New York continued by mardel Bailey Malone as a young agent in New York City. nc-17 Peggy hurried along Avenue of the Allies, on her way to the big meeting with the new client. She had been working on the Stay Fresh campaign for weeks and today was the final push with the client. It was a crisp fall day, she was wearing her new burgundy wool suit, heels and had taken special care with her hair and makeup. Bailey had kissed her just before she rushed out the door. " You'll knock their socks off honey, Good luck." Peggy had her portfolio tucked under one arm and her brief case in her right hand. She was just passing the alley between the deli on the corner and a office building when she was approached by a homeless guy. At least he looked homeless. "Hey, lady give me some money." he shoved a dirty hand out towards her. Peggy usually did her best to stay away from these people. She had charities she gave to, but these street people were usually drunks and drugies. She moved sideways to avoid him and didn't make eyes contact. But this one was persistent, he followed her, moving quickly to get in front of her again. "Give me some money bitch." He demanded, grabbing at her Portfolio case. "Hey, stop that, give me that back." Peggy grabbed for the case but it was always awkward and with one hand carrying her brief case she couldn't get a good grip on it. "I'll give it back if you give me money." the dirty man said. Holding the case out away from her. Peggy decided to give him money, she didn't have time to wrestle the thing away from him. "OK," she pulled a ten dollar bill out of the her side pocket. " Here, now give my case back, please." she added the please just to encourage him. The man grabbed the money, and dropped her case. He moved off towards the alley. Peggy leaned down to pick up her case and was hit in the head from behind. She was face down on the pavement, her nose bleeding from the impact with the cement sidewalk. Her last thought before she blacked out was "Damn I'm going to miss the meeting." :::::::::::::::::: Bailey worked late Thursday evening, he tried to call Peggy and let her know but he only got the answering machine. "Hey, honey how did it go? I'm running late I won't make dinner tonight. I'll call later, love you, bye." He was working on a missing person case inconjuction with the NYPD. The reason the bureau was involved was the women missing was a employee of the New York branch of Immigration. Crimes against Federal employees were always investigated if foul play was suspected. Rebecca Grayson, hadn't been seen or heard from for ten days. She was reported missing by her boss, when she didn't report to work the week before he had called her apartment. When she didn't call into work, and couldn't be reached her boss had taken a co-worker along and they made the apartment manager open her apartment. There were no signs of a struggle, she had just disappeared. Her disappearance was reported after forty eight hours. The legal time frame for an adult. Bailey had interviewed several of her co-workers, her boss and people who lived in her building. He had not developed any leads. She just seemed to have disappeared. The next area of investigation would he boy friends, but he hadn't found names from any of her co-workers. Just the fact that she did have a regular male friend. Bailey arrived home to the apartment, very late. He was trying to be quite, but when he didn't find Peggy in bed sleeping, he became worried. The last message on the machine was from him, but the two preceding it were from her boss. " Peggy where the hell are you? You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago?" "Damn, " Bailey pressed the replay button for the next message. "Peggy the meeting was rescheduled, I hope you are alright. Call me." "Damn," Bailey picked up the phone and dialed Peggy's best friends Laura's number. "Hello, Laura I'm sorry to wake you, have you seen or heard from Peggy today?" "No, Bailey is something wrong?" "I'm not sure no one seems to have seen her since this morning. I'm sorry to bother you, I'll have her call you when she turns up." "Bailey, have you check hospitals yet? I can get dressed and come over if you want?" Laura sounded as upset by the news of her friends disappearance as he felt. "Thanks, but I sure I'll find her soon." Bailey hung up the phone. He called his work to make there wasn't a message there from Peggy he had somehow missed. Nothing. He decided it was time to check the local hospitals, but in New York City that could take days. He was going to need help. He headed back to the Federal Building. "Agent Malone, there was just a call for you. I took the message and put it on your desk." The new clerk on night shift greeted him when he stepped off the elevator. "Thank you," Bailey rushed to his desk, in a room with three other agents. The message was from the NYPD detective he was working on the missing person case with. A body had been found, it might be the woman they were looking for. Bailey pounded his desk in frustration, he had been so sure the message was from Peggy. "Is something wrong? Can I help?" the new clerk hovered near his office door, almost afraid to bother him. "Yeah, you can, what was your name again?" Bailey noticed her unease, but he did need help checking the hospitals. He couldn't afford to scare her off. "I'm Leigh the new rotor clerk." she chewed her bottom lip and looked like she was about to run back down the hall. "I have to check all the local hospitals for a missing person. I'll write down her name and a description for you. I'll call half and you call half and hopefully we will find her OK?' "Yes, sir I can help you with that. There is a list of all the hospitals in the city in the reference area. I'll go get it." she hurried off to gather her supplies. Bailey took a scrap of paper off his desk and wrote; Peggy Ingals age 27, height 5'7" weight 135, blue eyes and blonde hair. When Leigh returned with two copies of the hospital directory Bailey handed her the piece of paper. " Here, I'll take Manhattan, you start with the Brooklyn and let me know once you have finished. If we have to we will look farther out of the city." Leigh nodded and returned to the work area across from his office. She was dialing the first hospital on her list when Bailey sighed and picked up his phone. It took several hours, and they had still not spoken with every possible hospital in the city. But there were no reports of women being brought in that fit the description or name. Leigh made a few notes of women of the right age, but who had been with out identification. Just in case. Bailey was becoming even more worried. He had hoped to locate Peggy by now. Even if she had been injured, he would know how bad and where she was. She could be out there hurt somewhere, or worse. If any one understood how much could happen to a woman in the city, it was Bailey. "Thank you, for your help Leigh, I'm going to check a few other places." Bailey walked past the clerk work area and headed for the elevator. Bailey decided to retrace the route Peggy would have taken to her meeting that morning. He knew the building the new client had offices in, he had asked her just the day before. He was shinning a flash light into an alley when a local cop, pulled up and asked him what he was doing. "FBI, I'm checking on a missing person report, she's a friend." " I haven't had any trouble like that in this neighborhood for months, have you already checked with the hospitals?" the cop asked. "Yeah, the women I'm looking for is tall, blonde last seen wearing a burgundy suit." Bailey asked, hoping. "No, not on this shift, have you checked with the security in the buildings along here, if she was attacked or hurt they might have called an ambulance for her?" "No, I hadn't gotten that far yet?" "I'll ask around, let you know." Bailey was working his way up 112 St, he found a few street people sleeping near dumpsters. He hadn't checked inside the dumpsters yet. He was praying he wouldn't need to. "I checked the three big buildings from here to the subway, they don't have any reports of women in distress for the last few days." The patrol man returned and told Bailey. "Thanks for you help, I'll keep looking." Bailey shook hands with the officer. ::::::::::::::::::::::: It was near dawn when Bailey returned to the apartment. He was exhausted, worried and in need of a hot shower and shave. He again checked the answering machine for messages. Nothing. He took off his clothes and stepped into the shower, then lay covered with only his towel on the bed and dozed for a hour. The sleep was more disturbing than the night had been. He dreamed about the last time he and Peggy had been together. "It's your birthday Bail, I want to do something you want for a change." Peggy had prepared his favorite meal, calling and getting the recipe from his mother. " The dinner was wonderful, I didn't know you could cook so well." he teased, pulling her into an embrace as she was putting the dishes in the sink. Bailey hugged her from behind. Inhaling her perfume, he was ready for the main attraction for the evening. He had been anticipating it all day as a matter of fact. Peggy moved into his embrace, wiggling her butt against his groin. She knew he loved it when she encouraged him. Bailey was growing aroused already, he kissed her behind the ear, nuzzling her neck with his mouth, the side of his face. Peggy arched back into him, she loved him so much. She loved his talented love making, he made her feel things no other man ever had. Bailey lifted one large hand cover her breast, teasing the nipple with his thumb. Peggy moaned, " That feels good, Malone, so does this." She moved her ass against his now fully aroused cock. The hard bulge pressed against her, she reached a hand back between them to fondle his hard arch of male prowess. "You like that, do you. You know what I would like?" Bailey kissed her neck lower, headed for her cleavage. "What would you like?" Bailey thrust himself hard into her hand, and squeezed her breasts one in each hand. "I want to take you from behind." he whispered into her ear, then tugged on her ear lobe with his teeth. "What ever you want, honey." Peggy stoked him one last time and walked towards the bedroom. Bailey followed her, his eyes glued to her swaying butt. "Do you want me to put on anything special?" "Maybe later, right now just take off your clothes." Bailey was already removing his, throwing his shirt on the chair followed quickly by his pants. His aroused cock stretched up tight against his abdomen. He moved to stand behind Peggy. "I love you, you do know that?" He kissed her, his hands molding her body against his. Peggy wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her softness over his hard erection. "I love you too." They kissed for several minutes, the pressure building in them both, until Bailey had to move her to the bed. " Kneel near the edge for me," he stroked her ass cheek, Peggy was in beautiful shape, he checked her readiness for him. She was very wet and hot. He positioned his throbbing cock along her cheeks, stroking it up then down along the crack of her ass. Peggy wiggled, to get him to mount her, she was eager for him. " I'm taking my time sweetheart, don't rush me." he teased her. "I want you so much Bail, please." He continued to toy with her for a minute then pushed the swollen head of his cock inside her wet opening. Peggy moaned, she loved this part. " Ah, nice and tight, it's been a few days hasn't it?' He pushed forward, liking the tightness around his distended organ. He pushed until he was all the way taken then pulled back, " Ride me hard stud, you know I love it when you ride me hard." Peggy urged him. Bailey smiled and thrust deeply, he did begin his pace then, ramming himself deep and with force until he had her moaning and crying out his name. He was close to his own climax, he thrust a dozen more times and groaned as he reached orgasm. His cock jerking to empty his sperm repeatedly. That was when Bailey woke up, with a huge erection and his heart pounding like he had just run a mile. It took him a minute to remember everything, he groaned and moved to the bathroom to shave and get dressed. ::::::::::::::::::::::: Bailey was scared now for Peggy. No one had seen her since he had the morning before. He went back to bureau building and checked in with his boss. "Sir, I have another missing person to add to the case I'm working. I think we might have a nut out there abducting women right off the street." "I trust your instincts Malone, but I don't have more than one other agent to assign to the case. Thomas just ended his case, you can have him run down leads with you." "Thank you sir." Bailey briefed Frank Thomas on the two missing women. He didn't add that one was his lover. Then he contacted the NYPD detective who had called him the night before. "Detective Harris?" "Harris it's Malone, what have you got?" "A body, I think it's our missing person, Rebecca Grayson. But the finger print check is taking forever. "She's so bad you can't tell from the pictures?" Bailey asked his stomach knotting up at the thought Peggy might be in the same situation. "Her face is a mess, so it's hard to tell for sure. Are you coming over here?" "Yeah, I'll be right over." Bailey hung up the phone and wiped his hand over his face. He prayed Peggy was in a hospital or there was some other explanation. But he was having a sinking feeling about this case. "Malone, I just got the finger print check back, it's Grayson. Do you want to see the body? It's down stairs in the morgue, the autopsy is scheduled for this afternoon." Harris explained. "Damn, has her family been told yet?" "No, her family is from out of state, but her boss needs to be told." "Any ideas about cause of death, was it obvious?" "No, she was beaten, but it didn't look like that killed her. No stab wounds, or anything obvious. I don't think it was a rape-murder, she was still wearing all her clothes except her shoes." Harris and Bailey went down to the morgue to view Rebecca Grayson's body. Harris lifted the sheet, he was right it was hard to tell, her face was beaten and swollen. She had suffered before she died. "Damn, I want this bastard what do we have?" Bailey turned to Harris after looking away from the slab. Harris nodded, he knew Bailey wasn't revolted by the sight of the body. It was the idea of what she must have gone through before her death. "There was a queen of spades playing card tucked in her clothing. It's being checked for prints, lucky the officer who was first on the scene didn't touch her." "I think we are looking at a repeat killer here, not just a random act. We need to look for other women killed in the same manner. Do you know of any other cases like this one?" Bailey and Harris were walking back to the detective's office. "I have a missing person to add to your case load, Peggy Ingals 27, five-seven, blonde and blue. She had been missing for only one day, but she is a friend and I'm afraid it might be the same man who killed Ms. Grayson." "You think we have a crime spree of one here?" "We need to look for matches to this, it could be the start of one. Or just that no one matched one case with the other." Bailey sat down heavily in the guest chair beside Harris's desk. "I'll get a clerk on it, should have the files in an hour." Harris picked up his phone. :::::::::::::::::::::::: At least three other missing person cases fit the same style of the person who had killed Rebecca Grayson. Her official cause of death was strangulation. She had not been sexually assaulted. Playing cards were found on two other woman's bodies, both the queen of spades. There were all missing their shoes. Bailey was the only one who thought the killer had kept them as a type of trophy. Bailey retuned to the Federal Building later that afternoon, after once again checking the answering machine at the apartment. He was so worried about Peggy, he couldn't eat and he knew he wouldn't sleep. "Agent Malone, I've been checking the hospitals again, there was a woman brought in this morning, no ID, and she is in a comma." Leigh the clerk knocked on Bailey's door. "Which hospital?" "Saint Luke on the east side, near the stadium." Bailey jumped up from his chair and grabbed his suit coat. He paused to touch a hand to her cheek, a gesture of gratitude. "Thank you." ::::::::::::::::: "Sister I'm Agent Malone with the FBI, I understand you have a young woman in a comma who was brought in this morning?" "Yes, Agent Malone, have you found out who she was already?" the elderly nun looked up from her work to look at Bailey. "I think she is a woman who was reported missing just yesterday." "Come with me she is in room, 518." the Sister led him to the room with an unconscious blonde woman. Bailey prayed all the way down the hall, it would be Peggy and she would be hurt but she would recover. He looked towards the bed, for a second his hopes were so high he though it was Peggy, then he moved closer and noticed it wasn't. She was older, and smaller. "I see this is not the woman you were hoping for, I'm sorry." "No, Sister she isn't, I'll check with NYPD for anyone fitting her description when I get back. Thank you." "Bless you my son, you do good work, helping people." She touched Bailey's arm and returned to her desk station. ::::::::::::::::::::::: "Hey, Bailey how's the case going....." Mike trailed about to tease his friend when he saw the pain in Bailey's face. "What's the matter?" "Peggy is missing, I've been looking for two days, no one has heard from her. I've checked hospitals, looked for train tickets, plane tickets. She just disappeared." "Man, I'm sorry, what can I do to help?" "I'm going to check with her family on Long Island now, then I'm going back out and cover the route she would have taken that day." Bailey removed his suit jacket again, hanging it on the back of his desk chair. He pulled out a slim phone book from his pocket and looked up Peggy's parents phone number. They had visited her folks only three before for her father's birthday. "Hello?" "Mrs. Ingals, Hello, it's Bailey." "Bailey of course I would know your voice anywhere. How are you?' "I'm calling to ask if you have seen or heard from Peggy the past two or three days?' "No, she called a week ago, but not since then. Is something wrong?" Peggy's mother had a mother's instinct, she could hear the tension in Bailey's voice. "I'm not sure and I don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but Peggy is missing, I haven't been able to locate her, Laura hasn't seen her, her work hasn't heard from her." "Oh, my God, Bailey what can I do?" " Can you think of someone she might contact if she was in trouble. I might have been out of the office if she tried to reach me. Who would she turn to?" "Laura is her best friend, I don't know anyone else she trusts as much." "I'm sorry to worry you, but I'll keep looking, the bureau is allowing me to work on this full time so I'm sure I'll find her soon." "I'll contact our minister, prayer never hurts at a time like this, call me with any news." :::::::::::::::::::::: Mike and Bailey went back over the area from the subway station to the office building Peggy had her meeting in. Mike was the one who spotted the portfolio case in an ally. He pulled it out from under a pile of trash that was covering most of it. "Bailey over here, is this what I think it is?" Mike hadn't touched it with his hand he was holding the case by the corner with his handkerchief. "Oh, my God, it's Peggy portfolio." Bailey's heart was in his throat. He felt weak, he had lived through four years in Nam, but the thought of what could have happened her was making him ill. The agents retuned the evidence to the field office for prints. After covering the rest of the ally for any possible clues. Then they retuned to the area to interview people. ::::::::::::::::: Bailey and Mike spent the night going over missing person reports in Harris's office looking for any clues they my have missed. Mike finally went home for a few hours of sleep at two. Bailey went home to shower, knowing he wouldn't find anything on the answering machine, he checked anyway. He took a long shower, and got dressed again. He couldn't even think about sleep. Bailey wasn't a strongly religious man not after Nam. But he had been raised catholic, his mother was devout. He stopped at St. Rita's on the way back to work and said a prayer and lit a candle for Peggy. He felt a little better after his visit to the chapel. Bailey again returned to the Federal Building, he was going to start checking shelters for Peggy next, hoping against hope she had just lost her memory or been hit on the head, not that she was dead. He was checking with hospitals again that morning when his phone rang. "Malone?" "Bailey, this is your mother, I've been having a bad feeling is everything alright with you?" "Ma, it's nice to hear from you." He stalled, shifting the phone to his left hand and leaning back in his chair. " I'm fine." he lied. "Bailey this is your mother, you can't lie to me, now tell me what is wrong?" " Peggy is missing ma, no one has seen her for three days." "Dear God, I will go and pray for her this morning, I will tell Father Clark and he will add her to his prayer list. Is there anything I can do?" " No ma, thank you. How are you and the family?" "We are fine you find Peggy, don't worry about us. I will say a prayer for you." ::::::::::::::::::::::::: Mike, Bailey and agent Thompson started checking the neighborhood, speaking with people on the street, cabbies anyone that might have seen Peggy the morning she disappeared. After two days they had still turned up no leads. Bailey had slept only a few hours at his office the entire time. He was exhausted and sick with worry. On the evening of the fifth day when he returned to the office, Leigh was watching for him. She had taken a message only a few minutes ago from detective Harris. Another body had been found, he thought it was Ms. Ingals. She had been about to take the message down to the radio dispatch tech. when Mike and Bailey stepped out of the elevator. Leigh stepped forward the message in her trembling hand. Bailey could tell from the look on her face it was news about Peggy. Bailey stopped mid-sentence, and took the small slip of paper from her. He read the short note, written in a neat print. "Detective Harris, Contact me at once, I think we found her. " Bailey handed the note to Mike and turned back towards the elevator. "How bad is it?' Bailey asked Harris as soon as he reached the detective's office. " Not as bad as the last one. But there was a playing card again." " I have to see the body, make sure it is Peggy." Bailey swallowed, dreading what was to come. Mike went along, " I could ID her Bailey, I know her well enough." he offered on the way down to the morgue. "Thanks Mike, but I have to do this." Bailey touched his shoulder and nodded. Harris led the way, pulling out the slab from the huge cooler. He lifted the sheet Bailey looked, it was Peggy. His jaw clenched, he nodded. Harris covered her again with the sheet. "I'll call her family. How soon can they have the body?" "Day after tomorrow, when the ME, is done. I'm sorry Malone." Mike had told Harris that Bailey was close to her. He didn't know what else to say, so he said nothing. ::::::::::::::::::::: Bailey made the calls. He told his mother, and Peggy's mother. He also called Laura. Mike called her boss. "Bailey you should take a few days off, Agent Johnson will let you. That's what they give us AL for, I can keep in touch with Harris." "Yeah, I think I will, .... go home for a few days." Bailey signed out and went home. Home to his mother's house, he couldn't bear to go to the apartment yet. His sister Rebecca was home. Their mother had told her the bad news. "Bailey I'm so sorry," Becky met him in the front hall when he got there. She moved to hug her big brother, wanting to comfort him if it was possible. Bailey hugged her hard in return holding her for several minutes. Tears streaming down his rugged face, "I should have warned her, should have done something to prevent this." Bailey sobbed in Rebecca's arms. He had held in all of his sorrow and pain until he was home with people that wouldn't judge him. People that cared. Becky rubbed his back, letting him express his feelings. If she knew her brother at all this would probably be the only time he did let go. He always had to be the rock for everyone. He wouldn't let his grief change that, even now. "Don't blame yourself, Bail, how could you have prevented it. At least we know now, we won't always wonder what happened." Becky continued to hold him, until he moved away. "Thanks, Bec I'm going up stairs." "Ma, is over at the Ingals. She said you should go over there sometime the next few days." Bailey could only nod. He released Becky and moved towards the stairs. He slept for twelve hours. The funeral was on Thursday, Mike attended as well as Detective Harris and a few other agents from the field office. Becky stood with Bailey during the ceremony, their mother stood with Mrs. Ingals. The two woman had known each other for a life time. Becky cried for her friend, and for her brother. Bailey kept an arm around her, during the short service. A tear from each eye, slipping down his face when the Father, ended with the Lord's prayer. He stayed near the grave until everyone was gone. Becky waited for him near the car. " I love you Peggy, I always will." He placed a hand on her coffin before they lowered it into the earth. end Tag Bailey would work the case for another two months several other cases were linked to the same killer. Three more after Peggy, but then they stopped, and he was removed from the case after no further leads were found. It was the guiding force of the rest of his career with the bureau, the reason he became a profiler in years to come.