#rulebent

         HE’S STUMPED.      not  in  the  way  that  poses  a  fun  deduction  of  answers  and  possibilities  that  originally  brought  him  into  the  field,    but  frustration.      he’s  been  working  on  this  case  for  weeks,    and  it’s  not  often  that  he  sees  a  face  in  the  shadows  everywhere  he  stops  for  a  lead.      originally,    he  began  to  suspect  the  disappearing  enigma  as  the  culprit  for  the  bombing  that’s  been  hitting  headlines  as  a  possible  terrorist  attack  that  left  the  police  stumped.      but  after  gathering  information  on  the  girl,    he  found  nothing  but  files  on  how  she  was  the  typical  rich  girl  from  a  rich  family  in  the  united  kingdom    ―    his  suspicions  still  remained,    but  the  motive  remained  unsolved.

         imagine  his  satisfaction  when  he  arrived  at  his  new  lead,    ways  away  from  the  actual  crime,    and  sees  none  other  but    her    walking  in  the  opposite  direction  from  where  he’s  arriving.      (    it  might  be  off  -  book  to  approach  her,    but  he  rationalizes  it  by  telling  himself  that  there  is  reasonable  suspicion  that  she  is  the  unsub  behind  this,    even  if  that  may  not  entirely  be  true.    )      he  breaks  away  from  his  team,    his  first  mistake,    as  he  follows  her  behind  the  building,    aiming  to  let  his  steps  fall  faster  to  casually  catch  up.        ❝    excuse  me.    ❞        he  announces  his  presence  first,    one  hand  on  the  gun  in  the  holster  on  his  hip  and  the  other  holding  up  his  badge.      as  long  as  he    sounds    confident,    it’s  all  he  could  ask  for.      ❝    fbi.      can  you  tell  me  what  you’re  doing  here,    intruding  on  this,    AND MANY OTHER,    federal  investigations?    ❞

i should have killed joe goldberg.    i should have killed him long before the dinner we had tonight,   long before I had started planting wolf’s bane in the confines of my secret garden.    long before I had fallen in love with a man who had done nothing but   lie,   lie   and   lie.    dottie’s voice rang loud between my ears,   chiding me for trusting a man so wholeheartedly,   so rawly.    just look at your dad,   she would tell me over a glass of wine and after her last botox appointment.   they’re all like him,   lovebird,  all of them.   i was too young to understand my mother at seventeen,   and even in my thirties i had dismissed her as jaded and bitter.    as much as I hated to admit it,   my mother knew best.    men were not to be trusted and i,   a bumbling idiot,   just like all women head over heels in love,   had trusted the worst sort of man.    basic,   vulnerable,    love.    spare me from my own misery,   court.

courtney,   my half sister,   was not a man.    thus,    logically,   courtney could be trusted.    flawed in its approach,   i’m aware,   but my brain could only handle so much complexity when i had just been dragged out from the depths of my burning house.    dragged out by my half,   no scratch that,   my sister.    my third twin.    would forty have rushed into a cloud of smoke to save me ?     i dreaded the answer to the question so i ignored it and wrapped the cashmere shawl around my shoulders tighter.    my mind was still spinning when the clink of a glass set on the coffee table caught my attention.    ❝   thank you,   ❞    i managed to croak as shaky fingers clutched the drink to my chest.    i downed the ice cold water in seconds but my skin still felt flushed.    it was as if I could still feel the tendrils of flames licking up my arms and legs.    ❝   not just for the water,   ❞    i continued with a hand outstretched to gently rest on her forearm.    ❝   but for saving my life.   ❞   a laugh bubbled up in the back of my throat and i leaned my head against the back of her couch to stare up at the eggshell white ceiling.   ❝   if forty were here,   he’d say   i told you so.    he warned me about joe,   he tried   so hard   to warn me about joe.   ❞    even moments before death he had tried to save me.    so where was he now when i needed him the most ?    but now I had courtney,   a splitting image of quinn blood with her brown hair and sea blue eyes.    and for a brief moment i felt a moment of relief.