A/N: Strong Language. Adult scenes. Borrowing a character from Criminal Intent.
He had everything. White gloves, White mouth mask, White overalls. He picked up the paint to look at the label. It had to be an Alizarin crimson red. Nothing more or less. As he tipped the paint bucket a drop of paint dropped on his overalls.
Crap, they were ruined.
He was too curious. Curiosity could kill, but he was stronger than that. There was no-one to punish him. He could do that to himself later. He took off his overalls and put them on high a temperature in the washing machine.
His painful OCD step by step planning would have to start over and over again.
Single or not Gwen could have anyone. Yes she'd found the love of her life in Sour sugar Daddy Carl. It was easy for her. The Model good looks, the enchanting blue eyes that left guys spellbound. They sat down once a week, to talk about the list of pros and cons that stopped guys from talking to Mindy.
"Maybe, your job intimidates them" Gwen suggested sucking on a smoothie.
"I bring life into the world, that says sunshine and flowers….or weak cervical walls and abusive language and placenta….like really back of fridge rancid puke in your mouth Jello placenta…..I can see guys running away from that, sure" Mindy pondered. But while she was partly in charge of the practice and she wasn't getting paid late or bankrupt, there was no real reason for her to leave. The staff all depended on her too much….
"Yeah Dr Lahiri, I can take it from here. You hear that? That's the silence of satisfied patients" Dr Castellano said.
"No Danny….there's the tying of Betsy and Shauna drumming up business…for me…because let's face it….I'm their favourite. girl power is very nineties, but it doesn't stop it from being any less real" Mindy said smiling at the girls.
"A favourite in front of you but Doc you don't wanna know what they say behind your back" Dr Castellano said.
"Dr Lahiri….we've never…." Betsy said.
"I know Betsy…..God Danny smell that?…That is the opposite of paranoia… but your jealousy is just deafening Danny" Dr Lahiri said.
Stop being paranoid
Stop being paranoid
Stop being paranoid
There's nothing to be scared of anymore. She'll never hurt you again.
"Why aren't these Mirrors clean? Do I have to drag your ass to a Disciplinary? What am I paying you for? Get the sticky crap off the floor or I will kick your ass"
Those words were the last words she said. He injected the Versed into her chest and stuffed a ballon into her mouth. He taped her mouth, arms and legs. He smiled as he got out his tool-kit. With a scalpel he made small incisions into her neck and under her collar bone. "Disciplinary?" He asked her before pulling his mouth mask down.
"Do you think I need to be punished? Do you!" He shouted. She was crying, tears streaming over the duck tape.
It was time for her punishment.
He drove the van home. His overalls were splashed with blood sweat suffering power and paint.
No-one could tell.
They'd find his artwork but he needed to find the perfect masterpiece. He couldn't stick by his rules of no alcohol. His Doctor wouldn't like it. Neither would Tommy. But guilt overwhelmed him. He went to the local store, self-conscious but kept his head down underneath his white baseball cap. He was walking up and down the aisles staring at the wine bottles when he heard this woman speaking. She sounded like the other one, the one he'd punished today, but a million times…
More fragile….
More…..Needy…..
"Yes Sir…..Yes I do have enough money to pay for this…..I do work…of course I look like a sultry fun loving party girl…and I'am…..but I….I have a full time job" Mindy said digging into her purse and tipping quarters on the counter.
"I have dollars in here somewhere…trust me Sir…I'm a Doctor" Mindy said with a girl next door smile that didn't go unnoticed.
She was perfect.
Everything about this girl rocked him to sleep standing. There had to be a way he could get to her.
The Doctor would show him how.
He slowly followed the girl home. He guessed she wasn't lying about being a doctor. She lived in a block of fancy apartments.
He wasn't rich, but for her, he could pretend to be.
Pretending meant that he had to get up at Five in the morning, but he was used to that in his "Mother" Phase. Glasses or no Glasses?…Did she wear glasses? Was he too unprepared for her? He decided to go without glasses. He shaved, pretty much everywhere. Went out for a jog. He took one sip of his bottled water per every block he completed. He came back home dizzy, but he was steady enough to follow this girl to work. She took the subway. He liked the subway. He faded into the background. He could pretend to be like everyone else.
That he was just like everyone else.
But he wasn't.
She worked at place called Schulman and Associates. Gynecology was this little ladies' talent. A heavily pregnant woman was tiredly opening the door and he helped her up the stairs.
"Thank you" The woman said, he nodded kindly at her. He started sweating as he could feel eyes on him.
Women were giving him the "Stranger Alert" look. He turned to leave when he heard someone call out:
"Hello Sir…you dropped your pen" A girl said picking the pen up. "Ummm…thank you….ummm…." He said, getting the pen without touching her hand. "Betsy" Betsy replied.
Little Betsy. Girlie, timid, child-like.
Not a challenge.
"I'm not gonna yell, I can do this in a subtle way. I can put care into a careless whisper….I would high five you if…..yeah…bye" She ended the call and opened her mouth to call another patient. But he forced himself into her eye-line.
It was her. The woman at the store. He'd found her.
"Miss Harris?" Mindy asked. The heavily pregnant woman he helped got up. He helped her. Then the Doctor of mystery looked at him with a pearly smile that was as white as her coat.
"Are you…..related to this patient?" Mindy asked.
"No…..I work at another practice. General aches and pains I'm afraid, nothing compared to what you miracle workers do…." He said.
"Miracle workers huh….finally some appreciation from a fellow Doctor I mean…" Dr Lahiri said.
"Dr Lahiri Miss Harris would appreciate being checked and assessed…..now" Dr Castellano said. Miss Harris walked in and The stranger nodded at her.
"Nice meeting you Dr Lahiri" The stranger said squinting at her name badge.
"Likewise Dr….." Dr Lahiri said.
"Dr Curtis…..I hope that…..I'll be seeing more of you…..I really admire the art you create…..you know….with the job you do" He said.
"I have to….go…now…..but thank you Dr Curtis…you've really been a great help" Dr Lahiri said. Dr Curtis watched her as she disappeared.
Now he'd introduced himself and found her name, well her surname, but if the company she worked for a had good PR, he'd find out her full name.
But for Dr Curtis "Dr Lahiri's name" wasn't enough.
He'd have to break into Dr Lahiri's apartment.