Part 17

Cassy sat at her desk, exhaustion and frustration threatening to overwhelm her. She had managed to convince Harry to call Frannie by telling him of her plan to return to Palm Beach that night. He had not been pleased, to say the least. She didn't like being caught in the middle of things between them, but for all of their sakes she was coping. She had called Tom's parents again, and they didn't want to stay put any more than Frannie. Cassy told them about most of the phone call to Harry. She left out the part about Stein's threat. The Ryans were convinced that Tom would be found at any moment. Cassy hadn't mentioned that the photos, which had arrived this morning, showed new injuries, either. They would find out about those soon enough. At her mention of a possible lead, they were ready to jump on the first plane out of Boston. She'd managed to convince them to hold off for at least one more day and let her work on a name for the accomplice.

Cassy stood and went to the coffee machine for another dose of caffeine. Taking a long sip, she returned to the desk to work on finding a name. A name should bring another face; a face that just might lead her to Tom. With a determined set to her jaw, she immersed herself in the file once more.

She never noticed the janitor watching her every move as he went about his duties.

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

Harry, too, sat at his desk completely exhausted. He'd talked to Frannie for well over an hour before finally convincing her to cancel her travel plans. The whole time he was hearing his voice telling her to stay away, his heart was screaming at her to come home. He ached to hold her in his arms while her voice softly assured him that things were going to turn out all right. He thought he might even believe her, if only she was close enough to touch. The words spoken through a long distance phone line just didn't have the same effect. He knew she meant them just as much as if she had been there in person. He needed for her to hold him; needed the safe and secure feelings of total love and commitment that only her arms could provide him. It took every ounce of control he possessed not to grab the phone and tell her to come home.

He laid his head on his desk for a moment, using his arms for a pillow. His thoughts of holding Frannie comforted his tired mind. Within minutes, he was sound asleep. No one who came to his door had the heart to wake him, each deciding that his business could wait for awhile longer.

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

Tom lay chained by the ankles to the cot, floating between awareness and the darkness. He thought he heard the faint clicking of a camera several times, but couldn't bring himself to wake enough to investigate. The nightmares again plagued him. A voice spoke to him offering comfort and safety, but unwanted hands soon found their way to the most private areas of his body. He didn't think he was asleep, yet at the same time he didn't think he was awake. He heard himself moan and his father's voice again spoke to him. "It's okay, Tommy. We're finished now. I have to take care of these, but I won't be gone long. You just rest now." The voice again transformed into the doctor's. His dad's comforting hand caressing his face also mutated into the repulsive healer's. Unable to face the dreams any longer, Tom fully retreated into the safety of unconsciousness.

When awareness finally returned, Tom found himself alone. His head pounded as alarms loudly rang in his ears. His shoulder throbbed unmercifully and his chest painfully protested every breath. As bits of his nightmares resurfaced, he refused to acknowledge them, pushing them to the back of his mind. They seemed far too real for any closer examination. He tried opening his eyes, but the assault from the light caused him to quickly shut them again. The ringing in his ears increased proportionally to the rate of his heart as he heard the knob turn and the door swing open. One of his captors had returned.

Tom turned his head to the door, but was unable to open his eyes enough to see which of his captors was there. His aching body was tense in anticipation of another attack. Relief flooded through him when Tom heard the doctor's voice. "I see you're awake now. I told you I wouldn't be long. I hope you rested well while I was gone."

The doctor moved to the cot and began to examine Tom's injuries. "I don't like the way your throat looks. Are you having any difficulty swallowing? Does it feel like your throat is tight? Any trouble getting the air through to your lungs?" When Tom indicated no, Dr. Leonard resumed the examination. "If you experience trouble breathing or swallowing, I need to know about it right away. We need to be careful with any swelling. I don't have the equipment here to treat something as serious as that. Do you understand what I'm saying here?" he asked when Tom still hadn't opened his eyes. Tom just nodded, still not saying a word.

At the sound of the door opening again, Tom's eyes flew open and his breathing quickened. The light still hurt his eyes, but the pain was not as intense as when he'd first come to. The doctor put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and whispered, "It's okay. I told you I won't let him hurt you any more."

George crossed the room and kicked hard at the edge of the cot. "Well, isn't this a touching little scene. Do you really think he can protect you, you stupid little wimp?" Tom could tell by the venom in his voice that the man's anger had not cooled since the phone incident. His heart continued to pound as he silently waited for a more direct attack.

George suddenly turned to Dr. Leonard. "We need to discuss the plan for tomorrow night. Let's go." His tone left no doubt that it was not a request. Even so, the doctor stayed next to his patient. Obviously annoyed, he snapped, "NOW, Doc."

Dr. Leonard finally stood. "After you, Georgie. Please, I insist." The doctor motioned for George to precede him to the door. George briefly debated pushing the issue, but decided the larger plan was worth allowing the doctor a small victory. He turned and stormed out of the room, not waiting for the other man to follow.

Turning to Tom, the doctor ran his fingers along the side of the captive's face. "I told you I wouldn't let him hurt you any more. I always keep my promises, Tommy." With that, the doctor turned to follow George out of the room. He paused long enough to switch off the light and spoke again before leaving the room. "You get some rest while I'm gone. This shouldn't take long. Good night, Tommy, and sweet dreams."

He shivered violently at the memory of the fingers on his face. Tom lay awake in the dark for a long time after the two men had left. He tried to focus on pleasant memories from his past to keep the doctor's last words from echoing in his mind. He tried to concentrate on his childhood and times spent with family, but the present nightmare always intruded. Somehow the doctor managed to invade each memory Tom focused on. It felt like hours before he was able to fall into an uneasy sleep. It wasn't long after when the nightmares invaded his slumber.

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

Cassy was so deeply involved with the Stein file that she jumped when Harry's voice broke the silence of the room. "St. John, in my office." Gathering her notepad, she glanced down at her watch. She was surprised to find that four hours had passed since she had spoken with the Ryans. She rose from her desk and followed the captain. Settling into a chair, she waited for him to speak first.

"Anything on the accomplice?" he asked, settling into his own chair.

"Nothing solid. I have all but six of his former cellmates and associates listed in the file eliminated. I hope to have something solid by tonight." She waited for Harry's reply, but he remained silent. She decided it was the perfect time to pose a question of her own. "Harry, has anything turned up on the envelope delivery?"

Harry sighed deeply before he replied. "No, not a damned thing. Pearson's surveillance didn't pick up any unauthorized personnel or anyone carrying an envelope. I still can't figure out how the hell he's getting them in here. It has to be someone on the inside, but so far everyone's checked out. I can't believe one of our own is helping this maniac, but there just isn't any other explanation. I'm bringing in a hidden camera later tonight. I just pray that whoever is doing it doesn't find out."

"Something is going to break real soon, Harry. I can feel it. We're going to get Tom back. I know we will."

"Of course, we will. Now get out there and get back to work on those names." Harry tried to sound more positive than he felt. As he watched Cassy rise and retreat to her desk, he thought, 'Yeah, St. John, I do know we're gonna get him back. The only question is what condition will he be in when we do.'

End Part 17

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------