Crimson Red
Chapter 1
5 Years Ago
"What is it Miranda?" Bishop asked coming up behind his wife.
Miranda shook her raven black hair and closed her eyes. "Sorry didn't mean to wake you just... a vision"
"What was it honey?" he asked his concern showing on his face for his wife's visions were not to be taken lightly.
"Something is coming Noah, I don't know when, I don't know where, but it is hunting her."
"Hunting who?" Bishop asked already knowing the answer.
"You know the universe doesn't like to be that obvious, I will know her when I see her." Miranda sighed and pulled her night gown around her suddenly chilled to the bone.
'To bed with you Special Agent Bishop, you have work tomorrow."She scolded trying to lighten the mood.
"Only if you come with me, Special Agent Bishop" he teased back as he pulled his wife and partner to their bed.
2 Days Later
Blood, she could taste it, smell it, and it threatened to suffocate her to drag her down and drowned her.
"Hey Kirs, you okay?"
Kira shook her head and looked down at the ground expecting to see blood covering the floor. She shuddered but pushed the memory to the back of her mind. "Yeah just day dreaming." Kira said leaning forward. Detective Kira Maru had long red hair and the kind of green eyes that made emeralds jealous. Today she had gone for sensible rather then fashion forward with a light gray sweater, black straight leg pants and her favorite pair of black pumps that were starting to show how old they were. Her partner on the other hand was boarder line gay, if it hadn't been for the steady stream of women that seemed to be sleeping with her partner she would have sworn he was. "Hey Detective Hunky you missed a spot" she used his nickname teasingly. It had the effect she had hoped and he was rushing to look in a mirror and fix his precious hair. Rolling her eyes, Kira looked back down at her desk and sighed.
It had been years since she had daydreamed like that. She thought she had suppressed it, locked it away tightly but what ever it was didn't want to stop. She had been through counseling for the torture she had sustained at the hands of a crime lord while undercover in narcotics. The nightmares had stopped with the pills and her mood lightened with the mood stabilizers. She was supposed to be better, not seeing the... the daydreams again.
"Maru, Williams you got a body on the corner of Adler and Ceder." their chief said sticking his head out quickly before disappearing again.
"Come on Hunky, I'll drive. Wouldn't want you to break a nail" Kira said under her breath. She glanced over at her partner, who was putting more gel in his hair. As much as she hated him even she had to admit that he was a good looking blond hair, blue eyed man. He was well built and took good care of himself never eating any of the junk food, packing his own lunches, and never touching the sorry excuse for coffee they had at the station. If he didn't drive her up the wall she might have been attracted to him.
Kira had grown up in Millinoket Maine it was a small town in the middle of no where with nine full time employees. She and Detective Williams were the only two detectives on the force.
Kira slid into the drivers seat of their detectives vehicle, she had just cleaned it out the previous evening but it still stank like old coffee, cigarettes, and cheese burgers. She braced for his usual ramblings and wasn't disappointed.
"You know Kira, you should really take better care of yourself, what ever happened to you quitting smoking?" he asked, when she didn't answer he went on. "The fat in those cheese burgers are clogging you arteries and coffee is not good for your sleep problems."
"First of all who the hell said I have sleeping problems and second of all it is none of your damn business what I eat or drink so lay the hell off Williams before I punch you."
"It is my business you are my partner and I need you to have my back." Williams pouted.
"Fuck you, I have never once let you down, hell I run faster then your sorry ass" Kira growled and put the car in reverse she whipped out of the parking spot and flipped on the lights before she floored it.
"No need to go this fast I mean the body is dead" Williams said through gritted teeth. Kira knew he hated her driving but he never volunteered to drive himself.
"Shove it Williams" for some reason she was more annoyed by him today then she was most days. The daydream.. yes she would keep calling it a daydream because that was what it was. It had unsettled her and that was why she was irritable.
In Millinoket there were generally not a lot of dead bodies. You had your hunting accidents, husbands that came home early or drunken brawls. Nine times out of ten they already know who did it and with what. In the cases of the hunting accidents they turned out to be just that, accidents.
Ten minutes later she came to a stop outside the police tape. Climbing out of the car she pulled her badge out and showed it to the officer on their side of the tape. "What do we have Sargent Howard?" Kira asked as they approached.
"White male, I would say around 16 years old but that is just my opinion detective."
"You know I value your opinion Dick" Kira patted him on the shoulder before pulling on her gloves. "Coroner?"
"Looks like she just arrived" Sargent Howard responded and waved the coroner over.
"Kira, you look like hell"
"I think he looks worse T." Kira smiled at Tina O'Brian they had been friends since grade school. "Didn't take you long to get here"
"I was in the area actually" Tina knelt down pulling on her gloves she looked up at Kira. "Help me roll him over onto his back.
Kira knelt down and helped Tina roll the boy over. She watched as Tina checked his pockets then handed her a wallet. Kira took it and opened the cover. "Jackson Grady, 16" Kira swore under her breath. "Just a kid, Williams find out where is parents are. I think Mrs. Grady teaches 3rd grade. How long has he been dead doc?" Kira asked looking back down she flashed to the daydream. The blood was every where.
"... Judging by the state of the body and the amount of decay, I would guess three days." Tina was saying.
She could taste it, feel it on her hands the red washing over her again.
"Detective are you alright?" Tina's voice broke through the haze.
"Yeah sorry just trying to figure out how a 16 year old kid isn't reported missing after three days and how his body wasn't found sooner."
"Well I can answer the second question there. Look at this" Tina pulled up Jackson's shirt. "See Livor Mortis the blood settled in his back and then he was moved. Probably dumped here recently."
"Thanks doc got a preliminary cause of death for me?" Kira asked.
"Best guess is sharp force trauma and he bleed out." Tina said inspecting the boys wounds. "I will have a more detailed analysis for you after the autopsy."
"Let me know ASAP" Kira sighed.
Fourteen hours later Kira pulled into her drive way. She grabbed the McDonald's she had picked up on her way home locked her car door and walked up the drive way to her house.
Inside Kira set her food down and hit the button for her messages to play while she looked through her mail.
Kira looked up when an eerie voice came from the voice mail. "I've been watching you, Crimson Dove" it said in a raspy voice then hung up. Kira's eyes widened she scrambled forward to check the caller id. It was listed as a private number. Kira shuddered but tried to push it away like everything else.
Kira sat down to eat, she went through her mail opening the bills and frowning she thought about taking care of it right away but then changed her mind. She picked up the ads and unfolded them. Another envelop dropped to the floor. She picked it up the only thing on it was her name written in swooping letters. She pulled out a pair of gloves and eased it open, surprised that it wasn't sealed. Dumping the contents on her desk she gasped. There lay pictures of her, Williams, and everyone else at the crime scene earlier. Then there were pictures of her walking in and out of the police station, at McDonald's, picking up her dry cleaning. There were even pictures of her looking out her house window. Freaked out now she picked up her phone and dialed her partner.
"Williams get over here now." Kira said then heard a knock at the door. She jumped and pulled out her gun. "Hurry" she whispered in to the phone and set it down without hanging it up. She edged towards the door. Another knock this time more urgent. "Detective Maru, FBI Special Agent Miranda Bishop. Please open up!"
Kira paused for a second stunned, what the hell was the FBI doing here. Another second later the door bust open knocking her back on her ass. She brought her gun up and aimed at the woman's head. "Badges now or I start shooting!" Kira snapped.
"Easy Detective, I am reaching for my ID." Miranda made a show of moving very slowly she pulled out her ID and set it on the ground kicking it over to Kira. She kept her hands in the air after that.
Kira scooped up the ID not taking her eyes off the woman standing in her entry way. She held it up and glanced at it then the woman. Satisfied she lowered her weapon and holstered it before handing Miranda back her ID. "Come in" Kira nodded to the living room as she closed the door. She grabbed up her phone only to see that her partner had hung up. "Why are you breaking into my house at 12 in the morning with out a warrant I see."
"Sorry, I just had a feeling... well I can't really explain it but... have you been receiving phone calls maybe something in the mail?" Miranda asked.
"Yes" Kira frowned and walked over to the table nodding her head for Miranda to follow.
"Damn he's found you" Miranda swore and pulled out her cell phone. She hit a button "Bishop, he's found her... Yes... alright" She hung up the phone then looked at Kira. "Your killer here, I have been tracking him for 2 years. He always stays one step ahead. He kills one person the moves on to another town somewhere else in the state. Killing a total of 6 per state before he leaves. Two Weeks ago he killed a 15 year old boy in Portland 2 weeks before that a 16 year old in Rockland." Miranda pulled out a manila folder. "You are going to help me find him." Miranda said firmly it wasn't a request.
"Why me?" Kira frowned.
"Because you are connected to him. You feel him don't you, see his kills." Miranda looked at Kira curiously.
"No, I..." Kira stuttered. "I day dream that is all I don't.." Kira didn't know what to say she was not a believer in the supernatural.
"Kira your psychic, I can see it. Just as you know I am psychic. We recognize each other. Look I had a vision of you. I can't do this without you. He is going to keep torturing and killing these little boys until we stop him."
"I am not psychic I don't believe in that crap" Kira said defiantly
"Kira it doesn't make you a freak" Miranda sighed. "I am a member of an elite unit in the FBI called the Special Crimes Unit. We are all psychic FBI Agents that use our 'extra sense' to help us investigate crimes. That is all it is an extra sense just like the five you already have. I think it's time you met my husband. He runs the unit." Miranda looked at the door and it opened. A tall man with a scar down the side of his face walked in. He had his badge out and a slight smile. He was dangerously handsome, with a devils grin. He instantly put Kira at ease.
"Hello, my name is Special Agent Noah Bishop, head of the Special Crimes Unit with the FBI. I recruit psychics into our ranks to help us solve unusual crimes. I only recruit the best, and you Detective, are one of the best."