Midnight on Prospect

Part 4

"Found anything, yet?" Joel asked Rafe as he returned from records.

"No, nothing. It’s like this Michaels guy never existed before Cascade. I can’t find any indication of where he's from, where he might go, nothing." Rafe sighed deeply. "Ellison back yet?"

"Nope, and I was hoping we’d have something good to tell him. It’s been two days and there is nothing at all. This can’t be good. What if Hair…Blair is already dead? Ellison will never recover. That kid is like a brother to him."

"Well we had better pray he isn’t dead and that we find him soon."

"Hey, Joel. This just came in for Jim. Is he back from the hospital yet?" Rhonda asked. She held a small paper wrapped package, bold black lettering indicated it was indeed for Ellison.

"Not yet. I expect him any minute. I’ll make sure he get it."

"Looks like a video tape." Rafe commented. His eyes locked on the package. A cold dread began building as his imagination conjured up all sorts of hideous images that might possibly be on that tape. "Does it say who it’s from?"

"Nope." Joel looked up as he heard the elevator doors chime the arrival of the car. Jim stepped out and headed straight for them.

"Any news?" He asked by way of preamble.

"Nothing. You?"

"Not a damn thing."

"You got a package." Rafe remarked, pointing to the parcel still in Taggart’s hand. The burly captain handed it over to Jim who stared at in with suspicion. He took the offered item then slowly, fearfully he opened it.

Inside the plain, brown wrapping lay an unlabelled videotape. There was no note, no indication of who had sent it. Ice filled his veins. He knew without a doubt that Blair would be on it. It would not be pleasant.

"You can use Simon’s office Jim. We’ll be there for you if you need us." Joel told his friend kindly.

"Thanks. You guys might as well see this. It’s evidence now."

"You sure?" Rafe asked.

"Yeah." Jim turned and led the way into the empty office. The TV and VCR sat in the corner, just waiting to relay the bad news. The meagre contents of his stomach churned in weary anticipation of the coming show. Jim clenched down hard on the fear that rose up, threatening to envelope him, overpower him. He slipped the tape into the machine and turned the TV on. Seconds later the first image appeared.

On the screen they saw a room, barren with white walls, dimmed and grey from time and non-use. A broken table stood awkwardly along one wall. A chair sat in the middle of the floor. There were no windows and the only light came from a single bulb hanging over the doorway. The panning camera stopped moving, its lens pointed toward the door. There was a brief flicker as the scene changed. The door opened and a large man dragged in a limp body. Jim recognized his Guide instantly. The bond between them flaring suddenly with fear for what had already happened but what they were about to witness.

The man moved out of sight with Blair, dragging him by his arms. The camera flickered once more and the screen filled with Blair, hanging by his wrists from a ceiling beam. The coarse ropes cut deep into the skin and they were bleeding already. He was still unconscious.

The scene held for several long minutes until finally movement happened. The camera was still focused on Blair but the young man was waking. They heard him groan as awareness brought pain. His eyes flew open at a loud bang from somewhere off camera.

Blair struggled against the ropes holding him but it was ineffective for the bleeding only got worse. Fear was reflected in his eyes, panic evident in the straining of his breathing.

Michaels stepped into the picture. He held a suitcase and a chair. He set the chair facing Blair, away from the camera. He placed the suitcase on the chair and opened it. Blair’s terrified eyes were locked onto the opened suitcase and they heard low mumbling coming from his lips but only Jim heard the actual words.

"Oh God, oh God, no. Please, no. Please. Help me." Jim clenched his teeth against the need to go to Blair. He couldn’t, not yet. They still didn’t know where he was.

The small group of cops stood in tense silence watching the horrors unfold on the TV screen. They watched as Michaels looked up into the camera and smiled broadly.

"I assume that you are watching this, Ellison. Well, let me explain what I am planning, both for the benefit of your partner here and you folks out there, at home. I have here," he indicated the open suitcase, "some of my favourite toys and I just thought that perhaps Sandburg here might like to try them out."

A maniacal laugh burst from the psycho’s mouth. The trio could see Blair cringe back at the harsh sound. He was staring at the camera as if he could see Jim and was seeking the strength the older man could give him. Jim saw the younger man’s lips moving and he focused on the words.

"I’m sorry, Jim. I know it wasn’t your fault. Please, don’t ever think I blame you for this. I just want you to know that I have never regretted one minute of the last four years. I never regretted our partnership, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you, man. You’ll always be my brother."

Tears began to well up in Ellison’s eyes. He blinked several times to clear them so he could watch the rest of the tape. Michaels had stopped speaking and had taken something from the case. His back was too the camera now and it wasn’t until he moved behind Blair and faced the camera that they could see the bowie knife he held. He used it deftly, like it was an extension of his arm. Three swipes of the flashing blade and he had opened enough of Blair’s shirt to remove it. Several flashes later and Blair was stripped down to only his plaid boxers.

Curses sounded around the room as the blade flashed three more times, each one bringing a cry of pain from Blair’s lips, each one stifled as quickly as it came out. Michaels tossed the dirty knife into the case and gripped Blair around the waist, turning his back to the camera. Now the men in Simon’s office could see the three long but shallow cuts that criss-crossed the bloody back. When Blair was turned back, they could see the moisture filling his eyes, though he was striving valiantly to not let them fall.

"You see, Ellison. This little hippie freak cost me the best set up I ever had. I know you think I am being a little harsh here, but my father always told me that every bad deed deserves a fitting punishment. So, I devised this little plan, to make you pay, to make Major Crimes pay and to make this freak pay. I intend to keep to that plan so if I am being a little harsh, then too damn bad."

Michaels pulled a long black handled whip from the suitcase and on his last words he lashed out with it, catching Blair on the face. His head jerked back with the contact, tears now falling freely. The fugitive used it for long minutes, not aiming just letting the whip fall where ever it may until Blair was bloody and covered with welts.

Jim couldn’t take it any more. He rushed out of the office, the door slamming open as he dashed for the bathroom. Falling to his knees in an empty stall he vomited violently, emptying his stomach until there was nothing left, until it felt as if his stomach itself might come out. He couldn't breathe with the intensity of his own fear and pain, a small reflection of his Shaman’s. He cried for the helplessness of it, the harshness and the brutality that Blair was facing.

Anguish filled his soul as he realized that there was a very good chance that Blair was already dead. Whatever Michaels had done to him, would it be enough to kill him or just break his spirit? Either way, Blair would never be the same. Jim had failed him. The Sentinel had failed the Guide and this could only end one way…but not yet. First he had to kill the man who killed his Guide. The balance had to be reset. This firm determination helped him get up off the cold tile floor, wash his face and return to Simon’s office. The TV screen was blank now that the VCR had been stopped. Brown had joined the others and the three looked up at Jim, concern written in all their faces.

"I’m okay," he told them. It wasn’t entirely a lie. He would be okay until they found Blair’s body and until Michaels was dead. After that was anyone’s guess but Jim knew he wouldn’t be around to find out. "Let’s get this over with."

"It only gets worse, Jim. We watched a little more but…God, Jim. It was awful, we had to turn it off." Joel put his hand out to stop Jim from turning the tape back on but the man shrugged him off.

"I have to see it. I have to know if he is still alive or not." Jim insisted. He pushed the play button and the tape started again. After several minutes he finally had to turn the sound off. The tape lasted for nearly three hours with only a few short gaps of time missing. For this entire time, Blair hung from his raw, bleeding wrists, jerking from the blows that fell on his bare torso, cringing in pain when Michaels approached. When it finished, Michaels appeared one last time.

"All done here, Ellison. You can have him back now. I gotta tell you I feel much better. I worked out my aggression so I think I shall head out of here. Oh, yeah, he’s still alive but whether he will be when you get here, well let’s just say that’s out of my hands. I will help you out with one thing, since I know you suffered along with this punk. He's at Copperville, in the basement.... So long suckers." Michaels bent forward and the screen went blank.

The small office was silent with four stunned cops all breathing heavily to return their systems back to normal. The horror of watching the tape had affected them all, very deeply. Sandburg was as much a part of the team as any man on the force. Sure he’d never had any formal training but that never seemed to matter. His quick wit and sharp mind had helped them solve many a difficult case. His compassion and understanding had also helped them all through some very tough times, like Joel and his fears, Jim and his coldness even Simon and the problems with his son. It didn’t matter that Sandburg was not an official cop, to each and every man in this room, he was still one of them.

"Copperville Mental Hospital. The one just outside of town?" Brown asked.

"Yup. I know it. Been abandoned for years. It would be a great place to hide someone you didn’t want found. That place is huge, lots of corridors and hallways that lead nowhere. Supposedly it has hidden tunnels too." Taggart informed the others.

"Great. It could take us years to find him in there." Rafe complained.

"Then, I guess we better get started." Jim again took the lead, heading for the garage. Joel opted to come this time, leaving Rhonda to deal with anything that might come up during his absence. He went with Jim while Rafe went with Brown in his truck.

It took nearly an hour to reach the outskirts of town. Traffic was backed up for miles and two accidents had hindered their progress. Beyond the town limits was still another half hour’s drive, which they took at a good ten mph over the speed limits. No sirens, but the flashing lights kept most drivers out of their way. It was a huge relief for all four men when the dilapidated building finally made an appearance.

The grey brick building stood in a clearing about two hundred yards from the main road. The driveway was littered with tree branches and undergrowth that threatened to take over altogether. There was no sign of any occupants but Jim’s eyes could pick up the faint tracks of a car, recent ones. He allowed that knowledge to fill him, bringing a small hope that maybe they weren’t too late. By the time they had pulled up in front of the building, Jim had already started to extend his hearing. Searching almost frantically for that beloved sound, the steady thrumming of his Guide’s heartbeat.

He couldn’t find it.

"I managed to get some blueprints of the place just before it closed down. They might help us. Rafe, you and Brown take the West wing." Joel handed Rafe the two pages of blueprints designated for that section of the two-story building. "Jim and I will cover the East wing. Report back as soon as you find anything."

"Will do, Captain." Brown saluted jauntily, trying to alleviate some of the built up tension. He and Rafe jogged off towards the back entrance.

"You doing, all right, Jim?" Joel asked the Sentinel in concern. He studied the tight features, his own body beginning to tense up. Jim’s face was hard, devoid of emotion. For a moment Joel was concerned that Jim was going to break down right then and there but finally Jim turned to look at him.

"Jim, are the rumours true?" He asked.

"Rumours? What are you talking about?"

"Jim, I have watched you and Sandburg for four years now. There is something going on between you and after that whole thing with Alex and Blair’s dying like that… Is it true that you could hear his heartbeat?"

Jim studied Joel for a moment in silence. He trusted this man with his life but was it fair to trust him with his secret as well? The dangers were too great if it ever got out and there could be trouble with certain groups who might try to exploit his abilities or hurt those who knew the secret. However he knew that Joel, like Simon, would never betray either Blair or himself. Jim also knew that Joel would have figured it out on his own anyway. That knowledge combined with the sincerity on Taggart’s face made the decision for him.

"Yeah, it’s true." He couldn’t bring himself to meet Joel’s eyes. There was still that residual fear that Taggart would think him a freak, like his father had when Jim had been growing up. Instead of the biting comments he expected, he was surprised to feel Joel’s hand on his arm.

"Can you hear him now, Jim. Can you follow his heartbeat to him?" The soft words compelled him to look up into softly compassionate brown eyes. The only thing reflected in them was concern for Jim and for Blair.

"No. I can’t hear anything."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nope, nothing."

"Can you hear me?" Jim nodded. "Can you hear Rafe and Brown?" A confused shake.

"Then maybe you just can’t hear inside. The walls are suppose to be well insulated and very thick. If you can’t hear the others now that they are inside then maybe we need to be inside to hear Blair. Come on. Let’s go find your partner."

~*~*~*~

Part 5

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