Unwritten Chapter 19

How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. - Henry David Thoreau

Christina watched Reed as he entered the busy bar and grill just a few blocks from the precinct. She had intentionally picked a corner table in the back of the dining area with her back to the wall so there would be no surprises. She really was in no mood for surprises. She watched as he motioned to the bartender before continuing on until he stood in front of her. "They know you well enough to know what you drink?"

"They know my kind. May I sit?" Reed's deliberate attempt at respect didn't go unnoticed by Christina.

"Please do. What exactly is your kind, Mr. Reed?"

"The kind that settles for whatever's on tap. What are you drinking?" Reed motioned to Christina's glass after checking his watch. "Surely you're off duty by now."

"Water and I'm never off duty. Off the case, but not off duty." Christina sit straight in her chair suggesting she was anything but relaxed. "I appreciate you showing."

"I know you need me and you...you're different than Detective Russo." Reed smiled at Christina despite not getting one in return. "You're willing to listen to what's not being said where Russo only hears what she feels she needs."

"Detective Russo is very good at what she does. Not every detective looks at a case the same way, which is why more than one works a case." Christina kept her hands on her glass but had yet to take a drink. "I need more, Reed. I need more on the Memphis Killer."

Aiden Reed stared at Christina, waiting patiently for her to look away and let a slow grin admit defeat when she refused to. "You mean you want to know more about Cayden Kyle."

Christina hated that Reed sensationalized this monster by actually naming him, but it was his perogative. She watched Reed carefully as he smiled at the waitress when she brought him his beer. She then slid him a dry napkin when he pulled a pen from his pocket. She focused on him as he slowly wrote a sentence out onto the napkin.

"I already explained to your partner, I am not a natural left handed person." Reed looked up at Regan. "I realize you pay attention to detail."

"She's not my partner." Regan suddenly found herself wondering if meeting with Reed was really what she needed to be doing. She felt off as she wished for something stronger in her glass.

"Not yet." Reed turned the napkin so that Christina's attention was directed to what he had written. "Do you know the significance of this sentence?"

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Christina was quick to pull her eyes up to meet Reed's as he waited for an answer. "I respect what it is you do, Reed. Not so sure I like the way you go about it, but I respect it. With that being said, I am asking you to please tell me what you have on...Cayden Kyle's stay in Memphis."

"You don't know, do you? You don't know what the significance of this sentence is." Reed appeared almost angry as he tapped the napkin with his finger. "Come on, Detective. I can tell by the way you read from right to left that you didn't actually read it."

"It is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet." Christina studied Reed's expression as he seemed to instantly settle down. "What does that have to do with the Memphis Killer?"

Reed ripped the napkin into even pieces before sliding the pile to the end of the table. "Nothing. It has nothing to do with the Memphis killer, but it does have everything to do with you."

Christina slid her glass away from her before folding her hands on top of the table. "Detective Lefevre and Russo were both gunned down in front of me by my ex-husband. He had plenty of opportunity to shoot me, but didn't. I know he will come for me when he is ready. Do you really think I want to play word games with you?"

Reed smiled at Christina's accent. He heard every bit of fear, frustration and anger she was feeling with every word. "Cayden Kyle started in Dallas, moved on to Little Rock, New Orleans, Atlanta and Memphis. Jerome Mathis, your Memphis Killer, killed how many women?"

"Four. That is public record." Christina knew to listen carefully. If Reed wouldn't give her his manuscripts, he seemed as if he was willing to at least share his findings to a degree.

"Cayden Kyle kills five then goes after the lead detective." Reed paused for effect and continued when he was satisfied he had received the effect he was looking for. "If that detective is female which is usually the case."

"Usually?"

"Everybody makes mistakes, Detective. Even killers." Reed could stare into Christina's eyes all day and would if she would let him. He realized she was short on patience but he also knew she realized it was time to give him the stage. "Dallas gave the case to a male after pulling the female detective after the fifth woman was killed. That probably saved her life. We'll never know for sure."

"Okay. Jerome Mathis?"

"What was the connection between his victims? There was a connection wasn't there?" Reed taunted Regan as they both knew the knew the answer to his question.

"There was."

"The killers method was the same on every victim but the connection was off somewhere in there. Which one?" Reed motioned to the waitress who was quick to bring another beer.

"The first one."

"You don't have to reveal too much, Detective, but you doubted Jerome Mathis was the murderer of the first woman all along. She was killed in much the same way as the other three but the connection wasn't the same." Reed took a long swig of his beer, carefully setting it down so that Christina would have to move her hands. "You tied it up nice and neat, called it solved and moved on. You caught the Memphis Killer and put him away."

Christina stared at him hard before speaking slowly. "I caught Jerome Mathis who was dubbed the Memphis Killer.

"Then what exactly did you ask me here for tonight, Detective?" Reed teased Regan and they both knew the answer to that.

"Jerome Mathis was not responsible for the first woman. I believe she was killed by somebody else." Christina watched as Reed shook his head.

"Cayden Kyle. You gave up the hunt when you called a victory and he left. It is my opinion he would have waited until Mathis was finished and then continued if you had made your suspicions public." Reed's tone changed and Christina was alerted to it instantly. "You may have saved your own life by giving up the hunt at that point whether it was intentional or not."

Neither Reed nor Christina spoke for a long few seconds after his last comment. Reed finished his beer and set the glass next to Christina's water. He watched her as she watched him and it was when she processed what he was saying that he smiled.

"The question that you should concern yourself with now is who exactly is the lead detective here in Boston. Is it Detective Russo or is it you, Detective Regan." Reed put some money on the table suggesting that he was ready to go. "You are the one that got away. Or in this case the one that walked away."

Christina reached out for Reed's hand as he stood. "Wait. I still need more. What was the significance of the sentence and what does it have to do with me?"

"Detective Regan, you are much smarter than you give yourself credit for. You are every bit as good as Russo, yet you simply don't believe it." Reed let out a sigh before sitting back down. "Are you going to press for my manuscripts. I am very much aware you can have the courts force my hand with those."

"You sit here and tell me about this killer who has traveled from state to state killing five women in each state. Why is he not a media sensation? Why have I yet to hear of him? Is Cayden Kyle real, Mr. Reed or are you fucking with me, because I have to tell you, I really am not in the mood to be fucked with." Christina made no attempt to hide her accent as her patience had finally grown thin enough to even the scene out a bit. "You told me what I already knew about Jerome Mathis and you tell me I may be in this killer sights. Am I getting all this, Reed?"

"I have always thought a southern accent is hot. Just something about..."

"Reed, you know what my next step is and for some reason you do not want me to have those manuscripts. Who is Cayden Kyle?"

Reed folded his hands and let his eyes travel Christina's body as she was clearly agitated now. "It is fortunate for investigators that serial killers are not perfect. Although Cayden Kyle has got to be one of the best there is. He is as close to perfect at what he does as any man can be, for he is still just a man, Detective."

Christina refused to take her eyes from Reed and for a moment he wondered if there wasn't a bit of red mixed in with the blue.

"Because of the fact he is simply human, he most likely unknowingly leaves clues behind. It is a known fact that as well as leaving something behind, a perpetrator will always take something from the crime scene. These clues are often very subtle and nearly impossible to collect and identify. Now, I know I am not telling you anything you don't know, but I believe this is a game to Cayden Kyle. I believe he gives you what he wants you to have and takes what he needs for himself."

"Who do you believe is the lead detective he will target?" Christina's words were slow and Reed suddenly felt almost sorry for her.

"I think Cayden Kyle feels he has earned a bonus and will win with either of you. I cannot be responsible for guessing wrong and I suggest you don't guess either."

"Reed..."

"The sentence I showed you uses every letter of the alphabet. A writer uses every resource available to him to write his story. Writing using every emotion is often very effective when telling a story. A writer may write feeling one thing and the reader may read feeling another. It's important to recognize the resources you have available and use them. All of them."

Christina dropped her head into her hands. She now felt everything Russo was feeling when she wanted to strangle Reed back at the house.

"Detective, it is imperative that you stay objective for when emotion is involved it muddies the water, so to speak. Cayden Kyle is leaving you clues, whether they are intentionally left or not, they are there. You know it as well as I do. I believe Cayden Kyle is playing a game with Russo and you as well. Russo is out of commission right now but she hasn't given up the hunt. Am I right?"

"Russo will be back very soon."

"I pray that I am wrong, but when she returns so will Cayden Kyle and that is when you will see your fifth victim." Reed smiled which further aggravated Christina. "Don't look so hard, Detective. Take what he gives you. Don't make the game harder than it has to be."

"If I find out you know who this guy is and have strung not only us along, but every detective that has played his game with him, I will personally make sure you go down for every girl he has killed. Is that clear, Reed?" Christina got to her feet then, threw a few bills down herself. "Thank you, Mr. Reed, for meeting with me."

Reed watched as Christina began to walk away. "Tell your partner that I'm sorry for her loss."

Christina stopped walking and turned to look at Reed.

"It's got to be hell to lose not only her partner, but her baby as well." Reed got to his feet then and took the few steps that would place him directly in front of Christina. "You know your ex-husband is not the Boston Killer but he has stolen the scene. Cayden Kyle will wait for him to move on before he will resume. Davies is not leaving without you, Detective. Use every letter in the alphabet, every emotion, every clue. Keep your head in the game and things will be as they should."

"How did you know about Russo's baby?"

"I use every resource available to me." Reed could see how tight Christina was wound and wondered how bad she would hurt him if he reached out to touch her right then.

"There was nothing made public about her pregnancy. Nobody knew."

"She is a mess of gorgeous chaos and you can see it in her eyes. I saw it immediately. A woman's eyes will always give away what her words won't." Reed took a chance and bent down so that he spoke directly into Christina's ear. "You lost a baby like this too, haven't you, Detective? Hurts more than any gunshot wound every could, doesn't it?"

Christina didn't bother to watch Reed leave. She returned to the table and sat down before she fell down. Her mind showed her images of Russo in the hospital, Nathaniel in the courtroom and Vince in her bed. She struggled to block out the images of Nathaniel in her face, the blood on her clothes and the murdered women in the snow. A mess of gorgeous chaos. She wanted to be angry at Reed and she wanted to find something to charge him with but the reality was he knew more than she did and she needed him.

"Chris?"

Randy German stood in front of Christina now and it was all she could do to hold back the tears. She wasn't one to cry, especially not over a case, but Reed was right. A gunshot wound hurt nothing like losing a baby and his words made her feel every emotion from back then.

"You know IAB will ask about your meeting with Aiden Reed. He is a person of interest." Randy gently reached for Christina's arm, pulling her to her feet.

"Yeah, he is definitely that." Christina smiled at Randy then almost embarrassed by the few tears that escaped. She allowed him to lead her out of the bar then and together they walked the few blocks to the precinct. She ducked under the crime scene tape almost laughing at how absurd it looked in front of the police station. She felt the need to cry for Vince, for Russo, for Marcus and the baby he made and then lost with Russo. For her own baby that she had succeeded to put out of her mind until now. Life was was cold and brutal and so was the freezing rain and snow mixture that assaulted her as she made her way through the front doors, into the safety of the Boston Police Department.

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"Sir?" Christina lightly tapped on the opened door to her captain's office. "Has there been any news on Nathaniel Davies?" Surely she would've been informed, but the need to ask was no more than a need to be involved in some way.

"No. Nothing." Ramano was angry and he had no problem showing it. "How the hell does this guy shoot two cops, two of my detectives right in our own home and then disappear? How, Regan?"

Christina jumped at Ramano's last words. She was silent as she had no answer for him.

"Detective Lefevre's funeral will be day after tomorrow. Russo will be there, I have no doubt about that. Will you, Detective Regan?" Ramano slammed the files down on his desk, suddenly giving up on whatever it was he was looking for.

"Yes, sir."

"I assume you have your uniform? I want all my people in uniform and I want the highest amount of respect paid to Vincent Lefevre." Ramano studied Christina as he talked.

"Yes, sir."

"Everybody wears vests and you nor Russo are to be without escort at any time. Is this clear, Detective Regan?"

"Yes, sir." Christina took Ramano's anger feeling his frustration as she let his hands scrub his face. "Sir, I need to be reassigned to the Boston Killer."

"No." Ramano almost smiled at Christina. "You are not assigned to anything other than protecting yourself. Your ex-husband is now a Boston cop killer. Dead or alive, Regan. That is the command."

"I understand that, sir. I also understand that four women have been killed by this guy and each one of those women were equally as important as Detective Lefevre." Christina cringed at the look Ramano slammed her with.

"Is that what how you feel, Detective? That finding Davies should take backseat to this homicidal manic. How do we know they aren't one in the same. How do we know Davies isn't the Boston Killer?"

Christina had no words for her captain. She simply hung her head until the silence was almost painful. "Detective Lefevre wouldn't want us to put this guy on the back burner for him. He wouldn't want another woman hurt or murdered because our attention was placed on finding my ex-husband."

Charles Ramano stepped closer to Christina. She could feel his breath on her face when he talked. "Is there a reason you don't want us to find him, Regan. Are you protecting him?"

"No, sir. I want Davies found as much as every Boston police officer, maybe even more so. I just think that we need to take advantage of the city's distraction and maybe get one up on this killer. He has been one step ahead of us since the beginning and I think I can be of at least some assistance if reassigned to the case." Christina held her breath realizing she was coming close to seeing how much control Ramano really had as she watched his face redden quickly.

"You work this case, then you are in the field. That makes you a target." Ramano's voice softened just a bit. He walked around to his desk chair where he let himself fall into it.

"I understand, sir. I also think I can draw Nathaniel out and I am well aware and in favor of the dead or alive command." Christina again held her breath waiting for Ramano's response.

"I don't want no hero's here, Regan. I got two everyday hero's down right now. One for good. I refuse to lose another, is that clear?" Ramano anticipated Regan's uniformed answer. "Russo already suggested you be back on the case. Why can't that woman just be shot and quiet in the hospital."

"She sees what I see sir and that is the opportunity to get one up on this guy." Regan spoke with a confidence that seemed strange to her.

"Russo will break, you do know that? She was very close to Vince and eventually she will come to terms with his loss and she will quite possibly lose it. Are you prepared to deal with that, Regan?" Ramano's words wavered a bit and it was then that Christina fully understood just how much his people meant to him. Just how much he cared about Rachele Russo.

Christina didn't answer instead excused herself. She made her way to the locker room where she stripped of her shirt. Her chest hurt bad and she knew it often did when she was under a lot of pressure. She had subconsciously been rubbing the scar causing it to bleed at it's deepest parts. She stared at the small amount of blood on her chest and found herself seeing the wound as it happened. She could feel Nathaniel's weight on her and she felt the sharp metal of the knife as it made it's way into her skin. She could hear the ripping of her skin and muscle even as she screamed. She could see his eyes as he was content on hearing her scream, his anger burning her as the knife cut her. He whispered to her that was a tattoo to remind her of exactly who she was. She was his wife and she belonged to him. She would never forget him, he had told her as she listened to the blood as it made it's way through her fingers. Then he was gone and she could only wonder when he would return. Only wonder when he would try again.

Christina grabbed a change of clothes from her locker and headed for the precinct showers. The place was practically deserted as every available officer was combing the streets looking for her ex-husband. She would shower and head back to the hospital. She knew she wouldn't sleep tonight whether she went home or stayed in the crib. She wouldn't impose on Marcus and Rachele but she would wait there at the hospital. She wanted to be there in case Russo needed her. She wanted to be there in case she needed Russo.