Arch Rivals

Arch Rivals Chapters 25 - ending

                                                            Chapter 25

The inside of the gateway arch was a mess. the vending machines had the glass broken

out and scattered across the floor, food wrappers and empty bottles lay strew about.  At the

east entrance, Jeff Phillips stood guard. He watched the inclined pathway carefully, his

military issue m-16 rifle at the ready. He was not sure how he had gotten involved in this

caper.  Now having reservations it was too late he realized. Sgt. Mercer had said they

wouldjust have a little fun, maybe scare a few people then go back to Fort Bragg after their

leave. “ Just have a little fun, that’s all, Sam had said! Nobody gets hurt!”

Sgt. Mercer had always been truthful with him. You could pretty much trust in what he

told you. Besides he had made this seem like an order, similar to the war games they were

always playing. Now, he knew better! People had been killed, and though you could not

see them, he knew the police were watching the Arch . Probably  hundreds of them

too !The one sure way out of this was for Sgt. Mercer to send him and the rest who wanted

to go, was to step outside, unarmed, with ones hands high in the air. What then? Handcuffs,

and then life behind bars? Jeff knew it was that or death. It had already gone too far, and

there was no turning back now. He wished he could talk with his fellow hostage taker on

the other side. He could see him occasionally, as he paced back and forth, eyes wild and

scared, just like him. He didn't want to be there either.  Jeff new he couldn't use the radio to

talk, for Sgt. Mercer would be sure to hear. If he threw his gun down and walked outside,

What were his chances?  Sgt. Mercer had told him to stay there and guard, and from the

wild look in his eyes, and the crazy way he had been acting, Jeff knew Sgt. Mercer would

shoot him if he saw him trying to leave! Sgt. Mercer had only to peek around the corner

from his vantage point near the theater entrance. He had herded the hostages into the

theater, so he could keep track of them all at once. He had sent Sgt. Gonzales to the top. He

was to watch the approaches from either side. He wasn't sure of the view that Sgt. Gonzales

had. For sure he could see everything from either side of the arch, but how about the ends. 

He would have to go directly towards the Markers Mark hotel to have a chance. Then only

if the police snipers didn't shoot him on sight.  It would be dark soon. The twilight shadows

were beginning to settle around the arch. Automatic lights were on already.  Only a little

while longer, then he would make his move.   

    Cpl. Ricky Tapp guarded the South approach to the Gateway Arch.  He, Sgt. Mercer,

and Sgt. Gonzales had become friends a couple of years ago. He liked the craziness and

unpredictability of his friends.  One minute, they could be quite sane, the next wild enough

to take over the Arch, take hostages, too! He regretted the killing of the four people who

had gotten in the way! Sometimes killing was necessary though! After all was that not what

he was trained for? That still made it hard to consider park service employees and civilians

as being legitimate targets They were brothers, sisters, friends…FAMILIES! Once this

was over and he had his hands on the money Sgt. Mercer had promised, they would find a

South American country and lay low for awhile. No more drills, parades, night training and

so on for him!  He intended to live in style and would be able to do that once Sgt. Mercer

gave him his share. Sgt. Mercer always seemed to have plenty of money. He sometimes

wondered where it came from but he didn't know much about Sgt. Mercer's background.

Just that they were both southern boys from farmswho had become friends. Sgt. Mercer’s

family must have had a large, successful farm because he had money.  Cpl. Tapp reckoned

that Sgt. Mercer would give him enough of it. He would be rich too! Just like the rest!

Sgt. Mercer had never lied to him that he knew of. He found ways out of every situation

they had ever been in. There was no reason not to trust him.  The takeover had excited 

really excited everyone, especially the killing. The hadn't actually fired the shots, but was

standing right next to Sgt. Mercer when he did. It was a little more intense than he had

imagined. First , these were civilians, not enemy. They were also unarmed. He had fixed

the image in his mind. The look of surprise came first. The body jerking like a puppet on a

string as the first rounds hit it.  The blood splattering on the walls and floor, and even the

ceilings, Sgt. Mercer had emptied his clip on the two people he had shot. The M-16 sure

did a fine job of killing. Maybe he would get to experience it before this was over. Maybe

Sgt. Mercer would let him kill a couple of the hostages, if their demands weren't met. He

knew there was the chance that they would not be allowed to leave. Not alive anyway. In

that case, he would  get to shoot it out with the police. He trembled at these thoughts racing

through his head. This couldn’t be right, but was so very exciting! He resolved himself to

the fact that he would have to have to hang around till it was over to figure it all out.

  They had piled the bodies in the corner at Cpl. Tapp’s end of the Arch.  He looked at them

often, as if expecting one of them to move suddenly. The blood had soaked the floor,

forming a small pool .Four lives, intermingled in death, as they never were in life. Cpl.

Tapp studied the small pool. There were some bubbles on the surface, small, brilliant red,

in contrast to the darker colors beneath them. He noticed how the edges of the pool had

begun to gel.  In another day the entire pool would be set. He hoped they could get out of

here before then. The bodies would start to stink by then and he didn't think he could stand

the smell. The smell of blood and death were enough for now He remembered the smell

of the dead rats in the barn after his father had put poison out for them. Recalling that

stink almost made him gag. This had better be over before any smell like that got stirred

up. They had been here for most of the day. Now it seemed  not a lot was happening.

Hell, he was ready for some action. ready , willing, and armed.

   
  Sgt. Jose Gonzales. looked out the North porthole. It was getting dark, and already lights

were blinking on like fireflies. He had a good view of the area, including Busch stadium.

He could not see any activity there, but knew they would be slipping around to try and find

The bomb They could come by way of Spruce, or 7th street and perhaps not be seen. The

Arch stood six-hundred-thirty feet. It afforded a good view of the whole downtown area. 

He remained confident that a police sniper could not sneak close enough to get a good shot.

he keyed his mike as he looked at Busch stadium. "Sam we need to tell them to turn the

lights on at the stadium. I thought I saw some movement there but it is getting dark, so

can't be sure".
 
  "Roger that Jose, good idea,"Sam replied.

Jose crossed to the other side. Not much to see except the Mississippi river, and the old

bridge. He marveled at the view, recalling some facts about the Gateway Arch. It had been

erected in the nineteen-sixties, using an architectural technique that had not been proven on

such a large scale. Built as a monument to the pioneer spirit of early America's expansion

to the west the Arch had stood the test of time well, both in function and beauty. It still

looked good despite its age. The stainless steel was slick and shiny, and the curvature

would make it a formidable object to scale. About the only way anyone could get to him

would  be from inside the Arch. Sam was equally protected as well. The visitors’ areas

were underground. inaccessible except for the approach ramps on either end. They could

hold out for a long time, inflicting decimating casualties on any force. Unless, of course it

was decided to sacrifice the Arch to get them. Jose knew the police would try negotiation

first,then possibly siege. They'd change their minds when the body  count of innocent

citizens started to mount. There was no doubting that Sam would kill them all if his

demands were not met. He need to talk to Sam about some sort of sleeping shift. With  just

the four of them they would have to take turns sleeping. He keyed his mic,” Sam we need to

figure out some way we can get some sleep".

  " We should not have to worry about that", Jose. "This should be over before too long,".

"Let me take care of the details, just make sure you keep a good lookout".

  "Okay Sam, roger that", Jose answered.  He rubbed his eyes. He hoped that Sam was

right.  He was getting very sleepy.


    Sam looked at the hostages. They were behaving okay he decided. He had to get this

settled ASAP. He stood watching, looking for any clue of organization. They could take

him, depending on how many were willing to die. He could not hold off a mass rush by the

hostages if they decide to get him. There was no plan of any kind, among them, he

decided. Satisfied , he walked back toward the middle of the Arch. He could see the

guards he'd posted at each entrance.  Each smiled and gave him thumbs up. Hell, he

could hold this place forever with just four men if he wanted. It was a fortress. There was

no way in from above, or below. Any assault on either entrance would result in heavy

casualties. Gas would be hard to get in, for Jose could see any activity pointing to that kind

of maneuver. The high vantage point, all the open spaces, combined with the tunnel like

entrances made this place very defensible. He smiled at the brilliance of his plan. Always

take the high ground if you can. He'd added another chapter to that lesson. Take the high

and low ground at the same time.  Sam walked across the open space to the opposite

counter. He picked up the phone and dialed the lobby of the Maker's mark hotel. The

negotiation had been set up there by the local police and the FBI. A female voice answered

on the second ring.  "Yes".

"I want the lights turned on in Busch stadium now". You have five minutes, or someone

dies."
 

  "Yes sir, Sam, but we need to talk in the meantime."

  "I've already told you what I want, I will accept nothing less, now do it!" Sam slammed

the phone onto the cradle.

  Sarah Peek turned to the various agencies that were assembled. "He wants the lights

turned on in Busch stadium now". "Can we do that"? " It'll  give me an excuse to call him

back anyway".

" Yeah we can get that done. How much time did he give you", one agent asked?

"Five minutes, or he said he would kill someone"

"Lets make sure everyone is out, or has good cover", the senior agent said. " we still have

people over there with dogs, looking for bombs".

Sam keyed his mike. "Jose you there"?  "Yeah Sam".  "As soon as the lights come on in

stadium, shoot the first thing you see move".  "Roger that Sam". Jose hoped for a shot. He

wanted to get this thing rolling a little faster.  He placed his rifle in the porthole which he

had shot out earlier. Scoping the part of the field he could see, he noted no movement. It

was too dark to make anything out right now though. He pulled the chair he had brought up

with him a little closer. Confident that he could make a one-half mile shot, he waited.

Jeff Phillips was the gathering darkness.  Soon it would be dark enough, but there were too

many lights on  He accepted the fact that he would be very visible. No getting around it.

Every light in the area was on, and the police had brought portable flood lights in and now

were starting them up.  He would need some kind of distraction, else Sam would hear him

going out the door. He'd never make it three steps outside if that happened.  Suddenly a

loud vibrating boom echoed through Arch. Jeff stood his rifle on the turnstile and opened

the door.  He charged out the door on the run, arms high above his head. He was yelling "I

give up! I give up" as he ran. He had made it halfway up the inclined ramp when the first

rounds from Sam's M-16 hit him in the back. His body danced in a wild, jerking spasms,

before falling lifeless to the concrete.

  " Must have emptied the whole clip on him", a police observer muttered.

Sam went back to the telephone and dialed the Marker's Mark.  Sarah Peek answered on the

first ring. "That's what's going to happen to all the people in here if you mess with me",

Sam growled! "Now what's the hold up on the senator and Mary Alice Hammondss"?

  "This kind of thing takes a little time" Sarah purred.  "We have been in constant contact

with senator Steepleton, and have been assured that he and Mary Alice Hammondss are

indeed enroute". " We'll let you know as soon as they get close".

  "Damn right you will, or I'll leave you a few bodies to count", Sam almost yelled. "You

had best be straight with me and do exactly as I tell you". "I'm tired of  messing around

with you people" It had better be quick or I will finish killing all these people. Sam keyed

his mic. "Jose what did you shoot at"?
   
    "There is much activity at Busch stadium,  Sam. I shot at a dog and cop at the same time,

know I got the dog, not sure about the cop. They must have bomb sniffers over there.

They were right together, I thought I could get both of them with one shot".

      "Good work Jose!  I had to waste Jeff, he made a run for it.  I'm not going to wait much

longer before I start executing the hostages.  We just sent a message that we mean business,

perhaps that will speed the process up.”

  " Roger that ,Sam. I wouldn't mind too much, if this went on a little while longer. It will

give me a chance to get another shot, maybe. I'm having too much fun for it to end in a

hurry".

  Sgt. Russell Brand lay in a pool of blood. He was still conscious, and did a quick survey

of the circumstances. He had been shot, that much was evident. His dog, Biscuit, lay  a 

few feet away, unmoving.  Russell lay protected by a tier of seats and believed he was out of

the line of sight for another shot on him. So long as he remained under cover he should be

okay. He remembered  the evac. order, and had just started to comply , when he had felt

the impact of the bullet. He had just swatted at a gnat, ducking to his left as he did,

otherwise he knew he would be dead now. The bullet had grazed his right side, ripping a

large hole in the Kevlar vest. It then continued on striking Biscuit mid chest, killing him

instantly. Biscuit had been standing one row below  him.  The impact had thrown the Sgt.

sideways, and behind the row of seats where he stood.  Biscuit had been spun around and

thrown across the aisle, head pointing the opposite of the direction he had been going.

Russell raised his head to make certain he was under cover well enough. He could see the

blood pooling on the concrete, a couple of small bubbles floating on top. Crap, that meant

he had a lung shot. Breathing got harder by the moment. He reached for his mic. "Come in,

come in! Anyone! Officer down, need assistance", he rasped ."
   
  "Roger, we read you, what's your 20?" "I'm on the upper tier, section 389 I think. Above

the visitors bull pen". What's going on?'  "I've been hit! I'm bleeding badly! If I don't get

assistance right away I'm going to bleed to death". "Keep cool now, we'll get to you as soon

as we can." We've got to be very careful. These guys are keeping a close watch on us, so

we will have to move with caution."  "Can you still move?' "Are you out of the line of more

fire?"

    "Yeah, I think so, and I can still move everything", Russell answered.


      " Just try to hold on, we will get to you somehow."

      "Where's your wound?"

      "I took a hit to right side. Couple inches below the armpit. Its burning like hell, and its

hard to breathe".

      "The impact tossed me to the side, behind a row of seats. Don't think anyone can see

me now.  Biscuits' dead"!

    "Okay, hold on and we'll get you out of there somehow".

Russell stared at the widening pool of blood and doubted he could be saved. He had seen

many bad wounds on other officers and perps as well, and he knew this was bad.  Very bad!

Somehow the prospect of death didn't bother him. His faithful "Biscuit" was dead, and he

had just as soon as join him. They had become inseparable since Biscuit was obtained by

the force. He remembered well, the gangly shepherd pup. He was bigger than the  other

two that were brought in with him.  Russell had been skeptical at first, but had gradually

warmed to the almost grown pup.  The dog had taken to him too. Russell remembered his

dad telling him that a dog or baby could always tell a good man, and would take a shine to

them right off. He wasn't sure if he fit the description or not, but, Biscuit had indeed taken

an immediate liking to him.  Russell had chosen his name. He had watched him grow to a

mature confidant police dog.  He looked vicious, with his large, yellow , eyes. The eyes

were slitted almost looking reptilian. Most people who saw him would swear he was a

wolf. 

    "Wouldn't want to meet up with him in an alley", they would say, shaking their head

for emphasis. "Uh-uh, No way"!

  Russell knew a different biscuit , however. He saw only love in the yellow eyes. When off

duty, and around friends, Biscuit was a different animal he knew.  Biscuit didn't beg for

attention as other dogs did, he demanded it.  Gently but firmly he would walk up and put

his head in your lap, or lower his head for you to scratch his ears. He would walk beside

him, pressing so close he would almost knock him over. Or nibble at his hands and look

intently at him, as if to say , "I can crush your hand if I wished". But that never happened,

and they grew closer with each passing day.  Seeing him laying dead had never crossed his

mind. Russell eyed the growing pool of blood. He contemplated the small bubbles as some

of them burst, popping  in silence. How odd that something  such as blood could catch and

reflect the light. The shimmering pool grew darker. Sgt. Russell Brand looked again at his

faithful friend and companion laying a few feet away. He slowly closed his eyes. They

would never open again.

    Mary Alice Hammondss glance to her right. She studied the man sitting there. His face a

sharp contrast to the blurred background outside the window. The Lear was eating up

runway at a fast pace., and soon she felt the familiar thud of the landing gear lock into

place.

Senator Will Steepleton's face was grim. Mary Alice noticed the fine crows feet lines

radiating out from his eyes. The Senate had aged Will very fast. Or had it been her? She

knew she had caused some grief for Will.  It seemed like fate just kept pushing them

towards one another. Maybe that was what was meant to be. No! She wouldn't entertain

that thought. Not now. If fate was pushing she and Will together, why was Patrick still in

the equation? Hadn't it been Patrick who had introduced her to Will? She had been engaged

to marry Will. She thought back to that time, remembering it all. It had seemed so clear and

reasonable. Marry the young upcoming lawyer, whom she knew, had political aspirations.

Politics, like banking was a family business. But Patrick kept getting in the way. She still

got warm, remembering the night  in the motel. She had wanted him to take her then. She

wanted him to have all of her. Her  body, her soul, every part of her being. Here, Patrick,

come inside me. Take my body and make it yours. Do as you like with it, I give it freely.

Wrap your arms around me, and never let go.  Form the unbreakable bond of true lovers.

Our bodies, minds, souls, become as one. I am yours, you are mine, separate but just one,

our bodies feeding off one another, touching, caressing, seeking. drinking the sweet wine

of love. Satisfying the burning desires instilled in man and woman since time began.

      "What did you say," asked Will.

  Mary Alice jerked  sat upright, and turned red.

    "Guess I must have dozed of. I haven't been resting well lately."
 
  No wonder she hadn't been resting well. Since the last encounter with Will, after he had

seen she and Patrick together, she hadn't seen very much of either of  them. In Fact she

had been tempted to write the both of them off. Men could be so confusing and obstinate

at times. She and Patrick both had tried to explain that nothing had happened between

them, but Will had been adamant. His fiancée and his best friend! How could they? Of

course it was obvious! They had conspired against him. He just couldn't believe it! Mary

Alice had wished it were so simple. If she had any influence over Patrick, he would be

holding her right now. Instead she was seated across from Will, off on some secret mission,

to who knows where. The FBI had insisted she that she cooperate, and had not provided

any details, only that it was a matter of extreme importance, and when it was over

everything would be self explanatory.  At any rate she had caught pieces of news about

someone taking hostages at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and she and a United States

Senator were heading for St. Louis.

    "You were mumbling something, I couldn't make it out, Mary Alice," Will said.

    " It was nothing, Will, I'm just tired," Mary Alice sighed. Thank goodness she hadn't

said anything recognizable to Will. But it really didn't matter. Patrick Conners would be that

lover. Or no one! She had made up her mind that night in the motel. No one but Patrick

could ever come close to making her feel that way. No one but Patrick would ever have the

chance.  Senator Will Steepleton looked at Mary Alice. She was such a beauty. He

wondered where he had gone wrong. He had had her right on his finger tips.  Had he been

too sure of himself? Had he rushed her too much. As soon as this bullshit was over he was

going to make a pitch for her again. Hell, he'd never really stopped. He had money, power,

and good looks. What more could a girl want". Besides, he'd never lost anything he really 

wanted, and didn't intend to do so now. He'd just been too busy with other business to

properly go about getting what he wanted. As soon as this mad man was taken care of

he could get down to business again.  He could probably manage a couple of weeks of after

this, to deal with the trauma. He would have to think about that. Two weeks would give

him enough time to really put the charm on Mary Alice.  It had almost worked once, if he

tried a little harder he was sure it would now. She would be emotionally vulnerable after

this  for sure. He would make sure he was there for her. Actually he should be able to milk

this for a lot of publicity, and end up with Mary Alice too boot. A beautiful wife, a lot of

press and perfect timing for it all. He was going to announce his candidacy for president

next week. The only problem was that he must be careful of this nut he would be meeting.

He wasn't sure just what it was this ex Green Beret wanted. He was sure that Patrick

Conners would not allow him to come to harm. Old friends were that way.  That was why he

had requested Patrick. He would find out for sure in a few hours, for the Lear was

beginning its initial approach to the St. Louis  airport. They would be on the ground in a

few minutes. As soon as the wheels hit the tarmac, Will dialed the number the FBI had

given him, and instructed him to call as soon as the plane landed. Sarah Peek answered on

the second ring.

    "Hello. Yes Sir!. Yes Senator Steepleton, everything is ready to proceed. We have a car

waiting for you, there will be two field agents waiting for you and Miss Hammondss." 

"They will bring you to the dome. where you will meet with Patrick Conners , and the rest

of the team. "You'll be briefed, then taken by car to a remote location." "We'll fill you in

on all the details as soon as you get here." "We're out of time on this, he's already sent one

person out and shot him down, we don't know what he'll do next."
 
    " Am I to meet with this nut, still," Will asked.?

      " We'll talk about all of that when you get here," Sarah replied. " By the way Mr.

Conners isn't sure he will allow anyone to meet with this  Sam whatever he is."
   
" Not just yet.  We'll decide on all that when you get here."

    "And please, you must not tell  Mary Alice what this is about just yet, O.K."

  Two agents flashed badges and took charge of Mary Alice and Will as promised..
 
  They escorted them through the crowded terminal and into the unmarked black car,

waiting at the curb. Will looked at the pretty woman sitting across from him in the back

seat, and felt the heat rush to his groin. All this excitement was getting him aroused. That

and just looking at Mary Alice. She looked across at him and he gave her a little smile.

    "Are you nervous Mary Alice, he asked? Don't worry, I'll take care of you he added

softly." "It'll be o k."

  Mary Alice nodded. A single tear slid down her cheek. She wanted to bury her face in

his chest, but instead turned her head to look out into the darkened sky. " Why don't they

tell me what is going here, she asked Will?" Patrick is near, she thought. I couldn't do

anything to jeopardize another chance with him. I know now that  I should have stuck with

him from the start.  "Lord just,give me another chance with Patrick, and I'll make the most

of it," she silently prayed. She felt better at once, knowing now that she could handle any

situation that arose with Patrick and Will. She wouldn't be intimidated by Will,and would

make it apparent to Patrick that she was his .The car was slowing in front of the dome, and

several uniformed officers, and what she assumed were  FBI agents were coming toward

the car. The doors opened and she and Will were surrounded by bodies, moving with the

press of bodies, they were at the entrance in seconds. A large crowd had gathered, everyone

looked worried, some crying, others just standing and staring.  There seemed to be about a

thousand microphones around the dome with the CNN logo the most prominent. It was

clear that no one would get anywhere near she and Will. They were well shielded the entire

time. Once inside they spotted Patrick right away. He was seated at a large conference table

with several other agents and uniformed officers milling about. Mary Alice was struck by

how calm he appeared. He arose as she arrived and greeted her with a light hug, the turned

to Will with his hand extended..

    "Senator , please be seated and we'll get started," Patrick said as he guided Will to the

chair that had been provided. "I'll introduce you to everyone, then we'll give you a quick

update on every thing we have planned.." "This is Dr. Fields to your right, Captain  Evans

here is from the Boston Police department., He's sitting in as an idea man, at my request.

Directly across from you is Captain Richards, of the St. Louis PD, and of course you

you know me." "Okay, I think all the principles are here, so we'll give you what we have

and a plan. First of all, some of you will be shocked, but try to look through that and see

if you can help us." Mary Alice, I know you hate to hear this,' Patrick was walking toward

her. He put his arm around her gently. "The man holding the Arch is Samuel Mercer."

Mary Alice gasped and almost fell out of her chair.

    "We expected this to be quite a shock to you.  "Especially since one of his demands is to

meet with you and Senator Steepleton. I don't mean to sound accusatory, but, we need to

know what your relationship with Mr. Mercer is. Or was?”

    “Now just a minute here," Will shouted, jumping from his chair. I'll have no slight

directed at Miss Hammondss. She's as much a victim as anyone here it appears."

Patrick remained cool, and Mary Alice heard coldness to his voice she had never

imagined. It was scary. "Kindly sit down senator, and allow me to finish. Perhaps there are

facts concerning these circumstances that you are not aware of."  "I am only trying to

establish what kind of relationship Miss Hammondss had or has with Mr. Mercer, if any. "

Mary Alice burst into tears. She could not believe what she was hearing. How could

Patrick, the man she loved, sound so cold. How could he think she had any part in this.

She had just found out about it this instant, and was still shocked by the revelation. Now

Patrick was acting as if she knew about it, or worse was in on it. She was sobbing hard

now. Patrick motioned one of the agents nearby to come, and when he did so, Patrick bent

to whisper something in his ear.  Senator Steepleton was on his feet now, and beside the

chair, his arm around Mary Alice's shoulder. "I'll not tolerate anymore accusations toward

Miss.Hammondss, he said sternly. Mary Alice as you well know, I am a competent attorney.

You have a right to have one present if you are accused or questioned. I would be glad to

go on record as representing you , right now if necessary".

  "Sit down and shut up Senator," Patrick said . Mary Alice had never heard so much

coldness in his voice. Will caught the warning , and without another word, sat down.

    "I'm not accusing anyone just yet, least of all Mary Alice,"  Patrick  said.. "We do know,

however, that Mary Alice has spoken with Sam Mercer several times over the last couple

of years. I was just wondering if he had ever given a hint of his intentions".

    " No, none that I picked up on, Mary Alice replied.  I've known Sam Mercer for all my

life, but never considered him to be more than a dumb, clumsy, country boy"." I have seen

and talked to him several times over the last few years, as you have mentioned. We seemed

to end up making a trip home at about the same time, naturally we talked on these rare

occasions. After all, we grew up on adjoining farms, and attended  school together.  We did

in fact share some of the same classes". "I never dreamed Sam could something like this"!

    " By the way, Mary Alice, your father is enroute to St. Louis. I've taken the liberty of

filling him in on all the details, I hope you don't mind".

      "That's fine Mr. Conners, he need to know", Mary Alice said.

Patrick couldn't help but notice the formal tone the meeting had taken. He had not wanted

that to happen, preferring to keep it light and open.

  "O. K. Does anyone have a better idea than me climbing the Arch", Patrick asked? "Sam

will not talk with our negotiator.  "That's what  this meeting is about. We need to share our

ideas, get everyone we have on the table, and see if something else will work".

    " I don't really have anything for you, Mr. Connerss", Will said. " After all, this is your

area of expertise, is it not"?

    "You realize that Sam Mercer will most likely shoot you dead as soon as he makes his

point don't you,"  Will? Will looked surprised. "Really, do you really think so, Patrick"?

    "You can bet he will! He'll grab Mary Alice, then make you beg a little, the kill you".

"This man is deranged. He is very volatile at this point. If we let you go, we'll be lucky to

get you out of this alive".

  "Then you had better damn well come up with a plan", Will snapped! "And we don't

want to endanger Mary Alice as well", he continued.

    "We're doing everything that we can do, Senator", Patrick said. "What we need is a

little more time to put together a better plan."  But he was secretly pleased at the thought of

his old friend being in a difficult situation. It would sure clear the situation up, somewhat,

or for that matter, if something were to happen to either of them, the results would be the

the same. At least whom ever was left standing would have a clear conscious, and a real

good shot at the prize.  Patrick shuddered at the though . What if he didn't make it?


Will smiled at the thought of Patrick having to climb the Arch to face Sam. He was sure

Patrick would have to do just that. As for himself. He wasn't going anywhere. Mary Alice

got up and excused herself. A uniformed cop fell in step behind her as she headed to the

powder room.  She  felt amused when he stopped outside the ladies room. She was being

guarded. This had to be Patrick's doing. Didn't he realize that she was fully grow, fully

independent, and quite capable of taking care of herself. She felt a little embarrassed at  the

temporary loss of composure a few moments ago. She had cried, and Patrick had taken

that as a sign that she need protecting, had he. Well she'd show him. Before this was over

she'd show him she was capable of taking care of herself.


  Noah Hammondss felt the jet shudder as it started its takeoff roll.  He hated flying, but felt

compelled to reassure his wife that everything was o k. It was a ritual they went through

every time they traveled together. He reached over to pat his wife’s white knuckled hand,

flashing a reassuring smile all the while. She exhaled with a sigh and reached over with

her other hand and captured his hand between hers. They would be in St. Louis in a short

time now. She felt the plane smooth out as it broke free of the ground,  the glorious feeling

of soaring flowing through her body. How could something that felt so good be so scary

she wondered. She truly hated flying and it scared her to death, but she loved the feeling

she usually got , just at the moment the airplane lost physical contact with earth. It made

her feel goose bumpy all over, exciting and scaring her at once.  She smiled back at her

husband sitting next to her calm, reassuring, possibly even bored by this she thought. He

always presented himself this way she knew. But he had been visibly shaken when he told

her of the developments necessitating this trip. he loved St. Louis and was eager to got

there on several previous trips. Now this. She understood Sam Mercer  was holding several

hostages and had already in fact killed someone in the Gateway Arch. They must have

been mistaken, so had protested. That nice boy Sam Mercer wouldn't do anything like

that. Why hadn't he looked after their horses before while they were vacationing.  Surely

they were mistaken! And this business about him demanding a meeting  with Mary Alice

and her former fiancée. Whatever for? She was sure that once she and Noah arrived at the

Arch, all this could be settled quickly. She would get to see Mary Alice again, then maybe

they could all have a late dinner, then chat awhile, before everyone had too get on with

their busy lives. Noah looked so worried though. In fact she didn't recall ever if she had

ever seen him look so worried. Even when Mary Alice had been born.  Well he'd been

working too hard lately, she'd remind him to slack up a little once they returned home.  The

Captain's voice came over the intercom telling them they would land in St. Louis a t 7:oo

PM CST. The weather, was calm and clear right now, but an approaching front was almost

upon the city, and there would be thunderstorms in the area upon arrival. She hoped they

wouldn't be severe, but she did enjoy sitting in a high place  at night and watching the

lightening flash.  She always insisted that Noah get as near the top floor as possible when

making the accommodations. He usually obliged.

  Two official looking men were waiting for them at the airport. They were immediately

escorted to a waiting car. Arrangements were made to have their bags picked up and

taken to the Transworld dome. The drive there took only a few minutes, and when they got

close, Susan couldn't help but notice the lack of normal activity. The place was abuzz with

police though. Every street was blocked, and she didn't see any vehicles coming or going

in any direction she looked The inner city was shut down. No driving, no one walking. The

seriousness of the situation suddenly struck her and she started to cry.


Patrick gathered everyone together and re introduced himself. He brought everyone up to

speed with all the information they had to this point. Reporters pressed f0r more but none

was to be had at this point. Patrick threatened to clear the entire area of press if they

didn't back off a bit.  he had a quick conference with the hostage negotiator, Sarah Peek,

then asked for Will, Mary Alice, and her parents to meet with him in a private room.  Once

they were all seated, Patrick scanned the room. His eyes stopped on Will.

    "O K , I'll lay it on the line", Patrick began. "There is no way that Mary Alice and Will

are going to meet with Sam Mercer.  It's just too much risk".

    " But what about all the hostages he's going to kill if we don't", Will asked? "Won't he

kill them all?"

    "Oh He's going to kill some of them anyway," Sarah said, we are just going to have to

try and minimize it. "I'm doing my best to talk him out of killing anyone else, but I don't

0think he'll listen.  In a few minutes, Patrick is going to start his ascent of the Arch, and I'll

be stalling as much as possible." If we were to allow you and Mary Alice to go, its a good

bet that he's going to kill you, senator, maybe Mary Alice too.  "All of our experience and

character profiles indicate just that, so there is nothing to be gained by risking your lives."

"He could kill all the hostages in less than a minute, he has the means and the temperament

as well,"  she continued. "We will have a chopper standing by in case we have to expose

Will and Mary Alice as a last resort."
 
    "O K then its agreed,lets get started", Patrick said, turning to leave.

Noah Hammondss continue to try and comfort his wife, who had not stopped crying for

almost an hour.  Mary Alice and Will, stared at the door Patrick had just closed. They sat

staring , no one speaking, only Mrs. Hammondss sniffles and the distant rumble of thunder

broke the uneasy silence.  Patrick was headed out the door of the Markers Mark, boots and

magnetized gloves in hand before anyone spoke.  He stepped out the door leading to the

Arch. It looked so much taller from this aspect. Being on the ground really made a

difference. The Arch towered up in a graceful rainbow shape, gently curving into the night

sky. The occasional lightening flash brightened the already  lit surface even more, giving it

an almost eerie appearance.  The shining surface now looked to be a mile high, beckoned,

like the rainbow . Its shimmering surface saying come, explore, find the fabled pot of

gold.  Its so close now, all you have to do is reach out and take it! Patrick studied the top of

the Arch. One of Sam's men would be there watching. One mistake and he would  be seen,

and  then the shooting would start. He estimated the distance to cover at about  seventy-five

to a hundred yards. How best could he cover it? Sneak as close as he could, then sprint the

rest of the way? He knew the closer he got , the harder it would be to see him from the

Arch. He had the boot, gloves, gun and other necessary armament and supplies. He decide

on the sneak and sprint approach. He estimated the weight of all the gear at about 40lbs.He

could sprint the, twenty-twenty five yards, with no problem, it was the climbing he really

dreaded. He stood for another moment, waited for the lightening to flash and started for

the Arch.

    He covered the short distance in  a few seconds. Once in the shadow of the Arch, he

relaxed . He felt the tension leaving his body as he fitted the boots onto his feet. It felt good

to be doing something positive. He had always preferred to tackle a problem head on. This

had worked out better for him throughout his life. The one time he had hesitated had cost

him dearly, he remembered. If he had been more aggressive toward Mary Alice, it would

him instead of Senator Steepleton , Sam demanded to meet with.  She would be married to

an FBI agent. Not just the ex fiancée of a US senator.  Wouldn't matter anyway he decided.

It was a gimme that bureau policy had rules against family member agents involved in

hostage situations. He would have been here anyway. With that resolve in mind, he slipped

the gloves on and started up the Arch.


      Patrick put his hands under his right knee , bending his leg at the knee, he guided his

foot to the metal.  It stuck with a thud! he picked up his left foot and did it the Sam's way.

Putting his hands on the Arch, he was now on all fours, looking like an awkward bear. Each

step seemed to make a lot of noise. He knew he risked being discovered, but what to do?

The only thing going for him was the fact that he could not be seen.  He felt  as if he were

making enough noise to wake the dead. Each step took quite a bit of effort, and he began

to wonder if this was the right approach. He would surely be exhausted when he did  reach

the top. There would not be an element of surprise, as he had hoped. That would take all of

his advantage away for sure. He had no choice but to keep trying, he knew, but now felt

this approach was doomed to failure.  Too noisy, too slow, too risky. He couldn't even talk

and move at the same time. Talking require stopping and removing one glove. It was too

clumsy to key the mike with them on.  Patrick stopped, removed the glove and secured it to

belt. He glanced back over his shoulder, and was surprised to see that he had made a lot of

progress. Twenty five-thirty feet in ten minutes.  He did some quick arithmetic and realized

that amounted to 100 feet in forty minutes. Six times forty equaled two forty. Shit! That's

four hours to get to the top. I don't have that kind of time.  He keyed his mike. "Get me

Sarah Peek"!
   
    "Patrick! What's up man?"
   
      "You're not Sarah Peek", Patrick shouted! "I want Sarah Peek , now"!

      "Yes ,sir." a startled voice replied. "Right away Sir".

      "Patrick, what's up", Sarah, asked in her soothing negotiator  voice?

        "Has there been any further word from Sam, Patrick wanted to know?

        "No nothing yet", Sarah said. "What's up with you"? 
           
        " I'm coming down, Sarah", Patrick said.  "This isn't going to work. It'll take too long,

And Sam is sure to kill more people before we can stop him"  "We had some backpack jets

standing by, Sarah, I'll need them", Patrick said.

    " That won't work, Patrick", Sarah protested. "They make too much noise. There won't

be any surprise. He'll hear you the second you fire them up".

    " O k , Sarah, we'll have a quick conference as soon as I can get back there.  That'll take

another 20-30 minutes, so be thinking".. "We are running out of time here very fast."  With

that said, Patrick slipped his glove back on and started his descent from the Arch. It only

took ten minutes to reach the bottom of the Arch. It amazed Patrick that he could go down

so much faster than he gone  up.  He had not recognized  the climbing was that hard He

decided to stash the gear there by the Arch, rather than take it back to the hotel. He laid it

in a neat pile at  the base of the Arch an awaited the next bright lightening flash before he

sprinted the short distance to the hotel door. Once inside, he headed for the conference

room. Spotting Sarah Peek immediately, he crossed the room in quick long strides. Sarah

smiled as he approached and pointed to the jet pack.. "Its ready to go, Patrick," she said

before he could speak.  "Thanks Sarah", Patrick said. "You're very efficient". Has there

been any further demands from Sam"?

    " No , Patrick", Sarah answered, just as the phone rang. She snatched it up on the first

ring.. "Sarah Peek speaking".

      "What the hell is going on? I keep hearing noises. I don't know what you people are up

to, so I'm going to shoot one hostage, just because you keep pisssing me off."

    Sarah shuddered as she heard the unmistakable explosion of a large caliber gunshot.

It almost deafened her, and she could only imagine what it must have sounded like inside

the Arch. She knew the purpose was to emphasize a point, and hoped that he had fired into

the wall, or floor. Too many people had been killed already. Time had just about ran out

for all involved here. She turned to look at Patrick, and he nodded in understanding. He

had heard  the gunshot himself.

    "Its going to take the jet packs to the top he explained. The going is just too slow with

the boots. Everyone will be dead in the time it will take to climb to the top."

Patrick turned and headed for the supply room. They had prepared for almost anything, or

so they thought. He looked carefully through the supplies and found the boxes he looked

for. He picked up one of the boxes marked "JET PACK", realizing it weighed a little more

than he expected. "Shit", he muttered. "This damn thing weighs a ton. How will it get itself

off the ground?" He began to unpack the crate, and soon realized that a lot of the weight

was in the crate itself. "Well, that’s some better,” he sighed, “Maybe it will at least be a

little more manageable now." He called to one of the uniformed officers standing nearby.

"How about a little help here?".  The officer moved to help him and they soon had the jet

pack strapped to his back. He started for the exit again planning to use the same lightening

flash technique he had used successfully before. He paused in the doorway and waited for

the bright flash, then made for the Arch as fast as he could run. Three more flashes later he

reached the base of the Arch and knew he would be out of sight of the hostage takers .

    Patrick looked up at the graceful curve of the Arch. The rain was coming down hard

now, stinging his face as the large drops struck. He had to lower his gaze to keep from

getting hit straight in the eyes. "Shit", he swore softly. "This may turn out to be more than I

bargained for". He started the jet pack, intending to make a  quick test rise, just enough to

see how it would handle and to see how much noise it would make. He throttled up, and

started to soar much quicker than he had thought he would, throttled back too quick and

started a rapid descent. He spent the next few minutes getting the feel of the pack, and then

gently maneuvered back to the base of the Arch. Time to go now. He keyed his mike.

"Okay I' going up, let me know if you guys see anything . Anything at all". He didn't hear

the muffled "thwack, thwack, thwack" the unlit chopper made as it took off.

                                                        CHAPTER 25


    As Patrick started the gentle ascent, all the lights were extinguished. The lightning cast

eerie shadows over the park. He could see his own shadow against the shiny stainless steel

of the Arch.. He was taking a course following the curve of the arch, carefully staying

close it its side, to avoid detection.. Six hundred feet straight up would be quicker, but the

element of surprise was of the utmost importance.  He was almost abreast of the first window

when he heard the unmistakable sound of a chopper.  He keyed his mike.

    " What the hell is going on now, he asked"? "I hear a chopper, real close by"!

    "Careful, Patrick", Sarah replied, "Senator Steepleton insisted on talking face to face

with Sam"!

    "Did Mary Alice go with him Sarah", he asked? His heart sank as she replied. He

knew they were both hard headed, He also knew that either of them were prepared to deal

with a psychopath such as Sam Mercer.

    "Just who allowed that to happen", Patrick demanded! " Are you all crazy"?

    " We all tried to talk them out of doing it, Patrick, but they just wouldn't listen." "Mr.

Steepleton  insisted that he could talk some sense into Sam, besides he said something

about being the cause of all this mess anyway".

    " That's bullshit, Sam would have done something like this anyway," Patrick yelled into

the mike. His frustration was beginning to show. " What the fuck else could go wrong now

he asked?" "Its not my fault you know, Patrick, none of us could stop him", Sarah replied.

" He just insisted on going, and after all, he is a United States Senator, and they are kinda

hard to deny once they determine that want something". "Well there's nothing you could

have done, but someone else should have stopped them".

    Patrick eased up to the crown of the arch, and watched  helpless as the chopper settled

on the grass at the South end of the arch.  Two camouflaged figures scurried from the arch,

crossed the short span at a run, and entered the waiting helicopter. Patrick eased back over

the top of the arch, making sure he could keep sight of the chopper.  What was he going to

do now? Sam and someone else , probably Jose, were already in the chopper. There would

be no getting them out now, without, loss of innocent life. Those were pretty important

people in that chopper too. He could hear the whine if the engine as it revved up, and the

chopper started a graceful accent, straight up.  Here  it came gliding up, gaining altitude with

each second. He stayed as close to the surface of the arch as he could, even standing on it,

keeping the engine adjusted just enough to keep from lifting .He was getting used to

operating the jet pack now and was confident he could maneuver anyway he would be

required to  The chopper came up to the top of the arch really close, and he saw the door

slide open.  Sam was sticking the barrel of his gun out the door, starting to fire as he did.

Bullets were ricocheting around him. He thought back to his childhood, the bullets

reminding him of how sparklers looked when you first lit them. Sparks shooting off in

every direction, lit the night. their reflection from the shiny, wet surface of the arch seemed

to intensify them, doubling each one as the booklets struck. He started to fall backward,

wondering why he wasn't feeling pain from the bullet that had struck his right arm. He

could see the blood, running down his  arm and starting to drip from his fingers. The

injury was fascinating him and he couldn't help but look thinking  he was going to die

now. The rotor wash was forcing him down the side of the arch, and he could feel the cold

blue steel against the side of his face. the jet pack was also his enemy now, forcing him

down, to certain death. He shook violently, twisting his body to a feet first attitude. 

Twisting the throttle of the jet pack hard, he started braking  less than a second. He could

feel the violent force of gravity, pulling his at body, slowly lose its grip. He shot upwards,

out of control, and though for a fleeting second, that he was going to strike the underside of

the arch headfirst.. The hard blue steel would be almost as hard as the concrete below.

managing to regain control and a sense of purpose, Patrick rose up beneath the hovering

copter, and grabbed the rails. The copter headed Northeast towards the Watts bridge.

He knew they had been looking for him, and decided he must have crashed under the

arch. Sam wouldn't give up that easy otherwise. Now Patrick needed to get that chopper

stopped, somehow! He unstrapped the rifle and started firing at the rotor. At first he had

no effect, because of the angle.  Leaning out as far as he could he held the trigger down.

suddenly a puff of smoke came from the rotor base and it started to wobble causing the 

copter body  to spin as if a giant hand had grabbed the rotor, and was holding it,  allowing

the copter body to spin instead of the rotor. It was losing altitude very fast  also. They were

over  the west  bank of the Mississippi now, nearing the Watts bridge at a Northeast angle.

How the chopper  spinning out of control missed the bridge, Patrick couldn't imagine. It

skimmed just over the top and settled into the Mississippi about half way, and twenty yards

or so upstream. Patrick had been wrenched free when his feet and legs had struck the

water about 10 yards downstream of the chopper.  Patrick hoped no one had been injured

in the hard landing.  The copter was sinking fast, and he could make out the shape of people

jumping out, but he couldn't tell which ones. He realized that enough people go out to

account for everyone, six in all he thought.. The swift current of the Mississippi pulled

away from the wreckage, and he could barley manage to keep his head above water. He

knew he had failed, and started to angle to the shore. he hoped the rescue effort would be

started, and breathed a sigh of relief, as he heard the thick, thwack, thwack of many

helicopters.  Patrick continued to struggle with the current. The Mississippi river did not

give up easily. He finally made shore just below the Arch National Park, after snagging an

anchor cable from a dinner cruise boat anchored there.  He grabbed the cable as he bounced

along side the large paddle wheel, and after resting a moment to catch his breath , managed

to pull himself up and reach the deck. He made his way forward and headed  for the gang-

plank.  It felt good to touch dry wood, after his brief encounter with the Mississippi river.

He started up the walkway that led to the steps of the Arch park. The steps were long and

had been fashioned into the western side of the Mississippi bank, and led to the grassy area

surrounding the Arch. He paused and watched as a helicopter plucked two people out of

the Mississippi. He couldn't  determine whether they were male or female. His heart raced

hoping one of them was Mary Alice.  He briefly imagined her emerging from the water,

long hair hanging in threads halfway to her waist, thin strands draped across each breast,

framing erect nipples. He grudgingly shoved the images from his mind. Must concentrate

on the business at hand. He remembered the hostage takers still inside the arch, and

dropped to the steps. He Keyed his mike , hoping it would still work in its water logged

state.

    " Hello, can anyone read me"?

    "I hear you Patrick, are you O. K.", Sarah Answered?
 
      " Yeah, I'm O. K., Sarah, how about the others"?

    "A chopper Just picked up Senator Steepleton, and the downed copter Pilot".

    "Any news of Mary Alice, or Sam Mercer, Patrick asked"?

    "Nothing yet...the other two are O.K. and now you’re accounted for." Do you think

you can your way back to the hotel"?

    "I’m on my way, be there in a few minutes, I'll keep quite, but please let me know of any

news concerning Mary Alice or Sam, O.K."

    " Will do, Pat, Be careful".

    Patrick worked his way along the steps toward the hotel., Making sure he stayed out

sight. This part of the park was in shadows under normal nighttime lighting, and the lights

were back on now. The hostage takers leaders were gone, so Patrick expected a pretty fast

resolution of the hostage situation. He well knew the effect of losing your leaders, so the

rest should throw down their weapons and surrender, or release the hostages and not be

killed. The main concern was still Sam Mercer. What he would do , if still alive ,depended

on his present location. He left the river bank in the shadows, and made his way to the FBI

briefing room. Sarah Peek brought him up to speed between pauses in the negotiations,

and she felt as if the remaining hostages would be released soon. She was negotiating

hard for safe passage out of the area in exchange for release, unharmed, of the remaining

hostages.

Patrick tapped her on the shoulder, placing his index finger over his lips. Sarah said she

would need a minute to clarify the last stipulation with the FBI.

    "They want a helicopter like Sam got, plus a guarantee of safe passage to a place

they will specify when they are airborne", Sarah said.

    "Tell them Sam Mercer is already dead", Patrick whispered. Turning around he began a

to ask about the search effort for Sam Mercer and Mary Alice.

    " We have called for divers to search the river, and we have a team crossing the river by

boat. We also have a team crossing Watts bridge to search the opposite bank from the

bridge downstream. If they come out we'll find them", a senior FBI official informed him.

    " Good , I'm going to search the bank on this side of the river", Patrick said, and with

that, he turned around and headed for the door.

    " O. K. Sarah shouted , they're coming out"! Everyone keep your cool, and lets not get

anyone else hurt". "Patrick, they're coming out", she said with a smile.

He turned a looked at her, saying "tell them to send the hostages out first, single file, then

they will be allowed to leave". He didn't want any of the perps to hold back with the host-

ages and try to sneak out that way. Everyone of them were damn well going to pay if he

had to personally shoot them himself. Again he headed for the door, except this time he

took a more direct route to the park side steps.

                                                CHAPTER 26


    Patrick paused to watch the hostages filing out in single. Some were crying, some

smiling, while some walked with their heads down. All looked a little haggard. Being

around Sam Mercer for a while would do that to one he decided. Shit, he wanted to kill the

man just from sitting and listening to Dr. Fields imitate him in the briefing room. Or imitate

him as well as on could from studying a file of information compiled from records. He was

a complex man from all appearances, and not to mention a highly trained one, also. Patrick

shuddered at the thought of being in Sam’s crosshairs. He hoped it would be the other

way around when they finally met. He started down the steps to the riverbank slow but de-

liberate. Could Sam have survived? If so where did he come out of the river, and where

was he now? Almost an hour had passed since he had pulled himself up from the

swift current of the Mississippi. It had not been easy for him, and he had remained unhurt

owing to his last minute dive from the crippled helicopter. Sam could be unhurt and in the

process of more mayhem this very moment. Either way Patrick knew he couldn't rest until

he knew where Sam and Mary Alice were, dead or alive! He had reached the floating pier

leading to the gangplank of the anchored dinner boat now. He still did not quicken his pa-

ace, but paused to listen to the water lapping against the pier and other boats anchored

there.  He could hear the policemen making their way down the riverbank, cursing softly

when slipped in the soft mud of the riverbank. He could see the flashlights bobbing like

giant fireflies along the banks of the river. Occasionally there would be a splash as one

slipped into the muddy Mississippi, followed by the cheerful chuckle of his partner. Sam

would have a tough time making shore undiscovered now, Patrick reasoned. The banks

of the river were covered on both sides for a good fifty yards. No one could hide here

now.

      Patrick noticed the rain had stopped. He looked at the sky, seeing the distant

flashes of lightning from the recent storm. As one storm moved eastward, another

developed  in the West, Soon it would be upon them, so he headed down the gangplank

of the boat  that he had pulled up on an hour earlier. He headed for the stern, moving at a

good pace, and upon arriving there, looked over the side at the paddle wheel.  The paddle

wheel was just for show , not propulsion, he knew. Modern diesels now powered the

dinner boats that plied the Mississippi. but the paddlewheels remained, freewheeling

when the boat moved, even giving an appearance of power from a slight distance. No one

lurked there he noted and headed back toward the cabin to search for entrance lower to the

decks. He wasn't sure how many decks this boat had , but knew there would be at least

one more. To his surprise, the knob turned at once. It was unlocked!  Odd that the owners

would leave something so valuable unlocked. He shined his flashlight toward the floor.

Dammit"! He cringed realizing how careless he had been. he slowly panned the flashlight

around the cabin, seeing only booth type tables on one side, The rest of the space in the

cabin was packed with dining tables and chairs. Nothing looked out of place. Each chair

was tucked under its table. But there were wet tracks everywhere! He had not made them.

    The wet tracks faded as they led down the center aisle. The door on the opposite end of

the cabin looked to be secured. Patrick made his way down the aisle, shinning his light

into every nook and cranny. Nothing moved. There was no one in this cabin! He made

his way to the other end and tried the door. It was locked. The push knob type door lock

popped out making a loud noise when he turned it lightly. He jumped back, startled. This

didn't make sense. This type of door locked from the inside, like a bathroom door. When

you turned the knob, it popped open, unlocking. Sam must be in here! Again Patrick traced

his flashlight around the cabin, first looking for another door, or a hatch. The muddy

footsteps ended at the door. He turned his attention back to the door. Sam Mercer had to be

hiding in here somewhere. He opened the door  peeking to make sure no one hid  on either

side. Patrick stood looking out the door for a moment  then turned and locked it. He began

a slow and deliberate sweep of the left side, moving down the aisle, shinning his light

between each table. He paid particular attention to the area underneath the tables, looking

for signsof  a hidden hatch. Nothing! He headed up the right side and inspected it carefully

also. He found nothing there either. He turned once more, shining his light to the area

where the walls and ceiling met. Nothing here either. This just didn't make sense. He sat

down at the table nearest the door and began to look around again. Looking up and down

the aisle, he followed the muddy foot steps that lead to the other. They stopped there, at the

edge of the rug. He almost gasped with the realization that there would be an entrance to

a lower level there! He went to the rug at once, examining it quickly. Sure enough, the

edge of the rug lifted easily to reveal a ring-like catch that popped up. Now he really had

an enormous problem! Was this the only entrance? Was an automatic rifle pointed at the

hatch as he stood there? Was it locked from the inside? He tested the hatch. When he

pulled at the ring, it didn't move! He exerted more force, and the hatch started to move

slowly, then suddenly popped up wide open! It had been made of sturdy material, to

support the weight of two, or perhaps three people standing on it at once. It was spring

loaded to handle the  weight, just like an attic door closer. Once it start moving, it gained

momentum. Patrick reacted instantly, fingering the safety on his Glock, and jumping

through the hole feet first! He realized he was making a very dangerous move! The proper

procedure involved at least two officers! Each should position themselves on opposite

sides of the doorway, and using flashlights try to triangulate the questionable area as well

as possible! That still did not keep officers from getting shot, but it did cut down on the risk

quite a lot!

    “Drop your weapon if you want to live”, a voice said sternly!  Patrick let the gun

trickle from his fingers. He slowly turned around to the direction the voice came from.

  "Okay, put your hand above your head slowly, one quick move and I'll cut you in half".

    "Now , who are you", Sam asked?

    I'm Patrick Connerss", FBI, Patrick answered calmly. "And I already know who you

are!”

The lights brightened to reveal a large cabin with several beds and a closed door to the aft.

To the engine room no doubt, Patrick thought, as his gaze trained on Sam who had raised

the night vision goggles. He stood average height, a little shorter than Patrick, but his thick

muscular arms held and M-16 , right hand on the trigger. Pointing  straight at Patrick's

chest. There was no chance of overpowering him here, a good 5 paces separated them.

Patrick noticed Mary Alice, sitting on the cot type bed nearest the door. Her wrist were

bound and her blonde hair hung in matted streams touching her thighs. Her head bowed ,

she sobbed a defeated sob, not shaking her shoulders, just crying softly. She looked at

Patrick for the briefest of moments, then hung her head again.

    "I wasn't expecting company so quick", Sam said with a smile. "Are you alone",

    “ Just me, Patrick answered, so throw down the gun and we'll settle this now.”

Sam looked at Patrick, sizing him up. I could take you, fed, but why risk it, I know I have

the advantage.
 

    “ I thought you special forces types only killed with their hand when discovery is

likely.”

"There are hundreds of uniformed officers crawling over this place" If you fire your gun,

the sheer weight of them will probably sink this boat".

    " Then I'll just have to kill you with my hands, when the time comes", Sam smiled.

    " Now is as good as any time maggot, I'm ready when you are", Patrick saw the man

tense. If you could make someone mad, they would lose their sense of purpose often, and

would make a mistake, he knew. Other than the brief , barely perceptible, tensing, Sam

Mercer gave no indication that he had just been insulted. He only raised his eyebrows a

little and answered. "I'll decide the time and place, Fed", he spat the words at Patrick.

Patrick decided to take another tack on distracting Sam. He started toward him, but Sam

just poked him in the ribs with the gun barrel. " I don't want to mess up your pretty face

before daylight, so just cool it. I'm likely going to need a good hostage about that time", he

said motioning to the cot on the far side of the cabin. Patrick sat down and began to study

Sam,looking for a chance to overpower him. He had to be careful because of Mary Alice.

She had continued to sob softly, still with her head down, looking at the floor. Another half

hour crept by, Sam yawned, setting of a chain reaction as they usually do. Mary Alice

stopped crying long enough to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand an yawned with a

loud protracted sigh. Sam followed suit ,yawning again, then Patrick. He looked at his

wrist watch, moving the other hand to push the light mode. Sam jumped up immediately,

tightening his grip on the M-16. "Don't worry big boy, I haven't fell asleep on watch, ever".

Just make sure I can see you and move slow and easy ,I said I didn’t want to kill you yet".

He sat back down ,cradling the gun like it was an infant. He stared hard at Patrick, like he

intended to look right through him at something on the wall behind him. Patrick could

almost feel the hatred burning through him. He held his gaze for several minutes before

speaking.

    " How many other people know where you are", he asked? “ I see your mike, and its

a good bet it works just fine".

      " No one knows I came here specifically", Patrick answered truthful. "But you will not

have a lot of time before they start looking for me".

    " I'll take care of them when they come, You'll see", Sam said confidently. Patrick

glanced at the hatchway. He had left it open. He listened for footsteps on the deck above,

convinced that someone walked there. He hoped that no one tried anything heroic. These

kind of things usually worked out , if given enough time. His comm. buzzed. he'd known

it had to happen.

    "Patrick , are you there"? It was Sarah Peek. Her voice had fast become a comfort to

Patrick. She got things done.

    " Don't even think about answering ", Sam told him , Pointing the M-16 at his chest.

    " Patrick are you there"? “ Come in Patrick, Come in!”

      Patrick knew something had to happen soon. He could not have even imagined what

happened next, however. Suddenly the cabin filled with smoke, someone dropped through

the hatch. Tremendous blasts were being fired from some type of semi automatic

weapon, answered with rounds from Sam's M-16. Fire flashed from the M-16, as fire

flashed from the weapon of whomever had dropped through the  hatch. In a moment it

was quite again, except the low sobs of Mary Alice.

    "Hey, FBI hotshot, you still alive, or did the dead hero manage to kill you,' Sam asked

roughly?. "Your little sweetie is fine, and the two of us will be leaving now", he continued.

Patrick could hear the low, animal like growl that Sam finished of each statement with.

Shouts came from outside. Flashlight beams stabbed through the thick smoke like sun

rays through a low cloud. The cordite smell made his eyes water, and it seemed as if his

ears would never quit ringing. He felt disoriented, shaking a little from the suddenness and

brutality of the past few seconds. Sam's flashlight shone around the room, moving from

Patrick's face, to the prone body of Will. He lay almost draped around the ladder, his body

cut almost in half. Blood splattered the wall behind the ladder. Sam played the flashlight

beam from Patrick to Will as if to make it clear Patrick would be next.

    " Tell them you're okay, and don't try anything funny or I will  make sure you never

leave this cabin,” he said. Tell them I will be coming out now, and one wrong move by any

of them and I will kill Mary Alice." Mary Alice offered little resistance as they made their

way to the ladder. She froze when they reached the body of Will, sobbing loudly. After

several prods to the rid cage with the M-16, she reached for the rungs of the ladder, being

careful not to touch Will.

    "Go very slow and stop when you are half way out," Sam told her. "You are to follow

after me , remember Mary Alice gets it first, and don't doubt that I can kill the both of you

before anyone gets me." Mary Alice began to climb the ladder, stopping when her body

half cleared the hatch. Sam kept the M-16 pressed against her side the entire time, and

though the hatchway seemed small, if became apparent that Sam and Mary Alice would

fit through it at the same time. Patrick had hoped that only one person at a time would be

able to get through, allowing an opportunity for apprehension and an end to this nightmare

without further bloodshed. Sam and Mary Alice made it through the hatch opening at the

same time, while he paid particular attention to keep the M-16 pressed to her side. Once

they were on top, he motioned for Patrick to follow. At least he would be accompanying

Sam as a hostage. He had secretly feared he would die from a quick blast of the M-16

once they were clear of the hatchway.

    Sam turned to Patrick and instructed him to stay very close, or he would not hesitate

to kill Mary Alice. He pulled a pistol from the scabbard at his hip and slung the rifle in the

same motion. The three of them started toward the bank, via the walkway, with Mary Alice

leading the way, Sam in the middle , Patrick bringing up the rear. Sam crouched between

as he steered Mary Alice along. They shuffled up the bank to the steps of the Arch Park.

Sam grabbed a two-way radio from a uniformed officer, and began speaking into it.

    "If this entire area is not completely dark by the time we make it to the top step, the

hostages will be executed."

No one answered back, and the three of them started up the steps. At the top step the lights

again went out. Sam stopped for a moment, then said to Patrick.

    " FBI man, keep both of your hands on my shoulders when we start to move, if I

feel one of them so much as move, I start shooting". " O.K bitch, you are going to run as

fast you can toward the edge of the park." "I have you pointed in the right direction, so

lets get moving." " If you try to get away, you die...got it!"

They started slowly at first, then picked up the pace at Sam's prodding. Patrick was

surprised at the speed with which they had moved. They were in the lightly wooded area  a

lot quicker than one would think. He realized the purpose, knowing the Sam would not have

the only pair of night vision goggles out there. In the few seconds it took for pupils to

adjust to the rapid change in light Sam was a good distance from where he had been when

the lights had been doused. They paused behind the shrubbery for a few minutes, allowing

enough time for a quick visual search. Sam turned to Patrick and told him to get his hands

above his head, fingers interlaced . Patrick did as he was instructed. Sam again keyed the

radio mike. "I want the lights turned of again when I give the order. They are not to be

turned on again until I give the order. If my conditions are met, no one gets hurt, otherwise,

I will kill the FBI man and the girl...Understood!"

    "Yes Sir , we understand, lights to be  turned off and stay off at your order."

    Sam pointed the M-16 at Patrick. "Back up a couple of steps there, he pointed".

Patrick had the feeling that this was going to be the end for him. Sam pulled a small shiny

device out of his pocket, and shifted it to his right hand. Patrick realized Sam held a remote

trigger of some sort. He looked for an escape route, but there was none. just clumps of

shrubs spaced around the manicured park grounds. Sam keyed the mike.

    "O.K. shut the lights off." Patrick jumped for a clump of shrubs at that instant, just as a

quick burst of the M-16 started. He felt the searing pain in his left arm, and moaning as his

head hit the ground, he passed out. There was a tremendous explosion echoing from  Busch

stadium at the same  time. When he came to a few minutes later, thick black smoke rolled

from the stadium, leaping flames were jumping into the sky, reflected from the well lit side

of the stainless steel of the Gateway Arch. Sam and Mary Alice were no where to be seen.

    Patrick could feel the fire in his arm. He was aware that the entire park had been lit up

again. He rubbed hi hand over the throbbing arm, and sat looking in disbelief at the thick,

clotted blood that clung to his right hand. He had been shot, he realized, and also he came

to the conclusion that he had been very lucky. How had Sam missed at point blank range?

Well he really hadn't missed had he? After all Patrick hade the bloody hurting arm as proof

of that. The question was, how had Sam managed not to kill him. Patrick felt certain that he

had intended to kill him. How about Mary Alice, or even Sam? Were they both still alive?

He would have no answers sitting here bleeding, so he must act. He studied the Arch again,

deciding right away that something was still amiss. No one moved in the park, which

should bustling with activity , to make sure it was secure. The river bank was also eerily

quite and peaceful. He started towards the Arch slowly, making sure to approach at a direct

end on angle. If Sam had somehow made it back to the Arch, he would have to be at the top

to expect to defend it. He could not see in every direction at once. so surely that is what he

must have done. Patrick neared the North base of the Arch and saw several uniformed men

gathered there. They were all St.Louis patrolmen, and upon seeing him began motioning to

him to hurry to the safety of the base. They pulled him close to the structure and began to

brief him. Sam had indeed made it back to the Arch, still had Mary Alice as hostage, and

was communicating. Once again he demanded a helicopter, and insisted if anything went at

all went awry on this attempt, Mary Alice would be killed. He had gone to the top of the

Arch as Patrick had guessed. Sam had made it clear that he was calling the shots. He had

detonated  a charge in Busch stadium and claimed to have more ready there, and also had

charges planted in the old court house.

    "Back to square one," Patrick said to no one in particular. "Can someone lend me their

radio for a moment," he asked. A patrolman quickly complied. Patrick took the radio from

him and keyed the mike in the same motion.  "This is Patrick Connerss  with the FBI, you

must delay any attempt to supply Sam Mercer with a helicopter." The voice of Sarah Peek

answered.

    "Patrick are you ok.?"

    "Yeah Sarah I'm o k, thanks for asking, look we have to come up with  a plan now.

Got any ideas?"

    Sam keyed the radio. "Have a helicopter waiting at the north end of the Arch in exactly

twenty five minutes from now. No one is to be on board except the pilot. If you do not

comply the hostage will be shot and thrown out the window."  He didn't wait for an answer.

He put the mike down, and turned to Mary Alice.

    "Take off your blouse."

    " Not a chance, jerk," Mary Alice snarled.

    The force of the slap almost knocked her backwards. "I said take it off bitch, Now!'

Mary Alice slowly began to unbutton her blouse, shaking, out of control now. The moment

she had feared since first seeing Sam tonight had arrived. Now she was sure that he was

going to rape her. The thought of Sam tore through her very being, fear and loath fighting

to be heard. She had sworn long ago that Sam Mercer would never touch her, and now it

was about to happen. She had made up her mind not too long ago, that there would be one

man only who would have the privilege of touching her.. Now with Will dead, there was

nothing to prevent Patrick from being that man. She would make him see just how much

she loved him. She wanted him so badly since that night in the motel that she physically

hurt for his touch. She started to sob loudly as she removed her blouse. Sam smiled

expectantly, as he reached for her breast. She shrank back as he cupped it in his hand,

wishing she were dead instead. He squeezed slightly and turned away, got up and removed

something from underneath the tram. She could see the shape of a block, but didn't know

what it was. He smiled again.

    "Still not quite time to get it on with you  sweetie. This is C-4 in case your wondering."

  " Just in case someone doesn’t do as I say." Don't worry, if it goes off you wont feel any

thing, but that’s not what I plan on happening." "Turn around!'

  He ran two wires up her back, underneath her bra strap, making a single weave in and

out at the shoulder strap. He held a small block of the C-4 between his hands for a couple

of minutes.

    "Just warming it up a bit, for you sweets."

He attached the wires by shoving them into the block, then tucked it under her bra, nestled

block and wires between her breasts and ordered her to turn around. Mary Alice could feel

him doing something , and once felt something very cold on her back. Sam finished the job

with a couple of strips of tape.

    " Have you ever heard of women waxing their eyebrows," Mary Alice asked? That will

pull skin off when its taken off.

    "Don't worry sweets, I'll be really gentle when I take it off, at least with that part." he

said with a slight laugh. “ Now turn around and lets get your blouse back on,” he said as he

picked it up. "We're going back down now, and remember one wrong move and poof." he

he waved his hand in the air imitating smoke rising. He pulled a small devise that looked

like a calculator out of his fatigue side pocket and showed her. "It's got your number on it,

also numbers for explosives in here too." "You see, Mary Alice, I have everything I need to

control you and the entire St. Louis police department, plus a hundred or so FBI officers."

    " Less the one I wasted in the park of course. " He added.

    Mary Alice shuddered. She hoped somehow Patrick had survived. She didn't even want

to think about it right now, and started to cry softly again.  Sam just started the tram, and

began the descent to the North end of the Arch.
         

                                                      CHAPTER  27


  Patrick asked the officer who gave up his radio. "Is this a secure channel?"

    "Yes sir, I'm positive it is. Sam has been talking to someone in the hotel we know, and

we couldn't hear him, so we assume we're on a secure channel."

    " Lets hope your right," Patrick said as he keyed the mike.  "Sarah are you there?"

    " Yeah, Patrick don't worry, I'm going to get you out of there."

      "Whoa! I'm not going any where until this is over."

      "Patrick I have a report that you are wounded...They say you are bleeding pretty bad,

we've got to get you out of there." " We have ambulances standing by , we'll figure it out."

    " Negative, Sarah, I'm not going anywhere. Now what’s going on in the Arch, any more

activity?"

    "O k Patrick, there seems to be a move underway to come back down, so now’s a good

opportunity to get you out...please."  "I'll get right back to you Patrick, we have an update

from Sam coming in right now."

    "I need a good weapon now!" Patrick said.

    "What do you need, a rifle or pistol,” an officer asked. "Or would you prefer an

automatic shotgun, 12 gauge with two and three-quarter inch slugs."

    " Perhaps a pistol will be enough, I can't maneuver well enough for a shotgun."  "Just

make sure the pistol is an automatic. In less than a minute, Patrick tucked a Colt 9mm

automatic in his belt.

    "Can we get inside without being seen, Patrick asked?"

    " Sure,that’s no problem."

    Less than five minutes later Patrick and two St. Louis P D officer were in position and

as the trolley car carrying Mary Alice and Sam made its slow descent to the North end of

the Gateway Arch,

    The  only sound for the next five minutes was the slow, even breathing of Mary Alice.

    "Sam," she began..."I don't want anyone else hurt...Please. I'll do anything you ask. just

please don't hurt anyone else."

    "What’s the matter baby, don't ya have a taste for blood?' "You know a little red goes

well with a girl." " Your body and face already screams, look at me, without any help."

    "Me and you could really go places, you know."

    "I've got the smarts,you’ve got the looks, together that’s unbeatable."

    Mary Alice's mind raced. Yeah, you are real smart all right. Took the bait real quick,

didn’t you? Now lets just see how fast and how far you will run with it. Mary Alice took a

deep breath, thrusting her chest out just a little, she leaned a little closer to Sam.

    "Maybe you're right," she smiled. "You could be just what I need after all."

    "We have a lot in common. I don't know why I didn’t'' notice you before, it was so very

obvious." she said softly.

    " Now your talking, babe, wish I could speed this thing up a little, but its preset."

      "We'll be down soon enough though, then if we're lucky, there won't be much trouble."

      " Just please don't hurt anyone else, please...just for me, " she begged.

        "I ain't making no promises, Mary Alice," Sam said casually.
       
        "If they don’t push me much I wont have to show them I'm still boss."

        "Here he comes," Patrick whispered.

        " Lets try and not hurt Mary Alice."
       
          " They could all see the car approaching. Patrick, standing tight against the trolley

track wall, could feel the slight vibration as the cables strained to hold car and passengers

against the gravity of the steep incline. Just as the trolley reached bottom and stopped, the

demanded helicopter landed at the North end. Sam stepped off the trolley, with a gun in one

hand, the other held Mary Alice's hand. He noticed Patrick and the officers and put the

gun to Mary Alice's temple.

      " My ,my, my,what a welcoming committee."

      "Everyone be cool and no one gets hurt."

      " Now I hold all the winning cards, see," he said coldly.

      "Mary Alice, unbutton your blouse."
     
      Mary Alice looked hesitant, but a little more pressure from the gun convinced her to

comply. When she had finished ,Sam spoke again.

    " Pull your blouse up high, and turn around slowly, nothing quick."

    "O.k., guys,don't pay attention to the obvious," he said with a smirk.

    The wires running to the C4 tucked into her bra could be seen, and as she turned in a

slow arc, a red blinking light on her back became visible. It seemed to pulsate almost as if

the wires were somehow attached to her heart rather than the explosives nestled between

her breasts. Sam slid the gun down to the small of her back and switched hands. With his

free hand he reached into a fatigue pocket and pulled out the remote. It also had a blinking

red light.

      "Don't even think of trying to knock it away, for I can detonate it in a micro second."

      "Now, Mary Alice and I are going to walk slowly to the helicopter side be side, get on

it and leave...understood?"

      " No problems," Mary Alice added softly.

      "I promised I would co-operate if Sam wouldn't hurt anyone else," she continued.
 
      "I thought I had killed  you," Sam spat at Patrick.

      "I'll have to finish what I started before I leave. Wouldn't want to leave wounded to

hang around and get publicity."

  Mary Alice seemed to notice Patrick for the first time. She gasped loudly and started to

cry again. This was a lot more than she could take. She had seen the horrible death of Will,

and now, Patrick was bleeding badly fr0m a large wound on his left arm. He looked pale

and weak too. She suddenly could not take any more and felt her legs going from her. Sam

hooked an arm under hers and lowered her to the ground. Standing over her, he reminded

everyone that he was still in charge.

    " Nothing has changed folks,he shouted!

      "She has just passed out momentarily, and I still hold all the cards."

      "If anyone tries anything she disappears in a cloud of smoke."

  Mary Alice lay on her back, her chest rising and falling rhythmically. Her eyes remained

closed. Patrick could not help but notice how beautiful she was. He wanted to rush to her

and hold her, wanting her to see his face, and feel his touch when she awoke. Somehow

he must not allow her to get on that helicopter. He would not, no matter the cost! Sam must

be stopped. He studied Sam for a moment. Not doubting that he could detonate the charge

as promised. How was he to get to him. He realized that life wouldn't mean much to him

anyway if Mary Alice couldn't be part of it. She was also acting like she was going along

with Sam, right up till the minute she fainted. She moaned softly, turning her head to one

side a little. Sam  shook her gently, then fanned her face with his free hand, holding the

detonator with the other. He had laid his pistol down ,pointing to her head.Her eye lids

fluttered. She was coming around! Mary Alice moved her head from side to side. Sam

stood over her, looking first at Patrick, then back to her. Something was really bothering

him. He seemed to realize for the first time that Mary Alice loved Patrick, not the senator.

He remembered the look on Wills' face, realizing now that both men loved Mary

Alice...no, make that three men who loved her, for he could not exclude himself. For just

a moment he sympathized with Patrick. Here Patrick stood, about to watch his love get on

a chopper with another man. No wonder that he had stuck it out, for Sam was certain that

Patrick’s' wounds were pretty serious; in fact he didn't see how he was standing.That did

not matter to Sam, he would kill him before he left anyway. The chopper pilot was staring

at Sam. He was getting antsy, lifting the runners off the ground slightly. Sam motioned for

him to stay still, pointing the pistol in his direction for emphasis. Patrick hoped for a break

soon, otherwise any one of these people might start shooting. If that happened, the situation 

would  escalate in a hurry. Mary Alice moved a little more now, and tried to sit up. Sam

moved to her front,extending his arms to assist her,all the while keeping a firm grip on the

pistol. She smiled at Sam with a smile that most men realize at an instant that they are very

close to being had.

    Mary Alice leaned  against Sam, pressing her ample breasts into his chest. She had her

arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. Sam, could feel the passion starting to warm

him. He enjoyed this for a second or two, before his brain explode in a cascade of pain.

He fell to the ground, puking as the pain roared in his groin. He had allowed himself to be

blinded by passion, giving Mary Alice to perfect opportunity to strike. He had not expected

nor seen the knee kick coming. Mary Alice was stepping toward Patrick as Sam passed out.


                                                  CHAPTER 28


Police officers covered him in seconds, securing the detonator and handcuffing him. Mary
 
Alice reached Patrick’s, side and grabbing him with both arms hugged him tightly. 

  “ Oh Patrick, I thought I'd lost you for a moment." “I thought that awful man was

going to make me get on that helicopter and take me  away from you forever.” "That'll

never happen now, Patrick, for I will never allow it." "I will never let you go!" “No matter

what it takes.” "Oh darling, I love you so much, tell me what you want!" "Just please tell

me you love me too!"

    Patrick started to speak, but the booming voice she heard wasn't his.

    "Oh what a lovely little speech, too bad you two won't be together for long. Just a

few more minutes I would guess!”

  Patrick couldn't believe his eyes. It couldn’t, be! But Jose stood a few feet away, holding

an M_16! Patrick recognized him in an instant. The soft cascading curls, stopped just

above the eyebrows. Now an ugly smirk crept across the face of the man he thought

dead. He was also holding a detonator.

    “ An exact duplicate, codes and everything, and I won’t hesitate to use it!”

    "This changes nothing, Jose", Patrick said in the stoutest voice he could muster.

      “Ah senor, indeed it does, for you can see that I’m holding the difference", Jose spat

at him.” Now you will have the policemen release Sam from the handcuffs", he demanded.

    That was the last words spoken by Jose, for in an instant his head explode in a red

spray of blood and brains.

    Thank God someone knows what to do", Patrick said as he leaned against Mary Alice

for support. She struggled to hold him upright, yelling for help as the fog of the

rapidly approaching unconsciousness descended on Patrick. The last sound he heard was

the wailing of the approaching ambulance sirens. Mary Alice  ripped her blouse off as

uniformed officers converged on her. The bomb squad only took a moment to figure out

and disarm the bomb. She quickly persuaded the ambulance service to allow her to ride

with Patrick to the hospital.  She prayed that Patrick would be okay. She cried a lot. The

ride to the hospital seemed to take forever.  She hoped that Patrick would just open his eyes

and look at her. She half hoped that he would not at the same time. She also did not want

him to see her in this awful mess! The nights activities had left her looking less than the

beauty she actually was. Her hair hung in tangled, matted strands.,tears streaked her face.

There was mud also, and her eyes were very puffy. Blood stained her torn blouse. Still she

wanted Patrick to respond. Despite reassurances from the ambulance personnel that he

would be okay they got to the hospital, she was very afraid he was going to die. Once

inside the hospital E R,  Mary Alice was not allowed to accompany Patrick any farther.

The E R nurse did reappear every few minutes, keeping her informed as to his progress.

She told Mary Alice that Patrick had lost a lot of blood, was very week and unconscious.

They were giving him blood transfusions and the shoulder would have to be surgically

repaired.  She estimated that Patrick would be hospitalized at least a week. Mary Alice

vowed to stay by his side, offering to do anything she could to help speed his recovery. The

nurse suggested that her moral support would be enough. Mary Alice assured the nurse that

she would give him plenty of reasons to live!

    She was by his side two days later when he regained consciousness. “How long have I

been out” , he asked immediately.” “Oh just long enough for me to sit and study your

handsome face, she smiled , leaning over to kiss him.”  “I’ve got to get out of here now!”

“You are not going anywhere for a couple of days, says the doctors.and I totally agree with

them!” “Oh so you have taken over my supervision, have you? I don’t recall getting  a

directive concerning that!” “Don’t fuss now, it will give us a chance to talk.” “But you do

know that I still have a job to do, right? I have a mountain of paper work to finish when I

get back to Washington.” “I told you, don’t worry about it. Since you haven’t been very

talkative the last few days, I have talked with with members of your office daily. In fact I

promised them I would keep them informed on your progress, and let them know the

moment you came around.” “You shouldn’t have bothered, they have their ways of

badgering people, even doctors, and I’m sure they will know very soon!”  “Okay, Patrick

I am going to make arrangements for you to stay here in town for at least three days after

your discharge by the Drs.  They are going to want to check on you a couple more times,

then they will release you for good”.  “I will get adjoining rooms at a hotel nearby. I’ll

check back later this afternoon”. “The agency should cover all the expenses,” Patrick

started to protest, “and they usually let me make my own arrangements”! “Don’t worry,

Patrick, Will left me well off. In fact I shouldn’t have to work ever again if I manage just

half way right”. “I’ll  be back soon”, she said , stopping in the doorway to blow him a kiss.

“Now that you’re awake, try and stay out of trouble until I get back”, she teased, and waved

bye.

    Patrick rubbed his brow thoughtfully. A lot had happened! Everything was changed

now. Will was no longer in the mix, and he knew he was going to miss his friend a lot. Was

Mary Alice the woman he really wanted?There was something about a woman, or thing, or

car that made them so much more attractive when you knew they were off limits to you.

Now that Mary Alice was indeed free of Will, there were no reasons to delay. He had the

opportuniy to make her his wife, no question about that! She was acting as if they were

married already, what with watching after him like a brooding hen. He decided he had best

see how things went with the agency first, after all he had a dangerous job, and Mary  Alice

might not want to get mixed up in his life knowing that any day he might never come home

again! He settled into a restful nap, thinking of the sweet smile on Mary Alice’s face as she

had left the room.

He was wakened by a gentle tap on the door. “Come in,” he said softly. Mary Alice

stepped inside the room, He noticed she had changed clothes in an instant. “Hey I hope

I have not waked you if you need sleep,” she said!  “However I can’t imagine you would

need sleep right now after being out so long.” “Well I was not aware that I was actually

  asleep all that time. I was not aware of anything at all!”  Besides I’ve been inactive for

so long I know my stamina is way down. Well you will have another night here to catch

up. The doctors said if you behave they will let you go tomorrow morning. I am making

arrangements for us to stay at a nearby hotel. It’ll only be for a few days, at most.

“Us,” Patrick said sharply! 

“Yes, just the two of us! We will have adjoining rooms, and I’m a very light sleeper. If

you try anything sneaky, I will hear you. Oh yeah, there will be a couple of agents in the

hotel also, so one wrong move and I’ll alert them.  I had hoped we would have this little

conversation when you were feeling a lot better, but I’m going to lay it on the line now.

I love you Patrick, and I’m willing to give you everything I have, body, soul, a lifetime

of love and companionship, everything! I won’t push you! I won’t try to trap you, or

try anything at all, if you don’t love me. Also I won’t jump in bed with you either. There

is nothing in this world that I  would want to do more, but not until I have an actual

commitment from you! You don’t need to do anything but think of your future! I will

make all your travel arrangements when its time to go. I hope those arrangements will

include me!’

    Patrick lay on the bed looking stunned. He had certainly not expected a speech like

that from Mary Alice. She bent down and kissed him gently on the cheek. “Sleep tight,”

she said sweetly and turned around and left! Now he was getting more confused by the

moment! You could not figure women, no matter how hard you tried. He pondered her

“little speech” for a moment or two. Had  she rehearsed it that well in advance to say  the

things she had said? Was she giving him an invitation, or an ultimatum? Just when he at

last was sure everything would be working out now.  Okay, he would go along with her

for a little while and see what developed. He had thought he all this figured out, but as

usual with his life everything suddenly took a new twist!

    Mary Alice returned in about an hour, quickly informed him that everything was all set.

A car would be waiting for them in the morning , they would be escorted to the hotel,

where they would spend the next two days, then he would return to see the doctor, and

pending his progress be released. Travel arrangements back to Washington had been

made for him, and he would have to check with the Bureau for his return to work status.

  “I’ll be here to see you through this Patrick,” she said in an efficient, secretary like

manner she said, and with that sat down in the chair and opened a book and started to

read. Patrick drifted off into a troubled sleep, waking occasionally to see her still sitting

there reading.

    Sunlight peeking through the blinds and the early morning bustle of a hospital routine

waked Patrick. The doctor arrived soon after, and informed him of his discharge, he took

a quick shower and they were soon on their way. Just as Mary Alice had promised there

was an escort to the hotel. She had been very subdued this morning, speaking only when

he asked a question, or made a comment requiring an answer. She had exchanged the

expected “Good Mornings” with him as well as everyone else she had encountered this

morning, but was otherwise silent and noncommittal. They arrived at the hotel in good

time and Patrick sat at the table studying the file he had earlier requested concerning the

Sam Mercer case. Mary Alice had arranged to have their meals delivered by room

service. She stuck her head through the adjoining room door and sweetly said, “I hope

You don’t mind too much, and if you like we can eat together in either room.”

He declined but suggested they might do that for dinner. She asked “my room or yours?”

He quickly opted for her room. She smiled sweetly again and said, “Okay it’s a date

then, just don’t be late!”  “Okay, I won’t be late”, he replied.

    The dinner hour arrived all too soon for Patrick. He was still engrossed with the

voluminous file, and almost forgot to shower and dress in order to avoid being late. He

rapped on the open door , and announced  “your dinner date is here, and right on time

too!”  Mary Alice rushed to the open doorway and escorted him to the table she had set

up. Patrick was amazed at the woman’s ability. She had transformed the otherwise

common hotel room into a much more acceptable dining room for two. The table had

been draped with a laced table cloth, two candles glowed warmly, emitting a faint lilac

aroma. A bottle of champagne sat beside the table in an ice bucket. Chilled wine sat on

the table, long stemmed goblets by its side. A large centerpiece made of fruit salad sat

ready, the bowl matching the delicate china pattern of the place settings. This girl had

thought of everything! He seated Mary Alice, then himself, offering first to serve her.

“I could have arranged for a waiter, but I wanted it to be just the two of us,” she said.

“Oh that’s okay, Mary Alice, you have done a superb job as it is!” “Everything is just

great this way.” The food was delicious, and he marveled at her ability to select foods he

had always enjoyed. They made small talk through the meal, and Patrick attempted to

lighten things up a bit, but conversation returned to a rather formal format. This puzzled

Patrick, and he spent the rest of the evening trying to figure it out. What had  brought

about the sudden formality between them? It was as if they were newly acquainted rather

than old friends! He finally begged off that he was tired and kissing Mary Alice on the

cheek, retreated back to his own room. Later he heard Mary Alice crying softly and was

tempted to go to her and comfort her, or try to fix whatever was wrong, but stopped

when he reached the now closed doorway. He slept deeply that night, and the next day

and night passed without further incident. The formal attitude of Mary Alice continued,

although she seem to be doing just fine. That bothered him the most as he sat and leafed

through the files he had brought with him. He seemed certain that he could solve most of

this case concerning Sam Mercer, but something still bothered him about Sam. He knew

Sam had loved Mary Alice, and he did too! He just had to figure out what she expected of

Him and make it right!

    The cab arrived to carry them back to the hospital, where the doctors would examine

him, and were expected to release him. He didn’t have a lot of time to figure this all out,

especially with his mind on Mary Alice all the time. He pondered the situation over again

and again, finally telling himself the would make the right decision when the time came to

make it. For now, he would just roll with the flow and play it by ear! The taxi was arriving

at the hospital door, and he felt relieved at having already made a decision. Mary Alice held

his elbow gently as they exited the taxi, and quickly guided him to the entrance. As always,

she was attentive, gentle, and efficient, owing to the fact that the doctors were waiting for

him in the exam room. Nothing like a little FBI presence to speed things up he chuckled.

They examined him and quickly dismissed him, cautioning against any strenuous activity

for the next couple of weeks. “You lost a lot of blood, and you will tire quickly with just a

little activity,” they cautioned. “Give yourself a chance to build back up gradually.”

With this concluded, they were on their way back to the hotel. Once safely in their rooms,

They both began to gather up their thing and pack. Mary Alice finished first and stood in

the doorway watching Patrick. When he had finished, he sat down on the bed and called his

office. Mary Alice listened quietly until he asked his secretary if she had made travel

arrangements for him yet. She interrupted and informed him that she had taken care of that

already, and that he  had until mid-afternoon  before his flight back to Washington was

scheduled. “What are you going to do, Mary Alice,” Patrick asked? Mary Alice sighed ! “I

am going  back to the farm ! “I’ll spend a little time with my parents and try to figure out

whats wrong me me. I thought about opening a practice there, but its just too small, even if

you throw in half the county. I really don’t know past that!”  Patrick looked dazed! “Just

what do you mean by thinking there’s something wrong with you?”  “There’s nothing

wrong with you that I can tell”! Patrick I have practically thrown myself at you the last few

days, but you haven’t once responded!”. “I love you and want to be with you and I’ve told

you so. Yet you sit here and make plans to go back to Washington by yourself! I just don’t

understand it!”  “Why?”  “ You know I must go back to my office, Mary Alice,”Patrick

said in as gentle a voice as he could muster. He stroked her and explained that he had to tie

up a few loose ends with the Sam Mercer case. He had some ideas that he hadn’t mentioned

to to anyone yet. He just had to go! No other choice was available. He promised to get back

to her as soon as possible, then everything would be okay. Mary Alice stood and said,

“ Okay  Patrick I think I understand! I’m going to the farm and that’s where I be if you ever

decide that its me you want. The agent downstairs has you ticket and I have my on plane to

catch!  She turned and started through the door, pausing just long enough to say goodbye.

Patricked picked up his luggage and loaded it on the carrier, and turned the room lights off

As he left!


    Once back in Washington, Patrick began to follow up on the leads and suspicions that

He had arrived at. He called Chief Evans in Boston and made arrangements to have the

Button he had found in the robbery car used in the Boston job flown to Boston. He called

The evidence department and had them search for a fatigue shirt or jacket that was missing 

a button. Sure enough, they found one, and Patrick alerted them to the pending arrival of  a

button from Boston. They were to analyze thread from the jacket, and upon arrival analyze

the fabric strands from the button. Patrick had a hunch they would match.If they did, this

would solve the bank robbery/double murder and free up much manpower to persue other

criminals. When he got this straightened out he would go to Pattonville to snoop around for

a week or so. He wanted to look around the farm where Sam Mercer had lived. There was

an unsolved death there too. And Sam had been the last one to see the man alive! Murderers

had to start somewhere! Patrick really didn’t expect to find anything, knowing the local

sheriff had investigated and found no evidence of foul play, but again he had a hunch that

Sam had been involved somehow. He called the sheriff and appraised him of the recent

eents centered around Sam Mercer. The sheriff said he was aware of all that, teased that

tough isolated, they did get the news down there. He also said he would be agreeable to

accompanying Patrick to the farm, and didn’t see a problem with arranging it. Once these

things had been accomplished, Patrick felt like he could concentrate on the one thing he

really wanted. He chided himself for acting so oafish when they were in St. Louis. He knew

he had been foolish for not taking her in his arms an reassuring her that everything was

going to be alright. He just need to get back and take care of these few things, and too,

make sure marriage was what wanted. One could not be too careful when it came to the

choosing of a life partner. He knew now that Mary Alice was the perfect one, .though he

worried about the demands of his job, plus the dangers! He missed her so already! This

whole mess should not take longer than two weeks. He would then take some time off and

thus be free to concentrate on Mary Alice, and only Mary Alice. He suddenly realized that

he had not even called her. He picked up the phone and dialed her cell number. No answer!

Now what? He searched through his rolodex and found a number for her folks. They would

Surely know where she was! No luck there either, as they informed him that she had said

She was taking a little trip after waiting for him to call for three days. “She was really

upset,”  her dad said. Patrick pondered the situation for a minute, then quickly decided that

the Pattonville trip would have to be pushed up.  He must finish this business up and get to

something he really wanted to do. He checked with the evidence department to see if the

button had arrived, and sure enough everything was here! He left his office and headed for

the lab! He couldn’t do the actual analysis, but he could be here to spur them on! It didn’t

take very long to get everything done, the button and a fatigue shirt had matching fibers.

“ No doubt about this one,” the lab tech started explaining, but Patrick quickly begged off

with the excuse that he had so much to do he must get back to his office now. He was sure

that the lab would get this written up and in acceptable form. He would write his findings

into his report and put this part of the case away. This took a little longer than expected, but

soon it was finished and he was on the phone making arrangements to go to Pattonville!

Getting to Pattonville from Washington was no easy task! One had to change planes in

Atlanta, go to Birmingham, then rent a car for a rather long country drive. Patrick was at

once convinced that this was good therapy for him. This place was gorgeous, with deep

forests covering rolling hills and higher mountains. There were deep gorges and even some

canyons scattered about. And water! There were lakes and rivers in every direction. Mary

Alice could have retreated to any one of these scenic spots, and stay for days! Patrick had

even heard rumors that there was a particular canyon/state park where politicians retreated

to lick their wounds after a campaign defeat. No wonder! This scenery was calming, and at

peace seeming to be a million miles from inhabited earth. He could see the water mirages

appearing in the road as he passed over small rises, shimmering in the reflected light.  The

road made a slow westerly bend as he drove along at a steady pace. Suddenly he

noticed the sundogs, two small suns appearing on either side of the sun. There was an

perfect arch formed around each side of the sun. They were slightly disconnected at the

middle edges. He pulled off to the roadside and watched this incredible display for a while.

The scattered clouds were backlit with the suns rays, creating an array of colors in the early

evening sky. He made a mental note to investigate this beautiful phenomena when he got a

little free time.  Again, an arch forces its way into my conscious he mused . Soon the city

limit signs signaled the end of his journey. He stopped by the county sheriffs office and

chatted with him for a few minutes, agreeing to meet in the morning for a trip to Sam

Mercer’s farm. The sheriff reminded him that the case had been officially closed, ruled an

accident, and for the most part, forgotten. None the less, he would be glad to accompany

Patrick to the farm. Patrick secured lodging at the local motel, and headed for the

Hammonds farm.

      He didn’t know quite how to act at first, but was quickly charmed by Mary Alice’s

mother. They chatted over delicious iced tea for while, talking about everything but Mary

Alice. Patrick soon got around to asking, “Just where is Mary Alice now?”  “Well, were not

sure,” Susan said in an almost apologetic tone!  “She has not checked in with us yet.”  “She

was very upset with you when she left. “And she did not say where she was going,” Patrick

asked?  Well,Patrick, we don’t usually pressure her to much about her comings and goings,

after all she is a competent , grown woman,” Noah Hammonds said.  “I intend to ask your

daughter to marry me when I see her again,”  Patrick said. I had hoped we would all be here

together.“I think I speak for both of us when I say we would be proud to have you as a

son-in law Mr. Hammonds said.  “Well I guess that about wraps my visit Mr. .and Mrs.

Hammonds.” “I need to get back to my room and take care of a little more business, then I

will be haeded back to Washington sometime tomorrow afternoon.” Here is my cell

number, and my office number. Please let me know if you hear from Mary Alice.”  “Okay,

Patrick, we will be sure to let you know, and feel free to come back anytime,” Mr.

Hammonds said. They shook hands and Mrs. Hammonds hugged him. The goodbyes

Completed, Patrick got into his rental car and headed back to the  motel.

    He slept fitfully that night, wondering just what he had done wrong, other than not

calling Mary Alice sooner. He had a lot on his mind for sure, but most of it was clearing out

fast. He would do things differently now he reasoned, if only he could. He silently paryed

that he had not made a irreversible mistake concerning Mary Alice! After tossing and

turning all night, Patrick was glad to see the morning sun creep silently in and lift the

darkness from the heavily curtained room. He checked his watch, hoping that he would

have time for a quick breakfast before heading for the sheriffs office. He would have to

hurry! He showered and dressed as quickly as he could. No time for breakfast now, he

opted to stop at a fast food drive through for a biscuit and coffee. He pulled into the parking

space and gulped down the rest of the hasty breakfast. The sheriff was on his feet as he

stepped inside the door and immediately said , “Good morning, Patrick!”  “Good morning

to you too sir, he replied. “If you are ready we will get started,” the sheriff said, already

half way out the door. Patrick followed in silence, and they both got into the cruiser and

left. They didn’t talk much on the way to the farm, the sheriff busied himself with eating a

couple of donuts and taking an occasional swig from the coffee thermos that he had

brought along. “I hope you don’t mind Patrick, but this is the way I usually eat breakfast,”

he said. “I would offer you some, but I figure you had already had something, judging from

the crumbs on your shirt.” “Your right sheriff, I grabbed a biscuit on the way to you office,”

Patrick replied, brushing the crumbs from his shirt.  “I called and made the arrangements

last night, so as not to disturb anyone this morning,” the sheriff told Patrick. “We are

welcome to look around all we want!” They drove the rest of the way in silence and upon

arriving at the farm they walked around the outside of the buildings, stopping at the

chicken house. There were no chickens here now, but you could still get a whiff of the

strong ammonia smell that marked a working chicken house. They peeked inside, and

Patrick noticed a small brown jug hanging from a nail by a short piece of cord. It was dirty,

covered with the chicken house dust, and had been hanging there for sometime. Patrick

took it down, opened it and sniffed, the faint aroma of fermented, dried liquid was

reminiscent of stale beer. He turned the small jug over, examining it closely. “Say sheriff,

didn’t you mention a piece of cord found at the bridge where the Webber boy was found?”

“I sure did, Patrick and this looks like it will be an exact match if I can locate the other end

in our evidence room.”  “ I will check that of course, and let you know if you are in a hurry

to get back to your office.” “I don’t think it will change anything though, except an extra

page or two on my original report.” “If Sam Mercer did kill Webber, he’s dead too, and

anything else we add is not going to matter to most people around here.” “I just wanted to

know for myself,” Patrick answered, and of course I would file it in my reports as well.”

“Your are right, sheriff, it won’t change much one way or the other, and probably no one

else but we two will ever know the truth.” “I think the people who knew Sam Mercer have

suffered enough, I just wanted to be sure!”  They got into the cruiser and drove back to the

sheriffs office. Once there, Patrick thanked the sheriff, said goodbye, and drove back to the

motel to check out.

    On the road again, Patrick had little to do except think and drive. The one sure fact

he couldn’t deny was that he realized he loved Mary Alice deeply. He also realized how

and when he had made the mistake that was troubling him. She had wanted a commitment!

That’s all! What a fool he had been not to have taken her in his arms when they were in St.

Louis! He knew now how to correct that. He would get down on his knees and beg if he had

to. Soon the trip back to Birmingham was over, and he was on the plane headed for Atlanta.

When he go back to Washington, he intended to make immediate arrangements to take a

well deserved vacation. Then he would try and find Mary Alice! He would search the

world over, or at least search until he had no money left to search! The plane was finally

landing in Atlanta, after a long holding pattern for landing. He collected his carry on bags

and was eager to gat off the plane as soon as it was permissible. He could hardly wait to at

deplane, eagerly pressing against the passenger in front of so much that he finally turned

around and glared at him for a long moment. “Sorry sir,” Patrick mumbled, and resolved

to curb his eagerness. At last he was off the plane and rushing to the next gate, to wait with

nerves on edge to change plans. What was wrong with him! “I’m in love,” he said softly

and turned his head to see and attractive middle aged lady smiling at him. “Yeah you’ve

got it bad,” she giggled softly. He turned back around and thought he saw a familiar profile

just going by in the broad aisle. He jumped up, running to the aisle and at first sight was

sure of it now.  “Mary Alice, “he yelled ant took off after her. Mary Alice stopped and

turned, seeing Patrick she dropped her bags and ran toward him. They embraced kissing

and hugging affectionately, finally pausing to talk. “Oh Mary Alice, I was so worried about

you ,” Patrick said, all the while stroking her cheek. “I’ve been such a fool, will… will you

marry me? “Yes, yes, yes, Patrick! “ I love you so!” I went back to Hawaii, to get away

from everything for a while. I walked along the beach and stopped at the place where we

met. I knew then that I would never be complete without you, and I will do whatever it

takes to be with you! I was just changing planes on my trip back from Washington.”

Well I’ve been to Pattonville, and was on my way back to Washington,’” Patrick

explained! “ None of that matters now because I have you and I’m not letting you go!”

“Ever!”  “Lets get some coffee now and decide whether we are going to Washington, or

Pattonville.” They strolled hand in hand towards the coffee shop, stopping to kiss next to

a sign that read, “Ready for a vacation…Try St. Louis and the Gateway Arch!


                                              THE END: