hello everyone not sure if anyone is still even reading this story or not seeing as its been years since i last updated this story. im so very sorry about that, life got in the way and i forgot not only about this story but where i was going. i was going through my account the other day and come across this, i wondered if i could try it into a book and after reading through remember sort off what i was doing and come up with this chapter and plans for the next two. im not sure if anyone is still reading and will get a notification to say ive update or not so i might take this story dowm and start posting again from the start and if anyone does read this than im so very grateful to each and every one of you and i promise not to leave years inbetween the next update.

happy reading

chapter 46

January 28th

Ricks pov

Rick was hold up in his office, he had been awake now for over 24 hours and he was beyond tired. the hash lighting and the banging in his head were making his eyes string. he knew he should go home and get a few hours of sleep but he just couldn't bring himself to, Lori was acting weird and his mind was workinh overtime. so here he was in his office going through all his paperwork and reports. Rick picked up one of the mortuary reports opening it up and flicking through to the back of the report he didnt need to read about the examination, being there for Lilly's one was enough he still had all the iamges imprinted in his mind there was no need to add to them. he just wanted to see the end of the report and Martinez findings. Amys report was the same as all the others, the girl had died the same way,same injuries and same puncture wound. Martinez had also sent over the toxicology reports on all the girl's, they had all been drugged with a mild barbiturate drug, methohexital which is a drug that is used in anesthesia for sedation. meaning the girl's would have been sedationed probably when they were first grab to make it easier for the killer to drag them out of the way and would of stopped them from putting up a fright. but the amounts of the drug were not that high in their blood system so they probably all came round at some point during the attacks but not enough to be able to try and get away. Rick saw small mercy in the fact the girls were probably never fully conscious during the attacks but it was enough cuz of and when they did came around for a bit they still would of been aware of what was happening to them but they wouldn't of been able to do anything and most likely wouldnt of been able to move, so a small marcy wasnt even a mercy really when you looked at it that way. Rick felt so bad for the girl's he could only imagine how they felt at being so powerless, a thought that added to the already pile of images he had in his head.

Rick rubbed his eyes trying to clear away the new images in his head as he closed the reports up, putting them to one side and grabbing the ones from the serious and organized crime division, only to find that they where a waste of time even picking up,let alone reading. no one had managed to find anything or anyone purchasing or stealing prescription medications.

god damn it how can someone get away with having a drug like methohexital and no one selling or reporting any missing?

it really did baffle Rick and made extra work for him, as if he didnt have enough work to do as it was. he really thought he had caught a break when he found out about Philip but that turned out to be more work than anything else, especially once Philip's lawyer had arrived. when Rick and Jane went back in to interview Philip again all they got was no comment and his lawyer demanding that they either charged him with something or released him, reminding them that they only had 12 hours left to do so. he had no choice in the end but to release Philip and hope and prey it didn't backfire on them and another girl didnt end up losing their life.

so now not only did Rick have to find something he could use to be able to bring Philip back in for more questioning, but now had to find out why a drug like methohexital was being used on the victim's with no idea how the killer had managed to get hold of that drug in the first place.

Rick signed and stretched his back, the banging in his head was now ten times worse than it was ealier, he really needed to get some sleep but he still had work he needed to do before he would even allow himself that, a quick coffee break was l he was allowing himself to have seeing as he needed the coffee to keep him awake so he could go through the rest of yhese reports and his emails.

"Sir?"

Rick looked up from his desk to see Jane standing in his office doorway, looking at him with concern in her eyes. he was glad that he had chosen her to be his senior detective not only was she a kind and caring woman but she was a excellent police officer who genuinely wanted to do the right thing and help caught the bad guys.

"Are you ok? you look tried. have you been home at all?" she asked with her eyebrow arched, already knowing the answer to her question because she had been here for at least 16 of the hours he had been here for.

"Im fine Jane, and you already know I've not been home, you have been here just

as much as i have"

"yeah, but i went home for a few hours to get a bit of sleep, before coming back in."

"well i did leave for a few hours around 6am." Rick said in a tried voice

"something tells me by your voice that it wasn't to go home and rest" Jane said as she walked into his office.

"no, your right it wasnt"

"whats up sir?"

"apart from having to let Philip go you mean"

"we caught him sir, if the witness's wasnt anonymous we would have been to keep him in for a bit longer to at least do a line up, maybe the witness will get back in touch and we be able to get their name."

"one can hope Jane" Rick said not really feeling bery hopefully at all that they would get that call, it had been a miracle they had the first call. "i got a call from my friend's Daryl and Carol this morning around 6 thats why i left for a bit"

"oh, is everything alright?"

"not really Jane, it might be something else and nothing to do with this case, but I'm going to chase it up anyway, especially as Carol is an old friend of me and my wife. I've already done a bit of checking into it"

"what happened?"

"Carol received this note through her door sometime this morning between 4 and 6" Rick said picking up the note he took and put in an evidence bag when he got to Carol's house this morning.

Jane reached over taking the note from Rick and reading it.

how dare you? you are mine!

"oh my god sir" she said her eyes wide and one hand over her mouth in shock "do you think it's from the killer?"

"I'm not sure, she has been getting phone calls for a while now, which i have chase up and was just about to check my emails to see if i had anything back from the phone company. it could be from the killer, though im sure if anyone else had been getting calls before they were murdered. but it could also be from her ex husband, though he is in jail"

"oh whats he in jail for? if you dont mind me asking"

Rick looked at Jane her eyes were filled with concern and worry and he knew he could trust her and that she wouldn't think his judgement was clouded just because carol was a friend. "he is in jail for abusing her. it was me and my wife that helped her to get away from him in the end."

"oh my god, you really close to her? he could be calling her. he probably blames her for him being in jail like most of them do. always blame their victim's and still like to keep their control and power even when their victim's have managed to get away." Jane said softly.

"we all grew up together so we are really close. its why ive been chasing it up and your right they do"

"i see, of course you want to make sure she is alright. bit what does your gut say on this cuz by the sound of the tone in your voice it doesn't sound like you think its him"

"your Jane i don't"

"i help you look into as well, what do you need me to do?"

"thank you, Jane but you dont have to, like i said it might not have anything to do with this case"

"but it might do and you think it does. so that tells me that we need to investigate it."

this is why he liked Jane and chose her, because she can look at the bigger picture and doesn't just brush things off as being nothing and also doesn't believe in coincidences same as him. which made them both a good team. "ok thank you. pull up a seat while i check my emails to see if i have anything back from the phone company "

Jane grabs the spare seat rick had pulling it around the other side of his desk next to him while he checked his emails.

"here it is, let's take a look" Rick said opening the email

Rick and Jane are both quiet as they gò through the list the phone company sent over from Carol's house phone.

"looks like she has the same number calling her quite a few times, not of them answred either and ones that are, are only for a few seconds." Jane said pointing to the number

"your right, car did say that when she does answer she gets nothing but silence from the other end."

"can we trace the number sir?"

"already on that Jane, looks like it's from a burner phone, number not registered to anyone." Rick answered banging his hand on his desk. "course not, wouldn't be that easy would it?"

Jane places a gentle hand on his arm."nothing ever is sir, we still work it out though"

"your right jane, but if this is the killer it means he watches his victim's before he strikes so he knews their movements and that makes him more dangerous and more steps ahead of us."

"first thing first sir, we need to check the other girls phone records see if they had any phone calls before we go putting this idea in our heads. dont want to be adding to your stress now do we sir"

"stress what stress jane? only got a killer to caught, one that might now be stalking his victim's beforehand and one of them might be my friend." Rick growls as he pushed back his chair, standing up and storming over to his window.

Rick knew he shouldn't be taking it on Jane and he really didnt mean to he just couldn't help the rage sweeping through his body, his blood boiling at the thought of the killer watching his victim's every move, watching carol she had already been through enought as it was and when he got to her house this morning she looked so small, broken and scared and ihad been a while since he had seen her like that and he really didn't like it. he felt so bad for her and was worried for her but was glad that she at least had Daryl even though she was worried about him more than she was worriee about herself. Rick knew that by that alone that she was in love with Daryl, the way she looked at him in a way he was pretty sure she had never looked at ed like not even in the beginning, a look he use to see on Lori but not as much now. love was everything.

"im sorry Jane shouldn't be growing at you,your only trying to help i know that. im just so tries jane and i have this bad feeling that things are only going to get worse."

"its ok sir, i understand i get on pulling up the other girl's phone records see if they had been receiving calls as well, this might be enough to pull Philip back in for more questioning. the timing of Carol's calls and her note this morning all happened after he had been released."

Rick looked at jane, how did he not notice that, but he already knew why he was worried about Carol and more tried than he was letting on.walking back over to his desk to see what jane was snowing him on the list of calls, she was right all the recent ones had happened after they had released Philip, this had to mean something surly? did that mean they had the killer in their hands but they had to let him go? would that lead to the death of another young girl? Rick sure hoped not, but he knew that having hope brought misery and he just knew that was what this hope was going to bring as well, he knew it in his gut that more would lose their lives and he couldn't help but blame himself if it turned out he was right.

"your right jane, the timing are a right, if the others had received calls we should be able to pull him back in.:

"i get on it sir. did you find anything at Carol's house that might be able to help as well?"

"nope,nothing. i checked all around her house no footprints or fingerprints in slight. didn't even look like anyone had been at hers at all apart from her and Daryl.but im sending some officers out in a bit to go door to door see if any of her neighbour's noticed anything."

"thats good sir, might give us something. i let you know when i get the records back."Jane said standing up and making her way towards the door, before turning back to look at look Rick.

"thank you Jane" Rick said watching her go, he could tell by her look that she wanted to say something else. he arched his eyebrows in question

"get some rest sir, you look like you need it" she answred his silence question, than turned walked out his office closing the door behind her.

get some rest if only thought Rick and what mean look like i need it?

Rick looked down at his shit, ok his tie was lose and the tope two buttons of his shit was undone. he looked at his reflection in his computer his hair was all stuck up on end from where he had been running his fingers through it in frustration, his chin was covered in strubble from were he hadn't shaven in a few days. he gor what she meant he lookec a mess, but when did he time to shave lately, between a killer to caught a wife a ting weird and now his friend could very well be in danger. shaving was the last thing on his mind, but jane was right and he knew it. he really did need to get at least a few hours of sleep than he be able to look at everything through fresh eyes, a fresh mindset. plus he knew that he needed to talk to lori and let her know about Carol especially as wasn't sure if Carol had spoken to her yet or not, probably not to be fair she did look knackered when he left her's and gave her orders to get some rest once she got to Daryl's house. it was agreed between the three of them that the best place for Carol to be at the moment as at Daryl's house, where Daryl could protect her, not that Rick thought he was going anywhere even if they didn't go back to Daryl's place. but at least at Daryl's house she could have a break from any more calls and wouldn't have to be worried or scared about someone walking around the outside of her house in the dark, watching her every move she be able to sleep.

Rick closed down his computer, grab his jacket and made his way out of his office to head home for a few hours of some very much needed sleep, the bad feeling still not only very much in his gut but was getting worse he just knew that something really bad was about happen and he was powerless to stop it. but nothing could ever of prepared him for just what was about happen and would haunt him.