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A/N: Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated in so long. Sorry about that. RL sure has kept me busy.

Chapter 64

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with this?" Jake asked.

"Yesterday, when we asked Crane about his alibi, he said he was home with his wife. But we couldn't speak to her because she wasn't there.

"Now I remember. Do you think it means something?"

"Maybe." She grabbed Crane's file from the pile on her desk. "Let me check it out." She went through the file, then ran something through the computer.

"Jake, I think we got our man."

"No way."

"Listen to this. Crane's wife Tessie was killed two months ago when she was mugged by a vagabond. The guy grabbed her purse and stabbed her when she screamed. He took off after that and was never caught."

"So he could be avenging his wife's death?"

"Maybe but I think these are more than just vigilante killings. We'd better bring Crane in for questioning." She moved to get up when a jolt ran through her and she stopped, staring at the Witchblade, which was now swirling madly. It was then that the thought hit her which had previously been buried deep in her mind.

'How the hell did he know about Nikki?'

Sara pulled her sleeve down over her wrist while her mind churned wildly. Nikki had seen the killer but this fact hadn't been released to the media. This meant that only the killer knew who she was and what role she had to play in the investigation.

The Witchblade was really acting up now and its heat almost totally engulfed her wrist. It was definitely trying to send a message across to her. Sara's thoughts were in fast forward. If Crane was lying about his wife, it made him the prime suspect and if he was the killer, then there was no doubt he was a very dangerous man.

Their first priority was to bring Crane in and question him about his alibi. She'd have to clear it with Dante first though. Crane was an ex-cop. They had to do everything by the book or they would pay the price for it later.

"Call Crane and ask him to come down," she said to Jake.

"Okay." Jake reached for the phone and dialed Crane's number. He waited a while before hanging up. He tried again a couple more times. Finally, he replaced the phone in its receiver and looked up at his partner.

"He's not answering. Maybe he's out."

The Witchblade continued to act up and Sara's trepidation increased. The fact that they could not reach Crane combined with the Blade's antics was not a good sign. Sara started to feel a familiar throbbing in her head that usually signified the start of a vision.

"Not now," she hissed, trying to get it to calm down.

"Sara? Are you alright?" Jake questioned.

"No I am not alright Jake," she exploded. "Dammit! I should have seen it. How could I have been so stupid" she chastised herself.

"Calm down Pez!" Her partner tried to pacify her. "You said it yourself. The person responsible is smart. We didn't have anything to connect him to the murders. He made sure nothing was left behind."

"He's smart Jake. That's what scares me. He's crazy but smart. We have to stop him."

"We will Pez. All we need to do is pick him up and bring him in. Once the kid identifies him, we've got him."

"Can she do it? Does she really remember what she saw? She's just a kid. A frightened kid."

"You know her better than any of us Sara. What do you think?"

Sara flashed back to the evening at the park. The hesitation on her face, Nottingham's reassurance followed by Nikki overcoming her fear. The child possessed a determination and resilience to rival any adult. All she needed was some support.

"She'll do it. If we catch the right guy, she'll identify him," Sara stated, starting to calm down and think rationally.

"There you have it." Jake said, glad to see his partner back on track.

"Yeah. Now let's get Crane."