THE HUNTERS

 

By: LML

 

Send Comments to: llavigna@nycap.rr.com

 

      Part 0

 

      Disclaimers:

 

      I have no claim on either Forever Knight or Hunter. Hunter is the property of Stephen J. Cannel Productions. Frank Lupo is the creator behind the show HUNTER. Fred Dryer also has rights to the show too, as he was made an executive producer during the sixth and seventh seasons. He directed several episodes of the show, as well as produced some of them. FK is the property of James Pariot, Barney Cohen, Sony and Tristar entertainment.

 

Check out Fred Dryer’s website at

 

http://www.freddryer.com/

 

      Hunter ran from 1984 to 1991. Stepfanie Kramer played the role of DeeDee McCall for six of the show's seven-year run. In the final season of the show, Darlanne Fluegel and Loran Lane played the roles of Sgts. Joanne Molenski and Christine Novak. Fluegel played Joanne Molenski, and Lane played Christine Novak.

 

Fred Dryer was a football star years ago. He was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams for nearly ten years. He also played college football 1967 to 1969. For more info, check out some of the unofficial websites.

 

      Stepfanie Cramer, DeeDee McCall loves acting and singing. She did some singing on the show during the time she was on it. She has also released a CD as of 1999 called ONE DREAM. Check out amazon.com for it. Check out Stepfanie's official website.

 

http://www.stepfaniekramer.com/

 

As far as FK is concerned, I'm really miffed that the sci-fi network took it off the heir. It was a great show when it was on.  I wish I owned both Hunter and Forever Knight, but that would never happen. Someone please tell the SCI-FI network to please, pretty please, put it back on. If you want to catch Hunter, it's on the superstition TBS, at 1:p.m.

 

For story purposes, I'm pretending that Caine is still captain of Metro, DeeDee never married Alex Turner, Joanne Molenski and Chris Novak were partners with Hunter for a short period of time, however they are now gone. Joanne isn't dead. She's alive and well in New York.

 

From the FK prospective, "LAST KNIGHT" happens, but Nick and Nat survive it. Unfortunately Tracy is no longer among the living world, nor is she one of the undead. Too bad, because I liked her character a lot. I just didn't think she'd fit well in this story line. I don't know if LaCroix will show up in this one. It could possibly be the first in a series, I don't know yet. Check out the other FK fan fiction at

 

http://www.fkfanfic.com/

 

Please send comments and criticisms. If you like it let me know. If you don't like it, or if it offends you, then please don't read any further.  Please give me some critical suggestions.

 

One final note. I'm rating this story as PG for some parts. Nothing explicit, no language, but I just want to be on the safe side. Thanks ahead of time for reading this little piece of my imagination.

 

Disclaimers are shown above in part 0.

 

 THE HUNTERS

 

By:   LML

 

See disclaimers in part 0

 

Part 1

 

Toronto, Canada  October 1, 1996

 

It was one of those days when you didn't want to get out of bed. Nick hadn't wanted to get up and go to work, but since he knew he would have to get over all the pain at some point he decided it would be best if he hauled his ass in and dealt with this whole mess sooner rather than later. It had been almost a year since Tracy's death, and nearly two since Schanke and Cohen's deaths. He decided to stay for the aftermath of the shooting of Detective Tracy Vetter, but beyond that he wasn't sure what he wanted. But Natalie needed him. They both had been through so much in the last few years: Natalie almost being a cereal killer's next target, Natalie losing her goddaughter, the senseless deaths of police captain Amanda Cohen And Detective Don Schanke, Nick being paired up with Tracy Vetter the daughter of police commissioner Richard Vetter, and finally the murder of Tracy Vetter. That had only been the tip of the ice burg.

 

The ringing of his cellular phone startled him from his thoughts. "Knight," he said into the phone.

 

"Hey, Nick, its Reese. Glad I caught you. Look, I hate to tell you this, but we've got something weird going on here down at the shop. Somebody called in and said that later on you're going to be getting a homicide case that will be a real career breaker. As a standard policy, the call was taped and traced. But the voice was prerecorded. The lab boys can't get anything from it at the moment."  Thanks Captain. When I get in I'll look over my current cases and see what I can come up with. Maybe this guy is someone I've dealt with before, or maybe there will be a connection somewhere."

 

Reese agreed and disconnected. Nick finally got up the energy and resigned himself to go down to the caddy and head into work. Once at the precinct, he went over his current cases and couldn't find anything wrong. Just then Reese flew out of his office.

 

"Nick, we've got a homicide. Young girl; that's all I know. Here's the address." He handed the paper to his detective and watched as he left. As Nick exited the bullpen Reese added: "I'd go myself but I'm a little jammed up here until the paperwork on the Harrison transfer comes through. Let me know how it goes."

 

At the crime seen, he found two officers standing off to the side talking to a sergeant from his precinct. "What do we have, Miller?" When the young woman looked at Nick. He could see her eyes were filled with tears.

 

"It's a kid, Detective Knight." Miller said in a controlled voice. "She doesn't look any older than fifteen or sixteen. Dr. Lambert's with her right now."

 

"Thanks, Miller." Nick left and headed over to where Natalie was kneeling on the ground. He could tell that it had been a pretty quick death for the girl. Nat saw him and rose from where she was kneeling.

 

"Okay, here's what we've got. Young girl, approximately sixteen-years of age. According to the wallet in her pocket she's Jessica Saunders, a high school senior here in Toronto. She was stabbed right through the heart with what looks like a very sharp blade. The force of the blow and the severity of her wounds suggests that it was done by someone very strong." Nick looked from Nat to the girl and then back at Nat again. He couldn't help but notice two obvious things. First there was very little blood at the scene, and second the girl didn't fight back.

 

"Nat, there's not much blood here." The coroner looked at him with a knowing look.

 

"Could it be a renegade?" Nick shook his head.

 

"I don't sense anything. But what I do notice is the bruises on her head."

 

"I noticed that too. Looks like she was knocked out first and then murdered. When I get her back to the lab I'm going to run a rape kit as well. I'll let you know what I find." She turned away for a minute trying to hide the pain she felt for this child. Nick noticed but didn't say anything. He waited until she turned back toward him once again and then voiced his thoughts.

 

"Nat, if you want I can get someone to handle this one for you. I know how this brings back memories of your goddaughter Cynthia." He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder and she shook her head.

 

"No. I've got to do this myself. It's been a while now since I've seen a dead child's body and if I'm going to remain in my current profession I'd better learn how to deal with it again. Besides, Cynthia was younger than this girl by at least four years."

 

Nick could tell she was trying to hide the pain and cover it with a professional mask of indifference. He could see it and could tell she wasn't fooling him. "All right. If you want to do this one go ahead. But if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me, okay?"

 

"Okay." She turned and quickly left the area where the young girl lay on the ground.

 

He watched her leave and then looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Nick knelt down and carefully scrutinized the young girl's wounds. He could also tell that just looking at her face had frightened her. The eyes still remained wide and looked full of shock. He noticed a little trickle of blood coming from the girl's wound. It ran from her chest down her arm and onto her hand. Not liking what he was about to do, Nick quickly reached out and touched the drop of blood with his index finger. He brought the finger to his mouth and quickly relieved it of the blood. He had to know what this girl went through. Maybe she saw her killer's face, and if so it was his duty to catch this guy.

 

Flashback:      earlier that night

 

She exited the school and headed for her car. Rehearsal had been long tonight, but they had gotten a lot accomplished in the few short hours they had been practicing. She knew that the concert would go well, but she was also sad. It was her last year in the group and she didn't want to give it up.

 

"Jessie! Hey. Wait a minute. You need a ride?" Her friend Amanda Silverman ran after her carrying her binder under one arm and stretching out her car keys in the other hand. Jessie turned back and said, no she didn't need a ride.

 

"I've got my brother's car tonight. He finally gave in and let me use it. I guess he trusts me more than he lets on."

 

She and Amanda talked for a few more minutes and then said their good-byes to one another. Jessica reached the brown beat up ford and slid the key into the driver's side door. The overhead light flipped on as she opened the door and slid into the seat. She hadn't noticed the shadow that lay on the floor behind her seat until it was too late. She slammed the door, slid the key into the ignition, and began driving away. Suddenly, she felt something move behind her. She heard something too. But she didn't even have the chance to scream. That was because a large figure reached over the back of her seat and knocked her unconscious.

 

End flashback:      present

 

He knew there had to be more than that, but when he tried to see more, he couldn't. He needed more. As he began to reach for another small trickle of blood, a forensic technician arrived with a body bag. The technician expertly placed the girl's still form in the bag, zipped it up, and lifted it to a stretcher. Nick regained his senses and headed for the caddy. He had to get back to the station and start running the usual paper trail on this girl. Who was Jessica Saunders? But more importantly, why would someone want to kill her? It didn't make any sense to Nick and he knew it never would. He ran the usual background check on the victim and found out that Jessica Saunders was a sixteen-year old high school senior who attended high school in the Metro division. Therefore, it would remain Nick's case. Nick also learned that Jessica lived with her brother Robert Saunders. He quickly located an address and left to make the death notification.

 

As he entered the section of town, which was home to Jessica and her brother, he noticed that mostly middle class residents populated it. The residents of this particular area weren't borderline poverty, but they weren't well to do either. Nick spotted the building with the number 15 and pulled into a space in front of the main entrance. He quickly found apartment 3 B. and knocked at the door.

 

A young man answered the door in his late teens or early twenties. "May I help you?"

 

"Are you Robert Saunders?"

 

The man nodded and gave Nick a suspicious sideways glance.

 

"Mr. Saunders, my name is Nick Knight. I'm a homicide detective with the Metro police department here in Toronto." Nick hated what he was about to inform this man of, but knew he had to do it regardless. "May I come in, Mr. Saunders?"

 

Saunders stepped aside and swung the door wide, allowing Nick to enter the apartment. "What's this all about, Detective? Has something happened to my sister?"

 

Nick always dreaded this part of the job. It was so difficult to inform families of someone's death without becoming too emotionally involved. He drew in a breath in order to stay relaxed and focused and then spoke. "Mr. Saunders, I'm sorry to be the one to inform you of this, sir, but your sister is dead."  Saunders instantly turned pale.

 

"What do you mean dead? Jessica was at rehearsal at the school. She was so excited about this upcoming concert she had. She can't be dead; it's got to be a mistake."

 

"I'm sorry." Nick said. "But, Mr. Saunders, I need to tell you one more thing and ask you a few questions if you don't mind." The younger man's face fell into his hands. Nick wasn't sure if he wanted to proceed at this point, but knew if he didn't it would be a serious mistake on his part. If the guy didn't hear about it here and now he would find out later at the coroner's office. Better to get it over and done with sooner rather than later. "Mr. Saunders, your sister was murdered. Can you think of anyone who would want to harm her?"

 

Two hours later, Nick reentered the precinct and headed for the captain's office. Reese intercepted him halfway to the door. "Nick, what happened when you went to make the notification to the brother?"

 

"He dropped right there in his living room. I radioed for the paramedics and they took him to the hospital. He was the only family this girl had. Their parents were killed in a car accident two years ago, and she's been living with her brother here in Toronto ever since."

 

Reese shook his head sadly. "Did you get anything from the brother?"

 

"No. He says he doesn't understand why anyone would want to kill his little sister. He was pretty upset though cap. Maybe if we give him a day or so I'll try to talk to him again and see if anything strikes him at all."

 

However, that was not to be. For at that point in his career, homicide detective Nicholas Knight was about to deal with one of the most difficult cases Toronto had seen since the incident involving the death of his partner Don Schanke.

 

Three weeks later, the precinct was swamped with cases. They were all the same as the one he had received earlier in October. However, now it wasn't just one dead girl, but three more had been murdered since. The killer seemed to strike girls between the ages of sixteen and twenty-years of age. Nick had taken them all since he had been the officer assigned to the first case. It looked to be the workings of a cereal killer, and since everyone else was pretty much bombarded with other cases, Nick took them. Nick had been trying to track down all four cars over the course of the murders, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to find clues in the vehicles once they were found. He had found the car Jessica Saunders had been driving, but it hadn't revealed anything of value. Each girl seemed to be connected in some way to the one before her, but Nick couldn't figure out what it was. The only visible connection between the girls was that each had her license and was driving a car at the time.

 

Next was the murder of Laura Parks, a very athletic seventeen-year old junior. She had been found in much the same way as Jessica Saunders had. The only difference in Jessica's case was that her body was found outside of her car, where Laura was found in the back seat of hers. When Laura had been discovered, her field hockey jersey was wrapped tightly around her throat.

 

After Laura Parks came Tammy Larken. Tammy was a nineteen-year old freshman at the community college. It looked to be the work of the person who had killed the other two. Tammy had been found in the trunk of her car, bound and gagged. When she had been found, the books she had been carrying with her were laid across her chest covering the gaping wound that had been her death.

 

The latest victim was Rebecca Peters. Rebecca was found on the ground outside her car. From the looks of the crime scene, Rebecca had not even gotten the opportunity to unlock her car door. The car keys were still in her hand and a bag with a costume lay near where she was found.

 

Nick grew more worried that the trail was growing cold each time they found another victim.  Each time he made another death notification it made him wonder if this guy was ever going to be caught.  When he had visited the Parks house he'd found a single mother waiting up for her daughter to return from a late field hockey game. When he began talking to Mrs. Parks, he learned that Laura's father had abandoned the family when Laura was just a tiny infant.

 

"I tried to raise her the best I could." Mrs. Parks said through her sobs. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I thought of her as a good girl. She never got into trouble, never hung out with the wrong crowd, and was always an honor student in school."

 

At the Larken residence, the only one waiting for Tammy's return was her roommate Jennifer Daniels. When Nick knocked on the door to the apartment, he was surprised to see that Jennifer Daniels was not at all surprised to see him.

 

"What happened this time? Was Tammy picked up for another shoplifting incident?" 

 

On the outside Nick showed no emotion. But on the inside he was furious.

 

"No, Tammy wasn't picked up for shoplifting. May I please come in? There's something you need to know."  When they had entered the living room, Jennifer offered Nick something to drink.

 

"I don't know what's wrong with that girl. I'm sorry, detective, but if it's not one thing it's another. I'm always going to pick her up from the police station for either being too drunk to drive or bailing her out for stealing something from another store." She sat down across from Nick who was perched in a chair and waited for him to say what he had to say.  Ms. Daniels, I'm Detective Nick Knight. We're with the homicide division down at the 96th precinct. We're sorry to inform you Ms. Daniels, but your roommate was found dead in her car this evening." S¬"I have to know. Was she drunk? Was anyone else hurt in the accident?" Nick explained the circumstances surrounding the death of Tammy Larken as Jennifer began turning a sickly shade of pale green.

 

Finally he went to find the Peters girl's family, or at least someone to make the death notification visit to. After finding only an address for Rebecca, he decided to check it out.  What he found was only a German shepherd puppy in desperate need of food and water.  After feeding the animal, he called the animal shelter and notified them of their new arrival.

 

Nick began trying to track down a next of kin to the young girl. Things weren't looking up for the precinct either. Reese had been hassled by the higher-ups to get these cereal murders solved and fast. Commissioner Vetter had made more calls to Reese in the last three weeks than in the last three years. Reese had considered forming a task force to deal with these murders, but Nick said he wanted to run a few more leads before that happened.

 

"Nick, the commissioner wants this thing dealt with now. It's either that or we're both in hot water for sure.  Now I'm going to let you run them down for one more week.  If nothing is accomplished by then, I'm forming a task force."

 

Nick kept working at it every night and during the days at his loft. He wished he could track down more during the daytime but that was impossible. He had been able to ascertain that Tammy Larken wasn't the only one with a police record. Rebecca Peters had been picked up a few times as a juvenile for shoplifting and assault with intent to harm. It just didn't make any sense to him at all.

 

"Nick, you need more help with these cases." Natalie told him one morning as they sat in his loft talking. "You need another partner, even if it's just temporary until these cases are finished. I understand you're feeling guilty over the loss of both Schanke and Tracy but you didn't kill either of them. Schanke died in the explosion and Tracy was shot by Dawkins."

 

"But who, Nat? Who would you like to sign up for a partnership likely to end in death? My last two partners died in the line of duty, and both still partnered with me at the time."  Natalie knew he was still feeling the guilt over both Schanke's and Tracy's deaths. But she also knew Nick to be a great person. He really did care about his partners.

 

"Nick, I've got an old friend on the police force out in California. He and I went to high school together and I've been keeping track of him for the past few years. He's a great cop and knows how to handle himself. He's also single and a hotshot like you can sometimes be." Nat added with a small laugh.

 

"No. Not a chance Natalie. I can't subject anyone else to a death sentence. And that's just what would happen too if I were to partner up with this guy."

 

He and Natalie soon found themselves in a debate, but after many hours of heated discussion, Natalie won out. She picked up the phone and dialed a number. Nick looked a little dejected, but he knew she was right. There really wasn't any way for him to accomplish anything working on his own at night. He just didn't want to go through another funeral service. Both Schanke's and Tracy's services had been particularly difficult on him.

 

Part 2

 

Los Angeles, California

 

November 1, 1996

 

He emerged from the bedroom, outfitted in his uniform. His gun and other accessories were securely fastened to his belt. He entered the living room and looked at the pictures adorning the table. He stared at three in particular. Each photograph held in its frame an image of him and a woman. Each picture held a different woman: his last three partners. Christine Novak, DeeDee McCall, and Joanne Molenski. Of the three partners, DeeDee had been his very first partner. The two had become partners shortly after a very traumatic experience in DeeDee's life. They'd been through an awful lot together, and after a six-year partnership, she had a lapse in judgment and had almost quit her job on the force permanently.

 

Joanne and Chris had only worked with him when DeeDee had taken a leave of absence from the department. She'd taken a leave shortly after her engagement to Alex Turner had been broken. She didn't want to take the time off from work, but Hunter pressed the issue.

 

Hunter had first worked with Joanne Molenski.  After being involved in a shootout, and having received a near fatal gun shot wound herself, Joanne Molenski made up her mind to leave Los Angeles. Joanne had transferred out of the department and out of the state. She loved her job and stuck with it, just not in California.

 

"I need a change of place," she had said shortly before boarding a plane to New York. She was doing well according to her letters and cards she sent to him. They had never gotten as close as he and Novak had become, but they were just as good friends as he was with McCall and Novak.

 

After Joanne Molenski came Chris Novak.  However, there was some history between Hunter and his newest partner at the time. Before Hunter and Novak had ever become partners, he and Novak had been involved intimately. She was a recently divorced mother, raising a very sweet eight-year old child.  Her former husband was also a police officer. Chris Novak had taken another position on the force, one behind a desk since she had her daughter Allison to be concerned about. He had said as much to her after they had finished one of their final cases together. Chris was a great partner; a great woman; and a great friend. At one point in their partnership they had been more than just partners and had gotten close. They had crossed the line between partners and friends. It hadn't amounted to anything too serious, no moving in with one another, but the end result had not been bad. They were able to remain friends and had parted on good terms. He checked in on her and Allie from time to time to see if they needed anything. On one occasion he got duped into baby-sitting for Allie while her mother went out shopping for birthday and Christmas presents.

 

At about the same time Chris had transferred from homicide, DeeDee had decided to return to her job. They'd fought to be paired with one another once again, and surprisingly the captain went for it. He told them that they worked well together, but that still meant they weren't off his list. Ever since DeeDee returned in late 1991, the two partners were still able to communicate well together and get their work accomplished without too much trouble.

 

They'd found their relationship to be growing more and more each day. They talked more and more about how the other felt about something, and on several occasions, they'd found themselves crashing at one or the other's houses. They had a great relationship with one another both on and off duty for the past twelve years. It was something Hunter admired about his partner and best friend. He couldn't imagine his life without her. Just then the phone rang and he went to answer it.

 

"Hello,"

 

"Is this police Sergeant Richard Hunter?"

 

The voice was that of a woman, one he knew he recognized from a very long time ago.

 

["Yes this is. Who is this?" He didn't think it could be one of his former girl friends.

 

"This is Natalie Lambert. You might not remember me but..."

 

"Of course I remember you. How could I forget you, Nat? If I remember correctly, we dated at one time during high school, didn't we?"

 

The woman on the other end of the line gave a short laugh. They talked for a few moments about the old days, and then Natalie shocked him by saying, "Rick, the reason I'm calling you is because I need your help. It's a friend of mine really, but all the same we need your help."

 

"Okay, what's going on? Who needs me and why?"

 

"Nick is a cop just like you are. He's a homicide detective in fact. He's currently investigating a series of murders here in Canada and is doing it solo. No partner."

 

"What type of murders are we talking about?"

 

"He's working on a case involving the mysterious murders of several young girls here in Toronto." Natalie continued to give Hunter the details and when she had finished, he said: "Okay. I'll be there in a few days. Let me make a few calls and get things tied up here in Los Angeles. I think it's high time I transferred out of here anyway. I'll fill you in on the details when I get there."

 

Hunter disconnected the call and stared once more at the photographs. "Well girls, what do you think about all this?" He reached out with one hand and removed the photos from the table.

 

After dialing the captain's number, he spoke very carefully, choosing his words as he spoke.

 

"Captain, I think I need to transfer out of here. I'd like to transfer to the Metro Homicide Division in Toronto. I know they need another person to partner up with one of their very best detectives."

 

"Hunter," his captain began. "You do realize that if you transfer out of here now you'd be leaving me in the lurch." The captain was thrilled about Hunter's decision to transfer, although he wouldn't let on. He was finally getting rid of the headhunter and brass cupcake all at once. Life couldn't be better. "I guess I don't need you for anything. Let me just make a few phone calls and get the papers processed. Sorry to see you go." The captain was lying through his teeth and he knew that Hunter knew it.

 

"I know, Captain. I'm sorry about this."  The captain smiled to himself as he thought: "Thank god. After all the fighting and arguing I'm getting rid of the biggest problem I've had for quite some time now." It was common knowledge that anyone paired up with Hunter was likely to be on the captain's bad side more often than not. And with that, Hunter figured it was time to end this conversation. He hung up and headed for the bedroom.

 

After packing all he thought he would need, he returned to the living room of his apartment. He began to pack everything up in boxes and then called to arrange for movers to collect his belongings at the end of the week. He packed the photographs into a box separate from the rest of his other things and put it in his car. He wanted to be sure he had packed all the personal items into his car before the movers got there. He didn't want anything lying around when the movers showed up to collect the furniture and all other items he couldn't pack into his car.

 

Captain Caine sat in his office with a large grin on his face. As usual, Bernie Terwiliger was perched nearby, listening in to find out the latest information on the precinct grape vine.

 

"Hunter and McCall are gone! Thank god." Cane looked happy, and Terwilliger took on that smug look he normally held when around the two partners.

 

Back in Hunter's apartment, Hunter was pacing the room. "You know Hunter," he thought to himself. "The best thing about leaving Los Angeles is that you're not taking the family with you." He knew he would really miss seeing his mother. That was one of the drawbacks of leaving California, but he could always come back and visit or she could come to Canada for a visit. He hated the fact that family members connected him to that life, but Canada would be a fresh start. Now he just needed to do one more thing before he left. It was time to come clean and see what came of it.

 

He took off in the direction for her apartment. He knew she would be there and wasn't about to leave without her. He would beg and plead if that's what it took. He wanted her with him and wasn't going to deny it. ] He arrived at her house and rang the doorbell. She answered the door and quickly let him in.

 

"Okay, Hunter, what's up?" Hunter reached out and gently took both her hands into his own until they were standing face to face. He let go with one hand and reached out to wrap the woman in a hug.

 

"DeeDee, we need to have a serious talk. Do you remember walking out on me the other night when I was being a complete ass about our relationship?""

 

Yeah. And if I remember correctly, I told you that if we were going to have a relationship we had to have everything out in the open." Hunter knew where this was going but let her say what his male pride didn't want to hear.

 

"That's right. Well, I've been thinking about it and I think you're right. We need to be open and honest with each other. Otherwise we have nothing."

 

DeeDee looked at him quizzically. She was trying to figure out what he was trying to say without saying it for him. He had to do this one on his own. Finally he just blurted it all out.

 

"DeeDee, I'm leaving Los Angeles. I'm transferring up to Canada to work in Toronto. I want you to come with me. The captain seems like he can't wait for the two of us to leave and I don't want to leave without you."

 

"Hunter, you mean to tell me that you're transferring out of here and leaving the state and country? You also want me to go with you too. Am I right?" Hunter nodded. He looked deeply into her eyes and said something he hadn't said in quite a long time to anyone. "DeeDee, I really do care about you. I just wish I had the courage to tell you sooner than this. I know this all comes as a big shock to you, but please consider it. An old friend of mine, Natalie Lambert, lives up there and she says that her friend who is a cop up there needs a partner. It's a pretty tough case. Natalie seems desperate to get someone up there to help her friend out. What I'm trying to say, and I don't think I'm doing a good job of it right about now, is that I love you. Please? Will you come with me to Toronto DeeDee?"

 

"Would I be going as a cop or as your girlfriend?" DeeDee asked flatly. Hunter realized his mistake instantly. He looked like the puppy that just got caught chewing on his owner's new sneakers.

 

"You'd be a cop, McCall. You're the best damn-fine cop I know. Besides that, you're the best thing in my life, and if I wasn't so thick headed I would have realized it a long time before now."

 

"I'll go with you."

 

He couldn't believe it. She had just said yes to his offer and he didn't even have to beg. "All it took was for me to admit how I really felt about her and she agreed." Hunter thought to himself as he wrapped both his arms around the woman, lifted her into the air and turned in a slow circle with her still in his arms.

 

"Hunter, you're making me dizzy. I think I had better call and let the captain know about this. Does he know you're leaving?"

 

"He knows I'm leaving, but what are you going to tell him?"

 

"I'll tell him that I'm transferring out of Los Angeles. Lets leave the rest up to office gossip."

 

Over the next week many things were accomplished. Hunter and McCall had to do some apartment hunting. They needed something right away, and with a double income it wasn't too hard to find the place where the two newest members of the Toronto Metro Police Department would live. They had decided to move in together, and seeing as how Hunter didn't really have a whole lot of furniture, he decided to put what he had into a storage unit until they were able to make use of it. Since he had one or two extra things he didn't really want to have hanging around, he decided to leave them with his mother.

 

Next they went and talked to Joe Reese, captain of the Metropolitan police precinct, who was delighted to have two new additions working on the case. They would be under the full command of Captain Reese and also be partnered alongside Nick for this case. Reese agreed to keep the two Los Angeles detectives on as partners once the case was finished.

 

"I've read over both of your arrest records, and you two are pretty damn good cops. I don't care what your last captain had to say about you. As far as I'm concerned, he didn't know what a good team of homicide detectives he had working for him."

 

"Captain," Hunter stated, "Cane has had a personal prejudice against me ever since it was brought to his attention that certain members of my family are connected."

 

"I got all that when I spoke to him over the phone. He said you were trouble and that if there were any mysterious mob activities, I should charge you with them and haul your ass into custody immediately."

 

Hunter smiled and thanked his new captain. "What do I do first?"

 

Reese gave Hunter the case file that Nick had spent so much time working on and told them to study it thoroughly. They took the file folder and went out to join Nick and Natalie in the bullpen.

 

"So, how did it go in there guys?" Natalie asked the two approaching detectives. Hunter couldn't resist this opportunity to see how much of a sense of humor Natalie still had after medical school. After giving McCall a sideways glance, he answered Nat's question.

 

"Well, Natalie, I hate to tell you this but that guy doesn't have the room for two new detectives."

 

"Yeah." McCall chimed in. "He said that maybe if he'd gotten a better recommendation from Los Angeles he would have found the room."

 

Hunter never knew what hit him but nick saw it coming before impact. He watched his captain's office door open and the big man began making his way over to the foursome. The captain gave Nick a look that said "keep quiet" and he did just that.  Hunter! McCall! You're out of here. I'm not going to keep people on my watch who don't follow directions. Your last captain warned me about you already, so don't think you can beg and plead your way into this precinct."

 

The pair looked at one another and knew that their joke had backfired.

 

"Sorry, Natalie, I just couldn't resist." Hunter smiled at his old friend and gave her arm a playful punch.

 

By this time Reese had made his way over to the group and smiled.

 

"I couldn't let you guys get in on all the fun. Just think of it as your warm welcome to your new home." Reese smiled at the foursome and then told them to all get to work.

 

After the necessary details had been taken care of, Hunter and McCall were issued weapons and badges. The four climbed into the caddy and headed off in the direction of the coroner's building. Once Nat had been dropped off, Nick drove around the city pointing out various things they should keep their eyes opened for. He also pointed out the sights of where the girls' bodies were found and the schools they had attended.

 

"Nick, something doesn't feel right about this case. I've read over this file and it says that none of the girls went to the same school at all. Jessica Saunders attended the high school here in Toronto, and the other girl Laura Parks attended an all girls' school. Why are they being singled out by this guy?" Hunter looked at Nick waiting to see what he would say.

 

"I've had a hard time tracking down friends of the four victims. The Saunders girl has a brother who won't speak to anyone and hasn't since the night his sister was murdered. The Parks girl's mother told me she was on the field hockey team, but she never went anywhere with any of the other members of the team outside of games and practices. The Larken girl moved to Toronto after her father was convicted of murder almost six months ago. Her roommate said that she was always getting into trouble with the cops for one reason or another."

 

"What about the Peters girl?" Hunter asked.

 

"She lived alone. She's one I'm going to need a lot of help with. There's no school listed, no college, nothing here in Toronto other than her name on an apartment." Finally, DeeDee spotted something in the file, which caught her attention. "Hey I think I found a common link between the four victims. Jessica Saunders lived with her brother. Laura Parks lived with her mother. Tammy Larken lived with a roommate. Rebecca Peters lived alone."

 

"What's the connection, McCall?" Hunter queried. "How are all these girls connected to one another?"

 

"Each girl is survived by only one member of a family or in Tammy Larken's case her friend Jennifer Daniels. The killer is targeting young girls who have almost no one left."

 

Hunter may not have caught it right away, but Nick did.

 

"The killer is striking girls he thinks have no one left. That way it makes him almost untraceable."

 

"You got it. I think that the best course of action is to hit the high school and college. It's the only way we'll learn anything." Hunter looked questioningly at his partner. "Am I right?" She nodded. Seeing she had the full attention of both her coworkers, she began talking fast.

 

"I think you're right about that idea Nick, but the question is, which one of us is going undercover?"

 

"I think you both should go undercover at both the girl's school and the high school. I can do some digging at the college and see what I can find. Maybe Jennifer Daniels wasn't being completely straight with us."

 

Part 3

 

A week and a half later found Hunter and McCall issued briefcases filled with fake teaching credentials, certificates, and diplomas from college, and everything they would need to get the jobs. It was a warm afternoon when DeeDee stood in the office waiting for the secretary to acknowledge her presence to the principal. She was in the main office of the private school where Laura Parks had been a student.

 

"Ms. Kramer, Principal Graves will see you now." DeeDee quickly snapped to attention. After entering the inner office and taking a seat, she gazed in awe at how controlled the principal seemed.

 

"Ms. Kramer, my name is Constance Graves. I am the principal here at River Crest School for girls. I understand you are looking for a teaching position. May I see your teaching credentials please?"...

 

DeeDee reached into the briefcase she had been carrying and withdrew a large manila file folder containing several doctored credentials, certificates, teaching references, college transcripts, and the like.

 

"Ms. Graves, I have taught in several public school settings over the last three years. Prior to that I worked out in California at a private school. If I could have found more work at another private school I would have opted to take that rather than work in the public schools. I feel that the private institutions have so much more to offer in both educational standards as well as the safety factor for students and staff alike."

 

The principal reached across her immaculately clean desktop and extracted the file folder from the young woman's hand. "I understand how you feel, Ms. Kramer. I myself feel the same way about the curriculum in private institutions as opposed to the public school settings. This is why I chose a profession here. River Crest is a school of prestige. We admit only those students who have the potential for a furthered education."

 

"If I may I'd like to ask you a question. I've seen several private schools that allow entrance based upon the wealth of the students' guardians. Does River Crest do the same?"

 

The woman just smiled. "Oh no. We allow privileged students here yes, but we also have adequate funds to support several of our students whose situation is rather difficult. As I said before we look for potential when making selections for applicants."

 

Meanwhile, Hunter sat in the principal's outer office at the public high school. He had his briefcase with file folder of credentials and the like with him too. He really wanted to get this job. They needed a break in the case. So far they had nothing but four victims.

 

"Mr. Dawson?" The receptionist looked up from her paper work and eyed him carefully. "The principal will see you now." Hunter entered the inner office. He took careful note of his surroundings and the condition of the office. The principal rose from his desk and greeted Hunter and returned to his seat.

 

"I assume you're Rick Dawson. I'm Richard Edwards, principal here. I understand you're looking for a teaching position. May I see some of your references or other teaching certificates?" Hunter quickly complied. He explained that he was new to the area and that he had taught before for several years in the States. When Edwards appeared to be satisfied with the papers he looked at Hunter and said: "You'll be taking on a pretty tough group of kids. These kids have had several disciplinary problems in the past, but since we can't suspend and expel them all we've decided to place them in an alternative form of education. You'll be teaching them how to be better equipped for the world outside of school and home. It's pretty simple. You teach them life skills and make sure they keep out of trouble."

 

Hunter almost bolted from the room. Life skills? How was he expected to teach life skills to prepubescent kids whose hormone levels were higher than their grade point averages? Boy was Nick going to pay for this one. Why did DeeDee always get the easier jobs?

 

"No problem, Mr. Edwards. When do I start?"

 

"How about tomorrow?" He handed Hunter a very thick folder of papers. "Here's your class list and all the pertinent information on each and every one of your students."

 

"Damn it!" DeeDee was pissed. Her first day of teaching young girls English literature would be arriving in less than twelve hours, and she had already ripped several of her nylons, broken three nails, and almost amputated two fingers with a kitchen knife. Hunter walked over to her, wrapped her in a gentle hug, and kissed the top of her forehead.

 

"Consider yourself lucky," he said. "I get to teach future juvenile delinquents all about the way the outside world works. So how was your day dear?"

 

He stood there, still holding her to him. He wanted her to know just how important she was to him. She had only had that type of relationship with one other person that he knew of. DeeDee's husband Steve had been a cop. He had been killed while on duty shortly after their marriage.

 

"Rick, it wasn't at all as easy as I thought. The principal at that school is about as stuck up as they come. And the sad thing is that she actually has it in her head that she's being nice to you."

 

"Well, DeeDee," Hunter said teasingly. "I think you can handle it. At least you don't have to deal with both girls and boys in the same room every morning. Besides, the principal at the public school acts as if it is nothing to put a new teacher on the pay role there."

 

Hunter released her from his embrace and watched as she headed for the bedroom. She was tired and so was he. She pointed to the shower and said: "You can use it first if you want. I'll take mine in the morning before I leave."

 

By the time he'd finished in the bathroom and headed to the bedroom, he was pretty sure DeeDee would be out like a light. He opened the door to the room and slipped in as quietly as he dared. He carefully eased himself into the king-sized bed and lay down beside his partner and friend. He loved her so much. She meant so much more to him than his other partners had. She knew so many things about his life: what he liked, what he didn't like, what he didn't want to be.

 

DeeDee felt him slip into bed beside her and slowly reached out with a tentative hand. She ran her hand over his shoulder and down his arm until he turned to face her. He pulled the blankets over the two of them and then wrapped his arm protectively over her. She felt his arm covering her and moved closer to its owner. He turned his head in order to look at her fully and said hesitantly: "DeeDee, is this okay with you?"

 

"Hunter," she began, "you're the first since Steve. I've dated but that's as far as it went. I'm okay with what's happening. I think we've both had the same feelings for one another for quite a while now but didn't know what to do about them. To be perfectly honest with you, I've wanted to be around more often than we have been in the past. I said that you're the first since Steven, because I'm not counting the rape. That is something in my life I would like to move on from, but it is so incredibly hard."

 

"DeeDee, you told me once that you would never be with a cop again. If this is truly what you want, and if you still feel this way, I'll quit the force once this case is solved. I knew your husband very well, and I think I know you pretty well too. I know how devastated you were when Steve was killed, and then again when Rodney Moody was released on parole. I love you and would never do anything to hurt you. I just don't want you to have any regrets or second thoughts after the fact. You're very important to me and I could never forgive myself if I did anything to hurt you."

 

"Rick, I could never ask you to quit your job for my sake. If we're together, then we're together in everything. There are no regrets. I love you with all my heart. That's something I haven't felt since Steven, not even with Alex. That's why I turned down his marriage proposal. That and he told me about your conversation just prior to my saying no to him."

 

She turned her head and kissed him. He was taken back a bit at first but recovered quickly. He returned the kiss with as much passion as he could give. Soon things escalated and they were both caught up in the intensity of it all. He never knew she was so bold and outgoing in that respect. And she never knew just how much restraint he had to have been using throughout their partnership. They'd been partners for over ten years. Now it was time he showed her how much he loved her.

 

He pulled her into a tight embrace and rolled her beneath him. Slowly he began to make love to her. It was passionate and sweet all at the same time. She looked deep into his eyes, and within their depths she saw the amount of love and respect he held for her. She also saw his soul. What she saw was a man who had been hurt many times throughout the course of his life. But she also saw the goodness and caring he gave out through his work each and everyday.

 

Now he knew. He knew what it was to hold her, love her, and be there for her whenever she needed him. His mind drifted back to one of their cases years ago. He remembered telling the model he had seen that there was someone he dreamed about making love to. He also remembered saying that they looked out for one another and he didn't want to do anything to change that fact.

 

"So what are you thinking about?" DeeDee asked quietly. She looked into the depths of his eyes once more. He stroked her hair and gently caressed her face with the other hand.  Just being here with you like this.

 

"DeeDee, I don't know if you knew this but I've wanted to do this for a long time. I actually wanted to be with you from the very first. You were so defensive and I was a hotshot."

 

"What do you mean was? You still are a hotshot when it comes to police work. But in any case I wanted this too. Remember that double date I tried to set up with one of the creeps I was seeing?" Hunter nodded. "Well, I kind of hoped that we could be the couple and the guy would go with the other girl. The only problem was that the other girl was the creep's sister."

 

Hunter smiled at her. He let all his love for her pour out through the smile and what followed it. It all started up again. Much later that night, Hunter surprised DeeDee.

 

"How would you like me to make you dinner tomorrow night?"

 

"I'm holding you to that, and there is no way you're getting out of this one. Your mother isn't in the country. This time you're going to be cooking my dinner for me."

 

The next morning found DeeDee McCall, a homicide detective, in a classroom full of girls. The final bell rang and the last stragglers wandered in. She was nervous, but she had to get this over and done with. The first day was always the toughest for her. She had only done it one other time, but that was girls' physical education, not English literature. As a general rule the two classes never mixed, and in her mind, she thought she was better at the girls' gym class.

 

"Good morning. My name is Ms. Kramer and this is English literature. I'm your new teacher for the time being, and I will expect you to pay attention in this class." Suddenly she felt as if her little speech was falling on deaf ears. However, what she did notice was that one girl seemed to be isolated from the others. She made a mental note to pay special attention to this kid. Maybe she knew something about Laura Parks.

 

She took attendance and sat down at the mahogany desk.

 

"For my first assignment, since I would like to get to know each one of my students, I would like you all to write something. Now, remember that this is English literature, not creative writing. I want you to write something about yourselves. It can be anything just so long as it is written in perfect English. That means no punctuation mistakes, no pen scratches across the pages, and no spelling errors. You make a mistake you use whiteout. Other than that just turn it in by Friday and I'll be happy."

 

The isolated girl raised her hand and asked, "Will you take them early?"

 

"Sure. In fact, anyone who turns in a perfect paper to me by tomorrow at the close of school will get extra credit points added to her average."

 

"What about you?"

 

The question came from a longhaired girl in the front of the room. DeeDee consulted her seating chart and attendance list and found that the girl's name was Erika Jackson.

 

"Well, since Ms. Jackson asked a fair question, I think she should get a fair answer. I think you all should know where I'm from and why I'm here. I've been a teacher for about twelve years, several of them in private schools like this. I've taught in California, Omaha, Ohio, New York, and Vermont. I've also taught in public schools, but they weren't what I enjoyed the best. I like a challenge, and public school just doesn't do it for me."

 

DeeDee eventually noticed something was amiss with her students. Several of them appeared to be snickering and pointing at the isolated girl in the corner.

 

"What's so funny?" DeeDee asked.

 

One of the snickering girls, Debby Stevens, spoke up. "It's Beth. She's going weird again."

 

DeeDee was at the girl's desk in an instant. Beth was shaking uncontrollably and ceasing.

 

"Go get a nurse now!" DeeDee barked. "Tell her that this girl is having a seizure."  Another girl stood and made her way over to Beth's desk.

 

"Ms. Kramer, she does this all the time. Just leave her alone. It stops in a minute or two. Nobody pays too much attention to her anymore."

 

"Well, since you felt the need to stretch your legs a bit, why don't you haul your ass down to the nurse's office and get her for me now. If you don't do as I say we will continue this conversation later this afternoon in the principal's office. Now move it!"

 

The girl scowled and headed out of the room. DeeDee began trying to make the girl as comfortable as possible. A few minutes later the girl returned without the nurse.

 

"I thought I told you to..."

 

"I did and she wasn't there. Nobody was there."

 

DeeDee knelt down, and after checking to assure herself that the girl's convulsing had stopped, lifted the girl from the floor. She left the classroom, with the girl slung over her shoulder. She burst into the nurse's office and laid the girl down on a cot. From somewhere in the office another door opened and a very red faced woman flew at DeeDee.

 

"What do you think you're doing! Leave this office immediately."

 

"This girl is having a seizure. She needs medical attention right now."

 

The nurse approached DeeDee and proceeded to push her out of the office. The arguing between the women had caused another faculty member to stop and assist the nurse in removing DeeDee from the office. DeeDee tried to fight them off, but they were stronger than she was and she soon found herself locked out.

 

Not liking the situation one little bit, DeeDee headed back in the direction of her classroom. On the way she ran into a woman who looked a little young to be a staff member, but too old to be a student.

 

"They're always like that whenever she starts having one of her fits. But don't worry, things will get better, I'll see to that." The younger woman flashed DeeDee an eerie grin and disappeared. DeeDee stood there stunned for a moment, but then brushed it off as someone else just as crazy as the rest of the staff here.

 

Meanwhile, Hunter faired no better on his first day. If only he had known it would begin like this, he never would have taken Nick's advice. Hunter opened the door to room 325 and walked inside. He saw what he expected to see: kids milling around, sitting on the desks, and others holding noisy conversations in different parts of the room. In one corner he caught a glimpse of a couple making out. Time to go to work.

 

"Good morning. My name is Mr. Dawson and I'm your new life skills teacher. The plan here is real simple. I'm here to teach you guys about life. You are here to sit down properly, be quiet, and act like you're paying attention to what I am teaching you." He glanced over at the couple in the corner. "Oh and if you feel the need to carry on in a manner where public displays of affection are normal, please leave now."

 

"What's the matter with you man? You gay or somethin'?" The whole class erupted into laughter. The guy who had been making out with his girlfriend in the corner turned around and stared directly at Hunter. Hunter looked at the attendance list in front of him.

 

"What's your name?" Hunter kept his tone even and unemotional.

 

The boy looked incredulously at Hunter. It was hard for this kid to imagine anyone questioning who he was. This guy must be new.

 

"Tyler. Tyler Jensen. I can kick anybody's ass man, even yours."

 

Hunter tried to keep his cool. He didn't want to lose it now; if he did he was in deep trouble. "Well Tyler Jensen, in answer to your questions, no there isn't anything wrong with me, and no I am not gay. Not that it's any of your business because it really isn't, but I am currently involved with a beautiful brunette. Oh, and if you think you can kick my ass let's take it off school grounds afterwards. I had better warn you first though, you might want to make arrangements for an ambulance ahead of time because you're gonna need it." Hunter gave Tyler one of his best intimidating looks and then smiled.

 

The kid took another look at Hunter. He decided against it for the moment, but didn't discard the idea of kicking his ass altogether. All it required was patients and the perfect opportunity would present itself.

 

Part 4

 

It had been a long and unpleasant day. It was nearly 6:30p.m. when she arrived back at her apartment. DeeDee came through the door and let it slam shut behind her. She supposed Hunter was already home and he would come running at the sound of the slamming door. But when nothing happened, she remembered that he was probably still at the school. It had been a day of pure hell for her, and the only things she wanted to do tonight were to get something to eat and spend the rest of the night with Rick.  DeeDee went into the kitchen and noticed a covered dish sitting on the kitchen table. Her curiosity got the better of her and she headed over to the table.

 

"Sorry but I can't let you see that just yet." Hunter's voice floated in from behind her scaring her half out of her wits. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He spun her away from the table and led her out of the kitchen. "Sorry about this, but it's a surprise and you're not going to get me on this one."

 

"I would only be getting you if you were going to pull another crazy scheme like having your mother cook our dinner again. Remember what I made you admit to me last time?" Rick nodded. "Well you'll get it again if you think you're going to put one over on me." DeeDee said laughing. She couldn't help it. He just kept on opening the door for her comments.

 

He brought her into the living room and set her on the couch. Next he went over to the mantel and brought down something she couldn't see.

 

"Wait here for me. I'll be right back." He left the room momentarily and then returned carrying something behind his back.  e stepped in front of her and placed a blindfold over her eyes. Next he helped her up from the couch and began guiding her back towards the kitchen. Once through the doorway she recognized her general surroundings.

 

"Hunter take this blindfold off please. I can't see a damn thing and besides that I've had the day from hell."

 

"Just wait. You'll see why I blindfolded you in the first place in just a few seconds." She felt his hand leave her arm and she froze. Was he still nearby? She heard movement, which meant that he had to be close. Hunter struck the match and lit the candles he had brought in from the living room. Next he turned towards DeeDee and gently removed the blindfold, but just as quickly covered her eyes with one hand. He reached out with the other hand and removed the cover from the dish that was set out on the table. Steam rose from the contents of the dish.

 

"Okay, now you can look."

 

DeeDee was amazed. On the table sat a large pan of steaming lasagna. She noticed that there were no lights present in the room, but upon closer inspection she found three small brightly lit candles flaming away in the center of the table.

 

"Remember how I told you I'd make you dinner and you said you were going to hold me to that. Well, here's dinner."

 

DeeDee smiled at him. "Thank you. It looks delicious."

 

Within minutes, they each had a plate filled with the lasagna in front of them. They had begun discussing each of their day's activities.

 

"So then I turn around and half to literally carry the kid down to the nurse's office. I was right she did have a seizure."

 

"Any clue as to what brought it on?" DeeDee shook her head.

 

"They wouldn't tell me. The nurse and another woman kept pushing me out of the office. I'm telling you something weird is going on at that school. I wanted to do something else for that girl, but I couldn't risk blowing my cover. But I'm going to talk to this girl as soon as I can."

 

Hunter went into his story about the class he had that morning. He left nothing out, not even the part where he offered to take on Tyler Jensen's threat to kick his ass.

 

"Gee. Must have been hard for you not to take this kid out and show him the ropes. Did he come looking for you after school?"

 

"No. I was ready and waiting for him, on the off chance that he was stupid enough to try something. But the kid decided to leave well enough alone for now I guess."

 

After they had finished their dinner, Hunter said he wanted to go out for a drive. DeeDee agreed, and they left the apartment. They spent their time driving through the city, just gazing at the lights and how beautiful things were at night.

 

"You know, Hunter, I was just thinking about something this morning.  I was sitting in the class room with those girls, and I was thinking how Captain Caine was more tolerable than some of them."

 

"I was thinking the same thing about the kids in my classroom. At least I had some tolerance for Caine."

 

Two hours later they returned to their apartment to find the message light on their answering machine blinking furiously. Hunter hit the playback button and they sat and listened.

 

"Hi guys its Nick. Listen I think I've got a small piece of evidence for you two. The girls also have one more common link that I didn't notice before. Either a father or another male adult who was present in each of their lives sexually abused them all as young children. Hope the teaching goes okay." The second message came shortly after.

 

Hunter, McCall, its Reese. Listen we've got body number five. She was found behind a garbage can outside the mall. You might want to come out and check out the scene."

 

They looked at one another. If they had found a fifth body then that must mean the killer didn't waste any time between victims. A cold chill ran down DeeDee's spine. She and Hunter finally mustered up enough courage to go check out the scene.

 

When they arrived at the spot where the girl's body had been found, a young officer approached them. He gestured toward a dark figure standing off in the shadows.

 

"Detective Knight is over there.  He's expecting you both."

 

"Thanks Callaway." Hunter gave the officer a friendly look and headed over to where Nick stood.

 

"What've we got Nick?"

 

"Her name's Jill Carson. When we found her, the m.o. was the same as the first four. There's just one thing that is a little unsettling. She fits the profile except for her age. We ran her prints through all known databases and learned that she was a runaway. The only family she had was a sister whom she hadn't seen ever since they were in foster care together almost eight years ago.

 

"Where's the sister now?" Hunter asked.

 

"Don't know. Last known whereabouts on the girl are in a Los Angeles jail for assault and battery. Maybe you might know what's going on. You're from L.A. right?"

 

"Yeah. I've still got some connections there; let me see what I can shake loose. Hopefully I'll have the information for you within the next two or three days."

 

"Sounds great. But in the meantime, watch your cover. Have you gotten anything from the kids at the schools?"

 

"Nothing yet.  I'm still working at it and so is McCall."

 

"All right.  Keep trying. Something's bound to pop up somewhere."

 

Nick turned back to the chalk marks where Jill Carson's body had been lying. Hunter looked at McCall and quickly jabbed her forearm with his index finger.

 

"So what do you say to us using Sporty for information again?"

 

As soon as they returned to their apartment, Hunter looked up the number for Curby. Since Curby was the one whom Hunter had to go through to get to Sporty, then he would be able to give them the number for Sporty. After putting his request into Curby, he was given the number of Sporty's apartment.

 

Next, he dialed Sporty's number. After making the necessary requests and the promise that Sporty would probably get a reward for any information leading to the killer, Hunter disconnected the call.

 

Almost two full weeks passed before he heard anything from one of his contacts in Los Angeles. Sporty had come through for him yet again, and this time Hunter wasn't going to just write it off. He thanked Sporty for going out of his way, and told him that if there was ever anything he needed for him to just call. Hunter hung up and turned to where DeeDee sat on the couch. It had been a very long and boring day for the both of them at school. He decided that the best thing to do now was to wait until tomorrow and call Nick. He went over to her and sat down beside her. "Let's get some sleep. We're going to need it for tomorrow." He started moving for the bedroom, but she made no move to follow. He returned and gently lifted her from the couch and carried her to their bed. He noticed the reason for her unwillingness to move. She had fallen asleep on the couch while he talked to Sporty on the phone.

 

He placed her on the bed and began removing her shoes, nylons, skirt, blouse, and other accessories. Next he removed his own clothing. He wrapped her in his arms and slipped the two of them beneath the cool sheets. For quite a long time he just lay there holding the woman he loved more than anything in the world. It was strange that the physical aspect of their relationship wasn't as important to him as was their ability to be totally honest with one another about their feelings.  He let his mind wander back to the very first time he had seen her.

 

She was standing at her door, holding it open for him. She had on a terrycloth bathrobe and her hair was flung loosely about her shoulders. He had come at such a late hour, but her husband, Sgt. Steve McCall had asked for some information earlier that day, and Hunter didn't want to have to make Steve wait for it. Just a few short hours after their meting, DeeDee's life would be changed. Her husband would be found dead just outside a club downtown. He had received a call about a case he was working on and went to check out the information. Rodney Allister Moody, who shot and killed him, ambushed him. He recalled receiving the call on his radio about an officer down. When he went to check it out he found Sgt. McCall's car with him sitting in it. He had a pretty nasty gunshot wound. It looked as though he'd been killed instantly. He recognized him instantly and immediately went to make the death notification to his widow. He could still remember her crying hysterically and not wanting to believe it.

 

She'd been through so much afterwards: the rape, the fights against Mariano's diplomatic immunity, the trip down south, Mariano's brother showing up a few months afterwards, and more. He knew the amount of trauma she had endured and how it had affected her both physically and emotionally.

 

DeeDee stirred in Hunter's arms. He pulled her closer to him and just held her until she moved again. Her head lifted and she kissed him tenderly and passionately on the corner of his mouth. He kissed her back. The kiss was slow and sensual. He wanted her just as badly as she wanted him, and nothing was going to stop this tonight.  He gently rolled her onto her back and began kneading her breasts with his hands. Next he began kissing her along her neck and then down to her breasts. He then set to work on her nipples which were already rock hard by now. To him this wasn't simply sex, but a way of letting out the restraint he had kept inside him for so many years. He hoped it was the same for her as well.

 

She began to kiss him with such intensity that he forgot all about what he was doing. He slid into her easily and stayed for a moment. Slowly they began moving together. She loved him with a passion that burned within her. She hadn't felt like this since Steven, and before this she didn't believe she ever would feel that way again. She loved the way they fit together perfectly, and how loving he was towards her. Exhausted and spent from their workday, they both soon fell asleep in each other's arms.

 

Nat stood looking through her microscope. She was looking for any distinguishing similarities between the five girls and their blood. She looked for the smallest hint of drugs, alcohol, anything that would give her a clue to throw to the captain. She and Nick knew that it had to be a vampire. They had ruled out the possibility of it being a new fledgling, because of the cleanliness of the bite marks. Why had the killer targeted Jill Carson? She was under the age of the killer's previous pattern with the other four. Her phone rang and she went to grab it.

 

"Lambert."

 

At first there was only silence. Then the chilling sound came over the line.

 

"So, Dr. Lambert, how's work going? How you holding up on this case? We know you're wondering who we are. But you're just going to have to wait to find out. How's Detective Knight these days? We've been thinking about him an awful lot. Tell him to look back over his cases. He'll remember us very well. Of that fact we're quite certain."

 

"Who is this?" Natalie asked, but there was no response. Whoever was on the other end ended the conversation then and there. Nat stood at her desk hugging herself. The voice was definitely electronically altered. She didn't want to be alone anymore. She made up her mind to go see Nick as soon as she got off. She sat back down at her desk and thought for a moment. She resigned herself to go back and look over Jill Carson's blood again.

 

An hour and a half later she picked up her coat and left the lab. In another ten minutes she was at Nick's door, punching in the familiar code.

 

When she entered she found him sitting on the couch, just staring at nothing. She went over and sat beside him. He noticed her nervousness and could hear her heart beating at an abnormal level.

 

"What's wrong Nat?" He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her nearer to him. She proceeded to tell him about the mysterious phone call she received at the lab.

 

"Nick, it was so strange. The voice was electronically altered, and the way the person talked. It was odd to hear someone talking about themselves like that."

 

"Nat, I think you need some down time. I think we both do. Stay here today. I don't like the idea of you driving when you're like this." He lifted her from where she sat and put her over his shoulder. He quickly ascended the stairs to his bedroom and opened the door. After setting her down on the bed, he turned and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

 

Natalie resigned herself to try and get some sleep. She knew she was overtired and overworked. But what could she do? This case demanded the majority of her time. She certainly didn't want to give any of the five girls' files to Dr. Philips. He was an intern, and was not as knowledgeable as she with the undead. Besides, how would she explain the mysterious marks on the victims' necks? No, she would keep up the cycle of long work hours and little sleep. She relaxed and finally drifted off into dreamland.

 

Meanwhile, Nick was downstairs on the couch. He had decided to just leave Nat where she was and stay downstairs himself. He refused to even allow himself to entertain the notion that something could ever be between them. They'd done this twice before, the first time being after he'd been shot and was believed to be mortal, and the second time was shortly after Tracy had been shot. The only thing that had saved Natalie's mortal life had been LaCroix's untimely arrival. He'd stopped Nick from draining her enough to bring her across.

 

After a few harsh words between father and son, LaCroix had left his son and mortal pet, promising to return when he deemed it necessary.

 

Part 5

 

After a restful sleep, DeeDee awoke to find that Hunter had not gotten up with the alarm. In fact, if they didn't get a move on they both would be late for school. She nudged him gently. He slowly sat up and gazed at her with that look in his eye.

 

"What?"

 

"Time to get up. Come on; we're going to be late." DeeDee quickly got up and started to get dressed for work. Hunter soon followed her example and within fifteen minutes they were out the door.

 

DeeDee entered her classroom to an unexpected sight. The principal was standing near DeeDee's desk. She didn't look too happy either.

 

"Ms. Kramer I think we need to have a little talk before your students arrive."

 

DeeDee started to object but then thought better of it. She looked at the principal and expected to hear a lecture about not informing the school of an undercover police officer on the premises.

 

"I did some checking on you. Your credentials are not authentic. I called the police to inform them that I had an employee here working with forged documents. They told me that they had a Sgt. DeeDee McCall on the pay role, which was working under cover on the string of murders, which have befallen our city in recent weeks. What do you have to say in response to all of this?"

 

"Miss Graves," DeeDee began, "I'm sorry I didn't inform you of my situation. However, the importance of this case requires complete secrecy. I couldn't risk anyone finding out about my cover."

 

The principal looked at McCall for a moment and gave her a half smile. "Report to my office when you have a free moment and we'll discuss the details. In the meantime, you've got students coming down the hall." And with that she turned and left the room.

 

DeeDee's students were amerced in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, when suddenly there was a commotion at the back of the room. When she looked up from her book to see what it was, she noticed that the same girl, the one they called Beth, was in the grip of another seizure. Within seconds she was at the girl's side and administering what little aide she could to the ceasing girl.

 

Once the girl had stopped ceasing, DeeDee lifted her from the floor and carried her down to the nurse's office. The nurse gazed up from a pile of paperwork as DeeDee entered with Beth slung over her shoulder.

 

"Oh no, not you again." The nurse rose and helped DeeDee lay Beth on one of the cots on the other side of the room. "Didn't we just go through this two weeks ago?" The nurse asked as she began taking notes on a clipboard.

 

DeeDee looked sternly at the nurse and stated, "Oh yes, me again. Instead of badgering this poor girl, and trying to throw me out of this office, why don't you do your damned job! Call her parents and notify them of her condition! Or have I entered a time zone where people with medical conditions are just left alone to fend for themselves?" By now she was becoming very red-faced and angry.

 

"Don't you have students you should be teaching right about now?" The nurse went over to her desk and picked up the phone and dialed the main office. "Yes. I'd like to speak with the principal."

 

In a matter of minutes Constance Graves made her entrance into the nurse's office. The nurse tried to tell her that McCall had prevented her from treating Beth, but that was not how it was interpreted by the principal.

 

"Ms. Kramer has full authority here Lillian. If she sees fit to do something about Elizabeth's condition, then by all means; let her do what she will."

 

"You'd better get a substitute for my classes the rest of the day. I'm taking her to the emergency room to be checked out. And since you felt it unnecessary to contact this girl's family, I will do so myself. Then I'm going to write a letter to the board of trustees, or whom ever is responsible for the staff of this school, and explain to them that they have a school nurse who is delinquent in her duties to care for those students here at the school."

 

DeeDee knelt down by Beth's side. "How old are you Beth?"

 

"I'm seventeen. You can't call my parents Ms. Kramer."

 

"Why not?" DeeDee asked.

 

"They were killed in a plane crash three months ago."

 

"Don't you have anyone to look after you?" Beth shook her head. Principal Graves then spoke up.

 

"When her parents died, they left a share of the inheritance which paid for her final year here at River Crest. And as for having someone to care for her medical needs, well there's an aunt. But I don't think she does much for Elizabeth's condition."

 

In the meantime, Hunter found himself dealing with some very unruley students. He had gained respect from the majority of the class, but not all of them had decided that the new teacher was someone not to mess with. The leader of this group of students was Tyler Jensen. He and the few students who had been followers of him for a while, had stirred up trouble for uite a while since Hunter's arrival.

 

Hunter made his way over to to the opened door to the classroom, clsed it, and stood at his tallest in front of the entire class. He let all the emotion show in his face, anger, frustration, and tension. As usual, Jensen was being his normally disruptive self, but now Hunter had had enough of this kid's shit.

 

"Mr. Jensen, please get up from your seat, and come to the front of the room." Hunter made the statement as firmly as possible without becoming enraged. He knew it wouldn't work if he snapped at this kid, but the boy needed to learn what the rules were. And from what Hunter could see, simply kicking the kid out of class wasn't very effective.

 

"Why, Teach? I haven't done anything wrong." Tyler figured it was the easiest way to catch the guy off guard. The time was now or never. Ever since the new teacher showed up, he'd made the kid's life a living hell. He'd given the kid a failing grade on a homework assignment that he'd actually spent more than five minutes on.

 

"Tyler, please come up here right now."

 

In two seconds the kid was out of his seat and lunging for Hunter. Anticipating this movement, and just a little off guard, Hunter went into full cop mode. He grabbed the boy's shirt and pinned him to the wall. This didn't phase the kid for a single second, because he responded with a few hard punches to Hunter. Realizing that just pinning the kid to the wall wasn't going to work, Hunter brought him down with a tackle, and held both his arms behind his back.

 

The class watched in stunned silence as the troublemaker was brought down. Just then, the door burst open and the principal entered. He took a look at the scene and stared blankly at Hunter. When he'd recovered from the initial shock, he spoke.

 

"Mr. Jensen, in my office, now!" Hunter didn't let go of the boy's arms, but instead lifted him from the floor and proceeded to escort him to the office. He passed the principal in the doorway, who simply nodded and gave him the barest hint of a smile.

 

Once the boy was safely in the principal's office, the man entered. After signaling that he'd like to speak to Hunter outside, he let go of Tyler Jensen's wrists and shoved him into a chair. After exiting the office, he turned to face the principal. For a moment both men looked at one another. Then, Richard Edwards took a breath and began to speak.

 

"Mr. Dawson, I don't know how things are handled in other places, but violence isn't the answer. That's not how we deal with our more troublesome students. However, in the case of Tyler Jensen, I must make an exception. He's been trouble from day one."

 

"Sir, I'm sorry about using force with the boy, but he gave me no other choice. He came at me and I had no other alternative but to bring him down."

 

Edwards looked at the newest teacher. Something was different about this guy, he didn't let the kids push him around like most of the others did. "I need to ask you something, Mr. Dawson. Have you ever had any law enforcement training? I watched you take Tyler down, and from the looks of it, I'd say you handled him like an expert. There isn't anything you'd like to tell me now, is there?"

 

"Mr. Edwards, I believe we need to discuss a few things. And I think you're going to want to here this."

 

Several hours later, DeeDee was sitting in a cubical in the emergency room at Mercy Hospital. Because Beth's aunt couldn't be reached, DeeDee had nominated herself to stay with the girl until she was released, or someone else came to sit with her. Hunter had shown up shortly after he'd left the public high school, with a candy bar and two cans of diet coke in hand. McCall introduced him to Beth, explaining to the girl that he was a very good friend of hers.

 

"Has she been seen by a doctor yet?" Hunter asked.

 

"Two hours ago. They were supposed to come back with some tests they did earlier, but they haven't been back yet. She's getting tired of waiting so long, and I can't really blame her."

 

Hunter gave McCall a quick signal, telling her that he needed to speak with her somewhere private, and she nodded. "Beth, I've got to go out for a second. I'll be just outside with Rick. Will you be all right for a minute?"

 

"Yeah. I'll be okay, thanks."

 

The two partners exited the little room, and went down the hall to a small alcove and stopped. They turned to face one another, waiting to see who would speak first. Hunter took this opportunity to begin. "I had a problem with a student today. He decided to attack me, and I was forced to bring him down. Now I didn't do anything to injure the boy, all I did was take him down in a tackle and pin his arms behind his back. But the principal saw this and started asking questions about me. I had to tell him the truth about who I was. I also explained that my secrecy was important to protect my cover."

 

"Well, you aren't the only one. I had a hell of a morning with the principal at the girls' school." McCall related her conversation with Constance Graves to her partner, and he looked totally shocked. Eventually they finished their conversation and made their way back to Beth's cubical.

 

A while later, they were still awaiting the doctor's return, when the curtain opened and a woman with dark hair stepped into the cubical.

 

"Hi. I'm Beatrice Fletcher, Elizabeth's aunt." DeeDee rose and greeted the woman warmly. Rick just stood off to the side.

 

"Ms. Fletcher. Hi I'm DeeDee McCall, one of Beth's teachers. This is a friend of mine, Rick. I've been trying to reach you all afternoon. Your niece had a seizure this morning in class, and since the nurse at the school didn't telephone you, I felt it was my responsibility to bring her here to be checked out."

 

"Well, I don't generally come running if someone calls me about Elizabeth. When I am called it's usually about some seizure she's had again. Frankly Ms. Kramer, I believe she should've been institutionalized long before now. But my sister wouldn't stand for it. She insisted that the seizures could be dealt with through medication and frequent doctor visits."

 

"And you don't? Why is that?"

 

Beatrice looked at her niece and frowned deeply. "The medication doesn't do anything for her. In fact, I don't even believe she should be attending the high-priced school she's attending either. She should be locked away."

 

"How would you know if the medication works for me? It's not like you're around enough to see the progress I've made over the past few years since I've been on the medicine. And now that you've got custody of me, you won't even take me to a doctor's appointment." Beth began letting her aunt have it. The woman just looked incredulously at her young niece and then turned away from the girl.

 

"You see what thanks I get from that little ingreat? It's a good thing your parents aren't alive today to see what kind of girl you've turned into in just a short period of time."

 

At this point Beth began to convulse and cease once more. DeeDee immediately assessed the situation and did what she could to make her comfortable and keep her from choking.

 

"Go get a doctor. Now!"

 

"You deal with her. I've dealt with it for the past three months. I can't do it anymore. I told you she should be institutionalized, and this is just the reason for my beliefs."

 

What happened next was something DeeDee could neither explain, nor would she try to afterwards. She advanced towards Beatrice Fletcher and with one hand pushed her out of the cubical.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" Beatrice protested.

 

She pushed her up against the nearest wall and said pointedly: "If you don't get a doctor here right now I will personally make a trip down to the department of Social Services and turn your ass in for abuse and neglect. Then I will arrange to have Beth placed in an environment conducive to dealing with her special needs. Then I'm going to see to it that you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

 

DeeDee let go of the woman momentarily and waited for her to make a response. Beatrice just glared at McCall and finally said, "I'll get a doctor. But beyond that she's your burden."

 

DeeDee watched the woman walk over to the nurse's station and request a doctor. "You bitch." DeeDee thought to herself. "Your niece is suffering from a medical condition, and all you want to do is hand her off to someone else to take care of her and her needs." Not surprisingly, DeeDee saw Beatrice Fletcher heading off for the elevator and disappear through the door.

 

Within a few moments a doctor rushed into Beth's cubical. After he'd assessed the situation, and after coming to the same conclusion that DeeDee had drawn, he ordered an iv be set up and more tests run. DeeDee chose this moment to ask about the results of the previous tests.

 

"I honestly couldn't tell you that, but I'll get a rush on those for you. You're her mother right?"

 

"No. I'm Beth's English teacher. I brought her in here shortly after she suffered a seizure at school. I've called her aunt, however, the aunt refuses to take responsibility for her niece."

 

The doctor left the room and returned in ten minutes. He explained that Beth would have to stay overnight for observation. "Since she's had two seizures in one day, we'd like to take a closer look at her medical history. We want to look at the drugs she's been taking to help control the seizures, and then depending on how everything goes, I'll release her into your care in a few days. Will that work?"

 

Hunter looked at McCall who just looked at Beth. As much as she wanted to take this kid and protect her, she had a case to be more concerned about. But then another thought occurred to her. What if this girl knew something about Laura Parks's death? Maybe she was more valuable than they'd first thought.

 

"That will be just fine." McCall said to the doctor. Then to Beth, "I have to leave now. But I will be back first thing after school lets out tomorrow. You get some rest and think of some things you want from your house. I'll make sure you get them."

 

"Ms. Kramer," Beth began. "I know you're a police officer. I was at school very early this morning and was outside the door when you were talking to Miss Graves. I'm sorry about evesdropping, I really didn't mean to listen in. But I just wanted to tell you that I knew, since you've been so nice to me and all. The only thing I want from my house is a photo album. It's got pictures of me with Mum and Dad."

 

DeeDee promised to get the album for her and then left her in the care of the hospital staff. She didn't like leaving Beth there alone, but she couldn't very well spend the night with Beth in the hospital and then get up the next morning and go back to the school.

 

When she and Hunter returned home, they found the answering machine blinking furiously. The first three messages were from telemarketing firms. The fourth one was from the Los Angeles Women's Correctional facility, informing them that Jaimie Carson wished to speak to them about her sister's death. The last one was from Constance Graves.

 

"DeeDee, this is Constance Graves. I'm just calling to check in on how Elizabeth's condition is. Call me as soon as you get in."

 

DeeDee dialed the number she'd left on the machine, and gave the woman an update. "Her aunt was very vocal about not wanting the responsibility of caring for Beth. They're keeping her overnight for observation and to run some more tests over the next few days. I'm going to head over to her house tomorrow and retrieve some personal effects Beth has been asking for."

 

"Good. Tell Elizabeth to hurry up and recover. And just to let you know, Beatrice Fletcher made a visit to the school this afternoon. She said that Beth would no longer be attending River Crest. I went along with what she said, but I failed to tell her that she doesn't have the right to take the girl out of school. Her mother specifically stated that she was not to be removed from the school, unless it were life threatening to her condition."

 

DeeDee hung up and glanced over at the calendar hanging on the wall. Today was Friday. She was more overworked than she'd thought. She made up her mind to head back to the hospital. Hunter told her that if that was where she was heading, then he was heading into the precinct to give Nick a hand.

 

DeeDee decided to head over to Beth's house before going back to the hospital rather than wait until tomorrow. She arrived at the address and observed that there were no vehicles present on the property. She picked the lock and headed inside. She began searching the house and finally found the bedroom belonging to Beth. She entered and found a very beautiful bedroom set.

 

She quickly began to search the room for things Beth might need and want. She found a suitcase in the closet and began to pack it with clothes, a few books, a walkman and some tapes, and the photo album she'd asked for. DeeDee closed the suitcase and headed out to her car. On the way out the door, she noticed a note sitting on the table. It was from Beatrice Fletcher, and it was addressed to Beth. DeeDee picked it up and put it into her coat pocket.

 

When she arrived at the hospital, the doctor who had treated Beth earlier stopped her. She finally took a minute to glance at his nametag. The tag read, "Joseph Myers, MD."

 

"I just wanted to inform you that Beth's test results are back. The new tests show that she hasn't been taking her medication. I also spoke to her school's principal. They said that she hadn't had a seizure since she started attending. She had one two weeks earlier, but they'd given her a dose of medicine and it had worked."

 

"I don't think she would just stop taking her medication. I think that maybe her aunt had something to do with this. The woman isn't exactly closedmouthed with her views on what should be done with Beth. I'm going to take action from here on out. If you could, please get a prescription for whatever medications she will be needing and I'll see that things are handled from here on out."

 

"It'll be taken care of. Oh, and Sgt. McCall, I think you could take her home first thing tomorrow if you want to."

 

Part 6

 

Hunter entered the precinct and sat down acrossed from Nick. Nick had filled him in on the strange call Natalie had received at work the night before. He had also tracked down the Tammy Larken's college professors, and made appointments to speak with each of them. Hunter said he'd like to take a look at Rebecca Peters's file.

 

"I'll run her through a few sources of my own and see what I can shake loose." Nick handed him the file on Rebecca Peters and grabbed his coat.

 

"If you find anything, call me on my cellular."

 

Hunter spotted the computer terminal and began to punch in commands. After he'd accessed the records for Juvie, he typed in the name Rebecca Peters. Immediately, he was given the same information that Nick had been given. It was about her arrest record. But there was no listing for an address or next of kin. He thought it was pretty odd, and then he picked up the phone and dialed the number of a friend out in Los Angeles.

 

"Hi. Allice its Rick Hunter. I need you to help me out. Can you run a search on a Rebecca Jane Peters? I'm looking specifically for a next of kin listing."

 

Allice said she'd do what she could, and then wrote down the number of the precinct as well as Hunter's apartment. Hunter leaned back in the chair and began to scan through the files Nick had left on the desk. He came across a folder for Jessica Saunders. He noticed that there wasn't a statement from her surviving relative. He noted that as of the night Jessica had been murdered, her brother had been admitted into the psychiatric ward. He decided to pay Robert Saunders a visit. If nothing else, he would at least be a visitor for the man to see.

 

Upon entering the ward, one of the nurses looked at him a little oddly. He smiled and asked where he could find Robert Saunders.

 

"Sorry sir," the nurse said. "but that information is strictly for family only. And I've gotto tell you, I highly doubt you're family."

 

"Look, honey," Hunter began in his sweetest tone. "I'm a homicide detective. I'm currently working on a case which involves his sister."

 

"And let me guess. You need to get his statement."

 

"That pretty much sums it up. And besides I figured I'd pay him a friendly visit. I'm taking a guess here. He hasn't had any visitors since he was admitted?" The nurse shook her head. She finally caved and gave him the room number. She watched as he headed off in the direction of Robert Saunders's room.

 

Hunter entered the room and approached Saunders's bedside. He drew one of the chairs leaning against the furthest wall up and sat beside the man. Saunders looked thin and tired. Hunter could see the marks where n IV had been put into his arm, which was now apparently not there.

 

"Mr. Saunders," Hunter began. "I'm Homicide Detective Sergeant Richard Hunter. I came here for two reasons. First of all, I wanted to see how you were feeling. The detective who questioned you before was kind of curious about how you've been doing over the past few weeks."

 

"Did you find Jessie's killer yet?"

 

"No Mr. Saunders we haven't found the person responsible for the death of your sister. But I can assure you that we're doing everything within our power to find whoever is responsible for this." After taking a few moments, Hunter resumed speaking. "Do you feel up to answering any questions Mr. Saunders?"

 

"Yes I think I can handle it. I can tell you a little about Jessie first, if that would help." Wanting to ease this witness into the harder questions, Hunter said that would be fine. "Jessie was my only living relative. I've taken care of her since our parents were killed in a car accident. She was smart, funny, and a very hard working student. Her dream was to become a teacher to help children. Jessie had a wonderful manner with kids."

 

"Do you know of anyone who would have motive to hurt your sister?" Saunders shook his head. Hunter stayed with Robert Saunders until a pretty brunette came in and politely told him he had to leave.

 

Meanwhile, Nick had made progress at the college. He'd learned that Tammy Larken was majoring in physical therapy. He learned that she hadn't been the one to pay for her tuition either. The check had come from an anonymous source, and every time she needed money for college, the checks all were from the same source.

 

But now that he'd accomplished that, he wanted to know what that phone call to Natalie had been about. He'd had a tap put on her home phone and the phone in her office. He decided to go back through cases and search for someone who might act in the manner of this killer. After about an hour of searching through the past few years worth of cases, he came up with one possibility. It was a case that he'd worked on with Tracy Vetter.

 

The case had involved a young woman suffering multiple personalities. There were three personalities in all; Ellen, Monica, and Jacqueline. Ellen was the shy, vulnerable personality who had been hurt throughout her life by different people. Monica was the tougher personality Ellen subliminally developed to hide the pain she was suffering. Due to Monica's indiscressions, she found herself victim to a vampire, and out came Jacqueline. Jacqueline was as cold-hearted as they come. She'd been the one who had killed Don Eckhart, and then left Ellen's personality to deal with the consequences.

 

Nick sat and studied the file on the Ellen Sims case. He remembered Tracy had been assigned to guard Ellen, while trying to help her regain the memories of why she had been found at a murder scene. Even after everything had come to a head, the final straw being Ellen's attempt at suicide, he still wasn't sure that this was the right case. Something wasn't right here, and he knew it. It was time to do some more searching through the archives of files he'd kept over the years. He had learned early on that just because a case was closed didn't mean that it couldn't come back to haunt you later on.

 

He closed the file on the Sims case and began looking through the previos years' cases. Finally he found one that fit the prophile quite well. Now all he had to do was some very boring, but necessary, searching for all parties involved in this case. He decided to sit and wait for Hunter to return.

 

Part 7

 

Three hours later, Detectives Rick Hunter and Nick Knight were busily working on typing up the statements they'd collected that evening. Hunter, having only taken one statement, had offered to help Nick type up the reports from the statements he'd taken from Tammy Larken's college professors. Just then the phone on the desk Hunter sat at rang. Hunter lifted the receiver and spoke into the phone.

 

"Homicide, Hunter."

 

"Sgt. Hunter, its Allice from Juvenile Services in Los Angeles. I ran a check on the Peters girl you requested. There's no match of an address for her anywhere, but what I did find was pretty interesting."

 

"What have you got for me, Allice?"

 

"There is a name and contact number for a Stacy Renkins. She's a Social Services case worker."

 

"I know who she is. I've dealt with her before." Hunter took down the number and then thanked Allice for the information. He told Nick what he'd found out, and then dialed the phone number for Stacy Renkins. Stacy picked up on the third ring.

 

After Hunter explained his position, he informed the woman that Rebecca Peters had been the victim of a cereal killer preying on young women. Stacy listened and then replied.

 

"Rebecca was on my case load about twelve years ago. She was a bright girl, just the wrong family life, or in her case, a lack there of. We kept trying to place her in a foster home, but each time we did, she'd take off that very day and wind up in some form of trouble."

 

"Why then are their no addresses listed in Rebecca's juvenile records?"

 

"Back then the filing system was slow. Each time we placed a juvenile, it took at least a day to get the information loaded into the computer systems."

 

After a few minutes more of talking to the woman, Hunter ended the conversation. He checked his watch and found that it was a quarter to eleven. He finished the statement he'd been typing up and handed it to Nick. "I'm turning in for a few hours. I'll beat the bushes and see what I can't find during the daylight. Besides, McCall's at the hospital with one of her students. We're going to have to take the girl to Juvie if the aunt still refuses to take responsibility for her niece's medical needs."

 

Nick looked at the taller detective and finally blurted out the question. "Are you in love with McCall or something? Not that I'm interested or anything, but you don't want IA to get wind of something like that. That is if you still want to work together as partners."

 

"I'm pleading the fifth on that note. But I'll tell you if you'll tell me whats going on with you and Natalie Lambert." Hunter retorted and strode out of the precinct. Nick watched until he was gone and then smiled to himself. He knew that Hunter was in love with his partner, and she with him. It was the same way with he and Natalie, just that they couldn't do anything about their relationship. He didn't want to condemn Natalie to a life of darkness, and there wasn't much chance he would become mortal the way Janette had with Robert.

 

Earlier that evening

 

DeeDee entered room 218 and headed over to the figure lying in the bed. She held the bag high so Beth could see it. "I got you some changes of clothes, the photo album you wanted, and some other things to keep you busy. I figured you could use something to keep your mind off of things, and somehow I don't think my assigning extra work is going to cut it."

 

"Thank you for everything, Ms. Kramer. May I ask you something?"

 

"Go ahead. Ask anything you want."

 

"What's going to happen to me if Aunt Beatrice decides not to assume responsibility for me? Where will I go?"

 

DeeDee wasn't sure how to answer this question. As much as she wanted to tell the girl she'd assume the necessary responsibility, she also knew that taking in a child would mean serious changes to her lifestyle. It wasn't like taking home some unfinished paperwork at the end of a long workweek.

 

"I honestly don't know. But I promise I'll look into it and let you know what I find." She pulled up a chair and sat down beside Beth's bedside. "So, what about your mom and dad? What were they like?"

 

"Mum was a great cook. Whenever I had to go into the hospital for anything she would make me my favorite dinner when I came home. Dad was a lawyer. When they were killed in the plane crash they were heading to the States so he could get some depositions or something for a case he was working on. Whenever he went on trips like that he always took one of us with him. I remember one time we all went to Florida so he could get some depositions and go into a courtroom with some lady who had been accused of fraud or something. After he finished work he took us to Disney Land and Universal Studios."

 

"Sounds like you had a great trip. What's your favorite dinner?" DeeDee asked the girl.

 

"Spaghetti and meatballs with salad."

 

"I like that too. So what about school? Do you like it? What do you do for extracurricular activities?"

 

"I used to play Field hockey. I played for the past two years, and started this year's season off, but ended up having to quit. I played field hockey for a few weeks, but then my aunt made me quit. She said that I couldn't do it because of my seizures. But when I'm on the medication I'm fine. You've seen what happens when I'm not on the medicine. School is school. I mean it's challenging and all, but there are just some things I can't stand like Math or Chemistry."

 

"I hated Chemistry too, but I really got a kick out of the math. I think that's why I like grading papers so much especially the ones that are handed in late." DeeDee laughed and smiled at Beth. Beth was about to say something but was interrupted. Just then a nurse entered and approached DeeDee and Beth. She spoke to DeeDee.

 

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but you're going to half to leave. She needs to get some sleep and I've got to give her another dose of medicine."

 

DeeDee smiled politely at the nurse and told Beth she'd be back first thing in the morning. "Could I have a minute with her first?"

 

The nurse nodded and left the room. DeeDee took Beth's hand, the one with the IV in it and squeezed it gingerly. "If it's okay with the doctors, I'm going to get you discharged from here."

 

"What happens after that?"

 

"Think of it as a surprise. I think you'll like what I've got planned."

 

After returning home, DeeDee found Rick sound asleep on the couch. Not being able to resist the temptation, she went over to him and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. She began softly shaking him in order to wake him up.

 

"Hey. Wake up. I'm home."

 

Hunter slowly opened his eyes. After a minute he sat up and made room for her to sit beside him on the couch. "So how's the girl doing?"

 

"She's okay. The doctor told me that the tests show that she hasn't gotten her medication in the past few days. That would account for the seizures she's had today. He said she could be released tomorrow, and I was thinking of taking her somewhere for the day. Care to join us?"

 

"If it's the mall you can forget it. I've been shopping with you enough times to know that when you go into a store you don't come out with just one or two things."

 

She laughed and playfully slapped him on the arm. He grabbed her arm and refused to let go. "Okay so I'm a mall rat. I can't help it if I'm an addictive shopper. Now would you please let go of my arm? I'm tired and want to go to bed."

 

"Works for me."

 

Nick's loft

 

Nick had just returned home from his shift. It was nearly five-thirty in the morning, and the sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon. He'd been going through several old case files that he'd been working on for at least the last six years, and had finally found something he could use. He quickly booted up his computer and accessed the old file. This was going to be very tough to cover up, especially if the killer was who he thought it was. It didn't take too long before the computer gave him the information he both hoped for and dreaded. He knew that this would be very difficult to hide from the mortal world, but unless he wanted to have to explain more than he cared to, he knew it had to be done.

 

Part 8

 

First thing the next morning, Hunter and McCall entered the hospital and made their way towards Beth's room. When they opened the door they saw Beatrice Fletcher standing by the bed holding Beth's suitcase in one hand and urging the girl to get up.

"Hurry it up! I don't have time to just waste while you wait for someone to unhook that IV! You've gone through this before, now just take it out yourself!"

 

DeeDee watched for a single second as the woman reached out and grasped the tubing with one hand and tried to remove the tape with the other.

 

"Get your hands off of her right now!" DeeDee entered the room and went straight for the woman. "What the hell gives you the right to come waltzing in here and take her out of here? You gave up that option last night when you walked out on your niece during a seizure."

 

DeeDee grabbed ahold of Fletcher, causing her to let go of the IV line and Beth's bag. She forcibly turned the woman around and pushed her out into the hall where Hunter stood with the doctor. They'd seen everything DeeDee had and went into action.

 

The doctor was the first to say something. "When you left the hospital last night, I placed a phone call to Child Protective Services and told them the situation. This is a police officer who has been instructed to escort you from these premises."

 

"You can't do this to me! I'm the girl's only living relative."

 

"A relative who refused to take her niece to a doctor's appointment and refill her doctor prescribed medication to control her seizures. That's considered a form of abuse Ms. Fletcher." Hunter said as he withdrew a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and slapped them on the woman's wrists.

 

"You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you so desire, and cannot afford one, the court will appoint you one, free of charge. Do you understand each of these rights as I have explained them to you Ms. Fletcher?"

 

She just scowled at him and then tried to flip him the bird behind her back. Hunter saw her gesture and grinned widely. He led her down the corridor and out of sight from DeeDee or the doctor. He looked at her and grinned for just a split second.

 

"I didn't really call CPS, but once he told me he was a police officer I figured I'd inform him of the girl's test results since he was here with you yesterday and all."

 

"Don't worry. You won't be charged with breech of doctor/patient confidentiality. I was the one first informed of Beth's condition. I took it from there." It wasn't a question but a statement. The doctor smiled and nodded his head in the direction of Beth's room.

 

"Thank you. Now, I think you have a scared girl who needs to get the hell out of here." He smiled at her. DeeDee entered the room and headed over to the girl. Beth looked as though she were about to cry. DeeDee put a comforting arm around her shoulder and sat in a chair she'd pulled up beside the bed.

 

"It's okay, sweet heart. Your aunt isn't going to be taking you home now or later. She's being locked up on abuse charges. Her not giving you the medicine you needed and not taking you to doctor's appointments is considered to be a form of abuse and neglect in the eyes of the law."

 

"She said you were just being nice to me because I'm sick. She said that I should be locked up." Beth started crying. DeeDee gently hugged the girl, being careful not to hit her IV.

 

"It's going to be all right. You're going to go with me and we're going to head to my house first so you can get changed. Then I'm taking you out for the day. Anywhere you want to go."

 

In a few minutes, the doctor walked in with the discharge forms on a clipboard and proceeded to disconnect Beth's IV from her arm. "Looks like you're getting out of here. I'm going to give you a prescription for your medicine, and release you into Sgt. McCall's care."

 

DeeDee explained that Beth would have to eventually be placed in the care of Juvenile Services. "It's the only alternative. I can't take you myself because there are certain rules cops have to follow. Juvie isn't my choice either, but it's a lot better than your aunt, right?"

 

Beth just shrugged and agreed. She knew McCall was right, but didn't want to admit it. "So do I have to go to this Juvie place now?"

 

"That's the good part. I don't have to turn you over until the end of the day. And since I have the day off from both jobs, I thought we could do something together. Anything you want."

 

So within a few hours, DeeDee found herself standing in line at a local movie theater. Beth had come up with a few things she wanted to do, and DeeDee had also tossed around a few ideas too. While they waited, they talked about everything.

 

"I'm a little confused about something." Beth admitted as they waited for the incredibly long line to move. "Why are you working as a teacher in an all girls school?"

 

"It has to do with a case I'm trying to solve."

 

"You mean Laura Parks don't you? She was on my field hockey team. She was a great player, better than me even. But nobody liked her."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Well she didn't hang out with anyone really. They treated her like they treat me. Most of the girls who were on that team are real snobs. They think that just because their parents are loaded they can be cruel to anyone they don't think is worthy of being in their school." Beth looked at DeeDee for a moment and then continued. "What about you? What do you like to do for fun?"

 

DeeDee had to think about that one for a moment. She enjoyed being a cop, but that wasn't exactly considered fun. It was when the bad guys went to jail, but it wasn't something she'd recommend someone do for pleasure.

 

"I really enjoy just sitting down with a good book. I'm athletic because of my job, but that's common for a cop."

 

Meanwhile, Hunter had just finished booking Beatrice Fletcher on criminal abuse and neglect of a minor. He wasn't happy about having to do the paperwork, but it had to be done. He picked up his jacket and headed out the door. He was still baffled with the case. Something just didn't seem right.

 

Hunter began combing the city looking for his partner and the girl. He checked the mall, park, and about half a dozen fast food places. He finally spotted them in a line heading into a movie theater. He motioned for them to step out of line and went to a nearby park bench to sit. He greeted them both and noticed that the kid looked more alive.

 

"I'm going to go and get some ice cream over at that vender." Beth pointed to the nearby vender, and headed off in that direction. As soon as he was sure she was out of hearing range, he said, "The aunt has been booked on the charge of neglect and abuse. I also added endangering the welfare of a minor to the list. She got a little testy with me, and threatened to bring a civil action against me and the department. Reese hadn't left just yet and was curious as to why I was booking a woman on abuse charges, so I told him the story. He thinks we should keep her in protective custody until this whole thing's solved or until something else can be arranged. So how's she holding up?"

 

"Well, she got a little upset earlier just after you left, but now she seems different. Outwardly she seems all right. But inwardly I think this whole thing's got her in a bad position. She's hurting an awful lot. I mean look at what she's been through in just the past few months. Her parents are killed in a plane crash, her only living relative is someone who would just as soon have her committed to a mental hospital, rather than take on the responsibility, and now there's this murdered girl. I think everything is going to come out eventually, it's just not going to be the best way."

 

"So what do you propose we do about it for the time being?"

 

"Well, I think we give her some enjoyment today. Then we take her to Juvie like we're supposed to. Then I say we put all our time and energy into tracking down this killer. He's got to make a mistake sooner or later."

 

Beth returned with her ice cream in one hand and a mound of napkins in the other. She looked at DeeDee and then at Rick. "So what now? What can we do?"

 

"How about you finish that ice cream, and then we'll head for the mall." Beth smiled broadly. These two didn't have to be nice and spend time with her, but they did it anyway. The reminded her of her parents.

 

"That sounds great! Thanks a lot guys."

 

"Oh, and after that we're going to go and hunt up something to eat. How's that sound?"

 

Beth agreed immediately and smiled. I know just the place, too."

 

The three of them spent the next three hours in the mall, McCall finding things she liked and Hunter trying not to gripe too much as he literally became the human shopping cart. McCall noticed Beth looking at a cd out of the corner of her eye, and decided to get it for her. She'd already insisted on getting the girl a few little odds and ends here and there as they passed certain stores. But all too soon the shopping trip ended.

 

An hour and a half after they left the mall, the three were just polishing off the remaining pieces of a large pepperoni and mushroom pizza in a local pizza parlor. It was noisy and the majority of the crowd were teens. They were laughing and talking very loudly and some were pointing at Beth. As Beth and the two partners were leaving, Hunter heard one girl remark, "She's probably the teacher's pet or something. The girl's too stupid to be anything else." The girl went on laughing with her friends, but Hunter didn't find it funny.

 

Beth paid no attention to the remark. "Just let it go. They're always like that. I don't let it get to me anymore."

 

"I don't know how you can do it, Beth. I mean it's easy for me to sit there and say "just ignore people like that," but in reality it's not as easy as it sounds." Hunter looked straight at the group of teens. He put a friendly hand on Beth's shoulder and squeezed gently.

 

"You're right. It does hurt, but what good will confronting those little snobs do? All it has done in the past is just make things a whole lot worse. Mum used to say that it was feeding flames to a firebreathing dragon."

 

Hunter smiled and laughed lightly. He knew that the girl was right, but it still bothered him that these kids could say such cruel things about one of their own classmates. But then again he remembered his own childhood, and the flack he'd received for being the son of a man connected to the mob.

 

It was dark by the time they left Beth in the care of the Juvenile services. Beth knew and understood why they had to leave her in the Juvenile facility, but she still wasn't too happy about being put into a room and left there indefinitely. McCall had promised to come back and visit as soon as she could, and she promised to also get a few other things that she knew that Beth might enjoy.

 

DeeDee looked at her partner and half smiled, half frowned. "I hate the way the Juvie system works all over the world. It's like telling the kids in those facilities that they're the criminals."

 

"I know, but it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative. At least she's safe for now."

 

McCall had to conceed that her partner and friend was right. In her heart she knew that Juvie would be the better alternative for Beth. At least she would be well cared for, DeeDee had seen to at least that much. But she also knew that there was something else. There was something missing from her, something she desperately needed and wanted. She knew she was missing out on a family of her own, one with kids running around in the yard and coming home from school with straight A's on their report cards. She wondered if she and Hunter would ever have that with one another.

 

Part 9

 

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Nick was tracking down a lead on someone who looked similar to a woman he'd dealt with in a case nearly three years ago. Her name was Ann Foley. When last he'd seen her, she had tried to convince him to kill his partner. She'd succeeded in getting him to steal for her, but he had planned to use it against her. Stonetry, his captain at the time, had a notebook that one of his detectives had kept while working. Unfortunately, this detective had crossed paths with Ann Foley, and he had met an early death as a result. Foley wanted Nick to steal the notebook for her, and he did so, with the fullest of intentions of returning it to it's place of origin as soon as his work was done. Unfortunately for Nick, however, once Ann had gained possession of the notebook, she burned it, as Nick looked on in stunned horror. He asked her why she'd asked him to steal it for her, and her response was to ask him how it felt. When Foley learned of Nick's deception against her, she made him think she tried to kill herself. Unfortunately, she did not succeed.

 

 

Nick had his suspicions at the time, but had no proof to back them up. He believed that she was a half-breed, a cross between a vampire and a mortal. The only problem was, unlike other half-breeds, he was unable to sense any form of the vampire. Usually, half-breeds were able to be detected, however, Nick had heard of very few who were not so noticeable. Such creatures didn't normally last too long before they either killed themselves, or were killed by the enforcers. They were not accepted in the worlds of either the living or the undead. Hunters found them and made swift justice of their executions, either that or the enforcers would take it upon themselves. Nick suspected that Ann had been around for quite some time, and that she had built up quite a reputation.

 

He believed that both her personality, and her will to stay among those roming the earth, had played an important part in her survival for the amount of time she'd been in this world. But now he was even more convinced of her existence to this day. Since no body had been recovered when both he and Schanke had gone down to make certain that she was dead, he felt that some form of the vampire had taken over.

 

He had searched through several known data bases, using Ann's picture as the only clue. Of course, it was always possible that the woman could change her appearance, but Nick had thought of this. He had run her image through several different alterations, changing many different graphic features as he went along. "Thank god for computers." Nick thought to himself. He'd spent the better part of the last few days just doing the tiring task. Now, he'd hit pay dirt. One of his many images of Ann Foley had been pinpointed to a woman going by the name Kathleen Baker. According to the information he could dig up on this woman, which wasn't much, he was able to find out that she worked in a corporate law office. From there on out, there had been nothing to go on, no address, no next of kin, nothing.

 

That was when he spotted her. He spotted her heading down a dark ally, obviously trying to conceal herself from passersby. He gave chase, but she took to the air. She could fly, and that in itself was revelation enough for Nick's suspicions of her existence as a vampire to be confirmed.

 

After checking to see that no one was around, Nick took to the air in pursuit. But he was too late. He'd missed his chance of catching her. Foley was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it now. He could only do one thing.

 

He lifted into the air and flew after her. It was difficult trying to keep sight of her, even with his enhanced vision. She kept darting in and out of shadows of treetops and the roovs of buildings. It was also difficult for Nick to sense her, since she was a half-breed. He'd heard stories of a certain type of half-breed which could virtually make themselves undetectable by other full fledged vampires. But even so, he made due wwith what little sensing he had of her. He followed her to a remote corner of the city, almost near to their last meeting place.

 

As he watched, she set down upon a nearby rooftop, and waited. She began looking around for any sign of her persuer, but there was no sign to be found. "Good." Ann thought to herself. "If I can't sense him, then he can't sense me."

 

Just then, a shadowy figure approached her from behind and caught her in a vice-like grip. "Let me go! Now!" Ann's screams were lost to the night.

 

Nick spun her to face him and looked into her angry face with equally angry features of his own. His eyes held no sign of their blue coloring, but instead held within their depths a golden hugh, which almost penetrated Ann's very core. He held her with a force which both surprised and frightened her. She knew what this vampire was capable of, and if he really wanted to do so, he could easily kill her and be done with it. He had proven this to her at their last meeting, one in which he tried to take her alive. She had been responsible for the deaths of a few poor souls, one of which was a cop friend of Nick's former captain Joe Stonetry. Now, here they were once again, with the same decision before them. But this time it was different. He had been more concerned with saving the life of his mortal partner before, but now there was no mortal to use as leverage. She was trapped and she knew it.

 

"Please, Nick, I'm begging you. Please don't kill me."

 

"Did any of your victims get the chance to beg for a second chance at life? Did you grant them at least that small bit of dignity? No you didn't! You, Ann Foley, are a cold-blooded killer, and I can not in good conscious allow you to continue this pattern. You must be stopped."

 

"Then let the enforcers do it. You don't have it in you." Ann knew she was grasping at straws, and she knew full well that he knew. But she tried it anyway. Maybe she could appeal to his human side. He, unlike other vampires, had a human side to his soul, and no matter how weak it made him, she knew that with his humanity, he was incapable of taking a life out of revenge.

 

"No, I can't do that. As much as I'd like to turn you over to the enforcers, I have a mortal obligation to fulfill. You are the cereal killer I've been tracking, and I must bring you to justice. The only difference is, that it won't be the justice you're thinking of. You must pay for your crimes, but not in death. Death is an easy way out, the cowardly way. You will live out the rest of your mortal days in a jail cell, waiting for the time to come when you too, will be taken through death's door."

 

"But you seem to forget, Nick, that I am still part vampire. Unless you intend on bringing me across into the mortal world, I don't see how it is possible. I will be around long after the mortals of today have passed through that similar door."

 

"That is precisely what I intend to do. You do not know everything about our way of life, nor do you know much of our legends." With that, Nick drew back and sank his fangs into Foley's neck. He proceeded to drain her of what little she held in her, and once he'd finished, he injected a kneedle into her arm.

 

Slowly, ever so slowly, Ann began to feel her body taking on a distinct change. She could no longer feel the vampire element which had clung to her for such a long time. At least to her it had been a long time. She looked at the man who still held her in a tight grip. Then it registered. Her heart was beating at a normal rate, and she was mortal!

 

"What have you done?"

 

"I injected a combination of curare and human blood into your veins. You will be no threat to anyone else ever again. There is also one other thing I failed to mention before. Once you have been returned to your mortal form, you can not be brought accross again."

 

He took in the shock and disbelief written on her face. It was almost comical, when he thought about it. She'd truly believed that she could not be stopped unless it was done by her death. As he looked at the stunned expression she wore, she withdrew a set of handcuffs from his pocket and attached them to her slender wrists.

 

"Ann foley, you are under arrest for murder.  "You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you so desire, and cannot afford one, the court will appoint you one, free of charge. Do you understand each of these rights as I have explained them to you?"

 

Part 10

 

The two partners had been driving around when the call sounded over their radio. "Sgts. Hunter and Mccall, Detective Knight requests that you return to the 96th immediately. He has a suspect in custody."

 

The two partners looked at one another, and then grinned. McCall was the first to speak. "You know, Hunter, if he's already got the suspect dead to rights, he could be you."

 

"And just what does that mean, Sgt.? Are you implying that I'm an overachiever when it comes to my work?"

 

She looked at the man sitting beside her and playfully slapped him on the arm. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Sgt."

 

Back at the precinct, the two partners entered the bullpen and made their way towards Knight's desk. Hunter was the first to spot the young woman, still handcuffed, sitting in a chair beside the desk. He shot his partner a look and directed his comment to Nick.

 

"What did she do, forget to pay a parking fine?"

 

Nick looked up from the report he was typing, and looked at Hunter with a look that said, "That wasn't meant as sarcasm, now was it?"

 

But instead, he said, "No, Sgt. Hunter. I'd like for you to meet the person responsible for the five murders here in our little province. Sgts. Hunter and McCall, meet Kathleen Baker."

 

"You've got to be kidding me. How could she be responsible for murder?"

 

McCall turned and faced her partner. "Hunter, you know as well as I do that just because a person is of average height, it doesn't mean they aren't capable of committing a brutal crime. But my question here, is why'd she do it in the first place?"

 

This caused all eyes to turn in the direction of the prisoner. At first she said nothing, just sat there while Nick was finishing the last of the paperwork before he was done booking her on the charges. But then she spoke, and as she did so, her eyes darted from one person to the next.

 

"I did it to protect them. All I was trying to do was protect them."

 

Nick finished the final details on the paperwork, and led Ann Foley away. As he passed her over to the desk sergeant, he glanced back at the two LA detectives who'd become fast friends with himself. He watched as the desk sergeant took over, and then made his way back toward the pair. As he approached, he heard them talking."So, what do we do about Beth? Her aunt's in jail, facing charges and she needs someone to take her in. You know as well as I do that Juvie shelters aren't the best place for a girl suffering from ceizures."

 

Hunter looked at the woman who had become so much more than just a partner to him over the years. He knew what was going through her mind, but he also knew that this would mean a whole new responsibility for them all, if DeeDee really meant to go ahead and accept the responsibility of caring for the teenager. But then another thought crossed his mind. It wasn't something he was necessarily thrilled with, but the idea needed to be explored further before anything was done.

 

"McCall, I think we should have a little discussion with Beatrice Fletcher before deciding anything. Maybe she'll have a change of heart, and decide that assuming the necessary responsibility is the best thing for her niece."The two partners said goodnight to Nick, and headed off in the direction of the holding cells. They were going t take care of this tonight, not tomorrow.

 

They entered the dark corridor, and made their way down to the cell where Beatrice Fletcher was being held. They approached her dor and peeked through the bars at the woman who was just sitting there on her bunk. She saw them, but pretended not to. McCall was the first to speak to her.

 

"Ms. Fletcher, we came down here tonight to talk to you. We think we have a deal which you might be interested in. In exchange for our dropping the charges against you, you agree to take care of your niece and assume all responsibility of caring for her. And that includes refilling her prescriptions and taking her to doctors appointments. So, what about it, do you agree?"

 

At first the woman behind the barred door neither moved nor spoke. She thought about it for a few minutes, weighing her options. She wanted out of this hellhole, but did she really want to go back to taking care of her sister's kid? If she thought about it, wasn't it a little like giving up, accepting defeat?

 

"I'll do it. But that doesn't mean I've changed mind or my beliefs."

 

Now it was Hunter's turn to speak up. He planned on giving this woman a piece of his mind. "Ms. Fletcher, we're not asking you to change your views, just to do what your sister wanted you to do in the first place. So go and do it! Raise Beth to the best of your ability, but do not let your prejudices stand in the way of her growth."

 

Epilogue

 

It was Christmas Eve, and the partners both had the night off. They'd made plans to pick Beth up on Christmas Day and enjoy a wonderful Christmas dinner. But now, Hunter had a surprise for her, which she was sure to be very happy with, at least that's what he hoped her reaction would be.

 

He watched as she finished doing the dishes in the sink, and then as she headed for the livingroom and the couch. "I want you to sit and not move. Just close your eyes." He said this as he turned her towards the couch, and away from the little tree they'd picked out and the presents beneath. Of course she knew there were presents there, she'd put a few there herself.

 

He waited for her to sit down and close her eyes. Then, he went into the other room and came back with a package hidden behind his back. He approached her, sat down beside her, and took her hands into his own. He placed the package into her hands and told her to open her eyes. She did so, seeing the package and began opening it.

 

She spied the jeweler's box in the wrapping paper, and went to open it, when Hunter stopped her. He took the tiny box and opened it, keeping the contents hidden from view as he did so. Next, he took her hand and slipped something onto one of her fingers.

 

Immediately, tears began streaming down her face. She knew instantly what he was going to say before he said it. He slowly let her see what he'd done, and then held a breath as he composed himself for what came next.

 

"DeeDee, you know that I love you very much. Now, there is something I need to ask you, and I need you to wait until I'm finished. DeeDee McCall, will you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?"

 

As more tears made their way down her cheeks, she smiled and he knew instantly what the answer would be. "Yes. Yes, Rick Hunter, I will marry you."

 

THE END.