by Vr McCoy
“It will be February 1st tomorrow, this killer threatens to strike again, and we still have nothing. We have all the best resources afforded to us and the assistance of several agencies, but we can't find one person. We can raid drug labs, brothels and make unwarranted threats, but we still have no results. We will be initiating road blocks and check points again. The standing curfew has been extended to start an hour early. Unless someone can offer me something outside of a crystal ball, we will have another murder on our hands,” the A.D. stated. The A.D. was now feeling the pressure that we were used to working under. He was a bureaucrat and hadn't been investigating in the field in a long time, but his idle threats wouldn't make this situation any better.
“This is bullshit,” Max stated after the meeting. He always had a habit of expressing what everyone was feeling. We left the meeting angry and wondering why he had wasted our time. As if we didn't know everything he'd spewed. We knew we were on a clock and that the time was ticking down. He just wanted to assert his authority more and act as if his insulting talks would make us do our jobs better. Everyone was out there, giving their all. We even had people sidelined for gunshot wounds.
Things went from bad to worse when the A.D. called our team in for a private pow-wow, with Steve present. Once again, he belittled our efforts pertaining to the investigation, but this time he sidelined us. He reassigned us to Homeland Security to assist with coordination, where he could keep an eye on us. It wasn't like anyone else was doing any better than us, but he disapproved of our methods; min in particular. This was no surprise as he'd let me know of his dislike for me on more than one occasion.
Then the unthinkable happened on February 1 at 0200 hours. Dianna's telephone rang and her face went blank as she listened in silence. I could tell that there was something wrong by her look. She continued to listen, and then responded, “We'll be right there.”
“What's wrong?” I inquired as I looked at her with anticipation and concern. She seemed lifeless, then composed herself and briefed me on the situation.
“It was Steve; Gracie is missing. She left the office around 2100 hours yesterday and no one has been able to get in touch with her. She was supposed to meet Steve at the hotel, but didn't show up,” she said solemnly.
“Yeah, I saw her leave. She was exhausted from pulling such long hours with Steve and Max,” I replied. We paused for a very long time and then I broke the silence. “I'll drive; let's get going,”
Could this be the work of the serial killer? He wasn't supposed to attack until tonight; February 1 or the morning of February 2. What made him go early, if it was him? He had been so meticulous in the past with his countdown. At this juncture I was only hoping that it was all just a mistake.
We arrived at the RO around 0300 hours. The office was already packed. An FBI agent was missing in action, and the always stoic Steve was a wreck. It seemed the subject escalated as we had anticipated, after leaving the letter for us. He sent a clear message this time that he wasn't afraid of us, and that we could do nothing to stop him. The A.D. began the meeting, as he had taken over now. I drowned him out and judging by the look of every agent in that room, they did as well. It was personal now, more than ever. There was nothing this degrading A.D. had to say that we were interested in hearing. He had lost the respect of everyone in room.
We forged on in the investigation. There were no other victims taken on the night of February 1 thru the morning of February 2. That pretty much confirmed that Gracie was the intended victim. Our timeline for the abductions had been leaked or figured out by the Media News, which wasn't a hard thing to do. They were camped outside the RO. They didn't have any information on Gracie's abduction, but they have plenty of questions concerning the night of the 1st and early morning of the 2nd.
Their main questions were: has there been another abduction, and how close were we in catching the serial killer? They had a right to know; after all, we were public servants, but the FBI decided to keep this one closed to the media. It didn't involve a civilian; so we could keep the information as sensitive and because it pertained to an ongoing case. The A.D. explained all this in his press conference that afternoon.
Steve circumvented A.D. Pollin's orders and took my team off the bench. If Gracie had any chance of surviving this, it would be with me riding in the front seat. The A.D. was receiving too much heat to notice that we weren't in the office. He wanted the recognition and the limelight, and now it was time for the A.D. to feel what came with it; the stress, the pressure and the heat.
Dianna, Nina and I went to Gracie's apartment, where we conducted my dreamscape preliminaries as usual. Gracie's apartment was immaculate, she didn't spend a lot of time there. She was always working, like the rest of us. The bedroom wasn't as neat as the rest of the house. The bed wasn't made and there were clothes out, as if she'd been in a rush to leave and couldn't decide what to wear. Perhaps it was just clothes from the night before? I guess this was why Steve didn't want to come over with us. They probably spent nights together between here and the hotel.
There weren't a lot of people who knew of their relationship. They pretty much kept it a secret. There weren't a lot of framed pictures around, but she did have a photo album that I sat down on the sofa and perused. I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and attempted to mimic what she would do while at home. I turned on the television, but kept it mute and turned on the stereo. She had some nice jazz singers, to include Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Nina Simone. I put on the latest Norah Jones CD. Then I proceeded to water her plants, which were neglected due to the long hours we had been working.
While I was doing all this, Dianna was looking for clues around the apartment and Nina just followed me around and observed my every move. It was her first time witnessing this. I would look at her from time to time and catch her gaze as she smiled at me in return. She didn't say anything, but had the look of approval for what I was doing. I treated Gracie's personal items like I was caring for her in person. When I completed my preliminary connection they took me back to the hotel, so I could conduct a dreamscape on Gracie. This was something I would have never conceived of doing; not in my wildest dreams.
After I prepped myself, Dianna gave Steve a call and informed him that I was about to go under. Nina asked if she could remain in the room when I went into dreamscape. It was usually a private affair that I only shared consciously with my doctors, until Dianna. I conferred with Dianna and we both agreed that it would be alright, since Nina had shared a dreamscape experience with us and was our partner.
I changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt; I was usually very active during my dreams. I grabbed my headphones and took two sleeping pills. I wanted to spend as much time as possible finding clues to assist the team in finding Gracie, no matter how messed up the pills made me. I lay down on the bed. “Now girls,” I urged with mock severity, “promise you won't take advantage of me while I'm sleeping.”
They both giggled, the inappropriate joking helping to break the terrible tension we all felt.
They had an iPad ready to record and a notepad for taking notes. I'd never felt so safe before going into dreamscape, as I was always concerned with the horrors that I might find. It'd never been this personal for me. I was sure I would make a connection. Thus far, the killer had kept the victims alive for about 16 days.
I woke up groggy with a headache, several hours after the dreamscape. That was the only problem with gathering the information. I was usually under for valuable time, but Steve always comforted me by saying that it was time worth spending in capturing the subject. Up until this case it always held true. Dianna had the bottled water waiting for me like an old pro and Nina was her apprentice, learning as she observed.
They were doing their best to be patient with me as they waited for me to brief them on what I'd discovered. They were observing my every move, from me unscrewing the cap off the water bottle to me putting it up to my lips and drinking. I didn't mean to prolong their
anticipation or keep them in suspense, but I was parched and feeling a little dehydrated from sweating in the dream. Then I explained to them what I had observed.
“She was abducted at the liquor store parking area. She went inside to purchase a bottle of wine. The name of the liquor store is Kelly Liquors, at 6300 San Mateo Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque. Her car is still there also. She remembered how dark it was in the parking lot area and how she should have been more vigilant. She couldn't see the moon or a star in the sky, it was so dark. She did hear the howl of a coyote in the background, but it was too late once she recognized the sound. The perpetrator moved in quickly and grabbed her from behind, like the others, before she could enter her vehicle.”
“Gracie was unconscious during the trip and woke up terrified on the dirt floor of the pitch black area she was being held, just like the rest of the women. She was already thinking that she was going to die because she heard this all before. She was bound like the rest, with plastic straps on her wrists and around her ankles. She had a gag in her mouth and a blindfold covering her eyes. He doesn't want her to see, like he didn't want the rest of them to see. His whole persona is built around being in the shadows. She is still fully clothed right now. She also experienced what Jessica did in reference to the changing temperatures while on the dirt floor. He hasn't approached her again since the abduction,” I said in a very low and melancholy voice.
“Wow, that is amazing!” Nina stated in excitement. This was her first time experiencing what I could do. We understood her excitement, but it wasn't reciprocated. Dianna wanted to hear the information as Nina, but was subdued as I was about the demise of Gracie. After her initial stupefaction, Nina came back down to our reality and was cognizant of the solemn mood in the room. She felt embarrassed, so I quickly moved on.
“Did you get anything from the session?” I inquired from the both of them.
“Yes, we received a lot, but it was once again her thoughts of fear and despair. She mentioned you and Steve. She hopes the both of you can find her. She also left a message to her parents because she knew you would enter her dreams. She asked if we could give it to them and stated that she would try to help you in any way possible.”
Then Nina inquired, “Why can't you give us any insight on the subject?”
“I can only enter the dreams and experiences of a person I have a connection with. If she could see a face, I could give a description, but I still wouldn't be able to enter into his dreams. I need a personal connection to do so.”
“You mean like a totem,” Nina asked.
“Exactly,” I replied. Nina was more knowledgeable about dreamscaping or vision quest, as the Native Americans call it, than I had realized.
“Can you take me with you, like when you pulled me into your dream the other night” she asked next.
“I've never attempted it while conducting investigations, because I need to concentrate all my focus on reading the dreams of the victim and making a connection with them,” I explained.
“But it could be possible?” she inquired.
“Anything is possible, but there is something that I didn't divulge about that experience with the both of you.”
“What is that,” she asked as they both looked on with curious eyes.
“Well I didn't want to get into something so personal at the time, but to bring you in as I did without any prior experiences with you, it had to be a strong connection between us that night. I was as surprised as the both of you. Remember my reaction afterwards, Dianna?”
“Yes, I do. Vividly. You started freaking out.”
“I began freaking out because I was surprised by what had occurred.”
“So what are you saying,” Dianna inquired?
“I know what he's saying,” Nina interjected, “I was dreaming about him as well.”
“This just became awkward,” Dianna stated.
“We were all drunk, and I was just as horny as the two of you,” Nina stated, attempting to deflect any further embarrassment. “So there's no way to recreate that?” She inquired.
“It was a first for me,” I replied. “I'm not as close to Gracie as I am with the two of you. We were spending a lot of time both working and having fun together.”
“Can we try it anyway?” Nina asked.
“Sure, but have to be later,” I insisted. “I can't take another pill right now, and we have to brief Steve and the rest of the RO.”
At the morning meeting, the A.D. spewed out his usual badgering, which no one was interested in hearing. Then it was time for me to brief everyone on my findings. The A.D. didn't have a problem with me speaking at the time, but his hard-eyed glare made me sure we'd have another private meeting after this one because I ventured off the reservation to acquire the information.
Everyone at the meeting was shocked by my findings. They immediately sent the local police to the liquor store to preserve the crime scene. When I finished briefing everyone, Ortega jumped out of his chair with tears in his eyes and attacked me. He was distraught and out of control.
“You saw him doing all this to her and you didn't stop it,” he yelled, holding me down on the floor. Then Steve, who was the closest ViCAP team member, tackled Ortega, and the rest of the ViCAP team flew out of their seats as well. Steve hit him several times, rendering him incapacitated. He lay on the floor weeping.
“How dare you! He saw all of this after the fact! Don't you ever touch a member of my team,” Steve yelled, enraged as he stood over the prostrate agent.
Amber went over to calm Steve, and Dianna accompanied me. No one from the Residence Office attempted to come to Ortega's defense; partially because he was wrong, but mostly because of Max, a former linebacker and Special Forces Marine, who was waiting to engage anyone who even thought about jumping in.
Max was our enforcer as he looked over the crowd between us and them. I've seen him on countless occasions take on up to four assailants at the same time without even breaking a sweat. He would never admit it, but he enjoyed engaging in physical confrontation. He would always psychoanalyze himself and his aggression as being a healthy way of relieving stress and that it was controlled and only brought out when necessary. Agent Max Maurice and Sheriff Carroll Hughes were from the same cloth. I wouldn't want to confront either man in a dark alley. They could have been brothers in a different life.
The A.D. seemed to take pleasure in what had happened. He'd had an unforgettable smirk on his face when I was attacked. I don't know what I ever did to the Assistant Director, but one thing was for sure; he despised me. The fight had been all he needed to break up the team.
Thus far we were down two ViCAP agents. Paul had been shot and was recovering from his injury and Steve had been suspended and relieved of duty. He was taken off the case due to personal involvement and the politics of bureaucracy. That left Max, Amber, Dianna and me; two African Americans, an Italian American and a half breed descendant of Freedmen. It didn't take a genius to surmise what would happen next. Yes racism still exists in the government. It didn't take long before the A.D. took total control of the investigation. It should have been passed down to Max, but apparently the team had fallen from grace in the eyes of Washington, with the abduction of Gracie.
The remaining team members continued to assist with the investigation. We currently had the most investigative history and knowledge on the case, but we were under close scrutiny. The A.D. threatened to fire me if I disobeyed him, and went out into the field investigating again. It was easier to fire me than the others, because I was only a consultant on contract. The others had civil servant positions and ratings.
Dianna and I were mandated to remain at the RO and assist with coordination. I immediately requested a medical leave of absence due to the pressure of the case. It was easy for me to request the leave since my contract had a medical clause. This infuriated the A.D. and he threatened to fire me again, but there was nothing he could do. My contract was drawn up by a very reputable lawyer. He also threatened to
arrest me if he saw or heard of me getting involved in the case in any way. A.D. Pollin was self-destructing, slowly but surely. He vilified and put down the A-team, and we were the only chance he had of catching this killer.
I moved out of the Hilton where Pollin and the other agents were staying, and into the Ramada Inn. I wouldn't leave Gracie like that. I was invested in the case, but I knew I couldn't help her in my limited role at the RO. I informed Dianna of my intentions, and then called Steven. He was still in New Mexico also. We agreed to continue working the case together. The rest of the ViCAP team would assist us from the inside. Dianna's duties would be to shadow the A.D. After moving into the Ramada I received a call from Nina, who had also been sent packing.
“So I heard you're taking a leave of absence,” she stated.
“Yeah, that prick just wanted to rub my nose in it. There was no need in me to stay there and take that abuse. I've never been a glutton for punishment,” I stated.
“So, are you quitting or just needed to get away from the Anal Dude,” she inquired?
“I like the abbreviated pun,” I replied.
“I have my moments,” she retorted.
“So, are you ready to go on a road trip with me?” she asked.
“Sure; where are we going?”
“We need to go back to North Carolina. I have someone I need you to meet,” she stated.
“I don't know if this is a good time for it,” I replied.
“This is the best time for it. We are running out of time and if you're going to find Agent Mullins, you need to utilize your abilities to the fullest. I know someone who can assist you with that. You are capable of doing so much more with your abilities than you are aware of,” Nina stated.
