My Life Had Stood
Chapter 21: Though It Be Darkness There
A Few Days Later:
"So far, aside from Tobias Connell's dealings with the Wagners and the Gregsons, we don't know how many children he and his nephew may have sold." Hotch said, sitting with Morgan, JJ, and Lewis in the conference room. Rossi had decided to go to the prison and try to talk with James to learn more about what his son had endured, and hopefully glean more information that could help them.
Since finding out Ted Gregson's deal with Dr. Connell while on their previous case, both the unit chief and director agreed to allow his team to investigate the case. A case that was starting to appear bigger than first surmised.
"Based on what Gregson told Rossi, it's safe to assume that Tobias Connell and his partner kidnapped and sold more children by falsifying their deaths." Morgan said, shaking his head as he spoke. The entire idea was repugnant.
"Garcia is going through all of Connell's financial records. As well as employment records to see which hospitals he may have taken babies from."
"What about Dr. Somerfield? He's the only person, beside Connell, that has a connection to both the Gregsons and the Vaughns. Not to mention the letter he sent to James." Lewis said. "Shouldn't we bring him in for questioning?"
"I agree, but so far we haven't been able to find him. He apparently booked a flight abroad almost a month ago, but he didn't show up at the airport when agents attempted to head him off. Nor has he shown up at his office or home in nearly two weeks." Hotch replied.
"It sounds to me that Somerfield is our guy. He finds out we know about James, and so he figures it's just a matter of time before we find out about Connell. And he decides to run." Morgan said, leaning forward as he read the information they'd been able to find regarding the cases.
"It's also possible that Somerfield is just a puppet and whoever he works for decided to kill him like they did Kenneth Connell." JJ iterated.
"I think we would have found Dr. Somerfield by now if that was the case. It didn't take long for Kenneth Connell's body to be found. Nor Tobias Connell's fifteen years ago for that matter."
"It's likely Somerfield is alive, and on the run." Hotch stated, pausing briefly. "The only problem is that, if Somerfield is the mastermind behind Connell's scheme, he knew we would be coming for him over a month before we knew he even existed."
Each of the BAU members present frowned, not liking the odds of their suspect evading them. With such a head start, Somerfield could be anywhere. Maybe even have a new identity.
"We don't know for sure that Somerfield was in on the kidnappings. He wasn't affiliated with the hospitals James or Jenna were born at." Hotch broke the uncomfortable silence that their frustration had cast. His words prompted the start of a protest, but he continued. "Morland Somerfield's connection to the Bennets and their illegal experiments, does make it more likely that he is connected to the experimentation done on James. But we haven't found a traceable connection between the experimentation and Connell's kidnapping scheme. Jenna Fletcher hadn't been subjected to any therapy or experiments."
"You don't believe that." JJ said, her words reflected in the look she gave Hotch. "Out of all the children Connell possibly took and sold, the one he stole from a FBI agent is the one subjected to such horrific experimentation? Come on."
"I don't disagree that Somerfield is involved, but we haven't found any transactions between him and Connell. Nothing connects the two of them." Hotch replied. "Until we find a connection, it'd be best to profile them separately."
"All right." Morgan leaned back in his seat, considering things. "We know it was about the money with Tobias Connell. He found buyers for children beforehand."
"No, not with the Wagners and James. He couldn't have known Amy Wagner's son would die shortly after birth." Lewis said, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Yet, according to what Rossi found out from Dr. Richards, Connell planned on taking James months ahead of time. He should've had a buyer already lined up." Morgan paused. "Why did he choose the Wagners?"
"James was born preterm." JJ replied after recalling the information they'd gleaned from Rossi in regards to James birth. "Connell may have thought he had more time to pick a buyer."
"But he had months to prepare. He knew he needed a buyer, one that wouldn't draw suspicion. And even if the baby was born early, he could take the child to the buyer."
"I don't think it would be that easy. Simply taking a child out of the hospital without someone being suspicious?" JJ shook her head, not believing it possible for Connell to have smuggled a newborn out of the hospital.
"He could have had the buyers come in, pretending to be in labor themselves, so no one would think twice about them leaving with a baby."
"Then how would he know which women would be giving birth? Or when? Labor can start at any time, especially in the final month. And he wasn't the doctor in charge of James."
"JJ's right. There's too many variables. It could've worked out once, especially if Connell took a newborn on a whim after his patient lost her baby. But planning when a women would give birth and making sure his buyer is in the hospital pretending to be in labor themselves at the right time?" Morgan shook his head.
"What if..." Lewis began, a gut-wrenching idea occuring to her. "What if he created both supply and demand for the babies he sold?"
"Wait, you mean, maybe he caused the mothers' babies to die and then he sold them someone else's?" JJ gaped, horrified and sickened by the idea.
Lewis nodded.
"If he did, he would likely need a partner who either supplied what he needed or administered it to the newborns. As well as to fabricate records. It's also likely he and his partner switched hospitals constantly to avoid arousing suspicion of so many newborns in their charge dying."
"We should have Garcia look into the nurse who was talking with Connell the day he sold Jenna to the Gregsons. It's likely that nurse is, or was at some point, his partner. And maybe, that nurse is the link between Somerfield and Connell."
Hotch nodded, thinking silently. He stood up before replying. "Ok, go tell Garcia to find out if any nurses transferred to different hospitals around the same time as Connell."
"Ok. Where are you going?" Morgan asked after Hotch started toward the door.
"We need to know how the Wagners and the Gregsons babies died. If Connell or his partner did kill them, knowing how could help us find other victims." Hotch paused, letting his words and their implications sink in. Mainly that it was likely they would have to exhume the bodies of the dead infants.
0
Leah Clemens sat alone in her youngest step-daughter's bedroom. Her cheeks were pale and shiny with tears. Two days ago, after coming home from work, she had confided in her current husband what she'd done thirty-three years ago.
His response, once he realized she wasn't joking, was to take his daughters and leave. Despite Leah's pleading with him, he refused to stay. Not able to even argue with her, aside from asking how a mother could do what she did.
It was the same question Leah asked herself now. How could she have taken a child? It had been easy to answer thirty-three years ago, when the loss of her baby had been fresh. But the more time passed, the harder it seemed to justify her choice.
Why had she taken the child? Why had she been convinced by her first husband that doing so was all right? Just because the couple had another child didn't mean their pain would be any less. And her losing her daughter didn't justify taking that couple's.
Leah picked up her cell phone, tempted to call her husband Jeff and beg him to forgive her. But she knew he wouldn't. Not after she foolishly revealed that she didn't even know where Leigh was, that she had abandoned the girl long ago in favor of her real child that she had when Leigh was two.
Whatever remaining trust Jeff had had for her until then, she saw vanish in the way he gaped at her. His shocked face had become horrified, like he was beholding a monster.
"I'm sorry." Leah mumbled, cursing herself for ever thinking about telling Jeff. She had hoped he'd stand behind her, giving her enough support to tell the police or FBI. She cursed her job and the magazine article for stirring up her guilt.
If she had never met or learned about what happened to James Rossi, she could've pretended Leigh never existed. Until she learned that agent Rossi's son had been deliberately switched, she'd thought what she and her husband had done with that doctor's help had been the only time such a thing had happened.
Leah swallowed and placed her phone away, instead picking up a pad of stationery and a pen from her step-daughter's desk. After meeting such a negative reaction from Jeff, she knew she wouldn't be able to vocalize her confession. But writing it down might not be so daunting.
It was simply figuring out who she should address it to that gave her pause.
0
Spencer placed down the book he'd been reading. It'd been nearly a week since his date with Alsie and she hadn't yet called him. Neither had Shelly, despite him having left a voice mail message on both of their phones.
He wondered if he'd somehow messed things up between him and Alsie. His and Alsie's date hadn't really been a typical one. They hadn't seen a movie as they'd planned, and the date had been cut short.
He wondered if it even counted as a date or as simply a shopping trip.
Spencer picked up another book, quietly counting down the time until his medical leave was over and he could return to work. It was less than two days away, though he still needed to get clearance from his doctor to return to the field.
He laid the book back down, wondering about Alsie and what she had told him while on their date. That she had lost a child three years ago, and that the child's father had left prior to that.
'Alsie...' Spencer smiled wistfully as he thought about each time they had met. His brow furrowed now and then as he recalled each memory. He still found it confusing why he'd repressed the memory of meeting her when they were eight, especially since he'd been drawn to her even back then.
The reason he came up with, that he must've felt guilty at not helping her despite seeing her bruises, didn't seem right. Not completely. There was some other reason why besides guilt. It was strange, and perhaps selfish, but he could recall feeling abandoned by her when Alsie hadn't returned to the park after that first day.
Spencer sighed.