "I agreed to this meeting so I could see if they had anything on Sloan's whereabouts."

"And?"

"They know nothing," Torres said with a satisfying smile on his face.

"Well, we have a problem."

Torres' eyebrow shot up. "What?"

"I just got word from the judge's office. This case has been postponed for seventy-two hours."

"What?!"

"Seems the judge came down with some kind of flu. Thinks he'll be back in three days."

"You said that you would get me out of here tomorrow!" Torres growled.

"Look, I'm working on getting another judge to hear this case tomorrow."

"And?"

"I said I was working on it."

"Oh man."

"Get a hold of yourself. The most you'll have to stay in here is one more day," Goodwin informed him.

Torres grabbed Goodwin by the shirt pulling him closer. "You get me out of here by tomorrow," he threatened. "Or you'll wish that you never lived."

Goodwin pulled away, straightening his shirt and tie. "Don't threaten me, Torres. If it wasn't for me, you'd be in jail for twenty-five to life right now. So you have to stay here maybe another three days. Sloan won't be testifying against you."

Torres sighed in frustration and looked at Goodwin. "How's it going?"

"He keeps fighting us. Give it another day, and we'll have him hooked."

"Increase the dosage."

"Look, we want him to get hooked on the heroin before we kill him."

Torres sat back in his chair. "If you give him his shots on the hour every hour, he'll get hooked."

"When do you want us to dump him?" Goodwin asked.

"Not until I'm out of here," Torres answered.

"Why?"

"Cause, I want the last face that Lieutenant Sloan sees to be mine," Torres grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on his father's face when they find his body all shot up with heroin."