Prologue
(Internet Chat)
ChessLvr: So the Chess Master, eh?
ChessMaster: Yep, anything I can help you with? Tips?
ChessLvr: Nah, I'm just looking for a game. Wanna play?
ChessMaster: Sure. I know of a site we can play on.
ChessLvr: Give it to me. I'll play.
ChessMaster: Ok. The url is... www,checkmate,com (ok, the commas right there. The thingy wouldn't let me use the regular stuff.So that explains that.)
Chapter 1
Kate woke up about quarter till six. The house was as freezing as it could possibly get. The second that the cold air hit Kate's bare flesh she crawled back under the covers. There was no way she way going to get up. Her alarm went off, to no surprise to her. The radio blasted in her ear. By now she was used to the level of sound. If it was any quieter she wouldn't hear it and then she would be late to work. Kate lay in her warm bed for a few more minutes before she decided it was in her best interest to get up.
Dashing around She gathered up her clothes and ran to the bathroom, where she turned the water on hot. She let the water hit her chilled skin. It felt so good. Kate toweled off glancing at the clock noting that she still had plenty of time to get to work. When she padded into the master bedroom her dog, Skeeter was up and stretching. Skeeter was a border collie husky mix. She was jet black with four white feet. Her right ear and left eye were also white. Kate smiled,
"C'mon Skeet, you need to go out?" Skeeter bounded along at Kate's heels as they walked to the back door together. Skeeter had just bolted out the door when the phone rang. She sauntered to the kitchen and snagged up the receiver on the fifth ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kate." It was Rick, Kate's partner. Rick was in Kate's opinion, very attractive. She could see him in her mind's eye. His hair was almost a light whiskey color and his eyes were a cold ice blue. His perfectly honed chest, that narrowed into powerful hips and legs.
"Kate? Hello?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"I was wondering if you were ready for work yet. We have a new case and it's very interesting." Kate smiled,
"Ok, give me time to finish my hair. Where are we going to?"
"We're headed out for Round Rock, Texas. It's not the first. Actually it's the fourth. I thought it was a good place to start. The most recent kill, you know."
"Ok, where are you now?"
"I'm at the office doing paper work and printing out our tickets." Kate made her way back to her room and stopped at one of her dressers. She dug through a couple drawers and picked out some clothes.
"Cool, just come on in and help yourself when you get here. I'll be out of my room as soon as I'm done."
"I'll be waiting." Kate hung up the phone smiling. Kate was almost done when she heard the front door open and shut. She ran the straightener through her hair one last time and walked out to meet Rick. He grinned when he saw her. He had two cups of coffee in his hands. He handed one to her,
"Here you go, just the way you like it." Kate took a sip and sighed,
"You really know me all too well." Rick chuckled. A deep, sweet sound. It was almost hypnotizing. Kate set down her half empty cup,
"I'll be right back. I need to pack and call Sarah to look after Skeet."
"I can call Sarah." Rick offered. Kate stopped where she was and turned to look at Rick.
"If you want to. Her number is in the black book by the phone." By the time that Kate had finished it was time to catch their plane. Rick led the way out to the car. It wasn't one of his favorites, but it was what he used on a normal basis. It was a simple little Acura. Nothing real fancy.
"I get to drive." Rick announced.
"Fine. I get to control the radio." Kate said putting her bag in the back seat.
Their plane landed in Round Rock at quarter after eight. They checked into their hotel and headed to the scene of the crime. A man named James Tailor was killed in his home where he bled to death. Kate and Rick entered the apartment building. There was blood all over the kitchen area. The man lay face down on the linoleum floor, his body buried in a pool of blood. He had a small parring knife in his right hand and a pawn in his left. Kate looked around, pulling out a pocket sized digital camera. She made sure she took pictures of everything. The pawn looked like it was from a very expensive chess set. It was made from some type of wood. It was a dark almost black color. Kate had loved chess as a teen, but as of recently she never got to play. Now it was becoming a sick killing game.
She shook her head in disgust. She should've been used to this kind of thing by now but each one was different. They were all twisted in thier own pathetic way. Rick looked at her as they left the scene to go out and talk to the neighbors to help them make sense of what had happened. None of the neighbors had heard or seen anytning out of the ordinary. The man had simply come home and gone straight into his home. No unexpected vistors. No dark creepy people hanging around in big black trench coats. There was something different about this case, Kate knew it and Rick knew it.
Author's Note: Ok I know it's a little short, but I'm at a stand still at the moment. Give me your comments, Hope you like it.
