A/N: Robin—thank you for the Congrats. :) I had already decided I needed to say what the beginning of the hiatus would be in this chapter. I'm getting married on October 9th, and I am thinking the hiatus will begin around October 4th, though it might start earlier—it all depends on where I am in the story. If I'm at a good stopping point I won't go any further. Now as for the end of the hiatus—we get back home on the 18th so let's make it simple and say the 20th or later is when you'll get the next chapter. But let's stop thinking about me not writing—I've got two more weeks to tell this story.
One more comment—for some reason I did it again and have slid in a PC reference in for kicks. This one is tougher so I'll give you a clue—if you find it and realize it then you have truly viewed ME's first episode of PC. ;) Hope I haven't given it away—and I'll share it with everyone in the next author's note. Until then—everyone enjoy—PCGirl.-------------
John walked into the Llanview PD and took a look around—it felt like home to him. He gave a nod to the new secretary at the desk and walked on and into Bo's office, "Hey John."
"Hi. So what's new?" he asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee like old times.
"We're waiting on the FBI agent they are sending us."
John's eyebrows went up as he took a sip and shook his head in disgust, "They are already giving us an agent on this?"
"Yeah—where is Natalie?"
"I dropped her off at Foxy Roxy's—told her I'd be there in an hour and she better still be there," he said as he put down the coffee cup and turned to see the door open. "You have got to be kidding me," he grinned as Sonia Toledo walked into Bo's office.
"What—are you not happy to see me John?" she smiled as she walked past Bo. "I've only had a few minutes to read over the case file—you two tell me what I'm doing here."
"Stephen Haver was shot as he was taken in for his hearing last year—I stood just outside the room, my brother was in the room and we both heard him put blame on me for shooting him and then he died."
"Supposedly died," she corrected him as John rolled his eyes at her. "I heard something about Nora saw him?"
"Yeah. She went into Daniel Colson's office to apologize and he was in there. He punched Colson and ran—my officers chased him, but he was somehow able to outrun them."
"That's pretty sad since he has to where a shoe device for a bad leg."
"You gave him that bad leg," said Bo absently.
"Excuse me?" asked Sonia.
John sighed again, "Stephen Haver has been known to do two other serial killings—they happened when you were deep into your Santi cover. I might have gotten a little cocky with him, and he shot me and my fiancé in our own home—she died, and I was in the hospital for weeks with a shot to the abdomen—I was able to take a shot off of him though, reinjured a bad leg from when he jumped out of a window after killing and setting his grandparents house on fire."
"Wow. This guy sounds swell," she said dryly, "Where do we start looking?"
"Normally with Haver you don't look—he contacts you and ruffles your feathers until you are about to snap."
"I take it you snapped a lot with him—the homicide in California that Antonio is working with—tell me about her."
John looked at Bo as he began to speak, "Rae Cummings—was the force psychiatrist and dealt with him. He thought he'd killed her, but she survived. Right before he killed Natalie and took out half of Angel Square out with a bomb she walked in—he was the one who snapped this time. I guess he was finishing up his mistake from last year."
"So we've got some madman that has killed 30-something women out there and you two want to just sit and wait?"
"Well, Agent Toledo—what is your suggestion?" grinned John.
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John walked into a silent Foxy Roxy's, "Babe?" he called out to silence. He placed his hand on his gun and walked slowly around the free standing wall to see nobody. His head turned as the front door opened and saw Natalie and Roxy walk in. He glared at his wife as she froze at seeing him. He walked over and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head before looking down at her—the glare in his eyes still there, "You weren't supposed to leave here—I thought that's what we promised."
"It was—I just wanted to get something to eat at the Diner. We were looking for your truck to go by—where is it?"
"The FBI agent on the case is staying at the hotel—I caught a ride with her and walked over."
"FBI agent?"
"Sonia Toledo—we're supposed to meet her and she'll take us back to the station," he said as he looked to Roxy, "Will you be ok here by yourself, Roxy?"
"Who me? Yeah, I'm a rough and tough kinda gal—if he comes anywhere near me I'll just do some tai chi on him."
John resisted the urge to correct her and leaded Natalie outside of the business, "Goodnight Roxy."
John and Natalie were at the Angel Square statue when she stopped walking and pulled at his wrist, "Hey--."
John turned to look at her, "Hi. Is something wrong?"
"No—I just wanted to stop here for a moment. She always seems to bring peace on anyone who stands in front of her," she said as she looked up to the statue. "I'm not running from Haver, John—so whatever you and Antonio have planned it will not include me and Jessica going to London without you two. So don't even think about it."
John couldn't help but give a half grin, "I just don't want anything to happen to you."
"And I don't want to leave you in the hands of a madman—I can't lose you John, I lost Cristian to a madman already," she said as her eyes teared up. "I thought we were through with all this Haver stuff—I mean he died, you and Michael saw him die. How is it possible?"
John shook his head, "I don't know, but--," he stopped as they heard a noise behind them and saw no one there, "Hello? Come out now--," he called and took Natalie's hand as he moved closer to where the sound came from, and then heard noise behind him the other direction and saw Sonia walking up to them, "Was that you just then?"
"No—I came from Roxy's—thought that's where you said you'd be."
"Stay with Sonia," he said giving Natalie's hand a tight squeeze and going to investigate. He came back a minute later holding a black hooded cloak, "Whoever it was—they left this," he said smelling it before handing it to Sonia.
"It's—wildflowers?" she asked quizzically before handing it to Natalie.
"This is familiar—I've smelled this perfume recently," she said as she handed it back to John.
"Me too—it was the other day when Adam played a game of pool with you and I went to make that phone call. Someone had just left the pay phone and then walked past me when I was outside—she dropped this the first time too."
"Are you saying she's been following us since Philadelphia?"
"That's what it looks like now," he sighed as they began walking back towards the hotel.
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John was almost done with the dishes at Jessica and Antonio's apartment when he heard Natalie's cell phone start playing 'Ode to Joy'. He wiped his hands on his pants and reached for it, looking at the number and grinning, "Hey Adrienne."
"Hey Johnny Boy," she said. Normally her pet name for him would have kept him grinning but this time it sent chills up his spine, "Where's Nat?"
"Already asleep. We were trying to get Jamie to go to sleep so Natalie laid down with her on the couch and they were both out within ten minutes," he smiled.
"That's good—she didn't sleep much last night, and from what I saw earlier you didn't either."
"Yeah—I know."
"Well, I won't keep you long—we've got the new tires on Nat's car, but--."
"What?"
"Adam came in this morning—he saw who it was that slashed the tires. He was across the street so he couldn't see much but it was a female, older woman—probably around our age, and she was blonde. Do you have any clue who it might be?"
John thought for a second before responding, "None. In the morning call the station and ask for Officer Henry Anderson—tell him I want him to look into the slashing. In case he asks tell him I'll call for any updates—I've got bigger fish to fry," he said as he thought that was the case unless the fish that slashed the tires was from the same school.
"That's fine. You need to get some sleep—take care of that family of yours Johnny. Better yet—take care of yourself."
"Always do. I'll tell Natalie you called and the car is fixed," he said as he hung up her phone and decided he'd see if the sandman would decide to pay him a visit tonight.