Kapitel 37: Warm Day
Curtis called from his office door. "Kingston!"
Allie pushed her chair back. She got up, and her foot was asleep. She stomped on the floor a couple of times.
"No need to throw a hissy fit," Curtis said.
She walked to his office with a limp.
"What's up, boss?" she asked.
"Well, it's nice to see you dressing better. You do look good in the uniform."
"Yeah, so I was told by everyone."
"How are things going with the FBI guy?"
"Carron?"
"How many other FBI guys do we have?" he asked sarcastically.
"We have one, unfortunately," she said, rolling her eyes.
"So, that good, huh?"
"Did you call me here for a reason beyond checking if I have any dress code violations?"
"Yes, you need to head down to the castle and pick up a copy of the profile."
"Can't they e-mail it to us?" she asked.
"If we have questions, I don't need the answers when someone gets around to it; I want them answered before you leave the building. We're just the locals. We don't rate it could be a week before they send that profile over to us. The FBI always has to prove that their dicks are bigger."
"Can you please have Bruss do this?"
"No," Curtis said.
"Why not?"
"You asked, I answered, and the answer was no. So, go and get me my profile."
"Can I have my hissy fit now?"
"Go!"
She turned, stomped her foot, and huffed out the door.
"Tell the FBI guy I said hello," he called after her.
She rolled her eyes and made her way back to her desk.
Curtis smiled slightly.
She got her phone out of the desk drawer.
"Where are you going?" Bruss asked.
"Apparently, it's my lucky day. I get to go down to the castle."
"No fair! I want to go. I want to see the place, too."
"Trust me, I already asked if you could go in my place, and Curtis said no."
"Why did he say no?"
"I have no idea. I asked him, and he said,… quote, you asked, and I answered, and that was it. Oh, and he told me to say hello to the fed guy."
He smiled slightly. "What? Why are you smiling?"
"Did you ever think maybe Makayla told him about you and fed guy?" he asked.
"Oh, she wouldn't dare, would she?" Allie asked.
"As much as she fears you, she wants to see you happy and in love again."
"I'm going. If I'm not back in an hour, come look for me. And you're right, I'm going to kill Makayla. Or at least not let her call me Allie Cat anymore."
"That's a fate worse than death for her.
The day was warm, and the sun was on her face. Her aviator sunglasses did little to shield her eyes. Now, she prioritizes fashion over function! She's going to destroy her 20/20 vision.
Making her way down E. 9th to the Anthony J. Calabrezze federal building, she stayed vigilant, constantly surveying the area. Every man she passed was a suspect, and every young woman was a victim. This behavior was programmed into her by spending many hours walking through the sand, checking the area for suspicious people and activity.
She trusted no one except Bruss, and after the other day, he decided not to discuss personal information since we are just "co-workers." If she could not trust the person who watched her six, she should not have been doing this job, and she started to think that was true.
The streets were filled with people. It was around lunchtime. Once you were parked downtown, you never got back into your car until you were ready to go home. So, on a pleasant day, people take advantage of the fact that they can venture out and avoid eating at their desks. People in the Midwest are a certain kind of breed. You can find them smiling at strangers, holding doors open, conversing with someone they have never met while standing in line. She was met with several smiles. She tipped her head slightly in response. She wasn't big on smiling. She tipped her head a lot in the military. It was a way to acknowledge a person, like a silent salute. She had several mannerisms that stem from her time in the service. She always moved with purpose. She did not like wasting time.
She took the steps up to the door two at a time. She had never been there before. Why fill herself with envy? She had enough resentment to carry with her. She reached the top two large, heavy-paned glass doors that reminded her of the doors at Parris Island. She pressed the handicap access button, and the doors swung open slowly. A huge African American man greeted Allie. He reminded her of a drill sergeant she had in boot camp.
"Hello, ma'am. What is your business here today?" he asked.
"I am here from the 6th. Detective Alessandra Kingston."
"A detective in full uniform? Are we having some sort of seminar?"
She smiled, "No, sir. I am here about the serial killer. Joint task force."
"Ah, yes. It's a shame what has happened to those girls."
"Tragic. So, do I need a pass, or will my badge get me special dispensation?"
"No detective. No offense. You'll need to sign in with Joleen at the reception desk and get a visitors' badge," he said.
"Sir, yes sir," she said.
"Welcome to the castle," he said with a sly grin.
Allie immediately felt the blood rush to her face in embarrassment. She let out a nervous laugh."You know about that, huh?"
"Detective Kingston, this is the FBI. We know everything."
He gestured forward. He let out a small burst of laughter as she walked to the desk.
Jolene? Fucking Jolene. The Jolene. Let me show you around and bat my eyelashes, Jolene. Ugh. Why couldn't it be anyone else?
Allie made her way over to the reception desk. Her boots made a heavy clomping noise on the tiled floor. The noise of the approaching footsteps alerted Joleen to her approach.
"Jolene, I presume."
Allie did her best to control her breathing, like when she had a target in her sight.
"What can I do for you today?"
"I am here to speak with someone in the BAU," she said.
"Sure! Do you have the name of the person you are meeting?"
"I do not."
"You are going to need an escort. I can call security and get one of them to take you up," she said.
Joleen picked up the phone. Before she started dialing, Allie cut her off.
"I am working very, very closely with an agent in investigations. Maybe he can do it."
"That would work. What's the agent's name?" she asked cheerfully.
"Carron. Dean Carron. Big guy, handsome, body like a..."
"Yeah, I get it." Joleen returned the phone and dialed the extension to the secretary's desk in the investigation office. Allie listened to Joleen's side of the conversation.
"Hi. Yeah, it's me again. I know, right? I am calling to see if Dean can come down for an escort," she said.
Dean? I don't like hearing her say his name. I don't want anyone telling his name. Come on, Allie, keep it together.
Joleene covered the receiver with her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name," she said.
"I didn't give it to you. It's Kingston. Detective Kingston from the 6th district."
She uncovered the receiver and went back to her conversation.
"Kingston. Detective in the 6th district."
There was a long pause in the conversation. Joleen looked at Allie with disdain. She was no longer all smiles.
"Oh. Really? Well, isn't that special?" She rolled her eyes. "Okay."
She hung up the phone. "He will be right down. You can stand anywhere but here."
"Bitch," Allie muttered.
"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"
"If you didn't hear it, I didn't say it," she said.
She walked over and stood next to a giant fake tree.
A couple of minutes later, Dean exited the elevator. He looked nervous to see her, but his smile was wide. He made long strides over to her. Joleen looked grim. She rolled her eyes and returned to whatever she was doing before interacting with Allie.
"Allie. Hey over here," he waved a little wave.
"I can see you. People across the street can see you," she said, resisting the urge to smile.
"Wow, you look outstanding in that uniform. I can't even begin to think what you look like in your dress blues." He didn't mean to blurt that out loud.
She felt the heat climb up her neck. He looked damn sexy today. It's been a while since they crossed paths. "Yeah, thanks. Look, can we do this?"
A sheep in wolf's clothing, just like Makayla had warned me.
"They just finished gathering a profile. You saved me a conversation with Curtis. Although, he did call me by my actual name the other day. I got that going for me," he said.
"Which is nice." They both said it at the same time.
They laughed, and he saw the smile he had missed seeing.
He smiled at her.
God, did she miss that smile? She missed his eyes, looking into them, kissing him, and his hands touching her.
Come on, Allie! Get it together. You are coworkers, not friends, and you sure are not in any budding relationship. Just get the report and get the hell back to the office. Fuck he smells fantastic. "Let's get to it then," she said.
Allie made it sound like she was in a hurry and had better things to do.
"Hi, Joleen," he said.
"Save it, Carron." Joleen snapped.
"Damn. What crawled up her ass?" he asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, she seems pleasant."
When they got off the elevator, Marianne was staring at Allie. She looked at her with indignance.
"Hey Marianne, this is Detective Kingston."
"So, I've been told."
"All right then. Let's go somewhere else," he said.
He put his hand on her back and led her forward. Allie felt a jolt of electricity go through her body. She felt it in her core. She had missed his touch. Chills ran down her arms and the back of her neck. Large goosebumps grew on her arms. Weeks had gone by since she saw him atop the steps. She felt disappointed in herself for reacting to his touch.
He led her over to his desk. "Have a seat," he said. He was trying to clean up a little.
"Sorry. Normally, I am such a neat freak. You should see my house."
Not even thinking, Allie blurted it out. "I would love to sometime." Jesus Christ, what are you doing!
The heart wants what the heart wants.
"Oh, great, you're here."
I'm addicted to pain, I guess, and you are the most enormous pain in my ass.
He looked at her, a little shocked. She had not spoken to him for weeks, and this was the last thing he would have expected to hear.
She must have been joking, right? "Yeah. Sure. Anytime. If you want," Dean was stammering.
You know you're right. We have a connection, and I do not regret anything that happened between us, including the night they spent together. He's handsome; any woman would be proud to have him in her life and love her."
YEAH, NO SHIT! It took you long enough, Caretaker.
"Do you still think I should have died?"
No. In fact, I hope I will never see you again after I leave. But I mean that in the best way possible.
"You know I miss you. Every time I pass our picture or look at your flag."
She was trying hard not to cry.
Do me a solid, and when I go, please move on. Take down the flag and the pictures. Replace them with some living memories. I promise I won't come back to remind you.
Dean sat down and opened a folder. "Allie? Are you okay?"
"What? Oh. Allergies. I'm okay," she said, sniffing.
He put a box of Kleenex next to her. "You seem to be a little... off."
"Thank you. I'm ok. I've had a lot in my head lately." she said, taking a few from the box.
"As long as you're ok. Alright, let's get this started. You seem like you have places to go and people to see. None of which are here. So, BAU has determined that we have a white male between 40 and 50 years old. He is a professional, businessman, or maybe medical. Definitely white collar. He is a narcissist and feels he is entitled to whatever he wants. He comes off as charming but pushes too hard, and women reject him. His mother abused him. Not physically but mentally and emotionally. She ignored him. He was not wanted. He takes and keeps these women because he wants their undivided attention. He didn't have a male role model. He becomes obsessed with the victims. He studies them. He learns their daily routines. He watches them for weeks, even months before he abducts them. He may even stalk multiple women at a time. When he's ready to abduct them, he will pick whom he knows the best first. He's looking for the perfect one. And he is constantly looking. He will never find "the one". He does not drink or do any drugs. He craves to control every situation. He's physically fit enough to overpower and carry his victims from place to place," he said.
"Why does he use the dagger?"
"The best guess seems to be that he wants to penetrate them. Up close and personal. You have to plunge a dagger. You don't slash. He's not a slasher. He's a rapist. At least, that is my take on it. But I am an agent. What the hell do I know?"
He shut the folder and handed it to her. "This copy is for you. Distribute it to whom you deem necessary," he said.
He looked like he wanted to ask her something but was very apprehensive.
"So, if you don't have to hurry back, would you like to get some coffee?" he asked. "We have a great coffee shop downstairs. You do seem like you are in a hurry. Forget I asked."
"You have a coffee shop in the building? If there is a pastry in it for me, then I would love to."
WTF! You saw him twenty minutes ago, and you're already getting him a toothbrush to stay at his place.
"You are not allowed to give me relationship advice."
Dean smiled at her, "I think that can be arranged. Follow me."
He held out his hand to help her up from the chair.
She lifted herself out. "I got it, but thank you."
Allie rose, and Dean led her back to the elevator. Marianne was away from her desk. Dean left a message that he was leaving the office.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein