Deirdre leaned back against the counter, trying to remain calm as she went through all the things she might say to him. She had picked up the pictures once more and now they sat on the counter behind her, though their images were face down so she didn't have to look at them.
Tim stood near the back of the store, near the table. He wondered who the detective might be and hoped he'd be able to help though he reminded himself that he didn't have the greatest history with this sort of thing. Best to let Arey do the talking...
Arey's hands remained folded in her lap from where she sat behind the counter next to Deirdre. It was a habit she'd developed in reaction to anxiety when trying to school her features, but it was hard to disguise the tense set to her shoulders. She wasn't sure how Detective Velazquez was going to react to his impending new reality, but her outlook was the most pessimistic amongst the group. She had a hard time believing a homicide detective was going to take any of this seriously, aside from the stalker photo collection she'd been sent. Arey also wasn't confident in her own ability to bring a new person into the fold. She didn't know what to say to someone to make them believe any of this craziness, and her own reaction to that information had not exactly been ideal.
It made Arey glad that Deirdre was there. The other girl had already proven she was better with words than Arey was. Maybe she would have an easier time with this then. "Any idea how we're going to do this?"
Deirdre frowned, "No, not at all...I think we start with the pictures and make contact when possible. See if we can't breed familiarity. If Viv were here she could tell us who he is and that would help to ease him into it." She couldn't help worry that the detective might be Morgana or Merlin even. "I think we just take it slow. He wants to talk about Mordred so we talk and see what happens." Deirdre realized that Arey was looking to her for guidance on how to play this out. That thought caused a slight panic. She took a breath and tried not to look scared.
Arin sat casually in a chair, biding time until this detective showed. He understood the concern the others had. It wasn't everyday that a person was introduced to this new worldview. Yet, Arin had now been a part of it three, or four if you included Kat, times. There was a little laissez faire in his approach now. Add to that, this was a detective, someone who was supposed to be trained at deducing this kind of thing. Arin felt that this one might be a little less eventful than previous experiences.
"Viv would probably help put a bow around this, but I suspect the initial shock will the same, regardless of her being here. This guy is supposed to figure out weird shit for his job. He's a professional problem solver and deductive thinker. We give him the evidence and he'll figure it out on his own." Arin shrugged and leaned back in his chair.
Deirdre looked over at Arin and smiled. She appreciated his laid back attitude and felt some of her concern come down a little. There was a bit of pressure still, it felt like it was on her to do this but she was okay with that. She wanted to prove that she deserved to be here, that she was useful.
"He's NYPD, not Sherlock Holmes." Arey mumbled reproachfully, but refrained from further comment. She hoped Arin was right, but she still had a hard time believing he's see the truth as the most logical explanation for the evidence.
"Yeah well, we'll figure it out when he gets here. Relax before you burst a blood vessel blondie." Kat replied from her perch in the back with her wheelie chair. Arey worried too much in Kat's opinion. She could appreciate the older girl's logical and analytical thought processes, but she stressed herself out about factors out of her control too, and that was just asking for problems in Kat's opinion.
Deirdre nodded. "One thing at a time..."
David appraised the shop. A typical computer shop with a pun for a name. Yet he felt like there was more to it. He didn't want to just barge in but he knew he was expected. He resolved himself and walked to the door. He noticed the closed sign but knocked anyway and pushed open the door.
"Hello? Detective Velazquez. Is anyone here?"
Deirdre moved to the door. "Hello. Come in. Uh Arey is here. This is Kat, Tim and Arin." She gestured to each of the others. She smiled at the detective. "I live here..well not here.. back there..." She pointed to the back of the store. "Thanks for coming to meet me here. I have information for you."
"Hello," David was a little thrown by how many others were here. He adjusted quickly though, "That would be great. What kind of information?" He approached the group and stood just outside the circle, waiting for Deirdre to speak.
Tim stepped out of the back. "Sorry, I'm Tim." He put his hand out to shake the detective's.
Deirdre watched closely hoping the contact would spark something. "Yes, Tim too. Sorry. He was hiding." Deirdre smiled slightly.
David stepped into the room confidently, "Hello Tim." He stuck out his hand. Though he was internally cautious, he had no reason to show it. He was not entirely prepared for the reaction when gripping Tim's hand though. Something like his greeting with the two girls, but more intense now. He tried to maintain his cool.
Tim took his hand and held his breath. He felt it, the feeling of family, companionship. Gawain... Something deep inside Tim simply knew who the man was. He was his cousin and his brother in arms.
"Nice to meet you"
Deirdre stepped forward, eyeing the two. "I have something...seems the killer has a thing for watching Arey." She waited a moment, letting David come back from anything he might have felt with Tim.
David shook off the feeling with Tim's handshake, trying to focus on the case, "Good to meet you too. He's watching Arey?" He turned to Deirdre, "How do you know that?"
"I got an envelope in the mail this morning with no return address." Arey started, gathering up the photos and the letter before handing them cautiously over to the detective. "He's been following me around for days. Some of these are even from last week." She explained, crossing her arms over her front in an instinctively defensive position.
David took the pictures, noticing Arey's defensive posture, "Okay. Let's take a look." He glanced over them quickly which was enough to verify her claims.
"Damn... Okay, this is definitely of interest." He looked Arey over again. Once more he was struck by the similarity to the victims. "You're sure you don't know this guy?" David caught himself. He didn't want to project responsibility onto Arey, but there was a definite connection he could not ignore.
"Not in any way that could help. I don't know what he looks like or his name or anything. I just know he's been fixated on me for a while now. This is just his latest way to taunt me." Arey explained, trying to edit out the crazy parts until the had a little bit more to stand on with him regarding that.
David frowned. There was more here, he didn't know why he knew that.
"Why would you think he's fixated on you?"
"Arey resembles all the girls he has gone after right? He really seems to want to get to her...for some reason." Deirdre offered. "She resembles Heather right?"
Tim forced himself into a chair and folded his hands, trying to remain quiet as they let things play out slowly.
David looked to Deirdre, "Yes. I noticed that too. Heather... and others. This is likely his prefered type. Yet, he has never announced himself like this before. Why now?"
"Maybe he's escalating." Kat offered up from her seat near Tim in the back. "People driven to kill due to mental imbalances or psychosis sometimes have a predictable self destructive timeline that they act upon compulsively while fixating on a single target that embodies the deeper problem that is at the root of their condition." She finished, not sounding the least bit fifteen.
Deirdre looked at Kat then back at David. "Yes, that." She shrugged.
Tim looked at Kat and smiled proudly. He said nothing, still worried that he might blurt out more than he should.
David grinned, "Nice. Someone's been studying psyche. I agree. I think he is making a more overt move. So, my question isn't why he's doing it, so much as why is it seemingly focused on Arey?"
"You said she's his type right. Maybe each murder just brings him closer to going the full monty? Triggers in mentally unbalanced people aren't always obvious or even predictable." Kat countered back as if they were playing verbal ping pong.
"Closer to full monty? I think he's done that already. If he were predictable, I'd have him already. This is different. His other's were more opportunity based. This seems to be legitimately targeted. Why? What makes Arey different from the rest? If I can answer that then I think I'm well on the way to a closure."
"Alright would one of you just touch him or something, because this talking around in circles for civilians bit is getting annoying." Kat said after a moment, looking between Arey and Arin pointedly.
"You really know how to be delicate with sensitive topics don't you Kat." Arey returned with a sour look.
"It's a gift." Kat shot back with a face of her own.
"What?" David looked them all over, "Sensitive? I'm just here to see if I can understand a bit more about this sicko. These pictures raise some interesting questions and could help us pinpoint a motive, or something. Obviously this guy has a type. Yet, Arey seems to be the focus. That's what I'm trying to discern. I'm not talking in circles."
"Wasn't talking about you skippy." Kat continued staring pointedly at Arin. "I wanna know who he is already. Just shake his hand and get it over with. This'll go like, ten times fast if he's on the same page." Kat urged. They were dealing with a serial killer here, and she wanted to have their new cop friend locked loaded and on the same page by the time she had her data finished crunching.
Tim walked over to Arey and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Gawain. He is Gawain. Don't rush it or this might backfire."
Deirdre looked over at Kat. She needed her to not be quite so pushy. She knew what it was like to have it forced on you. She had done it to Arey. "See that is what we are worried about. He seems sort of fixated on her and after what he did to...to..."
She lost her train of thought as images of Heather laying on the morgue table came back to her. Deirdre cleared her throat and looked down for a moment. "Sorry. After what has happened to the others we thought it best to show you these. I feel like we all know this man."
Deirdre moved closer to David, a hand on the table next to his as she leaned over to look at the pictures. "Some of these are from school. He knows where she goes to school and that she is friends with us. This is a message, I realize that but I don't know why Arey but...I feel like we should, you know? Do you ever feel like that with a case? That you know the person?" She looked at David, turning her head so that she faced him. She was hoping to gently prod at his memories, at least bring things to the surface before Arin or Arey 'whammied' him with his past life.
Arin shrugged at Kat. He could see where Deirdre was going with her questions. He'd give her a chance before shocking David into anything. Having seen the result of sudden, overwhelming, knowledge, a different approach might be worth pursuing.
David felt some sympathy for this girl. First her roommate and now her friend was being specifically targeted. Her insistence that they should know why was odd to him. This guy had yet to show this kind of behaviour, why would they know anything about this person.
"Do you have any reason to have interacted with this man?" He looked up at her, noticing how she looked at him, almost expectantly. There was something familiar here, but it wasn't the perp. Something in the way she looked at him. David took a step back from the table, ignoring the pictures for a moment. His instinct was telling him something more important was happening in this room. He didn't feel threatened, but he wasn't entirely sure what was going on yet.
"There's obviously something you're not telling me. I can't force you to speak to me. Though, I would like to remind you that anything you can tell me will likely help catch this guy. I'd like to do that before he gets any closer to Arey, or any of you." He was trying to stay focused on the case but something in his head kept telling him these people were quite important to the case. More so than the pictures.
Deirdre smiled sadly. "Based on those pictures it seems he is near us. I don't have a reason but what if he is like a janitor? What if he works at the coffee shop and follows her...us. I just feel like..."
She stepped closer to David. He had stepped away and she noticed the way he was now looking at her. "I am trying to help as much as I can. I don't know him but I am beginning to feel like I do. I mean look at this." She pointed at pictures. "He gets so close that it is like he is always there." She swallowed and looked scared. "Those are polaroids that means to be able to take such good pictures he has to get close to us." Deirdre handed David the pictures, her hand brushing his.
The sense of honour, duty and respectfulness that washed over her almost made knees buckle. The room flickered, shifting from the shop to stone walls and floor. Deirdre held her breath as David shifted from the man he was to another. He wore Arthur's symbol on his chest. He stood tall in front of her.
With a couple of blinks the scene returned to the present. Deirdre let out her breath.
"I'm sorry for questioning you m'lady..." David heard himself say, though he didn't recognize the thoughts. It was as though he'd blacked out and came back in the middle of a conversation. He struggled against the intense desire to kneel before Deirdre.
David shook his head, "No... wait... I'm... not feeling very well suddenly." He looked for place to sit down and found a chair near the table.
"Something's not what it seems to be and I'm not feeling quite like myself. I would be worried that you all were trying to pull something on me, but I don't get that feeling at all. Though, you do know more than you're telling me. I... I'm not even sure I want to know now, though." David was floundering a little. He wasn't used to having his thoughts so scattered like this. Something he didn't understand was pushing at the back of his mind. He felt like he should just let this woman tell him what to do but that made no sense at all. He looked up at Arey and his vision blurred. She stood in the same place as another man. Someone he hadn't seen before but knew like a brother. This man inspired faith and confidence. He knew he/she would have the right answer.
"What is going on? What am I doing? What... what should I do?"
Deirdre watched David move to a chair and sit down. She felt bad but at the same time a glimmer of flashback from her was better than a full on rush of one from Arey or Arin. It was enough to make David question and that was good. They needed him trying to solve this, who he was. It would make the concept easier if he came to it on his own, at least Deirdre hoped it would it would be easier.
She shook her head. "Not trying to pull something on you." He had called her m'lady and Deirdre had to fight down Guin. She wanted to control how things went down. Deirdre took another slow breath as David appealed to Arey for what to do.
Arey watched Deirdre and detective Velasquez interact quietly, not wanting to interfere in case she made the reaction to each other worse. The name Gawain struck a chord of familiarity in her after Tim spoke, and images of battlefields, smoky halls and colorful tournaments briefly flashed across her mind. This was a man whose past life was never idle, always in motion and almost restless.
"You should stay seated." Arey stepped in, her voice ringing with a commanding undertone that she wasn't completely comfortable with but accepted as she pulled out a chair across from him. "We'll get you some tea and talk some more. I think it would do us all some good." Arey continued, shooting a meaningful look at Kat who nodded solemnly and went toward the back to put on a fresh kettle. Arey had a feeling they were all going to be in for some unwanted and painfully detailed memories soon, and David was going to need some of Vivienne's special hoodoo tea to keep from totally freaking out.
"Just try to stay calm and tell me what you see." Arey prompted as she sat in the seat across from David and gently took his hand in hers. She wanted to make this process as painless as possible and spare the detective the stress and feelings of crushing anxiety Arey had felt when she'd first been forced to confront her true identity. In that time, Deirdre, Guin, or maybe both really, and the support they'd lent through that connection was what got her through that struggle with her sanity in tact, when it felt like her head was two small to contain herself and Arthur both. Sometimes she still feared she'd lose that battle, that Arthur would choose to take charge and she would would be washed away completely in his wake. Tim, Deirdre, Arin, they were what gave her strength against his rising tide, and offering David her support now was the only way she could think to help him through this now.
"If you start to feel overwhelmed, just squeeze my hand and listen to my voice. No one here wants to hurt you, we want to help you." Arey said gently with encouragement.
David felt oddly reassured by her words. He didn't understand her instructions about telling her what he saw. Unless there was something he was missing in the room. As she took his hands he started looking around the room more carefully. That blurred feeling returned and now he was standing...
He paced away from the window. He did not like it but he would not speak out against it. He understood why Arthur was condemning her but it still felt wrong. The men were divided now. Those that had once fought side by side as brothers now turned their back on one of their own. He, Ywaine, and some of the others had tried to convince Lancelot to ignore his attraction to the Queen, that nothing good could come of it. Now their fears have been proven true.
Gawainâs hands were behind his back. He would support Arthurâs decision but he would not participate. He would not go and stand guard. He would not tie his Queen to the stake. He would not set the wood alight. He would not wait for Lancelot to come, as they all knew he would. Lancelot would not let Guinevere die and Gawain refused to be part of the fight to stop him.
He found himself at the window once more and he looked out. Below he could see the stable hands preparing the horses for the night.
âDamn it Lancelot why couldnât you just let her go?â Gawainâs face was a mask of sadness. He knew why, just as he knew why Guinevere had betrayed her husband and why Arthur spent more time with his men and on horseback than he did in Camelot. He was king and that left little time for a home life. Lancelot was the Queenâs man, Arthurâs right hand and it was inevitable.
He sighed heavily. Tomorrow would not be a day of victory. He only hoped that cooler heads would prevail before too much blood was shed.
Arey's hand gripped David's tighter as the shop began to fade away and the cool yet inviting modern lines of the computer store were replaced by cold stone walls and a suffocating air of anxiety. She was ready for the paralysing numbness that overtook her with Arthur's presence this time, as she stared out the tower window with unseeing eyes as her men paced the room with visible discontent. Were it caused by any other issue, Arthur would have tried to sooth it, address their concerns and let them talk their piece. He had always tried to be a King that listened to those that served him and provide for their needs. He'd always thought that a good King, a good leader, had to respond to their people, had to be a presence ready to provide reassurance and guidance, but in this Arthur could be no leader, no King. In the passing days he had felt his heart shatter twice over, and it was all he could do to build thick stone walls around it while he tried to take count of the pieces.
Guinevere, his Queen, the woman he had loved for so long that living life felt impossible without her, and the last person Arthur had ever suspected of betraying him, had done just that. She had been tried in the courts and found guilty of Adultery, which for a Queen was also treason, and she was sentenced to burn at the stake for that treason, as was law. He hadn't gone to see her since her confession, Arthur wasn't sure he'd survive it. The tearful look of regret was what haunted him the most, Guin regretted the affair because she knew it had hurt him, not because she loved him above all others, as he did her. It was a devastating realization that had sent Arthur into a tail spin from which he had still not recovered. The woman he loved, whom he'd believed had loved him back, was truly in love with the man he had regarded as his closest friend for years.
Arthur heard Sir Gawain curse softly beside him at the window, the word bringing upon him the now familiar mixture of contradictory emotions, of hurt, guilt and anger. Guin and Lance both had wounded him more deeply than he ever dared to admit, he felt guilt over having pressured Guinevere into a marriage with him it was now clear to him she had not wanted, which had put her into this now potentially fatal situation, which left all his anger over the situation, the indignation and betrayal to be directed at Lance.
"Sir Gawain." Arthur commanded lowly to the man beside him, eye fixed on the platform piled high with wood in his square. "If...if he does not come for her tomorrow, I want you to get her from the square before they can put her to the flame. Take her...take her to the nunnery at Caerleon, keep her safe." Even now, after Guin had made a cuckold of him, he couldn't stand the thought of her burning. He could no longer trust her, she could no longer be queen, but he wouldn't watch he die either. If Lancelot proved a coward as well as a traitor, he'd have his men ready to intervene. Somehow though, he was sure Lancelot would come.
David felt like an observer as he watched Gawain (himself) nod to Arthur (Arey), the vision blurring as his training kicked in. Davidâs attempts to gather all the details and remember his surroundings, as he was taught, allowed him to retain some self awareness. Gawain was not able to fully take over. It was an odd feeling for David to feel himself take actions he was not in control of.
Gawain nodded, relieved yet concerned by Arthurâs tone. Now was not the time for the king to be distracted by such matters. Yet, Gawain could not fault him. It was no easy choice he had to make. Break his own laws or watch his wife burn.
âYes, Your Grace.â He hesitated, but his desire to keep the damage minimal won out, âYour Grace, he will come. Should we prepare a less than forceful resistance to his arrival?â
Feelings of love and anger warred within him as Arthur's hands gripped the sill, the desire to punish Lance and save Guin conflicting powerful goals. Arthur couldn't keep Guin safe here any longer without undermining the law of his own kingdom, the fact of that was clear, and in the end, it was that knowledge that won out. "Yes." Arthur replied after a tense moment. "Don't stop him if he comes. We will not pursue him until he's gotten her to safety."
Putting aside his anger for the moment, Arthur was left with just a bone deep sense of exhaustion. He desperately wished that Merlin was here to give him some kind of guidance and direction, but no one had seen the old wizard in months. Merlin was gone, Guin a prisoner in his own castle, and Lancelot was a traitor on the run from his former brothers in arms. All the people whom Arthur had relied upon for council, whom he would have turned to in such times as these, had abandoned him.
David felt himself nodding along with Gawain as his vision cleared. He couldn't shake the disorienting sense of doubles though. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Arey, then to Deirdre and back to Arey, "Did you put something in that tea? Have you drugged me some how?" He frowned. He hadn't drank the tea yet. He was trying to buy time for his thoughts to coalesce. For some reason he didn't feel like he was in danger but that also didn't make sense to him. Nothing about this felt right to his police senses. He felt like he should be looking for an escape. He tried to stand but the vision had been very disorienting and he stumbled to his knees in front of Arey.
Deirdre watched, concerned as David tried to stand. He fell to his knees before Arey and she held her breath a moment. She wanted to tell him that he hadn't had any of the tea yet, there hadn't been a chance to give him anything and it wasn't a drug more something to help him come back from the vision but instead she held her tongue. She looked at Arey. Deirdre couldn't help but wonder what they saw in their vision.
Arey snapped out of the vision with a gasp, grasping the chair for purchase as she began shaking off the intense feelings of anger and self loathing that she'd felt saturated with a moment ago. those visions were always hard for her to come back from, and that one was no exception. Shakily, she extended her hand out for her cup of tea and took a steadying sip before trying to refocus her attention back on David in the here and now.
"Honestly, I wish it were that simple." Arey replied earnestly as she extended her hand to him in offer of help. "But it's not. The tea's just supposed to sooth the after effects of what we saw." Arey began to explain as she began to find her center once more. She was supposed to be a leader here, it was about time she started acting like it. Training wheels or not, she was responsible for getting the new people they found through this process, and that meant stepping up and being the rock they could rely on.
"I know this is going to sound loony, and trust me when I tell you that I was the last one to buy into any of this, but you're special, everyone here is. I'm the reincarnation of King Arthur, and from that, it seems your past life was Sir Gawain. " Arey tried to project as much comfort his way with body language as she possibly could without touching him while gently extending out his cup of tea. "There are things out there in the dark that hurt people, things that a month ago I couldn't even have imagined. We were born again to stop them, to help save people. You haven't had a chance to really explore it yet, but you're one of us, you're part of something bigger, and I need you by my side"
Deirdre's chest grew painful with the breath she held in. To hear Arey tell David that she wished things were simple, that she was Arthur and he Gawain set her on edge and panic brewed. There had been no smooth transition or platitudes for her, no needing her just responsibility and heavy expectation.
Learning he was Gawain caused a different sort of panic though. Another man who would be angry at her, angry at what she had done and the pain it had caused. Not me...her...not me... Deirdre could feel the lines blurring however. The air in the store felt thick and heavy. It pulled at her as if trying to bring her back to that time, to that life. She backed up a little though she did not want to startle anyone or break up the moment that was occurring in front of her.
Tim watched as David and Arey exchanged words. He felt for the man and almost wished he was anyone but Gawain in that moment. He was one of Arthur's most trusted men, besides Lancelot. He stayed by Arthur's side till the bitter end and died for him. Sure Tim had as well in the shared past life but really who was he compared to the rest of them? In a thought he had had since the beginning he reminded himself that he did not envy any of them. Sure it was hard for him but it was nothing compared to their past lives.
"How about we all sit and tea is a good idea?"
Tim felt like getting David up from his knees would be a good start. He'd likely have questions, he might yell or even just go quiet but all of that was better handled from chairs.
"Right." Arey nodded in agreement to Tim's suggestion. Chairs were good. Kat moved to the detective's side helping him up gingerly as she led him toward the table. Arey followed behind with Tim, wanting to help their newest addition, but recognizing it was probably best to let Kat help him up, since another flashback was probably the last thing he needed right now. Instead she reached her hand out for Tim's, entwining their fingers together for a little needed support of her own. That vision had been emotionally draining, and though she knew she needed to be strong about it for now, that didn't mean she wasn't feeling some of the after effects of that. She needed to feel that closeness with somebody, feel wanted and like she belonged after the crushing isolation she'd felt with Arthur.
Tim felt Arey's hand slip into his and he looked over at her. He smiled reassuringly as they walked to sit at the table fully. Leaning over he whispered into her ear. "Good job."
Deirdre remained behind. She watched as Tim and Arey held hands and found a spot at the table. Her heart pounded in her chest and she silently willed it to slow down. Guinevere was in a panic, wanted to distance herself now as she knew wounds were going to be opened, even just slightly. Deirdre was having a trouble distancing herself, separating her own fear from that of the her past life.
"Arin..."
The soft whisper was shaky. She needed something to bring her back to the present, something to help her focus once more on the now.
David's initial feelings were to switch to hostage negotiation. He had dealt with off kilter subjects before and knew it was best not to upset their worldview. He tried to stand up but couldn't find the strength in his legs. He grunted, "Tell me more about the things that hurt people." He wanted to buy time. When Kat came over he frowned. As she helped him up he whispered to her, "Are you okay? Are you being held here against your will?" He collapsed into the chair and looked up at Tim and Arey sitting hand in hand. Something about that stirred the feeling of being someone else again. He tried to shake it off. He looked over at Deirdre, standing alone and the feeling intensified.
Arin was watching the two handle their vision with internal caution, though externally he looked casual, almost bored. The revelation that this was Gawain sent mixed emotions through the Lancelot side of him. Guilt and camaraderie, Lancelot tried to push through, to explain, to attempt to rekindle the friendship. Arin just sighed, knowing another battle was coming. Another person he would have to convince to look beyond the past and focus on the present. Then he heard Deirdre's whisper.
He went to her side quickly, putting an arm around her lower back and nuzzling her ear as he whispered, "Right here."
"I am scared. She is scared and sad." Deirdre frowned, looking down as she did so. Her body felt tense and not quite her own. "I want to run. I want to stay. I want to cry but I know I have to stand here and answer questions."
She took a deep breath and turned a little to lay her head against his chest. "It is Gawain. We-they caused him to lose so much. What if David is angry? What if he can't separate the two?"
Arin nodded, "Then we do it all again. And we'll have to keep doing it. Every time someone new comes we all have to convince them to let the past go. It all depends on how quickly they adjust."
David looked over as Arin moved to Deirdre. Seeing those two brought resentment and he didn't understand it. He looked away and tried to focus on Arey as she was the one in charge, it seemed.
Tim sat and pointed to the cup of tea. "Have some. It helps. In fact we should all have some." He looked around at the rest, a slight tension in his face.
"I know. I mean...I know we have to explain but she...it is like reliving the hardest part of her life over and over again. Seeing the hurt she caused over and over. This one is going to be particularly hard. Gawain...he was there till the end and I am scared to know what David and Arey saw." Deirdre leaned fully into Arin. "It doesn't matter in the end because we aren't them, this isn't the same." She looked up at him. "Right?"
"Right. For sure. Both counts. Certainly not the easiest one, but if Arey, you and I can come to terms with it then the others should be able to as well." He squeezed her reassuringly. "David will need some recovery time. I'm going to try and stay out of it as much as I can. Last time I was forced into the picture too early. This time... I'd like David to have a better sense of what's going on before he has to deal with Lance."
Deirdre pulled back a little so she could see his face. "I am not certain Arey has come to terms with it but that is neither here nor there. Are you leaving or just keeping distance?"
She looked over at the table then back at Arin.
Arin shook his head and grinned, "No, no. I wouldn't leave you to deal with it alone. But I may be more quiet than usual and I didn't want you worrying why."
Deirdre sighed, relieved. "Okay. I can handle you being quiet. I didn't want to make you stay but really do prefer you here." She took his hand. "Thank you." She returned his smile.
Tim watched Arin and Deirdre, waiting for them to come to the table so that the group could address David's questions and hopefully get onto the topic of Mordred. "Theo will get us all some tea." He spoke a little louder hoping to get their attention.
Arin nodded to Tim, "Someone's impatient." He walked with Deirdre toward the table. Selecting a chair at the far end he positioned it somewhat behind Arey. He was trying to stay out of view and far enough away that he'd be a second thought, at best.
Deirdre sat but opposite the table from David. She let Tim take the place next to Arey. "So tea and questions." She looked over at David, trying to gauge how he was handling things.
Kat snorted when David asked her if she was being kept as some kind of hostage here. If anyone could recognize the signs of stockholm syndrome, it was Kat. "Oh buddy, you are barking up the wrong tree on that one." Kat replied with a pat to David's shoulder. They had their work cut out for them on this one she thought to herself as she plopped down in her own seat.
Tim looked over at Kat and David. "Wrong tree with what? The things that hurt people? They exist and it is sort of complicated." He was frowning, wondering what he missed.
"Not quite doll face. Just having a conversation with our newest edition's inner skeptic is all." Kat explained mildly as she put her feet up, the picture of ease. "Plenty of fae do live in trees though. Central Park's practically crawling with them, so not a bad guess." She continued, throwing Tim a bone.
Tim looked confused. "Inner skeptic? Trees? What?" He shook his head. "Never mind. Let's get down to things, shall we?" He looked around at Arey, David and the others. "Where do you want to start?"
David sighed and rubbed his eyes. The shifting conversations weren't helping his focus, "Tell me, in simple terms, what's going on." He needed to ensure his safety, and anyone else who might have been manipulated into thinking they wanted to be here, "I have back-up on the way if I don't report back. Tell me what all this has to do with my investigation."
Arin winced at David's reaction. He was reverting to police mode and that would just complicate things. As well, he still hadn't had the tea. Arin continued to sit quietly though. No sense adding complexities to a delicate situation.
Deirdre bit her lip and looked at Arey. She didn't know what to say and now was the time to Arey to lay things out for David. Gawain and Arthur had been close. Perhaps that past bond would be vital now.
Tim too went quiet, waiting for Arey or Deirdre to say something. He glanced at D, noticed her apprehension. It wasn't going to be easy to explain but someone had to bite the bullet soon or there was going to be major trouble.
Tim cleared his throat and looked at Arey, silently urging her and supporting her.
"This concerns your investigation, because whether or not you decide to buy into this, what I know your subconscious right now already believes, there is a psychotic serial killer out there who thinks he's the reincarnation of Sir Mordred and that I'm King Arthur. He's using girls who look like me to act out some kind of sick twisted revenge rape fantasy before butchering them and making me watch. You wanna know how I had to find out about all this bullshit? I got attacked on a date by a monster that a month ago you wouldn't have been able to convince me was real, and then wake up the next morning to a serial killing reliving his greatest hits in my head and leaving me this little gift!" Arey replied eyes bright with intensity and bristling anger as she lifted up her shirt enough to show the angry scar.
"We brought you in on this, because we're trying to stop this guy before he tries to kill anyone else while pretending its me, and we thought you might care about that too. You wanna play the denial and intimidation game with us, then get out, no ones gonna try to stop you. We're not crazy, and we're not trying to hurt you, but I'm not going to waste my time with this if I can't count on you to take us seriously or trust you." Arey finished, meaning every word. She wanted to bring in and help everyone she could through this transition, but right now, when their top priority had to be stopping a killer, she couldn't keep someone around who was thinking of the best way to throw them all into a looney bin. She had to be able to trust him, or she couldn't have him around, at least not right now.
Kat gave a soft whistle from the back, cutting the tension slightly. "Jesus, someone's PMSing." She threw out quietly. "Here's an idea, if we want him to buy into all of this, why don't we just show him the magic time/space defying cave and the actual friggin' fae we've got mooching in the back?" Kat added sarcastically.
Tim winced at Arey's harsh tone. He understood but thought perhaps she was coming at David a little too forcefully. He remained silent until she was done, he let Kat speak up though he did not entirely agree with her demeanour either and finally spoke up.
"David, no one is threatening you. We offered you tea. That is the worst of it, honest it. The rest...well the rest is hard to wrap your head around right? So that man, the one who killed those women, the one who killed Deirdre's friend, he is looking for Arey. Not because she is Arey but because of who she was. Kat is correct in the whole neat cave back there but I am not sure even that will convince you." Tim kept his tone even and calm.
Deirdre licked her lips. She felt as if she should stay out of things yet also felt as if she needed to help temper the emotions and distrust. She looked over at David, her head slightly cocked. "I understand your skepticism David. What Arey says is not wrong though her tone maybe be a bit passionate. She does not mean to be so forceful but this is greatly upsetting. I am sure you understand."
Her hands spread on the table, a gesture of openness and honesty.
"Like Arey, Tim and Arin as well as myself, this man, this killer has recollections of a past life. He remembers being Mordred, bastard son of Arthur and man killed in battle when he was so close to claiming what was his. He is living out the parts of Mordred's life that never occurred and wreaking vengeance on his past father. It is hard to understand, confusing. You saw something, with Arey. She was a man, your king...and you were...a knight, one of his devoted men. Gawain."
Her voice was her own but the words, the tone came from another. One more adept at diplomacy and reason.
"You know this name? There was familiarity there?"
David moved to stand as Arey finished her rant. He was trying to calm his own confusion and deal with the case. Being attacked for acting professional wasn't new to him, but in his current state it would be better to remove himself and try again later. The talk of some cave in the back raised alarm bells in his police mind but he tried not to focus on that. These people clearly needed some kind of help. They knew something about the case and obviously felt threatened. It was becoming clearer that they were looking to him for help. He wasn't sure how he would help when they had more information than he did.
When Deirdre mentioned Gawain, David turned to her and cocked his head, "How do you know that?" He had an urge to defer to her. He sat back down, "Look, I have very little clue about what's going on. I have no leads in the case. I came here hoping you all could help me somehow. Now, there's all this other strange stuff going on and it's not sitting well with my detective instincts." He turned back to Arey, "You talk about trust? That flows both ways."
He looked at the tea on the table in front of him and then back to Deirdre, "Okay, fine, you want an olive branch? A show that I'm on the good guys side?" He took the tea and drank as much as he could without burning himself. It surprisingly had an immediate effect of reducing his confusion and split vision. He gathered his thoughts, "Tell me everything you know about this killer."
Arey wasn't sure if her outburst had been a product of the vision of Arthur's stress and emotional state, or the fact this entire situation had been gnawing at her nerves and sense of sanity now for weeks. Hell, made she needed some more of that tea too. Watching David extend the first peace offering by drinking the tea was like balm being soothed over a wound, making her almost visibly relax. The first thing she did, was to walk over to the counter and retrieve the manilla folder filled with the captioned polaroids of her Mordred had taken and mailed to her, laying them on the table in front of David so he could take a look.
"We know you're one of the good guys, it's just a matter of whether you can accept this as reality or not, because I am not going to bring you up against a guys who can use blood magic and cover his tracks this well unprepared." Arey began crossing her arms defensively over her middle as she began. "Those he mailed to me today, just for kicks. He's stalking me, because I worked out a way to block him out of my head. He uses magic, which trust me I know sounds ridiculous, I pretty much had the same reaction as you when I first learned about all this...actually I went running down an alley and straight into a monster If I recall correctly." Arey provided off handed.
"The point though, is that he's like us, a reincarnation from the court of Camelot. Same as me, same as you. We're here because creatures called the Fae are running around our world hurting people, and we're supposed to stop them. Because of who we are, those same fae apparently seem to be able to find us more easily, and try to use us as a food source more often. You need to know that, because these things are looking for you too, and if you don't know how to protect yourself from them, they will hurt you." Arey continued.
"What I know for sure about Mordred if king of fuzzy. I could never really get a good sense of him when he invaded my head, but he's been stalking me on campus, and obviously hanging out in areas that Ambrose students go, so I think it stands to reason he could be a student these, or maybe even faculty, I'm not sure. One of us might be able to sense him if we were close enough, but even that I'm not sure about. Some of those pictures are close...almost on top of me close, and I never noticed a thing." Arey finished, hand balling into the side of her shirt.
"He could just be using a cloaking spell." Kat offered up helpfully. "There are ways to break through that, but it could explain why there's a disturbing lack of any eye witnesses around the crime scenes in any of the police reports." Kat continued. "I'm working on a compiled data set right now based on the polaroid film he used to try and track him now. If you want, I can show you the data." She offered David.
Tim relaxed as Deirdre spoke. He didn't always feel like she should be here, something he still felt guilty about, but it was times like this when the rest were so overstretched emotionally that she shone. The other side of him wanted to kneel at her feet and thank her. Diplomat, speaker...she will keep us together and everyone on Arth-Arey's side. Two lives meshed, past and present with that thought. It was something they could agree on.
Deirdre still sat, hands spread on the table but a smile formed as David drank the tea. She wanted to thank him for that, to let him know the gesture was appreciated but Arey spoke up, offering the pictures and more discussion as to what was out there. She remained silent, letting him process everything but turned to look at Arin. She offered him a small smile.
David narrowed his eyes at Kat, "Police reports? I probably don't want to know how you are gathering your data, either. This whole conversation isn't going to be admissible in court, is it?" He sighed. It might be the break he needed, but it may also mean more work to justify how he got the information. "Let's say this. You called me over because of these pictures. Following up where he bought the film is a great idea and easily something I can justify. We'll just leave out that I was helped by a minor who seems to have access to more information than she should."
He took another drink of the tea, "I'm going to focus on this as a case at the moment. This talk of magic, and fae and such... well, it'd be a good way to earn forced vacation."
Arin had grinned slightly when Arey invoked her encounter in the alley. He appreciated that David wanted to focus, but he knew Arey was right about being careful, "Detective, it's fine to separate the case from the magic talk, but you do have to realize there is legitimate danger. Arey's right in warning you about being a target. Especially if you start poking around Mordred. It's likely to draw more attention. We can fill you in on what we've learned about keeping them at bay. When you're ready."
David shrugged off Arin's concern, "I may be a detective but I keep up my officer training. I'm well versed in many methods of defusing troublesome situations."
"Fine. Your call." Arin sat back. He would force the issue later. Right now he really just wanted to be in the background. He could only hope to delay the Gawain, Lancelot confrontation as long as possible.
"Not this kind of trouble." Arey disagreed, not comfortable with David going off without knowing how to protect himself from fae. "You have no idea what those things can do. At least let us show you what you need to protect yourself."
"Dude, succubuses, the worst." Kat chimed in with agreement. "They whammy you with their sexy pheremones and try to make you their boy toys. Bad way to spend a friday night." Kat said hopping up from her stool. "I can probably find an extra iron rod laying around the back somewhere. It's the only stuff that even stings those bastards." Kat explained.
"I think we're getting a little off topic." David hastily stood, "Why not show me your data. Let's find out where this killer hangs out. Maybe the shop has security tapes or something and we can get a look at him. Then we'd know what we're looking for if he's stalking. We'd be a step ahead of him, rather than two behind."
Tim bit his lip. He wanted to say the training could wait, like Arin suggested but he felt as if there were one too many opinions chiming in if he opened his mouth. He elected instead to go find Theo and ask for tea for everyone. He had a feeling this was going to go on for a very long time.
At this point Deirdre was lost. Not that she didn't understand but more she had no more to add to talk of investigations and fighting. Her job, for the moment was done. David was here, remained here and was talking. She was ready should she need to help temper things again for the moment looked down at the table.
"Cool." Kat agreed easily. "All the data sets are running in my office though, so we'll have to go to the Bat Cave. You cool with that?" Kat asked David with a raised brow. Dude had apprehension rolling off of him in waves. She wasn't gonna pull him through a magic mirror to their secret base of operations if he wasn't ok with it.
"Other than you calling it a 'Bat Cave' why wouldn't I be okay with it?" David asked cautiously. "I'm assuming it's downstairs?"
"Something like that." Kat replied with a shrug before taking his hand in hers and walking toward the mirron on the wall. "Don't over think this, it's just gonna mess with your head if you do." Kat warned before stepping through and gently bringing him with her.
Deirdre stood. She inhaled slowly as she watched Kat take David's hand. She wanted to be ready to smooth things over should it be needed. Slowly she followed toward the mirror.
"Oh we are going..okay..Theo we will take that tea in the Batcave." Tim called over his shoulder to seemingly no one. He shrugged and followed into the mirror, reaching for Arey as he did. "Come on you..." He chuckled a little.
David pulled back on Kat's hand just before she blindly walked into a mirror. Or, at least it seemed like she was going to. When she went right through David paused in shock. That made Kat's slight pull on his hand enough to propel him through the mirror. He stumbled to his knees on the other side as his head convinced his legs they shouldn't be able to be doing what they were doing. "Oof."
He put his hands out and stayed on all fours for a moment, eyes closed.
Arin, last in the shop, stood. He sighed. Most of him wanted to head outside and go up to his apartment. Things seemed well in hand right now. The case was the main focus and so far he'd managed to keep the low profile he was going for. Yet, he knew if he just walked away now Deirdre would worry. Or worse, she might need him and he wouldn't be there. With a shrug he followed the group.
"Okay... what was that?" David started picking himself off the floor, "Wait... I don't actually want to know, do I?" Was he trapped here now? Would he be able to find his way back? Damn him for lowering his defenses. He should have known better than to be led off somewhere.
Deirdre stepped through and gently around David. She reached out to help him but quickly withdrew her hand. When he started to stand on his own she backed away a little.
"Don't worry, simple trick to keep store patrons from coming into the private residence. The owner likes smoke and mirror illusions." Deirdre offered.
"That would be the door cojack. Same way in and out." Kat replied glibly with a little too much amusement. "If that freaks you out, don't look up." She commented with a mischievous grin as she led the way toward her office.
Arey took Tim's hand easily as they made their way through the mirror, keeping a wary eye on David.
Tim gave Arey's hand a squeeze and whispered, "He will come around. Don't worry."
Deirdre bit her lip as Kat mentioned looking up. She glanced up slightly and sighed. How hell does one explain that exactly... She backed up against the wall, avoiding possible contact with David and letting him head to the smallish office before anyone else. She reasoned that Kat, David and Arey should be in there. She had nothing to really add to talk of Mordred. Even Guin had nothing to say though there were emotions that brewed beneath the surface with just the thought of the name.
"You know, telling someone to not do something is the exact opposite-" David froze as he tried to take in what he was seeing as he looked up. He stood with his head back and closed his eyes, "That looks pretty real. What? High tech, 3D screens?" His mind was struggling for answers.
Arin stepped through and almost bumped into David. He followed David's gaze. "Shit." He whispered under his breath. He took a step toward Deirdre.
"Kat told him not to look up so...." Deirdre whispered from the bit of shadow beside David. She held her hands up in a gesture of uselessness.
"That is the exact thing you don't do when you want someone to not do something." Arin shook his head.
"Which is exactly why Kat did it." Deirdre sighed, a slight smirk on her lips. "You want to field that explanation? Smoke and mirrors isn't going to cut it I think." She kep her voice low.
"Ah, somebody knows me too well." Kat chriped unrepentantly. She didn't see a point to this sugar coating the magic thing. Shit like this was like a bandaid, you just have to rip it off all at once, no point in drawing it out. "Well...it's not my aquarium, that's for sure." Kat went on as she slipped her hand back into David's and continued to lead him down the hall. "Lets just say Viv's got a thing for Lakes. I think we're technically somewhere in Wisconsin...but I've never really asked either, so hey, anybody's guess really." Kat grinned.
David wasn't as easy to move this time. As Kat moved, he stayed put until she pulled his arm straight. He opened his eyes again to see a school of fish lazily swim by. The sunlight was reflecting off the surface of the water well above them, but enough penetrated to cause flashes on their scales. Some plants had overgrown the ceiling, so the view was obscured in places. David briefly wondered what would happen if he touched the ceiling, and reached up. The thought of poking a hole in whatever was separating them from the water made him quickly lower his hand. "Wisconsin?" He whispered.
"Possibly, or Minnesota. That's lake country don't ya know." Kat replied in a Minnesotan accent.
"Kat, you broke him." Arin stated flatly.
Deirdre stepped forward, reaching out to David once more before promptly pulling away. She huffed and crossed her arms about her chest. There was nothing she could offer in the way of help and she felt bad as he had offered her sympathy when her friend had been murdered. She simply couldn't risk a flashback, not now with him processing things like the mirror and the ceiling.
"Nah, he'll be ok." Kat replied giving David a friendly pat on the shoulder. "You ready for some computer stuff or do you need a paper bag or something?"
Kat's pat on his shoulder got David's attention back. He blinked and shook his head, "No... no bag." He snuck another peak upward then looked at Kat, "What's holding that up? Nevermind... let's... just show me the data."
Tim urged Arey forward. "Go with them. You should be there to talk to him about all this. I will wait outside the door. Won't be far but I don't want to crowd or risk giving him another flashback just yet. Yeah he has had some tea but well, the group of us can be a bit much."
Deirdre slumped back against the wall. "Should someone go with them to be the voice of reason should Arey get too excited? Or should we just let them handle this stuff for now?"
Arin turned to Deirdre, "You've been the best at that this whole time." He smiled.
"I will wait here for now I think. They all seem calmer. More reasonable." Her tone sounded hopeful. "And thanks. I tried." Deirdre reached out to take Arin's hand.
"You mean Kat can be a bit much." Arey said flatly as she watched the younger girl practically bouncing as she led David toward her office. "I'll do what I can." Arey agreed, giving Tim a quick kiss and a small smile before following after them.
Once in the office Kat didn't waste any time getting down to business. "Simon, pull up my last workspace, Leonard display my polaroid spreadsheet, and Sasha...start playlist 54 pleease." Kat chipped pleasantly as her computers began whirling to life and fulfilling the commands as Lovin Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic?" started playing.
"Kat." Arey chided with a look. "Not helping."
"What? I'm setting the mooood!" Kat shot back with a cheeky grin.
David shrugged it off, "I appreciate the thought Kat. Do you have anything on where he bought that film? Even a short list of addresses? I can get uniforms to do the footwork." Though he was thrown off, he found himself getting quickly back into the case. Anything that was familiar to him he grabbed to help anchor his thoughts.
"I can get you a preliminary list of addresses that had polaroid film shipped to them in the city within the last six months, but this guy's been pretty diligent about covering his tracks, so I doubt he's on this list yet. Right now I'm working on hacking security cam footage on any non residential addresses having it mailed in." Kat explained, tone suddenly serious as she got down to work.
David frowned, "Online shopping? If he's as careful as you say, that would be a slip. Those are way too easy to track. I suspect you might have more luck finding shops that have no video cameras. My guess is he'd know those places. Go there. Cash only. But if we canvass them...."
"Not necessarily." Kat disagreed. "Polaroid film is a specialty item, it's expensive, out of production, and most stores would notice who they're selling it to. Online, all you need is a fake name with a paypal account and know the address of an abandoned residential building, and you just made a purchase untraceable as far as definitive paperwork is concerned."
"If you timeline one of those purchases, we'd have an IP address. Unless you're up against a hacker that's as good as you, an IP address is as good as a physical address for tracing."
"Unless you're using a local computer, like an internet cafe. Five bucks, five minutes and a camera pointed in the wrong angle and you've got nothing that could hold up in court. I doubt you'd even be able to get a search warrant on that considering even if we can link him to the film, there's nothing in those photos that could definitively tie him to the murders. Any rookie public defender could make a solid case against that." Kat continued.
"Okay, but a public shop doesn't need a warrant to ask the servers about regulars on a computer. Getting cameras of people in and out of a shop that is linked to a known IP address, etc. wouldn't be too hard to subpoena. And we'd not have to get a warrant for a murderer. Just one for a potential stalker. Given how harrassment and cyber bullying have taken a spotlight, I think I could argue that in front of a judge."
"Hmmmm...I like how he thinks, can we keep him?" Kat grinned at Arey. "I always wanted to have a cop buddy. Maybe I can even help you guys out with your cyber defenses, cuz I gotta say, it's so easy to hack you guys, it's not even fun anymore." Kat chirped.
"Kat, how long do you think that would take you?" Arey asked eagerly, jumping on the lead.
"Well, If I've got the good detective's force out being my little minions and checking addresses for me, I'd say...possibly by the end of the week. Assuming he doesn't catch our scent and go running for the hills." Kat replied.
David nodded thoughtfully, "Is he a flight risk? He's pretty obsessed with Arey. Would he leave her when he's so close?" He looked down at Kat in the chair, "And, you know, I think I'll keep you as my anonymous source for now. It'd be hard to get you a job right now, and I think I like your back door. You can get more info from the office than I can." He grinned.
"See, right there. Somebody appreciate my talents." Kat preened with the attention. "As for a flight risk, I don't know. I doubt he'd leave the city, but New York has plenty of holes for rats like him to hide in, especially in the witch community." Kat pondered aloud. "I just wouldn't let on you're looking for the serial killer until we've got a face to go with the rap sheet."
"Okay. I agree. That's our advantage. We need to know who he is before he knows we're on to him. So, should I even involve the rest of the force? If I'm leading the investigation people will figure out which case it has to do with. I can try to get another detective on the stalker case, but then you'd have to deal with them, and their questions..." David was thinking out loud. He knew he had to find a subtle way of getting the canvassing done. Sending uniforms would be too obvious.
"Yeah...no, questions bad. You could just say...you have a personal interest in the case due to the victim. Arey's a friend of a cousin or something...?" Kat offered up.
"That would play... It can't be about Arey though... Kat, you're not in those pictures, are you?"
"Ahhhh...some of them, but I don't think you want a police investigation digging in too deeply on me. I've got more fake ID's and paper work than I do real ones at this point." Kat commented offhandedly. "What about Tim though? He's in more of those pictures than me, and looking for someone stalking a guy would be way out of left field." Kat offered. "Otherwise I'm gonna need at least a day to forge some consistent paperwork."
Outside the office Deirdre pulled out her phone. "We do have to work tonight. Can we leave? I feel odd just leaving but I feel odd just staying here."
Arin shrugged, "I guess we should check in. Worse case, they can call us."
Deirdre nodded and walked towards the office door. "Sorry to interrupt but I have to work, so does Arin. Call if you need us? Assuming we are okay to leave?"
Assuming Deirdre was asking him, David nodded absently, "Yeah, I've no more questions right now." He turned back to Kat, "I guess the question of trust has been answered. You just confessed to a felony." He grinned. "Tim as an option is interesting. As a guy he would get a little less interest on the force, as well. Meaning they'd not dig too deep into why, they'd just do the job and be done with it. It would mean we wouldn't get the best work from them, but we may not need it. Really, we just need someone who's not Arey, that the uniforms can use as a reason to ask the questions. It would be best to use someone that Mordred has no knowledge of, but that's difficult, at best."
"Well he knows about Tim, that much was pretty obvious..." Kat mused to herself as she opened up one of the office drawers, and started pulling out ID's. "But he does know, Ulanda Finkle, Jody Moore, Reina Rodriguez, or Betsy Cline. Your pick." Kat returned as she laid out the ID's. "Tim or some chick I can concoct up for myself to play in the next 24 hours?"
David chuckled, "Alright, that should work. Hell, if you make her your age or a bit older, you'd have people falling over to help."
"Oh goodness officers, I'm so afraid! I just came to the big city to get myself a proper education, and now this unseemly character is sending me these horrible picture! Please help me!" Kat chimed in with her best southern belle impersonation.
"That's the winner, Kat. If we can't track him down like this, then I don't think we're going to at all."
"Well I do aim to please." Kat replied with a grin. "I'll have everything we need ready by friday morning." She promised.
This plan made Arey apprehensive. She didn't like the idea of having Tim or Kat exposed or lying like that. She would rather it be her, not using her friends as shields, but she understood why it wasn't possible, and this was their best shot at getting this guy. So Arey sucked it up, and kept her mouth shut, though she still had a feeling Tim wasn't going to like this plan much either.
Deirdre slowly backed away and turned to Arin. "David says we can go."
Tim chuckled. "Guess the shock wore off." He crossed his arms and sat on the floor. "I got this. We need something I will call or come get you or something."
Deirdre nodded. "Thanks."
Arin shrugged, "Works for me."
Deirdre headed towards her room. "I should change and I don't know, look presentable." She laughed lightly. "Give me fifteen okay? I will meet you in the garage?"
"Done. See you there. Though, I think you look just fine." Arin grinned.
"Thanks but you don't tip me and tips are what keep me with spending money." She looked over her shoulder at him as she walked away, still laughing.
"True. I don't think you'd be able to spend the tips I'd give you." Arin winked.
Deirdre blushed as she closed the door to her room.
Arin and Deirdre left for work, Tim remained sitting in the hall. He waited till they were done, took Arey by the hand and led her to his room. He had her shower, brought her clean, comfy clothes and while she cleaned up made them dinner.
They spent the night eating, watching a movie and cuddling in the bed.