Chapter 10: Innocent Until Proven Guilty
A/N: And here's the next chapter. This time, it's Raph's turn. Honestly, I don't know what else to say anymore. I've run out of creative things to say in these notes. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed. It means the world to me that you're still following this story and that you haven't given up on me. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the previous ones.
Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of the story and that's it.
Raph knocked on Lucindra's window, hoping that she was there. He ached all over and really wanted her to help. If he went home, he knew Leo would demand to know how he got hurt, and he wasn't in the mood for the lecture his answer would bring. Luckily, she appeared and looked horrified as she took in his appearance.
"Damn, Raph, what the hell happened to you?" she demanded.
"I'll tell you in a minute," he answered. "Just let me in."
Lucindra did as he asked and helped him to the couch. Then she went into the kitchen and found some ice packs she had stored in the refrigerator and handed them to him.
"Now tell me what happened."
"Remember that chick named Lynn I told you about?"
She nodded. "Yeah, you guys thought she was Robyn and that she'd escaped the fire."
"Well, we confronted her one night and asked her to tell us who she was. Leo tried to force her to tell us what we wanted to know when she tried to go away which led to a fight. They were strugglin' and Leo fell off of the water tower. I tried to go for him, but Lynn pointed a gun at me and the others and told us to stay back. Lynn looked like she was gonna kill him, but he threw a smoke bomb in her face and kicked her off of the water tower. Donnie wanted to check to see if she was alive, but Leo told him to let her be and we left. We thought that would be the end of it, but then we saw the news the next night, and that changed everything."
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"We have breaking news," Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe reported. "A woman's body was found in a Dumpster. This is the second report that has come in. She has been identified as nineteen-year-old Lynn Obiero. Her parents recognized her form the burn scars she received in a car fire when she was eight years old."
"Burn scars?" Raph repeated.
"Her parents?" Don gasped.
"Dudes, you know what this means, don't you?" Mikey asked them.
Leo had a shocked look on his face. "Yeah," he replied. "Lynn wasn't Robyn. I killed an innocent girl."
"She was gonna kill you, bro," Raph reminded him. "That doesn't make her innocent in my book."
"Your brother is right, Leonardo," Splinter added. "If you had spared her, she would have killed you and your brothers."
Just then, the Turtles' T-Phones went off, indicating that they had a text message. They opened their phones and weren't surprised at what was written there.
Oops! Looks like you got the wrong girl. Better watch your step, freaks, before more innocent lives are taken.—A.
Raph gritted his teeth in anger as he read the message. He'd had enough of these stupid threats. Robyn needed to be found so that this madness would stop. If they didn't, Robyn would murder again. Raph thought of the friends they'd made: Lucindra, Madison, Irma, Murakami, and even Kirby. They would all be on Robyn's hit list if she wasn't stopped soon.
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Lucindra's eyes widened as she processed Raph's words. "So that chick wasn't Robyn at all?" she asked.
Raph nodded. "You heard it. Of course, after we got that text, we knew somethin' had to be done, but we didn't know what. That's when Kirby stepped in and brought in one of the detectives that had been assigned to April's case after she disappeared. I wasn't too keen on the idea of more humans knowin' about us, but there was no other way to figure out where Robyn was and how to stop her."
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The next day, Kirby came down to the Lair accompanied by a woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a heart-shaped face. When Raph first set eyes on her, he couldn't believe how pretty she was and why Kirby had brought her down to see them.
"Boys, Master Splinter, this is Detective Alison Brennan," Kirby said. "She was the one who was assigned to April's case after she vanished."
Alison smiled at them. "It's nice to finally meet all of you," she said.
Raph was floored. There was no way this woman was a detective. She was the type to be a runway model.
"Wait, you've known about us all along?" asked Donnie.
She nodded. "Yes, I have. My partner, Jack Kurtzman, and I were taken into Mr. O'Neil's confidence. He said that you four were April's closest friends but that you wouldn't want to be questioned due to your mistrust of humans. That's why Mr. O'Neil concocted the story that April was last seen at Murakami's noodle shop as that would help keep the police busy. Kurtzman and I helped to fabricate things and decided not to question you because Kirby knew you wouldn't like it. He told us of the real story and where April had really been though, so we knew everything."
"But how did you even know about us?" Leo questioned.
"Kurtzman and I were assigned to the missing scientist case," Alison replied. "We were investigating how the scientists had gone missing and who could have taken them. We decided to follow Mr. O'Neil's daughter after the Kraang tried to apprehend her. We saw her with the four of you and decided to keep tabs on you to make sure you would all be safe."
"So you guys were basically spying on us?" Raph demanded, his green eyes flashing with anger.
"Yes, but it was for a god cause," she explained. "We haven't told anyone about you and we never will."
"So why are you here now?" Leo asked her.
"To help you locate Robyn O'Neil," Alison explained. "Kirby told me about the texts from A. I know you've tried to trace them and haven't had any luck with that, so I thought that maybe I could help you. All you have to do is give me one of the texts A sent you."
Don took out his T-Phone and showed her the latest text from A.
"Thanks," she said. "I'm going to take this message and see if I can track where it came from. In the meantime, continue patrolling the city and if you see anything suspicious, let me know. And if you get any more texts, forward them to me immediately." She handed them her business card with her number on it.
"Hey, before you leave, I wanna ask you something," Mikey began. "Do you have a cool magnifying glass you carry along with you to look for clues?"
Alison laughed. "No, I don't," she said. "You watch way too many movies, Mikey. Well, I'll talk to you later." She waved to them as Kirby escorted her out.
"I don't like this, Leo," Raph said. "How do we know we can trust her?"
"She's a detective, Raph," Leo reminded him. "She's been working on April's case for a long time, and she's the best chance wev'e got at ending this. If she can track Robyn down, then this will all be over."
Raph knew Leo was right, but he didn't like the idea that someone had been spying on them all along and that this person was supposed to be helping them catch a crazy person. How did they know Alison wasn't biding her time to sell them to the highest bidder? He wanted to say something to Leo, but he knew it was just end in a fight, so he kept his mouth shut and just went to his room.
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"Okay, I get all of that, but it still doesn't explain why you look like you were in a WWE match," Lucindra said impatiently.
"I know, but I had to start somewhere," Raph replied. "So after Alison's visit, we continued to patrol the city. Sometimes we did it together, and sometimes just one of us was out there alone. Tonight was my night to patrol and I was determined to find out where Robyn was and take her down myself…."
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Raph kept his eyes peeled for any suspicious activity just as Alison had asked them to. He didn't trust her, but he knew she had a point when she said that Robyn was still out there. Just as he was nearing Murakami's noodle shop, he heard voices in the alley. Curious, he went over there to see what was going on.
"Angel, what the hell do you think you're doin' here?" a guy wearing a hockey mask and carrying an assortment of weapons demanded.
Angel glared at him. "I was just taking a walk," she replied. "Stay out of my business, Casey. You don't own me."
Casey pointed a finger at her. "Hey, I made a promise to your grandma to keep an eye on you, and I intend to do just that," he said. "Now let's go." He grabbed her arm and started to drag her away.
"Let go of me, Casey!" she yelled.
Raph decided he needed to intervene before things got out of control. He jumped off the roof, making sure he was completely hidden in the shadows. "I suggest you do what the lady says," he ordered.
"Stay out of this, punk!" Casey retorted. "This doesn't concern you."
"It does if you're hurtin' girls," Rah countered. "Let her go."
Caey released Angel and glared at Raph. "You've got some nerve stickin' your nose where it don't belong!" he snarled. "Why don't you stop hidin' and face me like a man?"
Raph gritted his teeth and pulled out his sais. "Okay, let's see what you got," he said as he stepped out of the shadows.
Casey's eyes widened as he took stock of Raph's appearance. "Another turtle?" he gasped. "Now I've seen everything in this city."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Raph demanded.
"Don' you watch the news?" Casey asked. "I'm talkin' about all of the sudden murders. I've been keepin' tabs on the city lookin' for whoever did this, and now I may have just caught the guy."
Raph looked around, searching for someone until he realized Casey meant him. "Wait, you think I'm the one who killed those girls?"
"Well, you're crazy enough to do it," Casey answered.
"I don't kill unless I have to," Raph told him. "What are you doin' out here anyway? Shouldn't you be at home? How do I know you didn't kill someone?" He definitely still suspected Robyn, but he figured he could do his own investigation and see if Casey had seen anything.
"'Cause I'm not a murderer," Casey replied. "I respect life and would never just kill someone. Now go back to where you came from."
"Grabbin' a woman's arm ain't a sign of respect," Raph retorted. "I know you're worried about her, but you shouldn't treat her that way."
"You can't tell me what to do, freak!" Casey spat. "Looks like you need to be taught a lesson." He pulled out a hockey stick and held it in front of his face.
"Casey, stop!" Angel begged. "He's not worth it!"
Casey glared at her. "Go home, Angel, and don't let me catch you out here again," he ordered.
Angel crossed her arms and stayed where she was. Raph had to give her some credit for standing up for herself and not letting Casey treat her like he owned her. It reminded him of how he would stand up to Leo whenever Leo gave him an order to do something like he owned his brothers. Before he could commend her on that, Casey's hockey stick connected with his head. He fell to the ground and grunted. Okay, Casey had to pay for that one. He got up and aimed a sai right for Casey's face. Casey dodged it and managed to catch Raph in the stomach. Raph doubled over and Casey followed that up with a punch to Raph's jaw. Raph's head snapped back, and he staggered back but didn't fall. With a roar of rage, Raph lunged for him again, but Casey caught him and swept his legs out from under him. He pinned Raph to the ground and kept on punching his face repeatedly. Raph tried to buck him off, but Casey was too strong for him.
Suddenly, Raph saw Angel tackle Casey to the ground and begin pummeling him.
"Angel, stop it!" Casey yelled.
"You stop it!" she counted. "What's wrong with you? Why do you always have to fight someone?"
"I'm just tryin' to protect you, Angel," said Casey. "I care about you."
"I don't need your help or your protection!" retorted Angel. "Just leave me alone!" And with that, she turned and fled.
"Angel, wait!" called Casey, but she was gone. "Dammit! This is all your fault, freak! If you hadn't interfered I could have reached out to her!"
"Give her some space, man," said Raph, deciding to ignore what Casey had called him. "She's been through a lot."
"Stay out of it. You don't know anything."
"I know more than you do," countered Raph. "She doesn't have any parents, and her brother's a mutant who works for Shredder and doesn't want her. How would you feel if your family didn't want you?"
"Whatever," Casey grumbled. "This isn't over, freak. You'll be seein' more of me around here."
Raph smiled at him. "I look forward to it," he said. He waited until Casey was gone and then headed to Lucindra's.
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"Damn, Raph, I can't believe you did that!" Lucindra exclaimed when he was finished.
"Well, I had to show him who was boss," said Raph with a smile.
"So you don't think he killed anyone?"
"Well, I still think it's Robyn. Casey may be crazy, but he doesn't strike me as a cold-blooded killer. That's why Ali and Kurtzman are on the case. I just hope they can help us end this thing for good."
"I'm sure they'll come up with somethin'," Lucindra assured him.
Raph looked at the clock. "Man, I better get home before Splinter and Leo get on my case."
"You sure you don't want to spend the night here?" Lucindra said seductively, batting her eyelashes and rubbing her hand up and down his arm.
He smiled. He was tempted to say yes, but he didn't want to have to make up a story about why he had come home during the daytime. "Sorry, Cindra, but I'll have to take a rain check this time," he said. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Thanks for takin' care of me, but I'll be fine." Then he exited out her window and headed for home. He knew he'd have some explaining to do about his injuries, but he wasn't worried about that anymore. It wasn't like he'd started the fight anyway.
When he entered the Lair, he found Splinter waiting up for him as he always did whenever one of his sons left the Lair on their own. He took in Raph's appearance and shook his head.
"I see you are injured, Raphael," he said. "What happened?"
"I got in a fight," answered Raph. "It's no big deal. I'm fine. I got patched up at Lucindra's."
Splinter nodded. "That is good. Who did you fight?"
"Just some guy in a hockey mask," said Raph. "He said his name was Casey."
"Then perhaps we'll have to watch this man very carefully," Splinter mused.
"I don't' think he killed Oyuki," said Raph. "He's just a crazy guy lookin' for justice."
"Perhaps. But we should still keep an eye on him to make sure. Now that you are home, I am going to bed."
"So am I. I'll see you in the mornin', Sensei." He watched his father leave and then went to his own room. He couldn't stop thinking about Casey and what had happened. H wasn't a killer, but he was definitely crazy and had a temper. Raph knew he would see him again, but he hoped that next time he'd come out looking better than he had this time. His phone chimed, indicating that he had a text. He pulled it out and read the message.
Hey, Raph, it sucks being someone's punching bag. I guess that's what you get for trying to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. This is your last warning: Stop interfering or what I do to you will be much worse.—A.
A/N: Oh man, things are really heating up now. So now they know Lynn wasn't Robyn, so where is she? Does she have someone else working for her? When will she show her face? Will Raph and Casey remain enemies, or will they become best friends who drink beer together? You'll just have to read on to find out. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.