To pursue the heart of Agent Grace Williamson

Part 3

It was Friday night and another girl was abducted by the Minnesota shrike. All we knew is that they were killing these girls to prevent killing this one special girl to them. All the victims were the same weight, had the same eye colour, hair colour and facial features. Once I pulled up outside the crime scene, I wiped my eyes and peered out the wind shield. I watched police officers leave and enter the house and I saw Will enter the building. I closed my eyes and faced down at my lap.
"Grace? Are you okay?" Hannibal asked me. I nodded my head and took in a deep breath.
"Let's just do what we need to do..." I got out the car and I saw a few street lights flicker and some red and blue lights flash in the dark night. I walked to the house and Hannibal tagged along beside me. I saw Jack talking to some police officers so I let him talk before I intrude. That's when I heard the cries of a woman. Me and Hannibal looked at each other confused and we both followed the noise to an office. A woman was crying hysterically as her husband hugged her and Will tried to talk to her, promising her we will find her baby girl. My heart shattered seeing a mother like this, I felt like I was about to cry too. I wiped my nose and bit my bottom lip to prevent tears coming to the surface and I felt an arm around me. I looked at my side and Hannibal had his arm around me, he was giving me an assuring look. He must've analysed me the sneaky fucker. I ruffled my hair up and took in a few breathers before going to talk to the parents.
"Excuse me"
Me and Hannibal moved out the way of the door frame and Jack entered the room. I noticed it was now just us in the house, as I didn't hear any more clicks of a camera or creaks in the floor boards. Hannibal removed his arm away from me and Will walked over to us.
"The mother is in too much shock to talk, best we just look around now" Will whispered to me and Hannibal. I nodded my head and got one last look at the mother. She was shaking, snot leaking from her nostrils, her face all reddened with tears pouring out as she sniffling while Jack patted her shoulder and spoke words to her, it seemed to help calm her down.
"Could you.. stay with her? Work your magic?" I asked Hannibal. He looked down at me and nodded my head.
"Of course" He walked over to the woman and he glanced at me one last time before kneeling down to talk to the woman. I then left the room and saw Will waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs with a pair of surgical gloves on and he handed another pair over to me. We both went up the stairs and we stopped outside the victims bedroom. I took a deep breath and Will clenched his hands around the door handle.
"What do you think we'll find?" I asked him as I was putting on my gloves.
"Nothing" he replied, sadly. He opened up the door and he was completely wrong, the young lady was laying in her bed. She looked peaceful and like she had been there the entire time. She was still in her night gown on and I noticed red marks on her neck.
"I thought you said she was abducted" I rushed over to her and I checked her pulse, there was nothing.
"...she was taken back?" Will asked me. I slowly pulled my hand away from her neck and I clenched my hand together, frustrated I couldn't save her.
"Goddamn it!" I put my hands behind my neck and I paced the room.
"We can take her back to the lab to do an autopsy" Will exclaimed to me.
"What do we tell the parents? I can't... I Can't see the mother again" I pleaded. The worst part of this job is telling the families the sad news, I remember when I did it once and their cries broke my heart so much I also cried a little. I suddenly heard footsteps run up the steps and I stared at the opened door, I had many thoughts that moment. The mother then revealed herself and she fell to her knees. I rushed to grab her but Hannibal suddenly appeared from behind her and grabbed her from behind. She screamed hysterically once she saw her daughter, dead. I stared down at the mother, frozen on what to do. Jack then hurried into the room and saw the victim and the mother. Hannibal looked up at me and we made serious eye contact as he held back the devastated mother.

——— the analysis ———

Since it was a late Friday night, not many people were on shift. It was just me, Hannibal and Beverly to check the body. Everyone else had to leave for other things, as much as they wanted to check the body with us. Beverly zipped opened the body bag and the smell of a rotting corpse hit my face. I scrunched up my nose a little and I looked at the victims face.
"The Minnesota shrike had a reason on why he brought her back to her home. Could give us a clue" I said out loud to Hannibal and Beverly.
"When did you say she was reported missing?" Beverly asked me.
"Today but her parents were gone for two days so she could've gone missing on Wednesday or Thursday" I exclaimed to her.
"Around Wednesday night she was killed" she informed me. I looked over at Hannibal and he was eyeing the corpse up and down.
"She was cut open" he said. I looked back over at Beverly and she grabbed some scissors beside her to cut open her night gown and revealed some poor stitching.
"It's not medical equipment, it's sewing. He's into crafting" I informed the two of them. Beverly cut open the stitches and she opened up the body. I peered in and saw nothing missing.
"What's missing?" I asked the two of them. I heard Hannibal sniff a little and then he clicked his tongue.
"She had cancer" Hannibal said. Me and Katz looked at each other for a moment before she pulled out an organ and inspected it.
"She.. she did" she confessed. I looked at Hannibal, shocked on how he knew that.
"How did you... know that?" I asked him.
"I just have an eye for these things" he shrugged his shoulders and I was overall impressed.
"The Minnesota shrike brought her back because she had cancer... her meat was taint... he's eating his victims" I said out loud. Katz grabbed her tweezers and she picked something off her body and put it under a microscope.
"And we have a lead." She said as she looked up at me and Hannibal.
"This stuff is only found in construction sites. He works at a construction site, since he kills across the state you will have to go a few. You should probably go sleep though, you two. Don't overwork yourselves" Katz warned us.

——— Grace's home ———

I put on the kettle and I put my hands on the counter and let out a loud sigh. Hannibal was sat on the couch with Buddy as I was preparing some coffees. I heard the squeak of Buddy's toys and then the kettle went off. I turned it off and poured into cups and did the rest of the steps. I left the kitchen and walked to the living room and placed hannibals coffee on the coffee table, since he was stroking Buddy.
"Thank you" he smiled to me. I nodded my head and sat on the couch with him as I drank my coffee.
"I couldn't help but notice your guitar over there" he pointed over at my guitar in the corner. I smiled and rolled my eyes.
"My mum made me do lessons" I chuckled.
"You still play?" He asked me as he stroked buddy who was on his lap, closing his eyes.
"Not really, the FBI is a pretty serious thing. I don't have much time for my hobbies anymore" I sighed. He slanted his head at me and looked me up and down.
"We have free time now, play for me, I promise I shall not be a critique" he joked. I smiled and looked down at my lap.
"Any requests?" I asked him as I stood up to put my coffee on the table and I grabbed my guitar from the corner and I sat back down on the couch.
"Play whatever you are comfortable playing" he responded. I did a few tunes and adjusted the strings. I cleared my throat and adjusted how I was holding the guitar. I then started to play 'come as you are' by nirvana (song above) . I hummed the lyrics to the song to stay in tune and I kept laughing nervously. After playing as much as I know, I faced Hannibal and he smiling at me.
"I assume you have an angelic voice too" he complimented me. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.
"Not going to embarrass myself too much" I smiled. I stood up and put the guitar back into the corner.
"You played very well" he promised me. I smiled and sat back down, slurping on my coffee.
"Thank you. I saw a piano in your office, you also play?" I asked him. He nodded his head and I smirked as I slanted my head at him.
"You owe me a lil tune" I teased. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
"What's the worst that Can happen?" He asked me as he slowly stroked Buddy. We smiled at each other as we looked at each other in the eyes. He had a pretty eye colour, reminded me of the forest and the bark on the tall, ancient trees.