Hear No Evil - Chapter 41

“Mrs Williams, I know that this is a difficult time for you and your family. We just need to ask you a few questions about your daughter’s time at speech lessons when she was a girl.”

Jack and Sue sat in the living room of Lindsay and Richard Williams. As they watched the older women, it was clear that she had spent most of the morning crying for her lost daughter. Sue couldn’t even begin to imagine what they were going through. She’d never lost anyone close to her and she hoped it would be a long time before she had to go through that the Williams’ were experiencing now.

“You mean back in Ohio with Ms Casey?” She asked as Jack nodded. “Ms Casey was a lovely women, Claire adored her. She always loved going to her classes but she would always come back very subdued. She was never the same girl that we left there earlier in the day. She didn’t say why to start with but then we managed to get out of her that one of the boys had been pestering her. She said that he wouldn’t leave her alone and kept following her around wherever she went. Claire was only nine at the time. She said this boy was probably about fifteen or sixteen. We did speak with Ms Casey about it and she said she would take it up with the boy’s parents but the problems didn’t stop. In the end we took her out of her classes and found her another teacher.”

Sue looked at Jack and could tell that he was thinking the same as she was. If Ms Casey was old of her daughter’s problem, why did she do nothing about it? The bigger question was why did she not tell them about it when they went to see her?

“Did you know the name of the boy Mrs Williams?” Sue asked.
“You know, now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever found out his name. Ms Casey said that she knew who it was and that she would deal with it. It never occurred to me to ask his name.”
“Thank you for your help Mrs Williams.” Jack said as they stood.

As Mrs Williams escorted them to the door, they said their goodbyes and offered their condolences as they left the house. When they were in the car, Sue looked at Jack. The way he was looking at her told her that there was something on his mind and Sue sensed that it was something to do with her.

“Is everything okay Jack? You look like there is something on your mind.” She asked him.

She watched as he turned to her, his facial expressions giving away nothing as to what he was thinking. A few more moments passed before he spoke.

“When you were seeing Ms Casey, did this boy ever pester you?

She smiled when she realised the reason for the solemn look on his handsome face. Reaching out she took his hand.

“No Jack. No one bothered me. My mom and dad used to drop me off and pick me up. The rest of the time I was with Ms Casey. I was rarely on my own.

She saw the expression on his face change, clearly relieved that she hadn’t had the same problems with this boy that the other girls had.

“Good, because I’m the only member of the male species who is allowed to pester you now.”

The smile and wink he threw at her were almost her undoing and she was pleased she was sitting down. He kept her eyes on him as he released her hand and put the car into gear. When the road was clear, he pulled away.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 40

After scribbling a quick note for Sue’s parents, Jack and Sue left for the airport. Tara had sent Jack a message to let him know she had rearranged their flights and they were due to leave Ohio in a little over an hour’s time. They had packed their things and left the Thomas house, arriving back in the bullpen several hours later.

“Have we heard anything more Bobby?”Jack said as they walked in.
“It’s just been confirmed mate, the two women pulled out of the Potomac are Claire Williams and Sophie Morgan. It looks like our kidnapping has just escalated to a murder.” Bobby said as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“That’s not all Crash. All four of the women went to the same speech teacher in Ohio. They were all taught by Barbara Casey around the same time as Sue did. Ms Casey couldn’t say if the women knew each other back then, or if they did as adults.”

Sue caught the look that Bobby was giving her and knew what he was thinking. Like Jack, Bobby could be over-protective, as could all of the guys, but at that moment, she still didn’t believe she was in any danger. There was no indication she was at risk.

“I know what you are going to say Bobby but I am not going into a safe house. We still have no reason to believe that this person will come after me.” Bobby opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Sue’s hand. “No buts Bobby, I appreciate your concern but I am staying at home with Lucy. This person is not going to scare me out of my own home.”

Sue watched as Bobby turned to Jack, obviously looking f or his best friend to agree with him. Jack looked between them before speaking.

“Sue, I understand how you feel but it is not just a kidnapper we are dealing with now. Two of these women have been killed. You can’t deny that the connections between the women also connect you. There are too many coincidences here Sue and I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t act on my instincts. It’s not very often that I pull rank, but I’m going to now. Seeing as you won’t move into a safe house, then we shall have to bring the safe house to you. You a Lucy will be having a house guest so make your choice.”
“But Jack...”
“No buts Sue. Neither you nor Lucy is armed so if anyone did come after you, you would be a sitting duck. One of us is going to stay with you until this case is over or we know with 100% certainty that you aren’t at risk.”

Sue looked at Lucy who had the biggest grin on her face. She inwardly groaned at what she knew her friend was thinking. The obvious choice would be Jack and judging by the looks on the faces of the others, they all thought she would pick Jack too. Under normal circumstances, she would love having Jack stay at her for a few days, but seeing as this was for a case, and when she and Jack were alone all thoughts of work went out the window, she decided that Jack probably wasn’t the best option.

“Okay, fine, if I have to have someone babysit me, then I pick Tara.” Sue said as she smiled at the only female agent in the bullpen.
“Great. Okay, Tara, you can go home and pack a bag for a few nights. “Jack said to her as the petite agent grabbed her purse and left the bullpen. Jack turned to Sue, “You and I have to go and speak with the women’s parents, see if they can tell us why they took their daughter’s out of Ms Casey’s class.”

Nodding, Sue followed him out of the bullpen and waited with him for the elevator. It was a few moments before Jack spoke.

“I know you think I’m being over-protective Sue, but I can’t say that I’m not worried about you. There are too many coincidences in this case and I’ve been around long enough not to believe in coincidences. I’m not going to risk anything happening to you Sue.”
“It’s okay Jack, I know you’re only doing what you think needs to be done. Besides, it might be fun having another woman in the house. Although poor old Levi is going to feel greatly outnumbered.” Sue said as she smiled down at her faithful companion who just lay on the floor and covered his nose with his paws.

Both Jack and Sue laughed at the canine before stepping into the elevator.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 39

Several hours later, Jack and Sue returned from an afternoon in town. Sue had taken Jack to some of her favourite childhood haunts and Levi had been in his element chasing pigeons and squirrels in the park.

Despite the case they were working, Sue was happy being home, especially with Jack by her side. They had bumped into a couple of people that she’d gone to school with, many of whom still lived at home with their parents.  She felt so proud of all that she’d achieved, especially with her disadvantages. What felt even better was introducing Jack as her boyfriend. That had gotten several “no ways” and “get out of here’s” from the girls they had bumped into. They had been practically drooling over him and she had never felt better about herself with him on her arm.

As they walked into the kitchen, Sue dropped her purse on couch and went through to the kitchen th get them a drink, picking up a note that had been left on the counter top.

Sue and Jack

Had to go out, Aunt Sylvia is not well. We will hopefully be back before you leave for D.C tomorrow but if not, it has been lovely seeing you both again. Please don’t leave it so long next time!

Love

Mom and Dad

P.S Dinner is in the oven.

“Looks like we have the place to ourselves.” Sue called to Jack as he came into the kitchen, “Mom and Dad had to go to Aunt Sylvia’s.”

“You mean I have you all to myself for the rest of the day.” Jack said with a smile.

Sue smiled when she saw Jack waggle his eyebrows at her. She knew exactly what was running through his mind by the way he was looking at her, mainly because the same thing had popped into her mind too. Spending some alone time with Jack was always a good thing, and usually she would jump at the chance, but this was her parents house.  When they were on their own, things tended to get pretty heated pretty quickly. They’d come close to crossing that barrier a few times and she didn’t feel that she could trust herself to stop if things got that far again, which she knew they would. She racked her brain to try and think of something for Jack to do, smiling when it came to her.

“Hadn’t you better get on the phone to Bobby to let him know what we have found out after speaking with Ms Casey?”

Sue almost laughed out loud as Jack’s shoulders slumped and he stuck out his bottom lip. She almost caved when he tried to turn his dark eyes on her but she turned to the fridge to get their drinks, opening the door and to let the chilly air cool her rapidly overheating body.  Turning back she saw Jack was now in the living room about to dial when his phone rang. Answering, he turned and mouthed to her that it was Bobby.

“Hey Crash, you must be psychic, I was about to call you. I think we may have something here.”

“Well we definitely have something here Sparky. Two bodies have just been recovered from the Potomac. They haven’t been formally identified but the description matches those of Claire Williams and Sophie Morgan. I think you should get back here pronto.
“On our way Crash.”

Hear No Evil - Chapter 37

The next morning, Sue and Jack were up before the Thomas’. They had grabbed a quick breakfast and were now on their way to meet Sue’s former speech teacher, Barbara Casey.

Sue couldn’t deny that she was apprehensive about seeing the woman that she had dubbed the “iron witch” when she was a girl. She had attended lessons four times a week after school and for a couple of hours on a Saturday. She’d hated her mother for making her go. At that age, she didn’t understand why she was being made to do something that she didn’t want to do. All she wanted to do was play with her brothers. Looking back, she now understood that she probably wouldn’t be where she was now if her mother hadn’t pushed her when she was younger.

She came back to reality when the car slowed and she looked up at the building that she had visited so regularly as a child. It hadn’t changed and still looked as dark and foreboding as she remembered. She took a deep breath and stepped out the car, waiting for Jack on the sidewalk. She watched him grab a file off the back seat, knowing that it contained the files on the four missing women.

When he joined her on the sidewalk and they walked up to the building. She smiled when she felt Jack’s hand move to the small of her back. It was a simple touch that he had done so many times, but now had so many other meanings.

As they entered, Sue immediately headed for the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor. Memories of the times she had been there flooded back and she began to feel like that little girl again. She felt Jack take her hand and squeeze it gently, letting her know that he was there and she wasn’t alone.

After a few seconds, the elevator stopped and they stepped out. Sue led Jack the short distance to Barbara Casey’s office and they knocked and waited. She saw Jack nod and he took the door handle and pushed the door open. She walked into the office closely followed by Jack.

As they walked in, Sue saw Ms Casey sat at her desk. Her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose as she flipped through some paperwork. Apart from a few more wrinkles and greying hair, the older woman hadn’t changed much since she’d last seen her. Hearing them come in, she stood and smiled at the both.

“You must be agents Hudson and Thomas. I’m Barbara Casey. What can I do for you?”

Sue and Jack sat in the two chairs that Ms Casey indicated. Looking across at Jack, she saw him nod, indicating for her to take the lead. Sue took a deep breath and spoke.

“Ms Casey, you probably don’t remember me but……”
“Of course I remember you dear, you are Carla and Paul’s little girl. Not so little now I see and working for the FBI. I always thought that out of all my students, you would be the one to make something of your life. I’m glad to see that I wasn’t wrong.”

Sue smiled up and her former teacher and instantly relaxed. She wasn’t as nasty as she remembered. Then again, she was only an eight year old girl back then and anyone who made her do something she didn’t like was nasty.

“What was it you wanted to see me about?” She asked.
“It’s about another of your students, Rosemary Prince. Do you remember her?” Jack said.
“Rosemary? I haven’t heard from her in over a year. She was my student at around the same time as Sue here. We kept in regular contact, used to talk several times a week and then the contact just stopped. Never knew why. I figured she had moved and lost my contact details. When I tried to ring her, the number had been disconnected. Is everything okay with her?” She asked and Jack sensed that her concern for her former student was genuine.
“Actually Ms Casey, she has gone missing. She is the fourth woman to go missing in the last few weeks. All of the women are from Ohio and all of them are oral deaf.” Sue explained.
“Oh my word. Do you have any leads?” She asked them.
“We have nothing at the moment, other than the connections between the women. We need you to look at the files of the other women, see if you knew them, maybe taught them when they were younger.”
“Of course, anything I can do to help.”

Jack smiled at her and handed her the files on the other women. Ms Casey sat back at her desk and opened the file, pushing her glasses further onto her nose. Sue watched as she flicked through the information and then took her glasses off and placed them on the desk, lowering her head into her hands.

“Ms Casey? Is everything okay?” Sue asked her.
“I’m not sure Sue. I knew all of these women. I taught all of them. What’s even stranger is that I taught them all at the same time as Rosemary and you.”

Both Jack and Sue watched as she walked over to her filing cabinet and pulled out five files and handed them to Jack. He read the names out loud.

“Claire Williams, Sophie Morgan, Maria Lopez, Rosemary Prince and Susan Thomas.”
“I taught all five girls at the same time on different days and at different times. I don’t know if any of them actually knew each other.”

Ms Casey looked at Sue who shook her head and turned to Jack.

“I didn’t know the first three girls. I only knew Rosemary from deaf club, not when I was a girl. In all the time I knew her, I never knew she attended the same teacher as I did.” Sue said, still surprised by Ms Casey’s revelation.
“Ms Casey, are there any other students that you taught at the same time as these five women?” Jack asked.
“Agent Hudson, teaching was my only means of income back then. I had many students and most of them were during the two years that I taught Sue and Rosemary. The other three only came to me for a few weeks. For some reason, they stopped coming and their parents found a new teacher. They never did explain why.”
“Okay, thank you for your time Ms Casey. If you think of anything else, please let me know.”

He placed the five files back on her desk and handed her his business card. Ms Casey smiled at him and then turned to Sue as she stood.

“Sue, I am so pleased to see that all those hours you spent with me were worthwhile. Your parents must be so proud of you. I know I am.”
“Thank you Ms Casey.”

With those words, Jack and Sue said their goodbyes and left Mrs Casey’s office. As the waited for the elevator, Jack looked at Sue. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking and was wondering how she felt after the meeting with the woman she hadn’t seen in almost 14 years, especially seeing as she appeared to be a link between all four of the missing woman.

They were back in the car less than five minutes later and Jack had to bite his tongue to stop himself asking her if she was okay for what must have been the hundredth time since they had been given the case. Instead, he just reached across and took her hand. When she looked at him, he smiled and squeezed her hand, accepting the smile she gave him in response as he pulled off into traffic.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 15

After Lucy's call, Jack had woven in and out of DC traffic and they had walked into the bullpen ten minutes later to find everyone already there. Everyone looked up when they entered and Jack watched as his best friend grinned at them. He turned his eyes away and he inwardly groaned, recognising that look anywhere. Bobby knew and he had feeling he knew who had told him.

"So guys, how was the first date?" Bobby said as he clapped him on the back, confirming Jack's earlier thoughts.

Jack tucked his tongue in his cheek, trying his hardest to avoid looking at his friend who he knew was grinning widely. Instead, he turned to Sue and watched as looked at Lucy, an accusing look on her face. He grinned to when he saw Lucy shrug and walk over to her.

"You didn't expect me to know about you two and not tell anyone?" Lucy said as she came to stand next to Sue. "It would have been around the building in super quick time anyway. Everyone has been waiting for the day that you two finally came to your senses and admitted how you feel."

Jack looked between the two women and Sue's cheeks flooded with colour. He had to smile at how easily that happened to her. He began to wonder if simple words could make her blush like that, what colour would her cheeks go when they were alone together?

At that moment Garrett walked into the bullpen, grabbing everyone's attention. Knowing that their relationship was against bureau policy, Jack instinctively moved away from Sue and went to lean on his own desk. He felt bad doing it but Sue's smile and small nod told her that she understood. He nodded his head towards Garrett as he started to speak.

"I'm sorry to drag you all in here when you'd been given a few days off but a high profile case has come to our attention and it's been assigned to us at the request of the Director himself."
"The Director?" Jack queried.
"Yes Jack. He requested this team for reasons that will become clear." Garrett paused and looked at each member, knowing he had their full attention. "I trust you have all heard about the kidnappings that have occurred over the last two weeks."

Garrett paused as all the team nodded.

"It would be hard not to. They've been all over the news." Lucy said, as curious as the rest of the team.
"That's right Miss Dotson." He paused again. "The case has been given to us because all of the victims have something in common." Garrett said as he turned to face Sue. "All of the victims are oral deaf."

Garrett watched his team as they all looked at Sue, trying not to make it glaringly oblivious that they were doing so. Jack moved from his desk to sit beside her on hers, his hand covering Sue's, a move that didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Garrett cleared his throat before continuing.

"I have the files on all three of the missing women right here." He said as he held the files up to show them. "I have no doubt that you will all give 100% on this case as you do every case." Garrett paused for a moment and looked each of the team in the eye. "I don't need to tell you what needs to be done. I want this person found before another woman goes missing." Pausing again he handed the files to Jack. "Jack, do your magic." He said as he turned to Sue. "Thomas, can I have a word please."

Glancing at Jack as he squeezed her hand and smiled his encouragement, Sue moved from her desk and met Garrett in the hallway outside the bullpen.

"I think you know what I am going to say Sue. If you don't want to get involved with this case I will understand. It's close to home for you. No one will think any less of you for pulling out."

Sue smiled up at their supervisor, appreciating that he had thought of her wellbeing in this way.

"I appreciate you giving me the choice sir but I shall be fine. If all of the missing women were deaf, chances are their parents and friends might be too. While Lucy and Jack are improving day after day, I'm the only one fluent enough in ASL to communicate effectively."

She watched Garrett nodded and smiled.

"You have me there Thomas." He said as he paused. Against his better judgement, he nodded. "Okay, but only if you are sure? If you think it's getting too much for you, let me or Jack know. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir. Thank you."

Garrett turned and walked into his office, leaving Sue to return to the bullpen. As she entered, she saw Jack watching her, an unspoken question in his eyes. Sue recognised the look straightaway and nodded to him, smiling back when he smiled at her. She kept her eyes on him as Jack walked over to Tara and gave her the files on the three women, images of the kiss they'd shared less than an hour ago filling her mind. She felt the blush on her cheeks and forced herself to come back to the present as she watched Tara push a few buttons on her keyboard. Tara gave the files back to Jack and a picture of a young woman appeared on the big screen for everyone to see.

"The first woman is Claire Williams, 26 years old. She lives in D.C with her mom, dad and two brothers. She was last seen at college eating her lunch in the corner of the park opposite. Her friends have said that one minute she was there, the next minute she was gone. Metro checked the scene and said that there was no evidence of a struggle so she may have known who took her."

Tara pressed a few buttons on her keyboard and another image appeared, this time a woman of similar age came onto the screen.

"Girl number two is Sophie Morgan, 25 years old. She is an only child and lives in D.C with her dad. She moved to D.C a little over a year ago when her dad suffered a stroke. Mom died three years ago of a drug overdose. Police concluded that it was an accidental death and that suicide was not intended. Sophie went missing after leaving one of her friends at the local cinema to walk the five minutes to her house. She never made it back."

The last picture was of the latest girl to go missing.

"Our latest girl is Maria Lopez, 27 years old, lives with her mom, brother and sister in D.C. No dad on the scene, from what we can tell. It appears that he walked out when Maria's younger sister was born, two years later. Apparently, all three children are deaf or have hearing difficulties and dad couldn't cope with it. Maria went missing after swim class. Her brother was meant to pick her up but was late due to traffic. When he got there she was nowhere to be seen. A friend said that she saw her waiting by the front gates. One of her sneakers was found on a grass verge about five yards away. At present, it is the only piece of evidence we have."

As Jack finished, the screen went blank and he turned to the team, casting a quick glance in Sue's direction.

"Tara, I want you to begin doing background checks on the immediate families to see if there are any other connections apart from them being deaf. Bobby, I want you to go over the evidence that was collected at all of the scenes, see if there are any similarities there. Myles, D, I want you to visit each of the crime scenes again, see if anyone saw anything or heard anything that we don't already know about. Sometimes things can come back to people after a few days. Get any CCTV cameras that haven't already been checked, I'm willing to bet that the cinema had some and the complex where Maria swam. Lucy, can you gather a list of the girls' closest friends at school, in the neighbourhood where they live, anything like that."

When Jack finished speaking the whole bullpen came to life as everyone started their assigned tasks. Myles and D grabbed their coats and left the bullpen. Tara's fingers were already flying over the keyboard and Lucy already had the phone glued to her ear. Smiling as his team got to work, he looked across at Sue, who was staring into space.

Standing, he took a few steps until he stood in front of her, seeing the sad look that marred her normally worry free face. Crouching in front of her, he took her hand. She looked up at him and smiled. He could see the worry in her blue eyes and her smile didn't quite light up her face like it usually did.

"You going be okay with this?" He asked her in a hushed voice as he took her other hand in his.
"I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bother me." Sue said with a sigh, "I'll be fine though. Thank you for worrying."
"Hey, it's my job to worry now. That is, if you don't mind?" Jack said as he smiled.
"I don't mind Jack. In fact, it's actually kind of nice knowing that you worry about me."

Jack held her gaze, getting lost in those deep blue eyes. Finally forcing his eyes away from hers, he looked down at their joined hands, his thumb brushing across her knuckles. Turning her hand over, he drew small circles on her palm, smiling when her fingers closed over his and she smiled. At any other time he would have pulled away, not wanting anyone to notice their brief moment, but now it didn't seem to matter. He didn't care who saw them together.

Lifting his eyes to look at her, he noticed Lucy watching them. Meeting her gaze, he saw her smile at him and look away quickly. She had been their strongest supporter from day one and had been trying to get them together since she'd joined the team. She'd pulled him up many times for not admitting how he felt about her. At those times, he hadn't been ready to admit how he felt to himself, at least not how deep those feelings ran.

He remembered back to Bobby's birthday party during their first case. He had felt so bad when Rhonda had turned up when he and Sue were talking outside his apartment. As they'd been talking, he'd felt those familiar feelings and he knew that Sue was a woman he wanted to get to know better. He also knew he couldn't do that with another woman in his life so he had finished with Rhonda the following week.

Apart from his mother and his sister, Sue had been only woman who held a place in his heart from the moment he'd bought her onto the team. He knew she was special. Seeing her come into the bullpen on her first day and leave, closely followed by Levi had intrigued him. Her unique abilities were what made him notice her, what made him want her in his team and ultimately in his life.

Giving her one last smile, he squeezed her hands and returned to his desk, dreading the amount of e-mails that he knew would be waiting for him.