Part Ten

When one came down to it, there was no trick to beginning an investigation, no special 'knack' that allowed one investigator to succeed where another had failed. The misconception popularized by authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie would have the every day man believed that one needed to have some Holmes dispassionate demeanor or Poirot's incredible arrogance to see clues where none existed. It was pure deductive reasoning that one needed to see through the benign veneer of a crime scene and see the violence that may or may not have been committed there.

Even though it was dangerous to do so, Ezra knew that there was one place he could launch his search for Julia Pemberton and that was where she had been last seen. Although he was mindful that Top Hat Bob and his men might still be in the area, the security chief of the USS Maverick had little choice in the matter. Fortunately, by the time the quartet of Starfleet officers had returned to the narrow alleyway where Julia had disappeared, there was no sign of the villains. Ezra had to assume that Bob was probably somewhere licking his wounds.

"She was standing right here." Josiah told Alex and Nathan once they had returned to the small alley behind which Josiah, Ezra and Julia had taken refuge when the shooting between Bob's men and the seven had broken out. "Then you two got into that argument and she wandered off."

"It was not an argument," Ezra growled as he proceeded down the narrow passageway. "It was a difference of opinion."

"Whatever," Alex remarked, moving to a change of subject. Ezra was one of her closest friends on the Maverick. She liked his wry sense of humor that was at times unlike her own and they both shared a cynical view on things even though she suspected like herself, it was not as jaded as both of them might like everyone else to believe. "I wish Vin had come with us. He's pretty good at spotting tracks in the ground. Something about growing up in the wilderness, I suppose."

"We do not require Mr. Tanner's expertise this time around," Ezra said tautly as he saw the marks in the dirt ground and had a very good idea that Julia had indeed gone this way. "She went down this path. I can see the indentation of her heel in the dirt."

"Really?" Nathan exclaimed with some hint of admiration, seeing nothing in the dirt that would indicate that except some unevenness that was deeper in some places then others. "How can you tell?"

"The women of this time wore shoes with different types of heels from that worn by men. Male footwear came with broader heels, where else ladies' footwear seem to taper in that area." Ezra gestured to the tracks they had all paused to examine after he had made his statement. "You can see how it digs into the earth first, pushing dirt around it before being flattened out by the rest of the shoe."

"I'll be damned," Josiah remarked impressed. "I see what you mean."

"She did come this way then." Alex said unhappily, feeling very uncomfortable about Julia's situation for some reason. She almost wished that Mr. Wickes had the chief engineer in his hands. At least, they could be assured that Julia might survive the next few hours alive since Wickes wanted her to replace one of the working girls he had supposedly lost because of Buck Wilmington. Anything had to be better than being in the hands of a serial killer. Although advancement in criminology had more or less eliminated the genetic predisposition in humans that turned an intelligent man into a cold-blooded monster, such specimen sometimes managed to slip through the cracks of 24th century vigilance. In the 20th century, they had been a plague almost as virulent as the diseases of the time and no less easy to cure.

The serial killer was a random animal, following a pattern that was usually unique only to him. Profiles tended to be generic and usually when the subject was discovered often ended up being classified as something completely new. Catching one usually required determining the pattern and it was almost unheard of to catch one within 24 hours of the first crime, although in this instance the killer had been doing it quite some time. Even though Alex did not want to say it, mostly because she knew it must be weighing heavily on Ezra's mind, the chances of catching this creature in time to save Julia was slim at best.

They continued up the passageway until they came to the doorway that Julia had discovered earlier. Ezra froze, his eyes seeing details in everything that made his heart pound louder in his chest even though he was trying his level best not to let it get to him. Razor sharp intellect scoured the grimy brick walls, examined the faded paint on the wooden doorway. He noted the greasy hand stands on the doorknob and knew even if he could lift prints off the handle; it would be of little good to them. Finger print evidence was only useful if the murderer had had a prior record and in this day and age, where finger printing was akin to suggesting a man could reach the moon, it was more or less a redundant exercise.

"The tracks stop." Alex replied, knowing enough about what to look for to realize that Julia's footprints had disappeared. However, she had disappeared from this place and taken elsewhere, she had not done so on foot.

"Yes, they have." He nodded slowly.

Josiah noticed the expression on the security officer's face. It was almost ashen. The man was staring at the opposite wall and when Josiah followed his gaze and realized what it was that had captured his attention, could understand why Ezra was so horrified by what he had seen. Josiah swallowed and found his voice after a few seconds.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked in a low whisper.

Alex who had recovered far more quickly was barking at Nathan to come forward. "Doctor!"

Nathan immediately stepped forward and took a look. He gave Ezra a sympathetic glance before he stepped up to the wall and ran his finger against the brick. What came off it was quickly examined when it clung to his fingertip and Nathan knew immediately, the substance could be nothing else. "I'm sorry Ezra," he found himself saying. "Its blood."

"Ezra," Alex said quickly. "This proves nothing. She might have fought him and one of them could be hurt."

"Yes," Ezra nodded slowly. "There is always that possibility." However, his voice did not sound entirely as if he believed it.

"It may be that he knocked her out," Nathan retorted. "There's not a lot of blood so this could be a minor wound," he reminded Ezra.

"It must be." Ezra said firmly and looked down the doorway and further up the passageway, further along from the doorway. "I do not see further evidence of bleeding. Of course it we had our tricorders, this might be so much simpler."

"Alright," Alex tried to take the initiative, aware of the emotional turmoil that Ezra must be enduring at this moment. "He knocked her out here and must have carried her wherever he was going. Now he can't have gone very far without attracting attention. This is not the kind of place where someone with Julia's standing in the community could be slung over someone's shoulder without being seen. He must have entered the hotel through this door. I can't see him trying for the street."

"I can." Ezra stated. Her theory had sparked his mind into working again. "Do not forget at the time of her abduction, we were engaged in a rather nasty fire fight with Mr. Top Hat Bob and his cohorts. No one would have cared about seeing a man carrying a woman away, not when they were all hiding within their enclaves for fear of being caught in random fire."

"Damn," Josiah swore.

"So they could be anywhere." Nathan groaned, with more than a trace of defeat in his voice.

"More or less." Alex nodded grimly.

Ezra did not speak as he followed the footprints that led out of the doorway. Even though there was no blood down the path the killer must have taken Julia, there were still tracks. Julia's wound was only superficial, if not the bleeding would be worse. The deeper indentations of his sole in the ground indicated to Ezra that the man was carrying her, so she was likely rendered unconscious in this tiny little annex, no doubt when she was force to suffer the injury that left her blood on the wall. A cold sliver of ice had burrowed into his heart and no matter what he told himself, Ezra knew it would not go away until after Julia was found.

"We will begin searching." Ezra replied, snapping out of his dark thoughts regarding his lover's fate. He had to have hope that she was alive or else he would be no good to her. "We can safely ignore the saloons or the hotel."

"Yes," Josiah nodded. "He'll need privacy to do what he has to. I'd say the livery stable or a cellar somewhere."

"He couldn't just break into someone's house." Nathan pointed out. "That would draw attention."

"That's right," the Counselor agreed, well aware of some of the universal characteristics of the psychosis he was dealing with. "This is a man who feels inferior before others. He conjures up fantasies involving himself and the women who are his victims. In his world, they are playing a part and it is a private world where only the two of them exist. To invite others in would be to destroy the fantasy and he can't have that. It would take the satisfaction out of the killing and he can't have that."

"God, that's sick." Alex whispered under her breath.

"As he is." Josiah stated. "Ezra," the counselor turned to the security chief. "Would it help if we went and found Mr. Poplar?"

"The Pinkerton detective?" Alex remembered the name from when Josiah was relating the events of what happened when he had first emerged into Q's playground.

"Yes," Josiah nodded. "Perhaps, he may have some idea about tracking this man that could help us with Julia. I don't like him much and he's a cretin to say the least but I get the impression that he's been on the killer's trail for sometime and may give us a little help."

Ezra considered the notion. "I am open to any assistance we might obtain. Go find him. Alex and I will continue our search. We'll meet back in this location in 20 minutes."

"So soon?" Nathan looked at him. Although Four Corners was not a large town by any means, it was not a small one either and searching for Poplar may take longer than that time.

"Yes," Ezra nodded, broking no argument on this point. He was unhappy at their lack of progress and knew that Julia could not afford to wait until they eventually found her. Time was running out, he could feel the urgency of its diminishing quantity pressing up against his spine and even though there was no outward sign of it to his friends, the fear he felt was so palpable it might reach up and choke him. "A great deal can take place in 20 minutes, Doctor Jackson. A great deal."

"Death."

The word hung from his lips and for a moment, she wondered if he was just sadistic or insane. It did not take her very long to discover that he was both. He sat at the pew watching her, allowing moments to pass without speaking, knowing the silence would heighten her terror almost as much as the length of chord he held in his hands, his fingers gently caressing the rough Hessian fibers like something to be savored.

"What do you want?" She asked, unable to bear it. He was staring at her like a statue, watching her. His eyes were almost black and as he continued to look at her with that detached expression, Julia had the insight that perhaps he was building up to something, as if she were caught with him in the eye of the storm.

Once again he did not answer but continued to stare.

Julia decided she was not going to wait for him to and shouted. "Somebody help me!"

Her scream was short because he was out of the pew immediately, making long strides towards her. Julia braced herself and watched him come closer towards her. She was only going to have one chance at this but she was willing to try it because the look in his eyes told her she had no other choice. He was watching her, allowing his fantasy to gain momentum, to build into a swell of rage that could culminate in venting all that repressed desire upon her. Julia was smart enough and realistic enough to know that she would not survive that outpouring of dark and twisted emotion.

The distance between them disappeared and before she knew it, his shadow fell over her form almost as if the reaper had suddenly moved into her presence. Julia's heart was racing inside her breast as she watched his insistent caress of the rope in his hand become more and more urgent. The need was upon him and she could tell that he had crossed a line in himself, a line that once left behind allowed him no way to turn back until he had fed the monster inside him.

When he was close enough, she kicked out her foot suddenly. The heel connected the curved bone of his ankle and she heard him yelped in pain. Instinctively, he raised his injured ankle and when he did so, Julia kicked out again, this time ensuring that that her foot landed just above his knees. Her kick was strong and desperate, with more than enough force behind him to sweep his feet from under him. Julia did not wait to see him fall. She rolled around onto her knees and pushed herself up as best she could. However, her progress was slow and even though she heard him fall to the floor, she heard scuffling sounds that told her he was recovering quickly and would be after her in seconds.

"Help me!" Julia screamed again, hoping someone, anyone would hear her.

"Shut up!" She heard him shout behind her and knew from the sound of his voice that he was not far away.

She scrambled to her feet, preparing to run but her clothes and bound hands hampered her movements and stole critical seconds she could not afford to lose. She had taken no more than two or three steps when she felt his hand fist up around her ankle and yank back sharply. Julia was unable to prevent herself from falling and without her hands to break her fall, slammed chin first into the floorboards. The impact almost knocked her out and as the pain emanated from her jaw and shuddered throughout her body, she felt blood filling into her mouth.

"Bitch!" She heard him scream through the haze of disorientation but was not in the position too much else.

Julia did not see his fists starting to fly as he straddled her. The room was still spinning when his knuckle met her jaw line. She was aware of crying out as the blows dislodged teeth and felt the blood swelling in her bruised face as he continued to pummel her, unaware of what he was doing because her audacity to fight back had inspired such a mountain of rage inside him. She had dared to destroy the fantasy he had prepared for them both and for that she would pay dearly. Her cries of pain soon disintegrated into whimpers of agony. She did not know how much damage he had caused, only aware that somewhere during the beating, she could no longer see and the smell of blood was filling her lungs with such entirety that she was nauseated to the point of being violently ill.

Where was Ezra? Julia wondered anguished as she felt another bone shatter and were certain that it was her cheekbone finally giving in. Why wasn't he here? She wailed inside her mind, inside her pain for him to come and save her from this nightmare and knew that there was no reason for him to come, even if he knew about her plight. After all, she had not exactly treated him fairly. How could he be blamed for anything when what he had done, he did because he loved her? He had not seen past her eyes and looked into the person she was because his desire was so filled with want for her. How could he have been expected to know? If she were in the same position, could she have made that distinction herself?

Strange how at the moment when she was poised between life and death that certain things became clear. Julia thought about her ship and her friends and she thought about Ezra because she was too weak and in too much pain to do much else. It was becoming hard to breathe and she wondered dazed, if that tightening around her throat had something to do with it, or was her lungs finally filling up with blood.

There was no way for Julia to tell what was happening even though she could hear his movements, slow deliberating sounds that echoed sinister intent with every new ounce of pain she suffered. Both her eyes were swollen shut from abuse and the only thing she could feel was fresh, warm blood gurgling from her mouth and down the corner of her lips. She was no longer able to scream but she could make words, even if no one could hear them.

"Ezra." She croaked softly.

The constriction around her thought paused for a moment.

"Ezra," she tried again, wishing to hear his name in her ears as if hearing it could give her strength to last a little longer. Or at the very least to say what she had to before it was too late, before she never had the chance to, even though it would mean little to him because Ezra was not here to hear it. "I'm sorry." She whispered and felt the warmth running out of her eyes and knew this time it was not blood but tears.

It was becoming harder and harder to breathe and the pressure around her throat was so strong that she could not inhale to take air into her lungs. Her mind started to fog over as the lack of oxygen began descending her into the grey numbness of brain asphyxia. She began to choke and as her heaving grew more frantic and desperate, it appeared that tightening became more insistent until finally she could take nothing in nothing at all and breathes became ragged gasps that seemed to fill her world. For a time, she could not focus Ezra in her head as she battled for the last minutes of light that was left in her but when she finally succumbed, when her body and spirit were willing to accept the dark rushing at her, she thought of Ezra again.

And then there was nothing.

The minute he saw the crowd gathered in the middle of the street, Ezra Standish knew.

He was a man who relied almost entirely on the sixth sense that made him the security chief he was and the unbeatable card sharp at the poker table and when he felt that hollow feeling of dread rising up inside him, Ezra knew he was not wrong. Beside him, Alex broke into a run as she hurried forward to see what it was that had drawn the attention of the townsfolk. Ezra could not bring his legs to move any faster perhaps because he was fairly certain of what was waiting for him. While those around him saw the gambler of the Magnificent Seven striding forward confidently to the scene of the commotion, inside his was quivering with fear.

He knew what he was going to find even before he reached the crowd and knowing would kill him inside. Ezra saw Alex breaking through the crowd and pausing as she caught sight at what she saw there. For a moment, she remained frozen and then her shoulders sagged as she disappeared from view for a few seconds as she became lost in the small gathering. Ezra continued to walk, compelled to move even though he had no wish to. Then he saw Alex reappear. She pushed her way past the town's people. Her brown eyes were filled with tears and she was biting her lip, trying to stop the quivering that would induce her to cry.

"Ezra," she said softly. "Stay where you are." She instructed, trying to keep the authority in her voice but failing. "You don't want to see this."

Ezra did not answer and brushed past her. He felt her hand grab his and halted him from taking another step.

"Please," she implored, warm tears running down her cheeks as she beseeched him not to take another step. "You don't want to see this."

"I have to," he answered, his voice barely a whisper.

"No," she tried to stop him. "You don't."

Ezra ignored her and forced his way through. The townspeople who were programmed to know the relationship between them, stepped aside immediately. Only Josiah and Nathan remained. The duo had been searching for Poplar and their lack of success had brought them into the streets where they noticed the crowd that had formed and realized that they had been too late. Nathan was leaning over the body and Josiah looked up to see Ezra breaking the circle of spectators to see what they had.

"Ezra," Josiah said softly. "I am so sorry."

Ezra blinked as he looked down and saw Nathan removing his hand from her neck where he had been attempting to locate a pulse. Judging by the somber expression on his face, Ezra guessed there was none to find. His breath caught in his throat as he saw those lovely features battered so badly, it was almost impossible to imagine that she had been the beautiful woman that he remembered and loved, who stared at him with those incredible emerald colored eyes. He could not see her eyes because they were swollen shut and had been concealed by the two silver dollars that had been placed there by her killer.

"Why did he do this?" Nathan muttered. "Why did he hurt her so badly?"

"Because," Ezra managed to say, his voice shaking as he forced the words out. "She fought him. She would not have allowed him to kill her without a fight and because she fought, he had to subdue her. He had to break every bone in her face."

"Ezra..." Josiah started to say but the security chief was not listening. He dropped to his knees gently next to her and ran his fingers over the soft strands of titian hair that he had loved to feel against his skin when she kissed him. He ran his hand against her cheeks and did not care that it was stained with drying blood. Now that she was gone, Ezra doubted he would care about anything again. He lowered his lips to her ear and knew that though she could not hear him, he had to say goodbye or he would not have the courage to hunt down the bastard who did this to her.

With glistening eyes and fighting the tears that wanted to come, Ezra whispered softly in Julia's unhearing ear. "I love you Julia, I always will." He bit down the urge to weep once more. "I promise you, I'll find him and I'll kill him."