by Beth Manz
Disclaimer: The characters depicted within this story do not belong to us, but are the property of Pet Fly, UPN, Paramount and The SciFi Channel. No money has been made from the writing of this story.
Note from the Authors: In our Sentinel universe, the events depicted in "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg" did not occur. Therefore, any "canonical" references that may be found in this story are related to episodes up to and including "Most Wanted."
Dedication: This series is dedicated to friendship, for only through caring for others can we truly find a sense of peace and belonging.
'Til Death Do Us Part
Part Twelve of "The Progressions" Series
by Beth Manz
Part One
"Why can't Sandburg just meet us at the restaurant, Jim? I'm starving!"
Jim Ellison smiled at his captain's affable grousing and consulted his wristwatch. "He said he'd be home by six and it's only a quarter of. He still has fifteen minutes to get here, so just relax."
The captain leaned back in the yellow armchair and folded his arms across his chest in a gesture of compliance, but the practiced scowl never left his face. "Six o'clock, Jim," he warned. "One minute past that and he meets us there."
Jim chuckled, but as his gaze dropped away from his captain and swept across the folders resting on the coffee table before him, the light feeling he'd been enjoying quickly evaporated. The three men were going out to dinner tonight for one reason and one reason only--to discuss tomorrow's trial, a trial Jim had been dreading for several weeks. But it wasn't really the trial itself that had him on edge....
It's seeing Hannah again.
His jaw clenched in disgust and anger as his thoughts turned to the woman who had stalked him for months without his knowledge.... The woman who had tried to kill him when he rejected her advances.... The woman who had nearly succeeded in killing Blair because she'd viewed the anthropologist as an obstacle standing in the way of their love.
He'd held out a small amount of hope that Hannah would make a deal with the district attorney, but deep down Jim had known all along that she probably wouldn't. Hannah Merrick was nothing if not determined, and right now she was determined to gain her freedom.
And if she does? Then what?
He tried to push the troubling questions aside. There was simply no way she would walk. They had too much evidence against her. Evidence that he, Simon and Blair were going to review over dinner.
His gaze shifted to his wristwatch again. You're cutting it close, Chief. If you're not here by six sharp, Simon's going to physically drag me out of here. And even as the thought ran through his mind, the loft telephone rang.
He heard Simon's low, menacing moan. "If that's Sandburg telling us he's going to be late--"
"I know, I know" Jim cut in, grinning as he made his way to the phone, "he can just meet us there." He answered on the third ring. "Ellison."
"Hello, darling."
The smile on Jim's face disappeared and his heart began to pound heavily in his chest as the all too familiar voice came across the line. Instantly his gaze shot to the clock above the kitchen sink. Almost six o'clock. Blair said he'd be home by six.... But if Hannah had somehow managed to get released from prison.... Did she do something to him? Is that why she's calling me?
"Where are you, Hannah?" he demanded. "Why are you calling?" He could hear the barely-controlled panic that tinged his own words. Covering the receiver with his hand, he turned to Simon, who had crossed the loft to stand beside him. "See if you can reach Sandburg on his cell phone," he whispered fiercely.
Without hesitation, Simon pulled out his phone and began dialing.
"You sound upset, my love," Hannah's cloying voice came across the line. "What's wrong? Oh...wait...." A teasing quality seeped into her tone. "I know what it is. Blair isn't there with you, is he?" She laughed lightly. "Don't worry. I haven't done anything to hurt him. I'm still in prison."
Jim extended his hearing, tried to pick up on sounds from the background. He could hear a heavy metal door closing, a voice on a public address system announcing lock down time, garbled voices of several other men and women engaged in conversation. He closed his eyes with relief. "It's okay, Simon," he said, touching at the captain's arm to stop him from completing the call to his partner. "You can hang up. Blair's fine."
"Of course he's fine," Hannah retorted, clearly annoyed. "Blair's not the one who lied to me, who tricked me." There was no mistaking the underlying threat behind her words, a threat clearly directed at the detective.
"What do you want, Hannah?" Jim asked bluntly, suddenly losing all patience with the woman and her irksome games.
"Nothing much, darling. I just wanted to call and let you know how excited I am about us seeing one another tomorrow." There was a slight pause, then her saccharine voice continued: "Tell me, my love--are you as excited about it as I am?"
Jim exhaled a mirthless chuckle. "Don't kid yourself, lady. You're facing murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. Believe me, the only thing that excites me about this entire situation is the fact that you're going to be going away for a very long time."
He paused as a fresh wave of disgust wound its way through him. To think I was ever attracted to her... "You should have been smart, Hannah," he continued after a few seconds, his voice controlled, steely. "You should have taken the deal the DA offered you."
"Oh, I am smart, my love," she replied, the quiet confidence that resonated in her voice letting Jim know that neither his attitude or his words had fazed her in the least. "That's why I didn't take the deal. I knew I wouldn't need it."
And with that, the line went dead.
/
/
/
Blair Sandburg pulled open one of the main doors of Rainier University's Wagner Auditorium, then stepped aside so Eli Stoddard and Jack Kelso could exit ahead of him.
"Well, at least that's over with for another three months," Blair commented as the door swung closed behind him. He jogged a few steps to catch up with his two friends. "Is it just me, or do every one of these quarterly professors' meetings seem to cover the same material over and over again?"
Dr. Stoddard laughed heartily and reached over to pat Blair companionably on the back. "Get used to it, my boy. I've been attending these meetings since the 1950s and I can assure you that each meeting sounds like the very first one I ever attended."
"Oh, well, isn't that just great," Blair grumbled good-naturedly. "Thanks for letting me know what I have to look forward to for the next thirty years."
The two men shared a moment of genial laughter, then frowned at one another when Jack Kelso made no effort to join their easy banter. Kelso was one of the most amiable men Blair had ever met, and rarely did the former CIA operative miss an opportunity to poke innocent fun at the inner workings of the university's hierarchy and its need for endlessly unproductive meetings.
Blair offered Dr. Stoddard a confused shrug, then turned his attention to Jack. Kelso was a few feet ahead of Blair and Eli, deftly maneuvering his wheelchair toward the main parking lot. Sandburg increased his pace and easily fell into step beside Jack's chair.
"Hey, Jack," Blair said, genuine concern lacing his voice, "are you all right? You seemed a bit distracted during the meeting."
Jack brought his wheelchair to a smooth halt in front of the handicapped parking stall where he had parked his van. Slowly, he wheeled himself around and looked up at Blair and Dr. Stoddard. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I haven't been very good company tonight, have I?" He re
ached up and rubbed distractedly at his forehead. Dropping his hand back to his lap, he continued, "I'm going to Seattle for a few days and I guess I was so worried about the trip that I wasn't able to keep my mind on tonight's agenda."
"Worried?" Eli questioned. "This trip isn't for pleasure, then?"
Jack shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. One of my colleagues at the University of Washington was injured on campus earlier this week. I'm going over to visit him."
"Injured? How?" Blair asked.
Kelso looked down at his hands for a moment and when he lifted his gaze to his two friends again, his expression was hard, angry. "He was attacked. There have been three attacks on the UW campus in the past two weeks. My friend was the latest victim."
"Wait a minute," Blair interjected, snapping his fingers as he remembered a memo he'd seen in Jim's in-box at the station--a memo from the Seattle PD that detailed what had been happening on the UW campus. "I read something about this. Someone's been targeting and attacking wheelchair-bound students and faculty."
"That's right," Kelso confirmed. "The person responsible for the attacks waits until a physically challenged student or staff member is in an isolated area of the campus, then he pushes them from their chairs and beats them. The first victim--a student--wasn't injured badly and was released from the hospital several days ago. The second victim, however.... Well, he's still in a coma. They don't know if he'll ever regain consciousness."
Blair exhaled a deep breath and shook his head. "And your friend?" he asked softly.
"He's going to be all right.... But he's facing weeks and weeks of physical therapy. He'll probably miss the rest of the school year."
"Man!" Blair scrunched his shoulders and shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets as a cool evening breeze rippled across the trio of men. "And I thought Rainier was becoming a dangerous campus."
Jack nodded his head at Blair's remark and all three men became quiet and thoughtful for a long moment. It was Kelso who finally broke the brooding silence. "Well, if I'm going to get to Seattle tonight, I guess I'd best be going." He turned his chair and wheeled himself deftly to his van. Blair and Eli watched silently as Jack pushed a button on his key chain and the van's side door slid open. There were a series of metallic sounds as a ramp moved outward from the interior of the van and lowered itself to the pavement.
As Blair watched Jack wheel himself onto the ramp, he couldn't help but envision the attacks at the University of Washington. It was obvious they were motivated by bigotry. He shuddered as his thoughts turned to the students and staff with whom he worked at Rainier--just off the top of his head he could think of at least a dozen professors or other staff members who were confined to wheelchairs. And students? There had to be close to a hundred. Rainier--with its relatively small, compact campus and its flat terrain--attracted a number of physically handicapped students.
"You be careful, Jack," Blair warned as Kelso prepared to wheel himself forward into the van. "Okay?"
The older man nodded and managed a feeble smile for his two friends. "I will. Thank you. I'll see you both next week."
Blair and Eli waited until Jack had started his vehicle and pulled away from the curb before making their way to their respective cars. Halfway across the parking lot, Eli slipped an arm around Blair's shoulders, pulling him close to his side. "So, you go to trial tomorrow. Are you nervous?"
Blair glanced at Eli out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, a little. I've testified in court before but not that often and never about myself...so this is a bit different for me. Plus, Jim's told me a little about the guy Hannah hired as her attorney, and he's supposed to be really slick."
"You'll do fine, Blair." Eli tightened his grip slightly. "Would you like some emotional support? I could come and observe...."
Blair smiled, warmed by the professor's offer. "You don't have to do that, Dr. Stoddard. Jim and Simon will be there. But thanks for asking. I appreciate it."
They reached their cars. Eli released his hold on Blair but kept one hand on his shoulder. Giving him a serious look, he said, "You'll call me tomorrow? Let me know how things went at the trial?"
Blair nodded. "Absolutely."
Eli patted the shoulder beneath his hand. "Well, then, good luck."
"Thanks." With a final smile, Blair turned and made his way to his Volvo.
He drove home on automatic, trying not to dwell on the attacks on the UW campus but to concentrate instead on tomorrow's trial. He needed to be ready, prepared. But as he pulled to a stop in front of his building, he felt anything but prepared.
He glanced at the light emanating from the windows of the third floor loft. He knew Jim and Simon were waiting upstairs for him--a fact that helped ease his concerns over the trial...but did not erase them completely. Get a grip, Sandburg, he chided himself as he entered the building. Worrying about the trial won't change anything.
Stepping out of the elevator on his floor, Blair crossed to the loft door, inserted his key in the lock, then jumped back in surprise as the door was roughly pulled open before he had a chance to turn the knob. He looked up to find Jim standing in the doorway, staring down at him.
"Chief!" Jim blurted out, his voice concerned, even a bit panicked.
"Um, Jim," Blair responded as he walked around his partner and dropped his backpack on the floor beneath the coat rack. He looked over at Banks, who was sitting in the yellow chair near the balcony windows. "Hey, Simon," he greeted the captain. "Everything okay?"
"No, everything is not okay," Jim informed him brusquely as he pushed the loft door closed.
Blair looked up at Jim but shifted his attention to Simon again when it became apparent that the detective wasn't going to enlighten him as to why everything was not okay. "What's going on?"
Simon rose and crossed to where Jim and Blair were standing near the door. "Jim had a phone call a few minutes ago," he explained. "From Hannah Merrick."
An involuntary shudder rippled through him at the mention of Hannah's name. "Oh, man. "Please don't tell me she's been released."
Jim shook his head. "No. She's still in jail."
Sandburg ran his hands back through his hair as he exhaled a relieved sigh. "Well, that's good news." He looked up at Jim. "What happened, then? Did she threaten you?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle."
Blair thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "So, what's the problem? The trial's still on for tomorrow, right?"
"It's still on," Jim told him.
"Then everything's good," Sandburg announced, bouncing up on his toes a bit. He mustered an enthusiastic smile for the two worried men. "Come on! We go to court tomorrow and testify, then we sit back and let a jury convict her."
"It may not be that simple, Chief." The detective's gaze cut across to Simon. The two men exchanged a meaningful glance then Jim looked back at Blair. "She sounded a bit too sure of herself," Ellison added at last. "Cocky, even."
Blair gave Jim a disbelieving look. "And that has you worried?"
"Yes, it does," Jim admitted quickly. "I was worried before, but now.... Well, let's just say I don't think this trial is going to be a walk in the park."
"She's playing mind games with you, man, just like she's been doing all along. You can't let her get to you like this."
Jim raised his eyebrows and offered Blair an apologetic look. "Too late, buddy. She already has."
/
/
/
Blair looked up as a soft knock sounded on his bedroom door. Jim stood in the doorway, leaning casually against the doorjamb, watching him.
"You should be getting to sleep soon, Chief," the detective scolded fondly. "We have to be at the courthouse by nine sharp tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'm just finishing up." Blair closed the file in his lap and pulled off his glasses.
Jim pushed himself away from the door and, crossing to Blair, dropped down beside him on the bed. He gestured toward the file in his partner's hands. "What were you doing?"
"Sandburg, we spent two straight hours at dinner going over all this stuff." Jim smiled warmly. "All you have to do is tell the truth."
"I know. I'm just a little nervous, I guess. I've tried to talk myself out of worrying about the trial but I'm not having a lot of success." Sandburg gave Jim a lopsided grin. "It's weird.... I mean, I stand in front of hundreds of students every day and I'm fine. But the idea of sitting in that witness box...." He sighed. "It turns my stomach just to think about it."
"You'll do fine, Chief," Jim encouraged. "And Angela Mason is a good prosecutor."
"Yeah, but she's also a harried prosecutor. You and I both know she has more than her share of cases on her plate right now. And I get the feeling that this one doesn't rank too high on the list for her."
"She's going to do her job to the best of her ability," Jim assured him. "So stop worrying and try to get some sleep."
Blair nodded as he handed the file he'd been reading over to Jim. He pursed his lips in annoyance as he looked at his partner. "She asked me to wear a tie, you know."
"Who did? Angela?"
Blair nodded.
Jim shrugged and smiled broadly. "She just wants you to look respectable."
"I can look respectable in a nice sweater."
Ellison chuckled, stood, and ambled over to the bedroom doors. He turned and looked back at Blair, amused indulgence warming his features. "Wear the tie, Sandburg.... And not that shiny gold one, either."
Blair's eyes went wide. "That's my best one!"
"It makes you look like a pimp."
"A pimp!" Blair shot back, laughing. "Thanks a lot!"
"Go to sleep, Chief." Jim turned to leave, but before taking a step, he glanced back at Blair. "Tomorrow, when you testify? If you get nervous, just look at me. I'll be in the courtroom with you the entire time."
Blair nodded and flashed Jim a grateful smile. "Thanks man. That helps."
Part Two
Jim held the door of the courthouse open, waited for Blair to step into the expansive lobby, then moved in behind his partner. They were supposed to meet Simon and Angela Mason on the second level, outside of the courtroom they'd been assigned. Angela had told them she just wanted a brief opportunity to discuss any new developments that might have arisen in the hours leading up to the trial.
