Naomi The Nemesis

FBI Agent Jane Patrick is trying to catch a killer by the name of Naomi the Nemesis

  It was going to be a bad day.  Jane Patrick always considered it to be bad day when her wake up call was from work.   She glanced at her cell phone and sighed.  4:40am.   Why did murder always interrupt her sleep she wondered?  Why couldn’t murders take place at 4:40pm instead of 4:40am? 

       Jane sighed and pushed the covers off of her legs and swung them over the side of the bed.   Her bare feet had barely touched the cold wooden floor before she took off for the kitchen.   She put on a pot of coffee and returned to her bedroom while it was brewing. She pulled on her black pants, blouse and jacket, which had become her uniform over the past few years.  She took her gun and FBI badge from the dresser top before returning to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of steaming hot coffee.   She drank the it black with no cream and no sugar.  She downed it quickly despite it being so hot, set the cup in the sink and visited the bathroom before leaving.   She’d have to stop for breakfast after she visited the crime scene.  Although she’d never lost the contents of her stomach at a crime scene, she felt it was still a good idea not to eat before dealing with death.

      When she arrived in the dark ally behind the Capital Hill bar her team was already there.  The coroner, Christine Poulton, was bent over the body.  Special Agents Kegley, Draper and Hernandez crowded around her.  

       “A GSW to the chest is probably COD.  However, he was also shot in the foot,” Poulton announced when Jane arrived.

      “Time of death?” Jane asked.

      “Between 2 and 4am,” Poulton replied.

      Jane looked around the alley and asked, “You ID him yet?”

      “Yep, it definitely wasn’t a theft.  There was a wallet with driver’s license and cash in it still.  The man is Benjamin Russell, age 34.  The license is from Florida though.”

      “Which is why it is out of the hands of the local police,” Jane concluded. 

      “He was last seen coming out of The Church club around 2am,” Hernandez said. “And he left alone.”

       “I’ll check to see if I can find out where he was staying,” Kegley said.

       “Good,” let me know what the CSU finds.  Come on guys, lets go back to the office and start finding out who this guy was and who might have wanted him dead,” Jane said glancing one last time at the lifeless face of the victim. 

        The agents dispersed and drove to the local FBI office in Denver.   Jane swung by a near by McDonalds for breakfast and ate it on the drive down Federal Boulevard.  Jane showed her ID to the guard at the gate and drove down the long road to her office.  

        Jane Patrick had always wanted a career as a detective.  As a kid, she absolutely adored mystery books.  She had devoured all the Nancy Drew books by age 11, as well as the Babysitter Club books and mystery editions of Sweet Valley High.  Of course she’d read Poe and Agatha Christy in High School.  She also enjoyed Barbara Michaels, J.D. Robb, Tess Garrison and Patricia Cornwell.  James Patterson and Kathy Reiches were her favorites though.  

      She quickly realized that being a private detective didn’t pay well, so she decided to go into Criminal Justice at The Colorado University with the hopes of getting into the FBI someday.  However, when she graduated in 1998, she took time off to enjoy her new marriage.  She’d met Simon Patrick on campus and the two of them hit if off immediately.  They married the summer after she graduated and traveled to his home country of Australia for their honeymoon.  When she got back to the States she found herself unprepared for tough job market, so she’d taken time to go back to school and get all the training she needed to make her dreams come true.   Too bad her marriage fell apart in the process. 

       Jane sighed when she thought of Simon.   They’d been married seven years exactly when’d gotten the itch.  Bored with her or perhaps just the institution of marriage, Simon divorced her in 2005.  Jane had been single for nearly five years now and had yet to get involved in a serious relationship.  Simon, on the other hand, had wasted no time in getting engaged to Katarina Colby, an English Professor whom he’d worked with since 2002. 

      In any case, Jane had thrown herself into work after her divorce and gotten hired in at the Denver office of the FBI.  It was a dream come true.  Not only did she get to be an agent, but she also got to remain in her hometown with her family.  She was very thankful that they had openings locally and the she didn’t have to move to Washington DC or Virginia to become an agent. 

    

     After several hours of searching online and making about a dozen phone calls, Shannon Kegley had a report for Jane.   The team met in Jane’s office to hear what their initial search had turned up.

      “Benjamin Russell grew up in Texas.  He did time for burglary in 2000, but escaped and was on the lamb for nearly year.  He was caught again in 2001 and served five years.  He was released in July of 2005.  When his parole was up in 2007, he moved to Florida.  He moved in with his father in Miami.   Benjamin secured a number of jobs while he was there, including working at a liquor store and a fetish shop.”

       “Not exactly a model citizen,” Jane said.  “Did you find out why he was in Denver?”

       “No.  No one matching his name was staying at any of local hotels.  He must have staying with a friend or relative,” Kegley replied.  “I was able to find out that he fathered a child daughter in 1998, but that he abandoned the mother while she was still pregnant.  In fact, he wasn’t even on the birth certificate until 2002.  Recently his daughter, Gwen, was taken from her mother’s custody and place in the custody of her grandmother.”

       “So did an ex-con shoot him or the woman he abandoned?” Hernandez asked.

       “Could be either one or someone else entirely.  Kegley, you see where the mother and child were last night.   Hernandez, you put a visit into the Texas prison tomorrow to question the warden and anyone else who knew Russell,” Jane said.

       “CSU sent their findings up,” Jon Draper said as he handed his boss the file.

       Jane looked over the report.  “Draper and Kegley, you comb the area for a 9mm gun used to kill our vic.  Someone may have tossed it into the gutter or chucked it into a dumpster.   While you’re out there, canvas the neighborhood and see if you can find any eye witnesses.”

          Jane returned to her pile of paperwork while her team too off to gather more information.   She normally would have gone with them, but she had several important meeting with heads of department and with people of interest in other cases that day. 

         Kegley and Draper returned with the gun and handed it over to the lab in order to run it for prints.  They did some work on other cases before calling it a day.  

         That night Hernandez spotted Jane Patrick still in her office.   It was nearly 9pm and she was still reading and signing papers.   Almost everyone else had left, but she remained as usual.  It wasn’t so much dedication as it was a lack of a social life that kept her there.  

        “Hey Patrick,” Carlos Hernandez said from the open doorway of her office.  

         Jane looked up.  

        “Whatcha still doing here?”

        “I could ask you the same thing.”
         Hernandez laughed, “I left and came back to get something I’d forgotten earlier.”

        “Oh.”

         There was a long pause before Hernandez finally said, “You want to get a drink or something?”

        “Sure,” she smiled.  Jane signed one more piece of paper before getting up and switching off her light.   She stood before her co-worker and said, “Let’s go.”

        They drove separately to a sports bar called Rookies.  There, the two of them downed several shots of tequila.  Between shots they talked about cases and fellow co-workers.   

        When he was good and drunk, Carlos said, “You know what?”

        “What?”

        “I’ve always wanted to kiss you.”  And with that he planed a passionate, but sloppy, kiss on Jane’s lips.  Jane responded, happy that her handsome team member had noticed her.  She knew it was against FBI policy to date or sleep with co-workers, but at that moment she didn’t care.  

       They met back at Jane’s house and quickly resumed their kiss.  It wasn’t long before their clothes fell to the floor and they fell into bed together.   Though it felt great at the time, Jane remembered little of the night.  

        The next morning she awoke with a dry mouth and pounding headache.  She sighed and rolled over, expecting to find Carolos beside her, but she found his side of the bed empty instead.   Sadness came over her in a wave when she realized that it had been nothing more than a one night stand.   She found a small comfort in remembering that he had an early flight to catch to Austin that morning.  Even still, she was still disappointed that he hadn’t even left a note.  

         Not wanting to face the day, Jane took her time getting out of bed.  She showered, took some Advil for her headache and drank two cups of coffee.  Finally, she dressed and grabbed her gun and badge before heading out the door. 

        Back at the Denver FBI office, the lab had come up with three sets of prints on the gun.  One belonged to Benjamin Russell, another to a man named Martin Douglas and another to Naomi Knowles.  Marvin was a friend of Benjamin’s who still lived in Austin, Texas.  Naomi Knowles lived in Denver.  

         Jane decided to pay a visit to Naomi Knowles and take Kegley with her.  On their way to Knowles’s address, Jane put in a call to Carlos. His cell phone went to voicemail, which she thought was strange.  He should have been off the plane and in the middle of visiting the prison where Benjamin Russell did his time at by now.  Did the prison take away his cell phone?  They usually allowed police and other law enforcement officers to keep their phones on them.  It was only visitors who were not allowed to bring them into the prison.   Was he avoiding her?  That is what if felt like. 

      Shannon Kegley pulled up to the small, but new house in a recently built subdivision of Denver.   The streets all went in circles and had many of the same names, which made it confusing.  Still, Naomi Knowles’s house wasn’t too hard to find.  

       Jane got out of the car and walked up to the small porch with her partner.   Jane rang the doorbell and waited.  After a few beats, a woman answered.  Her blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she wore no make-up.  She looked exhausted, and it was no wonder with two young children playing on the carpet behind her.  

       Jane showed her badge. “FBI.  I’m special agent Jane Patrick and this is my partner Shannon Kegley.   We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

        She sighed, but opened the door wider to let them in.  Naomi sat back down on the tan microfiber couch tiredly and waited for the agents to sit as well.   Her four year old daughter and two year old son looked at the agents briefly before returning their attention back to what they were doing. 

       Jane sat down next to Naomi and said, “We’d like to ask you about Benjamin Russell.”

      “Sure.”

      “How do you know him?”

      “He is my ex-boyfriend.   Why?  What did he do this time?” she asked.

      “Nothing.  He’s dead,” Kegley said bluntly.

      “Oh,” she said sadly.

      “When was the last time that you spoke to him?” Jane asked.

      “About two days ago.  He drove up from Florida for a visit.  He’d never been to Denver before and was excited to see a new city.  We met as his motel room and talked and then we got a bite to eat at The Denver Diner.  I came home after that and he went back to the motel after that as far as I know.”

        “So you didn’t go to the club with him later that night?” Kegley asked.

        “No,” she shook her head.  “I had to pick my kids up from the in-laws and we came home.  We ate dinner and then I put them to bed.  I was sound asleep by ten pm I think.  I usually fall asleep right after I get them to sleep.”

       “Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts between two am and four am Friday night?” Jane asked.

        “My husband was asleep beside me the whole time.”

        “So how did your fingerprints end up on Benjamin Russell’s gun?”

        “He showed it to me when I visited him in his motel room is all.  He insisted I handle it even though I didn’t like the fact he had it.  I told him more people get shot with their own guns than use them to defend themselves, but he didn’t listen.  He never listened to me.  You don’t think…you don’t think I killed him do you?”

       “Ma’am we have to follow every lead.  When your fingerprints showed up on the gun that was used to kill Benjamin, we had to question you,” Jane assured her.

       “I told him that would happen,” she said.  “Anyway, why would I kill him?  I loved him.”
      “Were you still in love with him?” Kegley asked.

      “I did still care for him, but he ran out on me years ago.   We were catching up is all, not rekindling our romance.   I love my husband and had no intention of cheating on him,” she replied defensively.

      “What do you know about Martin Douglas?” Jane changed the subject.

      “Not much.  Ben and Marty became friends after he dumped me.  The two of them moved to Florida together, but then Marty moved back to Texas and got married,” Naomi explained. 

       Jane gave Naomi her card and asked her to call if she had any questions or thought of anything else.   Then Jane and Kegley left.  On the way back to the car Jane said, “ I’m going to call Hernandez and see if her can pay a visit to Martin Douglas while he’s in the Austin area.”   She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed.  It rang and ran, but no one picked up.  Frustrated, she ended the call and stuck her phone back in her pocket. “Guess I’ll have to call him at the prison when we get back to the office.” 

       Kegley said nothing as they got back into the car.  They drove in silence back to the office and returned to their desks.   Jane looked up the number of the Austin County Correctional Institution or ACCI for short.   She dialed the warden’s direct number and explained who she was when he picked up.   

      “Yes, we spoke to Agent Hernandez earlier today.  He left about an hour ago,” the warden replied.

        “Thank you,” she said hanging up.   He was supposed to fly back as soon as the interview as over.   There was no hotel to call him at or any other way to get a hold of him other than his cell phone.   She guessed that she’d just have to call Martin Douglas and wait until Carlos got back to talk to him.  

       Jane dialed the number she had for Martin Douglas.  It rang several times before he finally picked up.   “Hello.”

       “Hello.  Is this Martin Douglas?”

       “It sure is.  How can I help you?”
       “This is Jane Patrick from the FBI.  I’d like to ask you some questions about Benjamin Russell.”

      “What did he do this time?”

      “He got himself shot with his own gun.  When we ran the prints off the gun we found his prints and Naomi’s in addition to his.   Can you tell me how your prints got on the gun?”

       “Yeah, it was my gun.   I sold it to him when he stopped by for a visit last week when he was on his way to Denver. Is he okay?”

        “No, I’m sorry.  He’s dead.  Why did he sell you his gun?”

        “He’s dead? Oh wow.  That’s awful.  I’m so sorry to hear.”

        “Why did he want to buy your gun?”

        “Oh, he was worried about meeting some dangerous people in Denver.”

        “Naomi?”

        “His ex-girlfriend?  No, he was worried about the guys he was going to sell pot to.”

       “Do you have any of the names of his clients?”
       “No.  It was just some dude he met off the internet.”

       “So where were you between 2am and 4am on Friday night?”

       “At home with the wife and kid here in Austin.”

       “Good.  Do you know of anybody off hand that would want to kill Benjamin Russell?”

       “Well, he pissed a lot of people off in his time, but I can’t think of anyone person who would actually go to lengths of killing him over whatever….”

      “Well, if you think of anything please give me a call,” Jane said and then gave him her number.  

        She called a meeting of her team and told them what they had learned about Naomi, Martin and Benjamin.  “We need to figure out who his Denver contact was and question him.  There is a good chance if we find out who he was dealing to then we find out who killed him,” Jane announced.

         “But no one else’s prints were on the gun,” Draper pointed out.  “Are we thinking that the gun we recovered isn’t the one used to kill our Vic?”

          “It’s possible that he tossed the gun prior to being shot or that the gun was tossed afterward by someone careful enough to get their prints on it.  It is difficult to tell what exactly happened at this point.  Hopefully Hernandez will have some more pieces of the puzzle when he returns.”

          “What time is he due in from his prison visit?” Kegley asked.

           Jane glanced up at the clock on the wall.  “I thought he was due back around 6pm, but I haven’t heard from him all day, so I don’t know for sure.  Any of you been able to get a hold of him?”

          Kegley and Draper shook their heads no. 

          “Hmm,” is all Jane said, but she was thinking that she had a bad feeling about his lack of contact.  At first she thought it was Carlos just avoiding her after their night together, but as they day had worn on she grew increasingly weary.  Could the killer have gone after Carlos?  Maybe he’d been kidnapped? Or maybe he just got into a car accident? Who knew?

         Kegley and Draper went home shortly after the meeting, but Jane stayed late to see if she could catch Hernandez when he got back.  It was after ten pm by the time that Jane gave up.  She turned off her light and left the office.  She was tempted to try and call Hernandez one last time, but she decided against it.  She didn’t want to be a pain if he was avoiding her.  Most likely he was tired and went straight home after his flight got in.  Sadly, Jane drove home and then got ready for bed.

 

         The next morning Jane appeared at the office fresh and ready to tackle the day.  She’d only been there ten minutes or so when she found out that Hernandez had been murdered in his home the night before.  Jane scolded herself for not calling or going over to his place.  Perhaps she could have saved his life. 

          Though she was advised not to, Jane rushed over to the scene of the crime.  She entered the small ranch style house in Montbello.  It was filled with crosses and pictures of Jesus.  She knew Carolos had been raised catholic, but he never spoke about his religious beliefs at work.  Stepping into his home filled her with sadness even before she reached his bedroom, where the body was.  

          Spray painted across the tan colored wall in black was the word NEMESIS. 

          Lying in his shorts on the black sheets was Carlos.  He was handcuffed to the bed and blindfolded.  His gun lay on the floor next to the bed and there was a gunshot wound to his chest.  It was a nearly point blank shot to his heart and  probably instantly fatal.  The crime scene unit numbered everything from the location of the gun, the message on the wall to the positioning of the body. 

        “Guess that explains why he didn’t call last night,” Jane said staring at his body in disbelief. 

        One of the agents took his cell phone from the nightstand with a gloved hand and pointed at Jane.  “I see you were the last person who called him.”  She placed the cell phone in an evidence bag and sealed it.

       “Yeah, he was supposed to report back about his trip to Austin, Texas to interview a warden of a prison.  He never checked in and I was wondering what in the hell was up with him.  I called, but he never answered.”

        Her boss, Agent Yates, shot her a look.  He obviously suspected the truth, that the Carlos and Jane were more than just co-workers.  “So we don’t need to consider you a suspect?” Yates asked. 

       “Why on earth would I kill a member of my own team?” Jane snapped.

       “You tell me,” Yates said.

       “I wouldn’t.  I am just as shocked as you are.  The only thing I can think of is that he got to close to catching one of our killers and they got to him first.  We need to check his computer and notes to see if he happened to stumble upon a crucial piece of evidence that go him killed.”

       “Of course,” Yates said.  “Why don’t you go back to the office and leave this to us.”

       She blinked back the tears and nodded.  Jane was torn between showing how shook up she was and remaining professional.  Instead of lingering to examine every inch of the place in order to catch his killer, Jane turned and went back to her car.  A part of her was relieved that Carlos hadn’t been the jerk she imagined him to be, but another part of her was deeply saddened by the loss of him.  True, they’d only been together once, but she had cared for him for a long time. 

       Back at the office she threw herself into the process of interviewing known dope dealers in the area.  There were a lot of them, and if he was a small time dealer, there was a chance they’d never find him.  Still, it was the only the lead they had at the moment.  None of the dealers they confronted in the street or pulled into the office seemed to know anything about Benjamin Russell.