In Hot Pursuit (Nydanna & MST3K 4ever)

[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]Cynthia was stumped on how she could narrow down her list even lower. She’d thought of everything she could to possibly knock a few names off the dozen she had, but there wasn’t anything else she had to go on that could work to her advantage. She decided that her best chance of finding an ID for their victim was to speak to each and every person who filed a report to find out what their plans had been before they disappeared. If her killer was sticking to a pattern, she would find that at least one of them was planning on going somewhere for the weekend, even if it wasn’t out of state. She could possibly get a few DNA samples to help eliminate a few possible names from the list. Just as she was thinking that thought, she realized she hadn’t taken in account people who had their DNA in the system, and quickly began to type away to remedy the problem. She was in the middle of typing when a voice drew her attention away from her screen, her eyes peering over the top of her computer to look curiously over at West.

How was it that she was completely stumped on how to greet someone in return? She could solve nearly any equation thrown her way, calculate statistics off the top of her head, yet she couldn’t figure out whether to say hello or good morning. It didn’t make any sense at all. “Good morning.” She finally said after several long moments of debate, the words almost uncertain on the tip of her tongue. Shaking her head quickly, Cynthia decided to stick with what was safer to talk about; work. “I started going over the missing persons reports again, and I’ve narrowed it down to twelve names, but I didn’t take into account the people who already had their DNA in the system. And that has narrowed the list down to……” She glanced back at her screen, sighing heavily when only three names disappeared from the list. “Nine…..I guess we can divide the names and go talk to the families.”

“I still have to call Tyler’s brother and find out where he planned on going camping. I thought I’d give it a little while rather than wake him up first thing this morning.” She hoped that the place was local and not further up north, but didn’t hold out much hope on that. There weren’t many places in Miami to camp, which meant she’d have a few hours of a drive to find out if Mark Tyler made it to his destination. “I may have to wait until the weekend to drive out. It depends on where exactly he planned on going. I’ll at least be able to call and see if he turned up. Most places keep a record of who is staying and for how long.” Cynthia could think of much better things to do with her time than driving to camp sites, but it’s what the job required and that meant she had to do it.

“Nothing back from forensics on Tyler’s house yet. I was going to go pay them a visit once I finished up with what I was doing.” The detective realized that she hadn’t given West much of a chance to get a word in edgewise, nor had she left him with much work to do. Doing everything on her own was a hard habit to break, one that she did not see ending for her anytime soon. She was about to ask her partner if he wanted to run down to forensics when her phone began to buzz on her desk, her hand flying to answer it before she could think about giving West any instructions. “Detective Matthers.” She responded, listening quietly as the person on the other end of the phone began to give her news she hadn’t expected to hear that morning. “Where was it found?” Grabbing a pen, she began to write down what was being said to her. Her head dipped in several nods as if the person on the other end could see her, but she stopped and finally gave them some verbal confirmation that she was listening. “I got it. Do me a favor, take pictures of it, but don’t touch anything. I’ll send a team up to come get it.”

Ending the call, she set her phone back down on the desk and glanced up at West. “Tyler’s car was just found in an impound in Tampa. It was just brought in this morning. I’m going to see if I can get someone to pick it up and bring down here for forensics to go over it.” Tampa was quite a drive, which meant the killer either had someone working for him, or he had ties to the other city. How else could he have left the truck that far? Or had it been stolen? She didn’t know, but she needed to find out before she jumped to any conclusions.

“It looks like we’re going to Hahn’s niece first. After we deal with that, I’ll talk to Tyler’s brother, and figure out where to go from there. If Mark was going someplace local I can drive up and see if he ever made it, but chances are he was going outside of Miami, and I’ll probably have to take a trip this weekend. Plus, I still have this list to go through to see if I can get a name for our first victim.” The day was definitely going to be a long one, and Cynthia wasn’t running out of things to do anytime soon. She just hoped that the leads would continue pouring in the way they were and they could catch their killer before he struck again.[/fieldbox]
 
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West walked in and sat down as he took in all of the information that Cynthia was giving him. Things were moving along at a brisk pace and Cynthia had a lot of ideas on how to tackle them. They were spread out over a course of days which suited West just fine because if there was one thing that he couldn't stand was sitting around and waiting for something to happen. They were being proactive with what they had, and if even a quarter of it lead to something then might be enough to put the Feds option even further into the background.

Just then a major break came in the form of Tyler's car. It made it's way all the way up to Tampa, and West felt that if there was anything of value in it the chances were likely it has been tainted by now. However the chances of it leading to another clue were pretty good, so he was willing to take the trade off in this case. Kevin had to agree with Cynthia that this killer had to have ties elsewhere as well or someone else with him None of that would surprise Kevin at this point. He nodded and said, "If does have ties to Tampa maybe we can give their Department a call sometime today and see if they have information that they might be willing to share." He shrugged his shoulders and said, "The whole spirit of cooperation thing, and since we have so little else to do." Kevin rolled his eyes when he said that, but he did nod as he said, "If Tampa does have a similar case to this then that would really put the kibosh on the Feds getting involved. Face it getting involved in one police investigation is one thing, but two investigations..." Kevin shook his head and said, "There's no way that's gonna happen."

Once Cynthia was finished speaking Kevin said, "Okay let's go see Janet first, and then get back here hopefully by then the lab will have something for us. Then we'll go over possibilities of the first victim and see if we can get an ID, and I'll also call a couple of friends I have back in Auto see if by chance they have heard or seen anything about Doris' car."

Kevin stood up and said, "Let's go see Janet."

He began to head off for the elevator and as he did West said, "Unless you want the thrill of riding on the back of a Harley I suggest we take your car again. In terms of going to the camp site I'll go with you. I have an idea and I realize that you're not gonna care for it but hear me out." Kevin arrived at the elevator and pressed the button as he said, "I'll go with you and drive up. Face it your car isn't exactly designed for camp sites, but my Jeep Durango is and if they see a Prius any locals might be suspicious of us. At least we could look like we're trying to blend in." Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, "Just a thought."
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]The discovery of Tyler’s car in Tampa could mean quite a few things, but Cynthia wasn’t ready to put all of her stock into one ide just yet. First they needed to get the truck back to Miami and figure out how it had gotten that far north to begin with. The killer could have easily discarded it in a known car theft zone, or he could have disposed of it on his own. For all she knew, Tampa could have been where Tyler was going camping, one of the surrounding areas or close to it. He could have encountered the killer on the road after some car trouble and that could be why it was found so far from the man’s home. Either way, the discovery of the truck left Cynthia with far more questions than she had answers, and it was going to be quite a while before she’d be able to figure everything out.

“Let’s not jump to any conclusions yet. I’ll call Tyler’s brother after we talk to Janet and see exactly where Tyler was going camping. It could have been up near the area where his vehicle was found.” It would be her luck that Tyler was on his way to Tampa and had car trouble when he encountered the killer; that meant Tampa police would try to get in on the action. “Damn it…..if Tyler was taken in Tampa we’re fucked.” The language slipped out of her mouth without her mind censoring it. The last thing she needed was another jurisdiction trying to encroach on her case, and that meant she was going to have to play everything even closer to the chest than usual. Tampa wasn’t going to learn anything if she could help it, not if it meant that she’d have to give them her case information and risk a possible leak.

“Tampa doesn’t have any similar cases. There’s nothing in the database matching the killers M.O. All we’re going to tell them is that we’re simply looking for a missing person if they ask any questions.” The detective wasn’t about to share anything. She was having enough trouble sharing with her partner. Telling anything to a complete stranger was out of the question.

West’s offer to drive up to the camp site with her was unexpected, and while she could have argued that she could manage on her own, she reminded herself that he was her partner and that the work was no longer entirely on her shoulders. Plus, she really did hate long drives, especially when she was forced to go out into the wilderness to search for clues. “I guess that could work. Hopefully Tyler’s brother will know exactly what location his brother used. I doubt he’d be able to give us exact coordinates, but it would certainly be nice.” Cynthia was beginning to form an idea of what happened, although it was simply a guess on her own part. They’d need to find Hahn’s car to know for certain if what she thought happened was the truth, but even then they were will missing several pieces of the puzzle.

“We should probably stop by Forensics before we go seen Hahn’s niece. It’s still pretty early in the morning to be driving over there.” Notifying Janet couldn’t be held off for too long, but Cynthia wanted to give the woman a chance to wake up before they broke the bad news. Plus, it would give them a chance to find out of Tyler’s house had turned up anything other than what she had already expected which was nothing but Tyler and his family’s fingerprints. There was no telling though. So far they’d hit a lucky streak, who knew how far it might carry them.

Rising to her feet, Cynthia hit a few buttons on her computer to print out a list of names and addresses that they would need to make their rounds in search of the first victim. There were nine names on the list, and quite a bit of ground to cover. If they each took four and then met up at the last one, they could get it out of the way much faster. Pulling the sheet from the printer, she ripped it in half, handing it over to West as she made her way to the door. “You get four, and I get four. If you find anything promising, call me and I’ll do the same.”[/fieldbox]
 
Kevin noticed that Cynthia was becoming very territorial about this case. Not that he could exactly blame her though after all she had been working this case from the start, and then to have another department or the Feds come in and take over just wasn't something that would sit well with any Detective worth their badge. With him though he had been used to reaching out to other departments it was just the way things were done over at Homicide. The bottom line was to bring the guilty to justice and it didn't matter how it happened. From all outside appearances though the job was all that Cynthia had, and this case was a big one. On one level he wanted to tell her to lighten up and let things happen keeping her eyes on the goal of just catching the killer, but on the other hand Kevin was starting to become focused in on this case and he wanted it solved on their terms as well. As Larry would tell him in situations like this with all sides being equal trust your partner's play. On many occasions Larry did that for him when others wouldn't, and now Karma was calling on Kevin to do the same for Cynthia. Kevin would stand by Cynthia and help anyway he could.

Kevin took his half of the list, folded it, and put it in his jacket pocket. He nodded and said, "All right sounds like we got our work cut out for us for now. I agree with you about going to Forensics. Maybe we might keep on having good leads to work with." It was at that moment that Kevin realized Holden, the tech he punched, might be there. If he was so be it. The Captain and Kevin already settled the issue and if he was gonna go after Kevin he would've done so by now. As long as Cynthia didn't know the truth he was okay with that. If she found out he could just imagine her defensiveness going up, but Kevin had a night to think it over. If he had to do it all over again he'd still would've decked that clown.

Kevin looked at his watch and said, "I'll meet you down at Forensics. I'm gonna call my sources at Auto see if they know anything." He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Figure if nothing else get them moving on it, because it's gonna take them a while to go through their back logs."

Kevin pulled out his cell-phone and dialed the number for the Auto Division. The phone rang once and a voice on the other end said, "Auto Detective Luke Porter."

Kevin replied in a deep voice, "I am your father." Kevin chuckled and said, "I never get tired of that."

Porter replied, "Yeah I ain't heard that one before jackass. How you doing Westie?"

Kevin chuckled and said, "Okay you got me there. Not bad Luke how about you?"

Porter replied, "All-right. Pretty happy over the fact Melissa is getting married Saturday thank you very much my man. No more alimony for me. Heard life is pretty sweet for you now got your call to the show at MCU congrats my man. Did you hear the news this morning?"

Kevin replied, "Thanks what news?"

Porter said, "Larry your ex-partner put in for his gold shield this morning about 20 minutes ago. Said he could see the writing on the wall and decided it was time."

Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, "I talked to him last night can't say I'm shocked. Hey I need a favor see if you all have anything on a car that is missing and is tied into a case I'm working on."

Porter replied, "Go for it. Considering you were the one who fixed up Melissa on that date with that dispatcher, and got me out of alimony Hell name it."

Kevin gave Porter everything he had on Hahn's car and Porter replied, "All right my man i'll handle this one for you personally. No charge to you. Hey I got tickets for the Marlins' against San Fran middle of July you me and about three other guys just living it up. You in?"

Kevin said, "Oh yeah. What's the price?"

Porter replied, "I'll let you know still working out the kinks. I'll get back to you about your car asap. Take it easy my man."

Kevin said, "Back at you my friend."

Kevin hung up his phone and headed for Forensics where he expected to find Cynthia already there.
 
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[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]Cynthia didn’t argue the plan with West, not quite certain if he’d be able to learn anything at all from his source. It was worth a shot, and she didn’t stop him from giving it a try. She didn’t stick around to see what the outcome was, determined to get to forensics to find out if they had any more good news for her. She didn’t stop by the captain’s office on her way to the elevator, wanting to wait a bit longer with more news to give him on the case. Two victims was certainly an step from where she had been previously, but if she could find and ID for the first and begin to form some pattern in the killer’s M.O, she would certainly be a hell of a lot better off. She knew the captain way too well. She and West might be satisfied with the little bit of progress they’d made, but he certainly wouldn’t be.

The first thing she noticed the moment she stepped off the elevator was that the atmosphere was tenser then the previous day, and she would soon learn why. She had only taken a few small steps away from the doors when she was bombarded with the one tech that everyone avoided; Tony Allister. Tony was a strange fellow, and even lower on the social ladder than even Cynthia was. Many considered her odd, but the forensic tech was just plain creepy. With his dark hair that aways looked oily from the hair gel he used, and his thick, black framed glasses, he looked like your average techie. All that he talked about to anyone within earshot was the latest sci-fi trend, and he had an annoying habit of snorting when he laughed. Cynthia tried to avoid the man like he was an infectious disease, but unfortunately for her, he would follow her around until she acknowledged him.

This morning Tony was true to form, offering Cynthia a huge, yellow-toothed grin and a look that made the detective mentally cringe. She wanted to cross her fingers that she wouldn’t have to deal with , but that would have been childish and ridiculous. Whether she wanted to or not, she was stuck interacting with the man, and she was simply going to have to accept it.

“Detective Matthers! Looking lovely as ever. I assume you’re here for the reports on the Tyler house?” Tony greeted her, instantly crossing the distance between them in a rush that made Cynthia take an instinctive step back toward the elevators. She knew what was coming next, and true to form, Tony did not disappoint. “When are we going to go out for coffee?”

He knew her case, which meant he was working on it. Cynthia was not at all happy about it, but there was little that she could do. He was a tech, and he was good at his job. The detective did not smile, simply dipping her head down politely to the greeting. “Good morning, Tony. Do you have the reports on the Tyler house?” She asked directly, ignoring his inquiry about going out with him. It was another habit of his, one that she wished he would give up. Every time they crossed paths, Tony seemed to think he needed to invite her out somewhere. Since he was not a detective, he was allowed to try and ask her out, but Cynthia was hardly interested.

Tony was about to speak, most likely to ask her out again when West stepped off the elevator. She watched Tony’s face take on a scowl as he looked over her shoulder at her partner, and for the first time ever she saw a strange emotion flicker over his face. Cynthia could barely read into it, and she didn’t even bother. “Who’s that?” Tony asked, an emotion that she couldn’t quite understand in his voice. The female cast a glance over her shoulder, shrugging nonchalantly. “That’s my partner, Kevin West.” Tony didn’t look any happier at the news, and for a moment she was certain he might actually say something nasty to West, but instead he spun around and headed off to his office, leaving Cynthia to stare curiously after him. “Such a weirdo….” She muttered under her breath, finally turning to glance over at West. “Let me get the reports and we can get out of here. You can read them on the way to Janet’s apartment.” Cynthia was now far too eager to get out of the station and away from the creepy tech.

Just as she thought that, Tony returned with a manila folder nearly tossing it into Cynthia’s hand. “Here’s your report.” He stalked off in a huff shortly afterwards, leaving the detective to once again stare off after him in confusion. “What the hell was that about?” She asked quietly, shaking her head and turning back to West. “Well, we got our report. Let’s go.” Stepping onto the elevator, she peered over it finding that there was nothing out of the ordinary. No foreign DNA, and a few other prints besides Tyler’s that would have to be run against Tyler’s family. Shaking her head, she handed the folder to West, sighing heavily. “You can read through the rest. It doesn’t look like our luck’s going to continue for too long.”[/fieldbox]
 
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Kevin was almost bouncing off of the walls. Though he was doing everything to keep it contained because he didn't want Cynthia to think he was doing another "Boy Wonder." Not to mention they were dealing with a killer who has so far proven to be about four steps ahead of them. some of it though was hearing a voice that was actually not necessarily friendly but willing to help out. Cynthia for all her gifts as a detective it seemed like accepting or reaching out for help was not exactly in her arsenal. Kevin prided himself on making an arrest and making it stand up in court but the last time he checked he never did it alone. Larry always made sure that he got a share of the credit for a collar, and Kevin learned that life was a lot easier with having someone to balance you out.

As he got down to the lab he saw Cynthia talking with one of the techs. It wasn't the one he slugged but Kevin got the immediate vibe that he wouldn't have minded slugging this one. It wasn't really because of his looks, although he needed some serious help in that area, but the vibe he gave off and the fact that he looked at Kevin like he was the scum of the Earth didn't help his cause. Kevin began to wonder if one of the requirements to work in the lab was to be a jerk. Kevin trusted this people to do their jobs, and he knew that not everyone was like these two, but the whole vibe began to make Kevin wonder about things at MCU.

Kevin took the file and he heard Cynthia give him her opinion of what their luck looked like. Kevin began to quickly glance through the file and nothing stood out for him and he shook his head. Kevin asked, "Why do I have the nasty feeling that our killer knows what we're looking for?" Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, "He knows what to clean up, and just leaves us enough to go on a trail that eventually dead ends. It's like were playing his game on his terms."

As the doors opened a thought entered Kevin's mind and immediately came out his mouth. He said, "Cynthia he's giving us just enough clues to go on, and then when we run out of leads or clues then he might feel the need to give us another clue. Namely another body. " Kevin started towards the car and said, "You said it yourself he's upping his game with the style of murder and all of that." Kevin stopped for a moment and said, "Cynthia if we find out who are first victim is then we will have found out everything about our victims, and that if we haven't caught our killer yet or at least id'd him, then I can guarantee you we will find another body so he can keep the game going. Which leads us to the dilemma of how much to say about our first victim once we find out about them, or do we say anything at all? The family has right to know so we tell them, but within this department and with the pressure getting ratcheted up with every day..." Kevin nodded and said, "I trust the Captain to keep things quiet, but sooner or later the Chain of Command is gonna put all kinds of pressure on him. Miller is gonna look for the first opportunity to Grand Stand to the media once that happens we have lost containment of this case, and all Hell will break loose. We had guys in our department I'd take bullets for, but we also had guys who would sell their own mothers out to get ahead or to look good downtown. "

He arrived at the car and said, "This guy is smart and he's patient he's not gonna just up and leave or come after us. Not until he engages us directly for him this just getting started. Sooner or later he's gonna want to face us directly Cynthia that happens this will get ugly on levels neither one of us can imagine." Kevin paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and said, "All that being said I don't turn my back on my partner. We are gonna nail this guy one way or another.
 
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[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]West’s observation wasn’t something that Cynthia hadn’t considered, but at the same time, it wasn’t really hard for anyone to figure out what they were searching for. “Considering all of the crime shows and novels that are out now, and focused on investigation and forensics, it’s really not all that surprising. What is surprising is how effective our guy is at covering his tracks.” The killer was thorough in his cleaning, leaving nothing at all but what he wanted them to find, and using cluttered, dirty dump sites that were horrible at gathering forensics to begin with. Each site was contaminated from the start, making it impossible to narrow down any suspect at all based on what was found at the scene. “He’s intelligent. If I had to go out on a limb I would say our killer is a white collar worker with a job that requires him to pay close attention to detail. It’s a good place to start, but unfortunately it doesn’t narrow down the list very much.”

There was something else about the killer that Cynthia hadn’t thought of until West mentioned the media, and she wondered how she could have missed it over the past few months. It was obvious that the murderer wanted attention, but he did not want the world’s attention, only the attention of law enforcement. The bodies had been discovered in obvious places where no one would question finding them. Alleys, known drug areas, they were infamous for finding a dead body. Yet, he had gone out of his way to ensure that only the police would know he was responsible for the corpse, leaving just enough of a clue behind to mark his territory without anyone outside the department picking up on it. He didn’t want media attention, and Cynthia worried what might happen if the murders ended up gaining it.

“Miller is an attention seeking idiot, but he’s still a cop. It’s his duty to protect the city, and if he was smart he’d know to keep the press out of it.” No, Miller wasn’t smart, but she certainly hoped that the commissioner along with all the higher ups in the department were. “If he wanted the media to know about him, he wouldn’t make such an effort to keep the bodies hidden, and he wouldn’t select victims that are virtually invisible. The two victims we know of had limited ties to the community, and were only really noticed by their family. Anyone could have walked past them on the street and not thought twice about it. If our killer wanted the attention, he’d take higher profile victims, and he wouldn’t go out of his way to make their deaths seem like over doses, or a drug deal gone wrong.” The killer wanted MDPD to focus on him, and only them. Drawing attention to him from the outside world was only going to make things worse. He would either disappear until the heat was off of him, and reemerge once the public’s attention had shifted elsewhere, or he would make the bodies harder to find. Either way, it would only make more work for them, but it wouldn’t end the killings.

Cynthia had given some thought previously to West’s idea that the killer would make contact at some point, but she didn’t think they’d reached that just yet. “Yes, he will make contact, but I don’t think he’ll be dangerous at first. Right now, we’re not even close to figuring out who he is….we can’t even figure out why and how he’s selecting his victims. He’ll reach out to us once we start developing a better understanding of him, but he’s not going to become a threat until he knows he’s a possible suspect.” They’d have to watch each other’s back at that point, and that wasn’t something Cynthia even knew how to do. She barely even watched her own back. Not because she thought she was invincible, but because she’d rarely encountered a criminal such as the one she was dealing with now. She’d worked homicides before, but this was her first official serial killer. Normally, a cop could go their entire lives without dealing with one, but she’d been lucky enough to have it land in her lap.

As the elevator doors opened, Cynthia stepped off, but waited for West to fall in step with her before she moved to head to her car. She was already starting to form the basics of a profile inside her mind, and had a few more ideas of what she could search in order to start finding possible suspects. “Our guy is focused on the department, and that means there’s something personal there. We should start looking into lawsuits against the police. Wrongful death, wrongful imprisonment, crimes, andpossible some cold cases. It could be that they’re pissed that a case went unsolved and this is their way of striking back.” That was another needle in the haystack, but at least it was something to focus on the killer directly. “Right now though, we’re going to find our best leads through the victims. We need to find out what links them. Did they shop at the same store? Go to the same gym? Did they have the same cellphone provider? There’s some connection to these three that we have to find, and when we do, that’s when we’ll have a better idea of how he’s picking his victims.” Cynthia now had more thoughts to keep her up at night, but at least now she also had things to search for to occupy her time. Sooner or later they’d have what they needed, but exactly what would the killer do then?[/fieldbox]
 
Kevin and Cynthia arrived at Janet's apartment complex. There were a few students heading to campus and there were actually coming back doing "the walk of shame." Kevin had actually done that a few times back in Pittsburgh, but to him it wasn't shame he felt pretty cool about it considering he was a senior in High School. That was until the one time he did it when his mom came home early from an all night shift. Kevin wasn't allowed out for a full month, and even then it was only if he had to absolutely go out. All of that felt like a pleasant memory compared to what he and Cynthia had to do now. When he was with Larry they usually did rock, paper, scissors, to see who had to break the news. Somehow he didn't see Cynthia as the type to do that sort of thing, and besides she did the one yesterday.

Kevin said, "Okay let's go," and with that Kevin got out of the car and went to Janet's front door. He knocked twice and within a matter of seconds Kevin heard a chain being undone, and a dead bolt being unlocked. The door opened and Janet was standing there wearing a running suit and carrying a gym bag. Kevin flashed his badge and said, "Miss Sochi you remember me from yesterday I'm Detective Kevin West..." he motioned to Cynthia and said, "This is my partner Detective Cynthia Matthers. We came to see you yesterday about your Aunt."

Janet nodded slowly and said, "I can tell that something has happened. Hasn't it?"

West nodded and replied, "Yes ma'am we're sorry to inform that your Aunt was murdered." Janet looked as though she had just seen the end of the world and there was nothing she could do to stop it. A few tears began to fall as she took a couple of steps back and said, "I need to sit down, please come in."

West entered the apartment and heard Cynthia close the door. Janet sat down at a kitchen table as she closed her eyes and said, "I promised mom I would keep an eye on Aunt Doris. I so screwed up. She is going to be so upset with me. I was so focused on my work and being a student. I was so wrong." Kevin stood off to the side and Janet opened her eyes as she motioned to two empty chairs and said, "Please have a seat." Kevin sat down and Janet asked, "Are you sure it was murder?"

Kevin nodded and replied, "Yes ma'am it was murder. We don't have a lot to go on at this time we're still in the beginning stages of our investigation."

Janet said, "I know I know. I minored in criminal justice so I know what's happening right now."

Kevin replied, "I know that all of this is a shock, but there are some questions that I need to ask that might help us."

Janet nodded and said, "Of course. Like I said I know what you're doing." She composed herself and said, "No my I don't know of anyone who hated my Aunt. I don't know of anyone else off hand who knew she was going out of town other than me and the owner of the beach house. The last time I saw here was about two weeks before she was going to go to the beach house. Aunt Doris was very excited about going to the beach house, and lastly she didn't mention anyone who she felt was a threat to her." Janet looked around and then back to Kevin. She asked, "Does that about cover it?"

Kevin stood up and replied, "Yes ma'am I believe it does. If we have any more questions we'll be sure to contact you. If you think of or hear anything please call us."

Janet nodded and said, "Thank you Detectives. Please see yourselves out I have a lot of family to call."

Kevin replied, "Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch."

Kevin walked outside and as he turned to Cynthia he said, "Okay let's start calling the schools back at MCU maybe the lab might have something from Doris' apartment."
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]Cynthia let West handle the conversation with Janet, simply nodding her head politely to the woman and following along behind her partner they were invited in. She wasn’t going to intrude on this since she had given him the lead with Hahn. A first she hadn’t entirely believed that Hahn would be a match, but Kevin had been optimistic. As far as she was concerned, he could handle everything that needed to be taken care of on that aspect of the case and she would simply be there to help him out if he needed it. Eventually she’d get the hang of this partner thing, but until then she felt a lot better divvying out the work equally. Wasn’t that what she was supposed to do? She thought it might be time to talk to her old mentor and see if he could give her some tips on dealing with the whole partnership thing, or at least point her to someone who could.

She wasn’t surprised to hear Janet say that she didn’t know of anyone who would want to hurt her aunt, or that the killer hadn’t made contact with her previously. Alarming the victims beforehand made them change patterns in their behavior and put them on guard for strangers, and that wasn’t something that their killer wanted to do. He wanted them relaxed and completely open to a kind stranger which made her believe that their vehicles were sabotaged in some minor way that would force them to stop on the side of the road. They would need to find out what happened to Hahn and Tyler’s cars first, but she had a feeling that was going to give them some sort of lead; just what, she didn’t know.

Once Janet dismissed them and she and West were outside, she led her way over to her car, shaking her head at what West was suggesting they do. “I think the schools are going to be a dead end. I’m almost positive that our victim is eighteen, or old enough that he lived alone.” Sliding into her car, she waited for West to get in and get himself situated before she continued on with her explanation. “Look at our two victims now. They have family in the area, but they live alone. Tyler’s brother noticed he was missing quickly only because they worked together, if they hadn’t, the brother might have waited a bit longer to report him missing. He’s an adult, and he can go off and do whatever he wants at any point. If our first victim was in school, not only would the parents be put on alert when he failed to come home, but the school would have sent out an officer to see why the student was missing so much time. For now, we’ll put the schools on the backburner, and start driving around to the addresses I printed out and asking some questions.”

Cynthia tried to figure out what their game plan for the day should be. With West having come to work on his motorcycle, she felt bad forcing him to go off on his own to interview potential victim’s families. “How do you not get all messy riding a motorcycle to the station?” The female blinked as if she couldn’t believe she’d just asked that and quickly shook her head to brush off the question. “Never mind, it’s none of my business.”

“Let’s go back to the station real fast and see if they got anything from Hahn’s apartment, then we can see where Tyler’s truck is. That’ll give the families a bit of time to wake up.” She didn’t want to add that she had a personal phone call to make as well, believing that it was none of West’s business who she talked to outside the station. It may have seemed a bit rude, but she liked to keep what little personal life she had, private.

“I also need to get in contact with Tyler’s brother to find out where Mark was going camping. I seriously doubt it was some place local, but who knows.” Cynthia drove the rest of the way in silence, letting West throw out whatever ideas he had for what they should do once they contacted the families. Once they got back to the station and onto MCU she began to head off to her office. “How about you go down to forensics and see if they have anything for us, I’m going to go make some phone calls.”[/fieldbox]
 
Kevin nodded as Cynthia laid out as to why the schools would be a dead end. He added, "Besides if this victim was in school I like to believe that the family would be reaching out to the community for help as well. I agree though about putting on the back burner for now."

Cynthia gave Kevin an opening to open up a bit about himself outside of work with her remark about his motorcycle. Though she had said, "never mind" Kevin had no problem talking about it. He said, "First I don't live too far. Second if it's a nice day like today it's no problem, but if we have weather that's less than ideal I take my Durango. The Harley is more of a toy that anything else, and it was a gift so when I use it I am reminded of the person that gave it to me."

Cynthia told him that she needed to make a phone call and to head on down to forensics. Kevin nodded and while enroute he got a phone call from Luke. He stopped into his office and answered his phone, "West."

Luke replied, "Ahh yes Detective West is answering by his last name only. My man is in his game on mode. Listen Kev I got bad news and news about your car. I suggest you take the bad news first."

Kevin said, "All right Luke what do you got?"

Luke said, "Well I got information about your car. The bad news is it was picked up in a chop shop we busted about 10 days ago. Meaning most of the good stuff that the lab rats love has been tainted or compromised and there is no way the D-A would allow it in a courtroom."

Kevin shook his head and said, "Terrific. Well it was worth a shot."

Luke replied, "Hey there Super Kev you ain't dead yet. Remember I said we busted the shop 10 days ago we still have the gang including the leader. We are bringing the leader in from lock up at County and we're gonna see if he can give us some info about where the car was picked up and that sort of thing. It's not much but I figure it might help you out a bit. I mean this chop shop was high end they got everything on computer and all that jazz. I got the techies going over it all again and see what they can find out."

Kevin said, "Luke you the man. You are the man. Thanks bro."

Luke replied, "I do what I can. If I get anything from this yo-yo or the techies get anything I'll give you shout out. Stay cool my man and say a prayer for us not blessed to be at MCU."

Kev said with a chuckle, "Go in peace my son." Kevin hung up knowing that Doris' car was probably going to dead end sooner than later all he could do was say a prayer. Just then something odd hit him about the word "prayer." The Angel image, Churches are very diverse, what if there was a religious aspect to all this case that they had overlooked?

Kevin picked his phone and dialed a number. The voice on the other end said, "St. Matthew's Catholic Church Father Tony Marco."

Kevin said, "Hello Father Tony this is Detective West."

Father Tony said, "Ahh yes Kevin, or since you referred to yourself as Detective I can assume that this is an official Police call. Haven't seen you in a while at Confession."

Kevin replied, "I know Father it's been about two weeks..."

Father Tony said, "Try three weeks, but at least your attending Sunday Mass. Anyway what can I do for you?"

Kevin replied, "Father I know you have an interest in other religions and the occult I was wondering if you knew anything about Angel's wings and how they might be used for death."

Father Tony paused for a moment and said, "I can assume this is for a case you're working on and I am being asked as a Priest to be silent about it. Correct?"

Kevin replied, "Yes Father. Three people killed and this is the one common thread we have."

Father Tony said, "It's not much to go on Kevin, but I'll see what I can come up with for you."

Kevin replied, "Thank you Father. I'll talk to you Friday after Confession around 12."

Father Tony said, "Looking forward to it Kevin. May God be with you and may you grant justice in his name to those who are mourning."

Kevin without even thinking crossed himself and said, "Thank you Father have a good day." Kevin hung up and sprinted down to Forensics. Where he was greeted by Holden who took a step back and Kevin said, "Okay truce. I just need to know if you all have anything for Detective Matthers or I."

Holden took out a clip board and said, "Give us about another 10 minutes we're finishing things up. Wait outside and we'll let you know."

Kevin nodded and took a step outside of the doorway and waited for Cynthia to arrive.
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]“Sullivan.” A gruff voice answered the phone much to Cynthia’s delight. Usually she would have to speak to the man’s wife, who was constantly trying to set her up on a blind date with her nephew. While she adored Max Sullivan and his wife Susan as an aunt and uncle that she’d never had, getting arranged on a date wasn’t something that Cynthia was thrilled about. Fortunately she got to skip through the pleasantries of speaking to Susan, and could talk to the person she was trying to reach directly. “Hey Max, it’s Cynthia.” She greeted in return, actually mustering up a tiny smile. Max Sullivan had been the detective that had worked her parents’ case, and her mentor when she first joined the MCU. She trusted him more than most people, and in spite of her awkward ways, even had something of a familial relationship with him. They often met up for cookouts in the summer, and occasional he and his wife would invite her out on their boat when she had a weekend off. He was the closest thing she had to a best friend, and Cynthia valued his advice.

“Cynthia! Long time, no chat. I haven’t read anything about you in the news. Must be keeping whatever it is you’re working on pretty hush hush.” Cynthia was quiet, knowing that Max was testing her. She wasn’t going to tell him what she was working on, even if that had been the reason that she called him. Luckily, she had called him with questions about having a partner. “Yeah, hush hush. Listen, I wanted to ask you for some advice.” Cynthia went quiet, waiting to see if Max would ask anything before she continued on. “They assigned me a partner.”

“You? A partner? Jesus fucking Christ, I’ve heard it all now!” He bursted out into laughter, actually taking several moments to settle down. When he finally could speak again, he continued to chuckle under his breath. “So what’s the problem? Are they an asshole? Need me to come up there and straighten them out?”

Cynthia rolled her eyes, grateful that the man couldn’t see her over the phone. Max was a typical man, overprotective to a fault but Cynthia never paid it much notice until she needed to jump between him and another person. “No, nothing like that. I just…..don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I feel like I’m treating him like an assistant….and quite frankly he’s not really giving me much to go on except to constantly tell me he’s got my back. Whatever that means.”

To Cynthia’s dismay, Max began to laugh once again, this time heartier than before. She huffed silently to herself while waiting for him to settle down, even more troubled when he finally answered her. “Having a partner is like having a spouse. You have to tell them what you’re thinking, what you plan on doing, everything you’d do in a relationship. The only difference is, there’s no sex, and there’s always the chance you’ll have to knock them out of the line of fire from time to time.”

Cynthia pondered over his response, even more uncertain how she was supposed to act when it was compared to marriage. Her longest relationship was maybe six months long, and she had never been the type of person to tell anyone what she was thinking or where she was going. Is that really what West expected her to be like? The thought was actually appalling to her, but she had no choice in the matter. West was now her partner and she wasn’t going to be able to get out of it until she retired. Sighing heavily, she decided she’d have to find someone else who could give her a bit of advice, because the whole comparison to marriage wasn’t going to work with her. “Thanks Max. How’s Susan?” She asked quickly, eager to change the subject to something a bit more comfortable. They chit chatted for a few minutes before she told him that she needed to go, still having one more phone call to make before she joined West down at forensics.

Her phone call with Andrew Tyler was much shorter and a bit more informative. His brother was supposed to go to John Pennekamp, in Key Largo. Apparently he was also an avid diver, and had planned on going diving during his trip. Key Largo wasn’t nearly as far as she’d thought, and if it weren’t for the fact that she was going for an investigation she probably would have enjoyed the trip. It gave her a place to look though. She could always call and find out if he had been there, but she thought going down herself would be a lot easier.

Once she hung up with Tyler’s brother, Cynthia headed up to forensics to see if West had any luck finding anything out. It hadn’t been long since Tyler’s car was found which meant they still had a while to wait on that, but the rest of the forensics should be finished up. “Find anything out yet?” She asked West, glancing around to make sure Tony was nowhere to be seen before she let herself relax and focus on her partner.[/fieldbox]
 
Kevin waited for Holden to get back to him as Cynthia arrived. She asked him if there was any new information and he replied, "They said they should have everything ready for us within the next ten minutes. From what I could tell by body language and tone of voice it didn't sound like they were going to be making any major breaks in the case with the look over at Hahn's apartment." Kevin slowly shook his head and said, "I think this is the part of the investigation where things may hit a bit of a dry spell."

Kevin walked over to a nearby soda machine and paid for a bottle of water. He was feeling slightly dehydrated from the run this morning, and a healthy set of nerves having to tell Janet about her Aunt. Kevin could tell also his blood sugar was also starting to go a little low, so in addition to the water he began sucking on a piece of hard candy. Kevin said, "Type two diabetes is always fun to deal with in this job." He leaned against the wall and looking at Cynthia Kevin said, "I got a call back from my friend over at Auto. The good news they found the car about ten days ago. The bad news it was in a chop shop already cut up." Kevin opened his water and took a swig after the swig he put the cap back on and said, "However according to Luke, my friend, this was a high tech operation from top to bottom. He was impressed with how well it was organized which meant they kept computer files on everything. Their techies are going over everything see what they can come up. Luke is also having the ring leader brought up from county lock up and see if he can give us anything to work with. " Kevin took another swig of water and said, "Green cars down here are not that common, and if their records are that detailed we might get lucky again."

Kevin took a couple of steps closer to Cynthia. Not so close as to make her feel uncomfortable, but enough to let her know that what he was about to say wasn't for public knowledge. Kevin looked around and said, "What you told me about the Angel wings got me to thinking. That there's an angle we haven't really looked at yet, and that is the spiritual aspect. By that I mean what if this guy is some kind of religious fanatic or cultist? I placed a call to my Priest he is bound by his office not to share what he knows to anyone but me." Kevin looked back at Cynthia said, "If you can't trust a Priest who can you trust? Anyway, he studies Cults and Religions as a way of better understanding matters of Faith and yeah he's a spiritual thrill seeker it's a hobby for him." Tony shrugged his shoulders and said, "It takes all kinds. Now I didn't tell him anything about the victims or the case itself other than mentioning the wings. If there's anything to this case from that aspect Father Tony will know it."

Just then Holden walked out with the file and stopped. He looked at Kevin and Cynthia and then to Kevin. He handed West the file and said, "Here you go Detective." Kevin took the file and said, "Thanks." Holden just looked at Kevin for a second and nodded as he said, "Anything else you need gimme a call. I'll help you out." Kevin replied, "Absolutely thank you for your work." Holden and Kevin actually gave each other half a smile as Holden walked away. Kevin flipped open the folder so Cynthia could see it too and through the first scan of the first page Kevin saw nothing. He shook his head and said, "Second verse same as the first. Nothing nothing that wait a minute..." Kevin pointed to one of the items inventoried was an answering machine. Kevin looked at Cynthia and asked, "Tell me something Cynthia. Don't you find it odd that as long as Doris was missing over two weeks no one called her apartment?" Kevin shook his head, "Nothing. No telemarketers, no one associated with the beach house, no other family. Not a single call what so ever."

Kevin gave her the file and walked a couple steps away. He finished his water and as he threw the bottle in the recycling Kevin said, "I find that very odd indeed. Our guy may have come by the apartment more than a few times to erase the machine."
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]Unlike West, Cynthia was a bit more optimistic about the lack of physical evidence at either of the victims’ homes or with Tyler’s car. The lack of evidence told her just as much as the presence of it did. “That’s not necessarily true, if you think about it. This guy is thorough, and has knowledge of forensics, and the methods that they use when collecting evidence. There are some things that people can learn from shows and books, but even that would lead them to making a mistake. Look at his method of killing. He can kill his victims without having any contact with them. All he has to do is give them an ultimatum….say, their freedom if they eat the glass and drink the bleach. Yes, they know that it will harm them, but if they assume that he’s going to release them, they might believe that they have time to seek help before it gets that bad.” Cynthia was convinced that the victims were drinking the bleach willingly, but exactly why she didn’t understand. Her theory sounded like the most reasonable, but even then it was a stretch. “Or, he could be using some type of psychological torture that wouldn’t involve him having any contact with them. Break a person down bad enough, then give them the option to end it.” She shrugged, wishing that another hundred ideas hadn’t popped into her head now that she was in that line of thinking.

“Either way, we’re dealing with someone who blends in. He managed to get our victims to go with him, which means he’s charming enough that he wouldn’t put anyone on alert. Again, that leads to someone who is educated, and well spoken.” Cynthia realized that she was giving a bit more of a profile than she actually meant to, but it was hard to stop herself once she got started. She finally did get quiet when West admitted to being a diabetic, although that was simply because she as at a complete loss of what to say. If it wasn’t work related she was scrambling to think of something to steer the conversation back to something she was comfortable with, and outside of books work was it. She made a mental note to keep that in mind for the future in case she needed it, but other than that she wouldn’t mention it.

The female was surprised at all to find that Tyler’s car wouldn’t give them any evidence, and she already knew that Hahn’s car probably wouldn’t either. The cars had either been chopped up, or stolen so that the only evidence that would be left behind would be by the thieves. “I doubt the leader will give us anything unless he gets offered a deal, and even then he won’t have much to give us. Our guy’s too neat to leave something around for forensics, he’s not going to leave anything there that a civilian can find.” She wasn’t going to ignore the possibility, but she was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. A lead from the chop shop would be miniscule at best, and most likely would not lead them to their killer.

The religious aspect wasn’t one that Cynthia would have considered, mostly because none of the victims seemed to be what she would consider sinners. The two that they knew of were seemingly decent, law abiding citizens who just happened to cross paths with a killer. “Maybe….but I don’t think we’ll find any of that with our victims, at least not unless we dig further into their background. We should probably start digging through their history, see if there’s something that might link them together in the past.” Probably for the first time since they started working together, Cynthia flashed him a small smile. “I wasn’t thinking about that though. Good catch.”

His final statement was one that Cynthia did have an answer to, although she wasn’t sure he’d like it. “Most people forward their calls to their cell phones when they know they’re going to be away for a few days. Chances are that’s what happened. We’ll have to get a subpoena for their phone records, but that’s easy enough. We can stop at the D.A’s office on the way to talking to the families.” None of the cellphones had been found which meant they were still somewhere. “We can call the companies too and see if they can track the phones. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the killer just dumped them out a car window while he was driving.” She didn’t believe that for one minute, but again she was hoping. “Come on, let’s head over to the courthouse. We’ve got nine families to track down. If we’re lucky someone will be home at all of them to answer our questions.” Cynthia led the way to the elevator, ready to start getting the show on the road. So far it was looking like they would be busy again, but at least she had gotten some sleep the night before and could handle sticking around until they tracked down the last name on the list.[/fieldbox]
 
Kevin followed Cynthia to the elevator. The small smile made Kevin feel like that was the first time he might have a chance of seeing a human side to Cynthia. Granted it was a glimmer, but all things considered it was a start.

He wasn’t counting on too much help form Father Tony, but if anyone could figure this out it was him. Kevin had, for lack of a better term, Faith in him but considering how little Kevin gave him in terms of details Faith was exactly called for.

The subpoena for the phone records would be easy enough. Though Cynthia had given weak rationalization as to why there wouldn’t be anything on the phones, still the more Kevin thought about it The Killer was smart. Very smart in fact it’s entirely possible he did have some electronic skill to manipulate the machines. Suddenly his observation about the answering machines began to look very weak to Kevin. He almost wanted to apologize for even suggesting it. Still though it was a lead that deserved to be checked on for the sake of the case, and more importantly for the sake of the families who deserved to have answers.

In response to Cynthia’s hope about the cell phones. Kevin shook his head slowly and said, “You said it yourself Cynthia. This guy is very smart he would have a plan for those. My guess remove the Sim Card pour bleach on it to render it useless, break the phone in half, one half in the sewer, and the other half in the trash opposite ends of town away from the crime scene. Cell phone issue solved.” He looked at Cynthia and said, “Dealt with this enough back at Homicide there are a few dozen ways to deal with a cell phone, and frankly as smart as this guy is he probably…” With that there was a queasy uneasy feeling in the pit of Kevin’s stomach. He looked as though he was going to be physically ill, and then closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them the doors opened and Kevin stepped out, and walked over to a pillar and just leaned for a moment. He looked at Cynthia and said, “I’m okay it’s not a diabetic issue to deal with right now. I just had a sickening thought enter my mind about this.” Kevin nodded and said, “You said it yourself as it has been noted that this guy is smart, and in a lot of cases too smart for me.” He shook his head and said, “He knows our playbook backwards and forwards Cynthia. He’s four steps ahead of us because of that.” He titled his head back let out a deep exhale and then looked back at Cynthia and said, “You mentioned that he could get his information from books and CSI, however there’s only so much that one can learn from those things. I had a friend in Forensics back in Homicide who served as an advisor for a few episodes on ‘CSI: Miami’, and the producers were very clear about one thing.” Kevin took a step forward and said, “Leave out a minor step or two along the way, or do not say everything about what you’re looking for or doing. This way no one at home can just sit there and learn everything there is to know about what we look for and that sort of thing. This guy knows everything backwards and forwards. He knows the Forensics aspect in terms of what we are looking for, he leaves just enough for us to go on leading up to something bigger. He knows where to dump the bodies so we can’t really get any solid evidence, he can control the evidence chain, and he knows that we’re looking for a connection but what if there is no real connection for us to latch onto Cynthia? What if this is the part that is supposed to distract us?”

Kevin knew what he was saying was just out there. That he was sounding like he was grasping at straws, but at that moment all the facts were pointing to someone who had a knowledge beyond CSI or stuff from the internet. This killer knew the playbook and knew it by heart. If it wasn’t someone actually in the lab it was someone in the lab then it was someone who knew someone in the lab. Kevin finally said the thing that was making him feel like he was going to throw up. He looked at Cynthia and said, “Within the next 24 hours there will be another dead body. He's gonna know we made enough progress that it's time to take it up a level. " Kevin knew that Cynthia was gonna poke a million holes in all of this, but it needed to be said. Kevin stepped away from the pillar he was leaning on and said, " My suggestion is that we also go by personnel and pull the files of every guy who was let go under less than ideal circumstance, or had a grudge against the Police Department for the last five years from Forensics across the board. Budget cut, investigation you name it. A motive for revenge is what I'm saying. I also realize that if we start looking at our own that's going to lead to a lot of trouble eventually, but Cynthia look at everything happening right now and how this is all too neat just to be random chances. ”

Kevin shook his head and started walking towards her car and said, "Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't know. Things are just too neat."
 
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[fieldbox= Outside Miami-Dade Precinct, Indigo]They watched as Matthers got into her car, not bothering to scooch down in the seat or even try to hide themselves. The car they were in was stolen, with stolen plates, and rather inconspicuous to even the detectives photographic memory. It blended in with the sea of blues and white vehicles, looking like every other car out in the parking lot. Behind dark sunglasses and beneath the bill of a Miami Dolphins baseball cap, their gaze watched as Matthers climbed into her vehicle, along with her new ‘partner’, the latter receiving a malicious glare. They should have been happy that she’d been assigned a partner; she worked too hard as it was, but they wanted all of her attention for themselves. This was out of their hands right now though, but soon they’d have to take care of the man who was now following Matthers around like a loyal little puppy dog.

The killer watched until the car was out of sight, ignoring the stench of bleach that had filled the small confines of the car. A quick glance behind the front seat to the floor behind them was all that was needed to ensure the body hadn’t moved, even though they couldn’t do much about the small amounts of blood that oozed onto the seat. This scene was likely to make even the toughest detective grow pale, and they hoped it would be the one that finally got Cynthia’s attention and kept it only on them. Really, why should they have to compete with her partner for her attention? She was supposed to be alone, like them! People like the two of them didn’t need someone mucking about behind them, they were both too smart for that.

Realizing their temper was getting out of control, the killer reined in his emotions and sighed heavily. A good five minutes had passed since Matthers and her sidekick had left, and it was safe for them to pull out of their spot now. They had a body to dump, one that they were surprised Matthers wasn’t aware of yet. She had the identity of the third victim, but they realized she must not have dug too far into the circumstances of his disappearance just yet. It didn’t matter. Sooner or later she’d pick up on her mistake, and they would be one step closer to meeting face to face. One final glance at the scrap of newspaper with Cynthia’s image and they sighed again, a calloused finger stroking over the paper. “Soon, but not yet.” They whispered to the image, but just as quickly as their attention had turned to it, it returned back to the road as they began to drive. They had the perfect location for this dump, now all they needed to do was wait until nightfall to set everything up.[/fieldbox]




[fieldbox= Cynthia, Teal]West was right, the cellphones themselves were gone, but the killer could not completely wipe off all evidence of them. “True, we may not be able to find the phones themselves, but we can see their actions prior to their disappearance. Chances are the last spot the GPS picked them up is the last spot they would have been seen. If we an get that, at least we’ll have something to go to the public with for eye witnesses. No matter how careful the killer was, there’s always a chance that someone drove past and thought nothing of what they saw. How many times have you rode past someone getting a jump start and not paid any attention to who was standing around? We don’t take notice when our help isn’t needed.” Of course Cynthia was an exclusion to that rule. Nearly everything she saw went into her memory at least for a while before she finally dismissed it as unnecessary.

Frowning as West seemed to grow pale and looked as if he was about to puke all over himself, Matthers cocked her head slightly wondering if she should let him sit the first visit out. The last thing she wanted to do was startle the family with an ill looking partner at her side, especially when she was bringing possibly grim news. But her partner continued to speak, and Cynthia lightened up at least a little, hearing him out. It was true that books and shows didn’t give all the details of forensic investigations, but they did give enough that the killer would know what to clean up. “True, but we’ve already figured that the person we’re dealing with has a good eye for detail. Perhaps they deal with law. Lawyers know what goes on in investigations, they’d have to. Paralegals, doctors, Paramedics…..there’s quite a list of people who would understand at least the basics of forensics, and have the capabilities of cleaning up. Lawyers and doctors….they could easily afford it, along with their own private building to hold the victims for days at a time. The list of names is endless.” She already knew that the person had something against the legal system, but was it cops or the courts they were trying to strike out against?

“Looking at it from your way, it would make sense that we’re looking for a lawyer, one who lost a case because of a faulty investigation.” There were plenty of criminals who got off because of tainted evidence, and quite a few who had been locked up because of circumstantial evidence. How many times had she felt she’d had the wrong person because the evidence was shaky, yet the DA insisted they had enough? She could think of two off the top of her head, and decided that she would go back over their cases once she got back to the station to see who was involved in them.

Cynthia barely noticed how quickly the drive went as she and West bounced around ideas, but soon they were pulling up in front of the house of the first potential victim. It was in the nicer part of the city, and it was obvious that the family was the type who would be actively pursuing any news of their missing son, which wasn’t always the case in a big city like Miami. A part of her hoped that this wasn’t the victim’s home, not wanting to destroy any hopes that their son might return home alive.

Parking her car, Cynthia glanced over at West with a furrowed brow, questioning exactly how they could handle the questioning without putting the families at alert. “For now, I think it’s best that we don’t mention the bodies just yet. No need to set them off in a panic when we don’t know for sure if their relative is our victim yet. We’ll find out the circumstances behind their disappearance, find out if they had their own vehicle that hasn’t been found, and if they were taking a trip before they vanished. Chances are there’s only going to be one family who will give those two points, and that’s when we know. No mention of DNA until then. Having a bunch of people in a panic is the quickest way to get the press to start sniffing around again, and we don’t need that.[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Outside Miami-Dade Precinct, Indigo]They watched as Matthers got into her car, not bothering to scooch down in the seat or even try to hide themselves. The car they were in was stolen, with stolen plates, and rather inconspicuous to even the detectives photographic memory. It blended in with the sea of blues and white vehicles, looking like every other car out in the parking lot. Behind dark sunglasses and beneath the bill of a Miami Dolphins baseball cap, their gaze watched as Matthers climbed into her vehicle, along with her new ‘partner’, the latter receiving a malicious glare. They should have been happy that she’d been assigned a partner; she worked too hard as it was, but they wanted all of her attention for themselves. This was out of their hands right now though, but soon they’d have to take care of the man who was now following Matthers around like a loyal little puppy dog.

The killer watched until the car was out of sight, ignoring the stench of bleach that had filled the small confines of the car. A quick glance behind the front seat to the floor behind them was all that was needed to ensure the body hadn’t moved, even though they couldn’t do much about the small amounts of blood that oozed onto the seat. This scene was likely to make even the toughest detective grow pale, and they hoped it would be the one that finally got Cynthia’s attention and kept it only on them. Really, why should they have to compete with her partner for her attention? She was supposed to be alone, like them! People like the two of them didn’t need someone mucking about behind them, they were both too smart for that.

Realizing their temper was getting out of control, the killer reined in his emotions and sighed heavily. A good five minutes had passed since Matthers and her sidekick had left, and it was safe for them to pull out of their spot now. They had a body to dump, one that they were surprised Matthers wasn’t aware of yet. She had the identity of the third victim, but they realized she must not have dug too far into the circumstances of his disappearance just yet. It didn’t matter. Sooner or later she’d pick up on her mistake, and they would be one step closer to meeting face to face. One final glance at the scrap of newspaper with Cynthia’s image and they sighed again, a calloused finger stroking over the paper. “Soon, but not yet.” They whispered to the image, but just as quickly as their attention had turned to it, it returned back to the road as they began to drive. They had the perfect location for this dump, now all they needed to do was wait until nightfall to set everything up.[/fieldbox]




[fieldbox= Cynthia, Teal]West was right, the cellphones themselves were gone, but the killer could not completely wipe off all evidence of them. “True, we may not be able to find the phones themselves, but we can see their actions prior to their disappearance. Chances are the last spot the GPS picked them up is the last spot they would have been seen. If we an get that, at least we’ll have something to go to the public with for eye witnesses. No matter how careful the killer was, there’s always a chance that someone drove past and thought nothing of what they saw. How many times have you rode past someone getting a jump start and not paid any attention to who was standing around? We don’t take notice when our help isn’t needed.” Of course Cynthia was an exclusion to that rule. Nearly everything she saw went into her memory at least for a while before she finally dismissed it as unnecessary.

Frowning as West seemed to grow pale and looked as if he was about to puke all over himself, Matthers cocked her head slightly wondering if she should let him sit the first visit out. The last thing she wanted to do was startle the family with an ill looking partner at her side, especially when she was bringing possibly grim news. But her partner continued to speak, and Cynthia lightened up at least a little, hearing him out. It was true that books and shows didn’t give all the details of forensic investigations, but they did give enough that the killer would know what to clean up. “True, but we’ve already figured that the person we’re dealing with has a good eye for detail. Perhaps they deal with law. Lawyers know what goes on in investigations, they’d have to. Paralegals, doctors, Paramedics…..there’s quite a list of people who would understand at least the basics of forensics, and have the capabilities of cleaning up. Lawyers and doctors….they could easily afford it, along with their own private building to hold the victims for days at a time. The list of names is endless.” She already knew that the person had something against the legal system, but was it cops or the courts they were trying to strike out against?

“Looking at it from your way, it would make sense that we’re looking for a lawyer, one who lost a case because of a faulty investigation.” There were plenty of criminals who got off because of tainted evidence, and quite a few who had been locked up because of circumstantial evidence. How many times had she felt she’d had the wrong person because the evidence was shaky, yet the DA insisted they had enough? She could think of two off the top of her head, and decided that she would go back over their cases once she got back to the station to see who was involved in them.

Cynthia barely noticed how quickly the drive went as she and West bounced around ideas, but soon they were pulling up in front of the house of the first potential victim. It was in the nicer part of the city, and it was obvious that the family was the type who would be actively pursuing any news of their missing son, which wasn’t always the case in a big city like Miami. A part of her hoped that this wasn’t the victim’s home, not wanting to destroy any hopes that their son might return home alive.

Parking her car, Cynthia glanced over at West with a furrowed brow, questioning exactly how they could handle the questioning without putting the families at alert. “For now, I think it’s best that we don’t mention the bodies just yet. No need to set them off in a panic when we don’t know for sure if their relative is our victim yet. We’ll find out the circumstances behind their disappearance, find out if they had their own vehicle that hasn’t been found, and if they were taking a trip before they vanished. Chances are there’s only going to be one family who will give those two points, and that’s when we know. No mention of DNA until then. Having a bunch of people in a panic is the quickest way to get the press to start sniffing around again, and we don’t need that.[/fieldbox]
Kevin listened as Cynthia gave her point of view, and while she didn't exactly endorse what Kevin had said about the killer possibly being one of their own, he at least didn't feel like he was being ignored though. One thing Larry taught Kevin about having a partner was that it wasn't always about agreeing with one another, but rather it was about listening to the other person's point of view. There were times that Larry and Kevin would get into some legendary shouting matches with each other. To the point that they would look at one another and think, "All I need is an empty parking lot, and an alibi." It never came to that though and usually any ill feelings were over within a day or two because solving the case was way more important than their bruised egos. No matter what was said during the case when the case was closed it always ended with the two of them celebrating with steaks and beers and Charlie's bar and grill.

During the ride out Kevin was as quiet as Cynthia was, because while they were heading off into a nice area of the city Kevin the feeling of impending doom hung over him. First every fiber of his being was telling him that there would be another body turning up within the next 24 hours. Kevin had no evidence to prove this, but it was just a feeling that something was coming. This killer was smart which meant he had to know by now Cynthia had a partner. Again no evidence but if this killer was as smart as he was proving to be so far he was watching them. Which in turn meant he knew about the new wrinkle that was being thrown at him in the form of Kevin West. Secondly possibly telling a family that their missing loved one was now dead, and not being able to give them too much information about all was difficult. In this case Kevin was in complete agreement with Cynthia concerning not telling them about the body. Burying a child was the most unnatural thing for any parent to do, and to find out that your child died in such a horrifying manner made it worse.

When the car stopped and Cynthia finished speaking Kevin looked at Cynthia and nodded. He put on his sunglasses and said, "I agree with you about keeping quiet about the bodies. Let's not overload them with too much information and considering we don't have a lot to go on that shouldn't be too hard." Kevin undid his seat belt and said, "About our other possible suspect profiles...." he shook his head and said, "I can't really argue with you on that this killer isn't some run of the mill street urchin. He's very smart and sadly there may be no pattern to all of this. He might be psychopath who is doing this just for some kind of thrill or rush to out smart the cops. We plug up one hole and three others break open."

Just as he started to get out his phone and rang and he saw that it was Luke. He answered, "Yeah Luke what's up?"

Luke replied, "The ringleader remembered the car. He said two of his crew found it in a lot abandoned on East Cherry. Not exactly one of the finer neighborhoods in Miami. It was an easy snatch and grab for them. We're getting ready to bring the members who stole the car in for questioning. We get anything I'll call."

Kevin looked at his notes and said, "All right Luke thanks."

Kevin hung up the phone and said, "Well the ringleader remembers the car he says they found out in a lot on East Cherry. About three blocks over from where Doris was found. They're bringing in the two members see if they got anything to say. I'm not holding out much more hope on this but you never know."

Kevin flipped through his notes and said, "We are getting ready to talk Mr. Carl and Sylvia Robbins. Their son Gary is a freshman at the U Bio major and works at the Bartox lab as an intern."

Kevin gave his head a slight shake and said, "Let's go meet the family." With that Kevin got out of the car and began to walk up to a house that looked like at had been featured in many architecture magazines.
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]Whether her partner believed that a criminal would tell the truth about how they obtained stolen property, not when they could try to use the information to shave time off their sentences. They would say or do anything to avoid a long stint in prison so they could get back on the streets and continue what they were doing to begin with. For all she or West knew, there could have been a bottle of bleach in any of the stolen vehicles that the thieves wouldn’t have considered to be more than trash. No matter what information the car thieves had for them about the location of the vehicles and when they were found, if there was any useful evidence it was long gone by now. “I doubt they’ll have anything we can use. Even if they left something in the cars, the evidence has already been tarnished, and we wouldn’t be able to use it. They screwed us over no matter which way we look at it.” Cynthia wasn’t happy, but she certainly wasn’t pissed either. Criminals weren’t known to give a damn about making a cop’s job easier even if said cop was not pursuing them.

The detective didn’t need to be told who they would be speaking with, or about the white 2013 Honda Civic that was reported missing along with Gary. She could give her partner the list of names, addresses in order along with all the facts listed in the reports, but decided sooner or later he would learn about her talent without her being a smart ass about it. “For now we’ll play the car theft ring as our angle. We’ll find out where he was driving to, if he was going anywhere out of town, that sort of thing.” It was definitely easier than making an approach under the search for a missing person. By now the family had already spoken to those detectives and given them all that information in the past. They’d get suspicious if she and West began to repeat the same questions they had already answered. Playing it as an investigation into another crime would most likely help keep the family calm, and Cynthia hoped, more cooperative.

Cynthia decided to take lead on this one, not because she didn’t trust her partner, but she needed all the practice in dealing with families that she could get. When it came to actual detective work, Cynthia could do it with her eyes closed. Dealing with actual people was a whole other story.

Climbing up the stairs to the front door of the house, taking note that there were no cars parked in the driveway or in front of the house other than her own. Reaching out to press the doorbell she half expected to stand around for a moment and walk away with no response, but mere seconds after she pressed the button a young woman pulled open the door. It was obvious to Cynthia that the girl was ill, her face was ashen and she clutched a thick quilt around her shoulders. If that hadn’t given away her illness the way she croaked out ‘Can I help you?’ certainly would have.

Holding up her badge for the young woman, Cynthia tried to smile sympathetically at her, feeling slightly guilty for disturbing the girl’s rest. “Good morning. I’m sorry to disturb you, but we’re looking for Mister or Missus Robbins. We’re investigating a string of car thefts in the area and had a few questions about the Honda Civic that was included in a missing person’s report.”

There was a moment when the girl tensed up, but she seemed to relax the second Cynthia mentioned car theft and not anything to do with her brother. The girl coughed into her fist before answering Matthers. “They’re my parents, but they’re at work right now. I could probably answer a few of your questions, unless you’d rather stop back later to talk to them.”

It would have to do for now, and Cynthia decided that if the girl answered her questions the way that she thought she would, she would definitely come back later that afternoon to speak to the adults of the house. Nodding in agreement, Cynthia flashed the girl another quick smile of thanks. “Do you happen to know exactly where the car was when it went missing? Was it parked in front of the house, or in a parking lot somewhere?”

The teenager shook her head quickly, clearing her throat with another soft cough before she answered. “No. My brother was supposed to drive up to Virginia to go visit a few campuses up there and see one of his friends. We’re not sure where he, or the car were when they went missing.”

Nodding her head, there was one answer that Cynthia had hoped she wouldn’t receive, but had known deep down she would get. “Is it possible that there may have been some trouble with the car? Sometimes car thieves will disable something or loosen some wires to get someone to pull off the side of the road to take the car.”

The younger woman shook her head again, this time not even bothering with clearing out the hoarseness of her voice. “No. My dad had the oil changed a week before Gary was going to leave, and he had new tires put on a month before that. Everything was fine.”

Cynthia asked a few more questions centering around the car; if there was GPS inside which there was, but it had been shut off somehow. The last location they could track the car down was outside of Miami, and that not a mile further. Her parents had searched the area along with the detectives from MPU, and not a trace of it could be found.

“Thank you for your time, miss. Could you please tell your parents that we will be back later this evening to speak with them?” Cynthia pulled out one of her cards, jotting down West’s information on the back of it before handing it over. “If they have any questions, they can call me or my partner. His number is on the back.” The girl nodded and without another word closed the door and locked it. The detective didn’t take much offense to it, knowing she wouldn’t have been very patient either if she’d been forced to stand at the door while she was sick.

Waiting until she and West were inside the car, she pondered what to do next. Her gut already told her that Gary was victim number one, and all they needed to confirm it was his DNA, but there were still several names they needed to eliminate as well. “What do you think? Should we go pay the other families a visit, or wait to talk to the Robbins later on?”[/fieldbox]
 
Watching Cynthia interact with someone she was questioning was an interesting thing for Kevin to watch. She could empathetic on a certain level without going overboard on emotion, but also very level headed without seeming robotic. Although every part of Kevin's being knew that once she got a killer in the interrogation room it was all over for them. Not many cops could walk that kind of tightrope and do it effectively like Cynthia, but this also meant that they had some kind of personality to work with. There were many layers that made up the complex package that was one Cynthia Matthers, and the more time he spent with her the more Kevin was start to become intrigued with this complex person.

The Robbins interview was textbook. The fact that this could be victim number one's family weighed somewhat on Kevin's mind. He watched the interaction between the Robbins' daughter and Cynthia and once again Cynthia was textbook on everything. Kevin watched the young lady inspite of her illness be honest and patient with each of the questions. The way she took the card and took the time to look at the number also said something to Kevin as well. This young lady was committing it to memory.

As they got back in the car Kevin listened to what Cynthia had to say. He knew what Cynthia was thinking just by the way she asked him about going to interview others. Cynthia was straight forward enough that if she didn't believe this was it she would've just asked for another name on the list. Almost like she was looking for Kevin to back her up on her suspicions. Kevin asked, "You saw the way she took that card right?" He nodded and said, "She was committing that number to memory and the way she locked in on you. Cynthia I'll bet anything that within the hour her parents are calling us, because if they figure we're looking for the car then their son's case is being looked at some point. Meaning they're gonna want to know if we know anything." Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, "Which technically we don't know anything at this point, but I saw into the house they got pictures all over of their kids."

Kevin nodded at Cynthia and said, "They're calling us, and yeah every part of me says that we're going to be telling this family their son is our first victim." Kevin put his belt on and said, "Look at the cars that were involved the 2010 Malibu and the 3014 F-150 both cars are very plain and won't attract attention like say a Ferrari or a Caddy. Those would be high profile now these cars are not high profile, and they're new enough that they could still useful to a chop shop or someone for parts. " Kevin looked towards the driveway and said, "A 2013 Honda with new tires and, I'm assuming, a quality GPS worth something and very ordinary."

Kevin stared out as he waited for Cynthia to start driving and said, "All that being said we should at least talk to a couple more until they call us. Once we talk to them that will pretty much either make or break what our guts are telling us."
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, teal]Cynthia was under the same impression as Kevin was that the Robbins would be contacting them soon enough to find out the real story behind their visit. Sooner or later she was going to have to come clean with the families, but she wanted to wait until she was 100% positive that their son was the first victim. Their next interview looked equally as promising as the first, although the stories weren’t entirely the same. There was enough similarities between the two missing young men that either one of them could be John Doe number one. “The next person we’re speaking with is Alvin Gordon. His son Jeremy was reported missing on the same day that victim number one was found dead. According to the report, Jeremy was heading up to Tampa to visit his girlfriend at her campus and never came home.”

Recalling the report in her mind, Cynthia began to list off all of the basics before West could even bother reading the report. “Jeremy is eighteen years old, doesn’t attend college, but works full time at Home Depot. His father reported him missing when his work called to say that he hadn’t reported to work three days after his expected return. Also missing along with him is a two thousand eleven red Volkswagen Jetta. Last none contact was with his girlfriend on January fourth when he left her to return home.”

There were quite a few things that screamed out that Jeremy could also be their first victim, but one glaring flaw that made her believe that he wasn’t. The Tampa factor was the one thing that stood out in her mind, along with the fact that Jeremy was also taking a trip out of town for the weekend prior to his disappearance. What led Cynthia want to scratch him off the list was the fact that unlike their previous victims, Jeremy had contact with someone before his supposed return to Miami. The other victims had not been in contact with anyone, which meant they most likely hadn’t reached their destination, or had made a premature return home. The detective would rule out Jeremy yet, not until she spoke with his father first.

The area of the city they were going to wasn’t as nice as where the Robbins lived, but it certainly wasn’t one of the dilapidating neighborhoods either. “2978 Pinehurst, apartment C. Not bad, but not the best. At least we shouldn’t get heckled while we’re there.” Having grown up and patrolled all around Miami, Cynthia knew where to keep her head low and where she could walk around safely without having to watch her back constantly. Right now they were entering territory that was in the middle. As long as she and West kept their eyes straight and didn’t stick their noses up at anyone they should be fine.

The parking lot in front of the building was basically empty give or take a few random cars that looked as if they’d been sitting around for a while. Cynthia didn’t wait long to scurry out of her car and into the building, taking the flight of stairs that would lead her up to the second floor and apartment C. Knocking once, Cynthia leaned in to listen for any traces of life behind the door, not truly expecting anyone to answer. It was still early in the day and most people were at work, and this proved to be the case with Alvin Gordon. Retrieving one of her card from her pocket, Cynthia scribbled down a short request that Mister Gordon call her when he got the card and stuck it in between the door and its frame.

Once she and West were back in the car, the female nodded her to the stack of papers. She wanted to test West’s ability to sift through potential leads, and decided to let him chose who they would interview next. “Pick one and give me the address. You can take lead on this one.”[/fieldbox]
 
There were certain factors that made Gordon less likely to be their first victim to Kevin. The first one was the car. Granted it wasn’t exactly very flashy in terms of its make and model, but it was the wrong color. The color red is the first color to leave the color spectrum; it attracts one’s attention hence the reason more red cars get pulled over than any other color. Another fact that Kevin’s friend Luke passed onto him among many others concerning cars. He should’ve waited until they actually talked to Mr. Gordon about the situation before making this determination, Larry would be whacking him upside the head of he found out Kevin was doing this , but in his mind Kevin was already crossing the Gordons off of the list.

When Cynthia asked him to pick a name on the list Kevin nearly did a double take, but kept it cool. It seemed like she was starting to make an effort to make him a real part of the investigation. Considering they were now in equal footing in terms of what they knew about this case Cynthia was showing signs that she wasn’t the control freak Kevin had her pegged for. Of course this could all suddenly change, but Kevin was willing to give her a bit more of the benefit of the doubt now more than 24 hours ago. Kevin replied as he pulled out the list, “All right then let’s go with…” his eyes scanned the list and said, “Pierce. Mrs. Alma Pierce widowed lives on Broughton Road. Single mom works retail full time with an 18 year old son named Jeffery been missing for the last three weeks. Drives a dark gray 2112 Toyota Corolla Jeffery is a recent high school grad attends the Community College part time in hopes of being a writer, and works part time as a dishwasher at ‘Alberto’s.’ Was going out of town to meet up with some friends in Orlando for a weekend. Never made it to Orlando.”

When they arrived at the Pierce’s house Kevin undid his seat belt and said, “I’m following your lead on this in the sense of not telling them about the dead body we have.” He looked at the house which looked like it had seen its best day back in the mid 90’s, but to the Pierce family this was their home and it was a home that now was missing a family member. Kevin got out of the car and made his way to the front door listening for Cynthia to follow behind him.

Kevin knocked on the door and Alma opened it up. Kevin asked, “Good Morning Mrs. Alma Pierce?

Alma nodded and replied, “Yes.”

Kevin said, “My name is Detective Kevin West. This is my partner Detective Cynthia Matthers. We’re investigating a string of recent car thefts and noticed yours with the missing persons report.

Alma asked, “Do you think that when you find the car you’ll find out what happened to Jeff?”

Kevin shook his head and replied, “We can’t comment one way or another at this time Mrs. Pierce. We are in the preliminary stages of our investigation. If they are connected we will let you know at that time. The car where was it went missing?”

Alma shook her head slowly and said, “I don’t know it was with Jeff. I couldn’t care less to be honest with you about that damn car.”
She looked up at Kevin with tears in her eyes and said, “I just want my boy back, and if he isn’t alive then I just want to give him a proper burial. That’s all I want Detective. I just miss my boy so much. He was good boy.” Alma wiped the tears away and said, “He was a hard worker wanted to be a writer and make money so we could get out of here. Jeff always talked about using his writing to make a difference. Used to post online a lot hoping someone would notice him and maybe offer him a job. He was going to have some fun with some friends in Orlando, and he never got there.”

Alma looked at Kevin and said, “Please Detective just find my Jeffrey. Please”

Kevin wrote Cynthia’s information on the back of one of his card. He gave Alma his card and said, “If you think of anything that might help us let us know ma’am. If we find out anything I promise we will contact you.
Alma took the card and nodded. She walked back into the house and closed the door.

Kevin made a beeline back to the car and buckled up quick. He stared at the dashboard and said, “I didn’t see much point in pressing on she is so overcome with grief she wasn’t going to be much help. Not to mention with her taking the focus away from the car sooner or later we would have to resort to lying about what we may know.” He looked at Cynthia and shook his head and said, “I draw the line there. I am not going to lie to a woman whose entire world may be getting to implode.”

He put the list on the center console and said, “Let’s pick another one.”