a number dialed by a thumb permanently stained by blood. a familiar number, though only dialed once. the woman he was calling hadn't even wondered how he had gotten her number. he wondered if Lucy would like her as an offering, because he could easily kill her.
his thumb twitched a little as he punched the last digit. it rang. he wait for it to pick up on the other end, breathing in a slightly heavy manor, not overbearing and annoying... more of a venomous, nefarious breathing. the man was filled with death and it spewed from him even as he breathed...
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-Ring!- *It wasn't the desk phone this time. It was Claire's cell. That was odd, she certainly wasn't expecting any calls. She checked the phone's caller ID and the number was unfamiliar. Course, that didn't mean anything.*
Hello? *She could hear breathing into the phone, and her blood chilled. She -knew- who it was.* Danny. How nice to hear from you again.
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"Shut the fuck up. I talk, you listen."
the animal that had started to show in their last conversation was even more prominant this time around. he almost growled at her. Danny was slipping away.
"So you know. You know who I am. Are you proud? How long did it take? How many died?"
he paused as he waited for an answer.
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*She could tell he was pissed, angry, animalistic in fact.*
Danny, you don't give a shit how many people got killed. If you did, you would have turned yourself in.
What did you do with the one who killed Lucy, Danny? I know you killed him..but how? Did you make him suffer for what he did to you, Lucy and the baby?
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"All in due time, sweetheart. All in due time. Let me ask you, though. You're in the punishment business. You've sent people to their death, you've allowed others to be murdered. Do you enjoy it?"
for all the malfeasance that consumed Danny, tonight he was feeling talkative. he could feel his time with Claire was coming to an end, and as such, he felt it was time they got to know each other a little better.
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*By now, Tim had been alerted to the fact that Claire was on the phone with Danny. He was on his way to begin tracing the call.*
I have indeed, Danny. I shot a man as he stared me in the face, watched chunks of brain slide down a brick wall dotted with bone fragments. *She could see it in her mind. It had moved so fast, there had been no other option but to shoot him. The fact that it was necessary didn't prevent his face from haunting her ever so often.* Enjoy it, no. If it's necessary, I'll do it again.
*She paused, clearing her throat.* Did you enjoy it, Danny? You spent so many years trying to save lives, it must have been hard the first time you killed someone intentionally. I hope Lucy appreciates what you're doing for her. I hope she loves you very much...otherwise, she'll -never- forgive you.
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"You think me a monster, then? Quite the contrary. I do as I am asked, and nothin' more. Do I take pleasure in pleasin' my beloved? Short answer would be 'yes'."
he talked as if in a normal conversation. who knows how long it's been since he's had a real one...
"Tell me. What's it like knowin' one of your own has helped feed my... "insanity" as you call it?"
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*This was just odd. Claire had expected his anger to take control again and for him to rage against her as he had initially. The fact that he remained so calm left her feeling unsettled. The chill in her blood changed to a thick lump in her stomach as he continued to speak. But, Tim was here...it wasn't Tim. That meant it had to be....Annie. But Annie had to be in the lab, didn't she? Tim had been listening, and came up to Claire's door. Neither of them had seen Annie in some time, she wasn't in the lab, and now they knew where she was...with Danny. Now -she- wanted to go nuts on Danny, but it wouldn't matter. Either Annie was already dead, or soon woud be. All getting upset would do is give this bastard a sick sense of satisfaction.* I'll live. I said I would do what's necessary to stop you, and I will. My colleagues know that. Annie knew that.
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he laughed as one would expect a crazed stray dog to laugh.
"You talk as if she's dead. Has she gone to the other side?"
he seemed concerned... at least as concerned as someone in his mental state could be.
"That's be a shame. I was really hopin' to meet her. I've heard nothin' but good things."
the animal tone was still there. but now, to one trained to notice such things, it had changed ever so slightly and took on a playful side. the games were getting more fun now.
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*Danny kept catching Claire off guard and this was not the time or place to be falling behind. He was playing innocent, and maybe it was just a horrible misunderstanding. Maybe Annie'd walk back into the lab and they would all have a good laugh. Unfortunately, it was equally as likely that she'd been carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey.*
She was quite impressed with your stitching on the gloves. You did good work, Danny.
*The part that needled Claire the most was the fact that now he seemed to be toying with her. Then again, when you're killing to satisfy your dead wife, humor is probably a scarcity. Tim was still no closer to tracing the call, so Danny could be anywhere.*
Why don't you enlighten me on how one of my own has played a role in your insanity? Since I'm just a stupid FBI agent, I'll probably need your help.
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Danny laughed. loud, jovial laugh. like one would expect Santa Claus to laugh after telling him a joke he hadn't heard.
"Dear, dear Claire. You really have no idea? Maybe you should ask Timmy about his days spent at the University of Kentucky. He was quite the lacrosse player, ya know."
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No, Danny, I really had -no- idea. *If you could kill someone with a look, Tim would be lying on the ground in a smoldering heap. She couldn't put Danny on hold, he might take the opportunity to hang up. Instead, Tim watched Claire embarrassedly, his mouth working as if formulating a response, but no sound came out.*
You didn't tell me you went to the University of Kentucky, Timmy. Or that you're good at lacrosse.
~It never came up, boss.~ *At least he was smart enough not to call her Claire right now.* ~I still don't know how it affects the case unless Danny's just messing with you.~ *He raised a good point, but somehow Claire doubted things were that simple.*
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"Not offerin' any information? Well... let me return the favor he did for me in givin' you my information, and cuttin' our game short."
story time. and Danny seemed slightly more angered than usual, and all playfulness left him. the animal was back and in full swing.
"Timmy had a roommate durin' his days at UK. They became pretty good friends. Attended Wildcat basketball games together and a host of other social things. They kept in touch after their days sharin' a room. Well, one day Timmy's friend called him with some bad news. Timmy's friend's wife had been killed, and his friend wanted revenge. Timmy said he would help so long as word didn't get out. And so it went. A secret pact had been made.
It so happened that the police didn't take to kindly to what had went on, so the friend had to go into hidin'. Timmy continued to help his friend by feedin' him information to help him stay one step ahead. Then one day, for reasons unknown to the friend, Timmy turned against his friend and gave a particular FBI agent some much needed details."
silence. Danny didn't make a noise, though he stayed on the line.
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*Still pressing the cell phone to her ear, Claire stood up from her desk and walked over to where Tim waited. With a strength he didn't know she had, she slammed Tim hard against the wall, crushing the air from his lungs. Her voice was like ice.* Danny tells me you two were roommates back at UK. As a friend, you agreed to help him. You've been covering his ass since the day I started covering this case. *Although her tone was calm, she could feel the rage flaring within her like a forest fire. Without any prior notice, she raised her knee, nailing Tim square in the balls. He sagged against the floor, clutching himself just as Annie ran into the room.*
/Claire! You're not gonna believe.../ *Her eyes darted from Claire, to Tim, who was cursing under his breath, and back to Claire.* /I see you figured it out./
Yeah, Annie, I did. Danny told me.
/Danny?/
Yeah, Danny. *Turning her attention back to Tim, she kicked him in the side.* Where's Danny, Tim?
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again, he laughed. the evil inside exploding. Danny could see all this happening in his mind, and he loved it.
"Vengeance. On all levels."
he paused for a brief moment.
"He doesn't know... You're gonna kill me, Claire, of this I'm sure. Remember that I did you this one favor, though. That I showed you the light..."
a scream. loud, elderly, female. it froze the phone line the signal ran through. absolute fear.
"Oh, and Claire. Mommy says she misses you."
/end transmission.
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*Claire's blood ran cold. She should have known, should have known. The mole thing wasn't a trick, but a trap. She had let Tim lead her right into a trap, and now her mother was in the hands of this sadistic monster. Even the thought that Danny knew she would kill him was little comfort now. The only thing that mattered was reaching her mother before it was too late.*
~C-Claire. Danny was my friend once. Didn't you ever try to help a friend?~
Yes, Tim, I did. However, helping a friend does not include assisting him in evading the law for multiple gruesome murders. When I find Danny and kill him, you're going to prison, and you're going to stay there until you die. At the moment, Danny has my mom. *Annie gasped, hands going to her face in shock. Tim just groaned, rolling onto his back.*
~Let..me..help you. I know Danny.~
You do know Danny, Tim, but you'll just screw me again. I'm not playing games with my mother's life, just like I wasn't with any of Danny's other victims.
~Claire, I won't. I'm the one who gave you the missing pieces, because I want Danny stopped as much as you do.~
*She watched Tim intently. He seemed sincere, but how many times had he fooled her before? The room was deadly silent for a minute before Claire spoke again.* All right, Tim. You can accompany me and Agent Sinclair. If you so much as twitch funny, I will kill you. I might kill you anyway.
*Tim's head fell to his chest and he nodded.* ~All right, ma'am.~
*As Agent Sinclair entered the room, Claire was dialing the Springfield PD.* Yes, this is Claire McKay, with the FBI. I need you to send a unit to 1103 Westminster Road. Some psychopath has taken Kitty McKay hostage and they may still be in the house. I also need to put out a BOLO for a Danny Ward. His picture and info sheet are on the way. If he's not in the house, Kitty's probably with him, unconscious or dead. *As Claire left, followed closely by Tim and Agent Sinclair, Annie kept her fingers crossed. This was gonna require a lot of luck.*