EPILOGUE 11:30 AM
Gerard,
standing beside his Ford Explorer is still hugging a tearful and relieved Alex.
Seeing the red finger marks on her face, he is very shaken. "Alex,
sweetie, are you sure you're all right?" he asks gently.
She
nods. "Just go after him, Daddy!"
"Did
Richard Kimble do this to you?" Gerard pursues.
Alex
shakes her head. "No, no--it was Charnquist. He
held me hostage!"
Students
from her class swarm around Alex in astonishment.
"What
are you saying? " Gerard demands, confused.
"Oh
God, Charnquist attacked Alex!" clamor some of
her classmates, horrified.
More
students converge on them. "We just saw him! Driving out of the parking
lot!"
Jude
races up, pointing to the rear parking lot. "Follow that white
Pontiac!!"
"Kimble?"
asks Gerard, ducking back into his car.
"NO!!
The One-Armed Man!" the students shout.
"Here's
his gun, sir," Jude says, lifting his T-shirt and pulling out the weapon.
He hands it to Gerard.
Seeing
it, Alex realizes, "He was planning to kill us!"
Gerard
takes the gun in amazement, Kari's voice behind him says, "That's standard
FBI issue." She is standing with Charnquist's accomplice in handcuffs and three other police
officers. The other officer's escort the
accomplice to a squad car. Kari takes
her gun out to compare it with Charnquist's gun and
it's the same gun.
Staring
up into their faces, the situation dimly begins to register. He speaks into his
cell phone. "We're following a white Pontiac. Got that? A white Pontiac.
It's just now turning onto Vanguard Street."
"Oh,
Jeez!" exclaims Zachary in dismay, following Gerard's gaze. "That's
my car!"
"Wait
here, honey," Gerard tells Alex. "The paramedics are on their
way."
Inside
the building, Eve motions Eddie to call off the search. "Who are we
following, Captain?" she asks into her cell phone as they run for the
entrance.
Barely
able to contain his fury, Gerard spits out, "Charnquist!"
"About
time," breathes Eve with satisfaction.
"He
took my daughter hostage!" Gerard continues, trying to back the Explorer
out through the crowd of students. "The two of them are in this
together... and by God, Eve, I'm going to personally throw the switch when they
both get the death penalty!" Kari
standing by his car, taking in what he just said, looks at Gerard like he's
crazy.
"No!
Daddy, you can't!!!" Alex protests, running after the Explorer and
grabbing the partially rolled- down window.
Gerard
curses and the car bucks to a stop.
"Alex!
Let go! I've got to apprehend the men who did this to you!"
"But,
it wasn't Dr. Kimble's fault--he tried to protect me!"
Gerard's
mouth sets in a tight line. "You don't know what you're saying, Alex.
Kimble's a criminal. This whole attempted abduction was a ploy--using you to
get to me."
"Oh,
why won't you listen!!" Alex pleads, her eyes swimming with new tears.
The
students pack themselves around the car. "It's true, Mr. Gerard, Dr.
Kimble was protecting us!"
Kari,
astonished by what she is hearing says, "Capt., maybe you should listen to
what these kids are saying."
Eve
and Eddie shoot past Gerard in their car, with startled expressions.
Gerard
ignores Kari's remark. His eyes narrow and his voice lowers authoritatively.
"This is police business. Stand away from the vehicle." The students and Kari move silently back.
Kari,
realizing that this is not the time to debate says, "What are your orders
Sir?"
Gerard
motions for the other officers to approach the vehicle. He leans out the window and says to the other
officers, "Kimble's got to be close by. Keep searching." He then looks at Kari and says, "Agent
Holmes, talk to the students. They saw everything."
Kari
says, "I intend to Capt. I'll start with your daughter."
Gerard
looks at Kari and nods in agreement. He
guns the Explorer in reverse. It spins around and tears out of the school on
the heels of the Task Force.
Several
teens put their arms sympathetically around Alex Gerard as the camera pulls up
and away.
Marjorie
Winston comes over to them. "What's this I hear about Mr. Sanford??"
The
students begin filing back into the building under the supervision of Principal
Owen.