by: MacSas

“What happened!” yelled Bo.

“We think Lex must have been alerted by that alarm at the still site. He was probably watching the farm the whole time.” Clark said.

“Oh great,” Bo scoffed. “So the people assigned to protect her just went and led him right to her doorstep”

“Bo” Luke tried to soothe his cousins temper.

“Now look!” Clark fumed. “It’s not our fault.” He pointed at Roscoe. “You think he could have done any better?”

“I wouldn’t have led him to Daisy” Roscoe argued.

“Oh no,” Clark sneered “You just would’ve knocked on the door for him”

“Hey!” Roscoe huffed. “Who do you think you are?”

“STOP!” Luke yelled.

There was a sudden silence in the small waiting room. Luke looked at those assembled; Bo, Clark, Roscoe, Martin and Boss, his white suit smeared with Daisy’s blood. It was a stark reminder of just why they were here and why they were all on edge. Luke gave a sigh and address the group.

“Just stop, all of you. Take a step back and take a breath. This is not anyone’s fault. The only one to blame is Lex. We tried something we thought was right,” he spared Bo a glance “we all thought was right, and it didn’t work. Let’s not waste time and energy arguing amongst ourselves. If we do, Lex wins. We need to focus on him. And we especially need to focus on Daisy. She’s going to need all of us. So, let’s just agree to move on, okay?”

All nodded in agreement.

“Well,” Luke sighed, sitting down. “What the hell do we do now?”

Nobody spoke.

Finally Martin suggested, “We bring him out in the open.”

“How?” Bo asked.  “He’s sure to think Daisy’s dead. Why would Lex hang around now?”

“We’ll make him want to” Martin answered, pacing the floor as a plan took shape in his mind. He suddenly spun round, clicking his fingers.

“Daisy kept a diary of sorts while we were in Calgary. Do you happen to know if she bought it here?”

Bo nodded his head. “I saw it when she was packing to go to the safe house. I asked her what it was, she told me it was a book of notes that she’d been keeping since she started on that marine project in Texas.”

“So, it’s safe to assume that she kept this book of notes during her time with Lex too” Martin said.

“How does that help?” Boss asked.

“Well, Lex is bound to want to know what, if anything, Daisy wrote about him and his operations in that book”

“Oh, I get it.” Bo said. “We let him think that there may be something in that book that he won’t want anyone else to see.”

“And he’ll want that book at any cost” Boss added, catching on to the train of thought.

“Exactly,” Martin smiled.

“So how do we put this together?” Clark asked.

“That’s going to be the easy part,” Bo said. “All we have to do is let it slip on the county grapevine that Daisy left a notebook in our possession that contains some rather interesting things about a certain man she knew in Texas.”

“That news will be round the county in no time at all, and no matter where Lex is he’s sure to hear it” Roscoe smiled.

“Okay, we’ll do it that way then” Martin said.

“What about the book?” Luke asked.

“It may be best if we have it put out that the book is at the county courthouse for safe keeping.” Martin suggested.

“That’s no problem,” Boss spoke up, eager to help. “We can tell the grapevine that Daisy entrusted it to me.”

“Boss, this guy is dangerous. You’re going to be putting yourself in the firing line. Are you sure you want to be in that position?” Luke asked, touched at the normally gruff mans interest.

“Luke,” Boss said quietly, a far away look in his normally hard eyes. “I saw what that …thing did to Daisy. I want him as bad as you do.”

Luke nodded his acceptance.

Roscoe smiled proudly at his buddy. “Boss, your halo sure is sparkling today.”

“Alright” Martin continued. “Lex is bound to make an appearance at the courthouse, may even try to bribe the Commissioner into giving him that book. We’ll hide out at the courthouse and when Lex arrives…”

“We grab him” Bo finished.

“No,” Martin corrected. “Clark and I grab him. We have to do this thing by the book.”

Bo sighed. “Well, what if he were to kind of accidentally trip over something while walking to Boss’s office?”

“Bo,” Luke said with a smile. “You’re going to have to give this one up.”

“Damn it” Bo muttered, returning to his seat.

“You just tell me what to say and when to be ready,” Boss address Martin and Clark. “I want to look this boy in the eyes. I want to see if someone who could do what I saw done to Daisy could actually have a soul.”

“He doesn’t” Luke said quietly, almost to himself as Martin started discussing ideas with Boss, Roscoe and Clark.

*   *   *   *

Luke sat on the edge of the bed in Daisy’s bedroom at the farm, looking out the window with unseeing eyes. He held her favourite teddy bear to his stomach. It was a U.S Marines Bear; one that Luke had sent her during his time in Vietnam. This bear had apparently gotten Daisy through some tough times, missing her oldest cousin while he was at war, worrying about his safety. Now Luke sat holding it like it was a lifeline to his cousin.

He’d been here in silence since leaving the hospital 3 hours before. Daisy was out of surgery but still in intensive care. He had wanted to stay with her, but Lex had robbed him of that. Just as he’d almost robbed him of Daisy. Clark had decided it would be best for Bo and Luke to return to the farm. Lex obviously believed he’d killed Daisy, and Clark wanted to keep it that way.

So while Bo wandered around the farm aimlessly, lost in his own thoughts, Luke had stayed in Daisy’s room. It was the only way he could be close to her. He didn’t mind the silence, in fact he welcomed it. He couldn’t quiet his thoughts though. He fumed inwardly at Lex. He wanted to rip the man to pieces with his bare hands. He was also in turmoil about what Daisy had gone through during the attack. QRT members had established that the assault had started in the bedroom. Daisy had thrown something at Lex in an attempt to get away. She had made it as far as the lounge, where the main attack took place. QRT also established that Daisy had fought hard. The many lacerations to her body were testament to that. The cut to her throat had been misjudged by Lex. He must have thought that he had cut her jugular, thus releasing his hold on Daisy. This in turn enabled her to start fighting for her life. The fight in the lounge had ended when Lex had stuck the knife into Daisy’s side. She crumpled to the floor in front of the fireplace, playing dead. Thinking he had succeeded, Lex fled the scene. Daisy had then managed to crawl to the den and had been attempting to get to the CB when Boss found her.

Luke squeezed the bear. Did she suffer, or did she manage to block the pain out while waiting for help?  Did she blame him for allowing the Mounties to send her away?

Thanks to Boss, Luke knew that Daisy had worried that he should know that she had fought as best she could. It gutted him to think that she should feel the need to ensure that he knew that she’d tried. Of course she had. That’s what he’d taught her. Did she think he’d think so little of her for not winning?

“Damn it” he uttered, tears welling in his eyes. He should have kept her at the farm. He could have ensured her safety. No one could take care of her the way he always had. That damn Mountie had said she’d be safe. Well, look what had happened!

No, he thought. This wasn’t Martin’s fault. Didn’t he just give everyone the big speech about not placing the blame? Besides, Martin was going through his own kind of hell. He hadn’t left Daisy’s side since she’d been admitted to Tri County Hospital. Clark had had to take over the investigation. Martin was only interested in the woman he loved. Luke had watched him hold her hand as if he could simply will her to open her eyes. Shortly before leaving the hospital, Luke had seen Martin approach the side of Daisy’s bed, lean over, kiss her on the forehead, and whisper to her, “Please don’t leave me Doll.”

If Luke had any doubt about the Lieutenants affections towards his cousin, they were dismissed right there.

But there was still Lex. Everyone had met in the small waiting room. Martin had devised a plan. He had then left it to Clark to see it through. Now everyone was hoping that Lex would want that book as much as Martin and Clark hoped. A big time drug dealer like Lex was bound to want to have any information that pointed in anyway to his illegal dealings destroyed. Maybe with a ‘murder’ hanging over his head, he’d be so desperate, and he’s make that silly move they all hoped for.

All Luke knew was that the man had made a silly move the day he’d said hello to his cousin. Luke would give anything to be in the right place at the right time when Lex made his next bad move.

Maybe he could be …