Catching Shadows

Day Four

"Saturday, January 29th, 2007 2:37 A.M. This is Detective Felicity Ambers and we finally got the suspect. We got him and the case is over. Also my new partner saved my life there is that too. I got shot and would have died if not for the actions of Detective Sanders."
There were some loud beeping noises that awoke me from my dream. The news channel popped up and there was a new story about how the last and final guy got kidnapped. I sat up and listened to every detail.
"Breaking news Jay Sheppard went missing last night at 11 pm while he was walking home from his late shift, we are thinking he may be the newest victim to the serial killer who is still unknown to us. The police and FBI releasing almost no information at all about the killer. People are starting to question their safety as law enforcement keeps making the promise of catching them soon. If you have seen or heard anything please call the number on the screen. There is a one hundred thousand dollar reward for anyone who can help us find him."
I shut off the tv and got right out of bed not wanting to wait any longer. I knew exactly where he was going to be and I was not going to let him get away. I unhooked myself from the machines causing the monitors to go off. doctors rushed in and tried to sit me back down.
"You can't keep me here, I am better I don't feel any pain, I am leaving whether you like it or not."
The doctors were hesitant but they had already had me overnight and I wasn't showing any signs of internal bleeding or issues whatsoever, therefore they have no right to keep me. I signed the discharge papers and grabbed the prescriptions they had for me to deal with my pain, I also had them wrap my stomach over the stitches just to be safe and then I left. I walked to the bus stop and took that to the station. I walked inside to see everyone was in the meeting room, even Sanders, I started walking to my office trying not to be seen but Sanders looked over right as I got to my office door. I grabbed my keys along with stuffing a walkie in my pocket and started to head back out the door. He ran over and grabbed my arm.
"What are you doing here? You should be in the hospital..."
I shrugged "they couldn't keep me any longer, I feel fine, did you see the news? He got someone else and he is probably going to circle back and try to get the other guy too."
Sanders put his hands on my shoulders "we have this handled, you need to go home and get some more rest. Please just leave this to us. Hand me the keys I'm going to drive you home." He put his hand out for the keys and I sighed then placed them in his hand.
We walked outside and to lighten the mood he yelled "shotgun," I smiled and then opened the passenger side door and sat down. I closed the door and looked out the window. We sat in silence for awhile and then Sanders broke the silence "so how's about the date?" I smiled and looked over at him.
"What do you mean?" I knew exactly what he meant I remembered almost everything that had happened.
"You know exactly what I mean Felicity," he said smirking.
"Well I need my beauty sleep but after that yes," I said as I looked out the window trying to hide me blushing.
"Tomorrow at 8:30, dress up, not that you don't look nice now but I'm taking you somewhere special," he said sounding cocky.
We pulled up to my driveway and before I could open my door he was out of the car heading to my side. He opened the door and held out a hand like an invitation of help before I knew it we were on the front porch. I unlocked the front door and as I opened it Luna was already laying there as if she was there all night waiting for me. I couldn't lean down and I think Sanders knew that so he leaned down picked her up, and handed her to me. I smiled,
I almost wanted to hug him... maybe kiss him once too...He saved my life I owe him don't I? Thinking that I probably have had some side effect from all of the medication. I had him set her down and then I looked straight into his eyes. With spur of the moment and the fact that my life almost ended prior, our eyes connected a moment then I quickly leaned in and gave him a kiss I put my hand behind his neck and pulled him a little closer to me, I abruptly stopped,smiled, and walked in the front door shutting it behind me. I didn't want to see his reaction.

*Sanders POV*
As she shut the door I started smiling. I didn't have time to say anything, maybe even think anything. I turned around and walked down the driveway with a little kick in my step. I started laughing trying to relive the kiss wondering if it had even happened at all or even if she meant it. Maybe I didn't take my medication... Nevermind I never take it anyways.
Each excuse for something as simple as that lead me on my walk back to the station.
It wasn't that big of a deal, I kept thinking to myself trying to hide myself from the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about it
I walked back into the station and saw the sergeant and a woman who was crying. He looked up at me and said something to the lady then headed out of the room and straight up to me.
"That is Leo fishers fiance, she came here because she heard something from the kidnapper, whoever it is wants the money transferred to her account in twenty eight hours or else she'll kill him and go after her next. She told her that if she went to the police they would make the time less so now she has twelve hours unless we can find her first. She didn't even use a voice disguiser she talked to her without that which means that we can hear what she sounds like. I had the tech team working on getting that and it should be done now, why don't you try and listen to it, see what you can find." I nodded and then walked to them, they seemed to be muttering about dungeons and dragons. They immediately shut up when they saw me.
"Sanders, you here for the phone call recording?" I nodded and they handed me the tape then got silent. I stood there for a moment then understood the hint was they wanted me to leave. I turned around and walked into Felicity's office. I slid the tape into the computer. The audio cut out a moment
"Hello," a woman voice picked up.
"Is this Jennifer Hudson, never mind I know this is. I have heard too much about you and how your voice sounds for it to not be you. I have your fiance and if you don't transfer the reward to my bank account that I will text you after this call within twenty four hours I will kill your fiance and then I will come after you and kill you too. The clock will start as soon as this call ends, so the best of luck to you. I would suggest transferring the money but if you don't then I will see you soon.
If you get the police involved you will only have twelve hours to get me the money and no police safe house can keep you safe. The clock starts now."
"Wait... please I need proof that my fiance is really alive," Jennifer said.
"Honey don't do whatever she says, pleas--" he was cut off mid sentence by a loud smack.
"Don't hurt him," Jennifer squealed while sobbing.
"Time starts now and if you don't follow the rules and transfer the money, I will do more than hurt him."
The line went dead followed by the lifeless buzzing tone. I started thinking about that voice. It sounded very familiar as if I had heard it before but I couldn't pinpoint where I had heard it. I played it a what felt like only a few more times and then I felt hands on my shoulders.
"I thought you could use another set of ears," a sweet voice said. I looked up to see Felicity standing next to me in a light blue dress with lace sleeves, it had a bit of sparkle to it too. I didn't know what to say I was speechless.
"Oh shit... did I really stay here this late. I couldn't have been here this long. Our date..." she interrupted me while laughing.
"I thought I would dress up just a little bit to prepare myself for looking nice tomorrow," she said while grinning and twisting back and forth a little
"And I know that I can't help with the case and catching the killer because of... well you know,but I want to help with whatever I can that doesn't put me on the field." I nodded and then pulled up a chair next to me and replayed the video another time for her to hear. She looked super focused which was really cute to see.
"She got this call at noon which means that she has until midnight tonight, that is six more hours, why did she have to wait so long to come to the us, that makes it so much harder to find who it is."
"I know it does but we have to make sure that we get him before the another victim goes. Like you said we don't have much time," I said trying not to sound rude.
"Well if you listen back to him talking he says ...
'I have heard too much about you and how your voice sounds for it to not be you' so he must have heard from someone specifically how she sounds, and it is most likely from the bar, he may have been eavesdropping, it couldn't have been Derek because well for one he is dead and two when you are relaying details to others it's like telephone so most of the things said don't get portrayed properly. He must have been in the bar too the night that they were all together."
"Do we have the tapes in here still?" I asked. She nodded and pointed.
"Over there on the desk," Felicity said and I sprung towards the table.
We put the tapes one by one into the machine and were looking at each person to see if any of the other guys seemed suspicious. There was the girl who seemed to be listening to the conversation but Andrew surely had interrogated her before asking about the names of the people and at the time we thought it was only one person so we weren't thinking of anyone else especially since we had main suspicions on Derek. The only constitutive people that were there on the dates were the bartenders and a group of people in the far back, which seemed to have no correlation with the situation at all, especially with Derek.
My eyes stung, Id been looking at tv screens and phones, I was running on little sleep and coffee. The stress takes a big toll on everything. Felicity put her hands on my shoulders and squeezed.
"I think you need a power nap, I will stay up and watch the videos more, then wake you up in like thirty minutes," she said as I looked up at her.
"I can't, I need to figure this out before it's too late..."
"Stop that, you won't be able to do anything with lack of sleep, I will wake you up if I find anything before the thirty minutes. Now move to the couch over there and close your eyes. Don't worry I will wake you up," she said cutting me off. Not wanting to argue I stumbled over to the couch and laid down. Felicity opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a fuzzy blanket. She unfolded it and covered me up. I closed my eyes and instastantly dozed off.