Chapter 134: Morbid Victories (1/2)

”Well… fuck,” Nash swore. ”Someone is tipping us off or playing with us.”

”Like they knew we needed the murder weapon… like they had access to it,” I added.

Nash turned to the officer. ”Mind bringing the box to forensics? Give them your fingerprints and ask them to match the blood with Maya and get whatever fingerprints they can get off it.”

He rubbed his head.

”Yes sir,” the officer mumbled before picking up the box and scurrying away.

The officer left the room and I slumped down on my chair. ”Is this a message? Say hi to Dr. Butler?” I laughed humorlessly.

”This person is giving us clues and telling us how well he knows the system,” Nash elaborated.

”He's playing with us, isn't he? He's telling us that he can do much better without the binds of law,” I added.

”Mocking us,” Nash grunted. ”What a classic psychopath. Do you think he has ever killed?” he asked as he stared at the wall.

”He sounds lawless, you know? Like he is capable of everything, but he doesn't like to get his hands dirty. He wouldn't stop a crime from happening. No, he would encourage it, but he didn't directly participate in it.”

”Like a mentor,” Nash concluded. ”A mentor with police connections.” He paused. ”It's one of us. And he is telling Sebastian that he can easily access you.”

I frowned. ”And he's been keeping close tabs. How conveniently every case related to him comes to us…” I trailed off.

Nash slapped his hand against the desk. ”Time for lunch. Forget about this guy,” he stated.

”You're taking this awfully well,” I commented.

”Yes, because they are not targeting me. I'd be more concerned if I wasn't sure the three of us could put our heads together and drag this bastard out from his hiding spot by the hair… wherever that is.” The confident look in his heart made me less jittery.

”Well, your confidence in my input is heart-warming.” I chuckled. ”Let's go grab some food.” I pulled up from my seat and headed away.

”Are we going to the local sandwich place?” Nash asked with a note of disgust. ”Seriously, if I didn't know the reason behind your dietary choices, I would have complained,” he grumbled.

”Thank you for your understanding,” I injected with a smile. ”We can go to a nice place, you know? I'll just have something vegetarian, no issues.”

”Yes, but I won't be able to sleep at night,” he retorted. ”Do you think Sebastian is engrossed in the new case?” he asked.

I turned to him with a smirk. ”He got his hand on a notorious serial killer cold case that has gone unsolved for decades. Thirty years since the guy appeared and twenty of them without activity. If that is not a cold case he will fret over, I don't know what he would do,” I claimed.

Nash shrugged. ”The case was bizarre,” he commented. ”They really didn't find anything in it. It was as if this person didn't exist…” He shook his head in disbelief.

”No one better than Sebastian, then. He can see things us normal folks can't.” I shrugged. ”Let's go call him.”

We pulled into the office they had assigned him and found him seated on the floor, his legs crossed as he pulled on his hair. Papers and pictures were scattered all over the floor and his eyes were wildly darting from one place to the other.

I leaned against the doorframe and waited for him to notice. Whatever train of thought he was exploring, I didn't want to interrupt. He could get irritated if that happened. I knew him well enough to foresee that he would suppress the emotion when he saw I was in the room.

He had a bad habit of suppressing his emotions and acting coldly with others, but he could be harsh with them without regard. When I was around, he mostly showed pleasant emotions… like he was suppressing his darker nature and irritated side. I understood his need to show his best side, but I wondered if he had forgotten that I had fallen in love with him despite how obnoxious and narcissistic he was.

Truly, despite knowing him for over a year, the man still bewildered me.

It was about eight minutes before he finally noticed us. He looked up, surprise filling his face. ”What are you doing here?” he asked, focusing on me.

”Hello to you too, Sebastian,” Nash greeted with a tone of amusement.

”Oh, you're here, too,” Sebastian replied before looking back at me. ”Is something wrong?” he asked immediately, his smile falling.

”It's time to grab some lunch. Do you want to come with us?” I asked. ”Or should we bring you something and talk over whatever is bothering you about the case?” I gave him that option as well.

He looked down at the paper, conflicted. ”No, I think I need to get away from it for a while. I feel like I am trying to process a lot in a short span of time and I need to not think about it for a few minutes for the puzzle pieces to fall into place.”

I nodded. ”When you have a block, you should go out and just not think about it,” I assured him. ”Especially on such a creative process.”