1. murder, she said

488 41 0
                                    

"Sometimes the things I say
In moments of disarray
Succumbing to the games we play
To make sure that it's real " 
Aaron Lewis, Everything Changes

"Sometimes the things I sayIn moments of disarraySuccumbing to the games we playTo make sure that it's real " Aaron Lewis, Everything Changes

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

"...and the pain of losing her child overwhelmed her, to the extent of causing a psychotic break. Now her whole life is built around and focused on her tragedy. That's why she's trying to attract public attention to it."

"In order to achieve that, she's tampering with non-alcoholic drinks and leaving them at small stores, for anybody to buy them and get infected."

"The kind of delusion she's trapped in will not subside. She's doing this in her child's memory and she's convinced it's right. So she'll keep doing it until we stop her."

"Look for a single woman with no social interaction other than her professional activity. In her everyday life, she keeps to herself and people see her as polite and even apologetic. Nobody will be able to tell you anything about her private life—save what happened to her child, because her obsession would make her talk about it to everybody around her."

"Tonight, six new cases of encephalitis were admitted at city hospitals and they're being tested for BVD. All of them are children under twelve. So you can see why time is of the essence to find this woman. Thank you."

The police senior officers crowding the room needed a minute after Brock and Russell finished explaining the subject's profile. The last bit about the new victims being children had just kicked all of them way out of any comfort zone.

While Brock and Russell accepted fresh water from an aide, a man in a yellow shirt and a flowered tie made his way to them through the murmuring officers.

The man tried a smile as he wiped the sweat off his face with a wrinkled handkerchief. "Good evening, Agents. I'm Ken Marshall, with the Mayor's staff. We're working on a press release about the situation, and we could really use your help."

"Wanna show me the draft?" said Russell.

Marshall flashed an apologetic smile. "Would you come with me? The Mayor's waiting at the City Hall."

Brock and Russell traded a look.

"I got this," Brock said quietly.

Russell nodded and faced the man. "Let's go, then."

They left together, and they'd just walked out of the conference room when the Commissioner approached Brock with a couple of captains and their questions.

Brock breathed deep. He didn't want to linger there. He wanted to go to the Memorial, where Gillian waited for Hank's results of the blood tests while she talked to the parents of the infected children. But no matter his own anxiety, the Metro Police HQ was where he could be of most help. So he listened to the captains' questions and tried to clear their doubts.

The Hill - BLACKBIRD book 5Where stories live. Discover now