The Mask of Death

There is a series of deaths happening in Jackson, Wyoming. The BAU are on the case, but Maggie Connolly might be the only one who can help them find the face behind the killer's mask

NAME: DR. NATHANIEL DAVIS

AGE: 35

OCCUPATION: FBI BAU SPECIAL AGENT

 

“What are you so jittery about, kid?” SSA Samuel Times questioned Dr. Nate Davis one afternoon in the BAU headquarters.

            “What?” Davis asked as he was brought back to reality. “Uh, nothing. I was just… thinking.”

            “When are you not?” Times said with a laugh. He sat down at his desk that was across from Davis’s. “Come on, kid, tell me what’s on your mind.”

            Davis swiveled his chair to face Times. “It’s fine. It’s nothing. It’s just Maggie and I are having lunch today.”

            “You’re nervous to see your girlfriend? What? Did she say ‘we need to talk’?”

            “No.”

            Times leaned back in his chair and looked at Davis with a serious expression. “You’re not proposing are you?”

            “No!” David said, surprised at the insinuation. “We’ve only been dating for a couple of months.”

            Times laughed again. “I’m only joking.” He paused. “Well, you obviously don’t want to tell me what’s got you all sweaty, so I’ll leave you be. But, just remember that if you want to talk, I’ll be here for you, kid.” Times rose from his desk to get a cup of coffee. “Speaking of the hot devil, you’re date has arrived.”

            Davis looked to where Maggie Connelly had just entered. She was supposed to meet him out front, but somehow she had managed to bypass security once again. He smiled at the sight of her and she returned the grin.

            “Dr. Nate,” she said in a low and sultry voice when they met in the middle of the room. Her pitch heightened to normal when she said, “Ready to go?”

            He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. When he did so, he thought he noticed a slightly disappointed look on Maggie’s face, but it was gone as fast as it had appeared,

            “Almost,” he replied. “I’ve got one more thing to take care of and then I’ll be ready.”

            Before Maggie could say, “Okay,” he was off in the direction of SSA Alex Reynolds’s office.

            Davis could feel a distance growing between him and Maggie and knew that he could only blame himself. He was holding back from her, and he knew why. He knew he was afraid to get that close to someone again, but at the same time he knew he couldn’t keep away from Maggie.

 

NAME: MARGARET CONNELLY

AGE: 29

OCCUPATION: CRIME NOVELIST

 

“I’ve got a quick thing I have to take care of and I’ll be ready,” Nate said. He hurried off in the direction of his team leader’s office.

            Maggie tried not to feel insulted, but that was difficult. He’d chosen to kiss her on the cheek instead of on the lips. She would understand if it was only because they were in his work, but Nate refused to kiss her on the mouth unless she initiated it. It drove her crazy! Maggie was well aware of his aversion to germs, she was a bit of a germaphobe herself, but she knew it wasn’t that. This was something more, something deeper behind the reason her boyfriend wouldn’t kiss her.

            As Maggie held her purse in front of herself and glanced around the office waiting for Nate to return, she saw the ladies of Nate’s team all looking at SSA Caroline Porter’s computer screen.

            She walked over to them to say hello.

            “Hey, guys,” Maggie said with a smile as they looked up at her.

            Jackie Monroe looked up and smiled. “Maggie,” she said, “great to see you.” She gave Maggie a hug. “Here for a lunch date with Davis?”

            It was always weird to Maggie that they all referred to each other by last names. It made sense, of course, she had written many books in which characters did the same, but it was still odd because these women weren’t Porter, Monroe, and Barton to her. They were Caroline, Jackie, and Phoebe.

            “Yep, just waiting on him to finish up.” Maggie paused before she ventured into possible awkward territory. “Do you mind if I ask you all a question?”

            “Shoot,” said Caroline as she relaxed in her desk chair.

            “Okay.” Maggie internally rolled her eyes at herself. She hated girl talk. “Well, um, Nate won’t kiss me.”

            Caroline squinted her eyes at Maggie. “Like when?”

            “Ever.”

            Caroline nodded. “Okay, so not just when you guys…” she trailed off leaving the end of her sentence full of implications.

            Most girls would have their face redden at this but Maggie just groaned. “No, we haven’t even done that yet.”

            Jackie spoke next, careful about what she said. “Well, it doesn’t surprise me that Davis might have intimacy problems. His last relationship ended… badly, to say the least.”

            “Badly?” Maggie questioned.

 

NAME: PHOEBE BARTON

AGE: 37

OCCUPATION: FBI TEHNICAL ANALYST FOR THE BAU

 

“Badly?” Maggie asked with curiosity flooding her eyes. “What do you mean badly?”

            Phoebe and the other girls of her team just looked at each other. Finally, she gathered up the gumption.

            “I’ll explain,” Phoebe said. She then launched into her story. “A couple of years ago, Davis started up a relationship with a woman who was a former doctor. Well, she was still a doctor, she just wasn’t working anymore. Her name was Beth Dickins. Anyways, they had this relationship where they really only met in person once, every other time it was just over the phone. The reason they did this was because Beth was being stalked and Davis felt that if anyone where to know her location she would be in major danger. Well, eventually her location was found out. And, I’ll let him tell you the detailed version when he’s ready, but one thing led to another and her and her stalker, who was female by the way, a former pupil, ended up on a roof top. In front of the team, in front of Davis, the stalker shot herself, and because of the way she was holding Beth hostage, the bullet passed through both of their heads, kissing them both instantly.”

            Maggie covered her mouth with her hand. Phoebe could tell this was not what she expected to hear.

            “And I thought my background story was complicated,” Maggie whispered, more to herself than to the others, Phoebe noted.

            “What’s your background story?” Phoebe asked before she could stop herself.

            Maggie laughed humorlessly. “That is a story for a later date.”

            Phoebe saw Maggie glance behind herself so she followed her eyes and saw that Nate had reappeared at his desk.

            “I’ll see you girls later,” Maggie said and walked away.

            Phoebe and the others watched her as she approached Nate carefully. Maggie grasped his hands as she began to speak to him. Nate glanced over to where they stood and they quickly ducked behind Porter’s computer. From their not so hidden hiding spot, they saw Maggie guide Nate’s eyes back to her own with her pointer finger on his chin. Maggie continued to speak and eventually both of them let a few tears escape.

            “Anyone else want to know what Maggie’s backstory is?” Porter asked.

            “Definitely,” Monroe answered.

            “Alright then ladies,” Phoebe said with a confident smile. “I’m on it.”

            The three women set off to Phoebe’s office that could help them find all the information in the world.

 

NAME: MARAGARET CONNELLY

 

When Maggie turned and saw that Nate had reappeared, she set off with a goodbye to the women and in his direction.

            She approached him and grabbed his hands as she began to speak. “Listen, Nate. I would first like to apologize for not letting you tell me this on your own, but I’m also glad I know. Phoebe told me what happened to your last girlfriend and I just want to say that I am so, so sorry that that happened.”

            Nate’s head turned to where Phoebe, Caroline, and Jackie were standing. When they saw, they ducked away. With her pointer finger on the side of his chin, she guided his face back to hers.

            “I understand why you’re being so reluctant with me. I understand more than you would think.” Nate looked at Maggie with confusion in his eyes, but still didn’t say a word. Maggie started her story.

            “When I was about 23, I was in the car with my sister, her husband, and my boyfriend. We were on our way to my great uncle’s house for Thanksgiving. It was a normal, boring car ride but then all of a sudden, another car collided with us. It was a drunk driver driving on the wrong side of the road. I don’t know how, but I was thrown from the car with barely a scratch on me. Everyone else wasn’t as lucky. The paramedics on the scene told me that my sister and boyfriend had died on impact. My brother-in-law was critical, but still alive. I stayed with him every day in the hospital for two weeks, until one day, I had just gotten up to use to bathroom. I was gone five minutes max. I came back and he had coded.”

            Maggie had tears running down her face as she told the tale. Nate let a few tears out as well. Whether they were for her or his late girlfriend, she would never know.

            Nate leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. “Thank you for telling me this,” he whispered.

            Hand in hand, they left for lunch.

 

NAME: SSA ALEX REYNOLDS

AGE: 49

OCCUPATION: FBI BAU SPECIAL AGENT; BAU UNIT CHIEF

 

As SSA Alex Reynolds shifted through the abundance of paperwork that was crowding his desk, Agent Monroe knocked on his door.

            “Sir,” she said as she stepped in, “I think I’ve found our next case.”

            “Where is it?” he asked as she handed him the file.

            “Wyoming,” was her answer.

            Reynolds looked through the file. When he finished, he stood and said, “Call the team together. We’ll brief them and then we’re heading to Wyoming.”

 

Davis walked into the room where everyone was waiting for him. “Sorry I’m late.”

            “Alright,” Reynolds said to Monroe, “tell us about this case.”

            Monroe stood up and started the gruesome slide show. “First victim, Henry Waters, 48.” A picture of a balding white man appeared on the screen. “He was found in a public restroom in Jackson, Wyoming about 2 weeks ago. His throat had been cut.” She clicked to the next picture which showed a blonde female. “Next victim, Kelly Holloway, 19. She was also found in a public restroom in Jackson, but a different one. Third victim, Stephanie Marsh, 31.” The picture showed an African American female. “All victims were found in Jackson in public restrooms with their throats slit.”

            SSA Times cut in, “So the MO for the victims is all the same, but the victimology varies greatly. Not only different age and gender, but also different races? What else connects them? How do we know it’s all the same unsub?”

            “With the first and the third victim, a masked figure was seen in the public area before the bodies were found.” Monroe clicked to a report talking about the potential unsub.

            “Mask?” Porter asked. “Are we talking ski mask or horror movie mask?”

            To answer her question, Monroe clicked to a drawing showing a white mask with black areas when the eyes, nose, and mouth would be.

            “So, horror movie,” SSA Henry George confirmed.

            Reynolds stood up. “Alright. Everyone grab their go bags and meet back up in twenty minutes. We have a jet to Jackson, Wyoming to catch.

 

NAME: DR. NATHANIEL DAVIS

 

“You can work in this room,” the chief of police said as he guided Davis and Reynolds. “Sorry it’s not much space.”

            “It’ll do fine,” Reynolds said.

            Davis sat his bag down in a chair and took the one beside it as he began to shift through the files.

            Porter, George, and Times were each visiting a separate crime scene in an attempt to get more information on their unsub.

            When the chief left the room, Davis said, “The vast changes in victimology almost makes me think that there could be more than one unsub. That could explain the use of the mask. Makes it seem like one killer, when it’s actually more.”

            “Hmm,” Reynolds mused. “That could be a possibility. Let’s wait and see what the rest of the team comes back with.”

            Davis continued to look at the files. “Hey, look at this,” he said when he found something of interest. “All of the victims lived within four miles of each other.”

            Reynolds took the files from him. “That close? Maybe one unsub killing off bothersome neighbors?”

            Davis thought for a moment. “Maybe. But why does the unsub kill them in public restrooms? Does he trail them or does he bring them there?”

            The two men looked over the files in depth and waited for more information to come. It was very rare that they were unsure of how to profile an unsub, but this happened to be one of those rare times.

 

NAME: SSA HENRY GEORGE

AGE: 55

OCCUPATION: FBI BAU SPECIAL AGENT

 

Henry George surveyed the crime scene located in the women’s restroom in a Lucky’s Market. He was at the crime scene for Stephanie Marsh, the third victim. When she was found, the only evidence that a murder had been committed was her body. Small trace amounts of blood were still visible on the floor, but most had been cleared by the forensics team.

            George turned to the officer who accompanied him on the scene. He was the first one on scene the day that Stephanie Marsh had died. “When you found her, she was still alive, correct?”

            “Yes, sir,” the officer responded. “But barely. All that showed she was even still with us was a very faint heartbeat. She died before the paramedics could get here.”

            “Right,” George continued. “And there was no one else in here at the time? No women who were just happening to use the restroom?”

            The officer shook his head. “No. The only person in here was the woman who found her.” He looked at a small notepad that he held in front of himself. “Her name was Kerry Edwards.”

            “And didn’t Ms. Edwards report seeing a masked figure enter the restroom?”

            “She saw the person in the mask but she had no report of seeing Stephanie Marsh enter, so we believe that she was either already in the bathroom or she entered later when Ms. Edwards wasn’t paying attention.”

            George mused. “Both very possible.”

 

NAME: SSA SAMUEL TIMES

AGE: 38

OCCUPATION: FBI BAU SPECIAL AGENT

 

When Agent Times arrived at the crime scene for Henry Waters, it was barely a crime scene. The bathroom at the K-Mart had been cleaned and was in use for customers. The only things worth observing about the bathroom was a window in the high corner of the wall.

            Big enough for a person to fit through, he thought.

            The officer that accompanied Times to the scene was talking, so Times tuned in to listen to him. “No one saw Mr. Waters go in, but someone… uh Sarah Karp… saw a masked man go in the bathroom soon before he was found.”

            “Was she the only witness?”

            “Yes.”

            “Alright. Thanks for your time,” Times said. As he walked out of the store, he retrieved his phone to call Reynolds. When Reynolds answered, Times said, “Only one witness of the masked figure, but no one ever saw Henry Waters.”

            “Hmm,” Reynolds said. “That sounds similar to what George told me. No one saw Stephanie Marsh, but they did see the masked figure.”

            “Have you talked to Porter? Any witnesses come forward for her vic?”

            “No, but she did say that there was a window that a person could fit through in the bathroom.”

            “Same with my bathroom. Think that’s how the unsub escaped?”

            “Most likely.”

            Times nodded even though Reynolds couldn’t see him. “Alright. I’m on my way back. If George’s bathroom had a window too, at least we know how this guy is escaping. It’s just strange why he would enter through the public area.”

            “I agree,” said Reynolds. “I just know that there has to be something that we’re missing.”

 

NAME: NATHANIEL DAVIS

 

            Porter arrived back from her crime scene without much to tell, and that was the same with Times and George. The only information that matched up between them was about an escape window in each bathroom where the victims were found. Even though the information was limited, Davis still wrote it all down on the whiteboard they had been granted to work with.

            Monroe had finally finished up with the press, just telling the citizens of Jackson to be aware of anyone wearing a mask like the one describe at the 1^st and 3^rd crime scene.

            While the team was trying to decide on a fitting profile for the unsub, a call came into the police station.

Another victim had been found. And he was still alive.

The team rushed out to make it to the crime scene.

            When they arrived, the victim was on a stretcher heading to an ambulance. He was unconscious but still alive, although his neck wound was bleeding profusely.

            “Davis, Porter, go to the hospital. The victim’s name is Matt Chung. George, if you can get in touch with his parents? Time and Monroe, you stay with me.”

            Davis got into the car with Porter driving so they could follow the ambulance. They followed as the sirens of the vehicle in front of them blared. When they got to the hospital, Matt Chung was taken directly into surgery to attempt to stop the bleeding of his neck. The doctor returned soon after he was taken into the OR, so Davis knew that the news was going to be bad.

            The doctor approached them with a sad look on her face. “Mr. Chung died before we could stop the bleeding.” She paused as if she were unsure about what she was going to say next. “And I know you’re going to have to get the final opinion from the results of his autopsy, but the wound looked self-inflicted to me.”

            When she walked away, Porter and Davis looked at each other in confusion.

            Porter crossed her arms in front of herself. “So maybe this guy wasn’t related to the rest of our victims.”

            “Maybe,” Davis agreed, but he couldn’t help feeling it was still connected.  “Although, he was found with the same type of wound in the same type of area as the other victims.”

            Porter’s face scrunched up like she was thinking. “Do you think he could possibly have been our unsub? Possibly the guilt got to him?”

            Before Davis could answer, his phone rang. It was Reynolds. “Hello?” he answered.

            Without a greeting, Reynolds said, “A witness spotted the masked man here before Mr. Chung was found. How is he?”

            “He didn’t make it,” Davis answered. “However, and I know we’ll have to wait for the coroner’s report to be sure, but the lead surgeon on his case said it looked as though the wound was self-inflicted.”

            “That doesn’t make any sense,” Reynolds answered.

            “None of this does.”

 

NAME: MARGARET CONNOLLY

 

Maggie sat in her home with the lights lit brightly and all the doors and windows locked as she worked tirelessly on her next novel. As she wrote the line, “The window’s broken shards were scattered on the ground reflecting the candle’s dim light,” her phone rang, causing her to jump and swear.

            “Hello,” she said roughly.

            “Maggie, it’s Nate.”

            She relaxed and leaned back into her couch. “Dr. Nate. How’s the case going?”

            “It’s interesting.” He describe what they knew and what had happened so far, even though he knew the information was confidential. He liked to talk to Maggie about things to do with his work. He told Maggie that she was really good at helping him piece together the most complicated of puzzles.

            “So, the last guy cut himself on the neck?” Maggie questioned when Nate was done.

            “That’s what it looked like, yes.”

            “But none of the other victims had neck wounds that looked self-inflicted?”

            “It’s not in the reports, but we’re asking that the coroners look again to make sure.”

            Maggie considered what she was about to say before she said it. She knew that it sounded crazy, but for some reason it just made sense to her. Maybe she’s been watching too much TV, but maybe she was right. “You know what this reminds me of, if all of their wounds are self-inflicted? Cult suicide pacts. I know you’ve heard of Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate in San Diego.”

            Nate sounded confused when he said, “Yeah, but those mass suicides happened mostly all at once within a community.”

            “Yeah, but this is all happening within a community, right? All the vics lived within a few miles of each other.”

            “Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why the deaths are happening one at a time.”

            “Well, what if the cult leader isn’t planning on dying anytime soon. Maybe these deaths are ritualistic suicides?”    

            “Or maybe he’s trying to keep his hands clean.”

 

NAME: DR. NATHANIEL DAVIS

 

“Or maybe he’s trying to keep his hands clean,” Davis said as he really considered what Maggie had said. In a way it made since. In many ways it did not make any at all. He hung up with her soon after that and ran to Reynolds’s hotel room to tell him what he thought.

            Reynolds, who was clearly very groggy and not too happy with the fact that Davis had woken him up, invited Davis in.

            “It can’t be considered a mass suicide if only four people are dead,” Reynolds said, exasperated.

            “Not yet,” Davis said in a tone nearing excitement. “But if this goes on for long enough, each person dying one at a time, the numbers will rise more rapidly I think than we may realize. I can almost guarantee that once the official reports come in, the neck wounds will look self-inflicted.”

            Reynolds rubbed his forehead. “That still doesn’t explain what happens to the mask and black cloak they’ve seen the unsub wearing.”

            Davis faltered. He hadn’t thought of that. But, wait. Davis perked up again. “So my theory is that these are organized suicides. In order to have this many suicides organized, there has to be some sort of leader, right? And each bathroom had an escape route that wasn’t through the main bathroom door. So what if that leader is waiting in the restrooms for them only to take the costume.”

            Reynolds still showed doubt. “Why wouldn’t he just kill them himself if he’s going to be there?”

            Davis didn’t have to think before saying, “Maybe he’s gets more pleasure from watching someone take their own life than taking it himself.”

            Reynolds finally gave in to the theory with a slight puff of breath. “Alright. We can consider it a possibility.”

            Davis got up to let Reynolds go back to sleep but before he exited, Reynolds said, “Where did you get this idea anyways?”

            Davis considered lying but knew it was better to tell the truth. “Well… I was going through the case with Maggie and it was her who thought of cult suicide pacts. It’s good to talk to her about work because she can look at the unsubs from a different perspective. We see their motivations and their mental processes, but she sees their story.”

            Reynolds just shook his head. “I know it can help, but you really need to stop sharing confidential information with her.”

            “Yes, sir.”

            “Or else I’m going to have to hire her as a consultant.” Reynolds gave his version of a smile and said, “Get back to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.”

 

NAME: HENRY GEORGE

 

“You think these were all suicides?” Henry George asked when the team met up at the police station in the morning.

            “It’s one theory we have,” Reynolds said. “We have to get to a pretty clear conclusion soon though, because the police are expecting a profile from us.”

            Just then, Monroe entered the room with a cell phone in her hand. “I don’t think we’ll have to work on that profile much longer. They’ve caught the masked man.”

 

The man sat in the metal chair across the table from George and Porter. They were having trouble getting anything out of him because he kept repeated, “I have to get to him. I have to get to him.”

            “Who’s him?” George tried asking for the fifth time.

            “I have to get to him. I have to get to him.”

            Nothing, George thought. They couldn’t even manage to get a name out of him. He didn’t have an ID on him and his prints weren’t in the system.

            “Can you tell us your name?” Porter tried.

            “I have to get to him. I have to get to him.”

            Porter turned to George. “Where was this guy found again?”

            “He was heading towards the bathroom in a shopping mall.”

            “But there wasn’t anybody in there?”

            “No, which scratches our idea of the unsub trailing his victims. He was alone, which also takes away the idea that he would bring them to the bathroom.”

            Porter scrunched her brows. “Is it just me, or is the suicide thing sounding more and more likely?”

            The man kept repeating, “I have to get to him. I have to get to him,” like George and Porter weren’t even in the room.

            “I have to get coffee,” Porter said. She got up from her chair and left the room.

            George got up too. “We’ll be right back,” he said more out of politeness rather than actual necessity.

            As soon as George left the room, he saw Davis running up to him with files in his hands.

 

NAME: DR. NATHANIEL DAVIS

 

Davis ran up to George carrying two files. “The new autopsy results from the third and second victim came in. The coroner believes the wounds could be self-inflicted. The angle of the knife suggests that they were the ones holding the knife. The results for the first victim were inconclusive though.”

            George took the files from him. “I’ll be. I think you’re theory might be panning out, kid.” George turned around and walked back into the interrogation room with Davis following him.

            “Who’s him?” he asked again. “Is ‘him’ your leader?”

            Davis added, “Possibly other worldly leader.”

            “I have to get to him.”

            George tried another approach. “Were is he.”

            This time he received an answer. “Above.”

            They couldn’t get anything else out of him. They had to police take him back to his holding cell for the time being.

            George shook his head in near disbelief. “You’re right again, kid. I’ll get Reynolds and tell him about the new developments. You should call Barton and have her look up information about cults in this area.”

            Davis did just that.

            “Talk to me, sweet cheeks,” was the greeting he got.

            “Barton?” Davis questioned.

            “Oh, sorry. I figured it was Sam.”

            “It’s fine. I need you to look up any information about cults in the Jackson area.”

 

NAME: PHOEBE BARTON

 

Phoebe felt her face redden as she said, “Oh, sorry. I figured it was Sam.”

            Davis told her it was no problem and that he needed her to look up information about cults. When she realized it was Davis, Phoebe felt an instant rush of guilt. She had found out some pretty nasty stuff about Maggie Connolly. Not only was she involve in a fatal car crash, she had some bad history with her father. It totally wasn’t her business, which was why she hadn’t told Monroe and Porter about it yet. When they went to do research earlier, Monroe had been called away and Porter said she needed to get back to work.

But, that wasn’t the most important thing at the moment.  

            “I’m on it.” They hung up the phone and she went to work.

            After a few minutes of searching, she found a small blog post from a woman saying goodbye to the internet. Phoebe read on and found that she had joined a “society” known as Godfrey’s Village. It was in Jackson, Wyoming. She did more research and found that the center was within 2 miles of all the victims’ houses. And their “pastor’s” name was Isaiah Godfrey.

            Phoebe called Reynolds as fast as she could. When he answered she said, “I think you need to find a man named Isaiah Godfrey. He is a cult leader of a place called Godfrey’s Village. It’s really close to where all the vics live.”

 

NAME: ALEX REYNOLDS

 

SSA Alex Reynolds was the first one to the door of the small and beat up house that was listed as Isaiah Godfrey’s residence. He pounded on the door and shouted, “FBI. Mr. Godfrey, please open the door.”

            He heard a shuffling of footsteps before the door was opened by a clean-shaven man with a brown cowboy hat atop his head. “Can I help you?” The man asked.

            “Mr. Godfrey, you are suspected to be related to the deaths of four people. You need to come with me.”

            He went willingly, though Reynolds didn’t notice any fear or nervousness in the manner of the man. That either meant he was innocent, or he was confident that he would be able to lie himself out of the situation.

 

“What do you do for a living, Mr. Godfrey?” Reynolds asked their suspect while he sat across from him and next to SSA Times.

            “I am the leader of a local small church.”

            Times cut in. “From what I understand, it’s more than just a church. It’s called Godfrey’s Village, correct? Named after you?”

            The man smiled and gave a small laugh. “Well, I guess you could consider it more of a community, but that’s what churches should be considered. We worship our leader as a family.”

            Reynolds asked, “And who is your leader, if you don’t mind me asking.”

            “He goes by many names, Agent Reynolds. The one we like to use is Ahalwa.”

            “Where does Ahalwa reside?”

            “He’s all around us, but if you need a location to feel more of a connection, he is above us. Watching over all of His followers.”

            “Above, you say,” Times answered. Before Godfrey could give a response, Times got up and said, “I’ll be right back.”

            While he was gone, Reynolds asked the real question: “Did you convince Henry Waters to commit suicide?”

            “No.”

            “Did you convince Kelly Holloway to commit suicide?”

            “No.”

            “Did you convince Stephanie Marsh to commit suicide?”

            “No. Agent Reynolds, we could go at this all day and the answer is always going to be no. I only preach peace at my church.”

            Before Reynolds could answer, Times came in holding onto the arm of the man whose name Reynolds had never learned. Times set him down in his chair and said, “This is Joshua Marks. He is a member of Godfrey’s Village. And he’s no longer in shock.” Times faced Joshua and asked, “Did Isaiah Godfrey convince you to commit suicide?”

            “Yes,” he answered, almost robotically.

            “Did he convince anyone else to commit suicide?”

            “Yes,” came the robotic voice again. “He told the whole church that it was the only way to reach Ahalwa and find peace and happiness.”

            Reynolds stood up from the table. “Thank you Mr. Marks, you may go.” He then faced Isaiah Godfrey. “Mr. Godfrey, you under arrest for your connection to the deaths of Henry Waters, Kelly Holloway, Stephanie Marsh, and Matt Chung.”

 

NAME: MAGGIE CONNOLLY

 

Maggie was pouring herself a glass of water to take her pills before bed when she heard a knock on her front door. While she was no longer scared to be in her house alone, it still gave her a start whenever someone knocked on her door. She approached cautiously and asked, “Who is it?”

            “It’s Nate.”

            Maggie smiled and flung open the door. “Come in, come in. I was just about to go to bed, but obviously you’re welcome to join me,” she said with a wink. Maggie smiled even wider when Nate’s ears turned red. She wasn’t going to push him to do anything he didn’t want to. “I’m kidding… well, not really. But anyways, how’d the case go? Tell me everything.”

            Nate launched into detail and Maggie listened intently. She loved to watch him talk about work. He was so passionate about everything that went on there, that sometimes he got lost in all the technical information.

            “I have questions,” Maggie said.

            “What are they?”

            “Okay. First, what was the point of the mask?”

            Nate considered his answer. “From what we got out of Godfrey, it was to make it seem like someone else was killing them. He told them it was a robe and mask worn for sacred rituals.”

            “Next question. What did they do with the costume?”

            “Godfrey admitted to being there when all of the victims died so our assumption is that he took the mask and robe with himself out of the windows in the bathroom to pass it off to the next victim.”

            “I can’t believe that,” Maggie said when he was done explaining. “I mean, I can because the suicide theory was my theory, but I still can’t believe it.”

            Nate shrugged as he took Maggie’s hand in his own. “You and I both know that people sometimes do unbelievably awful things. And we both know that it’s my job to make sure they don’t get away with it.” 

Author's Note

This is a super rough draft so please excuse and grammatical/spelling error. I am open to constructive criticism so let me know what you think! Enjoy!