The office was quiet when I arrived. Focused on turning in their reports and going home for the night, officers clicked the keys on their computers and wrote up their reports. Mapes stood, picked up his evidence bags, and dropped them in baskets lining the wall. When I plopped my cup mug on the table, he glanced at me with a tired smile.

“Welcome back. You are in for a rough night. Two more victims while you were gone.”

“Captain wanted to see me this morning. Then I’ll be back with Leon for the night shift.”

“He’ll be glad to see you. All Leon does is grumble about the new guy. He says Daley doesn’t have any instincts. The guy almost got himself killed on their shift. They’re in with the captain right now.”

I glanced at the captain’s office and saw him waving at me to come in. I locked up my gun first and then entered his office. Nothing changed in the time I was gone. There were piles of newspapers and folders. The only unused chair held a stack of dusty books. I came in, closed the door, and leaned against the wall.

Captain Morris had dark circles under his eyes. His clothes were rumpled and stained with food. He must not have gone home for a couple of days. He tiredly said, “Liz, this is Officer Daley. New guy got attacked by some street person last night. He didn’t like Daley poking through his stuff. Pulled a knife.”

The thin, short man started to defend himself. His buzz-cut scalp and perfectly shaved face glowed with eagerness. From the captain’s expression, I knew this was not the first time he tried to explain himself.

“Later,” Captain Morris cut him off.

I grinned and said, “Thought maybe knife slashes were our new uniform regulation.

Leon snickered at my comment.

The captain said, “There have been four murders so far. No pattern in their backgrounds to connect them. The method and design of wounds are all the same. Night killings, an X slashed across the chest, and then a stab to the heart. That is the only link. Here are the files. Your partner and Daley can fill you in about last night. I want to get this man off the streets tonight!”

“Have you considered it might not be a man? Possibly a female?” I remembered the Gatekeeper’s warning.

“Studies say it is a man, in his mid-forties, with a mother issue,” Daley smirked as he corrected me.

“Is he going with us tonight? He’ll be a liability.”

“I’ll have you know, I have two degrees, one in law enforcement, the other in psychology. This is my expertise.”

Morris growled and said, “Yes. Try to keep him alive.”

Leon and I left the office while Daley stayed behind and complained about me. I heard, “Why is she coming along? A woman will be in the way.”

“Everything go all right with the funeral?” Leon rested his arm across my shoulders. We had clicked as partners on the first night. He never changed. Somehow his hair length, a long strand across his forehead, and the gruffy unshaven beard stayed the same every day.

“Yes, I’ll go back next week and sign some papers to sell the house after we stop this person.”

“You think this could be a woman?”

“Uses a knife and can get close to the victim without him suspecting. Perhaps posing as a hooker.”

Leon yawned. “See you this evening. I need to get home to Amy and sleep.”

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“Later,” I said.

He picked up his backpack and wandered to the elevators.

Daley stalked over to me and grabbed my arm. “I am filing a complaint. I have connections upstairs. You do not have the training or knowledge to be on this case.”

I glared at his hand until he removed it. “Whatever. I’ll see you tonight.” I unlocked my desk, slipped the gun back in my holster, and left. A reflection on a window revealed his angry expression. I grinned and thought, Mission accomplished.

Because of my slim build and being a woman, people always underestimated me, though at five foot eight, I was taller than some of them. Leon and others who saw me in action understood my capabilities. I could flip and trap a man with five different techniques. My muscles were tight with no hint of fat. My usual routine involved the gym for three hours after the shift, buy groceries, eat, and then crash. I wake up in plenty of time to get dressed and spend some time on the computer before going to work. My social life was nil. How do I explain to some nicely dressed man that I chase and rid evil people from society?

The silver knife glowed with warmth through its leather sheath. I returned to work, revved and eager to take this woman out. Leon saw my expression and grinned. He understood the signs. We were going hunting.

Leon brought our unmarked car around. Daley tried to shove me aside and get in the front passenger seat. I stood my ground and gave him a hard elbow to the ribs. While he staggered back, I slipped in the seat and slammed the door. The man banged on the window until Leon remembered to unlock the back door.

As Daley climbed in, Leon said, “Liz has been my partner for three years. Newbies sit in the back. Watch out for the vomit. They may have missed some from last night.”

I stared out at the passing streets as we cruised along. “Quiet tonight.”

“Noticed. But maybe it’s early. Most of the attacks occurred around 10:00.”

We got out of the car and walked the area, asking questions and making our presence known. This was where the first victim was found. When the knife on my leg stayed cool, I suggested we go on to the next location. Most night people knew us and were eager to talk. They wanted this ugliness to stop as much as we did. At the third site of the attack, warmth spread up my leg.

“We need to ask questions and examine some more,” I said.

Daley snorted at my suggestion. He leaned his head back and sipped from a water bottle. “Waste of time, I’ll just stay here in the car. You can spin in circles.”

“This is part of our job. These people may have some answers.”

“Go for it.” Daley shut his eyes.

I gave him a worried glance but closed my mouth. The Gatekeeper warned me about my partner, and I assumed he meant Leon. We left Daley with a smug look and closed eyes. Slipping into the shadows, I motioned Leon to follow me. He understood my strange instincts.

After about a half hour, a lone woman dressed in a low-cut black evening dress and six-inch heels wandered down the street. Long blond hair cascaded down her shoulders. A curl lodged in the exposed vee between her breasts. She approached our car and bent over to tap on the window. Her dress dropped lower off her shoulders and revealed a more tantalizing view.

“Don’t suppose you can help me. My car broke down and cell phone battery died.”

Daley’s eyes popped open. When he saw who was standing there, his fingers fumbled with the door latch. “Sure. Why not sit on the car seat, and I’ll call for you.” He scrambled out of the car and held the door open for her.

The woman pushed him to the side and slammed the car door shut. Her hand rammed into his chest pinning him against the car, Daley gazed into her eyes. He realized her intent and started struggling.

“Don’t fight me, my love. I’ve been searching for you. This song will connect us. I feel your response. We are meant to be together.” Her low crooning voice had a mesmerizing quality. Her hand pushed on his chest until he was lifted and bent backward. A knife appeared in her other hand.

In a trance-like state, Daley’s breathing was deep and drawn out. He waited patiently for what was to come.

My knife warned me about the evil lurking inside the woman. It struggled to be released from its sheath. All my pants were designed with a hidden zipper opening on the inside leg. I slid it down and untied the knife. The blade slipped smoothly into my hand.

I threw the knife. It went straight through her, exited, and returned to my hand.

Her head bounced off the sidewalk when Leon tackled her. He rolled her over and kicked the knife from her hand.

Right before her eyes closed, she said, “I thought I smelled you.”

Daley woke from his trance and slid down to land on the sidewalk. He looked over at the dead woman. “What just happened?”

“You were attacked. Your head hit the car when the hooker shoved you against it. That’s why you’re dazed. Just before slicing you up, I shoved her aside. She died when her head banged on the pavement.” Leon left out my knife thrust and lack of wound. Also, the woman’s last words. He learned to let those things slide.

I reached down to help Daley stand. “Captain will be happy. You’re still alive.”

We spent the rest of our shift writing up reports and getting congratulations from co-workers. There was no question in my mind about the woman’s guilt. Forensics would tie her knife to all the murders. Case closed. The Gatekeeper had a new occupant.