Broken

Q&A

"What exactly are we looking for here?" I asked following Malcolm through the multiple lines of cars in the junkyard.
"Dani traced the station wagon from the picture to this junkyard." He explained.
"And why did we have to come in the middle of the night?"
"Well... I don't actually know. Seemed like a good idea until right now." He answered.
I held my pistol loosely in my right hand with the safety still on as we continued walking through the junkyard. Suddenly, Malcolm froze in front of a tarp covered vehicle. I walked towards the car and pulled the tarp off.
Malcolm touched my arm gently as if asking for strength as he walked over to the rear of the car. I followed closely behind him and stood behind him as he swung the back door open. Inside there were metal tether rings in the floor of the trunk. Malcolm looked over at me silently before pulling out his black light exposing a large amount of blood that once covered the trunk of the station wagon.
"Malcolm..." I said his name cautiously as I watched the black light bounce violently in his trembling hand.
"Malcolm, we need to call Gil."
He nodded silently. I pulled out my cellphone as we heard a crash somewhere in the junkyard. Instinctively, Malcolm tried to push me behind him.
"I'm the one that carries a gun." I hissed at him.
Malcolm and I walked side by side into the aisle.
"Excuse me?" Malcolm called at the clear shadow of a man at the opposite end of the yard.
"Is this your junkyard?"
I barely heard the explosion of gunshots before a bullet grazed against my arm. I pushed hard against Malcolm returning fire as I followed him back behind the car. As I pressed my back against the wheel well of the car the junkyard became eerily silent.
"Call Gil." I told Malcolm as I looked around the car to find the aisle empty.
Without a look back at Malcolm I pushed myself up as instinct kicked in causing me to run after the shadow man.
I reached the end of the aisle in time to see the back of our assailant turn another corner to my left.
"FBI! Freeze!" I called running after him again.
I reached the end of the next aisle and the suspect fired back at me again forcing me to crouch behind another car. When the shooting stopped I pursued him again. I reached the gate in time to see a late model Oldsmobile peel away from me.
I took a chance and fired a single bullet at the back of the car and watched the back windshield explode but he didn't stop and his tail lights faded into the distance.
"Late model Oldsmobile, grey, maybe beige or brown. I shattered the back windshield out. License plate: 6BQ-971." I told Gil as the paramedic bandaged my upper arm.
"You're sure about the plate?" He asked.
"Of course I'm sure." I sighed.
"I'm sorry, Lily. I don't mean to question you. I just know that I don't always see things clearly when I'm in situations like that." He smiled reassuringly at me.
I nodded.
"She's good, Lieutenant. It's just a graze. It'll scab over in no time." Paramedic Jamie Stephens told him.
"Thank you, Ms. Stephens." He told her.
"Let's go see what Edrisa found." Gil said gently.
"You're hurt." Malcolm whispered as I took my place beside him.
"I'm okay." I assured him touching his arm.
"Umm... Is that a pizza peel?" I asked looking at Edrisa.
"It is. Perfect for recovering soft tissue." She smiled at me.
"Perfect..." I muttered shaking my head.
"We found another one." Jacob Sutton said walking towards the car we stood around.
"Another what?" Gil asked.
"Another body." He said.
I looked over at Malcolm who stood stiffly next to me. I touched the back of his hand gently causing him to look at me.
"Search the whole yard. Everywhere." Gil told Jacob.
I sighed as my phone rang.
"Yes?" I answered.
"Lily. Please. I just want to talk." My brother sighed.
"It's not a good time, Evan."
"Please, Lily? Ten minutes?"
"I'm at a crime scene. Go to the station and wait for me there." I sighed looking up at Malcolm and hanging up my phone.
"Is he okay?" Malcolm asked.
"Honestly, I have no idea." I sighed.
When we arrived back at the precinct Evan was waiting for me in one of the conference rooms.
"What is so urgent?" I asked walking into the room.
"Lily. I told you that I thought someone was following me?"
"I recall." I sighed.
"I found this this morning." He handed me a piece of paper.
I'M GOING TO BURN YOU ALIVE JUST LIKE YOUR WRETCHED PARENTS
I sighed rubbing my forehead.
"I'll take it to Gil. Send it to the lab but you need to go back into protection."
"Yeah. Okay, Lily. Yeah." He agreed.
"You sure you're not going to throw another hissy fit. I don't need it Evan. I really don't. This is serious."
"Yeah, Lily. I'm sure."
I showed Gil the note.
"Who knew that they were burned alive?" He asked.
"The usual suspects. The FBI, NYPD, my brother and I, the funeral director." I rambled.
"We'll keep him safe, Lily. We'll keep you both safe." He assured me.
"I know, Gil. I know. I have to take care of this. Get him under some protection. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Take your time, Lily. We'll be alright." He assured me.
"Howard Rowland." A deep male voice answered my phone call.
"Howard. It's Lily. I need to call in that favor." I sighed.
"Of course. What is it?" He asked.
"I need someone I can trust to provide protection detail for my brother."
"I heard about your parents. I'm sorry. I can be there in a half an hour." He answered.
"Thank you."
I sighed closing my eyes and leaning against the wall in the hallway.
"Lily?" Dani said my name softly.
"Hey, Dani." I looked over at her.
"You good?" She asked me.
"Honestly. I have no idea. My parents' causes of death weren't released. I knew it would come to this. The steps for a stalker like this are clear. First is the impression stage. He killed the people that hurt me. I didn't react. Next is the isolation stage. He wants to take out my support system. Evan, Malcolm, Gil, God... you. Then he'll come for me." I shook my head.
"Yeah, no, not good."
"You and Bright will be with us. Gil said you are getting Evan into some kind of protection program. We're going to find this guy and we'll protect each other." She assured me.
"I called in a favor from someone I trust. It isn't an official protection program. Evan is in his senior year at NYU so he won't go into a real program."
"Men are stubborn." She laughed.
"Ya don't say." I laughed too.
"Can you try to keep an eye on Malcolm until I can get back?"
"Of course. You don't need any more stress right now." She smiled at me.
"Thank you, Dani."
She reached over and hugged me.
I walked into Gil's office where Evan was waiting for me.
"I called Howard Rowland. He's on his way and he'll be your protection detail until my team and I can find out who's doing this." I told him sitting on the opposite side of the couch.
"How did we end up like this, Lily?" He asked gesturing to the space between us.
"I'm not sure. Things changed when mom and dad died. I've spent the last twenty seven years with only one real goal. To be there for you. I showed up to all of those stupid family dinners and let them talk shit about me to my face because they loved you. They supported you and that was enough. Then they died and something changed. You decided that was my fault and that's fine but I have nothing left. I'll give you the protection and I'll do everything I can to keep you safe because you are my baby brother and I love you but fixing this... It's going to take a lot more than this." I stood up and walked back out of the room.
"Lily." Malcolm called my name as I walked towards the conference room.
"How did it go with Evan?"
"As good as it could considering I had to put my brother who isn't even halfway through his senior year in college under protection." I shrugged feeling almost defeated.
"We're damaged, Malcolm. I want to pretend he didn't blame me but he did and after probably the full thirty two years of my life of them placing all the blame on me I just can't. We never got along but I lost them too, dammit."
"I know, baby. I know." He took me into his arms.
"I need to go up to talk to my father." He told me after a long moment.
"Ainsley's doing her interview today." I reminded him.
"I know but he's the only one that can give me answers."
I nodded.
Ainsley looked up at us and sighed as her brother pounded on the door.
"Let's take five, guys." She said standing up and walking into the hall to join us.
"What are you doing here? You promised you wouldn't interfere." She complained looking between us.
"Sorry, I know this is your big day, but we have a serial killer on our hands." He explained.
"You think?"
"No, not that one. A new one. An active one. He's out there somewhere, and I think he's connected to Dad, and I have... I have to talk to him."
"Okay, I get it. It's not like it was going all that well in there anyway. I'm getting nowhere. He's just twisting everything I'm saying, - and it is driving me crazy."
"Crazy. Yeah, welcome to my world. I need some answers, Ains."
"Okay, fine. But I'm staying. I'll turn the cameras off, but I'm staying." She told us.
Malcolm looked at me and I nodded.
"There's no harm in that, Malcolm." I assured him.
He nodded and we walked into the cell behind Ainsley.
"Well, as I live and breathe! We got ourselves a family reunion." Dr. Whitly exclaimed.
"We're gonna take a quick break so the authorities can ask some questions about a case. A serial killer, actually." Ainsley told her cameraman.
"Ooh, exciting. Have they named him yet? I always thought The Surgeon was a little on the nose. But it's not about me."
"It is about you. Your station wagon, specifically. The camping wagon." Malcolm said keeping close to me.
"Oh, good for you. Where was it?" His father mocked him.
"A junkyard in the Bronx, where we also found ten dead bodies." I answered.
"Never been to the Bronx. And if you like me for the murders, well, what can I say? I've been indisposed."
"We know you didn't kill them. But we think you know who did."
"Oh. Cars can show up in all sorts of places, Malcolm."
"Oh, so it was just a coincidence? One serial killer's car is found in the junkyard of another serial killer. What are the odds?" I hissed.
"Well, not great, but let's see. There are usually between 25 to 50 active serial killers for about..."
"Stop. Stop. I know they're connected. This knife was found in the center console of the station wagon. Don't tell me you don't remember." Malcolm showed him the knife.
"Sure, that was your knife. Yeah, we got that in the, uh, rest stop just off the turnpike. And I know what you're thinking: "What kind of rest stop would sell a switchblade to a kid?" It was New Jersey. And you were never one to crush a penny. You wanted a practical souvenir."
"Is that really why I wanted it?"
I watched Malcolm's hand shake violently.
"Why else would a boy want a knife? To whittle a piece of wood. Scale a fish."
"And on our camping trip, what happened there, Dr. Whitly?"
"Perhaps we better table this for now. Seems like you're taking up all your sister's time. There's only so much of Dad to go around."
"Malcolm? Can I can I talk to you for a second?" Ainsley asked.
"Yeah."
We followed her back out into the hallway.
"He knows something, I just don't have a way to get it out of him."
"Hold on. I think we should team up. Seeing the way he is with you, i-it gave me an idea of how to finally get him on the defensive."
"I have a case to solve, Ains." Malcolm sighed.
"Yes, but that is not the case you're talking about. That is some next-level childhood drama that I'm not touching with a ten-foot fishing pole, and it sounds like you shouldn't, either. Come on, let me tap back in." She explained.
"You're practically bouncing. Should I start playing the Rocky music?" He asked.
"No, not yet. Just trust me, okay? Stand right behind me, in his sight line." She pleaded with her brother.
Malcolm looked at me again.
"It could give us answers too."
We followed her back into the room. Malcolm stood directly behind her with me on his left.
"So, I mentioned a number of your victims earlier, but I'd like to discuss one more. Malcolm. Malcolm Whitly."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"You claim to care about your son, yet what you did 20 years ago harmed him irreparably."
He looked at me. I could feel his discomfort.
"Well, that's not true."
"Isn't it? He's been diagnosed with complex PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, night terrors. Dr. Whitly, do you know what happens to the human body when it withstands that much stress for that long a period of time?"
Malcolm tensed, his breath coming quickly but quietly.
"I'm... I'm not sure that's relevant."
"He was fired from the only job he was ever good at. He hasn't been in a stable relationship in years. And the ten years he went without seeing you were by far the happiest, healthiest of his life."
Malcolm reached over and grabbed my hand.
"Well, that's absolutely not."
"What could that say about you, except that you are an absolutely terrible father?"
"I'm not. I..."
"He just wanted to love you, - and you caused him so much pain."
He squeezed my hand hard.
"Stop it."
"What kind of a father does that?"
"Stop it! I was a good father, damn it! You say that again. Say I was a terrible father!"
Martin stood up and tried to leap towards us. Ainsley stood up quickly, stepped back into Malcolm as he leaped towards me.
"Don't take another step." Mr. David stepped up to him.
"Ains, are you all right?" Jin asked.
"Yeah. Did you get that?"
"On camera? Yeah."
"Good." She said looking right at her father.
"You had a plan. It's always good to have a plan." Martin said quietly.
Suddenly the hospital's alarm started blaring drawing my attention.
"What is that?" Ainsley asked.
"It's a lockdown." Malcolm answered looking at me.
"Wonderful." I sighed.
Martin smiled evilly at us.
Ainsley asked Jin to take video of the hallway while Mr. David and I stood in the corner watching Malcolm and Ainsley talking amongst themselves just beyond Martin's reach and Martin watched them from his bookcase.
"Can I ask you something?" Ainsley asked her father suddenly.
"Sure, anything." He smiled at her.
"The serial killer that Malcolm and Lily are chasing do you know him?"
"You know, it is a parent's greatest joy to see his two children united - in a common cause." He said sitting down in the chair.
"Answer the question." Malcolm snapped.
"Okay. People who suffer from our sickness have a tendency to find others who suffer from it, too. Sometimes to enable, or, uh admire. In this case, I was, um a mentor of sorts."
"For who? What's his name?"
"Oh, men like this never have just one name. You know that."
"We already have one. The junkyard was bought by Paul Lazar." Malcolm told his father.
"That was well after my time. When I knew him, he was..." Suddenly there was pounding on the door at the end of the hallway.
"Ainsley!" A male voice called from behind the door followed by more pounding.
"Let me in! It's time for my close-up! I have so much to say." He yelled.
I walked over to stand next to Malcolm in front of his sister.
"Jin, get back here." Ainsley called.
"Wait!" The man called.
"He's got a key card!" Jin called.
"Shit." I heard Malcolm call my name as I broke into a run; the door opened and the prisoner stabbed into Jin's chest.
"Jin! Jin! Jin!" I heard Ainsley calling his name.
I pushed hard against the tall man and got him out of the door again pulling the key card out of his hand.
"Tevin, no!" Mr. David was suddenly beside me as Tevin pushed back against the door I was trying to close.
"No! Malcolm, I need help." I called.
"Ainsley, let me in!" Tevin called pushing against the door again.
"We need to brace the door. Hurry!" Mr. David told him.
"No fair! Ainsley Whitly!" Tevin called as Malcolm slammed into the door beside me finally sealing the door.
Malcolm and Ainsley carried Jin back into Martin's cell.
"What an eventful day we're having?" Martin smirked
"Ambulance and SWAT are both on their way. 15 minutes." Mr. David told us.
"Oh, he'll be dead in ten. That's not gonna work. I'm sorry, but he's not gonna die from the stab wound, the problem is the hemothorax. His lung is collapsing because of the excess blood. Look, uh, tilt his head back. You see the way his trachea is shifted? That means the blood has already filled the pleural cavity. If we don't release it, he's gonna die. What? What's the problem?" Martin asked as Ainsley looked up at him pleadingly.
"You just said he's gonna die." She breathed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's as if you've all forgotten you're locked in a room with a world-class surgeon."
I sighed watching Ainsley and Malcolm argue.
"I can do it." Malcolm said pulling me out of my head.
"What?" I sighed.
"I can do the surgery." He nodded at me.
"Malcolm, come here." I urged.
"You can't be serious, Malcolm. You've been shaking since we got here."
"He can walk me through it. That's what you do, right? You consult with doctors by video, talk them through surgeries?" He called over to his father.
"Doctors, Malcolm. Last time I checked, you haven't gone to medical school." Ainsley yelled at him.
"I don't care. We're not giving that man a knife. End of story."
"Malcolm!"
"No, it's fine, sweetheart, I understand."
"Stop!" I exclaimed.
"I went to medical school. I can do it." I told them.
"You did?" Ainsley asked.
"Yes. Harvard Medical School while Malcolm went to Harvard Law."
"She can do it. I can walk you through the steps, that's right. I do it all the time, but we have to start right away. Mr. David, please grab everything you can from your medical station. Now, Lily, open up his shirt. Clean the area as best you can. We're gonna need water. There. Grab Ainsley's." Martin instructed.
"I've been drinking from it, it won't be sterile." She complained.
"Well, I'm sure the knife won't be either, sweetheart. They can administer antibiotics when they get him to the ER. Right now, it's all about the ABCs: airway, breathing, circulation."
"It's not much, but I found a scalpel." Mr. David said.
Well, we'll make do. No more time to waste, Dr. Russell. Take the knife. You're gonna make an incision where you can feel between his ribs, just below the nipple."
I took a deep breath and sliced carefully into his chest.
"So, the goal is to drain as much blood as we can. Insert the tube into the hole you cut into the lung."
I followed his instructions to the letter and the blood began emptying into an empty bottle.
"Now that the blood has drained you need to clamp off the bleed. Yes. Like that. Now, check to insure he's breathing."
"It's faint but it's there." I answered.
"Thank you, Lily. Thank you." Ainsley reached over and hugged me.
"Of course, Ainsley."
"All clear. Let's get him out of here." Mr. David told us.
Malcolm and I sat in the conference room his hands in mine when Gil walked in.
"What did your father tell you?" He asked gently.
"They're connected. The Surgeon and this serial killer. He didn't tell me how, but I think he may have told me where they met."
"What do you mean "may have"?"
"He mentioned St. Edwards Hospital. It's not where he had his residency, so he must have done a rotation there."
"And St. Edwards..."
"Is in the Bronx, where the junkyard is. It wasn't an accidental slip of the tongue. My father was trying to tell me something."
"We'll pull all the employee records from when your dad was there."
"Skip the doctors. His ego's too big to have worked with an equal. He referred to himself as a mentor, so the guy would be in his early 20s. Someone he could easily manipulate..."
"What?" I asked as Malcolm trailed off.
"Tevin. Tevin, he's just like the killer we're after. A beta to my father's alpha. Someone who seeks a mentor. Someone The Surgeon could manipulate to do his bidding."
"Are you saying...?" Gil asked as Malcolm stood up and pulled out his cellphone.
"The lockdown, the stabbing. Everything that happened today, what if Tevin did all of that just because my father asked him to?"
"Why?"
"So he could play the hero in front of his daughter on national television. It's literally his dream scenario, but Lily..." He looked at me.
"Mr. David?" He said as he answered the phone.
I listened with vague interest as Malcolm spoke over the phone. I did ruin Dr. Whitly's plan and that certainly wasn't going to end well.
"Can you take me over to my mother's?" He asked.
"Of course. I really do love that the two of you are getting close."
I sighed sitting down next to Malcolm on his mother's couch.
"So you're saying that my children went to see their serial killer father in serial killer prison, and it didn't go well? I'm shocked. Truly." She mocked sarcastically.
"Please, enjoy your "I told you so. " But even you could not have foreseen this." He sighed reaching over to take my hand.
"This is what he does, Malcolm. He draws people in, gains their trust, makes them love him. And then, when he has all the power He ruins them." She said looking at our entwined fingers.
"Yeah, I know that story." He looked at me sadly.
"Yes, he may have ruined your childhood, but he did not ruin you. You are made of tougher stuff." She told him causing me to smile.
A faint sound echoed in the distance.
"Is that ringing?" I asked.
"Yeah. Where's it coming from?" Malcolm asked looking at his mom.
The ringing continued.
"The basement." She breathed.
Jessica and I followed Malcolm down into the basement. The ringing came from behind a wall.
"This is where my father's study was." Malcolm looked at me.
He picked up a large pipe and struck the wall once.
"Malcolm, don't. I boarded up that room for a reason." Jessica exclaimed.
"We have to." Malcolm swung at the wall again.
The ringing continued as he broke the wall down.
"I thought it was disconnected." She looked at me.
Malcolm went to answer the phone. I pulled my notepad out of my pocket and laid it in front of him.
I was wondering if anyone would answer. He wrote.
"Who is this?" He asked catching my eye.
An old friend of your father's.
"Who are you? Why are you calling?"
It was good to see you in that junkyard, Malcolm. It's been too long. Who's that pretty lady you had with you?
"What do you mean?" He asked ignoring the question about me.
"How do I know you?"
You don't remember? It was a hell of a camping trip.
"Is it okay if I call you Paul? Or would you prefer something else?" He asked.
Always liked Paul. Good strong name.
"Why don't you tell me about this trip?"
That's curious. Wonder why you don't remember? I could never forget that night.
"Why? What happened? Talk to me. I'd, I'd love to hear it in you're own words. To be honest, Paul. I think I've blocked out pieces of my memory. Whole chunks are missing. Any idea what might have caused that?"
"You two work like this often?" His mother whispered to me.
I nodded.
Why were you delivered to me, Malcolm? To help me or to stop me?
"Uh, I just want to talk..."
No. You're a cop. You want to catch me. Your dad must be... disappointed.
"Well, we're not on speaking terms at the moment."
I don't want to hurt you, Malcolm, but my work is important, and you interrupted it. I hate being interrupted! Better if you leave me alone.
"You know I cant do that."
That's not what I want to hear.
"He hung up." He said looking at me.