by Cindy Combs
"Barely." Jim glanced around. "What can you tell me?"
Straightening, Sara waved a hand at the nearby corridor. "Jake was walking towards his uncle's room when he spotted an orderly that seemed familiar to him. Turns out it was the guy who attacked him in New York. Jake was in time to stop him from suffocating his uncle."
"Damn," Jim growled as he wrote on his notepad. "I'll make sure there's a guard on Mr. Chance's door from now on." Glancing around, he asked, "Where's McCartey?"
Sara waved at the room behind her. "Doctor's checking out his arm. His knife wound got hit during the fight." Sara ran a hand through her hair. "I can't believe I let that bastard get another shot at him. Should have stayed closer."
Jim shook his head as he finished his notes. "Don't beat yourself up. You had no reason to believe there was any danger here for either McCartey or Chance."
"Yeah, but Jake's my responsibility." Sara gave him a rueful smile. "I just keep thinking there's got to be more I can do. I feel like his big sister, which is weird because I'm an only child."
Jim returned the smile. "Well, from a big brother to a big sister, you can only do what you can. As much as we'd like to watch them 24/7, you can't. Believe me, Blair's been in situations that would make your hair curl. But you have to trust that most of the time, your partner can take care of himself." As Sara sighed, Jim prodded, "Why don't we see how he's doing?"
Jake lifted his head as they entered. He looked too pale to Jim. Apparently, Sara thought so, too. "What did the doc say?"
"He had to replace a couple of stitches, but I'm okay."
"Uh huh," Sara replied in disbelief. "Did you take any of your pain pills this morning?"
Jake shook his head. "They make me fuzzy, especially on top of the cough med."
"Jake..."
"Pez, there's someone out there trying real hard to kill my uncle. I need a clear head."
"Yeah, and he's doing a number on you, too," Sara pointed out, her face worried.
Recognizing the look on Jake's face as the same one Blair wore when they had had similar arguments, Jim interjected, "Pezzini said you recognized the guy as the one who attacked you in New York?"
After a final glare at Sara, Jake replied, "Yeah, it was his eyes. I don't know why, but he sure doesn't like me."
"But this time you saw his whole face?"
"Yeah."
"Think you could sit down with a sketch artist?"
"No problem."
Blair had stepped into the room as Jim and Jake talked. "I have an idea. The guy ought to be on tape. The security guard's getting them for me. You can look them over at our station, Jake, and see if you can spot him." Blair exchanged looks with Jim, both thinking that Major Crime was probably the safest place at the moment.
"No problem. Just wish I'd had my gun with me so we wouldn't have to search."
"You didn't bring them?" Blair asked.
"Everything was pretty rushed," Jake replied.
Sara nodded regretfully. "We didn't have time for all the extra security and the paperwork."
As Jim turned back towards Jake, a bruise on the younger man's neck caught his eye. He pointed to it. "What happened here?"
Raising a hand to the wound, Jake replied, "Oh, he grabbed my chain when we fought in New York. He just tried the same..." Suddenly, Jake's eyes widened.
"Jake?" Sara prodded.
"Nah," Jake whispered softly to himself as he pulled out the cross. "It can't be."
"What can't be?" Sara persisted.
Fingers tracing the ornate metal, Jake looked up. "Uncle Pat sent this cross to me for my birthday. But that can't be it -- it's just a cross. And I've had it since last spring."
Suddenly, the Witchblade began to swirl with light.
~Flash~
The knight, holding the chain, dropped the cross into the hand of the young lord
~Flash~
A stray beam of moonlight struck the gold cross as the young man climbed the rope into the ship
~Flash~
The man in Yankee blue yanked the chain over his head to give to the sobbing young man
~Flash~
The cross slid out of the open neck of the rider's shirt as he turned to look at his pursuers
~Flash~
The cross shone from Patrick's neck as he knelt next to young Jake.
~Flash~
Sara inhaled sharply, drawing Ellison's attention. That was the common thread. It was the cross. Why was it important?
Unaware of Sara's reaction, Blair leaned forward to study it. "Looks old. Fifteenth, maybe even fourteenth century."
Jake slipped it off his neck, settling it on his palm so they could all look at it. "Uncle Pat once told me it had been in the family for generations. I don't think I've ever seen him not wearing it. In fact, when I realized what it was, I called him immediately to make sure he wasn't dying or something. I never expected he'd just give it to me out of the blue like that."
Jim, too, leaned forward. Even in the fluorescent lighting of the hospital, the cross seemed to shine. "Could it be valuable?"
Jake shrugged. "I suppose it could be gold, but I never got the impression it was worth anything except sentimental value to my uncle."
Sara frowned as she looked at it. "I don't suppose you guys have a digital camera?"
"At the station," Blair replied. "Why?"
Jake looked up at his partner. "Bowman?"
As Jim and Blair looked confused, Sara nodded. "If it has a history that makes it valuable, Gabe's the one to dig it out."
"Gabe?" Jim asked.
"Oops, sorry," Sara returned. "Gabriel Bowman is a friend of mine who gets into the old and the arcane. If I email him a picture and tell him what we know about it, he may be able to track something down. He runs a dot com business that specializes in getting pieces of history for people."
Blair tilted his head thoughtfully. "I'll have to check him out." At Sara's frown, he added, "In a past life, I was an anthropologist. He may be a new source."
"I'll give you his card. Gabe's been a good source for me in the past." Sara glared at Jake as he rolled his eyes. "He has. You know he's come through for us a lot."
"Yeah, I know," Jake conceded. "He just gets on my nerves sometimes." He slipped the chain back over his head.
* * *
As they followed McCartey and Pezzini to their rental car, Jim suddenly tapped his partner on the shoulder. As Blair glanced up questioningly, Jim tipped his head towards the New York detectives. "You ride with them to the department. I want to check something out."
Blair's eyes narrowed. "You need help?"
"No."
After a pause to see if his partner would add anything, Blair shot him a 'you will tell me later' look and continued to the car.
Three minutes later, Jim dropped onto a concrete ledge next to a man he had hoped never to see again. "Nottingham."
"Ellison."
"What are you doing in my city?"
"Your city?" Nottingham looked around. "I did not realize you had purchased it."
Jim glared, unperturbed. "That still doesn't answer my question. Why is there a Black Dragon in Cascade?" Then he followed Ian's gaze. "Pezzini and McCartey?"
"I have sworn to protect Lady Sara."
Watching the trio climb into the blue rental car, Jim commented, "Pezzini doesn't strike me as someone who needs protection."
"Lady Sara is a magnificent woman."
Jim blinked. Nottingham sounded infatuated. Which wouldn't be surprising, except for the rumors that Nottingham led a chaste life. "Does this have something to do with your leash holder?"
"Mr. Irons is out of the picture."
Jim studied the man. He had never liked the Black Dragons. To the former ranger, they were dangerous loose cannons who were barely controlled by a psycho. Yet Nottingham had struck him as the last dragon who would rebel against the master. "Pezzini have anything to do with that?"
"Mr. Irons was cut down by his own obsessions."
&nb
sp; Feeling his frustration grow, Jim remembered why he always hated conversing with the Black Dragons -- they talked in circles. "Did you have anything to do with the attacks on McCartey?"
"No. Sara's partner does not interest me."
"So why are you here?"
"To protect Lady Sara."
He had had enough. It was time to lay out his cards. "Be warned that if you cause any harm to Jake, Sara, my partner, or anyone else in my city, your ass is mine."
Nottingham's brown eyes remained calm. "Do you believe you have the ability to carry out that threat, Captain?"
Jim nearly growled. "You don't want to find out. And it's Detective."
Nottingham nodded once in acknowledgement. "Detective. You have nothing to fear from me. It would grieve Lady Sara for anything to happen to her trainee, or to anyone else who has helped her. I do not wish to cause Sara grief."
"Why are you so obsessed with Pezzini?"
Ian gave a faint smile. "Sara is a very special woman. We are connected in ways even she is unaware." Ian looked at Ellison. "I will not cause harm to her or to those you protect unless they try to harm Sara."
Jim nodded in acceptance as he stood up. While he didn't trust Nottingham, he did believe he would not hurt anyone if for no other reason than it would 'grieve' his Lady Sara. Black Dragons, crosses and winking bracelets -- what kind of weirdness was he and Blair into this time?
* * *
Major Crime
Sara leaned over Sandburg's computer keyboard as she held her cell phone to her ear. With a quick tap of the finger, she sent the file with an attachment. "There you go."
Over the phone line, she could hear her young friend Gabe reply, "Got it. Let's take a look." Sara drummed her fingers on the table as she waited. "I'm guessing fourteenth, fifteenth century."
"That's what Sandburg said."
"Then he's got a good eye. Otherwise, I don't see anything special. The Twitchblade doing anything?"
Sara glanced around the police bullpen. "It's twitching. I've gotten the impression that it's been passed down in Jake's family since the times of knights and lords, and that this isn't the first time someone's tried to hurt whoever is wearing it."
"But why?" Gabriel asked, mystified. "It doesn't look like anything that special, except perhaps its age."
"Yeah, well, whatever the reason, I don't think Jake's out of danger by a long shot. I'd like to know why."
"Okay, boss, I'll dig into it."
"Thanks." Sara hung up, hoping her friend could work his magic.
Sandburg walked up to her. "I got Jake all set. How'd your end go?"
"Gabe's going to see what he can dig up, but he didn't sound very hopeful."
"We'll figure it out," Blair told her confidently. "Is there anything you need right now?"
"You guys have any coffee around here?"
"That's an easy one."
A few minutes later, Jim found his partner sitting at his desk, typing away at the computer. After hanging up his coat, Jim sat down at his desk across from Sandburg. "Where's our visitors?"
"Jake's in with a sketch artist," Blair replied. "Once he's done, we're going to go over the security tapes. Rafe is showing Sara where the coffee's at." Blair looked up at Jim sternly. "And what exactly were you doing?"
Jim sighed as he glanced through his mail. "I was talking with a dragon."
"A what?" Blair asked, his eyebrow rising.
"Never mind. I do want to run something by you."
"Go for it."
Jim glanced around the bullpen to make sure no one was close enough to listen. "Is there anything about Pezzini that strikes you as... strange?"
Blair's eyebrows pulled together. "Other than how did such a beautiful woman end up as a cop? No."
Taking a deep breath, Jim asked, "Do you remember how Megan thought I was psychic? And how she thought it was great for a cop to have that kind of gift?"
Blair nodded.
"What if Pezzini is psychic?"
"Ellison! Sandburg! My office, NOW!"
Blair sighed. "I think Simon wants an update." He tapped his partner on the shoulder as he stood up. "I haven't noticed anything, but I'll keep my eyes open."
Jim nodded. "That's all I ask."
A few minutes later, Sara arrived at Sandburg's desk, inhaling the aroma from the mug in her hands. Coffee was just what she needed. Glancing around, she spotted Sandburg and Ellison through the glass of an office. Figuring they must be talking with their captain, Sara winced in sympathy and sat in Sandburg's chair. Searching for something to do, she picked up a folding metal picture frame from the desk. One side was a picture of a beautiful, red-haired woman smiling delicately into the camera. After a quick study of the face, Sara realized the eyes and nose matched Sandburg's. On the other side was a curly blond toddler sitting on the stomach of a young man leaning against a couch. An older, graying man sat in the couch. All three were laughing.
"Whatcha got there, Pez?" Jake asked.
"Just the pictures on Sandburg's desk." She pointed to the woman. "I'm guessing she must be his mother."
After a moment of study, Jake nodded. "Yeah, there's enough resemblance. What about the others?"
"My father, brother and nephew." The New York detectives looked up to see Blair beside them. He waved at the other picture, a proud smile on his face. "They live down in L.A., so I don't get to see them very often."
"Cute kid," Pezzini commented as she handed the picture back to Sandburg.
"Thanks. We had fun with Ian at Christmas."
"At least until you cracked a bone tripping over his toy," Jim commented dryly.
Blair chuckled. "Not used to having kids and their stuff around." Turning serious, he looked at Jake. "We've got the conference room set up."
"Let's go," Jake replied.
Sara turned to follow the two junior detectives when Ellison touched her arm. "A moment, detective." She followed him into an empty break room. "Do you know an Ian Nottingham?"
Eyes narrowing, Sara answered, "Yes. Why?"
"I found him watching you and Jake leave the hospital."
Sara cursed as she slapped her hand against a table. "I can't believe he followed me here!"
Jim studied her. "You know he's following you?"
Sara nodded sharply, still angry. "He seems to think he's my protector. Which is ridiculous," she added, not wanting to lose the respect of the Cascade detective.
A slight smile graced Jim's face. "I told him you didn't strike me as someone who needs protecting."
"Thank you." Sara studied him in turn. "How do you know Nottingham?"
"Ran into his unit when I was a Ranger. It's a scary group."
Sara nodded, remembering her own run in with the Black Dragons.
"It sounds like he's stalking you. Have you reported him?"
"No," Sara replied as she shook her head. "With his connections, I doubt it would go very far. Nor do I believe he'd harm me, though I'm starting to worry. Danny suggested he may attack him or Jake because they're close to me."
"That would be typical behavior. I was attacked once by a girl stalking my brother. But I don't think you have to worry about that in this case. He told me he wouldn't hurt Jake because it would, quote, grieve Lady Sara."
Sara ran a hand over her face. "I guess that's something."
Jim gave her a commiserating smile. "Speaking of the kids, let's go see what they're up to."
Jim led her to a conference where Jake and Blair were already working on the video player in the corner. Sara looked at the photos laying on the table. They didn't feature pretty mothers and cute kids. She frowned, looking at the stills of the damage done to an elegant-looking office and bedroom. She gently touched the one showing an overturned chair and the dark stains on the carpet.
~Flash~
A white-haired man was tipped over in his chair, hitting the floor hard. "It's too late," the strong voice of Patrick Chance told his attacker as he rolled onto his back. "It has alrea
dy been passed on."
"It takes a year to fully bond," a deep voice replied. "We will find it and take it." Light reflected off the blade of a knife as it made its downward swing.
~Flash~
Sara shuddered, then glanced back at her partner. What on earth did he mean by 'bond'? And what did time have to do with the cross and Jake? Was that hunk of metal doing something to her partner? She knew from experience how a piece of jewelry could disrupt your life.
"You okay, Pezzini?" Sara's eyes were caught by Ellison, who was looking at her worriedly.
"I'm fine." She dropped her gaze to the pictures. The cross had been worn by Patrick Chance for years without apparent harm. She had to trust it wasn't hurting Jake.
Jim touched her arm. "Just know that if you have any important information, no matter how you got it, you can pass it on to us."
Eyes narrowed, Sara glanced at him. Jim gave her a slight smile, then reached over to pull out a picture. "This is the photo of Jake that was singled out."
Forcing back her unease, she picked it up and smirked. "Definitely his surfing days."
"It bothers me how blatant it was." Jim pulled out a photo of Chance's desk, the picture of Jake the only break in the flat desk. "It was like it was a message. We're just not sure who to and what about."
Sara frowned. It did look rather odd.
Jake voice suddenly rang out. "That's him!"
Sara and Jim turned as Blair hit the pause button on the VCR. All four detectives stared at the man. From the black hair that swept his collar to the light colored eyes, there was something about the man that made Sara feel cold.
"I'll have our lab blow it up, see if we can get an ID," Blair commented.
"While Blair does that, why don't we have you go over the photos, McCartey."
"Let me at them," Jake declared.
* * *
Late afternoon, Cascade PD
Simon was walking to the conference room. He was getting a lot of heat from above on the Chance case, and he wanted to know what Ellison and Sandburg had found. He was at the door when he heard a voice call out 'Banks!' Simon sighed. Talk about heat. He turned with a forced smile on his face. "Commissioner."
Police Commissioner Craig Mathews was leading a tall, graying blond and a short, dark-haired woman toward him. Mathews stopped next to him to wave a hand. "This is Captain Simon Banks, head of Major Crime who are investigating your brother's case. Banks, I'd like you to meet Paul Chance, brother of Patrick Chance, and Julie Warren, Patrick Chance's assistant."
