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DOPPELGANGER

Final Chapter

"There's nothing here," Trent said in a huff as he finished leafing through the final stack of pages in his hand and tossed them across the desk in the little bar's makeshift office. Truthfully it was more like a broom closet turned office and was a rather tight squeeze for three muscular gentlemen.

"Same," Gage sighed and wedged his way between the two other men to step outside the office for some air.

Trent joined him a moment later, the two men in sync as they instinctively began searching for a place no one would supposedly look. Harris may have had his share of stupidity; but he was very smart.

The two men split up from there, Gage meandering to behind the bar where he looked through a stack of receipts, in between beer mugs and shot glasses, and underneath any random pile of whatever he came across. Meanwhile, Trent weaved his way around the ten tables looking for a sign that something wasn't in its correct place. Surely this would give them some clue as to where the evidence they needed would be stashed.

"Hey, Gage! Trent!"

Both men turned back towards Beecham's voice and followed it, each of them wiggling back into the office curiously eager to see what the cop had found. Beecham handed Trent the page since he was closer and waited with a shiny grin to see how the private eye would react. As expected, Trent's toothy grin followed soon followed by Gage's hallmark smile.

"Well, I say we call it a night and go pick up our prisoner off of Kath's hands," Trent beamed and folded up the piece of paper.

Trent had nearly just finished tucking the item in his jeans' pocket when he felt Gage' hand on his arm. He turned to see the Ranger with a finger over his lips. "Shhh," he instructed. "Do you guys hear that?"

Each man remained as quiet as they were able until all three of them could hear it.

TICK. TICK. TICK. TICK.

"I hope that's not what I think it is," Gage pointed out.

"Well, let's not stick around here long enough to find out," Trent finished just as all of them began a uniform sprint to the exit.

But it was too late. Shards and piles of splinters and smoke towered into the Dallas night sky, distant sirens following the aftermath of the blaze coming from what had been a bar not seconds ago.

The harsh cold tingle that scintillated throughout her body was greater than the cold fear that continued to seize her as his hand ran across the delicate skin of her thighs. The loud explosion seemed to rock the entire city. She turned to see the lamp on the nightstand shaking, nearly toppling over. Relief settle over Kath as Harris drew away and left her to look out the window. She wanted to do the same but wasn't sure if she should. Instead, she sat upright and swung herself over to sit on the edge of the bed.

"What is it?" she whispered.

He shook his head, Katheryn almost detecting a smile. "It's nothing. Everything is more than okay." Harris' eyes twinkled even more this time as he returned to her side, quickly slipping his hand around her neck to engage her in a passionate kiss. But she resisted. "What is it?"

Katheryn suddenly felt as if she had a perfect opportunity to push him away. "I can't possibly relax when it felt like an earthquake just shook half of Dallas."

Harris' hand slid down from her neck to her chest. "I promise you. It's okay. Come on. We were having such a good time. Please! Don't resist me." He placed a death grip on her neck, forcing her to lie down as he pressed her body against the bedding.

Through the cringing and choking, Katheryn managed a nod and tried to hold back her tears. Finally, his true colors had begun to show. As Kath gained her composure, she watched as Harris quickly began taking his clothes off one piece at a time. She knew she was next. She knew he would not let her delay a moment longer. Besides all of this, Kath knew what that explosion had to have meant. In her heart she knew Trent was in trouble. She felt it. She could feel the burning embers of fear giving her fate its stamp of approval. There was nothing else she could do.

Katheryn gave Harris a gentle smile of approval, acting as if she was beginning to remove her dress. She slipped her finger into the tiny gap at her chest and had nearly reached her saving grace when Harris stopped her.

"No," his words scintillated with pleasure. "Allow me."

With each hand on one of her straps, he slid a finger beneath the silk fabric and gently scooted them off of her shoulders until he was able to slide she garment down, revealing nothing but undergarments.

With one last attempt to save her life, Katheryn leaned into Harris for a kiss, careful to clutch her hand by his ear as she spoke. "I don't want this night to end," she whispered…and prayed it would be enough.

Silence wasn't very golden as far as Carlos was concerned as he sat in the dim room across the interrogation table from the middle-aged FBI agent who apprehended him that morning. No one had said hardly a word to him much less explained to him his charges or why he was being like a common terrorist. The eye contact he kept with the man in front of him was more or less frightening to the core as he held a bone-chilling silence with a telephone to his ear. Carlos couldn't hear another voice on the other end and was beginning to feel he was being experimented on with a new interrogation technique. But as the man hung up the phone and cleared his throat, Carlos prepared his speech of defense yet again and was ready to fight.

"Well, no answer at Ranger Headquarters or the DPD, young man. So I guess for now it's your word against mine still." He slid a file across the table and flipped it open for Carlos. "Rico Gonzales. Basically the Mexican drug dealer of your nightmares. Owns fourteen haciendas and about that many felonies so far that we've been able to catch him on." He flashed another photo in front of Carlos. "And by jove he looks a hell of a lot like you. Now, I'm willing to admit the photo is a little old. You look a few years older now, son. But I have to admit, Rico would never tell me to call the Rangers or police department to prove his innocence. I can't say I've had the pleasure to speak to the scum. But you don't seem a thing like him. A little stupid maybe. But you ain't him."

Carlos beamed a smile. "You don't have any idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

The man raised a hand to quiet him. "But I don't have proof. So here's the deal. You help me capture Rico, I'll let you go."

"What?!" Carlos was stunned. "I have no idea how to find him! It's not like I kept tabs on the guy!"

"That's the deal," he returned firmly to Carlos, not budging an inch. "We find Rico, you're a free man. Simple as that."

"It's not that simple!"

"Yes, it is. If we find Rico, it proves we got the wrong guy, and you go free. Isn't that what you wanted, detective?"

Carlos' eyes flashed open curiously. "How did you know I used to be a detective?"

The man tossed a photo across the table. It was a photo of himself and Trent when Carlos had been promoted to detective at the force and C.D. had insisted on throwing a little private party. Carlos had written on the back of the photo the reason for the picture and was suddenly extremely thankful to have stashed that one away in his vehicle.

"Look," Carlos began after considering what he was about to say very carefully. "Let's go back out to where you found me. If you would have done better forensics work, you'd know Rico's fingerprints were all over that place. Him and his goons killed a dear or something right before they left." Carlos paused a moment to cringe as the awful stench returned to him by way of his memory.

"Our forensics team has already gone over the place completely. In fact, just about an hour ago the place was demolished."

"Demolished?! You can't do that!"

"Well, we did, detective. We recorded every shred of evidence the place had to offer. We even took note of the tracks leading to and away from the shack. There was nothing left and no reason to keep that place there."

Carlos had so many choice words in mind for the FBI agent but chose in wisdom to hold his tongue instead. It would probably bode well for him more that way. Still, he had no idea where to even begin. Carefully, he retraced every event in his mind from the moment of the jailbreak to the very second the FBI came knocking on his doorstep.

Then a sly smile slipped onto Carlos' face as he looked the man right in the eyes with a glimmer of hope twinkling from his own. "Try this on for size. L-8-J-U-1-K"

"What the hell is that?"

"A license plate number."

"It's probably stolen."

"Probably stolen and definitely stolen are two different things," Carlos challenged.

"Okay. I'll have that number searched. But you're not leaving this room."

"Oh, I won't be here very much longer," Carlos whispered beneath his breath as the door closed firmly, echoing with a newfound hope he knew was not in vain this time.

"Ranger Cooke! We have to go!"

"Just a few more minutes!"

"No! They need us at the explosion site. I thought that's where your partner was working tonight."

"It was," Sydney admitted, anxiously afraid to make this call. She looked helplessly from the motel in the distance to the rearview mirror where she could see smoke towering above the neighborhood. Her heart said stay. But why? Gage needed her. But so did Katheryn. Kath would need backup if anything went wrong. But she was a smart and strong woman. She could take care of herself. No, it wasn't right. She had to stay.

But the officer with her would not let her make that call and was already putting the car into drive when a bit of static came from the radio in Sydney's lap.

"Stop!" Sydney yelled, throwing a hand against the steering wheel. She focused in on the static and tried to make out the voice. "Come on…work!" She slapped the radio one good hard time and the static faded.

"I don't want this night to end," a female voice came through as clear as ever.

Sydney perked up. "That's her. That's our code phrase for trouble. Let's go!"

Katheryn felt her body rush with adrenaline as she willingly laid back onto the bed with Harris over top of her, following her lead to let his body lie snuggled with hers as they proceeded to kiss. She could feel the warmth of his hand travelling down her thigh, letting her know he was completely vulnerable. Truth be told, so was she. But it was exactly what she wanted him to think.

To surprise him, Katheryn rolled over on top of him, her smiles pervaded his better sense as she took control of him in the most sensual way she knew how, attempting to delay for as long as she could. If he wasn't faking it too, she could tell by his soft laugh and the way he kept drawing her closer for a climax that he was ready for it all…he had let down his guard. And his defenses were helpless as Katheryn rolled him playfully onto his back, telling him softly in his ear what she planned to do to him. But it was a small white lie.

As soon she had him in her grasp, her arms massaging away all his cares, she quickly rolled his body into a chokehold, rendering him helpless as she held the rest of his body down the best she could. She could feel her own body wanting to give out as Harris slipped slowly into unconsciousness. He had just fallen into a deep sleep, when Katheryn bounded from the bed, reaching for her bra and dress before she found a towel from the bathroom to bind him to the bed.

Kath had just secured the knot when the door to the motel room flew open. Sydney and the accompanying officer stood with weapons outstretched, their commands for Harris to surrender at the top of their lungs.

Katheryn took a deep, satisfying breath as she rolled off of the bed onto her feet and gave Sydney a brief grin. "What took you so long?" she teased and proceeded to ask what was going on across town, not entirely pleased by the solemn expression Sydney gave in return.

"Can you believe this?"

"What?" Katheryn towered over Trent to get a look at the newspaper while C.D. watched from behind the bar.

"Two notorious criminals Rico Gonzales and the Harris brothers get put behind bars, and the front page story today is about that Elvis convention that's coming to town in a few days."

C.D. cracked a smile. "You're telling me. Son, I can't believe that Harris boy was working for his brother just to sell drugs and women to Gonzales."

Katheryn scoffed. "I can't believe this entire thing was connected." She traded her frown for a smile and leaned in to Carlos on her other side for a kiss, after which she continued, "I'm just glad all you guys are safe."

"That makes two of us," Carlos grinned, pressing another kiss on Kath's lips.

The two love birds could tell Trent and C.D. was eyeing them. So they cleared their throats nervously and smiled innocently as if nothing had happened.

"I'm just glad you stashed that photo in my car, Kath," Carlos mentioned. "If it wasn't for that, I don't know if that FBI agent would have ever believed me.

"Wait a second. I didn't put that picture in your car. Trent did."

"No," Carlos argued. "I distinctively remember you stashing it in there the last time I gave you a ride."

"No!" Katheryn was on the verge of laughter, disgusted that Carlos didn't believe her. "Trent put it there."

Trent cleared his throat, nosing his way into the little spat. "If it helps any, I put it there."

Katheryn crossed her arms and stared Carlos down as if to say "I told you so" to which Carlos simply sunk away and took a sip of his drink. "I'll let you off the hook this time, Wonder Woman. Just don't go sharing a bed with a man I don't know."

Katheryn punch him so hard in the arm it made him cringe. "Nothing happened. I already told you that. Besides, every time I remember it was Jamie Harris the twin brother and not Scott, it makes me feel even dirtier. I have no idea how they pulled that off."

"Yeah," Trent inserted. "Scott was nearly to the border where he was going to meet Carlos' doppelganger Rico for a sale when border patrol recognized him from the BOLO Gage put out."

Katheryn's lip sagged. "I kinda feel sorry for Jamie. He was just doing a favor for his brother. I guess he couldn't turn away a chance at a night with a woman and some dough to go with it. Now he's serving time as an accomplice."

"Scott figured the cops would catch his brother with the evidence Trent saved at the bar," Carlos went on to explain. "But he wasn't counting on us."

"Nope," Katheryn beamed. "He sure wasn't."

"I'm also darn glad I wasn't unconscious like Rico thought I was to read that license plate. Or his plan to frame me would have worked."

Both Katheryn and Carlos shifted their focus to Trent as his cell phone rang and watched as he answered. He seemed captivated in thought, waving C.D. over for a pen and paper on which he scribbled a few things that the other young investigators couldn't quite make out.

After a few eternal moments of waiting, Trent hung up and handed the paper to Carlos. "We got a case, buddy. Drug dealers. Deals going down soon and this warehouse owner wants us to get the picture proof."

"Well, here," Katheryn reached for her backpack at her feet. "You can borrow my camera."

Trent grinned. "That's okay. Mine is stowed away in the Corvette. But thanks for offering."

"No problem," Kath offered and dropped her backpack back down on the floor.

None of them thought much about the sound of the door opening behind them, the sound of the Stockyards filtering in before the door shut back against the outside world. It was a typical sound. A song that never ended as patrons entered and exited. But as C.D. tapped Trent on the arm, the latter turning around to see what the elder gentleman was pointing at, everything in his world came to an instant stop.

"Hey, guys. Trent," Molly's tender voice offered as penitently as she could beneath a gentle sob. "I—I came back home. Can we talk?"

A/N: I feel like I'm getting good at those darn surprise endings. But I truly hope you enjoyed this twist at the end that connected all the bad guys together. And that last line. I'll just let you readers digest Molly's return for a while. I was very excited to reveal this one since I know most of you were saddened that she left! I was saddened too LOL Thanks again to all of you lovelies who read and review my stories. They really do give me a boost that I appreciate greatly! I'm looking forward to bringing you another great story in the near future. God Bless, 'Kath'