Disclaimer: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is owned by Hanna-Barbara. No money is being made from this story. It is simply by a fan for other fans. Also, Criminal Minds is a product of CBS, no money is being made from the use of their characters.
Chapter 11
The scene played out for the third time on Garcia's monitor and each time he saw it, Jonny became even more furious. They had been through some pretty rough situations in the past, but rarely did he see such terror in Jessie's features and such wickedness in those that had attempted to cause harm. He continually slammed his right fist into his open left palm while chewing on his lower lip. He couldn't tear his eyes off of the image of Jessie, the girl he had grown up with and had come to have more than just friendly feelings for, and how she was so helpless.
"These guys are gonna pay for this," Jonny grumbled.
Hadji, just as upset, but able to control his emotions better than his adopted brother, placed a comforting hand on Jonny's shoulder and said, "Yes, Jonny."
"How are we supposed to tell anything from this?" Jonny raged.
"I can run it through some filters, try and isolate the images or sounds from the background," Garcia suggested. Even with all the horrible things she saw every day working with the BAU, she never got used to it and seeing this poor girl so distraught made her sick to her stomach. "We might be able to pull something out of this that can lead us to their location. If only they had sent it over the internet I'd have them pegged in no time."
"These men are professionals." Hadji offered.
Garcia nodded. Her phone rang and she hit the speaker phone button, "Speak and be recognized," She announced.
"Garcia," Hotch's voice came over the phone.
"Yes, Sir?" She stopped typing.
"We're on our way back from the interview."
"Did he give up anything?" She asked, ready to delve into another information search.
She heard the aggravation in her superior's answer, "Not much. I want you to look into any connections here in the U.S. between known terror cells, Delic, and this Popovic character. Focus on any groups coming out of Kosovo or the surrounding regions."
"Got it," Garcia answered, already typing, "Anything else?"
"I'm assuming these guys are probably holed up close to D.C. So focus your search on the capital then spread out as needed. Have Reid and Morgan standing by, I need Spencer to look into some historical references as well."
"I'll let them know. What specifically?"
"Have Reid concentrate his efforts on a stone related to Joseph of Aramethia and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This stone seems to be what Drazen is after."
"You know he'll have the entire history of this stone by the time you land, Sir."
"That's what I'm hoping for. I'll let you know when we are back."
"Yes, Sir," Garcia responded and hung up.
"You two want to start looking into what Hotch wants while I run this video through the software program?"
Jonny's demeanor was grim, but he nodded. Anything that could help find a hot lead would do. Then he'd have to find a way to take matters into his own hands. "Yeah, sure." He replied flatly.
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The sun was high in the sky when Estella awoke and emerged from the barn. Peering cautiously across the open field she found herself hesitating, afraid her captors were waiting for her, just hidden from view.
"I can't stay here forever." She said aloud, "I have to get in touch with Race."
She stepped out into the sunshine. The warmth on her skin made her feel a little better and gave her the motivation to keep moving. She half expected a shot to ring out from some hidden sniper, but nothing happened. With the sun directly above, she couldn't judge direction, but she eyed a trail that ran off ahead of the barn. Figuring it was as good a place to start as any she headed off.
After walking for what felt like eternity, the trail Estella followed and as she continued she could hear sounds off in the distance. Traffic! She thought and quickened her step. After about another mile the trail began to run parallel to a two lane road and Estella wondered if it was the same road that her captors had taken her down. Cautiously she crouched in the foliage, hesitant to emerge from the woods, still afraid that other men were looking for her. I need to keep moving. She told herself and followed the trail as it ran parallel to the road.
A few random cars drove past, but she was certain that none of the drivers had seen her in the wood line. She had been walking for most of the afternoon, occasionally having taken a much needed rest break, and the sun was starting to dip in the sky. She knew now that she was headed west, which she hoped was the direction of the interstate.
She moved slowly, and after almost an hour, with random vehicles driving past in both directions Estella finally came upon civilization. She knelt in the woods and studied the area that lay ahead of her, on the opposite side of the road. It looked like an old country rest stop, with a gas station and a diner.
The sight of the diner made her stomach growl and she knew that she needed real food, not just the snacks she had taken from the van. They should have a phone as well, Estella told herself as she stood. Glancing in both directions of the road she quickly scampered across the street and trudged through the gravel parking lot. The diner was open and walking in the bell above the door tingled to announce her entry.
The place was cozy, with the air conditioning keeping the few guests cool and comfortable. Estella made her way to a booth in the corner from which she could still observe the road. She also spied a back entrance that she could quickly escape through if need be.
Sitting down was a relief. Her feet were sore and worn out and she figured she had at least a couple of blisters from her journey. A moment later a slightly pudgy waitress with curly brown hair and dark rimmed glasses came over to her table. The name tag on her blouse identified her as Beatrice.
"Hey, hon," Beatrice said, setting down a glass of water and handing Estella a menu, "Rough day?"
"You have no idea." Estella mumbled and realized she had no idea what she actually looked like. It had been days since she saw herself in the mirror. She probably reeked as well. "Can I get some coffee? And where's the restroom, I need to freshen up."
Beatrice nodded and pointed towards the rear entrance. "Head that way and it is off to the left."
"Thank you," Estella said and saw that Beatrice gave her a funny look, but quickly moved off to get the coffee. Estella glanced at the menu and saw the name of the diner was "Big Bob's Diner" located on a Rural Route, near Capron, Virginia.
Estella made her way to the ladies' restroom to clean up. She turned on the sink and ran her hands under the water then quickly splashed her face with the cool liquid. Staring at herself in the mirror, she was haunted by the image that stared back. Her dyed hair was hideous, she hated the color, and it was ragged and un-kept. She wet her hands and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to look halfway decent and not like a travelling hobo. She scrubbed her face, washing away dirt and grime that had caked onto her cheeks. Even with the much needed sleep that she had gotten in the barn, her eyes were still bloodshot and sunken. She had a dark bruise on her face from where Malik had slapped her and her lip was split, but had started to heal. No wonder Beatrice looked at me funny, Estella thought.
After she had cleaned up as best she could she went back to her booth, relieved that it was still empty and not occupied by the men that were undoubtedly looking for her.
Beatrice returned with a mug of coffee and asked, "You want to order anything?"
Estella nodded and said, "Just whatever you have on special." Then she asked, "Do you have a phone I could use?"
Beatrice replied, "Hold on a sec." and left.
Taking in her surroundings, Estella finally felt safe for the first time in days. It was the first time she had been among people that weren't trying to get her to kill or enjoyed beating her into submission. Seeing a newspaper that had been left on the counter, she stood and grabbed the paper and was suddenly stricken with shock.
"Is this right?" She stammered as Beatrice emerged from the kitchen. A couple of the other patrons glanced in her direction.
Beatrice raised her eyebrows in confusion and asked, "What?"
"The date? It says this is Monday's paper!"
"Are you alright, honey?" Beatrice asked. Her voice had a hint of concern, but Estella wasn't sure if it was for her or if Beatrice thought a crazy person had just walked in during her shift. "Have you been in an accident or something?"
Estella shook her head, "No, no. But, this doesn't seem right. It was just Saturday night."
"Why don't you sit down and I'll bring your food out." Beatrice had taken on a motherly tone.
"I need to use a phone." Estella said as Beatrice led her back to her booth. She had lost an entire day sleeping in that barn.
"I know, I'll get it for you." The waitress disappeared into the kitchen and about ten minutes later emerged carrying Estella's plate of food. She set it down in front of Estella and asked, "Anything else?"
Estella saw Beatrice glancing towards the parking lot and panicked. "No, I need to go. I need to leave. I have to get back to D.C."
Beatrice placed a hand on Estella's arm, "That's a long way away, how are you going to get there?"
Estella pulled against the woman's grasp, but the old country lady was strong, "I'll walk if I have to. Let go of me, I need to go! You don't understand, they have my daughter!"
"It's okay, honey," Beatrice said, but it was obvious she wasn't listening to Estella's rants. "Just stay here and get some rest."
"No," Estella protested, but was cut short as she heard the bell above the door tingle. Looking up she saw two sheriff's deputies walk in and head straight over to her.
"Is there a problem?" The one wearing Sergeant stripes asked.
"She looks a mess," Beatrice said, "I think she's been in an accident or something. She's going on about getting to D.C. and her daughter."
"Thanks, Bea," the deputy said, "We'll take it from here." He reached down and took Estella's arm, "Come with us, Ma'am."
"No!" Estella tried to pull away.
"Ma'am, don't make us put you in cuffs. You're scaring the other patrons. Come with us and we'll get this all sorted out." The Sergeant said.
Estella was suspicious, what if these men were really her tormentors in disguise. And why had Beatrice called them? Probably because I look like hell, Estella thought.
"I need to make a phone call," Estella said as the deputy pulled her to her feet.
"You can do that at the station," He replied.
"No, I need to do it now!" Estella again tried to pull away, but was restrained.
"That's it," The deputy declared and before Estella could react he was pulling her arms behind her back and slapping handcuffs on her.
"The bag is hers as well," Beatrice said pointing at the backpack.
"Johnson, grab that bag and let's go." The Sergeant said, then to the patrons he said, "Sorry for the disturbance, folks, we'll get this all taken care of."
"I'm just glad you were close by," Beatrice said, "She started going on about it being Monday, not Saturday."
"Probably drunk or delusional," Deputy Johnson said, "Or a head injury."
"We'll figure it out." The Sergeant said and led Estella outside, shoving her into the back of the squad car.
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The klaxon siren droned on as Jessie raced through the dark hallways. She heard the shouts and footfalls of the men that were chasing her and she knew that if she didn't get out she would soon be recaptured. She didn't even want to begin to think about what would happen to her then.
A door slammed open behind her. Not daring to take a glance backwards, Jessie found a door off to the right and yanked down on the handle; thankfully it opened. She found herself in a large room, off to the left was a half wall of windows with a door in the middle, another room on the other side. The room she occupied looked as if a tornado had ripped through it. About half a dozen old metal desks were strewn about the room, in no particular shape or formation. Chairs were toppled over and some were just located in random parts of the room. Old files and papers were all over the floor, covered in a film of dirt, dust, and grime. Jessie saw a duo of rats scurry off into some hidden corner at the far side of the room. As she watched the rats she realized that the far wall was actually an exterior wall, with windows. Moving quickly, she made her way to the windows, careful to avoid bumping into the rusted desks. It was nighttime outside, but she was able to make out some buildings. From her vantage point she knew she was up a number of stories and she looked out across the scenery, taking in the old brick buildings and warehouses. In the distance she was able to make out a large body of water, illuminated by streetlamps that adorned the walking paths along the water's bank. Looking around more closely her gaze fell upon one the old warehouse buildings, partially lit up by the moon. A one eyed man stared back at her.
"I know," She mumbled. She heard the voices of the men in the hallway and quickly spun around, looking for somewhere to hide. She ran through the door in the other wall, into the other office area, and quickly hid underneath one of the desks. As best she could, she tried to slow her breathing as she clutched the bloody shank in her hands. She wasn't sure if she had actually killed any of the men, but she found herself hoping that she had.
Suddenly the door from the hallway slammed open and Jessie tried to keep herself from jumping at the sudden noise.
"I think she came in here." A voice said.
"Keep heading down the hallway," Another man stated, Jessie recognized the voice as the man that had come to her cell and threatened to kill her entire family. "I'll search in here."
Jessie curled up tighter, but she realized that she had not discovered a way out. If she could get behind the man, she might be able to make a break for the door. She knew where she was, or at least what city she was in, and if she could get away just long enough to get a message to her dad or Jonny they would be here to save her in no time.
The man moved slowly, methodically through the room, his footsteps heavy. Jessie heard him whistling; the sound made her squirm.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," He taunted. "I know you are in here, there is no way out."
Sitting as still as possible, she listened to determine his direction of movement. A new sound filled the room, metal scraping against metal. Jessie didn't like that sound; he was dragging something, probably a knife, against the metal desks as he walked.
"If you come out now, I promise I won't hurt you."
Jessie didn't believe that for a second. She tried to think, she needed to act. She saw an old cord running along the wall behind her. Following its path as best she could while still trying to remain concealed, she saw that it ran off to the right, then along the floor. Cautiously, she poked her head out from hiding and she suddenly felt a small surge of hope. Two desks down from where she hid, an old style push button phone sat atop the desk.
As quietly as possible she crept out from the desk; the man hunting her was still pacing around the other room. Watching him through the windows, she waited till his back was turned and scrambled out on hands and knees towards the next desk. Reaching it she tucked herself under the new location. 'One more to go.' She told herself.
A few moments later, she took a deep breath, saw the man's back was turned again, and repeated her movement to her final location. She squatted beneath the desk that held the phone. Even with the technology of the day, Jessie was thankful that her dad insisted all the kids actually memorize his and Doctor Quest's phone numbers. Now she just needed to get the phone and hope that it still worked.
Jessie had been so consumed with her thoughts, she realized she no longer heard the man's footsteps. She had no doubt he was still in the room, but didn't know where. Her hiding spot wouldn't allow her to peer under the desk without exposing herself and she couldn't reach the phone without doing the same thing. 'Patience, Jess' She told herself. Sitting still for what felt like hours, Jessie started to think that perhaps her tormentor had actually left and she didn't hear the door. Convincing herself to take a quick peek, she leaned out from the hole in the desk and slowly inched her face towards the corner in order to take a quick look.
"Hello," The man said. Jessie jumped in surprise, he was behind her on the other side of the desk. She tried to scramble to her feet and the man jerked the desk away with inhuman strength. It crashed into a pile of junk that had accumulated on the floor, the phone hitting the ground with a loud bang.
Jessie was on her feet and darted for the door that led back to the other room. It was her only escape.
In two quick strides, the man was on her and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around. Jessie tried to lunge at him as her body spun, the shank held firmly in her grasp. The man side stepped her attack and she fell to her knees, cutting nothing but thin air. Reaching down, he clamped this meaty hand onto her wrist, causing Jessie to cry out in pain. His grip was like a vice and he squeezed. Fearing her bones were about the break, she dropped the makeshit blade.
"That's better," He said, as he pulled her to her feet, his hand still locked tight around her wrist. Twisting in his grasp, she landed a kick to the inside of his lower leg, but the attack had no effect on him.
'This guy is a beast,' She thought.
"Are you done?" He mocked.
Jaw set firm, Jessie stared at her captor with rage and defiance. He laughed and twisted her arm behind her back, never loosening his grip.
"I commend you for your attack on Drazen and your attempt to escape," He said as he guided her towards the door, "You have a survivor's instinct."
"And you a murderous one," She spat.
He tightened his grip causing her to wince in pain, "I am a soldier."
"Bullshit," She said, "Soldiers don't murder innocent people. Soldiers don't kidnap children and mothers and make them do their dirty work for them. You're not a soldier, you're a coward."
The man smacked the back of Jessie's head with an open palm, causing her teeth to clatter. "Watch your mouth, little girl."
He pushed the door open and they were immediately met by two other men. "She has seen too much." He told them.
"You know something, tough guy?" Jessie goaded.
"What is that?"
"I cannot wait till my father gets here and kills you. All of you."
Jessie was surprised that all of the men were silent.
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Estella sat in the interrogation room, still feeling bewildered that it was actually Monday, and not Saturday night or early Sunday. She didn't think she had slept as long as she did while she was hiding out in the barn. She wasn't sure what time it was now, but she had been at the police station for hours now and the deputies were not telling her anything.
They had processed her when they had arrived, treating her like a common criminal. But she had to remind herself that she had no identification on her and the police were just following procedure.
Having calmed down only slightly, they had left her in the interrogation room with nothing but some water and a bag of chips. She sipped the water and ate the chips, but still felt hungry. She also had a splitting headache, but they would not give her any medication for the pain. She had tried to stay strong, tried not to cry, but after a while she couldn't hold it in any longer and she had burst into tears. Eventually her eyes dried up and she sniffed, huffing in deep breaths as she tried to regain her composure.
The door to the interrogation room opened and a female plainclothes officer walked in. She was young, and pretty. Her hair was cropped in a modern and practical style. She wore khaki pants and a blue polo shirt. Her badge was clipped to her belt. She took a seat across from Estella.
"My name is Detective Smith," She stated, her voice was compassionate yet stern at the same time. "We have some questions for you, Ms. Velasquez."
"Doctor," Estella corrected.
"Excuse me?" The Detective arched a single eyebrow.
"My name is Doctor Estella Velasquez," Estella tried to keep her tone even, but she felt the frustration building up again. "I've told you everything already. I need to contact my ex-husband, Roger Bannon. He works for Intelligence One. It's an emergency; our daughter's life is at stake."
"Why is that?" Detective Smith asked.
Estella narrowed her eyes, it was obvious the officer did not believe her. "She has been kidnapped and is being held hostage."
"Hmmm," Smith hummed and then said, "We found a van in the woods,"
Estella gasped reflexively. She tried to hide it, but the Detective picked up on Estella's response, "What can you tell us about it?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." Estella lied.
"Well, you see, Doctor Velasquez," She stated Estella's title with a hint of doubt, "we found fingerprints at the scene. Do you think they will match yours?"
Estella tried to look innocent, but she imagined it wasn't coming off as she had hoped, "Again, I don't know what you are talking about."
"We searched your backpack as well, found some interesting stuff in there. Who does that laptop belong to?"
Estella shrugged.
"And why does it appear to have blood on it?"
Estella hadn't noticed any blood, but she didn't doubt there could have been some.
"Do you know what else we found in that van?"
Estella shook her head.
"Two dead bodies."
"Really?"
Smith nodded and said, "They had been shot multiple times. No ID either. You know anything about that?"
"No idea," Estella was mindful of her words, she figured the Detective was trying to catch her in a lie or make her slip up. The fact that the Detective had not mentioned the gender of the dead bodies was not lost on Estella. "Can I make my phone call now?"
"In a minute," Detective Smith said, "Just one more question for right now."
Estella sighed and rubbed her eyes, "What is it?"
"Where were you prior to entering the diner?"
Estella bit her lip, she couldn't think of a good answer, so she just said, "I'm done talking now."
"Fine," Detective Smith stood, "We are going to hold you as a person of interest in this investigation." The door opened and two deputies entered. "My deputies will escort you to your holding cell."
"What about my phone call?" Estella said as she stood.
"We'll let you know when the phone is available," the Detective stated dismissively as she left the room.
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Two days had passed since Race, Benton, and Hotch had gone to see Yuri Delic and they had discovered very little since that time. It was now late Tuesday morning, Jonny and Hadji walked into the BAU office with their dad and Race. Hotch had insisted they get some rest when they had returned Sunday and ensured them that his team was still working diligently on discovering any new leads, so far little had been discovered.
"This is so frustrating," Race grumbled as he sipped a cup of coffee he had picked up on the way in, "We are approaching a week now since this all happened and we've gotten squat!"
"I know, Race," Benton's voice was low, "I wish we had our own access right now."
"Maybe we need to go back to the hospital and pump Phil to give up something," He had attempted to go see his superior when they had returned from the prison, but his access was denied and I-1 Agent Simpson had threatened to arrest Race if he saw him again. "He knows more than he told us, I know that for a fact."
"Whoever he's protecting must have something very valuable." Hadji stated as the group made their way towards the BAU conference room where Hotch had his team assembled.
"Isn't it obvious that he's protecting Delic?" Jonny asked.
Race shook his head, "I don't know, Jonny. I don't see why he would protect that scumbag."
"He had him moved here after he was stabbed, so why not?" Jonny's anger had started to fester again.
"We don't know that for sure," Benton told his son, "All we know is that Delic was moved. It is possible that Corbin doesn't know about it." However, Benton wasn't convinced by his own words.
The Quest team entered the conference room and sat around the round table. Also seated were Hotchner, Morgan, Dr. Reid, and Emily Prentiss. Penelope Garcia stood in her usual spot near the monitors.
"Let's get started," Hotch nodded towards Garcia.
"I was able to work with the DVD that you all found in the hotel and I isolated some of the background sounds."
"What kind of sounds?" Doctor Reid asked. He had his fingers steeped in front of him.
Garcia shook her head, "It's hard to tell specifically but construction type sounds and horns, long horn blasts."
"A construction zone?" Morgan mused, "That could be anywhere."
"The horns could be indicative of a mass transit vehicle, such as a train." Doctor Reid suggested.
Garcia shook her head. "Unlikely, my boy wonder. Train horns are usually longer and higher pitched than what I isolated."
"Ships, perhaps?" Jonny thought.
Garcia inclined her head, "That's possible."
"And the construction type sounds could actually be port operations; cranes and forklifts and such." Morgan nodded.
"Anything else from the DVD?" Hotch asked.
"Not yet, Sir, I'll keep at it though."
"Emily, any luck with the transport investigation?"
Emily shook her head in frustration, "Doctor Quest and I worked all sorts of angles, but we couldn't get anything concrete."
Benton interjected, "There are just too many possibilities for entrance into this country, many of which are illegal. The right price can get you in, no questions asked. It is obvious though, that whoever is holding Jessie and Estella have some serious connections."
"Any luck on that side, Garcia?" Hotch asked.
"Nothing but dead ends. There are some small communities of Albanian and Serbian immigrants all along the east coast, but so far I'm not having any luck finding a connection to these escaped convicts. I'll keep digging though, like Doctor Quest said, somebody has to be helping these guys."
Doctor Reid spoke up next, "I did some research on this stone you mentioned. An ancient Christian fable tells the story of how this stone was created in Bethlehem by a mason and given to Mary as a gift for her newborn son, the son of God. It came to Joseph of Aramethia after Jesus was executed by the Romans and remained in the tomb after the resurrection."
"I'm familiar with this tale as well." Benton said.
Reid's face lit up at Benton's words and he continued, speaking faster and gesturing with his fingers, which was normal behavior for the young prodigy. "The stone was eventually lost throughout time and there are accounts of it resurfacing in different parts of the globe, from ancient Mesopotamia in Babylon, now in modern day Iraq, all the way to lands as far north as Norway."
"What's so special about this stone?" Morgan asked, "And why does Drazen want it so bad?"
"It allegedly possesses the power of transference. Whoever is in possession of the stone can both imprint his or her knowledge onto the stone and then pass that knowledge off to another person; or they can retrieve knowledge that has been stored on it." Benton told.
"Sounds pretty far-fetched to me," Morgan replied.
"There are many stories throughout the history of mankind that may sound far-fetched, as you say, but that does not make them untrue." Hadji offered.
Morgan nodded, but remained doubtful, "So if it is true, then there is some information on this stone that Drazen wants."
"We just need to find it before he does." Jonny specified.
"That's if he knows for sure the stone is authentic," Reid began, "Throughout history many similar stones have appeared, but they were deemed to be fakes."
"How do we know this one is the real thing then?" Hotch asked.
"We need to find it." Reid said, repeating Jonny's assertion. "Only then can we tell if it's the real deal. If Drazen finds it before we do, then…" He turned and looked at the Quest group, his look filled with pity.
"Then Jessie is no longer of any value to him," Race finished. "If we can get the stone we can set up an exchange. According to Delic, Corbin knows where it is."
Hotch made a rumbling sound, not happy with where Race was going. "He might, I'll talk to him."
"We should all go," Jonny suggested, "Put some pressure on him. If he knows where it is, he knows, at least indirectly, how to get Jessie back!"
"I doubt confronting a man that was willing to die to keep its location a secret and presenting him with an ultimatum will do any good." Hotch said.
Race opened his mouth to argue further, but was interrupted by the sudden ringing of a phone.
Hotch fished his cell phone out of his pocket he answered, "SSA Hotchner." Then, "Yes," "Yes, that is correct," "Okay, I understand. Can you send my tech analyst all the details and the address? Yes, Penelope Garcia, okay. We're on our way." He hung up and stood.
"What was that?" Race asked getting to his feet as well.
"A friend of mine with the Virginia State Police," He said, "Estella was picked up yesterday by some Deputies outside of Capron, Virginia. They are holding her as a suspect in a double homicide."
"What?" Race exclaimed. "What about Jessie?"
"He didn't say anything about your daughter. We'll find out more soon." Hotch's demeanor went from serious to even more serious. "Reid and Garcia, keep working the analyses of the information we have, find a connection to these guys, there has to be one. Morgan, Emily, you guys keep trying to find out where they might be holed up. If Jessie isn't with Estella, which it sounds like she isn't, then she's still in danger and we need to find her. There's a small private airstrip near the police station where Estella is being held. Race, Benton, Jonny, and Hadji, let's head to Capron.
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A few hours later, Race burst into the police station in Capron, startling the desk Sergeant. "Where is she?" He demanded to the stunned man. "Where is Estella Velasquez?"
Hotch flashed his credentials and said, "I'm looking for Detective Smith."
The man nodded and a moment later, probably drawn to the front by the commotion in the small building, a woman emerged and introduced herself as Detective Smith.
"The prisoner's back this way." She said and led the group towards the back. "She was picked up at a diner outside of town on Monday."
"What is this about a double homicide?" Race asked.
"We found a van with two dead men inside, both shot. We matched her prints to ones found in the van."
"Any ID on the dead men?" Hotch asked.
"Not yet," Smith said, "But they both had the same tattoos on their forearms."
"My tech analyst can probably match those to any known offenders in her database fairly quickly." Hotch offered.
Smith stopped, "Is this a federal case, Sir?"
Hotch said, "We are just here to help at this point. There is a larger investigation going on that we are working, a kidnapping and attempted murder or a federal agent."
"You think she did that too?' Smith asked as she led them to an interrogation room.
Hotch didn't answer.
"We brought her back to the interrogation room when we heard you were coming." Smith jerked a thumb at the two-way glass and on the other side, Estella sat, looking ragged and bewildered.
Race rushed through the door, quickly followed by Benton, Jonny, and Hadji. Estella looked up and her face brightened. She stood and Race barreled into her, wrapping his arms around her in a huge hug. "Estella, are you okay?"
Estella started crying and said, "I am now." Then she asked, "Have you found Jessie?"
Race held her at arm's length and said, "Not yet, but we are searching. The FBI is helping us out. I-1 stripped me."
Estella sniffed and said, "Roger, this has been so horrible. It is so good to see you, you can't imagine."
Benton moved over and hugged her, followed by Jonny and Hadji. "It is so good to see you all." Estella sighed, "You have no idea! It's like I've been living in a real life nightmare!"
"We're here now, Estella." Benton said. You're safe."
"What happened? What's going on, Stell?" Race prodded gently.
Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, "They made me do it. Made me shoot Phil and made me…" She trailed off, "I was only trying to protect Jessie."
"I know, hon, I know," Race comforted. "Now we need to find Jessie. You're the only one that might know where she is." He wasn't going to mention the DVD, not now, and probably not ever.
Estella nodded and bit her lower lip. "The police?" She looked at the mirror and a moment later Detective Smith and Agent Hotchner walked in. Estella blinked at the FBI agent, he looked so much like Corbin.
"We have a problem, gentlemen," Smith said, holding up a folder.
"What is it now?" Jonny asked.
The Detective eyed him and said, "She's a suspect in a double homicide. Also, we found a laptop we've traced to a Michael Wellington. He's a Doctor or should I say was."
"What do you mean?" Benton inquired.
"He was murdered in his home in Fayetteville, North Carolina over the weekend and his laptop was stolen. And now we have his laptop that was found on Ms. Velasquez here."
Estella noticed the Detective left off her official title again. Estella really didn't like this woman.
"So I can't just let her walk out of here." Smith stated flatly.
"Actually, Detective, that is exactly what you are going to do." Hotch said.
"Excuse me?" She eyed him suspiciously.
"Doctor Velasquez is a suspect in at least three homicides and also an attempted murder investigation. Of those the attempted murder was of a federal agent. Also, if that wasn't enough, you have three dead bodies in two different states, that makes this a federal case now. Have her belongings brought in and all evidence you've collected so far. I'll be sending teams down here and to Fayetteville now."
Smith huffed realizing her mistake too late.
Hotch turned to Estella, "Let's go. You're coming with us now."
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To Be Continued….
