Arabella wasn't normally an anxious person, but due to the circumstances, she didn't know how else to feel. She was so on top of her mentality all of the time, but she didn't want to put herself into a position where she would begin to lose that stability within herself. The nerves were racing throughout her entire body, they were spreading like wildfire as she noticed that her heart rate increased tremendously. There was so much pressure on this case, it was hard to differentiate the good or bad between the case itself.
As she packed a small purse to carry files, notepads and pens, she caught herself attempting to figure out this man's true intentions without yet meeting
him. It was common for her to fix things, which is why she was already so invested in fixing this broken man. She had been given an address to the corrections facility but was interested to see how confidential this entire meeting would remain. A facility that held nearly two thousand deranged inmates couldn't possibly be off of the grid, which is why she was even more curious as to how this was going to work.
"Are you nervous?" Arabella's mother asks her through the phone. Arabella attempted to multitask as her phone was pressed between her shoulder and her ear.
"As nervous as I should be, to be meeting with the criminally insane" Arabella chuckles slightly, testing her pens on a piece of printer paper to ensure their durability during her meeting.
"It's a bit eerie, I hope that it works out for your sake though— You deserve the credibility" Her mother says kindly into the phone, it was support that she didn't know she needed.
Her mother wasn't necessarily happy about this opportunity in the slightest, considering this was a mental and physical risk for her daughter. She knew that this job was not for the weak minded, but she also knew that Arabella wouldn't be considered weak minded in the slightest. Parents will always worry for their children, especially after learning that their child is on her way to meet with a criminal. The technicality behind this job was rather disturbing, but as long as Arabella was happy and safe, her mother decided that she didn't have room to second guess it.
"It will, don't worry about it okay? I really shouldn't even be talking about this— It's highly confidential" Arabella responded as she attempts to shake her head as she repositions the cell phone into her hands.
"Liza gets to read the case file but I don't? I can't help but notice that you've picked favorites, Bella" Her mother says sarcastically, trying to be light-hearted with her daughter.
"Liza snooped, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise to you— I have to go, I'll call you later okay?" Arabella clarifies, she was obviously high strung in this exact moment. She expected nothing less from Elizabeth than to gossip to her mother.
"Good luck" Her mother replies quickly, before hanging up the phone, leaving Arabella alone
in her own thoughts.
Arabella sighed deeply to herself as she placed her cell phone down onto the counter. In college, almost every project or 'investigation' as the professors called it, was hypothetical. There was never any live-action-meet-ups with criminals like there would be today. Their investigations were usually group projects, where each person found critical details to a specific 'case'. This was much different, this wasn't hypothetical, it was reality, and that was goddamn terrifying to think about.
Arabella knew that she wouldn't have a hand to hold when she was met with insanity face to face, there was no more questioning the professor or second guessing a diagnosis, there was only room to listen. When push comes to shove, the only person who can physically help her succeed is Lucas Owens, and she prayed to god that he would cooperate. She knew that the only way to prove herself was to get the answers that she needed from the horses mouth. In this case, that horse was a man who had a sick and twisted mindset.
She stared at herself in her full body mirror for ten minutes before she was able to walk out of her front door. She was psychoanalyzing herself more than she ever had before, and that was because she knew how small details can effect somebody's perception, especially when that somebody is mentally ill. The look that she was going for practically screamed professional, but for some reason she also felt too revealed. She wore black high heeled shoes, tight fitting dress pants that highly resembled jeans, and a floral, long sleeved blouse.
I look ridiculous, begging to be killed!
Change your clothes Arabella, he won't take you seriously! Her mind was now battling her at the worst possible time. Her thoughts were beginning to cloud her judgement, but this wasn't a new turn of events. Truth be told, she would look to be the most professional out of every person in the building, but she wouldn't have known that. Once she had managed to pull her eyes away from the mirror, she finally stopped psyching herself out and ushered herself out of the door.
You can do this, you can do this! She continuously told herself as she gripped her hands onto her steering wheel. The anxiety was starting to suffocate her with self doubt, and she was never the type of person who allowed doubt to creep into her mind often. Arabella knew that she was the person for this job, she knew that she could do whatever she put her mind to, but her mind wasn't exactly agreeing with her. It took her nearly another five minutes to plunge her car keys into the ignition, which led her to admit that she wasn't as confident as she would have expected to be.
City lights and buildings were passing by in her peripheral vision as she focused intently on the road in front of her. Although she was focused on safely getting to her destination, she was still locked in her own insecurities. Her car had come to a stop as she stared at the correctional facility in front of her. The parking lot was crowded with at least seventy other cars, which meant that it must be visitation day for the inmates. She took one last deep breath before throwing her hair into a high ponytail and stepping out of the car.
Her high heels clacked against the pavement as she stood outside of the rather grunge-looking facility.
Arabella wasn't necessarily posh, but this building needed some serious renovations. She could help but furrow her lip up in disgust as she saw piles of cigarettes and crumpled up candy wrappers along the sidewalk that led to the main entrance. The building itself looked as if it had been growing moss along the bricks for years, but she should have expected nothing less from a prison.
She shook her head, remembering that nobody on earth would bother to clean up the sidewalks that led to a prison anyways. She took another large breath before pulling the front doors open, walking into the building where she would undergo her first ever criminal case. Her nose crinkled up in distaste when the first thing that she was greeted with was the stench of sweat, it truly smelled like a high school locker room, even in the waiting area.
Contrary to her pre-judgmental beliefs, the inside of the waiting area looked almost as if it was newly renovated. There were comfortable looking chairs towards the side of the room, a water fountain with cups, and even magazines that had been laid perfectly out on a coffee table. From the outside looking in, this place looked to be a complete dump, and maybe it still was. She took in her surroundings, wondering why the waiting area looked so cleanly compared to the outside exterior. Her first thought was that It may be to cover up the evil that lurked behind these walls. After she had snapped herself away from her thoughts, she tilted her head up to see a woman standing at the reception desk.
"Hello" She smiled kindly at the woman behind the glass while she walked up closer towards the glass window. The woman didn't look exactly happy to see a visitor at this exact hour in time. "My name is Arabella Thomas, I have a meeting with—" Arabella begins, before being rudely cut off by the woman behind the glass.
"Take a seat Miss Thomas, Evelyn should be out shortly" The woman responds vaguely, looking extremely unimpressed that she was the person to be interviewing with Lucas Owens.
Arabella nodded her head without uttering a single word towards the unusually irritated woman. She sits herself down in one of the green chairs that leaned against a windowsill, it only had a thin layer of padding over the top of the rock solid chair, which ensured her that her butt would feel the pain later tonight. She only had to wait for a measly five minutes with her body pressed into the uncomfortable chair before she heard the loud clanking of the metal door burst open. Her head flew up to lock eye contact with the woman who she assumed to be in charge of the prison.
Her eyes met with a woman who looked to be in her mid thirties, she had dark brown hair cascading down her back while behind held in a tight ponytail. The woman looked professional and well put together, which made Arabella question why she was running a place like this. Arabella stood up immediately to provide this 'Evelyn' woman with a proper introduction. Evelyn's lips turned up into a
smile as she saw the eagerness that Arabella
began to show.
"You must be Arabella, it is so nice to meet you! I am Evelyn James" Evelyn smiles towards her, extending her hand out for a formal handshake that Arabella politely accepts.
"I am, Thank you Uh— for having me" Arabella responds nervously, not knowing the proper thing to say all while meeting a prison director. After all, this wasn't a hotel, it was a holding area for the criminally insane.
"Thank you for coming, If you'd like to follow me to my office, we can chat" Evelyn motions her hand for Arabella to come towards her and follow her through a door that looks to lead to a corridor.
Arabella hesitantly follows Evelyn into the dark hallway, shuffling her feet while she follows this woman like a lost puppy. The loud clanking of the metal door slamming shut startled her, even though she had heard it just moments ago. The farther that she had walked down the halls, the more that she realized how the waiting room was surely a mask for the darkness that she could sense in these hallways. She could hear inmates shouting obscenities throughout the corridors, banging on the walls, but began paying them no mind.
As their haunting walk nearly came to an end, Arabella found herself following Evelyn into a small office towards a brighter part of the hallway. This specific area of the prison was recently painted, there was no sign of decay after a fresh coat of paint had done the job. Arabella entered the office, watching as Evelyn tightly secured the door shut and locked it behind her. Despite the fear that resided inside of her, Arabella was eager to sit down, place her purse onto the floor and discuss things further with Evelyn.
"Before we get too involved in conversation— If you would please empty your pockets and remove all items from your purse while placing them on the desk. It is protocol that we do not permit any sharp objects around any inmates, for both of your safeties" Evelyn states the obvious, nodding her head towards Arabella who listened closely.
Arabella does as she is told, removing all items from her purse while placing them onto the table. Thankfully her pockets were empty, which seemed like it would save them some time. Evelyn rummaged through the small pile of objects from Arabella's purse and nodded her head in acceptance when she sorted through the pens and paper. Surely despite the slim precautious measures, the Chicago department of corrections had done a thorough background check on Arabella, at least she had hoped so.
"So Miss Thomas, I hear that you are relatively new to the Chicago Police Department?" Evelyn asks, making small conversation before they both get into the more sinister details.
"Yes, I've been there for two months but haven't been properly assigned to a case until now, but rest assured I am devoted to what I do" Arabella explains, trying to give Evelyn some clarity as she places her items back into her purse.
"Experience means nothing if you are not in a safe environment, I want you to feel safe while you are
here. If you are new to the job it can leave room for
error, safety wise" Evelyn explains, not wanting to offend Arabella in any way.
Despite how casual this meeting seems, Arabella was happy that safety measures were one of their first topics of conversation. The confidentiality seemed more set in stone then any safety requirements, which was a main concern of hers. Arabella needed to know most importantly from those who had been here long enough, how Lucas Owens acted. She needed to get insight from higher authority regarding Lucas Owens' behavior and violent tendencies before meeting with him.
"Of course, on the same topic, has Lucas Owens been particularly violent since his transfer?" Arabella asks, wondering for her own sake.
"Not necessarily, but Lucas is still mentally ill, I would feel more comfortable if I explained our protocols incase of emergency" Evelyn nods her head, hoping that Arabella was following. "We have multiple exits, Most of which cannot be accessed without a key-card from an officer. The room that you will be observing Lucas will be monitored by a security camera, but that doesn't include sound.
There is an emergency button that will contact security in the case that Lucas becomes violent.
He will be handcuffed for your safety, but it is only precautionary" Evelyn runs down her list of protocols, watching as Arabella listens.
"I am glad that safety is taken seriously" Arabella notices, she was beginning to feel much better about beginning the meetings. "but before we begin.. I would like to know a bit more about Lucas Owens" Arabella states, wanting to gather any more spare details about his case from someone who knows him better.
"Yes of course, I assume that you have read his file already?" Evelyn asks, as Arabella sends her a quick nod back. "Good, Lucas is one of our more mentally disturbed inmates.. As you may have seen in his file, He has committed four murders within the year, one of which was his old therapist" Evelyn begins, sighing in between her sentences. "His motive has yet to be revealed, he hasn't spoken much about the crimes that he has committed. We have provided him with therapy sessions but he doesn't seem to do well in that setting, I recommend keeping the questions light" She warns Arabella, giving her the insight that she needed.
Four murders within the year, it was catastrophic really, but nothing that big cities like Chicago hadn't seen before. Arabella was quite surprised that not a single soul had been able to provide Lucas Owens with a proper diagnosis, nonetheless find a pattern or specific reasoning behind the murders. Despite Lucas's disturbing acts, Arabella wanted to help this man more than anything in the world, she needed to know what had gone wrong in his life that forced him to live this way. This was a challenge like Marco Hernandez had said, but she was up for taking it on.
"Am I allowed to tell him why I am gathering this information? I wouldn't want to upset him" Arabella asks, hoping that she wouldn't have to lie to this man about her intentions which could lead to a potential outburst.
"He is aware that the police department is sending a criminal psychologist to study his behavior, Yes" She answers with another nod. "With that being said, are you ready to meet him?" Evelyn asks abruptly, trying to get things going so soon.
Arabella felt her breathing hitch at the sudden question, she wasn't quite sure if she was excited or terrified. She replies with a simple 'Yes' as she convinces herself that this will go perfectly like she had planned. She watched as Evelyn rose from her seat, expecting her to do the same. Arabella pushed herself up and slowly reached for her purse, slinging it around her shoulder before following Evelyn out of the room. Her heart was beating out of her chest once again, making it hard for her to walk in a straight line.
As the two women walk out of the door, they hear the click of the office door closing itself shut.
Arabella had practically jumped each time she
heard one of those doors slam, and she intended to continue doing so as along as she was here. She followed Evelyn closely as the screams of horror and shouting from other inmates had come back into her eardrums. This place was horrific, ghostly, but most importantly it was depressing, these poor men had been locked away for god knows how long because they needed help.
The quick walk down the hall felt as if it was taking hours, when only mere seconds had passed by. Arabella sighed lightly to herself when she had noticed Evelyn's footsteps come to a halt next to a metal door. Evelyn holds her pointer finger up to Arabella, indicating that she was going to inform the inmate of her arrival. Evelyn opens the door, making the hinges creak open as if the door hasn't been replaced in centuries. Arabella waits outside of the door quietly, listening to what she assumed to be the voice of Lucas Owens. Her eyes widened as she heard Lucas Owens speak, his voice was rugged but nearly beautiful. His voice was like music to her ears, as she caught herself fantasizing of a murderer that she hadn't yet met.
"My interrogator is finally here?" He chuckles softly, with a venomous tone dripping from his words. Arabella heard Evelyn sigh before answering his question.
"Lucas, I told you that this is not an interrogation— I will send her in if you're ready" Evelyn responds to the snarky comment made by the inmate, Evelyn had gotten quite good at brushing off the careless comments of the inmates.
"Her?" He questions again, which causes Arabella to feel some sort of uncontrollable guilty butterflies at the mention of her. She couldn't wait to see his face, as sinister as it sounded, she was terrified but eager to meet this man.
Evelyn doesn't bother responding to his question, she didn't exactly plan on this arrangement being enjoyable to him. She knew that regardless of the reasoning for these meetings, Lucas would attempt to charm the woman that stood on the other side of the door. Lucas had a way with his words, he could force anyone to fall at his feet and obey, but Evelyn only prayed that the woman on the other side of the door would not allow him to ruin her. Evelyn slips herself out of the door, closing it behind her while looking directly towards Arabella. She sighs, wondering if this would be a death wish in itself, but she knew that there was no other options. Lucas Owens was a vile man, while Arabella was sweet, Evelyn didn't wish to see this woman become tainted by the devil himself.
"He is ready, please press that button if you feel any source of anxiety— He seems to be rather feisty today, I wouldn't want this to scare you off" Evelyn explains to Arabella who was beginning to feel the pressure.
"I don't fear evil, Evelyn" Arabella states, trying to convince both herself and Evelyn. "I fear what the evil is capable of, and in this case he is restrained" She assures Evelyn who looked seemingly more nervous than she had been prior.
"Of course, if you need anything please let me
know— Even a glass of water, I will be happy to accommodate" Evelyn nods her head and plasters a smile onto her face, even though she was terrified for this woman.
Evelyn walked off towards her office, her heels clacking down the eerie hallway. Arabella found herself standing outside of the door, the same door that evil lurked inside of. She wasn't sure how this would go, but she was eager to find out. She takes one last final breath, pressing her fingers into the metal handle that stuck onto the door. She felt paralyzed, as if she was conflicted wether to open the door or not. Her mind raced alongside her heart, reminding herself that this was a job that she desperately needed to succeed in.
As she was about to pull open the door, she heard rattling on the inside. She stepped away from the door, gasping as she closed the door that had hardly been opened more than a sliver. The sound was quiet but prominent at first, it replicated the rattling of handcuffs, but then the rattling tuned into banging fists, but she couldn't quite make out the sound. It had only been three minutes since Evelyn had walked away, but she found herself terrified of what was going on behind the door.
The sound of a button buzzing came into her eardrums, but she hadn't even been the one to touch it. Within seconds, guards raced towards her with nervous gazes on each and every one of their faces. She was stunned, she hadn't even done anything nonetheless come in contact with the man behind the door but she still managed to irritate him. She backed away from the outside of the door, watching as guards charged towards her small frame.
"What happened? Did he hurt you?" One guard asks eagerly, staring at Arabella with wide eyes. They had to be sure that she hadn't been assaulted by Lucas Owens within a matter of minutes.
"N-no, I haven't even gone inside yet— I just heard banging and then the sound of the button being pushed" Arabella responds frantically, wondering if she had set off this criminal by taking too long to enter the room.
The guard sighed before opening the door to see what all of the fuss was about, clearly this was a common occurrence. Arabella stood against the wall, in the same spot that she had been in for nearly seven minutes already. Had she really inflicted distress onto this man when she hadn't even met him yet? She almost felt empathetic for irritating this man before ever making eye contact with him, but then again, maybe this was what he wanted all along. She had no choice but to allow the guards to handle the situation that Lucas Owens had gotten himself into.
"Miss Thomas?!" She hears Evelyn's heels clacking around the corner of the hallway as she shouts her name. Arabella was confused, as were the guards for the sudden outburst by the inmate. "Are you okay? What did he manage to do in a matter of five minutes?" Evelyn asks frantically, she looked just as shocked as everyone else had.
"I'm okay, I hadn't even entered the room and he must not have liked that" Arabella shakes her head, praying that she would still get to meet with this man today, her job depended on it.
"Oh my gosh, I apologize for this inconvenience, please just—" Evelyn begins, she was about to tell the woman standing in front of her to wait for a few moments but instead they were both snapped away from their conversation by shouting inside of the room.
Arabella was met face to face with the criminal as the large door bursted open furiously. The guards were holding Lucas Owens up by his arms, making sure to secure a tight grip around him as he began shouting obscenities around the hallway. Both Evelyn and Arabella stood speechless in their spots and watched as Lucas Owens had an episode. His tall body flailed beneath the grip that the guards had on him, trying to break free from their hands.
"I have been in this fucking room for an hour! I am done waiting on some disoriented and untimely woman! You let me go, Bates!" Lucas shouted furiously, rustling within the guard's tight grip.
"Shut your mouth, Owens!" The guard shouts back at him. It had only taken a moment for Arabella to realize that the guard's name must have been Officer Bates.
She took in the sight before her, this man before her clutched onto her soul from the moment that his eyes had found hers. Lucas Owens' eyes were the brightest shade of blue that she had ever seen, they were like intense ocean waves that had just collided with the bright blue sky. She always loved the color blue, but this specific shade of blue was making her insides curl. He stared at her menacingly, clearly agitated that she hadn't come into the room as quick as he wanted her to. His gaze alone was enough to kill her, she could only imagine what he would have done if he wasn't handcuffed.
Without speaking a single word to Lucas Owens, she learned one vital piece of information.
Lucas Owens was impatient.