010. Dark

Title: Dark Shadows
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Characters: Fran Callahan, Chaz McQueen, Nathan Davis, Kristian Evanovich
Prompt: 010. Dark
Word Count: 988
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series: 30 of 33
Summary: Another road block in the investigation, Fran's relationship hits a speed bump.
Warnings: Nudity



Fran’s house was quiet and dark when she finally arrived that evening, after the excitement subsided, she was ready for some peace and quiet. She went upstairs to take a hot bath and unwind, noticing that Chaz wasn’t in bed. That’s odd. She thought, trying to remember if he had said he was working tonight. Maybe she had misunderstood. After all, her mind had been on the undercover mission one hundred percent. She wasn’t about to count Nathan in that percentage, even though she was ashamed to admit he was usually in about thirty percent.
She ran the water until it turned cold, leaving her hair up in the bun from being tucked under the wig, she lowered herself into the tub, ready to wash away the grimy feeling of that man’s lips on her skin. She was happy she had helped catch him but there was still an unease inside her of how dangerous the situation had become and how quickly it had gotten that way. Being a police officer was quite possibly the most serious occupation out there, one mistake and kiss yourself goodbye. She had a newfound respect for what her father had done his entire life and why he wouldn’t have wanted her to do the same. However, she still had to admit there was a part of it that had felt so right.
A few scented candles she had lit glowed in the dark room, casting their dancing shadows on the walls, creating a relaxing yet somewhat eerie atmosphere. She sank in the water, the warmth easing the tension in her muscles.
“Where have you been?” The voice rang through the quiet bathroom like a shot. She nearly jumped out of the tub and looked towards the door, to see Chaz standing against the frame.

“Chaz…you scared me! I didn’t know you were home, I looked for you when I came in. Anyway, I had to go see a friend from work, she was having a bad fight with her husband and wanted to talk. Are you okay, you look tired.”
“I’m fine, I just have something I want to talk about when you’re done.”

Fran watched him curiously. She couldn’t quite put her finger on the emotion in his voice, he seemed upset about something but with him it was always hard to tell. “Sure, I’ll wash and be right out.”

*~*~*
“The knife doesn’t match.” Nathan had put in a rush on comparing the knife Charles had attempted to use on Frannie to the stab wounds on the murder victims.

“Are you serious? He felt like our guy though.” Kristian said, sitting down in an empty chair across from Nathan’s desk. They had gone back to the precinct to put the finishing touches on their case, only to have their main suspect blown out of the water.

“I know, he sounded like the one. All that rage and domination. But they’re sure, the knife we’re after is long but is more pointed at the tip, like a dagger. This one was just a regular butcher knife from the kitchen,” He rubbed his temples, the frustration overwhelming. “It gets worse. His DNA doesn’t match the hair we found at the crime scenes. He’s just another creep on a power trip who likes to dominate women.”
Kristian sighed, another dead end, “I’ll go write up a whole new list of charges, resisting arrest, attempted rape and murder will be just fine, might give the guy a wake up call.”

“I hope so, give him a few years and he’ll probably be right there with our guy murdering innocent girls.”
Kristian left and Nathan glanced at the clock, only an hour had passed. He thought about Frannie and what she would say when he told her the bad news. And worst of all that he couldn’t allow her to hunt for the real killer, he had nearly gone insane worrying about her and couldn’t take it anymore.
He flipped through his case notes on all four murders, one by one, starting with the first. He looked them over side by side, trying to come up with a pattern. They were all young females, between 20 and 25, different ethnic backgrounds, which was odd for a serial killer. All models at the same agency.

His investigation of Miss Raven had turned up nothing, her financials were clean, everything neat and tidy. He couldn’t shake the feeling she was hiding something but then again, a woman like that was likely to have a closet full of skeletons. That guy she had working for her didn’t seem large enough to threaten a woman either, considering most city dwelling women knew some form of self defense.
He groaned, nothing popped out at him, no red flags, nothing of importance. He rubbed his eyes and looked down at the desk scattered with papers. Sasilia’s name had landed on top of Paulina’s in a curious position.

All the names end with an “A”. Or do they? What was the first, Natasha…

He flipped through the pages again, landing on the second victim’s file, Angel. No, not unless it was a nickname.

He looked through the folder until he came to her DMV photo, not a nickname. Damn, now I’m just grasping at straws.

*~*~*
Fran put on some see-through black lingerie, she wasn’t in the mood for an argument but seriously felt the need to be comforted. Spraying some perfume on her neck for good measure, she went into the bedroom to try and avoid what she knew was coming.
She looked around but didn’t see Chaz anywhere, he had lit a few candles and must have gone back downstairs for something. She shrugged and walked over to the bed to turn down the covers.
A whisper close behind her sent a chill from the back of her neck, all the way to her toes, “Why did you have to disappoint me?”

Part 31