don't get me wrong () prodigal son SLOW UPDATES

Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One:

It was just past two in the afternoon when Theodora's phone rang for the first time that day. She dropped her half eaten piece of pizza onto the counter and lunged for her phone that sat on the side table in her living room. An Unknown number blinked on the screen, and she frowned, expecting it to be Malcolm. She couldn't get ahold of him after he had ran out, and they hadn't seen or talked to each other since.

"Hello?" She said clicking answer and holding the phone to her ear.

"Fletcher, we need you out here now."

Her brows knitted together, "Dani? How'd you get my number?"

"I work for the NYPD. I can get anything. I'm sending you the address, be here as soon as possible."

The line went dead and a smile overtook her face, she jammed the phone into her pocket and scrambled around for her keys and wallet. She wore her black pantsuit, the one she'd changed out of the other day. Her hair was straightened, and she glimpsed herself in the mirror on the way out. She wore dark red lipstick with her usual look, mascara and eyeliner. She didn't bother with foundation, she was surprised she'd gotten through everything else.

Theodora rushed down the stares, throwing herself out the double doors and onto the street. A row of cabs lined the street and she flopped into one, showing the driver the text message she received moments ago from Dani. Apparently it wasn't to far, and the location was a wooded area.

When they arrived, the man muttered something but she disregarded him, jumping out of the vehicle and marching under the yellow tape and showing the questioning officers her badge that she'd swiped off the counter before leaving. They shrugged and she pushed by them, spotting Dani's black hair a few feet away.

"Hey!" JT shouted upon her arrival, planting herself next to the other women. "Congrats on joining the squad. It's amazing that Gil hired you with no experience in the field what's so ever."

Theodora smiled, "I've been here only a handful of time's and both Malcolm and I have done a better job than you on those particular cases."

"Really? Are you sure."

"JT." Dani rolled her eyes, "Drop it."

"No, it's fine. So, Mr Experience. Enlighten me to what happened here."

And so he told her the story, everyone staying silent as Edrisa approached and began poking at the man who laid sprawled on the ground, tangled within a large tree branch. When he was done, she stepped forward and asked Edrisa for a pair of latex gloves, to which she handed a clean pair and Theodora pulled them on.

"Wrong." She said, not looking at JT. "He died from his own fear. See the eyes? They're rolled back in his head, only the whites showing. I researched this in school, he was literally scared to death. It indicates damage to the optic nerve—"

"Yes!" Edrisa beamed, "There may be damage to the brain as well."

There was a long pause and footsteps—

"Lemon lime?"

Theodora looked over to see Malcolm approach them, holding a handful of lollipops in his hand. He handed one to everyone before turning to her, to which he seemed to hesitate. "And for you, two green apples."

She plucked them from his fingers, pocketing them. "Thanks." She said slowly.

"Mr Bright, good morning!" Edrisa smiled.

"Cherry?" He handed her a red one, and she grateful accepted it. "Yah! It's my favourite. I-I'm sorry I didn't realize we were exchanging small gifts... I'm unprepared—"

"Cause of death." Gil questioned, waving a half eaten lollypop around.

"Still working on it." She frowned, "The only other things are minor, on his wrist and ankles."

"Indicating he was bound during the act. That and the lethal internal injury means that what the killer did took time."

Dani nodded, "Another location, a different time where he or she could bring them here."

Theodora looked down at the man, kneeling next to him. She brought a gloved hand down to his button up and I undid the first two buttons. Something peaked out and she undid the rest, revealing papers safely pinned to his chest.

"Yuck." She huffed carefully unpinning it, scanning the words. Nothing made sense, it was just a jumble of words. She handed the papers to another man who appeared and placed them into a plastic evidence bag which was then handed to Gil.

"Dear Policemen, it turned black when they came. They said truth, do wild flowers grow there? I saw them. Tell them I saw them, tell them it's all black now." He read.

"Well, glad that cleared it all that up." JT sighed.

"Look at the alternate slant in the writing, the scattered embellishments—" Malcolm began.

"Nothing in there makes any sense." Dani chimed in.

"To them it does." Theodora added, "But from what we can see they have a series mental illness."

"Could be one of his patients."

"Possibly." Malcolm said, "But this points to a pure, perhaps more excessive psychotic break. Guided by hallucinations..."

"We may be looking for a visual killer. They're guided by something else... a higher power or a disembodied voice. God or the devil." Theodora agreed, "Considering the note pinned to the man's chest and the optic nerve jumbo."

Edrisa made a gross noise from where she sat at the victims head, she was poking around his hair. "Well, they're right. This is more than that. Something goes around his entire head—"

Theodora zoned out, turning around. She knew exactly what was going to happen, and she didn't feel like looking. A squishy sound echoed, followed by grunts from everyone else

"You don't see that everyday." Dani muttered.

"They took the whole brain." Malcolm exclaimed.

"You're not even gonna look, Fletcher?" Gil questioned.

"No. I'm good over here. The trees are looking real nice."

He huffed, "Do you have any idea what this means?"

"No." Malcolm clicked his tongue, "I have absolutely no clue."