The FX van pulled out just as Delveccio's limousine pulled up. Angie drove back to the loft. Rollie and Leo began thumbing through the ledgers, careful to use gloves in case fingerprints could be lifted.
Angie came over to join them in the lounge. She had the phone in her hand and she held it out to Rollie.
"What's this?" he asked. He hadn't heard the phone ring.
"It's time to bring in Mira and Francis on this," she announced seriously.
Rollie looked between Angie and Leo, unsure of what to do. "Sweetie—"
"No, Rollie. You promised. You said if things got dangerous that we would call them in—"
"I know, but—"
"But nothing, Rollie! You don't think things are going to heat up once Delveccio notices his ledgers are missing?" Angie stared at him. "I don't want to wait until it becomes too late. Our home has already been broken into once here—"
Rollie stood and grabbed Angie's hand in an effort to try and calm her down. "All right, um—" he faltered, unsure if now was the right time to call them in. Leo was still in danger. If word about him being alive got out too soon....
"Do it, Rollie." Leo spoke finally. He looked up at Rollie and Angie. "Angie's right. Delveccio is going to be very pissed when he sees these are missing. He's a very dangerous man. It's time to bring in Francis and Mira."
"Okay. Okay," Rollie said to both Leo and Angie as he looked at each of them. "You're right. It's time."
Rollie called Mira and asked her to come over with Francis. He told her he and Angie had something important to talk to them about. They said that they were pretty busy but would try to make it over to the loft before the end of the day.
"Happy?" Rollie asked Angie.
"You know it," Angie replied.
"Any luck with Sapien's hard drive?" Leo asked.
"I'm about to get to it now," Angie said as she made her way to her workstation.
Rollie went back to the ledgers as his thoughts became preoccupied with the big reveal coming up. "You better prepare yourself Leo. Francis is going to be blindsided by this. He may even be angry."
"I know. I'm a little angry myself." Leo admitted.
"Why don't you look through the ledgers? I'm going to go over the video of the break-in and see if our 3D program worked."
Mira and Francis showed up at the loft later that afternoon. Both had been thinking that Rollie and Angie's announcement had something to do with their engagement. They wondered if they had set a date...or if they had called it off.
Rollie let them in. Leo had gone downstairs to wait for Rollie's signal for him to come up. Angie was still busy at her computer.
"Angie?" Rollie called up to her before he opened the door. "I'm going to need you on this."
"Okay, okay," Angie replied, exasperated. She was just beginning to get somewhere with Sapien's hard drive.
They all sat down in the lounge after refreshments were offered and refused. Both cops said they had to get back to the station.
"What's going on guys?" Francis asked finally.
Rollie shared a look with Angie before beginning. She squeezed his hand and gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Well, uh...I'm not sure how to do this or where to begin," he began.
"Oh no!" Mira exclaimed. "Don't tell me you guys called off the wedding?"
"No. No, it's nothing like that." Rollie assured her as he stood up and fingered his chin. He had run through what he would say to them so many times, but now for the life of him he couldn't remember those words.
Angie saw his struggle. "We have some um...incredible news—"
"You're pregnant?" Mira eyes grew big. "Oh my god, Angie...."
Rollie choked on his own air and Angie's mouth dropped open.
Francis too grew excited. "Wow! I thought you guys would wait until after the wedding but I guess there's nothing conventional about you tw—"
"No! No. I am not pregnant," Angie insisted, her own eyes big. "It's nothing like that, really." She looked over at Rollie who was still recovering.
"Okay, let's all just calm down," Rollie suggested. "We didn't ask you here to talk about us, or the wedding, or anything else like that. What we want to talk to you about is serious. Deadly serious." Rollie looked them both in the eyes. "And I need you both to be open minded." He searched their eyes and they both shook their heads in agreement when it became clear that Rollie wasn't going to continue without their agreement.
"What's going on Rollie?" Mira asked.
"Uh...whoo," Rollie breathed. "I don't know exactly how to begin but...here goes." He paced back and forth in front of Mira, Francis, and Angie.
Angie watched him briefly and then reached up and caught his hand. "Rol."
"Yeah. Okay." He smiled down at her, thankful she was there, then he looked directly at Mira and Francis. "Remember our muggings? How you thought that the same person that saved me also saved Angie? Well, you were right."
"Who is he?" Mira asked. "How do you know this?"
"Because we know him. And actually...so do you, or at least you do Francis."
"I do?" Francis looked dumbfounded. "I'm not really on any first name basis with any homeless people, except Tricky Dicky down near the precinct. But I tell ya' Rollie, Tricky Dicky is in no shape to do any of the things you described."
"Get to the point Rollie," Mira suggested.
"No, Francis, it wasn't Tricky Dicky who saved us. It was...." Rollie paused and Angie squeezed his hand. He looked down at her and smiled briefly. "It was Leo," he said finally.
Mira looked at Rollie as if he had lost his mind. She looked over at Angie for explanation and found that she was staring at her and Francis gauging their reaction. Francis for his part, stood with his mouth open. Disbelief written all over his face.
"Rollie, look, I know you two have been through a lot these past few months—" Mira began.
"It ain't Leo, Rollie. It ain't Leo. He's dead." Francis interrupted, yelling as he tried to get Rollie to understand.
"Don't yell at Rollie," Angie scolded him.
"Sweetie, it's okay." Rollie grabbed her hand.
"No, it's not. Look, what Rollie is saying is true." Angie stood in front of Mira and Francis. "Do either of you really think that we would tell you this if it wasn't? Do you think that we would so cruel?"
"How are we supposed to believe this?" Francis asked. "I was there, Rollie, the same as you. We both saw Leo die in that warehouse. You were the one that identified his body."
"Actually, Francis, we didn't see him die. We only thought we did. And as for identifying the body, well...I identified a body, but it wasn't Leo's. It was all an illusion."
"But how could he have gotten out?" Francis asked, still not really believing this.
"That's a long story and it has to do with why we were made to believe that he was dead. But he's in danger and it all still has to do with the arms thefts that we were accused of being involved in at the time of his supposed death—"
"I need proof, Rollie. What kind of proof can you offer that Leo McCarthy is still alive?" Mira asked finally. She was sick of beating around the bush.
"I—"
"How's this for proof?"
Everybody turned to see Leo McCarthy standing near the lounge. He was thin, and his hair was grayer, but it was indeed Leo McCarthy in the flesh.
"Le...Leo?" Francis gasped.
"I'm right here Francis," Leo smiled.
"How...how...." Francis stammered.
"Well, Rollie and Angie were trying to tell you but I guess I can understand how difficult it was to believe—"
"You do know that faking your own death is a federal offense?" Mira asked pointedly.
She was not willing to believe whatever scam was going on here, even if Rollie and Angie did.
"Mira!" Rollie admonished her.
"I do know." Leo looked her in the eye. Right away, he sized her up as a no-nonsense cop and immediately admired her for that. "Why don't we sit down and I will tell you everything."
Francis walked over slowly to Leo. Then, slowly his hand went to Leo's face to touch it but before he did, he pulled Leo into a tight hug, slapping him on the back as tears rolled down his face. "I prayed for this Leo. You don't know how hard and how often. I can't believe that you're really here. How? How is this possible?"
Everyone was quiet while Leo explained the circumstances around his supposed death, his subsequent investigation and his life on the run. He explained that he happened upon Rollie's beating by happenstance. He had been debating whether or not to turn to Rollie for help when he saw him getting his ass kicked in fight that had three on one. He intervened in the fight but chickened out about revealing himself to Rollie. He shadowed him and Angie though in an attempt to see if the people that were searching for him were watching them. That's how he came upon Angie's mugging.
Leo continued to fill Mira and Francis in on everything and then Rollie and Angie joined in to fill them in on the rest, leading up to the theft from Delveccio's place, although they didn't divulge exactly what was stolen.
"How could you have been so stupid!" Mira demanded. "I can almost understand you Rollie, how you get yourself worked up in enthusiasm for something and you get carried away in the moment, but you Angie? You're usually the one I count on to be more level headed. How could you think that stealing from Delveccio was a good idea?"
"I...I...." Angie stammered.
"Don't you dare yell at Angie. None of this was her idea." Rollie defended her. "In fact, she has wanted to bring you guys in on this right from the beginning. If you want to blame someone for this, blame me."
"Hold on, hold on." Leo interrupted. "The only one here that deserves blame is me. I didn't want Rollie and Angie to tell you guys until I was ready."
"Do we really need to lay blame? This is ridiculous!" Angie groaned. "Leo's alive, and that's a good thing. Have we lost sight of that already? We're sorry we didn't handle things the way you would have liked, Mira, but we did the best we could. Now could we just get on with figuring out where we go from here, because you know what? Leo's still in danger and so are we."
Mira shook her head and slowly walked away. She had a lot to think about. Francis watched her walk away and then he looked into the faces of his friends for many moments.
"What can I do to help?" he asked finally.
"Well, uh—" Rollie began.
"Wait. Don't tell us anymore about the break-in," Mira warned as she came back over. "Is what you took useful? Can it break this case wide open?"
"I think so," Rollie answered. "Why?"
"Because we need to make sure that whatever it is can be admissible in a court of law. And for that to happen Francis and I can't know anymore about what transpired at Delveccio's," Mira suggested. She caught a smile from Francis and she offered one back before she continued. "You need to get the items to us, without revealing it was you who took them."
"Okay." Rollie smiled. "We can arrange that. We're going to make copies though in case something happens. There are dirty cops involved and I don't want something happening to this before it can be used. We'll get them to you tomorrow."
"Okay," Mira agreed. "We may need to bring the Captain in on this. And we also have to think about placing some surveillance detail on your place. I assume Leo is going to stay here for awhile?"
"You assume right," Leo answered. He really had nowhere else to go.
"We would appreciate the guard detail Mira." Rollie smiled at her after receiving one from Angie.
"Well, in order for that to happen Francis and I are going to have to tell the Captain. So until we do, be careful."
"We will."
Francis and Mira left. Leo and Rollie talked while Angie scanned in the pages of the ledgers into the computer. It was about midnight when she decided to call it quits and went upstairs. Rollie followed shortly after. He was sitting on the side of the bed, with his shoulders hunched over when she came out of the bathroom. She came up behind him on the bed and started massaging his neck and back.
"Oh boy, you are stiff!" she said softly as she kneaded her fingers into his stiff muscles.
"Mmm," Rollie groaned in appreciation. "You know, it actually went a lot better than I thought it would."
"Yeah, right."
"I'm serious." He laughed. "Did you get everything scanned—"
"Shh, tut!" Angie admonished him, as she continued to massage his back. "I do not want to talk about any of that right now. All that's going to do is put the tenseness right back into your muscles. I just want to help you relax and then go to sleep in your arms. I don't want to think about any of that anymore tonight, got that?"
"Got it." He smiled as he leaned back against her.
Angie awoke at 6:15 to the wonderful feeling of Rollie's body snuggled up against hers. She was on her back and his body was curved against hers, his arm draped across her chest, his hand on her right breast.
"Even in your sleep...." She smiled and whispered softly. Then, gently, she raised his hand off her breast and moved out from under it and out of the bed. She put on her robe and went downstairs.
Rollie awoke about an hour later to find himself in an empty bed. He looked around the room. He hated waking up alone in bed. "I should have held on to the handcuffs," he grumbled as he got out of bed. He threw on a t-shirt and some jeans and went downstairs. He found Angie busy scanning the ledgers into the computer.
"You're up way too bloody early," he said as he came up behind her and pulled his chair closer. His hands went around her waist and he rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I wanted to get this done and the sooner, the better." She leaned back against him. "I'm almost done. How are you going to get it to Mira?"
"First of all I'm going to have to dust it for fingerprints, so I'm glad you're using gloves—"
"I knew it could be a problem." She smiled as she continued to work.
"Yeah. Then, I'm going to drive over to Jersey and pop it in the mail over there. I'll have to wear a disguise so it can't be traced back to me." He started nibbling on her neck. "Have you showered yet?"
"Nope." Angie smiled. "I thought we could take one together."
"Groovy."
"You are so retro."
Rollie left for New Jersey later that morning after dusting the ledgers for fingerprints. He said he also had some errands to do. Leo went out as well. He said he would be in the tunnels. He needed to think. Angie stayed home and worked on Sapien's hard drive and deciphering the coded ledger book. She grumbled that there just weren't enough hours in the day.
She took a break to call Lucinda and the two made a date at lunchtime. Lucinda wanted to talk and Angie needed to buy a baby shower gift.
Angie returned to the loft after lunch. Her packages in hand, she went to unlock the loft doors when a hand went around her mouth. She struggled until she felt something hard pushed up against her ribs.
"I don't want to hurt you," came the male voice. "But I will. Stop struggling and you'll be okay," he ordered, his hot breath against her ear.
Rollie returned to the loft. It was dark and quiet. He called for Angie but there was no answer. Then, he saw her sitting in a chair.
"Why didn't you answer me?" he asked. Then he saw a laser beam on her forehead and fear gripped him. He could see now that Angie was taped into the chair, her legs and arms bound. Her mouth was also taped. He turned around to check where the beam was coming from.
"Mr. Tyler. I'm Rick Sapien. Your beautiful fiancée has been keeping me company until your return. You and I have some things we need to discuss."
"Let her go." Rollie couldn't see Sapien.
"Not a chance. She's my insurance that I get out of here alive." He replied as he kept the laser trained on Angie's forehead.
"I'm not the killer here. You are." Rollie reminded him. His eyes returned to Angie's. Her eyes showed fear but she looked down at her hands. Rollie followed her gaze. She was pointing with her pinky towards the upper levels of the loft.
"If you're referring to Agent Hanson, then yes, you're right. I am a killer. But you're wrong about why I killed him."
"I don't really give a flying fig why you killed him. All that concerns me now is that you have a gun trained on my fiancée's head. It's not really conducive to me liking what you have to say." Rollie growled.
"It's necessary, I'm afraid. It's the only way I could be assured of having a captive audience. I assure you no harm will come to the lovely lady, as long as you hear what it is I have to say...and give me some answers in return."
"I don't know what it is you think I can help you with," Rollie said, as he touched the screen on his PDA and the dragonhead turned on silently. Rollie touched another button. "But you're right...we are a captive audience. So, out with Sapien. What do you want?"
"First of all, I didn't kill Hanson for the reasons you think. I did kill him but he was going to kill me and your friend Leo," Sapien began.
"You expect me to believe that? Just because you tell me this I'm supposed to believe you?" Rollie moved away from Angie as he looked upwards, trying to gauge where Sapien's voice was coming from.
"It's true. Hanson found out that McCarthy was hiding out here. He was on his way to kill McCarthy and then he was going to kill me. I got to him before he could do it and believe me if he had made it over here he wouldn't have thought twice about killing you and your fiancée as well. "
"Yeah? Well, we only have your word for it," Rollie replied sarcastically.
"Did your little woman there crack my files? Because if she did, then you would know that I kept a file on Hanson detailing dates, meetings, and contacts. That file is my insurance—"
Just then Rollie set off the smoke and noise from the dragon's head. At the same time he set the VR chamber in motion as it shook and rattled. It caught Sapien off guard and Rollie ran up the stairs. He flew at Sapien and the two struggled for the gun. Sapien wasn't on even footing and the two of them fell down the stairs, tumbling and fumbling with each other.
The telephone booth opened just then and Leo entered the loft. He saw Rollie struggling with someone. As Rollie and Sapien struggled over the gun the gun went off. Leo pulled out his gun, stepping on the wrist of Rollie's assailant. He pointed his gun at Sapien's head.
"Let it go," Leo seethed. "Don't give me an excuse."
Sapien loosened his grip on the gun. Rollie rose up and off Sapien.
"Angie!" he called as he ran towards her. "Lights blue!" he called. Rollie reached Angie and saw that she had fallen to her side, chair and all. "Oh God! Angie, are you okay?" His hands went to take the tape off her mouth. He saw her beautiful eyes staring back at him, wide-eyed and alert. "Sweetie." Rollie breathed in relief.
Angie breathed quickly through her mouth. "Oh my God. That was close," she breathed, her eyes wide.
Rollie pulled Angie and the chair upright and cut off the tape binding her arms and legs. Her arms flew around Rollie's neck as she started to shake. Rollie could see a bullet hole on the wall behind her right where she had been sitting. Angie had tipped the chair over just in time. If she hadn't she would have been shot right in the chest. Rollie squeezed Angie tight in his arms.
Leo came over with Sapien in handcuffs. "Is everybody okay?" Leo asked.
Rollie continued to hold Angie tightly in his arms as he pointed with one of his hands towards the wall.
Leo saw the bullet hole and shoved Sapien into the wall. "What the hell do you think you are doing? Terrorizing a young woman like that! Is that how you get your kicks?" He shoved him harder into the wall. "You want me then you come after me. Not my friends. Do you hear me?"
"It was never my intention to—"
"Shut up!" Leo ordered. "Angie? Are you okay?"
Angie pulled away slowly from Rollie. "I'm okay," she replied as her voice shook. She looked up at Rollie. "I'm okay, really."
"Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest?" Rollie kissed Angie's forehead. "We can handle things here."
"No. No, I want to hear this. I'm okay, Rollie." Angie insisted but she held his hand tightly. "I'm not a china doll, Rollie. Don't treat me like one."
"Okay, luv. You're right." Rollie squeezed her hand. "Let's hear what Sapien has to say for himself."
Leo handcuffed Sapien to the chair Angie had been taped to. "All right Sapien. Spill your guts out and you better make it good 'cause I'm still pretty pissed for what you put this young lady through."
"Agent Hanson was on his way to kill you. He's been working for Delveccio all along. When we approached you that morning he wanted to find out how close you were to finding out everything. When we talked with you it was clear that you were on the right track but we couldn't be sure if you were holding out on us and by how much. You represented a danger to the whole operation but so did Capriccio. You see Capriccio was getting greedy. He wanted more and more but he didn't have the distribution network that Hanson needed and also, with your investigation, too many questions were being asked about him. He was becoming a liability. It also wasn't Capriccio's idea to have a hit put out on you. It was Agent Hanson's. He set the whole thing up so that he could scuttle your investigation and have you killed. Except, if you'll recall, it was me that suggested that we work together. I tried to convince Hanson that you could be bought, that you could be reasoned with. He fell for it at first. He knew what a coup it would be to have a senior detective in on the operation. I thought that I would be able to work with you but Hanson was watching me like a hawk." He looked at Leo.
"But it soon became clear that you could not be bought and were continuing the investigation even though everyone believed you were dead. By then, Capriccio had taken the fall for your death and he had arranged for Delveccio to come in and take over his territory. And believe me, Delveccio has no qualms about capitalizing on death or civil unrest. You had also figured out something that I didn't know about and that was the involvement of an Interpol agent."
"You've talked a lot about Hanson's role in all this but you were right there beside him all the way," Leo reminded him.
"Yes I was. I have been Agent Hanson's partner for almost three years. I had my doubts about him from the beginning. Then one day I followed him to a secret meeting. I caught him exchanging a money packet with one of Capriccio's men. I was going to go to my superiors and tell them what I saw but I was sent a rather subtle, but effective, message warning of the consequences if I did. I received a picture of my wife and daughter as they were leaving the house one morning. On the back of the picture were the words: We know where they live. I kept trying to find evidence against Hanson. I thought I was being careful. I thought I had covered my tracks but they were onto me. They sent me another message one day, a clear and concise message that they had me where they wanted me and they could take care of me whenever it was convenient for them. My wife was driving home one day after picking up our daughter from her piano practice. On the way, the brakes failed. She crashed into a telephone pole. They escaped serious injury but I knew that I was trapped and they would kill my family if I didn't play by their rules. My marriage broke up and my wife left me but I knew they would never really be safe. I decided on another tactic. I decided to try and convince them that I could work with them, if I can't beat 'em join 'em, so to speak. I tried to convince them that I was as corrupt as they were but Hanson continued to be suspicious of me and he shared his suspicions with Delveccio. I knew it was a matter of time before I was killed. I knew the only way out was if we find out who the Interpol agent is."
"We? When did we become 'we', pal?" Leo asked.
"Look, we both want the same thing: to stay alive. Delveccio wants us both dead."
"Well, I know why he wants me dead. Why does he want you dead?"
"Because he knows that I can blow the lid off this. We both can. I may have been silenced by their threats but that doesn't mean that I have been bought. I think they also have underestimated me and overestimated their abilities.I have evidence that goes back years. And by now he probably knows that I killed Hanson. And he's probably figured out that I let you walk. Do I really need to go on?"
"Yeah you do," Leo said quickly. "Because you haven't offered me any proof that backs you up on this."
Sapien looked at Angie. "I said it before. You already have the proof if the information on my hard drive has been accessed."
Leo and Rollie looked at Angie. Angie looked between the two of them. "Right," she said quickly. Without prompting, she went to her computer and started searching for some files.
Rollie and Leo followed, Leo dragging Sapien along with him and doing so rather roughly.
"Okay, let's see...." Angie said quietly to herself. "Where was I?" She chewed her lips in concentration. "This will just take a few minutes boys," she informed her audience.
"Before we get to that, I have a question for you Sapien," Rollie informed him. "What did you hope to find when you broke in here?"
"Delveccio sent us here to find out if McCarthy has been in contact with you. I took the laptop so that if there was any information linking McCarthy to you, I could get rid of it. Hanson seemed okay with that. He busied himself with trying to hack into the other computer's hard drives. He didn't have much luck before the police came. I held onto the laptop but Hanson came after me for it. I thought I could convince him that I could hack into it. I have more computer experience than he does. That seemed to placate him for a while but then he got antsy, I guess. He threatened to kill my ex-wife if I didn't meet him at an abandoned warehouse and bring the laptop. Oh—I met him all right, but I was not about to let the bastard get away with it anymore."
"If Delveccio is trying to kill you why would he send you here? Why not just kill you?" Rollie asked.
"It was a test. One of many. He is completely paranoid and is constantly testing the loyalty of those around him. That's why Hanson was with me. I guess I didn't pass. He found my place not long after your fiancée broke in and he took the laptop. He was such a bastard! He wanted to see me squirm. He threatened my ex-wife again." Sapien gritted his teeth and his eyes were dark and hard. "I got it back when I killed him."
"I'd say you did pass the test. You're still alive," Rollie replied dryly.
"Okay," Angie called. "I got it!"
Rollie and Leo turned towards Angie's computer. The files on her screen were in the process of being decrypted as they watched.
"There is a file named Operation Jump Street. In there you will find information on Hanson's activities up to and including his aborted attempt on your life," Sapien offered.
Angie looked for the file. Once she found it, she opened it. On screen the details Sapien had talked about came on. Everything was there. Dates. Names. Places. Amounts. Phone numbers. Account numbers. License plate numbers. Everything was there.
"How do we know you didn't make all of that up?" Leo asked.
"Oh, for crying out loud McCarthy! What is it going to take?" Sapien moaned.
"Look! I don't trust you and as far as I'm concerned you haven't really given me any reason to." Leo countered.
Sapien turned to look at Leo. "Look, I am risking my own life coming here. I came here to offer my help in tracking down the Interpol agent. I didn't have to come here, you know?"
"Yeah? And you didn't have to hold this young lady at gun point either!" Leo retorted.
"Would you have listened to me otherwise? As far as you were concerned I am the enemy. How the hell was I supposed to get you to listen to me?"
"Not that way!" Rollie interjected, his anger showing.
"Uh guys?" Angie interrupted. "Speaking as the lady who had the gun pointed at her...I think maybe we should listen to what this jerk has been saying."
Rollie and Leo looked at her.
"These files contain everything he says it does, and not just recent activities. This goes back to before Leo was killed, I mean uh...supposedly killed, at least a couple of years." She looked over at Sapien. "It looks like you've been keeping track of this guy for a while."
"I have been."
"But I thought that you were only partners for three years? By the looks of things you've been tracking Hanson before that." Leo pointed out.
"All right. I wasn't completely honest with you before—"
"Why did I know you were going to say that?" Leo asked as he shook Sapien roughly.
"The truth is...I've been casually investigating Hanson from the beginning. I had a bad feeling about him from the beginning but he was a highly respected and decorated agent.This operation began as a small-times thing about six years ago. I had to make him believe that I could be trusted—"
"Oh, tell me another story mommy!" Leo railed at Sapien.
Sapien struggled underneath Leo's grip. "You wouldn't have believed me. As far as you are concerned I am the enemy. If I had told you that I was investigating Hanson right from day one, would you have believed me? Honestly?"
Leo looked between Rollie and Angie and then at Sapien. "Probably not." He admitted.
"But by now you know that I had brought Delveccio's mistress to New York. So, you're at least suspicious. She was my mistress as well. In fact, I'm in love with Donna. She tried to get away from Delveccio but when she turned up in New York and he followed, I couldn't let the opportunity pass. She's been siphoning information from him to me for over six months now. I know you've been watching her place as well as Delveccio's." He looked at Rollie and Angie. "You really shouldn't be messing with that guy. He's dangerous."
"But I thought Agent Hanson was um...seeing Donatella?" Angie asked. "Why is she registered under his name?"
"Because when she first came to New York she lived in a run-down, cockroach infested flat. She was waitressing at a small greasy spoon. That's how we met, just by chance. I didn't realize until I had fallen in love with her what her connection to Delveccio was. By then, he had followed her over here. Hanson had found her and Delvecciio was pressuring her to come back to him. Hanson set her up in an apartment and Delveccio would pay her visits three times a week." Sapien looked down at his feet. "I know that I should have done everything I could to keep her away from that bastard but I saw an opportunity to get some inside information. I used her just like he did...."
Angie looked at Rollie with tears in her eyes. Rollie could tell she felt for the guy. Rollie wasn't so sure how he felt about him.
Leo looked between Rollie and Angie as well and was reminded then of the risks they had taken on his behalf and he made a decision. "You want to help? Help us put Delveccio away," he said to Sapien finally.
Sapien squared his shoulders and studied Leo's expression for some time. "I will. But I also want to find out who the Interpol agent is. We need to cut off its head. That's the only way to shut down the operation."
"All right. You've got yourself a deal," Leo said finally. "But from now on, these two are out of it," he said motioning towards Rollie and Angie.
"Fine by me—"
"Wait a minute," Rollie interrupted. "Just because you two have come to an understanding doesn't mean that Angie and I can be tossed out like last nights dinner. We have too much invested in this already."
"Don't you think that you should discuss that with Angie first, Rollie?" Leo suggested.
Angie looked at Rollie. They seemed to communicate without words and she shook her head. "We already have," Angie replied and Rollie smiled at her with his eyes. Her eyes didn't leave his as she spoke. "We're in this thing all the way, Leo."
"But Angie, there's no need," Leo argued. "And besides, think of all the danger you would be doing without."
"Well, too bad. Because Rollie's committed to helping you and so am I. Next time you want to play dead Leo, don't have such dangerous enemies," she advised him.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Leo asked.
"Oh nothing. You just seem to have the same penchant for trouble that Rollie does." She smiled.
"I wouldn't be so modest." Rollie leaned down towards her. "You're not too shabby in that department lately either, sweetheart."
"What can I say? A little you goes a long way." She smiled again.
Rollie smiled at her in return, grabbing her hand. He returned his attention to the others. "So? How do we go about finding out who this Interpol agent is?"
"Maybe that coded file will yield some information," Angie suggested as she looked up at Rollie.
"Coded file?" Sapien asked.
"Yeah," Rollie answered slowly, still unsure of whether they should trust Sapien. "It's just a file we found at Delveccio's but it's coded and so far, we haven't had the time or luck cracking it."
"Do you mind if I have a look?" Sapien asked.
Leo and Rollie shared a look. "I guess it couldn't hurt," Leo said finally.
Sapien and Angie went to her computer to check out the file. Leo and Rollie watched from a distance, Rollie chewing on his fingernail.
"You trust him now Leo?"
"Me? Nah. But remember that old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"
"Yeah, except this enemy had a gun trained on Angie's head." He stared into his eyes.
"I know, pal. I know. I'm sorry." Leo's own eyes showed his remorse. "Still, I can't help but feel I should believe him. He didn't have to come here. He took a chance in revealing himself."
"I suppose," Rollie replied dryly as he looked over at Angie and Sapien. "But what if we're the ones taking the chances?"
Angie and Sapien worked on the coded file for hours. Angie took a break and went to the lounge to get some water. Rollie followed her.
"How's it going?" he asked her.
"I don't know," she sighed. "I have no clue what system was used; alpha numeric? Birthdays? Lucky numbers? He doesn't seem to have a better idea either."
"You okay working with that guy?"
"As long as you guys are nearby I am."
"I'm not going anywhere as long as he's here," he promised as he pulled her to him.
"Goodie." She smiled up at him. She reached up and pulled his face to hers and kissed him softly. "I better get back. I don't want him messing with my computer too long."
"Right behind you."
Sapien and Angie spent over another hour working on trying to crack the code. They were bouncing ideas off one another but Angie was the one doing the typing on the computer. Leo and Rollie watched from nearby. Rollie was over by the lounge when Angie yelled that they got it. Rollie and Leo ran over. They saw the code being deciphered onscreen, gibberish being replaced by names, dates, contact information, and account numbers.
"This is incredible," Leo exclaimed.
"Yeah," Sapien agreed. "But there's no guarantee that the name of the Interpol agent is hidden here. We may still have our work cut out for us."
"That's okay, I can—"
"Oh my God!" Angie exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat. Her blood froze as she moved away from the screen, bumping into Rollie who stood behind her. All the color had drained from her face.
"Sweetie? What is it?" Rollie asked, his voice full of concern. Leo and Sapien shared a look of concern.
"It's...it's...look at the screen," she said finally as she struggled with the words. Her hand went to her mouth, as she felt suddenly nauseous. "I can't...I can't deal with this," she announced before running up the stairs to their bedroom.
Rollie stared at the screen, searching for an explanation to Angie's behavior. Then, he found it. There among the list of contacts for Delveccio was the name of his and Angie's nemesis: Victor Loubar.
"Bloody hell!"
Rollie asked Leo and Sapien to leave them alone. They went into the room in the garage but before Rollie could go talk to Angie, Lucinda showed up.
"Hey, is Angie here? We got our bags mixed up. I went to get dressed for my date tonight and lo and behold, it was the stuff Angie bought for the baby shower. Not exactly fit for a date."
"She's upstairs, Luce. But I don't think Ange is up for a visit."
"I won't be long, I promise. Is she okay?"
"I don't know...just keep it short okay?" Rollie pleaded. He needed to talk to Angie but without Lucinda there.
"Maybe I can help?" Lucinda asked as she made her way up the stairs.
"Luce, just leave it okay?" Rollie pleaded again.
"We'll see...." She smiled. "Maybe I can help."
Rollie rubbed his temples. Sometimes Lucinda could be exasperating even though he knew she meant well. Suddenly, he thought of something. "Blue? rolodex...Serrano, Elena. Dial."
Angie came out of the bathroom after having thrown up the contents of her stomach, a nervous, utterly fearful reaction to seeing Victor Loubar's name on the list of contacts for Delveccio. She knew it was a knee-jerk reaction and she also knew that she should find another way to deal with it but her body seemed to be governed by actions all on its own.
She went to the dresser drawers and then, for some reason, opened one of Rollie's drawers. She pulled out one of his sweaters, drawing it to her face and inhaling its smell. The action was comforting somehow. She put the sweater on, feeling chilled to the bone. The sleeves were long and she wrapped her hands up in them, her fingers feeling ice cold.
She turned when she heard a knock at the door thinking it was Rollie and was surprised to see Lucinda enter.
"Lucinda...." she said weakly. She still felt nauseas.
Lucinda noted Angie's paleness. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine...just a little bad food, I guess." Angie lied.
"Rollie said you weren't up for a visit but I...well, I guess he's right. But anyway, our bags must have got mixed up in the car, because I have your bag of baby clothes."
"Oh," Angie replied quietly as she sat down in the chair. She opened the bag Lucinda handed to her and indeed saw the baby clothes she had purchased earlier.
"I went to get dressed, so imagine my surprise...." Lucinda watched Angie as she pulled out the baby clothes from the bag, Angie's eyes started to water. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
"I'm um...I'm fine." Angie insisted but as she fingered the baby clothes the fear of Victor Loubar reared its ugly head again. "Excuse me," Angie cried as she ran to the bathroom again.
Lucinda heard her through the door. When Angie's retching quieted Lucinda knocked on the door and asked her again if she was all right. Angie came out, looking even worse than before.
"I'm fine, Lucinda. But Rollie's right. I'm really not up for company," she sniffled as her body shook. "I just want to be alone right now, do you mind?"
"No of course not." Lucinda smiled, though she wanted to be there for her friend. Maybe what her friend really needed was downstairs. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah, that'll be fine." Angie sat back down in the chair.
Lucinda came downstairs as Rollie got off the phone. He looked up to see the concerned look on her face.
"Angie needs you Rollie."
Rollie looked deep into Lucinda's eyes. "What's wrong? Did she say anything?"
"She's just really...I don't know, scared about something...and sad too." She reached over and threw her arms around Rollie's neck, feeling that he needed some comfort too.
Rollie swallowed.
"If I can help in any way, please let me know?" Lucinda offered. "I am here for the both of you, you know that?"
Rollie swallowed again. His eyes looked all over but into Lucinda's eyes. "Thanks Luce."