MISTAKEN
Chapter 36
Everyone was gathered around the table in the meeting room of the regional office when Adam entered. The four men were surprised when he came and took a seat at the foot of the table instead of the head. He smiled.
"I'm not conducting this meeting today. Thea is. She wants to go over some conclusions she has come to after going over her notes from the physical examination she did on the children's bodies."
He had no sooner finished speaking than the woman in question came in. The men stood and Adam came to hold the chair at the head of the table for her. Then he went back to the foot.
Thea had not brought any notes or paper of any kind with her; she just clasped her hands together and let them rest on the table. She looked at each man for a moment then began to speak.
"When I read the report about the deaths of the Albrecht children I was bothered by some glaring physical discrepancies from what I had written down when I examined the bodies myself. So I arranged to see them again, but this time I did a more thorough examination, and you all need to know these facts." She paused for a moment and looked at her husband then smiled.
"One fact we know for sure is that Karen was seven years old, but when I examined the body identified as her I found it to be of a much older female. The body had signs of adolescent development, which tells me the female in question was at the earliest eleven years old, not seven. It IS possible for this to occur in a child of seven, but judging by the pictures I have seen of Karen I very much doubt that was the case."
She glanced at Adam again and noted his surprised expression as she continued. "Now as for Timothy, I understand that the picture of him was very recent and as you can see he had some front teeth missing. The body I examined did not." The men were watching her intently now and she started to feel just a little uncomfortable, but kept going.
"The most glaring error involves the body identified as the five-year-old. I can't understand why anyone would think this child was David - the body was female. Please understand that this can be difficult to determine when so much of the flesh is burnt away, but I feel reasonably certain my conclusion is correct even without an autopsy."
The four deputies were shocked by this revelation and their expressions showed it. Adam's expression, however, had become unreadable; Thea's uneasiness increased.
"Now the last child, little Grace, was small for her age according to the statement the nanny gave. This body was very badly burnt and impossible to identify by any recognizable features. But judging by the measurements I took of the limbs and the torso and the true facts we know about her it is plain to see that the last body was of a child taller than Grace, by at least three or four inches."
Thea paused again and surveyed the faces around the table. Every single man was staring with narrowed eyes, almost as though they didn't believe her. She continued anyway.
"A few other things about the report bothered me too, things that didn't involve the bodies. I was wondering why the nanny was fully dressed, why she had no signs of smoke suffocation, and why she did not show a single burn or any other injury you would expect her to have after narrowly escaping a building that burned so quickly and hotly that the entire structure was destroyed."
"I also want to know why almost the entire staff was out that night, just how firm their alibi's really are, and why the nanny didn't make any attempt to take any of the children with her when she escaped."
She looked at Adam again and his expression was still unreadable, but he nodded for her to continue.
"I have worked in two hospitals and have seen many more around the world and a fact that is not known by the general public is that bodies DO disappear and for many different reasons. Some have been cremated in error, some are misidentified, some are never claimed, and some are stolen. I had heard a lot of gossip about bodies going missing when Adam and I were in San Francisco no more than two weeks before the fire occurred."
"Now when I put the discrepancies in the physical characteristics of the bodies, the suspicious actions of the nanny, the absence of the rest of the staff, and the father's reputation, I've come to the conclusion that dead bodies were substituted for the live children and I believe the person responsible for this is the nanny."
"I also think that the staff cooperated with Simon in the arson because it seems clear to me that one person could not have done this alone. Maybe they all cooperated or maybe only a few did, but I am certain that the Albrecht children did not die in that fire. Where they are now I don't know, but if I were investigating this case I would check to see if anyone saw the nanny leaving town with four boys. It's much easier to disguise a female child as a male than it would be the other way around."
She fell silent then and swallowed nervously, wondering if they felt she had stepped over the line and was interfering in their investigation.
Adam cleared his throat and the deputies turned to him. Thea could see that some unspoken communication was going on among the five men. Then her husband said, "Well gentlemen?" and she was astounded when they all stood and began to applaud.
She smiled in relief and then blushed when she saw the pride, approval, and love in her husband's expression. The admiring looks she was receiving from the deputies made her turn even redder.
The applause ended when the men laughed briefly at her embarrassment and they all sat down again, still amused.
"Hey Adam," Nate said, "Too bad she can't work with us full-time."
Dylan and gave her one of his charming, dimpled smiles, "I'm impressed."
John was shaking his head and looking a little stunned. Then he turned to say something to Thea but stopped and just shook his head again as he grinned.
Mike was sitting on Adam's left and everyone watched as he stood, walked up to Thea, and held out his right hand. She took it and they shook hands, "You've got more brains than most of the men I know," he said and turned to the rest of the men. "Present company included, of course!" making them all laugh.
He smiled at Thea then went back to his chair as Adam stood. "I want you four to go over Thea's conclusions while I walk her home," he said. "Be prepared to go over every point when I get back."
"Yes sir!" Nate said and the others just nodded as Thea tucked her hand in the crook of her husband's elbow and the four men watched the two of them leave.
They glanced at each other and sat there quietly for a moment until John finally said something that broke them up - "Lucky bastard!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The couple didn't speak on the walk home, they simply strolled along and when they reached the house Adam drew her over to the swing. He put one arm around her, set the swing in motion, and then said, "Why did it take you so long to tell me?"
Thea sighed. "I knew that would be the first thing you were going to ask."
He chuckled softly. "Well?"
"Now, don't get angry, but I have to admit I have been struggling with this for a while. When I knew the children hadn't died in that fire I couldn't help but think they were safer where they are. Then I realized if the father was tried and convicted for their murder and the children showed up he would be set free. I wasn't sure, but I thought he couldn't be tried for attempting to murder them due to double jeopardy. So I knew he had to be convicted for the right crime - attempted murder."
Adam had been nodding his head while she spoke and now looked down at her with a serious expression. "You are absolutely correct, love. That man must be charged and convicted of the right crime so he never is free to try it again. In my book, attempting to murder his own children is just the same as actually murdering them."
"Mine too."
He sighed. "I understand how you felt about them, but Thea don't EVER hold anything back from me again. That's something I just cannot tolerate. No matter what you think the consequences may be you just have to trust that I'll take care of it to the best of my ability. Worrying about such things is my job, not yours."
Thea nodded against his shoulder. "I'm sorry. But aren't you glad I'm not perfect? Perfect people are impossible to live with."
Adam chuckled. "Nice try, but you're still in trouble. Swear you won't ever withhold information like that from me again. God Theadora, why can't you learn to trust me?"
"Because I'm stupid?"
"No, you've never been stupid a day in your life," he said exasperated.
"Because I'm...pig-headed?"
"You're getting closer."
"Because I'm...stubborn?"
"And closer yet."
"Because I'm...too independent?"
"Bull's eye! We are in a partnership here - you have your job and I have mine. Swear to me you will never do that again."
"I swear," she said with her head down.
He turned toward her and nudged her face up with a hand under her chin. "Thea don't ever forget how much I love you, and I was incredibly proud of you today. But you know as well as I do there can only be one person in charge. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it - and that's me."
"I know. Just remember it's hard for me to curb that independence. I never would have survived the process of becoming a doctor without it."
"Thea, it's appropriate for you to be like that in some situations, just not this one. I know you can tell the difference."
She nodded and he put his arm around her shoulders again as they continued to swing.
"Aren't you going back now?"
"No, they can wait." He tightened his hold on her, drawing her closer as he sighed.
Thea looked up at him quickly and her gaze sharpened as she sat up straight.
"Wait a minute! You don't actually think I would ever leave you over something like this, do you?"
Adam let his head fall back. "Well, I have to admit that thought has crossed my mind on occasion."
"Now you're the one being stupid," she said with some heat. He looked down at her in surprise.
"You listen to ME now. If I didn't want to be in this marriage I wouldn't be. I knew what you were like when we got married and I'm in this for the duration mister, because I want to be. Dear Lord, I would never leave you!"
He stared at her for a moment then slowly smiled. "Never, huh?"
Thea reached up and cupped his face in her hands and drew his head down until they were actually nose-to-nose. Her eyes narrowed. "Never," she said in a tone of voice he had never heard from her before - a voice that echoed what he had always suspected - the core of steel that was her will.
She let go of his head and sat back again. "Besides," she continued, "questioning my love for you like that is an insult to me as your wife. Don't ever question it again."
Adam started to laugh, "Very clever, using the same words I said to Alex against me! Touché." She grinned. "Wait a minute. You weren't there, so who told you?"
Thea gave him a wry look, "Now who do you think told me?"
Adam shook his head, "I swear Joe is the worst gossip I've ever known."
They swung silently for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Adam broke the silence by sighing with contentment.
"Those sweet children did not die in that fire," he said quietly.
"No, they did not," Thea answered him firmly and smiled. She knew that fact had lifted a terrible burden from his heart. "But that doesn't make any difference to your plans for their father, does it?"
"Oh no," he said in a frigidly furious voice that made her shiver. "Don't you worry about that monster. I'll get him."
Thea nodded and when she looked up at him she saw that faraway look in his eyes again. That coldly calculating part of his mind was taking all the information he had and weaving it into a net that would trap Simon eventually.
She shivered again and just continued to swing while watching the shadows lengthen - patiently waiting for Adam to come back.
Chapter 36
Everyone was gathered around the table in the meeting room of the regional office when Adam entered. The four men were surprised when he came and took a seat at the foot of the table instead of the head. He smiled.
"I'm not conducting this meeting today. Thea is. She wants to go over some conclusions she has come to after going over her notes from the physical examination she did on the children's bodies."
He had no sooner finished speaking than the woman in question came in. The men stood and Adam came to hold the chair at the head of the table for her. Then he went back to the foot.
Thea had not brought any notes or paper of any kind with her; she just clasped her hands together and let them rest on the table. She looked at each man for a moment then began to speak.
"When I read the report about the deaths of the Albrecht children I was bothered by some glaring physical discrepancies from what I had written down when I examined the bodies myself. So I arranged to see them again, but this time I did a more thorough examination, and you all need to know these facts." She paused for a moment and looked at her husband then smiled.
"One fact we know for sure is that Karen was seven years old, but when I examined the body identified as her I found it to be of a much older female. The body had signs of adolescent development, which tells me the female in question was at the earliest eleven years old, not seven. It IS possible for this to occur in a child of seven, but judging by the pictures I have seen of Karen I very much doubt that was the case."
She glanced at Adam again and noted his surprised expression as she continued. "Now as for Timothy, I understand that the picture of him was very recent and as you can see he had some front teeth missing. The body I examined did not." The men were watching her intently now and she started to feel just a little uncomfortable, but kept going.
"The most glaring error involves the body identified as the five-year-old. I can't understand why anyone would think this child was David - the body was female. Please understand that this can be difficult to determine when so much of the flesh is burnt away, but I feel reasonably certain my conclusion is correct even without an autopsy."
The four deputies were shocked by this revelation and their expressions showed it. Adam's expression, however, had become unreadable; Thea's uneasiness increased.
"Now the last child, little Grace, was small for her age according to the statement the nanny gave. This body was very badly burnt and impossible to identify by any recognizable features. But judging by the measurements I took of the limbs and the torso and the true facts we know about her it is plain to see that the last body was of a child taller than Grace, by at least three or four inches."
Thea paused again and surveyed the faces around the table. Every single man was staring with narrowed eyes, almost as though they didn't believe her. She continued anyway.
"A few other things about the report bothered me too, things that didn't involve the bodies. I was wondering why the nanny was fully dressed, why she had no signs of smoke suffocation, and why she did not show a single burn or any other injury you would expect her to have after narrowly escaping a building that burned so quickly and hotly that the entire structure was destroyed."
"I also want to know why almost the entire staff was out that night, just how firm their alibi's really are, and why the nanny didn't make any attempt to take any of the children with her when she escaped."
She looked at Adam again and his expression was still unreadable, but he nodded for her to continue.
"I have worked in two hospitals and have seen many more around the world and a fact that is not known by the general public is that bodies DO disappear and for many different reasons. Some have been cremated in error, some are misidentified, some are never claimed, and some are stolen. I had heard a lot of gossip about bodies going missing when Adam and I were in San Francisco no more than two weeks before the fire occurred."
"Now when I put the discrepancies in the physical characteristics of the bodies, the suspicious actions of the nanny, the absence of the rest of the staff, and the father's reputation, I've come to the conclusion that dead bodies were substituted for the live children and I believe the person responsible for this is the nanny."
"I also think that the staff cooperated with Simon in the arson because it seems clear to me that one person could not have done this alone. Maybe they all cooperated or maybe only a few did, but I am certain that the Albrecht children did not die in that fire. Where they are now I don't know, but if I were investigating this case I would check to see if anyone saw the nanny leaving town with four boys. It's much easier to disguise a female child as a male than it would be the other way around."
She fell silent then and swallowed nervously, wondering if they felt she had stepped over the line and was interfering in their investigation.
Adam cleared his throat and the deputies turned to him. Thea could see that some unspoken communication was going on among the five men. Then her husband said, "Well gentlemen?" and she was astounded when they all stood and began to applaud.
She smiled in relief and then blushed when she saw the pride, approval, and love in her husband's expression. The admiring looks she was receiving from the deputies made her turn even redder.
The applause ended when the men laughed briefly at her embarrassment and they all sat down again, still amused.
"Hey Adam," Nate said, "Too bad she can't work with us full-time."
Dylan and gave her one of his charming, dimpled smiles, "I'm impressed."
John was shaking his head and looking a little stunned. Then he turned to say something to Thea but stopped and just shook his head again as he grinned.
Mike was sitting on Adam's left and everyone watched as he stood, walked up to Thea, and held out his right hand. She took it and they shook hands, "You've got more brains than most of the men I know," he said and turned to the rest of the men. "Present company included, of course!" making them all laugh.
He smiled at Thea then went back to his chair as Adam stood. "I want you four to go over Thea's conclusions while I walk her home," he said. "Be prepared to go over every point when I get back."
"Yes sir!" Nate said and the others just nodded as Thea tucked her hand in the crook of her husband's elbow and the four men watched the two of them leave.
They glanced at each other and sat there quietly for a moment until John finally said something that broke them up - "Lucky bastard!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The couple didn't speak on the walk home, they simply strolled along and when they reached the house Adam drew her over to the swing. He put one arm around her, set the swing in motion, and then said, "Why did it take you so long to tell me?"
Thea sighed. "I knew that would be the first thing you were going to ask."
He chuckled softly. "Well?"
"Now, don't get angry, but I have to admit I have been struggling with this for a while. When I knew the children hadn't died in that fire I couldn't help but think they were safer where they are. Then I realized if the father was tried and convicted for their murder and the children showed up he would be set free. I wasn't sure, but I thought he couldn't be tried for attempting to murder them due to double jeopardy. So I knew he had to be convicted for the right crime - attempted murder."
Adam had been nodding his head while she spoke and now looked down at her with a serious expression. "You are absolutely correct, love. That man must be charged and convicted of the right crime so he never is free to try it again. In my book, attempting to murder his own children is just the same as actually murdering them."
"Mine too."
He sighed. "I understand how you felt about them, but Thea don't EVER hold anything back from me again. That's something I just cannot tolerate. No matter what you think the consequences may be you just have to trust that I'll take care of it to the best of my ability. Worrying about such things is my job, not yours."
Thea nodded against his shoulder. "I'm sorry. But aren't you glad I'm not perfect? Perfect people are impossible to live with."
Adam chuckled. "Nice try, but you're still in trouble. Swear you won't ever withhold information like that from me again. God Theadora, why can't you learn to trust me?"
"Because I'm stupid?"
"No, you've never been stupid a day in your life," he said exasperated.
"Because I'm...pig-headed?"
"You're getting closer."
"Because I'm...stubborn?"
"And closer yet."
"Because I'm...too independent?"
"Bull's eye! We are in a partnership here - you have your job and I have mine. Swear to me you will never do that again."
"I swear," she said with her head down.
He turned toward her and nudged her face up with a hand under her chin. "Thea don't ever forget how much I love you, and I was incredibly proud of you today. But you know as well as I do there can only be one person in charge. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it - and that's me."
"I know. Just remember it's hard for me to curb that independence. I never would have survived the process of becoming a doctor without it."
"Thea, it's appropriate for you to be like that in some situations, just not this one. I know you can tell the difference."
She nodded and he put his arm around her shoulders again as they continued to swing.
"Aren't you going back now?"
"No, they can wait." He tightened his hold on her, drawing her closer as he sighed.
Thea looked up at him quickly and her gaze sharpened as she sat up straight.
"Wait a minute! You don't actually think I would ever leave you over something like this, do you?"
Adam let his head fall back. "Well, I have to admit that thought has crossed my mind on occasion."
"Now you're the one being stupid," she said with some heat. He looked down at her in surprise.
"You listen to ME now. If I didn't want to be in this marriage I wouldn't be. I knew what you were like when we got married and I'm in this for the duration mister, because I want to be. Dear Lord, I would never leave you!"
He stared at her for a moment then slowly smiled. "Never, huh?"
Thea reached up and cupped his face in her hands and drew his head down until they were actually nose-to-nose. Her eyes narrowed. "Never," she said in a tone of voice he had never heard from her before - a voice that echoed what he had always suspected - the core of steel that was her will.
She let go of his head and sat back again. "Besides," she continued, "questioning my love for you like that is an insult to me as your wife. Don't ever question it again."
Adam started to laugh, "Very clever, using the same words I said to Alex against me! Touché." She grinned. "Wait a minute. You weren't there, so who told you?"
Thea gave him a wry look, "Now who do you think told me?"
Adam shook his head, "I swear Joe is the worst gossip I've ever known."
They swung silently for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Adam broke the silence by sighing with contentment.
"Those sweet children did not die in that fire," he said quietly.
"No, they did not," Thea answered him firmly and smiled. She knew that fact had lifted a terrible burden from his heart. "But that doesn't make any difference to your plans for their father, does it?"
"Oh no," he said in a frigidly furious voice that made her shiver. "Don't you worry about that monster. I'll get him."
Thea nodded and when she looked up at him she saw that faraway look in his eyes again. That coldly calculating part of his mind was taking all the information he had and weaving it into a net that would trap Simon eventually.
She shivered again and just continued to swing while watching the shadows lengthen - patiently waiting for Adam to come back.
