Ch. 15

Ready, Aim…

The peace of mind Danny had over Jessi's road to recovery was short lived the moment he walked into headquarters. Mavin was there, leaning back against the edge of the front desk with arms folded loosely over his chest. He was staring at the floor, but raised his head when Danny approached. Danny tensed, though nothing on Mavin's features warranted a reason to be nervous. The man appeared indifferent as usual, but after last night Danny found himself more wary of him than before. He could not say for certain if Mavin had advanced on him intending something malicious, or just to grab Danny's attention, but Danny's mindset was leaning toward the former more than the latter.

Danny stopped four paces from tall detective.

" What'd you need, Mavin?" he asked coolly.

" Heard you went to see the vic."

" Yeah, so? And her name's Jessi, by the way, if you care but I doubt you do. I talked to her. She didn't see the guy. End of story. No reason for a return visit if that's what you had in mind."

Mavin shook his head no.

" Then what? You pissed because I didn't tell you about it?"

" Maybe. But I got bigger fish to fry. You got a letter, which means a messenger stopped by, which means we need to do some asking around."

" Nobody saw who sent it, Mavin. It just came with the rest of the mail."

Mavin held up a finger. " It gets dumped with the regular mail, but it ain't the mailman who brings it. We need to go talk to Jake again."

Danny arched his brow. " Now? Don't you have a partner to be doing crap like that with?"

" She's taking other cases. The Hangman ain't the only killer out there. And no, not now. It turns out Jake's still working at that music store. We go in, his friends know my face, and give him time to slip off. He likes finding ways to aggravate me. The best time to get him is when he gets off work and heads home. So, I'll meet you back here at five thirty."

" Sure he'll be there? I thought you said he likes to get out, wander around, so he can pick up the letters."

" But he always goes home first to 'freshen up.' Just be here at five thirty, Messer."

With that said, Mavin pushed himself away from the front desk and wandered off to go hassle some other CSI. Danny didn't give him another glance as he moved off in search of Mac. He went to his office first, and found him sitting behind his desk, pouring over a sheet. Danny tapped lightly on the glass, and waited until Mac raised his head and gave Danny the okay nod.

" How'd it go with Jessi?" Mac asked when Danny entered.

" Good. She's doing fine. Didn't see our killer though."

" So nothing useable?"

Danny shook his head. " Not really. She did witness the guy entering twice, though. I mean I don't know how useful that could be, except to Farrone. She's still holding to the split-personality deal. Personally, I don't buy into the whole multi-personality thing. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I bet half the time someone claims to have a split ego they're using it for an insanity plea. But, hey, it's all we got and I don't fully doubt it either.

" Best not to doubt anything that's possible," Mac said.

" So how'd it go with you?" Danny asked. " Get anything?"

" Not particularly. Although the bucket has been used more than once. There were only a few drops when we found it, but tests confirmed there had been more blood at one time. He probably rinsed it out with water every time he was done with it."

Danny's frustration resurfaced, and he began rubbing the back of his suddenly knotting neck. " This guy's gotta be hairless and fleshless. How is it he's not leaving anything behind?"

" Easy. He doesn't do anything that would leave evidence. He never rapes the victims so there's no semen, he probably wears gloves, long-sleeved clothes made of tightly woven fibers, and probably shaves his head or wear's a cap that holds his hair in place. He's into everything being neat and tidy, so I wouldn't put it past him if he cleaned up before he left."

" So not much else to do for this new scene then."

Mac gathered the papers spread on his desk into a stack and tapped them lightly together. " I haven't looked at the rope yet. But you can already bet there's nothing to find." He stuck the papers into a manila folder.

Danny shrugged. " It'll give me something to do. I have to meet up with Mavin at five-thirty."

Mac looked suddenly up at Danny. " Why?"

" To go squeeze some info out of Jake. Mavin wants to grab him after the guy gets off work." Danny caught the uncertainty in Mac's eyes, and became uneasy himself. " You think it'll end up being another blow out like last time?"

" I wouldn't be surprised. I'd just be careful. Interfere when you can but back off if you have to. I'll make sure you're not held accountable if anything happens."

" Thanks Mac." Danny then turned and left Mac's office to go take a look at the rope.

CSINY

Five-thirty came without warning, and Danny was experiencing a bad case of déjà vu as he rode with Mavin back to Jake's place.

" Even if he dropped the letter," Danny said, " you really think he's going to tell us anything about it? Or is this just an excuse to deck him again?"

" Sometimes he's got things to say if you know how to listen. The guy talks, he just goes for being cryptic. Thinks he's being clever. But if he wasn't the one who dropped the letter, then he opts for being more open, but only if he knows who the messenger was. Ratting them out gets them out of the way so that the Hangman is forced to rely on him. Jake may look and talk like trash, but even I have to admit he has brains."

Danny was watching Mavin as he spoke. Temper-wise, the man was thus far remaining sober, laid back even, and wearing no defining expression. It was nice not to have to look at the man's smug smirk, but Danny had the feeling that Mavin was holding something back, brooding over something but hiding it well. Strangely enough, Danny also had the feeling that it had nothing to do with him. If it had, Mavin would have been verbally hounding him by now. The fact that he was acting all congenial was putting Danny on edge.

When they arrived at Jake's apartment, Mavin turned into an alley a building away to keep it out of sight, since - according to Mavin - the sight of his car tended to intimidate. If Jake saw it before they saw him he might get it in his head to make himself scarce for aggravation sake. But Danny couldn't help thinking 'actually it's your face, not the car.' The car was too close to being a jalopy to be intimidating.

" We've got ten minutes, give or take, before he comes waltzing in. We'll wait for him on the stoop," Mavin said.

They got out of the car into the lukewarm air of late afternoon where the sky was beginning to fade into gray-blue.

" Aren't you worried me might bolt?" Danny asked as they exited the alley and headed toward Jake's complex.

Mavin grinned. " Jake, run? Hell, one time he practically walked right into the station to deliver a letter personally. He knows we've got nothing on him. He's just an 'innocent bystander who got caught up in this whole mess against his will.' Little piece of crap. Besides, once spotted he usually goes along with things."

Mavin suddenly thrust his arm out against Danny's chest, halting him. " Oh, and Messer? Seriously this time, don't say a freakin' word. Jake's mine, got it?"

Danny stepped back and walked around Mavin's outstretched arm. About a thousand responses flooded his mind, but he felt the silent treatment more poignant. Besides, Danny knew better than to make promises he had no intentions of keeping.

" Messer?"

" Whatever, Mavin."

Danny stopped three steps from the stairs when he saw a figure approach from the opposite way. As the figure drew near, Danny squinted his eyes in confusion.

" Looks like Jake might be a little early," he said.

" What?" Mavin hurried forward to stand beside Danny, lifting his brow in surprise. " Huh. How about that." He nudged Danny in the side with his elbow. " Looks like the little puke's making it easy on us tonight."

As though Mavin's words carried adverse side effects, Jake looked up from staring at the sidewalk to spy the two. He slowed, also squinting, then stopped, his eyes now widening in alarm. Then, in a blink, he turned on his heels and bolted.

" So much for certainty," Danny said, then took off after Jake.

" I'll go this way," he heard Mavin call but did not waste the effort to see where the detective had vanished to.

Danny pounded the pavement, dashing with the speed he had once used during his baseball days in college, now utilized for moments like this. He was fast, plenty of people had said so, but Jake had been given a head start and mustered some good speed himself. They flew past five buildings, then turned left to pass five more. Danny found himself closing the distance, and could hear Jake's wheezing breath. Jake may have had the head start, but Danny had clean lungs.

Suddenly, Jake turned abruptly between another apartment and some shop selling meats. Danny nearly collided into the corner of the brick wall as he took the sharp turn, then slowed to a stop. The alley was long, branching off to the left and right before rejoining the main street. Danny listened to the silence broken only by his heavy breathing and the roaring rush of his blood in his ears. But he knew he should have been able to hear Jake's pounding feet reverberating off the walls. Jake had stopped running, which meant he was nearby.

Danny pulled his gun, but kept his arm lowered so that Jake wouldn't be able to jump out of hiding and knock it from his grip. He proceeded into the alley, treading softly so that his own footfalls couldn't echo. He kept close to the brown brick wall of the shop, brushing it with his shoulder. As he neared the intersections, he craned his neck to peer around the corner of the left-hand alley. He saw nothing, not even any trash bins.

He slowed even more when he came to the end of the wall. He leaned forward slightly, just enough for a quick peek around. The alley behind the shop extended a ways as well, but branching off into more intersections. The sight made his heart plummet, and he rolled his eyes in irritation.

" Hey Jake!" He called, his voice bouncing about sharply. " You down there? Come on, man, we just want to talk. You're not in trouble or anything. I promise I won't let Mavin beat you're A--."

There came no reply. Danny shrugged. It had been worth a try. He entered the alley, still moving slowly and close to the wall. This was Jake's neighborhood, Jake's territory, which meant that Jake was probably long gone by now. Either that or hiding in some vacant room or basement that neither Danny nor Mavin would be able to locate.

Danny glanced back over his shoulder, straining his ears for the slightest sound. He thought he heard two cats fighting, and the distant bark of a dog. There came a police siren so far away it was more like a banshee wail, fading off as quickly as it had come. Someone was playing music with a steady beat, but it faded as well. There was no such thing as absolute silence in New York. Yet what silence there was still had potency enough to keep Danny's heart hammering and sweat dripping down his back.

Danny slowed again when he came to the first intersection. He peered down one, then the other, both empty. There were too many ways Jake could have gone, too many choices to go with. Danny had lost him in a maze of alleys, and if Jake had brains as Mavin had said, he wouldn't be heading back to his place anytime soon. The best course of action would be to find Mavin and determine where Jake might have gone to hide out for a time.

Suddenly, a numbing chill shot down Danny's spine, and his back felt horribly exposed. He was about to turn for a look over his shoulder when he was grabbed by the collar of both his shirt and jacket. Something solid and cold pressed painfully into the back of his skull.

" Messer, right? Drop the gun, Messer."

Danny hesitated as his brain frantically flew through a list of possible ways to get out of this mess. Then Jake pulled back on Danny's collar, partially choking him, and pressed the gun even harder against his head.

" Drop it now!"

" You really gonna shoot me, Jake? That'll get your butt thrown in jail for the rest of your life, considering if you somehow don't get the death penalty first."

" Who says I have to kill you?" Jake lowered the gun and pressed it into the middle of Danny's backbone. " How'd you like to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair? Personally I'd take prison over that any day."

Cursing silently, Danny finally dropped the gun and raised his hands. " Why'd you run, Jake? We just wanted to ask you a few questions."

" Yeah, right, sure. A few questions. That's what they're waiting for. What they want to happen."

Jake's words made Danny furrow his brow in consternation. " They who?"

" Hey Jake!" Came Mavin's voice ricocheting off the walls. He stepped out from the right hand alley several yards away with his gun raised. Jake pulled Danny back, then away from the wall. Danny felt the pressure of the gun lift away from his back and saw the barrel of the automatic out of the corner of his eye when he turned his head slightly.

" Back off Mavin! Just back off!" Jake screamed, making Danny wince when it assaulted his ears.

Mavin never lowered his gun as he casually approached Danny and Jake. " Aw, come on, Jakey, why the hostility? Got tired of the game already? I just wanted to ask you something."

" Screw you Mavin! I'm done talking! I have nothing to say anymore! So just back off or I'll blow a hole through your partner."

Jake was backing up, taking Danny with him. Danny kept his eyes on Mavin. The detective's infuriating smirk had returned, but there was a coldness to his eyes that was making Danny more uneasy than he already was.

" He's not my partner, and you do have stuff to say. So just drop the gun, come with me, and let's get this over with."

" No! Go to hell, Mavin!"

" D----t, Jake! Stop being such a freakin' moron!"

Then Danny saw it. Mavin's arm tensed, going perfectly straight, and his finger began to tighten around the trigger. It was all a split second moment, but terror made it slow into minutes. Seeing what he saw, knowing what was to come, Danny reacted on nothing more than sheer panic. He threw himself back as one would when trying to get away. He knocked into Jake, and the two went down at exactly the same moment Mavin's gun went off. Danny felt it graze centimeters over his shoulder as he fell. He landed on top of Jake, then quickly rolled off and snatched Jake's gun from his hand before the man could catch his breath. Pushing to his feet, Danny pointed the gun at Jake's sprawled, disoriented form.

Mavin came running up from behind. He clapped Danny on the shoulder, causing him to flinch.

" Good move, Messer," he said, then went over to Jake, hauling him to his feet by the collar of his coat.

Danny watched Mavin, too dazed and shocked to speak. He forced his mind through the haze of terror that was making his heart pound and breath come fast, and eventually found his voice.

" What the hell, Mavin!" Danny said in a cracked voice. " You were gonna freakin' shoot me!"

Mavin pulled Jake's arms around, rambling off the Miranda Rights. When he finished, snapping cuffs onto Jake's wrists, he looked at Danny as though Danny had just lost it.

" What! No I wasn't. I was aiming for Jake's shoulder."

Danny, still trying to catch his breath, lowered Jake's gun. " He's the same height as me Mavin. To shoot him you had to shoot through me."

" Aw, come on, I had him in my sights. You're shorter than me so I was aiming downward. It would've grazed you, that's it."

Danny shook his head vehemently. " No. It would've hit my shoulder and gone through. It would've gone through bone, and if it didn't kill me by making bleed out, then it would've damaged my arm. It'd be useless."

Mavin chuckled. " Okay, now you're just being melodramatic. I'm a good shot, Messer. It would've grazed you, that's all. But, I gotta admit, what you pulled was better. Now we won't have to waste taxpayer dollars for Jake's medical bills. Ain't that right, Jakey?"

Jake shook his head. " Freak."

" What's that, Jakey?"

But Jake fell silent. Mavin looked back at Danny and shook his head.

" You're really up-tight, you know that Messer? Crap, I wouldn't shoot a fellow law enforcer."

" Not to kill, no. But I wouldn't put it past you to shoot through 'em as long as it wasn't a kill shot."

Mavin pushed Jake around, facing away from Danny. " Relax, Messer. It would've grazed you, that's all, scouts honor and all that crap. But let me put it this way. I would've nicked you; Jakey here would have killed you. Lesser of two evils, Messer. Live with it."

Mavin then began pushing Jake back up the alley. Danny shoved Jake's gun into his pocket to bag it later, then retrieved his own gun. He stood there for a moment, staring at the weapon in his hands, feeling its weight. Mavin had been ready to shoot him. In fact, it was as though Danny hadn't even been in front of Jake to begin with. He had wanted to shoot Jake. He had wanted to shoot someone; Danny had seen it in his eyes.

That was it. Danny couldn't take this anymore. It was time to take Mac up on his offer.

NOTE

Sneaky preview! - So tired…