by Mitch Goth
Sitting down in the meeting room created an uneasiness all its own in Kellen’s mind. The room was poorly lit, windowless, with nothing more than a metal table and a set of chairs. She had seen these rooms countless times before, but this one seemed different.
She sat down quietly and waited for Ezra to be lead into the room. Her mind raced as the seconds ticked by. Kellen knew that it wouldn’t be long before she would be face-to-face with this man for the first time. It caused every nerve in her body to shiver. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts for the few moments she had, but standing right behind her were the guard and the lawyer.
“Could you please step outside?” she asked the both of them.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Carlton said.
“Agreed.” The guard nodded. “Even if this guy isn’t known for violence, we can’t be too safe.”
“I didn’t become an FBI agent by not being safe. It's fine, I can handle it. Just stand right outside if it makes you feel better. I want to speak with him alone.”
“All right," The guard said. “We’ll be right outside." He herded the lawyer out with him.
“This is extremely unorthodox,” Carlton protested as the guard led him out. But his objections didn’t matter. In a few seconds, the door shut behind him and he was silenced to the ears of Kellen Monello.
Once alone, Kellen let out a deep sigh. It felt much better in the room knowing that she could have solitude for a few moments before the meeting to collect her thoughts. Despite this, her mind still darted around, with no end in sight. She felt in her pocket for her phone. Although it was far too late to make a call to Remi, she couldn't deny the temptation.
A noise from a door on the opposite side of the room grabbed her attention. The door swung open, and a guard let a tall, clean-shaven, silver-haired and man in an orange jumpsuit into the room. The man dragged many shackles with him as he walked. This was Ezra Grazer.
The guards that let him in watched cautiously as he sat down, at which point they shut the door and left the meeting alone. For a moment, the room was dead silent. Kellen didn’t speak, Ezra didn’t speak, all they did was stare at each other.
Kellen couldn’t pinpoint what was on this mysterious man’s mind, but was puzzled by his intriguing look. His skin was untouched by tattoos. He looked cleaner than the lawyer did in some respects. His eyes were a deep brown, almost passing for black, and throughout the quiet, they stared back into hers. But perhaps most interesting to Kellen was this man’s well-groomed, silvery hair, nearly resplendent in its reflection. It rivaled the alloy itself in color.
“That’s not natural, is it?” She pointed at his head.
“Really?” Ezra grinned. “That’s what you came here to ask me?”
“Never mind.” Kellen shook back into work mode and put on a stern expression. “Tell me what that tip you sent me was all about?”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. I saw the news about it from a TV in here, and I just took something off the top. The tip was a guess. I suppose, based on your presence here, that it was a lucky one?”
“Don’t bullshit me, Ezra. I’ve been in this field long enough to know an out of the blue guess, and that wasn’t one. So spill something worth hearing.”
“Your personality is rather abrasive, are you aware of that?”
“I’m not here to make small talk with you. Tell me what I came here to know.” Kellen kept on her strong exterior, but inside she was puzzled and still nervous. This man was not at all like she had expected. He wasn’t ragged, he wasn’t muscular, and he spoke with a certain eloquence she didn’t expect. He seemed smart, just like the lawyer had said. But what struck her more than anything was his attitude. This man didn't appear crazy, he didn't show sadness or remorse, nor did he appear angry or agitated in any way. His expression seemed outgoing and personable. He was calm, he was collected, and he seemed happy. Even as she thought all this over, he sat without a word, a small smile drawn across him.
“All right, you seem like a nice enough person, even if you won’t show it.” Ezra nodded. “I watched the news about it from in here, almost compulsively. I wanted to know everything about it. I can see why you people on the outside do this for a living. Hunting these psychos is quite a good way to pass the time actually.”
“You do it for fun?”
“What else is a convict to do? What people around here see as fun is stabbing people and lifting weights. I’m not partial to killing anyone who doesn’t have it coming to them, and I am far stronger than anyone around here who finds it entertaining to lift pieces of metal up to their chest. It turns monotonous rather quickly.”
“So what else do you know?” Kellen pressed for more answers.
“Well, I deduced from the news that these killings are state-wide, not something often seen,” Ezra went on. “There’s no way this guy, or girl for that matter, would get away with this if he or she stayed in one place for the entire duration between the kidnapping and the death. Two weeks is far too long to not arouse any suspicion, especially in some of the small towns where they occurred. So this person has to have some mode of transport that can carry himself, his victim, and probably a host of other things with him. I guessed an RV, and so I tipped you off to places where RV’s usually inhabit. Like I said, I just got a little lucky.”
“Doesn’t sound like luck to me,” Kellen hid her astonishment. This man was an analyst, and a hell of one at that. “That brings up another question. How’d you find me?”
“Good behavior around here gained me access to a computer. After that, finding out who was in charge of this at the highest level and drafting a letter was child’s play.”
“Can I be honest for a second?” she inquired, thoughts poking at her from the back of her mind.
“I don’t seem like the average convict, do I?”
“Not really, no.”
“That’s because I’m not. I don’t harbor ill will against the police forces of this nation, or any nation. I fought to keep peace for a long time, I was rewarded for it overseas, and jailed for it here. Quite the odd turn of events.”
“You knew you’d go to prison. So why do it?”
“It’s not about me. It never has been. I did not do what I did for me. Not for pleasure, not for a hobby. It was time consuming, it was hard labor, it was the definition of a pain in the ass. The last thing anyone wants to do is die, but sometimes they just get the short end of the stick. Although everyone who went out by my hand got that stick rightfully, I assure you. It’s hard work, and although this is a debated point, someone has to do it.”
“I don’t think anyone really has to,” Kellen disagreed.
“You’d be surprised.” Ezra looked at a clock on the wall. “Do you have any more questions for me? Dinner is coming up soon, and I’d like to get some before someone gets knifed in line. The whole process always goes slower after that happens.”
“Fine, but is there anything you know that you’re not saying?” Kellen grilled further.
“No.” Ezra shook his head. “Not yet anyway. No guarantees are sent from the future.”
“Okay, thank you for your time.” Kellen got up and started towards the door.
“One more thing, Agent Monello,” he called to her as the guards came in to lead him out. “It is natural.” He pointed to his hair. After a moment, he shrugged. “Well, kind of, it’s a rare genetic disorder.”
“Thanks, that would’ve bothered me.” She nodded before heading out her own door.
“Did you get what you wanted from him?” Carlton was there right away to throw questions at her.
“He didn’t give you trouble, did he?” the guard added in a question.
“No,” she answered the guard first, “and I think I got everything, yes.” She recalled what he said about the future. “But that’s not to say he might have something else later.”
“With a man like that, you can never be sure,” Carlton said. “He’s a very
intriguing specimen, you’re never sure what he’ll tell you next.”
“You’re damn right.” Kellen had already seen enough to tell how true that was.
“What are you going to do now?”
“Get back to DC to follow leads. I’ve got a killer in an RV to catch.”
7
