Chapter 4 realisms
"It's just good we're all able to wear pink." Kendrix teased. "Even the yellowetts." She nudged her future sister-in-law.
"'hey just cause we are rangers that don't mean we can't wear other things." Kelsey broke in,
"True but we look better in yellow." Maya declared, wiping a smear of tomato sauce from her chin.
"I think the colors you chose are perfect." Angela nodded to the bride.
"She's got great taste." Leo murmured, glancing at his intended. For a long moment their eyes held, and then the one time red ranger dove back into the pool, leaving Kendrix blushing up a storm.
"And we're all professional adults?" Kelsey burst out laughing at them all.
"'Hey I'm a very mature adult." Damon defended himself.
"Adults of your species sing with boy bands and dance in the kitchen?" Shandra egged him on.
"I think it's a green ranger trait." Chad explained.
"Definitely something the sky cowboy would do." Ryan remarked deadpan.
"I just have better taste in music." Joel just got up from the table and stretched.
"Yep typical greens." Maya moaned.
'You know it baby." Joel grinned at her.
***
"Carter is something wrong?" Dana asked noting her companion's slightly thoughtful expression.
"How tired are you?" He asked and she frowned slightly.
"I'm not going to bed now if that's what you want to know."
"Good, I'll make some coffee." His off handed tone gave no indication of what he was thinking so she followed him into his quarters.
"I'm not sure if you've caught any of the gossip as you left the pool before it really started." Carter began handing Dana a fresh can of coffee. "There have been a series of suspicious murders." He said preparing the water.
"No, I must have missed it." She replied taking a knife she broke through the seal on the instant beverage and waited.
"A few weeks ago there was apparently the fifth in these deaths." Carter watched the woman spoon coffee into the empty mugs and as she glanced up at him quizzically he added. "there not exactly monster attacks outright however there are a few puzzling qualities about the cases that lead the authorities to believe there ranger related."
"Ranger related?" Dana asked her mind going on full alert, why would the red galaxy ranger/police commander tell Carter all of this? But then the red rangers had always tended to stick together.
"Yes, but that's not the odd thing," Carter poured the now steaming water into the mugs and once finished handed her one and walked out of the kitchen leaving her to follow him.
Heading into a small room which she could tell was a bedroom but now functioned as his office he sat down in front of the computer. After a few seconds the screen was awash with general and not so general facts about the murders.
Dana pulled up a stool from a work table and scanned over the text on the screen.
Name: James Decarlos
Age: 19
Hair: black, shoulder length
Place of employment: Garret automotive
Date disappeared: September 12
Cause of death: Multiple lacerations made by cutting tool, blade too narrow to be a normal knife. Blaster burns as well.
Found by: Janis Carpenter
Location of body: south Terra Park
Possible Evidence: None
---
Name: Emmy Cassidy
Age: 18
Hair: long, black
Place of employment: Moonlight lounge: singer
Date disappeared: October 17
Cause of death: Multiple lacerations made by cutting tool, blade too narrow to be a normal knife. Blaster burns as well.
Found by: Jeff Baker
Location of body: in ally behind the winter croft shopping center
Possible Evidence:
---
Name: Teddy Mackenzie
Age: 18
Hair: short black
Place of employment: Evergreen nature retreat
Date disappeared: November 20
Cause of death: Multiple lacerations made by cutting tool, blade too narrow to be a normal knife. Blaster burns as well.
Found by: Eric Douglas
Location of body: in back of victim's home
Possible Evidence:
---
Name: Debra Ash
Age: 18
Hair: shoulder length light brown
Place of employment: Flash magazine
Date disappeared: December 13
Cause of death: Multiple lacerations made by cutting tool, blade too narrow to be a normal knife. Blaster burns as well.
Found by: April Edwards
Location of body: Store room of workplace
Possible Evidence:
---
Name: Kyle Anderson
Age: 19
Hair: brown with blond highlights
Place of employment: Spaceport: shuttle pilot
Date disappeared: January 31
Cause of death: Multiple lacerations made by cutting tool, blade too narrow to be a normal knife. Blaster burns as well.
Found by: Gina colons
"And I'd say from my experience it looks like a serial killer if your right." Carter nodded at her assumption.
"It does for the most part, but look at the killer's little signature mark." He prompted and she read over that part again. A shiver ran down her spine.
"It looks like a pentagram with a little bug." Dana was frowning as he turned to face her.
"Leo and I think that it's linked to us. You know the symbol, the timing and us." He said and her blue eyes widened.
"Bansheera and…" the memory of her feeling of danger in the woods hit her again and she wondered if maybe she'd not been wrong after all. Had Mike scared what ever had been chasing her off?
"Trakeena." He nodded grimly bringing Dana out of her thoughts and she gave herself a mental shake. She'd probably just let the fatigue of the trip get to her.
"You guys haven't told the others?" She asked fighting back the fear, it was not the aliens or demons who'd killed her father but they'd taken so much from her the very thought of facing them again made her feel sick inside.
"No, Leo doesn't want to worry Kendrix with the wedding so close and we aren't even completely sure."
"Makes sense I suppose." She mused and he shrugged.
"I just hope that we're not right. A cereal killer is even easier to deal with then the pair of them teaming up." Carter sighed.
For the first time since arriving Dana saw the fatigue exposed in every line of her friend's body. His eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them out of battle, his shoulders were nearly slumped and there was the faintest hint of stubble marring his usually smooth jaw
Line. It touched her in a way that nothing really had since the accident and as much as she wanted to push that reaction aside she couldn't. Carter was the one in trouble; he was not upset for her. She would be there for him.
"Well, do you think they missed anything?"
"Anything?"
"You know during the inquests?"
"Hmm, I don't know the people I vet seemed pretty competent."
"Well, let's see if I ask do you think I'd be aloud to look at the autopsies?"
"I don't see why not with your ranking at the agency."
"Good, maybe then I can spot something they'd miss." She said wondering already what kind of poison the killer had used to dye the skin. She had an inkling of what it was, there were so few skin dies that were so thorough, she could think of one or two though and she'd like to narrow it down.
"It would be great if you would look into them, you know bring a new prospective into this."
"Yeah." She looked at the cup still in her hand and realized she'd not added her usual cream or sugar. No, she was half finished with the black concoction. It was good to, she'd not noticed before but it left no lingering after taste in her mouth. Funny how she'd notice something so mundane when there was a killer out there and he was apparently after them. Not that he'd made a move against any of them but the signs as Carter had said just pointed on that track.
Glancing at the man at the computer who was reading over the forms again she heard herself speaking and she'd not even thought the words consciously.
"You're not sleeping well." Dana said quietly.
Carter didn't glance at her, he met her with a dead on stare, his eyes that intense blue she'd found so enthralling as a girl.
"Neither are you." He pointed out grimly.
"I've been working on several cases." She mumbled looking away.
"That's why you had a full bottle of sleeping pills?" He asked and her eyes snapped back to his narrowing on him.
"You went through my things?"
"No, when I found you up in your room you were unpacking it." He reminded her.
"Oh, well yeah, sometimes I um…" She didn't want to tell him but she still found herself looking into his dark eyes, feeling their pull. Suddenly the old warmth she'd felt growing up hit her again and she began to speak.
"I don't always sleep well." She shrugged.
"About the accident." He said as if knowing the answer to that.
"Yeah listen I…" She began to get to her feet but he caught her hand. "Carter this is silly I'm not a child that has to be worried about."
"No, what you are is shut down and I don't like it." He said and pulled her closer; close enough so their eyes met.
"It's me carter, you don't…" His mouth on hers broke her words off and she felt her body coming to life, her lips softening beneath his. Heavens had she ever thought she felt nothing for him? Even back then? No, had he done this then…
As her arms slid around his neck he leaned back slightly.
"I'm not letting you shut down, I'm going to find out hat happened Dana and then I'll heal you." He then kissed her again, and the words, so deep and determined and his kiss so demanding told her that he would at that. She knew she should be scared, after all she'd worked so long to hide everything but no, she knew he'd do whatever he said.
"Carter I'm not sure I can do this…"
"Hey have I ever lied to you?"
"No,"
"And I'm not going to start now; I haven't been in the one place I was needed." He lifted up her chin. "But I am now and I'm not going anywhere." And she felt the tears, weather of fear or of hope he didn't know. She just knew that he'd do it. It was why she kissed him yet again.
***
Watching her friends talking and laughing Kelsey felt tears pricking behind her eyelids. Abruptly she rose and moved from the group, while the others continued to joke and talk.
"Hey taz you ok?" The familiar voice asked gently and she found Ryan to her right, his face seeming softer somehow, as though he knew her thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm good, just thinking." She said and felt a little stir at the nickname he'd given her after watching a little Looney toons with his sister years ago.
"must not be such a great thought if it's got tears in your eyes." He murmured and she sighed, how was it no matter who she met none had ever been able to understand her like Ryan? They were alike in some ways and she figured that's how they'd become friends but she just didn't know anything anymore.
"I was just wondering if we'll ever get Dana back." She said into the silence when she managed at last to remember the current topic.
"She's strong; she'll pull out of it." He said with a confidence he didn't feel. It was a nice little side benefit of being an actor he could be whatever he needed to be.
"Will she Ryan? Have you?" She asked and when her clear dark eyes met his he felt a sharp pull at something deep inside, how did she know?
"Kel?"
"Look at you Ryan you're still steeped in the past. You shut yourself and only show any emotion when you act. Is that normal?"
"For me." He shrugged forcing the feelings she'd just brought surfacing back to the bottom of his being. He'd not deal with that now.
"That's crap Ryan." She said slowly moving so they stood toe to toe, her eyes staring into his. "I've seen you come to life; I've seen your smile, your eyes glittering like the silver lining a cloud. You're just scared."
"What do you know about it?" He asked forcing amusement into his deep voice, she was getting way too close.
"I did go to school remember?" She pointed out adding. "My major was psychology. I wanted to understand."
"Looks like you know the clinical ideas. Too bad it's not the practical." He said and the words sounded to both of them bitter. Gees had he put that bland look on her face? She looked as if she were a shrink, but she hadn't until… Shaking his head he sighed, she was just trying to help, and he did know she'd been through her own situations. Still, he was not ready to deal with this. instead he flashed her his award winning smile.
"Bet their missing us."
Kelsey knw he'd not say more and so nodded. For now it would have to ly/
TBC
***
Another chapter finished. if you like it plz let me know tat there is actually someone reading this. Also thanks to C.S. for the help.