CH64

It was another day filled with paperwork. Kate and the guys were going to need physical therapy just for their hands soon.

True to his word, Rick had checked in with Kate every couple of hours during the entire day. And the movers were making good progress. They had everything being moved all packed up in boxes in about four hours.

Right after that the donation truck showed up to take the big items along with the smaller kitchen items.

After they were done the movers loaded everything that was to be moved onto the truck.

And Kate and the guys would check their bracers for any little red dots every time they went into the break room to get coffee or to the restroom. Each time they did it showed a single red dot not far from the precinct. And one of them caught him being replaced by one of his friends.

The guys drove home with Javi dropping off Ryan at his house before going home. Their bracers showed them that they had stayed at the precinct waiting for Kate. They were in for a shock.

Kate went into the restroom checking to make sure she is alone and opens a Transmat wall and steps out into the entry foyer at home.

Kate walks upstairs and finds Rick and Alexis in the kitchen. "Hi guys. I see you two have been busy." Kate notes because there are boxes all over the place along with a lot of her pictures.

"MOM!" And Alexis slams into Kate.

"How was your day sweetie?"

"I helped daddy move you." Alexis states smiling up at Kate.

"I can see that. Looks like you still need to finish though." Kate tells her. "What are we having for dinner?" Kate asks her.

"PIZZA!" Alexis tells her.

"We're having stir-fry pumpkin." Rick corrects his daughter.

"Alexis?" Kate questions her.

Alexis turns her head down in defeat. "We're having stir-fry mom."

"Don't be sad, I'm sure it'll be great." Then Kate kneels down to her level. "Have you been watching him?" Kate whispers.

Alexis nods her head. "Yup." She whispers. "We girls have to stick together." Alexis tells her.

"That's my girl. I'm proud of you." Kate tells her.

Alexis can only stand there and smile while blushing a little. "Lets see if your father is done cooking." As Kate heads for the kitchen with Alexis in tow holding her hand.

"You have any trouble at work?" Rick asks remembering the conversation this moring.

"They had the precinct under observation all day. They did not follow the boys home so they are likely still over there waiting for me to leave." Kate tells him.

"Too bad this isn't the middle of winter. It could at least be raining." Rick comments with a streak of evil in his voice. This gets Kate to laugh a little.

"They are only going to put up with this for a couple of days before they think of something else." Kate comments. Wondering what to do about it.

"You think they would try something if you had to go out into the field?" Rick asks.

"There are too many police around the site." Kate shakes her head. "But to and from might be different." Kate concludes.

"Can you take a different car maybe?" Rick offers up an option.

"There is only the one car Rick." Kate counters.

"Can you drive in with the uniforms in a cruiser?" Rick comes up with another option.

"Not the way it works." Kate shoots that one down also.

"How did it go on your trip in this morning?" Rick asks.

"We turned on the lights when they got to close and Javi called for backup." Kate informs him.

"So they are willing to try something." Rick is now worried a little. "Do you have to drive alone? Can you take someone with you? Call it a training trip. I don't know."

"I can ask Captain Montgomery in the morning." Kate agrees to try it.

"Do the guys always go with you?" Rick asks. Kate just nods her head.

"Then they could have your back like they did this morning. Maybe if they feel outnumbered it will keep them off you until we can pay them a visit some night like we did all the others." Rick is hopeful.

"I can ask, but even if he says yes it's not likely to last long." Kate comments.

"So we pay attention to them each night and decide then." Rick concludes.

Kate changes the subject. "Do you want some help with all this." As Kate waves her arm at all the boxes and pictures.

"No, Alexis and I can do it. Can't we pumpkin?" And Alexis happily nods her head enthusiastically.

"We can do it mom." Alexis is convinced. Not sure how, but she'll do it.

"Are you sure sweetie?" Kate questions.

"MOM!" As if Kate doubted her.

Kate just raises her hands in defeat. "Just checking." Kate smiles at her.

"When is your next trip out to the Zoo?" Kate asks her.

"Saturday." Alexis answers.

"And today is Wednesday. We need to solve this by then." Kate states looking at Rick.

"I'll let you talk to the guys at work tomorrow. Maybe they can come up with a plan before then." Rick tells her.

Dinner is over and the dishes are rinsed and in one of the two dishwashers. "How about a rematch on the Foosball table sweetie. I think you owe me a game." Kate asks Alexis.

"You are soooo going down mom!" Alexis is convinced.

"I call that big talk from a small girl. Care to put your money where your mouth is?" Kate challenges.

"Hhhmmm, …. Ice cream cake when you lose?" Alexis offers.

"Let's see, … when you lose, I get to pick the flavors." Kate counters.

"DEAL! Prepare to lose mom!" Alexis agrees to the terms.

After tucking Alexis in for the night, reading her a story and kissing her goodnight. Kate joins Rick in bed. Where she snuggles in close and wraps her arms around him.

"So, who won?" Rick asks.

"Never, ever place bets with that girl." Kate tells him.

Chuckling. "Goodnight Kate. I love you."

"Night Rick. I love you too."

The guys drove into the precinct together and Kate used a Transmat wall into the restroom as Lucile told her it was empty.

Captain Montgomery was willing to go along with Kate taking someone with her if they got a body drop today. But only today. And it turns out they did get a body drop.

Javi and Ryan drove each other to the site while Kate took her one time only partner to the site.

Javi noted that they had a tail a number of cars back. However there seemed to be no other cars with him.

Lanie gave them what she had and the guys had found that no one had seen or heard anything. His money, wallet and wedding ring had been taken. In fact to get his ring they had cut off his finger. With no ID on him they had to wait to see if they got a hit on his finger prints or dental records if they had to.

The same single car had followed them almost all the way back to the precinct. He peeled off and went to his old position according to Ryan's bracer as he told the others.

Lanie had cause of death as strangulation. The killer had used a rope and had left a piece of it behind. She would have a material composition some time tomorrow. His finger prints were not in the system. So they knew he had never been arrested before. His clothes were standard casual. Nothing special.

There were no security cameras in the area. There were no unaccounted for cars in the area, so he had walked there or been dumped there. They needed his ID so they could talk to family. Find out where he worked.

It was time to go home. The guys drove home together and noted that they had no tail. Ryan's bracer told him that he had stayed to watch for Kate. There were no other red dots indicated. The others must not be in the area.

Kate again went into the restroom and checked to make sure she was alone before she opened a Transmat wall and headed home.

"Hi guys." Kate called out as soon as she was upstairs.

"MOM!" And Alexis launched herself at Kate.

"What have you been up to sweetie?"

"We're almost done unpacking mom." Alexis tells her.

"Almost?" Kate questions

"Well one of your paintings was too big for me." Alexis explains.

"Where is it?" As Kate looks around for it.

"I managed to get it down to the Master Suite, but it was too big to hang it on the wall." Rick tells her.

"You put it in our bedroom?" Kate asks with a smile on her face.

"Well there weren't any walls up here big and open enough to hang it. All the windows kind of take up a lot of space. And we would never see it if it was somewhere else." Rick tells her and just shrugs his shoulders.

"Wise choice Rick." As Kate moves up to him and kiss him.

"So what have you got planned for dinner and can I help?" Kate asks.

"I was thinking BBQ chicken on the grill upstairs along with grilled corn on the cob and grilled vegetables." Rick tells her.

"What can I do?" Kate asks.

"Well the chicken is marinating in the refrigerator. You can take it out and take it to the roof and fire up the grill. Alexis and I will be right behind you with the vegetables." Rick tells her.

Kate is almost to the roof and is set to open the door to the roof when Lucile shows up in front of her.

"You need to go back downstairs Kate." Lucile tells her.

"Why?"

"Scans indicate that there is a single person about one mile away who is armed with a Barrett 82A1 semi-automatic sniper rifle who is looking this direction." Lucile tells her. "I'm also warning Richard at this time." Lucile concludes.

Kate is back downstairs. "This is pissing me off Rick. I just want to live my life. What have I done to this jerk?" Kate is really mad.

"We're going to have to take him if we want to eat tonight." Rick tells her. "Show us where he is Lucile."

And an overhead 3D wire diagram of the area he is located is displayed in the living room. "He is located here on the roof of this building. The only roof access is by a stairwell located here." Lucile highlights each location.

"Is this the only solid surface we can use to open a Transmat wall?" Rick asks Lucile.

"Correct." Lucile informs them.

"Looks like we need to change into some dark clothes." Rick tells her. And Rick and Kate start down the stairs. However they are followed by Alexis.

"And just where do you think you're going pumpkin?" Rick stops her.

"I'm going with you!" Alexis tells him like he actually had a choice.

"No pumpkin you're not." Rick states firmly.

"I'm going dad. You need me. And no one hurts my mom!" Alexis states with conviction.

"And if you get hurt, what will that do to Kate?" Rick tries reasoning with her.

"I'm going and you can't stop me." Alexis is firm. Rick however tries giving Kate a look of you try.

"Sweetie, this is dangerous. If anything happened to you it would kill me." Kate tries.

"I've done the shooting course countless times. And I'm better at it than you are mom." Alexis makes a statement.

"That may be true sweetie, but mannequins don't shoot back with bullets to kill." Kate tells her.

"And three against one is better than two against one. And I beat both of you all the time at laser tag." Alexis reminds them.

Kate looks up at Rick with her mouth wide open.

"Ok sweetie, go get changed." Kate tells her. And Alexis takes off down the stairs to change.

"Kate have you lost your mind?" Rick is shocked.

"Nope, if we get changed fast enough and out of here before she is ready, what can she do?" Kate reasons.

"You mean besides open her own Transmat wall and chase us down?" Rick tells her.

"Ooopps." Kate hadn't thought of that. "Come on we have to get moving before she decides to go without us." As Kate takes off down the stairs to go get changed.

By the time Kate and Rick come up the stairs to the front door, they find Alexis is already waiting for them. She has dark tennis shoes on. Black sweat pants and a black t-shit and her hair is all tucked up under a NY Yankee baseball cap, smiling.

Accepting defeat that she got herself into. "Ok, you listen to me sweetie. You never leave my side. You understand me. If I ever find you not standing right next to me, I'll ground you until you are 60 years old. So old you can barely walk or even talk straight. You understand me." Kate warns her.

"Yes mom." Alexis tells her. And holds up her right arm and activates her life sign detector and notes the blues dots and the one single red dot on it.

No one hurts her mom. No one!