Serial Killer Strikes Again

[RedHairedandFriendly]

The library was quiet, which was normal for this time in the morning. The papers were spread out for the patrons, the movies put away, and Samantha was just finishing up the romance books when she thought about Marc and calling him. She went to her office and dug out her cell phone. She wondered if it was to early, she didn’t want him in trouble at work.

“It will only take a minute, if he can answer he will if he can’t... he won’t,” she told herself. Samantha turned on the phone, waited for the screen to pop up and then pushed 02. The phone started to ring and as it did she wondered if perhaps she was being silly. He was just a man who loaned her some help, that was all, she didn’t need to be so nervous around him.

Sam kept telling herself that when her shoulders sagged in disappointment and his voice mail came on the line. She swallowed her sadness and took a deep breath before launching into a cherry voice, “Hey Marc... its Samantha... ummm flat tire Samantha. Your tire is in the back of my SUV and I’ll be at the library all day. If you want you can swing by and get it. I take lunch at 12:00... if I’m lucky. I’ll see you then other wise... just call the library and ask for Samantha Cordial, my cell is usually in my office. Bye...”

She hung up and sighed. “Boy I sounded lame.”

She slid her phone back in her purse and logged on the computer to order some new books for the library as well as audio tapes and CD’s. Her thoughts were lost though, lost as she imagined a nice quiet lunch with Marc... “Oh stop this!” she ordered herself and got back to work.

 

[Tseranc]

Less then an hour later they were all back at the station, Hallenbeck was busy chatting with the man from the crime scene…a man he kept as from other officers as he could. Agent Woods would like to say all the new evidence was in the conference room the rest new sat in. But the only new evidence present in the room was the cold they were all shaking off.

It was an uneasy feeling in the room. One of defeat. Of anger over the piss poor scene condition. And one of uncomfortable glances between himself and Officer O’Connell, and the unasked questions about those glances from everyone else.

The ice needed breaking.

“Ok, this is a fuck up of huge proportions. I want to know who’s freakin’ army marched through the crime scene, seemingly well before we had anyone on scene? It had to be before, because I know not even a small time police force like this would make such a mess.”

OK that last comment was uncalled for. He could admit that. But on the bright side…he had everyone’s attention now.

“OK, we have nothing new, maybe the autopsy report will have something for us…I think I noticed a few changes in the wounds, but we’ll wait for the official say so on that. Until then, everyone needs to go grab a cup of coffee, and then we’re going over each piece we DO have one by one…it’s gonna be a long day.”

He could see the shoulders drop and eyes roll.

 

[jushorny]

Marc Jordan

I felt my cell phone vibrate inside my jean pocket but I was in the middle of hammering in yet another stud, so I let it go. I figured whatever it was could wait at least five minutes. Not being married nor having kids meant I was never concerned about emergency phone calls. Well, as is usually the case, I lost track of time, determined to get the wall up in record time. It was 11:30, almost lunch time before I remembered I had missed a call. I pulled the cell from my pants pocket and flipped it open to see I had a new voice mail message.

I listened to the message Samantha had left, deleted it, and then dialed her number. It rang several times before Samantha picked up. “Hello?”

“Hey Samantha, its me, Marc, the flat tire guy. I got your message, thanks.”

“Hi Marc, will lunch work for you?”

Her voice sounded as soft and sexy as I remembered in last nights dreams. I half heartedly thought of taking the afternoon off just so I could have lunch with this librarian. One of the guys called, telling me to cut the chat with the pretty ladies and help them out. I made a gesture towards them and continued on with my conversation.

“I’m really sorry Samantha, but my lunch hour is only a half hour, there is no way I could travel across town, have lunch, and make it back. If you are free for dinner, I could pick you up or meet you somewhere?”

I really hoped she would accept my invitation for several reasons, one I would not have to meet Deb and her new found stud, two, I would not have to eat alone, and three, the best reason was that I would be able to talk with Samantha once again.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Samantha heard her phone ring and she almost allowed the voice mail to answer, but she immediately thought of Marc and grabbed her cell-phone. The invitation was out in minutes and her answer was out just as fast, almost too fast she thought as she heard herself accept the invitation.

“If you want how about I meet you there. That way you don’t have to spend time running to my place to pick me up after going home and changing,” she offered.

They agreed and when she hung up she was grinning from ear to ear. Her smile carried her through her lunch of a banana,a granola bar, and a juice box. She chuckled at her meal and thought of her ex and how he wouldn’t have let her bring artificial juice into the house let alone let her sip from some box that a kid would love to drink from.

Her fingers picked up the newspaper and she concentrated a few minutes on the crossword puzzle before she was lost in thoughts of the man she’d only met the day before. She straightened her shoulders and refused to allow this to develop into some hopeless romance that found herself falling in love and screwing in the same night.

“Now enough,” she told herself and got back to work. There was a special puppeteer she wanted to hire for the children’s hour next week and she wanted to make sure the schedule was open for the two hours he and his team would need. Thoughts of Marc filled her mind, but she continued working none the less, just was often called out repeatedly to gain her attention.

 

[poohlive]

It was partway into lunch before Trevor saw the last van leave. This one had a beat up side and a kick ass mural that depicted poor innocent girls getting raped on mountain tops by dragons all over the sides. It looked rather astonishing.

He bit into his sandwich, smiling as Tall and Skinny gave him the finger before loading a guitar case into the van and leaving. Tires squealed for a moment, and that nightmare on the third floor was gone.

At least for now.

He could relax if he so chose, but there was no rest for the weary. So much more to do today, and barely a few hours left in which to do it in.

He clicked up his cellphone and ran down the list of numbers. His new one, his nice and shiny reporter girl. A beautiful woman that owed him a favor. More than a favor, as he understood it.

He called her up.

"You were on the scene before the cops were, now I'd imagine that is not a cheap thing to come by."

 

[Babette_____]

The last hour slowly dragged for Jennifer. She’d spent time with a lost child. The parents finally realizing that the little four year old wasn’t by there side anymore, but in fact had wondered over to the children’s part of the museum. She waved goodbye to the sticky fingers and the wet, teary eyed face. It had taken her the last 10 minutes to put on a fresh blouse and skirt after the kid had gotten her snack all over Jennifer’s expensive clothes.

The small child had immediately been given juice and cookies to keep her quiet while the parents were searched for. She was then given a sucker after that. The sucker and the juice was what Jennifer had been showered in when the little girls parents walked into her office. The girl and quickly tossed both items to Jennifer and in slow motion Jennifer watched the red punch make slow drippy love to her blouse and skirt. Apologies were given to the curator and Jennifer waved them off with her plastered smile. She watched them leave and headed to her car.

Now she was heading to the park for lunch, though it was cold and the snow was fresh, there was a small diner across from the rolling artificial mounds the park department had created years ago, and she wasn’t in the mood for vending machine food since she didn’t have time for lunch.

She ordered a salad and a ham sandwich and sat down. The now pink sweater she wore highlighted her good looks, but she still was free of her million dollar make-up job she would wear when she felt the need to clean the world. There was no need tonight. She had a target in mind... two perhaps, she’d wait and see.

The now black skirt didn’t match her pumps, but there wasn’t much she could do with that. The thought of her shoes brought her back to the night before and she sneered to herself. “Damn bloody boots,” she muttered as the waitress stopped by and refilled her soda.

 

[Alerdene]

She stood silently, stamping her feet against the cold, wondering how the female officer could possibly be even remotely professional with the cold she had to be feeling. Watching Hallenbeck talk to Trevor, she kept her face passive as he gave her a small smile and winked before heading off to his snowmobile. That was certainly interesting. No formal report being made or would Michael write it up later. She'd seen the man she assumed was the Fed looking at them oddly once or twice, but he'd made no move to come closer.

Managing a small smile as Michael looked her way, she let out an unconscious sigh of relief as the moment was postponed again when another officer came and brought his attention to something else that needed answering.

She stood for perhaps another twenty minutes before taking a few steps away from the scene. No one said anything or even appeared to notice. Most of them probably thought she was just there trying to hound people for details. Biting her lip, she took another few steps down the street. When no one said anything and Michael hadn't looked her way again, she took a deep breath and turned on her heel, heading towards her car. Expecting to hear a shout for her to stop, she finally started breathing as she reached her car.

Climbing in and cranking up the heat, she tossed her bag in the passenger seat and frowned. Why did she feel as if she was a suspect leaving a crime. She hadn't done anything wrong. She was merely the fortunate receiver of a phone call at the right time. She hadn't messed with the scene... there was nothing she could tell them that would help. Except perhaps that Trevor had had company finding the bodies. But for now, she'd keep that to herself. She knew she'd be catching hell later from Michael and perhaps someone even above him for leaving the scene, but she was cold dammit. And she needed to think of a good excuse for being there anyway. One that didn't involve Trevor. She wasn't sure she liked the little wink he gave her, she could sense trouble coming from that direction already.

Driving at normal speed away from the Wharf, she headed towards the paper's office. They'd want an article for the morning edition on the newest body found and she needed to find Travis to develop her pictures for her. Grabbing a bag of fast food on the way, she walked into her building, seeking out Travis before she even checked her office. Thrusting the camera at the tall man, she snarled at him, even as his hands went up in defense.

It wasn't my fault Ivy, I couldn't find my keys, I"m sorry. What was so important anyway?

Couldn't find your keys, but yet here you are.

She replied in a sarcastic voice as he took the camera, ignoring his question. He'd seen soon enough what had been important.

I need these developed right now. ASAP Travis. I mean it this time. I want them in thirty minutes. Single copies that come to me and me only, understand?

The glare she was giving him must have done the trick because he nodded and headed off in the direction of his darkroom immediately. Spinning and heading the opposite way, she unlocked the door of her tiny office and plopped down into her chair, powering up the computer as she dug out some fries from the bag.

Munching on french fries, she logged on and immediately started typing. An hour later, the remainder of her fries and burger sat next to the keyboard while she sat back, a half amused, half concerned look on her face. Seems Michael and Trever did indeed have something in common. How interesting. Is that how Trevor managed his little information business? Surely not. She just couldn't see Michael condoning or remotely helping with something like that.

Her nails tapped nervously against the desk as she tried to decide what to do on that front. She still would like to see the other autopsy reports as well as the newest one and Trevor was her best bet at this point. Having decided that, she switched from the internet to her word processor and began typing the article for the morning paper. Intent on her work, she barely noticed Travis as he came in, his usually tan face a bit pale.

Glancing up finally, she frowned as she looked at the clock.

That's a hell of a thirty minutes Travis.

Where the hell did you get these pictures Ivy? How did you get them is more the question? Do the police know? What did you do???

His voice sounded almost panicked and she barely kept from laughing.

Calm down, I didn't do anything illegal. Well... not really anyway. I got there first and I snapped a few shots for reference that's all.

Snatching the envelop from his hand she stuffed it in her bag, she'd deal with those when she was alone. Noticing he had a Fed Ex envelop with her, she held out her hand.

I assume that's for me since you brought it with you?

Oh yeah.. sorry. Ivy are you gonna print those in your story? They're... well... a little gruesome.

No Travis. I told you they're just for reference. Although I might pick one that didn't have much of the body in it. Maybe the one with just the foot showing... I don't know yet. I've got work to do, thanks for the pictures.

With his dismissal obvious, he seemed about to say more, but finally shook his head, backing out the door and pulling it shut behind him. She glanced at the Fed Ex package and started to open it when her phone rang. Shoving the package in her bag and grabbing the phone, she plopped her feet up on her desk as she hit save on the computer.

This is Ivy.

Fully expecting it to be Michael or another officer, her tone was polite with a hint of wariness in it.

You were on the scene before the cops were, now I'd imagine that is not a cheap thing to come by.

Leaning back farther in the chair as she recognized the voice, her eyebrows shot up at his statement. Chuckling into the phone, she shook her head as she spoke,

I don't think so... one mistaken phone call... albeit a very useful mistaken phone call... is not something I usually pay for. However in this case maybe you're right... and as your payment, I promise not to print your name in my upcoming article, nor publicize the fact that you had little helpers along with you. The police might find that part interesting don't you think? That and that tiny little tidbit about 200 pounds of dope or something of that nature? Hell, if I'm not mistaken, that's a pretty damn good payment actually.

Before he could complain, she continued,

So you wanna tell me how you came to be out there anyway?

Waiting for him to respond, she purposely did not mention the fact that she now knew of his connection to Michael, deciding that might come in useful later.

 

[poohlive]

Trevor frowned at that statement. He was sure he could get at least something out of this reporter. He hadn't meant to get her out there, but he sure did accidentally get on the ball on that one.

"That is sad to hear. And I thought we were going to be partners, helping each other. Why, if I didn't know any better, I thought you were blackmailing me or something."

Trevor laughed, but it was strange and distant, as if he were an alien laughing for the first time only because he had heard humans doing it and was trying to copy them.

"It was the dope, that's why I was there. Two drug runners came across the body, and their supplier is an.... oh let's say aquaintance. And I am the guy who knows how to get things. They needed to get away, I got them away. I was pretty happy with them, they were more than eager to pay for services rendered. I can't say I am the same with you."

Trevor looked at his watch.

"Well, if that's all, then I suppose it was a pleasure almost doing business with you Ivy."

 

[Alerdene]

Wrinkling her nose as he spoke, she made a face, sticking her tongue out. He wasn't going to be a pushover like she'd hoped. They were the easiest. Pulling her feet down from the desk and sitting up a bit straighter, she grabbed a pencil and began fidgeting with it, twirling it between her fingers as he spoke.

She nodded to herself as he gave his explanation, figuring it to be true since he wouldn't make up something that incriminated him that much. Taking a breath as he made his last comment, she bit the bullet and gave in.

Blackmail is an ugly word Trevor, and not something I deal in. I was merely making a point that I wasn't going to be pointing the finger at you in my story. I thought you might appreciate that... keeping your name out of the public I mean.

Spinning her chair around in a full circle, she came to a stop in front of the computer, her eyes landing on her finished article. Hitting the send button, she sent it on it's way to the editor, knowing he wouldn't make any changes and it would appear exactly as written in the morning's paper.

I think perhaps the excitement of this incident caused us to get off on the wrong foot. I have certain needs... you have... ways of fulfilling those needs... or so I'm told. I'd prefer not to discuss this over the phone however. That's if you still want to do business... assuming you can get what I need of course.

 

[poohlive]

See, now that is how a negotiation worked. Trevor liked this woman. She seemed like his kind of people, or at the very least knew how to deal with his kind of people. And that was just as well. He remembered a saying from one of those dog eared books he'd read in those long nights behind the Hotel desk, waiting patiently for that 2 a.m couple to come in and beg for a room.

They can smell their own. People, animals, anything of their own kind can smell each other. It is a scent they all carry, and they carry it well.

"Of course, I understand. You know where my hotel is, don't you," He gave directions fairly easy, "I'll be here all day, and there is plenty of privacy. We can discuss in details whatever you like. I am always happy to help a lady in need."

 

[Wyld52771]

Detective Michael Hallenbeck

Michael sat for awhile listening to Woods speak, but his mind was elsewhere. After he'd talked to Trevor out at the crime scene, he had turned around and been somewhat annoyed and even more disappointed to see that Ivy had left. He'd gotten caught up in getting back to the station and getting the body identified, as well as waiting for the autopsy report, but his mind kept going back to Ivy. Why was she there? How did she get there before him? How did she even know there was a body out there? These questions ran through his mind over and over. Michael found himself going a bit stir-crazy locked in this small conference room, and excused himself, "I'll be right back, folks...nature calls, and I could use another caffine fix."

He left the room, pulling his cellphone out of his pocket, along with the napkin with Ivy's phone number. He dialed her number and ended up getting her voice mail...she was either on the phone already, or just wasn't picking up...and he left her a message.

"Hi, Ivy...This is Michael. I never got the chance to talk to you this morning, and there are a few questions I need to ask you...officially, I mean. I may need to have you come down to the station for that...or I could come question you at home. I'd rather not do it at your work." He paused, feeling awkward about this next part, but continued regardless. "Umm...also, there some other things I'd like to discuss with you. I have a favor to ask of you. I just thought I'd check and see if you're available for dinner tonite. If so, please give me a call back as soon as you're able. Thanks."

He hung up the phone and sighed...he really had hoped to catch her in person, instead of having to talk to her machine. "Oh well," he thought, "if she doesn't call back in a little while, I guess I'll have to try again." He wandered over to the coffee pot, grabbed a cup, and started on his way back to the conference room, where the others waited.

 

[Alerdene]

Her call waiting beeped at her just as he was giving her directions to the hotel he ran. She knew of it vaguely, situated just on the outer edges of town, but it wasn't somewhere she'd payed any attention to or dreamed of going to for any reason. She ignored the call, not wanting to spook him for any reason now that they were being at least social.

Hanging up a moment later, she had a half smile on her face at his parting comments. A lady in need. Is that what she was? She supposed so. He sounded like the sort of person she could work with, he appreciated money at least, and that... she could supply. She'd have to see what sort of connections he had, perhaps this could be a long running arrangement, depending on his price of course.

Reading through the article one more time, she turned the computer off and sat musing about Trevor and Michael. She never would have guessed. Of course, why would she, she knew little about either, though she was certainly hoping to make that a temporary thing.

Remembering the call waiting beep, she snapped the phone open and hit her voice mail. A bright smile lit her face up as she heard the voice and quickly dropped when she heard the reason. Not that she hadn't expected it... she was surprised he wasn't screaming at her to get her ass down to the station ASAP. The smile returned when he mentioned dinner, even though he'd mentioned a favor. The reason didn't matter, merely the fact an invitation was extended. An invitation that she had no intention of dismissing.

Dialing the station she asked for Detective Hallenbeck and was informed he was in an important meeting.

This is Ivy Tanne and I'm returning his call, can you check to see if he'll take the call please?

The man on the other end refused and she sighed, knowing that he recognized her name and was assuming she was just looking for information.

Look, I'm telling you... I'm returning his call. I swear. Now please check and see if he'll take the call. No? Fine then. May I please leave him a message?

The man sounded annoyed but agreed to be sure a message got to him after the meeting.

Great. Just tell him Ivy called and that tonight is open... I'll just wait for him to call me back.

She slammed the phone down as if that might somehow impress upon the man at the other end how annoyed she was. Which then brought laughter to her as she realized how childish that was. Standing and grabbing her bag, she noticed the Fed Ex package again and just shoved it down deeper. She'd open it at home while she was getting ready for dinner. Her pictures needed to be studied as well for any tiny evidence that might match up to the report from the first victim.

Grabbing her sunglasses, she slid them on her face, her long hair streaming behind her as she exited, waving and nodding at a few people as she walked out. Tossing the bag in the car, she started up her normal loud music and pealed away from the curb. After stopping at an ATM, she took side streets until she finally reached the highway, slowing down as she passed the library, picking up speed as she headed towards the hotel. It was time to see how much this was going to cost her.

 

[poohlive]

"Police files on an open case dealing with a serial killer?" Trevor had pushed them into his private den, where they were now talking. It had only taken a few moments with pleasantries. Short and sweet, it was the best way.

"Now that is asking a lot. I mean, I know Gavin, the coroner pretty well. I can get his stuff for you pretty easy, but active open police files? I guess what I'm trying to say is, just how much financial backing do you have to go with this? It's not so much the cost, but if I get caught... because I assume you don't want to do this yourself. That would be a different thing alltogether."

Trevor went to the drwaers of one of her cabinets. It rattled as he opened it. Keys lined nearly the entire drawer, each with a small slip on the side. He grabbed the one marked Police Station.

They were Mike's keys, or more importantly copies of Mike's keys. They were the same golden DO NOT COPY keys that most cops had, but these had been copied. Apart from knowing police guys and coroners, he also knew a locksmith.

"Now, I can just sell you a copy of these keys, and you can do all the investigating you want. Don't know how much you'll get. That place is like a maze inside, and no one to help you once you go in. But, that is always on the table, if you want to do so. Of course, if you'd rather just let me do it, and sit back to get all the information, that's open to you as well... like I said, it'll just cost more."

 

[Alerdene]

She sat forward on the edge of the chair she'd chosen shaking her head at his words.

If you get caught... I don't know you. Plain and simple.

Sitting back she watched as he went to a cabinet, speaking to him as he did so.

Now I assume, from your continued freedom... that you're pretty good at not getting caught. So with that in mind, I can arrange a top notch attorney should it become necessary. Of course you'll come up with your own explanation of how you managed to afford such an attorney... as said person will deny knowing me as well.

When he turned and held up a key, one delicate eyebrow arched slightly as she listened to his explanation. Holding up a hand and shaking her head, she stopped him before he could continue.

I don't know want to know. All I want is the information. How you do it is up to you, if you hire someone else to limit your own liability... whatever. The less I know, the better as far as I'm concerned. All I'm asking for is information... that's not illegal the last time I checked. Where that information comes from... or how you get it... you keep to you.

She thought about his comments however and a genuine grin lit her face as she looked from the key to him.

I somehow think I wouldn't get very far anyway. I don't exactly... blend in.

Once again her thoughts drifted to how he obtained such keys. Michael?? No. She still didn't buy that one. They were related, but she doubted he had any idea about the pilfered keys. Pushing that aside however, she could definately see that Trevor had a sizable network that she could take advantage of.

So the autopsy reports are what I am most interested in first. And anything else you think might be interesting to a girl like me. As far as cost... unless you get absolutely above yourself, it's not an issue. Let's call this a good faith payment, shall we? I think you'll find that I'm quite generous when I'm happy.

She took an unmarked envelope and tossed it on the table near him, cocking her head as she studied him. He could be the killer she mused to herself. I could be sitting here with a murderer. Or he could just be a petty little drug dealer. Or as he put it, the associate of a drug dealer. It didn't matter. She could protect herself arguably well. She had no qualms about hiring him. She'd worked with much worse in the past. Much worse.

 

[redbaron05]

Jerry Smith

After looking at the crime scene photos from the latest murder Jerry decides to do some research on weapons with long blades.

Excusing himself he tells Agent Woods he's gonna do some research on long bladed weapons and see if they can't get a clue of the weapon thats being used.

Slipping out of the room he heads out to his truck and heads toward the library and the museum to study up on long bladed weapons.

Feeling hungry he stops at the diner near the park and decides to grab a bite to eat, Walking into the diner he gets in line and orders a ham and cheese sandwich and a soda.

Paying for his meal he looks for a seat taking a seat at a corner table he smiles and nods at the pretty lady in the pink blouse and black skirt at the next table

 

[poohlive]

Good faith payment? Trevor took a glance inside the envelope, marveling at the amount of hundreds all lined up in a row. He wouldn't exactly call it good faith, but it suited him well. He smiled and nodded, interested in what she had to say.

"Great, then as far as I know we're done. I'll call you whenever I get something new, you can stop by and then we'll have a nice little exchange. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

Trevor shook her hand, and marveled at her soft and pale skin next to his. It was a lovely sight, one he let linger for just a moment longer than he should have.

"I wonder if you wanted to have dinner tonight, to ummm, celebrate our new arrangement. I think that would be nice. We could just talk, be ourselves, not have this whole serial killer thing over our heads, are you free?"

 

[Wyld52771]

Detective Michael Hallenbeck

The four of them sat looking at the details of the past few murders and compared them to what they found on site today, Hallenbeck looked up at the others, and said, "Well, what I think we have here is sort of a 'black widow' murderer here. Most of the victims had alcohol in their system and had seemed to have engaged in sexual activity before death. I'm guessing the newest victim will be no different. I'm reasonable certain the the killer is female, folks...even without complete evidence to support that fact."

There was a knock at the door, and Michael got up to answer it. An officer stood there, holding a large sealed manilia envelope. He looked at Michael an said, "Here's the newest autopsy report from the Medical Examiner, Detective."

"Thanks," he said, taking the envelope.

The officer said, "You also got a phone call eariler, sir. A woman named Ivy. She wanted me to deliver a message for you." He handed Michael a piece of paper that read..."Tonight is open, awaiting your call. Ivy."

Michael smiled and thanked the officer as he turned to leave, and then shutting the door. He turned back to the others in the room, and said, "New autopsy report is here. Let's look it over." After he got a chance to look at the report, he'd go out for another coffee break, and return Ivy's call to set up dinner for tonite.

 

[Katamari Roller]

Lisa spent most of her time focused on the pounding in her head. An hour later, it felt like a small drum being hit slowly. It was relaxing... and she almost fell asleep. She absent-mindedly looked at the reports again. The words failed to get past the pounding, and...

She barely remembered what happened last night. But she knew the basic plot. And now, making sense out of it all was the worst part. It was simple. The sex had meant nothing for any of the two. Woods had gotten her drunk and had his way with her. She had used him. Probably trying to wash away the bad memories in which Trevor featured prominently.

And this morning, there he was. Again, back in her life. This time, having some connection to her job. Good God. Why does my life have to be so fucked-up? Why can't I just... enjoy what I have? How fair is it that my life revolves about being used by men to inflate their egos?

"I'll be right back." Lisa pushed her chair away a little bit too hard, and glided towards the door. She rubbed her eyes. The lack of sleep was getting to her, and she had had no coffee. All in all, this had to be her worst day in four years. Four years that had not gotten much better, besides landing the job she wanted. It had seemed so glamorous back then... "to serve and protect", she had read somewhere. And that was how her mind filled with the idea of helping children across the street, and arresting drug-dealers.

Now, here she was. It was not half as glamorous as she had thought. More like "Brooklyn South". Cops were humans too. And as such they had their bad times, and sides.

Lisa looked at herself in the mirrors, in the lavatory. What did she expect to do in the department? Was it to attain glory? To live up to her family's expectations? No. She wanted to help people. She really wanted to make sure the kids were safe, the grannies could go out to get their groceries, and to stop drunk drivers from killing innocents on the roads.

But, could she go on and do this when she was not perfect? Her colleagues were not inmaculate, and often some of them obeyed to egotistical needs. But, deep in, she was sure all of them shared the same ideal. To help others. It was simple as that, really.

So, she could choose between leaving the Corp and getting another, simpler job, or she could stay and keep up the good fight. The choice was hers to take. Even before she thought that, though, she knew the answer.

She had to talk to Woods, and set things straight. That was mandatory. But for now, she needed coffee, and something to keep her mind distracted for some time. Like work. A good old big pile of work.

Lisa returned to the office, and burrowed into the reports, reading them with the utmost interest.

 

[Alerdene]

A small smile appeared as he glanced into the envelope and appeared satisfied for the moment. He wasn't overly greedy then, she'd half been expecting a counter offer. Perhaps they could work well together after all.

She stood and stretched, shaking his hand, his own hand holding hers firmly and perhaps a trifle longer then was necessary. She didn't pull back however, the extended contact didn't bother or offend her and she merely watched him, trying to gauge what he was thinking.

His next words surprised her however as she had half turned toward the door. Turning back to him, she smiled, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. Most any other night, she'd have taken him up on it... she did hate to dine alone. Shaking her head, she explained,

I can't tonight. I'm afraid I did a rather... silly thing this afternoon. I managed to slip away from the Wharf without anyone official actually speaking to me... a fact that has now been noticed and apparently needs to be rectified.

Walking towards the door, she stopped and turned back once again, her phone in hand.

You're an interesting man Trevor and I think we can have a profitable relationship. For both of us. So another night? It's good to know those you work with I think.

Giving him a grin and a wink, she turned and left, pleased with the way things had gone. She had every confidence in him, that he could do what he said... without getting caught. A brief moment of guilt stole over her as she thought of Michael... but she pushed it away. It had nothing to do with him. She didn't know they were related when she'd called Trevor. Hopefully the subject would never surface between them.

Cranking the music in her car, she headed home. Dropping her bag on the front table by the door, her keys on top of it, she glanced through a pile of mail that had been sitting there for nobody knows how long. A flyer from the museum for a sword display went promptly into the trash. While she appreciated a good sword fight in movies as much as the next person, she had no knowledge on them and no interest in seeing a display. Assorted other junk mail followed it and a small stack of bills was left which she placed back onto the table.

Turning on the stereo, brisk saxophone music came drifting out, a vivid contrast to the techno beat from the car. Leaving it alone, she went into the dining room and swept up all of her story information into a huge pile, dumping it into a box she had in one corner for just such occasions. She drifted through the house, picking up things here and there, dusting lightly and finally vacuuming before she sat down in her favorite plush chair after grabbing her envelope of pictures from her bag.

Glancing around the house, satisfied with the way it looked, she laughed at herself as she opened the envelope.

Whatcha doin Ivy, expecting company?

She made a face at herself and pulled the pictures out, going through them quickly, pleased to see that most of them were quite clear and focused. Pulling her legs up underneath her, she began going through the pictures slower, trying to see anything out of the ordinary as the music continued playing in the background.

 

[Tseranc]

Bruce Woods

Lisa had been rather preoccupied, and dove into the reports with a good deal of glee. The morning after was always awkward. But there was work to be done, and he intended to do it. Flipping through pictures, and reports of all the crimes, including the latest, Mr. Martin Glenville.

The name seems to stick with him. They had identified the body, next of kin yet to come confirm it, but he was sure enough in their police work that the name was right. He was young, no problems with the law. Played ball in collage, on his way up to pro’s it looked like.

It hit him…he’d seen this name before…in the papers. This was ‘Marty” Glenville, the QB of the local college!

He stood up from the table suddenly, shouting, “You fucked up this time, and I’m gonna nail your little ass to the wall!”

The others around the table looked up at his odd outburst, wondering if the FBI had sent a guy with a few screws loose. Woods remembered there were others in the room suddenly, but didn’t feel the least embarrassed over his outburst. But he did start to explain it.

“Look, the latest victim wasn’t some small time, no name citizen of this fair town, it was your local football hero! Hell we read about this kid up in Chicago.” He didn’t wait to see the looks of understanding start to wash over the task force, but just pressed on.

“There is no where in town this kid wouldn’t be recognized. They will have seen who he was with, when he left, what he was doing, what he was wearing.” Our crime scene may have been the biggest cluster fuck in history, but the victim itself is now our greatest asset.”

Jerry had left to look up information on cutting items, so that left Lisa…

“Officer O’Connell, could you try down his friends and family? Find out where he was last night, start asking questions.”

He was sure the football types would lock up around him or Hallenbeck, but around the girl who wore shorts on a snowy day…she was their best bet.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

She waved goodbye to the other staff members, opting out of the last minute celebration for one of their oldest patrons. She instead had a date and she was looking forward to it. On the way home she was glad to see the snow had stopped falling sometime earlier in the morning. The only thing she didn't like was the black, muddy snow that was now gracing the roads. Fresh salt had been spread and hundreds of cars had left their tire tracks in the snow. Granted any left this morning would have been long gone from the dusting, but it would have been nice to see white snow instead of murky gray.

Her thoughts went back to Marc and his phone call inviting her to dinner. She was more excited then she'd been in a long time and she wondered if perhaps she was overly excited. Samantha didn't want to come across cheap or easy, but she also didn't want to come across cold either.

As her fingers wrapped around the wheel and she made her way back to her home she ran various outfits through her mind. She'd not asked him if it was casual or fine dining. She looked down on her suit she wore to the library and promptly decided it wouldn't do. She wouldn't go formal, but she wasn't going to dress down either, or appear like a Sunday School teacher.

Once she made it back to her place and poured herself a glass of wine to calm her nerves, she set out to ready herself for dinner. She sipped her wine while relaxing in the tub, then powdered her body with the soft scent of lilies. She placed a dab of the matching liquid to her pulse points and breathed deep the subtle scent of one of her favorite flowers.

Her fingers smoothed in a small amount of make-up, a fine dusting of powder, and a swipe of cherry lip-gloss soon caressed her lips. Samantha moved to her bedroom closet and selected a white off the shoulders sweater that had straps sewn in that rested on her shoulders, giving the appearance there was a top under the sweater when in fact all Samantha would be wearing was a white strapless bra. Her fingers picked up the silky white thong that matched the bra and she slipped a mid-thigh navy skirt over her legs and hips. She zipped the side and smoothed her palms down her hips.

She walked over and slipped her feet into the three inch heels and grinned. Her reflection caught her attention and she smiled at her nude legs. She'd be cold, but who cares, she thought it was only a few hours in and out of a car to a building. It wasn't like they were teenagers making out at the park. She grinned at the erotic image that played in her mind.

The Grandfather clock downstairs clanged the hour and she quickly fed her Persian cats, stroked their backs, and blew them kisses good bye. A few minutes later she was heading to the restaurant to enjoy a quiet dinner with hopes for a second date already dancing in her mind.

 

[Wyld52771]

Detective Michael Hallenbeck

Michael nodded in agreement. He'd heard of Marty Glenville...probably the best quarterback Plainsfield had seen in a long time. He remembered an article in the sports section a few months back saying that there had been talk that both Glenville and the running back, Dale Wick, were being scouted by some pro teams.

Hallenbeck looked at O'Connell, and said, "You just concentrate on Glenville's friends. Especially the other guys on the football team. Jocks tend to hang out in tight groups. I'll contact the family."

He hated that part of his job, and was really not looking forward to it, but he always felt that it was his responsability to break the bad news to a victim's loved ones. In this particular case, he almost felt like it was his penance to do so, for not finding the killer before the murder happened. He knew it was silly to think like that, but he couldn't help it.

He looked over at Smith and said, "I think we may have to have you start interviewing bartenders, Jerry. The kid had booze in his bloodstream...he was drinking last night. Start with those bars nearest to the vacinity where the body was found, and work your way out. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will remember waiting on this kid last night."

He stood up, and looking at Smith and O'Connell, he said, "If you learn anything, give me a call on my cell immediately. Time is of the escence here. I'd like this kid's death to be the last one, if at all possible. Like Woods said...we got a break here cause our victim was high profile, but give enough time and we're gonna lose any edge we have here."

 

[jushorny]

Marc Jordan

The afternoon seemed to fly by and I made a mental note to re-check my work tomorrow. My mind was more on dinner with Samantha than I would like to admit. I drove home as fast as I could. I stripped off my work clothes and took a nice steamy hot shower, all the while wondering why I was so anxious over this dinner. It’s not like I had never had dinner with a beautiful lady before, it’s not like I was inexperienced, just something about this lady that hit me. I was glad I chose to decline Deb’s invitation to meet her and her boyfriend for dinner; I certainly did not need her or her new stud playing with my head.

After showering, shaving, drying off and spraying a very small amount of cologne I moved into the bedroom to dress. I dressed in a pair of black jeans and light blue button down shirt. I messed up my hair as I usually do, not spending a lot of time with it. Checked myself in the mirror and headed out the door.

Tiadori’s was a small Italian restaurant in town, excellent food with a somewhat romantic atmosphere if one sat in the right booth. I figured it was a safe bet to go there as I knew Deb was not real fond of Italian food. The last thing I wanted to do was meet up with her tonight, not on my first dinner date with Samantha. I left early enough to make sure I arrived prior to Samantha; it would not be very gentleman like to make her wait. I walked in and took a seat at the bar ordering an Italian draft beer while I waited.

When I saw Samantha walk in I stood up giving her a wave. I walked over and helped her with her coat, handing it to the coat check lady. I finally got to see Samantha without a winter coat hiding her body. She was stunningly dressed in a white off the shoulder sweater and beautiful smooth blue skirt. Her choice of clothes gave a wonderfully beautiful picture of her shape and curves without being the least bit show off like. I leaned in and gave her cheek a kiss, hoping it was a kiss that indicated friendship as well as being a bit enticing. The scent from her body filled my nostrils and I found myself taking in a deep breath of air, wanting to be covered in her scent. “Hmmm, lilies,” I said, it that also your favorite flower?”

The matre’d interrupted us before Samantha had a chance to answer. We were seated in a booth, one of the more romantic ones I had to admit, even though it was large enough for a group of four. The waiter came over and took our drink order. Samantha, I am really pleased you accepted my invitation to dinner, I do hope you like Italian.” Again, before she was given a chance to answer, a voice interrupted us. I looked up and saw, standing there at our booth, Deb and some guy who I assumed was her boyfriend. Oh fuck I thought to myself, knowing Deb’s pushy nature she most likely would worm her way into our dinner. “Deb, Hello,” I said, “I’m surprised to see you here, I thought Italian was one of your least favorite foods?” I gave her a glare just to let her know I would not take kindly to her joining us. I turned toward Samantha, introducing her to Deb and her guy. Looking over towards the guy, I extended my hand, “Hi, I’m Marc,” Before he had a chance to answer Deb interrupted, very typical of her, and pretty much invited themselves to join us for dinner, not taking no for an answer. As they sat down, I looked towards Samantha sheepishly and rolled my eyes, trying my best to convey that this is not what I wanted to happen not had I planned.

I could see from the look in Samantha’s eyes that my look alone was not going to fly far. I did not intend on losing this beautiful lady, certainly not before dinner was over. I looked back to Deb, and probably being stronger with her than I ever have been, said, “Deb, I declined your invitation to dinner earlier, and to tell you the truth, I chose this place because I never thought I would see you step foot in here.” I took a deep breath and glanced to make sure Samantha was listening. She was, very intently I might add. I looked over to her new stud, he sat back looking as if he had no idea what was going on.

Turning back to Deb, I took her hand in mine, “I have someone really, really special to have dinner with tonight, and I intend to spend it with her alone, so, if you would be so kind as too get your own frickin table, it would be much oblige.” I stood up, taking Deb’s hand with me, forcing her to stand as well. I motioned to the maitre’ d and whispered in his ear, that the two needed their own table, passing him a significant tip to make sure a table was available.

After they had left I turned my attention back to Samantha. Giving her my sincere apologies as well as explaining the circumstances. I think I probably was rambling on way too much, explaining how Deb and I had dated. I realized far too late that I had gone on too long. I held Samantha’s hand and looked into her eyes, “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now, she is gone and you are here.”

 

[Wyld52771]

Detective Michael Hallenbeck

Once they'd gone over strategy, he looked over at Woods and said, "If you have nothing else to add, I think I'm gonna go make the drive out to his parent's place. His file said they live right here in town. I don't want them finding out about this from anyone else. If ya think of anything else, give me a call on my cell."

He walked out the door, and took his phone out, dialling Ivy's phone number again, hoping this time he'd get ahold of her. In his mind, he was already planning their dinner...maybe a nice Italian restuaurant. He truly wished he didn't have to bring his work into his meeting up with her, but he figured if he had no other choice, at least he could try to make it apleasant atmosphere anyway. "Besides,"he thought to himself, "maybe it'll make her more prone to talk to me about why she was there this morning." He listened to the phone ring, hoping she'd pick up to take his mind off what he had to do, as he walked out the front door of the station and headed to his car.

 

[Katamari Roller]

"Sure, boss. I'll get to it." Lisa rose from her chair, stretched her torso and arms in the air, and headed for the door. Interviewing a bunch of testosterone-laden dumbasses will hopefully be productive...

...hopefully.

At least the pounding had nearly stopped. Now, it was a faint throbbing. Still, Lisa took a detour to grab a coffee, and taste the pure joy of a hot drink in a winter day. After that, it was easier to keep her legs... "fluid", rather than rigid.

She exited the building, ran to her car, and smelled the familiar leather on the seats. Turning on the radio, the next The Corrs song began playing. Lisa laid on the seat, staring ahead into the sky. It would be tough, telling all those kids that their leader had been killed in such a gruesome way. But if she stated clearly that any of them could be the next victim, maybe she could get results...