Agent Howard did not waste any time with calling the right authorities…Brenda's team. Chief Pope, Commander Taylor, and Sgt. Gabriel met him in the hallway right outside the elevator doors. Pope saw Howard's face and felt the concern himself. It was just not right the way things happened and especially not right when it happened to one of their own. Although it had been years since he was in a relationship with Brenda, Pope still felt in part, responsible for her well-being. He asked her here, saw her struggle to gain the team's loyalty and trust, and saw her win them over with the strength that he knew she had. Perhaps that was why he was harder on her than anyone else…Pope knew Brenda.
Now it was Howard's turn...
"So, tell me all you know," Pope said and came to stop inside the open room of Priority Homicide. Provenza and Flynn were on their way in; Tao was on vacation, but had reported he would be in within the next 12 hours. Agent Howard came to a desk and placed his hands on the table firmly. His hair was unkempt, clothing was ruffled and wrinkled, and his eyes were blood shot from no sleep. It had nearly been two days since Brenda had gone missing. So far, what they had figured out was that Bill Croelick was the best possible suspect. He had not shown up for his latest TV appearance since winning his case against the state as well as his freedom. However that was not the worst part…his home had been cleared and only a note with three words on it had been found left on the fireplace mantel.
' ONE MORE BURNS'
That set everything into hyper drive…
Gabriel was the first one to speak.
"After a clean sweep of the apartment, we did find traces of blood, gasoline, and fibers. Since Tao is not here, I sent them down to evidence as soon as I got in. They assured me that it was first priority. Said, I should have something back within the hour…"
"I don't care about the gasoline or the fibers!" Howard started, "What I need to know is if the blood is Brenda's!"
"We all do, Agent Howard," Pope said, holding a hand up to calm and silence Howard.
"Yeah, of course," Howard said and breathed a heavy sigh while dropping his head. -Still does not make me feel any better…-He thought.
"Ok, "Pope continued, "We cannot wait on the evidence. We have to get moving. Howard I want you to go home, get some rest. You look like shit." He raised a hand again and Agent Howard, being far too tired, backed down much easier. He would just go home and go find her on his own anyway. But for the sake of another argument, he let Pope think he'd won.
"Flynn and Provenza, get started on going through everything we have on Bill Croelick, homes, bank accounts, recent transactions, flights, rentals, the works. I want nothing left unchecked. Gabriel, put together the last 48 hours of everything you and Chief Johnson did, since you were with her the most. I even want to know the times when she was not with you. Give me details." Pope turned to Commander Taylor who seemed to come to attention at the blue-eyed stare of the Chief. "Taylor, get your best men out there looking for Chief Johnson. I want her found as soon as possible." Pope finally breathed and dismissed the group.
Once alone he turned to face Agent Howard, who had yet to move from his current position; head still down, but now his shoulders had dropped in what seemed like disbelief. Pope shook his head and took a step closer to the worn man. He reached up and placed a hand on the right shoulder of Howard. Not only did the touch startle Howard, it startled him as well. Pope's brow furrowed.
"Did you hear what I said, Agent Howard? We have the best of the best working on this. We will find her. She would not let any of us down and I sure as hell am not going to let her down." He said with a quick nod. He would never stop looking for Brenda. Howard finally met the older man's eyes. Pope saw a world within Fritz's brown eyes. It was a lost world…an empty world, but a determined world.
"I promise Fritz," Pope added.
"Yeah, " Howard said and returned the nod very faintly. There was not much else to do.
--
The apartment was eerily quiet. Even Kitty was not meowing. Fritz dropped his coat on the back of the chair and numbly walked into the kitchen. He opened the cupboard, still full of unused dishes and took down a cup. He filled it half way with water and wandered into the living room. In a drawer by the end table, he pulled out a bottle of Tylenol, downed two pills and set the glass down on the table. He moved from the living room, grabbed something thick and brown as he walked into the hall and then into the bedroom. Her scent filled his nose the moment he stepped into the open room; the bed still left unmade from the previous morning. Fritz sighed and shuffled over to the bed, dropped on the edge, and clutched the thick brown sweater, Brenda's favorite sweat to his chest. He closed his eyes, bringing the warmth of it to his nose and face and breathed in. Fritz could smell her and in that quiet moment alone he trembled, then cried, and fell over onto the bed. He felt vulnerable, broken, and scared. He had never loved anyone this much and the very thought of never seeing her again, tore at him in the most primal and raw way. Fritz Howard felt broken without Brenda.
--
Brenda was broken.
She felt raw and vulnerable.
She smelled of gasoline…and she trembled at the very sight of a flickering light, which was always followed by the metallic sound of a lighter being opened and closed. A dark shadow stood over her and she pushed back her sticky blond curls to see Croelick. Her mouth twisted into hate and her eyes bore the look of death within them.
"Get mad Brenda," Croelick said and smiled. He was so pleased with his prize that winning the case against the state just seemed like candy. Having her…having Brenda Leigh Johnson in his power and control was a hundred times better. He even fathomed the idea of not burning her…slightly.
"I think that is what you want, Bill," Brenda shot back, curling her knees to her chest for warmth more than fear. Her clothing was also soaked in gasoline and the aroma was beginning to make her sick. Her eyes burned and her mouth was dry from coughing.
"You do?" He asked, kneeling down to her level.
"Yes."
He laughed and shook his head. "You really think you know me. I don't think you know me at all." He edged closer, well aware that the lighter was visible to her blurry sight.
Brenda blinked, willing her eyes to see, but getting nothing more than shadows and light. She hated feeling so useless and more so, utterly vulnerable. "I do want tell you, just plain Brenda. I want you to know me. I want you to know the very man that will end your life," he said, his eyes dancing with pure excitement. Croelick reached out and touched her. She pulled back but not in enough time to miss him. His hand came out to trace a greasy line down her cheek, along her jaw and ending at her collarbone. Her heartbeat increased and he saw it in the pulsing veins in her neck. Croelick swallowed. It was too soon to get excited, for he wanted to savor all the time he had with her…every moment of her torment, her raw fear, and infuriated anger.
"Get the hell away from me," Brenda said and pulled away from him completely.
"You are too funny, Brenda. Really, you should go on tour. Hmm?" He said and just as he finished his words, his face jerked to the right and he knew blood flew from the corner of his mouth. Before he could react, his head jerked in the other direction and he stumbled backwards on his knees, slipped on a rug, and fell face down onto the hard wood flood. Brenda, with her hands ducked tapped at her back rolled her self away from him. Her heart felt like it was going to break free from her chest. While he had been talking and completely distracted, she had managed to get her feet undone from the tape by slipping one shoe off and using the heel of the other to slowly break and tear the tape. She saw the shocked look on his face when she left and right foot hooked him. She would remember to thank her Professor in college for advising her to take all those self-defense courses even before she had decided to go into the CIA…that is if she got out of this.
Brenda did not stop. Behind her, Croelick moan and then became enraged. She knew there was only a matter of seconds to get to the door across the room and break the glass and scream with everything she had left in her. Getting to the door was easy, but getting up proved a bit more challenging. However, she did make it. Brenda saw out of the corner of her eye that Croelick had managed to get up. –Shit-she said in her head and used the last few seconds of time to break the glass. Brenda knew her life was over when he would reach her, but she would be damned if she let him take her down without a fight. She took one more look back, saw him lunging toward her at an insane speed and she screamed. Her only hope was that someone…anyone, would hear it and investigate…find her…dead or alive…either way, she did not want to die here and never be found.
"You stupid Bitch!" He said and threw his arm around her neck, snapping her head back and silencing her scream with a panic filled wail. Brenda's feet stumbled and struggled to maintain solid ground as he pulled her back from the door. Croelick placed his other arm around her waist and held her against him with her head pulled back so that he could look into her eyes. Brenda stopped struggling for a moment…her own self-preservation caused her to. He felt her swallow under his restricted hold. He lowered his face to hers, his mouth inches from her own as he spoke…his words riddled with an anger that was worse than hell's. Brenda was at least pleased to see trickles of blood down each side of mouth.
"I hate stupid women! You are very stupid!" Croelick was trembling in rage and he shook Brenda painfully hard with each of his words as if beating them into her. She stared up at him, unable to move, unable turn away. Her mind was fuzzy.
"Well, I am smart enough to get two good hits," she countered through tremble lips and rising fear. Whether she liked it or not, she was afraid…not of dying…but of never seeing Fritz again…never holding him again, or kissing his warm lips. Her throat tightened and a tear welled up in her right eye. She attempted to blink it away and lucky for her, she did. Why did she have to love someone so much that her life was important? She never wanted to leave anyone behind to miss her, to feel empty…but she would.
Fritz would be alone and likely never to love again. She had watched him sleep for a long time when his back was hurt in their playing after sex in the morning a few weeks ago. He held her hand against his chest, breathing in time with her, and smiled in his sleep. Brenda had placed the softest kiss upon his cheek and in his sleep; she had heard him say…'I love you…'
Now, here she was standing in front of death's door and finding herself regretting never really letting herself be free, never letting herself have the family she had wanted, or the time off she desired, or letting herself fall into the arms of the man she loved and because she wanted to, not because she wanted something in return to help solve her case. She loved Fritz…and if she made it out of this…she would let him know that there was no man she wanted to spend the rest of her live with, but him.
That was the last thought she had before she felt herself flying across the room and hitting the far wall again. She heard herself make a sharp cry and then painfully fall to the ground, sliding against the wall. She saw a blurry image come at her, felt her legs jerking from beneath her crumbled body and being wrapped in tape or something again. Croelick then rolled her to her back and straddled her. Brenda felt the buckle or her pants being broken or undone and her shirt being drawn upwards. The tiny hairs on her stomach stood on end at the touch of cold air. –Oh god-
The sound of metal
again.
Open and close-of the lighter.
Open and close-then the
flame.
Open and close.
Open and close.
Then the pain…
Brenda screamed.