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"Are you really going to stand in front of me and try to excuse the fact that you murdered all these innocent women in cold-blood?" Brook remained behind her desk, deciding it would be best to have something of substance between them. She'd be able to draw her weapon before he ever reached her. "Everyone has regrets in their lives, Mason. We've all done bad things, but you aren't God's vengeance. You used an excuse for your sick predilection to kill, and you've somehow convinced yourself that it's for the greater good. Melanie Harlock, Lori Snyder, Christen Brooks, Tanya Russell, April Chartier, Kelsey Elliott, and Jenna Spencer did not deserve to die for your idea of the greater good. You decided to callously take their lives because you enjoyed watching them die. You extended the emotional high of your kills by framing men who had done nothing to deserve the punishment for your evil deeds. You made them fit into your insane vision of justice. On top of that, you took great pleasure in witnessing both sides of their families grieve. You are no better than Jacob Walsh."
Brook couldn't have timed the end of her speech better. She heard muffled shouting coming from the outer foyer, as well as having caught sight of a shadow out near the hallway. Mason Cooper was about to be held accountable for his actions, and Graham was finally going to receive a bit of justice of his own.
"Do you think having men like Derek Tonkel or Leslie Snyder out in the world make it better?" Mason asked quietly, as if he had all the time in the world. Brook cautiously monitored his hands as he pulled out a switchblade, which he opened with practiced ease. He made no move to come toward her, though. "Nick Dorn was a means to an end. He isn't like the others. Those men deserve everything that they've gotten, and then some. The things that I discovered about Leslie made him a prime target for me a very long time ago. You're right about things unraveling for me, Brook. This moment came way too fast for my liking, and I made mistakes along the way. Obvious mistakes, now that I think back. You should know this, though—I chose both of them for very valid reasons. I hope the world one day realizes what I've done for our society."
Brook realized his intentions a bit too late.
"No!"
She left her weapon in her holster as she rushed around the desk to stop him, but he'd already plunged the blade of the knife deep into his own neck, severing the jugular before she could stop him. The gurgling blood pooling in his throat replaced the faint sounds of law enforcement officers gaining entrance after Bit had presumably unlocked the doors for them.
"Stay with me," Brook urged, quickly taking off her scarf and pressing it firmly against his wound as he all but collapsed to the floor. Blood was pouring out everywhere, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that he would die with the next few seconds. Still, she instinctively tried everything to keep him alive. "Get me a paramedic! Call for an ambulance."
Mason's brown eyes weren't filled with fear. If anything, there seemed to be a hint of satisfaction in them. He'd taken with him answers that some families would forever long for, and yet other families would take great pleasure in the manner of his death.
"Where is he?" Brook asked, shifting so that she could put more pressure on his wound. Her hands were now covered in blood and her scarf seemed unable to absorb another ounce. "Mason, where is Nick Dorn?"
Brook would have taken anything—lip movement, a hand gesture, anything. The anguish she experienced was overwhelming, and already the doubts over how she could have handled this delicate situation went through her head a thousand different ways. She'd known that he wasn't likely to cut his losses and run. She'd known from the very beginning that his pride would be his downfall, yet she'd thought she had more time.
Unfortunately, Mason Cooper was already gone.
"...contain the area. Also, call in the coroner. Ma'am? I'm going to need you to..."
Brook was well aware what the police needed her to do, so she slowly released the pressure on the scarf, dropping her hands. She was already on the floor, and she didn't have the strength to stand just yet. Her adrenaline was still pumping, and her brain had yet to accept the failure in front of her. Dr. Swift's breathing exercises came to mind as she was finally able to lean against the glass windowpane close behind her.
In.
One, two, three, four.
Out.
One, two, three, four.
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to give up her therapy sessions.
"...oh, fuck. Wait," Bit tried to explain quickly as an officer attempted to push him out of the doorway. "I work here. I'm..."
Brook recognized Bit's voice, but she was still too focused on Mason Cooper's lifeless body. Pieces of their conversation began to swirl in her mind now that she'd slowed down her heart rate.
Mason had said that Nick wasn't one ofthem.
"Ma'am? I need to know if any of that blood is yours," an officer asked gently as he leaned down to address her. "Are you hurt? Do you need—"
"I'm armed," Brook stated after clearing her throat. She didn't want there to be any misunderstandings. "Right hip. And no, I'm not hurt. Could you locate NCIS SAIC Agent Ento or Agent Ingram, please? There was an APB put out on Nick Dorn, a military lawyer. I believe that I know where he is, and we need to send units to..."
Brook gave the name of the hotel that Nick Dorn had been staying at, along with information that Nick Dorn was somewhere on the property. Mason wouldn't have had the time or the means to try get Nick out of the hotel without someone noticing something amiss.
Mason hadn't wanted to punish Nick.
Mason had only needed a scapegoat to prolong his plan.
By the time that Brook finished giving the information to the officer, she was unable to stand without the officer's assistance. The blood was incredibly slick. Once the patrolman had managed to help her in an upright position, she didn't even bother glancing down at Mason's body. He wasn't worth the time, and she could see through the window partition between her office and the reception area that Sylvie and Bit were waiting for her.
So was Graham and Daniel Snyder, though they were being detained near the elevator banks.
"NCIS Agent Ento is on his way up," the officer said as he motioned toward another officer at the door that she be allowed to pass. "Let her clean up. She's not injured, and we witnessed the male subject take his own life. Once we establish whose crime scene this is, she can then give her statement to..."
Brook let the officers engage in their game of jurisdiction, knowing full well that Adrian would be taking over the scene. As a matter of fact, he'd already walked off the elevator and was about to enter through the main doors, where one of them was being held open by an officer.
