Lucky Like Us

chapter Nine

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Monday, 10:30 A.M.

TYLER ENTERED DEPUTY Director Davies’s office ready with his update on the Silver Fox case. Tyler received the forensic analysis this morning, along with the ballistics report on the bullets recovered from Elizabeth’s body. The attempt on an agent’s life left Sam injured and made the case a top priority. Every available resource was being used to find out what happened and identify the man behind the Silver Fox name. Tyler wanted to solve this case more than anything, because he’d been partly responsible for Sam’s abduction and near death. He couldn’t even think about what Elizabeth Hamilton had been through with the Silver Fox.

“What have you got?” Davies motioned for Tyler to take the seat in front of his desk.

“Quite a lot, actually. The blood recovered near the vehicle was type A negative. Elizabeth Hamilton’s blood type is B positive. I should have the DNA analysis this afternoon, along with the analysis on the scrapings we took from under Elizabeth’s nails.”

“Good thing the paramedics thought to bag her hands.”

Tyler nodded his agreement and went on. “In addition to Elizabeth’s blood on the knife, we also found the suspect’s blood type. I think she stabbed or cut him, which I’ll verify with Elizabeth when she’s able to speak to us.

“We’ve got an analysis of the skid marks, confirming the vehicle was a Toyota 4Runner. The police found an abandoned burned out one several blocks from the crime scene with a smashed front end. The vehicle is being processed for evidence, but due to the fire the likelihood there’s anything worthwhile is next to nil. The most helpful evidence came from Elizabeth herself. Once we have the DNA profile, we can check the databases for a match and the Silver Fox’s true identity. I have a feeling we won’t be that lucky, however.”

Davies frowned. “What about the bullets recovered from Elizabeth and Sam’s vest?”

“Ballistics came back this morning. All of the bullets recovered came from the same Ruger 9mm. We found it in the suspect’s vehicle. The fire destroyed any prints we might have gotten, and of course the serial number was filed off. The lab guys are trying to recover the serial number and any other evidence.”

“So pretty much we have evidence, but none of it points to any one particular person. The DNA profile probably won’t amount to anything. Our guy isn’t stupid. He’s not in the system anywhere. That would be too easy. Basically, we need to know if Ms. Hamilton can identify this guy. Sam’s a dead end. He’s not cooperating. What do you make of that?”

“Sam is on the fast track to burnout. This may have been the last straw for him. Shooting Ms. Hamilton messed with his head. Not to mention the fact he feels responsible for what happened to her because we screwed up.”

“We? You take responsibility for this mess too?”

“I shouldn’t have let him go in alone. Both of us felt something was wrong. We should have called in backup. Of course, knowing what we know now, it’s easy to say that. If we’d called in a bunch of agents and the meeting went down without a hitch, it would have been a huge waste of time and resources.”

“Exactly. Based on the information you had at the time, you both did the right thing. It didn’t turn out well, but you followed protocol. So far, Judge Hamilton is taking this well. He hasn’t threatened a lawsuit, and he’s wound down to threatening to kill Sam every few hours instead of every five minutes.

“On the other hand, I’m concerned about Sam. He’s working himself to death, and his cases have taken an emotional toll. Because of the shooting, he’ll be on paid administrative leave until the investigation is over and he completes his routine visits with the mind benders.”

Tyler cocked the corner of his mouth. “Mind benders, sir?”

“I hate those guys. I know they’re necessary, but do you really think they’ll get a man like Sam to open up and dump out his feelings? He’ll give them the answers they want to hear, so he can get back to his job.”

“Sam will jump through their hoops and get himself cleared to work again, but I don’t think that’s a good idea at this point. He needs a break. He’s been hip deep in the shit for too long. He needs a beach and a babe.”

Davies smiled. “Doesn’t every man need a beach and a babe?”

The pause in conversation worried Tyler. Deputy Director Davies contemplated some unknown topic, then spoke deliberately. “If you don’t think Sam is ready to come back on the job, he isn’t.”

Tyler wasn’t often stunned. Deputy Director Davies’s show of confidence was unexpected, but uplifting. Relatively new to the San Francisco office, he still had a lot to prove.

“I’ll suggest Sam take his vacation and go to Colorado with his family.”

“I don’t know if Sam will heed that suggestion.”

“If he won’t, I’ll make it an order. Time away will help him gain some perspective. I want to know the results of the DNA profile and if you miraculously get a hit.”

Deputy Director Davies sat stone-faced for another moment. Something in his bearing concerned Tyler again. Weighing his words carefully, he began with, “I don’t think you’re leaking privileged information.”

That ominous statement hung between them. Tyler didn’t move or say anything. What could he say? He had no idea where this conversation was headed.

“I got a call earlier from someone looking for you. They left a message.”

“Who was it?”

“Morgan.”

Tyler masked any outward spark of eagerness, but inside he came to full alert. So Morgan was the turn in conversation.

“What’s the message?” Tyler’s heart raced. He’d been trying to find Morgan on and off for the past three years. She’d disappeared as quickly as she appeared. One moment she was there, dropped a bombshell on him, and then she was gone. He never had the chance to thank her. He’d even considered over the years she wasn’t real at all, but a figment of his imagination. She sporadically left him cryptic messages with a clue to one of his cases, but never spoke to him directly. She kept him guessing, and it pissed him off.

Deputy Director Davies read the note on his desk. “She said not to blame yourself for what happened at the bar. The blonde agent couldn’t prevent what happened and neither could you. She said to tell you the Fox is hiding in plain sight, the woman has a double threat, and the blonde needs to mind his back. On your other case, you’ll find the Rose Princess under the grand oak, and when you find the King of Hearts you’ll solve the case.”

Tyler had listened carefully, weighing and remembering every word. “Was there anything else?”

“No. She made sure I got the wording right and hung up.”

Tyler thought hard, looking into nothing, trying to link the last part of the message to one of his cases. “Did you happen to get the number she was calling from, or anything that would tell me where she is?”

There wouldn’t be, never was.

“No.”

See. Figures.

“She stayed on the line less than three minutes, and I didn’t think it necessary to try to find out where the call originated. What I want to know is who this woman is, and how she knows so much about your cases? Are you giving her information, or using her to help you with the cases? Is she an informant?”

“I don’t know who she is, except her name is Morgan.” Deputy Director Davies wouldn’t let him off the hook with a short answer. He hated having to explain himself, but Davies was his superior and a damn good agent.

“A few years ago, I lived in Texas. She sat down at a table next to me while I was having dinner at a restaurant one night. She ordered her food and sat quietly eating. She was a young kid, maybe eighteen or nineteen, probably a college student. She carried a beat-up backpack with her. She never looked at me, or said a word. I finished my meal and left the money for the bill and tip on the table. Before I passed her table, she grabbed my wrist, looked me in the eye, and told me to go to the yellow house and find my sister. If I didn’t go and get her that night, I would never see her again.”

“She knew your sister?”

“No.”

Davies’s eyes grew more intense.

“Morgan was so intent and serious, she really made me believe something could be wrong. I hadn’t seen my sister in several weeks. She and I had communication problems. I played the protective brother all the time, and she wanted to be left to live her life, despite the consequences of some of her poor choices.

“Anyway, I believed Morgan’s warning, despite the fact I had nothing to support her claim. I went to my sister’s boyfriend’s house, the yellow house, and found her. Stoned out of her mind, the boyfriend was nowhere to be found. I took my sister to the hospital. Beyond thankful I’d come to get her, she was afraid to call and ask for my help when she’d screwed up so badly. She stayed overnight at the hospital while the doctors cleared her system of the drugs. Luckily, she wasn’t that bad off and motivated to stay clean.

“The next day, the police and fire department were called to a house explosion. The boyfriend was cooking up a batch of meth in the kitchen and blew himself, the house, and half the house next door to hell. Had I not gone to get my sister, she would have been killed.

“I asked my sister about Morgan, but she didn’t know anyone by that name, or with her description. I can’t explain how Morgan knew about my sister, or how she’s known about some of my other cases. She’s like a ghost. Sometimes I don’t even think she’s real. Over the last three years, she’s contacted me a handful of times with a cryptic message. I don’t know how she found out I’m FBI, or how to contact me. I don’t even know how she knows my name. I haven’t spoken directly to her since I met her in that restaurant.”

“Is she some sort of psychic or something?”

“She’s something all right. If she’s psychic, she’s the real deal. Every tip she’s given me has resulted in my solving a case.”

Deputy Director Davies accepted Tyler’s explanation with a nod. “Well, what does the message mean?”

“I don’t know. Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you sure that was the exact message?”

“Yeah, she made me repeat it back to her.” He clipped out each word.

Frustration and exasperation laced the Deputy Director’s voice. He didn’t like to be questioned about his ability, especially in taking a simple message. Asking had been difficult for Tyler.

“I only ask because she left a message for me once on a case I worked in Kansas. The message was to find the green man hiding in the flour, f-l-o-u-r, although I didn’t know that at the time. I only figured it out after we solved the case. Anyway, the person who took the message didn’t understand the message and told me to find the green man hiding in the flowers. You know, like roses. I got it stuck in my head that I was looking for someone who worked with plants and flowers. Turned out a local flour mill sectioned off each work area by color. The workers wore jumpsuits specific to the section they worked. The green man turned out to be the brother-in-law of the victim.”

“Are all the messages some sort of imagery or obscure reference? The Rose Princess and the King of Hearts? What does that mean?”

“That’s just it. The messages are obscure. But once I solve the case, they make perfect sense. She never says, go find Bob at the local fried chicken shack. Like the other case, the message didn’t make sense until I narrowed down the suspects to the family members. When I set up the interview with the brother-in-law, and he told me to meet him after work at the flour mill, it dawned on me the message might refer to flour and not flowers. He worked in the green section and wore a green jumpsuit. After I caught him in a lie, we got a warrant and found a bloodied jumpsuit in his locker. The message made perfect sense, once I had all the information available to me. I’ll have to check the evidence and case descriptions I’m working and see if the new message makes any sense. More than likely, I’m close on one of the cases and the message will help me put the final pieces together. That seems to be the pattern.”

“I can’t wait to see how this turns out. It’s a little strange,” Deputy Director Davies said intrigued.

“Try being the one she calls and having her messages come true. I don’t even know how she finds me. She probably calls the Bureau and finds out which office I’m at. But still, it’s weird having someone who knows what I’m doing and which cases I’m working.”

“Keep me posted on the Silver Fox case and whether you figure out the message. You better tell Sam to mind his back. That’s kind of strange she used the word mind and not watch.”

“That’s why I asked about the way she said the message. ‘Watch your back’ means one thing, but ‘mind your back’ means something else entirely. Sam said he had a bad feeling the night he went into the bar. He should have minded his back.”

“You’d better figure out what the double threat to Elizabeth means, too.”

“I’ll do that.” Tyler left the office with more questions than answers. He’d check over his cases for the Rose Princess and King of Hearts before going to the hospital to check on Sam and tell him about the message on the Silver Fox case.

He wondered what Sam would think of his ghost. Maybe he needed to see the mind benders.