In Plain Sight

by R E Gauthier

  “Don’t you FBI agents talk?” Jess asked clearly annoyed with her. She’s always annoyed with me.

  She sighed heavily and took a deep breath before she continued.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I just got off the phone with a nurse at the hospital and she told me Miranda had been discharged into the custody of a FBI agent late last night. Sure would have been nice to know that you had planned this so I didn’t have to worry about going to pick her up myself. I’d like to know where she is though.”

  “Jess I assure you I didn’t know,” biting her lip because she knew what the response would be about her assurance. She seemed to be continually assuring Jess when she had no clue to why or how she would do that. What the hell happened? Miranda wasn’t in their care. But she couldn’t tell Jess Harrington that.

  “Well Agent MacGregor there you go again and I don’t see why as the lead FBI on this case you are not aware of what is going on with the investigative team and witnesses.”

  Without letting on her own concern about Miranda’s whereabouts she told Jess that everything would be fine. Terror took hold of her and she rushed to find some answers.

  She stormed into the conference room to find Doc and Nikki already seated and going over their findings.

  “Where is Rachel?” she asked no one in particular.

  “She had to take care of something, she’ll be here shortly,” Nikki said looking at her. “You look like you got about as much sleep as I did; you’re looking more worried than me though, what’s wrong?”

  “I just spoke to Jess and Miranda is missing.”

  “What...? She’s missing what do you mean? I just left Jess; she didn’t say anything about Miranda being missing.”

  Frowning she thought about the budding relationship between the auburn devil-woman and her best friend, but now wasn’t the time to do that. Miranda wasn’t at the hotel and who had impersonated a FBI agent? Everything jumbled up her brain.

  “Jess was supposed to go pick Miranda up this morning but when she called the hospital to ask when she would be discharged, they told her Miranda had been discharged into FBI custody late last night.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense; we didn’t send FBI...Jesus Mack you don’t think...?”

  “I don’t know, call the hospital and get a description of this FBI Agent who went to the hospital. See if they have security footage of her leaving with Miranda.”

  She stood looking out over the dense fog that had settled over the harbor overnight and recalled her dreams. Miranda was in danger like her dreams had predicted. How did Michelle find her?

  Doc came over and told her that he had found a judge who granted them a search warrant to ask for the files of the mental institution where the woman, he had mentioned had been treated. He was expecting a call from the state police officer that executed the warrant.

  Rachel walked into the room and Kelsey pounced on her immediately.

  “Where have you been? We have a situation...”

  She stopped when she saw the look on Rachel’s face.

  “I just got off the phone with the airport and Mrs. Ellis took an earlier flight home last night, the Delaware police said they told the FBI agent who called, me they thought, about the earlier flight and they said I told them we’d take care of it.”

  “What the fuccckkk? Who knew about Elizabeth Ellis and Miranda outside of this room?” Kelsey asked her colleagues.

  “Just the rest of the taskforce and the Delaware police knew about Mrs. Ellis,” Nikki replied.

  “Rachel where is she now? Have the police gone to her home to check on her whereabouts?” Dread filled her to the brim now.

  “I sent them to her home and I’m waiting to hear back from them.”

  Nikki came over and told them that the nurse at the hospital last night had gone home but the discharge name and signature was SSA Rachel Mitchell. Hospital security was sending over the camera footage for the hallway and exit nearest Miranda’s room.

  Doc’s phone rang and he answered it. After what seemed like an eternity he said, “The woman’s name is Michelle Sarah Anderson.”

  “Michelle...Sarah Anderson. Is this a married name? Can you find out Nikki? Now that we have a full name and a Michelle Taylor rented an apartment?”

  “What are you thinking Mack?” Nikki asked.

  “What I am thinking is that this Michelle killed her husband after he raped her and she’s not likely to keep his name. I’m just not sure if she changed it before or after she was hospitalized.”

  “Great idea Mack I’ll check,” she said as she put some entries into her tablet. “Bingo we have a winner. Michelle Sarah Anderson was her married name, her maiden name is Taylor. She went back to it after she left the hospital.”

  Michelle Sarah Taylor, she thought.

  Nikki’s phone buzzed and she showed her a video the security camera had captured of a petite blonde woman in a grey suit and sunglasses walking beside Miranda in a wheelchair pushed down the hall by a nurse.

  Realization hit her full force, why didn’t I think of it before?

  “Call Sara’s cell phone, Nikki,” she said as she saw the shocked expression dawn on her colleagues. Jesus she knew about Elizabeth Ellis and Miranda and now Miranda is missing.

  Nikki did as she asked.

  “Why...? Oh my god, Mack. Sara...?”Nikki said as she waited for Sara to answer her phone.

  “Yeah, who knew about Miranda and Elizabeth Ellis, who has access to the FBI? And who is blonde? Our PIO Sara Taylor that’s who.” Kelsey asked and answered her own questions.

  Rachel’s phone rang as Nikki said hello and both women had stunned faces listening to someone on the other end of their phones.

  After short conversations whereas both women didn’t get to get out much other than announcing their name and credentials to the people on the other end; they both hung up and said simultaneously,

  “Sara killed Elizabeth Ellis.”

  “And now she has Miranda,” Kelsey said feeling terror take hold and caused her to tremble. What am I going to do now?

  Nikki began retelling the tale of the Delaware state police officer telling her that they answered the cell phone left at the scene of a murder.

  “They said the phone was found in the mouth of Mrs. Ellis.”

  Rachel retold her phone conversation as well.

  “I just spoke to Sergeant Robins of the Delaware Homicide department and he’s the lead on the scene. State troopers were reporting to a 911 call about someone screaming this morning. They found Mr. Ellis holding his dead wife in their living room. Once I had called asking about Mrs. Ellis they sent out a squad car as the call was coming in for homicide assistance. Sergeant Robins said when he arrived the trooper had told him Mr. Ellis had moved the body and removed the cell phone from her mouth. There’s a recorded message on the phone and they played it. Sara confessed to killing Elizabeth Ellis, Katherine Montgomery, Natasha Beardsley, Cynthia Trenton, Jeremy Stanton and Miranda Gauthier. She said that she did it because she had to and we don’t have to come looking for her all we would have to do is stay put.”

  “NO.” Kelsey shouted not believing what she had just heard. Sara had killed Miranda. Bile rose up her throat and felt as though she would vomit. Her head spun, her knees were weak, and she sat putting her head in her hands.

  Thinking the nightmare came true, she sobbed and tears ran down her eyes, Miranda is dead. Then she remembered Nanna’s words: the visions are not literal but what could happen.

  “Rachel will you please call the front desk and ask if anyone saw Sara or Miranda this morning.”

  “Sara said she killed Miranda, why would...?”

  “Please Rachel.”

  Nikki and Doc were at her side asking her if she was okay and she just nodded. She had to think; what had Sara planned for her endgame? She said in her message she had killed Miranda. Had she killed her or was it her plan to kill her.

  “Mack she’s had
her since last night, why would she hold onto her and not just kill her?” Nikki asked.

  Once the initial shock wore off hearing Sara had killed Miranda she knew in her heart Miranda was still alive but couldn’t describe it.

  Rachel ended her call and looked hopeful.

  “The front desk clerk saw them both about twenty minutes ago walking towards the elevator.”

  “You’re sure? Nikki…?”

  “I’m on it Mack,” making a call.

  All we’ll have to do is stay put; that is what Sara had said in her message left on her phone. She meant to bring Miranda back to the hotel and then kill her. They didn’t have much time.

  Think Kelsey where we Sara take her?

  Nikki had hacked into the hotel’s security cameras and showed her a video of Sara leading and dazed and tired looking Miranda toward the elevators. She’s alive.

  Recalling her dream with Miranda surrounded by blue, she thought of what could mean. Running for the door she yelled back to her colleagues.

  “They’re on the roof.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  “The best hiding place is in plain sight.”

  On the rooftop Miranda sobbed and kept from making eye contact with the pacing and rambling blonde woman. She had been excited last night when the nurse told her a FBI agent had come to escort her back to the hotel, but disappointed when it hadn’t been Kelsey. She found a petite blonde with her hair up in a bun and wearing a dove grey suit and wearing Ray Ban type sunglasses, at the door to her room. The woman never spoke to her and just opened the rear door to the black Lincoln Continental car. The nurse had helped her into the car from the wheelchair as per the hospital’s protocol and then wished her well. The blonde woman never said a word to her as she drove the car; she had fallen asleep and woke up earlier that morning still in the car.

  At the hotel the blonde had politely held the doors for her and waved to a front desk staff member greeting her. In the elevator that is where Miranda got her shock and she felt her head spin and thought she would faint. The blonde took off her sunglasses revealing her eyes and face she realized she looked into the eyes of Kate’s killer.

  “So you remember who I am. I don’t know how I didn’t know you were there that night. I did everything to assure that you’d be gone, even drove her home that night. You had said you were leaving her and I didn’t see any lights on. It’s too bad you were there because now I have to do something I swore I wouldn’t do again...kill an innocent.” The blonde woman said as she paced in front of her.

  “You don’t have to kill me, I don’t know who you are, don’t know your name. I won’t tell them,” Miranda rush to assure the woman holding the knife from her nightmares.

  “I’m afraid I do, they already know who I am and if my calculations are correct, they’ll be looking for me by now. We don’t have much time.”

  “If they don’t need my testimony to arrest you or convict you, then why do you want to kill me?” She pleaded knowing she had to stall this woman from her plans long enough for someone to find them.

  “You were so nice to me, do you remember? You held the door for me that night before I lay in wait and killed them and then I returned the favor that night at the restaurant, holding the door for you when you walked in with that bitch,” the blonde spat out.

  Miranda searched her memories of those two nights; she didn’t remember the woman in front of her from those two incidents. I have to keep her talking to give them time to find us.

  “I don’t remember you then, but I’m glad you thought I was nice, if I’m so nice why do you feel you need to kill me now?”

  “I don’t get noticed much, that’s why it was so easy for me. I need to kill you so that she can finally have her happy ending.”

  Who was she talking about?

  “Who is this woman you would kill for?”

  “That’s not important, what is important is that you and I will end this and then life will get back to normal.”

  Miranda shook her head; the woman wasn’t making any sense. I have to keep her talking.

  “You said that this woman deserves a happy ending; how does me being alive stop her from having her happy ending?”

  “You don’t get it do you? Girls and women like you never get it, why someone like me has to work so hard to get what they want. You’re all safe and easy, you make people want to help you and protect you but don’t understand when we get mad when you get everything. Even my husband preferred women like you.”

  “Me...? I don’t get everything. I have nothing, no family, no loved ones, nothing. I have one great friend and that is it,” Miranda said, realizing how sad that sounded.

  “You have her even though you and she don’t know it yet, you have someone who will love you forever,” the blonde said as she grabbed her and shoved the end of the knife she had drawn out of her jacket into Miranda’s ribcage. She yelped in pain feeling the blade sink in.

  “But after today you’ll have nothing.”

  She knew she needed to fight the blonde off but the knife at her side and the way the woman dragged her backward had caught her off balance. For the size of her this blonde was surprisingly strong.

  “I don’t understand who you are referring to; no one loves me like that.”

  “Well if my calculations are correct she should be here very soon, so we have to get into position,” dragging Miranda another foot or two towards the rooftop’s planters and the edge just beyond that.

  The door to the roof opened and out rushed Agent MacGregor, her Glock drawn and scanning the scene.

  “Here she is now; just in time,” the blonde said in her ear as her grip on her tightened and she lifted the knife to press against her throat

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “To trust me means more to me than to love me because all those who you trust you can love but if you don’t trust me, you’ll never truly love me.”

  Running out onto the roof Kelsey found Sara holding Miranda tightly with a knife to her throat. The knife looked like the murder weapon, it looked sharp and deadly. Their similar height and weight made shooting Sara impossible; taking the shot would risk hitting the woman in her arms. From behind she heard others exit the door; Nikki, Rachel and Doc were now standing beside her; guns drawn. From her peripheral vision she saw three Baltimore FBI field agents fan out to try and block any avenue of escape; their guns also at the ready.

  “Steady everyone, we don’t want her to do anything rash and we can’t risk shooting her,” she said not taking her eyes off of Miranda.

  “You better stay back or I’ll slit her throat right here,” Sara said as she continued to back up and sat on the edge of the planter bringing Miranda down with her.

  “Easy Sara, you don’t have to do this, we have your full confession we don’t need Miranda so just let her go,” Kelsey said trying to reason with the woman, who looked surprisingly calm for a threatened woman. She didn’t look threatened though she looked like she was in complete control. Was this her plan all along? “You can let her go and we can settle this without Miranda being involved. What’s your plan? Did you want us to find you so we’d kill you?”

  She heard Nikki gasp to her right and whisper, “Not good Mack, you want to keep her calm don’t provoke her.”

  Kelsey didn’t say a word to Nikki but kept her eyes on Miranda.

  “You’re in control here Sara and we’ll do whatever it is you want but you have to let her go.”

  “Yes I’m in control and I need her here with me, you don’t have to understand it. You’ll just have to watch me take her with me.”

  Frustrated she looked to Rachel and asked her and Nikki to step back, giving her more room. It’s what she had feared, Sara didn’t mean to survive this day and she wanted to take Miranda with her.

  “Sara let’s talk about this plan of yours,” she said knowing she needed to keep her talking long enough to allow the SWAT team to arrive and set up a sniper on the nearby roof. She had called t
hem on her way to the rooftop and they were ten minutes out on another hostage incident at the airport.

  “You don’t understand do you? I’m not surprised for a brilliant FBI agent you’re clueless about the matters of the heart or anything to do with interpersonal relationships. You couldn’t even tell I was coming onto you that day,” she said shaking her head.

  “Look I am sorry how I treated you, if this is about that I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

  Sara laughed then and whispered something into the author’s ears. Miranda looked at her with terror.

  “Tell her what I told you,” Sara said into the author’s ear.

  “She said that I’m better off dead because you’ll never know how to love me. She also said Race can teach you how to love.” the author said trembling.

  “Race...? I’m not sure what you mean, Sara this doesn’t make any sense. Race is just my friend and it’s got nothing to do with Miranda.”

  “You don’t understand do you? I saw the way Race looks at you and how you were kissing her the other night. Yeah I saw you both and saw her faint into the arms of your look-a-like”;she indicated by pressing the knife point into Miranda’s skin and blood trickled down staining the white tank top the author wore.

  She could see the shock and pain cross Miranda’s ashen face.

  “Stop it Sara, you don’t need to torture her like this,” Kelsey kept herself steady but she wanted to spring at the woman and kill her with her bare hands.

  “You don’t get it do you, she’s going to die and that’s a fact, I’m going to make you watch her die, either by my hands or yours, you choose.”

  “Okay Sara, make me understand the reasoning behind why she has to die. What does it have to do with Race, you liked her and wanted to help her, but how are you helping her today?

  “For an intelligent woman you’re pretty dense. Race likes you more than just a friend and she wants to be happy. Even though I don’t think you deserve her she wants you so who am I to argue with her? With this one out of her way she has a better chance with you,” she indicated by pressing the knife under Miranda’s chin and her hold tightened making the author gasp in pain.