Gone After the Wind

Chapter 16: Discussion

"ON MOST OF the cases I've worked on, the investigation cost two or more killings before the culprit could be stopped. It's a hard pill to swallow, but that's a fact I won't keep out to you about serial killers. You might curse at me for saying this, but I tell you, it could also happen here if we don't give our best shot," Agent Rose explained and stopped pacing in front to stare at her audience, obviously giving them enough time to accept what she stated.

No one from the table of officers bravely responded to that, though. Silence reigned. The tension that came with it was thicker than before. And harder to endure. It was strong that Cara could taste its sourness in her mouth and its force raising the coolness in the conference room.

Soon after Chief Alman announced the feds' helping aid, Agent Rose instantaneously arranged a meeting that everyone in the task force should attend. It was mostly debriefing about the technicalities of the case, but as deep as Cara would look at it, everyone would assume it wasn't just all about that. The meeting was also the official declaration of the police, indicating that the most controversial case the state has ever had in the last three years was re-opened and out for the second time of the investigation.

Though it wasn't clear whether the troops were delighted to participate, the long rectangular table still got full. The pompous lieutenant was miraculously there, too, sitting stiffly beside Chief Alman. His face was casting a deep scowl. His arms were also crossed in a manner showing ridiculous defense and disapproval. His bulky eyes never set on the front for more than ten seconds. Always avoiding his eyes as though the view of Agent Rose would cause him some disease.

The majority of the officers adapted Faucalt's irritating expression, looking at Agent Rose with head held up high as though whatever she'd say would turn out as radical for the brain. Some were just lazy to even show they cared to listen. But at least, though, none of them went overboard. The courtesy and respect, yet small and not obvious, were still there.

Even if that was the case, Cara had to praise Agent Rose for maintaining control in the room and for not losing the humility she was showing. She was totally professional. Not in just the way she speaks but also in her eyes that never showed immature superiority.

Cara sat near Eric to the farthest end, attentive and casually observing her co-workers. Papers had been spread out to each one occupying the table, and even though she didn't have to look at them as every detail was sketched on, there were already inside her memory, ignoring them would be rude. She still read it page by page, thinking she might spot something that she had overlooked.

"That's a bit scary, isn't it?" Eric whispered, leaning onto her. Cara stopped reading to look at him. "To watch a case never meet its end. Though I'm confident you'd solve this before that could happen, I still can't consider that possibility."

"You've got some nerve to say that," Cara replied, shaking her head. "I'm not Sherlock Holmes that can see everything in seconds. This is reality, Eric. What she said is true, and we can't avoid that."

"Still... I believe in you and your capabilities to catch the killer. You're always one step ahead of us. Between all of us in this room, you're the only one who could uncover the mysteries of this case," Eric argued, eyes never leaving Agent Rose.

Cara was a bit stunned to hear him saying such a groundless claim. It was neither flattering nor insulting. She just knew it wasn't believable because instead of feeling motivated, the anxiety doubled. And the fear she might not meet their expectations rattled her.

"That is why I require you all to cooperate with me. Our investigation won't lack in anything as you have the bureau's back and the support from Redline PD. In terms of resources, the state is prepared to provide you anything the investigation requires. You don't have to feel pressure as we have the upper hand here," Agent Rose added, clicking the remote in her hand. The presentation changed, and the screen was now displaying the two photos of the victims in their liveliest moments. "Three months ago, these women were living normally. Happy and content with the life they were maintaining. Never did once they think they would end up as a tool for one sadistic killer. Their lives were taken in one snap. All because they were chosen to be displayed like this."

The photos disappeared and were replaced by the gruesome state those women ended up in. Growls of rage arose in the air, and murmurs of curses accompanied it. The officers looked away in disgust. The quality of the photos definitely made the reactions worse. It could have been less intolerable had it been censored in black and white color. Cara couldn't help herself but sigh at the sight of it.

"Mutilated, head chopped off, and was repeatedly stabbed. I don't have to go into full details to narrate what you currently see now. It all goes down to one idea: they suffered terribly at the hands of one killer. And what we know about him so far was nothing other than the fact he took marionettes as an inspiration for these grisly crimes," Agent Rose said. "Is that enough for us to go on? Of course. It's already a lot. We could cover several areas of the investigation with this. Aside from that, you extracted much evidence from the scenes that we could use to speed up the investigation. But I want you to focus on this. The idea that they were transformed as marionettes."

"But why?" one cop asked. Cara wasn't sure what his name was, but he sure did look familiar. He glanced around first as if ensuring he was sharing the same confusion. "What could we benefit from that? I mean, if that psychopath decided to do that, so what? As if that could provide us his name."

"Well, we don't aim to step up on that as of the moment. It might not give us his name, but we might understand why he's doing this."

"Isn't it enough that he's just crazy as hell?"

"In BAU, we don't call this mere craziness," Agent Rose retorted. "It's a story that needs proper unfolding. Not many criminals kill because they can't contain their insanity. Some do it for s****l gratifications and reasons we can understand. While others tend to act out of complicated compulsions. And when I say compulsions, it does not revolve around that sudden urge that clicks inside their brain that momentarily screams at them to kill. It's about motive, as well, and why there was commitment. How did they become like that? Certain murderers can recognize their reasons and can even think like normal people. Our culprit here is like that. And I believe the idea about marionettes is the key to knowing who he is."

They nodded in agreement as silence passed through them. Cara put down the files and splayed her notes on the table. She scribbled the word 'commitment' on the back page, suddenly submerged in her deep thoughts.

"Now, let's talk about psychology," Agent Rose said, stepping forward. "When we used puppets as a figure of speech, it's always about control and manipulation, right? The same goes for our unsub. Just the fact that they were all women means the motive could be something related to the power that he could acquire in killing them. But it could be more than that. It could not be just about putting control on them, maybe something in their lives had ticked him off. We must not forget these women didn't know each other or had personal connections that made our culprit move. That gives us the fair assumption that these were deeply personal. They may have done something in the past that was offending to him as their transformation suggested he didn't like their previous lives."

"What if he just randomly saw them buying marionettes?" one asked, which piqued Cara's attention. She abandoned looking at her notebook to look at who said that. Her eyebrows knitted when she saw that it wasn't a man.

"Who's that?" Cara asked Eric, who was listening intently to Agent Rose's explanation.

He flinched, blinking, and followed Cara's gesture. "Oh, that's Moore. She's new, I think. I heard she was on highway patrol. Took out some goons and busted a lot of drug dealers. She was promoted here a week ago."

Cara nodded, impressed. "She must be that exceptional to be promoted at a young age. Jesus, she's a baby. Must be hard for her to stay here. With all those stinky bullies, she might not last."

"She would never become a victim," Eric said, chuckling. "Faucalt was the one behind her promotion. They are pretty close, too, so no one would ever try."

Cara nodded, impressed that Faucalt still had the heart to support one promising learner. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship they had had that she received such protection from the number one notorious bully.

"Good question," Agent Rose noted, smiling in satisfaction. "That would be the best explanation to follow if we will prove each victim has no distinct link with each other indeed. They could have fallen into his trap by coincidence, right? They just happened to buy the puppets at the exact time our culprit was hunting for his prey. That would be the case if we'd disregard the signs of complete obsession with the way he took them and the victims' feelings about marionettes. You must know that neither Sandy Hupman nor Nelia Rasco had a clear fascination with those wooden puppets. According to Ryan Hupman, Sandy never liked them. She disgusted them to the point that she would throw a fit with just one sight of the doll. Nelia Rasco, on the other hand, was neutral. She didn't fancy them, but she didn't hate them either."

Agent Rose suddenly turned off the projector and walked towards the light switch on the wall near the screen. She flicked it, sending life to the fluorescent light bulbs one by one. The room lit up, and the officers immediately straightened their backs on the seat. Cara watched Agent Rose in disappointment, dismayed that the meeting ended that fast.

"Now, for one criminal to carry out an almost perfect crime like this, he needs a lot of strategic planning and immense time. Our culprit possessed the mind of being rational and objective. He designed an elaborate ploy to carry out these crimes, and not one sign of out-of-control behavior was indicated in the scenes. He was patient, nonetheless. Precisely not the typical predator who'd depend on randomness. He takes a great deal on what he does. I'll be brave to say he's sending us a message."

"Okay, knowing this psychology s**t you're saying," one officer suddenly said, rising up from his seat. "How can these help us find him? We all know damn well that speculations and theories can't provide us real evidence. We need physical. Real deals and something solid to rely on. Not just some make-up description that even us wasn't sure if that was pretty accurate."

Cara shifted uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly having the urge to punch someone in the face. She felt sorry for the agent. She had to witness such unacceptable behavior when all she wanted was to help the force. But these narrow-minded gals weren't giving her the easiest way to do that.

"Mind your words, Ronald," Chief Alman berated, looking at the officer with a warning.

But despite hearing such a remark, Agent Rose remained composed and unaffected. She even smiled at the end. "Well, establishing a profile is what I do. It helped me solve cases numerous times. And usually, we start off by analyzing the suspect's behavior at the scenes and in the crime itself. I know it's a bit surreal to consider, but I can't deny that it's provenly effective. As for its benefits, we could certainly prevent any more crimes using this. Because there were only two murders recorded, we could start off by assuming he's in his mid or late 20's—the blooming age for serial killers. They usually start at that age. He could be working a standard job, one that doesn't stand out. He could blend in with the society and might not appear as intimidating or dangerous."

"We could pull a list of s*x offenders having the same age and were incarcerated for having violent behaviors for the past months or years," Faucalt suggested.

Cara shook her head, finding the idea unfit for the profile she individually created in her mind. "No, he doesn't belong in that group."

"What?" Faucalt asked, pissed at her opposition.

Voices in the room slowly died down. And heads started to turn in Cara's way. Within a split second, the spotlight was focused on her.

She cleared her throat. The stares were more heated than they were before when it was directed at Agent Rose. "The victims weren't sexually violated. There were no signs to indicate that they somehow got penetrated. Or the culprit m*********d when he was doing the crime. There was no semen found, remember? He didn't act out of s****l fantasies, that's for sure. But to identify him as violent, that seems unlikely."

"To talk about violence is what unlikely here, Black. Especially if it's coming from you," Faucalt responded, which made some officers snigger.

Cara watched him blankly, unsure whether she should pay attention to his unprofessionalism or just let it slide.

"That prick," Eric hissed.

Agent Rose, however, was baffled at the manner the discussion went. As the individual who had no knowledge about what Cara had done in the past, she was the only one who couldn't relate to the intense air around the room.

"Miss Black is actually right," Agent Rose announced, diffusing the insulting chuckles. "Seeing the victims didn't receive particular s****l attacks meant that he wasn't focusing on that. Our culprit was too enclosed in what was driving him to kill. He could be an average individual, to say the least. A person with no criminal history and has no tendency to get violent around the public. Not where someone could witness it. He might be even masking a different kind of personality, one that can fool the victims and make them trust him."

That did nothing but intensify the tension to a peak level. Faucalt sank in his seat, all he could do was look at Cara in contempt. While the other cowards who made fun of her stayed silent.

Cara nodded, concurring with that, and taking advantage of the silence. "I think it would be best if we consult Redvine PD to get us a list of the individuals who didn't call in the evening of the storm. To keep everyone safe, they launched a practice to monitor them every time such a disaster came. Whoever failed to call deserved to be checked."

"I'll call them to check on that," Chief Alman said.

"But isn't that a bit far-fetched?" Moore asked. "How sure are we that he lived within Redvine? The last time I checked, his victim was from another town. A hundred miles away from Redvine. He could be traveling, you know."

"He could have moved, as well, during those two months. And the place where he dropped the second victim wasn't far from the town's central area. Carrying a body would be a high-risk thing to do. He couldn't have done that successfully if he was living outside the town," Agent Rose explained.

Made more sense, Cara thought. Now that she mentioned it, did he really move out? Where was he staying when he took Nelia out?

As she pondered on that, she couldn't help to question why the perp had stopped after the tragedy and why he had struck again after two damned months. For a killer to have such deep regard for his work, it would be right for them to be hasty as though the urge to end someone's life couldn't be controlled easily. Like a second nature. But this one, he had managed to repress his strong desires for weeks. Not to mention that he had improved a lot.

"Meanwhile, we should warn the nearby towns and other states to be vigilant. This guy strikes whenever convenient for him. Tell them to warn the citizens to not trust any stranger or someone who's being extremely friendly. Make them extra cautious. I'll have a personal meeting with Chief Alman and Lieutenant Faucalt to divide all of you. We need to review the previous case, interrogate the witnesses again and take a second look at the evidence we got there."

"Might I suggest that we should also look at some murders that bore the same M.O from the last two months. He could not have polished his works like that without any practice," Cara suggested.

"I'll have some men to look into that," Chief Alman said.

"Detective Black already acquired a name to look into. We'll be in charge of that. The stores for marionettes will also be handled by us. By tomorrow, you'll get back here to hear our final plan. But for now, let's call it a night. Take a rest, everyone. Any questions?"

No one raised a hand. It was as if they were extremely glad that the main move in the investigation would be made tomorrow. Alman saw that as a chance to end the meeting, and so he stood beside Agent Rose and took control of the room.

"Agent Rose will be working with Detective Black so if someone asks for her, go straight away to her office. I know this is a bit sudden and a shock to us, but let's just stay grateful for the courtesy and be generous. That's all for tonight."

With that, the officers started to dissipate. Cara and Eric were the last ones to stand. As they joined Chief Alman and Agent Rose at the front, Cara felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She stopped walking and fished it out. It was a text from an unknown number. When she read it, her heart sank.

Mom, are you still going to fetch me? Or should I take a cab now? – Alex

"What's wrong?" Eric asked.

"Shit..." she muttered and looked at the time it was sent. An hour ago. She felt as if she had been punched in the gut.

"I need to go home," she hurriedly said.

Eric's eyebrows furrowed. "Right now? But Agent Rose would still have a lot of things to discuss with you. And the suspect—"

"It doesn't matter. Alex is out there. I can't let him get exposed for too long." She gathered all the papers on the table, her hands trembling by an unknown fear. All the worse scenarios her brain could gather spread out in her mind like wildfire. She silently berated herself for being too engrossed with the meeting and her work, she didn't even think about Alex and their arrangement for tonight.

She knew what cost her the last time she prioritized her job. She lost Marco. Her life was ruined, and her reputation was tainted. Above all, Alex's trust had been broken. She would never let the same mistake happen again.