A/N… Thanks again, reviewers! We're still getting to the EO part, by the way (I haven't even begun with these two! And it will be worth putting you all through the angst.) The storm is also in its very early stages. It'll take off next chapter and pretty much carry us through the rest of the story. This chapter is the last big piece of the puzzle. This story should be about 18 chapters.
FYI… The character 'Gina' is occasionally called 'Geen', which sounds like 'Jean'. (Sorry…just seems like a logical nickname, and there really isn't a good spelling.)
Might be obvious, but the local hardware store mentioned is small-scale (i.e., think Ace hardware, not Home Depot).
x x x
Olivia and Geoff exit the Tower PD headquarters and walk toward his car.
Geoff has just finished his interview with the detectives. With nothing else to do on this case, he's heading back to Pittsburgh.
"Mind if I ask a personal question?" Olivia poses as they walk.
He shrugs. "Sure."
"What happened to make them suspend your law license?"
The article Elliot found really didn't mention much detail, except that a misrepresented testimony was used as evidence in court. He was ordered to pay a fine and then suspended.
"Oh that…" He chuckles as if it were nothing. "I had this law student I was supervising. Her name is Ashley. Nice girl. Total prodigy, too. She worked with me through her second and third years of law school. In her last year, I handed her cases and supervised. No problems at all. Then one day, she gets this pretty big case. It's kind of a long story, but there was this countersuit. Ashley figures out how the plaintiff was cutting corners on manufacturing a piece of medical equipment, which affected our client's standing in this case. She spoke with me about how she wanted to get it entered into evidence using a witness's testimony. It didn't pan out as she had planned. Then, she got in a little over her head and messed up pretty big. Poor kid was probably over-tired, in the throes of the mid-semester grind and not thinking clearly. She's was in a very tough program and her department was notified, of course."
Geoff continues. "Anyway, this mistake would have gotten her kicked out of her program. But rather than ruin her future, I took more of the responsibility for what happened away from her, and told the judge I did the illegal search. I think it was a tough lesson for her. She took it pretty hard. She thought her career was over and I didn't want to see her give up. I've made my share of screw-ups. And I'm not a conventional lawyer either, which you've already figured out," he smirks. "I trust my gut more than anything else. It gets me into some tight spots. Those managing partners and I often don't see eye to eye. So Ashley's case was sort of the final straw. They put me before the review board and I was suspended for six months. They brought me back when my license was renewed, but it's not been a happy reunion."
"I'm so sorry, Geoff. But you did a nice thing for Ashley."
"She's a deserving student." He pauses to pull out his car keys. "Oh…but I heard she moved to DC and landed a government job…" he shakes his head in mock disapproval, "And I had such high hopes for her."
"Well, you are a damn good lawyer…"
"Well, thanks," he grins timidly.
"…with a great heart," she adds sincerely.
"You know how far that goes in my line of work."
"Yeah, but you were right to trust your gut about Clay."
They stop walking as they reach his car, then turn and face each other.
Geoff sighs. "Clay wasn't over his aggression, but he was getting better. Even admitted his own mistakes. That's something people twice his age still can't do. I should know, I'm one of them."
"Will you be going to his funeral?"
"You bet."
"Give my best to his family?"
"Absolutely."
Her eyes pan over to a black Chevy Impala, as it pulls into the parking lot and parks close by. She looks back at him.
"Umm… Geoff?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm having someone follow you back to Pittsburgh…"
He glances in the same direction and spots the car, then groans disapprovingly. "Olivia…"
"He'll stay with you until this mess is over."
He sighs. "It's not necessary."
"I pulled some strings so you wouldn't have to leave your job or your condo," she explains. "And it IS necessary. You're in just as much danger as Clay was."
He sees the concern in her eyes and nods that he understands. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
She steps toward him and they hug.
"You be careful too, Olivia."
"I will."
Stepping back from each other a moment later, Geoff adds, "So, I'll call you on my next trip to New York and we'll have lunch?"
"You'd better," she scolds lightly.
He gets into his car, starts it and waves to her as he pulls away from the curb. The Impala follows him out of the lot.
As she turns to head back inside, she nearly runs into Elliot. He had just come out there to wait for her.
"What is it?"
"They've got something for us."
x
Elliot and Olivia enter the media room, joining the two Tower PD detectives, Gina Garner and Ben Caladeen, and the precinct's technology assistant, Seth Ryden.
The media room looks more like a storage room that was converted into an office. A few tall storage cabinets are placed throughout the room, containing miscellaneous computer parts and software. There are six tables in the room; two are set up for viewing media, or for computer access. The rest seem to be storage for computer terminals, monitors, video equipment, and various audio and phone monitoring devices.
The room itself is dimly lit, most of the light in the room comes from the computer monitors. Seth sits at a computer table with three flat screen computer monitors in front of him. Ben perches on the table to the right of Seth. Gina stands on the other side of Ben.
Their heads turn toward the door as it opens.
As Elliot and Olivia enter, Seth spins in his desk chair to face them. "We got a few hits from James's picture. Looks like he's made some local appearances recently."
"Wait…" Elliot stops him. "James…or Paul?"
"James."
"James cut and colored his hair, and grew a goatee to make himself resemble Paul. He only needs some cover-up for his mole, the tattoo on his neck, and to hide any facial lines so he appears younger. So, how would you tell them apart?" Olivia challenges, agreeing with Elliot.
Seth nods. "First, James is driving a Ford pick-up truck that is most likely stolen. Paul Zenke drives a 2003 Ford Focus, which was parked at Litner County Correctional until just before 10:00 last night, when he signed out and went home. Second, sometime between 8:17 and 9:53 last night, he stopped at a hardware store and a convenience store. Listen to what he bought…" He points to the monitor on his right. "Here, we have security footage from the hardware store. James purchased rope, glass cutter, glue and rat poison…" Seth moves to the monitor in the center, showing the convenience store. "He also picked up lighter fluid, batteries, and the bottle of pop he gave to Clayton."
"Rope, glass cutter, lighter fluid and glue…? What the hell does he plan to do with those?" Ben inquires uneasily.
"According to the tox report and store receipts, he didn't use all of the rat poison in that concoction he gave to Clayton," Gina remarks.
"Are these places spaced far apart?" Elliot inquires curiously.
"No, they're less than 2 miles. Hardware store assistant manager says the time may be up to 20 minutes off because of a problem with their computers," Seth answers him. He then points to the monitor on the left. "We also have footage from an adjacent bank camera, and I've got a shot of the vehicle he drove…" After zooming in a few times, the model and tags come into view.
"Ford F-250. And thank you, my friend, you got us some plates," Ben says, as he scribbles down the tag number on a post-it note. Gina takes it from him, then leaves to have it traced.
"Thank the Bank of America branch next door. They just happened to have the camera angled enough to catch James as he drove off," Seth replies to Ben.
"Oh, I'd rather thank you… Bank of America irritates the shit out of me," Ben retorts.
Seth turns his attention back to Elliot and Olivia. He minimizes the hardware store clip and brings up another clip on the same monitor. "And finally, we've got the Chase ATM footage. There's a shot of him using Paul's debit card," Seth remarks.
Around that time, Gina rejoins them. "Mike's tracking it," she tells Ben.
"Thanks, Gina-bean," Ben replies affectionately.
Gina shoots a glare at her partner. Their gazes linger for a moment.
He grins, then explains to the other curious eyes in the room, "I'm not allowed to call her 'Gina-bean' in public."
Olivia's eyes drift between the two of them. She smiles warmly.
"Don't let the size difference fool you… She may look small, but she's mean. She'll kick my ass," Ben teases her.
Gina playfully rolls her eyes.
"Okay, lovebirds…" Seth teases them.
Elliot grins, then his gaze shifts over to Olivia, longingly.
Olivia steps closer to examine the footage. Pouring over it quizzically for a moment, she shakes her head. "Seth, could you pull up the mug shot again, please?"
"Sure." Seth clicks on one of the minimized images and James appears on the middle monitor.
She studies it for a moment, then steps back. "And how about the convenience store footage?"
Seth collapses the ATM footage and brings up the clip of the suspect in the store.
"Zoom in a little more…" She studies it closely. "Okay, umm… Could I see the hardware store once more?"
Seth brings up the clip.
"Now, zoom in on the face."
He pauses the clip and zooms in. "Is that okay?"
"That's good." Olivia wanders over and glances at the mug shot of James again. Next, she picks up a copy of Zenke's badge photo sitting on the table beside Seth's keyboard.
"Liv, what is it?" Elliot asks. He steps closer and peers over her shoulder.
"James isn't in any of these clips…" she comments, handing the picture in her hand to Elliot. "This is Paul."
"What?" Gina gasps. She steps closer, studying the images carefully. She reaches the same conclusion as Olivia after a few seconds, then retreats from the group to be alone with her thoughts.
"Look at him," she says to the group, pointing at the mug shot of James. "You can see the difference in their eyes. This guy in the store is about 15-20 years younger than James is. He's scared and he's fidgeting. His eyes are roaming about, wondering who might recognize him. That's not the behavior of someone in a disguise who has successfully stayed under the radar for the past nine years. The guy at the courthouse is calm, he's prepared, knows exactly what he's in there for. That's James."
Elliot sets the picture back down, nodding in agreement. "Good catch, Liv. James probably spooked him into running his errands."
"Meanwhile, James covers for Paul at Litner. He figures out a way into the courthouse for Clay's trial," she adds.
"Why not send Paul in there to kill Clayton? Then he wouldn't have to worry about a disguise," Elliot ponders.
"James wanted to see Clay suffer," Ben supposes. "Seems like that's been his plan all along. The first thing he did was to rape and murder his former girlfriends… Then James pins the blame on Clay."
"We have no proof of that," Elliot responds flatly. "Clayton's DNA was the only one at these crime scenes."
Olivia glares at Elliot, but doesn't respond.
Ben looks over at Elliot quizzically for a moment. His focus then shifts over to his partner, when he senses her distress. He goes to her, "You okay, Geen?"
Gina gestures toward the monitors. "Paul might be alive and he hasn't called or texted anyone…? What the hell is he doing?" She shakes her head, tears clouding her eyes.
He puts his hand on her shoulder gently. "They're right. James probably sent him out to throw us off in case someone happened to be watching. Paul is probably playing it safe and going along with whatever James wants."
"Paul wouldn't play it safe, Ben!"
Olivia's eyes drift between the two of them curiously before stopping at Gina. "What's going on? You know Paul?"
She sniffles and nods. "I've known Paul Zenke practically all my life. We were very close growing up. Lived a few doors down. We finished high school and went our separate ways. But we still touch base occasionally."
"Have you heard from him, Gina?"
"Actually no, not in the past few months. When I heard what happened, I called his cell phone. No answer. I've left him a few voicemails."
"What can you tell us about him?"
She shrugs. "Not much that'll help. Paul's a good guy. He's ambitious, athletic. Seemed happy last time I saw him, and he's doing well…." She studies Olivia's expression briefly, then adds, "He's not depressed, not into drugs and not easily coerced in some way. So, why would James set his sights on Paul out of the…70-80 other guards at Litner? He's not an easy target, Olivia, I know Paul… He'd sooner tell James to go screw himself and end up dead, before he'd run errands for that sick freak," she asserts.
"We're not really sure how James chooses his victims," Olivia explains. "But Paul was his way inside the courthouse."
Her gaze returns to the monitors. "I've been trying to accept the fact…that Paul might be dead. But this footage means he 'could' be alive and I don't know how to help him," she remarks tearfully. Her head lifts up and meets Olivia's sympathetic eyes. "And I'm sorry I didn't mention it. I was—"
Olivia touches her arm, sympathetically. "It's okay. And I'm sorry about Paul. Just let us know if you think of anything that'll help, or if you do hear from him."
Gina nods, then wanders toward the back of the room to regroup. She takes a couple of deep breaths and rubs at her temples, hoping to curb the sudden headache that's coming on.
Ben approaches her again. Finding her perched against one of the back tables, he settles beside her and lowers his voice. "You sure you're still okay with this case? I can talk to Franks."
She lowers her voice as well, making sure they're not disturbing Elliot, Olivia and Seth, who are still pouring over the clips.
"Let's get this sonofabitch… And if he hurt Paul, God help him when I get my hands on him," she adds bitterly.
"Geen…?" he wraps his arm around her. His concerned expression lingers.
She sniffles. "I'm fine, Ben. Quit worrying."
Ben gently rubs her shoulders and back, then presses a kiss to her temple. "Just watching your back."
"I know." A smile starts to surface in her tired eyes.
"Rather be watching your ass," he teases quietly with a smirk.
She grins, then leans in toward him affectionately, "Behave, Ben."
"Love you, Gina-bean."
"Love you too."
They turn their attention back to the others. Olivia and Elliot are reviewing one of the clips, assuming James was somewhere close by when he sent Paul to the ATM.
"Paul took $800 out of his own bank account and paid for the hardware and convenience store items with cash," Seth relays to Elliot and Olivia.
"When was this bank transaction?" Olivia inquires.
"Around 7:30 last night," he replies.
"Anything left in the account?" Elliot asks.
"Just under $400," Seth answers.
The door opens suddenly, and all eyes turn toward it as Officer Mike Tennyson pokes his head inside. "Zenke's car is on the move!"
The four detectives quickly prepare to leave.
x
Moments later, after tracking the security officer's vehicle to a local hardware store, Gina, Ben, and officers Keith Sykes and Royce Baker set up watch within a one-block radius.
Elliot and Olivia park and enter the hardware store. They split up and wander down different aisles, casually glancing over the merchandise as they search for any sign of Paul or James.
Olivia soon reaches the end of the aisle. Along the back wall, there are shelves containing small bins and drawers with various tools, nails, fittings, screws and bolts. She spots a man opening and closing different bins. He has dark hair and appears to be about the same height and build.
But when he moves a little in her direction, she realizes it isn't Paul or James. She busies herself glancing at some nylon cables and fence posts at the end of one of the aisles.
A few more customers enter the back of the store. Someone else catches her attention.
Once again, same height, size and facial features. Olivia's attention remains on him.
She tries to get a better look at him, just as Elliot rounds the corner and enters the back of the store.
She catches Elliot's eye and discretely indicates her target. He gives a subtle nod that he understands, and casually makes his way over to assist.
As she inches closer, her hand slips behind her back, preparing to draw her weapon.
He suddenly turns toward her, and their eyes meet.
A chill runs through her…
It's James.
And he knows he's been identified.
Before Olivia can draw her weapon James lifts his arm, revealing a container in his hand. He quickly clicks a button on top and then tosses it to the floor by her feet. Already expecting the effects, James covers his face and heads out.
The can hisses, releasing strong fumes all around them. The first blast is right toward her face. She immediately draws her arms up to protect herself.
The can hits her shoes, then rolls beneath a shelf, continuing to release the toxin.
The fumes burn her nose, mouth and eyes.
Seconds after James takes off, they hear Gina's report through their earpieces… "Adult male matching suspect's description is now exiting the store…"
Distracted by the fumes, Olivia struggles before a response is given through her disclosed mic. "That's James! Grab him!" she manages in a breathless tone.
Elliot nudges few customers in that vicinity toward the exit. The fumes start to make him feel queasy. He makes his way toward Olivia.
"We're on it! Suspect approaching Zenke's vehicle," Gina relays back. "Baker, Sykes…cut him off at Palmer and 56!"
Elliot and Olivia try to make their way toward the container, hoping to trap it for the sake of the others in the store. When they realize they can't reach it safely, they hurry toward the exit, assisting a few more customers along the way.
"Shots fired! Suspect's on the move!" Gina announces. "We've got his tag, we're on it! Baker and Sykes, radio us back when you're in position."
Elliot quickly drops back to advise the store manager at the front counter to call 911.
They make their way back to the sedan. Once inside, they pick up the radio and contact Gina and Ben for a location.
The two of them continue trying to catch their breath and recover.
"You okay?" Elliot asks her.
She nods her response. "You?"
"Yeah," he answers her. He reaches into a cooler in the back and grabs a couple small bottles of water, which he packed last night for the trip home. He offers one to her.
"Thanks," she mumbles quietly, accepting it.
"If he wanted us dead, you'd think he'd hit us with something besides a room fogger," Elliot comments. He sets the bottle in his lap and opens the door. He sticks his head outside and begins another coughing spell. He wonders if he might throw up this time.
Soon, there's a response on the radio from Ben. "Benson and Stabler, this is Caladeen. We're on Stillmore, about to cross 38 and still in pursuit. Over…."
Olivia picks up the radio. "Copy that, thanks Caladeen."
"Any sign of our hostage?"
"Negative."
Elliot settles back inside the car and closes the door.
A moment later, Ben radios them again. "You guys alright? What happened back there?"
Elliot picks up the radio. "Yeah, suspect threw some kind of bug, pest fogger or something with chemicals at us. Olivia was right under it, so she probably caught it the worst. Not the most pleasant experience."
"Maybe you two should stop and get checked out? Any dizziness or nausea? You're sounding very out of breath."
"I'll probably be breathing this crap for a week, but other than a headache and a little nausea, I'm probably okay. Olivia…?" He glances over at his partner, who continues to wheeze but nods that she's fine. "I think we'll be fine."
"Copy. Suspect is still in our line of sight and we've got Baker and Sykes closing in on us. So you two catch your breath and join us when you can. Over…"
"Copy, thanks." He sets the radio back down.
Olivia searches the map for their location, and then finds a route so they can quickly intercept. She lists the first few streets for Elliot as he starts the car and heads out.
Moments later, they enter the highway.
The road begins to wind more toward the south, steering the Crown Vic in the direction of the darkening mid-afternoon sky.
Olivia's eyes drift up. Above them, she sees nothing but a thick mass of gray clouds.
The first few raindrops begin hitting the windshield at a steady rate.
When a flash of lightning appears to her right, she glances in its direction.
Resting against the headrest, she watches. Soon, another flash appears, illuminating layers of clouds. A low rumble of thunder follows.
The sudden radio alert tone causes her to flinch.
xx
"…*screech*…*screech*…*screech*…*long tone*
"The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the following counties:
Flynt, Manchua, Winter and Hunter…until 6pm Eastern Daylight Time.
At 3:00pm EDT, trained weather spotters reported a severe thunderstorm producing nickel-sized hail. This storm was located near Porsden, or 15 miles south of interstate 762 and 6 miles east of Hutchens…
Locations in the warning area include: Roseden, Echo's Peak, Singleton, North Alley, Forester, Tower, Springdale, Coppermint, Twin Rails and Canyon.
Severe thunderstorms can produce damaging winds in excess of 80 mph, destructive hail, deadly lightning and very heavy rain. Heavy rains flood roads quickly, so do not drive into areas where water covers the road surface…. Severe thunderstorms can also produce tornadoes with little or no advanced warning. For your protection, move to an interior room or on the lowest floor of your home or business. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements…"
xx
The rain picks up for a few minutes, then ceases almost completely just as they exit the highway. The sky maintains its ominous cast.
Olivia picks up the radio. "This is Benson and Stabler. Anyone close by?"
Ben picks up. "Hey guys, we lost visual. Tennyson is checking the GPS tracker on the vehicle. We're waiting on a location… Over."
"Copy. Thanks, Caladeen." She sets the radio back down.
She hears Ben's voice again. "Vehicle has stopped. Eston Parkway and Highway 443. We're moving in to intercept…"
"Copy that, Ben. We're on our way," Sykes replies.
"Copy. Thanks, Caladeen." Olivia gazes at the map, and then grabs the radio again. "Can someone give us another cross road?"
Less than a minute later, there's a response from Officer Sykes. "Where are you, Benson?"
"Larson Avenue, coming up on Sholtz Parkway," she replies.
"I see you guys. I'm coming up behind you on the right. Follow us," Sykes tells them.
"Copy. Thanks Keith."
Elliot glances up at the rearview mirror, spots the officer's vehicle and they follow. He grabs the radio. "Hey, how'd you get behind us, Keith?"
"We tried to cut him off on Middleton, but I forgot it was under construction. Not gonna try off-roading in a Crown Vic in this weather."
Elliot smirks. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"
He chuckles. "Left it in my Jeep, where it belongs."
Both vehicles pull into the back of a Target store parking lot. To the east side of the Target lot, there's an identical-sized lot under construction. Appears to be another box store. The vehicles head to the southwest corner lot.
Paul Zenke's 2003 Ford Focus is parked on the last row. The other vehicles on that side of the lot belong to Target employees, except most are parked closer to the building.
There is a short embankment at the south edge of the lot with about a six to eight-foot drop. It leads to an open field and a thick grove of trees just beyond that.
Gina and Ben are already out of their vehicle, investigating Zenke's car.
Baker and Sykes pull in several spaces over from the detectives. Elliot follows suit.
When they get out of their cars, Olivia heads over to Keith and Royce. "You guys stay back. Keep your eyes and ears alert in case James is lurking close by," she instructs them.
They each nod.
Olivia and Elliot approach the other two detectives to assist. Gina continues searching inside the vehicle, while Ben makes his way to the trunk.
"What do you got?" Elliot asks Ben.
Detecting a substance on the back bumper, Ben reaches with a gloved hand and touches it. Then he draws his hand closer to inspect it. "Lighter fluid…" he says with a frown. "This ain't good."
"Gina, pop the trunk," Elliot asks her.
A second later, they hear the pop, and the two of them lift the trunk open.
"It's Paul!" Ben says aloud.
Gina and Olivia move quickly toward the trunk.
The security guard lays on his side with duct tape over his mouth, and a wool blanket thrown over the top of him. He's unresponsive.
Ben checks Paul's wrist. "We've got a pulse! A weak one, but he's alive," Ben reports. He carefully removes the tape from Paul's mouth.
Olivia calls for a bus, then heads over to talk to the officers.
Gina gazes at her friend. "Come on, Paul, stay with us…"
"Gina, call Franks and update him. He texted me for a status a bit ago and I didn't get back to him," Ben requests.
She nods and takes out her phone.
Ben checks to see if Paul has any injuries that might prevent them from taking him out of the trunk safely. Elliot reaches in to assist.
As they shift the blanket over, they see it.
"Oh shit…" Ben says, his eyes fall to the strapped pack and wires attached to Paul's side.
"Homemade explosive… Sonofabitch!" Elliot huffs in agreement. "He left us Paul and a parting gift."
Elliot steps aside and signals for one of the officers. They radio for the bomb squad and additional back-up.
Ben retrieves his pocketknife, reaches into the trunk and starts trying to cut the strap that attaches the bomb to Paul.
Elliot turns back toward Ben. "Th' hell are you doing?"
"Trying to see…if I can get this thing off of him," Ben groans, struggling to cut through the thick cord that attaches the bomb to Paul.
Gina finishes the call with Captain Franks and rejoins them. She notices the bomb. "Oh my God…"
"Guys! We're not bomb technicians!" Olivia yells at the two of them when she sees what's going on. "We need to clear this area out!"
"I've almost got it," Ben states. "There's nothing but overgrowth out that way," he gestures away from the lot. "Maybe we can toss it out th—" He suddenly stills. "Oh shit! Oh shit!"
He heard the click…
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!
"CLEAR OUT! IT'S GONNA GO! IT'S GONNA GO!"
As the others take off, Ben quickly scans for a shorter escape route.
Realizing how close he still is to the vehicle, Gina turns back in a panic… "BEN!"
Ben rushes toward his partner as the bomb ignites.
Grabbing her by the waist, he carries them over the embankment.
The Ford Focus bursts into flames.
TBC…
A/N... Just add some very wild weather and EO, and you can pretty much guess how the rest of this is going to go. ;) Stay tuned!