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The night was still, the air suffocatingly humid. With each staggering step he took, breathing became more and more a labored effort. He dragged one arm across his sweat-streaked forehead. The other arm he kept pressed tightly to his side in a futile effort to staunch the blood that seeped freely from the bullet wound he'd received less than an hour ago.

As he stumbled along, he wondered vaguely why the streets were so unnaturally empty. He didn't even see any bums. Maybe it was too hot for them. Maybe they'd all crawled off somewhere nice and cool... and safe. Safe... that was it. He needed someplace safe to hole up in for a while.

The alley he slipped into seemed as inviting as any. It was dark and smelled of stale urine, but maybe that would keep them away... away from him. He would just stop for a few minutes. He had to catch his breath. He would go on after a moment. Surely he could allow himself a brief rest. He could give himself that much time.

He spied an old, rusted dumpster and he crouched down beside it on unsteady feet. His breath was coming in ragged gasps and he could feel the weight of each of his sixty-five years.

You're too old for this, Charlie, he told himself. Way over your head this time.

He was seized by a fit of violent coughing and he did his best to muffle the sound in his shirt sleeve. Before the spell was over, he could detect the rusty taste of blood in his mouth. Realization of just how bad off he was hit him like a lead weight.

Charlie, ol' boy...What have you gotten yourself in to?

Grimly he glanced down at his side and lifted his fingers experimentally. He was still bleeding.

They really plugged you good, didn't they?

His legs suddenly grew weak and he sank down wearily to sit leaning against the metal bin. He closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the muted wail of a siren. It was a lonely sound. He knew it wasn't for him. It was too far away and too late.

He supposed it didn't matter much now if they found him or not. He'd done all he could. What they were after was on its way to safe hands, hopefully to where it would do some good. He'd like to think they wouldn't get away with what they'd done to him... or with what they had done before.

He bent his head forward to rest on his knees. He wasn't going any further... not tonight... probably not ever. Too bad. He would've liked to be around to see them get what they deserved.

"The mail's here, Harry!" Michelle announced happily as she bounced into the office of Jettison Salvage. Her arms were laden with envelopes, mailers and one bulky package.

Harry Broderick leaned his large frame back lazily in his ancient, leather chair, happy at the interruption.

"Thanks, Mick." Harry winked as he ran his hands through his thick, gray hair. "Couldn't have come at a better time."

"Paperwork gotcha down?" Michelle asked, grinning from ear to ear as she plopped her bundle down on the desk.

Her smile was infectious and Harry felt himself beaming at the perky, little eleven year old.

"It never stops," he drawled in his down home voice. "It never stops."

Michelle moved around the desk to stand beside his chair. "Can I help, Harry? I'm pretty good with numbers."

She was too, Harry knew. She was miles beyond her level in almost every subject. It was only the concern for her social development that kept Skip and Melanie from advancing her up a few grades. Besides, with all the various projects always underway here at the junk yard, there was more than enough to capture the interest of one precocious little girl.

"I think I've got a handle on it," he assured her then reached over to give a tug on one of her waist-length, white braids. "Don't you have stuff to do to get ready for your trip?"

Michelle shrugged. "Not much left to do. I'm all packed. Skip's tuning up the Bronco. So we're all ready to leave tomorrow." She paused and gave him a pleading look. "Are you positive you don't want to come with us to New Mexico?"

"Positive," he swore and crossed his heart for her. "I don't think these old bones could take that long ride."

"You're not old, Harry," Michelle protested with a laugh.

"Maybe not old old," Harry conceded with a smile. "But sixty-two isn't a spring chicken either."

Michelle eyed him suspiciously. "Come on. What's the real reason?"

"You're not buying it, huh?"

"Not for a minute," Michelle giggled.

"Well, you got me. I'll let you in on a little secret."

Michelle bent forward conspiratorially. "What?"

"I hate weddings," Harry whispered in her ear then sat back in his chair.

Michelle gave him an incredulous look. "But you came to Melanie and Skip's wedding," she argued.

Harry smiled knowingly at the child. "That was different. You and Skip and Mel are my family... the only family I've got. I couldn't miss their wedding. 'Sides, I got to give the bride away. That was a pure pleasure."

It was true. He would never forget that day. Those two had been crazy about each other for a long time. They just hadn't gotten around to doing anything about it. Harry was positive that while making it easier for Melanie to adopt Michelle may have finally prompted Skip to pop the question, it was only a very small factor behind the marriage. Why, Skip had been moonie over the lovely physicist long before Harry had even met either one of them. The look on Melanie's face as she walked down the aisle on Harry's arm was more than enough to convince anyone that this was not just a marriage of convenience. A year later, little Peter's birth only confirmed that.

Harry sighed happily at the memory and then pulled his attention reluctantly back to the stack of papers on his desk.

"No, Mick. Driving all those hours to go to Skips's cousin's wedding just wouldn't be the same."

"Okay, Harry," Michelle relented with a laugh. "I won't tell anybody that you'd be bored."

"You're a life saver, ya know that?"

Michelle nodded wisely. "I know, I know."

"Now I gotta get back to these bills. Why don't you go and see if you can help Skip with the truck."

"Okay," Michelle agreed amiably. "See ya." She was out the door with a casual wave of her hand.

Harry marveled at her energy. Things certainly had become livelier since she'd come on the scene. In fact, Harry's entire life had taken a decided upswing since he'd first joined forces with Skip and Melanie a few years ago. That seemingly impossible dream to go to the moon had brought them all together and made them a family.

He glanced out the window behind him to gaze fondly at the Vulture. The homemade space ship towered in the junkyard like a beacon. Harry chuckled to himself at how different things were now. It certainly hadn't seemed promising at first, he had to admit. What chance did they have of ever succeeding?

There they were; Harry Broderick, on the downhill side of fifty, running a struggling salvage yard, barely keeping his head afloat and one step ahead of the creditors. He'd found Skip Carmichael, a disillusioned young astronaut who'd left NASA because they had neither patience nor place for mavericks with wild ideas and theories. He'd been hustling used cars in the Valley and was more than ready to grab at the chance Harry offered.

Last of all was Melanie Slozar. Renown physicist, she'd been rigging special effects for a third rate movie studio. She'd grown tired of bucking a system that refused recognition of her excellence because she was a woman. She'd fought the idea at first; chalking it up to another of Skip's harebrained notions. But once she'd gotten caught up in the dream there'd been no holding her back.

Yes, they made quite a team. And they'd done it! They'd gone to the moon. It marked the first in a long line of projects that had seemed farfetched to the weaker in spirit but they'd plowed ahead and taken the risks for the gold rings. More times than not they succeeded until they'd made quite a comfortable life for themselves. Not that they were millionaires by any stretch of the imagination. Large-scale salvage operations took a lot of operating capital. But they were secure these days. They'd even managed to relocate the yard to San Diego, leaving the smog and congestion of Los Angeles behind. It was more than Harry had ever hoped for and actually a rather pleasant way to spend his golden years.

Shaking his head to clear this spell of introspection, he turned back to the mail, mostly bills. There were some ads and flyers for auctions and that one package Michelle had struggled with. Harry ignored the more mundane correspondence and picked up the box.

"Charlie Higgins," he marveled as he read the hastily scrawled return label. "I haven't heard from you for..." He mentally tried to tick off the years. "Must be 'most eight years now."

Wondering what on earth his old scavenger friend might be up to, Harry ripped open the brown paper from what was obviously a shoe box. He lifted the lid and pulled out a bundle of papers and photographs. At first, his glance was cursory as he shuffled through the pile. Then he leaned forward to study the material with more intensity.

"Holeee Heaven, Charlie," Harry whistled. "The Sleeping Beauty."

Harry sat and stared at this find for a long moment. His eyes narrowed as his mind worked furiously and then a smile spread across his face. He stood up and walked to the office door. From where he stood, he could see Skip and Michelle bent over the engine of the black truck. Skip had brought back the bullet ridden vehicle from his family reunion last year, full of tales involving kidnappings and terrorists. Pretty heavy stuff for an out of the way ranch in the middle of nowhere. Maybe a wedding there wouldn't be such a bore. The smile on Harry's face grew even wider as he took the few steps down out of the office.

"Hey, Skip!" he called with a wave of his hand. "How'd you like an extra passenger to New Mexico?"

Skip drove along the lonely road, humming softly with the radio. He enjoyed moments like this. His window was rolled down, letting the warm wind blow his hair wildly. Everyone else in the truck was asleep but Skip actually liked the solitude. It reminded him of his days at NASA, the training missions that required sleeping in shifts and being awake for long periods of time with only his own thoughts for company.

Right now those thoughts centered on his family, only natural since they were headed to the ranch in Glorieta for the annual reunion. He glanced over at Melanie in the passenger seat. Her honey colored hair was pulled into a bun at the back of her head. She almost always wore it that way. It was too easy for it to get in the way of her many and varied experiments. She only let it down at night or on special occasions. Skip didn't mind. The severe hairdo didn't detract from her looks. Besides, he found it more appealing that he was the only one she let herself completely relax around.

Melanie was looking forward to the reunion. Last year neither she nor Michelle had been able to attend. Mel had been asked to address a national science fair in Washington D.C. Michelle had an exhibit entered in the competition and Melanie had taken her and gone to the fair while Skip represented them at the family doings. In the end, he'd been just as glad they weren't there, considering all the things that happened. They'd been safe in D.C. while the terrorists were holding everyone at the ranch.

He glanced in the rearview mirror. He could see six month old Petey snoozing in his car seat. Hopefully he would stay that way for most of the long trip. Beside him, Michelle nestled against Harry. Skip's smile tightened a bit. He wondered again what could've made Harry change his mind about coming along. It wasn't that Skip minded having his partner accompany them. Heaven knew they'd tried hard enough to get him to come. It just wasn't like Harry to change his mind on a whim. He almost always had ulterior motives and they usually involved some big salvage scheme. It bugged Skip that Harry hadn't told him what was going on. Anyway, he couldn't think of anything worth salvaging at the ranch.

Thinking about the ranch restored his naturally happy-go-lucky manner. Whatever Harry was up to, he would eventually confide in them. For now, Skip was content to let it go. He was anxious to see everyone and catch up on their lives since last year's reunion.

His own immediate family he saw fairly often. His mom and dad only lived in Westwood. It wasn't that far to San Diego. They were flying into Albuquerque tomorrow night, along with Jeffers who rented out the top floor of the large, family home. Ever since their mother's accident ten years ago, she'd been unable to get up the stairs. Jeffers and Allie had moved up there and taken care of that end of the house for her. Jeffers had stayed after Allie left home.

His sister, Polly lived in nearby La Jolla. They saw her and her family all the time. Jenny however, lived in Pennsylvania. Visits with her were more rare. Allie was still in New York so Skip didn't see him much either, although he did make the trip West once in a while. It was always nice to have everyone together at the reunion.

Of course, there were others he looked forward to seeing as well. This yearly bash was about the only time he was able to see the cousins he grew up with. Andy was out in Cincinnati and almost never came to California. Murphy had been local until a couple of years ago. Now living in Denver and trying to establish is own detective agency there, he had little time for vacations.

And Lee... well, Lee was full of surprises. He hadn't attended the family get togethers for a long time. Then, out of the blue, he'd shown up last year... and with Amanda and Jamie in tow. Certainly there'd been extenuating circumstances that brought them to the ranch but Skip could see through Lee's denials. He knew there was something deeper between his playboy cousin and the housewife from Arlington. Still, he'd wondered if Lee would return this year. His cousin hadn't disappointed him. Not only was he coming back, he was bringing Amanda and both the boys with him. Skip smiled at the picture that brought to his mind. Maybe they'd be attending another wedding soon.

Weddings! He couldn't believe Murphy was actually tying the knot. He remembered how much ribbing they'd all given him when he and Mel got married. The first to take the plunge... to give in... to surrender the joys of bachelor living. And now here was Murphy doing the same thing. He supposed it was inevitable. One by one they would all move on to this next step in life. And as his mother and Aunt Katie were always telling them, "it was about time!" The only one left without anyone steady in his life was Andy but Skip wasn't worried. He knew it would happen eventually. Andy was too nice a guy not to find somebody who'd want to spend the rest of her life with him.

Skip sighed and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Not too much farther. Not that he was too keen on having to wear a tux but he was anxious to see everyone.

Robert McCall was not looking forward to this trip by any stretch of the imagination. Certainly he was honored to be invited to Murphy's wedding and he knew there was no way he would miss it. It was just that going back to the ranch after all these years wasn't going to be pleasant, not with Kay and her father there.

He'd flown out from New York with Scott, a long trip that allowed them some rare time together. They needed it. Things were only now starting to be civil between them. After the incident at the cabin last month, a lot of the wall between them had come down. Not that Scott had entirely forgiven him yet. He knew he had much to atone for in his son's eyes. There was so much Scott didn't know and couldn't understand, but then McCall wasn't sure he completely understood himself.

All those years he'd worked for the company, all the time spent away from his family; he'd been so sure of himself in the beginning... so positive he was doing a job that needed to be done. But recently, he'd had so many misgivings. Why else had he resigned, in the face of so much adversity and opposition... even from his closest friends. Coming face to face with Scott and having his son bring all that pain out into the open, had only served to intensify McCall's own questioning. Had he sacrificed his family for nothing... to merely be a pawn in what had turned out to be a bigger game than he realized?

Those thoughts plagued him at every opportunity and he knew it would only get worse as he made this trek through his past, having to confront not only Kay but Jake as well. He sighed heavily as Scott pulled their rental car into the long, gravel driveway that led to the ranch.

"Sorry you came already?" Scott asked with a sideways glance in Robert's direction.

McCall shook his head. "Not sorry exactly," he tried to explain. "I'm just not sure of the reception I'm going to get."

"I talked to Mom," Scott told him. "She promised to try and be nice."

"It isn't your mother I'm concerned about."

Scott laughed. "I'm afraid I don't have any control over Grandpa Jake."

"That's the problem," McCall stated with a wry smile. "Nobody has any control over him, least of all himself." He sighed again. "I promised Murphy I'd be here... I suppose I'll just have to grin and bear it for a few days."

"Besides," Scott added, "you'll get to see Lee and Andy and Skip. I know how much they've missed having you around."

There was something in Scott's voice that caused McCall to turn and regard his son curiously. Had he been mistaken or was there just a touch of jealousy there? He couldn't be sure. It was sad to admit, but he didn't know his son well enough to tell. He did know that Scott carried a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to his failings as a father. He hoped that with time and maturity, his son would be able to see things with a little more objectivity.

They'd reached the end of the drive and Scott parked the car alongside the numerous others already there. By the time they got out of the car and retrieved their bags from the trunk, the door to the house had swung open. McCall could see Kay hurrying down the walk, a smile lighting her face as she greeted her son.

"Hi, Honey. It's so good to see you."

Scott gave her an affectionate hug. "Hi, Mom. How've you been?"

"Great... I'm doing just fine." She turned her eyes to McCall and they lost a little of their warmth. "Hello, Robert."

McCall managed a smile for his ex-wife. "How are you, Kay? I hope this doesn't make things too uncomfortable for you?"

She shook her head, her dark blonde hair brushing her shoulders. She still wore it long. "I think I can handle it for a few days," she informed him coolly. "After all, this is supposed to be a celebration of marriage. It wouldn't do to remind everyone how badly ours turned out."

With that, she took Scott by the arm and led him back towards the house. Scott shot his father an apologetic look over his shoulder as he went with his mother. McCall shook his head and sighed once more as he followed after them. There had been so much about Kay that was lovely and wonderful. Now all she seemed to have left was bitterness and a sharp tongue. He wondered if he had caused this change in her or if she'd always had these traits and he'd just never noticed them. It didn't matter now, he supposed. They'd been divorced for over twelve years.

It was close to dinner time and the house was full when they entered. As he stood in the living room, McCall noted that the place hadn't really changed much since the last time he was here, except that there were many more people than he remembered.

Not really wanting the spotlight, he kept to the back as Kay announced Scott's arrival. It didn't bother him to keep a low profile. His main concern was avoiding any kind of clash with his ex-father-in-law. He was keeping such a sharp eye out for Jake that he didn't notice anyone beside him until he felt a soft nudge in the ribs. Startled, he turned and instantly let a smile light his face.

"Rose!" he exclaimed as she gave him a welcoming hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You're the last person I expected to see here."

"I could say the same for you." She laughed, her dark eyes twinkling with humor. "Murphy invited Nicky and me to the wedding and I decided to take the plunge. Up till now I was afraid I'd be the only black sheep here but then I thought I saw you hiding out in the shadows."

"I wasn't hiding," McCall protested feebly, knowing full well that's what he'd been doing.

"I don't blame you," Rose said amiably. "I guess we can be outcasts together."

McCall chuckled and squeezed her hand. Technically they weren't brother and sister-in-law anymore. Her husband, Jake, Jr., had died twenty years ago in Viet Nam; he and Kay were legally divorced. The only blood link between them was the fact that their sons were first cousins. Whatever the ties though, Rose and he were friends. They had been from the beginning, when being on the outs with Jake had drawn them together.

"Have you seen Murphy or Lee?" he asked. Scott had been right. He was anxious to see them. He'd been involved with those two and Andy and Skip since they were young boys and his ties with Lee went even farther than that. He'd known Lee's parents since before Lee was born. His work hadn't allowed him to get in touch with the boys very often, but he'd managed to keep tabs on what they were each doing.

"Oh, they're around somewhere." Rose laughed lightly. "Murphy's pretending he's not nervous but he's not doing a very good job. I think the other three are trying to calm him down... like that's going to help much. Cassie and Katie are trying to figure out where to put all of Sherry's family when they get here tomorrow. The kids are out of control with all the goodies around for the reception. It's been a little crazy."

McCall smiled. It sounded like normal pre-wedding chaos. Maybe his nervousness had been unfounded. At least with Rose here, he would have someone to talk to. Maybe he could allow himself to relax now and enjoy the festivities.

Skip stood on the back porch, his hand to his eyes as a shield from the bright, morning sun and scanned the yard. It didn't take long to locate the object of his search. Not far from the barn, with a clear view of the rising mountains, stood Harry. From what Skip could see, his partner seemed to be studying something intently. Determined to get some answers, he trotted out across the yard.

"Hey, Harry," he greeted casually. "You're up kinda early."

Harry gave him a quick smile. "Just felt like gettin' a jump on things," he replied enigmatically.

Skip's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What things?"

Harry's smile became broader, a sure sign to Skip that his the old scavenger was up to something. "Just the day in general, that's all."

"Come on, Harry. What've you got cooking?"

Harry's face took on an air of innocence. "Why, nothin' at all. This is a vacation, right?"

"Right," Skip replied sarcastically. He wasn't buying a word of it. "Up until two days ago, we couldn't drag you here... then all of a sudden, you're all gung ho to come. You can't tell me something's not going on."

Harry was silent for a moment, obviously weighing his options. There were none, as far as Skip was concerned. He would stay here until his companion came clean and he knew Harry was aware of that.

"Okay," the older man finally relented. "I got some information from an old friend that there might be the wreck of an old army transport plane up in those mountains. I just wanna check it out... see if there's anything to it."

"Uh huh." Skip eyed him skeptically. They'd known each other too long for Skip to swallow that simple of an explanation. "You expect me to believe you came all the way to New Mexico just to find some old plane?"

"Well, it's the truth."

"Maybe," Skip conceded. "But I don't think it's the whole truth." He could feel a spark of annoyance that Harry was keeping him in the dark like this. They didn't usually operate that way. "Come on, Harry. We're supposed to be partners, remember? How come you're not telling me everything? What's so special about this plane?"

Harry at last looked chagrined. "I didn't mean to keep anything from ya, Skip. It's just that you're all tied up with the wedding and everything... I didn't wanna drag ya away from your family till I had a chance to look into this... see if ol' Charlie was right."

"Okay, okay." Skip smiled to let Harry know he wasn't mad. "Why don't you fill me in."

Harry sighed resignedly. "All right," he drawled. "'Bout forty years ago... near the end of World War II, the army lost a big transport plane. Rumors were, it was carrying a secret cargo... gold bars that some country had used to pay off their war debt. A big storm came up and the plane went down. They'd gone off the radar so nobody knew exactly where they crashed... somewhere out west was all they knew. All these years, people have tried to find it but nobody ever did." He stopped and grinned slyly. "I got a box the other day from an old scavenger buddy named Charlie Higgins... a lot of maps and photos. Looks like he may have finally found her."

He shuffled through the papers in his hand and showed Skip a photo. It was black and white and a little fuzzy, obviously a blow up of a smaller print. A lot of it was blurred but he could plainly make out the shape of a fuselage with some writing on the nose. He squinted at it to try and read the letter.

"It says 'Sleeping Beauty'," Harry told him. He handed Skip another paper. "Here's the map Charlie sent. Looks like it's up on your mountain there." Harry pointed to the closest of the large peaks.

Skip glanced to where Harry was looking. "I hate to disappoint you, but we were all over these mountains when we were kids. We never found any plane wreck."

"Take a look at the map," Harry instructed him. "You ever seen that trail?"

Skip scrutinized the hand drawn map. It looked authentic enough. He picked out the red line used to indicate the proper route and followed it with his finger. Abruptly he dropped his hands down to his sides.

"There's nothing there, Harry. That's the steepest side of the hill. A few guys have tried to scale the face, but it's pretty dangerous. I know I've never tried going up there."

"Then how do you know there's no trail?" Harry smiled and took back the map.

"What're you gonna do?" Skip asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'm just gonna go on a little hike," Harry informed him calmly. "Check out some of the scenery."

Skip shook his head. "No way, Harry. You're not going up there." He met his partner's eyes and saw the determination there. He knew it was a losing battle. There was no way he would be talked out of this. "At least you're not going up there alone."

"That's great, Skip," Harry beamed. "I could use a native guide. You sure you won't be needed here for anything?"

"No. The wedding's not till tomorrow night. We better tell Mel, though. She'll be furious if we leave her out of this. I think she's in the house. Let me go get her."

The big triangle sounded just then, signalling breakfast. Skip brightened.

"Let's go on in," he suggested. "We can tell Melanie and get started right after we eat."

It took longer than Skip had anticipated to get through the meal and after that they had to wait while the family portrait was taken. Skip had forgotten the plan to do this early so that they wouldn't have to worry about it in the confusion after the wedding. This way guaranteed everyone would be in it. There were several people who were scheduled to leave right after the ceremony, most importantly, the happy couple. They weren't going to want to hang around the next day.

Skip knew Harry was getting impatient, but he didn't really want to discuss this venture in front of the entire family so it wasn't until everything was through and Mel was putting Peter down for a mid-morning nap, that he got a chance to get her alone. His wife's reaction, when he finally explained the situation to her, was as negative as his had been.

"You guys are crazy!" she announced in a whisper as she lay a sleeping Peter down in his port-a-crib. "Harry can't go traipsing around those mountains. He'll get himself killed."

Skip's eyebrows shot up. "You wanna tell him that?" Melanie threw him an exasperated look and he sighed heavily. "Look, Mel... I can't let him go up there alone and that's what he'll do. You know that as well as I do." He reached down and pulled the blanket up over his son's sleeping form.

Melanie took his hand and led him out of the room so they could talk more normally. She closed the door behind them softly. "I know how stubborn he can be," she stated. "But you and I both know he's getting too old to go chasing after every story that comes along."

Skip smiled, knowing her resistance only came from how much she cared for Harry. "That's why I'm going with him. We'll take it easy... and if it gets too rough, we'll come back." Another thought occurred to him. "Hey... why don't you come with us. That way, if the trail gets bad, Harry can turn back without losing face."

Melanie stuck out her tongue at the sexist remark. "Skip Carmichael... the day I can't keep up with you... " Skip started to snicker and she stopped when she realized he was teasing. She punched his arm playfully and shook her head. "I don't think I better go with you this time. I shouldn't exactly be traipsing around the mountains myself right now."

Skip's brow furled in concern. Melanie had been right about being able to keep up with him. It wasn't like her to stay on the sidelines. "Are you okay, Honey? Is something wrong?"

Melanie gave him an enigmatic smile. "Nothing really. It's just that I'm pretty sure Peter's going to have to start sharing his crib before too long."

It took a moment for her news to sink in but when it finally registered, he broke into what must have been an idiotic grin and reached out to grab her up into his arms.

"That's wonderful!" he cried and he hugged her tightly. "How come you didn't say anything before?"

She pulled out of his arms, a bit breathless and tucked a stray strand of blonde hair back behind her ear. "I'm not one hundred percent sure," she explained. "I didn't want to say anything until I was positive, but in case I'm right, I don't really want to go mountain climbing."

"Of course not," Skip exclaimed. "I don't need to go either. I'll stay home with you."

Now Melanie laughed. "And do what?" She shook her head and gave him a soft push. "You go keep Harry out of trouble."

Skip sighed. "If you're sure you don't need me?"

"I'm planning to help Sherry decide how to wear her hair," Melanie informed him patiently. "I don't really think you'll be much help with that."

Skip shuddered at the thought of spending the day with a bunch of women discussing wedding plans. Suddenly, the hike up the mountain sounded pretty good.

"All right," he conceded. "I'll go with Harry. Who knows? Maybe we'll come back with a million dollars in gold?"

"Just come back in one piece," Melanie cautioned.

Skip winked his assurance and gave her a quick kiss. "I promise." With that, he galloped down the stairs to find Harry.

He was waiting outside, his patience worn a little thin at the delay. He had put his time to good use however. As Skip approached, Harry held up two knapsacks.

"I scrounged us up some supplies," he announced. "Never hurts to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Skip asked with a laugh. "Ghosts?"

Harry remained silent as they started off. Skip wasn't too concerned. He knew his friend's good humor would return the closer they got to their goal. In the meantime, he had a lot to occupy his thoughts. Melanie's news would keep his mind busy until Harry decided to be sociable once more.

McCall sat at the kitchen table, skimming through the local paper and enjoying the peacefulness of the afternoon. He'd decided his best course of action for the next few days would be to keep as low a profile as possible. The rehearsal for Murphy's wedding was this evening, with a festive dinner following. Since McCall wasn't actually a participant in the ceremony, he'd made arrangements to take Rose into town for a quiet supper. It would be nice for both of them to get away for a while. That wasn't for several more hours at least. Right now, with nearly everyone occupied outside with one activity or another, he'd stayed indoors and opted to catch up on current events.

Of course, living in New York, he was used to being in the center of the nation's, and sometimes the world's, activities. Out here, it was amusing to see what passed for newsworthy items. He scanned through the front page and noted a town council meeting, a scandal involving some local clergy and church funds, as well as a burglary at a nearby liquor store. He nearly turned the page when his eye caught the word "body" and he automatically glanced down to read the article.

It seemed out of place in this rural area, to be reading about a murder. The body of an older man had been found behind a dumpster in a deserted industrial area of Santa Fe. He'd died of a gunshot wound and had been dead for several days, as far as the coroner could determine. McCall wondered why the local paper was reporting murders in Santa Fe, but further along in the article it stated that the man had been identified as Charlie Higgins and had been a resident of Glorieta for the past year.

McCall sighed. It didn't seem like any place was exempt from the violence that was plaguing the country. He turned the page, ready to read about more mundane matters, when he grew aware of a commotion coming from the living room. Curiosity overcame his reticence and he got up to see what was going on. He was not prepared for what he found.

The room was filled with most of the Michaels adults, along with several members of Sherry's family. In the middle of the crowd, Jake stood face to face with a man who appeared to be the county sheriff. They were arguing... or rather Jake was arguing. The sheriff; a tall, leathery man in his late fifties, was standing there, patiently listening. Behind the sheriff was a deputy and several men in suits and sun glasses. McCall nearly laughed, they were so obviously federal agents. He stood in the doorway, trying to hear what was happening.

"You can't come in here... to my house... and tell me where me and my family can go on my own property. I've lived here more than forty years, Frank. Ain't nobody gonna just stick their noses in here and order us around." Jake's face was red with anger.

"Be reasonable, Jake," the sheriff pleaded. The man was obviously in an uncomfortable situation. "They just want a little cooperation is all."

One of the suits stepped forward and removed his glasses. His face was smug and McCall was instantly reminded of the infamous Jason. For an instant, he actually felt himself siding with Jake.

"We're just asking your people to stay off the mountain," the man explained, in a condescending voice that set McCall's teeth on edge. "The military wants to conducts some training exercises up there and we don't want anyone to get hurt."

The man went on, trying to placate Jake, but McCall's eyes narrowed as he listened. He'd heard too many smoothly told lies over too many years not to recognize one when he heard it. Whatever the reason was that the government wanted the family out of the mountains, McCall was certain it had nothing to do with training exercises.

He felt someone standing beside him and he turned to find Lee. He was watching the proceedings intently, his face concerned. McCall could tell at once that Lee recognized the visitors for who they were.

"Friends of yours?" he asked softly.

Lee's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he shook his head. "I thought you might know them," he muttered.

"I'm retired... remember."

"That's why I thought they might be here for you," Lee replied with a scrutinizing look.

McCall shrugged his shoulders. He knew Lee hadn't really understood his reasons for leaving the Company. He was sorry for that. It had put Lee in a tight spot with his own employers for a while. But all that was over now.

"I'm old news, I'm afraid." He laughed softly. "I've settled with the Company."

Lee's eyes grew hard. "Then why are they here?"

McCall studied Lee's expression. "I heard about your little escapade last year," he stated calmly. "We wouldn't by any chance be having a repeat performance?"

Lee scowled at the gentle reproof. "I told you I don't know who they are." His face softened and grew a shade pink. "I made a mistake last year," he admitted reluctantly. "I don't make the same mistakes twice."

McCall nodded his approval, letting Lee know he was willing to drop the subject. He once more turned his attention back to the living room. It looked like the men had finally gotten Jake's grudging cooperation. They were shaking hands and getting ready to leave.

"Now it's only for three days," Jake was saying. "And your men aren't gonna be hanging around my ranch, scaring my stock."

"You won't even know we're around," the head man promised with a smile. "Your government appreciates your understanding and your help."

He was so patronizing, McCall couldn't keep the grimace off his face. He watched the men file out the door, Jake and the sheriff following them out. As soon as they were gone, the living room began to buzz with excited talk. It appeared everyone had taken the visitors at face value. McCall backed away from the doorway and spoke in a more normal voice.

"Well... let's hope we don't hear from those gentlemen again."

Lee didn't looked very relieved. "It still bugs me. Besides, how're we going to keep the kids out of the hills. You know as soon as we tell them to stay put, they're going to find a way to sneak out."

"Are we talking from personal experience?" McCall asked with a smile.

Lee had to laugh, relieving the tension. "Yeah... I guess I caused my share of problems around here."

"Lee?"

McCall and Lee both turned to find Melanie behind them, a worried expression on her face. McCall didn't know Skip's wife very well, though he knew of her. She was a brilliant physicist and had made that unlikely trip to the moon with Skip. Right now though, she looked neither a scientist nor an astronaut. She merely looked concerned.

"What is it?" Lee asked.

"Those men... are they really from the government?"

McCall watched Lee shrug and try to look casual. He did a good job and McCall felt a surge of pride in his young friend.

"That's what they say. I didn't see their ID but I'm sure they showed Jake. Is something wrong, Mel?"

"I heard what they said... about staying off the mountain."

"Yeah... " Lee laughed lightly. "You got any plans to go rock climbing?"

Melanie shook her head. "This could be serious, Lee. I'm worried. Skip and Harry are up on the mountain."

"What?" Lee's spoken question echoed McCall's own mental one. "What are they doing up there?"

Melanie rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Harry got a lead from a friend about a plane wreck. He wanted to go check it out."

Now McCall was curious. "A plane wreck? What kind of plane?"

"Skip said something about an old World War II transport and some gold."

Lee gave a low whistle. McCall felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't a very big believer in coincidence. He wanted to find out more about this plane, but at the moment, Lee was trying to console Melanie.

"Look, I'm sure they'll be fine. The army only told us today so they're probably not actually doing anything up there right now. When Skip comes back, we'll tell him they can't go back."

Melanie looked relieved. "I hadn't thought of that. You're probably right. They'd have to give people some notice, wouldn't they?"

"Of course they would," Lee told her. "I wouldn't worry about anything."

Melanie smiled her gratitude and reached up to give Lee a peck on the cheek. "Thanks. I guess I'm just an old married lady... worried about silly things." She turned to head upstairs.

McCall watched her go. He felt suddenly tired and he took off his glasses to rub distractedly at his eyes.

"You don't think I'm right." It wasn't a question and McCall looked up to meet Lee's anxious eyes.

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "I do want to hear more about that wreck. Let me know the moment Skip returns home, will you?"

Lee nodded slowly, then moved off towards the stairs, presumably to find Amanda and let her know what was going on. McCall watched him go. He'd only been half-serious when he'd kidded Lee about a repeat of last year. He certainly hoped they would still be able to joke about it after the next few days.

Harry was certainly glad he hadn't tried this hike alone. Skip had been right. The trail, or what passed for it, was indeed treacherous. He wondered how Charlie could've possibly gotten up here on his own. Besides being steep, heavily overgrown with thick brush, and laced with switchbacks that sometimes angled at nearly forty-five degrees, there were also places where the path snaked alongside the edge of the mountain. More than a few times, he and Skip had to slowly inch their way forward, hanging onto whatever they could to keep from losing their balance and falling over the side.

After several grueling hours, they'd finally reached a clearing and they both flopped down for a well-deserved breather. Harry sat with his head hanging between his knees, trying to slow his labored breathing. He was too old for this kind of exertion. He probably deserved an "I told you so" from Skip but he knew it wouldn't come. That wasn't in Skip's nature. He glanced over to where his companion lay sprawled on his back, one arm flung over his face. Harry felt a little better, seeing that the trek had taken it's toll on Skip as well.

"I guess we're both a little outta shape," he gasped out breathlessly.

Skip groaned loudly. "All I know is, there better be a helluva lot of gold in that plane."

Harry laughed and took a long drink from his canteen. Besides the aches and pains from the hike, he knew he'd also have to deal with added misery from the horseback ride to the base of the mountain. He rubbed at his tired legs and pulled out the map. It was hard to tell exactly how far they'd come.

"It shouldn't be too much farther," Skip declared as he sat up and held out his hand for the canteen. "We're nearly to the top already."

Harry glanced up the trail then back down at Charlie's crude drawing. "Should be just over the next rise," he concluded. "From the looks of this map, we're right about to the end."

Skip had been rummaging through his pack. He pulled out a candy bar and tore off the wrapper with delight. "Sure beats all that dehydrated junk we had to eat at NASA." He glanced over at Harry and grinned. "You wanna take a guess at how much Tang we had to drink." He made a disgusted face, then took a big bite of the Snickers. "More than any human should have to ingest," he mumbled.

Harry chuckled at Skip's levity. He knew how much his friend had loved working in the space program. Even after all these years, his nonchalance and humor couldn't hide how much it had hurt Skip to have to leave NASA. Harry was glad he'd been able to help him realize some of the dreams he'd thought lost forever.

He sighed and noticed his breathing had returned to normal. It was time to move on. He restopped the canteen and got slowly to his feet.

"Why don't we see what's at the end of this path?"

Skip nodded. "Let's go."

They started up the trail again, Skip leading the way. It didn't seem quite so rough as before. In fact, it was almost level, which made Harry's over taxed muscles happy. Skip had quickened the pace and Harry had no trouble keeping up with him.

Abruptly though, Skip stopped and Harry nearly ran into him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"This is it," Skip announced. "The trail ends here."

"That can't be." Harry moved up to stand beside his friend. He was right. The trail, which had been skimpy at best, ended without warning at the base of a sheer rock face. Harry let his eyes travel the height of the cliff. It had to be at least fifty feet. "There's no way ol' Charlie ever climbed that," he observed.

"What do we do now?" Skip asked.

"We look around," Harry informed him. "That plane's gotta be here somewhere."

Skip looked skeptical but he didn't say anything. Harry moved off the trail a little way, scanning the surrounding foliage.

"I knew I should've brought my machete," Skip called as he too tried to clear a way into the dense growth. "If a plane did go down around here, it's no wonder nobody ever found it."

"Charlie did," Harry insisted.

He forced his way through a stand of trees, getting slapped in the face several times with sharp needles and twigs. He didn't seem to be making any headway at all. Each time he pushed aside one limb, he was met by another. He was just about ready to call it quits, when he tripped over a tangle of roots and lost his footing. He fell a few feet and couldn't keep back the groan as he landed with a jarring thud. Even as he did so, he wondered why the grassy ground wasn't any softer.

"Harry! You okay?"

He could hear Skip shouting from a few yards back. He sat up slowly, holding his aching shoulder. As he glanced around, he realized he'd fallen into a small ravine.

"Harry!"

"Down here!" he called back.

"Hold on. I'm coming." The sound of snapping branches told him Skip was headed in the right direction.

"Watch where you're walking," he warned loudly. "That first step is a big one."

Shortly Skip appeared on the edge of the ravine. Relief at finding him alive and well was evident on his face but true to form, a smile soon appeared.

"What're you doing down there, Harry?" Skip laughed. "I thought we wanted to go up the mountain."

Harry started to reply but paused. His hands were braced on the ground below him... the moss and grass that had seemed so hard to land on. Tentatively, he pulled at the damp greenery and then a smile started on his own lips.

"Why don'tcha come on down," he invited. "I think I found our plane."

"No joke?" Skip sounded as excited as Harry felt. "Hang on. I'll be right there."

As Skip scrambled down the steep hill, Harry got to his knees and began pulling up grass in earnest. It wasn't long before he'd cleared a large patch, revealing the dull grey metal underneath.

"Whooo-eee!" he hollered joyously. "Good ol' Charlie." He glanced up as Skip finally made it to where he was. Harry stood up. His weary body protested the movement but he ignored it. "C'mon. Let's find the rest of her."

"The picture showed the nose," Skip reminded him. "She can't all be buried."

They started slowly, getting their bearings. Because the blanket of moss was so heavy, neither one of them was sure of the footing. All they needed was for someone to step into a hole and twist an ankle or worse, break a leg. It wasn't long however, before they found larger pieces. Encouraged, they kept at it, wandering all up and down the ravine in their search.

Harry was bent down inspecting what looked like part of the wing, when farther down, Skip suddenly let out a triumphant holler.

"Over here, Harry! Over here!"

Excitement building, Harry hurried over to where Skip stood, hands outstretched, leaning against what, at first glance, appeared to be a wall of green. As he got closer he could make out the section of the nose, just as it appeared in Charlie's photograph. He walked up to the damaged craft and ran his fingers over the lettering.

"The Sleeping Beauty," he whispered reverently.

"And she's mostly in one piece," Skip informed him. "Looks like she lost her wings and tail but the rest of her slid in here like a rocket."

They stood in silence for a long moment, merely regarding their find with satisfaction. Then Harry smiled at Skip.

"Let's go see what the big mystery is."

Skip gave him a toothy grin. "After you, Mr. Broderick."

"Thank you, Mr. Carmichael."

This was the moment that was always the best part of any salvage operation; when they'd found what they were looking for and all that remained was to look inside. To Harry, it had always been like finding a treasure chest. There was always that moment before you opened the lid, when you dreamed of what you'd find. Sometimes you were disappointed but it never mattered. It was the search itself that held all the excitement.

It took only a moment to locate an opening into the fuselage. It was near the bottom, so Harry had to get down on all fours and climb in from the floor. Once inside, he ducked his head back out.

"Better get the flashlight," he advised Skip. "All this stuff growing on it makes it pretty dark in here."

Skip trotted back to where they'd left their packs and returned quickly with their things. He handed Harry the light. Harry took it, climbed back inside and did a quick once over of the interior. By the time Skip climbed in, it was evident there wasn't any gold shipment on board.

"She's pretty empty," Skip observed.

"Yeah... just a few boxes down here." He shuffled toward the front of the plane.

"Unless your buddy, Charlie already got it all," Skip suggested.

Harry shook his head. "Naw. He wouldn't have sent all the stuff if he'd taken everything."

Skip came up to stand beside him. "Why did he send you the stuff?" he asked curiously. "Aren't you guys sort of in competition with each other. I mean... why not just keep this to himself?"

Listening to Skip, Harry realized he'd been wondering the same thing himself. It had been a nagging sort of thing in the back of his mind but he'd been so involved with finding the plane, he hadn't let himself worry about it too much.

"I don't know for sure," he answered slowly. "I tried to call him a couple of times after I got the package but I never got a hold of him."

Skip was silent for a moment but then he shrugged it off. "Well... let's see what's in these babies anyway."

They knelt down beside two rusted metal storage boxes. It wasn't hard to break the locks. Time had done most of the work for them. Harry lifted the lid back and aimed the beam inside.

"Paper?" Skip sounded disgusted. "We came all the way up here for a bunch of papers?"

Harry reached inside and lifted out a slightly mildewed file folder. The beam from the flashlight illuminated the faded pink lettering across it.

"Classified," Harry read out loud. He thumbed through the rest of the contents. "Looks like a bunch of top secret documents."

"Top secret, hmmm." Skip reached in to pick up another stack and thumb through it. "Maybe we shouldn't be poking our noses into this stuff."

It was hard to make anything out in the poor lighting and with the faded writing. Harry lay the folder back down into the box.

"We won't know what's in these unless we get them outside." He reached out to pick up the box but stopped as Skip's hand came down on his arm.

"Don't you think we ought to leave this right where it is?" he asked apprehensively.

"C'mon, Skip," Harry scoffed. "This junk's more'n fifty years old. How classified can it be anymore?"

"We're talking about the U.S. government," Skip pointed out. "You know as well as I do how sticky they can get about things like this."

Harry grinned. "When did we ever let the government stop us?" he reminded his younger partner. "I think we ought to at least see what we've got here."

Skip looked unconvinced. "Harry, look... I know these papers are old, but this has to do with the military. I just think we should wait... at least until we get somebody's opinion."

Harry gave Skip a curious look. He'd never known his friend to be so hesitant before. Usually Skip was the first to go after something. "Skip, you know what'll happen if we call up somebody official. They'll move right in and take everything before we ever get a chance at it."

"A chance at what?" Skip asked, a touch of exasperation in his voice. "It's just a bunch of documents. There won't be any salvage value here."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "How long have we worked together?" he asked rhetorically. "We're sittin' in the salvage. This plane's worth somethin', and we found it. That gives us the rights to it."

"Okay, okay." Skip shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "But do me one favor... Let's go down... find Lee or McCall and tell them about all this. Maybe they can figure out what's in these files... tell us if it's okay to be snooping around."

Harry was silent a moment, considering the proposal. At last he nodded his agreement, but he wasn't about to let this prize out of his sight.

"All right... We'll do it your way. There's only one problem."

"What's that?" Skip asked suspiciously.

"I don't think I'm gonna make another trip up here." He rubbed at his legs self-consciously. "You were right," he admitted. "It was a pretty rough hike. If I go down, I'm not so sure I'd get back up here."

"So what are you saying?" Skip's face had grown concerned.

"I'm gonna stay up here tonight... keep an eye on things."

"Harry, that's crazy!" Skip exclaimed. "You can't stay up here all alone."

"I'll be fine," he assured him calmly. "I still have enough of our supplies and I heard a creek nearby, so there'll be water."

"But it gets cold up here at night," Skip argued.

Harry reached into his knapsack and pulled out a blanket. "I'll be warm enough. I'll stay in here. That oughta keep most of the cold out."

Skip was shaking his head. "No way, Harry. I'm not letting you spend the night up here without..."

"Skip..." Harry interrupted patiently. "Listen to me for a minute." He waited for Skip to calm down, then he continued. "Look... to be honest... I don't think I could make the trip down right now. Coming up here took a lot out of me and going down's gonna be even worse than coming up. I hate to admit it, but I'm not so young anymore. I need to rest for a while before I try any more hiking."

He felt a little bit of guilt at the worry he'd brought to Skip's face, but he knew he wasn't stretching the truth all that much. The hike really had taken its toll. He was feeling every one of his sixty-two years.

Skip finally nodded reluctant agreement. "Okay, Harry. Mel's gonna kill me, but you win. By the time I get back down, it'll be too late to come up again. I sure wouldn't want to try that trail in the dark." He reached over and grabbed Harry's arm. "You stay put though. I'm gonna be worried enough about you just being up here without thinking you're off exploring or anything."

Harry smiled warmly. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

Skip sighed. "I'll be back up here first thing in the morning. I'll probably bring Lee with me so he can take a look at those papers." He paused and Harry knew he wasn't happy with the situation.

"You better get going," Harry advised kindly. "You're probably already late for some of the wedding shindig."

Skip clapped a hand to his forehead. "Damn... the wedding. I'd almost forgotten. It's not till tomorrow evening, so we should have time to get up here and back." He rose to his feet and headed toward the exit. "Remember, don't wander off."

"I won't," Harry repeated emphatically. "You take care on that trail."

"I will. Be back in the morning."

With that, Skip disappeared out the small hole and Harry was left alone in the dimly lit plane. It was liable to be a long, cold night but Harry didn't really care. He would have lots of reading to keep him occupied.

The sun had dipped low on the horizon, taking with it most of the warmth of the day. The cool breeze that wafted in through the open bunkhouse window served as a grim reminder of just how late it was getting.

McCall had been at the window for some time now, since it offered the best vantage point to look for Skip and Harry. They would certainly have to return this way and McCall wanted to know the minute they showed up.

He glanced over at Lee, who sat across from him, binoculars trained on the open meadow. They'd both been here for several hours, with Melanie and Amanda keeping them posted on what, if anything, was happening in the house. Thus far, all had been quiet but McCall had already spotted two supposedly hidden surveillance units out among the trees. He and Lee weren't the only ones interested in watching people's comings and goings. He glanced down at his watch and frowned. It was nearly five o'clock.

"They should be back any time," Lee assured him and McCall glanced up. "Skip wouldn't stay on the mountain after dark."

McCall felt a smile play on his lips as a distant memory suddenly rushed to his mind. He could see clearly four young boys who'd ventured up the mountain in the middle of the night and had paid for their recklessness.

"No, I suppose he wouldn't," he agreed.

Lee raised a quizzical eyebrow, then smiled as he picked up on McCall's nostalgic reminder. "That was a long time ago, wasn't it?" He turned back to the window hastily, as if the memory was uncomfortable.

McCall didn't say anything. He knew how uneasy Lee was with family ties and emotions. He'd been as surprised as anyone when he heard Lee was coming back for this year's reunion. Of course, Murphy's wedding provided a convenient excuse, but McCall was certain there was more to it that merely seeing his cousin married. The fact that he'd brought Amanda and her boys with him this time wasn't lost on him either, but there were other more pressing matters to deal with right now. He raised his own glasses back to his eyes to scan the horizon once more.

The door to the bunkhouse creaked open and McCall turned to see Melanie. She came over to where they'd set up their observation post and sat down on the nearest bunk.

"Anything yet?" she asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Lee answered then turned to give her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. He'll be here."

"I'm worried about both of them," Melanie stated. "Skip said the trail was pretty rough and I'm afraid Harry's getting a little old for that kind of exertion."

"Then why on earth didn't he ask some of us to go with them?" Lee asked, his voice sounding plainly irritated with his cousin.

Melanie laughed kindly. "You don't know salvage operations, Lee," she informed him. "The last thing Skip and Harry would want is a whole lot of people nosing around whatever it is they find up there."

Lee shook his head in exasperation. "I liked it better when he was an astronaut," he grumbled.

Melanie's face grew solemn. "So did he."

Lee had the grace to look embarrassed as he reached over to squeeze Melanie's hand. "Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "Guess I'm worried too."

As McCall watched them, he was glad to see that Lee had obviously renewed his relationship with his cousins. He knew that for the last few years, Lee had kept his distance, using his job as an agent as a reason for staying away. McCall knew that scenario well and was pleased that Lee seemed to have realized what a mistake that was, a lot sooner than McCall had.

"There he is," Lee announced suddenly and McCall glanced up to see Lee had once more returned to his binoculars.

He looked through his and after a moment, found the distant figure on horseback.

"Let me see." Melanie moved over to the window and Lee handed her his glasses. She held them up to her eyes. "I see him but... where's Harry?"

McCall frowned. He had noticed that as well. Skip was not only alone, but had a riderless horse on a lead rein.

"I have to go to him." Melanie had risen and was about to leave but McCall stopped her with a firm hand on her arm.

"You can't go running out there or our friends will wonder what we're up to."

"But something's wrong!" Melanie insisted.

"Perhaps," McCall agreed but continued reasonably, "but we need to wait for Skip to come in on his own. We've waited this long, a few more minutes won't hurt."

Melanie didn't look convinced.

"He's right, Mel," Lee joined in. "Right now those guys out there are busy looking for anything unusual going on. Let Skip come in by himself. Otherwise, they'll know something's up."

Melanie considered his words. "Can we at least meet him at the barn?" she asked.

Lee glanced over at McCall for his opinion. McCall nodded. "You go on over to the barn and meet Skip. I don't want us all charging out there. Bring him in here as soon as you can."

Melanie turned to race out the door.

"Slowly," McCall cautioned. She smiled at him and closed the door with very deliberate movements.

McCall turned back to the window. He could see Skip unaided now. He was coming in across the pasture. So far, none of his hidden observers had made a move to stop him.

"I think they're more interested in people leaving," Lee stated. "They probably weren't even looking for anybody coming in."

"I'm sure you're right," McCall agreed. "But they'll surely report his arrival and it won't take long before somebody starts wondering what he was doing."

Lee fell silent and they both watched Skip as he finally reached the barn and slowly dismounted. Even from this distance, he looked tired. Melanie had come out to greet him and the hug she gave him nearly knocked him off his feet.

"It must've been pretty tough," Lee observed.

McCall remained silent, content to wait until Skip showed up to give them an accounting.

It took fifteen or twenty minutes to get both the horses taken care of, but at last Skip and Melanie arrived at the bunkhouse. They both came over and sat down on the bunk Melanie had previously occupied. McCall could see Skip's hands and face were covered with scrapes and abrasions. His clothing was filthy and torn in a few places. He tried to smile but to McCall it seemed a great effort.

"You want to tell us what in the hell... " Lee began but McCall held up a hand to stop him.

"We're not here for interrogations," he advised them calmly. "Did Melanie fill you in on what's been going on?" he asked Skip.

Skip shrugged wearily. "She said there's some government guys hangin' around."

McCall nodded. "Yes, there most certainly are." He gestured outside. "A few of them right out there. They watched you come in."

Skip raised his eyebrows. "On our property?"

Lee nodded. "They don't want anybody wandering around the hills for a few days... they say they're doing some training exercises."

Skip blinked at them incredulously. "You think they're telling the truth?" he asked.

"Yeah, right," Lee voiced his opinion. "Out of the whole country, they really need to come all the way to our little mountain to do training."

McCall sighed. He knew Lee was indignant at the whole affair and impatient to do something about it. He could remember a time when he would have felt that same way. Fortunately he was old enough now to know that more often than not, patience and timing were more effective weapons.

"Skip," he began, "where's Harry?"

Skip's mouth tightened. "I had to leave him up on the hill." He glanced over at Melanie, who didn't look at all happy. "The hike up took all he had. He wasn't gonna make it back down tonight."

"So he just left him up there?" Melanie added in irritation.

"He had supplies," Skip explained, more than a little defensive. McCall could tell leaving Harry hadn't been to Skip's liking. "There was no way he could've hiked back down that trail again. I told him we'd come back up in the morning and get him."

"We?" Lee asked suspiciously.

Skip grinned, more like his old self. "Yeah... you and me. I need your professional opinion."

"About what?"

Skip's face took on a sly look. "Oh... Harry and me... we happened to find an old plane from World War II, that's all. It crashed up in the mountains."

Lee narrowed his eyes. "Just an old plane wreck?" he asked.

Skip nodded. "That... and the top secret papers we found inside," he informed his cousin with a wink.

McCall leaned forward. "Papers?"

"But I thought it was supposed to be carrying gold," Lee added.

Skip shrugged. "That was the rumor, but all Harry and I found were a couple of boxes filled with all kinds of classified documents. 'Course, who knows how classified they still are. That's why I wanted you to look at them... tell me if we should even be poking around in them."

As Skip continued his story, McCall glanced back out the window, his thoughts racing. He wasn't a big believer in coincidence. The fact that Harry had come here to find the plane at the same time the government sent men in to keep them out of the mountains, was setting off warning bells in his head. He interrupted Skip's harrowing tale of the trip up the mountain.

"Skip... does Harry have the box of information with him or is it still here?"

Skip shook his head. "I'm not sure how much he took with him. I know he has the map and some of the photos. Why?"

McCall took off his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. He didn't want to be an alarmist but he was afraid they were in deeper than they'd imagined.

"I'd like to see what exactly Harry was sent... see if our watchdogs out there might possibly be looking for the same thing you were."

"Sure," Skip agreed. "I'll take a look and see what he left here."

Now Melanie leaned forward in concern. "Do you think we ought to go get Harry tonight?" she asked.

McCall shook his head. "You'll only call attention to yourselves if you go out again... especially after dark."

"But if they're looking for the wreck too..."

"I don't think they know where it is yet," McCall assured her. "They didn't know Skip and Harry were up there so they didn't follow them. There's no way they'll find Harry this evening."

"Besides," Skip added. "Nobody would ever get up that trail in the dark. They'd kill themselves for sure."

"We'll go first thing in the morning," Lee offered. "Maybe we can get a jump on those goons out there."

McCall nodded. "I'm sure nothing will happen right away. It would be best to go about your business. Isn't there a rehearsal or something very shortly?"

Skip rolled his eyes. "Of course there is. I guess I better get cleaned up." He got up off the bunk stiffly, Melanie by his side to help support him if he needed it. "If I fall asleep during something important, I expect somebody to prop me up."

Melanie helped him towards the bathroom, making sure he was all right, then she left the bunkhouse to see to herself and the kids. McCall caught Lee staring back out into the darkening landscape.

"You should be getting ready as well," he reminded him.

Lee looked hesitant. "I know." He turned to meet McCall's gaze. "What're your plans?"

McCall smiled. "Rose and I were going into town for supper." When Lee gave him a grin, he laughed. "Don't leer at me, my boy. You know Rose and I have been friends for years. Besides, I thought it best if we weren't underfoot this evening."

"Murphy'd love to have you at the rehearsal," Lee protested.

"I know that," McCall acknowledged. "It's not Murphy I'm concerned about."

Lee smiled ruefully. "Oh... yeah, well I guess it's not easy to be around some people."

McCall chuckled at Lee's diplomatic terms. "You go ahead and get ready. I'll keep watch here till I need to go. I really don't think we have anything to worry about yet."

Lee slowly pulled his binoculars over his head and lay them on the sill. He stood up but seemed reluctant to leave. McCall watched him fidget with the blanket on the bunk for a moment and he wondered what could possibly be on his young friend's mind.

"McCall..." Lee began awkwardly. He glanced up for a moment but couldn't hold McCall's gaze. "McCall... about Amanda."

It took all McCall's control not to smile at Lee's discomfort. Whatever it was he wanted to say, he was certainly having difficulty getting the words out.

"Yes, Lee," McCall replied, waiting for further enlightenment.

"Well... I just wanted you to know... for the record that is... we're just friends, that's all. I know everybody around here's trying to read a whole lot more into it but I mean it... we're just friends."

McCall somehow kept his face straight. He wondered if Lee was even aware that bringing this up out of the blue, especially during the present crisis, told McCall much more than any words Lee could say. He refrained from pointing that out, however. Lee would most likely realize sooner or later what his true feelings were. In the meantime, McCall would at least grant him his dignity.

"Of course, Lee," he replied evenly. "I understand completely."

Lee looked relieved. "I just wanted to make sure." His face was slowly losing the red flush it had taken on. "I guess I better get on the ball. I don't want to be late and have Uncle Jake mad at me."

He left the bunkhouse hastily and McCall at last let go the kindly laugh that had been building inside.

Skip stood in his place in line, still a little tired, but on the whole recovered from his day of hiking. Melanie had been concerned about some of his deeper cuts and scratches so he'd had to bear through Rose's painful ministrations as she doused them with stinging antiseptics. Having her tell him her regular pediatric patients never yelped as much as he did, didn't help him feel any better and he'd been glad when it was over. He knew he'd feel his aches and pains worse in the morning, but for now he was content to be part of the festivities.

He and Andy, along with Jeffers and Allie were Murphy's groomsmen. Lee was the best man. They were all standing here in the living room, along with the local pastor, waiting for the women to come downstairs. The rest of the family, with not much to do at the moment, were all milling about, waiting for everything to be done so they could start the dinner. Murphy was nervously pacing in front of the fireplace and Skip had to work at not grinning at his cousin. He remembered very well how he felt himself a couple of years ago and was glad he wasn't going through it again.

"What's taking them so long," Murphy complained with a glance up at the stairs. "This isn't even the real thing yet."

"Don't fret, Murph," Skip consoled the fidgeting groom to be. "You know women... they revel in this kind of thing."

"I still can't believe you're actually going through with this," Andy marveled. He sat down on the big, brick hearth and ran a hand through his mop of blond hair. "I guess that just leaves me and Lee to carry the torch of bachelorhood."

"Hey," Allie protested indignantly. "You're not the only single guys left in the family. There's me and Jeffers and Scott and Nicky. You don't see any of us ready to settle down yet, do you?"

"Aw, you're all just kids," Andy scoffed with a laugh. "I'm talking the old guard here."

Lee frowned at him. "Watch who you're calling old, Cuz," he muttered.

"Besides," Jeffers added with a grin, "by this time next year, old Lee here might just be saying 'I do'."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Lee asked indignantly. "I swear, everybody in this family has their imaginations working overtime."

Skip chuckled to himself as Lee continued his vehement protests and Murphy continued his restless pacing. He resisted the urge to remind Lee about the man who protests too much. He didn't suppose that sentiment would be appreciated at the moment. He could also see that all Murphy's nervous energy wasn't doing his bad leg any good. His limp had been hardly noticeable when they'd first arrived but now, with all the pacing, Skip could see it was starting up again. But he kept his thoughts to himself. His cousins were adults and able to look out for themselves.

For himself, he was glad to be married and out of that hectic, lonely rat race called single living. All the jitters and cases of nerves were well worth going through. His heart warmed as he thought of Melanie and Michelle and Peter... and Harry, of course. Harry was an integral part of their family. At once, he conjured up an image of poor Harry, alone and cold up on the mountain. He had to push those kind of pictures from his mind. McCall and Lee both had assured him nothing would happen.

Andy and Allie were both still discussing some of the finer points of being unattached when Skip heard a knock at the front door. He wondered who it might be since everybody in the family was already here. It didn't take long to satisfy his curiosity. After a few moments, Uncle Jake entered the room, leading the sheriff and two men in suits. Skip's heart thumped hard in his chest. These must be some of the Feds Lee had been talking about.

"Boys," Uncle Jake began in his most annoyed tone of voice. "Frank, needs to talk to you."

"In private, Jake," the Sheriff clarified apologetically. "And actually, just to Skip."

Skip's mouth went dry as he watched Jake throw up his hands and storm out of the room. The pastor cleared his throat and excused himself as well.

"The rest of you boys will have to leave too," the weathered peace officer insisted, his leathery face lined with concern.

Skip felt Jeffers and Allie step up beside him and silently thanked his brothers for the gesture of support. It was Lee though, who spoke up.

"You want to tell us what this is all about?" he asked evenly.

To Skip, his cousin's voice reminded him of how McCall used to sound when they were kids.

"I'm afraid that's confidential," one of the Feds explained. "We need to take him into town for some questioning."

Lee shook his head. "Not without a reason," he stated, "and not without some company."

The Fed met Lee's gaze for a moment, his face indecisive, then he smiled and held up his hands. "We're not accusing him of anything, gentlemen. We heard he was up in the mountains and we want to know what he might have seen up there."

"What's so special that he could have seen?"

Murphy asked, his voice nearly as pointed as Lee's.

"Nothing, nothing," the Fed assured them. "It's just a security precaution. We are training up there. We want to make sure our men are doing their job right, that's all."

There was silence all around for a moment. Skip glanced over at Lee for a cue on how to proceed. He could tell Lee was thinking furiously. He finally gave Skip a slight nod. Skip swallowed hard and faced the sheriff.

"I guess I'll go with you," he agreed reluctantly.

"That's great, Skip." The sheriff looked relieved that they hadn't fought him on the issue. "You can ride with me and..."

"We'll take him with us," the Fed interrupted smoothly. "We'll meet you downtown."

Skip's pulse beat fast and furious but he started after the agents. Then Lee spoke up again.

"I hope you brought a big car," he said amiably. "I'm going with you."

Skip felt so much relief wash through him, he could have kissed Lee on the spot.

"Now wait a minute," the Fed protested. "I said only Mr. Carmichael, here."

"You said you wanted to talk to him about being up on the mountain."

"Yeah, that's right. What of it?"

Lee smiled innocently. "I was up there too. We went together."

Skip almost laughed at the look on the agent's face. He couldn't very well contradict Lee without revealing they'd been spying.

"Well... " the man sputtered. "I suppose you'll have to come along as well."

"Me too," Murphy stepped forward. "I went with them."

"And me," Andy added with a grin. "We all went. Frank here knows us," he said with a big grin. "He'll tell ya. We just can't stay out of the hills."

The agent was no longer merely indignant; he was obviously growing angry. Skip knew what was coming next and he elbowed both his brothers before they could open their mouths to volunteer.

"Stay here," he whispered fiercely. "I'll be all right."

They looked ready to argue but there wasn't time. The Fed had made up his mind.

"All right, gentlemen, if that's how you want to play it." He gave them a tight smile, one that looked dangerous. "You can all accompany us." He motioned for them to precede him out of the room.

Skip turned to Jeffers. "Tell Mel not to worry. I'll be fine. We'll probably be back in a few hours." He looked over at Murphy. "I'd like to know what you were thinking. You need to be here."

Murphy shook his head. "No way. Sherry will understand. Besides," he smiled, "this is only a rehearsal. It's tomorrow that counts."

Skip sighed and they started forward. He felt better about the situation since he wasn't going alone, but that feeling was short lived. Just before they left he heard Lee whisper fierce instructions to Jeffers and Allie.

"Tell Amanda to stay put, I mean it. And be sure to tell McCall what happened."

One of the feds pushed Lee to move him along. With that they fell silent and headed out of the house. The last thing Skip saw before he walked out the door was his mother's worried face. He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile, then followed Lee outside. He did cast one last look up at the second floor window where Melanie was still busy helping Sherry. He wished he could have at least seen her before he left.

"All right," the man in charge stopped them, "one of you will have to ride with the sheriff."

Skip felt an irresistible urge to volunteer but then decided that these guys probably had no sense of humor and remained silent.

"I'll go," Andy offered.

The Fed nodded. "The rest of you in here." He opened the back door of the dark unmarked sedan.

Murphy climbed in first and Skip slid in after him. Before Lee got in as well, Skip heard him murmur a few words to Andy, warning him not to let them out of their sight. It didn't do much to bolster his confidence. When Lee got in and shut the door, the two agents climbed into the front seat and they started down the long driveway. It wasn't a long trip down the mountain into the little town of Glorieta, but sandwiched between Lee and Murphy, Skip was glad he was shorter than either of his long legged cousins. The ride probably wasn't going to be very comfortable for them.

They rode in silence for the fifteen or twenty minutes it took, though to Skip, it seemed a whole lot more time had passed than that. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going to happen. He knew he hadn't actually done anything wrong, but he had an active enough imagination to worry. That, plus the stony expression on Lee's face, kept visions of cold interrogation rooms and long sessions of torture flashing through his mind. Fortunately he didn't have long to ponder his fate. Before long, they pulled up into the parking lot of the small building that passed as the sheriff's office and the town jail. As they climbed out of the car, Skip was glad to see Andy and the sheriff were still with them. What he didn't like was the rest of the agents that were waiting to greet them. There were six or seven of them standing around silently. Skip caught Lee's eye and raised a questioning eyebrow but his cousin merely shook his head slightly. Skip wondered anxiously if that meant he wasn't supposed worry or if Lee didn't know what to make of the situation.

They were herded inside and down an empty corridor. The only sound was the loud echo of their footsteps. Skip wondered briefly where all the people were but then remembered what time it was. Of course, it was after hours. Anybody else who worked here had no doubt gone home for the day. Skip didn't like the stillness. It was too quiet. Finally though, they reached a conference room and the agent in charge opened the door, waving them inside.

Andy entered first, then Murphy. As Skip made to follow his cousins, he felt a heavy hand come down on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks and pulling him away from the door.

"Stay put," a voice ordered harshly in his ear.

Skip probably would have called out, but in the brief moment it took his brain to register what was going on... that these men wanted him separated from the others, he saw Lee turn back to glance at him. His cousin's trained senses told him immediately what was happening. Instantly Lee rammed up against the man nearest him, knocking him off his feet. Skip took his cue and jabbed a sharp elbow into the ribs of the man who was holding him. Much to his chagrin, it had little effect and he was rewarded for his efforts by a stunning blow to his midsection that doubled him over and left him gasping painfully for breath.

The commotion was enough however, to alert Murphy and Andy to trouble. When Skip could see clearly again, he realized there was a full fledged brawl going on. Lee was a whirlwind of fists and feet, handling two or three of the men on his own. Andy and Murphy were both giving a good account of themselves as well, though they were still hopelessly outnumbered. Skip steeled himself, drew a deep, painful breath and plunged into the melee.

It could only end one way. They were too few, against professionally trained agents. One by one they were overpowered, while the poor sheriff stood by, not knowing which side to help. Skip thought he had been sore from the hike but that was nothing compared to the way he felt now as he took punch after punch to the jaw, face and stomach. He managed to get in a few good blows but he was no match for the man he was fighting. He thought he knew how a punching bag must feel as the agent landed one last right cross, followed by another blow to the abdomen for good measure. Unable to catch his breath and with his head reeling, Skip fell to the ground, unable to rise.

He watched the rest of the fight from a distorted angle, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps; his cheek pressed against the cool linoleum floor. His vision was blurred and his ears were ringing but he could see clear enough to watch Andy take a hard right that sent him sprawling, while Murphy crumpled in pain after a vicious kick to his bad leg. Lee went down last and it took three of them to do it, finally tackling him by their sheer weight against him. Skip closed his eyes to the fiasco and wondered absently what would happen now that they'd managed to tick off the U.S. government.

It had been a pleasant evening. McCall had to admit, he'd had little enough of those recently. But he always enjoyed spending time with Rose, and the trip into Santa Fe for dinner had allowed them to catch up on each other's lives. He felt a pang of guilt for not being completely honest with her about his current activities but it wasn't really the sort of thing he could discuss openly. He hadn't even told Scott yet. Control knew of course, and those few free lancers whose help he'd enlisted. But he hadn't yet broached the subject to anyone outside of the business.

Apart from that one drawback, he'd had a good time. They'd found a small cafe that had, of all things, a sushi bar. They shared a good laugh over that and while they ate, he'd listened intently as Rose filled him in on what she and Nicky had been doing. Rose was a thoroughly captivating storyteller. She entertained him with the latest escapades of her sisters and her patients. Even her recollections of the brief time they'd been related held his interest without any of the painful memories he usually experienced when going over the past.

The evening had flown by and before they realized it, it was nearly ten o'clock. They'd sat talking over coffee and cheesecake for nearly three hours. McCall paid the bill, left a generous tip and took Rose's arm to walk out to the car. The night was cool and there was a gentle breeze stirring. It was just enough to lift Rose's long, dark hair lightly off her shoulders. McCall felt a foolish impulse to reach out and touch that silkiness but he resisted. They'd been friends for too long to risk their relationship because of a flight of fancy, probably rising out of the jumble his life had been lately. Instead, he settled for studying her face, lovely in the moonlight.

As if sensing his eyes upon her, Rose turned to look up at him and smile.

"Thanks for dinner, Robert, it was great. I guess I don't get out as often as I should." She laughed a little self-consciously. "I just sounded exactly like my dad. He's always telling me that."

"He's right," McCall agreed with a smile. "You work too hard. You need time for yourself. You're still a young woman, Rose. You should have a life."

Rose stopped and gave him an inscrutable look. "You mean a love life?"

McCall suddenly felt awkward. He hadn't meant to get so personal, especially in light of what he'd been feeling only a moment ago. He cleared his throat.

"Well... I didn't exactly..."

"Oh, Robert," Rose laughed kindly, "I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just that I hear it all the time from my sisters. They mean well, but..." She shrugged and trailed off.

McCall let his hand slide down her arm and laced his fingers through hers. He squeezed her hand affectionately. He knew how much she'd been in love with Jake Michaels. He couldn't count the number of times he'd seen the two of them together and wished that same closeness for Kay and himself. He didn't suppose it would be easy to find a replacement for that kind of relationship.

"You live your life the way you want," he advised her with a smile. "Don't let any of us busybodies tell you what you should do."

Rose smiled and leaned against him. "That's what I like about you, Robert. You never push. You let me be myself and go my own way."

McCall sighed. "That's what we all have to do," he breathed. "I just wish Scott could understand that."

"He will in time," Rose declared so confidently that McCall raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"I didn't know you were clairvoyant," he joked, then narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion, "or do you know something I don't?"

"I'm serious, Robert," Rose protested. "Scott's spent a lot of time at our house over the years. A lot of his attitude is because of Kay, you know."

McCall nodded grimly. "How well I know that."

Now it was Rose's turn to give his hand an encouraging squeeze. "Well cheer up then," she instructed. "Scott's changed a lot the last few years. He's growing up. I think he's finally beginning to see both sides of the situation."

McCall sighed. "You're right, I know," he admitted. "We did manage to make this trip together without killing each other. We still have a long way to go though."

They reached the car and as he opened the door for her, Rose gave him a hopeful smile. "You'll get there," she stated. "I have faith... in both of you." She reached up to kiss his cheek, then ducked down to climb into the car.

McCall closed the door after her, thinking on her words as he walked around to the driver's side. He certainly hoped she was right. He carried that thoughtful mood with him during the ride home. As if sensing his need to think, Rose remained quiet as well, letting the soft music of the radio fill the silence between them.

It seemed to take no time at all to make the drive back to the ranch. As they pulled up into the driveway, McCall noted all the lights ablaze in the large, sprawling house. He glanced down at his watch. It was ten-thirty.

"I guess the party's still going on," he observed.

He got out of the car, moved around to get Rose's door and was just about to open it when the front door banged open and someone called his name.

"McCall!"

There was an urgency in the voice that caused McCall to stop. He squinted in the glare from the porch light until the two figures he could see striding his way came close enough for him to identify. It was Jeffers and Allie... Skip's brothers... and before he could even see the fear and worry in their young faces, McCall knew that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Where's Skip? What's happened?" Even as he snapped out his questions, he wondered why it wasn't Lee out here telling him.

They talked at the same time, their words tumbling all over each other in their haste to get the story told. It didn't really matter though. McCall got the gist of it. The agents had returned unexpectedly, demanding Skip. Somehow Lee, Murphy and Andy had talked them into taking them all. McCall sighed. At least Skip wasn't alone... that was something, though he cursed his own lack of foresight.

"What're we gonna do now?" Allie asked worriedly. "Skip said they'd be back in a few hours. It's way past that now."

"What time did they leave?" McCall asked.

"'Bout five or so," Jeffers answered, a little calmer than his younger brother. "We hadn't even started the rehearsal yet."

"What can you do, Robert?" Rose asked. She had gotten out of the car to stand beside him.

The first priority was, of course, to keep everyone calmed down. "First of all, let's not panic. I'm sure they're fine. Those men only wanted to question them after all. Why don't we go back to the house We'll figure out what to do then." He once more took Rose's arm and with his other, herded the Carmichael brothers back up the stone walk way.

The house was in absolute bedlam. As the four of them entered the front door, McCall was struck by the level of confusion. He could see both Skip and Andy's mothers deep in conversation in one corner, while their husbands stood beside them, talking with Murphy's father as well. None of them looked very happy. Over near the archway into the kitchen, Sherry was pacing silently, her face a mixture of fear and exasperation. The cause of the latter could only have been the anxious barrage of questions she was getting from her family about Murphy's sudden disappearance. The rest of the family was still up as well, and their well meant concern only added to the chaos. In fact, the only people who weren't participating in the frenzy were Melanie and Amanda. They stood together, off to the side. McCall noted with approval their outwardly calm demeanor, though the worry they both felt showed plainly in their eyes.

He'd been concerned that his only help in this were the very men who'd been taken. Now though, he wasn't quite so sure. He knew Lee and Amanda were partners. If Lee trusted her in dangerous situations, then McCall was certain she would be a tremendous help. Melanie herself, besides being an extraordinarily intelligent woman, had proven a cool head in a crisis. She might well be of use too. What he needed now was a few moments of quiet, to think things through. He definitely wasn't going to be able to do that here. The tricky part would be getting away without attracting any undo attention to himself. He turned to Jeffers and Allie.

"Listen to me, boys," he instructed in as quiet a voice as he could and still be heard. "I need to plan a few things out. I'm going out to the bunkhouse and..."

He never got any farther than that.

"Well, well... look who wandered in."

McCall cringed inwardly. The last thing he needed right now was a confrontation with his ex-father-in-law.

"Hello, Jake," he greeted evenly. "I seem to have missed all the excitement."

"Missed it? Hell, you're probably the reason for it." Jake was not tall like his brothers, nor did he wear his age as well as they did. His face was hard and grizzled, his eyes accusing. "I told Murphy it was mistake inviting you."

McCall kept his temper in check, though how he wasn't sure. He was out of practice in dealing with this man. He merely smiled wryly as he answered. "If attacking me makes you feel any better, Jake, then go right ahead. But this affair has nothing to do with my being here." He started to turn away but Jake grabbed his arm to make him stay. McCall could have pulled away but he had no wish to start anything.

"Don't you walk away from me, damn it!"

McCall breathed a sigh of long-suffering. "What is it you want?"

"I want to know what the hell is going on around here and I think you know."

"I really don't have time for this," McCall protested.

"You damn well better make time, Mr. High and Mighty Government man."

"Is that what's bothering you, Jake?" McCall asked crisply, feeling his restraint slipping. "But then, that's always what's bothered you about me, isn't it?"

Jake bristled, ready to let loose, when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Jake!" a sharp voice snapped.

McCall turned to see Katie Travis standing there, hands on hips defiantly. She was short like Jake, with graying blonde hair and at the moment, she looked so much like her mother that McCall couldn't keep the smile from his lips. Grandma Michaels had been the only member of the family able to keep Jake under any kind of control. Now it seemed that Katie had inherited her mother's job, though she wasn't quite as polite as Katherine Michaels had been.

"Shut your mouth, Jake," she ordered harshly. "You're not helping anything."

"Damn it, Katie," Jake protested, though not as stridently, "I just want to get some answers."

"We all do," she agreed. "It's our boys that were taken. But Robert wasn't even here at the time and all this shouting won't bring them back home."

Jake continued to glare at McCall but he fell sullenly silent. After a moment he turned and stalked off; his wife, Cassie, following in his wake. McCall breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief and turned to Katie.

"Thank you," he breathed gratefully.

Katie gave him a rueful smile. "Sometimes it's hard to believe he's my brother." The smile left her face, replaced by her worry for Andy. "Can you find out what's happened, Robert?" she asked anxiously. "We called Sheriff Blake. All he'd say was that the boys'd probably have to stay the night."

McCall took her hand between his. "There may not be anything happening at all," he assured her. "One thing's for certain though... staying up all night worrying about it isn't going to help." She laughed a little and nodded her head. McCall smiled. "Now, why don't you see if you can get everyone to call it a night and turn in. I'm sure this entire thing will be straightened out by morning. In the meantime, I'll see what I can find out."

Katie reached up to give him a grateful peck on the cheek. "Thank you," she told him. "Whatever you can do will be a big help." With that, she hustled off to try and get the rest of the house in order.

"She's pretty great," Rose commented quietly from behind him. McCall hadn't realized she was still there.

"Yes," he agreed. "A wonderful woman. And now, I really must say goodnight. I suddenly feel very tired."

He wasn't sure if Rose believed him but she didn't press the issue. She merely gave him a friendly kiss goodnight and headed upstairs to the room she shared with Amanda and Sherry. McCall watched her go for a moment, then walked through the kitchen and outside to the bunkhouse. He had a lot of planning to do. Hopefully it would still take a while for the rest of the men to come out to bed. He wanted some time alone.

He found the bunkhouse nearly deserted. The only occupants were some of the younger boys and they were already asleep. McCall made his way carefully to the window he and Lee were using as an observation post. The binoculars were still there and he sat down on the bunk to take a look outside. Sure enough, their ever present watchdogs were still there. Whatever they did, they would have to be careful not to be seen.

The door to the bunkhouse opened slowly. McCall turned, half expecting Jeffers and Allie. He was right, but they weren't alone. They were followed by Amanda, Melanie, Rose, Nicky, and last of all, Scott. McCall's jaw tightened at the sight of his son. The experience at the cabin was still too recent a memory for him to feel comfortable with Scott being involved in this. Nicky either, for that matter. Both boys were far too young for what might happen but he couldn't very well point that out to them in front of everyone else. The only person missing was Sherry and he wondered how she'd missed out on this gathering.

"No Sherry?" he inquired softly.

Amanda shook her head. "She's got too much to worry about already... with the wedding and her family driving her nuts wanting to know what's happening and Murphy being gone. She's at her wits end as it is."

"We decided it would be better for her not to know exactly what's going on," Melanie added in a soft voice, then smiled. "Not that we know exactly what's going on."

McCall tried hard to keep his amusement off his face as he watched the group file over to where he was. They found places to sit, then waited, looking at him expectantly. He'd wanted a little help. Now it seemed he had the entire cavalry, only this cavalry was extremely inexperienced.

"First of all," he announced without any preamble. "I know you all want to help, but we can't exactly go charging into town en masse. I plan to go down there... I'll probably take one or two of you with me, but the rest of you will need to stay here." There was a soft grumbling, but he held up his hand to forestall any arguments. "That doesn't mean you're not helping. There are still people here who need protecting. If we all go into town that leaves the ranch defenseless."

"Against what?" Amanda asked, her voice quiet but intense.

McCall shook his head wearily. "That's what I want to find out... after we make sure the boys are all right."

"What about Harry?" Melanie asked. "If they came after Skip, won't they want Harry too?"

"I don't think they know anything about Harry, much less where he is right now," he told her confidently. "I'm fairly certain that's why they wanted to talk to Skip." He allowed himself a slight smile to allay some of their fears. "I'm also fairly certain that's why the boys aren't back yet. I can imagine they got little cooperation out of Skip."

Melanie actually smiled at the remark and McCall was glad he'd been able to get her to relax a bit. He studied the group before him. Of all of them, only Amanda had any kind of experience with what they would have to do. He would probably have to include Melanie as well. He could just imagine the fight he'd have on his hands if he tried to get her to stay behind. Besides, her knowledge of physics just might come in handy if it came to a jailbreak. He glanced at Jeffers and Allie. While both young men were sturdy and capable, McCall knew that in hand to hand confrontations, the agents they were dealing with were far better trained to handle themselves. No, the Carmichael boys would be better off staying here, watching out for the rest of the family. He knew he would get an argument, but he was adamant about this.

"All right," he resumed. "I want you all to listen to me and do exactly as I ask. It's imperative that I have your full cooperation." He paused and waited for each person to nod their affirmation. "Amanda, you and Melanie will accompany me into town. The rest of you will wait here and do nothing... I repeat... do nothing unless the family is actually threatened." He held up his hands before anyone could voice their protest. "Remember, I said no arguments." He turned though when he felt Rose tug on his sleeve.

"I'm coming too, Robert," she stated simply. Before he could say anything, she continued more intensely. "I'm a doctor... what if somebody's hurt?" She left the rest unsaid.

McCall didn't like to dwell on that possibility but he couldn't deny there was a good chance of that happening, especially if the boys had put up any kind of resistance. He didn't say anything but he nodded to let Rose know she was included. A heavy silence hung over the group, as if Rose's comment had brought too many unpleasant images to mind.

McCall took a deep breath and rose up off the bunk. "One or two of you should stay here and keep watch on our guests outside. Make sure they don't go anywhere."

"We'll take care of it," Jeffers assured him.

McCall nodded once then got up off the bunk. "Ladies... if you're ready?" He gestured for them to precede him outside. He followed after them but before he was completely out the door, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see Scott standing there.

"I'm coming too, Dad," he stated quietly.

McCall shook his head. "I'm sorry, Son. I need you to stay here."

Scott's jaw clenched with determination. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Dad. I'm coming with you."

McCall looked up into his son's face and felt a rush of pride. Scott was definitely right about one thing... he wasn't a child. He didn't doubt Scott's ability to handle difficult situations. Their experience with that group of crazed youths who'd attacked them at the cabin last month had left McCall with a new view of his son. He only wished he knew Scott better so he could be sure what was motivating this show of support, before he forced the issue and damaged the fragile bond that was developing between them.

Scott must have noticed his hesitation. "They're my family, Dad," he explained quietly. "When I was a kid..." He dropped his gaze and McCall could feel his son's discomfort. "Let's just say, Lee helped me through some rough times... okay? I wanna help."

McCall studied his son for a long moment then he smiled. "All right," he agreed. "You probably know these roads better than I do anyway. You can be our driver."

Scott's smile reached from ear to ear. For McCall, the sight of it there was more than enough to make up for the hell he was going to pay when Kay found out he'd knowingly taken their son into a potentially dangerous situation.

Skip couldn't remember a time when he'd felt so sore. There were no comfortable chairs or places to lie down in the small conference room, so he'd settled on the floor, leaning against the wall. His entire body ached. If he forgot and took too deep a breath, his stomach muscles let him know about it in no uncertain terms. His split lip had stopped bleeding a few hours ago but it was swollen enough to make talking unpleasant. Not that it mattered, since nobody else was really in the mood to do much casual chatting.

He glanced around the room. His cousins were all situated on the floor, pretty much the same as he was and they all looked as terrible as he felt. Andy's nose had bled all over the front of his shirt and was now discolored and swollen. He was sitting a few feet from Skip, his arms resting loosely on his upraised knees, his hair hanging over his face in disarray.

On the other side of the table sat Murphy. The purple bruising around his eye and the ugly gash across his cheek, seemed the least of his concerns. He kept his eyes shut, to all appearances asleep, but the constant movement of his hand on his left thigh told Skip that wasn't true. He only hoped no permanent damage had been done to Murphy's old injury. He knew how hard his cousin had worked the last two years to get his leg back to a nearly normal state. He would hate to think that Murphy would have to start his physical therapy routine all over again. Besides all that, Skip knew Murphy was probably wondering about now if he was going to make it home for his wedding.

Lee was the only one who periodically would get to his feet and pace around the room. Skip knew the agent in Lee wouldn't let him give up. He was also in better shape than the rest of them since he'd been able to give a better accounting of himself in the brawl. His face sported a few minor bruises, that was all.

Skip sighed wearily. At least they were all together. That was something. He'd been afraid that after the fight, the Feds would still insist on taking him off somewhere alone to interrogate him. For some reason they hadn't and while he couldn't explain it, he wasn't about to start asking questions. Maybe they'd just left them here to cool their heels while the agents went off and... and what? Went off to look for Harry? Skip felt a flash of panic. Unsuspecting and alone up in the mountains, Harry would be an easy target for anyone out to... He had to stop that. There was no way the Feds could find Harry. They didn't know where he was. That was the whole reason they were here.

Someone brushed past him and Skip looked up to see Lee was once more on his feet, looking around the room for about the hundredth time. Skip couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Say, Lee," he began reasonably, "why don't you just tell 'em who you are?"

Lee stopped and turned to give him an incredulous look. "I can't do that," he replied in a low voice. "And don't you say anything either."

"Why?" That from Andy who'd apparently been thinking along the same lines as Skip. "Don't you guys work for the same team?"

Lee shook his head. "I don't work with these clowns."

"He didn't mean these particular bozos," Skip offered brightly. "But aren't you all on the same side?"

Lee's face grew troubled. "Not always," was his cryptic reply. He said no more after that and once more the room fell silent.

Skip pondered the exchange. He wasn't stupid. He knew there were many different agencies the government used for whatever kinds of covert activity they felt they needed. He knew that Lee and McCall worked for different branches in the intelligence community. But he'd always thought that all the operatives at least worked toward the same goals. Seeing the concern in Lee's face made him suddenly feel very naive.

The careful opening of the door brought Skip's head up sharply, ridding him for the moment of his puzzled musings. For an instant he was afraid it was the agents back to take him away. Instead, the head that poked around cautiously was wonderfully familiar.

"Amanda!" There was no way Lee could have denied the absolute joy in his voice at seeing her. He moved quickly over to greet her, stopping himself just short of scooping her up in a welcoming hug. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a voice that seemed a bit too harsh. Amanda paid him no mind.

"Shhhh!" She slipped all the way into the room and closed the door quietly behind her.

Skip grinned at her get up. She was obviously under cover as a cleaning woman. She wore a loose, slightly grimy dress. Her hair was tied up in a scarf and she was carrying a caddie filled with various cleaning products. Her face however, was filled with worry as she took in the sight of them.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to you all? Are you okay?"

"That depends on how much longer we have to stay here," Skip told her with a chuckle.

Lee was not going to be put off. He took Amanda by both arms and turned her to face him. "I told you to stay at the ranch," he reminded her, his face a mixture of anger and concern. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

Amanda met his reproach stubbornly. "I'm doing what McCall told me to".

"McCall's here?" Murphy asked, relief sounding clear in his voice.

Amanda nodded solemnly. "He's going to get you out."

That was the best news Skip had heard all day. Suddenly he didn't feel quite so worn out.

"So what does he want us to do?" Lee asked. His voice had lost its hardness.

"Nothing really," Amanda told them. "Just go along with whatever happens." She glanced toward the door apprehensively. "I need to go. I was supposed to come in here and let you know what was happening." Her eyes rested on each one of them, then stopped when she met Lee's gaze. The worry in her face took on a different quality that wasn't lost on Skip. He was only sorry the two of them couldn't have any privacy. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked in a soft voice.

Lee nodded, at last allowing himself to smile. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Murphy might be out of commission but..."

"I'm all right," Murphy stated emphatically. "You don't have to worry about me either." As if to prove himself, he got awkwardly to his feet. He was unsteady, but at least he was up. "See? No problem here."

Lee didn't look convinced but he didn't press the issue. He turned back to Amanda. "Just get us out of here," he instructed.

Amanda smiled and grabbed up her props. "Don't worry," she assured them. "I know McCall will manage it. I gotta go. I have to find Melanie."

"Melanie!" Skip got to his feet faster than he would've credited himself. "What's Mel doing here?" he demanded.

"The same thing as I am," Amanda explained. "We needed to know where you were, so we split the building. I need to find her and tell her I found you so we can meet you all back at the van."

Skip waited impatiently for her to finish. "That's not what I meant," he blurted out before she could say anything else. "I meant why is she here and not back at the ranch?"

"She was worried about you," Amanda replied simply.

"Sherry's not here, is she?" Murphy asked in alarm.

Amanda shook her head, her expression one of guilt. "We didn't tell her we were coming," she admitted. "She's been going through so much and we didn't want to worry her anymore. Her family already thinks you're some kind of criminal, being taken away like that".

"Oh that's just great!" Murphy stated and let himself sink back slowly to the floor.

Amanda started to walk over to him but Lee grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

"You have to get going... now," he reminded her. "The last thing we need is for them to find you in here."

"But Murphy... "

"He'll be fine," Lee assured her. "We'll take care of him. I don't want to have to worry about you."

"Really?" Amanda's face was beaming but Lee merely rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Go," he ordered firmly. "And be sure you do exactly what McCall tells you," were his parting words as she slipped back out the door.

Skip sighed in relief. At least they knew help was on the way. It was only a matter or time now. He was certainly glad Murphy had thought to invite McCall to the wedding. Of course, he was going to have a few words to say to their old friend for letting Melanie participate in this operation. He suddenly chuckled softly as he pictured himself standing face to face with McCall and dressing him down for anything.

"What's so funny?" Andy asked.

Skip shook his head. "Nothing," he answered. "I'm just glad this thing is nearly over."

"Don't count your chickens," Lee cautioned. "Nothing's over yet."

"What do you mean by that?" Skip asked, perplexed by Lee's attitude. "McCall's taking care of things. Amanda said... "

"She just said he's trying to get us out of here," Lee reminded them. "That doesn't mean these guys are going to give up trying to find that plane."

Skip felt the feeling of panic return full force. "That means Harry's still in danger," he concluded.

"They have to find him first," Lee stated. "They can't do that by themselves."

"Then they won't let us go," Andy chimed in. "If they need Skip to tell 'em where the crash is, how can McCall get us out of here?"

Lee shook his head. "I don't know but if anybody can, it'll be McCall."

There seemed nothing to say after that. It was back to waiting. Skip wandered back over to his place and dropped back down to the floor. He could only sit and wonder... if Melanie had gotten back to the van... if Harry was okay up on the mountain... even if the kids were all right back at the ranch. Life had suddenly become very complicated, and all because of some stupid papers.

Fortunately, he didn't have long to contemplate his situation. Once more, the door opened, only this time there was no caution involved. It swung open with swift authority. Skip lifted his head hopefully and was relieved to see McCall standing there with only the sheriff for company.

"All right, boys," he announced in that voice that commanded instant obedience. "It's time to get going."

Skip and Andy both got to their feet immediately. Murphy appeared to be struggling and Lee moved over to give him a helping hand. None of them spoke as they filed out of the room, though Skip was bursting with questions. Why were they being let go? Where were the Feds? Was this release for good? He kept his mouth shut however, and followed after McCall. Andy was in step beside him, while a short distance behind them, Lee had one of Murphy's arms draped over his shoulder to help their cousin keep on his feet. McCall's pace was quick and purposeful. He never turned to glance behind him. Whatever he was up to, he obviously was in a hurry to get them out of here.

As they walked outside, Skip saw a dark van pull up and skid to a stop. He nearly dropped his jaw when he saw Scott sitting in the driver's seat but he remained silent as the door slid open and they all piled in. As soon as the door shut, McCall pointed at Scott and he gunned the van's engine, spraying dirt behind them as they tore out of the parking lot.

Skip had barely had a chance to catch his breath before it was knocked out of him again by Melanie as she threw herself into his arms. She was dressed in much the same kind of outfit as Amanda. He held her close, unmindful of how much his ribs hurt by doing it. It wasn't until a bump in the road knocked them about and he couldn't keep from wincing, that Melanie pulled back in alarm.

"You're hurt," she declared.

"Not too bad." He tried to dismiss her worry but she wasn't about to be put off.

"Rose, I think Skip could use some attention."

It was the first time Skip had noticed Rose was even in the van. He'd seen Amanda sitting beside Lee, but in the dark had missed Rose as she knelt between Murphy and Andy, taking care of their wounds.

"What is this?" he demanded with a grin. "McCall's Angels?"

"Don't laugh," Melanie scolded. "We got you out of there, didn't we?"

"Well... McCall actually did," Amanda admitted. "We didn't do all that much."

"You did just enough," McCall announced from the front seat. "You followed orders and did your job." He smiled tightly. "I couldn't ask for better troops."

"How did you get us out?" Lee asked. "I didn't think those guys were through with us yet."

McCall smiled. "I'm sure they weren't, but I sent them on a little goose chase. That left only the sheriff there to guard you and he wasn't hard to convince that I had the proper jurisdiction to take you into my custody. He remembered me from several years ago and he wasn't too impressed with the way those men were treating you anyway."

"So we could be right back there tomorrow," Skip observed. He drew in a sharp breath as Rose prodded his rib cage. "Ow, that hurts," he protested. She ignored his grumbling.

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen," McCall assured him.

"I don't think your ribs are broken," Rose stated. "Just badly bruised, but if they start hurting worse, you may need some X-rays."

"I'll be fine," Skip insisted. His mind wasn't on his injuries at the moment. "What about Harry?" he inquired. "They'll be after him, won't they?"

"He should be safe where he is," McCall replied. "At least until morning. The men we're dealing with are well trained but only at following orders. They'll have to check in now to see what their next move should be. That ought to give us some breathing room."

"We'll go after him at first light," Lee promised. "We can't really do anything until then anyway."

"Besides," Rose added, "you all need to get some rest. You've been through quite a bit."

Skip didn't say anything after that. He sat leaning against Melanie, relishing the softness of her shoulder under his head and the feel of her hand stroking his hair. He was extremely tired and his body ached all over. He supposed the hike up the mountain was finally catching up with him on top of everything else. Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been easy to give into his physical demands and let himself go and relax, but his mind was in too much turmoil. He couldn't keep from thinking about Harry. In spite of McCall's assurance, he wasn't convinced that his friend was safe. He'd felt bad enough leaving him up there in the first place, and that was before he'd known anyone was after them. Now, fully aware of the danger involved, Skip's conscience wasn't giving him any rest whatsoever.

He breathed a heavy sigh and paid for it with a stab of pain from his bruised ribs.

"Skip?" Mel's voice was quiet in the van's stillness. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he laughed softly. "Silly me... I forgot and breathed."

He felt her kiss the top of his head. "I'm not sure you should go on that hike tomorrow," she told him.

He sat up faster than he should have and grimaced. "I'm going," he stated emphatically. "I'm the only one who's been up there before."

"But Skip..."

He shook his head. "I'm okay," he insisted. "And nobody's gonna keep me off that mountain." She refrained from arguing and he settled back against her in a more comfortable position. "I have to go," he muttered.

"I know," she replied, her voice almost a whisper in the dark.

Their arrival at the ranch only renewed the prior state of confusion. There were tears of relief from worried loved ones, along with scores of questions about what had happened and the boys' battered state. Fortunately they all had the good sense to keep their answers simple and brief. They were okay for the most part. Murphy seemed the only one seriously affected, though he kept insisting he was fine. His words carried little weight though, especially when Sherry ran to embrace him and nearly knocked him off his feet. If Lee hadn't been right behind him, Murphy would have fallen to the floor. That put quite a damper on their welcome home. And of course, McCall hadn't missed the look from Kay when she saw he'd taken Scott with him on the excursion. He knew he'd have to answer for that before very long. Eventually however, they'd managed to get everyone settled down and back to bed where they all belonged. It had indeed been a very long and trying day.

It seemed to McCall that he'd barely gotten to sleep before he felt someone shaking him awake.

"McCall," a voice whispered urgently. "McCall." It took only a moment to identify the voice as belonging to Lee.

He must have been extremely tired to be caught unawares like that. He had a finely tuned sense of his surroundings and ordinarily would have felt Lee's presence, even in his sleep. McCall sat up and blinked sleepily for a moment, then focused on the figure standing beside his bunk.

"Lee? What's wrong?" he asked, keeping his voice to a whisper as well.

"It's Skip," Lee informed him worriedly. "Damn it... I should've known he'd do something dumb."

McCall didn't need any further explanation, especially when he noticed Melanie standing silently behind Lee. It was obvious. Skip had gone after Harry.

"How long ago did he leave?" McCall asked.

Lee turned to Melanie. She shook her head.

"I'm not sure," she whispered, her voice tinged with fear. "I was worried about his ribs and came out here to check on him." She shrugged helplessly. "He was gone. His bed hasn't even been slept in."

McCall sighed heavily. It seemed nothing was going as planned this trip. He glanced up at Lee.

"We'll have to go after him," he declared. "Their lookout was bound to have spotted him. They won't be far behind him." He glanced up at Lee. "Get everyone you think might be of some help. We'll meet out by the barn... out of the sentry's sight."

Lee nodded and moved down to wake his cousins. In a very few minutes, there was a small group gathered in the chilly pre-dawn. McCall counted noses. It was much the same group as last night. The only addition was Sherry, who still looked angry that she'd been left out of their original party, though she remained silent as she stood beside Murphy, letting him lean on her for support. Even Rose had shown up again.

He didn't waste any time in letting them know what had happened and what they needed to do. They had to send a rescue party up the mountain, while keeping a force here to deal with whatever fallout might occur from last night's rescue. They listened intently, but when he talked about the mountain, he noticed a slight shifting from Lee's direction.

"Is there something you'd like to add?" he asked curiously.

Lee looked decidedly uncomfortable, even in the early morning darkness. He cleared his throat hesitantly and found sudden interest in a spot of grass.

"What is it, Lee?" McCall prompted. "We don't have a lot of time."

"McCall... " Lee paused then finally looked up to meet his gaze. "From what Skip said about the trail..."

"Yes, he said it was rough going."

"He said Harry barely made it. You saw what condition Skip was in when he came back yesterday."

McCall studied Lee intently. Whatever he was trying to say was certainly coming hard. Then, with sudden clarity, he knew what Lee was trying so awkwardly to tell him. He felt his mouth tighten and he wasn't sure if he was angry or amused.

"You don't think I'd make it," he stated evenly.

There was apology in Lee's eyes. "I just think it makes more sense to send some of the younger guys," he answered quietly.

McCall was silent for a moment as he waged a brief battle with pride. In the end, common sense won out. Lee was right. This was a job for the young and strong. He nodded crisply.

"All right," he agreed. "You take charge."

Lee stepped up beside him and McCall noted how easily his young friend assumed the role of leader. He could also make out the straps of Lee's shoulder harness. He was obviously armed.

"Okay," he began. "I don't think we should go charging up there with a big group. They've probably got a head start on us, so we need the element of surprise." He glanced around the group. "I'm taking Andy and Jeffers. The rest of you will stay here and help McCall." There was a short round of complaints but Lee managed to keep everyone quiet. he glanced at McCall, silently turning things back over to him.

He nodded then, motioned for Melanie to step forward. She handed him the box she'd been holding.

"This is everything Charlie sent, except for what Harry has with him. Skip said he had a map and some photos."

McCall examined the contents quickly. He was looking for a second map, anything that might help tell them which way to go. He glanced over the photos, picked up a note and quickly scanned it. It was a brief message to Harry... something about helping him out. He was about to toss it back in the box, when he noticed the signature.

"Charlie Higgins," he muttered to himself.

"Do you know him?" Melanie asked.

McCall shook his head. "Charlie Higgins... why does that sound familiar?" He racked his brain for a moment then suddenly remembered all too well. Something must have shown in his face, for Lee spoke up in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Charlie Higgins is dead," McCall announced grimly.

"What?" Melanie's voice rose in alarm.

"What are you talking about?" Lee asked.

"This man," McCall explained soberly. "He was found murdered a few days ago in Santa Fe. I read about it in the paper."

"Murdered?" Melanie reached for McCall's arm. "Are you sure?"

McCall nodded. "He was shot." He looked around the group, their faces showing their shock at this revelation. "This changes the stakes somewhat, I'm afraid. It appears we're now dealing with murderers."

A quiet murmur rippled through his listeners. Melanie abruptly stepped up to stand before Lee.

"I'm coming with you," she informed him, and when he looked ready to argue, she continued, "You can't stop me. I'll just follow after you."

Lee's jaw worked silently but he said nothing. He merely nodded once in assent. "Okay, we need to get going. Did you find anything in there, McCall?"

McCall passed him a small hand drawn diagram. "This looks like it might be a trail of some kind."

Lee studied it for a moment. "Skip was right... it doesn't look easy." He looked up, his face set with determination and he shouldered a pack he must've gotten ready before. "All right, let's get going. Andy... Jeffers... Mel." They stepped up beside him and Lee turned back to McCall. "We'll need that sentry taken care of."

McCall nodded. He motioned for Allie, Scott and Nick to accompany him. Before he left he noticed Lee had moved over to Amanda and was talking privately to her. He assumed they were discussing business until he saw Lee take her hand. He allowed himself a small smile. No matter how much Lee denied it, some things were bleeding obvious. He once more turned his attention back to the current situation.

The only ones left with nothing to do at the moment were Rose, Murphy and Sherry. Rose said nothing; she merely reached out to squeeze his hand. Sherry was too preoccupied with Murphy's well-being to be hurt at being left out. Murphy stood, watching Lee prepare to go. His face was expressionless, but his knuckles were white where they gripped the fence for support and the line of his jaw was tight. He was taking it hard that he couldn't be of more help. McCall wished they was something he could do or say to make him feel better but they hadn't the time right now. He turned to Scott, Nick and Allie. The three young men stood waiting for him.

"All right, boys... Stealth is the operative word here. We can't let these men get word to their superiors." They all nodded, their faces set with determination.

In the end, it was all too simple. After manning this post for the last few days, both of the men were incredibly bored. One was actually nodding off at his post when McCall and the boys sprang. The other was taken completely off guard. Scott produced a length of rope and McCall bound the agents' hands before the surprise had even left the men's faces. Nicky moved to the top of the small mound the post was hidden behind and waved his arms above his head. It was the signal to Lee to move out.

McCall reached down and picked up the radio set, holding it out for one of his prisoners to see.

"Now, my good man," he began conversationally. "I'd like to talk to somebody in charge."

Harry yawned and stretched in the brisk morning air, trying to get some of the aching stiffness out of his joints. He knew he'd be sore after yesterday's exertions and sleeping in an cold, metal fuselage hadn't helped any. But none of that really matter very much. As soon as Skip returned with his cousin, he would be able to show them what he'd found while going through the documents left in the wreckage. Someone was going to be very interested in those papers. Harry's only concern now was to be sure it was the right person who got them. That was another thing that was bothering him. Charlie must have known what was here. Why then had he gotten rid of the information? Why hadn't he been home to answer Harry's questions? There was the most uneasy sense of danger in his mind and he knew it wouldn't go away until he'd put the papers into someone else's hands.

He glanced down at his watch. 7:00 a.m. He wondered how early Skip would get up here. The wedding was tonight so he knew shouldn't have too long to wait. He perched on the nose of the plane and munched on an apple he scrounged out of his pack and kept his eyes constantly on the move. He was fairly sure Skip would be the only person able to find him up here but there was that little voice in the back of his mind, telling him to keep alert for trouble. It was that same voice that had talked him into moving the file boxes out of the empty hull and hiding them in the surrounding brush. It was probably just silly paranoia, but he couldn't help himself. He certainly felt better after he'd done it. Then, to further occupy his thoughts, he'd spent the rest of the time dreaming up ways he could make money off the salvaged hull of the bomber.

The noisy crashing and snapping of branches and brush told Harry someone was coming and the fact that he could hear it so well, told him it must be Skip. Anyone trying to sneak up on him would certainly have approached a little quieter. He slid down and waited to see who would appear in the clearing.

He hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he let it out at the sight of Skip emerging from the tangle of undergrowth at the top of the ravine. Harry grinned broadly and strode over to greet his friend, but felt the smile leave his face when he drew close enough to see Skip clearly.

He looked terrible and it was more than just having made that treacherous climb three times in less than two days. His face was pale and haggard. He was sporting bruises that seemed more in keeping with a bar room brawl than a hike up a mountain trail. His breath was coming in labored gasps as he slid down the steep embankment that led into the clearing. He didn't get up right away. Harry broke into a run and slid down to kneel beside Skip.

"My God, Skip... you look awful. What's happened?"

Skip was trying valiantly to draw enough breath to talk but each time he tried, the only sound he made was a wheezing cough.

"Okay... take it easy... relax for a minute. Remember, it's a higher altitude up here. Take your time... try and breath normal."

Instead of having the desired effect, Harry's litany only seemed to agitate Skip more. He grabbed Harry's arm and gripped it tightly.

"No... time," he gasped out. "We gotta... get back." He gulped in a lungful of air and then grabbed his side and winced, this time in pain.

Now Harry's concern turned to fear. Skip was obviously more than just winded by his climb. Once more that flash of paranoia returned and he glanced around the clearing uneasily.

"All right, Skip," he said sternly. "You let me do the talkin'. I read those files. I know somebody probably wants them. Is that right?" Skip nodded vigorously. "Okay... you look like you been mixin' it up with somebody. They been after you?"

Again Skip nodded. He was breathing a little easier now that he wasn't trying so hard. "They wanted me... to tell them... where you were."

"And you wouldn't cooperate, I take it?" When Skip shook his head, Harry smiled warmly. "Well... I appreciate your sacrifice but you probably shouldn't've come up here if you'd been hurt."

"Had to," Skip answered determinedly. "Had to warn you."

"Warn me?" Harry frowned. "Warn me about what? They couldn't find me without Charlie's map."

Skip's face grew even more drawn, if that was possible. "Charlie... he's dead, Harry."

Harry felt the blood drain from his face. "What?" he whispered.

Skip's death grip on Harry's arm loosened a bit. "They killed him... for the stuff he sent you. That's why we gotta... get outta here."

It was a tremendous effort to gather himself back together but there was nothing he could do for Charlie, except maybe catch the men who'd killed him. Right now he had other things to think about. He looked over at Skip who was still holding his side tightly and wincing with every breath.

"You're never gonna get back down that trail in your condition," he informed his friend. "You look a lot worse than I felt yesterday and I know I never would've made it."

"But we... can't stay here, Harry," Skip insisted stubbornly. "I'll make it."

"The hell you will!"

Harry's head shot up at the sound of the voice at the top of the ravine. There was a strange man standing there, the gun in his hand pointed directly at them. He heard Skip moan softly beside him. It was the sound of defeat.

It was the waiting that was always the hardest. McCall had learned that long ago, but he'd also learned how to deal with the impatience that accompanied it. Right now he seemed about he only one in the room not ready to climb the walls.

They'd brought the men back to the bunkhouse as discreetly as possible. McCall knew they wouldn't be able to keep people out indefinitely but he was reasonably certain they wouldn't need to. The call he'd put through on the agent's radio would most certainly get results. Hopefully that would mean a visit from someone higher up than anyone they'd dealt with thus far and maybe, at last, a few answers. Until that occurred, they would have to bide their time, while they had two representatives of the United States government tied up and locked in the bathroom. From a certain perspective, McCall supposed the situation could be considered amusing, but then a man had been murdered after all... a grim reminder of just how serious the whole thing really was.

He studied the people waiting with him. Amanda sat staring out the window. It went without saying where her thoughts were... up on the mountain with Lee. Murphy lay motionless on one of the bunks, his hands behind his head, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The only time he moved at all was to periodically check his watch. McCall felt badly that all this was happening on a day that was supposed to be the happiest one of a man's life. Not only did Murphy have to worry about what was going on with his cousins, he was also getting married in just a few more hours. He'd sent Sherry back to the house a while ago to keep things running smoothly there. It wouldn't do for the rest of the family to start wondering where both the bride and groom were. They would've been missed and that would have started people searching... something McCall wanted to avoid.

He glanced at the rest of his comrades. Scott was pacing up and down the length of the bunkhouse. Nick and Allie weren't here. McCall had sent them out front to meet whomever showed up and direct them out here, without going through the house. The last member of their small group was Rose. There really was no reason for her to be involved, other than the fact that she cared about the people caught up in this mess. She sat quietly beside McCall, not asking any questions, but ready to help if she was needed. All things considered, they made quite a team. McCall was proud of all of them.

"Somebody's coming," Scott announced. His pacing had taken him near the door.

McCall sat up straight and automatically checked for his gun. The feel of it was comforting. There was really no way to tell who they might have sent in answer to his challenge.

The old, wooden door creaked open slightly, but before anyone came in, Allie poked his shaggy blond head inside and raised his eyebrows in a lame cloak and dagger pantomime.

"Is the coast clear?" he asked with a grin.

McCall bit back an exasperated reply and merely nodded.

"Just let him in, Allie," Murphy instructed, not attempting to conceal how he felt about Carmichael melodramatics at this point. He got up off the bed and moved over to stand beside McCall.

The door opened the rest of the way and both Allie and Nick came in, escorting a tall black man, dressed for the locale. From his shiny boots to his expensive black cowboy hat, he looked like he'd just stepped off a movie set. It was his face though that caught McCall's attention and he did his best to conceal the feeling of relief that washed through him.

"Playing tourist, Jennings?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I don't wanna hear anything about my clothes, McCall," Jennings warned. "Besides, you're the last person I was expecting to hear from. I thought you were out."

McCall gave a small nod. "I was. However, certain circumstances forced me back 'in' for the moment."

Jennings shook his head. "I know a few dozen people who won't be happy to hear that news. That's why I intercepted your message. Thought I'd come out and see if I could sort some things out for you." He glanced around the bunkhouse then fixed McCall with an incredulous look. "What in hell are you doing out here?"

"Getting in touch with my past." McCall leaned forward. "Now listen to me, Jennings. I really don't care what you boys are up to these days, but when it starts affecting my friends and family, then I start to get curious."

Jennings shook his head. "I can't tell you, McCall. It's all hush-hush... and that's from the top."

McCall stood up and walked over to stand face to face with his old acquaintance. "I don't care about anybody at the top. I'm concerned about the middle... what's happening right here. A man is dead, Jennings. That's awfully sloppy work."

Jennings couldn't have looked any more uncomfortable. "I know, I know. I also know I'm gonna get my ass chewed up one side and..." He paused and from the contortions of his mouth, McCall could tell he was thinking furiously... weighing his options. At last, he seemed to come to a decision. "Okay... I'll tell you what I can." He glanced around at the rest of the people in the room, then gave McCall a questioning look.

"They're my team," McCall informed him.

"Your team?" Jennings smirked. "Where'd you find 'em, the yellow pages?"

McCall gave him a dry smile. "Let's just say I used the local talent pool."

Jennings shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, McCall. All right... here's the story. We've been tracking some papers... I can't tell you what's in 'em... Let's just say they could be incriminating some pretty high up types. Anyway, we're just supposed to locate 'em and get rid of 'em. We were following up on a guy who said he'd found 'em but then all hell broke loose."

"What do you mean by that?" McCall asked evenly.

Jennings shook his head ruefully. "I mean, we got a rogue. Name's Palmer... he was assigned to my team as an expert on World War II aircraft... but he was a plant. He's working for somebody else. He took off on his own... took out our lead and now I don't know where he is."

When Jennings finished, a heavy silence filled the room. McCall had the most incredible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm afraid I know where your rogue might be." He glanced around the room... at the anxious faces of young boys, women, even his own son. He turned back to Jennings. "Can you lend me some of your men?"

"No way, McCall. I told you, I'm not even supposed to be here."

McCall's jaw tightened. "Very well... we'll go after him ourselves. Don't worry, Jennings... we'll find your rogue."

Jennings backed away, headed for the door. "I'm sorry, McCall... I really am. You understand how it works."

McCall nodded grimly. "Only too well, Jennings."

The agent turned to go but stopped at the door. "By the way, McCall, where's my man?"

McCall smiled and nodded towards the bathroom door. Jennings lifted his eyes skyward. "You could at least give him some dignity." He walked over and opened the door, dragging out a much bemused agent. Together they headed back out. Jennings turned and looked at McCall over his shoulder. "By the way, if you and your... uh, team... happen to find those documents..."

"I don't give a damn about any bloody papers!" McCall exploded. "If you want them, you'll have to come with us and get them yourself."

Jennings considered that then smiled. "Maybe I can spare one or two guys." With that he walked out the door.

McCall took a deep breath. Once more he turned to regard the people around him.

"You all understand what we're dealing with? The rogue, Palmer... he's under orders to get those files at all costs and to eliminate loose ends."

"So what are we waiting for?" Murphy asked. "He probably followed Skip up the mountain."

"And that means Lee's group won't be expecting any trouble," Amanda added.

"But Lee took the last trail map," Scott pointed out. "How're we going to find them?"

"Lee wrote the directions down and left them with me," Amanda volunteered. "I guess he wanted a back up."

"Very good," McCall told her. "This is what we'll do. We'll let the youngest and fittest start up the trail." He turned to Murphy apologetically. "Unfortunately, Murphy, that leaves you and I out." He held up a hand to forestall the detective's protests. "I'm sending Nicky, Scott and Allie with Amanda to try and find Lee's group. Amanda... you've had the most training, so I'm putting you in charge. Do whatever she tells you, boys," he ordered firmly, then he smiled. "I expect you'll have a few of Jennings men coming along with you. Let them help you if they will, but don't let them order you around."

"So what're we supposed to do?" Murphy asked impatiently. "Sit around and twiddle our thumbs?"

McCall shook his head. "Not to worry, Murphy. I have something else in mind for you and me." He turned to face Rose. "I don't want to borrow trouble, but we may have need of your professional expertise before this is over."

Rose nodded. "Of course, Robert."

Skip was positive he was in the middle of a really bad nightmare, the kind you can't wake up from. The only thing that seemed real was the pain in his ribs. It was a constant reminder that he was wide awake. Every time he breathed, he felt like a knife was being twisted into his side. He couldn't even change his position to find more comfort. His hands were tied together and secured over his head to the lowest hanging limb of a bent pine tree. His vision had become unreliable... too many waves of blurred dizziness made it hard to focus on anything in particular. The only thing he could see clearly was the man with the gun standing a few feet in front of Harry, his weapon pointed menacingly. He stood tall and threatening, his long face contorted with anger as he repeatedly questioned Harry. Even through his fogged senses, he could still hear the man's voice clearly. It grew louder and more intense each time Harry refused him.

"Come on, old man!" he growled. "I know the stuff was in the plane. Where'd you hide it?"

Harry seemed almost serene by comparison. He smiled indulgently at his attacker's threats. "What's the point of tellin' you, mister," he reasoned calmly. "You're just gonna kill us anyway. I don't see why I should make your job any easier."

Skip wasn't convinced that was the right track to take with the man. His face was livid and he waved his gun right under Harry's nose.

"I don't have all day," he warned fiercely. "If I have to waste my time looking anyway, then I should just go ahead and kill you." He glanced over at Skip. "Both of you." Skip swallowed dryly. He wouldn't put it past the man to do just that. He wondered how long Harry would be able to stall him. Surely by now, Lee and McCall knew he'd come up here. They would certainly have sent up a rescue party. His rattled brain tried hard to figure out how long it took him to get up here and how far behind any help might be.

"Like you killed Charlie Higgins?" Harry asked. For the first time, his voice revealed a hint of what he was feeling.

"Just like that," the man agreed with a malicious grin. "The old fool didn't even know what he'd found. We would've paid for the stuff. But he had to go snooping around and asking questions. He was a loose end... just like you... and I like to tie up my loose ends."

"You won't kill us," Harry informed him, his voice once more calm and assured. "Then you lose any chance at finding the documents."

Skip watched the man's jaw tighten in reaction to Harry's stubborn resistance. He wasn't sure how long the standoff would have lasted. He only knew he suddenly heard someone calling his name from the top of the ravine.

"Skip? Harry? Are you guys up here?"

Skip groaned in disbelief. It was Melanie. He mind stopped thinking altogether though, when he became abruptly aware of the gun being held to his head. He hadn't even noticed the man coming over here.

"Call to them," he instructed Harry fiercely, "or your buddy here, is history."

For the first time, Skip saw fear in Harry's face. He seemed to have aged suddenly. His shoulders sagged in defeat as he raised his voice.

"Down here, Mel," he called.

They waited for an answer. For Skip the minutes dragged by agonizingly slow, but still they heard nothing more from his wife. He glanced over at Harry, who seemed as perplexed as he was. Then Skip's eyes darted over at his captor. The mysterious caller was causing him no little anxiety. It was evident in his entire stance, as he shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Suddenly Skip felt the most incredible sense of relief wash over him and it was all he could do to keep a straight face. Something was happening and it had Lee's name written all over it.

"What the hell's going on?" the man muttered. He moved around to the other side of Skip, still keeping the gun pressed up to his ear. "I know you're out there!" he call loudly. "I'm going to kill him in about one minute if you don't come out into the open."

Skip swallowed again. He sure hoped Lee knew what he was doing. A few more minutes passed without an sound, except for Skip's own ragged breathing. Finally, their captor must have decided not to wait around. He lowered his gun long enough to pull out a knife and cut the rope that held Skip's hands to the tree. His arms fell lifelessly, the blood pouring back into them painfully. His wrists were still bound and the man grabbed him by his bonds and turned him so he could jab the gun into the small of Skip's back. He then turned to Harry.

"Okay, old man. I'm not getting caught out in the open here like some scared rabbit. We're going back up to the trail, where there's some cover. You lead the way. And remember... I've got your partner here, so don't try to be clever."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Harry promised sincerely.

They started off. Harry had some difficulty climbing up the steep slope. The loose dirt crumbled under his hands and feet as he scrambled for a hold. Skip held his breath, hoping the man behind him didn't lose his patience. Finally though, Harry hauled himself up over the edge.

"Okay, Space Man, it's our turn."

Skip's heart skipped a beat and his legs threatened to buckle underneath him. It had suddenly dawned on him that this man hadn't just followed them. He knew who they were. It was frightening to consider just how long they'd been watched. He had a feeling it hadn't started here in New Mexico. He fought a sudden attack of panic at the thought of Michelle and Peter back at the ranch, along with the rest of his family as well.

"Get going!" Impatient at the delay, the man shoved Skip forward.

Somehow he found a way to make his legs work. The pressure of the gun against his spine went a long way in motivating him. He started up the wall of the ravine, always aware of the presence behind him. It was the most painful climb he'd ever made. His body protested this newest abuse by increasing the sharp, stabbing pain in his rib cage every time he breathed. He didn't know how he did it, but somehow he made it to the top. He pulled himself up and over the edge, ending up on all fours and gasping spasmodically for air. He was only dimly aware of his companion coming over the edge as well.

"Where the hell's Broderick?" the man shouted. It was the first time Skip noted that Harry wasn't waiting for them at the top of the ravine. He lifted his head and glanced around the dense foliage surrounding them. Not a trace of his friend. Skip couldn't keep back a grin. God, Lee was good at his job!

"Damn it!" the agent shouted angrily. It was all too evident that he was out of control of this situation and he obviously wasn't happy about it. "Damn it to hell!" he screamed again and, venting his frustration, lashed out at Skip. His forceful kick was placed perfectly, connecting with the side of Skip's head and sending him sprawling face down in the dirt. He lay there stunned as the world reeled around him, wondering idly if he would black out before he died, and somewhere in a remote corner of his mind, wondering why the man hadn't just shot him.

Before he even had a chance to catch his breath, he felt himself being yanked up by his shirt collar.

"Come on!" the man hissed.

Skip was vaguely aware of being propelled through the brush by the strong grip on his shirt. He didn't consciously make the decision to move, it was more a matter of stumbling along or be dragged. He had no idea how long it took them to get back to the trail. He just suddenly realized that the trees had finally stopped slapping him in the face. He did know however, that unless he was allowed a few moments to at least gather his wits, he would never make it back down the mountain. As it was, they'd only gone short distance before the rough terrain proved too much for Skip's much abused muscles. His legs buckled and he went down.

The next sound he was aware of was a loud, Tarzan-like yell that sounded vaguely familiar. Childhood memories rushed forward unbidden and filled his mind with images of Jeffers swinging from the big pepper tree in their back yard. Skip tried to raise his head but couldn't quite make it. It was a good thing he didn't. Something, or more correctly, someone, hurled himself directly over Skip and bowled into his startled captor. As the pair went down, Skip heard the loud report of gunfire and instinctively ducked his head again.

"Stay down," came the urgent instructions from a voice right next to his ear.

Skip managed to shift his head just enough to get a good view of Melanie crouching down beside him. He wanted to yell at her for even being here in the first place but he was too happy to see her to be mad. Besides, he didn't think he'd have the energy for it. He settled for giving her a tired grin.

"Fancy meeting you here," he quipped breathlessly.

Melanie couldn't keep from returning his smile but only momentarily. Her face grew serious. "Addison Carmichael, I am so mad at you. Coming up here all alone was just about the dumbest thing you've ever done."

Skip grimaced. She must be angry to use his real name like that, but he also knew her well enough to know she wouldn't stay mad for long. Even now, a faint shadow of her former smile played over her lips as she brushed pine needles out of his hair.

"Not to mention the fact that you had me scared to death," she went on, not nearly as harshly as before.

"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "I was just worried about Harry." He tried to sit up. "Hey... where is Harry?"

"Right here, partner," came a familiar drawl. The older man came over and knelt down on his other side.

Skip breathed a sigh of relief that brought on a fresh stab of pain. He grabbed his side and groaned softly.

"Take it easy," Melanie advised. "If those ribs weren't fractured before you came up here, they probably are by now."

"How's he doing?"

Skip looked up to see Lee standing there, tousled and dirty, but holding the gun on the other agent triumphantly. The man definitely had gotten the bad end of things. His face was bruised and bleeding but he still wore a sullen scowl.

"I'll be okay," Skip assured his cousin. "But that wasn't you I heard hollering, was it? I could of sworn..."

"That was me, brother dear." Jeffers popped out from behind the prisoner, holding a length of rope. He'd obviously been tying the man's hands together. "Lee said create a distraction and that was the first thing that came to mind."

Skip chuckled, then winced again. A sudden noise from back in the brush caused him to turn his head in alarm. He'd been sure the man was alone. His fear was unfounded however. The figure that fought its way out of the tangle of tree limbs was only Andy. When he saw Skip, he smiled broadly.

"Nice to see you in one piece, Cuz," he greeted, then turned to Lee. "I watched for quite a while... nobody else around." He pointed to the captive agent. "Looks like he's the only one."

Lee nodded in satisfaction. "That's good to hear. We'll only have to worry about getting this guy down the mountain."

"How are you ever going to hike back down the trail?" Melanie asked Skip in concern.

"Very slowly," He informed her dryly. "Help me up."

With Melanie and Harry supporting him on either side, Skip was carefully hoisted to his feet. He stood for a moment, testing his equilibrium, then smiled at his wife.

"See? I'm fine." He glanced over at Lee. "Should we get going? I don't think it would be good form for the best man to be late for the wedding."

Lee glanced at his watch. "We've still got plenty of time, but you're right. I want to get this guy off our hands."

"But whose hands are you gonna put him in?" Andy asked. "I mean... doesn't he work for those same guys?"

Lee shook his head and slapped his prisoner on the shoulder. "I don't think so. I have a feeling our friend here is either on his own in this or else he's taking orders from a private individual... maybe somebody named in those papers, huh?"

The agent merely glowered. Lee motioned for Jeffers to lead the way and he started down the narrow trail. Leaning heavily on Harry, Skip moved out next. Melanie hovered anxiously behind them. Lee came next, prodding his prisoner ahead of him. Andy brought up the rear. Skip had only taken a few steps and already he could tell this was going to be an arduous journey.

He lost track of time, focusing instead on taking each careful step. The best way he could judge their progress was by where they were on the trail. He had made this trip three times already. He was getting to know it pretty well. He knew, for instance, that they were coming up on one of the most harrowing stretches. He wouldn't be able to lean on Harry for this part. They would have to go single file. He was just about to bring this to Lee's attention, when his cousin called a halt. Evidently he remembered the trail too.

"Let's take a break," Lee suggested. "We've got some rough spots ahead. We could all use a breather."

Skip couldn't have agreed more. His only problem was once he sat down, he wasn't sure he'd be able to get back up again. He gave Harry a grateful smile and accepted his help in perching on a nearby boulder.

"Now I won't have so far to get up," he joked.

Harry didn't say anything; he merely plopped down beside Skip and tried to catch his breath. Skip suddenly remembered how much the trip up had taken out of his friend.

"You okay?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Just a little winded."

Melanie was still standing on the trail, regarding them both critically. "You two look terrible. Next time you get the urge to go mountain climbing... watch "The Eiger Sanction."

Harry laughed but Skip wisely refrained. He was having enough trouble with his ribs as it was. He contented himself with giving her a smile while he let his body relax as much as he could. All too soon, Lee gave the orders to start out again.

Skip groaned loudly in complaint but held out his hand so Harry could help him up. He had only taken a few steps however, when he grew aware of a scuffle behind him and heard Lee curse loudly. Skip turned to see what was going on.

Everything happened in slow motion. When Skip turned, he saw Lee grappling with his prisoner, who'd somehow managed to loosen his hands. He could see Andy behind them, unable to be of much help because of the narrowness of the trail. Even if Skip had been in any condition to do something, he couldn't. Melanie was in the way.

The agent pulled away from Lee's grasp. Lee dove after him, catching his foot and pulling. Upended, the man fell, clawing for leverage. What he found was Melanie's ankle. He grabbed her and she instinctively stepped back to try and avoid him. Skip saw what was happening and reached out for her a fraction too late. The loose footing so near the edge of the trail gave under her unbalanced weight and she slid over the edge with a scream.

"Melanie!" Skip landed on his stomach with a dull thud and scrambled to the edge of the trail. He was only dimly aware of the people behind him, holding onto him to keep him from going over as well. "Melanie!"

He couldn't stop calling her name. He was far enough out now to see down below. The mountain was a steep wall leading up to where they were. Skip knew men had died trying to scale its heights. He knew there was no way Melanie could have survived a fall but he had to look. He had to see for himself.

"There she is, Skip!" It was Jeffers. His brother was right beside him. "See, on that little ledge that juts out there."

Skip rubbed at his bleary eyes and finally spotted her. The hope that had sprung up at Jeffers' cry now fled at the sight of his wife. She was about fifty feet below them. Little was a generous term in describing the ledge she lay on. She was unmoving but Skip could see her blonde hair blowing gently across her pale face.

"Mel?" he called frantically, desperate for an answer. "Mel, answer me."

"She could still be alive," someone said. Skip thought it might have been Lee. He turned back to the trail and saw his cousin standing over the inert form of the agent. "She has a chance," Lee repeated. "Somebody's got to get to her and we need to get some help up here."

"How are we supposed to get down there?" Andy asked, his face looked as horrified as Skip could ever remember seeing it.

"We've got plenty of rope," Lee stated. "I've done some rappelling. I'll go down."

"No!" Skip got painfully to his feet. "She's my wife. I'll go."

Lee's face held a tremendous depth of compassion as he shook his head. "No way, Skipper. This is my call."

Skip faced his cousin determined. "I'm going, Lee. If you think I'm just gonna sit up here and do nothing..."

"Damn it, Skip!" Lee's face was equally determined. "Melanie doesn't have time enough for us to argue about it. Look at yourself. You're in no shape to help anybody." His expression softened again. "Let me help her, Skipper."

Skip felt tears of frustration spilling down his face. Harry was suddenly at his side, holding his arm.

"He's right, Skip," Harry urged. "This is how you can help Mel."

Skip didn't say anything... he couldn't. He merely stepped out of Lee's way and watched as his cousin took command of the situation. Using Andy and Jeffers as anchors on the rope, Lee disappeared over the side of the cliff.

Skip moved back to the edge, crawling the last few feet on all fours. He'd forgotten all about his own injuries as he watched Lee make his way down the face of the mountain. It seemed to take forever, but as he gradually grew near the small outcropping, Skip wondered how that little space was going to hold both of them.

Lee finally made it. He spent a few moment hovering over Melanie's still form before he settled down on the ledge. He craned his neck to look back up at the top.

"She's alive!" he called, and Skip felt his own heart start beating again. "I'll stay here with her! One of you go get some help! Better make it a helicopter!" His last words trailed off in a faint echo.

"I'll go," Andy offered. "I know the mountain the best." He looked around for somewhere to tie off his rope. He found a sturdy tree and quickly secured the line. He motioned for Jeffers to do the same. "I'll go as fast as I can," Andy promised. "I know they've got good search and rescue equipment in Santa Fe. We can radio from the ranch."

Skip heard his words but didn't respond. He was focused on the tableau below him.

"You be careful," Jeffers cautioned Andy, who slapped his younger cousin's shoulder affectionately.

Skip heard Andy move off down the winding trail. He knew Harry was on his left side but paid little attention until his mind registered someone coming up on his right. He glanced over and saw Jeffers beside him, his face stricken. It was such an uncommon expression for his usually carefree brother that Skip actually pulled himself away from Melanie for the moment.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Jeffers shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice full of emotion. "It's my fault."

"What? It's not your fault?"

"It is," Jeffers insisted. "I tied his hands. I swear I thought they were tight... but he got out anyway."

"No way, Little Brother," Skip informed him sternly. "You're not responsible for this. I don't want to hear anymore talk like that, you hear me?" He reached out to tousle Jeffers' hair, something he knew his brother hated.

"Cut it out," Jeffers protested weakly, some of his grief gone.

"Only if you stop blaming yourself," Skip countered.

Jeffers looked hesitant for a moment then nodded slowly. Skip returned to his vigil at the cliff side.

Not much had changed. Melanie still lay there unmoving. Lee crouched beside her, keeping Skip informed of her condition. Time had stopped for the group on the mountain. Skip kept wrestling with his tormented thoughts. How long would it take Andy to

bring help and would it get here in time. He couldn't even imagine life without Melanie. Never mind how much his body ached and his sides hurt. He would endure it gladly and much much more if only Mel was all right.

McCall sat tensely in the passenger side of the helicopter, his eyes trained on the rugged terrain passing underneath them. Rose sat behind him, doing much the same thing. Murphy was with the second chopper passing over the other sector of territory. He'd managed to get the use of the craft from Jennings with only a little persuasion. They'd been up here for nearly an hour now and the only people they'd spotted was Amanda's group, the one Scott was with. They were about half way up the mountain. McCall clenched his jaw and hoped once more his son would come out of this unharmed.

It was hard to follow the route the hikers were taking. There was so much foliage, it made the trail nearly invisible from this height. Still, McCall felt their best shot was to try and anticipate where they might have gone.

"Over here, McCall," came the pilot's filtered voice over his headset.

McCall turned to see what Perkins had found. He was pointing below. McCall strained to see but his vision was obscure.

"I can't get a clear shot," he spoke into the mike. "Can you turn us around?"

The expressionless man nodded curtly and maneuvered the copter around so McCall could get a better look. Directly below them was a small clearing. McCall squinted out the glass, but was there were still too high to see very clearly. He gestured for the pilot to take them lower. In a few moments, he was able to make out a wildly waving figure.

"It's Andy!" Rose shouted from the back. "He's by himself."

"There must be trouble," McCall observed. He pulled the mike closer to his mouth. "How far back was the other group?" he asked the man beside him.

Perkins shrugged. "Maybe half an hour," he speculated.

McCall pursed his lips thoughtfully. No way to tell if that was too long to wait. He glanced back down and saw that Andy was now headed back up the mountain.

"I guess we're supposed to follow him," Rose observed.

"Can you keep him in sight?" McCall inquired of the agent.

"We'll give it a try." He reached for his radio. "Geronimo... this is Pretty Boy... do you read? Over." His hail got an immediate response.

"We read you, Pretty Boy. What you got? Over."

"We found one of 'em. They're on our side. C'mon over and give us a hand. Over."

"Roger, Pretty Boy. We're on our way. Over and out."

The pilot then began to hover slowly over the trail. McCall pulled out his own handset.

"Amanda... come in Amanda... over." When the response came, it was fuzzy with static.

"This is Amanda. I hear you, McCall. You see anything? Over."

"We've spotted Andy. He's maybe half an hour ahead of you but he's going back up. We'll try to follow... over."

"Right, McCall. We'll pick up the pace. Maybe we can catch up with him. Over and out."

"I still see him," Rose called out.

"Yes," McCall agreed. "You can see the trail a lot better now. See how it follows the side of the mountain? That must be where he's headed."

He reached over to tap the pilot's shoulder. When he turned, McCall pointed toward the summit. Perkins nodded and moved the helicopter forward at a faster pace. McCall knew they would lose Andy this way, but he was hoping that a little reading between the lines would get them where they needed to be a lot faster than following Andy's slower, overland route.

They were very quickly rewarded. Near the top of the mountain, McCall could see a small group clustered together. As they drew nearer, he could see that there were four of them and three seemed to be gathered near the edge of the cliff.

"Robert!" came Rose's horrified shout. "Look there."

McCall followed her direction and felt his heart rise up in this throat. Oh, God, he thought as he saw the two people on the tiny ledge below the main trail. How are we going to get them out of there?

"It's Melanie!" Rose cried. "It looks like she's hurt."

McCall was already aware of that. He could see Lee holding onto her, protecting her from the wind created by their blades but Melanie had not moved.

"I've got to get down there, Robert," Rose told him. "She needs help."

McCall glanced over at the pilot. "Can you get us down there?" he asked.

The man shook his head emphatically. "No way. We're not equipped for that. I'll have to call search and rescue." With that, he pulled out his radio again and quickly placed the call for help.

"I can't just sit up here and wait," Rose protested. "It looks like she fell. That means she needs help now"

"I'm sorry, Rose," Robert said earnestly. "There's nothing we can do right now."

Rose sat back, obviously unhappy, then a smile lit her face. "Can we drop a radio down to them? If Lee had a radio... he could tell me what her condition is."

McCall smiled. "I think we could manage that." He turned to Perkins. "Can we drop a line with a radio attached?"

The man nodded. "We could probably do that. I got some cable under the seat and there's a spare hand unit too."

McCall turned to Rose but she'd been listening and had already fished out the items they needed. Writing brief instructions to give the set to Lee, McCall quickly attached the equipment to the thin line.

"Take us as low as you can," he ordered.

The pilot obeyed and they were soon about twenty feet about the trail. McCall could see Skip, Harry and Jeffers craning their necks, looking up at them. McCall leaned over to grab the door and gave it a mighty pull. It opened with a whoosh and an immediate rush of wind blew in to rock the chopper.

He took the radio and carefully lowered it over the edge of the door. In a few moments, it had reached Jeffers outstretched hands. McCall let go of his end of the cable, then struggled to shut the door as Perkins moved them up higher.

"They're lowering it down," Rose observed excitedly. "Give me your set, Robert, I've used them before at the hospital."

He handed it over and she took it anxiously. They waited a few nerve racking moments until Lee got the radio. Then his filtered voice filled the cabin.

"That you, McCall? Over."

"Lee, it's Rose. I need you to tell me about Melanie. Over."

There was an anxious moment of silence before Lee's spoke again. "She fell about fifty feet onto this ledge. She's been unconscious for about an hour now. I'm pretty sure her left leg is broken. Over."

Rose leaned forward intently. "Is she breathing okay? Over."

Again, another strained pause, then Lee's voice came again. "Seems okay to me. It's regular and even. She's pretty pale though. Over."

Rose glanced up and McCall saw the troubled look in her eyes. "Is that a bad sign?" he asked.

"She's probably got some internal injuries." She paused then spoke into the radio again. "Lee, can you check her pupils? See if they're dilated. Over."

"I've been doing that," came Lee's response. "They look okay to me... but I'm not a doctor. Over."

While Rose continued her dialogue with Lee, McCall heard the sound of another helicopter and turned to see Murphy's craft coming into view. Unfortunately, that chopper was the same kind as the one they were in. It wouldn't have any rescue equipment either.

They hovered this way for about half an hour. During that time, they saw Andy make his way back to the main group. That meant Amanda's team wouldn't be far behind. Not that they would be able to help much, but at least McCall would have everyone in the same place.

"Calvary's coming," Perkins announced. "We gotta get out of the way." Without waiting for a reply, he lifted up and away, fast enough to give McCall's stomach a lurch.

"Do they have medical personnel on board?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Usually an EMT or a Paramedic," Perkins told her.

McCall felt Rose's hand on his shoulder. He turned to hear her better against all the noise in the cabin.

"I'd like to be in the chopper with her," she told him.

McCall frowned. "Wouldn't it save time to just take her straight to the hospital?"

Rose shook her head. "She may need immediate care. Robert, I've spent a lot of time in ER. I can help her. Can't we make a quick transfer or something?"

McCall glanced out the glass and watched the large rescue craft hovering over the site, beginning its work. He turned back to Rose and saw the concern in her face. He reached back to pat her hand. "Don't worry, Rose. We'll get you there."

The noise inside the big rescue helicopter was deafening but Skip never even heard it. He sat beside Melanie, watching Rose and the EMT take care of her, grateful only to be here. It had taken all his persuasive powers, plus Harry's earnest avowal of just how injured Skip himself was, to get the men to bring him up to the chopper as well. He'd panicked for a moment when they landed at the base of the mountain, but when Rose appeared at the door, he breathed easier. The exchange took only a few moments and they were soon airborne again. Now all that was behind him. They were on their way to the hospital in Santa Fe. Skip prayed they would get there in time.

Melanie was still unconscious. Her face was scraped and bruised from her fall but still, somehow, she looked peaceful. Skip reached out to brush her cheek with the back of his hand and noticed the wet drops falling there. He realized distractedly they were his own tears. Another hand came into his field of vision, taking hold of his own. He glanced up to see Rose's encouraging face.

"She's stable for now," she informed him, then put some pressure in her grip as if to add weight to her words. "Skip, she's got a good chance. There doesn't seem to be any severe head injuries." Rose paused and checked the I.V. for a moment, then turned back to Skip. "Does she have any medical problems or conditions we should know about?"

Skip started to shake his head when he suddenly remembered. Their conversation on the landing... had it really only been yesterday. It seemed years ago. He grabbed Rose's arm urgently.

"She thought she was pregnant," he told her worriedly. "Will that make a difference?"

"She must not have been very far along," Rose commented.

Skip shook his head. "Only a few weeks. She wasn't even sure."

Rose gave him a hopeful smile. "We'll look after her. Why don't you let the medic here check you out?"

"No, I'm fine." Skip was adamant. He didn't care about anything right now except Melanie. "Don't worry about me. Just take care of Mel."

"That's what I'm doing," Rose shot back. "But you need help too. You look terrible. The worst thing you can do for Mel right now is to fold on me."

Skip met her determined gaze and finally nodded reluctantly.

McCall stood at the base of the mountain, waiting for the hikers to return. He'd had Perkins let him out at the same time they made the transfer with Rose. Murphy had done the same thing and was standing beside him. They hadn't said much during the frenzy of activity, but now it came down to this waiting. They'd been here for at least an hour when McCall saw Murphy checking his watch and allowed himself a smile.

"You'll get there in time," he stated.

Murphy glanced up sheepishly. "I'm sure they'll wait for me if we're a little late," he stated dryly. "I just don't want Sherry to worry.""

"That's a wife's job," McCall replied, only half joking. He'd thought suddenly of Kay. He'd certainly given her enough reasons to worry. He supposed that had been their biggest problem. She never had a chance to do anything but worry.

"Anyway," Murphy went on, "until we know what's happening with Mel, we may not even have the wedding."

"I'm sure she wouldn't want you to postpone it," McCall conjectured, not sure what else to say.

"Well... we'll wait and see." Murphy held his hand up to shade his eyes. "I think they're coming," he announced, relief evident in his voice.

McCall saw them as well. They were a ragged looking group, tired and worried, but they were a most welcome sight to McCall. As they reached the last stretch of trail, he could see Lee in front, holding Amanda's hand. McCall smiled at that. Behind him came Harry, the older man's face haggard. Jeffers walked beside him, lending him a hand over the rough spots. Next walked Scott, Allie and Nick, always a trio. McCall felt a swell of pride at the sight of his son. He'd jumped right into the rescue efforts, never balking at the danger. Andy was at the rear, probably put there to be sure no one straggled behind.

"Where're the Feds?" Murphy asked curiously.

He was right. None of the six men Jennings had sent with the last team accompanied the group. The rogue agent responsible for all the trouble wasn't with them either. McCall had a good idea where they might be but he remained silent. He stepped forward, hand extended to greet Lee as he reached them. "Good job," McCall congratulated. "But where are your friends?"

Lee gestured wearily over his shoulder. "They stayed behind... said something about doing some sight seeing. They took their bad boy with them."

"Have you heard about Melanie?" Amanda asked. McCall could see the worry plainly under the dirt on her face. He shook his head regretfully.

"Nothing yet," he told her kindly. He glanced over at Harry. "Tell me, Mr. Broderick," he asked. "Did you tell those men where the documents were?"

Harry smiled wryly. "Naw. I figured if they wanted 'em bad enough, they could darn well look for them themselves."

"What was in them?" Jeffers asked.

Harry shrugged. "From what I read, some people made a whole lot of money selling arms during World War II."

"Do you know who?" McCall inquired evenly.

Harry shook his head. "A lot of stuff looked like it was in code."

"Too bad," Lee remarked. "If we knew that, we'd know who that agent was working for."

McCall sighed. The games never ended. Somebody somewhere needed something covered up and was willing to pay for it. They would probably never know the entire story. Jennings would certainly never tell him. Perhaps it was better this way. If they knew much more than they did, they might be considered a problem. As it was, they could be ignored.

"Let's go home," he suggested. "I know you must all be exhausted and Murphy here, has a wedding to get to."

Skip sat stiffly in the chair beside Melanie's bed. The wrapping around his rib cage was so tight, it didn't allow much movement. Rose had badgered him into getting checked out while Melanie was being taken care of. The X-rays showed a couple of hairline fractures. He didn't really care at the moment. He just wanted Melanie to wake up.

As if on cue, his wife's eyelids fluttered and he heard her make a soft, moaning sound.

"Mel?" he called anxiously. "I'm right here, Mel."

"Skip?" She sounded groggy, only natural, considering all the medication she was under. "Skip?"

"Right here, Hon," he assured her. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, a gesture that brought a smile to her face. "You sure had me scared," he confessed.

"I know," she said softly. "I couldn't keep my balance... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he told her firmly. "I'm just glad you're going to be okay."

Melanie's eyes closed for a moment, then she opened them again. "Lee... Was Lee down there too?"

Skip nodded and grinned. "The old showoff. Of course, I was going to go after you but he had to hog all the glory."

Melanie smiled again then looked over at Skip. Some of the glassiness had left her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Skip rolled his eyes heavenward. "I don't believe you," he laughed, tears of relief springing from his eyes. He leaned over, stifling the groan that threatened to escape, and kissed her forehead.

Melanie sighed then grabbed hold of his hand. "Am I really all right?"

Skip sat back down. This one wasn't going to be easy. "Well... you've got a broken ankle and collarbone... a lot of bumps and bruises..."

Melanie fixed him with a hard look. She knew him far too well. "And what?" she asked.

Skip's mouth worked as he tried to find the words. He reached over and brushed her hair off her forehead. "Mel... Honey... You were right... you were pregnant, but..."

"Oh, Skip," Melanie breathed and closed her eyes. Skip could see tears sliding out from under her lashes.

"It's okay, Mel," he assured her and kissed her hand again. "The only thing that matters is that you're still here. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you. I love you." He leaned over again to rest his forehead against hers. It would take some time but they would get over this. Melanie was strong, of that he was grateful. Still, the sound of her soft sobbing tore at his heart.

Harry Broderick felt old and worn out... and utterly useless. As soon as they'd reached the ranch, he'd hustled Jeffers for the use of his truck and headed off for the hospital. He arrived there in record time, and still ended up being told he'd have to wait. He spent the next twenty minutes or so pacing in the small waiting room before the rest of Skip's family had arrived to keep him company. Michelle had thrown herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. Calming her down had kept his mind occupied for a while but soon it was back to the agonizing ordeal of waiting.

He felt like an outsider. He could see Skip's mother, tenderly holding Peter in her arms. Skip's father and brothers all milled around, talking quietly to each other while his sisters sat on either side of their mother's wheelchair. They were a close knit family, although they had always included Harry in all their activities. He didn't know why he felt so distant from them, unless it was because of the guilt he was feeling. This entire mess was his fault.

As he sat there and let his thoughts torment him, he heard a door swing open. Looking up, he saw

Skip walking down the hall towards them. Everyone stood expectantly and Michelle ran to throw her arms around him. Harry had never seen his friend and partner look so utterly exhausted but at least there was a smile on his face.

Skip and Michelle walked the rest of the way together. When he reached them, he bent down and gave Peter a kiss on the top of his head and then his mother a big hug.

"She's going to be okay," he announced, his voice full of emotion.

A big cheer went up from the waiting crowd and Harry felt relief wash over him, draining him of what little strength he had left. He sank back down to his chair.

"She broke her ankle and her collar bone... she's pretty banged up... it's going to take a while, but she'll mend."

There was something in Skip's tone that caused Harry to look back up. His friend's face held a touch of sorrow that puzzled Harry. He watched as Skip reached down and took his mother's hand, as if to borrow her strength.

"What is it, Son?" Elizabeth Carmichael asked kindly, as she placed her other hand over Skip's.

"Well... it's just that... She was about four weeks pregnant... She lost the baby in the fall."

Harry felt as if someone had slugged him in the gut. The weight of blame kept getting heavier and heavier.

"She was kind of upset at first," Skip went on, "but she seems to be handling it." He paused and swallowed, trying to control his own emotions. "She wants us to all go to the wedding." He chuckled lightly. "She says she doesn't want us to make Murphy and Sherry wait any longer." There was a buzz of talking and laughing around the room, the mood definitely lighter. Skip held up his hands to quiet his family. "Why don't you all go ahead. I really don't want to leave her alone."

Harry stood up, almost involuntarily, and walked over to Skip. "I'll stay with her," he offered. "You go on... I'll be with her."

Skip looked him straight in the eyes and gave him a smile and a nod of thanks. Nowhere in his face, did Harry see any sign of accusation. He felt a tremendous load lift off his soul. He returned Skip's smile. "Go on," he repeated.

"Thanks, Harry," Skip said softly. "She's in room 1209, down the hall."

Harry started off without even waiting to see the Carmichael clan leave.

Unaccountably, the wedding went off smoothly and only an hour later than planned. McCall sat in the back with Rose and Nick. Scott was sitting farther up beside Kay, but he had made a point earlier to tell his father he wanted to talk after the ceremony. McCall smiled. They were making progress.

Sherry made a lovely bride, walking down the stairs on her father's arm, she was a vision in white. From her radiant smile, no one could have known the harrowing events they had all just gone through. Murphy of course, was still sporting his black eye and various bruises from the night before but at least he was here. Looking around the room, at the groom's battered line, McCall knew they were all lucky to be here. And the wedding pictures would certainly make entertaining stories for their grandchildren.

Melanie would be in the hospital for while. McCall knew as soon as things were done here, Skip would be racing out the door to be with his wife. That was the way it should be. He glanced up at the back of Kay's head. How much he would have done over if only... No there was no time for what might have been. The future was the only thing he had to worry about. He stole a look at Rose. There were tears slipping softly down her cheeks. He knew she had her own supply of "what if's" that plagued her. He reached out and placed a comforting hand over hers. She turned and smiled up at him gratefully, her dark eyes only seemed more beautiful while they glistened.

McCall sighed and turned his attention back up to the couple in front of them. Murphy smiled as he lifted the veil from Sherry's face and bent down to kiss her, for the first time as her husband. Yes, it was the future they were honoring today, and from the looks of happiness on the new Mr. and Mrs. Murphy Michaels, that future was bright indeed.