Page 30 of For Rage

"The Maze Killer has sent in another note," Derik explained, pointing at the screen. "And we have no idea what ‘Little Doe’ means."

Morgan leaned over to read the note, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought."So, we crack the code and find the victim," Morgan said. "That's the idea?"

"You make it sound simple, Cross," Mueller said. "Any big ideas what he means by this?"

"No," Morgan said, glancing at Derik, "but I'm sure Greene and I can figure it out."

Derik nodded, his own thoughts racing. They needed to move quickly before anyone else got hurt, but he had no idea what the note meant. He hoped Morgan had some ideas.

"See to it then," Mueller said.

Morgan sped toward the exit, and Derik trailed after her. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Briefing room," Morgan said. "I need the quiet so I can think and do some research."

Derik followed Morgan into the briefing room, and she immediately went to work on her laptop. He watched as she clicked furiously, typing away with expert speed.

"Any ideas yet?" Derik asked, curious.

"Not yet," Morgan said, her eyes locked onto the screen. "But I have a hunch ..."

Derik tried to focus, his mind racing. "Maybe it's a street name? Or a nickname?"

"Maybe," Morgan said, typing furiously on her laptop. "Or maybe it's something else entirely."

Derik leaned over her shoulder, trying to get a better look at what she was doing. He couldn't help but notice how close they were and how good she smelled.

Derik watched as Morgan began typing in a few more search terms, and then suddenly, she stopped. She looked up at him, her eyes dark and serious.

"What is it?" Derik asked.

"I think the Little Doe riddle may refer to a place," Morgan said slowly."A doe is a deer, right? And there's one place near here that happens to have a maze. I remember it, because we had a call there before I was, well ..." she trailed off, but Derik was amazed at her memory. "Anyway, there's a school around here with the mascot of a deer. And I'm certain that's the place with the maze out back."

Derik felt a shiver run down his spine. "That sounds like the kind of place the Maze Killer would choose."

Morgan nodded, then opened up a map of the schoolyard. Sure enough, there was the maze. She looked up at him, her eyes blazing. "I think we should check it out."

Derik nodded, impressed with Morgan's quick thinking. "Let's do it," he said, grabbing his gun and following her out of the briefing room.

"Meet me in the car," Morgan said. "I'm gonna get Mueller to assemble a team to meet us there, with full sky coverage."

Derik nodded, taking off down the hall without Morgan. He stepped out into the dreary, cool night. As he made his way to the car, Derik couldn't help but feel a sense of unease in the pit of his stomach. They were walking into a trap; he just knew it. But he couldn't let his emotions get in the way of their job. They had to catch the Maze Killer before he could harm anyone else.

But nothing could ever be that simple. Derik had a feeling they were in for a long night.

Morgan joined him a moment later, a determined look on her face. She climbed into the passenger seat while Derik started the car. They drove in silence, the only sound coming from the static of the radio.

The school was just a few minutes away, but it felt like an eternity. Derik could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he parked the car outside the school gates. There was already a helicopter in the sky, illumining the darkness and creating a sound like rolling thunder in the sky.

"Ready?" Morgan asked, checking her gun.

Derik nodded, his own gun already in his hand. They both got out of the car and walked toward the school, their eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement. Some of the other field agents were already there, their flashlights moving across the field as they zeroed in from multiple directions, descending upon the maze like predators.

The school was eerily quiet, the only sound being the rustle of leaves in the wind. Derik's hand tightened around his gun as they approached the maze.

"Be careful," Morgan warned as they entered the maze. "We don't know what we're walking into."

"You're the one who got shot, remember?" Derik said.

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