Nameless Chapter 11, a twilight fanfic

Chapter Eleven

1000 Eighteenth Street

EPOV

I walked away from the fear in the mirror and took the stairs to the third floor. When I reached the conference room I still felt breathless. I didn't let that stop me, I barged in and assessed my audience everyone looking at me expectantly.

"Swan." I allowed my gaze to linger on hers a moment before I went on. "Touch base with Denali and tell her to look for any files marked 'random'. That's where I stored my personal notes on various cases. Also ask her to look for any fan mail I received. There's something familiar to me about the way this guy is wording things."

"Whitlock, find me a place where the lives of these two," I pointed to the pictures of Alyssa and Cynthia, "intersect. There has to be something, this guy is too intelligent and meticulous to simply be choosing random victims. There will be a connection, find it."

"McCarty, stay on the fan mail list. Black, start looking at the crime scenes again, from the point of abduction to the point of rescue and everything in between."

"Ateara, visit the neighbor's boyfriend, press him, maybe he'll remember something else." I looked over at Newton.

"Put together a press conference, use our buddy Webber. Let's send Devoted Fan a big public message about how I've been reinstated." He was definitely skeptical but agreed.

"Devoted Fan's goal, seems to be making sure the Bureau knows what a mistake was made three years ago, to see that I'm reinstated yada yada yada. Let's see if he's being honest with us...or even himself." I added. Bella was the first to pick up on where I was going with this theory.

"You think he's using you as a ruse? That there's a bigger plan in motion?"

"Either that or were looking for an unsub with a medical condition or, hell, an incarceration that slowed him down. I was canned three years ago. Why wait so long to show his support? Why Birmingham? Why these particular victims? Why Oak Hill Cemetery or Sloss Furnaces? What is Devoted Fan trying to tell us? Maybe he really believes this is about me when, in reality, it's about him." That old familiar release of galvanizing adrenaline took hold.

"Whatever he's up to it isn't just about me. This guy has a story to tell. We just have to be able to see the words."

9:30pm

"Any updates?"

"No connection to the vics yet. The Brynes don't shop at the Wal-Mart on Hackworth Road, not related by blood or marriage, don't travel in the same circles, social or otherwise and no church or community connections. Nothing." Whitlock spoke up first.

"Nothing from Denali yet." Bella spoke next as Newton's secretary came in and whispered something in his ear.

"We have another communication." He said looking at me. There wasn't supposed to be another one until tomorrow. I took a seat at the computer and opened the mailbox.

Masen, my friend,

Unfortunately, an unavoidable glitch has forced me to move forward ahead of schedule. You have my sincerest apologies, but this challenge will not wait. It will prove how right I have been all along.

Kurt Trenton worships his fame and his own arrogance. He holds life in his hands, giving it, likewise taking it away. For this reason he must be humbled. You see, Trenton needs to remember how it feels for his life to rest in the hands of another. He is not God. This he will learn quickly as he awaits death, just as the One he would pretend to be once suffered so selflessly. Oppression is evil.

Find him Masen, before it is too late. Remind him that justice is everywhere and threatens injustice anywhere. You have twelve hours…starting now.

Your Devoted Fan

"Okay, folks," Newton shouted. "Who is Kurt Trenton and has he been reported missing? Find everything you can on who and where he is. The name sounds familiar. This guy may be a regular in the media. Start there."

I re-read the last paragraph once more, tension compounding with each word. Twelve hours. The time was cut shorter again and the difficulty level had escalated. As promised by Devoted Fan. My hands shook as I sent it to the printer.

But I'd made the decision, I'm in. There is no other option. At six this evening Newton had announced that I'd been reinstated on all local news channels and still the email had come. It was just as I surmised. This was far bigger than me. Somehow I was the linchpin, the connecting thread, but I am certain each one of these victims was somehow involved…somehow a part of the story Devoted Fan wanted to tell.

Before getting up from the computer, I decided to give it one last effort to end this before anyone else was put at risk. I opened a reply box and started to type. One by one the agents in the room gathered behind me, including Newton.

Devoted Fan,

You must have seen the news release. I have been reinstated. There is no need to continue your valiant efforts. I am back and I have you to thank.

Masen

"Do you think that will accomplish anything?" Newton asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Only one way to find out." I replied hitting the send button. Less than a minute passed before the announcement that I had mail sounded.

Masen,

Yes, I saw this on the news. It was very exciting. I feel that you and I together have accomplished the first step. But I fear that we have not yet shown them just how invaluable you are. I am certain this ploy will not last if we do not carry on with our mission. Rescue Trenton and you will be very close to the end of your trials. With these final challenges you will truly be exalted to the glorious position you deserve.

Devoted Fan

"McCarty, Black, see if you can nail down the location these clues are alluding to. Run the phrasing through the system, particularly the part about justice and injustice. We're going to have to make every second count on this one."

"If he follows the same MO, the location will be highly visible." Bella said.

"That's right. Prioritize your findings with high profile locations at the top of the list. Whitlock, as soon as we know who this Trenton is, see if he ties in with either of the victims."

'…holds life in his hands…he is not God…'

"This Trenton is a doctor, a doctor with a major God complex." I looked from Whitlock to Bella. She looked away first but not before I saw the glow of pride in her eyes. At first I was slightly baffled but then I realized what it meant. She seemed proud of me and that unfamiliar feeling constricted my chest. Somehow she managed to latch on to some unexpected real estate that I hadn't even realize was on the market. I just hoped she understood the kind of shitty neighborhood she's bought into.

Bella abruptly swiveled away from the computer where she sat next to McCarty. "I've got him." She looked at me.

"Dr. Kurt Trenton, forty-eight years old, five eleven, one-sixty, gray eyes, salt and pepper hair. Cardiac surgeon."

"Not just any cardiac surgeon, this guy was one of the country's leading transplant surgeons. He's been on Good Morning America."

"And is the leading transplant surgeon scheduled to perform a rare procedure, an auto transplant, on former Alabama Governor Vince Green. Only two people have survived the procedure and in both cases Trenton performed it." Bella added. She and McCarty volleyed back and forth.

"News flash, the procedure got moved up. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning." A new load of pressure was just settled onto my shoulders. Newton walked into the room.

"I just received a call from the chief of police as well as the mayor's office. Dr. Kurt Trenton's wife reported him missing one hour ago. Birmingham PD discovered his car in the parking garage of UAB hospital."

"You're next call will be from the Governor." I warned him.

"What do you mean?" he asked as his secretary burst in the room announcing the call.

Timing. It was all about timing.

Monday 3:00am

Six hours remaining…

McCarty rushed to where I'm sitting reviewing schematics of every hospital in the city. I'd already gotten a citywide layout showing where every church was located. Hospitals and churches: the two most likely places for a miracle to happen. And most larger hospitals had chapels.

"Sir…Agent Masen?" I looked up, startled at being addressed that way.

"Yeah, McCarty, what have you got?"

"I may have something on the phrase 'justice is everywhere, and threatens injustice anywhere.'" He shuffled the pages in his hand. "During his stay in a Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter using a variation of that. 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'"

Lines from the emails kept tumbling over and over in my head. "I don't think he's alluding to a jail. He talks about God, how Trenton holds life in his hands...'awaits death just as the One he would pretend to be once suffered so selflessly."

"There's a monument, a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in Kelly Ingram Park." Black added.

"Wait." Bella pushed away from the table and stood. "The Sixteenth Baptist Church is there. You can't get any more high profile, the Church is a historic landmark."

Oppression is evil. In this case I believe he is talking about financial means. Trenton is a renowned surgeon. It would take big money or the right kind of insurance to obtain treatment from him.

"He holds life in his hands by selecting some patients and turning away others, probably based on their ability to pay."

"His arrogance is documented in a number of newspaper articles." Ateara stated and everyone started chiming in.

"The church, that has to be it. Where else would we find the One, capitol O if you'll notice, Trenton pretends to be?"

"You're right, but not just any church, the church. Where the likeness of Dr. King still watches over from the park, reminding all that oppression is evil."

"Ateara, find out who the Reverend at Sixteenth Street Baptist is and wake him up. We don't have the time or the necessary probable cause for a warrant. We need an invitation to take a look inside that church." Newton said before turning to McCarty. "Get Birmingham PD to rendezvous there ASAP."

He looks to me next. "You really think this is it? Time is running out fast." Birmingham PD was out scouring the city one hospital at a time. But the sweep was broad, not focused, because they didn't know exactly where to look.

"This is the one." I told him with as much certainty as I could muster. "Swan and I aren't waiting, we're going there now."

"Okay, take McCarty with you."

4:55 a.m.

Five hours, five minutes remaining…

When we arrived at the corner of Sixteenth Street and Sixth Avenue, the Reverend was waiting on the steps leading into the historic church. Surveying the area there was something in the air that had my senses alert. Those old instincts were humming, maybe if we were all lucky, it is a good sign.

If Trenton wasn't in the church…there likely wouldn't be enough time to narrow down another location before time ran out. He would die. My inability to get the job done would prove Devoted Fan a fool and that the Bureau had been right to off load me.

Sure, the big expose that reporter had done revealed the war that had gone down between me and King, but any agent worth his salt would know that didn't prove a damned thing. My retrieval plan could have gone wrong just as King's route had. There was no way to ever be sure. Maybe the Bureau had been right…maybe I had been destined to crash and burn. And just maybe if I hadn't been, King wouldn't have snatched control away at the last minute. Any way you look at it, I couldn't say it wasn't my fault.

One last pull from the smoke I pushed away from the car. Dropping the butt on the sidewalk I ground it out but then picked up the remains and shoved it into my pocket. This was a church after all. Sacred ground. Where four little girls had died in a bombing because some asshole had thought he was better than them.

Confidence nudged again. This has to be the place. Devoted Fan wanted this high profile. He wanted the world watching…

Rushing up the stairs the Reverend greeted us and we followed him inside. The main sanctuary was filled with pews dressed in thick red cushions and that same brilliant red spilled across the floor in the form of carpet. A balcony circled the sanctuary, providing additional seating. Massive stained-glass windows, each telling a story, wrapped around the room in biblical accountings.

The Reverend led the way through the sanctuary and to all rooms and halls on the upper floor. My gut twisting as each revealed nothing.

"What about the basement level?" I asked when it was obvious that the sanctuary level was clear.

"This way." The Reverend indicated the door to his right. "I was here until around seven last night." He explained as he led the way down the winding staircase. "And we had service this morning."

"Lord have mercy." The Reverend gasped. I moved down the last step to stand next to him, whose horrified gaze had fixated on the abomination erected in the center of the large basements gathering place.

"Nobody move." I said as I weaved between the tables and chairs until I stood before the wooden pole where Dr. Trenton had been tied and lashed. Using extreme caution I reached up and touched his carotid artery. "He's alive." I called back to the others.

Alive and naked, save for the bomb on his chest. Trenton's eyes were closed. Written in black marker across his forehead one word. Godless. His arms and legs had been bound in place with silver duct tape. His mouth was taped shut the same as the other vics had been. At least Devoted Fan was sticking with his tools of choice. Except…

"Is that…" McCarty asked without coming any closer. "What I think it is?"

"Looks like it." I said watching the digital timer count down from three hours forty nine minutes then I considered the IED - improvised explosive device. The working parts are strung together against the doctor's chest with no casing or enclosure of any sort. Just the guts. As if the doctors innards had been bared for the world to see. And they would if this thing went off.

Turning to the man of the cloth waiting with Bella and McCarty. "Reverend, I want you and Agent McCarty to go outside and start knocking on the door of any house or business close by where there might be people. If this thing goes off, I don't want anybody in the possible blast radius."

My throat tightened. I swallowed. Didn't help.

"Bella, go outside with the others, coordinate with Birmingham PD so they can assist with the evacuations when they arrive; and call Newton and tell him to get me a bomb unit over here now."

"Ok, and then I'll be back." I expected that. I watched her hurry up the stairs.

"McCarty, everyone stays out, if she tries to come back in here, restrain her." He looked like he wanted to argue but then nodded thoughtfully before replying.

"Yes, sir."

I turned my attention to Trenton. I could feel McCarty staring at my back. There was no time to discuss it, I would deal with Bella later. If I don't end up splattered all over the Magic City. The digital clock was ticking right on down, but, barring any unexpected deviations from Devoted Fan's usual MO, there was plenty of time for the bomb unit to get here and take care of this.

I studied the assembly. The timer and battery are connected to a detonator, which led to a block of what looks like C-4. Defusing this thing shouldn't be a problem for a trained technician. I had defused one during my career but it had been a long-ass time ago and I had been in contact with an expert during the whole process. I hope that won't be necessary this morning.

Unless… maybe I could get it off the victim's chest, lay it carefully on the floor, and then get the victim out of here. That could work.

Careful not to touch anything, l leaned down and peered at the way the bomb was attached to Trenton's chest since there was no tape or strapping visible.

Not seeing a thing, I tried to work my fingers between the timer and Trenton's chest, but his skin seemed attached to the device. Glue, something pretty powerful like a Super Glue, maybe the same the unsub had used to trap Cynthia Jones. Smart bastard, why couldn't we have gotten a stupid unsub.

Trenton groaned. I straightened, reached up and started to peel the tape from his mouth. Trenton's eyes snapped open. He tried to scream, jerked and bucked in a futile attempt to break free.

"Don't move, Dr. Trenton." I urged, drawing my hands away from the man in hopes of calming him down.

"My name is Masen and I'm with the FBI. Help is on the way. There's…" The readout on the digital timer jerked my attention there.

59:38

What the hell? A minute ago it had displayed more than three hours and forty minutes to go. Now there is less than sixty minutes? My tension shot up to the next level. Trenton started groaning and doing that wiggle jerking motion again.

The timer went into fast forward.

"Stop! Don't Move! There's a fucking bomb strapped to your chest. Every time you move the countdown speeds up." The man froze except for the sobs muffled behind the tape partially covering his mouth. The timer displayed three minutes eleven seconds and was ticking down.

Shit!

Desperation cut off my air supply. I dug out my cell phone and called McCarty. "What's the ETA on that bomb unit?" My heart thumped harder with each word. His words echoed like a death call. The bomb unit was more than three minutes away. I lowered the phone and let it fall to the floor.

We're fucked.

As if I had said the words out loud, Trenton's sobs grew more frantic. I met his gaze. The terror there twisted in my gut. This man was going to die if I didn't do something. I couldn't give up without trying. C-4 requires a detonating charge. Any detonation required a power source. No power source, no detonation of the igniting charge. No igniting charge, no explosion.

Simple. All I have to do is stop the process. I wish I had a cigarette or a drink, but I'd just have to wait until I was through here. A tremor jerked my hand as I reached out to the battery. Each piece of this thing was glued to Trenton's chest, so there was no moving any one part. I have to defuse it by cutting the wires.

Too bad I don't have a knife.

1:46

And all this time I thought I was prepared carrying a condom around. Okay, what are my options? I could try pulling the wires loose. The wire to the timer first or the detonator first? The way they were twisted around who could tell what went where?

To hell with it. I'll just do them all.

Red went first.