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A-Team - Hide'n'Seek CH3

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Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: A 'Random Idea' that crossed my mind, something of a Heroes crossover. Comments and feedback are always appreciated.

Hide and Seek - Chapter Three
Venice Beach, CA

Hannibal rubbed at his temple where a promising headache was settling in. The table was stacked with papers and before him on a yellow notepad were scrawled his notes. A cup of coffee that had cooled hours ago sat haphazardly on a coaster. More than a few pieces of paper were sporting coffee rings.

It seemed impossible that a person could drop off the face of the planet. There were ways, Hannibal was more intimately acquainted with them then he might wish considering the position of his men and himself. Those ways required skills that nurses didn't know. Or Hannibal conceded with a sigh, that they shouldn't know. But Rachael Strathmore had disappeared.

There was a small army searching for her. Hannibal and his men had been chasing leads for a week. The FBI was still performing a search for her, but he had his own opinions of their effectiveness. And then there were the hired hands of John Ortega who, denied bail, was somehow directing his search from a federal petitionary. Still Rachael eluded them all. She had found a good hiding place and he couldn't blame her for not coming out.

But it was making his job harder.

Hannibal lifted the mug and sipped at the coffee, a little surprised to find it was no longer hot. He downed the remains in a few gulps. Carrying the mug Hannibal stood and retreated to the kitchen. They were still using Face's luxury condo. Face had protested a little as Hannibal had started pinning up maps and notes to the dining room wall. The unit was supposed to be a model to potential buyers, but Face had been omitting it from his tours.

In the kitchen Hannibal opened the canister of coffee. The smell alone was enough to revive him and he added a few generous spoonful's to the paper filter. While the machine began to brew, the hot water trickling slowly into the pot, Hannibal stepped onto the balcony.

The team had made visits to her parents and Hannibal had found them rather stiff and formal. They were concerned for their daughter but seemed to hold her at length. But they had no idea where she might have gone. After her parents they had paid visits to the hospital where she'd worked. Her co-workers had viewed the men with open suspicion and only the head nurse answered any of their questions. Rachael had been a hard worker the matronly woman informed them, popular with other nurses and gentle with patients. But she hadn't an idea where Rachael might have gone. Neither did her friends, an ex-boyfriend or her neighbors. Rachael had been smart enough not to go to familiar places, but she had also stopped using her credit cards and bank account.

On the balcony Hannibal found he was looking into the faces of the strangers passing below, searching for Rachael. He sighed and rubbed at his temple again. They had put a lot of hours into this job. And until they located Rachael there wouldn't be payment. Hannibal didn't want to think that was his only concern. After all, there was a young woman probably scared out of her mind being hunted by killers somewhere in the Los Angeles area. And her testimony would put a dangerous man away for a very long time.

From the kitchen the coffee machine gave a beep to signal its completion. Not that it was necessary. Hannibal was drawn back inside by the smell of the finished coffee. He poured himself a cup and returned to the table. And again, he was sitting before his notes, staring at the mass of them and hoping that from them some clue would emerge.

He was still sitting there when B.A. returned an hour later. The big man was grinning in a way that peaked Hannibal's curiosity.

"What is it Sargent?" Hannibal asked, noticing the newspaper clutched in B.A.'s hand. Taking a seat across from Hannibal he opened the newspaper and spread it on the table.

"I heard some people talking about a shooting," B.A. said. He jabbed a thick finger at an article buried at the bottom of the page. What was one more shooting in a city reputed for its violence? "They said a young woman had been chased by two men past Mann's Chinese Theater. They fired at her in the middle of a crowd. Some people thought it was for a movie or something."

Hannibal picked up the paper. The article was accompanied by a photo. It had been taken by a bystander with a cell phone and though it was blurry, it was Rachael. She was frozen as she dodged a few startled tourists, looking over her shoulder with an expression of terror. Quickly he scanned the article but saw no mention that she or her pursuers had been caught or injured. It did however mention that an LAPD police officer had been present on the scene at the time of the shooting.

"Good work B.A.," Hannibal said looking up with a smile. Across the table B.A. beamed.

.--.--.--.
Downtown Los Angeles, CA

That evening Hannibal perched on a low wall which ran the length of the Los Angeles Police Department. No one paid much attention to the older man reading a newspaper. Hannibal projected such a relaxed image that he simply didn't register to most of the people passing by.

While he appeared to be reading Hannibal was actually observing the men who were coming out of the building. And he regarded those in the navy blue uniform of the street cop more carefully. The newspaper was merely a prop to his performance. In twenty minutes he hadn't once turned a page.

Hannibal didn't wait much longer for the man he had been waiting for. He emerged with a small group of his fellow officers. Like a few others he was carrying a gym bag. His round face was smiling, eyes crinkled with laughter. As the group descended the stairs they began to break apart, heading in separate directions. The officer he'd been waiting to see continued to head in Hannibal's direction in the company of another cop. They were talking, neither paying much attention to Hannibal who folded the paper up and stood. He took a few steps towards the approaching cops. The man glanced at him then looked back to his companion who was speaking. They passed Hannibal, who turned on his heel to follow them.

"Officer Parkman?" Hannibal called. Both of the men stopped, looking over their shoulders. The smile didn't fade from Parkman's face but Hannibal did notice the slight narrowing of his eyes.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" Parkman asked turning to face Hannibal. The other man nudged Parkman then continued walking, giving a brief wave as he parted. Parkman just nodded at him.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions," Hannibal said. "I understand that you were at the scene of an incident last night in Hollywood."

"I'm sorry," Parkman said quickly. He raised a hand to stop Hannibal. "I've already spoken to a reporter about this."

"Officer, this is a matter of life or death," Hannibal said in a softly to avoid arousing attention. The smile disappeared off Parkman's face. He tilted his head and regarded Hannibal with narrow, suspicious eyes. Hannibal was certain the man knew something about Rachael, but he sensed he had to be careful with Parkman.

"I didn't catch your name," Parkman said flatly.

"I'm Hannibal Smith and the woman involved in yesterday's shooting is the witness in an important trial," he said. "Unless my men and I can take her into protective custody her life is in serious danger."

Parkman snorted and shook his head. He turned away from Hannibal and started walking away. For a moment Hannibal was at a loss. He fell into step quickly with the officer. "That's really good. Protective custody. At least the other guys had badges, even if they were bad fakes."

"I'm not joking Officer Parkman," Hannibal said tersely.

"Sure," he said. They were walking down the sidewalk now, approaching the intersection. "Look buddy, I'll tell you the same thing I told the other guys – she was gone before I even got to the scene. A few witnesses gave me a description. One took a picture he gave to a reporter."

Damnit! Her luck isn't going to last forever, Hannibal thought.

"The article wasn't entirely accurate, I guess it just goes to show why they're all going out of business" Parkman said with a dismissive wave in the direction of the paper Hannibal was carrying. The light was red and they stopped, Parkman jabbing at the button for the crosswalk. Hannibal could see B.A.'s van parked around the corner.

Hannibal was again at a loss, it seemed he'd come to yet another dead end. The stout cop knew nothing of use. A frown creased Hannibal's face and he prepared to thank Parkman for his time when he became aware that the cop was staring intently at him. After a moment the intensity of Parkman's gaze grew unsettling.

"Offi-"

"South Spring Street, number 1021," Parkman said abruptly. He flashed his teeth in awkward smile. The light changed and he stepped off the curb. Hannibal remained where he was and watched the cop go, expecting the man to turn back and offer some kind of explanation. The light went red and Parkman was across the street without once looking back. Hannibal slapped the paper against his left palm and turned the corner. By the time he reached the van Hannibal was grinning widely.
Chapter 3 - A certain LAPD officer should be familiar here, but will not become a regular member of the cast. Hope you enjoy.


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