The yard suddenly grows silent. Stopping what they're doing, everyone turns toward the commotion on the porch. Rachel is frozen in shock about what the young lad had just said.
They watch as the distraught child bolts towards the front door, knocking down his younger sibling as he darts past. The group remains quiet, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Jerry breaks the stillness. "I'll go talk to him, Sergeant."
"Yes, please do. See if he will tell you why he said what he did."
"Maybe the killer looks like you," Kirk suggests.
"That'd be a logical assumption," Sharon agrees, wrapping her arm around her shaken friend. Rachel is softhearted, especially when it comes to kids. It's something that stems back from her early childhood days.
"I feel awful for traumatizing him that way."
"You had no way of knowing he'd respond like that towards you." Sharon rubs Rachel's arm.
"I would've let the guys handle the investigation if I had."
Jerry steps out on the porch. "He's going to be alright."
"Did you find out why he said what he did?"
"He claims that he saw a woman who looks exactly like you walking towards his dad when his mom ushered him inside. He said he thought the neighbor called the cops about their dog again. I guess this has been an ongoing argument with you?"
Patting the pup's head, Grace explains. "Barney is a sweetheart, but he's big, and his bark is so fierce that he can be intimidating."
"So this imposter was wearing a police uniform?"
"The same kind you're wearing now, according to the kid."
Rachel reviews the cases in her mind. She taps her chin and says, That would explain why the victims let their guard down."
"We have enough for composite, but if we go that route, there's a possibility that the public will think it's you."
"If we sit on our hands and do nothing more, people will die. I need to go check on a few things before I decide. Jerr, can you finish this up?"
"Of course, Serge."
***
The noise quickly reduces to a low roar as Rachel makes her way through the station. It doesn't take long for rumors to spread around here, she thinks, shaking her head as she continues to their enclosed area in the back.
"Hey, sergeant," Kirk's smile lights up his adorable baby face.
Please don't let it be him, she thinks. Walking around to the back of his chair, Rachel tries to take a quick peek at Kirk's neck but quickly discovers his collar is blocking her view.
"What are you doing, Serge?"
"I ah, I just wanted to make sure you haven't swiped any more of my pens."
"I swear that wasn't me."
Turning her head to the side with a you've got to be kidding me look on her face. she places her hand on her hip and says, "Yet, I found three of my best pens lying on your desk, all within arm's reach of where you sit."
An ornery grin tugs at the edge of his lips. "Someone else must've put them there."
"That's what all the suspects claim."
"But it's the truth this time."
Rachel laughs. "If I had a dime for every time a perp told me that, I'd be a millionaire."
Chuckling Jeff leans back in his chair and says, "Wouldn't we all, serge?"
"I made a little progress on Kendra Fox and Sheby Atteberry's case, and as far as I can tell, the three that died aren't the only ones they didn't get a conviction on. Oh, and the cameras in the parking garage weren't malfunctioning, they were turned off. It looks to be the only time that's ever happened." Kirk hands her a report.
Rachel quickly scans the page. "So whoever killed Kendra knew their way around the security system."
"I've been looking at the other DAs, and like Shelby and Kendra, they died shortly after losing a case along with the acquitted. And the bullets all came from the same gun. Forensics sent them a photo of our bullet to see if they match.
"Did any of the other seven work along the east coast, Jeff?"
"No." He pulls up a list and says, They're from Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee."
So maybe there isn't a connection. "Were you able to get into Rebecca Clark's cloud?"
"Forensics is working on it now."
"What about the courthouse cameras, Kirk?"
"The camera leading to the restrooms went offline half an hour before her death."
"I suppose the security guards have no idea who or why?"
"They said it was working when they came in." Kirk stretches, stands, then stretches again. "I need to walk around a bit to get the blood flowing again."
Rachel watches him step out of the room and then asks, "Have you seen the back of Kirk's neck?"
"A few times, why?"
"Does he have a tattoo there?"
"He calls it his tattoo, but it's actually scar tissue from an injury he got during Desert Storm."
Hearing footsteps, Jeff glances up to find Kirk watching them.
"If you're planning a prank against Jerry, you can count me in."
Chuckling Rachel asks, "What did he do to you?"
"What hasn't he done? He has me so paranoid that I'm afraid to open my desk drawer, sit in my chair, or even climb into my car."
"Sounds like he's been busy."
"Too damn busy as far as I'm concerned."
Rachel laughs. "I remember what it's like, oh too well.
"How did you get Jerry to stop pranking you?"
"I put my pet skunk in his car; only he didn't know it was my pet at the time. Anyhow, I said I'd take it out if he agreed to a truce."
"That gives me an idea; thanks."
"I was just telling the sergeant about the place on your neck."
"Can I see your scar?"
"It's just healing tissue."
"I know, but I'm a retired nurse, so I'm fascinated with things like that."
Unbuttoning his shirt for the second time today, Kirk looks up and says, "You and the captain have been married too long."
"Why do you say that?"
"He asked to see my scar too."
"He did?"
"Yes, then he told me why."
"Kirk I."
He holds up his hand and says, "I understand why you thought what you did. I was the only one in the lobby when you came in last night. And my father was abusive, like the killer's dad. So, I probably would've come to the same conclusion if I were in your shoes.
"I'm so glad you understand."
"I have to admit, your assumption really hurts at first, thinking that you think so little of me to jump to that conclusion."
"What, no. I think you're the best, Kirk. In fact, I was nearly in tears thinking you might be him."
"The captain told me." Placing his hand across his chest, Kirk adds, "And Sergeant, the feeling is mutual."
"Now that's settled, I need to find out what Joe wants to do about our imposter.
***
Needing a little encouragement after spending all day draped over the porcelain god, Tony pulls down a small box from the top shelf. The cardboard enclosure holds dozens of pictures of the kids he's saved from a horrid fate. Children he's grown to love through the years, oftentimes feeling like they were his own.
Everyone I've helped went on to become productive, law-abiding citizens with families of their own, he smiles. Dumping out the contents on the kitchen table, he begins to sort through the photos, remembering a special moment in the child's life as he holds their picture in his hand. Everything I'm going through is well worth all the lives I've saved, he thinks, as pain surges through his frail body. After receiving numerous rounds of chemo and radiation, his once burly exterior is a thing of the past.
The new meds the doctor has him on made him so sick that he spent most of the day in the loo. The doctor said he needed to give his body time to adjust, but he decided to take half a dose instead, and that seems to be working out fine as far as the nausea goes. Sure, most of his pain is back, but he can handle that agony far better than barfing all day.
He reaches his mother's picture at the bottom of the pile. That's a day I will never forget. He smiles weakly, recalling their double celebration at the park. Not only was it his fifth birthday, but his dad decided to pack up and leave.
He recalls how beautiful his mother looked, so carefree. Despite the numerous bruises on her face, his father's parting gift, or so he claimed. He returns in a week, and their horror begins again, ending with his parents' death.
His mother went all out for this celebration. She hung balloons and streamers around the pavilion to let everyone know that this was a special occasion. They ate cake and ice cream all day, staying at the park until it was nearly dark. With tears streaming down his sunken cheeks, he says, We'll have days like that again soon, Mom. I promise.