"i am the waves that crash around you"..the latest. Dr. Susan Marley, steeled herself as she prepared to enter the living room, its homeliness betraying the sheer brutality of the scene she knew awaited her, another nightmare played out in reality. This one was just like the others..seemingly no connection in either choice of victim or in anything else. Random women, from various racial backgrounds and age groups, all tortured..the only linking factor being the notes that in some way belayed his choice of death for them. Number four, was a 27 year old Caucasian. A fifth grade math teacher..she was found bound in her living room..a pipe down her throat, water in her lungs - drowned to death.
Sue did the usual round up of the scene, the full autopsy would have to be done back at the morgue, that would wait, right now she just wanted to get the hell out of there. Reaching her car and suppressing the desire to wretch, she steadied herself and thought back on the cases before - Pamela Leigh was a 35 year old housewife, living in the suburbs, found literally burnt alive with a note "i am the fires that burn your heart" pinned to her charred body. The second, Tanya Mitchel, 28 - strangled.."i am the air you need", third Kimberly Ang only 19 was bled to death.."i am the life that flows through you" and now he claimed a fourth.
With all the facts swirling in her mind, made it difficult to concentrate, for reasons she couldn't quite place, these cases were hitting her harder than most. Undoubtedly they were the most violent she had come across, but it was something more than that, it was almost like they made her feel helpless..as if he would never be caught. He seemed to be one step ahead of them all the time, each new lead she found led down a dead end..she sometimes thought it seemed like he had access to her files and deleted them the closer she got.
She shrugged off the absurd notion as she reached the county morgue, her office for the past 2 years. Since her appointment as head medical examiner, she managed to break down the feeling of oppression the building gave her, and oddly she now found the dead better company than the living - at least they couldn't hurt you. The coroner's office had just brought in the body, lunch would have to wait she decided. As the proceeded with the postmortem she cringed inwardly, he seemed to be getting increasingly violent the more he killed, the shield of detachment she raised between herself and the victims threatened to shatter with each new one they found, when would he ever stop.
Once completing the reports, she decided to take the fiber samples she managed to collect down to the lab personally. Any form of fiber was highly unusual, the killer was usually meticulous in his handling's, nothing of use had been found previously..this gave her a surge of hope, a small chance, yet a chance nonetheless. Maybe he was getting careless in his eagerness, or maybe he was interrupted..regardless this was a lead she wanted to check out in person.
The lab results she dropped off last night were on her desk the next morning, a soft smile touched her lips..she made a silent reminder to thank Hank, the lab tech the next time she saw him. The fiber turned out to be a dead lead, 84-blue dyed nylon, used for everything from windbreakers to umbrellas, she felt the last bit of hope in her die. Underneath the report was a small yellow envelope, a bit surprised she picked it up..nothing was written on either side of the letter, yet she opened it cautiously.
The letter seemed empty, but as she turned to empty it something dropped out. A photograph..though it was turned over, she recognized the hand writing immediately. A small scream escaped her lips and shock quickly turned to panic "dear doctor marley, i have been an avid follower of your work, just as i presume you have been of mine" also written on the photograph was an address, of a warehouse near the docks. Her heart and mind raced as she read the words over and over again, not daring to look at the photo.. - how did he know who she was?she remembered giving an interview that was published, but that was over a year ago..and more importantly, what did he want..
Finally not being able to do anything else, she turned it over. This time the scream was a very real one and one of sheer horror, she gagged into the waste bin at her side as her tears stained her cheek.
..stripped, bound, gagged and photographed, was her daughter..
She wretched again as she reached for the her keys, her hands shaking..she rummaged through her drawers for the gun her ex-husband had given her, she had refused initially and said she'd never need it, but had kept it anyway..and right now, her only thoughts were rescuing her daughter, and possibly killing the bastard who took her.
Not really thinking it through - even if she were capable of, clear thought it the decision would be the same - she drove to the address he had given her. It turned out to be an abandoned cannery, on the docks, but further in..located in a much seedier corner of the area. There was only one entrance that she could see, a front door off the side of the warehouse. She knew he would have seen her coming, after all..he wasn't stupid, but then again neither was she. Loading her gun, she warily made her way to the door, remembering her training at the academy she kept low, and made as little noise as possible.
The ground floor was empty, and she crept up the stairs to the next level. There was a closed door at the end of the corridor, the only one she could see and the only sign of light in the building was showing under the doorway. Keeping close to the walls, she inched the way to the door, trying the handle, she heard a scraping..as if someone was waking up inside. Feeling the adrenaline course through her, she swung open the door and stepped inside.
The moment she saw the look in her daughters eyes, she knew it was all wrong, they were both trapped. He knew she wouldn't risk calling the police, he was right. She was smart, but he was smarter..she heard the door slam, as she hurried to untie her daughter, at least they'd put up a fight, she didn't hear him step up behind her..didn't feel the needle as it slid in her neck..all she remembered as her world turned black was a banner with the words "i am the one you've been searching for"
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