Blood & Magic

That night when she got home, Kirstin threw her clothes to the ground and immediately ran to the shower. The moment the door to her apartment slammed shut she burst into tears, wrapping her arms around her chest as she turned the hot water on high, the scalding temperature doing little to wipe the shame she felt out of her mind.

She knew that stranger had snapped a photo of her, it didn't matter if her face was seen or not. He would spread it on the internet and then the story would spread of a half naked officer who lost her uniform a second time. Not just a uniform, her power suit, an image that portrayed her ideal self, all of it taken from her thanks to this Doctor and Sakeena Fakhouri.

By the time Kirstin got out of the shower, her skin was as red as her face was when she blushed. As if in a trance, she walked to her room, not bothering to dry off and instead, letting the sensation of the cold numb the memories of her humiliation. Once she collapsed on her bed, she closed her eyes, tears soaking into the sheets as she dreaded tomorrow. It wasn't the fear of walking into an office of peers who would mock her, it was the dread of knowing how much work she was going to have to do to get revenge.

***

It was strange for Kirstin to step into the AAPD building in clothes, they felt like such a useless item for her. Every step she took made her notice the itchy sensation of the black dress pants sliding against her bare legs, just waiting to slide off and show everyone another pair of embarrassing panties. She thought back to being tied in the chair, the Doctor's hands sliding into her Jockeys and then Kirstin sped up her walk as she entered the homicide department, banishing the conflicting memory from her conscious.

She got to her desk to find several manila folders with documents inside. On top of it was a sticky note with the words "See Alan." Kirstin pulled the sticky note off the folder and crumpled it up, opening the top folder. Alan was the tech savvy member of homicide. She rarely consulted with him and so he could wait. Instead, she was curious to see what the autopsy report found.

The folder opened to reveal Matthew Varnes' severed neck, laying on a metal slab. Coroner stated that he noticed indents in the edges of his skin where the blow occurred, indicating some sort of animal. Kirstin tilted her head to examine the wound more, skeptical of the report given that there was no sign of an animal in the room, never mind the fact that no one in the complex reported one entering. If it was an animal, why one swipe and why not eat him? What beast sliced someone up and then left, like some passionless child who decided they were bored with their toy?

The report didn't give her any answers, but she didn't mind. Less answers meant less deceit against her own ethics. The Doctor wouldn't be able to do her own detective work if Kirstin didn't have anything to feed her. Which left Kirstin to doing her own work in learning what she could about the Doctor. She could move fast, jump far, read minds, what was to stop her from tearing open someone's neck? Perhaps Sakeena would know.

Kirstin fired up her computer and waited for it to load. As she waited she jumped as someone called out behind her, "Detective Delaney, just the person I was hoping to find."

She spun in her chair to see a tall African American man wearing a white button up shirt with his sleeves rolled. A thin mustache and goatee covered his smile. A silver thin laptop was tucked under his arm. "Jesus, Alan." Kirstin said as she sighed. "I was about come talk to you."

"And I found something in addition to what I already wanted to talk to you about, so I thought I'd find you." He said with a bright smile. Without waiting, he pulled up a chair to sit by her desk, setting the laptop in front of Kirstin and lifting it open. The screen flashed on, showcasing Maxim Magazine cover, the image was of a slender model on her knees in nothing but a thong.

Kirstin's nostrils flared at the undressed woman, thinking back to her own experience with wearing little clothing. "What is this?"

"Matthew Varnes laptop." Alan said as he opened up a web browser. "We picked it up from his home. It had gone into hibernation and I just managed to get into it. Last thing he was looking at before his death was an online dating profile."

"So he was expecting a date?"

Alan nodded as he opened the web browser to show Kirstin an OkCupid profile. "His browsing history shows that he kept looking at this woman's page." Alan pointed to the photo of a young woman with a fair skinned complexion. Her jet black hair hung over her shoulders, her thin lips spreading into a glowing smile. Her screenname is "Helenastories."

"'Helenastories?'" Kirstin read, "That's an interesting screen name. How do you know it was her?"

"This profile was viewed the most out of all the others. I checked his phone and he was texting her about meeting up that night."

"Did you try calling her?"

"We did, no answer. Perhaps she's afraid? Her profile says she's from France, maybe she heard about his death and is worried she'll be in trouble."

Sighing, Kirstin said, "Unless of course she knows what she did would get her in trouble. So how do we find her?"

"Well she's a student at U of M, she's pursuing a degree in teaching so I suppose we'll be scouting the education college."

Kirstin rested her elbows on the desk. "Her name is Helenastories, can't we just assume her first name is Helena? Let's do a search of all the Helenas in the student database and then go from there."

"You want me to do it now or you want me to find a list, narrow it down and get back to you?" Alan asked, opening up the U of M database.

Kirstin curled her lip, thinking about the repercussions of disobeying the Doctor. "Come to me with a list first, I'll decide later how to go about searching for her. Thanks Alan."

"No problem." Alan nodded as he scooped the laptop under his arm and stood up from his seat.

Kirstin waited for him to disappear behind his cubicle before returning to her computer and fired up the database containing information on Ann Arbor citizens. After checking behind her back to make sure no one was watching, Kirstin typed in "Sakeena Fakhouri" and pressed enter. It took several seconds for the results to pop up.

Sakeena lived in a small house a few blocks away from Kerrytown, a small block in Ann Arbor containing the farmer's market and several other organic restaurants. It was becoming populated by hipsters and young entrepreneurs who wanted to start families. Sakeena had no spouse listed, which made Kirstin wonder why she chose that area.

Kirstin checked the time, and upon realizing it was still early, she decided she would wait until after dark to pay Sakeena a visit. In the mean time, Kirstin had another suspect to look up, the woman who had twice been responsible for her humiliation. The last encounter left Kirstin with a clear memory of the Doctors' facial features. Green eyes, full lips that spread into a cat-like grin as she stared at Kirstin's strawberry print panties, a pixie cut that gave her a tomboyish look that contrasted well with her feminine voice. Closing her eyes, Kirstin imagined the woman's soft whisper, echoing in the back of her head as she planted her mouth on Kirstin's neck.

"Detective!" a man's voice called out.

"JESUS!" Kirstin jumped, her cheeks feeling warm as she spun around to see Chief Burk standing behind her. "Chief...heh sorry, I uh...was..nodding off."

He didn't say anything, instead he folded his arms as he eyed her lower half, pointing out to Kirstin that her legs were crossed, her hands folded just above her crotch. She immediately placed them on her lap and said, "What can I do for you?"

"Detective Hillier asked for some help interrogating a suspect. She wanted me to ask if you were busy which it seems you aren't. She's in interrogation room one." He pointed with his thumb.

"I'm on it chief." Kirstin said, lowering her eyes to avoid her boss' glare. She remembered as a young girl being afraid to have her parents walk in on her masturbating, pillow straddled between her legs as she rubbed her soft lips against it, but being caught fantasizing by her boss was something much worse. She was so relieved he didn't inquire about what she was thinking about that she didn't at all dread working with Jessica Hillier.

The interrogation room was located on the other end of the building, opposite side of her office. The door was open half way and Kirstin lightly knocked on the door before pulling it open to see Detective Hillier standing behind an empty chair in front of a black table. Sitting in front of the chair was a manila folder.

"Where's the suspect?" Kirstin asked.

"Still waiting on him, go ahead and shut the door." Hillier said with a smile. She had on black pumps under a maroon skirt that extended to her calves, a matching jacket over a black v-neck shirt. Kirstin always wondered if Hillier wore a Wonderbra or if her breasts were really that large given the way they seemed close to bursting out of her tops.

Kirstin approached the table and looked down at the folder. "What's this? You going to show them some photos to see if they'll crack?

"You could say that." Hillier said, lifting the top of the folder to open it up. What Kirstin saw inside almost made her collapse.

It was a photograph, printed on glossy paper. A woman had her face turned and leg raised, all to conceal her bare breasts and strawberry printed Jockey briefs. The torn shirt pulled against her body was used to cover her front, although it was hardly successful, with the rain bearing down, the white cotton was see-through. Kirstin remembered being out there in the rain, her powersuit destroyed and even though her face was hidden, her body language in the interrogation room betrayed her privacy.

"So that was you." Hillier said with a smirk.

Kirstin's hands shook as she covered the folder, feeling the blood in her cheeks spread throughout her capillaries. "H-how did you get that?"

Hillier folded her arms as she leaned against the wall. "From a some idiot I arrested in a drug sting last night. I've been trying to nab a dealer who has ties to a heroin producer and I managed to catch him. He was selling pot to some college student. Right before busting them he mentioned walking down an alley and seeing a 'hot chick running in her underwear.' He even got a nice picture." She tapped the folder again. "The location was nearby Dr. Fakhouri's office and given your previous experience with streaking, I had to look for myself. Seriously Delaney, strawberries? Do you have any sense of fashion?"

Kirstin's eyes strained as she fought to hold back tears, her finger nails digging into her palms as her throat strained. "Y-you better not show them to anyone. The chief will-"

"-The chief will what? Fire me? I'm not going to do anything, but the college student might if I tell him to." She slid the folder across the desk. "You can keep that one, I have the original at home. All I need to do is post it on the internet and hundreds of people will get to see the sexy mysterious detective in her Jockeys." She raised an eyebrow at Kirstin. "That is of course...if you do what I say."

"What do you want?" she hissed, knowing all too well what it was.

"You're going to let me solve the Matthew Varnes case. Any information you get that leads towards his killer will be given to me so I can be the one to make the arrest. That way, I'll get promoted to Homicide like I fucking should have before you got in my way."

BAM! Kirstin's fist slammed into the desk, causing an echo in the room. "Fucking bitch! How dare you compromise me like this?"

Hillier held her hands up, "Whoa I didn't compromise anyone. You're the one who likes to take romps outside in your girly panties."

Kirstin's hands grabbed the sides of Hillier's jacket as she pinned her against the wall. Hillier grabbed Kirstin's wrist and flashed her pearly whites, "Watch it Delaney. Do that again, and I'll be sending that photo AnnArbor.com for them to post in tomorrow's news."

She was still in the clear, no one but Hillier knew which meant she could still keep her dignity...until the Doctor found out. Kirsten let go of Hillier and folded her arms. "Fine...I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"I expect daily reports Kirstin. For starters, what did you learn from the shrink?"

She was also blackmailing Kirstin at the price of her dignity. "She couldn't say much due to client confidentiality." That much was true. "She's going to try to get his parents to sign a release of information."

Hillier stared at Kirstin, lips pursed as she watched Kirstin's body language to see if it would betray her. She waited another minute before saying, "Give me a heads up if she gets back to you. You can go and get back to work now if you want."

Kirstin turned to storm outside the door, but not before feeling something light tap her on the back. "Uh uh...don't forget your glamour shot!"

Reaching behind her, Kirstin pulled the folder out of Hillier's hands and ripped up the photo, picturing her career also getting torn to shreds.

***

The street Sakeena Fakhouri lived on was unlit by streetlamps, much to the benefit of Kirstin. She was able to park in a lot in Kerrytown and walked the rest of the way, using the long journey as a way to think on how she would approach the psychologist in her home. Kirstin still had the Doctor to worry about and wasn't sure if the two of them lived together. She would need to act quick, sneaking behind Fakhouri and holding her at gunpoint to take control, all so she could then give all of her intel to Jessica Hillier.

Just thinking about Jessica's blackmail made Kirstin angry again. She saved her hate for Sakeena, the woman who helped put her in this subordinate position. No longer a detective, more like a well for information for people to draw from who wanted credit for the case. For Jessica Hillier it made sense, but Kirstin still wondered about Sakeena and the Doctor.

As she rounded a corner, Kirstin could see Sakeena's house from her vantage point. It was a two story building, dark blue paint job with spires topping off each room on the second floor. Below the second floor windows was another roof, jutting out several inches from the house to allow people in the top floor to use it as an escape in the event of a fire. All the rooms were dark except for one, a room on the far right. Kirstin closed her eyes and could hear the gentle hiss of water running. Perfect timing for her to sneak in while Sakeena showered.

Stepping onto the lawn, Kirstin hid behind a large oak tree that sat next to the house. She checked both sides of the street to make sure no one was around and then rushed to the house, making sure to tread slowly as she stepped onto the wood porch. She tried peaking through the window to get a glimpse of the living room for any sign of pets.

For the most part the house looked desolate, so much space for one lonely therapist, if there were any animals they were most likely asleep. Kirstin didn't think about this until that very moment and decided that if a pet was home she would abandon the goal for now.

Reaching into her pocket, Kirstin pulled out a lockpicking kit she swiped from the department and went to work, jiggling with the door mechanism until it finally unlocked. With a hard grip on the knob, she turned it ever so gently to push open and slide inside. Once it was shut, turned to take in the sight of a hardwood floor and a set of stairs immediately in front of her, leading up to a long hallway to other parts of the house. Kirstin could still hear the shower going off in the room above and pulled out her pistol, hugging the wall to the stairs as she ascended.

Her breathing got heavier, perhaps because she knew what she was about to do was unethical or because she was afraid of being jumped by the Doctor again, her clothes ripped off her body as she would be forced to walk the streets in another pair of embarrassing unmentionables.

Just thinking of being vulnerable again steeled her resolve, a new reservoir of rage to fuel her movement as she made it up to the second floor. Upon turning to the right, Kirstin could see a long dark hallway, save for an open door with the bathroom light leaking to the outside. Sakeena had to be alone, otherwise she wouldn't feel this safe.

Kirstin tip-toed up to the bathroom door and leaned against the wall, aiming her pistol where Sakeena's head would be. Kirstin could hear the doctor's voice, humming some unrecognizable song to herself as she stepped out of the shower. It felt like hours as Kirstin heard the hair dryer running. She was happy she caught Sakeena at this time, getting the drop on her when she was in some state of undress. The surprise would make her feel off guard, just like Kirstin felt.

It was when the dryer stopped that Kirstin gripped her gun with both hands and waited to see Sakeena step out of the bathroom, wearing a white silk robe. Her wet hair was darker than its natural color, a messier look as it hung over her shoulders, as if she were a model for Sports Illustrated. Kirstin hesitated to look at her beauty for a moment before saying, "Don't move."

Sakeena gasped as she turned and held her hands over the open V in her robe to cover her exposed neck. Her eyes relaxed when she recognized Kirstin in the darkness, wearing a dark leather jacket over a t-shirt and jeans.

"Good evening Detective Delaney. I take it you're not here to give me an update on the case.."

"Yeah not likely bitch now hands up and let's go to your room."

With a shrug, Sakeena raised her hands and casually walked past Kirstin, who pivoted her gun as she followed the doctor across the other side of the house to her bedroom. Once she was inside, Sakeena turned on the light, revealing a white bedroom where she had a twin sized bed with maroon colored bedsheets.

To the left was a window to the outside, the roof to the first floor in clear view. A painting of some deity hung on the wall, an abstract drawing of a woman who was naked, surrounded by others who were clothed. "Is anyone else here?' she asked once she realized Fakhouri had a double bed.

"No." Sakeena said, turning around with her hands still in the air. "Now what is this about?"

Kirstin reached for her hip and pulled out a set of handcuffs. "You're under arrest for assisting a suspect and...assaulting an officer."

Sakeena smiled as she shook her head. "Oh Detective, this is not smart. You must really liked streaking in your panties that night."

"Shut up!" Kirstin shouted, feeling a lump in her throat develop as she felt her control being taken from her again. "You aren't getting away with what you did to me! Or that Doctor who I'm very sure is behind Matthew Varnes' murder."

"I assure you, we're on the same side." Sakeena calmly said. "And I'd be very interested in seeing you arrest me, since you have no proof of what we did to you and I imagine this unannounced visit is not within your power." she folded her arms and made a move to sit on the bed.

Seeing such defiance always irritated Kirstin, a citizen who refused to comply when there was reason to believe they had knowledge of a crime always put Kirstin in a double bind, a bind she hated. In that instance, the anxiety and anger in her mind took over and she reached forward to grab Fakhouri on the shoulder, "Get off the fucking bed now!"

Sakeena shot a glance at Kirstin that she would never forget, it was not the compassionate look of a therapist, but sneer of a killer as she raised a hand to knock Kirstin's gun out of her own. The blow was so powerful it sent the gun across the room, shocking Kirstin long enough to give Sakeena the chance to rise from the bed and grab Kirstin under the armpits, lifting her off the ground and hurling her over the bed.