Chapter Three- The Double

A Chapter by The Doctor

15 September 2010

There in the chaos of the hospital the cops find me, cuffs ready and pistols drawn.

"Get down on your knees! Hands behind your head!"

I follow orders, head looking down.

So this is how it's going to end, demoralized in my own hospital...

In thie mist of this I hear Beethoven's #5 Symphony playing in the backgraound. I look in confusion to find the world dematerialize in front of me like ink in water. My eyes snap open and I'm on my couch in my office. The music was being produced by my iPhone on the table. Sitting up I look at the caller I.D. to see it's John.

"Hello brother, what can I do for you?"

"You sound like wreck."

"Nice to hear from you too."

"Anyways, I need to toss some ideas around with you. I'm having troubles with this serial killer and I need to bounce ideas with you."

"Alright, when you want to meet?"

"Noon time at Starbucks."

"Alright, see you there."

"Bye Jack."

"Bye."

I hang up and place the phone back on the coffee table. I sit up and rub my face awake.

"Twin wants a visit huh? Think he's on to you?"

"I doubt it. By the sound of his voice he was too baffled to even have a single clue to a suspect."

Johnathon Style is my identical twin, same eyes, same sharp cheek and jaw bones. Eyes kinda of set deep with the silk, black hair to match. Hell, we even have the same routine. When what ever happened in our past, John was there too. Instead of becoming a serial killler he took the righteous path of being an agent for the FBI. Perfect agent you could ever meet, clean, won several medals; just a Hollywood cliche of a good, honest man.

Being exactly alike, John likes to share ideas and problems on cases back and forth. For a while I went to law school with him before deciding on being a doctor. This makes me the perfect idea buddy.

Edward was referring the fact that John is on my killings. He is lead investigator on my recent killings, so each time he has asked for my help I've tried to lead him astray....Has not worked out so far.

"So you're going to continue on sticking close to the man studying your work? I mena you have a plan for killing your own brother? If so i haven't found it up here at all, nor do you or I have the balls to do so."

"No Edward, my plan isn't to kill him. Merely find out what they know and improve on it. If we have to change the way we do things than we will. No big deal."

"No big deal? You're a serial killer, any cop on your tail is a big deal. Take this seroiusly."

"Why so i can torment myself with worry, become paranoid with you breathing down my neck and let others become supicious? No. I will not allow that to happen. I have a hold on my life and I'm goi g to keep it."

Edward huffed and walk to the back of my mind. I look down at my watch- ten thirty. Enough time to go home, shower and change.

Knock. Knock.

F****n' a!

I walk over and open the door, my nurse standing in its threshold.

"Dr. Style, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yes Sarah, I'm fine. Long day yesterday. But I'm going home and will be out for the rest of the day. If I'm seriously needed here call me," I turn to my coat rack and replace my lab coat with my suit coat,"Any paper work i get i want it placed on my desk. Forward all calls to my voice mail."

"Yes doctor. Everything ok?"

"Two full weeks here, little sleep, extra curricular activities, I'm beat. Plus my brother wants to meet for coffee."

"Alright doctor. Enjoy your day."

"Thank you." I smile, grabbing my phone and putting it into my pocket.

I walk out to my car and head home.

Noon- Starbcks Coffee Shop

I walk in and find John sitting at a table in the back, Apple laptop open and some files resting next to him. I order an iced cappuccino from the counter, once it was given to me I pulled the seat up across from John.

"After noon brother. Things going will in the Big Apple for you?"

"Just more dead bodies. Recently the bureau has had me on a serial killer."

"Tell me about him or her."

"We believe this man is attempting to be a vigilante. He kills killers who harm the innocent."

"Really? Well how do you know that these are indeed killers?"

"The way we find them. Each victim is found in similar murder scences, we also find the momentos of the killers splayed out in order of killings."

"What do you mean?" I ask, producing a confused look.

"Well he takes what the killers have taken and puts them on display, in cronilogical order of which each victim was killed. See here, a serial killer we called The Scarlet Murder, would kill women who had red hair. These women were mostly business women who had made large deals in crushing smaller companies to help their business grow."

"Sounds like regular business to me."

"Well this man had enough. Once he killed them he would take any type of jewlery with red in it, whether it be a rose, ruby, so on. Well these were found to be placed neatly on the bureau. Put out in plain sight for us to find."

"Alright. So you have another nutter. Track him down like the rest."

"Yeah but he's so clean. Vaccums after himself. Not a finger print behind. Barely a sign of struggle."

"What do you mean barely?" I sip my cappuccino.

"Brusies are found on pressure point on the back. Marks around the neck shows he was choked out from a choke hold." John sips his coffee.

"So what do you need my help for?"

"I'm missing something. It seems to be right there and i can't see it at all. It's driving me mad."

"And how long have you had the case for?"

"Going on five years."

"Ouch. Many years of maddness."

"You're telling me. And this killer has been on the loose for ten years."

"Wow," I take another sip.

I've been doing this for a while. John was lucky that when we turned twenty five he got such a case. Then again he excelled in law and worked quickly through the ranks.

"I know and it's been just a puzzle that seems to collect more and more pieces. This killer has no method of operation what so ever, only that of whom he has killed."

"So you're working with an adaptive killer."

"Yes. We call this killer Copy Cat."

How cliche.

"Wow. I hope they don't give out medals for the best serial killer name."

John laughed as he looked at the screen.

"So you haven't told me why you need my help."

"Aw hell, i just needed to tell someone outside the bureau. I was hoping we could meet up again at your house to look the crime scenes over and look over all the details, see what it is I'm missing."

F**k.

"Yeah. Not this week, busy at the hospital," and I have found a new project. "Next Monday?"

"Perfect. Thanks Jack."

"Any time. See you soon."

We shake hands, I get up and leave the shop. I lean back into the driver seat, closing my eyes in deep thought.

"And you thought it was going to be a piece of cake," Edward muttered.

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