A/N: Standard Disclaimers Apply

A/N: And the killer is…

Chapter Thirteen: Desperate Search

"Are you kidding?" Rae said when I told her.

"No, I'm deadly serious. Look at these photos. Right around the eyes. See that burn spot? It's only an eighth of an inch in diameter, but it's perfectly round. These other burn marks, they're just like scalding patterns. The killer used a laser to heat the vitreous, causing it to boil. Eventually the eye burst and that's the scald patterns we see on the sides of the eyes."

Raven looked like she was about to throw up.

"The ME missed it, initially, because, one, all the victims wore heavy kohl eye make up, so a lot of the burned flesh was hidden, and, two, the eyes, being almost completely made of water, are the first things to decompose, and, three, with the obvious signs of strangulation, they thought that was what killed the women and stopped looking."

I put my mask on and pulled my T-Communicator from my hip pouch. I hit the alert and ran to the common room, dragging a still shocked Raven by her wrist. The Titans were still there, and a cool, professional air filled the room. Beast Boy and Cyborg stood ready. Starfire floated eighteen inches off the floor, her eyes already glowing hot.

I stood straight up. "Titans, we need to find Doctor Light. Starfire, Beast Boy, you're on aerial recon. Cyborg, you and I are on the ground, and call MacDonald. We'll need her people on it, too. This is now our top priority."

"Dude," Beast Boy gasped, "you're saying that the Raven Slayer is Dr. freaking Light?"

I narrowed my eyes. "That's exactly what I'm saying. He fits the profile, and has means to create burn patterns found on the bodies."

"Then the Doctor Light will face retribution," Starfire snarled coldly.

Beast Boy turned into a hawk, flew outside, and then became an albatross. Starfire flew out behind the changeling with such fierce determination, I actually hoped that she didn't find Light first. Cyborg nodded to Raven then to me and ran to his beloved T-Car.

"What about me?" Raven asked. "If you think I'm staying out of this…"

"Raven, you can search for Light in ways that no one else can. I need you to do a psychic sweep of the city."

"The… entire city?"

I put my hands on her shoulders and smiled, "I know you can do it Rae."

She nodded. We walked to the roof where she sat cross-legged and floated in the air. Rae started her mantra softly, and for some unknown reason, I gave her a good luck kiss to the top of her head. She her lips curled in to a slight smile, but it didn't break her spell. I took the express to the ground floor, meaning I clicked a zip line to the roof and jumped off. The line acted as a break, and I was on the ground next to Cyborg in seconds.

"Freakin' show off," he told me sarcastically.

"Let's go. Light is a fugitive, and I'm sure there's one person who has a pretty good idea where he might be."

Cyborg opened the door to the T-Car. "Johnny Rancid?"

"Johnny Rancid."

"Boo-yah," Cyborg said quietly as the high performance engine roared to life.

We drove straight to the Gut Rot, and this time the bouncer let me in without a hassle. Cyborg walked in behind me, and I could tell his hand was twitching, ready to snap into his sonic cannon. The patrons all looked like hired help that I've cracked my knuckles on once or twice. They were looking for a signal.

"I'm not in the mood to play tonight," I announced. "If you don't want to spend a serious amount of time in traction, I suggest you keep the hell out."

I narrowed my eyes and stared down the pros.

A throaty motorcycle engine roared outside. Johnny was pulling a runner. I went on full alert and waited to get jumped. There was always some rookie or some goofball that wanted to be the man to take me down. Sure enough, three idiots tried it. Two seconds later, one had a dislocated shoulder, the other a crushed kneecap, and the third a broken jaw. I snarled at the others to take the fight out of them.

The thugs were on their feet, but not one advanced. I tapped Cyborg on the shoulder, and we backed out of the bar. We got back into the car and sped off after Rancid.

"Dude," Cyborg finally said, "that was…"

"Necessary. Rancid's heading north."

"Right."

My communicator chimed, "Nightwing, this is Beast Boy, do you have any idea how many GM cars there are in the city?"

"About eight hundred thousand in the Jump City metro," I said. "We're looking for a fleet sedan, probably a Monte Carlo or a Caprice, and probably with a white paint job."

"Okay, that's scary," Beast Boy quipped.

"Friends! I see that you are in a pursuit. May I be of assistance?"

"Star!" Cyborg called, "That'd be great, sweetheart."

We turned a corner and saw Rancid's taillights. Cyborg punched down on the accelerator, and I was thrown back into my seat. Rancid was still too far ahead. But Kory dove out of the sky, and rained a wall of starbolts ahead of Rancid. Johnny turned the bike sideways, the wheels slid out and he skidded to a stop. Starfire already scooped him up and softened him up by the time we got there.

"Get… this… crazy bitch offa me!" Rancid coughed.

"Where is the Doctor Light?" Kory demanded. Her eyes glowed hot.

I walked up to him. "You'd better tell her. Remember Tamaranian justice is a little less enlightened than the USA's."

Then I heard a voice on the breeze. Heard wasn't really the truth. I felt the voice in my soul.

"Richard, I've found him."