Author: Buffywatcher
Feedback: Constructive comments always welcome: jinxascendant@hotmail.com
Pairing: S/A
Rating: Strong R
Spoilers: None, completely AU
Warnings: All-Human AU, Violence, M/M relationship, Language, all the good stuff.
Disclaimer: Just borrowing them for a bit of harmless fun. All characters, recognisable likenesses are retained by their owner and accredited license holders.
Live Journal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/jinxwatcher
Personal Websites: The NightWatch: http://www.geocities.com/stormbuffsinc/lockdown.html &
My Older and Non-Spangel works: http://www.geocities.com/stormbuffsinc/index.html
Work Archived At: The Crypt: http://home.att.net/~lubakmetyk/crypt.htm#buffywatcher
Writer's Notes: For the purposes of this story some details have been changed. Giles is in his early to mid 40's and both Liam and William are in their early to mid 30's. This story takes place in an AU setting and is loosely based on a Challenge concept by GF for the Forging_Ghost Anniversary Ficathon. This isn't the EXACT idea put forth in the Challenge, but it's my take on the basic idea and I hope you like it Stony. Please excuse any minor discrepancies or artist license. As always thanks are going out to GF, MarieC, Luba, and Mera my most excellent group of Beta/Editors.
Writer's Credits: **Salustra and Pet get the kudos for their invaluable assistance with the LA Times Office Dialogue Sequence, I couldn't have done it without them.** This series and story is loosely based on the FGF Anniversary Challenge #13 by GF for the Forging_Ghost Anniversary Ficathon and it's dedicated to GF and his excellent group over at Forging_Ghost. This story will contain a brief reference to the movie Seven, starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. There are a few partial song lyrics used from *In order* Dio's Lock up the wolves, Metallica's Low man's lyric, and *shudder* an excerpt from Barry Manilow's Mandy. There's also a slightly twisted and convoluted Quote from Genesis 2:23, King James Version of the Bible.
Writer's Dedication: For Stony & The Wonder Twins, Inspiration is the greatest gift of all.
Distribution: If I've already been given permission to archive my work please consider it yours if you want it. If I haven't and you would like to archive it please do, all I ask is that you email me and tell me where it's going so I can visit.
Series Summary: Detectives
Liam O'Shae and Wil Falkner join with their former
Story Summary: Can LA's finest track down a serial killer before he claims one of their own?
****Reader Warning!! This story contains disturbing imagery and dialogue and deals with several sensitive issues including sexual abuse *Off-screen* and graphic instances of mental illness and some religious references so please use caution before reading this story!!****
*Introspective commentary*
Story Summary: Can LA's finest track down a serial killer before he claims one of their own?
*Introspective commentary*
Two Days Later: At The
Wil isn't startled by the hand sliding over his leather rear and into his back pocket. He leans farther forward over the bar and pushes back against the caressing hand as Liam joins him.
"I thought I'd come help you...carry the drinks back to the table." Liam breathes pressing his lips against Wil's ear and leaning over to nibble the lobe playfully.
"You're not fooling me for a minute; you just wanted to play with your new present." Wil says with a husky chuckle as Liam's tongue toys with the new piercing in his left ear that matches the simple stud now gracing his scarred brow.
Liam chuckles; silently admitting that maybe that had a little
to do with it.
Same Night: A few hours earlier
No one was more surprised than he, when one of their witnesses happened to work in a small exclusive shop that featured tattooing and piercing with handmade jewellery. While Wil worked his verbal magic, he took the chance to take a walk around the shop and found that he was fascinated by the thought of how intimate it must be; that moment when that foreign bit of metal is thrust through welcoming flesh.
He tried not to watch as several patrons took their turn in the chairs to have their piercings done by one of the several professionals employed by the shop. He told himself it was just simple human curiosity that had his eyes following some of the customers as they were escorted back behind a curtained area where the more...personal piercings were done. The occasional sudden cry of mingled pleasure and pain tickled along his nerves until his skin felt so tight and sensitive that the brush of a breeze across it set him to trembling softly. He can only imagine how beautiful Wil must have looked as his piercing was done...did he arch like a bow under the painful pleasure so skilfully inflicted? He's so caught up in his imaginings that he's startled by the hand sliding up his arm slowly up to cup his shoulder, signalling Wil's return to his side. He follows the line of his gaze and smiles.
"Looking at all the pretty jewellery? Or fancying something done in ink?" Wil asks quietly, tilting his head just a bit to look up at him through his lashes a wicked gleam in the depths of his eldritch eyes.
He slides his hand slowly along Liam's arm, feeling the muscles contracting and relaxing rhythmically under his caressing palm as he tries to gauge the larger man's strange mood. After a moment he smirks faintly as it occurs to him that maybe he's not looking with himself in mind. "Something for me perhaps, Pet?" As he feels Liam's muscles spasm under his palm and hears his breath catch, he knows he's figured it out. "I've been meaning to get some editions done for a while now." He admits glancing at his watch he notices that Liam's shift ended twenty minutes ago and smiles.
He walks over to one of the employees with a currently empty chair and has a quiet word with them for a few minutes, then comes back to Liam with a smile and wraps an arm around his waist. Liam's arm immediately drops across his shoulders and locks him in place, just as he knew would happen. He reaches up to purr against his ear. "Show me?" He grins as Liam reaches across to grab one of the books of available piercings and examples of work that others have had done. He points to two different pages and Wil calls the artist over and indicates their choices and allows Liam to choose the jewellery that will be used himself.
Liam was a solidly comforting presence, holding his hand; his low cries a strange mixture of pleasure and pain a counterpoint to his own as the metal thrust through flesh. The rush of nervous energy as first his ear and then his brow received the swift kiss of pain and the rush of endorphins into his bloodstream until he felt like he was floating, it was almost orgasmic. Quaking in Liam's embrace as he held him and smoothed and eased him down from the rush with gentle hands and lingering kisses, he felt alive and loved. It was Liam's embrace that would comfort him as the last step of their private ritual was completed. A large piece of paper and a pencil and a few moments of intense sketching and shading and Liam handed it to the employee with a smile. It took a few minutes as the employee called one of the tattoo artists over and they consulted quietly and the sketch became a pair of small stencils in their capable hands. The whole time Liam kept him close, at least one hand teasing over his sensitive skin at any given moment, unable and very unwilling to release him and accept their parting.
It would be Liam's hand in his that leads him towards the raised table that would take the place of the usual tattooist's chair, his hands that tenderly bared his upper body. It was Liam who lifted him onto the table with an easy strength that made him feel like a child, but the thrill that ran through him at the display was all adult male. Even as he turned onto his stomach to bare his back to the tattoo artist, Liam's hands were there, dancing over the skin of his shoulder blades like maddening butterflies fluttering against his flesh.
It was Liam's voice whispering low and huskily in a ceaseless flow of seductive praise as the Celtic-styled letters A and W are worked into the pattern of the Celtic-style cross adorning the small of his back. The artist is skilled and efficient and the new small additions are quickly completed and the styles carefully matched and merged, with only the slightly reddened skin and slightly darker ink of the initials marking them as newly added. Liam carefully tended the newly altered tattoo himself under the watchful eye of the tattooist who double checks his work as the bandage is applied.
As they stop by the register to pay for the work and to buy the after-care kits, Liam's presence and handling were constant as he clung to him as the larger man paid. He's not sure how they got back to Liam's car; his whole world was focused no farther than the possessively protective man treating him like the finest china.
It seemed like the most natural thing in the world when Liam pulled him against his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders to keep him there as he expertly drove them a few miles down the coast to a deserted overlook and pulled off to park. The meeting of mouths and bodies felt like coming home. How long they sat there wrapped around each other for long, lazy kisses that ended only as another would begin, he can't say, an hour, three, a lifetime? All that he knew was the sensual duel of tongues and greedy hands, the whisper of heavenly touches ghosting lightly over the tender new piercings. The gentle caress of loving hands whispering over the bandage in the small of his back, they were all he knew, all he needed to know.
It was only the ringing of first Liam's cell phone and when that
failed to rouse them to answer it, his own that finally broke the spell
of their hungry mouths and grasping hands. Called back for dinner with
their friends, old and new both, they still found that their world was
no larger than the space they could both occupy. Maybe that's what being
in love is.
Back To The Present: Back At The Bar & Grill
Liam reaches past him to pick up the tray of drinks the bartender slides over to them and Wil shakes his head in mock exasperation.
"I can handle carrying a tray with a few drinks you know." He says, quirking his newly pierced brow up out of habit, hissing lightly as the new piercing reminds him it's there.
Liam leans down and treats him to a brief but heated kiss before straightening. "I know that you can Wil, you'll just never have to with me around." Another kiss and the playful cheering and teasing jibes of the crowd parts them and sends them hurrying back to their laughing friends at their table.
Wil melts into his chair with boneless grace. Liam pauses to set the tray down and hands out the drinks before angling his chair closer to Wil's and wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to rest against his chest. He's careful to make sure that he's not putting any pressure on the bandage and the tender but precious artwork it's protecting.
"So...I'm thinking that you left a bit out of your introduction of Inspector Falkner Liam." Lindsey drawls in a droll tone as he rolls his eyes at their obviously more than friends cuddling, not to mention the public displays of affection they've been inflicting on all and sundry all night.
"You know all there is to know about Wil that concerns you Lindsey." Liam says his voice calm but icy.
"And that would mean what exactly?" Lindsey says, leaning forward in his seat with his eyes narrowing.
"Wil has a PhD's in criminal justice; he was at the top of his class
at the Academy, served for almost two years as an NYPD Detective second
class. He left the NYPD and returned to
"So you were a soldier then? Did you see much action?" Lindsey asks, smiling his most beguiling smile, his eyes flashing briefly with anger as Wil pointedly yawns and tilts his head to rub his cheek against Liam's bicep.
"Oh I'm sorry, did you say something Lindsey?" Wil asks blinking his eyes in a picture perfect flutter of his lashes that comes off as guileless and innocent, though he is blatantly anything but that. Liam just sits back, looking very pleased and proud of his lover.
Silence descends on the table as everyone watches Lindsey stewing when Charles clears his throat and hurriedly says something to head off his partner's bad mood.
"So you were a war hero then?" He says casting uneasy glances between a smug Liam and a fuming Lindsey.
"It wasn't anything that grand really Mate." Wil says modestly.
"He's being modest." Giles says with a chuckle. "The last time I saw him in uniform he had more decorations than a Christmas tree." Giles laughs heartily at the faint blush on Wil's cheeks. "I believe he was also invited to a special reception that the Queen herself attended."
"I was just doing my job." Wil mutters cursing as he feels his cheeks heat and knows that they're flushed once more with embarrassment.
Anya is enchanted by the display of modesty. "What rank were you?" She asks, genuinely interested.
"A Lt. Colonel at the time I left the service." Wil says quietly but several of the men around the table sit up straighter and take notice at his declaration.
"You're surprisingly young for such a high rank." Lorne says surprised.
"Wil was a regular Rhodes Scholar." Liam says proudly. "He was one of the youngest on record."
"I was just turned fifteen when I was selected." Wil says quietly. "I didn't want to go but my parents liked the idea of having a son they could show off to friends. I'm sure they would have cleared a special place on the fireplace mantle for me to sit during their dinner parties." It's clear from Wil's voice that it's not a fond memory.
"You don't sound like you had much fun at all." Winifred says sadly.
"My Mum was a good woman; she always tried to do her best to accept
me as I was and to give me time to be a child before I had to grow up.
After she passed...my Father remarried a lovely trophy of a wife and I
became just one more asset that he could show off to his friends. He was
furious with me for not staying at
"Well aren't you special?" Lindsey says with a sneer.
"Yes he is, how nice of you to notice." Anya says sweetly but her eyes flash dangerously. "And what is the great achievement of your life Detective McDonald? Finding new ways to shrink your jeans as much as possible? Finding a new way to lounge that you think makes you look sexy? Or is it just finding new and improved ways to make it obvious just how much of a dick you are?"
Everyone but Giles looks Anya with surprise and soon everyone but Lindsey is snickering at his expense while he clenches his jaw tightly.
Wil leans over and kisses her cheek. "Remind me to never piss you off, Pet. You're vicious." He says with a smile as she grins pleased with her skilful repartee and he returns to lounge against Liam.
Lorne stops chuckling and clears his throat. "What did you find out during your interviews today Liam, Wil, anything new?" He says having decided that a change of subject would be a good idea right now.
"Wil worked his magic and we've found out that we were right about all of the men being gay. Luther Oliver and Jonah Samuels, the second and third victims were well known in their neighbourhood as being involved. Robert McMahn, the naval officer was also gay but that was a well kept secret that his commanding officer did his best to cover up. Wil convinced him to talk to us since it would be a poor epitaph for his life if silence only buys us more dead victims. While we didn't find many people that remembered Simon Parks, the first victim, one of the men we talked to claimed to have seen him talking to another man the night he died. He confided that it wasn't unknown for Parks to turn the occasional gay trick when he was younger, so I think we can assume he was at least bisexual." Liam reports, as he turns to dig into his coat pocket for his small pocket-sized notebook.
"We can't find anyone willing to own up to knowing Rheed, the fifth victim but given his lifestyle any friends and acquaintances that he had have been very scarce in coming forward. However the forensic team went over his place again and they found several pictures of Rheed in compromising positions with several different men." Wil adds as Liam pauses.
"We spoke to several people at the counselling centre where Manuel Santiago worked and it was apparently a little publicised fact that he'd been involved in a long term relationship with another man. It was apparently covered up for fear it would adversely affect any future political appointments." Liam says after glancing through his notes from the interviews.
"And Councilman Grant was a well known philanderer with anything that would sit still for him." Lorne says with a snort of disgust for the deceased but all too corrupted politician. "Were you able to learn anything else from re-interviewing the witnesses?"
"A few people said that they noticed a stranger hanging around prior to the victims being discovered and in a couple of instances they remembered seeing strange cars in the neighbourhood. I've got what descriptions they could remember but they're very sketchy on the details and I'm not sure what we can expect as far as any hits on the DMV database as no one noted even a partial license plate."
"There was one curious statement though. At the shelter one of the residents told us that God had struck down Simon Parks for living an unclean life. That his 'messenger' had been sent to make him repent his evil ways and that the instrument of his wrath had been made manifest. We tried to get more out of him but he refused to talk any further. I had records run his name and he has no criminal priors but he does have a long history of mental disorders but I think he may have seen the murderer and he is just confused the details with the fantasy in his head about divine retribution." Wil adds with a shrug. "Liam put out a bulletin on him; if he's picked up we can have him evaluated by county health before we try to question him any further."
"I have corroborating evidence on all but two of the murders that indicates homosexuality is one of the criteria he's using to select the victims." Winifred adds helpfully. "I went over the case history of the Laszlo case with Dr. Jensen and while it seems our mysterious killer may be borrowing the Sins angle, he is not borrowing the method of their actual deaths. In each case the method of death is violent but that is all that they have in common. Parks bled to death from a bilateral incision across the throat that severed vital blood vessels. I'd estimate he was dead within two to three minutes from acute blood loss. Indications are the body was moved and positioned post-mortem but we discovered no physical trace evidence in the exam, blood cultures, or scene evaluations."
Winifred pulls her own notebook out and quickly reviews. "Oliver and Samuels were each killed by a single stabbing blow to the heart from a sharp weapon, possibly an ice pick or maybe even a screwdriver or similar item. The stabbing wounds made by the tailor's shears were made post-mortem and again the bodies were moved and the scene was staged. Given the relative positions of the bodies I would say they were posed to emulate a lover's quarrel gone wrong. Drs. Jensen and Giles concur. We think that whoever our killer is, he's interpreting the Sin of Anger/Wrath to be two separate Sins which would explain the double murder, where every other murder has been a singular occurrence."
She pauses to read her notes once more before continuing. "
She reviews her notes and continues. "Rheed was strangled, given
the injury type; I'd say some kind of a garrotte was used. I recovered
some fibre samples that would indicate that nylon fishing line was used.
We identified the type and manufacturer but it's amazingly common and is
sold in just about every drugstore, sporting goods, and grocery store in
She continues on with her report. "McMahn the young naval officer was killed by means of an air bubble that caused a fatal heart seizure. From my examination I would say that the killer was likely engaged in intercourse at the time of the injection and remained long enough to be sure that no resuscitation was possible before posing the body and leaving the scene. In the Councilman's case he died of a massive drug overdose, I found a lethal cocktail of no less than four hardcore illegal drugs in his blood cultures. Any single one could have been lethal, all four together was just plain overkill." She concludes. "I would say from the evidence that we're looking at a single murderer."
"Anya and I have completed our profile and it's fairly extensive so it would be easier to read it rather than give you all the details here. We made sure that each of you was emailed and sent a hard copy of the profile. It should be waiting in your inboxes for you." Giles states, sipping his drink.
"We've found some similarities to the Laszlo case as far as the profile but we don't think this is a true copycat murderer. He seems to have adopted some of Laszlo's motivations but he's obviously deviating from it as far as his ultimate reasons for what he's doing. I don't think that this is strictly a religiously motivated crime but that religion does play a part in it." Anya adds.
"How is the investigation proceeding on your front Charles?" Lorne asks.
"There is zero evidence of an accomplice involvement in the actual murders themselves. There is no conclusive proof that there isn't however an accomplice helping to plan the murders but there is also nothing to suggest that there is either." Charles says balling up his napkin and tossing it on the table in disgust.
"How is the INS database search coming along Lindsey?" Lorne asks, glancing at the irreverent detective and scowling slightly as he notices his gaze is fixed on Wil and Liam in a less than decent manner.
"There hasn't been much luck yet. We're not getting any red flags
yet but we've got a lot of data to filter through and corroborate and compile
and that will take us a while. There's always the chance that our perpetrator
also hasn't been arrested and convicted here in the
"I asked the Bureau to run a similar search and Wil's got Interpol doing the same through Scotland Yard." Giles says helpfully. "He may not have been caught and convicted here but perhaps he was overseas so we're checking on that angle as well."
Lorne looks very pleased with their progress, while it may be tedious and slow, it's better than the cold stop they were at before. Bringing in the new blood was just the shot in the arm that they needed to get things moving again. He has to admit that he's been impressed by the many and varied talents of Liam's old friends and finds that he likes them on a personal level as well. He can't help but marvel at the changes in his usually dour and withdrawn old friend Liam. It's like watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon. There is so much emotion and feeling between them that they circle each other eternally, like a pair of binary stars and the light and heat they generate could power a city with the mere brush of their hands together. It's like watching life itself made manifest into these two perfect forms, he's never seen two people more alive than Liam and his Wil.
The soft sounds of a soft rock band starting the first of their nightly sets in the lounge, filters through the doorway to them. Stony surprised them by handing them a key to one of the private V.I.P. rooms that he reserves for private parties, special friends and important patrons. It seems that they've made his short list of preferred clientele.
The room is fairly large, housing a large round table with a semi-circular booth at one end and chairs at the other. The décor matches the rest of the upscale establishment in vibrant colours and rich fabrics and a small eight foot by ten foot dance floor is tucked off into one corner. The lighting is set just high enough to make reading menus and other business type documents easy but intimately subdued, lacking the glaring harshness of most restaurant lighting. It's really a very comfortable room and just the right size for their small; Lorne glances at Wil, Anya, and Giles all clustered with Liam at the chair end of the table; but growing group of friends.
Lorne smiles, as the soft music washes over his nerves soothing them; he knows that it's likely Wil and Rupert's influence that has gotten them elevate to the status of the elite as Stony has embraced them as welcome remembrances from home. They've become fast friends, though from all the good natured insults they seem to toss at each other these last couple days he's rather surprised that they actually like each other. It was a laughing Giles that took him aside to whisper that the insults were all bluster and for show, something of a tradition among mates.
Lorne smiles as Wil sips his drink and wonders if he realises that he's swaying to the soft rock beat coming through the doors. From the glow in Liam's watchful eyes, Lorne's pretty sure that he's more than a little aware of Wil's unconscious movements. He's proven right as Liam leans over and says something in Wil's ear too low for him to hear but from the blaze igniting in those glacial blue eyes it must have been something very heated.
Wil slinks out of his chair with a graceful roll of his body, gaining his feet with a boneless shimmy and Lorne wonders if he's double jointed. He's already taken off his coat when he came in and quick efficient flutters of his elegant hands unbutton the black dress shirt he's wearing as he strips it off to reveal the blue silk sleeveless tank underneath it. He crosses to the pegs on the wall and carefully hangs the shirt up, looking over his shoulder and winking at his captive audience.
He stalks to the small dance floor and picks up the rhythm of the music with effortless skill, dancing as though there was no one else in the room. His dancing is fluid and primal, like the pounding beat of a drum only he can hear as he moves lost to the rhythm of the music. They all watch, frozen in their seats, afraid to move or speak lest the spell be broken and reality intrude on Wil's private worship of the gods of music. Lorne feels Lindsey's muscles tensing and relaxing and he knows that any second he's going to jump up and join Wil and he's surprised to feel his hand clapping over Lindsey's shoulder ready to keep him from trying it.
It becomes a moot point as Liam rises, as regal and powerful as Hades rising from the underworld and where Wil was alone, he is now complete as Liam moulds himself to his back. They dance as one, moving and flowing through the ebbs and tides of the music.
"I thought Liam never dances?" Winifred breathes enchanted at the sight of the pair.
"He doesn't dance, he communes, and only with Wil." Giles says in a loud whisper. "I've watched them do this countless times and it never loses its magic."
All of them share the sentiment as they watch Liam's hand slowly drift down Wil's chest, over his hip, to curl over his thighs in a caress as innocent as it is sensually charged. Wil's arms float up to lock behind his neck and the women sigh at the sight and the men think Liam is the luckiest son of a bitch they've ever met as they melt together lost in the music and each other.
"Beautiful." Lindsey breathes.
Lorne glances over to see that his eyes are locked on Wil and he
mentally shakes his head in exasperation. A piece of paper couldn't get
between Liam and Wil much less someone like Lindsey and it won't be long
before Liam reacts to the challenge Lindsey is unconsciously projecting.
Liam will protect his relationship with Wil with as much dedication and
fanatical vehemence as any zealot when his world is threatened. Lindsey
is out of his league and he's just too arrogant to see it but he'll see
the light at the end of the tunnel soon enough, probably at the end of
Liam's fist. For some reason the thought of the arrogantly brash Detective
laid out at Liam's feet brings a smile to his face. It's a lesson that's
been a long time coming and he hopes he gets a ringside seat.
Chapter Eight
Giles looks away from the case board he's been puzzling over for the last hour, as a weary Liam and Wil trudge through the doorway looking very exhausted. This last week has been exhausting for everyone with little reward to show for their dedication.
Liam flops heavily into the chair behind his desk, as Wil lounges daintily on one corner of it with his free leg swinging slowly like a cat twitching its tail. They're both damp from the unseasonably cold weather and their clothes are slightly mussed and in disarray. They look about as cheerful as the storm clouds darkening the sky outside.
"Not much luck I take it?" Giles says with a sigh.
"Almost zero, a few people remember seeing a stranger but we've got only the barest description, not much more than he was male and they think he was about average size with dark hair. A few people mentioned that they thought they'd seen a motorcycle a few times which seemed out of place in their neighbourhood but no descriptions, make, or model that they could remember. A couple of people mentioned that they'd noticed some local utility company trucks around the time of the murders. We looked into it and they were there on genuine business and the employees were in full sight of people at the time of the murders. We've got nothing that will be much help at all Pet." Wil says disgusted.
Liam scoots his chair forward and turns slightly to the side, until he can rest his head on Wil's lap and sighs as a tender hand immediately starts stroking his hair, soothing and calming his nerves. Giles looks on with a paternal concern at his boys and admits he's beginning to feel disheartened as well.
"Is there anything new on the other fronts?" Liam asks wearily.
"Anya had a good idea, we know what some of the criteria are for what he looks for in a victim but we don't know how he's managing to pick these particular victims. She's down in records getting us some detailed files on each victim. We can't find any present ties that connect them but perhaps there is a past one, maybe some thread that connects them all to each other and our mysterious killer." Giles says, turning his gaze back to the crime board, his brow furrowing once more.
"Is something not sitting right Giles?" Liam asks lifting his head, noticing his mentor's preoccupation with the board where they've tacked up pictures of the victims and the time line of the murders.
He slides his chair closer to Wil and accidentally knocks off some paperwork off the desk. Wil smiles and hops off the desk and leaning over to pick them up and hands them back with a kiss on the nose that has Liam grinning happily. Whether it was that Wil picked his papers up for him or just the close up view of a really stellar class rear, he's not inclined to say. Wil curls up on the arm of his chair as Liam wraps an arm around his waist to hold him securely.
"Something has been bothering me about these victims." Giles states, his voice sounding distracted and thoughtful. "Their victimology is unusual. We've got the murders starting with a homeless man in a shelter and ending so far with a City Councilman of no little public notoriety." He muses.
"So we've got a killer that can be in a homeless shelter, but yet not be out of place at a Councilman's home." Wil says with a slight frown. "That is a rather unusual dichotomy as serial killers go. They usually prefer one general type of victim and few target high profile victims. Our mystery man has done everything from a homeless man, a politician, a sailor, and a thief." He snorts with disgust.
Giles gasps as Wil's words suddenly make the pieces fall into place and he knows what has been bothering him about the pattern of killings. "Wil, you're brilliant!" Both Liam and Wil look startled. "I know why he's not following Laszlo's patterns exactly!" Giles says with a wide grin. "He may be using methods of staging the bodies similar to Laszlo's, but that isn't the criteria for how he's choosing them. He's following that old nursery rhyme! You know the one...Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man; Thief." Giles says with dawning wondering. "Earlier Anya mentioned something about the first and second murders not making much sense in common victimology, that a homeless man begging on the street and a harmless simpleton that tinkered for a living shouldn't have been chosen according to Laszlo's patterns...that's what's been bothering me all this time. What you said gave me the last bit I needed to connect the dots." Giles explains as Wil and Liam join him flanking him on either side, their clasped hands resting on the back of his wheelchair.
"That bloody brilliant lateral thinking Giles." Wil says impressed. "Let's break it down to what we know." He leans over and grabs a pointer and taps the picture of the first victim. "Simon Parks."
"
"I'd say his death was intended to display the Sin of Sloth." Giles catches on to what they're doing.
"The second and third victims were killed together, Luther Oliver and Jonah Samuels." Wil supplies again.
"Oh boy...Tinker and Tailor right?" Liam offers, grinning as Wil nods with a smile. "Cool."
"Anya thinks that our killer made a common error and mistook Anger and Wrath for two separate Sins when in fact they're actually the same thing. But since he made it look like a lover's quarrel I'd have to say her supposition is accurate." Giles supplies just as Lorne walks back in rolling his eyes and looking much put upon, a fact explained by the presence of a chattering Lindsey strolling in behind him.
Giles quickly explains their breakthrough before Wil continues to expound on their theory.
"Our fourth victim was Manuel Santiago." He states, using the pointer to tap his picture.
"Oh man he's the hard one." Liam groans. "He's the Poor Man?" He asks finally, grinning again as Wil nods and smiles, very pleased by his quick thinking lover.
"I would say his murder scene was meant to display the Sin of Envy. He was well known for his views that "Anglo" culture was stifling his own rich Latino culture." Lorne says, quickly catching on to what they're doing and he preens as three grins reward his intelligent commentary.
"The fifth victim was our street thug Roger "Rocko" Rheed." Wil taps the pointer on his mug shot.
"He's easy, he's the Thief." Liam says with a sniff of disdain.
"Then he must represent the Sin of Greed?" Lindsey says falteringly, not sure he's right.
"I'd say that was likely Lindsey as he made his so called living by stealing the wealth of others to make his own fortune." Giles says with a nod of approval.
"The naval officer, Robert McMahn was our sixth victim." Wil moves the pointer to his picture.
"He's simple too; he was in the Navy right so he must be the Sailor from the rhyme." Liam states.
"He died in a loosely disguised brothel, so I'd say Lust was probably the Sin he was meant to represent." Giles supplies after a moment.
"And our seventh and last victim so far is Councilman Donald Grant." Wil pokes his picture with no little disgust at what their investigation has uncovered about the man's unsavoury lifestyle.
"He must represent the Rich Man." Liam says with another disdainful sniff.
"I think he must have represented the Sin of Gluttony for our killer given as he was to so much excess in his life." Lorne says with a grimace.
"So what do we do with what we know?" Lindsey asks confused about where any of this has gotten them as far as identifying the murderer.
"There are two omissions left from the pattern. The Soldier and the Sin of Pride haven't been used yet." Giles replies to Lindsey, talking slowly like one would to a child. "That narrows our list of possible victims and it's narrowed still further by the fact that all these men were gay. That may be why we haven't gotten a victim as yet. It may be he's finding it difficult to find someone to fit all the criteria."
"So he needs a soldier, a gay soldier, who he can make fit his idea of what the Sin of Pride is?" Lorne asks and Giles nods.
"Is there any significance to the fact he left these for last?" Liam wonders out loud.
"Excellent question Liam." Giles says approvingly. "There could be a reason he left them for last, or it could be that it was simple necessity. This last victim could be the hardest to find so he went for the easier ones first." Giles says as Anya and Winifred walk in chatting animatedly with Charles following in behind them, carrying a stack of files.
Wil quickly fills them in on what they've been able to piece together and Anya has her own bit of exciting news.
"While we were going through records trying to compile dossiers on our victims, we came across a link they all have in common." She says proudly but the look in her eyes is a troubled one. "We found that each of them has at some time within the last ten years been involved in s domestic dispute. There are police reports from each and in each case the dispute was between our victims and a male companion. No charges were ever filed, so the connection didn't come up on a standard record search."
They all fall silent and glance at each other; this isn't welcome news by any means. "So we could be looking at an Officer being our suspect?" Charles asks reluctant to voice the possibility they're all thinking of.
"Well not necessarily, it's not unknown for people to hack the police mainframe." Winifred suggests. "Anya and I cross-referenced the reports and no one officer was sited as a case officer in common for any of the reports. We can't overlook the fact that police records may have helped our murderer to locate likely victims but it doesn't necessarily mean that there was any actual officer involvement in supplying those records. Charles said that there was no proof that we're looking at more than one assailant so I'd guess that we're dealing with a killer that may be a hacker as well."
"Anya..." Lindsey quickly corrects himself as Giles shoots him a hard glance. "Dr. Jensen said that religion seemed to be a factor; where does that fit into this scenario?"
"I've seen some indications that the killer has some knowledge of religion and religious practices. Liam and I discussed some of the quotes, terminology, and other factors in the notes and we're pretty sure that it indicates more than a passing knowledge of Roman Catholicism." Anya explains to Lindsey. "This may or may not mean that the religious angle is a motivating factor, it may just mean that our killer is to some extent religious."
"If he's religious would canvassing the churches gain us anything?" Lorne asks.
"That would be rather unlikely. The Roman Catholic Church is a fairly closed circle community with very strict rules that govern it. If for instance our Killer were to confess anything, I don't think there would be any way to compel them to disclose that." Liam says uncertainly. While he was raised in the faith, his Mother's dismissal of every tenet left him with little truth to cling to and his eventual realisation of his sexuality completed his own personal journey of religious discovery. The 'Church' in his eyes has always been something larger than life that he has never fully been a part of, he wouldn't trade his love for Wil for all of the acceptance in the world. Wil has taught him that faith has many guises and not all of them can be found inside the walls of a church or between the pages of a book written long ago. Sometimes a man has to follow his own star.
Wil stiffens and his eyes sharpen and ignite and Liam turns to look at him in alarm as the tension in him is telegraphed across their joined hands. Within seconds the others notice the pair's distraction and slowly all eyes turn to them.
"We've been blind fools." Wil growls vehemently. "We've completely overlooked a possibility. We've got a series of murders, with crime scenes based on the Biblical Seven Sins, and we suspect homosexuality and Roman Catholicism are connected in some way either to our killer personally or to his motivations for why he's committing the murders." Everyone slowly nods but they still look confused by where Wil's thought process is going. "Why aren't we considering that maybe the killer we're looking for is a priest?" He asks quietly. "Or was one at some point."
"Fuck!" Liam swears violently. "He's right, how many times have we read stories about Catholic priests being defrocked for various crimes against the faith or scandals that the church is all too quick to cover up?" He swears again as something else occurs to him. "Remember that homeless man we talked to at the shelter Wil? He mentioned something about a 'messenger' sent to show Parks the error of his ways or something didn't he?" Wil looks disgusted that he failed to put that piece together with his theory and nods. "We just assumed that he was crazy or misinterpreted something he'd genuinely seen...what if he was talking literally? I think he witnessed if not the murder itself than at least the 'messenger' that committed it. We've got to turn that bulletin into an arrest on suspicion order right away."
"I'm afraid that won't do much good." Charles says quietly as he holds up a sheet of paper. "I picked this up from the desk sergeant on my way up, it's a report of a John Doe found floating in the harbour off the docks. From the description I'd say that it's your witness."
Liam swears and snatches the sheet and reads it over and swears again. "It sure sounds like him."
Winifred takes the sheet from Liam and grabs her cell phone and calls her office and reads her assistant the identification number on the report and goes silent for several minutes after which she hangs up her phone. "The autopsy of the body shows no defensive wounds or signs of violence. His blood screen came back negative for illegal drugs but his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. The general consensus is that he was blind drunk and somehow ended up in the harbour. The official cause of death has been cited as accidental drowning. From the condition of his liver, he was a habitual heavy drinker so there is nothing to indicate that foul play was involved." Winifred says.
"So how do we proceed?" Lindsey asks frustrated. "The Church is reluctant to expose its scandals and actively covers them up when one does go public, how do we find out if we're dealing with a sexual predator or some ex-priest gone wacko? It's not like they're going to want to admit it!"
"We cross-reference any names off your INS database search with newspaper archives and see if we can get any red flags off of that. Even if the killer is or was a priest and his crimes were covered up, there's always the chance that the story was picked up but a paper. Meanwhile I'll call some friends and get them started on a cross-reference search of the INS database and have them search through channels to see if we can find if any of the names on your list match any names in the church database. Perhaps one of them will give us at least a suspect to proceed with and then we'll see where we are." Wil supplies quietly. "The Church is always difficult to deal with in cases of scandals but I think they may cooperate in order to save lives regardless. It's what we've got to work with right now; we've got to make it work before he finds someone to fill that last slot in the pattern."
"I should go visit Bishop Bianchi, I met him on that case last year remember? He may help." Lindsey offers helpfully.
"I can head over to the LA Times office and see if I can get their cooperation in searching their databases." Charles says, looking rather excitable and eager to get going.
"No, I think Liam and Wil should hit the Times office." Lorne says with a grin as Liam groans and covers his eyes with his free hand. "Those reporters that cover their crime beat have a soft spot for him." Lorne says with a grin as Wil's brow rises questioningly. "Charles, Lindsey you two get started on the databases." Lorne decides finally.
"Anya and I can give you a hand." Winifred says with a shy smile at Charles who doesn't seem to notice.
"I'll get in touch with Wil's contacts and get them started on a search on their end." Giles says with a smile, looking over his shoulder at Wil; who nods with an answering smile of his own in response.
"I'll brief the Mayor and the Governor with what we have so far and
then I'll stop off and have a talk with the Bishop myself." Lorne decides.
"Let's move like we know what we're doing people!" Lorne barks good-naturedly
and everyone snaps into motion. Within a few minutes Lorne, Wil, and Liam
are on their way to their various destinations while the others hit their
computers and the phones.
Chapter Nine
Wil glances over at a nervously fidgeting Liam and hides a grin as
they rocket down the LA streets, headed for the
"So tell me about these reporters that Lorne mentioned? He made it sound like you're quite the hit with them." Wil turns his head to watch the scenery and hide his grin. He knows that Liam's never suffered reporters well and used to make every effort to avoid the spotlight.
Liam groans and looks like he wants to wince. "The newspaper community
calls them the Wonder Twins. They hit the scene about six years back, working
the crime beat for a small local newspaper up in the valley. They managed
to get the inside track on a couple of big name cases before the big league
reporters even knew there was a story to be had. You remember that rash
of baby kidnappings a few years back? They managed to crack that case wide
open and the police were able to arrest the ring leaders of the operation
solely based on their testimony and the evidence they managed to cobble
together in the course of researching the story. You may have heard of
them, Kerri Saldano and
Wil chuckles at the uncomfortable look on Liam's face. "I've heard of 'em Love. Saldano & Foxx are the golden girls of the newspaper crime beat and you managed to get in good with them huh?"
Liam glances over at Wil nervously. "Well I kind of helped them a bit by giving them an exclusive or two that helped them get their jobs at the LA Times." Liam blushes faintly at the mention.
"They sound like a party Mate. I can't wait to meet them." Wil says looking over at his lover with a saucy wink that has Liam muttering. "What was that my Angel...I missed that?" Wil asks with a grin.
"I said they're going to eat you alive!" Liam almost shouts before looking nervous and embarrassed again.
"Well they can't do that, that's your job." Wil replies with a smirk and Liam reluctantly starts to chuckle and relaxes somewhat as they pull into a parking garage by the Times office and park the car.
Liam hops out of the car and walks around to the passenger side of the car and wraps his arm around Wil's shoulders and pulls him tightly to his side. "This doesn't look very professional you know." Wil's grin shouts that he could care less how it looks.
"Maybe not, but it's where you belong." Liam says with a grin as he steers them inside, smiling as Wil slides his arm around his waist and throws his head back proudly; looking as proud as a King with the world at his feet to have Liam at his side.
Liam keeps Wil locked to his side, not letting him get more than an inch away on the elevator ride up to the reporter floor of the Times building. The longer that Wil is with him, the greater the need he feels to reach out and touch him, assuring himself that he's real and that they're back together as they were meant to be. They ignore the rude stares of the people sharing the elevator with them, as they step out onto the frantically paced world of a major newspaper's reporting floor.
Wil and Liam both see the two women right away. They are striking-looking, both in their individual ways. The taller of the two is dark-haired and dark-eyes, with long brown hair down to her hips and slightly olive skin. She is dressed in a brightly-coloured skirt and a white linen peasant-style blouse and bold jewellery. The slightly shorter of the two has strawberry blonde hair to mid-back and hazel eyes that flash fire and is dressed in a lacy tank top and a pair of jeans.
The dark-haired woman is speaking to the other woman in a rich, honeyed
voice, ever so slightly accented. "
Kerri turns to look and her breath does indeed catch. She smiles brilliantly. "Well, hell-looo, Liam. Who is your beautiful and no doubt charming companion?"
Liam's steps falter and he makes a small squeaking noise as his mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. Wil chuckles and shakes his head at his antics and steps away from him to stalk forward to take the hand of the ladies.
He presses a gentle kiss to the backs of their hands. "The name's Wil, Wil Falkner and I've been waiting for YEARS to see someone do that to him." Wil steps back with a chuckle, returning to Liam's side.
Liam drops a heavy arm across his shoulders and hauls him closer, holding on so tightly that he's almost lifting Wil off his feet, not that the slender blond seems to mind much. "This is my partner, Wil Falkner." Liam finally chokes out after he regains his voice.
Wil chuckles and winks at the ladies. "Yes love, we kind of covered that already."
Kerri smiles and chuckles. "I'm Kerri Saldano and
this is my partner-in-crime Wil smiles, charmed by the vivacious pair. "It's a definite pleasure
to meet you too kittens. Please excuse Liam, he's still getting used to
having me back in his life, how he got along without me to talk for him
I'll never know." Wil winks and hugs Liam as the big man grimaces.
Liam's eyes narrow at the innocent touch, but his voice is pleasant
and affectionate with just a hint of insecurity. "I can be charming, he's
just always been better at it."
Wil turns slightly to the side so that he can hug Liam and smiles
as Liam pulls him around so that he's cradled against his chest, just as
he knew that he would. "You have lots of other talents to be proud of,
Love."
Kerri raises an eyebrow. "I can just *imagine*." She lets out an
evil chuckle. "So how can we help? Or was this just a social visit to introduce
us to Wil?"
Liam growls. "If it had been a social call I'd have brought a whip
and a chair."
Wil laughs huskily. "Time for fun and games later Lover, we're here
for a reason; remember?" Wil says chiding his lover playfully.
"We need a favour. We're working on a case and we think that you
may have some information that could be useful in your database." Liam
says with a charming smile.
"We wanted to ask if we could borrow a desk and do some searching
through your back issues." Wil says quietly, his manner shifting to be
all professional and focused.
Petra chuckles and pulls Kerri back into her chest, now whispering
in her ear, "Meow...I touched Liam's toy and made him mad." Then she straightens
intent on making it right. "Of course you can handsome, always, anything
for our pretty Liam, he knows that."
Liam blushes faintly as Wil leans back to look up at him and his
pierced brow quirks up. "Did you leave a little something out of your informative
speech in the car, Peaches?"
Kerri chuckles again. "Probably not. He just
flirts outrageously with us both. Flirting is such a lost art these days
and he does it sooo well."
"Yeah, he's such a slut." Wil says with a husky chuckle, lifting
up to press a gentle kiss to Liam's blushing cheek, softening the blow
of the harsh words.
Liam lifts Wil off his feet and buries his face against his neck.
"I am not a slut; well okay I am, but just for you. How can I do anything
but flirt with anyone but you?" Liam mutters, as his lips press into Wil's
skin.
Wil is shocked, but touched. "You mean that
you haven't...not anyone?" He whispers, choked with emotion as he winds
his arms around Liam's neck and clings tightly as Liam shakes his head.
Wil croons softly and peppers gentle kisses over Liam's hair and his grin
could light the room as they snuggle together lost in the middle of the
frantically paced newsroom.
Kerri sighs and rubs her cheek against "You're telling me." Wil lifts his head and looks over his shoulder and winks at Kerri.
"He kisses like an Angel, no joke. I'd give my soul away in a second for
one of his special kisses." Wil sighs wistfully as he smiles at Liam makes a growling sound and rears back and seals his mouth to
Wil's as the blond melts against him with a happy wiggle.
After several minutes of slow, drugging kisses, Wil reluctantly pulls
back and drops his forehead to rest against Liam's brow. "Do I still have
knees? I have no knees..." Wil asks and Liam replies with a husky chuckle.
Petra taps Kerri's hips and she moves out of the way as Petra hops
off the desk and walks up to the two handsome men, to scoot them towards
the elevator, "Go on you two anymore of this and I'll have to keep you."
"You don't want to keep Wil, trust me!" Liam barks with laughter.
"You should see how much it costs to keep him in the style to which I want
him to be accustomed!"
Wil leans back and smacks the back of Liam's head lightly and pushes
off his shoulders, dropping lightly to his feet and curving his hand around
his. "Let's go tilt at windmills Don Quixote."
Wil turns to the ladies and smiles brilliantly, his cerulean blue
eyes glowing. "It has been an honour and a pleasure meeting you ladies.
We'll have to have dinner soon."
Kerri smiles back. "Oh, definitely.A
double date. We can drive them crazy trying to figure out who is with whom."
Wil chuckles and slides his hand over Liam's perfectly curved rear
and squeezes, chuckling as Liam looks startled for a millisecond, then
growls and jerks him closer to lock him against his side with a possessive
growl.
"I don't know *how* they'll every figure that out." Wil says with
a grin as Liam spins them around and almost carries him to the elevator.
Wil laughs and turns his head to look over his shoulder and waves
goodbye to the ladies as Liam pulls him into the elevator after him. It's
the last thing he sees as Liam picks him up and presses him between his
body and the wall of the elevator and his mouth dives into his. Fortunately
the elevator is empty for this trip, but they wouldn't have cared if it
was full as they get lost in their own world of emotion and sensation once
more as the doors slowly close.
Chapter Ten
The slightly dishevelled pair tumbles out of the elevator with a
laugh, straightening their shirts as they step up to the archivist's desk.
Liam flashes his badge. "Detectives Falkner and O'Shae, we're here
to do some research in your archives." He says with professional brusqueness.
The archivist is an older lady, mid to late sixties, but judging from her
open mouthed amazement, she's not too old to fall under the spell of two
virile and extremely attractive men. Liam clears his throat loudly and
the woman starts and hurriedly starts shuffling papers on her desk as Wil
stifles a chuckle behind his hand.
"Yes Detectives, Saldano and Foxx called to say you were on your
way down." She stammers faintly.
Wil snickers quietly. "Oh yeah we were on our way down alright."
Liam elbows him in the side and gives him a hard look and he straightens
up. "But we're here now, down." He says with a polite smile, ignoring Liam's
choking sounds as he follows the woman into the archives. "Did you swallow
wrong Liam?" He asks innocently over his shoulder with a smirk and a wink
as he shoves his hands into his jeans pockets and strolls nonchalantly
after the archivist.
Liam stifles a curse and hurries after them, catching up as the Archivist
is leaning over Wil's shoulder at a computer terminal, pointing some things
out to him. He traps the growl of irritation, but something of his manner
must have telegraphed to her and she hurriedly finishes her orientation
speech and skitters away back to her desk.
"Shame on you Liam for scaring little old ladies
just doing their job." Wil says with a snicker as his fingers fly over
the keyboard as he navigates the archival database with almost ridiculous
ease.
"Yeah well, you're not that little old lady's job, so she
can just keep her hands to herself." Liam mutters, slipping into the computer
station next to Wil and beginning his own searches and cross-references.
The next hour and a half passes quietly as the pair slip into their
old patterns of cooperative behaviour with surprisingly little effort,
the silence broken only by the occasional quiet comment between them.
"I think I may have something here Wil." Liam says quietly, his eyes
glued to the computer screen, as he reads a story more than a decade old.
Wil slides his arm around his shoulder and leans over to read it as well.
No arrests have been made regarding the allegations of statutory
rape and sexual abuse of a minor by a high ranking member of the Archbishop's
personal entourage. The Archdiocese has declined to make any comment on
the record or off regarding this matter, other than to say that they trust
God will reveal the truth of this unfortunate matter. The family has declined
to comment about the case citing their wish to protect their fifteen year
old son's privacy.
This reporter has learned from confidential sources inside the
LAPD that charges against Wesley Wyndham-Price, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus
are going to be dropped due to a lack of physical evidence and victim cooperation.
A confidential source inside the Archdiocese has revealed that the Auxiliary
Bishop has been transferred to a diocese funded counselling centre for
mentally disturbed adults; located at an undisclosed location in Northern
California. This reporter has been assured that he will no longer have
any contact with underage minors. They declined to answer any questions
about the Bishop's alleged homosexual activities with his underage parishioner
other than to reiterate the Catholic Church's views on homosexuality.
One can only hope and pray for the mental well-being of the teenager
in question as the latest line of scandals concerning abusive members of
the Church is swept out from the public eye. Outrage over the handling
of this case is sure to have far reaching ramifications here in our fair
city and abroad. "I think I remember a little about this story. It happened right
before I moved here, I think." Liam says frowning as he tries to remember.
"They never revealed the family's name or what happened after this story,
from what I remember."
Wil scowls and digs his phone out of his duster pocket and hits the
auto-dial. "Hey Anya, yeah it's Wil. Can you run a name through the database
for us and see what you get on it? Wesley Wyndham-Price. He was or maybe
still is an Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus for the "Let's see what else we can find on our Bishop friend and let's make
copies and head over to meet Lorne." Liam says gruffly, getting his own
phone out to call Lorne and tell him what they've discovered as Wil snaps
into action.
Within the hour they've printed off copies of anything they feel
may be relevant and having thanked the Archivist and calling up and thanking
the ladies for their help, they're on their way to meet up with Lorne.
Chapter Eleven
Lorne explodes through the doors and down the steps, anger radiating
from every pore with an equally furious Liam and Wil at his back. Bishop
Bianchi did indeed prove helpful, though forced to do so strictly 'off
the record' given the Church never actually admitted to any wrong doing
during the scandal. The Bishop in question had indeed been transferred
to an adult counselling facility in a small town outside of the state capitol
of "Do you think that Price killed the boy that accused him?" Lorne
asks the pair over his shoulder; disgusted and fed up with what seems to
be a never ending stream of evil in the world.
"Do you think that he didn't?" Liam sighs fatalistically. He wraps
an arm around Wil's shoulders and pulls him closer, shivering slightly
in the chill breeze that's accompanied twilight. They've all been working
double shifts so the night has barely begun yet he's exhausted and he doesn't
like the sight of the shadows under his Wil's eyes betraying his own exhaustion.
Wil grimaces and leans against Liam's side more heavily. "I don't
want to be sound cruel or heartless, but I can only hope that he did. I'd
hate to imagine what someone like that could do to a boy if he
didn't
kill him." They all look sick at the very thought of what it could mean
if Price kept the boy alive.
They've reached the car and Liam leans against the door and pulls
Wil's back against his chest, wrapping his large coat around them both,
to cut the chilly breeze out. Lorne leans against the passenger door and
wraps his trench coat tighter around himself.
"Charles didn't find any evidence that there was an accomplice so
we can only hope that the boy just ran away from the painful memories."
Lorne says finally but he's not sure that he believes it.
"Well there's no evidence he's working with Price, if indeed Price
is our man, so maybe when we catch up to him we should ask him about the
boy." Liam replies with a shrug.
"Oh I'd say Price is probably our man. Everything that Bishop Bianchi
told us about Price fits into the profile that Giles and Anya came up with.
Additionally, it ties the religious aspect of the crimes and gives us some
understanding of why he's choosing gay men specifically as his victims.
It would also explain to some extent the use of the Sins being his calling
card. I suspect that the secondary use of the nursery rhyme is merely an
affectation he's used to set himself apart from Laszlo." Wil says, shivering
slightly but it has little to do with the chilly breeze and the falling
temperature.
Wil's cell phone rings and he picks up out of his pocket to answer
it. "Falkner, it's your dime." He says feigning a chipper attitude that
he doesn't really feel. "Hi Giles, no we're still at the Archdiocese with
Lorne. You did?" He lifts the phone away from his ear and covers the mouthpiece
with his thumb. "Lindsey got a hot off of Price's name in the INS database;
it seems that he was issued his green card about fifteen years ago when
he emigrated from Lorne swears and looks heavenward. "The bastard must have hacked
the system." Lorne holds his hand out and Wil passes him his phone. "Anya
this is Lorne, could you have the computer department lock down the mainframe
please. It's a pain in the ass, but I don't want any off-site access until
the tech guys can nail shut and brick over any access holes the bastard
is using to get into the system." He growls. "Thanks Anya, have Lindsey
run a DMV search and see if he can get a last known address for Price and
send some units over there and take him into custody if he's there." Lorne
nods and shakes his head as though just realising that Anya can't see a
nod over the phone and he flushes. "No, I won't. Yes I'll tell them, bye
Anya." Lorne ducks his face shyly and hands the phone back to Wil; whom
disconnects the call and drops his cell phone back into his pocket.
"Anya suggested a dinner break over at Stony's place at eight." Lorne
says rubbing his hands together to try and warm them up. "The DMV search
shouldn't take long, if they can find an address on Price that is. Since
no one walks in this town, it's probably a safe bet that he has a car but
he must at least have an ID card."
"We can drive over and meet the units when they get us an address."
Liam answers Lorne, but his eyes are locked on Wil with a quizzical expression.
He can feel the rigidity of his muscles as he rests against him and he
knows that something is bothering him. "Wil, what's wrong?" He asks quietly,
tightening his arms reflexively as Wil's cell phone rings again.
Wil freezes for a few seconds, before slowly retrieving his phone
as Liam and Lorne find themselves holding their breath. "Falkner, it's
your dime, talk to me." He says finally bringing
the phone into place.
Liam and Lorne exchange worried looks as Wil remains still and silent
after his greeting for far too long. After about five minutes he says goodbye
and hangs up his phone, dropping it over Liam's shoulder to fall forgotten
on the car seat behind them.
"We won't have to worry about picking up Price." Wil says flatly,
his voice devoid of emotion.
"The units picked him up already?!" Lorne exclaims in surprise.
"No, a couple of Winifred's lab techs did." Wil's voice sounds shell-shocked
as Liam turns him around in his arms and strokes his hands down his back,
trying to soothe his ragged nerves. "They just got the address from the
DMV and Winifred recognised it. They picked up a suicide there about three
hours ago. He's dead."
"Are they sure it's him?" Liam asks gently.
"Winifred took fingerprints; they're waiting on the results now.
Giles is getting a pal from the bureau to put a rush on it. There was a
note apparently. It said something about only God being worthy to stand
in judgement and no man was worthy to thwart the will of God. Charles is
on his way over to the apartment where they found him now. Given the location,
he's not expecting to find much left as the local scavengers have had almost
three hours to pick it clean."
"How did he die?" Liam asks, stroking Wil's hair off his forehead
and gently rubbing his cheek with the thumb of his free hand.
"Apparently it was a drug cocktail, not unlike the one that killed
the Councilman. Apparently the landlord found him already dead on the floor
when he came to deliver an ultimatum to pay the rent or face eviction.
She's the one that called 911." Wil sighs relaxing under Liam's
knowledgeable
hands. "Winifred and Charles will meet us at the restaurant and give us
their full reports there."
"We may as well head over there, it's Wil grabs his cell phone off the driver's seat and tucks it away
as he leans over to let Lorne lift the seat forward so that he can get
into the backseat. Liam catches him with a hand behind his neck,
stops him from straightening up and leans into the car to kiss him hungrily.
The kiss is forceful and powerful, even as it is infinitely slow and tender
as Liam demands his acquiescence and Wil softens and gives himself over
to his care. Liam smiles against his lips and finally releases him as he
feels the last of the lingering tension leaving Wil's body. Wil shakes
his head in fond exasperation at the smug look on Liam's face as he straightens
up and he levers himself back over into his own seat, while Lorne looks
on with a grin.
Liam slides into driver's seat and starts the car, hitting the button
to raise the top as he does. Within moments the top is in place and the
windows are up, cutting them off from the worst of the chilly winter weather.
He turns on the heater and adjusts it carefully before lifting his arm
and holding it up in silent demand. Wil weighs the possibility of refusing
for all of two seconds before he slides over the bucket seat to sit next
Liam and he drops his arm across his shoulders. Lorne snickers and climbs
over the seat and sits next Wil since they've left plenty of room in the
front seat.
"I won't lecture you on safe driving practices since I happen to
know you were at the top of your class in combat driving." Lorne says with
a chuckle as Liam drives with only one hand on the wheel but competently
and with no less skill than if he had both hands on the wheel.
"I can do all sorts of things better than most men with one hand
tied behind my back." Liam says with utter confidence and Lorne doesn't
doubt he could for a second.
"Does this seem wrong to anyone else?" Wil asks quietly after a minute,
breaking into a comfortable silence. "This just seems all too easy and
neatly tied up doesn't it?"
"I understand what you mean." Lorne says patting Wil's shoulder in
friendly support. "The day we finally make our biggest breakthrough and
our suspect ends up dead. It does seem too easy."
"Let's make sure the bastard is really dead before we worry about
how easy it was or not." Liam sighs with fatalistic resignation; he doesn't
think it's going to be this easy any more than Wil or Lorne do.
They all go quiet and after a moment Wil leans forward and turns
on the radio and turns up the volume.
There's no back door to heaven
Now if you turn your back on the children
Wil's eyes pop open wide as Lorne starts to chuckle at the 'cheery'
song that just happens to be playing.
"Why don't I just...?" Wil leans forward and hits the auto-tuner
to find the next station with a chuckle that manages to sound rather brittle
and uneasy.
And I cry, to the alleyway
Wil hurriedly hits the search button again...again...and again, each
time managing to find a sad, dark, depressing, and in one notable case,
clearly evil song.
Morning just another day;
Oh Mandy well,
Lorne makes a horrible sound not unlike a choked off gurgling moan
as he wears a horrified expression that makes it look like he's being disembowelled
as his hands jerk up to cover his ears.
Similarly distressed, Wil makes a squeaking sound as he jerks forward
and turns off the radio with another uneasy chuckle. "So...anyone have
any plans for the Holidays?" He asks feigning a bright and happy tone as
he endeavours to fill the silence with something other than brooding. He's
grateful when Lorne jumps on the topic equally grateful for something non-gloomy
to talk about. They both ignore Liam's rather affronted expression as Wil
intercepts his attempts to turn the radio back on. Liam is the only man
under seventy that they know who willingly listens to Barry Manilow...but
they love him anyway...when he's not singing along to Barry's greatest
hits.
Chapter Twelve
They pile into the restaurant just as the sky opens up and dumps
the rain it's been threatening them with all day and the three men share
a look of relief. At least something has gone their way today. They smile
and wave at Stony doing his patented Tom Cruise in Cocktail bartender routine
behind the main bar as the jovial Englishman calls out a greeting and waves
them through to the public lounge.
The three shout their thanks and head through; pausing at the mountain
of flesh that is the bouncer guarding the door that Wil's nicknamed funnily
enough, Mouse.
"Hey Mate, how's things Mouse?" Wil says warmly.
"Pretty quiet for a Friday so far Little One." Mouse says warmly
in a very soft voice that is surprising melodic and gentle. He claps Wil's
shoulder with a gentle hand and steers him inside after lifting a key off
the peg board behind him to 'their' private room.
Liam and Lorne smile at Mouse's use of his own private nickname for
Wil, and given that it'd probably take three or four of Wil to make up
Mouse's bulk and height, it's a fitting one as well. Lorne motions for
Liam and Wil to go ahead to the room, while he diverts to the bar to order
some drinks and appetisers.
He walks back to the room with a tray of drinks and sees that Liam
and Wil have chosen to sit on the bench seating side of the table this
time and are happily snuggled up, talking quietly. Lorne sets the tray
down and strips off his coat hanging it up with a happy sigh, noticing
that Giles, Anya, Winifred, and Lindsey are coming in. He hurries around
the table and slips onto the padded bench on the other side of Wil just
as they come through the doorway. Lorne catches the quiet smile that Wil
throws him as he realises that Lorne must have hurried so that Lindsey
wouldn't have a chance to take the seat next to him and he smiles back,
silently accepting Wil's thank you.
Lindsey scowls as he notices that all the seats by Wil are taken.
He reluctantly plays the gentleman and helps the ladies and Giles off with
their coats, hanging them neatly on the pegs beside the door before doing
his own and taking a seat next to Giles wheelchair; as Winifred takes the
last seat on the bench side of the table next to Lorne.
Anya turns her chair and catches Eve's attention and the petite waitress
smiles and nods, motioning with her tray as she walks in and starts setting
down some platters of appetisers and some plates and flatware. Stony's
place does such a high volume of business that there are always
appetisers a plenty, ready to be plated in a special auxiliary kitchen
set aside just for that.
"What can I get you to drink and will you be having dinner tonight?
I can bring back some menus if you'd like to have a peek before you order.
Stony's got some slow roasted Angus prime rib on special in the kitchen.
He's serving it with your choice of cream of asparagus or vegetable beef
soup or a garden salad, garlic roasted red potatoes or rice pilaf and the
vegetable of the day is a fresh winter squash medley. Of course the fresh
bread is all you-can-eat. We've got some terrific stone-ground wheat or
a honey baked white breads this evening." Eve says with a smile and she
unsurprised when everyone unanimously elects to order the special plus
an extra order for Charles.
Eve glances at Lindsey and smiles boldly. "I'll be sure that they
make the cuts extra thick. I know how you growing boys eat." Lindsey looks
at everything and everyone besides Eve, but she doesn't look offended,
as her smile only gets wider. "What about drinks?"
Liam gestures to the bottle of excellent Whiskey that Lorne's already
brought for them and himself. "I think I'd like some nice, dark ale with
my prime rib though." Liam decides.
"I'd kill for a hot cocoa honestly." Wil admits with a shy shrug,
but smiles as Winifred and Anya quickly agree with the suggestion and even
Lorne orders one.
"I'll even toss in some of those little marshmallows." Eve says with
a grin as she takes down the rest of their orders. She's headed out as
Charles is headed in so she pauses and gets his order and makes sure that
the prime rib special is okay with him, which it is and she continues on
her way as he stomps over to a chair and falls into it.
After a few minutes of quiet as everyone snacks on the appetisers
and sips their drinks and unwinds a bit, Liam asks them what they've found
out.
"The prints came back as a positive match for Wesley Wyndham-Price."
Giles states, sounding just a little sceptical. "Frankly I'm rather surprised
that he chose to kill himself, it's rather against what his psyche profile
would have suggested." He admits to them.
"I pushed the autopsy through on a rush. The cause of death was a
systemic shock induced massive coronary, brought on by the illegal drugs
he'd injected. The blood work came back as an almost exact match for the
overdose that killed the Councilman. I had them run some additional tests
and while the DNA testing will take a few more days, the serum typing isn't
ruling him out as being the depositor of the sperm samples we've collected.
The blood profile is fairly rare as Price is a type AB Negative and that
occurs in roughly only one percent of the population, I'm fairly confident
that we've it will come back as a match. The body had no defensive wounds,
in fact no wounds of any kind were found and that leads me to suspect that
we are actually looking at a suicide situation." Winifred reports. "There
was something fairly unusual however. He'd eaten only a short time before
his death and rather sizeable meal at that. It's rather unusual for someone
planning to commit suicide to stop and bother to eat a meal right before
hand. Anya and I discussed it and it's possible that he could have been
enacting some private ritual."
"Maybe patterned after the last supper or similar mind set." Anya
offers.
"Charles, what did you find when you checked his apartment?" Lorne
asks.
"Bare walls." Charles says disgusted. "The place
was picked so clean they even stole the mattress off the bed." He looks
furious and more than a little upset. "The landlord didn't bother to lock
the door after the body had been taken away, though she had been requested
to do so by the officers that arrived with the coroner. I figure by the
time they were a block away that apartment was already being picked clean.
Naturally none of the neighbours claim to have seen or heard anything amiss.
It looked like a routine bag and tag job so the unit didn't take any special
precautions other than to request that the scene be kept secure for seventy-two
hours as part of our standard procedure in suicide fatalities."
"That's not unusual for that part of town." Winifred points out.
"They'll steal the fillings out your teeth down there if they could figure
out how to."
"Well it looks like we've found our killer." Lorne says finally.
"Has it?" Wil says quietly, speaking up for the first time as he
exchanges looks with Liam and Giles. His quiet words however have everyone
sitting up and taking notice.
"If Price was our killer, how did he know that we were closing in
on him?" Liam asks, pointing out the flaw in their logic.
"Someone or something must have tipped him off or he'd have no way
of knowing that we'd managed to get his name added to our suspect list.
We only found out ourselves not even five hours ago and most of the department
isn't even aware of what we've found out yet." Giles agrees.
"Couldn't he have hacked into the police mainframe again?" Lindsey
asks. "He did it before to erase the record of the allegations made against
him when he was a Bishop."
"Unless he's been monitoring our system constantly, and our security
measures would probably have detected him if he had, how would he have
known to pick today of all days to check on our progress?" Lorne points
out.
"Perhaps there's some kind of a data shunt secreted in the system?"
Charles suggests. "It would automatically transfer relevant data within
its flagging perimeters. We may have alerted him by searching for the very
files he deleted."
"Wow there Charley, you sound like an expert." Lindsey says managing
to sound both unimpressed and slightly mocking.
"I have several degrees in computer science Linds." Charles doesn't
bother to hide his disgust for Lindsey at that moment. Lindsey throws his
hands up in supplication and reaches out intending to pat Charles on the
back, but he's surprised as Charles quickly moves out of range with a slightly
panicked look on his face. Assuming he's just one of those non-tactile
types, he just shrugs and goes back to finding the bottom of his beer mug.
Lorne sees the gathering storm clouds betraying the rising tension
in the room and he would really rather avoid any possible storms inside
for the time being, so he hurriedly changes the subject.
"Well it seems that we have our killer and he's neatly handed himself
to us without the messy entanglement of a trial right?" Lorne sounds more
like he's trying to convince himself than anyone else.
"There are still some inconsistencies that need to be addressed."
Giles points out. "Something just doesn't add up in all of this. We're
missing something, I just know it."
Liam's pulls Wil against his side and the blond's head is resting
comfortably on his shoulder as they nod in unison. The ladies sigh at the
sight and Giles is quick to reassure Anya by linking their hands as they
rest on the table. Lorne smiles paternally at Winifred and wraps an arm
around her shoulder companionably as the young woman smiles happily at
being noticed.
"Why don't we all just relax for one night? Price isn't going to
be hurting anyone else and I think we've earned a couple of hours respite
don't you?" Lorne suggests glancing around at his friends,
not surprised to see everyone agreeing with his sentiments. He lifts his
glass and smiles as everyone raises their own. "To the best damn group
of people it's ever been my honour to work with."
Their glasses clinking together make a sound almost like laughter.
"I've got a bit of good news that I've been saving for the right occasion...which
was going to be after we solved this case, but I think we can all use some
good news right now." Everyone looks at Lorne expectantly and Wil ducks
his head and presses his face against Liam's neck as Anya and Giles share
a glance and a quick kiss. "I've discussed this with our newest associates
and the Governor and the Mayor and I am proud to announce that our new
friends will be staying on permanently beginning next month." Lorne says
with a huge smile.
Liam gasps and Wil finds himself hauled across his lap for a kissing
session that has everyone at the table reaching for their water glasses
to cool off. Lorne finally grabs Wil and pulls him away from Liam and back
into his own seat, purely out of fear of possible self-immolation if they
got any hotter.
"Be kind to those of us here without their wife would you?" Lorne
teases.
"Wil, why didn't you tell me?" Liam asks stroking his cheek gently.
"When Lorne talked to us about it, it wasn't a sure thing yet. I
knew I was planning to stay if you wanted me to and Anya and Giles told
me that they were happiest here with us and that they would stay too if
it was an option. Once Lorne made good his job offer, it was pretty simple
for the Bureau to just attach their service to the local branch office
here in town and they'll be working for both Lorne's new project and for
the Bureau. It gave me the idea to suggest something similar to Interpol.
I've been officially attached to the Interpol Liaison office division of
the California Department of Justice up in Sacramento, but I'll be based
here as the Interpol representative to Lorne's pet project. Lorne's managed
to through together a pretty sweet deal for all of us." Wil explains as
he nuzzles Liam's cheek happily.
"That's the second time you've mentioned a project...what project
Lorne?" Liam asks looking over at Lorne, a little surprised to see that
he's blushing.
"Well when I saw how well we were all working together and able to
use our various contacts to maximise our efforts here, I had a little idea.
Wil's overseas contacts have proved invaluable, as have Giles and Anya's
connections in the FBI and it seems that we've all brought a unique perspective
and set of skills to the group that compliment and enhance each other.
I suggested to the Governor and the Mayor that as "It's a really brilliant idea and I bet other metropolitan cities
will follow the example." Anya praises.
Lorne flushes brighter and continues. "I received the authorisation
to go ahead with my project idea. I've been calling it the SCU, the Special
Crimes Unit, we'll be officially attached to the LAPD investigative division
but we won't be handling typical cases. We'll be handling cases that ordinary
channels can't solve or ones that have the potential for extending beyond
what would be our traditional jurisdiction. Due to our arrangements through
Interpol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and their official liaisons
in the form of Wil, Giles, and Anya, our police powers have been extended
as have our resources. Each of us will need to qualify for the FBI and
Interpol active rosters to be 'deputised' as it were but I'm told that
we'll do that easily by virtue of our careers on record." Lorne reveals.
Winifred smiles a little shyly. "I've been asked to head up a new
forensics lab that will be affiliated with the SCU as my degrees and doctorates
qualify me to be much more than just a coroner. My assistant
Xander Harris
will be assuming my position as the head coroner of "I guess you'll need to start looking for an apartment Wil. I happen
to know that one of the condos in my building is coming on the market."
Lindsey says with a sly glance at Wil.
"That's nice of you to offer Lindsey, but Wil knows that my home
is his home too and that I want him to live with me. IF however
he should choose to find a place of his own, I'm sure that I can help him
find somewhere." Liam growls, not liking the way that Lindsey is continually
trying to get Wil's attention.
"I'll be living with Liam, but thank you anyway Lindsey." Wil says
politely. "I saw a for sale sign on the house behind ours..." Wil
says smiling as Liam grins at his possessive use of the word 'our'. "...Liam,
I was thinking that if I bought that one..." Wil leans closer and drops
his voice so that he can't be overheard. Whatever he's said when he pulls
back they're both sporting secretive grins that have everyone dying of
curiosity.
"Anya, Giles, I know that you'll probably want to find a place of
your own like most soon to be newlyweds, but we'd love it if you stayed
with us until you find the perfect place." Liam offers and the beaming
couple nods happily and congratulations are flying all around the table
as Eve, Stony, and several waiters enter carrying what seems to be an innumerable
amount of trays.
They ohhh and ahhhh over the delicious looking plates, platters,
bowls, and assorted accoutrements of their eagerly awaited meals. Hearing
the congratulations for the happy couples and Lorne's new project, Stony
announces that dessert will be on the house and leaves blushing amid a
rousing cheer in his favour.
The next two hours pass in a happy blur of friends and family as
new ties are strengthened and old ones deepened and diversified. At one
point Wil gets up to accept a challenge from Stony to defend his honour
as the reigning Stonehenge Bar & Grill Dart Champion. With his friends
cheering for him from the crowd, Wil retains his crown and Stony consoles
the unfortunate but good-willed challenger with a free drink and a pat
on the back for a well played game.
"It's not your fault Mate, me boy Wil there's laid out many a man
and plays the Devil's own game of darts I'd wager." Stony says with a grin.
"Of course I'd have expected nothing less from an Englishman!" The crowd
roars its approval and drinks are raised in salute as someone starts a
rousing rendition of God Save The Queen that quickly
spreads to the whole place, much to Stony's delight.
Wil returns to Liam's side, walking into his arms for a hug, but
the dark glance he shoots at an innocently grinning Lindsey doesn't escape
his attention.
"Are you alright Wil?" He asks, noting the tension in the blond's
body and the twitching muscle in his jaw and he knows that something has
upset him.
"Lindsey's just being a pain. He keeps pestering me with questions
about my time in the military and making wisecracks about liking a man
in uniform. He's more tenacious than jock itch." Wil growls exasperatedly.
"Lindsey's a jackass to everyone Wil, he'll calm down when he realises
he doesn't have a ghost of a chance with you. If he doesn't, well we kill
him; it seems a win-win situation." Liam says with a joking expression
and Wil chuckles and relaxes in his embrace. "Lorne wants to stop by the
office and finish the paperwork for the case tonight before we head home,
is that alright?"
"Sure Liam, I only had the one glass of Whiskey so I'm good for the
driving." Wil says leaning forward and kissing Liam's nose, causing him
to get a case of the giggles for a second. "Charles also asked if we could
drop him off, apparently he caught a ride over with someone earlier." Wil
grimaces and looks at the more than slightly tipsy Lindsey. "Looks like
Lindsey will need a ride too."
Liam glances over at Lindsey, who's knocking back what must be his
twelfth beer of the evening and winces in sympathy for what his morning
is going to be like. "I'd say that's a safe bet."
"Why don't we all go back to the station and I can take Mr. Never-Saw-A-Beer-He-Didn't-Like
and Charles home, then come back and pick up you, Lorne, Anya and Giles?
We can drop Lorne off at his car on the way home like we planned to." Wil
suggests and Liam smiles and nods, pulling him closer and resting his head
on his chest and sighing at the sound of his heartbeat. Feeling the strain
in his lover's body, Wil steps back and starts to round everyone up and
herds them out to the cars. Fortunately the rain has let up and the moon's
peeking through the clouds like a shy child playing hide and seek.
Wil quickly has the group split into the two cars with Winifred's
help and back at the station within half an hour. Wil stops and drops Lorne
and Liam off before continuing on to drop off Charles and Lindsey while
the others all head into the station.
Chapter Thirteen
Liam yawns as he signs off on the last line of the report and wearily
gathers his papers and arranges them neatly into the file before trudging
to the Xerox machine and making three copies of everything. He neatly stakes
them together, making a folder for each and tucking the paperwork neatly
inside. He drops one into the inbox on Lorne's desk much to his Captain's
disgust as it joins the veritable mountain of paperwork already there.
"Gee thanks Liam." He says drolly.
"When you care enough to send the very best." Liam
snickers as he quotes the greeting card commercial and returns to sweep
up another of the duplicate reports and crosses to his file cabinet and
files it away. He learned a long time ago to keep a copy of all his reports
on hand and it's saved him a lot of trouble in the past. His brow furrows
as he recalls that it was in fact standard procedure to back up all their
computer files with paper hard copies when he first started with the department.
He wonders if those old files could still be around somewhere and if Price's
case file is among them. He walks over and sweeps up the last report and
heads downstairs to the records office.
He smiles at the bubbly young Sergeant on duty as she looks up with
a beaming smile as he steps up to the window and takes the file from his
hand and adds it to a veritable mountain of similar folders.
"Good evening, Detective O'Shae, are you having another late night?"
She says warmly.
"Hi there Sergeant..." Liam glances at her name badge. "... "Why don't you try asking your question and we'll take it from there?"
She suggests with a smile.
"Well I know before we got the new computer filing archive set up
that we used to keep hard copies of the case files. I was trying to find
an old case file from about ten years ago that seems to have disappeared
from the system and I was wondering..."
"If we still keep any of those hard copies here, yes we do?" She
completes his sentence for him. "There are rows and rows of old file cabinets
down in the basement still or so my Supervisor was telling me." The Sergeant
looks over her shoulder and motions to an attractive older woman. "Lieutenant
Calendar, could we speak to you for a moment?" She requests. "We need a
bit of help."
She comes right over after shooting a frustrated glare at the computer
she was working on. "What can we do for you Detective?" She asks. "If it's
about a case retrieval I'm afraid that we won't be able to get to that
tonight until after this diagnostic is complete." Her voice is harried
and just a touch frantic. "It's going to take us a week to get this mess
straightened out, even with Charles' help this is just a mess, the whole
afternoon was a bust! I'm sorry Detective, I didn't mean to rant at you,
and it is just that this lockdown of the system has everyone up in arms.
We've got report requests backing up and more still that we can't enter...this
has been a lousy week!"
"It's alright, I understand. I can only imagine how much paperwork
must come through here every day. I actually had a question about an old
case, twelve or so years back is when it initially happened, but I believe
that the case was closed closer to ten years ago. Apparently a records
search came up missing, but as I recall back then there were hard copy
backups made and stored on the premise?" Liam says with a charming smile
that has both of the records officers sighing.
"Yes, we still have quite a few file cabinets down in the basement
storage area." The Lieutenant agrees, opening a drawer and pulling out
a large ring of keys. "I've been down there since the move, why don't I
give you a hand looking for what you need? I'm familiar with the filing
codes they used back then, I'm sure that I can help you find what you want
more quickly."
Liam smiles his thanks and follows the Lieutenant down into the basement,
as she leads him to a quiet corner of the cavernous sub-floor and unlocks
a heavy wooden door and enters. Liam stumbles slightly at the sight of
row upon row of old, metal filing cabinets that probably weigh as much
as some Buicks.
The Lieutenant takes pity on him and smiles. "Why don't you tell
me what we're looking for?" Liam briefly runs down the details of the case
and she smiles. "Well we're in luck, if it was a defunct case than they
were filed in either the defunct or cold case files." She directs Liam
to one of the filing cabinets and quickly explains how to read the coding
symbols used back then, before heading over a few feet to another filing
cabinet.
"AHA!" Liam jumps at the Lieutenant's exclamation of success and
spins around looking startled and looks on as the woman waves a file triumphantly.
"Here you go Detective." She says with a smile, holding out the file and
laughing as he pounces on it muttering thank you several times.
Liam wraps his arms around the file and clings to it, sneezing as
the dust from it tickles his nose. "Thank you very much Lieutenant." He
says with a small boy smile as he surreptiously wipes his nose.
"You're welcome Lieutenant. I just wish the rest of my job as the
senior Records Officer was this easy? Could I trouble you to let us borrow
Detective Gunn again soon?" She asks with a faintly desperate smile.
Liam looks up from his perusal of the file and blinks confused by
her request. "Borrow Charles?" He asks as he steps
out of the records room, lost in his reading again.
"Sure, like this afternoon. He was so great to spend all day helping
us try to secure the system." She says with a smile as she heads out of
the records room and locks the door once more before heading for the stairs.
"He started out in the Records Department you know, I was sorry to see
him go when he passed his Detective's exam." The Lieutenant says mournfully.
"I know that a lot of people were worried about a former hacker working
around a classified computer system, but really who better to stop a hacker
than someone that knows their tricks I always say. It's why I was glad
that we lucked out when Sergeant Rosenberg transferred in."
Liam's head flies up as he reads something that has him slamming
the file shut and grabbing the woman's arm and turning her to face him.
"What did you say?!" He demands and his heart freezes over as the
woman repeats herself only to find herself standing there alone as Liam
explodes past her and up the stairs with a cry. "Oh
my God!Wil!"
Chapter Fourteen
Liam explodes into the room, startling Anya, Giles, Lorne, and Winifred
and scattering them around the room as they try to see what's got him so
frantic.
"Oh god, it was Charles! He's the boy, the one Price molested, he's
with Wil!" Liam says panicked, diving for the phone and his desk and stabbing
the number of Wil's cell phone in frantically.
"Calm down Liam, what the hell is going on?!" Lorne demands. He takes
the file that Liam practically throws at him and opens it paling as he
reads its contents. He shoves it off on Anya and dives for another phone
to put out an APB right away.
Anya opens the folder and reads, swaying as the contents swim before
her eyes and Giles pulls her securely onto his lap. "Wesley Wyndham-Price
was accused by the parents of one fourteen year old Marcus Charles Gunn,
of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and a suspected case of Statutory
rape." She reads disbelievingly. "He...he was helping him all along?"
Liam slams down the phone with a virulent round of cursing as Wil
doesn't answer. He thinks for a moment then dives for the phone again and
hurriedly calls Lindsey, silently praying that he's still with Wil and
the possibly insane and dangerous Charles. "Oh thank God, Lindsey! Please
tell me that you're still with Wil and Charles!?
FUCK!" Liam slams
down the phone again, hanging up on Lindsey's frantic cries demanding to
know what's going on. He ignores the phone as it starts to ring again,
knowing it must be Lindsey. "He said Wil dropped him off over an hour ago
then left to drop Charles off." He says weakly.
Lorne hangs up the phone and dives for the one on Liam's desk tersely
telling Lindsey what's going on before he hangs up on him too. "I put out
an APB on Charles and on your car Liam."
"He must have taken Wil; he should have been back by now. He should
have been back by now and I didn't notice. He always has his phone
on him, always answers it if he can." Liam cries, pain driving him to his
knees and sending Anya hurtling off of Giles lap to curl her arms around
him. "Why would he take my Wil?" Liam asks a tear wrenching its way from
the corner of his eye. "My Wil, Anya, he took my boy."
Anya rocks him gently, tears falling from her own eyes as the pain
radiates off the tortured man and driving Winifred to join them in their
huddle of comfort. The two women do their best to soothe their tortured
friend and in within a few moments Liam's regained his composure and thanks
them both huskily for their help.
"Giles, why would he take Wil?" Liam asks worriedly. "What possible
reason could there be?"
Giles looks back from where he's been studying the crime boards and
the look in his eyes chills them all to the bone. "I think we were wrong."
He whispers brokenly. "I think we've been looking at this from the wrong
angle. I don't think Price was our murderer." Giles chokes out. "I think
he was the weapon."
"Oh god!" Liam cries. "Where would he have taken
him?"
"Liam you have one of those anti-theft devices on your car don't
you?" Winifred says in a small voice and everyone freezes for a millisecond.
Liam is on his feet and diving for the phone as Anya sweeps Winifred
up in a tight hug, thanking her over and over for being so clever. Everyone
waits with baited breathe as Liam reports his car as stolen to the tracking
service. He's hanging up just as Lindsey runs in panting raggedly and looking
like a he crawled the whole way back to the station, slightly unsteady
on his still sobering legs.
"My car's parked near Zimmer and Russell." Liam announces grabbing
his coat and leading the mass exodus from the squad room, catching the
keys that Winifred has tossed to him.
"That's the warehouse district; we'll have a lot of ground to cover."
Lindsey points out and Liam curses heartily as he realises that he's right.
"We'll have to do a block search, we'll find the car and Lorne, Lindsey,
Anya, and Winifred and I will each take a direction. Make sure you all
have your phones!" Liam says exploding out into the night and striding
for Winifred's fortunately very large SUV, sweeping Giles up as he goes
and gently placing him in the front seat. He looks over his shoulder, grateful
to see that Lindsey has swept up the wheelchair and is sliding it straight
into the back and slamming the doors before him and Lorne run for his Firebird.
The others all pile into the SUV and Liam is blasting down the road
before they can all even get their seat belts on. Lindsey honks as the
smaller and faster sports car rockets past them. As Liam pulls the SUV
to a stop, they can see Lorne and Lindsey standing next to Liam's empty
car. Surprisingly, given the neighbourhood, the car appears untouched.
He turns to look at Giles and Winifred in the back. "If we don't check
in every twenty minutes, get out of here and call 911." He orders, he's
pleased to see that Anya has quietly checked her weapon and has re-holstered
it with a sharp nod of readiness. She's such a delicately built woman that
it's easy to forget that she's also a trained FBI agent and more than comfortable
with the thought of carrying and using a gun. He nods to her and they get
out and meet Lorne and Lindsey, Giles immediately locking the doors after
them as Winifred climbs over the seats to take the driver's seat.
"It's been quiet since we got here." Lindsey says softly, knowing
how far voices can travel among such areas. "We haven't seen any movement,
but we have to go in suspecting that he may have heard us arrive and he'll
be expecting us."
"I've checked the doors I could see." Lorne motions to the closest
two warehouses. "There's all locked up tight. I didn't think it would be
wise to force them until we were ready."
"Unless he's knocked Wil out, I don't suspect that he could restrain
him and manage to lock the doors after him. Since Wil isn't answering his
cell phone and Charles taking it from him would surely have alerted him
to trouble, it's likely that he's still got it on him. Since he didn't
answer however, I'm going to guess that he's managed to knock Wil out or
we'd see more signs of a struggle as Wil's not one for giving in easily
to anything or anyone. That means all of these buildings could be possible,
we'll each take a direction and check every warehouse and building in a
straight line. Giles will be our contact point; I want check-ins every
twenty minutes. If you find them, don't try to take him yourself if there's
a choice. Call in the others, Charles is unstable and we don't want to
do anything that could set him off. Does everyone have their cell phones
and Giles' cell number?"
Everyone holds up their phones and Lorne and Anya nod, but Lindsey
shakes his head. Anya grabs his phone and quickly programmes the number
into the memory and points out the relevant keys for Lindsey and hands
it back.
"Lindsey, you take west. Lorne you go South, Anya you take East,
and I'll go North." Liam says tersely. "Let's find
my Wil." He growls and strides silently into the night.
Chapter Fifteen
The world is Technicolor pain as consciousness returns in pain-filled
spurts to Wil's limbs. He keeps his eyes closed and forces his muscles
to remain limp, the longer he can avoid alerting anyone to the fact that
he's regained consciousness the better. It will give him time to think
and plan a way out of his predicament. He's upright, that much he knows,
but he's also aware that he's not standing on his own as his legs are buckled
underneath him. He can feel the painful burning of his arm and shoulder
muscles and a tight pinching around his wrists and surmises that he's somehow
hanging from some sort of restraints locked around his wrists.
He tries to keep his breathing calm and steady, working his way through
the pain gently, embracing it and letting it wash over him and through
him until the pain breaks like a wave on the shore. He thinks back to the
last thing that he remembers.
He remembers stopping in front of Charles' apartment building and
watching the tall, lithe man jogging up the stairs only seconds before
a pained cry sounded out. He jumped out of the car and ran inside, but
the foyer was as black as pitch and the sudden transition from moonlight
to darkness temporarily blinded him and somewhere in those few seconds
his world went dark in more ways than one. He can feel the back of his
head throbbing and the slight rolling feeling of his stomach betrays a
possible concussion and it's easy to assume that he was knocked out by
a well placed blow to the head. That was all before he regained consciousness,
wherever he is now. He peeks through his lashes carefully, only the merest
fraction so scant that he can barely perceive the differences between light
and shadow and movement.
He can observe a dark form partially hidden by the shadows cast by
some tall boxes nearby, leaning against the wall opposite him. He resists
the urge to open his eyes more fully in order to better assess whether
he is looking at a foe or another prisoner. He remains cautious and uses
all his senses to catalogue his surroundings as best he can but even that
small bit of awareness must have been enough to alert his shadowy watcher
that he was coming around. He instantly closes his eyes and makes sure
that he stays limp until he sees what's going to happen and waits for his
best chance to escape.
He's barely able to contain the shudder of reaction as a cold metal
traces his cheekbone and he can feel the sharp point of a blade just lightly
tracing over his lips and slowly down over his jaw to his neck. He fights
the urge to tense up and betray that he's awake, but it takes everything
in him to swallow the instinctual urge to lash out and drive the deadly
weapon away from his vulnerable throat. He is comforted as the blade makes
its way down from his throat but the relief doesn't last long as he feels
a series of light tugs and hears the soft sound of something hard hitting
the floor.
As the cool night air begins to shiver across his chest, he realises
that the buttons of his shirt are being cut off one by one. The blade barely
kisses his skin as the last button is carefully sent winging its way to
the concrete floor below. The blade returns to trace his arms and within
minutes the tattered remains of his dress shirt is carefully pulled away
and discarded with as much care as his buttons, falling in tattered remnant
at his feet. He can't stop a shudder of revulsion as he feels the slick
sweep of a tongue slowly up his chest and manages to make it look like
he's only just coming around, feigning a weak moan and thrashing weakly
against his restraints, surreptiously testing their strength. He lets his
eyes slowly blink open and makes several not completely faked attempts
to regain his feet, not realising how shaky he still was. As he stands
and the pressure is taken off his arms and shoulders his cry of pain is
very real in the rush of returning circulation.
Before he can get a look at his captor, he is seized and suddenly
spun around dizzily. His arms twisted cruelly above his head, causing him
to cry out again. To his surprise, a soft whispery litany of comforting
words and gently massaging hands tries to relieve the agony. He shudders
as a lazy sweep of a tongue traces the tattoo on his shoulder amidst more
whispered comfort that only manages to make him even more upset.
"I knew that you were the one. You bear the sign." The whispery voice
says excitedly. Wil squeezes his eyes shut as his stomach rolls threatening
to disgorge the dinner he enjoyed just a few hours before. He recognises
the voice now and he realises that there are such things as Monsters in
the world, despite all his Mother's assurances that they were only imaginary.
"I can see why Liam treasures you so William, you are absolutely perfect."
Wil finds himself spun around again to meet the rapturous gaze of
Detective Charles Gunn.
"I told Father that we would find the one if only we were
patient and still, like a spider in its web." Charles breathes, bringing
up gleaming silver knife to trace the muscles of Wil's chest, oh so slowly
dipping into every valley and dip. "I knew when Liam called you a Hero,
that you would be the one, the final portrait in my masterpiece.
Father didn't believe me, no he wanted us to leave, move far, far away,
but I couldn't leave you, not my perfect proud soldier." Charles breathes
raggedly as his other hand slides low across the perfect abs that Adonis
could only wish he had.
"Char...Charles...what's going on?" Wil asks
whispers, feigning a confused gullibility, but silently cursing as he's
weaker than he expected. He suspects that he may be suffering from some
sort of drug as his vision begins to fade in and out in random bursts.
"You are my David, my Pieta, and My Sistine Chapel." Charles says
with a happy smile and sounding very much like a little boy. "I searched
for years for just the right subjects for my portraits, Father thought
I would never find all of you, but I knew; oh I knew that if I believed
you would come to me. He tried to deny me, to steal my art away, cruel,
foolish Father. He didn't believe that I had learned his lessons, but I
showed him, oh yes, I showed him. Father's good little boy, don't make
a sound shhhh, it will be our secret little Charley boy."
"Who...who was your Father Charles?" Wil asks, knowing that his best
bet is to stall for time and hope that someone finds him in time. "What
did your Father do to you, Charles? Did he hurt you?"
"He loved me, I was a good boy and he loved me." Charles says petulantly.
"He only hurt me when I defied the teachings, rejected the holy word of
God. Father knows best, yes. I had to show him how well I had learned my
lessons, so I showed him. He wanted to take my art from me, lock Charley
away, he's been a bad boy, and bad boys must be punished. I couldn't go;
no I couldn't, not with my perfect soldier. He was a bad Father, wanted
to take me away, leave my masterpiece unfinished. I'll finish it, it will
be beautiful." Charles peeks through his lashes at him shyly. "As beautiful
as you are. Everyone will see and envy me my creation, my masterpiece.
No one will ever look and not see Charley, not anymore. They'll all see,
you'll help me make them see won't you Wil? You'll show Father once and
for all that I am his good Charley boy won't you Wil?"
Wil squeezes his eyes shut tightly and feels a tear scream its way
through his lashes as he mourns for the innocence that must have been torn
and ripped from this man-child so long ago. Whatever was left of his mind
is long gone from this shell of brittle sanity and all encompassing madness.
The knife is back to tracing the skin of his chest, but the intent
is decidedly deadly as the razor sharp edge begins to part the part his
flesh, releasing the crimson benediction of his blood to flow in trickles
and slowly into a stream.
"I should have known that you were the one, beautiful Wil. I heard
you call Liam, your Angel; I should have known then that the messenger
had come to deliver you unto me." Charles reaches around with his free
hand to brush the tattoo on his shoulder. "You bear the mark of His benediction.
We will be immortalised, hung like stars to show the non-believers the
true path to His Glory." Charles steps away and cuts his shirt away with
vicious slashes that draw blood in several places. "You shall be bone of
my bones and flesh of my flesh. You shall be called man for you are unknown
to woman." Charles chants as he moves forward, raising the knife high over
his head, his eyes black with madness as he perverts a quote from the Bible.
Wil lashes out, but weakened as he is, there is little strength behind
the kick and Charles keeps advancing and then the knife is plunging towards
his chest as thunder rocks the room with its ponderous echoes. Wil stares
unbelievingly as crimson flowers of blood and tissue bloom on Charles'
chest and he slowly falls to one knee, the knife skidding away harmlessly.
"Step away from him Charles. Slowly and keep your hands where I can
see them." Liam orders in a harsh voice as he walks from the shadows, his
gun cradled in rock solid hands and his eyes glinting with a feral light
in the darkened warehouse.
Charles clambers woozily to his feet, rubbing his hand over the hole
in his chest and pulling his hand back to stare at the blood dripping from
it wetly and he actually chuckles. "I am spirit not flesh, I am the instrument
of His will on earth and you will not pervert
my will as you did
my Father's foul lie that offends my eyes. I shall pluck it out!" Charles
makes a move to stumble after the knife and another shot rings out, ripping
through his thigh and dropping him in his tracks.
"Don't make me kill you Charles." Liam growls, motioning Charles
to move away from Wil. "I don't want to have to kill you Charles, you're
sick and you need help."
Charles actually giggles. "You can't help me, foul lies and tricks.
No one helps Charley Boy, they look but they don't see. Only Father saw,
only Father loved. I learned Father, I was a good boy." Charles forces
himself to his feet once more and lurches towards Wil and two more shots
ring out, hitting him high in the chest until what's left is little more
than threads of bone and tissue. Charles wraps his arms around Wil's waist
and clings tightly with what strength remains. "My soldier...my sold..."
Charles falls away to crumple at Wil's feet his breathing little more than
gurgling whimpers that sounds as loud as a scream in the utterly quiet
warehouse. "Forgive...me...Father...for I have sinned..." The whimpers
are gone and so is the tortured soul that was once Marcus Charles Gunn.
Chapter Sixteen
Liam wants to run to Wil, but he forces himself to take it slowly
and approaches cautiously despite his need to rush to his lover and quiet
his sounds of tortured distress. He checks to make sure that Charles is
dead before slamming his gun back into his shoulder harness and diving
for Wil and sweeping him up into his arms and whispering frantically.
"It's okay now Baby, I've got you. Oh god look what he's done to
you, you're bleeding." Liam peppers kisses all over Wil's face and hair
as his hands fly restlessly over his injuries. "They're not serious, you'll
be okay Baby, you'll be okay, I promise." Liam gently lifts Wil until his
handcuffed hands pull free of the hook he was suspended from and he sinks
to his knees cradling his whimpering lover. "I love you Baby, I love you,
I love you and I love you." Liam repeats over and over in an endless litany
of thanks to whatever higher power spared his Wil. "The others are coming
and we'll get you to the Emergency Room."
Wil clings to his lover and stares over his shoulder at the Charles'
crumpled body and quivers with reaction. Liam follows his gaze and gently
turns Wil's face from the sight, tucking it against his chest as he rocks
him tenderly and murmurs calming nonsense sounds.
"I...I'm glad he's dead. I think I wanted to empty the gun into him
for trying to take you from me."
"Well that's not very heroic of you Mr. Policeman. That would have
violated the vow you took when they swore you in and gave you that pretty
badge." Wil says weakly, trying to lighten the tension in the room by joking
lightly but his voice shakes and warbles slightly betraying that he is
anything but alright.
Liam cups Wil's chin and lifts his head until their eyes meet. "Under
this Shield, Wil; vow or no vow, I am still a man of flesh and bone, your
man, and you will always belong to me. That is the only vow that
I will never break if it means keeping you safe Baby. If you're not with
me, safe and loved than nothing else matters." Liam leans forward and kisses
Wil gently, moaning huskily as he suddenly has a lap full of love-starved
blond energy kissing him like every promise of a brighter tomorrow is has
become the reality of the present.
The sound of sirens breaks into their private moment and they reluctantly
part with pained groans that have nothing to do with Wil's mostly superficial
wounds. Liam gets to his feet, easily carrying the slighter weight of Wil
up with him and wrapping an arm around him for support, they start walking
for the nearest doorway. They're only a few feet away when Lindsey explodes
through it with his gun drawn with Lorne and Anya right on his heels. They
falter as they see Wil's condition and the crumpled form lying deathly
still across the cold concrete floor.
"Do we need an ambulance?" Lorne asks quietly, as Anya darts forward
to slip her shoulders under Wil's other arm and clings carefully against
his other side, wary of aggravating his wounds.
"Not for Charles." Liam says simply, no emotion in his voice. "We'll
need to get Wil to the Emergency Room though. None of the cuts are too
serious, but he's still bleeding."
Lorne nods as several uniformed officers pour through another doorway.
"You go take care of Wil; we'll handle...things...here." Lorne suggests
with a gentle paternal smile as he steps forward and pats the blond's shoulder.
"It's good to have you back safe son." He says honestly as he pushes a
gawking Lindsey further into the warehouse and away from his fascination
with a half naked Wil and follows after him barking orders.
Liam looks down at Wil and Anya. "Let's go take care of Wil and go
home, I suddenly feel like I'm over two hundred years old." Liam says with
a weary sigh.
"Is that all? I feel at least eight or nine hundred." Anya says with
a brittle laugh.
"I only feel like a hundred and thirty, still the baby, gotta love
me." Wil quips weakly, practically hanging limply in their hold, the last
remains of his strength beginning to falter.
"So we do my Lad, so we do." Liam says softly, looking down at Wil
with pride glowing in his eyes. "Let's get our boy to the Doctor and then
I vote we go home and sleep for a month."
Anya and Wil agree whole-heartedly and the three friends make their
way out into the gathering night and the warmth of waiting friends. The
monsters have been put to rest for one night at least and the City of Well FINALLY reached the end of this EPIC tale guys and gals but
tune in for the further adventures in this series which will be sure to
follow. Special thanks going out to Salustra and Pet for their assistance
with several of the characters and for their invaluable help with some
of those same characters dialogue sequences. And for GF, I some very special
thanks to give for being one of the inspirations for this story, Have a
very happy first Birthday to Forging_Ghost.
Sincerely,
Buff/Jinxi
Scandal Rocks
Wil looks at the date on the story. "This was twelve, almost thirteen
years ago. The boy must be twenty-seven or eight by now. The ex-bishop
must be what in his late thirties or early forties?" He says with a frown,
he doesn't like to think that the justice system is so lax that an abusive
predator got away with his crime, just by virtue of being a member of the
Catholic Church's Hierarchy.
Just a front door to hell, oh
In this corner of the world...
Don't you feel it getting colder?
In your corner of the world...
Confess all to the rain
But I lie, lie straight to the mirror
The one I've broken, to match my face
The trash fire is warm
But nowhere safe from the storm
And I can't bear to see
What I've let me be
So wicked and worn
Happy people pass my way.
Looking in their eyes,
I see a memory I never realised
How happy you made me.
You came and you gave without taking,
But I sent you away.
Oh, Mandy well,
You kissed me and stopped me from shaking,
And I need you today.
oh, Mandy!