"Taylor was at JW's last night. When JW got up this morning, Taylor was gone. He has one hundred thousand dollars cash on him and he has vanished," Rainey explained.

"Maybe, he took the money and ran," Katie suggested.

"Let's hope so and that he never comes back," Rainey said, wishing against hope, that it was true.

Rainey got out of the bed and began to pace the room. Katie watched from her seat, on the bed, seeming to understand Rainey needed to vent.

"Goddamnit! ...Fuck! ...How can one fucking guy be so hard to watch? He got past eight agents on foot. Once again, he's made fucking fools of all of us."

"I don't remember you being there. I could have sworn you were here with me all night."

"You know what I mean," Rainey responded.

"No, Rainey, I don't know what you mean," Katie said, arguing, "Who has he made a fucking fool out of? Certainly, not me. He kidnapped me, he brutalized me, he raped me, but he did not make a fool out of me and, from where I sit, he didn't make a fool out of you either."

"No, of course I didn't mean you or me. It's just... I can't believe he got away, again. It's too fucked up for words," Rainey said, looking at Katie for an answer, because she did not have one of her own.

Katie got up from the bed and began making it. Rainey stopped agonizing long enough to say, "What are you doing?"

"I can't lie here with you freaking out," Katie said, pulling up the covers. "I'll go make some coffee so you can think straight."

Rainey pulled the covers away from Katie, "No, you're supposed to take it easy. Get back in bed. I'll make the coffee."

Katie yanked the covers back, "No, you get dressed and go work this mess out with Mackie. The sooner you do it, the sooner I can relax and vegetate on the couch."

Rainey saw there was no use arguing, once Katie decided it was going to go her way. Rainey acquiesced and got dressed. Katie had the coffee ready for Rainey, when she came out of the bedroom, once again in BDUs and black tee shirt. Rainey got on her cell and called Mackie to come upstairs. Katie sat down on the couch with her own coffee and flipped on the local morning news.

At six thirty, they broke with the news of the suspected Y-Man's escape, once more, from the clutches of the FBI. The news channel showed a picture of Dr. John Taylor, as the alleged killer, no more vague suggestive titles. Katie watched as images of her house flashed by on the screen and then a picture of the farmhouse, which she was of more interest to her. It was stock footage from Monday night. Katie watched herself roll by on a stretcher, Rainey at her side, and then the screen image returned to the tanned face and white teeth, of the reporter reading the story. Watching Katie watch herself felt surreal to Rainey.

Mackie tapped on the door. Rainey let him in. From the expression on his face, it was apparent he already knew what had happened. Rainey saw that new agents had arrived for a shift change, and figured they brought the bad news. Mackie said hello to Katie, then he and Rainey sat at the kitchen table to talk. They left Katie, engrossed in The Today Show. Rainey poured Mackie a mug of coffee and sat down across from him. They sipped silently for a few minutes, both lost in thought.

Finally Mackie said, "I got you a new shoulder holster yesterday. They're keeping yours and your pistols as evidence. I did get your shotgun back. It's in the back of your car with the shoulder holster. You want me to bring them both in."

"Yes," Rainey said, her tone defeated.

"Rainey, you can't get beat down. It won't help what's happening."

"I know, I just need a minute to finish my pity party and then I'll be okay," Rainey smiled and patted his big paw.

Mackie leaned in, "Don't let Katie see you feeling sorry for yourself." He motioned over his shoulder to Katie in the main room.

Rainey laughed, "Too, late. She already has."

"What did she say?" Mackie wanted to know.

"She basically told me to get my ass dressed and deal with it, so here I sit, with you, drinking coffee."

Mackie raised his head and laughed loudly. He said, "I like this girl."

Katie's voice came from the living room, "What's going on in there? I thought you were trying to figure out how to keep a madman from killing us all, not having a party."

Rainey shouted back, "It's not that kind of..." She stopped shouting, because Katie suddenly appeared, coffee mug, in hand.

Katie raised her mug, "Refills anyone?"

Rainey stood up and took Katie's coffee mug, saying, "Please sit down. You are supposed to be resting."

"I was resting and now I need some more coffee," Katie said, even though she sat, as Rainey had asked her to.

Rainey poured everyone more coffee, while telling Katie, "If you don't behave, I'll take you back to the hospital."

Katie smiled at Rainey, "You wouldn't take me back. You like being out of there, as much as I do."

"I'll have to take you back, if you collapse from exhaustion," Rainey countered.

Mackie started to laugh again, "You two sound like an old married couple, already."

Katie laughed as well. Rainey sat down, less amused, "I'm serious. She's supposed to be on bed rest."

Katie patted Rainey's hand, "Okay, I'll lie back down after breakfast. I'm starving." Katie started to get up and saw the look of disbelief Rainey was giving her. "Why don't you fix me something, while I sit right here and relax?"

Rainey smiled. She finally won a round. She asked, "Ham and eggs okay with everyone?"

Mackie and Katie agreed that ham and eggs would be great and Rainey began to cook. While she worked the three talked about what to do, now.

Katie said, "I really don't see what's so different. We were going to have to stay in the house for a week, anyway, because as you say, I am supposed to be on bed rest."

"The difference is, we wouldn't be looking over our shoulders all the time, if we knew where he was," Rainey said, stirring the scrambled eggs. "Do you guys want cheese in the eggs?" she asked.

Mackie said, "Sounds good," and Katie agreed.

"We won't know for sure until the DNA comes back, if Taylor was the guy," Mackie said, adding, "Stay prepared until we know for sure, that way we're ready for anything. That was the plan originally, nothing's changed."

Katie said, "So stop being a grouch and let's just get through this."

"I am not being a grouch," Rainey shot back, though she was smiling, "I'm just a little pissed, that's all."

On cue, Rainey's cell rang on the table. Katie picked it up and said, "It's Danny."

Rainey turned back to the stove. "I don't want to talk to him right now, you talk to him Mackie."

Mackie took the phone and went into the other room, where Rainey could still hear him rumbling, in his "quiet" voice. Rainey turned on the fan, in the range hood, so she would not try to listen. She did not care what Danny had to say. Rainey had not blamed Danny for letting her get attacked or even not catching the killer, but she sure as hell could blame him for this latest debacle. She was fuming and the eggs were her only outlet.

Katie came up behind her, slipping her arms around Rainey's waist. Katie said, into Rainey's shoulder, "You know, those poor eggs never did anything to you."

Rainey placed a hand over Katie's hands, now clasped at her waist. She smiled, took a deep breath and began to take it easier on the eggs and herself. If the truth were known, Rainey was really angry with herself, for not killing the bastard, at the farmhouse, when she had the chance. She had been so emotionally involved with the victim, that she let the killer go free. Rainey could have chased him, could have probably caught him, before he could get the jeep started, but she did not run after him. Instead, she went to Katie. Rainey came to terms with it, just that minute, because there is no way she would not do the same thing, if she had it to do all over again. She also knew, in that moment, she was never going back to the FBI.

Katie sat back down, because Rainey made her. Rainey put eggs and warmed up ham on three plates adding bread, from the toaster. She poured a glass of orange juice for everyone and refilled the coffee cups. When she sat down, Katie kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Katie said, just as Mackie came back in.

Mackie sat down and told them what Danny had to say, "A man fitting John Taylor's description, using the name John Wilson, JW's driver's license and credit card, bought a ticket at five thirty this morning bound for Philadelphia. Also, a man fitting John Taylor's description and flying under the name John Tyler is on a flight to LA that left Philly, at seven a.m. The Philly Bureau office missed the flight, by minutes. It's in the air, with no scheduled stops until it reaches LAX, at twelve thirty our time. The LA field office will board the plane, before it unloads and take Taylor into custody."

"Are they sure it was him?" Katie asked.

Mackie answered, "Well, we know that it wasn't JW at the airport here and JW says his license and black American Express card are missing from his wallet."

Rainey said, "What about security video?"

"Guy wore a hat and sunglasses, most of the time. He had one carry-on, that's it, so he bought his ticket at the kiosk. Didn't have to speak to anybody," Mackie said, between bites of egg and ham, "And the same guy definitely got off the plane, in Philadelphia, but there were no clear pictures of him boarding the LAX flight. The gate crew was shown Taylor's picture and they say he is on board."

Rainey relaxed a bit. In a little more than four hours, they would know if John Taylor was in custody, all they could do was wait. Rainey made Katie take a pain pill and the anti-biotic she had to take twice a day. She puffed the pillows on the couch and forced Katie to lie down at least, if she wouldn't go back to bed. Rainey washed the dishes and Mackie went back outside, with coffee for the new shift of agents and sent Rainey's shoulder holster and shotgun back up with one of them.

Rainey introduced herself to the agent, whom she did not know, and thanked him for bringing her things to her. She shut the door, reactivating the alarm. She placed the shotgun, in the corner, behind the front door, and put the new shoulder holster on, trying to adjust the straps while wearing it. It was not working well.

Katie said, "Come here, let me help you."

Rainey sat on the edge of the couch and let Katie tighten and loosen straps until the holster felt right. She stood up, pulled the weapon, from the back of her pants and slid it into place.

"Now, there's the hot cop I fell for," Katie said.

Rainey said it aloud for the first time, "Not for much longer."

Katie was puzzled, "Not hot or not a cop?"

"Katie, I don't want to go back to the Bureau. My heart wouldn't be in it anymore."

"Are you sure? Maybe you shouldn't make that big of a decision right now," Katie reminded her.

Rainey laughed, "Not make a big decision? What in the world do you think sleeping with you was?"

Katie smiled and grabbed Rainey's ass, "That was not a decision, that was lust."

Rainey swallowed hard, "Take your hand off me woman," she laughed, "you are nowhere near well enough for that."

"Okay," Katie said, "under one condition, you don't quit the FBI because of me."

"It isn't what I want to do anymore, chase murderers and child molesters. I think I put in enough time doing that. I want to do what I do now. I set my own hours and make a hell of a lot more money," Rainey said.

"Whatever makes you happy is fine with me." Katie kissed Rainey's stomach before letting her go. "Oh, and by the way, don't worry about money. I've got loads of that. I'm a trust fund baby." Katie smiled a wicked grin and returned to surfing the channels.

She left Rainey to ponder that information on her own and became involved watching an old Andy Hardy movie on TCM. Rainey did another final check of the doors and windows. She only quit pacing, from room to room, when Katie whined enough to get her to sit down on the couch. Rainey sat with Katie's head in her lap, until the movie was over and Katie had dropped off to sleep.

Rainey slid Katie's head off of her lap and onto the pillow, barely waking her, before Katie fell right back to sleep. Rainey stood over Katie for a moment, watching her breathe. Katie really was extraordinary and Rainey felt so blessed, at that moment, to have Katie in her life.

Rainey was bored. She went to the kitchen table and took apart the Sig Sauer. Rainey laid the pieces of the pistol on a towel and got out the gun cleaning kit. She had not cleaned the weapon since firing it Monday night. She busied herself with cleaning every nook and cranny of the weapon. About halfway through, she heard a car door slam.

Rainey heard a male voice outside, a familiar voice she did not expect to hear. It was JW. She went to the window to see him walking up to Mackie's Escalade window, holding four large Styrofoam cups with straws and lids. He appeared to be offering one to Mackie, who rolled down his window and accepted the cup. He disappeared from sight, under the cottage, where Rainey figured the agents were standing out of the sun, because she heard JW say, "Hello fellas, brought you some ice tea," rather loudly. After a moment, JW stepped back out and got in the passenger side of the Mackie's SUV. Rainey could tell they were talking, because one of Mackie's hands was gesturing, as it usually did, when Mackie was talking seriously. Rainey hoped Mackie was explaining to JW, why he could not come into the cottage.

Rainey decided she should wake Katie and get her out of the main room. In case she had to talk to JW, she did not want Katie to have to listen to his ravings, as of late.

"Katie, honey, let me put you in the bed," Rainey said, shaking Katie's shoulder.

Katie barely opened her eyes, leaning on Rainey, as she walked to the bedroom. She climbed between the sheets and was immediately back asleep. Rainey pulled the covers up around Katie and kissed her on the head, before leaving her in the bedroom. She went back out to see what had happened with JW.

She arrived back at the window, to find Freddie had come in. He was on his familiar perch, in the front window, growling. Rainey looked out to see JW, standing by Mackie's driver's side window again. All that Rainey could see of Mackie was his arm resting on the door, where the window rolled down. Rainey heard JW speaking, because he was using his loud politician, good ol' boy volume.

"Okay, Mackie, I won't be long, I promise," JW said. He now had his sleeves rolled up, with his jacket thrown over one arm, looking the part of a John Edwards "wanna be."

"Shit, Mackie's letting him come up here," Rainey said.

She went to the couch and gathered up the pillows and blankets Katie had been lying on and threw them into her old room. Rainey wasn't hiding the fact that Katie was there, she just did not want to rub JW's face in it. She was not sure what JW was planning, but she did not want to give him any excuse to lose his temper. Rainey was not afraid of JW. He was the least of her worries, at this moment, and she could always have the agents throw him out, if he started getting out of control. Rainey would hate to have to shoot him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

Rainey heard the knock on the door and knew the time had come to face JW. She went to the door, peeked through the curtain and saw JW standing outside the door alone. The agents must have decided to let him come up by himself. He smiled and waved at her through the window in the door. Rainey deactivated the alarm and opened the door.

"Rainey, I am here to apologize to you for my recent behavior and to talk to Katie," JW said. He must have seen a look in Rainey's face that made him add, "I am not here to bother her. I want her to know I will not stand in the way of the divorce. She wants out of our marriage and I owe her that much."

Rainey thought he was just trying to cover his ass and keep Katie from going public with what she knew about him, but she did not say anything. Instead, she stepped aside and let him in.

"Come on in," she said, "May I offer you tea or water?"

"I'm okay, thank you. I just had a large tea with Mackie. I had to talk him into letting me come up here."

"Have a seat," Rainey said, moving over to sit in Mackie's big chair.

JW sat down on the couch. He looked around the room, saying, "Wow, your dad really collected a lot of memorabilia."

"Yes, he did and now I have to find a museum to donate most of it to," Rainey said.

"So, where is Katie?" JW asked.

"She's asleep, in the back bedroom."

JW sat his coat down on the couch beside him and leaned forward, clasping his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. Rainey could tell he was trying to find the right words.

Finally, he said, "You've been a really good friend to Katie. I appreciate how you've taken care of her and I need to say thank you, for saving her life."

"So, you don't blame me anymore, for what happened?" Rainey asked.