Chapter 11
A Scar is a Scar By Any Other Name
By
Kelly Batten
Duval pulled into his driveway and recognized the car parked out front. It belonged to Sam Adams. He thought he'd be gone by now. Gracie told him that they were going to study. He had reservations about her story but what could he really do? She was in college and a legal adult. It was after 11:00 PM though. Could they really be studying still?
Then he got very worried. The fear of all fathers hit him, what if she's inside the house having sex right now? Again, what could he really do? As long as she's a legal consenting adult, he really had no recourse other than to say "Not in my house." How would that really go over though?
He couldn't think about that at this point. He never asked her about her relationship with Garrett and she never volunteered anything. She was clearly too embarrassed and traumatized by all of it to want to talk about it with him. He needed to focus on the case at hand and he knew he needed to speak with Liza as soon as possible. He feared that she could be in danger.
He couldn't sit in his car all night though. He realized the best course of action was to just walk into the house and hope they were sitting at the table doing homework or at least something that would be considered proper as Duval's mother would say. If he didn't see them, he'd make sure he made lots of noise to get them out in the open very fast.
He unlocked the car but before he could open the door to get out, the passenger side door opened up and a person got in next to him very quickly. Duval's first instinct was to grab his gun but, then he realized the person next to him was someone he knew.
"Duval, do you want to tell your boss why you went out to do reconnaissance without telling her first what you were doing? Jimmy told me you went without any back up. What were you thinking?"
Duval had a look of relief that the person in his car was Paula. He then said, "I was thinking that given the fact that we had found a bug on your phone that I didn't feel like I could trust anyone in the office at the moment."
"All right I'll give you that, but Duval, there is protocol here. You need to tell me what you're doing. If you went missing, the FBI needs to have some kind of idea of where to start looking."
"You're a great one to talk Paula."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What about your recent trip to Atlanta?"
Paula looked at him funny and said, "Fielding, my boss, knew I was going there and as for needing backup, I didn't think that was necessary when I was meeting a fellow agent. I think what happened to me is completely unrelated."
"I'm sorry. I'm tired and my daughter is in the house very late with her boyfriend."
Paula's demeanor then changed and said, "Oh I see, Duval is thinking more as a parent right now than an agent. OK I can totally relate but, in the future, tell me what you're doing."
"Let's get out of the car. It's late and I'm tired." They got out and Duval locked the car. "Anything else you want to chastise me about Boss?"
"Duval, please don't get defensive. Look, Jimmy and I found bugs on your phone and on Fielding's phone. Our prime suspect right now is Hoover. The question is who is she doing this for?"
Duval was silent but then said, "I saw Strayburn, Kerning and Hoover at the warehouse."
"Do you think Senator Murphy has something to do with the warehouse?"
"I don't know. I just know that I saw two other men there and there was some kind of a lab."
"A lab for what?"
Duval knew what it was but he couldn't tell Paula without compromising Jimmy. "I'm not sure. I observed it from the roof."
Duval and Paula were now at his front porch and Paula said, "You were on the roof looking in? Duval what if you had been seen? No backup? This is why you should have told me. I would have gone with you. Jimmy could have checked the bugs without me."
"Maybe I didn't want you in danger."
"Duval, it's very chivalrous of you but, remember what we do for a living. I've had my share of scrapes. Have you forgotten that your former boss shot at us on our first day together here? Then there was our first case together and our little adventure in the freezer trailer, not to mention getting a gun shoved into the back of my head in Atlanta?"
"Maybe that's why I didn't want you around. Consider that you're all Liza has."
"That's very kind Duval but, what if something happened to you? You're also the only parent Gracie has now. If you think of nothing else than think of her. As for me, if something were to happen to you…." Her voice trailed off.
Duval raised his eyebrows and said, "What are you saying Paula?"
Paula got quiet as she wasn't sure what to say and then she said, "….pick my pieces up off the floor because that's where I'll be."
Duval was overcome with emotion. He gently pulled Paula to him and he leaned in and kissed her. She put her arms around him and returned the kiss. The kiss grew more passionate and they pulled each other closer to where they were having a hard time getting enough of each other's kisses and touches. Duval couldn't contain himself and lifted her up and they gently leaned on the wall. Paula wrapped her legs around Duval and he leaned further into her. Clothes were starting to clearly get in the way as Paula reached underneath Duval's shirt. They both seemed oblivious to being on Duval's front porch where they could have been seen by anyone passing by when they both heard a voice say, "Dad?"
It was as though cold water had been splashed on both of them and they broke the embrace to find Gracie standing in the front yard next to Sam and they both had ice cream cones in their hands. Gracie had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing a pale pink jacket. She almost looked childlike. Duval dropped Paula to her feet immediately. They looked at each other and were clearly mortified by what had just happened.
Duval regained his composure and said, "Ah Gracie, I'm sorry. I thought you were in the house."
"We were. We finished studying and then we watched a movie."
"A movie, which one?"
"Star Wars: Rogue One, you and I missed it in the theater. It was kind of depressing as far as Star Wars movies go, so Sam suggested we walk out to the main drag and go to Dairy Queen for ice cream."
"Good idea."
Gracie then looked at Paula who really looked out of place in this scenario. "Hi Paula. It's nice to see you again. I see Liza a lot at school. We meet for coffee some times. Maybe you and I could meet for coffee some time."
Duval said, "Gracie, Paula has a lot on her plate these days."
Paula smiled and said, "Actually Gracie that would be very nice some time." She looked at Duval and gave him a What is your problem look and then said, "I don't believe I've met your friend."
"Oh yeah, Sam Adams this is Paula McCaffrey. She's my dad's boss and would be girlfriend."
Duval got mad and said, "Gracie! That's very rude."
Paula laughed slightly and said, "It's very nice to meet you Sam."
"Likewise Agent McCaffrey. Listen Gracie, this is very awkward so I'm going to say goodnight and I'll see you at school."
"OK Sam, I'll see you tomorrow."
Sam got into his car and drove off. Gracie then said, "OK, I'm going into the house now." She walked up and opened the door and then turned and said, "Dad, don't you think you should invite Paula in?" She walked into the house and shut the door.
Paula and Duval stood there for several moments not really sure what to say when Paula just blurted out, "Well, that was fun." She started to turn to go to her car.
Duval then said, "Do you want to come in?"
Paula looked at him in disbelief and said, "You're kidding right?"
"No, I'm not. As I recall, we started something before you went to Atlanta and I think we need to finish it…at least the conversation."
Paula looked very thoughtful and said, "I know, we should talk. I've actually been thinking a lot about that since I had a gun shoved in the back of my head but, I'm sorry Duval, not tonight." She then got back to being professional and said, "I'll look for your report and be very careful what you say at your desk, in my office and in Fielding's office."
She walked to her car and drove off.
Duval walked into the house and found Gracie in the kitchen putting dishes in the dishwasher. "Gracie, you don't have to do that tonight. Go get some sleep."
"Dad, I think we need to talk."
"What about?"
"About why I found you and Paula practically doing it on the front porch."
"Are you trying to be my mother here Gracie?"
"No, I'm being your college age daughter. You looked completely shocked to see me and it's not because of the situation I caught you in. You were in that situation because you thought I was in the house having sex with Sam didn't you?"
"OK, I admit it, the thought did cross my mind but as for what you saw with Paula and me, that was completely spontaneous."
"Dad, you don't have to explain anything to me. Look, Sam has his own apartment with no roommates."
"OK Gracie, and point here is?"
"My point is that if I wanted to do it with Sam, we could go to his place and be totally uninterrupted and we could just as easily do it at his place at three o'clock in the afternoon as we could if it were midnight."
Duval looked perplexed and said, "Gracie, what are you trying to tell me?"
"I'm trying to tell you that if I was going to have sex with Sam, I wouldn't do here…and for the record, I haven't had sex with Sam. I haven't had sex with anyone."
Duval looked relieved but then said, "Really?"
"Yes, really. I know you wondered about Garrett and me. I later realized after I'd been kidnapped that Connor Graff didn't want me pregnant since he was going to experiment on me so Garrett only went so far with me…and I know I've gone out with a few guys before Garrett but nothing happened Dad. You should give yourself and Mom some credit in teaching me a few things when it comes to boys."
"Well Gracie, I'm very glad to hear that. I guess I'll see you in the morning."
"Not so fast Dad."
"What else did you want to say Gracie?"
"Dad, I'm trying to tell you that this is your house. I don't have a problem with you being with Paula. In fact, I welcome it. You're happy when you're with her. What I just witnessed outside is proof of it. Dad, in all the time I saw you with Mom, I never once witnessed you two being hot for each other…or even close to being hot for each other. Mom was right when she told me that you belonged with someone else. If I were to wake up and find Paula in the kitchen getting coffee or making breakfast. I'd be OK with it."
"Well, I think we're still a ways from that."
"I can see that. Just don't use me as a reason not to pursue things."
Duval nodded and said, "It's a deal Gracie."
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The next morning, Liza woke up with Jenny next to her. Jenny smiled and said, "Good morning Lover."
Liza raised her eyebrows and said, "I think you've got me confused with someone else. I fell asleep before anything happened."
"You did but that doesn't mean we can't do anything now."
"Actually, it does. I have work to do. Look Jenny, I had a great time at the bar last night but clearly inviting you back here was a mistake. Maybe we could start with dinner early in the evening on our next date."
"You actually want to see me again? I was taking your rejection now to mean you didn't like me."
Liza reached up and ran her hand through Jenny's hair and said, "No, it just means, I don't have time. You know I really enjoyed talking to you last night. I realized that you asked me about my life but I know very little about you. Where are you from anyway? Your voice doesn't exactly sound west coast."
"I'm originally from Manchester New Hampshire. Do I sound New England to you?"
"I don't think I've ever met anyone from that part of the country before so I couldn't say. I just knew you weren't from around here."
"Well, till we see each other again Liza Elliott." She leaned in and kissed her rather passionately.
"Jenny, one question."
"What is it?"
"You probably know about Lookinglass's annual gala for the March of Dimes that's coming up."
"Of course."
"Would you like to come with me?"
Jenny smiled and said, "Mary already told me my presence there was needed but it's nice to know that I'm also wanted. I'll be there Liza."
"Great, so I'll see you later."
"You can count on it."
Jenny finished getting dressed and went to her car. She dialed a phone number and said, "I've got the information. I'm not proud of what I did. Liza Elliott is a good person and so are Mary Goodwin and James Pritchard….Please don't give me the ends justify the means speech. I'll do my job but I don't always have to be happy about it."
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Jimmy was in the kitchen getting breakfast when his phone rang. He saw that it was Duval. "What's up Son?"
"Dad, I need to meet with you and Liza today. Paula came to me last night…"
"Whoa stop Son. Paula came to you last night?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean that you and Paula are together?"
Duval said in a very confused voice, "What?" Then he realized what he had said, "Dad let me rephrase that. Paula came to see me last night after you and she found the bugs. She told me about them and she also berated me for not taking backup."
"I told you before you went that you should have had one of us with you."
"Dad, I just didn't want Paula in danger. She's been through enough this week."
"Duval, danger is part of the job which I'm sure she told you so tell me why you're calling."
"As I said, I need to see you and Liza. I got pictures of people at that warehouse. They mentioned Liza by name."
"They what?"
"Dad, they said Liza and one of them walked into a lab. It has to be our Liza. I want Liza to look at the pictures and tell me if she recognizes these men."
"Will do. I know she left for class about twenty minutes ago but I'll send her a text. She should be able to meet us around 11:00 AM."
"Thanks Dad."
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Mary Goodwin sat in her office with Kyle Graff. Mary said, "I guess we've said it all."
"Pretty much. It's time to go." He got up to leave.
Kyle Graff emerged from the office as Lyle Bennett was approaching her office. Kyle said to Mary, "Ms. Goodwin, I'm sorry but I'm afraid I can't accept your offer."
Mary raised her eyebrows and said, "Mr. Graff, this is a very lucrative deal for you. Try to remember that I was at one time going to merge Lookinglass with Oncentric. I think I'm being fairly generous here."
"Ms. Goodwin, given the fact that your brother Otto is responsible for my brother's death, I just don't think this is a good idea. Besides, while I have sold off a good number of Connor's smaller holdings, Oncentric is the main one and I'm not sure if I'm ready to let go of it. I've never run a corporation before and I'm starting to find the idea rather intoxicating."
"Intoxicating, I guess you are just like your brother."
"Well Ms. Goodwin, if we are just like our brothers then perhaps it's for the best. As I said, Otto killed Connor. I wouldn't want to end up like Connor at your hands. Good Day Ms. Goodwin." He walked out.
Jenny was sitting at her desk with a puzzled look on her face and Lyle Bennett looked on. Mary turned and said, "Jenny, I'm sorry you had to hear that unpleasantness. Normally I would have concluded that conversation in private but Mr. Graff walked out before I made my final pitch to him." She then turned to Bennett and said, "Mr. Bennett, you're right on time. Please come into my office. I need the opinion of a board member on a matter."
"Of course Ms. Goodwin."
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At the FBI, Paula, Duval and Fielding were in a conference room.
Paula said, "Fielding, what do you suggest we do? There are bugs on our three phones. My first inclination is to get rid of them but that tips our hand. However, I can't have conversations going out to God only knows who but, if we don't keep talking like usual, whomever is listening will figure it out."
"You're right, you, Pritchard and I will need to talk without divulging much. There are no visual recording devices so we can write notes and use hand signals. Hoover is back. She's been relegated to a desk in the back of the bull pen but I suggest you keep the blinds down on your office when you have anyone in there with you."
"Understood."
"Since we're in here where there are no bugs, Pritchard, why don't you brief both McCaffrey and myself on what you've found out."
"Thanks Fielding, I apologize if I seem a little off this morning. I spent most of the night going over this. Here's what we have so far.
He went through all of it and showed the pictures that he took to both Fielding and Paula. Fielding then said, "Good work Pritchard. Keep me in the loop. Right now, I need to do a conference call with DC on another case." He walked out.
Paula and Duval sat in silence for a moment and Paula then said, "Well, I agree with Fielding. This is good work. Finish up the report and get it to me as soon as possible."
She started to get up and Duval gently grabbed her wrist. "Paula wait."
Paula looked at him funny and said, "What is it?"
Duval wanted to tell her everything including the part where Liza's name was mentioned but then realized it would be better to wait until he actually spoke to Liza.
"I just wanted you know that I'll get you a complete report as soon as I can."
Paula looked at him funny as though she knew that Duval was hiding something but she only said, "All right, I look forward to seeing it."
"Paula, wait…"
Paula turned. "Yes?"
"Look about last night…I feel like I should apologize."
"For what? For wanting to make love to me? The feeling was mutual Duval."
"I know but, on my front porch is not how I ever imagined being with you for the first time."
Paula smiled and said, "Well, Duval stranger things have happened to me." Duval looked at her funny and she then said, "Don't forget the report." She turned and walked out.
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Paula walked back to her office and was met in the hallway by Hoover. "Agent Hoover, it's nice to have you back. I trust your time at evidence was informative."
"Oh yeah Agent McCaffrey, it was just a load of fun."
"Well, I see it didn't do anything for your disposition."
"What do you want from me Agent McCaffrey?"
"Come into my office and I'll tell you."
They walked in and Hoover said, "This feels more like Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly."
Paula gave Hoover a Cheshire cat grin and said, "Agent Hoover, you wanted field work so I'm giving you an assignment. I'm giving you point on investigating the George Gadwell case. The preliminary information that Pritchard and his CI got was that there was a woman who approached Mr. Gadwell in the bar and we believe that she put poison in his drink."
"You want me to look for the woman?"
"Yes, she's a suspect after all." Paula could see uncertainty in Hoover's face. "Agent Hoover, are going to refuse an assignment?"
"No. It's fine. I'll do the investigation." She walked out.
Agent Malcolm walked in and said, "Agent McCaffrey, I need to speak with you."
Paula very cognizant of the bug in her office said, "That's fine Agent Malcolm. I was about to get coffee, let's walk down together for it."
They left the office and were out of the hearing range when they entered the elevator. "What is it Malcolm?"
"It's Red Byrum."
Paula looked puzzled and said, "What about him? We caught him red handed….pardon the pun." She gave him a sly smile and he smiled back totally understanding.
"He's trying to cut a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"He says that he didn't kill Bettina Clark. He's admitting to the other two women's murders but he's swearing that he wasn't the one who actually killed Bettina and he said, that if I met with him he'd tell me the story."
"It probably is just a story but why is he asking for you?"
"I was the one who put the cuffs on him and read him his rights. I think he feels that I'll listen without any bias."
"All right, go see him and hear him out. My guess is that this is some kind of a ploy but you never know."
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Liza and Jimmy arrived and Duval met them at the elevator. "Thanks for coming in Liza."
"Duval, I'll help you out in any way that I can."
Paula was walking back from getting coffee when she saw Liza there. "Liza?"
Liza, Jimmy and Duval had deer in the headlights looks on their faces. Liza then said, "Mom, what are you doing here?"
"I work here. What are you doing here Liza?"
Liza laughed slightly and said, "Of course you work here Mom. That was a pretty silly question."
There was a big silence and Paula said, "So are we having a standoff here?"
Duval and Jimmy laughed slightly and Duval said, "No, look Paula, I asked Jimmy to come in because I wanted to consult with him. He is my CI after all."
There was another silence and Paula said, "Great, so why did my daughter come into the FBI with your CI?"
Duval said, "Why don't we all go into the conference room?"
They all walked in and Paula said, "What the hell is going on and how is my daughter involved?"
"Paula, I don't know that she's involved, I just want to talk to her."
"Not without her mother."
"Mom, go back to your office. I know your protocols here. It's not appropriate for you to be here. Duval is the person who has point and he should be interviewing me."
"I'm your mother, I have a right to stay with you."
"Mom…I'm not under the age of eighteen. I'm not under arrest and I'm not even a suspect. Duval just thinks I have some information that will help and I'd like to that without my mother leaning over my shoulder."
Jimmy then said, "Paula, do you really think we believe Liza has done something illegal here? We just want to talk to her. She's been living over at Mary Goodwin's with us. I know Liza to be a very upstanding person who's also very smart and Duval just wants to consult with her."
"All right but I expect you to keep me in the loop."
"Understood."
Paula walked out and Liza turned to both of them and said, "We need to bring my mother into the loop here. I don't like keeping secrets from her and we stonewalling her will only peak her curiosity more."
"Liza, I think we both know what will happen if we tell your mother. She won't take it well to put it mildly."
Duval looked puzzled and said, "Dad, why would she take it badly? From what you've told me about you and her, it sounds like you were her mentor and her friend. You gave her the money from the high stakes poker game you played and you wrote her a letter of recommendation for the scholarship. I would think she'd be happy to see you."
Jimmy and Liza smiled slightly and looked at each other with uncertainty. Liza whispered, "Should we tell Duval?"
"Hell no."
"Tell me what?"
Liza then said, "You know, it's really not important right now. Duval let's focus on why you asked me here."
"All right, please sit down." They did as asked and Duval took out the photos that he took. "Liza, I took these pictures last night down by the water at a warehouse. I want you to look at this picture of these two men. Can you tell me if you recognize them?"
"OK." She looked at the picture and her eyes got wide.
Jimmy said, "Liza what is it?"
"Jimmy do you remember when I told you that my ex-husband Vic Shelley approached me?"
"Yes."
She pointed to the picture and said, "This is Vic Shelley."
Duval then said, "You're sure this is him?"
"Yes, Duval, I guess Jimmy told you about him. I'm sure you find my having an ex-husband a little strange since I'm gay."
Duval raised his eyebrows and said, "You're gay?"
Liza looked at Jimmy and said, "You didn't tell him?"
"No, I don't go around outing people. That's their business. If you want others to know then you should be the one to tell them."
"I just thought you'd tell everyone because of family and all."
Duval looked even more perplexed and said, "What are you too talking about?"
"Liza just meant that she thought I'd tell my family because after all, she and Paula are practically family."
"How do you figure that?"
Liza then said, "Duval, we all know that you and my mother are in love and Gracie and I have become good friends so I guess we just sort of already feel like family."
Duval then rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever, Liza let's refocus here on the picture. What can you tell me about Vic Shelley? I can tell you that I read his article on the internet after I found out about Dad."
"Oh yeah, his made up experience with his made up wife and two kids."
"He made all of that up?"
"Yes, to worm his way into my lab and then he tried to steal my work."
"Really? Well that explains why he's got a lab there."
"He has a lab there?"
"Yes, he does and what disturbs me is that he and this man with the scar mentioned you by name."
"Oh no, this is what he meant when he said he wanted to work with me again. Jimmy, what if he's trying to resurrect someone else?"
Jimmy and Duval both got looks on their faces like a light bulb went off in both of them. Liza could see they were both having some kind of epiphany and she said, "Guys, what are you thinking about here?"
Jimmy said, "Liza, your mother was with Agent Susan Adair when she died."
"Yeah, I know, she called me to tell me so I wouldn't worry."
"Did she tell you anything specific?"
"No why?"
"Liza, the last thing Adair said to your mother was the word 'Resurrection.'"
"Oh my God! He's trying to replicate Otto's work and he's having problems so he wanted my help. I need to go there and I need to confront him."
Duval said, "No! I won't allow it Liza. If anything were to happen to you…"
"Look Duval, I know my mother would never allow this but, this isn't her call. It's mine. I want to know what Vic is up to. When he approached me, I thought he was only speaking in theories but now, there's a real lab with possibly a real person there."
Jimmy then said, "Liza, I'm with Duval on this and here's the reason why. We don't know what we're dealing with yet. We have a corrupt agent out there in the bull pen whom Duval saw there with his ex-partner Strayburn and another former agent by the name of Kerning. Both of those guys are responsible for my first death and they tried to kill Duval."
"Jimmy, Vic clearly needs my help. He has nothing to gain by killing me."
Duval said, "Maybe he doesn't but the others might. Dad, didn't Mary say that she got a good look at the man who held her captive and she said he had a scar on his face didn't she?"
"Yeah, she did. Do you have an extra copy? I'll take it to her and ask her about it."
"Here you go." He handed him the picture and then said, "Liza, thank you for coming in. Please promise me you won't go rogue and do something crazy."
"I promise Duval, but keep me in the loop." She got up and left.
Jimmy started to leave when Duval said, "Dad, what was all of that about?"
"What do you mean?"
"All of that stuff about family?"
"Duval, Liza and I have been working closely on finding a treatment for me and I've come to think of her and of Paula as two more of my kids."
Duval looked at him funny and said, "Don't you mean you think of her as a grandkid in that case?"
"Yeah, that too. Hey, I'll let you get back to it and I'll let you know what Mary says on this picture."
"Dad, before you go, what treatment is Liza giving you? You've barely said a word about it."
"I'd rather not say right now. I don't want to get your hopes up. We've started it but it's going to take time to determine if it's working. I'll get back to you on the picture."
Jimmy walked out and Duval was left with a feeling that he was just as much in the dark about something the way they were keeping Paula in the dark.
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Agent Malcolm sat on the other side of the glass as Red Byrum sat down and picked up the phone to speak. "OK Red, you've got ten minutes to make your case to me."
"Thanks for coming Agent Malcolm. I know I'm facing a lot of prison time but I'm not going down for killing a third dame when I only did two of them."
"You've plead guilty."
"I've plead guilty to two of them. My lawyer wouldn't listen to me so I fired him. I told him I'm not taking the rap for something someone else did. If I'm only sentenced for two murders and I help find the killer of the third killing, I could get a little less time…maybe even eligible for parole in enough time to enjoy my golden years."
"I wouldn't bank too hard on that but if you didn't kill Bettina Clark then we owe it to Bettina to put away the right person for it. So tell me what happened. You're down to eight minutes."
"All right, I'll tell you exactly what happened."
FLASHBACK
Red and Bettina arrived at the cabin in Gold Bar and walked in. Bettina said, "Did you bring me all the way out here just to have sex?"
"No, someone wanted to talk to you. You did an excellent job tonight. Perhaps we can do business again some other time."
"Pay me enough and I'll play poker any way you like."
At that moment, the man with the scar walked in. "Did you play poker with Sheriff Jimmy Pritchard?"
Bettina turned and saw the scarred man speaking with a British accent and was initially sickened by the scar.
"I've really got to do something to tone down this scar. Maybe I can invest in some make-up. You women use it, why not men to cover blemishes?"
"Who are you and what do you want?"
"You worked for Sheriff Jimmy Pritchard did you not?"
"What if I did? The man is dead."
"Is he?"
"What do you want?"
"Just information. Did you work for him in your chosen profession?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"I had a friend who did some digging into his financials and phone records."
"OK so I saw him weekly. What's it to you?"
"Weekly? So you were more than business acquaintances?"
"You could say we were friends. I went to his funeral. I don't typically do that for clients but then again Jimmy was always a big tipper….and I have to admit, I rather liked the old guy and I think he liked me as well."
The scarred man smiled and said, "That's all I wanted to know." With that, he reached under Red's jacket where he knew he kept the stiletto knife, he unsheathed it and ran up to Bettina and stabbed her right in the heart. He did it so quickly that she didn't have time to scream.
Red was shocked at what he had just seen. Bettina's body fell to the floor and Red yelled, "What the hell? I could have won more games with this woman."
The scarred man threw the knife to Red and he caught it and blood dripped on his shirt sleeve. "Your card games mean nothing to me. I need to smoke someone out of hiding. This is one of easiest ways to do it. I simply took away someone he cared about. Now he'll definitely come out of hiding."
"I'm not disposing of this body."
"It's fine. I'll do it. If I were you though, I'd keep my mouth shut. After all, what you have in your hand has your fingerprints on it and the deceased's blood is on it and on your shirt. Watch yourself Red, killing two hookers can get you a long time in prison but killing three puts you in serial killer running and they just might pursue the death penalty."
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Back in the present, Malcolm was perplexed. "You're saying that this man was interested in this woman's connection to the former Sheriff of King County?"
"Yes."
"The man is dead, what purpose did this serve?"
"He said he wanted to smoke someone out."
Malcolm thought about it and realized it must have been his son Jimmy Jr. that the man was talking about but to what end? He also started to remember that it was a man with a scar who spoke with a British accent that had held Mary Goodwin and Jimmy Pritchard hostage. He then said, "Look Red, if I brought in a sketch artist, would you be able to give a description of this man with the scar?"
"You better believe it."
"All right, let me call headquarters and I'll have someone here very shortly."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Liza arrived back at the University of Washington when her cell phone rang for a number that she didn't recognize. "Hello?"
"Hello Liza."
Liza smirked slightly as she knew the voice very well. "Hello Vic. How did you get my cell phone number?"
"A little birdie gave it to me."
"I see, did the birdie have a name?"
"Yes, but I prefer not to break a professional confidence."
"All right Vic, get to the point."
"Liza, I'd really like to meet with you and talk to you."
"You know Vic, I've been thinking about you a lot lately. Maybe I was being hasty. You did tell me that we could accomplish a good deal together. Would you like to discuss it over coffee?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
"When would you like to meet?"
"Would right now be too soon? Turn around and look toward the Drumheller Fountain."
Liza turned and there he was sitting there. "Vic, are you stalking me?"
"No, not at all. This is the first time I've seen you since our first meeting here on campus."
"All right, there's a Starbuck's in the Husky Union Building across the way. Let's go."
The got to the HUB and sat there with their coffee initially in silence. Liza then said, "So Vic, is this your whole plan? You just wanted to get coffee with me and gawk at me?"
Vic smiled and said, "No Liza. You are beautiful to look at and while it was brief, I did enjoy touching you…"
"Stay on point Vic, because that will never happen again. You want my friendship? Never bring up our brief marriage again."
"OK, it's a deal Liza."
"So what is it you needed to speak with me about?"
"Liza, I work for a man who is fascinated by your work."
"So why isn't he talking to me?"
"He's a very private person. He doesn't make a lot of public appearances."
"What is he? The elephant man? Howard Hughes?"
Vic smiled slightly at that. "Maybe a little of both. Liza what would you say if I told you that your theory works and it works on humans."
Liza raised her eyebrows and said, "I designed it to work on humans Vic. I was trying to reverse the effects of cancer or Alzheimer's disease or anything else that's progressive."
"What if I were to tell you that it can raise anyone from the dead?"
"I would say that I never calculated that possibility. In fact, if you bothered to read my paper that was published, I said that I was not advocating digging people up from the cemetery."
"And yet, Otto Goodwin was able to bring back Jimmy Pritchard from the dead. It's rather poetic don't you think?"
Liza remained stoic. "I have no idea what you're talking about. It sounds like something out of the Twilight Zone…Hey Rod Serling where are you when we need you to explain it all?"
Vic laughed slightly and said, "Come off it Liza. I know you work for Mary Goodwin."
"Lots of people work for her."
"You stay at her house."
"You said you weren't stalking me."
Vic looked at her very seriously. "Liza, I meant what I said last time. We could do great things together."
"Yes, we could and then you'd try to take credit for all of it."
"It could be different." He started to caress Liza's hand.
"Vic, what are you doing? I'm gay. Are you not comprehending what that means?"
"Sorry, I guess old habits die hard."
"How could it be different?"
"My employer is very interested in you. You see, he's like your friend Jimmy Pritchard."
Liza said with a perfect poker face, "He's the bastard son of a sheriff?"
Vic rolled his eyes and said, "Come on Liza, we know who that bastard is."
"Jimmy Pritchard Jr."
Vic could see Liza was not going to admit anything so he realized he was just going to have to divulge what he could without divulging all of it. "Liza, clearly you're not going to drop this brick wall act of yours. Just know this. My employer is like Jimmy Pritchard. I need your help. The man is slowly dying and I haven't been able to regenerate successfully the next test subject. You're a scientist Liza. I would think you would jump at the opportunity. This is all based on your theory. Don't you want to see if it can truly work more than once?"
"I'm sorry Vic. I don't really see where I can help you. I don't know what you think it is that I do for Lookinglass but it has nothing to do with you."
"Is that your final answer?"
"Yes, good-bye Vic." She got up to leave.
"Liza before you leave, consider what you're giving up. This research is your child. If you change your mind, you've got my number in your phone. Just call me."
Liza got thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Well Vic, you make an intriguing offer. If I change my mind, you'll be the first to know…but don't wait around." She walked away.
Vic took out his phone and dialed a number. "Well, this time I got her to have coffee with me but she still regards me as the scum of the earth."
The scarred man answered, "All right, I'm done being patient. We will wait for an opportunity and we'll put Plan B in motion."
"Understood."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jimmy walked into Mary's outer office with the picture in hand. He saw Jenny at her desk. "Mr. Pritchard, how can I help you?"
"Is Mary available?"
"She might still be on a conference call. Let me IM her and find out."
She IM'd Mary and told her Jimmy was there. Mary IM'd back that she just concluded the call and to send Jimmy in.
"You can go in." Jimmy started to walk past her as Jenny caught a glimpse of the two men in the picture.
Jimmy walked and Mary walked toward him and they gave each other a long kiss. When they were done Mary said, "James, this is a pleasant surprise. What's going on?"
"Mary, does the man with the scar in this picture look familiar to you?"
Mary looked at it and her face said it all. "Yes, he's the man who kidnapped me…or rather was behind kidnapping all four of us. Where was this taken?"
"It was taken at a warehouse down by the water where Hoover has been seen. The other man in the picture has been identified as Liza's ex-husband Victor Shelley."
Mary smiled and said, "James, this is good news. Duval and Paula can get warrants and go after all of them."
"Not so fast Mary. We need more. I suspect other people are involved…Like Senator Murphy. I don't know how but my gut is telling me she's involved. If we go in there now with guns and warrants, that woman will escape unscathed by all of it."
Mary nodded and said, "I see your point. Go back and let Duval know I have positively identified the man."
"Will do. What are you going to do now?"
"I still have a company to run and I need to call some people in New York."
Jimmy smiled and said, "Don't let me stand in your way." They kissed and then Jimmy said, "Mary, you know I find it very sexy that you are one very powerful business woman."
Mary raised her eyebrows and said, "Well James, I find you just plain sexy!"
They kissed again and Jimmy said, "I think I've got ten seconds to get out of here." He turned to walk out the door and turned to look at Mary who smiled and blew him another kiss for the road.
Jimmy walked out and overheard something he didn't anticipate. He heard Jenny talking on her cell phone and he clearly heard her say. "Yes, I'm sure that's the man I saw in the picture. All right I'll talk to you later."
Jimmy then walked behind Jenny and said, "Ms. Blair?"
Jenny jumped and turned around. "Mr. Pritchard, you snuck up on me. Can I help you with anything else?"
"Ms. Blair, did Mary tell you anything about her last assistant? Her name was Alexa."
"Ah no, she hasn't mentioned her. I wasn't even aware of what her prior assistant's name was."
"Alexa betrayed Mary's trust. Many people got hurt as a result. She was the catalyst for Otto turning against her and hence causing the massive crash of Lookinglass."
"I'm sorry, I had no idea that her assistant was a traitor."
"Are you really?"
Jenny scrunched her eyebrows together in puzzlement and said, "Mr. Pritchard, I'm not sure why you're asking me this but I would never hurt Mary Goodwin. I want to help her. It's why I'm here."
"Good, because if I thought for one second that anyone was trying to hurt Mary or this company from within….I would hunt them down and take them out."
Jenny didn't flinch but only looked Jimmy squarely in the eye and said, "As you should."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back at the Bureau, Duval and Paula started to pass each other in the hall way. Paula stopped Duval and said, "Duval, was Liza able to help you?"
"Yes, she was."
"Are you going to elaborate on any of this?"
"Look there's no easy way to tell you this but Liza's ex-husband is involved."
Paula's eyebrows went up and she said, "Liza's ex-husband?"
"Yeah, Victor Shelley although I guess you knew him as Vic…."
At that moment, Jimmy came walking in and said, "Duval, Paula, we've got a hit. Mary identified the scarred man in the picture as the man who grabbed her and was clearly behind grabbing all of us."
Paula was in stunned silence. "What man are we talking about?"
Jimmy looked back and forth and said, "Duval, you haven't brought Paula up to date on what we found out yet have you?"
"I was just about too actually. Look Paula, I just finished typing it all up in my report. I was going to ask you to come into the conference room so I could tell you everything."
At that moment, Agent Malcolm came in and said, "Paula, I just saw Red Byrum and I had him sit with a sketch artist. Take a look. This is the guy he says actually killed Bettina Clark."
He held up the sketch and Jimmy said, "Oh My God! It's the guy in the picture." He held up the picture next to the sketch. Jimmy then said, "Wait a minute. Red Byrum is saying he didn't kill Bettina Clark?"
"Correct. He's admitted to the other two killings but he swears that it was this scarred man who spoke with a British accent who actually killed Bettina Clark."
Duval then said, "This is getting stranger and stranger."
Liza then came off the elevator and said, "Duval, Jimmy, you're not going to believe this but Vic Shelley approached me at the campus today."
Paula then emerged out from behind Duval and said, "You mean your ex-husband?"
"Mom! I didn't see you there."
"Clearly not as I just found out a few minutes ago that you have an ex-husband."
"Oh boy, I'm sorry Mom. I should have told you."
"Damn straight you should have. I had to find it out from Duval that you got married. When did this marriage happen?"
Liza then looked beyond Paula and saw Hoover looking at all of them quite intently. She then said, "Maybe we should go into another room."
Paula said, "Into the conference room people." She turned and she saw Hoover walking away. Paula shut the door and said, "I hate to say it but I think we all just got compromised. Hoover saw us."
Liza said, "Who's Hoover?"
Jimmy said, "The person we believe is working for someone to undermine all of us."
Paula then said, "OK people, I'm the boss here, Malcolm let's start with you. Tell me what happened."
"It's just as I said in the hallway. The man in the sketch according to Red killed Bettina Clark."
"Does the man have a name?"
"No, he said that the man never told him his name. However, he did say that the man killed Bettina Clark because he wanted to smoke someone out of hiding. I'm guessing it was Jimmy here as he was in witness protection."
Jimmy looked puzzled. "He killed Bettina so I'd surface?"
"Yes. I'm sorry Jimmy. I know she was your friend."
Paula could see that Jimmy was thrown off by this news and said, "Thanks Malcolm, you can leave."
"Yes, Ma'am." He walked out.
Paula looked at the other three and said, "Jimmy, I'm sorry you have to relive that. However, I need to say something else here. Spill it! What's going on?"
Duval then said, "OK Paula, I took some pictures at a warehouse last night. I got pictures of Hoover, Strayburn, and Kerning coming out of the warehouse." He pulled them out of the envelope that he was going to take to her office and he laid them out on the table. "I also got a picture of these two men." He put that on the table. "The reason I wanted to speak with Liza is because the man on the right said Liza's name."
"He said Liza Elliott?"
"No, he just said, Liza but given the fact that Mary told us about the scarred man and a lab was there, it seemed only logical that it could be Liza."
"What kind of lab?"
"I don't know."
Paula turned to Liza and said, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Liza said as innocently as possible, "I have no idea what it could be."
"Liza, don't lie to me. You came off that elevator and said that Vic Shelley approached you and he's the man on the right in the picture. What did your ex-husband want?"
"He wanted my help Mom. He didn't elaborate, it only had something to do with my theory."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him no. Mom that man tried to steal my work."
Paula then looked at Jimmy and said, "So Jimmy, you say that Mary confirmed the scarred man was the man who she saw during her abduction?"
"Yes, she was very sure of it."
"OK, Duval get a warrant and we're going to that warehouse."
"Paula, I don't think that's a good idea. We need more information before we do a raid. I don't even know what we'd tell the judge."
"To start with, you saw two wanted felons walking out of there. That should be enough."
Jimmy then said, "When you put it that way, I have to agree and even though we don't know his name, Mary can identify him as the person who held her hostage. I can identify his voice as the voice who talked to me and showed me the video feed of you two and Mary. However, what about the fact that we believe that Senator Murphy is involved. If we raid it, we risk losing the connection."
"We get Strayburn and Kerning in custody, we just might be able to get some answers…not to mention Hoover." Paula gave Duval a steely look and said, "Do it Duval…now. We need answers especially when they are bantering my daughter's name around."
"Mom, I don't think Vic wants to harm me. I'm too valuable to him. He wants to work with me."
"Yes, he does and since you told him no, what makes you think he'll take no for an answer? Duval you have your orders. Jimmy go and assist him."
Duval said, "Yes, Ma'am."
Duval and Jimmy walked out. Liza was going to walk out when Paula said, "Not so fast Liza."
Liza rolled her eyes and shut the door. "This really isn't a conversation I want to have Mom."
"Well, I think it's in order. When did this marriage take place?"
Liza was silent for a moment and then said, "Four days after Dad's memorial service."
"You did that in Las Vegas?"
"Yes, Vic and I had been working on the project and he asked me to come to Vegas to relax because I was so upset over the death of Dad."
Paula shook her head and said, "When you told me you were going to Las Vegas with Vic, I thought that was a nickname for Victoria. How could you not tell me this?"
"Mom why are you so upset? Is it because I got married or because I married a man or what?"
"Liza, I don't care who you marry. I'm just hurt that you would get married and not think it was worth mentioning to your mother. Liza when you want to make a lifetime commitment to someone, I'd kind of like to be there. That's what mothers usually do…and if your life blows up and you need a very fast divorce, I'd like to be there because that's what mothers do."
"Mom, you haven't exactly been a traditional mother."
"No, you're right but I did my best to be there for the major events of your life. I would count getting married as one of them…and divorced as another."
Liza then looked at her mother and saw her as simply a hurt mother, not a mother who was trying to juggle the FBI and motherhood and doing a very bad job at it.
"Look Mom, I'm sorry you weren't there. In all honesty, I wasn't thinking right. Vic Shelley was an experiment that went very wrong. All he wanted was to steal my work. I got the marriage annulled a month later. I was deeply embarrassed by the whole thing. I didn't want anyone to know about it."
"Did you get pregnant?"
"No Mom, I was smart enough to go to the drugstore first."
They were both silent for a moment and then Paula said, "Well, my mother died and in my grief I ended up getting pregnant with you. Your father died and you in your grief married the wrong person…I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
They both laughed slightly and then Liza said, "Mom, I should have told you but in all honesty I was thinking to myself that you never told me who my birth father was so I didn't really see any point in telling you that I got married…especially since it was so short lived."
Paula then got very quiet and said, "Liza, why don't you come over tonight say around seven o'clock? I think it's time we had a long overdue conversation."
"OK Mom."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hoover walked outside the building and made a phone call. "It's me. You've been compromised. Get yourselves and everything out of there immediately."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They had their warrant in record time. The judge had no problem when it showed the wanted felons who had escaped from prison in the pictures. Paula, Duval, Jimmy and the rest of the team were there but when they entered, they were too late. It was completely cleaned out.
Jimmy, Duval and Paula got together in a huddle. Duval said, "I told you this was hasty Paula."
Jimmy then said, "Don't be too sure of that Duval. I think I get what Paula was accomplishing here."
Paula smiled and then Duval said, "I get it, Hoover saw us and this confirms our suspicions doesn't it?"
"Before Hoover came back, I pulled Agent Tucci aside and I told him to keep an eye on her. When I saw that Hoover had seen us earlier, I knew we were compromised. When you told me everything, I figured if Hoover really is telling someone about us, this would confirm it. After Liza left, Tucci told me that he saw Hoover leave and he followed her outside and saw her on the phone talking to someone."
Jimmy said, "Well, it's confirmed. The question is, where does this leave all of us? Everything that's happened since I came back as Duval's CI seems connected but I can't figure out how it's all connected."
Duval then said, "We've been focusing on the man with the scar and the Senator. My first inclination is to think that they're working together but I don't see where the Senator fits into this."
Paula said, "The only common denominator between the two of them seems to be Hoover."
Jimmy then said, "Normally, I might be inclined to say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend but I think in this case the enemy of my enemy is my enemy."
Duval then said, "Who are all of the enemies?"
Jimmy said, "I'm not sure but I know where to start." He took out his phone and speed dialed Mary.
"Hello James, I just got home, will you be here for dinner?"
"Yes, I will. Can you have Arthur do a complete work up on Victor Shelley? We didn't really do much when Liza first mentioned him to us but he's clearly a huge player here as we are finding out."
"Consider it done. I'll have Arthur find everything there is to know on the man."
"Thanks Honey. I'll see you shortly."
Paula then turned to Duval and said, "Duval, I think it's time we had a chat with Hoover tomorrow."
"I think you're right."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jimmy got home and Mary said, "Arthur is still working on the life and times of Victor Shelley. In the meantime, Liza's waiting for you in the other room."
"Ah yes, treatment number four."
"James have faith. Remember it was several treatments that you gave me before I had any changes in my cancer."
"I know."
Jimmy walked in and saw Liza. "Hi Jimmy, how did it go at the warehouse?"
"They had already left which confirmed your mother's suspicions."
"So is it a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Maybe a little of both. Let's get started. I still need to regenerate after we're done."
Mary came in and said, "Do you need any assistance with the process?"
Liza said, "No I think I've got it. Thanks Mary." Liza got both of them hooked up, hit the switch and the transfusion started. "I only hope that my blood helps you Jimmy. If it doesn't…."
Mary looked at Liza and put her hand on her shoulder and said, "Liza, I have faith in you. It's why I made a point of finding you. This is only the fourth round. Keep in mind that when I got James's blood initially there was no change but eventually his blood cured me and I know your blood will cure him."
Liza still looked worried and Jimmy took her hand and said, "Listen Kiddo, I have faith in you as well. I don't expect instant results either but, I'm a patient person."
Liza then got thoughtful and said, "Did you call your other kids Kiddo?"
"Yeah, I called Duval that up until recently when he told me he really hated being called that."
"You never called Helen that?"
"When she was younger but she kind of grew out of it."
Liza smiled and said, "So you really do think of me as one your kids?"
"Of course I do Liza. I can't change that I wasn't around when you were growing up but, I'm here now and I know I'm relying on you but, you can rely on me if you need to."
"Thanks Jimmy. That means a lot."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jenny Blair sat in her apartment and was on the phone. "I'm sure of what I saw."
The man's voice on the other end said, "Maybe we need to pick up Mary Goodwin."
"No, don't do that. I don't think she's involved in any of this."
"You said so yourself that Senator Murphy is on the guest list for her gala next week."
"I know she's on the guest list but so is Senator Craswell and the governor and every other prominent politician in the state of Washington."
"Look, we know she's employed Liza Elliott who is the ex-wife of Victor Shelley and now Jimmy Pritchard is showing up with a photo of Shelley and the other guy…."
"I know what this looks like but I need more time. Let me get closer to Liza. I'm her date for the gala."
"As you wish but don't take too long." The phone went dead and Jenny got a worried look about her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Liza arrived at Paula's house promptly at seven o'clock. "Liza, I'm so glad you came."
"Mom, of course I came. You sounded like you really needed to talk to me."
"I do. Let's sit down."
They walked to the dining room table and sat across from each other. Paula looked like she wasn't sure where to start."
Liza reached out and said, "Mom, whatever it is you want to tell me just say it. If you feel like you can't say it, then that's OK too."
"Liza, a while back when I worked the Bettina Clark case, I encountered a wise old woman who did tarot card readings for a living and she did a reading for me. In the time since that's happened, my life has been in danger more times on average than I can remember."
"I know Mom. I was so scared when I saw you after you and Duval got out of the freezer car and then you called me and told me you were shot at in Atlanta…"
"Liza, I wasn't shot at. Adair was the target but I had a gun shoved in the base of my skull and I truly thought I was a goner."
"Mom, you didn't tell me that."
"I didn't want you to worry…but I've been thinking about that. I sometimes wake up and I feel the gun in the base of my skull and I start thinking about what that wise old woman told me when she read my cards."
"What did she say?"
"She said, the secrets must die."
"What secrets are you talking about?"
"I think we both know Liza. You've always been curious about your birth father and I have been evasive for years about it."
"Mom, it's OK. If you don't want to tell me, I've made peace with myself about it."
Paula leaned in and took Liza's hands and said, "You shouldn't have to make peace about it. You have a right to know who it is."
"You told me he's dead so it's kind of irrelevant at this point."
"No, it's very relevant."
"OK who was he?"
Paula was silent and then took a deep breath and said, "What I'm about to tell you, I've never told anyone. Everyone tried to get me to say his name and I refused."
"Why Mom?"
"Because I didn't want to cause his family anymore grief than what they had already suffered."
"Who was he Mom?"
Paula closed her eyes like a person working up courage. Liza realized her mother was on a certain level scared. Liza squeezed her mother's hands to help give her strength. Paula opened her eyes and smiled and then said, "Liza, your birth father's name is James Pritchard. He's the former Sheriff of King County."
Liza was silent for several seconds. She knew the truth already since Jimmy had told her and yet hearing it from her mother felt like she was hearing it for the first time. Liza then smiled and said, "I get why you never wanted to tell me now."
"Liza, when I married your father and he adopted you, it was the happiest day of his life. Walking out of the courtroom for him was like walking out of the delivery room for another guy. He was very adamant though that I explain to you who your birth father was when you were eighteen and I fully intended to that and then…"
"And then you met Duval and that was a game changer."
"Yes."
"Are you going to explain this to Duval?"
"I have to. I can't have a potential long term relationship with him with this hanging over me."
Liza nodded and then said, "OK, when will you tell Duval?"
"I don't know yet…but I know I have to tell him and let the chips fall where they will."
"In the meantime will you tell me what happened? Sheriff Jimmy Pritchard was old enough to be your father. Mom, you never struck me as someone who'd be interested in someone that much older than you."
"Oh Liza, it's a long story."
Liza smiled and said, "I've got time Mom…all night in fact."
"Well, let me first of all tell you where I was in my life when I got that internship and what subsequently happened after I started working there that culminated with our liaison one night."
"I'm all ears."
"OK here we go…."
TO BE CONTINEUED…..