ROCHESTER, NY - HIGH FALLS AREA - 45 MINUTES LATER

 

A helicopter swings over the High Falls area and lands in an open piazza. A policeman runs up to Gerard as he jumps off, followed by Kari. He shouts over the noise of the rotating blades, “Captain Gerard? We have confirmation Kimble is in this area. He was spotted by a restaurant owner here. He saw Kimble’s picture on the news and recognized him getting off a local bus. The guy says he has a photographic memory.”

 

Gerard runs across the pavement to escape the wind and noise of the helicopter, dismayed to see the large crowd of people up the street.

 

 

“What’s going on here?”

 

“It’s the yearly “International Sister Cities Festival”. It’s always held in the historic part of town.”

 

Gerard looks around and quickly reassesses the situation. “Have you sealed off this area?”

 

“Already done, sir!”

 

“Good work. Gather your men and let’s start the search!”

 

A FEW BLOCKS AWAY

 

Kimble is wandering slowly down the street, a hot dog in his hand, feeling some temporary security in the crowd. The sound of the approaching helicopter catches his attention and he stiffens as it drops for a landing two blocks away and he watches as a policeman approaches the helicopter and Gerard jumps off. Kimble whirls, moving in the opposite direction, only to stop short as he spots more policeman at the other end of the street. Desperately searching for hiding places, he moves behind a booth and slips underneath a loose canvas flap, as Gerard and Kari move in his direction.

 

“You search this side of the street, I’ll take the other.” Gerard directs, handing Kari a photo of Kimble.

 

Kari slowly approaches a man in the nearest booth, hastily flashing Kimble’s picture while searching for Kimble in the crowd. The man shakes his head negatively and she moves to the next booth, anxiously scanning the street for Kimble in the crowd. Inside the next booth, she gets the same response and is turning to leave when she halts abruptly, seeing the back of a familiar figure crouching in front of a stack of large framed pictures. As Kimble tilts the frame, there eyes meet in the reflection in the glass. Kimble stiffens, ready to bolt, but then hesitates at the look on her face, a look filled with compassion, as though she wants to talk to him but doesn’t dare.  Another memory explodes in his mind. “Don’t you trust me?!”  Kari asks him as police sirens are all around...”Yes I trust you.”  Kimble leans down and kisses her. As quickly as it appeared, the memory is gone. He starts to stand so he can approach her, but then he sees Gerard’s face appear over her shoulder. Kari quickly turns around to distract his attention.

 

“Any luck, Agent Holmes?”

 

“No, let's keep looking” she says, in mock disgust, pocketing the picture and heading outside with Gerard following.

 

Kimble remains frozen, both puzzled and relieved at his narrow escape. As the beating of his heart slows, a woman stands behind him and he rises slowly to get out of her way, looking cautiously over her shoulder.

 

“Hurry up, Sheila. We’re going to miss the tour of the old mill!” a man beside her complains.

 

“You go ahead without me,” his wife says, beginning to search through the stack of pictures. “I want to find a picture of the Falls.”

 

Her husband turns in disgust and Kimble follows him out of the store, spotting Gerard and Kari moving down the street. Trying to appear as though they are together, he joins a tour group entering a nearby building, and works his way to the center of the crowd as they move into the shadows.

 

15 MINUTES LATER

 

Kimble, still blending in with the tour group, approaches the tour bus. The woman who was looking at the pictures is trying to get on the bus, carrying a large unwieldy cardboard box. The bus driver, seeing her difficulty, stops her.

“Let me put that in the luggage compartment, ma’am. It’s no problem.”

 

She looks at him in relief and he climbs down to open the side compartment and slip in the picture. Kimble is about to board the bus when he sees the police roadblock up the street. Desperately, he looks around and notices the door on the luggage compartment is not completely closed. He waits for everyone to board the bus, leaning against the side, feeling the edge of the door. Looking around to see if anyone is watching, he swings the door open and tosses his duffel bag inside, then slips inside himself as the last passenger climbs on the bus. Crouching in the darkness as the bus begins to move, Kimble tenses as it stops again as he realizes they have stopped at the roadblock.

 

Behind the bus, Gerard is working their way back up the street, showing Kimble’s picture. A man he speaks to shakes his head, but the young boy beside him stares at the picture. “I saw him! He got on that bus!” he says, pointing down the street.

 

Gerard follows his gaze and runs toward the bus, shouting and waving his arms. He quickly climbs aboard and thoroughly searches each face, as the passengers give each other startled looks. His eyes widen as he sees a restroom at the back of the bus. He draws his gun and ignores the gasps of the passengers as he points it at the restroom door.

 

“Police! Come out with your hands up!”

 

He braces as the door slowly opens and the terrified face of a tiny grey-haired woman stares wide-eyed out the door, her hands raised in the air. Gerard lowers his gun and steps aside as she scuttles past, then peers inside the empty room. Disgusted, he turns and strides down the aisle and off the bus, waving the bus driver to move on.

 

As the driver pulls down the street, he reaches for his radio. “Dispatch? We’re leaving the High Falls area now. There’s been a delay here, we’re running late. We’ll be cutting across the river at the 26^th street bridge to make up for lost time.”

 

“Roger that!”

 

Settling the receiver back in its holder, the driver pulls the bus out into traffic.

 

Behind him Gerard is striding down the street when he feels a tug on his jacket!

 

“Mister! Mister! Wait!”

 

Gerard looks to see the boy who pointed at the bus. He starts to turn away in a gesture of dismissal when the boy says, “He didn’t go in the front door. He climbed in the little room on the side!”

 

Gerard’s eyes widen in comprehension and he turns to run furiously down the street, staring helplessly at the number on the bus before it disappears down the highway. He waves and shouts at the police at the blockade. “The bus! Kimble is on it!” As the police jump in their patrol cars, Gerard checks himself and runs the other direction, toward the helicopter. He reaches it at the same time as Kari.

 

“Kimble is on a tour bus!” he shouts. Turning to the helicopter pilot, he yells, “Take us up!” as he and Kari jump aboard.

 

Hanging out the side of the helicopter, he desperately searches the streets below. Disoriented, he reaches for the radio. “The number on the bus is 392. Find out where it’s going!”

 

Two minutes later, the radio crackles. “Captain Gerard. We have a fix on the bus. Dispatch says they’ll be heading across town over the 26th street bridge by the power dam.”

 

“Follow that bus, but do not try to stop it until it reaches the bridge. I want police cars to blockade both sides of the bridge!”

 

“Roger!” The radio goes silent.

 

Turning to the helicopter pilot, Gerard shouts, “Head for the 26^th street bridge.” The pilot nods in acknowledgment and begins to turn the helicopter.

 

“We have him trapped!” Gerard says, gloating, failing to notice Kari does not share his enthusiasm. She looks apprehensively out the side of the helicopter, turning her face away to hide her emotions.

 

The helicopter swings over the river below as the power plant comes into view ahead. Gerard stares with satisfaction at the bus stopped in traffic on the bridge, both ends blocked by police cars with flashing lights. “Land down there,” he yells at the pilot, pointing at an empty spot on the bridge. The helicopter swings down.

 

Inside the bus below, Kimble feels the bus slow to a stop and hears the sirens. Pushing open the door cautiously, he sees flashing lights in both directions and looks upward to see the helicopter swinging down from above. In desperation, he rolls out of the luggage compartment onto the bridge deck and quickly jumps to his feet as police with guns begin to surge onto the bridge from both directions. He runs over to the railing and climbs over the side, pulling his duffel bag free when it catches on the rail. As the nearest policeman braces to fire, he glances quickly up at the Gerard, leaning out the side of the helicopter. Behind him, Kari watches helplessly, looking like she is near tears, and whispers his name.

 

“Richard!”

 

A big spark of recognition shows in Kimble’s eyes as he looks at Kari just as he disappears over the side. Gerard stares at the empty railing in disbelief as his certain victory turns to ashes.

 

Before the helicopter can reach the ground, he leaps off and races to the side to stare at the river below as Kimble goes over the edge of the power plant dam and struggles to stay afloat in the swirling waters beyond. Suddenly, Gerard remembers another bridge and relives watching the car with his wife inside slide beyond his reach in the deep river. A shaken Kari comes to his side and together they watch as Kimble disappears below the foamy surface and does not reappear.

 

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