Victims (Surpysoup x towerofpimps)

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SurpySoup

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There were so many things Luke hated, like the color red, police cars, and thunder. He hated mirrors, knives, and high-heeled shoes. So of course it would be just his luck that he'd be caught in a thunderstorm, in this strange, new town. The streets weren't terribly packed, there were mostly just people in suits under their umbrellas, their shoes tapping on the pavement. The clack of heeled shoes were so loud in his ears, echoing as they splashed through puddles. The noise was an unrelenting beat, slamming against his brain. He clenched his hands before hugging his jacket to his body, lowering his gaze to shelter is face from the rain. Maybe he should just find a taxi and get a ride home.

A sudden clap of thunder startled the young man, causing his gaze to snap into focus on a woman in a business suit who had the unlucky misfortune of having red hair. He grit his teeth, hands clenching again, and someone said something to him, just barely audible over his shoulder. What did it say? No, nevermind. He needed to get out of the rain. He caught sight of a police car out of the corner of his eye, parked on the side of the road to his left. To his right... a small cafe. Shelter from the storm. It was quickly entered, and Luke shook his hair out, getting excess water from the brown mess.

He went to the counter to order some hot chocolate, and as he sat there with nothing to keep himself busy, he stared off into space and saw nothing but red.
 
Jason was on trail like a bloodhound. He was called in from the FBI to a small garden town when three bodies with the same M.O. It seemed like at the time there was a killer going on a spree. It was only until bodies in other towns showed up across the map was when they realized that what they had was a serial killer: and a messy one at that. Not messy in the way that he left evidence everywhere, but the way that he killed them. Whoever this was he was either very disturbed or a monster. Either way Jason would find out soon hopefully.

Nothing has been said if anyone has seen the killer, and in fact there was only one thing linking a person to the crime; a single strand of hair. Honestly it wasn't much to go on especially since it didn't click anything in the database for DNA. Jason sighed and got out of a black car and ran to the cafe. He really needed some caffeine. Once inside the small cafe he took off his coat and ordered a large coffee and found himself a nice small corner where he could read the newest file undisturbed. One body was found a week ago near the river at the edge of this town.

Once he got his coffee he took off his glasses to read the file without having to push them up constantly.
 
Luke's hot chocolate was piping hot, delicious. As he expected, no less. His clothes were soaked, his hair a wet mess, and it was making him cold. He sat at a table, alone, staring blankly at the deco table in front of him, occasionally his gaze falling into his cup. After he finished his drink, wiping the chocolatey foam from his upper lip with the back of his hand, he decided to make a quick run to the restroom before he continued on his miserable way in the rain. His path would take him near the table with the lone man drinking coffee and reading something. Joy. His attempts to avoid all human contact that day would be a failure.

He stared at the floor as he walked, making sure to avoid eye contact at all costs. That was when he miscalculated his footing, and his shoes slipped on the tile floor and sent him staggering right into the man's table. The papers he was reading, what was originally organized neatly in a manilla folder, were sent spilling onto the floor. Photographs stared up from the tile, documents of official appearance, clippings from newspapers... Luke bent quickly, automatically, spewing apologies and quickly working to pick the papers up. So stupid. How could he have let this happen.

As he was gathering the papers, his eyes scanned a few things. Morbid curiosity. A photograph of a girl stared at him. There was another, a partial photo of a lot of blood and what looked like pieces of meat scattered around... That could've been an arm right there, hanging off of a tree limb by the water. Oh god. He felt like he was going to be sick, but not from the gruesome content. Realization was settling in, and he recognized the photograph of the girl. This was a police report.

Quickly, he slammed the papers onto the table they'd fallen from, not looking at the man that was probably on his feet, probably trying to take the papers back from his hands anyway... And he quickly rushed into the men's restroom.

"Dead end. It's a corner. You've trapped yourself, Luke..." he muttered, though his expression wouldn't betray that he'd even spoken. He seemed surprised to hear the words coming out of his mouth, and he glanced at the mirrors lining the wall above the sinks. He was staring back at himself, and he hated it, and rushed into a stall. "Trapped."
 
Jason was sipping at his coffee casually and staring at the case files he's seen about twenty times this week alone. He grunted in frustration and ran a hand through his hair and looked around the room casually. There were very few people in the café which would make sense since it was pretty late out. He registered that there was someone coming towards him a tried to cover up most of the documents. That was until the man knocked into the table and everything fell to the floor. It was a good thing that he was holding his coffee.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed kneeling down and grabbing his glasses that were knocked to the floor, luckily they weren't broken. He quickly started to gather the papers, nervous that someone would see them. Jason stood straight and saw that the man was looking at some of the photos and tried to grab them back. The mystery man slammed the papers he had down on the table and ran into the bathroom.

Jason didn't really waste anytime gathering the papers and shoving them unceremoniously into the folder before chasing the man into the bathroom. "Hey I got a bone to pick with you" he said to the hidden man in the bathroom "You can't just go and look through documents like that" Jason was irritated and too strung out to deal with this situation properly. "You're glad you didn't even see the worst of it." He grunted as he started to pace around the bathroom staring at the stall door with dark green eyes rimmed by black glasses.


What was he evening doing here? He looks like a madman waiting to get his prey. Jason quietly contemplated his life thinking about taking a short break from the case. No he couldn't do that, he had to investigate while the trail was still hot. Then why the hell was he in here trying to deal with this loser that stumbled into him?
 
Luke was on the verge of mentally panicking, but something in him kept him calm. Unusually calm. He knew what this man was, knew why he had those documents. Police, or FBI. Didn't really matter either way. He was on the coat tails of a killer, and Luke was the only one who knew who that killer was. He was standing with his back facing the toilet, eyes wide, staring at the door to the stall. He didn't want to come out. He had actually just wanted to dry his hair a bit, maybe use those fancy hand-dryers to blow dry his clothes some. Another shiver reminded him that he was cold, and that's why he was going to the bathroom in the first place.

He swallowed, then slowly opened the stall door. He peeked out to look at the man, at his frustrated look, his disheveled hair, dark circles under his eyes that were barely hidden by the glasses. It was almost a charming look. The look of a man taking his job seriously, to the point of almost being consumed by it. The younger man stepped out of the stall, trying to straighten his wet clothes without stretching them out.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't see--" he blurted, jumping right into an apology. He stopped himself though, knowing he was beginning to lie, to a cop at that. He knew the cop saw him look at those photos. Even though they were really a quick glance, that was enough. He hung his head in shame, staring at the tiled floor. "I slipped, didn't mean to bump into your table."

What else was he supposed to say? He wanted to help out, he knew that girl. But if he opened his mouth about that particular detail, he'd only land himself in more trouble. Couldn't have that. Water from his hair snaked down the side of his face, tickling him as it slipped into his shirt collar. He rubbed at the side of his neck where it tickled. Then he awkwardly tried to tuck his hands into his damp pockets, still not looking at the police. Need to do something to get him off his back. So if he wanted to get out of there and run away, never to be seen in this town again, why were the words that came out of his mouth not 'Sorry it happened, won't again, have a nice day'? Instead..

"Can I buy you a new cup? Maybe some food. You look like hell, man."
 
When the man stepped out of the stall Jason started to relax a little. He was being ridiculous. Jesus how could he act so stupid? Jason really needed a stiff drink soon. "Look I'm sorry too, I don't mean to be so snappy at you" Jason sighed pushing up his black glasses up to the bridge of his nose. Man he needed a stiff drink.

Jason looked the man up and down taking in his wet attire. "It looks like you're the one in need of a hot drink" he commented "Thanks for the offer." He gave the stranger a crooked smile. "My names Jason by the way."

Jason couldn't believe he was about to have coffee with the man whose ass he was about to kick but he guessed that was just life. It always worked in weird ways, anger can diffuse at a simple kindness. A single piece of hair can give a lead in a very important serial case. An unassuming cafe can become quite eventful. "How about I meet you outside?" he asked turning away to walk out of the bathroom. He walked slowly back to his original table and began to re-organize the files back in chronological order as he waited.
 
Luke stared after the man, blinking. He wasn't expecting that to work. What was he going to do? He thought Jason would have just been angry, shouted at him, and then blow him off and go back to his table. He swallowed..then remembered why he was going to the bathroom in the first place. Gotta pee, then dry off some. He hurried back into the stall and took care of the first issue, washed his hands, then went to the air dryer and dried his hands..and his hair. Paper towels were used in abundance to try to soak up some of the water from his shirt. Once dried more than before, he left the bathroom and searched for Jason.

He tried to approach him casually, but a nervous jitter had entered his step, and he fidgeted with the damp hem of his shirt. He cleared his throat as he got closer, trying not to look at the folders being organized.
"So, what can I get you?" He asked, choosing to focus on the man's eyes and glasses instead of anything else. "I know they have some pretty good sandwiches here..."

He only knew that fact because of advertisements. Truth be told, this was the first time he'd even entered this particular cafe. It wouldn't be long before he skipped town, anyway, so why not. Maybe that was why he was acting friendly to this officer. He knew he wouldn't be here long, so there wouldn't be anything to worry about. Right?
 
Jason put away the remaining files and looked up at the man. "Just another coffee, black please," he said putting the thick file down underneath his chair. He looked back up and flashed a small smile "Thank you" he said sitting back in his chair. When the man walked to grab the drinks he pulled out his phone to check the time. Nine fourty six... Jason sighed, he needed to get to bed early today for a meeting in the morning.

He looked up when the man came back and took the drink gratefully "So... What's your name?" he asked moving forwards in his chair more alert now. Jason sipped at his hot coffee and looked at the man intently over his glassed almost as if he was getting ready to interrogate. He didn't mean to look like that it was just that he couldn't really relax completely, especially in a new town.

It didn't help that Jason had hundreds of facts about past murders constantly plaguing his mind even when he was relaxing. Laura Summers chopped up and strewn across a tree. Kelli Traw found in three separate alleys. Gina Delarosa, blood completely covered a single wall. All three were red heads but that's where similarities ended. The rest of the victims were not red heads but were treated less violently.
 
Luke had brought Jason his coffee, and bought himself another hot chocolate. Needed to warm up his bones. He sat a little nervously, holding onto his cup with both hands.

"It's Luke," he stated, a sort of half-smile peeking from one side of his mouth. He took a sip from his drink, then glanced sheepishly up at Jason. "So... You're a cop? Local PD?"

He couldn't help but ask. It was probably dangerously close to prying, but really, what else was there to talk about? 'Nasty weather we got out there,' or 'Hey, I recognized that chick in those photos. Yeah, I was the one that put her there. Well, not -me-, exactly. But I was there... In body, at least.' No. He couldn't really say anything else. His gaze fell away from the other man again, shameful. Never honest, not completely. He buried his thoughts in his cup with another sip.

As Luke waited the maybe...one or two seconds it would take for Jason to decide whether to properly answer him or not, his internal monologue completely shifted from the nervous 'what if he hates me' to 'you shouldn't be talking to him at all.' He was an officer of some kind, police department, detective, FBI maybe? Didn't see a cop car pull up when he arrived. Undercover? He's investigating a murder, that's for sure. And one that Luke was familiar with. Intimately familiar. He shouldn't be risking this. One slip up could cost him everything, and he'd be on the run again with more blood on his hands, and we wouldn't want that, would we? No one need to die without purpose.

And what about those red-heads? What was their deaths' purpose? Revenge, still? It was going on a little too long, given that it'd been nearly five years since the first... Luke blinked, feeling his eyes sting with the prick of tears. He shook his head, cleared his throat, shifted in his seat and changed his grip on his drink before taking another sip. He'd zoned out, who knows how long, and Jason had probably already answered him, but he hadn't heard a thing. He was embarrassed now, his lightly tanned cheeks coloring a shameful pink as he couldn't find the courage to look at the man across from him.
 
"Ahh no, FBI." Jason answered looking at who is now known as Luke. He took a small sip from his coffee and pushed up his glasses with a smile. It didn't seem like Luke was listening too intently but Jason decided to talk still "Been following a murderer since a few months ago. A new one popped up in this very town just a few days ago." he said with a shrug "Do you live around here?" Jason asked watching him critically.

The agent was in desperate need of information, any kind will do. A person fleeing from the crime scene, any sort of blood trace on anyone, anything he could get his hands on. He was willing to ask anyone about it even though it's very unlikely that person saw or heard anything about the new victim, Theresa Monta. A nice tall brunette woman with what used to be pretty skin. Damn this murderer was practically a modern day Jack the Ripper (except he didn't purely kill prostitutes) . Maybe it was the Ripper's ghost causing all this. Jason laughed at the notion quietly and shook his head. Maybe he needed more sleep than he thought.

Once he realized he wasn't getting an answer he asked his question again "Do you live in the town Luke?" he tilted his head and took another sipp from his coffee.
 
His cheeks flared up again as he snapped his attention back to Jason.
"Uh. Yeah. New in town, really. Only been here a couple of days," Luke answered absently. He didn't want to say too much, or sound too interested.."Must be a pain in the butt, following a murderer."

He lowered his gaze and stared into his hot chocolate, swirling it around. He knew it was a pain. Murderers were either terribly predictable or so unpredictable you'd pull your hair out. He knew the one Jason was chasing. Swallowing a gulp of hot chocolate a little too fast, and almost burning his tongue and throat, he quickly set his cup down. He coughed behind his hand, eyes watering, and gasped a few cooling breaths of air. Then he laughed in that silly way embarrassed people do.

"Ehheh. Drank too fast. So um. Is the FBI a lot different from regular police?" He asked. He wanted to keep Jason talking. It was.. nice. And it kept him distracted, if he remembered to actually listen to what was said.
 
Jason shrugged "There's aspects that are the same, paperwork for one but since the whole country is our district we get to travel around and coordinate with multiple local PDs at once. That and you have to go to Quantico for school." He looked at Luke with interest "As for chasing murderers it makes me wanna rip my hair out chunks, a pain in the butt is putting it lightly" he laughed "It's nice being able to look your age and not twenty years in the future."

"Ah what brought you here?" He asked shifting around in his seat. "Everybody has a reason to be where they are, the barista is here to make money, I'm here to catch a murderer, so what's your reason?" Jason pushed his dark bang out of his eyes swiping them to the side. He was silently studying Luke, a two days ago was when the murder happened.

It's highly unlikely in Jason's book that Luke was the killer because the town got a lot of drifters that stay here for a few days only to leave again. But then again maybe he should ask where else Luke has gone... No that'd seem too suspicious. Jason decided to leave the topic for now so he wouldn't offend Luke.
 
Luke stared down at his drink, frowning at it as though its near emptiness offended him. Then he let out a breath, calming his racing heart.
"Running," he said quietly. "From my past. From myself."

He shrugged his shoulders, not looking at the cop. "My home leaves me with bad memories. Had to get away from it before it drove me insane. Now... Just traveling to see if I can find a place that succeeds in taking my mind off of things."

After a while, he looked up at Jason with a sad sort of smile. That probably wasn't the kind of answer he was expecting. School, money, friends or family...those are usually the reasons for someone to move, right? Not their past... And he knew his answer was only going to elicit more questions out of Jason, but at the same time, he didn't mind. It was nice finally being able to talk to someone.. The last time he was able to tell anyone everything was...years ago. Five years ago...

Before he gave Jason time to pry into his past, though, he smiled brighter and focused Jason with an intent stare. "Where are you from?"
 
Jason listened with a small nod before answering "Ah...Well, I was born in Canada but lived in a small border town in Washington for most of my life." the agent shrugged "Nothing very interesting..." he said casting his eyes down in thought. He hasn't been home in ages, or called his mom. He wondered for a moment how angry she would be if he just called her up tomorrow... Probably livid. Jason should call though, he hasn't talked to her since he left. It'd could be nice, but then again that was around seven years ago.

"So that begs the question, where do you come from Luke?" he asked looking back up at the man with a small amused smile "And have you found the place to take your mind off of things?" he decided to ask both. Luke was starting to become interesting in a sort of odd way. He was distant and it was a calming feeling. It was nice to have someone try to peak under the covers and not rip them completely off.
 
"East coast." He gave a rather vague answer. He knew that if he gave the city he started in, well..if Jason wasn't suspicious already, he probably would be. Actual city would link up with where the murders began. No need to make things worse for himself. "I don't know. Something always seems to pop up when I think I've found a place to stay for a while. I end up staying no more than a week before I'm off again..."

Dead bodies kept popping up, he thought in amusement. A frown creased his forehead for just a second before he finished the rest of his hot chocolate. Or lukewarm chocolate. It was starting to go cold now. He entertained the thought of how much longer he'd be here. Probably leave within the week. But... He didn't want to keep running. Jason was nice, what if there were other nice people? And...maybe he could get help? Help!? He didn't need help! He was quite capable of taking care of himself, he didn't need anyone else doing that for him!

"So, uh," Luke blurted, setting his cup down rather shakily. "Besides doin' the FBI thing, what else do you do? Volunteer at the local shelter, sports, knitting?" He smiled, attempting to focus all of his attention on Jason so he couldn't hear the war raging in his mind.
 
"That's too bad, everyone deserves a place to call home" Jason sighed with a distant look. He was thinking about how long it has been since he's been home in his little apartment. Man he missed his place in D.C and wanted to go home. He wanted to catch the killer and put this to rest, he wanted to feel like he wasn't loosing three years of his life everyday from stress.

"I don't really have many hobbies anymore, but uhh, I used to play video games on my down time at home." He said rubbing his eyes. Luke was starting to push out a suspicious vibe and Jason didn't even want to deal with it right now. Too much reminiscing and too much focusing on catching the killer. "Now I just read a novel on my down time."

Jason stared at Luke wondering what the man was keeping from him. It was nice talking to Luke to distract his mind even if that mind was constantly profiling people. It was more than likely that Luke new something about the murders but wasn't telling him... Or he could be wrong and make a man angry for assuming otherwise. "What about you? Have any hobbies?" he asked just before finishing off his lukewarm coffee.
 
Luke tilted his head, thoughtful. Hobbies..hobbies... Hm. He gave up on hobbies when he started moving around. The fewer things he had to bring with him, the better.
"Bird watching. I like hiking and watching or listening to birds. I haven't had the time to do that in a while, but it's always nice."

Was that his hobby? What did he used to do before he had to run? Learning how to swim. Video games. Playing with his dog. Their dog. Well, all that was in the past now. He let out a quiet sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. It didn't sound like it was raining anymore, and he hadn't heard any thunder in a while. Maybe it was safe to venture out, go back to the rented apartment.

"You look tired." Luke stated after opening his eyes again. He could see the lines in Jason's face. Even though the man probably wasn't that old, he was stressed out. Worn thin, by the looks of it. He could only imagine how consuming it could be to live your life trying to catch someone constantly eluding you. "I don't mean to keep you here for so long.. I mean, if you have anywhere else to be.. Or a place to stay--do you even have a place to stay while you're in town?"
 
Jason thought for a moment, did he remember to check in at a hotel? He frowned for moment and shook his head "No I forgot to check into my hotel when I got in... I should probably do that." he sighed "And I enjoy the company, I don't get to talk much other than business" Jason gave him a small smile that softened his face. "But I should get going, I have a meeting in the morning. Say, do you need a ride home?" he asked standing up and stretching a bit.

Bird watching was not a hobby most people had, but if you moving around a lot it'd be something to pickup especially if you were going to different regions all the time. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before looking outside. It seemed to stop storming outside but how long have they been in here? The agent looked at his phone, it was a quarter to eleven. The two have been talking for an hour.
 
Luke stood up as well, slowly and carefully. He was watching Jason, contemplating. Should he get a ride with the FBI agent? His apartment was certainly walking distance, but if he got a ride, it'd be easier just in case the storm hit again. Weather could be unpredictable like that.

"Um, sure. Why not. I don't live far, but I'd rather not get caught by a surprise shower," he replied, giving a little laugh. He tugged at his clothes, testing their dampness...wasn't too bad now. Sitting and chatting gave them time to dry off some. "And if you're too tired to make it to the hotel, I've got my little futon at the apartment. I can always sleep on the floor.."

He blinked, then stared with wide eyes. Why would he just invite the guy to stay over? He hardly knew him, and he was FBI, after all. Of course, there wasn't anything incriminating at his apartment.. it was about as stark as it got in there. A futon, blankets, pillows, and the usual included apartment appliances. He barely even had any food at this point. He swallowed and turned, making his way quickly to the door.

"On second thought... Maybe I should just walk..." He chuckled in embarrassment. "I mean, you've got to get up early. Would be better for you to go straight to your hotel so you can shower and sleep, right?"
 
"I wouldn't take your bed from you anyways" He said shaking his head as a decline in the offer " But I can still drive you, it's on the way" Jason offered while he grabbed his coat and folder "Besides it's the least I can do and you're wet and it's cold outside" he headed for the door and looked back "Wouldn't want to catch a cold would you?" he pushed the door open and stepped outside holding it for Luke.

"It was sweet of you to offer me a place though" He smiled at Luke widely and pushing up his glasses "I... appreciate it." he said before digging in his pockets. He pulled out a small business card and held it out for Luke to take. "It uh... Has my personal phone number on it. You can give me a call whenever you want." he offered with a small shrug.
 
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