The Initiative (A Sleeping Beauty Remix)

Nine

Nine

"There exists no bond greater than that of a mate."

--Dr. Andrew Stevens, Ace Biology

Three days passed after our visit to the crime scene. After morning training, we'd sit down for an hour or two and--as a team--pour over the details of the case. Most of that time was spent staring at pictures until they became meaningless.

Truth was, we weren't any closer to figuring out the details of the case or the motive behind why the drug was being distributed. That was the problem with motives--they weren't as easily figured out with just a crime scene. Their range was too broad. Someone could be doling out the drug mixture for the sole purpose of causing destruction.

And though there were links from the past in this case, we couldn't assume that his reasoning for distributing the drug was the same. Or that it was the same person. 16 years was a long time to disappear.

"Why hand out the drug? Why not just do the dirty work yourself?" Marlee asked.

Brayden leaned back in his chair, flipping a blue pen between his fingertips. "If I'm handing out a killer drug, I don't want it traced back to me. Obviously."

"They had dealers in the past," Wes said. "Our team worked on using them to find the source."

"And?" Brayden asked, an eyebrow raised. "Any luck?"

Wes glanced at me. I met his gaze for a moment before dropping my eyes. "No."

"That was a long time ago," Eva pointed out. "Who's to say he hasn't evolved?"

"Good point." Marlee tapped a finger on the table, "But it comes back to why? Why murder people?"

"Because he's a sick fuck," I mumbled.

"Anyone can turn into a murderer," Eva looked at me.

I jerked back. Tried to ignore the way my insides flinched at the accusation in her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Eva," Wes warned.

Unfortunately, I never was one to retreat from an attack. I'd much rather go on the offense. Confront the situation head-on. "Do you have a problem?"

Eva pasted on a fake smile. "Not at all."

"I think you need to shut your trap," I snapped.

Eva rolled her eyes and brought her hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying. There are many reasons why someone becomes a murderer. Greed, revenge, bloodlust..."

"It's got to be bloodlust," Marlee said. She shot me a look that said, Take a deep breath, let's move on. "We haven't found any connection between these victims. He's not singling out a specific type of individual."

"No," Brayden tapped his pen against his lip, "but we find that girl from the park incident, we might be able to draw more conclusions."

"Any luck with the memory card?" Marlee asked.

Wes shook his head. "Leonger said he'll reach out when there is."

"So, that's it?" I gestured at the table and all our files spread out on it. "We just sit here and overanalyze all this? Twiddle our thumbs until our glorious leader sends us out again?"