PREVIOUSLY

After a long while, Todd raised his head and looked again at his bleak surroundings. The folded yellow note caught his attention and he reached for it eagerly. Opening it, he immediately recognized the handwriting.

Querido, I know things seem hopeless and grim to you right now, but you have to hold on. Remember our talk about trust? Todd, you have to trust me now with your life. You were right about Sykes. He is a vile, sick man, but I won’t let him do this to you—to us. Tonight, when they transfer you, I’ll be close by. Think about me, trust in me, and I promise I won’t fail you. Remember above all else that I love you and that there is nothing in this world that I won’t do to keep you safe. Diós te guarda, Téa.

Todd reread the note three times, then folded it carefully and tucked it into his undershirt next to his heart. “I’m trying to hold on, Delgado,” he whispered, “but it’s hard. Oh God, it’s so hard!”

*************************************************************************************************************

Todd accompanied his guard through the squadroom, trying to ignore the curious stares that followed them. They paused for a moment outside Commissioner Buchanan’s office, giving him a few seconds to catch his breath before facing the coming ordeal. The guard was the polite cop who had participated in his arrest that morning, and he waited before knocking, sensing that his charge needed some time to gather his thoughts. Todd’s hands were cuffed in front of him. The restraints weren’t uncomfortably tight, but that didn’t make them any less humiliating.

It was early evening, just after dark in late October. Although he was increasingly nervous about his imminent transfer to Chicago, a large part of Todd was relieved that at least the waiting was over. The lonely hours in the subterranean jail had seemed to drag on interminably, made worse by the isolation imposed on him. With nothing but his thoughts to occupy him, he had become even more convinced that something was extremely wrong about his arrest and extradition. Everything seemed legal and above board, but the two cops sent out to handle the case caused his hackles to rise, just like John Sykes always did. A furtive glance, a suggestive smirk—all little things he had seen that provided more pieces to the puzzle. And then there was Asa’s jet, which was the planned mode of transportation for his transfer to custody in Chicago. There would be no one but the two detectives, their prisoner, and the pilot aboard. His instincts told Todd that he wasn’t meant to survive the flight.

Standing outside the office door, he took deep breaths to calm himself. He couldn’t lose control now. He needed all his faculties to come out of this alive. Swallowing hard, he made eye contact with his guard, indicating he was ready. As the door was held open for him, Todd strolled into the room, his shoulders back and his head up. The Commissioner’s office was very crowded, but all conversation ceased as he came in. He scowled around the room, taking inventory of the hostile faces staring back at him. Chicago detectives Quilici and Hamly were clustered around the desk with the commissioner and Sam Rappaport. His attorney managed a half-hearted smile, but he looked worn out and tired. Quilici smirked at him with his little pig mouth, looking positively gleeful at the sight of his victim. Hamly glanced away, unwilling to make eye contact, and Bo just shrugged and went back to studying the documents in front of him. The guard prompted Todd to move forward, and he took a step toward the group at the desk. But the sound of derisive laughter caused him to turn his head to the side.

Kevin and Asa Buchanan were standing with John Sykes. All of them had their arms crossed in front of their chests as they shook with mirth, obviously at Todd’s expense. Without breaking stride, the prisoner suddenly veered to his left and got right up in their faces. “You got something to say about me, you say it to my face,” he growled. Three hostile pairs of eyes stared back. He looked down at his thin-lipped nephew. “What are you doing here, Kevvie? I don’t see any other reporters here, so don’t give me any bull about being on the job.”

“You got me there, Todd,” said Kevin, with an infuriating smirk. “You see, my other uncle actually can be useful sometimes. I convinced Bo to let me witness your final downfall. This was just too good to miss.” Asa guffawed loudly, slapping his grandson firmly on the back.

“You tell ‘em, Kevin,” he said, glaring at Todd with cold eyes. “This is it, Manning. After tonight, the air in Llanview will be fresh and sweet again, not polluted with the stench of your foul carcass. Good riddance, I say.” Todd threw back his head and laughed coldly. Stopping abruptly, he stepped even closer to the patriarch of the Buchanan clan.

“Listen up, old man. You may think you’ve won, and I might even be willing to concede this round, but I don’t give up easily. So be looking over your shoulder, Asa, because I’ll be back, and with a score to settle, too.” Todd flicked his glance back and forth between Asa and Kevin, making no secret of his contempt. The young guard took a firm grasp on Todd’s upper arm, and attempted to pull him away. The prisoner shrugged him off easily, and turned his attention to John Sykes. “What about you, Syko?” he sneered. “No final words of farewell?”

Sykes giggled, his eyes shining brightly. “Anything I’d have to say would be premature, Manning,” he said, fixing Todd with his unnerving stare. “You see, I have the pleasure of accompanying you on your flight tonight. The Chicago cops requested me as the liaison from the LPD.” Todd succeeded in keeping his face totally impassive at the news. Sykes didn’t let up. “Yes, it’s going to be quite a delight keeping you in line,” he continued. With a quick glance at the guard, he took a step closer to the prisoner, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. “And with your propensity for trouble, I’m sure we’ll have all kinds of fun,” he spat, making the threat clear.

“All right, that’s enough,” ordered Bo from his desk. “John, I told you I want to do this one by the book. Kevin, Pa, I’m about this close to throwing you out of here. So why don’t all three of you shut your yaps and let me do my job. Manning, get over here.” This time, Todd allowed the young cop to steer him toward a place just in front of the desk. He looked up at his attorney.

“Have you seen Delgado?” he asked urgently. “Is she all right, Sam?”

Sam reached out and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “I haven’t seen her since this morning, Pal, but don’t worry, she’s all right. She just had to go off and lick her wounds alone for a while. We’re scheduled on the ten o’clock flight to Chicago tonight. She’ll be right by your side for the arraignment tomorrow.” Todd nodded, swallowing hard. The worst thing about this whole nightmare was being separated from the woman he loved.

Bo sighed wearily, tapping a stack of papers against the desk to straighten them. He cleared his throat, mustering his strength for an unpleasant duty. He looked up, forcing himself to stare deep into the eyes of his prisoner. He searched Todd’s face carefully, looking for any sign of the deception and cockiness that would make his job a little easier. But all he could see was a profound sadness, quickly covered up with a false bravado. Manning was reaching deep inside for the courage to survive this, but the sense of hopelessness was all too apparent. “All right, let’s get started,” he said, returning his attention to the stack of papers. One by one, he read Todd the orders for his extradition to Illinois, handing the documents to Sam for his perusal. He paused after each page, asking if Todd had any questions. After the third one, Quilici interrupted rudely.

“Look, Commish, we haven’t got all night. Let’s speed things up, huh?”

Bo fixed the man with an icy stare. “Are you suggesting I deny the defendant his legal rights, Detective?” The two men locked eyes, and Quilici backed down, mumbling something nasty about lawyers taking all the fun out of being a cop. The commissioner continued through the stack of legal documents, eventually having Todd sign the bottom one.

“Finally,” said Quilici, rolling his eyes. He looked at Todd like a butcher looks at a prime side of beef. “Now if you’re done with the legal mumbo jumbo, we can get this lowlife back to Chicago and the jail cell where he belongs.” Reaching to the floor, he pulled up a heavy set of chains—manacles and leg irons attached to a wide leather belt. Todd sucked his breath in noisily, his eyes wide as he surveyed the offensive restraints. It would take everything he had to submit to that humiliation without a fight. He wasn’t sure he had the inner strength to do it.

Bo rolled his eyes in frustration as he saw Todd’s body tense. Manning had been incredibly calm through the whole ordeal, much quieter than Bo would have ever believed possible, given his past run-ins with Todd’s temper. But Quilici seemed determined to provoke a violent outburst in his prisoner. It didn’t make sense. One would think he’d like to keep his charge as docile as possible, unless… Bo studied the two Chicago detectives, then looked over at John Sykes. The tall detective met his gaze coolly, his arms crossed over his chest defiantly. Suddenly, the commissioner didn’t feel at all comfortable with the transfer arrangements.

Quilici started toward Todd with the manacles, and he instinctively took a step backwards, starting to panic. Signaling with his ham-like fist, the detective indicated that Sykes and Hamly should move up to assist him restrain the prisoner. They each pulled out a nightstick and started to move in. Continuing to retreat from his tormentors, Todd was quickly backed against a wall in the tiny office. Breathing hard, he put up his chained fists, ready to fight. “Stop this!” shouted Sam, stepping between the hunters and their quarry. “There is no need for brutality, Detectives!”

“Get out of my way, you bottom-dweller,” growled Quilici, reaching for the attorney. Sam tensed up.

“He’s right, Quilici! Back off!” ordered Bo, coming forward.

“What?” spat the fat detective, glaring at the interference. “The chains are standard procedure when transporting a flight risk, Commissioner. You know that.”

“Yes, I do,” said Bo, taking a deep breath. “But it will make your job a lot easier if you ask for his cooperation, instead of beating him into submission, Detective.” Bo turned to face the triumvirate of Sykes, Quilici and Hamly. “You know, I’m beginning to wonder if you gentlemen are committed to safely transporting the prisoner.” He stared at Sykes. “This is starting to look like personal revenge, John.”

Sykes shrugged. “He’s resisting, Commissioner. What would you suggest we do?”

“Let me talk to him,” said Bo, swallowing down his distaste. He moved up slowly toward Todd, noting that he looked like a cornered animal, unwilling to go down without a fight. Sam moved next to him, looking protective. “Look, Manning,” said Bo, taking a deep breath. “I realize this whole procedure is not pleasant, but it will go a lot easier on you if you cooperate.” Todd glanced at the detectives, then back to the commissioner, shaking his head.

“They’re going to kill me, Bo,” he said breathlessly.

“No, they’re just going to transfer you to custody in Chicago,” said Bo, speaking quietly and calmly, as though to a frightened child. “Do what they ask, and you won’t get hurt.” Todd shook his head, unwilling to believe. Sam blinked back tears, his heart breaking for his surrogate son.

“Please, Bo,” he begged. “Just give him a minute or two to get used to the idea. I’ll talk to him—get him to understand. He…he won’t cause trouble, but get these goons to back off for a sec.” His gaze locked on Todd’s panic-filled face, Bo nodded silently. He held up his hands against the protests from the detectives.

“OK, Rappaport. We’ll give him five minutes to calm down. But get this through your head, Manning. You’re going to have to take the chains.” He guided the detectives to the other side of the office. Todd locked eyes with John Sykes as he moved away from him. The hatred was almost palpable. Sam hugged Todd to him, who felt like a stone statue in his arms. But the prisoner was breathing a little easier as his attackers moved away, and Sam was able to lead him to a corner by the door for a little more privacy as he began to speak in a low voice.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Jessica Buchanan looked up at Will Rappaport with her big, blue eyes. “I feel like such a bad parent,” she sighed, cradling her sleeping daughter in her arms. Will reached out to draw a loving finger along the infant’s chubby cheek.

“Meggie will be fine, Jess,” he said in a reassuring voice. “Just look at it as being a good niece. Todd and Téa need our help now. Five minutes after it’s over, she’ll be back asleep.”

“What if we’re arrested, Will?” asked Jessica, tears filling the outsides of her eyes. “They’ll take our baby away!”

“Shhhhh,” said Will, moving his hand up to Jessica’s chin. “Bo won’t arrest us, and even if he does, my Dad will help us get out of trouble. We’re not going to lose Meggie.” Will looked warily toward the door of the commissioner’s office, noting that no cops were in sight. A low roar of human conversation could be heard on the other side. “Ready?” he asked the girl. Sniffing deeply, she nodded. She reached for her daughter’s pacifier, and abruptly yanked it out. Within moments, the baby’s eyes flew open and her face crumpled. An ungodly, ear-piercing wail emerged from her toothless mouth. Grabbing the doorknob, Will flung open the door, sending it crashing against the wall. “You’ve got to help us!” he cried in his best panicking father voice. “There’s something wrong with Meggie!” Jessica followed him in, looking frantic as she tried to comfort the screaming infant.

Immediately, every eye was on the young couple. Kevin, Asa, Bo and Sam quickly surrounded them, horrified by the shrieking coming from the small, pink bundle. Will surreptitiously glanced around, noting with satisfaction that Todd was alone in a corner right near the door. The three detectives were on the opposite side of the room with their backs turned. One of them had his hands over his ears to shut out the unnerving noise of the crying infant. A young uniformed cop joined the group trying to aid Jessica, and Will was able to slip away from the human knot, unnoticed by anyone. He sidled up to Todd.

“What’s up with the kid?” asked Todd.

“Shhhhh, listen carefully,” said Will, glancing fearfully around the room with his big blue eyes. “Go out the door, turn right down the corridor, then right again. The first door on the left is the emergency stairway. Take it and go down to the ground floor exit. Téa’s waiting for you outside.”

Todd looked at him incredulously. “Delgado sent you?”

“Quick, Todd, there’s no time to lose! Yes, Téa says you’re in danger. You have to escape!” Without another word, Todd slid sideways along the wall and glanced out the open door. Seeing no one, he checked again to make sure his exit wouldn’t be noticed, then slipped through the portal. His heart pounding in his chest, he ran as fast as he could down the hallway, turning right at the end. The emergency exit was hard to miss, and he pushed it open, flinging himself headlong down the stairs. Skipping every other step, he quickly went down three flights. He turned the landing on the last floor and suddenly crashed headfirst into a body. The two of them tumbled down a few steps, coming to a rest facing each other about four steps from the bottom. Todd found himself staring into the confused blue eyes of his friend, Officer Bill Doyle.

“Todd, what are you doing?” asked the cop, shaking his head to clear it after the fall. His eyes caught the cuffs binding the other man’s wrists. “No, Todd. This isn’t the way, man,” he said shaking his head. Quick as a flash, Todd leapt to his feet. He hesitated a moment, looking into the other man’s eyes with regret.

“Do what you have to do, Doyle,” he said quickly. He took the last few steps and pushed through the door to the outside. He stopped short, staring at the sight that greeted him.

His Ferrari sat at the curb, idling. As he came through the door, Téa threw it into gear. “Quick, Todd. Get in!” she ordered. He approached the passenger side, glancing up and down the street. No one else was in sight on the quiet side street.

“I can’t let you do this,” he shouted.

“This isn’t the time to argue!” she shouted back. “Sykes is going to kill you! Get in!”

“OK, then let me drive. Move over!”

She gestured at his cuffs. “You can’t! C’mon!” Her teeth were gritted in determination. Shrugging towards the heavens, Todd leapt over the door, dropping into the seat just as the door burst open and Doyle ran out.

“Halt or I’ll shoot!” he yelled, pulling his weapon. Gasping, Téa released the clutch. The sports car shuddered, threatening to die. Todd gritted his teeth in frustration. They were dead before they even got started. Téa gave it a little gas and the car leapt forward. The gears made a sickening sound as she missed second. “I mean it, Todd!” yelled Doyle. “Give it up now!” He leveled his revolver. Finally, the car kicked into gear and quickly started gaining speed. Doyle yelled in sorrow, taking aim. He had Todd’s head in his sight as his friend looked regretfully over his shoulder. After hesitating a moment, he found that he just couldn’t pull the trigger. Moving his aim lower, he pulled off a shot at the back tire of the Ferrari. He would never know if it was deliberate, or if his nervousness caused him to miss, but the bullet ricocheted ineffectually off the pavement. Realizing the quickly accelerating car was already out of his range, he watched helplessly as it squealed around the corner, disappearing from sight. The door flew open behind him and the sidewalk was quickly filled with a human commotion.

“Where’s Manning?” yelled John Sykes, roughly grabbing Doyle by the shoulders. Disgusted, he yanked away, holstering his pistol.

“He’s gone!” he spat. “Escaped.” Bo swore under his breath.

“Talk to me, Doyle,” he yelled, punching his palm in frustration. The officer quickly described the car, the license number and the direction it was heading. Bo pulled out his radio, putting out an APB on the Ferrari, then calling the airport to launch the two police helicopters to assist in the search. “Doyle?” he asked after a moment. “Describe the other suspect. Who was driving the escape vehicle?” His stomach clenched. He already knew the answer.

“It was Téa, Commissioner. Ms. Delgado,” said Doyle sadly. Bo looked sad, too, as he gave a description of Téa over the police radio. Suddenly, both men were startled by a loud cry of anguish from Sykes.

“You won’t get away with this!” he shouted to the empty street. “I’ll see that you pay for this betrayal, Counselor, if it’s the last thing I do!” Bo, Doyle and the rest of the cops stared at him curiously, wondering if the enigmatic detective had finally lost his mind.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

All Todd could do was cling on tightly as Téa maneuvered the Ferrari through the streets of Llanview, using all the speed the car was capable of. To his surprise, she whipped around a corner and headed back the way they had come, instead of going for one of the main highways out of town. She had a death grip on the steering wheel and shift stick, and her face was fixed with a mixture of fear and determination. Since she seemed to have a destination in mind, Todd decided it was better not to distract her as she tried to manage the high-powered sports car at speeds she wasn’t used to. He gasped as they crossed the river into East Llanview and the car became airborne for a few seconds as they crested the bridge. Squealing around a corner, they dived into a narrow alley, and were soon picking their way through the warren of deserted lanes down by the docks. Todd was completely lost, but Téa deftly turned this way and that, finding narrow driveways and passageways that would keep them away from the main thoroughfares. Soon, they were racing along the waterfront, parallel to the river.

Todd clenched his teeth, hearing the dim whir of helicopter blades some distance away. He knew it was all over if they were spotted by any cop. Law enforcement would soon call in the police helicopters and once one of those had them in its spotlight, there would be no escape. His heart shrank in fear—not for himself, but for Téa. He shuddered to think of what they would do to her if they were caught. Todd looked around curiously as the buildings began to thin out as they continued along the riverfront. He had never been here before. The shore held dilapidated buildings and abandoned warehouses. An occasional low-rent trailer park passed by. Soon, they were in open country and Téa gave the Ferrari full throttle as they raced along the shore. About five miles out of town, she locked up the brakes, taking a narrow country lane that headed away from the river toward Llantano Mountain. Within minutes, they were on a back road that switched back and forth as it went up the mountain, climbing ever higher. Todd glanced back toward the lights of Llanview below. He could make out the spotlights of the police helicopters, circling slowly, searching the city streets and the expressway miles away.

Téa continued to negotiate the twists and turns of the narrow mountain lanes, keeping them to the mostly deserted back roads. Finally, after about ten more minutes, she slowed the Ferrari and brought it to a stop in a hidden spot well off the road. She shut down the engine and turned off the headlights. Todd could just make out her face in the dim light. Suddenly, she threw herself against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’ve never been so scared in my life,” she wailed. Todd tried to comfort her as best he could, but his hands were still cuffed. He pushed her a short distance away, so he could cup her face in his hands.

“Téa, do you know what you’ve done?” he asked gently. “They’re going to be after you now, too. You’ll lose everything—your license to practice law, your good name, your freedom.” She sniffed loudly.

“None of that stuff matters to me if I lose you, Todd. Sykes was going to kill you tonight—throw you out of the plane and call it an escape.” Todd felt his blood run cold.

“I knew something was up! I could feel it. Do you have a plan?” he asked. She shook her head.

“I have some money, clothes and food in the back. I figured we’d get as far away from Llanview as possible, then decide what to do.” He pulled furiously at the cuffs binding his wrists.

“Damn! We have to get these things off me, Delgado. You did real good, but we can make a lot better time if I drive.” He saw the flash of her white teeth as she smiled in the dark. She popped open the glove box. A dim bulb provided a little light. To his astonishment, she pulled out a handcuff key.

“Will this do?” she asked teasingly. Looking amazed, Todd took the key from her and unlocked the cuffs, throwing them unceremoniously into the bushes beside the car.

“Where did you get this?” he asked incredulously, holding up the key.

“Are you ready for this? I got it from Sykes. He and I were fooling around with some cuffs a few months ago…” Todd’s face fell, and he held up his hands.

“Wait. I don’t think I want to hear this,” he choked out.

“Todd!! It wasn’t like that! Really!” She looked indignant. “He was just showing me how they worked in the squadroom one day and he gave me a key. Said you never know when it might come in handy. Boy, was he ever right!” She started laughing nervously, and to her relief, Todd joined in. She reached behind the seat and pulled out a lightweight black polarfleece jacket. “Here. You must be freezing,” she said, eyeing his thin turtleneck sweater. He slipped the jacket on.

“We’d better get going, Delgado,” he said, looking into her eyes. “It’s just a matter of time before they start widening the search and setting up roadblocks. The more distance we can put between us and Llanview, the better. She nodded and they both got out of the car to switch sides. Todd stopped her as they crossed in back, taking her into his arms and kissing her sensuously. “No one has ever done anything like this for me, Delgado,” he murmured in her ear. “I’ll never forget it. I know you’ve thrown away your whole life for me and I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you.”

“The only thing I want is you, Querido,” she said, returning his kiss. They broke apart reluctantly and strapped into the Ferrari. The engine roared to life again, and they were soon racing down the road—together and free.

TO BE CONTINUED

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