“Alright, well I will be down maybe Saturday morning? Do you think you can pick me up from Union Station?” Annie asked.
“You can figure out New York subways but not the DC metro yet?” Kate balked at her, not looking forward to driving out to Union Station. DC driving was always hell, especially if you got stuck in one of its infamous circles with eighteen different exits.
Kate would get stuck going around and around forever and even when she thought she had gotten off, somehow she found herself back driving in a loop. It was infuriating so Kate always tried to convince Annie to take the metro to her apartment, but Annie had yet to give in on that.
“Kate, how have you been doing with everything? Any news from the police on the investigation?” Annie said solemnly after a few moments of silence. Kate tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder and thumbed through the magazine that was on her lap, not really reading anything but rather releasing nervous energy.
“It’s been up and down, you know. Sometimes they find something, other times they realize it was nothing, so I don’t know...I am just trying to not get my hopes up much.” Kate stayed vague and left out everything about the new photographs and the discovery of her attacker being a renowned serial killer.
She was the big sister and although Annie had stepped up and taken care of her during her recovery, she didn’t want to keep putting that burden on Annie. Kate was the older sister and she wanted to take care of her baby sister and shield her from the indecencies of life. Not that that was even possible, but didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.
“Yeah, I guess it’s not an easy case. I have faith though, Kate. Something will turn up, it will be okay. What about Derrick? How are things going with him?” Annie asked her sister, curiously.
Annie had always liked Derrick and didn’t really fully understand what had happened at the hospital between the two of them but she had been hoping that they would work it out. Seeing the way Kate was with Derrick, before the attack, was a revelation to Annie.
It was the first time she had seen her sister outgoing and truly happy. The first time she had seen her sister actually taking time out to enjoy herself and make her needs a priority. She had always been the caregiver and Annie was so glad to see someone was taking care of her.
“Oh, Annie, things are so wonderful. I can’t wait to tell you all about it this weekend.” Kate was beaming into the phone.
“Really? That’s awesome! So all is forgiven?” Annie got a little nosier.
“Yes, everything is forgiven. He made a mistake. A whopping giant mistake. Lord, he couldn’t possibly have made a bigger ass of himself if he had tried.” Kate laughed, she had to laugh at it now because what other way could you respond?
“Damn straight.” Annie chimed in agreement.
“But things are wonderful now, I love him so much Annie. And we are closer than ever, I told him everything. About mom and dad, my past, everything.” Kate closed her eyes dreamily, picturing Derrick’s handsome face before her.
“Really? Holy crap, Kate, that’s huge! I am so proud of you! This is the real deal then, wow. Just wow.” Annie was so surprised since Kate had never told that to anyone. The two sisters were the only ones who were privy to the truths of the past and Kate had never trusted anyone enough before to tell them about it. Annie could tell even in her sister’s voice that she wasn’t the same Kate who had been her sister a few weeks ago. Kate had changed, she had grown and maybe the reason that forced it to happen was horrible but Annie couldn’t help and be proud of her sister anyway.
~~~~
Detective Liz Snow had come straight from dropping Kate off at her apartment back to the precinct to delve right into her research. The moment she walked through the doors to the back of the precinct where the detectives’ desks were, she spotted her partner slouched over his papers and reading through a file intently.
“Mike! I’ve got something on the Jackson case.” Liz called out to her partner, Detective Mike McCraig talking about Kate Jackson’s investigation. He looked up at her and nodded in acknowledgment, putting his papers down. She pulled up a chair from an empty desk to the side of his desk and plopped down, spreading Clara McConnelly’s file out in front of him.
“Remember Clara McConnelly? Well, I think we are right, I think it’s the same perpetrator as in the Jackson case. Look at these photographs that he took of them after the attack, same bruise patterns and everything. They even are around the same age and height, same hair color. He has a type.” She was excited in her explanation.
“Jeez, clearly. I found six other matching cases in the FBI database that I think we can pin to him too but they are all murders. I think Jackson is our only living victim here, which means that she is the key to all of this. Why did he let her live?” Mike batted the question around with Liz.
“I don’t think he meant to, I mean she lost a lot of blood. I think he assumed she would die. But then why hasn’t he come back to finish the job. I mean, he came in her apartment and left more photographs but he hasn’t just tried to clean up his mess and kill her, so there is something more here.” Liz said, thinking about the case. She was sure that there was something different about Kate versus the other victims, but she couldn’t pinpoint what that was. She knew that Kate was the answer to solving this.
“I figured out something while you were gone, look at this.” Mike opened up several files that were all from the other six cases and sprawled them out across his desk.
“Jenna Attwater, sold cosmetics in a retail store. Nikki Herrera, realtor. Hayden Posen, sold advertising for a magazine. And the rest, look, sales. All of them were in some type of sales and all of these women were murdered after Clara McConnelly, a college student.” Mike explained. Liz nodded, her brain kicking into overdrive and pinning pieces together.
“So, we are seeing a progression, you think? Clara was a peer, he went to the same university as her and then got into business and has worked sales jobs since then which is where he finds and targets his victims.” Liz thought aloud.
“I mean, it isn’t definite but it’s a hell of a lot more than we had this morning.” Mike said.
“Does the file say where Clara went to college?” Mike asked Liz, nodding to the file she was flipping through.
“Uhm, yeah, hold on. Yeah, right here, NYU, New York University in New York City. Not much to go on there, it’s a pretty big campus with thousands upon thousands of students each year.” Liz sighed.
“NYU. NYU. God, why does that sound familiar to me?” Mike tapped his pencil against the desk absentmindedly as he tried to remember why that school was ringing some sort of bell for him.
“Oh, I almost forgot, look what the hell happened today.” Liz switched topics as she pulled the evidence bag out of her pocket that held the third photograph Kate had received from The Photographer today. She handed it to her partner.
“What’s this?” He asked her.
“Asshole left it on the passenger car window of the cruiser while we were inside with Theresa McConnelly. Wants us to know that he is watching and knows what we are doing. It’s the same as the damn Tracy Glen situation, he murdered his own brother to keep us from finding anything and now he is warning us that he is keeping tabs on us. I mean I don’t know whether to be frustrated that we always seem to be just out of his reach or whether it means he is scared that we are closing in.” Liz ranted in frustration, standing up and pacing back and forth, pointing to the photograph while she moved.
“It’s definitely the latter. He knows we are close, I mean we have all the pieces of the puzzle, just not the glue to hold it together. I really think we are almost there.” Mike reassured her as he examined the photograph again.
“Did you write this up yet?” Mike asked her. Liz shook her head no.
“Alright, well get the report in fast and then lets call up any relatives of these other women and find out if there were any coworkers in common.” Mike said, picking up the phone and starting to dial. Liz just nodded and grabb
ed her stack of papers, heading back to her desk to get down to work.
~~~~
“So, he followed you guys out to Maryland?” Derrick asked Kate, not that he didn’t believe her but rather that the situation was unbelievable. He couldn’t even imagine how they had gotten into this tangled battle with an unknown foe. He shuddered as he thought of Kate alone, being followed by this mystery man.
“Yeah, lucky that Liz was with me. I don’t know what I would have done if I had been by myself.” Kate shrugged nervously, worrying as she sat at his kitchen table and watched him putting together dinner for the two of them. She didn’t want to be alone but she also felt like she never was alone because his eyes were on her everywhere she went...and he was making sure that she knew that.
“Well, Kate, you can’t be by yourself until we catch this guy. I mean you just can’t, this is not something to play around with, he is dangerous and still threatening you. I’m going to walk you to and from work and you are going to move in here with me.” Derrick said leaning against the kitchen counter and staring at her, his arms folded in defiance across his chest.
“Move in with you?” Kate asked standing up, smiling, and walking towards him.
“Yes, tonight. We can get your stuff tomorrow, but you’re moving in.” Derrick said confidently, commanding her. She walked up to him and leaned against him, her hands on his chest.
“Oh yeah, you bossing me around now, Mr. Kane?” She grinned at him and kissed him softly on his lips then pulled away. His firm stance softened a bit as he grabbed her hips with both hands and pulled her tighter up against him.
“Don’t act like you don’t want to, after all, you said yes to being the future Mrs. Kane.” He smiled back and kissed her again as the two enjoyed their secret. Kate had agreed with enthusiasm to marry Derrick when he had asked her in the car and she couldn’t wait to tell Annie this weekend. She wanted Annie to be the first to know and to be able to tell her in person, so they were keeping it a secret for a few more days.
“Mrs. Kane? I think I could get used to that.” Kate grinned at him, mischievously and then pressed herself firmly against him, then just as quickly, turned and walked out of the kitchen.
“Oh no, you don’t get to just leave me like that.” He chuckled, his voice getting deeper and huskier as he pushed off the kitchen counter and quickly followed after her. She turned her head to see him quickly advancing on her and she grinned and squeaked with excitement as she burst into a run towards the bedroom. He caught her just as she was about to reach the bed and lifted her straight off the ground and into his arms. He was grinning and she was giggling as he climbed onto the bed on his knees, still holding her in his arms and laid her down on it.
He wasted no time climbing on top of her and kissing her, her lips parting to deepen their kiss. Things suddenly went from playful excitement to serious passion as her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers, getting lost in the sensuous movements of each other’s lips.
His weight was supported on his elbow while his other hand traveled south to her belly and slipped underneath her shirt, slowly pulling it up with him. Their lips released from one another for only a moment as she allowed him to pull her blouse over her head. He tossed it across the room and then grinned at her, plunging down to devour her lips again.
She pressed her hips upwards, wanting to feel him against her. Needing that heat and craving fulfillment. He reached down with one hand and grabbed her bum, cupping her cheek and pulling her tighter against his pelvis. She couldn’t wait any longer and so she grabbed at the top of her jeans and quickly unbuttoned them, shimmying them down her thighs. He grabbed them and pulled them the rest of the way off, then sat up and undid his own pants. He kicked off his pants and fell back on top of her, staring into her eyes. All he could think about was how much he loved this woman and how he couldn’t believe he was the lucky man she had chosen to marry.
She was just as infatuated with his eyes and how they smoldered with desire as he looked at her. She bit her lip as her breathing became more ragged and her knees found their way to the outside of his thighs, giving him permission to do as he pleased. He leaned down and kissed her again as his hips pressed harder against her and then slid forwards, filling her slowly with everything that he had.
He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation as she gasped and clung to him tighter. They quickly found a rhythm and moved with one another with a familiarity that only two people deeply in love can achieve. He kissed her lips, her cheek, her jaw, her neck, and everywhere else as he wanted to know every inch of her, consume everything that she had to give him. She was more than willing to oblige.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kate yawned as she stared at her computer screen at work the next day, attempting to focus on the sales spreadsheet that she was currently working on. She had stayed at Derrick’s house last night and not gotten a lot of sleep. Actually it was her house now too, since they had decided to move in together. He was moving some of her things over right now and then she would go back later tonight to pack more boxes with him.
“Hey, Katey, how are you doing today?” An older voice announced behind her. Kate swirled around in her chair to see Uncle Lenny leaning against her cubicle wall, smiling at her. She beamed back, always glad to see him.
“Finally got out of your office, huh?” Lenny had been working on a major bid for the past few days and even when she had been in the office, she hadn’t caught a glimpse of him. The few times she tried his stodgy assistant, Frank, turned her away, never forgetting to accompany the rejection with an insult or snide remark of some kind. Especially in the last few days, Kate had been trying to be more positive and choose to be happy, to do her best attempt to heal from her attack and move on.
People like Frank frustrated her because they were just so tightly wound around their intent to be angry and cynical that the bitterness overflowed out on to everybody that came in contact with them. She saw people like that and knew that that wasn’t what she wanted for her future, she wasn’t going to let the anger she initially felt towards the Photographer become who she was. She was going to carve out a new Kate, freshly washed and molded and destined for more than the flat Kate who had trudged through each day never planning for tomorrow, not due to laziness or lack of ambition but due to a lack of hope and goals- a lack of purpose.
“Yeah, the bid is done. We got it, it’s going to be great for the company. Seriously add to our positive cash flow. We are going places, Kate!” Lenny spoke excitedly. He loved the company he had built, even if it was the simple business of selling office furniture.
“Lenny, I have to quit.” Kate blurted out, still sitting in her cubicle chair looking up at the president of the company. She hadn’t planned to say that. In fact, the thought hadn’t occurred to her until just that moment when she was thinking of bitter, angry Frank in his boring sales job and how she wanted to be a new Kate with purpose and dreams. She couldn’t do that playing it safe on her uncle’s dime.
“What?” Lenny was startled, clearly not expecting this from her.
“Is something wrong? I thought that you liked it here, and you do well. Your sales are decent. Did something happen?” Lenny asked her, taking a few steps forward and slipping his hands into his pockets.
“It’s not my dream, Uncle Lenny. Look how excited you are about winning that bid! And you should be! It’s wonderful for you and you are so happy. I want to feel that same way, I want to feel something that gives me that same high. I don’t know what that is but I know that sticking around here will only keep me from pursuing that goal.” Kate ranted and the words poured out of her like water from a hose suddenly let go and shooting in every direction. She stood up and grabbed her coat and purse.
“I have to go, Uncle Lenny. I need to find out what I want to do. The last few weeks, it’s just become really clear to me that I’m lost. I think I want to go back to school. Maybe I will get the social work degree that I once
dreamed of. I think I just have to try, I have to get out there and be scared and not have a safety net. I need to try, Uncle Lenny.” Kate stifled a slight sob and realized that she needed to calm down, she was starting to lose control of her emotions and this was not the time or the place.
“Hey, hey, Katey. Katey, it’s okay. Listen, I understand. I was your age once too. Starting a business was always my dream . Now I am living that dream. It’s not yours though and you need to go after yours just like I went after mine. There is nothing wrong with that. I’m not upset, it’s okay.” He tried to diffuse the situation with his comforting words and a soft pat on her shoulder.
“You are not upset? But you have done so much for me, given me this job and paid for school. I don’t want to be that jerk who just takes and doesn’t give but I also don’t want to waste one more minute of my life not pursuing a dream.” Kate whimpered slightly, trying not to turn to tears.
“Kate, listen, let’s go have lunch and then you can go home for the rest of the day. Okay? If you still want to quit in the morning, then email me a letter of resignation and that’s that. No harm, no foul. But let’s not think about that right now because it’s getting you all worked up. Let’s go have lunch and let’s talk about whatever it is that is really going on. Does that sound good to you?” Lenny asked her. She nodded gently.
“Alright, come on. Let’s go to that burger place you love over on Connecticut Avenue, okay? You are always raving about that place. Oh and you know how I love a good chocolate milk shake.” He grinned and patted his large, Santa Claus-like belly. Kate chuckled and followed him out of the cubicle and out of the office.
~~~~
“I’m going to have the Fry Down Burger, sir, with the onion rings and this ale here.” Lenny pointed to the items on the menu that he loved to get at this fancy burger restaurant that gave their burgers unique names.