Page 25 of When You're Broken
Amelia grimaced.“Was he forcibly strangled?That tie is bound to the chair’s leg.He must not have had a chance to fight back.”
Wednesday nodded."Yes.Torsion around the neck.The bruise pattern is consistent with being pinned in place while strangled.The glue on his fingers suggests a sadistic ritual.He typed out that note, or was forced to.And from the position of his arms, he might've been fully conscious until the end."
Finn swallowed.“The note references Wendell’s mother.Kelvin was writing an apology, presumably.Wendell forced him to recant the rumors he’d published.”
Wednesday exhaled softly, pity flickering in her gaze.“Brutal.And all for some twisted sense of vengeance.”
Rob stepped closer, letting the flashlight pass over the keys.“He typed:I am so sorry, The End is Nigh, Amelia.A direct threat.”
Suddenly, Wednesday frowned, leaning in to angle the typed page.She reached carefully behind the sheet, extracting a second slip of paper jammed between the platen roller.“Hold on… there’s something else.”She slid it free—a small, crumpled thermal-printed photograph.
She held it up so the others could see in the dim light.The grainy image showed a young man bound to a chair, head slumped forward but seemingly alive, if only from the posture.Finn immediately recognized the scuff of hair, the shape of the shoulders from prior pictures.Brendan Wilson.
Amelia’s eyes widened in shock.“That looks like my brother from the photographs we’ve seen.”Her breath hitched.“He’s tied up, but it doesn’t look like a corpse shot.So he might still be… I mean, hopefully he’s still alive.”Her voice trembled slightly at the end.
Finn felt a flood of relief that the photo didn’t depict a corpse, though dread still coiled in his stomach.Wendell wants to torment her with this.“This means Wendell’s keeping him somewhere.He’s definitely alive at the time of that photo.That’s our main lead.”
Wednesday slipped the photograph into a small evidence bag."We'll send it for analysis, see if we can glean any location clues from the background.The environment, lighting, etc."She turned to Amelia with a subdued nod."I hope it yields something.But this Wendell Reed is smart.I hear the phone you sent for analysis came back with nothing, as he was able to hide his location with multiple VPNs and spoof signals.
Finn’s heart sank.
“Dammit!”Amelia said, shaking her head.“We were really hoping for more.”
“But all is not lost,” Wednesday said, softer than usual.“I’ll get these bodies back to the lab and see what we will see.”
Amelia pressed her lips together, brushing away tears she refused to let fall.“Thank you,” she whispered.
Finn set a hand on Amelia’s arm, voice soft.“Things have changed.Priority number one: we keep you safe, especially if Wendell sees you as the final piece in his twisted puzzle.”
She pulled her arm away, stepping back from him.“Don’t start on that again.”
Rob, sensing the tension, cleared his throat.“Amelia, that note—‘The End is Nigh, Amelia’—makes it crystal clear Wendell’s threatening you directly.Maybe he’s ramping up to kill you soon.You have to consider protective custody.”
Amelia shook her head.“We have constables outside the cottage at night.During the day, I’m with Finn or at HQ surrounded by cops.That’s enough.I can’t vanish into some safe house, not when my brother’s out there.I need to be in the thick of this.”The fire in her eyes contrasted with the trembling in her voice.
Finn tried to keep his tone measured.“Amelia, if you were any other civilian, the first step would be immediate relocation.Wendell might be unstoppable if you’re on your own.This is an official suggestion, not a personal attack.Please think about it.”
Her eyes flashed with anger.“I’ve thought about it.And my answer is no.The only chance to save Brendan is following every clue, being on the front lines.Putting me in a safe box helps no one.”She flung her hands up.“I can’t keep having this argument with you, or with McNeill, or with anyone.I know the risk.I’m taking it.”
She turned sharply, striding away from the bodies, heading toward the open side door.Finn called after her, “Amelia—” but she ignored him, disappearing into the hallway.They all heard the squeak of the door as she left the building.
A heavy silence fell.Finn stood there, an ache twisting in his chest.He wanted to chase after her, but he also knew her well enough to give her space.She can’t keep going like this.
Wednesday let out a soft breath, kneeling by Kelvin’s body once more to check for any final detail.“You boys,” she said quietly, not glancing up.“You should know better.She can’t let go of this, nor should she.It’s her brother we’re talking about.Life or death.You can’t train that sort of drive.The stakes are real for Amelia, and that will help her focus all her skills and training on finding this guy.”
Finn felt that old helplessness surge.“I only want to keep her alive.Wendell’s more brutal and cunning than anyone we’ve seen, even Max Vilne.”
Wednesday straightened, surprisingly gentle for a moment.“Then stand by her while she does what she must.”She placed a hand on his arm, a rare gesture of kindness.“You’re a detective, yes, but you’re also her partner.Protect her.Support her.She won’t accept running away.”
He nodded, swallowing hard.“Right.”He cast another glance at the glued fingertips, the typed message.Wendell’s cunning.The circle was closing in around them, and Amelia’s name was right at the center.
Rob’s phone buzzed, the jarring ring echoing in the hush.He pulled it from his pocket, checking the screen.“Eleanor,” he said, surprise coloring his tone.He stepped away, picking up.“Eleanor?… Wait, calm down—What’s happening?Are you—?”His face paled.“Look, I’ll be home as soon as I can.Hang on.”He ended the call abruptly, stuffing the phone into his coat.
Finn frowned.“Something wrong?”
Rob exhaled, worry etched across his brow.“She says she’s feeling extremely ill.This isn’t like her—she never calls me in a panic.I need to go check on her.She says she might need to see a doctor.”
Finn nodded, subdued.“Of course.Go.We’ll handle things here with the local team.”
