Declining Grace
Chapter Seven
Assurance
Tom rushed into Diana's office, his curiosity of how Diana's meeting with Mr. Grace had gone filling him. He had expected her to call him after she had completed the meeting, but she hadn't. It hadn't worried him. Annoyed him, yes, but he just figured she was dealing with everything on her own terms. Diana was independent that way. He was surprised to find her in an almost confused daze. She had a worried expression on her face and he had to wonder if something serious had happened yesterday. Tom entered the office and took a seat.
"Diana, you all right?"
Diana shifted in the seat and dropped her hands into her lap. "Mhm. I have the oddest feeling inside my head that I can't get rid of. I've had it since last night."
"Did you take some aspirin?"
"Yeah. It just didn't help. Did you want something, Tom?" Diana asked, shifting the subject to why he was in her office. Complaining about her headache was absolutely useless. Complaints didn't solve problems.
"How'd your meeting with Grace go?"
He leaned forward, interested in Diana's reply. If they could solve the case quickly, with as little mess as possible, they may be able to save countless numbers of women without having to hurt the Grace children.
"I-It's a little fuzzy, honestly, but he didn't do it."
She said it matter-of-factly, but the moment she said it, she knew it felt wrong. She felt something was off as far as Grace was concerned. Maia's words, pleading with her not to tell about Patrick Grace's involvement so Kaleen wouldn't be sad, were the freshest thing in her mind. Diana was sick of the muddled confusion that continued to muck up her brain. She wished she could find a way to fix it, so she could remember what had happened the previous day. She wished she could remember how she had come to the conclusion that Grace was innocent and why Maia had discounted her unshakeable conclusion with a few words. The gears in Diana's head started turning and creaking as it fought the fog that clouded her mind.
"Diana…" Tom snapped his fingers in front of her face. She shivered involuntarily and looked at him evenly.
"I've felt so strange since I left the Grace house. I think something must have happened while I was there."
"Like he drugged you?"
Diana shook her head while she scooted back to dig around in her desk drawer for a pen. She found one and twirled it absent-mindedly in one hand while she pulled a notebook out from underneath a pile of papers. She was a scientist. She liked to organize her thoughts when she had so many swirling around in her head to work out. She needed to look at this whole situation as logically as possible.
Tom watched her when she began to scribble furiously. He didn't interrupt her thought process as he had learned his lesson as far as interrupting Diana was concerned. He was glad to see the confusion on her face gone as she worked everything out. A driven Diana was better than a dazed Diana. She finally looked up at him and placed her pen calmly down beside her notebook.
"He can play with people's minds."
"Excuse me?" For all of Diana's scientific genius, she came up with someone who played with minds?
"He warps minds, bends the person to his will. He can control brain activity or something. Power of persuasion and such."
"That's your brilliant solution to the Grace case. He plays with minds. How, Diana? ESP?"
Diana sighed irritably. She didn't appreciate Tom's attitude towards her conclusion.
"It makes sense, Tom. That would explain why the victims went with the man willingly. He did a number on their minds. It's why I'm so groggy this morning and sure that he was innocent when I couldn't figure out why." Diana paused and chose her words carefully. "You know the 4400 came back different. Maia did. Shawn did. Carl Morrissey. Orson Bailey. Why not Patrick Grace? Bailey could control things with his mind due to his anger. Why couldn't Grace use his to bend people to his will? Oliver Knox did with all the Friday Harbor murders. Why is it so far-fetched that Grace was given a like power?"
Tom prepared to disagree with her theory, but he couldn't. Not really. As crazy as the theory seemed, the 4400's situation was insanity. He had no reason to disagree, because of all the members that had come back different.
"So we should go talk to him together, Diana."
"So he can tag team us? I don't think so."
Tom was ready to stand his ground on this matter. They couldn't separate when they went back to see Grace.
"Maybe we should work out a plan to trip him up. He's special, but not infallible."
"He can meld our minds or whatever. We can't go in together. We'll both end up playing his game."
"So, Diana, what do you suggest? You go arrest him alone and we find you wandering aimlessly around downtown Seattle if he doesn't kill you for bothering him?"
"Are you saying that you have some kind of plan, Tom?"
"Do we have a basis to arrest him?"
Diana nodded and Tom smiled confidently. He began to nod self-assuredly.
"All right, then. I have a plan."
Diana smiled at him, then. She should have known that he had a plan. Tom always did. Tom leaned forward and began to explain his idea quietly, Diana rapt with interest.
Delainia couldn't rid herself of the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The terrifying feeling that something in her life was about to go miserable wrong invaded her thoughts every second of the day. She tried to chalk it up to some kind of paranoia, a byproduct of the way her life had been since whoever or whatever had taken her father. But somehow, she knew the feeling wasn't just paranoia.
Her mind instantly fell on Kaleen; worry for her little sister beginning to boil inside of her, taking root next to the sinking feeling. What if those bloody girls at Kaleen's elementary school had done something horrific to her again? And Delainia was stuck in Pre-Calculus unable to help her or even find out if anything was really wrong. She had to solve problems that had absolutely no affect on her life and was unable to fix the problems that plagued her sister. She had to do something. She couldn't just sit in school all day when something was happening outside of the walls.
The minute the bell rang, she was out of her seat and headed determinedly to the exit. She was on a mission. She would skip the rest of her day to check on Kaleen and then she'd go home to make sure her father was all right. She had to make sure her life wasn't going to crumble beneath her like it was so fond of doing. She wasn't going to let it happen, or she'd at least know what was going to cause it to crumble. She remained fairly unaware of the school day occurring around her, the mill of people and mindless chatter as people cheated on the homework for their next class. She wasn't so oblivious, though, that she didn't notice Shawn following her down the hall to the front doors. She didn't have time to mess with him, to explain the situation to him. She stopped abruptly, her annoyance flickering across her face as she turned to face Shawn.
"Shawn! What are you doing?"
"Walking with you." Shawn feigned innocence to Delainia's mood. He was usually able to read her well, and this instance was no different.
"You are not walking with me. You are stalking me."
Shawn ignored her childish accusation and moved to stand next to her. He knew that debating with Delainia when she fell into moods such as this was useless, so he simply moved the conversation along.
"Ditching school is bad, Delainia."
"Right, like you're one to lecture, Shawn. And what makes you think I'm ditching?"
"Your mad dash for the doors was my first clue."
Delainia paused and shifted uncomfortably as she realized what Shawn said was true. If Shawn had noticed her urgency to leave, had others?
"Don't worry. I was looking for you to go to Lit together, and I saw you going in the opposite direction."
"Are you going to try to stop me?" She didn't have time to fight with Shawn about her leaving or not.
Shawn shook his head and replied simply. "No. I'm going with you."
Indignation rose inside of Delainia. She didn't need a baby-sitter, like Shawn seemed to think she did. She was perfectly capable of taking care of the situation herself. She took care of everyone else. She didn't need Shawn.
"What makes you think I'll let you come? This is MY business."
"You are my business, Delainia. You're my friend. I like you. So what's happening to you affects me too."
Since he had discovered the truth about Delainia's life, he had a newfound appreciation of her snarkiness. He also understood the reason she pushed him away all the time. He typically did the same. He also knew the way to win a battle with her was the frustrate her. So, he would keep angering her, because in the long run, he would be able to leave with her out of her strange need to prove herself to him.
"This has nothing to do with you, Shawn. The world doesn't revolve around you, surprisingly."
"It doesn't revolve around you, either. And you know what? If we don't leave soon, the principal or someone is going to catch us."
Delainia groaned loudly. She knew what Shawn said was logical and she hated it when Shawn was logical. It made her feel positively idiotic. She opted to roll her eyes immaturely instead of responding, and turned to hurry out the door. Shawn smiled victoriously as he made his own way through the doors. She wasn't stopping him from tagging along.
Tom took a deep breath before he rang the doorbell to the Grace residence. He wasn't looking forward to having his mind messed with, but hey, anything for the resolution of a case. He raised his hand to the doorbell, but hesitated once more. He finally pressed the button and stared at the door, listening for footsteps. He could hear someone moving around inside, but they weren't moving towards the door. Patrick Grace was probably trying to avoid talking to him. He probably knew they were onto him when Diana came to question him.
"Mr. Grace, it's Tom Baldwin. I'm an agent with Homeland Security. I need to speak with you." He leaned towards the door, hoping for a response. He received no answer, though, which didn't come as a surprise him.
"I'm not here to hurt you, Mr. Grace, or your daughters."
He still didn't receive an answer. He could break down the door. They had a warrant for his arrest. They had reason to arrest him, reason to believe he was dangerous. But he wanted to try one more thing before he went for a hostile approach.
"My nephew, Shawn, is a friend with your daughter, Delainia. He really likes her."
Tom waited again, but he finally heard the footsteps he'd been waiting for. The door open slowly and Grace stood away from the door.
Tom was surprised to see how well put together the house was. He didn't know what he had expected to see, but this wasn't it. The home looked happy and normal, oddly out of place for the Grace situation. Maybe Delainia kept it all together. Likely for the sake of her little sister. He could understand that kind of dedication to family. He also admired her for it.
"Is your nephew in Delainia's grade, Mr. Baldwin?"
His smooth British accent was controlled and calm, leading an unsuspecting person to believe he was reserved and serene. Tom almost believed it and he knew the truth.
"I believe he is. He's mentioned her a couple of times to me. He's quite enamored with her."
Patrick actually smiled heartily, a proud father's smile that Tom recognized immediately.
"My little Laini's going to be a heartbreaker when she's a teenager. That is if I don't decide to beat the boys down with baseball bats before I let them date her."
Patrick chuckled as his position eased. Talking about his daughter with the man wouldn't be so bad. Maybe Shawn wanted a play date with Laini and Tom was the one to arrange it.
"Delainia's almost an adult, Mr. Grace."
Tom was momentarily confused by Patrick's remarks, but then he remembered what Diana had said. She had told him that Patrick had lost his mind; he was stuck back from before he'd been disappeared. He instantly regretted commenting on Patrick's mistake; he could see him shutting down as his posture stiffened considerably.
"You must know another Delainia. She's only eight."
You're right, Mr. Grace. I have two nephews. I get their ages mixed up sometimes."
Grace obviously didn't believe it, but he looked less inclined to hurt Tom with that excuse. But his slight trust in the man had vanished. Something was off with the Homeland Security agent.
"Did you come over here to talk about my daughter, Mr. Baldwin?"
Tom shook his head and anxiously thought about the wire attached to his chest. This was going to happen now. This plan had better work or it would all be for nothing.
"I actually came to speak to you about some murders."
"Murders? Why talk to me about them?" Patrick seemed appropriately confused, although Tom couldn't discern whether it was feigned or not.
"A colleague of mine came to question you yesterday and she told me today you weren't involved, but she had no evidence to back that up. I thought I would come talk to you and find out your alibis and that kind of thing. This whole inquiry is very informal."
Tom could see the change in Patrick's demeanor. He was suddenly incredibly standoffish, slightly confused, and angry. Tom couldn't help but look into Patrick's green eyes. His eyes held fear and confusion, but his eyes were so fascinating, almost enthralling. Tom couldn't look away. He was too drawn in to break his gaze.
"You will leave me and my family alone. Mr. Baldwin, I do not know why you and Homeland Security cannot leave me alone and choose to keep harassing me about these murders. I am not responsible and you will leave me alone. I live here happily with my eight-year-old daughter, Delainia, and my wife, Coral. Coral is already upset enough with me; I don't need your constant visits to add to that. You know that I am innocent, don't you, Mr. Baldwin?"
Tom stood almost dumbfounded in front of the tall, intimidating man.
"You are innocent, Mr. Grace. I apologize for bothering you."
"It's quite all right, Mr. Baldwin. Just leave me alone."
Patrick waited for Tom to leave, so Tom turned and started stumbling to the door. Diana burst in, handcuffs in hand, sunglasses on as she kept her eyes level. She bumped into Tom, who stood in a daze. He seemed confused by Diana's presence, confused by even where he was.
"Diana, why are you here? Where are we?"
"It's okay, Tom. I'll explain it later."
Tom didn't seem happy with that explanation, but he accepted it. Diana moved forward to Patrick, who seemed almost as stunned as Tom.
"Patrick Grace, you are under arrest for 8 counts of abduction and murder. You have the right to remain silence…"
Chaos erupted then. Grace tried to get away, struggled against the cuffs, tried desperately to get Diana to look into his eyes. She wouldn't look at him, despite her theory. She'd test that when he was in a locked cell. As Patrick struggled against Diana while she pulled him towards the door. The door swayed as the wind blew in through the house, or perhaps because Delainia stood on the porch with Shawn.
"Daddy?" She seemed surprised by what she was seeing, but not too shocked. Like she knew it would happen.
Shawn asked the question in both of their minds instantly. "Uncle Tommy, what are you doing?"
Of course, Tom couldn't answer Shawn's question since he didn't know either. Diana did answer, however. She looked at Delainia sympathetically. She hadn't wanted her to see this part of it. She'd tried to shield the Grace girls from this, but Delainia was home during the middle of the day. Why, Diana didn't know, but there was nothing Diana could do to help her now.
"I have to arrest your father, Delainia. I'm very sorry. You can come to the office and I'll try to get you in to see him. I have to take him now."
Delainia's face remained steady as she watched Diana pull Patrick out of the house. Patrick seemed ashamed to be arrested, but he looked just as angry about it as well. They were doing this in front of his little girl. How dare they. What would Coral do when Delainia told her what had happened? All of this for no reason, because they suspected him of something he couldn't possibly have done. He was with Coral those days that Agent Skouris had mentioned.
Delainia didn't cry as she watched Diana and Patrick. She refused to become hysterical. She tried to watch it as calmly as she could. She tried to keep her emotions in check. She was British. But when Patrick was almost to the car, she snapped.
"No! Ms. Skouris, please don't take him. He's a bit wonky in the head, I know. But he doesn't understand what happened to him. He doesn't understand my mother's dead. He loved her so much; he can't deal with it. He thinks she's alive. Don't take that away from him. Don't take him away from me again. Please."
Diana's heart broke at the pleas. Delainia sounded so lost and sad, but they had to do it. They had to take this murderer off the street, even if she was sympathetic towards his family. There could be no preferential treatment for the family. Diana shook her head and she put Patrick in the back of it.
"Don't worry, Little Laini. They just have to do this to ask me some questions. I'll be home before your mother gets back. Don't worry, Little One. Don't worry. I love you."
Delainia's eyes began to water, but she wouldn't let the tears drop. She pushed her hair behind her ears and nodded at Patrick.
"I love you, too, Daddy."
Patrick sat in the car and Diana locked the door. She glanced back at Delainia, her face showing the sadness inside of her.
"I truly am sorry, Delainia." Diana waited a beat. "Come on, Tom. We need to get back to Home Sec."
Tom walked by Shawn and Delainia, a sheepish confused look still on his face. He got in the car like an obedient puppy and Diana drove away after she got in and started the car.
Delainia turned to look up at Shawn. "I knew something bad was going to happen today. I'm so glad I wasn't disappointed."
Shawn lifted his hand to gently caress her cheek. He brushed his lips over her forehead and then made sure she was looking at him.
"It will be okay, Delainia. I promise."
She shook her head before burying her head in Shawn's chest. "It'll never be okay, Shawn. It hasn't been in a long time."