November 3, 2014:
The man checked his GPS as he pulled into the nearly deserted parking lot of the small diner. As he parked he saw one older man sitting at a booth slowly eating. He smirked and shut the car off. He adjusted his jacket after getting out of the car and then closed the door. Walking into the diner he saw the sign read, "Seat yourself". He smirked and shook his head before stepping up to the counter and sitting down.
He reached out and grabbed the menu that was stuck between the condiment bottles and looked it over.
"What can I get you?" Nemos asked the man as he sat at the counter of the nearly empty diner.
"Where's Paige?" The man asked.
"She quit a month and a half ago." Nemos said curtly.
"That's a shame. Why don't you give me her address then?" The man asked with a smile that chilled Nemos.
"I sell food, not information. You can leave." Nemos told him.
The man's speed, while not really that fast, still surprised Nemos as his hand trapped Nemos' hand on the counter. His other hand grabbed up a bottle of ketchup and slammed it down on Nemos' hand. Nemos cried out even as he felt bones break as the nearly full bottle of ketchup slammed down onto his hand.
"Look old man." The man told him as he jumped off the stool and grabbed him by the throat. "I ain't buying shit. You are going to tell me her address, now." The hate in his glare scared Nemos and he just nodded nervously as he gestured towards his office.
"I only have her address from when she quit. I don't know if she still lives there or not." Nemos told him as he now cradled his broken hand.
"Then let's go get it." The man told him as he shoved Nemos towards the door he had gestured to. He glared at the old man in the booth. "Don't move a muscle old fart."
Nemos fumbled with the keys as they got to the door but finally got the key and unlocked the door. He was pushed into the room and he fell on top of the desk.
"Where is it?" The man demanded.
"Third drawer." Nemos pointed at a filing cabinet.
The man stepped over and yanked it open while keeping his eye on Nemos. He glanced down and saw a simple alphabetical listing of names. His eyes scanned down four folders and saw "Dineen, Paige". He grinned as he pulled it out.
"You be good." The man glared at Nemos and walked out the door of the office.
Nemos grabbed up a heavy crystal paperweight he'd been given by Paige. He turned around and swung it as hard as he could.
The man grunted and fell forwards as the crystal slammed into the back of his head. He tried to jump up but his stomach rolled and his vision was blurry. He shook his head as he struggled up and stumbled his way towards the exit. He knew he wasn't in a position to fight so he fled as best he could.
Nemos dropped the crystal back on the desk as he grimaced over his hand. His other hand dipped into his pocket and grabbed his cellphone. He started to call 911 but stopped and shifted through his contacts. He clicked on Paige's name and hit the dial icon.
The gang had just gotten back from the gas station where the Russians, Percy was with, had stolen a car.
"Nemos?" Paige said as she answered her phone.
"Quiet girl. You're in danger. If you are at home, get your boy and get out of there, now!" Nemos yelled.
"Nemos? I don't live in the condo anymore, what is going on?" Paige asked as she looked at Walter at his desk.
Walter saw the fear in her eyes and he got up and moved over towards her.
"That is good. Some man came in, pretended to be a customer. Broke my hand after I refused to tell him where you lived. But he got your file, thankfully I never updated your phone in it. You have to be careful." Nemos told her.
"Have you called the cops yet? Do you need help?" Paige asked as she stood up.
"Not yet, I wanted to warn you. I'm a tough old man, I nailed him with that paperweight you got me for Christmas that year." Nemos smiled.
Paige kind of laughed at that.
"Is anyone there to help you?" Paige asked.
"I'll be okay girl, you take care. The guy is a lunatic." Nemos warned her before hanging up.
"Paige?" Walter asked with concern as she lowered the phone.
"Some man attacked Nemos wanting to know where I lived. He took my file that Nemos had." Paige told him and he could see she was scared.
"Don't worry Paige, we'll protect you." Walter told her as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
"I better call Sara and warn her." Paige said quickly and broke the hug.
"What's going on?" Happy asked as she moved over.
Walter looked from Paige picking up her phone to Happy.
"Some guy, possibly Drew Baker, attacked Paige's former boss wanting to know where she lives." Walter told her.
"Oh like hell. You better call Cabe and warn him." Happy told him.
Walter nodded even as Happy walked back to her area.
"What's going on?" Toby asked.
Happy quickly told him as she grabbed the air hose from her air compressor and some tools. Toby watched as she began putting parts together with it.
"What exactly are you making?" Toby asked suspiciously.
"A weapon in case that guy shows up here and we need it." Happy told him.
"An air hose?" Toby said curiously.
Happy nodded as she paused and double checked everything. She reached over and grabbed several small nuts out of one of her bins and dropped them in the tube that was on the end of the air hose now.
She turned and pointed at a six by six she kept against the wall for when she needed to prop something up. She leveled the tube at the board and then pulled the lever on the hose and the nuts shot out and all three pierced nearly half way through the piece of wood from over twenty feet away.
Toby just whistled as he walked over and checked it out.
"Okay, Sara is contacting the complex security." Paige sighed in relief.
"Cabe is on his way over as well." Walter smiled.
Drew pulled over shortly after leaving the diner. He had a pretty large goose egg on the back of his head. He growled as he made plans to pay the old man a visit after he got done with Paige. His eyes sought the rearview mirror as he thought of Paige and he saw the duffle bag in the backseat, filled with restraints, rope and other items he might need.
He pulled out his phone and found Paige's listed number was out of service. He cussed as he looked in the file and called the complex's administration office that was listed as her rental property.
"Oh thank gawd." Drew said as the girl answered. "You have got to help me. My cousin Paige Dineen, her estranged Mom Veronica, has been in a horrible accident. We can't locate her Dad Ralph and the hospital needs to speak with one of them immediately." Drew told her as he wheezed and faked choking up. "The number I have for her is disconnected. Can you tell me if she's moved and if so where to? Or her new number?"
"Oh I don't know sir, I'm the only one here right now. And I don't know what the policy is." The woman said with concern.
"Please, you've got to help me. It might be the only chance Paige has to see her Mom before she dies." Drew sobbed.
"Well, let me check her file." She told him and then he listened as she got up and he heard a file drawer click.
"Can you tell me something personal so I know you are telling me the truth?" She asked.
"Her next of kin is her Father, Ralph Dineen." Drew told her and then gave her his address. "He's sixty years old and a labor union negotiator."
"Okay that checks out. She moved a bit more than a month ago and left this address." She told him.
Drew grinned as he typed it into his GPS.
"Oh thank you. I'll try to do a reverse look up and maybe there will be a number associated with it." Drew said and then hung up.
Drew put the car in gear and took off. At least it wasn't far from the diner.
"Uh guys?" Sylvester said from his theory board. He was completing the code to be put into the Amber Alert system. "A strange guy just pulled up out front."
Walter stood up as did Paige.
"Thanks Sly. You stay inside here." Walter told Paige. "Keep working on the code Sly."
Paige frowned but nodded as she watched Walter and Happy walk over to the door.
Happy pointed at Toby and then back to the air hose.
Toby swallowed but nodded before getting up and walking back to her workbench.
Walter opened the door and stepped out, Happy followed right behind him.
"Can I help you?" Walter asked as the man walked from his car towards the door. He recognized him instantly from his internet search.
"Nope. I'm here for Paige." The man told him.
"I recommend you get back in your car and disappear Drew. Or this will not end well for you." Walter told him.
"And what is a pencil necked geek like you going to do about it?" Drew smirked as he sized Walter and Happy up.
"A lot more than you think we can." Happy told him.
"I suggest you just make this easier on everyone and just tell Paige to come out here." Drew told him.
"Not going to happen." Walter told him.
"Then I guess I'll have to do it the hard way then." Drew grinned as he moved forward.
Walter's hands doubled up into fists as he raised them. Drew just grinned at the action.
Drew swung and Happy pulled back on Walter's collar making Drew's swing miss.
Walter retaliated as he threw a right cross. He remembered what Cabe had told him once. "Go for the nose." He also remembered something he had heard on a job site once as he set up a network in a gym. "Imagine as you look at the target, the point you want to hit is actually six inches further back. You drive your fist as hard as you can trying to reach that point."
Drew should have listened to that little voice in his head and not got out of the car. He wasn't able to block Walter's fist as his vision blurred for a moment and he saw two fists coming at him.
Walter's fist cracked into Drew's nose and it even caused Happy to shy back as the blood spray erupted and Drew fell backwards to the ground and began spasming.
"Doc!" Happy yelled.
Cabe had just pulled up across the street at the stop sign as Walter threw the punch. He grinned even as he stepped on the gas and flew across the intersection.
Toby came running out the door along with Paige and Sylvester.
Homeland had to run some interference with the LAPD as the guys had to take off as they got a message back from Percy.
After capturing Percy and the Russians they returned to the Garage and Cabe took Walter to the police station. Cabe smiled at Walter as he walked with him into the police station to see the detective that had been assigned to the case.
"I'm really proud of you son. You remembered what I told you both times today. You went for the nose." Cabe grinned.
Walter smiled as he nodded.
"Ah…agent Gallo and Walter O'Brien. So nice of you guys to show up." The detective greeted them.
"Sorry, it couldn't be helped. Walter and his company had gotten intel on three escaped prisoners and we had to act fast to catch them." Cabe told him
"So I was told, why don't you both have a seat?" The detective gestured towards the chairs by his desk. "I also spoke with Ms Dineen's former employer who confirmed that Drew Baker is the one who attacked him earlier today and wanted info on Ms Dineen's whereabouts." He told them as he moved around his desk and sat down.
"We figured as much from the info we had." Walter told him.
"I've also got a statement from the management company where Ms Dineen used to live, that they had received a call regarding Ms Dineen. Claiming her Mom had been in a horrible wreck and the person had given out her forwarding address." He told them.
"Well Drew is a conman and a sex trafficker so it doesn't surprise me that he knew some way of getting around people to get the information he wanted." Walter told him.
"So you knew Drew?" The detective asked.
"Not in person. Just what he had tried to do to Ms Dineen ten years ago and that he runs a pornography website with a revenge porn section." Walter told him.
"Did run." The detective told him. "Seems his website was attacked and destroyed. As well as the entire data backup server company where his website was archived. And not all that long ago, in fact just before Ms Dineen moved out of her condo. And that doesn't even cover the fact that his bank accounts were completely drained during a massive attack on the major banks in Las Vegas, the same night."
"You don't say?" Cabe looked surprised. "What do you think about that Walter?"
"Sounds like it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Walter replied while acting bored.
"Did you know Drew died?" The detective asked.
"No, but from the way he was responding when the EMTs got there Toby said it was a forgone conclusion." Walter told him.
"That doesn't bother you?" The detective asked.
"No." Walter said quickly. "I know my punch couldn't have killed him and Drew wasted his life in pursuit of horrible things. He played Ms Dineen and tried to lure her into his web of prostitution and whatever other activities he had planned. She was fortunate in that she was able to escape. If he had more experience at the time he might have been successful in roping her into that life. My concerns and sympathies are for her and the other women he abused."
"Fortunately the coroner has ruled the death accidental on your part. His skull had been fractured by the blow that he received earlier and when he hit the pavement, some of those fragments pierced his brain." The detective told him.
Walter nodded.
"Funny thing you mentioned those women, a number of women around the country have reported receiving a check from an overseas bank account during the past week. All of them labeled as compensation for being targeted in revenge porn. Has Ms Dineen received any such payment?" The detective asked.
"Not to my knowledge. What is this about? I thought I was here to answer questions concerning what happened outside my building? Surely you have questions about that if you needed to see me. Or was the security video enough for you?" Walter asked as he got a bit hostile.
"Walt." Cabe cautioned him.
"What this is about is if someone who has amazing computer skills might have broken the law and destroyed this man's business and absconded with his money." The detective told him.
"So you lured us here under false pretenses? Let's go Walter, I'll file a complaint with Homeland and let them deal with the LAPD." Cabe told him as he stood.
Walter looked at the detective for a moment.
"Tell me detective. Did Drew have any loans for anything?" Walter asked without getting up.
"Yes." The detective told him.
"Were all the loans in good standing?" Walter asked.
"Yes." The detective answered.
"That's how you know it wasn't me. If I had gone after that sleaze I would have buried him. His credit would have been toast and he wouldn't be able to borrow a dollar for a cup of coffee when I was through with him." Walter told him dead serious. "While I realize that you don't get a choice in victims and you have to treat each with some measure of respect, you are out of line. This scum tried to drag Ms Dineen into a world of sexual slavery. He succeeded with a number of other women. He ran a website promoting all of this. He came to LA, assaulted and broke the hand of Ms Dineen's former boss to get information on her whereabouts. He conned another person into getting her address and he came there and threatened us." Walter stood up and turned.
Walter paused and turned around and tossed a business card from his wallet onto the detective's desk.
"Our attorney. If you want to speak to anyone from Scorpion, you contact him to set it up. We're through with wasting time with you and on Drew." Walter turned and walked out with Cabe.
"You got an attorney?" Cabe whispered as they left the station.
"No, it is from one of the biggest criminal defense attorneys in Las Vegas. I'd picked it up back in October when I was arrested for suspicion of helping rob that casino." Walter smiled at him.
Cabe closed his door and looked at Walter before starting the SUV.
"Do you know anything about those checks to those women?" Cabe asked, barely moving his mouth.
Walter just grinned and Cabe began laughing.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! So...I know I said no more fix-it stories from me...lol But last week I wasn't writing much and I was going through the hard drive and I saw a story I had first started back after Cathy died. It had been the first attempt I made at trying to write again and while I had managed a bit over 2 chapters, I just couldn't really get into it. But I read them and felt a little spark with them...did a little rewrite on them and decided it was worth pursuing...so...after Callan is brought up to date in June be on the lookout for a new fix-it "Lycosidae".
Railman - Yep, Happy definitely was and boy was she uncomfortable with it! lol Yes I did remember it. Thankfully Paige really wanted the situation resolved and Happy's words were just enough to help her. hehe Good timing on the FBI's part...glad they didn't get the files to Cabe the day before! That would have been awkward as Cabe tore into both Walter and Happy over it. lol Nope, no other cliffhanger for now.
LouBe - hehe Thanks! I'm glad their actions/responses made sense. Sometimes I question if I get things written believably. hehe Well like she said, she was mad, sure, but she still loved him. I'm not sure if there are any requirements for vows...The wife and I went with the standard boiler plate as they say from an traditionalist preacher friend of the family. I doubt a religious officiant would be satisfied with that but a secular judge probably would. Now would I have something up my sleeve? lol
Pearliegirl - I certainly tried to make it right! lol
Lucy - hehe The stinky fish will return a few more times...lol Louise definitely has the old goat's number! lol Glad you enjoyed the confrontation of Paige and Mark! Yeah...it became a dumpster fire real quick! lol I don't think Toby expected to get shanghaied into having to try the fish. Too bad the story didn't say if she made it for them or not. *sigh* LOL Yep, Waige is definitely better getting their emotions out in the open to start!
To the Adventure! -Tim