Shaman - the Awakening (7 page)

“Yes, Agent Mullins,” Steve inquired professionally without a hint of his feelings towards her.

“I went back over the CCTV footage when Deseray Johnson was abducted, and there was a large dog observed on the cameras of the parking lot, but only for a brief moment.”

“Can you show us the footage,” Steve asked?

“Sure, it's right here.” She walked up to the command desk and put a flash drive into the laptop which controlled the wall sized monitor. She already had the scene saved at the location.

“The visibility isn't that good due the fact that it was a very dark night and the cameras at the bowling alley parking lot aren't the best, but there it is.”

It was in fact a large brown and grayish wolf-like dog. It was only on the footage for a moment and then disappeared, but it was enough to freeze frame it and get a better look.

“So now we know for a fact that this is no longer a coincidence. Our perp owns a dog. Our check of the local veterinarians and animal registries came up nil before, but let's check it again now that we have a good description. Let's also look into licensed hunters registered in the area,” Steve said. Gracie was grinning with pride at her contribution and rightly so. It was a good bit of investigative research. I met her at the coffee bar after the meeting.

“Good morning, Gracie; good work on the camera footage,” I stated.

“Thanks Chris, but it's nothing compared to what you're doing. I see how valuable your skills are now. We would still have nothing if it wasn't for you,” she stated.

“It's a team effort, Gracie, and your contributions have been great. I'm lost without all the investigative brains in that room to put it all together.”

I saw Dianna looking from afar as we spoke. I guess Gracie made her feel a little jealous, since she had expressed an interest in me. I think her only questioning had only been due to curiosity about my abilities. Dianna really didn't have anything to be jealous about. Gracie was pretty, but Dianna was even more gorgeous, in fact Dianna and Amber were both extremely gorgeous women, except Dianna didn't realize her beauty. It was totally baffling to me, because she was so outgoing and confident in everything else.

The next day went the same as the previous one. I attended the morning briefing and gave my update. There was no further information pertaining to the case. Steve was one of the most patient people I had ever met; he was truly a cool customer, but I could see the frustration building in him. I would have ventured as far to say that he had never been defeated at anything in his life until now. This perpetrator had him baffled along with the rest of us.

Now I could see the subtle looks and glances he and Gracie shared, since I was privy to the information about their relationship. I hope she was a comfort to him as Dianna was to me. We were all on edge. This case had become a real challenge for the team.

It was approximately 0610 hours when Steve notified the team to come to the RO. Dianna was lying in bed beside me.
There must be a break in the case,
I thought. Dianna didn't bother checking her phone since they both rang at the same time. We were living together for all practical purposes. It might have been in a hotel suite, but we had been staying together for a solid twelve days. The entire team now knew we were in a relationship, but no one really seemed to care. We were too involved in the investigation. Amber actually encouraged the relationship, she thought we made a nice couple. She said we were each other's Ying and Yang which made it work.

We were totally opposite creatures like the polarity of magnets, but drawn to each other. Steve had placed us together from the start, knowing Dianna kept me anchored and balanced through it all. There was a large price to pay for anyone who profiles criminals, living each day bathed in horror. To actually live out the scenes, see through the eyes of the victims the way I did took an even larger toll on my psyche.

We met Amber and Paul in the lobby before departing for the Field Office. Max, as usual, was already up and had departed. Steve would no doubt already be there waiting with Max. When we arrived at the RO, Ortega and Gracie were present with Steve and Max. We waited a few more minutes for others to trickle in, and then Steve began.

“This envelope was discovered taped to the door this morning, addressed to the FBI. The note inside says,
`I am the coyote. I walk alone. I do not exist in your reality. I roam the plains of both worlds.'
the envelope must have delivered between 0200-0600 hours when it was discovered. There were no witnesses or video surveillance of the deliverer. We received a call from the Albuquerque Journal, they received the same envelope in their mailbox this morning. They agreed not to run the story for now, due to the further panic that it may cause throughout the city. Our subject has upped the ante, now he's added terror to the equation. Ever since we placed the road blocks and checkpoints on New Year's Day, he's been sending us a message daring us to catch him. He's proud of himself, and the fact that he is outsmarting us. He considers himself smarter than us, and is challenging us. He wants us to work for it; to earn it!” Steve exclaimed.

“He has been watching us the whole time. He knows where we work and we can assume he knows where we live. Remember, people: he is a stalker, a hunter; so be aware of your own surroundings and be vigilant! If he wants to play this game, he'll get closer. He was right outside our door delivering this message, saying
come and catch me if you can!
I don't have to tell you what this means. You already know,” Steve further stated with a scowl on his face and his brow, indicating he was perturbed by the perpetrator's boldness.

I didn't think some of the RO agents had a clue about the last item Steve was talking about; `them knowing what that means.' I could see it in their eyes. The ViCAP team understood it meant that Jessica didn't have much time left if he was altering his MO. He might get bored with her and focus his attention solely on us, or go on a killing spree for the attention. It isn't often that a serial killer completely changes his signature, but it does evolve.

“Were there any prints or clues provided by the note,” one of the Residence Office Agents inquired.

“There were no prints on the note or outside the office. We are having the note analyzed by Quantico as we speak, for writing profile recognition. Any further questions?” Steve asked.

The conference room became silent at that point. We could feel the uneasiness surround us. This was a bold and calculating killer.

The subject had us looking over our shoulders now, and made us wonder if it was a fellow law enforcement officer or an agent. Steven issued a curfew with the approval of the Governor and the Director of the FBI. This time it wasn't for a day, but until rescinded. The last time something like this occurred was when the D.C. Sniper held Washington under a siege of terror.

The next day, while at the briefing, Steven informed us that the ABQ Journal ran with the story on the front page, stating that it was their obligation to inform the public. There was even more panic and chaos spreading throughout the city. The citizens were calling for the National Guard to patrol the city. Several witnesses in the area of the ABQ Journal building sighted a large dog in the area during the suspected time the note was delivered, but no one else.

“Until a dog evolves a couple of notches up the food chain and grows opposable thumbs, he isn't our prime suspect. The dog is an afterthought, people. If you can link it, do so, but let's get with the bigger picture here. We have a killer that has eluded and out-maneuvered us. We have a young woman to find and rescue, and time is of the essence,” Steve stated.

The pressure was mounting and the ever stoic and cool Steve was feeling it from all sides: the Governor's Office, the Director of the FBI, the media and citizens. It was national news now and it didn't take long before POTUS became involved. He was a `hands on' type of president of the people. The Director sent the Asst. Director and his detail of cronies to overshadow the investigation. It was a circus when Homeland Security arrived to join the party. Homeland was orchestrating all facets of the case and jurisdictions. This was no longer just a ViCAP case.

The only real connection we had on the subject was that he was utilizing Interstate 25. All of the victims had been taken in places near that highway. We also were looking for regions in the state with a large number of coyotes, which was most of New Mexico. Luckily we had more manpower to assist in the investigation, because our parameters and profile had been expanded. It was heading in the wrong direction. Successful profiling was about narrowing down the subjects and parameters, not increasing it.

On January 16, the subject killed Jessica. I heard and saw the whole ritual and briefed the RO on my observations. There was silence in the conference room, as everyone focused their attention on me as I somberly informed them.

“She was blindfolded and naked when he took her outside. She could feel the wind against her bare, vulnerable body. A coyote continuously howled alone in the background. She could feel the warmth of his naked upper torso as he brushed up against her, and she jerked. She was trembling in fear as he continued to touch her body all over, from head to toe. It was if several hands were caressing her all at once as she continued to cringe and jerk erratically; confused and terrified, like a sheep going to slaughter. She knew this was it; the time he had set aside to kill her. She could feel it in her bones,” I stated.

“She yelled, but her gagged and muffled screams fell on death's ears. Then she fell to the ground. She could feel the blaze of a large fire nearby. It warmed her as she heard the crackle of the fire. Then she fell unconscious from anxiety and fear. The last things she remembered before going unconscious was the taste of dirt in her mouth,” I said and cleared my throat for the rest of the bad news. It felt like I was spewing out vomit or some type of illness, judging by the way the Field Office Agents were staring at me.

“She woke up with some type of oil all over her body. She had been tied to a stake, like they do in witch killings, as she listened to footsteps circling her in the dirt. It was as if he was dancing around her, like in a Native American ceremony. He was chanting in some dialect that I couldn't make out. The blaze from the fire was no longer providing warmth to her naked body; it was uncomfortably hot and getting hotter! It wasn't touching her yet, but the intense heat from the flames was burning her all the same. It was excruciating pain. She became faint from the smoke and the heat. Then the flames became too intense. She was gagged, but it couldn't contain the horrifying screams as Jessica was burned alive. Then the connection was broken,” I stated, with all eyes glued on me in astonishment.

The entire conference room remained quiet. You could literally have heard a pin drop as their focus remained fixated on me. I drank from a bottle of water I had next to me. My throat had gone dry from the emotional trauma of the brief. It was as if I was visualizing it again, as sweat came to my brow. I could feel the agents' gazes on my Adam's apple as I swallowed the water. Once again I felt like a freak in a circus. Then Steven broke the silence in his ever stoic manner.

“The subject appears to be putting on some type of ceremony that could be a Native American ritual. Although our profile fits the description of a white male, let's not rule out any possibilities. We are still looking for somewhere secluded; places where he could have held such a ritual with a fire outside and not be seen. The constant howl of the coyote and his association with that animal suggests he is close to nature. It could have some religious or mystical significance there as well. He also kept her alive for sixteen days,” Steven stated grimly.

“Max, let's see if our ViCAP computer profiling can assist us with any comparisons, differences or significances with our profiling. Amber and Paul will research the local Native American tribes for evidence of fire rituals or dates of significance around the first and sixteenth of January. The rest of us will perform field investigations at the surrounding Native American villages,” Steven said, and then further instructed, “We need to disseminate the information that we have to the local enforcement officers; City, County, State Police, National Park and Reservations.”

Then Ortega spoke, “We have the Zuni Nation, Navajo Nation, three different Apache Nations and the Pueblos with five different clans speaking different languages, and scattered tribesmen all over New Mexico!”

“Then we have our work cut us for us,” Steven retorted. “A.D. Pollin, can you arrange the Department of Interior/ Bureau of Indian Affairs to send us a liaison to assist?” Steven inquired.

“Yes; I'll have them send a team,” he responded. He had been watching me the whole time after I addressed the conference room. It was creepy and uncomfortable. He made me feel paranoid, like I used to a long time ago.

Then Steven spoke to us again, in closing the meeting. “OK then. Let's get on it, people. You know your assignments and what we have to do. Agent Ortega will break down all the main Indian Villages within our perimeter of abductions. We need to also keep in mind that it could be an impersonator, so let's not forget our original profiling.” Then Steven turned and addressed the Assistant Director again, “Do you have anything for us, A.D. Pollin?”

Pollin paused, then responded, “No, not at this time.”

Assistant Director Pollin's attention was still focused on me. He had questions, but didn't want to pose them at the time. There was a bigger picture to be concerned with. He had to address the media, Jessica's family and his superiors. Then he spoke up, before everyone departed the conference room area. “Wait. I do have something to say to all of you, and I don't want any of this to leak out. We are going to treat Jessica Juarez like the rest of the young women –as a continuing missing person's case – until a body is found. I know of your talents, Mr. Sands, but until I have a body in front of me that we can ID, this case will continue as a missing person / abductee,” he stated.

Our investigation wouldn't change one way or the other with the added information. I think the A.D.'s speech was really just a jab at me and my contribution. We still had to find this killer, except this time it was without rescue. We didn't have any of the previous women's bodies either, so we pushed on. We expanded our focus to the surrounding Native American villages and reservations.

The manhunt was in full operation under the auspices of Homeland Security coordination. The team of liaisons from the Bureau of Indian Affairs was very cooperative. They helped smooth the way while conducting interviews. There were a lot of customs that we weren't familiar with that the liaison team bridged for us. The Reservations and villages still weren't pleased with us entering their land and asking questions, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs assisted greatly in diffusing what could have been a very volatile situation. The lead BIA liaison and investigator was Nina Blackwater, a very intelligent and beautiful woman. She was of Cherokee heritage, like me.

I didn't particularly like the way the case was turning out. I didn't appreciate the profiling of the Native Americans, but the FBI had to turn over every stone at this point in the investigation. It was impossible to investigate such a large number of Native Americans, so we limited our investigations to the bigger villages and reservations in hopes of cooperation from the higher officials and tribal leaders.