(Previously – from chapter 2 since it's been awhile)
Phil's grip on the crock pot was lost as it crashed to the ground. He didn't hear Bobbi or Hunter or anyone else shouting. He stepped around the mess and took a few steps toward her. "Melinda?"
Melinda stopped on the last step and stared. It was Phil alright. He looked good. His hairline had receded some but after thirteen years, he still looked like her Phil.
He took another step forward. "Is that really you Mel?"
Melinda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Hi Phil."
Melinda and Phil
Bobbi stopped and stared at Melinda and then back to Phil. Holy shit. Melinda was her brother's first ex-wife? She watched as Phil turned nearly white while Melinda seemed to take seeing Phil in stride. What Bobbi could not know was that Melinda had learned how to hide her emotions and to mold her face into a neutral position with the habit of doing it for years and years. Inside, Melinda was completely freaking out.
Phil's shocked face morphed into happiness, then sadness, and a bit of anger before he was able to gain control. He took two more steps toward Melinda and stopped, taking in her appearance. She still looked the same. Her face seemed to show no emotion, carefully masked, but he knew better. He knew she was trying to appear nonchalant, but her eyes gave away that she was anything but. He gazed into them and was overwhelmed with how he could still read her and she him. They both spoke at the same time, the same words.
"What are you doing in Chicago?"
She smirked and held up her hand. "You first."
"I moved here a couple years ago. I teach history at Lincoln Park High. You?"
"I am working out of the local FBI office. Administration."
"Small world huh?"
"Apparently."
Bobbi stepped forward next to Phil then. "Is this your..."
"Ex-wife. Yes. This is Melinda. This is my sister Bobbi."
Melinda's face showed confusion. "You have a sister?"
"Yeah. My dad was not as perfect as I thought he was. I was going through my parent's things after I'd gone home to take care of my mom and well... I found a sister. Family. After mom died, I moved here. She's the only family I have left."
Well that stung. A bit. Melinda carefully kept her expression neutral. "I'm sorry about your mother. She was a great woman."
"Yeah. She always liked you. Even after..."
"Phillip. It's good to see you." Lian May had come over and interrupted.
He nodded to her. "Lian. It's been a long time." Even though he was talking to Lian he was still looking at Melinda.
Bobbi put her hand gently on his shoulder. "Maybe you and Melinda would be better off going inside to talk Phil?"
He shook his head. "I think I need to go home Bobbi. Sorry." He turned and walked away heading over to Don and Jane. "You think you could take me home Don."
He nodded. "Not a problem. Be glad to." The two headed away to the parked cars.
Phil turned back and spoke to Bobbi. "I'll call you later Bobbi. Thanks for the invite. Another time." He purposefully ignored looking at Melinda which was noticeable to everyone present.
Bobbi nodded and then turned back to Melinda. "You're more than welcome to..."
"Thanks. But I need to get home anyway. Lovely to meet you all." She turned and walked toward Grace's place, calling back over her shoulder. "Mom I'm just going to call Uber for a ride. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Lian May shook her head at them both. She turned to Grace. "They are both fools."
Rosalind watched the scene with interest. Apparently, the man she was supposed to meet had been married to the woman she'd been talking to. Their small interaction was awkward, and amusing. But even more, Roz thought, the two were obviously still in love with each other. She sighed and poured herself another glass of the scotch. Well that was short lived. Maybe Bobbi has another single brother. Cause she was in no way getting involved with a man who was in love with someone else. She stepped down and walked over to join the others at the table. The food smelled good at least.
(One Week Later)
Daisy
Walking to the coffee shop for breakfast has become part of Daisy's new routine. She stepped into the building and ordered an everything bagel with strawberry cream cheese and a hot chocolate. The waitress smiled as she delivered the order, Daisy has been leaving great tips for her. Daisy smiled back and opened her laptop. She was a few days away from leaving Chi-town. The weather had taken a cold turn, and she wanted to get to LA before the holidays. She was making sure she had covered all her tracks. She took a bite of her bagel and then started typing unaware of the couple sitting a few tables away who were watching her while pretending not to be watching her.
Mack sipped his coffee and watched the girl. She appeared to be anywhere from fifteen to eighteen years old. Of course, she was probably a few years older, dressed to appear younger for her cover for her criminal activity. She had blond hair with purple highlights and was wearing clothing any typical teen would wear. She seemed oblivious to him and his partner. This was the second day they'd staked out here, waiting and watching for the girl to meet up with her group.
They'd stumbled onto her while investigating a cybercrime case, particularly a new bank cybercrime. Their captain, Izzy, was sure it was a group of hackers. One victim was a teacher who had reported their account had been compromised and money transferred out. What made the case a priority was that the teacher was the brother of one of their own, Bobbi Morse. Phil Coulson had been checking his accounts and had found a substantial unauthorized withdraw. It had taken a few days, but the cybercrime team had finally pinpointed the bank that his money had ended up at. Another few days and they had used bank cameras and cameras outside at other businesses to find the girl. Now they were just biding their time waiting for her to lead them to the other members of the group. His partner returned from the restroom and nodded at him signifying no one was around and the girl was alone again today. He'd only been working with Elena for a few months but got along well with her. So much so that he knew his fellow officers were taking bets as to when the two of them would hook up. But Mack knew dating your partner never led anywhere good. So, they remained friends only. At least for now.
They continued the surveillance watching as the girl continued to type and enjoy her breakfast. About a half hour later, she closed her laptop and got up. She paid her bill and walked out of the shop. Elena and Mack followed suite and set off to follow the girl. Hopefully this time she was going to lead them to her contacts and not to the local park like she had yesterday. She'd spent a good chunk of time there feeding the ducks and squirrels. Then she'd just walked around the city, stopping for lunch at a burger joint, and then had gone to a movie theater. The night surveillance team had picked her up at the theater. They reported that she had stayed for two movies, and then stopped at a small diner for a takeout food order and gone to here room at the hostel she was staying at. This morning Mack and Elena had staked out the hostel, relieving the night team and had followed her to the coffee shop. Mack got to their car and got in following the car on the street, as Elena followed her on foot.
Daisy sat down at the bus stop. She glanced around her gaze stopping on the woman standing less than half a block away. She was leaning against a building. The women had been in the coffee shop. Daisy got her phone out and pretended to look at it intently, intermediately glancing around the area, while she checked out the women. Was she following her? Daisy's paranoia was kicking in and she had to force herself to stay calm. The women looked very much like a cop as she was standing there, once in a while checking out Daisy.
Daisy was about to leave when she saw a guy come up to the women and hug her. They both laughed and then walked away and crossed the road at the next intersection, eventually moving out of Daisy's sight. She relaxed. It was nothing. Just her overactive imagination. She had been very careful with everything. A few minutes later the bus pulled up and Daisy got on. A tall blond hurried to the bus and got on behind her. Daisy never noticed her, too busy reading the pamphlet for the Lincoln Park Zoo. Bobbi grinned as she sat four rows behind the girl.
They were all back at the station, Bobbi and Hunter and Mack having spent the day at the zoo. It was late, and the night team was parked outside the hostel keeping tabs on the girl.
"She is acting like a tourist. Taking in the sights, eating, walking around the city. No sign of any contacts with her group." Mack was the one who spoke first.
"Are we even sure she's with a group?" Hunter's question was what they were all thinking.
"I say we bring her in and see what we get from an interrogation. She's young, so bringing her in will scare her, maybe enough to give up her contact at least, "Elena added.
Bobbi shook her head. "I don't know. If we bring her in the real criminals may get away. That girl did not pull this off on her own. She was just used to open the account. You saw the copies of her fake ID. Made by a professional for sure. Could be a big cybercrime organization we might be able to break up."
Izzy looked at them and then spoke up. "Follow her tomorrow. If she doesn't take you to any contacts by mid-afternoon, pick her up. At least we will have her phone and computer. Should be able to use that info to trace her contacts and the people she's working with. For now, go home. It's late."
Melinda
Melinda sat down on her couch. She opened the boxes of Chinese food sitting on the coffee table in front of her and started eating. She clicked on the TV and ran through the channels till she settled on medical drama. Earlier her mother had called asking for the hundredth time if she'd seen Phil again. Her mother had left Chicago earlier in the week and had called every day, sometimes twice a day, to check up on her. Her mother had even made her dad call her too. Melinda knew her dad cared for her, but he usually let her initiate contact so for him to call her daisy meant her mother had made him. Her mom's heart was in the right place, but Melinda was so over it.
She was fine. Really. Seeing Phil again, here in Chicago, was a shock of course. But she was over it. So he lived here now. Chicago was a big place and she doubted she'd ever run into him again. It was just dumb luck that her mother's friend lived next door to his newly found sister. Right? Her mother has said it was fate and that it meant something in the universe. Melinda scoffed as she pushed the food aside and leaned back into her couch. Fate. If it was fate, it was a cruel fate. She'd long since stopped thinking of Phil and what they'd had together. Long since stopped thinking of the life they'd dreamt of having. The one they'd had. Fate didn't like her, and she was fine with that. She'd given up on any fairytale happy endings. She poured a glass of scotch and focused on the medical show and tried to forget.
Phil
The sound of the basketball game droned in the background. Phil was turning the pages of a photo album long since put aside. He'd had to dig it out of a box in his storage bin down in the apartment building's basement. He'd brought the entire box up to his apartment and had spend the last few nights going through them. The one he currently was looking through was their wedding album. Melinda had almost insisted on a Las Vega wedding, but her friend Maria had finally talked her into a small wedding at a small chapel outside the Air Force base with a reception after at a local community center. Melinda only had Maria and Natasha as her bridesmaids and Phil had Clint and Fury as his best men. His mother was there, as were Melinda's parents and close friends of both, mostly military.
He turned the page and his eyes focused on a picture of Melinda. A candid shot of her laughing at something he'd said. Her eyes shown with happiness and a lightness that was no longer there. And that was his fault. He closed the album and sighed. He'd been down this road so many times. He'd played the 'what if' game so many times. What if he'd kept Skye at the base that night? What if he'd said no to the terrorism task force job? What if he'd come home just an hour earlier than he did? He shook his head. No, those thoughts only led to a very dark place. Of course, Melinda did the same. They both did, over and over, both blaming themselves for what happened. Until they blamed each other. That's when the marriage fell apart. That's when she left him.
It'd taken only a few months for the divorce to be finalized, neither contested it. She didn't want any support payments, and they sold the house and after paying off all their bills, they split the minimal profit down the middle. A very amicable divorce is what the judge had said. That had been the very last time he had seen her. Until last Friday night. The shock has lasted a few days. He'd pestered Bobbi to find out what she could from her neighbor. She had and told him that Melinda had been living in Chicago for the last seven years, working in administration at the FBI office. She lived in an apartment building only twenty-five minutes from his place. Bobbi refused to dig deeper than that saying it was inappropriate to investigate someone cause her brother wanted her to.
He could go see her. He knew where she worked and where she lived. He could pick up the phone and invite her for drinks for old times sake, just to catch up. After all they'd been best friends for year before they were more than that. They'd then been involved romantically for two more year before getting married and were married two years before Skye was conceived. Then almost two more after she was born. They'd known each other for a long time. Then they didn't. He smiled as her face came to his memory. She was still as beautiful today as the day he'd met her.
Phil picked up the phone and dialed the number. He hesitated and hung up before pressing enter. He stared at the phone and then dialed the number again. He hung up before it rang. He set the phone down and reached for the bottle and filled his glass with the Haig. He sat back and gazed at the game on his TV as he sipped the scotch and tried to forget.
(Next day)
Daisy
Daisy stepped into the small café and sat at a table by a window. The waitress took her order of a burger, fries and chocolate milkshake. She got out the visitor guide and was reading about the museum she intended to visit that afternoon. She had decided that the money she had was enough and was just killing time here in Chicago now. She only had to make one more fake ID to get herself out of town and cover her tracks and delete her internet trail once she withdrew all the money into cashier's checks. She was having s little fun, something that had not been a part of her life lately. She had been checking out the parks and museums in town, as well as taking in several movies. She'd always liked museums and this one, the Adler Planetarium seemed interesting. Her plans for the day included seeing that particular museum and then going to another movie that night. Tomorrow she planned to do the new ID and buy a bus ticket out of town for Monday morning. She was oblivious to the agents also gathered at the café.
Hunter was sitting at a table with Piper and Davis. Bobbi was seated at the counter with Izzy, who had decided to join this op. Outside, Mack and Elena hovered by the door. They were going to take the girl in. Bobbi watched as she sipped on her milkshake. She had a backpack on the seat next to her. She seemed completely unaware that she was about to be arrested. Bobbi hoped her computer and phone would bring them other suspects. As well as she wanted to interrogate this suspect, herself. The young woman was in way over her head and Bobbi wanted to make sure she got that message. That her best bet was to give them the information they wanted.
The waitress came over and asked her if she wanted anything else. She shook her head and picked up the bill the waitress had put on the table. The waitress walked away and as the girl slung her backpack over her shoulder, and started to slide out of the booth, Bobbi spoke.
"Now."
Bobbi got off the stool and moved to standing directly in front of the booth where the girl was starting to slide out of. Izzy directly behind Bobbi and Hunter to her side. Davis and Piper blocked the left and Mack and Elena came into the café blocking the door.
"Drop the backpack and stand up slowly, showing your hands. You're under arrest."
Daisy looked around the room for a way out. There was none. She was totally boxed in. She slid the backpack off her shoulder and stood up, complying with the order.
"Hands up and now move out of the booth, then turn around."
Daisy's mind flashed with ideas as the officer did a quick search for weapons. She wondered what role would best get her out of this situation. She also wondered just what they hell they were arresting her for.
"You have any weapons on you or in the pack?"
Daisy shook her head.
"Needles?"
She shook her head again.
"I'm going to read you your rights now."
Daisy half listened to what the woman said. It wasn't her first rodeo after all. She glanced around the room, and then decided on a plan of silence. Her phone gave nothing away. She had everything in her computer well encrypted. It would take a very smart hacker, as smart as her to break into her firewalls. She figured at worst she'd end up in juvie again for being a runaway. They wouldn't find anything.
Bobbi's frustration was mounting. The girl refused to talk, and they couldn't identify her. They were waiting on prints. Her computer was being looked at but so far nothing was garnered about any cybercrime or cyber terrorist groups known to them. In fact, the techs were having trouble accessing any files at all. Her phone had no contacts.
"You know, taking the fall for this whole thing will get you a huge chunk of time in prison."
Daisy kept her expression stoic. She was refusing to talk and would not take any offered drinks or food. She laughed internally. She'd gone days without eating, a few times over a week. She'd been threatened by some pretty bad people too. If this lady thought she would cave, she was sadly mistaken. They'd been at it for four hours and Daisy was the only one in the room not frustrated. She smiled. Apparently, that irritated the woman even more.
"You think this is funny? You steal thousands of dollars from innocent people and think it's funny. Good people. People who don't deserve to have their life savings taken by criminals like you to be used on drugs. Or clothes. Some nice sneakers you have there. New right? Who'd you steal from for those? Or did you just lift them from the store? You know we will find out who you are. It would be better if you just cooperated."
Daisy morphed her face to look bored. She said nothing.
Izzy watched the interrogation from the two-way window. Bobbi was getting nowhere. She decided to enter the room. She glanced at Hunter who was leaning against the wall. Bobbi looked at her and backed away to stand next to Hunter. Izzy pulled up the chair and sat across from the girl. She stared for a bit and then slammed her fist on the table.
"You need to tell us your real name. We know the one you used at the bank and the hostel is fake."
Daisy smiled at her.
"Put her in lock up. Maybe a night in holding will change her perspective."
Bobbi got into the station early. She went straight to holding. The girl was in a cell with a older woman, a prostitute waiting for her pimp to bail her out. Daisy and the woman were playing cards.
"Hey. Where did you get those cards?"
The prostitute shrugged her shoulders and continued playing. The girl ignored her. Bobbi motioned to the guard to open the cell. She escorted the girl to an interrogation room. The girl sat in the chair, still not making a sound.
"You want breakfast?"
Daisy said nothing. Bobbi stormed out of the room. She saw Izzy watching and joined her at the window. They watched the girl for a good twenty minutes. She didn't move and just sat there.
"We have to send her to court. Charge her and put up at the jail."
"Anything on her computer?"
"Just that they can't get in her files. We have a someone from the FBI coming today to try to find answers."
"Good, her smugness is irritating me. Let's keep her till then. We have no ID so we can hold her and say we are still trying to ID her."
"Okay. And Bobbi stop taking her silence and smugness personally. She knows it is irritating you. Not a good look. And get her some breakfast."
"Yeah well, she stole from my brother, not yours. It is personal."
"Try not to let her see that, eh?"
Bobbi nodded.
Bobbi set down a bagel, a box of cereal. cream cheese, milk and a glass of orange juice on the table with paper products and plastic utensils. She then moved to the wall and leaned against it watching.
Daisy gazed at the items on the table and her stomach grumbled. There was no reason to not eat the offered food. Unless she wanted to keep pissing off the lady who had brought it. She smiled and reached for the cereal pouring it into the bowl with the milk. She ate a few spoonfuls of the cereal and then she spread the packet of cream cheese over the bagel and took a bite
"I prefer strawberry flavored."
Bobbi sighed. "I prefer cooperative suspects."
Daisy looked at her and spoke around a mouthful of cornflakes. "Well we can't always get what we want."
Bobbi glared at the girl who simply smiled back.
"You're pretty damn calm for someone facing the charges we are gonna throw at you. Cyber terrorism. Identity theft. Computer Tampering. Data fraud. Criminal use of a computer. Computer trespass. Computer theft. Forgery. Each one can carry up to three years or more sentences. That's what – around twenty-five to thirty years so far. Would make you well over thirty-five before you are even eligible for parole. Probably can add on a bunch more for an even longer sentence. Especially if we can find your other victims. Right now, your picture is circulating at every precinct and FBI office in the state." She paused hoping the information would sink in.
Bobbi continued. "Of course, your cooperation can go a long way. As can helping us to get the bigger guys. You know, the ones who paid you to open the account and steal the money."
Daisy looked at her. Ah they thought she was a pawn. That she was working with a group. Idiots. Daisy shrugged her shoulders and put on her bored face. "It's like you have nothing then huh?"
Bobbi gave her a dirty look. "We have you dead to rights on opening a bank account in a fake ID and putting $12000 in it from one teacher's account. And $400 and $600 are missing form two others. We are positive you stole from those two accounts too. So minimum you are staring at charges of computer theft, data theft, forgery and criminal use of a computer. Oh and those are felonies sweetie. No misdemeanors. Not a slap on the wrist. Real hard time. You could minimize that time by being cooperative and helping yourself. Maybe even the DA will take pity and offer you a sweet deal for some names and other activities. You look pretty young, maybe they will even think you are redeemable. Got mixed in with the wrong crowd. Had a rough life, maybe no family to help you out of a tough jam. No one really wants to see a pretty thing like you locked up till you're old and grey."
Daisy started laughing. She couldn't help it. The words this lady was saying reminded her of a bad cop show on TV.
"You think this is funny? You think I'm kidding around?"
Daisy waved her hand at her. "Are you gonna do the bad cop/good cop routine next? Cause jeez at least get someone who can act please."
Bobbi bit her lip. "A little over the top huh?"
"A little?" Daisy laughed louder. "I thought for a second I was in a 1970's TV show."
Bobbi allowed a small grin to form on her face. She wanted to not like the young woman in front of her that had ripped off her brother's money, but the suspect was making it pretty hard not to. Her sarcasm and eye rolls were on point. But Bobbi still had a job to do.
"You know we will find out who you are, and this delay tactic is just not helpful. You appear to be a very bright person and you know we can nail you for the crime. So what exactly is your game?"
"I play Call of Duty fantastically. Pisses off some of the guys. It's an easy way to make a few dollars."
(Hunter was watching from the window and laughed. "Kid thinks she's playing Bobbi and Bobbi thinks she's playing the kid."
Izzy nodded. "She's gotten under Bob's skin. Takes a lot to do that."
"Yeah. It does.")
Bobbi smiled. "You have an angle for everything and everyone, don't you?"
Daisy shrugged and put her head down on the table over her arms, signifying she was done talking. Bobbi watched for a few minutes and then left the room.
Izzy talked to her. "I just got a call from Mack. He's headed over here. Seems that we were looking in the wrong places. We forgot to check juvie records. A cop over in Naperville recognized her from the statewide search. Seems she's a reported runaway from there and has a significant juvie record."
"Runaway?"
"She's fifteen years old."
Bobbi looked shocked. She glanced at the girl and back to Izzy. "Shit. That changes everything, doesn't it?"
"Why? We can still charge her. Kids younger than her have been charged with worse crimes." Hunter offered.
"She's underage. We can't question her without guardian or parent permission. She needs to be processed through family court ASAP. Damnit." Izzy picked up her phone and walked away.
Bobbi was still flabbergasted. "She's only fifteen?"
