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"Bye, Kris!" Noelle waved them goodbye, and Susie flashed them a grin, before the door finally shut behind them and Kris could hurry down the road.
They were late. If they were quick, maybe they could make it back in time—
Their earpiece crackled to life. Too late.
Kris glanced around to make sure there weren't any onlookers, then ducked into a nearby alley they knew didn't have cameras, behind a few pallets. Angel, if only this could've waited till they'd gotten home, they wouldn't have to do something risky like this.
Without much fanfare or shame, Kris unbuttoned the top button of their shirt, ignoring the way the tape ripped at their skin as they pulled off the microphone they kept taped to their chest.
"What is it?" They hissed into it, not bothering to hide the obvious irritation in their voice. Frankly, they deserved to do worse.
"You disobeyed me." Even after a year and a half of this, that voice still grated on Kris' nerves. Worse for the fact they couldn't put a name, age, or gender to it. Sure, they'd met, but it was like Kris was being taunted with how hard it was to get anything out of their appearance.
"All I did was tell Susie I had time to talk about the case. What's your problem?" They snapped. "We could've talked later tonight instead. You don't need me for six fucking hours."
"My problem is that you disobeyed me. Did you forget the terms of the deal you made?" Frankly, Kris would've preferred if they'd gotten pissed over this stupid glacial tone they always put on.
"I listen to you the whole day! How to do this interrogation, what to investigate, all that sort of stupid shit that a higher-up agent in the government shouldn't even be bothering with! And you have a problem with me staying late with Susie to get some extra legwork done?" Every single day with that buzzing in their ears and the microphone under their shirt making sure they obeyed - it really was fraying at their last nerves.
"What, are you going to complain now?" The voice laughed. "Maybe you should've thought of that before you became an accomplice to a serial killer, Kris. Or at least before you got caught. If I hadn't offered you the deal, you'd get at least 10 years in jail for accessory for what you did."
Their fists clenched, fingernails digging into their palms. Kris hated hearing them refer to what Kris did like that. They forced themselves to stay calm - being angry was fine, giving anything away was not.
"What, do you want me to get on my knees and thank you? 'Benevolent angel who saved me from prison', or what the fuck ever?" Like this was any better than prison. Sure, they got to go out and stretch their legs, but it wasn't like they got to make any choices, with the way that every single move of theirs was policed.
"Yeah, actually. It'd be better than your insubordinate attitude. And don't think I can't tell you're hiding things, or have your own agenda, Kris." There was a warning tone to the voice now.
"Like you didn't wring every last drop out of me in the interrogations you did. Just get off my back. I listen to you enough, so can you stop chewing me out over a single thing? Or at least be patient till I get home so I don't have to do this in an alleyway, Angel." Just because Kris had gotten used to this didn't mean they wanted to stand in this dirty corner for a whole conversation. They grimaced at the sight of two rats near the manhole cover, wishing Noelle was here so they at least had someone to scare instead of being stuck here alone.
"If you want to avoid more interrogations, Kris, then listen to what I say. Remember, I'm your handler. I don't need the input of someone who helped out a killer on this. Follow my orders, or get locked back up in jail. Your choice." The voice was getting impatient, now. A good sign.
"And how long am I going to be 'listening'?" Kris made mock air quotes with their free hand, even though no one was there to see it. "It's been a year and a half and I still don't see anything happening. If you plan on keeping me as your dog for life, maybe jail's a better bet."
"You don't need to know that. But if you weren't being useful, I'd have cut you loose by now. Once we crack that filthy conspiracy at the root of your town, you can go off and live your happy life pretending you didn't help hide the bodies of twelve people all you want."
"Fine, whatever," Kris grumbled. They couldn't push too hard, or else they'd raise suspicion. This was good enough to keep tucked away for now.
"Let's have our full briefing when you're back to your house. Make sure you don't drag your feet getting there, though."
Kris waited for a few seconds before moving their microphone back to their chest, pushing the dangling tape back on, and buttoning the shirt back up. The used-up tape wouldn't hold it in place for long, but Kris didn't care much - it just had to not fall for as long as it took for them to get home. Frankly, if it fell, it'd be a blessing - at least their every conversation wouldn't be monitored that way, even for just half an hour.
Angel, they needed a smoke. Kris pulled a lighter and pack of cigarettes out of one of their coat pockets, lighting it up and leaning their head back as they exhaled out smoke. Just because they'd signed up for this didn't mean it didn't get more annoying by the day. Whatever. If it was for Dess, then they couldn't really complain, even though the control and surveillance grated on them every damn day. Kris hadn't expected the agent in charge of them to be that insistent on their job, even though Kris knew they were fighting a losing battle.
The conspiracy'd already rooted itself in the government, too. What was a single agent supposed to do to uncover the whole thing?
Kris slid a phone out of their pocket. It wasn't their usual phone - it was a cheap, $50 burner that'd probably been picked up at some gas station for them. Not the fanciest, but good enough for a few texts without being monitored.
With the hand not holding the cigarette, Kris pulled up the contact simply labeled 'C', and typed out a quick message.
Said I'm being useful. Confirmed plan to find conspiracy. Still shows no signs of connecting D to RK.
Still not too much - whoever was pulling their strings clearly knew how to keep their cards close to their chest - but better something than nothing.
The typing bubble popped up quickly, followed by a response.
Good. Keep working hard. Remember your promise.
The Angel will honor you.
Kris let their hand drop back down to their side, slipping the phone back into their pocket. The Angel, huh? To be honest, Kris still didn't believe too much in that cult stuff, even though everyone around them seemed to be convinced. It'd been making them uneasy lately, the plans swirling around town, with the rest of the police force none the wiser.
It was fine. This was for Dess. Kris owed it to her, after everything that'd happened. And if she got found out by anyone else - exposed for the killer she was, even if it was for the sake of the cult - what'd happen to her would be a lot worse than what was happening with Kris right now. That's why Kris had taken the fall and let themselves get roped into this mess.
They ground their cigarette out on the nearby bricks, then dropped it to the ground, with the rest of the trash. There was no point in having regrets now - they were in too deep. All that there was was to keep moving forwards. And besides, they were on the winning side. No matter what information that Agent might collect, or what plans Ralsei may have, or even how unfailing Susie's determination might be, it still wasn't enough to uncover the full power of their cult.
Right...?
Kris watched the rats scurry over to their discarded cigarette, gnawing on it till it was just ashes and crumbled shreds, and wondered.