Synopsis for: "Unfounded Fears"

Featured series characters: Peter, Paul, Caine, Kermit, Lo Si, the 101st Gang, and the Blaisdell clan

New characters: Bad guys yet to be named.

Warnings: Violence and Language. And yes, this story will be posted in parts, as it is written.

Storyline: Paul Blaisdell's fear of losing Peter to Kwai Chang Caine's way of life brings dangerous consequences to all three men.

Time period: Near the end of the second season. This story will incorporate events mentioned in "Guardian Angels" and "Knowing the White, Keep the Black," both of which can be found at the following site:

http://geocities.datacellar.net/Hollywood/Studio/5748/kftlcweb.html

Unfounded Fears

By Terri D. Thomas

Part 1

"Damn it!" Paul Blaisdell muttered, more to himself than to anyone else in the van. "I swear to God if Peter gets out of this alive I'll have him writing parking tickets into the next millennium."

"And you think that'll make a difference? Face it, Paul, your kid is just naturally drawn to trouble." Kermit Griffin chuckled from the driver's side of the vehicle.

After shooting the ex-mercenary a 'don't remind me' look, Paul turned to the back of the van, "Anything, Blake?" He was disappointed by the nervous man's slight shake of the head.

"They're moving." Kermit started the van. "I'm following, Paul."

"For all the good it will do," Paul grumbled. "If we get too far away, we'll lose them in traffic. If we get too close, Peter's dead. I knew I should have put a tracker on him."

Kermit slipped the van into the right lane, making sure several cars were between the black panel van and the Mercedes, which contained Blaisdell's son. The darkness of night would help to conceal their actions, but Kermit wasn't willing to take any chances.

"He's wearing a wire," Kermit reminded his mentor.

"It's my best," Blake offered, trying to think positive.

"And it won't help a damn bit if we lose him." Paul growled.

"Where did you put the wire, Blake?" Kermit asked of the man in the back of the van.

"It's in the collar of his shirt."

Paul shook his head in disgust, "I told him, no matter what, don't go with them. Just get the information and get out. What does he do? He goes with them. Damn it!"

Kermit laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Maybe he needs a hearing aid."

Paul scowled at the man. "He's going to need a lot more than a hearing aid when I get finished with him. He's gonna need a sling for his butt." Paul looked over his shoulder, "Blake?"

Blake pressed the earphones to his head. "They're talking, but not about the shipping schedule. I think they're stalling."

"Peter's okay?" Kermit noted that Paul's voice held the concern of a father for his son, as well as of a captain for his officer.

Blake nodded. "Yeah. I think they're waiting until they know they are secure. So far, Peter has them convinced he's legit."

"Well, at least the Peter Caine charm is holding," Kermit commented.

"Yeah. . .but what about the Peter Caine luck." Paul shook his head and said a quiet prayer.

The operation was simple, the danger, great. Donny Double D informed Peter that a new importer of automatic weapons had moved his business to the city. Peter convinced Paul to let him do some sniffing around before notifying ATF.

Donny had set up a meeting with the importer, with Peter posing as an interested buyer. The first meeting had gone without a hitch. Peter met the importer, who was accompanied by two henchmen, but no details were discussed, only a lot of innuendos were exchanged. It was clear that the dealer was prepared to do business.

This follow-up meeting had been established to get the details on the shipping schedule. Peter was to find out exactly when he would be able to take possession of the illegal cargo. Paul insisted Peter go in with one of Blake's wires.

Paul shook his head, his anger rising up. Peter was only supposed to meet, get the information and get out. Now he was joyriding with the suspect. If the black, unmarked police van lost sight of Peter and the wire was discovered, Peter would be dead, and there wouldn't be a damn thing Paul Blaisdell could do about it.

The Mercedes had merged into interstate traffic. The black van followed. "Hang back," Paul ordered.

Kermit let up on the accelerator, allowing a little more distance between him and his prey.

The Mercedes pushed its speed a few miles above the speed limit. Kermit turned to Paul, "I guess we could pull them over for speeding. . .get Peter out of there."

Paul took a deep breath. Kermit had a point. They could pull the car over, find a reason to take Peter into custody. . .and get him the hell out of there. On the flip side, they could also succeed in putting Peter in greater danger if the Mercedes decided to try to escape pursuit. Paul weighed the options and then tensely shook his head in the negative.

Kermit nodded his understanding. Peter's decision to go with the dealer and his men had definitely put them between a rock and a hard place. Kermit glanced at Paul, who stared intently at the car ahead of them. Paul was worried. And when Paul worried, Kermit got mad. Peter knew better than to pull this kind of stunt. Yet, he did it anyway. He didn't seem to care about the consequences or about what his decision would do to his foster father's state of mind.

Redirecting his attention to his driving, Kermit noted that the Mercedes was exiting the interstate. Kermit similarly left the highway. The sedan made a right turn at the intersection at the bottom. A few seconds later, Kermit followed the Mercedes around the corner. "They're heading to the industrial park," he noted.

"Stay with them, Kermit. There are a lot of places to hide in there." Even as he said the words, Paul knew Kermit had already realized that fact.

The Mercedes slowed down and made a left turn onto a narrow street running between two large metal buildings. Kermit killed the headlights of the van and cautiously made a turn to follow the target. He could see the red taillights of the sedan now almost a mile away. The taillights disappeared from view as the car made another right turn. Kermit sped up, knowing that he needed to cut the distance, but at the same time realizing that in the darkness of night, he was at a disadvantage. He didn't know the area and without headlights, was taking a dangerous risk of crashing the van.

"Faster, Kermit. We're losing him," Paul muttered. A hint of anxiousness had found its way into the older man's voice.

Blake, hearing his Captain's concern, spoke up, "There's still no problem. They're discussing hockey. Peter has tried to get them to talk about the shipping schedule, but the guy keeps telling him that they won't talk until they are secure."

Paul nodded tersely. Kermit made the right turn to follow the sedan and then suddenly came to halt. The road in front of the police van was dark and deserted. There was no movement, no activity, and no sign of the Mercedes.

Kermit turned to Paul quickly. Paul ignored him and turned back to Blake, a questioning look in his eyes.

Blake knew what his Captain was asking, but could not provide much of an answer. "They've left the car."

"Can you tell where they are?" Paul asked quickly.

Blake shook his head. He pushed the headset against his ears. "Uh oh," he muttered. Blaisdell's stomach lurched and Kermit spun around upon hearing the words, but Blake said nothing else.

"'Uh oh?' What 'uh oh'? Kermit repeated tersely.

"They're searching Peter. . .looking for a wire." Blake whispered, as if his voice could be heard by the gun dealers.

"And?" Kermit prompted while Blaisdell remained silent, a prayer repeating itself over and over in his mind.

"I don't think they are going to. . ." Blake started to smile, reassured that the listening device was safe. But then his smile turned to a frown, "Oh no. . . " his voice became quiet again.

Blaisdell saw the change of expression on the nervous man's face, "Blake?"

Blake's frown turned to one of fear, "They found it!"

End Part 1

To Part 2

Back to KFTLC Page