William Bernhardt - Criminal intent

"What's going on here?" Masterson had left the organ to investigate. "We're in the middle of a performance."

Ben tried to keep his voice down, to attract as little attention as possible. "I need Maura."

"Can't it wait until later?"

"No."

Maura looked at Masterson with big wide eyes. "I don't want to go with him."

"Look, Kincaid, I don't know what this is all about, but I'm not letting you drag her off in the middle of my concert."

The applause was over. Everyone present was watching, listening, trying to figure out what on earth was going on.

"Let's not make a scene," Ben hissed.

"I agree," Masterson shot back. "Please leave so that we can get on with the concert!"

Mike's limited patience had reached an end. He pulled out his badge and flipped it open. "Major Morelli. Tulsa PD. I want to talk to the girl, now."

Maura took a step back-but Ben clamped his hand on her shoulder, holding her in place.

Masterson was obviously startled, but he didn't back down. "What's this all about?"

"We just need a few words with her."

"I'll have to talk to her mother."

"No, you won't." Mike stepped forward and took Maura by the hand. "Come along, miss."

"But I don't want to go!" Unable to flee, Maura had obviously realized the value of creating a public scene. "Don't let him take me away!"

"No one's going to harm you."

"Stop! Please! Won't someone help me? Don't let him hurt me!"

By this time, the church was in an uproar. Adults rose out of their seats, heading down the aisle to assist the poor defenseless girl. Maura wailed at the top of her lungs.

"What's going on here?" one of the men said.

"We're not going to put up with this!" said another.

Mike flashed his badge. "Look, people, I'm the police and you are going to put up with it or I'll have my lieutenant put you under arrest."

"Doesn't she get a lawyer? I think she should call her parents."

"Tomlinson." The lieutenant stepped forward, brandishing his handcuffs. "Anyone tries to stop me, lock 'em up."

He nodded. "Make way. Clear the area."

Tomlinson could act as tough as he was able, but Ben could see they were vastly outnumbered, and if they didn't get the girls out of here soon, they were going to have a riot on their hands.

"Where's Judy?" Ben asked Maura.

"I don't know."

"I think you do."

"I don't, and I wouldn't tell you if I did. I want to see a lawyer."

"Maura, listen to me-"

"Judy! Run!"

Ben whipped around. A small figure had emerged from the robing room in the back of the sanctuary. She took one look at what was happening, heard Maura scream, and bolted.

"Run, Judy! Run!" While he was watching the fleeing girl, Maura stomped down on Mike's toe, hard. She broke away, then plunged into the crowd, heading for the front doors.

"Blast!" Mike started after her, but the mass of bodies around him was dense and was intentionally not cooperating with him.

"I'll go after Judy," Ben shouted. "I know the church better than you do."

"Damn, damn, damn." Mike unholstered his weapon. "You people will clear out!" he bellowed. "Understand?"

The crowd began to back off. For the most part. Ruth O'Connell couldn't restrain herself. "You leave that girl alone, you big bully. She's a wonderful child. She hasn't hurt anyone."

"Yeah," Mike muttered as he beat his way through the masses. "Except for the three women she helped murder, that is."

Mike shoved his gun back into his holster and started after her. Ben knew the interior corridors that linked the robing and choir rooms to the back offices were like a maze winding through the interior of the church. Judy, being an acolyte, undoubtedly knew them better than he did, but he pounded along, weaving around corners and tearing down corridors.

"Judy! Stop! You can't get away!"

"Leave me alone!" she shouted back.

He was closing in, only about twenty feet or so behind her. She would soon be at the other end of the church. She'd have to either go outside, where she'd be exposed, or she'd have to stop running. Either way, he was likely to get her.

"You're only making it worse, Judy."

"Go away!"

She reached the end of the corridor. She turned to face him, crouching down like a hunted animal waiting to fight off a predator. Her eyes were fierce and angry.

"Stay back! I'll hurt you!"

Ben couldn't believe his eyes. She was a fifteen-year-old girl-but this was like staring down the face of a barracuda.

"I will! I'll hurt you!"

"Judy… please. You can't escape. Come peacefully."

Judy ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall and threw it at him.

Ben ducked. The extinguisher missed him, but flew over his head and crashed into a plate glass window in the office behind. Shards of glass shattered and flew. Ben ducked and covered his eyes as it rained down all around him.

"For God's sake, Judy!" He brushed himself off and uncovered his eyes. "You could've-"

He didn't bother finishing.

Judy was gone. "Freeze!" Mike shouted. He blew through the front doors, trailing a pudgy teenage girl Ben told him had committed horrible crimes. Could it be possible?

"Police! I'm ordering you to stop!"

Maura kept on running. She veered to the left, into the prayer garden. There was a tall bell tower in the center, and she seemed to be making straight for it.

"Keep away from me!" she screamed. She wheeled around on one foot and threw something at him. Mike ducked, and her pink handbag flew past him.

Mike plucked it out of a bed of azaleas. Right away he saw two long elegant necklaces. He was no expert on jewelry, but he knew enough to realize they were too expensive to belong to this young girl.

"You can't get away!" Mike called out. But where had she gone? He darted down the cobbled sidewalk that wound through the garden, calling and shouting to no avail. Had she slipped through a rabbit hole? Where was she? Ben found Judy outside the church, weaving through the cars in the packed parking lot. Some of the attendees were leaving, apparently too traumatized by the latest bizarre happening at St. Benedict's to hang around any longer. The traffic only made the chase all the more difficult-and dangerous.

"Stop her!" Ben shouted as he darted between moving cars. "Don't let her get away!" He yelled as loud as he could, but Judy didn't slow, and no one helped. And why would they? They didn't know what was going on. They probably sympathized with their choir girl, not the pain-in-the-butt lawyer who was always causing trouble.

"You can't get away, Judy. Give it up!" She was running toward a car at the far end of the lot-her car, no doubt, or her mother's. She could probably drive, even if she wasn't licensed. God knows she could do everything else. If she had a key and she got there in time…

Ben poured on all the speed he could muster. He dived around a parked car, rocking up on one hand and foot. A moving car pulled out in front of him. Ben didn't slow a beat. He leaped up onto the hood and kept on running.

"Gotcha!" Ben cried. He flew down and grabbed Judy just before she slid into her car.

"Let go of me!" She struggled, pounding his chest with her fists.

"I will not. You've got a date with the police." He grabbed her wrists and twisted them behind her back. "Come on."

"Let go of me! Someone help me!"

"Give it a rest, Judy. It's all over. Now you're going to-"

Ben didn't see it coming until it was right in his face. A huge and heavy purse collided with his nose.

"Oww!" Ben fell sideways, clutching his face. Judy broke away and ran.

Ben touched his nose delicately. "I think you broke it!"

He looked up, lightbulbs exploding before his eyes. A middle-aged woman stood over him, a baby in one arm and the lethal leather in the other.