Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 23:20:07 -0400 Reply-To: Virtual Fourth Season Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Virtual Fourth Season Subject: V4S: Adam's Apple (06/22) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #12 Episode Title: "Adam's Apple" "Air" Date: May 18, 1997 Author: Beth A. Washington Part 6 of 22 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1997 Beth Washington -------------------------- ADAM'S APPLE The sun was just setting when Adam entered the cabin. Nick stood next to the window watching the oranges and reds of the sky as they all faded to deep blue. "Hi, Nick," Adam said hesitantly, trying to figure out if Nick was in a good mood or a bad mood after spending the day with Tudor. Nick looked at him, his expression cold. "Bad day?" Adam asked, looking around the room for their guest. Nick looked back out the window as he answered Adam. "All he does is complain." Adam took off his coat and laid it on the chair next to the door as he pushed off each shoe with the opposite foot. "Where's our young eyewitness?" Adam asked, walking over to the fire to warm up a little. "I suggested that he try and get some rest. He's been sleeping a while, and I expect he'll be sleeping a while longer," Nick answered with a little smile. "Oh well. I brought us some dinner," Adam said, indicating a big brown bag that he had brought in. "I'll put some away in the fridge for him. Do you like Japanese? I had a hankering for it for some reason." "No thanks. I ate earlier," Nick lied. Adam flipped on a lamp, and Nick got a better look at Adam's outfit. "Impressive," he said, nodding his head up and down in approval. "Very convincing." "What?" Adam asked, then noticed the direction of Nick's eyes. "Oh, you like?" "Uh-huh." Nick smiled. "With your face, and those clothes, I don't think anyone would guess that you weren't fresh out of your first or second year of college." "Gee, thanks," Adam grumbled. "You're welcome!" Nick grinned ear to ear. Adam pulled a small white box out of the brown bag, opened it, plunged in a set of chopsticks and came out with some seaweed-wrapped sushi. He stopped and looked around, put the morsel back in the box, then proceeded to open some ketchup packets and pour the contents onto a napkin. He then snatched the piece of sushi again, dipped it generously in the ketchup, then put the whole thing in his mouth and made several yummy noises as he chewed. Adam looked up from his eating and noticed the looks of revulsion coming from both Nick and Tudor. As he wiped away some ketchup about to drip from his mouth, he smiled weakly. "Yeah, I know...gross! My parents think so too. I tried it once as a dare when I was a kid, and I liked it." "You probably like ketchup on scrambled eggs too," commented Tudor. "Nope," answered Adam. "I don't like eggs." Nick chuckled. As his partner scooped up another ketchup-dripping mouthful, Nick was reminded of his own hunger. Trying to ignore the pangs in his stomach, he decided to find out what Adam had done all day. "So, how was your first day at school? Learn anything? I hear University College is a real class act." Adam moaned at the pun. "Since when did you become some kind of comedian?" Adam sneered. Nick just smiled. "No, I didn't find out anything today except that the principal is full of crap, and Sid's roommate doesn't seem to care that Sid is dead," Adam answered, the words slightly muffled as he continued to eat. "Other than that, I managed to establish myself on campus as a computer science student." "Computer science?" Nick asked. "What do you know about computers?" "Enough to be convincing as a student just learning about it," Adam explained. "I took a class or two when I was in school to fill some general credits. Anyway, tomorrow is another day." He reached for the large cup of Coke sitting in front of him and slurped loudly. Nick nodded in agreement as he sat down in the chair near the fireplace. He watched as Adam practically inhaled the rest of his dinner. Adam got up and headed for one of the bedrooms. "I need to get some shut-eye. Wake me up in a few hours. I told my new roommate that I was going to the library to study and that I would be gone a while. So, I need to get back there at some point tonight." "Adam," Nick stopped his partner, shaking his head. Adam looked in the direction of the bedroom and asked, "Tudor?" Nick nodded. "And there?" he pointed in the direction of the other bedroom." "Sheridan," came the answer. "Well, I guess I'll be sleeping on the couch." Adam sat down again, resigned to his situation. He fluffed up the throw pillows, then lay down and closed his eyes. **** The commotion in the precinct had everyone's attention. Two uniforms held a large man by either arm, his hands handcuffed behind his back. "Unhand me, you fools," the man demanded, trying to shrug off the two officers. "You're ruining the suit," he complained. The suit was perfectly cut to fit his large frame, and the warm tan color complimented his olive-colored skin and dark hair and eyes. The top button of his white shirt was undone, and he did not have a tie. A white rosebud was neatly pinned to the lapel of his jacket, and one of the petals hung loosely as a result of the man's struggle. Hearing all the noise, Reese came out of his office to investigate. A smile grew wide on his lips as he recognized the man in cuffs. "So, look at what the cat dragged in," he said with deep satisfaction in his voice. "Dimitri Aragopoulos, is it?" The large man looked over at the sound of his name. "Joe Reese," he said in recognition, "I see you're a captain now." He wrenched his left arm free of the officer on that side. Reese watched, the look on his face smug. "I see they found a pair of cuffs in your size," he chuckled. It felt good to stand here and watch the large Greek squirm as the police officers held him firmly, his wrists straining against the shining silver of the cuffs. How many times had he wanted to see this man behind bars, and how many times had he had to release him because they couldn't make the charges stick? No, this time Reese was going to gloat. Dimitri almost growled. "Reese! You can't hold me. I demand that you release me at once!" He tried to shrug off the second officer, who was attempting to regain his grip on Aragopoulos' arm. "Demand? Release you?" Reese scoffed, "Why would I release a no-good scumbag like you? Besides, you are in no position to be making demands. I have you this time." "I want my lawyer!" Dimitri bellowed. "I'll be off by morning, you'll see, just like every other trumped-up charge you've brought me in on." The certainty in his voice was such that Reese was tempted to believe him. "I don't think so," Reese disagreed, reaching for a wanted poster sitting on the front desk. He held it up so the Greek could read it. "See this?" Reese asked, a tiny laugh fringing the edge of his every word. "You are a wanted man." Dimitri's eyes scanned the poster; recognition of himself in the sketch drawn on the paper was clear on his face. He turned his look to the captain's laughing brown eyes. "What's the charge?" he asked. "As if you didn't know." Reese stepped closer to Aragopoulos and stopped when he was only inches from the man's nose. Aragopoulos shrugged, the movement barely discernible from his heavy breathing. The grin on Reese's face stretched a little wider. Reese was almost tempted to believe that Aragopoulos truly didn't know what the charge was against him. He stepped back a little, then looked the man straight in the eye. "Murder," he said. The big Greek snorted, as the look on his face slowly turned from surprise to dark with anger. "That's what this annoying little boy in uniform told me when he slapped the cuffs on me, and I thought he was lying." He stopped struggling with the officers holding him and looked at the wanted poster again. "You don't have any proof," he stated. "I didn't kill anyone. You can't pin this on me." Reese laughed. "I have all the proof I need, and you are going to spend the rest of your life in a little cement bird cage without a window. You're not getting away this time, Aragopoulos. Not this time." He turned his attention to the officers holding the large Greek. His smile faded as he ordered, "Book him." **** An overwhelming wave of helplessness washed over Nick as he remained seated in the chair next to the fire. Officer Meredith was outside on watch, Sheridan and Tudor were asleep in separate bedrooms, and he could hear Adam's soft rhythmic breathing as he slept on the couch. His stomach ached with hunger, and he considered the small pouch in his pocket containing the powder form of one of Natalie's protein shakes. The memories of its taste made him decide to go hungry for a little while longer. In frustration, he stood up and started to pace the room. When Adam stirred, Nick realized his footsteps were loud on the wooden floor, and he decided to go outside for a walk. Once outside, he found Meredith shivering in her chair, and Nick could tell she was obviously tired. "Dana," he said in a soft voice, getting her attention. "Why don't you go wake up Sheridan and have him take over. He's rested long enough, and you look like you could use some." Her admiring eyes looked at Nick with a sleepy blink or two. "Thanks, sir." She got up to go into the house. "Tell Sheridan that I'm just going for a walk, and if something comes up, he should wake up my partner." Nick said before she opened the door. She nodded in response and disappeared inside the cabin. Alone, Nick glanced at the night sky, clear and crisp, the moon shining down on his face. He was tempted to take to the air right then and there, but how would he explain his footprints in the snow ending so abruptly? He looked down at the frozen white stuff around his feet, crunching as he moved, and smiled at how something so simple, so basic, could give away his secret if he wasn't careful. He walked a good distance into the woods, then leapt into the sky, allowing the cold air to caress him as he gained altitude. The forest below him turned into a lumpy black landscape, the lake shimmering in the moonlight and the cabin quiet in its clearing. The firelight inside cast a warm glow on the sheer curtains in the windows. He made a quick survey of the area and saw that all was quiet. Only a few small nocturnal creatures went about their business, and nothing stopped him from his intended destination: Toronto. As he flew, speeding along as if he were a black streak of lightening, he contemplated what little he did know about the murder. A university student murdered by a drug lord, but why? The video evidence seemed to be airtight, yet why would someone who was so good at avoiding prison risk being seen killing someone? Why would he do it himself when he had goons to do it for him? Something wasn't right, yet Nick couldn't put his finger on it. Determination spurred the vampire inside, and he flew even faster. The university buildings were pinpricks on the horizon one moment, directly beneath him the next. He checked for any late night activity and landed in a deserted spot, not far from the murder scene. First he investigated the murder scene; the spot where Sid had lain was clearly marked with a white outline. The smell of blood lingered, and Nick examined the large spot carefully. He then looked around at the silent buildings of the residence hall, full of sleeping students, totally unaware of his presence. The lights running along the edge of the quadrangle cast a cold bluish light on the frozen grass beneath his feet. How amazing it was, he thought to himself, that only a hour's drive north there was still snow on the ground. Deciding that there was nothing more he could find out at the murder scene, he walked into the shadows of a building and took to the sky once more. Less than a minute later, he walked into the precinct. In order to avoid questions as to why he was there and not at the cabin, he carefully stayed away from Reese and went straight to the evidence room. With a word of greeting from Nick, the attendant found the videotape that Tudor had brought them and gave it to the detective. Nick then headed for the video room. The door was locked. He gently forced it open and closed it behind him. The central viewing station they had used before had been left on. All he had to do was insert the tape, rewind a little, hit play, and watch. He watched the actual murder over and over again. Rewind, play, bang as the gun went off, Sid beginning to drop, rewind again. The fifth time he hit play, he heard the gun go off, and that was when something occurred to him. What gun? Granted the picture was dark, and it could have been in the killer's hand that was opposite the camera, but where was the flash that occurs when the bullet exits the barrel? He watched it again, frame by frame, and still he saw no flash, or even the hint of one. A silencer could have hidden the flash, but one hadn't been used. He could hear the gun. Remembering the time, he checked his watch and realized he needed to get back. He ejected the tape, placed it back in the evidence bag, and exited the video room. Nick returned the tape to the evidence room clerk and headed back to the cabin. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 23:20:14 -0400 Reply-To: Virtual Fourth Season Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Virtual Fourth Season Subject: V4S: Adam's Apple (07/22) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #12 Episode Title: "Adam's Apple" "Air" Date: May 18, 1997 Author: Beth A. Washington Part 7 of 22 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1997 Beth Washington -------------------------- ADAM'S APPLE Adam's dreams were peaceful, up until the very end. He was back in school, studying with Billy in the library. They had a sort of competition going. Who could get the highest grades? They even had a five-dollar bet on who would graduate with the highest cumulative average. It all ended one day when Adam came back to his room and found... Adam woke with a start, a thin layer of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. The images of his dream blurred and faded, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Nick's smiling face. "Well good evening, sleepyhead," Nick greeted the waking Adam. "I thought you were going to sleep all night and was just about to wake you up." Adam sat up, rubbed his eyes, then ran his hand through his jet-black hair and rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn couch," he grumbled. "My neck is stiff. If I had slept here all night, I wouldn't be able to move my head in the morning." He finished sitting up and looked at Nick. "What are you smiling at?" Adam asked pointedly, then thought for a moment. "Did I talk in my sleep?" he asked, wondering if Nick knew more than he had intended for him to know. Nick shook his head. "Not even a snore. What were you dreaming about? You woke up suddenly." Adam looked doubtfully at his partner. How did Nick always seem to know how he felt about something? Could Nick read his mind? Nonsense! Adam had awakened rather instantly, as someone does when falling from a cliff in a dream just before hitting bottom. "I was dreaming about when I was in school. Being on campus brought back a lot of fon...um...memories." Adam corrected himself. Fond wouldn't exactly be the word he would use to describe those memories. "I was um...late for a test, and the professor was going to fail me. I woke up after that." Nick nodded, seemingly satisfied with his partner's answer. Adam then got up and headed for the kitchen. "Well it's a good thing I didn't sleep through the night. I really should spend the night in my room at the college, for appearance's sake, at least." Adam grabbed some bottled orange juice from the kitchen, his jacket and his knapsack, and headed for the door. "I'll let you know if I find anything." As he was closing the door behind him, he added, "And don't let Tudor get to you." **** Adam quietly opened the door to his new residence and found a light on inside. He opened it further and saw Remi sitting up in his bed, reading a book. "Hey, you're out late," greeted Remi cheerfully. "Partying already?" Adam glanced at his watch, then shook his head. Remembering to use his parent's accent, he said, "Studying in library. Dey close library. Kick me out." He closed the door behind him and dropped his knapsack on his desk. "Need catch up. Start late." Remi laughed. "You keep studying like that and you'll be a mess by the end of the semester." Adam smiled, then sat down at his desk and pulled a book out of his knapsack. He opened the book to pretend he was studying, then turned to look at Remi. "Did you have...um...you share room wit anoder?" Adam asked, trying very hard to sound like he was having trouble with English. The smile on Remi's face vanished almost instantly. "You mean, did I have a roommate before you?" "Hai," Adam answered. Remi looked toward Adam's sheetless bed. "I'd rather not talk about it," Remi uttered, his voice barely audible. "Sorry," Adam said hurriedly. "Parents always say I ask too many question." He turned back to his book, trying to look ashamed. "That's OK," Remi said, and when Adam didn't turn around, he returned to his book. Adam pretended to study. Remi was soon asleep behind him, snoring softly. **** Natalie stood staring at the body of Sid Corso as it lay on the cold steel table, waiting for her further examination. Her miniature tape recorder was in one hand, yet it was not recording. She gazed at the gaping hole in the corpse's bluish chest, her thoughts not completely on the task at hand. Where the fresh blood at the time of the murder had been enough to disturb her, what was lying on the examining table in front of her did not affect her at all. She had been able to do the examination with her usual proficiency; the cause of death obvious. Yet, something wasn't right. She had checked the results three times, and three times they had told her the same thing. Her thoughts were jarred as the phone rang, echoing off the laboratory walls. It seemed incredibly loud, and she jumped on it just to get it to stop ringing. "Lambert!" she barked into the receiver, half sprawled across her desk. "Nat?" came Nick's golden, friendly, concerned voice over the other end. "Nick...um...hi," she stuttered. "Sorry. I was in the middle of examining Sid Corso." "Find anything?" asked Nick. "Well, he was definitely killed by the bullet, which I've confirmed was a cop killer, by the way. Overkill for someone without a vest, if you ask me, and very messy. It made mincemeat out of Corso's chest," explained the coroner as she settled into the chair behind her desk. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few moments. "Nick?" asked Natalie, "You still there?" "Uh, yeah. I was just thinking." "About what?" "Something's not right. I don't think Aragopoulos was the one who shot him." "What makes you think that?" "I snuck into the precinct tonight while Adam was sleeping, and I watched the tape our eyewitness brought in a few times. I didn't see the flash that goes with a gun being fired." Natalie slowly got up, picked up the phone, and took it with her as she walked back over to the body. "The examination results I did suggested the same thing. The direction of entry is wrong, and I didn't find...," she said, then a second later, she added, "Hold on. I'm going to put the phone down." She put the phone on the counter behind her, then turned back to body and flipped down the magnifying glasses she still wore on her forehead. She looked even closer at the corpse, adjusting the light as she scanned every inch. "Yes," she said to herself, then grabbed the phone back. "Nick, there are no powder burns. I checked again. If he was shot at point-blank range, there would be powder burns, and there aren't any." She sounded excited. "And the direction of entry?" "Yes. If it were at point-blank range, it should have been straighter, but it went in at an angle." "You might want to watch the video and compare what you see there to your findings," Nick suggested. "I will as soon as I get a chance to get over there." There was another moment of silence. Natalie felt a little awkward. There was nothing else to say. "Nat?" Nick's voice floated to her ear through the receiver. "Hmm?" "Let me know what you find. I'll talk to you later." "Uh, yeah. Bye." The phone clicked, indicating that Nick had hung up. Natalie hung onto the receiver for a moment, half wishing that he hadn't hung up, that he had said something else. She gently returned the receiver to its resting place, then turned back to her work. **** Adam was still pretending to study when he heard movement behind him. He listened for more movement to verify that Remi was awake instead of just rolling over. Being relatively sure that Remi was awake, Adam dug into his knapsack for a small medicine bottle. He found the bottle with its label ripped off and dumped a couple of the red pills inside into his hand. With his back still to Remi, he pretended to take them. He only hoped that Remi was watching. "Do you ever sleep?" came a yawn-filled question from behind his back. Adam spun around as if startled. "No!" he spouted, "Never sleep. No time. Need time to study." He got up and quickly paced the floor, then picked up an almost forgotten cup of Coke and downed it in three gulps. He returned to his desk chair, sat down and thumbed through the book in front of him. Adam found all his acting, pretending to be someone else, exciting. Here he was, alone in the field, undercover like Jim Phelps and his IM Force, pretending to be someone he wasn't in order to gain information. His only concern was if he was convincing. He had decided that the only way to get into a drug-related case was to pretend to be on drugs. He remembered an episode of "Mission: Impossible" where Jim Phelps had done just that. He only hoped he could get it to work as easily as Jim had. After all, this wasn't TV. Things didn't always work out in reality. Remi's voice broke into his thoughts. "You know, Adam, taking uppers isn't good. They can really mess you up." Without turning around, Adam mumbled, "Don't know what you mean," he lied. Inwardly he smiled. His plan had worked. He continued to flip through his book. "Hey, it's OK, man," Remi said, "I know a lot of guys who take them just to get through school, to help deal with the pressure." Adam turned slowly and looked at his roommate, his right hand in a fist, white-knuckled. Remi looked his Japanese roomy up and down. He then reached into his shirt and pulled out a key that hung on a chain around his neck. He dragged it over his head and reached to a drawer in the table next to his bed. He carefully unlocked and opened it. He turned to Adam and motioned for him to come look. Adam slowly, cautiously walked over and looked. *Bingo!* he thought to himself. Inside the drawer was an assortment of bottles and plastic bags, filled with pills of varying sizes and colors. There was even a small bag of some powdery white substance tucked in the back of the drawer. "I can get more," Remi said. "Just let me know what you need." (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 23:20:20 -0400 Reply-To: Virtual Fourth Season Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Virtual Fourth Season Subject: V4S: Adam's Apple (08/22) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #12 Episode Title: "Adam's Apple" "Air" Date: May 18, 1997 Author: Beth A. Washington Part 8 of 22 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1997 Beth Washington -------------------------- ADAM'S APPLE Nick was tucking his cell phone into his pocket when Tudor walked into the room, rubbing his eyes and stretching a little. Against his better judgment, Nick asked, "Sleep well?" Tudor did not disappoint him. "It's hard to sleep in a strange place, and even harder to sleep on the floor," the student complained. "That must be Adam's parents' bedroom," Nick smiled, knowing that Adam's parents were traditional in some things; how they slept was probably one of them. "Bedroom," Tudor said sarcastically. "That's a bad name for a room that doesn't even have a bed in it. Instead, it has some oversized rice patty with a dinky pillow. It's amazing that I was able to sleep at all." "I guess you were tired," Nick smiled knowingly. Tudor walked over to the window and looked outside. The sky was still dark and full of stars. He then stepped over to the couch and sat down, turning to look at Nick. "Did you find out anything new?" the young student asked, indicating the pocket where Nick's phone was. "I heard you talking when I woke up." "Not much," Nick said, not really willing to tell this annoying excuse for a human being anything that might spark more complaints. "Adam is looking into some students at the university, and the coroner has confirmed the type of bullet that killed Sid." That seemed to be enough to satisfy Tudor. He didn't ask any further questions as he switched his glance from Nick to the fire. He then got up and headed for the kitchen. "I'm gonna make a sandwich. You want one?" he offered. "No. I had something while you were sleeping," Nick said untruthfully. Tudor eyed him, and walked into the kitchen, grumbling about the garbage he was probably going to find in the refrigerator. **** The sun peeped in the small, dirty residence hall window. It changed the quality of the light in the room from the cold, greenish-blue of the small fluorescent desk lamp to a warm golden glow. Adam started packing his books back into his knapsack while he mentally tried to figure out how to coax more information from Remi. His brain was foggy from lack of sleep, and he came up blank. "Hey, Adam!" Remi tried to get his roommate's attention as he packed up his own books and grabbed his jacket. "Wanna go to breakfast?" Adam turned and smiled, "Hai...I mean yes." Well, that took care of getting closer to Remi. Maybe he could find out something that would lead him nearer to his goal. Remi smiled back, "Good! You about ready to go? I have an early class this morning." He walked over and stood next to Adam as Adam finished packing his books and grabbed his jacket. "Ready," Adam announced. "Early class too." The two left the room together. Once outside, Adam ventured a question, "You say you get more?" Remi nodded, glancing around to see if anyone was walking close enough to hear their conversation. "I need more of these," Adam continued, offering his hand to Remi. Remi's hand met his, and he released the bottle into the other's hand. Remi took the bottle, opened it, and examined the remaining three red pills inside. "Hmmm," was all he said, then he closed the lid and gave it back to Adam. "That's high grade-stuff, and I don't have any right now," Remi told Adam. The expression on Adam's face dropped from hopefulness to despair. "Don't worry," Remi assured, "I know where I can get more." Adam's face lit up. He knew he was getting somewhere, and he hoped that he was moving in the right direction. In the back of his mind, he thought of Nick. He liked Nick, and his partner even reminded him of himself at times: severely independent and thinking he knew everything. There were those times when Nick was annoyingly right and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Yet, there was a side of his partner that intrigued him, a moralistic way of looking at things that was worth admiring. Nick was different, hard to figure out, and Adam realized that he wanted to know more about his enigmatic partner. Adam and Remi ate breakfast quickly, talking about the university in general, with Remi doing most of the talking. He told Adam about various professors, warned him about a few girls, and told him about some upcoming events. They finished with each of them smiling, and they went their separate ways. Remi headed off to class, and Adam supposedly headed for a class as well. In a roundabout way, the detective ended up back at Principal Whittier's office. He wondered if anyone would catch on to the fact that he never actually attended any classes. He walked into the building and found himself in front of Principal Whittier's secretary's desk. The woman behind the desk recognized him and smiled. "How can I help you?" she asked in a soft voice. Adam glanced at her desk and found her name plate with its black letters on a shiny gold background. "Good morning, Ms. Cromwell. I'm Detective Sakai." He pulled out his badge and flipped it open for her to see. "Principal Whittier should have told you about me. I need to use a phone, privately," Adam requested. "Yes, Detective. You can use the one in the principal's office," she answered. "He won't be in until later." "Thanks," Adam replied. He entered the principal's office and closed the door behind him. He sat in the luxurious leather chair behind the desk and allowed himself a moment to enjoy the feel. "So this is where the tuition goes," he mumbled as he admired the desk and the rest of the fine furniture in the office. He picked up the phone, dialed, and waited for an answer. "Knight," Nick's voice entered Adam's ear through the black receiver. "Yeah, Nick, it's me," "Adam?" "Yeah. I only have a few minutes. I think I found a link between Aragopoulos and Sid Corso. Sid's roommate deals in drugs. Oh, nothing big. Definitely a small-time operation, but he may be the one who got Sid linked up with Aragopoulos," Adam explained. "Or Sid may have gotten his roommate into it," Nick added. "True," Adam agreed. "What's this roommate's name?" "Remington Alexander," Adam answered, "but he goes by Remi." "I can call the captain and have them check him out," Nick offered. "That would be good, because I don't know how much longer I can talk on this phone." There was silence for a moment. "Nick?" "Sorry. I had to make sure our guest was out of earshot. He's a little too tense, and he complains way too much for my liking." Adam chuckled. "Well, I talked to Dr. Lambert last night, and she discovered something interesting." "What, what?" Adam demanded, trying to keep his voice down. "She said that the angle of the bullet didn't correlate with the video, and there were no powder burns on the victim to go along with it being a point-blank shot," Nick quickly explained. "Then that would mean...," Adam started. Nick finished for him, "That Aragopoulos didn't shoot Corso. Based on what we could see on the video, there was no way Aragopoulos could be holding a gun on Corso, and have the bullet enter the way it did." "Does the captain know yet?" "I'm sure Natalie sent a copy of her findings up to his office. He'll see them when he gets in to work tonight." "He's not going to like this." "No, especially since he's been trying to nail this guy for a while now," Nick agreed. "It seems that he's dealt with Aragopoulos before, and lost." Adam turned at the sound of voices outside the door to the office. "I gotta run, Nick. Dime's up!" "Talk to you later." "Yeah," was all Adam said as he hung up the phone. The voices outside faded, and Adam took a deep breath. He scanned the top of the desk and his eyes fell on the flip day calendar. The date displayed was the next day's date. He reached and flipped it back a day and saw the previous day's date. The current day was missing, having been ripped out. He returned it to the way he had found it, and noticed that there was a depression from the writing that had been on the ripped-out page. He took another sheet of paper, placed it on top of the calendar page, and using a pencil, made a rubbing. It revealed a date, time, and place. He folded the paper, tucked it into his pocket, and left the office. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 23:20:27 -0400 Reply-To: Virtual Fourth Season Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Virtual Fourth Season Subject: V4S: Adam's Apple (09/22) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #12 Episode Title: "Adam's Apple" "Air" Date: May 18, 1997 Author: Beth A. Washington Part 9 of 22 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1997 Beth Washington -------------------------- ADAM'S APPLE Nick clicked the off button on the cellular phone and tucked it back into his pocket. Focusing his attention on the room, he heard breathing and looked over to find Tudor standing in the kitchen doorway watching him. Nick tried to read the expression on Tudor's face, but all he could figure out was that the student had heard some of what he had said to Adam. How much? Did it matter? Nick met Tudor's gaze. His instincts were telling him something about this young student. There was more to him than a murder eyewitness frightened of being found by an evil drug lord and murdered himself. Something, but what? Tudor glanced away first from their little staring contest, turning his head and slipping back into the kitchen. **** With Nick's words lingering in his head, Adam walked into the precinct, completely forgetting how he was dressed. He was rudely reminded. "Woo woo," whistled one person. "It's baby-face Sakai, looking his age," another teased. "Nice duds, Adam," yet another ribbed the detective, "What's the brand name? Osh Kosh?" The frown on Adam's face deepened with each comment. If steam could have spouted from his ears, the room would have been filled. He slammed his knapsack down on his desk and proceeded to the video room. Holly greeted him as he entered, "Hi, Detective." "Before you say anything else, I don't want to hear your opinion on my attire," Adam warned. "Already heard enough?" Holly asked, her eyes indicating the bullpen. "More than enough," Adam admitted. He then remembered that Holly was night shift. "What are you doing here? It's after ten a.m. Didn't your shift end hours ago?" "We're upgrading one of the decks, and I seem to be the only one who knows how to hook it up. So I volunteered to stay and help." She rubbed her fingers together, smiling. "Mucho overtime." Adam returned the smile, nodding slightly in agreement. "Well what can I do for you today, Detective?" As he started to answer, Captain Reese popped his head into the video room. "Thought I saw you come in," he said. "Could you join me in my office for a few minutes?" "Sure thing," Adam answered, surprised to see the captain also working late. Glancing back at Holly, he added, "Later." Adam followed Reese into the captain's office and closed the door behind him. Reese moved behind his desk and sat down, indicating to Adam to do the same. "I've been doing a little research on our good friend Dimitri Aragopoulos, and I found all this in addition to what is in my own records." Reese handed Adam two folders. Adam opened the first folder and found it filled with some photographs. He picked up the first one and looked at it. "That's Aragopoulos," Reese said with much distaste in his tone. "The next one is of him, his wife Christiana, and her brother Arri Ramos." Adam looked at the second picture. "His wife is quite the looker," commented Adam. Reese grumbled, and Adam apologized with his eyes. Reese shrugged it off and continued. "In the other folder you will find his rap sheet. He's been brought in for drug dealing, murder, larceny, and so on. The man even has parking tickets, and he's managed to beat them all!" The detective pulled out the sheet of paper the captain had referred to and read through it quickly. "Criminals like him are powerful," Adam stated. "So powerful they think they are above the law, that they are above the rest of us," Reese added. "This bag of garbage has some overpaid stuffed shirt for a lawyer who always seems to find some loophole, some law, something to keep Aragopoulos out of prison and without a mark on his official record." The captain got up from behind his chair and started pacing the small space behind his desk. "But now we have him, and he's not getting away this time," he declared. "You mean he's in custody?" Adam asked, watching the captain's pacing with concern. Reese nodded. "I tried to call your partner last night, but he wouldn't answer his phone." "He said he got some sleep last night." Adam shrugged, not really knowing why Nick didn't answer his phone. Reese sighed. "Well the guy must sleep like a dead man. I let the thing ring until a nice, friendly voice told me that the cellular customer I was calling was not answering, and that I should hang up, check the number, and try again. Anyway, they brought Aragopoulos in last night. After a useless interrogation, he was locked up and is right now enjoying the comfort and hospitality of this precinct in a nice cold cement cell." The smile on the captain's face sent a shiver down Adam's spine. It worried him that the captain was enjoying the whole thing a little too much. It was also apparent that he hadn't read Dr. Lambert's report yet. "Uh, Captain," Adam started off timidly, "did Dr. Lambert leave a report on your desk this morning?" "Yes," the captain answered, pushing a couple of folders around until he found it. "Here it is," he said, holding it up. "Have you read it yet?" the detective asked. The captain shook his head, and Adam strongly suggested, "Read it." The captain opened the folder and started reading. The smile on his face fell to a frown as he kept reading. He looked up at Adam, his eyes burning with anger. "Have you seen this?" the captain asked. "Nick told me about it when I talked to him this morning," answered Adam. "Damn," Reese growled, "not again." Adam hesitated a moment before asking his next question. "You gonna release Aragopoulos?" "No!" snapped Reese. "We still don't have any positive evidence that proves he didn't do it." "And we don't have any positive evidence that proves he did do it," Adam added. Reese glared at Adam. "He stays!" (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 23:20:32 -0400 Reply-To: Virtual Fourth Season Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Virtual Fourth Season Subject: V4S: Adam's Apple (10/22) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #12 Episode Title: "Adam's Apple" "Air" Date: May 18, 1997 Author: Beth A. Washington Part 10 of 22 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1997 Beth Washington -------------------------- ADAM'S APPLE The late afternoon sun streamed in the windows, warming the hardwood floor and giving the illusion of a much warmer season. Tudor sat in the chair next to the window, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Nick all but huddled in the chair next to the fireplace as the sun came dangerously close to him. Nick tried to keep his mind off of his situation. He was trapped in a sunshine-filled room with a complaining nervous wreck and two guards, one of whom batted her eyelashes whenever she saw him. All the while, his body craved sleep and blood. He thought about the case. The evidence they had pointed to Aragopoulos as the killer, yet upon closer investigation, the very same evidence suggested that Aragopoulos didn't do it. If Aragopoulos was innocent of the crime, then who did it? Nick turned his attention to Tudor. He had been there when it happened. Maybe he saw more than his camera did. Nick decided to start a conversation with the young student. "Tudor, how long have you been going to the university?" Nick asked, trying to sound casual. Already knowing the answer to the question, Nick was more interested to see if Tudor would lie to him about even the more simple stuff. Tudor sat up with a start at the sound of Nick's voice. "I thought you were taking a nap over there," he stated, then answered Nick's question. "I'm in third year. Supposed to graduate next Spring." Nick nodded. "Studying video production?" "No, it's just a class I'm taking to fill some general credits," Tudor explained, then seemed to sense the detective's next question, he continued. "I have a project due at the end of the semester, a completed video." He let out a heavy sigh. "But you know this stuff already, I'm sure," he added with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "What was the subject of the video? Were you assigned something specific or allowed to choose?" Nick ignored the student's last comment and tried to sound interested in his classes. Tudor, on the other hand, shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "We were allowed to pick our subjects, and my project was...uh...I wanted to do a video on university night life." "So you were out shooting some footage for your video when you caught Sid Corso being murdered." Nick dug a little deeper, listening carefully to the student's heart as it began to beat a little faster. "Yes, that's exactly what happened," Tudor said, apparently happy to accept Nick's description of what happened. "Did you know Sid?" Tudor's heart raced in Nick's ears as Nick maintained a level expression, revealing nothing that he didn't want Tudor to see. "Yes, I did." Tudor answered, then hesitated a moment before adding, "We had some classes together." Nick said nothing, but only sat there listening. He could tell from the heartbeat pounding strongly in his head that his questions were making Tudor nervous, and now his silence was intensifying it. Tudor shifted again in his seat. "I didn't know him well, but I did know that he was in some kind of trouble." His voice trembled a little, giving away his nervousness. Nick took the opening. "What kind of trouble?" Tudor shifted yet again, then got up and looked out the window. "I don't...um...know exactly...what kind of trouble he was in. He just...um...hung out with...the um...you know...wrong crowd. I never dreamed he was involved with drugs." Nick watched as Tudor nervously glanced at him. It occurred to him that he should feel guilty for enjoying this so much, but he also felt that this kid was not as clean as he was painting himself to be. Then his thoughts turned to LaCroix. His master would have found it amusing that his son was toying with a mortal the way he was. LaCroix would also have found it tedious and eventually boring, when all he had to do was use his powers and force out the information he wanted. >>>----------> The balmy heat made everyone a little irritable. No one spoke. No one smiled. Marcus sat in a chair dozing, and Nicholas dabbed a damp cloth on one of the patients' foreheads. Marcus jumped up from his chair at the sound of someone knocking at the front door. The farmer who owned the house and the farm came down from the second floor and answered the door. A young boy stood panting on the front porch. "Monsieur, I have a message for Monsieur Nicholas Deuchars. Is he here?" "And who's asking?" the farmer inquired, determined to keep his farm, and the patients within, safe. "Monsieur Lucien LaCroix," came the boy's answer. "I have not heard of this man, I...," the farmer started to protest. "It's all right, Talbot." Nicholas said, laying his hand on the farmer's shoulder. "I know of whom he speaks. I will go outside and speak with the lad." "Very good, sir," replied the farmer as he retreated back up the stairs. Nicholas exited the farmhouse and closed the door behind him. He breathed in the night air, only slightly cooler than it was in the house. The boy stood wide-eyed before him, in peasant clothing soiled with dirt from the road. "I am Nicholas Deuchars," explained Nicholas. "Do not be afraid. What message do you have for me?" The boy relaxed only slightly. "Monsieur LaCroix told me to tell you only that he knows you are here and to ask you to come and meet him in Brussels tonight after the moon rises." "Did he?" asked Nicholas, not expecting an answer. "Did he say where?" The boy shook his head, his stringy brown hair swishing from side to side. "He said you would be able to find him." Nicholas smiled a little. LaCroix always did like a little mystery, but Nicholas did not feel like playing detective this evening. The boy stood there waiting. "Is there something else?" Nicholas asked. "No, Monsieur," the boy answered, and started to turn away. Nicholas dug into a small pocket inside the waist of his pants and pulled out a few coins. "Wait." The boy stopped and faced Nicholas. "Monsieur?" "I have a return message for Monsieur LaCroix," Nick announced, holding his hand out for the boy to take the coins. The youngster hesitated a moment. He reached up and took the coins, then waited for the message. "Tell Monsieur LaCroix that I am not interested in his games, and that I will not be visiting him this evening." The boy bowed, acknowledging Nicholas' message, then ran off down the road, disappearing into the darkness. Nicholas watched until the boy was gone from sight and sighed. " LaCroix will be angry with me," he mumbled to himself, "but that's nothing new." He walked back into the house and closed the door behind him. "Who was that?" came Marcus' voice from the back corner of the room. "Ah, you are awake," stated Nicholas. "It was only a messenger." "Did he have any news?" asked Marcus, rising from his chair. "No, only a message for me from an old friend," answered Nicholas with a sigh. He didn't really consider LaCroix an old 'friend', but more of a nasty cold that never went away no matter what one tried. "Too bad. We could really use some news." Marcus went over to a small table and poured himself a glass of white wine. "Want some?" Nicholas shook his head. Another knock came at the door, and both he and the doctor turned to look. "Probably the boy. He most likely forgot something." "Maybe we can ask him for some news," the doctor suggested. Nicholas moved over to the door, waving to the farmer, who was moving to answer the door, to stay upstairs. Marcus followed a couple of steps behind. Nicholas opened the door and was surprised at the smell of fresh blood that wafted in from the outside. The vampire stirred, but he managed to keep it hidden. Four soldiers dressed in Allied uniforms stood on the porch, and a fifth stood just off the porch holding the reins of five horses. The men were all injured and bleeding. Marcus moved in behind Nicholas, and his face changed from hopefulness to disappointment. "Well, we'd better get them inside and cleaned up before infection sets in." <----------<<< The front door to the cabin opened, and in walked Adam, jarring Nick from his memories. Adam was carrying several bags of take-out food, and Nick could smell the aroma of hamburgers and French fries. "The mess hall food is terrible," commented Adam. "Maybe they should hire a caterer, or a chef from Azure," Nick jested. "The way the principal spends money, I doubt they could afford the cook from Denny's," Adam scoffed. "Here!" he said as he tossed a bag to Nick, and then another to Tudor. Nick caught the bag in what looked like a movement in self defense. Nick glanced at Tudor as the student watched to see what he was going to do with the bag. Nick was hungry -- amazingly so -- and he couldn't help but hear the healthy heartbeats of everyone in and around the cabin. He hadn't eaten anything, and he was well aware that Tudor had made note of that fact. "I'm on a diet," Nick offered as a weak excuse. His fingers went into his pocket and found the little packet waiting for him. He pulled it out, showing Adam and Tudor the plain covered packet. "I have a special diet shake I drink when I get hungry." He glanced at Adam and Tudor; neither one of them seemed convinced. He could feel the warmth from the hamburgers and fries in the bag in his lap and remembered the time he actually ate something. He gulped as he reached into the bag and pulled out a fry. "But I will snitch a French fry," he said as both watched him. He slowly brought it to his mouth and took a bite. How revolting. He wanted to spit it out. He wanted to vomit, but he continued to chew, slowly. "Mmmm," he managed with great effort. His throat was closing up, and he thought he was going to choke on the fry and make a scene. Somehow, he managed to swallow it, hoping his face wasn't turning some unattractive shade of green. He could feel himself starting to sweat. "I think I'll go make my...um...shake," he said, quickly excusing himself and heading for the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Nick changed his mind about making the shake, and he seriously wondered if he was going to expel the French fry he had eaten in a very undignified manner. At least Nat would be proud of him for trying. Tudor's whispered voice attracted his attention, diverting it from his churning stomach. He turned up the volume with a little help from the vampire and listened closely. "That's the first thing I've seen him eat since we got here, and it looked like he was gonna upchuck afterwards," the student said quietly to Adam. "I've never seen him eat either. I always just assumed he was on some sort of weird diet like he mentioned tonight," came Adam's answer in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Nick smiled to himself at his partner's comment. He continued to listen. "Yeah, I guess so," Tudor reluctantly agreed. "He's just too weird, period. He always sits in that chair, and he never goes outside except at night. I haven't even seen him use the toilet." "Observant," Nick mumbled to himself. "I'll have to be more careful." He thought about the bathroom and realized that its window was north-facing and the sun never came in that room. "I could spend a bit of time in there without too much problem...tell them I'm all bound up." He smiled. "He's probably one of those people who only goes once a day, and he probably did that while you were napping," Adam answered around the hamburger in his mouth, a little amusement in his voice. Tudor mumbled a slight agreement. "And he doesn't go outside during the day because he has some sort of allergy to the sun," Adam finished explaining, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. There was silence for a moment, then Tudor asked another question as Nick continued to listen. "So, if he's allergic to the sunshine, how can he be a cop?" Nick heard Adam sigh, this time with a little annoyance. "Duh! He works the night shift. What? Do you think the police all go home at night, turn off the lights and lock the precinct doors?" It took everything Nick had not to burst out laughing. He took a deep breath, waited a few seconds for the urge to laugh to ease, then walked back into the living room. Tudor's eyes greeted him with a penetrating gaze, and he just about lost it again. Adam concentrated on chowing his food, the hamburger already half eaten, the French fries dripping with ketchup, and the large Coke more than half gone. Nick grabbed one of the extra bags and took it outside to Meredith, who was on watch, then grabbed another and went back into the kitchen and put it away for Sheridan. When he finally returned to the living room, his dyspeptic insides were calm once more. Adam licked his fingers and slurped down the remaining soda, then wadded up the bag and tossed it into the fire. He watched for a second as the paper curled and rolled, the flames grabbing hold and flaring up brightly. He turned his attention to Tudor, then Nick as he said, "I need some sleep. I'm working both the night and day shifts, and I'm not getting any sleep. Wake me up in a few hours so I can get back to work." With that, he disappeared into his parents' bedroom. Nick moved to sit down in the chair next to the fire, and Tudor just stood there, staring at him for a moment. Nick thought about the conversation he had just overheard, stood up, and headed for the bathroom. Tudor stepped aside, wide-eyed, as Nick grabbed a magazine on Japanese culture and disappeared into the bathroom. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com.