The Little Prince: Chapter Two

FBI Headquarters, NY -- 5:00 PM

Jack and Samantha got off the elevator and walked down the corridor to the bullpen, still talking about what they had just seen.

"You go in a place like that if you are homeless or you want to hide. We know she wasn't homeless, so from what or whom was she hiding?" Samantha asked. Then, sharing a last look with her boss, she headed toward her desk. There was something missing.

Jack sighed, and then approaching Martin's desk, he asked, "Any news about the father? Did you find him?"

"Nothing so far. He works for Express Cleaning Service, Inc. No criminal records. No cell phones and no car registered under his name."

Jack took a seat at the small conference table, rubbed his forehead and then he leaned back on the chair. "Okay," he started, "let's sum up what we know."

"We have a dead woman in a hotel room and a missing child. We just know they lived near each other and that Ann Marie Krajcek was in some way close to Jeremy Winters, the child's father," Martin started, looking at the board where a black and white blurred photo of Dave Winters, five years old, asked for attention.

"The door was locked from the inside. The window was too high for a child to reach. And there was glass everywhere," Samantha said, and then, thinking again to the scene, added, "If he went out through the window without help, we should have found more than just a little bloodstain – the killer took Dave with him."

"We assume he wanted to kill the woman, so why take the child? He could have just left him there, or killed him too," Vivian asked.

"He couldn't leave the boy there because Dave was a witness," Martin stated.

"And what if the father is the killer?" Vivian said, turning to her colleagues.

"Maybe the father was abusing the boy and the woman was trying to take him away from his father," Martin guessed.

"There is no evidence of that. He has been described as a loving father. And even if that was the case, why didn't she go to the police instead of that squalid place?" Samantha said.

"She had problems with the law in her past, or maybe she knew how social services work and didn't want the child in the system," Vivian stated.

"And what if the killer wanted to take Dave instead, and had to kill the woman to get him?" Samantha felt there was something missing. If a man could kill a woman in cold blood, he would have no problem killing the child too. His goal had to be different. But what?

Jack had been silent until then. He was lost in his own thoughts and was watching and listening to his team. After all they had been through, two OPR investigations and even more personal crisis, they still worked with the same fervor and enthusiasm that they always had. And, they did it in spite of his mistakes and shortcomings. "What did her neighbors tell you about her relationship with Winters?" he finally asked.

"One of their neighbors told me she often looked after Dave and some thought Winters and she were growing closer. They were seen taking the boy out several times, almost like a family. They seemed happy together and Davey was happier since she had appeared in their lives." Then, after a quick look at her notes, Sam continued, "Davey lost his mother three years ago; she died of cancer. His father tried his best, worked as much as he could, but her illness had drained their savings and money had been an issue since then."

"Viv, did you find anything useful on Ann Marie Krajcek?" Jack asked.

"She picked up a new identity six months ago and started a new life. I have no idea what or who prompted her decision. She worked as a waitress in a diner on Fremont. She had told her employer she was new in town. She had a sister in Belmont, Oregon. I'm still trying to reach her. I'll interview one of Krajcek's friends as soon as we finish here; NYPD is entertaining her."

"Perfect! Back to square one. We have to find Winters. Martin come with me, I'm going to pay a visit to Winters' employer. Sam, keep looking and stay in contact with NYPD. Pull strings if necessary." Jack shared a quick look with his female colleagues and added, "I'm sure Detective Williams and his squad will be 'fully cooperative'."

***

Express Cleaning Service, Inc. -- 110 East 19th Street, NY

Jack and Martin were sitting on the opposite side from Mr. Farinelli's desk. Winters' employer was an overweight middle age man. As Martin filled the employer in, Jack watched Mr. Farinelli's body language, trying to gauge his involvement.

"Do you know if Mr. Winters has any financial problems?" Jack asked.

"He asked for a double shift and I gave him as many hours as I could, but… you know, union rules! We all know he has financial trouble; he is always short on money. Money is an issue for most of my employees, but after his wife's illness he was almost desperate. Medical bills dried his finances, he was in debt. I helped him look for a second job."

"Can you tell us where else he is working?" Martin asked.

"As warehouseman at Century 21 Department Store in Brooklyn on 86th Street. He told me he works there on Tuesday and Friday mornings. That's all. I don't know what he might do off the books. I never asked."

"Okay." Martin took note of the new information and then asked, "Does Mr. Winters have a regular schedule? Does he always work at the same places?"

"He usually works at the Supreme Court's offices on Center Street. He starts at 6 PM, but he didn't show up yesterday and didn't call."

"Thank you, Mr. Farinelli. Just a last thing, we're going to need a list of all employees on his shift," Jack said.

"Sure." He escorted them to his secretary and asked her to give them the list.

***

43rd Precinct, Bronx -- NY

Vivian approached the entrance of the 43rd Precinct. She knew it could happen sooner or later, and now it had. She apprehensively entered the building with dread. Her worst nightmare had come to pass. She would be working on a case with her brother, a New York detective.

An agent escorted her to the interview room. Detective Williams was waiting for her outside the room, reading the preliminary reports about the analysis of the crime scene.

"Steven," Vivian said, nodding at her brother.

"Vivian! To what do I owe this honor?" Detective Williams didn't hide his surprise. "I thought 'Blondie' was working the case. What happened? Did you draw the short straw?"

Vivian ignored her brother's snarky remark and said, "I'm here to see Miss Peters. Let's not waste each other's time."

They entered the interview room and took a seat at the table. Vivian took her phone and showed the woman a photo of Dave Winters.

"Miss Peters, do you recognize this child?"

"Yes, it's Davey. Annie sometimes watched him when his father was at work." Miss Peters was tormenting a handkerchief between her hands.

"Do you know if there was a relationship between Annie and Dave's father?" Vivian asked.

"She never talked about it, but it could be. I just know she was worried about the kid."

"Really? What did she tell you?" Vivian continued.

"She told me that Dave lately was very quiet, too quiet for a kid his age and he had restless nights; he often woke up in tears. She was worried. She had talked with his father, but he seemed too busy to worry about his son. At least this was what she told me." The woman's lips trembled and her eyes watered. She bit her lower lip and turned her look away from Vivian.

"Anything else?" Vivian asked. She realized that Miss Peters was on the edge of an emotional breakdown, but she wanted to be sure the woman had said everything she knew.

Miss Peters shook her head. She quickly wiped the tears away with her hand. Vivian handed her card to Miss Peters, saying to call if she remembered something else.

"Can I have a copy of the preliminary report?" Vivian asked her brother as they walked down the corridor.

"Of course! We lowly cops can't handle this case. The Feds need to take over."

"We are all working to find this child. It's been over 30 years and you are still holding a grudge? Dad's been dead a long time. He made a mistake, the agency made a mistake. It was corrected. It's over!"

"You were just a child, Viv. You weren't totally aware of what was happening at the time. You weren't witness to Dad's anguish and desperation. You could see that he lost his job, but you did not see the loss of dignity and self-respect. You didn't realize how he took menial jobs just to keep a roof over our heads. Yes, the Feds made a mistake and Dad paid for it."

"But then everything went well. It was just a few hard months. Dad went back to his work as supervisor at the post office and everything was in place again," Vivian replied.

"You were young. You did not realize how it affected him. You did not see how people looked at him and whispered about him behind his back. He protected you from all of it. The Feds caused it and now you are one of them." Detective Williams stopped, shook his head and walked away from his sister. Vivian had never heard this from her brother before. Was he right?

***

New York County Supreme Court buildings, Center Street -- 6:30 PM

Jack and Martin arrived at the Supreme Court offices when almost everyone had gone. It was Friday evening and Memorial Day weekend was about to start. Everyone wanted to go home and two FBI agents asking questions weren't what they were looking for. Martin saw two of Winters' colleagues, who were getting ready to start their job. They were just outside the storeroom, checking a last time if everything was in place on their cleaning trolley. The younger agent exchanged a look with Jack and approached them. He presented his credentials and asked them if they knew why Winters was not at work.

The two men were surprised. "Probably Davey is ill and Jerry didn't find a sitter. You know how children are fussy when they're sick. My wife says the next illness is mine!" The man laughed at the thought and added, "I would rather paint the house all over again with my mother-in-law directing the works!" He turned to his younger colleague, who was chuckling, and asked him, "What are you thinking, Greg? Listen to me man; enjoy your time without children!"

Martin intervened, preventing the other man from telling them another family scene, "Excuse me, sir, but do you know if your coworker had any relatives in the city?"

"I never heard him talk about relatives." The older man looked his coworker, who was agreeing with him.

"Maybe a friend with whom he could stay? We really need to talk with him," Martin continued, turning the attention to the younger man.

"Since his wife's death he hasn't been the same. He rarely goes out. He spends most of his time with his son." The man slowly shook his head.

"Thank you. If you hear from him, would you tell him to call me?" Martin handed them his card.

In the meantime Jack looked quickly around the offices that were on that floor and took notes of the justices' names. When he stopped in front of Justice Claire Morris' door, he was surprised to find her still at her desk. He knocked gently on the open door so as not to startle her.

Justice Morris was an attractive woman in her late forties. Her short brown hair didn't help softening her already hard features.

Hearing Jack's knocking she lifted her eyes and said with a polite but cold voice, "I'm sure we haven't an appointment." Then looking at her expensive wristwatch, she added, "I doubt you have one at all at this hour. So, how can I help you?"

"I'm Special Agent Jack Malone, FBI. I'd like to exchange a few words with you about one of the cleaners working here. It could be involved in a case we're working on."

"Please, take a seat, Agent Malone."

Jack walked in and approached her desk. What was that? She stiffened as soon as she heard the word FBI. Jack sat on the chair directly in front of her desk. In this way nothing would be between them, neither the monitor of her computer, nor her open briefcase that was on her desk. Jack had to be careful about what he asked her. They had nothing on Winters. He told her they were looking for him because they had reason to believe that his five-year-old son was on a crime scene.

"And why are you here?" The justice asked.

Jack was studying her reaction. He could see she was lightly annoyed, but she knew how to hide it. Probably something learned in court. Was it because she didn't understand why they were asking her about him, or rather because she knew him?

"Because we can't find Winters anywhere. Do you know him?" Jack abruptly asked. There was something about the woman's behavior that didn't convince Jack. Her coldness was excessive.

"I think I can associate a face to the name, but nothing more than this. I'm usually leaving as the cleaning crew is arriving and we don't speak socially. When I work late, I ask them to clean my office last. So, I don't know how I can help you. Now, Agent Malone, I'd like to finish my work and enjoy the long weekend."

She politely ended their conversation. She was not going to answer any other question. Jack thanked her and left. He saw Martin who was handing his cards to Winters' colleagues and waited for him.

"So, anything new?" Jack asked Martin as soon as the younger agent joined him.

"They were too calm. I doubt either of them knows anything," Martin stated.

"I just talked with Judge Morris… there could be something more there," Jack told him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jack started walking down the corridor toward the elevators and added, "But now let's go. Drop me at the office and then go to Winters' other workplace."

***

FBI Headquarters

Samantha entered the bullpen with a folder in her hands. "We have the warrant for the DNA of the child. An agent is going to take a sample to Winters' apartment," she told Vivian as she headed toward her desk.

"Jack just called; he's on his way back. Winters is not at work and hasn't been there since the day before yesterday." Vivian updated Sam with the new information Jack just gave her.

The phone on Vivian's desk rang. While she answered, an agent approached Samantha's desk with a big envelope.
"Agent Spade, this is for you. It's from Lieutenant Hanson, 43rd Precinct."

Samantha thanked the young agent and opened the envelope. She was waiting for the complete report from NYPD on what they had found in the hotel room. Samantha started to look through it and didn't like what she read.

Vivian hung up the phone and was going to inform her colleague on what she had just discovered when she noticed Sam's annoyed attitude. "What's up?" she asked.

"They are keeping information from us! I had to call Lieutenant Hanson directly and threaten him to obtain this report. Ann Marie Krajcek was going to leave the city… probably with Dave. They found two bus tickets among her things. She was going to Belmont, Oregon – to her sister's." Sam lifted her eyes and didn't miss noticing Vivian's lightly amused expression. "You don't look surprised…"

"I was on the phone with Mrs. Robson, Ann Marie's sister. She told me that her sister had phoned her yesterday evening and had told her she was coming to stay with her for some weeks. And …," Vivian underlined her news with a pause, "… Davey was going with her. These were her words."

"Davey?" Samantha was surprised. "If Mrs. Robson called him 'Davey', her sister had to be very close to him and talk about him a lot."

"Exactly. I asked Mrs. Robson about it and she told me Dave was her sister's boyfriend's son."

"Boyfriend? Really?" Sam was even more surprised. "Were they really involved or was she making up an excuse to justify Dave's presence?"

"We just know Miss Krajcek needed to hide the child," Vivian stated.

"Did Mrs. Robson ask her sister why?" Sam's eyes glinted with hope.

"Her sister said she would explain better when she got there. Unfortunately it didn't happen," Viv replied.

"Viv, do you think she was going to take Dave away from his abusing father? Or did Winters trust her enough to let her take his child out of town?"

"I don't know, Sam. Miss Peters, Ann Marie's friend, told me the child was nervous. Maybe Winters was really abusing his son or it was just a bad time for him and asked Ann Marie to take care of Dave for a few days."

"Her bedroom was a mess, Viv. And then she went to that shithole of a hotel. There has to be more," Sam replied.

"Let's fill in the blanks on our timeline and see if we can solve this puzzle." Vivian left her desk, walking toward the board, a marker in her hand.

"I've a feeling many pieces are still missing… Why did she have to hide the child? Where is the father? He didn't go back to his apartment, he was not at work, his colleagues and friends have no idea where he could be and he isn't in any hospitals; I even checked the morgue… He vanished in thin air." Samantha said, joining her colleague at the whiteboard.

***

21 Century Department Store, Brooklyn. NY

Martin went to Winters' other workplace and talked to his employer. It was at least 24 hours since anyone had had any contact with him.

"It's odd. He knows that an unjustified absence means losing the job." Winters' boss explained to Martin.

While Martin interviewed the employer, Martin noticed another man trying very hard to overhear their conversation. Martin sensed that the man knew something, so he spoke louder and made reference to Winters' son. "The child could be in danger." Handing his business card to the employer, Martin loudly voiced how to contact him, repeating the information on the card. Hopefully, the man would contact Winters.

*

Martin was in his car, wondering if he had done the right thing, when his cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the ID caller. "Fitzgerald," he answered hopefully.

"I'm Jeremy Winters. I've been told you are looking for me."