First of all, I realised I posted two chapters without making any disclaimer. So here it is:
Disclaimer: like everybody else on this site, I wish the characters were mind, but unfortunately, they are not. I just play with them.
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There might/will be some English mistakes as I re-wrote most of this chapter after it was edited. My apologies.
A HUGE thank you to ALEO for her help and comments.
Chapter Three
"Okay Charlie," Explained Don as his brother pinned his pass on his jacket. "You do understand that this is only provisional?"
"I understand... but that's a start." Replied the younger man with a large smile.
"Charlie…"
"Don, I understand. It's just... it's good to be working with you again."
"Yeah, we missed you too Buddy. I missed you." Don smiled back, his hand on the professor's arm.
"Hey! Charlie!" They spun around and watched the team walking over to them.
Colby tapped on Charlie's shoulder and winked. "Good to have you back, whiz kid."
David shook his hand warmly and tapped on his back. "Welcome back on board, Charlie."
Liz kissed him on the cheek. "Great to see you again."
"Thanks guys." Charlie looked around the bullpen and breathed deeply through his nose.
"You okay, Buddy?"
Charlie looked at his brother, radiantly and nodded. "Yeah. You know what? I never thought I'd miss this place so much."
"Well, remember that next time we have a shooting in the premises."
"Very funny, Don."
They took him to a desk.
"Right, you'll be working on this computer. I've already copied all the files and data we have on this case. If you need to download anything, you'll have to ask - you're not connected to the server or the internet, I'm sorry. They want to monitor everything you do because..." Don trailed off, ill-at-ease.
"I understand. No worries Don."
Don nodded, slightly relieved. He started to explain as they walked to the briefing room "We don't think the victims were chosen at random but we couldn't find anything linking them to the Ghost or his activities."
"You mean he killed these people for no reason?"
Despite of working for four years with his brother and the FBI, the professor still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that some people could torture or kill just for the pleasure. He wondered, not for the first time, how his brother managed to keep his sanity despite the violence and sadism some criminals could display. No wonder Don was so somber at times.
"Apparently. All he wanted was to attract Wright's attention" Confirmed David.
"Surely there were other ways?"
"Yeah but much less dramatic." Explained Colby. "This guy wants to destabilize Wright."
"I bet he succeeded." Muttered Charlie.
Don started to pace, playing with a rubber band. He stated, as if thinking aloud, "We haven't been able to find where they were killed. The victims lived in different areas, were of different ages: 17, 27 and 70, and had different activities or hobbies. The only similarity was that they all live in residential suburbs."
Suddenly he stopped his pacing as something clicked in his head. Since the beginning of this investigation, he had the strange feeling he was missing pieces, that something didn't make sense. He said slowly , "The murderer knew these areas well, the victims too."
Charlie looked at his brother confused. "I thought you said the victims had no links with the Ghost?"
Don nodded. "Hmm, but I don't think the Ghost is the killer."
"What? You think we're looking in the wrong direction? Don, Wright seems pretty adamant the Ghost is behind this. And I agree with him."
"And you're both correct, Colby. But the Ghost isn't the one who pulled the trigger - he hired someone to do his dirty jobs." he shook his head . "He's not the one responsible for these murders, at least not directly."
Charlie's eyebrows shot up. "So that means that the victims might have a connection with the true killer, then."
Don nodded and resumed his pacing. "He knew them. Maybe he works for those people as a gardener or a... a cleaner. The elderly couple was found in their house and there was no trace of forced entry."
"If he worked for them, he would've had a means to enter their homes." Said David, finishing Don's sentence.
"And to use their car. Same for the last couple." Agreed Colby . "He left the boy in the shed in the back garden probably because his parents were in the house. But from outside, you couldn't see the shed so he had to know it was there. He knew the place." Colby nodded forcefully.
"He doesn't need to work for them. He might just be a delivery man." Liz pointed out. "I'm thinking groceries rather than pizzas. They bring whatever you order right into your kitchen. Once inside, it's easy to snoop around or steal a key."
The other agents nodded in agreement.
"That guy is either very clever or very crazy." Stated Charlie in amazement.
"I'd say both. Arrogant too. He probably thinks he's invincible. That makes him even more dangerous. I wish Megan was here, she could've given us a profile on this guy." Commented Don.
"I know Wright wants to keep this investigation as quiet as possible but how are we supposed to work with a reduced team?" Moaned Colby.
Don was still playing with his rubber band, sitting on the edge of a table, looking at the floor.. "You know what? Give Megan a ring and tell her what we have. See if she can come up with something. Don't tell her the target is Wright but tell her it's urgent"
"She'll need to see the pictures of the vics."
"No problem with that. Go. There's no time to lose. He probably has already decided who his next victim would be."
"You think he's gonna kill again?" asked Charlie.
"Oh yeah. No doubt about that. That's why we need your help, Buddy."
"So no pressure hmm?" Charlie replied softly as he looked at his brother.
"What can I say? You're the best." Replied Don with a smile in his eyes "Okay guys. Let's see what we have."
The three agents each took a file while Charlie stood in front of a board, pen in hand.
"Let's start with the cleaner."
Each agent had a quick read through.
"The Manfields used an agency "Quick clean". Their personal cleaner was Mr Ramirez." Announced David.
Liz shook her head. "Nope, the Sullys don't seem to have anyone."
"The Davenport employed a Mrs Pierceval – free-lance. That's not good. What about the gardener?"
"Let's see, the Manfields had a gardener but again it's an agency – "The Green Fingers". No specific employee name."
"Right, the Sullys do have a gardener but from "Californian Parks and Gardens."
"The Davenports, hmm, they used to work at "Green Fingers" until last year when they opened their own business as gardeners."
Charlie started to write frantically. "Maybe... Maybe one employee worked in both agencies. That's a start."
The agents couldn't help smiling at the younger man's enthusiasm. David almost felt sorry for him when he pointed out. "True but let's face it, it's very thin. We need something more significant."
"Yeah, let's check the rest before getting all worked up." Liz agreed in a placating tone.
"Sure ! But this data is not to be ignored." Insisted the professor.
"It won't, Charlie. Let's try the delivery services." Suggested Don .
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Adrenaline rushed through his system as he entered the FBI building. It was like penetrating the lion's den, both scary and exciting! This time he wasn't after some John Does who couldn't defend themselves. He was about to challenge the FBI and show them that nothing or nobody could stop him. Not even a whole bunch of well-trained agents.
He walked nonchalantly towards the security guards and showed his pass.
"Agent McKenzie." Read one of the guards.
"That's me." He replied pleasantly.
The guard compared the picture on the pass with the man in front of him then entered his ID code into the system.
His heart did a little jump: what if they had already discovered that the real agent McKenzie was lying dead in his apartment, a bullet between the eyes? He had chosen the agent because of their similar height and features. Looking like him had been an easy exercise: some make-up combined with the micromask he used to alter his nose and cheekbones and that did the trick.
The guard looked at the picture on his screen then at him and smiled slightly. "Go ahead."
He gave his suitcase to the guard then placed his badge, gun, cell phone, keys and money on a tray to be scanned while he passed through the metal detector. Then he took his things back and headed towards the elevators, fighting the urge to look over his shoulders to see if the guards were watching him. But then again, why would they? They didn't know who he really was. He told himself.
Once arrived on the 7th floor, he looked around. The layout was exactly as per the plan he was given: the break room, the main briefing room, the interrogation room up there. So Eppes and his team should be sitting... in that area. As for Wright's office, it should be to his right along that corridor.
He quickly turned to his left and headed to the restrooms. He pushed open the toilet door and checked that no one was the room. Satisfied that he was alone, he entered the 3rd cubicle and locked the door behind him. He started to unscrew the wall panel hiding the flush mechanism and placed it on the floor. He pressed his right arm into the hole in the wall and started to feel along the wall of the tank. He smiled slyly when his fingers met a plastic bag. Very carefully, he recovered it and placed it on the lid of the bowl, Then he opened his suitcase to take a padded envelope out. He opened the plastic bag and examined its contents: a mobile phone, some C4, wires and a detonator. Everything seemed to be there and in good condition. He first connected the wires to the C4 and the detonator, then the ringer circuit of the phone to the detonator and taped all components together.
He slipped meticulously the device inside the envelope and stuck a label marked "Agent Eppes."
Then he replaced the wall panel and ensured he had left no trace behind him. He picked up the padded envelope and left the toilets. He glanced at his watch: 10am - The mail should be delivered soon.
He stood by the elevators, pretending to be on the phone. An elevator arrived and he gestured at the people inside to tell them not to wait for him, continuing his imaginary conversation. Soon after, the doors opened again and the employee in charge of the mail got out, pushing his trolley.
He bumped into the trolley with enough force to make several envelopes fall on the floor.
"I'm so sorry." He apologized as helped to pick up the mail, adding his own envelope in the process.
He watched as the employee waved at the reception and started to deliver the post. He passed the control point and walked straight to the breakroom. From there, he could observe what was going on in the whole bullpen. He saw Don and his team leave the briefing room and go back to their desks. Two minutes later, the envelope was in Don's tray.
Satisfied, he returned to the entrance, took his phone and pressed speed dial 1.
"Go" He said as soon as the line went live at the other end and hung up right away. He pushed the exit door and started to walk down. Once he reached the 6th floor, he pressed speed dial 2 calling the phone connected to the bomb.
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"You have a call from Mr Jackson, Sir. Do you want to take it?"
"Not now, Sally. Tell him I'll call him later this week." If I'm still alive, thought Wright as he released the button on the intercom. He leaned back and rested his head against the back of his armchair.
He hated to feel so powerless. The CIA and the FBI wanted to keep a lid on this – Well, it's never good for business to admit that one of your men is a traitor. But that meant no additional manpower and time was running against them. He knew Eppes and his men were working as fast as they could but probably not fast enough. There would be more deaths, because of him.
A little bell on his PC rang, warning him that a new message had arrived. He activated his screen and opened his email. He frowned: no sender's name. He clicked on the message and his heart stopped: a little animated ghost crossed the screen dragging a bomb. It stopped in the middle of the screen and said in a funny voice "Hello Wright, Guess who it is? Since killing unknown people doesn't seem to affect you much, what about your own men?
The little ghost lifted the bomb and carried on "Eppes and his team have 30 seconds left before..." Wright never heard the end of the message, he was already in the corridor, running toward the bullpen.
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Colby entered the briefing room and found a very frustrated group.
"What's going on?" asked Granger.
David shook he head, upset. "We can't find one single connection between those people. We tried every possible combination. Nothing!" He gestured towards him. "If you have any ideas, please don't feel shy to express them."
Colby looked at the board for a minute, holding his chin then made a face. "No. Seems you have considered all the possibilities."
"Obviously we haven't. There's no way these murders were perpetrated at random."
"I agree with Don," Confirmed Charlie "There has to be some commonality... but I fail to see it." He leant against the wall and crossed his arms, concentrating hard.
Colby could feel the frustration in the room: Liz was tapping her foot nervously on the floor, checking the file she was holding, David was chewing his pen angrily. Charlie was still staring at the board as if the answer would magically appear and Don was pacing looking at the floor, his right hand scratching absently at the back of his head.
Right, if both brothers were struck, the situation was really bad, he thought.
"Did you manage to speak to Megan?" Don asked.
"Yes. I sent her the pics as well. She said she'd come back to me in an hour max."
"At least one bit of good news." Suddenly Don stood still, looked at the board, turned around and left the room. Surprised, the rest of the team followed him.
"Let's try another approach." He announced.
"What are you thinking?" Asked Charlie.
The lead agent noticed the envelope on his desk and picked it up. He was about to answer when, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw AD Wright running towards them, waving at him. "Eppes," the AD shouted "It's a bomb!"
Everybody looked at the envelope Don was holding and in a split second all the agents around reacted as one and rushed towards the exit. David saw the confusion on Charlie's face and grabbed the professor. "Charlie, move!"
Don threw the envelope inside one of the drawers of his desk, slammed it shut and ran. He was few meters away when he heard the phone ringing. A deafening noise followed by shuttering glass filled the bull pen. The agent felt the heat surrounding him then the shock of the explosion sent him violently against a wall before he hit the floor. Groggy, he raised his head and squinted, trying to see Charlie. A thick white smoke coming from his desk started to spread in the office. Few meters in front of him, he saw David helping Liz to get up, then Colby. He finally made out his brother, trying to sit down, blood on his face and staring at him with huge eyes. Charlie was talking to him but the roaring in his ears was too loud and seemed to increase by the second. He tried to reach out, to say he was okay but the smoke suddenly thickened around him. Everything went white… then black.
TBC
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Wendy, I know I said I wouldn't harm Don but what can I say? I'm as bad as everybody else. It seems we cannot resist hurting him. Not too sure why. Tough love maybe? :-)