Coldest Degree

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye or CSI: Miami!

Chapter Eight

"H, the voice analysis just came back," Wolfe said, chasing his supervisor down the hallway.

Horatio Caine paused. "And?"

"Jackson Rippner made the 911 call. He killed Matt Ridge."

"But did he kill those girls?"

Ryan shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. Do you think the wife was in on it?"

"I can't rule anything out at this moment."

Just then, Alexx Woods poked her head into the hallway. "I might be able to help with that. Come on in, Horatio."

"Duty calls," Ryan said, scampering off.

"What have you got, Alexx?" he asked after entering the quiet room. All three bodies were laid out before his eyes.

"The knife wounds are inconsistent. The same knife was used on both women, but the male, he's a different story. You said that you think Rippner killed the man?"

"Yes."

"Well, the knife that matched his wounds is a KA-Bar. The women were killed with an ordinary kitchen knife. The methodology of Matt Ridge's killing is also different than that of the others."

"How so?" inquired Horatio, eager to hear what might just break open the case.

"The wounds on Mr. Ridge were calculated—meant to inflict pain and blood loss. The wounds on the women are haphazard and rushed. There is no exact logic to their wounds."

"But his was the work of a professional, right, Alexx?"

The African-American woman nodded. "But whoever killed these girls was trained as well. He's skilled, but he's faking it to look sloppy. I think each mark on all the bodies had a purpose."

"Someone's playing a game with us."

"It sure looks that way. What did Jackson Rippner do for a living?"

"No one's sure. There is no data in the computer. It's almost like he doesn't exist."

"Very convenient for a professional killer, huh?" Alexx suggested.

"Yes, very."

"Eric," Calleigh's voice called from inside the car. "Take a look at this."

"What is it?"

"The blood. It's pooled in the same way as in the other one. There's also the same rope in the same place."

"You think that it's the same woman in both vehicles?"

"I do. Now, do you think we should try DNA?"

"What for?

"H requested a sample from Mr. Reisert—Lisa Rippner's father. I'm thinking that if we run against the unknown from the front seat…"

"That we'll find Lisa Rippner?"

"Exactly," she purred; a wide smile upon her face.

It was all a game for him. A sick, twisted game of revenge.

Now that he had started killing again, he knew that he would never stop. The blood eased the ache—the guilt, the pain from her murder. He had been too lax and she had paid the price.

Never again… They'll pay for this…

They had stolen the one thing more important and precious than life to him. His only chance at normalcy was gone. When Lisa was taken, his soul had died. Now nothing remained except years of training and cold—dark, bitter cold.

Jackson Rippner was on the hunt; a hunt that would never end until someone put him out of his misery.

Horatio stared at the printout of the convicted members of the attempted murders. At least half of the tips leading to their capture had been phoned in by an anonymous male. Of the half phoned in, 98 of them had been called in within the last three years. Only a handful were called in before then.

Jackson Rippner had been trying to undermine the same business that he had once worked in. Was that his new job? Stopping others?

Was that why his wife had been taken? To hurt him enough to force him to switch sides?

There was no doubt that Jackson Rippner had been trained to kill. Even if he had only killed Matt Ridge, his work showed perfected skill. He had known what he was doing. Joe Reisert knew it too, but he still steadfastly believed that Jackson would never hurt Lisa.

What had changed his mind?

Horatio shuffled the papers in his hand and found all the hits that the computer could come up with on Lisa Reisert/Rippner. Tracking Jackson Rippner had proved a waste of time.

A newspaper article titled Man Found Slain in Warehouse—Missing Woman Returned detailed the kidnapping of local woman Lisa Reisert and the body of kidnapper that had been found. A ' J' had been cut into his forearm. When interviewed, Lisa had refused to comment on what had happened to her.

The date was from three years ago. Around the same time that the phone tips had begun flooding in…

Jackson Rippner had reformed after rescuing Lisa. He had gone from tormentor to protector. He had changed.

Which also meant that he wasn't behind the redhead murders. Someone had stolen his M.O. and used it to frame him. They were hunting the wrong man. The only crimes that Horatio could tie him to were the Lux Atlantic explosion from three and a half years ago, the murder of Lisa's attempted killer three years ago, and then the murder of Matt Ridge. Other than that, his past was clean.

"Who did you tick off?" Horatio muttered; staring at the picture in front of him that showcased a smiling Jackson Rippner with his arm around his laughing wife. Her green eyes were sparkling and his chilly eyes were soft and light. They looked like the perfect, loving couple.

Three Years Earlier…

"Ugh," Lisa groaned, slowly shifting under the covers in Jackson's bed.

Jackson shot awake at the sounds and his face lit up when he realized that she was finally waking up.

With one bandaged arm, she felt her pounding head gingerly. She noticed all the meticulous bandages that covered her skin and wounds. She glanced down at her clothes only to find that she was wearing a plain t-shirt and pair of loose pj bottoms that she had never seen in her entire life.

"Hello?" she croaked.

"Lisa," Jackson whispered, trying to contain his joy that she was awake.

She jumped and her muscles contracted.

"No, relax," he begged gently. "I'm not here to hurt you. I saved you, remember? You've got to remember, Leese…"

"You…you're dead."

"It was lie, Lisa. They lied to you. I was never dead. You almost were though. He kidnapped you, remember? Tortured you?"

"No, no…stop. Stop it!" Lisa cried out.

"I already did. I saved you. I killed him and took care of you. Who do you think cleaned and stitched you up?"

"Oh God, this can't be happening."

"Ssh, Leese," he said softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Lisa tried to shift away from him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you? You tried to kill me before!"

He winced. "I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted to do it…"

"Then why did you? You had a choice! There's always a choice!"

"Not that time. It was my life or the phone call. I was a stupid, selfish prick then and I chose myself. I didn't second-guess myself until it was too late. Until I met you in the flesh…then I couldn't do it."

She started to relax. She could see the pain clearly written across his face. Besides, had he wanted her dead then he wouldn't have bandaged her up as carefully as he had. He had truly cared. He had wanted a chance with her. They were getting a second chance.

"But you failed…"

"And they wanted you to pay to the price. That's why you were taken. They wanted to correct the mistake. You were the mistake in their eyes. My attraction to you doomed us both," Jackson sighed, clearly regretting his own feelings.

"But you came for me?"

"Yes. I shouldn't have though…"

"No," Lisa whispered softly, reaching her left hand out towards his own. "You did the right thing. Maybe all we needed was another chance."

He raised a dark eyebrow at her. "What are you saying?"

"Everything happens for a reason. There was a reason that we met and I don't want to give them complete credit for that. What if we were supposed to met? What if you were meant to save me?"

"But it's my fault that you were in that place. How are you supposed to forgive that?"

"Did you quit?"

"What?" Jackson was puzzled.

"Did you quit your job?"

"Yes—no. Not really."

"Then use it to help people. If you know what they're planning then stop them. Use your abilities for good. You can reform, Jackson. You've already shown that by saving me."

Author's Notes:

A few small changes in this chapter but not many.