3
Sep
He positioned himself where he could see her but no one could see him. The crickets played an orchestral movement to accompany the light breeze. He sniffed the air. He could smell her.
Dusk had created a colorful, warm, light that surrounded her. He could feel her as though the light was created by him and he enveloped her.
“Be patent. Take your time with this one.” He reminded himself.
“She is only once. Let her linger.”
Scorpius allowed the moment to extend. He would wait for dusk to turn to night when he would allow himself to envelop her with his entire being. For now the light worked its magic.
He watched her and loved the moment in it’s entirety.
-MRC
27
Aug
When she got to the hatchery Lynn had trouble finding the tribal sheriff. The pens seemed fine. They were full of fish. Each pen held a different stage of life for the salmon, the largest of which were only a few months old. She wondered why someone would choose to poison captive salmon rather than some other distraction. If this was indeed a distraction from a more heinous crime. She was pretty convinced that it was the rapes since there really weren’t any other crimes in the area deemed nasty enough to need this sort of distraction. Either that or the deaths of the salmon were simply a separate and unrelated crime.
“Not likely.” She said to no one.
“WHAT!?” Ransom appeared out of no where.
“OH SHHhhh. . . ! You scared the hell out of me. Where were you?” Lynn’s heart nearly stopped.
“Whoa. Sorry Agent. Didn’t mean to spook you.” Ransom approached from behind a nearby power shed.
Lynn watched him carefully. At this point in any investigation, and since she spoke to Detective Nelson, anyone could be the rapist/God wannabe.
“You said something about evidence?” Lynn sounded completely calm.
“I did?”
“Yes. You sounded urgent.”
“Oh right. Yeah. Sorry. I thought I found something but it was just an old tennis shoe. Wrong size for the prints we found.”
“And you forgot to tell me not to come?”
“Oh I wanted you to come anyway. That’s why I didn’t call back.”
“Okkaaaaay.”
“Don’t worry; it’s important you see something.” Laughed Ransom.
“What? What should I see?” Lynn casually let her hand go to her sidearm.
“It’s over there.” He nodded to an area behind her.
“Ok. You lead the way Sheriff.”
-MRC
20
Aug
Lynn hung up the phone. It was a tough call because what she really wanted to do was throw it. The first message was Ransom. He was at the hatchery. Apparently he found another piece of evidence and she was to meet him there right away. The second message was her sister Hilary.
“No she isn’t on her death bed Hil. No matter what she tells you. It’s too soon. Beside she won’t die until it suits her. And it won’t suit her unless it inflicts the most pain on me.”
She spent the next 45 minutes talking her sister off the cliff’s edge. She actually felt bad for Hilary. Their mother was a handful and now, home in bed, dying of stage 4 colon cancer, she was even worse. Lynn did feel guilty, very guilty, that she wasn’t there to lend a hand. Not because she wanted to be there for her mother, not at all. But because Hil was trapped.
“I’ll make it up to you Hil. I promise.”
Of course her older sister had heard that a million times before and wasn’t buying it. But she finally let Lynn get back to work.
-MRC
18
Aug
After a few moments something occurred to Lynn.
“If we fail we are both screwed. You know that right?”
“We can’t fail. We have to stop this guy.”
“What if we can’t make it stick because we broke a few rules?”
“That’s a bridge we cross when we get to it. Agreed?”
Lynn smiled.
“Agreed. But let’s try and limit the damage eh?”
The Detective smiled.
“Can’t promise anything.”
Lynn suddenly blurted, “CRAP. Sheriff Johns is expecting me right now.”
“I’ll drive you. Where are we going?”
“To the hatchery. The tribal hatchery.”
“OK. You call ahead and I’ll bring the car around.”
Lynn fumbled for her phone. There were two new messages waiting.
END ACT 2
-MRC
6
Aug
“Wait a minute.” A reality hit Lynn square in the gut.
“Why did you show me this? I am not officially on this case. Did you just break the chain of evidence?”
The Detective looked grave.
“I am out of options Agent. I want these rapes to stop and I am willing to do just about anything at this point. Even if I lose my job, if it prevents a single rape, it will be worth it.”
“But what happens to me is just collateral damage then I take it?”
“What would you have done in my place?”
“I guarantee I would have done EXACTLY the same thing.” Lynn gave him a reassuring smile.
“I wouldn’t be so sure Lynn. This could get messy before we are done. You will be on the same hook I am if this goes south.” Eric dried his hands on his pants.
“You did say that you spoke to my supervisor at Quantico right?”
“I did.”
“I don’t think this is an accident then. Our working on this together.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember when I told you that sex crimes were my specialty?”
“Yes.”
“It’s deeper than that. I specialize in sex abuse of minors. I understand the victim-ology of these crimes. It has made me wonder why I was sent here to investigate fish. It seemed like a waste of time. But, now I wonder. . .”
-MRC
29
Jul
“We really don’t know what to make of it. It is disturbing never- the- less.” The Detective was no longer looking at Lynn.
“Disturbing? That’s your analysis? What part disturbs you more? The fact that someone knows about this little signature tidbit or that no one knows about this and yet, here it is, in the bag? Impossible. There is nothing comforting about this detective. Either you have a copy cat rapist or a ghost. Neither is good.”
“It gets better.” The detective stood up and paced a little.
“Oh I can’t wait.”
“The Medford rapist escalated. His fourth and final victim was murdered.”
“And how many cases do you have here?”
“Three.”
“Crap. So if all of this is to be believed, and I have no reason to doubt it, then our copy cat plans to kill the next victim.”
-MRC
26
Jul
Lynn could not hide her shock.
“So, what you are telling me is that we have a copy cat?”
“What I am telling you agent is that we have a serial rapist who uses the same MO and leaves the same signature as the Medford rapist who died a year ago.”
“Sooo. . .a copy cat.” She repeated.
“It could look that way, except for the fact that the signature, this calling card, was never made public.”
The detective let that tidbit set in.
“Ok, there was a leak in the Medford police department. The info got out.” Lynn said with certainty.
“That was the thought at the time except that the chain of evidence was never broken. No one could have known about it outside the department and they all passed polygraph tests AND our current rapist could not have seen a copy of that business card. Ever.”
Lynn suppressed a laugh.
“Oooooooh. An X File. Scary.”
-MRC
16
Jul
Lynn looked closely at the card in the evidence bag. It was the size of a business card. But this card didn’t advertise any business. On it was a symbol, an astrological sign.
“Scorpio?” Lynn’s look was quizzical.
Detective Nelson explained. “Yes, but this refers to it in a way no one expected.”
“Why? What does it mean?”
“He leaves one of these at each scene. A calling card if you will. Refers to himself as Scorpius, a God.”
“How the hell do you know that? It doesn’t say it on the card.”
“He told us.”
“WHAT?”
“Back in the early 90’s in Medford, Oregon, there was a series of home invasion rapes of young girls. The only evidence left at each scene was a card with the astrological sign of Scorpio.”
“At what point did this rapist tell you he was a God? I am missing something.”
“When we caught him.”
“Then you know who he is? He’s here now? How did he get out of jail? I assume he was put away?”
“We have no idea who he is. The Medford rapist died in prison a year ago.”
-MRC
9
Jul
Detective Nelson walked Lynn back to her hotel.
“There is one other thing Agent Kwan.”
“Isn’t there always?”
He stopped.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. Get used to this sort of thing Agent. It is part and parcel to the business. Secrets and information are our business.”
“You mean lies?”
Eric didn’t like that comment.
“Secrets don’t always mean lies Miss Kwan. Some things must remain out of the public for good reason. I think you know that. Even inter-agency secrets.”
“Ok. Yes. That’s true. We can’t always blab everything we know. Call it “Aces in the sleeves” if you will. Ok. Play your ace detective. I’m all ears.”
The detective motioned for them to go into Lynn’s room. Once they were inside, the Detective opened his briefcase and withdrew a plastic bag. It had an evidence seal on it. Inside was what looked like a business card. He handed her the bag.
“Evidence from?”
“The rapist leaves one of these at each crime scene.”
Lynn was shocked.
“You said there was no evidence?”
“I said there was no biological evidence.”
-MRC
2
Jul
“BILLY!!” Gretta was worried. “BILLY WHERE ARE YOU?!”
She walked back into the house to find her husband getting ready to go somewhere.
“Now where are you going? I can’t find Billy.”
“He’ll turn up, he always does.” The Reverend spoke softly.
“Do you have to go?”
“Honey, you know it is my duty as Pastor to visit the sick. It’s just to the Hospice.” He smiled sheepishly.
“Yes, but you were just there.” Gretta was clearly vexed now.
“This is the life of a Pastor. You know that.” He was getting antsy to leave. His wife noticed.
“But what’s the hurry? Can’t you wait until Billy is back in? I’m worried about him.” She was standing in her husband’s way now.
“Gretta darling. These patients are dying and need attendance by a man of the cloth. I can’t keep up with that boy. If he is misbehaving, we will take care of that in the morning.” With that he brushed past her and got in the car.
As he drove away, his wife wept.
-MRC