This is going to be pretty short, but I needed to add something to ensure you all that I haven't forgotten about this story. I've had about three massive computer malfunctions, two of which led to computer crashes, plus I have Chemistry Honors and Human Biology Honors right after one another in school right now, which caused plenty of homework to pile up. I apologize for my apparent lack of care.
- - -
"These cases have to be connected," Stella concluded, leaning on an evidence table on which pictures from the crime scenes of AJ Blaine and Michael Lewis sat.
"I have to agree," Mac replied, studying a picture of Lewis's body. "This is too much of a coincidence. They had to have died within hours of each other." He looked around the table at Hawkes, Stella, Lindsay, Danny, Angell, and Flack. "Do we have anything solidly connecting them, just to be sure?"
"We're still waiting on the bullets and autopsy report from Sid," Hawkes answered, "But the fact that the guy were looking for in a murder winds up murdered pretty much makes these cases connected."
"I agree." Sid Hammerback walked into the room carrying an evidence container holding two bullets. "However, I don't think you can peg Michael Lewis for AJ Blaine's murder."
"Why is that?" Stella asked.
Sid handed her the bullets and answered, "Michael Lewis was killed close to two hours before AJ Blaine."
"Two hours before? He couldn't have killed AJ. It would be impossible." Lindsay looked troubled by the development. "Is this about Cobra or not? It's possible that Michael Lewis was killed so that he could be framed for AJ's murder."
"It's possible, but I have to say that this is most likely about Cobra." Sid laid another photo on the table. "This was carved down Michael Lewis's right arm."
From the shoulder down to the wrist, the words "THE FOX NEVER MISSES" were carved into Lewis's skin. In smaller lettering after the phrase, there was a small dash mark and the word "Cobra".
""The Fox"? I don't remember that code name being on AJ's list of Cobra members."
Stella nodded at Mac's words. "It wasn't." She paused. "What if this "Fox" was someone that AJ never knew was involved? What if he or she wanted to get rid of anyone that could possibly ID them as being a part of Cobra?"
"If that's true," Lindsay murmured, "We still have a member of Cobra to take down. And we have nothing on them."
- - -
Jessica Angell was standing at the AJ Blaine crime scene, looking frustrated. "How can we have nothing?" she muttered quietly.
"We don't have nothing," Don Flack answered, appearing at her shoulder.
Angell sighed. "Are you following me, Don?"
"Maybe, maybe not. AJ said that the two of us were targets."
"Tiger is dead. Who's going to come after us?"
"Come on, Jess. You know as well as I do that as long as Cobra still exists, that threat still exists."
"So, what, you're protecting me even though you need protection too? That's a weird conundrum, Don."
Flack put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "Hey, we'd be protecting each other. Saves anyone else the trouble of following us around all day. We'd just follow each other around."
"If that was another one of your lines, Don, I swear to God I'll shoot you."
Flack grinned. "You know I have no game. Come on, we should go back to see what the lab rats have dug up."
- - -
"I've confirmed that the murders are connected, Mac," Hawkes announced as he entered the boss's office. "The bullets that killed Michael Lewis matched the one that killed AJ Blaine."
"Which matches a gun previously owned by Michael Lewis, right?"
"Right. So I'm thinking that Michael Lewis reported his gun missing so that when he left the job he'd be able to keep it. A gun that can't technically be connected to a registered owner is helpful when you're in a drug gang."
"Somebody killed Michael Lewis, a wanted criminal, with his own gun, and then killed a detective with that gun, presumably to make it look like Lewis killed her."
"It looks that way. And there are a lot of questions that stem from that."
"For now, let's focus on this: How did the killer know where to find Michael Lewis?"