Lurking in the Dark

Chapter Four

Bryan Garret

Gator, the vampire agent, retreated to the attic while the rest of us spent the morning going over case notes and reports. The clock on the manual struck noon. I saw Emre look at the clock and toss the folder she had been looking through onto the coffee table. We all looked at her when she stood, clearing her throat. “I have an appointment w…” She cleared her throat again. “I have an appointment. I'll grab some Chinese on the way back.” We nodded in agreement as she left the room. No one said anything as her keys giggled a moment before the door opened and closed. The room was still silent when her car started up and backed out the driveway. Agent Ramiro peeked out the blinds,

“She's gone.” Agent McCollum released a heavy breath and stood. 

“I feel awful for doing this.” He said, walking over to a black bag that sat near the wall. He pulled a red folder from it and sat it on the coffee table between Calub and I. “My Director left it up to me to let Emre on this case. Personally, I was on the fence given what she had been through, but I knew it'd be a fight if we were here helping on a case and not letting her in.” I chuckled to myself. I may not have known Emre well, but even I could see that she was on the stubborn side. “As such, I think it's only fair that everyone working with her knows exactly what happened.” 

A lump suddenly formed in my throat as I looked at the red folder again. It was Emre’s file. The file contained every report, every detail of what happened before, after, and while she was with the Butcher. My fingers burned. Part of me wanted to know, but another was screaming, No. It felt wrong, and I wouldn't want someone going through my file. As if reading my mind, Agent McCollum spoke up again, “I know it doesn't feel right, but everyone working with her needs to know. This is her first case after serious trauma. It could bring up emotions she thought she put to bed a long time ago, and those emotions could cause her to do things she wouldn't normally do. I need all eyes on her.” 

There was a silent plea in his eyes, and I realized the other reason. It wasn't just her that had gone through trauma. Hers, of course, was the worst, but her team had almost lost her. I knew as the leader, McCollum felt solely responsible. Damage had been done to one of his, and he couldn't fix it. He knew in this line of work that things happened that couldn't be stopped, but he was gonna try his damn hardest so it didn't happen again. I let out a silent breath and nodded. Calub flipped the folder open. The first thing my eyes landed on was a photo. The lump in my throat grew. Had I not already known this was Emre, I wouldn’t have known the woman lying in a hospital bed. She was completely unrecognizable. Her face was one big bruise, her left eye swollen shut. The clothes she wore were ripped and stained with blood and dirt. The arm that suffered a dislocated shoulder was tightly tied to her body with immobilizing straps, and her broken leg had been straightened and placed in a splint.

 I swallowed hard, moving the photo aside. A medical report supported with pictures of all her injuries. Cuts and bruising covered most of her body, four broken ribs, and a face fracture that had to be surgically put back together. I looked closely at a wound on her collarbone. I felt my eyes widen. “He bit her?” I more felt than saw McCollum nod his head as I looked at the wolf size bite mark. I flipped through the file, my stomach twisting and turning. I landed on a note from a therapist. It was dated three months after Emre was sent home,

Patient is extremely paranoid. Nightmares that leave Patient shaking with cold sweats. Extreme PTSD. Unable to return to duty at this time. 

A journal entry from Emre was attached,

He is everywhere. No matter where I go, he will be there. There is no escape, especially when I close my eyes. He will always be there. My blood in his mouth and his red eyes full of delight as I lay dying, unable to save myself.

Another, Can’t sleep. Won't sleep. He is there, behind my eyes.

The journal entries continued on, written on tear stained paper and a shaky hand. I held back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. Calub closed the file, putting his head in his hands. After a moment, he looked up at McCollum, murder in his eyes. “You're sure the son of a bitch is dead?” McCollum was nodding before before he could finish, his eyes glistening. 

“Took the fucker down myself.” 

“Good.” Calub said, clasping hands with him. Not knowing what to say, I just nodded in agreement.

Oliver McCollum
After reading Emre's file, Calub and Detective Garrett stepped away. Calub had gone outside, his head in his hands as he sat on the front step, no doubt in an effort to hide whatever tears that had stung his eyes. Detective Garrett leaned on the kitchen counter, his hands gripping the counter top as he glared at it. He wanted to punch something, to rip it apart; a feeling I knew all too well. I sighed, picking the file up and putting it back in the bag.

I looked at Detective Garrett. His chest heaved with a heavy deep breath. He turned, his gaze meeting mine. “I'll look out for her. You have my word.” The determination in his voice matched that in his eyes and I felt myself release a breath that loosened some of the tension in my shoulders. I threw all of the thanks I could muster into one look and nodded before turning back to the evidence borders.