Autopsy of a Mind

"Hasn't the killer been dormant for a number of years? Why is he suddenly acting out again?" I asked, shifting out of my seat and going to him. 

"Can't say," Nash looked bothered by this too. "Sebastian can check out if it is indeed the BTS Killer. I'll be happier if it is not." He sighed. 

"It's strange that we haven't had any deaths that relate to his style but the package comes in. It's highly doubtful that it's him," I reasoned. 

"The BTS Killer was an attention seeker. He liked to tip off the media and scare them. He thrives on creating fear among people. I wouldn't be surprised if he got bored or is having a rough patch in his life and wants to relive those glorious days when people bought guns and aimed at anyone who entered their house…" He shook his head. "People were living in terror while he was murdering," he claimed. 

I nodded. "Right, I am sure Sebastian will figure this out," I sighed. 

"We have greater problems right now," Nash prompted. I nodded and went back to work.

An hour passed and there was no word from Sebastian. I dared not call him while he was working, especially when he had such an enticing lead in front of him at the time.

The remaining victims filed in one after another and they all seemed to have the same response.

They didn't know what I was talking about. Some seemed to have recurring dreams about being sexually violated sexually.

"My husband and I fought and I went out for a walk," the woman from the other state said. I blinked. "We lived a little off the highway, so I hiked through our drive and wanted to clear my head."

She took a shuddering breath. "I don't remember much about what happened. I know for a fact that one of those farm trucks pulled up in front of me and asked me for direction. It was definitely a young girl who asked me."

She looked agitated. 

"I'm sorry I am making you remember such a time," I said softly. 

"No. I am glad. No one believed it. They thought I was lying to get out of the consequences," she sobbed. I quieted down, letting her shudder and sob for a few minutes. 

She sniffed finally and returned to telling me the story.

"I don't know if it was a dream or not, but the young girl asked me to show her to the nearest off-road bar," she mumbled. "It was a young-looking girl so I told her the direction and when she asked me to accompany her because I looked bothered… I didn't think much about it."

I had been right. The girl had been the lure.

"You followed the woman into the bar?" I asked. 

She nodded. "We had a few drinks but not enough to knock me out." She wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I remember fragments of what happened and… it was… I still dream about it. I appeared at the side of the highway three days later," she informed. 

"And no one reported you missing?" 

She shook her head. 

"My husband thought I had cheated and waited at home. He got a call from the hospital saying that I had been found unconscious on the street and came to see me. He didn't believe me when I told him and he said I had cheated." She froze. "He divorced me for cheating even though I insisted that I had been sexually assaulted." 

I remained silent for a long second. "Did you have a rape kit performed on you?" I asked. "I know you were probably detoxing from the drugs these people injected in you but did the hospital perform a test on you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know…" she whispered. 

"Would you mind giving me the name and date you were admitted? Any proof would help. Maybe we can ask someone else. We need to know everything."

The woman nodded. She promised to email the documents for good measure and then hung up. 

I stared down at my notes and felt my anger rise.

The live-stream was still on and the acts on the screen got progressively grotesque. I did not see a single glimpse of the little girl, but I knew she was right there in the room, listening to what was happening. 

I came out and found Nash in the office. He was picking up his stuff and preparing to leave.

"Are you going somewhere?" I asked, perplexed. I didn't know if there was a new lead that had to be followed. 

"Sebastian needs my help on the field," he said quickly. 

My eyes widened. "It's confirmed?" I squeaked. That was not good.

"I don't know for sure yet, but Sebastian said something about needing me at the scene. He needs me to use my authority to get the package to a secure location. That's what he said," he informed. 

I mulled over it. "Has the cybercrime department gotten a location as of yet?" 

Nash shook his head. He pulled his phone out and pressed a few buttons before pushing it back into his pocket. "I sent you the number of the officer in charge. Give him a call and speak to him about what they are doing. I don't think we have much more time on this front. Understood?" He pressed. 

I nodded.

"Evie, you have been doing this with me for two months now. You have the capability to lead this case. Don't doubt yourself and go ahead strong. Just take the reins and make it happen, okay?"

"Thank you for the pep-talk," I chuckled. "I'll handle this. Thank you for your trust," I conceded with amusement. 

"I'll see you in a bit," he said quickly before rushing out.

I frowned as I watched him disappear and then pulled my phone to me. I dialed the number sent to me and it took many rings before the person on the other side picked up. 

"Hi, this is Evie Marie Lewis," I introduced. 

"Ah, yes. Nash's intern. Are you looking for a progress report?" the person on the other side asked. They sounded distressed. 

"Yes, is there anything wrong?" I asked. 

"We have been tracing their IP address, but it keeps shifting," he admitted. "It's not a regular VPN these people are using. I think the website is rerouting the IP addresses for the privacy of the users." He huffed. 

"It's a website where violent sexual content is posted. DO we need to subpoena them to get a hit?" I asked casually. 

He sucked in a breath. "Not possible. This is one of those shady sites. They'll never concede. But okay, I'll try something," he promised finally.

In the following hours, a team of officers had congregated in the conference room with a map spread out and all the witness testimonies. We had received a hit from the cybercrime department. They had the general vicinity where the live-stream was coming from.

"Okay, we are looking for an exposed brick building with an overgrown lawn in this vicinity," I motioned to the pictures. I had managed to blur out the graphic scene for the benefit of the others. 

"The locality is old and has a lot of these. Is there anything, in particular, we are looking for?" an officer asked. 

"It could be a house where no one lives. The owner is probably old and has a younger female partner with them. Girlfriend or fiancé or wide," I mentioned. 

The officers blinked.

"It is this general locality, so I am all ears about your ideas," I prompted. 

"Because we don't have an exact location, we might need to ask local residents about such a pair," someone commented. 

Sounded good. "Let's regroup and head out in a while." I looked at the clock. 

I dialed Nash's number and he picked up immediately.

"You located them?" was the first thing he said. 

"We have the general location where these people are located. Nothing else," I admitted. "We've made a group of five other officers and me and we will head there to talk to a few people," I informed him. 

"Great," Nash breathed. "Listen…" he interrupted suddenly before falling silent. 

"What is it?" I felt anxiety. 

"I can't come right now because I need to help Sebastian. But be careful, okay? Don't approach the suspects if you come across them. If you find the house, do not go inside yourself, understood?" he said firmly. 

"Is this an order from Sebastian and you?" I asked. 

Nash sighed. "You have been obsessively looking at that computer screen since morning. You only just got better, there is no need to go back to that kind of hellish place. After they catch the suspects and bring the victims out of the room, help them and talk to them… but do not go inside. Understood?" he barked. 

I remained silent for a second before realizing that Sebastian was worrying about me despite the huge workload on him. 

"Okay, I promise," I said slowly.

And I kept the promise. We asked around the neighborhood for a couple with a big age gap but were disappointed.

"But there is a father-daughter pair who live here," an elderly lady told us. She looked like the gossipy kind. 

"Why would you mention them?" an officer asked. 

"Oh, they are a strange pair. The girl is a nurse but she is stuck to her father in a weird way…" she said.

I frowned. "Where do they live?" I asked casually. 

The woman pointed us towards the direction. 

Lo and Behold. I knew this was the place just looking at the exterior. So did the others. 

"Are you coming in?" a younger officer asked. I shook my head.

"I was asked to stay out," I shrugged. They nodded and left.

It was about a few minutes and I heard little to no noise from inside the house. They were probably going through the rooms, trying to find this dungeon.

I don't know what came over me but I pulled out my phone from my pocket and tuned into the live-stream. The place was in harmony. The torture still continued… but it was the younger female who was doing it. 

Surprising.

I heard footsteps approaching me and turned the stream off. I looked up and saw a dilapidated-looking man a few feet away from me. He approached me, hunched down and I frowned.

"Miss, is something happening here?" he asked. 

His voice was different… very different. But I had heard hours of him speaking. I recognized it in real-life.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I'm just standing around waiting to find out myself." I chuckled.

I looked down at the phone and typed a text.

[Come out.]

The women were definitely not inside.