Disclaimer: Profiler
belongs to NBC, Sanders/Moses Productions, Cynthia Saunders, Stephen
Kronish ... Not to me. No
copyright infringement intended. I'm not making any money with it. It's
just for the fun !
Part 2 : Kidnapping
The phone bell woke her up. Somebody picked it fast for it did not ring more than twice. She opened her eyes to find Bailey was up already. She had a look at the clock : half past ten. They sure forgot to put the alarm on. Every thing sounded quiet in the house.
The door opened and Bailey came in. He had taken a shower and was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a breakfast tray. The smell of fresh coffee filled the room. He sat on the bed next to her.
"Slept well ?" he asked
softly.
"Like a baby. Aren't we late
for work ?"
He kissed her on the lips.
"Don't worry. I'm the boss. I'll cover you up"
She smiled and kissed him back.
" Who was it ? The phone ?
- John. The helicopter will
pick us here in one hour.
- What happened ?
- I did not ask for details.
All I know is that the VCTF is supposed to take over a case in Chicago"
They had breakfast in bed. Then Sam prepared for work, while Bailey gave a call to Frances' school. "I love you" was all he left on her answering machine.
They both were up and ready when the helicopter landed on the roof of the safe house. John was in.
" Sorry if I interrupted
something, but Quantico called this morning and they insisted on you
and Sam to be present.
- What is it John" Bailey
asked, ignoring the young man's comment
- Looks like we have a murder
and a kidnapping. Senator John Wesley Walsh and his wife, Priscilla,
were attending the inauguration of the new Chicago library last night.
They left their youngest son, Tony, in the hands of their usual
baby-sitter, Mary Jenkins, aged 18. When they came home, at around 2
am, they found the young woman dead in the bath tub. And the kid had
disappeared.
- Any news from the kidnappers
since ?
- No. No message was left. No
ransom was asked. Local police did not find anything conclusive."
Sam had kept silent since they left Atlanta. "This kind of case is usually for the local PD. Why is it they called us this time ?" she asked.
Bailey did not need John to answer this one. "Jack Walsh has been pretty much on the scene lately" he said "He's been one of the most active opponents to Clinton in the last campaign. Some people talk of him as the next republican candidate for the presidency. I guess Washington is rather upset by what happened. They probably won't let us sleep until we find an explanation".
"That's about it" John added. They let a few seconds pass, and then the real stuff started. Bailey initiated this old routine they had all become familiar with ...
" OK John, what have you got ?
- I don't have much about the background yet. George is working on it. Senator and Mrs. Walsh left their house in the suburb of Chicago at 7:30 pm yesterday. The driver stopped the car at 8:00 pm sharp before the Lincoln Memorial. The reception gathered about 200 of the most brilliant Chicago citizens : writers, painters, movie stars, and a few politicians. The ceremony had been planned for about six weeks, announced in the local press. Dinner was served at 9:30 pm inside the library. The Walsh left the party a little before 2:00 am. The driver left them home at around 2:15, but did not enter the house The personnel is living in a separate building at the other end of the park.
- Was anybody there last night ?" Bailey asked.
- No. One of the house maids resigned two weeks ago. Yesterday was the other maid's off day. The cook has been on leave for three days, visiting her sick mother in New Orleans.
- Is George checking all this ?
- Yes he is. Silence surprised the Walsh when they came home. The baby-sitter usually watched television, but the set was switched off. They started searching the house. They found the young girl about ten minutes later, in the first floor bathroom, laying in the bath tub.
- How did she die ?" was Sam's first question.
" Throat cut, from ear to ear. Pretty dirty according to the CPD. They hadn't found the weapon yet last time I got them on the phone.
- Go on John" Bailey said
" As soon as they discovered the body, the parents rushed to the kid's bedroom, but he was not there. The bed was uncovered, but everything else seemed normal. No trace of fight. They searched the whole house, called him, but nothing. Mrs. Walsh ran to the household building, while the senator called the police.
- How old is the child"
Bailey asked
" Five. The name is Anthony
Edward.
- John, " Sam asked " you said
their 'youngest' son disappeared ?
- They have a daughter too,
Christine, 12 years old. She is in a boarding school in Connecticut.
The police sent for her."
The helicopter was approaching Chicago now. The three of them kept silent till they landed. The local bureau had arranged for a car for them. It was waiting for them at the airport, along with agent Moses Glennborrough, from the Chicago FBI office.
"Bailey Malone, VCTF. Doctor Samantha Waters. Agent John Grant" Bailey introduced the team.
"Moses Glennborrough, Chicago office. Glad to have you here sir. Pressure is high here. I got the director six times on the phone today. He wants you to call him as soon as you get on the scene.
- Anything new since we
left Atlanta ?
- Not really. We asked the
police not to move anything from the scene. The body is still there.
- Is the family still in the
house ? " Sam asked
- Yes. We thought it would be
easier ... in case the kidnappers called.
- What about the baby-sitter's
family ? " Bailey asked
- The mother is in Chicago. She is at the CPD headquarters right now. The father lives in Arkansas. He took the first plane. Should arrive in the afternoon."
John drove from the airport. He was following agent Glennborrough. Sam and Bailey were sitting in the back seats. Bailey took his cellular phone from his coat pocket and dialed the VCTF headquarters number. "Malone. Put me through to the computer room please". This was the way they called George's office.
George picked the receiver rapidly. He was expecting Bailey would call and did not give him time to introduce himself.
" So. It seems John finally
found you !
- He's a good cop. What about
you ?
- Well, I try my best. Test me.
- What have you got about the
household ?
- Sarah Vaughan is the maid who resigned. She left two weeks ago for Los Angeles to join her boy friend, Michael David Hotworth. He is a fireman there. They got married last Saturday, and Mr. and Mrs. Hotworth are currently on a cruiser in the Pacific, on honeymoon. I could not reach them, but I talked to the husband's sister. Sarah's departure was planned for months and the Walsh sent flowers to the ceremony.
- When are they supposed to
come back ?
- In two days. I got the LAPD
on the phone. They will ask Sarah Hotworth to call us as soon as they
arrive.
- OK. What about the cook ?
- Helen Sommerset, aged 48. She started to work for John Walsh's parents twenty six years ago. She almost brought up the senator, and naturally stayed with him when his parents moved to Florida, 12 years from now. No husband, nor children. Her mother was her only family. She lived in New Orleans.
- Lived ?
- She died yesterday. Lung cancer. I told her what happened on the phone. She sounded pretty much upset. She will take the first plane to Chicago after the funeral, tomorrow.
- Not exactly the profile
of a kidnapper.
- I'll leave 'Profiling' to
Sam. I'll stick to computers."
Bailey had pulled out his little notepad and was taking notes of everything George was saying. Sam was reading over his shoulder.
" OK George, go on.
- Sydney Patrick Wade, the senator's chauffeur. 52 years old. Widower, two children : Stanley, 26, joined the army six years ago, he is currently stationed in Green Bay, Wisconsin; Melissa, 22, studying law in Harvard. Wade has been working for senator Walsh for four years. He was previously the chauffeur of another senator in Massachusetts, the honorable Sylvester Doyer, who retired four years ago. Wade worked for Doyer during fifteen years.
- Nothing exciting, really.
- I'm only gathering
information Bailey. I'm not making it."
Bailey smiled at the thought of George's upset face.
" Jennifer Millicent Brown, the other maid, is 22. She was born and raised in Chicago. She was hired four months ago, to replace Sarah Vaughan. She graduated high school and then had a few jobs as a waitress downtown. Never kept one more than 8 months. Rather pretty if you look at her license picture. No known regular boyfriend. Yesterday was her day off. She already had left for work when I called, but I talked to her mother. They spent the day together: shopping in the afternoon and movies in the evening. They came home at 22:30, had a coffee and went to bed. I guess the girl is with the police now. You'll probably meet her soon."
They were arriving at the grids of the Walsh's property now. Two police officers checked their id and let them in.
" OK George. Not bad. Don't
hesitate to call if you get anything else.
- Sure. Have a nice day."
Bailey hung up the phone. The car stopped in front of the main building entrance. It looked more like a manor than like a house. The park around was of respectable size, and they see could the other building at the end of it. A dozen police officers were out inspecting the bushes and the alleys, looking for a clue. It was raining.
They stepped out of the car and ran to the door. Bailey showed his badge to one of the policemen in the hall. "Bailey Malone, FBI. Who is in charge here ?" he asked. "Detective Jerry Baldwin. Over there" the young man answered, pointing at a tall man standing in the living room. He turned to the VCTF as they approached.
" Don't tell me. FBI.
- Bailey Malone, VCTF. Sam
Waters, our profiler. John Grant. And I guess you already know agent
Glennborrough.
- Yeah, Moses and I are old
friends. Welcome to the sunny city of Chicago. What do you want to
start with ?
- The parents are still here
?" Sam asked first.
" We moved them to the
other building. We thought it would be less stressing. Mrs. Walsh has
been very shocked by the show in the bathroom. We derived the phone
lines to there and I've five men with them. Do you want to see them now
?
- Let's start with here."
Bailey answered "Can we see the scene ?
- This way.
- John, try and see what you can find here." Bailey said. Sam and Bailey followed Baldwin up the stairs in silence. Even after years of chasing criminals, Sam could not get used to this kind of scene. She grabbed Bailey's arm and could say from his face that fifteen years of FBI had not hardened him either.
There was blood all over the place. Mary Jenkins had been stabbed at least ten times. Finally her murderer had drowned his blade in her throat and almost cut her head off. She had resisted the attack, for there were lots of things spread over the bathroom floor: towels, tooth brushes, bottles of shampoo or soap ... One of the mirrors on the wall was broken.
" It's the parents'
bathroom." detective Baldwin said "The door there leads to their
bedroom.
- Who was she ?" Bailey asked
" Mary Jenkins, eighteen years old. She was living with her mother in the center of Chicago. Middle class family. She would have graduated high school this year. A nice kid if you listen to her friends and neighbors. She wanted to become a doctor.
- Do you know if she had a boyfriend ?" Sam asked.
" Yes. A boy her age. Met at school" Detective Baldwin looked at his notepad. "Peter Daniels. They had been together since two years. I had our files checked for his name, but my guys did not find anything. He is at school right now. I'll send a man to tell him in the evening.
- Had she already done
baby-sitting for the Walsh ?" Bailey asked.
" Yes. She was a familiar."
Baldwin looked again at his notes. "The Walsh called her for the first
time four years ago. They picked up her name in an ad in a newspaper.
She came here three or four times a month."
Sam could feel the violence in the room. She could almost hear the girl shout for help. Bailey saw her shiver but did not say anything. Instead he turned to the policeman.
" Any finger prints found
here ?
- Neither here nor anywhere
else in the house. It seems the guy knew what he was doing.
- Can we see the room of the
kid now ?
- Over there.
- Sam ?
- I'm coming in a minute."
The two men took the corridor and entered the boy's bedroom. There the scene was completely different. The room was well in order. No trace of fight whatsoever. Only the bed was uncovered, as if Tony had got up to go to the toilets.
" Did you open the window
?" Bailey asked.
- No. It was wide opened when
we arrived. We did not touch anything"
Bailey went to the window and had a look outside.
" Was it raining last night
?
- Hey man, you're in Chicago !
Of course it was raining.
- There would have been traces
he they had entered or left through the window. Right ?
- Probably. My men haven't
finished inspecting the outside yet."
A voice came from downstairs. "Jerry ! Headquarters is on the phone for you". "Would you excuse me" Baldwin said, and he left Bailey alone.
Bailey was still standing by the window when Sam entered the room a few minutes later.
" They did not find blood anywhere else in the house, only in the bathroom." she started "That means she's been killed there. I don't get it. If she was in the bathroom, she wasn't in their way. They could have taken the kid and left without killing her. On the other hand, if their purpose was to kill the girl, why did they take the child with them ? If he had interrupted, they could have killed him too." She looked at Bailey, expecting something like an answer. But he looked as if he had not heard her come in.
"Bailey ? Any comment on that ?" He still did not answer. "Bailey ?" she asked louder. She came closer and touched his shoulder. "Bail ?". He suddenly turned to her, visibly surprised to see her in the room.
"Sorry Sam. I was lost in my thoughts. What did you say ?". He was very pale. "Bailey, are you OK ?". He did not answer her question. She knew he had not yet fully recovered from his operation, and that his chest still hurt, especially when the weather was wet. She wanted to say that he shouldn't be here, that he came back to work much too soon. But she knew he would not listen anyway. Moreover, in a way, having him there with her was comforting.
" Did you ask me something
?" he asked.
- Yes. The problem is that I
can't decide whether they came here to take the child or to kill his
baby-sitter. In any case, I don't find the logic in the way they
processed.
- I think he came for the
kid." Sam was surprised by his assurance. "What I don't get is the
window.
- What do you mean ?
- He did not use it, neither
to come in, nor to get out. He would have left some traces in the mud
if he had. So why did he open it ?
- What makes you think he
opened it ?
- The cops didn't, and Mary
was an experienced baby-sitter. She would never have left a five years
old sleep under a wide opened window with such a weather.
- OK. I agree on that. Bailey
? Why are you so sure there was only one man here last night ?"
The man suddenly looked confused. "How could I be sure of anything like this Sam ? It's just a supposition. Nothing more. I'm going downstairs to see if John learned something. Join us when you're finished here. I think we should go and see the parents together." Bailey left the room rapidly, not even giving her the time to say a word.
Sam was puzzled. She had scarcely seen her friend so nervous. She had a look at the bedroom, but it seemed there was nothing to be found here. Ten minutes later, she was getting down the stairs and joined John and Bailey in the hall. Apparently Bailey had calmed down. He was discussing with George on the phone but it did not last long. "Nothing new." he said when the call was over. "I asked Grace to come tomorrow morning to attend the autopsy with the local forensic. Shall we go ?"
They went to the house of the personnel and talked with John and Priscilla Walsh, but they did not learn much. The senator had not received any threat lately. He had political enemies of course, but none of them would use such methods. Neither he nor his wife had noticed any unusual activity in their surrounding. They sure had money and were ready to pay any ransom for Tony, but nobody had called to ask for anything. They were both full of anxiety, and Sam knew she would not get anything more from them tonight.
John also questioned the maid and the chauffeur. But he was not more successful. The Walsh's daughter had come back from pension and she was now sleeping in a room upstairs.
It was 9:00 pm. Glennborrough had found an hotel five minutes away from the house for his Atlanta colleagues, and they decided they could as well retire for the night. Everything would look clearer in the morning.
To be continued ... R&R, Thanks.
Absolut.
