by Sara Schoen
"Thanks, Audrey," I said offering a small smile as Damien slid into the seat next to his girlfriend. I saw him roll his eyes as he sat down. "What's wrong?"
"Your friend is a jerk, I said hi to him as he walked past me and he shoved past me mumbling about how irritating something was. I asked if he was okay and he told me to get lost, or better yet, go back to jail," Damien grimaced as he thought about his time in jail. He had to serve time for kidnapping Audrey, even when the family dropped the charges, but there was no way he was ever going back. Luckily for him, he got out with two years and had no horrible injuries to tell us about.
"That's Callum for you," I said with a smile as I glanced over to see him yelling at his team. For a few moments I was glad not to be a part of his team yet, it didn't look like they were having a pleasant discussion. My thoughts were verified when Callum turned to look at me with a glare, anger visible in his eyes, as he waved me over. I sighed heavily, "my slave-driver calls."
Chapter 7
I walked over to Callum with a slow, patient walk that clearly annoyed him as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. I could see the anger in his eyes and feel it in his touch. He glared down at me as he shuffled me into the room with his team, and judging from the deep displeasure in his eyes, it wasn't by choice. He had been on the phone for over fifteen minutes and now he wanted to talk to all of us together—must have been important, or he just didn't want to repeat himself.
"That phone call was from the Director Cassidy," Callum said before Abby interrupted him.
"What did she want? We have barely started the investigation here, she can't expect us to know something already."
"Well, if you let me finish then you would know what the phone call as about," Callum retorted, clearly annoyed. "She wanted to take the time to remind me that we are here because the police of this department asked us to be here, and are only here to work on this case only," Callum stated as he glanced over at me to make sure I understood.
I lifted an eyebrow at him, unsure of why he needed me to understand. I watched as his eyes flicked to Damien and Audrey, I didn't look at them though. I could see the answer in his eyes, he didn't want me focused on them, my family or anything else. He wanted me focused on the case and nothing else, little did he know that it wouldn't be a problem
There were very few things that distracted me, but they never got in the way of the case. Although, a case had never involved my family and friends before. A case never got someone I knew targeted. A case was never so personal, and now it was possible for me to be sidetracked. I had to keep Anna and Audrey out of this because it wasn't fair for them to relive the horror again, this time it was my turn.
"We will need to stay focused to solve this quickly. We should focus on the last girl taken before Audrey Thompson was mistakenly taken. That girl should give us a clue to what he currently looks for and maybe close in on his type." Callum looked at me again, as if to tell me that I should focus away from Audrey.
It would be hard to stay away from her, she was the closest thing I had to a sister. I knew her the best, I would know stuff they didn't and be better help. It would at least make up for the fact that I hadn't been able to help much with the kidnapping aspect of this case yet.
"Remember that there is a girl's life on the line along with at least twelve others, if not more, fates are uncertain at the moment."
At his words I glanced over to Audrey and Damien. They were wrapped in each other arms in a way that sent a pang of jealousy through my body. They had found each other in a sick twist of fate, just as Anna had found Garrett, by being a part of the Steve Bennett kidnappings. They each found their partner through the horrific and terrible experience without really trying, but I hadn't been able to find anyone after trying for years. The ones I had found that seemed to be good guys couldn't get past the fact that I had been a part of the notorious kidnapping spree. No one wanted to date a girl that had been broken, they didn't want the baggage, but I wish someone would just take the time to get to know me.
I didn't have the baggage they thought I had, I healed, I had moved past the kidnappings like Anna and Audrey had. They were able to function normally, and few people even talked to them about it, but with me it was on everyone's mind. I couldn't escape it; no matter where I turned someone was asking me about it. What it had been like, what Steve had been like and how it affected my family; it was never ending. There wasn't a person out there that didn't know what I had been through, but each and every one of them were fascinated by it.
I glanced up to Callum, he had been one of the men that knew about the kidnappings and he had wasted no time bringing them up. He had seen me struggle with the choice to come here, and I was sure that he thought I had baggage, but his blue eyes gave nothing away; even when he glanced over to me during his speech. It was almost as if I wasn't there.
I sighed heavily as I looked at Damien and Audrey. It was only a matter of time before Damien proposed to her and they could be together like Anna and Garrett, while I would be single, waiting for that one man that didn't ask me about Steve Bennett or the kidnappings. I just wanted one person to not focus on them; it was something so far in my past that I barely remembered, but it seemed impossible to have a relationship while working for the FBI. We worked at all hours and rarely got home at a usual time, it would be hard, but it would be worth it in my opinion.
"Clearly my speech wasn't taken to heart or even being listened to," I heard Callum say, snapping me out of my mental reverie. "How about you try a little harder to listen and participate, then I might actually consider you to be a part of this team. You weren't asked to be a consultant so you could daydream, I need you to focus and figure out where this man is going before he even knows, or is that not possible for you?"
I was about to tell him where he could put his attitude instead of getting angry with me, but I remembered what Audrey said. I didn't know anything about Callum, I didn't know why he chose me to pick on or why he was so angry, and there was nothing I could do about it. I took a deep breath and offered him a soft smile.
"I can do it, no worries." As the words left my mouth, Callum rolled his eyes and scoffed at my answer. He then started to bark out orders for his team to do after he talked to the officers in the station. He smiled at me as he walked out of the room, before I saw his eyes darken a second later as he rolled his eyes at me again.
I guess I still wasn't in his good graces, so much for teamwork.
Chapter 8
Callum stepped in front of the heads of the police department, our team, and a few other officers that were invited in while he delivered the profile we had created so far. While the team had debated on whether or not this was the right time to do it since the profile could always change, Callum was trying to ignore it because he knew that while it could change it would be better to get what they knew out there so the police could start looking.
There was loud chatter as everyone attempted to have their own conversations, clearly forgetting that when someone talked over another conversation it got louder and no one could hear. Callum cleared his throat trying to get their attention, but everyone continued to talk. He tried to start speaking, but again no one heard him. I saw him growing more frustrated by the passing second, I let a giggle escape my lips, but even in the heavy noise volume Callum heard me.
His glare went deep into my eyes, as his scowl deepened. It was as if he was challenging me, to see how far I would go, because he clearly didn't like that I was pleased to see him growing flustered. When I didn't accept his challenge he stood up on one of the desks and whistled loudly for everyone's attention as his team joined him in the center of the crowd.
"If I can have your attention, we are going to give a tentative idea of the man we are looking for I ask you to remain alert to people that may not fit our profile because it is continuously being worked on and can change. Do not fixate on only those who fall under the perception of our profile because we can only base it on what w
e know at the moment. With that in mind, Jason please start," Callum stated as he jumped off the desk with ease and watched the crowd.
"We believe he has done this before," Jason started to gather everyone's attention. "That's because of the progression that this unknown subject is showing as well as the previous girls that went missing and were later found dead in the beginning of this case"
"We think he is in his late twenties to mid-thirties because he plans and has had time to perfect his art," Darrell stated. "Since he is able to take women from public places this can also tell us that he has confidence and has been building it from the prior kidnappings—it shows this progression and confidence building."
"That progression shows that he is working up to his main goal. All of the other kidnappings have been practice for the one he is after," Callum said, adding onto what each of his team members had said, as he starred at Audrey and Damien in the back of the room. "We believe he is after one person and that he will do anything to get her. We must be careful because he will not stand for anyone getting in his way when it comes to his target and will take the first opportunity he has to take her.
"It is also important to note that he considers the women he doesn't want to be disposable, but he feels remorse for killing them and leaves them somewhere they can be found. While the girls he has planned to take have not been killed, or at least not found," Abby added as she stepped in front of Callum so she could talk about be heard for what she had to say.
"This man wouldn't be noticed at first if you saw him in person. He would look as if he was just another person in your daily life and you wouldn't even think twice about saying hello or even having a conversation with him. This means that he doesn't stand out and seems like he belongs wherever he is; he blends into the crowd and because of this," Darrell added.
It was amazing to watch them give a profile. I was blown away by how much they knew about this man just from his behavior. I never would have been able to know any of that, or even taken the time to notice it without them here. I would have considered his behavior to be nothing important, but to them it was everything. I felt like I knew him about as well as I knew Audrey growing up.
It's strange to think what your behavior has to say about you, I would hate to be profiled by them, but I assume they do it to everyone they meet by now. I wonder what they thought about me, I thought, but I quickly shook those thoughts from my head. I had a feeling I wouldn't really want to know, especially what Callum thought about me. I shivered at the thought; he would just point out my flaws and make me feel bad about myself.
"All of this shows us that he is very smart, and plans everything out as best as he can. He will very rarely make a mistake, and you will not find evidence unless he wants you to. While he made a mistake today, we believe that it was because of the similarities between the two girls and he will make sure not to make that same mistake again, so be prepared," Callum emphasized by pausing momentarily between sentences so that the information had time to sink in. Callum was very careful with how he spoke, calm and collected while the rest of his team seemed on edge. They looked and sounded calm, but there was something about them that seemed nervous.
Great, now I'm doing it, I thought as I listened to Darrell.
"Because he is so organized we have profiled him as an organized killer, which means that he will do anything to maintain control. He will most likely have a fascination with law enforcement, will attempt to inject himself into the investigation," Darrell said as a warning. "
He may have already done this in many different ways. He could be a witness or given a tip, but if he hasn't yet then he will soon because we are standing in his way of getting to Audrey," Abby said, to put herself back in the conversation. I noticed that Kate hadn't said anything, she was comfortable standing back and letting everyone else talk. Whereas Abby refused to be left behind, she was here and she was going to be a part of this.
"Why would he try to become a part of the case? Wouldn't that put him in a difficult situation?" an officer asked, interrupting Abby before she could finish her thought.
"Because it makes him feel powerful and that is what he feeds off of," Callum answered, waving his hands to dismiss the officers and sending them to work with the profile they had been given. As Callum turned to his team, the commander of the local police department came up to him to offer their suspect list from eyewitness statements at the college.
"We won't look at a suspect list until we come up with a complete and accurate profile. We believe we are correct, but a profile is a judgment based on behavior and in case the behavior changes we need to prevent a bias profile. We want to be as accurate as possible and any sort of prior belief will prevent us from doing that," Callum stated as he waved for the commander to leave. Suddenly Callum seemed angry and annoyed, I wasn't sure why, but I didn't like it.
"I thought we had a complete profile," I said, confused by his statement to the officer. They had just finished giving a profile, how come we didn't have a complete yet? There was no point presenting it if it wasn’t complete. Maybe that's why Callum’s team didn't want to give it right away. This could do more harm than good if it backfired on whatever plans Callum was thinking of.
"We won't have a complete profile until we see how he reacts to getting the wrong girl," Callum started. He clearly saw where I was going to go when he said that and immediately finished his thought. "And how he tries to take her again. If this was a mistake then his behavior could change and that would change the. I'm sure he'll try again soon since he wants Audrey for whatever his main goal is, and they we will have our answer. Hopefully before she’s taken," Callum added softly to himself as he turned to walk away from me.
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear—he had said it quietly—but loud enough for me to hear. Either way I didn't like what I heard, and I was scared for Audrey. There was a man after her and we didn't really know anything about him, and wouldn't until he went after her again. I had to do something, but I didn't know what or if there was anything I could do. I glanced to Callum’s team to see them heading back into the conference room the commander had put us into. The only thing I could do to help Audrey for sure was to work with Callum’s team—it was time for me to be a team player. No more looking out for just myself, it was time to put the past fully behind me and focus on what I had to do right now before it was too late.
Chapter 9
I threw myself into working with Callum’s team, even though Callum was very rarely a part of it while I was in there. He let us do most of the work, observed us, and kept us on track when we became too friendly with each other. He wanted us to focus, and look at the information we had to plan for when Audrey would go back to school. She would have to go back to finish her classes since she was almost done with school and refused to put her life on hold again for another round of Steve Bennett's games.
For now we had to plan. She would need someone to protect her, even with Damien around, to make sure nothing happened to her. We would take turns protecting her, normally with a partner, while she was on school grounds and then have a car sitting outside whenever she went home. It was a lot of work, but we were prepared for it. If Audrey was who he was after he would do anything to get her, we just had no idea how or when.
Audrey didn't like it, but she accepted it because she knew it was probably the only opportunity we had to catch him. We had no idea where he was from, where he was keeping the girls or anything that would give us another opportunity to find him if we failed to keep her safe. We had to catch him now while he was focused on her. This was our only shot and we weren't going to mess it up.
"Jessi, I need to speak with you," Callum said as he came into the team room. He had been discussing courses of action with the school and the police officers all day. We hadn't seen him except for a few minutes when he had a moment to sit and hear our reports, but I could tell it wasn't enough. He had dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep and he was easily angered, but t
hat was mostly directed at me. Why did he hate me so much?
"Sure, Callum," I answered, moving past the table cluttered with papers and files. There were white boards around the room mapping out each girl's life history, but Audrey's picture got me every time. She could be gone now, but luckily he had made a mistake.
Every once in a while, I would begin to wonder if it was a mistake, but I never entertained the thoughts. I didn't want to stir the water on what the team had already figured out. I had been chewed out for that before with Callum and didn't want a repeat. I was doing well, until now, I thought sourly to myself as Callum lead me to a deserted back hallway in the building. Whenever he wanted to talk to me it meant that I did something wrong, and he was going to blow up at me for whatever it was.
"You've been asking Anna and Audrey for help, instead of thinking for yourself." Callum started out immediately to the point. He wasn't one to beat around the bush, he just wanted to get to the point and be done with it. I had to say it had been refreshing when I first met him, even an attractive trait, but now it was just annoying. "Their ideas aren't what I'm looking for, I want yours. I need you to start thinking for yourself Jessi."
"But Anna knows this the best and—” I started, but Callum quickly silenced me with a flick of his hand. It was clear he didn't want to hear my excuses, and he had more to say about it before I could speak.
"You're using their advice and putting it into your own words. That's like stealing another person's work and calling it your own!" Callum yelled, allowing his booming voice to echo off the empty walls and bounce around me as a constant reminder. "You're trying to make yourself seem better than you actually are by using their advice and it's not working. I know you don't know a lot, because you were little, I want your opinion though, not theirs!"