"Miss Walsh, how nice to see you!" Dr. Haver said. "May I come in?"
"Uh, no. I don't think so. It's pretty late." Marcie could barely control the quivering in her voice.
"Well, that's too bad." Dr. Haver said. "I really wanted to talk to you."
"H-how... I thought you were in jail." Marcie said.
Stephen Haver laughed. "Jail, huh? Let me tell you something about that. Johnny-boy and the Commissioner think they know the system, but they don't. There are ways to get around it." He pushed his way past her and stepped inside.
Marcie's throat went dry and nausea crept into her stomach.
Michael, where are you?
Suddenly, she could hear a faint ringing coming from her purse. It must be her cell phone. She began to cry again, knowing that it was Michael. No one else would try to call her at 2:15am.
Usually, if Michael called her phone and she didn't answer, he would just leave a message and wait for her to call back. The only time she didn't answer her phone at night was when she was sleeping. If he only knew how desperately she needed him now...
She turned back to Dr. Haver. "What-what are you doing here?"
"Ah, Miss Walsh. You know me so well. I have a special project for you." He reached over and lightly touched Marcie's shoulder, startling her. "Don't worry... It's painless, really."
"What do you want?" Marcie asked numbly.
"Ah. That... I want you to help me, Marcie. You're my best student. That's why I've picked you specifically for this project. Come with me, and I'll show you what I need you to do." His voice was gentle, but she was smart enough to know that he wasn't interested in having her do any special project. She knew he was getting revenge for having been caught by John and Bo.
She wished she could reach her cell phone and call 911... Or Michael.
God, she needed him so badly...
Seeing that Haver had turned around, she quickly opened her desk drawer and pulled out a piece of gold jewelry, stuffing it deep into her pocket.
Slowly, she turned around to face Haver, hoping he hadn't been watching her.
"Come on, Miss Walsh. It's time to go."
"I-I... I'm not going anywhere with you...you..." Marcie said. Her words were stopped by the handkerchief Haver had in his hand, as she felt his arm come around her shoulder. The handkerchief went over her mouth, making it hard to breathe. Seconds later, everything went black...