Dangerous Game|| Ransom Drysdale

4. The Abstract

Seven days. A whole fucking week and you still haven't cracked the cipher.

You know the killer wouldn't be idiotic enough to reveal his identity in it, that would make the police's job way too easy. It just doesn't match anything you've seen before, nothing you've found, just nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Ransom walks over to your location on the couch and places a glass of water on the table in front of you. You sit up slightly and look up at him. He seems less than thrilled.

"What's up?" you ask, slightly hesitant.

"Y/n, you were up all night," he states flatly.

You look out one of the many windows of the house, "Oh shit, that's sunlight."

Ransom sighs and moves your laptop off your lap and onto the coffee table. He sits down next to you now that your work isn't consuming you. You lean into him and he wraps an arm around your shoulders.

"I think you just need a break from your work for a bit."

"I'm so close, I just need to figure out one word and everything should be able to fall in place."

"Ok, well... They would probably use the word 'kill' wouldn't they? Maybe look for something that could be that?" Ransom suggests with a slight shrug.

You stare at him silently for a second. "How did I not think of that?!? It seems so obvious now that you say it!"

Ransom chuckles and watches as you slowly start to create a key, deciphering the letter. He smiles slightly, proud that he could contribute to something good and make you happy.

🔍🔪🔎

The next morning, after a surprisingly good night of sleep, you jump out of bed and rush to the bathroom in yet another spell of nausea. Ransom wakes up from the commotion and sighs as he sees you sitting on the side of the tub, trying to calm your stomach with some deep breaths.

"I have to get some groceries for dinner, take it easy, ok?" he changes into one of his many sweaters. You just manage to muster up the strength to nod as you hobble your way to the sink to get a drink of water. Ransom grabs his scarf and coat near the front door and you hear him drive off in the Beemer.

After just standing in front of the sink and staring blankly at your hands for a few moments, the nausea passes and you change into some suitable clothes before heading off to talk to Lieutenant Elliott and Trooper Wagner.

🔍🔪🔎

"This guy is messed up," Wagner nods to himself as he reads your translation of the cipher.

"He's murdered at least 3 people, of course he is," Elliott replies in a slightly confused tone.

"It doesn't tell us his name, just talks about how he 'likes killing' and how you're not gonna catch him, just very gloating. There's just some left overs at the bottom, I don't know what it means."

"'Man is the most dangerous animal of them all'?" Elliot reads part of the translated cipher aloud and something clicks in your memory.

"I know that, I think it's from a book or something?"

Elliott sighs, "As much as we appreciate you translating this, it doesn't give us much on where to go with this case, Y/n."

"I know, I'm just hoping we get something more to work with."

"So what's this?" Wagner points out the circle with the cross on the first note with the instructions.

"I'm not sure, Ransom said it looks like the scope of a gun. That thing you look through to aim?"

"But he used a 9 mm Luger in both cases, a scope wasn't used," Elliott adds.

"I don't really have other ideas, that was all we came up with."

"Well, I'll let you know when we get anything else."

🔍🔪🔎

You pull back into your driveway where Ransom is already standing in the driveway, only holding one mostly empty paper bag. You get out of your car and start walking over to him.

"So we're having a light dinner?" you joke, nodding to the bag he's holding.

"Y/n, we need to talk about it."

"Talk about what?" you ask, slightly nervously, worried this won't go well.

"You've been getting random nausea spells for over a week and if I'm not mistaken, your period is late."

"Ransom-"

"Just take the damn test, please? We all know already."

"'We'?"

Ransom nods and silently points to himself, then you, then of course Dodger who perks up, hoping to get a treat or to be pet.

"Right, of course."

"So?"

"What if it comes back positive?"

"Then we talk about it and figure out what we want to do and what you're comfortable with, it's your body that has to go through it," Ransom speaks gently and reassuringly.

You nod slightly, "And if it's negative?"

"Then we can talk about that too."

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding in. "Thank you."

"Anything for you."

🔍🔪🔎

You were never really a fan of abstract art. Seemed kind of pointless.

See, there's famous paintings like the Mona Lisa, The Scream, and The Starry Night. Those are all things. Sure, they're not perfect portraits of what the world actually looks like, but they've all got a sense of realism. The Mona Lisa doesn't have eyebrows, but it's a person. The Scream doesn't look as realistic, but you can still see it's a person. And Starry Night, well it's a fucking starry night sky. Not all those random colors and shapes, supposed to have some kind of meaning that just makes you feel dumb for not understanding.

You look for that meaning but it feels pointless. A three year old could have made that. Why do people put it at such a high value? Why does this mean so much or even anything to anyone besides the artist?

But shit. You really never did expect two simple lines to have such an impact on your life.

A/N:
I'm back from the dead, a million apologies. Rough two months for me, I'll explain on an announcement on my account rather than just here if you're curious. Thanks for reading, love y'all💜