Where the Wind Goes
Walter and Natalia wandered around the large ballroom. They were at the annual forensic conference that was being held in Philadelphia that year. They mingled and chatted with other scientists and specialists from all over the country. They were seated together at a table as they waited for their dinner to start.
The speaker stood at the podium and tapped the microphone to test it.
"Good evening ladies and gentleman," he finally said. He paused as he waited for the chorus of "Good evening" to commence its echo. "I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight and listening to me bore you to death." There was a light chuckle through out the ballroom as he waited for the crowd to quiet down. "My name is Dr. John Matthews and I'm here tonight to entertain you. Unfortunately I don't think I'll do all that great of a job so instead I'd like to introduce a young woman I met years ago who I think would do a much better job. She's the youngest person I've ever met to hold the honorable title of Doctor of Philosophy in three different areas of specialty. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Jessica Stone."
The room erupted into a sea of applause. Walter looked at Natalia with the same shocked expression as her.
"You don't think that's our…" he quietly said to her.
"I don't know," Natalia responded.
A young blonde woman walked to the podium and shook hands with the man already there. She stood before them and smiled.
"Thank you Dr. Matthews," she said, "I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to speak before so many great scientists…"
Her voice faded out as Walter and Natalia whispered between their selves.
"Oh my god, that's so Jessica!" Walter hissed under his breathe, "What should we do?"
"Ok, just remain calm, Walter," Natalia instructed.
"Natalia, this isn't a fire or a tornado or a bomb, this is Jessica Caine! We need a plan!"
"Walter, relax, let's think about this. We need to not make a scene right now so we either need to wait until the dinner is over or…"
"Or what?" Walter interjected.
"Or we need to come up with the next better solution," Natalia scoffed as she finished.
"I don't think we should wait," Walter said, "If Jessica sees us then she's going to make a beeline for the door no matter what."
"So do you think we should intervene?" Natalia asked.
"I think so, Jessica's a slippery one. We need to act as soon as she's done."
"Ok, where was she sitting?"
"I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to that part. I was too shocked to think clearly."
A sea of applause interrupted their conversation. They watched as Jessica thanked the crowd and stepped down from the podium.
"Now's our chance," Natalia said, "Come on."
They stood and walked towards Jessica. Eyes began following them as they made their way towards Jessica's table. She was talking politely with the other guests when she caught sight of them. She didn't hesitate for a moment when she sprung from the table and dashed across the room. She kicked her plaid shoes off and sprinted through the ballroom barefoot.
"Jessica Caine, stop!" Natalia yelled as she started running after her with Walter.
"Ma'am, what's going on?" a security guard stopped them to ask.
"Sir we need to catch that woman," Natalia explained, flashing her badge, "She's a missing person of interest from Florida."
"You can either help us or get out of the way," Walter said.
The security guard radioed out to others as they ran through the lobby towards the entrance of the hotel. They saw a flash of blonde duck into a taxi as it pulled away from the curb.
"We need you to call the local police and have them put a BOLO out on that taxi, now!" Natalia explained as she dialed Horatio's number. "Horatio, its Natalia, I think we've found Jessica."
Natalia paced the control room as she wanted the Philadelphia Police set up their stake out.
"Do you really think she's going to come back?" Walter asked as he handed her a cup of coffee.
"Yes, she would be loosing too much if she stayed away," Natalia said, "I mean she has to have something in her hotel room here."
"Why do you think she came here?" Walter inquired.
Natalia shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered, "There had to be another reason other than just the conference."
"Ms. Boa Vista," a police officer said, "We've got everything set up."
"Good, is the surveillance just in the hall or is it also in the room?" Natalia asked.
"Only in the hall," he explained, "We couldn't get access to the room because it's a private room that's already rented out and we don't have any probable cause to enter the room."
"Alright, that's fine," Natalia said, "As long as we know she's in the room."
"Now what?" Walter asked.
"Now we wait," Natalia said as she took a long drink of her coffee.
Hours passed by without sight of Jessica. Then a blonde woman wearing an oversized coat walked down the hall. Natalia leaned in and looked at her.
"Is that Jessica?" Walter asked.
"I don't know, she wasn't wearing a coat when she left," Natalia said, "She didn't even have shoes."
"Maybe she bought them," Walter suggested.
The woman suddenly stopped and walked into suite number 817. "That's her!" Natalia exclaimed as she leapt from her seat. "We need to get down there now!"
Natalia and Walter led the way with the Philadelphia Chief of Police. They stopped outside Jessica's suite as he pounded on the door, announcing their presence. When no one answered he swiped the master key leant to them from the manager and entered the room. Officers swarmed through the room, ducking into every corner and examining every inch. Natalia looked at the key card sitting on the coffee table and then felt a cold breeze. She looked to see the sliding glass door that led out onto the balcony ajar. Sudden realization swept through her as she ran to the door and tore it open. She looked down over the balcony banister and saw a flash of blonde two stories below.
"She's climbing down using the balconies!" Natalia yelled as she ran back into the hall. She ran down flight after flight of stairs, until she had to stop and catch her breath. She stumbled onto the forth floor and heaved, trying to take in as much air as she could. A couple dressed in hotel bathrobes popped out into the hall and looked at her.
"Are you chasing that freaky girl that just busted into our room?" the man asked.
Natalia looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"
He opened the door to reveal glass fragments covering the hotel room floor. The balcony doors were broken and shattered, the curtains billowing in the autumn breeze.
"Oh dear god," Natalia muttered, "She broke in your window?"
"More like flew through it!" the woman exclaimed, "She scared us half to death!"
"Do you know which way she went?" Natalia asked.
The man shook his head. "Once she left our room that was the last we saw of her."
"Thank you," Natalia said as she took off running again.
There were other Philadelphia officers flooding the halls as she ran through the hotel. She reached the lobby and rushed to the front desk.
"Have you seen a blonde woman leave?" she asked. The clerk gave her a look that told Natalia she had just asked the stupidest question ever. "Ok, how about this. Has Dr. Jessica Stone checked out?"
The clerk typed on his computer and then nodded his head. "She checked herself out just five minutes ago."
Natalia groaned and turned away from him. She pulled out her phone and called Walter.
"Walter, we were too late," she said, "She's already gone again."
Natalia and Walter laid out the contents of the suitcase they found in Jessica's hotel suite out on the light table back in Miami. Horatio and Ryan entered the room and watched them work.
"It's just a lot of clothes, really," Natalia said, "A few forgotten toiletries but nothing irreplaceable." She said as she set down a toothbrush and a box of tampons. "Nothing too weird."
"Unless you count this," Walter said, holding up a man's pea coat. "This definitely doesn't belong to Jessica."
"Is it your, Ryan?" Natalia asked.
Ryan shook his head. "I've lived in Florida my entire life, what would I need a winter coat like that for?"
"Just curious," Natalia said, "I'm just trying to make sense of all of this."
Ryan looked at the black and purple plaid suitcase; it was definitely Jessica's. He reached out and picked up a shirt. He spread it out on the table and smiled. It was the shirt she had bought the day after their first night together; the one she had bought so she wouldn't have to go to work wearing the same shirt from the day before. He gingerly lifted it to his face and inhaled deeply. Her scent lingered on the fabric and made his eyes tear up. He folded it and carefully set it on the table.
"Ryan," Natalia said, "Does this belong to Jessica?"
Ryan looked to see Natalia holding a silver necklace. Attached to the chain was a key shaped charm that had a heart shaped top trimmed with emeralds and peridots.
"Where did you find that?" Ryan asked, holding out his hand.
"It was in the pocket of the coat," Natalia explained.
Ryan shifted the necklace in his hands and watched the light dance off of it. "Yeah, it's Jessica's," he quietly said, "I gave it to her last Christmas."
"Do you think she's trying to tell us something?" Natalia asked.
Ryan looked at it. He thought long and hard about the situation. "This wasn't an accident," he quietly said, "Jessica would never forget something this important." He stared at the necklace, racking his brain. Then a small smile spread across his face. "She wants me to have it," he chuckled, "She bought the coat not only to keep warm but because she wants me to have it. It's a Christmas present."
Natalia chuckled lightly. "Alright, I'll accept that answer," she said as she handed the coat to Ryan. "It's not a real case so what's it matter anyways?"