I really do apologize for taking so long with this one. I didn't want it that way, but here's the chapter...finally! Enjoy!
"Bobby? You and Tara head back to the airport and inquire about the said flights." Jack instructed. "And show them Jeff White's photo. Who knows? Maybe he'll show up on their list of passengers. Keep us posted."
"I'm already racing for the runway." Tara said.
"I'll take them there." Chief Masters offered.
"Dimitrius, you and Lucy go with Myles to the nearby convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. that are close to the Jasmine Hotel and Winfield Park, and ask around if they've ever seen White before. Show them his photo." Jack continued.
"Right." Dimitrius nodded.
"Uh, call me uncooperative if you will," Myles interjected, "but, uh...to refresh your memory, we just arrived. We don't know our way around this city, and I think it would appear to be childishly zealous of ourselves if we take a hike through the concrete forest without an experienced tour guide." Steve furrowed his brows at Myles' eloquence.
"I wouldn't worry if I were you, Myles." Jack said. "You see, there's this brand new invention they've come out with. I believe they're called taxi cabs. You should try it sometime." Myles pursed his lips.
"Excuse me, but my experience with taxi cabs hasn't quite acquired the five star review." He retorted.
"Yeah, well you aren't exactly what I'd call a good luck charm." Lucy smirked. "Quite the opposite." Steve and Mark chuckled while Myles glared.
"Lucy, now I know why they didn't make you an agent." Myles rolled his eyes. "You would never make it as an average support staff member, being the true ray of sunshine that you are." Lucy made a face.
"Support staff isn't what you need." She replied. "You need a..."
"All right, all right, you two. Let's just go." Dimitrius smiled.
"Yeah, uh, let us know if you find anything." Jack stated.
"Here, let me give you directions." Steve said, pulling a notepad and pencil out of his jacket pocket.
"I have a brilliant idea." Myles interjected. "What do you say we just skip the hassle of being the victims of the underrated, over-charging taxi service world, and use a rental?" He asked proudly.
"You're in luck, Agent Leland." Mark spoke up. "The car rental service is just three blocks down the road."
"Er, Myles?" Sue added. "Won't that cost about the same as a cab?"
"Perhaps." Myles answered. "But I'd rather conserve the frustration of being at the mercy of a stranger and take my hands to the wheel myself." Dimitrius shook his head with a snicker.
"Wait a minute." He spoke up. "Who said that you're going to drive?"
"Please, we want to make sure the car comes back as it was given."
"There you go." Steve interrupted them, handing out the directions. Myles reached for it but Lucy brushed in front of him and slipped the paper into her own fingers.
"Thank you, Lt." She grinned. "Let's go, Dimitrius before Myles has us rolling around in a swanky limousine." She chuckled as D followed her out the door.
"We'll be in touch." He grinned back to Jack and Sue. Myles rolled his eyes and followed suit.
"Don't get lost." Sue joked. Myles turned back and glared, then walked away. "So, Jack, where are we going?"
"Yeah, what do you want to look at first, Agent Hudson?" Steve asked.
"Do you think you could take us to Winfield Park, where they found the last victim Missy Frazier?" Jack answered. "There's something about her death in particular that puzzles me."
"Sure. We can take you there, no problem." Mark replied.
"Don't tell me you think White is gonna be there waiting for us." Steve remarked.
"No." Jack shook his head. "I can't exactly say. I just want to take a look at it."
"Well, then come on." Steve shrugged. "We'll take my car."
"What are you thinking about, Jack?" Sue inquired quietly. "Something bugging you?"
"Yeah. Perhaps you'll catch on when we get there." Jack groaned.
As they were all about to enter Steve's car, Mark spoke up. "Hey, is that fellow you work with always so modest?"
"Who? Myles?" Jack chuckled.
"He has a...low self esteem problem." Sue said casually. "Feels like he needs to polish his image 'cause he's afraid no one else will. Very sad." She smirked with a glance to Jack before she took the back seat. Jack pretended to be confused and shook his head.
"Yeah. A real pity." Steve said sarcastically before sitting down in the driver's seat. After thinking about it, Jack had Sue take the driver passenger seat so she could read his and Mark's lips in the rear view mirror. She shrugged and agreed, but Steve was grinning widely.
Sue fastened her seat belt then caught Steve staring at her. She widely smiled back. "Ahem." She said sheepishly. "If we're going to put together our deductive sleuthing minds, I think we'd better get going." She hinted, rolling her eyes toward the parking lot.
"Right." Steve replied.
"Ahem!" Jack cleared his throat loudly, growing a little hot under the collar. "Lt., uh, I think you could drive much better if you keep your eyes on where you're going." Mark chuckled as he saw the exchange between his son and the handsome young agent who were both apparently interested in the same lovely young woman. Levi was sandwiched between Jack and Mark. Jack gave a finger sign to the dog and pointed straight ahead. Levi leaned forward toward the front seat, sticking his head between Steve and Sue, and snorted. The spray from his nose snapped Steve out of his trance. He grunted and turned on the motor. Sue rolled her eyes back at Jack who shifted his gaze 'innocently' toward the roof of the car.
"Uhm, he's asking if you'd prefer him to drive." Sue said casually. Steve raised his eyebrows.
"You wanna drive?" He asked the dog. Levi covered his nose with his paw.
"He says he'd like to, but he doesn't like to in unfamiliar territory." Sue grinned. Steve nodded and they were finally on their way.
"Nice going, Einstein." Lucy muttered, narrowing her eyes at Myles in the driver's seat. They were supposed to be in another industrialized section of the city, but Myles, the cocky, too self-assured driver had succeeded in routing them onto a random street away from the bustle, and they were now parked at a small sailboat harbor.
"I thought you said that you had everything in hand." Dimitrius added from the back seat.
"Now, now," Myles raised his hand in a halting gesture. "Now don't get hysterical. I am not prepared for dealing with the unbecoming, highly exhausting frantic of the turbulent, afraid of the future mind." Lucy gaped with furrowed brows. Dimitrius returned her look.
"We're in California, Myles. Not the psychiatric ward." He retorted.
"The directions distinctly say, 'turn right on McKinsey Ln. Then make a left at the stop light. Keep going straight on Ludwig, then make a left turn at Windsor Rd.'" Lucy explained dryly. "We passed McKinsey 10 blocks ago!"
"Well, you should've told me." Myles scolded.
"I did, but naturally you weren't listening."
"I heard no such thing. You neglected to inform me of that vital tidbit of information."
"She did tell you." Dimitrius interjected. "But you were too busy explaining the fine gadgets, interior lining, and sleek stride of this self hand-picked thoroughbred." Myles sighed.
"We are not lost. We're just…a bit turned around, okay? Anyone else got any brilliant ideas?" Myles huffed.
"Yeah, why don't we put you in the trunk, and Dimitrius will drive us to our destination?" Lucy suggested. "At least he would go by the directions."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Dimitrius chuckled. Myles squinted, quite peeved at both of them.
"I am not the least bit amused by your childish, pin-cushion pricking jokes of unforgiveness." Myles said dramatically. "Just leave it to me." And he started up the engine again.
"I suggest we get out of the car, find someone and ask them for directions." Dimitrius said casually. "It can't be that hard."
"Mph." Lucy scrunched up her nose. "Doesn't sound as appetizing as my suggestion, but it's the most logical thing to do."
"No need." Myles said smugly. "I will be our guide Beverly Hills. These fisherman can be notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to believing strangers are trying to put them out of business. Asking for directions is a last resort to defeat, and we don't want to appear pathetic to these life-long Californians."
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm all for getting the accurate info from someone who knows what they're talking about." Lucy stated, removing her seat-belt.
"Go ahead and pull down our images if you choose to, but I am going to sit here and hold down the fort." Lucy rolled her eyes as Dimitrius joined her in exiting the car.
"Can someone please tell me what is it with nitwits in asking for directions?" She asked him as they walked down to one of the docks.
"It deflates the superman fantasy." Dimitrius simply explained.
"So, is this where you found her?" Jack asked Steve. They were at Winfield Park, looking over the crime scene. It was in a wide open area, several feet away from an obstacles.
"Yeah." Steve muttered. "Right here."
"And about how long would you say she'd been dead?"
"Well, our good friend, Dr. Amanda Livingston, the staff pathologist at Community General said that Missy had to have been dead for at least 8 hours." Mark answered.
"And with the rose and the note, we can be sure it was White?" Sue asked.
"Positive." Jack nodded. "Still, there's something not quite lining up here that puzzles me." He scratched his head.
"What's that?" Steve asked.
"Well, it doesn't quite fit White's killing pattern." Jack replied. Sue stared at him incredulously.
"What do you mean?" Mark inquired.
"Well, now don't get me wrong," Jack warned. "I have no doubt that White is responsible for this. But, it's just odd that he should dump the victim here, out in the open, and outdoors no less."
"You know, Jack? You're right." Sue nodded in comprehension, finally catching on.
"Sorry, I'm not entirely following." Steve said, confused.
"Well, from what we've seen and from past cases, after White murders a woman, he always leaves her inside a home structure." Sue explained. "This is the first we've ever seen that he's vulnerably placed the victim outside...and in a public area of all places."
"Yeah, come to think of it now, it's been the same here." Mark agreed. "The victims have always been found inside a house. Isn't that right, Steve?"
"Right." Steve nodded. "And never in the same house either."
Jack bit his lip. "Well, if this is all White's doing, it looks to me like either he's getting very sloppy, or..."
"Or he's becoming more bold, and not so afraid anymore to expose his handiwork." Mark finished.
"Which means he's becoming more dangerous than before." Steve stated dryly.
"Exactly." Jack nodded, wide-eyed.
"But the question is why?" Sue remarked. "He's never done it this way before. So, why start now? What does it profit him to show everyone what he's done?"
"I'm afraid that is the question we'll all have to put together ourselves." Mark shook his head.
"And hopefully before he decides to take another innocent victim." Steve declared in disgust.
"Well, we've got several pieces to the puzzle." Jack grinned. "Let's hope that Bobby and them can bring us some of the finishing touches."
"And possibly by chance that White is just becoming sloppy in covering his tracks." Sue added. Jack's phone rang.
"Yeah? Hudson." He answered. "Yeah...uh-huh. Okay. All right, we'll find out what you cooked up when you get back. Okay. See ya." Then he hung up. "That was Bobby. They didn't turn up much at the airport..."
"Go figure." Steve sighed.
"But," Jack continued, holding up his index finger, "they found a few passenger ID's from the past few weeks that might be Jeff White in a disguise." Sue raised her eyebrows.
"Well, that sure narrows it down."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to use our brilliant powers of observation." Mark shrugged.
"And, have Tara run the guys through her sharp, biometric, X-ray eyes." Sue chuckled. Steve's ears perked up at that remark.
"Don't tell me that Tara had laser lens installed in her brain when she joined the FBI." Mark joked. Steve shook his head.
"Mmm, well," Sue raised her eyebrows.
"I never asked her," Jack said. "But she's pretty amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if she does."
Steve didn't realize how widely he was smiling 'til Mark nudged his shoulder.
"I guess we'd better head back." Steve said. Just then, Sue's cell phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the text message.
"Does she have text messaging or something?" Steve asked Jack who nodded.
"Yep." Jack answered.
"I keep telling you, Dad, you need to get one of those newer phones." Steve said.
"Aw, I don't think I could bring myself to part with my old friend." Mark sighed. "We've been together for so long."
"It's Lucy." Sue said. "They're finished looking around the local hangouts around here and she wants to know where we are." She pressed some buttons in response. "She wants to know if we could meet them over at the Citco gas station near here, and show them the way back."
"No problem." Mark said. "It's just around the corner." Sue nodded and replied to Lucy, then laughed and rolled her eyes.
"What?" Jack and Steve asked together. Jack was grinning.
"She says she doesn't trust Myles keen sense of direction to find their way back." Sue stated. "Turns out they had some trouble on the way in."
"Oh." Steve chuckled.
"Well, I suppose we better go rescue them." Mark suggested. "Did they find anything?"
"Oh, yes. She said they found some very interesting information." Sue responded.
"Okay, that's the last time I ride with Myles driving in a different state." Lucy remarked, walking up to Jack, Steve, Mark, and Sue when they pulled up and stepped out of the car. "I'd rather walk, and save the trouble of wasting the time arguing."
"Well, at least you're here." Sue shrugged. Lucy made her eyes and made a face.
"So, where you able to dig up anything?" Jack asked.
"Quite." Myles said. "It turns out that our good friend, Mr. Jeff White was in the convenience store earlier today, and he also paid a visit to the hot dog joint in this quaint little town."
"Nice work." Mark smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Were you able to get the surveillance tapes?"
"That and more." Dimitrius grinned.
"More?" Steve gaped incredulously.
"Seems that White wasn't entirely alone in his gallivanting around town today." Lucy announced.
"You mean that he has a partner?!" Mark gasped.
"I thought you guys said that White is a lone wolf." Steve interjected.
"Apparently not anymore." Dimitrius shook his head. "Sue, we're gonna need you to to do some eavesdropping for us." He was referring to her lip-reading skills.
"That's what I'm here for." Sue smiled.
I'm looking forward to observing that! Steve thought to himself.
"Well, I say we head back and confer together then." Steve remarked. "What do you say we go to the hotel where your task force is stationed at?"
"I think that would be a good place." Jack agreed.
"We'll follow you." Dimitrius said. "And this time I'll drive."
"Good." Steve stated.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want to end up right in the middle of some movie set out in the country, now would we?" Lucy joked, glancing at Myles who shook his head.
"All right, all right." Jack said. "Let's get going. Cheer up, Myles. Look, things could be worse. Howie could've been sent with us."
"Please," Myles cringed. "Garret wouldn't be that cruel to us. Besides, if Howie had come along we would've never gotten here in the first place."
"Who's Howie?" Mark inquired.
"A distasteful individual whose level in mental acuity I've never been comfortable with." Myles explained quickly. "Can we just go?"
"He's a snitch, who's often a little too talkative." Lucy corrected him.
"Oh." Steve grinned.
Bobby and Tara were waiting for them when they all arrived at the hotel. Chief Masters had returned to the police station, saying he knew that Steve would update him on all the clues later through Captain Newman and Cheryl. The team had all agreed to meet in the suite that Lucy, Tara, and Sue were going to share-Levi too-since it was the biggest private room that would accommodate everyone. Bobby answered the door. "Come on in." He said as they entered. As usual, they found Tara glued to her laptop.
"So, what did you find?" Jack asked.
"Well, what did you find?" Bobby asked back.
"Excuse me, I'm really anxious to share what we found!" Lucy interjected.
"Why don't we just start with Bobby and Tara's clues since they got back here first?" Sue suggested.
"Right oh." Bobby nodded. Everyone made themselves comfortable. Bobby passed out 4 photos of airplane passengers, all male, who possibly could've been Jeff White in disguise. "These were the most promising candidates the associates could turn up for us." Bobby explained. "Tara's been running them through the computer, in the biometrics system. She also put up several of White's photos against them to see if we can get a match."
"Any luck yet?" Jack asked.
"Patience, Sparky." Tara answered, keeping her eyes glued to her technology. "This is highly intelligent data I'm dealing with and it requires concentration."
"Sparky?" Mark raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Jack. "Is that what they call you inside the bureau, or is it some kind of code you're supposed to use?"
"It's not important." Jack said, trying to change the subject.
"Aw, you can run, Spark, but you can't hide!" Bobby announced and the other agents all laughed. Mark and Steve looked at each other.
"It's not essential to the case." Jack said louder. "Can we just get back on track?"
"So, how exactly does this biometric stuff work?" Steve asked curiously.
"It's incredible stuff." Tara remarked, wide-eyed and shaking her head. "You can scan a person's body parts through a highly digital graph, and it will give you the results, which is just as distinct as a fingerprint or DNA." Steve and Mark raised their eyebrows. Steve was very impressed not only with the computer geek's knowledge, and her obvious good looks, but also the ease and laid-back poise in how she worked with and shared it.
"Like you said, incredible stuff." Mark stated.
"Yep." Tara cocked her head and kept up her typing.
"Ahem. So, Sue what did you guys come up with?' Dimitrius inquired, trying to move on.
"Jack noticed an odd pattern in the way White's latest victim was found." Sue answered. "She was found in a park."
"And a widely populated one too." Mark added.
"Right." Sue said. "Do any of you notice anything contradicting in what I just told you?"
"Definitely." Myles spoke up. "I noticed some very distinct things that as you said are odd."
"You would be the one to bring that up, wouldn't you?" Lucy muttered but Myles ignored her.
"Jeff White doesn't advertise his artistic nature." He declared. "He keeps it a secret 'til someone discovers the victim. It isn't like him to place her in a public place, and outdoors. And, he never uses the same place twice, at least not in dumping the bodies. Unless of course, he's getting tired of this life on the run and is inwardly crying out for help by trying to grab attention." Lucy rolled her eyes.
"Aside from the personality clash, I agree with Myles." Dimitrius said. "It isn't like White. So what are we thinking here? A copy cat?"
"May I say something?" Mark asked.
"Sure. Feel free, Doctor Sloan."
"Jack and Sue believe that it's the same guy, and aside from the location, is it safe to say that we can rule out any copycats?" Mark asked.
"I think so." Lucy spoke up. "According to the autopsy, Missy Frazier was killed and left for dead exactly the same way as the others. So..."
"Right. As we discussed it back at Winfield Park, it's possible that Jeff White is starting to show his hand in what he's done, and will most likely go on more proudly to display his dirty work."
"And why would he do that?" Myles asked dryly.
"That's the thing." Steve said. "Why? Because he's anxious to prove something to himself. What? We have no clue. But it sounds as if he's becoming more desperate."
"I have to agree." Sue sighed. "In all the past cases, White's never done this before. Serial killers usually take lives to fulfill a specific fantasy to themselves. However, it can never be brought to perfection. I'd say he's becoming more and more angry at the woman who dumped him, and so he's delving into his dark deeds with more vigor." Mark and Steve both stared at her.
Does she study these things at night to cure her insomnia or something? Steve thought.
"You know, Sue may be onto something." Lucy remarked.
"I have to agree." Mark nodded.
"But, he's been murdering women for almost two years now. So what is it that's fueling his temper after all this time? Why now?" Lucy shook her head.
"Maybe something in his past, something you mentioned before that could have a special significance." Mark stated.
"But what?" Dimitrius spoke up.
"I don't know." Jack sighed. "But I think Dr. Sloan is right. Maybe we should double-check White's profile and everything we know about him. Maybe there is something we missed."
"Isn't anyone interested at all in the juicy tidbits we picked up today?" Lucy asked.
"I sure am." Steve announced. "I'm very hungry for the leads you found." Lucy smirked, and grabbed a bulky manila envelope.
"Well," she began. "It turns out that White was definitely in town this morning near Winfield Park. And from the approximate time of death according to the coroner, the time which Missy Frazier was found, and from the timing on the surveillance videos we got in the different hangouts, it appears as if we can definitely place White on location, right around the time of the murder."
"Let's see what you got." Bobby said, as Lucy placed one of the tapes into the VCR and turned on the TV.
Lucy made sure that Sue was looking in her direction to read her lips, before continuing. "Okay, this is the convenience store in that part of town, at 5:30 this morning. Now there's White. He comes in, buys a box of large, black trash bags, and leaves." Lucy finished, and put in the next tape.
"Nothing that eye catching so far." Steve remarked.
"Hold your horses, Lt." Lucy smirked. "The interesting parts are coming up. Okay, now...this the surveillance video footage from the traffic light camera, the street that turns into the southern side of the park. This is at 6 o 'clock this morning. I'd like to take this time to direct everyone's attention to this little spot, right here, in the upper left-hand corner." She pointed to the said area on the TV screen, but it was so small that no one could detect much.
"Uh, what is that supposed to be?" Steve muttered.
"D?" Lucy smiled at Dimitrius, and he started passing out photos to everyone.
"They're a little fuzzy, but we were able to acquire some blown-up snapshots of the pinpointed spot Lucy talked about." He explained. "It's beyond the traffic light pole, but you can slightly see an area of the park. Now I know it's a bit dark too because the sun is just coming up, but with the streetlight on the sidewalk, what do you see?"
"It's kind of dark, but it almost appears as if a guy is reaching into the back of his car." Sue said.
"Excellent answer," Dimitrius smiled. "Keep going through them and tell me what else you see."
"Now, it looks like someone's coming to help him." Bobby said.
"Exactly." Myles grinned.
"They seem to be hauling some large, black object." Steve added. Mark pulled his magnifying glass out of his pocket though he had his glasses on, and took an even closer look.
"It's almost too fuzzy to identify their faces, but they are definitely carrying something." He stated.
"Well, I see everyone is using his thinking cap." Lucy smiled and unpaused the video. "I wish we could blow up the footage on film, but if you look really close, yes, you are correct: two men are pulling a bulky object out of the car. Then 5 minutes later, the one returns and drives away."
"So, our best bet is, this could be White and his partner." Jack stated.
"More or less." Myles shrugged.
"How did you get the traffic light surveillance video?" Mark asked, smiling.
"Haven't you heard? We're the FBI. We get around." Bobby chuckled.
"We called the mayor, explained who we were and why we were there." Dimitrius laughed. "He granted us permission in less than five minutes."
"Carrying a badge works wonders sometimes." Steve remarked.
"Now this is where it gets interesting." Lucy spoke up again and flipped on a new tape recording. "Now, this is at 8:35, an hour before the press conference with the police, and 10 minutes before they arrived on the scene. This is at The Dog Days, a small food joint where they serve chili dogs, corn dogs, you name it. Here comes White. He goes to the counter, makes an order, and then joins this guy at a booth. Sue, you think you could tell us what they're saying?" Sue smiled and nodded, then walked closer to the TV screen. She stared intently in concentration.
"White says, 'Why didn't you wait for me?' " Sue shared the conversation out loud. "Then the other guy is asking what took White so long. And he also said that he could easily live on wieners and cola for breakfast."
"Then someone's gonna have their cholesterol really out of whack." Steve and Myles said together, then stared incredulously at each other.
Sue continued. "The other guy says, 'Hey, we've gotta be careful, man. This isn't like playing hookey, you know.'
White says, 'Hey...I know what I'm doing. Okay?'
The other guy is saying, 'Okay, I didn't mean anything. We just really need to watch it.'
Now White says, 'It's all under control. Next time, we're going big. I've waited long enough. By the 28th, everything will be perfect. The time of...r-re...reckoning has come. I'm going to make her pay for everything she put me through. She will be sorry, and then and only then will I finally be satisfied!'
John Doe is saying, 'How big? And what if she's not sorry?'
White's smiling. He's saying, 'She will be. And if not, I'll do whatever is takes to make her change her mind.' "
"Sounds like it's only confirming our theory that he's becoming more agitated about this." Jack remarked. Mark nodded with wide eyes.
"That yobbo must be feeling the heat." Bobby said.
Sue explained, "John Doe says, 'This is crazy, you know.'
White says, 'Hey, you want out, you can leave now. Don't worry about me. I can do this just fine by myself.'
John Doe said, 'No, I'm good. I just hope you know what you're doing.'
White just said, 'You've got a lot to learn.' " At this, on the screen, John Doe checked out at the register and left. Jeff White ate his hot dog, then left too after paying.
"Well, smells like we are definitely on the right track." Myles stated.
"White said something about next time they're going big," Lucy said confused. "What is he talking about? His next victim?"
"And just how big?" Bobby added. "There's no telling who he could be after next."
"Well, we're gonna have to figure it out before he does abduct another defenseless woman." Jack declared.
"Hello! Hello!" Tara exclaimed, staring at her computer. "I think we have a winner." Everyone turned to her and grouped around her laptop. "Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to a Mr. Ronnie Nelson, aka Mr. Jeff White. This was his passport photo from 3 weeks ago, but here is his incarceration photo. As you can see in the passport, we're looking at a completely different face, but...run his ears, nose, and lips through biometrics and...presto!" The green graph on the computer screen said Perfect Match.
"Whoa!" Steve gaped.
"Well, I'd say this is our lucky day." Dimitrius smiled.
"How did you do that?" Steve asked Tara in astonishment. She just grinned.
"It's a gift." She said simply.
"We found it's technically better not to question." Sue grinned.
"Yeah, you don't interrupt Tara when she's on a roll." Bobby said sarcastically.
"Sorry." Steve muttered.
"It's okay." Tara laughed. "Turns out that White arrived here on the 5th of the month, but no one knows where he disappeared off to after that."
"Well, it fits. It's been-what?-two weeks since those murders started raving through LA, Steve?" Mark asked.
"Uh-huh." Steve grunted.
"Well, this lucky day, boys and girls, might just get even luckier." Lucy smirked. "Turns out that White paid for his wiener and the trash bags with a credit card. I doubt we'll find a billing address with the way he lives on the run, but it might be little fun to take a peek into his investments, huh?"
"I just love you guys." Jack sighed sarcastically to Lucy, Dimitrius, and Myles.
"It's good to be wanted." Myles retorted.
"Yeah, but by which of the top ten most wanted, huh?" Steve teased, playing along with the agents in aggravating the pompous one. Myles pursed his lips and stared suspiciously.
"I'm waiting for the day you all will go too far." He said dramatically, and patted his holster on his hip.
"So, I guess it'd be too much to hope for that John Doe paid with a credit card too?" Mark suggested hopefully.
"Negative. The cheap skate actually used cash."
"Well, I guess I could show his photo around to the cab companies here." Steve said. "See if anyone's rendered him a service while he's been in town. Care to go with me, Agent Leland?" He asked sarcastically, remembering Myles' earlier boasting back at BBQ Bob's.
"I prefer to stay back right now and hold the fort down." Myles answered smugly.
Steve grinned and nodded. "Well, carry on then."
"I'll join you, Lt. Sloan." Dimitrius said.
"Yeah, and I need to get back to the hospital." Mark stated.
"I'll see what little green goodies we can come up with on White." Tara announced, referring to the credit card.
"Keep us posted about anything." Dimitrius said.
"Yeah, and do the same for us, Lt." Jack declared.
"Sure thing." Steve nodded.
"How come we couldn't get this close to White before?" Sue asked curiously.
"Change of scenery. Amazing what it can do to sharpen your mind." Jack shrugged.
"And what did White mean when he kept saying she?" Bobby spoke up. "What's that about? His old flame is dead."
"I don't know, but we'd better keep our noodles razor sharp." Lucy answered.
"That's why we're here." Sue said.
"Well, Lt. What do you think?" Dimitrius asked as they walked down the hall out to Steve's car.
"Yeah, do you think we're heading in the right direction?" Mark asked.
"I strongly feel for the first time in a long while that we've truly got a chance at stopping this guy." Steve said triumphantly.
Whew. There! I can't wait to get to the parts where Amanda and Jessie will show up. I hope I was accurate on the biometrics thing. I got that information from the Sue Thomas FBEye episode, Spy Games. Please let me know what you think.
