To pursue the heart of Agent Grace Williamson

Part 7

I woke up with a slight head ache. I slowly sat up as I scratched my forehead and saw I was in my double bed, with Buddy asleep beside me. I wasn't sure how I got here, I couldn't remember much. I yawned as I leaned over and picked up my phone from the nightstand, and I saw all the texts I got.

Mum:
So sorry for your dads behaviour, we know the article was a misunderstanding and he says sorry.

Your father was just a little taken by surprise is all.

Can you call me? Alice wants to talk to you.

Katie:
Wow your dad is an asshole, never liked him. Don't worry honey, I don't blame you for what happened and I'm glad you walked away before it could get worse and I don't believe the article. Call me when you can.

I let out a loud sigh, remembering what happened yesterday. I got out of bed - so did Buddy- and I walked downstairs and headed to the living room to see Hannibal had crashed on the couch. Buddy was eating out of his food bowl and I did a faint smile. I couldn't remember much last night but I'm glad to know Hannibal was there for me. I went to the kitchen and I started to cook some eggs and then I got a buzz on my phone.

Jack:
Abigail's woken up.

My eyes widened at that text. I finished cooking the eggs and I put them on some toast with some pepper dashed on top and I hurried to the living room. I put the two plates on the coffee table and I shook Hannibal awake. He groaned and opened one eye.
"Hannibal, Abigail has woken up" I informed him. He opened his other eye and sat up a little.
"I made you some breakfast and I will be right back" I rushed upstairs and quickly grabbed some clothes. I put on a white shirt, blue jeans, black ankle boots and a denim jacket. I went back downstairs again and I sat back down in the living room and began to eat my toast.
"The eggs are cooked to perfection" he complimented as he took another bite.
"Thank you, my grandma taught me all the tricks she knew. She made some killer pies" I said as I continued to eat. Buddy walked over and he sat down beside me and I stroked his head.
"Do you need to go home and get changed?" I asked him.
"I do. I can meet you at the hospital" he offered to me. I nodded my head and I finished my food. I stood up and I took his plate off him.
"Thank you for breakfast" he said to me as I walked away.
"Thank you for being there for me yesterday" I shouted to him as I distanced away, heading towards the kitchen.

——— the hospital ———

I opened up the hospital room and I saw a red haired woman sat beside Abigail, who was awake. They both looked over at me once they heard the door close and the woman had to turn around to see me.
"Oh, Agent Williamson, what a surprise" the woman said to me, I couldn't tell if it was in an emotionless or a sarcastic tone. I kept glancing at the woman and Abigail.  The woman stood up and walked over to me, holding her hand out to me. I looked down at it and saw had leather gloves on.
"Freddie Lounds, how do you do?" She introduced herself to me. I scoffed and raised my two eyebrows at her.
"You made the false article about me" I swore to her. She dropped her hand and gave me a smile, that enraged me even more.
"But was it false?" She asked me.
"Yes! Yes it was! My family found that article" I said to her in an angry tone.
"Maybe change your actions to something that I can report about you" she suggested to me.
"I didn't shoot a defenceless man. He was going to hurt Abigail" I told her, in a calmer tone. I heard the hospital door opened up and I turned to see Will. He stared at Freddie and sighed, then Jack appeared from behind him.
"Agent Crawford, how lovely to meet you" she smiled.
"The feeling isn't mutual" he scowled back. Freddie still smiled and she turned to Abigail.
"And that there is Will Graham. Using a psychopath to find a psychopath" she said to her. Abigail swallowed her fear and she looked at everyone around the room. Will just looked angry.
"It's best you leave, Miss. Lounds" Jack growled. Freddie just shook her head.
"And leave Abigail in Williamson's and Graham's presence? No" she replied.
"I swear to god you-" I pointed my finger at her and Abigail said something Over me.
"Can you please leave, Freddie? I'm not scared" Abigail said to her, when she said 'I'm not scared' she looked up at me. Freddie sighed and left the room, thank god for that. Jack shut the door and we all stayed where we were instead of approaching her.
"Abigail, do you know who we are?" Jack asked her in a quiet tone. She just shook her head as she fiddled with her fingers.
"No... but I know who she is" she pointed over at me and I gasped faintly. "She killed my dad" she added on. My heart sunk at them words and I didn't know how to react.
"You're Alive because she tracked down your father in time" Jack informed her. She just shook her head.
"My mums dead too. She wasn't in time" Abigail replied. She looked so frightened yet so confident at the same time. Her head was held high but she was shaking in her voice.
"Someone told him we were coming, we planned a peaceful approach but that wouldn't work anymore" I told Abigail.

——— the crime scene ———

I walked around the rotting corpses in pits. Their hands were zip tied to a pole and they looked like plants. Almost like zombies. They looked green, with leaves and mushrooms growing off them and their skin was peeling and they looked like all their nutrients were sucked out of them.
"How did they get discovered again?" I asked Jack. Beverly took another photo that blinded me for a second again.
"Teenage boys just exploring. Musta gave them a helluva fright" Jack told me. I crossed my arms as I viewed all the victims.
"The soil is rich, it's good stuff." Beverly informed me and Jack, then Jimmy came over.
"What was he growing here?" I asked out loud, to anyone.
"Spores"
I turned around and saw Will walk over to us.
"I'm not a green thumb, I don't have much to expand here" I exclaimed to everyone. Jimmy smiled and wiped it off when he saw nobody else was smiling. Behind Will, was all the police cars, ambulances, detectives and some people trying to get a view of what is going on. I saw a car pull up and Hannibal get out, adjusting his trench coat. I looked back down at the bodies and I knelt down beside one. I checked to see if my surgical gloves were on right and I leaned down at the body. I picked off a mushroom from one of the victims face and I viewed the mushroom. The insides looked different to a normal mushroom, maybe from where it was growing. I put the mushroom into an evidence bag carefully then I pulled out a torch and I opened one of the victims eyelid and shined it onto the eyes. Their eyes looked dirty and had brown specs and veins inside.
"Did they die here or be killed from other causes?" I asked anyone. I heard twigs snap beside me and I looked down at their shoes and just knew it was Hannibal. Suddenly, the victim jumped up and grabbed my arm. I yelped and fell back, I saw their wide opened eyes staring right into mine, with their body on top of me.
"H-Help... meee...." he spoke out to me, laying on my chest. Paramedics ran over and pulled him off me and started treatment on him straight away. Hannibal held his hand out to me and I took it. He pulled me to my feet and we were all staring at the man get treated on. He didn't even look like a man, just plant food.
"Are you alright?" Hannibal asked me. I gulped and tried to say some words.
"Uh... I guess so.." I replied, my eyes still glued onto the man, feeling tongue tied.

——— the analysis ———

We laid three Bodies onto the slabs, they were all prepped with materials to cover their genitalia. Today, it was me, Jack, Will, Hannibal, Beverly and Jimmy. Almost the the whole squad. I stared down at one of the victims, she was a female. A loud noise happened behind me and I turned around to see everyone putting on their gear to inspect the bodies. Will walked over to me and handed me over a pair of gloves.
"Thanks.." I whispered to him as I took the gloves off him. I was still pretty shaken up but I didn't let it stop me from Doing my job.
"They all weren't put in there at the same time, we can see that from how much the mushrooms have developed on the bodies" Beverly pointed over at small and large mushroom on two bodies.
"How did he choose?" Jack asked her. Beverly just shrugged her shoulders.
"If they died in the pit... how did he transport them there?" I asked.
"He could've possibly sedated them" Hannibal suggested to us.
"But why them?" I asked. Will walked into my view with his arms crossed, he definitely had something to say.
"They're diabetics" Will said. Everyone exchanged looks and it made it click in my head.
"Wrong prescriptions" I added on.
"A Doctor. Then they could access info about them, like their address" Jack realised. I looked up at Hannibal and he was looking around at everyone in the room with the same expressionless face.