Chapter Twelve
LA Edition Online, 24th August 2010
From internet blogger Alex Woodard:
The papers have stopped reporting about it, the only place you can currently see the words 'UCLA KILLER' is splashed across the net. In fact, it's the only place you can really talk about it - call the LAPD or the LA Times to see how they're trying to move forward with the case and all you'll get is a bunch of useless platitudes about how hard they are trying.
The LAPD have got no clue on who the UCLA killer is. They say they are actively looking for Eddie Hanson - but he's just a convenient scapegoat from the 1998 killings. There are no leads, no arrests, they are just bumbling along. Eighteen girls have died! All the LAPD care about right now is who will take over Chief - they're hoping whoever killed those girls stays away so they don't have to get off their asses and do something.
Judging from what we've seen of the LAPD, then the new Chief, despite the LA Times attempts to say that it will change things, will do shit. The candidates for Chief are awful: hypocrites the lot of them. The worst one is the so called 'top' candidate Chief Pope. He's known for being a womaniser, a screw up and is currently dating his colleague slash girlfriend, Captain Sharon Raydor. Who, coincidentally, is working the UCLA Killer case with Pope's reported former fuck buddy, Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. This blogger wonders if there is a woman in the LAPD who Pope hasn't slept with? We'd be much better off keeping the Chief we have at the moment, at least he hasn't screwed everything up too badly.
It's just over a week until they announce who is Chief. Who cares? I'd rather hear about them taking a killer off the streets than about which rich white guy is going to be put in charge of the LAPD. The only new thing we've heard about the UCLA Killer case in the past month has been the twitter account 'HansonHacker' which posted 'confessions' of the murders. There are now four facebook groups set up on the topic: 'Catch the UCLA Killer' 'Forget Waldo, Where's Eddie Hanson?' 'Hanson Liberated' [a group of people trying to clear his name] and 'Arrest the Officers' [a group who believe that the killer is one of the officers investigating the case].
Although the LAPD seems to have forgotten about the case, the internet hasn't. Come on LAPD, step up your game. Before you let another killer walk away.
X
She pointed the gun in front of her as she headed in, not sure what she would find. The place was ransacked, magazines scattered everywhere. Sharon made the decision then and there to never bring case files home with her, it was too dangerous. The door to Andy's bedroom was closed. Her bedroom door was open. She moved forward, keeping her gun out in front. She opened the door slowly.
Her room was dark, and she had been silent so the figure rummaging through her drawers would not know she was there. Sharon took a couple of steps forward and grabbed the person by the scruff of their neck and forced them against the wardrobe. She patted them down and pressed the muzzle of her gun against their neck.
"Okay, you have one chance to tell me why you are in my home."
"Pl..please don't shoot."
The voice was feminine, and the build didn't appear to be Hanson. Sharon threw the figure onto her bed and switched on the lights, still pointing the gun. It was a teenage girl, about Tommy's age. She was dressed all in black and her face was torn between scared and angry.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" The girl didn't answer straight away, so Sharon raised the gun higher. "I am well within my rights to shoot you for trespassing on my property. So - name, motive, now." Adrenaline was still pushing through her, thinking it had been Hanson. With a dangerous psychopath on the loose, you had to be on guard.
The girl finally found her voice. "You can't shoot me; you'd be brought up in front of FID."
"There is no FID at the moment, sweetie. So answer my question."
She gulped, her gaze focussed on the gun. "My name is Sarah Baker. I'm attending UCLA this year. I'm a friend of your step son, Tommy."
Sharon took the chair from her dresser and turned towards the girl. She had never heard Tommy mention her before, not that she would know. She hadn't spent an awful lot of time with the boy since her return. Sharon sighed, happy that it wasn't Hanson but still desperate for answers. "Well that's question one dealt with. Why are you here?"
"I was hoping to catch the UCLA Killer. You're working the case, I know he would come after you soon enough!" Sarah admitted and Sharon groaned. Wannabe detectives hunting serial killers that they didn't realise were deranged psychos. She had seen it before, and knew that if this girl got close, she'd end up dead.
Sharon took the girls hand and moved her into the kitchen, not commenting on her unusual method of suicide. "Stay there. If you move, I'll arrest you." Sharon cleared the rest of the house, making sure that Sarah hadn't brought anyone with her. Once she was satisfied that it was just the two of them, Sharon took a seat opposite the girl. "Is there anyone I can call to pick you up? Your Mom, your Dad?"
Sarah shook her head. "Mom lives in Florida and Dad died…he was working on a paper about the UCLA Killer. Doctor Simon Baker."
She remembered the name. "How did he die?"
"Car accident. But I swear that the UCLA Killer did it, my father was onto something big."
"Be that as it may, you can't break into people's houses." Sharon reached for the girl's hand. "Be careful, I mean it. We've already had eighteen girls murdered because of this monster. I don't want to make that nineteen. Now go home. If I see you here again, I will arrest you."
Sarah moved from the chair towards the door. She turned back to look at Sharon, her arms crossed. "At least I'm doing something. What are you all doing? Nothing! You're not looking at motive, about how he killed those other girls, how he got into the campus! The entire internet is laughing at you."
"That's supposed to worry me?" Sharon stood up, pushing Sarah over the threshold. "Just because it's not splashed over the front page doesn't mean that we're not doing something. Now, leave." Sharon pointed to the corridor. Just as Sarah was moving out of her eye line, Sharon noticed the flower on the floor. "Why did you bring the flower?" Sharon asked Sarah, looking at the one crumpled over the doorway.
The girl looked down, confused as to why she was asking about it. She just assumed that someone had dropped it. "It was there when I got here."
Sharon watched the girl walk away, making a mental note to talk to Tommy about her, maybe he could keep an eye on her. She was going to be trouble. She looked down at the ground with the flower, and collapsed against the doorframe. She had wanted Hanson to come here instead of looking for her at the Popes. Guess she got her wish after all.
Later on, Andy came in to find Sharon sitting in the middle of all the mess with a glass of water. She had filled him in on the Nancy Drew sniffing around, and the flower left outside the door. The crib in the corner had not been touched; however a couple of photos were missing from Sharon's collection. An odd photo of her when she was younger, she had probably misplaced them.
"So what are we going to do? You want to call Will?" Andy asked, pouring himself a glass of water and sitting with Sharon. He had put back their things as best he could, but he was too exhausted to do much.
She shook her head. "No, it's easier if I stay here. Just…keeping away from everything."
Andy nodded, agreeing with her. "I thought we'd be okay, but after this…I'm going to ask Lana to go back to New Jersey for a couple of weeks. Just until this is all sorted out."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that your lips are swollen as hell, would it?" Sharon teased. "Courtesy of Chief Johnson, I presume?"
Andy laughed harshly, pulling out a toothpick and sticking it in between his lips. "I don't know what to do, Sharon. I love Brenda, but I feel responsible for Lana."
Sharon traced her stomach, feeling her daughter under the skin. If only she could protect her the same way she was trying to protect Will's kids. "This case screws everything up. Send Lana back to New Jersey for her own safety. She's a target, and we don't need any more of those. Once this is all over, then start to worry about your little love quadrangle."
Andy nodded, agreeing with her just as Lana came in the door, carrying a huge box of takeaway pizza. The cold Chinese food was sitting on the kitchen worktop. "Everything okay, guys? I brought pizza, thought you both wouldn't be in a cooking mood."
Sharon smiled at the gesture, standing up. "Thank you Lana. I'm going to sort out my room; I'm not really hungry at the moment. But thank you."
She moved towards her bedroom, and Andy brought Lana down onto his lap. She kissed him, before allowing herself to be held. They switched on the television and ate pizza for a while, not really talking. Eventually, Andy heard silence from Sharon's room and checked in to see that she had fallen asleep. Putting the leftover food in the refrigerator, Andy went back to his bedroom with Lana.
Lying in bed, he turned to her, stroking her hair. "I think it's best if you go home for a while, Lana."
She shook her head furiously, gripping onto him. "No, Andy, I'm staying here." She wasn't going to leave and give Brenda Leigh Johnson opportunity to steal her man away from her.
Andy kissed her forehead, stroking her cheek. The way he smiled at her made her melt. "Baby, I would love for you to stay here, I really would. But Eddie Hanson was here today, in this place. I don't want anything to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself. So, please. Give me one less thing to worry about?"
He did care for her, he did love her. She kissed him on the lips and agreed to go back to New Jersey until everything was sorted out. She drifted off into sleep, and Andy stayed awake. It was only when he looked at the clock did he realise that something was underneath it. It was a family photo of the Popes; looking like it had been taken last Thanksgiving. Andy groaned, getting up to wake Sharon. Hanson kept taunting them, teasing them. He just hoped that they could find him before he got to his game of mousetrap.
X
Simon was slowly going insane. Not just because of the idiot child sat behind him who was screaming loudly and kicking his chair. Not just because the in flight meal was something disgusting and he hadn't eaten all day. Not just because Claudia looked completely calm while flying and he hated turbulence. But more because he was scared of going to North Carolina to try and find Eddie Hanson.
"I'm not scared…okay I'm terrified but not for the reason you think. What if we don't get what we need, and he kills more girls?"
Claudia shook her head. "He won't, he's entirely focussed on the Captain and Flynn. We'll be okay, Simon, just got to have some faith."
The two twin boys sitting behind them had started kicking Claudia's chair. Simon could see that his best friend's resolve was also failing her, and that she was as wound up as he was. Neither of them had had to deal with anything this high in body count before - it had always been the occasional dead person, odd injury. Such was the benefit of working in FID - at least you knew who the killer was before you got started.
"Maybe we could bring them with us? Do you think Hanson likes boys?"
Claudia snorted. When a particularly vicious kick ended up on her lower back she got the crime scene photos that she had been sent and showed one to the boys sitting behind her. "Hey, cut it out or I'm going to do this to you!" It was a photo of the Armstrong boy after he had been skinned alive. That quietened the boys down and Claudia turned back in her seat, content.
"I've started a countdown in my head, Simon. Eight days until we're back at FID. Eight shiny days until there is a new Chief."
"What if it's Brody?" Simon asked, concerned. Claudia just shook her head.
"Won't be Brody. Even if it is, I'll quit. Go to a different police force, go back home. Want to come?" Claudia asked, and Simon grinned.
"It'll be different, going back. Without someone else, it'll just be us four," Simon said, looking out the window. They had been living in a state of uncertainty for months now. It would be nice to get back to some semblance of routine, however weird it was.
Claudia coughed. "I heard the Chief talking to Taylor, and apparently Flynn is transferring over. That'll certainly make things different."
"He's transferring? Cool. Would make it easier for him and Chief Johnson to date."
"Easier to atone."
Simon looked at Claudia, a little confused. "Over Jimmy? I mean, I felt the loss of him more than anyone, but the Captain was right. We never knew the real him, and the real him was a psycho!" Simon coughed, deciding to keep his voice down. Claudia rested a hand atop his.
"Still, maybe he wants to atone. That's what FID is for, atonement. Moving over things, trying to make things better for all the shit that's happened. We're like the Angel team. The Captain's Angel, Tony is Wesley, I'm Gunn. You're Cordelia. And I guess that makes Flynn Fred?"
"Yeah, I think it does. Does that mean I'm going to fall in love with the Captain?"
"It's not a perfect match! But let's just avoid lawyers from now on, okay?"
The two laughed as they looked out over the country, their flight almost over, thankfully. Whatever happened in the future, they would have each other. As they started to feel calm, the boys started kicking them again. Claudia dug around in her bag to see what other crime scene photos she could pull out to stop an in flight massacre.
X
Brenda was making breakfast, thinking about how she could get out of the rut she was in. She was still sleeping in the spare room, consumed by what she was working on. She wasn't sleeping well either, girls kept waking up from graves and dragging her down. Brenda thought about calling Andy and comparing dreams, but she knew that was not a good idea. Her relationship with him was becoming more intoxicating, more exhilarating. She was addicted to the way he could make her feel, and if she had learned anything from the two men in her life, it was that addiction wasn't a good thing.
"Morning," Fritz came in, kissing her on the cheek. She could barely feel it. "You okay, honey?"
"I'm fine, Fritzi, thank you."
She put the toast on the table, looking at it. She couldn't seem to find any appetite these days. As everything got closer and more twisted, so did her sense of self. Fritz looked over the table at his wife and felt his heart cry. She looked awful, despondent. He didn't know what to do, but as much as he hated it, he couldn't help her. The only one who could drag her out of the murderer's grave was Andrew Flynn.
There was a knock at the door, and Fritz got up to answer it. Brenda looked at the pot of coffee and her bottle of syrup, not sure what to do with either one. She raised a piece of toast to her mouth, but then put it back down.
"Hey Aunt Brenda."
She looked up and smiled as she saw her niece standing at the doorway. She reached over and hugged the girl tight. Her smile was infectious, and for the first time in weeks, Brenda started to feel more like herself. "So how was your trip?"
"It was good. Apart from the frog. The best place we went to was in New York, where Captain Raydor said we should go. So much fun, although it was State not City so the RV got stuck a couple of times."
Her parents came in through the door and hugged their daughter. Willie Rae frowned at her. "Brenda Leigh, you look awful! I'll go make us some proper breakfast, that will cheer you up."
Clay shook his head as he took his seat at the breakfast table and started reading the paper that they had brought with them. Charlie took a coffee cup and started immediately pouring syrup in the bottom. Willie Rae frowned at the bad habit that her granddaughter had picked up, but watched as Brenda followed suit. Fritz joined them shortly after, sitting down at the kitchen table and smiling at his wife, who had seemed to brighten up.
"Momma, with everything going on with Hanson, maybe it's best if you and Daddy and Charlie keep travelling for a while. I don't want to put you in any risk." She felt she had to say it, she knew that Flynn and Raydor were doing the same as they were targets. After the photos, she considered herself one too.
Willie Rae slid some chocolate chip pancakes onto a spare plate and put them in front of Brenda. "Don't be silly, we'll stay. Me and your father talked about it, and we decided we'd rather be here, making sure you're okay then worrying half way across the country."
"Plus, if he dares touch my daughter, I'll kill him," Clay stated, turning the page of the paper. Willie Rae rolled her eyes and started to get breakfast together. Fritz grinned at the domestic situation, and how his wife's eyes lit up. For the first time, he was glad the Johnson family were back.
X
Professor Eric Hadley watched with a smile as Tommy took apart the pieces of the crime scene and examined them, trying to find the solution to the puzzle. The young man had asked for some extra work over the summer to keep him busy and active, and Hadley had been all too happy to agree. He liked the young man, he was bright and he knew what he wanted out of life.
"So, figured it out yet?" Hadley asked, watching as Tommy looked at the scene. It was from one of his first lesson plans for the freshmen. It took a class of about twenty an hour and a half to work out the missing piece, and from the look on Tommy's face it would only take him twenty minutes. He was definitely born to do this.
"The blood splatter. It doesn't match up with the victim - there's something else missing from the scene. His hat. He was wearing his hat, but it's not at the crime scene!"
Hadley applauded, and smiled as Tommy took a mock bow. They were in a basic classroom, not one of the lecture theatres. Not after what had happened with that poor young woman. Tommy sat down, happy to see he was progressing well.
"That was brilliant, Tommy. Now for tomorrow I want you to write an essay for me, on the Chief candidates. I know your father is up for it and I expect a little bias, but that's what police work is, bias. You find a young girl who has been murdered, and you immediately paint the person behind it as a monster. You have to in order to get through it; it's only the legal system that relies on neutrality. Two thousand words, please, on who would be the best candidate and why."
"It's not a political election; they don't post their manifesto online."
"Guess you'll have to do some research then, won't you?" Hadley grinned. It faltered when the door to the classroom opened and Sarah Baker came in. He was very much considering revoking the girl's application to come to UCLA to study Criminology. She was becoming a danger to herself and others around her with her obsession over the UCLA Killer. "What can we do for you Ms Baker?"
She came in and looked at the scene in front of her. Tommy gave a wave of his hand and went back to his laptop, looking at some things on the screen. Sarah smiled and took a seat in front of the professor. "Sir, I would like a full list of the people who work at this University, and the office won't give me one."
"Perhaps because you are being a silly little girl and trying to catch a Serial Killer, hmm? This class is not Scooby Doo, Ms Baker. This is about trying to examine the worlds of crime and policing in a way that can start many careers. I have one young man who wants to join the FBI. I have another young lady who wants to go into forensic linguistics. Private Detective doesn't come under my remit."
Sarah hit her fist down on the table. "I think I know who it is! I know who the killer is!"
"Then tell the police, Sarah!" Tommy shook his head. "What are you going to do, perform a citizen's arrest? I've seen what that bastard is capable of, it's sickening. Stay away and let the LAPD do their job."
Professor Hadley grinned at Tommy. It was obvious to all that Tommy was his favourite; he was wise beyond his years. He'd seen his file, seen what he had gone through. He was more of an adult than the seniors. "I agree with Tommy, Sarah. Tell the police, and keep safe. I don't want to attend another funeral of one of my students."
She left, angry with the both of them for not asking who it was. Tommy shook his head and got back to work on his essay. Hadley watched her go. The walls of UCLA had ears, and if she wasn't careful she would get into a lot of trouble very quickly.
"Okay, leave the research for later. Let's try you with this one."
X
"I hate North Carolina."
"We've been here like five minutes!" Claudia sighed as she drove their rental car through the streets. She wasn't used to the sharp change in weather - Los Angeles has been warm when they had left. Now they were slightly cold, the temperature change ever more apparent.
"I hate the weather. I hate the fact that we're hunting a Serial Killer. Do you think it should be snowing? What's that movie with the killer snowman?" Using their Sat Nav they managed to figure out where to go to get to the Sherriff's office. They turned into the parking space, Simon shivering. "Maybe I should buy a hat and a scarf. Just to stave off pneumonia."
Claudia rolled her eyes and hoisted Simon out of the car. She looked at some of the police officers who were smiling at her as she stood up. Maybe North Carolina would be a nice place to live, instead of Los Angeles. Of course Simon would never come and visit her, but at that moment it looked like a positive. He started to rub his hands together and Claudia smacked him around the back of the head.
"Stop it, or when we find Hanson I'm going to give you to him as a gift."
Frowning at each other, they both went in to talk to the man who was dealing with the Armstrong murders. They were led up by another police officer to find Commander Derrick Baton, a man with a huge moustache and a superior attitude that Claudia immediately didn't like.
"Hello, sir. My name is Lieutenant Belluci and this is Lieutenant Stoker. We called earlier?"
"Yes you did, I remember." He frowned. "You said that you believe the murders of Amelia Armstrong and her family were to do with that old serial killer bumping off teenage whores in LA."
Claudia realised that they were going to have difficulty with him. She had to put a hand on Simon to stop him from verbally abusing the Commander. They would need his help, after all. She smiled. "Sir, Amelia Armstrong is the former Amelia Hanson. We think that he killed her in revenge for ending their marriage; we also believe that he's been living here; getting the medication he uses to kill here. This is just a courtesy to say we're going to be in your area."
Commander Baton stood up, looking at Claudia like he could squash her. If there was one thing that Captain Raydor had taught them it was that they should never let themselves be intimidated. And that Claudia could use her temper for something positive.
"I knew Jackson Armstrong. He was my friend. I will not see his murder go unpunished. When you catch Hanson, if he's the one who killed them, then I want him to stand trial in Asheville. He'll get the death penalty, considering what he did to Alex."
"Sir, we understand you're angry, we get it. But he killed eighteen young women who did nothing more than want an education. They weren't sluts, they weren't 'asking for it'. Just because a wholesome family gets killed at his hands doesn't make them any more important than those girls. Some of those families have been waiting twelve years for this, and we will not deny them. Either way he ends up incarcerated or dead. Doesn't matter which state does it." Claudia put her hands on her waist, displaying her badge and gun. "I want you to cooperate, I do. We're after the same thing. So please don't stand in our way. And please give us a list of pharmacies."
The Commander nodded, relenting. "I'll get someone on that, Lieutenant. You got balls, I'll give you that. Just…make sure you get him."
As he moved off to get that list, Simon and Claudia discretely high fived. They were one step closer to finding out who Hanson was.
X
She had decided to get out of the house with a quick word to say she was going to the bakery down the road for doughnuts she was out. About five minutes later she called to say that she had seen an old friend, so she would be back home in a little while. Using the money her parents had given her to shut her up, she had caught a cab over to the UCLA campus to see what had happened while she had been away.
The place was dead; there was only a handful of students still there, which was odd considering how close it was to the start of term. She stood there, looking at the police officers and FBI agents covering the ground and wondering whether she should look and go to another Californian Institute.
"Hey Johnson!"
Charlie looked up and saw a familiar face. It was Pope's eldest son, Tommy. She waved at him as he came over and smiled. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, and he grinned.
"Yeah I'm good. Do your grandparents know you're here? They'd probably get a little pissed off to know that you're here, murder capital of the college system." Charlie laughed. "You want to grab something to eat? I'm starving, been working all day. You can tell me how your College search is going."
They went to Otto's diner for lunch. As soon as he came in he was greeted like family, which he supposed he was now. They got a good table, and Tommy blushed slightly when Otto winked behind him, telling him he approved of his date. He wondered if Sharon had got the same treatment when she brought his father in. She probably did.
"How's your Aunt? Whenever I see her, she looks…distant," Tommy asked, taking a gulp of his drink. Charlie pushed around her salad, upset that she hadn't asked for one of the delicious looking sandwiches that Tommy had. Just as she had given up on eating, Otto presented her with something on the house. Tommy grinned as Otto left them to it. "He's good like that, takes care of people he's close to. I'm family now; well I will be if Sharon marries my Dad."
Charlie bowed her head. "Are they okay? They're not, like ghosts? Because my Aunt Brenda is. She just…sits there and looks sad all the time. I don't know what to say to her, I just wish this case would be over and done with." She smiled faintly. "Maybe we could investigate, see if there's something they missed."
"Some girl I know is investigating; she's going to get killed. Hanson is a psychopath. Best thing is to let my Dad and your Aunt handle it. They know what they're doing."
Charlie thought it over for a moment, taking a bite out of her sandwich and enjoying it. She was definitely coming back here. "But they're so consumed with Hanson; they're missing the small details. I'm not saying let's go hunt him down, I am just suggesting maybe we talk to some of the girls' friends, they'll talk to us more than they'll talk to my Aunt Brenda."
Tommy could see that Johnson glint in her eye, the glint that got a lot of people into trouble. He sighed, coming to a conclusion. "Okay, I know we shouldn't but we'll talk to a couple of people, look at a couple of things. But - no investigating after dark and we tell our family if we get something."
"We're not doing their job; we're not going to find the killer. We're just helping them out. I want this all to be over. I hate what it's doing to my Aunt."
Tommy reached over and squeezed Charlie's hand, understanding her sadness. They ate dinner for a while, and afterwards Tommy paid. Walking into the Los Angeles sunlight, they set plans in motion to go visit some of the victim's friends later that afternoon. As he made sure Charlie got into a cab, Tommy tried to make things right with himself. He wasn't like Sarah, doing it for revenge and to prove the LAPD as idiots. He was doing it so Sharon could finally be part of their family.
X
He found her looking over a garden. It would be quite a nice image if it wasn't a graveyard. She was sitting on the ground at the top of Hanson's back yard, staring at the five graves they had found. Sharon Raydor was looking at the ground with a sense of detachment, or trying to. She was trying to move on, but she couldn't. He sat on the ground next to her and offered her a bottle of water.
"Thank you," she whispered, looking back out onto the graves.
Tony took a sip of his own water and looked aghast at the garden features Hanson had installed. "Heard back from Claudia and Simon earlier. They've got a list of pharmacies, they're all sorted. They'll have a name for us soon, I promise." He looked around, noticing how quiet it was. "They've taken away all the crime tape, all the officers."
"Budget issues. They're working out things for the big press conference next week, who gets to be Chief. They've got the interviews in two days. Will's worried he won't get it." She sighed. "Plus this case is a dead end anyway. Hanson will find us, sooner rather than later. A little crime scene and a cop isn't going to stop him. Nowhere is safe."
Tony put an arm around his Captain, and they looked out onto everything together. "Safety is impossible. Just be happy, and secure in the knowledge that where you are is where you want to be."
Sharon stood up and worked her way over to the graveyard, looking at the holes he had filled in with corpses. She wondered where Hanson was now, whether he was following her, or following Andy or just planning his big finale. Maybe he was in North Carolina, stalking Claudia and Simon. Chief Johnson had asked her to get into the head of Eddie Hanson, and she found it a scary place.
"Are we any closer to figuring out his freaky mind? Why did he start all this again?"
She shook her head. "I don't know, Tony. I can't find anything on Eddie Hanson. His parents died years ago, no one even remembers him when I call around. He has a social security number and a passport and that's all been dead for years. It's like until he married Amelia he never existed." She sighed. "He's been working on this for a long time, covering his tracks so well. The medication, his background. I hate this feeling of being kept in the dark, of not knowing who he is. I hate being scared, but it's all I've got."
Tony nodded. He reached over for her arm, and tucked it around his own. He smiled. "We should go, it's getting dark and I don't like the idea of being here in the dark. Hanson wants this - he wants you scared, terrified of him. I know it's stupid, but don't give him the satisfaction."
She hugged Tony as the two walked out of the garden. He was right; she needed to stop obsessing so much. It wasn't healthy, and it wasn't good for her girl. As they walked away, they missed the man looking out of the attic window, tracing the window glass and the portrait of Sharon walking away. He looked longingly at her before turning back to his prize in the room. It was time to tie up a few loose ends.
X
Another unproductive day of working the UCLA killer case. They were still wrapping up the paperwork from yesterday's murder, not that it was doing them any good. They were all ghosts, walking through the motions, trying to struggle up some sense of what they were doing it all for. Brenda had decided not to drive anymore to work; she couldn't concentrate on everything around her. Gabriel had taken her in today as Fritz was at the FBI building. Unfortunately, Gabriel was meeting friends for drinks after work and Brenda wouldn't deny him the chance to be human. So Flynn offered to drive her home.
"Lana went back to New Jersey today," Flynn said as he spun the wheel on his car. She nodded, not taking anything in. She wanted to kiss him again, just do anything to get the fog out of her brain.
"That's a good idea. I wish my family weren't here, but they bring a little normality back in. I'm worried he's going to go after Charlie, she's just his type. If anything happened to her, I'd kill him." She was surprised by the strong emotion, a reflection of her father's off the cuff remark from that morning. But she knew it was true - if Hanson touched a hair on Charlie's head she'd rip him limb from limb.
They finally made it outside the Johnson house. Flynn squeezed her hand and moved to let her out of the car. He walked her to the door. Fritz was less than happy to see that it was Flynn who had dropped her off, but Willie Rae and Clay were happy to see him. The matriarch gave him a hug, and he shook Clay's hand.
"I'd love to stay, I really would," Andy said, turning down the offer of dinner. "But I better get back. Got to make sure Sharon eats something," he joked, and Willie Rae nodded. She gave him some food to take back home and he thanked her. He squeezed Brenda's hand once more before walking back to his car.
Back inside the house, Brenda sat down at the dinner table where the food was barely warm. She had tried to be back earlier, but she had been waiting on a call from Simon and Claudia. Charlie poked her food around her plate; Fritz looked at the food and his wife with distaste, angry that she had been home late. Willie Rae and Clay were oblivious.
"Pity Lieutenant Flynn couldn't stay," Willie Rae announced and Brenda nodded. She was secretly glad that he hadn't: she didn't need any more complications in her life. Fritz said nothing.
"So how is the case going?" Charlie asked enthusiastically.
Brenda started to answer when Fritz banged his glass down heavily on the table. "No work talk at the dinner table please."
The rest of dinner was dealt with in the same manner, with everyone barely talking. Brenda didn't touch her food, and Charlie didn't either, although she was still full from lunch earlier with Tommy. Fritz kept looking at Brenda, picturing her with Flynn in her car. Had they slept together yet? What were they doing all those hours at the office together? As much as he wanted Brenda to get well, get out of the depths she was in it killed him that he wasn't the one to help her.
"Excuse me," Brenda said, moving her plate to the kitchen work top and heading in the direction of the spare room. Fritz stood up, reaching for her hand. She looked startled at the contact.
"Maybe we should all sit down and watch some TV? Put on a movie?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Just need to start working again." She pushed his arm away and headed into the spare room. Sitting at the foot of the bed, Brenda looked at all the pieces of the puzzle that were in front of her. She wanted to figure something out but she couldn't. There was a knock on the door, and Charlie came in with a chocolate bar. She gave it to her Aunt Brenda.
"Thank you Charlie."
"Can you talk me through it all? Maybe we'll find something if you talk about it with someone new," Charlie asked, and Brenda nodded. Her niece rested her head against her shoulder as Brenda talked, explaining everything. There was a harsh tone to her voice, her skin was pale. Charlie prayed for it all to be over, so she could get her Aunt back. They stayed there for a while, just talking, until Willie Rae came in and put them both to bed.
X
She knew why she was there. She knew that it was meeting Tony and seeing the rose the night before that led her to realise that she could give in. Stop pushing everyone away, stop trying to save everyone and sacrifice herself. It was late when she knocked on the door, and when Will opened it, he was alone. He saw her and smiled.
"Hi."
"Hello," she smiled, moving forward and pressing her lips gently to his. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close. He grinned as she was welcomed back into his house, and she stayed close to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, moving her to the sofa. They sat and watched some show on television, her legs slung over his. He stroked her hair as they watched, enjoying seeing her relaxed. He placed a hand over her stomach, enjoying how hard their baby kicked at his touch.
"Want me to call you a cab home?" Will asked, but Sharon silenced his question with a kiss. Looking at him, she made it very clear that she wanted to stay the night. "Are you sure? I mean, with Hanson and everything."
"I want to stay, Will. Let me stay."
He couldn't deny her anything. She used his bath, enjoying the feeling of hot water on her skin. They only had a shower back at her place. When she came into his bedroom, she saw that he was reading a book, smiling at her over the cover. She was dressed in one of his old shirts, and she immediately crawled into bed with him, enjoying how nice it felt to have someone else in there with her. She cuddled against him, reading odd words from his book but more than happy to just lay against his chest, enjoying the serenity of the moment.
"I love you," Will whispered, kissing her on the nose.
"I love you too."
They kissed again, Will having to put the book down to fully concentrate on Sharon. His hands dipped under the hem of her shirt, resting on her thighs. She urged him forward, wanting to feel some connection. She wouldn't become a ghost, wouldn't become consumed. She would be her, she would be loved.
They removed clothing gently, quietly and went under the duvet covers, warming each other up. Their kisses became languid, soft and Sharon's hands started moving over Will's body, tracing the muscle in his arms and the feel of his arousal. She grinned and his mouth moved to her neck, hands softly stroking her breasts. He gently pushed into her, enjoying her soft sigh of pleasure. They moved together as one, holding each other's focus as they made love.
"Come for me, come on babe. I've got you," Will whispered into the crook of her neck as he worked her body, spiralling her over into pleasure. He joined her, and held her close as they came down from their high. He kissed her neck, holding her tight. "I've got you."
For the first time in a long while, Sharon slept peacefully, knowing that whatever happened, Will was watching over her.
X
Tommy had woken up that morning to Sharon making a cup of coffee. He had said he was going out to meet a friend, and she had kissed him goodbye as he had run out. Soon, once this was all over, she would be back permanently. Then things would get back to normal. He caught a cab over to the Johnson household where Charlie was coming out with a stack of sandwiches and pancakes. He grinned at her.
"My grandma caught me sneaking out; I said I was meeting a friend. She made me food. I think she hopes that if she makes sure I have a healthy lunch; then I won't get into any shenanigans."
The two walked down the road, Tommy stealing a sandwich. As they walked, Charlie explained about his aunt's discussion last night. "She's still not right. I don't know what to do, other than to make her see a therapist or something."
"Maybe ask her to talk to Flynn or Sharon. They seem to be better at dealing with it than most. Which reminds me, Sharon slept over last night. I hope she's staying for good, I really miss her."
The two kept walking, talking about who they were going to visit that day. They were determined to go see Elle Jackson, Keighley Weaver's roommate. As Charlie checked on where she was now via her phone, Tommy got a text. It was from Sarah, saying she had found something on his stepmother to be and she needed him to come quickly.
"Shit, my friend the wannabe detective has got something on Sharon." He sighed. "Well Sarah isn't going to tell the police, at least this way we'll find out what's going on and pass the information on."
Charlie agreed and they found a cab to take them to the address Sarah wanted them at. When they finally got out, they looked around and found the direction they needed to go. They headed up the street until they finally found the house they wanted. As they moved up to the door, Tommy noticed the remnants of crime scene tape on the entrance.
"What is it?" Charlie asked, and Tommy was overcome by goose bumps.
"Shit, that lunatic! This is Hanson's house - it's got to be." In the pale daylight, Tommy saw over the garden fence and saw that there was a bag that he recognised as Sarah's on the grass. Cursing, he sent a message to his father, telling him that there was potentially UCLA Killer related trouble at the house they were outside.
"We should wait for the cops."
Tommy shook his head. "If she's dead…I can't let another girl die." Images of Maria Benson flashed in front of his mind, and both of them together managed to bash through Hanson's gate. Tommy used his flashlight to illuminate what he could in the early morning light. He found Sarah's backpack, but there was no sign of her.
"Tommy."
He looked around to see that Charlie was looking into one of the graves. Pointing his flashlight down, he found the broken body of Sarah Baker.