Lonestar Crime

We were in the elevator and I thought about my earliest days as a police officer. I had a #phobia about confrontation, but I became a cop to conquer that fear. Now I was an FBI agent. I had grown as a person and I was a better law enforcement officer because of it. *** "You're going to be #nostalgic for the police in about five minutes," Jaci muttered as the elevator doors opened onto the 34th floor of the brand new FBI Headquarters main building in Laurel, MD. It was already known as Forest Haven, on the site of the former asylum.  *** Maybe it was my imagination, but as I took in the sight of the executive suites I saw an #iridescence around me. The colors weren't institutional beige or off-white, but it was like looking into a kaleidoscope. "Stained glass windows. Affects everyone the first time." *** "Who are we going to see?" I asked as Jaci led me down a corridor. "Section Chief Richard Boring," Jaci answered. "He runs Behavior...

When I got home I pulled up yesterday's newspaper's headlines. I scrolled through and stopped when I saw one particular article. A young man had been found in a shallow grave. They didn't say how he died but I knew who was responsible. LaShonda Marcus was #anathema to me. *** I'd been reading about an increase in serial murders all over the country and I was pretty sure that the majority of them were being committed by the former cult members of Pandora's Children. It was becoming a #pandemic the likes of which law enforcement had never seen. *** At least I knew where I was going to be sent. Thinking about that made me think about leaving the Fort Worth Police Department. I hadn't been smart about it and kind of forced them to #ostracize me. I'd been mad at the time, but life was too short, and I'd made amends. *** I'd apologized to the captain and the rest of the detectives on the team because I have #empathy and I could tell I'd wronged them. I...

"Can't you tell me?" Jaci shook her head. "Not until you get your credentials tomorrow." I must have looked #skeptical because she sighed. "I'm sorry. I was told not to say anything." "Why?" She shrugged. "No idea. I'm just following orders." "That's ridiculous." *** "I know, but I don't want to break the law as soon as I start. I may be a #heretic, disagreeing with them over some things, but you're not technically an agent until you have your badge." "You're right," I said. "Was there something else you wanted to tell me?" I asked. *** We lapsed into silence as our meals were placed on the table and I had to give the chef credit, the dishes had an amazing #aesthetic look to them. We took the time to appreciate the culinary delights and I wondered what fresh hell I would be thrust into on my first day. *** "Yes, I did have something else to tell you. I changed my n...

I looked around the lake shore, admiring the #viridity of the trees and grass. Today was my last day of freedom, for tomorrow I would be Special Agent Annie Thibodeau, FBI. "I thought I'd find you here," a female voice said and I turned to see my friend, Jaci Garcia. *** "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Came to find my new partner," she answered. "I'm not a police officer any more." She grinned. "Neither am I, but I am looking forward to our next #escapade." "You're not? What are you doing now?" "Same thing you are," she replied. *** I blinked. "You joined the Bureau too?" She nodded. "Hard to say no when the assistant director asks you personally." "Same here," I said, glancing back at the boat half submerged with one #scull floating alongside. "Come on, let's go. The memories are getting to me." *** "I know what you mean," Jaci said. "Shall ...

I came out to the lake once a week, sat on the edge, and stared. We'd recovered a lot of bodies during the case to stop Pandora's Children, a cult of serial killers, almost a year ago, but the rest had become #benthos, fodder for the bottom feeding life under the water. *** When we learned that the cult members had escaped, the captain tried to #constellate a task force, but the FBI took over, claiming that the killer cultists would cross state lines. Turns out they were right. Special Agents across the country are trying to track them down. *** I took a leave of absence to clear my head, but found myself trying to #ingurgitate as much as I could about cult culture, to learn the dynamics, and what drove them. The cult leader may have been dead, and her daughter in jail, but I knew someone would take over. *** I remembered one of the cultists had claimed the Indigenous term "Orenda" as a religion, and I almost thought about getting a #periapt to protect myself, but I d...

"What about the rest of you?" I asked. They shook their heads. "Take them out to the "Why not?" I asked. "Dana told her you were coming," Aurora said, her behavior more #effervescent than before. "Hope was incensed and killed them all for letting you get that close. She sent everyone away hours ago. They're probably all over the country by now." "Shit." *** "We'd better call the captain," I said. "Have the CSIs go through this place with fine tooth comb. Collect everything." You don't really think that's going to be a #panacea, do you? What do you expect to find? Hope probably stripped this place before we had the warrant." *** "I'm not giving up. We'll find them," I said and then slapped my forehead. "Get Aurora back here. Now!" "What?" Jaci asked. "I'm going to have a #sapid talk with her. She knows more than she's letting on." "...

"It's ready," Jaci said and held it up. "Let's go see the captain." Jaci knocked on the door and he beckoned us in. "You have it?" he asked. Jaci handed him the warrant. "That was a #longueur alright. Get Judge Silver. He's expecting you. The cavalry will be waiting." *** By the time we left Judge Silver's office, it was #gloaming. Twilight had fallen and we were on our way to the house of Pandora's Children, where we would shut down the serial killer cult once and for all. It would take months, years, to figure out where the bodies were. *** We'd already found hundreds in the #littoral, but what of all the other serial killers. Where did they bury their bodies? Capturing them all would be the easy part. The interrogations would be harder, but all the families deserved closure, and we would give it to them. *** We pulled up a few houses down and they had #hydrangea shrubs out front. A handy landmark if we needed it. Arraye...