Understanding A Killer

I will be waiting

A short time after, Abigail had finally regained conciousness and they managed to get Jack Crawford's permission to take her back to the crime scene. Hannibal and Will were supposed to pick up Eliana in front of the dorm early in the morning so all of them could drive to Hobbs's house. Insomnia was messing up Eliana's sleep schedule, so she hurriedly got ready after sleeping in. She rushed out, hoping they hadn't already arrived. An unexpected sight greeted her in front of the door as a bouquet of pink flowers stood at the doormat. Eliana looked at it in shock, having no idea what it was doing there. As she was already late, she decided to pick it up, throw it in the trash and think about it later.

She ran downstairs to the lobby and opened the trash can, ready to let the bouquet go, but was met with the receptionist lady's judging stare. It would  look really bad to just throw such a pretty bouquet away, she realized, so she smiled awkwardly at the receptionist, deciding to do it later.

Will's car already stood at the parking lot, waiting. "Sorry I'm late!" - Eliana opened the door and got in the back seat.

"You brought us flowers? That's very nice of you." - Hannibal said with a smirk, observing the bouquet in her hand, while Will eyed the scenario through the rearview mirror.

"Actually, I just found them in front of my door. I have no idea what they were doing there." - Eliana was puzzled.

"Maybe you have a secret admirer?" - Hannibal said half-jokingly.

"That's flattering. But it would be kinda wierd since I rarely talk to people. Maybe they just left it at the wrong door." - She brushed it off with an awkward smile.

Upon arriving at the familiar crime scene, they were met with the word 'cannibals' written on the house, which visibly unnerved the already damaged Abigail. Jack suspected she aided her father by acting as a lure, while Will refused to believe she was involved in any way. Eliana stood closer to Alana Bloom's opinion, which made no explicit accusations but acknowledged her odd behavior.

They looked around the house, going over the distressing events that occurred there. Abigail suggested they reenact the crime scene as a way to remember the details of that day. She said it in such an excited voice that it made everyone uncomfortable. Alana was supposed to be her mother, Will her father, and Hannibal the man on the phone which Will theorised to be the copycat killer. They were kind of relieved when Abigail's friend intruded because none of them wanted to go back to that day.

While Abigail talked with her friend Marissa outside, Will and Eliana decided to take a walk around the yard, letting the two psychiatrists discuss Abigail's behavior.

The late autumn air was cold, and the ground was completely covered in brown, damp leaves. It would've been a nice sight if it weren't for apparent circumstances. They stolled a bit further from the house, into the woods, letting the cold air clear their minds.

"So, you still worried about those flowers?" - Will spoke first.

"The profiler strikes again." - She laughed slightly, "Not worried, but I find it odd."

"I don't find it odd." - He looked at her, almost sounding flirty.

"Is that a compliment?" - She smiled, returning the flirty tone.

"Yes." - He answered shortly, "And... They're pretty specific, too. Those are astilbes, symbolizing patience, famous for their meaning of 'I will be waiting for you'."

"Mr. Graham... are you secretly a florist?" - Eliana almost burst into laugter.

"Unfortunately, I had to leave my florist ambitions behind." - He smiled, "I guess the lack of social interaction made me invest more time into learning unnecessary things."