Chapter 20
Dr. Quist stood frozen, her eyes wide as Cole sauntered off with a smug grin. What could've made her react like that? The female officers quietly escorted her out of the office. After everything the struggle, the resistance she gets nothing more than a slap on the wrist and two years behind bars. Two years, for the person who masterminded everything.
None of us on the team had slept since yesterday, and her arrest felt like a hollow victory. Worse still, Cole was walking free for now. Carol discovered that traces of his DNA had been found on every victim, and yet somehow, he hadn't been caught. But we know why now: he changes physically. I used to think the old man was insane, but we were forced to accept it. When Cole was brought in yesterday, we retrieved his deleted calls from the service provider. That's how we uncovered Dr. Lucy's involvement in her husband's death.
She called Cole at 8 p.m. that evening to tell him her husband was still in the office. It all made sense when we saw her outside the station afterward, waiting in her car for Cole after he had changed form and exited undetected. We couldn't sit on this. We rushed to the Chief's office and stopped him from closing for the day.
He pulled some strings and retrieved a hidden file on Cole. It was a medical report and a bombshell. His condition was rooted in childhood trauma from growing up in an abusive household. The report contained photos of different people varying in age, race, and gender all with one thing in common: a scar on the face.
Cole had been placed under Dr. Quist's observation to analyze his personality and identify his triggers. But clearly, their interactions had gone off the rails. If Dr. Quist were prosecuted fully, the government would be forced to admit they'd hidden a dangerous anomaly from the public and placed everyone at risk.
We had to threaten the Commissioner to get the arrest approved. The force hates media attention, but I was ready to risk my job. Before handing Cole over to the State Attorney, we needed our evidence tight and a clear explanation for his shape-shifting.
Despite his ability to change form, Cole's DNA remained consistent. The scar on his face, evident even in the medical report never changed. He had first shown signs of his condition at eighteen. After murdering his father, he was arrested a week later when his mother turned him in. When he found out, he threatened to kill her too. The trauma broke her, she was institutionalized soon after.
It was too much to process. We decided to stick to the facts, though one key question lingered: how long can Cole remain in his natural form? The old man said we were running out of time but how much exactly?
I walked into the office and found Carol dozing off. I smiled and gently nudged her awake.
"I promise you a week off once we wrap this up. But not just yet," I said.
"I know," she groaned with a stretch and a yawn. "I haven't seen my bed in two days. I miss it."
I laughed, picked up the documents I needed, and headed out. At the gate, I stopped and turned.
"We'll need you in the dark room for observation."
In the observation room across from the interrogation chamber, glass-tinted to hide us I steadied my breath before entering. Cole was sitting, unusually calm, his eyes fixed on the glass. Even when Russel entered, Cole's gaze didn't waver.
"We meet again, Cole," Russel said. Only then did Cole turn.
"Is Stacy not going to be here?" he asked, his smile aimed straight at the glass. My stomach dropped, goosebumps rising.
"Creep," Jake muttered beside me.
"She's not needed here," Russel replied. "You don't have business with her. Now, back to you. A peculiar human, aren't you?"
Cole raised his cuffed hands slightly, acknowledging it.
"We're here about the murders. Let's start with Gerald Hayes your second victim."
"He was annoying. Abusive. I did everyone a favor," Cole said flatly.
"His wife called you minutes before he died. What did you two talk about?"
"Nothing. She was just checking in."
Lie. We all knew it.
"And killing her husband—did you think that helped?"
"It did. She's better off now rich, powerful, and happy."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do."
Russel flipped through some papers. "We noticed a pattern. All your victims were abusers. How did you get access to Dr. Lucy's patient notes?"
"I broke into her office."
"Why?"
"I wanted to know what the kids were saying. Those men were monsters, walking free."
"But David wasn't."
"David... saw me. I had to shut him up."
"You're lying. You showed your face on the security cameras after you killed him. You weren't hiding."
Cole looked around, then stared directly at the camera.
I leaned forward. Something about his collarbone caught my eye, wet, possibly blood.
"Russel," I said through the mic, "check his collarbone. That wasn't there yesterday."
"Got in a fight. Things got rough," Cole said casually.
"And why were you following Jamie?"
"She seemed shaken. I was just checking in."
My fists clenched.
"You don't seem remorseful."
Cole chuckled. "You're dramatic. I killed people. You caught me. End of story. But I won't be here long."
"What do you mean?"
"It's in the report. You have it," he nodded toward Russel's file.
"They didn't mention how long you can stay in one form."
"Did they?" Cole laughed loud, throwing his head back. "And you expect me to tell you, when they didn't?"
His words chilled the room.
"The old man said time is running out," I whispered to the others. "What if it's sooner than we think?"
The door opened. The Commissioner and the Chief walked in. The Chief looked away, avoiding eye contact.
"End the interrogation," he said flatly. "We're handing him over tomorrow."
My blood froze. "Who's we?"
"NRI."
"Fuck!" I muttered. The National Research Institute. They had unimaginable power heroes of the country after eradicating a deadly, genetic disorder. They had since become kingmakers. Untouchable.
"We still have a murder suspect!" I argued, desperate.
"You think I want this?" the Chief shot back. "But we don't have a choice. He's been theirs since he was eighteen. They only wanted a babysitter. It backfired."
"So we lose both the doctor and the killer?"
"You have no choice, Stacy."
Tears brimmed in my eyes. Russel looked down, silent. We'd been sidelined.
"You all get a week off after the handover. End of discussion. Russel, watch her."
The Chief walked out.
"I have a friend at NRI," Russel said. "Things are chaotic there. A reporter got wind of everything. Even found Cole's mother at the facility. Turns out, she's not insane. She spilled everything. This reporter's not letting go."
"Who is it?"
"They don't know yet. But he's close."
"So they're tying up loose ends," I whispered.
Russel nodded.
I exhaled, and made a decision.
"Let's hand him over."
"You sure?"
"No. But we don't have power anymore. I'll explain later."
We returned to the dark room.
"He's being transferred. NRI's taking him," I announced.
Carol exploded, "We had him first!"
Sam stayed quiet, his arms crossed.
"I know this is unfair. But we're done. We'll hand him over tomorrow. Then we rest."
Sam smirked. "Let's see how that goes."
"Thanks for understanding."
Cole was led to the cells. We followed. Then, we packed our office, emotions swirling.
After 30 minutes, everyone left. Sam stayed behind.
Russel and I drove in silence. My mind spiraled. How do I explain this to my family? That we had the killer, and now he's being handed over? David… had died for nothing.
I waved Russel off and walked into the house. My sister was in the living room. Jamie was upstairs. I stood there, overwhelmed and broken. The tears came in waves, uncontrollable.
My sister rushed to me and pulled me into a hug. "Stace, you did all you could. David knows that. You're the reason I'm sane."
Her words made the tears fall harder.
Jamie came downstairs, eyes wide. When she saw me cry, she joined in. We hugged, all three of us.
"Okay," I sniffled, wiping her cheeks. "Girls' night. Funniest movies we can find. Deal?"
Jamie nodded. My sister rolled her eyes and returned to the couch.
We spent the night curled together in blankets, watching movies, popcorn in hand. But my thoughts were on tomorrow and what it might steal from us next.