In Plain Sight

by R E Gauthier

  Kelsey smiled and agreed that she would talk to her when she was ready.

  Rachel looked up to see the two younger FBI agents approaching her; one look told her those two were up to something. She knew them for several years since their days in the FBI Academy and they were always getting into some mischief. Nikki was the instigator and Kelsey stumbled along with her trouble-finding friend. Rachel smiled and greeted the two younger women. She knew they wouldn’t tell her what they were up to but she would find out soon enough.

  “Well don’t you two look all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? You must have got some serious sleep and a good breakfast today, hopefully no more tummy-rumbling.” She cocked her head towards the taller, dark agent with a silly grin on her face.

  Kelsey’s grin turned into a huge smile as she leaned in and hugged her. She had never hugged anyone willingly and the day became more interesting when Nikki too leaned in to hug her and whispered, “Just go with it.” Oh yeah these two were definitely up to something.

  Kelsey sat down and gave her best friend a serious look when she saw the huge grin on Nikki’s face. Inwardly she wanted to talk to Nikki more about last night but she thought it would probably be best to shelf that conversation for now while she catalogued her feelings and discoveries more on her own. “So were you able to get the ViCAP database updated and he BOLO out on LEO last night?” She asked Rachel.

  Rachel had resumed eating and when she finished chewing she put her fork down and replied, “Yes I did and I also took Sara aside and asked her to not bother you with taskforce business that it was my job to filter the information she would need for media releases.”

  She felt relief wash over her like welcoming waves. Great that will help me right now; not having to worry about dealing with the persistent young PIO.

  “Speaking of not being bothered; I got a troubling call last night...”

  Nikki started choking and both she and Rachel shot her a concerned look. Nikki gestured she was okay, but Kelsey knew full well that her choking spell was to do with her mentioning last night. She gave her friend a warning look and was rewarded with a hidden smile behind the napkin she used to cough into.

  “Well what I was about to say was that I got a call last night from a local reporter, I don’t know how the hell he got my number but he was hounding me for info on the case. I suppose it’s best if we have a press conference to just announce that we are investigating a series of unsolved murders in the area.”

  “How the hell is right, no one but the members of the taskforce have our private numbers. I’ll look into it but for now I’ll meet with Sara to formulate a press release and then arrange to speak to the victims’ families to notify them of the press conference.”

  “Thank you Rachel, have I told you how much I love that you are our Liaison on the taskforce?” She asked as she glanced at her quiet phone and frowned. This waiting is going to drive me crazy. Taking a deep breath she hoped she could remain patient and still be effective today. Patience wasn’t one of her virtues.

  Rachel looked from one woman to the other and she could see each one looking like they had much on their minds. A smile and a mischievous look on Nikki’s face and a frown and an impatient look on Kelsey’s, yes today was going to be an interesting day indeed.

  Chapter Eight

  Wednesday August 31, 2011

  “Wisdom does not come from thinking but from doing.”

  During the team’s brainstorming session, Rachel got a call from one of the Summit detectives presumably not John Freeman by the expression on her face. They had located a former head of the Kent Place School during the time their victims had attended there. She was on holidays but would come in for questioning on her return next week. That buoyed Kelsey’s mood somewhat as she tried to keep her mind on bouncing theories and ideas for each murder scene.

  “I had the CSU team go over the condo for a closer look at everything. The logistics of two stairways to the second and third floor make this scene more of a challenge. I had them sweep the entire place for signs of anything, anything at all. Is there any word back on the analysis of the stain Nikki?”

  “Nothing yet Mack, they have confirmed it is urine from the smell but a DNA and protein markers test is pending to determine if it’s human and whether it reveals the sex and possible identity of the one who deposited it. They had hoped they get results yesterday but the sample is so degraded they’ve had to institute several methods to extract enough of the cells to test with.”

  She nodded her approval and then watched Rachel making another call. As Liaison on this case she had been doing much of the logistical contacting via the phone.

  Thinking about all the investigative nightmares they had ahead of them put her in a foul mood. Over the course of the two hours they slugged through each scene she had made numerous notes about contacting the individual investigation teams to have them question this person and that person. Rachel had her phone almost glued to her ear making successive calls according to the notes she made.

  She and Doc discussed their theories that the killer would likely be searching for her next victim if the fourth girl in the photo had been targeted for the same reason as their three women victims. No strides had been made in identifying that girl but when the former head of the school could be questioned they hoped that would change.

  Just the thought that they may be fighting a losing battle to protect another potential victim while they tried to identify her, had Kelsey on edge.

  As for a possible identity of their killer they had law enforcement agencies across the nation sending them potential suspects who had similar MO’s who were recently released from prison or ones they didn’t have enough evidence to convict. There would be enough files for everyone to wade through and rule out for days.

  Kelsey couldn’t wait for this day to end so she could do more investigating and learn more about Miranda Gauthier. When she glanced over at her friend Nikki she was not surprised to see her looking at her with an expectant grin. Oh Boy. Nikki isn’t going to let my little revelation go and before the day was out I will have to have the conversation I’ve been avoiding. Keeping busy and never being alone with Nikki had prevented her best friend from pulling the rest of her story out of her. Her luck was about to run out.

  When she was finally off the phone long enough Rachel told them no new cases had been flagged.

  Nikki stood up and after a few swipes on her tablet several knives came up on the monitor.

  “Microscopic analysis has come back and we’re looking for a knife made up of a higher grade of carbon with titanium liner or handle with a frame lock. Tiny pieces of the blade when it is opened and closed flake off and it was recovered from the wounds of our victims, these fragments were analyzed and we could determine that the knife we’re looking for is quite unique. According to the measurements of the wounds we have narrowed our search to two specific knives” Nikki highlighted two knives on the monitor. “These two knives our analysts have chosen based on the wound analysis. We have a Strider SMF and a Spyderco C36TIP but they were able to narrow it further down to the Strider MARSOC SMF. The width of the blade which is slightly wider than the Spyderco and the fact that we found a distinct pattern on the skin they further identified it as one of three hundred Gen1 knives made.

  “Wow that’s just the break we’ve been looking for Nikki but we still don’t have a murder weapon to compare these findings with.” All of their evidence was circumstantial if they couldn’t find any hard facts or proof.

  “Yeah and being that these knives are not all that common we should be able to determine how our killer acquired one.”

  Nikki told them that the Strider MARSOC SMF blades were military and civilian issued and the Gen1 issued to the famed 1st Detachment of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command. Only 150 were stamped with the Marines Raider insignia and the others were made and sold to collectors.

  “The killer could have obtained the knife from an older relative or purcha
sed it at an auction so I’m doing a computer check to see if a Strider SMF was purchased through online sites or other registered knife dealers.”

  Just as Nikki began to tell them about a narrower search she wanted to do to determine if any collector had reported their knife stolen or insurance claims for a similar knife had been made, her phone rang and the number that came up unknown name and number. She held her breath and then exhaled deeply, excusing herself from the room and walking out the door, she answered the phone.

  “Hello?” A broken voice asked and as soon as she heard the feminine voice her head started to spin and her palms began to sweat. Her heart pounded rapidly echoing into her aching head.

  “Hello, is anyone there?” Kelsey heard the broken voice ask and then the call abruptly ended.

  “Damn”, Kelsey exhaled her held breath and as quickly as the headache had appeared. It now was gone.

  She didn’t have much time to think further on the matter, when the door to the meeting room opened and Nikki and Rachel stopped in front of her with scowls on their faces.

  Rachel was the first to speak. “Kelsey I don’t know what is going on with you, but you have been antsy for the last few days and that is not like you, then you leave like that for a phone call AND that is DEFINITELY not like you... so what gives?”

  Nikki saw that Kelsey was still glancing down at her phone and it appeared her friend was having a hard time to formulate her thoughts or maybe she hadn’t heard them approach, either way she too was concerned.

  “Hey Mack, earth to Mack is anyone home in there?” Nikki waved her hands in front of Mack’s face and looked for any response.

  “Sorry Nikki and ah...Rachel I’d been waiting for a really important call and my phone rang and well the call was cut short...Sorry to worry you.”

  Mack looked confused but aware of them so she stopped being alarmed. When they walked out, she had been worried that her best friend looked visibly shaken.

  “Are you sure you’re okay Mack?” Nikki took her hand in her own.

  Rachel reached out and hugged Kelsey.

  “Does it have to do with your grandmother?”

  “No...No. It doesn’t have anything to do with my grandmother, I spoke to her the other night and she is fine and excited I’ll be visiting her this weekend.”

  Mack’s eyes met her own and she mouthed the words: ‘did she call?’ behind Rachel’s back. Her best friend only gave her a slight nod and then frowned.

  Kelsey and Nikki walked slower so that Nikki could whisper, “So how did it go; does she sound as sexy as her stories?”

  Mack’s face went beet red in seconds but then went pale and that concerned Nikki. She couldn’t wait until she could get her best friend alone. Obviously something bothered Mack and she didn’t want to talk about it with Rachel present.

  The rest of the day passed by quickly and now she and Nikki were alone in her hotel suite sharing a meal.

  Her best friend had eaten several bites of her burger and fries before she set her meal aside and said,

  “Okay I’m dying here; you have a lot of explaining to do. Two days and I need to know what’s going with you. And when will be seeing our elusive author?”

  Kelsey didn’t know where to start because her head had been spinning ever since she had received the cryptic phone call earlier in the afternoon. She was sure it was Miranda Gauthier who had attempted to call her, but every time she tried to return the call she got the same operator’s message. The subscriber you are trying to reach is unavailable or has travelled outside of their coverage area. She decided the safest topic to begin with was the fact that she had received a phone call and now they had at least a phone number for Miranda Gauthier.

  “Well I got a call from her today,” she said.

  “Yeah, so is she coming here for questioning?” Nikki asked around a few bites of her fries.

  “Well we got disconnected before I could get much out. But we now have her phone number maybe you could use it to track her down.” Kelsey said hopefully while she picked at her own dinner. Her appetite had been bad all day after the disturbing phone call and resulting headache.

  “Did she say where she was? What did she say exactly?” Nikki grilled Kelsey.

  “Well... she said ‘Hello’ and ‘is anyone there?” She said sheepishly.

  “Seriously...? That’s it? Come on Mack how do you even know it was her?”

  “Well...I don’t know, I just know and you can track her number can’t you?”

  “I can try but that all depends on the GPS tracking capabilities on her cell phone.”

  “But you can try?”

  “I will try but I can’t make you any promises. Now I’ve been really good and haven’t pressed you about the other night but all bets are off. Can you tell me what’s going on with you?”

  There it was the one thing Kelsey had been avoiding for a few days and now she couldn’t avoid it any longer. She might as well get it over with because Nikki was like a dog with a bone on this topic.

  “Okay so I told you that I read some of Miran...I mean Randi G.’s work and I got all...well worked up. I really don’t know what came over me but it was a driving force like I have never known.” Kelsey was trying hard to say what she had to say but memories of her dreams and a petite woman sighing passionately into her ear flooded her mind. The memories assaulted her at her very core; she couldn’t imagine a more primal feeling. Trying to shake off her recollections she continued as best she could.

  “I never have felt this way before. Honestly Nikki it’s like something has taken over my mind and body.”

  “Yeah Mack it’s called LUST or DESIRE. They are both perfectly normal human emotions. You just haven’t allowed yourself to experience them before or you have been pushing them down; they’re only now taking a more front seat approach in your life.” Nikki said with a broad grin.

  “Why now? I don’t have time for this emotional rollercoaster ride.” She whined. I’m too busy for this. “I told you I never grew up like other girls, my mom died when I was young and my only friend and cousin died when she and I were just learning about becoming teenagers. I just didn’t care after all of that and never concerned myself with feelings. They only got in the way. I let anger fuel me for years and then I became disciplined and it’s what kept me sane all these years. I will not let my mind and heart be ruled by...this...whatever this is. I don’t know why I felt what I did the other night...you called it desire or lust?”

  Nikki saw raw emotions play across her best friend’s face. The smoky brown eyes were filled with confusion. She felt sorry for the young girl her best friend had been and never took time to really live in all her thirty-four years. Her friend had always been the person who had concentrated more on becoming a FBI agent and never taking time to be Kelsey MacGregor. She had long since forgotten her dinner and now she shoved it away so she could rise and take her friend in for a hug. Mack needed a friend who would stand by her when all she had ever held onto fell apart.

  “I’m sorry Mack that everything is happening right now. Maybe with the upcoming anniversary and this case you’re just more emotional than usual but it was bound to happen one of these days. All I know is that it’s good to know that I may have been right about you.”

  “What are you saying? You’ve always thought I’m emotional wreck?”

  Nikki shook her head. “You know I’m not talking about being emotional.”

  Kelsey tried to think hard about what Nikki might be talking about and then it dawned on her. “You think I’m a lesbian because I got excited about reading about women having sex?” She asked her smirking friend.

  “Well it’s certainly could be a sign. I cannot TELL you you’re a lesbian you have to discover that on your own but you definitely have some lesbian tendencies. I have had some notions in the past and then there was the vibes you give off.”

  “Vibes...? What vibes are you talking about? I am not giving off vibes. Sara said something about vibes
but I didn’t know what she was talking about.” Kelsey ran her hands though her dark, curly hair.

  “Sara...? So I was right when I said I saw the interested gleam in her eye. She was flirting with you because she thought you were interested. What happened did she corner you the other day?” Nikki asked smiling broadly.

  “Interested? She said that too. But I swear I have no interest in her. And what is this about vibes? What are we talking about?” She couldn’t help but feel more helpless than she had in years. Everything she ever knew or thought was now coming back to her and spinning around in her head. I’m giving off vibes? All these years I didn’t know that I’m a lesbian? How could that be?

  “Well Mack when I’m around women sometimes I can sense that they’re a lesbian. We in the gay community call it a gaydar and like radar you can pick up gay vibes. I’m almost always right about this sort of thing. When I met you in the Academy I was certain you were gay.”

  Kelsey sat there and tried to process this but her mind kept spinning around all this information. Nikki had thought she’s been gay all these years? That’s why she made that pass at me that night. Am I gay?

  After an hour or so of her best friend explaining to her how she found out she was gay and telling Kelsey about her own coming out story and how confused and lost she had felt; Kelsey felt better. She thanked her best friend for hearing her out and also for not teasing her relentlessly about the other night. She’s really is the only person I can talk about what I’m going through. Even if she wasn’t a lesbian, her best friend listened and didn’t judge her when she talked about these difficult issues she faced right now.

  Nikki told her it was high time she left so they both could get some sleep.

  “See you in the morning Mack and try to sleep better... maybe not a good idea to read unless you choose one of Miranda’s children books; she has a few good bedtime stories.” She said hugging her friend.