"I Did This For You"
By Lorrie
"Sgt. Michaels, I found this." Officer Kevin Mabe handed Sgt. Michaels a neatly folded piece of pale pink paper as the crime scene photographer continued snapping pictures of the murder scene.
Sgt. Michaels took the paper and held it for a moment while his eyes surveyed the room. The victim had been a young woman in her mid-twenties, dark hair, brown eyes, no ID.
"What have you got, Michaels?" Lt. Davis asked as he tapped the paper.
"Huh? Oh, I don't know yet." Michaels responded as he began to unfold the paper. He silently read over the typed sentence. "I DID THIS FOR YOU." It read.
Lt. Davis studied the simple sentence. "Did this for who?" He asked out loud.
Sgt. Michaels shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know; it isn't addressed to anyone in particular."
"Um." Lt. Davis took the letter from Sgt. Michaels' gloved hands and placed it in an evidence bag. "We had better let the crime scene investigators take a look at this."
"Who was registered in this room?" Lt. Davis asked.
"John Smith. Real original, right?" Sgt. Michaels smirked.
Davis shook his head. "Did anyone see him or the girl?"
"Not that we've found so far and he knew that the security cameras were there too, there's no shot of his face."
"Get the tapes down to the station. I want to take a look at them myself."
"Yes sir."
"Oh and Michaels." Sgt. Michaels turned to face Lt. Davis. "Good work."
"Thank you." ********
Alex and Sydney were on their way to meet with Sonya Austin, a petite woman who had shown up at the HOPE center two nights ago, bruised and battered by her abusive boyfriend.
"Sydney thanks for going with me to check on this girl. She promised me that she would call yesterday and I tried the number she left several times, but there was no answer."
"It's no problem Alex. I'm happy to do it. I just hope we find her well."
"Me too. Her boyfriend really did a number on her. I was hoping that she would leave him, but after she cooled off, she insisted that he wasn't always like that and that he seldom hit her."
"That's the type of guy who needs help the most. They usually don't even realize that they have a problem." Sydney replied.
Alex nodded as they pulled into the driveway of the address Sonya had given at the HOPE center.
"Is this right?" Sydney asked as they pulled into the driveway of a new two-story brick house with a large fenced in yard and a two car garage.
Alex checked the information that Sonya had written down. "It's the address she gave."
The two women got out of the car and Alex rang the doorbell. Moments later, a neatly dressed young man opened the door. "Yes, may I help you?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm Alex Cahill-Walker and this is Sydney Cooke, we're looking for Sonya Austin."
"Well, welcome to the search." He said sarcastically.
"What do you mean?" Sydney asked.
"Sonya's been missing since Monday night. Are you friends of hers?"
Alex began cautiously. "I'm the Assistant D. A. and Ms. Cooke is a Texas Ranger."
"Is Sonya in trouble?"
"May we come in?" Sydney asked, not wanting to continue their discussion on the front porch.
"Sure." He ushered the two women into the living room.
Sydney turned to speak. "Are you Sonya's boyfriend?"
"Yes, I'm Michael Tompkins."
"Michael did you and Sonya have a fight Monday night?"
Michael's face began to redden. "Why?"
"Mr. Tompkins, Sonya came to the HOPE Center Monday night and had been badly beaten. She said that her boyfriend had beaten her up. Is that true?"
"Well, not unless she has another boyfriend that I know nothing about and I find that hard to believe. We did have a fight and I slapped her but I didn't break the skin and I never beat her." Michael defended.
"Have you reported her missing?" Sydney asked.
"Yes. I called the police yesterday morning, but they said they couldn't do anything until she had been missing for 48 hours."
"Have you called back?"
"Not yet."
"Why not? It's been over 48 hours."
"Yes, but she is an adult and she doesn't have to answer to me or ask if she can leave."
"Mr. Tompkins, call the police back and see if they'll take your report over the phone." Sydney urged.
"OK." Michael picked up the phone. Alex and Sydney waited in the living room while he gave the police a description of Sonya. He cupped his hand over the phone while he was asked to hold. "I'm on hold." He told Alex and Sydney. Alex nodded.
The officer taking the missing persons report came back to the phone. "Mr. Tompkins, could you please come down to the station to complete this?"
"Well, yes, I guess so." He replied with uncertainty.
"Thank you." The officer replied.
Michael hung up the phone and turned to Alex and Sydney. "They want me to complete the report at the station."
"That's odd." Sydney replied. "We'll follow you down."
**********
Once at the police station, Michael, Alex and Sydney sat down and waited for Sgt. Michaels and Lt. Davis.
"Ranger Cooke, Mrs. Walker, what are you doing here?" Lt. Davis asked as he saw Sydney and Alex.
"We were following up on a girl that showed up at the HOPE Center the other night. She was Mr. Tompkins girlfriend."
Lt. Davis raised an eyebrow. "Really now?" He glanced at Michael Tompkins who was squirming on the bench. "Ranger Cooke, can I speak to you for a moment?"
Sydney followed Lt. Davis into an office. He pulled out the pictures that had been taken at the crime scene. "Is this the girl you're looking for?"
Sydney shook her head. "I don't know. I've never met her. What happened?"
"These were taken this morning at a small motel here in Dallas. The girl had been stabbed repeatedly and we found this note at the scene." He handed the bagged note to Sydney.
"I DID THIS FOR YOU." She read. "For who?"
Lt. Davis shook his head. "That's what we're still trying to figure out. We still don't have an ID on the girl, but she does match the general description Tompkins was giving for his missing girlfriend."
"Do you mind if I stay in here while you talk to him?" Sydney asked.
"Not at all." Lt. Davis replied.
Michael Tompkins was brought into the room. "Mr. Tompkins, we need to show you a couple of pictures. I'll warn you, they're pretty gruesome to look at and I'm afraid that they may be of your girlfriend."
Michael took one look at the pictures and became light-headed.
"Here, sit down, Mr. Tompkins." Sydney helped him to a chair and he immediately began to sob.
"I take it that this is your girlfriend, Sonya Austin?"
Michael nodded.
"Mr. Tompkins, I'm sorry for your loss and we'll give you a few minutes to pull yourself together, but then we need to ask you a few questions."
Michael nodded as Lt. Davis and Sydney left the room.
After twenty minutes, they returned to find Michael staring straight ahead, his eyes still filled with tears.
"Mr. Tompkins did you and Ms. Austin have a fight Monday night?" Lt. Davis asked after clicking on a tape recorder.
"Yes. She was about to take an assignment overseas and I was afraid that if she went, I would never see her again. It's just so dangerous right now."
"An assignment? What kind of assignment?" Lt. Davis asked.
"Sonya is . . ." He paused. "Was, an international free-lance news writer. She had just approached 'TIME' magazine with the idea of a story on the Al-Queda forces in Afghanistan and they had agreed to pay her travel expenses up front plus supply her with a camera crew. Her flight was supposed to leave tomorrow."
"You said that the two of you fought, did you hit her?"
Michael began to cry and hung his head shamefully; "Yes, I slapped her. I told her she was crazy to even consider going over there right now and I slapped her."
"How many times did you slap her?"
"Once. Only once, on her left cheek."
"You didn't beat her? Mrs. Walker said that her face was heavily bruised when she came to the HOPE Center and when she was questioned, she said that her boyfriend did it." Sydney stated.
"I did not beat her! I couldn't! I loved her!" Michael shouted.
Sydney and Lt. Davis both got up from the table and left Michael to his grief with a guard outside the door. "What do you think?" Lt. Davis asked Sydney.
"I think he's telling the truth." Sydney replied.
"Then who beat this woman Monday night and who killed her?" Lt. Davis asked.
Sydney pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. "I wish I knew."
"We don't have enough to hold him, but I'm going to warn him to not leave town."
"I don't think he will anyway." Sydney said as Lt. Davis stepped back into the room and talked with Michael alone.
Alex approached Sydney in the hallway while they were waiting for Michael Tompkins to be released. "I called Walker and let him know where we are."
"Thanks Alex. I sort of lost track of time." Sydney glanced at her watch.
Michael stepped out of the room and joined the two ladies at the door. "I don't understand any of this. Sonya and I had a little fight, now you're telling me that someone beat her up Monday night and now she's dead. I really don't understand any of this." His voice trailed off.
"Why don't you let me drive you home Mr. Tompkins? Alex would you mind following us in your car?"
Alex gave Sydney a look of uncertainty. "OK." She replied slowly.
Sydney slid under the wheel of Michael Tompkins' Lexus and drove towards his home with Alex close behind in her car. She pulled into his driveway and got out as Alex pulled in behind them. "Remember Mr. Tompkins, don't leave town." Sydney ordered as she turned to get into the car with Alex.
"I have no plans to leave town Ranger Cooke, I assure you." Michael replied and then slowly made his way to his front door.
Alex and Sydney were just pulling out of the driveway when Michael turned the doorknob; they were suddenly rocked by a tremendous explosion. Alex slammed on the brakes as a horrified look came across her face when she saw Michael Tompkins' house erupt into flames.
"Oh my Lord!" Sydney exclaimed as she reached for her cell phone and called in the incident.
Meanwhile, Alex whipped the car around and parked across the street from the house. "Do you think there's anyway he survived?" She quietly asked Sydney.
Sydney shook her head. "No." She whispered.
*******
Walker and Gage arrived on the scene just as Lt. Davis was pulling up. "Ranger Cooke, what happened?" Lt. Davis asked.
Walker wrapped his arms around Alex as Gage ran towards his partner. "We had just dropped Mr. Tompkins off at his house. I told him to be certain to not leave town and he said he had no plans to leave. Then as Alex and I were pulling away, we heard and felt a huge explosion and saw that the house had erupted in flames." Sydney explained.
"Thank you Ranger Cooke."
Gage put his arm around Sydney as soon as Lt. Davis turned away from her. "Syd, are you alright?" He asked as he turned her face towards him.
"I'm fine Gage. We were in Alex's car and half way down the street when the house exploded."
"Thank God." He replied as he pulled her close.
Sydney nodded and stared at the still-burning house.
"Lt. Davis, you have to see this." One of the officers shouted from what was left of the porch.
Lt. Davis joined the officer and carefully picked up the pale pink paper with his gloved hands. "I DID THIS FOR YOU." It read. Sydney, Gage and Walker had joined Lt. Davis.
"For who?" Gage asked.
"That's the million dollar question Rangers. We found a note with the same message at Sonya Austin's murder scene."
Walker studied the typed note. "Have the crime lab guys looked at the other one yet?"
Lt. Davis nodded. "They've going over it with a fine-tooth comb, but as far as we can tell, there's nothing that helps us to identify who left it."
"Hmm." Walker responded.
"What is it Walker?" Gage asked, studying his mentors face.
Walker slightly shook his head. "Nothing, just a feeling."
"Ranger Walker, I'll speak with the Chief, but I think we could use the Rangers on this one. Quite frankly, we're stumped." Lt. Davis admitted.
"We'll help where we can." He shook Lt. Davis' hand and then turned to leave.
********
The following morning at Ranger headquarters, Trivette was sitting at his computer scanning the crime scene pictures in when Gage and Sydney came in.
"Hey Trivette, what's up?" Gage asked.
"Hey guys. I just got the shots from the lab from both crime scenes."
"So, what are you hoping to find by scanning them into the computer?" Sydney asked.
"I don't know yet, but I do know that they're easier to work with there. Oh, I also have this surveillance tape from the hotel, why don't you guys take a look at it while I'm working on this."
"Sure." Sydney said as she took the tape from Trivette's hand. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"Anything. 'John Smith' checked in around 9:30 p.m."
Sydney fast forwarded the tape to 9:25 p.m. and she and Gage carefully watched the tape in slow motion.
"Hey, back it up a minute." Gage said as the clock on the screen showed 9:34 p.m.
"What?" Sydney asked as she backed it up to 9:30 p.m.
"Run it in slow motion from here." Gage requested.
As the tape ran in slow motion, Sydney saw what Gage had seen, a hooded figure with his arm around Sonya Austin's waist.
"Back it up a little and do a frame by frame." Gage said. "Trivette, we may have something here."
Trivette joined them in front of the TV and watched the frame-by-frame video creep across the screen. As the hooded figure approached the camera, he turned away and faced the wall.
"He knew the camera was there." Gage said.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Who was working the desk that night?" Gage asked as Walker came in.
"What's going on?" Walker asked.
"We just watched the surveillance video from the motel, there's a hooded figure that may be our killer."
Trivette thumbed through the notes he had received from Lt. Davis. "Joey Matherly." Trivette answered Gage's question.
"Did the police talk to him?" Sydney asked.
"Yes, but he said he never saw the guy's face."
"Is there a security camera at the front desk?" Gage asked.
"Good question." Walker responded. "Why don't you and Sydney go and find out."
"We're on it." Gage responded as he and Sydney bolted for the door.
*************
Gage and Sydney pulled into the parking lot of the small motel where Sonya Austin's body had been found. As they entered the office, they both identified themselves as Texas Rangers and asked to speak with the manager.
"He's not here right now." The young man behind the desk replied.
"When will he be in?" Sydney asked.
"He should be back in a few minutes."
"Good, we'll wait." Gage replied. "What's your name?"
"Tony."
"Tell me Tony, do you have a security camera here at the front desk?"
The young man hesitated for a moment before responding. "Uh, yes sir we do, but I don't have the key to it."
"That's OK, we'll wait for the manager. What's his name anyway?"
"Mr. Bently."
"We'll just wait for Mr. Bently over here." Gage and Sydney stepped away from the desk, realizing that they were making the young man nervous.
"Are you here about that girl's murder?" Tony asked.
"Yes, we are." Sydney replied. "Were you working that night?"
"No, Joey was. He told me all about it though. He said that he just knew that guy was up to something. He just looked suspicious."
Mr. Bently opened the front door. "Tony!" He yelled. "Who in the hell is in my parking place?"
Tony looked frightened as he prepared to answer his boss, but Gage spoke up. "That would be us."
"Well, you need to get out there and move your heap. You're in my parking spot." Mr. Bently replied.
"And who might you be?" Gage asked.
"I'm Calvin Bently, owner of this establishment."
"Well, Mr. Bently, I'm Ranger Gage and this is Ranger Cooke and we have a few questions for you concerning the body of a young girl that was found in one of your rooms the other day."
Calvin Bently put his hand to his head and rolled his eyes. "Geez, don't you guys every quit?"
"Mr. Bently, the Rangers have just recently become involved in this investigation and we need your desk surveillance tapes for this week." Sydney stated.
"The whole week?"
Sydney nodded. "Yes, the whole week. Is there a problem?"
"Well, I usually just use the tapes over at the end of the week, but I guess I can dig up an old one somewhere to plug in." Mr. Bently said and he pulled the key to the camera compartment from his pocket and retrieved the week's worth of tapes. "Here, this is it."
"Thank you Mr. Bently. We'll get them back to you as soon as we're finished with them." Gage said as he held the door open for Sydney.
Once inside the car Gage turned towards her. "Why did you want the week's worth of tapes? I thought we were only concerned with the night Sonya Austin was murdered."
"Yeah, well I was thinking that maybe we could find him on a prior tape, you know, checking the place out."
Gage cocked his head slightly and then shrugged his shoulders. "I knew that."
********
"What did you two find out?" Walker asked as Sydney and Gage entered the office.
"We got the front desk tapes for this week." Sydney held up the three tapes.
Walker nodded. "Good. You guys start reviewing them and see if you can get a good look at this guy's face."
"Alright." Sydney replied as she and Gage headed towards the TV and VCR.
"Hey, here's what the girl was wearing that night." Trivette said as he handed the crime scene photos to Gage.
Gage pulled the pictures from the envelope and stared at the body and then back at Sydney.
"What is it?" Sydney asked.
"Do you realize how much this girl looks like you?"
Sydney studied the pictures for a moment. "Well, maybe a little. I mean we had the same build, but that's about it."
"Yeah, right." Gage said sarcastically. "You had the same build, the same color hair and according to this report, the same color eyes."
"Gage, there are a lot of dark-haired, brown-eyed women in Dallas."
"I know, but Syd, she looks like you."
Sydney closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew Gage was right, but she didn't want to think about that now. Right now she just wanted to concentrate on catching the man that killed Sonya Austin.
**********
As Alex was laying Angela down for her nap, she had the eerie feeling that someone was watching her. She was so preoccupied that she nearly jumped a foot when the phone rang. "Ah!" She said as she reached for the phone. "Hello."
"Hi Alex." Walker greeted.
"Oh Walker, I'm so glad it's you." Alex said with relief in her voice.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, I'm sure it's probably nothing, but I can't shake the feeling that someone is watching me."
"I have a few things to finish up here, but then I'll be right home. You make sure all of the doors and windows are closed and locked." Walker instructed.
"They are. I've already checked. As a matter of fact, you'll need to ring the doorbell to get in, I have the deadbolt on the front door." She laughed slightly, trying to cover her fear.
"I promise I'll be home as soon as I can. Where's Angela?"
"I just put her down for her nap."
"Ok, just stay away from the windows and I promise I'll be there in a little while." Walker paused. "Alex, I love you."
Alex smiled. "I love you too."
Outside, sitting in a dark sedan, a man in a black hooded coat sat with a pair of binoculars aimed at Alex's kitchen window. "I did it for you, and I'll do it again." The man whispered and then put the binoculars away and quietly drove off.
*********
"Is Alex OK?" Sydney asked as she noticed how worried Walker looked after his conversation with his wife.
"She said that she felt like someone was watching her."
"Do you want me and Gage to ride over and take a look around?" Sydney asked as they took a break from the tape viewing.
"No. Thanks, but I really need the two of you here. Have you found anything on the tapes yet?"
Gage shook his head. "Nope. I never realized how many people go in and out of a small motel like that."
"Yeah, and from all walks of life." Sydney added.
Walker was too preoccupied to comment. "You two take a short break and then get back at it. We need to put a face on this killer before he kills again."
"Do you really think he'll kill again? Maybe it was someone who had something against Sonya Austin and her boyfriend." Gage said.
"Maybe, but that doesn't explain the notes." Walker retorted.
"Hey, I just got a message in from the crime lab. There's nothing special about the note or the printer they were printed on. At least nothing to lead us to the killer. Looks like the ink is from a Cannon LaserJet printer. Standard black ink, nothing out of the ordinary."
"Are there any fingerprints on the note?" Gage asked.
Trivette shook his head. "Not according to the lab. Looks like whoever left this note was wearing gloves."
"Great. I guess we had better get back to the tapes." Sydney said wearily.
"Let me know if you come up with anything, I'm going home to check on Alex and Angela." Walker said as he grabbed his hat.
"Hey, Walker, call us when you get there and let us know what's going on." Gage said.
Walker nodded. "I will."
**********
Outside of Ranger headquarters, a dark sedan was parked across from Walker's RAM. The man with the black hooded coat was watching him as he came out of the building. "Ah, Ranger Walker, the love of her life. Her gallant knight in shining armor. You don't spend enough time with her. There are just too many other things to take you away from your responsibility to the beautiful Alexandra and the fair young Angela. You need to get your priorities straight." The man whispered aloud.
"Maybe if I do your job for you, and rid you of the subordinates that continually ask you for advice and what they should do next, you would stay home more and the lovely Alexandra would decide to leave the DA's office. I realize that the other Rangers look up to you, who wouldn't, you are the perfect Ranger, but there are too many distractions in your life Ranger Walker, your top priority should be keeping your wife and daughter safe and happy."
As Walker pulled away in the truck, the dark sedan creeped away in the opposite direction. "I don't have to follow you Ranger, I know where you live."
*********
"Hey, what was that?" Sydney asked.
"What?" Gage replied as he stopped the tape.
"Back it up." Sydney said as Gage rewound the tape for a few seconds.
"There. Play it back slowly." He hit the play button.
Soon they both saw what Sydney had caught a glimpse of, the man in the dark hooded coat with Sonya Austin at his side. The man's face had been captured completely by the hidden camera. "Does he look familiar to you?" Sydney asked.
Gage shook his head. "No, how about you?"
Sydney shook her head too. "No, never seen him."
"Rewind it again." Gage said. Sydney rewound the tape. Gage concentrated on the man's lips as he spoke and translated one side of the silent conversation. 'We need a room. A room with no one else around us.' "There's a pause, the desk clerk must have been answering him. 'We tend to be a little noisy sometimes, she likes it rough.' "He looks down after that, I can't see his lips." Gage studied the TV screen, noting the bruising around Sonya's eyes and cheek.
"You still amaze me every once in awhile." Sydney smiled.
"What?" Gage asked.
"You still read lips so well, even though you don't need to."
"I guess it's not such a bad skill to have." Gage smiled.
Sydney returned the smile. "We'd better find Trivette, we need to get this picture scanned in and see if this guy has a record."
Trivette came back into the office. "Did I hear my name?"
Gage and Sydney proceeded to tell Trivette what they had found. "I'll need to take this down to the lab and have them digitize it for me."
"Hey, while you're doing that, Syd and I are going to go and grab a bite of dinner. Do you want anything?"
"No, I'm hoping to get out of here soon and I know that my lovely wife fixed a casserole just before she left on her business trip and I can't wait to dig into it." He smiled.
"Suit yourself." Gage laughed as he and Sydney left.
As Gage opened the door of the car for Sydney, he felt eyes on him and scanned the area, but saw nothing.
"What is it?" Sydney asked as he got into the car.
"Probably nothing. I guess Alex has me a little paranoid. I could swear that someone is watching us."
"Go ahead and pull out, I'll look around." Gage pulled out of the parking spot and towards the open road. Once he was about a block away, a dark colored sedan began to follow them.
"Gage, we've picked up a tail." Sydney said as they neared the next stop light.
"I see him." Gage's eyes were averted to the rear-view mirror.
"What do you want to do?"
"Let's go down a few blocks and let the traffic thin a little, then maybe we can get a look at our tail."
The light changed and Gage sped up. The dark colored sedan kept up with him. "Syd, call it in. I want to try to keep him in sight until we get some back up."
Sydney picked up the radio and called in for back up. Trivette heard the transmission and immediately picked up the phone and called Walker.
"Walker, Sydney and Gage are being followed. They were going out to pick up some dinner and this dark sedan began following them as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot. They also found a great shot of the killer's face. I've got the lab working on getting it into the computer so I can try to put a name with the face."
"Good work Trivette. Where exactly are Sydney and Gage?"
Trivette gave Walker the location Sydney had called out on the radio. "Are you headed in that direction?"
"Yeah." Walker hung up the phone and told Alex what was going on. "I'll be back soon."
"Walker, be careful."
"I will."
*********
"Gun!" Sydney yelled out as Gage glanced in the rear-view mirror again and saw the driver of the dark colored sedan pull out what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon.
Two shots were fired towards Gage and Sydney's car. Sydney pulled her weapon and fired two shots back. As they rounded a curve, the next spray of bullets fired by the driver of the dark colored sedan blew out both of Gage's front and rear driver's side tires and sent the car into an uncontrollable spin.
As if they were in slow motion, Sydney looked over at Gage just before the car began a series of rolls, finally coming to a rest on the side of the road upside down. A gun emerged from the window of the dark-colored sedan and just as the driver prepared to fire, he saw Walker's RAM heading straight towards him, lights flashing and siren blaring. He quickly threw something out of the window and then pulled away at full speed.
Walker quickly made a mental note of the license plate number of the sedan and then called for emergency services. He hardly remembered putting the RAM into park as he leaped out and headed for Gage's overturned vehicle.
"Gage! Sydney!" He yelled. As he approached them, he could see that neither one were moving. He was on the ground in an instant beside of Sydney's door, reaching in through the rolled down window and feeling her neck for a pulse. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he found that she was still breathing.
From his position near Sydney, he could see that Gage had hit his head on the steering wheel and a small amount of blood was trickling from a cut on his forehead. Walker quickly made his way to Gage's side of the car and reached in to feel for a pulse, he was somewhat startled by a hoarse whisper. "Walker?" Gage said without opening his eyes.
"I'm here Gage. Help's on the way, don't try to move."
"Syd?"
"She's OK."
************
The driver of the dark sedan parked his car across from the Walker ranch and pulled out his night vision binoculars. He focused in on Alex's shadow moving across the living room floor. "Ah, Alexandra, I have taken care of two more of the many people that pull your beloved away from you when you need him most. The youngest Rangers in Company B will no longer be a problem. Rest easy, my dear Alexandra, soon you shall have the man who loves you most in this world, the man who will let nothing take precedence over his desire to keep you and the fair Angela safe and happy." He put away the binoculars and again, quietly drove away.
*******
Trivette left to join Walker as soon as he heard the request for emergency services on the radio. He arrived shortly after the ambulances and fire department. "Hey, are they OK?" He asked as he patted Walker on the back.
"Gage is semi-conscious, but Sydney is still out."
"Any idea what happened?"
"I saw a car pulling away as I drove up. I got a partial plate." Walker handed the partial plate number to Trivette.
"I'll run it when I get back to the office, but I'm not leaving until their out of the car." Trivette said as he took the plate number.
Walker nodded and continued to stare at the EMS crew as they frantically worked to free the two trapped Rangers.
The police had arrived on the scene and had begun to tape off the area of the wreck. Lt. Davis stood quietly with Walker and Trivette. "Lt. Davis." One of the officers handed the Lt. a piece of pink folded paper.
Lt. Davis opened the paper; "I DID THIS FOR YOU." It read. "Ranger Walker, are you any closer to knowing who this guy is?"
"We're working on it. We have a face, now we just need a name." Trivette explained.
"Well, I hope we find him soon. This is getting out of hand." Lt Davis sighed.
The 'Jaws of Life' sliced through what was left of the car, cutting away the doors so Sydney and Gage could be taken out by the EMTs.
Three men worked frantically to free Sydney while two more were on the driver's side trying free Gage from the wreckage.
"Easy with her, she's still unconscious." The EMT carefully attached a collar and backboard before moving Sydney to the waiting ambulance.
Trivette and Walker watched as Sydney was whisked by them. "She's going to be OK, right?" Trivette asked on of the EMTs as they passed.
"Don't know yet Ranger." The EMT replied, looking over his shoulder quickly at Trivette. "We should have the other Ranger out in a minute."
Gage was semi-conscious as he was finally freed from the overturned car and placed on a gurney. "Ranger, can you hear me?" The EMT asked. Gage moaned slightly as the EMT examined his eyes. "His pupils are slightly dilated. Immobilize his neck and get him in the ambulance."
Again, Walker and Trivette watched as Gage was loaded into the waiting ambulance. "Which hospital?" Walker asked.
"St. Matthews."
"We'll meet you there." Walker turned towards the RAM as Trivette headed towards his car.
Lt. Davis called out to them; "Let me know how they're doing."
Walker lifted his hand, acknowledging that he had heard Lt. Davis, but didn't slow down to turn around. As he started to pull away, he picked up the phone and called Alex to let her know what had happened.
"Are they OK?" Alex asked as Walker finished telling her what had happened.
"Gage is semi-conscious, but Sydney was still out when they loaded her into the ambulance."
"I'll meet you there." Alex said quickly as her concern for Sydney and Gage grew.
"St. Matthews." Walker responded before Alex could ask which hospital. "Are you brining Angela or getting a sitter?"
"I thought I would leave her with Josie at the HOPE Center."
"OK. Alex, be careful. This guy is still out there and right now, we have no idea who he is or how he's targeting his victims, but I do know that Sydney has been involved in all three cases."
"Well, not exactly. She never met Sonya Austin." Alex explained.
"But she was with you when you went to check on the girl, right?" Walker asked.
"Yes. You know that I usually have her go with me when I think that there might be trouble."
"Exactly. I know that and I think the killer knew that too."
"So, you think that Sydney was targeted?"
"I don't know what to think, at least until we find out who this guy is. Right now, I just want you to be careful."
"I will, I promise. I'm leaving in about 5 minutes and I'll be there just as soon as I drop off Angela." Alex paused. "I love you."
"I love you too."
*******
The ambulance caring Sydney backed up to the door of the Emergency Room. As the gurney was pulled out, Sydney's small frame was lying motionlessly with an IV inserted into her arm and an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. The EMTs rushed her through the double doors and straight into the trauma center.
"What have we got?" A nurse asked as she walked along with the EMT's
"Car accident. Head trauma. She hasn't regained consciousness at all." One of the EMTs said breathlessly. The other EMT began to call out Sydney's vital signs.
"Get her into trauma one."
"Oh, by the way, she's a Texas Ranger and her partner's coming in right behind us. He was semi-conscious when we loaded him."
"Thanks guys." The nurse replied as the trauma doctor entered the area and began to examine Sydney.
"We need a full skull series." The doctor barked as he continued to examine her.
Moments later, the second gurney came bursting through the double doors with a somewhat incoherent Gage strapped to it. He closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to block out the bright lights that were piercing his head.
"Vitals?" The doctor asked as he met the EMT's in the hallway.
The EMT called out Gage's vital signs as the doctor held his eyes open, one at a time and shined his penlight in each of them. "What's your name?" The doctor asked Gage.
Gage blinked his eyes a couple of times as if waiting for the question to register in his brain. "Gage. Ranger Francis Gage." He said quietly.
"Ranger Gage, do you remember what happened?" The doctor continued to question.
Gage nodded as best as he could and closed his eyes tightly again. "Shooting. He shot the tires out. I couldn't hold the car, it flipped." Gage shook his head again. "Where's Syd?"
The doctor looked at one of the nurses, she nodded.
"Would Syd be your partner?" The doctor asked.
Gage nodded again, slightly. "Yeah, my partner, Sydney Cooke." He said quietly.
"She's next door."
"Is she OK?"
The doctor paused for a moment. "She's still unconscious."
Gage squeezed his eyes tightly together and with every ounce of strength he could muster, tried to sit up.
The doctor and nurses quickly forced him back down on the table. "Whoa, whoa, Ranger. You're not going anywhere until I finish examining you. Now at best, you have a mild concussion and at worst you're bleeding inside of your brain. Until I determine which, you will lay still or I will restrain you, understand?" The doctor said sternly.
Gage relaxed somewhat and laid back on the gurney. "I need to talk to Rangers Walker and Trivette."
"They're both outside and I'm sure they're anxious to talk to you too, but right now, I need to finish this examination and I can tell you that it will go a lot faster if you'll cooperate and be still."
Gage nodded. "Sorry."
An hour later, after the doctor had taken several x-rays and ran several tests, he concluded that Gage had a mild concussion. He entered the trauma room and turned to Gage. "OK, Ranger Gage. You have a mild concussion and I would like to admit you for overnight observation." The doctor looked at his clipboard and began to write out his orders as Gage lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"No." Gage said in a determined voice.
"No, what?" The doctor looked up from his clipboard.
"No, I'm not staying overnight."
"Ranger Gage, I strongly recommend that you reconsider. Even though your concussion is mild, there's still a chance of side effects."
"I've had concussions before doctor. I'm not staying. Now if you'll get me my clothes, I'd like to get out of here."
The doctor sighed and nodded towards the nurse to get Gage's clothes from the closet.
"Thanks." Gage nodded towards the nurse. Walker and Trivette entered the small room just as Gage began to sit up on the edge of the bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Trivette asked.
"Hey guys. I'm going to check on Sydney and then I'm going back to headquarters to put a name with this guy's face, he's going to pay for this."
"Easy Gage. I know how you feel, but you're not in any condition to be back at work and I don't expect you to be there." Walker said.
"I know you don't Walker, but I need to do this." Gage rocked slightly as he stood up, reaching for the edge of the bed to steady himself.
"Gage . . ." Walker began.
"Walker, don't. You're not going to convince me to stay here and if you won't let me come into work, then I'll go after this guy some other way."
Walker stared at Gage, stern-faced. Seeing the determination in the young man's eyes, he had to admit to himself that this was one of the qualities Gage possessed that he admired most. He nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Gage never allowed his eyes to leave Walker, even after he turned to leave. Trivette patted Gage's shoulder "Are you OK?"
Gage nodded without averting his eyes. "I'm fine."
*******
Alex sat by Sydney's bedside and held her hand. "Sydney, can you hear me? If you can, please just squeeze me hand, move your fingers, something." Alex allowed a few tears to softly fall down her face and quickly moved to wipe them away when she heard a faint knock on the door.
Gage slowly entered. "How is she?" He asked.
"No change."
Gage pursed his lips and then drew a deep breath. "Could I sit with her for awhile?"
"Sure." Alex got up and gave her seat to Gage, patting his shoulder as he sat down. "How are you doing?"
"I'll be fine." He answered as his hand instinctively reached for the bandage covering half of his forehead. "A mild concussion."
Alex nodded. "I'll leave you alone with her." She paused at the door and stared at the two young Rangers.
As Alex stepped out of Sydney's room, a pair of eyes was watching her. "Ah, my beautiful Alex, always showing such concern for others. Perhaps with Rangers Cooke and Gage out of the picture, your husband will finally devote the time to you that you deserve." His thoughts were interrupted as Walker met Alex in the hallway. His arms went tenderly around her as their foreheads met and then he lifted her chin to gently kiss her lips.
"How is she?" He asked.
Alex shook her head. "No change. Gage is in with her now."
"I hope he stays here for awhile. He wants to come back to the office and work on the case, but . . ."
"Walker, what would you do if it were me in there?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer.
"I know, but . . ."
"I've never met anyone so much like you. He won't be able to rest until this killer is caught."
Walker nodded in defeat. "I know Alex. I know."
"I had better get going. Trivette's already headed back." He pulled her close and kissed her again. "I love you."
"I love you too." Alex watched longingly after her husband as he made his way down the hall.
*******
The pair of eyes had been watching the whole scene unfold. "So, this is not yet enough to make the almighty Ranger realize what he has. Maybe I should just take Ranger Walker out of the picture, but to do that would break the fair Alexandra's heart. So, maybe I should just take the beautiful Alexandra and make Ranger Cordell Walker work to get her back." A grin spread across the man's face as he stepped into a supply closet.
*******
Trivette took the scanned picture of the killer and uploaded it into his computer. He was then able to run the picture through various law enforcement databases. A few minutes later, the face had a name: Travis Peterson. He had been in and out of prison for most of his 43 years. His most recent incarceration had been handed down in Dallas and Alex Cahill- Walker had been the prosecutor. He had been sentenced to 5 years in the state mental institution for stalking a woman and eventually breaking into her home.
Walker came into the office, shaking the rain from his raincoat, just as Trivette picked up the phone to call him. "Hey Trivette, what have you got?"
"Boy am I glad you're here. Is Alex still at the hospital?"
"Yes, why?"
"This is why." Trivette turned the computer screen towards Walker.
He quickly read the information in front of him. "Peterson. I remember this guy. Alex said after his sentencing he promised her that someday her needs would be fulfilled. She said that all of his comments during the trial were just really crude and sick."
The sound of the door opening startled the two Rangers. "Hey guys. What did I miss?" Gage asked as he slowly made his way across the room.
"We've got a name for the face. Travis Peterson. Alex put him away in the state mental institution for stalking and B&E."
"So, now he's after Alex?" Gage asked.
A true fear hit Walker as the reality of Gage's words hit him. "Gage, did you leave Alex with Sydney?"
"Yeah. Her room has two armed guards though. As long as Alex is inside the room with her, they should both be safe."
"Let's get back over there. He may be stalking her now." Walker said as he tried to call Alex from his cell phone while making his way to the RAM. "She's not answering." He reported as he hung up his cell and all three men loaded into the truck.
*******
Alex decided to get a cup of coffee while the doctor was checking Sydney. She popped two quarters into the machine. One was rejected. As she bent to retrieve the quarter from the coin return, a hand began to caress her back. Alex held her breath momentarily as the other hand quickly spun her around to face him. "Hello, fair Alexandra."
A shocked expression came to her face. "Travis Peterson. What are you doing out?"
"I'm a reformed man, Ms. Cahill, or should I say Mrs. Walker. How's your friend?"
"What?" Alex asked.
"Your friend, Ranger Cooke?"
"She's alright. As a matter of fact, I had better get back to her. She'll wonder where I am."
"No she won't Alex. She's still unconscious. I thought maybe your Ranger Walker would spend more time with you if those two pesky young Rangers were out of the picture, but it appears that I made a mistake. He seems further away from you now than he was. So, to get through to him how lucky he is, I'm thinking that maybe you should just come with me and let's make him wonder where you are for a while." Peterson flashed an evil grin.
"So you're doing this for me?" Alex asked.
"Well, how much more obvious do I have to make it? I left you a note with each body. 'I DID THIS FOR YOU.' Didn't you get my notes?"
Alex shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, but I didn't get your notes." She said coldly.
"Well, it doesn't matter. But Alex, I really must insist that you come with me now." Peterson pulled a scalpel from his lab coat pocket and held it to Alex's throat.
"I'll scream." Alex said calmly.
"No you won't. If you do, your daughter, Angela, will be without a mother." He pressed the scalpel into her throat enough to draw a small trickle of blood. "Now, I'm going to put this into the small of your back and don't think for a minute that I won't use it. My car is this way." He pushed her towards the door.
Walker skidded the RAM to a stop outside of the main entrance of the hospital as a flash of lightening broke through the dark night. He, Trivette and Gage ran inside. "Where's Mrs. Walker?" Walker asked the guards as they approached Sydney's room.
"She went for coffee about 20 minutes ago."
"Walker, she wouldn't have left Syd alone." Gage stated flatly.
"I know." Walker's eyes surveyed the hospital corridor. "Trivette, take that wing, Gage take that one and I'll take this one." All three Rangers began to explore their assigned corridors.
Walker noticed a door swing shut as he passed a side exit. He quickly double backed and saw Alex being forced to the parking lot. He quickly made his way down the embankment, knowing that he could position himself in front of Peterson and hopefully disarm him.
As Peterson tried to force Alex into the passenger seat of his car, he was shocked to see Walker's silhouette standing across from him as a flash of lightening streaked across the sky. Peterson momentarily let go of Alex, which was all of the time she needed to kick him away from the door. She slammed the door closed and locked it and the driver's side door.
Peterson turned around wildly, not knowing for certain if he had seen Walker or just imagined it. His question was soon answered as Walker appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Peterson." He said quietly.
Peterson quickly turned around, but Walker moved to the right, back into the night shadows. As Peterson held the scalpel out in one hand and held out his other hand as if to steady himself, he quickly turned to the right and then to the left, looking for his would-be assailant.
The next flash of lightening revealed Walker, now standing within two feet of Peterson. Peterson lunged at Walker with the scalpel and Walker quickly disarmed him with a single fan kick to his hand.
Peterson, stunned, shook his head to regain his senses. He then executed a series of punches and kicks towards Walker, which were quickly counteracted and punctuated by loud claps of thunder and flashes of lightening. Soon, Walker had Peterson on the ground and pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket as Gage and Trivette made their way down the embankment.
"Call it in Trivette." Walker shouted as he returned to Peterson's car. Alex already had the doors unlocked and ran to her husband's open arms.
"Are you alright?" Walker asked as he held Alex's face in his hands.
She nodded. "I'm fine. How about you?" She asked.
"I'm wet." He smiled as they both realized that it was still pouring down rain.
*******
The following day, Gage, Trivette, Walker and Alex were gathered in Sydney's room explaining to her what had transpired while she was unconscious.
"I missed all of that in under 24 hours?" She asked.
"Don't feel bad Syd. I missed most of it too." Gage laughed.
"But I don't understand, what was Peterson's connection with Sonya Austin and Michael Tompkins?" Sydney asked.
"He knew about the HOPE Center and was supposedly trying to protect me." Alex started. "Sonya Austin was doing an undercover piece on the HOPE Center. She hadn't been beaten at all, she was trying to get an insiders look at the center and how we handled abuse cases."
"And Michael Tompkins was a loose end?" Gage asked.
"As best as we can tell." Trivette replied.
"Peterson should get life this time." Alex said coldly. "And in the state penitentiary, not a mental institution."
"As long as he's off of the streets and away from you, I don't care where he is." Walker replied.
*********
In a small holding cell at the Dallas police department, Travis Peterson sat on the floor, rocking back and forth. "I'll be back Alexandra. I'll be back and next time, you will be mine."
THE END
"Sgt. Michaels, I found this." Officer Kevin Mabe handed Sgt. Michaels a neatly folded piece of pale pink paper as the crime scene photographer continued snapping pictures of the murder scene.
Sgt. Michaels took the paper and held it for a moment while his eyes surveyed the room. The victim had been a young woman in her mid-twenties, dark hair, brown eyes, no ID.
"What have you got, Michaels?" Lt. Davis asked as he tapped the paper.
"Huh? Oh, I don't know yet." Michaels responded as he began to unfold the paper. He silently read over the typed sentence. "I DID THIS FOR YOU." It read.
Lt. Davis studied the simple sentence. "Did this for who?" He asked out loud.
Sgt. Michaels shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know; it isn't addressed to anyone in particular."
"Um." Lt. Davis took the letter from Sgt. Michaels' gloved hands and placed it in an evidence bag. "We had better let the crime scene investigators take a look at this."
"Who was registered in this room?" Lt. Davis asked.
"John Smith. Real original, right?" Sgt. Michaels smirked.
Davis shook his head. "Did anyone see him or the girl?"
"Not that we've found so far and he knew that the security cameras were there too, there's no shot of his face."
"Get the tapes down to the station. I want to take a look at them myself."
"Yes sir."
"Oh and Michaels." Sgt. Michaels turned to face Lt. Davis. "Good work."
"Thank you." ********
Alex and Sydney were on their way to meet with Sonya Austin, a petite woman who had shown up at the HOPE center two nights ago, bruised and battered by her abusive boyfriend.
"Sydney thanks for going with me to check on this girl. She promised me that she would call yesterday and I tried the number she left several times, but there was no answer."
"It's no problem Alex. I'm happy to do it. I just hope we find her well."
"Me too. Her boyfriend really did a number on her. I was hoping that she would leave him, but after she cooled off, she insisted that he wasn't always like that and that he seldom hit her."
"That's the type of guy who needs help the most. They usually don't even realize that they have a problem." Sydney replied.
Alex nodded as they pulled into the driveway of the address Sonya had given at the HOPE center.
"Is this right?" Sydney asked as they pulled into the driveway of a new two-story brick house with a large fenced in yard and a two car garage.
Alex checked the information that Sonya had written down. "It's the address she gave."
The two women got out of the car and Alex rang the doorbell. Moments later, a neatly dressed young man opened the door. "Yes, may I help you?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm Alex Cahill-Walker and this is Sydney Cooke, we're looking for Sonya Austin."
"Well, welcome to the search." He said sarcastically.
"What do you mean?" Sydney asked.
"Sonya's been missing since Monday night. Are you friends of hers?"
Alex began cautiously. "I'm the Assistant D. A. and Ms. Cooke is a Texas Ranger."
"Is Sonya in trouble?"
"May we come in?" Sydney asked, not wanting to continue their discussion on the front porch.
"Sure." He ushered the two women into the living room.
Sydney turned to speak. "Are you Sonya's boyfriend?"
"Yes, I'm Michael Tompkins."
"Michael did you and Sonya have a fight Monday night?"
Michael's face began to redden. "Why?"
"Mr. Tompkins, Sonya came to the HOPE Center Monday night and had been badly beaten. She said that her boyfriend had beaten her up. Is that true?"
"Well, not unless she has another boyfriend that I know nothing about and I find that hard to believe. We did have a fight and I slapped her but I didn't break the skin and I never beat her." Michael defended.
"Have you reported her missing?" Sydney asked.
"Yes. I called the police yesterday morning, but they said they couldn't do anything until she had been missing for 48 hours."
"Have you called back?"
"Not yet."
"Why not? It's been over 48 hours."
"Yes, but she is an adult and she doesn't have to answer to me or ask if she can leave."
"Mr. Tompkins, call the police back and see if they'll take your report over the phone." Sydney urged.
"OK." Michael picked up the phone. Alex and Sydney waited in the living room while he gave the police a description of Sonya. He cupped his hand over the phone while he was asked to hold. "I'm on hold." He told Alex and Sydney. Alex nodded.
The officer taking the missing persons report came back to the phone. "Mr. Tompkins, could you please come down to the station to complete this?"
"Well, yes, I guess so." He replied with uncertainty.
"Thank you." The officer replied.
Michael hung up the phone and turned to Alex and Sydney. "They want me to complete the report at the station."
"That's odd." Sydney replied. "We'll follow you down."
**********
Once at the police station, Michael, Alex and Sydney sat down and waited for Sgt. Michaels and Lt. Davis.
"Ranger Cooke, Mrs. Walker, what are you doing here?" Lt. Davis asked as he saw Sydney and Alex.
"We were following up on a girl that showed up at the HOPE Center the other night. She was Mr. Tompkins girlfriend."
Lt. Davis raised an eyebrow. "Really now?" He glanced at Michael Tompkins who was squirming on the bench. "Ranger Cooke, can I speak to you for a moment?"
Sydney followed Lt. Davis into an office. He pulled out the pictures that had been taken at the crime scene. "Is this the girl you're looking for?"
Sydney shook her head. "I don't know. I've never met her. What happened?"
"These were taken this morning at a small motel here in Dallas. The girl had been stabbed repeatedly and we found this note at the scene." He handed the bagged note to Sydney.
"I DID THIS FOR YOU." She read. "For who?"
Lt. Davis shook his head. "That's what we're still trying to figure out. We still don't have an ID on the girl, but she does match the general description Tompkins was giving for his missing girlfriend."
"Do you mind if I stay in here while you talk to him?" Sydney asked.
"Not at all." Lt. Davis replied.
Michael Tompkins was brought into the room. "Mr. Tompkins, we need to show you a couple of pictures. I'll warn you, they're pretty gruesome to look at and I'm afraid that they may be of your girlfriend."
Michael took one look at the pictures and became light-headed.
"Here, sit down, Mr. Tompkins." Sydney helped him to a chair and he immediately began to sob.
"I take it that this is your girlfriend, Sonya Austin?"
Michael nodded.
"Mr. Tompkins, I'm sorry for your loss and we'll give you a few minutes to pull yourself together, but then we need to ask you a few questions."
Michael nodded as Lt. Davis and Sydney left the room.
After twenty minutes, they returned to find Michael staring straight ahead, his eyes still filled with tears.
"Mr. Tompkins did you and Ms. Austin have a fight Monday night?" Lt. Davis asked after clicking on a tape recorder.
"Yes. She was about to take an assignment overseas and I was afraid that if she went, I would never see her again. It's just so dangerous right now."
"An assignment? What kind of assignment?" Lt. Davis asked.
"Sonya is . . ." He paused. "Was, an international free-lance news writer. She had just approached 'TIME' magazine with the idea of a story on the Al-Queda forces in Afghanistan and they had agreed to pay her travel expenses up front plus supply her with a camera crew. Her flight was supposed to leave tomorrow."
"You said that the two of you fought, did you hit her?"
Michael began to cry and hung his head shamefully; "Yes, I slapped her. I told her she was crazy to even consider going over there right now and I slapped her."
"How many times did you slap her?"
"Once. Only once, on her left cheek."
"You didn't beat her? Mrs. Walker said that her face was heavily bruised when she came to the HOPE Center and when she was questioned, she said that her boyfriend did it." Sydney stated.
"I did not beat her! I couldn't! I loved her!" Michael shouted.
Sydney and Lt. Davis both got up from the table and left Michael to his grief with a guard outside the door. "What do you think?" Lt. Davis asked Sydney.
"I think he's telling the truth." Sydney replied.
"Then who beat this woman Monday night and who killed her?" Lt. Davis asked.
Sydney pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. "I wish I knew."
"We don't have enough to hold him, but I'm going to warn him to not leave town."
"I don't think he will anyway." Sydney said as Lt. Davis stepped back into the room and talked with Michael alone.
Alex approached Sydney in the hallway while they were waiting for Michael Tompkins to be released. "I called Walker and let him know where we are."
"Thanks Alex. I sort of lost track of time." Sydney glanced at her watch.
Michael stepped out of the room and joined the two ladies at the door. "I don't understand any of this. Sonya and I had a little fight, now you're telling me that someone beat her up Monday night and now she's dead. I really don't understand any of this." His voice trailed off.
"Why don't you let me drive you home Mr. Tompkins? Alex would you mind following us in your car?"
Alex gave Sydney a look of uncertainty. "OK." She replied slowly.
Sydney slid under the wheel of Michael Tompkins' Lexus and drove towards his home with Alex close behind in her car. She pulled into his driveway and got out as Alex pulled in behind them. "Remember Mr. Tompkins, don't leave town." Sydney ordered as she turned to get into the car with Alex.
"I have no plans to leave town Ranger Cooke, I assure you." Michael replied and then slowly made his way to his front door.
Alex and Sydney were just pulling out of the driveway when Michael turned the doorknob; they were suddenly rocked by a tremendous explosion. Alex slammed on the brakes as a horrified look came across her face when she saw Michael Tompkins' house erupt into flames.
"Oh my Lord!" Sydney exclaimed as she reached for her cell phone and called in the incident.
Meanwhile, Alex whipped the car around and parked across the street from the house. "Do you think there's anyway he survived?" She quietly asked Sydney.
Sydney shook her head. "No." She whispered.
*******
Walker and Gage arrived on the scene just as Lt. Davis was pulling up. "Ranger Cooke, what happened?" Lt. Davis asked.
Walker wrapped his arms around Alex as Gage ran towards his partner. "We had just dropped Mr. Tompkins off at his house. I told him to be certain to not leave town and he said he had no plans to leave. Then as Alex and I were pulling away, we heard and felt a huge explosion and saw that the house had erupted in flames." Sydney explained.
"Thank you Ranger Cooke."
Gage put his arm around Sydney as soon as Lt. Davis turned away from her. "Syd, are you alright?" He asked as he turned her face towards him.
"I'm fine Gage. We were in Alex's car and half way down the street when the house exploded."
"Thank God." He replied as he pulled her close.
Sydney nodded and stared at the still-burning house.
"Lt. Davis, you have to see this." One of the officers shouted from what was left of the porch.
Lt. Davis joined the officer and carefully picked up the pale pink paper with his gloved hands. "I DID THIS FOR YOU." It read. Sydney, Gage and Walker had joined Lt. Davis.
"For who?" Gage asked.
"That's the million dollar question Rangers. We found a note with the same message at Sonya Austin's murder scene."
Walker studied the typed note. "Have the crime lab guys looked at the other one yet?"
Lt. Davis nodded. "They've going over it with a fine-tooth comb, but as far as we can tell, there's nothing that helps us to identify who left it."
"Hmm." Walker responded.
"What is it Walker?" Gage asked, studying his mentors face.
Walker slightly shook his head. "Nothing, just a feeling."
"Ranger Walker, I'll speak with the Chief, but I think we could use the Rangers on this one. Quite frankly, we're stumped." Lt. Davis admitted.
"We'll help where we can." He shook Lt. Davis' hand and then turned to leave.
********
The following morning at Ranger headquarters, Trivette was sitting at his computer scanning the crime scene pictures in when Gage and Sydney came in.
"Hey Trivette, what's up?" Gage asked.
"Hey guys. I just got the shots from the lab from both crime scenes."
"So, what are you hoping to find by scanning them into the computer?" Sydney asked.
"I don't know yet, but I do know that they're easier to work with there. Oh, I also have this surveillance tape from the hotel, why don't you guys take a look at it while I'm working on this."
"Sure." Sydney said as she took the tape from Trivette's hand. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"Anything. 'John Smith' checked in around 9:30 p.m."
Sydney fast forwarded the tape to 9:25 p.m. and she and Gage carefully watched the tape in slow motion.
"Hey, back it up a minute." Gage said as the clock on the screen showed 9:34 p.m.
"What?" Sydney asked as she backed it up to 9:30 p.m.
"Run it in slow motion from here." Gage requested.
As the tape ran in slow motion, Sydney saw what Gage had seen, a hooded figure with his arm around Sonya Austin's waist.
"Back it up a little and do a frame by frame." Gage said. "Trivette, we may have something here."
Trivette joined them in front of the TV and watched the frame-by-frame video creep across the screen. As the hooded figure approached the camera, he turned away and faced the wall.
"He knew the camera was there." Gage said.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Who was working the desk that night?" Gage asked as Walker came in.
"What's going on?" Walker asked.
"We just watched the surveillance video from the motel, there's a hooded figure that may be our killer."
Trivette thumbed through the notes he had received from Lt. Davis. "Joey Matherly." Trivette answered Gage's question.
"Did the police talk to him?" Sydney asked.
"Yes, but he said he never saw the guy's face."
"Is there a security camera at the front desk?" Gage asked.
"Good question." Walker responded. "Why don't you and Sydney go and find out."
"We're on it." Gage responded as he and Sydney bolted for the door.
*************
Gage and Sydney pulled into the parking lot of the small motel where Sonya Austin's body had been found. As they entered the office, they both identified themselves as Texas Rangers and asked to speak with the manager.
"He's not here right now." The young man behind the desk replied.
"When will he be in?" Sydney asked.
"He should be back in a few minutes."
"Good, we'll wait." Gage replied. "What's your name?"
"Tony."
"Tell me Tony, do you have a security camera here at the front desk?"
The young man hesitated for a moment before responding. "Uh, yes sir we do, but I don't have the key to it."
"That's OK, we'll wait for the manager. What's his name anyway?"
"Mr. Bently."
"We'll just wait for Mr. Bently over here." Gage and Sydney stepped away from the desk, realizing that they were making the young man nervous.
"Are you here about that girl's murder?" Tony asked.
"Yes, we are." Sydney replied. "Were you working that night?"
"No, Joey was. He told me all about it though. He said that he just knew that guy was up to something. He just looked suspicious."
Mr. Bently opened the front door. "Tony!" He yelled. "Who in the hell is in my parking place?"
Tony looked frightened as he prepared to answer his boss, but Gage spoke up. "That would be us."
"Well, you need to get out there and move your heap. You're in my parking spot." Mr. Bently replied.
"And who might you be?" Gage asked.
"I'm Calvin Bently, owner of this establishment."
"Well, Mr. Bently, I'm Ranger Gage and this is Ranger Cooke and we have a few questions for you concerning the body of a young girl that was found in one of your rooms the other day."
Calvin Bently put his hand to his head and rolled his eyes. "Geez, don't you guys every quit?"
"Mr. Bently, the Rangers have just recently become involved in this investigation and we need your desk surveillance tapes for this week." Sydney stated.
"The whole week?"
Sydney nodded. "Yes, the whole week. Is there a problem?"
"Well, I usually just use the tapes over at the end of the week, but I guess I can dig up an old one somewhere to plug in." Mr. Bently said and he pulled the key to the camera compartment from his pocket and retrieved the week's worth of tapes. "Here, this is it."
"Thank you Mr. Bently. We'll get them back to you as soon as we're finished with them." Gage said as he held the door open for Sydney.
Once inside the car Gage turned towards her. "Why did you want the week's worth of tapes? I thought we were only concerned with the night Sonya Austin was murdered."
"Yeah, well I was thinking that maybe we could find him on a prior tape, you know, checking the place out."
Gage cocked his head slightly and then shrugged his shoulders. "I knew that."
********
"What did you two find out?" Walker asked as Sydney and Gage entered the office.
"We got the front desk tapes for this week." Sydney held up the three tapes.
Walker nodded. "Good. You guys start reviewing them and see if you can get a good look at this guy's face."
"Alright." Sydney replied as she and Gage headed towards the TV and VCR.
"Hey, here's what the girl was wearing that night." Trivette said as he handed the crime scene photos to Gage.
Gage pulled the pictures from the envelope and stared at the body and then back at Sydney.
"What is it?" Sydney asked.
"Do you realize how much this girl looks like you?"
Sydney studied the pictures for a moment. "Well, maybe a little. I mean we had the same build, but that's about it."
"Yeah, right." Gage said sarcastically. "You had the same build, the same color hair and according to this report, the same color eyes."
"Gage, there are a lot of dark-haired, brown-eyed women in Dallas."
"I know, but Syd, she looks like you."
Sydney closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew Gage was right, but she didn't want to think about that now. Right now she just wanted to concentrate on catching the man that killed Sonya Austin.
**********
As Alex was laying Angela down for her nap, she had the eerie feeling that someone was watching her. She was so preoccupied that she nearly jumped a foot when the phone rang. "Ah!" She said as she reached for the phone. "Hello."
"Hi Alex." Walker greeted.
"Oh Walker, I'm so glad it's you." Alex said with relief in her voice.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, I'm sure it's probably nothing, but I can't shake the feeling that someone is watching me."
"I have a few things to finish up here, but then I'll be right home. You make sure all of the doors and windows are closed and locked." Walker instructed.
"They are. I've already checked. As a matter of fact, you'll need to ring the doorbell to get in, I have the deadbolt on the front door." She laughed slightly, trying to cover her fear.
"I promise I'll be home as soon as I can. Where's Angela?"
"I just put her down for her nap."
"Ok, just stay away from the windows and I promise I'll be there in a little while." Walker paused. "Alex, I love you."
Alex smiled. "I love you too."
Outside, sitting in a dark sedan, a man in a black hooded coat sat with a pair of binoculars aimed at Alex's kitchen window. "I did it for you, and I'll do it again." The man whispered and then put the binoculars away and quietly drove off.
*********
"Is Alex OK?" Sydney asked as she noticed how worried Walker looked after his conversation with his wife.
"She said that she felt like someone was watching her."
"Do you want me and Gage to ride over and take a look around?" Sydney asked as they took a break from the tape viewing.
"No. Thanks, but I really need the two of you here. Have you found anything on the tapes yet?"
Gage shook his head. "Nope. I never realized how many people go in and out of a small motel like that."
"Yeah, and from all walks of life." Sydney added.
Walker was too preoccupied to comment. "You two take a short break and then get back at it. We need to put a face on this killer before he kills again."
"Do you really think he'll kill again? Maybe it was someone who had something against Sonya Austin and her boyfriend." Gage said.
"Maybe, but that doesn't explain the notes." Walker retorted.
"Hey, I just got a message in from the crime lab. There's nothing special about the note or the printer they were printed on. At least nothing to lead us to the killer. Looks like the ink is from a Cannon LaserJet printer. Standard black ink, nothing out of the ordinary."
"Are there any fingerprints on the note?" Gage asked.
Trivette shook his head. "Not according to the lab. Looks like whoever left this note was wearing gloves."
"Great. I guess we had better get back to the tapes." Sydney said wearily.
"Let me know if you come up with anything, I'm going home to check on Alex and Angela." Walker said as he grabbed his hat.
"Hey, Walker, call us when you get there and let us know what's going on." Gage said.
Walker nodded. "I will."
**********
Outside of Ranger headquarters, a dark sedan was parked across from Walker's RAM. The man with the black hooded coat was watching him as he came out of the building. "Ah, Ranger Walker, the love of her life. Her gallant knight in shining armor. You don't spend enough time with her. There are just too many other things to take you away from your responsibility to the beautiful Alexandra and the fair young Angela. You need to get your priorities straight." The man whispered aloud.
"Maybe if I do your job for you, and rid you of the subordinates that continually ask you for advice and what they should do next, you would stay home more and the lovely Alexandra would decide to leave the DA's office. I realize that the other Rangers look up to you, who wouldn't, you are the perfect Ranger, but there are too many distractions in your life Ranger Walker, your top priority should be keeping your wife and daughter safe and happy."
As Walker pulled away in the truck, the dark sedan creeped away in the opposite direction. "I don't have to follow you Ranger, I know where you live."
*********
"Hey, what was that?" Sydney asked.
"What?" Gage replied as he stopped the tape.
"Back it up." Sydney said as Gage rewound the tape for a few seconds.
"There. Play it back slowly." He hit the play button.
Soon they both saw what Sydney had caught a glimpse of, the man in the dark hooded coat with Sonya Austin at his side. The man's face had been captured completely by the hidden camera. "Does he look familiar to you?" Sydney asked.
Gage shook his head. "No, how about you?"
Sydney shook her head too. "No, never seen him."
"Rewind it again." Gage said. Sydney rewound the tape. Gage concentrated on the man's lips as he spoke and translated one side of the silent conversation. 'We need a room. A room with no one else around us.' "There's a pause, the desk clerk must have been answering him. 'We tend to be a little noisy sometimes, she likes it rough.' "He looks down after that, I can't see his lips." Gage studied the TV screen, noting the bruising around Sonya's eyes and cheek.
"You still amaze me every once in awhile." Sydney smiled.
"What?" Gage asked.
"You still read lips so well, even though you don't need to."
"I guess it's not such a bad skill to have." Gage smiled.
Sydney returned the smile. "We'd better find Trivette, we need to get this picture scanned in and see if this guy has a record."
Trivette came back into the office. "Did I hear my name?"
Gage and Sydney proceeded to tell Trivette what they had found. "I'll need to take this down to the lab and have them digitize it for me."
"Hey, while you're doing that, Syd and I are going to go and grab a bite of dinner. Do you want anything?"
"No, I'm hoping to get out of here soon and I know that my lovely wife fixed a casserole just before she left on her business trip and I can't wait to dig into it." He smiled.
"Suit yourself." Gage laughed as he and Sydney left.
As Gage opened the door of the car for Sydney, he felt eyes on him and scanned the area, but saw nothing.
"What is it?" Sydney asked as he got into the car.
"Probably nothing. I guess Alex has me a little paranoid. I could swear that someone is watching us."
"Go ahead and pull out, I'll look around." Gage pulled out of the parking spot and towards the open road. Once he was about a block away, a dark colored sedan began to follow them.
"Gage, we've picked up a tail." Sydney said as they neared the next stop light.
"I see him." Gage's eyes were averted to the rear-view mirror.
"What do you want to do?"
"Let's go down a few blocks and let the traffic thin a little, then maybe we can get a look at our tail."
The light changed and Gage sped up. The dark colored sedan kept up with him. "Syd, call it in. I want to try to keep him in sight until we get some back up."
Sydney picked up the radio and called in for back up. Trivette heard the transmission and immediately picked up the phone and called Walker.
"Walker, Sydney and Gage are being followed. They were going out to pick up some dinner and this dark sedan began following them as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot. They also found a great shot of the killer's face. I've got the lab working on getting it into the computer so I can try to put a name with the face."
"Good work Trivette. Where exactly are Sydney and Gage?"
Trivette gave Walker the location Sydney had called out on the radio. "Are you headed in that direction?"
"Yeah." Walker hung up the phone and told Alex what was going on. "I'll be back soon."
"Walker, be careful."
"I will."
*********
"Gun!" Sydney yelled out as Gage glanced in the rear-view mirror again and saw the driver of the dark colored sedan pull out what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon.
Two shots were fired towards Gage and Sydney's car. Sydney pulled her weapon and fired two shots back. As they rounded a curve, the next spray of bullets fired by the driver of the dark colored sedan blew out both of Gage's front and rear driver's side tires and sent the car into an uncontrollable spin.
As if they were in slow motion, Sydney looked over at Gage just before the car began a series of rolls, finally coming to a rest on the side of the road upside down. A gun emerged from the window of the dark-colored sedan and just as the driver prepared to fire, he saw Walker's RAM heading straight towards him, lights flashing and siren blaring. He quickly threw something out of the window and then pulled away at full speed.
Walker quickly made a mental note of the license plate number of the sedan and then called for emergency services. He hardly remembered putting the RAM into park as he leaped out and headed for Gage's overturned vehicle.
"Gage! Sydney!" He yelled. As he approached them, he could see that neither one were moving. He was on the ground in an instant beside of Sydney's door, reaching in through the rolled down window and feeling her neck for a pulse. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he found that she was still breathing.
From his position near Sydney, he could see that Gage had hit his head on the steering wheel and a small amount of blood was trickling from a cut on his forehead. Walker quickly made his way to Gage's side of the car and reached in to feel for a pulse, he was somewhat startled by a hoarse whisper. "Walker?" Gage said without opening his eyes.
"I'm here Gage. Help's on the way, don't try to move."
"Syd?"
"She's OK."
************
The driver of the dark sedan parked his car across from the Walker ranch and pulled out his night vision binoculars. He focused in on Alex's shadow moving across the living room floor. "Ah, Alexandra, I have taken care of two more of the many people that pull your beloved away from you when you need him most. The youngest Rangers in Company B will no longer be a problem. Rest easy, my dear Alexandra, soon you shall have the man who loves you most in this world, the man who will let nothing take precedence over his desire to keep you and the fair Angela safe and happy." He put away the binoculars and again, quietly drove away.
*******
Trivette left to join Walker as soon as he heard the request for emergency services on the radio. He arrived shortly after the ambulances and fire department. "Hey, are they OK?" He asked as he patted Walker on the back.
"Gage is semi-conscious, but Sydney is still out."
"Any idea what happened?"
"I saw a car pulling away as I drove up. I got a partial plate." Walker handed the partial plate number to Trivette.
"I'll run it when I get back to the office, but I'm not leaving until their out of the car." Trivette said as he took the plate number.
Walker nodded and continued to stare at the EMS crew as they frantically worked to free the two trapped Rangers.
The police had arrived on the scene and had begun to tape off the area of the wreck. Lt. Davis stood quietly with Walker and Trivette. "Lt. Davis." One of the officers handed the Lt. a piece of pink folded paper.
Lt. Davis opened the paper; "I DID THIS FOR YOU." It read. "Ranger Walker, are you any closer to knowing who this guy is?"
"We're working on it. We have a face, now we just need a name." Trivette explained.
"Well, I hope we find him soon. This is getting out of hand." Lt Davis sighed.
The 'Jaws of Life' sliced through what was left of the car, cutting away the doors so Sydney and Gage could be taken out by the EMTs.
Three men worked frantically to free Sydney while two more were on the driver's side trying free Gage from the wreckage.
"Easy with her, she's still unconscious." The EMT carefully attached a collar and backboard before moving Sydney to the waiting ambulance.
Trivette and Walker watched as Sydney was whisked by them. "She's going to be OK, right?" Trivette asked on of the EMTs as they passed.
"Don't know yet Ranger." The EMT replied, looking over his shoulder quickly at Trivette. "We should have the other Ranger out in a minute."
Gage was semi-conscious as he was finally freed from the overturned car and placed on a gurney. "Ranger, can you hear me?" The EMT asked. Gage moaned slightly as the EMT examined his eyes. "His pupils are slightly dilated. Immobilize his neck and get him in the ambulance."
Again, Walker and Trivette watched as Gage was loaded into the waiting ambulance. "Which hospital?" Walker asked.
"St. Matthews."
"We'll meet you there." Walker turned towards the RAM as Trivette headed towards his car.
Lt. Davis called out to them; "Let me know how they're doing."
Walker lifted his hand, acknowledging that he had heard Lt. Davis, but didn't slow down to turn around. As he started to pull away, he picked up the phone and called Alex to let her know what had happened.
"Are they OK?" Alex asked as Walker finished telling her what had happened.
"Gage is semi-conscious, but Sydney was still out when they loaded her into the ambulance."
"I'll meet you there." Alex said quickly as her concern for Sydney and Gage grew.
"St. Matthews." Walker responded before Alex could ask which hospital. "Are you brining Angela or getting a sitter?"
"I thought I would leave her with Josie at the HOPE Center."
"OK. Alex, be careful. This guy is still out there and right now, we have no idea who he is or how he's targeting his victims, but I do know that Sydney has been involved in all three cases."
"Well, not exactly. She never met Sonya Austin." Alex explained.
"But she was with you when you went to check on the girl, right?" Walker asked.
"Yes. You know that I usually have her go with me when I think that there might be trouble."
"Exactly. I know that and I think the killer knew that too."
"So, you think that Sydney was targeted?"
"I don't know what to think, at least until we find out who this guy is. Right now, I just want you to be careful."
"I will, I promise. I'm leaving in about 5 minutes and I'll be there just as soon as I drop off Angela." Alex paused. "I love you."
"I love you too."
*******
The ambulance caring Sydney backed up to the door of the Emergency Room. As the gurney was pulled out, Sydney's small frame was lying motionlessly with an IV inserted into her arm and an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. The EMTs rushed her through the double doors and straight into the trauma center.
"What have we got?" A nurse asked as she walked along with the EMT's
"Car accident. Head trauma. She hasn't regained consciousness at all." One of the EMTs said breathlessly. The other EMT began to call out Sydney's vital signs.
"Get her into trauma one."
"Oh, by the way, she's a Texas Ranger and her partner's coming in right behind us. He was semi-conscious when we loaded him."
"Thanks guys." The nurse replied as the trauma doctor entered the area and began to examine Sydney.
"We need a full skull series." The doctor barked as he continued to examine her.
Moments later, the second gurney came bursting through the double doors with a somewhat incoherent Gage strapped to it. He closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to block out the bright lights that were piercing his head.
"Vitals?" The doctor asked as he met the EMT's in the hallway.
The EMT called out Gage's vital signs as the doctor held his eyes open, one at a time and shined his penlight in each of them. "What's your name?" The doctor asked Gage.
Gage blinked his eyes a couple of times as if waiting for the question to register in his brain. "Gage. Ranger Francis Gage." He said quietly.
"Ranger Gage, do you remember what happened?" The doctor continued to question.
Gage nodded as best as he could and closed his eyes tightly again. "Shooting. He shot the tires out. I couldn't hold the car, it flipped." Gage shook his head again. "Where's Syd?"
The doctor looked at one of the nurses, she nodded.
"Would Syd be your partner?" The doctor asked.
Gage nodded again, slightly. "Yeah, my partner, Sydney Cooke." He said quietly.
"She's next door."
"Is she OK?"
The doctor paused for a moment. "She's still unconscious."
Gage squeezed his eyes tightly together and with every ounce of strength he could muster, tried to sit up.
The doctor and nurses quickly forced him back down on the table. "Whoa, whoa, Ranger. You're not going anywhere until I finish examining you. Now at best, you have a mild concussion and at worst you're bleeding inside of your brain. Until I determine which, you will lay still or I will restrain you, understand?" The doctor said sternly.
Gage relaxed somewhat and laid back on the gurney. "I need to talk to Rangers Walker and Trivette."
"They're both outside and I'm sure they're anxious to talk to you too, but right now, I need to finish this examination and I can tell you that it will go a lot faster if you'll cooperate and be still."
Gage nodded. "Sorry."
An hour later, after the doctor had taken several x-rays and ran several tests, he concluded that Gage had a mild concussion. He entered the trauma room and turned to Gage. "OK, Ranger Gage. You have a mild concussion and I would like to admit you for overnight observation." The doctor looked at his clipboard and began to write out his orders as Gage lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"No." Gage said in a determined voice.
"No, what?" The doctor looked up from his clipboard.
"No, I'm not staying overnight."
"Ranger Gage, I strongly recommend that you reconsider. Even though your concussion is mild, there's still a chance of side effects."
"I've had concussions before doctor. I'm not staying. Now if you'll get me my clothes, I'd like to get out of here."
The doctor sighed and nodded towards the nurse to get Gage's clothes from the closet.
"Thanks." Gage nodded towards the nurse. Walker and Trivette entered the small room just as Gage began to sit up on the edge of the bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Trivette asked.
"Hey guys. I'm going to check on Sydney and then I'm going back to headquarters to put a name with this guy's face, he's going to pay for this."
"Easy Gage. I know how you feel, but you're not in any condition to be back at work and I don't expect you to be there." Walker said.
"I know you don't Walker, but I need to do this." Gage rocked slightly as he stood up, reaching for the edge of the bed to steady himself.
"Gage . . ." Walker began.
"Walker, don't. You're not going to convince me to stay here and if you won't let me come into work, then I'll go after this guy some other way."
Walker stared at Gage, stern-faced. Seeing the determination in the young man's eyes, he had to admit to himself that this was one of the qualities Gage possessed that he admired most. He nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Gage never allowed his eyes to leave Walker, even after he turned to leave. Trivette patted Gage's shoulder "Are you OK?"
Gage nodded without averting his eyes. "I'm fine."
*******
Alex sat by Sydney's bedside and held her hand. "Sydney, can you hear me? If you can, please just squeeze me hand, move your fingers, something." Alex allowed a few tears to softly fall down her face and quickly moved to wipe them away when she heard a faint knock on the door.
Gage slowly entered. "How is she?" He asked.
"No change."
Gage pursed his lips and then drew a deep breath. "Could I sit with her for awhile?"
"Sure." Alex got up and gave her seat to Gage, patting his shoulder as he sat down. "How are you doing?"
"I'll be fine." He answered as his hand instinctively reached for the bandage covering half of his forehead. "A mild concussion."
Alex nodded. "I'll leave you alone with her." She paused at the door and stared at the two young Rangers.
As Alex stepped out of Sydney's room, a pair of eyes was watching her. "Ah, my beautiful Alex, always showing such concern for others. Perhaps with Rangers Cooke and Gage out of the picture, your husband will finally devote the time to you that you deserve." His thoughts were interrupted as Walker met Alex in the hallway. His arms went tenderly around her as their foreheads met and then he lifted her chin to gently kiss her lips.
"How is she?" He asked.
Alex shook her head. "No change. Gage is in with her now."
"I hope he stays here for awhile. He wants to come back to the office and work on the case, but . . ."
"Walker, what would you do if it were me in there?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer.
"I know, but . . ."
"I've never met anyone so much like you. He won't be able to rest until this killer is caught."
Walker nodded in defeat. "I know Alex. I know."
"I had better get going. Trivette's already headed back." He pulled her close and kissed her again. "I love you."
"I love you too." Alex watched longingly after her husband as he made his way down the hall.
*******
The pair of eyes had been watching the whole scene unfold. "So, this is not yet enough to make the almighty Ranger realize what he has. Maybe I should just take Ranger Walker out of the picture, but to do that would break the fair Alexandra's heart. So, maybe I should just take the beautiful Alexandra and make Ranger Cordell Walker work to get her back." A grin spread across the man's face as he stepped into a supply closet.
*******
Trivette took the scanned picture of the killer and uploaded it into his computer. He was then able to run the picture through various law enforcement databases. A few minutes later, the face had a name: Travis Peterson. He had been in and out of prison for most of his 43 years. His most recent incarceration had been handed down in Dallas and Alex Cahill- Walker had been the prosecutor. He had been sentenced to 5 years in the state mental institution for stalking a woman and eventually breaking into her home.
Walker came into the office, shaking the rain from his raincoat, just as Trivette picked up the phone to call him. "Hey Trivette, what have you got?"
"Boy am I glad you're here. Is Alex still at the hospital?"
"Yes, why?"
"This is why." Trivette turned the computer screen towards Walker.
He quickly read the information in front of him. "Peterson. I remember this guy. Alex said after his sentencing he promised her that someday her needs would be fulfilled. She said that all of his comments during the trial were just really crude and sick."
The sound of the door opening startled the two Rangers. "Hey guys. What did I miss?" Gage asked as he slowly made his way across the room.
"We've got a name for the face. Travis Peterson. Alex put him away in the state mental institution for stalking and B&E."
"So, now he's after Alex?" Gage asked.
A true fear hit Walker as the reality of Gage's words hit him. "Gage, did you leave Alex with Sydney?"
"Yeah. Her room has two armed guards though. As long as Alex is inside the room with her, they should both be safe."
"Let's get back over there. He may be stalking her now." Walker said as he tried to call Alex from his cell phone while making his way to the RAM. "She's not answering." He reported as he hung up his cell and all three men loaded into the truck.
*******
Alex decided to get a cup of coffee while the doctor was checking Sydney. She popped two quarters into the machine. One was rejected. As she bent to retrieve the quarter from the coin return, a hand began to caress her back. Alex held her breath momentarily as the other hand quickly spun her around to face him. "Hello, fair Alexandra."
A shocked expression came to her face. "Travis Peterson. What are you doing out?"
"I'm a reformed man, Ms. Cahill, or should I say Mrs. Walker. How's your friend?"
"What?" Alex asked.
"Your friend, Ranger Cooke?"
"She's alright. As a matter of fact, I had better get back to her. She'll wonder where I am."
"No she won't Alex. She's still unconscious. I thought maybe your Ranger Walker would spend more time with you if those two pesky young Rangers were out of the picture, but it appears that I made a mistake. He seems further away from you now than he was. So, to get through to him how lucky he is, I'm thinking that maybe you should just come with me and let's make him wonder where you are for a while." Peterson flashed an evil grin.
"So you're doing this for me?" Alex asked.
"Well, how much more obvious do I have to make it? I left you a note with each body. 'I DID THIS FOR YOU.' Didn't you get my notes?"
Alex shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, but I didn't get your notes." She said coldly.
"Well, it doesn't matter. But Alex, I really must insist that you come with me now." Peterson pulled a scalpel from his lab coat pocket and held it to Alex's throat.
"I'll scream." Alex said calmly.
"No you won't. If you do, your daughter, Angela, will be without a mother." He pressed the scalpel into her throat enough to draw a small trickle of blood. "Now, I'm going to put this into the small of your back and don't think for a minute that I won't use it. My car is this way." He pushed her towards the door.
Walker skidded the RAM to a stop outside of the main entrance of the hospital as a flash of lightening broke through the dark night. He, Trivette and Gage ran inside. "Where's Mrs. Walker?" Walker asked the guards as they approached Sydney's room.
"She went for coffee about 20 minutes ago."
"Walker, she wouldn't have left Syd alone." Gage stated flatly.
"I know." Walker's eyes surveyed the hospital corridor. "Trivette, take that wing, Gage take that one and I'll take this one." All three Rangers began to explore their assigned corridors.
Walker noticed a door swing shut as he passed a side exit. He quickly double backed and saw Alex being forced to the parking lot. He quickly made his way down the embankment, knowing that he could position himself in front of Peterson and hopefully disarm him.
As Peterson tried to force Alex into the passenger seat of his car, he was shocked to see Walker's silhouette standing across from him as a flash of lightening streaked across the sky. Peterson momentarily let go of Alex, which was all of the time she needed to kick him away from the door. She slammed the door closed and locked it and the driver's side door.
Peterson turned around wildly, not knowing for certain if he had seen Walker or just imagined it. His question was soon answered as Walker appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Peterson." He said quietly.
Peterson quickly turned around, but Walker moved to the right, back into the night shadows. As Peterson held the scalpel out in one hand and held out his other hand as if to steady himself, he quickly turned to the right and then to the left, looking for his would-be assailant.
The next flash of lightening revealed Walker, now standing within two feet of Peterson. Peterson lunged at Walker with the scalpel and Walker quickly disarmed him with a single fan kick to his hand.
Peterson, stunned, shook his head to regain his senses. He then executed a series of punches and kicks towards Walker, which were quickly counteracted and punctuated by loud claps of thunder and flashes of lightening. Soon, Walker had Peterson on the ground and pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket as Gage and Trivette made their way down the embankment.
"Call it in Trivette." Walker shouted as he returned to Peterson's car. Alex already had the doors unlocked and ran to her husband's open arms.
"Are you alright?" Walker asked as he held Alex's face in his hands.
She nodded. "I'm fine. How about you?" She asked.
"I'm wet." He smiled as they both realized that it was still pouring down rain.
*******
The following day, Gage, Trivette, Walker and Alex were gathered in Sydney's room explaining to her what had transpired while she was unconscious.
"I missed all of that in under 24 hours?" She asked.
"Don't feel bad Syd. I missed most of it too." Gage laughed.
"But I don't understand, what was Peterson's connection with Sonya Austin and Michael Tompkins?" Sydney asked.
"He knew about the HOPE Center and was supposedly trying to protect me." Alex started. "Sonya Austin was doing an undercover piece on the HOPE Center. She hadn't been beaten at all, she was trying to get an insiders look at the center and how we handled abuse cases."
"And Michael Tompkins was a loose end?" Gage asked.
"As best as we can tell." Trivette replied.
"Peterson should get life this time." Alex said coldly. "And in the state penitentiary, not a mental institution."
"As long as he's off of the streets and away from you, I don't care where he is." Walker replied.
*********
In a small holding cell at the Dallas police department, Travis Peterson sat on the floor, rocking back and forth. "I'll be back Alexandra. I'll be back and next time, you will be mine."
THE END