Part 14

Tom opened the door just far enough to get his head through and cautiously surveyed the scene before him. It was well after dark and the area was dimly lit. Nothing looked familiar. He seemed to be in some sort of warehouse district. There was a street beyond the large parking lot in front of him, but no traffic. There was no sign of the doctor out here, either. As he moved to open the door wider and step through, he felt the unmistakable cold metal of a gun barrel press into his back. He froze in his tracks as a familiar voice moved closer and spoke in a harsh and menacing tone. "Drop the knife and the keys. If you don't, I'll have to hurt you. You don't want to make me hurt you." The doctor pushed the gun barrel more firmly into Tom's back for emphasis. The knife and keys clattered as they hit the ground. "Turn around, slowly, and get back inside."

Tom reluctantly complied. Shock was visible on his face as the detective found himself staring down the barrel of his own weapon. The doctor motioned for him to move back toward his prison. He started down the hallway, looking for an opportunity to take the doctor by surprise. He hadn't made it more than a few feet when he found himself roughly shoved face first against the wall. Dr. Leonard pinned him there, touching the tip of the weapon just behind the detective's ear. "Get back inside and don't try anything else. You shouldn't have done this. Georgie is really going to be mad this time. Really, really mad." His voice abruptly changed to a softer tone. "Besides, you can't leave yet, Tommy. I'm not done taking care of you. You have to stay until I finish taking care of you. Now please, just be a good patient and come back inside."

Tom snapped as the doctor's words transported him back to earlier events. He felt the invading hands roam over his body; feelings of fear, helplessness, shame, revulsion and rage flooded through him. Vowing it would never happen again, he threw himself backward knocking the captor into the opposite wall. Both men fell to the floor in a tangled heap. As Tom scrambled to turn and continue the attack, pain once again exploded in his head when Dr. Leonard slammed the gun into Tom's skull. His world faded into blackness once more.

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Harry and Cassy returned to his office after leaving the restaurant, hoping to find a lead had been uncovered while they were gone. As Harry replaced the jacket on the back of the desk chair, his eyes caught sight of a familiar plain brown envelope lying on the top of a stack of file folders. At the sound of his sudden intake of air, Cassy's eyes also found the new addition to Harry's paperwork. Struggling to keep her voice strong and steady, Cassy encouraged Harry to investigate the contents. "Do you want to do it, or should I?" Harry shook his head, but didn't speak. His unsteady hands struggled momentarily with the seal, but soon the contents were spread on his desk. The photo showed Tom handcuffed spread-eagle to a cot. Cassy winced as she surveyed the damage that had been done to his face since the last photo. She was afraid to contemplate the reason his eyes were closed. There was no writing on the photo this time, but a separate note accompanied it. Harry picked up the note and began to read.

"As you can see, your boy isn't doing so well here in prison. But then, the ones who look like him never do, do they? He isn't dead yet, you know. He has so much more to experience before that time comes. You could have spared him all of this if you had just done your damned job, you know. I guess that makes you as lousy a father as you are a cop. Signed, Georgie. PS The games are over. I know that you now know who I am. You only know because I want you to know." Harry dropped the note on his desk and stood staring at the photo, as if trying to memorize every detail.

Cassy was startled when he finally spoke again. "Get these down to the lab. They probably won't be able to find anything in these either, but let's get them checked anyway."

Harry turned his back to her as Cassy gathered the paper, photo, and envelope. She reached to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's dead wrong Harry. You're not a lousy cop or a lousy father. You're the best. I know it, and so does Tom."

Harry pulled away from her and stepped closer to the window, not wanting comfort. "Just do like I told you and get that out of here, St. John. And leave me the hell alone for awhile." His voice left no room for argument this time. Cassy took the evidence and left for the lab, determined not to leave him alone for too long.

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Tom woke to the familiar sensation of jackhammers pounding in his skull. As the roaring dulled and his senses sharpened, he became aware of lying on his side with the cold concrete beneath him. He heard the clanking of chains as he attempted to put his hands to his throbbing head. When his hands met resistance before making it to their destination, the reality of the manacles and leg irons on his limbs hit home. Despair overwhelmed him as he reached the conclusion that he was back in the prison room. As he opened his eyes, nausea and dizziness flooded through him in an unmerciful wave. He closed them again and waited for the sensations to pass. He realized there were loud voices in the room only after they fell silent at the sound of the chains rustling.

From behind him a hand grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling roughly. George's voice angrily hissed in his ear. "I warned you, boy. I told you punishment for attempted escape would be severe. Try it again, and you're dead." Tom was yanked to his feet and roughly shoved over against the wall, sending daggers through his injured shoulder. "Now it's time for your punishment. You're going to regret what you did to me." Tom's breathing quickened as terror invaded, reaching the very depths of his soul. George drove his fist into Tom's midsection. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. You've also forfeited your rights by pulling this little caper. However, the good Doc here, has convinced me to allow him to continue your 'medical care' for the time being." Then, George began the punishment in earnest, delivering blow after blow to Tom's torso.

After watching George for a few brief moments, Dr. Leonard moved to intervene. "He's been punished enough now, Georgie. You promised you wouldn't hurt him too much. Now it's my turn to take care of him, just like you said."

George whirled to face the doctor, letting Tom slump to the floor. "Are you telling me what to do, Doc?" he raged.

"No, Georgie. I'm telling you as a doctor that any more could have severe medical consequences. Do you want a dead prisoner?" George stood silently glaring at the doctor for several long moments.

"I've got some things to take care of. I won't be gone long." Delivering a final vicious kick to Tom's ribs, he turned and stomped out of the room.

Dr. Leonard was at Tom's side before the door had finished closing. "It's okay, now, Tommy. It's all over now. He won't hurt you any more. I'm going to make you all better. I promise I will. Come on, let me see how bad it is."

Tom couldn't stop himself from crying out in pain as the doctor attempted to check his injuries. The doctor's touch was making him sick to his stomach, though at the moment it was purely professional. The professional voice was in place as he related to the patient his findings. "It looks like a couple of ribs might be cracked, but there doesn't appear to be anything here that would have caused internal damage. You're going to have quite a collection of bruises, though. Some of the stitches in your shoulder have been ripped out, too. I'm sorry, but the wound really should be re-stitched."

Finding that nausea and dizziness kept Tom from being able to stand, the doctor took him under the arms and pulled him over to the cot. Tom couldn't stop the groans that came with the pressure to his shoulder and ribs. After getting Tom settled on the mattress, the doctor took a seat in the chair next to him. Tom tried to pull away when Dr. Leonard reached out and began to stroke Tom's hair. His heart raced and fear paralyzed him when the doctor again spoke to Tom in the child's voice. "Please don't be mad at me Tommy. I had to do it. I didn't want to hurt you, but I couldn't let you leave yet. You do understand, don't you, Tommy? Please say you're not mad at me. I couldn't bear it if you were mad at me."

End Part14

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