Big Yellow Taxi series Part 2 

Title: You Don't Know What You've Got
Author: MagsRose
Email: magsrose@comcast.net 
Category: Gen
Rating: FRT - 13 for occasional strong language
Summary: Not wanting to take the chance of losing his daughter in a custody battle, Frohike has run off taking Emma with him. 
Disclaimers: No infringement is intended. None should be implied. No money is being made and nothing but time has been spent. This is simply a major case of 'what if'.
More Disclaimers: Emma is mine. My assorted friends and relations belong to themselves and have derived nothing but entertainment from being fictionalized. 
Even More Disclaimers: I'm playing pretty fast and loose with some technologies with which I am not completely familiar. But for the sake of the storyline, I am asking your indulgence.
Acknowledgements: Thank you, thank you, thank you to Amy Jonas who points out the holes before I fall into them.
Background: In May of 2001, Frohike discovered that he had an eleven-year-old daughter and that her mother was dying. After some initial hesitation, he brought the girl, Emma, home. In July, Langly discovered that Morris Fletcher was stalking Emma. She left the country with Yves while the Gunmen attempted to discover why the former MIB had an interest in the child. 
They found out that a man named William Bayne had paid Morris Fletcher for information about Emma and her mother. Upon further investigation, the Gunmen learned that Bayne was a good friend of Emma's mother and had been present at the girl's birth. 
After Christmas, Frohike received a summons ordering him to bring Emma to court for a DNA test to prove his paternity. Knowing that Fletcher was involved and that his chances of a fair test were nearly nonexistent, Frohike took Emma and ran off telling no one where he was going. 



Chapter 1

Byers was having a good time in Vancouver. Travel was usually for business. But this trip was for pleasure, something he had not allowed himself to do for a long time. 

Every year, in the two weeks around the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Gunmen took time off from publishing the paper to enjoy the holidays. This year they had scattered across the country. The day after Christmas, Jimmy left for New York to visit his family. Langly stayed in DC to host a big, three day D and D bash. Frohike and his 12-year-old daughter, Emma, flew to the Pacific Northwest with Byers to visit friends in the Seattle area. From there, Byers had traveled into Canada. These three planned to meet up again to fly back to DC a couple of days into the New Year. 

Byers found that crossing the border was a little more involved than it had been in the past. When Jimmy had been in the hospital in Bellingham, Washington and the other three Gunmen had gone into Canada to stop a poacher from selling grizzly bear parts, all they had needed were their driver's licenses. Of course, they did not even attempt to take the van across the border. Getting a rental car was not all that expensive and saved them the time it would have taken to answer all the questions about the equipment. Since 9/11, security at the border was a lot tighter. A passport to cross into Canada was now requested. Byers had suspected that it might be a good idea to bring his along. 

Byers's friend, Erynn Sullivan with whom he was staying, had a small but comfortable apartment in Vancouver, not all that far from downtown. On Byers's first evening there she made him dinner and they spent that time getting reacquainted. 

He was surprised where Erynn wanted to take him his first full day in Vancouver. "The library?"

"Yes, you'll love it and it will be closed on Sunday," Erynn explained. "I'd really like you to see the inside as well as the outside." 

"What's so special about it?"

Erynn smiled mysteriously. "You'll see."


The next morning they stood in the late December air, bundled up against the cold southerly wind. Byers pulled his trench coat tighter around himself and looked up at the downtown Vancouver public library. It was an impressive building. "It's the Roman Coliseum," Byers observed.

Erynn laughed. "Well, that's the look they were going for anyway." They walked toward the main entrance but Erynn took Byers arm and guided him toward a fence that encircled a deep window well that let the daylight into one of the lower levels of the building. As they got closer, Byers could see that behind the windows was the Children's section of the library. 

"Look," Erynn said pointing into the well. At the bottom there were several large pieces of what looked like an enormous broken ceramic clock decorated with Roman numerals. These were scattered in a circular arrangement with river rocks between them. The sides of the well were lined with small cement pipe segments that were cut in half.

"It's a fountain," Byers noted even though the water had been turned off for the winter. 

"Yes," Erynn confirmed his summation, "the water pores over the cut ends of the pipes and covers the bottom. I wish it was running. It makes a wonderful sound."

Byers considered the façade of the building as they headed once again for the front door. He noticed that an outer section of the library separated from the main building like an arm curling protectively around a body. The space between this arm and the larger section had been glassed in to create a promenade. 

Inside, out of the weather, Byers looked around at the small businesses and found a coffee shop. "Do you want a mocha or a latte or something?" he asked Erynn.

"That would be nice," Erynn said. Even though they had come inside, she knew it would take a while to shake off the effects of the cold weather. 

Hot caffeine drinks in hand, they found a table in the mall area and sat down. The main body of the library towered several floors above their heads. Large glass windows stood in place of walls in this protected area. Bookshelves and tables and library patrons were plainly visible to the shoppers below. 

After checking out the library itself, they walked towards the main part of downtown and visited several of the shops in that area. At first, Byers resisted the temptation to buy souvenirs for everyone but then he found a teddy bear dressed as a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman and knew that Jimmy would love it. His first thought had been to buy it for Emma but then he decided that she would get a bigger kick out of the 'loonies' and 'twonies', the Canadian one and two dollar coins. She had brought back samples of all the coins from the UK. These would be a nice addition to her collection. He put a couple of each in a pocket of his coat to save for her. Now he just needed something for Langly and Frohike.

"Erynn, I need a t-shirt from a local punk band," Byers said. "Any ideas where I can find one?"



That evening, they went out for a fancy dinner at the Five Sails Restaurant. Byers thought he was going to have to arm wrestle Erynn for the check. She'd paid for nearly everything they'd done so far saying he was her guest but the meal at the 5 star restaurant was his idea. She graciously allowed him to treat her. The West Coast cuisine was delicious, the atmosphere was elegant and the company was delightful. He enjoyed their conversations on art and literature. These were interests that no one at home shared. It was a definite change of pace to spend some time in the presence of an adult woman instead of the wide assortment of kids, big and small, he dealt with on a daily basis. 



In the next few days, Erynn showed Byers even more of the sights around Vancouver. They visited the public market and artist shops on Granville Island. Stanley Park in January was not at its peak but the conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park more than made up for it. 


For New Year's Eve, Erynn had been invited to a party at a friend's house. Byers had readily agreed to come along as her date. They spent most of that day relaxing, discussing the friends Byers would meet at the party and how Erynn knew them.

In the mid-afternoon, Byers cell phone rang. It hadn't rung the whole time he'd been in Canada. Figuring it was one of his cohorts calling to give him holiday wishes, he answered with a cheery, "Hello! Happy New Year!"

"Byers." In that one word he recognized Frohike's voice and the fact that there was something wrong.

"Frohike, what is it?" 

"Langly called me," Frohike said. "He got a hit on the computer monitoring the DC court systems. William Bayne got them to issue a summons for me to bring Emma in on February 18 for a DNA test." Bayne was an old friend of Emma's mother, Michelle. During the summer he had hired someone to find Emma and investigate the Gunmen. 

"Tell Langly to take care of it," Byers said. This type of hack should be easy for him.

"He can't," Frohike said. "They have someone assigned to keep hard copies of everything and make sure that there is no tampering with the summons and the court dates."

"Fletcher!" Byers said in disgust. "He must still be involved in this."

"Exactly," Frohike said, "which leaves me no choice."

"What are you talking about?" Byers asked knowing that Morris Fletcher's working for Bayne had added to Frohike's uneasiness over the whole situation. The Gunmen's dealings with Fletcher in the past had been nearly disastrous. 

"Bayne can't have her. She's my daughter and I'm not taking any chances on losing her."

"Frohike, please don't do anything rash!" Byers had a sick feeling that he already knew what his friend meant to do.

"We're going away. Don't try to find us," Frohike warned. "I'll contact you when I think it's safe."

"NO! Frohike, you can't do this!" Byers knew this would be a huge mistake. "You can't uproot Emma like this. She's barely gotten over her mother's death. You can't take her away from everything she knows!"

"So, I should just sit back and let Bayne and Fletcher do it instead? No! I won't allow it! At least this way, she'll be with me." Byers could hear the anger in Frohike's voice.

"You have to reconsider. I'm telling you this is not the right way to handle this. Don't be an idiot, Frohike. This isn't the answer."

"Byers, I'm not asking for your permission or even your advice," Frohike said obviously trying to sound calm. "I just wanted you to hear it from me and not from Blondie."

He desperately wanted to do something to stop Frohike, but all Byers could think of was making sure that Frohike had thought it through. "What about money?" Byers asked. "What are you going to do about money?" 

"I got Langly to wire me nearly $10,000," Frohike explained. "It's the last thing I did under my own name."

Byers hung his head. Langly was a fool to help, almost as big a fool as Frohike. "What name will you be using after this?" 

"You know I can't tell you that, Byers. I don't want to be found."

Trying another track, Byers asked, "But what about Emma's school? You can't just yank her out of school like this."

"That's one favor I wanted to ask. Will you call the school and say that we've enrolled her in a public school?"

"Frohike, they're going to want to know which one so they can send transcripts."

"Just tell them that the new junior high will send a request for the records. It'll buy us time to get well and truly lost."

"Frohike, please reconsider," Byers begged. "We can fight this."

"I'm sorry, buddy, but I'm taking no chances. Morris Fletcher nearly ruined our lives before. I'm not going to give him another opportunity."

"But don't you see," Byers fought to keep his emotions under control, "by doing this, he will win. He will have destroyed our lives."

"I gotta go, Byers. Our ride is here to take us to the train. Take care of yourself and the other guys. I'll try to get in touch with you when I think it's safe."

"Frohike, wait!" Byers yelled into the phone. "At least tell me you're keeping this phone so I can contact you in an emergency."

"I'm throwing it out as soon as I hang up. I gotta go. Goodbye." The line went dead. 

"Frohike!" Suspecting it was useless, Byers quickly dialed Fro's cell phone. When it went immediately to the voice mail message, Byers flipped his cell phone closed in disgust. He set it on the table and sat with his head in his hands. 

Erynn had listened to the whole conversation. It had not been her intention to eavesdrop but it was impossible not to overhear him within the confines of her apartment. She came over and sat at the table with him, waiting for him to speak. Byers finally acknowledged her presence by saying, "I don't know what Frohike thinks this will accomplish." 

"I take it that this has something to do with his daughter?" Erynn asked.

Byers gave her a short history of all that had gone on that fall adding the new developments of which he had just learned.

Erynn listened, letting him talk the whole thing out. When he was done she asked, "What do you want to do now?"

"I need to go home," Byers said with regret. "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything from here. At home with the right equipment, I might be able to track him down and knock some sense into him." 

"What can I do to help?" 

"Can I use your computer?" Byers responded. "I need internet access to see if I can change my airline reservations."

Byers worked at the computer for quite a while. Finally, he decided he was going to have to call the airline to make the arrangements. He couldn't get a direct flight. He would have to change planes at least once. 

After he had everything settled, all he could do was wait. The earliest flight he could get out was the next morning. "I'm sorry, Erynn, I'm afraid I can't go to your party tonight."

"I already called them and told them we would not be coming," Erynn said. 

"Oh, no! Go be with your friends for New Years Eve," Byers insisted. "I'll be fine here by myself."

"I won't leave you here alone," Erynn said. "I know you'll just sit here and worry."

"I'm going to worry no matter what. I'm afraid I won't be very good company."

"I'll take what I can get," Erynn said sitting down on the couch and patting the seat beside her. "Come on. We'll watch the New Year roll across Canada together." Byers came and sat beside her. Erynn took his hand. 

Although he wouldn't admit it, he was glad she decided to stay. The distraction would help. His last conversation with Frohike kept running through his mind. Had Frohike said anything that might give away what he was planning on doing? Byers didn't even know where Frohike was when he made the call. For all Byers knew, they were already half way across the country. If only he had been with them he could have stopped this insanity. He could have talked some sense into Frohike. Why, when this was still hanging over their heads, had he decided to take a vacation? 

Byers tried to turn off the thoughts that ran unbidden through his head. He concentrated on what was on the TV. That helped for a while. The Canadian New Year's Eve celebrations were a nice change from Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve. Langly always wanted to watch that. 

As it got closer to midnight, Erynn got out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "I'm sorry it's not champagne," she said.

"This is fine," Byers said as he popped the cork. "A nice bottle of Chardonnay will make a lovely toast." He poured them both a glass as the final seconds ticked away. They counted down the last few seconds together, hugged and kissed then drank a toast to the New Year. 



Very early the next morning, Erynn drove Byers to the airport. "You didn't get any sleep last night, did you?" she asked him as she unlocked and opened the trunk of her car.

"I slept a little," he lied. He hadn't slept at all. He reached into the trunk to get his bags. Setting them on the ground, he closed the trunk. "We should probably say goodbye here."

They kissed again, holding it for much longer than the previous evening. Reluctantly, Byers let Erynn go. He held her hand for a few seconds longer suspecting that it would be a very long time before he saw her again. "Good bye. Take care of yourself," he told her. 

"Good luck with your search. Let me know how it turns out," Erynn said. 

"I will."


* * * * * * * *



Frohike watched Emma listening to her portable CD player. She had her eyes closed and was leaning into the back corner of the booth. She might have fallen asleep. He couldn't tell and he wasn't going to disturb her to find out. He looked at his watch. They still had two hours until they could go meet Amy. He glanced at the only other customer in the diner. The place wasn't much more than a greasy spoon but the taxi driver had said they could get a decent breakfast there for just a few bucks. The other customer sat alone at the counter nursing a cup of coffee. Frohike tipped his own cup forward to see how much was left. Not much and the waitress was more interested in the newspaper she was reading than in offering a refill. 

He looked back at Emma. He hated her haircut and so did she. Frohike had told her they could get it fixed when they were settled in. It was bad enough that Emma was not used to having bangs but the stylist had purposefully left them too long. She'd said that it would make her harder to recognize. Frohike had to agree, he barely recognized Emma. The rest of her hair was also quite short and had been styled to hide as much of her face as possible. She had quickly developed a habit of flipping her head to one side to get the hair out of her eyes. 

Clenching and unclenching his fingers, Frohike realized it was going to take a long time to get used to not wearing his signature fingerless gloves. He usually only took them off to cook, shower or sleep. The leather coat and vest were too warm for where they were now so they wouldn't be missed as much. They had left most of their clothes and luggage at Margaret's house taking only Emma's backpack and another for himself. The two of them would need new clothes anyway. They had gone from seriously cold DC to not quite as cold Washington State so had packed only winter clothes. Their bare essentials fit into the two backpacks that could be carried on the plane. 

Emma had nearly thrown a temper tantrum over how little she would be allowed to take with her. Frohike had been firm and insisted that everything they left behind would be safe. "But what about all my stuff at home?" Emma had asked.

"We'll make a decision about that later." How much later, he couldn't say. He didn't really want to think about that. 

Getting up out of the booth, Frohike walked behind the counter and grabbed the coffee pot. The waitress glanced up from her paper long enough to make sure he wasn't messing with the cash register then turned back to the 'help wanted' section. Frohike refilled the cup of the man at the counter. "Thanks," the man grunted. After filling his own, Frohike returned the pot to it's cradle and came back to sit down. 

Once he had settled back into the booth, Emma sat up and faced him. She took off her headphones, clasped her hands in front of her and stared at the table. Taking a deep breath she asked, "What's going to happen to us?" Only then did she look at her father. 

Frohike stirred his coffee thoughtfully. "I'm not going to lie to you, Emma," he said. "I really don't know." 

"I'm scared," Emma admitted with a slight catch in her voice. 

"I know you are, baby, so am I." He held his hand out to her. "Come here." Emma got up out of her side of the booth and came around to sit with Frohike. He put his arm around her pulling her close. 


* * * * * * * *


Langly wandered through the maze of baggage carousels at Dulles looking for the one used by American Airlines. Finding it, he picked a place on the wall and leaned against it to wait for Byers. Langly knew Byers was going to be in a mood. The nark had changed his ticket so that he could fly directly out of Vancouver to DC. Langly had been surprised how much money Byers had been willing to spend to get home a couple of days sooner. 

A few new people joined those waiting by the baggage claim. A much larger group followed these. Byers was among them. He saw Langly, walked over and passed off his carry-on. "Hold my computer for me," Byers commanded.

No 'Hello, how are you? How was your week off?' or even 'Happy New Year!' Yup, Byers was pissed. Langly slung the strap of the laptop bag over his shoulder and watched as Byers jockeyed for position at the moving belt. Once he grabbed his suitcase, he walked off with barely a backwards glance at Langly. 

"Byers, man, wait up!" Langly called trotting after him. "You don't know where the van is." Byers stopped and turned to wait for Langly. They walked in silence. Then they drove in silence. Langly didn't really want to get into it until they got home and Byers was more than willing to wait. The drive home gave him time to collect his thoughts. Not that the eight plus hour trip home didn't give him ample opportunity to try to figure out what the hell he could do about this mess. 



* * * * * * * *


Chapter 2


The crowd in the mall was not much of a crowd. It was New Year's Day and still rather early for late night revelers to be up and about and ready to spend money. Emma sat with their meager luggage eating an ice cream cone and reading a pamphlet she'd found. Standing a little distance off, Frohike scanned the crowd. They had agreed to meet just outside JC Penneys. Frohike looked again at the picture of Amy that Margaret had given him. The woman seemed to be in her late twenties. She had very curly, shoulder length hair and wore glasses.

Frohike came over to where Emma was sitting. "You want a lick?" she held the melting ice cream out to him. 

Looking at the pink bubble gum flavored ice cream, Frohike cringed. "No, thank you, honey. It's all yours."

He glanced at the pamphlet in her other hand. "What are you reading?"

She flipped the folded piece of paper so the front was visible. "Bailey's Bartender School" it said.

"Where did you get that?"

"On a rack inside the diner. I thought you might want it," Emma said as Frohike took it out of her hand. "Did you know," Emma asked standing up to throw out the rest of the ice cream cone, "that a martini made with an onion and not an olive is called a Gibson?" 

Frohike smiled. "Yes, I did," he said as she sat back down. Frohike glanced at the advertisement. "So, are you considering this as a new profession?"

"Yeah, sure," Emma said grinning. "Do you think they'll believe I'm old enough?"

Frohike was pleased to see that Emma had relaxed enough to joke around a little. "I don't know. With that haircut, you just might be able to pull it off." Emma put her hand over her eyebrows and pushed the hair in her eyes up over the top of her head. 

Holding them there, she said, "I really hate these bangs." 

Frohike took her hand away from her face and smoothed down the despised haircut. "It's not for much longer. Be patient." 

"Hello," said a new voice. "Your names wouldn't happen to be Tom and Anne, would they?"

Frohike and Emma looked at each other. It was the first time anyone had called them by their new names. Frohike put a hand on Emma's arm to keep her from saying anything. She got the message and waited for him to speak. "Are you Sarah?" he asked.

The woman frowned. "No, my name is Amy. I'm sorry. You must not be who I'm looking for." She turned and started to walk away.

Frohike called after her. "Amy, wait." She paused, turning in confusion. "I'm sorry. I just needed to be sure." He held out his hand. "I am…Tom," he stumbled over the name, "and this is my daughter Anne." Amy took Frohike's offered hand and shook it. She looked around him at Emma.

"Hi, Anne," Amy said. 

Suddenly shy, Emma got up and stood beside her father. "Hi, but that's not really my name," she said whispering the last part. 

Frohike put his hands on Emma's shoulders and turned her to face him. "Your name is Anne," he said with an edge in his voice. "You can't forget that." He saw a touch of fear in her eyes again but Emma nodded. 

"Okay, Dad. I won't." Taking a deep breath, Emma squared her shoulders, turned back to Amy and holding out her hand said, "Hi, my name is Anne Braidwood."

Amy shook hands with the girl wondering, not for the first time, what she had gotten herself into.


* * * * * * * *



It didn't take Byers 15 seconds to start in on Langly once they got back to the warehouse. "How the hell could you help him do something so incredibly stupid?"

"Back off, Byers. I didn't have any choice." Langly had known all along that Frohike's plan would have this effect on Byers. That's why they had decided not to tell him until it was too late for him to do anything about it. 

"That's not true," Byers insisted. "You could have tried to talk him out of it!"

"And how do you know I didn't?" Langly asked. 

"I know you, Langly. You're as impulsive as he is. If either of you had thought it through you would have seen that taking off with Emma was the worst thing he could do." Langly headed towards his workstation. Byers followed him still pressing his point. He grabbed Langly's arm to stop him and force him to turn and talk. "Don't you realize how bad it looks? By running like this, the court will believe that Frohike knows he has no right to keep Emma."

Langly jerked his arm out of Byers's grip and stood facing the irate man. "Look, you're the one who's always saying that Emma is Frohike's daughter and that the final decision is his. Taking off like this is what he decided to do. It was his call, not mine!"

"But you didn't have to be so damn helpful," Byers shot back. "Sending him the money will just make it that much easier for him to carry out his insane plan. You do realize that he could end up in jail."

"Of course, I do," Langly shouted. "I read him the summons…every word of it."

"If he had stayed and fought it," Byers continued, "he would've at least had a chance. But now, if he doesn't get her there on the required day, he can kiss it all good-bye. They'll never let him have her. He might as well hand her over to Bayne."

Langly's patience, limited at best, was gone. "Byers, you weren't here. I did the best I could and I'm not going to stand around to be your whipping boy." He picked up his coat from where it had landed on the floor when he came in. "You want to yell at someone, find Frohike. I'm out of here." Langly stalked off, letting the door slam behind him. 

Byers sighed. He shouldn't have let his emotions get out of control like that. Langly was right. Byers hadn't been around and everything had happened so quickly. He thought about going after Langly but with further consideration he decided it would be best to let him cool down a bit first. He'd be back soon enough. 

Turning to pick up his suitcase, Byers headed for the stairs to go put away his clothes. He heard a key in one of the locks. "Wow, that was quick," he told himself. "Too quick," he realized. He set his bag down and went to look at the monitor. It was Jimmy. 

"Byers!" the younger man yelled once he got the door open. "Happy New Year!" Jimmy wrapped his arms around his startled friend, giving him a big hug. 

"Thank you, Jimmy," Byers croaked before he was released. "Happy New Year."

Jimmy paused for a moment recalling everyone's schedule for the holidays. "Hey, I thought you weren't coming home until the weekend?"

Byers realized Jimmy had no idea what had transpired since he'd gone to visit relatives. Deciding he should ease into it, Byers said only, "Something came up." 

"Oh, yeah, what? And where was Langly going in such a hurry?" Jimmy asked. "I had to swerve to keep from being run over on my way into the alley. You know the new van is huge, especially when you see it coming straight at you like that."

"He had somewhere he needed to go." 

"Hey, if you're back, Fro and Emma are back, too" Jimmy didn't wait for confirmation but started shouting, "Frohike? Emma? Where are you guys hiding?" He headed off to look for them, figuring they were upstairs. 

Byers stood with a hand over his eyes. He was developing a supremely nasty headache. They hadn't told Jimmy. Damn them! And now the job had landed squarely on his shoulders to fill the poor guy in on the details. 

Having no luck, Jimmy came back downstairs. "They're not here. Did they go back to the house?" he asked Byers. 

"No, they're not there either, Jimmy."

Jimmy nodded. "They're still in Seattle."

"I don't know. I don't think so." Byers said. "Jimmy, Frohike found out that Bayne has asked for a DNA test to prove that he is Emma's father and not Frohike." 

"So? Frohike knows he's Emma's dad."

"Yes, he does," Byers said, "but he also knows that Morris Fletcher is mixed up in this so he felt it would be better if he went into hiding and took Emma with him."

"That's no good. We have to talk him out of it. I'll call him on his cell phone." Jimmy picked up the receiver and started dialing.

Byers put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "Jimmy, he doesn't have that phone anymore. They're gone."

"They're gone?" Jimmy was incredulous. "What do you mean they're gone?" 

"Frohike got a new identity for himself and one for Emma. The last I heard they were heading for the train station."

"Where were they going?"

"He refused to tell me."

"No!" Jimmy brushed past Byers. He moved a few steps away and turned back to face the other man. "No, it's not possible. He wouldn't just give up like that. He's always telling me we have to fight for what we know is right! He wouldn't leave without fighting!"

"Frohike wasn't willing to take the chance on losing Emma. He thinks he's doing the right thing even if we don't agree."

"There must be something we can do to stop them!"

"I'm sorry, Jimmy, they're gone."

Jimmy was becoming more and more upset. Byers could hear it in his voice. "Why didn't they tell me? I can't believe they would just leave like that. I thought we were a family. You just don't do that to family!" Jimmy turned away from Byers, embarrassed by his tears. 

Byers didn't know what else to say. Jimmy had to get used to the idea then they could talk about it more. But there was someone else Jimmy wanted to talk to, needed to talk to.



* * * * * * * *


"He did what?" Yves asked unsure of what she'd heard. Jimmy repeated himself but the cell phone connection was terrible. "Jimmy… Jimmy," she said trying to get his attention, "I can barely hear you." He started again but she was only getting enough to know that Frohike had gone into hiding. "Jimmy, stop! I can't understand most of what you're saying. Listen to me. I will call you back in a few minutes from a landline. Are you at the warehouse?" The crackling got so bad she had to repeat the question. This high up in the mountains, the cell phone reception was always iffy. She started walking toward her room in the remote ski lodge. She had left her equipment outside on the rack but it would keep for the few minutes it would take to call Jimmy back. 

Once in her room, Yves dialed the number to the warehouse. Jimmy picked up the phone before it had completed its first ring. "Yves?" without the static, Yves could hear the worry and stress in Jimmy's voice. 

"Yes, Jimmy, it's me," Yves reassured him. "Now tell me what's going on." Jimmy tried once again to tell Yves what had happened but he was so excited and upset that Yves didn't fully understand the situation. "Jimmy," Yves said trying to get his attention. "Jimmy, STOP!" When he finally did, she said, "Is Byers there?"

"Yeah, he's right here," Jimmy said. 

"Put him on." Yves heard Jimmy put the receiver down then call to Byers. A moment later she heard some one pick up the phone. 

"Yes?" Byers said. 

"Would you please tell me what's going on?" Yves said. "Jimmy says Frohike took off and has Emma with him?"

"Yes, he has," Byers confirmed. "He got a summons to bring Emma in for a DNA test. He's decided not to fight it but to disappear."

"This is his solution?" Yves asked incredulously. "What was he thinking? Why didn't you stop him?"

"He was in Seattle. I was in Vancouver. I couldn't get there fast enough to stop him. So, I came home to try to track him down."

"What if he's still in Washington State?" Yves asked. 

"I thought of that," Byers said, "but it's too well known that Emma has connections there. He said he was leaving and I believe him." 

"Has Langly found out anything?"

Byers made a disgusted noise. "Langly helped him and right now he's off sulking somewhere." 

"I'll be wrapping up my business here this evening," Yves said. "I can take the first helicopter out in the morning if you would like some assistance."

"With Langly AWOL, I really could use the help," Byers said. "Thank you, Yves."

"I'll see you tomorrow sometime in the early afternoon. Would you please put Jimmy back on?"

Jimmy, who had been hovering the whole time, took the phone. "Yves, you have to come and help! Byers is good but it's too much work for one guy. We have to find them before it's too late!"

"I'll be there tomorrow, Jimmy," Yves reassured him. "We'll find them. Don't worry."



* * * * * * * *



Byers didn't sleep much if at all. He lay in bed for quite a while but his brain just wouldn't shut down. His thoughts ran in circles over what had happened, what he could have done to prevent it and what he needed to do now to solve this problem. Byers finally just gave up and got up. He went to check Langly's room. He wasn't back yet. His missing partner was just one more thing to worry about. 

He desperately needed Langly's help. Jimmy had gone out looking for the hacker the previous evening but came home empty handed. Byers figured Langly had parked the van somewhere and sacked out for the night. Unfortunately, the new Chevy van was better equipped for such activities than the old VW bus. Langly could live out of it for a few days. Fortunately, the subzero temperatures might drive him home. The boy was not built for cold weather. 

And it was the cold that brought him home later that morning. 

Thinking Yves had gotten there earlier than she had hoped, Jimmy ran to answer the door when the buzzer went off. He didn't check the monitor so was surprised to find a shivering Langly on the other side. Langly hurried in saying to Jimmy, "Shut the damn door for god's sake. You're letting all the heat out."

"I just opened it to let you in," Jimmy said defending himself from this unwarranted attack. 

"Yeah, well, you're too slow." Langly continued to shiver even though he had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He walked to the stairway pulling the blanket tighter around himself. As he started up the stairs, he met Byers coming down. Langly stopped and glowered at Byers but moved aside to let him pass. Byers paused on the stair above Langly. "Langly, I'm sorry I took out my frustrations on you." Langly only grunted in response and continued up the stairs. "Please, Langly," Byers said calling after him, "I need your help to find him." 

Langly kept going but turned when he reached the top. "He didn't tell me what he planned to do. All I did was wire him the money."

"I know, Langly, he wouldn't tell me either," Byers admitted. "But we have to track him down."

"If Frohike doesn't want to be found," Langly said, "we're never going to find him."

"If he was by himself, I would agree with you. But he has Emma with him." Langly hadn't considered how much more obvious the two of them would be. Byers continued. "We need to hack into the security cameras at the bus stations, the train stations and the airports in the Seattle area. You're much better at these kinds of hacks than I am. I can't do it by myself. Please, Langly. We've got to get them home before that mid-February court date."

"All right," Langly knew that Byers was right. "Let me go take a shower to warm up and I'll be right down." He removed the blanket from his shoulders and threw it down the stairs at Byers. "Put that back in the van for me, would you?"



* * * * * * * *



As she promised, Yves arrived early in the afternoon. Langly answered the door. "Langly!" Yves said in surprise. "I see the prodigal son has returned." She came in dropping a clothing bag on the floor. She set the bag with her laptop in it on a table. 

Langly frowned at her. "Save the 'prodigal' cracks for Frohike, Yves. We've got work to do." 

Jimmy was relieved to see Yves. He knew that with her help they would have no trouble finding Frohike and Emma. "Yves, you're here," he said. 

Yves smiled at him. "Hello, Jimmy." He was tempted to hug her but hesitated too long and missed the opportunity. She bent to pull some clothes out of a bag. "Is there somewhere I can change?" She was still in her ski clothes having come straight from the airport. 

Jimmy pointed. "Upstairs."

"Thank you."


"What have you done so far?" she asked coming down the stairs in one of her usual skintight outfits. 

Byers got up from his computer and walked over to Langly's. "Langly is loading pictures of Emma and Frohike into his facial recognition program.

Yves nodded. "That's a good idea. What else do you have?"

"We've tried to narrow down the search," Byers explained. "There are just too many train and bus stations in small towns in the Puget Sound region. Some of the stations are unmanned. They could've gotten on the train or the bus anywhere and we would never know it."

Yves pulled out her laptop and set it up. She preferred working with her own machine whenever she could. "Did Frohike give any indication where he was going or how he intended to get there?"

Langly shook his head. "He didn't tell me much."

"He mentioned the train to me, but I think that was a smoke screen," Byers said. "Other than the main bus terminal in downtown Seattle, there are no security cameras in the Greyhound bus stations. Amtrak is nearly as bad." 

Yves nodded. "So, you're starting with the airport." 

"We figured that would make the most sense," Langly explained. "He's going to want to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible." 

Yves hooked her computer to the Gunmen's T4 internet connection. She did a quick search for information. "Have you hacked into the security cameras at SeaTac yet?"

"Wait," Jimmy said, holding up a hand and addressing Byers. "If he told you he was going to take the train as a smoke screen, don't you think he might know that you would know it was a smoke screen and go ahead and take the train anyway?"

The other three stared silently at Jimmy for a moment absorbing what he had just said. "That's a good point, Jimmy," Yves admitted. Jimmy beamed at the compliment. "Frohike is devious enough to do such a thing."

Byers studied his monitor for a few seconds. Both Yves and Jimmy were right. They were going to have to check the train station also. They needed more help. It was too much for the four of them to deal with. He picked up the phone to make a few calls. 


They worked well into the night. Yves left at about 2 AM. Langly headed for bed shortly after that. "Byers, you really should pack it in for the night," Langly told him. "You'll do better when you've had some sleep."

"I'm all right," Byers said, "but get Jimmy to go to bed, would you please?"

Langly looked over at Jimmy who was sound asleep in a computer chair with his head resting against the wall. "Ah, just leave him where he is," Langly said. 

"We can't leave him like that all night." Byers said with an edge of exasperation in his voice. He started to get up to tell Jimmy to go to bed himself.

"Hey, I got it, Byers," Langly said. "I was just kidding. Sorry, I guess it was the wrong time." Langly stood blocking Byers way. "Go back to what you were doing."

Byers considered Langly for a few seconds longer then turned back to his computer. Langly shook Jimmy's shoulder, "Jimmy, you gotta go to bed now."

Jimmy woke up slowly, uncertain where he was. He sat up straight in the chair, looking around the room. "Where did Yves go?" he asked as he got up.

Langly took Jimmy's arm. "She went home to get some sleep. You need to do the same." Langly said pointing Jimmy toward the stairs

Jimmy shook off Langly's hand. "What about Byers?" he said waving an arm in the other man's general direction. 

"I'm fine, Jimmy. Go to bed," Byers said without looking up from his monitor.


 

Chapter 3


The next morning, they found Byers sound asleep at the keyboard. Exhaustion had finally gotten the better of him. Langly and Jimmy decided to leave him where he was knowing it would be pointless to insist that he go to bed. If they woke him up, he would just go back to work. 

Langly quietly set up several computers for the volunteers that would be arriving soon. The previous day, he had used his facial recognition program on some of the video footage they had acquired. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people in the videos that did not look directly into the camera. Without a clear face shot, the program would not work. It was still running though in case some security camera in the places they were searching happened to get a clear shot of either Emma or Frohike. 

So, unless they were really lucky, they were going to have to do this the hard way: by physically watching the videos. At first, they would put most of their efforts into the cameras that filmed the ticket counters. Frohike would need to check them in even at the airport. With the heightened security after 9/11, there was no curbside check in. Their luggage would also need to be dealt with. 


Mulder and Scully with their son, William, were the first to show up. Agents Doggett and Reyes after that. Yves came in with breakfast for everyone. 

Byers awoke with the first buzzing of the doorbell. He excused himself so he could take a shower and change.

Once all the players were assembled and fed, Byers explained their game plan. Everyone picked a workstation and settled in for what promised to be a very long day.


Midmorning, the buzzer rang again. Everyone looked toward the door then at each other. "Who else did you call?" Langly asked as Byers walked past him to answer the bell. 

"They're all here," Byers replied. He paused to check the monitor before opening the door. Surprised at who he saw, he quickly threw back the deadbolts and turned all the locks. "Assistant Director Skinner," he said loudly to warn the others in the room. "To what do I owe the honor of your company?"

Skinner stood unmoving in the doorway giving Byers an unreadable look. He peered past the Gunman into the warehouse but couldn't see much beyond the shelves. Turning his attention back to Byers, he said, "It seems there is an epidemic running rampant through FBI headquarters, especially among agents who report to me. I was wondering if you or your cohorts had any knowledge as to the source of this epidemic."

Byers paused uncertain how to respond. He knew that Doggett and Reyes had called in sick for the day. Scully probably had, too, even though she was working out at Quantico and not for Skinner anymore. 

Hearing his boss's voice, Agent Doggett came to the door. "Sir," he said, "I can explain…"

Skinner held up his hand. "Don't bother." He came all the way into the room allowing Byers to shut the door. "Kim gave me the short version." Kim was Skinner's secretary.

Monica Reyes came to join the group at this point. "I'm sorry, John. I told Kim where she could find us if absolutely necessary. And I'm sorry we tried to deceived you, sir," she said to Skinner. "But they really do need our help."

Walking farther into the warehouse, Skinner found Langly, Jimmy, Yves and Scully still at work. Mulder was taking a turn at entertaining William and walked up to Skinner with the child in his arms. "Hey, Walt, good to see you," he said with a big grin on his face. 

"Don't call me Walt," Skinner growled which was enough to shut Mulder up but not to wipe the smile off his face. "All right," Skinner said, "I want the whole story here. Who's missing? How long have they been gone? And what are you doing to get them back?"


After sorting through all the explanations and interpretations of what had gone on over the last few days, Skinner had a couple of questions. "Why didn't you just report them as missing persons?"

"We don't want it known that they're gone," Byers explained. "It could be used against Frohike in court if it comes down to a custody battle."

"Yes, I see that could be a problem," Skinner admitted. "When is he supposed to have her in court?"

"February 18."

Skinner studied the expectant faces around him. Ah, hell, he owed the Gunmen, too. He took off his coat and found a relatively uncluttered spot to put it down. "So," he said, "what do you want me to do?"






Agent John Doggett sat at a computer watching video of the downtown Seattle bus station. His partner, Monica Reyes, sat nearby watching a different monitor. Monica hit pause on her machine before addressing Doggett. "My eyes need a rest," she said rubbing them. "This is almost as bad as being on a stake out." 

Without taking his eyes off his monitor, Doggett said, "At least we're looking for someone we know and after all the Gunmen's help on the X-Files…"

Monica nodded, "I know, I know. I'm not complaining. Hey, at least we're inside with hot food and bathrooms."

"Much better than a stake out," Doggett agreed. He, too, hit pause on his machine. He stood up and stretched, rolling his head back and around until there was an audible pop.

Monica cringed. "John! You know I hate it when you do that! It can't be good for you."

"Yeah, but it feels good," Doggett said. "I'm going to get a fresh cup of coffee. Do you want some?"

"No, I'm fine," Monica said going back to her monitor. She hit the key to restart the video she'd been watching for signs of anyone that looked like they could be Frohike or Emma. 

Doggett walked over to the big thermos they had filled with coffee. He put his cup under the spout and pressed down on the top. Nothing came out. He tried it a few more times. Still nothing came out. He set down his mug down and unscrewed the lid. The thermos was empty. "Byers, we're out of coffee."

"I'll go make some more," Byers said standing up from his computer. He looked worn out from worry and lack of sleep. Doggett really felt for the man. For some reason Byers seemed to blame himself for everything that had happened. 

"No, I can make a pot of coffee," Doggett insisted. "Just tell me where it is."

"Thanks," Byers said sitting back down. "It's in the cupboard above the coffee maker." Doggett headed for the stairs with the thermos in his hand. "The coffee maker is on the counter near the sink," Byers called out as an after thought. 

Doggett found it and made a fresh pot. While waiting for the coffee to brew, he sat down at the kitchen table and picked up a newspaper. 

He looked up from reading the sports section when he heard a noise and saw Dana Scully come out of Emma's bedroom using extra care to shut the door quietly. "Is William asleep?" Doggett asked. 

"Finally," Scully said joining him at the table. "You taking a break?"

"I'm making a fresh pot of coffee." As he said it, Doggett noticed that the coffee was done. He got up and poured it into the thermos. The single pot only filled it halfway. He dumped out the old grounds and reset the machine to make a second pot. When he was done, he turned back to the table and noticed Scully smiling at him. "What?"

"I'm never seen this domestic side of you before."

"Well, us old bachelors have to learn to fend for ourselves somehow and a decent cup of coffee is high on my priority list." He sat back down at the table with Scully. "And believe it or not, I even know how to work a dishwasher."

"You don't say," Scully said laughing. "Maybe that's a skill you can teach Mulder. He could use a few pointers."

Scully's thoughts turned to those working downstairs. "How's it going down there?" she said inclining her head in the general direction of the work area.

Doggett shook his head. "Very slowly. Everyone seemed so hopeful at first but now…"

Scully knew what he meant. Surely with so many people here, they would be able to find their two missing friends quickly. But as the hours wore on, the search started to seem futile. How could they possibly find two individuals in the sea of faces they saw on the tapes?

"I'm worried about Byers," Doggett said. "He seems to be taking this personally." 

"I noticed," Scully said. "But then, he's always had a bad habit of doing that. Frohike is the best at talking him through it, of taking some of the pressure off him." Her anger at Frohike bubbled to the surface again. "I can't believe he did this. I thought he had more sense."

"We'll find him, Dana," Doggett assured her. "It's just a matter of time."

A burst of loud exclamations could be heard from the work area. Doggett and Scully looked at each other for a second before heading down the stairs to see what was going on. 


"It's him!" Jimmy's joy was barely contained. "Byers found Frohike at the airport!" he told Scully and Doggett as they joined everyone crowded around Byers at his computer. They all had to take turns looking closely at the picture and agreeing that even under the Mariner's baseball cap and red plaid flannel jacket, it was definitely Frohike. 

"All right, folks," Skinner announced. "Let's calm down. We don't have them home yet." The others stepped back to let Langly, Byers and Yves continue working while they watched. Jimmy still hovered over Byers shoulder staring at Frohike on the computer screen. 

"Now what, Byers," Jimmy asked. "What do we do now?"

Byers was busy typing away on the keyboard. "We need to find out what flight he's checking in to."

"How are you going to do that?"

Byers pointed to the corner of the screen where the time stamp showed the date and time. "It was December 31st at 4:33 PM." Byers turned to his fellow hacker. "Langly?" 

"I'm on it," Langly said. When Byers found the picture of Frohike, Langly began his hack into the airline's reservations and check-in data base to pinpoint the flight Fro and Emma had boarded. Using the exact time the transaction had taken place, he would be able to determine their flight number, destination, whether they had taken any luggage on to the flight and confirm that they had actually boarded the plane.

"But where's Emma," a concerned Jimmy asked. 

Byers refocused his attention on his own computer. "I don't know, Jimmy. She's not in this shot. Let me widen it out a little." Byers had zoomed in on Frohike to get a close up shot of his face. Byers set the picture to the widest possible angle but this still showed only the check-in counter. He ran it back to the point where Frohike stepped up to the counter and he and Jimmy watched the whole transaction. Emma was nowhere to be seen. 

Byers rewound it again. "She has to be there," he said. "She would need to be with him when he checked in." They watched the tape again, more closely this time but the range of the picture just wasn't wide enough. 

Yves spoke up. "Let me see if she shows up on any of the cameras at that counter for the same day and time. What airline is it?"

"Alaska," Byers said. 

"Wait!" Jimmy said grabbing Byers's shoulder. "Start it over again." Byers hit the reverse command. "Can you slow it down?" Jimmy asked. 

"Yes," Byers said doing just that. 

Pointing to the lower right hand corner of the screen, Jimmy said, "Watch right here."

Byers watched the indicated portion of his monitor. As the picture advanced, he saw what Jimmy had noticed. It was a small hand resting briefly on the counter before it was pulled back.

"What did you find?" Yves asked from where she was working at her computer. 

"Just her hand," Jimmy explained. "You can't see the rest of her."

"Is she standing on Frohike's right hand side or his left?" Yves asked.

Jimmy glanced back at the screen. He imagined that he was standing in Frohike's place looking at the clerk. He turned his head to where Emma would be. "She's standing on his left side."

"You're sure," Yves asked.

"Yes."

"There is no camera on that side," Yves said double-checking her information. "They're at the end of the counter. Emma must be around the corner. That would explain why she's not on the tape."

Langly found what he was looking for. "They were booked on a flight to LA. Frohike is using the name Jesse Shook. Emma is listed as Jamie." Langly switched to another window. "What the hell? Emma got on the plane at 5:46 but Frohike didn't board until nearly 6:00." Langly looked over at Byers to see if he had an explanation for that.

Byers shook his head. "I don't get it either."

Yves had been busy at her computer. "Langly, what gate did they leave from?"

Langly searched for the information. "Gate N21 in the north terminal."

Yves brought up the surveillance cameras for the N gates and plugged in the date, time and specific gate she wanted to see. She studied the video looking for Frohike. It didn't take long to find him. "Here's Frohike in the waiting area, but I still don't see Emma." Jimmy came over to where Yves was working and looked at her monitor. Curiosity drew Monica closer to the screen also. The picture showed a wide-angle view of the seating area by the gate. People were mostly sitting in pairs or in small family groups. Some were talking, most were reading and a few were napping or trying to. Frohike was sitting in a row of seats by himself with his back against the wall. He was scanning the crowd. And he was alone. No Emma. 

Jimmy asked, "Where could she be?"

Monica sensed that Jimmy's anxiety level was getting quite high. "Maybe she's in the restroom or she's gone to get something to eat." 

Yves shook her head. "Frohike barely let her out of his sight before they left for Seattle. I doubt very much he would have allowed her go off by herself in the airport. She must be here somewhere."

Monica moved closer to the screen to get a better look. "How about right there?" she said pointing to a young boy sitting at right angles to Frohike. Yves dismissed the suggestion at first but after taking a second look, she zoomed in on the boy and froze the picture. He was wearing a stocking cap, a heavy jean jacket and Air Jordan shoes. He sat forward on the edge of his chair with his eyes focused on the Gameboy Advance in his hands. Jimmy studied his face wishing the boy would look up. 

"Can you make it play while it's zoomed in like that?" Jimmy asked Yves. 

"Yes," Yves said. She keyed in the command to restart the video. The boy kept his head down, his fingers working the game. Monica, Yves and Jimmy watched silently for several minutes. Finally, he dropped his hands into his lap and sat back in the chair. He looked out at the crowd in the waiting area then squinted in the general direction of the security camera. 

Jimmy stood up. He knew Monica was right. "It's Emma," he said. 

"You're sure?" Yves asked still watching the figure on her screen. 

"Yes, she doesn't have her glasses on and Frohike made her dress up like a boy. But it's her."

Yves watched for a few more seconds until Emma turned to look in her father's general direction. She froze the picture again. In profile, it was much more obvious. "You're right. It's her," she told Jimmy and Monica.

Monica called the others over to see. Jimmy backed away from the group letting them check it out. He turned finally and walked away. Picking up his coat, he opened the door and went outside. 


Knowing their final destination, Langly and Byers focused their attention on LAX. Los Angeles's main airport was a huge complex. "Let's concentrate on the exit doors," Byers suggested. 

"That'll help narrow it down," Langly said. It took a few minutes to hack into the new security system but once they were in they called their volunteers back to their computers to watch a whole new set of surveillance videos.

"This will be much easier now that we know what they're wearing," Doggett observed. 

It only took a half hour before Frohike and Emma were spotted. "I got them," Mulder called out triumphantly. "They're waiting in the taxi line."

Once again everyone crowded around one computer. "Move, man," Langly said to Mulder so he could sit down. Langly fast-forwarded the video to see the two of them get into a taxi. He waited until the door was closed and paused the picture. Langly held out his right hand and wiggled his fingers. "I need a pen and paper."

Doggett grabbed a couple of sheets of paper out of a nearby printer and handed them to Langly. Skinner pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket. "I want the pen back when you're done," he said to Langly as he took it from him. 

"Yeah, yeah. Like I want to steal your pen," Langly said as he jotted down the information he needed. He wrote:


Jesse Shook and Jamie Shook
Big Yellow Taxi Company - cab #104
Date- December 31, 2001
Picked up at LAX at 9:17 PM


"There it is," Langly said. "So, who's up for a road trip?"

"I'll go," Yves said immediately.

"YOU? Why you?" Langly asked indignantly.

"Because you and Byers have a paper to run. Without Frohike here it's going to be that much more difficult."

"Well, yeah, but we could have him back here in no time," Langly insisted.

Byers agreed with Yves. "We can't guarantee that, Langly. You know how sneaky and stubborn he is. Even if we manage to locate him quickly, we'd still have to convince him to come home."

"And you think he's more likely to listen to Yves than to either of us? You're insane."

"I'll take Jimmy with me," Yves said. 

"That's a good idea," Byers said cutting off Langly's next complaint. He and Langly could argue about it later. There were too many extra people in the warehouse right now to really get into it. "Where is Jimmy?" Byers asked. 

There was dead silence as everyone looked around the room. No one remembered seeing him leave. With the silence, the dull thud/pause/thud of someone shooting baskets against the side of the building became obvious. Byers started for the door knowing the only reason Jimmy would have left was because he was upset. Yves stopped Byers before he got too far. 

"Let me talk to him," she said. 

"Okay, thanks," Byers said. He watched her as she put on her coat and headed out the door. He then turned to ask one more favor of those left in the room. "That's all we can do from here but there is something else that needs to be done and we could really use the extra hands."


Ignoring the cold, Jimmy continued to shoot baskets. He had taken off his coat and left it on a pile of old wooden crates. Yves watched him take a couple of shots before she interrupted him. "I thought you played football."

Surprised that he had company, Jimmy missed his next shot. "Yves!" he said scrambling for the ball. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you. I need your help."

"With what?" he asked tucking the ball under his arm.

"I'm going to LA," Yves explained. "I need someone to help me convince Frohike to bring Emma home. I'd like you to go with me."

"You'd be better off going by yourself," Jimmy said. 

"Why do you say that?"

"He's not going to listen to me."

"Of course he will."

Jimmy shook his head looking down at the ground. "Frohike didn't even care enough to call and tell me he was leaving or to let me say goodbye to Emma."

"Jimmy, listen to me," Yves moved closer to him and put her hand on his arm. "He couldn't let you talk to Emma. I'm willing to bet he didn't let her talk to Langly or Byers either."

"Well, no, he didn't," Jimmy admitted.

"He couldn't. I'm sure she was too upset already."

"She is. I could see it," Jimmy said.

"When did you see her?"

"On the surveillance video you found. You saw her. She's scared and upset," Jimmy said walking away from Yves. "And Frohike wouldn't even let her sit with him." Jimmy wanted to throw the basketball as hard as he could against the wall. Anger at Frohike was something he'd never felt before. He admired, trusted and even looked up to the little man. But he couldn't stand what Frohike was doing to Emma. 

"I'm sure she is Jimmy," Yves said trying to calm him down. "That's why I want you to come with me. She trusts you."

"But she trusts you, too."

"That's true but she doesn't love me the way she loves you, Byers and Langly. Please, Jimmy, I need your help. Come with me to LA, help me find them and bring them home." 

After thinking about it for a few more seconds, he said. "All right. I'll go." He set the basketball down to put on his coat. Since he was no longer running around he was getting cold in the freezing afternoon air. He was about to retrieve the ball to take it inside when everyone else, including Byers and Langly, came out ready to leave. "Where's everybody going?" 

"It's going to be light for a couple more hours," Byers said. "With this much help, we can get all those Christmas lights off Emma's house pretty quickly. It will be too obvious that no one is home if we leave them up."

Byers had already changed into jeans and a sweatshirt but Skinner left first to go home to change out of his suit. 

"Boy, Skinner's in a good mood," Mulder noted as Scully strapped William into his car seat. He turned to Doggett and Reyes. "You two must be making life very easy for him. Something I never managed to do."

"Actually, Mulder," Doggett said, "there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Not now," announced Scully. "Let's get out of here. You two can talk shop later."



Chapter 4


Byers used the spare set of keys to Emma's house to get in. Scully and Monica volunteered to check the kitchen for perishables and take down the inside decorations if the men would do the outside. The guys all agreed and told themselves that if they had suggested the arrangement there would have been hell to pay. But since the 'women folk' chose to do all the inside stuff, there was no problem.

William wandered around the house looking for 'Froggy and Emmy'. He checked all the rooms calling for them. Scully explained that they were not home. "They went on a trip, sweetie. They'll be back soon," she said hoping it was true. "You can see them when they get back." 

When Byers came inside to see how they were doing, William asked him about it. 


"Bears?" he said holding up his arms. 

Byers picked up William and allowed himself the luxury of cuddling the toddler for just a few seconds. "What's up, big guy?"

"Where Froggy?" 

"Frohike's not here right now, William."

"Where Emmy?" 

"She's not here either," Byers said keeping his emotions to himself.

William didn't understand. "Want Froggy."

"They went away for a little while. I don't know when they'll be back."

William frowned at Byers. His little brow creased with frustration at not getting what he asked for. "Want Froggy now!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry, William. They're not here," Byers said. William started to cry and struggled to be put down. Scully came in to see what all the fuss was about and took her son from Byers.

"I'm sorry. He's used to seeing them here and he misses them," she said as she tried to calm him down.

"Don't worry about it," Byers said. "I know how he feels."


Yves spent a great deal of time on the phone and the internet arranging transportation for herself and Jimmy. They could go out to the airport and wait on standby but Yves decided that they would just fly out the next day when they were guaranteed seats. 


Monica and Scully figured there was enough food that needed to be used that they could whip up a decent meal for everyone. It was a strange mixture of odds and ends but everyone went away sated and some even took leftovers home.


Byers walked through the house one last time making sure everything looked secure. Frohike had several timers set up around the house that would turn lights on and off during the evening to give the illusion that someone was home. Byers made sure these were functioning properly. 

He checked the one in Emma's room. It was hooked up to the light on her computer table. It was working. On a whim, he sat down at her computer and turned it on. He checked her email. There was a fair amount of junk and some email from friends. Shamelessly, he read these but they were nothing but general chitchat from her schoolmates. One email, though, held information that answered some of his many questions. 

The email was from Seattle.


Dear Emma,

I hope you made it home okay. When did you get home? It's too bad you went to Canada instead of spending New Year's Eve with us. We had fun. Since it was Megan's birthday everyone came here to our house. 

I thought you were going to come back to Seattle before you went home. Grandma said you left from Canada. 

I hope we get to see you again next summer. Email me back, okay?

Your friend,

Rachel


Byers figured that Frohike didn't tell anyone in Seattle what was really going on. He had obviously lied to them, saying he and Emma were going to Canada. If Frohike had told them the truth, they would have tried to stop him from condemning Emma to years in hiding. 

Standing in the doorway, Byers took one more look around Emma's room. He noticed something on her dresser that worried him. It was one of her inhalers. He picked it up and shook it. It seemed empty. She'd probably just forgotten to throw it away. Byers put it back where he found it but it gave him an idea, something that might help with their search. 

Hearing the horn from the driveway, Byers locked the front door and joined an impatient Langly in the van.


* * * * * * * *



Yves seldom, if ever, flew coach. She usually flew first class or not at all. She would settle for business class in a pinch. But this was the only flight she could get out of DC on such short notice. It was the end of the holiday season and everyone was headed home. Jimmy graciously chose to sit in the middle seat, giving Yves the widow. In the aisle seat was an old woman who chattered on and on about her grandchildren and how she had enjoyed visiting them and how much they had grown and would you like to see some pictures and so on and so on. 

Jimmy listened patiently to the woman, looked at her pictures, said how cute the woman's grandchildren were and told her how he had just been to visit his family. 

"Are you and your wife heading home, too?" the old woman asked. 

Turning very red, Jimmy explained, "Oh, no. Yves and I are only friends."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I assumed since you are traveling together that you were married. That's too bad. You make such a nice couple."

Jimmy glanced over at Yves who had dozed off with her head against the window. "No," he said, regret evident in his voice. 

The old woman sensed his reluctance to continue. She patted his arm and spoke to him in a low voice, "Give it time, dear. Give it time."

Yves wasn't fully asleep and had been listening to the last part of their conversation. She knew how Jimmy felt about her. She just wasn't sure how far to let it go. It was tempting sometimes to just give into it, to see how their relationship would develop but Jimmy seemed so innocent in so many ways. He had seen so little of the world. Her life had made her hard and somewhat jaded. She didn't know how much she could offer him without, in the long run, destroying that innocence or breaking his heart. 

She sat up and glanced at Jimmy. He was sitting back with his eyes closed and seemed to be dozing. Yves relaxed again, allowing her head to rest against the seatback but this time she leaned toward Jimmy and away from the window. She noticed that he smelled like soap, clean laundry and something else she couldn't name.

So many of the men she had to deal with seemed to bath in cologne, the heavy aroma choking the air in a room even after they left it. This always reminded her of a wild animal marking its territory. It disgusted her and if these men touched her she always felt the need to wash. Jimmy, on the other hand, never seemed to wear cologne but had a more honest scent that was all his own.

She let herself begin to drift back towards sleep, her thoughts not on the task awaiting them in LA but on the one moment she and Jimmy had shared on Christmas Eve. She'd been in a good mood that day. She allowed herself to relax and become one of the group enjoying the holiday, even going so far as to sing for Emma a song the child's mother had loved. 

When the mistletoe had been pointed out to them, Jimmy hesitated but Yves had reassured him that it could do no harm. 

But she had not been prepared for the effects of that kiss. 

She opened her eyes and looked over at him again. He was definitely asleep now. The stress and worries of the last few days erased from his face. His mouth was open and he was snoring ever so slightly. He looked a bit like a fish out of water. 

Smiling, Yves glanced at her watch. They still had four hours before the plane would touch down at LAX. She closed her eyes again this time willing herself to sleep. There was no telling when she would next get a chance to relax once they reached Los Angeles.



* * * * * * *



Byers and Langly kept busy with another series of hacks. Byers knew that eventually, Emma would run out of her asthma medication. Byers hacked into the computer system at Emma's doctor's office. He got the names of her medications and downloaded her medical history. It might come in handy later.

Langly searched online for pharmacies in the greater LA area. There were several major chains of drug stores as well as some smaller ones. There were also a myriad of independent pharmacies but most of those belonged to a co-op and were linked by their own computer network. Langly would be able to set up a monitoring system to see if Frohike or Emma's aliases appeared. He could then backtrack them to a doctor's office, which would have an address on file. This was a long shot but might pay off in the end. 

Byers watched Langly work for a few minutes. "You know," Byers said. "There is one other place we should check."

"Where's that?" Langly asked barely glancing up at Byers.

"The Internal Revenue Service," Byers said. 

Langly stopped what he was doing and turned slowly to glare at Byers. "You know I won't hack the IRS." Frohike always did the IRS hacks when they were necessary. Langly had gone on record long ago saying that this was the one hack he would not attempt. 

"Come on, Langly, I know you can do this," Byers insisted. "Frohike has to get a job to support himself and Emma. That means there will be a W2 filed with the IRS under his assumed name. If we can find that, we'll have him."

Langly focused on his monitor again. "Do it yourself, Byers. I won't screw with the IRS." Langly had a paranoid fear of getting caught hacking into the IRS computer network and losing everything he ever owned or would own.

"Your kung fu is the best, Langly. I believe you're capable of finding anyone in their system."

"Of course I'm the best!" Appealing to Langly's vanity wasn't enough to convince him to do something he dreaded. "But I still not doing it."

"If it brings them home…" Byers nearly pleaded. 

"Don't get all pathetic on me, Byers," Langly said trying but not succeeding to sound calm. "There are a lot of other places we can search first. How about the California DMV? He'll probably buy a car. And you know he's going to put her in school. Why don't you try that?"

"I know, Langly. I've already thought of those but it's a mistake not to try something where a single hack could produce results instead of searching network after network."

Langly still wasn't convinced. "Why don't we just wait and see what Yves and Jimmy come up with? We could be doing all this work for nothing."

"All right," Byers said. "But would you please just consider it."

"I've already considered it," Langly replied. "I'm not doing it." Before Byers could protest further, he continued. "But Kimmy owes me. This mess is partly his fault. He can help solve the problem if it comes to that."



* * * * * * * *



Yves and Jimmy had been trying to convince the dispatcher at Big Yellow Taxi Company to give them the name and home address of the driver who had picked Frohike and Emma up at the airport. They were getting nowhere. Even a promise of money for both the dispatcher and the driver had done no good.

"I'm sorry," the dispatcher said. "You'll have to come back tomorrow."

"What if I told you this was a matter of life and death?" Jimmy asked.

"Is it?" 

"Well," Jimmy hesitated, "not really."

"But time is an issue," Yves added. "We need to find these people and bring them home before a certain court date. If we can't find them, they will be held in contempt of court."

"Not Emma," Jimmy insisted, worried now that the girl could get in trouble, too. "Just Frohike, right?"

"Yes, Jimmy," Yves said trying to stay patient, which was difficult considering how pigheaded the dispatcher was being. She looked back at the stubborn man. 

He simply shook his head and repeated what he had told them many times already. "You'll have to come back tomorrow when he's working."

Seeing that they weren't going to get him to budge, Yves sighed in resignation. "What time does he get here?"

The dispatcher checked his clipboard. "Five AM."

"Wonderful," Yves said sarcastically. "We'll be here before then. Come on, Jimmy. Let's go."

They got back in their rental car and drove off. It had taken them two hours to get their bags, pick up the rental car and find the taxi 'barn'. "Let's get a hotel near here," Yves suggested. 

Jimmy checked out their surroundings. "You sure about that? This neighborhood looks pretty rough."

"I've stayed in places much seedier than this," Yves said pulling into the parking lot of a rundown motel. "This will do for one night." 

Yves checked them in while Jimmy got the bags out of the trunk. He waited by the car until Yves came back. She handed him a key. "You're in 116. I'm in 117."

Yves tried to take her bag from Jimmy. "I've got it," he said. What he really wanted to do was to check out her room for drug dealers or whatever. This was LA after all. He just couldn't admit that to her because he knew she could take care of herself and would dismiss his concern. But he'd feel better if he saw that her room was okay before he left her in it. 

Setting her bag on the bed, he checked out the entire room and the bathroom. "What are you looking for?" Yves asked.

"Just looking," he lied unconvincingly. He opened the drawer in the nightstand and took out the bible. He glanced around the room and spotting a small refrigerator, opened it up and stuck the bible in the tiny freezer compartment. 

"Jimmy, why does the bible need to be frozen?"

"Frohike says that the cold and the noise the frige makes will keep any bugs from hearing what you're doing."

"And Frohike thinks the bibles are all bugged?" Yves asked mildly amused.

"Better safe than sorry, he always says," Jimmy explained. He looked around the room one more time and spotted a door in the wall by the bed. "Where does that door go?" he asked aloud.

"To your room. I got us adjoining rooms." 

"Oh, great!" Jimmy opened the door and tried to go through to his room but there was no knob to open the second door. "I have to open my door from the other side, don't I," he said slightly embarrassed.

Yves smiled and nodded. "Yes, you do."

Jimmy excused himself to go check out his room, deal with his bible and open the door on his side. When he came back into Yves's room, she was adjusting the controls on a small electronic device. 

"Do you really think we'll be able to find them with that?" he asked. 

"Byers said Frohike took the other one with him, which means Emma still has the bugs on her. He's going to be more paranoid than ever about wanting to know where she is."

"How close do we have to get to her for it too work?"

Yves tapped a couple of buttons. She slowly turned all the way around watching the screen as she did so. "It can pick up the signal as far away as five miles but at that distance it's more likely to get a false reading." 

"What do you have it set on?" Jimmy asked looking over her shoulder. 

"Three miles."

Jimmy studied the display carefully. "Nothing." He knew how to work the machine. He and Emma had played with it quite a bit at first. She would go hide somewhere in the warehouse and he would use the scanner to find her. He got pretty good at interpreting the variety of noises it made which helped him pinpoint her location. But that had been within the confines of their headquarters. He wasn't sure how well it worked from miles away.

"I didn't really expect to find them near here," Yves said. "I would certainly hope they're not anywhere in this area." The heavy industrial complex in which they had found the motel was no place to live especially with a child. 

"So what can we do until tomorrow morning when the taxi guy comes to work?" Jimmy asked. 

"I'm open to suggestions," Yves said. "You know them better than I do. Where do you think they might go?"

Jimmy thought about it. He tried to imagine that he was Frohike. What would Frohike want to do once he got to Los Angeles? As all the possibilities ran through his mind, Jimmy realized there were too many to settle on one. So, he switched to Emma. That was much easier. "Disneyland. Emma would want to go to Disneyland."

"You're right. She would and Frohike just might take her there. With the size of the crowds at the park, it would be relatively safe."

"Today's Monday though," Jimmy said, continuing to think out loud. "He's not real big on Emma doing stuff on school nights."

"But until they're settled, he's not going to enroll her in school. He needs a job and a permanent place to live," Yves said. "It's worth a shot. There's not much else to do until we can talk to that driver."

If this had been a normal trip to the west coast, the thought of going to Disneyland would have appealed to Jimmy. But they were here to find Frohike and Emma, not spend the afternoon going on rides and getting their picture taken with Mickey. 

Yves drove while Jimmy watched the scanner looking for any activity that could possibly be one of Emma's bugs. Looking at the screen made him car sick at first so he turned the volume up. It would alert him if it got a hit. Once they were on the freeway, he could watch the screen without feeling queasy. 

As they got closer to the park and the scanner didn't give even the slightest ping, Jimmy gave up hope of finding the father and daughter there. When they pulled into the parking lot and found a space, he sighed and shut off the handheld device. Yves watched him knowing how much it meant to Jimmy to bring Frohike and Emma home. She hoped he didn't let every little failure get to him. "The greater Los Angeles area covers a lot of square mileage, Jimmy. It would have been nice to find them here but it was a long shot." She shut off the engine and looked out the windshield at the 'Magic Kingdom'. "There's not much else we can do today. Why don't we spend the evening here?" 

He followed her gaze. It just didn't seem right when they had not accomplished what they'd come for. "I don't know. I feel like I should be doing something, not having fun."

Yves turned in her seat so that she was facing him. "I learned a long time ago that it's a good idea to enjoy yourself when you get the chance." Jimmy continued to stare at the blank screen on the scanner. She could tell he wasn't convinced. "All right, let's consider our options. We can go back to the hotel and wait until morning. That will accomplish nothing. We can drive around and hope to get close enough to one of the bugs to register on the scanner. I think this should be our last choice. It will take an enormous amount of time and has little probability of success. We can call Byers and Langly and see if they've found anything else. The lead we are waiting to follow is still our best chance and they said they would call us if they found anything." Yves pulled her phone out of a jacket pocket and checked the readout. "They haven't called."

Jimmy scooted forward in his seat enough to pull his cell phone out of his back pocket. He had gotten no calls either. He sat silently for a few more seconds. He knew Yves was right. There was really nothing else they could do for today but he felt like he was giving up. "I'll call Byers and Langly. If they don't have anything new, then, yeah, we might as well go have some fun," he conceded.


Langly picked up the phone after the third ring. "Lone Gunmen Group, Ringo Langly speaking."

"Langly!" Jimmy said. "We're in LA."

"Byers, it's Jimmy," Langly yelled across the room. 

Byers came quickly over to where Langly was sitting. "Did they find anything yet?"

"I don't know. He didn't say."

"Well, ask him," Byers said impatiently. 

"Okay, man," Langly said into the phone. "Tell me you've got some good news."

"I'm sorry," Jimmy said. "We haven't even talked to the taxi driver yet."

Langly shook his head at Byers. "So, what the hell are you waiting for and why are you wasting my time."

"We can't talk to him until tomorrow morning. His boss won't tell us where he lives so we gotta wait until he comes to work in the morning."

"Then why are you bothering me?" Langly asked in disgust. "I've got things to do." Disappointed, Byers went back to his hack of the California Department of Motor Vehicles. 

"I just wanted to know if you've found anything else," Jimmy explained. "Until we can talk to the guy, there's not much we can do." Not wanting to sound like they were simply sitting around doing nothing, Jimmy continued. "We used the scanner thing to see if maybe Frohike and Emma might be at… like… say… Disneyland. So, that's where we are right now." The minute he said it, he regretted it. He waited for Langly to blow his top but was surprised when Langly started talking in a much quieter voice that Jimmy couldn't hear.

"What? I didn't get that, Langly. Say that again."

"I said, 'Are you inside the park?'" Jimmy could tell from the muffled sound of Langly's voice that he had his hand cupped around the mouthpiece.

"Inside? What do you mean inside."

Exasperated, Langly tried again but still spoke softly. "Are you going into Disneyland?"

Jimmy looked at Yves who was listening patiently to Jimmy's side of the conversation. "Well, I don't know…maybe…yeah…I guess."

"Good, get me one of those hats."

"Hats?" Jimmy had no idea what his friend was talking about. 

"Yeah, one of the new hats with the Mickey ears that look like the hat he wore in Fantasia. You know, the pointy wizard's hat."

"Oh, yeah!" Jimmy said finally understanding. The thought that he now had a reason to go into the park made him feel a bit less guilty. "What does Byers want?"

"Man, you know that only thing he wants right now is Frohike and Emma back here in DC."

"I'm trying, Langly."

"I know. We'll call you if we find anything new," Langly said. 

"And I'll let you know what we find out tomorrow," Jimmy said.

"All right. Catch you later."

"Bye."

Jimmy flipped his cell phone closed and turned to Yves who was still watching him expectantly. "I take it they've found nothing new?" she asked.

"Nothing. So, I guess we might as well go for it," he said unlocking his door. He got out and stood for a moment, watching the people going in the front gate. Yves came around and stood next to him. "Jimmy," she said putting her hand on his arm to get his attention when saying his name didn't do it. He looked down at her. "It really is all right." 

He favored her with a little smile. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Shall we?" he asked offering her his arm.

It was Yves turn to smile as she wrapped her arm around his. They headed for the entrance. When they were nearly to the gate, Jimmy said, "I get to pay." 

"No, you don't. It was my idea," Yves insisted. 

"Then I'll pay for dinner."

"Okay, but the mouse ears are on me."

Jimmy started laughing at the image of Yves wearing Minnie Mouse ears with the big red bow. "What?" Yves gave Jimmy an evil grin. "You don't think I'll do it. Do you?" They reached the gate and stood in line to pay. 

Jimmy just continued to smile at her. "No, I don't think you will."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Jimmy Bond," Yves said taking out a credit card to pay for their admittance. She completed the transaction and turned to hand Jimmy his ticket. 

He had become serious again. "Yes, but I'd like to learn."

Surprised that their lighthearted teasing had taken such a somber turn, Yves was, nonetheless, struck by the sincerity of that comment. She hesitated, unsure how to respond.

"Hey, are you two going to stand there like that all day?" a grouchy dad asked, his equally impatient children glaring at the couple. "Or are you going to move along so someone else can buy tickets?"

Seeing this distraction as a reprieve from a conversation she was not yet ready to have, Yves said, "Please, excuse us." They walked away from the ticket booth, presented their tickets at the turnstile and entered the park.




Chapter 5


Much too early the next morning, Jimmy became aware that someone was shaking him. "Jimmy! You need to wake up," a voice said, "I don't understand how you can sleep through this music anyway." The clock radio, which had been blaring rock music for the last 20 minutes, was suddenly shut off.

Still not awake enough to know where he was or what was going on Jimmy mumbled. "Ah, Frohike, leave me alone. It's Langly's turn to go get the newspapers." He turned away from the noise and would have gone right back to sleep if his visitor had not been so insistent.

"Come on! I'm going to have to leave without you if you don't get up right now! It's 4:30. We're supposed to meet the taxi driver at 5:00!"

The situation started to become clear to him. It was not Frohike bothering him. They were looking for Frohike. He and Yves were looking for Frohike. And Emma. They were in Los Angeles. They had come to talk to the taxi driver who picked Fro and Emma up at the airport. Okay, things were making sense. He turned over and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. He blinked up at Yves who was standing over him with her hands on her hips. She was ready to go but she didn't look happy. "Tell me you didn't just call me 'Frohike'," she said. 

Jimmy stood up and walked to the bathroom glad he had taken the time to put on at least his pajama bottoms before he went to bed. He stretched as he walked, raising one arm then the other above his head. "No, why would I call you that? Your name is Yves." He hoped she would buy that lame statement. But Yves wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. She was too distracted by the way his muscles moved across his shoulders. 


Yves was pleasantly surprised when he came into her room less than 15 minutes later showered, shaved and dressed. "That was fast," she said. 
"Let's go," Jimmy said, holding the door for her.


Jimmy was getting cold standing outside the taxi barn waiting for the driver to arrive. He hadn't brought a heavy coat with him from DC. They were going to southern California and a warm coat seemed like a waste of luggage space. But he never figured on waiting outside in the darkness of an early January morning. Yves seemed unaffected by the cold. He kept stamping his feet and rubbing his arms. "Why don't you go wait in the car?" Yves asked him.

"No, I'm fine," he insisted. They had been standing there for more than 30 minutes. The dispatcher had neglected to tell them that even though the drivers were supposed to report at 5, they pretty much kept their own hours. As long as they got enough fares, the management didn't complain. 

At about 5:45 AM, a man approached them. "The dispatcher said you were looking for me," he held out his hand. " My name is Ruben Castillo." He shook Jimmy's hand and then Yves's as they introduced themselves. 

Jimmy had been planning what to say to the taxi driver since he had agreed to come on this trip. "We're looking for some friends of ours. You picked them up at the airport on New Year's Eve at about 9:15 in the evening. " He pulled a picture of Frohike and Emma out of his pocket. It was taken on Emma's first day of junior high. Frohike looked very much the part of the proud papa with his arm around a grinning Emma. Jimmy handed the photo to Castillo who took it and looked closely at it. 

"Yeah, I remember them. I took them to the Doubletree Club out by the airport." He handed the picture back to Jimmy. 

"What kind of club is it?" Jimmy asked.

"It's not a club. It's a hotel."

Yves figured this was much too easy. It had been nearly a week. "How can you be sure it was them?"

"The little girl," Castillo said pointing at Emma in the photo, "she was dressed like a boy."

"But you could tell she wasn't a boy," Yves said.

"Not at first. But then she started talking to her dad and I knew she was a girl."

"What did she say?" 

"It wasn't really what she said, but how she said it." He could tell they weren't getting it. "I have two teenage daughters. They don't speak the same language as teenage boys."

Satisfied that he knew what he was talking about, Yves asked him a few more questions. "How much luggage did they have with them?" Yves asked.

Castillo thought about it for a second. "I know they each had a backpack. I don't remember anything else."

"What time did you drop them off?" 

"I'd have to check." He gestured back to the warehouse. "Come with me." Jimmy and Yves followed him inside. Castillo walked up to the dispatcher's office and spoke to a woman seated at the desk there. "Hi, Janie. Can I see the log of my fares for New Year's Eve?"

"Sure." The woman stood up and walked over to a bank of file cabinets. She opened a drawer and flipped through the files to find the one Castillo had requested.

"Here you go, Ruben," she said, handing one to him.

"Thanks," he said. He opened the file turning to the last page. "I dropped them off at the Doubletree Club at 9:29 PM."

"Thank you," Yves said. "You've been a big help." She handed the taxi driver a tip.

He hesitated. Yves smiled and said, "Take it. With two teenage daughters, I'm sure you can use it." 

Castillo laughed, pocketed the money and said, "You got that right!"




Jimmy climbed into the driver's seat of the rental car. "Damn!" 

"What?" Yves asked getting in on the passenger side. 

"I should have asked the guy where the Doubletree Club is."

"Don't worry about it. He said it was out at the airport. I'll look it up on the internet."

"So, you want to go back to our motel?"

"Yes, we might as well check out of there." Yves said. "If we're really lucky, we may not need another hotel." 

The hopeful expression of Jimmy's face made Yves regret her remark. "Do you think we'll find them that soon?" he asked.

"Let's keep our fingers crossed."




After checking out they headed straight for the hotel the taxi driver had mentioned. They found it without any difficulty, parked the car and headed for the front door. The doorman smiled at them. "Good morning," he said. "Welcome to the Doubletree Club Hotel." 

The lobby was large and expensively furnished. An enormous flower arrangement dominated the center of the lobby; it's colors reflecting off the highly polished tile floor. Jimmy and Yves stepped up to the marble counter where a uniformed clerk greeted them. 

"Good morning. How may I assist you?"

Yves took the lead this time. She checked the clerk's nametag. "Good morning, Robert. We would like to leave a message for some friends of ours."

"No problem," Robert said consulting his computer. "What is their room number?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," Yves told him.

"That's all right. If you'll just give me the name they're registered under, I can get that room number for you."

"Jesse Shook," Yves said using the alias Frohike had given to get on the airplane in Seattle. 

The young man studied his screen. "Hmm, I show no one by that name registered with the hotel. Do you spell that S-H-O-O-K?" 

"Yes."

He typed in a few more commands but still had no luck. He looked back up at Yves. "What day did they register?" 

"December 31," Yves said.

Robert put that information into the computer but still had no luck. "Could they have registered under a different name?"

"You know," Yves said pretending that the idea had not occurred to her, "that is a possibility." She gave a little laugh. "He has this crazy ex-girl friend that keeps stalking him but I can't image what name he might use." She was silent for a moment as if lost in thought, then asked, "Do you think you would recognize them if I had a photograph of them?" 

"I might," the clerk said.

Yves turned to Jimmy. "Do you still have that picture with you?"

"Sure." Jimmy said handing it to her. Yves slid it across the counter to the clerk. 

The clerk studied the photograph carefully. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't recognize them." He slid the photo back across the counter to Yves. She left it where it was.

"Is there someone else you can ask?" Yves said turning to look at the other desk clerks who were doing menial tasks during a slow point in the day. 

The clerk picked up the picture and took it over to his coworkers. They passed it around and there was a general shaking of heads and negative responses. Robert brought the picture back to Yves and Jimmy. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can be of no help. What time of day would your friends have checked in?"

"It would have been later in the evening. Say, 9:30 or so."

"You should come back after dinner when the night clerks are on duty. They may be able to help you."

"Thank you, Robert," Yves said. 

Once they were back outside, Jimmy said, "Isn't there someone else we can talk to. There must be someone else."

"He's right, Jimmy," Yves reassured him. "They would have checked in late in the evening. These people wouldn't have been here at that time. We need to come back later. We should have better luck then."

"Well, what should we do until then?"

"If they are in this hotel, we should get a hit on the scanner," said Yves. Jimmy brightened considerably at this suggestion.

"You're right. I should have checked it before we went inside. Then we would have known for sure that they're here." He made as if to take off running for the car but Yves grabbed his arm. 

"Slow down," Yves said nodding toward a passing hotel security car. "We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves." The car stopped and the driver was taking a close look at the two of them. Yves, once again, put her arm through Jimmy's and smiled up at him. "Smile at me and laugh, so he thinks we're just two guests heading out for the day."

Jimmy did what Yves suggested. He didn't find it too difficult with her holding onto him like that. 

Once they reached the car, Jimmy climbed back into the driver's seat. As soon as Yves was buckled, she said, "Pull out of the parking lot and drive around the corner. Otherwise, the friendly security guard will come around to check on us again."

Jimmy started the engine and backed out of the parking space. Once they had exited the lot, he reached blindly behind the seat to try to find the scanner. "It's not there," Yves said. "I packed it. I didn't want to leave it in the car over night. Pull over up here. We're far enough away that the security guard will take no notice."

Before he got the engine turned off, Yves was up and out of the car. "Jimmy, pop the trunk."

He fumbled around trying to locate the latch. He pulled the first one he found. "That's the gas tank," Yves said coming up beside the car to shut it. "Try the one in front of it."

He pulled the other latch. "Thank you," Yves said. 

Jimmy tried to watch what she was doing in the rearview mirrors but with the trunk open, he couldn't see much. She slammed the trunk closed and came back around the car with the scanner in her hands. She opened the door, got in and handed the scanner to Jimmy. He turned it on and checked that it was still set on the correct frequency to pick up Emma's bugs.

For just a few moments, it did nothing. Jimmy could feel his heart beating in his throat. Please, let it show that Emma was here! 

Yves watched from the passenger seat. It was taking too long. It should be warmed up by now. If they were at this hotel, the signal would be very strong. There should be no doubt. 

They both jumped when the alarm went off. Jimmy had forgotten to turn down the volume. It continued to shriek as Jimmy said, "It's them! We've found them!"






Chapter 6

 

 


Yves held her hands over her ears. "Jimmy!" she shouted, "Turn it down before it splits my eardrums!"

He shut off the noise, handed Yves the scanner, and then turned the key to start the engine. Yves put her hand over his on the gearshift so that he would not put the car into drive. "Hold on," she said. "We can't just go charging back inside. We need to proceed with caution."

"But Frohike and Emma are there," Jimmy said. "Let's just go get them."

"Patience. We don't know that Frohike is there nor can we be certain Emma is either. What if it's just an extra pair of shoes? Let's think about this for a second." 

Jimmy shut off the engine. "Okay, you could be right. Frohike did put a bunch of those little bugs in Emma's shoes." He held out his hand for the scanner. "Can I see?" Yves gave it back to him. He looked carefully at the screen adjusting the controls as he did so. He set it for a much closer range. Yves leaned towards him to see what he was doing. 

Jimmy sat silently for several minutes watching the readout. He finally sighed and said, "It's not moving. You're probably right. It might be just an extra pair of shoes."

"But we do know they're staying here," Yves said. "It's just a matter of time now. If we don't see them by the time the evening shift comes on, we can check into this hotel. That will give us a legitimate reason to wander about inside. " Yves looked around the area in which Jimmy had parked the car. There were other cars parked there as well. "This will do for now. We can take turns watching the scanner for any sign of movement." 

"That sounds like a good plan," Jimmy said but in truth sitting and waiting was the last thing he wanted to do. He had to trust Yves's experience in these matters though. And he did trust her. He knew she had Emma and Frohike's best interest at heart. He settled back in the seat and looked at his watch. It was only 8:45 AM. This could become a very long day. He looked down the street and spotted a McDonald's. Embarrassingly, that was enough to make his stomach growl. 

Yves heard the sound, too. She took the scanner out of his hands. "Why don't we go get some breakfast?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jimmy didn't want to take any chances on missing them.

"It's not that far and I'll watch the scanner the whole time." He still hesitated. "Go ahead. It will be fine." 

Jimmy started the engine and pulled away from the curb. "Do you think we should call Byers and Langly?" he asked.

"No, I think we should wait."

"I think so, too." Jimmy didn't want to say out loud what they were both thinking. They didn't want to get Byers's and Langly's hopes up until they knew for sure their two missing friends had been located.


It was a long boring day. Jimmy became more and more restless wanting to take the scanner and search the hotel for Frohike and Emma's room. After some discussion, they decided that they should've just checked into the hotel. They would probably be spending at least one more night in LA anyway and this was definitely a better choice than the dive in which they had stayed the previous night. 

But they were stuck in the car not willing to miss Frohike and Emma leaving or entering the hotel. So, they had nothing to do but watch the scanner and talk. Jimmy did most of the talking. Yves figured if she encouraged him to tell her about himself it would keep him from impulsively running off. She got him to talk about living in the warehouse with the guys. Yves listened to this with a certain amount of morbid curiosity. She had seen how the guys worked together but how they actually got along with the day-to-day household business was a mystery. She couldn't imagine how these four men managed without strangling each other. 

Listening to Jimmy talk, she realized they were actually rather organized. The addition of Emma to their lives had made them even more so. Meals had been haphazard before she came. If anyone felt like cooking a meal for everyone, it was enjoyed by all but investigations, stakeouts and working until all hours of the night meant more pizza boxes and styrofoam food containers than decently prepared meals. 

They all took turns with the daily cleanup of dishes but with a child on the premises, regular meals became a necessity. Once school started in the fall and Frohike had moved Emma back to the house, the other three fell back into their old habits. They began to miss the home cooked meals and started getting into arguments over who got to pick Emma up from school or take her to dance lessons. Who ever got the job, stayed for dinner. 

Jimmy rather sheepishly admitted that, on some nights, the other two would show up at about dinnertime with important business to discuss with Frohike. Soon it became obvious what was going on and Frohike just planned meals for five instead of two or three. Jimmy knew Emma didn't mind. She enjoyed their company and had the pleasure of paying for the groceries out of her household account: something she was not allowed to do while staying at the warehouse. 

When he tired of that subject, Jimmy talked about his time working with the blind football players. He had been very devoted to these men and felt personally responsible for the break up of the team when the Gunmen discovered that his funding was just a front for some pretty nasty criminals. 

Yves could tell that these events and the fact that his team had been disbanded was still a major disappointment for him. She led the conversation in another direction.

"Did you play football professionally?"

"No, I got drafted but I never got to play a game."

"What about college? Did you play college football?"

"Yes, I did."

"What was your degree in?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I never finished. I got drafted by the NFL before my senior year."

"That's too bad. What were you majoring in?"

"I was trying to get a degree in Social Work."

Yves nodded. This made sense to her. He was one of those people who seemed to understand who and what you were just by talking to you for a few minutes. His ability to trust people was something Yves wished she could emulate. Strangers trusted him because they sensed his desire to help them. 

"Why didn't you go back and finish your degree?"

"I wasn't doing that well in the first place. My grades were terrible. I'm not much for reading and studying. No one really seemed to care. My parents always expected me to be a football player. My two older brothers tried to make it in the big time but didn't get as close as I did. I really didn't have much choice."

"What would you have done instead of football?"

"Something like what I'm doing now."

"Uncovering conspiracies?"

"Well, yeah, there's always that but I just want to help people. Me and the guys, that's what we do. We help people."

Yves smiled at his sincerity and his obvious pride at being included in the Gunmen's work.

"What do your two brothers do now?"

"Well, one coaches high school football. That's Steve. Then there's Mike. He doesn't really do anything. He got hurt pretty bad playing college ball and can't do much without his back hurting him."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Jimmy shrugged again. "He's used to it. He's always got some big plan for get rich quick schemes. He tells Steve, mom and dad and me that this is the big one, the one that will make him so much money that he will support all of us for the rest of our lives."

Yves worried that this meant Jimmy's brother conned him out of money to finance these schemes. "Has he had much luck?"

Jimmy laughed. "Once he got someone to give him money for this crazy invention. It was a high-speed washer/drier combo. The only problem was that every now and then it would shred the clothes and set them on fire. He's lucky no one got really hurt." Jimmy smiled and shook his head. "I love my brother but he needs to get real. He has managed to get a couple of patents on different inventions though. He keeps saying that one day, they will pay off." He laughed again. "The rest of us just humor him." 

"Does he ever ask you or your parents for money?"

"He used to."

"But not any more?"

"No. I think he got tired of asking."

"That's good."

Jimmy turned to look closely at Yves. "What? Are you worried about me and my folks?" he asked with a sly grin.

"No, well, maybe…" Yves fumbled for the correct thing to say without offending him. "I just wouldn't want to see anyone lose their life savings on some poorly thought out get-rich-quick scheme."

Noting an extra pinkness to her cheeks that had not been there earlier, Jimmy nodded. "Oh, okay. If you say so." Yves became overly interested in the scanner while she regained her composure. 

Jimmy was getting tired of talking about himself and tried to shift the focus of the conversation. "So what about you? Did you go to college?"

"Yes, but it was terribly uneventful. Tell me more about your mother and father. Where do they live? Are they retired?" 

And so it went. Every time Jimmy attempted to turn the conversation to Yves's family or childhood she would brush it off and ask him about his past. Jimmy knew enough not to ask about Yves's father. He was an evil man and Yves wanted nothing to do with him. But he strongly suspected that Yves's mother had been someone special. He had seen her around enough kids, especially Emma, to know that at some point early in her life she must have been loved and cherished. 

Some of his classes in college had shown him what neglect and abuse can do to a child. If they do not learn how to care about others at an early age, they never will learn. In fact, they are incapable of loving anyone at all. He knew that Yves could and did care about him, the other Gunmen and Emma. She had been willing to risk her own life to save the Gunmen from her father. Yet she still kept her distance, not allowing any of them into her private world. 

Occasionally, she slipped up but these occurrences were few and far between. This trip to bring Frohike and Emma home might be Jimmy's best chance to get past her reserve, to give her the opportunity to see that he could be trusted as much as he trusted her.

At about 4:30, Jimmy's cell phone rang. It was Byers saying that he and Langly had found nothing new. He then asked if Jimmy had talked to the cab driver. "Yeah, we did." Yves shook her head vigorously at Jimmy. "Hang on, Byers." He covered the cell phone with his hand. "What?" 

Yves kept her voice low. "Don't tell him about the scanner."

"I won't," Jimmy assured her. He put the phone back to his ear. "We're waiting at the hotel the taxi driver dropped them off at. He said it was like 9:30 when he left them here. So, we're waiting for the night shift to come on duty so we can talk to them."

"Okay, sounds good. We haven't found anything new. Call us when you have something definite."

"Got it." Jimmy flipped his phone closed and put it back in his pocket. "That wasn't lying, was it?" Jimmy didn't want to lie to his friend. 

"No, Jimmy," Yves reassured him. "Everything you said was true. Hopefully, we'll have good news for them later."


By 7 PM there had been no movement on the scanner. While sitting and waiting, they discussed the possible reasons for this. Maybe Frohike was out looking for a job or a place to live. Maybe he was allowing himself and Emma some time to play tourist to help ease the pain of leaving their home or to acquaint themselves with their new surroundings. 

Jimmy pulled the car back into the parking lot of the hotel. He and Yves got out and retrieved their luggage from the trunk. The evening shift had come on duty. 

Yves ran through her routine again, hoping that one of these clerks had seen Frohike and/or Emma. No one seemed to remember them, although only a few of the clerks had worked that evening. Since it had been New Year's Eve, those who could manage it had gotten the evening off. All of the banquet rooms had been rented out to large groups for New Year's parties, which just added to the confusion. Most of the night, it had been difficult to tell which people were guests and which were not.

It would have been nice to know that someone had seen Frohike and Emma but they still had the scanner. If nothing else, Yves and Jimmy could locate their room.

Yves checked them in. She chose to get a suite with two bedrooms instead of two separate rooms. Jimmy saw how much the big room cost but waited until they were walking away from the counter to protest.

"Yves, the room is too expensive. We don't need something so fancy."

"I can afford it. Don't worry about it."

"But it's not right for you to keep paying for stuff like this. I've still got reward money left from the summer." 

They reached the elevator and Yves pushed the button. "Save your money. This is the least I can do to help." The elevator doors opened and they stepped in. 

"You're doing a lot to help. I couldn't have done this without you," Jimmy insisted.

"That's nice of you to say, but I think the suite is a good idea," Yves told him. From Jimmy's look, Yves figured she needed to explain her thinking. "When we find them," she refused to say 'if we find them', "we'd be better off keeping them with us. We'll need the bigger room for that."

Jimmy could understand her logic. He wouldn't put it past Frohike to deceive them. He would agree that he needed to bring Emma back to DC then take off again once they were left alone for the night. 

The suite was on the tenth floor. They opened the door with a card key. Jimmy gawked at the deluxe accommodations. There was a real bar with a sink and everything and a glass topped table with dining room chairs around it. There was a leather couch and a couple of easy chairs that faced a large TV on the far wall. 

"Hey, is this basket of fruit for us?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," said Yves from the room she had chosen. She dropped her bag on the upholstered bench seat at the end of the bed. She came back into the living room area to find Jimmy eating a pear. 

"I'm sorry," he said around a mouthful. "I'm hungry." The last thing he had eaten were the hot dogs from the gas station where he had gone to use the facilities. Yves had declined the one he'd bought her. "You must be starving, he told her. "You haven't eaten since breakfast."

"I'm fine," Yves insisted. "Where's the scanner?"

"The scanner!" said Jimmy quickly rummaging through his bag where he had left it on a chair just inside the door. He found it and checked the read out. It had changed because he and Yves had moved but it didn't look like Emma or Frohike had. He watched it for a minute to be sure.

"When do you think it will be safe to go find their room?" Jimmy asked.

"Now that we're registered guests, we're pretty much free to roam the halls."

"Let's go then." Taking the scanner, Jimmy headed for the door.

"In a moment," Yves said. She went back into her room and returned with a small electronic device. "If there's no one there when we find the room, I'll set up this surveillance camera to watch their door. Then we won't be tied to the scanner."

Leaving the room, they located the stairway. They allowed the door to close behind them while they studied the scanner. "What do you think?" Yves asked. "Up or down?"

"Stay here, " Jimmy said. He climbed the stairs slowly watching the readout and listening for any variations in the soft pinging the machine was making. Within seconds, he returned to where Yves was standing. "It's got to be one of the floors below us." Jimmy headed down the stairs with Yves following closely behind him. 

When they were about halfway down the fifth flight of stairs, Jimmy stopped. "Wait. We need to go back up." He glanced at the door they had just passed. There was a small sign posted near it that said 'Floor 6'. "They must be on the sixth floor."

Going up the stairs, Yves reached the door first and opened it. The stairway was at the end of the hall. Seeing that no one was around, she pushed the door open all the way, allowing Jimmy to step through it. He walked slowly forward with his head down to keep an eye on the readout. The machine was pinging much faster now and as he moved the sounds came closer and closer together until there was no pause between them. This steady humming meant they were right on top of the bug. 

Jimmy stopped and looked around. "Are you sure this is right?" Yves asked. They were standing by the elevators. Jimmy walked forward a little more but turned around and came back almost immediately. 

"It's got to be back this way," he said. But taking only a couple of steps in the direction from which they had come showed him that he was moving away from the source of the signal. Shaking his head he moved back to the spot in front of the elevator doors. Yves came to stand next to him to check the readout for herself. 

"It's here by the elevator some where," Yves confirmed. She studied the doors, running her fingers along the edges. "It would have to be somewhere that housekeeping wouldn't notice…at least for a while." 

On the floor between the two sets of doors was a large leafed plant. Yves began running her hands over the individual leaves. Near the bottom, where one of the biggest leaves connected to the central stalk, she found the tiny electronic bug. She pulled it out and wrapped her fingers tightly around it, regretting what she had to do next.

She turned and opened her hand to let Jimmy see. His emotions ran unchecked across his face: disappointment, sadness, a flash of anger then, finally, grim determination. He turned off the scanner and took the tiny electronic bug out of Yves hand. He dropped it onto the hard tile floor then, stepping on it, he ground it to bits with a twisting motion of his heel. 

"Why did you do that?" Yves asked in dismay. 

"It would be a lot harder to find a new bug with this one still transmitting."

Yves hated to see it destroyed. "There must have been a way to turn it off?"

"I don't really care. We've wasted enough time." He turned the scanner back on and studying the readout, made a slow 360-degree turn. He found nothing. Absolutely nothing registered on the scanner. He pressed the off switch. 

Jimmy punched the up button on the elevator and stood silently staring at the doors as if willing them to open that much faster. 

"Jimmy," Yves said to get his attention. The doors opened before she could say anything else. Jimmy stepped inside and waited for Yves before hitting the button to the tenth floor. She hesitated a moment, then also got in the elevator. "Jimmy," she said again.

"We'll talk in the room." 

Yves had never seen him like this before. She had worried that he would be upset if they didn't find Frohike and Emma but she had not expected the coldness she sensed in him now. It bothered her. His emotions had pretty much always been an open book. But now he seemed completely shut off or shut down. Yves could only watch for some sign of what he was feeling as the elevator ascended. 

Jimmy waited for Yves to exit the elevator ahead of him then walked in silence to the room. Yves had the keycard and swiped it in the lock. Once inside, Jimmy walked into Yves's room and came back with the bag containing her laptop. He set it down on the table, pulled out a chair and turned to look at her where she stood just inside the door. "There are security cameras by the front desk," he said. "Can you see if they show Frohike registering at the hotel or not?"

This had not occurred to Yves. The positive reading on the scanner had made her too complacent. She could have done this hack from the car and saved a great deal of time. She came over to the table and sat down while Jimmy pushed the chair in for her. "Thank you," she said as she opened the bag and pulled out her laptop.

It took longer to hack into the security cameras at the hotel then it did to spot Frohike on them. They saw him walk past the front desk without stopping. Then about ten minutes later, he walked back the other way, once again without coming up to the desk. Yves recorded these two clips to show Langly and Byers.

Yves continued to watch the video hoping he had come back sometime later. Jimmy sat silently for a while also viewing the video. He gave up before Yves did and started pacing around the room. "Frohike's leading us on a wild goose chase," he said. "He's making fools of us by forcing us to waste our time." 

Yves disconnected from the hotel security system and stood up from the table. "I believe you're right, Jimmy," her eyes following him as he moved around the room. 

Yves continued. "Frohike knew we'd track him at least this far and this is his way of saying, 'Give up and go home'."

Jimmy stopped pacing and came over to Yves. He had several questions he wanted to ask that he knew she could not answer. Most of them began with "Why?" He started to say the first one out loud but knew it was pointless. Giving up, he sank back down in his chair. 

Yves was relieved to see that the cold, emotionless Jimmy had disappeared to be replaced by the one with whom she was familiar. And he was hurting. Disappointment and sadness were winning out over anger and resentment. Wanting to offer some comfort, Yves stepped closer to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. Jimmy turned to face her, hesitated a second then stood up and put both his arms around her, gently pulling her into an embrace. 

Yves returned the hug telling him, "No matter what he does, we're not giving up." Jimmy released her so he could see her face. "I promise you," Yves continued, "we will find them. He may think he's good, but we're just as good. They're going to slip up at some point and then we'll have them."


There were a couple of other possibilities they needed to check before they could be certain they had covered everything. One was to talk to the doorman who had been on duty on New Year's Eve to see if he had spotted Frohike and Emma. 

Jimmy and Yves decided to have dinner in the hotel when they found out that the doorman they wanted would not be on duty until 9:00 PM. The restaurant was rather fancy and Jimmy felt underdressed. "You look fine," Yves told him. 

During dinner they discussed what they would tell Byers and Langly. Jimmy insisted on doing this himself. Yves chose not to argue with him over it. They decided that since they had not told either Gunman about the bug that a straightforward approach would be the best. "How about, we didn't find out anything except that Frohike tried to trick us by planting a bug in the hotel?" Jimmy asked. 

"That sounds good," Yves said. "Tells them all they need to know without getting their hopes up."

"Okay, good, I'll call them later." Jimmy looked at his watch. "Wow, it will be kind of late there if I wait until we talk to the doorman."

Yves checked her watch. "Yes, it will but they're going to want to know if we've talked to everyone who might know anything. I doubt they'll be asleep at that point."

"Yeah, I know, but it makes me think we should wait until morning."

"They're big boys. They can handle it and I'm sure they're anxious for any news."

Jimmy nodded. She was right of course so he decided to bring up something else that was weighing heavily on his mind. "About earlier," he paused to see if she was listening, "I want to apologize."

"For what?"

"I was upset but I know that's no reason to invade your privacy."

"What? You mean going into my room to get the laptop? That's no big deal."

Jimmy shook his head, his embarrassment showing. "Well, yeah, I'm sorry about that, too, but I meant the hug. I didn't have permission to do that and I'm sorry if I was too pushy."

Yves smiled and reached out to pat his hand thinking the personal contact would give more weight to her words. "It was an unusual situation. Don't worry about it. I'm not."

Yves could see him relax a little. He went back to eating his meal of a steak and baked potato. She was surprised by the fact that he felt he needed her express permission to hug her. Most guys she knew would not have hesitated to be so familiar with her. Sometimes they seemed to be all arms and had no concern for her feelings at all. Total strangers would walk up to her in a bar and drop their arms around her shoulders pulling her close and making lewd suggestions to her. Then there was Jimmy, someone who she felt relatively comfortable around and he was worried that he had offended her. 


As they suspected, the doorman did not recognize Frohike or Emma. There had been too many partygoers there that evening to single out these two individuals. Jimmy had a thought that he figured might help. "The little girl," Jimmy said pointing to the photograph the doorman was holding, "was dressed like a boy. She was wearing a jean jacket, a stocking cap, Air Jordan shoes and was carrying a backpack. I think she might have waited out here in the driveway while her dad went inside to drop something off."

"Wait, I do remember him, uh, her!" the doorman exclaimed. "She stood over there in the far corner for several minutes. I kept watching her wondering what she was up, too. She would never look at me. That's what made me keep an eye on her because she looked like she was trying to hide something."

"Did you see where she went?" Yves asked. 

"No, I'm sorry. We were so busy that night I didn't see her leave."

"That's all right," Yves said. "Thank you for your help."


There was nothing left for Jimmy and Yves to do in Los Angeles unless Byers and Langly had some new information. This was doubtful, as Byers had promised to let them know if they found anything. Back in their hotel room, Jimmy made the call to break the bad news to the other Gunmen.

Byers listened carefully to all Jimmy had to say. His reply was short and to the point. "Come home."



Chapter 7

 


The bell rang at Melbourne Junior High School to signal the end of the day. The doors opened and students scattered in all directions. Some climbed into waiting cars, others into yellow school buses. Many of them walked off in pairs or small groups, each with a backpack full of homework slung over one shoulder. Another group headed past the palm tree lined building to a central courtyard where the bike rack was located. They jostled for position to be the first to unlock their bikes. One 7th grade girl stood back and let the others go ahead of her. It wasn't worth the pushing to get out of there a minute faster and she had already gotten in trouble twice for fighting. She'd been told if it happened again that suspension was certain and expulsion was a possibility. 

When the bikes on each side of hers were gone, she stepped into the empty space and bent down to unlock it. She inadvertently bumped another girl with her backpack. 

"Hey, watch what you're doing!" the 8th grader yelled. 

"Sorry, it was an accident," Anne explained. 

"Yeah, right. Like the time you punched Debbie Lawson. I bet that was just an accident, too." 

Anne sighed and said again, "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time." 

"You'd better," the older girl sneered at her. 

Keeping her face hidden, Anne managed to get her bike free of the rack. She climbed on it and pedaled away quickly. The wind and the warm sunny afternoon quickly dried the tears on her cheeks but didn't quiet her mind. In only three weeks, she had managed to make so many enemies. It seemed like every time she walked down the hall someone was whispering about her or worse yet, going out of their way to make her life miserable. 

Simple things like standing in her way so she couldn't pass, bumping into her in the hallway or claiming all the seats were taken at their tables during lunch. One day she'd had enough and had pushed back and got sent to the principal's office.

After a phone call from the school counselor, Anne's father tried to explain the other kids' behavior by saying this was a small town and the rest of the kids had known each other since preschool. He said that they just needed to get to know her and then they would see the wonderful person he knew and loved and that Anne would have to give them a chance. She had hugged him and thanked him but knew he couldn't really understand what she was going through. 

The worst incident had been when one of the students squirted shampoo into her locker. Most of her books got soaked and had to be replaced. After PE two days later, one of the girls, Debbie Lawson, had made a big deal of saying that she was all out of shampoo and wondered if Anne had any extra she could spare. Anne had accused Debbie of ruining her books and an argument had ensued. Push literally came to shove and Anne had thrown the first punch.

Her dad had to have a face-to-face conversation with the principal after that incident. Anne's talk with her father had not been as amiable and understanding afterwards. A planned trip to Disney World had been postponed as punishment. There were also many reminders that she needed to keep a low profile; that drawing so much attention to herself was defeating the purpose of being in Florida in the first place.

Anne felt bad that she was causing her father so much extra stress but she just couldn't help herself sometimes. Most of the other kids at school seemed okay and didn't bother her but some of them had taken this instant disliking to her. She figured it must be something she had done wrong and she didn't understand what it was. She missed her old school and her friends. There was so much she missed about her life that it physically hurt to think about it. She tried not to as much as possible. 

There were some things about her new life that she did like though. One was Amy. Anne had always wondered what it would be like to have a big sister. She figured Amy was as close as she could get to that. Amy was so nice. She let them live in her house. Anne even had her own room. They told everyone that Anne's dad was Amy's uncle and that Anne was her cousin. 

Amy had two dogs. They were both Shih Tzus, which are cute little dogs with lots of hair. Anne had always wanted a pet but had never been allowed one. Champ, one of the dogs, let Anne hold him like a baby. He was funny. When the dogs on TV barked, he would bark back at them. The other dog, Molly, took a little bit of warming up to but now that she was used to Anne she'd let her take her for walks around the neighborhood.

Amy's house was only two blocks from the ocean. Anne had to cross the highway to get there but she was always careful and enjoyed walking on the beach and gathering seashells. When her dad had asked her what she was going to do with all of them, Anne shrugged and said, "Collect them." She wasn't allowed to keep them in the house because most of them were quite smelly but Amy had given her a spot in the small backyard in which to display them.

Another thing Anne liked about Florida was the place her father worked. It was called Andretti Thrill Park. His job was repairing and maintaining the go karts but there were many other activities at the park as well. One Saturday, when he was working overtime, Anne had gone with him and spent the day playing miniature golf and riding the go karts. But her favorite ride was the bumper boats. They had water canons attached to them and it was great fun to get the other riders wet. Her dad had not been pleased to see how wet she had gotten. "Next time," Anne said with a shrug, " I'll bring a change of clothes."

Amy's bookstore was another great spot. Anne went there everyday after school so that she would not be home alone until everyone else got off work. The shop was called Sunrise Books. 

Riding into the strip mall parking lot where Sunrise Books was located, Anne found Amy's green Ford Explorer and set her bike up on the bike rack on the back of the vehicle. This had been difficult the first few times she'd done it but now she could do it without looking. Picking her backpack up off the pavement, she headed into the store. 

Amy was behind the counter helping a customer. Amy was about 30, very pretty, wore glasses and had really curly hair. Anne wished her hair were something other than completely straight. To have curly hair like Amy's would be fun. 

Amy looked up, noticed Anne and smiled. Switching her attention to the elderly lady she was waiting on, she handed the woman her change. "Thank you, Mrs. Evans. Come again soon." 

With no other customers waiting, Amy turned back to Anne. "Hi, Annie. How was school?"

Anne set her heavy backpack up on the counter. "It was okay."

"Only okay?" Amy asked, her voice showing her concern.

"Yeah. Some eighth grade girl got nasty after school but I just ignored her like my dad told me."

"That's good. He'll be pleased to hear that." Amy glanced at Anne's full backpack. "Do you have a lot of homework?"

"Some, not too much." Amy knew that Anne had started carrying all her textbooks all the time so that her dad would not have to pay for another set. "Why don't you go do it? Then you can help me with the new shipment of books that came today."

"You'll wait until I'm done?" Anne asked excitedly. Opening the new boxes of books was like opening presents and Anne loved the job.

"I've waited all day for you to get here," Amy said.

Anne grabbed her backpack off the counter and headed for the big round table in the children's section where she usually sat to do her homework. Often young customers would come and watch what she was doing but she didn't mind. Once a mother had chided her son by saying, "Look, she does her homework without someone standing over her the whole time."

Anne spread her books out and considered where to start. Language Arts first, then Math, then she'd move to a beanbag chair to do the reading for Biology. When she got to the math she noticed that a little boy was peering around her arm. He considered the algebra equations she was working on. His eyes got big as he asked, "You can do all that math by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Wow, you must be smart!"

"Probably just as smart as you are. This is just big kid's math. I'll bet you're really good in math."

The little boy puffed up with the compliment. "Yes, I am," he said.

"Then when you're my age, you'll be able to do this, too."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Jeffery," his mother called out to him, "come pick a book and let the young lady finish her work." 

"Okay, Mom," Jeffery said without even turning to look at her.

"Bye, Jeffery," Anne said.

"What's your name?" he asked. 

Smiling at the friendly little boy, she answered without thinking, "Emma." She quickly corrected herself. "Anne!" and then more calmly, "My name is Anne."

"Bye, Anne."

"Bye."


It took Amy and Emma until after six o'clock to get all the new boxes of books opened and shelved. When the last customer had checked out, and the other employees had taken off for the night, Amy locked the front door. She hesitated for a minute with the key still in the lock. "I forgot to call your dad and see if he had any plans for dinner."

"He said he wanted to cook," Emma reminded Amy.

"Oh, that's right." Amy pulled the key out of the door and they left.


It was always nice to open the door upon returning home and smell food cooking. Dropping her backpack into its customary spot by the front door, Emma ran through the house into the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway because her dad had the oven open and was taking something in a pie plate out of it. He didn't see her at first giving Emma a chance to observe him without his knowledge. She was shocked at how tired and worn out he looked and she knew it was all her fault. Everything was her fault. 

When he thought there was a chance that someone could take Emma away from him, her dad had given up everything to keep her: his friends, his job, his home…his whole life. But he loved her and she loved him. He kept saying that this was enough, that this was all he really needed. Emma desperately wanted to believe him but cold logic told her it couldn't be true. Working on go karts was not what he was meant to do with his life. It was not his calling and he wasn't happy doing it. She didn't know how to fix it although she wanted to. 

Putting the dish on a trivet on the counter, Frohike turned and saw his daughter watching him. "Hi, honey, how was school?"

"Good!" she said to try to lighten her mood. "This girl got really mean after school but I just ignored her."

"You did? That's great!" He held his arms out in an invitation for a hug. Emma gladly accepted it. "I'm proud of you. I knew you could do it. You'll see, honey. Those kids will get to know you very soon and then there'll be no problem."

Emma smiled and nodded, not at all convinced. "What's for dinner?" she asked turning to look at what he had set down on the counter. "It smells good!"

"Chicken pot pie."

"Yum! Should I set the table?"

"Be my guest," Frohike said as he started to tear up lettuce for a salad. 

Amy came in with the mail. "Anything for me?" Emma asked in jest.

Amy held up a couple of envelopes. "Do you want to be 'Occupant'?" 

"Sure," Emma said taking the envelopes from her. "Ooh, look! I may already have won!"

Frohike laughed, "And what can you win?"

Emma used an important announcer man voice. "A new car, a new house or even $10,000,000!"

"The suspense is killing me," Frohike said turning back to the lettuce. "Did you win or not?"

Emma tore open the envelope with fake enthusiasm. "Well, no, not the big prizes but I can buy all these magazines at a reduced rate! Wow, that's exciting!"

Frohike laughed again. "Okay, lucky winner, go set the table."


After dinner, clean up and ascertaining that Emma had completed all her homework, Frohike showed them some DVDs he had rented. It was Friday and no one needed to get up early the next day. Amy made popcorn and everyone including the dogs found space on the couch to watch the movies. 


In the middle of the night, Amy thought she heard a noise. Getting up to make sure one of the dogs had not climbed into the bathtub again and couldn't get out, she checked the bathroom. All was quiet there. The sounds were coming from the kitchen. Amy flipped on the lights startling Emma. The dogs were with her hoping for a midnight snack. "What are you doing up?" Amy asked. She glanced at the glowing clock on the stove. "It's almost 2 in the morning. Couldn't you sleep?"

Emma seemed nervous. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep. I…um…came to get something to drink."

Amy wasn't sure if Emma was lying or not but something wasn't right. "Are you okay? Do you feel all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You're sure."

"Yes, I'm sure. I just couldn't sleep."

Amy took out a carton of orange juice and held it up. "You want some?"

"Sure."

Amy filled two small glasses and they took them to the table to drink them. 

"I couldn't sleep either," Amy said which wasn't entirely true but she thought it might get Emma talking. Emma slowly turned her glass of juice around and around but didn't drink any of it. Amy watched her still sensing that something wasn't right but not knowing how to approach it. She decided to try something else and hoped that Frohike wouldn't mind.

"Tell you what. Since you can't sleep and neither can I why don't we go down to the beach and see if there are any baby turtles hatching? The moon is bright enough so we might be able to see some."

Emma looked at Amy as if she'd had lost her senses. "Now? In the middle of the night? Dad would kill me if I went out in the middle of the night."

"It's Friday so you can sleep in. You'll be with me. The beach isn't that far. We can take the car and park at the beach access and walk north a little way. My friend Angie said she saw hatched turtle eggs there yesterday."

"But it's so dark we won't be able to see them."

"I have special flashlights we can use. They're tinted red so the turtles won't think it's the moon and get confused."

"But what if we get lost in the dark?"

"The lights from the Loggerhead Restaurant will show us the way back to the car. I've done it before. We'll be perfectly safe."

It sounded like an adventure but Emma wished her dad were awake so she could ask his permission. She didn't want to do anything else to cause problems for him. But there was no way she would wake him up and he had told her to do what Amy said. "Can we write my dad a note so he won't worry if he wakes up?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Amy had planned on doing this anyway.

They both went to change their clothes. Emma had to change hers again after Amy reminded her that even though they were in Florida, it was still January. While Emma hunted for the heavy jean jacket she had worn when she left Seattle, Amy wrote Frohike a note telling him where they had gone, what they were going to do and when they expected to be back. She included her cell phone number in case he had forgotten it. 

On the drive to the beach, Amy popped in the CD of the soundtrack from the movie "Two Weeks Notice". There were songs on it that both she and Emma enjoyed. Emma reached over and turned up the volume when her favorite song came on. They both sang along with it, volume being more important than quality in the performance. "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot, ooh bop bop bop, ooh bop bop bop." 

When the song got to the instrumental part, Emma asked Amy, "What's DDT?"

Amy turned down the music. "It was a pesticide that was very popular a number of years ago. They used it all over the place and it worked great on the bugs but it began to affect the birds. The shells on their eggs were so thin that the eggs would break in the nest before the babies could develop. That's why a lot of birds ended up on the endangered list."

"So that's what he means when he says, 'put away the DDT, leave me the birds and the bees'?"

"Yup."


When they reached the public access to the beach, they had to search Amy's car for the red tinted flashlights. "I know they're in here. Angie and I used them to come watch the turtles lay the eggs in October."

"So, that's how you guys know where to look for the babies?"

"Yup. Can you go look under the back seat?"

"Sure." Emma dug out books, magazines and assorted loose change. She reached way under the seat and felt a cool metallic surface. It was cylindrical in shape. She pulled it out and turned it on. "Hey, I found one."

"Oh, great!" Amy said. "Because here's the other one." She held up the mate to the first flashlight.

They walked up the beach quite a way. Emma kept turning around to check if she could still see the lights on the restaurant so she would be able to find her way back to the car. When she wasn't looking behind her, she was watching her feet because she didn't want to inadvertently step on any baby turtles. 

"There!" Amy called out pointing her light about four feet ahead of them. Emma looked and couldn't really see anything. Then she noticed a jerky movement in the sand. She saw it in several places. 

They moved a little closer going slowly so as not to frighten the newborns. Emma couldn't watch them all so focused on a small group heading for the water. Amy pointed up the beach after a few minutes and they walked up there to see the spot in the sand out of which the tiny loggerheads were struggling. Emma reached down to try to help one that couldn't seem to free itself from the sand. Amy grabbed her arm before Emma could touch it. "You can't touch them. It's against the law." Emma could only watch while the little turtle continued to struggle. Finally, it worked its way free. "And see, they can take care of themselves."

They followed the line of infants down the beach to where the waves tossed them back up the way they had come. Emma watched in amazement as each time they were thrown back up the beach. They just kept going. They never gave up. No matter how many times they had to traverse that last stretch of sand to the water's edge only to be swept backwards, they continued their single-minded struggle. 

Amazed by their tenacity, Emma forgot to watch the ocean and a rogue wave soaked her legs.

"Okay," said Amy, "we'd better go." She set a brisk pace back to the car. Although Emma was not completely wet, it was a cold night and Amy did not want to risk Emma getting hypothermia.

The walk kept Emma warm on the way to the car but even with the heat turned up all the way in the Explorer she was shivering for most of the drive home. When they got there, Amy told Emma to go take a shower making the water as hot as she could stand.

The sound of the shower woke Frohike who got up to check what was going on. Seeing Amy walk past his door with a clean towel, he stopped her. "Why is Emma in the shower at this time of night?"

Amy wondered how far back in the story to begin. "Neither of us could sleep so I took her to the beach to see the baby turtles hatch. I hope you don't mind. She seemed," Amy searched for the right words, "out of sorts and I was trying to do something to cheer her up. I'm sorry I didn't check with you first but we didn't want to wake you."

Frohike knew that Amy's intentions were good and he couldn't blame her for trying to help Emma. "It's okay, Amy. But don't hesitate to have Emma wake me if you want to do something like this in the future. I would rather know where you are and that you're safe then worry about a little lost sleep."

"Okay, no problem," Amy assured him.

"So, why is she in the shower?" Frohike repeated the question.

"She got a little wet. I wanted her to warm up."

Frohike snorted. "A little wet? I bet it was closer to soaked. Let me guess. She wasn't paying attention."

"She only got her legs wet and yes, neither of us was paying attention."

"But you didn't get wet." He took the towel out of her hands. "I'll take care of her. Why don't you go back to bed?"

"All right. Good night."

"Good night. And Amy?" she turned back to look at him. "Thanks," Frohike said. "Thanks for everything."



* * * * * * * *




Chapter 8


Langly dragged out of bed far earlier than he would have before their lives had taken such a nasty turn. Jimmy and Byers were up and working downstairs. Byers was doing some research. Jimmy was doing some cleaning. He had collected all the dirty dishes to take upstairs to wash, swept up the bits and pieces of stuff that accumulated on the floor, and was now doing some filing. This was a skill at which he had become quite adept and was proud of it. He even knew what adept meant.

Langly stood at the bottom of the stairs in his boxers, a t-shirt that had seen too many wearings without any washings and his robe, which he didn't bother to tie closed. "Tell me they left a message this time!"

Byers didn't look up from his computer monitor. "Nope. No message."

"How long are we going to put up with this crap before you let me do something about it?"

Byers finally turned around and considered his cranky friend. "Langly, if it's someone who is trying to get up the nerve to leave us important information, it's worth the occasional disruption in the middle of the night."

"Occasional disruption! That was the third time this week that moron called in the middle of my beauty sleep." Langly headed back upstairs to get something to eat. 

Byers sighed and went back to what he was doing. They had all been running on not enough sleep, too much coffee and way too much stress. Tempers were very short and there was none of the light-hearted teasing that usually accompanied the more stressful moments. 

It had been two weeks since Jimmy and Yves had come back from Los Angeles empty handed. That was a difficult time. They had come so close to finding Frohike and Emma. They couldn't allow themselves to wallow in self-pity though. They still needed to put out the paper. There were some leads they could follow in their search to find the missing Gunman and his daughter. They were not good leads but they were better than nothing. 

Byers was still holding out hope for a hit in the pharmacy searches in the greater Los Angeles area. Emma would eventually need refills on her asthma medication. He came across a couple of possibilities but when he researched them further, none of them paid off. 

There was the hack into the IRS main server. Yves and Byers had accomplished that one but with no luck. They had left themselves an opening so that they could get in at anytime to check again but there was still no one listed with Frohike's alias. They found a man with an identical name who was the right age in Seattle but he was listed as a kindergarten teacher so it wasn't Frohike. 


There was another phone call the next night, only at three in the morning this time. "I'm telling you, Byers. It's just some kid at an all night job that is bored out of his mind. Are you going to let Zippy over at Jack in the Box continue to wake us up in the middle of the night just to get his jollies?"

Even Byers was considering the possibility that it was some prankster and not a legitimate caller who was just too shy to say anything. "All right, Langly. What do you suggest we do?"

"I'll just stay up and wait for the phone to ring." 

"You could have done that at anytime," Byers said.

Langly glanced from Byers to Jimmy. "You two have to agree to let me sleep most of the day if I'm going to pull an all nighter."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Jimmy said.

"Yeah? That means no shooting baskets against the wall outside. That racket wakes me up every time."

"All right," Jimmy agreed. "No, basketball."

"And you," Langly said pointing at Byers. "No damn opera music. I hate that shit."

"Fine, no loud music," Byers agreed. "Anything else, my lord?" he asked sarcastically. 

Langly tipped his head back to strike a haughty pose. "For now, minions, that will be all. I will alert you if my needs are not adequately met."

"Make sure you tape the call," Byers insisted. "and answer the phone like you would during the day."

"Why? Anyone with half a brain would know it's the middle of the night here."

"What if it's someone who just wants to talk to a person and not a machine?" Jimmy asked Langly. "That could be why they keep hanging up."

Langly smirked. "They should still know what time of day it is. No one is that stupid."

Jimmy's imagination was off and running. "Hey, what if it's like some guy being held captive overseas and the only time he can get to the phone is when his kidnappers are off having lunch or something so that's the only time he can call us to tell us his story but he has to hang up too soon to leave a message because he doesn't have time before he hears them coming back."

Byers and Langly sat in stunned silence. Jimmy gave a slightly embarrassed shrug at his outburst and said, "Hey, it could happen."

Langly got up and patting Jimmy on the shoulder said, "Sure it could. Yeah, I'm sure you're right. That must be what it is."

"It's just as likely as Zippy out at the Jack in the Box," Jimmy insisted.


Late that night, Langly sat playing an online role-playing game with some guys out in Australia. They were pretty good but not as good as he was. At least they presented him with some sort of challenge. This helped keep him awake. He kept looking at his watch. It was getting to be about that time: the middle of the stinking night. He checked the tape recorder to make sure it was working properly. It was good to go.

When the phone finally did ring at about 2:45 AM he was so deeply into the game that the noise made him jump. He hit the record button on the tape machine, let the phone ring one more time and picked up the receiver. 

"Lone Gunman Group. Ringo Langly speaking." All he heard was a sharp intake of breath and then the receiver being slammed down. The line went dead. 



* * * * * * * *



Oh, God! No one had ever answered the phone before! In the middle of the night, it always went to the voice mail. Always. And hanging up the phone like that was really loud. Someone was bound to get up to investigate. Grabbing her phone card off the kitchen counter, Emma tiptoed quickly back towards her room. She met her father in the hallway. He appeared to be half asleep. "Emma, what was that noise and why are you up?"

She slipped the phone card into the pocket of her robe. "I was in the bathroom. I knocked something off the sink. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Frohike looked at Emma, then glanced back towards the kitchen where she had been, then the other way towards the bathroom where she said she'd been. Emma held her breath to see if he was awake enough to figure out what a terrible liar she was. 

He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards her room. "Go back to bed. It's late."

"I know, Dad. Good night!" She quickly retreated to her room. After hanging her robe on a hook on the back of the door, she sat down on the bed and turned on the bedside light. Opening the drawer on the nightstand, she dug around way in the back and pulled out a wad of shredded Kleenex. She carefully unwound the Kleenex to reveal the object it protected. 

Emma set the figure on the nightstand under the light and lay down in the bed facing the miniature Nazgul on his tiny running horse, it's intricate paint job making it seem almost real. 

The last time she had heard Langly's voice, they had argued about this figure. He had called while she was in Seattle and accused her of taking it. She said he must have lost it. Part of her still felt horribly guilty about taking it even though her intention was to save at least one of these miniature figures from his friends who got way too rowdy and would certainly ruin them all. But another part of her was glad she had it. It was something of Langly's that she could remember him by. She wished she also had something of John's and Jimmy's. But she didn't and if wishes were horses…well, at least she had one horse.

She called the warehouse in the middle of the night just to hear John on the voice mail message. But tonight it had backfired. Langly was still up and had answered the phone. It startled her to hear him say his name but it was good to hear his voice. 

Emma could feel herself falling back to sleep. She reached up and turned off the light. Picking up the tiny Nazgul on his horse, she put it under her pillow and, leaving her hand over it to protect it, fell back to sleep.



* * * * * * * *



When Langly got up late the next afternoon, he proudly played his tape for the other two. "See, I told you it was a kid! I scared the shit out of him!"

"Yeah, you're pretty scary, Langly," Jimmy teased. "All you need to do is say your name and small children run in fear."

Byers told them both to be quiet so he could listen to the tape again. He did so three more times. Then he picked up the recorder and connected it to a computer to transfer the sound so he could analyze it digitally. He wanted to see if there was any background noise that he couldn't hear without some enhancement.

"Byers, why are you bothering to do that?" Langly asked. "It's just some dumb kid screwing around."

"We can't be sure of that," Byers insisted. "It's worth a shot."

"All right, fine but let me do it then." 

"Be my guest." Letting Langly do the work was better than listening to him complain that no one was doing it right.

Once it was loaded on the computer, Langly sifted out all the background noise and white noise from the phone lines. He played the different sounds as they all listened carefully for anything recognizable. There was nothing.

Then Langly played the gasp again with out any of the interference. The sound was excellent and Byers had to agree with Langly. "You're right," he told his friend. "It is a kid and not very old."

"Ow, quit it, that hurts," Jimmy had a death grip on Langly's forearm. "Let go!" he yelled yanking his arm out of the younger man's grasp. He turned to tell Jimmy off but stopped when he saw his face. "Hey, man, what's the matter. You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's her."

"What do you mean?" Byers asked.

Jimmy pointed at the computer where the voiceprint still showed on the monitor. "Play it again," he said. Langly hit the playback. The young person gasped again. 

"I'm telling you it's her."

"Oh, man, he thinks it's Emma! There is no way you can tell from this," Langly declared giving an irritated flip of his hand toward the screen. "It could be any one of a million kids! You're grasping at straws here. It isn't her."

"I'm not so sure, Langly," Byers said. "He could be right. It does kind of sound like her."

"Ah, you're both nuts," Langly got up from the computer in disgust. "You want to find them so badly you're willing to believe anything." He stopped to consider his two friends' feelings. "Look, I want them back here as much as you do but we can't go off half cocked like this. We need more proof or we're just wasting our time by not looking where we should be to find them."

"We've run out of other leads," Jimmy pointed out.

Langly sat back down, not in defeat but in resignation. "Even if it is Emma, how do you think this little bit of tape is going to help us find them?"

"Let's assume for a minute that it is her," Byers suggested. "Then it follows that she's been making the calls all along. That makes more sense than Zippy at Jack in the Box."

Langly saw the logic in that. "Then she'll do it again, won't she?"

"It's too bad we can't trace calls, like the fire department and police do. I know they have special equipment," Jimmy observed. 

"But we do. Frohike made one," Langly said obviously getting excited. "It didn't work out for us though because most of the people we tried to use it on had cell phones." He got up and started searching the shelves continuing to talk. "It won't work on cell phones. Frohike never let Emma have a cell phone although she was always asking for one. So she's gotta be calling from a landline in the middle of the night like that." He paused in his efforts. "Byers, where the hell did Frohike put that thing?"

Byers was looking in another part of the warehouse and found the device. "Here it is." It was simple in appearance, about the size of a lunch box. It had a couple of dials on it but most of the front of it was taken up with an LED readout. Byers plugged it in and turned it on. It appeared to be working. He hooked a phone line into the jack in the back of the box. "Jimmy, use another phone and call this one from line two," Byers requested. 

"Got it," Jimmy said. The phone rang and the box printed out their address. Jimmy came over to see. "This is great! Now we'll know where she's calling from."

Byers nodded but added, "There is one problem though. The enhanced 911 systems do not list the state the caller is in, only the street address and the city."

"Why?" Jimmy asked.

"There's no need. The 911 emergency lines go to the nearest control center. The operators know what state you're calling from because they only receive calls from their predetermined area." 

"Well," Jimmy said after thinking about it. "We know they're in California."

"I've been thinking about that quite a bit. I'm not all sure anymore that's where they are. But we'll find out," Byers said tapping the box. 



* * * * * * * *



Amy had promised to take Emma shopping in the town of Melbourne. There was a big mall there and Emma needed new shoes and some new clothes. Frohike had to work so it was girl's day out.

Emma had been given a strict budget of how much she was allowed to spend. This was a new experience for her. She was used to having more money than things to spend it on although first her mom and then her dad later on hadn't allow her to spend it frivolously. 

Having such limited funds was hard to deal with but Amy promised to help. She knew of a couple of clothing stores in the Melbourne Square Mall where Emma could get what she needed and keep within her budget. 

"Annie, are you ready?" Amy called from the open front door, her hand on the knob.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Emma called back. But she wasn't. She was searching for something and didn't know what she had done with it. She stood still in the center of her room with her hands on her hips. Where had she last seen it? She knew when she last used it but where…? 

Her robe, she had put it in the pocket of her robe. 

"Annie?" Amy was sounding a little impatient and would soon come looking for Emma. She grabbed her robe off the back of the door and searched the pockets. Finding the phone card at last, she pocketed it and threw the robe on the bed. She ran out of the room and almost collided with Amy in the hallway. "There you are. Let's go."

"Okay, I'm ready."



* * * * * * * *



"Lone Gunman Group, Jimmy Bond speaking." Jimmy waited for the caller to say something. When he got no response, he tried again. "Hello, this is the Lone Gunman Group. My name is Jimmy Bond. Can I help you?"

Byers got up and came over to him, flipping on the machine and the tape recorder. "Keep her on the line but don't let on," Byers said quietly on Jimmy's other side away from the phone.

Jimmy put his hand over the receiver yet still whispered, "What should I say?"

"Here," Byers held out his hand, "give me the phone." Jimmy handed it to him. "This is John Byers speaking. Is there something I can help you with?" There was still no response but Byers could hear a lot of general hubbub on the line. He waited as long as it was plausible before he spoke again to get a clean copy of the background noise. "We're here to help you if you want it. You just need to talk to us." After that he could hear the deep ragged breathing like someone fighting to maintain control of his or her emotions. Then nothing as whoever it was hung up. 

Byers replaced the handset and came to stand with Langly and Jimmy to look at the LED readout. "Melbourne?!" Byers read in shock. 

"Yup," Langly confirmed. 

"Isn't that in Australia?" Jimmy asked. "Why would he take her to Australia?"

"There are several towns named Melbourne in the United States," Byers explained. "But this address isn't going to help us much."

"Why not?" Langly beat Jimmy in asking.

"If it was her, she was in a public place, probably on a payphone," Byers explained. "Here, listen to the tape." He played it back. Byers's voice on the tape was very loud but when he was quiet the sounds of people walking and talking while passing the caller.

"Let me digitize it," Langly said.

Langly took the tape and isolated several distinct sounds: high heel shoes clicking, men's voices, woman's voices, a child crying, another yelling for someone to come back, the sound of someone running past, one man very clearly saying 'excuse me' and several others. These sounds had a quality to them that suggested they were occurring inside a large enclosed area. "She's in a big building like a store or a mall or something," Langly assumed. 

Byers listened to the different sounds. "I think you're right. This will help us narrow it down, but hopefully she'll call from a residence next time."

"What if it wasn't her?" Jimmy wondered. "This is the first time we've gotten one of these calls in the middle of the day."

"Who else could it be?" Langly said before turning back to Byers. He had one more sound to play. "Do you want to hear her again, Byers? It's really clear."

"No. She was trying not to cry. I don't need to hear that again," he said as he turned to find something constructive to do. 


 

Chapter 9

 


Yves had been out of town for a week and a half pursuing her own interests. She told Jimmy to call her at any time if they needed her help. She had also kept in touch, checking occasionally to see if there had been any new developments. When she came back into town, Jimmy excitedly told her that he and the guys thought they might have found Frohike and Emma. She dropped by the warehouse to see what they had.

Yves listened to the tapes. "And you're convinced this is Emma?" Langly wondered why, no matter how carefully they thought things through, they always seemed less than reasonable when they were explained to Yves. 

"We think it's a strong possibility," Byers said. "The last call we received was from a mall in the town of Melbourne. But unfortunately, Frohike's machine doesn't give us the state."

Langly picked up the explanation. "I found eight good sized towns called Melbourne in the United States. We ruled out Washington and Florida, but one of them is in California. I started there to look for a mall that would match the address we got off the phone call."

"Wait, I understand Washington because Emma has friends there but why rule out Florida?"

Jimmy stepped up to Yves and said quietly, "Because of, you know, him being a Tango champion. When we were down there," Jimmy paused knowing that Yves had painful memories of that trip, "he didn't want to be there at all. We don't think he would take Emma somewhere he didn't want to be."

Byers tried to help. "It wouldn't be safe for him to move Emma to a location in which he could be recognized. No, Florida would be the last place he'd go."

Yves nodded. This made sense. "So what is the plan now?"

"We're hoping she'll call again in the middle of the night like she's been doing all along," Byers said. "Then it will be from a private residence and not a public place like the last call. We'll have a better chance of finding her."

"So, it's still a waiting game," Yves noted. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Are you willing to go with Jimmy again once we have a location?" Byers asked.

Yves glanced at Jimmy. She tried not to smile when she noticed the anxious expression on Jimmy's face while he waited for her answer. "I was hoping you would ask me," she said. "Yes, I will be more than happy to go with Jimmy." She returned Jimmy's big grin with a less obvious one of her own.

Byers noted the exchange between Yves and Jimmy. He filed the mental picture away for further consideration at a less hectic time. "As soon as we have a location, we'll get you both on a flight and out to them as soon as possible."

"Let me make those arrangements," Yves insisted. 



* * * * * * * *



His employer had not been happy about it, but Frohike had no choice but to leave work in the middle of the day. The school had called and told him that his daughter had been in another fight. She was suspended for two days and he needed to come and pick her up immediately. 

He rolled down the window of the '95 Toyota Corolla he'd bought with a big chunk of the money that Langly had sent him. It would have been nice to buy a car with a working air conditioner but this would have to do for now. The car was in decent shape and once he got a chance to work on it, he knew he could fix the AC. It would become a necessity during the summer. But right now, he was working overtime as much as possible to put money in the bank. 

They needed to move out of Amy's house. She had been wonderful to them but she was a single young woman and didn't need a middle age man and his preteen daughter messing up her personal life. Unfortunately, his job didn't pay that well and he didn't dare look for one at which his qualifications would dictate a higher pay rate. Anything in the computer field would make him too easy to find. 

Pulling into the school's visitor parking, Frohike wondered what had set Emma off this time. She never had any problems at her other school. She'd switched schools just before her mother's death, and although she hadn't made any close friends immediately, she didn't have this problem with fighting with the other students. He knew that there should be a period of adjustment for any new student to find a place in the pecking order but this had gone on too long. 

He was sufficiently worried about it that he used Amy's computer to hack into the district's main server and browsed through the school counselor's confidential files. What he had found there had not surprised him and wouldn't really help Emma. It just gave him a better idea of what she was up against. 

He found the principal's office and spoke to the secretary. She told him the principal would be with him as soon as possible. "Would you like to talk to you daughter while you wait?"

"Yes, I would. Thank you"

"She's in the infirmary. It's right this way," the woman said getting up and coming around the counter to show him. 

Frohike was concerned. "No one said she was hurt. What happened?"

The secretary stepped out into the hall and opened the door to the room right next to the main office. "Why don't you have her tell you?" the secretary suggested.

Emma was the only person in the room. She was sitting in the middle of a row of chairs against one wall. Frohike could see movement through an open door in the back. He assumed that was the nurse. He could hear her talking to someone. 

He turned his attention to Emma. She had a ziplock bag full of ice pressed to her left eye. She turned to look at him with her good eye when he came in then put her head back down either in shame or in pain. Frohike couldn't tell which. She didn't say anything.

He came over and stood in front of her. She looked up again still holding the makeshift icepack to her face. Frohike gently touched the hand that held the ice. "Let me see." Lowering her arm into her lap, Emma blinked the injured eye to clear the glimmering fogginess caused by pressing the ice against it. 

Frohike put his hand under her chin and tilted her head to the light so he could get a good look at it. The skin around her eye had already turned several vivid shades of blue and purple. She was going to have a shiner that would make a prizefighter proud. 

He bent forward to look closer at her eye. It seemed to be all right. "Is your vision clear?"

"Yes," Emma said in a quiet voice. 

"No, blurriness at all."

"Only right after I take the ice off."

"Okay. That's good. Where are your glasses?"

Emma had been holding her right hand out of sight on that side of her body. She reluctantly brought her broken glasses out to show her father. He took the pieces from her and inspected them. 

"Can you fix them?" she asked.

"I'm checking. Put the ice back on your eye."

Emma replaced the ice knowing that when he was in this kind of mood it was best to just do what she was told and wait it out. 

The nurse came out of the backroom. She saw Frohike and came to talk to him. "Are you Anne's father?"

"Yes, I am."

"Anne's going to be all right, aren't you Anne?" the nurse said smiling at her. Emma smiled wanly back at her.

The nurse saw Emma's glasses in Frohike's hand. "She's going to have a lovely black eye but I examined the eye itself and it is undamaged. It was her glasses that protected it. The area around her eye took the force of the blow. Unfortunately, the glasses will never be the same."

Frohike looked again at the pieces in his hand turning them over and around to get a better idea of the damage. The lenses were fine but the frame had snapped in two places. "I should be able to fix them well enough to wear but you're right," he said addressing the nurse but really talking to Emma, "they won't be the same and we can't afford a new pair."

"Did Anne tell you what happened?" 

"I haven't asked her yet."

"Can I speak to you over here for a moment, please?" the nurse asked Frohike.

The two adults moved to the far corner of the room and spoke in low voices that Emma couldn't hear. She wasn't trying to listen anyway. She already knew all the gory details. At that moment all she really cared about were how mad her dad was and how much her face hurt. She didn't think the ice was doing any good at all. In fact, it was so cold she thought that hurt worse than the black eye. And it was dripping all over the place. 

Frohike came back and sat down next to Emma. He put the pieces of her glasses in his shirt pocket and took her free hand. They sat without talking for a few minutes.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, Emma chose to speak first. "It doesn't look like I'll be going to Disney World anytime soon, does it?"

"No, it doesn't but you know it's always been up to you." He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders pulling her close to take some of the sting out of his words. She felt like such an abject failure. She had let down her dad, herself and Amy. Amy was the one who wanted to take her over to Orlando to spend the weekend at the theme park. She said that she loved to go out there but felt kind of silly going by herself and that Emma would be great camouflage.

The secretary from the main office came in. She spotted Frohike and told him, "The principal can see you now." He stood up and hesitated, his hand still on Emma's shoulder. "Your daughter can wait here. She's already spoken to Mr. Wendell." 


The principal's office was not very large. Just big enough for an antique oak desk, two tall bookcases filled with professional publications and two wooden armchairs for visitors. Mr. Wendell greeted Frohike at the door, shook his hand and pointed to one of the chairs. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee or something else to drink?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

"I'm sorry we seem to meet only under the worst of circumstances. Did you get a chance to talk to Anne?"

"Yes, I saw her in the nurse's office."

"She's a little worse for wear, I'm afraid."

"She's tough. She'll survive," Frohike reassured the man.

"She's had to do quite a bit of that recently, hasn't she?"

"What do you mean?" Frohike asked. He suppressed an unreasonable fear that this man had uncovered their secret. 

Mr. Wendell flipped open a folder on his desk. "I see from her files that your wife died less than a year ago. I'm sorry to hear that," he said giving Frohike a look that was meant to be compassionate. "And that you've moved around quite a bit since then. It must have been difficult to uproot your child so soon after her mother's death."

The man had their fabricated story correct. Emma's fake school records showed them moving every couple of months. This was intended to make it more difficult for the school to gather reliable information from Emma's previous schools. If they had not stayed in one place too long, then there would be no permanent record of her in those schools.

Frohike nodded. "Yes, she has had a lot to deal with since her mother's death." That much was true. 

Mr. Wendell continued. "Is there some reason that you've been moving around so much? Are you finding it difficult to hold down a job?" When Frohike didn't answer, he continued. "You know a stable home life is important for a child this age and in this situation. With a good home in a good neighborhood, like the one's we have around here, children like Anne usually come around and settle down. They learn how to get along with the peers with out being violent and we find with time and a lot of hard work that they can become a valuable part of our community." 

Frohike had taken about all he could of the man's condescending behavior. He gave the impression that he was trying to help but he had already judged Frohike by outward appearances: his job as a mechanic, his blue collar work clothes and the engine grease that no matter how hard he scrubbed he just couldn't seen to get entirely off his hands. To Mr. Wendell, these things were all marks of an uneducated man, someone to be pitied, to be looked down upon and tolerated only as long as necessary. And the children of such men would never rise above their station in life. In his eyes, they were trailer trash and always would be. 

"You seem to think that my daughter has difficulty getting along with the other students." 

Mr. Wendell sat back in his chair. "Well, let me see. We have three incidents in as many weeks where Anne has been involved in physical altercations with other students."

"I am well aware of that. But did you bother to ask Anne about the underlining cause of these altercations. Did it occur to you that she might not be the instigator in each case?"

"In the past we have discovered that when one student is involved in several different incidents, that we know where the problem lies."

"You do? So, you have found a direct correlation between the behavior of these students and my daughter. Have any studies been done or does data exist to substantiate this or are you simply making a prejudicial assumption?"

"I hold the students at this school to a higher standard than most principals," Mr. Wendell said tapping his desk with one finger for emphasis, "and I have to trust my years of experience in these matters. I find that I am usually correct."

"Usually but not consistently. I'm afraid then that I must make my own assumption and tell you that I think your years of experience have made you complacent, indolent and delusional. That if you had, in fact, delved further into this matter, you would have discovered that my daughter has been systematically singled out by an exclusive group of students who have the rest of the student body so intimidated that they are free to do as they wish with no fear of repercussions."

"I don't know what your daughter has told you, but…" 

Frohike cut him off. "My daughter has told me nothing other than the fact that some of the students seem to have taken a disliking to her. She is confused by this and has been pushed beyond the point of endurance. I am not condoning her actions and she will be punished but I think you have a much bigger problem here. Are you aware that two of your star pupils held her while a third gave her that black eye?"

"I find that hard to believe. My children would never act that way, I'm sure your daughter told you that so you would feel sorry for her."

"That's where you're wrong. The nurse informed me of this. The students who brought Anne to the infirmary gave the nurse this information. She said they were hesitant to tell you because such information is always dismissed as preposterous. Talk to your counselor. He is aware of the situation and is working on his own to rectify it. But without your support, he's fighting an uphill battle. It's time you started listening to your own people." 

Mr. Wendell was at a loss for words. This interview was not going at all how he had imagined. This father was not what he had seemed at their first meeting. How could this…this mechanic possibly know more about a situation at his school than he, as principal, did. 

Frohike had taken all he was going to from this ass and wanted to get Emma home. "I'm going to go back to the infirmary to get my daughter. I will not fight the two-day suspension. As I said, what she did was wrong and she must deal with the consequences of her actions. But I strongly suggest you take a close look at what's been going on under your nose because my daughter will be coming back here. And I assure you, if I hear that any more bullying or abuse is ignored by this administration, I will talk with the other parents and gather all the evidence I need to take this matter before the superintendent and the school board. It is because of situations like this that children take up guns to end their own misery or to take the lives of those who torment them." 

This statement shocked the principal. "Is that a threat?"

Frohike stood up to leave. "No, that is not a threat. Don't be ridiculous. Try reading the newspapers sometime. You'll probably learn more from them then all these books," Frohike said indicating the bookshelves. "Good bye, Mr. Wendell. I trust we will not need to speak again under any circumstances."


Frohike helped Emma into the car. Once she was buckled up, she put the ice back over her eye. The nurse had given her a stronger bag, which would hopefully leak less on the trip home. Climbing in on the driver's side, Frohike put the key in the ignition but didn't start the engine. "Turn this way and let me see it again."

Emma obliged him. He made thoughtful noises. "How bad is it?" Emma asked. 

"Bad enough that I'm taking you to the walk-in clinic."

"But the nurse said my eye is okay." Emma complained. She knew they couldn't really afford the expense and, like most kids, dreaded trips to the doctor. 

"I'm not taking any chances. It's still swelling up. Here," he said flipping down the visor so Emma could look into the cosmetic mirror, "see for yourself."

Emma was surprised by how horrible it looked. She couldn't open her eye all the way any more. She gingerly reached up and touched her cheekbone. That's where it hurt the worst and where most of the swelling was. Her eyebrow ridge was tender also. The whole thing kind of throbbed. 

Emma flipped the visor back up as her dad started the engine. She sat back and repositioned the ice pack. She closed her good eye and tried to relax but quickly realized that this was a mistake. She gasped in pain as the car thumped over a speed bump. 

"Sorry, honey," Frohike said. "I'll try to be more careful."

"Thanks but I just need to pay attention." Emma was quiet as she watched the twists and turns in the road so she could adjust the pressure on the ice pack.

"Do you want to tell me your side now?" Frohike inquired after a few minutes.

"Can it wait until we get home?" Emma asked hoping to postpone the inevitable.

Frohike knew she was delaying because she didn't want to talk about it. But it could wait. Home would be the best spot for this discussion anyway.



Pronounced healthy by the doctor at the walk-in clinic, Emma was told nonetheless that she was going to need to take it easy for a few days. Frohike said this would be no problem because she was grounded as well as suspended. 

 

When they got to the house, Frohike called Amy and told her that there had been a problem at school and that he had brought Anne home. He also said that he would make dinner since he was home early. 

Emma stowed her backpack by the door. She wouldn't be able to do her homework anyway. Her eye was nearly swollen shut. She went into the bathroom to see her face in the big mirror. She had to get quite close to it to see clearly without her glasses. 

It was awful and she knew she really had no one to blame but herself. 

"Honey?" her dad called to her. He hadn't called her by her real name since they'd left Seattle. He never called her Anne either. She was usually just 'honey'. With apprehension, she poked her head out of the bathroom door. He was standing at the end of the hall. It was time and no matter how much she didn't want to do this, she knew there would be no more delays. 

"Come on. We've got time to talk before I need to fix dinner." He turned and walked toward the dining room, figuring she would follow. She did and sat in the chair he had pulled out for her. 

She looked at him expectantly wanting him to speak first. "Okay, I've heard the school's side of the story. Now I need to hear yours." 

"What did they say happened?" Emma asked, curious to hear what the other kids had told the principal. 

"Mr. Wendell didn't say anything about this to you?"

"No, he just went on and on about how students at his school were expected to behave and that if I couldn't behave like one of them then I didn't belong there. He said if I got in any more fights he would make sure I got expelled." Frohike struggled to keep a pained expression off his face. He didn't want his opinion of the man to affect how Emma perceived him. "Did he tell you what happened," Emma asked. 

"No, the woman who called me said that you and another girl got into an argument and that you attacked her. She said the other girl punched you in self-defense. Now I want to hear your side."

"Okay." Emma paused taking a deep breath. She let it out slowly and began. "I was coming out of the lunchroom to go back to class. This older girl, whose name I don't know, stopped me and said some really mean stuff to me. I tried to ignore her like you said and just walk away but she and her two friends wouldn't let me go. One of them grabbed my backpack and took it from me. Then the first girl, well, she wouldn't stop bugging me. I told her to leave me alone and she wouldn't so then I, um, I jumped her."

"You jumped her? What does that mean?"

"I knocked her down but she grabbed me and I fell down, too."

"I see. Then what happened?" Frohike knew he would have to keep his comments to himself for the time being to get the whole story out of her. 

"Then her two friends made me get up off her, so they were holding my arms. That's when the first girl punched me in the face and broke my glasses."

"So, her friends did hold you so she could punch you."

"Well, no, not really," Emma wanted to be fair. "I don't think they knew what she was going to do. One of them yelled at her to stop. That's when they let me go and they all ran away."

"Then what."

"Some of the other kids helped me pick up my stuff and two of them walked with me to the nurse's office."

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, I can't think of anything else."

Frohike suspected that there was something about this that she wasn't telling him. "Has this girl bothered you before?"

"She said stuff to me before that I didn't like."

"But for some reason, this time, you decided to attack her. Why today after all we've talked about? What was so bad about this time?"

Emma couldn't look at her father any more. "She just wouldn't leave me alone."

Frohike didn't believe her. "What exactly did she say?" Emma sat silently unwilling to answer. 

That was it then, it was what the girl said and not the fact that she was in Emma's face. "Tell me," Frohike persisted.

"Please, don't make me say it."

"I need to understand what could have been so bad that you felt you had to act this way."

Knowing that her father would not give up, Emma sighed and said, "She was saying mean things about you."

"Me!? Oh, honey, what difference does it make? I don't care what these kids think of me."

"But I do!" she said adamantly. She felt her anger at the older girl returning. "She said you were nothing but a grease monkey and that you looked like a monkey, too."

"How would she know what I look like?"

"I don't know but I couldn't let her say those things. I told her you were a great man and that you were a reporter and you had your own newspaper and that you helped people all the time and that she should just shut up because she didn't know what she was talking about!"

There was dead silence in the room after Emma's emotional outburst. Frohike put his head in his hands. "Please tell me you didn't really say all those things." When he looked back up at Emma, she saw the same fear in his face that she had seen on their trip to Florida. 

Trying to fix it, to let her dad know that it was okay, Emma said, "She didn't believe me. She called be a big, fat liar."

"But were there other students standing around that heard you say this?"

"Well, yes. There were a bunch of kids by then." Emma suspected that with each answer she was making it worse. 

Frohike got up out of his chair. He stood in front of the sliding glass door that led outside. Looking out at the backyard, he fought to maintain control of his emotions. He was losing the battle. "Go to your room."

"But, Dad, it's not…"

"DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!" he yelled. "Go to your room right now!"

Emma scurried out of the dining room and into her bedroom, softly closing the door behind her. She sat on her bed with her legs crossed and her arms wrapped around herself. She rocked slowly back and forth watching the door. Her father had gotten mad at her in the past but never like this. He had never yelled at her like that before. For the first time ever, she was afraid of him.

After about five minutes, she heard the front screen door slam then the sound of her dad's car starting up. Emma ran out of her room and into the living room. She pulled back the curtains of the big picture window in time to see him drive off. Afraid and uncertain what to think of his actions, Emma went back to her room and lay down. 

Champ, Amy's dog, came into the room and jumped up on the bed. He tried to lick Emma's face but she couldn't let him, it hurt too much. So, she cuddled him to her chest burying her fingers in his fur. He squirmed to be let go so she released him but then he curled up by her side and lay there panting, looking up into her face. She reached out and petted his little head. "What am I going to do, Champ? I just keep making things worse." Disgusted by her emotions, she wiped away the tears that insisted on falling. But that hurt her face and made her feel all the more like crying. She choked back the tears and closing her eyes, prayed for sleep. 

 

 

Chapter 10


Frohike wasn't going anywhere in particular. He knew he just needed to get out of there before he yelled at Emma again or said something that he would deeply regret later. There was no one for him to talk to. Getting drunk was not an option either although in the past with this type of stress, that would have been his first choice. He couldn't really afford it anyway. The visit with the doctor had been pricier than he thought it would be but it was worth it to know her eye was okay. You know things have gotten pretty bad when a trip to the doctor seems like a luxury, he thought sardonically.

Out of habit, he had followed his usual route to work. Once he realized where he was going, he figured he might as well use the opportunity to fix Emma's glasses. They were still in his pocket. He could use the soldering iron in the workshop. This late in the afternoon there shouldn't be anyone there. He opened the back door and went in.

It only took a few minutes to fix the glasses. He turned them around and held them up to see them from the front. He nodded in satisfaction, folded them and put them back in his shirt pocket. 

He unplugged the soldering iron and left it on the workbench to cool. He headed for the door but met his boss coming in. "There you are," the man said. "I've been looking for you."

"I told you I had to go pick up my daughter from school."

"That was four hours ago."

Frohike looked at his watch. "Three and a half."

The man shook his head in irritation. "It doesn't matter. I needed you here. I had three go karts break down and no one here to fix them. I don't care how good you are with engines if you're not here, the job is not getting done. You're fired."

"Fired for missing only half a day's work? Cut me some slack here. My kid needed me."

"This isn't the first time your kid's needed you. You left early the other day because of something she did at school. Sounds to me like this is going to become a habit so I might as well find a replacement. You've already cost me too much money. You're outta here."

This new piece of bad news, this last straw momentarily pushed Frohike over the edge. He grabbed the bigger man by his collar and pulled him down to eye level. But this action caused his hand to brush against the pocket that held Emma's newly repaired glasses. The fragility of those glasses made him pause and consider what he was doing. As much as he wanted to give this guy a black eye that would put his daughter's to shame, he knew it wouldn't solve anything. And what kind of example would he be setting for Emma, especially if he got sent to jail for it. 

His anger fading, Frohike pushed the man away. "You owe me a week's pay. I'll be back in the morning to pick it up." He gathered the few personal possessions he'd left in the workshop and stomped out the back door. 


Frohike called Amy again. She was still at work. "I'm sorry, Amy. I won't be able to make dinner and right now Anne is home by herself. Were you planning on staying at work late tonight?"

"No. I'll be heading home in about 15 minutes." Amy could tell that something was wrong. He never left Anne alone even though she was more than old enough. "What happened? Is Anne all right?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone line. "No, I'm afraid she's not." 

"What happened?"

"It's a long story. The worst of it is that I yelled at her. I've never done that before. I need some time to myself to decide what to do about all this. Tell her not to worry, would you?"

Amy thought she knew what he meant and this wasn't a decision he should make on his own. She knew she was overstepping her bounds here but she felt strongly enough about this to risk it. 

"If you are going to make a major decision about Anne's life, you really need to talk to her. She deserves a chance to let you know what she wants." 

And it's high time you did. Amy chose not to say the last part out loud. Although no one had ever told her the whole story, she knew that Anne wasn't happy with the situation and if anyone bothered to ask Amy, she would have told them so. 

Amy was surprised by Frohike's response. "You may be right, Amy. I just need some time to think, to sort it all out before I make any decisions. I'll see you later. Tell Anne...tell her...oh, never mind, I'll tell her when I get home. I won't be out too late."



* * * * * * * *



Byers turned on all the equipment when the phone rang. They decided to do this for all in coming calls since Emma had switched her MO. "Lone Gunman Group, John Byers speaking."

There was silence on the line. He started waving vigorously at Langly who had headphones on and had not heard the phone. Byers didn't allow his agitation to be heard in his voice though. "Hello, is anyone there? My name is John. Can I help you?" He picked up whatever was handy, which in this case happened to be a stray USB cord, and threw it at Langly. 

"John?" It was very faint, so faint that Byers wasn't sure if he'd heard it or not.

"I'm here," he said hoping he was correct. Langly got up and came over to where Byers was pointing at the readout on the enhanced caller ID.

"John?" 

"Yes, this is John." This time he was certain. Byers nodded vigorously at Langly who grabbed a pen and a pad of paper and jotted down the address even though the machine would hold it in memory. They were taking no chances.

"I miss you."

He could keep up the act no longer. He had to let her know, to offer some sort of comfort. "Emma, sweetheart, I miss you, too."

She began to cry. The sound of it broke Byers's heart but there was nothing he could do about it. Langly watched impatiently seeming on the verge of saying something.

"Tell me what you want me to do," he said. 

"I don't know."

"Can you tell me where you are?"

"No, I'm not supposed to. I'm not even..."

She stopped because someone was speaking to her in the background. The voice said, "Annie, who are you talking to?" That was all he heard before the connection was lost.



* * * * * * * *



"Who was that?" Her hand still on the phone, Emma kept her back to Amy so she could try to get herself under control. It had been a big mistake to call the warehouse but she just needed to hear a friendly voice, to know that somebody still loved her. Unfortunately, this time she had not been able to resist the temptation to say something, to let them know that she had not forgotten them and that she still loved them, too.

Amy stood next to Emma. She put a hand on her shoulder to encourage her to turn around. Amy gasped when she saw Emma's eye. "Oh, Annie. Is that what happened at school?" Emma could only nod. "You poor thing."

Once again Emma lost it, but this time she had someone to hold on to, someone to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be all right. 



* * * * * * * *



"Where's Jimmy?" Byers asked Langly while the blond hacker looked up the city and checked a website on which he could locate individual residences in satellite pictures. 

"He's upstairs."

Byers ran up the stairs two at a time to find Jimmy making a sandwich. "Jimmy, we got her."

"You got her? She called?"

"Yes and she even talked to me. Come on, I need you to track down Yves to make those airline reservations. You have to get out there before Frohike finds out."

His sandwich forgotten, Jimmy used the phone in the living quarters to call Yves on her cell phone. "Pack a bag, Jimmy. I'll be there as soon as I can. You need to be ready to leave right away."

"No problem," Jimmy said. "I'm already packed."

"Good. I'll see you shortly."


When Yves arrived at about 9:30 that night, they showed her the new information they had acquired: Melbourne Beach, Florida. Langly filled in some of the details. "The call originated from a private residence. The owner of record is an Amy Jonas." 

"When Emma called earlier," Byers explained, "I heard a woman's voice. I'm assuming Ms. Jonas was that woman."

"But who is she?" Yves wondered, "and how did Frohike and Emma come to be living with her." 

"She's a local merchant," Byers had checked her out. "She owns a bookstore in a strip mall not that far from where they're living."

"Maybe Frohike knew her when he lived there," Jimmy said, getting a bit excited. "Maybe she was one of his fans."

Langly shook his head. "She's too young. She was just a kid when Fro was down there. There's no way she'd have gone for that kind of crap. She was probably more into Sesame Street than anything."

"So, we weren't far off with Melbourne but we nearly blew it by telling ourselves he wouldn't go to Florida," Byers said with a laugh. He felt that he could afford to chuckle about it now.

"This is all very well and good, but we still have to convince Frohike to come home," Yves said. "You ready to go, Jimmy?"

"All packed," Jimmy said pointing to his bag near the door. 

"Who'd you book a flight with?" Langly asked.

"I didn't book a flight," Yves explained. "I booked a plane."

"You what?" Byers asked.

"I chartered a plane. He's not getting away from us this time. Can one of you take us out to Dulles?" 



* * * * * * * *



It was late when Frohike headed home, later than he planned. He had hoped to see and talk to Emma before she went to bed but he had lost track of time. He'd spent a long quiet evening on the beach by himself. Finding a likely piece of driftwood to use as a seat, he sat for hours going over everything that had happened in the last nine months. He asked himself some hard questions but the one question he kept coming back to was the one that was the most difficult to answer. Had he done all this: new identities, running, hiding and denying Emma the life she had always known for Emma's sake or his own?

No matter how he tried to rationalize it, he came up with the same answer every time. He had done it for himself. Every excuse he could imagine was shot down by this inner voice that after a time started to sound annoyingly like Byers. 

Frohike had to admit he missed his friends and he knew Emma did, too. She was not allowed to talk about them or any aspect of their old lives. He had found Langly's missing miniature figure in her room. He had gone in there one day after she left for school looking for dirty clothes to fill a load in the washer. The tiny rider on his equally tiny horse lay on the floor near the head of the bed. He left it where it was so she wouldn't know he'd found it. Going to check for it a couple of days later, he found the figure under her pillow. He supposed she relied on it for comfort like a younger child would a teddy bear or doll.

There was something else that kept popping up in his mind. In her argument with the older girl who had given her the black eye, Emma had said that he, Frohike, was a great man. This may be her impression of him but he knew he didn't deserve such an accolade especially in view of the events of the last few weeks. More and more he was beginning to consider himself a fool and a coward. 

He wanted to be who his daughter thought he was and he couldn't do that in hiding. Finally, he came to the realization that Amy was right. He needed to find out what Emma wanted and take the chance that everything would come out all right in the end.


Emma was asleep when he came in the house at 1:00 AM but Amy was wide awake and she was not happy. "Emma waited up for you. I made her go to bed about an hour ago."

"I'll go check on her."

"I promised her you would wake her up when you got home."

"I don't think that's necessary," Frohike said.

"Yes, it is," Amy insisted. "She was very worried when you left here this afternoon with no explanation. She went on and on about how all of this was her fault saying that if she was a better person and could control her temper, none of this would have happened. Please, go wake her up."

"All right, I will."

The bedside lamp was still on in Emma's room. She lay facing the light so that her left cheek and eye were not pressed into the pillow. Frohike noticed that the swelling around her eye had gone down some but that the bruise had spread to cover more of her face. 

He sat down on the edge of the bed. This woke her up. She opened her eyes reflexively reaching up to her face when this small motion caused her pain. "Dad," she said coming fully awake. "You're here." The relief in her voice made it sound like his return might be in question.

"And where else would I be?"

"I don't know. You left so quickly this afternoon."

"I'm sorry about that and I'm even more sorry that I yelled at you."

"I deserved it. What I did was wrong."

"No one deserves to be treated that way and I am ashamed of myself for doing that to you."

Emma sat up and hugged him. "I love you, Dad."

"I know, honey. And I love you, too. Don't forget that. No matter how bad it gets, always remember that I love you. That will never change."

He hugged her again. "I'll remember," Emma said while in his embrace, "but, Dad?"

"Yes."

"You're squashing me!" Emma said with a fake choked voice.

He let her go. "Oops, sorry, honey. Any broken ribs?"

Emma smiled. "Nope."

"All right. Go back to sleep." Emma lay back down. Frohike reached over and turned off her alarm clock. 

"Why did you do that?"

"You might as well sleep in because there's nothing going on tomorrow."

"Okay, sounds like a good idea," she said. "Hey, what about tomorrow?"

"What about it?"

"Do I stay here by myself or can I go to work with Amy?"

"You're grounded which means no trips to the bookstore. I'll stay here with you. I'm sure there are some odd jobs around here that the two of us can work on. I'll ask Amy. I do need to go out first thing in the morning but I'll be back before you're done with breakfast." 

"But what about your work."

"It's all taken care of."


A dark colored sedan was parked across the street. The two people in it watched as the interior lights in the house turned off one at a time. After a few minutes the car's engine started. The headlights came on and it pulled away from the curb. 




Chapter 11


Emma woke several times during the night when she rolled onto her left side and her bruised eye touched the pillow. She finally got up when she heard her dad leave. She checked out her eye in the bathroom mirror. 

Amy hadn't left for work yet and was in the kitchen fixing herself some breakfast. "Good morning," Amy said with a cheery smile.

"Good morning."

"You're looking colorful this morning," Amy said meaning Emma's face. 

"You like that? It's what all the girls will be wearing this spring," Emma joked.

Amy laughed and pointed to the windowsill above the sink. "Your dad fixed your glasses."

Emma tried them on. They felt a little different but it was nice to be able to see clearly again.

"How do they feel?"

"Pretty good but not quite the same," Emma said. "I can't tell if it's because they're fixed or because my face is still swollen."

Amy took a closer look at her black eye. "It's not as bad today."

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt as much ei…" The doorbell rang. Amy and Emma looked at each other with the same question in mind. Who would come to the door so early in the morning? "Wait here," Amy told Emma.

As she passed the front window, Amy noticed an unfamiliar car parked in front of the house. It was a dark blue sedan. She hoped it wasn't someone selling something. Telemarketers were easy to brush off but Amy had a difficult time saying no to someone on her doorstep.

She opened the door and decided that these two people were not there to sell her anything. The woman had long dark hair and was exotic looking. The man next to her was tall, very cute and had spiky blond hair. Amy liked him immediately. She wasn't so sure about the woman. 

The woman spoke first. "My name is Yves Harlow and this is Jimmy Bond," she said. "We are looking for some friends of ours." She produced a picture of Amy's two houseguests. 

Amy pulled the door closed as far as she possible hooking one foot around it to keep it in place. She didn't want them to see inside the house. She took the picture from Yves and pretended to study it. Amy shook her head. "No, I don't think I've ever seen them before." 

Jimmy moved behind Yves. "Are you sure? Please look again. It's very important that we find them." From his new vantage point he could see over both woman's heads into the house. He thought he saw movement inside.

Amy glanced at the picture one more time but didn't have a chance to deny again that she knew the people in it. Jimmy had pulled Yves aside and pushed hard against the door. It swung wide throwing Amy off balance and against the wall. Jimmy was unaware of this as he rushed into the house, his attention on only one thing. "Emma, stop! It's me. Emma, wait!" he begged as he ran through the house. A door halfway down the hall slammed shut. He hoped there was no lock on it because, no matter what, he was going through it. 

He opened the door with no difficulty but found nothing. She had to be in there somewhere. The window was locked so she couldn't have gone out it. He shut the door. If she got past him, the closed door would slow her down. He dropped to his knees and looked under the bed. There was nothing there but the ubiquitous dust bunnies. "Come on, Emma," he said in the hopes that the sound of his voice would of calm her, wherever she was. "It's okay, really it is."

She had to be in the closet. Jimmy slid back one of the doors. He saw her shift to the other side. Figuring she would just move back if he opened the other door, he reached in and managed to grab her by the arm. She resisted and he had to get halfway into the closet with her to get a good grip on both of her arms. 

She struggled to get out of his grasp and he could tell she was going to hurt herself if he couldn't get her to calm down. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and pinning her arms to her sides.

"No, Jimmy! Please don't!" It was Emma's turn to beg. "You have to go home. You can't be here. You just can't. My dad will be home soon. Please, you have to leave…"

She went on and on. Jimmy just held her and talked to her, "It's okay, really, Emma, everything is fine. Listen to me. You need to stop and listen to me." She finally stopped struggling but whether or not she was listening he couldn't tell. "Yves and I came to take you and your dad home. We all miss you. Byers and Langly want you and your dad to come home, too. It really is all right. We'll talk to your dad and convince him. All three of us can convince him. You'll see."

Emma slowly relaxed and rested her head against his chest. Jimmy loosened his grip on her and she put her arms around his waist. "I missed you all so much," she said.

"I know you did. We missed you, too." He looked down at her. Shocked, he held her at arms length to get a good look. "My god, Emma. What happened to you?" Then he had a scary thought. "I didn't just do that to you did I?"

Emma knew he meant the black eye. "No, I got in a fight."

"No kidding, really? You'll have to tell me all about it later. But hey, Yves is here, too. Do you want to go see her?"

"Sure," Emma said wanting very much to see Yves but knowing that when her dad got home, things could get bad very quickly. 

They found Yves and Amy in the dining room. Yves had found some ice for Amy to put on the bump that was quickly developing on the back of her head. "Amy, what happened?!" Emma asked running up to her. "Are you okay?" 

Amy gave Emma a less than convincing grin. "It's okay. I bumped my head on the wall."

In horror, Jimmy realized that this was his fault. He had been so excited to see Emma that he had thought of nothing else but making sure she didn't get away. And now the nice lady who had taken care of his friends while they were in hiding had gotten hurt and he was the one who had hurt her. 

He got down on one knee in front of her so that she wouldn't have to look up at him. "Amy?" he asked Emma to confirm her name. Emma nodded. "Amy, I am so sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to. But when I saw Emma, I couldn't wait. I didn't want to take a chance of losing her again. Yves and I and some friends of ours have been searching for them for weeks. But I never would have hurt anyone intentionally, especially someone as kind as you."

Amy smiled at Jimmy. It was hard to stay angry with anyone as sincere as he seemed to be. "It's okay," she said. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. Yves explained to me a little of what's been going on. Tom should be home in a few minutes."

Jimmy wondered who she was talking about and turned to look at Emma. "She means Dad. His name is Tom and mine is Anne."

"Oh," Jimmy said, nodding. He looked back at Amy. "Is there anything I can do to make up for this?" He meant her injury. 

"Well," Amy said after thinking about it. "There is one little thing," 

"Anything," Jimmy reassured her.

Amy hesitantly reached out with her free hand and touched Jimmy's hair, running her hand across the top of his head. "Okay, thank you."

"That's it?" Jimmy asked. 

"That was it," Amy insisted. Jimmy smiled and looked up at Yves who was not smiling. As a matter of fact, she looked a little miffed. She noticed Jimmy watching her and turned to Emma.

"Hello, Emma," she said. "You and your father sure led us on a merry chase."

"We didn't mean to," Emma said coming over to Yves to hug her. Yves gladly returned Emma's affectionate embrace. 

"I'm sure there is a story behind that black eye," Yves said. "Why don't you tell us about it while we wait for your father to return?"


Frohike got out of his car in front of Amy's house. He noticed that her Explorer was still in the driveway. He was puzzled as to why she hadn't left for work yet. Maybe the blue sedan parked on the street belonged to a friend who had come to visit. Maybe it was her friend Angie. Amy talked about Angie a lot.

He opened the front door and before he even got both feet inside, Emma was there talking to him too fast and too loud. "Honey, stop! What's going on?" She grabbed one of his hands with both of hers and started pulling him into the hallway. 

"Dad, I have to talk to you." Emma didn't want him to see Yves and Jimmy right away but to break the news to him herself.

Frohike started to follow her down the hall but stopped when he heard a familiar voice. "Melvin," was all it said.

Even with Emma still pulling on him, he stopped dead and turned to see Yves. 

"Yves, what the…" was all he got out before Jimmy stepped up behind her.

Emma gave up at this point and Frohike pulled her to him and put his arms around her in a protective gesture. 

"How did you two find us?" Frohike wanted to know.

"Melvin, why don't you come and sit at the table with us so we can discuss this calmly." 

"Please, Frohike," Jimmy added. "We need to talk about this like we should have before you left."

"Why do I need to talk to you about this?" Frohike always hated to be told what to do when it was really his own business.

Emma turned in his arms so she could see his face. "Dad, please, can't we just listen to what they have to say?"

Frohike looked at the earnest expression on her badly bruised face. For the first time he felt guilty about that black eye. If he hadn't taken her from her old school, this wouldn't have happened. He nodded. "Okay, it won't hurt to talk."


Amy made coffee while Emma ran to change out of her pajamas. Frohike got Jimmy to explain how they'd found him. When Emma came back into the room, she heard Yves say, "Don't be hard on the child. She was simply lonely and missed her friends."

"I won't be hard on her. I just need some answers," Frohike said.

Emma stood silently waiting to be noticed. Frohike looked up and saw her. "Am I in trouble again?" she asked him.

"That depends," Frohike said.

"On what?"

"You were told not to use the phone, correct?"

"No, you said not to answer the phone."

She was right. That was what he had said. 

"All right, you got me there but you were charging long distance calls to Amy's phone without permission."

"No." Emma shook her head emphatically.

"You called the warehouse at least ten times. Some one has to pay for those calls."

"I paid for them."

"How?" 

"I'll show you." She ran back out of the room and returned in less than thirty seconds with her phone card. "I used this!"

Frohike held out his hand. Studying it, he started to laugh. Emma was relieved. He hadn't done a lot of laughing recently. "Where did you get this?" Frohike asked still chuckling. He showed the card to Yves and Jimmy.

"I bought it at the phone store that's," she mentally counted, "four shops down from Amy's bookstore."

"And you used it every time?"

"Yes," Emma insisted. "I usually called in the middle of the night when it was really cheap. The card still has time left on it."

Frohike laughed again. "I had no idea just how conniving you are," he told Emma who wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or not but was nonetheless pleased that he no longer seemed angry with her.

"She is your daughter," Yves added. "She comes by it naturally."

"I suppose she does," Frohike said glancing Yves's way. He turned back to Emma, "Who did you talk to?"

"I didn't talk to anyone. I …I just listened to the message on the voice mail." Emma was embarrassed to admit this. She knew it sounded pathetic.

It hit Frohike hard to realize that she was seeking comfort from a 'leave your message after the beep' recording. As his guilt compounded, his resolve to do what was right strengthened. He pulled out the chair next to him and patted the seat. "Come sit down, Emma. We have a lot to discuss."

Even though he had gone through all the details with her before they left Seattle, Frohike explained it again. "You remember I told you about your mother's friend, William Bayne."

"Yes, you said he and my mom were really good friends when I was a baby."

"And before you were born. They were coworkers for a few years. They worked together at Urban Design and Planning."

"That's Mr. Corbit's firm. My mom and I used to go there so she could work on projects."

"That's right. When you were about two or so, Mr. Bayne moved to Hartford, Connecticut and for some reason he and your mom saw very little of each other after that. You don't remember him at all, do you?"

"No, I've been thinking about it since you told me this the first time and I don't remember Mom even talking about him."

"Then this past summer, when Langly saw you with Morris Fletcher at the YMCA, we discovered that he was working for Mr. Bayne. We think he was looking for you."

Emma nodded. This was the part that scared her. 

"He didn't find out for quite a while that your mom had died and probably just wanted to know what had happened to you. But now he's trying to convince everyone that you are his daughter and not mine and wants you to go take a blood test that he thinks will prove it."

"But you're my dad. My mom told me so. Why would she say that if it wasn't true?"

"You are my daughter. I am certain of that but here's the hard part. I'm afraid that Morris Fletcher has found a way to cheat on the test and has convinced Mr. Bayne that he should do this. This is why I got scared and took you into hiding."

Frohike went on. "Now, I am beginning to see that this was a mistake. It wasn't fair to take you away from your home and your friends. You're not happy here."

Emma looked over to where Amy was listening in the kitchen. "It's not that bad here. I like Amy."

Amy smiled at Emma knowing what she really meant. Everyone else turned and looked at Amy, too. Frohike went on. "We were very lucky to find Amy. I don't think anyone else would have put up with us for so long. We owe her a lot. But right now we need to make a decision."

Emma waited nervously while her dad collected his thoughts. "Months ago, in Mr. Brown's office, I asked you a difficult question. You didn't know me then but you took a chance and told me what was in your heart. I'm going to ask you the same question now , and I want you to be as truthful with me as you were that day." He paused then asked. "What do you want?"

Emma looked around the room at all the faces of these people she loved and thought of those who were missing. She stopped when she got to Amy. Amy could tell by the touch of sadness in Emma's face what her answer would be. Emma looked back at her dad. 

"I want to go home."



Chapter 12


The phone rang in the warehouse. Even though it was still quite early in the day, both Byers and Langly were up and dressed. They knew that Yves and Jimmy had located the house in Melbourne Beach but were waiting until morning to go to the door. They had seen Frohike go into the residence at 1:00 in the morning but decided against a late night confrontation. They could not be sure how he would react and didn't want to scare Emma by barging in so late at night.

Langly answered the phone on the second ring. "Lone Gunman Group, Ringo Langly speaking." Byers hovered near another phone ready to pick it up if Langly signaled that it was Jimmy or Yves.

"Langly!" Frohike spoke loudly into the phone. "Let me guess. You've done nothing but play computer games since I left! I bet you made Byers do all the work." 

When Langly's face split into a wide grin, Byers picked up the other line.

"No, you stinking bastard," Langly replied still smiling, "I've spent most of my time searching for your sorry ass! What were you thinking making me waste my considerable talent trying to track you down?!"

"Considerable talent, my great aunt Fannie!" was Frohike's response to that. "If you had put even a little effort into it, you would have found us in no time. You're slipping, buddy. I'm telling you, you're slipping."

"It's good to hear your voice, Frohike," Langly admitted breaking out of the usual pattern of insult swapping.

"I missed you, too, punk. Put Byers on would you?"

"I'm already here, Frohike."

"Good, then I can tell you both at once. Clean out all that junk you've been storing in my room." Byers and Langly looked at each other. How could he have known? "We're coming home."

The relief at hearing this was almost more than Byers could take. He had not fully been aware of the amount of stress he'd felt over this whole misadventure. He leaned back against the table he was standing near to support his now shaky legs. "That's good to hear. When do you think you'll get here?"

"Yves says she has a plane waiting to take us out of here as soon as we're packed." The sound of his voice became muffled as if his hand was over the receiver but they could still hear him say, "Hang on, it's your turn next." It once again became clear when he said, "Okay, guys. She's going to pull my arm off if I don't let her talk to you now."

"Langly? John? Are you both there?" Emma asked excitedly.

"We're here," they said in unison.

"Oh, good! I'm down in Florida. We're coming home right away. Yves got a plane just for us to fly in. Isn't that cool?"

"That's great, Emma," Byers managed to say when she stopped to take a breath. "How are you?"

"I'm fine but I got a black eye. It's really ugly but I want to take a picture of it. Is my camera there or did I leave it at the house?"

Langly looked around for her camera. "I don't see it. I think the last time you used it was on Christmas so it's probably back at the house."

"Oh, no! It's in my luggage in Seattle." Her voice became muffled. "Dad, how are we going to get our stuff back from Annie Margaret?"

"Are you done talking to them?" Frohike asked.

"Well, no, but…"

"Say good-bye. You'll see them in a couple of hours."

"Bye, guys. I gotta go. I missed you and I can't wait to see you this afternoon."

"I missed you, too," Byers said. Langly echoed this sentiment.

"Here's my dad."

"Hey, can one of you pick us up at Dulles? We'll call you when we land."

"No problem," Langly said.

"All right. See you soon."

"Later, Frohike," Langly said hanging up his phone.

"Talk to you when you get here," Byers said also hanging up.




* * * * * * * *



Amy helped Emma decide how much she needed to pack. They had only been there a month but Emma had collected quite a bit in that time. Clothes were the first consideration. She didn't really need anymore at home but she did like some of the things that she and Amy had shopped for and she hadn't even worn some of them yet. "All this stuff won't fit in my backpack. That's all I have with me. I left my big suitcase with my most of my things in it at Annie Margaret's house in Seattle."

Now that they no longer needed to pretend, Amy was free to ask Emma about herself. "Do you want me to call you Emma now?" Amy asked. 

"I don't care. I don't really mind Annie if you still want to call me that."

Amy gave a short laugh. "It will be kind of hard to switch after all this time but I'll try." They continued to sort through Emma's accumulated belongings. "Your last name is Frohike. Did I say it right?" Amy asked.

"No, that's my dad's last name but yes, you said it right. My last name is MacKenzie. It's my mom's last name. I didn't even meet my dad until my mom died."

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom."

"Thank you. Do you think I should take my school books?" Emma said quickly changing the subject. She didn't want to talk about her mother's death right then. 

They discussed Emma's life in general while they stacked everything Emma wanted to take with her on the bed. Without a doubt, she was going to need a suitcase.

Frohike poked his head in to check on them. "How are we doing? Yves wants to leave as soon as possible."

"This isn't all going to fit in my backpack," Emma complained. Frohike came over to consider the collection of stuff she wanted to take home. 

"Emma, you don't need all this. You have plenty of clothes at home."

"But I like these and Amy helped me pick them out."

Before they got into an argument about it, Amy offered a solution. "I have a big suitcase you can borrow." She didn't use the bag. She could always get another if the need arose. 

Emma latched onto the idea. "That would work. Come on, Dad. It will be nice to have some reminders of our time here."

"Oh, all right, but don't forget this." He walked to the head of the bed and reached under the pillow and felt around. It was there. He pulled it out and handed Langly's miniature Nazgul on its horse to Emma. "You're going to have to explain to Langly why you have that when you insisted that you didn't take it."

"How did you…when…" Emma paused to try to form the question she wanted to ask but finally gave up and said, "Okay. I'll tell him."

"I would like to hear the details myself but it can wait. Finish packing."

Amy left to go dig her big old suitcase out of the garage. Jimmy saw her head out there and thought he would go see if he could be of any assistance. When he got into the garage, he found her trying to move accumulated boxes and junk away from a tall step stool. "What are you trying to reach?" he asked, meaning the step stool or whatever it was she wanted it for.

Amy jumped. "You scared me. I didn't hear you come in."

Jimmy smiled at Amy. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. It looked like you could use some help." He came over and took the box she was holding out of her hands. 

Amy smiled back at him. He was so cute but she suspected that there was something between him and Yves. He also lived in Washington DC. That was too far away, unfortunately. Bringing her mind back to the task at hand, she turned and pointed to a high shelf. "I need that big suitcase up on the top shelf there for Emma. She has a lot of stuff to bring home."

Jimmy laughed that time. Amy liked the sound. "Emma never travels light," he said still laughing. "I'll get it down for you." He shifted a few objects away from the front of the suitcase and barely managed to grab the bottom corner of the bag with his fingertips. "Watch out," he warned. "I don't want it to hit you when it comes down."

Amy stepped back as he tipped the suitcase forward but he neatly caught it before it hit him or the floor. "There you go," he said handing her the bag.

"Thank you, Jimmy," Amy said. "I sure could use a guy like you around here more often."


Yves watched Amy and Jimmy come out of the garage together. They were laughing about something. Yves knew her growing feelings of animosity toward Amy were not reasonable. Amy must be a good person or Frohike would not have trusted her to take care of Emma as much as she did. Yves had to admit that her dislike of the woman must be jealousy. Amy's instant rapport with Jimmy had elicited feelings that had, frankly, surprised Yves. She never would have thought herself capable of this petty jealousy just because Jimmy was enjoying the company of a woman who was obviously attracted to him. 

But they were leaving soon and Amy was staying here. She would not need to worry about it much longer.


With everything packed and ready to go, there were a few loose ends Frohike needed to take care of. He stepped out of the house with the last of his belongings in his hand. He met Amy on her way into the house. He stopped her to thank her. "Amy, there is nothing I can do to pay you back for all the help you've given us. I don't know what we would have done without you." He paused to watch Emma help Jimmy and Yves load the car. "I know that Emma has really enjoyed your company and frankly, so have I. You made what could have been a difficult situation manageable and often even enjoyable."

"It's been nice having a family here for a while," Amy said. "I've missed that since my parents moved to Michigan."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. These are for you," he said handing her two pieces of paper. Amy looked at them. 

"I can't take these. This is too much," she insisted.

"The paycheck is already signed over to you. It doesn't begin to pay you back for all the money I'm sure we've cost you."

"No, you more than paid your way. I can't accept this or the title to the car either."

Frohike gave her a wicked grin. "Hey, the title is in your name anyway." He laughed. This had been done as a precaution when they purchased the car. Now, it was definitely working to his advantage. "Sell the car and use the money for what ever you want."

"But you can't afford this."

"I already have a car back home. It's newer one than this one and even has working air conditioning."

"It's money that could be saved for Emma's college education."

"Emma's college fund is taken care of. Keep the car and the money. As I said, it doesn't begin to pay you back for all we owe you." He hugged her tightly to stop her from protesting further.

Jimmy ran up to them stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "I'll take your stuff to the car," he told Frohike.

"That's okay. I got it," he said. He turned back to Amy. "Good-bye, Amy. Take care of yourself and thanks again."

"Good-bye."

Frohike headed for the car to throw his bag in the trunk. Jimmy moved to follow him but hesitated, then turned back to Amy. "I want to thank you, too. I don't think I would have worried about them as much as I did if I 'd known they were in such good hands." He stepped up onto the porch and, much to Amy's surprise, hugged her, too. 

"You're welcome. It wasn't that big a deal."

"Yes, it was. Thanks again." He walked back to join the others. 

Amy watched all four of them at the car. Yves got in first choosing the driver's seat. Jimmy got in the front on the passenger side. Emma and Frohike stood talking outside the car. Frohike nodded then opened a door but stood by the car without getting in. Emma ran back to where Amy was watching.

Unlike the other two, Emma went for the hug before the good-byes. Amy held her for a few seconds then asked. "So, do you think you got everything? You didn't leave anything at the bookstore, did you?"

"I don't think so but if I did, you can always send it to me.

"I have your address and your phone number. I'll let you know."

"I asked my dad if you could come and visit us sometime and he said it would be fine with him."

"That would be fun. I've always wanted to see Washington, DC."

"And do you think I could maybe come back here and visit you sometime?"

"Any time, Emma. You know where to find me."

"I'm really sorry we never got to go to Disney World. When I come see you, I'll take you there. It will be my treat."

"It's awfully expensive. I couldn't let you spend that much money."

"But don't you see, now that I'm me again, money isn't a problem any more. My mom had lots but my dad barely lets me spend any. But for something special like this, he'd say it was okay."

Amy knew that to a child a lot of money wasn't always as much as they thought it was. She looked up to see Frohike walking towards them. The others must have been impatient to leave. "We'll talk about it when you come visit but don't save your money to spend it on me. You'd better go now. Here comes your dad."

Emma turned to her dad for support. "Dad, Amy doesn't believe me."

"Believe what?"

"That I can afford to take her to Disney World."

"All right, say good-bye to Amy and go get in the car."

"But will you explain it to her? She'll believe you."

"I'll explain it. Go on now."

Emma hugged Amy again. "Bye. I love you, Amy. Thank you for everything."

"Good-bye, Emma. I love you, too."

Emma ran back to the car and climbed in through the door her dad had left open. 

"She's right, you know. She can afford it and a great deal more than that, too," Frohike said. "That's why shopping on a budget was so hard for her to comprehend. You taught her a valuable lesson there. Thanks again for everything."

"You're welcome."

Amy stood on the porch and watched until the car turned the corner. She went back into her very quiet house. She was glad she still had her dogs for company but after a month of having someone else to talk to she wondered if that would be enough. She spotted the morning newspaper, sat down with it at the table and turned to the want ads. There in the middle she found a section that advertised people looking for roommates. She read through a few likely prospects. A couple of them even looked promising.



* * * * * * * *



Langly pulled the van into the pick-up lanes in front of the main terminal. He had already driven past his four friends once but could not find a place to pull over. He had to go around again. The second time, they had either moved near an empty spot or one opened up right where they were waiting. He left the engine running and jumped out to help them with their bags. He didn't make it all the way around the front of the van before he was practically knocked over. Emma must have jumped off the curb to hit him that hard.

"Whoa, squirt! Careful there!" he said as she hugged him fiercely.

"I missed you, Langly!"

"No, I think that was a direct hit," he joked. "Nearly knocked the wind out of me." He hugged her almost as tightly as she did him. "I missed you, too, bratface. You really had us worried."

"I'm sorry," Emma said.

"It wasn't your fault, Emma," Frohike said. "Hi, Langly." He came over to them and put one hand on Langly's shoulder. Langly did the same to him. "Good to have up back, Frohike."

Emma stepped out of the way so they could hug properly. She waited. "That's it?" she asked when they dropped their arms. "You're not going to hug?"

Frohike shook his head. "We don't hug."

Emma crossed her arms. The look on her face told them she was not budging until they did. "Go on," she told them. 

After a couple of false starts, they did the manly hug thing, wrapping their arms around each other and thumping each other on the back. 

Emma still wasn't happy. "That's the best you can do?"

"That's all you're getting." Frohike said. "Get in the van."


The drive back to the warehouse took far longer than Emma thought it should. She was overly anxious to get there. She really wished Byers had come to the airport with Langly so she wouldn't have to wait so long to see him. 

Frohike was sitting next to Emma and had to grab her to keep her from jumping out of the van before it came to a full stop. Once released, she pelted through the alley and down the stairs. 

She rang the buzzer and when the door didn't open within the first five seconds, she leaned on it making it ring for quite a while. Frohike joined her at the door with some of the luggage. "Lay off the buzzer. I'm sure he heard it."

"Why is he so slow?" 

Before Frohike could think of a possible excuse, the door opened. Byers swung it wide to give them space to come in but Emma hesitated, suddenly overcome with emotions that she hadn't been fully aware of until she saw him again. 

She loved all the guys equally. Jimmy and Langly were like her brothers but Byers was different. When she and her dad disagreed about something, she went to Byers for advice or just a sympathetic ear. While she was in Florida, afraid that she would never see any of them again, it was Byers she missed the most. Her desire to maintain some sort of contact with him that had led her to make the late night phone calls.

"Hi, Doc," Byers said using his nickname for her. 

"Emma, aren't you going to say hello to Byers?" Frohike asked when she continued to stand there. 

"Hi, John," she said. It came out in a sob as her tears ran freely down her face. Jimmy, Langly and Yves were waiting to bring in the rest of the luggage, so Frohike gave Emma a little push to get her inside. Byers gathered her in his arms and let her cry. Seeing that Byers had everything under control, Frohike helped the others take the bags upstairs.

Finally, when she was able to talk, she said, "You knew it was me on the phone." 

Byers handed her his handkerchief to dry her face. "I thought it was you but I was afraid to hope. We looked for so long to find you." From the sound of his voice, Emma thought Byers might need the handkerchief back and held it out to him. He smiled and put it in his pocket. "We spent all that time searching and you were calling us on the phone." He shook his head and chuckled.

"I kind of messed things up for my dad though."

"I don't know. I think he knew it was time to come home. Isn't that right, Frohike?" Byers asked his friend who had come by to see how things were going.

"Well, between you guys and Little Miss Phone Card here, there wasn't much I could do about it." 

Where Langly hesitated to give Frohike a hug, Byers did not. He had missed his old friend too much to let it slide. Emma joined them, wrapping her arms around them both. Jimmy came downstairs from putting away his luggage in time to see this. "Hey, group hug! Can anyone join in?"

Frohike backed away from them his hands held palm out in front of himself in a protective gesture. "All right, that's enough togetherness for today." He surveyed the workspace. "So, what kind of trouble did you guys get into while I was gone? How did you manage on the paper without me?" 

Langly showed Frohike the issues they put out while he was away. "Best of the Man? I like that. Smart move to rerun some of my old columns."

"Well, you weren't here to write new ones," Langly snarked.

Jimmy elbowed Emma. "Did you show Byers your black eye?"

Emma glanced up at Byers. "It's kind of hard to miss, don't you think?" she asked him. Byers took a close look.

"It is pretty impressive," Byers admitted.

"Come on, what are you supposed to say?" Jimmy asked Emma.

"Ahhhh, do I have to?"

"Yeah, do it. It's funny!"

"No, it isn't."

"Sure it is. Come on. Byers will love it."

"Okay, go ahead," said Emma, deciding to humor Jimmy.

Jimmy spoke in a fake conversational tone. "Gee, Emma, that black eye is really something. What happened?"

Emma gave him her sickly sweet grin and said with exaggerated enthusiasm, "You should see the other guy."

Byers chuckled but said, "She's right. It's not that funny."

"You laughed," Jimmy pointed out.

"She's funny. The line isn't."



Chapter 13


There were a lot of loose ends to tie up now that Frohike and Emma were back. In Frohike's mind, the most important was getting Emma back in school. Byers said he had contacted the school as Frohike had asked but he had told a different lie. He told them that there had been a family emergency that required Emma's father to leave town for an undetermined amount of time and that his daughter had gone with him. The school informed Byers that since Emma's tuition was paid for the year, they could hold Emma's place but for no more than 30 school days. They were well within that time period and all it would take was a simple phone call to get her back in. 

Byers was more concerned about Mr. Brown, the lawyer who dealt with Emma's inheritance. Having heard about the court ordered DNA test, he had called several times wanting to talk to Frohike to see if there was anything he could do to help. 

"I put him off as long as I could," Byers said. "I was running out of excuses when he finally admitted to me that he knew you'd left town."

"What did you tell him?" Frohike asked. 

"I didn't confirm or deny it. He simply said it was imperative that I get you back here as soon as possible. You need to call him."

Frohike checked his watch. It was after five. "I'll call him tomorrow. He might be able to give me some advice on how to handle this DNA test and what to expect."

"We've been keeping an eye on the house, cleaned out the perishable foods and took down the Christmas decorations," Byers continued.

Langly started laughing. "We even got Skinner up on the roof pulling off lights."

"Skinner?! " Frohike exclaimed. "How the hell…?"

"It's a long story," Byers said. "He was here helping us look for you along with Yves, Mulder, Scully, Reyes and Doggett."

Frohike was amazed. "Sounds like you had everyone but the National Guard."

"Byers considered calling them, too but we didn't have enough computers," Langly joked. 

Byers gave Frohike a sardonic smile. "Yes, but all we got out of it was a wild goose chase to LA. It took Jimmy and Yves a while to find the bug you left in the hotel by the air port."

"Sorry about that, buddy," Frohike said. "I kept telling myself I was in more danger of discovery by my friends than my enemies. You proved me right there."

"I'm just glad you're home," Byers said for about the tenth time.

"It's good to be back with you guys." 

Emma suddenly squealed in laughter causing them all to turn and look in her direction. She was talking with Jimmy and Yves.

"Did you take pictures?" Emma managed to say when she was done laughing. 

Jimmy shook his head. "She wouldn't let me even though I bought one of those little throw away cameras."

"Do you still have them?" Emma asked Yves next.

"No, I gave them away before we left the park."

"Oh, no. That's no fun," Emma insisted.

"The little girl I gave them to was quite delighted."

Not really wanting to know what they were talking about, Frohike turned back to Byers and Langly. "Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to beat Bayne with this DNA test. I know Fletcher's got something up his sleeve."

"Talk to the lawyer dude." Frohike knew Langly meant Mr. Brown. "He should be able to help."


Later that evening, Frohike decided that it was time to clear up one more small detail. Emma was more than willing to put it off, but Frohike said there was no time like the present.

Langly was doing some online research. Emma came to disturb him. "Langly?"

"Hmmm?" He was still focused on what he was reading.

Emma reached between him and his keyboard and set something down on the table. He glanced down at it. Surprised, he picked up the tiny lead figure. He hadn't thought about the missing miniature in weeks. His emotions swung from surprised to pissed as he thought about how much time he'd wasted looking for it. 

"You lied to me."

"I know. I'm sorry. I took good care of it though."

After studying it closely, he put it on top of his monitor. "Why did you take it? I told you I would show you how to make them."

"I was trying to save it."

"Save it? From what?"

"From getting ruined."

Langly was getting impatient. "Come on. Just tell me the whole story and don't make me play twenty questions."

From his vantage point across the room, Frohike loudly cleared his throat. Emma got the message. "You told me it was the first one you painted." She said pointing at the tiny horse and rider on the monitor. "I know how hard your D and D friends party and I was worried that they would wreck all your little figures. I wanted to save at least one and I knew this one was special. So, I took it and kept it with me the whole time."

"The whole time? You took it to Florida?"

"She slept with it under her pillow," Frohike called out.

"Dad!" Emma yelled, embarrassed by this little bit of truth. She turned back to Langly. "I just wanted to make sure it didn't get lost." 

Langly smiled, no longer angry with her. However misguided her intentions were, they were not malicious. He stood up from his computer and picking up the miniature horse and rider said, "Come on. I want to show you something."


Leading the way, Langly climbed the stairs to the living area. Emma followed him into his room. "Hold this," he said, handing her the figure she had just returned to him. He rummaged around in the bottom of his closet. Emma leaned to one side to get a better view its contents. Wow! He had a lot of junk in there! 

She straightened up when he found what he was looking for. He was holding a stack of clear plastic boxes of a type that Emma had seen in a craft store that were made to hold beads or embroidery floss. He set them on the bed and began sorting through them. Finding the one he wanted, he opened it and showed it to Emma. There were several compartments just big enough to hold one small figure each. There were eight miniatures in compartments that were very similar to the one in her hand. Emma placed the Nazgul in an open spot completing the set. 

Placing that box on the bed, he flipped up the lids of all the others. Emma's mouth fell open in amazement. As far as she could tell, here were all the figures he had displayed on the big table. Langly laughed at her expression. "You didn't think I would let them use these unless I trusted them, did you?"

"I'm sorry, Langly, I was wrong. But what about the table? The table is gone."

"I took it apart and stored it. It got a little banged up but it's still usable." He glanced back at the collection of tiny figures on his unmade bed. "My friends know how much work it took to do all of these. They've all painted some themselves."

"Will you still show me how to do it if I promise not to take any more?" 

He reached out and tousled her hair. "Sure, no problem. But hang on a second." He quickly scanned the boxes and picked up one small figure. It was a tiny female elf on horseback. "Here. This can be the first piece in your collection. It's Arwen. They put her on a horse for the first Lord of the Rings movie."

"But she doesn't do that in the book, right?" Emma asked taking it from him.

"Nope. So this one," he pointed at the miniature in her hand, "has never been used."

Emma examined it closely. "Thank you."

"Just don't lose it." He said as he shut all the boxes to put them away. 

"I won't lose it. I didn't lose the Nazgul, did I?"

Langly laughed again. "Did you really sleep with it under your pillow?"

"Not all the time. I can't believe my dad told you that." She watched as Langly stood up from ditching the boxes in the back of his closet. "And you're not going to let me live that down anytime soon are you?"

Langly thought about it for a few seconds, then said, "No, not a chance."



* * * * * * * *



The next day, Frohike didn't just call the school to get Emma back in, he took her out there before the beginning of the school day. Now that they were home with the court date less than two weeks away, Frohike figured it would be a good idea for Emma to live as normal a life as possible. 

He asked for and received the opportunity to talk to the Headmistress. After that flaming asshole at the school in Florida, he was relieved to speak to a reasonable person. Deciding he could trust this woman, he told her the whole story. She assured him that Emma was welcome and offered to talk to Emma's teachers, past and present, in case any were needed to testify how well Emma had adjusted to her new living situation after her mother's death.


Emma was not as pleased as Frohike thought she would be to return to her old school. She was excited to see all her friends but had so much work to catch up on that she had very little time to spend with them except when they came to help tutor her. 


A trip to the eye doctor was scheduled for after school one day. Emma insisted that she didn't need to get the exam, just new glasses. But Frohike said it was time to get her eyes checked anyway. Her black eye was healing nicely but Frohike was more than willing to get another doctor's opinion, especially the eye doctor.


Frohike visited Mr. Brown to see what advice he could offer for the upcoming DNA test. 

"What ever you do, make sure you get her there on that day."

"I plan to."

"Good. You had me a little worried there when I couldn't get in touch with you."

"I'm afraid I panicked," Frohike admitted.

"Understandable. No harm done now that you're back. Let me give you a number of an acquaintance that handles custody cases. He can walk you through the process." Mr. Brown wrote the number on a piece of paper and handed it to Frohike. 

"Gray Kendall. He's good?"

"He has an excellent reputation," said Mr. Brown. "He's expecting to hear from you."


Frohike met with Kendall the next day. Gray Kendall was about six feet tall, had short brown hair and a face you could trust. He was young though, younger than Frohike liked but he knew he could depend on Mr. Brown's judgment. 

In this first meeting, Kendall told Frohike what to expect. "At the initial hearing it was decided that the DNA test must be done in front of a judge. Make sure you are on time for the test. It's a good idea to get there a half hour early. The test is simple and will only take a few minutes. Depending on who is presiding, testimony may be allowed while we wait for the results." 

"How long will it take to get the results back?"

"Three days."

"Then what happens?"

"At that point, the judge will make a decision."

Frohike nodded and went on. "How much did Mr. Brown tell you about my situation?"

"He filled me in on most of the particulars."

"Did he mention a man named Morris Fletcher?"

"He told me that Mr. Fletcher had done some fact finding for William Bayne but that you had other concerns about him."

"I do," Frohike said. "My past experience with this man has convinced me he's found a way to tamper with the DNA results to insure the test will show that Bayne is Emma's father."

Kendall shook his head. "These tests are run by companies with impeccable reputations. I don't see how that could be possible."

"Believe me. With Fletcher, it's possible and I need to make sure the judge understands this."

"I'll do what I can."

"Thanks," Frohike said. "What kind of testimony should we present if the judge allows it?"

"Well, we have her mother's will stating that you are Emma's father and that it was her wish that the child live with you. That is going to be hard to beat."

"Even if the test comes out that Bayne is her biological father?"

"Yes, even then."

Frohike found this encouraging. He hadn't considered this angle before. "What else can I do?"

"Talk to your friends and relations, anyone who has seen you with Emma and can testify what kind of father you have been."

"I have several friends who have offered assistance. Also, the Headmistress from Emma's school said she would talk to her teachers to see if any of them would be willing to testify."

Kendall was writing these things down on separate sheets of paper on a legal pad. "No relatives?"

"I have none, at least none that I've spoken to in the last 6 or 7 years."

"Okay," Kendall said handing Frohike the tablet he'd been writing on. "List the names and phone numbers of anyone who can come and I will contact them." Frohike began jotting down the information. Kendall went on. "I do want to meet and talk to your daughter. I'd like to prepare her for what is going to happen. How much does she know?"

"Everything. Well, all the facts that apply to this situation. There are several things about Mr. Fletcher I did not tell her but they're not pertinent."

"Good," Kendall said. 

They talked about Emma for a while longer: her background, her performance in school, her hobbies, her friends, how she'd adjusted to life without her mother and so on. Kendall also wanted to know if there was any dirt, anything untoward that had happened that William Bayne's lawyer could bring up.

"You mean besides taking her out of state for a month?" Frohike asked.

Kendall nodded. "If that comes up, we'll deal with it. You are only required to have her there on the court date. There were no restrictions on travel."

The more he talked to Kendall, the more Frohike liked him. He felt better about the impending DNA test than he had since he learned about it. He was beginning to hope he had a fighting chance.


When Byers had been positive that Frohike and Emma were truly on their way home, he'd called everyone to let them know. Most expressed a desire to see the two people they had worried so much about. Byers asked them all to give Emma a chance to settle back in before they dropped by. 

Doggett and Reyes were the first. They came by on legitimate business. Emma ran to answer the door when the buzzer rang. "Check the monitor," Langly yelled at her from his computer. 

"I will," Emma hollered back. "I always do," she muttered to herself. Once she saw who it was, she didn't wait to tell anyone before she quickly unbolted all the locks.

"Well, I'll be," Doggett said. "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Hi, Agent Doggett," Emma said smiling up at him.

"Where you been hiding yourself?"

Emma shrugged, aware that he knew perfectly well where she'd been.

"Oh, now the cat's got your tongue, does it?"

"No." Figuring he was done teasing her, she turned to Reyes. "Hi, Monica."

"Hi, Emma," she said.

"EMMA!" her dad yelled. "Tell them to come in and shut that door. You're letting all the heat out."

Quickly coming inside, Doggett commented. "I see your dad is back, too."

Emma smiled again. "Of course." 

"So, how was Florida?" Monica asked as they walked over to where the others were working.

"Warmer than here," Emma complained. "Dad says I got used to how warm it was there so it makes it feel even colder here."

"You'll get used to it again soon enough."

"He said that, too."

Doggett was explaining to the Gunmen what he needed done so Monica continued her conversation. "Where did you live while you were in Florida?"

"With this nice lady named Amy. She had a bookstore and two dogs. Dad said I can go back to visit her when the whole court thing is done."

Monica couldn't tell what Emma thought about 'the whole court thing'. "Are you worried about that?"

Emma looked away. "It's scary."

"I'm sure it is. When do you have to go for the test?"

"In a week and a half. It's at 10:30 in the morning so I won't have to go to school that day."

"Did your dad tell you what they're going to do?"

"Yes, he and his new lawyer did. I have to go to the courtroom and they will put a big Q-tip in my mouth to collect cells off the inside of my cheek. Then they will do the same thing to my dad and the other man."

"Then what will happen?" Reyes was familiar with the process of collecting DNA evidence but thought it might help Emma to talk about it. 

"Then we have to wait for three days. I might have to talk to the judge but we don't know yet. We don't even know who he is. The new lawyer is checking." Reyes wasn't going to ask her anymore but Emma kept talking. "When the test comes back and the judge has listened to everyone and asked them questions, then he will decide who I have to live with."

She paused not really wanting to consider the possibility that she would not come home with her father. "I don't want to go live with that other man. I don't know him."

Trying to offer what reassurances she could, Reyes said, "You didn't know your dad before you came to live with him? Did you?"

"No, but my mom said he was my dad. She said he was a good person and that he would take care of me."

"Do you know anything about this other man?"

"Yeah, some," Emma said. "I know that he and my mom were friends until he moved away."

"How long were they friends?"

"For a long time."

"Did your mom have any friends that you didn't like or were uncomfortable around?"

"No. Some of the business people could be kind of creepy but my mom wouldn't let me stay around them very much if they were."

"So, if this man was your mom's friend, he must be a good person. Don't you think?"

"I guess." Although she couldn't argue with Monica's basic logic, she didn't really care what kind of person Bayne was. She didn't want to leave her father or the guys or all the other new friends she had made. "If I do have to move to Connecticut, will you come and visit me?"

Monica nodded. "Of course I will. You can count on it."

"Thank you," Emma said. "And try to bring Agent Doggett with you."

Reyes smiled. "I will even if I have to drag him kicking and screaming."

"Hey, did you ever get him to show you his kilt?" Agent Doggett had worn his own kilt at the Scottish Highland Games during the summer. 

"He showed it to me but he wouldn't put it on."

"That's no fun!" Emma scowled at Agent Doggett who was busy with the guys at the computers. "I should have taken his picture. Then I could have made you a big print for you put up in your office."

Monica laughed. "He'd probably just take the picture down to the firing range to use for target practice."

Emma started laughing, too. "Or… or he would tell everyone that he had no idea where it came from and that it must be a new X-File!"

Doggett ears must have been burning, because he looked over at the two of them and asked. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing," they said in unison.



Chapter 14


Mulder stopped by on his own one day. "Where are Scully and William?" Frohike asked after all the pleasantries were exchanged. 

"They're out shopping with Dana's mom," Mulder said. "They decided long ago that I was not allowed to accompany them on these little forays into the Mall. Said I was teaching my son bad habits in shopping etiquette."

"Oh, yeah, like what?"

"Well, lets just say that the boy learned very quickly how not to stand on an escalator and that spinning clothing racks are fun to ride around on while mommy is trying on new clothes."

"Mulder!" Emma yelled from the stairway. "I thought I heard your voice." She ran down the stairs jumping off the last four nearly knocking Byers over. 

"Emma, that's not safe," Byers said.

"Sorry, John," she said sheepishly.

"It's okay, just slow down. Mulder's not going anywhere."

After a quick hug, Frohike and Emma filled Mulder in on their adventures in Florida. Neither Doggett nor Reyes had said anything about Emma's fading black eye but Mulder had to make a big deal out of it.

"Didn't your dad ever teach you how to fight?"

"Mulder!" Frohike said in a 'you're not helping the situation' voice.

"Seriously, if you taught the kid how to fight, then this wouldn't have happened."

"She doesn't need to know how to fight. She needs to learn how to solve her problems in other ways."

"But if two people are holding you, while another is punching you, saying, 'Can't we discuss this?' isn't very effective. You teach her how to duck, break a hold that someone has on her and other evasive skills then she won't need to fight."

Emma wisely said nothing letting the adults argue it out.

"Evasive skills are not going to help if she is the one throwing the first punch!"

Mulder was shocked. He turned to Emma. "You threw the first punch?" Emma just nodded. "Well, that's a different story then."

"She was provoked but she was also the one who chose to resort to violence."

Mulder thought about it a bit more. "I still don't think it's a bad idea to teacher her to fight, like Tae Kwon Do or something. Then she would have more respect for how much damage she could do to another person. It might make her hesitate and it would definitely keep her from getting hurt."

Emma wondered, not for the last time, why adults insisted on talking about kids like they were not in the room.

Seeing the look on her face, Mulder reached over and pulled her to him. "Either way, kid, it's good to have you back," he said giving her shoulders a quick squeeze.

"So how have you and your family been, Mulder?" Frohike asked.

"Good. Dana's job can be demanding at times but she still loves it."

"And you? How are you doing as 'stay at home' dad?"

"For the most part, okay. But sometimes, I wish…"

"You wish you hadn't quit the FBI?"

"I miss the work not the FBI. I miss the thrill of the investigation, of trying to explain the unexplainable." 

Frohike glanced at Emma and gave a slight tilt of his head to say, it's time for adult talk; you need to get lost.

Emma got the message and disengaged herself from Mulder's grip. "I gotta go…do something. Don't leave without saying goodbye, okay?"

"I won't, kid," Mulder assured her.

"You want a beer?" Frohike asked.

"Sure."

With cold beers in hand, the two of them got comfortable to talk. "Have you ever considered working on your own as a private investigator?" Frohike asked jumping right back in.

"I've played with the idea but I know it would become the nasty kind of surveillance I hate: peeking through half closed blinds and waiting outside hotels to take pictures of unfaithful spouses. That would be worse than doing nothing at all."

"But you could specialize in paranormal phenomenon. It wouldn't be all that different from working on the X-Files."

"You're right but I wouldn't have my FBI expense account. I don't think I could afford to do it. The airfare alone would break me in a matter of months."

They discussed several other options. Byers joined the discussion after awhile but had nothing new to add. "Have you considered rejoining the FBI?" Byers asked as a last resort.

Mulder snorted. "They would never take me back. Think of how many people worked for so long to get rid of me. No, that's not an option."

Glancing at his watch, Mulder stood up. "I gotta go collect my family from the in-law's."

"Hey, how is Maggie?" Frohike asked. It had been months since he'd seen Scully's mother. 

"She's doing all right. I think she's finally resigned to the fact that Dana and I are in it for the long haul."

"I thought she liked you?" Byers asked.

"She likes me well enough. She'd just like to see a wedding date on her calendar with a big red circle around it. The new house helped though. That was a big step. Too bad it didn't seem to change Bill's opinion of me."

Frohike shook his head. "It doesn't matter with that guy. Nothing you do will convince him that you are good enough for his sister."

"I don't think it's a matter of me being good enough. He's more concerned about the grief I've caused her over the years."

"Yeah, as I said, nothing you do will make a difference." 

Mulder looked at his watch again. "I told the kid I'd say goodbye before I left."

"Hang on. I'll get her." He walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up them. "Emma, Mulder is leaving."

Running down the stairs again but only jumping off the last three steps this time, Emma joined the others by the door. "Bye, Mulder. Tell Dana I'm sorry she couldn't come with you."

"Don't worry about that. You'll see her soon enough." Mulder gave Frohike a sympathetic look. "She said she was dying to talk to you both and that she'd see you soon."


Soon was the next day. Calling the warehouse, Scully got Langly. "Are Frohike and Emma there?"

"Nope, they're at the house. Do you want me to tell them you called?"

"No, don't bother. I'll just head over there."

"Okay, Scully. Catch you later."


Scully arrived shortly before dinner. Emma was doing her homework and Frohike was cooking. Emma got up to answer the door. 

"Finish your homework. I'll get it."

She could hear a voice in the entryway but wasn't sure who it was. She listened for few more seconds then figured it must be someone selling something. She discovered she was wrong when she heard small feet running toward her. 

"Emmy!" her tiny visitor called out.

"William!" Emma stood so she could pick him up. "How are you?"

"Emmy," William repeated wrapping his arms around her neck.

"I missed you, too," Emma said.

Scully walked into the kitchen with Frohike close behind her. "Emma, how are you?"

"I'm fine." Frohike took William out of her arms so she could hug Scully.

"You look so tan." Scully noted. "Did you spend the whole month on the beach?"

"We didn't live too far from the beach but I got tan because I rode my bike a lot. See?" Emma pulled her sleeve high up on her shoulder to show that her upper arms were still winter white.

"Yes, I do see," Dana chuckled. "Now come over here where the light is brighter so I can take a better look at your eye."

"My eye is fine. Really. The doctor in Florida said it was fine and so did my eye doctor here in DC."

"But I haven't looked at it yet and I'm the one who counts."

Emma had come to the conclusion that black eyes were way more trouble than they were worth but she complied. Scully looked closely at the yellowing bruises and had Emma look left, right, up and down. Emma started laughing. 

"What?" Scully asked as she gently pressed on the darkest bruise.

"You didn't ask for this one." Emma made her eyes spin around in circles.

"All right, funny girl, you're fine," Scully said, satisfied with what she saw. "You know you're lucky you didn't do permanent damage to your eye."

"Yes, I know. You aren't going to lecture me, too, are you?"

"Are you going to do this again; getting into more fights?"

"No."

"Then I don't think I need to say any more. I would like to talk to your dad though." She turned around to locate him and her son. "Frohike, you're not feeding him cookies are you? You'll spoil his dinner."

"I just gave him one. The boy is starving, Scully. You don't feed him enough."

"He gets fed plenty," she said coming to take her son from him. "Emma, could you take William upstairs to your room for a little while. I want to talk to your father in private."

"Sure, come on, William." He took her hand and they headed for the stairway.

Scully gave them time to make it all the way to Emma's room before she lit into Frohike.

"What the hell were you thinking?" 

"Oh, please, Scully, don't do this to me." Frohike wasn't in the mood for a dressing down.

"No one else is going to do it. They're too happy to have you back. But I don't think you know what taking off like that did to Langly, Jimmy and mostly Byers. My god, Frohike, are you aware that he blamed himself for all of this."

"What? That's nuts. I'm the one that made the decision. I knew he wouldn't like it. That's why I didn't talk it over with him."

"That doesn't change the fact that he was positive there must have been some way he could have stopped you. He nearly killed himself trying to find you. I seriously considered sedating him at one point because the man wouldn't even try to sleep. He kept saying it was useless, that he couldn't sleep. It wasn't until we thought we'd found you in Los Angeles that he relaxed enough to get a decent night's rest. But when Jimmy and Yves couldn't find you in LA, he was devastated."

Chagrinned, Frohike said, "I had no idea he would take it so hard. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"How could it be the right thing to take Emma into hiding. What was your plan anyway, to keep her hidden until she was old enough to live on her own?"

"I didn't think that far ahead."

"You dragged her away from everything she knew: her own home, her school, her old friends and the new ones that she'd already grown to love and respect."

"But don't you see? That's the problem. If the judge decides in William Bayne's favor, she won't have any of that. At least in Florida, she still had me. She may have lost everything else but I would still be her father." Scully's anger at him lessened with the appearance of tears in his eyes. He had done what he did out of desperation and the fear of losing his only child.

"Oh, Frohike," Scully said embracing him. "I know you don't want to lose her but you have to think about what's best for her."

"I know," he said, regaining his composure. "That's why I brought her back. She wasn't happy. At that point I decided she would be better off with Bayne, living her own life than in hiding with me. After a while, she would have grown to hate me for making her give up everything. And I couldn't bare that."

Scully smiled at him then kissed his cheek. "You're right and it takes a brave man to do what's best for others even though it is not what he wants for himself."

"That's what I keep telling Emma," Frohike said.

"Well, you know what they say about great minds."

"Froggy!" William yelled as he ran in and wrapped his arms around Frohike's leg.

"I'm sorry, Dana," Emma said. "I was trying to teach him how to play hide and seek but I don't think he has the idea yet."

Frohike picked William up. "What is it you want, little man?"

"Cookie!"

Frohike glanced at Dana who was shaking her head. "Are you sure you want a cookie or would you rather FLY!" He tossed William in the air.

William squealed with delight. Frohike tossed him up again only higher this time.

"Not so high," Scully cringed. "You're as bad as Mulder," 

"Don't worry. I don't think I can keep this up much longer," Frohike said tossing the boy again. 

"Dad," Emma said, disrupting the game. "I think something is burning."

"Oh, no! Here." He handed William off to his mother and ran to check a pan he'd left simmering on the stove.





Two days before the scheduled DNA test, Emma came and knocked on the open door to Byers's room. He was hanging up some clothes he had gotten back from the cleaners. "John, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Doc. Have a seat." He indicated his nicely made bed. "What is it you wanted?"

"Can I ask you a big favor?" She was sounding a little choked up so he stopped what he was doing and gave her his full attention. She took a few seconds to get her emotions in check. She bit her lip to stop it from quivering before she went on.

"Langly gave me an old Ramones T-shirt that I could keep and Jimmy gave me the one he wore at the Highland Games last summer."

"I sure hope Langly washed it before he gave it to you," Byers said. He got the desired results. She smiled. 

"Yes, it's clean and so is Jimmy's." Then she became serious again. "Can I have something of yours, too, just to remember you by?" She had considered just taking something of everyone's but after Langly's fit over the miniature that seemed like a really bad idea. So, painful as it was, she was now asking them each for a memento. 

He came over and sat on the bed next to her putting his arm around her. "Sure, sweetheart. What do you want since I don't wear T-shirts like the other guys?"

"Can I have one of your ties?"

"Of course. Which one do you want?"

"Would you please pick one for me? One you wear a lot?"

He let go of her to use both hands to remove the tie he had on. "How about this one?"

Emma took it from him and folded it over several times. "Thank you, John. I hope I can give it back to you in a few days." He pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the temple. 

"I hope so, too. But you can keep it either way."

She didn't say anything. She turned and hugged him tightly, then got up and left so he could finish what he was doing. He watched her as she crossed the hall to her room. She put the tie in the backpack she carried to school everyday. He figured she must have the shirts in there also. He wondered what she had asked her dad for. 

 

 

Chapter 15


The next day, Frohike got a call from Kendall. "Mr. Frohike, I'm afraid I've got some bad news. We didn't get the judge I wanted."

Frohike didn't want to hear bad news. "Who did we get?"

"Marshall Lewis."

"What's he like?"

There was a short pause then Kendall said, "Let's just say we're going to have our work cut out for us."

"Any advice you can give me on this guy?" Frohike asked.

"Just tell him the truth. He hates it when people lie to him or try to tell only part of the story. Be up front and you'll be much better off."

"I have nothing to hide," Frohike said.

"Then we should be fine. I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow. Try to be there a half hour early."

"Yes, we'll be there."


The next day, Frohike and Emma waited on a long bench outside courtroom Number 6 in the Washington, DC Family Court building. They were 45 minutes early. Emma sat very close to Frohike. She was frightened in many ways and a bit relieved in others. They had spent so much time worrying about this DNA test but once it was done, they would know the results and life could, hopefully, return to normal.

Gray Kendall arrived at precisely 10:00 AM. He nodded at them assessing their appearance. Frohike had dressed in a suit and tie. Kendall was pleased to see that he was clean-shaven. Emma was wearing a blue knee length skirt and a pale green sweater. Good. Kendall knew this judge was big on first impressions.

"I've spoken with Judge Lewis's Court Services Officer, and they're running on time this morning."

Frohike just nodded. 

"I haven't seen any sign of Mr. Bayne or his lawyer but the DNA technician called and she is on her way."

"What if he doesn't come?" Emma asked meaning Bayne.

Kendall shook his head. "He'll be here." He sat down next to Emma. She turned to face him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," she said. 

"You understand how the test will work and that it won't hurt, right?"

"Yes."

"If the judge asks you any questions, just answer him truthfully."

"I will." 

"Remember to call him 'Your Honor' or 'Sir' when you talk to him."

"Okay."

They waited patiently, all three of them occupied with their own thoughts. After about ten minutes, Emma turned to ask her dad what time it was but stopped as she saw a man and a woman turn the corner and walk down the corridor towards them. Frohike and Kendall noticed the newcomers at the same time. 

Kendall stood up and approached them meeting them about halfway down the hall. The woman shook Kendal's hand. "Gray, it's good to see you again." 

"Good to see you too, Midori. I heard you were working this case."

Frohike and Emma couldn't hear what they were saying so they just watched. The lawyer looked to be in her late thirties. She was Asian, thin, medium height, and had long hair that she had pulled back in a tight bun.

The man, of course, had to be Bayne. He was quite tall; at least six foot three. He had thick, dark brown hair and wore rimless glasses. He noticed Emma watching him and smiled at her. Emma quickly looked away and took her father's hand. 

Frohike turned his attention to Emma. "It's okay, honey," he said squeezing her hand.

"Is that him?" she asked.

"Yes."

"I don't like him."

Worried, Frohike turned to face her. "You don't know him," he said in a low voice. "In all our investigations on him, we didn't find anything that said he was a bad person." Frohike knew there was a chance that, in three days time, Emma could very well end up going home with this man. If that did happen, he didn't want her to be afraid of Bayne.

"He had that Fletcher guy working for him," Emma pointed out.

"But you have to remember what I said about Fletcher. He's a liar and a good one. The other guys and I believed him on more than one occasion. I'm sure Mr. Bayne didn't know any better."

"I still don't like him," Emma insisted.

"Mr. Brown said that Mr. Bayne and your mom were really good friends. You trust your mom don't you?"

Emma slid down on the bench so she could rest her head against Frohike's shoulder. "Yes, I trust my mom but she said you were my dad."

"I know, honey." He patted her cheek with his free hand. "Come on. You need to sit up. You're wearing a skirt, remember?"

Emma sat up straight again but did not relinquish her grip on Frohike's hand. She snuck another peek at the group halfway down the hall. The two lawyers were still talking and Bayne continued to watch her. He wasn't smiling any more though. He looked worried. 

Kendall came back to where Frohike and Emma were sitting. "I'm going to go check if the technician has arrived. Wait here." Emma watched him walk away then glanced back at Bayne and his lawyer. She got a chance to take a good look because his attention was on his lawyer. Emma watched his expressions as they talked. 

Maybe her dad was right. Bayne seemed to smile more than anything else. Even though she was his lawyer, the lady seemed comfortable enough to stand close to him. Maybe he wasn't the bad guy she had imagined. She continued to watch him until he looked her way again. Once more he smiled at her. Emma didn't smile back but she didn't look away this time either. 

Bayne took a hesitant step towards Emma and Frohike. His lawyer saw what his intention was and held up a hand to stop him. He looked at her and she shook her head saying, "Now is not a good time. You might get a chance to talk to her later but not now."

Kendall returned with the news that they were all set. "The technician is here and now we just need to wait until the judge is ready. He's hearing testimony on another matter right now."

Shortly before 10:30, the doors to Courtroom Number 6 opened and two small groups of people filed out. They were all deeply in conversation with each other and didn't notice those waiting to enter the courtroom. Judge Lewis's Court Services Officer came out into the hallway and said, "Give us about five minutes and we'll be ready for you." He waited for nods from both parties and reentered the courtroom allowing the door to close behind him.

Emma's heart was racing. She didn't think she had ever been this nervous in her life. She lifted her right hand a little off her lap and held her fingers out. They were shaking slightly. She balled her fingers into a fist to make it stop. Her outsides were as jumpy as her insides. She squeezed her father's hand a bit tighter. He looked at her and smiled. 

"It won't be long now," he said, but he was just as nervous. He was determined to appear calm for Emma's sake. If she saw that he was scared, it would make it that much harder for her. 

The Court Services Officer came back and led them all into the courtroom. The room wasn't very big. There was a large solid front desk on a raised platform for the judge. To the front and off to one side was a chair and a computer for another person. The CSO sat in this spot. Two fairly large tables that took up most of the room faced the judge's desk. There were a few wooden chairs lined up behind these tables for observers. William Bayne and his lawyer sat at the table on the right hand side of the judge; Frohike, Emma and Kendall sat at the other.

As soon as they were all settled, the CSO got up and said, "All rise."

Everyone stood as the judge came in the courtroom. He was about sixty years old, balding with mostly gray hair. He was a large man with a round face and dark bushy eyebrows. He was wearing the usual black robes. As soon as he had pulled his chair up to his desk he said, "Be seated." Once everyone was back in his or her original position, the judge continued. "We are here in the matter of Bayne V. Frohike to determine the paternity and custody of one Emma Michelle MacKenzie. Is the Applicant present?"

Bayne's lawyer got up. "Here, Your Honor."

"All right. Is the Respondent present?"

Kendall stood. "Here, Your Honor."

"All right." He looked then at Emma. Dropping the formal tone of voice that he had used up to that point the judge smiled kindly and said, "And is your name Emma Michelle MacKenzie?" 

Swallowing nervously, Emma glanced quickly at Kendall to make sure it was okay to speak. He nodded slightly. She stood up as the two lawyers had and said "Yes, Your Honor." She was pleased that her voice did not show how nervous she was.

"That's good. You can sit down."

Frohike whispered. "You did fine," as she settled back into her chair.

The judge once again spoke in a more formal way, "Does anyone wish to make any motions at this time?"

Both lawyers said, "No, Your Honor."

The judge turned to the CSO, "Would you please tell the technician that we are ready for her."

The technician entered the room. She was dressed in a white lab coat. She greeted the judge, "Good morning, Your Honor. Where would you like me to set up?"

"Either table will be fine."

She chose the one where Frohike and Emma sat. The CSO brought over another chair and set it in front of the table about two feet away. With everything ready, the woman turned and looked expectantly at the judge. "Mr. Frohike, would you like to go first?" the judge asked.

Relieved that Emma would be able to watch the procedure before it was performed on her, Frohike got up and came to sit in the chair by the technician. She took out what had to be the longest Q-tip Emma had ever seen. "Open wide." Frohike complied and she brushed the cottony end along the inside of his cheek. She put the cotton swab into a large ziplock bag, pealed a preprinted label off a sheet and adhered it to the bag. 

Frohike came back around the table. He briefly rested his hand on Emma's shoulder before he sat down. 

"Miss MacKenzie?" the judge said to get her attention. "You're next." 

Emma took the chair by the technician gripping the edges of the seat with both hands. The woman smiled at her. "This doesn't hurt at all."

"I know," Emma said.

"Okay, open wide."

Emma did and the woman brushed the swab on the soft skin inside Emma's mouth. "That's it," the technician said.

Emma quickly got up and returned to her seat between her dad and Mr. Kendall.

"All right, Mr. Bayne, your turn."

Bayne got up and came around his table. He had to walk right in front of Emma to get to the chair. Emma, once again, watched him carefully. He sat down facing her. His eyes never left her face even when the technician was talking to him. Emma finally looked away nervous and uncertain what to think of him. Why did this man want her to go live with him? So what if he had been a friend of her mother's. She didn't remember her mom ever talking about him. He hadn't been around in ten years. Why would he come back now? If he was such a good friend, why wasn't he there when her mom was so sick? Emma didn't remember him being at the funeral either. 

Emma had asked her father all these questions but he didn't have the answers either. Lost in these thoughts, Emma realized she had missed most of what was said after the tests were done. 

Everyone was suddenly standing up as the judge left the room. Then they all turned to leave, too. Bayne and his lawyer were the first out into the hallway. Frohike, Emma and Kendall came next. 

Bayne stopped in the corridor and spoke briefly to his lawyer. She didn't seem too pleased with what he was saying but didn't try to stop him when he walked over to the others. He addressed Frohike.

"Could I please have just a few words with Emma?"

Several thoughts flashed through Frohike's mind at this point. The strongest of which was to tell this guy to go perform unnatural acts upon himself, but he knew that would not be helpful. Again, he had to consider the possibility that the judge would give Emma to Bayne. Frohike didn't want her to believe he was a bad person. The sooner she made this decision for herself the better and allowing the man to at least say hello to her would be a first step.

"Only for a minute," Frohike told Bayne.

"Thank you," Bayne said looking relieved. 

"Emma," Frohike said turning to bring her out from where she was hiding behind him, "Come say, 'hello'."

Emma stood facing Bayne with Frohike's protective hand on her shoulder. Bayne got down on one knee in front of her. "Hi, Emma. Do you remember me?"

She looked down at him carefully studying his face. She searched her mind for any memory of him. She started shaking her head slowly. "I don't remember you."

Emma saw genuine disappointment in his face. "Not at all?" he asked again. 

"I'm sorry. No, not at all." Emma really was sorry. He seemed so sad.

"I knew you and your mom when you were very little."

"I know. My dad told me," she said turning slightly to catch a glimpse of Frohike's face before looking back at Bayne.

"We used to have a lot of fun together; just the three of us."

Emma said nothing. She didn't know what to say to that.

"We need to go," Frohike said. "Goodbye, Mr. Bayne." Taking Emma's hand he led her away from the courtroom. Emma glanced back at Bayne. He was still standing there watching them walk off. He hesitantly raised one hand to wave as they disappeared around a corner. 


Frohike took Emma back to the warehouse, figuring she might as well take the rest of the day off. Emma was surprised and pleased. 

The other guys were waiting around for word of how the court visit had gone. "There's not all that much to tell," Frohike said. "They did the test then the judge asked if anyone wanted to present testimony. Bayne's lawyer said that she did, so tomorrow we'll go back and listen to her witnesses. The next day, it will be our turn." He paused to see where Emma was. She was coming back from hanging up her coat. 

"Emma, you need to go change out of your good clothes," Frohike said.

"Okay," she said running up the stairs.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Frohike asked the guys. "My lawyer showed me their witness list. Kimmy was on it. Do you guys have any idea why he would be on Bayne's witness list?"

Byers and Jimmy looked at Langly. "What?" Langly protested. "I can't help it if Kimmy has a big mouth!"

Byers explained. "Fletcher got a hold of Kimmy and paid him for information."

"What does Kimmy know about Emma?" Frohike asked. "He can't stand the sight of her." 

The other three men kept quiet, each regretting the decision not to tell Frohike about Kimmy's comments.

Frohike was beginning to get the picture. He turned to Langly. "There is only one way Kimmy could have heard about events that were none of his business and he sure didn't get it from Byers or Jimmy. What did you say to him?" 

Langly was turning positively green under Frohike's glare.

"I know you guys," Frohike continue. "You and your D and D cronies sit there on your game nights like a bunch of old fishwives gossiping. What the hell did you tell him?" Frohike was trying hard to keep his voice down. 

Langly sputtered attempting to come up with something intelligent to say. "How… how was I supposed to know Kimmy would rat us out? There was no way of knowing that Fletcher was lurking around digging up dirt."

Frohike was getting tired of repeating himself. "What did you tell him? I need to be prepared if I'm going to have a chance of fighting this."

Langly sat down. "Oh, god, I am so sorry, Frohike. I didn't mean to make this more difficult. I honestly had no idea this could happen."

Byers could see that Langly was too upset to be of any real help and wanted to take some of the pressure off him. This was not all his fault. "We knew about it, too. When Kimmy was here right after Emma got back from the UK, he told us he'd talked to Fletcher." 

Frohike looked from Byers to Jimmy. "Why didn't you guys tell me?"

"We're sorry, Frohike," Jimmy said. "We thought we were doing the right thing. You already had enough to worry about."

Frohike fought to maintain control of his emotions. He knew they had nothing but his best interest at heart but, in this case, their over protectiveness had backfired. "Will someone please just tell me what Kimmy could have said to Fletcher?"

"Fletcher knows about the time Emma got picked up by those security guys and held for most of the day," Jimmy said. "He knows that she got hurt when you got mad at Mulder and he made it sound really nasty that she lives here with us sometimes." 

Langly had his head in his hands. His voice was muffled as he said, "I also told him about Yves taking Emma to England." He finally got up the nerve to look at Frohike. "And you know what he thinks of Yves." 

"What does he think of Yves?" Jimmy asked defensively.

Byers tried to reassure Jimmy. "The same thing we used to think of her. She's only in it for the money."

Jimmy scowled at Byers. "But she's not…"

Byers cut him off. "We know, Jimmy. Relax."

"Are you two done?" Frohike asked. "Because we've got bigger problems here. Fletcher knows who Yves's father is. That's not going to sit too well with the judge." 

He turned his attention back to Langly. "You need to remember everything you told him. I've got to let my lawyer know about this." Frohike glanced quickly around. Spotting a pad of paper and a pencil, he grabbed them and handed them to Langly. "Write it down. Write it all down. I don't need any more surprises."

Langly took the pad and pencil and sat staring at the blank page. Frohike waited with his arms crossed. Langly fidgeted with the pencil but didn't write anything. Frohike sighed loudly causing Langly to bark at him. "I can't think with you hovering over me like that. Go do something else. And for pity sake, take that suit off. You look like you're going to a funeral."

Frohike backed up a bit pointing at Langly. "It will be your funeral if you don't tell me everything you blabbed to Kimmy." He turned and headed for the stairs.

 


Chapter 16


Frohike went to court without Emma the next day. She wasn't allowed in the courtroom for the testimony, so her presence would be pointless. She went to school like it was any normal day. This didn't last long though. Byers got a call from the school late in the morning with a request that someone come and get Emma. 

Terrified that she had gotten into another fight, Byers rushed out to the school. He found her in the Headmistress's office. She was sitting reading a book. "Emma, are you okay." 

"Yeah, I'm all right."

"You didn't get in another fight, did you?" he asked softly, carefully studying her face for any more signs of damage.

Emma shook her head, "No, I'm just…They said…" She never got to finish a sentence. 

"Mr. Byers?" asked a matronly woman with an air of authority.

"Yes?"

"Could I speak with you for a moment, please?"

"Certainly." He followed her into a nearby room. 

Emma watched the Headmistress shut the door to her office. She had hoped that since she was back at her own school there would be no more trips to the principal's office. At least she hadn't punched anyone this time.

Emma glanced at the closed door again. She wished she'd been invited to join the discussion just to hear what they were saying. 

Byers wasn't in the office for very long.

"What did she say?" Emma asked once they were in the car. 

"She said that it would be a good idea to keep you at home until we get the results from the DNA test because you seemed to be having a difficult time concentrating and that you are very emotional."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"No, you're not in trouble. She was very understanding. She knows you're a good student but that your stress level is pretty high right now. It doesn't make much sense for you to try to deal with school when you have so much on your mind."

"Did she tell you what happened?"

"No," Byers said, "why don't you tell me?"

"It's embarrassing."

"Tell me anyway."

"I didn't do the right homework in my math class. The teacher said I needed to pay more attention. I said her handwriting was so bad that I couldn't read it when I copied it off the board. She sent me to the Headmistress's office."

Byers cringed. "I'm not surprised. That was very disrespectful."

Ashamed of herself, Emma hung her head. "I'm supposed to write the teacher a letter of apology."

"That sounds like a good idea. You can work on it when we get back to the warehouse."

"Are you going to tell my dad?" Emma asked knowing her father's stress level was as high as hers.

The temptation to say that they could keep it between themselves was great but Byers knew Frohike would go ballistic when he did find out. "You know we have to tell him."

Emma said nothing, dreading the fact that this was further proof she could not control her temper, something they discussed all the time.

"Tell you what, I'll read the letter when you're done and help you with any changes. Then when your dad gets home, you can show him the finished letter and he'll see that everything has been dealt with. What do you say?"

"Do you think that will work?"

"It can't hurt."

"I wish there was something else I could do," Emma said.

Byers considered this for a few seconds. "You could send flowers to the math teacher along with the letter."

Emma brightened considerably at this suggestion. "That would be nice. Do you think my dad would let me?"

Byers smiled. "Tell you what. If he won't let you pay for them, I'll buy them." He knew this wouldn't be necessary. "When you're done with the letter, I'll take you to the florist shop."

Her mood considerably improved, Emma said, "Thank you, John." 


Frohike was tight lipped when he got home. He offered no details as to how the testimony had gone but from the look of him, it could not have gone well. They figured when he wanted to talk about it he would. 

Frohike was surprised to find Emma at the warehouse. It was only 2:00 in the afternoon. After a quick explanation and a short lecture, Frohike read over the apology and added his scrawl under Emma's neat signature at the bottom of the letter. Then he took her out to buy the flowers for the teacher. 

On their way home, he asked Emma where she wanted to spend the night. Neither of them wanted to say it out loud but they both knew that these could be Emma's last days in DC for a long time. And how that precious time was spent made for some difficult decisions. 

"I think I'll spend tonight at the house and tomorrow night at the warehouse," she finally said. "Is that okay with you?"

"That's just fine, honey," Frohike said. "Did you want to invite all the guys over for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, that's a great idea!" Emma always enjoyed having company for dinner.

"We'd better go shopping then. Here," he said, tossing her his cell phone. "Call them and ask them."


The fact that Emma would not be in school the next day, posed a problem. The other three Gunmen were going to court to testify. There was no way of knowing what time they would each be called. Although there was no longer any worries about Fletcher or Bayne trying to snatch her, it didn't seem right to leave Emma alone all day. 

Frohike called Mulder to see what he and William were up to and ask if they wouldn't like a little extra company. Mulder readily agreed to take Emma for the day. 

Early the next morning, Frohike dropped Emma off at Mulder and Scully's new house in Alexandria. Every parting was becoming more difficult for Emma. Frohike delayed as long as he dared but eventually had to hug her one more time and leave. 


Mulder watched Emma playing on the floor with William, remembering the first day she had come to spend time with Scully and him. It seemed like so long ago but it was only the previous summer. It was amazing how well she fit into the bigger picture of their lives and now there was a good chance that she would be taken from them.

"So, kid, what do you want to do today?" he asked.

Emma looked up from the pile of Rescue Rangers that she and William were sorting through. She shrugged. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Dana and I were talking this morning. She really wanted to stay here today to be with you but couldn't find someone to take her classes on such short notice. She wondered if maybe you'd like to go out to Quantico and see where she teaches."

Emma's eyes got huge. "You mean I'd get to see the morgue?" Emma knew that Scully taught a couple of classes on forensic science.

Mulder laughed. "No. I seriously doubt that's what she had in mind. The public is not allowed in that building." He chuckled again. "And she'd skin me alive if I tried to take you and William in there. She was thinking of one of her lecture classes."

"That's great," Emma said. "I'd love to see it."

"We'd better get going then. It's a bit of a drive."


Standing outside the lecture hall some time later, Mulder said to Emma, "Go ahead, she's expecting you. Just sit in the back."

Suddenly nervous, Emma blinked at Mulder. "You're not coming in?"

He shook his head. "I can't take William in there," Mulder said shifting his son to his other hip. The little tyke was getting heavy. "If he sees Dana, he'll fuss and cry until he has her undivided attention."

When Emma hesitated, Mulder reached out and pulled open one of the double doors that led into the big room. Emma could see Scully standing in front of a bank of enormous whiteboards. Unfortunately, William saw her too and let out a loud, "Mommy!" 

Everyone turned and saw Emma standing in the doorway. Mulder had ducked behind the other door to shush William who had begun to cry when he was not allowed to run to his mother. "Go ahead, Emma, " a rather frazzled Mulder said. "I need to get William out of here. I'll meet you at the end of the class." 

She glanced back into the room. Everyone was watching her. Emma looked at Scully who smiled and pointed to the last row of seats. Emma quickly sat and slid way down in her seat so that only those near her could see her. 

Once the students' attention was back on Scully, Emma sat up so she could see. The hall was huge. Most of the students were young men. Since Emma couldn't understand half of what Scully was talking about, she spent her time counting the few women in the crowd. She never got the same number twice.

She became fascinated with the big whiteboards in the front of the room. The front row rose up into the wall to reveal another set underneath. Emma was now dying for the class to be over because she figured Dana would let her try them out. 

After sitting there for a half hour, Emma heard a bell ring. She sat up in surprise, amazed that adults moved from class to class like kids at her school did. Emma stood to get out of the way of the people in her row. One young man stopped before he passed her and asked, "Is Agent Scully really your mom?"

Emma shook her head vigorously. "No, that was her little boy. He was out in the hallway."

"Oh, okay," the man said then walked past her.

She was a bit embarrassed that this man thought she would be rude enough to yell into a crowded room. But it didn't bother her that he thought Scully was her mom. Looking down past the rows of seats to where Dana was talking to a pair of students, Emma thought she could do a lot worse than to have someone like Scully as a new mom. 

Emma started down the stairs going slowly to give Dana time to finish talking with the students. 

Once they were gone, Dana smiled at Emma. "So, what did you think?"

"There sure are a lot more guys in your class than women," was Emma's first observation. 

"Yes, but we seem to get more and more female agents every year."

"Hey, can I try the boards?" Emma asked pointing at them.

"I thought you'd like those," Scully said walking behind the big counter in the front of the room. "These toggle switches make them go up and down. Go ahead; try it."

Lowering the middle board, Emma asked another question. "Can I erase it and write something else on it?"

Scully glanced at what was written on it to check if there was something she needed to use again. "Go ahead."

"Thanks," Emma said quickly erasing the board. She turned to look back up at the door then wrote, 'HI MULDER!' in big block letters and drew a giant smiley face. She flipped the switch to raise the board again. 

"What are all these other switches for?" Emma asked.

"Try them and find out," Scully said as she gathered her notes. 

Most of the switches adjusted the lights. They could be turned off a row at a time or dimmed. Emma experimented with combinations of lights on, off and dimmed. 

Mulder arrived with William. "Hey!" he yelled. "What's with the light show?"

Scully cuddled and talked to William while Emma showed Mulder how the boards worked. He laughed at her message and added a stuck out tongue to the smiley face she had drawn. 

"All right, you two, you need to erase that so we can go to lunch. William and I are hungry. Isn't that right, sweetie."

"Cookie," William answered.

"I'll take that for a 'yes'." 


Mulder and Scully dropped Emma off at the warehouse in time for dinner that afternoon. They were invited to stay for the evening meal. Frohike assured them that there was enough lasagna and garlic bread to go around. They readily agreed. 

Scully took Byers aside once Emma had gone to help her father with dinner preparations. Langly and Jimmy were entertaining William by building a fort out of stray furniture while Mulder looked on. "How is the custody hearing going?" Scully asked Byers.

"I hate to say it, but it doesn't look good," he admitted. Mulder saw them talking and came over, knowing what the topic of conversation would be. 

"What did he say," Mulder asked Scully.

"It's not good," Byers repeated. "The judge is very conservative. He's not impressed by what we do. Bayne's lawyer even had copies of the paper with some of our more spectacular headlines. I tried to explain that we carefully double check all our sources and information but the judge didn't seem willing to listen to that."

"What else did they question you about?" Mulder asked.

Byers shook his head. "I think every mistake we or Frohike ever made with Emma has come up." Scully put a sympathetic hand on Byers arm. He told them about the information Kimmy had fed to Fletcher. The one thing he did not mention was that Mulder's history with the FBI had come up. The fact that Emma spent so much time with Mulder did not seem to sit well with the judge.

"I'm so sorry, Byers," Scully said.

"Yeah, if there's anything we can do…" Mulder added.

"Thank you but, at this point, it's all up to the judge. Just keep your fingers crossed that the DNA test comes back in Frohike's favor. I think it's our only hope."



Chapter 17


The Scully/Mulders had to leave relatively early to put William to bed. This left the four Gunmen and Emma on their own for the rest of the evening. 

Tension was high. Emma hovered near her father but watched the others carefully and asked each of them where they were going every time they got up to go do something different.

After some cajoling, Jimmy got Emma to play Sorry with him but she couldn't keep her mind on the game. Half way through, Emma discovered something that infuriated her.

"You're cheating!" she told Jimmy.

"I'm not cheating," he insisted.

"Yes, you are! You're letting me win!"

"Well, maybe, but that's not really cheating."

"What would you call it then?"

"I, uh," he couldn't think of what it would be. "I'd call it letting you win."

"I'm not a baby! I can win on my own!"

The anger in Emma voice brought Frohike over to see what was going on. "Emma, calm down." She sat back with her arms crossed and settled for glaring at Jimmy. Frohike continued. "What's the problem?"

"He's letting me win. I want to win on my own."

"Why don't you just start the game over?"

She stood up. "No, I don't want to play anymore." She left to go see what Byers and Langly were doing.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy," said Frohike. "I'll talk to her if you want."

"No, it's okay. She's not herself this evening. I made a mistake but I just wanted her to have fun." 

"I know you did. Thanks for trying." 

Jimmy decided to call Yves again. She hadn't answered her cell phone all day. He was getting worried. They had seen very little of her in the two plus weeks since Frohike and Emma had come home. Jimmy called her or she called him every couple of days to keep her informed. But after being in the courtroom that day, Jimmy was desperate to talk to her. 

He got her voice mail. "Yves, this is Jimmy again. I really need to talk to you. Please call me as soon as you can. It doesn't matter what time it is."

After deciding that the online game Langly was playing didn't interest her, Emma sat down next to Byers. "You okay, Emma?" he asked.

"Yes, I guess so."

"Here, why don't you help me with this." He showed her what he was researching and set her up on the computer she was sitting at. Byers knew that in her agitated state this distraction would only work for a short time before she would be up and looking for something else to occupy her mind.

Langly had watched all this with a growing sense of unease. He had to do something. Anything! Making a decision, he got up, grabbed his coat and announced, "I'm taking the van. I'll be back later." 

Emma watched him go, sensing that her nasty behavior had driven him out of the warehouse. She couldn't do anything about Langly but she could go apologize to Jimmy. "I need to go talk to Jimmy," she told Byers.

"Okay."

Jimmy graciously accepted her apology and offered one in return. "I should know by now that you'd rather win on your own. Do you want to play again? I promise to try my hardest to beat you."

"No, that's okay. I'm helping John with something," Emma said. "Maybe when I'm done."

"All right." The phone rang. Jimmy hurried to answer it hoping it was Yves. "Lone Gunmen Group, Jimmy Bond speaking."

"Jimmy, you've been trying to reach me." Jimmy quickly checked that Emma and Frohike were out of earshot.

"Yves! Yes, I have. How soon can you get here?"

"I can be there by tomorrow morning. What's happened?"

"I really think you're going to need to come and say goodbye."

"It's that bad?"

"Unless the DNA test comes back that Frohike is her dad, we don't think there's much of a chance."

"Oh, Jimmy, I am so sorry. I'll be there. If I don't make it to the warehouse before you leave, I'll meet you at the courthouse."

"Okay, Yves, I'll see you then."


Everyone was surprised when Langly returned in less than 30 minutes. He came in holding two half cases of root beer. "What's that for?" Frohike asked.

"Come on upstairs and I'll show you."

"What? You can't put groceries away on your own?" Jimmy asked.

"Soda doesn't count as groceries," Byers observed.

"Would you two smartasses knock it off and take these upstairs." He thrust one box at Jimmy and the other at Byers. He walked over to Emma who was still working on the computer. 

"Come on. I made you a promise a few months ago and I going to keep it." When she hesitated in confusion, he took her hand and pulled her out of the chair. "Come on!" he repeated. She followed him. "You, too, Frohike. Let's go!" he hollered over his shoulder as he led Emma up the stairs. 

Langly found Jimmy and Byers putting the beverages in the refrigerator. "No, no, no. It's got to be warm or it won't work right. Just put the cans here on the table," he said patting it. 

He walked down to the bathroom and came back with a handful of bath towels. "These are for the wimps," he said setting them down. Everyone else in the room watched, wondering if he'd lost his few remaining marbles. "Okay, who wants to be first?" he announced expansively.

The other four just looked at each other. "First for what?" Byers asked for everyone. Langly reached into his pocket and dramatically withdrew a cheap ballpoint pen. 

When this did not elicit the desired response, he explained, "Shotguns! Don't you remember, Emma? I promised you I would teach you how to shotgun root beer. It was that day at the car dealership when Jimmy and I were trying to teach you how to burp."

"Yes, I remember," said Emma. "You told me we couldn't do it there because the pop was cold."

"Lovely," Frohike said. "This is how you spend your time when I leave her alone with you."

"Get over yourself, Frohike. She's got no brothers or uncles. Some one's got to teach her this stuff. Okay, who's first?"

Byers still had no idea what Langly meant to do. "Why don't you go first?" he suggested.

"All right, I will." He picked up a can in one hand and held the pen like a dagger in the other. He tipped the can so it lay on it's side and positioned the point of the pen near the base. He carefully forced the pen into the aluminum. A little bit of root beer spurted out before he could get his thumb over the hole. He held the bottom of the can up to his mouth then popped the pull-tab. He guzzled the pop as it poured out the hole at the bottom. 

Frohike had done this before but he and his buddies used beer, not soda. He figured Langly had substituted root beer for Emma's benefit. Byers, Jimmy and Emma watched in disbelief. "That's gotta hurt," Jimmy noted while they watched Langly struggle to swallow all of the carbonated beverage.

Gravity did its job, forcing Langly to drink the entire can of warm soda without stopping. Langly screwed up his face and waited. The resulting burp was pretty impressive. Jimmy and Emma laughed. Frohike applauded saying, "I'd give you a score of 9 over all. Your bass tones were good, as was your longevity but you need to work on the volume."

Everyone but Langly laughed at Frohike's rating system. "Hey, if you think you can do better, you try it." He thrust an unopened can of root beer in Frohike's direction. 

"Come on, Dad! You can beat him!" Emma called out excitedly. Pleased that this little diversion of Langly's was working; Frohike acquiesced and took the can out of his friend's hand. 

"All right. Let me show you how it's really done." He picked the pen up off the table and shoved it into the can in the same spot Langly had but Frohike worked the pen around the hole enlarging it so that the liquid would pour out faster. 

Langly picked up a towel. "Need a nappy?" 

Frohike just shook his head as he raised the can to his lips. Popping the top, he drank much faster than Langly. He, too, waited for a moment for the carbonation to work its magic before releasing a spectacular belch.

The audience cheered and waited for the score. Langly studied Frohike's smug face and said, "Okay, it was probably louder than mine but my longevity was superior. I'll give you a score of 8.5."

"That was at least a 9.5 and you know it, punk."

Byers laughed. "It's the East German judge. He always scores low."

"I'm next," Jimmy proclaimed stepping up and choosing a can of pop. 

Langly sized him up. "I don't know, man. Are you sure you're up to this?"

Jimmy narrowed his eyes at Langly. "If you can do it, I can do it. Now hand me the pen."

Langly hesitated a moment longer for dramatic effect, then gave the pen to Jimmy.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Emma yelled while running toward her room. She came back with a big sketchpad and a handful of felt pens. She tore several sheets out of the book and passed them out along with the pens. No one had to ask what they were for. "Okay," Emma said to Jimmy. "Go ahead."

Jimmy had a little trouble making the hole in the can but got it eventually. He raised the can in salute to his audience and put it to his lips. He didn't quite swallow it all. Some spilled down the front of his shirt but he got most of it. 

They all waited patiently for the belch. It was long and loud. Instead of cheering and applauding, the three Gunmen and Emma were drawing their scores on the sketchpad pages. When everyone was ready, they held up their scores one at a time. 

Jimmy read then off, "9.0, 8.5, 9.0 and 9.5." 

Byers mentally did the math. "That's an overall score of 9.0! Not bad for a first attempt." Jimmy bowed to the resulting applause. 

He tried the long shot at the recycle bin with the empty can and made it in with no problem. "Hey, how about an extra point for the basket?" he suggested. "That would be a perfect 10."

There was a general shaking of heads. "Wrong sport," Frohike said. "You'll have to try out for the 'shotgun, recycle dunk, sock slide for distance' triathlon next year."

"Sounds good to me," said Jimmy. "It will give me time to practice. Who's next?" 

Before Byers could speak up, Emma said, "I'm next." She took a quick peek at Frohike for permission. He grinned and nodded.

Langly stepped up to help her. The others tore fresh pages out of the book to score the newest contestant. Langly picked up a towel and tried to put it around Emma's neck.


"No, I don't want the towel," Emma complained.

"You're going to need it, squirt," he insisted as he tried to tie it around her neck. 

She pulled on it to get it out of his hands. "Come on. No one else wore one. I don't want it either. "

Langly looked to Frohike for help. "She doesn't have to wear the towel," Frohike said. "I can always mop." Emma shot him a nasty look. "If I need to," he added quickly.

Picking up a can, she tried to push the pen into the base but couldn't do it. Waiting patiently for a request for help, Langly did it for her. Emma held her finger over the hole, checked that she had everyone's attention then let go. 

The root beer poured out faster than she could swallow. She tried to put her tongue in the hole to slow it down but that just made the pop squirt out around her mouth and all down her front. Some even splashed on the floor. The guys all laughed at her as she managed to get the last of it down her throat. Langly took the can from her and handed her a towel. She rubbed herself down but most of it had already soaked into her clothes. Langly took the towel and dropped it on the floor where it was wet. 

Emma didn't feel too good. She had drunk too much, too fast and now the pressure was building up inside her stomach. She groaned. "I think I'm going to throw up." 

"You just need to burp," Langly said getting a little concerned.

"I can't!" Emma said. 

Frohike came and stood beside her carefully watching her face. He patted her on the back. Finally, Emma could feel the burp trying to escape. 

It wasn't as long and loud as the guys, but it was still pretty impressive. The Gunmen all cheered and clapped. Emma bowed as Jimmy had and waited for her score. 

Jimmy read the scores aloud this time. "10, 9.5, 6 and 10."

The others turned to Langly who had given her a score of six. "Oops!" he said pretending ignorance of his mistake. He flipped his sheet over so that it read 9.

Byers once again did the math. "Your overall score is 9.625."

"Whoo hoo! I'm in the lead!" Emma gloated. 

Byers stepped up unbuttoning his coat and loosening his tie. "Don't clear a space on the shelf for that trophy yet," he said. "I haven't had my turn!" 


After they had all tried it, some taking a second turn, Jimmy suggested Nachos to go with all the root beer. Junk food was searched for and prepared. The conversation turned to other goofy things they all did when they were younger. Emma, of course, had nothing to offer but enjoyed hearing about their antics in high school and college. She laughed until her sides hurt. She was amazed to hear them tell such stories in front of her. For once, she felt like one of the adults. 

Well after midnight, Frohike decided that it was bedtime. Emma was sound asleep at the table with her head on her arms. He woke her gently and led her to her room. Byers and Jimmy also headed for bed, reminding Langly that since it was his idea, he got to clean up. Complaining but only half heartedly, he collected the dishes. Frohike helped him while Emma changed then went to make sure she was settled. She had fallen right back to sleep.

Langly loaded the last of the silverware into the dishwasher. He scanned the room to make sure he had gotten everything. Satisfied that he was done, he headed for bed himself. He stopped at Emma's open door where Frohike was still standing, watching her sleep. "If you plan to stand watch all night," Langly whispered, "you're going to need a chair."

"No, I've got to try to get some sleep," Frohike said. "Gotta look good for tomorrow," he added with a sarcastic note in his voice. "Hey, Langly," he said as his friend walked away, "thanks for the distractions this evening. Things were looking pretty grim there for a while." 

"No problem, Fro. I couldn't stand to see her so stressed."


  

Chapter 18


The next morning dawned clear and bitterly cold. Snow was forecast for later that day, but for the moment, bright sunshine poured through the windows in the living quarters at the warehouse. It had been decided the previous evening that they would go out to breakfast before heading over to the courthouse. Frohike and Emma didn't need to be there until 10:00AM. 

The judge had decided that he would like to talk to Emma on this final day of testimony. Emma found this encouraging. She saw it as a chance to let the judge know what she wanted. It bothered her to have everyone discussing what to do with her life when she could just tell the judge who she wanted to live with. Maybe now she would get her chance.

They went to Denny's to eat. Everyone ordered Grand Slams. Frohike didn't eat much of his but Emma ate about half of hers then gave the rest to Jimmy.


Once at the courthouse, they arranged themselves on the benches outside Courtroom Number 6 and waited for the Court Services Officer to invite them in. They sat silently, patiently. There simply wasn't anything to say. Byers got up after a while and wandered around a bit. When he got to the far end of the corridor, he turned and observed his friends as they waited. Frohike had continued to dress in his suit everyday. By now it must be obvious to everyone in the courtroom that he only owned the one suit. He'd worn his cutoff gloves today though. Byers figured he must have put them on out of habit and in his distracted state hadn't noticed yet. 

He decided not to say anything about it. Such a small detail wouldn't make any difference this late in the game. He knew the judge must have made his decision by this time.

Emma was carrying her school backpack. Byers knew why and wondered yet again what memento she had asked Frohike for. 

William Bayne arrived with his lawyer. Byers watched him pause in front of Emma, carefully study her face and move on at his lawyer's urging. They stood away from the group on the benches and talked together in hushed voices. Byers walked past them and rejoined his friends.

Frohike's lawyer, Grey Kendall, arrived accompanied by Clarence Brown. Bayne moved to greet him but stopped when Emma beat him to it.

"Hello, Emma," Mr. Brown said. "How are you holding up?"

"Pretty good but I'm glad you're here," she said.

"I wanted to see you to let you know that no matter what happens today, you will continue to be my favorite client." 

"You mean I'll still get to come to your office now and then?" she asked in a strained voice.

"Either that or I will come to visit you. How does that sound?" 

"I'm glad," was all she said as she hugged him.

"Why don't you go sit with your dad now? I wish to speak with Mr. Bayne."


Emma didn't go back to sit with her dad right away. "I'll need to find the bathroom," she told Frohike. 

"It's down the hall." He pointed to the right. She would have to walk past Bayne. She considered her options. She didn't really need to go. There was someone she hoped would come who hadn't shown up yet and Emma was worried that the courthouse was big and confusing. Anyone could get lost. 

Frohike noticed her hesitating. "Do you want me to walk down there with you?"

"No," Emma said summoning up her courage. "I can do it by myself."

She set off down the hall forcing herself to walk normally past where Mr. Bayne and Mr. Brown were still talking with the lady lawyer. Bayne smiled at her as she went by him. She didn't smile but didn't ignore him either. 

Once out of sight of the others, Emma wandered around a bit. She saw a lot of adults and a few kids waiting or talking or walking through the halls but didn't spot the person she was hoping to see. She got turned around at one point and had to ask someone how to get back to Courtroom Number 6. They pointed her in the correct direction.

She did stop at the bathroom so she could say she had. She came out to find her dad waiting for her. "I almost came in looking for you. Everyone else is already in the courtroom."

Emma hurried back with him. Mr. Brown, Byers, Jimmy and Langly all had to wait outside. "The guys aren't coming in?" Emma asked as she and Frohike sat down at their table.

"They're not family. They can't come in," her dad said.

But they are family, Emma thought. It didn't seem fair.


After all the formalities were out of the way, Emma was asked to come and sit in a chair near the judge. Once she was settled, the judge turned to her and asked her to state her full name for the record.

"My name is Emma Michelle MacKenzie."

"Do you understand why you are here today?" the judge asked.

"Yes, you're going to tell me who I have to live with."

"That's very good. Now the lawyers would like to ask you a few questions. You know Mr. Kendall," he said pointing to her dad's lawyer. "And this is Miss Hirosaki." Bayne's lawyer raised her hand slightly to identify herself.

Emma glanced back at the judge. "Okay," she said.


Out in the hallway, Byers, Langly and Jimmy continued to wait. Mr. Brown had gone to speak with acquaintances he had who worked at the courthouse. He told the Gunmen that he would be informed when the decision was read. 

While they sat there, Jimmy kept checking his watch and glancing up and down the corridor for Yves. Twice he had gotten up to look for her with no luck.


* * * * * * * * 


Yves walked briskly through the lobby, her heels drumming a quick tempo with her passing. She paused briefly to consult an information plaque that showed a map of the building. Locating the room she wanted, she headed in that direction. 

Turning a corner, she stopped short. 

He was here. 

The bastard really had a set on him to be in this courthouse on this particular day. Knowing he hadn't spotted her yet, she walked up to him. He finally heard her, turned and smirked when he saw who it was.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here today, Fletcher," Yves growled in a low voice. 

His smirk widen into a full-blown sneer. "You know me, sweetheart. I can't resist reunions between fathers and their long lost daughters."

Yves's ire rose at the bait. He wanted her to lose her cool but she refused to give him the satisfaction. "If you don't leave here now," she said in the same low voice, "I will call security and tell them a very convincing tale that will keep you in lock up for at least 48 hours."

"Oh!" he cried, dramatically grabbing his suit front. "You wound me! After all we've meant to each other. And besides," he said is a more normal tone, "my employer is here and may need to call me to testify."

"Your employer has more sense than to put a bottom dweller like you on the stand. He knows what Frohike's lawyer would do to you given the opportunity. No, I strongly suspect that your purpose here today is simply to gloat." 

"After everything you and your overly zealous friends have done to undermine my operations," Fletcher spat, "I think I deserve a chance to see my hard work pay off. So why don't you go back to lurking in the shadows, Miss Harlow? Some day I will convince your father that I can be of further assistance to him. That's when I'll look you up. But until that time, stay out of my way."

Quickly glancing up and down the hallway, Yves reached behind her back and under her jacket to pull out a tiny syringe. It held the potent drug that could disable a grown man for up to twelve hours. Pushing Fletcher up against the wall, she thrust the weapon into the soft skin under his ear near his carotid artery.

"How did you get that past security?" a very nervous Fletcher asked. 

"Never mind that. If you don't get your repulsive face out of here in the next 30 seconds, I will use it on you. You will wake up in the emergency room some time tomorrow with a lot of explaining to do."

"All right, all right. I'm leaving," he said holding up his hands. 

Morris Fletcher really was a lightweight when it came to physical discomfort, Yves thought. She heard someone coming down the hallway and realized how odd the two of them would look to the casual observer.

"No, not here, lover," she said sweetly pushing herself away from him. She turned and smiled at the two people who were walking towards them. "He's so impulsive," she told them. They smiled tolerantly at her as they passed. 

The smile vanished from her face when she turned back to Fletcher. "Go now and if I hear that Frohike got even a glimpse of you, I will hunt you down and carry out that threat." She backed up further to make room for him to pass.

She stood in the middle of the corridor watching his retreating form. She turned when she heard her name. "Yves!" It was Jimmy. 

Yves smiled again, a genuine smile this time. When he reached her, he asked, "Who were you talking to?"

Yves took his arm and guided him back the way he had come. "No one really, just someone who needed a little advice. Where are Frohike and Emma?" 

"We need to hurry. They're in the courtroom already."


When Jimmy and Yves got to the courtroom, Emma was back waiting with Langly and Byers. She jumped up and ran to greet Yves. "You're here!"

"Of course, I'm here," said Yves. "This is the most important place for me to be at the moment." She glanced at Langly and Byers noting from their expressions that nothing had been decided yet. She returned her attention to Emma. "Did you get to speak to the judge?"

"A little bit," Emma said. "Mostly the lawyers asked me questions."

"What did they ask you?"

"Just about how I like school, where I lived, who my friends were. Stuff like that. None of them asked me where I want to live though."

"This is what you wanted to tell them?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry then."

Emma shrugged, her mind on something else. She was trying to work up her courage. "Yves, can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course, dear. What is it?"

"All the guys gave me something to remind me of them. Do you think you could… that there's something…?"

"You'd like a memento from me, too?"

"Yes, if it's okay with you."

Yves was deeply touched by the request. She considered the possibilities. "What did all the fellows give you?" Emma dug her backpack out from under the bench and showed Yves its contents.

Seeing how personal the items were, Yves made her decision. "Here," she said slipping out of her maroon leather jacket, "I think this might even fit you." She held it out to Emma to try on.

Emma shook her head. "No, it's too expensive and it's really cold today. How will you keep warm?"

"I have another coat in my car." She stepped up to Emma. "Turn around. Let's see how it looks on you."

Emma acquiesced and turned so Yves could slip the coat over her arms. It was just a bit too big, especially through the chest. "You'll grow into it, I'm quite sure," Yves said tugging gently on the collar to flatten it. 

She backed up to see tears in Emma's eyes. "Thank you, Yves. I'll take good care of it."

"I know you will, dear. I have no doubt of that." Yves hugged her for two reasons. The first was a sincere affection for the child and the other was to remove the tiny weapon from the jacket. Yves palmed it, slipping it into the top of her boot when she got the chance.


Mr. Brown returned a few minutes later with news. "A courier has arrived with the DNA test results. We should hear anytime now."

Emma sat between Byers and Langly. Jimmy and Yves sat together further down the bench. Yves could sense Jimmy's tension and took his hand between both of hers. Mr. Brown stood across the corridor, watching the door to the courtroom. 

After about 15 minutes, he saw a shadow darken the frosted glass of the door. It swung open slowly and Frohike stepped out into the hallway alone. Ignoring the others, he walked up to Emma and stood for a second saying nothing. 

He reached out and took Emma's hand to pull her off the bench and into his arms. "I asked permission to be the one to tell you," he said. "I'm sorry, baby. They say I'm not your father after all."

Frohike felt Emma's knees give out. He held her tighter to keep her from falling to the floor. She clung to him but didn't say a word. Once she was standing on her own again, he continued. "The judge says you need to go with Mr. Bayne now. I tried to get them to give me time to let you pack but Mr. Bayne says he will take you back to the house." Frohike's tears fell freely mingling with Emma's on her cheeks.

Bayne and his lawyer came out of the courtroom. They calmly watched as Frohike let go of Emma to hold her at arm's length. "You need to go say goodbye to everyone."

She went from person to person, hugging them as tightly as she had Frohike, studying their faces as if to memorize them. She didn't talk except to say each friend's name. She came back to her dad. He held her again speaking softly to her, attempting to lend her strength for what came next. 

"Remember, this is only until you are 18. Once you are old enough you can decide for yourself where you want to live and what you want to do." He didn't know if this fact offered her much solace. At 12, six more years to reach 18 was half her life. That had to seem like an eternity to her.

"I love you, Emma. I don't care what they say; you are my daughter. I want you to remember that. I will never, ever forget you or stop loving you." 

Bayne took a step closer to them in his impatience. "Mr. Frohike, Emma and I really must be going."

The sound of Bayne's voice sent a shudder through Emma's body. "Remember what I said about Mr. Bayne," Frohike continued. "He's a good man. You don't need to be afraid of him. You'll be perfectly safe."

Frohike looked over the top of Emma's head at Bayne as he got closer to them. "She doesn't like to take her asthma medicine, the preventative type. You'll need to remind her."

Bayne nodded. "I know all about her asthma and how to take care of it."

"Well, she's a big girl now," Frohike said stroking her hair, "and does most of it herself. She just needs someone to double check."

He put his hands on her arms around his waist. "Come on, honey, it's time to go." He got her to release her grip on him. He was immediately reminded of the last time he had forced her to let him go to be taken away by complete strangers. 

Emma held on to Frohike by one hand as she turned toward Bayne.

Bayne looked at Emma's tear stained face regretting the pain he saw, knowing he was the cause. But this would be short lived. Soon she would be happy again and much better off in the long run. 

He didn't want to rush her but he knew how goodbyes could drag out, prolonging her pain. "Come on, Emma. Mr. Frohike and his friends need to go, too." He held out his hand to her, praying she would take it and come to him willingly.

Without letting go of Frohike, Emma hesitantly took Bayne's offered hand, creating a link between the two men. Then, with obvious regret, she dropped Frohike's hand and stepped up to stand beside Bayne. 

Relieved that she had made the move on her own, Bayne smiled at her giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Are you ready to go home now?"

Emma shrugged without taking her eyes off Frohike.

Frohike turned to the others. Not a dry eye in the house, he thought. He was surprised that even Yves was all misty. "Let's go!" he growled at them. Frohike figured it would be easier for Emma if they left first. He walked down the hall waiting for each of his friends to move on ahead of him. Every moment, he wanted to turn and take one last look but he wouldn't allow himself to do it. The quicker he got everyone out of there, the better.

"Dad!" he heard Emma call out to him.

He still didn't turn. He was determined to make a clean break.

"DAD, WAIT!" He stopped when he heard her running toward him.

"Emma, come back," Bayne called to her as he too headed in Frohike's direction.

Frohike turned as she came up behind him, he held out his arms to her to stop her, to hold her, dreading the fact that he would once again have to give her up to Bayne. 

But she didn't run into his waiting arms. She grabbed one of his hands in both of hers and clawed at his wrist. He realized what she was trying to do and slipped his hand out of the glove as she pulled on it. She hugged him again briefly, whispering for only him to hear, "You are my dad! Only you. I love you. I will always love you."

She turned quickly then to go back to Bayne stuffing the glove in the pocket of the coat Yves had given her. Bayne stopped and waited as she walked towards him. She grabbed her backpack and the coat she had worn that morning and rejoined Bayne. She met his gaze with resolve and said, "Now I am ready to go."


End Part Two