Chapter 12

As it turned out the divorced judge was a client of both victims. His alibi for the second murder was weak. Judge Richards claimed to have been asleep in his bed, alone. There wasn't anyone to confirm his alibi. Taylor sat in Electronics watching the Interview conducted by Sanchez and Sykes.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Taylor asked.

"Chief if I go in there Judge Richards think's he's in trouble and do you really want Flynn and Provenza in there?" Sharon asked without turning her attention from the screen. Taylor huffed defeated. She was right. He didn't think he'd ever think that but sometimes Raydor in charge was even worse than Brenda Lee Johnson. Sharon almost always knew what she did, that was annoying to no end.

Chief Pope and Lauren returned right when they lead the judge out. The Chief was less than happy when his eyes fell on his second in command and Lauren had a hard time biting back a smirk. She glided off to the side. He snapped at Taylor "My office in five" and turned on his heel to stomp away, followed by a glaring Russel Taylor.

Flynn raised a brow "What did you tell Pope."

Lauren leaned nonchalantly at a desk. "I might have told Will", Provenza cut in "Will huh?!" and Laurens smirk broadened just a little "Yes Will since I insisted on Lauren he insisted on Will. Anyway I told the truth. That we are behind because of Kerby's delayed deliverance of the case files and that he put the Captain at risk because he insisted on her presence at the press conference. I explained that we have to interview the clients because at the moment they are our only lead and we have to see them to decipher if they are disturbed enough to be our killer. And I even estimated that we probably will have two dead high priced hookers tomorrow night because right now I don't see how we should find the unsub."

"And he didn't blew skyhigh at that notion?" Provenza asked.

Lauren made a nmhm sound and took one of her looks wrapping it around her finger exactly at the height where she showed just enough cleavage, that one thought *please only one more blouse button*. Flynn stood there outright staring. He had forgotten what he wanted to say.

"See, it almost always works", she said and walked past both man, gently shutting Flynns open mouth with a finger under his chin "You seriously need to get laid Lieutenant", she whispered and closed the blouse button. She sashayed away to watch the interview she had missed.

Provenza shrugged "See what I told you a smart girl."

"The girl is a woman who's a shrewd, cunning hellcat" Flynn said admiringly.

"It probably runs in the family but if you don't find another distraction for your little obsession, said obsession is going to have your head!" Provenza was no idiot and had already done the math. Flynn had fallen for their Captain and since she wasn't available for him his mind needed a distraction.

Flynn cleared his throat "I don't know what you mean" he said mechanically. It was well kept ritual. Provenza would give some unasked advice and Flynn would deny, following his advice none the less.

"I know girl from SID. I'm too old for her you might still have a chance."

"Give me the number", Flynn said defeated saving name and phone number of said SID officer.

Lauren sat down and finally took the time to call Norton Phillips to fill him in on what happened.

"I freaked at the letter."

"It's normal Lauren, your mother was threatened" he assured her.

"We'll have two more victims tomorrow night and I can't shake the feeling I'm responsible somehow. I feel like I should see more."

"Again normal, but don't underestimate yourself. You knew he wasn't someone believing he was the real Ripper. You knew he was something different."

"And yet I feel like I missed something. You are always big on telling, follow your instinct and mine says I overlooked something."

"So you feel like you already met him? Or is your instinct clouded because your mom is targeted?"

Lauren ran a hand through her hair "I can't say."

"Don't punish yourself, you know there are no miracles and as you told me he doesn't leave prints behind."

"Speaks for his personality disorder. The mess he makes when he kill's has to make him furious. It's only a question of time when he goes on a killing spree. He'll never be able to wait for November to kill again."

Phillips only listened and hummed to encourage her line of thought.

"He probably has an OCD, or several. It'll get harder to conceal them along with the growing psychosis."

Norton smiled. Mostly listening was all she needed to sort things out. "See you know what to do."

"Yeah I have to stop blocking myself! Do you want to hear something funny?"

"Always."

She told him about her conversation with Chief Pope.

"Aren't you a naughty girl", he laughed when she had finished. He got serious again and added "I'm glad you haven't lost your humor."

"If you can't laugh anymore get a new job."

"Gee, did you write everything I ever said down?"

She smirked a little "No not everything, only what you said in lectures."

"Now I hate to end this but I've got a lecture. Let me know how things are going."

"Ok", she said and felt more composed than she had been since she arrived.

She spent the rest of the afternoon going over the interview videos again looking for clues of obsessive-compulsive disorders. She was deep in thought when Rusty placed a salad in front of her "Sharon said you have to eat, even if you are not hungry."

"Thank you", she said absentmindly her focus on the interview video of Judge Richards.

"Shouldn't you be at home she said finally finishing the last video.

"No, there's no one available to watch me so I'm here."

Lauren hummed shutting down the laptop. "That sucks."

"You have to be here too. Doesn't that suck too?"

"I chose to be here you didn't. Sharon said you are expecting the guy to strike again."

She nodded "Yes, Jack the Ripper killed two women on the night from 29th to 30th September."

"But that's tonight."

She nodded again. "And we won't be able to prevent it. We can only hope he makes a mistake," her voice sounded thin and whispery.

"That sucks."

She laughed and it was a bitter laugh. "Yeah that sucks."

It was short after midnight and Lauren watched Despicable me with Rusty in the conference room when Sanchez rushed in "We have a victim!"