Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page
CHAPTER TWELVE
"So, out there somewhere are guys just like me?" Richie asked. Duncan and Anna had returned to the loft a little more than an hour ago. One phone call brought Joe, Methos, and Richie there in no time. Anna and Joe sat in the high back chairs. Methos, who had grabbed a beer, sprawled over most of the sofa, but Richie managed to claim one end of it. Duncan either paced the room or leaned against the desk.
"Maybe one or two," Anna responded. "Most of them just look like you. They have entirely different lives from you, different personalities. Take Duncan, for instance. In one of the dimensions, he's a male stripper named Christophe." The reaction she got to that statement was priceless. Methos spewed the swig of beer he'd just taken, then joined Joe and Richie in a thunderous round of laughter. Richie even added a few catcalls. But the Scot's reaction was the crème de la crème. He was flabbergasted. Totally, unequivocally flabbergasted. He sputtered and stammered until he finally managed to say "I'm a what?" Which, of course, resulted in another round of laughter from the others in the room. "I'm glad you find this all so amusing." a miffed Duncan said to them.
Anna, wiping away the tears from her eyes and trying very hard to suppress her laughter, finally managed to say, "Not you, Duncan. Christophe. He's no more you than Methos is Priscilla, the drag queen." Duncan looked at Methos a second before he began to chuckle, joined by Richie and Joe. Methos just groaned.
Methos asked, "So out of curiosity, if in another world Duncan's a stripper and I'm a drag queen, what are Joe and Richie?"
"Well, Joe's a pimp and Richie is one of his 'stable' boys," she responded with a grin.
"I'm a male PROSTITUTE! Oh man."
"And a very popular one I might add," Anna told him.
"Hey, you should take comfort that at least somewhere else you're getting some action," Methos teased. Now it was Richie's turn to groan.
"I hate to break this conversation up," Duncan said to them, "but I think it's time we move on to other matters, like Corrigan." The group looked at Anna, who sat back in her chair, her eyes downcast. Duncan walked over and knelt before her. "Anna, I think it's time you told us the truth. You told me he was playing some sort of game with you. What kind of game and why?" he asked gently.
"I don't know if I can," she replied, struggling to keep her composure. "What he did...it's too painful to think about. You don't realize just how evil, how vile he can be."
"I think I can. Anna, Corrigan is an immortal. I met him a little more than 60 years ago. He preyed on college students. The newspapers dubbed him the Crucifix Killer as he always placed a crucifix in the victim's hands after he slit their throats. At the time, I was dating a young woman who had found one of his victims, and later I encountered him in an alley with his latest kill. Unfortunate circumstances allowed him to get away, which is something I regret to this day. So you see, I do know how evil he is."
"No, Duncan. No you don't. You haven't a clue," she told him, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked at all of them. "None of you do." She wiped the tears from her eyes, got up and walked over to the window. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall hoping Duncan wouldn't press her any further about the matter, but she knew he would.
Duncan followed her and put his arms around her, drawing her to him. He felt her trembling, so he held her tight. "I'm sorry, Anna, but we need to stop him before he kills anyone else." He released her from his arms and, turning her to face him, gently raised her chin so she was looking directly at him. "And he will. You know that. So we need to know what you know. I know it hurts, but I'm here....we're all here for you." He led her to the sofa and sat down beside her. Richie had gone to the kitchen for a glass of water which he handed to Duncan before taking Anna's vacated seat. Methos, no longer sprawled on the sofa, was instead sitting at the other end, concern clearly showing on his face for the beautiful lass. "Here, drink this," the Scot said, holding the glass to her lips. Anna drank the water, then leaned back. She looked at Duncan, then Joe, Richie, and Methos. The worried looks on their faces clearly showed her how much they cared.
"I'll be alright, guys. Just give me a few moments. It's not easy talking about it, but you are right, Duncan. He will kill again if we don't stop him."
Methos spoke up. "It's alright, Anna. Just take your time. I do know a little something about evil men and just how devastating their actions can be to the ones left behind. One does learn something when you've been around as long as I have," he said with a little grin on his face. He had been pleased earlier to find out just how old he was, although he wasn't quite sure he liked the part about his birth date.
Anna took a deep breath. "So you want to know everything I know about Corrigan. All I ask is that you don't interrupt me. Okay?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Okay then. As I told you, Duncan, I met Corrigan several years ago. From what I gathered from reading the files at my father's house, this whole thing started after my father had been in a car accident. It had been severe enough that my father required a caretaker during his recovery. Corrigan got the job. Apparently, he somehow managed to stumble upon my father's research, and thus, me. Seems it was love at first sight on his part and he believed we were destined to be together. So he decided to switch places with his counterpart who, as luck would have it, just happened to be my assistant, Michael Lansing. What he didn't realize was I couldn't stand the sight of Michael. Couldn't stand being in the same room with him. I avoided him like the plague. Not only was the man an arrogant, pompous boor, he really wasn't much of an assistant. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about that as he has been assigned to me by the 'Powers That Be.'
"So Corrigan switched places with Michael in the hopes of sweeping me off my feet, but instead is met with hostile resistance. I guess he decided to make me pay for rejecting him, and consequently began his sick little game. He knew about CRADLE and how much the children meant to me. He considered that to be my weakness and targeted them." Anna looked to see the reactions on their faces to her statement, which was basically a mixture of disbelief and horror. Except for Methos. He really must know about evil men. She continued, her voice apathetic. Because of the work she did, she learned to distance herself from the horror and tragedy she encountered. She decided it would be a good idea to utilize that little trick now. "Duncan, you said Corrigan only slashed the throats of those college students. Well, that's nothing compared to what he did to these children. There were six of them in all. David. Patrick. Amy. Jean Marie. And Levar. He butchered them all and left their bodies for me to find." Anna paused as the memories flooded back. She shook her head as if to shake them away.
"Anna," Richie said.
"Richie, she asked us not to interrupt," Duncan admonished him.
"Yeah, I know, but she said there were six kids killed, but she only named five," he replied.
"Her name was Katie. Caitlin Rose McGowan. She was my daughter." Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "She was riding her bike when he ran her down," she sobbed.
"I'm so sorry, Anna," Duncan said as he pulled her close and rocked her as she cried.
"I think we better leave," Joe suggested.
"I think you're right," Methos said. "Come on, Richie." With that, the three men left. Duncan continued to hold Anna until she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, Anna awakened feeling better than she had in a long time. While Duncan fixed breakfast, she took a shower and changed clothes. When she emerged, she saw that Richie had joined them.
"Morning, Richie. How ya doing?" she asked.
"Good morning. Well you're certainly in a good mood," he said to her.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she responded, sitting down at the counter. "This looks good, Duncan. Can't believe how hungry I am." Anna took a bite of food. "Oh, this is good. You're a wonderful cook."
The Scot smiled. "Thank you for the compliment. Nice to know someone appreciates my cooking," he says, giving Richie a look.
"Hey, I appreciate it," the kid replied defensively.
"Nice to know, Rich. Anyway Anna, Joe and Methos will be over later."
"Good. I can finish my tale then." Noticing the look on Duncan's face, she added, "Relax. I'll be fine. The hard part is over with."
"Well, if you're sure." Anna nodded. "Alright. Richie and I are going to head downstairs. Just make yourself at home and we'll be back up later. Okay?"
"Fine. Go and tend to your business. Shoo. Shoo." Looking at Richie, "Is he always like this?"
"Worse." His response earned a dirty look from the Scot. Richie just grinned.
"Come on, Richie, let's go." With that, the two men left the loft leaving Anna to finish her breakfast in peace.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"So, out there somewhere are guys just like me?" Richie asked. Duncan and Anna had returned to the loft a little more than an hour ago. One phone call brought Joe, Methos, and Richie there in no time. Anna and Joe sat in the high back chairs. Methos, who had grabbed a beer, sprawled over most of the sofa, but Richie managed to claim one end of it. Duncan either paced the room or leaned against the desk.
"Maybe one or two," Anna responded. "Most of them just look like you. They have entirely different lives from you, different personalities. Take Duncan, for instance. In one of the dimensions, he's a male stripper named Christophe." The reaction she got to that statement was priceless. Methos spewed the swig of beer he'd just taken, then joined Joe and Richie in a thunderous round of laughter. Richie even added a few catcalls. But the Scot's reaction was the crème de la crème. He was flabbergasted. Totally, unequivocally flabbergasted. He sputtered and stammered until he finally managed to say "I'm a what?" Which, of course, resulted in another round of laughter from the others in the room. "I'm glad you find this all so amusing." a miffed Duncan said to them.
Anna, wiping away the tears from her eyes and trying very hard to suppress her laughter, finally managed to say, "Not you, Duncan. Christophe. He's no more you than Methos is Priscilla, the drag queen." Duncan looked at Methos a second before he began to chuckle, joined by Richie and Joe. Methos just groaned.
Methos asked, "So out of curiosity, if in another world Duncan's a stripper and I'm a drag queen, what are Joe and Richie?"
"Well, Joe's a pimp and Richie is one of his 'stable' boys," she responded with a grin.
"I'm a male PROSTITUTE! Oh man."
"And a very popular one I might add," Anna told him.
"Hey, you should take comfort that at least somewhere else you're getting some action," Methos teased. Now it was Richie's turn to groan.
"I hate to break this conversation up," Duncan said to them, "but I think it's time we move on to other matters, like Corrigan." The group looked at Anna, who sat back in her chair, her eyes downcast. Duncan walked over and knelt before her. "Anna, I think it's time you told us the truth. You told me he was playing some sort of game with you. What kind of game and why?" he asked gently.
"I don't know if I can," she replied, struggling to keep her composure. "What he did...it's too painful to think about. You don't realize just how evil, how vile he can be."
"I think I can. Anna, Corrigan is an immortal. I met him a little more than 60 years ago. He preyed on college students. The newspapers dubbed him the Crucifix Killer as he always placed a crucifix in the victim's hands after he slit their throats. At the time, I was dating a young woman who had found one of his victims, and later I encountered him in an alley with his latest kill. Unfortunate circumstances allowed him to get away, which is something I regret to this day. So you see, I do know how evil he is."
"No, Duncan. No you don't. You haven't a clue," she told him, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked at all of them. "None of you do." She wiped the tears from her eyes, got up and walked over to the window. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall hoping Duncan wouldn't press her any further about the matter, but she knew he would.
Duncan followed her and put his arms around her, drawing her to him. He felt her trembling, so he held her tight. "I'm sorry, Anna, but we need to stop him before he kills anyone else." He released her from his arms and, turning her to face him, gently raised her chin so she was looking directly at him. "And he will. You know that. So we need to know what you know. I know it hurts, but I'm here....we're all here for you." He led her to the sofa and sat down beside her. Richie had gone to the kitchen for a glass of water which he handed to Duncan before taking Anna's vacated seat. Methos, no longer sprawled on the sofa, was instead sitting at the other end, concern clearly showing on his face for the beautiful lass. "Here, drink this," the Scot said, holding the glass to her lips. Anna drank the water, then leaned back. She looked at Duncan, then Joe, Richie, and Methos. The worried looks on their faces clearly showed her how much they cared.
"I'll be alright, guys. Just give me a few moments. It's not easy talking about it, but you are right, Duncan. He will kill again if we don't stop him."
Methos spoke up. "It's alright, Anna. Just take your time. I do know a little something about evil men and just how devastating their actions can be to the ones left behind. One does learn something when you've been around as long as I have," he said with a little grin on his face. He had been pleased earlier to find out just how old he was, although he wasn't quite sure he liked the part about his birth date.
Anna took a deep breath. "So you want to know everything I know about Corrigan. All I ask is that you don't interrupt me. Okay?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Okay then. As I told you, Duncan, I met Corrigan several years ago. From what I gathered from reading the files at my father's house, this whole thing started after my father had been in a car accident. It had been severe enough that my father required a caretaker during his recovery. Corrigan got the job. Apparently, he somehow managed to stumble upon my father's research, and thus, me. Seems it was love at first sight on his part and he believed we were destined to be together. So he decided to switch places with his counterpart who, as luck would have it, just happened to be my assistant, Michael Lansing. What he didn't realize was I couldn't stand the sight of Michael. Couldn't stand being in the same room with him. I avoided him like the plague. Not only was the man an arrogant, pompous boor, he really wasn't much of an assistant. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about that as he has been assigned to me by the 'Powers That Be.'
"So Corrigan switched places with Michael in the hopes of sweeping me off my feet, but instead is met with hostile resistance. I guess he decided to make me pay for rejecting him, and consequently began his sick little game. He knew about CRADLE and how much the children meant to me. He considered that to be my weakness and targeted them." Anna looked to see the reactions on their faces to her statement, which was basically a mixture of disbelief and horror. Except for Methos. He really must know about evil men. She continued, her voice apathetic. Because of the work she did, she learned to distance herself from the horror and tragedy she encountered. She decided it would be a good idea to utilize that little trick now. "Duncan, you said Corrigan only slashed the throats of those college students. Well, that's nothing compared to what he did to these children. There were six of them in all. David. Patrick. Amy. Jean Marie. And Levar. He butchered them all and left their bodies for me to find." Anna paused as the memories flooded back. She shook her head as if to shake them away.
"Anna," Richie said.
"Richie, she asked us not to interrupt," Duncan admonished him.
"Yeah, I know, but she said there were six kids killed, but she only named five," he replied.
"Her name was Katie. Caitlin Rose McGowan. She was my daughter." Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "She was riding her bike when he ran her down," she sobbed.
"I'm so sorry, Anna," Duncan said as he pulled her close and rocked her as she cried.
"I think we better leave," Joe suggested.
"I think you're right," Methos said. "Come on, Richie." With that, the three men left. Duncan continued to hold Anna until she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, Anna awakened feeling better than she had in a long time. While Duncan fixed breakfast, she took a shower and changed clothes. When she emerged, she saw that Richie had joined them.
"Morning, Richie. How ya doing?" she asked.
"Good morning. Well you're certainly in a good mood," he said to her.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she responded, sitting down at the counter. "This looks good, Duncan. Can't believe how hungry I am." Anna took a bite of food. "Oh, this is good. You're a wonderful cook."
The Scot smiled. "Thank you for the compliment. Nice to know someone appreciates my cooking," he says, giving Richie a look.
"Hey, I appreciate it," the kid replied defensively.
"Nice to know, Rich. Anyway Anna, Joe and Methos will be over later."
"Good. I can finish my tale then." Noticing the look on Duncan's face, she added, "Relax. I'll be fine. The hard part is over with."
"Well, if you're sure." Anna nodded. "Alright. Richie and I are going to head downstairs. Just make yourself at home and we'll be back up later. Okay?"
"Fine. Go and tend to your business. Shoo. Shoo." Looking at Richie, "Is he always like this?"
"Worse." His response earned a dirty look from the Scot. Richie just grinned.
"Come on, Richie, let's go." With that, the two men left the loft leaving Anna to finish her breakfast in peace.