Dead Dove: Injustice January Day 9: Agatha stole the Lindbergh baby
Summary: 1932, Agatha Harkness is running a business within the witch community. Her latest victim becomes one of later prominence.
Word count: 1.6k
Pairings: Agatha Harkness x Rio Vidal (implied)
Rating: Mature/Explicit
Warnings: Kidnapping, magic use, wrongful conviction of an innocent person, crime for money/power/notoriety
Music inspo:
Tip Jar💰
@deaddovesserver
*Don't like the warnings? Don't read! 😊
"I'm glad we found you, Ms. O'Connor...we really needed someone who would be able to give Charles Jr. proper round the clock care. His parents are very busy and important people, as you know," Agatha nods her head and keeps her hands clasped in front of her to show the utmost attention. She had been hired on as the baby's nanny.
Finally.
Charles Jr. was the son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh and Agatha, knew the potential this baby would bring her if nothing more than both fame and fortune among witches who wanted her head.
It was a small and fairly easy price to pay to ruin the lives of these two people and their little family. It would certainly make headlines but Agatha was prepared for that.
In fact, she wanted that.
She wanted the notoriety attached to her and what she had done; whispered about in circles within the witch community. She would be the one to do daring things because no one else had the power she had.
Or the smarts, or the wits.
No one would stoop that low to use their powers to pose as a nanny.
But Agatha Harkness would.
"Let me show you up to the nursery, Ms. O'Connor..."
"Oh, Agnes is just fine, Ms. Gow. I'm nothing but the help, is all."
The woman smiled at that before turning on her heel to lead Agatha out from the foyer and up the grand staircase to the baby's room. Agatha followed quickly behind her without missing a beat.
The door to the nursery was opened as the two women made their way inside. Charles Jr., a bouncing toddler, was standing upright in his crib with a cherub smile on his little face. He warmed at the sight of Betty Gow, the head nanny, but quickly changed his little expression to curiosity at the sight of Agatha behind her.
"Now, Charles, this is Agnes...she's going to be helping me to take care of you! Wave to Ms. O'Connor, sweet boy!"
He continues to give Agatha an unsure look but doesn't pay her any more attention after that. The smile returns on his face as he focuses back on Betty.
"Such a sweet boy, I'm sure I'll fit in perfectly here, Ms. Gow. Thank you again for this opportunity to work for you and the Lindbergh's,"
Agatha croons as she gives Betty her best and biggest grin before taking a step closer to the crib. With her hands no longer clasped before her, Agatha lifts her left with a slight wiggle of her fingers.
Charles' once unsure expression towards her turns into that soft, sweet smile he only reserved for Betty.
Easy as pie.
"Well then, I have some errands to run. If you need anything, Agnes, it'll all be in this room and the bathroom just down the hall and to your right. Food and whatnot are in the kitchen; there's staff in there too if you need anything else."
And with that, Betty placed a soft kiss on the top of Charles' head before she turned and left the nursery. Charles was now totally in Agatha's care.
The window was closing with each second and Agatha knew she had to act quickly.
She reached down into the crib to pick up Charles; bouncing him up and down against her hip. He was perfect and she was glad she settled on this baby boy.
Agatha takes a quick glance around the room before finding the perfect place to leave her note.
Near the windowsill where Charles and Anne would no doubt search after she concluded her job.
The piece of paper is lifted out from the pocket of her dress and laid flat with the text down. Obviously, she had not been stupid enough to write it with her own hand. She had paid some random man in a bar to write out what she wanted. The money was enough to shut him up and if worse came to worse; if he even dreamed of going to the police to rat her out.
Agatha knew where to find him; her magic attached to him like a beacon in the night.
Dear Sir! Have 50.000$ redy 25 000$ in 20$ bills 15000$ in 10$ bills and 10000$ in 5$ bills After 2–4 days we will inform you were to deliver the mony. We warn you for making anyding public or for notify the Police the child is in gut care. Indication for all letters are Singnature and 3 hohls.
She held onto Charles tightly as she opened up the bedroom window with one hand and made sure it stayed open. Everything else had been set.
Including the ladder that had been left propped up against the window from some worker who was stupid enough to leave it there.
She hadn't even needed to pay anyone off for that one.
"Alright, Charles, it's time to go with your Auntie Agnes..."
She moved quickly out of the nursery and down the stairs she had come up, past the foyer and out the front door. It was common for nannies to take Charles out for some fresh air and with the amount of people bustling around, no one stopped to pick up on anything odd about her doing so.
No one had seen her and with an extra layer of magic, no one would see her.
Or, Charles for that matter.
They were gone before the morning turned to afternoon; before anyone put two and two together and realized the Lindbergh's baby had gone missing along with his new nanny.
-
She's glad she had the baby swaddled in a blanket before taking him away from his family as the night grows cold but their destination is close.
The house she comes upon is made of wood so dark it's almost black white white stones leading to the door as if they were made of the moon itself.
Unmistakable to the trained eye what kind of woman would live there.
Agatha covers the baby's face with the blanket to shield him from the cold as she walks up to the door and raps on it with urgency; quickly peering over her shoulder to see if she had been followed.
She has not.
She breathes a sigh of relief as the door swings open and she is ushered inside without a word.
"Well, well...look who kept up their end of the bargain. Glad you didn't try to con me out of a baby, Harkness,"
The woman beams as she extends her hand to remove the blanket covering Charles' face. The boy, with his head resting on Agatha's shoulder, is fast asleep.
"Did anyone see you? Question you? Were you followed here?"
The woman asks as her finger gently rubs against the soft cheek of the child despite the harshness in her tone.
Agatha shakes her head,
"I'm no fool, Palmira...you should know me better than that."
The woman laughs as she pulls her hand away to then extend both of her arms. A signal Agatha knows all too well.
A signal she had given and received between Rio when their son was still alive.
She hands Charles over the Palmira without a word and watches as the witches' face beams with the weight of a baby in her arms.
"I'm surprised you went through with this, Harkness...after all you've done..."
Agatha stands there in silence and allows the rage and anger to wash over herself before she opens her mouth to ask,
"And was is it that I've done?"
Palmira bounces the baby against her chest as she stares Agatha down with such disgust in her eyes it almost feels like a slap to the face,
"Why, kill your own son for the power of the Darkhold. How many more babies have you fed to Mephisto to keep all that power?"
Agatha can basically feel herself bristling at the statement. If she wasn't a smart woman, Palmira would be dead by now by her hand and Charles Jr. would be returned to his loving family.
Unfortunately, Agatha needed the money and power and notoriety to get through more than she needed a baby to be safe.
"Well...I guess that makes me the expert here, doesn't it? Who better than to steal you a baby."
Agatha takes one final look at the witch and the boy in her arms before she turns her back on them both and silently excuses herself out of the house.
-
Agatha walks into her home and closes the door behind her. It's silent and empty; she can basically hear the echoes rattle through the rooms.
She hadn't seen Rio in years and doubts she would see her anytime soon.
She hadn't stopped thinking of her son in years and doubts she would ever stop thinking about the little boy both she and Rio couldn't save.
The news about Charles Jr. would surely hit the papers in the morning and an investigation and hunt for the baby would be underway by morning.
None of it would trace back to her or Palmira and the boy would grow up not knowing his true parents. Raised instead by a witch who so badly wanted a child of their own they paid Agatha, the witch killer, the woman who would sacrifice babies to obtain power, to do her underlings for a pretty penny and a nice addition to her name.
The random note would eventually lead the police to believe that one Bruno Richard Hauptmann was the mastermind behind the kidnapping.
Agatha Harkness remained a free woman and witch.
