This Thing A Quiet Madness Made

Chapter 29

"Alright then, what can you tell me about them?"

"You don't believe me either," she stated flatly. He could tell it wasn't a question.

"It's a bold claim. Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical."

The girl glanced around the desk before her eyes settled on a nearby document. She slid it over to herself, flipping it to the blank backside and taking a pen from the holder next to him.

He watched carefully as she scribbled on the paper. After a few long, quiet minutes of continuous writing, she finally set the pen down. She shifted slightly in her seat, leaning over and placing the sheet in front of him.

As his eyes scanned over the lines of writing, his brow gradually furrowed.

It was a list of locations and dates, each corresponding to the time and setting of a crime suspected to be in connection with Sacrosanct. Among them were details of certain crimes never released to the public: sensitive information only a select group of officers and higher-ups knew about.

"I can tell you more if you want. I can tell you how we got in and out of those places, how we choose our targets, how we get rid of evidence. You want to know, don't you?"

"Hold on- why are you confessing to any of this at all? You do understand you're going to be punished, right?"

"Yes, but if I tell you something you want to know, I get to ask for something in return, don't I?"

"It depends on what you're asking for."

Unknown didn't respond, instead she reached into her pocket and pulled out four empty plastic capsules, revealing them in an outstretched palm. Upon closer inspection, however, the chief noticed the pill-shaped capsules were not entirely empty; rather, each held a single, barely-visible strand of hair.

"There are four other members. I can tell you about them too, but I thought you'd want proof. I've heard you can identify people by testing their hair."

The man reached for the capsules, but she retracted her hand before he could take them.

"I want something in exchange."

The man paused for a moment before slowly leaning back in his chair, his calculating eyes scrutinizing her carefully. He seemed to be searching for some telltale sign of deception, but must have found none.

"Alright, tell me."

"I'll help you capture all four of them. I don't care what you do with the leader, but the other three can't face any punishment."

"You must realize that's not a small ask."

"You'll understand why I'm asking this when you identify his quirk." She placed one of the capsules in front of him. Inside was a short, dark brown strand of hair.

The man glanced at it carefully, picking it up and turning it over in his hand. He shifted his chair over to the side and removed the desk phone from its holder, lifting it to his ear as he pressed a series of numbers.

"It's me. I have a sample that needs to be processed immediately. Come to the station as soon as you can."

It only took a few short minutes for the bell above the main entrance to jingle as someone stepped into the building. The man rose to his feet and quickly exited the room, plastic capsule in hand.