AUTHORS NOTE: Another chapter of my latest crime thriller. And guys, it's like nine days until my year anniversary of Taggart. I've nearly been here a year?! It doesn't even feel humanly possible!! Well... I'm glad I have been!

DISCLAIMER: I only own those characters that you see on your little box every now and again on STV/ITV

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[Schizophrenia and Blood Lines]

***

It was the same MO.

The little redheaded girl had run out after listening to her mum and dad have one little argument. The neighbours insisted that the parents rarely argued and tonight was probably one of the first nights that it had got that out of hand. The father had had a lot of stress at work after one of the head members of council had collapsed at work with a heart attack so his work load had doubled.

Her body had been found the next morning in the park, her hands in front of her curled up body as she said a prayer from beyond death. She was to pray for her entrance into heaven because she'd been trespassed sexually and that was a sin in the eyes of the God.

She'd been killed after one round of sexual assault, her eyes cut out with the rusty scalpel post mortem and then as her empty eyes stared at nothing, he would force himself onto her again.

There was definitely something stronger and braver about this new attacker, if not more dangerous.

***

"Have you got anything from Grahams mail?" Burke asked as he finished sticking up the photos on the wall. His hand rubbed over his tired face as he found himself staring at the two photos of the young girls and wondering who could do that to something so innocent and fragile.

"No boss." Robbie said flicking through the mail he had in his hand, his heart racing as he too found himself staring at the photos. It was actually quite shocking how much the two girls did look like Leigh and Ronan. He knew there had to be a connection but how would Grahams know about Leigh? Ronan he understood because Grahams had met her when he'd been stalking Stuart last time determined that Stuart would pay for his sins but Leigh... That was a mystery to him.

"I still think we should talk to his wife and son." Jackie's voice finally spoke up and they all turned to look at her. "I know you all believe that neither of them is capable of this but how do you know that Grahams hasn't managed to convince Grahams junior, now also a devout catholic, that his work is that of what God wishes."

"This reminds me of an X Files quote." Jenny commented. ""When people talk to God, we simply call it prayers but the minute that God talks to someone it's labelled as Schizophrenia" or something along those lines." The four old team members looked at Jenny, deciding not to mention the case of Kingston where they'd had the pleasure of meeting the two agents, and waited for her point to come across. "It's been labelled in Grahams notes that he does actually suffer from schizophrenia."

"Right?" Burke asked hoping that the woman would get to the point eventually.

"Well they say that Schizophrenia can be passed on through genetics and what if there is a slim chance that Grahams junior has schizophrenia and his father has managed to corrupt him into thinking that by damaging these girls and ruining their families is that of God's will. Grahams junior is going to think that mending relations with his father is the best thing in the eyes of the lord and to mend things with his father, he has to do as his father asks him."

"Religion sure causes a lot of shit." Robbie cursed throwing down his pen and running his hand through his hair, ignoring the dead eyes from both Jenny and Jackie who both wore crucifixes to show their religion. "So are you suggesting that genes are taking control because that's going to mean a lot of paperwork."

"I actually don't believe in genes as an explanation of schizophrenia but there is a lot of research into the topic. It's more common to find that the genes will come from the mother's side but seeing as Grahams is the diagnosed..." She paused as she pressed her fingertip against her lips. Burke decided this was the issue with having a psychologist on the team. If she started saying that there was a gene for violence, he actually believed that he was going to throw her out of the room and not let her back in. Ever. He didn't care how much he liked her.

"Also the warden told me that Grahams writes to his son every Friday and nearly every letter has been sent back opened. However, there are a few missing as if Grahams Junior knew that the big guns would be reading what daddy was saying to him." Robbie commented waving the pile of letters in Burke's direction. "They could be the letters that Jenny talks about in her theory."

"Instead of theorising, we need someone to go talk to him. Jackie, Stuart." He demanded pointing at the door and then he looked at Jenny. "I understand you were hired for your psychobabble but can you kind of keep it under wraps while you go talk to Mrs Grahams with Robbie?"

"I don't think she'd like being called that anymore, boss." Robbie commented standing up and grabbing his coat. "I also think the psychobabble was pretty interesting."

"You're such a bad liar." She laughed putting on her own coat and grabbing her gloves off Robbie's desk. "I don't know if this will do any good. I still don't think either of them is capable of it."

"Well we still have to do as the Boss says, Jenny, even if we think he's off his rock." She just laughed in response.

***

"Father Grahams?" The priest was walking down the pews, aligning the hymn books for the evening mass, when they entered the church. He froze at his position and smiled at them. It had been five years since he had last seen them and he'd only been a young naive boy of seventeen. He moved out of the pew and moved towards them.

"Detectives Reid and Fraser, it's always a pleasure to entertain Glasgow's finest." He shook Stuart's hand and then shook Jackie's hand. "I had heard you'd deserted us for England's capital, Detective Reid."

"I came back for a very certain case."

"And from you entering the steps of my haven I can only but guess to whom it involves." His voice was laced with hatred as he spoke of the man that was his father and Jackie looked over at Stuart, her eyebrows raised.

"When was the last time you heard from your father, Stephen?" Jackie asked him as she looked over at him, her notebook out in his hand as he looked over at her.

"Detective Reid, I try to avoid all contact with my father. What he did was wrong in the eyes of the lord."

"The lord shall forgive those who show they are truly sorry and I'd say a letter every Friday is your father trying his best to show that he regrets the... errors... he made in his past."

"I didn't receive any letters."

"Don't lie to us, Father." Stuart commented. "I believe that is also a sin in the eyes of your lord." The glare that Stuart was rewarded with made both of the detectives smirk. They'd obviously hit a raw nerve and when the priest sighed, his hand clawing through his hair he shook his head.

"My father never apologised or asked for forgiveness in his letters, Detectives. He talked with great pleasure at what he had done to those children and it sickened me. I saved my father the disgrace of being beaten by the police – even though he sure as hell deserves it – by burning those letters and since then, I have read every letter before sending them back to him without any response." He paused for breath. "Some sick person wants to write a biography on my father. I hope they mention how he wasn't the model father. Do you know why he chose to hunt down the abused children?"

Jackie and Stuart both knew what were coming because they'd read the reports of Grahams schizophrenia and it often mentioned how sometimes he would talk about the abuse he had made his only child suffer with. He had talked with much glee to how the young boy had enjoyed his "close" time with his father and how they had a bond. That was thankfully kept off record for Stephen's sake but they could see that he'd never really forgotten the years of abuse.

"We do know, Stephen." Jackie whispered squeezing his shoulder gently and Stephen smiled at them softly, his eyes sparkling with tears.

"I'm not going to say he was a perfect father because you'd both know that I was lying but sometimes I do want to wave out that olive branch because no matter what he did, he'd always be my father. I just remember what he wrote in those letters and just feel sick all over. He replaced me with pretty little girls. He always said that I was his special little angel." He chuckled. "That's a lot of irony for you, isn't it?"

"We have to ask you some questions, Stephen."

"Okay."

"Where were you last night and the night before between the hours of six pm and two am?" Stuart eventually asked after a long moment of silence. Stephen stared at them both in silence before shaking his head.

"I understand why you're doing this. I have confession at six, evening mass at seven that lasts until eight and then the night before there was choir practice that lasts eight while half past ten. Mrs Jenkins stayed over to have a cup of tea with me because she wanted to talk but obviously I can't tell you what she wanted to talk about. She didn't leave her until about midnight where she rang and asked her husband to pick her up. He was relieved to learn that she was just here talking to me. However last night I had the company of my cleaning lady, Maggie-Ann because she's lost the keys to her front door so I offered her a spare room until she can get them fixed. I believe we played chess until about half past eleven where she retired to her room and I closely followed after making sure that Benjamin was let outside for his last toilet break and checking all doors. I'm more protective when I have guests."

"Thank you. We're sorry for wasting your time."

"I don't mind at all. I'd like to say congratulations, Detective Fraser." He merely said and Stuart looked at him confused. Stephen reached out and pulled up his left hand where the wedding finger held two rings. "My father might be a bigot and that might be why everyone thinks I've fallen out with my mother but I'm not and it's not. I hate my mother for standing by all those years and letting dad control us both." He took one last look at the ring before dropping the hand. "I wish you look and hope Mr McIntyre is everything you'd ever wished for."

"Thank you." Stuart smiled squeezing the priest's shoulder before turning to leave, his hand on the small of Jackie's back as he steered her out. "What do you think?" He asked as he climbed into the car.

"I actually don't think he has it in him. He hates his father enough because of the years of abuse but like most cases, he still loves his father and feels anger towards the girls more because they became the new "little angels". I bet when the media dubbed him the angel killer, it tore Stephen's heart in two."

"You can only imagine."

***

"Why are you so nervous about this woman?" Jenny asked thinking it was quite funny that Robbie could face crazy murderers but not a lesbian woman that had attacked him last time they were on the case. She had read about it in the notes and had made a teasing joke about how they couldn't take him anywhere. Robbie had been proud of her speed and for her finally being able to tease but he also felt as if it was out of place and had had to explain that he'd had her threatened with a restraining order because she'd got overly obsessive. "I mean you both have so much in common this time."

"And what could that be?"

"You both have a beautiful fiancée?" She replied and found herself smiling when Robbie finally chuckled.

"How did I survive without you for so long?" He teased opening the gate and allowing her to go first.

"Detective Inspector Ross." The voice immediately made him shudder but he turned round from his task of locking the gate and smiled at Mrs Grahams. "Now you're a face I didn't think I'd see again!" She laughed brightly before turning her attention to Jenny. "You have a new partner, I see. Am I right to understand the previous deserted you for London?"

"Mrs Grahams..."

"Don't call me that!" She shouted angrily, her hand clinging to the crucifix that dangled around her neck as she stared at him in horror. "I'll stop with the questions if you promise not to call me that. I've forgotten everything that man ever did to me and I'm determined it shall stay that way."

"Can we move this inside, Miss Lennox because there are a few questions that my partner and I need to ask you?" Jenny asked moving towards the front step and the woman nodded as she moved into the house, leaving the front door open so that they could come through.

"What can I do for you?"

"Where were you last night and the night before between the hours of six pm and 3 am?" Robbie asked sitting down, allowing Jenny to take the notes because he couldn't be bothered to reach into his pocket and pull his out.

"I was here with Tracey."

"What was you doing?"

"We were watching television as we always do the night before but last night there was nothing on so we curled up and watched Dirty Dancing. The disk should still be in the DVD if you would like to..." She stood up and clicked the eject button and sure enough, Dirty Dancing was the disk in the drive.

"What time will Miss Jeffries be home, Miss Lennox?" Robbie asked staring at the woman, his hands rubbing at his knees nervously and Jenny wanted to move over and take hold of them to keep them steady.

"She doesn't finish work until late." She replied in a flippant tone before sighing. "Can I ask what this is about?"

"There have been two murders using your ex-husbands MO. The praying hands were used and we know that only the family know about that so we came to ask a few questions and establish you had an alibi just like any other case, Miss Lennox." Jenny explained in a vague kind of way before standing up. "Do you know of anyone that you could have told about the praying hands, Miss Lennox?"

"Detective, I erased all thoughts of my husband when the divorce was declared granted and I can promise you that I don't brag about knowing him. Do you know how much I had to fight to get rid of the stigma of being the wife of the Angel Killer? They all believed I was a bitter woman that had noticed but had believed that if I pretend it isn't happening and then it won't happen. I've forgotten my husband and that's how it's going to stay."

"Thank you for asking our questions but as always don't leave the country." Robbie warned steering Jenny out of the house.

She stood at the living room door, her hands clenching into fists and her heart racing as she moved through to where the telephone was kept. She took a deep breath before lifting the phone and dialling a mobile number.

"I've just had the police here... what if they go after Stephen... you know who is doing this and they think that we're the only... don't interrupt me... they think we're the only ones that know about the praying... we've hurt Stephen enough over the years, I don't want him dragged into this... how do you mean you'll take care of this... don't take that tone with me! I'm his mother. Of course I'm allowed to be worried... I think you lost the father role a while ago... I don't care what you do; just fix this because I don't want our baby hurt anymore than he already is."

She hung up, her hands shaking as she looked out over the quiet living room. She hated turning to him so much but when it came to Stephen there was nothing else she could do seeing as he refused to have any contact with her. She sat down on the couch and just let the tears fall until when Tracey came home.

***

"Boss..." Robbie said with concern as he opened his locker and saw a note had been tacked inside. Jenny and Stuart both moved over and opened their lockers. Attached to the doors were also white notes and each one said the same thing.

"An eye for an eye.
A tooth for a tooth."