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Massie Block swung her legs back and forth in her office chair as she waited impatiently for her last client to come. She had been waiting for him for a while now. His appointment was an hour ago, and she had dinner with her boss in about twenty minutes. It was to talk about her relocation to Westchester in New York, where there had been various cases of reported activity. Massie was his best agent, and so she was the best candidate for the job. A few minutes later, and she was fed up. Her phone came out and she began listening to music, calming her nerves. This man had three minutes, and then she was packing up and locking the door. She hated this - people scheduling appointments and then taking a lifetime to appear.

Just as she was ready to leave, a well-dressed gentleman entered the office, looking like he'd been dragged through hell. His hair was all messed up, and his suit looked a bit scruffy. He sat down in the chair opposite her and said, "Sorry I was late. My nephews wanted me to stay longer, as you can see."

"Sir, can we please get to business? No offense, but your personal life doesn't concern me. At all."

"Okay, sorry about that."

"And, please make it quick. I'm going to be late for something important."

"Alright. My daughter said that she saw the figure move from one side of her backyard to the other. Her husband was out, and she was all alone in the house, at night. All the doors were locked, and all the windows were closed, but she saw the figure from her bedroom window. She said that it moved quickly and swiftly, and it seemed as though it was planting something in the soil."

"Did she get to see anything else, apart from the dark figure?"

"No, not that she said. Although, I remember her telling me that he looked tall."

Most people look tall when you're standing at your bedroom window. "Okay. I'll be relocated, so you'll have to see my partner, Alex. Here's his office number." She handed him a pre-printed paper with Alex's number on it. "Call him any time tomorrow morning, and he'll make an appointment to see you." Just don't come late. He'll kill you.

"Thank you."

"It's my pleasure. Now, if you don't mind, I have to lock up."

"Of course. Have a good night, Miss."

He left and she locked up behind him. She had about five minutes to rush home, three to change and another three to meet her boss at Le Petit, the best French restaurant in the area. Eight minutes later, and she was ready in a a floor-length, black evening gown and a pair of black heels. Around her neck was a pendant that a client had given her for helping her solve a case of her missing brother.

When she got there, she saw her boss - Mr K - sitting at an outside table, sipping Sauvignon blanc. She took her seat and smiled at him. "Sorry I was late, boss, this client kept me waiting for so long."

"None other than Mr Ells. Don't worry, he's usually always late."

"Well, I hope Alex doesn't blow his head off." They both chuckled, thinking about how much of a spitfire Alex was.

"So, Agent M, are you ready to go to Westchester?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. What are all the cases about?"

"Apparently, these teenagers found two bodies in the park, underneath a strategically placed sheet that blended in with the grass. They were messing around, and one of them tripped over it."

"Has the Forensics Department there found any fingerprints on the body?"

"No, our guy must be good. There was nothing, no hairs, no fibres, no nothing."

"So, you mean the perp has nothing on him? Just great. Have there been any other cases like this?"

"Yes, about three. For a place in New York, Westchester is a pretty quiet place. The first one was in '96, a woman and her daughter were found brutally murdered in their attic. The perp had stamped a T on the mother's forehead, and an I on the daughters forehead. The second was in '98, a woman, seemingly in her early twenties, was found stabbed to death in her apartment. The perp had stamped an L on her forehead. Third one was in '05, another woman, in her mid-twenties, strangled to death. The perp had stamped another L on her forehead."

"Those letters, T, I, L and L. Till. Think he's trying to give us a clue?"

"Hardly. Till makes no sense to us."

"Were there any letters on the bodies?"

"I have no idea. The Department only told me about the no evidence. I'm sure you'll be filled in once you get there."

"From what we know, the perp - already - is charged with the count of four murders... six if the Forensics find any letters on the two bodies. Who were they, anyway?"

"They were college graduates, from what we assume. We won't know until they disclose their ID cards to us."

"Disclose? We have every right to know what is going on. And it is their duty to tell us."

Mr K shook his head pleasantly. This was why Agent M was his best agent. "You'll find out when you get there."

"I'd better." She laughed a little to shake off the tension. "Seems like our perp has an eye for the ladies."

"Seems so. He could be a rapist, for all we know."

"Yeah, he could be. Did you hear about Mr Ells' daughter's case?"

"Yes, she called me non-stop to tell me. Of course a man looks tall from your window."

"That's exactly what I thought."

"Well, I guess you'd better be going. I booked you a flight to Westchester, and it leaves in about an hour."

"Okay. See you around, and tell Alex that I apologize in advance for Mr Ells."

"Done. Have fun."


Detective Harrington of the Westchester Department studied the files in front of him, carefully looking through the pictures to see if he could spot anything Forensics had missed. So far, he had nothing. He put the pictures under his desk and studied the profiles of the two victims so far. They still needed development, but at least he had the basics down: their names, ages and birthdays. Maybe, if he could find a link between the two of them, he'd be just a bit closer to grasping a lead.

Name: Lilly Wart

Age: 24 years old

Birth: April 3

College: Yale

Job choice: Engineer or Mechanic

Name: Eileen Alle

Age: 24 years old

Birth: April 4

College: Harvard

Job choice: Lawyer

He looked at their profiles again. They were both twenty-four, yes, and their birthdays were both in April. So what? His gut told him to find more, but he didn't understand. What did they have to do with the case? His co-detective, Mike, peeked his head into his office. "You've been staring at those for two hours now. Come on, Harrington,it's time to go."

"Fine." He shoved them into his bag (briefcase, knapsack) and walked briskly out. Then, he remembered that he needed to ask Mike a question. Thankfully, Mike was still standing at the bus stop. "Mike, I heard that we're getting a new recruit?"

"Yeah, she's one of the best."

"She?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"No, there's no problem." He put one hand in his coat pocket. "I thought you guys were sending over a he."

"Why? Has Harring finally become gay?"

"What? No. And don't call me Harring."

"I'll bloody well call you what I want." He was just teasing Detective H. "And, what's wrong with a female comrade?"

"I don't know. I'm not used to working around them."

"Carol's our receptionist."

"Carol is sixty-something. And married."

"So? Does it mean she isn't female?"

"True." The bus pulled up. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. See you."

He walked away and headed in the direction of his house, where he locked the door and threw himself onto the couch, in front of the screen. The Lakers were playing, and he could't afford to miss yet another game. A female comrade? I wonder why that is.


As he saw Massie board the plane to Westchester, he slipped on and sat behind her. He'd had no reason to leave... until he saw Massie leaving. She would make a beautiful target for his...

Ah, ah, ah, I've said too much...

How about ten reviews for an update? Thank you, it'd mean a lot :)

Amor,

Kellie.