Understanding A Killer

Truth

"All right. I'll tell you."

"Some truth, at last." - Will leaned into a table, suggesting Eliana to continue.

"Umm... Remember how you asked me if I'm an artist?" - She paced the room, avoiding eye contact.

"Yes. You told me you did music." - Will continued to observe her every move.

"Well, back in high school, I was a violinist. A pretty good one, actually. In fact... Some even called me a prodigy." - She spoke hesitantly, "So, at 17, I got this big solo in my hometown orchestra. The first performance went good... Perfect almost. It was really looking good for me. But... The next morning... I woke up to..." - She stopped, gripping her shirt anxiously.

"To what?" - Will frowned.

"I had a friend... A best friend, who played with me in the orchestra. Her name was Rosie, and she played the second violin. I had never been so close to a person in my entire life." - Eliana kept her gaze on the floor, "And that night... Someone killed her. And left me just her heart. In a box...On my desk."

Will took a step closer to her, "Was the killer caught?" - He spoke softly.

"No. There was no evidence. Nothing." - Eliana shook her head, "But some theorized... it was the Chesapeake Ripper."

"The Ripper was active at the time. It would also be inside his range of activity." - Will observed, "Cutting out a heart would also require surgical skill, which he certainly possessed..."

"Yes. But in the end the murder was never contributed to him..."

"And, and the reason for that is... It was extremely personal. The Ripper's murders were never personal." - Will was now standing very close to Eliana, making her look up at him, "This murder, however, was adressed to explicitly to you, Eliana. To cut out a heart and leave it on someone's desk sends a clear message. He knew you... And most certainly liked you."

"And that is why I moved away, changed my name... I had no idea who the killer was or what he wanted from me."

"So, you ran?"

"Y-yes, because what if he hurt someone else close to me..."

"But you did not join the FBI to hide. You joined so you could find him, didn't you?"

Eliana took a step back, subconsciously trying to escape, "H-he has to be caught. I think I should be the one to do it." - She tried a desperate lie one last time.

"Caught? You came here to catch him?" - Will let out a sour laugh, taking a few more steps forward, "No, I don't think that's your plan. Your plan is to kill him."

Eliana stayed silent as he now had her pinned against the wall. He stood so close his warm breath touched her face which made her heart jump frantically. She knew all too well that it doesn't matter what she says, Will already figured it out.

*Knock knock* - The sound coming from the door interrupted.

"Guess you were able to escape for now." - Will noted sarcastically, walking towards the door.

"You two, where did you go?" - Beverly questioned, not really expecting an anwser, "Come on. We need you in the main room."

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Jack had this brilliant (and extremely dangerous) idea which could seriously piss off the Chesepeke Ripper, if he was still outside. They had Freddie Lounds confirm Gideon as the Ripper, so the real Ripper would have to reclaim his name. Not long after the article got published, another phone call with the same message was directed to Jack. It was the same begging voice of Jack's former trainee Miriam Lass. This time, the call was traced back to Jack's own bedroom, and his room was covered in Miriam's fingerprints.

By tracing the phone number back to an old observatory, Jack's faint hope of seeing his trainee alive was shattered. Instead of Miriam, only her severed arm was found, bearing a mocking message from the killer. The fields surrounding the observatory were now covered in police tapes and siren sounds.

Eliana, who arrived earlier, was leaning against a car that was parked a bit further from the observatory. Soon she was greeted by Will who had just got out from witnessing the scene. An unfamiliar fury seeped through her eyes as she tried to cover it up with indifference. Will stood beside her, waiting for her to speak first.

"Nothing to see, really." - She stated with a blank expression.

"Except the fact that the Chesepeke Ripper is officially active again." - Will added.

"Active or not... You wanted to know the truth." - She turned to face him.

"So, tell me." - He crossed his arms, "Without lying."

"So, whoever it is that killed Rosie, be it the Ripper or someone entirely different, I am going to find him." - She clenched her fists, taking a deep breath before continuing, "And... I am going to kill him. With my own two hands. So, go tell Jack if you want. Or report me to the higher-ups. No matter what you do with this information, I am not going to stop."

"I figured." - His face darkened in what seemed like disappointment, "You don't want me to be a killer, but you're so comfortable being one yourself?"

"To kill a killer, is that so wrong?" - She raised her voice.

"No." - He shook his head, "But there's more to it, isn't it? You want to kill him because you don't want to kill him. You need to prove to yourself that you're capable of hate. If you can't hate him enough to kill him, then you're really messed up. That's what you think, at least."

"He killed the only person who ever truly knew me. He packed her heart in a box and put a ribbon on it. How could I NOT hate him?" - Eliana now practically begged with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know." - Will pulled her in a soft hug, stroking her back. She could feel her body relax at the gentle touch but her heart rate going up as it rang in her ears, "But you don't. And that's what I like about you."