believe that any of you know anything about the killings other than what you’ve learned here tonight. Do you all agree?”
A number of heads nodded. Before saying goodbye, I offered everyone a final word of advice. It was something they heard just moments before, yet somehow I hoped it would carry more weight coming from me. “Folks, as a wise person once said, know your foe as you know your friend. I think that’s good advice.”
Lilith smiled at me. I glanced back before leaving the room and returned the smile; though admittedly still uncertain which one was she, friend or foe.
Shortly after I left, Valerie also vacated the building. Gordon and Doctor Lieberman left not long after. Jean, Lilith and the twins followed respectively. I know that because my officer kept a vigil out in the parking lot, dividing his attention between listening to the police radio and watching the fight on his portable TV. As the members left the building, he made notes of their departures and wrote down the license plate numbers of the vehicles as they pulled away.
Michael and Chris stayed behind, according to Michael, to discuss the evening’s astounding turn of events. Their views differed concerning the possibility that the killer could be one of their own. Michael supported the theory; Chris did not. Their debate grew lively at times, with Michael banging his fist on the table to drive his point home. Chris countered with statistics and probabilities, accompanied by hand gestures and more table thumping. In the end, the only thing both agreed on was that they could agree on nothing at all.
In the wake of silence, Chris walked to the window, pulled the blinds back and made mention of the patrol car parked outside. “My, God,” he uttered. He turned and checked the wall clock over the door. “Look at that. It’s after midnight. Everyone else is gone. We’re the only ones in the building.”
“ Damn,” said Michael. “I didn’t realize how late it was. This isn’t a good place to be this time of night.”
“ Not unless you have some extra body parts you don’t need. C’mon, let’s go.”
Michael grabbed his coat, “Don’t need to tell me twice,” he said.
The two stampeded across the hall and down the steps. Stopping at the door, Chris said, “Man, you know what?”
“ What?”
“ I really need to call home and let my family know I’m on my way. Can I use your phone?”
“ Don’t have it. Where’s yours?”
“ I left it at home on the charger.”
“ So you don’t call.”
“ No, I have to. I’ve got almost an hour drive. They’ll worry themselves sick over me.”
“ There’s a phone in the back lobby. You can use that one.”
Chris looked past his shoulder into the darkened hall beyond the stairs. “I guess. You gonna wait for me?”
Michael checked his watch. “I don’t know. It is getting late.”
“ Okay. Forget it. Go on, I’ll be all right.”
“ Yeah?”
“ Sure, you go.”
“ Okay. Listen. Marcella’s guy is still out there in the cruiser. You should be…I mean you will be fine.”
“ I know,” Chris nodded toward the door. “Now go. I’ll see you at the next workshop.”
“ You got it then. Take care.”
The two shook hands. Michael turned, pushed the door open, stepped outside and sprinted off. Chris watched his fading silhouette disappear into the night, swallowed by whisks of milky-white fog and echoes of moon-cast shadows. He doubled back and followed the darkened hallway to the far end of the complex. There, in the back lobby on a reception desk, he found a phone. He called his mother and told her he would be home soon; that she shouldn’t wait up. And then he told her he loved her. She asked him to hurry. He said he would—promised, and hung up.
What happened next is mostly speculation on my part, fueled by information from a source I shall tell you about later.
Back at the front door, Chris took one last look outside. Fog had rolled in much thicker
A number of heads nodded. Before saying goodbye, I offered everyone a final word of advice. It was something they heard just moments before, yet somehow I hoped it would carry more weight coming from me. “Folks, as a wise person once said, know your foe as you know your friend. I think that’s good advice.”
Lilith smiled at me. I glanced back before leaving the room and returned the smile; though admittedly still uncertain which one was she, friend or foe.
Shortly after I left, Valerie also vacated the building. Gordon and Doctor Lieberman left not long after. Jean, Lilith and the twins followed respectively. I know that because my officer kept a vigil out in the parking lot, dividing his attention between listening to the police radio and watching the fight on his portable TV. As the members left the building, he made notes of their departures and wrote down the license plate numbers of the vehicles as they pulled away.
Michael and Chris stayed behind, according to Michael, to discuss the evening’s astounding turn of events. Their views differed concerning the possibility that the killer could be one of their own. Michael supported the theory; Chris did not. Their debate grew lively at times, with Michael banging his fist on the table to drive his point home. Chris countered with statistics and probabilities, accompanied by hand gestures and more table thumping. In the end, the only thing both agreed on was that they could agree on nothing at all.
In the wake of silence, Chris walked to the window, pulled the blinds back and made mention of the patrol car parked outside. “My, God,” he uttered. He turned and checked the wall clock over the door. “Look at that. It’s after midnight. Everyone else is gone. We’re the only ones in the building.”
“ Damn,” said Michael. “I didn’t realize how late it was. This isn’t a good place to be this time of night.”
“ Not unless you have some extra body parts you don’t need. C’mon, let’s go.”
Michael grabbed his coat, “Don’t need to tell me twice,” he said.
The two stampeded across the hall and down the steps. Stopping at the door, Chris said, “Man, you know what?”
“ What?”
“ I really need to call home and let my family know I’m on my way. Can I use your phone?”
“ Don’t have it. Where’s yours?”
“ I left it at home on the charger.”
“ So you don’t call.”
“ No, I have to. I’ve got almost an hour drive. They’ll worry themselves sick over me.”
“ There’s a phone in the back lobby. You can use that one.”
Chris looked past his shoulder into the darkened hall beyond the stairs. “I guess. You gonna wait for me?”
Michael checked his watch. “I don’t know. It is getting late.”
“ Okay. Forget it. Go on, I’ll be all right.”
“ Yeah?”
“ Sure, you go.”
“ Okay. Listen. Marcella’s guy is still out there in the cruiser. You should be…I mean you will be fine.”
“ I know,” Chris nodded toward the door. “Now go. I’ll see you at the next workshop.”
“ You got it then. Take care.”
The two shook hands. Michael turned, pushed the door open, stepped outside and sprinted off. Chris watched his fading silhouette disappear into the night, swallowed by whisks of milky-white fog and echoes of moon-cast shadows. He doubled back and followed the darkened hallway to the far end of the complex. There, in the back lobby on a reception desk, he found a phone. He called his mother and told her he would be home soon; that she shouldn’t wait up. And then he told her he loved her. She asked him to hurry. He said he would—promised, and hung up.
What happened next is mostly speculation on my part, fueled by information from a source I shall tell you about later.
Back at the front door, Chris took one last look outside. Fog had rolled in much thicker
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