Nick gently shook Hank awake to let him know they were going.
"You're taking Sophia?" the detective asked groggily. Monroe nodded.
"We need her nose." Hank seemed too tired to argue that point.
"'Kay. Don't kill anybody if you don't have to."
Monroe strapped Sophia into her car seat while running down a list of rules. The child nodded and repeated them back, her voice still sounding much older. Nick just listened, wondering if and when he'd have to give instructions like this to Neil and Jacob.
"What happens when we get there?"
"I sniff out Mommy and keep my nose up for anybody else."
"What happens if we find anyone who isn't Mommy?"
"I keep quiet and keep close to you or Uncle Nick."
"What happens if we get separated?"
"Sniff my way back to you. If I can't, sniff my way out, and call the police on your phone."
"What's the phone number for the police?"
"911."
"What happens if anyone who isn't Mommy, Daddy, or Uncle Nick grabs you?"
"Bite as hard as I can."
"I can't believe you're having this conversation with a three year old." Nick muttered under his breath.
"Not three yet, Uncle Nick. Next month." Sophia responded, sounding indignant.
"Yeah, Uncle Nick, geez." Monroe smiled as they pulled up to Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. It is about 5:30 am.
Sophia waits for her father to unbuckle her, and then stands patiently while he locks the Bug. She takes his hand and squeezes it.
"You ready, kiddo?" The giant Blutbad looks down at his tiny daughter. She is small for somebody turning two, let alone turning three. Rosalee told him Fuchsbau kits start pretty small, but have a huge growth spurt during puberty, so this might just be even more of her mother's influence. She nods up to him, then turns to Nick.
"I was born ready."
"Then let's go find Mommy." The little girl starts inhaling and exhaling slowly. Monroe recognizes what she's doing. Filtering. He feels a surge of pride, seeing her do it instinctively. She knows what Rosalee smells like, and she knows what the monster smells like. Those are the two smells she needs to find. She starts to sniff along the walls, slowly at first, then faster. Soon she is dragging her father behind her as she runs as fast as her little legs will go. Nick just follows.
Around the side, there is an unmarked door. Sophia stops and points at the door. Nick draws his gun, and tries the knob. It's unlocked. Nick goes in first, followed by Monroe and Sophia. Monroe woges, and follows where he is dragged. They go through what look like dressing rooms and a break room before entering what appears to be a chapel of some sort. Sophia ignores the hanging skeletons and continues to push forward. The chapel gives way to an indoor forest, with faces carved into the trees. The child is on a mission, so she doesn't stop to look like she normally does when her father takes her for a walk in the woods. Monroe imagines it probably doesn't smell the same, and therefore is of less interest. Eventually, they find another door. Sophia pauses, sniffs cautiously, then smiles widely.
"Mommy!" she says quietly, pointing toward the door.
XxXxXxXx
Rosalee hears a bang again, and after a while hears something that sounds a lot like Sophia saying "Mommy." She shakes her head. This place is getting to her, she's hearing things. The doorknob turns, and she tries to hide herself again. She still can't smell anything, and the guy said he'd be back⦠She squeezes her eyes shut as the door opens. Large feet step toward her, and somebody drops down to their knees next to her.
"Rosalee? Rosalee! Oh god, oh god, are you okay?" She opens her eyes and finds herself face to face with her husband, who looks like he's on the verge of tears.
"Oh my god, Monroe!" She takes his chin into her hands and starts planting kisses on his face. Nick looks around for something to cut the zip ties on Rosalee's wrists and ankles while Sophia stands quietly at the door. Monroe holds his wife's kiss, allowing the tears to flow freely. His wife is alive and safe. She's crying, too. Monroe gently picks Rosalee up, but when he turns to the door, what he sees almost causes him to drop her.
"You." The Blutbad snarls, causing Nick to abandon his search of the area. Standing at the door, with one hand over Sophia's mouth and a large cooking knife in the other, is the janitor from Doctor Honig's office, the nondescript man with the blonde buzz cut from the photos. He smiles, and both Monroe and Rosalee note how many teeth he appears to have.
"Yes, Blutbad, it's us."
