Traci smiled as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
"I have an idea,"
She whispered, trying not to tense as Palmer slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
"Mmm, and what might that be?" he asked in his most seductive tone.
"Let me be the one to kill Missy."
Palmer pulled back and stared straight into her eyes.
"I can do it."
Traci slid her fingers down his cheek.
"I want to do it. It would be the perfect way to get back at Webb for what he did to me."
"Traci, I don't..."
She pulled his lips to hers once more.
"It's perfect. You could tape it and we could send it to him."
"I still don't..."
"After all Webb's done to you?"
He looked at her, seeking any flicker of deception in her eyes.
Seeing none, he slowly nodded his head.
"If you are sure."
An evil smile spread across her lips.
"I'm more than sure."
Inside, her heart pounded heavily against her chest.
If her plans went right then Missy would be 'dead' by the end of the day.
Maritime Grande Hotel
Sydney City,
Australia
Next Afternoon
Webb was on the phone with Mac, filling her in on all that's been going on, when there was a knock at the door.
"Hold on a second, Mac, there's someone at the door."
When he opened it he found a video-tape sitting on the floor.
"Webb? What is it?" Mac asked.
"Um, someone just dropped off a tape. I'll call you back."
"No you won't. Not until I know if it has something to do with my sister, Webb."
Sighing, he slid the video in the machine and sat back to watch.
It started off with a clip of Traci watching the spliced tape of Webb and Casey -it closed in on the subtle tears falling from her eyes.
Webb could feel his eyes tearing as he saw the emotional pain his partner was in.
"Webb? What's happening?"
"I have to call you back," he managed to choke out before he hung up.
He wouldn't cry on the phone, not to Mac.
The video continued with Palmer coming into the room, this time the sound kicked in.
Webb listened to the whole conversation between the two and felt his heart break when Traci stated the Webb she knew was dead.
He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and tell her it was all a dream - a nightmare.
Suddenly Missy came onto the screen.
Tears pouring down her face.
She screamed for Traci to stop and the camera panned over to show Traci aiming the gun at Missy's heart.
Webb sat frozen in his chair, unable to turn away.
Then he heard the shot, saw the blood soaking Missy's shirt.
He saw Traci standing over her, the gun smoking.
Traci turned towards the camera.
"Webb, this is for all those times you hurt me. Like in Wichita when you told me you had had enough and yet, you never left. What was I to think? Missy is in a much better place now. Goodbye."
Webb couldn't move as the screen went blank.
'Traci wouldn't have killed Missy.' Clay thought, his mind racing.
Before his thoughts could wander any further, Casey walked in.
"Clay, we have a locat..." She stopped. "Clay?"
"She killed her," he whispered. "She killed her in cold blood."
In an instant, Casey was before Webb.
"Who did?" He rewound the tape a little and hit play.
It started at Missy pleading for her life.
Casey watched in shock.
When it was over she turned to him.
"I know she didn't do it."
"I'm not so sure. You didn't see the rest of the tape."
"What happened in Wichita?"
"Huh?"
"Wichita. Traci said that something happened in Wichita."
Webb shrugged.
"I don't know. We've never been there together. I have no idea what she's talking about. Maybe it's false memories planted by Palmer."
Casey gently took the remote from him and rewound to listen to Traci talk again.
"Clay, does the CIA have an office in Wichita, Kansas?"
"I don't see... Yeah, I think so, it's not well known. Why?"
Casey grinned.
"Call them, see if Missy is there."
"Case, didn't you just see.."
"Trust me, call them."
Kelly:
Webb turned on the speaker-phone and dialed the Wichita Branch office.
"Good Morning Langley Development Corporation, how may I help you."
"This is Clayton Webb, I need to speak to someone regarding the Missy Webb project." he said.
"One moment Agent Webb the Regional Director has been expecting your call...please hold."
Casey gave him a 'see I told you so' look, but said nothing.
Clay smiled , Casey had been right after all, Traci hadn't murdered Missy.
"This is Agent Bellows, I'm the Regional Director here in Wichita Agent Webb, I believe I have someone that would like to speak to you."
"Clay?" it was Missy.
Relief flooded Clay's body as he slumped into the nearest chair.
"Missy, you're OK?"
"Clay...I'm fine. Are we alone?" she asked.
"No Casey's here." Clay said smiling at her.
"Case? Oh my God is it really you?"
"Yeah Missy, it's really me. How are you?"
"I'm fine now..."
"What about Traci...where is she?" Casey asked.
Missy took a deep breath and explained what had happened after Traci 'joined' Palmer.
"Palmer kept playing the video of you two over and over, and Traci realized what he was trying to do. So she told me her plan and we worked together. She only pretended to join Palmer, Clay she would never really betray you like that."
"I know Missy."
"Then she found out that Palmer planned to kill me, so she arranged it so that she could do it. She took me out to an abandoned warehouse, she had already called in a few people she knew and they were waiting with special effects for the 'shooting'. Then she arranged for me to be taken out of the country and back to the US."
"What about Traci and Palmer...where are they now?"
"I don't know, Palmer was muttering something about Langley...and his wife." Missy said wearily.
"We've got to get Traci out of there before Palmer realizes she's not for real." Casey said to Clay.
Clay nodded his agreement.
"Uh wait...I think Palmer was saying something to Traci about Sydney airport and being late. That was just before the shooting." Missy offered.
"Thanks Missy, listen, I want you to stay in Wichita for a few days and rest up. We're gonna try and find Palmer and get Traci back safely."
"OK, um Clay?"
"Yeah Missy?"
"What's gonna happen when you find Traci...are you and Casey still gonna be partners?"
Clay looked at Casey, who had turned and walked out onto the balcony.
"I don't know Missy, I really don't know."
He signed off with Missy and walked out to speak to Casey.
"We should try and find out if Palmer has left the country." Casey said an empty look in her eyes.
She walked back inside and picked up the phone.
"This is Agent McDaniels of the Central Intelligence Agency I need to know if anyone by the name of Clark Palmer has left the country in the last 72 hours."
"I'm sorry Ma'am, no-one by that name on any listing" came the reply.
"What about a Mr & Mrs Clayton Webb?" Casey asked, noting that Webb's eyes flew up to meet hers as she said it.
"Yes, a Mr & Mrs Clayton Webb left on Airline Flight Q411, departing Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney at 15.45 yesterday...arriving at Dulles Airport at 17.55 tonight." The operator said.
"Thank you." Casey put down the phone and turned to Webb.
"Any luck?" he asked.
"Flight Q411, it arrived at Dulles an hour ago." she said "They were registered as Mr & Mrs Clayton Webb."
"How did you know what name they would use?"
Casey looked at Webb.
"Because Traci picked the name, she 's making it easy for us to find them." she said 'Not to mention indulging her fantasy a little' she thought privately.
Clay nodded.
"I'll call Langley and get them to start a search the DC area for Palmer, meanwhile can you book us on the next flight out of here?"
Casey nodded and picked up the phone again.
22 Hours Later
CIA Headquarters
McLean. Virginia.
"OK, we know that Special Agent Palmer wants to know what happened to his wife the night of her death, we also know he has Agent MacKenzie with him, she's posing as his partner at the moment..."
Casey addressed the 25 Agents and assorted Military personnel seated around the room.
"...What we don't know is where they are. I want everyone to be on the lookout for these two. Agent MacKenzie will most likely either phone in or send us some information regarding her whereabouts, but I DO NOT want her safety compromised in ANY way...do we understand people?"
"Yes Ma'am." The group intoned.
"I want each and every one of you to search this city, I want you to put the squeeze on all your sources...I want these two found alive!
Now, we DO know that Palmer is looking for the information on his wife, so we have everyone at Langley on alert, but be aware that he can access the information from any CIA terminal in this building. The man is a master of disguise so anyone you see... whether it's a cleaning lady or a police officer, or just an Agent you've never seen before...in this building you have the authority to stop them and have them detained for questioning."
She took a deep breath and slapped a file down on the lectern.
"OK People lets get to work!"
Clay stood at the back of the room watching Casey give orders to the group of Agents and Soldiers.
She was back to her "Company Woman" routine.
She had hardly spoken on the plane home, and when she had she had carefully kept the conversation to neutral topics and the mission at hand.
She had even started addressing him as Agent Webb, rather than Clay.
Four times he had tried to address what would happen when they got Traci back, and four times she had shut him down.
He had watched her as she slept on the plane.
Memories of his time with Casey had filtered through, time spent together, lying together in his bed, riding through the woods outside his mothers estate, dinners they had prepared together.
He wondered if he would ever get the chance to do any of those things with her again.
"Clay?" he turned and found his sister standing beside him.
"Missy, I thought I told you to stay in Wichita?"
"You did, but I need to do something to help Traci & I wanted to see Casey again too." She said smiling.
Clay wrapped his arms around his little sister.
"You had me scared Missy"
Missy looked sheepishly at Clay.
"Yeah I know, I'm sorry."
Clay smiled.
"But you're back...that's all that matters."
"All Clay? What's with Casey?" she asked looking over at the woman standing on the other side of the room.
"Meaning what?" Clay asked, had Missy noticed the change too?
"Meaning that she seems strange, colder not like the woman we knew at all."
Missy said her voice tinged with regret.
Clay looked at his sister, he had forgotten that Missy and Casey had been close too.
"She's been through a lot Missy, give her time." he said.
Missy nodded, a plan running through her head.
Constantine Apartment Complex
Washington DC
Same Time
"Traci?" Palmer said smiling as he leaned over her sleeping form on the bed. "Wake up."
Traci fought the urge to push Palmer's nose up through his brain and pretended to wake from a deep sleep.
"Wha...?" she said yawning "What time is it?"
"Time to give up your little charade!"
Palmer said pointing his pistol at her.