Thanks for reading guys! Please review as always, your comments make me smile.
Again, i do not own CSI NY or the characters (apart from Annabel and Derek, who are in fact the property of my muse)
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Flack and Stella entered Annabel's building. They had decided it would be better for them to go in first to secure the place, and also to ask the manager if he had seen Derek around at all. Whilst they went inside, Hawkes and Annabel waited in the car. Hawkes watched Annabel as she looked out of the window, clearly lost in her own thoughts. Hawkes had seen people like this before - had seen what the effects of stress could do to someone. And although he didn't know Annabel personally, he thought that she'd gone through too much in her life. Her short life, he added to himself. She was, he'd discovered, only 24. From the pain in her eyes, you would have expected her to be much older. It wasn't fair that she'd had to suffer this much.
Annabel sighed and turned to look at him, surprising him from his thoughts.
"Do you ever think this will be over, or will I be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life?" The resentment that this had to happen to her was obvious behind the pain, and Sheldon had to look away before replying.
"It will be over. There will be a day when you don't have to worry anymore, I can promise you that Annabel."
Annabel smiled. She liked the Doctor, despite being originally suspicious of him. She once again returned to looking out of the window, absorbed in her thoughts, until Hawkes' mobile went off. She heard him answer, but soon was distracted by a man standing across the street. She thought for a moment it was Derek, and her breathing went shallow, but once she'd blinked, she saw that it was just a man that looked similar. It wasn't Derek. She sighed, wondering if there would ever be a day where she didn't worry about whether he was following her, whether there'd be a day where she didn't feel guilty for Paige's death. Whether there'd be a day where she didn't see someone in the crowd that looked like Derek and panic. She hoped there would be such a day, but recently, she'd lost all hope of ever being able to live a normal life.
Stella and Flack were standing in the manager's office, showing him the picture of Derek that had been taken when he was caught 3 months back.
"Yeah, I have seen this man around. He came here 2 or 3 times last week, asking if Miss Fletcher was in, that he was her cousin, and had dropped around for a surprise visit. Even if she was in, I didn't let him up. He had that look, you know, shifty? I just told him that she was out at work, and that I didn't know where she worked. I could tell the guy didn't believe me, but I didn't relent. Miss Annabel is a nice girl, never any trouble. She had a horrible experience with her friend a few months back and ever since then she'd been really quiet. Sometimes her neighbours mention that they hear her screaming in her sleep, but we don't ask and she doesn't volunteer any information. We might be a close knit group detectives, but we recognise each other's privacy. All I can tell you is that this guy has been here, but he hasn't been upstairs as far as I'm aware."
Flack and Stella pondered this information, before Flask asked
"When was the last time he was here?"
"That would be about Friday last week - well at least the last time I saw him. I've been off for the last couple of days but I'm sure my wife would be able to tell you if he's been here recently. I would be able to tell you for certain but the security cameras that we have in the corridor were vandalised earlier that week, and the company can't get out to fix them until next Thursday. You can't get the help these days."
"Could we have a word with your wife?" Flack asked, "Just to make sure he hasn't been here since Friday?"
"Sure. Hang on while I fetch her."
A few minutes later, the manager returned with his wife. Flack took lead role again.
"Miss, do you recognise this man?"
"Sure I do, he was here this morning asking for Miss Annabel. Bout 10 minutes ago in fact."
Stella went pale, but before she could utter another word Flack jumped in.
"Did you let him up?" The urgency was evident in his voice.
"Course I didn't. I don't let anyone up without the owner's consent."
Stella relaxed slightly, but then realised they could have passed him in the corridor just minutes before. Damn she thought. She knew that she needed to get Annabel back to the lab as soon as possible - Derek could be watching her sitting outside this building right now.
"Ok, well thank you for the information. If you see him again, just tell him she's at work, and then could you give us a call?" Stella handed the manager her card.
"Of course. We'll ask the tenants to keep an eye out, none of us want to see any harm come to Miss Annabel."
Derek swore under his breath. He'd almost got himself caught. He should have known better than come back here so soon after he left the note on Andrew Gibson's body. He hurried down the street - although he'd seen Annabel in a car outside her building, she wasn't alone, and if he stayed where he was, the he'd be caught. For a minute, he thought she'd seen him. He couldn't afford to have her see him. If he did, the policeman in the car with her would surely chase him. He couldn't be caught. He needed to make Annabel pay. But he was running out of time.
On the way up to Annabel's apartment, Stella pulled out her phone and dialled Hawkes. Once he'd picked up, she told him what the managers had just said, and told him they would be out in 10 minutes tops. It was too dangerous for Annabel to come into the building, as Derek might be watching and waiting for her, so Stella and Flack would collect all of the necessities that Annabel needed for a few days, as well as the box with all the stuff from Derek. Annabel had told them the stuff was in a white box at the back of her cupboard, closed with sticky tape. Flack found it just where she'd told him she would and opened it, just to make sure that it hadn't been tampered with. Meanwhile Stella packed clothes and necessities into a plastic bag, as well as a photo that'd she'd found on the dresser - a photo of 12 girls, with Annabel in the centre, as their school prom, 5 years ago. She picked out Paige, the best friend that had died 3 months before, and sighed - it shouldn't have come to this.
Five minutes after Hawkes hung up the phone, Stella and Flack arrived back outside the car. Flack slid into the driver's seat, whilst Stella sat next to Annabel. She had asked Hawkes not to tell Annabel that Derek had been in her building - she thoughts it would be better if she told her herself. But when she did, she saw Annabel's eyes widen in alarm.
"But I thought I saw him. Stood over there!"
"Why didn't you say anything?" Hawkes questioned
"Because I have been 'seeing' Derek ever since I was 17 years old. I didn't think that I'd actually be seeing him, I thought it was my mind playing tricks…"
Hawkes softened slightly, and the three detectives shared a look.
"Which way did he go?"
"I don't know, he disappeared when I went to look back at him. But I think possibly that way." She pointed left.
Flack looked left. The street was one way. In the other direction. And Derek already had a head-start, with the added benefit (for him at least) of mid-day traffic on one of New York's busiest Streets. They wouldn't catch him. He'd slipped through their fingers a second time.
I did say that this chapter was going to flip to Annabel, i hope you enjoyed it. I know I said it was a d/l fic, but that is coming i swear, just a few more chapters then i can focus on them more. Please keep reading!!
Thanks for reading again. I wanna personally thank you guys that have reviewed already - please keep any ideas/suggestions coming.
