Chapter Fifteen

Beep… Beep… Beep…

John groaned as the shrill sound of the alarm clock filled the room. After laying there for a few minutes he finally rolled out of bed, knowing he had to be quick if he wanted to get to the station by 7:00.

After taking a quick shower and dressing in his trademark black, John grabbed his jacket and keys ready to leave, but stopped when he noticed the folded piece of paper that had been pushed under his door. Assuming it was another note about the rent going up; John carelessly reached down and opened it, unprepared for what it read.

Merry Christmas Lieutenant,

I know it's a few days early, but I left your present in room 314. I hope it's one of your most memorable gifts yet.

Enjoy,

Overcome with terror, John felt as if his heart had stopped. Whipping out his cell phone he dialed furiously, praying that she would answer.

Ring… Ring… Ring…

With each additional ring John found himself losing it.

Ring… Ring…

"Hello?" Natalie's sleepy voice finally rang out.

"Natalie?"

"Yeah… John, is that you?"

John let out the breath he was holding, his heart still racing.

"John? It's 6:45 in the morning. Why the hell are you calling me at 6:45 in the morning?"

Ignoring her tone John cut her off. "Natalie you need to listen to me, I want you to stay at the cottage until you hear from me okay?"

"Excuse me? You call me at 6am to tell me what I can and can not do? Where the hell do you get off…"

"Just do it." John yelled in to the phone before he hung up on her and called the police station requesting back-up.

After making sure his gun was fully loaded, John slowly made his way down to room 314 and knocked loudly. After knocking a few times without an answer, John drew his gun and using only two fingers, tried the door.

It was open.

Slowly, he inched the door open with his foot, keeping both hands on the gun. "Hello?" he called once again. Once the door was fully open John's drew in a sharp breath, thankful he had managed to get in touch with Natalie before witnessing the horrible sight in front of him.

She was laying face-down on the sofa, her red hair fanned out around her. From where John was standing both the length and cut of her hair appeared to match Natalie's. As John replaced his gun and inched forward, he realized that the black silk robe the woman was wearing was identical to the one he had given Natalie when they were together.

John took a few deep breaths trying to calm down before the backup arrived. This woman looked so much like Natalie it was unsettling. Whoever was doing this was obviously dangerous and trying to make a point. Knowing he had to call Natalie and fill her in, John started to turn around, but stopped as he noticed something sparkling from the woman's left hand.

It was Natalie's rings.

John felt the rage boiling inside of him as he confirmed that the son of a bitch had access to her house.

Hearing the arrival of the other LPD officers, John went out into the hallway to meet them.

Natalie was just starting to fall back asleep when her phone rang again. Glancing at the clock she saw it was now 7:08.

Groaning, she picked up the phone ready to give John a piece of her mind. "What the…"

She was cut off by John. "I have sent Officer Collins over there to escort you to the police station. He should be there any minute."

Natalie sat up, pulling the covers around her. "What? Why? What's going on John?"

"Not now. I'll meet you at the station as soon as I can."

"I am not going anywhere until I get some answers, McBain."

"Natalie for once could you just shut up and stop arguing with me. If you're not downstairs when Officer Collins gets there, I'm giving him permission to arrest you and put you into a holding cell until I get there." Without letting her respond, John hung up on her for the second time today.

Furious, Natalie stormed across the room and quickly pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans, and an oversized L.U sweater. Just as she finished pulling her hair up in a pony tail she heard the loud knock coming from downstairs.

Grabbing her purse and went down to meet Officer Collins.

It wasn't until nearly noon that John managed to get back to the station. Much to John's shock, the victim had been ID'd as Ginger Foley, Margaret Cochran's niece. They had found no evidence of forced entry and the cause of death had been ruled strangulation. The CSI team was still there, but so far they had nothing. Whoever had done this, knew what they were doing. He hadn't told any of the other officers about the note he received because Bo believed it was best for now to keep the stalking thing under wraps. As much as they trusted the guys on the force, both John and Bo didn't want to take the chance that the papers got a hold of the stalking case.

As John opened the door to his office he was surprised to find Natalie sitting at his desk using the phone. He had assumed she would be furious at having been left in the dark and had prepared himself for a fight.

"Does January 7th work for you?" Natalie jotted down notes, oblivious to John's entry. "Good. Let's meet at the Palace hotel around noon. I am also going to ask Dr. Michael McBain to attend the meeting just so you can get a feel for what he will be handling."

John cleared his throat, wanting to catch her attention. She glanced up, seeming surprised to see him.

"Sorry Anna but I have to deal with another matter. If something comes up between now and our meeting, just give me a call, but if not, have a wonderful Christmas. Thanks Anna."

Natalie hung up his desk phone and stood up so John could sit at the desk. She moved to one of the other chairs and sat down, folding her arms across her chest. "Well?"

"What was that all about?" John asked, the mention of his brother's name having made him curious.

Frustrated, Natalie ignored the question. "Could you please tell me what the hell is going on? I have been here for five hours John, and no one is telling me anything. You're treating me like a goddamn child and I don't like it."

"Then stop acting like one." The stress of the morning was taking a toll on John and he was close to his breaking point. "Can't you just leave things alone and trust that I have your best interests at heart?"

Natalie opened her mouth to speak, but John cut her off not in the mood for another fight. "I know you hate me and can't stand to be in the same room with me, but this is serious."

Natalie leaned back in her chair, noticing how tired and stressed John looked. "What happened?"

John took a deep breath unsure where to start. "This was pushed under my door this morning," John pushed a copy of the note across the desk. Natalie picked it up and stared at if for a few minutes. "314 was the room I shared with Paul." John nodded, that detail had also crossed his mind.

"That's why you called me. You wanted to make sure I was okay?" she asked, calmer now.

"Yeah," John said softly, remembering his panic early this morning. "This is what I saw," John handed Natalie one of the crime scene photos just so she would understand how serious this was now.

Natalie gasped in shock as she saw the sight John had been subjected too. "It… It looks just like me…" Natalie said horrified. "Why would someone do this?" She looked up at him, her hands trembling as she held the photo.

John ran his fingers roughly through his hair, "I don't know Natalie. The fact that this guy wanted me to see this and believe it was you, which makes it seem like this is about me, but..." John paused.

"But?" she asked, sensing there was something else he wasn't telling her.

"But the black robe she is wearing is yours."

"He… he was in my house?" she asked, her eyes wide with terror. Suddenly something clicked and she looked down at the photo again. "Oh God, not my rings?"

"Yeah."

"That ring was a symbol of my marriage, my love for Cristian, and it was used as part of a sick twisted game." She angrily wiped at the tears that had begun to form in the corners of her eyes.

"I know, and that's what makes me think it's not just about me. Those rings made it clear there is something else going on here. Something about you. Maybe Cris."

"But what? Who would target both of us?"

"I don't know, but I think it's best if you stay at Llanfair for the holidays. I'm going to send some officers over to see if they can find anything at the Cottage - fingerprints, fibers, hair. You also need to have your locks changed. Your alarm codes changed."

Natalie nodded numbly. Seeing how upset she looked John stood up. "Come on, I'll drive you to the cottage so you can get some things together."

Too worn out to argue, Natalie wordlessly followed.