Author's Notes: I thought this chapter was going to be the last chapter for this story, but my imagination and muse has given me more to write. YAY! LOL LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Read, review and enjoy. :o)
Monday, August 21
MCS, Ladies Restroom, 2:00 p.m.
"Oh, my God!" Alex exclaimed as she rushed to Angel's still form. "Why did you do this?! Why did you do this?!" her mind screamed as she checked for a pulse. The small cut that was on Angel's forehead from the car accident was now bigger and had blood pouring out of it. Alex jumped up and grabbed some paper towels. She placed them against the wound and applied pressure, trying to stop the flowing blood. She was racking her brain, trying to remember what John 15:13 meant. "Angel, why did you do this?" Alex said. "You shouldn't have done this! We'd protect you. Why did you do this?!" Alex stayed where she was for another minute before getting up and throwing open the door to get some help.
Bobby and Mack Lowell had walked out of the conference room. "Detective Goren," Mr. Lowell said, "I understand that you and your partner have a case to solve and I'm sure Mrs. St. John would be more than willing to help you out, but I must insist that you allow her to go home and rest and recover from this accident for a while before you start grilling her with a barrage of questions." Bobby opened his mouth to say something, but Captain Ross walked up and said, "I'm sure my detectives will not push Mrs. St. John too hard with their questions, Mr.?"
"Lowell. Mack Lowell," he said, extending his hand to Ross. "I'm Captain Danny Ross, Mr. Lowell." Bobby handed Ross Mr. Lowell's business card. "He's a lawyer, Captain," he said. Ross read the card, making a note of the law firm Mr. Lowell was associated with it. " This just gets better and better," he thought to himself. "Mr. Lowell, I truly understand and appreciate your concern for Mrs. St. John's well being, but I can assure you that my detectives will treat her as gently as possible without pushing her too hard."
"I'm glad you understand, Captain," Mr. Lowell said. "But I still must insist that you release Mrs. St. John to me." "Mr. Lowell, has Mrs. St. John asked you to be her legal representative?" Ross asked. "Um, well, no. She hasn't. I'm here as a favor to her friend, Janie Spencer. As I told your detectives before, Janie saw the accident on television. She asked me to take Mrs. St. John home." Ross nodded his head and said, "I see. How about I make a deal with you, Mr. Lowell? When Mrs. St. John returns from the.." "Ladies room," Bobby said, filling in the blank. "Thank you, Detective," Ross said. "When she returns from the ladies room, we'll ask her if she wants you to be her legal representative. If Mrs. St. John says 'yes,' then you are welcome to stick around and be with her while my detectives question her. If she says 'no,' then you'll leave and I will personally make sure Mrs. John gets home safely."
Mr. Lowell nodded. "I accept your terms, Captain Ross," he said, holding out his hand. Captain Ross was about to shake Mr. Lowell's hand when Alex came bursting into the squad room, shouting, "Captain! We've got a medical emergency! We need an ambulance!" The urgency in Alex's voice and the sight of blood on her hands shocked everyone in the squad room. Captain Ross started barking orders. "Logan! Grab the trauma kit and go with Goren to help Eames! And for Pete's sake, wear gloves!" Mike grabbed a duffel bagged trauma kit and followed Bobby and Alex to the ladies room.
Captain Ross then grabbed the nearest phone and dialed for help. "Wheeler, get over here!" he said sharply after hanging up the phone. As Megan walked towards the captain, Ross said to Mr. Lowell, "Detective Wheeler is going to escort you to your car, Mr. Lowell. Once the ambulance gets here, all hell will break loose and you won't be able to leave for a while." "Yes, of course, Captain," Mr. Lowell said. "You'll let me know what hospital Mrs. St. John is being taken to as soon as possible?"
Ross nodded his head. "You'll be the first one to know," he lied. Wheeler pointed at the elevators. "After you, sir," she said. Lowell walked towards the elevators. As Megan walked passed Ross, he gave her a look that she was all too familiar with. A look that said, "Observe and report back to me." She nodded her head and followed Lowell. Ross sighed heavily and shook his head, wondering what kind of case his detectives had fallen into.
"Oh, my God!" Mike and Bobby both exclaimed as they stood the doorway of the ladies room. Alex had found the doorstop the cleaning crew used to prop the door open. She resumed her previous duty of applying pressure to Angel's head wound. Bobby was the first one to recover and quickly sprang into action. He hung his jacket up on top of the door and took the bag out of Mike's hands. Mike shook himself a little and followed Bobby inside after putting his jacket on top of Bobby's.
"Eames, what happened?" Bobby asked calmly as he knelt down and opened the duffel bag. Alex got up to throw away the blood soaked paper towels, telling him how Angel got hurt. She conveniently left out the part about Angel mentioning John 15:13. Bobby tore open a couple of large gauze bandage roll packets. "Put some gloves on, Goren," Logan said as Bobby started to touch Angel's forehead with his bare hands. He had knelt down and tore open some gauze bandage pads, handing them to Bobby.
Bobby sighed heavily and said, "I've already exchanged bodily fluids with her. I think wearing gloves now is a moot point." He placed the pads on the wound and started to carefully wrap the bandages around her head. Alex and Mike stared at him in awe, amazed at the amount of calmness he displayed as he tended to his Angel's wound. But the calmness Bobby showed belied the angry and murderous thought that had crossed his mind ever since he and Alex had brought Angel into the squad room. "I will kill them. I will kill them all." When he finished dressing Angel's wound, Bobby put his hands on either side of her head to hold it steady until the paramedics arrived. He leaned down, his lips close to her ear. "Help's on the way, love," he whispered softly. "Hold on for me. I'm right here." He repeated what he said over and over again, more for his peace of mind than hers.
"Thank you for the escort, Detective Wheeler," Mack Lowell said when he and Megan reached the parking level of 1PP. "My car's parked over there." He pointed across the way to a silver Chrysler 300 that was backed into a parking space. "You're welcome, Mr. Lowell," she said. She noticed that a white male was already behind the wheel. When he saw that Wheeler was looking at him, he put some shades on and turned his head to the side. "Be careful getting out of here, Mr. Lowell." "I will, Detective. Thank you."
Megan watched Lowell scurry to the waiting car. She waited until the engine started before heading towards the elevator. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, Megan moved out of the sight of both passengers and hid behind the SUV that Alex and Bobby had been riding in. She watched the car take off, getting the license plate number before going back upstairs to the squad room.
"What the hell happened, Mack?!" Brewster said sharply as he drove away. "Why isn't that gray eyed bitch with you?!" "Don't be getting pissy with me, David!" Lowell snapped. "You're the idiot who had some crazy ass broad steal from Frank Devlin! Shit! You and your fucking brilliant get rich quick schemes are about to get us all killed!" Brewster took a deep breath. "What happened?" he asked again. Lowell said, "I don't know. She went to the ladies room with that Detective Eames. The next thing I know Eames comes out with blood on her hands and yelling for medical help."
Brewster slapped at the steering wheel. "Shit!" he said. "What are you going to do now?" Lowell asked. "If Frankie Devil finds out you had anything to do with his missing property, he'll have your head brought to him on a silver platter." "Don't you think I fucking know that, Mack!? Geez, you and everybody involved in this plan loves to remind me of that little detail!" Lowell flipped Brewster the bird before looking out the window. Brewster inhaled and exhaled loudly a few times. "We're going to that shop her friends own," he finally said. He reached between his seat and pulled out a .22 caliber gun. "We'll give them 2 choices: tell us where the jump drive is or die."
Monday, August 21
Hudson Medical Center, 2:50 p.m.
Inside of the men's room that was off the emergency room, Bobby washed his hands for the 10th time when he and Alex arrived at the hospital. She drove the SUV; he had rode in the ambulance with Angel. Captain Ross told the paramedics to take her to a hospital that was not too close to the 1PP, just in case Mr. Lowell was inclined to show up and snatch Angel away. "Now, I know how Lady Macbeth felt," he thought as he dried his hands. He kept imagining that Angel's blood was on his hands. He gripped the sides of the sink, his head hung down. "Please, Angel," Bobby pleaded softly. "Don't leave me. Please, don't…don't leave me like this." He looked at his image in the mirror. All of the anger, hurt and pain he was feeling welled up inside him. Without even thinking, he took a deep breath, raised his fist and smashed it into the mirror.
Alex threw the door open at the sound of smashing glass. She sighed heavily at the sight before her: Bobby gripping the sides of the sink, one of his hands bleeding and his head hung low. She closed the door behind her and locked it. She walked over to him. She put her hand on his back and started rubbing circles. Then Alex laid her head on his shoulder, looking at her image and his in the broken mirror. "You have got to pull yourself together," she said softly. "Because if you don't, Ross will pull you off of this case."
Bobby remained silent while Alex continuing rubbing his back. "I didn't let him take me off the case when Jo Gage kidnapped you," he said silently to himself. "I'll be damned if I let him take me off of this case!" Alex could feel Bobby tense up underneath her hand. "Dammit, Robert Goren!" she said sharply. "You better talk to me! What's going on in that head of yours?" Bobby inhaled and exhaled. "I want to kill them…for hurting Angel," he quietly replied after a few minutes of silence.
Alex sighed heavily. She knew her partner well enough to know that he'd do what he was thinking. "What does John 15:13 say?" she asked. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," Bobby replied. "Why do you ask?" Alex sighed again. "That's what Angel muttered before she got hurt. I think she hurt herself on purpose to save Janelle. I don't know. But I do know that Angel wouldn't want you running around like some crazed vigilante working outside of the law. She wouldn't want you to ruin your life or career on some crazy psychopaths. She'd want you to do what you do best: catch the crazy sons of bitches and get them off the streets."
Bobby looked up, shaking his head. "Angel needs me…needs us to bring these bastards to justice," he said. Alex nodded in agreement. "We'll do that. But I need you to refrain from doing your Incredible Hulk impression and smashing things," she said with a slight smile. Despite what he was feeling, a small chuckle escaped from Bobby's lips. She smiled and patted his back. "Come on. Let's get somebody to look at your hand," she said. He nodded and followed her out into the hall.
"Detective Eames," a short, thin and olive skinned young woman with short brunette hair said as she walked towards Alex and Bobby. He was sitting on a hospital bed, letting a nurse tend to his bleeding hand. "Hey, Dr. Morton," Alex said. "This is my partner, Detective Goren." Dr. Morton smiled at Bobby, he nodded. Alex's phone rang. She excused herself, walking off to take the call. "How's your patient?" he asked anxiously. "Right now, we're running CT scans and x-rays of her skull," Dr. Morton said. "Luckily, we were able to get the bleeding to stop. I think she'll regain consciousness in a few days." "Do you think she'll need any surgery?" She shrugged and said, "I won't be sure until I get the lab results back."
"Doctor, we're going to have to ask you and your staff to keep her identity a secret," Bobby said. "Her…her life may be in danger." Dr. Morton nodded. "Yes, Detective. I know. Your partner told me what happened. There's a uniformed officer with her now. I came by to ask what name should I admit her under." "Laurel Goren," he said. The doctor smiled at the name. "Very well, then. I'll put that name on the charts." She reached into the pocket of her scrubs, pulling out a small, clear plastic bag. She handed it to Bobby. "I thought you might want to hold onto her personal effects for her."
Bobby held up the bag. Inside of it was Angel's necklace, watch, ring and 2 pairs of earrings. He smiled ruefully and placed the bag next to him on the bed. "Thanks, Doctor," he said quietly. "You're welcome, Detective Goren," Dr. Morton said before she turned around and walked away. Alex was thanking someone on the phone when she came back to Bobby. She closed the phone and slid it back into her pocket. "That was Ross," Alex said. "He had Wheeler escort Mack Lowell to his car before the ambulance came for Angel. Wheeler told him that Lowell had a driver. Guess who the driver was?"
"David Brewster," Bobby said. Alex nodded and touched the tip of her nose. "Bastard," he said under his breath. " I called Drew. He and Janelle are up in New Jersey doing service calls. They won't be back into the city until 7:00." "Did you tell him about Angel?" Alex shook her head. "I told him that we got a tip that David Brewster was looking for him and Janelle. Ross has made arrangements with the Jersey police to have an officer stay with them. A couple of our guys will go up there and escort them back to our precinct. I think we should tell about Angel when they get here." Bobby nodded in agreement.
"I'm all done, Detective Goren," the nurse said. "Thank you, Nurse Bennett," Bobby said. She smiled at him and walked off. "You okay?" Alex asked Bobby. He snorted. "Do I have a choice?" he asked. She folded her arms across her chest, giving him a stern look. He sighed. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." "That's better," Alex said as she reached for her beeping cell phone. She flipped it open and read the text message. "They just brought Richard Hall into our squad room," she said with a smile before closing the phone.
"Best piece of news I've heard all day," Bobby said as he got up off the hospital bed and reached for his jacket. He placed the small plastic bag in one pocket and pulled out the key ring and slip of paper Angel had given him last night out of the other. He held it up to show to Alex. "Let's go by Angel's home first before we head back to the station," he said. "I think I have a pretty good idea where this jump drive is hidden."
Monday, August 21
Frank Devlin's Home, 3:15 p.m.
Frank Devlin was sitting in his living room, staring at his 50" plasma TV and rolling 3 Chinese health balls in one hand. He had been in that position, unmoving, for at least an hour. He was fuming mad. He had seen the news about the accident. "I send them jackasses to pull a simple, FUCKING job and they fuck it up! They let this bitch live!" he screamed silently to himself. To make matters worse, neither the one of the Frankies was answering his phone calls. He had called each of their cell phones over 2 dozen times. "Fucking pussies ain't answering their phones because they know the done fucked up!"
Vinnie approached Devlin cautiously. "Me and Gino are back, Mr. Devlin," he said. Frankie Devil looked away from the TV for a split second to give Vinnie a mean look. "I can see that, dumb ass!" he hissed before looking back at the screen. "What did you find out?" "We followed Brewster like you said. Him and Mack Lowell went to the police station. They left there and went to that computer place. They went in there for a couple minutes before they came back out and headed back to the law firm."
"Was Eden or Eric or anybody else with them?" Devlin asked. Vinnie shook his head. "No, sir." "I wonder what happened to make Davey leave the police station empty handed," Devlin said mostly to himself. "It might have something to do with that ambulance we passed when we followed him to that computer place," Vinnie offered. Devlin stopped rolling the balls in his hand and looked at him with a frown. "What ambulance?" "An ambulance passed us when we followed Brewster from the police station. It looked like it was headed there."
Devlin blinked a few times. Then he started laughing uncontrollably. A puzzled look crossed Vinnie's face. He took a couple of small steps back just in case Frankie Devil had really lost his mind. Devlin took a deep breath or two, wiping the tears off of his face. "Does your cousin Teddy still work for the 911 emergency call center?" Vinnie nodded and said, "Yes, sir." "Good, good. I want you to call him and find out what hospital that ambulance took this bitch. I want to know her name, her age. I want to know anything and everything about her before I go get my property from her and kill her and her friends."
Vinnie just nodded as he pulled out his cell phone and walked out of the living room. He was glad to get the hell out of there as Devlin started laughing uncontrollably again. Devlin threw his head back and laughed. He started rolling the Chinese health balls in his hand again. He picked up his TV remote and started going through the channels, trying to find something good to watch. He wiped away some more tears from his face as he got his laughter under control. Devlin smiled and sighed contently as he found 'Scarface' playing on the TV. A small chuckle escaped from his lips as he thought to himself, "Dead! Every last motherfucker who came near or knows about my property will be branded and dead when I get through with them! Ah, what the hell! I think I'll kill me a cop or 2 as well."