by Paris Morgan
“I agree. He’s wants to play his games first, and if I’m good enough, then I can beat him. It’s a chess game.” I yawned as the pills started to kick in.
“Rest.” She closed the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
What could we do differently this time? We had more information, and it wasn’t hard to figure out the pattern. If we kept doing this each month, we were going to be able to anticipate his recruits. They were going to lead us to him.
I drifted off before I could finish my train of thought.
***
Whispers penetrated my foggy brain. “Is she okay?”
“Should she be sleeping that long?”
“I’ll wake her up in about an hour so she can shower before we go to the doctor.”
“We have a meeting in the morning, and they really want to have Leslie there for her input. She’s not allowed in the field until she’s cleared medically, but they said she can sit in so that we’re up to date.” Ryan’s voice had returned to a normal level.
The bed must have swallowed me because I was having trouble getting out of it. Another reason for that could have been that I really didn’t want to deal with the Zodiac Master and his games at the moment.
My eyes were open, but it felt more like toothpicks had been forced between my lids. Maybe a shower would help, but then I’d have to let Karen know I was awake.
Determined to make it on my own, the ten steps to the bathroom felt more like a hundred until I could grab onto the walls for support.
I had no idea how long I’d been asleep, but my body felt much better as I washed my hands and looked in the mirror.
Circles under my eyes would have been a gross understatement for the visible purple moons that had decided to make me look so weak. I gingerly unbuttoned my shirt to reveal the white bandage covering most of my shoulder. We would need to change it, but if I was going to shower, I would need to put some plastic on top of it to keep it dry.
Already exhausted, I wanted to go straight back to bed, but a shower would probably help me feel better.
Karen knocked on the door. “Leslie, can I come in?”
“It’s open.” I didn’t have to yell because she was coming in whether she had permission to or not. That was the thing about sisters, they did whatever they wanted, no matter what you said.
“Ryan and an Agent Collins are both in the living room wanting to check on you.” She came in and shut the door behind her.
“How long have I been asleep?” I continued to take the rest of my clothes off unassisted.
“About thirty-six hours. Here, let me help you with the bandage.” She took the saran wrap that we’d used when we got home and put it over the bandage, adding tape to seal the edges. “There, that should let you get showered at least. I’ll go get you some clothes.”
“We missed the doctor’s appointment.” Her words finally registered.
“I called, and they said for us to bring you in today instead. They felt that you needed the sleep more. Holler if you need me.”
“Will do.”
The hot water felt good, and I soaked it up for a few minutes, but I knew that the guys were waiting to see me. I wrapped a towel around me and then opened the door. “Okay, I’ll take some help.”
She entered with a grin. “It’s about time.”
A regular bra wouldn’t work, so Karen had dug through my closet and found a strapless one that would have to do. Leggings and a button-up shirt were the best I could manage at the moment, and the guys would just have to get over it.
When I entered, relief flooded Ryan’s face as they both stood waiting for me to be seated.
“I’m so glad that you’re alive,” he gushed.
It made me smile, and I saw the hint of one on Agent Collins’ face too.
“What’s been going on while I slept several days away?” I gingerly lowered myself into one of the chairs instead of the couch since I had to go to the doctor’s later anyway.
“Well, Agent Watson closed things up out there and will be arriving tonight. He’s requested a briefing at the FBI building first thing in the morning. Will you be able to make it?” he asked hopefully.
“After the doctor’s appointment this afternoon, I don’t plan to take any more pain meds, and Karen can make sure I’m awake and there on time. Is there a plan for us to discuss at this meeting?” I rested my arm on a pillow to relieve some of the pressure on my shoulder.
“We have some profilers working on ideas, but we need more input from both of you. There’s also the matter of finding the next killer before they get started. Now, that this is the third case and across state lines, we can pursue things much faster than you having to wait around,” Agent Collins explained patiently.
“Got it. They may not let me come back to field work, but I can help and then send Ryan out into the danger zone.” I winked in his direction because I had no authority to send him out.
“I’ll allow that, but only because you’re injured and can’t defend yourself. Once you’re back to 100%, then I’ll have to start giving you orders,” Ryan retorted.
“All right. We just wanted to check on you and see if you were doing better.” Agent Collins stood to leave.
“Sleep helped, and I’m sure that moving around will help get the soreness out of my muscles. Depending on what the doctor thinks, I’ll be using the treadmill by the end of the week to get my body back in shape.”
“Only if the doctor says that you can,” Karen informed. “I’ll make sure that she doesn’t overdo it.”
“Thanks.” Ryan smirked. “She’s hardheaded, so it’ll take a strong person to make sure that she’s following doctor’s orders.”
I ignored them, but it made me feel better knowing that they were watching out for me.
***
What seemed like hours later, after the doctor had poked and prodded all around my wound, he seemed satisfied with the results.
“I would say take it easy for at least another week. If it’s closed over, I’ll let you return to light duty, but no heavy lifting or you’ll open it up again,” he advised me.
“Can I exercise?”
“What she means is, besides pushups, can she start working out again?” Karen provided with a snicker.
He appeared thoughtful. “I know the hardest thing is being sidelined when you have a job to do, but if you don’t take care of it now, then you won’t have a job because you’ll be dead.
“That said, I think you can do some light walking when you feel up to it. I wouldn’t do anything more than a walk until next week, then you can start jogging.” He shook his head. “If you’re going to be the one watching her, you’re going to have your hands full.”
“Yes, sir. That is so true. She has a meeting tomorrow. Can she go to that?” Karen asked, as if I wasn’t right there in the room.
“Hmm, it shouldn’t be a problem. But if you get tired, go ahead and rest. I want you to stay home for the rest of the weekend, and then come see me on Monday. I know that’s not a week, but if you make it through the weekend, I’ll have a good idea if you can do some desk duty by then.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I’m starving, and she wouldn’t let me eat before we came. So, with your permission, I’m going to go renew my energy so I can get better.” I started to hop off the table, but decided that a graceful slide might be the best option.
***
Zodiac Master
I watched as Leslie and her sister made their way out to the car from the doctor’s office. She now had a sling on to help reduce the jarring to the wound.
I regretted that she’d been hurt by one of my recruits. I needed her to work the crimes. There were other cops, but she’d caught my attention when she’d broken a case while only a patrol officer. It was what had given her the chance to make detective. I’d love to make indirect contact, but needed to stay in the shadows for the moment. With her sister there, the odds of them remembering me went up, and I wasn’t ready for them t
o know who I was yet.
Ryan wasn’t really part of the picture, but since he was her partner, they were a package deal. He had a decorated service record as well, upping the challenge to remain uncaptured until it was the end of the game in December.
I’d left a few clues, but so far there wasn’t much for them to go on right now. They should have a better idea of who I was by the end of summer. Leslie was a Virgo, and I knew she wasn’t expecting to live past that date, but I couldn’t kill the only worthy opponent I’d had in years.
They’d made it home, and now I had a last meeting with the newest recruit to make sure things were ready. I pulled out and headed to the airport. Leslie would be taking it easy for the next week or two, and I would be back before they received word of the new killer.
***
Leslie
I’d gone straight to sleep when we got back from the doctor’s office. Recovery was going to take longer than I would like if I had to take a nap every time I did something. I was going to go crazy.
Karen woke me up with enough time for us to get breakfast from the drive-thru. All that really mattered was the steaming cup of coffee that came through the window and into my caffeine deprived hands.
The FBI building seemed imposing—which I guess was the purpose—but I had seen the inside, and it didn’t bother me now.
We walked in together before being scanned and escorted to the conference room where Ryan, Agent Collins, and Agent Watson awaited. We weren’t late, but the FBI seemed to run on army time, where being on time meant that you were late, so everyone was always early.
“What did the doctor say?” Ryan held a cup of coffee in one hand and pulled out the chair for me with the other.
“I go back in on Monday. If my stitches hold over the weekend as I start to move around, then he’ll let me do desk work. I won’t be ‘cleared’ until I can shoot, but if I’m up to it, I can help out behind the scenes.”
“That’s something at least, and we’ll need one of you with our team guiding them from the safe zone.” Agent Watson looked up from the computer he’d been typing on.
“This is a large task force, and while we plan to coordinate with local law enforcement, the two of you are going to be the only police consultants on the team.” He waited as the last two people entered the room. “Can you get the lights, please?”
“Some of you were with us in California, and some of you are from the local office here. We also have the two detectives that caught the first case back in January, Ryan Fox and Leslie Boxe. They’ve been instrumental in helping find the killers before the end of each month. We have no idea what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been so close to capturing them. So far, they, and now we, are three to zero.”
Agent Watson clicked for the crime scenes to come up on the screen. “Each month, we’ve had a male killing women or a woman killing men. If the pattern holds true, then we should have a woman suspect. This will help us narrow down the field of potential killers by fifty percent. One of the main differences is that the weapon that’s been used to commit these murders changes each month, and we can’t put a location on the murders until they’ve moved on to a new location. They’ve been working behind the killers and not being able to find them until the month is almost over. We need to get in front of this for the month.”
While he was briefing everyone and bringing them up to speed, I found my mind wandering away from his train of thought.
This killer was watching Ryan and I closely.
Check for bugs or trackers. I tried to write on the notepad in front of me with my left hand. It was legible, but wasn’t going to win any awards for best penmanship in the class.
Was there a list of murder weapons that matched the Zodiac signs? How did they choose a location? How did he find his recruits?
I realized that the room was staring at me. “Excuse me, did I miss something?”
“Yes,” Agent Watson chuckled. “We were wondering if you had any thoughts or impressions on the person behind this?”
“Oh, yeah. He was wearing scrubs, and I felt like I’d met him before, but there wasn’t anything specific that stood out. Dark hair, but that could have been dyed, and I was a little out of it. The main thing I felt was his genuine anger that I’d been hurt. It was like someone had taken his plaything and broken it. He feels like I’m his personal detective.” I hated sharing all of this because it was just my impressions, but they needed to know what we were up against.
“I don’t think he has any real ties to any family or the idea that lives matter. They’re just game pieces to him that can be discarded. They matter in the fact that he chooses them, but not in the fact that they are humans. So far, though, he hasn’t chosen anyone who had kids, except for Jesse, and I think that was the killer’s choice, not his.”
Ryan chimed in with, “He’s very plan-oriented, and able to switch roles to suit whatever he needs at the moment. I think he has each killer and method already thought out. He may not have contacted them yet, but he already knows how, and maybe even who is going to die each month.”
“He looked at me with respect, like I was his equal and he wanted to make sure that we were on a level playing field. Being injured wasn’t part of that, and he took what his underling did personally,” I added.
“Is there anything else we need to know before we move on?” Agent Watson motioned back to the screen.
We both shook our heads no.
“Now, we know there’s the element involving horoscopes. We’ve asked our unusual crimes’ expert to meet us today. Meet Adam Dalca.” He pointed to a man that had been hidden in the corner.
“Hello, I’m one of the divisions that aren’t really assigned unless it deals with the paranormal, or various versions of it. Kind of like an X-Files for the FBI, but only when people think it’s something on the unusual side of things. I have done most of my field work with those who are considered psychics, witches, or the occult. Horoscopes and zodiac signs fall under that category,” Adam explained to the group.
“Taurus is the next sign coming up toward the middle of April, and our master killer is targeting those who have birthdays that match the sign. As Ryan mentioned earlier, he is very precise. Everything must match the sign, and then there are the universal signs to consider. A few of these killers have been chasing revenge, or were trying to right what they considered a wrong, such as the Pisces killer, Nancy.”
I held up my hand like a little kid waiting to be called on.
“Yes, Ms. Boxe?”
“What about those he targeted the first month that were actually doing good in their communities? Wouldn’t that go against the karmic thought of doing good to others?”
“That’s a good question, but part of the premise is that there must be evil to balance out the good. Helen worked out because she was righting a wrong by doing horrible things. The Aquarius women were doing good, and thus their deaths helped to bring balance. I haven’t had time to do an analysis of Aries yet as to the reasoning behind the balance,” he apologized.
Agent Watson took over again. “Our profilers have come up with a few possible matches for what we’re looking for in the Taurus killer. That, with the added details about the characteristics of the sign will help us narrow down the possibilities. I believe that the name ‘Zodiac Master’ has been mentioned a few times, and we’re going to stick with that for the boss’ name.
“We have a few assignments that will need to be worked on over the weekend. Agent Johnson, I want you to begin running searches for any crimes that have the same characteristics with male victims. There would be two or three in one town or city with the same murder weapon.
“Agent Collins, since two of the crimes have directly connected to the Urban Energy Company, let’s do a deep background check to find out where they’ve buried their skeletons.” He looked around the room. “Detective Fox, if you would be so kind as to consult with each of the teams and look for anything that seems familiar. Something ab
out you and Detective Boxe caught his eye, so there may be an incident where one of you have already crossed paths with him before.”
He pointed at me with a smile. “Detective Boxe is going to be placed into Officer Karen’s care so that she can join us on Monday.”
“Isn’t there something I can do from home?” I pleaded, hearing the whiny tone as it left my mouth.
“Yes, there is. Rest. Sleep. Watch TV, then sleep some more.” He walked toward me as the room cleared out. “I know it’s hard, and I would be trying to do the same exact thing you are, but we need you to feel better. We’re on a deadline, and I need you to be able to work the operation center once we have a location.”
“I’ll be back Monday.” I got up, clutching the paper with my scribbled notes on it.
He nodded to Karen. “Make sure that she stays home.”
“I will. It won’t be fun, but once she’s asleep, we can keep her from overdoing it.” Karen smiled. “I can’t guarantee that she’ll actually rest, though.”
Ryan cornered me in the hallway as I left my sister behind. “Hey, when that Adam guy spoke, why didn’t you mention Flora?”
“I didn’t want to drag her into this. I’m hoping to see her soon, but I don’t know how legit he is either. They may have put me on bed rest, but I know how to find information, and I plan to do some digging on him.”
“Well, I’m available to help with anything you need.”
I placed a hand on his arm, regretting it at the feel of his muscles under my hand. Focus on something besides his sexy arms. “You’re not responsible for what that man did or what the other one didn’t do. I’m fine.”
Walking toward the car, I turned back. “Do you and Shea want to come over Sunday for lunch?”
“I’ll ask her, but I don’t see why not. Hey, you’re not going to cook, are you? That won’t help with the healing process, you know.”
“No, silly. We’ll order chicken or pick up something easy. After all, I do have a sister that’s just sitting around with nothing to do. She can cook.” I made sure I spoke loud enough that Karen could hear me as she caught up to us.
