Love's Arithmetic

XXIII: Pugnacious

Detective David P. Crandall rubbed his eyes in a last desperate attempt to wipe the weariness from them. He had been working diligently to try and find the 'Slasher' as the media called him. He cut up his victims after raping them. However, instead of killing them quickly, he let their blood drain slowly from their bodies. He knew the right points, the right depth of a knife so that his victims were tortured in their last moments.


They were kidnapped, usually from their homes in the middle of the night, bound and gagged, blindfolded, and then worked on with the knife before he raped them. After he was through with them, they were no longer of value to him. They were simply ready to be bled and tossed for his own amusement and pleasure. They were then found on the side of the road on some remote expressway still gagged, still blindfolded. The profiler said that it might have to do with the eyes. He couldn't stand to look them in the eyes. If one of his victims happened to be staring at him while he committed the act, he wouldn't be able to continue it.


However, theories provided by the profiler weren't going to help them catch the man that was doing this.


He was even more worried now, because of the newest development in the case. Poor Caer Ash, the small town rancher's daughter come to the big city, had been kidnapped, beaten, drugged, and returned to her apartment for no apparent reason. The original intention had changed from just a simple ransom to something different. He wasn't sure what, and Caer wasn't forthcoming with any information.


When she had appeared out of her apartment one morning, her neighbor, Sylvia, thinking she was seeing a ghost, she had been disoriented and upset. The psychologist she had been sent to had said it was caused by the shock of the experience, mixed in with the drugs that she had been fed. According to Caer she had been blindfolded the entirety of her captivity. Her kidnapper's voices muffled by something, what she wasn't certain. She had not been poorly treated, other than a minor incident when she had tried to escape, which had offered an explination for her fading bruises.


She had also told Crandall that she had had little contact with her captors and had not known what was going on. One day they had barged into the room she was being held in and had discovered that she was not the stock broker woman. They had been angry, but not enough to cause her physical harm. It had been shortly after that when she had been given a semi decent meal. The next thing she knew, she was in he apartment, woozy, dehydrated, disoriented, and upset.


It was still unexplained as to why there had not been a ransom note sent. But that was three months ago, the family had moved on and had tried to keep Caer as comfortable as possible. But now there was this.


The poor woman, was now the next target of a serial killer. A vicious one at that. The picture placed on the last mutilated body of the blond woman with green eyes was horrifying. The woman's mouth had been taped, and over the tape gag there had been the picture of Caer Ash clear as day. She was a beautiful woman, and there was no mistaking that smile. That lively, happy smile. They would do all they could to protect her, but anything was possible.





She had been dealing with this the worst of the family. Urma Calhoun couldn't seem to get a grip on her senses. Every time she was alone in the house, the car, the restaurant, the store, she had been constantly looking over her shoulder. She was worried about Caer, living by herself. She had been kidnapped from that building once before, who was to say it wouldn't happen again? But then what were the chances that someone who was kidnapped once would be kidnapped again?


However, it was not just fear for herself that kept her on edge. Marie, her daughter, was a prime candidate for ransom. She had expressed her fears to Wes, and he had told her that he would make sure she was educated on the dangers of being alone, but that they couldn't protect their daughter from every danger of the world. It had been well discussed that Marie would not go anywhere unless she had at least three people with her, one of them had to be a good male friend. This placated Urma a little. She had met Marie's boy friends and they were nice strong young men, they even knew a couple of their parents.


No matter all the precautions, Urma was still nervous. She had a horrible sinking feeling that she or someone she loved was headed toward a demise that would reach catatonic levels. It was difficult dealing with this thought constantly in the back of her mind. But she managed to make it through the days, barely.





Brain Rocco laughed as he remembered Garrett's reaction to the news that Caer was still living alone, in the same apartment boiling, with a deranged serial killer after her on the loose. His face had been full of such horror, you would have thought the world was coming to an end. But, Brian contemplated, Caer is his whole world, even if he won't admit it, so if she were to die, his entire world would come to an end.


This thought made him happier. Garrett had been moping about for the past three months, throwing himself into his work, making sure as much of it was legal as possible. Brian had a theory on the sudden change to all legal endeavors. Caer had changed the outlook on the illegal drastically. They all felt bad for what happened to her and they all knew that if they could, they would each go back and change what they did. Garrett had moved into the legal so that he could be someone that Caer would consider.


She was the type of woman who looked for a good man, with lots of money, charisma, personality, and money he earned, legally.


The man was obsessed with the woman. He had a small picture of her he had stolen from her apartment when they had taken her back that he always carried around. When he thought no one was looking he would pull the picture out, unfold it and gaze at her solemnly. He was a man in love that had no idea what to do. Toby's killing spree directed toward Caer was the perfect opportunity to get them together. No matter how poor the circumstances, Brain was sure that if Caer could see Garrett in a new light, as rescuer and protector, a good man with legal doings, she would love Garrett as much as Garrett loved her.





Anticipation coursed through her. This was the moment he would kiss her. However much the romance was diminished by the fact that he had handcuffed her, she still felt giddy. His lips moved as he said, "Caer." In a breathy voice.


"Hmmm..."She murmured trying to press herself closer, closing her eyes. He wasn't cooperating. One hand was in her hair, effectively, yet painlessly, keeping it just far enough away from his mouth. The other rested on her hip, keeping her body from touching his. He must specialize in torture. She thought desperately, straining against his hold.


"The bacon's going to burn." He said quietly, in the same sultry voice that made her toes tingle. Caer opened her eyes surprised at the remark. He abruptly moved himself from her grip and maneuvered her to one of the bar stools. With that, he left her sitting there, stunned. The shock faded and gave way to confusion, which changed to anger, to loathing, to fury. He had led her on, only to make her feel a fool. How could he! She raged inside. He's doing it on purpose, to make me angry.


Once she had reached this conclusion she was still confused as to the motive. Why would he want to tease her, to keep her anticipating something? There was something odd going on with him, and she was going to find out. Until then though, she had a plan.