Deerborne pulled the cane back and wiped the tip of the sword with a kerchief before concealing it once again.  Frank slid down the elevator’s wall to the floor leaving a path of blood behind him.  He sat there breathing heavily as he bled.

“It’s funny,” Deerborne said.  “If your father had not made security so tight you could have been saved.  After all, your brother is sick; dying.  What would it have mattered if he had died by my hand instead of whatever fate had in store for him?  But then, why should I stop with one son?  Everyone will be expecting me to be long gone once you are found,” Deerborne informed Frank.  “After all, I did just kill Hardy’s son as I intended.  Who would expect me to take Joe as well?  And yes, I think I will take him.  Dear daddy will never know what was wrong with him.  If he could have been saved?  That’s right, Frankie boy.  I’m going to take your brother."

“N...no,” Frank rasped, too weak from the loss of blood to put up any kind of fight.

“Don’t worry, dear boy,” Deerborne said as Frank’s eyes began to close.  “You and your brother will be together again shortly, for eternity.”

Deerborne climbed onto Frank’s shoulders and gave himself a boost toward the vent at the top of the elevator.  He climbed through the vent and into the shaft.  Slipping on  a pair of gloves, he began climbing up.  At the next level he paused long enough to remove the gloves and  force the door open. 

Two nurses and one of Joe’s bodyguards were there.  “There’s a young man in the elevator,” Deerborne said in the elderly voice he had used to fool Frank.  “I think...I think he’s dying,” he said, pretending to gasp for breath.

One of the nurses took Deerborne’s hand  “Come and sit down,” she said.  “I’ll get a doctor to look at you,” she told him as she led him away.

“Can we get the elevator started back up?” Charlie Fleet asked, looking at the remaining nurse.

She nodded and went to the nurse's station for a key to reset the control to override.  By the time the elevator arrived a doctor and two orderlies were waiting.  Charlie took one look at the lone occupant, his unconscious form held partially erect by the wall, and paled.  He backed away and let the medical staff take over. 

Charlie went after the nurse and the old man.  The old man had to be Loewan or Deerborne in disguise.  He stopped and gasped when he saw the nurse lying  in a crumpled heap just around the corner of the hall.  He knelt down to check her pulse; unaware Deerborne was hiding just out of sight in the janitorial closet.  Too late, Charlie heard a footfall.  He turned in time to see a metal bed pan come crashing onto the side of his head.

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