| Ted watches his speedometer to make sure that he is not exceeding the speed limit. �I�m telling you! Zach does not respond!� �Perche siamo in ritardo! I say we worry about saving our own asses. We�ve got to dump this van.� Ben is tending to his own arm which hangs almost lifeless at his side while the other man is administering what aid he can to the wounded man. �Damn, but he came out of nowhere!� �Waiting �til dawn to fly that stupid little plane out of town, whose idea was that?� Ben asks. �Our time table sucked!� �Jack is not going to happy that we came back without the boy.� *** Sheriff Carl Hovelt and his dispatcher, Troy, exchange puzzled glances as they pass the riderless tractor that Justin left in the road. They park and exit the Sheriff�s car when they arrive at the Taylor�s house. Ethan emerges from the front door onto the porch with his revolver in hand, a gym bag slung over his shoulder with Daphne�s clothes hanging out of it and Daphne, dressed in a flimsy night gown, cradled in his arms. Daphne is not awake. She coughs and seems to make an effort but to no avail. Ethan is on the alert for any sign of danger and steps carefully around the blood on the porch�s floor boards. Sheriff and Troy head towards Ethan as he brings Daphne to his car. Justin struggles to bring his brother down the stairs. Emmett is dressed only in his underwear and is coughing quite a bit. �Damn! What�s going on here?!� Carl demands. �She�s been drugged or gassed. Troy, go inside and help Justin with Em.� �I�m on it!� �Sheriff, can you open the back door?� Carl opens the back car door. �Careful with her head. Is Vic not here yet?� �Vic?� �Yeah, he was patrolling out by the lake, and I had dispatch call him before calling you. he should have beat you here.� Troy slips in the blood on the front porch and almost falls down. �Jesus! Is this blood?� Justin and Emmett try to emerge from the front door and once again Troy almost slips and falls down. �I�ve already radioed the Highway Patrol. Justin can fill you in on the details.� With a harsh tone, Ethan remarks, �I�m surprised your wife lets you send Vic out on patrol at nights.� Sheriff pulls out his revolver and checks it to see that it�s loaded. Troy helps Justin, who is limping, bring Emmett towards and into the Sheiff�s car. �Damn! Listen, we got us a real situation here, and I can�t be running off to look for my brother-in-law. I�ll see to it that these folks here get to the hospital safe,� Carl tells Ethan. �I�m not going to the hospital!� cries Justin. �Yes, you are,� Ethan retorts. �Ethan, I�m a feared something may have to Vic.� �I know. I�ll do what I can.� Brian opens the his car door so Carl can take Daphne. �Ethan, no! take me with you! You don�t know what your dealing with!� �Maybe not, but you�re not coming with me! Carl, keep an eye on him.� �You bet. Get in the car, Justin! We�ve got an APB out on that van, and we�ll need you to give us a detailed account. What the men looked, all that, well you know.� From inside the Sheirff�s car, Emmett yells, �Justin, please, get in the car.� Reluctantly, he gets in the patrol car. �You be careful, Ethan,� Carl says as crawls in behind the wheel of his patrol car. *** Brian�s helmet displays a full 360 degree panorama on small screens. On the small screens he can make out in the distance Jack�s semi-tractor trailer. He watches as the trailer takes off and he follows on his motorcycle. A small red light flashes to communicate that Brian should open a channel for a radio transmission. Brian suddenly jerks and wobbles about in his lane as Brian reacts to the news he has heard. Slowing down his motorcycle, he heads for the shoulder of the road. Then almost as suddenly, Brian elects to continue his pursuit on Jack�s truck. *** Ethan drives down the rock road and quickly comes across the red pickup truck in the ditch. Slowing down but not stopping, Ethan doesn�t see Vic�s body lying in the ditch, but he does notices the pickups flat tire and accelerates. Rocks are flying as Ethan swings his Trans Am back to the sit where he saw the disabled pickup truck. The Trans Am comes to a sliding halt beside the pickup. Ethan hurries out of his car and rushes over to the pickup truck. He sees that truck bed has blood on it. It is not until he comes around behind the pickup that he sees Vic's body. Ethan races over to Vic. "No, God, not again!" Ethan forces his trembling hands to check Vic's neck for a pulse. There is a pulse, and Ethan places his head upon Vic's chest Vic's heart is beating. Ethan raises his eyes towards heaven. "Thank you." *** Daphne, now dressed, is talking to a nurse while Emmett sits on a bench outside his father�s room with Justin next to him. Justin is holding an ice bag on his bad knee and weeping.�Shit, these men could have shot us all in our sleep! This whole mess is nightmare. Dad�s in a coma and may die. Not because of a car wreck but because some one beat. Someone drugged me and Daph, and I�m suppose to believe you don�t have any clue as to why!� Emmett yells at his brother. Justin says nothing. �You�d better start figuring out who your friends are, because my gut tells me you already know what the fuck is going on and that it is not over.� Emmett looks at Justin with disgust. � I�m going to go check on Dad.� Emmett gets up and enters Craig�s room. Justin quietly asks Daphne, �Do you know where I could put my hands on a computer with an internet connection?� The nurse answers, �Our admitting desk has one for records and insurance.� She shows Justin the computer and he thanks her as he sits down in front it. |