Special Agent Montreal's forehead scrunched up while listening to the dispatch recording. Everything about it doesn't add up. He was skeptical about the call and became more determined to look into it.
When the recording ended, Penelope reported, "The call was made from a cell phone, belonging to a woman named Carol Witiken. She was in the hospital when she made that call. Seems like her son is in for a heart transplant."
"Trace her phone and get me a location on her." Special Agent Montreal ordered as his suspicions regarding the call increased.
"Already did. She's there at the hospital. Pediatrics Ward, room XXX."
"You're the best, Penelope."
"I know," she said with confidence before hanging up.
Montreal took one last look at Ares before leaving to look for Carol Witiken.
"What did Penelope find?" Special Agent Alvarez asked when Montreal got closer to them.
"A 'Carol Witiken' called 9-1-1, reporting the shooting three hours before it even happened," Montreal explained.
"Then where can we find this 'Carol Witiken'?"
"She's here, in this hospital."
"Then what are we waiting for, let's go," Alvarez was getting excited and curious about Carol Witiken. Just the nature of the call was suspicious, making him wonder how she knew that there was going to be a hostage situation before it even happened.
"Alvarez, you and Mills can first head back. Blake and I can handle this." Montreal dismissed the two men and took Blake along with him.
Blake looked at the two men with a smirk. "I'll tell you guys all the details when I get back," she teased them before catching up to Montreal. With her back turned to them, Alvarez and Mills cursed at her. They were envious that she got to tag along with Montreal for the questioning. But she didn't know. All she cared about was meeting Carol Witiken.
With the room number, it made it easier for them to find Carol Witiken. They arrived, standing at the doorway of Derek Witiken's, Carol Witiken's son, room, and found a woman in her mid-thirties sitting at the bedside of a boy who was on a ventilator.
"Carol Witiken?" Montreal asked.
"That's me. You must be the police," Carol Witiken replied as if she was expecting them.
"FBI. I'm Special Agent Montreal. This is my partner Special Agent Blake. And if you don't mind me asking, what made you so sure we were the police, Mrs. Witiken?"
"Please, call me Carol. I assume you're here because of that 9-1-1 call, right? But I'm sorry, all I can tell you is that I was only following instructions. I didn't know there was going to be a shooting in the ER. He said that if I didn't follow his instructions my son would die." Carol calmly recounted to them what happened.
"He?" Special Agent Blake asked, turning to look at Montreal with a suspicious look.
"Yes. He."
"How do you know that the person was a 'he'? Did you see his face?" Blake questioned.
"No, I didn't. I just heard his voice. I was using the restroom when he approached me. He stood right outside of my stall, so I wasn't able to see his face. He only said a few words and left me a note before disappearing. Here," Carol quickly answered when she noticed how Blake looked at her unconvinced. She dug into the pockets of her pants and handed a note to them.
Blake took it from her. She opened it and Montreal leaned in for a look.
It was a yellow Post-it Note that contained the exact words Carol Witiken spoke in the 9-1-1 dispatch recording, written in cursive. Just looking at it they could tell that the writer has impeccably beautiful penmanship. This person must be a professional calligrapher.
"Here's my card. Call me whenever you remember something," Montreal said and was about to turn to leave when Carol uttered.
"Umm. I don't know if I should say this but, whoever he was, he saved my son."
"What do you mean he saved your son?" Blake questioned, curious.
"My son had a heart defect and was on the UNOS list for almost a year now. He was dying. Until yesterday his doctors said that they found a heart from Chicago. A perfect match they said. He was getting prep for surgery today and then he approached me. I thought he was threatening me with my son's life if I didn't do as he says. But I later understood that he was warning me. I don't know how he knew but 30 minutes after they took my son in for surgery, the doctor told me that the heart was delayed in transit. They said that it was sitting in the very ER where the shooting took place and that they couldn't get to it. They explained that if they didn't have the heart my son would die on the operating table. Then a few minutes after, I saw the news that someone took down the two captors and because of that person my son safely got his heart," Carol glanced at her son with a smile. The surgery was a success and now she just needs to wait for him to wake up.
"I don't have any evidence, but I believe that the person who gave me that note and the one who took down the shooters is the same person. When you do find him, please tell him I said thank you." She continued. Carol was grateful for that person and hoped that what she said would help him.
Special Agent Montreal and Blake turned to leave. They came with only a few questions but now they were left with even more questions. But at least they know one thing - the person that they're looking for was a man.
A few minutes before Montreal left, Maya looked at Ares and asked, "Are you okay?" She knew that she wouldn't answer her, but she only asked because she was worried.
Ares stared at her with a clear look. She hesitated for a second then slowly opened her mouth, saying, "Fine."
"You?" Maya flinched at the sound of Ares's voice. Her voice sounded mature and strong, nothing like a 9-year-old's voice.
"Wha- what did you just say?" Maya just couldn't believe her ears.
"What did you just say?" She asked again but no answer came. She stared at Ares just waiting to see if she moved her lips. Wondering if she heard right, Maya began to doubt herself. Has she gone senile? She was overcome with disappointment and agreed that she must've heard wrong.
But right when she believed that it was a mistake on her part, Ares faintly replied, "I'm fine."
Her voice was soft, but it was loud enough for Maya to make out what she said. At the sound of Ares's voice, her body froze. They were just two simple words. However, those two words were everything to Maya.
"Yo- you talked. You talked! James, she talked!" Maya excitedly called out for her husband. It was like when her son spoke his first word. That was what she felt at the moment.
Detective Cross went to stand by his wife's side with an expectant look directed at Ares. As if he was waiting for her to speak again.
Did they think she was a dog that 'barks' on command?
Ares decided to ignore them. But they made it really hard for her to ignore them when they were looking at her with their eager eyes, their gaze never leaving her.
After being kept prisoner since the moment she was born, she was unsure about how to interact with other people - even though she experienced it through other people's [life]. Especially with this couple, she wasn't sure what to do with them. When she was racking her brains for what to do next Alexandra approached her, encasing her arms around Ares's lower limb.
"Alexandra told me you found her," Bridgette stood before Ares, reaching out to grab her hand with both of hers. "Thank y-. Thank you so much!" She continued even when her voice started cracking up.
Ares looked at her with a wooden expression then turned to Alexandra with the same look on her face. However, her heart unknowingly started to warm up.
"Your father will be here Alexandra," Ares signed after taking her hands out of Bridgette's. Not paying attention to Bridgette expressing her gratitude because she felt that what she did wasn't a big deal.
When Alexandra saw what she said, she immediately understood that it was time for them to say goodbye and she didn't want to.
"Can't you come with us?" Alexandra asked but didn't wait for her answer and asked her mother, "Can't she come with us, mommy?"
"I don't think so, Honey," Bridgette became distressed.
She knew better than anyone that her daughter never gets attached to anyone. Even with her grandparents, she was never open and always kept to herself. She and her husband were overcome with anxiety because of it. Anxious, that her current behavior might affect her growth if she continues to stay this way. But it's different with Ares. She becomes a whole different person - she smiles leisurely and acts like any other eleven-year-old.
Tears welled up in Alexandra's eyes when she heard her mother's response. Her grip tightened and her sobbing face pressed into Ares's legs. Not wanting to let go.
Ares, who watched the mother and daughter, was shocked to see Alexandra so attached to her. She was clueless about her existence in Alexandra's heart. But she understood more than anyone that you can't rely on people too much. That there's a time where you have to be independent. And Alexandra is now at a crucial age where she has to learn that.
When attempting to comfort her, Ares stroked her head lightly. She remembered seeing Maya do this in her [life] whenever her son was upset. There was a moment of silence and Alexandra was still crying her eyes out.
Maya and her husband watched this scene with a strange look.
In the time that they spent trying to get Ares to interact with them, they never saw her do so many unexpected things like today. They also never thought that they would witness her trying to comfort another child when she, herself, was a child.
An unusual feeling settled in their hearts, as they hoped to see Ares crying and smiling like other children her age.
Ares was oblivious of the couple's thoughts because her attention was all on the sobbing little girl in her arms. She pushed Alexandra away and stooped down to her height, sitting on her heels. At the sight of Alexandra's face, she almost couldn't recognize her when her eyes were swollen and her cheeks puffy from crying. Clear lines of tears appeared on both sides of her face. Ares brushed her hands against her cheeks, wiping the tears away.
"I don't want you to leave." Alexandra looked at her with sad eyes.
"You don't need me," Ares simply signed, her stoic expression softened.
"What if I do?" Her eyes started to tear up again.
"You don't because you are surrounded by people who love you. Like your mother and father. You're a strong girl. So you don't need me," Ares replied without much thought because what she said was the truth.
Even without her intervention, Alexandra will grow up beautiful and strong. She just needed a little push.
"I will miss you," Alexandra said without a second thought.
Ares flinched at her words. This was the first time those words were directed to her. She has always believed that she was insignificant. That no one missed her. And to hear Alexandra say that to her, made her feel warm. From the knowledge she gained through [life], this feeling of warmth she felt was called content.
The corner of Ares's lips was slightly raised which was hardly noticeable to Maya and Detective Cross. However, Alexandra and Bridgette went rigid at the sight of Ares's smiling face. It was a faint and fleeting smile, but it was enough to take their breath away. If a small smile could do this to them, imagine how much damage a big smile could cause.
Alexandra held onto Ares for one last time. Her small arms clinging onto Ares's neck and Ares encased her into her arms, gently squeezing her before letting go. This time Alexandra didn't hesitate to leave Ares's side and went to her mother's.
At that moment, a voice shouted, catching the attention of Bridgette. "Bridgette! Lexie!"
Bridgette's body flinched and instantly spun, facing the direction where the familiar voice came from. From a distance, she saw a man racing towards her. The man was a spitting image of Alexandra. His clothes and shoes were mismatched as if he had put on whatever he could get his hands on. However, his blonde hair and hazel brown eyes that were similar to Alexandra's stood out from his unfashionable clothes. At the sight of that familiar handsome face, her heart was overcome with joy. It was her husband.
"Jacob!" Bridgette called out her husband's name.
Jacob was completely out of breath, but his pace didn't once stagnate. After receiving a call from his wife that there was a shooting and that she had lost their daughter, he became demented with worry.
Only when the figures of both his wife and daughter came into view did his pounding heart settle down. But that didn't slow him down. On the contrary, he picked up the speed and swept them into his arms.
Ares watched from the side as Alexandra, once again, burst into tears when her father embraced her and her mother. Now that Alexandra was safe in her parents' arms, her job was done, and she wasn't needed. She reverted to her old self but without her noticing a shimmer of light was ignited in her desolate soul.
Ares returned to her room with Detective Cross and Maya in tow. The couple quietly followed her with no questions asked. They pushed down the urge to ask Ares where she disappeared to, to ask her how she found Alexandra. To ask if she was okay after the whole shooting event. And if it brought up some unpleasant memories. But the day ended with them not asking her anything.
A couple of days passed, and Special Agent Montreal and his team went through everything they could think of. But in the end, they couldn't find a single clue on the person who took down the shooters and about the 9-1-1 call. Not even a single camera from the hospital and streets caught anything.
When he thought he caught on to something, he kept hitting a wall. However, for some reason, he keeps hearing a voice in his head, telling him to go back to the hospital. Ultimately, he gave in and took Penelope with him.
"I don't understand why you're going back to the hospital and why you're taking me with you. It's a cold case," Penelope interjected.
The two of them walked through the hospital doors, drawing the attention of the people around them.
"My gut is saying that we missed something. I don't know what we missed but I know that it's crucial to the investigation," Montreal spoke with resolve.
"Well, my gut is telling me that it's lunchtime. You're buying lunch today."
"Yeah, yeah." Montreal waved it off by agreeing. As long as they could find something, he would buy Penelope lunch till the day he dies.
With just a few turns, they arrived at the security room with no problems.
Knock! Knock!
Montreal lightly tapped on the door. After a few seconds, a man opened the door. He wore a simple light-blue dress shirt that bore a security insignia on each side of his dress shirt's arm and long black slacks with a large belt around his waist. He looked at Penelope and Montreal with a questioning look, "How can I help you two?"
"I'm Special Agent Montreal. This is Special Agent Penelope Martinez. She's our intelligence analyst."
"Ah! Our team leader said that someone was going to come by sometime today for the surveillance recording on the day of the shooting. I guess it's you two." The security man appeared to be slightly surprised at the sight of two federal agents.
"Can we have a look at it now?" Penelope spoke up. Her voice was laced with a hint of annoyance. It was already three in the afternoon and she hadn't had a single food. Which caused her to become cranky and took it out on the security guard.
The security guard immediately showed Penelope the recording from the shooting and left the two of them to it. With everything she needs right in front of her, Penelope quickly scanned through the recording and found nothing.
She watched the whole shooting event on the recording and used a recognition software she created to identify the vigilante but came out with nothing.
Just from watching the recording of the shooting incident, Penelope can tell that the "mysterious man" they were after was good. He avoided every camera as if he knew exactly where they were and left no traces, covering up his tracks like a professional.
This was the first time Penelope has ever come across a case where she couldn't find a single clue on the person of interest and it was starting to make her feel competitive.
With her newfound drive, Penelope wasn't going to give up that easily. If only Penelope knew that catching the person of interest was going to be impossible. But that's another story for another time.
After they kept hitting a dead end with the surveillance footage, the two of them decided to wrap it for the day. On their way out, Penelope didn't pay much attention to the people around her until her sight landed on someone that stood out from the crowd of patients.
"My god! Who's that?"
Penelope's sudden outburst attracted Montreal's attention. He followed her line of sight and came across a familiar face. A face he was hoping to never see again.
Not far from Penelope and Montreal stood Ares. She wore the same hospital clothes as other patients, but those simple clothes did nothing to diminish her beauty. Ares strolled past a few people with Maya and her husband, Detective Cross, closely following her from behind.
With her enhanced senses, she felt the gazes of someone watching her. She accurately turned in the direction of Penelope and Montreal and stared right at them.
Montreal breathed in sharply when he made eye contact with her. His heart unknowingly skipped a beat and blood rushed to his cheeks.
"Cough, cough!" Montreal covered his lower face with his hand and quickly looked away, breaking eye contact.
Penelope, on the other hand, continued to look at her without reserve. As a woman, she holds a great fondness for beautiful things. And right across from her stood the most beautiful woman she's ever seen.
Her skin was pale and unblemished. She has a thin and tall stature. Her long silver hair draped down her back, almost reaching her knees.
When Penelope suddenly made eye contact with her, she inhaled sharply, and her heart started racing. The girl's face was like a sculpture, crafted with care and precision. Her facial feature was androgynous. She had full rosy lips and thin eyebrows with a slight arch at the end. But the one feature that strikingly stood out the most was her eyes.
Even from a distance, you can see her electric blue eyes that were like a swiss blue topaz. Her aesthetic appearance was like unto a goddess. Penelope's gaze was glued to her figure.
In just a short glance, Ares learned the identity of the two people who were watching her. She took note to remember them before turning away, leaving. There will come a time when she'll meet them personally. Now, was just not the time.