Author's Note: So sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. But I didn't want to give anymore away then I already did. This chapter sure has a surprise for all of you! I'm so excited! We're finally getting down to the team finding the 'Angel Killer'! Let's just hope that they can think fast and put the puzzle together in time for poor Kat! Breaks my heart to do this to her (as you'll see at the end of the chapter) but I did warn ya'll this is a dark story. Just don't hate me for it!
Next update may be a while people, my four year old is having a tonsilectomy today, so I'll be getting to spend all my time making sure that he's okay. Poor little guy, I was miserable with I had mine done, but they say kids this young bounce back quickly.
Shoutouts: Jeremy Shane- Here's more for ya! Thanks for sticking with this story!
Shievi- I know, I hate cliffhangers too, but there was no where else to go in the last chapter. If I had continued I would have dropped another huge bombshell in the same chapter. This part needed to be it's own chapter. Sorry about leaving ya hanging, but now you'll be able to get off that cliff... mostly anyway LOL
Ghostwriter- Yes, you had that part nailed down, but there is more to the 'Angel Killers' identity than just Agent Logan. As you'll find out in this chapter. Hopefully, this chapter can answer some questions although I know it will raise others... dun dun dun... I love mysteries with twists and turns!
brankel1- I hope someone kicks Logan's ass too! But as you'll see in this chapter there's more to Agent Logan than meets the eye! Hope you enjoy!
Lulugirl55- Aww.. I'm blushing thank you so much for the compliment. I'm curious to know who you think it is LOL Let me know if you were right after you read this chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 25
Jason sat in his empty office, going over the casefiles that Tom had given to him earlier that day. He scrubbed his hand over his face, letting his stubble scratch against his palm. Maybe I should grow a beard like Kat asked... Oh Kat! I should call her before it gets too late!
He glanced up at the clock, it was already an hour past the time he promised to call. Hoping that by chance she would still be up, he dialed her home phone. One ring... Two rings... Three rings... Four rings.
"Hi, you've reach Katherine. Sorry I'm not available to take your call, but if you leave me a message I'll call you back whenever I get in. Thanks, have a great day."
"Hey Snowflake, I meant to call you earlier but I got caught up with... well work. Anyway, you must have gone to sleep. Give me a call in the morning anytime. My phone is always on, even if it's one in the morning. I love you."
Jason closed his phone with a sigh. He was sorely disappointed that he'd not called her sooner. Since Lilly was spending the night with Rosa, he'd decided to work a little later to help pass the time until he could call her, but then he'd gotten so focused on work that he'd missed her. Ironic. Jason huffed to himself as he turned his attention back to the files. There has to be something, there just has to be.
After another hour of reading and note taking Jason finally decided to head home. As he started putting away the files he noticed a handwritten note he hadn't seen before, scribbled in the corner of the folder containing information on the fourth victim, Shelby Tanner. He didn't recognize the handwriting, but assumed it was Rachel's.
CASE #17432: ETHAN DEAN- WITNESS PROFILE
Naturally, Jason was intrigued as to why someone would jot that note down on a murder casefile. He picked up his phone again and pulled up Tom's number.
"Hey Jase, what's shakin'?"
"Hey Tom, I found a note on one of the folders. It seems really out of place."
"Okay..." Tom drawled. "What's it say?"
"It mentions a witness profile for another case. The number doesn't match any of the folders for this case. I think Rachel wrote it."
"Could Rach have had a lead she didn't share with the rest of us?"
"I don't know, but I want to look into this."
"You still at the office?"
"Yeah."
"I'll be there in a bit." Tom replied before disconnecting. Jason set the file aside to show Tom, and picked up another one. He must have lost track of time again, as Tom gently kicked his foot under his desk.
"Oh, hey Tom."
"So, where's the note?"
"Here." Jason nodded as he handed the file to Tom. "Is that Rachel's handwriting?"
"Yeah, I think so, but I'm not an expert."
"Well, I know for sure it's not Kat's and it's too feminine to be one of the guys. Besides Rachel gave you these files."
"I wanna see what she found so important about this case." Tom said as he slid into his chair and booted up his computer. "Rach left me a login code for the FBI files, 'just in case'."
"That's nice of her." Jason nodded as he returned his attention to the file he was reviewing when Tom showed up.
"So should we look up the guy or the case first?" Tom asked after a few moments.
"Case first I guess." Jason shrugged. "Let me know what you find."
"Looks like a murder, high profile... nearly four years ago." Tom said as he skimmed through the report. "I'm not seeing anything about an Ethan Dean... Whoa! Hold on!... Agent Hillard worked the case."
"What?" Jason exclaimed as he stood from his chair and moved behind Tom. "Print it."
"All of it?"
"All of it." Jason nodded. "I want the witness profile Rachel mentioned on her note too."
"Sure thing Jase." Tom nodded. Jason made his way to the printer to wait for the copy. It took almost five minutes for the entire thing to print, leaving Jason with a stack of papers about an inch and a half thick.
I've got some reading to do. Jason mentally groaned. Tom was still at his desk reading from his computer when Jason walked back into the office. He settled at his desk with his notepad, pen, and highlighter and started to read from the beginning.
"I don't see how this is related to the 'Angel Killer' case." Tom said after nearly an hour of reading. "Maybe Rach jotted down the note cause the folder was the closest thing to her at the time. You know the agents, they practically slept with these things."
"There's got to be something here Tom. Kat worked the case."
"She's worked a lot of cases Jase." Tom shook his head. "What did you find on Dean?"
"He was the only witness to the crime, he was an assistant to Mario Jericho, CEO to Jericho Enterprise, a well to-do computer software company. Apparently, according to Dean, Jericho was being blackmailed. The blackmailer went too far with his demands, Jericho resisted and ended up dead. Ethan Dean claims he barely escaped the onslaught, and thought that for sure the killers were coming after him next."
"I still don't see a connection." Tom shook his head.
"I don't either." Jason shook his head. Maybe this was a dead end. "Looks like they put him in protective custody..." He paused midsentence as he read the agent assigned to Dean. "Protective custody with Kat!"
Kat's words rang through his mind... 'Grabbed my ass and told me that he knew that I wanted him to 'pound the shit out of my tight body.'... 'I clocked him so hard that it dislocated his jaw. Then I pulled out my gun and threatened to castrate him should he even think about me in that way again.'
"That could be something." Tom replied.
"Shit! It's him!" Jason exclaimed.
"Huh? It's who?"
"Ethan Dean is our killer!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Just trust me, I know it is!" Jason snapped as he took out his phone and dialed Kat's phone again. "Kat! This is really important! Please wake up! Come on Kat! Screw it, I'll call your cell." He hung up and dialed Kat's cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail. He snapped his phone shut with a growl.
"No answer?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "I pulled up Dean's background. Ethan Dean is not his real name. It's Tyler Jacobson..."
"What else you got on him?"
"Hmmm... raised in Florida... single mom, one sister... Mother disappeared when he was seventeen, his sister was taken to foster care. Looks like he changed his name right before he went to college at nineteen, to study pharmacy, changed to computer engineering when he landed the job with Jericho."
"Where is he now? Do we have a current address?"
"He vanished after he gave his testimony to the courts. No one has seen or heard from Ethan or Tyler since. He's gone."
"I'd bet anything he's laying low, preying on innocent women." Jason said, anger slowly creeping into his voice. Images of Liz lying in the grass, with her eyes wide open in terror, filled his mind. He stared at the picture of Ethan Dean/Tyler Jacobson, the 'Angel Killer', he knew it in his gut. This was the man... no thing... that had killed all those women. The thing that was so obsessed with Katherine, that he'd rather see her dead than with another man. "Do we have anything on his sister? Maybe she's heard from him, or can at least give us some insight."
"Hang on." Tom nodded. He entered a few commands into his computer and brought up a background on Lori Jacobson. "Lori Jacobson... Foster care at age thirteen... Adopted at age fourteen by Carl and Rebecca..." Tom froze and his eyes grew wide. "This has to be a coincidence!"
"What?"
"Dawson! Carl and Rebecca Dawson!" Tom looked at Jason, hurt and betrayal etched into his face. "Name changed at adoption to Rachel. It's my Rachel, Jase!"
"What the hell is going on?" Jason shook his head. It was too much to wrap his head around.
"She played me! I trusted her, even loved her! And she played me like a fiddle!" Tom's whole body shook as he overloaded with emotions.
"We should go have a chat with her."
"We should indeed." Tom nodded, anger burning in his eyes. "I'll call for a flight."
"I'll call Rocky and see if Lilly can stay until we get back." Both men went about making the necessary arrangements. Within a couple hours they were packed and headed toward New York, and hopefully some answers and the end of the grueling case.
XXXXXXXXXX
Kat's eyes fluttered open as he head exploded with pain. "Shit!" She hissed as she attempted to lift her hand to her eyes, only to find her arms were securely fastened down. She tried to move her legs, but they too were tied down. She was lying on a soft bed, with her limbs tied to the bedposts, leaving her in a spread eagle position, the room dimly lit.
Trying to stay calm Kat began sorting through her foggy memories. Ice blue eyes in the dark under her bed... some type of spray... a sharp pain in her neck... Ethan!
"Ethan!" She called out, hoping that he was still near her. "Ethan what do you want?"
"You." It was a simple answer, called out from the shadows of the room.
"Why the other women Ethan?"
"I needed a replacement, but they weren't you." He replied calmly. Kat made out his figure in the corner of the room. "And you aren't her, that's what I need."
"Who am I not, Ethan?"
"Stop calling me Ethan, that is not who I am."
"Then what should I call you, I only knew you as Ethan."
"My real name is Tyler, Tyler Jacobson."
"Well, Tyler, who am I not?"
"My mother."
"What about your mother?"
"I need to stop living with her memory. You look so much like her, but you are nothing like her. I need that from you."
"I don't understand Tyler. Explain it to me." Kat was having a hard time controlling her voice as the adrenaline rushed through her system. Her pulse thundered in her ears and her limbs twitched as she fought the urge to struggle against her bonds.
"My mother... did things to me." He said, a slight hitch in his deep voice. "I need someone, someone like you, to help me make new memories and forget my mother."
"What did she do?" Kat asked even though she already knew the answer.
"You're smart, Hillard. Figure it out." he snapped.
"Tyler, I can't help you unless you talk to me." Kat pleaded, hoping that she might reach the human residing in the monster. In a flash the large man was standing over the bed, his ice blue eyes a mere inch away from hers. Anger, malice, and pain burning deep within their depths.
"I don't want your help!" He shouted. "I just want you! That is all I need!"
"Tyler please!" Kat cried as fear gripped her core.
"There it is." He smirked as he stood up. "I love the look of complete terror and helplessness. The moment you realize that you have no control over any of this."
"What do you want from me?" Kat asked. She couldn't hide the tremor in her voice as she spoke.
"You've been the object of my desires for almost four years. I want my fantasies to become reality and to forget the woman who stole my childhood."
"Why didn't you report your mother? She would have been locked up for her actions and you could have gotten help to move past it."
"She was punished." He said with a smirk. "She was my first."
"You killed your own mother!" Kat gasped as the realization dawned on her.
"She killed my childhood and in some sense, me. An eye for an eye." He grinned.
"Makes the whole world blind." Kat added. "What do I have to do with her?"
"Nothing." He laughed. "Other than your eye and hair color you share nothing with my mother, which is why I took notice of you. You intrigued me at our first meeting and you've resisted my charms and advances at every turn which only made my desire for you grow."
"Every turn? You made one move on me..."
"Which landed me in the hospital and you on suspension." He laughed. "You pack a mean right Hillard."
"I should have shot you." She glared at him.
"Perhaps you should have." He nodded. A look of regret washed over his handsome face but faded so quickly Kat almost didn't see it... almost.
"You want to die?" She whispered.
"This isn't about that!" He shook his head. "As I was saying, I've made more than one pass at you. Do you recall an agent by the name of Harvey Logan? We've worked a few scenes together while the 'Angel Killer' case was slow."
"How... but he... and you..." Kat sputtered as she pictured the tall sandy haired, brown eyed homicide agent that was constantly flirting with her.
"I created Harvey Logan when I needed to disappear. I figured working for the FBI would put me close to you again, and I was right. I've been able to keep an eye on your investigation into the 'Angel Killer' case as well as on you."
"How were you able to trick the FBI? You can't just create a person and then work for the government."
"That may be true, but Harvey Logan was a real person, until I found use for him. It was easy to become him. We had a very similar build and height."
"But you don't look like him!"
"Another true statement Hillard, but my sister was a make up artist for her theater group in college. She got very good at transforming a person into someone else. She taught me how to do it. I've been many many people and right under your nose the whole time. Remember Shelby Tanner? The gorgeous ballerina from Sweden?... I was her beloved boyfriend, the tall green eyed underwear model, Luke. You interviewed me right after they found her body... Even Shelby didn't know that I was he, until moments before I took her life."
"You're sick." Kat spat.
"That may be true." He nodded, once again the look of regret came and went. "But, we will never know."
"What would your sister think of you now? Using her skills to deceive women to their deaths."
"She knows." He grinned. Kat's eyes widened in horror at the thought, was his sister helping him? "Well... she knows to a point. I don't think she's figured out that I'm the 'Angel Killer', as you have so kindly dubbed me, but she knows that I dress up to have 'flings' with women. She knows that I live as Harvey Logan on a daily basis, and that I can no longer be Ethan or Tyler. She doesn't know that I did away with the real Harvey, she believes that I stole someone's identity to hide from the men who killed Jericho. And she knows that I have a thing for you, that I crave you. She knows more than I would have liked her too, but she's smart. Oh is she smart. She was raised right. Best education that her new loving family could afford."
"Sounds like you're a little bitter about that." Kat sneered.
"She was young and smart and beautiful. It was inevitable that she would be adopted. It took many years and a freak chance of fate to find her again." He rambled. "I don't blame her, but yes, I am a 'bit bitter' as you put it."
"Why weren't you adopted with her?"
"I was almost eighteen when my mother died. Adopting me would have been a waste of time. I was left on my own." He explained. "I had promised Lori that I would take care of her, but they took her away from me. I endured everything I did to keep her with me and I still lost her. I didn't keep my promise to Lori. I failed her! I promised her! And she promised me..." He was a bit hysterical at this point.
This man as serious issues, he's so broken. He keeps jumping around in his stories and his emotions change on a whim... What kind of mother breaks her son into pieces like this?... No! Don't sympathize with him Katherine! He's a cold blooded killer! No matter what happened to him as a child, he still killed seventeen women in the last three years, probably more!
"Where's Lori now?" Kat asked quietly, trying to urge him to open up more. Trying desperately to reach his human side, the side of him that seemed so tied to his little sister.
"She's doing quite well actually." Again his smirk returned as he calmed down out of his hysteria. "But you would know that."
"How would I have known that?"
"Oh I forgot to mention that when she was adopted Lori changed her name... The Dawson family really is a very lovely family you know."
"Dawson?... Rachel?" Kat gasped as she felt her insides freeze. She'd been betrayed by the woman before she even trusted her. Stabbed before she even saw the danger. "Damn her!"
"Oh don't hate her. She didn't do it on purpose." He laughed. "Now, I've answered all your questions, I have a few of my own for you."
"I'm not answering you." Kat said as she rolled her head away from him. His hand shot out and grasped her face, his fingers digging into her cheeks as he turned her to look at him. He pressed his face against hers.
"Then don't talk." He said in a dangerously calm voice. "I was going to prolong this, but if you're done talking..." Without another word his pressed his lips roughly to hers. She could feel his teeth grinding against her own through her lips as she tried to keep them pressed closed.
He mentally smirked as she tried to fight against his kiss. He reached up and pinched her breast as hard as he could through her shirt. As she gasped in pain he plundered her sweet mouth, slipping his tongue between her pearly white teeth. Silently daring her to bite him, as his hand still lingered on her breast.
Kat resisted the urge to bite the psychos tongue off, knowing that the pain she felt from his pinch would only be worse if she hurt him. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized that there was absolutely nothing she could do against him. She was tied down and helpless against his onslaught.
She tasted so sweet and her body felt warm against his exploring hands. He slowly shifted himself onto the bed and stretched out on top of her slender body. Even with his great imagination, he'd never believed she would feel this good mashed against him. He felt himself growing hard against her thigh and smiled against her lips. It was almost time for the main event.
Kat felt his hardened member press against her thigh and shuddered. She knew what he did to his victims and knew what he was going to do to her. She gave an involuntary whimper as she shuddered again with the thought of what this monster was going to do to her.
He pulled away from her and stood up, smirking. Without a word his undressed himself. He left the bedside for a moment, but returned with a hunting knife. He saw Kat struggle against the restraints as her blue eyes grew wide with fear. Carefully he cut away her clothing, being cautious to not leave a single mark on her delicate ivory skin. He looked her over as she laid there exposed to him.
Kat couldn't hold back the tears as he stripped away her clothing bit by bit. She saw the hungry look in his eyes as he looked her up and down. She closed her eyes and rolled her head away from him, willing herself to be anywhere but there. Willing herself to mentally shut down. She tried to picture herself on vacation on some beach with Jason. The sun shinning and waves rolling. Jason shirtless, holding her in the sand, pressing kisses down her neck... Then she felt hands on her body and her dream was shattered. Reality came crashing back to her as he moved over her.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time." He whispered in her ear before snapping his hips forward. Kat let out a scream, the first of many throughout the night.