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Blair knew it would only be a matter of minutes before Wright would follow him as he flew through the cabin door. He both blessed and cursed the full moon as he ran. The moonlight gave him enough illumination that he could get a general idea of his surroundings and avoid tripping. But he also knew the light would make him visible unless he kept to the shadows. Running was awkward with his hands still bound behind him. His wrists were still sore and bleeding from his last escape and he was in agony as he struggled with the ropes as he ran through the night.

He had no idea of the exact time as he stopped for a few minutes to rest. The sky was slowly brightening so he knew it would be daylight soon. He was exhausted, he felt as though he had been running for days. Wright had pursued him all night. He tripped and fell a couple of times and with his hands still bound behind him he couldn't catch himself or do anything to break the fall. The last time he fell he painfully twisted his ankle but he didn't stop, it seemed that each time he did or was accidentally caught in a ray of moonlight Wright was close enough to fire a shot at him. He knew he had to find water soon. Wright hadn't given him a drop to drink since he kidnapped him and with his having run all night he knew he was close to dehydration.

~*~

He reminds me of a caged animal, Simon thought as he watched his friend pacing back and forth in front of the office window as they waited for Rafe and H to call. He's like a big cat; a jaguar maybe, Simon mused.

"Jim you need to sit down. Wearing out my floor isn't going to make the phone ring any sooner."

A co-worker of Wright's called when he came on duty at seven and heard the news that Wright was wanted in connection with the co-ed murders and Blair's kidnapping. Jim had wanted to interview the co-worker himself but Simon had insisted that Rafe and H conduct the interview since Jim was so close to the case.

Jim hung his head and took a deep breath trying to remember all the relaxation techniques Blair had taught him.

"Did you find out who leaked the information to the press," Jim asked as he looked out the window and prayed Blair wasn't hurt.

"It was a new civilian file clerk in R and I. She overheard a couple of the detectives talking about the case and immediately called her boyfriend who happens to be the news director of a local radio station."

"Please, tell me it isn't that easy."

"I'm afraid in this case it is. We always run security clearances on new civilian employees before we hire them. But, something like this was totally unforeseen."

"Does she have any idea what she's done," Jim asked angrily. "Does she realize that she tipped off a killer that we were onto him and because of that she endangered the life of a hostage?"

"I don't think she stopped to think about anything except furthering her boyfriends career," Simon replied wearily.

Just then the phone rang. As Simon picked up the receiver Jim dialed up his hearing.

"Banks."

"Captain, it's Rafe. We met with Jack Simmons, Wright's co-worker. He said that Wright has a cabin up at Crystal Lake. He told us he went up there once on a fishing trip. He said it's pretty isolated. It took them hours to get there by four-wheel drive but there are some clearings around the lake where he thinks we could land a couple of choppers. He said the cabin is about 3/4 of a mile due west of the lake."

"Rafe you and H get back here ASAP. I'll arrange for a couple of choppers. You two meet me on the roof fully outfitted; vests, rifles the works."

"Jim as you probably heard we've got a lead," Simon said as he disconnected from Rafe and called down to arrange for the helicopters and assault gear.

A half-hour later the two helicopters lifted off the roof of the Cascade PD as Jim, Simon, Rafe and H made their way to Crystal Lake.

~*~

When Blair spotted the stream he half ran and half staggered down the slope. He knew he was taking a chance but he was so thirsty that he felt that he would collapse if he didn't get water soon.

He looked cautiously around him as he came out of the trees into the clearing but he neither saw nor heard anything. Since his hands were still tied behind him he had to knell down and drink like an animal.

When he drank his fill he looked up to see Wright standing at the edge of the trees not more than twenty feet from him.

"Well Mr. Sandburg, had enough," he asked with a wry smile on his face as he slowly raised his gun and aimed at Blair's chest. "Mr. Sandburg I have wasted enough time with you and I have completely run out of patients. Stand up and let's go and I warn you Mr. Sandburg if you try anything else I will kill you."

"You won't kill me," Blair responded. "If you kill me you won't have a hostage, and without a hostage you have no bargaining power."

"Well, I guess that's a chance that I'm just going to have to take isn't it?"

Blair slowly rose to his feet, swaying for a moment on his injured ankle. He walked slowly around Wright and started back toward the tree line in the direction of the cabin with Wright following slightly behind.

When he reached the trees, in a last desperate attempt for freedom, Blair quickly turned to his left and started running in a zigzag pattern hoping that Wright couldn't hit a moving target. He hadn't gone more than twenty feet when he felt the impact as the bullet hit him; he heard the shot ring out as he fell.

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