Chapter 53 - The ketchup effect

In the wake of Jaspers revelations, Bella had tried to get Edward to open up and talk about his day. His memory was finally working with him, not against him. This was good, wasn't it? Even if it had caused him to have a mild panic attack it was still a step in the right direction and something he had needed to get out of his system. Only Edward didn't see it that way and the whole conversation didn't go over all too well.

Between the pair of them their emotions seemed to be all over the place. They go into another bickering fight and by the time Carlisle returned for another reading of Bella's blood pressure, it had spiked quite high and she was sent directly to bed with strict orders to DO NOTHING but sleep, sleep, sleep.

Easier said than done, when your head is filled with a million thoughts moving a mile a minute. Deifying doctor's order, she got Seth on the phone for a quick debriefing. Then she booted up her computer, wrote down some notes, and fired off a few quick emails, before she finally settled down and tried, in vain, to go to sleep.

Around midnight, Edward poked his head into her bedroom to check on her. It was easy to see that he hadn't expected to find her awake. He virtually froze for a moment with his hand still resting on the door handle. Then he coughed uncomfortably and stuttered out an apology for disturbing her peace and for being incapable of holding a conversation with her without picking a fight.

He looked utterly exhausted when he said this, his face was pale and grim. No wonder he was having trouble keeping his temper under control when it was clear that he still didn't sleep more than a few hours at a time. Bella wanted to tell him to take the sleeping pills she knew Dr. Cullen had offered prescribe for him. But she also had a feeling she knew his reasoning for not taking them, so instead she settled for telling him that he had nothing to apologize for.

After all, it took two to make an argument… It wasn't like she hadn't known she was pushing a sore subject, one that she perhaps shouldn't have pushed. She couldn't help it. It was just that she felt that if they didn't start talking to each other soon, she would go insane!

Not giving him time to respond, she then went on to offer an apology of her own; for prying and pressing him to discuss something he was obviously uncomfortable with.

This seemed to make Edward quite a bit agitated, but he let her words pass without comment. He was trying. She could tell that he was trying to keep his act together. He nodded his head and bid her good night, but when it came time to leave he hesitated in the doorway, as if there was something else he wanted to get off his chest.

"Yes?" Bella asked, hoping that he would open up to her after all, if only a little.

He didn't, instead he just apologized one more time and then he was gone, leaving Bella once again alone with her thoughts.

She stared at the ceiling for a long, long time, and did not weep… much. Hardly at all. Okay, but just a little. Damn hormones!

It didn't help that the baby was awake and active too. The little bugger was putting pressure on her intestines, making it almost impossible to find a comfortable position to lie in.

Bella finally got some semblance of sleep around three in the morning, but not before pouring her heart out in a lengthy voice message.

Recording messages to herself was a habit she had picked up during her F.B.I. training. She rarely ever went back and actually listened to them. In fact she hated the sound of her own voice. However, she had found that just the act of recording her thoughts alone was something that helped committing details and must-do's to her memory.

It was a simple and effective technique that kept her mind sharp and focused. It was also oddly therapeutic; a way to unburden your heart and let the heavy load off your soul.

An image of Edward's hesitant behavior on the doorstep flashed before her eyes. He had looked like he had something he wanted to say, but couldn't, and she wanted to know what it was.

Swallowing about a gallon of pride, she grabbed her phone again and recorded a second message, which she forwarded to Edward. It wasn't anything revolutionary or even particularly deep. She harbored no real illusions that anything she had to say would sway him one way or another, but as long as they were talking there was still hope.

- Can we be done apologizing and move on to healing and reconciliation? I know I promised to give you space, but I don't know how to step back any further. I don't have anything to step back to. I'm not asking you to trust me, I'm not asking you to let your guard down. I'm not asking you to be head over heels for me. I'm just asking you to try.

I've made mistakes and poor choices. I have let things get between us, but…but I can't stop trying. If you're not progressing, you're digressing... and I don't think neither of us have any desire to go backwards. Now the trouble is... how do we go from here? Talk to me, please!-

She fell asleep with her phone in her hand.

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The following day proved to be a very busy one. It was that damn ketchup effect; first came nothing, then nothing, and then came everything at once.

It started with Carlisle discreetly pulling Bella aside at breakfast, handing her a handwritten note.

"What's this?" she looked at it for a moment and then came up with a deduction, "Pharmacies," she guessed.

"Yes," he nodded. "Umm... maybe you should sit down while I explain."

"I'd rather remain standing, if you don't mind. My butt is numb from all the lying around I've been doing," Bella answered, giving him a cautious glance, "Unless it's bad news…,"she trailed off. "Like protein in the urine sample or..?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Carlisle hurried to assure her. "It's nothing bad. Remember how I told you about the EMT driver was called out to pick up a sick child in from Judkins Park area and bring him to the ER of the UW Medical Center, sometime around June last year."

She nodded. "A little Tony, with breathing troubles that was brought in by a woman that wasn't his mother."

"Exactly, only I couldn't find any records of a boy by the name Tony, being admitted or treated that fit the timeframe."

"Because he was admitted as Eduarte Nahuel?" Bella guessed.

"That's correct," He nodded. "Don't ask me how I know this, but the child was prescribed an inhalator with really strong antihistamines to keep his airways open. I've written down the two pharmacies where the prescription was filled."

"By Maria Nahuel?"

"Yes, the prescription was valid for three refills, all three of them where picked up by a Maria Nahuel. See the dates?" he pointed to one in particular. "The last date was only three months ago. Not sure if this is of any help for you, but I want to contribute any way I can."

"No, this is good. This might actually be of great relevance," she assured him with a curt nod. "I'll keep you posted on how it goes."

"Alright, but how are you planning on proceeding with this?" He frowned and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "If you don't mind me asking?"

"Surveillance cameras," she offered as explanation. When he still looked quizzically, she added, "You'd be surprised how widely used they are. Nowadays, most storefronts in all our major city centers are monitored. Three months might be a bit of a stretch when it comes to how long the footage is typically stored, but it's worth a shot."

"Is there anything I can do to help? You still need your rest. Your blood pressure…"

"I know," she hurried to interrupt him. "Thanks, but I'll let my friend Paul,back at the hq, have a go at this. He owes me one and this sort of thing is kind of his specialty," she said, giving his shoulder a squeeze, before stepping back to let Edward and Anthony pass them in the doorway.

Edward was frowning at her. Or rather he was alternating between frowning at her and shooting daggers at his father. He did not like not knowing what was going on around him that much was clear. Bella could practically hear his thought process. He was getting way past annoyed at being kept in the dark about things all the time.

Bella rolled her eyes at him, but let him snatch the note from her hand as they booth took their seats at the table. She saw him unfold it and read it, but instead of asking what the dates and addresses meant he put the note away and said nothing.

It struck her then that hehadn't spoken to her all morning. She looked him over and tried asking how he was doing. She got no response. She tried patting his arm, but he swatted her away. She asked him to pass her the salt. No reaction.

Obviously it had been a mistake leaving him that voice message the night before. Not only had he not responded to it, but he seemed to have reverted to not talking to her at all. She discreetlychecked her phone under the table; three new messages, but none of them where from Edward.

Bella knew it wasn't the time or place to mull over the things she wished she had done differently, but wallowing in self pity and regret had became a bit of a habit. For a moment, immeasurable sadness threatened to overwhelm her.

She was just moment away from bursting into tears when Edward's mother, bless her heart, decided she wouldn't have any tension or awkwardness around her table. Using all her charm and wit she dropped some absolutely hideous baby name suggestions and soon she had the whole room involved in a heated name discussion.

Bella vetoed ReneEsmee and Carlie and Edward flat down refused to even considered Edwina or E.J. as in Edward Junior.

And with that the crisis was averted… or at least postponed for a little while.

Breakfast progressed much in the same way, with playful bickering, endless chatter and noise all around. It helped that all attempts toward a real conversation were thwarted by the table-banging, food spitting duo of boys, sitting side by side in their highchairs.

Bella wasn't the tiniest bit surprised to find out that Edward's mother had managed to orchestrate it so that everyone had an excuse to leave the house straight after breakfast. It figured that she would pick this day of all days to try and push them together.

The look Esme gave them upon leaving clearly indicated that she was expecting them to get a whole lot of talking done while they were left with the house to themselves. Only they weren't by themselves, there was Tony to entertain. You'd think that would be a breeze, but nope… not his day.

At first the little guy was doing fine,playing with his toys on the floor, but then suddenly he turned cranky. Not a little cranky…super out to be a tummy acheand he was being very vocal about it.

Edward thought it to be a good idea to just let the boy cry until he got it out of his system. Uhm, yeah, out of his system it went...just not in the way Edward had anticipated it... Tony's diaper over flowed and poop was smeared not just on the boy, but on his clothes and his daddy's clothes too.

As if on cue, Bella was struck by a bout of nausea and had to go lie down. No, really. It wasn't just a bogus excuse to escape the scene. It was morning sickness in its all-consuming, green-tinged vileness. She really did feel like crap, no pun intended.

So, great morning all around…

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Next came a phone call from Jasper who in turn had just gotten off the phone with his cousin in Bangkok.

After a long and agonizing wait,Peter Whitlock had finally managed to make contact. His timing was eerily in synch with everything else that was happening.

When asked to elaborate on the night he had driven Edward to the ER, he said he didn't remember much about it. Cullen had shown up at the club alone and unannounced; a spur of the moment thing after having seen Pete's name on a bunch of posters. They had hung out in-between sets, but had only exchanged a few words over the course of the night. The alcohol was free and offered frequently, and the club was packed with people. It wasn't the right forum for catching up on anything beyond 'what's up?' and 'What are you drinking?'.

Of course, the fun and easygoing spirit of the evening had all changed the minute Edward had dropped to the floor, and begun scratching at his face and neck, wheezing desperately that he couldn't breathe. Peter thought his buddy was acting a bit melodramatic and making a bit of a scene; there was even talk about calling an ambulance. Peter didn't like the sound of that and therefor promptly stepped in and volunteered to take him to the ER. In true Peter fashion he only intended to take Edward outside and wait for him to regain his wits, but when the swelling didn't go away, even Peter realized it was kind of serious and that Edward needed medical attention.

"And then he just left him there?" Bella interjected, "He dropped him off at the hospital and left."

"Well, that's Peter for you. He probably double parked and didn't want to be fined for it." Jasper reasoned. "Not to mention high as a kite and probably without a valid driving license."

"He didn't want to stick around and answer questions in other words."

"Something like that. He did make sure Carlisle was contacted, though. I guess in his world that's equivalent of being a responsible and caring citizen slash friend."

"So, what else did he have to say about that night?"

"Well, you know my cousin is a bit of a it's a scatterbrain, right?!"

"I've been warned, yes."

"It's a well-known fact that his attention span is shorter than a fruit fly's life. He wouldn't be able to leave a reliable witness statement, even if his life depended on it. What I'm trying to say is that I had to resort to asking blatant, leading questions to keep him on the phone for another few minutes."

"I understand…So what did you ask and what was his response?"

"For starters I tried to ask who the girl with the nametag could have been. He said she was probably some waitress or something to that extent."

"Some waitress?"

"He didn't give a name or anything. He described her as a brunette in her early twenties and explained that Cullen had this thing where he kept requesting unopened bottles of beer and water and it was always the same girl that brought them to him. She was tipped handsomely forthe trouble. She wore a nametag for sure, but Peter didn't consider it important to remember her name."

"Did he see them interact? Flirt? Touch? Anything?"

"No, but he did say he saw Cullen wander off with her at one point though, presumably heading outside for a smoke."

"A smoke?"

"Yeah, he held a pack of cigarettes in his hand. Let me reenact the conversation for you. Peter said he saw them head out. I asked 'Was that how Edward got his freak on that night? By dragging some girl out into a dark alley with him under the pretence of having a smoke?'" Jasper said exaggerated his own Texas drawl and then went on and delivered the answer to the question, mimicking his cousin's flat Midwestern accent.

"Well, it didn't happen inside the club, that's for sure. I scored some good stuff and had spent a better part of the night irritated because I couldn't find anywhere to shoot up. There were simply too many people milling around. No dark corners, no unseen places, no unattended restrooms or cloakrooms."

He kept up with the accents as he continued retelling the rest of the conversation.

Jasper- "So there was more than alcohol at play that night. Did you share with Eddie? Was it a bad trip that landed him in the ER?"

Peter - "Hell no, Cullen has always been way too paranoid to try anything besides booze, hallucinogens, and weed. Everyone knows that."

Jasper-"If it wasn't drugs, then what was it that caused the swelling, the wheezing and the scratching?"

Peter - "Hard to say… Something he ate. Everyone said the shrimps tasted funny. I only caught the end of it. When I got there, Cullen was already talking funny, shaking, sweating and stu-... "

"Wait," Bella interrupted, halting Jasper mid sentence. "I thought Peter said he was there when Edward dropped to the floor? But now you're saying he wasn't?"

"Apparently he was out back, packing his equipment into his car, getting ready to leave. Then there was ruckus inside and people calling out for him, urging him to hurry inside."

"To the break room?"

"Break room, slash storage room, slash food disposal room, apparently," Jasper confirmed. "Peter actually said the room was all kinds of nasty. They stored trash bags in there, and leftover food….and other smelly things…"

"Not a place where you would want to get naked," Bella commented.

"No, any baby-making action must have already happened at that point because the waitress was already long gone. "

"Peter said that?"

"Sort of… He said the last he saw of her was when she followed Cullen out for that smoke. Edward said the same thing, didn't he? That the waitress got pulled aside by some boss person and yelled at for taking an unauthorized break and that he didn't see her again after that."

"Yes, but his memories are still a big jumbled mess. I was just hoping for a confirmation from Peter."

"Right, well all he actually said was that he didn't see her again. He did bring up another, interesting piece of information, though. Apparently there was another woman in the break room when he got there. A woman who was sobbing hysterically, claiming it was her fault Edward got sick."

"Oh, really?! Who?"

"This is pure speculation on my part," Jasper warned. "I think the woman was from the radio station, someone handling the talents, because she recognized Edward both as a musician and a friend of Peter's. From what Peter said, she told them she found a drunk and distraught Edward stumbling around out back and brought him to sit down in the break room while she went looking for Peter."

"I think I can guess where this is going. You said they stored trash and left over food in there…"

"Yep….Apparently the last thing she said to Edward was that he should eat and drink something to sober up."

"Yikes, guess she forgot that there were bad shrimps being piled up in there. Or maybe she simply didn't know where exactly the trays with the contaminated food had been disposed."

"Either way, Edward ate of the shrimps and got sick. It must have happened in a matter of minutes."

"Did you get a name or description or anything that could help us identify this woman?"

"I'm afraid not… She was devastated and kept offering to call an ambulance, but Peter talked her out of it. That's all I know. I'm sorry. I know you were hoping to get a chance to speak with Peter yourself. I did my best though, I hope you know that."

"I know you did. No worries," Bella reassured him, and meant it. She had no doubt where his loyalty laid.

They chatted for another few minutes.

The fact that Peter hadn't brought up Maria's tattoo was a bit disconcerting to Bella. Especially seeing as Jasper said Peter was into tattoos. Scatterbrained or not, he should have noticed if the woman had a fist sized one on her neck.

Needless to say, there was still some confusion as to how it all fit together.

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Next piece of new information – or in the context of the ketchup analogy, blob of ketchup -came in the form of a call from Seth regarding a very risqué, yet quite genius stunt that Emmett had pulled at the coffee house.

"He did WHAT?" Bella heard herself nearly shout into her phone.

Seth merely chuckled in response. "That was my initial reaction too, but no harm's done. It's quite genius if you think about it."

"How can you say that. What if Maria hears about this? What if she is warned off? What if she is told that there has been yet another stranger lurking around asking questions about her?"

"Who would tell her? The new girl? They just started training her. She's really green. She even said herself that she has only ever met Maria twice."

"It's still risqué," Bella insisted.

And it was…

Emmett wasn't exactly known for his finesse or his patience.

It had taken him less than two days to realize that being on a stake-out for hours and hours at a time was only slightly more entertaining than watching paint dry. Bored out of his mind he had taken it on himself to change things up a bit. He had thought it to be a good idea to approach the newest, greenest, employee of the establishment, a young female, student that was fresh out of high school.

Only problem was that Edward's brother genuinely wasn't aware that he due to his size tended to come across as rather intimidating and even a bit unfriendly upon first glance. What Bella feared was that even if his intent had been to try and coax this girl into talking about Maria Nahuel, his actions might have been mistaken for ill-concealed threats.

"He was smart about it, "Seth pointed out. "He told 'new girl' he'd heard that Maria was planning on leaving town and that he had been in contact with her before about buying her car. He acted like he was crazy about the car and that he was desperate to get in touch with her again."

"Did this girl even know or care about what type of car Maria drives? Sure, it's a classic, but it's not like it's a one-of-a-kind item or anything."

"Your buddy was pretty convincing from what I've been told. He got her believing that he is BIG on classic mid-century American cars, throwing around terms like carburetors and cylinder heads and thermostatic chokes."

Bella wasn't impressed. "You realize he was pulling stuff out of his butt, right?! Em doesn't know the first thing about the basic mechanics of anything that rolls on wheels and runs on gasoline. His wife on the other hand…."

"Doesn't matter. He got her talking. 'New girl' said Maria isn't working there anymore, that she hardly knows her, that she don't have her phone number. She said there were probably some personnel files she could access, but that she'd never risk her job over something as stupid as a dusty, old car. "

"See, this is what I'm talking about! The girl couldn't care less about the car AND she has a conscience. Now, she'll warn Maria for sure."

"I don't think so. She had no qualms revealing the name of the law firm Ms. Nahuel has been working for."

"Which is?"

"Irwing & Caldwell, but that's not all. She also hinted that she was pretty sure the final exchange of money and keys will take place on Friday around opening time. The owner, Mrs. O'Neal, like to handle those kind of things personally, but seeing as she's pushing 80 she doesn't come in everyday anymore."

"And Friday morning is the next time she'll be stopping by to check on the place?"

"Exactly! Apparently you can set your clock around the old dragons schedule. I spoke with the owner of the dry cleaning facility across the street. He confirmed this to be true and he's been around for twelve years."

"I'm still not happy about this, but I guess we'll see on Friday if you're right or not."

"In the meanwhile, I'm on my way over to Irwing & Caldwell."

"Wait! You can't just walk in there and ask for Maria. We need to plan this. We nee-…"

"Relax, she's not there today. I've already called ahead and checked whether or not she will be in today or later this week. She isn't expected back until first week or January. If she is in fact planning on skipping town, it might not be as imminent as we have feared, or she simply don't think it necessary to inform these people about it. I have set up a meeting with the chief of staff to find out more."

"We still need a plan. What are you hoping to achieve? You think you can get her last known address? A recent photo of her wouldn't hurt."

"Nah, I can do better than that. Give me half an hour and I'll give you the bank account where her salary is deposited every month. I've never found a corporate server I couldn't hack."

"So… this mean that even if she doesn't show up on Friday, even if she is warned and goes into hiding, we'll still be able to track her down through her money transactions."

"That's the plan, Swan!" Seth announced and then laughed at the accidental rhyme. "Tell Cullen we have her by the throat now. Friday will be the day we bring her in for questioning. That's a promise."

And there it was… after weeks, months of nothing…BAM! Everything seemed to shift and fall into place all at once.

The result of the second DNA test came in. There was only two ways it could have gone, so it wasn't a bolt-out-of-the-blue shocker. However, combined with the photos that special agent Paul Lahote had manage to extract from the surveillance cameras of the NF-059. Five Mile Rd and the fingerprints that had been officer Franklin's parting gift, they now had a much clearer understanding of what they were dealing with.

The final piece of the puzzle though, and this one was a bit unexpected, was found in the five years worth of records of bank transactions that Clearwater had obtained.

Maria Nahuel had gotten herself in some deep water. Well over her head it seamed. She would have some serious questions to answer and not just the ones Bella were preparing for her. No, there would be other FBI agents waiting to have a turn with her as well.

Come Friday the Cullen's would have some, if not all, of their answers. Bella vowed to herself to make sure of that. It could very well turn out to be the last thing she did in her professional capacity of being an FBI agent, but Edward would have his closure.

Speaking of closure… there was a text waiting for her when she returned to bed after brushing her teeth. It was from Edward and while his words weren't particularly upbeat or uplifting, they still left her feeling slightly more optimistic than before.

-I can't believe you're still at it you stubborn woman. Give it a rest already! I've told you, I'm all talked out at the moment. Can you mention one good thing that's come out of our conversations lately?! No, didn't think so. I'm done trying, done giving hope, done hoping, and most importantly I'm done being pushed around and lied to… Speaking of being pushed around, Charlie is off the list! We're not naming our kid after the police chief that gave me my first speeding ticket!- E

She replied with a quick – I suppose Waylon and Mark are out as well. I don't remember if Steve ever booked you for anything, but he was kind of creepy, always leering at me and touching himself…*shudders* How do you feel about Shelly? We could spell it Chelleigh. She only gave you parking tickets, right?- B

Baby names were a safe topic of conversation, something they could bicker and banter over without stepping on any toes... Or so she hoped...
She went back and added a smiley just to be sure he wouldn't miss the teasing tone in her words.

Oh Edward, don't give up on us now...

For the second night in a row she fell alseep with her pohne in her hand.

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