The LPFs - The Linkin Park Files

[Ravynlee]

“She’s a bright girl, isn’t she?” asked Rob, as Ravyn agreed with him by nodding her head. “One question I have to ask you though, Matilda, is…is she mine?” It was just a question that he had to ask and he had been secretly

You didn't finish that sentence, just pointing it out. And for the record I don't believe her (Ravyn) she's too adept at lying, she's even lying to herself I think. Just my opinion. I actually found myself being angry at Ravyn in this update, obviously David's worried about his daughter and Ravyn is almost nonchalant about it - even going so far as using the LPfiles as leverage against Izzy so to speak. I don't understand how David especially stood there listening and saying nothing as Ravyn, Rob and Sarah basically said 'Yeah you're daughter's got about 10hrs to live, and btw we're tired, we'll meet up with you again at lunchtime, what's that, nearly ten hours anyway to make a trade for the files.' I was like WTF? I don't care how tired any of you are, you should all suck it up and push onward, you selfish bunch of bastards! I felt like screaming for David at that, I really did. Poor guy. Have to admire his composure though, he's being a real gentleman despite the drama around him - what a (hawt) trooper. Nummy nums

 

And I have to appaud you on Izzy and Rob's interraction. That was well written. Teenage girls with their ten-crushes a second. That really gave the story a secure basis, grounded it in some reality where even sick kids are still acting like real life kids and not cliches or charactures. I'm amused too by this newest revelation - the more you update the more you seem to be painting Izzy's stepmother as a wicked old crone, but I'm starting to wonder if perhaps this is not the fine art of misdirection being played out - and the evidence will point to one but the truth lays with another *cough*kenji*cough-cough* Again just my humble opinion.

So yeah, liking it. Well done.

[woodyloveslinkin]

6. 12 a.m. The Lodge Motel

 

Ring ring

The phone in Rob’s motel apartment started to ring. Rob didn’t hear the phone ringing until three minutes later, until he rolled over and opened his eyes.

This better be something good, he couldn’t help but to think to himself, as he opened his eyes to the settling dawn outside his motel window. He reached across to pick up the phone with the arm that he hadn’t slept on.

“Harris,” he croaked. He frowned as he only just heard sobs on the other end of the phone. Something was wrong and there had been many other cases that he had encountered that contained strange phone calls at strange times of the morning. “Hello? Who’s there?” Again, just sobs. He sat up straight and was now alert. “FBI. Who’s this?” The sobs turned pants. They were female of course. “Tell me your name. Who is this? I demand by the authority of the American government to tell me your name.” Again, no response. And then suddenly, the line went blank and there was just a blank dial tone at the other end of the phone line. The Agent hadn’t stopped frowning, as he slowly hung up the receiver. He picked up again and dialled an outside line. “Yeah, Julie? Sorry to wake you up at this time of the morning, but can I have a trace on this line from the last phone call thanks.” He hung up the phone without another word said or done. He ripped the blankets off him and put a pair of track pants on that were hanging over a nearby chair and proceeded to wake his partner up. He opened the front door, just wearing his track pants for the coldness of the morning to hit him fair smack in the chest. He cringed as his feet met the coldness of the ground as he walked along the dirty cement that looked like it hadn’t been scrubbed for a while and needed a good scrub with some heavy cleaning agents. He stopped in front of Sarah’s door and he knocked a couple of times.

It took the Agent a couple of minutes to throw the blankets off her as she realised what time it was, time to sleep more. She hadn’t changed out of her grey gym shorts and her tank shirt, as she opened the door and realised who was on the other end of the door.

“Morning,” she croaked. “It’s a tad early don’t you think?”

“You’re a FBI Agent you’re used to being woken up at earlier times, or so that’s what I’ve assumed that’s what you have been doing in your career,” answered Rob. “Is it just me or do I get dodgy and weird phone calls for no reason?”

“Explain,” she requested. “It’s early morning and I haven’t had a decent sleep for a while. You should know, there’s no such things as sleep ins for us Agents.”

“Then you should stop your whining and get on with the job,” Rob merely suggested. “We’ve got to be out of here in an hour, have a shower, grab whatever you need and we’re going straight to Draiman’s office. I don’t think she really understands how sick Isabelle is.”

“She should, she is the coroner of Houston, isn’t she?” asked Sarah, crossing her arms. “I think someone with her experience should be able differentiate between non-life threatening and life threatening. That’s if she says who she really is. Lead maybe?”

“Funny you should say that, Isabelle did say something about how her lovely, sarcasm by the way, stepmother got suspended once and a bunch of other rambling on about how she’s only in that family to cause havoc,” Rob recalled his conversation with Isabelle from the previous evening. “I say I do some digging on her while you go through her office. Because I swear if she finds me in there I think I would have a lower survival rate than you right now.”

“What did you say to her last night to make you think that?” asked Sarah. “You’re not deliberately provoking her, are you?” Rob shook his head. “Good.”

“Time to go, I'm freezing out here,” Rob said to his partner as she smiled as he raced back inside his heated motel room, slamming the door behind him while Sarah stood there still smiling at her partner.

 

7.01 a.m.

 

“So what do we have so far in the way of evidence goes?” asked Rob, as they sat in the car and he hammered down the accelerator on the old model of car. He took his eyes off the road to peer through his glasses to his partner next to him sitting on the passenger’s seat, with a bunch of papers and folders on her lap. She looked up from a piece of paper in her hands to her partner. “So?”

“We’re basically living on a prayer,” the female FBI Agent sighed. “The only evidence we have to even suggest that this is a Linkin Park File is whatever has happened in Megan’s body, and what I’ve managed to extract from it. We have that Kenji works at a worm farm and that he’s using a non-registered chemical along with what religion he is from. We know that Joanna and David know each other along with Megan and David knowing each other and from what I assume from our little visit at Joanne’s place, I take it that Ravyn and her do not get along or failing that, her and Benji don’t get along, seeing that David didn’t want to have his presence known at their residence.”

“Anything else?” asked Rob.

“I’m not done here thanks,” objected Sarah, frowning for a second as Rob’s attention was back on the road. He had a nasty habit of concentrating his needed concentration on anything but on the road at times. “We have our theories as well, so we’re safe for a while. Let’s start from the top with the scenario we’ve got on our hands. We have a pair of misfits, Ravyn and Isabelle who obviously don’t get along, because of their obvious differences. But what happens if the person we’re suspecting isn’t the real suspect after all?” Rob frowned as he turned his head again and met Sarah’s fearful gaze.

“What are you trying to imply here, Agent?” asked Rob, as he turned his attention back to the road. “Are you trying to say to me that we should start looking onto further means, like, accusing Izzy of a crime that she has now became a victim of?” Sarah nodded and Rob saw it in the corner of his eye. “You’ve got to be joking.”

“Well, I’m not because it’s not the first of April,” replied Sarah. “I had a hard thought about it last night when I went to bed, it makes sense of why Megan was targeted, my theory has it. Izzy knew about Megan and David seeing that her stepmom had caused enough trouble and had rocked the boat with her appearance in her family, plenty of enough times for her to hate Ravyn. Do you understand?”

“No, not really, still trying to see your point here, Lee,” answered Rob, as he tried to think of what she could be saying to him. “I have to say in the direction that I think you’re going, you might have a point, but seeing I still don’t know what your point is, I can’t give you any points. So please, continue on with your ranting, my special.”

“Izzy knew about Megan and David and didn’t want her family to go through another ordeal, or, she didn’t want another-Ravyn-like woman in her life, I mean, you’ve seen the way that Izzy treats the woman,” explained Sarah. “It all falls into place, eventually.”

“How the hell did the girl managed to kill the victim?” asked Rob. “Let alone try to kill herself, if that be the case that she is behind these murders or whatnots that we haven’t touched. But I remind you, we will be touching them pretty soon, well, you will be.”

“There’s got to be a connection that she has that we’re not seeing right now,” answered Sarah. “Maybe she knows Kenji and has organised something with her and she’s trying to get Ravyn’s record against her and somehow, incriminate her for something that Izzy’s done.”

“Okay, that’s all great, Lee, but explain to me why she would want to intoxicate herself and risk her own life if she knows what she’s doing?” asked Rob.

“Did she ever show any sign of like she didn’t want to die?” asked Sarah, as Rob shook his head.

“She’s been pretty strong about it, from what I gathered about her,” answered Rob. “In which, I did find that a bit odd about how well she’s coping with the news about that she’s only had ten hours at that time, to live, and given that she’s in the same situation as Megan, jeez. I mean, if I were her, I would be writing my will out by now.”

“She either has something someone wants and is willing to risk her life for the information that she knows about, or, I don’t know the rest of it,” replied Sarah as she went back to her thoughts. “Or.”

“Or, what?” asked Rob.

“She got herself contaminated to prove a point to her dad,” answered Sarah, blankly. “Now which scenario makes the most sense to you?”

[Blue Sky Turtles]

oh my god, does that mean it's Izzy, i mean the killer?

[woodyloveslinkin]

8.15 a.m. Midnight’s Trout and Salmon Fisheries

 

“Good morning Kenji,” smiled Rob as he got out of his car just as the familiar suspect walked up to see who was the person behind the steering while of the old car. His black coat swayed in the morning breeze, it was his favourite coat that had been specifically tailored for his height so it trailed down to his ankles. This Agent wasn’t small in height, in fact, he was quite the opposite to small. He towered over basically everyone that he worked for and he towered over the people that worked for him. Kenji looked confused as he sat down the buckets of water on the dusty ground below him. “Mr Midnight do you know why I’m here?”

“To annoy me?” asked Kenji.

“I would’ve done more than just to annoy you than what I’ve done already or else I might’ve had a bullet put through me,” answered Rob, stopping off his tracks. He looked to the buckets of water. “Keeping the worms moist, I see.”

“Maybe,” Kenji muttered as Rob examined the man. A Japanese-American man who stood there in denim overalls with the fluorescent red hair that seemed too bright to be natural. Rob had seen these types of guys before, as he came down to analysing the sort of man Kenji was, even by the short encounters that they had as a pair. Rob had a feeling that this was the man that was keeping Isabelle from living, Isabelle had something and she was prepared to go down with something to withhold it from him. “What do you want? I don’t have many things that I can offer FBI Agents like you.”

“You have a lot of things that we at the FBI want from you Mr Midnight,” answered the Agent briskly. “Like to start with, do you know Isabelle Draiman?” Kenji nodded slowly. “Okay, that’s a good start.”

“Why do I have a feeling that name is related to Megan’s death?” asked Kenji. “It’s been a hard day since she passed away, can’t you just leave her friends and her family alone?”

“Mr Midnight are you even aware that Miss Draiman, that being Isabelle, and the coroner’s err...daughter, has been hospitalised with the same symptoms of your deceased friend?” asked Rob.

“How old is the girl?” asked Kenji.

“She’s only sixteen, she’s much younger than Megan,” answered Rob.

“Is that meant to matter?” asked Kenji. “I mean, I know it’s a pity that people die young, Christ, we can die right after we’re born nowadays. So what real difference does Megan’s age has to do with Isabelle’s age?”

“Mr Midnight this is going to be a direct question and I formally request a direct answer from you,” Rob started. “Do you or do you not know of Isabelle Draiman? I don’t care if you’re sleeping with her, just answer the damn question.” Rob found himself losing his temper quickly, as he couldn’t help but to think how well Sarah must be going by now, probably going carelessly through Ravyn’s folders and files.

“Yeah, we know each other,” answered Kenji, as Rob felt like he had to drill the man for an answer. “Does it matter?”

“Mr Midnight when she ends up having been through so many screwed up and complicated cases myself, I would appreciate it greatly if you just lay down on the table for me, I’m starting to pissed off and I don’t like and nor do the people around me like it when I get pissed, now Mr Midnight you are here to co-operate,” Rob found himself giving the suspect a lecture that was driven out of sheer frustration. “We know you have connections to the Draiman family, I saw the business card of yours on the fridge and don’t try to pull bullshit on me Mr Midnight. Am I a child or am I an FBI Agent?” There was a small silence as Rob sighed. “Mr Midnight with all due respect I am an Agent trying to do my job and if I don’t solve this before ten tonight, Isabelle’s going to die and my partner, Agent Lee, will have to do another autopsy while the coroner and her husband will then have to plan Isabelle’s funeral. Are you willing to let Isabelle lose her life so early?”

“What is it you really need to know?” asked Kenji. “I don’t have all day to play your government games. In fact, I’m so sick of your FBI games by now, I’m not going to participate if you’re going to continue screwing me around. I also have a job to do but I make a living out of this, I pay my freakin’ taxes which is your salary. So ask me what you want to ask me and stop screwing me around. So hit me with anything. Yes, I knew Isabelle, spoilt little brat. Did I place the nitrohydrogenic acid in her system? No I didn’t. If you want any other answers, go talk to Joanne. She’s been in on this from day one.”

“Explain more so I don’t have to waste my gas taking you downtown so I question you and make you shit your pants because you’re too nervous in front of a line of other investigators,” retorted Rob strongly. “What’s happened to Isabelle?”

“I better take you inside in that case,” answered Kenji, slowly. “Tea or coffee?”

 

8.30 a.m.

 

Rob sat at a small table inside Kenji’s kitchen that was situated out the back of the business that Kenji ran by himself with the help of other people that he had employed. The cup of coffee was placed in front of him as Kenji took a seat in front of Rob and looked at him sincerely.

“So what’s been going down?” asked Rob. “We now have Joanne in the picture. To be all honest with you Mr Midnight, how can I trust you to be honest with me? How do I know you’re not going to leak this classified information to the press?”

“I’m not that kind of person to be honest,” answered Kenji.

“Good, you better stay that way or consequences and a FBI lawsuit will be headed your way,” threatened Rob. “What connection do you have with Joanne?”

“I used to employ her here, just for a couple of months that’s all until one day she turned around and quit,” answered Kenji. “I see her at least once a week, since I’m friends with Benji as well, she can’t stop me from seeing another friend of mine, now.”

“How did Isabelle get that stuff into her system and why does she have it in her?” asked Rob.

“Ask her that, she hasn’t told Joanne and she hasn’t told me,” answered Kenji. “She’s a strong-willed girl she is. Too strong for my liking, but I tell you what, the stuff that little brat comes out with, don’t believe it until you hook her up to a lie detector.”

“I can’t do that without consent from guardian or parent, seeing she’s still a minor in the eyes of the law,” Rob clarified.

“Then convince her stepmother to hook her up to one,” said Kenji. “Oh and another thing if I haven’t told you by now, Isabelle used to work for me as well, that’s how we know each other and that’s how Joanne knows her. The two of them were like Siamese twins at times, that were stitched together at the sides, they couldn’t be separated at times. I heard about her family split and how bitter she is to David’s new woman, couldn’t blame, hate that cow anyway.”

“Do you think that Isabelle’s trying to prove a personal point to her father?” asked Rob, still not touching his coffee in front of him. Kenji just shrugged as he sipped his cup of tea. “That’s not an answer. What kind of answer is that? We’re both civilised adults here, hopefully.”

“I don’t know, I don’t know the girl that well, again, go to Joanne if you want more deep stuff about the girl, not me,” answered Kenji. “I know enough to say that I think this a hoax to get back to her Daddy’s Little Girl status that she’s been eagerly wanting back ever since Matilda and what’s it’s face came along not so long ago. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yeah, you’re also under arrest for not registering that poisonous chemical of yours with the National Chemical Control Agency,” reminded Rob. “Not abiding by FBI Agents is one thing here in Texas but not abiding by rulings that include Texas is another. Unless you can somehow deal with us for us to give you just a fine.” Rob smiled as he thought to himself that he had to be the wittiest FBI Agent around as he knew for starters that Kenji could only get a fine for not registering the possession of the chemical and not get arrested. But Rob figured if he hadn’t registered, he didn’t know the law, so what else stopped the Agent from twisting the suspect around his little finger to work to his advantage? Nothing, and that’s the precise reason why Rob was doing it. Because he knew he could get away with it without further debate.

“Alright, I’ll strike a deal with you,” Kenji looked unhappy and unimpressed by what seemed to him blackmail, but he knew the federal guys could do it, but he wasn’t allowed to it all or it was a felony. “What do you want out of me? I’ve already given you everything that I know of.”

“It’s what you can do for the FBI not that you know of right now, the information is there, but we need to implement a strategy to prove ourselves reasonably sane for us to try and convict someone of Megan’s death,” Rob explained to Kenji, giving the man a large grin as Rob had always been a fan of kicking down doors in the midst of a bust of any sort.But Rob still knew it in the back of his head, Kenji was covering up for someone still, or he wouldn’t have falsely confessed to a crime he didn’t commit. Rob was going to find out who and why.

[woodyloveslinkin]

8.54 a.m. Coroner's Office

 

Sarah looked at the time anxiously as she waited outside for Rob to come and pick her up like he said he would. The reaosn why she was so anxious was because she held a number folders in her arm. She was showing her FBI badge and somehow, they had let her in without another question asked her way. The breeze blew across her face as her red curls bounced in the breeze. She looked again to see if she could see any sign of Rob or even the worst possible person she could run into right now, the coroner, Ravyn. She left the keys that Isabelle had given her FBI partner the previous night. The morning had gotten the better of her during the time that she had searched high and low for these files. Despite how well trained she was in the area of investigating such criminal and cringing matters, she found herself many a time slipping into a microsleep. One thing she loved about not being assigned to any cases at times, was that she could sleep in. But being away from the job increased her boredom and she had found herself in the past, walking aimlessly down the street.

"Good morning Agent," came a voice that she didn't want to hear right now. She turned around and quickly hid the folders behind her as she saw the suspect standing in front of her. "Why are you here so early?"

"Hi, David," the Agent smiled kindly but nervously. "I'm here because I've had a meeting with an associate here."

"Oh, is that so?" asked David, in his black singlet top and ripped jeans. He looked unimpressed by the Agent's response. Sarah nodded with a small still on her face. "Okay, well, I better leave you to it. Don't let me hold you up on your day job." David started to walk away, but Sarah thought to herself, that David really hadn't said much during this investigation.

"Ah, Mr Draiman," said Sarah, as David stopped and turned around.

"Yes," replied the man.

"Is it alright if I ask you some things about your daughter?" asked Sarah, as David frowned. "It's nothing bad, we at the FBI just want to know some things about Isabelle. Is she okay this morning?"

"She's starting to feel a bit off," answered David. "Why? What's wrong with my daughter?"

"If my timings and my mathematics are correct Mr Draiman, she has only got a short amount to live," Sarah started to explain. "This thing inside her, it's not natural. Some external force is causing her illness and we're only here to put a stop to it. We need to know if she's had any exposure to a chemical called..." Sarah took out her cellphone and went to a text message that Rob had sent her. "Nitrohydrogenic acid." She looked from the cellphone to the man in front of her. What Sarah found interesting as she remembered skimming over the reports of each of the ten victims that the coroner had withheld from the FBI all this time, is that all victims had worked with or had known Isabelle someway or another. Sarah sure Isabelle was the one behind this and she was going down with a secret that she wanted to tell no one, she was willing to take it to the grave with her. David shrugged. "Please, Mr Draiman, this is your daughter we're talking about. She has living organisms in her right now that shouldn't be there."

"How are you so sure?" asked David.

"Because each other case that we've read about and have encountered, as in Megan's case, has complained of sore eyes, sore backs and they were ignored," answered Sarah. "We don't have much time to work with Mr Draiman, if you want Isabelle to live."

"You know, Ravyn was right you were going to say this utter bullshit, it's not true," answered David, folding his arms in defence. "Do you know who she knows? She was the one that were on the other cases when they happened."

"And did she find out that they all had some connection to Isabelle?" asked Sarah.

"So you're accusing my daughter of instigating and committing these crimes, is that it?" asked David, frowning. "You're all bloody useless if you ask me!"

"Mr Draiman, you have to believe me, she's only got a couple of hours to live," Sarah started. David shook his head in disbelief. "She's only going to get worse from now on. If you want to help us to save your daughter, co-operate with us. If you want her to die, I suggest you stick by your wife's side with her hatred of Isabelle." And then David took a turn, as he uncrossed his arms and looked to the Agent sternly. "Are you going to help us? Are you going to help Isabelle?" David nodded. "That's better. Please, do you know if she's been to Mr Midnight's fishery out on the outskirts of Houston?" David nodded. "When did she go?"

"The other day, she said that she had to pick up a paycheck," answered David. "What's your theory?"

"I have many," answered Sarah. "One of them is that this chemical is the cause of those organisms inside her, as though they thrive on it." Sarah was about to say something more when her cell rang. "Excuse me for a second." She pulled out her cell and flipped it open. "Lee."

"Guess what?" asked Rob.

"Surprise me, you know you want to," answered Sarah.

"You know how we couldn't figure out what was causing these things to be inside our victims? What did we call them again, Fluke Worms?" asked Rob.

"They are, they're the closest possible classification I could get of that species," answered Sarah, as she looked at a nearby car, leaving David to stand aimlessly and stare at something. "It was like they didn't exist that classification."

"Well you're correct, they are Fluke Worms, but guess what hydrochloric acid mixed in with dangerous other components does to them?" asked Rob. "It mutates them and I've just spoken to Mr Midnight about the current situation and he said there were several litres of that stuff that Isabelle had deliberately mixed in with the fertilizer to get back at him. Well, that I didn't get off him, but we have another person in the scene, Joanne."

"What's Joanne got to do with anything?" asked Sarah, frowning.

"Everything, she's Isabelle's diary pratically," answered Rob. "And she just spilt everything out to me over the phone just then."

"What did you threaten her with?" asked Sarah, knowing that couldn't have been that easy for Rob to get that much information out of the woman.,

"Nothing, she's very worried about Isabelle," answered Rob. "Emotions corrupt."

"But still, it doesn't tell us anything what she's hiding and what she's trying to prove with this, I mean, the only possible thing that I can think of, is that it's a suicide mission to prove a point or something like that," replied Sarah. "How do we stop this and get Isabelle better?"

"It's going to sound stupid, but from what I gathered we need to get the organisms out first and then drain her system of the stuff, the same process that the hospital's use when people have drunk too much," explained Rob, as Sarah thought.

"Pump her stomach out and put her on litres of fluids for twenty-four hours?" asked Sarah.

"Bullseye," answered Rob. "And you're thinking how did I know this?"

"No, I'm thinking you're nuts, why did we not know this before?" asked Sarah, frantically.

"Because, no one knew what was wrong with Megan and Isabelle to start with, find the problem and then find the cure, isn't that what you're taught at med school?" asked Rob, as Sarah rolled her eyes. "I simply asked Kenji what his safety procedures where if it was to leak and spill, like it has done now."

"The other victims, they all had some sort of connection to Isabelle, what if, what if she went around committing revenge attacks?" asked Sarah.

"It's possible, we don't know for sure until we ask the girl," answered Rob. "Be at the hospital by at least in fifteen minutes. We don't have much time to work with. Bye." Before Sarah could say or do anything else, he hung up. She closed the cell and turned around to see Mr and now Mrs Draiman standing side by side. Sarah had a clear feeling that they had heard the conversation that had taken place.

"So what's the cure, Doc?" asked David, as Ravyn looked sceptical as ever and didn't even see the folders in Sarah's arms in which Sarah was thankful for that. Ravyn merely rolled her eyes. David had obviously seen Ravyn rolling her eyes and turned to her. "Excuse me, but she may not be your daughter, but she's mine."

"Did I say anything?" asked Ravyn, as she frowned. Her husband didn't say anything. "I didn't think so."

'Oh come on, Rave, even the FBI Agent can make out you don't like Isabelle!" David snapped, as Ravyn rolled her eyes again. "Don't roll your eyes like that."

"Mr Draiman, come along now," Sarah tried saying, but she went on unnoticed.

"Don't you have better things to do other than to stand here and jump to conclusions?" asked Ravyn. "I hope Isabelle gets better, but fuck it, I've got better things to do rather to stand here and fight with you. Do you or don't you want me to come to the hospital with you?"

"No, you can just fuck off for the time being, like you usually do," answered David.

"Fine, I'm out of here, tell Isabelle to get better for me," Ravyn gave up and left the scene, as she walked down the opposite way down the hallway.

[Ravynlee]

And the first cracks appaear in the Draiman's happy facade, I was wondering how long that was going to take. Mind you, something tells me again, it can't be so clean cut. These two are like the ultimate Stepford couple, they just have this feel to them that whenever they interact it all really is rehearsed. Maybe because they have both been pretty apathetic up to this point about Izzy's welfare, and maybe David thought it was time to act human and fatherly for once. Maybe that's part of the plan, to act the part, but no be the part. I dunnno, I still don't trust them, neither one of them, and as for him telling her to fuck off at the end, I was like 'yeah? A bit over the top for you isn't it buddy? What are you trying to prove?' That line more so than any other had me thinking 'This is for Sarah / FBI's benefit, has to be' but again I could be way off. Maybe the stress finally got to him, and maybe Ravyn's past is finally catching up with her, who knows?

 

Anyway yeah, all good.

 

Good to see someone's been doing their research as always on fluke worms and all things torrid and nasty in the not-so-natural world. Still dunno who to trust though. Joanna rolled too easily, Kenji seems too underhanded giving things away in pieces here and there whereit suits, David's too apathetic and calm for a man unders enormous stress and Ravyn's just a damn bad actor, really there's too many suspects to pick it. Good luck Sarah, this is getting bigger by the day

[woodyloveslinkin]

9.14 a.m. St Mary's Hospital

 

Sarah waited at the end of Isabelle's bed as each female stared at each other in complete silence. Sarah was deep in thought and Isabelle was just getting freaked out by the second that someone was consistently staring at her. Isabelle frowned, as Sarah didn't take much notice of Isabelle's facial expression.

"Why are you staring at me like I'm some sort of freak?" asked Isabelle, as she sat up in her hospital bed. She started coughing and that's what caught Sarah's attention. Sarah frowned. "Oh please, I'm not going to die. It's just a cough." She managed to say as she went back to covering her mouth with her hand, as there was a sudden rush through Isabelle's ward doors and everyone's attention was on who was walking through the doors.

"Rob," the female FBI Agent started.

"Lee," he grumbled as he deterred himself from speaking to his partner and looked directly to Isabelle, who seemed so innocent but so frustrating at the same time for both of the Agents. "You, you're going to answer some questions even if you don't like it."

"Ah, okay in that case," Isabelle said, as she stopped her coughing. Sarah frowned at the possibility that she had been deliberately forcing up her coughs.

"All we ask is the truth to be told," Sarah told the teenager. "You're not going to get in any trouble if you tell the truth." Sarah thought it was quite ironic that statement considering the theories that the pair had come up with that told them that Isabelle was going to get in trouble either way. The teenager nodded. "Do you know Joanne Bourdon?"

"No," answered Isabelle.

"We said no lying," Rob couldn't help but to snap. "We have sources telling us that you and Joanne are like Siamese Twins stitched up at the waist."

"Yeah, so what if I know Joanne?" asked Isabelle. "Is it suddenly a crime?"

"No, but murder is," answered Rob, bluntly. "We know what's up Izzy."

"How so?" asked Izzy, looking like she was wanting a challenge.

"We've looked at the previous cases that thanks to you, we gained access to," Sarah started. "I don't think Ravyn is the one hiding something from us, I think you just want us to think that, don't you?" There was a still silence between the two FBI Agents and the teenager. "We don't know what you're playing at Isabelle-"

"Izzy!" snapped Isabelle, angrily. "You know not to call me by my fucking name, so why do it?"

"Why does it matter to you so much if we do?" asked Rob, as Isabelle's attention was diverted to the male FBI Agent. "Isabelle, Izzy, whatever, okay? We know you have several connections to the previous cases that were withheld from us on purpose. Is that what you're playing at? Did you blackmail your stepmother, who perfectly suits your plan as Houston's coroner into withholding information from us? What is it you're hiding from us? We know you know something and you're willing to go down with it, but what's the secret that's worth dying with, Izzy?"

"Why the hell should I tell you?" asked Isabelle, crossing her arms.

"Because what I'll personally see to, is that one of us drags you into the next state by your ankles and then we'll arrest you there, how's that for a threat that we, at the FBI, are willing to fulfil?" threatened Sarah, as she felt Isabelle was dancing on her last nerves. She had been trained to remain calm, but she was also trained to fulfil threats.

"What are you going to arrest me for?" laughed Isabelle. "It's a well-known law in Texas that we can choose to co-operate with the authorities."

"That's why we're going to drag you by your ankles into the next state, where it is by law, you have to co-operate with guys like us," Rob retorted. "Don't make us fulfil that threat, just don't."

"So you're threatening me now?" asked Isabelle. "You guys can lose your jobs for that."

"Only if the top guns find out, and you should know this government Izzy, it's good with covering up the truth and conspiracies and what nots," answered Sarah. "We know what you did to Kenji and his business. You deliberately destroyed the soil in his worm farm, why? I don't know, so I'm asking you now. Why did you get angry with him?"

"Because he was hurting my friend!" yelled Isabelle at the top of her voice. Her voice could be heard down the hallway but all everyone outside did was stop and question what the yelling was about. "You don't know what he did to her."

"Who's your friend?" asked Sarah.

"Joanne?" asked Rob, as Isabelle nodded. "How did he hurt her?"

"He was....doing stuff to her, you know the touchy touchy stuff and he threatened her that if she told, he would come after her and kill her," answered Isabelle. "If he said to you guys that she had quit from the job, it was because she told Benji and Benji came after him with a knife. She's been afraid of that man ever since she started work there, she's always had a bad feeling about him."

"Did Joanne report Mr Midnight?" asked Rob.

"No," Isabelle answered, shaking her head. "She was too afraid that no one would believe her, but I believed her, you should've seen the look in her eyes when she told me. She was also afraid that Kenji would come after her."

"So, let me get this straight, you came after Kenji with a manmade chemical, one that is unregistered according to our records, because Kenji was sexually abusing Joanne, who happens to turn out to be like your best friend?" asked Sarah, as the teenager nodded. "Why didn't you go to the authorities about this?"

"Because he had threatened me as well that he would come after me and that all Joanne was saying was bullshit and that Joanne belonged in a mental asylum," answered Isabelle. "Like her, even though I am younger than her, I was afraid that he was going to do the same to me."

"Is that why you intoxicated yourself with this poisonous substance?" asked Rob,as Isabelle slowly nodded. Rob couldn't believe what he just saw, it was an agreement. "Do you not know what happened to Megan? Do you not know what you're doing to yourself?" Sarah pulled Rob away by the arm into the corner of the wall. "I can't believe it."

"It still doesn't make sense," Sarah softly said. "Doesn't explain Megan's death or the other cases deaths. Doesn't explain why Kenji would turn himself in on a false basis."

"What if, Kenji was trying to turn himself early, so he could be put away for less then the time that he actually deserves," Rob pondered.

"I don't get it," replied Sarah. "Now, me not getting what you say, this has become a common occurance in our conversations. Is this your fault or is it mine?"

"Most probably yours," answered Rob. "What I mean by it, one murder in Texas isn't the same amount of time compared to rape in Texas. If I remember correctly, rape carries the death penalty, depending on the severity of the crime. If Kenji's hands have gone walkabouts and if we find out that the other cases, somehow, got touched, seeing most of them are women aren't they?" Sarah nodded. "Eureka. I'm going to get Joanne down here as soon as possible Lee, I don't care if she's in the middle of world domination. And I bet you a fifty dollar bill that she knew the other victims."

"Do you want me to get started on the girl?" asked Sarah. "The hospital cannot deny me access to what I need to help this girl live. The coroner can, cause she's stuck up and arrogant, but hospitals are government and insurance property, I can touch them and they can't deny me any access."

"You've been doing your research, Lee, very impressive," commented Rob.

"I don't need to do research when it's pretty damn obvious that the coroner's stuck up and difficult," remarked Sarah. Rob smiled as he couldn't help but to think that Sarah's previous remark had an element of truth in it. "Where are you going now?"

"I'm going to do some snooping around the hospital to try and track any member of staff that remember having any of the other previous victims, personally or professionally, just something to give me a standing ground with the previous victims," explained Rob. "I'll be waiting on Joanne's arrival, Lee. This is going to be interesting. But remember, we don't have much time to work and you need to start to get to work on this kid as soon as possible if you don't want to pay for the flowers that are provided to the deceased one's family as a token of our sincerity. Can you handle that Lee?" There was a certain look on his face that told Sarah that he was indirectly mocking her and questioning her ability as an investigator and a M.D. "Or do you need to be babysitted?"

"I won't let that fifty dollar bill go to waste, just say that, I'll get started straight away," smiled Sarah, remembering the bet that Rob had laid down in place. "Where's her father?" She couldn't help but to notice David's lack of presence in the room. Rob shrugged. "Ironic. Seeing how he totally snapped at Ravyn a couple of minutes ago. Literally told her to fuck off."

"I'm glad someone's putting her in her place, I sure can't, even as a civilised person and as an investigator," muttered Rob under his breath. He couldn't but to say that aloud, it had originally started out as a thought but it had to be said. Sarah looked a bit confused for a second about Rob's previous remark. "If that be the case, of Mr Midnight being a predator, I wonder if David or Ravyn know about Kenji's activities."

"I highly doubt that a father would place his daughter in the hands of a sexual predator, especially like someone who has David's character," Sarah cringed at such a thought. "And Ravyn, sure she's a bitch, but she's a woman, a human as well. I don't think she's that much of an evil...... stubborn person, to do that to someone of her own gender. I highly dismiss that theory straight away, I wouldn't even do that to my stepdaughter let alone my birth daughter."

"It was only a theory, you know how I like my theories," defended Rob.

"And you know how much l like a challenge," added Sarah, smiling. "Alright, I'll give Joanne a call and then I'll start on this one. Have fun snooping around."

"I'm only doing what I do best," remarked Rob, as he gave his FBI partner one last smile and left the room.

"Where did he go?" asked the teenager, as the remaining Agent turned around and smiled. "He's coming back isn't he?"

"Yeah he's just gone to the bathroom," answered Sarah, giving Isabelle a weak and fake smile. "You know guys, they can't hold it in for crap all."

[Blue Sky Turtles]

wow, i know i haven't been on much but i was appearing as a guest today and i read and i'm still like wow! what a twist. i say kenji in the long run gets stoned to death if what izzy is saying is true. but i dunno i don't think i can utterly trust izzy's words. gotta wait until they find out the real story hopefully from joanne i guess.

[LPNailz]

Keeps getting better

[woodyloveslinkin]

9.45 a.m.

 

Rob sat at a chair, hunched over and looking at the floor. He was deep in thought as usual, with a frown upon his face, as he looked to the ground through his glasses. The real reason why he was there was because he was waiting for Joanne to arrive at the hospital, as Rob assumed

This is unreal, rape allegations against Kenji coming from Izzy? He thought to himself. If that happen to be true, why hasn't David done anything about it? Has he even been told from his own daughter about this? If she was my daughter and she witheld it from, I don't know which one I would strangle first, the girl or the man. The girl, for not telling me sooner and for keeping it from me. The man, well, it doesn't take a genius to justify that one. He looked back up from looking at the tiled floor to see if he could see Joanne or even Benji. But no sign, left or right, or even straight ahead of him, just nothing. He looked back down at the floor and went back into a deeper state of mind. The question comes down to, can Joanne verify Isabelle's words? This is crazy really it is, it's a teenager's attempt to get me in bed, or some sick fantasy that I don't want to know of or have any knowledge of.

"Agent Harris?" asked Joanne, as Rob looked up in front of him to see Joanne standing there in a long beige overcoat, just by herself. No Benji. The Agent got to his feet and smiled. "How is she? How is Izzy doing?"

"She doesn't have very long to live we don't catch what is inside of her," Rob bluntly put to Joanne. "Take a seat, why don't you?"

"Oh, okay then, well, thanks," smiled Joanne, as she loooked and sounded a bit nervous at the same time. "Anything particular you wanted out of me, Agent?"

"I'm just here to ask you some questions, especially after what Isabelle just came out with, that's all," Rob answered Joanne's question, as Joanne sat down with him at the waiting chairs in the corridor. "Where's Benji, if I can ask?"

"He's at home today," answered Joanne as Rob slowly nodded.

"Mrs Bourdon are you aware of what Mr Midnight has been accused of?" asked Rob, as Joanne slowly shook her head. "There's been claims made that Mr Midnight has had his hands on you too many times, which led to your resignation and that he also had a taste for Isabelle." Joanne's face went suddenly ghostly pale and she went suddenly stiff. "Mrs Bourdon are you alright?" Rob was quick to notice Joanne's sudden change in colour. Joanne nodded. "Is there anything you want to tell us or anything that we can do for you? We can put you into witness protection, if you want."

"He deserves to be locked away that man," Joanne managed to say as her bottom lip started to quiver in anger. "The only reason why I'm still alive is because of Benji, even though..." Joanne trailed off in her sentence.

"Even though what?" asked Rob, as the feeling of having something that was solid to produce in court was starting to make him feel happy now.

"Benji's not the father to my daughter....guess who he is, I dare you," Joanne gave off a strong feeling that no one had expected. Even Rob, not knowing much about the Bourdon family and the affairs surrounding it, but he wasn't stupid.

"So it is true?" asked Rob. "Everything that Isabelle said in there, well she left out the part where Kenji's your daughter's father, that part she didn't mention at all." He was should've expected it, another twist to the story, but he didn't. "That part has surprised me, a lot. What do you want to do about him on the stuff that has happened to you? Are you going to seek action against him?"

"Why bother?" asked Joanne. "Benji said he'll take care of it."

"Don't take the law into your own actions Mrs Bourdon, I strongly suggest that," Rob strongly suggested to the woman. "So you're not going to take action against him?" Joanne shook her head. "Okay, look it's your own decision but what he did was illegal and even if you don't like it, the FBI is going to hand this matter over to the Texan authorities, on the baseline that Isabelle doesn't die as a result of it. If she does die, Kenji will be arrested with two or more counts of rape and if we find anything else to connect him directly to Isabelle's death, we'll, as in we as the FBI, will charge him with murder or even an accessory to murder if murder doesn't go through the jury very well. It is illegal, remember that." And then suddenly Sarah stormed out into the corridor as Rob's attention was shifted off Joanne and to Sarah who had someone's blood all over her and she was crying. Rob got to his feet as Joanne just sat there dwelling in her own problems, and grabbed his partner before she could continue on walking down the hallway and go into the ladies bathroom to cry. "What happened in there? Is Isabelle okay?" Sarah shook her head.

Sarah herself had Isabelle's blood over her surgeon's blue smock, as she was merely trying to remove the Fluke Worms from Isabelle. It had happened so quickly she could hardly remember and she knew she would be held accountable for Isabelle's death. She was crying heavily.

"Something went wrong, I don't know what happened, we went off to clamp some arteries because the Fluke Worms were travelling quickly, and she went into cardiac arrest, we couldn't stop it and we couldn't revive her," she cried heavily into her partner's chest, as she didn't want to touch him with her bloody hands. "We had plenty of time to work with, but we were moving quickly because we wanted to be finished by ten. I'm going to lose my job because of Isabelle's death am I?" Rob shook his head and patted the back of her head.

"There will be a full investigation in the procedures carried out and most probably for the time being you'll be suspended from your duties as an Agent, but I don't know I'm not one of those kind of people that can make that sort of decision right now," explained Rob. "Do you still want to do the autopsy?" Sarah nodded. "You go back to the hotel I'll stay here. There's been further claims made against Kenji in which now, since Isabelle has...past away, Kenji will be charged at a federal level, not at a state level if she were to live. You'll be okay, just keep telling yourself that, you'll be okay. You didn't kill her okay?" There was no response from Sarah as Sarah had never been in this position before and she was more shaken up and felt like she had just blown her job entirely, as her attitude had got her in a couple of hot spots before, but nothing like this. She had never stuffed up but she had heard of dire consequences of other people stuffing up and as a result, they had taken an innocent life.

"She was so young..." she mumbled, as more tears fell across the pores of her make-up covered face. "She was just so young..."

[Ravynlee]

Oh! Damn, man, not Izzy! You killed Izzy?! (is this payback or something for Ava? )

David's gonna KILL Sarah, as if the Draiman's didn't dislike her enough, first Ravyn, now David... ooh poor Izzy. Actually poor Sarah - even if she was only doing her job and WAS trying to help. Things like that kinda get pushed to the side when you're in shock and grieving, but still... I was shocked about Joanne's accusations about Kenji and their child - what a bastard! I hope he gets what's coming to him... but mind you, after all these twists I never know exactly who or what to believe anymore.

 

Great! But I still rekon Sarah wanna run from the Draiman's... And when the coroner finds out what happened I can bet, as traumatised as she may be supporting David and his grief, that she will be giving Sarah a REAL hard time, it will be coroner against coroner of sorts (even if Sarah isn't a coroner by trade but still... It's war!)

 

Great to see another update. Look forward to more. Also, totally unrelated, what's happened with Tourniquet?

[woodyloveslinkin]

It's still coming along, slowly, almost finished another chapter.

[woodyloveslinkin]

10.15 a.m.

 

Sarah walked through the carpark, without her bloodied surgeon's smock on her, with her hands cleaned of the blood of Isabelle Jenna Draiman that had just past away as a result of what Sarah felt like to be her neglegence. She only played the game by the books when it came to such situations, she never cut corners in her medical career but was known to cut corners in her detective work every now and then, and then eventually get in trouble for it. But yet somehow, she always got the case solved. It was just luck those few times or so she assumed. Not coicidences, just luck. Luck of the draw which happens for a reason. Without luck, Sarah had been taught, things cannot happen for a reason, and therefore, coicedences aren't luck but they are pointless events in time that is often mistaken for luck. She knew this had to happen for a reason, and she knew she was going lose her job from the FBI one way or another pretty soon, so she figured it better be now before she does the autopsy on Isabelle.

The images of the few minutes that they were inside the operating room kept on flying past her, as though they were intended to haunt her for something that she could not control. But even though the cardiac arrest was a surprise and it wasn't expected for everything to cave in and collapse so suddenly on them all, she felt responsible. She was only trying to prevent another death but instead, she felt like she had just contributed to another death in the case. She knew that Rob had to report it to the Pentagon or have his own job placed in danger and at the same time, she knew that Rob would stick up for her. He had stuck by her side just a few days ago when they were convincing the panel of officials to reinstate the Linkin Park Files.

She saw the car up ahead, the crappy old rental one that the FBI were paying for. She walked over to it, finally, as it seemed like it took her forever to walk over to it, as she was too busy dwelling in her own thoughts about what could have been and what wasn't. She turned the key and unlocked the driver's side. She opened the door and got inside. She looked to the files on the passenger side seat and frowned for a second and then realised there wasn't anything to frown about. She closed the door that she had just unlocked and leant across the passenger's seat to retrieve the files. She held them firmly in her grasp as she sat back up. She started to look through the contents of the various folders that she had in her grip. She started to look for something that might point her in the right direction. She just wasn't ready to go back to the safety of the motel room just yet.

Daniella Webster - Cause of Death: Cardiac Arrest - Time of Death: 1300: 11/22/05

Tara Denny - Cause of Death: Cardiac Arrest - Time of Death 1100: 10/10/06

All of these are cardiac arrests, Sarah frowned as she had seen this pattern before but something was there just sticking out at her but she couldn't figure out what it was. COD's are the same but the TOD's have a pattern to them. Megan died of a cardiac arrest around ten in the morning while Izzy, she died before the expected time had arrived. What if Kenji's playing a role in their deaths deliberately? But why? Why has Joanne not died yet if these claims are to be true? Oh god, what was her kid's name again? Could Kenji be only witholding Joanne's death because she has a kid?

There was a knock at the window which startled Sarah a bit. She turned to see the worse possible person that she could see right now, well one of them to be exact. She got out of her car and accidentally slammed the door shut behind her. She didn't know where to start with the apology.

"I've already heard, no need to start falling on your knees and apologsing for what you did in there today," the coroner said, as Sarah was astounded by how calm she sounded and how calm she looked. "Before you say anything, let me guess, she died of a cardiac arrest?" Sarah nodded. Ravyn did look down and Sarah hoped to God that Isabelle's sudden death would douse her attitude. "You don't need to explain yourself to me, but I will warn you that my husband will be very upset. I mean, Isabelle and I had our differences and even though she's a nice girl at times, when she wanted to be, we had our differences. David on the other hand, he adored the kid. He would do anything for her."

"You're not going to attack me or anything like that?" asked Sarah, a bit surprised. Ravyn shook her head. "I'm somewhat surprised that you haven't physically or verbally attacked me by now."

"There's no point anymore," answered Ravyn. "Like there's no point with me staying with David anymore." That made Sarah think hard for a second. She's going to leave him after he has just lost his daughter? "But I'm not that much of an android to do that to him. What went wrong in there, if I can ask?"

"We were in the process of trying to catch those liitle shits inside of her, we were clamping down arteries because she was starting to bleed too much," answered Sarah. "The next minute we know, we were trying to bring her back to life. It just happened to quickly, I'm still trying to get over it."

"In that case, I know why she died so quickly," Ravyn took Sarah by utter surprise. "You had startled them and they were only trying to get away from you. I saw it in another case that I had to overlook. The guy who was trying to extract them, ended up killing the victim. If you're going to play hero in the next time that this happens, you need to kill them with radiation."

"I can't do that, that'll be putting the victim's life at risk, and the last thing that I need on my plate is another death to my name," replied Sarah shaking her head. "And if you knew this, why didn't you say anything before?"

"That's not important of how I know and why I didn't come forward -"

"Isabelle is dead because of your lack of regard for the rules!" Sarah found herself interrupting and snapping at the coroner. "Along with countless other victims! I can hold you responsible for these deaths, do you not know that?" Sarah was angry that Ravyn knew this all along. "You're going to be arrested for conspiracy."

"I would've come forward earlier, but just say I couldn't if I wanted I wanted Matilda to live," Ravyn explained as Sarah saw in her eye the first glimpse of fear that Sarah hadn't seen before. "I think you know how I'm talking about when I say that."

"Kenji blackmailed you?" asked Sarah. There was no verbal response but instead, Ravyn nodded. "Blackmailed you with hurting Matilda if you didn't comply with his words?" She nodded again. "You're a fucking coroner you have connections to put these type of sick fucks away. How could you let him do this? Once this gets out, and by all means it's not like I don't already have no respect for you as anything, but once this gets out, David's bound to leave you, not the other way around, and your reputation as Houston's coroner will go down the hole. You'll be sacked and then jailed if find guilty. And depending on the severity of your guilty charge, you could even be sent to the chair." Now Sarah was just lying, there was no way that someone in Ravyn's position would be sent to the Texas' capital punishment list. She was just bluffing and she knew it was working.

"I know, that's why it's better for me to leave him now than later on the track," Ravyn replied. Sarah just stood there shaking her head in disbelief. She had never encountered such bullshit and melodrama in her life. Sure she had been on some pretty twisted cases, but seriously, she was starting to think that she was part of a midday show that was pointless to begin with and it's only sole purpose was to fill time between the ending of a good show and the starting of another.

"You do realise that once David finds out everything, he is bound to come after you, driven by high emotions because you could've prevented the death of his teenage daughter?" asked Sarah, as Ravyn nodded once again. "I'm glad you recognise that, but not glad at all that you've let Kenji do this to you. For the love of humanity Ravyn, she was only a kid, she hadn't even been out in the real world and experienced what we both have. You could've prevented this from happening."

"I know," Ravyn said softly. "I should've just ignored Kenji overrall."

"Kenji's going to be charged in an hour's time once we have a warrant to raid his house and I want you to be at the room so we can strike up a deal," Sarah offered. "If you're formally charged with whatever, it will only be then where you will be able to take whatever deal is made. But you've come forward, a little late though, but you've come forward at least. If you're worried about Kenji coming after you, go home now, but before you go home, pick up Matilda. Barricade yourself in the house. Are you going to do that?" Sarah felt like she was being sympathetic towards the woman now which was the last thing on her agenda right now. Ravyn nodded slowly. "Good. So I'll give you a call when we've got Kenji in custody. Okay?" Ravyn nodded as she left the scene without another word said or done.

Sarah got back into the rental car as she realised that she better go out to Kenji's place before she decided to go for a nap back at the hotel, like Rob had suggested. She was going to call Rob and tell him of this new revelation but decided that it was better off with her just handling the situation. And plus, Rob would throw a thousand and one questions at her either about Ravyn or why Sarah wasn't at the hotel like he had ordered her to go back to. She closed the door behind her and started up the engine. She reversed and then she continued to straighten up. She knew she shouldn't be doing this without Rob's presence or even his knowledge, but it just felt like she needed to handle it on her own. And plus, what could go wrong?

[Ravynlee]

And plus, what could go wrong?

Oh I love this set up! Haha great! Now we KNOW the shit's gonna hit the fan, awesome! But I have to say, that sorta gutted me a bit. Leaving David? See, I told you the Draiman's were actors, that whole happy family front WAS a facade, figures. Pity it took Izzy's death to uncover that - but I have to ask, maybe I read that wrong, but when Ravyn said Kenji was using Matilda essentially against Ravyn, were you inferring Kenji is her dad too and that's why Ravyn vaguely told Rob her father had died, out of shame? Was she another victim of Kenji's sordid little plot?? I guess would explain why the coroner, and as Sarah said, a woman with so much influence in law, could in essence turn a blind eye to his schemes, especially if it got out. People do strange things for their family - especially their kids - which again makes me think David's gonna be the one to avoid at this point in the game on all fronts.

 

And this Kenji's a bad MoFo that really needs his ass in the nearest slammer, ASAP - but still, makes me wonder just Why? WHY? Is he the kind of criminal that does bad things like rapes and blackmails and murders for the sheer sick thrill of it or is there really a simple explanation behind it? Hmm. Well I dunno, but seriously, as much as I think Ravyn has good intentions, I think leaving David now would not only kill him but would cement her as a real heartless bitch. I dunno how she, as emotionally cut off as she is, could be so blase about what happened. Death to anyone is bad enough but when you know them, especially on an intimate basis as in immediate family, I know shock comes in many forms, but that still doesn't justify her behaviour to me. If I were Sarah I'd be following Ravyn to get Matilda and dropping the kid off with her stepdad (yes he's grieving, but he'd probably appreciate some familiarity in his grief) and taking Ravyn straight into protective custody. At least there she can be questioned at length until Kenji's apprehended and let the two of them play their little game of 'He said, she said' to their dark hearts' content.

 

Sarah going off alone was a real stupid idea. Must be the heat and the pressure finally getting to her. Rob won't like that, I reckon, and I predict, that when Sarah finds herself in some sort of trouble, Rob will realise his true feelings for the woman he was pretending briefly was his other half. I reckon he'll start to warm to her beyond just being her boss and partner, if you catch my drift

 

Great as always. You always keep us guessing. Great job :ok:

[woodyloveslinkin]

10.45 a.m. The Lodge Motel

 

"Sarah?" asked Rob, as he knocked at her motel door. He saw no parked car outside in the parking lot. He knocked again as he turned the handle of the door. She had left it unlocked. He frowned, as he knew that it was not at all like Sarah to not lock her frontdoor. "Anyone home?" He opened the door and let it swing open as he stood in the doorway. The light from the outside shown into the dark motel room, lighting only a path which didn't even reach the end of the room. He was about to turn away and draw his cell phone out of his pocket when he heard some footsteps in the room, that weren't his. He turned around quickly and frowned. The sounds had stopped but he had already had in grasp of his gun that he kept on his waist. "FBI. Who's there?" Again, there was no response. Rob's eyes were darting across the room to see if there was anything that he could see out of the ordinary and his ears had never been in this much focus. Because there was no response he tried again. "FBI. I am armed." There were more footsteps and more scuffling, but this time he knew where it was coming from - the bathroom. He quickly but carefully made his way over to the bathroom door, listened for more noises and kicked the door open. "FBI! Drop your weapon!" But he was too late someone had disappeared through the open window. Rob ran to the window and looked out to see who it might have been who had been inside Sarah's motel room but they were too quick for him. "For the love of God! Some people in this stone age!" He lowered his weapon and placed it back inside it's holster on his waist. Then he noticed something particular. There was a clear liquid that filled the bath tub. It sure looked like water but Rob's nostrils were telling him otherwise. He pulled out his cell phone and dialled Ravyn's number, hoping that she wouldn't be too distraught to come down and check this out for him. He was no genius at Chemistry and he knew that this wasn't just vinegar.

After arguing on the phone for about ten or so minutes Ravyn agreed to come down and coorporate with the federal investigation, something that was quite out of her character Rob couldn't help but to notice. He knew that for someone to be a coroner these days, they had to have thorough chemistry knowledge. Rob didn't imply that he was bad at chemistry, it just wasn't his field of expertise and he was sure that this unique smell that this weird chemical was letting off, was something that he hadn't been in contact before with.

Rob left the bathroom after getting off his cell phone with Ravyn and flopped on Sarah's large double bed that had been newly made by the maid's that had obviously been in or there would be packets of all sorts of food still lying around the place.

 

11.15 a.m.

 

There was a knock at the Sarah's door. Rob opened his eyes as he realised he had fallen asleep after flopping on Sarah's bed and lying on it outstretched and everything. He got to his feet and yawned.

"Robert, are you going to stuff me around or do you want me to help you with this investigation?" asked Ravyn who was waiting impatiently outside. Rob rolled his eyes at her attitude and opened the door. "Why hello, I do believe you called me regarding some abstract matter."

"Take a look at what's filling Sarah's bathtub and you'll get the gist of why I called you here," explained Rob as the woman let herself into the motel room that belonged to the FBI Agent who was supposed to be here, but Rob was more concerned about other matters. She probably stopped off at a gas station or something, Rob thought to himself, not in complete confidence. Ravyn looked not at all convinced but until she opened the door to the bathroom was she convinced that something major had just happened. "Explain to me what it is." She slammed the door and turned around to him who was by his side. "So?"

"Even by smelling the damn thing makes me ill, do you not know what it is Robert?" asked the coroner.

"I wouldn't have called you down if you I did know what it was now, would I?" retorted the FBI Agent, as he crossed his arms. "Now cut the crap and tell me what it is." Rob had to restrain himself from calling her the name Bennington because he had become so used to calling her that in their past meetings.

"Someone is after your partner in crime and that in there, it's the same chemical composition that's the centre of these deaths, including Isabelle's sadly," Ravyn looked like she was either going to start crying or burst out in angry rage directed at the FBI Agent, or so that's what Rob thought that was going to happen. "Look, I have work to do and that's mainly dealing with the papers surrounding Isabelle's death."

"That's all you're going to say?" asked Rob. "I mean, about Isabelle. You don't even look like you've mourned over her death. Has David been notified?" Ravyn shook her head. "Why not? He is after all the girl's father."

"I've got to go home in a couple of hours anyway, so it's been arranged that I will tell him, me being his wife and the coroner at the same time, that's all," answered Ravyn. "I'm putting on a brave face here Rob and it's starting to get hard to maintain. Cut me some slack, get off my back about Isabelle's death. I had no direct involvement in fact from what I can recall, I had no involvement in it all. I think the person you should be shooting the answers towards is Sarah, not me. I'm not the one that killed her afterall."

"She didn't kill Izzy," Rob calmly defended. "She was only doing her job and now it looks like someone's after her as well. Why would they put that stuff in the bathtub?"

"Because after a couple of hours the odour is gone and she's going to think it was just plain old water, and you know what you do when you get cold water in a bathtub and you want to bathe in it? You mix hot water in it and that's a killer composition," Ravyn explained.

"That's actually got me thinking now that you mention it," said Rob who found himself thinking aloud and revealing his theories to someone who in the first place refused to cooperate with the federal investigators. "Is it the same substance found in all the other cases?"

"Yeah, all of the cases had high levels of the substance, Nitrohydrogenic Acid," answered Ravyn, nodding her head as she recalled the details. "But who'll want to kill your friend Robert? David has no knowledge of it."

"I say we pay Mr Midnight a visit, but still, that doesn't explain.." Rob found himself trailing off again. "What can that do to people when it's mixed in with hot water?"

"It's an acid Agent Harris, it has the potential to do anything to our skin or to our internal parts," Ravyn explained. "I don't think Mr Midnight has the guts to come after a FBI Agent."

"What makes you so sure of that?" asked Rob, briskly. "He's come after various other women what makes Sarah so different?"

"It's just a theory," Ravyn answered softly. "What if, this solution is the sole component of this worm-attack thing you've got on your hands?"

"We've already had several confessions that the soil was tampered with to get back at Kenji, I don't think he's the one that's done this," answered Rob. "I think Isabelle did it to herself to protect herself from Kenji. In the case of Megan, we're still figuring that out."

"No, that's not what I mean," frowned Ravyn. "Out of all my few years in the area of legal investigation compared to my medical investigation, what if this is the thing that creates the worms? It gives birth to these worms?"

"We had a theory that it is the thing that mutates the worms," replied Rob. "But if it is true that this composition of what was it? Acid and hot water can create these worms how would it not eat into their own skins?"

"Like I said before, it can do internal damage and it has been known in several cases to change the behaviour pattern on its victims," answered Ravyn. "There have been several examinations done in the past that have proven that these are not ordinary worms. Their flesh is thicker after being exposed to this type of chemical and their behaviour patterns are somewhat, supernatural." Rob couldn't believe it. She knew all along and she hadn't told anyone. Rob maintained his calm though. "Robert, I didn't want to tell you for reasons I've already explained to the other half of this investigation but any sort of radiation can kill these creatures, even radiation from the simplest of man-made machines such as x-rays. Take a look at Chernobyl. Radiation caused mutation but it's the opposite way around, it didn't cause it, this manmade chemical made it. These worms aren't normal."

"Yeah we've figured that point out already thanks," answered Rob, bluntly. "So how do you think we can stop these worms?"

"Stop the instigator," answered Ravyn. "I couldn't have put it better myself but yes, after what I've seen and heard, yes, I do think it's Mr Midnight."

"Okay, let's run it past me one more time, it seems to whacky to be true this case," Rob concluded. "We've concluded from day one that what we're dealing with, aren't ordinary worms, am I right?" She nodded. "That's good to know. So this acid, the um...what was it again? Nitrohydrogen Acid when mixed in with hot water creates these worms that seem to be like something out of Teenage Ninja Turtles?" She nodded again. "And we don't know how they enter the body and leave the body?" She shook her head.

"I had a theory when this first started happening, that once the victim bathes in this, or consumes in it some way, the worms are created inside the body as the skin's natural reaction to moisture is to soak it in, but that's all what was said there was no way to prove it at that stage," Ravyn added. "But if you want to prove it yourself, I say go ahead."

"How do you know the radiation works?" asked Rob, a bit sceptical.

"They tested it on similar species," answered Ravyn. "Other than that, no one had the guts to test it on themselves. They wouldn't expose themselves to either that much of radiation needed to kill the things and at the same time, they didn't want to step near the bath full of this dangeous substance." A million things were going through Rob's head. Should I? Should I prove something that might end up costing me my life or even my job? "What do you have in mind? Not any crazy ideas, I hope."

"Get it all set up, the radiation and the specimen Sarah managed to retrieve from Megan's crime scene," said Rob, stubbornly.

"Are you crazy?" asked Ravyn. Rob nodded. "I should've seen this coming. You do realise you're going to expose yourself to high levels of radiation that can lead to further problems in life, like cancer for an example? Are you willing to risk all of this just so you can prove it?" Rob nodded. "You're a brave soul. What about Kenji?"

"He can wait for an hour or two, right now, I'm making my case stronger against him, he's either doing it again over these years or we've got a serial copycat on our hands that turns out to be Kenji," answered Rob. "Why are you just standing there? Don't you have things to arrange for this assessment?"

"You should see a therapist before you do anything," suggested Ravyn, bluntly.

"Just do it before I do it and then you'll look like an apathetic nut!" snapped Rob. "For the love of Isabelle, I'm trying to prove something here!" Ravyn muttered something and then walked away without saying another word. "Women these days...."

[Ravynlee]

Now it's all coming together...

[woodyloveslinkin]

12.09 p.m.Midnight's Trout and Salmon Fisheries

 

Sarah sat in her car. Looking around to see if there was any sign of the person she was bound to arrest by the end of the day. She had been sitting in the old model of the car for a couple of minutes now, waiting patiently and listening to the soft sounds around her that told her that Mother Nature was out in full force today. The Agent didn't know if Isabelle's father had been told yet but she had to admit to herself that she didn't want to be around the man when the news was announced. The Agent had experienced what grief leads people to do, many times before. She was a bit nervous as well. More of the reason that she was going behind her boss's back right now and she knew that there were going to be repercussions if everything didn't turn out the way she wanted it to turn out the right way.

Finally, she was sick of waiting in the car. She had hiked out on many watches on suspects before but none so confusing and sneaky as the character of Mr Kenji Midnight. She opened the door of the car and slammed it shut. She didn't look around outside because she had seen what was around her before, just the plain old outskirts of Houston.

"Kenji?" she asked, as she came to a side entrance of his business where tanks of water seemed to ripple in the breeze that was rattling in the Agent's brilliant red hair that bounced up and down with every movement. "It's Agent Lee from the FBI. Just here to ask a couple of questions that's all." There was just silence. Sarah had a feeling that eyes were watching here but she turned around to see if someone was there, but no one. She turned around again. "Isabelle's dead." No response. Sarah sighed. "Okay, no sympathy, right." She started to walk towards the tanks that were filled with the clear liquid. She stopped as soon as she reached the first one and looked inside. She frowned as she realised something wasn't right. Instead of happily swimming around fish, there was just dead fish floating on the surface of the water. About a dozen or so. She now knew something wasn't right about the place. She continued her walk to the other tanks to see the exact same thing - dead fish floating on the surface of the water. She pulled her cell out of her pocket to notify Rob of this startling and gruesome revelation that might just hold Kenji to an animal crime if they couldn't in the end hold him to Isabelle's and Megan's deaths. She flipped open her cell and started to dial.

And as soon as she did that, a dark shadow appeared behind her, whacked her over the head with a blunt object and knocked her out. She fell to the dusty floor as blood started to seep out from the wound on the back of her head and onto the ground. Black gloves grabbed her hands and dragged her away.

Her cell laid on the ground as it laid on the floor with a notification on the main screen

Calling ... Rob Harris

 

12.12 p.m. The Lodge Motel

 

Rob's cell phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and went outside into the fresh air outside Sarah's hotel room. He looked to the screen. It was Sarah calling. Rob felt a bit of relief strike him like a fresh wave of water.

"Sarah, thank God you're calling me, I was worried, where did you go?" he asked as he was very eager to get in contact with his FBI partner. He waited for a response but he couldn't hear anything on the other line. "Sarah? Are you there? Lee? Where are you?" Just no response, no nothing. "Lee, where in God's name are you? What's happening?" He heard Ravyn's cell phone go off inside but ignored it once he realised that she had just picked up. He went back to his conversation that he was trying to make happen with Sarah. "Sarah, where are you?" No response. It was very unlike Sarah for her to play a joke on him as serious as this. "Sarah!" Again, no response. He slammed his cell phone shut and tried to calm himself down. He had this bad feeling that something had happened to Sarah and it was something very bad. But where could she had gone off to? He put his cell phone back into his pocket, turned around and went back inside to join Ravyn. As soon as he had entered Sarah's motel room, he could instantly tell that something was wrong with Ravyn. "What's wrong?"

"Fine, I'll be right over, just don't do anything, okay?" asked Ravyn into her cell. "Just stay there okay?" Ravyn slammed her cell phone shut and looked a bit teary.

"What just happened?" asked Rob.

"David's been told of Isabelle's death and he's gone, what's the right term I'm looking for here?" she muttered to herself at the end of her sentence. "Oh yeah, psychotic."

"What do you mean?" asked Rob, frowning.

"I think you should come along to try and calm him down," Ravyn suggested. "Because I really don't think he's going to listen to me. I just hope he doesn't do anything to Matilda." Rob nodded slowly, but thought for a second that this might be some sort of emotional trap that she was setting him up in. But he looked in her eyes and she was worried. He had never seen this side of her before. Ravyn walked past him and opened the door. She didn't exit the room but merely turned around and frowned at the FBI Agent. "Are you coming or not?"

"Do I really have a choice?" asked Rob.

"No," answered Ravyn. "What kind of stupid question is that?"

 

12.45 p.m. Draiman Residence

 

As soon as Ravyn and Rob left the safety of the car that was parked in her driveway, Matilda came running out crying her eyes out. Ravyn ran up to her child and held her in her arms, as she frowned.

"Everything's going to be okay," she tried to comfort the child, as she assumed the child was upset about the death of Isabelle. "Isabelle's gone to a better place."

"It's not Isabelle, go look inside," the child told her through blind tears as Ravyn and Rob exchanged worried glances.

"What's inside?" asked Rob, coming up to the child.

"Go look," the child buried her head in her mother's arms.

"You better look, I'll be here with her," suggested Ravyn, as Rob and her glances were still locked. Rob nodded.

"Should I be expecting the worst?" asked Rob. Ravyn merely shrugged as the child cried harder. Rob nodded again as he walked past the mother and the child on the lawn and walked inside through the open front door. He stopped in the doorway and looked to the corner of the room that he remembered greeting Isabelle and David the evening that he had pretended to be Sarah's husband and almost wanted to choke on his own breath. There sat a corpse of David against the wall, with a shotgun in one hand and a bloody bullet hole in his head. "Oh god." Rob had suspected that David was going to react badly out of grief to the news of Isabelle's death but he never thought that the man would kill himself. Now Rob now knew why Matilda was crying.

[Ravynlee]

There sat a corpse of David against the wall, with a shotgun in one hand and a bloody bullet hole in his head.

WHAT?!

 

Have you seen the Inside the Fire clip by any chance - David with the shotgun in his mouth thing? Jesus... I didn't see that coming... I don't like it... :'( But I understand it. Something of course tells me despite the obvious suggestion that again this second member of the Draiman family to perish was no accident, it was purpetrated by someone else and made to look that way... unless of course David really was grief-striken or guilty perhaps, maybe he really was behind it all... but I don't think so.

 

If I know you Sarah, as a writer, I can almost predict this isn't going to be as black-and-white as it seems...

A shock of course, but otherwise good. No, not good, David shouldn't have gone out like that, he was too tough to die like a coward, but again I'm thinking it's not as it seems to be. Prove me wrong

 

As for what happened to Sarah, what can I say, I suspect she had that coming. And I'm also half expecting to find those gloved hands are probably feminine ones, not Mr Midnight as you've elluded. We'll see.

 

Good.

~Rav

[woodyloveslinkin]

6. 15 p.m. The Lodge Motel

 

Rob sat in front of the television, in his own room. He had a handful of papers laid down in front of him as he was sitting in the middle of his double bed. He frowned when he diverted his attention from the series of images flashing in front of him inside that small box to one of the papers in front of him. He picked it up and re-read it for the third time this evening. A story cut short, it was a suicide that he had been faced with when he had entered the Draiman's residence earlier on this evening. The papers said so, but Rob just shook his head again in denial. Something wasn't right. First the communication between him and his FBI partner had been shut down completely, leaving him worried and stressed out and now this, the forensic team down at the hospital had proven that the only killer that was responsible for David's death was himself, David had killed himself. Everything didn't fit in as well as it should've. This case had taken so many turns, so many left and rights, that it had confused the daylights out of a well trained and experienced Agent such as himself.

He picked up his phone and tried dialed Sarah's number again that was left on his redial list. He had begged her to pick up so much that he had lost count how many he had begged to himself for her to pick up. He knew she was in some sort of danger, but he wasn't sure. Moments later, Sarah's cell phone rung out, once again. He exhaled deeply as he closed his cell phone in his palm. As soon as he had shut the cell someone had started to call him. He looked to the display screen to see who was calling him, it was an unknown number.

"Harris," he answered blankly.

"Rob,"

"Ravyn?"

"Yeah, that's...me.."

Her voice was shaky and he swore she had been crying for half the night given David's sudden suicide. He thought at first when Ravyn was planning to concrete herself as a heinous bitch in David's books by leaving him after his daughter's death.

"Are you okay?"

God, that was a stupid question, no she's not okay, her freaking husband has just killed himself!

"Um..I'm not sure to be honest, I mean, what were the findings?"

"He did kill himself, I'm sorry,"

"No! He wouldn't kill himself!"

"Like I said before I'm sorry and I know you must be finding it hard to cope with two deaths that were pratically side by side, but the report doesn't lie. And I hate to say it, but it's not my problem if you refuse to accept the findings. Remember, the findings come from trained people in this type of area." All he heard was silence on the other end of the phone line. "It's hard to understand right now for you, but I'm telling the truth and I doubt these people are lying."

"You know why it's so hard to understand right now, Robert?"

"Why?"

"Because suicide was completely out of David's nature, he wasn't depressed and he wasn't suicidal. There's got to be some sort of mistake. And I know I might sound like I'm in denial to you but it's the truth."

"The angle that he was shot at was a perfect shot to say that it was suicide. He had gunpowder residue on his hands, is there some more things that I need to point out to you or are you just going to argue with me?"

"Do you think I'm lying, Robert?"

"Not at all, but the report says otherwise, it's right in front of me if you continue on in your disbelief. You need to accept these things to move on."

"And there's no connection between Isabelle's death and David's?"

"Not that we can find right now,"

"Has Kenji at all been questioned over these deaths?"

"We don't think that Kenji was involved in David's death for one second unless the evidence turns us around and points us in another direction. And as far as Isabelle's death, we haven't managed to track him down."

"What do you mean?"

"We've got the police department and teams out there tonight looking for Kenji as Sarah's disappeared,"

"She's gone? How?"

"Simple, she never came back to her motel room, and the person that's been on everyone's suspect list ever since we found out what Kenji has been up to, is none other but Kenji Midnight,"

"Not even any credit card transactions?"

"Nope,"

"No nothing to tell us where he has gone?"

"I would be lying if I told you that I knew where he was. I am as worried as you are about Sarah's disappearance and what Kenji has been doing these past months or even years, we don't know to be exact."

"And call yourself part of a government organisation?"

"I'm doing the best I can in this case and you should know that as well as I do!"

"She could be dead for all we know, really,"

"Don't think that way,"

"Why not?"

"Look, why did you call me up? Was it to stir me up and question my authority over this matter or was it so you can talk to me while you grieve your husbands death? Because right now, I don't know what your purpose is and frankly, you're wasting my valuable thinking time."

"I rang up to talk to someone, because right now, I'm finding it hard to tell Matilda why she saw David put a bullet through his head, I'm finding it hard coping with his death,"

"What about Isabelle's death?"

"I grieve in different ways, I mean, sure she had her negative sides, don't we all? But even though I didn't show it always, I really cared for that girl, we had our differences and yeah, I do miss her around here. I miss how she would randomly come up to me and make a joke about my height -"

"You're not that short,"

"Everyone who's shorter than Isabelle was a hobbit in her eyes,"

"Interesting way of perception,"

"I know tell me about it,"

"Well, that be the case, do you want to come over here with Matilda and you and her can take Sarah's empty motel room next to mine?"

"Should I be worried that you're being so nice?"

"The question is, should I be worried that you're being so co-operative? How do I know that you're not going to turn around and....stab me in the back with an evil scheme of yours?"

"You can't be serious, Robert, would I do that?"

Rob was about to say something back about that topic, but decided to keep his mouth shut about what he was thinking. He knew he didn't want to pick a fight with a woman whose husband had just killed himself and was in denial about it.

"You coming over or what?"

[woodyloveslinkin]

7. 18 p.m. Abandoned Warehouse, 75 Gilgong Road

 

The nerves in Sarah's body was making her shake uncontrollably. Her breathing pattern hadn't slowed down. She opened her eyes as she remembered the last of what she could remember. She was only about to call Robert when she was struck with something. She looked around as she realised she had her hands bound behind a chair. Just a storage room, of old products neatly stacked on top of each other on rusty old shelves. She was in the back of the room with a light bulb dangling down in front of her.

Where was she?

What had happened to her?

She wasn't gagged and the only thing that was hurting was the back of her head where she had been hit. She screwed her fists into two balls and tried to see if the ropes were loose enough for her to get out of them by turning her wrists in different directions. The only thing that she achieved was rope burn from the rope, in which she cringed as she gave up that attempt.

She couldn't hear anyone or hear anything except the sound of her own heavy breathing. She let a tear out, as her eyeliner had already been smudged from external forces. Her face had been smeared with her own makeup, the red lipstick that matched her red curly hair had been smeared across her face and her black mascara and eyeliner that illuminated her dark blue eyes had been smeared across her face as though a villian had done out of a Hollywood movie.

She bit her bottom lip, anxious to hear anything else other than the sound of her heavy breathing. Just anything would do right now.

Should she make a sound and be shot or something else horrible done to her?

Or should she stay silent and let no one find her here that could possibly be her only way out of this somewhat difficult situation?

A shiver went down her spine as she started to think the worst of thoughts as that one tear she had previously shed had turned into many by now. She was going to die and for once, she was afraid of it. She thought out of all the things to kill her and all the things that she had investigated in her career as an Agent for the FBI working on her beloved Linkin Park Files, this was going to kill her. Not a mutated monster that was still human that she had investigated in Virginia, not that little girl who had a tendancy to kill people all around her when things didn't go her way, and not even Luther Lee Boggs, the sick serial killer that was wanting Sarah to burn on a stake for investigating the people that he had killed deaths. Not even a bullet in the number of showdowns she had been involved with involving the local authorities and her ex-partners.

She wasn't sure if it was just the adrenaline getting to her paranoia about the situation but she felt the temperature drop suddenly and she shivered again as goosebumps started to appear on her white arms that she hadn't had a chance to brown in the sun.

"Hello Agent," came a voice that caught her off guard completely. She was half expecting it to be the voice of Kenji's but it wasn't.

"B...enji?" she asked almost choking on her disbelief and of course, her own words. She looked up to see the shadowy figure of Joanne's husband, the one man, that Sarah realised had never been questioned about the deaths of Isabelle, Megan and of the latest one, David's. His expression was stern and his walk was swift but still remaining so serious. She sniffled. "Benji, you don't have to do this."

"What am I doing?" asked Benji, as he pulled a chair out from the darkness of the shadowy corner and sat down on it, backwards. He folded his arms on the back of it and rested his chin on top of his folded arms. "What am I doing that's so wrong?"

"You just kidnapped a federal Agent, I hope you see sometime soon what the consequences are and also the severity of the crime," answered Sarah, knowing that she would be skating on thin ice. But it was in Sarah's nature to skate on thin ice with all kind of people, her fellow Agents, committee members, Rob of course and her own mother.

"I didn't kidnap you," retorted Benji. "I'm not that stupid."

"So why am I under the impression that you're not here to sweep me off my feet and save the day?" asked Sarah.

"That's not the point," Benji replied smoothly as he got to his feet.

"But the point is, you're going to be an accessory to kidnapping and do you want that?" asked Sarah, as her eyes glazed in the dim light and Benji walked towards her. "What are you doing?" Benji stopped in front of her and looked at her.

"You would be pretty as a doll," he commented. "Red hair and blue eyes...such a dreamy combination don't you think?" Sarah didn't reply, she was too angry and too confused at the same time to reply to him. He wiped a tear away with a finger and looked at her as though he wanted to say something. "You would make the perfect doll. Such a beautiful combination, mind you, I appreciate your wit and how smart you are."

"If you appreciated how smart I was, you would've realised you're going to do some hard time behind bars once they find me," retorted Sarah, angrily. "Benji, why are you doing this? You perfectly know well what you're risking, why do it?"

"Because sometimes, nothing is ever enough," answered Benji. "You FBI Agents, poking their big noses into business you should've stayed away from day one. I thought I made it clear to your kind that I wanted to never see you around the area again."

"What do you mean?" asked Sarah, frowning. "You've never said anything like that to me or my partner."

"Maybe you should ask Robert what our history is like together," answered Benji. "Given that Rob shouldn't have gone on this assignment, I think he knew damn well what he was up against. You know what's so funny about Rob? He'll turn a blind eye to anything."

"That's certainly untrue," debated Sarah. "If you're here to kill Rob, what do you want with me?"

"Such a cutie," she heard Benji whispered as he smeared her makeup across her face and Sarah frowned. She tried to pull away but Benji had grabbed hold of her chin and turned her head so that they faced one another. "I'm not after Robert, Sarah, I'm here to save my ass from you sleezy FBI Agents who walk all over my soil."

"For the love of God Benji, stop the hard ass act, no one's ever going to believe you're evil and ruthless," came the one voice Sarah was expecting to hear, Kenji. Kenji came out of the shadows with a cigarette smoking in one hand and a small evil smile on his face. Benji turned around as Kenji stopped in front of Sarah.

"Good evening Agent," greeted Kenji, as he took a drag out of his cigarette. Sarah didn't answer. "Do I have to repeat myself Agent?" He blew the excess smoke in Sarah's face as she was too late to close her eyes and the smoke stung her eyes. She reopened them moments later, with her eyes full of water as a reaction to having smoke blown in her eyes. "I said good evening Agent Lee!"

"Kenji, I should've guessed you were going to be the next person who was going to walk out of the shadows," muttered Sarah. "Pull a rabbit out of a hat and then you'll have me stunned."

"You're in no position to give me cheek, Agent," retorted Kenji. He turned to Benji. "Be so kind Benny, and untie her."

"Why?" protested Benji. "She'll call the rest of them on us!"

"She can't do it when she doesn't have anything to contact them with," replied Kenji, calmly and smoothly. "Do it and next time don't question me. I hate it when people question me and my authority."

"Will do so," she heard Benji mumble under his breath. He walked behind Sarah as she saw Kenji walk away slowly and soon felt her hands being freed.

She didn't get it at all. Why was she being freed so easily? Sarah frowned as she realised there was going to be a catch to her being released. No one as smart as Kenji would free such a powerful government Agent just like that and not think about the consequences of his actions. She knew he wasn't stupid.

"What's the catch Kenji?" asked Sarah, as she got to her feet and nursed her sore wrists. Kenji stopped and turned around, holding nothing in his hands. "What is it going to be Kenji? You're not going to release me just like that. Unless you're that stupid."

"Do you honestly think Agent Lee, that I'm that stupid to let you go like that?" asked Kenji.

"I was merely making the same point," commented Sarah.

"We're going to play a game," said Kenji, as Sarah stopped nursing her sore wrists that had suffered rope burn. "No weapons of any nature, we're going to do old school style, using our bodies and nothing else."

"A game, huh?" asked Sarah. "This should be interesting. What are the rules and what are the prizes?"

"If I win, I get to attend your funeral, and if you win, you get to attend mine," answered Kenji. "But there's more to the game. The loser gets to go to either hell or heaven, depending how good we've been. Been to church lately Agent?" Sarah answer his question but remained by her silence. "We fight to the death. Two against one." Sarah saw Benji take Kenji's left side.

"Before I die or you die, do you mind getting something off your chest for me?" asked Sarah.

"Anything for you cutie pie," answered Benji, with a nasty smirk on his face in which Sarah was repulsed by such a name.

"Tell me the story of Isabelle's death and Megan's death," requested Sarah. "You've really got us Agents in a knot about their deaths."

"Isabelle was a bitch and she took her own life because she refused to follow orders," Benji answered for Kenji, in which Kenji wasn't too impressed about.

"Excuse me, but I think the Agent was talking to me," Kenji looked at Benji and then looked back to Sarah. "Isabelle went down with something I wanted to know, she wouldn't tell me so she took her own life. She saturated her skin with the chemical and she made sure she was going to die. Stubborn little bitch."

"What secret went down with her?" asked Sarah. "What did you want to know?"

"Where she had hidden the million dollars that she had inherited from her grandfather," answered Kenji. "No one knew about the money, but she let it slip to me one day and to one other person, Megan."

"So you killed Megan for not telling you where the money was?" asked Sarah, as Kenji nodded.

"The bitch knew it was coming and did nothing to prevent her own death," answered Kenji. "And as for the other cases, I have my other reasons."

"What about Winnie?" asked Sarah. "Is it true what you did to Joanne?"

"Kenji wasn't found guilty of that charge," defended Benji. "He was set free, look, he's a free man Agent Lee! He did nothing to my Joanne. It was all her! She started rumours about him because Kenji didn't want the child and nor did I. She consented it to it, she even told me that! See what Joanne has done to your mind? She's made you believe that Kenji's some sort of serial rapist!"

"What about Matilda, is she your child?" asked Sarah, to Kenji as he shook his head. "Who's her father then, Kenji?"

"Your crime fighting partner, Agent, is as far as I am aware," replied Kenji. Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "She goes around telling everyone that her father is dead. In all truth to be told Agent Lee, she does it out of shame."

"But you touched Megan didn't you, Mr Midnight?" asked Sarah, with a smile on her face, knowing that she was right. There was nothing but silence. "And you touched Isabelle with your greedy hands didn't you?" Again, nothing from either Kenji or Benji.

"Just shut up before I blow your brains out!" yelled Benji.

"The question really comes down to, how did you manage to pull it all off?" asked Sarah."I need to know before I either die kicking your ass or live because I kicked your ass."

"Easy, with the right chemical training and the right plan, deaths are easier to pull off than reciting the alphabet," answered Kenji. "Come on Agent Lee, enough of this chit-chat it's deterring me and it is starting to annoy me. Are you going to fight me or we going to stand here all night playing twenty questions?"

[Ravynlee]

"What about Matilda, is she your child?" asked Sarah, to Kenji as he shook his head. "Who's her father then, Kenji?"

"Your crime fighting partner, Agent, is as far as I am aware," replied Kenji. Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "She goes around telling everyone that her father is dead. In all truth to be told Agent Lee, she does it out of shame."

I knew it! Well, I suspected that way back atthe start, but finally NOW we know (if we can trust a parasite like Kenji) Rob's the dad! There ya go. Weird that the criminals know so much about everyone else but people know so little about them - then I guess that's the nature of the beast, and the business. I must say the notion of those two going head-to-head was a tad... James Bond-ish for me. Actually I was thinking about Austin Powers when Dr Evil has the overexorbitant plans to kill Austin and Scot is like 'just pow, I'll grab my gun we can do it together right here, right now.' That's what i was thinking of - I much prefer Scotty's way of reasoning as far as 'revenge' goes. Or at least being 'bad' and disposing of the 'good' characters that are trying to put you away.

 

I still think though that Kenji is too good at lying and twisting the truth to believe much of anything he says - and I still think that Sarah's too sarcastic for someone facing a literal hiding from a self-confessed murderer. Kenji's a real bastard - and I'd almost want him to win, if it weren't for the fact he's ruined so many people's lives - like Ravyn's family. I guess that's how it goes.

Wondering if Rob will get to Sarah in tme - or if maybe he's going to be distracted with his old flame and their child now in the mask of consolingher grief to think straight.

 

And while we're on the subject I'm almost inclined to think Ravyn, for her part, the way she seems to have flipped on her feelings towards both Isabelle and David, makes me wonder if she;s not still somehow in league with Kenji in acting so stricken to weaken Rob's defences and keep him busy while kenji has his fun with Sarah. I'd hate to say it but i don't believe Kenji or Ravyn. I still think if she (Ravyn) isn't involved in Kenji's plan the way she has been throwing spanners in the investigation from the start then if she's not involved she wants to be - and I think maybe if Kenji's not blackmailing her, maybe she's smitten with him in his psychosis to do whatever he wants for him. Just my take on it. They're both too shifty - regardless what the 'clues' say.

 

Sarah, I think, will be extremely lucky if she A) manages to walk away from this with her life and

B) doesn't come out of this victim to some new parasite that Kenji the murdering bastard hasn't manufactured in his den of debauchery and death...

 

Oh and Benji's appearance as Kenji's sidekick (they sound like twins!) was an amusing twist to say the least... Just wanted to mention that is all.

[woodyloveslinkin]

7.30 p.m.

 

"Agent Lee, don't be afraid," said Kenji as he stood at the end of one of the aisles with a shotgun in his hand. Sarah was at the other end of the aisle hiding around the corner as she struggled to understand what was happening. He had previously stated no weapons of any kind but as doing so Sarah was foolish enough to believe what he had to say for himself. She didn't even trust the man about what he had said before, Rob being the father of Ravyn's daughter Matilda, Megan dying because she knew where that money was, did the Agent even believe the liar at all? She couldn't even give herself a dignified answer because she was too confused and the tears down her face silently made their way down her face. She could feel her heart racing in her chest and she was afraid that she might go into cardiac arrest because her body couldn't handle the adrenaline that she was experiencing and that her heart was beating too fast to operate properly. She didn't know where Kenji's faithful sidekick had gone off too but secretely she wanted Rob to come and save the day, or just anyone right now. She knew from exeperience that FBI Agents that have gone missing on a case, usually get found sooner or later. "Agent Lee, come out. I just want a chat." She frowned as she thought to herself.

So what? There will be a hospital bed waiting for me with my name written over the God damn thing? God, does he think I'm stupid? Of course, I'll come out and talk, and blow his fucking brains out. Where the hell is Rob when you need him?

She heard his footsteps walking away, as Kenji was looking through the different aisles of shelves that had products stacked on them in a neat fashion. She didn't want to fight unarmed and against a maniac with a shotgun in one hand and in the other, a mind that deserves to be assessed and sent to a mental hospital for a lifetime of imprisonment and drugs that'll keep him sedated. She heard another set of footsteps coming and she knew the footsteps well, they were of a woman's.

"For the love of God, Kenji, I thought I told you to lay off her," she heard the voice of Ravyn. Kenji turned around and faced the woman who was staring at him with a frown and had crossed her arms. "She's a federal Agent Midnight, do you know what kind of time you get for the stupid crime you've just committed?"

"As apposed to what? Sleeping with a federal Agent?" asked Kenji, looking unimpressed at the woman. "You screwed him didn't you?" She shook her head. "Liar."

"Call me a liar call me a slut, but it's your own fault if you haven't got the guts to believe me," answered Ravyn.

"Where's the dumb Agent right now?" asked Kenji.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," answered Ravyn.

"Thought of the proposal I handed you before you started to be a big suck up to the Agents?" asked Kenji. Ravyn shook her head. "Why?"

"I've had enough of your sick plans Kenji, I wanted out long ago but someone was being an ass about me leaving this whole Utopiac ideal," answered Ravyn. "I just wanted Matilda to be safe. Where's the other Agent Midnight? Have you gotten rid of all the vermin?"

"Well seeing you haven't gotten rid of the Queen Bee I don't see reason for me to kill the army first," retorted Kenji. "You're such a saint Draiman."

"It's better than being an asshole and a pain in the ass," replied Ravyn, with a small smile. "I've got a ticket for me and my daughter to start a new life somewhere else in which we leave in a couple of days, but if I find out that you were behind David's apparent suicide, I will roast your ass and have you castrated. Do you understand my terms or do you want me to put that in writing for you?"

"You're all talk," snorted Kenji. "You don't scare me."

"Well, seeing how I'm the coroner here in Houston right now and you're nothing but a poor worm farmer," Ravyn continued. "Now, think for a second, which person here has the high status here and they'll believe which one more than the other?"

"You were in with this deal from day one and now you're blackmailing me?" asked Kenji. "Excuse me, but the only blackmailing that happens here, is what comes out of my mouth. Not yours, not Benji's, but the mouth I'm currently speaking with." Sarah looked to one side so that the light highlighted half of her face as she realised that she was looking at Ravyn's angry expression. "It's simple. You don't want Matilda to become an orphan now, do you?"

"Is that a threat Midnight?" asked Ravyn. "I've known all along that it was your doing that was behind all of these sudden deaths. When I got told of Megan's death, I instantly recognised it as your doing."

"You wanted her dead so you got your way," replied Kenji, simply. "I was merely doing you a favour. You were always suspicious of Megan's relationship with David and honestly, I thought you were going to be the one that was going to end the sad life of Megan Shinoda-Woodland. Correct me if I am wrong here Draiman, but weren't you the one that thought that David and Megan were doing the naughty behind your back?"

"I wouldn't have taken her life and I don't think the way that you went around to ending her life was quite the right way," Ravyn simply commented. "In the hospital, they've got the antidote to the stuff you've been fooling around with. Now, concerning Isabelle. Didn't I specifically instruct you to keep your eyes and hands away from her knowing that David will be quick to play the blame game towards me?"

'She was nice, it was pity that she had to die that way," Kenji said. "But I must say one thing, her suicide thing was a great distraction. I must give you that."

"I'm a lot smarter than you think I am," smirked Ravyn. "I'll see you sometime in another life."

"What?" asked Kenji, confused. It was quick and clean. Ravyn pulled out a loaded gun, it was Rob's gun, Sarah instantly recognised and within nanoseconds of the loud bang that echoed through the warehouse, Kenji was on the floor, as he dropped his shotgun and fell forward. He lied there in his own pool of blood.

"Ass," Sarah heard Ravyn say to the dead corpse of Kenji and walked away.

Now was the time for Sarah to escape, she quickly followed Ravyn without being seen, hiding behind shelves and other things that she managed to hide behind. Ravyn stopped in the doorway and looked around. Sarah stopped as soon as Ravyn stopped. The last thing that Sarah wanted is another episode and then she saw the limp corpse of Benji through the doorway and was outside. Ravyn frowned as she shook off whatever was bugging her and turned back around. Only to drive off in her own car. Sarah stood in the doorway as soon as she knew the coast was clear to reveal herself. She thought she wouldn't come out of this night alive and she had to get back to Rob to tell him what she saw and heard. Ravyn was in with the crime as well, and what a good liar she was. Sarah wouldn't have suspected Ravyn at this point of the investigation because all the evidence was directed towards Kenji's way. Sarah realised that she had been stripped of her cellphone and her weapon, but she wasn't stripped of her FBI badge. She looked around to see if there were any cars passing by but she then realised that Kenji's car was parked outside.

All she needed to do was to jumpstart that car and Ravyn's ass will be hammered so badly by the time she gets back to the motel room that she wouldn't know what was coming her way. Sarah then stopped as soon as she started walking, as she realised something terrible. A couple of questions flashed in her head.

Was Rob still alive?

And has Ravyn managed to seduce Rob to make him believe whatever?

[Ravynlee]

Awesome - I took out the trash! Yay! Looking forward to the climax now.

[woodyloveslinkin]

8.30 p.m. The Lodge Motel

 

Rob sat outside his motel room, on one of the chairs that was neatly placed next to a table with an empty crystal ash tray placed on it. He wasn't a smoker and nor was he a big drinker. A glass of whisky every now and then but nothing too special. He was deep in thought about how he hadn't heard anything back from the guys on the field who were out to find Kenji and hopefully Sarah at the same time.

"Why are you still outside?" asked Ravyn as Rob was startled a bit. "Hope I didn't scare you." He looked to see where she was and she standing in the middle of the motel room that was originally meant to give Sarah shelter.

"I'm thinking," answered Rob. "Is that illegal?"

"What are you thinking about?" asked Ravyn as she moved towards Rob but all she did was close the door.

"Is Matilda asleep?" asked Rob, as Ravyn nodded. "She's cute." Ravyn didn't say anything to that, as she made sure that the door was shut and walked over to the spare chair and made herself comfortable. "Did you have fun getting some takeaway for you and your child?"

"It was the highlight of my life," Ravyn answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes at her own sarcasm. "Rob, can I ask you a question and you've got to promise me you won't laugh in my face if I ask you this, okay?"

"Hmm?" Rob mumbled, as his eyes were getting tired and his patience was starting to get thin.

"Why did you have to pretend that you were married to Sarah?" asked Ravyn. "Was it to impress me?"

"That's two questions, I thought I had to answer one?" retorted Rob. Ravyn was about to say something but Rob continued. "Look, I don't know why I felt like I had to say it. I don't have personal feelings for her, yes, she's a great woman and she's a great Agent to work with and be friends with, but no, I can never imagine myself having more than a professional relationship with."

"I'm going to go watch some television in your room," Ravyn said as she got to her feet. Rob saw the reasoning her motives. Matilda was asleep in their room and she didn't want to wake the child. "You're going to come join me?" Ravyn stopped in her track and looked at the Agent. Rob nodded as he got to his feet and abandoned his worries. She opened the door of Rob's motel room and welcomed herself in. Rob followed, closing the door behind him to see that she had made herself comfortable on the end of his bed.

"Ah, okay," he muttered to himself, as he thought that Ravyn was starting to get ideas. He stopped and wanted to point out something to Ravyn. "You do know that what happened between us those years ago, there's nothing there right?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ravyn. "My husband's just died, and not to mention Isabelle's death. Do you think I'll move on that easily?"

"To be honest, yes," answered Rob. "Look, you do know I am not interested with anything you have to offer other than your friendship, I thought I made this clear when we last saw each other those years ago." Ravyn nodded. "I'm just making sure, because it seems as though you've just moved on instantly like that. And it worries me when I see people do that. It makes me think that they didn't really love the person that they just saw die."

"I know what you means, well, kinda in this case," Ravyn agreed. "I've never implied such actions. Where did you get that idea?"

"I don't know to be honest," Rob shook his head, trying to make sense of where he had got that idea from. "Why do I have a feeling that you're pulling my leg?"

"It's simple, because you're paranoid," replied Ravyn. Rob was about to say something but his cell phone in his pocket started to ring.

"Excuse me for a second," Rob excused himself as he left the room to go back outside.

"Will do," Ravyn muttered under her breath as her attention was on the flashing images in front of her.

"Harris," he answered as he saw the blackness of the night again and closed the door behind him.

"Rob!"

"Sarah? Oh god where have you been? Where are you?"

"I'm on the main street calling on a payphone. I fear if I use my cell it might be tapped."

"Why? What happened?"

"Kenji got up to mischief,"

"Do you want me to come and get you?"

"No not yet,"

"Why?"

"You need to arrest the coroner,"

"The coroner? You mean Ravyn right? What are you on about?"

"She's been plotting with Benji and Kenji,"

"Who, Mr Bourdon?"

"Yeah Joanne's husband, he was conspiring with both Ravyn and Kenji."

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I'm still trying to process it. Something along the lines of Matilda and the deaths and yes! Megan was eliminated because of her relationship with David, you were right about that theory."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I really wish I was but I'm not,"

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Fucking arrest that bitch, seriously, she killed Kenji on the spot, right in front of me, just an hour ago,"

"That's impossible, she's been with me the whole time, well, except for the time she went out to get some dinner for her and her daughter....oh shit,"

"Yeah I would be saying that, where is she now?"

"She's in my motel room,"

"What the hell is she doing there?"

"She wanted to be with someone,"

"So what? She can screw you?"

"Lee, her husband has just committed suicide show some compassion for the woman,"

"Okay, whatever, but just get that woman into questioning as soon as possible. She's more dangerous than you think she is."

"This is you being paranoid again,"

"I heard what I heard Agent Harris and would I lie to you?"

"Depends on how badly you want something to happen,"

"Look, after you get her into questioning come pick me up, understand?"

"Yeah,"

"Just do it, okay? Please trust me on this."

He hung up on his fellow FBI Agent and shoved his cellphone back into his pocket. He turned around and opened the motel door. He was expecting Ravyn to be sitting and watching the television and whatever was on, but she wasn't there. It was like she disappeared simply and then he saw it. The open window with the wind blowing through the white curtains. She had just ran off. He ran back outside to see if she had taken her daughter, opened Sarah's motel door up to see Matilda still sound asleep. He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and started dialling.

"Yeah, put a warrant out for a Ravyn Draiman who's a suspect in a murder case. Put out a twenty mile radius out from The Lodge Motel and do it as soon as possible!" He slammed his cell phone shut again and shoved it back into his pocket and looked at the child that was still sleeping. He sighed. "Great. I'm stuck with a child. The last thing that I ever wanted in life."

[Ravynlee]

That son of a bitch... I was hoping you were gonna pen it that when he turned around I'd whack him in teh face with something hard and heavy - and THEN maybe disappear with Matilda... or maybe without, I dunno on that score. But oh well, so now I am a gutless coward, and a murderer at that - weird that a coroner who knows more about death and the frailty of life chose such weird tactics... but I guess you're going somewhere with this.

Am still hoping David didn't die. Yes, I know I'm in denial. But hey he had to be in on it too. It's like that movie 'Sword Fish' where the bad guy acting as a good guy is 'killed' by the bad guy but shows up at the end as a bad guy... and yet you cheer for them - so yeah... I am hoping I'm right. And in that analogy that makes David a wild looking Hally Berry representative XD

Let's see if Rob can be teh hero now...

Oh and am thinking Sarah's not out of the proverbial woods yet - Benji's still out there isn't he?

Uh oh...