This Is Halloween
A light rain poured down over New York City. Various stores had spooky decorations in their window displays, since Halloween was less than a week away. A young girl, about seventeen or so, with curly brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a short skirt and white blouse under a long, yellow raincoat ran down the sidewalk, trying to hail a taxi, but none stopped. She let out a frustrated sigh, her breath visible in the crisp, autumn air.
The teenage brunette pulled her jacket tighter around her and turned the corner, standing under a store's awning to shield herself from the rain. She pulled her phone from her bookbag, the battery percentage in the red. Biting her lip, she stuck it back in the pocket of her bag and ran to try and catch another cab. She stopped when she heard the melodic sound of bells and symbols. Turning her head towards the sound, she saw an old music box with a monkey inside banging symbols together and letting out a cheeky laugh.
She took a step back and turned around, bumping into someone behind her. "Oh, I am so sorry." she apologized, moving her damp hair from her face.
"It's okay." the man replied with a gentle smile.
The young girl relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. That's when the man's smile disappeared and he knocked the girl's head into the brick wall of the alley, her body falling to the ground. Blood ran down the side of her face and she was too disoriented to fight back. Her assailant grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out onto the sidewalk, ignoring her pleas of mercy.
"Shut up, you stupid bitch." the man spat, slamming her into the pavement, half of her jacket coming off. "You should've given me a chance. But no, you just constantly ignore me."
"I...I don't even know you." the brunette cried. "Please...please let me go. I won't tell anyone, I swear."
"No, you won't." the man replied, pulling a jagged-toothed bone saw from the inside pocket of his trench coat. The girl's eyes widened as a grin spread across his face. She let out a blood-curdling scream when the blade made contact with her right arm, and her assailant just kept cutting until it was completely severed, laughing as the rain intensified.
Blood mixed with the rainwater as it ran into the gutters and into the nearby storm drain.
Kaitlynn and Heather hung up a small banner over the fireplace mantle, while watching The Nightmare Before Christmas on the tv and singing along to the music. Heather wore an orange long-sleeved shirt and black leggings, while Kaitlynn wore her hair in low pigtails, a black t-shirt with Jack Skellington's face on the front and dark colored sweatpants.
"I am the clown with the tear-away face. Here in a flash and gone without a trace." Heather mouthed the words to the song, setting up a light-up pumpkin on the countertop. "I am the who when you call, who's there? I am the wind blowing through your hair."
"I am the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright." Kaitlynn sang along, placing a couple of ceramic black cats on her coffee table. "This is Halloween."
"This is Halloween." the two sisters sang together, sharing a look from across the room and burst out laughing. "This is so much fun!" Heather giggled. "I wish Cat didn't have to work. We always had fun decorating for Halloween."
"Yeah, we sure did." Kaitlynn sighed, grabbing a new set of decorative Halloween lights. "I'm gonna wrap these around my fire escape window, wanna help?"
The youngest sister let out a dry laugh, "I think you can handle that on your own, Katie." she assured, grabbing her purse and car keys, slipping on some black Ugg boots. "I'm gonna run to the store and pick up some more candy since someone..." she shot her sister a look, "...ate most of our stash."
"Hey, you are no better during your time of the month." the older sister reminded, pointing her finger. "Didn't you once go through two pints of Double Chocolate Brownie ice cream?"
Heather narrowed her eyes slightly as she shrugged on her coat, "Fair point." she conceded. "I'll be back. Oh and if you're not too busy tomorrow, you and I can grab lunch and I can introduce you to Oliver."
"Heather, no." Kaitlynn shook her head. "For the last time, I don't need you to set me up with someone a few months before dad's wedding."
"Who said anything about taking him to dad's wedding?" Heather questioned, innocently. The older sister just arched her eyebrow in response, her hand on her hip. "Fine." the younger Chandler scoffed. "You can just meet him at the Halloween party. I already have your costume, it's in my car. Bye, love you." she shot her big sister a smile as she stepped out the door.
"You too." Kaitlynn replied, waving her off and grabbing a hammer and some nails.
Heather's smile fell and she shook her head, shutting the door behind her. Kaitlynn took the tools and lights to her bedroom, mouthing along to the dialogue of the movie.
When she walked into her bedroom, unraveling the lights in her hand, she looked up and let out a small yelp at seeing Vincent sitting on the window ledge. "You trying to give me a heart attack?" she gasped, a hand over her heart.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Vincent apologized, stepping into the room.
A smile crossed Kaitlynn's lips, "Well, it is almost Halloween." she chuckled, setting the hammer and nails on her desk while working on the last part of the lights. "So what's goin on? Everything okay?"
Vincent nodded, "Still no blackouts." he answered, stepping out onto the fire escape with Kaitlynn as she held the lights near her window. "I think your mom's serum was a success."
Kaitlynn glanced up, her pigtails falling off her shoulders. "Is that what J.T. says?" she asked, leaning against the wall, her eyes meeting his. "Clean bill of health?"
"Well, J.T. still wants to triple check everything and run more tests in a couple days." Vincent clarified, stepping closer to her. "Just to make sure everything's one-hundred percent and there's no adverse side-effects we couldn't account for."
Kaitlynn nodded along, "Right, I may have understood about, like, eighty percent of that statement, but as long you feel up to it..." she leaned off the wall, their bodies inches from eachother, brown eyes still locked, "...you mind helping me hang these around my window?" she asked, holding up the lights in between them.
Vincent chuckled lightly and nodded, "Sure." he agreed, taking the string of lights from her.
"Thanks." Kaitlynn smiled, reaching into her room to grab the hammer and nails. "So, what are you and J.T. gonna do for Halloween? Watch the horror movie marathon on the Sci-Fi channel and have pizza or something?" she asked, handing Vincent a nail to hang the lights on.
"Usually that is what we do." he answered. "But this year, J.T. is considering going to the faculty Halloween party on campus with this girl Sarah that he likes. I'm trying to convince him to go."
"Ohh." Kait nodded. "Well, if you don't want to watch horror films alone, come over here." she suggested, moving out of his way so he could frame the lights around the window.
"What about your sisters?" Vincent questioned, looking at her.
Kait shrugged, "Cat's probably gonna go to the DA's office Halloween party with her boyfriend and Heather's got this huge party with her job." she answered. "And, I'm usually dealing with crazy pranks and shit around this time to the point where I just want to sit on my couch in flannel pajamas, watching movies and eating loaded Halloween Sundaes. But, Heather is trying to drag me to her work's party and set me up with some guy who works in the legal department."
Vincent arched an eyebrow, handing the lights back to Kaitlynn to she can use the rest to decorate the railings of her fire escape. "Heather's trying to set you up? On Halloween?" he repeated.
"Yep, even though she knows I hate blind dates. And that I don't date lawyers." Kaitlynn rolled her eyes. "And she's trying to get me to meet him ahead of time so it won't be a 'blind date', but even so..." she took a deep breath and exhaled, "...Heather is persistent and stubborn."
"All three of you are." Vincent muttered under his breath. "You get that from your mother."
Kaitlynn ceased her decorating for a moment and shot him a glare, "Thank you for that assessment, Dr. Keller, but I already knew that." she replied sarcastically. "The point is, every year the precinct always gets saddled with some crazy case and it just wears me down. This year is bound to be the same."
Once she finished the railings, she smiled at her work and sat down on her windowsill, Vincent taking the spot beside her, "So, no matter what happens this year, on Halloween, if I'm not at the precinct, I will be on my couch with a loaded Halloween Sundae watching whatever horror or slasher film is on TV. And, if J.T. goes to the campus faculty party, you are invited to hang out with me." She gave him a smile and nudged his arm with her shoulder.
His lips curled into a smile, and he nudged her thigh with his elbow, "Okay, before I accept though, what exactly is a loaded Halloween Sundae?"
Kaitlynn turned her body so one leg was inside her room and the other was outside, "Okay, it's sort of a Chandler family tradition, my parents did this for me and my sisters when we were little." she informed. "They'd go out and buy our favorite flavors of ice cream and we'd each get one scoop of each flavor in a single bowl and then we'd top it with our Halloween candy, whether it was from trick-or-treating or from candy laying around the kitchen. Then we'd curl up on the couch and watch scary movies until we eventually crashed from the sugar high."
They both shared a laugh, "Well, that sounds great to me." he agreed. "I think I will stop by then." he smiled down at her.
Kaitlynn smiled back, "Great. Just tell me what your favorite flavor of ice cream is and I'll run to the store tomorrow and grab some." she jumped back into her room, but before she could get an answer, her cell went off. Kaitlynn grabbed her phone off her nightstand, "Chandler."
"Kait, it's me." KC answered on the other line. "Unis found a body, we've caught the case."
"Okay, text me where to meet you." Kaitlynn replied, kicking off her Jack Skellington slippers. She checked the text from her partner, "Alright, I'll be there in ten, KC." After hanging up, she grabbed a pair of jeans from her dresser and a red sweater to change into.
"Caught a case, huh?" Vincent questioned, casually leaning against the window.
"Yep, just like I thought." Kaitlynn answered from the bathroom, tossing her t-shirt and windpants onto her bed from behind the door before changing into her jeans and sweater. "I'll call if I need your help with anything." she added, walking back into her room and grabbing a pair of socks and boots.
"Yeah, I'll try to help any way I can." Vincent agreed.
"And, hopefully, you won't blackout again." Kait crossed her fingers, shrugging on her coat. She clipped on her badge and gun holster, snapping her fingers, "Oh, ice cream flavor." she reminded.
"Oh, uh, Rocky Road." he answered, his hands in his jacket pockets.
Kaitlynn quickly jotted that down on a notepad before grabbing her car keys, "Okay. So, guess I'll see you later then." she chuckled, dryly.
"Yeah." he nodded in agreement.
"Bye." Kaitlynn waved, taking backwards steps towards her door before heading out, grabbing her gun from the safe.
Kaitlynn pulled her car to the curb and stepped out, joining her partner near the victim's body. "What do we got?" she asked, her hands in her pockets.
"Something right out of IT." KC answered with a shudder, brushing her bangs aside. She picked up the purse and pulled out a simple black wallet. "According to her ID, she's Rory Hastings, a senior at Cathedral High School, seventeen years old." The dark-skin detective shook her head.
"Way to young." Kaitlynn sighed, her hands in her coat pockets.
The coroner's van pulled up to the scene and Evan approached the body, "Woah." his eyes went wide. "This is nasty one." He knelt down and started his examination, focusing on her missing right arm. "I'll need to get her back to the lab to determine a cause of death and what exactly happened. But I doubt we'll find any DNA on the body because of the storm earlier."
"We need to call her next of kin for a notification." Kimberly reminded, her hands on her hips.
"The hardest part of this job." Kaitlynn noted, exchanging a glance with her partner.
"I'll get her to the morgue and hopefully get you a cause of death by morning." Evan informed, standing up.
"Thanks Evan." KC patted his shoulder and walked to her car, while Kaitlynn stayed back, her eyes still on the dead teenager. "Kait." Kim called after her.
"Yeah, coming." the younger detective called back, following her partner. She flipped her hair off her shoulder and couldn't shake an uneasy feeling that the dead teenager was only the first victim of this new case.
Early afternoon sunlight crept through the glass pains of the old warehouse. "She invites you over to watch movies. That's the definition of a date." J.T. pointed out while drawing another vial of Vincent's blood for testing.
Vincent just shook his head and pulled his arm back, "It's not a date." he argued, but a part of him didn't believe it. "You going with Sarah to the faculty party, that is a date."
"We're talking about meeting up at the party." J.T. corrected, pushing a slide under his mircoscope. "And I don't know if I'm gonna even go. You know I'm not a big party person." He adjusted the microscope and checked the blood sample.
Vincent sighed heavily and laid back on the couch, his arms above his head. His burner phone buzzed on the table, the caller ID reading 'Kait' and he quickly grabbed it and answered, "Hey, Kait." with a small smile.
"Vincent." Kaitlynn's shaky voice on the other line made his smile fall.
With a sudden movement that almost gave J.T. whiplash, Vincent was on his feet, "Kait, what's wrong?"
He could hear her take a shaky breath, "Can we talk?"
Kaitlynn and Kimberly walked down to the precinct's basement, with two adults in tow. One was a fair-skinned male with a light brown buzz cut, wearing a dark blue coat and the other a slightly young woman with long, brown-blonde hair in a black, leather jacket.
"We're terribly sorry about this." Kim said calmly as she held the morgue door open for the pair.
Evan stood by the autopsy table with the body covered by a sheet and waited until the two siblings were on the other side, while KC and Kaitlynn stood a few feet back. The medical examiner gently pulled the sheet down to reveal the young teenager's face.
At the sight, the lighter brunette started sobbing and her knees buckled, but her brother caught her and held her to his side. A single tear fell from his eye as he looked to the detectives, "Yes, that's our sister." Michael identified, squeezing his sister, Lucy's, shoulder. "That's Rory."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Hastings." Evan consoled, pulling the sheet back up to cover Rory's face.
Lucy took a few shallow breaths before she could even stand up straight. "Please." she sniffled, looking to the female detectives. "Please, find the monster who did this to my baby sister."
Kaitlynn nodded, fighting back the urge to cry herself. "I know this is a difficult time, but we need to ask you some questions." Kimberly informed, taking a step forward. "To help us find who did this to your sister."
Michael and Lucy both nodded and followed Kim out of the morgue, while Kaitlynn stayed back with Evan. "What can you tell me about cause of death?" she asked, sniffling.
"Well, she died of Exsanguination." Evan answered, handing the detective his autopsy notes. "Blood loss. But it's the how that concerns me."
Kaitlynn's eyes went wide when she saw the notation, "Her arm was cut off while she was still alive?" she gaped.
"With some sort of jagged tool." Evan added, pulling up the crime scene photos that focused on the arm, or lack therof. "To make it seem like it had been ripped or bitten off. Of course, I'll need the arm itself to come to a definite conclusion."
"Just like in IT." Kaitlynn muttered, remembering KC's earlier comment at the crime scene. "When that freaky ass clown bit the arm off that kid."
"I guess." Evan arched his brow. "I've never been a fan of that genre." He closed out the pictures. "But due to the rain, all DNA evidence was washed away, so you'll need to figure out another way to find the killer."
The brunette detective simply shrugged and handed the medical examiner back his notes. "Something tells me, this is just the beginning." she admitted. "Thanks Evan." Kait flashed him a smile and turned on her heels, walking out.
She made her way back to the bull pen and saw Kimberly consoling the two older Hastings siblings, the sister sobbing into her brother's shoulder. The sight made her flash back to the night her mother was murdered and how she cried into Catherine's shoulder. Soon, her brown eyes were welling with moisture and she ducked out the exit to the parking lot, digging her cell phone from the pocket of her blue leather jacket.
She scrolled through her contacts until she came to 'V' and hit send, putting her phone to her ear, taking a breath and exhaling. "Hey, Kait." Vincent greeted after the third ring.
At hearing his voice, she felt herself relax, "Vincent." she replied, her voice shaking from trying not to cry.
"Kait, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern.
"Can we talk?" she took a shaky breath, a couple tears falling down her cheeks.
"Yeah, of course." he answered.
Kaitlynn's lips turned upwards, "Thanks." she sighed. "My place, ten minutes?"
"I'll be there." Vincent promised, and Kaitlynn's smile only grew. Knowing that he would be there when she got to her apartment, to be there for her, made Kaitlynn's heart feel lighter. She hung up the phone and climbed into her car, unaware that someone was watching her from a few feet away.
Remy stepped out of a shadowed part of the parking lot and watched as Kaitlynn drove off in her Impala and he clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes.
As she walked into her apartment, Kaitlynn set her keys on the counter and took a deep breath, grabbing a bottle of water from her fridge. When she closed the door, she saw the picture of her and her sisters that their mother had kept in her journal during her time overseas in Afghanistan.
Seeing their smiling faces and their arms around eachother, it made Kaitlynn think about her case and the devastated siblings she just notified, and tears welled in her eyes at the thought of losing one of her sisters. She took the picture off the fridge door and held it, walking around the kitchen counter.
"Hey." Vincent's voice snapped her from her thoughts and she looked up, relief washing over her. She set the picture on the counter and, without another word, walked over and wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his shoulder. "Hard case, huh?" Vincent asked, wrapping his arms around her, one hand on her lower back and the other holding the back of her head.
"You have no idea." Kaitlynn answered, tears falling down her cheeks. She pulled back and sniffled, wiping her cheeks with her sweater sleeve, but Vincent still kept his arms around her. "I just watched two siblings identify their baby sister's body and the older sister just broke down. That's always the part of the job I hate, and I guess this one just got to me."
Still keeping one arm around her back, Vincent wiped another tear that fell. "I can understand why. It's the sibling aspect of it all." he sympathized.
Kaitlynn nodded, "I can't even imagine if it was Heather or Catherine." she sniffled, taking a shuddering breath and exhaling.
Vincent picked up on her fluttering heartrate, sensing something else bothering Kaitlynn. "What else is bothering you?" he asked, keeping his eyes on her.
Kaitlynn licked her lips, "Something in my gut is telling me that this is only the beginning." she admitted, taking a step back and bracing her hands on her hips. "The way she was killed, it was like out of a horror movie. A killer like that, won't stop with just one kill."
Vincent reached down and took her hand, "You're a great detective, Kait." he told her. "You'll stop him just like you've stopped others before."
Kaitlynn looked up and met his eyes, "Thanks, Vincent." she smiled, squeezing his hand. She took a deep breath and exhaled, her heartbeat calm and steady. "I needed this."
"Hey, I'll always be here for you." he promised, placing a soft kiss on her forehead and giving her hand another squeeze. Vincent's eyes flashed gold for a split second and he heard footsteps outside the front door and he caught the scent of something decaying and metallic. "Kait, someone's at your door." he warned, pulling back.
"I wonder who it could be?" Kait muttered, stepping away from Vincent. "I mean, Heather's working late planning her job's Halloween party, and you'd probably be able to tell if it was Catherine." She opened the door and looked around, seeing nobody in sight.
When she looked down, all she saw was a long, black box tied with a crimson ribbon. She carefully picked it up and carried it inside, setting it on the countertop. The scent only got stronger once the package was brought in, and Vincent was at Kaitlynn's side in the blink of an eye, "Kaitlynn." he grabbed her arm, "I smell blood coming from that."
Kaitlynn glanced up at him, seeing he was dead serious. "Okay, run to my bathroom and grab a pair of latex gloves for me." she told him. In a matter of seconds he was gone, then returned, gloves in hand. Kait slipped them on and carefully untied the ribbon and removed the lid. As soon as it was off, she jumped back with a yelp, covering her mouth as Vincent's arms wrapped around her.
In the box, laying on a bed of decaying red and black roses, was a pale, severed arm with a folded note by the fingers, a note with Kait's name written on it. Kaitlynn gulped and picked up the note, her hand visibly shaking as she unfolded it, "The moon is my sun, the night is my day. Blood is my life, but you are my prey." she read off, the message in a gothic style font. "She was my first, and by Halloween you will be my last. Unless you can catch me, more will die, and then I'll find you. Till then, Kaitlynn."
She dropped the note and stumbled backwards, Vincent tightening his arms around her and keeping her close to his chest. He kept one arm secured around her back and held the back of her head with the other, running his fingers through her hair, "It's okay." he soothed, hearing Kaitlynn take shuddering breaths. "You're gonna be okay."
Kaitlynn kept her arms around Vincent, feeling a small sense of comfort that he was there with her. She took a deep breath and exhaled, pulling back, "Vincent, I have to call this in." she told him, looking up and meeting his eyes. "As soon as I do, this entire building will be swarmed with cops and CSU techs." She took a step back and removed the gloves from her hands, tossing them in the trash. "I'll make sure they only sweep the package and my front door, and no where else, but you need to go before I make the call."
"Kaitlynn, I am not gonna leave you alone when some psycho is clearly after you." Vincent argued, stepping forward, his eyes never leaving hers. "At least let me try to follow the scent of wherever that package came from. I can backtrace the blood."
"No." the young detective shook her head. "Vincent, this killer is dangerous and I don't want you getting hurt. Besides, ever since what happened in the subway three weeks ago, all the precincts are on alert for any cases involving the vigilante, a.k.a you." she informed. Kaitlynn sighed and reached up, caressing Vincent's scarred cheek, "I appreciate you wanting to help, I do. But I can't let you get involved in this. Not on your own, anyway."
"Kait, some psycho is after you." Vincent pointed out. "I can't just sit back and do nothing."
Kaitlynn sighed heavily, their eyes still locked with one another's, "Okay, if I need any off-the-books help, you will be the first person I call." she promised, caressing his scar. "But, right now, I have to call my boss and let him know about this."
Vincent took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers, "Just be careful, okay?" he asked her, his brown eyes staring deep into hers.
Kait squeezed his hand, "Promise." she replied, giving him a soft smile.
"'Kay." Vincent leaned down and kissed her forehead, breathing in the scent of her hair, before touching his forehead to hers. The next moment, he was gone and standing on the roof of the adjacent building, watching as Kaitlynn grabbed her cell phone and dialed the precinct's number, calling in the package delivered to her and the threatening note.
Within twenty minutes, her building was swarmed with police cars and her co-workers ran into her apartment. Kimberly embraced her and Joe took her statement, while Evan examined the severed arm.
Music blared from a fraternity house on Northam Campus that was fully decorated for the Halloween holiday. The lawn had gravestones and skeletons, large cobwebs covered the windows and doorway. A young twenty-year old student stumbled out, pulling off a blonde wig, revealing her natural brunette hair, wearing knee-high black boots with fishnet leggings, a black leotard with mesh material over the neck and a black, leather jacket and matching gloves. She leaned against a nearby tree, a glazed over look in her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Hey, Mia." called another student, with long, curled brown hair wearing a black, domino mask, a leather jumpsuit with a cat ear headband and studded black gloves, holding a metallic painted plastic staff in her hand. "You okay?"
"No Lis." Mia groaned, dropping her wig and bracing her hands on her knees. "I may have had a bit too much to drink. I don't feel to good."
Alyssa blinked and rubbed her friend's shoulders, "Sorry sweetie." she sympathized. "Want me to walk you back to the dorms?"
Mia nodded and took a step, almost falling over if Alyssa didn't grab her arm and sling it over her shoulder, helping to steady her drunk friend. A yard or so away, hidden behind some trees, someone watched the two girls stumble away towards the dormitory building.
As the two girls walked down the dimly lit sidewalk, Alyssa was hit in the back of the head with a thick branch which caused both her and Mia to stumble and fall to the side onto the grass. "Alyssa?" Mia questioned, rolling onto her stomach and vomiting. She was then yanked by her hair and forced onto her back. "Wha-"
The assailant plunged a knife into her chest and then went on to stab the student more times. On the lawn a few feet away, Alyssa came to and saw a figure in black raise a bloody knife and let out a shrill scream, scrambling to get to her feet. She tried to run, but her head was throbbing and suddenly the school building was on its side as she was tackled to the ground, the knife stabbing her in the back.
When she stopped moving, the black-clad figure rolled her over and cut open a portion of the girl's costume, exposing her skin, before carving something into her stomach.
Kaitlynn pulled her squad car up to the crime scene and clicked off the siren, but left the lights flashing as she stepped out, wearing dark jeans and a black sweater, her hair pulled into a low ponytail. "What do we got boss?" she asked, walking up to Joe.
"Two more girls found dead." Joe answered, walking with his detective towards the crime scene. "Two staff members found them this morning." He pointed past the crime scene tape, where a uniformed officer was interviewing J.T. and a female professor who Kaitlynn assumed was Sara, both of them visibly shaken up.
Kaitlynn and J.T. looked at eachother from across the grass and Kait gave a subtle nod before heading over to Evan, who was loading the bodies into the back of the coroner's van. "You got cause of death?" she asked, bracing her hands on her hips.
"A preliminary cause, I'd say blood loss. Same as the first victim." Evan answered, shutting the back doors of the van. "I'll have a more definitive cause once we get her and her friend over there back to the morgue."
"Kait, you gotta see this." Kimberly called, showing her a crime scene photo she took on her cell.
Kaitlynn walked over to her partner and saw the picture on her phone's screen. Carved into the stomach of the second victim was three letters, KEC. "Damn." the young detective bit her lip. She shook her head, "I'll follow up with the witnesses and meet you back at the precinct."
"Sure." KC nodded. She put her hand on her partner's shoulder, "Are you gonna be okay to work this?"
"Yeah." Kaitlynn nodded, walking away and ducking under the crime scene tape and walking over to J.T. "I'll continue this interview, officer." she said to the uniformed male. "I'm Detective Kaitlynn Chandler." she introduced, keeping up with appearances that her and J.T. didn't know eachother. "I just want to ask you a couple questions."
"Okay." Sara muttered, exhaling a shaky breath and looking away from the crime scene.
"Did either of you know the victims?" Kaitlynn asked, glancing between the two professors.
Sara nodded her eyes, covering her mouth the sleeve of her cardigan. "Yes, we did." J.T. answered, "From class."
"I'm sorry." Sara apologized, her voice cracking.
"It's okay." Kaitlynn soothed, motioning for the uniformed officer from earlier to come back over. "Could you walk with her back to her office?" she asked, and the officer nodded.
"Thank you." Sara gave a weak smile and patted J.T.'s arm as she walked towards the building, looking everywhere but the two dead bodies.
Once they were alone, J.T. dropped the act, "Alright, what the hell is going on?" he asked Kaitlynn.
"A murderer killing girls like striaght out of horror movies." Kaitlynn answered. "That's what's going on."
"All apparently to get your attention." J.T. added. "Or impress you."
"What?" Kait arched her eyebrow, then she realized what he meant. "Vincent told you."
"Yeah." J.T. nodded.
Kaitlynn looked over her shoulder and saw that the coroner's van was gone and Kim slid into the passenger seat of Joe's squad car. The phone in J.T.'s jacket pocket vibrated and he checked it, seeing a text from Vincent, telling him he's on campus, hiding in the shadows under one of the buildings.
"Seriously?!" J.T. whispered, looking around the campus, spotting his roommate a few yards away.
"What?" Kaitlynn glanced back to J.T. seeing him staring in the distance and following his sightline and seeing Vincent.
They pair snuck away from the crime scene and met Vincent under the building. "What the hell are you doing here?" J.T. exclaimed in a hushed voice. "This place is crawling with cops."
"I can see that." Vincent noted, looking from J.T. to Kaitlynn. "Are you okay? Your heart's racing."
"Yes." Kaitlynn answered. "My heart's just racing because some psycho is stalking me and he just murdered two collage students as means to send me a message." She folded her arms over chest. "You shouldn't be here, Vincent."
"Kait, I'm not going to sit around in the loft while some psycho is circling you." Vincent reminded, his eyes meeting hers.
"Okay, I'm capable of taking care of myself." Kaitlynn stated. She saw the worry in his eyes and she let out a sigh, reaching down to take his hand and interlock their fingers. "Look, I know you care, and thank you, but I don't want you to be exposed trying to help me with this case."
"Finally, we agree on something." J.T. sighed.
Unknown to the trio, someone was standing behind a tree across the grounds snapping pictures of Kaitlynn, but once they saw her take Vincent's hand, they zoomed out and snapped a couple pictures of them looking into eachother's eyes. The camera pulled away, revealing a glimpse of fair skin and a blue eye.
Kaitlynn pulled her vibrating cell phone from the back pocket of her jeans, seeing a text from Evan saying he needed to speak to her in the morgue as soon as possible. "Evan needs to see me in the morgue." she informed the two guys. "He's probably found cause of death." she pocketed her phone. "I gotta go, but I'll see you guys."
Kaitlynn smiled at J.T. and leaned up to peck Vincent's cheek before stepping back and heading back to her car.
"Well, I was right." Evan stated with a small smirk, standing at the foot of the two autopsy tables with Kimberly and Kaitlynn on either side of him. "Cause of death on both girls was exsanguination, or blood loss."
"Same as our first victim." Kaitlynn noted.
"Yes, only these girls were stabbed multiple times in the chest, torso, and genitalia." Evan added.
"Now that says something about our perp." Kimberly shuddered, crossing her arms.
"Did CSU or any other officers find a murder weapon?" Kaitlynn asked, her eyes falling back on the two girls.
"No, but from the wounds, it's probably a standard butcher knife you could find in any kitchen." the medical examiner answered.
"Like in Scream." Kait muttered, flipping her ponytail off her shoulder.
KC shook her head, "Okay, so all we know about our killer is he kills his victims like they do in the horror genre." she groaned, running her hands over her hair. "This is why I hate working around Halloween."
"There's another similarity I noticed that is also a bit unsettling." Evan said in a serious tone. He walked over to his computer and pulled up a Student I.D. photo of their first victim, Rory Hastings.
"What?" both detectives asked in unison as they moved to stand behind him.
Evan then pulled up two other Student I.D. photos of their latest victims, Mia Andrews and Alyssa Donovan. After studying the photos for a couple minutes, Kimberly nodded her head, "Yeah I see it." she pursed her lips together, glancing to her best friend, "Kait, they all look like you."
Kaitlynn's eyes widened slightly and she stepped back. "Yeah, I see it too." she replied. "I'm pretty sure that secret admirer that's been leaving gifts for me this past month is our killer."
"Kait, you know we have to tell Joe about this." Kimberly reminded. Her partner just nodded in reply.
Joe paced back and forth in front of his desk, running his hand down his face. He ceased his pacing and turned to face his detectives, who were sitting quietly. "You're both absolutely sure about this?" he asked.
"Yes sir." both females answered. "We looked at photos of our three victims and they do resemble Kaitlynn in some ways, too many for a mere coincidence." Kimberly continued.
"Detective Chandler." Joe looked to Kaitlynn. "Is it true that you have also received gifts from a secret admirer?"
Kaitlynn nodded. "Yes, but I haven't kept any." she answered. "I threw all the flowers away, and the one piece of jewelry he's sent is still in my desk."
"Well, if our psycho killer has you in his sights, I have to take you off this case." Joe stated.
"Joe." Kaitlynn protested, standing up. "I can help catch this guy. In contacting me, he's given me clues that could help me profile him and ultimately lead us right to him. He wants me to be the one to find him. You have to let me work this case."
"You already came up with a profile?" the Lieutenant questioned, leaning against his desk.
Kait nodded. "Yes." she answered. "He's obviously smart and organized because he's left no DNA evidence at the crime scenes, nor the murder weapons. He didn't leave any fingerprints at the crime scenes either, nor did he leave them on the severed arm he sent me last night. And, judging from the last murders, he's angry at me because he feels I'm ignoring him or rejecting him by not accepting his gifts."
Joe nodded along, "Not bad, Chandler." he praised. "But, I want you to go home and wait till he contacts you again, then you call me or Kimberly."
"Okay." Kaitlynn sighed.
"C'mon partner, I'll walk you to your car." Kimberly wrapped her arm around her best friend's shoulders and they walked out of the precinct together.
When they reached Kaitlynn's Impala in the precinct's parking lot, they stopped in their tracks when they saw a large, butcher knife jammed into an envelope on the hood, blood dripping down the blade. "KC, go get Joe and Evan, now." Kaitlynn whispered to her partner.
"Alright." Kimberly patted her shoulder and ran back into the precinct.
Kait stepped closer to her car, seeing that there was no clear sign of vandalism to her car, other than the knife in the hood. "What'd we got?" Joe asked, running up to his detective.
Evan handed Kaitlynn a pair of latex gloves so she could take the knife from the hood of her car, "I'm pretty sure this is the murder weapon used on the two collage girls." she answered, dropping it into an evidence bag held by Evan. "Although, I doubt there'll be any other DNA except the victims'."
"What's the note say?" KC questioned, motioning to the envelope still on the car.
"Let's see." Kaitlynn sighed and opened it, unfolding the sheet of paper, with another printed message in the gothic style font, "The patience of death is embodied in its willingness to wait for all of us." she read aloud. "Three bodies and you're no closer to catching me. Better be careful Detective Chandler, or you'll be next."
Joe sighed heavily, "Alright Chandler, your car needs to stay here." he told her. "We'll try to see of there's anything we can get from it."
"This guy is smart, he won't leave any DNA behind that could help us find him." Kaitlynn replied, her ponytail falling over her shoulder.
"Well, we still have to try." Joe stated. "Evan." he looked to the medical examiner and motioned him over. "You'll take Kait home and then come back here and determine if that is indeed the murder weapon from the collage murders."
"Yes sir." Evan nodded. "Come on Kait." The brunette detective just rolled her eyes and let out a groan as she followed him to his car.
"Joe told you to drive me home." Kaitlynn reminded, her and Evan walking down the hall towards her apartment. "Not walk me to my front door." She grabbed her key and unlocked the door.
"Nonsense." Evan chuckled with a smile, reaching down for the doorknob, his hand gently brushing against Kait's. "A gentleman always sees a lady home." His smile grew wider as he opened the door and let Kaitlynn go first.
"Yeah." the young brunette muttered, stepping into her apartment. Suddenly she was hit with the fresh smell of something sweet and when she turned the corner, saw her sister Heather wearing a pink apron covered in flour. "Heather, what the hell?"
"Katie!" the pixie haired brunette giggled, a smudge of flour on her cheek. "Uh, I was just making some cookies for my work's Halloween party tonight. What're you doing home?"
"Well, my secret-admirer-stalker has escalated to killing and leaving messages for me, so Joe's ordered me home for the time being." Kaitlynn answered, setting her purse and keys on the counter. "Evan dropped me off."
Heather looked over at the medical examiner and she chuckled dryly. "Hi Evan." she waved before nervously rubbing the back of her neck.
"Heather." Evan greeted. "Nice to see you." He turned his attention back to Kaitlynn. "Well, darling, I should get back to the morgue and see what CSU found when they checked your car, and to see if that knife is indeed the murder weapon."
"I told you, they won't find anything." Kaitlynn sighed, leaning against the counter. "Call me with an update on whatever you find."
"Of course. Anything for you, Kait." Evan leaned down and pecked her cheek, waving goodbye to Heather on his way out.
Heather cleared her throat and untied the flour covered apron, her hand resting on her hip, "Well that was quite a sight." she murmured, walking past her sister and tossing the apron into the washing machine. "I'm going to take a shower and get ready for the party. And since you're not working, you can come with me." She patted her sister's shoulder on her way to the bathroom.
Kaitlynn sighed heavily and plopped down on her couch, laying back with her legs over the armrest. Her head turned to the side and she saw a plain, manila envelope peeking out between two magazines and she pulled it free, a knot forming in her stomach.
Swallowing the lump rising in her throat, Kaitlynn tore the envelope open and pulled out a stack of photographs taken from a distance away, of her on a morning run over a month ago. Kait flipped through the photographs, and all of them were of her, whether she was working out or working a case. Her brown eyes widened when she flipped to another photograph, and this time Kaitlynn wasn't the only one.
The lighting was dim, but Kaitlynn could tell exactly who was with her, and when the photograph was taken. It was the night before her birthday, when her and Vincent visited the 9/11 Memorial and he told her about how he felt on that day when his brothers died in the line of duty. A tear fell down her cheek as she remembered that moment by looking at the pictures, one of her and Vincent looking at eachother and the next where she held his hand and laid her cheek against the sleeve of his coat.
Kaitlynn quickly flipped through a few more photos and found some taken as recently as that morning at the crime scene, and of her, J.T. and Vincent. Her cell vibrating on the glass startled her and she saw a text message pop up on her screen reading 'Roof'. The contact name reading 'V', and she let out a shaky breath.
Kaitlynn stepped onto the rooftop and saw Vincent leaning against the building. staying in its shadow since it was still relatively light outside. "What're you doing here?" she asked, walking up to him.
"I wanted to check in on you." he replied. "After what happened at the precinct."
"Excuse me?" Kaitlynn quirked her brow. "You were at the precinct?" her jaw fell slack as she ran her hand over her hair. "Are you insane? What if somebody saw you?"
"Nobody saw me." Vincent assured, his hands in his coat pockets. "I kept my distance and watched from the adjacent roof." He stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
Kaitlynn reached up and put her hand over his, "I don't know." she answered honestly, looking up to meet his eyes. Before she could say something else, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. When she checked the caller ID, it came up as 'Blocked'. "Hello?" she asked.
"Hello, Kaitlynn." a distorted, computer generated voice greeted on the other line. "Have you enjoyed my little game?"
"Game?" the detective repeated. "You think killing innocent girls is a game?"
"No, trying to make you figure out who I am is the game." the voice corrected. "And it's one you're losing."
Kaitlynn sighed, "Well, you haven't given us much to go on in terms of figuring out who you are." she reminded.
The caller chuckled on the other line, "Well, good news then, I am about to give you a chance to try and catch me." he baited. "Your sister's work party is tonight."
"What about it?" Kaitlynn questioned, turning around and facing Vincent.
"I was thinking of crashing it." the caller answered. "Your sister is beautiful."
"Don't you dare." Kait's grip tightened on her phone.
"Then come to the party and try and stop me." the caller challenged. "You find me and stop me, your sister lives. But if I find her first, she will become my next victim. What do you say, Detective?"
Using his heightened hearing, Vincent heard the entire conversation and he shook his head. "Fine." Kaitlynn agreed. "How will I know how to find you?"
"Paper faces on parade." the caller said before hanging up.
Kaitlynn sighed heavily and pocketed her cell, seeing the look in Vincent's eyes, her shoulders sank. "What?" she asked, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
"You know this is probably a trap, right?" he stated, leaning off the wall and closing the distance between them.
"Well, what do you expect me to do Vincent?" Kaitlynn asked. "He's already killed three girls and he just threatened to kill my little sister. I didn't have a choice."
"So you're just gonna waltz into his trap without any backup?" Vincent questioned, staring down at her.
Kaitlynn grabbed the doorknob and opened the roof's door, "The only thing I know right now is I have to stop this guy before he kills someone else, like Heather. I can handle it." She stepped through the door and closed it behind her.
Heather was excited that Kaitlynn had agreed to go to the party and was practically beaming while putting the finishing touches on her sister's makeup, brushing a coat of glitter over the white eyeshadow that surrounded her deep, brown eyes, having the look of a mask.
"Wow, I totally nailed the perfect costume for you!" Heather squealed, wearing a tight, dark green bodysuit and a long, red wig. "You look amazing Katie." She finished the coat of glitter and stepped back, appreciating the work. "I'm gonna load the treats into my car and then we can go." She spun on her heels and ran out.
Kaitlynn sighed and overlooked herself in her bathroom mirror; the glittery white eyeshadow around her eyes, the white fake leather jacket that was partially unzipped over her chest, showing off the white silk top underneath, the matching white leather pants with silver lines down each leg along with silver buckles over the thighs, and the white translucent veil like cape and fox-eared hood. She walked back into her room and opened her window, "Okay she's gone." she said as she turned her back, "You can come in."
Vincent stepped inside and stood by the window, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on Kaitlynn, watching as she grabbed a pair of knee-high silver vinyl boots and sit down on her bed. "You're still going." he stated, watching as she slid the boots over her pants.
"Yep." Kait confirmed, getting to her feet and grabbing a white clutch bag from the top of her safe. "And there's nothing you can say to change my mind or stop me." she quickly turned the dial and pulled the door open, taking out her gun and checking the magazine, making sure it was fully loaded before clicking the safety on and slipping it into her purse.
"Clearly." Vincent muttered.
Kaitlynn turned to face him, "Look, V, I know you hate this plan but I don't have a choice here." she sighed, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I need to protect Heather, no matter what. That's my main priority here." she pursed her lips together, which were coated in a light pink lip gloss, "And if I happen to catch a psychotic stalker/serial killer, then that's great. One more case closed for the 125th and one less perp on the streets of New York City."
"Okay, but what if something happens to you tonight?" Vincent threw out, closing the distance between them. "How do you think your sisters would feel? Your partner?" And me, he wanted to add, but seeing the look in her eyes, he knew he'd made his point. "At least call Kim and bring her as backup. I don't want you going in alone."
The younger brunette broke off the eye contact and looked down at her boots, taking a deep breath and exhaling before looking back up at him, "Fine." she replied. "You can be my backup, but you need to keep your distance." Kaitlynn pulled out the bottom drawer of her nightstand and picked up the envelope containing the stalker photographs, pulling out the ones of her and Vincent, "He's seen us Vincent." she showed him the photos. "So, if this guy sees us together at the party, who knows what he'll do. Keep your distance and if I need you I'll call out."
Vincent glanced at the photos and nodded his head, his eyes meeting hers again. "Okay." he agreed. He placed the photos facedown on the desk and took a step closer towards her, reaching down to take her hand in his, squeezing it.
Heather and Kaitlynn walked into the crowded ballroom of the Stanwick Hotel, where various people in costume mingled and danced. Heather spotted her boyfriend by the bar and ran over to him, while Kaitlynn scanned the crowd, looking for something that resembled the clue the killer had told her.
"Katie!" Heather called, grabbing her sister's arm and practically dragged her towards the bar, where Kait stumbled into another male dressed in a green archer costume. "Kaitlynn, this is Oliver, we work together." she introduced. "Oliver, my big sister Kaitlynn. Buy her a drink and get to mingling." she winked and dragged Josh, who was dressed as Aquaman, to the dancefloor.
"Hi." Oliver greeted, extending his hand.
"Hey." Kaitlynn replied, flashing a small smile and shaking his hand.
Their conversation went from the bar to the dancefloor, although Kait's mind was somewhere else. She swayed to the music, but scanned the area for anyone paying more attention to her or to Heather. Oliver noticed her distraction and tried to get her attention, but she kept avoiding direct eye contact.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and the music changed. Figured entered the room wearing dark cloaks, black and white costumes and masks, the score changing to 'Masquerade' from 'The Phantom of the Opera'. The costumed people began dancing and singing along, like a choreographed production.
"Paper faces on parade." Kaitlynn muttered, after hearing the line sung by the dancers. She quickly looked around and saw Heather and Josh standing off to the side as they watched the performance and sighed in relief. She continued to look around for a specific costume now that she understood the clue reference, and caught a glimpse of a figure in a skull mask wearing all red.
Kaitlynn weaved through the crowd, trying to close in on the figure in red, and saw a metallic flash. Suddenly, a woman's scream echoed all around as the crowd parted, allowing Kait to rush forward and see one of the masquerade dancers dead on the floor with a knife in her heart, and a typed note tied to the handle that read 'Come find me'.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kaitlynn saw the red-clad figure grab a girl in a deep purple costume in a similar style as her own, and saw she was struggling against him. "Hey! NYPD!" she screamed, running after them.
The chase spilled into a hallway and out an exit to the alleyway, where Kaitlynn saw the man in red toss the unconscious girl into the back of a van. The detective pulled her gun from her bag, "NYPD, hands up!" she ordered, taking a cautious step forward.
The man in red raised his arms, his hands slightly curved in thick, black gloves. Kait took another step towards him and he spun around and sprayed something in her face, causing her to stumble back and drop her weapon and clutch bag. He then grabbed her by the hood and pulled her back, shoving her into the van door, banging her head against it two times before covering her nose and mouth with a white cloth.
From miles away, Vincent locked on to Kaitlynn's accelerated heartbeat and ran in the direction she was. Within minutes, he neared the alley and turned the corner, just as the dark van peeled out the other end. Vincent's eyes flashed gold and he punched the wall nearest him as he growled in frustration. Sirens in the distance caught his ears and he ducked into the alley, seeing a white bag on the ground and a gun nearby.
Vincent picked up the white bag and found Kaitlynn's cell phone and went right to her contacts and selected the one name he could talk to. The line rang four times before a woman's voice answered, "Hey Katie, how's the party?"
"Catherine." Vincent breathed out.
"Vincent?" Catherine's voice was laced with shock. "What's going on? Where's Kaitlynn?" her voice lowered and he could here the background noise fade, like she had left a busy area for somewhere secluded.
"Gone." he answered. "Taken, along with another girl, an alley outside the Stanwick Hotel." Vincent tried to catch his breath as his own heart started beating faster and faster, the sound echoing in his ears.
Catherine's breath hitched in her throat, "Okay, stay there. I'm on my way."
Catherine, dressed in a tight black jumpsuit and her hair in a high ponytail, stepped out of her car and gaped at the sight of multiple police cars outside of the Stanwick Hotel. Various officers were interviewing staff members and those who attended the Pierce-London Halloween party in the ballroom. Cat caught sight of Heather and Josh as they gave their statements, but quickly ran into the alleyway before she could be seen.
"Vincent?" Cat whispered, looking around. She turned on her heels and covered her mouth to stifle a loud gasp when he appeared behind her. "Tell me what you saw earlier."
"Not much." Vincent admitted. "I kept my distance while Kaitlynn was inside. It wasn't until I heard her increased heartrate that I tried to find her. By the time I was here, all I saw was a van drive out in that direction." he pointed to the other end of the alley.
Catherine sighed and ran her hand over her ponytail. "Why is my gut telling me that the reason the police are here isn't because of this?" she bit her lip and glanced up at him.
Vincent focused his senses, overhearing the officers. "No, someone was stabbed in the ballroom." he answered, and Catherine's shoulders relaxed.
"Okay, I have to tell them about Katie." she admitted, taking the white clutch from Vincent. "Do you think you can track her?" Catherine kept her composure, but inside she was scared for her little sister.
"I'll try." Vincent replied, sighing heavily. Even though she was keeping up composure, he could still hear her elevated heartrate and saw the ways her eyes flickered to the bag she held, and how tightly she held it. "Catherine." he breathed out, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'll find her, okay? I care about her too."
Catherine glanced up and saw sincerity in his eyes and nodded, "Thank you." she smiled and sniffled. "I'll keep Katie's phone on me. Text me if you pick up something and I'll do the same." She patted his hand before stepping back and making her way out of the alley, while Vincent ran the other direction and tried to track down Kait.
Kaitlynn came to, her vision clearing up as she opened her eyes. She saw that she was surrounded by metal walls and her arms were strung up above her head. Across from her was the other girl that was taken from the party; a young female with frosted blonde hair and lightly tanned skin, wearing a deep purple high-halter corset top, black leather pants with red lines down the sides, black knee high boots and elbow length black gloves. "Hey." Kaitlynn called over, trying to wake the girl up. "Hey."
The young blonde started to stir and suddenly jerked, rattling the chain her hands were bound to. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around, her hazel eyes landing on Kaitlynn. "Who are you?"
"It's okay." Kaitlynn said calmly. "I'm Kaitlynn Chandler. I'm a detective with the NYPD." she answered the girl's question. "What's you're name?"
"Elena." the blonde replied, her voice shaking.
"It's gonna be okay, Elena." Kaitlynn assured, rattling the chain her hands were bound around, trying to loosen the ropes around her wrists.
The door opened and in walked the red-clad figure walked in, still wearing his skull mask and stood in front of Kaitlynn. "Hello Kaitlynn." he greeted, his voice deep and somewhat distorted. "Glad you accepted my invitation. Although, it appears I have caught you, not the other way around."
"Yes, you caught me." Kaitlynn rolled her eyes. "Now, take off that mask and show me who you really are."
"If you insist, my dear." the man replied, removing his mask to reveal that it was Remy.
"Remy?" Kaitlynn gaped, her eyes widening. "It's been you this whole time?"
"Yes." he snapped, throwing the mask on the ground. "I've been the one who sent you all those gifts; the flowers, that bracelet. And you just tossed them aside like they meant nothing. Like I meant nothing." He raised his voice with each sentence and narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not the secret admirer type of girl." Kaitlynn replied, keeping a calm expression with her eyes locked with Remy's. "And did it ever occur to you that I wasn't interested?"
"You never gave me a chance. You were always around that medical examiner or your partner or your sister." he ranted, pulling a knife from the hilt on his belt and lightly ran the blade down her jawline. Kaitlynn tensed up when the metal made contact with her skin, but she refused to show fear. "You never saw me, it was as if I wasn't even there, when I was. More than you know."
Remy lowered the blade and took Kaitlynn's jaw in his other hand, gripping her chin before crudely capturing her lips in a kiss, forcing them open and slipping his tongue past her teeth. Kait closed her eyes and recoiled, kicking out her legs and biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. He pulled back and wiped the blood that dribbled down his chin, his blue eyes narrowed into a glare. In his moment of rage, Remy backhanded Kaitlynn with enough force to split her lip, "You're gonna regret that, Katie." he snarled, brandishing the knife. Remy turned in Elena's direction and plunged the knife into her stomach.
"No!" Kaitlynn screamed, rattling the chains above her.
Elena gasped as the knife was removed from her gut, blood staining her costume. Remy just smiled wickedly as he watched the blood drip onto the concrete floor. "Let's see how long it takes for her to bleed out, shall we?" he asked, glancing back in Kaitlynn's direction.
At that comment, something inside Kaitlynn snapped and she felt something surge through her. She jerked her arms and slid off the hook she was hanging on and landed on her feet and tackled Remy into the wall, kicking and punching as hard as she could. The force was enough to loosen the ropes around her wrists, and once she was free, Kait kicked it up a notch. She grabbed a chain from the corner and wrapped it around Remy's neck, keeping the pressure until he fell unconscious.
Elena's breathing grew labored as she continued to bleed out. Kaitlynn hurried and helped her down, untying her wrists and ripping a portion of Elena's costume jacket, using the coattails as a means of keeping pressure on the wound. "Stay with me Elena." Kait whispered, draping the young blonde's arm around her shoulders and helping her through the door. "We're getting out of here."
"Whatever you say, Detective." Elena replied, her voice low and weak.
The two women made their way down the dimly lit hallway, and Kaitlynn caught sight of writing on the wall. She glanced down at Elena, who was struggling to keep her eyes open, and knew her first priority was to save her life. "Stay with me, okay. We're gonna get out." Kaitlynn reassured, continuing down another corridor and saw an 'Exit' sign in the distance. She also heard another door slam from the hallway they were just in, and knew Remy was awake and coming after them.
"Elena, you with me?" the detective asked, glancing at the blonde.
"Yeah." she nodded.
"Okay, we're almost to the exit, and when we get there, it'll be up to you to get help." Kaitlynn informed, the two girls nearing the exit. "The 82nd Precinct is a few blocks over. I need you to go in there and tell them about Remy, how he kidnapped us and stabbed you. Tell them Detective Chandler of the 125th is on-scene." she relayed, leaning Elena against the wall and tearing off a portion of her cape, and using it to tie the fabric of the blonde's costume in place over her wound.
"Detective Chandler...125th." Elena repeated, struggling to stay awake.
"Yes." Kaitlynn confirmed, helping Elena stand up straight. "Okay, I need you to repeat one more thing. 41319."
"41319." Elena repeated.
"That's my badge number, give it to an officer at the precinct." Kaitlynn kept her eyes locked with Elena's. "Got it?"
The young blonde nodded her head, "Yes." she muttered.
"Okay." Kait sighed. They heard Remy coming towards them and Kaitlynn quickly yanked the exit door open and pushed Elena outside, "Down the road, turn right, look for police cruisers. Go!" and with that, she slammed the door and continued to run down another corridor.
Elena staggered down the side of the road, her hand pressed against her wound. "Detective Chandler...125th...41319." she repeated to herself, fighting the urge to pass out. But soon, her fatigue won and she collapsed on the grass, "Chandler...125th...41...31..." she exhaled and her body went limp, just as a police cruiser drove up with flashing lights.
The car stopped and two uniformed officers stepped out, one radioing for an ambulance at their location while the other checked on the young blonde passed out on the grass.
The hospital doors flew open as two EMT's wheeled the gurney Elena was laying on into the first empty room they saw. "Twenty-something female found unconscious on the side of the road, stab wound to the left side of her abdomen." one of the EMT's told the doctor.
Hidden in the trees across from the hospital, Vincent focused his senses to overhear what was being said about the girl's condition. He overheard that the stab wound was minor and the ER doctor was able to stich it up easily and the young girl would make it. Vincent heard the description of the girl, tanned skin and blonde, and he felt himself relax at the news that it wasn't Kaitlynn that had been hurt, but it also raised the question of where the hell was she.
Vincent forced himself to focus on Elena as she told the uniformed officer standing by her bedside about what happened, "Kaitlynn. Detective Chandler, she told me to run and tell you what happened to us." she said, twisting the blanket between her fingers. "She works at the 125th and told me her badge number was 41319."
The officer wrote that down and handed the paper to his partner so he could call it in, before turning his attention back to the young blonde. "Anything else?" he asked. "Can you tell us anything about who kidnapped and stabbed you?"
Elena licked her lips and nodded, "I think I heard Kaitlynn call him Remy." she answered. "It seemed like they knew eachother."
Upon hearing the name, Vincent took his burner cell from his pocket and selected Kaitlynn's name from his contact list, knowing that Catherine still had her phone.
At the 125th, everyone was working to find out who had taken Kaitlynn from the Stanwick and where he took her to. Catherine was standing off to the side, biting her nails as she waited for someone to update her and Heather, who was sitting in the break room with her boyfriend, not wanting to leave until her sister was found. The ADA jumped when she felt a vibration in her jacket pocket, and pulled Kaitlynn's cell out, seeing 'V' pop up on the screen.
Catherine ducked the hallway where no one could see her and answered the phone, "Vincent? Did you find her?" she asked in a whisper, hoping the answer would be yes.
"No." Vincent answered, regretfully. "But, I did find the other girl that was taken from the party. She's at the ER in the Bronx."
"The Bronx?" Cat repeated. "What happened?"
"Kait helped her escape and told her to tell the cops who she was and her badge number for verification." he replied. "And she told them who kidnapped them."
"Who?" Cat pressed, glancing over her shoulder, seeing Joe answer the phone in his office.
"Remy." Vincent answered, and Catherine's eyes widened as she saw Joe slam the phone down, the noise loud enough to make every head in the precinct turn towards his office. "Catherine?"
"Yeah." she breathed out. "Joe just got the call and he knows now too." Catherine glanced back over her shoulder and saw KC and Evan show Joe something they found, and it confirmed Remy was who they were looking for. "Vincent, I don't care how you do it just..." she took a deep breath and exhaled, "...just, please, save my sister."
"I will." he promised before hanging up. Catherine slipped Kait's cell back in her jacket pocket and exhaled a shuddering breath as a single tear fell down her cheek.
"Catherine." Kimberly called out, getting the ADA's attention. "We know where Kait is and we're gonna bring her back." The dark-skinned woman placed her hand on Cat's shoulder. "I promise, we'll bring her home."
"Thanks, Kim." Cat smiled at her sister's partner and watched as she led a unit out the precinct doors.
Kaitlynn ran through the slaughterhouse, almost believing she was lost, until she found stairs leading up to a door labeled 'Roof access'. Suddenly, she was yanked back by her hair and thrown to the ground with Remy above her, holding the knife up. "This is where is ends, Kait." he snarled.
Kaitlynn grabbed his forearm just as he brought the knife down, the blade inches above her chest. "Not tonight." the brunette grunted, pulling her knees up to her chest and kicking Remy off her. Kait rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up and ran for the stairs, but she only made it up three before Remy grabbed her leg and tripped her, causing her to hit her head on the railing.
"Let me go!" Kaitlynn screamed, kicking him again until he freed her, her boot coming off in the process, and she scrambled up the stairs and onto the roof.
Remy again tackled Kaitlynn to the ground and in the struggle, he managed to slice through her right pantleg and her skin, drawing blood. Kait reared up and elbowed him in the nose, getting to her feet, not realizing she was close to the roof's ledge. Blood ran down her leg and she stumbled backwards, her head injury causing her vision to blur.
"Like I said Kaitlynn, this is where it ends." Remy sneered, his blue eyes narrowed and blood running down his nose and chin.
"Bring it." Kaitlynn challenged, forcing herself to fight the urge to pass out, either from blood loss or her concussion. She kicked off her remaining boot and made the first move, rushing right towards him.
Remy brandished his knife once more and met her attack, the two going at it in hand-to-hand, each attack bringing them closer to the ledge. He managed to get behind her and force her into a chokehold, but Kait wouldn't give in. She elbowed him in the ribs and knocked her head back, causing both of them to go over the ledge.
Kaitlynn grabbed hold of the roof's edge, holding on as tight as she could while Remy clung to her legs, his knife falling to the ground. Using her bare feet, Kait continued to kick Remy in the face, trying to force him to let go, but he wasn't budging. "Looks like we'll both die tonight." Remy chuckled, tightening his grip on Kaitlynn.
"No." the white-clad brunette rebuked, trying to pull herself up, but the weight of Remy holding on to her made it impossible. Blood trickled down the side of her face and her leg, and she could feel her grip slipping. "Vincent." she breathed out, licking her lips. "Vincent!" she called louder, hoping he was close enough to hear her.
And about ten blocks away, Vincent froze in his tracks as he heard Kaitlynn's voice calling out for him. His eyes flashed gold and he broke into a sprint, his body visibly changing in a matter of seconds. His nostrils flared and he caught the scene of Kaitlynn's blood and heard her erratic heartbeat, and he knew she was in danger.
"Vincent!" Kaitlynn screamed again, one of her hands falling from the edge. Her breathing grew labored from the fear she felt, seeing the pavement below and knew if she fell, she wouldn't survive. Kaitlynn closed her eyes, memories flashing across her mind; her and Heather cuddled up on her couch in the living room, her and Catherine laughing over drinks, her and Thomas hugging in her kitchen, her and KC kicking ass at work, her and Evan laughing together down in the morgue, her and J.T. talking in the car, and finally, her and Vincent hugging eachother in the loft.
Kaitlynn felt her hand slip from the edge of the roof, but before she could fall to her death, someone grabbed her forearm. She looked up and saw Vincent's gold eyes above her and smiled, grasping the fabric of his coat. On the other hand, Remy's eyes went wide and his grip around Kaitlynn loosened, enough for her to give one last kick to his face, which sent him falling on the pavement below.
With a growl, Vincent pulled Kaitlynn up, her arms instantly wrapping around his neck as she swung her over away from the ledge and onto the roof, pulling her close to him. "I knew you'd make it." Kaitlynn sighed, burying her face in the nape of his neck, trying to steady out her breathing. She kissed his cheek and and fisted a portion of his hair, her body relaxing in his arms. After a few steady breaths, Vincent returned to normal and ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her temple.
Now that her adrenaline was wearing off from her near-death experience, Kaitlynn slumped against Vincent's chest as her legs buckled from under her. "Kaitlynn." Vincent gasped, catching her before she hit the ground. He looked over her body and saw the large, red stain on her pants and the long gash on her skin. "Stay with me, Kait." he pleaded, tearing off her costume's hood and cape and using that to bind the wound on her leg.
Kaitlynn winced as the fabric was pulled tightly around her leg, "Vincent." she muttered, her eyes fluttering open and meeting his.
"Yeah, I'm here." he assured, scooping her up in his arms. "Hang on, okay?" Kait nodded and locked her arms around his neck. Then, he took off and jumped over the ledge, landing perfectly on the ground.
Sirens wailed in the distance as Vincent knelt down and leaned Kaitlynn against the side of the building. "Vincent." Kaitlynn murmured, grabbing his arm and meeting his eyes. "V, you've gotta go."
"No, I'm not leaving you." he rebuked, tucking some hair behind her ear.
A smile crossed her lips as she turned her face into his palm, "The police will be here soon." she reminded, the sirens getting louder and the faint glow of red and blue lights appearing. "They can't see you. Please."
Deep down, Vincent knew she was right, he couldn't be exposed, no matter how much he wanted to stay with her. He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers, softly caressing her cheek, "I'll see you soon, okay?" he whispered, and she nodded in reply. Vincent placed his lips on her forehead, holding her face in his hands and caressing her cheeks, before taking off into the night.
A squad car stopped a few feet away and both Kimberly and Evan ran right to Kaitlynn, who was fading back into unconsciousness. Kimberly ushered over the EMT's while Evan placed two fingers to Kait's neck, and sighed in relief when he felt a pulse. "She doesn't have much time." he told the two first responders. "She needs to get to the hospital, now."
Kaitlynn slowly came back to consciousness and blinked rapidly when she saw the fluorescent lights above her. "Welcome back, Detective." greeted the doctor sitting by the bed and tending to her injured leg. He was older than Kaitlynn and had a white beard and graying hair.
"Where am I?" the young detective muttered, trying to sit up.
"St. Benjamin's Hospital." the doctor answered, helping to steady her before continuing to stitch up her leg. "I'm Dr. Markus."
"Kaitlynn." the brunette introduced, looking around the emergency room, remembering the last time she was there only a couple months prior.
"You're lucky, Detective." Dr. Markus noted, wrapping some bandages around Kait's leg.
Kaitlynn let out a small chuckle, "Please doc, call me Kaitlynn." she insisted. "I mean, you've got your hands all over my leg, don't think we need to be professional here." she chuckled again.
Dr. Markus chuckled as well, "Alright, Kaitlynn. You were lucky." he repeated. "A few more minutes and you would've bled to death." He cut the excess bandage and scooted his chair back, getting to his feet. "Now, sit here a few minutes while I get your discharge papers and some crutches."
"Okay." Kaitlynn nodded. The ER doors burst open and in ran Heather and Catherine, both of them heading right for Kait. She glanced to Dr. Markus, "Those are my sisters." she informed, seconds before Heather threw her arms around Kaitlynn, squeezing her tightly.
"I'll go get your papers." Dr. Markus tipped his head and smiled, leaving the sisters to their reunion.
"Oh my God, I was so worried Katie." Heather sighed, laying her head on her big sister's shoulder, her arms still around her.
"We both were." Catherine added, sitting on the other side of the bed, brushing some hair from Kaitlynn's face and tucking it behind her ear before kissing her forehead.
"Sorry to have worried you guys." Kaitlynn apologized, laying her head on Catherine's shoulder and draping her arm around Heather.
The youngest Chandler sat up, looking her older sister in the eyes, "What the hell were you thinking going after that psycho killer by yourself?" she asked, still visibly shaken by everything.
The detective sighed, "I thought I could take him on my own." she admitted, rubbing her younger sister's back.
Heather rolled her eyes and laid her head on her sister's chest, "You're too stubborn for your own good sometimes." she muttered, calming down when Kait started stroking her hair.
"Hey, we're all guilty of that." the eldest sister pointed out with a laugh. "The important thing is we're all here and that psycho is gone."
"A-freakin-men." the middle sister sighed. She saw Dr. Markus heading back to them, a clipboard under his arm and a pair of crutches. Kaitlynn tapped Heather's shoulder and she scooted back so Kait could sit up.
"Alright Kaitlynn, I just need you to sign these and then you're free to go." Dr. Markus informed, handing the brunette the clipboard and pen. Kaitlynn signed her discharge papers and handed them back to the older doctor. "Okay." Dr. Markus cleared his throat, "Now, I'm recommending that you rest that leg for one week, and minimal work for at least two weeks." he jotted down the notes as he explained. "Come back in three weeks to get those stitches taken out and I can tell you when you can go back to full duty."
"Great." Kaitlynn grinned, sliding off the bed and almost falling over, but Cat helped steady her. "Thanks sis." she shot her big sister a smile and took the crutches from Dr. Markus. "Guess I'll see you in three weeks, doc." she smiled at the doctor and her and her sisters headed out.
As they reached the lobby, Heather's cell went off in her coat pocket, "Oh, it's Josh." she told her sisters. "He's probably calling to see how you're doing Katie." she smiled and answered her phone, walking through the hospital doors.
Kaitlynn looked over and saw a plaque on the wall and she moved closer to it, seeing it was the memorial plaque for Vincent, which had his name, dates of birth and death, and his hospital ID picture. "They must've loved him here to put this up." Catherine noted, standing beside her sister.
"Yeah, when KC and I interviewed them a couple months ago, when his prints showed up at the crime scene, they said nothing but good things about him." Kait replied, her lips curling into a smile as she stared at Vincent's picture. "He saved my life, Cat."
"I know." Catherine reached over and wrapped her arm around her sister's lower back, the two resting their heads against eachother's.
"Vincent Keller." Dr. Markus stated, walking over to the two sisters, getting their attention. "He was one of the best residents I've ever had the pleasure of mentoring." He smiled fondly thinking of his late student.
"What happened?" Kaitlynn asked, playing dumb to the whole thing.
"He enlisted in the Army after 9/11 and was killed in action almost a year later." Dr. Markus answered.
Kaitlynn could see genuine sadness in the doctor's eyes. "I'm sorry, Dr. Markus." she empathized, glancing back at Vincent's picture. He returned the smile and went back into the ER, while the Chandler sisters left the hospital.
That night, Halloween night, Heather set up the living room like a giant slumber party scene, complete with two large comforters on the floor and blankets on the two couches, while Catherine was busy making sundaes for the trio. In her room, Kaitlynn changed into her white and blue checkered flannel pajamas, leaving the top unbuttoned to show off her fox-head tank top. She tossed all the stalker photos into her bathroom trashbin and dropped a lit match on top, burning the pictures so they wouldn't be found. Kaitlynn watched as a picture of her and Vincent shriveled up in the flames, knowing that all trace of evidence of hers and his friendship had to be burned.
Once the pictures were burned and the fire extinguished, Kait sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her hair into two low pigtails, when she saw Vincent come down the fire escape stairs and smile at her from the other side of the window. She smiled and got to her feet, carefully balancing on her crutches as she opened the window so he could slip inside. "Hey." she greeted in a low voice.
"Hey." Vincent echoed. "How's the leg?"
"Sore." Kaitlynn answered, glancing down at her bandaged leg that she kept off the floor. "But, I'll be fine." she sighed, looking up to meet his eyes. "Dr. Markus said I was lucky. A few minutes later, and I would've bled out. You saved my life, again." She chuckled nervously, biting her lip.
"Dr. Markus." Vincent repeated.
Kait nodded, "Yeah, he stitched up my leg in the ER." she elaborated, quickly glancing down at her slippers, before meeting his eyes again. "He was your mentor during your residency, right?"
Vincent nodded, remembering his time as a resident, before his life changed forever. "Yeah." he muttered.
"Hey." Kaitlynn reached out and took his hand, still balancing her weight on her left foot. "I'm sorry. It must be hard to remember your life before..."
"Before being turned into a monster." Vincent finished, releasing her hand as he sat down on the windowsill.
"You're not a monster, Vincent." Kaitlynn rebuked, limping closer and sitting next to him and taking his hand in hers again. "Okay. You are good, and selfless. I'm alive because of you." she interlocked their fingers and laid her head on his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I don't believe you're the monster you think you might be." she admitted, meeting his eyes.
The corner of Vincent's lips turned upwards as he looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but sincerity and truth. "Thank you." he told her, lightly kissing her forehead.
"Anytime." she smiled, squeezing his hand. Kaitlynn sighed heavily, laying her head against Vincent's arm, "And, as much as I'd like for you to stay, both Catherine and Heather are in the living room." she glanced up at him.
Vincent nodded in understanding, "Meaning, I should probably go." he deducted.
"Yeah." Kait muttered, grabbing her crutches and standing up. "One of these days we can have a night where we can watch a movie or something." she readjusted her grip on her crutches.
"Yeah." Vincent chuckled in agreement, getting to his feet.
Kaitlynn licked her lips and smiled, "Goodnight, Vincent."
"Goodnight, Kaitlynn." Vincent smiled back, bracing his hand on her hip as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. His lips lingered against her skin for a few, long seconds, before he pulled away. "Bye."
"Bye." Kaitlynn watched as he slipped back out the window and jumped over the fire escape, a smile crossing her lips.
A knock on her bedroom door made Kaitlynn turn around, and saw Catherine standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of red and black checkered flannel pajamas. "Hey Katie, Heather's finished setting up the living room." she informed.
"Coming." Kaitlynn made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall, seeing Heather already on the floor wearing pink and white checkered pajamas. Kaitlynn laid down on the couch beside Heather, while Catherine grabbed the Halloween sundaes from the counter and handed them to her sisters.
"Alright, let's get this movie marathon started." Heather suggested, pressing the play button on the remote, the title screen showing The Shining.
A/N: Happy Halloween everybody! I hope ya'll enjoy this original chapter, it took a while to finish, to be honest. The next chapter will pick up back with the tv series and continue from there. Anyways, enjoy!
Next chapter: Bridesmaid Up!