"Get the phone," Sam ordered Sarah. "Call Trent." Sarah found the phone and punched in the number. It was answered immediately.

"Hello?"

"Trent…they shot him….oh my God…." Sarah was almost incoherent. Sam took the phone.

"Trent, they shot Carlos. It was a Dallas PD officer."

"We know. We're at the driveway. How much did you see?"

"Everything. He was shooting at us."

"Are either of you hurt?" Trent's voice was sharp with concern.

Sam looked over at Sarah who was sobbing uncontrollably. "Not physically," she said.

"Okay. Go to that small diner on the highway and I'll send someone to get you. Be careful."

"Okay. You too." Sam hung up the phone, her heart racing. They must have just missed Trent and Walker at the driveway. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the diner.

"Sarah?" Sam looked at her sister. "Trent is with him now."

"They shot him, Sam. He was unarmed, his hands were in the air and they shot him." More sobbing. "It was the police, Sam!"

"I know, honey. That must have been why he couldn't turn himself in. Carlos must have known."

"What do we do, now?" Sarah asked. "We saw it all happen."

"I know. Trent told us to go to that diner and wait."

"Oh, Carlos," Sarah sobbed. The two drove on in silence, each trying to comprehend what had just happened and the danger they were in.

*****

"Freeze!"

"I am a police officer! There are fugitives trying to escape! I've got pursue them."

"No, you don't." Walker held his gun steady on Russell. "Texas Ranger. Drop the gun! Now turn around with your hands against the car." Walker walked over to Russell and kicked the gun away. "Trent," he yelled. "Check on Carlos." Trent ran over and knelt beside Carlos.

"You're making a big mistake, " Russell said as he placed his hands on the hood of the car. "His two accomplices just left. They are getting away."

"Don't worry about them. We'll get them." As he handcuffed Russell he turned to Trent. "Well?"

Trent just shook his head as he stood up. Slowly he turned and looked at Russell, hatred burning in his eye. "You son of a bitch. I ought to kill you where you stand." Trent came at the officer but was stopped by Walker.

"Easy, Trent. He'll get his." Walker pushed the officer towards his truck and tied him in the back. "I'll take him in."

"Fine. I won't tell anyone if he doesn't make it to the station alive," Trent said, still staring at the officer, his words dripping with malice. "Send Ryan to get the girls and I'll stay here with Carlos until the others arrive."

*****

"Do you think he's…." Sarah's voice trailed off

"I don't know, Sarah." They had pulled into the parking lot of the diner and Sam turned and spoke to her sister soothingly. "Do you think you can pull yourself together, Sarah? We've got to go in there and act relatively normal. Can you do that?" Sarah just looked at Sam. "We are a lot safer in there with all those people than we are out here, okay?"

"I'll try," Sarah said, wiping her tears.

"Okay, hon. Let's go." They got out of the car and headed into the diner, Sarah leaning on her sister. They took a booth near the back. Sarah cried quietly as Sam sat beside her.

"Hi. Can I get y'all something?" the waitress asked, looking sadly at Sarah.

"Just tea, please," Sam said, trying to smile. The waitress nodded and left. Sam put her arm around Sarah and put Sarah's head on her shoulder. "Shhh, hon. It's going to be okay." When the waitress returned with the tea several minutes later, she just nodded as she put it on the table.

"When's the next plane to Canada?" Sarah said finally, sniffling. Sam just smiled. She glanced out the window to see a Dallas PD car pull into the parking lot. She tensed immediately. Sarah turned and looked and let out a gasp. Detective Ryan was on his way into the diner.

"You stay here, Sarah. I'll go talk to him." Sam got up and met Ryan just inside the front door where they took a booth.

"C'mon. I'm taking you two down to the station."

"We're not going anywhere with you. How do we know we can trust you?"

"Don't give me that. C'mon," Ryan said, impatiently.

"Ryan, we just saw a Dallas police officer shoot Carlos three times in the chest. Somehow, I don't think the station is the safest place right now." Sam's voice was rising.

"Okay, okay. How much did you see?" he asked.

"Sarah saw everything including the guy pulling the trigger. I got there to see Carlos hitting the ground." Sam's voice was starting to break. "Where's Trent?"

"He's still at the farmhouse. Walker called me to come and get you two. Tell me what happened."

Sam related the story from the time they left the apartment to when they left the farmhouse. Ryan listened intently.

"Okay, you two have to come with me."

Sam tensed again. "Why?"

"Because I have to get you someplace safe so someone doesn't try to finish the job Russell started. Get your sister and let's go."

Sam went back to the table. "Sarah, we have to go with Ryan."

"Can we trust him?" she asked, looking up at Sam.

"We have to, kiddo. Right now, we have no choice," Sam told her.

*****

"Okay, Russell, who put you up to it?" Walker stood in front of Russell as he sat at a table in the interrogation room. There was a sharp knock and Trent entered. He took a spot against the side wall.

"No one. I told you, I thought he was armed."

"The only gun we found was on the table in the farmhouse and witnesses said his arms were in the air."

Russell laughed. "That witness was his girlfriend who was aiding and abetting him."

"That's why you started shooting at them?" Trent asked.

"I told them to freeze. They didn't. I was just trying to stop them."

"Stop them from telling anyone that you shot an unarmed man," Trent said, approaching the table. Walker stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"That's enough, Trent." He turned to Russell and said evenly, "Murphy is going to let you take the fall for this, isn't he? How long do you think you'll last in prison? Cooperate and you'll be helping yourself."

"I'm telling you I thought he was armed. That's all I'm saying." Russell sat back and crossed his arms. Walker started for the door and motioned for Trent to follow him. Trivette was waiting in the hall.

"It doesn't look promising. If he sticks to his story, it will be his word against Sam and Sarah. He is a respected officer and they were helping a fugitive," Trivette told them.

"How did they find Carlos?" Trent asked.

"We're not sure but they thought the locator in his car was activated. Maybe they planted something in Sarah's car," Trivette suggested.

"But they had her neighbour's car." Suddenly, the realization came to Trent. "They planted something on Sarah when she was at Dallas PD! If they followed her to Carlos, they probably tracked them to the safe house."

"Let's go, Trent. Trivette, call Ryan and warn him," Walker yelled over his shoulder.

*****

"From this point on you two are incommunicado, understand?" Ryan told them. He put the keys on the table. "There is food in the fridge and a change of clothes in the closets. I don't want you calling anyone. They can track the signals from cell phones. Give me yours."

As she handed over her phone, Sam asked, "What if anything happens?"

"Use the phone here in the house to call me or Walker. Don't call Malloy because they'll be watching him." Ryan walked to the door. "Don't open this door for anyone you don't know. Trivette is on his way over and he can fill you in on any details. Lock the door behind me." With that, Ryan was gone. Sam locked the door and watched the police car pull away. She went and sat next to her sister on the couch.

"I want to ask you if you're okay but I know how ludicrous a question that is right now," she said, taking her sister's hand.

"Yes, it is," Sarah said with a slight smile. "What about you?"

"All I want to do is talk to Trent. What he must be going through…." Sam sighed. The two sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

The knock at the door startled them. Sam quickly motioned for Sarah to be quiet. She crept to the front window and peeked through the blinds. A Dallas PD cruiser sat in the driveway, but it wasn't Trivette at the front door. Sam motioned for Sarah to follow her into the bedroom.

*****

Dennis Murphy knew they were in the house. "Hello? Ranger Walker sent me to check up on you two. Are you all right in there?" With no answer, Murphy tried the door and found it locked. He went around to the back door and found that it, too, was locked. He pulled out his pistol, looked around to see if anyone was watching and broke the glass in the door. He reached in, undid the lock and entered the house.

Slowly, he made his way into the living room, his pistol drawn. "Hello?" he called. "I know y'all are in here." He listened for sounds but heard none. He proceeded down the hall, looking into the bathroom and finally the bedroom. They have to be here, he thought. Then he saw it. The door to the bedroom closet was slightly open. He smiled to himself and slowly approached the door. As he yanked it open, Sarah screamed. From behind the door, Sam flew at Murphy, kicking the gun from his hand. A spin kick knocked him down.

"Run, Sarah!" Sam yelled. But as Sarah started to run past Murphy he grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. Sam reacted with a kick to his jaw. "GO Sarah!" she yelled again.

Sarah got up and ran full tilt out of the room and into the living room. There she ran square into Trent.

"Sam…fighting…bedroom," she managed to get out.

Murphy had gotten up and run at Sam, knocking her down. Sam managed to get her legs up and kick Murphy off. She quickly got up and landed another kick to his midsection. A punch to the back and a knee to the chest finished him off just as Trent came into the room. Breathless, Sam sank to the floor.

"Oh Trent, I am so glad to see you!" she said, exhausted. Trent went to her, helped her up and hugged her tightly.

"Easy, Sam. You seem to be doing just fine without me," he said, stroking her hair.

"I was worried about you," she told him, holding him tightly.

"You were worried about me? Why?" Trent was amazed that after being through so much, Sam was worrying about him.

"Just thinking of you…. finding Carlos…I just wished I were there for you. He was your best friend." The tears Sam fought so hard to keep in check finally broke free and rolled down her cheeks.

"You worry too much," Trent told her, wiping away her tears. "Besides, he still is my best friend."

"What?" Sam asked, puzzled.

"Carlos is just fine."

"But how? We saw him take three bullets to the chest." Sam was struggling to understand.

"He had a bullet-proof vest on. It was Walker's idea. Carlos is a little bruised but otherwise fine. He was more worried about you two being there."

"Oh, thank God he's okay. We better go tell Sarah!" Sam finally let go of Trent and started out of the room and down the hall.

"I'm pretty sure she knows by now," Trent told her as he followed her into the living room. There, Carlos had Sarah wrapped in his arms, holding and comforting her as she cried.

"I'm okay, really." He turned and looked at Sam. "Hi Sam," he said with a smile.

"Good to see you, Carlos," Sam told him.

"Yeah, good to see you too, Sam."

Trivette came down the hall, dragging Murphy. When he saw Carlos, Murphy reacted. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Really?" Carlos said, "No one told me that." Trivette pushed Murphy out the door.

*****

"So they said all charges related to leaving the scene of a crime and escaping custody would be dropped if I agreed to go along with the story that I was helping the department in an undercover capacity." Carlos was sitting in Uppercuts, updating Trent and Sam on the status of his case. "That way, I don't look like a criminal and the department gets to save a little face."

"Is that okay with you, Carlos?" Sam asked.

"I guess it will have to be. I don't think it would help Thunder Investigations if my name was forever linked to a murder."

"That is probably very true, buddy," Trent said. "Is Murphy being charged with the murder?"

"Yes. The murder of Denise and attempted murder of Sam and Sarah plus all the corruption charges. Tom is charged with attempted murder of me, attempted murder of Sam and Sarah and corruption charges. The worst part is there are probably others involved that won't get caught."

"Yeah, but the strangest part is that if Murphy never came after Sarah and I there was probably no way they could have tied him to Tom Russell."

"He was afraid if you were there to testify, Tom would crack under pressure. That's why he felt he had to get you two. Plus, he didn't know if you heard Tom say anything to me that would implicate him."

"I am just glad it's over Carlos," Sam told him, hugging him. Just then, Sarah came into the bar and headed over to the table.

"Hi everyone."

"Hi Sarah," they said in unison.

"Carlos, can I talk to you?" Sarah asked.

"Sure," he said, his mind already on alert. The two moved to another table, leaving Sam and Trent alone.

"How is she doing?" Butch asked as he came over to Sam.

"Better, but I don't think this is good," Sam said, worriedly.

*****

"Carlos, we have to talk," Sarah said, playing with some mysterious spot on the table.

"I know. You've been avoiding me since this whole thing ended."

"I'm sorry but this has been very hard for me."

"Well, it wasn't exactly a picnic for me either. But we can help each other, Sarah."

"No, we can't Carlos. That's the problem. I can't deal with life being like this all the time."

"It's not like this all the time, Sarah. This whole thing was a fluke."

"Like you picking up that woman in this bar?" Suddenly, Carlos understood.

"It's not the danger, it's the fact that I had a drink with that woman, isn't it?" Carlos looked at her. "I can't believe this. You're not going to forgive me for that, are you? You still think I did it on purpose." Sarah couldn't look at him. "Well, Sarah, you are going to believe what you want to whether or not it's the truth. I've never lied to you before and I haven't now."

"I'm sorry, Carlos. I don't think we should see each other any more." Sarah got up and put her hand on Carlos' shoulder without really looking at him. "I hope we can at least be friends for Sam and Trent's sake. Good-bye." Sarah slowly walked out of the bar, leaving Carlos sitting alone at the table.

Home