Cold Case

"Did you tell Nicole that her and I should be friends?" Those were the first things Nathan had to say to Jess when she came home.

"Hello."

"Hello. Why did tell Nicole her and I should become friends?"

"I said you two should talk. That's all."

"What is all this?" he asked about the papers and files she brought home.

"I got another lead in the Bailey Hughes case. Before I left I got a call from the California office. They told me one of her old nannies—who was paid under the table, which is why we never knew about her—heard about what happened and came in to talk to them."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing. They were too busy and it's my case, so they gave her my card and I have to go out there to meet with her tomorrow morning. I'm just looking over some of the information I already have. It's been so long I probably forgot a lot of things."

xxxxx

Jess bolted straight up in bed that night.

"What? What?" Nathan said feeling around for the lamp to turn it on.

"I saw her."

"Who?"

"Bailey. I think she was drowning."

"Do you know where she is?"

"It doesn't work that way. I have to think about and sort through all the details."

"Where are you going?"

"To the dining room to look at those papers I have on the table."

xxxxx

When Nathan came out to the living room with his baby daughter in his arms and his sons toddling ahead of him that morning he couldn't believe Jess was still at the dining room table.

"You spent all night looking over this stuff?"

"Yes." She looked at the clock. "I have to get ready. I'm supposed to be in California at nine."

"So since you're leaving I guess I have to watch the kids. I can't go out with Nicole."

"Not so fast. Antonio agreed to watch the babies."

"Damn it."

xxxxx

"Mrs. Hernandez, thank you for meeting with me."

"I came in as soon as I heard. I just got back from Guatemala. I was in the super market and I saw it in the tabloids. I didn't really think it was true at first. I can't believe it. I wish I could have told you what I knew last year when this happened."

"Tell me what?"

"José and Ella had parties. I don't mean regular parties. They used to invite other couples, sometimes just single men and women they met in bars and…um…"

"Are you saying they were swingers?"

"Yes."

"Where was Bailey during these gatherings?"

"Asleep in her room. Sometimes if I was on those nights I would stay in there with her to make sure she stayed in her room, but when I was off I couldn't protect her. I think that she left her room and saw them on at least one occasion."

"She told you that?"

"Not in so many words, but she knew about things that a child that age wouldn't otherwise know about."

"Is it possible Ella and José were forcing Bailey to participate in these orgies?"

"They were not the best parents, but I think they loved her and I really doubt they would hurt her like that."

"If she saw them, then they probably saw her. Her abductor was probably one of the guests. Can you tell me anything about them?"

"I never even knew their names."

"Think, Mrs. Hernandez. Any detail can help."

"There was a lady at the party who was looking at a picture of Bailey. She asked Ella about her."

"Did you ever see her again after that night?"

"I think so."

"Tell me what she looked…" She had a vision. She saw a young girl being drowned in a lake. She was sure it was Bailey until she saw who was drowning her. It was a man that matched the sketch artist's drawing of the Maryland serial killer.

"Agent Massey?"

"…You've been very helpful. Leave your phone number with that agent over there. I will call you and we can finish this."

xxxxx

Nathan and Nicole went to a nearby coffee shop.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. Jess thinks that we might be able to help each other. Since this is about the safety of my child I'm not going to be proud. I'll just say it…" But just saying it didn't come easy for Nicole.

"Say what?"

"I had a rough childhood. I'm worried I might do some of the stuff that was done to me to Zachary."

That was the first time Nathan felt a connection with her.

"You understand," Nicole said from the look he gave her.

"I do. I think we can help each other."

xxxxx

"Agent Redman." Jess made it back to the Maryland office in record time.

"Did you have a vision about the killer?"

"I think so. Is there a missing girl, about six years old, blond hair?"

"Melanie Groves. She's seven. Is she the one he has now?"

"I can't be sure. I was having visions about a blond haired girl about that age. I thought it was a four-year-old girl that went missing twenty-one months ago. She would be six years old now. Now I'm thinking it could be Melanie."

"If it was Melanie is she still alive?"

"I'd be surprised."

"That fits. She's been missing for five days. This guy keeps his victims for five days before killing them."

"You should start looking in remote areas with lakes. I think you'll find she was drowned."

xxxxx

"It's easier now," Nathan told Nicole. "But in the beginning when Joe would cry I was more afraid that I would do something than I actually felt tempted to do something."

"But you were tempted?"

"Yeah. Now it's not as bad. Just the other day I was home alone with all of them. Madison was screaming at the top of her lungs, Toby was fussy because he's still teething some, and Joe was having what I now know to be his first temper tantrum, and no bad thoughts came into my head. Not once. I put Madison in her crib. I put Toby in his crib. And I gave Joe a time out in his playpen. When they were all safely confined I went out to the back porch and took five. When I came back in I was feeling great. The rest of the day went fine."

With everything he said only two words stuck out. "Bad thoughts. Is that what you call it?"

"Yeah."

"That's what I call it too."

"When you think about some of the worst things that were ever done to you and imagine doing them to your kid?"

"That's it. I didn't think anyone would ever understand that."

"When I get too worried I think about this, my father and mother never showed any kind of remorse about what they did to me or my sister. They never tried not to hurt us. They just didn't care. I figure with as much as I care about my kids and as much as I try to make sure I will never hurt them, I'm not that likely to lose control with them."

xxxxx

Jess did exactly what she said she would not do when she got home that evening. She had all the files of all the missing people in the area. She planned to find out which one the killer was with and save them before the five days were up.

She got so into looking over all the records she never even noticed that it was after eight and her husband wasn't home, until her door bell rang and Antonio came in with her children that had been running him ragged all day.

"I'm sorry," Jess said. "I had no idea you still had them."

"It's all right. We had fun. I wore them out for you."

"Thank you. I can't believe Nicole and Nathan are still out."

"I know. It's great. Nicole is talking."

"So is Nathan. He talked to me all the time, but I knew he felt awkward because he knows I can't understand a lot of what he feels. I'm glad they both finally have someone who understands them."

They were both very relieved that the future of their children was looking better.

xxxxx

"Was I right or was I right? You guys had fun, didn't you?" Jess asked him when he got home.

"I wouldn't exactly call it fun, but it was good for both of us. We're doing it again next week."

"I knew you would like her if you got to know her."

"How was your day? Did you find Bailey?"

"No. And in addition to that, I'm in a fervent search for a killer."

"I thought were going to work on that from a distance."

"I thought that too. But I was wrong. I changed my mind when I met the parents of the little girl he killed today. Because he doesn't have much of an M.O. I don't even know if he has any of these people. He might strike again tomorrow or six months from now."

xxxxx

"Jess was right," Nicole said. "Nathan is a good guy. He did some dumb things in the past, but I really think he is over all that stuff now. And now that I know what he went through growing up I can't fault him for what he did as much as I used to."

"Did you talk to him about what you went through?" Antonio asked.

"I did. And it wasn't that hard."

They heard their baby crying from the monitor.

"You want me to take that?" he asked.

"I want to do it."

Just for support Antonio followed her up to the nursery and hung back while she rocked Zachary.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than I did when I did this this morning."

xxxxx

Jess's search for the killer went on with no significant results. She got a description of the woman who was asking about Bailey at the party, but again the trail ran cold and Bailey was not found.

While the panic of the state over the killer increased, Nicole's panic decreased. Every day it got a little easier to hold Zachary. And every day she became more confident that she would never harm her child. The talks she had with Nathan and her mother helped a lot.