Justin looked up from the report he was writing and swore softly at the news his partner was giving him. He pushed back from his desk and depressed the switch on his monitor so that he wouldn’t be distracted.
“Where this time?” he asked pushing back his chair and exhaling heavily.
Joe Fatone slumped down in the chair opposite his partner and handed a report across the desk. “Central park,” he answered.
“Shit why do these girls go into the park after dark?” Justin muttered under his breath. He really didn’t understand the mentality of some people.
This one didn’t. She was taken there by force. She had been tied up and gagged then the bastard stripped her and dragged her up and down the paths by her hair before kicking her to death.”
“Oh fuck,” Justin sighed. “He’s getting more violent. What time is Bass meant to arrive?”
“His office said he would be here about one-ish.” Joey's grinned. “So are you and him still playing doctors and doctors?”
Justin flipped him the finger, read the report again and sighed deeply. “I just hope he can give us an insight on this fucker before anyone else has to die.” He blanched at the graphic photographs of the dead girl. “This fucker is sick. How old was she. 20, 21?”
“19.”
Justin shook his head in disgust and despair. He knew when he became a cop that he would have to deal with this sort of thing but knowing and dealing were two different things. “I got to get some air.” He stood up and grabbed his jacket. “Call me when Bass arrives,” he said sadly as he walked out of the office.
Justin brushed shoulders with a man as he left the building but was too wrapped up in what he had read in the report to look up. He was on his second coffee when his cell rang. He fumbled in his pocket eventually pulling it free. He checked the caller display, flipping it open when he saw it was his partner Joe.
“Yep?” he answered.
“Bass is here.”
Justin looked at his half empty cup. “I’m on my way.” He hung up then carried his cup to the counter and smiled sweetly at the young girl serving. “Honey can I get this to go?”
The pretty blonde blushed. “Sure,” she whispered. “Shall I top you up?”
Justin leaned on the counter. “Would you? That would be so good of you.” He trailed his fingers over her hand as he handed over the cup making her blush even brighter.
As he entered the precinct the desk sergeant waved for his attention.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come back,” the fifty year old over weight man explained. “I have a Josh Chasez in interview room number five. He wants to talk to someone about the murdered girl.”
Justin looked at his watch then at the interview room. “Do me a favour Doug keep him here. I have to speak with Bass first. Tell him I’m following a lead but I’ll be back in about an hour. Offer him a coffee.”
The desk sergeant nodded in agreement and continued to see to the next person in line.
Justin swiped his security pass and made his way up to the main office. He spotted the blond profiler immediately and he took a deep breath. Telling his penis to behave he made his way over to where Lance Bass was propped up against the desk chatting with Joe Fatone.
“Good to see you again JT.” Lance held out his hand for Justin to shake. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”
Familiar sparks shot up Justin's arm as their hands connected and he could see that Lance felt it too. “Did you read the reports?” Justin asked.
“Yeah I wanted to familiarise myself with the facts before we talked. Can we erm …. “Lance pointed towards the captain’s office and Justin nodded his understanding and led the way knocking on the door and then walking straight in.
Captain Kirkpatrick sat behind his desk and beckoned the three men inside. “So Bass, do you have anything for me or did your university degree amount to nothing?”
Lance faked a laugh. “You mean like your psychology degree did?
Joey and Justin sniggered covering their mouths with their hands when their superior scowled at them.
“Just get on with it,” Chris snapped.
The three men sat down and Lance laced his fingers together and breathed out through his nose fixing his eyes on the photograph of captain Kirkpatrick’s wife and two children.
“You are looking for a man, White, probably between the age of 25- 40. He has severe woman issues. Most likely he has a dominant woman in his life, probably his mother.”
Joey snorted. “Don’t we all?”
Lance smothered a smile. “Yeah but most of us don’t kick the shit out of random women in the street because of it. As I was saying, he probably has or had a dominant mother. He’s probably not very popular with women, never had a girlfriend kind of thing.”
“Do you mean gay?” Justin asked. If they were going to catch this killer they needed all they could get.
“Possibly. He has an intense hatred for women that much is obvious.” Lance opened the file in his hands once more. “I forget were any of the girls raped?”
“No,” Joey replied. “They weren’t sexually abused in anyway.”
“But he stripped them?” Lance clarified.
Justin nodded. “Yes.”
“Then it’s a power trip. He makes them think he is going to rape them to add to their terror,” Joey said thinking aloud.
“Defiantly,” Lance replied agreeing. “The killer lives alone. He must do or his family would have noticed something by now.”
“Let’s recap,” Kirkpatrick suggested scribbling his notes. “White male between 25-40, probably gay, dominated by his mother, lives alone. You’re not giving me much Lance.”
“I’m giving you what I got. This guy is intelligent. He goes out knowing what he is looking for, he quite possibly plans ahead. He knows who he is going to take. He knows where he is going when he’s got them, and he knows exactly what he is going to do to them and is prepared. I would lay bets that he even has a contingency plan in case his first location is unavailable.”
Lance stood up and picked up the files from where he had laid it on the desk. “I’ll keep on it but unless this guy fucks up big time we really got nothing except conjecture.”
Justin followed Lance out into the main office and down to the front door. “So are you seeing anyone?”
Lance bit back a grin. “Maybe, maybe not. Fancy revisiting old haunts Juppy?”
“I’m just horny, I haven’t had a fuck in a few months and my right bicep is beginning to look much bigger than my left.”
Lance laughed. “I’ll think about it Jup. It’s good to see you again.” The police profiler walked away and got in his car driving off.
Justin sighed and lifted his right hand up. “Well it looks like it’s just you and me again tonight. Maybe we should think about going steady.”
“Talking to yourself Timberlake,” the desk sergeant said sticking his head out of the door. “That’s the first sign of madness you know?”
Justin grunted. “No the first sign is joining the police; the second is actually believing you can make a difference.”
“Well make a difference on this case Justin. You still have Chasez waiting in interview room 5 don’t forget.”
“Shit I forgot about him. I’d better go talk to him and see what he wants.”
Justin opened the door to interview room number 5 and went inside. He stopped dead at the sight of the young man sitting waiting patiently behind a table.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting. I was in a meeting.” He held out his hand for the young man to shake. “I’m lieutenant Timberlake how may I help you?”
“Josh Chasez, I think I might be able to help you.”
Justin studied the young man as he spoke softly. He was gorgeous.
Justin shook himself out of his stupor. “And why is that?”
Josh fiddled nervously with his fingers then lifted his bright blue eyes up to meet Justin's.
“I think I might have seen the killers car, at least I think I saw the car.”
Justin's attention was suddenly caught. “What makes you think it was the killer’s car you saw?” he asked.
Josh swallowed his mouth trembling slightly. “Because I recognised the dead girl, she comes in my coffee shop and I saw her the night she was killed getting into a black SUV, I couldn’t catch the plate but I think it was out of state.”
Justin leaned back in his chair. “I need you to make a statement just saying what you have told me. Is that alright?”
Josh chewed his lip and then nodded.
“I’ll be right back.” Justin left the room and went into a small room adjacent where he found Joey watching Josh through a two way mirror.
“Now that is cute,” Joey said appreciatively.
Justin shot his partner a look. “Joining the rainbow ranks are you Joe?” he teased.
Joey snorted. “Dude, I have been partnered to a gay man for the past three years. I’ve learned to appreciate male beauty when I see it but I don’t want to fuck it.”
Justin watched as Josh pulled his feet up onto the chair and hugged his knees, rocking slightly as he waited for the officer to come back. Josh’s thick dark hair fell in waves nearly to his shoulders and his bright blue eyes stood out even from the distance that they were watching from.
“He is kinda cute I guess,” Justin conceded, he didn’t want to sound too interested.
“Kinda! He’s fucking gorgeous. You gonna ask him out?” Joey pressed.
Justin rolled his eyes. “No. besides he’s a witness. It would be unethical.”
“Scared that you might actually fall in love with someone other than yourself JT?”
Justin laughed and shook his head slightly. “Fuck you Joe.” Justin picked up the forms he had gone to collect and then went back to take Josh’s statement.