Hostage of the Heart

Things Escalated (Thirty-Two)

Not really caring for a response as she had already made up her mind to help him, Piper bolted from the room, running through his house until she found a bathroom on the main floor. Medicine cabinet opened, she rifled through it, various bottles flying from the shelves until she located the bottle of 325 milligram aspirin. Grabbing it, she hurried back to the office, noticing upon arrival that Richard barely looked conscious.

Phone pulled from her pocket, she knelt beside him, punched in 911 and activated the speakerphone option before alerting the dispatcher of his possible heart attack and that she intended to give him an aspirin to swallow. Instructed to have him chew it as that could cause the pill to hopefully lessen the severity of the heart attack at a faster rate, Piper tapped a single tablet into her palm. Gently lifting Richard's head, she pressed the pill to his parted lips encouraging him to take it.

"Might be nasty, but you need to chew it before swallowing, okay?" Nodding, he began to do as told while Piper focused on the dispatcher who had a few questions starting with the address of the emergency since she couldn't track it through Piper's cell phone. Unfortunately, most of the other questions she didn't know the answers to such as Richard's age, did he have any health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes and was he on any long term medications.

The dispatcher kindly remarking that it was all right and they would get it all sorted later at the hospital, then mentioned that an ambulance was on the way and she intended to stay on the line until its arrival. When his eyes began to shut, Piper didn't hesitate to clutch his hand, giving it a squeeze as she scooted a little closer to him.

"Hold on, all right?" Pained eyes meeting hers, she didn't understand how she managed it, but Piper softly smiled at him. "Help is on its way. Be here in a minute. Just hang on and think about your family."

His lips opened and closed several times as he desperately attempted to push important words forth. "Sor...ry. My...fault...you--"

"It's okay," she whispered, a lump settling in her throat and tears causing her eyes to glisten. Words Piper never thought she would say to him tumbled from her lips. "I forgive you." Vision blurred, moisture traveled down her face. "Richard, I truly forgive you." Squeezing her hand in return, less than twenty seconds later, he was far too still for Piper's comfort. Uttering his name several times, she nudged his shoulder when he failed to respond. Almost having forgotten that she was on the line, she heard the dispatcher ask if he was breathing. Checking, Piper shook her head with a worried expression and then remembered that she had to offer a vocal reply. "God, no. No, he isn't. CPR?"

"Yes. He's gone into cardiac arrest. Are you trained in CPR, Piper?"

"I'm not trained. I have to breathe into his mouth and pump his chest, right?"

"No, I just want you to focus on giving him chest compressions. Is he wearing a shirt with buttons?" Once Piper replied that he was, the dispatcher told her to unbutton it enough so that his upper chest was exposed. She then instructed her to link her fingers with one hand over the other and where to place them on his chest. Piper was to continuously press downward trying for about a hundred compressions per minute until there were signs Richard had resumed breathing or the paramedics arrived to take over.

"Is the front door open?"

"Yes. Closed but unlocked I think," Piper murmured, most of her focus on accurately performing the chest compressions while she studied Richard's face for signs of consciousness. Unfortunately, he remained still by the time the paramedics and firefighters rushed into the house with a stretcher and equipment bags in hand.

Moving out of their way, Piper thanked the dispatcher for her assistance before hanging up. Again, she answered as many questions as she could while they worked on him and breathed a sigh of relief when they were able to revive him. Another much less relieved sigh escaped the moment his wife and son hurried into the office.

Piper wished she could fade into the background seconds before they noticed her standing near the window with the bullet hole in it. Instead of confronting her, Sandra tried to get to her husband, quickly becoming hysterical when a paramedic held her back while speaking in a calm tone. Meanwhile, without approaching her, Richie accusingly asked Piper what she did to his father. She was saved from having to respond when his mother clutched his shoulder. Glare diminishing, he turned toward her and drew her into a hug, assuring her that everything would be all right.

When a paramedic informed them of the hospital they were about to transfer Richard, Sandra asked if she could ride in the ambulance. The paramedic consenting, she asked her son to call his sisters. Piper figured Larisa's plane had to have landed in Los Angeles by then and Desiree was without transportation so she wouldn't be able to meet them at the hospital unless she took a taxi.

Deciding to speak up, she remained where she stood while explaining that Richie should pick up his sister since she didn't have her car. Relieved when neither of them inquired why as she didn't want to admit Desiree had been drinking, she watched as Richie operated his cell. Whichever sibling he called first had just answered when two detectives walked into the busy office. Piper immediately recognized Michaela Baldwin and the man...he carried her to the helicopter after they found her tied to the tree. Marshall. She was fairly certain his name was Marshall. 

Seconds later, she learned she was correct when he introduced himself with a brief handshake, Michaela doing the same. Michaela asked how she was while studying her face, noting puffy, bloodshot eyes and blotchy, tear-stained cheeks.

"I'm okay," Piper softly replied, looking behind the detective as the paramedics and firefighters began to exit the room with Richard secured on a stretcher, a thin gray blanket covering him. Eyes closed and an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, his son kissed his cheek, whispering something that Piper couldn't hear. Sniffling with tears streaking her worried countenance, Sandra followed as closely as possible with Richie by her side, the phone tucked to his ear. Refocusing on the pair in front of her, Piper asked them why they were there and how did they know.

"We happened to be in the neighborhood and heard over the radio that Judge Love may have suffered a heart attack and a Piper Redding had called 911. Thought we should check it out." Michaela removed a notepad and a pen from her jacket pocket. "What happened here besides the obvious?" She held up the hand wielding the pen. "Wait. Let's start with why you're here."

Piper thought she had developed a steadfast plan once she watched Emily's video. That plan was to drive to the Love household and confront Richard getting him to admit his involvement. Afterward, she intended to call the police and tell them everything so hopefully he would have the opportunity to be arrested and locked behind bars to get a taste of the medicine he forced upon her a near decade.

But now...now that plan didn't sound like such a grand idea. While performing hundreds of chest compressions random thoughts invaded her brain including the sudden concern that Desiree could wind up in trouble. If Piper were to tell the truth she couldn't leave out the fact that Desiree had intentionally concealed evidence of her father's involvement. Could she be arrested? Would the SFPD consider her keeping the disc to herself tampering with evidence?

Piper hoped they along with a prosecutor wouldn't bother with bringing charges against her. After all, she was a victim too, had nearly lost her life just a few days ago thanks to the insane detective who terrorized her in the woods, making it very clear that he intended to kill her. She could claim to be dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, which was most likely true considering the boost in drinking. She hadn't been thinking clearly when making these recent choices. Surely they would understand that.

Yet Piper wasn't certain. She wasn't certain of anything any longer since her head was a mess. She imagined it as an incompleted jigsaw puzzle, hundreds of pieces piled into a box. Maybe charges wouldn't even be brought against the judge as the bribery took place so long ago and although she had the impression he used to partake in some seedy gambling, as far as Piper was aware non-casino gambling wasn't illegal in California.

His behavior could be frowned upon, but arrested? For all she knew the statute of limitations had run out on the bribery acceptance. Maybe the worse things that could happen to the judge now were to lose his employment and perhaps Piper had just cause to sue him. That was one thing she was certain of. She didn't want any of his money. All she ever wanted was justice with if she were honest with herself, a hint of revenge.

But now...she couldn't care less about revenge and not even justice. It shocked Piper how incensed she was upon arrival and now not nearly as much. Some part of her yearned to rip his head off and shove it where the sun didn't shine, yet after she said everything she needed to say and the tears erupted, the animosity began to fade. She still greatly disliked the man, but she no longer thought it necessary to witness Richard in handcuffs. After all the mounting hate she was able and ready to release it.

However, she was reluctant to reveal what she earlier learned. She liked Michaela and was of the opinion that she possessed a good heart, but would she be willing to arrest Desiree? Did it matter at this point? Piper sighed, the internal questions presenting her with a headache. She had to tell them...something.

"I came over here to confront Richard Love about his involvement concerning what took place during my trial."

Deep brown eyes continued studying her. "We were under the impression Judge Love wasn't involved. Had you made a discovery?"

Piper shook her head while trying to carefully collect her words. Although there had already been far too many lies soaring about she was resigned to spread more in order to protect someone she loved. Just like Desiree claimed to have been protecting she and Richard from one another, which Piper remained upset about yet part of her understood. She hadn't harmed a single hair on his head like Desiree was afraid she might, but he may have suffered a heart attack, which wouldn't have happened if their argument hadn't taken place.

"No. For years I've had a feeling...a feeling that the judge presiding over my trial was hiding something. He seemed so sympathetic and yet he gave me the worst sentence possible and I remember the guilt in his eyes." Piper faked a sigh while playing with the zipper attached to her jacket, unconsciously moving it up and down the row of tiny teeth. "I realize Victor told Desiree that her father didn't play a role and I tried to let it go, but it kept bugging me. I just didn't buy it. Couldn't buy it."

"You think he lied?" Marshall asked. "Victor I mean."

"Not a think. It's now a know."

"How do you know he lied?"

"Because Richard admitted what he did." It occurred to Piper that if questioned, Richard and Desiree could and probably would tell different stories. The best she could figure out to do was to get to Desiree first so she could explain the version she shared with the detectives. As for Richard, once he was stable enough to speak with them, Piper could imagine him confessing without mentioning that his youngest daughter had recently become aware of the bribe he accepted. She hoped he didn't mention the disc her sister recorded.

Michaela tapped the pen against her notepad. "What precisely did he admit?"

"That he was offered money to both repay a sizeable gambling debt owed to a bookie and to add to his own wallet in exchange for giving me the maximum sentence." Piper wondered what she wrote when the detective flipped to the first page, clicked the pen and began to jot down notes.

While his co-worker wrote, Marshall chose to ask another question. "Why do you think Victor would lie about that? He told Ms. Love everything else because he planned on ending her life, therefore, he knew she couldn't reveal it to anyone. So what would have been the point in him lying about her father?"

Piper helplessly shrugged. "Good question. Wondered about that myself. He lied about shooting me and Tobias too. Who knows what was going on in that psycho's head."

Marshall's head bobbed back and forth. "True, but that could be explained as he just wanted to torture her. Bang, I killed your cat and bang I killed the woman you came to view as a friend and now I want you to drag her body to a cliff so you can push her off before I kill you too. Sadism at its finest." He thoughtfully stared toward their sole witness to the night's events. "But keeping that little nugget of Judge Love's successful bribery to himself? Doesn't make sense. Seems he'd prefer to throw that in her face as well."

"Agreed, but for whatever reason he lied."

Done writing, Michaela repeatedly clicked the pen. "Unless Desiree lied." Eyes flicking toward Piper's hand, she observed the zipper began to shift faster along the teeth. If she kept that up she would surely break it. "Are you nervous?"

Immediately releasing the zipper, Piper linked her fingers behind her back, mentally reminding herself that she needed to calm the hell down. "As a matter of fact I am." Expecting she would be asked to disclose why she had an answer prepared, an answer that happened to be one-hundred percent genuine. "Because I love Desiree and due to my coming over here and arguing with her father he's en route to the hospital after probably having a heart attack. I blame myself."

Detective mask slipping, Michaela reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "Piper, you shouldn't blame yourself. I imagine this secret has been weighing on him for years. The shame of a possible gambling addiction, the guilt of sentencing a teenager to eleven years in order to keep his habits from being revealed...if not tonight, eventually this might have happened. I'm not a doctor, but I believe his heart finally couldn't take another dose of stress."

Both detectives could plainly read the guilt on Piper's face. "So I pushed him over the edge."

"He started pushing himself the moment he accepted that money." Following a three second pause, Michaela shifted the conversation back to the judge's daughter, asking Piper if Desiree had lied to protect him.

"No. Victor lied to her."

"How do you know?"

Since Marshall asked that, Piper looked toward him. "How do I know what?"

"How do you know Victor lied to Desiree instead of Desiree lying to you?"

Piper wished she had pocketed a couple of those aspirin for herself. "Because I searched her eyes when she told me and I didn't sense any deception. She wouldn't lie about something like that as she knows how important it is for me to figure out exactly what went on with my trial."

"Did you tell Desiree you doubted what Victor told her?"

Fingers unlinked, Piper rubbed the nape of her neck. "Yes, and she knew I was headed here to speak with her father. Just before I walked out, mentioned she was free to call and warn him that I was on my way."

Marshall turned toward the desk and pointed. "Is that his phone?"

"I suppose."

Piper and Michaela watched him walk over to the desk and pluck the phone from it. Flipping it open, he accessed the recent calls list, soon informing them that the last incoming call was from an unknown number. Figuring it was her landline, Piper tossed out digits including the area code, the detective confirming it was her number. Phone placed back on the desk, Marshall rejoined them as Michaela asked Piper to explain what happened between she and Desiree before she left. 

Piper offered a true account of earlier events until the point she decided to call Andrea. Instead of divulging it, she fabricated that while she waited for Desiree to return from the bar via a taxi she started thinking about Richard Love. By the time Desiree walked through the door she had decided to confront him, which was how she and his daughter winded up arguing with Desiree taking up for him, claiming that he was innocent while Piper insisted the opposite. Keys grabbed and telling Desiree she was free to grant him a heads up, she walked out slamming the door.

"When I arrived I noticed he wasn't surprised to see me so I asked if Desiree alerted him. He admitted that she had. We walked to his office, things escalated, he confessed, I went off on him and he eventually collapsed. I asked if he was having a heart attack, he said he thought so to which I went on to wonder why I should help him when he never bothered to help me. Despite the question, I hurried to find aspirin as I've read something about aspirin preventing or lessening a heart attack. Called 911 and listened to the operator's instructions, answered what I could. He stopped breathing, I gave him CPR until the paramedics arrived and then you two popped up. That's it. That's everything."

Marshall indicated the window. "You know anything about that hole?"

Piper looked toward the window as though she had forgotten about it. "Oh, yeah." Hands sliding into the back pockets of her pants, she turned back to the detectives. "That's part of 'things escalated'. I was so pissed off that I threw a chair, which prompted him to remove a gun from his drawer. That just pissed me off more and with him seated behind his desk, I hurried toward him. I admit I looked threatening so he aimed and pulled the trigger, intentionally striking the window as a warning."

Michaela drew their attention to the five bullets scattered along the carpet. "Where's the gun, Piper?"

Click.

Although it hadn't been a loud sound, it was audible enough to gain Michaela and Marshall's full attention. Two sets of keen eyes settled on Piper's partially zipped jacket. Upon Michaela inquiring what was inside her jacket, Piper shrugged while already feeling anxious sweat dampening her brow.

"The usual--my phone, my keys...maybe a pack of gum."

"What clicked?"

"Clicked?" She adopted a befuddled expression. "I didn't hear a click." Marshall was quick to state that he and Michaela had. "I dunno then. Must have been my keys shifting."

"Computer keys click," he replied. "Keys meant to open doors jingle. That was most definitely a click."

Piper battled to keep a glare concealed. "What? You think I have a bomb or something?"

"Or something." Michaela surprised her with a soft smile. "Piper, let's not make this a big deal. May I please just see your jacket?" She held out a hand as though expecting the other woman to unzip her jacket, shrug out of it and give it to her.

"No."

"Piper..."

"Maybe you didn't hear me the first time." Arms folded across her chest, instead of glaring, she frowned. "Hell no."

"Piper, I insist that you--"

"Detective Baldwin, with all due respect I'm not obligated to comply as I know my rights. Unless you show me a warrant or you're prepared to arrest me, I don't have to consent to a search. So click or no click, you may not see my jacket. If you think I pocketed Richard's gun and it just magically cocked itself, please look in the drawer in front of his chair. During our argument I shoved him, grabbed it, emptied the bullets from its chamber and dropped the gun in that drawer."

"I believe you," Michaela said although Marshall headed back to the desk just to make sure. "Like you said, guns don't cock themselves, but, Piper, I think there's something in your jacket you don't want us to see. The more you resist the more suspicious I become." With Marshall finding the revolver, she pressed her palm to her chest. "We're not the bad guys. Just doing our job and something tells me whatever clicked inside your jacket is significant." Keeping her arms folded, Piper wordlessly stared at her.

"You know what I think? I think you're protecting Desiree because you're concerned she could be in trouble for not coming clean about her father's involvement. Piper, I promise you, there isn't anything to worry about. You've both been through so much. You haven't even been arrested for kidnapping her. You think she's going to be arrested for not mentioning that Richard accepted a bribe a decade ago? I wouldn't lie to you. I want to help you, but I need you to be honest with me, sweetheart. Please."

Unfolding her arms, Piper wore the look of someone quite aware they had been defeated and part of her was actually relieved as she was tired. Bone tired. Tired of lies, secrecy, deception, cover-ups... She couldn't have felt more weighed down if an elephant decided to use her as a chair. A breath slowly expelled from her lungs, she reached into her jacket, within seconds removing the item she packed just before leaving the apartment. The moment she handed it over Michaela knew what it was.

"A tape recorder. Is your entire conversation with Richard on here?"

Piper nodded. "Should be. I hit record after I pulled up in front of his house. The click must have been it stopping as it reached the end of the tape."

"So most of our conversation is on here too." It wasn't a question but Piper confirmed anyway. "Why did you opt to bring a tape recorder with you?"

"I wanted proof of his confession. Emily Gibson created a disc explaining what she and her brother did. That's how I found out the truth through watching it as she mentioned Richard Love and how she bribed him. I wanted to hear it from his lips and I wanted a record of that so I hid the tape recorder I usually use to record recipes."

Michaela tapped the electronic device with a lone finger. "May I play this back?"

"Do whatever you want with it." Piper pointed toward the open door. "Am I free to go?"

"After we have a listen?"

"In other words, no." Piper might have smirked yet she was much too weary. Instead she walked over to right the chair she earlier threw and took a seat. Hands resting on parted thighs, she glanced between the detectives. "Hit play."


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3


Although it was no longer necessary to urgently speak with Desiree to be certain their stories matched up, Piper still chose to head to the hospital. During the entire drive she hoped and prayed that Desiree would welcome her presence as after walking out on her and now with Richard being taken away on a stretcher, she wasn't at all sure where they stood.

It was nearly ten o'clock when she walked into the hospital with her heart pounding in her ears. Despite not being family Piper managed to find out that Richard had been wheeled into surgery for an emergency bypass. Nervousness intensifying, she located Desiree seated next to her brother in a small waiting room. The only people there, both donned somber expressions as Richie quietly spoke to her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Paused just inside the room, Piper lightly knocked on a nearby wall in order to announce herself. The moment their eyes met, Piper swore her heart ceased pounding so furiously. It seemed to stop all movement in response to the look in Desiree's eyes. She recognized that look as she had worn it more times than she cared to remember--most of those times in reference to either Alan or Silver.

Hatred. Through and through unadulterated hatred.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Her voice sounded hoarse, the corners of steely eyes were pinkened and an already flushed face deepened in color as she awaited an answer.

"Came to check up on you," Piper softly responded. "How is your fa--"

"You came to check up on me?" Bolting from her seat she ignored when her brother encouraged her to sit back down. "Your sorry ass has some nerve showing up here after what you accomplished. Are you happy now? Does it bring you joy to learn he suffered a massive heart attack?" Desiree clapped her hands while Piper stared back slack-jawed and Richie selected to look down at his lap. "You want to know how he is? He's dead and I swear to God right at this moment I wish you were too. Congratulations, Piper. You got your fucking revenge. Now you've killed your father and mine."

Piper blinked and Desiree was upon her, open hands slapping at her face, head, shoulders and chest while mostly unintelligible phrases spewed from her mouth. Instead of attempting to defend herself, Piper just stood there with arms at her sides until Richie managed to pull Desiree away from her while suggesting that she take her leave. Nodding without comment, she turned and hurried out of the room, heart shattering when she heard Desiree's sobs.

Daring to look back, she noticed that she had collapsed on the floor, face torn up as tears poured downward. Pulling her into his embrace, Richie rocked her back and forth, attempting to murmur comforting words while blinking away his own tears.

Repeatedly pushing the button with the arrow facing downward, Piper didn't stop until the elevator doors slid open. Relieved to ride it alone, she stepped inside and pushed the lobby button before a tight fist punched the back wall. Swiveling around, she pressed her back to it while ignoring the pain climbing along her arm. It was nothing compared to the pain deep within her chest.

Unharmed hand wiping the tears from her eyes, she peered up to watch the elevator's progress to the main floor. Lips parting she whispered, "So do I."