Page 2 of For Rage

It had been a long time since then, she reminded herself.

Things were different now.

"Something I can help you with, Greene?" she asked him, sitting down with a huff.

He tossed a newspaper on her desk. Morgan inched it closer to her, taking in the front headline:

MAZE KILLER STILL AT LARGE.

And another newspaper.

POLICE AT DEAD END IN MAZE KILLER CASE.

And one more.

MAZE KILLER CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM. DANGER TO PUBLIC GROWING!

And—

"Okay, I get it," Morgan said, lifting a hand to stop Derik from throwing another newspaper on her desk. "So, what gives? Are the locals finally gonna get us in to help them?" Generally speaking, the police would not let the FBI do their jobs, only come in if needed or requested. Morgan had heard about this case—this alleged "Maze Killer" who was leaving dead bodies in mazes, with a completely sterile scene, not a speck of DNA.

"Not yet," Derik said, "but it shouldn't be long before we start to poke around, don't you think?"

Morgan stood up. The old her would have been all over this, and maybe it did pique her interest. But things were different now. She'd become jaded in her time in prison, and she’d lost the desire to force herself into situations where she wasn’t requested. It was up to the local PD, after all, if they wanted to come to the FBI for help.

Then again, this wasn't about her. There were real people out there, losing their lives.

Still, they hadn't been called.

Morgan picked up her phone, then shot AD Mueller a text:Maze Killer is getting bad?

When she looked up from her phone, Derik was staring at her. "There," she said, "let's see what Mueller thinks. It's the best we can do for now. You want to grab lunch?"

Derik nodded, and they headed out of the office, the headlines still weighing heavily on Morgan's mind. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of sick person would do something like this. The thought made her stomach churn with disgust, and part of her did hope she'd be given the chance to take a crack at this case. After all, she was just getting her chops back. Her time in prison hadn't made her weaker—it made her stronger. More resolute.

If given the chance, she'd put that bastard right where he belonged.

***

Morgan slid into the booth, the sun streaming in from the windows, even with the dark and stormy rain clouds rolling in. Still, it wasn’t storming yet, and everything seemed bathed in a soft warmth. Derik sat across from her. It had been hard to come out of prison and fall back into her old routine, but she had to admit that Derik had been a welcome addition. They had history, to say the least.

"So, bacon and eggs?" Derik asked, skimming through the laminated menu. Morgan's usual diner order.

But as she was about to grab the menu, the TV above the counter caught her eye. On it was a giant headline: MAZE KILLER. She didn't signal to Derik, just tuned her ears to the people sitting below the TV, watching, as they said:

"I can't believe anyone would go in some maze at a time like this."

Another person chimed in. "I heard that he's been doing this for a while, but no one ever caught on. Now, he's just getting bolder."

A sense of unease washed over her. This wasn't just some run-of-the-mill serial killer. This was someone who was taunting the police, daring them to catch him with his brazen and bold acts. It had to be a statement. And so far, the police had no luck.

Derik seemed to notice the conversation, too, as he lifted an eyebrow at Morgan over his menu. The truth was, the case was starting to get under her skin.

Derik nodded, as if he understood the unspoken message. "Well, if we do get called in, I'm all for taking this guy down."

Morgan quietly agreed.

After their food was delivered, Derik made conversation as he took bites of his cut-up back bacon. Morgan ate her bacon and eggs, trying not to show her inner protective nature over her food that had grown over the past ten years, back from when she was locked up and her portions had been rationed.

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