A/n here's the new chapter. Thank you all for your kinds reviews. They make me smile
Disclaimer: Nothing recognizable from Criminal Minds belongs to me.
"I'm sorry if I startled you, Sondra. I was hoping to catch you before you went home tonight. May we go talk in my office?"
"Of course… I needed to go back inside anyway. I seem to have lost my keys."
Dr. Stevens smiled down at her. "I'll help you find them."
Sondra gave him a false smile and followed him back into the nursing home. His office door was open and he motioned for her to go first. His office was dominated by a large mahogany desk that was polished to a mirror shine. There were two cobalt blue sling chairs in front of the desk and behind it a black leather office chair. A blotter filled the desk's center, with a computer screen to the right, and a name plate just at the head of the desk. To the left sat a phone, and a pewter cup, with a pen and a pencil set standing inside with a silver letter opener.
"Have a seat Sondra," He ordered.
"Doctor what is this all about? I need to find the keys to my car and get home. My mother is taking care of my son and I have to go pick him up. "
The doctor went to his chair behind the desk and sat down. He pulled the letter opener out of the cup and began to turn it over in his hands. "I know you have obligations, but I wanted to speak to you about Tommy Marshall and the visit we had from the police today."
"Oh…" Sondra said, feeling her shoulders stiffen with tension.
"Yes… I understand that they talked to the staff and some of the patients. You see… that Dr. Spencer Reid and his so-called wife Jennifer Jareau are FBI agents, specifically with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I don't know why they were here. The police were less than forthcoming."
"They said that one of the residents that died, Stella Hutchinson, had a friend that went missing. They thought it had something to do with Mrs. Hutchinson's death. The last things we need are feds poking their noses in where they don't belong."
"I don't know why you're asking me anything. I told them the same thing I'll tell you, that I don't know anything about her death. I was under the impression that she died of a heart attack." Sondra insisted.
"You were in the library when Tommy had a rage today. Why do you think he was talking to the FBI agent?"
"He wasn't talking to the agent. He was singing like he sometimes does. The only thing that was different was the cat. She seemed to be fascinated with Tommy, and he didn't push her away when she wanted to be petted.
"You're sure that he didn't say anything to you, or Tommy, about his real purpose here?"
"Just because he's an FBI agent, doesn't mean that he wasn't sincere in looking for a place for his mother!" She insisted, even though she was beginning to be suspicious of the handsome young doctor and his wife.
"He's not married to Jennifer Jareau. It was a lie and I want to know why."
Sondra flinched away from the anger in the doctor's eyes and in the tone of his voice. "I don't know why they were here. Listen… I have to find my keys and get back to my boy. If I can't find them, then I need to get a cab out here."
Dr. Stevens opened a drawer in his desk and took out something that jingled in his hands. "Do you mean these keys?" He held up a keychain that had a silver cat hanging from it and a small picture frame with the face of the nurse, and a small boy with black skin and curly black hair. His eyes were sparkling with laughter and he hugged Sondra around the neck. Several keys dangled from the ring and jingled again when he shook them at her.
"Why do you have my keys," She demanded indignantly?
"I had to lure you into the office. I can't have you running off to talk to the FBI agent or the police. Since you won't tell me what I want to know about the fed, you'll be staying here with us till I figure out what to do with you and the old lady." He raised a hand and someone stepped out of the shadows of one corner of the room.
"Wendell… Please see that our guest joins Mrs. Warburton, won't you?"
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The bureau jet was making it's descent into DC when Reid's phone rang. "Hey Garcia… What did you find out for me?"
"You and the boss man were right about Dr. Lev Stevens. He was a suspect in some suspicious deaths and two disappearances fifteen years ago. All of the victims were cremated shortly after they died, so there was no physical evidence. There have been six more victims at Sleeping Pines that were suspicious, but all the bodies were cremated per the wishes of the residents in their wills. Dr. Lev Stevens is the sole beneficiary of all the victims. And Reid, there was another death two days ago."
Reid's hands went cold at this news. "Has she been cremated?"
"No… Donna Mackey, Mrs. Reiner's daughter, is on her way to DC. Apparently, she was estranged from her mother, but was her emergency contact because the rest of the family is dead."
"We need to get the body of Mrs. Reiner to Quantico for an autopsy."
"I'm already on it sugar cheeks. She'll be there before you get back."
"Thanks Garcia."
Reid hung up and then dialed Hotch. He filled in his boss on the development and Hotch filled him in on the case he had left behind. He explained to Reid that they were able to speak to the employees of the restoration company except one, a Harvey Guest. His ex wife didn't know where he was, when they went to see her. JJ was in the middle of press conference and they had a hot line set up.
"Are you going to give him a look at Emily?" Reid asked his boss.
"Yeah… I've got her out in front of the cameras with JJ. Hopefully seeing his type up in front of the camera's will force his hand."
Reid smiled, and thought that if this guy tried to go after Emily he'd be sorry he was ever born after she got done with him.
"I'm going to call Harold and see if we can push through warrants for Sleeping Pines. We're going to do this the right way, Reid."
"Okay… the pilot just announced we're landing, so I have to get off the phone Hotch."
"Make sure you take back up with you Reid."
"I will Hotch…" Reid stowed his phone and buckled in for the landing. It was time to figure out just what Dr. Lev Stevens had been using to kill his patients. He hoped that Tommy was okay. Had the young man really witnessed something?
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Tommy slept restlessly in his bed at Sleeping Pines. Wendell stood outside his door at the instruction of Dr Lev. If the young man left, his room for any reason Wendell would be there to make sure that the young man did not see anything else he wasn't supposed to see.
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Esther awoke when the door to her prison closed behind the doctor. She looked over to her right to see the young nurse that had been so good to her whenever she had come to the nursing home to visit her friend. It looked like the nurse was unconscious, just as Esther had been when that fake FBI agent grabbed her. How could she be so stupid? Her head ached, and her legs didn't move when she tried to sit up. She found that she couldn't move her arms either. It looked like she was restrained, just like she was some kind of dangerous mental patient.
Why was she there, she was asking herself when the nurse began to groan. The nurse was restrained just like Esther was and the old lady lost hope that she would be able to get out of this predicament. Had anyone heard the scuffle in her apartment? Was Agent Reid back from his case yet? What would Leia do all alone in her apartment? Had that man hurt her too? She couldn't bear it, Leia was a good friend. All of this had to do with what was going on at Sleeping Pines, but how was she going to get free to call Spencer for help. Was there even a phone?
The nurse moaned again and in the low light of the one bulb in the middle of the ceiling, she could see the woman turn her head. She watched the eyes of the nurse get wide with disbelief.
"Mrs. Warburton, is that you?"
"Yes dear… it appears that we both have gotten ourselves into a bit of a predicament."
Sondra laughed and then groaned. "Mrs. Warburton… I think you have a gift of understatement."
"That may be true dear, but how are we going to get out of here?"