Red Ribbons in Her Hair Ch. 07

"We've got another missing persons, Cap. Another girl. But this one came with a bonus."

"What do you mean, a bonus," the captain said, leaning back in his chair and staring at Detective Dean Campbell.

"Our guy wasn't just happy with taking one girl. He had to kill someone too."

Kaylee looked up from where she was sitting at an empty desk in the bull pen, a stack of mug shot books in front of her. Her heart began to race. Had he given up? Was he moving on and going to leave her alone? Oh God, what a selfish thought to have, that she'd be glad he was moving on to other girls and forgetting about her.

"Did you get names?"

"Yeah, the missing girl is," Campbell flipped through his notebook, squinting a little to read his own writing. "Here it is. Christina Edwards, age 23, she's a waitress."

Now it was the captain's turn to look up as Kaylee gasped in horror. "Tina? He took Tina?"

The captain rose from behind his desk, going out the open doorway and into the bull pen to the desk where she sat. He took the chair that was bolted down next to the desk. "Did you know the victim, Miss Cranston?"

"I... I worked... work with her. We're friends. Oh God, you said someone died with her. It wasn't Angie Devereaux, was it?"

Campbell looked at his notes again. "Yes, I'm sorry. It was."

"They were lovers," Kaylee whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Tina wanted to marry her." She looked up at the Captain with horror filled eyes. "It's because of me, he took her to get to me."

Campbell went to the water cooler that sat just inside the door, filling a cup and bringing it back to Kaylee. He knelt next to her, holding out the water. "No, Miss Cranston. It's because of him, not you."

Kaylee gave a hoarse laugh as she took the cup. "Do they train you guys to say that stuff at cop school?"

Campbell laughed. "Yeah, it's a pretty standard line. But it's also true. This is on him, it doesn't have a thing to do with you or what you did or want."

"So how are you going to find her?" Kaylee asked, setting the cup down next to the last book she'd gone through. "He's not in any of these," she said, waving her hand at the large stack of books.

"Miss Cranston, we have people out there searching clues. We have them hunting down the ribbon, finding stores where it could be purchased. We have them doing a house to house at every crime scene. I've got my best detectives on this case. We'll find him. You just have to give us a chance."

"Will you find him before he kills Tina?" she asked softly.

The captain shut his eyes. "We hope so, Miss Cranston. We can only hope and pray so."

* * * *

Tina's eyes fluttered open, feeling gummy and sticky, her eyes burning in the bright lights of the room. She tried to lift her hand to rub them and felt a knife blade like pain in her arm. Looking down, she could see she was tied, big plastic zip ties digging cruelly into her wrists and ankles. She still wore the tee shirt she'd put on last night after her and Angie had made up from their latest fight. But it was pulled up, almost to her waist, leaving the bottom half of her open and vulnerable.

Her eyes flashed around the room, desperate to see if she recognized anything that would tell her where she was, or maybe a friend who would suddenly yell out "Surprise!" and then release her from this horrid nightmare she was in. But there was nothing, only cement walls and white linoleum. She couldn't turn her head, so she had no idea what or who was behind her.

His voice had her head craning, trying to see over the back of the chair she was tied to, to see him.

"It's about time you woke up, Tina. I was beginning to think you didn't like our little playtime in the garage."

Oh God, the garage, the man who'd come on her. She'd thought that to be a dream.

"Ah, I see you're remembering now. It was much fun for me, killing always makes me horny," he said, his voice breaking out in yipping chuckles. "But now we have to work. We have to make you pretty for the pictures I want to take. They are for your public you know," he said, coming up beside her.

Tina looked up, almost afraid to see his face, to look into the face of a monster that could do what he'd done tonight. It was almost anticlimactic. He was so normal looking. He was almost pudgy and his dark brown hair was parted on the side, black rimmed glasses with thick lenses making his eyes look huge. The color was weird, an icy blue that looked almost white, the color that you'd see on some breeds of dogs. His mouth was turned up in a smile of welcome, showing white, slightly crooked teeth.

"Not what you expected?" he asked her, his smile widening. "I never am," he sighed. "You all expect someone who looks like a skuzzy killer type. Don't you remember Ted Bundy? The man was going to college; they talked of his running for a political seat. He was the clean cut all American boy next door who just happened to enjoy fucking dead girls."

Tina shuddered turning her face away. She felt his fingers on her jaw, turning her back around.

"Now let's not be rude. You should always make eye contact when speaking to someone. It's only polite. Besides, we have to clean you up. You can't have your picture taken looking the way you do now." He held her face still, using a rag to wipe off the dried ejaculate that coated her cheeks, rubbing hard until she whimpered with the pain of it.

Then he pulled a brush from his back pocket, pulling her hair forward to brush it gently, getting rid of all the snarls until it flowed like dark silk across her shoulders. "So pretty," he murmured, his eyes going a little hazy as he stared down at her. "So sweet, and soft."

He reached into the front pocket of his pants, pulling out the long red ribbon, smoothing the wrinkles out of the bright material. Holding her hair gently in one fist, he threaded the ribbon under it, pulling it up and dropping her hair over the top. Then he carefully tied the bow, fussing with the ends until it sat the way he wished, slipping it over until it lay just above her left ear.

"Almost perfect," he said, as if speaking just to himself. He turned away, walking behind her and she heard the clink of metal against metal.

Tina watched the corner of her chair, seeking out the dark form of his shadow, waiting for him to come back to her. What would he do next?

She screamed as he walked around the chair, for in his hands was the knife, still with a slightly pink tinge on the metal from Angie's blood.

* * * *

Kaylee was still sitting at the desk when the envelope arrived. Next to her elbow were wrappers from the hamburger that Gabe had brought back for her. An untouched chocolate shake sat next to it. She'd managed to eat the hamburger, through sheer will, she'd eaten every bite while he watched, knowing if she didn't eat he'd worry. And she wanted his mind on the case.

She watched as the uniform carried in the envelope, a large manila square, and took it to Gabe's office, handing it to him.

Gabe took it, glancing curiously at the address, his gaze sharpening before he looked up at her. His eyes met hers and she knew. That envelope had something to do with her.

Gabe picked up the envelope, his eyes scanning the heavy black writing done in thick marker. It was made out to Kaylee Cranston in care of Detective Gabe Hampton, no address or post mark. "Who gave this to you?" he asked the officer who delivered it.

"It was on the front desk. I was passing the sergeant on duty and he asked me to drop it off for you."

"Okay, thanks," Gabe said, dismissing the man. He reached into the top drawer of his desk, picking out a pair of latex gloves and sliding his hand into them. The flap on the back wasn't sealed, it was taped down and he carefully ran his finger under it, pulling the tape free. They weren't going to get DNA from their killer from this.

He tipped the envelope, dropping the contents on the desk in front of him. There were a dozen or so pictures, a piece of red material, and a note that was printed on computer paper. Using a pen, he pushed the pictures around until he could see them better.

He heard her gasp before he knew she was in the room. Without looking up, he set the envelope on top of the pictures, covering them from her eyes before he got up and went to her, closing his outside door.

Kaylee stood there, the pictures burned into her mind, every horrid image, every grotesque thing done, running over and over like a slide show in her head. "That's Tina," she croaked, looking up at Gabe. "He's... He's..." she couldn't finish the sentence, feeling suddenly light headed.

"Shh," Gabe said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his arms. "You shouldn't have seen those." He pulled her closer, silently berating himself for not closing his door before he opened the envelope.

"Is she dead?"

Gabe let his head rest against her hair, breathing a heavy sigh. "I don't know. I don't think so. He's taunting us with the knowledge that he has her and we don't know where he is." He pulled back, lifting her chin. "It's another mind game, Kaylee. It's another way to get to you. You can't let him though, because if you do, then he wins."

"It's not a mind game to Tina," she said shivering. "It's very real to her. I need to see those pictures."

Gabe sighed heavily. The last thing in this world he wanted was to let her see those pictures. "It's not a good idea, Kaylee," he said at last.

She jerked out of his arms, pushing him back. "She's my friend and he took her because of me! I want to see those pictures!"

"Kaylee, whoa, hold on sweetheart." He took a hold of her arms. "Calm down and I'll show you."

He reached in his desk, grabbing another pair of gloves. "These will probably be too big for you, but put them on anyway." He waited until she did, and then sat her down in a chair across from his desk. Picking up the pictures, he left two or three of the worst under the manila envelope, laying the others out.

He watched her face as she looked at the picture, saw shock and horror, anger and then finally, acceptance cross her expression.

Kaylee picked up one of the pictures, Tina, naked, her legs spread and tied to the chair, her wrists tied to the arms of the chair. She had a piece of tape across her mouth and tears gleamed wetly on her cheeks. Grasped in one hand was a small sign, hand written with the same kind of writing that was on the envelope. The words tore at Kaylee's heart as much as the pictures. They were a message to her. "Help me, Kaylee," was written in bold block letters.

And around her hair was a bright red ribbon, tied in a big floppy bow above her ear.

"How can you say this isn't my fault?" she asked him, tossing the picture back on the desk. "How can you after seeing these? You should have just left me out in that alley. Than maybe Tina would still be safe and Angie would still be alive." She took the gloves off her hands angrily; throwing them into the trash can next to his desk.

"I know how easy it would be to blame yourself, Kaylee. But you can't."

"Sure I can," she said bitterly. "He's making it very easy for me to blame myself and hate myself for what he's doing." She looked up into his eyes. "What do we do? How can we save her?"

"We don't do anything. I will find him, Kaylee. It's my job and I'm damn good at it. But you've got to let me do it, you've got to stay calm and let me handle things."

"What about Ruthie, and Ann? Are they safe?" she asked him, her hand going to her throat as she thought of her roommates.

"Yeah, actually Ruthie left and went home for the duration and Ann is staying with her new boyfriend. They are both safe. Ann has a tail every time they leave his apartment, so don't worry about them. Did you see anyone that looked familiar in any of the mug books?"

"No, nothing. I've been wracking my brain trying to remember something, anything about how he looked that might help, but all I see is the look of death on Jack's face." She closed her eyes, rubbing at them tiredly.

Even after she climbed into his bed last night, she hadn't been able to sleep, lying stiffly next to him, their bodies close but not touching. She'd felt him roll to his side, his back to her and stared at the width of his shoulders, the darkness of his hair on the white pillowcase. He was so close, but still so far away.

It had been as the sun rose in the sky before she'd finally been able to close her eyes, rolling in her sleep until she was pressed up against his back, her arm slipping over his waist to rest against his skin. His hand had crept down, his fingers twining with hers, his thumb brushing against her soft skin.

When his alarm had gone off, they'd both jumped away from each other, Kaylee rubbing her eyes with her fist like a small child, yawning hugely. They'd gotten dressed, fixing coffee and toast in almost silence, both too aware of the other to say much.

And then they'd come here, where he'd sat her down in front of those books, a lousy cup of coffee at her elbow. She'd searched every face that might have come close to what she thought he looked like, searching for something that would tell her that this was him.

But none of them had seemed right. Either they were too tall, too short or their eyes were the wrong color. She could remember his eyes, they were so strange, so weird.

"I'm going to get the security tapes and see if we can find out who delivered this envelope," Gabe said, standing to crouch down next to her. "Whoever did it will be on tape and maybe we can finally get a picture of this guy."

"Okay. What do you want me to do?" she asked quietly, her hands twisting in her lap.

"Well," Gabe said, a slight smile curving his lips. "First of all, you can try to calm down a little."

"That's easy for you to say," she shot back at him, though she did manage a small smile.

He reached out and tugged on a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "When we get this guy locked up, would you have dinner with me?" he asked suddenly, surprising her.

"You mean you aren't tired of me yet?"

"Actually, except for the fact that you're in protective custody, you are the most enjoyable thing in my day."

Kaylee felt a small part of her melt and a tiny sigh escaped her lips. "I'd love to have a regular dinner type date with you, Gabe, where we didn't have to think about killers or kidnapping."

He laughed. "I promise," he said, crossing his hand over his chest, "no killers, no kidnappings, just you and me and candlelight."

"I like the way that sounds."

His hand rested against her cheek, still encased in its latex glove. It brought him out of the thoughts of romance and back to reality. "I do too, but for now, I have to take this and show it to the captain and then take them to the lab, plus see about getting the video from the front desk." He rose and walked back around the desk. "If you'd like, I can see about getting someone to run you back to my apartment and stay with you there."

Kaylee felt a thrill of panic settle in her stomach, making her feel as if she would throw up the hamburger she'd managed to eat earlier. Her face turned pale at the thought of being away from him. "No," she said quickly, her hands grabbing on to the arms of the chair she was sitting in.

"Kaylee, I'm not deserting you. If you want to go back there, I'll have someone inside with you, and a car outside watching the building. You'll be protected." He watched as her eyes closed and she swallowed convulsively. "I won't put you in danger, Kaylee. You might try to wiggle out of our date if I do," he said, trying to make her smile.

"I'm fine out there," she said quickly though she did try to smile for him. "There's an old paperback romance novel someone left. It's looks tempting so I thought I'd read. Is that okay?"

"That's fine, honey. And if you get tired, there's a couch in here and one in the captain's office that I don't think he'd mind you using. I'll be in and out the rest of this afternoon, but I'll come and get you when it's time to go home."

He opened the door to his office and watched her make her way back through the maze of desks to the empty one. Worry, anger, and a strong need to protect her warred in his heart for supremacy. And another worry niggled at his mind. Was he becoming too close? Was he losing the detachment he needed to do the job right on this case because of his growing feelings for Kaylee?

With a sigh, he lifted the envelope, staring at the red fabric. There were blood stains on it. But whose? And the pictures, those he'd shown Kaylee and those he hadn't, the ones he hadn't had taken priority. Their killer had spelled out his wishes in those cards held by Tina.

The first was the one that he'd allowed Kaylee to see, the card simply saying "Help Me, Kaylee." From there it got bad. The cards told of the things the killer would do if Kaylee wasn't left for him to retrieve. It told of torture and promised that Tina would be made to pay more everyday that Kaylee wasn't given to him. The final card told of how many days Tina would be kept alive before her dead body would be delivered to an undisclosed spot, somewhere they would be sure to stumble upon her of course.

He picked up the note, opening it carefully. It was a love note of sorts, addressed to Kaylee. It also gave directions of where she was to be left for the killer to retrieve, in a sort of ransom drop where Tina would be left and Kaylee would be taken.

No way, Gabe thought, getting angrier with ever picture, every syrupy love sick word written. No way would he let this animal get his hands on Kaylee.

He gathered them up, sliding it all back in the envelope and walked out of his office to the captain's, managing to send a smile to Kaylee before closing the captain's door and getting to work.

* * * *

Kaylee watched as Gabe left the captain's office, throwing another smile her way as he left the bull pen. She yawned, glancing back down at the book she held open in her hands. She'd read the same page four times but she still couldn't have told you what it said. Her mind wasn't on reading.

And if she drank any more of the coffee available, she might end up sick. The stuff was strong enough to take rust off of metal, it certainly was eating at her stomach lining. Getting up, she wandered to the door of the bull pen, glancing back as she felt eyes on her. Campbell smiled her way, watching her even as he spoke on the phone.

She walked out of the room, hearing the slide of chair against the linoleum as the detective ended his call quickly and followed her out to the hallway.

"Kaylee?" he called, seeing her turn toward him.

"I have to use the bathroom. Should I have informed you before I left?" she asked sarcastically.

"Gabe is just worried about you, Kaylee. You can't fault him for that."

She sighed, feeling her frustration ebb somewhat. "I don't. I'm just not used to being so inactive or having someone else tell me what to do with my life. I don't even have my purse or my phone." She threw her hands up in the air. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't take this out on you. You are all being so wonderful towards me. I guess I'm worried about Tina."

"It's perfectly understandable. I do have some good news for you. Jack is out of ICU and they expect him to make a full recovery."

"That's wonderful," Kaylee said. And it was. It was one less thing to have on her conscience. "Listen, I'm going to use the rest room and then get a bottle of water. The coffee in there, well..."

"It sucks, trust me, I know. Go ahead, I'll wait for you here," he said, his tone of voice brooking no arguments.

Kaylee sighed, realizing she was getting a guard no matter if she wanted him or not. But at least he didn't go into the bathroom with her. She went in, used the facilities and then washed her hands, staring at herself in the mirror above the sink.