by E. E. Borton
“I have no doubt he was going to kill the victim, but there were no indications he was going to brutalize and torture her,” continued Tom. “My point is, the crime scene here is a polar opposite from the Syracuse murder. As far as the violence we witnessed, I believe it was solely a reaction to our presence.”
“Is it really that a big a deal if his methods have changed?” asked Ryan. “We all watched him nearly cut her head off. Some of the details of the environment may seem odd, but there’s no denying he’s our guy.”
“I wouldn’t think twice about it if it wasn’t such a radical change, Boss. Take away the fact Quantico pointed us in this direction, and I’d bet this farm we’re looking at two different killers.”
“Also,” interrupted Michelle, “No serial killer since record keeping began has ever clearly marked the grave of a victim. Many have left hints and even taunted police to find where they’ve hidden the bodies, but none have ever marked the burial site with a cross and the victim’s name. That shows an uncharacteristic degree of remorse. There were absolutely no signs of remorse or guilt in Syracuse. If a murderer is going to display those types of emotions, it’s usually with the first victim. Everything about this crime scene screams different M.O. and different guy.”
“Listen,” said Ryan, “Nothing about what we’re doing here can be categorized or compared with previous cases. We’ve entered a strange new territory, and I need you to start thinking outside the box. Dump all your conventional wisdom about how these four killers are supposed to act.”
“Dump our conventional wisdom?” asked Tom, perplexed. “With the lack of credible information we have on these guys, what are we supposed to use? A crystal ball?”
“That’s enough, Tom,” replied Ryan, sternly. “I can assure you the information I’m passing to you is credible. It may not be as much as you’d like, but it’s all we have. You guys need to stand fast while I go talk to the guys in the black coveralls.”
“Of course,” said Tom relenting.
Ryan walked away from the team and headed for the front door of the farmhouse. He wanted to end the questions coming from his own team without having to order them to back off. He hated having to dodge their legitimate concerns. Michelle was the first to voice her opinion about Ryan’s demeanor.
“What’s wrong with him?” asked Michelle. “You know we’re right, Tom.”
“I’m not sure what’s wrong. He did seem to dismiss our observations rather quickly. That’s not like him.”
“He has his reasons,” injected Dallas quickly. “He’ll let us know when we need to know.”
“I think I just figured out who’s the teacher’s pet,” said Michelle with a smirk.
“All that and a sense of humor, too. Weird that you’re still single, huh?” replied Dallas. “Whatever reason he has for being elusive is probably because he just lost two agents. I think you’d be a little off, too.”
“All the more reason not to be elusive, wouldn’t you think?” said Michelle.
“Look,” said Tom, attempting to keep the peace. “He was just as surprised as we were down in the basement. Dallas is right. He’s never lost anyone in the line. We need to give him a little space to sort things out. And Michelle, Ryan sorts things out better than anyone else I know. That includes us.”
As Ryan attempted to re-enter the farmhouse, he was challenged at the door by two armed guards.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t let you inside.”
“Are you FBI?” asked Ryan.
“No, sir, I’m not. But we’ve been given orders not to let anyone enter other than the scientists.”
“Would it be too much trouble if you brought one of them to me?”
“No, sir, no trouble at all.”
The guard turned quickly and disappeared into the house. Ryan stared at the other guard who didn’t make eye contact. He carefully sized up the sentry. His stance, weapons, and posture led Ryan to believe he was military, or at least former military. Everything that happened since he fired the first rounds into Arrington generated more questions. His patience was wearing thinner with each passing minute. Being denied access to his crime scene wasn’t helping. Scott Wilson, the man who seemed to be in charge, reappeared with the guard.
“Again, I apologize, Agent Pearson,” said Scott. “They’re under strict orders not to let anyone inside without my permission.”
“Could I bother you for a moment of your time?” asked Ryan condescendingly.
“Absolutely,” replied Scott, walking with Ryan to the side of the farmhouse.
“I have no idea what’s going on here, and I know you’re not going to tell me. So I won’t insult you and ask. But I have a funny feeling in a couple minutes you’re going to tell me in which direction I need to go in order to find the other three Marines. And without question, I’ll go. How you obtained the information doesn’t concern me. What does concern me is that I know you have information which may help me keep my team alive when we do find them. Help me do a better job than what I did for my guys being zipped up in those body bags.”
Scott looked over at the slain agents and then turned his gaze upward toward the night sky. Ryan couldn’t put his finger on it, but he felt the scientist wanted to tell him more than he was allowed. He had a feeling Scott was being ordered from above to produce the maximum amount of damage control possible. Ryan understood his position because he was in the same one.
“For the record, Ryan, the only chance you had here tonight was to take him when he was in his most vulnerable state. You did everything right. If you went a moment too soon, or too late, I’d be putting all of you in body bags. I’m not exaggerating.”
“What happened to Arrington, Scott? He was a decorated Marine with a spotless record. They all were. Now they’re heartless rapists and killers? What the fuck happened to them?”
“I can’t tell you what happened because I really don’t know. I just know what they are now. My job is to show up after you finish yours and clean up the mess. You’re right about me telling you where to go next, but I was made aware only a few hours ago. You’re not the only people looking for them, but you are the only people with the legitimate authority to stop them.”
“What’s with all the armed goons? You have more firepower here than I do.”
“These soldiers are here to protect us.”
“So they are military,” deducted Ryan.
“Some of them are Marines assigned to the lab. Most of the others are former military hired by our company as security.”
“What are they protecting you from?”
“I’ve already told you more than I’m allowed. I shouldn’t be talking to you at all. Do you understand?”
“I do, Scott. Do you understand innocent people are dying and will continue to die until we find the other three? Now, what are these troops protecting you from?”
“That is what they’re protecting us from.”
“The other three? Are they close?”
“As you just found out, it would only take one of them to wreak havoc. We believe they’re communicating with each other. We just don’t know exactly how. This is going to sound weird, but –”
“After what I just saw, I bet it won’t.”
“All indications are they can communicate through other than conventional means.”
“Scott,” said Ryan, growing irritated, “Just spit it out.”
“We think they can feel when another is in distress or needs help,” said Scott, pausing for the reaction.
“Telepathy? Are you kidding me?”
“Actually, I’m not. And it’s not so much telepathy as a keen intuitive sense something is wrong. There have been numerous studies on the ability of identical twins to communicate nonverbally when they’re separated. You’re just going to have to take my word on this one. We don’t really have the time right now for a lengthy discussion.”
“But these guys aren’t identical twins.”
“In many ways they
are.”
“You’re killing me with this cryptic shit.”
“I’m sorry, Ryan.”
“That’s also the third time you’ve apologized to me. Why can’t you just tell me exactly what we’re dealing with? I understand we don’t want to create a public panic, but aren’t we on the same team here? I’m not asking you to go into detail about the science or what may have went wrong in the lab. But remember, I’m the guy kicking in the doors and taking all the risks. The least you could do is tell me exactly what’s on the other side of those doors.”
“Monsters. That’s the simplest way I can put it. I’m almost positive they’ve murdered at least twenty women over the past six months. We’ve only discovered eight. They’re not going to stop killing, either, because they can’t. It’s now their nature. A nature I don’t believe they were born with.”
“Scott, I couldn’t care less if they were born with it or not. The more I know about them, the faster I can put an end to this. That’s all I care about.”
“I want this to end as well, Ryan. I didn’t sign on for this shit. The only reason I’m here is because I understand how dangerous those men are. The information I gave you put one of them down. You don’t realize this now, but you need me. If I tell you too much, they’ll take me off this team. I guess you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Trust is earned, Scott. Give me something.”
The scientist paused and again looked up at the night sky. It was as if he were looking for guidance about what he could give Ryan that wouldn’t jeopardize his position. He brought his eyes back down to Ryan’s.
“Kristina Anderson,” he finally said.
“That’s it? A name?”
“She’s a civilian geneticist that worked with all four Marines since day one of the project. She quit the lab six months ago and took a teaching position at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She’s a dear friend, Ryan. Be careful how you reach out to her. Because of her background, they’re probably keeping an eye on her.”
“They?” asked Ryan. “Who are they?”
“You’re on your own with that one. I can’t tell you.”
“I understand,” said Ryan.
“I don’t think you really do, but you will. There’s one more thing, and you’re not going to like it.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Any digging you do on your own, keep it to yourself. Your boss and my boss are running the show here. Anything you tell yours, you can be sure he’s telling mine.”
“You want me to do this behind his back? You do realize he’s the Deputy Director of the FBI?”
“Trust goes both ways. Talk to Kristina first. If you still think I’m being paranoid, then feel free to tell your boss everything we talked about.”
Another man in black coveralls turned the corner, startling Scott. He immediately changed the subject and his tone. Ryan picked up on his diversion.
“Agent Pearson, for the last time, I need you to remain with your team. There’s no way I can allow you back into the house. If you continue to disrupt our work, I can call your boss who will explain I’m the one in charge of this crime scene. Do I make myself clear?”
“Are you okay, Mr. Wilson?” asked the other scientist. “We’re about ready to wrap it up down there and we need your help.”
“We’re done here. Right, Agent Pearson?”
“Apparently we are,” said Ryan, walking back to his team.
He leaned against the SUV without saying a word. Each member of the group could tell the wheels were turning inside his head.
“Looks like the sniper teams have made it back,” said Dallas, noticing the six men approaching the helicopters. “I wonder which one fired the money shot. I’d like to buy that guy a few drinks.”
“I don’t think we need to worry about radio silence anymore,” said Ryan.
“Got it,” replied Dallas. He pressed the talk button on his radio.
“Delta this is Alpha. Do you copy, over?”
“This is Delta, go ahead,” replied the lead sniper, climbing into the chopper.
“That was a hell of a shot. Who gets the case of beer on this one?” asked Dallas.
“Say again?”
“Which one of you took down the target?”
“Foxtrot One squeezed off two rounds, but he says he missed by a mile. We were trying to figure out which one of you cowboys took his head off with the shotgun. We saw his head come apart, but it wasn’t us, over.”
“Really? I don’t think anyone down here was carrying a –”
Ryan reached over and pushed the radio microphone away from Dallas’s mouth. He immediately knew why his teams were being separated. It had nothing to do with containment of exposure to Arrington. It had everything to do with preventing anyone from comparing notes. The puppet masters wanted to make sure none of the pieces of the puzzle were put together. Ryan needed to figure out who was pulling the strings. He already suspected who might be pulling his.
*****
Over a mile away, another black SUV was creeping down a dirt road without headlights. The driver was scanning the tree line wearing NVGs. A faint infrared strobe light invisible to the naked eye caught his attention. When the truck stopped, four men rose from their camouflaged position. Two were carrying high powered .50 caliber sniper rifles. They quietly climbed into the waiting vehicle.
“Nice work, Alex,” said the driver.
“The Feds made it easy,” he replied.
5
Puppets
The only people on the planet Ryan felt he could trust were standing next to him. Dallas still had a puzzled look on his face as to why his boss prematurely ended his conversation with the sniper team. Tom and Michelle were staring at the ground trying to make sense of the inconsistencies of Arrington’s behavior. All three were wondering why Ryan seemed distant and dismissive of their observations. He was beginning to wonder the same thing when his phone alerted him to an incoming call from the deputy director.
“Ryan, we just received a video tape from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Department in Louisiana. It shows Richard Elliot abducting a young woman from a supermarket parking lot yesterday. We have subsequent data that he may have taken her to a location in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. We believe we’ve contained exposure, so any local police or press interference should be minimal. I’m sending a plane over to you now. It should be there in about an hour.”
“Yes, sir,” responded Ryan. “We should be finished here shortly. I’ll brief the team.”
“I hate this part, but we both know she’s already dead. I want the same setup as the Harrisonburg mission. Find his kill house, set up surveillance and wait for him to return with the next victim. I’ll put together the assault and sniper teams and get them to you as soon as possible. You’ll have the full cooperation and assets of the New Orleans field office, but the same rules of containment apply there as well. All of the files and reports on Elliot will be on the plane. Call me when you get settled in down there.”
“Yes, sir.”
It took a tremendous amount of restraint for Ryan not to ask the questions he needed answered. But he also knew, if he asked, he’d probably be pulled from the team as Scott warned. He didn’t completely mistrust Deputy Director Donaldson, but he was certainly more cautious about voicing his concerns.
Ryan pulled his team in close to give them the news that they were heading to New Orleans to take down the second UA Marine. “Okay, guys,” started Ryan. “Looks like our next monster, Richard Elliot, made a few mistakes. They have him on video abducting a woman in South Louisiana.”
“Where exactly?” asked Michelle.
“He said Terrebonne Parish.”
“I have family there,” she said with obvious concern. “My sister lives in Houma. It’s a small town in Terrebonne Parish. She’s twenty-five and –”
“Use discretion if you need to contact her,” said Ryan, immediately.
“Thanks, Bos
s,” said Michelle, quickly grabbing the phone from Ryan’s outstretched hand.
“Thought we were supposed to leave those behind,” smiled Tom, referencing Ryan’s cell phone.
“The rules are for you guys.”
“Boss, goon squad approaching,” said Dallas. Michelle discretely palmed the phone and slid it in her pocket.
“Agent Pearson, we have evidence Richard Elliot may be –”
“In New Orleans,” said Ryan, finishing Scott’s sentence.
“Yes. We’re done here. I’ll be taking you and your team to the airport now.”
“We need to recover our vehicles from town. We’ll drive ourselves from there,” insisted Ryan.
“Of course,” said Scott without an argument.
Ryan took the passenger seat next to Scott as his team filed into the back. As soon as they pulled onto the main road from the long dirt driveway, Scott handed Ryan a small piece of folded paper and nodded for him to read it. Feeling like a schoolboy being handed a secret note in class, Ryan carefully unfolded the paper. No questions. They’re listening and have been since day one. They’re already heading to New Orleans to shadow your team. I don’t know exactly who they are. Figure it out and you may get some answers. Be extremely careful!
Ryan finished reading the note and looked over at Scott. The scientist glanced over just in time to see him stuff the note in his mouth and start chewing. Scott quickly returned his eyes to the road, but a slight smile was growing on his face. A few moments later, he began to laugh out loud. Ryan joined him. Not another word was spoken during the ride into town.
“Thanks for the lift,” said Ryan, stepping out of the truck with his team.
“It’s the least I could do. Your plane will be landing shortly. The sooner you get started down there, the better. Elliot has the same capabilities and temperament as Arrington, but he also has the same weakness. I know you learned a hard lesson at the farmhouse, but it’ll help you deal with Elliot. I’ll see you after you take him. Good luck, Ryan. Good luck to all of you.”
“Thanks, Scott. You take care of yourself as well,” said Ryan. The SUV pulled out of the sheriff’s department parking lot, leaving the agents alone for the first time since they entered Arrington’s hideout.
