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Her stomach gnawed with anxiety at the thought. She had loved her father until the very end... the thought that he'd been lying to her all those years made her heart ache.
But it was just a dream. As real and disturbing as it was, it was just a dream.
As Morgan began to tether herself back to reality, she reminded herself that what wasn't a dream was the reality that two elderly women had been murdered so far, and she was no closer to finding their killer.
She hadn't learned much about Tom Orchard last night, but something gnawed at her gut, telling her that she was missing something crucial.
She had to do better today.
As she waited for the coffee, she rummaged through the fridge for something to eat. Orchard's a dead end so far, she thought, her frustration simmering just below the surface. I need to find another angle. There has to be a connection I'm not seeing.
Morgan cracked an egg into the sizzling pan, her mind still reeling from the vivid nightmare. Her hand trembled slightly as she seasoned the eggs with salt and pepper.
Just as she was about to take the pan off the heat, her phone rang, interrupting the broadcast. The caller ID showed Derik's name. Her heart clenched, remembering how he had seemingly betrayed her trust earlier. She answered the call, her voice icy.
"Derik. What do you want?"
"Hey, you’re up. Get down to HQ right now. We've got something you need to see," Derik replied, his tone urgent.
Morgan hesitated, torn between her anger at Derik and her determination to solve the case. In the end, her duty won out. With a curt nod, she agreed. "Fine. I'll be there."
"Make it quick," Derik said before hanging up.
Gritting her teeth, Morgan quickly finished her breakfast, resentment simmering beneath her exhaustion. She couldn't believe Derik had the gall to order her around after what he'd done. But she couldn't let her personal feelings distract her from the task at hand.
Sliding into her car, she sped towards the FBI headquarters, the pre-dawn darkness swallowing the city streets. As she parked and strode through the echoing hallways, she mentally prepared herself for another confrontation with Derik.
***
The briefing room door swung open, revealing Derik standing beside a table. On it lay a sealed envelope, its edges crisp and sharp. Morgan's eyes narrowed, immediately suspicious. "What is it?"
"Found this on my desk when I got here," Derik said, his expression unreadable. "It's addressed to both of us—Agents Cross and Greene."
Morgan studied the envelope, her instincts on high alert. The fact that it was addressed to them both felt like a deliberate message from someone who knew about their investigation. But what could it mean?
"Derik, have you opened it yet?" Morgan asked, her voice tight with impatience. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this envelope held something significant, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it might be.
"No," Derik replied, his eyes locked on the object in question. "I thought it was best if you opened it yourself." He pointed to a distinct bulge at the bottom of the envelope. "There's something small inside, and I didn't want to risk damaging it."
"Fine," Morgan said, donning a pair of latex gloves. As she picked up the envelope, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Whatever was inside, it had been deliberately sent to them, and that alone was enough to set her on edge.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she carefully tore open the seal. She slid out a page from a telephone book, surprised by the seemingly innocuous contents. But as she tilted the envelope further, her breath caught in her throat, and she jolted back as two human teeth tumbled onto the table with a sickening clatter.
"Derik, get a forensic tech down here ASAP," Morgan ordered, her voice sharp with urgency. "We need to get these into evidence before they're contaminated. There could be DNA on here to show us who these teeth belong to."
"Right away," Derik responded, already turning towards the door. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Morgan with concern etched on his face. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine," she snapped, her anger momentarily overpowering her unease.
Morgan's heart raced as she stared at the two teeth lying on the table. Their unnerving presence was a clear message that the killer knew exactly who was on their tail. Her hands trembled ever so slightly, but she clenched her jaw and fought to regain her composure. It wasn't just her reputation on the line anymore - it was her life.
"Think, Morgan, think," she muttered to herself, forcing her mind to sharpen. There had to be something they'd missed, some connection between the victims that would lead them straight to the person responsible for this twisted game. She felt like a spider caught in its own web, struggling to break free as the hunter closed in.
Derik burst back into the room, a team of forensic technicians and other agents in tow. "Alright, everyone," Derik commanded, his voice echoing through the crowded room. "We need to track down every number on this page and find out what they have in common. We need to find a connection."
Morgan stepped forward, shaking her head. "No, that'll take too long. We need to narrow it down. Let's focus on women over sixty, living alone or widowed. That's our killer's MO."
"Right," Derik said, nodding in agreement.
