Bloodline (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Bloodline - Chapter Nine

Jack listened as D and Tara identified and linked together all the branches of Alvarez's organisation.

"Yesterday, I was finally able to trace the payments made to judge Taylor and border guard Blackburn to the subsidiary of a corporation owned by Alvarez." Tara beamed with satisfaction after spending another weekend in the bullpen. "We can get the warrants and take the entire organisation down, including Alvarez, if Shadow can lure him inside our border."

"But we won't be able to coordinate the efforts with the different jurisdictions until we get rid of the mole." Myles' tone was despondent. "A name would have been more useful than an ailing mother or a payment schedule on the 10th."

Jack agreed, but Shadow hadn't been responsive to more probing.

"Sorry, Myles, but that's all Shadow is willing to say about the mole. We'll need to narrow it down on our own within the next 9 days," which was when Sue would be coming back to D.C. "And that's our new priority."

His cell phone rang, and with a wave of his hand he dismissed the team.

"Hudson."

"It's Wilma... Wilma Baxter. You said to call if something... happened. There was blood. Lots of blood."

"What blood?"

The deadly silent that had fallen over the conference room was disturbed by the furious beating of his heart.

"Where was there blood?"

"On the sheet and towel discarded in the wagon."

"There was blood on the sheet and towel Sue threw to the laundry?" He could think of one reason why there'd be blood, but it'd mean his suspicions had been wrong or... but he'd just talked to Sue less than an hour ago, and she'd sounded fine... or so it had seemed.

In the room, his colleagues exchanged confused looks.

"I've never seen that much blood, agent Hudson." That she didn't call him Stud Muffin didn't bode well. "I know I wasn't supposed to, but I went to the cabin. There was nobody inside. That's when I ran back to the office and called you."

"Maybe she went for a walk with Levi. Did you check outside?"

"Didn't see her. Should I call the police?"

"No. Just stay in the office and wait for me to call you back."

After her faint yes, he hung up and called Sue's blackberry. There had to be many logical explanations, even though he could only think of bad ones at the moment.

It rang, and rang, and—

"Hello?"

Never a word had sounded so heavenly. "Sue? Are you all right?"

"I'm... Who's that?"

"It's Jack. I..." The code. He'd forgotten the code. "Hello, sweetheart." The clock said 8:09am. "Eight... eight more days before I take you home." In the background, he heard some wailing. "Where are you?"

"In the cabin. Shadow used peanut butter as bait to draw Levi into the woods. We just got back."

He should have guessed Shadow would be behind this, and it explained why Sue wasn't in the cabin when Mrs. Baxter checked on her.

"Mrs. Baxter saw the blood. Is everything all right?"

"Yes... No... I don't know how the blood got there, Jack. The baby wasn't in the car."

"What baby?"

"She's so small, Jack."

An eerie inflection laced her voice.