Life of Lies

Chapter 27-A Gift for Will

Elizabeth POV

The weekend was here. Thank God. I can finally relax, even if it is for a little while. I woke up at 6:30 and decided to go for a jog. I took my headphones, phone, a metal thermos of water, and defensive knife while walking out of Chilton's house. I stretched for a few seconds and began jogging. As I was jogging, thoughts began to fill my head. I was thinking about who sent the ear to Will? Was it an admirer like Hannibal said? It could've been the actual killer, trying to taunt Will for taking the fall. Maybe it was a sick fan. Perhaps it was Hannibal. The latter thought was weighing heavily on my mind. If Hannibal were the culprit, he would be too meticulous to leave any evidence behind. He is, after all, a doctor. He would know how to cut a body. My speed began to increase. I began to breathe slowly. I had to pace myself so that I wouldn't wear myself out. Left alone, an active imagination can be dangerous. 

30 Minutes Later

Out of breath, I slowed down my jogging. My music was interrupted by a text from Beverly. 

"Hey Liz, be here at the office at 9. I know you don't work on the weekend, but I need you and Andy. We should be getting some results from that ear Will received. Hopefully, this can be the breaking point for the case. Let Andy know too. See you soon!"

After taking a small break, I jog back to the house to shower and get ready. After texting Andy to let him know what was occurring, I jumped in the shower and started getting prepared for the day. 

30 Minutes Later

After drying my hair, getting dressed, and eating yogurt on the go, I head to my car and start driving to my work. Despite this being a Saturday, there is always work to be done. Traffic was light, so it didn't take me that long to get to work. I see Andy's car pulling into the parking lot of the FBI building. We both got out of our vehicles and raced to the door playfully. As we went towards the elevator, Andy asked me, 

"We never come in on the weekends. What do you think happened?"

I shrug my shoulders and reply, 

"Beats me. Maybe Beverly is overwhelmed with cases, and she needs help."

Andy doesn't reply to me, but he instead grabs my hand. I love it when he does that to me. The elevator doors opened, and we headed toward the lab. We then looked for Beverly and found her with Jimmy, Brian, and Jack. It doesn't surprise me that Jack isn't with Mom. He usually prefers his work to his family. Beverly looks at me with a hopeful look on her face. 

"Hey guys, I'm glad you're here. I wanted to share the news with you." 

Both Andy and I waved to everyone, and Jack immediately got down to business. 

"You've identified the ear?"

Brian then says, 

"We identified the knife that cut it off."

Beverly then chimes in and says, 

"It's Will Graham's. The blade matches the cuts on Abigail Hobbs's ear and this one." 

Jack looked astonished, as were Andy and me. It was then that Jimmy says, 

"It was presented in court as evidence; then it was sent to the courthouse evidence room where it was checked out by the bailiff in Will's trial, Andrew Sykes, and it never went back."

Brian then smiles and says, 

"Pretty good, right?"

All of us were stunned. How did the bailiff fit into this equation? Was he a fan of the case, or was he being set up? It was then that Jack requested a warrant for Sykes's arrest. 

Later That Evening

It was going to be a late night. It turned out that the raid that Jack was coordinating went up in smoke. Literally. As soon as Andrew Syke's door was kicked in, the house exploded. The team, including Andy and me, were called out to Milford Mills, Maryland, to help with the crime scene. I didn't expect Hannibal to be at the crime scene with Jack. I keep forgetting that Will used to get crime scenes to give his expertise. Beverly and I were collecting evidence from the burnt body of Andrew Sykes when I heard Jack approaching us. 

"They wanted to give us a warm welcome and make sure we found something." 

Jack points to Hannibal to the burnt body of Andrew Sykes, and Hannibal exclaims in a low voice, 

"An arresting piece of theater." 

Brian then went ahead and began to describe how Andrew Sykes was killed. 

"Our bailiff was mounted on a stag's head—Glasgow smile. Killer lopped off his ear and set him on fire. Will Graham's greatest hits." 

That last comment wasn't necessary, but I can't lose my shit after the last time. It was different. I did attack Hannibal. Who am I kidding? Hannibal deserved that beating. 

Jack then stares at the burnt body and asks, 

"Could we have been that wrong?" 

Brian immediately replies with, 

"About Will Graham? No. We could not. He practically takes selfies with his victims." 

Beverly then places her input, 

"The evidence we found was immediate and almost presentational. May as well have been gift-wrapped. 

Stoically, Jack then says, 

"That's what Will said about Cassie Boyle when we found her in that field. Field kabuki."

Beverly then says in a firm tone, 

"There was no evidence before Will was apprehended, and there hasn't been any since." 

Brian then yells, 

"He ate a girl's ear! It was in his stomach. God knows what else of her was in there." 

Casually, Jimmy then replies,

"We should've taken a stool sample." 

Brian points to Jimmy and says, 

"Yes! We should have!" 

Both Beverly and I roll our eyes while Andy groans in disgust. 

Jimmy then sarcastically asks, 

"Well, why didn't we? I was the one that said we should have."

Jack had enough of the conversation and yelled, 

"Knock it off!" 

Hannibal takes Jack aside, and they have a private conversation. Beverly then says to both Andy and me, 

"Take this bag to the lab, mark it under urgent, and have it sent out. Hopefully, we can get our results tomorrow or by Monday. Make sure you stress the fact that it is urgent." 

Andy and I rush to the car and drive straight to the FBI crime lab. Typically, there are procedures to follow, but this was an emergency, and it can quickly help to have Will released. Andy and I didn't say much since we were both tired as hell. Andy turns to me and says, 

"Let's hope Bev is right. That this new evidence can exonerate Will, and he can come home. Don't worry, love. We'll be successful." 

Andy grabs my hand and slightly squeezes it. I turn to look at Andy, and he smiles slightly at me. I don't know what I would do without him. I knew I would need him now more than ever, and little did I know that it would be sooner than I anticipated.