After a moment, Aragorn walks back in silently. He then sees Vaughn and pauses, staring at him. After another moment, he shuts the door. “My god- dude-“ He walks over, looking at the wound. “Lad what the hell- you could have asked me to help! That could get infected!” He grabs a bag and starts rummaging through it. “Sit sit! Or better yet- lay down! That stitching isn’t gonna hold that for long. It could heal wrong.”
He ushers Vaughn to bed like a worried mother. “Lay down lay down!” He dabs a cloth with some alcohol.
Vaughn froze like a deer in headlight when Aragorn stepped into the room. He hasn’t expected the man to be back to soon, and was glad that he hadn’t tried to look in the computer. He put his hands up, taking a small step back and shaking his head. “No, really, I’m ok. It’s no big deal-“ he started quickly, moving to grab his shirt.
He was stopped and moved to the bed where he sat. “Come on, I’m fine. It’s not that bad,” he argued, covering the wound with his hand. Of course the stitching wouldn’t last long, which is exactly why he needed to get back to the gas station and change the stitches and dressing. “Let’s not do all of this.”
Aragorn huffs at him. “Shush. I was a medic before all this. Lay down. Now.” He very gently moves Vaughn’s hand and places the alcohol on the wound, cleaning it. “May I redo the stitching? I know how to do it properly and everything I have is sterile.” They keep gently cleaning the wound, completely focused on the task at hand.
They seemed incredibly worried. As if some sort of instinct took them over. It sure felt like it. Like…he’s done this before.
Vaughn debated shoving Aragorn away, not much enjoying his personal space being forced into. He decided it was a losing battle and that he should just accept the help. It would save him time later, and Aragorn could probably do a better stitching job than he could. That wouldn’t be difficult, considering his current work was far from practical.
He huffed in defeat, laying back and letting Aragorn do his thing. “Go on ahead, do what you want,” he grumbled, tilting his head back and momentarily shutting his eyes.
Aragorn nods and begins carefully undoing the stitches. Then, they work quickly and carefully, stitching him back up as if a real doctor had done so. He then cleans the wound once more and bandages it. “There…that should be alright.” He smiles up at Vaughn.
“You don’t have to answer…but if you wanna tell me…what happened?” He tilts their head. “That stab looked nasty…I do understand if you just got clumsy…we all do at one point…but still…I could at least give you tips on how to avoid this.” He sighs as he steps back, giving Vaughn his personal space.
Vaughn’s jaw stayed clenched through the stitches. A couple of grunts here and there could be heard, but without pain medication, he took the pain of it surprisingly well. He’d stitched himself up countless times and had much worse injuries in the past, so this felt like nothing to him at the moment.
Once they were all done, he sat back up, taking a look at the work. Practically professional level. He guessed that Aragorn may have a medical background judging by how clean they looked. “I’d much rather not talk about it,” he answered, pleased to have his personal space back. He thought back to the injury. During the struggle with the man, a pocket knife had been pulled. The man had sliced him across his side before Vaughn was able to get it out of the way.
Aragorn nods. “I understand. I wont push.” He sighs and sits down at his desks chair. “Do you need some pain killers? I have some Advil.” He rummages in the medical kit and pulls out a bottle. “There’s also some drinks in the fridge. I’d suggest water but it’s up to you.”
He sighs as he wipes his hands off. He then stands and walks to the bathroom, washing their hands. They then walks back over and sit down, messing with their hair. “Are you feeling ok? Dizzy? Lightheaded? Do you need an ice pack?” He pauses, then clears his throat. “Sorry-“
Vaughn holds his hands up, shaking his head. “I’m ok, really. I’ll be fine, it doesn’t hurt that much,” he answered. Being there knowing that Aragorn was looking into his case made him nervous. He was fidgety, and his fingers kept twitching anxiously. He wanted to get out of there so the feeling of paranoia would begin to subside.
“I should really be going, I have things I need to get to,” he said, an excuse that he hoped would work. He reached to pick up his shirt, slipping it on over his head with a grunt, his side aching. He grabbed his pants from where they had been folded and excused himself, going to the bathroom to change. Upon returning, he had the Aragorns borrowed clothes in hand, folded neatly. “Thanks for everything.”
Aragorn looked concerned, but nods and takes the clothes. “Ok…here.” He hands Vaughn a piece of paper with a number neatly written on it. “Call me if you need anything. I’m happy to help.” He smiles warmly. “I’m very sorry about waking you by the way…I hope I can repay that soon.”
He sighs as they watch Vaughn, going silent.
Vaughn took the paper from Aragorn. He arched his brow when Aragorn said he needed to repay him. “I think you repaid me enough by fixing my shit job of stitches,” he said with an arched brow. The man really felt that bad about waking him up?
He had no idea if he would be calling Aragorn. What would he need? Doing that would provide him with his own phone number as well, which could be dangerous due to Aragorn looking into his case.
Aragorn laughs softly, shaking his head. “Well it’s incredibly rude to wake someone up by screaming. And I basically kept you up for the rest of the night. Sleep is necessary. So yes…I do owe you. And besides those stitches were a needed fix.” They sigh as they lean back.
“Stay safe out there. Alright? If you ever need me…you know where to find me. At least for the time being.” He smiles warmly at Vaughn as if he were an old friend.
“It wasn’t really your fault, though,” Vaughn answered. He didn’t believe that Aragorn owed him at that current time. His head nodded at Aragon’s goodbye. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, man.”
With that, Vaughn left the apartment. He couldn’t wait to get back to work, honestly. His first stop would be the library, where he could use their public network to look through the registry for his next target. Next, he would get to work, planning out what he would do to take out the man within the next week or so.
Aragorn sighs heavily as soon as Vaughn leaves and turns back to his computer. “Might as well get back to work…” He mumbles, rubbing his eyes. They felt so tired…yet they knew they wouldn’t be able to sleep…he just guessed he’d pass out later that week like he usually does. He just hoped this time…it wasn’t in public.
Aragorn worked until noon, then stood and got ready to go out and interrogate. They thought maybe start with the library and ask the librarian if they knew anything about these cases. Probably? Maybe. He hoped so.
Once he was done preparing himself, they gathered their files and recorder and headed out to the library to get this case going. He was gonna find out. Yes. They were going to find out. Aragorn walked into the library, looking around. New area…he wasn’t a fan. They walked up to the librarian and smiled. “Hello, miss. I was wondering if I could speak to you about the murders going on around here.” He said in a hushed voice. “I’d be happy to pay you for any information you have for me.”
Vaughn sat in the library at the most private spot he could find. He was at a computer where the screen couldn’t be seen unless you stood behind him, and his back was decently close to the wall. He was currently on the registry, a notebook off to the side that he was jotting notes down in. Names, locations, committed crimes. Those types of things. He had been there for a few hours and hadn’t found anyone that felt right yet.
The librarian greeted Aragorn before a frown formed on her lips. “What would you like to know? I don’t know much, I’m probably not the best person to ask about this,” she replied.
Aragorn hums. “Oh any information will do. Even suggestions of people you know who may know more will be a great service.” He hands her a paper. “You can write what you know here if you’d like.” They add.
They hadn’t noticed Vaughn, but could feel a familiar presence in the library. Though he just brushed it off as paranoia. They waited for the woman to write everything she knows, then once she’s done, he takes the paper and thanks her.
The librarian nodded her head, writing down what she might have known. She wrote down the names of local bar owners and private detectives. She didn’t know much, and didn’t think that one of her frequent visitors could be the killer they were looking for.
Vaughn finally found his next target. Simon Waters. A domestic disturbance landed him in prison for a sentencing of five years. He was recently released a month prior after only serving three, due to good behavior. Vaughn scoffed to himself. That was difficult to believe. He wrote down the man’s information on his notepad before pulling up another tab. He logged into one of his burner accounts on Facebook and looked up the man’s name. After a few minutes of scrolling through accounts, he found the right one.
Aragorn nods, “Thank you, Ma’am. This is greatly appreciated.” He slips her a 100 dollar bill and folds up the paper, slipping it in his folder. “Have a great day. Do you mind me using your computers?” He tilts his head slightly, his long light blond hair sweeping to the side and exposing his pointed ear.
As he waited, he clutched the folder tightly to his chest. “Oh…and if I could…would you all happen to have any files on the city?” He shows his badge. “Just in case.”
The librarian was shocked by the money, but gladly accepted it. “Go on ahead,” she replied with a polite smile. “We keep things like that in the back room. The code for the pin pad to unlock the door is 3285.” When mentioning the back room, she nodded over towards a side door that why near the computers. She was more than happy to give him access after seeing his badge.
Vaughn stalked through the man’s social media pages, trying to find a spouse. He didn’t post her whatsoever, at least not since he was released from prison. He guessed maybe they had gone into hiding away from him upon hearing that he had been released early from prison. Surely there was a restraining order in place, but that didn’t stop men like him from going after their victims. He clicked his pen, brows furrowed as he searched.
Aragorn smiles and quickly writes down the number in gel pen so it could wash off after a while. He then nods to the librarian and walks over to the back room, unlocking the door and stepping inside. As they looked around, they spotted a few files that took interest to him and he quickly snapped pictures so they could research further. Once he was done collecting all he needed, they walked over to the computers about a row away from Vaughn and began searching.
It took a while, but he managed to get into the government cameras. He smiles softly. Yes! He was getting somewhere now! They began typing quickly, snapping pictures of the dark figure that had been caught only two times on camera. That must be it! He then sent the pictures to his personal email and work email and began looking into any other evidence they could find.
After a while longer, Aragorn looks up to rest his eyes from the light of the screen and Notices a familiar face. Vaughn. He smiles. “Hey.”
Vaughn continued to write down notes at his computer. He took note of family members, birthdays, jobs- absolutely everything and anything that he thought may be able to help him with his current target. He made a plan in his mind. Watch the residence for a few days, learn a routine that the people living there had, get the victim alone so he could talk to them, and then go from there.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a voice greeting him. He quickly shut his notebook and changed tabs, looking up at who greeted him. Aragorn. “Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked, hoping the man hadn’t seen anything.
Aragorn smiles brightly. “Was about to ask the same question. I’m working on that case.” He chuckles as they stretch. “I think I’m onto something.” He blinks. “Oh!” They rummage through their notes, writing and then smiling back up. “Do you have any kinda suspicious or anyone who may know of anything?” They tilt their head slightly, brushing his hair back.
“I’m trying to see if more people have caught this guy.”
Vaughn’s fingers twitched against his lap under the table. Of course, Aragorn was looking into his case. He didn’t want to talk about it, but this could be a fantastic opportunity to see what exactly Aragorn knew. Clearly, he had no suspicions of him, since he was asking him those questions. He shook his head a tad in reply. “Nothing comes to mind.”
Vaughn leaned forward a bit towards Aragorn, glancing towards his notes. “Have any ideas? Since you’re onto something,” he said.
Aragorn nods, smiling. “Several witnesses have claimed they’ve spotted him. Thought they couldn’t get a good enough look. But there’s some blurry pictures from street cams I was able to find.” He pulls out some pictures. They were blurry…but it looked recognizable only to Vaughn. If anyone else were to see it, they probably wouldn’t be able to tell.
“I’ve also seen reports of a few younger kids who said they saw the mans face. Which is good! Though of course…kids.” He sighs.
Vaughn looked over the pictures, biting the inside of his cheek. They were of him alright. His face was thankfully turned away from the camera and his figure was much more of a blur, but it was still him. If only Aragorn would open his eyes and see that the man he was looking for was only a few feet away.
“I wouldn’t expect kids to be reliable witnesses,” he agreed with a nod of his head. He knew exactly what kids Aragorn was talking about. He had just left the house of one of his kills and was climbing into his car. He had taken off his mask, and had looked up to see a couple of young boys walking with their bikes. They were staring straight at him. He was lucky enough to be able to speed away quickly.
Aragorn shrugs. “I still think I’ll question these kids. If their descriptions are all the same…we may just get our guy.” He sigh heavily as they lean back and rub their face. He looked exhausted. “Anyways…not gonna lie to you…and don’t tell anyone…but I feel like…this guys doing something good here…” He mumbles, staring at the pictures. “I mean…just imagine how grateful these people would be to be…free…” he trailed off slightly, still staring.
After a moment, they blink and shake their head. “Anyways-“ He clears his throat.
