#0003-S011797

"Cold As Ice"

Teaser:

Houston, TX
December 19, 1996

It was a cold, dreary night, and the rain spattered in tiny droplets on Daniel Mathers' raincoat as he walked down Front Street on his way home from the office. He'd been working late that night to finish up the paperwork on the Owens case--"the Boss" had promised certain death to those who didn't finish their tasks on time--and all he wanted was to go home, have another drink, and sleep for seven or eight hours.

A flash of light in a nearby alley caught his attention. He stopped and stared down the narrow passage, searching for that which had distracted him. There was nothing there... but as he made up his mind to continue home, he saw it again.

He was tired, and just angry enough from the day's events to lose his temper. He yelled as loud as he could, "Listen, jackass, you want to get lost or get hurt. Pick one." There was no answer, and he felt like an idiot for letting a wild fear and some homeless wino push his buttons. He ran a hand through his prematurely thinning auburn hair and turned for home... and froze in place as an icy chill invaded the nearby air, making him shiver uncontrollably.

A noise behind him made him turn, and the last thing he heard was a voice saying, "There is such a thing as freezer burn, you cold-hearted sonofabitch, and you've got it."

Saved Findings

"Cold As Ice", Part 1

Host's Note: We weren't able to get as far as we'd hoped due to technical problems and a case of NPC burnout (you know who you are, and I apologize again), so some key details weren't revealed that should have been. Links to complete transcripts of the interviews are provided.

OPI Headquarters
Washington, DC
9:05 AM EST

The Agents are having a quiet day when AD Alexander walks into the OPI offices, a case folder under his arm, smiling as he tries to put names with faces. "I see you have settled in quite nicely," he says, eyes seeming to fall on each agent. "I have a case here," he says as Manda attempts to take the file. However, it becomes apparent that this is not his intent. "Actually, I was looking for Agent Tyler..."

All eyes lock in on Lauren, and a few agents make envious comments. "Me, sir?" she says, obviously caught off guard. "There must be some mistake... I'm not a senior agent."

"I realize your rank, Agent. Is there a problem?"

"No, sir. I just expected the file to be given to a more senior agent."

"Good, good," Alexander says, as he hands the file over and prepares to leave the offices. "Good luck. I would like a full report." He studies the expressions of the senior agents for a few moments, then leaves as Agent Tyler flips the file open and begins reading.

"Well, what an interesting turn of events," Gates says as he approaches the center table. "Hey, looks like you're the bigshot in town," Jose agrees. Manda simply glances at Kennedy, who voices her opinion that this is a test. "A test for who, though," she says as she looks at the senior agents.

Meanwhile, Lauren finishes reading the file and places the folder on the table. "Three men dead of hypothermia in Houston. What does everyone think?" Hernandez says that Houston is a strange place to die of hypothermia, since the city has had 70-degree weather for the past several weeks. "You're not kidding, especially when you look at the autopsy reports. Their core temps were all below 80," Lauren comments. Jose asks if the bodies were placed in a freezer. That theory is quickly disproved by the details of the case file, which states that the men were all found in streets and back alleys.

"Perhaps we'd better go investigate," Thanatos says. Jose mentions another theory, this one regarding an old XF file dealing with a sandstorm known as Sangre Viento. This idea is also thrown out, as the Sangre Viento exfoliated its victims as opposed to freezing them. Thanatos coughs, then says, "Well, I suggest we stop chatting and get down to business." Manda appraises Thanatos, expression unreadable, then returns her attention to Tyler. Gates voices another theory, that this is either viral, bacterial, or a new form of pathogen, but definitely not a result of natural causes.

Houston Marriott
Houston, Texas
1:30 PM CST

The Agents stand in the lobby of the Houston Marriott as SA Maxiss checks everyone into the hotel. Meanwhile, Gates asks for the victims' names. "John Straub... why do I remember that name?" he asks about one of the victims. Jose asks if there is any connection between the victims, which there is: all were professionals, all were age 25-35, all had red hair and blue eyes. Gates inquires as to an autopsy, which he and Lauren are scheduled to do in an hour and a half. Meanwhile, Thanatos asks Manda if she is all right, but she brushes him off with a comment about working conditions and moves away.

Vic, having returned from the reservations desk, hands out room keys and informs all the agents that there will be a meeting in 30 minutes in his room. Lauren begins handing out case assignments: she and Gates will do the autopsy on Mathers, Manda and Thanatos will interview Mathers' boss, and Vic will talk to the ER administrator at the hospital where Dr. Harry Heublein (another victim) worked. Jose volunteers to do research, offering to find if any other similar murders have occurred. Manda seems put out at having a subordinate agent giving orders, but does not comment. The agents break up, all going to their separate rooms to relax and settle in.

Jose, having found that there is no channel knob on his TV, heads down the hall to Vic's room to watch television. Thanatos, bored in the hotel lobby, also takes the elevator upstairs to Vic's room. Vic finishes unpacking when Jose and Thanatos arrive. Lauren goes to her room, unpacks, and heads into the bathroom for some water and her medication. Gates starts flipping through movies while unpacking and pauses momentarily on "Crimson Tide" before grabbing a bag of Doritos from the mini-bar and watching the city from his window. Manda, alone in her room, pulls two chairs together, puts her feet up and stares at nothing for a few moments. She takes her badge, stares at it for a moment, then tosses it to the floor and puts her head in her hands...

Jose, Thanatos, and Vic all meet in Vic's room. Jose watches TV while Vic and Thanatos sit and talk. "Vic, something funny is going down," Thanatos says. "Funny strange, not funny ha ha, if you know what I mean."

"Like what?"

"I've been gone for quite some time... Manda... what's happened? She's so cold."

Maxiss shrugs. "Damned if I know. I was gone a while, too." Jose announces that Baywatch comes on in fifteen minutes, and is silenced with a glare from Thanatos.

Waiting for the program to start, Jose joins the conversation. "She seems to have lost touch with her, well, kind side. I've seen this before. It's a sign of clinical depression." Thanatos agrees, but Vic turns to Jose, suddenly sarcastic. "Really, Jose? And how long have you known Manda?"

"Not that long, I'm just suggesting..."

Thanatos joins back in. "I've known her to be erratic at times, but this..."

"C'mon, guys," Vic sighs. "Do any of us know *anything* about her personal life?"

"I guess she keeps it a secret. I wonder why." Thanatos shrugs. "You know her better than any of us."

"Maybe she's just broken up with a boyfriend. Maybe her goldfish died. Who knows?"

The phone rings, and Jose answers it. It's Lauren, wanting to know if she can come over. A minute later, she joins the other three agents in Vic's room. Jose continues the line of thinking while Lauren takes a seat. "Or maybe it's something deeper. When did she start acting like this?" he asks no one in particular. Thanatos suggests that they drop it, and Jose agrees, returning his attention to the TV, which is now showing the intro to "Baywatch."

Meanwhile, Manda puts her jacket back on, listens at the door to see if it's clear, then exits. She pauses only a fraction of a second before taking the stairs, closing the door very quietly behind her...

Vic, Lauren, and Thanatos continue discussing the case. Vic grabs a sheet of hotel stationery and a pen, and begins scribbling notes. "Now... what do we know about this case?" Vic asks.

"Two men, both with red hair and blue eyes, died of hypothermia in 70 degree weather," Thanatos states. "All I can think of right now is that red hair and blue eyes are both recessive traits, but I'm no geneticist," he concludes. Maxiss continues writing. "What else?" Jose asks for the casefile, and Lauren passes it over. "They all look similar... Jose's original assessment may be right: he has a vendetta against these types of people," she hypothesizes.

Vic taps his pen on the paper. "What about their occupations? Any connections?"

"All professionals: one a doctor, one an attorney." Lauren pauses a moment, then continues. "Both were very educated people. Maybe our UNSUB has a beef with higher education?" Vic points his pen at her. "Possible..." Jose, confused, looks up. "What's an UNSUB, Unidentified Subject?"

The phone rings again: it's Gates, wanting to know if they should meet up now, since it's a half-hour drive to the morgue from the hotel. Vic tells him to come to the room, then asks Jose to check the victims' records. Jose powers up his laptop and modem, then logs into the FBI's database. A few moments later, he comes back with the dead men's CVs and rap sheets: one went to Cambridge and the other to Harvard, neither of them had any criminal record save a few parking tickets.

Lauren whistles appreciatively. "Ivy League boys. More big money--maybe he has a problem with rich people too." Gates knocks on the door, then enters. "What's the topic of interest tonight?"

Jose tries a humorous approach--"Porn films"-- but is immediately corrected. "What our UNSUB's favorite things are." Gates raises an eyebrow. "I shudder to think of how credible that is." He grins, then sits down. "I'm not sure that's the point. First we have to know what in God's name made these guys go hypothermic." "Ben's got a point... how do previously healthy men die of hypothermia in 70 to 80-degree weather?" Lauren agrees. Thanatos leaves the room, saying he forgot his notepad.

Thanatos walks down the hall to his room. Taking the notepad, he checks himself out in the mirror. He leaves the room and gets in the elevator. Manda, in the stairwell, hears the other agents coming and slips back, out of sight...

Jose offers to check out the victims' families. Gates agrees, reasoning that the information can be used to establish a field of suspects. Lauren has one more hypothesis to offer, though. "These men didn't have families, Jose. Maybe that's why he picked them." Gates is quick to correct her choice of pronoun, but Lauren demurs, stating that the pronoun is impersonal--she's unbiased at the moment.

Gates walks out to the elevators, followed by Lauren. "What's your opinion? What do you think killed those men?" she asks. He shrugs, then replies. "It's possible it's some kind of mutated form of the HIV/AIDS virus. Instead of attacking the immune system, it attacks the heat/cold tolerances of the brain." The elevator arrives, and both agents enter.

"Your car or mine?" Lauren asks Gates as they walk into the parking lot. Gates shrugs. "Your pick. Your car has automatic transmission, mine has a cup-holder." They elect to take Lauren's car, with Gates driving. Both agents buckle themselves in, and Gates heads for the morgue. Noticing that they have to arrive in ten minutes, he cuts through a few side-streets, trying to get there quickly.

* * *

Jose drives to the first address on the list, that of Daniel Mathers, and calls Vic with a request to check on the victims' businesses. He hangs up and walks up to the house, showing his ID to the police guard at the door. "Department of Justice, Agent Jose Hernandez, sir. I'd like to ask you a few questions." The guard tells him that he can't come onto the premises without authorization, badge or no badge. Jose asks to speak to the person in charge, and is given an address downtown. Once there, he learns that the officer in charge has gone fishing and won't be back until tomorrow morning.

* * *

Vic, being the last person to exit the room, sets his pen and pad on the bed and turns out the lights. He leaves the room, closing the door, and heads to the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, his phone rings. "Maxiss..."

"Vic, this is Jose. Check out the victims' businesses for me, OK?" He hangs up, and Vic finally gets on the elevator, accompanied by a trio of senior citizens. He leaves the hotel building, and hails a taxi, something he isn't very happy about doing. Directing the driver to Fairmont-Neely Hospital, he sits back for the not-so-enjoyable ride. The phone rings; it's Jose again. "The Mathers house was a bust. The guard won't let me in until tomorrow, and the superior officer's gone fishing."

"Good. I'll be at Fairmont-Neely. Call me if anything turns up." Vic pays the driver, gets out at the hospital, and enters the ER area.

* * *

Thanatos, having left his room, spots Manda in the stairwell. He smiles. "Manda?" Manda's face goes blank, and she straightens. "Agent Thanatos." Thanatos clears his throat. "Perhaps we should begin the investigation. If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you?" Manda's response is a tight expression, maybe a smile, maybe a frown. "You managed to get yourself left behind, did you?" Thanatos smiles. "I seem to be doing that recently." Manda sighs, a flicker of what could be human nature crossing her face. "Well... I suppose we all deal with that. At some... point." She relaxes into her "impersonal on-the-job Manda" mode. "Well, then, let's get going. We have an attorney to see."

In the car, Thanatos looks uncomfortable. "Man... er, Agent Fisher... if you don't mind a subordinate agent inquiring... I mean... what I mean... Manda, what's happened!" Manda's face grows stony, and Thanatos muffles himself. "Sorry... I'm sorry. I... this is interfering with the case... but I really did miss you."

Manda begins to speak, very quietly, and very coldly. "Agent Thanatos... you don't even *know* me. I'd thank you to stay the hell out of my business." Thanatos sighs, "You won't let me," and Manda glances sharply at him. "If you want to turn this into a soap opera, Thanatos, you can get out NOW." She slams on the brakes to emphasize her point, and continues speaking in the same quiet, deadly tone of voice. "Are. We. Under. Stood?" Thanatos nods his head. "Yes." "Good," Manda replies grimly. However, Thanatos isn't finished... yet. "I'll find you again... you're not gone," he says to himself. Manda sighs, as one tired. "If you ever knew me, Thanatos, you'd have remembered that I can hear damn near anything. Please. Let's not make this personal. We have jobs to do." There is a beat pause. "You have the case notes?" Thanatos doesn't. "Ah... I'll rewrite them on the way." "No need. Just help me fill in the blanks when we get there."

Outside the attorney's office, Manda suddenly grope in her pockets. "Damn... left my ID in my room. Okay..." she sighs, scanning the sky, "Listen. I'm letting you take the lead in the questioning. Thanatos nods assent as they enter the office. "Just get us in."

* * *

Vic walks into the ER, and immediately scoots aside to avoid a stretcher, trauma team, and gunshot victim. He walks up to the sign-in desk and is immediately questioned as to the nature of his injury. He laughs lightly, pulling out his badge. "No, I'm looking for the resident administrator. Can you point me in the right direction so I can get out of your hair?" The desk clerk gives him directions, and his phone rings. "Maxiss..."

It's Jose, updating him on the house search: both were busts. "Any other ideas?" Vic sighs as he walks down the hall. Jose says he's going to the library to check out any other hypothermia deaths, but Vic reminds him of the time. He hangs up as he reaches the administrator's office, and is stopped by a nurse.

Vic asks her where the administrator is, and finds that she's the administrator. He assumes his "at-ease" stance. "I'm Agent Maxiss of the Department of Justice. Is there somewhere we can talk?" The nurse leads Vic into the office. He produces his badge. "Just a formality, Nurse...?"

***

The attorney, Armstrong, is standing at the receptionist desk looking through some papers when Manda and Thanatos enter. He looks up, startled, as Thanatos shows his badge. "Agent Thanatos and Agent Fisher from the Office of Paranormal Investigations. We have a few questions..." Armstrong laughs nervously. "Paranormal Investigations... I see. Please come into my office. The receptionist is at lunch... let me forward these phones and I'll be right with you." The agents step inside and wait for Armstrong to finish up.

* * *

Gates pulls up at the morgue, and cuts the ignition. Once inside the building, both agents begin looking for a clerk, secretary, sign-in desk, anything. "Anyone home?" Lauren asks as she follows Gates in. He peers around a corner. "Evidently not. We're early, though. Give 'em a couple of minutes." A clerk appears, and asks Gates if he needs help. Gates shows his ID, as does Lauren. "Agents Gates and Tyler, we're here to do the autopsy on Daniel Mathers." The clerk points down the hall. "He's in Bay Seven, down the hall and second door on the right." Gates nods, pockets his badge, and smiles. "Thanks."

"I hate these bloody things," Gates grumbles as he and Lauren don scrubs, gowns, and gloves. "They're better than infectious disease, though," Lauren reminds him. Gates chuckles. "I don't know. It'd be kind of interesting to feel myself freeze in 70-degree temps. Just to see what it's like." He heads over to the steel autopsy table, grinning.

Lauren picks up a tape measure, and turns on the overhead recorders. "Victim measures 189 centimeters in extremis, weighs 72 kilograms." Gates checks the reports from the other two victims: 191cm/77.5 kg and 162 cm/80 kg. "This victim has a tattoo on his inner forearm, about 4.7 cm from the elbow." Gates checks the records again: no markings on the other two victims. His phone rings, and he answers; it's Jose. "We're doing the autopsy on Mathers. You?"

"The two houses were a bust, I'm going back to Mathers' tomorrow. I am compiling info on what we got. Anything relevant?"

"I'll call you back later." Gates kills the connection. Meanwhile, Lauren does a temperature probe on Mathers, and discovers something interesting: the body warmed up in cold storage. "Funny, the lockers are kept at 60 constant. Wonder why the temp went up here?" Lauren asks as she fits a new blade into a scalpel and makes the classic coroner's Y-shaped incision. Gates checks another scalpel. "Thermostat might have failed."

"What the..." Lauren suddenly exclaims. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most autopsy patients bleed at the first incision? Because he isn't bleeding at all... he's frozen solid." Gates looks at the body, and takes a skin sample. "Aw, Sweet Jesus... Look." He drops a fist on the piece of excised skin, and it shatters. "Lauren... these men, in the simplest sense of the word, are human ice cubes."

"Jesus Christ." Gates looks over at Lauren. "I guess the next step is to thaw this man out. Mother of God, that is nasty." He picks up his cell phone and calls Manda, then looks up. "Call Jose. I'll bet you ten dollars and dinner he'll want to know about this." He returns his attention to the phone call. "Manda, it's Ben. We started the autopsy on Mathers. The body is frozen solid. It's an ice cube, Manda." On the other end, Manda is surprised. "Great. Morgue glitch? Botched thermostat?" Gates shakes his head no. "The body was frozen before it went into the fridge, Manda. The compartment was working fine."

"Interesting. What's the summary? Quick, Ben. I left Thanatos up the river." Lauren's phone rings just then, and she looks up. "Oops, betcha it's him." She powers up the phone. "Tyler... what? OK, we'll be right there." She hangs up and turns to Gates. "Ben? Clean yourself up, we just had another one." Gates covers the mouthpiece. "Another hypothermia victim?" Lauren nods, and he returns to the call. "I've got to go. We have a new hypothermia victim. I'll call back in an hour." He kills the connection, and ditches gloves and gown. Meanwhile, Lauren calls Vic. "Vic? It's Lauren. We just had another one, in Memorial Park. Cops found him 15 minutes ago."

Field Notes

Vic Maxiss's Notebook

Manda Fischer's Notebook

Saved Findings

Part 2

All the agents arrive at the latest crime scene, in Houston's Memorial Park off Interstate 610. The body of a man can be seen near a fountain in the center of the park. Vic scans the surrounding area as Gates dons a pair of gloves. "If this guy isn't ice yet, we may want to do an autopsy in a warm environment."

A cop walks up, demanding to know what the Agents are doing. Gates and Tyler badge the cop. "We're from the Office of Paranormal Investigation, and we received a call about a dead man here," she explains. The cop is not satisfied, however. "Yeah, so what's your business here?" Gates explains that they are investigating a series of similar murders. Lauren asks for stats, and the cop tells her that there's not much to tell about the victim. "You can start with a name," she says. The victim's name is Scott Patterson, age 27, with red hair and blue eyes.

Lauren kneels next to Gates, looking at the body. "Frozen?"
"Solid as an ice cube. Good Lord, we'll need a chain saw to cut through this guy." Tyler stands up, addressing the cops. "Get some hand bags and a body pouch. We'll want to get him to the morgue as soon as possible."

"Yeah, well, I don't see how he could freeze like that, except from liquid nitrogen," the cop says.
"I don't think so... from what I can see, there's no residue or crystallization on his skin, so chemical agents are unlikely."
"Uh. What do you mean, Agent Tyler?"
"There's no pattern of ice crystals on his skin, as one would expect if he were sprayed with nitrogen or any other chemical coolant."

Gates takes out a small forceps, and removes a small section of skin from the victim's body. "Guys... same as Mathers." He places the fragment on his watch face, and hits it with his other hand; it shatters. He looks up, and mentions that if any blood is still liquid, a sample should be drawn for toxicology. Vic sighs, slides his hands in his pockets, and continues his survey of the scene. Lauren returns to the cop. "Thank you, Officer. You've been most helpful."

The cop leaves the scene, just as Jose pulls up. "YO! How come I wasn't told about this! It's all over the 5 o'clock news!" Lauren waves him over. "Jose! Over here!" Vic raises an eyebrow at Jose's entrance, then resumes his survey as Lauren takes a syringe from her medical bag and prepares to draw a blood sample from Patterson. Jose walks over to her, saying, "Hey, I was thinking. Don't they use a coolant in cryogenics to freeze the body? Sort of an icy sludgy mixture in the blood?" Manda rolls her eyes, but says nothing, while Lauren inserts the needle into the victim's leg and draws a blood sample. "That's what we're about to find out."

Jose walks over to Vic. "Hey Vic, do you think that there's gonna be a mass hysteria, with a serial killer on the loose?" Vic stops. "Serial killer?" He shakes his head. "I don't think so." Jose persists. "Well, think about it. All the murders follow a pattern, all the people have been killed in Houston, and it's more than 3 now." "Twenty bucks says our victim here was a professional man," Vic replies.

Lauren removes the needle from Patterson's leg, injects the drawn blood into a vial, and tags it. "We'll get this tox-screened to be sure, but it doesn't look like sludge to me." She walks over to Manda. "Anything good off the attorney?" Manda pulls out her notes, businesslike. "Our corpse was a philanderer with a messy divorce. Motive and suspects we have... MO we have." "Nice guy," Lauren replies. "How about suspects? Anything promising?" "His employer is covering for him, but it could be just an old boy network. We've got the presumed girlfriend, we have the ex-wife. Both logical. Too logical. Neither, I'd suspect, with any connection to the other victims. we've got rumors of a ridiculous alimony, but..." she flips the notebook shut- "Essentially, we have nothing."

Vic heads for Manda to listen, stopping at the water fountain. He crouches down and sticks his hand in the water, checking the temperature. It's normal, maybe a bit chilly... Jose walks over just then. "So guys, what do we have to go on here? Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Ignoring him, Lauren asks Vic if he got anything from the hospital. He didn't; it was a busy place, and they don't remember much. Lauren returns her attention to Manda. "Do we have a name?" Manda steps back, not liking being interrogated by a junior agent one bit, as Gates comes back from the scene. "I took a look around. No conclusive evidence of a murderer, and no chemical spills."

"As could be expected. Our guy's very methodical, but I don't think this has a thing to do with chemicals."

"Theory, Tyler?"

"This person kills professional people. Most professionals can be described as cool, collected, all of that. Let's focus in on the 'cool' part. Maybe he sees these people as being cold, maybe heartless, due to some perceived mistreatment at their hands." Jose is skeptical: "How does a guy freeze someone down to the core with no chemical aid at all? Huff and puff and blow?"

Gates nods. "To prevent this person from leaving the Houston area, we should talk to someone about stepping up security at the airport, Houston Bay, any train stations in the area," he says as Lauren delivers the crux of her theory. "I think our suspect has an... ability... to project his feelings, in this case, of cold, onto his victims."

Her theory is met with a good deal of skepticism. "What! That's complete nonsense," Jose says, while Vic gives a short laugh. However, Gates nods. "You mean telepathy... empathy." Jose, still skeptical, asks Lauren if he can make *her* cold by looking at her, but Gates reminds him that they've all seen stranger things. "But it makes sense. No chemicals, so that's out. No way to use a mechanical device; again, chemical residues, plus transportability." Vic shakes his head. "Selective cryokinesis. Neat." Gates tries to formulate a more rational theory: that the victims were all placed in a large sub-zero area, such as a meat locker, then removed and placed in the park, but this makes no sense either, as the time frame is far too cramped to permit total freezing of the bodies. Jose is still confused as to the mechanism of death, and Lauren attempts to explain. "Not necessarily, Jose. You know how some people can look at you and you feel chilly all of a sudden? Like I'm doing now?" she says as she gives him a "laser glare." "You feel a bit colder, don't you? This guy takes it to the next level." Gates nods. "He IMPLANTS cold into the person's mind." "Not just into his mind... his whole body thinks it's freezing. Which, as we've seen, is exactly what happens." Jose makes a comment about "Mr. Freeze" of Batman comic-book fame, and Manda returns fire. "Suspect is six-foot five, white... no, more bluish. Pen and ink. Cartoon character." Jose gives Manda a hateful look. "Oh, you're funny," he says as Gates finds himself really beginning to despise Manda.

Lauren snaps out of her speculative mode. "We need names, fast. Vic, Manda, did your subjects mention *any* names at all?" Vic, still on the phone, raises a finger: "One minute." He comes back a moment later with nothing. Manda has more luck: Emily Hansen, a former client of Mathers'. Jose immediately volunteers to go to Hansen's house, and Manda offers him a pat on the back and a tight smile. "Whatever you want, kiddo." Gates mumbles under his breath, "Manda... what happened to make you such a jerk?" and Manda moves quietly over, cutting him out of the crowd, one hand on his shoulder. "I've suspended better agents than you for insubordination. Deal with it." Gates snaps back, "I can deal with it. The problem is, whatever happened to you, you don't take it out on us. If you want to suspend me for that, go right ahead." He leaves, following Jose, who is leaving for Hansen's house.

Jose asks who's going, and Lauren suggests that everyone go, since if she is the suspect she could be dangerous. "Is Hansen our suspect?" Vic asks Lauren as he gets into the car. "Right now, she's all we have. She could be the suspect, she could be connected. We have to find out." Pulling out her phone, she calls Directory Assistance. "In Houston, I need the address for Emily Hansen. It's residential." She hangs up a moment later: "2040 Dequindre. Let's go."

* * *

The agents pull up at the Hansen residence. All the windows are closed and curtained, and the atmosphere around the house is distinctively chilly. "Must be the place," Vic says as he steps out of the car. Lauren shivers. "It must be a good five degrees colder here." Jose notices it too: "Hey, you're right." Gates gets out of the other car. "I think we've found Miss Freeze," he says as he pulls out his badge wallet. Manda moves up, and hands Lauren the notes of her interview with the attorney, then retreats, as though not a part of the investigation. "Too damn many agents..."

Ben, Lauren, and Jose all walk up to the door. Jose holds Ben back: "We don't want a Devon repeat." Lauren knocks on the door. "Emily Hansen?" The door opens a crack, and a face peers out. "Hello?" All three agents display their badges. "I'm Agent Tyler, this is Agent Gates and Agent Hernandez. We'd like to ask you a few questions." Hansen shrugs and opens the door wider. "What about?" "About the murders of Harry Heublein, Daniel Mathers, and Scott Patterson." Emily raises her eyebrows, and shrugs again. "Don't think I can be much help, but come in." She turns and walks into the living room, and the agents follow her in.

* * *

Outside, Manda takes a final speculative look at the flock around the door. She moves down the sidewalk, as if leaving... then cuts sharply around to the back of the house as soon as it's clear. She begins checking the window casings, bushes, side gardens, looking for evidence of prowlers. She makes her way to the back yard: immaculate lawn, inground pool. She checks the pool water, but then again, pool water is usually chilly. Inspecting the back porch, she sees an odd brass doorknob. It's misty... "Ow!" Manda moves quickly back out to the front. "Vic. We need to get them out. Now."

* * *

"Miss Hansen, did you have any connection to those three men?" Lauren asks as the other two agents carefully inspect the room. "Jeez..." Ben mutters as he looks at the thermostat. Emily settles herself on a couch and regards Lauren coolly. "What were the names again?" Jose's phone rings, and he walks into a doorway to answer it. "Jose... no, this is not Papa Gino's Pizza." He hangs up and returns, muttering about crank calls, as Ben picks a book out of the nearby shelf: "Hypothermia and its effects on the human body." He calls Jose over, and shows him the book. Jose doesn't think much of it, reminding Ben that he has a book on 17th century venesection, but that doesn't mean he practices it.

"Mathers... that one's familiar. Hm... not sure I can place the others," Emily finally says, but Lauren doesn't believe her. "Because I think you can." She opens Manda's notes and begins reading. "'They're all such cold, heartless bastards... I wish they'd all just go freeze themselves.' We got that from your attorney's office." She pauses for a moment. "But they didn't freeze on their own, so someone did it for them. Could they have known about this?" Emily raises an eyebrow again, and looks amused. "What exactly is your point?" "We know that you had hypothermia about six months ago. Which is when these murders started. Why don't you make a clean breast of this now, and we'll maybe work a deal." "And just what are you implying that I have to make a clean breast of?" Emily assumes an air of bewilderment. "I think you may know more than you're telling."

* * *

"Huh? What's up?" Vic says as Manda returns to the front yard. She signals him to the back yard. "Come here... I need confirmation on this." Vic follows, quietly, as Manda leads him to the frozen doorknob. He blows on it lightly, watching his breath frost over. "Guess Jose's supervillain makes house calls. Trap?" he stage-whispers. Manda shakes her head. "I don't know... but I don't want it on my watch if it is." Vic stands up, voice losing its humor. "Keep the back door clear. We may be able to use the pool." Taking out his phone, he thinks for a moment and calls Jose.

* * *

Emily shakes her head. "I can't think of anything that would be any help to you." Gates opens the book on hypothermia, and begins skimming it. "Miss Hansen?" She glances at him. "What?"

"Are you a medical student? Or were you in the past?"

"I flunked out of college. I wasn't the world's greatest student. I work as a clerk... a temp."

Gates nods. "I see. Any reason why you purchased this, then?" He holds up the suspicious book, and Emily leans forward to examine the title. "Don't think I did. Probably belonged to my ex." Gates nods again. "I see. Was he a doctor? Or a nurse, as the case may be?" Emily begins to get nervous, looking at the agents with a stony expression, twisting the fringe on a couch cushion. Lauren picks up on her discomfort: "Miss Hansen? Are you all right? Agent Gates and I are both medical doctors, if you're feeling ill."

Jose's phone rings again, and he answers it. "Mr. Fernandez? This is Polar Home Delivery... you had a shipment of ice on the way." "What? Is this another prank call?" "Mr. Fernandez, you had a HOME delivery of crushed ICE. We need to know where to deliver it. Out front or IN BACK?" Jose picks up on Vic's clues, and gives Lauren a worried look as Vic hangs up.

Emily suddenly becomes angry. "What I'm feeling is a bit fed up, to tell you the truth. You don't have any evidence against me, and you're treating me like a damn criminal." "Oh, we have evidence," Lauren says quietly, coldly. "This, for example. We can connect you to those murders, Emily. It's just a matter of time. And you can't make twelve men and women go freeze themselves." Gates asks Emily if they can take the book for examination, and she refuses. "You're not taking a damn thing out of here without a warrant. And I'm not saying a damn thing without a lawyer." Gates tosses over the book, stone faced. "Fine. If that's what it takes, we will get a warrant."

Emily suddenly stands up, throws an end table at the agents, and breaks into a run, heading into the hallway and up the stairs. "Miss Hansen! Stop!" Lauren yells as she and the other agents draw their guns. "Aw, shit, another Devon case," Jose says as Vic and Manda burst into the house and Lauren runs after Emily. "Need backup! Now!" Lauren shouts to the other agents downstairs as Emily slams the attic door behind her. She turns to face it and concentrates... and Lauren gets there just in time to see the door shut. "Someone get up here, NOW!!"

Vic and Jose run up to the attic, stopping at the door. "She in there?" "In there. I'll pull the door. 3,2,1, GO!" She yanks on the door-ring, then pulls back abruptly. "Ow!" she curses, waving the injured hand about. "It's freezing cold... she froze the door shut." Vic holds a hand out. "Gun." Lauren passes hers over. "You can use this... I sure as hell can't." Vic puts five bullets into the doorframe, and kicks the door in.

The attic is deserted as the agents ascend the ladder. Only an open window and a trail of ice shards marks Emily's path. Jose walks in and looks around, assuming that she went outside. Gates heads up after dressing Lauren's frostbitten hand, and surveys the scene. "What've we got?"

"Nothing, Ben. Let's go home."

"What! Why?" Gates slams a hand on the windowsill in frustration. "Damn... so she's just going to continue killing until someone finds her." "You won't find her," Lauren says as she heads into the attic. "She did what she wanted everyone else to do... she went and froze herself." Jose is confused about the lack of a body, but Ben explains that the ice pieces on the ground are the body--a sort of cremation. Jose still has questions about why she did it: to avoid capture. "She knew we had enough evidence to prosecute her. She's gone, Jose."

OPI Headquarters
Washington,DC
The Next Morning

"So what do we write this up as, 'Mrs. Freeze kills 3 people and commits suicide by freezing herself?'" Jose asks as the agents begin yet another day in the offices. Lauren walks in, hand bandaged, and tosses her briefcase on the desk as Manda retreats to her own office, closing the door.

"How bad is it?" Jose asks as Lauren heads for the coffeepot. "Not bad, just sore. It'll be fine in a day or so." "Not one for somber moods, are you, Jose?" Ben asks as he sips his coffee. "What's somber?" Jose asks as he pops a soda. "Anyone want any?" "No thanks, Jose, I'd prefer something warm." Lauren grabs her own cup of coffee and sips it. "Terrible as usual... but at least it's not cold." Walking back to her desk, she prints out the case report and drops it in the mailbox marked "Alexander, D."

**END SIM**