Finder's, Keepers. | Scomiche

Chapter 4

     Mitch stood leaning against the back wall in the conference room surrounded by Scott's team. Most were sat drinking coffees and sharing small talk. He had come straight from work and was still in his uniform. He messed with the buttons on this shirt and lazily looked around the room. The tall blonde man switched on the television and flipped through the channels, stopping on the news and muted it.

     Mitch could feel himself crashing. He had worked close to a nine-hour shift and all he wanted to do was sleep, but the case was going public and Scott insisted he be here to watch and see the information presented. Scott handed the remote to Esther and rounded the table, joining him at the back of the room.

     "Hey, you need coffee or something?" Mitch smiled but shook his head and tugged on his outfit. Scott watched him move uncomfortably. "Let me get you a change of clothes. Come on." Scott dragged him down the hall to the restroom and shoved a pair of sweats and a t-shirt into his arms. He closed the stall door and stripped, thankful to be getting more comfortable. Scott's voice made him jump.

     "The information you are going to learn today is probably going to be quite shocking and I just want you to know that our number one priority is keeping you and Stephanie safe."

     Stephanie? Mitch opened the stall door and dumped his uniform into the bag Scott held open for him.

     "Just, I don't want you to lose your sense of security with us."

     "Stephanie?" His tired mind finally voiced his question.

     "She will be in the conference room. You will be properly introduced on Friday when we brief you on all the details." Mitch nodded, too tired to even think of anything else to ask about. He was dragged back to the room and led to a chair. A brunette made eye contact with him and he smiled politely, assuming it was Stephanie. He plopped down and sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

     He blinked his eyes open when the sound of the TV brought him from sleep and a warm hand landed on his shoulder. He glanced up behind himself and met eyes with a nervous looking Scott sitting on the edge of the table behind him. The hand never left his shoulder as his attention turned to the TV. Mitch could feel everyone's eyes on him.

     "NYPD informed us today of an ongoing case involving twenty-eight individuals. It started with an anonymous tip leading them to an abandoned warehouse near the docks, where they found over one thousand five hundred pictures of these individuals scattered around the room." Mitch's mouth fell open as pictures started flashing on the screen. "The suspect is still at large and NYPD wants everyone to be cautious. Three of these individuals had more pictures than anyone else." Mitch sat up straighter and his heart pounded as his pictures flashed on the screen. "Two of these individuals are accounted for and safe, but if anyone has seen or knows any information on a Katherine Wood or the other individuals you see in these pictures, please contact NYPD at (###)-###-####. This is the biggest serial killer case in over twenty-five years."

     Mitch tuned out any words said after that and just stared at the screen, struggling to absorb the information. Scott wasn't kidding, he was shocked. He felt like he was dreaming, like reality was distorted and he was floating off into space and no matter how hard he tried to get back, there was nothing he could do but let it happen. Every time one of his pictures flashed on the screen he felt like he was looking at someone else. That couldn't possibly be him. Only that kind of stuff happens in TV shows.

     "Mitch." Mitch was shocked back into himself with a rough shake to his shoulder. He glanced around the room. The TV was off, the other chairs were void of the people that previously occupied them, and Kirstin was peeking through the doorway, observing. He looked down at Scott kneeling in front of him. "Are you with me?"