Page 49 of So Wicked

“Yes, but very gentle.”

He chuckled. “I’ve never heard a serial killer described as gentle before.”

“This one was, though,” Faith insisted. “He injected them with a sedative that put them to sleep before they died. He arranged them carefully at rest and then gave them an offering to provide the spirits. At least, I think that’s what the honey and wine are for. I looked it up, and those were traditional Celtic adornments. They’re meant for the deceased to enjoy in the afterlife, but the sunflowers on the eyes remind me of the Greek practice of placing coins placed on the eyes of the dead as a bribe to the ferryman who transported their souls to Hades.”

“Hmm. So the killer thinks he’s what? Rescuing them from themselves.”

“That’s my hypothesis. I just don’t know whythem. Why Rachel Summers? Why Lisa Patel? Why Mark Chen, and why Jessica Lee?”

“I’m guessing you’ve gone through the obvious stuff: did they know each other, were they screwups, did a patient see all of them…”

“That’s what we’re checking on now. Slade’s got people looking to see if there was a patient who saw all of these doctors. Normally, that’s where we’d get our big break, but… I don’t feel so confident about that this time.”

“That sucks. I’m really sorry.”

She chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, me too. But sorry doesn’t change shit.”

“I know. I’m not making excuses. I’m just saying I feel bad that you have to deal with this. This sounds like a case that’s going to be very difficult to resolve.”

“That’s what scares me. This guy’s killing people fast. Four victims in four days. Two of them last night. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was killing someone right now.” She shivered at that thought. “And I’m still on the outside. I have the basicoutline of a motive, but I don’t have the details I need to really understand what his purpose is with these deaths.”

“That sucks even more. I don’t suppose it would help if I told you that you’re doing the right thing no matter what your superiors think.”

“That’s another thing,” Faith said. “My superiors know what I’m doing now.”

Jacob’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

“Oh shit is right,” Faith replied. “My new ASAC flew all the way out here to tell me that I was a terrible agent who didn’t care about any of my colleagues and I’d thrown them all under the bus by helping with this case.”

“Ouch. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Me too. She also said I’m fired if she catches me freelancing again.”

Jacob pursed his lips. “Not to be an asshole, but isn’t that exactly what you’re still doing?”

“I can’t not help people, Jacob. I can’t just let people die because I might get in trouble.”

“Hmm… Have you thought about her perspective, though? She has the big picture to consider. She can’t just focus on this case.”

Faith bristled a little but reminded herself that there was no way Jacob could be expected to understand what he was saying. “I understand her perspective perfectly. I just don’t agree with it. I don’t get why we have to cater to so many interests aside from the public we’re supposed to protect. What happened to just doing our jobs and catching bad guys and letting the media think whatever it wants?”

He smiled wryly. “I think you’re confusing Hollywood with real life. In real life, letting the media think whatever it wants can be really dangerous.”

She sighed. “You sound just like her.”

"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't play devil's advocate. It just goes back to the conversation we had when you first took this case. You're a Marine, Faith. You're a grunt. Marines don't run from fights, they run toward fights. Officers have more to consider than just kill all bad guys. I guarantee you that your Boss is just as miserable trying to figure out how to manage the media as you are trying to figure out the mind of your killer and just as terrified that the media will crucify her and the rest of the Bureau as you are that the killer will strike again."

“Well, those are bullshit priorities. I don’t care if she’s brass. We should have no other purpose than protecting people.”

“There’s more to protection than just shooting bad guys, Faith.”

She looked sideways at him. “You know, you’re shit at making me feel better, First Sergeant.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I know. I’m much better at reminding people that shit sucks than I am about hiding the shit. But I’ve found that when you can accept things for what they are, you have an easier time handling them. Even if what they are is… well, shit.”

Faith looked ahead. “I guess I’ve never gotten around to accepting that some things are shit.”

They were nearing the other side of the park now. The air was rapidly getting chilly enough to make Faith uncomfortable. Turk looked fine, but Turk always looked fine. Sometimes, Faith wished she could borrow a little of his ability to accept things the way they were.

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