by Paris Morgan
“I understand perfectly. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
She stood there a few minutes longer, savoring her first kill. This was what had been missing from her life, and now she knew exactly what needed to be done to exact her justice.
***
Leslie
When I’d gotten back from dealing with the ghosts of my past, I started feeling restless. Running again felt wonderful, but after I’d had a few up close and personal encounters with our killers, I was more inclined to work out surrounded by people.
If things continued through the end of the year with these serial killers, then I was going to have to see a therapist to work through some issues.
I was still reeling from having been shot by the Aries killer two months ago. Then, only a month later, I’d broken up with my boyfriend Jerome because he didn’t understand my passion for justice. Now, after two months of crazy, personal battles, I’d gained psychic powers that had helped us uncover the Gemini killers. I was just getting my mojo back, and I wasn’t about to let another killer kick my butt.
Some of the zodiac killers had started off with a bang, and we were hot on the trail while others had been able to stay hidden until later in the month. The Zodiac Master continued to recruit new killers, who were willing to do his dirty work for him. Although they seemed to enjoy it, I didn’t find any pleasure in it. I’m the one who had to find them before they completed whatever evil mission he had planned for them.
Scanning my pass to the gym, I headed straight for the punching bags. With all the pent-up emotional energy from the last few months needing an outlet, it would have been better if I had a picture of the Zodiac Master to put on the bag.
My fist connected with a solid thud as I funneled my anger into the punch. A left, a right, and quick jab were just what the doctor ordered to help cleanse my aura and get me back on the right track.
“Do you need someone to hold the bag for you?” one of the trainers asked as he passed by.
“Nah, but thanks. It’ll throw off my rhythm.”
“Let us know if we can help with anything.” He walked away to check on someone else.
This gym had seemed like the perfect fit for me due to its proximity to my home, and it provided a safe place for me to work out. These days I needed a place that I could go to without having to look over my shoulder the entire time.
Flora had been using the past few days to help me work through how to use exercise and practice control for the gift I’d been given. I’d used my time on the bag to help release all of my bad thoughts and energies, and now it was time to clear my mind as I used the treadmill to regain my stamina. I was certain that running daily had saved my life when stuck in the woods with an archer determined to make me his prey.
The treadmill felt different than running on the concrete, but it felt good to be focused on the miles moving under my feet than on all the problems running through my head.
It would have been easy to give into my normal thoughts and work through the case, but this time I was determined that whenever something connected to the case flitted across my brain, I would simply redirect it to the side for later.
After a good five miles, I felt refreshed as I headed for the showers in the back, which is why I didn’t notice the man on the bike watching my every move.
***
Ryan
My head had been messed up for months. I’d become a cop to help people and to use my passion to put criminals behind bars. Somedays that didn’t seem possible, whereas others, it was a slam dunk, and I could sleep well at night.
Then, Detective Boxe had walked into my life six months ago, and things hadn’t managed to calm down yet. She’d brought the whole ‘dog and pony show’ of the supernatural world with her. While leery of how real the visions and sightings of ghosts really were, I couldn’t say anything against the way it had helped us with the case.
We’d both been tasked with finding the first serial killer targeting women in both of our cities, which had led us to team up with the FBI and their agents, Gavin Watson, Kevin Johnson, and Adam Dalca. Even with their ample resources, we were still trying to find the Zodiac Master six months later.
Cancer was this month’s zodiac sign. It sounded horrible to begin with, and if the past six months had taught me anything, it would hold something we’d never seen before: a new twist on how to murder people while staying one step ahead of us.
If all of that wasn’t enough to keep someone up at night, I had the added pressure of preparing to marry my fiancée, Shea, who was now expecting our first child. I couldn’t let her down, but this case wasn’t something I could ignore either. The Zodiac Master had made it clear that both Leslie and I had to work together or we wouldn’t make it out alive.
Unexpectedly, and strangely, when Leslie had been shot, the Zodiac Master had apologized for his minion, and promised that we would be safe until the end of his little game. Not that the promise of a serial killer was going to be what I based all of my hopes and dreams on, but I did hope that it would keep her from dying until we had a chance to beat him at his own game.
I’d been trying to stay busy when we weren’t chasing after the killer of the month by digging into the Urban Energy Company. Their company was “helping the environment”, only I wasn’t so sure that was really the case, and suspected they had a darker mission that was being carried out by someone in the company. We’d found too many intersecting pieces to the serial killers for them not to be connected in some way, and it was my goal to find out why.
Agent Kevin Johnson had gone undercover as a tech guy, but he hadn’t been there long enough to provide much in the way of useable information.
For tonight, though, I was going to put all thoughts of serial killers out of my mind and concentrate on my dinner date with my fiancée.
Shea was ready when I arrived home, and I couldn’t wait for an evening out on the town. We only had a few short months left to enjoy each other’s company before the third member of our family arrived, making future date nights an impossible proposition.
The steakhouse was one of the best in Ft. Worth that was still affordable for a cop’s salary.
“We have the doctor’s appointment in the morning. Will you be able to get away from work long enough to make it?” Shea reminded me as we were seated.
“I’ve already informed Agent Watson that I wouldn’t be in until after lunch. Now, tell me what’s been going on with you besides being our baby’s incubator.”
“Oh, you’re so silly. Incubator indeed. Well, we’ve been having the spring and summer rush to place homes on the market. I’m hoping to have the new girl trained well enough as my secretary so that she can take over when the baby gets here. I can still do some of the paperwork and listings from home or the office, but won’t do the actual field work for the last few weeks before the baby comes.”
“You know, we’ve never really talked about whether you would be taking maternity leave or returning back to work immediately. What are your thoughts on it?”
“With you gone more than usual lately, I’m going to take the extra time off so we don’t have any problems with conflicting schedules. I want to bond with the baby and take some time to find the right nanny before I go back to work.”
“Hasn’t your mother volunteered to do that job?” I snickered, knowing that Shea wasn’t really keen on the idea.
“I’m perfectly okay with my mother watching the baby, but I’m going to want to find a permanent solution. While she’ll enjoy being a grandmother, I don’t think that she wants to take on the role of raising the baby, even on a temporary basis.”
“I wish that I could promise to be here all the time, or even that I’d be around more, but right now, that doesn’t seem to be something I can do.”
She laid a hand over mine. “We have months before the baby will be here, and the first year, not much happens. They use a lot of diapers, eat, sleep and try to crawl. As long as you spend as much time as
possible with the baby, then I think you’ll be fine. There are tons of dads that travel for work. We’ll be okay.”
“Just because others can do that, doesn’t mean I want to be away from our baby.” I was appalled at the suggestion.
“Saving the world comes first. Imagine if it was our child that was going to be killed because of when they were born? Some other mother or father out there doesn’t need to have their baby killed because someone has a vendetta against them for when their birthday happens to fall.”
“I can’t help it. I have all this guilt over leaving you alone when we should be doing all the things to prepare for a baby.”
“Honey, you are. We’re going to the doctor’s visit together. Baby steps until you have this killer taken care of, and you can work normal cases again.”
I distractedly rubbed a hand through my hair. “What if I don’t want to go back to normal cases? What if I’m bored with solving robberies and single murders?”
“Oh, no. I believe that this is giving you training that you’re going to need for some of the harder cases when you return to active duty. I think this case is driving you crazy because it’s challenging you, and you love a challenge. You don’t want to go back to something that doesn’t fulfill you again, but I’m pretty sure that the FBI is aware of the special skill set that you and Leslie bring to the table.”
“None of this bothers you? I haven’t even seen you enough lately to tell you what’s been going on for you to know all of this. Joining the FBI would take more training and require that I leave you and the baby for an even longer period of time.”
“It bothers me, but not in the way you think. When you’ve been home and weren’t able to chase the killer, you weren’t yourself. You aren’t sleeping, or when you do fall asleep, you’re having nightmares that disturb your rest. I want you to catch this guy and find some peace. He’s consumed you.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ll try to do better. I shouldn’t be putting this onto you.” I waved to the nice dining room. “This was supposed to be a night out for us to reconnect and celebrate. Now, I’ve ruined it with work again. I just can’t seem to separate the two.”
“What you do isn’t just a job to you, it’s part of who you are. A strong man that wants justice for others isn’t a bad quality to have in a husband or father. Something about this has seeped into you and become almost an obsession. When it goes over to the dark side and I feel that you aren’t able to come up for air, then I’ll let you know. At the moment, you need to be focused on catching this bastard and locking him up for good.”
“Tell me, what did I ever do to deserve you?” I felt such a release of emotions that I wanted to cry, and I wasn’t the pregnant one.
“I’m not sure you deserve me.” A saucy wink accompanied her words. “But I’ll tell you what you can do to make it up to me.”
“Anything,” I promised.
“Rub my feet.” She grinned at my expression of astonishment. “These heels are terrible on my feet, and I’m going to have to give them up soon. But until then, I’ll take as many foot rubs as I can get.”
“You’ve got it. I was afraid that I was going to have to watch you eat your steak with pickles and ice cream or something.” I brushed my hand across my forehead in mock relief.
“Although, if you’re gone for the rest of the month, I may have to replace you with a professional foot rubber. I can’t guarantee that my feet won’t belong to another by the time you come home,” she teased.
“Random thought, but did you know they have professional people who come to your house and cuddle with you?” I shifted topics to something much lighter and out of the ordinary.
“No, really?” She leaned forward, showing just enough cleavage that I started to wish dinner was already over. “How on earth does that even work?”
“From what I understand, you call up the service and let them know when you would like your cuddler to arrive. Then you explain what kind of service you would like: someone to sit on the couch and watch TV, someone to sleep with—platonically of course, or some light cuddle-petting. It’s completely up to the individual, and you can request a regular person so that you don’t have to get used to a new one each time.”
“So getting a professional foot rubber might not be too far out there then? I wonder if I can add back rubs to the package.”
“For tonight only, I’ll give you my baby momma rate.” I winked at her suggestively.
A smile lit up her features. “You know that’s how we got into this mess, right?”
“I’m a little fuzzy on the details, so you might have to show me for future reference.”
Neither one saw the man on the other side of the table listening to everything they were saying before he faded quietly out of sight.
***
For some reason, this first doctor visit was making me extremely nervous, and I wasn’t having anything done to me.
Shea acted like she’d done this several times already, or maybe it was just normal for expectant mothers to start learning the art of being calm all the time.
When the nurse called her name, I jumped up, partly startled.
“Honey, you need to calm down just a smidge.” She smiled at my enthusiasm. “This is just a normal doctor’s visit. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
“Normally the doctor isn’t going to be poking around on my future child.”
The kind nurse, who had probably dealt with tons of soon-to-be fathers, spoke up, “Don’t worry, the baby won’t feel a thing. At this point, they’re just learning the sound of your voice and are perfectly safe in the mother’s stomach. Think of your wife as the protective shield that keeps out all the pain and hurt.”
“Thank you. He’s just nervous, and we’re engaged, but not married yet.” Shea sent a wink in my direction.
“Laugh all you want, but I’ve heard the horror stories about child birth and the things that can happen.” I frowned, knowing I shouldn’t be taking this quite so seriously.
“It’s perfectly normal for first-time fathers to be nervous. The internet can be a great resource, but just remember that not everything you read on the internet is accurate.” The nurse took Shea’s vitals before handing her a gown. “Just put that on and the doctor will be in shortly to do the ultrasound.”
“You’re going to have to take a seat and stop pacing.” Shea giggled as I tried to walk back and forth.
“I’m sorry.” I came to stand next to her, and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I didn’t even realize that I was doing it. I’ll behave.”
“It’s okay. I think you’ve taken all of my nervous energy, and it’s making me feel better knowing that you’re worried. I’ve seen you be the tough cop for so long, that seeing you as a dad is going to be so much fun.”
“Well, I’ve been a cop for years. Being a dad comes with all sorts of new pitfalls. What if I walk in the other room and the kid rolls off the couch? Or chokes on a cheerio?” I started to pace again, but stopped when I realized what I was doing.
“Honey, all new parents worry about these types of things. You just have to take things one day at a time. Something will happen, and you’ll respond just like you would if you were on the job. It’ll be a little more personal, but you’ll do the right thing for that situation. I have full confidence in you.”
“I’m glad you do, because I think I left my confidence at home.”
A knock announced the doctor’s presence.
“Hello, Mom and Dad. How are we doing today?”
“I’m doing wonderful, but my poor fiancé is having a lot of doubts about his parenting skills.” Shea announced, throwing me under the bus.
“Ah, not to worry. It’s normal. Let’s see how this baby is looking, shall we?” He took the gel from the nurse and proceeded to do the exam.
“Everything looks great. I see here that you think you’re about two months along?”
“Yes. I started to suspect I might be at the end of April.”
/>
“Well, the good news is that you won’t have to wait nearly as long to become a father. I’m going to say that this baby is going to be a Halloween baby.”
“Wait…that means I’m five months pregnant?”
“Closer to four months. About 22 weeks.”
“Wow! Does that mean we can find out the gender?” I was so excited.
“Yes, if you both want to.” He smiled when Shea nodded and gripped my hand tighter.
“First, do you hear that sound? It’s the baby’s heartbeat, which is strong and steady. Here’s the face, and right there between the legs…can you see it?” The doctor pointed at something on the screen and we both leaned forward to get a look.
“I don’t see anything.”
The doctor chuckled. “Exactly. You’re having a girl. Congratulations.”
“We’re having a girl.” I sank into the chair that was next to the examination table. “A baby girl.”
“I have to apologize for him, he’s a little overwhelmed.” Shea looked at me with a concerned expression.
“Are there any special instructions? Do we need to take a Lamaze class?”
“Nope. Just the normal things you would expect. Don’t use alcohol or drugs, cut back on caffeine or any other non-prescription medications. Your birthing plan is completely up to you. If you want to take a class, it certainly wouldn’t hurt, and I always recommend it for first-time parents.” He picked up the card the nurse had placed in the chart. “This has our number and an emergency service if there are any complications. I suggest going to the ER if it’s after hours, and they’ll contact me so I can meet you there. Otherwise, you should be just fine until our next monthly visit.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I think I’ve got it covered, unless nervous dad over here thinks of something.” Shea sat up, prepared to leave.
“Just remember, there’s never a stupid question. Congrats.” The doctor left, closing the door so that Shea could get dressed.
