Donald Ressler fingered the cards on the rack in front of him. He saw one that looked promising but frowned when he opened it and read the message inside and quickly put it back. Why is this so damn hard? he muttered to himself. He'd decided to stop on the way to work and buy a birthday card for Liz but finding the right card had proven to be more challenging than he'd anticipated. All of them were too sentimental or too impersonal. He'd been staring at the rack for twenty minutes and hadn't yet found one that felt right. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and saw Aram's number flash on the screen.
"Ressler," he answered in his usual clipped tone.
"Are you almost here?" Aram asked anxiously. "Because Agent Keen just called and said that Mr. Reddington has a new Blacklister. She said to gather everyone and be ready for a presentation in fifteen minutes."
Ressler glanced at his watch and groaned inwardly. The card would have to wait. "On my way." Dammit, he thought. Today, of all days, Reddington has a new case? He'd hoped for a quiet day so that he could take Liz out to lunch for her birthday. She'd seemed so down lately after all the mess with Tom and he knew she could use some cheering up. At least it beats last year, he thought as he drove. Last year, he'd driven to the cemetery on her birthday and left flowers at her grave, the earth still fresh from the funeral the week before. He glanced at the simple bouquet of daffodils on the front seat next to him. At least this year, he'd deliver flowers in person even if they might not be in their office long enough for her to enjoy them.
When he arrived at the Post Office, Ressler hastily stashed the flowers in their shared office and headed for the war room where the rest of the team was already gathered. "Our suspect is known as The Projectionist," Liz explained. "According to Reddington he - or she - displays hidden messages on the screen during the previews that run before movies. Each message has a clue that leads to the next. According to Reddington, the final clue is a set of GPS coordinates."
"Sounds like a treasure hunt." Ressler observed. "But what does this have to do with Reddington? Or us?"
"Well, according to Reddington, at the final location, there's a hidden box that may contain contraband, electronic data, or other sensitive secrets. It's basically a way for criminals to pass these materials to one another anonymously by hiring the services of the Projectionist. In this case, Reddington says he has credible information that the Projectionist has been contracted to pass on sensitive classified information that was stolen."
"What sort of classified information?" Samar asked.
"Reddington's not sure," Liz replied. "But his sources tell him it's big."
"Don't most projectionists work for a single theater?" Ressler asked. "How is this guy getting access to multiple locations?"
"We're not entirely sure," Liz said. "But he's clearly someone with connections to multiple outlets. Seemingly all in the general DC area."
"And no one has surveillance on these booths or anything?" Ressler frowned.
"Apparently not," Liz sighed. "It's a very under the radar operation according to Reddington. And there are hundreds - maybe even thousands - of theaters."
"Well, I'm sure there's more to this than Reddington is letting on, but he seemed very specific that we needed to pursue this case today. So how do we know where to find the first clue?" Cooper asked. "What theater do you go to first?"
"Reddington says that the Projectionist posts an unusual start time for a movie in the online listings - something clearly out of the ordinary - and that provides the first clue," Liz said. "Aram's been scouring the listings and we think we have a hit." Aram pushed a button on the screen and the listings for a multiplex in Fairfax, Virginia appeared on the war room monitors.
"A 9:47 showing of Beauty and the Beast?" Ressler commented skeptically. "This is Reddington's big clue?"
Liz shrugged. "It's our best lead so far."
"Ok. Ressler, Keen, roll out to that multiplex. Let's see what's really going on here. We'll find this...Projectionist, whoever he is."
Ressler and Liz headed into their shared office to grab their coats. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one else was following, Ressler closed the door after them and reached for the bouquet he had concealed on his chair when he arrived.
"Happy Birthday, Keen," he said softly.
Liz turned around, one arm stuck in the sleeve of her coat.
"Oh...they're lovely," she breathed as she extracted the stuck arm and dropped her coat to reach for the flowers. "I love daffodils. They're such a friendly flower and they remind me of spring. Thank you so much." She looked up at Ressler and her eyes were shining. "Really, this means a lot, especially..." Her voice trailed off and she blinked rapidly a couple of times.
"Hey - we're gonna make this day as good as we can, even if Reddington is sending us on some wild goose chase, ok?" Ressler said as he reached out his hand and touched her sleeve. "I know you've had a rough go of it lately, but things are gonna get better. You know they will."
"I feel like we had such a similar conversation two years ago," Liz replied with a sigh, "and look at all that happened after that."
"Well, this birthday is automatically better than last year's because you're here to have it. So I'll go get something to put those in so they don't die while we're gone. Be right back." Ressler headed out to the pantry where he was pretty sure he remembered seeing a suitable vase in one of the cabinets.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled up in front of a large multiplex on a busy road in Fairfax. Ressler glanced at his watch. "It's 9:25. Looks like we have about ten minutes before this 9:37 showing. Let's go."
The lobby of the theater was empty except for two employees - one behind the ticket counter and one at the refreshment stand. Ressler glanced up at the board above the counter. Sure enough, a 9:37 showing was listed for Beauty and the Beast. All of the other movies had start times that started on the quarter hour. "Two tickets for the 9:37 Beauty and the Beast, please" Ressler said.
The employee behind the counter flashed him a broad grin. "You're gonna love it. Great movie. Very romantic. Theater 2 on the left."
Ressler rolled his eyes as he accepted the tickets. "Why didn't you just flash your badge?" Liz asked as they made their way towards theater 2. Why buy tickets?"
"Didn't think we should tip the guy that we're FBI, do you?" Ressler said as he held the door of the theater open for Liz to enter.
Liz started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Ressler asked.
"It's just...I think we look enough like cops, Ressler, that we're probably not fooling anyone. Despite his comment about the movie being romantic."
"Cops buying tickets to a morning showing of Beauty and the Beast, huh?" Ressler said as he arched an eyebrow. He couldn't help laughing himself.
The theater appeared to be newly renovated with large, wide seats. They settled into a pair of recliners near the back.
"When's the last time you went to a movie, Keen?" he asked as he stretched his legs in front of him.
Liz shook her head. "I honestly can't remember. Before Agnes, certainly. I used to love going to the movies," she said wistfully. "Sam and I used to go all the time. It was one of my very favorite things to do when I was a kid. I miss it, actually"
"Well, I tell you what. When this crazy case is over, I'm gonna take you to a movie, ok? Though hopefully something with a little more action and a little less princess than this," he remarked as he gestured towards the screen.
"Sounds like a perfect date," Liz replied with a smile. Just then, the lights dimmed in the otherwise empty theater. Liz looked around.
"Don't you find it strange that no one else is here?" Liz whispered to Ressler.
Ressler shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Reddington's clue doesn't really mean anything."
As the previews began to roll, they both focused their attention on the screen.
"Somewhere in between the dancing popcorn and drink cups, there's gonna be a clue, right?" Ressler murmured as vibrant warnings about silencing cell phones flashed on the screen. Suddenly, an image of warehouse with a mural on the side flashed briefly on the screen. Liz hastily snapped a photo with her phone to capture the image. Ressler looked over her shoulder.
"Well, that seems a bit out of place," he remarked. "You think that's the clue?"
Liz nodded. "I do." They waited a couple more minutes for the previews to conclude just to be sure, but got up as the image of Walt Disney's castle signaled the start of the actual movie.
Ressler blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the lobby. "So now we got to figure out where that warehouse is, huh?" They headed for the door.
"Hey, mister. Aren't you guys going to stay for the movie?" The ticket taker called after them. Ressler shook his head.
"Maybe another time, pal. Duty calls. Thanks."
When they got back to the car, Liz quickly sent the image of the warehouse to Aram. She stared at the image on her phone.
"Street art like that should be identifiable. What would you say this is a photo of?" Liz tilted her phone towards him.
Ressler leaned closer to take a better look. "I dunno but it looks like professional work. Not just typical urban graffiti."
"So someplace where artists are allowed to paint on the buildings. There was a neighborhood like that in Baltimore near the waterfront. All the building owners in the neighborhood gave permission and the streets basically turned into a canvas" Liz mused. "Looks like some sort of a deer stag to me." She pulled out her phone again and tapped "stag street art" in the Google search window and then clicked on the images tab.
"Look at this one," she said as she held her phone out again. "Looks really similar to our image, doesn't it?"
"Probably the same artist," Ressler observed. "Try running the search again with that artist." Liz complied and within moments they were both staring at the familiar image of the mural on their screens.
"It is Baltimore," she said. "Amazing."
"Well, it's gonna take us at least an hour to get there, probably longer this time of day, so we better get moving," Ressler commented as eased the SUV out of the parking lot.
With the traffic, it was nearly noon by the time they reached the designated intersection in downtown Baltimore. They got out of the car and walked over to the mural.
"Why do you think this was the clue?" Liz asked as she scanned the wall. Ressler scanned the surrounding neighborhood.
"Look. There." He pointed across the street to a decaying movie theater down the block. "That has to be our next stop."
This theater was much smaller than the last and a single employee behind the counter looked up from inside the small booth in the lobby as they entered. No fancy high tech board in this theater. Only simple white letters on a black magnetized board announced the showtimes. Ressler scanned the entries and his eye quickly caught the one they were looking for. "Two tickets for the 12:03 showing of Power Rangers," he said as he slid the money under the window.
Liz stifled a laugh at the look on his face. "Come on, it's better than princesses, right?" she snickered. Ressler glared at her. When they had their tickets, they made their way down the dingy hallway to the appointed theater. The floor was littered with popcorn and debris from an earlier showing. Ressler wrinkled his nose.
"I'm starving but this has to be the most unappetizing place to eat that I could think of right now" he remarked. "So much for taking you out for a nice lunch for your birthday."
Liz squeezed his arm. "It means the world to me that you wanted to do it. It doesn't matter that it didn't work out. There's always another day."
"I know," Ressler replied as he settled himself into the narrow red seat "but I really wanted it to be today."
Once again, they were the only patrons in the theater. As the previews began to roll, they both had their phones at the ready to capture any unusual images.
"Is the new Pirates of the Caribbean more your style?" Liz whispered as the trailer concluded. Ressler chuckled.
"Yeah but that doesn't come out until May." He glanced at her. "I'd rather not wait that long to take you to a movie. We got to do something to redeem this birthday."
Liz laughed. "It's ok. In a weird way, this is actually sort of fun?"
Ressler snorted. "Man, Keen, you've got low expectations for your day, don't you?"
"Look! There!" Liz exclaimed as she quickly captured the latest out of place image on the screen. Ressler captured it with his phone. They both stared down at their screens at an image of a fountain.
"I know that fountain," Liz said slowly. "It's on the Loyola campus off North Charles, not far from here."
Ressler frowned. "This is starting to seem personal, Liz. Do you think this Blacklister is targeting you in some way? Using images that you would know?"
Liz pursed her lips. "I don't know. I mean it's possible, I guess?"
"Maybe that's why Reddington has such an interest in this case. He always as an agenda. You know that." Ressler replied grimly. "Let's go, but we better be careful. I don't want us walking into a trap."
Twenty minutes later, they were standing in front of the fountain. "There's no movie theater anywhere near here," Ressler remarked as he scanned their surroundings. "It's definitely the right fountain though. Why was it familiar to you? Maybe that will help us figure out what's going on."
"I used to live not far from here and I used to take walks..." Liz's voice trailed off as she stared off into the distance.
"Ok, what about routines. Did you typically go anywhere before you came here?" Ressler probed.
Liz thought for a moment and then her expression changed as if a lightbulb had gone off. "Of course. There's a deli about a block from here. I used to stop there and get my coffee or a lunch. They had the best sandwiches... You don't think?"
Ressler lifted his eyebrow again. "I don't know what to think, but there's only one way to find out. Lead on."
They exited the campus and walked the short block to a simple corner deli. Liz pushed open the door and a bell jingled on the door. "Gosh, it looks exactly the same. Smells exactly the same," She took a deep breath and smiled.
"Look at this," Ressler said as he gestured from a bulletin board on the wall. A brightly colored flyer advertised a 2:06 pm showing of Casablanca at the Regal Cinema.
"That's not far from here," Liz murmured. "That's one of the theaters I used to go to when I lived here."
"Of course it is," Ressler groaned. "This is personal. I'm convinced of it now." He glanced at his watch. "We still have almost an hour before the showing. You said the food is good here?" He scanned the list of sandwiches above the counter.
"It's the best," Liz smiled.
"Gosh, I'm stuffed but that was so good," Liz said as she finished the last of her sandwich. They had returned to the fountain to eat. The campus was bustling with students enjoying the mild weather. Ressler had shed his jacket and had his sleeves rolled up.
Ressler couldn't help but agree. "It's definitely a hidden gem. You have a little mayo on the corner of your mouth," he added as he gestured with his finger. Liz ran her napkin across her mouth.
"You missed a spot," he said softly as he reached out and gently brushed her mouth.
"Thanks," she said. "Onward, I guess, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess we better get going." Ressler got up and extended his hand to pull her up.
When they arrived at the theater, Ressler once again requested two tickets to the designated film.
"This is a cool theater," he remarked as he took in little details that hinted of a bygone era. "Shame they had to modernize it at all."
"Yeah," Liz agreed. "I used to love coming here. I'd sit up in the balcony and watch these little independent films that no one else cared about. Or old classics like this. Just me and a few old people in the middle of the day."
"I used to love doing that too," Ressler remarked. "I grew up in the country outside Detroit. There wasn't much going on in our town except we had a local Main Street cinema and I used to go hang out there whenever I could. I'd ride my bike into town in the summer and buy a ticket just to get out of the sun for a while and cool off. We gingers aren't exactly made for tanning," he added jokingly.
Liz laughed. "Sounds like we have more in common than I realized. Well, except the not tanning part. I don't have a problem with the sun."
This time, the image was a ballet studio. Liz swallowed hard as she stared at her phone. "You're right. This is personal," she whispered.
Ressler grimaced. "Wonderful. Well at least we know for sure now. No wonder Reddington's interested in this case. Where's the studio?"
"You don't recognize it?" Liz looked at him. "It's the same studio we picked up Beth Ryker from."
"The General's daughter? On your first day?" Ressler gaped at her.
Liz nodded. "The same."
"That was Bethesda, right?"
Liz nodded again. "Yep. Let's get going."
An hour later, they pulled up in front of the ballet school. Liz spun around. "Look," she pointed. Sure enough just down the road was a movie theater marquis in a strip mall. They quickly climbed back in the car and headed over to the theater. Ressler scanned the show times.
"Look. A 4:31 showing of Boss Baby," he groaned, rolling his eyes. Liz sighed and glanced at her watch. They still had a while to wait again.
"Let's go wait in the car," she said as they purchased their tickets and exited the theater.
Ressler started the engine and punched a few buttons on the radio until he landed on a station he knew Liz liked. They sat quietly for a while just listening to the music play.
"You know, as crazy as this day is going, it's really not a bad birthday," Liz said. "I mean, you've got my favorite tunes playing, it's a beautiful day, we had a great lunch, and I couldn't ask for better company." She looked over at him and smiled.
He returned the smile. "It's not at all what I imagined we'd be doing today, but I agree. This is actually really nice. As long as we don't get shot at later," he added ruefully. Liz laughed.
They passed the rest of their wait talking about everything and nothing. Finally, it was time to head into the theater. This one was actually crowded with groups of children waiting with their parents to buy popcorn and candy. When they entered the theater, they found families waiting in many of the seats.
"Maybe this isn't the right theater," Ressler said anxiously as he scanned the crowd. "This seems like a legit movie showing."
"We won't know until the previews start," Liz said. "Nothing we can do now but wait." They both held their phones at the ready.
This time, instead of an image, an ad played. "Try geocaching," the spot read. "Fun for the whole family."
"Geocaching - that uses GPS" Liz observed as she held her phone at the ready. Seconds later, a series of numbers flashed on the screen and Liz hastily jotted them down. "There's our clue," she said. "This must be where the box is hidden."
They hustled out of the theater and returned to the SUV where they hastily matched the coordinates to a map.
"Back to Virginia," Ressler groaned. "Loudoun County. Man - that trip is gonna take a while this time of day. Looks like a downtown area though."
Liz sighed. "I'll call my sitter and tell her I'm gonna be late. Let's go."
The sun was just setting as they arrived at their destination. "I don't believe it," Ressler said as he stared out the window.
Liz gaped at the sight of a small, neat movie theater on the quiet street. "Another theater? That can't be right!"
"It can't be wrong, either," Ressler said as he unbuckled his seat belt. "None of this is a coincidence." He stared up at the theater from the outside. "You ever been here before? To this town, or anywhere near this place?"
Liz shook her head. "No, I have no memory of ever being here at all."
"Well, let's get this over with and find out what our next destination is going to be." Ressler replied. They stepped inside the lobby and Ressler was immediately struck by how different this theater was from the others they had visited. The lobby was old fashioned but immaculately preserved and detailed and the smell of fresh popcorn was in sharp contrast to the less pleasant odors they had encountered at the other theaters all day. A friendly looking woman looked up from behind the counter.
"Hello dears. How can I help you?" Ressler couldn't quite place her unusual accent. Ressler scanned the board behind her but there were no show times listed.
"When's your next showing?" he asked.
"I'm sorry dear, we're closed for a private event tonight. Our only showing is for that event."
Liz was staring at all the beautiful details of the lobby from the mirrors to the perfectly polished floor by the snack bar. She turned to the woman behind the counter. "What movie are you showing for the private event?"
"The Wizard of Oz," the woman replied.
The woman smiled slowly at the shocked expression on Liz's face. She got up and came around the counter. "Come dears, I think, it's about to start." Ressler reached for his wallet but the woman waived him off. "No need for tickets. It's already covered."
Ressler and Liz exchanged confused looks as they followed the woman to the theater door. She opened the doors. "Sit anywhere you like, and enjoy the show."
"The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies," Liz whispered as she clutched Ressler's arm. "What is going on here?"
"I don't know," Ressler replied. "But none of this is a coincidence. That much I'm sure of"
This time, they chose a pair of plush red velvet seats closer to the middle of the theater. Both of them couldn't help but notice how immaculate the theater was compared to any of the others they had visited earlier in the day. After a few minutes, the lights dimmed.
Liz stared in wonder at the screen as letters slowly formed into a message. "Happy Birthday, Elizabeth. I hope you've enjoyed this special puzzle. Relax and enjoy the rest of your evening. I forgot to mention this morning - The Projectionist and I are friends."
Liz felt tears spring to her eyes as she looked at Ressler who was gaping at the screen. "Reddington? He did all of of this for my birthday?" she exclaimed.
Ressler shook his head. "You know, I'd like to be furious at the man for totally ruining all the plans I had for you for this day and sending us chasing all over the metro area. But I have to say, this has been one of the best days I've ever spent with you, Liz. And I guess we get to have that movie date a little sooner than we thought." He stood up and slid out of his jacket and carefully folded it on the seat next to him as he sat back down and draped an arm around Liz's shoulders. Liz leaned back against his strong forearm, still marveling at the wonder of Reddington's surprise. She turned to look at Ressler. "I think this may be the best birthday I've ever had," she said. "And not because of any of this," she gestured to the theatre, "but because I got to share the day with you doing things that I love to do. I don't think either of us could have planned it any better."
The friendly looking woman from the lobby materialized at Ressler's side with popcorn and drinks as the movie started and they both settled in to enjoy the show.
The woman closed the theater door behind her and made her way back to the lobby. Waiting at the counter was a well dressed man in a fedora. "Thank you, Jeanette," he said as he tipped his hat in her direction. "I think our mission was successful." With a nod, he slipped out the door into the night.