Dating Game - by Pho
part - 01
The full moon reflected in the clear water and cast a romantic
glow over the park. Amy sighed happily and snuggled closer to the
muscular blond at her side. "Oh, Keith, I could stay like this
forever."
"Fine with me, gorgeous, but old man Winters will give you an
'F' on that mid-term exam if you're a no-show."
"Rats, I forgot about that."
"Why you take his class anyway? Everyone knows he's a demon
in disguise, waiting to pounce on unsuspected students."
Amy giggled, "Oh, God, that's funny. The head of the Theology
Department, a demon in disguise." She grew suddenly pensive, "Wonder
if that was sacrilegious?"
"Amy, you spend too much time thinking that way. You weren't
sure about that X-rated movie last night but you didn't get struck
by lightening or anything."
"I'm sorry, but my Dad..."
Keith leaped angrily to his feet, "You know, I really get tired
of 'my Dad this' and 'my Dad that'. He's not here, Amy. He's in
some refuge camp in, Swa-something."
"Swaziland. He's a missionary doctor in Swaziland."
The young man turned his back on her and stood completely still,
arms crossed in anger. He made no reply. Fearfully, the girl rose
and placed a hand on his arm. He turned his head in her direction,
"What? you gonna give sermons on patience and understanding now."
"I..I'm sorry, Keith. I don't know why I said that. Please,
come sit down. Look, you haven't even opened the wine you brought."
"In case you've forgotten, little girl," Keith snarled, "You
said you wouldn't drink any. Daddy," and the title was all sneer, "Daddy
might not like it."
Amy winced at his words. Would her father care if she had a
little wine? Surely not, she'd seen him drink wine, occasionally.
True, she wasn't twenty-one yet, but who cared about that stupid
rule. Can't drink the night before your twenty-first birthday, but
can drink yourself into oblivion, the next day. She took a deep
breath and studied the handsome young man before her. Tall,
blonde, blue-eyes. Keith was absolutely the most gorgeous thing
she'd seen outside of a movie and he'd picked HER to date. Out
of all the beautiful young woman at the fraternity little sister dance,
he'd chosen HER. She didn't want to lose him, "Keith, I..I changed
my mind. I will have some wine."
Keith turned to face her, "You will? That's great. It's a good
year. I was really hoping not to have wasted my money. Come on,
sit down and I'll open the bottle."
Amy sank happily to the ground and watched in contentment as her
date opened the wine and poured. As she took her first tentative
sips, she totally ignored the little warning voice that whispered
that something was wrong.
****************
"My son?"
"Yes, Pop?"
"You are very distracted this evening. Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, Pop."
"But something is troubling you?"
"Well, maybe just a little. I..uh, got another letter from
Kelly today. She writes that school is great but she misses all
of us."
"Why does this make you sad?"
"I'm just reading between the lines, Pop. She didn't even
mention Paul this time. For the first few months after he...he
left, every letter had something in it about her Dad. You know,
a memory, had we heard from him, that sort of thing. You don't
suppose she's forgotten him, do you?"
"No, Peter. She has not. She is living her life, just as
Annie and Carolyn are living theirs.... and you, my son, are living
yours. Do you mention Paul every day, or even week?"
"N..o."
"Then allow your little sister the same freedom, without
questioning her love."
Peter laughed and leaned forward to kiss his father's forehead.
"You're right, Pop. Guess I can't expect her to do what the rest
of us aren't doing." He got a puzzled look on his face as his hand
absently went into a jacket pocket. "What the....Oh. That."
"What is it, my son?"
Peter smiled as he pulled out a small wooden figurine that
resembled absolutely nothing that he could recognize, "Oh, Kelly's
roommate this year is a sweet child. Name's Amy. Her dad's a
doctor, somewhere in Africa, I think. Kel adores her, unlike the,
uh, little witch from LAST year. At any rate, when Amy found out I
was a cop, she sent me a 'protection' totem. At least, I guess that's
what you call it. Forgot I put it in this pocket."
****************
The world suddenly began to spin, "Keith, I don't f..eel so good."
Amy went limp as she spoke. Her date caught her and lowered her to
the blanket. He pinched her checks and checked her breathing and
pulse.
"It's OK, guys, she's out."
Two other young men, one short, the other tall, emerged from the
nearby bushes. They joined Keith and stood, staring in admiration at
the form of the semi-conscious girl who lay motionless on the blanket.
A low moan escaped her lips, as the trio drew lots. "How many points
for a virgin?"
"100."
"Short straw wins."
Keith commented dryly, "She's my date. I should get the points,
and the pleasure."
"Nope that's not the deal. Anything worth over 75 points goes
into the lottery. Not our fault you picked a first-timer."
"All right. Let's do it and get out of here."
The men quickly drew straws and examined them, "Dammit, Keith,
you have all the luck."
"Oh, shut up, Brad," the third man snapped, "You get her next.
I have to wait until last."
The tall, handsome young man smiled and knelt beside the girl.
"Amy, honey, we're going to have a blast." As his two friends watched,
enviously, he carefully began to remove her clothing. All important
points would be lost if Amy figured out that something had happened,
and Keith fully intended to win this round.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 02 ↑
Kelly Blaisdell leaned back on the sofa and glared at the TV.
Once again there was nothing on cable to watch and Kelly wondered
if it was really worth the expense of keeping it. She flipped
through three more movies, a stupid sit-com, and wound up settling
on a hockey game. "Thank God, Peter got me hooked on this," she
muttered to the empty apartment. Her last disastrous semester on
campus had been enough to prove to her that she wanted to live off
campus. Ellie had been nice enough, at first, but problems had
escalated as the semester ran its course. The end came when Kelly
returned to her room during finals to find Ellie involved in a game
of strip poker. She'd solicited Peter's aid in finding an apartment.
He'd then 'talked' Annie into allowing the move, although lately
Kelly had come to suspect that her mother had known.
Much to Kelly's chagrin, Annie Blaisdell had insisted on helping
her youngest child interview potential roommates. It had taken only
three seemingly normal conversations with young women to convince
Kelly that her mother was more clever than she'd ever imagined. All
three girls had revealed more to the blind chick than they'd realized
and Kelly knew without being told that these girls were all trouble
in various degrees. The fourth applicant was Amy and the two hit it
off as if they'd known each other all their short lives. By the time
Peter arrived to pick up Annie, a date for Amy to move in had already
been set. The relationship blossomed and by mid-terms, the girls
were almost inseparable.
The home team was behind but pushing to score, when the doorbell
caused Kelly to jump. "What the?" the confused young woman glanced
at the clock. It was after ten. "Who?" Remembering Peter's continuous
warnings on opening the door, Kelly glanced out the peephole and gasped,
"Oh, my God. Hang on a minute, Keith."
She threw the door open and cried, "What happened to Amy?"
"Kelly, I'm sorry, it was my fault. I..uh.. didn't take her
seriously when she said she'd never had wine."
"Bring her inside, quickly. How much did she drink?"
"Not much, just two glasses."
"What size glasses?"
"I'm not stupid, Kelly, they were wine glasses. Poor Amy, she's
going to feel really bad in the morning. Can I help you?"
Kelly thought for a moment, "I need to get her to bed. Can you
get her that far?"
"No problem. Need any help getting her clothes off?"
"Keith, that's not funny." Kelly's eyes blazed.
The young man winced in apology, "Sorry, I'm just a little over-
whelmed. I've never 'lost' a date before."
"Yeah, well I've never dealt with a hangover before."
"Do you want me to stay the night?"
Kelly thought for a moment, "No, but thanks. I'll take it from
here."
Keith nodded, "OK, I'll call tomorrow to see how she's doing."
Kelly smoothed Amy's hair, "Thanks Keith."
"You're welcome and don't bother showing me out. I know the
way."
The young brunette smiled her gratitude and went to work to
remove Amy's clothing.
**************
"101st - Caine... Oh, Hi Kel....What? No, shrimp, even Pop
doesn't have a cure for that. Cold compress and time will have to
do... No, I don't think she needs a doctor... Yes, honey, I know
she's throwing up but it will pass.... I'm sorry and you're welcome."
Peter was shaking his head and trying not to laugh as he hung up the
phone.
"OK, partner," Skalany asked, "What's up?"
"Supper, apparently."
"Huh?"
"Sorry, Mary Margaret. First hangover. Kelly's roommate had
too much wine last night. Kelly's trying to cope without calling
Mom."
"Why not call Annie?"
"Would you have called your mother at twenty-one?"
"Are you kidding, I still wouldn't call MY mother."
Peter's laugh turned into a moan as the Chief approached, folder
in hand, "Chief, I'm afraid to ask. What have you got there?"
"Another case. Captain said to give it to you."
"I've got six already. Why can't Skalany take it?" The pretty
brunette made a face at him from behind Strenlich's back.
"She's not the one who's been late three Mondays in a row."
"Chief, I had really good explanations."
"Not good enough, apparently. It's yours."
The look on Strenlich's face killed the retort on Peter's lips
as he snatched the folder. "Thanks, Chief," came out instead.
"You're welcome."
Peter sighed as he stared at the folder in his hand. He really
didn't need another assignment. The Rogers' murder investigation
was going nowhere, the lead he'd had in the McGovern armed robbery
had fizzled, the other four cases were equally discouraging and now
this. "Damn it, Peter," he thought angrily, "You just had to have
that extra sleep." Reluctantly, he opened the folder and his eyes
narrowed slightly. The morgue photos failed to hide the beauty in
the still, cold form. She'd been fished out of the river three days
before with an initial verdict of suicide. That ruling had stood
until a random blood work-up turned up indications of Rohypnol in
addition to the alcohol in her system. Nicky Elder had ordered a
more detailed examination and finally concluded that this girl had
probably been raped. A fact that had been overlooked by the very
junior pathologist who'd done the original work-up.
The young detective looked at the girl's photo again and felt
like crying. She couldn't have been more than eighteen and so far
she had no identity. Peter suspected that she was just one of the
many runaways who disappear without a trace every year. Without a
great deal of luck he might never know her name. He looked back at
the revised autopsy report. Peter knew the basics about Rohypnol,
more commonly known as 'the forget pill'. The drug was really a
sedative but was ten times stronger that Valium. Combined with
alcohol, it brought on a quick high closely resembling that of a
strong Quaalude. Unfortunately for an increasing number of young
women, Peter knew it was being used by certain vermin to assist
in forced sex, otherwise known as date rape. Its effects could last
up to eight hours and often caused complete memory loss and blackouts.
Certain victims even stopped breathing and Nicky's report indicated
this child may have been one of those. It had cost her, her life. Peter
suspected that the rapist had panicked, thinking her dead and
had tossed her into the river. The shock of the cold water had
probably revived her but too late. She would have been too groggy
to even make an attempt at swimming, thus death by drowning.
Peter angrily slammed the folder closed. This was one case he
swore would not end up in the dead case files.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 03 ↑
"Keelllyyyy!"
The pain and fear in the young voice caused chills to run down
Kelly's spine. Not quite a year older than Amy, Kelly had been
unwillingly forced into a mother's role of nursemaid caregiver.
She loved Amy like a sister and hated to see her suffer but even
Peter hadn't been able to help with any practical advise. What Amy
needed was a mother's touch. Reluctantly, the young woman lifted
the phone once more, and dialed the familiar number. It would take
two hours for Annie to get there, provided Peter could bring her,
but Kelly really didn't anticipate any improvement in her friend's
condition in that short time frame.
Less than three hours later, Amy Fleming was asleep, her head
cradled on Annie Blaisdell's lap. The blind woman gently continued
the massaging of Amy's head and softly hummed a lullaby known to
soothe both the girls, and Peter, when they were young.
"Kel, please sit down. You're making even me nervous." Peter
had watched his little sister make figure eights in her carpet for
the better part of an hour. There'd been no denying the relief in
her eyes, as Annie flew into the apartment, demanding to be taken
to Amy.
"P..Peter, people don't d..die from h..hangovers, do they?"
At that moment Kelly looked much younger than her twenty-one years.
Peter rose swiftly from the over-stuffed chair he'd dropped
into upon their arrival and pulled the girl into his arms, "No, baby, they
just WISH they were dead."
The tears began in earnest as Kelly released her fears to the
safety of her older brother's arms, "I..I thought she was dying.
God, Peter, she was so sick. I..I've never seen anyone throw up
like that."
Remembering his own experiences with hangover, he could truly
sympathize with both girls. He tilted Kelly's face upward and forced
her brown eyes to meet his. "I promise you, sweetheart, she'll be
no worse for wear herself, although her room may leave something to
be desired. It would've been better if she could have made it to
the bathroom."
Stiffening, Kelly pulled loose, "Oh, good grief. I forgot the
laundry."
"Laundry?"
"I got her undressed last night, and threw her clothes in with
some of mine to wash, then went to bed. I was going to put them in
the dryer when I got up, but Amy...well."
"Better go put them on to dry."
"Peter Caine, How long have you been living alone?"
Puzzled, the young detective responded, "Many years, why?"
"I'd think you'd know by now that I have to wash them again,
otherwise they'll sour. Jeez." Kelly raced out the door and headed
for the basement laundry room.
Peter was still laughing when Annie appeared in the doorway,
"Peter, hush, don't wake that child."
"Sorry, Mom. How is she?"
"She's asleep now and probably will sleep out the day. Peter,
what did Kelly say she had to drink?"
"Wine, and how do you do that?"
"Do what, darling?"
"How did you know Kelly wasn't in here?"
Laughing, Annie replied, "Her perfume is much stronger when
she's present. How much wine?"
"Two glasses, why?"
"It's just rather strange. I've dealt with a lot of hangovers
in my time but this one was very bad for it to be only a small amount
of wine."
"Well, Kelly said that's what Amy's boyfriend said, but he
could have been lying. They, um, may have been experimenting with
other things."
A frost-laden voice snapped, "NO WAY IN HELL."
"Kelly Elaine, watch your language."
"Sorry, Mom, but Peter is implying drugs. Amy does NOT do
drugs so he can just take that cop thing of his out of here, now."
"Kel, you have to...."
"I don't have to do anything. Amy would not take drugs. No
way, no how."
Recognizing his own loyalties before he'd become jaded by life
on the beat, Peter held up his hands in defeat, "I'm sorry, Kelly,
it's a bad habit of mine. I won't let it happen again." Swiftly
changing subjects, he added, "Mom, do you need to stay? I really
need to get back, I had to switch shifts with TJ to get you here."
"Amy will be fine. Kelly, honey, just let her sleep as long
as she can. If she still has a headache when she wakes up, give her
a couple of aspirin, nothing stronger. Call me if you need to talk."
Kissing her youngest child good-bye, Annie walked unerringly to the
door.
"Peter?"
"Yes, Kelly?"
"I'm sorry I got so mad."
"It's OK, shortstuff. Gotta run." Hugging his sister to his
chest, Peter gently kissed her hair. He hurriedly joined his foster
mother at the door, where she took his arm. One final good-bye
and they headed to the elevator.
Annie waited until they were safely in the Stealth before
confronting Peter, "What do you really think, Peter?"
The young detective squirmed uncomfortably behind the wheel
of the Stealth. He hesitated for a long moment before gazing sadly
back toward Kelly's building and replying, "I think it was more than
wine, Mom. Much more."
***************
The ringing of the phone snapped Kelly back from her thoughts
and she grabbed it hurriedly, "Hello... Oh, hi Keith, ... no, she's
asleep. She was pretty sick.... No, thanks, I don't need any help.
I got my mother to come down. Mom says that Amy should sleep as
long as possible. I'll get her to call you when she feels better.
...Yeah, you too. Bye."
Kelly turned off the ringer on the phone as she disconnected.
Staring once more down the hall, Peter's words kept ringing in her
ears. As loyal as she'd always been to her friends, she was very
suspicious of the previous night's activities, not to mention Keith
Richards. Amy would never find out, but Kelly could not stand the
young man. She found him arrogant, rude, unfeeling, and she strongly
suspected he had a temper. Worst of all, Kelly knew that Amy had
not been his first pick at the little sisters dance. Amy had not even
been second. "Should I have said something? She looked so happy.
Oh, God, Amy, what have you gotten yourself into?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 04 ↑
Dr. Nicky Elder climbed from his car and walked toward the
waiting officers.
"Hi, Detective Brenen. What've you got?"
"Body of a young woman."
"Suicide?"
"Looks that way. Ten story fall."
Nicky winced, "Prelims done?"
"Yep, She's all ready for you."
The young doctor moved forward toward the still figure. Kneeling
beside her he frowned. "S..She's very young."
"Yeah, sure was. She was also probably pretty."
Nicky took a few notes, speaking softly into his tape recorder,
then stepped back as his morgue assistants moved forward with the
body bag. Nicky took one last look before zipping the bag shut.
"Go ahead and transport. I'll be right behind you."
"Detective Brenen, any chance it was accidental, or do you
maybe suspect murder?"
"You tell me, Doc. To me, it looks cut and dried. Suicide, but
that's why we do autopsies, right?" The sneer in the older man's
voice unsettled the little pathologist.
"Uh, Yeah, th..hat's right. A..Autopsies." Nicky nervously
ducked his head and followed the stretcher to the ambulance. He
slipped quickly back into his car and headed off to the morgue.
A uniformed officer walked up to the frowning detective, "Sir?
Detective Brenen, sir?"
"What?"
"Uh, my partner and I were wondering if we could get back
on patrol?"
"Yes. Go ahead. Damn doctors."
"Sir?"
"What? Oh, nothing. I thought you wanted to leave?"
The confused patrolman backed away from the obviously upset
detective and hurried to his car.
A second younger man approached Detective Brenen. "What's
wrong, Harry?"
"Damn doctors!"
"Huh?"
"Dr. Nicky Elder, the little toad. I'm betting he's going to
try to say that kid was murdered."
"But what if she was?"
"Oh, right. Get real, Sam. Like we've got time for another
case."
*****************
Nicky pulled in and waited patiently as the ambulance backed
leisurely toward the ramp. There was no reason for haste. The
occupant of the stretcher had no need of medical assistance any
longer. Dr. Elder was met at the door by a balding young man.
Another young man stood in the shadows of the roof overhang.
"Dr. Elder, need some help?"
"No thanks Martin."
"I heard this case looks like a suicide. I've never done a
suicide."
Nicky braced himself, "K..Ken's doing this one."
"After he botched the last one?" The disdain in the young man's
voice caused the second figure to cringe.
"Yes. Ken?"
"Sir?"
"You're doing this one. Take care of her, she's very young."
"Dr. Elder, what if I..I mess up?"
"Ken, M..Mistakes h..happen. A g..good friend of mine would
say that you don't l..learn from what you do correctly."
******************
Two days later:
"CAINE. Where the hell's Caine?" The irritation in Strenlich's
voice was apparent to even a casual listener.
Peter hit the top step and groaned at the sound of the Chief's
voice. "Here, Chief."
The portly Chief of Detectives glared at the young man for a
moment, then thrust a yellow-edged folder into his hand saying "A
gift from Nicky Elder." Ignoring the shocked protest that was rising
on the already over-worked detective's lips, Strenlich turned to
scream a warning to two arguing prostitutes who were being booked.
Peter clinched his free fist angrily and stalked to his desk,
ignoring Mary Margaret's whispered, "Tough luck, partner." The pain
which coursed up his spine as he dropped into his chair, caused him
to relax slightly. He mustered the energy at last to open the folder
and his anger was suddenly redirected. The pictures were gruesome,
a ten story fall left no visible image of the deceased's true appearance.
Peter ignored the photos for a moment as his eyes found the detested
phrase, 'signs of forced sexual intercourse' joined with the disgusting
mixture of 'Rohypnol and alcohol'. "What the hell is going on?" He
hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud until Kermit responded.
"Don't know, kid. Haven't read the report."
"What?" Peter's eyes never left the words in front of him.
"Since when does Nicky Elder's work become novel of the month
reading material?"
"Hmmm?"
"PETER!"
"Oh, sorry, Kermit. What do you need?"
"What's so damn engrossing?"
"Rape, Rohypnol and death."
The ex-mercenary's eyes narrowed invisibly behind his ever-present
sun-glasses. "Shit! Another one?"
"Yes, Dammit. Also very young but you can't tell it from the
pictures. Ten story drop from a dorm at City College."
"Semen?"
"Matches the other one."
Kermit took the folder from his friend's hand and quickly skimmed
the gruesome details. "Kid, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Serial rapist, now turned killer?"
"Oh, yeah!"
**************
"SHIT!" Brad Smith slammed the door behind him and angrily
kicked the footlocker in his room.
"What's wrong?" His roommate, Adam Minks inquired curiously,
"Flunk an exam?"
"Worse, the guys at City College are 100 points ahead of us."
"WHAT! They were down by fifty just two days ago. Keith will
go off the deep end."
"Off the deep end about what?" Both young men jumped as Keith
Richards entered the room. Neither spoke. Keith glared a moment,
then said firmly, "I asked a question."
Brad took a deep breath, "City's ahead by 100."
"How?" The calm in Keith's tone reminded Adam of the eye of a
hurricane, the worst was yet to come.
"Two in one night."
"Ambitious little shits, aren't they?"
The other two boys only nodded.
"Gentlemen, I intend to win this competition. We have to get
ahead." Keith suddenly started to laugh.
"What's so funny? It's gonna be hard to make up 100 points."
"Not really. I know where there are 200 points just waiting
for our tender loving touch."
"200? Are you sure?" Adam Minks suddenly found himself slammed
into the wall.
"Are you questioning my estimates?"
"N..No, Keith, never, I...I.."
Keith flung the young man across the room, "Good."
As Adam struggled to his feet, Brad nervously said, "I'm not
questioning your numbers, Keith, but 200 points is awfully high."
"Not for a virgin who just happens to be the baby sister of a big
city cop."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 05 ↑
"Amy, are you sure you want to go out tonight?"
"Don't be silly, Kelly, I've wanted to see this movie forever.
Of course I'm going out."
"But, Amy..."
The younger girl whirled angrily, "What Kelly? We've been
through what happened the other night. I drank the wine. Keith
didn't force it on me."
"I know that but still he ...."
"He brought the wine even though I said I didn't drink. I know
all this, Kelly. He learned his lesson. Keith won't be trying
anything like that again." She paused for a moment, then relaxed,
"And neither will I. I'm still sore from throwing up so much."
Kelly's next comment was cut off by the doorbell.
"Kel, please get that. Tell Keith I'm almost ready."
Realizing she was fighting a losing battle, Kelly walked slowly
back down the hall to answer the door. As she walked, she couldn't
help wondering about the feeling she had of impending doom.
***************
Peter Caine slipped quietly into Kermit's cave and stood in
front of the desk watching his friend work.
Kermit Griffin never looked up as he asked, "What do you
want, Peter?"
Peter sighed, "To know how you, Mom and Pop do it. I
KNOW I was completely silent that time."
Kermit grinned, "Mercenary, Mother, and Shaolin."
"What?"
"Instincts, kid, instincts."
"Oh. Right." Abruptly, Peter changed mental gears, "Kermit,
if this asshole's a serial rapist, there may be other victims in
other cities."
Only the ex-mercenary's experience with Peter in the past allowed
him to catch up to the younger man's thoughts. "And I assume you'd
like me to run some checks for Rohypnol incidents?"
"Yeah, if you have time."
Kermit sighed and peered at Peter Caine over the top of his
glasses. "I don't have time, but for this sick son-of-a-bitch, I'll
make time."
"Thanks Kermit."
***************
Keith kept a gentle hand on Amy's arm as they entered the
elevator. As the door slid shut, his grip tightened painfully.
The girl struggled in his grasp, "Keith, you're hurting me."
She cried out in pain as his hand closed even more tightly around
her upper arm. "Keith, stop."
He pushed the stop button on the elevator panel, and turned
his full attention to the frightened girl at his side, "I don't
like to be kept waiting, Amy. You know I've told you that. I'm
here to take you to a nice dinner and a movie and you, you are
so selfish that you can't even be ready on time."
The girl cringed at the anger in his voice. "I..I'm sorry,
Keith, Kelly and I..."
"Who's paying for your good time, me or your roommate?"
"Y..you are, Keith."
"You're damn right I am."
"I..I'm sorry, Keith. It won't happen again."
The pressure on her arm eased off slightly as he slowly
relaxed. "That's better, sweetheart. I don't like it when you
make me hurt you. You know that from last time."
Gulping, Amy whimpered softly, "I'm sorry."
Gently touching her face, the young man replied, "It's all
right, Amy, I forgive you. This time."
He released the stop button and pressed the ground floor
level. Encircling her trembling body with his arm, he asked,
"Amy, sweetheart, are you cold?"
"Y..yes."
***************
"YES!" The excitement in Peter's voice was felt across the
squad room.
"Something you'd care to share with the rest of us, Detective
Caine?" Captain Simms' voice contained just a hint of irritation.
"Sorry, Captain. I've got an id on my latest victim. Julie
Miller, age twenty-two. I was afraid she was going to stay a Jane
Doe, like the other girl."
"Address?, Family?"
"No word on family, yet, but she lived at 300 Market Street,
apartment 2B. I'm on my way." Peter was walking toward the stairs,
even as he spoke.
The cold fury in Simms' voice pulled him to a halt, "Detective
Caine!"
"C..Captain?"
"Haven't you forgotten something?"
"No, I don't think,... OH! Coming Skalany?"
"Right behind you partner."
***************
Kelly's sleep had been plagued with nightmares. The last one
had left her awake and trembling in the dark. Unable to handle
the silence of her room, she rose and went to the kitchen. The
coffeemaker was not due to start making its brew for another hour
so she overrode the timer. Her thoughts returned to her latest
dream. She was certain Amy had been in it, and Keith, but she
could not remember what had happened. "But," she thought, "it must
have been bad. I can't remember ever not being able to go back
to sleep." As the coffemaker started to drip, Kelly wandered into
the living area. The noise of running water pulled her out of her
thoughts. She glanced at the clock once more. Sure enough, it was
only 5 am. Kelly moved quickly toward the bathroom and knocked on
the door. Amy was getting out of the shower as her friend burst
in. Startled Amy screamed.
"Gosh, Kel, you scared me. What are you doing up?"
"I could ask you the same question but to answer yours, I had
a really bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep. I've turned the
coffee on if you want some."
Amy smiled and continued drying herself off. "Thanks, Kel, that
would be great. I've got an early class and need to finish an
assignment for it." As the younger girl turned to reach for her bathrobe,
Kelly spotted a livid bruise on her upper arm.
"AMY, what happened to your arm?"
Her roommate blushed in embarrassment, "I, uh, fell. Clumsy,
huh?"
"You did not get that bruise from falling. It goes all the way
around your arm."
"Kelly, you are so silly. I never said I got it from the fall.
I just said I fell."
"Then how...."
"You know that pizza place in the underground mall?"
Kelly nodded.
"I stumbled at the top of the stairs going down into the
restaurant and Keith grabbed my arm to keep me from falling down
the stairs. He was so horrified to find that he'd bruised it that
he apologized all night."
"Amy..." Kelly's tone contained the doubts in her mind. Amy's
story sounded too practiced. "Just like last time," Kelly thought
bitterly.
"Honest, Kel. It was an accident, completely my fault. Please
don't be angry at Keith."
The older girl thought for a moment, then replied, "All right,
Amy, I'll take your word for it."
Kelly barely heard Amy's thanks, as her thoughts continued, "But
it better not happen again."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 06 ↑
"There, Peter, on the right." Skalany pointed as she spoke.
"The odd numbers are on the right."
"Can't help that, partner, 300 Market Street is on the right."
"Great." Glancing in his side mirrors, Peter carefully maneuvered
the Stealth across three lanes of traffic and turned into the driveway.
He pulled to a stop behind a gray Oldsmobile. The young man climbing
from the driver's side of the Olds inspected the Stealth with no small
amount of envy.
Watching as Mary Margaret and Peter approached, he asked curiously,
"Can I help you?"
"Peter Caine, 101st precinct, and this is my partner, Mary Margaret
Skalany and you are?"
The young man's eyes widened in fear, "J..Jack Miller. What
do you want?"
Cringing inwardly, Peter asked gently, "Do you live here, Mr. Miller?"
"No, my sister Julie lives here. What's this all about?"
Sometimes Peter really hated his job. "Sir, I'm sorry to have
to tell you this but your sister died four days ago."
All color left Jack Miller's face and he swayed unsteadily,
"Oh God, Oh God, please nooooo!"
Peter grabbed one arm and Mary Margaret the other as they gently
eased the traumatized young man down into the back seat of the Olds.
"Put your head to your knees and breath deeply, in, out, in,
out." Peter continued the litany until Jack Miller was able to respond.
"Y..you're sure it's Julie?"
"Yes, sir. I'm very sorry." Peter hesitated a moment. "Mr. Miller,
do you have a key to her apartment?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. I, uh, suppose you need to go inside." He
mechanically rose and started for the building.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry."
"STOP SAYING THAT! You're not sorry. You didn't even know
her! She's just a number to you people." The anger in the young
man's voice surprised even himself.
Peter and Mary Margaret exchanged a brief glance during the
uncomfortable silence that followed Jack Miller's outburst. Their
patience was rewarded with an embarrassed, "I don't know why I said
that. It wasn't fair of me. I..I don't even know you."
"Mr. Miller, you've had a major shock. Anger is not an uncommon
reaction."
The detectives followed the young man to apartment 2B, where an
overflowing mailbox bore witness to its occupant's absence. Jack
turned the key in the lock and opened the door. "Still it wasn't
right and I do apologize." He started to enter and was stopped by
Peter's hand on his arm.
"Please, sir, wait here. Let us go in first."
Jack Miller stood frozen in the doorway, eyes widening in horror
as the implications in Peter's words hit home. "S..she didn't die
in an accident, did she?"
"No, sir. I.." Skalany almost said 'sorry' but caught herself,
"We're investigating the possibility of foul play."
Peter Caine barely managed to catch the younger man as he fell.
**********
The printer in Kermit's office began to clack noisily. He glanced
at it and started cursing, "Damn cheap ribbons." Shutting down the
printer, he rummaged through his desk, found a ribbon and quickly
replaced the bad one in his printer. He then reset the print, "Let's
try this one more time."
**********
"Feeling better?" Jack Miller opened his eyes slowly and stared
at the pretty brunette kneeling beside him.
"Where? What?" He looked around in confusion.
"It's OK. You're on the sofa." Mary Margaret spoke softly as
the young man tried to regain his composure.
"Skalany, is he awake?"
"Yes, Peter." She helped Jack to sit upright. The youngster
suddenly blushed scarlet as Peter entered the room.
"I..I, uh, fainted, didn't I?"
Peter smiled, "Yes, but don't let it bother you. I've seen people
faint with a lot less justification than you had."
"This isn't a nightmare, is it? She's really dead." He stared
at his hands as he spoke.
"No. Mr. Miller..."
"Jack."
Peter nodded, "Jack, why did you come here today?"
"I live in New York. We spoke on the phone every day. That's
why I got worried when I couldn't get hold of her. I used some bonus
miles to get a ticket and flew in to check on her. I'd just arrived
when you, when you..."
"It's all right, Jack. You're doing fine. What about her friends?"
"I don't know. She got her degree in accounting last summer and
the firm she was with sent her here on an audit of several businesses.
God, she was so tickled to be able to travel and get paid for it.
We grew up in New York. She wanted to see the world but didn't
really want to do it as a tourist." He gave a short bitter laugh,
"Said she didn't feel safe."
************
Kermit angrily ripped the paper off his printer. "Shit."
"Problem?" Karen Simms walked to his desk.
"Playing one of Peter's hunches. He asked for a scan of Rohypnol
incidents."
"And?" Karen sometimes felt like a dentist, she had to extract
the information from some of her people, much like a dentist pulls a
tooth.
"Well, I started with instate. Turns out there's been one death
at State University. Initial verdict of suicide. Girl walked in front
of a truck. They later changed it to accidental death."
"When they found the drug?"
"Oh, Yeah. Her father's a major contributor to the college fund.
The coroner decided better safe than sorry so he ordered an extra
series of tests."
"Great. Was she assaulted?"
"Not sexually, although there were bruises on her arms."
Karen sighed heavily, "That could mean she was trying to get
away from someone."
"And that would fit with a witnesses' testimony. He said she
was weaving unsteadily but that she kept looking over her shoulder."
"Poor child. Anything else?"
"Only that in the last four months there've been three other
girls who were admitted to a hospital for ..."
"Let me guess, drug reactions that happened to be Rohypnol
and alcohol."
"Two at State, one here at City. Combine that with the two
deaths we've had and the death at State and we have a pattern. A
really disgusting pattern."
"Were the drug reaction victims raped?'
Kermit snorted in disgust, "No one checked."
Karen stared at him in disbelief, "Rohypnol's the most commonly
used drug for date rape and no one checked for RAPE?"
"Nope."
****************
"Thank you for your cooperation, Jack. If we need to speak with
you again, will we find you here?"
"Yes. I..I've got a lot to do. I don't know where to begin."
The hopelessness in his voice tugged at Peter's heart.
"Jack, until your family can get here, why don't I ask my father
to come help you?"
"I don't know..."
"He won't mind. He's a Shaolin priest in Chinatown and has
experience dealing with tragedy."
As Jack nodded his agreement, Mary Margaret couldn't help but
think that Peter's words were an understatement.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 07 ↑
Amy dashed into the living room, "Kel, have you seen my biology
book?"
"In the kitchen." Kelly's first class wasn't until 12 and
she was determined to relax for a while before it. She watched in
sympathetic amusement as Amy darted back out of the kitchen.
"My lab book wasn't with it!" The younger girl's voice was
almost panicked, "I've got that big lab project to complete today!"
"In the bathroom."
"Bathroom?"
"Don't ask me, it's your book." Kelly stifled a giggle as her
friend ran down the hall.
"It's not...OH, wait, here it is." Amy breathed a sigh of relief
as she plopped onto the large sofa. "Whew, thank goodness. I've got
everything together, ready to go."
Kelly glanced at her watch and asked curiously, "Shouldn't you
be leaving? It's a twenty minute walk from here."
"Nope. Keith's giving me a ride."
"Keith?" Kelly's voice betrayed her uncertainty.
"Yes, isn't that sweet? He felt so bad about what happened last
night, that he offered to give me a ride to class today."
"Oh, yeah, that's really, uh, special."
"Huh? Oh, that's his horn! Gotta run, Kelly."
Kelly winced as the door slammed shut, "Now I understand why
Daddy wouldn't let me go if the boy only honked."
*************
"OK, partner, talk to me." Mary Margaret had listened to absolute
silence for five unnerving minutes.
"What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about Jack's last phone
conversation with his sister. Were you in the room then?"
"I don't think so. I was looking for an address book or anything
that might give us a clue as to the people she knew here."
"Wish you'd found it. At any rate, Jack said that Julie was
all excited about an invitation she'd gotten to a party at City
College. At..."
"The dorm where she died."
"Yeah. The party was held in the rooftop restaurant on the
twelfth floor."
"The report said she fell from the tenth and there was no
mention of a party."
"I know." Peter once again lapsed into an abnormal silence.
Mary Margaret watched her partner in silence. When it became
obvious he was not going to speak, she asked, "Peter, where are you
this time?"
"Uh, well, I was just trying to figure out where Pop might be
about now."
"At Mr. Chue's bookstore."
Peter gave a quick glance in her direction, "How..?"
"It's Thursday. Mr. Chue gets a new shipment of 'used' books
every Thursday. Caine goes to see if any of them deal with herbs."
"Ok, I'll bite. How do you know that?"
"Where do think I was last Thursday?"
"Oh."
*************
"I really appreciate the ride, Keith."
"My pleasure, sweetheart. Actually it works out well, I needed
to ask you something."
"What?"
"Kelly's a very pretty girl."
"Yes, and very sweet."
"Well, I was wondering if she'd consider going out with a friend
of mine?"
"Who?"
"Adam Minks. He's Brad's roommate."
"I don't know. I can ask her, if you like."
"Please. Adam caught sight of the two of you together the other
day and is dying to meet her."
"How did he know me? I don't know him."
"Here's your building. And Amy, he's seen your picture."
"Oh. OK. I'll let you know." She climbed out of the car
and watched it pull away. "That's odd," she thought, "I didn't
know Keith had my picture." Shrugging off the little warning
voice in her head, she bounced off to class.
***********
"Pop?" Peter's eyes were having trouble adjusting to the dimly
lit bookstore. "You here?"
"Yes, my son?" Caine abruptly appeared at Peter's side, causing
the young man to jump.
"Jeez, Pop. Don't Do That!"
"Do what, Peter?" Caine tilted his head quizzically.
"Sneak, oh, never mind. Listen, Pop, I was wondering if I
could steal some of your time."
"Peter, you cannot steal what I will freely give."
Blushing, Peter replied, "Well, actually it's not for me. It's
for, well, I'll explain on the way."
**********
Kermit studied the facts on his printout and frowned. If there
were six known victims of Rohypnol, how many unknown victims were
there? He'd spent too long as a mercenary not to be familiar with
the baser nature of man, but crimes like this caused his blood to
run cold. It was bad enough that someone could be assaulted and
left with harrowing, even debilitating memories but to be assaulted
and have no conscious knowledge of the attack? The possible
repercussions were horrendous. The victim could be diagnosed weeks
later with any number of STD's, including AIDS and never know how
it happened. There'd been no reports from any other colleges in
the state. He leaned back in his chair, "What kind of job would
take someone between only two colleges? It doesn't make sense."
"What doesn't make sense?" To Peter's barely concealed delight,
it was obvious that he had startled the ex-mercenary.
Kermit tossed the report to the young detective. The paper
tore slightly as Peter's eager hands pulled it from the air. His
eyes narrowed as he read. He looked at his older friend, "You're
right. It doesn't make sense. I'd expect to see assaults or at
least some indication of them at other campuses. Could we have
two serial rapists?"
"I doubt it. They're not that common, and two that end up
killing? I don't even want to figure the odds."
"OK, there's got to be something special about City College
and State College, but what?"
Kermit started to respond but was interrupted by his printer.
Whirling toward his PC, he scrolled through the information on-line
that the printer was now recording. "Kid, we may have just gotten
a break."
"What?" Peter edged around the desk in an effort to see what
Kermit was reading.
"A graduate student at city college reported being attacked
but was brushed off because she couldn't remember any details."
"DAMN! What jerk did that?"
"Some downtown detective, junior grade. He'll never make
senior at that rate."
"I better go see her right away. What's her name?"
"Beth Kennedy, but do you think you need to be the one talking
to her?"
Peter sighed, "You're right. I'll see if Mary Margaret can do
the interview. I doubt that Ms. Kennedy wants to talk to any more
male cops right now."
"Oh. Yeah!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 08 ↑
"Kelly, you home?" Amy asked as she carelessly slammed the
front door. No response. "Oh, that's right, she's got a late
class today."
Less than an hour later Kelly Blaisdell made a much quieter
entrance. Frowning at the lock on the front door she called out,
"Amy?"
Blond curls bounced out of the kitchen, "Hi, Kel. What's wrong?"
"The front door wasn't locked, again."
"Kelly..."
"Look Amy, it may not mean much to you, but I promised Peter
that I'd keep the doors locked."
Angry at the accusing tone in her roommate's voice, Amy snapped,
"Well, I didn't."
The two girls glared at each other for a moment then started to
giggle. Amy could barely ask, "Old man Smithers sub again?"
"Yes, what gave it away?" Kelly could hardly breathe for laughing.
"The foul humor."
"Oops. Sorry."
"And I'm sorry, I'll do better on the lock."
"I thank you and my brother thanks you."
"BOTH of you are welcome. After all, Peter is really cute."
"Hey, I thought you were stuck on Keith?"
"Oh, I am, but I can still look, can't I?" As Kelly laughingly
nodded in agreement, Amy went on, "Speaking of Keith, he wants to
know if you want to go on a double-date with us and a friend of his."
Inwardly Kelly cringed, "I d..on't know."
"Come on, Kel. You haven't dated since you broke up with Bobby."
"Have so." The young brunette responded indignantly.
"I mean regularly. Not just every now and then. Come on, Please?"
"Well, who?"
"Adam Minks. He's Brad's roommate."
Kelly pondered her options. She didn't really trust Keith and
thought Brad was a worm. That meant Adam was probably slime as
well, but it would give her a close look at how Keith acted over the
course of an evening. She smothered a sigh, "Well, OK, on one
condition."
"What?"
"If I'm having a miserable time, I'll clue you in and we'll
go home then."
"How can we do that? Keith's feelings could get hurt."
To herself, Kelly thought, "Who cares?" Aloud, she responded,
"Why Amy girlfriend, I'll simply get 'sick'."
************************
"So what you're saying is that this jerk-wad downtown didn't
even try to listen to her story?" The cold fury in Mary Margaret's
tone exceeded even that of Peter and Kermit.
"Yes, but I think she was a victim of the same asshole that
killed my two victims." Peter added cautiously, "I know it's my
case but I really don't think Ms. Kennedy will talk to me. So, I,
uh, was, uh, kinda wondering if..."
"If I would do it for you."
Peter nodded, "I know.."
"Yes."
"that you're really.."
"I said, yes."
"swamped right now and I'll.."
"Peter, yes means yes."
"owe you bi.. Yes?"
"Yes, Peter. As early as possible tomorrow morning. It's much
too late tonight." She put on her coat and headed for the door,
"And yes, Peter, you will owe me BIG time."
************************
Kelly awoke with a start. "What the.., Amy?" The moans and
cries coming from down the hall indicated that all was not well
with her friend. Kelly struggled briefly to get her arms into her
bathrobe, "Oh, to heck with it." Running into the younger girl's
room, she found Amy drenched in sweat and writhing pitifully,
trapped in the bedclothes.
"Amy, wake up. You're having a nightmare." Kelly gently shook
her friend's shoulder.
Amy Fleming sat bolt upright, screaming, "NO, don't TOUCH me!"
The terror in her voice frightened Kelly more than she cared
to admit. "Amy, it's me. You're OK."
"Oh, God, Kel, what a dream. I...I can't stop shaking."
Kelly helped Amy get untangled from the bedclothes, "What on
earth did you dream?"
"Hands. Everywhere. Touching me, pulling on my clothes,
touching me and .." Amy's voice dropped to a whisper, "and, other
things."
"What 'other things'?"
"Oh, n..nothing, n..nevermind, it was just a dream. A really
bad dream."
"Amy, if you want to talk.."
"Nothing to talk about. I'm fine." Amy glanced at her nightgown,
"Soaked but fine. I think I better take a shower. Kel, I know it's
late but could you change the sheets while I shower?"
Realizing she'd get nothing more out of her friend, Kelly simply
replied, "No problem." As she watched Amy leave the bedroom, she
thought to herself, "Jeez, Amy, what's going on?"
************************
Peter Caine moaned and looked at the clock as he reached for the
phone, "It's two in the morning, Frank. I'm not on call anymore.
Huh?... Kelly? What's wrong? Where are you? Are you all right? ...
Nightmares? ... yeah, I've had a few... well, the last time I had
to change the sheets was ... let's just say that it was the worst
nightmare I can remember. Did she tell you anything about it? ...
Kinda scrambled, eh? ... Look, little sister, if she won't talk
about it, there's not a lot you can do, except be there if she
does want to talk. ... Bruise? How bad? ... Just one? ... What do
you mean this time? ... Yes, he could be trouble. ... NO, MA'AM
you are absolutely NOT going out with his friend. ... NO Kelly,
I absolutely forbid it. ... Uh, maybe forbid's not the right word,
but... No, Of course I trust you, I just don't trust... Kel, be
reasonable... You are not trained to... Just because your Dad was
a cop and I'm a cop, that doesn't make you qualified to play at ...
Yes, I know you'll be careful, that's not the point... I'm still
telling you not... Kel, honey?" Peter stared in dismay at the
silent phone. "Way to go Peter. That was real bright." He
quickly dialed her number. No answer. "Great. Now what?" The
clock now showed 2:15. He did a quick mental calculation, "Well,
if I leave now, that leaves me getting there about four, two hours
for a quiet, I hope, chat and two hours back. I can make it by
eight-thirty and not be late. Yeah, that'll work."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 09 ↑
Peter wearily slid behind the wheel of the Stealth. As he'd
feared, the conversation in person with Kelly had gone little better
than the phone call. Barely noticing that he'd never make it to
work on time, he let his mind drift backwards, mentally reviewing
the recent discussion with his baby sister.
***Kelly Blaisdell opened her apartment door slowly, part of her
still not believing that Peter was really there. "Peter, it's four
in the morning, what on earth are you doing here?"
"Kelly,..."
"Kel, who is it?" Amy's sleepy voice contained a modicum of
fear.
"It's Peter, Amy. Go back to sleep. I'LL deal with this."
Turning her attention back to Peter, she went on, "OK, Peter,
what do you want?"
"Can I come in? The hall isn't a good place for a talk."
"Whatever." Kelly backed up and allowed Peter to slip past
her. She shut the door and whirled to face him, "This had better
be good."
"Ouch!" Peter thought quickly, "Rough waters ahead." Carefully
choosing his wording, he responded, "I came to apologize. I had no
right to 'forbid' you do to anything and I'm sorry."
"Fine. Is that it?"
"Kel, hon, look..."
"Look at what? Your Neanderthal attitude?"
"OK, maybe I deserved that."
"You FORBID me to go on a date, then tell me I'm not capable
of determining if a situation is safe or not and you say MAYBE?"
"Kelly, dammit, how many ways do I have to apologize?"
She studied him in silence for a moment.
"Well?"
Kelly barely managed to choke back a giggle, "Just a minute,
I'm counting."
Peter stared at the pretty brunette whom he sometimes claimed
as a relative, then shook his head, "You lady, are trouble with a
capital 'T'."
"ME? That's fine coming from 'Mr. Bullet of the Week' himself.
I'm not the one who caused the hospital to install a revolving door
on the emergency room."
"Kellllly!"
"Whatttie? Come on big brother. Since neither of us is going
to get any more sleep, I'll make you breakfast."
Peter Caine followed his little sister into the kitchen muttering
"Great, a two hour drive in the middle of the night and now she's
going to poison me." He barely ducked in time as she chucked a
serving spoon at his head. ***
Breakfast had almost been edible and he had to admit that the
coffee had been good. The conversation, though, had taken a down
hill turn as he failed to convince her to abort her date. The only
concession that his stubborn sister had made was to agree to leave
a message on his answering machine when she got home. As he pulled
away from the curb, Peter suddenly grinned, "OK, Kel, have it your
way. Go on that double-date tomorrow night. But big brother will
be watching."
***************
Mary Margaret Skalany straightened her jacket and smoothed her
hair as she stood on the covered stoop of the security building.
Glancing at her watch, she noted that it was only seven am. "Come
on, Skalany, stop wasting time. The worst she can do is refuse to
talk to you... I hope." Bracing herself, she punched the buzzer
to Beth Kennedy's apartment.
"Yes?"
"Ms. Elizabeth Kennedy?"
"Depends on who wants to know."
"Ma'am, I'm Detective Mary Margaret Skalany from the 101st
precinct. I'd like to speak with you, if you have a moment."
"About what?"
"Ms. Kennedy, I'd really prefer to speak with you in person."
"You're damn lucky I haven't hung up yet. What happened, some
rich kid get attacked?"
Skalany winced and decided to put Peter's cards on the table,
"No, Ma'am. A raped and dead Jane Doe and the right detective."
Silence. Mary Margaret waited patiently.
"Come on up." Skalany said a quick prayer of thanks and entered
the building.
***************
It was almost nine-thirty by the time Peter climbed the stairs
to the squad room floor.
"Nice of you to finally join us, Detective." Peter cringed
as Frank Strenlich's voice carried over the din of the precinct.
"The Captain wants to see you, now!"
"Right Chief." Peter gulped and walked toward Karen Simms'
office.
"Tough luck, Peter" Jody slapped him on the shoulder, "She's
been in a mood all morning.
"Great. Thanks for the warning." He lifted a hand to knock
on the closed door but jumped back slightly as the door flew open.
"Has Caine ... Oh, finally. Inside, Detective, and close the
door behind you."
Shutting the door, Peter slid forward, "Captain, I..."
"I don't recall giving you permission to speak."
"No, ma'am."
Karen slid behind her desk and studied the paperwork in front
of her. Peter stood stiffly, not daring to take a seat without
permission.
Just when he thought he couldn't take the silence any longer,
she asked, "Do you have any idea what I have on my desk?"
"No, ma'am."
"It's your personnel folder, Detective Caine. I would have
thought the size of the folder would have given it away."
"Yes, no, uh, yes ma'am."
"Peter, you are an outstanding investigator. I've frankly
never seen better, however, you are an absolute menace when it
comes to office procedure. Don't say it! You persist in being
late for your shift. Three times in the last three weeks you've
been over twenty minutes late. Today you were an hour late.
You've been written up for this in the past."
"Captain, I..."
"I don't want to hear it, Detective. Regulations give me
little leeway here. They require some form of disciplinary action,
documented for your personnel folder. It is customary in this
situation to suspend the officer for a minimum of three days."
"Yes, ma'am. I..I understand..."
"You understand nothing, Detective. The Rohypnol case that
you are working on has pissed me off. Therefore I am breaking
protocol. You are not suspended."
"Thank you..."
"Don't thank me, Peter. I've chosen the other option open
to me. You will be working double shifts for the next three days."
"CAPTAIN!"
"If you wish to protest this action, you may file a complaint
with Personnel. They should review it in, oh, about a month. In
the meantime, I expect you to be here for back-to-back shifts,
starting today and don't even think of trading shifts with anyone.
Dismissed."
As he left her office, all Peter could think of was Kelly
and her date.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 10 ↑
"Everything set for tomorrow?" Brad slammed the dorm room
door shut behind him.
"You don't actually think YOU'LL win the draw, do you? Not
with Keith's luck."
"You're just jealous cause you got Amy last."
"Am not."
"Yeah, right." Brad never saw the punch that bowled him over.
Before the fight could escalate too far, strong hands jerked
Adam off of his angry roommate. "What the hell do you think you're
doing?"
"Brad said..."
"I don't give a shit what Brad said. Fights draw crowds.
Crowds draw staff. Staff sees fight. Staff calls cops. Did I
make it simple enough for your feeble brains?" Keith jerked Brad
to his feet as he spoke.
"Yeah! I get it." Brad glared at Adam.
"How about you, Adam?"
"Yes, Keith." Desperate to draw his angry friend's attention
away from the altercation, Adam added, "I got the wine."
"Good. I hope it's a better year than last time."
Brad interrupted, "Keith, How are you going to get rid of Amy?"
"I'm not. Oh, I know, we won't get any points for her but we
might as well enjoy them both, but I confess, I'm really looking
forward to trying what Miss Kelly Blaisdell has to offer tonight."
"Tonight?" Brad and Adam spoke in unison.
"Yeah. Just got off the phone with Amy. Seems big brother came
to visit. I didn't think it was prudent to wait until tomorrow so
we're a go for tonight."
*************
Peter Caine left Karen Simms' office, walked straight to his
desk and sank into his chair. The roster indicating the shift
changes had already been posted and a copy, in large print, left
on top of his mounds of uncompleted paperwork. Muttering, "Thank
you, Frank" under his breathe, Peter opened the Julie Miller folder
and stared at it blindly. He jumped slightly as he was soundly
thumped on the head.
"Don't just sit there, partner, you and Kermit need to hear
this." Mary Margaret didn't wait to see if he was following as
she disappeared into Kermit's cave.
Wondering what had happened now, Peter followed, just in time
to hear Kermit begin to grouse about constant interruptions.
"Oh, hush. You guys won't believe what I've got for you."
"A really good description of my serial rapist?" Peter asked.
"Nope. Better."
"Look, Skalany, I'm not in the mood for twenty questions.
Just tell me."
"Oooo! What's your problem, Partner?"
"He's pulling double shifts for three days. Schedule just came
out. Get on with it, Mary Margaret." Kermit spoke without looking
at his younger friend.
"Sorry, Peter. Well, like you both figured, I believe Beth was
actually raped but there's no way to prove it now. She was at a
campus party when she suddenly started feeling 'odd'. She knew she
hadn't had an awful lot to drink but the room was spinning. A 'very
nice' young man offered to help her get home. Only problem was,
he didn't. He was joined by another guy who literally lifted Beth
into some sort of wagon or minivan, she couldn't really tell."
"TWO?" Mary Margaret now had the undivided attention of both
men.
"Wait, it gets worse."
"Can't imagine how," Peter responded in disgust. The jaded
mercenary said nothing.
"Just listen, Peter. Beth doesn't know how long they drove
or where she was taken. She does remember being dragged out of
the car by yet another man, and I use that term loosely."
"A THIRD?" Peter was aghast at this turn of events.
Mary Margaret shot him a 'shut up' glare, then continued,
"Beth remembers feeling as if she was being given the once over,
then one of the guys made a comment that she was at the top of the
age range. A totally different voice said that she was still worth
50 points and that since she was the 'second one tonight', she was
worth an additional 50 putting them in the lead. Beth then vaguely
remembers someone playing with her clothes. The next thing she
remembers is waking up on the floor of her living room in her old
apartment. She moved into a security building shortly thereafter,
when her talk with Detective Stupid downtown did no good."
"Shit." There was barely controlled rage in the ex-mercenary's
voice. "Those SOB's are making rape into some sort of game but who
are they in competition with?"
"State. They're competing with State." Peter's tone was cold.
"How can you be sure?" Skalany asked.
Kermit replied for Peter, "It's the simplest explanation for
the number of Rohypnol incidents at both campuses. We're not looking
for a serial rapist, we're looking for a group of vermin masquerading
as men."
Mary Margaret looked thoughtful, "Wasn't there a case in, where,
oh yeah, California, like this?"
"Yeah, but that was high school students. That's what drew
national attention. Was Ms. Kennedy able to describe her assailants?"
"Just in general terms, Kermit. Nothing that would help us
find them."
Mary Margaret jumped, and even Kermit flinched, at the sound
of a fist impacting with a metal filing cabinet. "DAMN THEM!"
"Peter, your hand, are you OK?"
"Peter, kid..."
"Amy! Dammit to hell!"
"Kelly's roommate?" Skalany asked, "What about her?"
"Remember her hangover? Well, at the time I thought she
had done more than just two glasses of wine."
"You think she was a victim?"
"I'd put money on it. She was entirely too sick and she's
been having nightmares. That's why I was late today. I drove up
to State to, uh, talk to Kelly."
"About what?"
"She's double-dating with Amy, her boyfriend, Keith, and a friend
of his, tomorrow night. From what Kel's said about Keith, I knew
she didn't really trust him so I tried to talk her out of going. To
make matters worse, I think she suspects something's wrong and is
planning on playing amateur detective. Dammit!"
"You think the boys are involved?"
"Yeah, and if my suspicions are right, how many points do you
think the, uh, inexperienced kid sister of a cop might be worth?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 11 ↑
"Oh my God, Peter. You don't think..."
"Oh, Yeah! and he's probably right." Kermit's hand lowered
unconsciously to caress his Desert Eagle. "What time tomorrow,
Peter?"
"6:00. Kelly said the movie starts at 8:40 and they're going to
dinner first, but she didn't say where, or for that matter, what
movie."
"I'm surprised that you didn't ask, Partner."
"I did, Skalany, but Kelly was being so unreasonable at that
point that she refused to tell me anything else."
"That doesn't sound like..., Peter, exactly what did you say to
her?" Mary Margaret watched her partner's face closely, amused as
usual by the multitude of expressions that could be displayed
there.
A whispered "Nothing" was met with a double negative by his
friends.
"Let's try that again, kid. I know there's a stubborn streak in
the entire Blaisdell clan, blood or not, but Kelly has always been
willing to listen."
"Uh, well, I kinda... OK, I told her she wasn't going." Peter
forced the words out quickly and shut his eyes, awaiting the censure
he knew was coming.
"Peter, how could you?"
"Bet that went over well." The ex-mercenary sighed as he thought
about what Kelly Blaisdell's reaction had really been. He thought,
"She is, after all, Paul's daughter."
"About as well as my being late, again, this morning. Kermit,
do you think you can get any info on Keith?"
"No problem, kid. What's his last name?"
"I, uh, don't know."
The older man glared at the embarrassed detective, "You don't
know? Kid, I'm good but give me something to work with."
"Kelly said he was majoring in engineering."
"Peter, State is one of the foremost engineering colleges in the
region. Just how many students named 'Keith' do you think they have?"
Mary Margaret spoke up, "Look guys, would Annie know?"
Peter's eyes lit up as he reached for the phone, "You're a genius! Of
course Mom will know, I'll call her."
Mary Margaret's shrill 'NO!' coincided with Kermit's yanking the
phone out of Peter's hands.
"Hey!"
"No way are you going to alarm Annie, kid."
"Oh, good grief. I can get the name from Mom without her even
knowing anything is wrong."
Skalany and Griffin exchanged glances then commented simultaneously
"I don't think so, Peter!"
**************
"Tonight? The date's been switched to tonight?"
"Yeah, Kelly, the boys have some sort of fraternity meeting
tomorrow that they can't miss so Keith and I decided to switch our
little get-together to tonight."
"What if I can't go tonight?" The butterflies in Kelly's stomach
were working overtime. "Down, girl," she thought, "Peter's got you
seeing plots everywhere."
Amy was stunned, "Kelly, you never go anywhere on Friday. Are
you going somewhere neat? Maybe we can all go?"
"Actually," she reluctantly confessed, "I don't have plans tonight.
I, uh, was just a little ticked that everyone changed plans without
even asking me."
"I'm really sorry, Kel. But Keith didn't have much time when he
called and he needed an answer really fast or we'd have had to wait
until NEXT week and Adam really wants to meet you and I didn't really
want to upset Keith and I didn't think you'd mind so I said YES." As
the younger girl paused to catch her breath, Kelly took the opportunity
to interrupt,
"Whoa! It's OK. Tonight actually works better for me."
"It does?"
"Yeah, the TV line-up is better on Saturdays." Kelly ducked as
Amy tossed a throw pillow. "Hey, your aim's getting better. You
almost got me that time."
*******************
"Shit" Adam Minks was obviously pissed.
"What's wrong now?"
"The damn movie we're supposed to see isn't on tonight. The
theater's running some sort of special film feature."
Brad stared in amazement at his roommate. "Adam, were you born
stupid or did someone drop you on your fucking head when you were
little?"
"What the hell does that mean?"
"You weren't going to see a movie anyhow, stupid. We've got
other plans. Remember?"
"No shit, Sherlock, but the girls have got to think they went
to a movie, duh."
"God you're dumb."
Adam once again raised his fists, "You better explain that, real quick."
"With the amount of stuff in this bottle of wine, they'll be
lucky to remember that they even had a date." His grin of anticipation
brought a feral smile to Adam's lips.
*******************
Peter looked indignantly at his friends, "I CAN handle my own
mother."
"Right, Kid."
"Of course you can, Peter."
"Mary Margaret?"
"Yes, Kermit?"
"You'll talk to Annie?"
"No problem, I'll take care of it."
As Peter watched in amazement, Kermit handed Mary Margaret
the phone.
******************
"You're welcome, Mary Margaret, but I really don't think it's
the same boy your mother was talking about. I'm sure there's more
than one Keith in the engineering department. Let's see, Amy's
boyfriend's name is Keith Richards.... No, I didn't think so. No
trouble at all, dear. Tell Peter that he's expected for dinner on
Sunday... Thank you... Bye." Annie Blaisdell replaced the handset
in its cradle and turned her attention back to her guest.
"Now, where were we?"
"Kelly's date?"
"Oh, yes. She's double-dating with Amy and this Keith Richards
person tomorrow night."
"This is a problem?"
"I believe so. From what Kelly has told me about Keith, I fear
that he is abusing Amy. And my daughter has enough of her father
in her to try to do something about it."
"I believe you are probably correct, Annie."
"I'm so glad you agree. I assume it won't be problem then?"
"No, Annie." Kwai Chang Caine took a sip of tea, "I would be
honored to guard your daughter and her friend."
******************
"Keith Richards." Mary Margaret looked smug as she hung up the
phone. Turning to a dumbfounded Peter, she added, "You're welcome,
but I better get back to work before the Captain puts me on double
shifts. Oh, and Peter?"
"What?"
"You're expected for dinner at Annie's on Sunday." Mary Margaret
smiled her most winning smile and walked away.
Peter shook his head as she left the room, "I still think..."
"Don't kid, not where Annie's concerned. That's one smart lady."
"I know, but..."
"I'll do a run-down on this Keith Richards. I'll let you know
what I find."
Peter sighed in defeat and turned to leave Kermit's office.
"Oh, kid?"
"What Kermit?"
"I'm going with you to State."
"I don't need any help, Kermit. I can take care of my sister."
"Peter, I promised Paul that I would take care of his kids. Now
granted, you are the one who causes me the most grief, however, I
fear my sex life will be over if anything happens to Paul's baby
girl."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 12 ↑
The remainder of the day retained a downward trend. To his
dismay, Peter found himself on the receiving end of the district
attorney's misdirected anger.
"Mr. Bennett, I..., no sir... I just.... no... I... well,
yes, sir. Monday morning, 9:00 am sharp... No, sir, I won't be
late."
Strenlich frowned as Peter hung up, "Bennett, as in Deputy
DA Bennett?"
"Yes!"
"And?"
"He wants me in his office at 9:00 AM Monday."
"Dammit, Peter, do I have to drag it out of you? Why?"
"Sorry, Chief, seems that some of the evidence in the Armstrong
drug deal went sour and he wants to discuss it."
"That wasn't even the 101st's case, much less yours."
"I know, but he was too mad to listen. I'll give him some time
to calm down, then I'll call him back and explain his mistake."
"Leave me a message if you need some help."
"A message?"
"Yeah, the Captain and I have a meeting with the Commissioner
in about thirty minutes. I suspect we'll be out of the office for
the rest of the day." Strenlich's grimace at the thought was suddenly
replaced with a grin, "Oh, and Peter, don't forget that you do have
double duty tonight, you know."
"Thanks, Chief, I know." The dismay in Peter's voice caused
the Chief's smile to widen but the retired Marine wisely remained
silent as he headed for the Captain's door.
As Strenlich walked away, Kermit dropped a printout on Peter's
desk. "No go, kid. This Keith Richards hasn't had as much as a
parking ticket, and he's a straight A student. The only unusual
thing in his record is a minor in psychology. Now why would an
engineering major want a minor in that?"
"It's just a hunch, Kermit, but I'm betting that if he's involved in
this 'game', he's found it useful."
"Oh, Yeah!"
***************
"Kelly, you're not dressed!" Amy looked frantic as she studied
her friend's appearance.
"Good grief, it's only 5. They're not due here until 6."
"Yes but Keith doesn't like..."
"To be kept waiting. I know, girlfriend, and I promise I'll be
dressed by, oh, 6:05?"
"Kelly!"
"Just kidding. Seriously, I promise I'll be ready by 5:30 if you'll
just go sit down in the living room and relax."
"OK." Amy replied doubtfully.
Kelly laughed and shoved her friend gently out of her bedroom.
She listened to Amy's footsteps retreating down the hall. Reaching
for the phone, she dialed and tapped her foot impatiently as she
waited for a connection. She was soon rewarded by a familiar voice,
then "Damn it, Peter's voice mail. Oh well." She fast forwarded
through his acknowledgment, and left her message, "Peter, I'm sorry
I was such a jerk this morning. As an apology I just wanted to let
you know that the date got changed to tonight. And yes, I'll be
sure to call you when I get home. Love ya!"
***************
Peter took the stairs to the squad room two at a time, skillfully
dodging the change of shift traffic and dashed to his desk. He
dropped the taco bag onto the only clear spot in sight and frowned
at the blinking 'message waiting' light. Settling into his chair, he
dialed the number to retrieve his messages.
"TEN. I wasn't gone long enough to get ten voice mails."
"You talking to me, Peter?" Blake's droll voice caught the
young detective's attention.
"No, Blake. Just talking out loud."
"Well, keep it down, some of us are trying to work."
"I'll try to remember that." Peter then pulled out his notepad and
sighing heavily, pressed the code to listen to his stored messages.
Ten minutes later, he'd jotted down notes on all ten messages
and replayed five of them, three more than once. As he was starting
to disconnect, his attention was grabbed by the words, 'the following
message was received after the start of this session'. Peter stood
bolt upright as Kelly's young voice came over the line. The click
of her hang-up brought him out of his frozen state. Without a second
thought, Peter grabbed his jacket and raced back down the stairs.
***************
At 5:55 exactly the doorbell rang. Much to Kelly's chagrin,
Amy dashed to the door and flung it open, crying, "They're here!"
"Terrific." Kelly muttered under her breath as she put on her
best forced smile.
Keith stood in the entry with a moderately good-looking young
man.
"Amy, this is my good friend, Adam Minks. Adam, the beautiful
brunette you've seen before is Kelly Blaisdell."
Adam moved quickly to Kelly's side, "I'm so glad to finally
meet you Kelly. Shall we go?"
Amy grabbed her jacket and headed for the door, while Adam
politely helped Kelly with her coat. As his hands came to rest on
her shoulders, the young woman found that she could barely contain
the shiver that his touch inspired.
***************
"Hey, watch it!" The young rookie yelped as Peter barely managed
to avoid a collision. "Oh, sorry sir!" He eyed the detective's
retreating back with confusion, "Must be one hot date."
As Peter slid to a stop next to the Stealth, a strong hand
gripped his shoulder. Whirling and ready for a fight, Peter relaxed
as he found himself staring into green sun-glasses.
"What's the rush, Peter?"
"Kelly's date is tonight, not tomorrow." The despair in the
young detective's voice was painful to hear. "It takes two hours to
get there Kermit. Anything can happen in two hours, and dammit, I
don't even know where they were going."
Kermit Griffin folded into the passenger seat of the Stealth,
"If we use the siren, we can save a lot of time."
***************
Kwai Chang Caine climbed from his seat in the large delivery van,
"Thank you very much for the ride, Mr. Woo, you have been too kind."
"It was my pleasure, Master. It is not often that one such as
myself is given the honor of being of service to one such as you."
Caine gratefully gave the man a Shaolin salute, then turned his
attention to the chaos known as State University.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 13 ↑
Exiting the elevator, Karen Simms crossed to her door, relieved
that the meeting with Commissioner Kincaid had gone well. She pushed
her key into the lock and once again struggled to turn it. "Damn it!
If I have to call building maintenance on this one more time, I'm
moving!" She could hear her phone ringing and cursed under her
breath as she gave one more thrust to the key. The lock freed and
she flung the door open, racing for the phone. "Hello? Damn, I
hope that wasn't important." The light on her answering machine
started to blink even as she spoke. Sighing, she pressed the replay
button.
"Captain Simms, this is Michael Marcus at the lab downtown. I've
been trying to get hold of Detective Caine for a while but I just
noticed a notation that you wanted to be notified of any developments
in the Jane Doe case Caine's working on. If you or Detective Caine
could return my call, I..we've found something interesting."
Karen glared at the phone for a moment, then called the precinct.
Caine's voice mailed kicked in after three rings and she disconnected
in disgust. Reviewing her options, she chose to call the lab. "Dr.
Marcus?"
["Speaking"]
"This is Karen Simms of the 101st. You have something for me?"
["Yes, ma'am. I, uh, hate to confess this but the lab really
blew it on the Jane Doe case."]
"How so?"
["Well, after the random drug test turned up Rohypnol in her
bloodstream and coroner's office determined she was raped, we kinda
forgot to go back and check her belongings."]
"What!"
["Let me explain. We checked for anything that would id her but
we ignored her necklace. I don't know why, but I have to apologize.
The necklace is a series of flat metal links about a half inch wide
each. We finally dusted them for prints, and, found three sets."]
"One of which was hers."
["Yes, ma'am. The other two, well I've sent them to be checked
and asked that the results of the search be sent straight to your
Detective Caine."]
"Have you heard from Caine yet?"
["No, ma'am and I've left three messages since 5."]
"Well, don't worry about it. Fax the report to the precinct
with MY name on it. I'll make sure Caine gets it."
["Yes ma'am."] The lab technician thought as he disconnected,
["I'm sure you will."]
Karen Simms glared at the phone, then dialed the main precinct
number.
["101st - Simpson."]
"Simms here. Is Detective Caine there?"
["No Captain. I haven't seen him at all and he hasn't signed
out. Oh, but there is a bag of tacos on his desk."]
"I see. I'm expecting a fax from the lab on one of Caine's cases.
There's also a fingerprint check coming to his attention. If it
gets there, I want to know it BEFORE he does. Understand?"
["Yes, Captain. Not a problem."]
"Good." Karen disconnected and paced the floor of her apartment
in an effort to calm down. "Peter Caine, your explanation had better
be good or it's going to be justifiable homicide when I kill you."
********
The trip to State was made in record time. Peter killed the siren
before they reached the city limits and the worried pair fought the
traffic with the regular commuters. It was almost 6:30 by the time
Peter parked the Stealth in front of Kelly's building.
"How do you do that?" Kermit inquired, annoyance in his tone.
"Do what?"
"Every time I ride with you, a parking place magically appears
when and where you need it. It is a Shaolin thing?"
"Nope." Peter replied as he climbed out of the Stealth. "It's
a car thing."
"A car thing?"
"Yep. Can't explain it but I never have this luck when I'm not
in the Stealth. Come on, Kelly's apartment is on the fourth floor."
"Right behind you, kid."
********
"Ooo! The lobster is outstanding. I'm glad you guys thought of
seafood." Amy's delight in her meal was obvious to everyone, including
the waitress.
Kelly smiled, "Yes, I have to admit that this place is great. It's
such a hole-in-the-wall. Who would have thought the food would even
be edible."
"Keith and Brad found this place a couple of weeks ago. I know
it doesn't look great but it's the food that's important. Right,
Keith?"
"That's for sure, and just wait to you taste dessert. I've taken
the liberty of ordering the rum cake."
"Rum? That's alcohol, isn't it?" Amy inquired doubtfully.
"Don't worry, sunshine, it's a dessert even kids can eat. It
won't have the impact of the wine last week."
"Good. I'm sure I'll never try wine again and Kelly doesn't
drink, do you Kel?"
"No. Now, if you boys will excuse me for a minute, a trip to
the ladies room is in order."
"I'll go with you, Kel. You know us girls, we have to go in pairs."
The boys rose politely as the girls left the table. As soon as they
were out of earshot, Adam turned to Keith.
"We're doomed. We'll never get the wine down them."
"Of course we will."
"HOW?"
"The drug's odorless and tasteless, right?"
"Right. So?"
"Well, the kitchen's got a new bus-boy and he'll make sure the
Rohypnol makes it into the sauce on this place's version of rum
cake."
"Why on earth..."
"Adam, you idiot. BRAD's the new bus-boy. He gets off at
7:30, but by that time the girls will be more than agreeable to
having some wine."
Adam laughed, "You really like to stack the deck, don't you?"
"Let's just say that I don't like to lose and the guys at
City need a lesson in humility. Two in one night. Last time I
talked to Chuck, he was positively gloating."
********
"Kelly, do you really thing the rum cake is OK? I mean, everything
here tastes so good that I'd like to try some but..."
"It's OK. Mom makes it at Christmas and we were always allowed
to eat a little. It's pretty rich so we never wanted a lot."
"Good. I don't want to do another hangover, ever. Oh, my GOD!"
"WHAT?" Kelly turned to her distraught friend, "What's wrong?"
"I never sent your Mom and Peter a thank you card for their
help last weekend. They're going to think I have awful manners."
"Trust me, they'll forgive you but if you're worried, we can
send Mom some flowers tomorrow and you can thank Peter tonight when
I call him."
"Call him?"
"Yeah," Kelly looked sheepish, "My big brother is a tad over-protective.
He made me promise that I would call him as soon as I got home from
this blind date."
"That's sweet. I wish I had a brother."
"Yeah, I guess. Annoying but sweet. Good grief, we've been in
here a while. Keith and Adam are going to think we got lost. Let's
go eat that cake."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 14 ↑
Mary Margaret sat drowsing in front of her television set. The
early evening news had failed, once again, to hold her interest and
she'd fallen asleep soon after it started. The ringing telephone
pierced her dreams, and she grabbed the receiver while still not
quite awake. "H..hello?"
["Skalany, when did you see last see Peter?"]
"I'm sorry Captain, I was dozing, could you say that again?"
["My apologies, Mary Margaret. Was Peter still at the precinct
when you left?"]
"Oh, no problem, Captain. Yes, Peter was still there."
["What about Kermit?"]
"I don't kn... No, wait, his car was still in the lot."
["Thank you. Go back to sleep."]
"You're welcome and I'll see you in the morning." Mary Margaret
replaced the hand set and stared mournfully at the phone. "OK fellas,
what have you gone and done now?"
*******
Simms disconnected with Mary Margaret and dialed another, even
more familiar number. The phone rang several times, then clicked
over to the control of the answering machine. This time Karen left
a message, "Kermit Griffin, if you get this message and you're with
Peter, you both damn well better be on official 101st business."
She slammed the phone down, then muttered to herself, "If you're not
with Peter, well, I can apologize properly later." She reached once
more for the hand set to make another call and ended up answering the
phone instead. "Simms."
["Simpson, here, Captain. We've got a match on one set of the
prints you asked about."]
"Already? Prior arrest?"
["Yes, ma'am. Just booked at the 62nd last night for attempted
assault. Seems he was out on a date and decided not to take No for
an answer. His date, however, is a very athletic young lady who
managed to get the better of him. We got lucky, for once. His lawyer
was about to spring him, first offense and all, when I requested
the 62nd hold him on suspicion of murder in the death of Caine's
Jane Doe."]
"Good work, Simpson. Any word from Caine?"
["No, Captain. If he's in his car, he's either got the radio
off or he's ignoring it. And his cell phone's apparently dead,
again."
"I see. Thank you. Call the 62nd and let them know that I'm
on the way."
["Yes, Captain."]
Karen once again dialed Mary Margaret.
["Hello?"]
"I'm truly sorry, Mary Margaret, but Peter is nowhere to be
found. I know you went with him to the Miller girl's apartment.
Have you been involved with any other parts of this damned
Rohypnol mess?"
There was a moment's hesitation before Skalany's "Yes, Ma'am"
came through the line. "Good. Meet me at the 62nd in thirty minutes."
Karen hung up without hearing Skalany's confirmation. She knew her
staff and Mary Margaret would get out of her death bed if the Captain
needed her.
***********
"Amy, is something wrong with the cake?"
"Oh, no, Keith. It's very good. I thought I could eat a whole piece
but," she grinned sheepishly, "I think I ate too much lobster."
Kelly was sure she heard a threat in Keith's reply, "Amy, I didn't
spend good money on dessert for you not to eat it. Finish the cake."
Amy's subdued, "Yes, Keith." caused her friend to cringe. Kelly
masked her annoyance as she turned to Adam, "So we've finished up
a little early. I mean the movie doesn't start for over an hour.
What are we going to do while we wait?"
Adam smiled at his date, "Well, it's a full moon tonight, so I
thought it might be fun to ride over to the observatory and look at
it through the main telescope. It's not as romantic as a walk in
the park, but I think it's a bit too cold for that."
"Oh, the observatory sounds fine. I've been meaning to get over
there but never seem to find the time. Daddy had a small telescope
when we were kids and used to show us the moon and planets as often
as he could." She suddenly yawned, "Oh, I'm sorry. Where was I?
Oh, yeah. We had the most fun with that telescope at the lake. It
was so clear up there that we could usually see the Milky Way."
Keith glanced at his watch as he exchanged glances with Adam,
"If we're going to see the stars, then I suggest we better go. We
don't want to miss the show."
***********
Peter hit the elevator door with his fist and yelled impatiently,
"Come ON, dammit!"
"Take it easy, Peter, it's moving."
"Not fast enough. I knew we should have taken the stairs. When
was this thing built, 1890?" His frustration ended as the elevator
ground to a halt.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kermit found himself
unable to totally repress a grin. Peter Caine on an everyday case
was professional, thorough and impatient for results. The personal
twist this case had taken had added frantic to the list of adjectives
describing Peter Caine, cop. "Calm down, kid. You won't do Kelly
any good if you lose control."
"I am not..." Peter's reply was muffled by his hasty exit from
the ancient lift.
Kermit sighed, shook his head and followed at a more reasonable
pace. His eyes widened and he picked up speed as he saw Peter draw
his Beretta and take a defensive posture. He barely succeeded in
grasping his younger friend's arm as Peter started to kick the door.
"Hold it! What's wrong?"
"The door's ajar! Kelly knows better than that. Between Paul
and me, she learned about locks real early."
"I'll bet, but she has a roommate, right?"
Peter had the grace to look embarrassed, "Oh, yeah. She does."
"Right, well let's take this really slow, kid. We don't have
any jurisdiction here, remember." Kermit added, to himself, "Not
that that will matter if anything's happened to Paul's little girl."
Both men braced as the door slowly opened, "Ah, Peter. The girls
are not here."
"Pop?"
"Caine?"
"Pop, what are you doing here?"
"Your mother was concerned. She asked me to watch over your little
sister until you can resolve the situation."
The look of stunned disbelief on Kermit Griffin's face was answered
by Peter's smug, "Looks like you were right, Kermit, Mom's definitely
not stupid."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 15 ↑
"Come! There is something you must 'see'." Kwai Chang Caine
left the two cops standing, stunned, in the open doorway.
"OK, Peter, I can understand him surprising me sometimes. Hell,
all the time but YOU?"
Peter sighed, "I knew someone was in there and if I hadn't been
so worried about Kel, I would've known it was Pop. Come on let's go
see what he's got."
********
Karen Simms fixed her most intimidating gaze on the young man
in the interrogation room. Skalany had actually beaten her to the
62nd by a couple of minutes and was waiting impatiently in the
lobby when Simms walked in. Simms gave her name to the desk sergeant
who immediately escorted the pair to the 62nd's holding area. Simms
filled in a confused Mary Margaret as they walked. By the time they
reached the interrogation room, Skalany was contemplating what she
considered to be justifiable homicide. The prisoner ushered into
the room presented an arrogant air of bravado, for about five minutes.
When Karen revealed the fingerprint evidence to their suspect, he
folded immediately, "I didn't kill her, I didn't kill her, honest,
I didn't kill that girl."
A stony "Right, now try to sell me a bridge," pulled true sobs
of terror from their suspect. Captain Simms shot Skalany a warning
look then continued, "Mr. Everett, I must remind you that you have
the right for council to be present."
"I d..don't need him. Chuck threw her in the water. Chuck did
it."
********
Peter and Kermit entered the girls' apartment and crossed the
living room to where Caine stood by a rocking chair. As the pair
approached, he removed a lavender sweater from the arm and passed
the sweater to Peter.
"Pop? Eh, what?"
"Remember your training, my son. LOOK at the sweater."
Peter started to argue then realized what a futile gesture that
would be. Instead he took the sweater in both hands, dropped into
the chair, closed his eyes and concentrated. As Kermit watched,
fascinated, Peter's breathing quickened dramatically and he started
to perspire heavily. He suddenly gasped, leaped from the rocker
and dropped the sweater as if he'd been burned. He turned and
shakily addressed Kermit, and his father, "Amy was raped. She was
wearing this when those assholes... Pop, I need your help. We've
got to find Kelly. She's double-dating with Amy tonight."
Caine frowned, "Annie said..."
"I know. It got changed. That's why we're here. I guess you didn't
see them leave."
"No, my son, I am sorry. Is there something here that Kelly
is particularly fond of? Something that we might lead us to her?"
"I don't know." Peter's brow furrowed as he desperately tried
to think. "Wait. There's a small rag doll. It's very old and
belonged to her great-grandmother. It's the one thing that I know
she's taken with her everywhere." He smiled, "She even managed to
smuggle that doll to camp when she was ten. Paul was not pleased.
It will be here, somewhere. We'll split up, I'll take her bedroom.
Pop, you check the living room. Kermit..."
"I'll take the phone." The ex-mercenary lifted the hand set as
he spoke.
"HUH?"
"I'll settle for more mundane search methods, kid. Keith Richards
does have a car."
***********
Kelly tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn as she looked out
the car window. The silhouette of the observatory stood out in the
moonlight but the building itself appeared deserted. "It's awfully dark.
Is it open?"
"Oh yes."
"What?" Kelly found she was having difficulty focusing on the
young man sharing the back seat with her.
In the front seat Keith glanced at his 'date'. Amy had sagged
against the door frame, and was obviously having trouble staying
awake. "Adam, I think the girls would like something to drink."
"Do we need..."
"Yes, Adam. They both look very, very thirsty. You're thirsty
aren't you, Amy, darling?"
Amy made no reply but obediently took the small cup that Adam
handed her from the back seat and drained it dry.
He had a little more difficulty persuading Kelly to drink but
soon she too followed suit.
As Keith parked the car, Adam asked, "They were pretty much out
of it just on the rum cake, Keith. Why'd you add the wine?"
"I'm not taking any chances. I don't want either one of them
to remember any part of this evening and the wine's always worked.
Let's get them inside where it's warm. You did remember to get the
key, didn't you?"
An indignant Adam snarled, "Yes, I remembered the key. Joe
was more than happy to lend it to me. Oh, and Keith, don't get any
ideas of starting without Brad."
*************
As their murder suspect was returned to his cell, Karen Simms
turned her attention to Mary Margaret. OK, Skalany, spill it. Why
did the name 'Keith Richards' have such an impact on you?"
Mary Margaret winced, "It's a theory Peter was working on and
from what that little Everett character just said, Peter's right.
His sister, Kelly Blaisdell, is a student at State. Her roommate's
boyfriend is one Keith Richards. Peter suspects that Amy has already
fallen prey to these assholes. And Kelly is supposed to double date
with Amy tomorrow night."
Karen Simms stared at her detective for a brief moment, then
turned to the desk sergeant, demanding a phone. She dialed a couple
of numbers, then spent the next ten minutes arguing jurisdiction
with some paper pusher. Mary Margaret grinned as her Captain
alternately cajoled, then bullied, the faceless person on the other
end of the line into giving her the information she desired. She
returned her attention to Mary Margaret and said, "You might find
this interesting. Someone named Griffith just ordered an APB on
Keith Richards' car."
"Could that have been 'Griffin'?"
"Oh yeah!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 16 ↑
"It's got to be here somewhere. I know she'd never move anywhere
without it." Frustrated by his lack of success, Peter slammed the
door on Kelly's closet. He eyed the unexamined drawers of her
dresser and sighed, "Sorry, Kel, I'm gonna have to look through
your lingerie. You can kill me later."
"Is this what you are seeking, my son?" Kwai Chang Caine held
a very old, hand-made rag doll in his hand.
"YES!" Peter snatched the doll from his father, "I knew she'd
have it. OK, doll, talk to me."
Caine eyed his son curiously, "The doll cannot speak, Peter."
"What? Oh, yeah, I know, Pop, I was just, uh, never mind. Let's
see if the doll can link me to Kelly."
A dry voice came from behind Caine. "1403 Pendleton Way."
The two Caines turned to face Kermit, who continued, "I called
the local constabulary, identified myself as a visiting cop and
requested an APB be put out on a certain license tag."
"And they did it? How come?" Peter was justifiably skeptical.
"Not at first but when I explained that the driver sideswiped
my car while I was visiting my niece on campus, they were more than
happy to help."
Peter flung the doll down onto Kelly's bed, "Great, what's at
1403 Pendleton Way?"
"The observatory, it's isolated, and it's closed tonight."
***********
"Mr. Smith, where do you think you're going?" The manager's
voice cleared the din of the kitchen.
Brad froze for a moment, then said, "I get off at 7:30."
"Only if you're finished. There're three more tables you need
to clear before you leave, unless of course, you don't need this
job."
Brad mulled his employer's words over for a very short moment,
retied his apron and headed for the dining area. He needed to keep
this job. He'd lost the last three and if he wanted to continue
to play, he'd have to pay his share of the costs.
***********
"Where the hell is he? It's almost 8." Keith was rapidly losing
patience.
"He'll be here. He wanted a piece of this action. That I'm sure
of."
"He's got ten minutes. Then we start..." He was interrupted by
a loud knock on the door. Flinging it open, he snarled, "About DAMNED
time."
"Sorry. The boss kept me late."
"You know we're on a schedule. Security checks this building
every hour and a half. They left just before we got here."
"Then shouldn't we go ahead?"
Keith glared at Brad for a moment then said, "Fine. Call it."
Adam pushed Keith's hand down, "Don't think so, friend. Brad
and I were talking. We decided to bring our OWN coin. But I tell
ya what. YOU can call it."
Keith looked at stern faces of his cohorts, then replied through
clenched teeth, "Find. If you like. Tails." He then stood back,
crossed his arms and waited.
Adam tossed the coin into the air and watched it land, "Damn, I
do not believe it. Keith, old man, one of these days I'm taking
you to Vegas."
The oldest of the trio smiled broadly and lifted a semi-conscious
Kelly Blaisdell into his arms.
***********
"There!" Kermit pointed, "The car's over there. That means
that buil..." His words stopped as he lunged over the seat for the
wheel. Peter had leaped from the car before it ceased moving and
was running for observatory. "Dammit, Peter!" Kermit struggled to get
the car stopped. "Caine, grab the... oh, shit." Caine had followed
his son's example and exited the vehicle.
***********
"Adam, Brad. Don't just stand there, toss for Amy. She is fair
game you know." Keith had removed Kelly's blouse and was patiently
working on her jeans.
Adam and Brad exchanged looks, then Adam said, "Nah, we'd rather
watch. You know make sure you're doing it right."
Keith smiled, then unzipped his jeans, "Then boys, watch and learn
from the master."
"I DON'T THINK SO!" The watchers stood frozen in astonishment
as Keith was flung bodily across the room. His scream of rage and
pain, served to thaw their frozen senses and both attacked the
invader simultaneously. Twin kicks sent the young men flying to
join their friend. Peter knelt beside his sister, "Kel, baby, can
you hear me? It's Peter." As he spoke he wrapped her in his jacket.
Adam was the first to regain his feet. Grabbing a nearby stool,
he swung it at Peter's head. The blow never landed as Kwai Chang
Caine skillfully kicked the projectile away from his son. Adam
then swung at the older man. A quick block and punch combination
sent Adam into oblivion. Brad made a run for the door but was
likewise knocked unconscious by a heavily breathing ex-mercenary.
"Glad you could join us, Kermit." Peter never took his eyes
off Kelly as he spoke, "Pop, please, is Amy OK?"
The Shaolin was already beside the younger girl, "She has not
been harmed tonight, but she will be very ill from what she has
been given. Both girls must go to the hospital, quickly. And
your sister?"
"He didn't get a chance to hurt her, Pop." Silently, Peter added,
"That's the only reason he's still alive."
"Kermit, go call..."
"Peter, look out!" Kermit flung himself towards the previously
ignored Richards boy. Keith had been unconscious for a short time
and had feigned the state for a moment longer. Never slow to analyze
a situation, he realized that three to one were bad odds, unless he
could change them. The twenty-two went off before Kermit could
reach him and the older man's cry of pain merged with Keith's moan
as Caine once again put him to sleep.
"KERMIT!" Peter moved towards his friend. Caine was already
packing the wound with a herbal concoction.
"I..I'm all right, kid. Looks like we've made a bit of a mess
here." He gasped as Caine applied pressure to the wound. "T..Take
care of K..Kelly."
The sound of running feet caused Peter to whirl toward the door.
A pair of patrolmen entered the room and slid to a stop. The older
of the pair asked, "Detectives Caine, Griffin?"
Confused, Peter replied, "Caine, here."
"Yes, sir. An ambulance is on the way, but it looks as if you
might need more than one."
"Three to be exact."
"Yes, sir." The younger cop called it in on his radio as the
older cop continued, "Sir, as the father of girls, I'd just like
to thank you for stopping these bastards." Reinforcements arrived
as he spoke and began dragging the barely conscious college boys,
none to gently, away.
Peter stared in disbelief at the man, "I'm sorry, but..."
"Oh, sorry, sir. Officer Dale Hendricks. I must admit to
some surprise to find that your 101st precinct was working in
conjunction with our 33rd to stop these monsters, but necessity
makes strange bedfellows, now doesn't it?"
"Yes, yes it does." Peter replied weakly.
"Ah, here's the first ambulance, now, sir and sir, if you
would do me a small favor one day?"
"I..I'll try."
"Well, Detective, I'd really like to meet your Captain Simms
one day. She must be some woman to have been able to convince our
Captain Harris to a joint project."
From the stretcher that was rolling toward the door, a voice
earnestly responded, "OH, YEAH!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
part - 17 ↑
Six weeks later:
Peter sat quietly underneath an old oak tree, staring at the
small granite slab that marked the final resting place of his 'Jane
Doe'. His right hand tightened around a sheet of gold-leafed
stationary, while he used his left to wipe his eyes.
"Am I invited?" Kwai Chang Caine stood beside the tree and
waited patiently for the answer.
"Please."
The older man settled himself beside the stone and watched his
son's face. The tree limbs dancing in the sunlight painted shadows
on both the marker as well as the young detective's face. Caine
knew instinctively that they reflected the specters haunting his
son. Peter wiped his eyes one more time and spoke without looking
at his father.
"We'll never know who she was, Pop. The jerks that killed her
didn't know. They took her off the streets, gave her a meal, then
drugged, raped, and murdered her. A..All I could do was give her
a final resting place. At least I hope she's resting."
Caine placed his timeworn hand on the marker, "Yes, my son.
She is at peace. But you already knew that."
Peter stared at him for a moment, then answered sadly, "Yeah,
I guess I did."
"Are you at peace, my son?"
"Not really. They plea-bargained down from first degree murder.
The DA said the evidence wasn't enough to prove intent to kill."
He added bitterly, "At least not the body. They intended to kill
her soul by raping her."
"They will, as you say, serve time?"
"Oh, yeah, but not enough."
"And little Amy's attackers?"
"Ditto. They'll serve time for attempted sexual assault and
for attempted murder in Kermit's case."
"But not for her rape?"
"Nope." Peter was disgusted, "In a court of law, that child
wasn't raped. She had sex. Since she had no physical signs of
assault from that night, and can't really remember what happened,
the sex act is considered to be consensual. Her nightmares be
damned."
Caine leaned forward and placed his hand on Peter's shoulder,
"You saved your sister, my son. You were in time."
"For her, yes, but how many others did these young vermin
rape before Amy and Kelly got involved? We'll never know and they
sure as hell aren't talking."
"How is Kelly?"
"Still shaken and in counceling. Even though she wasn't raped,
the trauma of the attempt is causing her severe problems. Mom let
her drop out this semester and come back home. I suspect she'll
enroll at City College next semester and stay with Mom."
"And Amy?"
"Gone back home to be with her parents. God, Pop, the anguish
on that child's face when she found out she'd been raped. Thank
God, Mom was there."
"Your mother is a very kind, caring woman and carries within her
the true spirit of Shaolin."
Peter stared at his father for a moment, then smiled, "She does,
doesn't she?" He glanced at the stationary in his hand, "Here, Pop,
Reverend Fleming wanted for you to read this also."
Caine nodded and took the letter. Peter leaned back against the
tree and closed his eyes. Caine watched his son for a moment, then
started to read,
Detective Caine,
I must thank you, your father and your friend Detective Griffin,
for all that you have done for my little girl. The support you
gentlemen gave her after her desecration will eventually help
restore her trust in men. Your letters have been gratefully
received and while she does not yet feel up to answering them,
she has read them and has been able to acknowledge your concern.
And your mother, words alone cannot tell you what a comfort your
mother was to my baby. Amy has talked repeatedly of Mrs. Blaisdell.
I can only say that the Good Lord was generous in sending such an
angel to my child in her time of need.
I am so sorry that little Kelly has been made to suffer also.
Amy speaks of her with much affection and hopes that, someday,
Kelly will be able to visit us in our home. I fear my child
will never return to your country. To be truthful, neither her
mother nor myself would ever condone her returning. There is
much good there but we have all suffered to deeply to risk it.
My wife and myself are deeply in your debt and not a day goes
by that we do not offer prayers for your safety and that of
Detective Griffin in your dangerous occupation. Rest assured,
we will pray for all of you until we pass from this life.
Yours in eternal gratitude,
Arthur Fleming
Caine lowered the letter to his lap and met his son's eyes.
Peter sighed deeply, "Will she heal, Father?"
"With enough time and love, yes, my son, but the road will be
long."
Peter Caine studied the grave marker silently, then slowly
climbed to his feet. "I only wish..."
"You have done all you can, my son." Caine also stood.
"It's not enough, Father, not nearly enough."
"It is all you can do, Peter."
"I know, Pop, I know." He suddenly embraced the older man,
burying his head in his shoulder. Caine gently rubbed his back
and waited patiently. Soon Peter raised his head, wiped his eyes
and said, "Let's go home, Pop. You're right. I've done all I
can here."
The End