Chapter Text
Revenge is a confession of pain – Latin Proverb
Chapter One : Blood Loss
Malcolm slunk into the bullpen. This day had been a thousand years long and it wasn’t even ten a.m. yet. He’d accepted a breakfast invite from his mother, part of their new weekly regime ever since Vermont. His father hadn’t died. Malcolm was in no way ready to talk about his conflicted feelings about that with anyone. Not Gil, Not Ainsley, Not Mother, Not his therapist and most especially not Dani. He still had no idea if his dad’s survival was a good or bad thing but what it had done was brought the Whitlys back into the fucking spotlight, his exact words to Mom this morning. She’d only arched an eyebrow and said, ‘Normally I’d say no f-bombes at breakfast but you’re absolutely fucking right.’
She’d pushed the latest collection of old fashioned hate mail to him for delivery to Detective Breedlove who had an ironic name for someone who dealt with stalking and harassment cases all day. His mother had already forwarded the emails and recordings she got. They all knew the harassment would continue for a while and die back again once everyone forgot Dr. Martin Whitly had been kidnapped – not escaped, kidnapped, a concession to keep his family safe because surely the public would think the rest of the Whitlys had helped – by his serial killing lover.
Malcolm shuddered at the thought. He had literal nightmares about his mother sleeping with Endicott and his father sleeping with Capshaw. His brain was such a dick and if it offered up a foursome, he might just toss himself out a window. It was bad enough he kept dreaming of dying, remembering the pain in his chest as the air embolism reached his heart, the alarms of the heart monitor shrilling in his dreaming ear.
Until things settled, he’d agreed to Monday breakfasts with Mother to gather up a week’s worth of harassment and turn it over to Breedlove. He omitted the stuff he found on his own desk at the station because he didn’t want to cause problems with Gil and the detectives that mattered to him had accepted his version of what had happened in Vermont, heavy on being set up for torture by the Woodsman and light on how he’d urged Dad to return the favor. The Woodsman had survived but he wasn’t talking and neither was Martin. Malcolm knew he’d pay for that in the future. All these secrets, his, Ainsley’s, his parents’, were going to bury him.
He barely acknowledged JT or Dani as he staggered through the bullpen. He thumped down at his desk, ready to shut his eyes for a quick snooze that hopefully would recharge his empty battery without giving him a howling nightmare that frankly everyone in the bullpen had grown accustomed to at this point. Instead a hand flashed into view and set something on the desk. Malcolm glanced up at Edrisa who beamed at him.
“Blaze and I found the best coffee shop. You have to try that,” she bubbled, bouncing on her toes.
Malcolm sniffed the opening in the cup’s lid. “Smells good.”
“Brown sugar Crème Brule mocha with a touch of sea salt.”
“Why don’t you serve him a sugar bowl with a spoon? And swirl in some caffeine powder,” JT called from his desk and Edrisa narrowed her eyes at him.
“It sounds delicious. Thank you, Edrisa. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Life’s being hard on you right now. My treat.”
“I’m the one with the colicky baby. Life’s hard here.” JT thumped his chest.
“Yes but you don’t thrive on sugar like a hummingbird,” Dani put in. “Bright’s easier to fix.”
“Disagree and bro, how do you do this sleep deprived shit all the time?” JT yawned prodigiously, stretching until his bones popped.
“Practice.” Malcolm sipped his coffee. It had cooled slightly in transit but he had no doubt Edrisa knew to the second when he was scheduled to appear today. The sweetness woke his senses. “Very good, thanks.”
“You’re welcome and JT, if you want help, hire Bright as your au pair. He doesn’t sleep anyhow. He can watch Jaxx while you and Tally catch some rest. See, solutions for all.” Edrisa spread her hands, the file she carried flapping like a manila wing.
“That just sounds like more problems,” JT said as Malcolm shook his head. “We already gave Bright a test run. He was fine until Jaxson spit up a little. He’d probably panic at poop.”
“You gave him to me when I was wearing merino wool. I wasn’t frightened of a little milky spit up. I didn’t want the wool destroyed. I’d wear my bumming around clothes if I was actually babysitting,” Malcolm protested.
“You’d babysit?” Dani eyed him as if he was a suspect to break.
“I’m more dubious he has bumming around clothes,” JT said. Dani and Edrisa nodded in concert.
“I do but you might be right about the diaper.” Malcolm made a face. “I have zero experience.”
“I’m sure JT can help you with that.” Edrisa waved the file folder. “I better go give this to Detective Findley.”
With that, she Tiggered her way out of their orbit. Malcolm took another drink and then said, “Still no cases?”
“Nothing we need a profiler for,” JT said. “Your mom okay?”
“Honestly, no but she’s coping. She always does. She rushed me out of breakfast so I’m assuming she has plans for this afternoon. She’s not going to let internet trolls stop her.”
“Bright, we heard the recording of your mom kicking Capshaw’s ass. That woman lets nothing stop her,” Dani said. “I’m impressed.”
“You could take her.” He laughed. “Though I hope you’d never have reason to. I was really hoping we had something to do. Harvard is pestering me to present a talk and do a paper,a first-hand account of being kidnapped by three serial killers in as many days. The FBI too, wants to know how I managed to escape and turn the tables to capture two of the three of them.”
“With an ancillary story of how Mommy got the third?” JT shot up his eyebrows.
Malcolm snorted. “That too. I was hoping for a distraction from all that.”
“If it’s bothering you, Bright, tell Harvard no,” Dani suggested.
“I’ve been telling the talk shows no. I did promise Edrisa and the Killabustas I’d talk to them on their podcast. At least I can trust Edrisa to take it easy on me but I hate feeling like I’m exploiting the horrible things my father’s done for my own gain.”
“No one thinks that.” Dani leaned forward. He didn’t want her to come comfort him, not here. His reputation left stains.
“You haven’t read the stuff sent to Mom. Lots of people think it and her book isn’t going to help.”
“Why is she writing it then?” Dani asked.
“Aunt Birdie would have otherwise and it would have been inaccurate at best, harmful at worse. My aunt couldn’t hold onto a dollar if you stapled it to her. Mom bought her off but now she’s stuck. She’s already set it up so all sales of the book go to a victim’s rights group, and I hope to hell that is mentioned every time someone talks about the book.” He glanced toward Gil’s office. Uncharacteristically, the door was closed. “I wonder if he knows she plans to include him in this book.”
“That should be…interesting.” JT wrinkled his nose.
“Yeah. Is he in conference?” Malcolm jutted his chin to the door.
Dani shook her head. “He’s had the door shut since I’ve been here. I hope he’s okay. Ever since Endicott, his energy levels have been lower.”
“And a lot lower in the last few weeks.” JT gave Malcolm a look and shivered.
Malcolm screwed his eyes shut as if that could help him not see the mental images. “I try not to think about it.”
“So it’s true. He and your mom are-“
“I try not think about it!” he repeated loudly. Opening his eyes, he studied the door. “If you two have nothing, maybe there’s someone else who….”
“Behave, Bright,” Dani said out of reflex.
He shrugged. Behaving never got him anywhere.
“Let him go pester Gil. If he pesters us, we’ll be tempted to punt him off the roof.” JT shrugged.
Malcolm rolled his eyes. He got up and trudged over to the door and knocked.
At Gil’s ‘come in,’ he sidled into the office and stopped dead. Gil wore a dark grey suit with a deep blue shirt and black tie. Malcolm raised his eyebrows and Gil shot him a ‘don’t you dare’ look he knew so well.
“I’m meeting your mother shortly at the Guggenheim for some kind of charity lunch,” he headed the teasing off at the pass.
“And she dressed you this morning?” There was always more teasing to be had.
Gil snatched the baseball off his desk. “Do I need to hit you with this? I know you’re not likely to catch it in time.”
“Hurtful.” Malcolm chuckled. Gil had tried so hard to get him to like baseball and to play it. Malcolm couldn’t think on those spoiled little rich boy tantrums now without wondering how Gil hadn’t gone JT’s route and punted him off a building. “And that would be the thing I ran screaming from when she asked me to be her plus one. I forgot it was today.”
“Thanks, kid.” Gil huffed.
“Hey, what is the point of her not-so-secretly dating you if you’re not her plus one? I’m thrilled there’s someone else to fall on some of her swords.”
Gil arched his eyebrows. “Your mother loves you and wants to spend time with you.”
“Mother loves me and likes to torment me,” he corrected with a smile.
Gil made an amused sound deep in his throat. “That too. Hopefully, it’s better than the usual rubber chicken dinners we get around here.”
“Last I saw the menu it was seafood crepes or a vegetarian pasta I can’t remember. You’re safe.”
“At least we’re going out for a weekend at the beach house in the Hamptons, so there’s that. What can I do for you, kid? You didn’t come in here to tease me about my suit.” Gil shot him a knowing look.
“No, we were a little worried about how low energy you are.” Malcolm cleared his throat and Gil glared. “And I was hoping there’d be something I can do. With work, not with whatever you and Mom are up to.”
“Only if you want to go through cold cases, which I’d be glad to inflict you on Elena. Have you met Detective Garza? A little time with Elena might do you good.”
“You say that like Detective Garza is on par with Mother.”
Gil snorted. “Jess would put up with your nonsense better than Elena. She’d just boot you one.”
Malcolm wrinkled his nose. “Everyone wants to punt me today. I was trying to find plausible reasons to not work on that paper for Harvard.”
Gil clapped a hand on Malcolm’s arm. “You think about the offer. It’s either Harvard or Elena right now.”
Malcolm mulled it. At least a cold case might help someone if he could provide fresh eyes. It would beat working on a paper. On the other hand, his favorite professor had been the one to ask him to do it. He stared at his hands as he contemplated it. “I forgot my coffee on my desk.”
“Coffee sounds like a good choice. Go do that and quit teasing me. Besides, I need to get going. I took half the day off to escort your mother and with cross town traffic, I’ll be late if I don’t leave soon.”
“God won’t help you if you’re late.” He patted Gil’s back.
“I’ve known your mother for twenty years, kid. I’m more than well aware of that. If I’m late, I might as well just point the Coronet north and run to Canada.” Gil laughed.
“You’re not wrong.”
Gil walked out with into the bullpen with him. Dani and JT both stopped whatever they were doing at their desk to take in the figure Gil cut in his fancy suit that Malcolm was ninety-eight percent sure his mother had picked out. Gil had a few suits but this was not one he had ever seen before.
“Looking good, boss,” JT said.
“Meeting with the brass?” Dani asked but her gaze cut to Malcolm who nodded. “Or someone scarier?”
“Definitely scarier,” Malcolm agreed.
“I’m telling your mother you said that.” Gil pointed to Malcolm’s desk. “Go do coffee and work on your paper. If you decide you want to talk to Elena, I’ll introduce you tomorrow.”
“Thanks Gil. Have fun.”
“It’s a charity luncheon. I’m not sure fun is the word I’d use,” Gil replied.
“True but you took off a half day, just not lunch so I’m thinking fun might be on the menu…just never tell me what it is.” Malcolm smirked.
“JT, I’m putting you in charge of Bright today. Do with him as you will.” Gil shot Malcolm another hot look.
“Will do, boss.” JT beamed.
“He doesn’t mean that,” Malcolm protested, settling back down at his desk.
“Oh he very much does.” Gil waved and strode out of the bullpen.
“He doesn’t.” Malcolm swigged his coffee.
“I’ll settle for you sitting there quietly working on your paper,” JT replied.
“Your mother must be taking him somewhere fancy to warrant that suit.” Dani’s gaze followed Gil’s retreating back. “He does look fine in it.”
“Gil cleans up well. They’re going to a charity event at the Guggenheim. It should be all right unless they get seated with some of the more vicious of Mom’s circle.” Malcolm shrugged, turning on his computer.
“You realize your mom is probably how Gil’s going to die.” JT chuckled.
“JT, don’t be so accurate,” Dani scolded.
“As the man pointed out to me not five minutes ago, he’s known Mother for twenty years. He knows what he’s getting into. He really doesn’t but he thinks he does.” Malcolm snorted. “And yes, JT, don’t be so accurate.”
Malcolm took another drink while they went back to their jobs. He pulled up his file, debating Dani’s advice about writing this paper. After what felt like an eternity of writing, he started working on what it felt like to be strapped to a bed, waiting for an air bubble to reach his heart. He tried to detach from his emotions as he wondered why Capshaw hadn’t put him in the Trendelenburg position when she played savior which would have been the right thing to do.
“Bright, are you okay?” Dani asked. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine.”
“You have never been fine as long as I’ve known you,” JT replied.
Malcolm’s phone rang. He held up a hand to his friends. It was his mother and he should take it because what if she needed him to do something out in the Hamptons. Ever since his father had disappeared, he’d been more mindful of her needs even if he still didn’t want to go to charity meals.
“Hello Mother, did you-”
“Did Gil get hung up at work?” she cut him off, obviously agitated.
His gut bottomed out as he forced himself to ask, “What do you mean? He was going to lunch with you.”
“Gil never showed for lunch. I thought maybe you had a new case and he didn’t have time to call,” she replied, annoyance fading a little. Other options might be occurring to her.
“Not one I was called in for. Let me ask around and I’ll get back to you.” Malcolm knew nothing good was going to happen as soon as he hung but he couldn’t frighten her yet, not until he knew what happened.
“Thank you.”
“What’s wrong, Bright? Your color just took a hike,” Dani said as he disconnected.
He pushed away from his desk. “We have a problem. Gil’s missing.”
“What?” Dani and JT both looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
“You know he was going to the Guggenheim to meet Mother but she just called me to ask if he had a case here because he stood her up.” He marveled that his voice didn’t tremble.
“Could he have changed his plans suddenly?” JT sounded like he wished he could believe that but didn’t.
Malcolm shook his head. “They were driving out to the Hamptons for the weekend. Something is wrong.”
“Yeah, okay you’re probably right. Hopefully just a minor fender bender but we’ll investigate,” JT said, exchanging a look with Dani.
If it had been a fender bender, Gil would have called someone. Malcolm couldn’t shake the fear washing up over him.
“Let’s start with the garage and go from there,” Dani rested a hand on his shoulder, somehow that gentle touch making things marginally better.
“I’ll pull up all the garages around the museum. Gil would have had to park in one of those if he made it that far.”
As they made their way to the garage, JT was on the phone checking to see if there had been any major accidents that would have prevented Gil from calling in. There hadn’t been and that stirred up conflicting emotions in Malcolm. He didn’t want Gil to be in a bad accident but there were worse things. They were going to find worse things. He could feel it.
Gil’s car wasn’t in the garage so they piled into JT’s vehicle to check out the garages nearest to the museum assuming Gil had gotten that far. The drive to the Guggenheim was unbearably slow and in near silence as all of them dealt with their nerves. Two garages later with no signs of the distinctive Coronet they tried the next garage on the list. Malcolm wanted to chatter, to release the nervous energy but fear paralyzed him. His voice fled.
“JT, there!” Dani flung out her arm, pointing ahead at the blue Coronet on the incline leading to the next level. JT put it in park and tossed on the emergency flashers since he left the vehicle on the slope.
Malcolm wanted to run to the car but Dani held him back. He knew enough to not mess up any evidence. Surely she knew that but he didn’t trust himself in this moment so why should she? The Coronet sat there innocently. Nothing appeared disturbed. JT and Dani pulled on gloves. He wanted his own set but they didn’t offer. Nothing would be gained by letting him touch anything.
Gil wasn’t in the car but their first clue came as the driver’s side door opened. Gil would never have left his car unlocked. A dark splotch dotted the dash.
“Is that blood?” Dani asked.
“I think so,” JT growled, stiff arming Malcolm back.
He’d been too close. He’d known it but just like always he had done it anyway. No mistakes! Malcolm glanced down at his feet trying to compose himself but lost his breath. He grabbed for JT’s arm.
“What?” JT’s patience was at the edge, evidenced in his tone.
“By my foot. Blood drops,” he said.
“Damn it.” JT twisted around.
Dani squatted, taking hold of Malcolm’s ankle so he wouldn’t move. “Leading away from the car,” she said.
“I’ll call Edrisa to get her team here and the captain. She needs to know we think Gil’s been taken,” JT replied.
Malcolm’s vision swam. Breathing was a thing his past self did. Anxiety hit him tsunami hard. Dani caught him around the shoulder. Was he passing out? No he’d fall on the blood, ruin the scene. He spun out of her grasp, staggered back to their car, leaning on it. There was only one thing in his mind, a worst-case scenario that haunted him for years as a what if. Now, however, it could be reality.
“What if my father sent someone after Gil?”