Fractured (Broken Part 2)

The Last Weekend

"What did you find?" I asked Ainsley walking her into the conference room with Logan close behind us so the rest of the team could hear what she found.
"I was at home with mom when I heard the phone ringing in the basement office. I raced downstairs hoping he was calling so we could go get them but when I picked up the phone it was just a dial tone. Then there was this thudding in the cabinet and I realized it was a fax." She explained handing me the letter.
"It's Martin's handwriting." I mused reading it over.
My girl!
I desperately need your help. I need you to go to Claremont, in my old cell there's a file titled, The Woodsman. I need you to fax me the contents. A woman's life may depend on it.
I love you, my girl.
Dad
"Do you have the file?" I asked looking up at her.
"Of course I do." She handed me a file from her bag.
"Fan letters, obviously." I rolled my eyes glancing through the file.
"Did you fax them over?" I asked.
"Yes." She replied almost timidly.
"Good." I answered to ease her concern.
"You're not mad?" She asked.
"No. He said a life could depend on it. The Woodsman's kill radius is at minimum five hours away. Better to keep them busy." I looked up at her.
"These letters seem authentic. I remember The Woodsman's cursive. The loops on his Gs. Whimsical, yet precise." I paused paging through the envelopes the letters were sent in.
"Each of these letters was sent from a different town. If my memory serves me correctly, he used every zip code within his kill radius, except for one. Maple Mountain." I sighed looking up at the expectant faces around me.
"That's where we're going."
I caught sight of my mother-in-law walking into the precinct and sighed.
"What is it?" Sophie asked walking back into the room.
"Jess told me last night that Martin called her after you dropped her off. Then Vivian got on the phone and basically told her she would take care of him."
"She didn't tell anyone?" She asked.
"Not until last night."
Gil met Jess in the bullpen and with a nod showed her to his office.
"Sophie, will you drive? I want to actually read these letters." I asked as she helped me into my very protectant pregnancy body armor, created by Aaron, patent pending.
"Of course. The more we know about what we're walking into the better." She nodded.
"I want to come with you." Ainsley said from the doorway.
"Absolutely not. How can I trust you out there?" I asked.
She knew I was referring to her prank on Malcolm. She lied to me too.
"I know I hurt you, Lily, and I hurt Malcolm and I don't know how to make it up to you both, but I can do this. I can help you find him. Please, Lily." She looked at me.
Unlike when she showed up in our home covered in pigs blood, I fully believed her.
"Okay, but you have to stay close to me." I insisted.
Instantly, she realized I wanted to look after her safety.
Jessica would never forgive me if anything happened to her because I let her out there.
"Lily?" Gil called from his office.
"I'll be right back." I sighed.
"You knew Martin called Jess?" He asked as I walked in.
"Not until last night." I answered.
"What do we do now?" Jessica asked.
"I'm taking a team to Vermont with Ainsley." I answered.
"Ainsley?" She looked at me.
"If I don't take her she's just going to follow us. She's just like Malcolm in that way. At least this way I can keep an eye on her."
A soft knock came at the door.
We all turned to find Edrisa standing in the doorway.
"Lily, Gil. I just finished going through Vivian's patient files that Aaron sent over..." She told us.
"Okay, what did you find?" I asked.
"I have reason to believe that Capshaw is responsible for at least 11 deaths during her tenure at eight hospitals." She told us.
"This is worse than we thought." I mused.
"No wonder Martin liked her so much." Jessica muttered.
"I have an idea if you're up to it, Jess?" Gil said.
"Whatever it takes to protect my son." She nodded.
Gil sent Jess to Dani to get wired up before we left.
"Don't let her get killed, Gil." I told him.
"It's the only idea, Lily. You know that." He sighed.
"I know. Let's just hope she takes the bait and that she doesn't think Jess knows about the interrogation last night." I sighed back.
"I'll keep an eye on her. Will you have Logan watch out too?" He asked.
"It won't hurt. I'm surprised you haven't asked about his... past." I looked over at him.
"The less I know the better. You trust him enough to have called him in. That's enough for me." Gil nodded.
Gil and I walked over to the conference room where Dani, JT, Sophie, Edrisa, Jessica, Ainsley, and Logan waited for us.
"Okay. This is what we're going to do." I called out walking into the conference room.
"Sophie, Ainsley, and I are going to take my car up to Maple Mountain. Dani and JT will follow us in another car." I explained.
"Why do we need two cars?" JT asked.
"Five of us are already going up there and we're going to be bringing two more home. I don't think it's a great idea to try to fit seven adults, one of whom being a serial killer in one SUV."
"That makes sense." Dani nodded as JT's eyes widened at the thought.
"Gil, I need you here to keep an eye on Jess. Jess, just be careful, okay?" I urged.
"Oh! Don't worry about me. I studied Krav Maga with Grace Jones." She smiled at me.
"Wait. What is she doing?" Ainsley asked.
"Gil is going to make sure things go smoothly." I promised.
"Edrisa, touch base with Aaron and see what he needs?" I asked.
"Of course." She nodded.
"And Logan..." I turned to him.
"Oh, I already know what I'm doing. I'm so excited to be working in an official capacity." He grinned at me.
"Follow Gil's lead. Don't let anything happen." I urged.
"You know me, Lily. Gil and I have this completely under control." He smiled at me again.
We left Gil, Jessica, Logan and Edrisa to walk out to the cars. Sophie climbed into my driver's seat with me beside her and Ainsley in the back. I watched Dani and JT climb into her car.
"Let's go." I sighed.
"So, what's the deal with Uncle Logan?" Ainsley asked after Sophie merged onto the interstate.
"He's an assassin. Only works for the highest bidder." I answered.
"And family apparently." Sophie noted.
"Honestly, I had never called him for something like this before. My father and the rest of his family disowned him when they found out what he does." I shrugged.
"But you didn't, why?" Ainsley asked.
"When I was a kid I didn't have a choice but when I was hospitalized after leaving Bryce he reached out to me. He was the only one in the family besides Evan that didn't blame me for what happened. We've been fairly close since. He was at the funerals, our wedding, we called him after giving the announcement to you, Jessica and the team." I glanced over my shoulder at her.
"Malcolm knows?" Sophie asked.
"Yes. Malcolm and I don't keep secrets."
"Except for when the 'girl in the box' shows up in your office." Sophie teased.
"No offense, but I needed to figure out if I could trust you before traumatizing him all over again." I smirked at her.
"That's fair." She nodded.
I returned to reading the letters.
"My God. This guy's even worse than we thought." I sighed after awhile.
"What's his method?" Sophie asked.
"He holds the women in a spider hole in the hills for fourteen days starving and scared. Then he drags them deep into the forest and cleaves through their chest with a lumberjack's hook and buries them, planting a sapling on their graves." I explained then paused.
"But this... He's boastful and a total misogynist. He wants The Surgeon's approval. He's practically craving it." I nearly spat.
"The FBI were always convinced The Woodsman was an unhinged drifter, but that never made sense to us. Planting a sapling on the bodies. Literally laying down roots. Made Malcolm and I think that he was part of a community. An upstanding citizen. But his word choice. 'Pulseless non-breathing', 'rovers' instead of radios. 'Last seen wearing'. He's using law enforcement jargon. The Woodsman is likely a cop." I told Sophie and Ainsley.
"It makes sense, honestly. When they found the body of Melanie Stapleton, a critical blood sample went missing and was never found."
"A cop would know the DNA could be matched to them and could conveniently lose the sample before it could be tested." Sophie agreed.
"Uh... Lily? We've got a problem." Ainsley said from behind me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I just checked the news, and it's bad. Look." She handed me her phone.
"I'm putting out an official 'be on the lookout' for Malcolm Bright. He is suspected to be aiding and abetting fugitive Martin Whitly also known as The Surgeon. We believe them to be armed and dangerous. The utmost caution should be utilized." US Marshal Emily Ruiz said on tape.
"She's calling him an accomplice, James!" I yelled into my phone moments later.
"I know. I saw it. I'm handling it." He promised.
"How?' I growled.
"I fired her and am just about to step on stage to fully retract her statements. Lily, I promise you, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure people know he's a victim not an accomplice. David Johnston is here too. Just go out there and find him." James tried to reassure me.
"Okay." I sighed.
"I'm sorry, I just..."
"No, Lily. No need for apologies." He said gently.
"If it were Kim I don't know what I'd do."
I hung up with James feeling good that he and David could fix things in New York.
The closer we got to Maple Mountain the more anxious I became. Like Malcolm I wanted to believe Martin could change but also like Malcolm I had entirely too much experience with serial killers to believe it blindly.
We were roughly four hours into the five hour drive when the com kicked back on.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Martin's voice asked.
"You. Always you." Malcolm answered causing me to sigh.
"Aw, that's nice. I was thinking about peeing. We've been here for hours." Martin complained.
"No. You stay in my sight at all times." Malcolm pushed.
"I have been called a monster more times than I would like, but I draw the line at exposing myself in the front seat of a pickup." Martin argued.
"Fine. Make it quick." Malcolm sighed.
I heard a truck door open and close.
"Malcolm." I said his name gently.
"Lily? Oh thank God! Where did you go?" He exclaimed quietly.
"Aaron said the range on the coms leave a lot to be desired." I explained.
"You're coming then?" He asked.
"Have I ever not?" I responded.
"No. You're always there." He said.
"Then. Now. Forever." I promised.
Then I heard a faint thud on his end.
"Hold on, baby." He muttered before opening and closing the truck door.
"Martin? Martin? Clare?" He called out in a hushed tone.
"Don't move." An unfamiliar male voice said.
"You're under arrest."
"Damn her." I growled.
"What?" Sophie asked.
"They've both been arrested..." I sighed.
"Isn't that good? Ainsley asked.
"It would be if I wasn't almost certain The Woodsman is a cop." I answered.
No one spoke for the next ten minutes or so. Then I heard the distinct sound of a cell door closing.
"What the hell is he doing?" Malcolm muttered.
"We'd all like to know that." I sighed.
I could practically hear him rolling his eyes.
"Probably picking out which seedlings he's gonna plant on our bodies." Martin said.
"This is all wrong. He had us all alone out there with no one around. Why would he bring us back here?" Malcolm complained.
"Uh, just to say it out loud, what if Crutchfield isn't The Woodsman?" Martin asked him.
"Well, then he'd bring us back here because he just made the biggest arrest in the history of Vermont." Malcolm answered.
"That's a low bar, but still. He'd also call it in to Fern. Or, Brooks. Which means..." Martin trailed off.
I heard a door open then I heard what sounded like someone being stabbed.
"Malcolm?" I said his name, urgency coloring my tone.
"The real Woodsman knows we're here." Malcolm said mostly for my benefit.
"Sophie. Lights and siren. Get me there. Now." I instructed.
Finally, we all arrived in Maple Mountain.
"Okay, Dani and JT go through the front with Ainsley. Sophie and I will sneak around the back and see if there's a back door." I instructed.
I nodded at JT before following Sophie out of sight. Even still, as we moved around the building I could hear JT banging on the locked door.
"I know it's a small town but a closed police station?" I muttered to Sophie as we came to a stop at a back door.
"Hold on. Hold on!" A man's voice said from inside.
"Something's not right, Sophie. I can feel it." I mused.
"All right, we just go in. Stick to the shadows for now. Listen for signs of trouble." She nodded.
She tried the back door and surprisingly found it open.
"Morning." The male voice said again.
"Detective Tarmel, NYPD. This is my partner Detective Powell. We have reason to believe this man may be in the area." JT said as we snuck along the wall in the hallway.
Always cutting right to the point.
"The Surgeon? Oh. Only excitement we had around here was your profiler yesterday about The Woodsman." He said as I heard a door open.
I grabbed ahold of Sophie's shoulder and pulled her with me into an adjacent hallway.
A blonde woman in a sheriff's outfit walked out of what must have been her office and didn't even look our way as she walked towards our friends.
"You're Ainsley Whitly. Wow." The man said clearly catching sight of my sister-in-law.
"Morning, Brooks." The woman said.
"Hey, Fern. You seen Crutch? His car's out back, but I can't reach him." Brooks asked.
"He's probably just grabbing breakfast. You know Crutch. Who's this now?" Fern asked.
"Sheriff. We're with NYPD. We think The Surgeon might be hiding in your town, so if someone is missing, it could be bad." JT answered her.
"We're here to help." Dani added.
"Go." Sophie urged.
We moved nearly silently into yet another room.
It looked more like a dungeon than a jailhouse.
I glanced at Sophie and she clearly saw it too.
"I mighty appreciate that. Brooks, call Crutch's landline. I'll drive by his house. And... You folks may want to check the pub." Fern said retreating into her office again.
"What's wrong here?" Dani muttered but I could still hear her.
"The sheriff's scared." JT agreed.
"Yeah, she tried to get rid of us. Coffee's cold. Fresh grounds in the trash can." Dani continued.
"There's the real crime. I mean, the place just opened up, you know, and there's cold coffee?" Ainsley asked.
The office door opened again but Sophie and I had no way to warn them.
"Deputy had tea, but the sheriff drank the coffee without hesitation. She didn't want us to know she pulled an all-nighter." Dani said.
"Doing what?" Ainsley asked.
"Is that blood?" Dani asked.
"Sophie. Go." I urged.
If I wasn't pregnant I'd be the one engaging the sheriff.
"Don't move. Get on the ground. All of you!" Fern ordered.
"Hey, what happened here, Sheriff?" JT asked.
"Get on the ground. I will shoot you!" Fern yelled.
"Don't do anything crazy, okay? I'm a father. All right? I'm a good man. And I am not a threat to you. But you should know..." He continued.
"What?" Fern asked.
"She is."
I heard a body slam into the wall.
"We're good, Lil." Sophie called out to me.
"Thank you. Sheriff Fern Cooley, I'm Dr. Lilian Bright with the FBI. We need to talk." I smirked at her coming around the corner.
"Give me a second." I said hearing the distinct sound of my husband regaining consciousness in my ear.
"Malcolm? Baby, any clues you can give me. We just confronted Sheriff Cooley." I told him.
"So this is where he'll do it?" Malcolm asked his father.
"Yep. His special spot. Where he's in control. I don't think this ends well for you and me, bud." Martin answered.
"You're scared." Malcolm said.
"Yes. Yes, I am." Martin answered.
"You're strong, Malcolm. You're smart. You keep yourself alive. We're coming to get you baby." I offered.
"Fern, there's no way you did this on your own." JT said as I walked into the office.
"Who's the real Woodsman, and why did you help him?" Dani pushed.
"It's your husband, isn't it?" I asked drawing her attention to me.
I heard a door open.
"Did you bring the egg salad, Don?" Malcolm asked.
"Don Cooley, right?" I pushed.
"You know him?" Martin's voice asked.
"Sheriff Cooley's husband. Predatory psychopath married an emotionally compromised enabler. With access. She protected you from the inside." Malcolm answered.
Ainsley chuckled softly drawing Fern's attention.
"You read my letters so you know what comes next." A deep man's voice said causing my heart to tighten.
"Sheriff Cooley, you don't know me, but my father is Martin Whitly." My sister-in-law chuckled softly again.
"Hey, look, Donny-boy. Uh, killer to killer, you know, we can skip this part. You know, it's pedantic and frankly it's a waste..." Martin started.
I forced myself not to flinch at the sound of fist hitting flesh.
"Killer to killer, you haven't been in my league in decades. Now." Don said.
Then a pause and the scraping of metal.
"Growing up... I always knew that I was half darkness, like my dad. But I also knew... I was half my mother. Good... kind... brave." Ainsley mused.
"Let's start with... The Surgeon." Don said sinisterly.
"How'd it happen, Don? Did Fern find out what you are too late?" Malcolm asked pulling his attention from his father.
"Your daughters won't be able to say that." Ainsley looked right at her.
"Did you hurt her?" Malcolm asked again when only the sound of metallic tapping answered him.
"For them, it will be all darkness." Ainsley continued.
"Or did she find you? Is she really the one who's in charge?" Malcolm pushed.
"But you can still redeem yourself." Ains offered.
"Her? Never. This is all me." Don answered Malcolm finally.
"All you have to do is tell us." She pushed gently.
"Nothing like a misogynist who needs a woman to get the job done." Malcolm shot at Don.
"Where is The Woodsman?" I finally cut in.
My heart raced as I heard a series of grunts over the com.
"There's a cabin off Highway 3." Fern finally answered.
"No!" Malcolm exclaimed.
"Don't worry. I won't hurt him. That would be wrong." Martin answered.
I sighed relieved.
"How far?" I asked.
"An hour up into the mountain." She answered.
"JT? Are you alright with staying here with her until the other's arrive?" I asked forcing myself to calm my heart rate for the sake of our child.
"Of course. Go bring him home. I never thought I'd say this, Lily, but I like the guy." He nodded at me.
"You make sure you yell him that." I smirked at him.
"Not a chance." He teased.
Sophie and I took my car while Dani and Ainsley took hers.
"Jeannie doesn't have long. We need Don to think we'll hurt him." Malcolm sighed.
"That won't work, son. Violence is his specialty. He'll see through it." Martin's response confused me.
"Fine. I know what to do." Malcolm's voice rang with conviction.
"No, no, no. He'll see through you, too."
Then it clicked. I knew exactly what he was doing.
"Malcolm? Malcolm, can you hear me?" I asked but he didn't answer.
"Damn these fucking things!" I yelled at no one.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Sophie asked.
"I can hear them but he can't hear me." I sighed.
"Then you have to do it. He wants your approval. You can break him." Malcolm sighed.
I could hear the confliction in his voice.
"I can't. Not anymore. I'm sorry." Martin continued goading him.
"Okay, new deal. You can hurt one person. Him. A serial killer. There's no other way." Malcolm compromised.
"Well, there is another way. It's hard, it's awful. And an innocent woman has to die. But at least I'll have proved something. I'm not the man I used to be."
I wanted to scream just listening to the manipulation going on in my ear.
"I realize you've changed. Okay? I get it. But right now... I need you to hurt this person. I can't let Jeannie die. Please. I'm asking as your son." Malcolm begged.
"Okay." Martin 'conceded'.
"Lily? We're going to make it." Sophie promised.
"He hasn't changed. I mean, I knew it but to hear him manipulating him like this. He's going to throw it back at him when he realizes we're here. I just know it. This is how he's torn him down for years." I ranted.
"He's going to be okay, Lily. He's got all of us. He's got you. The baby..." Sophie tried to soothe me.
She couldn't hear Don's screams in the background of the com in my ear.
Finally, a door opened.
"It's okay. Your plan worked. The child's close by." Martin's voice said.
Further implanting in Malcolm's mind that Martin's torture of Don was his idea.
"What about Don? Is he..." Malcolm started.
"Alive? Yeah. But he's not happy about it." Martin chuckled.
"Come on."
"How far, Sophie?" I asked.
"Ten minutes." She said.
"We may not have ten minutes." I sighed.
We pulled up outside the cabin in eight minutes.
"She has to be here." Malcolm said almost frantically.
"Dani, Sophie. Check the cabin. Martin said he was alive." I instructed.
"This is it." Martin said then.
"Jeannie? You're safe." Malcolm said.
"Lily?" Sophie called my name.
I turned to look at her and she shook her head.
My heart sank as I nodded once.
"Here you go, put this over you. You're in shock. The bad man is gone now. You'll be safe with us." Martin said.
"Lily?" Malcolm said my name.
"I'm here, baby. Can you hear me?" I answered.
"What are you doing? My boy... we saved her. Let's stick to the plan. Can we... can we talk?" Martin argued.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"We're 200 yards from a hunting cabin off Highway 3. I don't see any..." He started but trailed off.
"Dr. Whitly?!" He called.
"Sophie! Can Aaron track Malcolm's com now that we're close?" I asked.
"I'm calling now." She called back to me.
"Malcolm, be careful, you hear me?" I told him.
"What's going on?" Ainsley asked.
"East 200 yards, moving away!" Sophie called to me.
I didn't even pause to consider anything. I just ran. I knew both Dani and Sophie could keep up with me. Ainsley would catch up if she couldn't.
"Malcolm!" I called out for him.
"Bright!" Dani called.
"Malcolm!" Ainsley called from closer behind me than I'd thought she'd be.
"Bright!" Sophie called as well.
"Malcolm!" I called again as we came upon a small clearing.
"Jeannie Larkin!" Dani called out catching sight of her.
"I'm Jeannie Larkin." She said standing up.
She looked absolutely terrified but fairly unharmed.
"Hey, hey, where are the men who found you?" I asked as gently as I could.
"Uh, the older one just ran. The other one went after him." She shook her head.
"Can you tell me which way?" I asked.
"Uh... that way." She said pointing north.
"Are you sure?" Sophie asked.
"Yeah, yeah." She nodded.
"Dani, Ainsley. Stay here with Jeannie. Sophie with me." I said not waiting for a response.
"Lily. Lily! Slow down." She called after me.
Reluctantly, I complied.
"The Surgeon's running out of moves. They both are." I sighed when she caught up to me.
"I don't understand." She breathed.
"Malcolm wants us to find him but he doesn't want Martin to get away. For him to be out there, free... with the things I understand now..." My hands shook as hard as my voice did.
"Okay. Okay, Lily. Which way?" She asked.
I took a deep breath and looked at the vegetation around us.
"This way. They broke the branches running through here." I answered.
"Let's go."
"Dr. Whitly!" Malcolm called out over the com.
We still weren't close enough to hear him otherwise.
"I did everything! I shared the letters. I saved Jeannie. I was done being that man! But you just couldn't believe it, could you? So you made me become him again. You ruined every..." Martin shouted at him.
I knew this would happen. Martin needed Malcolm to believe he was a fault.
"That's not how psychopathy works. It's who you are." Malcolm told him
"No, you tricked me. You asked me to help. I was trying to be a good father, you...!"
I could hear Martin's frustration but I knew the real reason behind it.
"You don't belong out here. This world... ...isn't for you." Malcolm said.
"Dad!" Malcolm called out.
This time both Sophie and I heard him.
"This way." I said rushing towards the sound of his voice.
"Listen to me. I'm trying to save you." Malcolm pleaded.
"I was a good father. But you... ...you were never a good son." Martin's voice changed.
He realized that Malcolm was never going to believe that he was at fault for his father's actions that day.
"You're going to kill me. Ten seconds ago, that's when you decided." Malcolm almost whispered.
"There's no other way." Martin said.
I broke through the clearing in time to watch Martin lunge at Malcolm.
"No!" I screamed out.
Malcolm grabbed his father's hand with the knife, turning it around to stab him in the stomach.
Martin gasped as the knife entered his body.
"Yes, there is." Malcolm whispered.
Martin stepped back causing the knife to slide out of the wound as Malcolm held it in his hand.
He groaned and gasped as he fell to his knees. Then he looked up at Malcolm.
"I was right. We are the same." Martin chuckled.
I watched Malcolm's heart shatter again.
"Malcolm!" I called out his name, rushing towards him.
"Malcolm, baby, give me the knife." I urged.
He looked up at me.
"Lily?" He said my name.
"It's okay, baby. Just give me the knife." I urged again.
He looked down at the knife in his hand. He turned it slowly and handed it to me by the handle.
"I'm so sorry, Lily." He whispered.
"No, baby. No. It's okay." I said passing the knife off to Sophie behind me.
I stepped forward and took him into my arms.
As soon as I wrapped my arms around him he collapsed to his knees pulling me with him.
It occurred to me in that moment that this was the first time Sophie and Martin had been in the same vicinity since she was to be his victim.
"Sophie." I said her name simply.
"I know it's hard but everyone else is too far away." I urged as gently as I could.
"I can't." Her voice shook.
"All I need you to do is put pressure on the wound, okay? Nothing else." I promised.
"Okay. Okay." She nodded and swallowed hard.
She took off her jacket and pressed the fabric firmly to the wound.
Martin screamed out in pain.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Malcolm muttered his voice shaking.
I knew exactly what was happening. If I didn't act fast he'd go catatonic.
"Malcolm? Malcolm, baby." I said his name.
"Malcolm! Look at me." I nearly begged.
"Malcolm, don't do this. I need you. We need you. Malcolm, our daughter needs you!"
Finally, he looked up at me.
"Daughter?" He said.
"Yeah. Our daughter."