7.

Jack noticed the panic in her voice even through the phone. She was good at controlling it, but he hadn't missed the long breath of relief she had taken when he had answered her call. Something had spooked her, and she needed him. After their conversation over coffee he had not been able to take his mind off her. The truth was he was worried about her. There was something special about Nikki that he had noticed the first time they had met. She was possibly the most intelligent woman he knew, and yet she was so modest about it. She had the kindest heart, and she saw the good in people even when they didn't deserve it. She had the ability to lighten the mood and put a smile on his face, and in the short time they had known one another, he had gotten to know her quite well. She was strong willed and annoyingly stubborn, and he would never admit to her that he liked her that way. They got along well together in and out of the workplace, and he would consider her not only a colleague, but a friend. He hadn't expected to see her name on the caller ID when his phone rang that evening, but he wasn't unhappy about it.

He had taken her call in the middle of a pool game, but after he hung up he placed the cue down and shrugged into his dark jacket.

"I'm out," he called to the guys before grabbing his keys.

"Booty call!" they hollered after him, but he just ignored their comments as he pushed through the bar doors and jogged to his car. A light rain was beginning to fall again after it had eased off earlier, but Jack barely noticed it as he strode across to the car park. The drive to Nikki's house was only ten minutes but he took a detour on the way.

Nikki heard the demanding knock at the door and her first reaction was panic. She stopped in the middle of her kitchen and shook herself for being so jumpy. When she looked through the peephole she was more than relieved to see Jack stood on her porch.

"There actually is pizza in here this time!" Jack cried as soon as the door swung open. He was holding a giant takeout box on her porch steps for not the first time this week. Nikki couldn't help but laugh, and the sound put a smile on Jack's face. He hadn't heard her properly laugh since Callie North's body had been found and it was good to have the old Nikki back, even for just a moment. She opened the door wide and he stepped inside.

The last time Jack was at Nikki's house he hadn't had time to take in his surroundings. As she led the way through to the kitchen he couldn't help but think it resembled Nikki in every way, from the delicately bright fairy lights winding their way up the stairs to the pastel coloured wallpaper to the bright flowers on the hallway table. The smell of lavender and lime tinted the air and several black and white photographs of her family hung on the walls. It was neat and bright, subtle but a statement. Nothing was too big or too small, too flashy or bare. The kitchen was open plan, all pine and cream with a large workspace and smooth black appliances. Jack whistled as he placed the pizza box down on the breakfast bar and hoisted himself onto a barstool.

"Nice," he said simply.

"Its home," she smiled.

"So what's going on with you?" he asked, getting straight to the point. He had never been one for beating around the bush.

"There was a man at my house this evening when I got home, dressed in all black, and when he saw me he freaked out and bolted. I've also been getting these delivered, I presume by hand, to my house every day for the last few days, and tonight is not the first night I've had a phone call from an unknown number," she explained in a hurry, sliding the pile of brown envelopes across the counter towards him, "it's probably nothing but I feel uneasy tonight, I don't want to be alone."

Jack listened carefully and dragged a hand across his jaw. He slowly opened the top envelope and shook out the piece of card. Nikki watched as he read the words splashed across the page.

"Do you think they're connected to our case?" she asked, pacing backwards and forwards across the kitchen.

"I'm not sure. Somebody would have to know you're the pathologist on the case, but it's not impossible," Jack mumbled, taking out all the other pieces of card and laying them out across the worktop.

"Who else would they be referring to though?" Nikki asked, her voice shaking, "I think somebody's been watching me," She added.

Jack raised his eyes to look at her and he was concerned at the fear he saw in her face.

"You need to take these to the police," he said, holding up a single brown envelope, "I'll see if I can get any prints from them in the lab, if they're connected to our bodies then we'll find connecting DNA."

Nikki nodded her head but she continued to pace back and forth.

"What did the phone call say?" Jack asked, casually flipping open the takeout box.

"Nothing, just breathing and silence. It could be unrelated, but it's happened twice in two nights now… And there's a killer out there," she replied, her voice wavering just slightly.

Jack got to his feet from where he was sat and moved towards her. He stepped in her pathway to stop her pacing, took her gently by the shoulders and ducked his head so that they were at eye level. "Nothing is going to happen to you Nikki, I promise," he said.

Suddenly, as if on cue, Nikki's mobile rang out on the counter top. She froze and they both turned their eyes on it. Jack picked it up and put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

There was a long moment of silence, but then there was a frustrated sigh and the sound of shoes tapping across tiles.

"Who is this?" a harsh male voice snapped. It was slightly muffled, as if they were speaking through a face mask.

"You're calling me, so I think I should be asking that question. How did you get this number?" Jack asked. Nikki was stood with her hands clasped over her mouth, watching him as he spoke to the caller.

"You answered her phone, is she there? Are you with her now? Why are you answering her phone?" the voice demanded, his tone accusatory and offended.

"Who is 'she' to you?" Jack questioned.

"Put her on the phone, I have no business with you," the caller snapped impatiently.

"Tell me who's calling and I'll pass you over," Jack suggested, meeting Nikki's worried gaze.

"I don't make deals; tell her another will die tonight."

There was a frightened scream somewhere in the distance on the end of the line, and then the call cut out.

Jack swore loudly and slammed the phone down.

"What is it?" Nikki cried.

"He's definitely connected to our case."


Neither Jack nor Nikki felt much like eating.

Nikki had phoned Detective Colloway straight away and explained everything. He had officers on high alert for anything suspicious. After she got off the phone, all she wanted to do was scream. The killer was out there somewhere ready to strike at any moment, and there was nothing she could do about it. If she hadn't felt helpless enough before, this sure topped it off. Almost an hour exactly after she had phoned Colloway, her phone chirped to life again. She picked it up straight away and waited for the bad news.

"There's been another one, Westers Pond. This time it's different. You need to get down here," the Detective's voice was thick with worry. Nikki hung up and turned to Jack, unable to keep the terror and upset from her eyes. He volunteered to drive and it took them less than fifteen minutes to get to the site. Nikki swung out of the car and rushed towards where the mass of white hooded figures stood. She didn't bother to change into her own overalls, she needed to see. Colloway saw her approaching and jogged over before she reached the rest of them.

"White female, blonde, approximately twenty eight, her name is Jennifer Smith, last seen two hours ago. He's escalating fast. The MO has changed no blunt force trauma, multiple stab wounds and she has writing all over her body. I think she's been dead less than an hour," he explained as he walked with her. Nikki's heart was beating too fast in her chest. The police officers moved aside to let her and Jack in. The sheet that she had been wrapped up in had been placed over her entire body, to protect it from the elements and any unwanted eyes but Colloway lifted it when they got close enough. This murder had been more violent, possibly rushed, which was clear from the amount of blood. She was covered from her neck to her toe in ink.

Why can't you save them?