gun in hand [katie]

[America Kennedy]

It was still early and although America had been in there for about half an hour, he hadn't started anything that resembled work. People were still shuffling in and he wasn't the only one that hadn't been busy just yet. He would buckle down in-- America's eyes shifted to the clock on his computer screen. Fifteen minutes. At eight-thirty, he would do something work related, but for now, he was busy launching birds into platforms with headphones blaring in his ears and a doughnut in his right hand. Anyone that knew him tended to be aware of his habits in the morning. He was the type that was quick to kick back until he had to get to work and then he managed to get to it and wasn't in the least bit a slacker at the job. But, right now, he was more focused on advancing to the next level of Angry Birds and had been busy chewing his food and forgetting he had headphones on at all that he didn't hear someone walk past his door and stop, eyeing him like he had two heads or something.

"Where's Garrett?" Alexander wanted his goddamn hands. And since it seemed like they weren't sending them in a timely manner, he was going to make damn sure they got them to his precinct. And it was Rhean that he wanted to snap at over it. Instead of getting an automatic response though, the blue-eyed detective looked up from his computer and furrowed his brow at him. Ric couldn't hear a word he was saying and removed the headphones after he'd already asked his question.

"It's not nine yet, he can't hear you." It was Andre's first day back. He'd spent a few days at home, after getting back in the country, but this was his first real day back to work. And he was happy to get back to it. This was where he wanted to be and he knew that there had been a lot left behind and a lot he needed to work on. The serial killer wasn't going to catch himself after all and while the police were doing all they could, he wanted to make sure he was on top of it. He had been headed past America's office when he noticed Alexander and had to stop himself from rolling his eyes just at his presence alone. And he might not have been at that precinct for too long himself, but it hadn't taken long to pick up on a lot of his colleagues' habits.

"I can hear just fine." He retorted, although he was right, he couldn't beforehand and this wasn't something that he did on a rare occasion. Usually, when he got to work, he had the exact same routine. "You're back." He noted as an afterthought, ignoring the look of irritation on Alexander's face.

"Oh, just great." Alexander wasn't looking forward to seeing Andre today, and he really didn't feel like dealing with him or this precinct in general. But, he needed his hands and he wasn't about to let it go.

[Deleted]

"Garrett is at the hospital, interviewing Mrs. DiMarco, cause she refused to talk to us all weekend" Noah answered Alexander as he walked in, reaching down and grabbing a donut from his partner's desk. "She gave me the choice of working on the list of Jane and John Does at the morgue, and talking to Mrs. DiMarco. And believe me, anything is better than interviewing that woman." Taking a bite of the donut, he then turned to Andre and nodded. "Welcome back. Donut?" he asked, grabbing another one to offer to the man.

"You mean, you haven't id'd all the bodies yet? There weren't that many. What have you been doing?" Kenneth asked as he joined them. He hadn't come in at the same time as Alexander, because his cell phone had gone off. He had spent the last several minutes on the phone outside, and had come in just in time to hear McKay mention the Does. "There were what--fourteen total? We would have had that knocked out by now. What do you do around here, play video games?" he asked, seeing the game on Kennedy's computer.

"Hey, you wanna do it? I'll give you the list of names. There's a lot more missing than we have at the morgue. There's kids we can't touch because the doctors won't tell us who they are. You think it's easy cleaning up after what happened? Give it a try" Noah snapped back at Kenneth. He wasn't going to take that, not from some jackass from a rival precinct. "What are you even doing here, anyways?"

"Daddy," the sweet, soft voice called out as Natasha stepped off the elevator, envelopes in hand. Natasha was glad her Andrew had allowed her to drive to school today. It would have been a pain getting to the precinct if he hadn't. Natasha had never even so much as missed a day of school before, but after what she found, she had left school between homeroom and first period and gone to her daddy's work.

The day had started wonderfully. Natasha had been up since five in the morning, and she had cooked a huge breakfast for Andre, since it was his first day back. At six in the morning, she had gone into their bedroom and surprised her parents with breakfast in bed. She had then kissed Andre on the cheek, told him she loved him, and went to get dressed for school. The day seemed perfect; her hair was doing exactly what she wanted; she was wearing the cutest pink, sparkly top with hot pink pants, and she absolutely loved her new shoes. In homeroom, she had been able to sign a couple of cheerleaders onto the squad, and she was so close to saving the Spirit Squad.

But then, the bell rang to go to first period, and Natasha had gone to her locker to get her book, and there was a big, yellow envelope taped to it. Looking around, she took it off and looked at it. In all capital letters, the words FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY. NO QUESTIONS ASKED were written in black ink. Natasha frowned; she didn't remember agreeing to deliver anything. Why would she agree to deliver something so bland and boring as a yellow envelope? Curiously, she opened it up, and looked inside. There were three envelopes, addressed to Detective Garrett, Detective Kennedy, and Detective Simpson.

The blond looked around. A feeling came over her that she may have been watched. How else would the person know if she did it? God, she sounded like a crazy person. But for some reason, she felt nervous. What would happen if she didn't take it to her dad? She didn't want to know. Looking around, she made sure no teachers were looking before she walked out through the side door, throwing away the yellow envelope and just holding on to the three white ones, went to her car, and drove as fast as she could.

As soon as she spotted the building, Natasha found a parking meter that was empty and put some money in it, enough to last for a few hours. Gripping the envelopes, she rushed inside, her heels clicking, and called for the elevator. As soon as she was off, she spotted her dad and rushed to him."Daddy," she said again, a nervous shakiness to her voice. "Please don't be angry. I-I left school."

[America Kennedy]

"Your fear of that woman is hilarious," Ric piped up with a chuckle. Honestly, he didn't understand it, but had yet to meet her. Still, he couldn't help but offer the little jab at his partner as he took a bite out of his doughnut again. Though, when he heard Kenneth enter with the question, he frowned. "Fuck off, I'm not on the clock yet." He retorted and grabbed the large can next to him and took a drink. He wasn't much for coffee, so he settled for the giant sized energy drinks and tended to drink an unhealthy amount.

Alexander glanced over at Kenneth, then back at the other cops, having to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "I need my damn hands. When's Garrett going to be back?" He asked, if only because that meant he didn't have to deal with Andre. Even though Andre was right there and he reached out taking a doughnut when it was offered and gave a nod.

"Thanks." He said, then looked over at Alexander and Kenneth. Really, he would rather not deal with the two of them. It wasn't usually a welcome environment when people came over from the other precinct. "Maybe you should just learn to be patient." Andre suggested, to which Alexander looked even more annoyed. No, patience wasn't the problem. Not getting what he wanted was the problem. And although it was tense, America reached down for his box and held it up to the other two detectives. Hey, they might be from the other precinct but he might as well offer. To which Alexander wrinkled his nose slightly and shook his head.

At Natasha's voice though, Andre looked over, confused at first. He checked his watch, then looked back at her. She should have been at school. And at her comment, he shook his head. "I'm not mad. What's going on?" He asked, because he didn't think she would just show up for nothing. Not to mention, she seemed awfully nervous, which was a red flag for worry.

[Deleted]

"Wait till you meet her. That woman can scare anybody. She's like a mother bear. You know how many kids she's got living with her? Sixteen. I counted. And hey, as a survival tip, don't mention the kids. Just don't. You don't wanna know what will happen." He had made that mistake, asking her if it was possible that one of the kids she had taken in could have done it. He barely made it out of there alive. When Alex said what he wanted, Noah looked up at him and chuckled. "Shouldn't you be taking that up with forensics? We don't have hands lying around."

Kenneth looked in the donut box and grinned when he saw bear claws. Grabbing one, he looked at the exchange between Alex and the other two. "I tried that on Friday. Forensics says it has to be signed over to us." he explained, taking a bite out of the pastry. Looking to Andre, he rolled his eyes. "Patience? You should know that killers don't wait for us to get the evidence we need. Is that why you haven't made any arrests on the sniper case? You being patient?" When the girl came in, he smirked. "Oh my god, it's Barbie. I think I need shades" he said in a low tone, speaking to Alexander with a chuckle.

"The bad guy from the dance. H-he..or she? I don't know! But they found me. I don't know why. I didn't do anything! But they found my locker. And left something for you on it." she looked down at the envelopes, her hands shaky. She completely forgot that her father had told her not to tell him about the dance just yet. He said he would, when the timing was right. And Natasha had obeyed. But now, now it completely slipped her mind. She had to admit, she was scared. She knew all about the letters. It was revealed in the paper right after the dance. And while Natasha normally didn't like to read about anything unpleasant, she had to admit that secretly, she had been keeping up with the Sniper articles, since the massacre.

"There's one for you...one for Detective Garrett...and...uhm" she looked at the third one with a frown, before looking up at her father again. "Who's Detective Kennedy?" she asked. "These were in a yellow envelope. So tacky. I mean, come on, at least be a little creative. It said to deliver immediately, and I didn't want to disobey." she explained to him, not even looking at the others or paying attention to them at all.

"Where's the yellow envelope?" Noah asked, noting that she didn't actually have a yellow envelope in her hand. It was then that Natasha looked at someone other than her dad.

"In the trash at school. It was big and bulky and ugly." she said simply.

"You threw away evidence?" his voice raised, immediately causing the blond to step behind Andre. Her brown eyes shifted between the detective and her father, tears smarting in them. She didn't mean to!

[America Kennedy]

"Sixteen? What type of person has sixteen kids?" America asked; though, if she had that many kids, weren't their more odds of it being one of hers than most families? More kids, more options. "Crazy people, that's who." He answered his own question. He couldn't imagine it. Of course, he wasn't at a stage in his life where he really could imagine kids at all, much less sixteen of them running around. He was still young and had a while yet to think about what kind of family he wanted eventually. Honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted one, more than being married. But, god, sixteen? He couldn't get over the number and just shook his head.

Alexander let Kenneth answer the question, annoyed with the whole ordeal. They needed them signed over and sooner, rather than later. At the sound of a girl though, he looked over and when Kenneth mentioned her, he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. "Seriously. I half expect her not to bend at the joints." He remarked under his breath to his partner. That was a whole lot of pink.

Andre rolled his eyes at the other detectives. "No, we're making sure we do our jobs right. So, maybe you should take a lesson and jump through the right hoops." He snapped back at him, but of course, he knew they could set those hoops a little too high and make them work for it. And so what? He didn't think they would do any different for them. In fact, he was positive that was exactly what happened when the positions were reversed. Andre focused on his daughter though and frowned. "Bad guy at the dance? What're you talking about?" He asked, he hadn't been brought up to date on any problems at a dance and it was Ric who called over.

"Degrassi had a little massacre at the dance." Well, not really little and a massacre was never little, but you know, semantics.

It was a lot at once and Andre frowned, processing one and then the next thing she said. He was about to say something when Noah jumped in and he sent a scowl in his direction. "Hey, calm it down, she's a kid, she doesn't know any better." Andre defended, irritated with the sudden raise of his voice. And frankly, he would have been frustrated if it was anyone suddenly yelling at a teenager, but more so because it was his daughter and he wasn't going to take that. "You did okay, Natasha. Just give me the letters, I'll get Garrett's to her. Kennedy's right there." He gestured over to the younger detective.

America, on the other hand, looked at Noah as if he had grown a second head for a minute. "Man, it was just an envelope." He looked back at Natasha and flashed a smile. "Hey, don't be scared of him. He's harmless." He assured and held out his box to her in offering. "Want one?" He wasn't going to be rude to her.

"Just an envelope? It's no wonder you're not getting anywhere." Alex murmured, because, had it been him, he would have been pissed that anyone messed with the evidence at all, much less just tossed a piece of it away. Just because it seemed irrelevant didn't mean that it was.

[Deleted]

"Larisa DiMarco, that's who." Noah informed him. When America said crazy people, he chuckled. "Them too. But she won't talk about them. You'd be risking your life even mentioning the possibility that they could be suspects. She just keeps ranting about the boy who died. Number seventeen, apparently. Said she tried to take him in, and when she woke up, the kid was dead and she was trapped in her own dance studio. But so far, no bodies have shown up. No recent ones, anyway." he sighed, frustrated with the whole case, and when Andre got after him, his eyes narrowed. "That could have been the one piece of evidence with the killer's DNA, and you want me to calm it?"

Kenneth watched the scene and looked at Alexander. "You know, this morning, I was pretty frustrated with our cases. Now, I feel so much better. Guy didn't even know about it" he said with a chuckle, nodding to Andre in reference to the dance as he took a bite out of his bear claw. "Dooonuttt" he said, drawing it out as he put the pastry in his partner's face. "Smellll. Makes you want one, don't it?" he teased him. He teased Alex a lot when he was eating his diet, healthy food, and Ken was chowing down on a triple cheeseburger. "Hey, where's the coffee in this place?" he asked Andre. He couldn't have a donut without coffee. It was blasphemy.

When she heard America explaining the massacre, Natasha looked down. Now, it was dawning on her what she had just done. uhoh. She wasn't supposed to do that. She now focused on the envelopes, avoiding eye contact with him. When he asked for the letters, she looked up at him again, but only briefly. Nodding, she handed over the envelopes and looked up to see who Kennedy was. As soon as she saw him, her entire demeanor changed.

A smile slowly made its way onto her face. She practically skipped over to him, holding out the envelope to him. When the donuts were offered, she giggled. "Oh. I-I don't eat carbs," she explained, but she did take a donut. Holding it in her hand, she leaned onto the desk and tilted her head, giving him a flirty smile. "You're a detective? But you're so young! You look like you can be in high school!" she told him with a giggle. Her father was all but forgotten as Natasha flirted shamelessly with the man.

"Hold my calls," Rhean announced, approaching the group with a sigh. "I got a sketch of the missing John Doe with the help of Mrs. DiMarco. McKay, why on earth were you having trouble with her? Getting information from her was easier than getting anything out of the Del Rossi girls. I'm sending a squad car over to the grocery store, to see if anyone saw what happened to the boy after she was hit." Having a one-track mind, Rhean hadn't even seen Andre, or the men from the other precinct. "How's Cameron doing?" she asked Noah, since he was supposed to be listening in on the man's interactions at the high school. When Noah cleared his throat and gestured to Natasha, so she would get the hint to be quiet, that was when Rhean noticed her partner.

"Oh my god!" she wrapped her arms around Andre's neck, a complete opposite from how she had treated him in the past. But, Rhean had faced more problems on the case since he left, and she had come to realize just how much she needed her new partner. Especially with the mess of the massacre, and then the threats on her daughter and Danny. And she had no idea that Andre was even back. Rhean had done her best, but in her opinion, McKay and Kennedy were incompetent, and while Officer Yorke was very helpful, it just wasn't the same as having a partner who knew what he was doing.

Finally breaking the hug, she punched his shoulder playfully with a grin. "Took you long enough, Simpson." she informed him. "Don't make lunch plans today. We have a lot to go over." Oh, she was more than ready to lunge right into getting him up to date on the Sniper case. Maybe he could spot what she was missing. One thing was for sure, she was not about to go to any parties. All she had tried to do was have a little relaxation time, and it had left her helpless and in Michigan while the Sniper was piling up 14 more murder victims.

[America Kennedy]

"What the hell? She was taking in a seventeenth? Does she want an army or something?" Ric asked, perplexed as to why anyone would want that many kids under one roof. Especially kids that needed to be taken in; he wouldn't want those types anywhere near his place, much less living under his roof and eating his food. Of course, he had no parental instincts whatsoever and considered himself to be too young to think about the prospect of kids. Sure, some people had kids young and he had friends that had already given in. But, at twenty-six, that was the last thing on his mind. He wasn't about to have kids. "Hey, you can fear for your life, but I'll ask her. Watch me." America decided, then and there, that he would be the one to counter their fear. Of course, he never met the woman, so he had no idea what he might be getting himself into with that promise.

"They always give me a boost of confidence," Alex noted, because to him, it was hilarious when they didn't have the right information. It meant that they were one step ahead on their own cases. At least he knew they existed. But, if he didn't get his hands, he was going to beat them around the head. Alex frowned when the pastry ended up in his face; he wrinkled his nose and pulled his head back. "No, get your heart attack away from me." He always did that. Alex didn't think there was anything wrong with the way that he ate. He liked being healthy and he thought he felt better for it.

"Your partner's not human." Andre commented towards Kenneth. Actually, he'd seen enough of those two to figure that on a few different levels. "Over there." He said, and gestured down the hall where the coffee machine was. He was slightly distracted with what happened at the dance though. His eyes went from America back to Natasha. A little massacre? "All right, someone needs to fill me in, now." He grabbed the envelope, but frowned, watching Natasha's interaction with America. Oh, great.

"No?" America asked as she took it and in exchange grabbed the envelope. "Why not? You obviously don't have anything to worry about," He complimented, flashing a flirty smile of his own at her. Okay, so she was young, but he was young too and it wasn't going to hurt any to flirt with her. Even if he was married, it wouldn't be the first time he did it. Hell, not the first time she would either. "Well, thanks." As Rhean came in, he sent a look in that direction for just a moment. "Because, apparently she's part scary, part crazy." He remarked, then turned his attention back to Natasha.

And while Andre flashed a harsh look towards Ric, he didn't seem to pick up on it and just continued to pay attention to Natasha. Or if he did notice, he decided he didn't give a damn about it. What Andre didn't expect though was for Rhean's arms to suddenly wrap around him. "Well, hey, I missed you too." He teased when she pulled away, since that was a stretch from how they had been treating each other before. "Did these guys torture you that much?" He asked, a grin spreading across his face. Though, it was short-lived so that he could hold the envelope towards her. "From our killer." He told her.

"Garrett." As soon as Rhean was back, Alexander stepped towards her. He wasn't going to stand around and wait for her to get reunited with her partner. He didn't care about that. What he cared about was getting his evidence back where it belonged. And where it didn't need to be was in this precinct's hands.

"You know, when people talk about an incompetent police force, I do try to come to your defense," a familiar voice began, as soon as he stepped in on the scene. Having them all gathered in one place was good enough for him. "But, you all make it so, so hard." To be honest, Damon didn't generally like to get along with the cops, period. And they hated him in a natural way that he noted cops often hated the defense attorneys. But, today, he thought that they should be grateful he came at all. Mistakes and technicalities could win cases and if he didn't think that the press would eat it up and make his life hell, he would have used a technicality for this win. It wasn't too big of a case and mostly overshadowed by everyone's fear of the serial killer that hadn't been caught. He stopped near them, waving a folder. "This report mixed up the name of the victim and my client twice. Now, I considered bringing it straight to the judge, because that would serve my client better, but I'm feeling generous and I'm giving you the opportunity to change it before the DA comes down on you." Generous? He thought so. But, at the same time, there was nothing kind about the way he spoke; it was arrogant and condescending. "Look, I know you have your hands full being unable to catch your killer. But, while you're hanging out here, twiddling your thumbs, I have a job to do and real clients that were processed through your division."

And while none of them had been initially amused with his presence, Alexander couldn't help but laugh outright. It wasn't that he had never made mistakes before. Everyone had. It was just when they made them, whoever had managed that screw up, it was hilarious.

[Deleted]

Noah snorted. "We'll be sure to put that on your headstone. Here likes America Kennedy. He asked Mrs. DiMarco about her kids," he teased him, as if he would die if he did it. Though, Noah decided he would love to see his partner being all brave and noble in front of the woman. "I'll even go with you...with a bowl of popcorn. I might even sell spectator visits." Yeah, she was that bad. Noah knew that America had no idea what he was getting himself into. When Damon came in, he rolled his eyes. "Hey, take that up with sexy legs" he decided to inform the lawyer. He knew it was most likely Grace who screwed up. She was a girl and she was new. Enough said.

"Actually, I've been with Mr. Maxwell every time I'm on duty. So I didn't do anything," Grace said as she walked in, overhearing Damon and Detective Asshole. "But I can take it and fix it if you want. There won't be any problems with it after I'm done, I guarantee it," she told Damon, and it was true. Not one of her reports had come back with mistakes from him or the DA. She had time, anyways. She wasn't going to be on duty until three that afternoon. And hey, she didn't mind helping out Mr. Crosswell. In the short amount of time that Grace had been a cop, she had grown to admire the attorney. Sure, there was an unspoken hatred between cops and defense attorneys, but not with Grace. She understood that he was just doing his job.

Turning to the detectives, she held up the reason for her showing up when she was off-duty, a book by Judas Darwin called The Time of Our Blood. Grace had just started reading the book the night before, and by the time she got to the fifth chapter, she made a daunting discovery. "You are going to love me," she informed Rhean and Andre, slamming the book on his desk. She didn't say anything else, just folded her arms and looked up at Andre with a proud-of-it grin. Oh, this was her moment, and she knew it. Even though anybody else could have made the connection, no one else had. It was all her.

Kenneth chuckled and took a bite "you don't know what you're missing," he said to his partner with his mouth full. When Andre spoke up though, his eyes narrowed. "He's more human than you," he growled. Only he was allowed to taunt Alexander about his eating habits. He was his lover. It was different. But if anyone else were to say anything, he got defensive. He didn't like it. To him, Alex was perfect, even if he was a bit quirky at times. He loved his quirky partner! He did nod when the coffee was pointed out, though, and went to the maker, pouring himself a cup. At least they did one thing right.

"Me?" Natasha giggled. "Oh, aren't you so sweet! But, I have to keep up with my figure. I'm a cheerleader, and an actress and dancer. One day, I'm going to be on Broadway," she informed him, flipping her hair. "I bet you're just a fabulous dancer. You have such strong arms!" she said, and actually made the bold move of putting her hands on his shoulders and feeling his muscles. "I bet you could lift me with these biceps" She looked up at him, batting her eyes at him. This was a side of Natasha that was rarely seen, but she couldn't help it. It was totally love at first sight!

Rhean's eyes narrowed on Damon. "Excuse me?" she shook her head. "I'm not so sure it was one of us who messed it up, Damon. Everyone knows you would do anything to win a case," she snapped back. She was not about to be accused of twiddling her fingers. To Andre, though, Rhean smirked. "Oh, you have no idea." She had been tortured, but not by them. By bodies that kept showing up relentlessly. From threats on her daughter's life and now her new boyfriend's (if that's what he could even be called). From letters that creeped her out, but she was forced to read them. Rhean had seen a lot in her time as a detective, and there wasn't much that left her frazzled, but this was one of them. When the letter was extended, she sighed.

"Great," she took it and looked to America, since he didn't seem to be doing anything useful. "Kennedy, get dispatch ready." she told him, since she knew that they would be sending police to wherever the person who wrote the letter was. She heard her name, but she shook her head. "Stand by, Novac. I got a victim to find," she said as she opened it up. Looking at Damon once more, she spoke up again before looking down at the letter. "Now, if you want to see some actual work done, feel free to stick around"

They hadn't found him yet.

Hannah had her eyes glued to the morning news, as she had done every morning since she had almost died. They were constantly bringing in updates on victims that had been found. But so far, a newborn baby was not one of them. Why not?? Where had he put him? Hannah was going out of her mind. All she wanted was for them to find her son so she could beg her parents for a proper funeral for him. It might seem silly, but it was important to her.

She hadn't gone to school that day. Not after last night's cell phone call. She never told her parents, but Jack had decided to give Hannah a call, make sure she wasn't going to do anything stupid, and inform her of what would happen to Aidan if she told. After the conversation, she had very timidly spoken to her uncle about the hypothetical possibility that she knew who her attacker was. Nathan had assured her that if she were to identify him, he wouldn't be allowed bail, so there was no way he could hurt her again. So, she made a decision. She was going to stand up and stop Jack. She was going to put her son's killer in jail.

Before he left for school, she talked to Aidan and made him promise to stick by Matt all day that day. She told him not to let him out of her sight. Because if anything happened to Aidan, Hannah didn't know what she would do. Then, after the house was empty, Hannah took off. She had nervous butterflies in her stomach, but she kept telling herself that she was doing the right thing. And who knew? Maybe if she went forward, the other victims who survived would come forward as well.

When she stepped off the elevator, she chewed on her lip as she headed to where Andre's desk was. At the sight of the large crowd, though, she stopped in her tracks. Rhean and Andre, she obviously knew, and of course she knew Grace. But the others, she had never met. The brunette swallowed. God, could she really go through with this? "E-ex-excuse me?" she called out, timidly. Already, her instinct was to turn and run.

Andre's letter

My dear Detective Simpson,

I would like to extend a warm welcome back. It hasn't been as much fun without you. I'm sure your entire family, especially your lovely daughter Natasha, is glad to have you here to protect them. Natasha is a very special person, Detective Simpson. She will prove to be very useful to me, just as she did at the dance.

I have enclosed a small welcome back gift for you. A new game has begun, Detective. Let's see if you have what it takes to win. I'm even giving you an entire day's head start.May the smartest person win. The fate of this teenager rests in your hands. Good luck.

Sincerely,

The Sniper

picture of Tara Maxwell enclosed in letter


America's letter

Mr. Kennedy,

I have seen my share of rookie and unfit cops, but you are the worst. I am highly disappointed that a new detective is trying to go after me. I am too much for an infant such as yourself, America. I am excusing you from the case. Any attempt to go near my girls, and you will suffer severe consequences. And as a warning, this letter is for your eyes only.

Sincerely,

The Sniper

Rhean's letter

My Dear Detective Garrett,

I would like to commend you for your excellent police work in your daughter's school the other day. You won the round, but have you won the game? Did you really think that by putting a few cops in charge, that you could really disregard my instructions? Your daughter and the Maxwells are not in any less danger. You are getting sloppy, Rhean. You need to do your job, not act like a cheap hooker. I fully expect that some real police work will be done, now that Detective Simpson is here. Just rememeber, Detective Garrett; if you don't do your job, then you are as useless as your partner was. And we all know what happened to him.

Sincerely,

The Sniper

P.S, you will find my latest game piece at the lighthouse.

[/b][/center][/blockquote]

[America Kennedy]

"Or you can get me a trophy. Maybe a statue; one that'll celebrate my bravery where you lacked." He teased. How bad could one woman be? Sure, there were people who would talk for hours on the wrath of a woman, but he didn't think that it was anything to be worried about. And he doubted there were really women out there that he needed to be afraid of. Especially not when it came to doing his job and if she happened to have a thousand kids that might be suspects, then he would want to dig into it. "Oh, look at you, Kid, jumping in to save Mr. Croswell's day. Such a determined trooper." He taunted, not caring too extensively over what happened with the lawyer and his reports. It wasn't his mistake and hence not something that was about to bother him.

Damon, on the other hand, simply held the file out to Grace instead. "If you want to fix it, fix it." Because, someone had to. And frankly, he didn't care who did it as long as they did. Whether or not they were on duty didn't matter to him. If they couldn't take the time to fix a mistake, then that was their own problem. Damon had a job to do and he wasn't going to sit around and worry about how overworked the cops were. That didn't matter to him. If they couldn't take the hours, they were probably in the wrong profession. As he glanced to Rhean, however, he scoffed. "I'm sorry, is someone projecting? I don't alter documents to win a case. And if I did, I wouldn't bring it to you to fix it. If I wanted it to work in my favor, I would bring it to the DA and have my client cleared on your precincts' incompetence."

"Do you ever just get tired of hearing yourself talk?" Andre interjected, bored by the lawyer already. It was Grace that took his attention, well and Noah, who he offered a harsh glare at for the name. Why he thought it was appropriate to call a female cop sexy legs was beyond him. Frankly, all of the cops that did it got under his skin and he didn't usually stand for it. But, he was distracted by the book and raised an eyebrow before he crossed over and picked up the book, glancing it over. "Are we?" He asked, giving a bit of a smile because he was sure she wouldn't disappoint, he just wanted to know what she was going to tell them about the book. "You'll have to tell me what's in the book for me to decide that."

"I'm missing out on heart attacks and obesity, that's what." Alex didn't understand the need for doughnuts or junk food of any type really. He wasn't the type that ate it. Now, he could and it wasn't as if he never ate anything that was unhealthy. It was just a rare case and not without some miniature lecture beforehand. And the coffee he consumed was far from healthy, but he thought he was allowed one slip up in the way that he ate.

America listened idly to the rest of them, way more focused on the blonde girl. He flashed a smile, looking impressed with what she had to say. "And clearly with all of that, you don't have to worry about a few carbs. It obviously keeps you fit." He said, giving her a look over with the compliment. Completely open to the hands on his shoulders, he couldn't help but soak up the attention. Come on, who wouldn't? "Maybe we'll find out sometime," he flirted, completely ignoring the glare that was being shot at him from the father of the teenager that wasn't planning on letting him mindlessly flirt.

"Hey, Freedom. Don't you have work to do?" Andre asked, positive of the negative attention it would grab from America. Hey, he wasn't the one saddled with a name like America. His parents weren't half as cruel as apparently that kid's were and nicknames like that got under his skin. It was for the better though, because he didn't want him flirting with his daughter. She was a teenager, for one and two, wasn't he supposed to be married? It shouldn't be surprising, gauging the type of person he seemed to be. But, the last thing he wanted was for America to be trying to get somewhere with his daughter. That wasn't going to happen. Andre had just been about to look down at the letter when Hannah's voice alerted him. He looked over, a frown of concern immediately on his face. "Hannah? What's going on?"

"What? And it's Ric, thanks." America retorted to Andre, though he had barely heard what Rhean said before and hence the confusion at Andre's question.

"Dispatch. Call." Andre replied almost monotonously because his concern was in Hannah showing up, rather than anything else, or even reading the letter in his hand. He'd get to that, but first, he wanted to see what was going on with her. He wished that she would just tell them who did it, but he knew it wasn't that simple. It was never going to be that simple with these victims. And while they had every right to be afraid, he knew that with the right name, they would be able to protect them.

[Deleted]

"Yeah, sure--if you survive. Twenty bucks says you won't last ten minutes with the woman." Ric was too confident for his own good. He clearly didn't get it. These were not normal circumstances they were dealing with. Hell, it wasn't even a normal human being. There was nothing normal about this woman. She might not have even been human for all Noah knew. He also knew there was no way Kennedy would understand it until he met her and experienced it for himself. And oh, was Noah going to taunt him when he did! He was certain that all of his so-called bravery would rapidly disappear.

Grace reached forward and took the file. "It'll be error-proof by lunch. If you want, we can meet for lunch and I can hand it back to you." She would love nothing more than to have lunch with the man. He was brilliant. The nineteen year old definitely had a small crush on him. It wasn't enough to make her actually do anything with him. She had Chance and was deeply in love with him. She wanted to marry him someday. And that was one thing Grace never thought she'd catch herself wanting. Grace firmly believed that her boyfriend was the smartest guy in the world. Nobody could match the brilliance that was Chance Del Rossi. But, Mr. Croswell had a different kind of brilliance, one that she couldn't help but admire. Andre's question about the book caught her attention, though.

"I'm on the mailing list with Chapters. Every time there's a new book out, they contact me, and I go buy it. This one actually came out a few months ago, but I hadn't had a chance to read it. I started it last night. I have it bookmarked on page sixty three. Flip to it, Detective Simpson. And, I'll give you one guess when the book came out, too." She didn't want to simply tell him that she found a written manuscript of the murders. She wanted him to read it for himself.

"Did you just call me fat?" Kenneth taunted him, sipping his coffee. "Hey, I'm just as fit as you are. Donuts obviously don't hurt me like you think they're supposed to. Mr. Overreacter," he gave him an endearing smirk, though. That is, until he noticed the kid staring at him from where Simpson was talking to her. "What are you looking at?" he asked, eyebrow raised. Hey, he hadn't hurt anybody. There was no reason for her to be giving him creeped out looks. When he addressed Hannah, though, she whimpered and stared at the floor.

"I--" Hannah had a speech prepared in her mind when she came here. She was going to inform Andre that she was tired of hiding and waiting for him to finish the job. And, well, she couldn't remember what else she was going to say, now. So many men were standing around, She had stared at the man with the coffee in his hand, only to have him speak to her. Taking a step back, Hannah looked up at Andre, pure fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. Never--" she took a side step, intending to maneuver back past the adults and head to the elevator, when she bumped right into Damon. Swallowing, she looked up at him, unable to even mutter out an apology, she was so terrified. God, why was this a good idea again? She wanted her daddy!

Natasha giggled with a blush. "Oh! We totally should! I can even teach you a few things." Now, the girl completely meant dance, but the inuendo was definitely there. Her head was tilted, looking into those eyes of his. "That is, if you're up to learning new tricks. It wasn't like she was purposely ignoring her father. She had simply tuned him out. She wasn't being addressed, so her brain was shut off to everything but the Detective. She couldn't even think of much else. Her IQ seemed to drop substantially around him. But, she didn't mind. Natasha believed in love at first sight, and she was sure that's what she had experienced.

Rhean's focus was solely on the letter. She knew that the Sniper could see her, though she didn't know how. But, she also knew that the Sniper expected her to read her letters immediately, and she had developed the habit of obeying the Sniper without thinking these days. It was the only way she knew how to survive this one. Some day, Rhean would get a lucky break and get ahead of the murderer. When that happened, obedience would no longer be necessary. But right now, it was.

"Send them to the lighthouse." Rhean finally spoke up when she had finished reading and folded the letter back up. She wasn't about to let anyone see it. When she gave the order to Kennedy, though, her voice was distracted. She was going to have to do it. Letting the Sniper run her love life was preposterous, but what other choice did she have? She didn't want anyone getting hurt, and she couldn't stay with Danny 24-7. God, what would she tell him? Rhean didn't think he'd understand. How could he? She knew full well this could destroy any chances she had with him. But, she had to keep him safe. His life was more important than her ....very strong feelings for him.

[America Kennedy]

"You're on. Looks like I'm going to be twenty bucks richer." America replied, completely confident. He didn't know what the big deal was. He could expect it to be rough, if everyone seemed to hold the same opinion. But, he'd do it and he had every intention of proving that he wasn't going to be intimidated by someone's mother. Come on, how bad could it really be? He knew that thinking that meant that he probably couldn't imagine just how bad it could be. But, at the same time, they had questioned a lot of people and he didn't think that this was going to be anything new. He wasn't sure what she did to intimidate Noah so much, but he figured he could prove himself to be braver than he was. Plus, there was money on the line. He wasn't going to say no to that. It felt like a win-win if he ever heard one.

Damon didn't think that it was so much to ask for a file not to have so many blatant errors in it. He could give it to the precinct that everyone made mistakes. And there were times a report had a small error that wouldn't have changed anything. But, in this case, the error was huge and it wasn't going to fly in court the way that it was written. Normally, the DA would bring up errors quickly and have it dealt with. But, this time around, it was Damon that noticed first and decided to go straight to the source. "It had better be flawless. There's a restaurant a couple of blocks from here, we can meet there." He decided, not that he was bothered by having lunch with the cop. As long as she was fixing the file, he could spare the time. Not to mention, this time around, he wanted to have a look at it before he accepted the file yet again.

Andre took the book and flipped to the page that she bookmarked. He wasn't too sure what she thought a book would do for them. At first, he was a little concerned it was going to be some ridiculous detective story that she thought might help. Generally books about murder and cops weren't too accurate. Although, as he skimmed over the page, he frowned. No, it wasn't just some mystery book. It was practically a retelling of what had happened. Though, the possibility it wasn't a retelling at all, came to mind and he frowned. "You said a few months ago. Don't tell me it was before the first body showed up." Honestly, he wouldn't put it past their killer to be that bold.

"Maybe not for long," Alex teased his partner, although he knew full wel that his partner was just as fit as him. It didn't mean he was going to start touching junk food though. He thought he felt a lot better for not eating it and he didn't have to work out that hard to worry about the excess empty calories. "Must be your love of doughnuts. It freaks people out." He jested, because honestly, he didn't know why she was worried about Kenneth, but he also wasn't too concerned with her either.

Andre could see what was going on and he didn't blame the other detectives for their reaction this time around, really. They didn't know precisely what was happening and if it were him, he'd be perplexed too. "Hey, no, why don't we get you in a room, without all these people." He figured it would be easier for her to talk if it was only him. Of course, when she bumped into Damon, he inwardly cringed.

"Mind watching where you're going?" Damon asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance with the teenage girl that bumped into him. He wasn't in the mood to deal with kids. He was at work, not at home. He could recognize her as one of the victims, but that wasn't any of his business anyway. That case was still an ongoing investigation that he cared little about. Right now, he still had cases that he had to take care of and clients that needed his attention. Not to mention, cases that also needed the cops not to drop the ball on. He understood the weight of a serial killer, but at the same time, he didn't accept mistakes either.

"Tricks?" There was a smirk already playing on his face, not to mention the interest that practically danced in his eyes. He knew Andre was sending him a death glare, but he frankly didn't care about it. She was probably several years younger than him, but also probably not illegal and it was only flirting. There was nothing wrong with that. Personally, he liked the attention. "You're in luck. I love exploring new things." Of course, he couldn't ignore that the other detectives were calling the shots and making orders, however. So he did grab the phone, and flashed the girl an apologetic smile. "One second," he told her, and made the call. He'd all but forgotten about his own letter.

[Deleted]

"You say that now. Wait until you meet her. Go to the hospital this morning, I dare you." Because, that was why she was in the hospital. Not because the woman needed to rest up and get better after being physically attacked. Oh, no. Noah was sure that she didn't need that much rest, anyways. That woman was like an animal, the way she protected those kids. And if that was the way she was, he dreaded ever meeting her husband. He imagined him to be worse. Kind of like the giants in Jack and the Beanstalk. The woman was big and scary, but the man was bigger and scarier. With that line of reasoning, he had no intention of meeting Mr. DiMarco.

Grace scoffed. "This is me you're talking to. Of course, it'll be flawless. Next time, come to me first. Around here, if you want a report done right, you gotta get it from me. The others down at the station don't know what they're doing." And it was true. She knew that Andre could vouch for her that she knew what she was doing. She might be young, but she was definitely efficient. Nodding, she looked up at him, biting her lip to hold back her excitement when he said yes. She wanted to squeal, but she didn't. "I know where that's at."

To Andre, she looked up and smirked. "I looked at my receipt. The day the book came out--the day I bought it, was exactly five days before the first murder. Every last detail is in there, sir. Down to the scars on the ear. It makes sense with our killer's psyche. Nothing says let the games begin like writing a manuscript of his plans first."

"our killer?" Noah spoke up, raising an eyebrow at her.

Grace looked from Andre to Damon to Noah. "Yes. In case you haven't noticed, I've been working on this case just as hard as you have. I may not be a detective, but I've proven my worth. Who's always been the first responder to the scenes? Who was the one who worked for two days--without a detective at my side after the massacre, because too many streets were shut down, and Garrett wasn't even in town when it hit? Who's the one that's been protecting the Maxwells? I've worked at this just as hard, if not harder, than you have." she snapped at him. Considering the source, she really did not appreciate the snide comment. She earned the right to call it her case too, didn't she?

Noah's eyes narrowed. Really? Sexy Legs was putting down the way he worked? Folding his arms, he smirked and gave her a taunting look. "Right. After your sister found your mom's head, you've been Miss Work-a-holic Barbie. So determined to arrest this guy that you'd even make up suspects just so you have something to chase"

Grace glared at him. If it weren't for Andre and Damon, she would have jumped the jackass and flipped him. And by looking at her, it was plain to see. She wanted to do it so badly. But she knew that nothing good would come of it. Even though she was off-duty, Andre would never let her get away with it. She'd probably be looking at some pretty big suspension time. Instead, she growled back. "I didn't make up what was written in that book."

Kenneth chuckled at the idea that a donut could have scared the teenager. "God, it's a teenage you," he taunted his partner back. Because, that was how he had imagined Alex to be when he was a teenager. Afraid of donuts. Chuckling at the thought of it, he looked over at the papers in the detectives' hands and listened to Rhean as she said she wanted cops at the lighthouse. "I wonder what's going on?" he knew this wasn't his territory, but he didn't care. He did this when he was bored.

Hannah swallowed. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to" she whimpered out at the man she had bumped into. She stared up at Andre, wide, fearful eyes when he suggested getting a room. "I shouldn't be here," she said, shaking her head. She regretted coming in here. The last time she had spoken to any detectives, she had insisted that she couldn't remember whose face it was, or what it looked like. She had gotten her memory back, but now she wasn't ready to tell them that. "I-I just wanted to know..." there was a question lagging on her mind about her son. She wanted his body. She wanted to give him a funeral.

Natasha smiled and leaned forward. "Oh, good! Because between you and me, I know a lot[/i[ that you can explore. I mean, dance and broadway isn't just fun, you know? Some people say it's like having sex on the stage" as he picked up the phone, she put a hand over her mouth and let out a giggle. "Whoops! I better let you work, huh? You could totally call me, though! Here" she pulled out a pink pen from her purse and took his hand, but didn't write anything in it just yet. "Wow, such strong hands! You must work out!"