Two days. Two days he had been poked and prodded- he took a physical every year to be able to play hockey. He just wanted to fucking play. This afternoon- he’d been cleared, but the doctor that cleared him, he swore that the prostate exam bordered on assault. And as he waited for his ride back to the hotel- the doctor approached him and he gritted his teeth. The man was the new doctor for the U.S. junior’s team and as his hand ran up and down his back he forced a smile. He’d play this game. And he would fucking win. 

They climbed into the car together- Dr. Rosa gave an address that he knew wasn’t his hotel, but that was fine. He knew they were likely going to this man’s home or his rental for the week. He doubted that they put the doctor up in the same hotel as the athletes. He let the man rub his thigh, allowed him to let his guard down. If this was just a gay encounter- he’d go with it- hell, he might even enjoy it. He enjoyed sex with men far more than women- had stopped having sex with women over the last year as he realized that it felt wrong. It felt like a chore and that was not fair to the women or to himself.  

But that was not this- no- he had heard the rumors before he got here. A couple of his friends that were still on the junior’s team had made remarks about how they didn’t like being in his care. How they wished that they’d hire someone else. And he’d decided he’d help them with that when the MLH sent out the list of what healthcare providers would be available at the combine. He wasn’t sure he’d sold it well enough with Dr. Rosa, until his hand grazed his dick and he ground his teeth together. No consent. Just something the man took. 

He followed Dr. Rosa up to the door. He’d seen the signs for Standley Lake on their way in. He loved to be near a body of water. The door swang open and he let Dr. Rosa settle. Place his things in their places, lock the door behind them. He placed his backpack safely on top of the dining room table. A quick glance around the room and he knew it was definitely a rental- not this man’s home. 

“You are the prettiest prospect I’ve seen in ages. I was hard as soon as you showed up- man I wish I’d gotten this job a few years ago- taking your virginity would have been so sweet.” 

“And you’ve done that? You’ve forced the junior team–” 

“No, no. Never forced. They always liked it. The boys get hard just like you did in the cab, just like you are now. Give in to it, Hunter. You know you want to.” 

He smiled and then he struck. Dr. Rosa didn’t stand a chance. Quick and efficient. Punch to the side of the head, aggressive crack of the neck. The man fell to the floor like a ragdoll and he waited for a few minutes, checked the man’s pulse and it slowly disappeared. Good. It was clean and quick. He didn’t enjoy torture- he did enjoy knowing that the world was rid of one more mother fucker that shouldn’t exist. Dr. Rosa had made the list. 

He went through his post kill ritual, pulling on the well worn gloves. There was a rental car in the garage- a surprise that Dr. Rosa had decided a better way to pick a victim was by not having a vehicle. He supposed that somewhere in the man’s conscience- he thought that it was more acceptable to give the illusion of a decision. Scott knew that there was no fucking decision for most of the juniors- that Dr. Rosa could stop their hockey careers in its tracks. 

He picked up the body and placed it in the trunk. Folding the man, breaking more bones as it was necessary for him to fit. If breaking his neck hadn’t finished him, the fractures to his spine were finishing the job. He found the keys to the rental and settled. Standley Lake- preferably close to the damn. And as the sun set- he smiled at the timing. He’d have plenty of time to do what he wanted and get back to the hotel. It would be a bit of a walk back into town, back towards where it would be acceptable for a cab to pick him up- but this was perfect. This was just what he needed to start the combine. 

*****************

“Hunter! Fucking hell man. We’re fucking here. You ready to get on the ice tomorrow?” 

Ryan Price gave him a bear hug and he smiled at the twenty year old Canadian prospect. They’d run into each other a lot over the years and while he’d seen Ryan’s anxiety from time to time- their friendship was different. There was something in Ryan that called to his soul. Something that was similar to him that he could not exactly place. 

“You’re cleared?” 

“Yeah. But listen, the fucking creep doctor didn’t show today. I heard them talking about how he didn’t even call out and his rental is empty.” 

“I guess it’s a good thing we all got cleared yesterday.” 

“Fuck yeah it is. See you on the ice man. And Hunter…go kill it.” 

He smiled to himself as he pulled on his socks and then his skates. Each deliberate move was soothing. Ryan had clocked the man as a creep as well and he had more evidence that hadn’t seen the light of day. He slowly retaped his stick and then loosened his shoulders. It was just hockey now. It was just fucking hockey. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Day- New York 2018

“After his disappearance- a half dozen members of the junior team came forward with what he had done. They felt safe to say something then- when their future careers were safe. When he couldn’t do anything to them. I wish I had spotted him earlier. Wish I could have done more.” 

“You…you feel no remorse for what you did?” 

“Not a fucking bit. He had two young sons- I guess a tiny part of me felt bad that they wouldn’t have a father. Then again- they were probably in line to be his victims at some point. So no. No remorse. The man deserved to die.” 

Kip let out a deep breath, the earnestness in Scott’s voice. He knew he wasn’t lying. He knew that he had just listened to what had happened, even if Scott glossed over the more gruesome details. They’d never found Dr. Rosa’s body and he was sure that after all the years that it was gone. Broken into pieces and scattered in the waterways near Standley Lake. He swirled what was left of his smoothie and reminded himself that being professional was the only thing that kept him in this room. 

He still wasn’t sure why Scott was talking- why he was telling him anything. He had been sure that he would lawyer up- refuse to talk at all when he saw the stack of folders. He almost told him to do that, but each time their eyes met- his stomach coiled. He wanted to come clean with him, truly clean and this might be the last chance that he got to do that. And he’d be damned if he didn’t listen to every moment. If he judged him before he knew what led to each murder, although the look on Scott’s face at this file told him that they were woefully wrong about the number of murders he’d committed. 

How- the fuck- had he wound up in love with a prolific serial killer? And one of the kindest souls he had ever known. It didn’t make sense. But hearing about his first victim, what the man had done. He could guess a pattern in all of Scott’s victims. A pattern that was in such a morally gray area that he didn’t know how he was supposed to react. How he was supposed to walk away from this man and pretend that he didn’t know his soul outside of these walls. 

“Grady- a word.” 

Scott settled back in the chair, offering his hands up to be secured back to the table. He fucking hated this, but he did it. He secured the handcuffs and walked out of the interrogation room. He was met with a cacophony of faces- federal agents, federal prosecutors, detectives, city prosecutors- the full gambit and his supervisor had a smile on his face. 

“He’s warmed up to you quite quickly. I think we stick with you until he clams up.” 

“Did you check the information about Rosa?” 

“Yeah. Yeah- he wasn’t lying.”

“Okay. So he’s telling me the truth- which means that this…this wasn’t his first kill.” 

The room went silent and he let that hang there. The investigators needed to truly go to work. He doubted that Scott was going to offer him a list. Not here. Not when it had ramifications. If he had figured this out in the privacy of Scott’s apartment- that would be one thing. But it was here. On the record- where each confirmed kill would add to what they were willing to put in a plea deal.  

“We’ll dig. You keep him talking.” 

“Order lunch. Just copy whatever you get for me, for him. I think being kind is going to go a long way here. He wants the guilt off his conscience.” 

He didn’t elaborate, but the room moved. He should walk away from this case, recuse himself and let Scott rot. It is what all of his training told him to do. But his heart. His heart told him that he couldn’t do that- that they were in this together. That there was only one person Scott Hunter trusted enough to be this vulnerable with and it was the man that he’d loved for the last three years. The secret that they had both kept and held so tightly was why they would get a full confession. 

“Do not interrupt until he’s done with this next one. Then bring in lunch. Bathroom break- the whole nine.” 

“You think he’ll keep talking?” 

Kip let out a sigh. Scott was going to talk. Scott could never lie to him. Once he knew something, the words just flooded out. It was one of the things that he loved most about him. And one of the things that scared him at this moment. He had to dig just the right amount, apply just the right pressure- but he also knew that doing that was going to tear the both of them apart. This final secret of Scott Hunter. 

“We’ll see.”

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