I.C. Night Terrors

[Ithica]

When he handed her his card Rachael gave him a smile and said, "Thanks, I'll definitely call you."

At least this trip wasn't a total bust, good thing Andrews came in. As he walked off Rachael turned back to the bartender and finished paying for the beers.

As she walked out the door, the man sitting alone on the otherside of the bar got up and walked out as well.

 

[Screech]

Jack had sat silently, listening to the woman throwing questions around at the two officers who had come into The Mariner. Seemed like she was a reporter, most likley, and working on a story about the murders. If she had learned anything, it could definatly help his job. But then there was the whole thing about accidental exposure. If he spoke to her, she'd probably figure out that he knew almost nothing. And that might make it into the papers...

Finishing off his beer, Jack stood up and followed the woman outside, before heading to his own car. It was still raining, and Jack didn't have his jacket on. Even so, when he reached his car, he stood, leaned against it and ran through the recent events in his mind

 

[ranajja]

Geez, the place was jumpin' tonight. Judy was crazy busy, but it was about how she liked it. The Mariner was well laid out--you could walk from dining area, behind the bar and straight to the kitchen--very convenient, and saved lots of steps for whoever was bartending/waiting tables, especially on nights like tonight, when they were a bit short-handed as young Thomas had not yet made it in. It was just she and John, the cook, right now, and the place was definitely hoppin'.

Detective O'Daugherty had been in, as well as Detective Andrews, and even Officer Hauptmann--good guys, all--and then there was the reporter from the Metro City Page.

As Judy scrambled from bar to kitchen and back again, she had picked up on bits and pieces of their conversations, and had now they were leaving--It figures, she thought ruefully. Judy had suddenly remembered where and when she'd seen that poor Christine Williams. Where had been easy--it had been here, of course--and about two weeks ago.

But it seemed there was no slowing down tonight to bend anybody's ear. Where was that dang Thomas? It wasn't like him to be this late, not without a phone call. Eye candy though he might be, she was going rip him a new one when he finally made it in...

 

[Ithica]

"Get away from me. I said I wasn't interested." yelled Rachael at the man that had followed her out of the bar. She jerked her arm out of his grasp and he stumbled a little. The little cretin had heard Detective Andrews use her name and was using it himself. "I thought cockroaches didn't come out into the sunlight." she muttered as she stormed off towards her car.

Rachael and the drunk both stopped and looked over when they heard a noise from across the parking lot and saw Jack standing by his car. She noticed that the drunk bothering her was nervous about their new audience.

"I'm leaving now. You stop me; I've got no problem making a scene. Creepy jerk." Rachael said menacing to the scruffy looking bar fly and continued walking towards her car, searching for her keys in her handbag.

 

[macmillian]

I walked down the bar and sat down next to Daniel O'Daugherty and called for a beer.

"Danny Boy, afternon. I haven't heard from you today, so here I am. How's the food today. Yours looks good." I let the barmaid know to make me the same as my friend. I was the only officer in the department who called him Danny Boy and to get away with it. Well it was one bad ass Irishman and one very stubborn old Scotsman. What an unlikely pair. For me it was solve the case, get the bad guy(s) not matter what. Protect and serve. But with Danny Boy it was something else, something more that drove him to solves these extra tough cases.

"Let's grab a booth, a little more private". I picked up our two beers and walked over to the both. "Come on, You getting slow in your old age." he carried his plate over and slid in accros from me.

"First, the captain will not allow me out on the street right now, so watch your back. For Crists sake, ask for a partner till this one is over." I finished my beer and called for two more.

You want to give me your notes now or later, and do you want to go over one at a time or do all three as if one? I have a few ideas that just may help." My food arrived and I started to eat to give Danny Boy a chance to add his two cents.

 

[rengadeirishman]

"gimme what ever you got bobby." Daniel said "and you know i don't do partners on the street, i get in enough trouble trying to watch my own back without someone elses."

 

[macmillian]

"Listen to me Daniel, on this case you are going to need backup. If you can't or will not take a partner, get the Captain to put me back with you. Get me out on the strret."

I paused and ate a little more of my lunch before continuing. There wasn't much to tell Danny Boy at all. Just my gut feeling and as a cop you trusted those feelings.

"Well, I went over the previous two reports and notes and everything connected with them and I started a new file on Christine Williams and I also put together a fourth folder and listing my ideas and cross referencing the three cases. Ther isn't much there. All Women, All young, All living alone. No forced entry, all late at night or early in the morning." Again I paused and ate some more and took a drink of my beer. I knew that Daniel knew all this and so it was just a recap.

"My feelings on this.......(pause)......That all three were being stalked and then they were literally frighten to death. They were set up and just plain scared to death. A curse or something like that. Like Vodoo but not quite, there is no evidence to suggest that. But something or someone is scaring these women to death." I drained my beer and raised my glass and held up two fingers for aother round. I wasn't going back to the office this afternoon. I would call in and the Captain would have my ass in the morning. OHhh well, he will just have to live with it. The beer arrived and she took away the empty plates and glasses.

"That's all I have, Now it's your turn. What have you got for me.?"

 

[rengadeirishman]

"All I've got is those same gut feelings as you bobby, and what makes you think the captain will listen to me?"

 

[Screech]

Jack heard a yell from behind and turned around. He saw the reporter woman from the bar walking to her car, and a rather scruffy man following at a bit of a distance. The woman seemed to be looking for something in her bag, and the man wasn't going to leave her alone. Walking over, he eyed both of them and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, is there a problem ma'am?"

 

[Ithica]

The drunk ran up and grabbed Rachael's arm again. He turned her back around and gave her a shake causing her to drop her purse. When he heard Jack he threw his hands up and stepped back, "There's no problem." he mumbled.

Rachael stepped towards Jack and said, "Yes. This bastard..." before she finished she was interupted by the man that had been bothering her. "There is nothing wrong." he said smugly as he backed away from Jack and Rachael, "She's just over reacting. I just wanted to talk and she started freaking out." As he passed Jack to head back to the bar he looked back and mumbled to Jack, "Careful about picking up girls from this bar they all turn out to be bitches. At least they get what they deserve."

When he had left, Rachael said to Jack, "Hey, thanks. I thought it would be too early in the day to need pepper spray to fend off the creeps. Maybe he's just getting a head start on his quota for the day." She rolled her eyes and glared in the direction of the bar. She smiled and said, "Thanks again for the help." and walked to her car.

 

[Screech]

Jack watched the man as he slunk back to the bar. A suspicious character to be sure, but there was not alot Jack could do about it. He was boarder patrol, not one of the local cops. Plus, he was off-duty. Besides, those other two in the bar seemed to be part of the police force.

He nodded to Rachel and smiled as she walked back to her car. "Not a problem ma'am. Have a safe ride home" Turning back, he made his way back to his own car, keeping an eye on the bar door

 

[macmillian]

"Why? That's a good question. Because the Captain assigned these cases to you and if you ask for me, he might just say yes." I was hoping that Daniel would do this on the outside that the Captain would withdraw his order to remain behind a desk.

"So, How about trying. wouldn't hurt." With that I finished my beer. See you later at the squad and I paid our tabs and was walking to the door when the man that left a little earlier behind Rachel. I made a mental note to ask Rachel about the guy.

I turned and called to Danny Boy, "Come on, let's go see the boos." and I left.

 

[Ithica]

Rachael woke up in a panic and found that she was hiding underneath her blankets with no memory of why she was under there or why she was so scared. She pulled the blankets back, turned on her lamp, and found nothing in her room. She was relieved when she could find nothing to answer why she had been afraid. "It must have been a nightmare", she decided before she got out of bed. She made her way to the kitchen to get some water but turned on all of the lights as she went by.

When Rachael got back to her room she glanced at the clock and noticed that it was after midnight. She laughed at herself for acting like a child but took a look around her room again and noticed that paint on the wall in the far corner had started to bubble and when she touched it, the wall was still warm.

She decided that maybe a hot water pipe was behind there causing problems or perhaps something wrong with a wire and decided to report this before it caused a fire. Before she turned out the light she glanced at the card that Detective Andrews had given her and decide that she would call him after she delt with the landlord.

-------------------------------------
Long before Lilly's grandfather, Allan, had started hunting demon's, her grandmother, Mary, had been apart of a coven of witches. Their related interests was how they met. The coven could sometimes help direct Allan's group who in turn would stop which ever demon was running a muck. When Lilly came to live with her grandparents she had gotten to know the coven and many of them could be considered Aunts to her.

Lilly was just leaving her grandparents house after spending several hours with the coven. Unfortunately all the coven knew was that another murder was going to happen in, now, less than three days. They were going to keep searching but they were starting to think that perhaps someone was blocking them which meant that magic could be involved with this case.

Lilly started to walk home and took a look at her watch. It felt like it was later than it actually was after the mentally exausting work she and the coven had been doing and it was only 1:00 in the morning.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Daniel downed his beer and put out his cigarette as he followed Robert "Ill follow ya to the station, my cars here." he said as he climbed in. He started the engine, cranked up the music and lit a new cigarette as he peeled off.

 

[Ithica]

Racheal was sitting at her computer downing her fourth cup of coffee before lunch. She looked at her computer trying to concentrate on the questions that she needed answered. She had already typed up the little information that Detective O'Dougherty had been able to give her and hoped that she could get more of a story out of Detective Andrews. She picked up the card he had given her in the bar yesturday afternoon, dialed the number, and waited for an answer...

 

[macmillian]

Racheal was sitting at her computer downing her fourth cup of coffee before lunch. She looked at her computer trying to concentrate on the questions that she needed answered. She had already typed up the little information that Detective O'Dougherty had been able to give her and hoped that she could get more of a story out of Detective Andrews. She picked up the card he had given her in the bar yesturday afternoon, dialed the number, and waited for an answer...

This morning I finished updating the three files of the case we were working on. It took most of the morning because as I went I each of the reports and other officers notes. I did not read anything that I might have missed earlier. It was all the same, still nothing.......

I picked up the yellow legal pad and looked at the four questions I had written down. So far I had not written anything and so they remained blank.
I added a fifth..."E" ""WHY""

I had just put down my pen when my direct phone rang. I picked it up on the second ring.

"Yea. Andrews here."

 

[rengadeirishman]

Daniel walked into the station right past andrews and dropped a small bag of donuts and a tall coffee on his desk. "There ya go bobby, eat and drink up while i talk to the captain."

Daniel walked into the captains office. "Cap'n I need ya to get bobby off the desk, I need him on the street with me." to daniels noticeable surprise the captain smiled and said "Alright let 'em know to dust off his sidearm and join ya." "Thanks cap'n" Daniel said still in shock as he walked out the door.

 

[Ithica]

"Hello, Detective. It's Rachael Davis. It was nice running into you yesturday. You asked me to phone you later. I hope that you weren't just teasing me and you want to talk to me about the case you are working on."

 

[macmillian]

"Good Morning, Miss Davis" I replied, "How are you today? I Can not discuss any on going cases Miss Davis, you will have to go through the Dept. of Information." I was hoping that Rachel was getting the message that I couldn't talk at this time. "Please hold a minute, will ya." I placed the phone down on the desk and said loud enough for Rachel to hear. "I can't do lunch today guys, I forgot a previous appointment."

"Rachel, Are you still there? Good. Lunch at "The Mariner" Say 12:30?"

 

[rengadeirishman]

Daniel walked over to Detective Andrews desk "Oi bobby! dust off your sidearm and lets go, crime to stop." he said cheerfully

 

[macmillian]

"What you say Danny Boy" I asked, "The Captain said alright. Bless you my boy." I slipped the files and the legal pad into my desk drawer and took my desk phone and forwarded any calls to my cell phone.

"OK, I'm ready!" as I put on my suitcoat and raincoat, picked up my hat and followed Daniel O'Daugherty out the door.

"Who's driving my boy?" I said as I caught up with him.

"How about lunch, I didn't get a chance at the coffee or donuts you dropped on my desk. How about we go back to The Mariner . I have a feeling about that place. I just can't pin it down."

 

[Ithica]

Rachael walked into The Mariner and took a seat in a booth that had a view of the door so that she could have a clear view of who entered. She hadn't wanted to go back in there by herself after the incident that occured last time she was here but felt that it would keep Andrews from getting twitchy if he could approach her rather than the other way around.

 

[rengadeirishman]

"Ill drive, The Mariner it is, im buying the beers." Daniel said as he walked out to his car and got in, lighting his cigarette

 

[macmillian]

I followed Daniel out to his car and got into passenger side and opened the window.

"Good, I am thirsty as well as famished." and I sat back, not having to drive. We were both quiet on the drive over to "THE Mariner" Danny Boy parked the car in the small side lot and we got out and went on in. We took a booth towards the back and Judy the Barmaid brought over two large stouts of a dark Irish brew.

Daniel returned to the table after loading up some songs on the juke box. When it played sitting at out table you really could not hear what was being said, With his Irish Balades playing we pulled apart each case alone and then together, A fragment here, a piece there, And these did not interconnect and made no sense at all, They had been left as blind trails to slow us dow. What meaning was therer..... there was none....Random.... he or she was leaving false trails, "WHY" To embarrase the police, city governament

All theories, no facts. and may I add, "not from around here. It is almost like they are stealing the life essance from these women. WHY? for strenth, for panic in the streets so more could join him or her here...."

 

[Ithica]

Rachael watched as Detective Andrews walked into the bar with the detective that she had been talking to yesturday. She wasn't sure if he would want to talk to her if he had company and went up to the bar so that he could see her.