Chapter 27

The Note

Ben was sitting at his desk, pouring over his notes and trying to make sense of all the clues that were laid out in them. He was still trying to find facts and evidence as to where Nightshade had taken the girls, where the missing woman Melody was, and where Roland would strike next. Photos of the missing girl sat on top topographical maps of the lake that had red spots denoting where the two reports had been. The horrible images of his parents sat in a special place near the center of his desk. He had already combed through the highly illegal file he had bootlegged from Sherriff Raven's files. Other than an interesting correlation between the slugs used and two previously unsolved murders, nothing else was of note. Sherriff Raven thought it might have been rustlers that had been surprised by his parents, and Ben was willing to let her keep thinking that, as long as it kept the girls safe. Another stack of reports were of the ever elusive Roland and his damn Enchanted Threads costume shop. Despite a bolo with his description and search for the premises, they had come up dry. There wasn't even another set of cases that matched the MO. Perhaps this was his first set of victims, and his first trial run as it were. From what the girls had said of his manner and dress though, Ben didn't think so. It was all too neat, too pat for it not to have been practiced.

Surrounded by the piles of papers, was a single large pot of coffee, with a little bit of liquid left in the bottom. Ben had moved it in here after the first all-nighter he had pulled. That was…Saturday? What day was it, anyway? Ben shook his head. It didn't matter. What mattered was finding everyone that was connected with the piles of papers. He reached for another Styrofoam cup to fill, but found the dispenser empty. His wastebasket was already overflowing from all the cups, littering the floor. He'd have to pick them up when he got a chance. There wasn't any time right now, though. He was too close to a lead, he could feel it. Somewhere, in that pile of papers, there was a thread of commenality that would bring the case together. If only he could see it.

The door to his office opened and Officer McCallahan stepped in, a fresh pot in her hand. Ben eyed it greedily. It would be just the ticket he needed to get his brain over the hump and finding that missing piece. He almost reached for it, but restrained himself as McCallahan collected the empty one and replaced it with the other. She also set a mug on the table for him. Guiltily, Ben stared at the cups on the floor. He'd really get around to picking them up. He would! He just needed some time to get the case solved.

McCallahan stood there at a moment, looking at him in concern. "Sir," she asked quietly, worry evident in her voice. "You haven't gotten any sleep in three days. Why don't you go home? Get some sleep and tackle this thing again. Sgt. Mike can handle the case while you're away."

Ben felt a fresh surge of surprise. Was it that long? Still, as much as he would like to hand over the reins to someone else, it just wasn't in him to leave a case unfinished. Besides, who could he trust? This case went into the bizarre. If any of his officers heard what they were looking for, they would impeach him. Already he had heard some complaints about "searching for phantom people in phantom stores" from the officers on the beat. He didn't dare imagine what kind of words would be said about him if they knew he was searching for mythical creatures! No, this was one of those cases he couldn't leave to anyone else.

"Thanks for the coffee, McCallahan." He said gruffly. "But I'll be fine. No need for sleep yet!"

McCallahan looked like she wanted to protest more, but Ben leveled an icy stare at her and she finally left with the empty pot. That was better. Still, he did feel bad about sending her away like that. She was concerned, but he was fine, really. Returning to the stack of papers in front of him, he poured his first mug and started going through the reports for the umpteenth time, looking for that elusive evidence.

McCallahan had come and gone with two fresh pots before Ben finally decided he needed some rest. According to his clock the time was around 3 AM in the morning. Frustration filled him as he eyed the stacks of papers again. He had gone through them with a microscope and still couldn't find anything to indicate what was going on. Even approaching them separately, as individual cases wasn't helping. There had to be SOMETHING he was missing, but what was it?

Ben decided to take McCallahan's advice. Getting up from the chair, he stretched out. Tendons cracked and popped and he felt the tightness in his back loosen slightly. He walked out his office door to a muted station. McCallahan was sprawled across her desk, snoring slightly. Her partner had evidently stepped out, as his coat was hanging on the back of his chair. Smiling slightly, Ben took the coat and laid it over her. She grunted slightly in her sleep, but didn't wake up. The girl deserved a medal for her determination, Ben thought blearily. He weaved towards the break room where a small couch sat against the wall. Kicking off his shoes, he laid down on it and propped his feet on the edge. He closed his eyes and let blackness carry him away.

Ben awoke to McCallahan pounding on his shoulder.

"Sir! Sir! The mayor is here to see you!" She shouted. She shook him again.

"All right! All right! I'm up!" Ben growled, trying to get her to stop. She stepped back and began rubbing her hand, evidently paining her from the way she was holding it. His shoulder felt slightly bruised, but he shrugged it off.

Now, why would the mayor be here? Unless it had something to do with the girl? Ben fought to hurry the congealed mess that was his thoughts along. It was so slow though! How long had he been out? A glance at the clock on the wall said eleven, and he had gone to sleep around three, that made it…seven hours? Eight? Ben wasn't sure, but he thought it had to be eight. And he still felt exhausted. He quickly wiped the sleep from his eyes and stood up from the couch. He was about to run out when he realized his feet were cold. What? Oh! He needed to put his shoes back on. Sighing, Ben quickly sat back down and hurriedly tied his shoes while McCallahan waited impatiently. Getting back up, Ben quickly strode out the door, McCallahan at his heels.

In his office, Greg sat seemingly calm and collected, but Ben could read the falseness of it. There was an exhausted air around the mayor; probably, Ben mused, from too little sleep. Dark circles were under his eyes and an enormous strain was shone in them. No doubt the council was part of that, but Ben knew the real reason. Dismissing McCallahan, he waited until the door was firmly shut behind him before speaking.

"Damn Greg." He said softly. "You look about how I feel."

The mayor chuckled softly. "Then that must be pretty bad, considering how you look." He seemed surprised at the laugh.

Ben acknowledged the jab with a tired smile, which was wiped off his face a moment later.

"I went to see Mary this morning. Her banker had given her a call, informing her that the wireless transaction had been completed." Greg said, anger filling his words.

Ben was puzzled. What transaction? He asked as much.

"Apparently, someone wired over seven-hundred dollars to her account the other day. She doesn't know where the money came from, and there is no one who could have just sent it to her. And there's more." Greg reached into his pocket and removed a sheet of printer paper. "This was on my computer and on Mary's as well. There wasn't a return code, and the address it came from is shut down."

Ben hurriedly grabbed the paper and smoothed it out. It read in big block letters:

HELLO MR. MATHISON.

I EXPECT YOU REMEMBER ME VERY WELL. MY CIRCUS PASSED THROUGH YOU DELIGHTFUL LITTLE TOWN SOME TIME AGO. I FOUND THE ATMOSPHERE VERY FRIENDLY THERE, AND WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE TWO YOUNG LADIES TO JOIN MY WANDERING TROUPE. I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT, THEIR…UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS ARE PART OF WHAT WILL MAKE THEM VERY FAMOUS. THEY HAVE AGREED TO WORK FOR ME IN MY SHOW. ONE OF THEM HAS ASKED THAT MOST OF HER PAY BE WIRED TO HER MOTHER, AND I HAVE AGREED. THE MONEY SHOULD BE IN HER ACCOUNT BY THE TIME YOU GET THIS.

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL BE LOOKING FOR THEM, BUT KNOW THAT I HAVE HIDDEN THEM VERY WELL. GO AFTER ME, AND YOUR OWN SECRETS WILL BE EXPOSED. THE MONEY FLOW TO SUPPORT MS. GROGAN WILL BE CUT OFF AS WELL.

SINCERELY YOURS,

NIGHTSHADE

Ben stared at the letter in disbelief. The girls were working for that man?! It had to be a lie. There was no way they would be willing to work for him. Ben tried to dismiss it completely. No doubt the money and the letter were meant to confuse them, muddy the waters. Keep them guessing. The empty threat of cutting off this new-found money was just that, an empty threat. Nightshade couldn't be in control of the girls, unless…Ben shivered as he realized. He could have reprogrammed the girls!

The thought was a terrifying one. Ben had once worked on such a case, a long time ago. A marine's daughter had been kidnapped, and he was one of the security forces attached to NCIS to help find her. They had managed to locate her living in another city four months later, but when they went to apprehend the kidnapper, he told her to attack them. She had fought so savagely against them, it had taken four men to hold her down, and a gun to the kidnapper's head to calm her. Ben understood it had taken months at a deprogrammer to get her head straightened out, and each time she went she would ask about him, wanting to make sure he was all right, and when she could be with him again. Ben shuddered as he pictured the girls programmed that way. He had to find them, fast.

Looking over at Greg though, Ben elected to hold his tongue. The worry in the man's eyes was enough to show that he was deeply concerned with the safety of the girls. Best not have him worrying about the fight to get them back!

"Look Greg. I'm not sure what we can do with this information." He said finally. Frustration mounted as he thought of the problems he was having investigating the case. "First off, I can't rely on my people because if they knew the truth, you and I would find ourselves in straightjackets before you could say 'no really!'. It's kind of hard to investigate in the loony bin, Greg. Secondly," He raised his hand and began ticking off the rest of the points. "I don't want to use normal cyber units, either here or the states, because they need a reason why. If we went to them, then they would know that the girls are missing, will need an accurate description, and then we are sent off again."

Greg nodded miserably as Ben finished. "I know." He said hoarsely. "Anna has been going nuts, wanting to prosecute Nightshade, Roland, the state, the city. Anyone who has even the remotest connection." He gave a weak laugh. "Hell, for a while there she wanted to prosecute me."

Ben didn't share in his friends laugh. It was painful to hear, as it was a plain indicator to Ben how fragile Greg's grip was. Greg seemed to realize it, because he flushed slightly in embarrassment and ran his hand over his hair. Ruefully, he looked at the loose silver strand that came back with his hand. His once dark hair was shot with silver, and it had only accelerated in the past few weeks. Greg took a deep breath and let it out. He turned his palm over and let the hair follicle fall to the ground while Ben watched.

"Okay, melt time is over." Greg said. His gaze snapped up to Ben, and he felt the energy that was flooding back into Greg's body. "First. You are right. There is nothing we can do or say that won't convince everyone that we are crazy. We have to do this by ourselves, and not through channels." He thought for a moment. "I remember Sylvie saying something in jest to Anna, about how a young geek in one of the computer departments had caught the eye of Taryn. What was his name? Josh, something or other." Greg lost focus for a second as he tried to remember the name, but evidently couldn't. He simply shrugged and turned back to Ben. "We could use him to hack into the accounts. See if he can find a trace of where it came from. Sylvie was saying he had made top marks in all of his classes."

Ben nodded. The suggestion made sense. All the kids these days had some sort of cyber ability. Surely the one at the top of his class could do something with these machines. He could handle the computers all right, and wasn't a complete innocent with them. However, he couldn't do half the things that kids these days seemed to do by instinct. Now would be the time to put that to the test.

"Okay. I'll see if I can't pick him up and talk to him." Ben told Greg.

Greg smiled. "Anna tells me he's been over at Mary's several times over the past couple of weeks, trying to check up on Taryn. So far the story that their visiting relatives outside the state is holding, but it won't last long."

Ben nodded. With all the social networking sites, it seemed as if the moment someone put down the phone to take a crap, a dozen people knew about it. It all seemed so ridiculous to Ben. A man had the right to some privacy, and if he wanted to be unreachable, then he should be able to get away! However, every time a teen lost her phone, his department would receive dozens of calls with friends concerned that they hadn't heard from their friend for the past fifteen minutes! It was terrible.

Ben realized he'd let his mind wander, and jerked himself back to the present. Wool-gathering! His grandmother would have rapped his knuckles if she had caught him.

"All right. I'll head over to Mary's and try to talk to him about it." Ben said.

"Sounds like a plan." Greg finished. "Oh, and Ben?"

"Yes?"

"What we are doing is highly illegal. Nightshade is sure to use that fact against us while he is holding the girls. I don't think he needs to be allowed the chance, don't you agree?" There was steel in the voice. Ben felt his eyebrows shoot up. Was he suggesting…? Of course he was, and to be honest, Ben had thought about it long and hard himself. It went against all his training, and his initial impulses. But, Greg had a point. There was no way they could get Nightshade to court, though Ben would do his best, there was little that would be legal about it.

"I think I do." He finally said.

Greg nodded quietly. Grabbing his coat, he put it on. With a nod at Greg, he swept out, once again a highly successful politician.

The conversation disturbed Ben more than he wanted to admit. It wasn't the overall suggestions themselves, he realized, but rather the unexpected boldness of his friend. The stress was affecting his friend more than he realized. The fact that Greg was right and the only way to guarantee the safety of the girls was to…remove…Nightshade from the picture didn't make it any more palatable. As far as Ben could remember, Greg had fought against that kind of casual brutality in his fellow human beings. He had done wonders to the city with the few resources that had been available to him. Greg had brought in after school centers, and programs to reduce the ever growing violence in the city. To have summarily suggested it like that?

The case needed to be solved, and quickly. If Greg was thinking like that, who knows what Anna would do on her own. Ben quickly grabbed his coat and his personal car keys. He had to find that geek boyfriend of Taryn's, and quickly.

Josh was distracted from his reading by a loud knock on his bedroom door. "Yes?" he asked rather grumpily. Dangit, would he ever be able to finish the Gildor Chronicles?

"Josh, you have a visitor." His mother called in. She sounded upset.

Josh frowned. He didn't have many friends at school, most said he was a nerd and a geek, and they stayed away from his uncoolness. Well, most did anyway. Joe was a good guy and one of the coolest kids in school, and he and Josh got on well. But he had been over before, and his mom hadn't complained. Who could be making her so upset?

His question was answered as Chief Gardner eased through the door. The chief's massive frame just barely clearing the frame. Josh gulped nervously. What had brought the chief of police here?! The chief's stern features scowled down at him, making him shrink on himself, trying to disappear. All the things he had done wrong, from the playboy under the bed to the time he had swiped a piece of pie from his mom's windowsill came to mind. Behind the chief, his mother looked at her son with worry creased into her features. Josh desperately wanted to reassure her, but he had no idea why the chief would be here.

"Thank you Ms. Lazarus. If you don't mind, I think I would like to talk to your son alone for a minute." The chief rumbled. To Josh, it sounded like the growl of a bear. Most people compared him to a bulldog, and his nickname proved it. However, to Josh the chief seemed more like a mountain grizzly; tall, powerful, and willing to rip the head off of anybody foolish enough to cross his path.

Mom looked at him with fear in her eyes, before turning back around and walking down the hall. A moment later came the clatter of pots in the small kitchen that they had. The chief firmly closed the door behind him and looked down at Josh.

"C-can I help you, sir?" Josh gulped.

The chief looked at him strangely for a moment, before nodding. "I think that you might just be able to." He finally growled.

Josh nodded hurriedly, this was much better than getting into trouble! Wait! What if he was trying to implicate him in something? Josh wanted to swallow, but all the saliva in his throat had gone and the Sahara had come in its stead. "S-sure." Josh coughed. "Anything you need."

The chief glared down at him, making him wilt again. "How much do you know about Taryn, boy?"

Taryn, what the…? "Not much sir, I swear! We just go to school together, and you know…hang out afterwords. I haven't touched her at all! I don't even hold her books! I swear it." Josh stammered. No! He was babbling now, but he just couldn't seem to stop.

The chief suddenly grabbed his shoulders, making him clam up instantly. "Easy boy." Was he smiling? "I didn't mean to start you off like that, and you should always offer to hold a lady's books for her, especially if she is tired. No. What I meant was what do you know about her…vacation?"

Josh felt a frown slide on his face. "It's strange, sir." He said truthfully. "There's no mention on any of her accounts, not even on the ScienceHall.com site, and she hasn't updated in more than three weeks. Surely she could have gotten to a computer in that time?" An ugly thought came to him. "You don't think it was something I said sir? I've always been nice, but the guys were ribbing me about not being bold and going to lose my chance, and I asked her to Harry's after she won and…"

"Whoa son. You're babbling again." The chief interrupted. Josh clamped his mouth shut, wishing he could just sink through his bed and through the floor.

"I'll be damned. I guess the cover story actually worked." The chief said offhandedly. Cover story? What was going on here? Josh wondered.

"Now listen." The chief suddenly directed the full force of his gaze on Josh, who felt his hands grow clammy. "The girls were kidnapped some time ago. Unfortunately, there haven't been any leads, except the threat of harm if we use…official channels to investigate. Fortunately, they slipped up and wired some money into…an account that we've been monitoring."

Josh listened politely, but was confused. If they were monitoring the account, then why didn't they just use a cyber-cop to find out? His question was answered a moment later.

"Now, the kidnappers have been one step ahead of us the whole time." The chief's mouth soured even more. "How, I have no clue, but they appear to be able to monitor our efforts from the office at least. So, I want you to go in, follow the trail on your computer do…"He groped blindly for a moment "Whatever it is you do and follow the trail all the way back. Do you understand?"

Josh thought a moment then nodded. His heart beat a little faster. Here he was, a kid, being asked to help the chief of police! It was a heady feeling. He couldn't wait to begin. The chief handed him a slip of paper with the account code on it and then left. Almost before he got out the door, his mom came in and began pelting him with questions. Why was the chief asking after him? What had he done wrong? Was it something to do with his time on the computers? Josh fended off question after question and finally got her out of his room. Now he had to work.

Firing up his scratch-built tower, he impatiently waited for the start-up screen. Typing in his password, he let the system boot itself. Once in, he began running a search program he had created in the tech class in school. While it hummed along, Josh tried to be patient, but found his frustration at the speed of his computer, plenty fast before, mounting. Finally, the program beeped and an alert flashed on his screen: NO RESULTS. Well, it would have been a miracle if his first attempt had won. Humming to himself, Josh began typing in another program, and began trying to create a trace program from scratch. Just in case his next attempt failed.

Ben saw the kid working on his computer before he pulled off. Ben felt satisfied that the kid would do the job, he was highly motivated right now. Most kids couldn't pass up the chance to show their elders up with their new skills. He felt a little sick to be using the kid on this, but he couldn't risk anyone else knowing. Not yet, at any rate. There had to be a way for this to work.

His mind wandered back to the missing persons filed on Melody. Perhaps that was the solution. All he had to do was find her and prove to his men that he wasn't crazy. But, that would put them at risk of a government seizure. The feds would no doubt demand custody, or just outright take them to some lab where the kids and Melody would be poked, prodded or otherwise studied. No. Finding the mermaid was an option, but only if he had no choice, and had to go through the channels.

Ben sighed and turned his car towards the lake. Time for another fishing expedition.