Hey everyone, here's another fic I've written. I hope you enjoy. SHADOW MAN Author: Louise Email: lj_brown2@yahoo.com Note: This is a crossover between Halifax fp and Stingers both shows I absolutely love and are produced by the two Rogers!! Disclaimer: I do not own or have anything to do with these two fine Aussie dramas. (I wish I did though!!) Mac was standing in the observation room, listening contently to the interview in progress. Three women, all within a matter of a month had been stalked and murdered by the same man, but none of the victims had the slightest clue who he was or what he looked like, when they first made their suspicions clear to the police. They could hear him, feel his presence, but when they looked to see who it was, he would just vanish. A fourth victim had now come forward after feeling as though someone was watching her. There was evidence outside her home of a prowler, giving homicide detectives their first piece of a very gruelling puzzle. The prowler had left behind shoeprints, identified as size ten and a half men's shoes, reasonably new because the tread on the sole were still easily recognisable. "Did you see anyone following you?" Paul Smith asked the young woman. "No, when I turned around…nobody was there," she replied in a shaky voice. "How can you be sure you were being followed then?" "When I first thought that I was being followed, I kept looking through the windows trying to see his reflection - " Paul cut in, "you saw his reflection? What about any features, anything that can help us get close to identifying this man?" "Nothing much that will help. He was average height, medium build…he was wearing a cap, with something written across the top, and it looked like he was wearing a long, dark coloured coat. But, I don't know, window reflections can sometimes be misleading." "That has helped us a lot. We have nothing on this guy, but from what you have just told us, it is a start. Thankyou for coming in, Ms. Williams." Paul entered the observation room with a grin spread across his face. "We're getting closer to nailing this bastard! First, the shoeprints and now what we've been told by Ms. Williams. At least it will make your job a lot easier now with this latest info." Mac rolled her eyes, "do you know how many men there are in Melbourne who are average height and medium build?" "I know it may seem a long shot, but there aren't that many men with those same features who will be following your operative around!" "Presuming he'll take the bait!" "Well, I'm working on that?" "How?" Mac asked confused. "I've asked Jane Halifax in to do a profile. Get to know how he chooses his victim's and what makes him do it." Mac's eyes widened, "Jane Halifax?" "Yeah. You know her?" "Aah, yeah, from way back." The factory~ "Morning all," said Mac as she arrived after her meeting at H.Q. "Morning, Mac," they all responded. Pete followed Mac into her office and closed the door behind him. "So, was it another stalking victim that came forward?" "Yeah, pretty much the same story, but she was able to give us rough information about his size and build and a few other things." Pete looked surprised, "she actually saw him?" "Not really, no. But she did see a reflection in a shop window." "So we're still after the Shadow man?" "Mmm, seems that way." "What's happening in relation to our part in the case?" "Paul has called in a forensic psychiatrist to build a profile of the suspect. While that's happening, we'll have Danni and Oscar on surveillance. Once we know how he selects his victims, Angie will go in." The door opened and Oscar walked in, "Danni and I are just about to head off on surveillance, is there anything you need us to do before we go?" "Nah, that's fine Oscar. Oh, by the way, here's a few details of what we're looking for, so look for someone matching that description," Mac said as she handed Oscar a piece of paper. "Sure, no worries." Oscar's Car~ "This is the biggest waste of time," sighed Danni. Oscar rolled his eyes, "so you keep telling me!" "We have no idea who we're looking for. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack!" "Gee, I'd do anything to be working with Angie again," muttered Oscar. "What was that?" Danni asked. "Nothing really, just saying at least now we have a little bit of info on this guy." Danni smiled, "I thought that's what you said." The factory~ Mac was hanging up the phone in her office when Pete walked in. "Any news from Oscar and Danni?" "No, not yet. That was Paul to say Jane Halifax will be in at H.Q in half an hour and he wants me there." "Is she another victim?" "No, no. She's the forensic psychiatrist. From what I've heard, she's pretty good. It'll be good to catch up with her." Pete looked up surprised, "you know her?" "Used to. We went to high school together." Police HQ~ "Detective Senior Sergeant Ellen Mackenzie, this is Doctor Jane Halifax," Paul said as he introduced the two women. Jane smiled as she instantly recognised the face, "hi, it's great to see you again." "Yeah, you too. It's been a long time." "Mm, we've got a lot of catching up to do," she paused before continuing, "so, what's with the name change?" "Ah, goes with the territory of being an undercover cop!" Paul coughed to get their attention back on the case at hand, "can we get started?" Ellen and Jane both looked at one another, rolling their eyes as they both took a seat in Paul's office. "Tell us Doctor Halifax, what have you found so far?" "I'd say the stalker knows who he is after. All the victims worked in the same office building in the past, although the fourth victim currently works there. Looking at photos of the women, I'd say he was perhaps attracted to them, approached them for a date, but they turned him down. The stalker resents the way he has been treated by these women and believes they should be punished for that. Hence, stalking and possibly murdering the women." Mac nodded as she took all the information in, "so, if I send my operative to work at…" Mac paused as she looked through her notes to see where the victims worked, "Henderson and Ridgeway Solicitors, hopefully, she will get this man's attention?" "Yes, but she would have to be extremely careful. This guy is not afraid to hurt his victims." Paul stood, followed by Jane and Mac, "well, thankyou Doctor Halifax for coming in and sharing that with us, and Mackenzie, you'll get your operative on this as soon as possible?" "Yes, first thing." When Mac and Jane approached the lift together, they continued to catch up with one another. "So, what have you been up to, apart from changing your identity?" "Ah, nothing much really. You?" "No, same old story – too busy with my career to worry about anything else." Mac smiled, "yeah, I can relate to that." "I know what, why don't we go out for a few drinks and we can do some more catching up?" Mac nodded in agreement, "sounds good to me." The factory~ Pete was on the phone to Mac, "…yeah, I can stay back and organise Angie's cover…alright, see you tomorrow…don't get too drunk…bye." "Was that Mac? How'd it go with the profiler?" Asked Angie as she walked in from the locker area. "Yeah, good. Dr. Halifax seems to think the guy worked with the victims and that's how he chose them." "Did she mention anything about the sting?" "Yeah, I'm just about to organise your cover now and you'll begin working at Henderson and Ridgeway Solicitors tomorrow morning." Angie rolled her eyes, "gee, how fun." Oscar's car~ "What time did Mac say the dog's were going to relieve us?" Asked Danni in a grumpy voice. "They shouldn't be too much longer," Oscar replied looking down at his watch. "Ah, that'd be my phone," he said as he picked up the ringing mobile. "Hey Pete…nah, he didn't follow her home…yeah, I've just seen them pull up now…good timing, Danni's driving me crazy with her whinging…you're lucky you don't have to do surveillance…alright, night Church…" Oscar hung up and immediately started the ignition. Danni clasped her hands together, "yes, finally we're outta here!" Oscar laughed, shaking his head, but pleased he no longer had to put up with Danni. Bayside Hotel~ Mac and Jane were having a good laugh as they caught up with one another. "What about the time when Jamie's best mate started the rumours that you were pregnant," Jane recalled finishing off her glass of red wine. Mac shook her head, "that was the start of the end of our relationship. Jamie's mum was furious. Not to mention my mum." "Only because they were embarrassed that someone in their social group had brought it up in conversation at a luncheon." Jane poured herself and Mac another drink. "I bumped into him the other day." "Jamie?" Mac asked surprised. "Yeah, his father's business opened up offices here about two years ago and now Jamie's running the show. He said he'd been trying to track you down, but it was as though you just, disappeared." Mac scoffed, "I did, in a way!" "He gave me his mobile, home and office numbers if you're interested?" Mac hesitated for a moment then shook her head, "no, he's probably married or seeing someone." "No actually he's single. Go on, just call him, what harm can that do?" Mac slowly grabbed the piece of paper from Jane, "alright." Next morning: The factory~ Mac was sitting in her office typing on her computer when Pete walked in. "Angie's cover all ready?" "Yeah, she's just about ready to go. Oscar and Danni are leaving in the van now." "Right. Thanks, Pete." "No worries." There was a light knock on the door and Angie appeared. "I'm off now, I don't want to be late on my first day." Mac smiled, "okay. Good luck and please Angie, be careful?" "Sure thing Mac." Van~ "Day two of stimulating surveillance," Danni said sarcastically. "Give it a rest Danni. Angie is going to be in a very dangerous situation and you're making jokes out of it?" "Gee, who folded your undies the wrong way?" Henderson and Ridgeway Solicitors~ Angie walked up to the front reception, "good morning, my name in Charlotte Wilson, I believe you're expecting me?" The receptionist at the desk looked down at her diary and back up at Angie. "Yes, we are indeed. Mr. Henderson and Mr. Ridgeway are both in a meeting right now, but I will get our mail boy down here and he can show you around. Is that alright with you, Miss. Wilson?" "Yes, that's fine thankyou," replied Angie smiling. A few moments later a man in his mid to late twenties appeared and immediately had his eyes fixed on Angie. "Daniel, this is Miss. Wilson, our new legal advisor. Daniel here is our most qualified internal mail boy," the receptionist said to Angie. He tightly gripped Angie's hand, shaking it as he looked deeply into her eyes, "it is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Miss. Wilson." "Thankyou, it's, it's nice to meet you too, Daniel," Angie replied, giving him a fake smile. "Follow me and I'll give you the `grand tour'." Daniel started walking towards where he came from and Angie contently followed. The van~ "Let's hope Angie keeps her eyes peeled," Oscar said in a nervous tone. Danni smirked at him, "ooh, you're worried about her, isn't that cute?" "Get a grip Danni. There's nothing going on there, alright?" "Whatever." Mac's office~ Mac grabbed the small piece of paper and hesitated slightly before picking up her phone. She quickly dialled the number and held her breath as it rang, waiting for the other end to pick up. Once it did, she was too nervous to speak. Eventually she did. "Jamie? Hi, it's El…Kristine Callum…did she? Yeah I do have a new name…Ellen Mackenzie…job reasons…I was wondering if you'd like to catch up…tonight's good, unless something for work comes up, but that's fine…I'll let you know if my plans change…I look forward to it too…bye." She took a deep breath as she gently placed the receiver back on the hook. Henderson and Ridgeway~ "And finally, this is my work area." Angie looked around, "mm, it's big." "It has to be. A firm this size gets an awful lot of mail for its many employees. Need all the space for sorting." Angie noticed something from the corner of her eye. It was a coat and hat stand. She looked around the office once more to cover her observations. On the stand was a cap with `BOMBERS' written across the front and a long, dark brown woollen coat. "So, you're an Essendon supporter?" She asked referring to the cap. "Yeah, who do you go for in the AFL?" "Ah, Carlton." "Right. Well, Mr. Henderson and Mr. Ridgeway should be finished with their meeting now, would you like me to take you back up there?" Angie thought for a moment, "no, I should be able to find it thanks." "No worries. Hey listen, would like to come for a drink tonight, celebrate your first day on the job?" "Ah, no thanks, I try not to mix business with pleasure." "Come on, it's just a drink." "I'm sorry, I can't. I should get going now." Oscar's Car~ "He obviously isn't a looker!" Danni laughed before being interrupted by Oscar's phone. Oscar looked at the screen. "It's Angie." Henderson and Ridgeway solicitors~ "Oscar, it's me…I found something very interesting…hey, I wasn't that harsh…anyway, our mail boy has a cap and a long coat hanging up in his office…yeah…you'll let Mac know what I've found? … Thanks Oscar… Bye." Oscar's Car~ "She found something?" Danni asked, intrigued. "Yeah. Angie thinks it could be the mail boy. I'll call Mac and let her know of the development." Oscar replied, phone in hand once again. The factory~ "…Thanks Oscar…yeah, we'll be there before Angie's due to finish work… bye." Pete walked in as Mac hung up. "Any news yet?" "Yeah, seems like it could the mail boy," Mac replied. "So, are we tailing Angie home from work?" "Sure are." Late afternoon – Mac's car~ "There she is," said Mac as she pointed Angie out to Church. "Doesn't look like anyone is following her yet." "Well, the sidewalk is crowded," Mac stated with a sarcastic look on her face. Half an hour later~ "He probably knows we're onto him. He's a stalker, so he'd know that all the girls have gone to the cops." Mac rolled her eyes, "maybe he had to get changed first." "How long does it take to put a cap and a coat on?" "Alright Pete, I get the drift…wait on, what's this?" Mac said, lightly tapping Pete on the shoulder and pointing to just behind where Angie was walking. Pete took a good look before focussing back on the road, "looks like he's been waiting for her to get a bit closer to home." "Alpha One to all units please stand by, we have the male suspect in sight, wearing a brown woollen coat, bombers cap and white sneakers. Approach the area cautiously and quietly. We do not want to alarm this man," Mac said over the radio. "At what point do we step in?" Mac thought for a moment, "until Angie is inside. We have to make sure she is safe." Pete and Mac both watched as Angie opened the front door to the cover house and entered it safely, and then back at the suspect who crept to the side of the house to peer through the living room window. Mac picked up the radio again, "all units in position…we're going in." They stepped out of the car and quietly approached the suspect. "Are you right there?" Pete asked, grabbing the man by the back of his collar, throwing him into the wall. "I, I left my keys inside and I was just trying to get my girlfriend's attention." Pete scoffed, "likely story, mate. But why didn't you knock?" "She's, she's deaf," he replied as Pete pushed his face further and further into the wall. "That's funny, because we know her, and her hearing is fine. Not to mention she wouldn't go out with a scumbag like you." Mac pulled his wallet out to get his details, "Daniel Waratah, you are under arrest for stalking 4 women and murdering three off them. You are not obliged to say or do anything, but anything you do say, will be held against you. Do you understand these charges?" Daniel remained silent as he was pulled away by two uniformed officers. "And you were complaining only a few minutes ago," Mac said smugly to Pete. "I wasn't complaining, I was just saying that he probably wouldn't show." "Alright, let's get out of here." Police HQ~ Pete, Mac and Paul were all in the observation room watching Jane interview Daniel. "Why did you stalk them, Daniel?" He looked sharply up at Jane, "they weren't interested in me. They never are. Stupid bloody bitches! I decided to give them a fright." "You say they weren't interested in you, how did you know that?" "I asked them if they would like to go out for a meal or a drink, but they said `no'. They pretended they were letting me down nicely, but I could tell their smiles were fake…Women have always been like that towards me." Jane looked down at her notes as she wrote. "You feel a certain kind of…angst towards women. Why?" When he refused to answer that question, Jane continued assessing his psychological wellbeing. "What did you do when you followed them?" "I'd wait outside their house and watch them cook, clean and shower. Everything, really." "Why murder them?" "I resented the fact they weren't attracted to me! So I punished them. If I wasn't good enough for them, nobody was." "Daniel, did you ever feel that by killing them, you were punishing them too much?" He shook his head strongly, not commenting. Moments later, Jane entered the observation room after finishing her interview with Waratah. "Based on that and the information on his background, there isn't really enough basis for him to plead by reason of insanity." "Have you finished with him now?" Paul asked getting ready to interview Waratah. "Yeah, just don't be too hard on him. Daniel is still in a very fragile state, something that goes with the territory of dealing with people of his like," warned Jane. Jane, Pete and Mac all headed towards the elevator together. "So, did you call Jamie?" Pete shot Mac a quick look, asking the question "who's Jamie?" "Yeah I did today. We're meeting for dinner. He told me that you called him earlier this morning." Jane gave a guilty smile as Pete cut in. "Can I ask again, who is Jamie?" "Ellen's high school sweet heart," Jane cooed. "Jamie and I went out for a while but it didn't work out. We're just meeting to catch up." Pete's face was covered in jealously as he let the two women talk about this Jamie. Mac's house~ "There are two thing's I regret most," started Jamie as he sat facing Mac. Their lips only millimetres apart. "What are they?" Mac asked interested. "One: that I allowed my mother to rule my life." Mac laughed, "I can relate to that!" "And two: I stood by and watched you walk out of my life without doing anything to stop you." Mac sat there, tears coming to her eyes as she reflected on the life she could have had with Jamie had things been different. He reached out and ran his hand softly down her cheek, leaning in and kissing her deeply. Jamie pulled away for a few moments while he whispered, "I have missed you more than anything." "I've missed you too," replied Mac as their kisses became stronger and more passionate. The end!!