Mark McCormick sat comfortably with one leg thrown casually over the arm of the chair as he and Judge Milton C. Hardcastle watched yet another western. He was munching on popcorn and enjoying a beer as he mindlessly watched the sheriff go after the outlaws that had dared to rob the bank in his town. His lips twitched and he glanced sideways at Hardcastle convinced that this man he now considered a good friend had been born in the wrong century. Turning his attention back to the gunfight now taking place in the movie, he grinned picturing ol' Hardcase atop that horse, sixgun strapped to his hip doling out his brand of justice in the old west. Mark couldn't stop the snort of laughter at that thought.

"What's so funny?" Hardcastle barked.

"Nothin' Judge…nothin' at all," Mark replied trying his best to control his laughter and look innocent…and failing.

"That's the way it used to be ya know…criminals didn't get away so easy back then."

"Easy there Hardcase, don't go gettin' your blood pressure up. Could be dangerous at your age," Mark laughed, not even trying to hide his amusement, knowing what was coming when he saw the older man lean forward in his chair with a scowl on his face.

"What do ya mean at my age," he blustered..."why I'm in as good a shape as you are hotshot…probably better."

"Sure you are kemosabe, you just keep tellin' yourself that."

Hardcastle jabbed a finger in the direction of the ex con, opening his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. The jurist sighed in frustration, mumbling unintelligibly as he got to his feet, leaving Mark still chuckling.

"Hardcastle," he growled into the receiver. "What? ...Yeah he's here, hold on." He held the phone out towards Mark. "For you…and don't be keeping my phone tied up, I don't want to miss any important calls."

"Yeah, yeah," the young man said rolling his eyes as he took the phone. "Hello." "Whoa slow down Te...Ted…Teddy slow down."

Hardcastle had returned to his chair but turned his head to see Mark appearing confused as he tried to understand what Teddy was saying. He knew that with Teddy it was hard to even guess what might be going on…sure he was a nice enough kid, just a bit of a flake as Mark put it.

"He did what? …Tonight? …But he can't do that." There was a longer pause until finally Mark sighed heavily, his shoulders drooping in defeat. "Hang on." He pressed the phone against his chest. "Judge you think I can borrow the truck tonight to help Teddy move?"

"He has to move tonight?"

"Yeah his roommate left last week to go to work and never came back. Says he was already a month behind in rent and since tomorrow's the first, the landlord's given him until midnight tonight to get all his stuff out."

"A month huh…it's probably more like three. Yeah okay…just don't go sneaking him into the gatehouse like you did the last time."

"No he says he's already got another place…one he can afford with his job at the restaurant." He put the phone back to his ear. "All right Teddy I'll be there in about half an hour…yeah no problem."

He hung up the phone and shaking his head walked in the direction of the door, snagging the keys to the truck on the way.

"Don't forget I need the truck first thing in the morning."

Mark simply raised a hand and disappeared out the door, leaving the judge muttering under his breath "kids these days got no sense of responsibility."

XXX

Mark arrived at Teddy's only to discover he hadn't even begun gathering his possessions up together so he spent over an hour helping to fill boxes before starting to take them to the truck leaving Teddy to tackle packing up the rest of his things. He was just about to set the latest box he was carrying into the bed of the truck when he heard someone called his name.

"Hey Mark?"

"Yeah?" he said, turning to see who it was.

Mark didn't recognize him but before he could say anything else his head exploded in pain and everything went black. The man who had called him bent, picking up the box from the sidewalk where it had fallen. Setting it in the bed of the truck he opened it and looking inside saw it was full of clothes.

"Looks like he was plannin' on skippin' out again."

"The boss wouldn't have liked that."

"We gotta get outta here before somebody sees us. C'mon gimme a hand with him."

Moments later Teddy came out of the apartment just as the car pulled away its tires screeching. Glancing at it he didn't give it much thought except to think they were a long way from home judging from the out of state license plate. He added the box he was carrying in the truck with the rest.

"There isn't much more Skid, we should be done in another hour. Bet you're glad the furniture stays in the apartment…" his voice faded as he realized Mark was nowhere to be seen.

Teddy looked around, even checking inside the cab but found no sign of his former cell mate. He stood back with his hands on his hips as he looked up and down the street. The glow from the streetlights revealing no-one in either direction.

"Hey Skid where are ya?" he yelled. "Huh…maybe he went to the all night diner around the corner for some coffee or somethin'," he mumbled. "Hope he brings some back for me."

Figuring Mark would return shortly he shrugged his shoulders as he made his way back into the apartment to finish carrying out his stuff, at the same time thinking that a twenty four hour food and drink delivery service would be a great money making idea.

XXX

Mark groaned as he started coming around. His head was pounding and when he tried to raise his right hand to his head he found he was unable to. His eyes blinked open but the room he was in was brightly lit and they quickly squeezed closed again. As his senses slowly returned he realized that he was in a chair, his hands tightly bound behind him. He jerked against the ropes then froze hearing footsteps approaching.

"So ya finally decided to join us."

He squinted up at the two men standing over him.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Mark asked wincing as pain shot through his head.

That elicited a rather unpleasant laugh from one of his captors.

"You're real funny Mark, you know that? Don't you think he's funny Bobby?"

"He's hilarious Ricky."

You remember Jersey don't ya?"

"Jersey! Jersey was a long time ago but yeah…yeah I remember it."

"And the Genovese family?"

"I've heard of 'em, who hasn't. But what's that got to do with me?" He was really confused now. Everyone knew about the Genovese crime family but he'd never had any dealings with them. 'What the hell have you gotten yourself into now Teddy? And why did I let myself get involved?' Mark mused silently.

Ricky leaned forward slapping Mark's cheek a couple times none too gently. "You just sit tight while we go call Vinnie and tell him we finally found you."

"Vinnie?"

Ricky turned back with an evil smile…"Yeah Vinnie Gigante. You know him he's head of the family now. It wasn't very smart of you to skim off the top. You shoulda known better; nobody steals from us and gets away with it."

Mark was beginning to get worried. He had no idea what these goons were talking about or how they knew his name, and worse than that he'd heard stories of what the Genovese mob was capable of.

"Look fellas I think you've got me confused with someone else, I've never skimmed anything from anyone in Jersey… I mighta helped myself to a car once or twice, but…"

"Save your breath McDonald.'

With that the two men disappeared through the door leaving Mark still tied to the chair wondering why they wanted him and then, his eyes widened as he suddenly realized what they had called him. He looked at the closed door.

"Wait…My name's McCormick not McDonald. You've got the wrong guy," he hollered.

He jerked at the rope holding his hands behind the chair, feeling it bite into his flesh as he tried to loosen it knowing he had to get away before they returned.

XXX

Teddy had removed the remainder of his belongings from his apartment and had spent the rest of the night wondering where Mark had gone. He figured he couldn't have gone too far since he'd left the truck behind. He'd even gone down to the all night diner and asked if they'd seen him, but no-one there had seen anyone fitting the description Teddy gave them. He leaned nervously against the truck knowing he had to call the judge…and dreading it. Mark had told him he had to have the truck back first thing in the morning and now here it was almost noon. He took a deep breath as he pushed himself away from the truck and made his way to the phone booth down the street. Once there he picked up the receiver taking another deep breath before dropping a coin in the slot and dialing…

The judge sat fuming in his den at Gull's Way. He had gotten up this morning expecting to see his truck in the drive and not only had it not been there, but here it was lunch time and McCormick still hadn't shown up with it. The Judge slammed his fist angrily down on his desk just as the phone started to ring. He snatched it up before the first ring had even ended.

"McCormick where the hell's my truck?" he yelled. "I told you I needed it this morning."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Well? You gonna talk or what," he barked.

" Uh…uh…Judge…"

"Teddy? Teddy what the hell's goin' on? Where's McCormick and where's my truck?" he demanded loudly.

"Well that's…that's why I'm calling Judge…it's about Mark. He disappeared on me last night."

"What d'ya mean he disappeared?" Hardcastle growled.

"I thought he'd gone down to the diner around the corner, you know for something to eat…"

Hardcastle closed his eyes gritting his teeth as he tried to calm himself. "Teddy, forget the diner and tell me what happened."

"Like I said I thought he went…"

"Teddy…"

"I don't know what happened, he just disappeared. He took a box out to the truck and when I came outside with another one he was gone, but the truck is still here."

"Did you see anybody hanging around?"

"Naw don't see many people around here after ten. What do you want me to do? My landlord came by yelling at me to get off the property, but what if Skid comes back?"

Hardcastle sighed knowing that first McCormick would not have just disappeared leaving both Teddy and the truck behind, and second he must be in some kind of trouble or he would have called.

"You got the keys for the truck?"

"No…but I can start it without them."

"Why doesn't that surprise me. All right drive it over here and I'll get on the horn and call downtown."

XXX

While Mark was struggling to free himself, Bobby and Ricky had driven to a phone booth located at the filling station five miles down the road. Bobby fed several coins into it then dialed the number, smiling knowing his boss would be happy to hear that after fifteen months they'd finally tracked down the man who had stolen nearly two hundred thousand dollars from them. He listened to the ringing on the other end waiting somewhat impatiently for someone to answer. He was just about to hang up when it was picked up.

"Yeah?"

"Vinnie, its Bobby. We found McDonald. Got him tied up in an abandoned farmhouse out in the middle of nowhere…"

"I don't know who the hell you got but it's not McDonald because I'm lookin' at him right now. Danny found him in a little hick town outside of L.A. You two get your asses back here to Jersey."

"Okay boss. What do you want us to do about this guy?"

"I don't have time to fix your problem. There's trouble brewing in Jersey and I need you back here now! Leave him there, somebody'll find him eventually."

"Yes sir, we're on our way."

He hung up the phone, stepped out of the phone booth and gave his partner a shove in the direction of the car.

"C'mon, Vinnie already has McDonald, seems we grabbed the wrong guy…he said to just leave him and get back to Jersey pronto."

XXX

Mark was tired and thirsty and had no idea where he was but judging from the complete lack of traffic noise he knew he was somewhere outside the city. The sun was streaming through the window as he continued to work on freeing himself. His captors had been gone for hours and he had no desire to still be here when they returned. Fear started to take hold when he thought of the Genovese family and their fearsome reputation.

"Stop it McCormick," he mumbled to himself, tamping down the panic as he took a deep breath trying to calm himself. "Judge I sure could use a bit of help here," he said knowing that the jurist would be looking for him. Mark chuckled…"oh he sure will be looking…probably already put out an APB thinking we stole his truck." And that's when he felt the rope begin to slip. He froze almost afraid to believe it but slowly, carefully he twisted his right hand, smiling in relief when he was able to pull it free. Easing his arms forward the smile disappeared as the pain of finally moving after being in one position for so long made him moan aloud. He looked at the blood covering his wrists and hands pausing only a few moments before bending to untie the ropes binding his legs to the chair. Shakily he got to his feet, staggering slightly not only from the cramps in his legs but from a wave of dizziness. 'Water' he thought heading to the sink only to find when he turned the tap nothing came out. His whole body drooped in frustration, but he quickly straightened up and headed to the door. Carefully opening it a crack he peered out seeing an overgrown driveway with no vehicles and no people in sight. He stepped outside and started walking.

XXX

Hardcastle heard his truck pull up and had the door open before Teddy even got out.

"Did you hear anything yet Judge?"

"No I haven't. Frank's put an APB out on him."

"You want me to drive around and see if I can find him?"

"No I do not want you to drive around, especially in my truck. Frank wants us to stay here in case someone calls."

"Okay Judge, whatever you say."

They sat in the den Teddy looking around while Hardcastle drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk beside the phone.

"You're sure you didn't see anything suspicious or unusual last night?"

"No, didn't see any strangers hanging around…oh wait I saw a car. I forgot about that. I remember thinking boy they sure drove a long way."

Hardcastle glared at the man across the desk from him not saying a word.

Teddy gulped nervously. "Yeah it had New Jersey plates. Didn't get the numbers but it was a light blue Monte Carlo and they left in a real hurry."

Picking up the phone he called the police station. "Hey Frank. Teddy just told me he saw a light blue Monte Carlo with New Jersey plates leaving from in front of his place. Said they left in a hurry…no, no numbers."

He slammed the phone down a little harder than needed then rubbed both hands over his face. "Dammit McCormick where are you?"

"Don't you worry about Mark…he knows how to take care of himself…well most of the time."

"Yeah, I hope this is one of those times."

XXX

Mark felt like he had been walking forever but at least he'd found the road before the light started to fade. He stumbled along staying close to the shoulder trying hard to stay alert in case the car carrying his kidnappers returned. At one point he tripped, falling painfully onto his hands and knees. He hung his head as he tried to muster the energy to get back to his feet. Almost two full minutes passed before he managed to push himself up and look around. He could see the lights of the city off in the distance knowing he wouldn't be able to go much further. He was so thirsty and the desire to collapse and give up was almost overwhelming. He leaned forward, his hands on his knees about to do just that when he heard a familiar voice in his head. 'C'mon hotshot, show me what you got…one foot in front of the other.' He snorted a short laugh. "Always riding my ass aren't ya Hardcase," but he started moving forward again.

XXX

It was getting dark and Frank had been driving around searching for Mark for hours. He had no idea what made him turn down this particular road that led to nowhere, but he would soon be glad he did. He hadn't been on the road for long when his headlights picked up the form of a man trudging wearily in his direction. He pulled up beside him worried, but happy to see the man they had been looking for all day. He could see the blood on his hands and wrists and decided a trip to the hospital was first on the agenda. He'd call Milt from there.

"You look like you could use a ride, get in."

Mark stood blinking tiredly at him. "Frank?"

"Come on Mark, get in the car."

Mark opened the passenger door and almost fell into the vehicle. Once inside he leaned his head back against the seat with his eyes closed, thinking he had never been so glad to see a police officer in his life when he felt something touch his arm. Opening his eyes he saw a bottle of water being held out to him. He took it gratefully.

"Drink it slow or you'll get sick."

Mark, despite the urge to gulp down its entire contents, lowered the bottle after taking a couple swallows.

"What the hell happened?"

"You heard of the Genovese family from Jersey?"

"Who hasn't…they're a nasty bunch. Mark please don't tell me you were once involved with them!"

"No not me. They were looking for a Mark McDonald which just so happens to be the name of Teddy's missing roommate. Said he'd skimmed a lot of money from them. I was putting a box in the back of the truck and heard someone say my name. That's the last thing I remember until I woke up in some abandoned house. They left to make a phone call to Vinnie somebody and I managed to get loose before they came back."

"So why didn't you tell them your last name was McCormick?"

"They kept calling me Mark, never used a last name until they left and then it was too late."

He unscrewed the top of the water bottle and took a couple more sips before putting it aside again.

"Bet the Judge is none too happy with me," he said looking at the police lieutenant.

"He was angry at first but he got over that pretty quick. He's worried about you."

"Hey where are we goin'? This isn't the way…"

"I'm taking you to the hospital to get checked out. It's not up for debate, so don't even start with me. While they look you over I'm gonna call Milt and let him know you're okay and fill him in on what happened."

Mark sighed and if possible sank even lower in his seat.

XXX

A couple hours later, after Mark had been checked over and been given an IV for his dehydration, Frank pulled into the estate smiling to himself when he saw the door thrown open to reveal two worried faces. Frank walked to the front of the car waiting for Mark, then stayed at his side as they made their way to the house in case he needed a steadying hand.

The two men both started talking at the same time. "You all right kiddo?" "You don't look so hot Skid."

"Why don't we all go inside so I can get a statement from Teddy. I already got Mark's side of the story."

"Sure we can go to the den."

Mark shook his head. "I'd rather sit outside Judge if that's all right."

"Sure I guess we can sit by the pool. Teddy go grab that pitcher of iced tea outta the fridge. Ya want somethin' to eat kid?"

Mark shook his head, sitting in a chair by the pool that allowed him to look out at the ocean. He sipped at the iced tea that had been placed in front of him not paying any attention to what the men around him were saying. Putting the empty glass on the table, he leaned his head back against the chair watching the gulls as they soared lazily over the waves. He heard his name and turning his head saw the three men staring him.

"What?"

"I just said I'm real sorry for what happened Skid. I didn't know he was mixed up in all that."

"It wasn't really your fault Teddy, but next time you decide to get a roommate, maybe have Frank here check them out first."

He turned his head toward the ocean again and Frank continued getting Teddy's statement. Mark finally began to relax, the voices around the table slowly becoming a buzz until they finally faded completely.

Frank and Hardcastle were listening to Teddy tell his story so it was several minutes before anyone noticed.

"I swear that kid can sleep anywhere," Hardcastle grumbled softly.

"Well Milt as tired as he was he didn't sleep in the car either on the way to the hospital after I picked him up or on the way here and the nurses said every time he started to doze in the hospital, he'd jerk himself awake.

"You know when you're in the joint you tend not to sleep too good. When I shared a cell with him I swear he only slept for an hour at a time."

"But Teddy he wasn't in "the joint," Hardcastle scoffed.

"No, you're right he wasn't, but he was still a prisoner."

"You know Milt," Frank said nodding his head toward the sleeping man, "guess that means he feels at home here."

"Yeah Judge kinda like when you're with family…you know…safe," Teddy added.

The Judge glanced from Teddy to McCormick and back again. Frank shook his head as he turned heading to the door, not bothering to hide his grin of amusement. He looked back at the judge. "Kid's gotta point Milt."

"Isn't Claudia waiting for you?" he grumbled causing Frank to chuckle.

"C'mon Teddy I'll give you a lift home."

"Thanks Lieutenant."

Teddy got to his feet but after taking a couple steps turned back to Hardcastle. "You tell Mark that I'm real sorry."

"Good night Teddy."

EPILOGUE

Two days later Frank stopped by joining Mark and Milt poolside as they finished breakfast.

"You want some coffee Frank?"

"Sure Mark that'd be great."

He waited for Mark to return before giving them the news.

"I put in a request with the New Jersey police when you told me who they thought you were. I heard from them late last night. Mark McDonald was found dead yesterday. I won't go into the details but he'd been tortured before he was killed.

Mark looked down at his coffee cup, rubbing his thumb along the rim.

"Guess that shouldn't come as a surprise, those are the wrong people to steal from," Hardcastle said.

"Mark didn't you say they made a phone call?"

Mark lifted his head. "Well they said they were going to drive somewhere to make one."

"That's probably when they found out you weren't McDonald and returned to New Jersey."

"And just left me there..." Mark shook his head thinking he could easily have died in that house and for what…a mistaken identity.

"Well you're here now kiddo. Listen I've been thinking we should take a little vacation."

Mark groaned remembering the last 'vacation' they'd taken.

"What d'ya say we go visit my aunts."

Mark sat forward in his chair with a wide smile. "Aunt May and Aunt Zora? When do we leave?"