The Suspect Part 3 - 5
For Disclaimers see part 1. Thank you, RW
Kate and Cass arrived at Allison’s townhouse just as she was getting home from work, as Allison exited her car, she smiled a brilliant smile for Cass as she walked up to hug the taller woman.
"Hi! Did you finish your business early, or did you want to cash in your raincheck now?" Allison asked looking up at the profiler. She was completely unaware of the presence of Kate behind her as she spoke.
Cass shifted nervously in the young woman’s arms, looking back at Kate with an uneasiness that made her feel very vulnerable. She slowly released Allison and turned her to see Kate standing there watching them.
Allison stopped and blushed, not expecting the new audience for her display of affection and she cleared her throat before continuing her babbling. "I see you brought a friend. Ummm, hello, I’m Allison McDaniels," she supplied, extending her hand to Kate.
At least she had the decency to blush, Kate thought as she extended her hand to Allison. She shook Allison’s hand while introducing herself , "Hello Allison. I’m Detective Kate Reese, of ISP, Criminal investigations unit". She deliberately dropped her title to see if Allison gave any sign of recognition to her department.
Allison looked confused, then almost scared as she looked back to Cass, who said nothing. Allison feared that Cass had gone back on her word and had brought an investigator to talk to her about filing a complaint against Bryce. She was ready to ask Cass what was going on, when Cass began to speak.
"Allison, Kate is a friend of mine. She is working on the case I’m here to consult on. We need to talk to you and Kate needs to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?"
Allison looked utterly dumbfounded. What do I have to do with a case that Cass is consulting on? And why is this woman here? How long have she and Cass known each other? How good "friends" are they?
Cass took Allison’s arm and steered her gently toward the house. Kate followed behind them at a slower pace. As they walked Cass explained to Allison what was going on. "As it turns out, you are sort of involved in the case I’m here to consult on." Before she could finish Allison spoke up abruptly stopping the profiler in her tracks.
"What do you mean, I’m ‘sort of involved’ in the case you are here to consult on "?
"Allison, can we go inside and discuss this please?" Cass pleaded.
"NO! I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on. You work on violent crimes right," Allison asked?
"Yes, I do." Cass supplied.
"Then what the hell does that have to do with me? Have one of the kids I was caseworking on been killed or hurt?" She asked, suddenly fearing the worst for a client she wasn’t there for anymore. She looked at Cass then to Kate expecting to hear that she had let one of the children down.
"It’s about Bryce, Allison," Kate supplied, "we need to go inside, sit down and discuss this matter. Now.
When Kate put her foot down, even gently, it was made clear that she was done playing and the niceties were over. Allison slowly nodded her head and unlocked the door, Cass held it open for her to enter, then for Kate to follow.
Once inside, Cass ushered Allison to the couch and gently directed her to sit. A sudden quietness had enveloped her and she was trembling slightly. Kate took the chair opposite the couch and waited until Cass seated herself next to Allison before beginning.
For Allison fear had kicked in once she heard the mention of Bryce’s name. She was suddenly wary of this detective and what she wanted from her. She was scared that Bryce had sent her on a mission to find out where she was and what her weaknesses were. How long would this last? Would he ever stop chasing her and just let her get on with her life?
Kate began the interview in the same tone she had ushered Allison into the house with. "Allison, when was the last time you saw Bryce?"
Allison looked at Kate for a moment, not quite sure whether or not to trust this woman. She looked at Cass, who nodded and squeezed her hand gently; taking a deep breath she began. "I saw Bryce about three months ago. It was before I moved here. He came into my office in Springfield and made a scene about the divorce papers. I haven’t seen him since. The last time I talked to him was about two weeks ago, give or take a day or two."
"So you haven’t had any physical contact with him since three months ago?" Kate asked.
"No, none. He called me here on a regular basis, but like I said, he hasn’t called for about two weeks. What does this have to do with violent crimes? Did Bryce hurt somebody else?" Allison asked the question almost as if she felt responsible for someone else Bryce would have hurt.
Kate saw this as an opportunity to delve a little further into the rumor mill. If what she’d heard about Bryce being a wife beater, they were going to be hard pressed to find a suspect as likely as Allison. But she had to know the whole story. "What do you mean by ‘hurt someone else’ Allison"?
Allison blinked at Kate as if she couldn’t believe the questioning. "Just what I said. Did Bryce hurt someone else?" She restated.
"Allison, did Bryce hurt you?" Kate asked, a little more bluntly than she wanted, but it would have to do.
"Look, Detective Reese. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. If you’re familiar with Bryce at all, I’m sure you think that I’m an estranged wife trying to take my husband for all he’s worth. I know how the "Blue Wall" is in the police department. But just for the record, my husband beat me on a regular basis and I’m not trying to get anything from him. I just want away from him and for him to leave me alone. I signed over the house, I didn’t want spousal support. I just wanted away from him. He signed the divorce papers two weeks ago and I’m hoping I don’t have to see him again. I just want him out of my life." She finished almost angrily. As she turned to Cass and saw the look of support, she lost her fire. "I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be angry with you. I’m just so afraid he won’t ever leave me alone. I’m afraid every time I go out, whenever I come home. I never know when he will show up, or what he’ll do if he does. He knows where I am right now, and I’m just a little worried about that." Allison finished softly, looking down at the floor. Her eyes tearing, she stifled a sob and excused herself for a moment. As she ran to the bathroom, Cass got up to follow her, but was stopped by Kate’s hand on her arm.
"Let her go Cass. She’s gonna need you, but not right now." She said sympathetically.
"You could’ve been a little more tactful there, Kate," Cass said softly.
"I wanted a reaction out of her. This was not the one I expected. I’m sorry for that." Kate said looking Cass directly in the eye.
"Well you got a reaction all right. This is just gonna get worse from here on out. She doesn’t know he’s dead Kate. She doesn’t have a clue. She’s still talking about the guy in the present tense for Christ’s sake!" Cass was angry at Kate for pushing. Her logic told her that she should understand this need for reaction, should be studying it to see if she truly was a suspect. But she couldn’t get past the fact that Allison was a victim of Bryce McDaniels’. Cass was glad someone had killed the jerk. She believed that Allison didn’t do it.
Allison sat in the bathroom on the edge of the bathtub rocking back and forth while she hugged her arms tightly to herself. Why won’t he just leave me alone? I’m not doing anything to him. I’m not taking money from him, I gave him the house. I just want to be left alone. I want to start my life over and be with someone who loves me for me, not for a punching bag. As Allison thought about starting her life over, and of finding someone to love she immediately pictured the azure eyes in the next room. Suddenly missing the contact of the beautiful profiler, she got up to return to the questioning from Detective Reese. As she opened the door a slightly, she stilled hearing their voices in a heated conversation. What were they arguing about? As she opened the door further, she heard Cass tell Detective Reese that she didn’t even know that he’s dead. Who’s dead? She opened the door the rest of the way and charged into the room. "I don’t know who’s dead? And What about the present tense?" she demanded.
Cass and Kate looked at her stunned, they had no idea how much of the conversation she’d heard. Kate looked at Cass, then back to Allison.
"What are you talking about?" turning to Cass, she asked "Cass?"
Cass looked back at Kate, who said nothing. It was clear she had no intention of telling Allison what she’d just overheard. Just tell her and be done with it, Cass. Just tell her. Cass took Allison’s hands in hers and looked down at the angry young woman. "Allison, sit down with me, and I’ll……."
"No. Tell me what is going on, Cass. Now. I’m not liking this one bit and I’m not setting down until you tell me what the hell is going on." Allison put her foot down hard and was about to see that it landed in a big pile of madness, that centered around her.
Cass decided to obey the command from id. She took Allison by the upper arms and planted her feet squarely in front of the young woman. "Allison, Bryce is dead. He was found murdered in his home three days ago." She shook the girl gently with the final words, letting them sink in.
Allison suddenly felt like the world tilted. Bryce is dead? How did that happen? What did she say about three days ago? He was murdered??? She suddenly felt weak in the knees and was glad that Cass was holding her arms. She allowed herself to be led back to the couch, where Cass sat with her, still holding her arms. She took several gulps of air, suddenly feeling nauseated. As she shook her head and concentrated on breathing, she could feel the warmth of Cass’ hand on her back as she leaned forward on the couch. "Somebody killed him?" she asked incredously. She looked to Cass then to Kate for more information.
"Yes, Allison, someone killed him in his home.
Part 4
For disclaimers see part 1, thank you for reading!!!!!. RW.
Allison sat on the couch, head in her hands, slowly concentrating on just breathing. Her breaths became quicker and it was soon obvious to her that her lunch was not going to stay. As her nausea increased, she ran to the bathroom again and this time made no attempt to close the door. The thought of someone she had once cared about being murdered in her home. Her home. That was where he was killed. The thought continued as she finished expelling the contents of her lunch.
As Allison retched, Cass looked at Kate with a look of sympathy and anger mixed. "Well, I don’t think you need me to interpret that response, Kate."
"No, I don’t. But in my defense, I needed to see what her response was. I don’t think she knew about this, Cass. Is that what you wanted to hear? Okay, I don’t think she knew. I still have to rule her out as a suspect." Kate replied evenly.
" I know, but I don’t like where this is going. We need to open this case and get a profile going. I don’t think that Allison is going to fit that profile." Cass stated it matter-of-factly, but Kate got the impression she was going to be in for one hell of a ride on this case.
"Okay, Cass. What do you want to do now," she asked?
"I want you to finish up what can’t wait until tomorrow now. Then I’ll send you back to Springfield and get all the information you have so far on this case. I want the chromatography done on the samples from the coroner’s office. I want a list of suspects and motives, and any other information you guys have on Bryce." Cass was going to be as meticulous as possible on this case.
"Okay. They were working on the exhumation this afternoon; I’m sure it’s done by now. I’ll head back to Springfield and we’ll take a look at everything in the morning. Are you going to want to go back to the house?" Kate was making an inventory of what would need to be done in the next few days.
"Actually, I probably will want to go back. I don’t know for sure, but we’ll need to see if the things I told you to take from the house hold any clues. If they do, the house may need more than a quick look," Cass finished.
"Okay, you want to go check on her, or should I?" Kate asked watching the young woman sitting on the side of the tub.
"I’ll go in and see if she’s up to a few more questions." Getting up from the couch, Cass walked slowly to the bathroom.
Allison saw Cass in her peripheral vision, but didn’t look up to meet her eyes as she entered the cubicle. Instead, she sat and slowly wrung a handtowel back and forth in her hands. She had washed her face, brushed her teeth, and was feeling a little less queasy as Cass sat down on the closed toilet across from her.
"How are you doing?" She asked the young woman.
Allison laughed a low harsh laugh. "Let’s see, I had a near death experience yesterday, met the most incredible person I’ve ever met in my life. Ummm, she shows up on my doorstep today and tells me my ex-husband is dead. Brings this detective with her to tell me I’m a suspect in his death. And to top it all off, I just puked my socks up in front of them both! All in all, I’d say I’m doing pretty crappy right now, Cass. Pretty damn crappy."
Cass took Allison’s hands in hers, marveling at how they felt so soft and warm in hers. Cass placed her hand under Allison’s chin slowly bringing it up to look in her eyes. Allison’s eyes held nothing but fear, anger, and the still lingering humility of being sick in front of her. Cass smiled at her while holding her eyes with her own, "I know you are doing pretty crappy right now. I know how hard all of this is; I just came to see if I could help."
Allison sighed, and fresh tears began falling down her face. She took a deep shaky breath and let it out slowly, trying to control the emotions rolling in her right now. "Would you just hold me for a minute, Cass, please?"
Allison spoke so softly Cass barely heard the request. She was instantly on her knees in front of Allison pulling her into her arms. She heard Allison stifle a sob as she clung to Cass. Sighing softly, she pulled the younger woman closer, "Anything you need Allison, anything."
Allison clung to Cass tightly, feeling the warmth of Cass’ skin through the silk shirt she wore. She smelled the cologne and the mixture of jasmine and leather that she had noticed yesterday as well. It was a heavenly feeling. Suddenly, things didn’t seem quite so out of control for her. Allison felt safe and protected. Somewhere deep inside her a voice told her things would be fine as long as Cass was there. She had had a relationship with another woman in college that she had chalked up to curiosity. She was attracted to the woman, they had fun, and it had been a good relationship. When she met Bryce, his response was, "Okay, so you tried something different." He had never spoken of it after she told him. Now sitting in her bathroom in Cass’ arms, being with a woman felt much different than just curiosity or a mild attraction. This was a sense of coming home. She felt as if she belonged in Cass’ arms. Like she’d been there before. It was an odd and wonderful sensation of déjà vu for her. Sighing again, she nuzzled in as close as she could in Cass’ arms.
Cass noticed Allison’s sobbing had subsided and she had calmed. She was enjoying the closeness so much she hated to ask Allison if she was ready to face Kate again. It felt so good to hold her close. As she quietly indulged herself in the feeling of peace that came with holding Allison. It was the same feeling she had had yesterday after the accident and then again last night. As she continued gently rubbing circles on Allison’s back, id took the opportunity to speak. Does anyone else feel this weird déjà vu thingy? Or is it just me? I mean, don’t get me wrong Cass, I love the feel of this woman in our arms. But this is just a little weird, even for us.
Shut up id, just shut up. Cass thought to herself. She was enjoying holding Allison so much she didn’t hear Kate approach until she cleared her throat softly. "Cass, Allison, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need to finish up here and get back to Springfield."
Allison startled and jumped away from Cass. Cass slowly stood and offered her hand down to Allison, "Are you okay enough to finish up what Kate needs tonight?"
Taking the offered hand, Allison nodded slowly. She was amazed that Cass hadn’t been the one to break the contact. She made a mental note to ask her about it later, when Kate was gone. Not trusting her voice yet, she followed Cass out of the bathroom and back to the living room.
They settled back on the couch, Cass’ hand never leaving Allison’s. The younger woman reveling in the feeling of security brought on by just a simple touch. She hadn’t had that feeling for such a long time, that she wasn’t sure it was even real. She silently said a quick prayer of thanks to whatever God had put Cass Martin in her life for at this very moment.
Kate settled herself back on the chair, her brown eyes surveying Allison quietly. "Allison, I know this is hard for you, but I need to ask you a few more questions. Are you up to that right now?"
"I’ll try to answer whatever questions you have, detective," Allison answered. She felt Cass squeeze her hand and squeezed back in response. She felt herself starting to relax as Kate began.
"We know that Bryce was killed in his home, about four days ago. I need to know where you were at that time." Kate’s tone wasn’t accusatory, just matter-of-fact.
"That would have been on Monday. I was at work during the day, I went on three house visits, and had a court case in Marion County. I was home that night by six, I think." Allison replied.
"Did you talk to anyone on the phone? Did you go to dinner with anyone? Did anyone see you that night?" Kate was grabbing for an alibi that she had a funny feeling wasn’t going to be there this time.
"No, I talked to my sister in Kansas City on the phone, ummmmm Sunday night. But I don’t remember talking to anyone on Monday. It was a long day. I came home, made supper, took a bath and went to bed. I did make some notes on a house visit I did." Try as she might Allison couldn’t think of a soul she had talked to on Monday night. That was the night of or night before Bryce’s murder.
Try as she might to come up with a question to help with an alibi, the only thing that came to Cass’ mind was Allison in a tub full of hot soapy water. Holy shit Cass! She needs you here right now, but not with those thoughts. How long’s it been since you got laid? Telling id to shut up again, Cass finished her indecent thought and slowly brought her mind back to the matter at hand. "Did you talk to a friend, co-worker, neighbor, anyone that can place you here on Monday night Allison?"
"I don’t remember talking to anyone. You can check the phone log, I really don’t think I talked to anyone. I don’t know many people here and I talked to my supervisor about my court case before I went home. That was about five thirty." Allison replied.
"Okay, what about anyone else who may have had a reason to kill Bryce? Do you know of anyone he might have argued with recently?" Kate asked.
"Detective, I have been away from Springfield for two months. I’ve been away from Bryce for about four months. It took a lot to leave him. I wasn’t privy to any information about work and the only family he has is a sister in Chicago and his parents. I didn’t know about anything from his work, and his personal life was pretty much a wreck after I left him. I know he drank a lot; most of the time when he called or harassed me, he was drunk." Allison’s voice was slightly shaky as she finished.
"What about gambling? Any other bad habits like that?" Kate asked.
"I don’t know if he gambled. Like I said, I don’t know what went on in his life. If I asked about things, I got hit. I kept my mouth shut and didn't say anything or ask any questions." Her voice shook a little more and she felt Cass’ hand leave hers to go to her back. She could feel the heat of her hand as she drew slow circles on her back. It was a simple gesture to help reassure and comfort, and it was working wonders on Allison’s nerves. I’ll have to ask her how she does that too, she thought to herself.
"What about money? Did he owe anyone money? Do you know who his benefactor was for his life insurance policy?" Kate hated to ask that, but money was often a strong motive for killing someone.
"I signed the house over to him totally when I left. He had paid most of the mortgage off on it. I don’t know who else he might have owed money to. We had a couple of credit cards. I took one account I think he had two others. There was a gas card. I really don’t know. He drove a car that was issued from work; mine was paid for. As of a benefactor, I know I was his benefactor until we were divorced, then he probably changed it over. I really don’t know. He did have a supplemental policy, but that was for accidents."
"I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m going to have to check on the financial situation he was in. I’m also going to have to take a close look at your finances." Kate was sincere and polite about the intrusion into Allison’s life. Sometimes her job sucked and this was one of those times. She was about to take Allison’s life and put it under a microscope.
Allison could only nod in response to what Kate had told her. She felt slight anger toward having her life picked apart by the police department, but she knew it was going to have to happen. If she was to be cleared of being a suspect in Bryce’s death, then it would be worth it.
"Okay, Allison. I’m going to head out. If I have any more questions, can I call you?" Kate asked.
"Umm, yeah that’s fine. If you need account information or anything else, just let me know. I’d appreciate it if you could do this discretely. My job may not embrace a murder investigation with open arms. But I’ll provide any information I can." Allison finished.
"Fair enough Allison. I’m sorry about all of this. I’m also sorry about Bryce." Kate stated sincerely as she shook Allison’s hand. Allison returned the gesture nodding to Kate’s last statement. "Cass? Walk me out?"
Cass rose slowly, looking down at Allison as she let go of her hand she said quietly, "I’ll be right back, okay?"
Allison only nodded in response as Cass followed Kate out the door.
Once outside, Kate and Cass walked in silence until they reached Kate’s car. The night air was warm and it felt good to be outside. She turned to look up at Cass who still hadn’t said anything. "Well, I guess you’re not coming back to Springfield tonight, huh?"
"No, Kate, I’m not," Cass replied.
"Okay, just checking. I think she needs someone here anyway. So what do you think?" she fished.
"I think she didn’t have anything to do with this. I also think that she’s gonna be screwed because she doesn’t have an alibi. Although I can’t imagine why you plan to have someone killed, or kill them yourself, and not set up an alibi. She has nothing here," Cass said.
"I thought the same thing. She’s been away from him a long time. If he signed the divorce papers, and she gave up the house, what was to gain from killing him?" Kate thought aloud.
"I don’t think there was any gain for her. If it was proved to be murder, the insurance wouldn’t pay off anyway. Although, someone went to great lengths to make this look like an accidental death. Not even making it look like a suicide mind you," Cass added.
"I thought of that too, Cass. I’m gonna start picking both of their lives apart tomorrow morning. I hope she is ready for what’s coming Cass. I don’t think this is gonna be a cake walk." Kate finished the sentence with emphasis on the middle portion. She knew Allison was going to need some serious moral support. Maybe even more than Cass could provide. " Does she have any other family besides the sister, Cass"?
Cass suddenly realized that there was a lot more she needed to know about Allison. She had no idea if she had other family or friends that were close to her. "I don’t know, Kate. I’m gonna have to find out if there is anyone else in her life. She may need more help than I’ll be good for."
"Cass, look I’m sorry to be a skeptic here, but you know if this goes to trial, we are gonna look really bad. The profiler for the case sleeping with the suspect," Kate began only to be cut off by Cass. "I’m not sleeping with her Kate. It was ……"
"Yet. Cass. Yet." I know where this is going. I saw the way you looked at her, and the way she looks at you. She’s falling Cass, and hard. Keep that in mind, Okay?" Kate finished.
"You always were good at being the "devil’s advocate" weren’t you?" Cass replied.
"Look, it’s my job. If this turns out to be another Sara, we’re finished. My career, your career…..the whole damn…."
"She’s not another Sara. You can tell that. You saw her response. Sara was always interested in the cases. Allison is sickened by the thought….." Cass was pleading with Kate now.
"I know. I’m just saying we need a back up plan. Just in case. We need another profiler to back this up. If this goes to trial, with your history and the previous case, we’re in serious trouble here Cass. We are walking on some seriously thin ice here." Kate said.
"Okay, I’ll call the office and tell them to send another profiler in here. Will that make you happy?" Cass asked in exasperation.
"No, I want you to do the original profile. I want you on this case. I also want a second profiler to review the case when you’re done, just to make sure we have the same opinions. I think we will. But if we don’t cover that base, Allison could be looking at the death penalty because we didn’t cover it. Is that what you want, Cass?"
Sometimes Kate’s logic amazed even Kate. As she and Cass both realized that they were talking about the murder of a state trooper. That meant the death penalty in Illinois. As the realization hit Cass, she suddenly became aware of just how right Kate was.
"Okay, Kate. You’re right. I’ll do it your way. For Allison’s sake." Cass sighed.
"Thank you. Look I’m going to get home. Go back to Allison, I’ll see you tomorrow. It’s Saturday, so task force won’t meet unless we call an emergency meeting. You want me to do that?"
"No, not yet. See what you can do about the lab tests. I’m going to go over the photos of the crime scene again. There is something there that I’m not seeing. I’ll look again tomorrow."
"Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow when you get to town. No hurry, I’ll be in my office if you need me. If not have them page me. Okay?" Kate finished as she opened her car door.
"Okay, thanks Kate." Cass stated.
"Hey, no problem. Besides, I like this girl. She makes you smile, and I don’t get the willies when I’m around her like I did with Sara."
Cass groaned and shut Kate’s door for her. She watched as Kate maneuvered the car out of the parking area and turned out onto the now darkened street. Turning to go back into the apartment, Cass smiled to herself at Kate’s confession. She liked Allison too. A whole lot.
Upon reentering the apartment, Cass found Allison still sitting on the couch. She looked tired and still a little pale. She looked up at Cass and smiled weakly. "Hell of a day, huh?"
Cass gave her a sympathetic smile. It wasn’t every day you had a near-death experience, then found out your ex-husband was murdered and you were a suspect. She had to give Allison credit, she was holding up a lot better than most people would. Looking down at the younger woman, she nodded, "Yeah. How you holding up?"
"Actually, I think a lot better since you’re here. Thank you for earlier and for being here now. I really needed that." Allison said as she reached up to squeeze Cass’ hand.
Cass returned the gesture. She moved to sit down next to Allison on the couch, as she did, the younger woman shifted to face her. "It was my pleasure Allison. I’m glad I could be here for you. I do think we need to talk about a few things though."
"Actually, I was just thinking the same thing. I just don’t want to feel like I’m being analyzed right now. You know?" Allison replied.
"I don’t want to analyze you Allison. I want to talk to you, get to know you. I had this weird feeling of déjà vu in the bathroom earlier and just wanted to talk about it. Is that okay?" Cass explained.
Allison looked at Cass increduously, "You had it too?"
"Had what?" Cass asked cautiously. Hoping they were talking about the same thing.
"That feeling when you held me earlier. Like I’d been there before, but knowing I hadn’t?"
"Actually, I did. I kept thinking how right it felt to hold you. How it felt like I’d been doing it for years. It was really a weird feeling. Good. But weird," Cass supplied.
"I just felt safe and I heard this little voice saying that it would be okay as long as you were here with me. It didn’t scare me, I just felt safe for the first time in a long time." Allison said softly.
"Allison, I felt it too. I don’t know what it was or if it was even my imagination. But I need to tell you a few things before we decide how we are going to procede." Cass stated cautiously.
Oh god, she’s married. Allison immediately assumed the worst. With the way her luck had been lately, it would seem fitting that a woman she thought she was falling in love with would be married. Good grief gerdy! Give the woman a chance to explain before you jump to any conclusions Ally. Clearing her throat, she looked back up to Cass, "Okay."
Cass wasn’t sure how much to tell Allison about Sara. That would probably scare her all the way to Chicago. So she decided to test the water a little bit first. "First of all, I’m gay." Cass made the statement like it was a weapon of choice to scare off potential friends. She waited patiently for it to sink in and then expected Allison to run screaming to her room.
"Okay. Is that all?" Allison asked.
"Allison, I just told you I’m gay. Doesn’t that bother you at all?" Cass asked.
Allison almost smiled at Cass, but was afraid of offending her. So instead she replied, "No, my ex-girl friend from college was gay. She was pretty cool to hang out with. Why would it bother me?"
Now it was Cass’ turn to be surprised. "Your ex-girlfriend?"
"Yes, I had a relationship with a woman in college who was gay. I just happened to meet Bryce after she and I split up, and I ended up falling in love with him." Allison finished the sentence a little more softly, remembering a time when she truly did love him. She looked down at her hands trying not to think about the fact that he was dead.
"Look Allison, maybe we shouldn’t talk about this now. I now you can’t help how you felt about Bryce and I know I have an opinion but mine is based solely on knowing you," Cass said.
"No, I did love him at one time. But I stopped loving him when he started hitting me. I can’t bring myself to hate him. I never could. I don’t have the capacity for rational hate. I just feel guilty about feeling safe because I know he’s dead. The feelings I had for Bryce died a long time ago Cass. I’ve been trying to start my life over for the past four or five months. It’s just been hard. I wanted to meet someone new. And I desperately hoped to fall in love again." Allison finished the statement while looking directly into Cass’ eyes.
"I know you loved him, and that you stopped. I also don’t think you should feel guilty about feeling safe now that you know he’s dead. You’ve done well at starting your life over on your own. And I hope you do fall in love again Allison. I hope that person is everything you deserve in life." Cass said as she searched the verdent depths.
Allison closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly, allowing her lips to part just a bit. As Cass leaned forward closing her eyes as well, she brought her head down slowly toward Allison’s lips. Seeking the warmth and softness she knew was there.
As she leaned in further; the ringing of the telephone startled her. She jumped off the couch as if she’d been hit with a cattle prod, leaving a dazed Allison sitting on the couch. As Allison looked up in confusion at Cass, Cass stood looking at the phone as if it were going to take flight from the table.
"Aren’t you going to get that?" Cass asked.
"I guess I am. I wasn’t going to though. Just so you know." Allison replied huskily as she brushed past Cass to get the phone. She answered the phone, and began talking to someone she obviously knew. Cass took the opportunity to regroup.
Ummmm, Cass??? What the hell was that? You get an opportunity to kiss her and you get spooked by a telephone? Are you nuts? Id ranted. "Not yet, but I’m getting there," she said under her breath. She had wanted to kiss Allison so badly. She was almost there. Oh god, how long has it been since I kissed another woman? It’s been five years, six months, ten days and ummm about forty two min…. "Shut up id!!!! Shut the hell up!!! I know it’s been a while. I don’t even know if I remember how to do this." Cass, it’s kissing. She isn’t gonna bite you. Well, if you ask her nicely, she might. He he he. "Shut up!" What? You want me to not tell you that this is gonna be fine. It’s like falling off a log Cass. Piece of ass, I mean cake, cake Cass. "That’s it, I’m done listening to you. I’m done. Shut up." What? You need pointers here? Okay, you take her in your arms, you look deep into her eyes, you… "Shut up id! I mean it. Shut the hell up!" She’s willing to try this with you, that says something, hell she practically initiated it. Take her offer Cass. Jesus, you run away like a scared rabbit and she is going to think you don’t want her. "That’s just it, I do want her. I just don’t want her to think I’m taking advantage of her at a low point in her life." Okay, she’s at a low point, you could get to a low point too, Cass. You could take advantage of each other? How about that? "No! I don’t want that id. I want her to want me for more than a one-night stand because she’s lonely and vulnerable. You know?" I’ll make sure you still respect her in the morning, how about that? "You’re a pig sometimes," Cass thought to herself. Turning to look at Allison’s backside as she talked on the phone her eyes immediately drifted Allison’s bottom. She looked on appreciatively up until she heard id chime in. Oink, Oink Cass. Takes one to know one. Cass turned away from Allison again to face the opposite wall. "Okay id, that’s it, not another word out of you. Not one."
Cass continued to berate herself and id right up until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Allison standing there smiling at her. As Cass opened her mouth to speak, she was silenced by Allison’s fingers on her lips. Allison smiled up at her and stood on her tiptoes lightly brushing her lips across Cass’. She pulled back slightly smiled again and returned her lips to their previous mark. This time with a little more pressure, she softly kissed Cass.
Cass moaned softly and put her arms around Allison’s waist pulling her closer to her. Allison’s hands went up to the back of her neck and she felt Cass shudder in response. Cass lowered her head allowing Allison’s feet to return flush with the floor. As she settled in her stance, she pulled Cass closer to her.
Oh gods, this is what you were scared of? Cass immediately shut out any input from id as she slowly traced her tongue along Allison’s lips, asking for entrance. Allison complied immediately parting her lips to allow Cass entrance to her mouth. This time the moan was hers and was swallowed by Cass as she deepened the kiss.
Allison’s stomach began doing somersaults as the kiss continued. Never had a kiss made her feel so wanted. She’d been kissed before, but no one had ever had this affect on her. It was being on a roller coaster and not moving. It was an exhilarating feeling. As she pulled Cass closer yet, she felt the other woman’s hands as they began roaming her back. Moaning again, she leaned into Cass and let her explore.
Cass couldn’t believe the sensations that kissing Allison invoked in her. She thought the butterflies were bad just thinking about kissing Allison, the real thing started up a whole new batch of butterflies and they were quickly scattering about her body. She felt the shudder that started in the middle of her back and it traveled downward and around to her stomach where it quickly proceded downward even further. Oh god, Cass. You need this woman, NOW! With the realization that if she didn’t stop this kiss, it was going to lead to something much more serious, Cass slowly pulled back. Effectively breaking the kiss. Her breathing was quite labored and she pulled Allison into a hug, holding her close as she tried to regain her composure.
Allison was equally overpowered by the feelings of the kiss. Her head was swimming and her body was screaming at the broken contact. As she buried her face in Cass’ chest she struggled with her body to regain control of her desires. She felt a tremor go through her body and realized that she was shaking. Being in the arms of a goddess has some serious side effects, Ally. She thought wryly. I wonder if you can overdose on this? Smiling to herself she continued to tremble slightly as she snuggled closer into Cass’ arms.
We’re in deep shit here, Cass. Id said as she held the younger woman close. "No shit Dick Tracey" she replied to id. She took another deep slow breath as she continued letting her hands roam over Allison’s back.
Allison took a shaky breath and looked up at Cass. Staring into the azure pools the only thing that came to her mind was, "Wow".
"Wow, huh? I umm was just thinking the same thing." Cass replied. She lowered her head again and gently brushed her lips against Allison’s once more. As she pulled back the second time, she smiled, "Thank you".
Allison looked truly confused, "For what?"
"For doing what I was afraid to do. I’ve wanted to do that since yesterday and just couldn’t get up the nerve to do it." Cass conceded.
Allison smiled as she backed out of Cass’ arms. She walked over to the telephone and turned the ringer back on. Cass looked shocked and bewildered and Allison had to smile at her. "I was afraid if it rang again you’d be halfway to Nashville before I got to finish what I started."
With that Cass laughed and blushed at the same time. "I guess I was a little jumpy, huh?"
"Yes, you were," Allison said as she walked back to Cass. Placing her arms back around the profiler’s neck she kissed the area on her neck where her shirt was open. Cass gasped as she put her arms back around Allison’s waist. "I promise I won’t bite you, Cass. Unless you want me to, that is?" She purred into Cass’ neck.
See I told you so, Cass. I told you so. I told you so. Id sang. "Shut up id" Cass thought as she lowered her head and captured Allison’s lips again.
Allison immediately resigned herself to her fate of being prisoner to Cass Martin’s lips. She liked the thought of it. Very Very much. Returning the kiss, Allison once again had that feeling of coming home. A feeling of acceptance and love that she felt would only come from Cass. She reveled in that feeling and her senses reeled as she returned the kiss with more fervor. As they stood kissing in her living room, Allison began thinking that she wanted much more of Cass Martin and hoped she was worthy of what she wanted. She had many things to talk about with Cass and it was going to be a long bumpy road in front of them. But standing in the profiler’s arms and kissing her like this made it all seem like a walk in the park.
Part 5
An hour later the two were on the couch talking. Cass had reclined against the back and sidearm of the couch and Allison was curled on her side half-laying on Cass. The feeling of comfort and intimacy that came with just holding each other was overwhelming. Allison had never felt so loved or protected. She reveled in the feeling of security and wanted more of these new sensations. Truth be told, she wanted to lay in Cass’ arms forever. She nuzzled her head closer on Cass’ shoulder, her hand making lazy small circles on Cass’ midsection. She loved the feel of the profiler’s heat from below the shirt she wore. She wondered if the skin there was as soft as the silk she was feeling now.
"What are you thinking about?" Allison heard Cass ask. The sound reverberated under her ear and almost made her shiver. She smiled.
"I was just thinking how wonderful and safe it feels to be held by you," Allison replied softly.
Cass drew a deep breath and sighed contentedly. It felt so good to hold her close. She lowered her head and softly kissed the top of Allison’s head. Her hair smelled of her shampoo, a mild mixture of wild flowers in bloom. To Cass it was the most wonderful smell she had ever known. She slowly continued to inhale the scent as she lightly ran her hand up and down Allison’s arm. "I’m glad," she said finally, "because I was just thinking the same thing about how it felt to hold you. It feels wonderful."
"Are you going to stay on the case, Cass?"
Upon hearing the question, Cass slowly pulled back and pushed Allison up to face her. Looking into deep green eyes, she knew she couldn’t stay away from Allison if her life depended on it. "Do you want me to stay on the case?" she asked.
"I want you to stay period." Allison said firmly, "But I also know this is going to be a conflict of interest if you and I are involved."
"Kate and I talked about it before she left," Cass said. Seeing the look of confusion on the younger woman’s face, she smiled. "Kate knows about me. She knows I have feelings for you. She’s a good cop and good friend. She wants us to have our bases covered. She wants me on the case, but she also wants to bring in another profiler to do the review. That way, if a conflict of interest arrives, we have covered our asses, so to speak."
"So she knows." It wasn’t a question.
"Yes, she does. I’ve known her for years. She knows about my preferences, and doesn’t have a problem with it unless it interferes with a case," Cass replied.
An odd thought occurred to Allison when Cass said the last statement. Slowly she repeated it as a question. "Unless it interferes with a case?"
Okay, time to put up or shut up. Cass came to the realization that she was going to have to be honest with Allison about Sara if she was ever going to have a relationship with her. That meant everything. "It interfered with a case about six or seven years ago, Allison," Cass began.
Allison shifted slightly so she could see the profiler, then she settled in as a child waiting for a bedtime story.
"I was working a case in New Orleans, the Bon Vista murders, about eight years ago. I’d been out of training for about a year. I had just finished grad school. The first case had been in LaFayette about a month earlier. A man had been killed in the height of passion, the death was with a knife and it was quite brutal. After examining the evidence of the first case and comparing it to the second, we knew it was the same killer. We also knew the killer was a woman." Cass emphasized the woman part. "It was not unheard of to have a female serial killer, but it was certainly rare. I was excited to have a hand at the case. It wasn’t very often that you got to work a case like this." Cass shifted toward Allison as the story continued.
Cass and Kate had been working three days straight on the second murder when the third one occurred. They were at the police headquarters in New Orleans when they got the call. They had investigated the third murder and forensics had determined the same M. O. that the previous two had. After gathering evidence and looking at crime scenes, Kate and Cass had concurred that their killer was a woman, was in her late twenties, had an intense hatred of men, had a good education, and that she was very clever.
They had no idea just how clever she would prove to be.
After a week on the case, Cass returned to DC to talk to some contacts. Kate had stayed behind to finish up with interrogations. They had no suspects, no motives, no nothing, except for three business men that were dead, obviously in the throws of passion. Cass had talked to several colleagues from school looking for an angle on the case. One professor simply told her, there really isn’t one. The killler simply liked to kill men. It could be she was scorned, they were old lovers, they could just have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Cass was confused by how this killer worked. She was obviously clever. All of the men had been killed while engaging in sex, all had been married, and all had been out of town men on business. Apparently she was picking up men and killing them. As for physical features, the men were very different. There had been no prints left or no evidence of struggles. One had been tied up, but they had assumed from the other two men, that it was a fantasy the man had. No struggles; just violent deaths. The first cut had been meant to kill, and did. The rest were just anger being let out.
After returning to New Orleans, Cass was at a local hotel bar having lunch when a woman approached her. The woman was beautiful. She was about five nine, well built and trim. She had grey eyes and auburn hair cut short to frame a petite face. She was simply beautiful. Cas was awestruck. She did her best not to outright stare at the woman. After a minute, the woman went to the bar and Cass returned to her meal. A few minutes later her waitress approached with a drink for Cass. Cass looked up at the woman, confused. "I didn’t order this." The waitress smiled at her and said, "It’s from the lady at the bar as a thank you." Cass looked even more confused, "A thank you for what?" The waitress then giggled and said, "For being so beautiful, she said it made her day".
With that Cass smiled and took the drink, offering a cheers to the woman sitting at the bar. The woman acknowledged with a tilt of her own glass. After her meal, Cass sat back enjoying her drink and looking for the beauty that had paid for it. She was no longer at the bar and Cass felt she had missed a golden opportunity. When she felt a warm hand on her shoulder she shuddered. The woman was at her side. "May I join you?" she asked. Cass merely nodded her head toward the chair next to her. As the woman sat down, Cass noticed the cut of the woman’s skirt up to the side of her thigh and almost groaned out loud. "I’m Sara Bon Vista, and you are?" the woman said as she extended her hand to Cass. Taking the offered hand in her own and shaking it, Cass introduced herself and said thanks for the drink. Sara smiled at her, "It’s not everyday a lady gets to look at something as beautiful as you. I just wanted to let you know I appreciate it."
Cass smiled as she blushed. She was very attracted to the woman. Very. Sara carried a sexual energy about her that made everyone notice her. It was as if she drew energy from being noticed. They began talking about jobs, education, and what each was doing in "The Big Easy". Sara was a corporate representative for a large communications company and traveled the country extensively on business. As they got to know each other, the conversation became more intimate and it was soon obvious that the two were very attracted to each other. Sara was fascinated by Cass’ job and wanted to know more about what she did. She asked numerous questions and Cass was all the willing to answer anything the woman asked. As the afternoon passed into evening, they had dinner at the bar and continued talking. They talked about politics, religion, and beauracracy at work. They talked about everything under the sun. At midnight, Cass decided she had to go; she had a meeting the next morning with the task force and needed some sleep. Sara asked her to dinner the following night and she agreed.
The next night at dinner, they talked more about the case Cass was working on. They had drinks and went to a local gay bar that had a dance floor. They danced most of the night away and ended up in Cass’ hotel room making love for hours. Cass couldn’t seem to get enough of the executive and vice versa. They spent every free moment Cass had away from the case together. It was soon obvious that Cass was in love.
She fell hard for Sara. When Sara left on business two weeks later, Cass was lost. There had not been anymore killings in New Orleans or the surrounding area. The case was left open and Cass returned to DC. After Cass returned to DC, she talked to Sara every night on the phone and it was soon obvious that neither of them were adjusting from being apart. So, Cass put in a transfer to New Orleans, but was put on delay listing. When she told Sara of her plans, she simply made a few phone calls and transferred to DC. Although she thought of getting her own apartment, Cass decided they should live together. Sara moved in with Cass and they began a routine of daily living. Cass had been to two more killings in other cities that had matched the M.O. of the New Orleans cases. For two years she tracked the killings, a total of fourteen of them in various cities throughout the country. It seemed their killer had a job that allowed her to travel and she was getting better at killing. It seemed to come easier to her with each kill. They had been called to St. Louis for a killing there and Sara was on vacation at the time. She had asked to go with Cass for the trip. Cass’ felt guilty about being away from Sara for such a long period of time that she decided to allow her to go with her. Kate was the only one that seemed put off by Sara. While in St. Louis, Cass had asked her about it. Kate had simply replied that Sara made her uncomfortable, but if Cass loved her, it hadn’t mattered. The two hadn’t spoken about it again until a killing occurred while they were in St. Louis.
The man that had been killed was a local, but he fit the M.O. A businessman, alone, killed in the throws of passion. He was also found at night, only a few hours after he was killed. That meant the kill took place during the day. Kate and Cass had been under a lot of pressure to find something more substantial for the case, but nothing was forthcoming. They had an emergency task meeting that night. Cass was to have dinner and go to a show with Sara that night, but instead, she took her to the meeting with her. Sara sat quietly in the corner while the meeting went on. "Look, we’re catching a lot of heat here gang! We’ve got thirteen dead men and no suspect what so ever. We have a profile and can’t find our suspect!" Kate was getting angrier by the minute. She had been working this case from day one and was now so frustrated she could barely think about anything else in life other than this case. "I need some ideas dammit, we’ve tried staking out areas, we’ve placed officers in hotel bars, conventions, pick up joints, every place you can imagine. This woman is not going to outsmart us dammit. I need something solid here!"
Cass sat calmly at the table and thought about what she had just heard. They had officers in every major city trying to get picked up by this woman, but to no avail, it had failed. In one city a man was picked up and killed in the same hotel they were staking out. It had been uncanny how close they had gotten without ever seeing or hearing anything. As she thought more about it, she began making notes on a pad in front of her. The other officers began tossing ideas around. Carl Benson had been on the case for only about six months. He was arrogant and cocky and loved to make his masculinity known. He often made digs at Cass about why a woman so beautiful was wasting time with other women. Cass often told him she didn’t like to play with boys and that he should just go play with himself.
That night he was feeling the stress of the situation as well. He looked over at Sara and saw an opportunity to vent some frustration. "Sara, what about you? You fit our profile, you’re beautiful, travel with your job, you’re smart, well except for your taste in women. Where were you this afternoon?" Carl sneered at her, he was trying to bait her and everyone in the room knew it. No one expected an answer from Sara, but she stood up and walked over to the man sitting at the table. Slowly she circled him trailing her hand along his shoulder. She bent and softly said next to his ear, "I have excellent taste in women, and if you people would get done with your ranting and raving, I could find out if my taste buds are still working as well as they were this morning." She purred. Cass could feel herself blush from her head all the way to her toes. Her face became flushed and she could feel the heat rising from her skin. Sara had never talked like that to anyone on the task force and it really made her uncomfortable for the rest of the group to know about her personal life. Carl coughed and shifted in his chair, his face also a slight shade of red. Kate dropped her head in her hands and called an end to the meeting.
They finished their work in St. Louis and went back to DC to continue their plight. Two weeks later, Carl Benson was found dead in his home, with the same M.O. that the others in the case file had. He was in the throws of passion and his throat had been slit. He was stabbed fifty two times. This was a more violent killing than any of the other victims had experienced. Cass and Kate were getting worried that if they didn’t stop the killer soon, the rampage was going to get worse. The killer had been trending to killing more frequently as of late. Cass had been seeing less of Sara as the case had heightened, and she seemed more distant. Occasionally she would stay up all night and work on things for the office instead of coming to bed to be with her. Sara became frustrated and told Cass she had to make a choice. It was either her or the job. Cass was frustrated as well. She didn’t know what to make of the case. Now that one of their own officers had been killed, it was more than just a case, it was personal. Cass told Sara she’d think about what she said as she walked out the door of the apartment they shared.
Not having anywhere else to go, Cass went to her office to look at some more case material. She was not surprised to find Kate there working. She approached Kate’s office door and knocked softly. Looking up from her files, she smiled at Cass in exhaustion. "Hey Cass, what you doing out?"
Cass smiled as she sat down in the chair across from Kate’s desk. "Nothing, just thought I’d do some case work s’all" she replied.
Kate, being Kate, never missed a beat. "You had a fight with Sara. You’re here because you didn’t have anywhere else to go after the fight."
Cass looked surprised. "How’d you know?"
Kate smiled again. "What do you think I did when Rick and I fought. I used to do all my work at home, then if we’d fight, I had no where else to go. So I came here."
Kate’s divorce had been hard on her and on the team, she had been moody and agitated and angry for a long time. The divorce had been the result of an ultimatum from her husband. You give up this job, or you go to divorce court with me. I can’t do this. She had chosen her job. She gave up on her marriage, but she was not going to give up on this case. Losing a member of her team made it personal to her as well.
"Sara gave me the same ultimatum tonight." Cass said simply.
"God, kid, I’m sorry. What are you going to do?" Kate asked.
"I don’t know. I don’t want to lose her, but this case is mine, it’s personal now. I can’t give that up. I hope I can talk her into giving me some time and…." She was cut off by Kate’s hand being held up. "You are not going to buy time for this case Cass. We have to talk about this anyway. I’ve been thinking. Do you know where she goes when she leaves town on business?" Kate’s tone was not accusatory, just matter-of-fact.
"What do you mean, Kate? Of course I know where she goes. She tells me where she goes." Cass became instantly defensive. "I love her."
With that Kate sighed, this wasn’t going to be easy. "I did some checking Cass."
"You checked on what, Kate? My girlfriend?" Cass asked angrily.
"Yes, I obtained the travel records from her company. Cass, she hasn’t been totally honest with you about where she goes on her business trips." Kate made the statement and waited for realization to kick in.
Instead of the realization she got more angry. "You did what? I can’t believe you would think…" she was again cut off by Kate, "I do think and I want you to listen. Goddammit, she’s not been honest with you. Aren’t you the slightest bit curious as to why?"
"No, I’m not!" Cass yelled, "I trust her".
"Well, look at the travel lists, compare them with what she told you and then tell me what you think, genius." Kate said throwing the file into Cass’ lap.
Cass’ anger got the better of her as she picked up the file, "Fine, I’ll look at this and I’ll be back to tell you how goddammed stupid you are! You’re grasping at straws now Kate! And you know it! She doesn’t have anything to hide." With that she turned and stormed out of Kate’s office and went down the hall toward her own.
As she flipped on the light, she threw the file folder angrily on her desk. She wouldn’t lie to me. She has no reason to lie to me. She sat down and opened the file, then shut it again, "This is stupid. I’m not going to do this." She sat for a few minutes looking at the manila surface and then opened it slowly. Kate had left notes next to the trips that Sara had signed off on. Next to each city and the dates were initials. As Cass looked further, she realized that the initials were those of men that were killed in those cities at the same time that Sara was there. She also realized that Sara had told Cass she was in other locations at the time. Sara always called her, so she had never had a reason not to trust her. What if she had called from Houston when she was indeed in Phoenix? Would Cass have known? The answer was staring her in the face as she looked at the phone log that her company was billed for. "Oh my god." Cass thought out loud. She continued to read and compare the dates of the killings with Sara’s travel log. All of the dates matched. There had been a killing in each of the cities she had been in. Cass had not even known she was in those cities. An epiphany finally hit her. Sara knew most of the officers on the task force. She knew where the stakeouts were, and she knew how to keep ahead of them because she was sleeping with an FBI agent. Carl had been killed as a revenge for his accusations. He had no idea how close he had been to the truth. As Cass looked at her profile of the killer, suddenly Sara fit that profile like a glove. Tears streamed down Cass’ face as she looked on through now blurring visions. She was sleeping with a serial killer. "What the hell was I thinking?" she asked out loud.
"You were thinking with your heart Cass," Kate said from the doorway, "it’s not a bad way to think, it just clouds our vision sometimes."
"How did you figure this out, Kate?" The question was asked with no anger, just defeat.
Kate walked into the office and looked down at Cass’ bowed head. "I began suspecting after Carl was killed. I knew whoever it was had to be close to someone on the case. I also really got concerned when the guy in St. Louis got killed while we were in town. After Carl got killed, I began to think that maybe he wasn’t as far off the mark as everyone thought he was. I know he was making a joke, but I don’t think Sara thought the same thing. So I started checking on things. This is what I found. I’m sorry Cass. I didn’t mean to hurt you."
"I know," Cass said softly. "What are we going to do now?" Tears continued to fall on the desk and Kate’s heart went out to Cass.
"I’m not sure, Cass. Right now, we’re kind of screwed." Kate said.
Cass’ head snapped up. "What do you mean, kind of screwed?"
"Cass, think about it," Kate began, "she’s been sleeping with you for over two years. That means that she’s had access to evidence, information, everything. Not to mention the ethical issues a trial would bring about. I don’t know what else to tell you, besides we’re screwed here. What we have is circumstantial and the fact that she’s been privy to all of it just makes it worse. We have no case against her in court Cass."
Cass just sat there and stared at Kate. Sara had been playing this all along. She knew that if she ever got caught, sleeping with Cass would be her "ace in the hole". As much as she hurt at that very moment, anger took over. "Then we’re gonna beat her at her own damn game. We either catch her in the act, or get a confession out of her."
Kate looked down at Cass and wondered for just a second where her friend had gone. The woman she looked at now was angry, no shred of compassion or injury. Her eyes had turned cold. The transformation scared her; she slowly stood from Cass’ desk and backed up. "Cass? What are you thinking here?"
"I’m thinking that I’ve been played for a fool and that a certain serial killer’s reign is about to come to an end." Cass picked up the travel docket from her desk and stared at it.
"Okay, so what are we going to do?" Kate asked.
"She’s been killing a little more frequently. I think we need to boost her frustration level. Make her need to kill again and catch her in the act." Cass said. The emotion was gone from her voice. Kate shivered at the sound.
"I’m going to go to home, pack my bags, and come stay with you. Get two of the team members up. We are gonna start a tag along program. I’ll have you call her office tomorrow to find out if she has a "business trip" coming up anytime soon. She’s not to be let out of anyone’s site." Cass’ voice raised slightly, but was just as lethal sounding as it had been when it was lower. Kate began to fear she’d kill the woman on site.
Kate went along with the plan. Sara was not scheduled to leave town for another three weeks. Cass had moved to Kate’s house and was working night and day on a way to catch Sara in the act. A week after the move, they had everything in place. A new agent had been moved in to the plan; his job was to try to push into Sara’s life. He was very good. He had the mannerisms that were needed to keep her on edge and hopefully push her over. They set up cameras in a room at a local hotel that had a bar Sara frequented. With cameras in place and an adjoining room full of detectives, the new kid was to pick her up and try to get her into the hotel room.
The first night, Sara rebuffed him totally. He was casual about the whole thing, buying her an occasional drink and trying to get her to dance with him. She rebuffed him totally, leaving the hotel bar and going home. The young agent was quite surprised with what he was instructed to do next.
Cass had him in the hotel room, telling him how to approach her. "You’ve got to be forceful and arrogant with her. You have to make her want to kill you. Act oblivious to everything except for yourself. Tell her how good you are in bed. If that doesn’t work, you’re gonna have to try to anger her. Ask her if she can’t handle a man like you." Cass spoke in low tones, no emotion, just instructions on how to catch this vixen.
"Is that how you got to know her?" he asked.
"No, she got to know me. She doesn’t like men that come on strong. You’re gonna have to be arrogant and demanding. Don’t try to smooth things with her. Just tell her outright that you think she’s hot and that you want to fuck her brains out." Cass said.
"Are you sure?" the agent asked.
"Look, I did her profile. I did her for over two years. I know what she likes from women, and men. I know how Carl approached her and what made her angry enough to kill him. We need her angry enough to kill you. If you can’t do this, then get out and I’ll find someone that can. Got it?" Cass’ voice was a low cold growl and the younger man took an involuntary step backward from her. "Got it," he replied.
The next night when Sara came in after work he put on the charm, but thick. He bought her a drink and took it to her. As she started to rebuff him, what Cass had said stuck in his head. Taking a deep breath, he took her arm and pulled her to the dance floor. As they danced he told her that she was the hottest thing he’d seen since he started his new job and he really wanted to just take her up to his room and fuck her brains out until morning. Suddenly, her demeanor changed. She began to respond to him, allowing herself to boldly caress him with her body. The young agent shuddered against her and she smiled a positively evil smile. He smiled back and said, "Let’s go to my room and I’ll show you just how much fun we can have."
Sara’s viciousness got the better of her and she agreed. As things escalated sexually between the two, she pulled a knife on the agent and was honestly surprised to see the door adjoining the rooms burst open; five agents charged the room, taking Sara into custody. They had it on camera and audio and she was going to prison. She had confessed in an interrogation that night to all of the murders. She laughed as she told the stories of the stupid men that thought they could just win a woman over by having sex with her. She continued to give the details of each crime as she went on. It was for fun. It was easy for her to kill them. She laughed and recalled how much fun it had been to kill Carl.
Cass stood outside the two-way mirror watching the interrogation, she felt nauseated. The woman she had loved was a serial killer and loved it. There was no remorse. None.
Cass didn’t realize that tears were falling down her face as Kate walked her outside to her car and drove her back to her house for the night.
Allison had her head on Cass’ shoulder as she listened to the story. What Cass had told her was scary. It was no wonder that she and Kate were concerned with how this looked. She thought very seriously about telling Cass they shouldn’t see each other until Bryce’s killer was apprehended, but the feel of Cass’ hand absently rubbing her back made her rethink her decision. She snuggled closer to Cass and hugged her tightly. "What happened to her?"
"She was convicted on fourteen counts of murder and is serving a life sentence in DC." Cass said, her voice void of emotion.
"That must have been so hard for you. I’m sorry she hurt you like that. I guess I can see Kate’s point now," Allison said as she shifted to put her head on Cass’ shoulder.
Cass sighed and pulled Allison closer, she kissed the top of her head, and gently ran her hand up and down the length of Allison’s arm. She had told Allison about Sara and Allison once again hadn’t turned and ran. She thought about how Sara didn’t like the intimacy as much as the sex. The sex had been very hot and demanding. Somehow Cass knew Allison had the potential to be that way, but she also knew that the intimacy was going to be a big part of their relationship. She was almost afraid of not knowing how to proceed with her. Resigning herself to once again not knowing, she pulled Allison close and kissed her forehead. "Thank you," she said softly.
Allison looked up into eyes that had changed from the sky blue of earlier to a now deep shade of ocean blue. Her breath momentarily caught in her chest at the site of the dark profiler beside her. "For what?"
Cass looked down at Allison and smiled, "For not running away when I told you all of this."
Allison smiled as she continued to look into the deep blue depths. "I have to admit that it’s all kind of scary, but I’m not afraid of you Cass. I trust you with my life."
With that, she shifted slightly and raised her lips toward Cass’. As their lips met, tongues entwined, and trust was conveyed without words.
Cass returned the kiss, pulling Allison onto her lap to have better access to her. The butterflies started all over again. They quickly spread like wildfire through her body. She shuddered as she deepened the kiss further and felt Allison respond. She stroked the inside of Allison’s mouth with her tongue, tasting and savoring every new sensation that came with exploration. Soon Allison had situated herself so that she was straddling Cass’ legs and returning the kisses with fervor. Cass groaned at the contact of Allison against her and slowly she shifted her hips lower, sliding down on the couch allowing more contact between their bodies. She heard Allison moan softly and pulled her even closer. She slowly stroked the inner recesses of her mouth, at the same time her hands roaming freely over Allison’s back.
Allison was void of thought. The only thing that she had in her mind was the feel of the woman beneath her. The woman that was kissing her and touching her like no one had ever taken the time to before. It felt as though Cass was trying to re-learn a love from the past. She was gentle and careful in her explorations, as if committing them to memory. Allison could feel the heat from her hands as she ran them up and down the length of her body. She shuddered and moaned again, and this time was rewarded by a moan from Cass. It was a low, throaty sound that came from deep within her. Allison smiled against the lips that were pressed against hers, and Cass slowly pulled back to see what was funny.
"What’s the matter?"
Allison’s smile grew bigger as she touched her lips to Cass’ again. "Nothing, I just like that sound coming from you."
This time it was Cass’ turn to smile. She returned the kiss that Allison offered then slowly pulled away. "I need to tell you something," she said huskily.
"Okay," Allison said as she kissed her again. She hadn’t really heard what Cass had said, but whatever she said was fine with her. As long as these wonderful sensations didn’t stop.
"I haven’t been with anyone for a long time," Cass started, "I just don’t want this to get out of hand."
She was cut off by Allison’s question, "How long?"
"It’s been over five years for me Allison." Cass replied honestly.
Allison looked surprised, "Five years," she replied. When Cass nodded her head Allison looked up at her and smiled again, "That’s a long time to be celibate, Cass. How’d you do it?"
Cass thought about how wonderful the weight of the young woman felt against her and wondered the same thing. "I just wasn’t interested. After Sara, I couldn’t bring myself to totally trust someone again. I shut everything down. I dated occasionally, but nothing further. I just couldn’t."
Allison physically hurt for Cass’ loss. Her own life seemed too pale in comparison to that. At least Bryce had an excuse. He was abusive. He needed to be abusive. Sara just used Cass to get away with killing. Actually the more she thought about it. Bryce had done the same thing to her. He used her for a punching bag in order to vent his frustrations. He knew she’d never tell on him. He thought she’d stay. Her sex life had been pretty bad the last two years of her marriage, so technically she’d been without for about two and half years. She didn’t hear Cass’ next question and had to ask her to repeat it.
"I asked how long it had been for you." Cass repeated.
"It’s been about two and a half years since I voluntarily had sex with someone," she replied softly.
"Was sex with Bryce always bad?" Cass asked her. Allison dropped her head, embarrassed by her response. Cass put her finger under Allison’s chin and raised her face to meet hers. "It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to."
"It’s not that. When Bryce and I first started sleeping together it was pretty good. You had to be quick mind you. Or you got left out. But for the most part he was pretty good. After the abuse started it became infrequent, most times painful and not a very satisfying experience. He was often rough and I just wanted it over with."
Cass took a deep breath and pulled Allison into a tight hug. "I’m sorry, Allison. I’m glad he can’t hurt you anymore. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make sure no one hurts you again, ever."
Allison simply laid in Cass’ arms enjoying the feel of being cherished and protected. It felt wonderful to have someone simply hold her. She knew she wanted very much to make love with Cass, but she wasn’t sure either of them was quite ready. So she simply curled into Cass and sighed contentedly. In time she would know this woman totally and give herself totally to her, but for right now, this was perfect.