by Vr McCoy
“So you hooked her up with Steve?” I replied.
“I wouldn't say hooked them up, but I led her his way.”
“And does she know who I'm currently seeing?” I asked?
“She figured it out during our conversation,” Dianna replied smiling.
The politics of women has always intrigued me. Men rarely have a say in such matters of the heart. It's best to just go with the flow. I didn't believe Steve, nor I, would have been with such gorgeous women under different circumstances.
“So, what are you thinking?” she inquired, as if she was reading my thoughts.
“I was thinking about what you said and what exactly we would quantify our relationship as being. Are we just seeing each other now and then, as in a casual relationship? Are we just hooking up to have sex or what?” I inquired. Then I immediately thought to myself, Wow, this is what women usually worry about in a relationship; these sort of insecurities. Man, how the tables have turned!
“That's so cute,” she said and held my hand. “We are together in a relationship. I'm not with anyone else but you, silly,” she stated, then smiled warmly and gently caressed my hand where it rested on the table beside her.
“You continue to surprise me, Christian Sands. That is the sweetest gift you could have given me. Most men assume and take things for granted, but I see you are a totally different type of man. You are gentle, sensitive and know exactly what to say and do. I'm a very lucky woman.”
“And I'm a very lucky man to have you as well.”
We saw Gracie coming back to the booth and let go of each other's hands, and the conversation. I didn't understand why we didn't want to show our affection in front of Gracie, since she already knew about us, but I guess we were just trying to keep it professional. We continued our patrol of the city after dinner and returned to the RO. There still weren't any breaks in the investigation. I knew in the back of my mind that this case was going to get ugly. This particular psychopath was extremely intelligent and organized. He was giving the team a run for their money.
As midnight rolled around, there was still nothing reported from the patrols or check points. Perhaps we got lucky and secured the city so tightly that we deterred the threat. Then, as time moved slower and slower towards the early morning hours, most of the FO agents had fallen asleep on the sofas and lounge chairs, except Gracie Mullins. She was a true soldier. The BAU team remained vigilant and awake, monitoring the radios and hot lines that were set up.
Ortega attempted to stay awake, but finally succumbed to the sleepless nights. He had been up with Steve most nights and wasn't used to theses grueling, depriving cases, which Steve and the rest of our ViCAP team was accustomed to working. We had become coffee connoisseurs over time, playing games in reference to coffee beans and their origins; which country they were from, and the quality of beans from Columbia, Vienna, Ethiopia, Switzerland and Venice. It was just a nerd game to pass the time, and to get our minds off the debauchery and heinous acts we faced daily.
As the sun rose over Albuquerque and a new day was about to begin, the RO agents began waking. They had been napping for perhaps an hour or two. We knew that we weren't out of the woods, as of yet. Early morning is when the bad news comes in. Reports of failure would come around these hours. Someone didn't make it home the previous night or in the morning. Someone didn't make it to work, and no one had heard from them. Some mother, father or spouse would be crying on the telephone about their loved one's absence.
We let the RO agents take over the radio and telephones for the rest of the morning, and took a break to go freshen up and change clothes. They had lockers and showers at the FO. Around 1000 hours the call came in that we had dreaded. Steve received it on the hotline.
“Jessica Juarez was reported missing by her parents,” he reported.” A single Latino female, 22 years of age, left work at the Wal-Mart at 2330 hours on Jan 1 and there has been no contact with her since. Her car is parked outside her residence. The local police department was allowed inside this morning on the authority of her parents. There were no signs that she ever made it in All the neighbors could say was that they saw a rather large wolf-like dog earlier in the parking area, around the time curfew began. She doesn't have a boyfriend and her friends haven't heard from her either, according to the parents. I've placed Jessica on the board, people. Let's find her and put this perp where he belongs; locked up somewhere in a mental institutional,” Steve said solemnly, as if all the life had been sucked right out of him.
Several of the local agents began grumbling and talking about what they would do if they caught the perpetrator. It was totally unprofessional, but Federal Agents have emotions just like everyone else, and theirs were intrinsically entangled with this case.
“We don't need that, agents; just do your jobs and no vigilantism,” Ortega said loudly over the agents conversing in the room. “I want the entire ViCAP team at the apartment for processing. Agent Ortega and the RO team will remain here, just in case something else comes forth. Thank you,” Steve said and then he dismissed us.
While at Jessica's apartment; Paul, Trace and Amber concentrated on processing the outside surroundings and the vehicle. Steve, Max and the rest of the team, including Gracie, worked the interior of the apartment. When they completed taking pictures and collecting physical evidence; they allowed me to do my thing, which involved touching and opening things; basically, disturbing a possible crime scene.
While I was inside the apartment, the rest of the team went door to door, questioning the neighbors and the building manager. Steve remained behind with me while I got in touch with Jessica's personal things.
I did my usual routine of walking the interior; touching things as I passed by. I opened drawers and closets, turned on lights, and so on. I sat at the dining room table for a while, then went to the living room and turned on the television. I sat on the sofa and just looked around for several minutes. She had several women's health magazines and jogging magazines on the coffee table; she had a subscription. Jessica was obviously into physical fitness.
I got up from the sofa and continued my routine. There were several pictures of Jessica with friends from school and family around the apartment. She had a lot of friends. I saw her in pictures with males, but no reoccurring man who would stand out as a boyfriend. She was a very pretty young woman. All of the victims had been young, attractive females, which was the first connection we could use for constructing a victim profile.
Jessica had health foods in her fridge and in the cabinets, ranging from soy to protein and wheat products. Everything was reduced fat, low sodium, sugar and calories. I spent an extremely long time in Jessica's apartment, as I acquainted myself with her. Afterwards we went to visit her parents, who lived outside of Albuquerque in Luna County.
Jessica came from a large family, who lived on a good-sized ranch in Luna County. Her father was an engineer at the Kirtland Air Force Base. The family was devastated by her disappearance. I was allowed to look around the house and the ranch. I also looked in Jessica's room, which was the same as she had left it when she moved out. I played with their chocolate Labrador while outside. He was extremely friendly and escorted me around while outside. I had this uncanny way with animals which even I didn't understand. Even the most territorial and viscous creatures had this affinity towards me, and extended friendship.
When I returned inside the house, I informed Steve that I had received everything I needed. I didn't need to speak to anyone else. I had more than enough stimuli to communicate with Jessica if she was still alive. Dianna drove me back to the Hilton while Steve and Max remained at the Juarez residence. Amber and Paul were visiting the girl's friends. We were literally racing the clock, and every minute was critical. If I needed additional information, I would visit her workplace or talk to her friends later.
Dianna remained with me at the hotel suite. She witnessed me going through my routine when I put myself to sleep. I thought it was a good idea to have someone
there whom I could trust. She could take notes over the event and what I said in my sleep. I usually didn't have anyone with me, because Dreamscaping is such a personal thing. I went through a lot of emotions and mood changes while under. It wasn't a process I would have revealed to just anyone. I took two sleeping pills, put on my headphones and lay down on the bed. Dianna gave me a kiss.
Several hours later when I had awakened, I was drenched in sweat from the living nightmare I'd been experiencing. I was scared and trembling in the aftermath of the dream. Dianna was holding me and attempting to calm me, to ease my mind. I was panting heavily and out of breath, as though I'd been running. It was from the anxiety of the dream. I had finally made a connection with the horrible incident. I saw Jessica being abducted!
“It's alright, it's alright,” Dianna said repeatedly while holding me, and rocking gently. “Can I get you anything,” she inquired? “Yes, I have some bottled water in the fridge,” I said, agitated. I drank the bottle of water in just a few gulps. My body felt hot to the touch, like I had just got finished jogging several miles. It was 2130 hours. I had been dreaming for 8.5 hours.
“I shouldn't have taken two pills,” I said, feeling groggy. Dianna was wiping my forehead with a wash cloth and stated, “It worked. You said a lot in your sleep.”
“Was it of any use?”
“I think you were echoing her thoughts,” she replied.
“Did you write it down?” I inquired.
“I did even better, I recorded it,” she stated, and then hit the playback button on the iPhone.
“Who is this? What do you want? Where am I? Why are you doing this? I'm scared, I'm going to die. Help me! Can somebody help me?” Then I started weeping on the recording.
The FBI never thought about recording me while I was under, because the information that I received in the dreams was already so beneficial. My physicians Dr. Banks and Dr. Deborah always recorded our sessions, but never any law enforcement officials.
“Maybe we should keep a recorder on from now on. It appears that you were echoing her thoughts,” Dianna stated.
“Yeah, I used to sleepwalk and talk in my sleep as a child; I thought I had grown out of that. So much for Out with the Old and In with the New, for this year. There is something about this case, Dianna, that's different than the rest.”
I didn't elaborate to her about the fact that I had never been seen through another person's eyes before. In the past, when I talked in my sleep, it had always been from an omniscient view point. Dr. Banks even let me hear the recordings. Then Dianna snapped me out of deep thought.
“What did you see,” she inquired?
I briefed her on the events as they transpired to me, through the eyes and mind of Jessica.
“I'm going to take a shower now. Can you call Steve and inform him that I've made a connection, and see what he wants to do?” I asked Dianna.
“Sure. Are you hungry.” she inquired.
“I could eat a horse,” I responded as I made my way to the bathroom.
“Me too, I'll order some room service.”
Dianna telephoned Steve while I was in the bathroom. I felt revived after showering. I couldn't wait to finally contribute to the case. It wasn't much under the circumstances, but I had seen the team dissect the smallest of information and run with it. Dianna kissed me as I exited the bathroom in a towel. She was a very sensual woman, fully in touch with her femininity. It didn't take much for her to turn me on.
“I'm sorry, tiger. You just looked so good in that towel. We don't have the time for that. Steve wants us at the office ASAP,” she said and kissed me again.
Alright, we'll finish this later,” I replied, grinning.
The food arrived while I was dressing. Dianna ordered some deli sandwiches with cold veggie pasta, coleslaw, potato salad, juice, coffee and mixed fruit. It was a quick pick-me-up energy meal, filled with carbs and protein.
Most of the team was still out investigating the case. Ortega, Amber and a few other RO agents were at the office with Steve when we arrived. We waited for about 30 minutes for Max and Paul to arrive with Trace and Gracie.
“Alright folks, Chris has made a connection with Jessica,” Steve said, then indicated I should brief the team on what I had discovered.
“Well, it's correct. She was taken from the parking lot at her apartment complex. When she got out of the vehicle, she heard a large dog growling, but couldn't see where it was coming from. She remembers it being particularly dark out that tonight. She had some bags in the trunk that she went to get out, which is when he came from behind, out of nowhere. He was silent when he placed something over her mouth and nose, perhaps chloroform, and she passed out,” I said.
“She woke up terrified in a completely dark place, with no windows or doors that she could see. It was pitch black. She was bound at the wrists and legs. She struggled to move, but couldn't free herself or even scream, as he had her gagged as well. She was lying on a dirt floor. She couldn't hear anything in the background, perhaps due to the terror. Her senses were numb and weren't registering her surroundings. I will continue to monitor her; perhaps she will settle down and give us something more to go on. It is a strong bond thus far,” I stated to the team before Steve took over the lead again.
“Alright. Talk to me, people. What can we deduce from this?” The team began our usual profiling session with Steve up at the board, the rest of us collectively spurting out profiling deductions.
“The first thing is that she is alive, so he doesn't immediately kill them, which is a positive. We don't know how long they remain alive, but the next abduction date is February 1. This gives us time for rescue. She hasn't been harmed yet, so he is working up to something. He has her for gratification of a need and is building towards some type of finale. He is a loner, as profiled earlier. He lives by himself in a secluded place. We need to look for houses with unfinished basements or cellars with a dirt floor. Her neighbors had sighted a rather large dog in the neighborhood around the beginning of curfew, and Jessica heard a large dog growling. Maybe the subject hunts with his dog. He stalks his victims before he actually takes them. He knows where they live and work. He watches them well in advance.”
Then Steve completed the information sharing session with, “He is very patient, intelligent and well organized. Let's narrow it down and investigate our latest findings. I'll brief Ortega and the rest of the RO.”
For the next couple of days, my assignment was to continue dreamscaping, which meant I didn't let any other outside stimuli take away from my connection with Jessica. This wasn't a hard task to do, since I had already conditioned myself to alleviate outside interferences. I didn't watch any television or listen to the radio. I only played music or listened to it. I asked Dianna to take me back to Jessica's apartment. We didn't need Gracie as an escort any longer, which freed her up to do other investigative assignments. From now on, it was just me and Dianna.
While at Jessica's apartment I did my usual, this time retracing her actions as I had seen them during dreamscape, to create an even stronger tie. Then I went inside and spent some time wandering through the apartment, before heading back to the Hilton. I wanted to get a jump start on my dreamscape. I notified Steve of my intentions and departed.
Dianna had an excellent idea while back at the hotel. She knew how the sleeping pills made me depressed and irritable with mood swings, so she prepared a bubble bath with candles for us, and some wine. I couldn't find any flaw in her strategy, and even if it didn't work, I still had the pills to rely on. She cautioned against the addictiveness and side effects of the medication. It was also a good way to ease my mind and for us to spend some couple time together. We relaxed for a while in the large Jacuzzi sized-tub, making love in the water. She literally wore me out. If she wanted to ensure that I fell asleep, she did a good job of it.
We went to the bedroom after making love in the tub, and continued there until I went to sleep. At this point I only hoped she wouldn't fall asleep al
so, and our findings would not be recorded.
The first thing I recall when I went to sleep was dreaming about Dianna, but then I diverted to Jessica. She was still tied up on the floor, crying. She was wondering about her family and how she would never see them again. She also wondered why this was happening to her, and what she had done to deserve this.
It was still quiet in the area Jessica was being held, but it was warmer inside the enclosed area now than it had previously been. It was daytime. She still couldn't see any light, but t after a while, she saw light surrounding the silhouette of the door, and then heard footsteps. She became more terrified, trembling in fear, curled up on the floor as tears rolled down her face. Her silent crying turned into a low, resonating moan as she heard the doorknob turn.
When the door opened, the light blinded her. She had been in the dark for so long she couldn't see anything for several seconds, and then she took in the silhouette of a person standing in the middle of the door with the light to his back. She couldn't make out his face or anything else. As he approached her, she began yelling through the gag in her mouth, but it was muffled. Then she began squirming and kicking erratically in spite of her bonds, in an attempt to fight back as he touched her. He briefly removed the gag from over her mouth and naturally her screams gained volume. Then he placed the chemically doused rag over her nose once again, rendering her unconscious.
When she woke up she was bathed and naked, with only an adult diaper on. She was on a bed in the dark room now. She hadn't known there was a bed in the room while she'd been lying on the floor. She began to cry again. She was elated to still be alive, but knew her situation hadn't changed much. She felt violated, like someone had raped her. She didn't feel the physical signs of rape, but mentally it felt as if she had been. The thought of a stranger touching her all over and doing whatever he wanted was terrifying.
There was a lantern on a table and a chair rested under the table in the room, but no windows. She was still bound at the wrists and legs, tied to the bed. She was alone now and even more afraid. She was tired and hungry but valiantly struggled to free herself from her bonds, until she fell asleep, exhausted by exertion and terror.