CHAPTER 11

Alex was climbing the walls. It hadn’t been that long since they’d dropped the angels off at the hospital but she had already run through her worst-case scenario list three times. Paul was in the kitchen scrounging up dinner but she remained near the front door, listening for the sound of a car pulling up. She was so intent on hearing it that she hardly noticed Paul walking up behind her.

"They’re fine," he insisted as he settled his hands on her shoulders.

"I know that," she replied a bit touchily, "I’m just anxious to hear how it went, that’s all," she insisted.

A quick grin flitted across Paul’s face. His wife really was a softie. He leaned down and pushed her hair aside so that he could kiss her neck.

"I bet I could distract you for a little while," he said, one eyebrow raised.

"Paul! Quit it! They could be here any minute." She batted him away as he chuckled and grabbed her around the waist.

"So it would be a brief distraction," he said, placing another open mouthed kiss at the sensitive place where neck met shoulder, and touching the spot just lightly with his tongue.

She was just beginning to relax and reconsider when the crunching of tires on snow announced Monica and Andrew’s arrival.

"We’ll finish this later," he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spin that made her suddenly wish he had asked her earlier.

"C’mon… we can’t be right by the door," she said as she turned around and started pushing him. "Back… back to the kitchen," she insisted.

Realizing that he would never fully understand the female brain, Paul simply gave a slight eye roll and obeyed. Less than five minutes later the couple heard the front door open and then footsteps in the hallway. Alex quickly opened the refrigerator and pretended to be searching for something while Paul stood back, looking amused. When Monica stepped into the room she quickly sized up the situation and her eyes took on that familiar concerned/slightly guilty look.

"I hope you two haven’t been worrying about us."

"Oh, you’re back?" Alex turned around and attempted to look innocent. "Of course not, sweetie!" With one cocked eyebrow the little angel managed to break through Alex’s charade. "Oh, fine! So maybe we’ve been a little concerned," she admitted.

"How did it go?" Paul asked, jumping in to rescue his wife.

"It went well," Monica said slowly. "Really well." She paused, her face turning thoughtful. "It’s hard to explain but seeing her… talking to her… It made me see things a little bit differently… and a lot more clearly." She leaned back, knowing that Andrew would be there to support her, and smiled happily as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Well I’m so glad! It’s about time you started having something good happen," Alex exclaimed.

Monica continued to smile and she covered Andrew’s hands with her own as she replied, "I think good things have been happening all along… but sometimes it just gets a little hard for me to see them."

*****

Shawn carried the limp girl up the back stairs and up to his apartment, the whole time asking himself what the hell he was doing. It was practically broad daylight. Someone had to have seen him! What the fuck was he thinking? He fumbled with his keys and managed to open the door and rush inside. The room was a mess, with the remains of a pizza on the coffee table and two days worth of clothes strewn over the sofa. He pushed aside a bad of old newspapers and moved into the bedroom. With bed neatly made and everything in its place, it was a contrast from the rest of the apartment. The bedroom had always been his job. She’d take care of the rest of the house, she’d said, as long as he made the bed. He’d kept up his end of the bargain for nearly fifteen years.

The girl didn’t move as he laid her down on the bed and he ran his hand nervously through his hair. This wasn’t like him. This wasn’t the methodical, organized, ex-cop. But she had been right there! He couldn’t have left her if he’d wanted to.

*****

"I have to go back into work," Paul stated as he hung up the telephone and looked over at his wife, "They’ll probably need you as well."

She looked at him in concern though she could already feel the knots forming in the pit of her stomach, "Tell me he doesn’t…" She let the thought hang in the air. They all knew how it ended.

"Sarah Witte was across the street from her house playing hide and seek with some friends. When it was her turn to hide, they never found her," His voice was disgusted as he laid his hands on Alex’s shoulders in comfort.

"I’m coming with you," Andrew stated, knowing he was still supposed to stay close to Paul and that he had no other choice, regardless of how much he wanted to stay with Monica. Turning to look at her, he felt a sense of dread at seeing her eyes closed, and a resigned expression on her face.

Sensing his gaze, she opened her eyes and they met with his, "I’ve been assigned," She explained softly.

"Where?" The angel’s voice was demanding as he clenched his hands, praying it was far away from here.

Monica hesitated for a moment, knowing he was not going to like her answer and when she spoke the words were barely audible, "To the man who has her."

"Damnit!" Paul’s response stole the word from Andrew’s mouth and the angel had a feeling the agent was about to tell God to forget it.

Andrew clenched his jaw as he tried to get his emotions in order. He couldn’t stand in the way no matter how much he hated it. When his wife had thrown herself into his arms at the hospital today and told him the things she now realized, he had felt a wave of peace come over him that had been a long time coming and in light of that revelation, he didn’t want her anywhere near the son of a bitch who was hurting these children.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked her as he reached for her hand. The look in her eyes had already told him she would need to leave soon and he was not letting her leave without talking to her first.

Paul frowned as the two angels left the room, not liking the turn things had suddenly taken both with the missing child and with Monica’s assignment. They barely had a lead on this man and he was becoming desperate for a break.

A soft sob coming from his wife disrupted his thoughts as his eyes widened in alarm. Kneeling down next to her chair, he reached for her hands, "Baby?"

"I want him caught, Paul," She managed to say through her tears, "You know how this works half the time. When we get close, he’ll leave the area and the case will never be closed and then as a mother, I will never have a good night’s rest."

"Hey, hey," He whispered as he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, "We’re going to catch him, sweetie. He’s going to slip up and when he does, we are going to be right there to put him away. Don’t you lose faith now, Alex Gatlin."

"I’m trying not to," She rested her head against his shoulder and drew in deep breathes to calm herself down, "But now Monica is assigned to him and I’m worried about her as well. What if he hurts her?"

"Let’s not even think that way, Alex. God is watching out for her-."

"He was supposed to be doing that six months ago too," She whispered. She pulled away, shaking her head, "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that."

"You didn’t say anything we all haven’t thought, honey," He replied grimly as he wiped the tears from her cheeks tenderly, "We’re going to get him, Alex," He repeated with conviction, "This man will not be free by the time our child is even born and if I have to see to that personally, then I will."

She nodded shakily as she tried to find her footing once more, "Damn hormones. They have me all over the place these days."

His lips twitched in a little smile, "Yeah, but they also have you in a couple of places I rather like seeing you….and then there are a couple of places I’d still like to see them raging."

Alex laughed as she raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And where might those places be?"

"Oh, I dunno. The desk in the study perhaps. Or on the pool table in the basement." He grinned suggestively.

"Looking to sink your eight ball, huh?" She smiled seductively at him as he laughed.

"Yup, right in the center pocket."

"There is no center pocket, you goof."

Kissing her softly, he whispered in her ear, "There is in my game."

*****

"I know you aren’t happy about this," Monica began tentatively once Andrew had led her into the living room.

"That’s about the understatement of the century," Andrew replied with a heavy sigh before he placed his hands on her shoulders, "Though it is in no way your fault. I’m more concerned with how you feel about it."

She was quiet for a moment as she gazed downwards to the floor, "I’m scared half to death," She whispered finally, "If I had a choice, I wouldn’t go, but I have to."

His stomach was in knots as he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, "And given a choice, I’d ask you not to go, but since we don’t have those choices, we’re just going to have to deal with it. You’re going to be fine, baby." He was praying this was true, but knew he had to instill confidence in her now while he could.

Monica didn’t reply as she held onto to him tightly, even as she heard the calling in her heart for her to leave, "I have to go…" She pulled away, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

Andrew forced a smile before kissing her tenderly, "I love you, angel. Be safe, and don’t be afraid to call me if you need me."

She gave a jerky nod, "I love you too," She looked away briefly once more before meeting his concerned gaze once more, "Pray for me? Please?"

"Always, Monica."

As soon as he said the words, she was gone and he closed his eyes in utter misery.

*****

Paul sighed as he glanced one more time at Andrew in the rear view mirror. He and Alex had tried to keep up a bit of chatter on the drive to the FBI building, but so far they had been unable to draw the angel into the conversation. His green eyes were focused out the side window as if intent on hearing even the smallest whisper to his heart.

"Can’t believe we don’t even have a fucking suspect in this case," Alex was muttering in annoyance as her hands rested on her slightly protruding stomach.

"I know, baby. You would think that someone somewhere knows something," Paul agreed, as he pulled up to red light and stopped the car.

Andrew suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and his eyes were dark as they met with Paul’s in the mirror, "I met this guy Monica took a ride from the other day. He was at the hospital this morning and nearly scared the hell out of her when he came up behind her. He seemed harmless enough, but yet there was something about him that didn’t sit well with me."

Paul raised his eyebrows in interest, "Did he say anything?"

The angel frowned, trying to recall the conversation, "He didn’t seem very enthusiastic about Monica seeing Krista again. He even went so far as to insinuate that she might upset her. Then he apologized and made some remark about probably being more involved than he should be. Something like that."

"Did you catch his name?" Alex asked hopefully. They had nothing to go on and though this was probably grasping at straws, running a background check certainly couldn’t hurt.

"Shawn," Andrew replied, though he chose not to say anymore. He had felt an instant dislike of the man and he wasn’t sure if it was his instinct, the fact that Shawn had upset Monica, or just the fact that he had behaved strangely.

"I suppose you didn’t happen to get a last name," Paul said, trying to keep all hints of frustration out of his voice.

"No. I wasn’t exactly thinking of him as prime suspect number one," Andrew answered, feeling annoyed as well.

"Of course not," Alex quickly intervened. The last thing they needed was to get into a fight among themselves, and she could see that ‘the boys’ were getting testy. Thankfully Paul’s cell phone started ringing.

"Gatlin," Paul answered sharply. A minute later he was pulling a u-turn in the middle of the road and tossing the phone to Alex. He glanced over his shoulder at Andrew. "Laughlin," he said. "Shawn Laughlin. Someone just called the police and said they saw him carrying a girl into his apartment building. They’re already rolling." He caught Alex’s eye. "He won’t be getting away," he said firmly.

Andrew knew that his first thought should be for the little girl and it was, but pounding with the blood in his ears was the repeating question: What about Monica?

*****

The hallway was brightly lit but it only highlighted the dingy paint and the sand that had made its way in from the parking lot and never been swept away. It was quieter than she expected it to be somehow, and the silence bothered her, making her feel even more alone. Standing in front of apartment number thirty-five she hesitated. She knew this was where she was supposed to be but she had to will herself to raise her hand and knock.

"Go away. Not interested," came the voice from the other side of the door and she felt her heart pound hard in her chest. She knew that voice.

"Shawn?" she said haltingly. "Is that you? It’s me. Monica. From the hospital. Remember?" This wasn’t right. There had to be some mistake.

"Monica? What are you doing here?" He sounded slightly out of breath and panicked.

"I needed to talk to you. Can you let me in?"

"Now isn’t a good time."

"Please. It will only take a minute."

She heard the locks turning and took a step back as he opened the door.

"I’m sorry, Monica, but whatever you need to tell me will have to wait. How did you even find out where I live?" He had to get rid of her. He had to help the girl. He had to get out of the city with her. Obviously her parents hadn’t taken enough care to keep her safe but he could. He still remembered what Mary had looked like at her age. The same hair. The same delicate nose.

She could see the harried look in his eye and it gave her pause before she forced down the doubts that threatened to choke her. She had trusted him before. She had to keep trusting him. That was what she did. She couldn’t let herself believe that he was the evil man who had sent fear through an entire city. If he was in some sort of trouble then she needed to help him.

"I think maybe you know why I’m here," she said slowly. "I think maybe you have something you need to tell me."

"Whatever you’re thinking… it’s wrong. I don’t know what you’ve seen or heard…"

"Shawn… I can help you. You just need to tell me the truth." Her eyes scanned the apartment looking for any sign that a young girl was being held there. She saw a closed door and tried to inch her way towards the hallway, but he deftly stepped in front of her.

"The truth?" his eyes held skepticism and bitterness. "The truth is that bad things happen to people and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that. The truth is that sometimes people have to step in and take control."

"You aren’t making any sense. Please… listen to me… you’re in trouble, and I think you have some--"

"I don’t have anything! You need to get out. Get out now!" His hand was rough on her arm as he propelled her back towards the door.

"No! You don’t understand… you have to listen to me… I was sent here…" but it was too late and he had pushed her out the door, nearly sending her reeling against the opposite wall. She stood there, staring at the door again. She had to get back in there. She had to stop this before it got any worse. He wasn’t an evil person. He couldn’t be.

Outside on the fire escape he heard every word that was said and couldn’t help but smirk at the pathetic scene. So Laughlin thought he was some sort of saint. Not a problem Saints had to be martyrs and he would be happy to oblige the man.

*****

Monica heard the sirens only dimly as she continued to focus all her attention on going over every word that had just been said. Things were happening too fast. She had to get them under control before someone got hurt. Was Andrew speeding his way closer even now? Were Paul and Alex outside with guns drawn, ready to burst up the stairs? She had to stop them. She had to change what was happening.

"Hold it! What are you doing? You can’t let them just barge in there!" Andrew’s eyes blazed as he heard Paul giving the uniformed officers instructions to secure all the entrances.

"Andrew, this is what I do!"

"Not with my wife up there you don’t! You have no idea what this man is capable of! If she’s up there he could be holding her hostage right now!"

Alex placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Do you really think that’s true? She was sent there by God. This wasn’t a coincidence she was sent. You know He isn’t going to let anything happen to her."

Of course not. Damnit! Of course not. What was he thinking? This was an official assignment for her. She was probably already convincing him to let the girl go and give himself up. He just couldn’t stand the thought of her being so close to the bastard.

"Hold your fire!" The cry went up from the front of the building and Andrew whipped his head around and saw Monica, looking dazed and walking out, eyes darting around, obviously looking for him.

He wasted no time in running to her side. "Monica! What happened? Are you all right? Where’s the girl? Where is that fucking bastard?"

She was shaking her head, eyes wide. "No! It’s not like that! There’s something else going on. It can’t be him. I don’t believe it. He’s a good man, Andrew. He is!"

"Honey, that good man has molested six girls so far," Paul said as he approached them. He hated to be so blunt but they didn’t have any time to waste. "Now did you see her? What did he say?"

"I… I didn’t see her… but Paul… you have to believe me…"

The relative silence was suddenly pierced by two loud reports. Gunshots. Even from inside the building they sounded horrible and final. Monica jumped and Paul, Alex and the other agents and officers swarmed into the building. Monica bolted towards the building, but Andrew’s firm hand on her arm stopped her.

"No, angel." He stated, his voice bordering on stern.

"Let me go, Andrew! It’s not him! It’s not him!" Her voice didn’t even sound like her own as she wrenched her arm free of his grasp and ran back into the building, already knowing that her husband was only a step behind her.

She somehow managed to push her way through the crowd of officers to get to Shawn’s door, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. Panic welled up inside of her over the fact that the men were already holstering their weapons, grim expressions on their faces.

"Damnit, Monica, get out of here!" Paul caught sight of her and attempted to block her enterence into the room down the hall that had been closed when she had first been inside the apartment. He wanted to spare her what she would see, even as his mind raced with how her assignment had gone so drastically wrong.

Not to be detered, the little angel moved past him and into the room, a startled, strangled cry escaping her lips as she took in the sight. The first thing she noticed was the blood, the scent of it, mixed with gun powder nearly making her feel sick on her stomach. She already knew that Shawn was dead, a gun still within his fingers and the agents obviously had already drawn the same conclusion as no one was bothering with him at the moment. Their attention was focused on the little dark haired girl and the red stain that was covering the front of her pink overalls. They were trying to stop the bleeding and Alex was administering CPR, even as more sirens already were sounding in the distance.

Even through all the commotion in the room, all Monica could hear was the sound of her own frantic breathing as she tried to wrap her mind around what had appeared to have happened. Shawn had tried to kill Sarah, then had turned the gun on himself. That was what her mind was telling her, but her heart believed something entirely different.

"I’ve got a pulse!" Alex cried out, somehow managing to keep herself from sobbing in relief. She looked up and met the eyes of her husband and only then noticed the very pale angel standing next to him, "Paul, get her out of here."

"Paul, you’re wrong," Monica whispered as she felt him take her arm and lead her from the room, only realizing Andrew was there as well as he laid a gentle hand on her back to help guide her from the room.

"I don’t think so," Paul replied curtly, only releasing her when she was back outside, "All the evidence is there."

But she was already shaking her head, "No. It isn’t."

He exchanged a helpless glance with Andrew over her head, "I have to get back in there. We can talk about it later."

Monica watched him go, unable to help but feel that he was dismissing her, "It’s not him, Andrew. Paul is wrong!"

"Monica," Andrew tentatively laid his hands on her shoulders, "All the proof is there, angel. I’m just thankful that so far that little girl is still alive…"

"Shawn’s a good man," She insisted, refusing to believe what her husband was saying, "There’s been a mistake. He isn’t bad…he’s not-."

"How can you say that, Monica?" He argued as gently as he could, "Even if the picture weren’t painted in there as clearly as it is, last week you admitted to being afraid of him-."

"No! I was afraid of taking a ride with him, not of him!"

"There’s a difference?"

"Yes! Shawn wasn’t evil…once the real man started abducting these girls, Shawn was keeping an eye on the kids in his neighborhood-."

A bitter laugh escaped him before he could stop it, "Yeah, I’m sure he was," He watched regretfully as she pulled away, and his expression softened, "Monica, last week he frightened you and to be honest, I didn’t like him from the moment I met him. He even insinuated that he was too involved-."

"You don’t trust my judgement," She accused, her dark eyes narrowing in anger.

"You know better than that, Monica," Andrew was quickly growing frustrated. He had been worried to death about her, and now that he knew she was safe, they were standing here arguing.

"You don’t believe me about Shawn. You don’t believe that he isn’t the man the FBI has been looking for."

"Can you give me one reason why I should believe that? Your friend is up there with a gun in his hand and that little girl has been shot. What am I supposed to believe?"

"Me! You’re supposed to believe me! I know it doesn’t make any sense, but they have the wrong man! I was just up there and he gave me no indication that he was about to try to kill someone and then take his own life!" Her cheeks were flushed with anger, even as she tried to calm herself down. She wasn’t sure she liked the way this anger felt and even less the fact that it was directed at the one she loved with all her heart.

"Angel, I’m sorry your assignment didn’t go the way you had hoped, but there is no other explanation-."

Monica looked at him incredulously, "So you’re saying I failed? You’re saying that not only do you not trust me, but that I couldn’t even get my assignment right-."

"You know damn well that is not what I’m saying," He growled lowly. The last thing he wanted was her doubting him, but she was wrong about this. She had been wrong about Shawn, no matter how unwilling she was to accept it.

"Last week you told me my judgement was always good but now you are flat out telling me I was wrong," Hot tears burned in her dark eyes, but she refused to shed them. Something in her heart was telling her that they were all wrong, yet no one would listen to her, yet alone believe her, "I know I haven’t been myself the last few months, I know that and I know I’ve doubted myself more times than I could ever count," Her voice trembled as she looked at him through eyes filled with deep hurt, "But doubting myself doesn’t even compare to you and Paul doubting me. Especially you, Andrew. Even if you can’t see it right now, the fact that he’s innocent, you don’t even trust me enough to try."

Andrew watched helplessly as she turned away from him and starting walking away from the building, "Monica!" But she didn’t even glance back, though he could feel her hurt in his heart briefly, before it vanished completely with her retreat.

*****

"What have we got?"

Paul looked up as Andrew entered into the apartment nearly an hour later, not missing the strained look on his friend’s face. But the guarded look in the angel’s eyes kept him from asking the question, at least for the moment. Sarah Witte had been taken to Mercy Hospital and a sheet now covered Shawn’s body, but for just supposedly having solved a case, the agent was not looking happy, "Not as much as I wish we had," He replied after a moment.

Alex sighed softly, seeing the puzzled look on Andrew’s face, "We’re not looking at your typical residence of a serial child molester, Andrew. No cameras, no pornographic material of any kind, no mask…" She looked over at her husband from where she stood, searching through the bedroom closet, "Something doesn’t feel right about this, but I hope to hell I’m wrong."

"It’s too easy," Paul thought aloud, voicing what he knew Alex was already thinking, "We’ve been trying to catch this guy for weeks and haven’t even had a lead to amount to anything. Now all of a sudden, he is seen walking down the street carrying Sarah? It doesn’t add up."

"What are you saying?" With his mind still half focused on Monica, he was barely following the conversation.

"We’re saying that if Shawn was the one taking these girls, he sure as hell doesn’t fit the profile," Paul answered.

"If? If it wasn’t him then why was she here? Why did he kill himself?" Andrew wasn’t sure what he should be feeling. Part of him wanted Monica to be right, if only for her sake, but he had just finished arguing with her over how wrong she was, and if there was someone else involved, then he was still out there, and still a danger.

"I don’t know what to tell you, Andrew except that it doesn’t make sense. The coroner should be here soon and maybe we’ll know more after an autopsy. Maybe there were some drugs involved." Paul was shaking his head and running one hand through his hair. The two gunshots had sent a sick feeling through him, but at the same time he had assumed they signaled the end of the case. Now they felt more like a beginning.

"We’ve got agents and officers questioning everyone in the building, so by morning we should have a better picture of who this man was," Alex said. She glanced over at the body sadly. "Right now I’m beginning to wonder if Monica was right about him."

She couldn’t know it, but her words were like a knife in Andrew’s gut. "Yeah," he muttered. "She was pretty adamant."

Paul didn’t miss the somewhat disgusted tone in Andrew’s voice and he turned to look at the angel who was just shaking his head, jaw clenched. "Where is she, anyway? Did she get a cab back to the house?"

Andrew shoved his hands into his pockets. "We had a disagreement," he said, knowing that it had been much more than that.

Alex looked up sharply. Andrew had just gotten back into her good graces and now he was already fighting with Monica again? "What kind of disagreement?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"Don’t worry, Alex. She wasn’t afraid to tell me what she thought this time. I couldn’t believe that she was still trying to defend this man, and she couldn’t believe that I wouldn’t trust her. She ended up walking off."

"Tell me you didn’t just let her go," Paul said as he stood up from where he had been crouching.

"I followed her for three blocks until she hailed a cab. I’m guessing that she went back to the townhouse."

"Andrew, Andrew, Andrew…" Alex laid a hand on his shoulder. "Aren’t you the one who spent the weekend apologizing for your last fight? And here you go and get into another one with her?"

"I didn’t think it was a fight. This was different. I didn’t have any real cause to doubt her judgement before, but here we’ve got a man with a girl in his bed and a bullet through his brain. It didn’t seem unreasonable to suggest that maybe she wasn’t seeing things clearly," Andrew attempted to defend himself, but unfortunately it wasn’t even making him feel better.

"It shouldn’t matter what the circumstances are," Paul argued. "Either you trust her or you don’t. You can’t say you trust her for the small stuff but not the stuff that really matters. She’s not a child. Hell, she’s a few centuries older than I am, and I’m sure she’s a much better judge of character."

"Of course I trust her!" Andrew shot back. "But what would you have thought? If Alex came to you defending a man you thought was a serial killer… someone you had found with one of the victims… what would you say?"

Paul shrugged and shook his head. "Hey, I’m not saying I’d have acted any differently," he said. "I’m only human. I hope I’d have an open mind to listen to her…"

"Yeah, you’d listen to me… for about five seconds," Alex interjected. "Look, Andrew… You and Monica… you aren’t like normal couples. You have a history and a relationship that goes so much longer and deeper than we can fathom…"

"Yes, but when it comes to some things we’re more human than you think."

"I suppose so," she accepted, "but right now I think you’re back in the doghouse you erected last week, so you may want to head back and think about what you’re going to say to get out of it."

Andrew let out a long sigh, but he knew Alex was right, and he knew that the two agents didn’t need his help at the moment, especially in his current state of mind. "Fine. I’ll see you two back there then."

"All right," Alex nodded. "Oh, and by the way… just be happy that Monica stood up for herself. If I’d had to step in I’m pretty sure you’d have a few bruises."