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Kronish ... Not to me. No copyright infringement intended. I'm not making any money with it. It's just for the fun !


Part 10 : Doctor Marcus Miller


It had been a tough day. George had found a few possible leads with the Cook County Hospital personnel. Bailey had rushed on each of them, but none of them had led to a conclusion. Sam, Grace and John had visited all the places where the kids had been in the last months, but nowhere did they find anyone remembering the two of them.

Sam had returned to Carlson Creek to see Sandy's grand-parents. But there again, no result. Bailey had dropped the idea of organizing another working session at the hotel. With no new element, it seemed useless. The four agents had dinner early together, and they parted for the night.

It was 2:45 am. Bailey had tried hard to fall asleep, but hadn't succeeded. Images of Tony and Sandy kept haunting him each time he closed his eyes. He had now given up the idea of finding some rest this night. He was aware he was taking this case much too personally.

Sam was sleeping peacefully on his side. She was so beautiful. Bailey still had difficulties realizing she was loving him the way he loved her. They had been 'best friends' for such a long time, and the discovery of their love was a kind of miracle. He was watching her sleep, and this simple vision almost made him thank God for his insomnia. She was so strong. The love he was feeling for Sam was probably the most powerful emotion he had felt for years. She was giving him the strength to believe they could rebuild a real family together. With Chloe ... and Frances ...

Lost among the images of Sandy and Tony were also flashes of Frances, when she was a kid, when a cuddle and a kiss could solve any problem. He remembered her first school day, her first heartache. The panic he had felt the first time she got sick. Janet was in Reno visiting her parents and the baby was feverish. And he, the marine, calm and serene when lost in the VietNam jungle, suddenly fell into pieces in front of his little baby crying. He had drove her to the nearest hospital ... to hear the doctor say she had caught a cold. Needless to say he had never told this story to anyone.

Today, in front of the disappearing of these two children, he felt almost as distraught as before Frances' cold.

3:30 am. Sleep would not come now. He would not have been able to explain why, but deep down inside, he was persuaded the kidnapper had something to do with the medical sphere. This was for sure the most perturbing aspect of these visions, the fact that he had a certainty, but nothing concrete to back it up.

For conscience's sake, he had had George check the various family doctors the Walsh and the Wellow had had over the years. But, of course, no link was found. Doctors, nurses, paramedics ...

John Walsh had called him in the afternoon. Bailey had found what to say to preserve hope. He was not worried about the life of the children. But he had been in the FBI long enough to know that they could search for years without finding the kids. The loss of a child was a wound that never healed. Bailey was convinced the kidnapper knew something about it.

He was something like a physician, and he somehow met both Tony and Sandy. But it was neither in a hospital, nor at his practice. Where do kids see doctors ? He ought to do a little brainstorming on the subject in the morning with the rest of the team.

3:45 am. Sam moved slightly in her sleep. Bailey's thoughts went back to Frances, when he and Sam drove her to her new boarding school. Oh God, it was only four days ago. It seemed an eternity to him. He knew it was a good thing for her, and the judge did not let them much choice anyway. But he sometimes felt he was betraying her.

Dickens was an institution in Georgia. They were famous for the quality of the education, as well as for the harshness of the discipline. They had met the director, and he did not look like a cheerful character. Despite the order of the judge, he had carefully studied Frances' school reports before he accepted her coming. She even had to go through a complete medical examination ... Maybe they were afraid that 'shooting at one's father' could be a catching disease !

A smile came on Bailey's face when he thought of the director's face when Frances told him that ... Medical examination ... How could he have not thought of it ! Every child in every American school had to have a medical examination every year. In most of the cases, it was made by a specialized physician covering several school in an area. It had to be checked, but it was not completely impossible that the same doctor covered both South Chicago and Carlson Creeks elementary schools.

Bailey got up carefully, picked up his cell phone and went to the bathroom. There, pushed by a sudden outburst of enthusiasm, he dialed George home number. The phone rang several times before a sleepy George finally answered.

" Fraley." was all he said.
" George, it's Bailey. Sorry to call you at home, but I may have had an idea about the kids.
- Bailey ? " he paused for a few seconds. "Do you have any idea what time it is ?
- I know, but it's important. I want the name of the doctor who practiced the medical examination in Tony Walsh and Sandy Wellow schools this year.
- What ? Are you kidding ? I don't know about Chicago, but here, it's 4 am. You've got three other agents with you. Why is it me you decided to wake up ?
- Because you're the only computer magician I know." Bailey suddenly realized the impropriety of what he was doing and felt a little ashamed for it. "I'm really sorry George. I could not sleep and I didn't think ... Well ... Could you check that for me, first thing in the morning ?
- Sure. Try to get some sleep now, will you.
- OK. Call me as soon as you have the answer."

He hung up the phone. Sam was awaken when he returned to the bedroom.

" Sorry honey, I didn't want to ...
- What's up ? Who were you on the phone with ?
- George.
- Bail, it's the middle of the night !
- Yes. That's what he told me too".

She smiled at him.

" You didn't sleep, did you ?" she asked.
" I tried ! I just ... I just had an idea, and I wanted George to check something. I did not realized it was so late.
- You mean 'so early'. What was it ?" He looked at her puzzled. "Your idea, Bailey. What was it ?
- Medical examination. Doctors going from schools to schools, paying their annual visits."

Sam immediately understood where his idea had come from.

" Frances ?" she asked.
" Yeah. I thought of it remembering Dickens. I know there aren't much probabilities, Sam, but we have to give it a try.
- It's possible. Bailey, we have no proof the guy is related to doctors."

He looked at her with the look of a child who would have been caught stealing sugar from the cupboard. She knew what that meant. She understood perfectly how one felt when one knew something for sure but was not able to give a valid reason for it. She sure knew a lot about instinct.

Sam took Bailey in her arms and rocked him slowly. A few minutes later, they were both sleeping.

Bailey was sleeping heavily when the phone rang, but yet he jumped out of bed to pick it up. A look at his watch told him that it was almost 5 am.

" Malone." he said.
" Doctor Marcus Miller." George's voice said at the other end of the line
- What ?
- I hope you were sleeping ! Dr Marcus Miller is the physician who made medical examination both at Sandy and Tony schools this year."

Bailey sat on the bed. He put on the loudspeaker so that Sam could hear it too. Bailey asked George to repeat what he had just said.

" George, do you have any information about this Miller ?
- Hey ! I have a reputation here. You called me computer magician, didn't you ? Miller has a practice in the southern suburb of Chicago. Not so far from the Walsh residence. He is divorced. They had a child, Robert. He died in a car accident five years ago. He was six years old then. It seems their marriage did not outlive the accident. For your information, I did not find any trace of therapy or belonging to a support group.

- It's him." Sam said. "George, do you have his address ?
- 21, Delaware Street. Guess where !
- Carlson Creek." Bailey answered
" Right ! Robert Miller was going to the same school as Sandy Wellow. She may even have known him.
- Thanks George. We're going there right now. I'll let you know.
- By all means."



To be continued ... R&R, Thanks.
Absolut.