Kirk & Taylor
"Any video coming through on that murder the other day yet?" Kirk asked, walking through the apartment complex.
"The surveillance tapes were still being transcribed as far as I know," came a lone reply.
"Man," someone grabbed Kirk's arm, "check this out. I don't think you're gonna like it."
"Oh really?"
Kirk let the man lead him over to a computer, on which a surveillance video was playing.
"This is surveillance on Taylor Hanson three days before the murder," the man used the end of his pen to tap the screen, "that girl he's with... it's Kat."
"Holy sh!t..."
"The two went back to her place soon afterward," the woman that was sitting at the computer informed him before looking up, "he came out alone."
"Holy sh!t," Kirk backed off a little.
"It doesn;t mean he was the murderer," the man tried to calm him, but it could mean he was one of the last few who ever saw her alive."
"No man," Kirk shook his head, "you know this guy's been having mental problems lately, it could very well have been him. You saw that blqade he was playing with..."
"But still, let's not jump to conclusions," the man insisted, "maybe you could just go and ask him a few questions or something."
Kirk hesitated, then scratched his head.
"Alright, I'm gone."
And he left the building.
~*~
Taylor received fair warning that Steel was on his way up the footpath, and an put up with him in the house, met him at the door.
"I need to talk to you," Kirk said simply.
"What about?" Taylor leant against the doorframe.
"Something that should not be discussed in public," Kirk raised his eyebrows, "either we go inside, or we piss off out of here."
Taylor hesitated, then looked over his shoulder. Finally, he grabbed a jacket and closed the door behind him.
Kirk led him down the street, keeping an eye out for any tailers.
"What were you doing four days ago?" he asked casually.
"Four days ago?" Taylor raised his eyebrows, "that would make it... Friday, right?"
Kirk nodded.
"Umm... nothing unusual. I probably went down to the park again if I was feeling weird, but otherwise... just the usual," he shrugged.
"Does the name Kat mean anything to you?" Kirk raised an eyebrow.
"Kat?" Taylor frowned, trying to think.
"Ah... can't say that it does. I mean I've probably met a few," he shrugged again.
"What about Kathryn McLaughlin?"
Taylor stopped walking for a moment to concentrate.
"That sounds familiar... Wait, isn't that the name of that girl that was stabbed a few days ago?" he began to look worried.
Kirk nodded, "yeah it was."
"Well... what about her?" Taylor's look turned to one of confusion.
Kirk stopped and looked around for a moment, before leading him down a more deserted street.
"You don't remember talking with her the day she was murdered?" he asked quietly as they continued walking.
"I... I don't know her," Taylor shook his head, "are you sure it was me?"
"You were at the park, and she came to accompany you on the bench where you normally sit," Kirk attempted to remind him, "soon afterward, you went back to her house. Not an hour later you emerged alone."
"Wait," Taylor put his hands up and backed off a little, "I didn't... what, you think I killed her? I..."
"You swear you don't remember any of this?" Kirk looked interested.
"I... no! But I didn't kill anyone!"
"Settle," Kirk insisted, "if you didn't kill her, you were one of the last to see her alive. And if someone like Blakesley gets hold of that information he can hold you for blackmail."
Taylor bit his lip and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Knowing my luck he probably already knows," he said finally, kicking a stone across the alley.
"Why would you say that?"
Taylor shrugged.
"I figure he's got someone watching me," he rubbed his nose, "he had someone watching Mouse when she was in that last house... everything was bugged - the phone, the house, everything. And now with help from you she's practically disappeared. What else does he have to do with his time?"
Kirk stopped again and took a deep breath.
"Ok. My guys still have you under surveillance. I mean, we have the tapes of you going into Kat's house, but they've been kept save and in only the most trusted of hands. No one will get hold of them. But at the moment we have to hope that there were no other cameras watching you at that time."
"Wouldn't your guys have picked them up?" Taylor frowned.
"Depends if the person was able to be seen or detected in the first place," Kirk shrugged, before beginning to leave the alley again.
Taylor followed, his mind working overtime.
"Steel... if I was in that house, and the last person to see her alive, and I don't remember it..." he began sullenly, "then I don't know if I killed her or not. Or maybe I was there when the murderer was. Maybe I could have stopped it or something."
"There's no use in beating yourself with maybes," Kirk insisted as they began back down the street, "until we find out for sure, you're innocent until proven guilty."
"You know, human laws don't quite work the same way," Taylor almost chuckled.
"True," Kirk nodded, "but I bet you didn't know that the police never found a murder weapon. No prints, no DNA, no sign of a struggle. Apart from the fact she was stabbed and gutted it may as well have been a suicide."
Taylor gulped.
"Do you think I'm capable of something like that?" he asked wearily.
Kirk opened his gate and stopped at the fenceline.
"I think if we really thought about it, we all are," he said.