Can You Protect Them: Federal Paranormal Unit

by Sheri Lyn

“Because I don’t want to do that to you. You’re… I trust you. If you say you won’t, then I believe you.”

  “I’m honestly not sure how to respond to that.” Remi scowled as he drove through downtown traffic and contemplated the other man's’ words. He wasn’t a trusting person by nature, not after all he’d seen and done. Yet, this man he’d known for a handful of days says he trusts him and is proving it.

  “What if I told you, that I am a being older than you can fathom. I’ve gone by the name Knox Grayson for many years now, but I once was called Tyr.”

  Remi bit his lip and nodded slowly, “So, am I supposed to recognize it?”

  Knox let out a burst of laughter, “You are so perfect. You’ve heard of Odin, Thor and Loki I presume?” At Remi’s nod, Knox continued, “I too am a Norse God. I was or am the God of Law and Justice.”

  Remi didn’t know what to say; he was wracking his brain trying to remember anything he’d ever heard about Tyr and process everything Knox was saying. Honestly, in a way he got it. After all, who but the gods would look like a walking wet dream, sound like the sexiest of men alive and for lack of a better term, be everything he’d ever dreamed of having in his bed.

  He was saved from having to reply by the wringing of his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket with a scowl and hit the speaker. “Detective Conahan here.”

  “It’s Walker; what do you know?”

  “We just left the Morgue. Skaggs didn’t have much yet. The body has a tattoo; Agent Grayson is going to check with his people to see if they know anything about the tattoo. We’re headed to the station now; I want to check with vice and see if they’ve picked up our Jane Doe and know who she is or who she ran with.”

  “Jesus, that’s all we have?”

  “As Remi said, we have a couple of leads,” Knox interjected into the strained silence. “We think she might have some connection to local covens. We’re going to put out some feelers and see what pops.”

  “Fine, just keep me in the loop.” Walker hung up, and both men sighed in frustration. Time was not on their side. It’d only been just over twenty-four hours. What did he want, a miracle?

  “You have any powers that can help solve this?” Remi tossed out with forced humor.

  “Don’t I wish, it would make my job so much easier. When we get back, you go check with your guys; I’ll give mine a call. I’ll meet you back at your desk, and we can go from there.”

  ***

  Remi finally headed back to his desk an hour later and scowled as he saw Knox laughing with a young cop. The kid was blushing and stammering like a teenager. Remi slammed a file on his desk and cocked an eyebrow at the two men. “Don’t you have somewhere to be, rookie?”

  Knox bit back a chuckle as the kid scurried away, “Jealous, baby?”

  “Don’t start that shit again. I just don’t appreciate watching you leading some gullible kid on while we’ve got work to do.”

  “Sure, if you say so, babe.” Knox winked, “I’ve got some calls out to my people. They’re gonna see what they can find out and get back to me. How did it go with Vice?”

  “I left a picture of her with them. They’re gonna ask around. One guy vaguely recognized her, but couldn’t recall where or why.”

  “What’s in the file you slammed on your desk when you caught me flirting?”

  Remi growled and snatched the file back up, “It’s a list of the witnesses and their testimonies. I thought we could go back and ask around and you could see where we found her. Honestly, I’m searching for a needle in a haystack here. Hoping something pops soon before the captain busts my ass back down to patrol.”

  ****

  Five hours later they called it quits. No one saw anything; no one knew who she was. The scene was still a nasty alley, with no clues. It was a futile endeavor, and both men were frustrated.

  “It’s after six, let’s go home, order something to be delivered, and I’ll give you a massage to help you relax.”

  “I’ll go for most of that.” Remi said before shaking his head and laughing, “you don’t give up do you?”

  “Nope, face it, babe. You and I will be a thing. Just give in and let's have some fun, work off some of the stress, and let me make you feel good.”

  “Dinner, Casanova. That’s all I’m agreeing too.”

  Knox grunted, “Fine, but if you take a shower can I at least watch and fantasize. I mean even if I don’t get to watch, I’ll be fantasizing.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Remi ground his teeth and tightened his hands on the wheel as he tried to get the lust that was coursing through him under control. What was it about this man that could inspire him to such heights so easily.”

  As soon as they pulled into his driveway, Remi bolted from the car with a hollered “order something,” menus in the drawer by the fridge. He raced into his bedroom, slammed the door then headed straight to the bathroom. Never in his life had he been so turned on. He turned the knob full blast cold, stripped out of his clothes, jumped in with a yelp.

  He had to get himself under control, or he’d embarrass himself the minute Knox even brushed against him in passing.

  An agonizing five minutes later he turned the water off and was stepping out of the shower when the bathroom door opened.

  “Hey, what do you...” Knox faltered and licked his lips as he took a step closer. “Holy fuck, you are even more beautiful than I imagined. The Gods created a masterpiece with you.”

  Remi cursed as he felt himself harden all over again, and this time he had no barrier of clothes to hide behind. The look in Knox’s eyes made it worth it though, never had he seen such lust and wanting reflected in another's eyes as he did now.

  “You better speak up now. Otherwise I’m going to kiss the shit out of you, babe. I can’t wait. I need to taste your lips.” Knox whispered as he took a step closer so barely an inch separated them.

  He opened his mouth, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to reject him or if he was just preparing himself for the kiss he wanted more then his next breath.

  “Fuck it,” Knox breathed as he wrapped the still dripping Remi into his arms and pressed their lips together.

  Remi felt the earth shift under his feet; nothing mattered anymore. Everything disappeared but the man standing before him, his taste overwhelmed him. It was everything and nothing all at the same time. It was his future, his love, his past, and his heartache wrapped in a kiss so potent he was left shaking and ready to come apart at the seams.

  Knox pulled back slowly and licked his lips, “Better than I ever dreamed. Get dressed before we end up doing more then you’re ready for.”

  Five

  Professor

  Tonight was a good night, he got off and got paid. Nothing beat those types of wins. Now, he was craving a different kind of release… one that meant he got to try new things and someone was going to die. Tennessee wasn’t too far, maybe he could find himself a little bit of country to play with.

  His drive gave him plenty of time to plan what he wanted to do next and he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with his favorite detective in Alabama.

  His mind wandered to supplies he would need and he realized the tarp that covered his trunk might be dirty. Did he need to clean it? The dead don’t care if there’s blood, dried or wet on there so why should he?

  Screw it, cross-contamination, it will just confirm and connect his kills. Part of him was excited to be caught, he wanted to talk to the cops, see what evidence they used to find him, what clues were his downfall. He wasn’t naive enough to think he would get too many kills in but he had plans either way.

  A few hours into his drive his stomach rumbled, he pulled into the first 24-hour diner he could find and took a table in the corner with his back to the wall. An older woman walked over popping gum and her pencil poised over a notepad. “Welcome to Eat It Diner, what can I get for ya?” He looked her up and down and envisioned shoving the gum down her throat and seeing how malleable her rather plump
belly would be under his fingers. He sighed when he remembered his bruised fingers, he needed some time before he attempted that again. She was in luck for today at least. “Coffee, black. Eggs, over easy, pancakes and white toast. Thank you.” She popped her gum again and walked away. He watched her go and shook his head. On the table in front of him was the local newspaper, even better it was todays. Would there be anything about him yet? Was the paper notified of the whore’s death or did they just not care? Soon for sure, he would be a household name; the media loved a serial killer.

  He pulled the paper close and unfolded it. Nothing on the main page, he guessed that made sense, the whore was from another state, so why would they mention it here? He flipped through a few pages until a headline caught his eye. “The Professor? One time killer or Serial Killer in the making?”

  The Professor, he liked that name, it was kind of fitting, but who gave him the name? Surely the newspaper people wouldn’t have had enough information to give him that title. Would his detective have dubbed him Professor? No, he didn’t seem the type, but someone who read the letter he left behind must have. The article didn’t say much; just it was a gruesome death. Detective Remington Conahan and an agent from the FBI were investigating. Well at least he had the detectives name, and he could assume the suit he saw was the FBI agent.

  Detective Remington Conahan… isn’t that interesting, makes you wonder if he is going to show the FBI agent his gun. Oh, the jokes that filled his head, his next letter would be fun to write. “Here you go love, let me know if you need anything else.” The waitress didn’t even wait for him to reply before dropping his food and walking away. The ruder they were, the more he was tempted to play. Sadly, he was too smart though; he wouldn’t make her pay where it was possible his face may be remembered. He would shovel the food in, and leave. He had an itch to scratch and time to kill.

  But first a letter to Detective Conahan, he didn’t want to wait, so he wrote on the backside of the paper placemat in front of him.

  Dear Detective Conahan,

  I’m glad I finally got your name. I hope this letter finds you well. I hope my advice about smiling helped you bag that lovely man in the suit who I assume is the FBI agent I just read about in the paper. How would that work between you two? You live in Alabama, and he has to travel all over for work. Are you ready for a long-distance relationship?

  Anyways, I’m on my way to my next stop. I admit I am excited to see if my next experiment works... Well, works isn’t the right word to use. This time I am curious how long the heart can beat outside the body. If I placed it in her hand, would she realize what she held before she died? What part would be the most painful or would she pass out from the pain long before I reached her heart?

  Hmm, I might have to figure a way to keep her awake to get those answers.

  That’s all for now, btw, I love my new name. Please thank whoever came up with it. It’s quite catchy really. Fitting too. Right now, I have a pair, but I'm hoping for three of a kind or better, a full house.

  Yours in Science

  The Professor

  A few minutes later he stood up and tossed a twenty onto the table. That tip was more than she deserved, but he didn’t want to wait for her to bring the bill, he was antsy and wanted to move.

  Giddy with excitement he sped down the road and reached Tennessee a few hours later. He was lucky he didn’t get pulled over for speeding; it always amused him how many serial killers were caught because of a ticket. Something so simple brought down so many greats over the years. He didn’t want to go too far into the state, because he had an urge to head back to Alabama and see his favorite detective. Maybe he could even watch them for a bit to see how the romance progressed.

  He hit the Tennessee border and drove around, about two hours into his journey he came into a little town that was a bit ramshackle. People walked around with an air of dejection and poverty seemed to be a commonplace here. It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone to pick up. He wasn’t too particular, but he wanted something to catch his eye. The last one literally glowed, maybe he would find a similar sign here. Just as the thought passed, he spotted her. First glance there was nothing special about her, hell even second glance, but something drew his attention, and that was all it took. He circled around and pulled up next to her; he waited for her to walk over to the car and tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel.

  She gazed at his car for a moment before approaching, she leaned down into the car, and her breasts barely stayed in her silver top. “Hey good looking, are you wanting a date?” He licked his lips and dragged his eyes up to her face; I am.” How much?” She smiled coyly at him and puckered her lips pretending to think about it. “A hundred for an hour.” He glanced out the front window of his car and thought about it for a moment. “I’ll give you an extra fifty to walk down the block and around the corner. I’ll pick you up there.” She raised an eyebrow at him and gave in rather quickly. He was sure the thought of the extra free money made her do something she wouldn’t normally, not because he was a stranger but because she had to walk that far in those heels. Whores went down on strangers every day, so she wouldn’t think twice about it he was sure. Let her think he didn't want anyone who knew him to see her get in his car. It was the truth, sorta.

  He pulled away from the curb, drove down the street then turned right and parked the car waiting for her to catch up. She moved pretty quickly, considering she was wearing four-inch heels. She laughed as she opened the door and dropped into the seat. “Alright lover, where are we headed?” He put the car into gear and smiled over at her. “Well, I’m new to the area, is there somewhere private we could go for a bit?”

  She leaned back in the seat and spread her legs a bit; the movement drew his eyes down. Well, she wasn’t wearing anything under her animal print skirt, not that there was much of a skirt. Easy access in her profession was probably a good thing. “Sure, I’ll give you directions to a nice park. It’s one of few things left in this town that hasn’t been taken over by weeds. Still, it’s private, especially at night. The kiddies are all gone anyways, and the druggies are afraid of the area past sundown. Perfect for us to...” She licked her lips and leaned closer to him “Fuck.”

  He smiled at her, and if it held a tinge of madness, she didn’t pay attention. A few moments later he pulled up at the park, and she directed him to drive down a dirt path, then behind some trees. He got out of the car and looked around, “this is perfect, private and away from anyone. I have a sheet in my trunk we can lay down beside the car, it will give us another bit of privacy. Honey, I’m going to make you scream tonight.” She glanced at the ground, and he saw her roll her eyes. What she didn’t realize was unlike most of her johns, he meant it literally.

  He walked to the back of the trunk and popped it open. “Here sweets, you grab the sheet, I have a couple of waters in here we can have afterward.” He waited for her to sashay over and grab the sheet. With a wink, she turned around and bent down. He used the opportunity to grab the crowbar from his trunk and hit her on the back of the head.

  She fell to the ground stunned; he didn't want her passed out yet, just easily detained. He tossed the crowbar to the ground beside her and then reached in the trunk for the duct tape. He flipped her over onto her back and wrapped the tape around her legs. She started moaning, and he grabbed her hands, holding them together then taping them. “Be a good girl and cup your hands for me. I’m going to need them in a few minutes.” He laughed and leaned down close to her face, “I said I was going to make you scream, but no one can hear you, so forgive me for taping your mouth shut.” He placed the tape over her mouth and gave her a gentle kiss on top of the tape.

  “Ma’am, your sacrifice isn’t in vain. It’s in the name of science; I promise I won’t violate you, I just need to prove a few theories I have.” He straddled her legs and picked up the crowbar, “Tell me when the pain gets unbearable please.”

  ***

  He sat back on his heels and star
ed down at his handiwork. The crowbar was quite messy but finding just the right spot between the ribs, and cracking her open… well, that was quite fascinating. He guessed he could have cut her open and gone layer by layer, through muscle, tissue, bone, etc but this was just fascinating! Bloody but so worth it. He may never get all the blood off his body; he was coated from head to foot.

  He couldn’t wait to share with Detective Conahan that her heartbeat for three and a half minutes after leaving her chest. Of course, she was gone before that, blood loss, pain, who knew which it was but either way he learned something new.

  He stood up and looked at her body, with her heart in her hands literally she was posed to perfectly to be moved. He would just leave her there, and if she wasn’t found soon, he would help them locate her. He walked back to his trunk and tossed the crowbar on top of the tarp he kept there. Then he took off his clothes, grabbed a jug of water he brought for this purpose and started washing off his body. He tossed everything in a bag and then in his trunk, from another bag he pulled out clean clothes. After dressing, he walked up to the driver side of the car and retrieved the note he had written in the diner. He chuckled to himself as he got close to her again, no bra this time to stuff it in, so how about just her mouth? That would work perfectly.

  He turned and climbed in the car whistling a tune; he had a detective to watch and a romance to encourage. Life was good.

  Six

  Remi

  They’d just entered the squad room the next morning when Chief Walker bellowed their names and gestured for them to come into his office. As soon as they shut the door, Walker began.

  “We got another letter, or you did I should say.”

  Remi took the evidence bag and read the note through it before passing it to Knox. “So he was there and was watching me. He was obviously outside the precinct when we left the other day as well.”

  “He’s giving you fucking advice. This is unreal.” Knox chuckled, “Just an FYI, but he’s right. I do go for your gruff exterior.”