Chapter 7

The next morning Alex walked back to her desk, extremely tired. She found Bobby already at his desk, as always, and said, "Morning," as she sat down.

He smiled at her. "Good morning," he said. She couldn't help but smile back, at the same time unconsciously rubbing the skin under her turtleneck.

"Peter's coming in at 2:30 to 'type a response and finalize the details'. Can you call hotmail and have them give you the registration info on Samuel Engal's account? I'm going to go get a search warrant for his apartment and computer."

"Yah, sure. See you in a few?"

"I'll be back momentarily," he said smiling as he got up and left.

Alex immediately got on the phone with Hotmail, but they refused to give her the information, said it was confidential, right to privacy, crap like that that annoyed Alex to no end. However, with smugness in her voice she reported the misuse of the account and asked them if they'd like her to announce to the free world that hotmail was protecting a scammer, rapist, and finally murderer. They reluctantly sent her all of the account information, including the password to access it.

Bobby on the other hand was having a perfectly easy time getting the search warrant. He went to Carver, who took him to the judge, who issued it almost immediately. Bobby went back to his desk carrying a blue piece of paper.

"I take it you got it?" she asked looking up.

"Yep. Yourself?" he said as he sat down in his chair.

"Eventually. Total bunch of pricks, as usual. I had to remind them that they were protecting a murderer who was using their e-mail to lure victims. They eventually gave in," she added lightly, holding up a printout of the information hotmail sent her.

Bobby shot Alex an evil grin. "Let's mess with him, shall we?"

Alex had logged on to her computer and Bobby had excitedly rolled his chair around to her side when Deakins looked out of his office window, saw them, and decided it could only mean mischief. He walked up to them.

"Please tell me this is relevant to the case," he said exasperatedly.

"We've got the e-mail information and access to the account P.K. is using under Samuel Engal's name," said Goren with a slight smile on his face, not looking up from the screen Alex was navigating through.

"And how are you having fun with this exactly?" But he knew better. It was more of a rhetorical question.

"We're going to monitor the account, first of all, and try to see if he used this one or another one for the other vics. But mostly, Bobby here is going to get jealous," said Alex menacingly.

Deakins simply rolled his eyes and walked away.

Two thirty rolled around and right on queue, Peter K. came walking out of the elevator wearing a convincing grin to match his polo shirt. He set his laptop bag on Alex's desk and went for the zipper.

"So, how was your day," he asked, "Lexy?"

Alex smiled at him. "It was very good. Very informative. I really think we may be hot on this guy's trail."

"That's awesome!" he smiled at her.

"Naturally, Bobby helped too," she beamed.

"You two are quite the team," he replied absent mindedly as he opened up his computer. He got everything up and running, pulled up Bobby's nearby chair, and opened up his e-mail.

Peter turned to Alex, who was sitting in her chair next to him, with a smile. "Shall we give this guy a description?"

Alex smiled. Bobby shuffled in annoyance and walked over behind Alex. He reached his arms around Alex's back; completely enclosing her in what would have been a hug had he not put his right hand on the mouse and his left on the keyboard. Peter looked at them but did not say anything. Alex looked at him apologetically. Bobby opened up a new message to send Samuel Engal and began to type:

"Dear Samuel, I cannot send you a picture, but I will describe what I will be wearing so you can recognize me. I will be in blue jeans and a red tank top, and I may have a black jacket on. I have shoulder length blonde hair. I will meet you at the Hotel Lobby at 12 per your request. If you have any questions please call my cell phone. Thanks so much, I can't wait to help your cause, Lexy."

Alex turned her tilted head to Peter. "Is that ok?"

Peter now looked openly annoyed that this e-mail was so flattering to Alex. He looked at a stone-faced Bobby, whose arms were still wrapped around Alex.

"Stop it!" he finally said.

"Stop what?" asked Alex a little too innocently. Bobby smiled slyly at him from behind Alex's thin knit-covered neck.

"You're messing with me! You're trying to provoke me!" he said staring Straight at Goren

"How?" asked Bobby standing up straight.

"I- I don't know! You've been less than kind to me. May I remind you that I am here to help you and if you want to ruin it all and blow your chance of catching this guy and-" Peter's eyes were bulging. He was also standing up now, facing Bobby.

"And what? Look, I don't see how we're provoking you," Bobby said, a look of complete seriousness on his face. "We're just trying to wrap this up."

"You shouldn't! You could completely ruin everything! You're compromising this case just because you're jealous!"

"I beg your pardon!"

"The style is all wrong! You're just pissed that Alex gave me her number! I understand that you're protective, but this-"

Bobby paused, still looking indignant. "This guy can't tell the difference between you and me," he said heatedly with an evil laugh, pointing at the laptop, "So I think we'll continue on without you. And how dare you accuse me-" he had a finger pointed at P.K.'s chest.

"Bobby! Just stop!" she put her hand to his chest and he seemed to calm down almost instantly. She turned to P.K. "I'm sorry if you feel that we have offended you. Goren is certainly protective, and I'm sorry I let my feelings for you jeopardize his commitment to this case. I think it would be better if we finished this out ourselves so Bobby can recommit himself," she placed an emphasis on these words as she turned to Bobby, "to this case." She turned back to Peter. "You are welcome to meet us here at 9am on Saturday before the stakeout and come along if you wish. Your involvement was- is -crucial." She said all of this with a very sympathetic tone that seemed to subdue P.K. more and more with every word. She smiled at last and walked up to P.K. She was close enough to smell his cologne. "Well?" she asked.

"I think you'll understand if I discontinue my involvement. I don't want to jeopardize the case, just let me know how it all turns out." He took her in a hug. "And call me," he said softly. Alex pulled away and saw as P.K. shot Bobby an apologetic look mingled with disdain.

He packed up his laptop silently. Bobby did not move from his spot, he seemed frozen. His eyes did not move from P.K. until the elevator door had closed behind him. The instant P.K. was lost behind the closed elevator doors Bobby relaxed, quietly rolled his chair from Alex's desk, and sat down in it.

"Wow, that was good!" said Alex in amazement. "I wonder if he's gonna crash our party on Saturday…"

"If he believed that, he will. You were very convincing. Did you see that look he shot me?" He asked the last question in a smile.

Alex looked at him, then immediately released the breath she was holding and began to laugh. Bobby relaxed too and they both just laughed. Deakins walked up.

"I certainly hope all that noise was worth it?"

"That exit was excellent," said Alex wiping tears of laughter from her eye.

"He's probably doing it to make us believe that we're shot of him. He came to us with the intent to make me jealous, all I had to do was play along and act suspicious and it was bound to give him a reason to storm out- Not only does it give him the satisfaction of believing that he's messing with us right under our own nose, but it gives him an excuse not to be with us at the stakeout, which we're going to have to go ahead with as planned. He was using Alex to throw us off his trail."

"Nice try," said Alex.

"She's a very convincing flirt…" said Bobby, looking at her almost adoringly.

Alex rubbed her neck.