San Diego, California – August
The new Castle/Fisher Estate was established and finally very nearly settled. Dexter Morgan, now known as Frank Castle (a name which was a source of unending amusement for his son Harrison), finished installing the air conditioner in his office; the small, airtight tube containing the blood soaked Q-tip held in the place where his blood slides used to be kept. With the AC unit installed, he turned his attention to his office computer. Now that home was more or less settled, he had a business to establish, and more importantly a family crisis to resolve.
Over the past few days, Dexter had been watching Harrison very closely. On the night before their move from Tijuana, Hannah (now known as Jennifer Fisher) showed him what she found packing up Harrison's room; a box containing the collar of a dog she said went missing from the neighborhood just days before Jacob Elway started his campaign in Miami, and the same tube with Q-tip that was now in Dexter's AC unit. That was part of the reason Hannah had Astor set up the delivery and invitation. It was also precisely the kind of thing Dexter was hoping to protect Harrison from; the most important reason why he chose to fake his death and go into hiding from everyone he possibly could. It didn't take a lot of deductive reasoning to piece together what it meant; LaGuerta could have figured it out even without Hannah's prompting or the wordless mutterings of the Dark Passenger pointing out the obvious. Whatever curse Dexter had, it was passed on to Harrison, and for many of the same reasons. Given what his son was put through with the death of Rita at the hands of the Trinity Killer Arthur Mitchell, it came as no real surprise to Dexter; he was hoping against hope that by staying away, he might keep Harrison's exposure to a minimum and Harrison would have a chance at a life resembling a normal one. Clearly he was wrong.
After this revelation, Dexter's Dark Passenger was deftly dancing in deep recesses in his heart with deadly delight. In a strange sort of way, this was actually a welcome development; after so many years of inactivity – Jacob Elway being the obvious exception – it felt as if he had woken from a long, deep sleep. He was invigorated, refreshed, all his senses as sharp as his blades once were. Watching Harrison, his Dark Passenger became increasingly more active; everything in him could sense the Curse blooming within his son. Despite the glee the Dark Passenger seemed to find in the prospect of passing the Code on like a legacy written in Blood and Justice, Dexter himself felt a little ill at the thought.
Now I have an idea of what Harry must have gone through. Dexter thought to himself. One thing was clear; this was one battle that was waging inside of him. Hannah was right; he really had no choice but to pass on the Code in order to keep Harrison safe.
"Are you out of your ever fucking mind?" The memory of Debra challenged. "You have a chance here to get Harrison some real professional help. Maybe dad fucked you over beyond any hope, but you can end the cycle."
"That was the whole point to my leaving everything behind in the first place, Deb." Dexter replied dryly. "Evidently that didn't work." Dexter booted up his computer. Although there was no doubt he had to address the Harrison issue soon, he also had some details and specifics to work out if he wanted his Courier business to succeed. "It's clear that Harrison is already on the same Path as me. The only thing I can really do now is show him how to navigate the Path to some kind of positive end."
"You'll want to check your motivations, son." The Memory of Harry chimed in as a patient caveat. "The Code was designed to keep you safe, not to pass on like some kind of legacy."
"Never mind that Dr. Voegel would have said different; my goal here is to use the Code to keep Harrison safe." Dexter answered. Even as the words were coming out of his mouth, he knew he was manipulating the truth. While it was true that his main motive was to protect his son, the legacy factor was very much a part of it, too. It was also true that Dr. Evelyn Voegel, when she was alive, was very keen on having the Code she helped to design passed on. In all honesty, however, that was really just a convenient excuse.
"Justify it however you like, Dexter; it's not as if I can stop you." Harry said, sounding much like the mentor that Dexter remembered. "Just be sure to keep your priorities straight."
"I will," Dexter said. Then he added, as if to prove his point, "Now be quiet. I have to focus on developing a career and livelihood as part of my new identity."
Frank Castle, owner and operator of Castle Couriers, Dexter thought. As far as the Harrison situation was concerned, things were already in place to deal with that. It would begin tomorrow; after father and son took off for a weekend camp-out.
The next day, Dexter took Harrison out on a camping trip; ostensibly to make up for the lost years of bonding. Hannah knew better of course, but she allowed the trip to be just the two of them.
"Do what you have to do." She whispered in his ear as they embraced in a farewell.
"I will." He whispered back.
"Hey Dad, hurry up!" Harrison shouted from the van that would soon enough be serving as Dexter's company delivery vehicle.
"I'm coming!" Dexter called back cheerfully. He stole a parting kiss from Hannah and turned around to make way for the van.
"Do you have everything?" Hannah called out after him. Dexter knew exactly what she meant. He waved a hand in the air without turning back or breaking stride.
"I sure do!" he reassured as he got to the van, got into the driver seat, and drove away.
Somewhere along the way on the interstate, small talk died off and they both fell silent. Dexter contemplated bringing up the evidence of what appeared to be Harrison's new hobby, but decided instead to wait until they had camp all sorted out.
"Hey," he suggested, "how about we turn on some music?" He pointed at the radio. Harrison rolled his eyes in mock disdain at the low-tech means of entertainment and clicked it on. The song that was playing was one that Dexter had never heard before; some sort of new wave rock band. Surprisingly enough, Dexter found that he somewhat liked this tune; especially the vocalist. Her voice was both haunting and haunted at the same time; it was seductive, yet soothing. She had a hypnotic effect on him.
"They're pretty good, huh?" Harrison said, breaking Dexter's trance. "They're called Prettymouth. The singers name is Shelley Mason. The song you're hearing now is called Crush; it's from their second album."
"It works well as a love song." Dexter commented. "It's almost romantic, in a dark kind of way."
Harrison laughed. "I thought so at first, too." He agreed. "Then I listened a lot more closely and figured out it was about a stalker, as if from the stalker's point of view. I know it's not a new angle, but they do it well. I heard once that the lyrics were based off a letter Shelley got from a fan."
"That's... interesting." Dexter said. He never actually got too excited about music, and this wasn't so much an exception, but there was something about the song that kind of resonated with him; albeit for what was evidently the wrong reason.
"That was California's own Prettymouth and their latest hit 'Crush'," the radio announcer told them. "Which brings us to a little bit of breaking news about Shelley Mason following her tumultuous adventures leading up to the Rock Block independent music festival in Bakersfield. We already knew that the FBI were in town investigating a series of murders of several people who can in one way or another be considered a threat to Mason, and speculation has been made that Shelley is involved in setting up the murders. What started off as a wild speculation was quickly taken into serious consideration by the Feds, and spokesperson Agent Jennifer Jareau released a press conference in San Bernardino saying very little to confirm or refute whether or not Shelley Mason is actually suspected of anything. What is known however, that the siren was indeed taken into custody just before the press conference took place."
Dexter's mind locked on the name Jennifer Jareau. That was the name of the Special Agent he first met in Maine, and was part of the team that he had set himself into the jaws of in Miami in order to get to Astor. Not long ago, she was in California. That meant the team was in on was here, too. That included David Rossi, Luke Alvez, Emily Prentiss, Penelope Garcia, and most alarmingly Dr. Spencer Reid.
Rossi made for a worthy adversary; he had a wealth of experience in the field and though his approach was different, he was every bit the veteran Profiler as Frank Lundy. Alvez was easy enough to work; he was by no means a fool, but was almost painfully predictable. He didn't deal with Prentiss directly, so he couldn't say for certain what she was like. She did, however prove she could lead her team effectively. No doubt her background as an INTERPOL spy made her a threat. Jareau had an eerily similar background to Prentiss, and she knew how to use her good looks as a means of disarming anyone; that made her extremely dangerous. Garcia, their tech expert, was nothing short of a genius; her security protocols were nearly impossible to circumvent. As it stood, Dexter could only hope she didn't catch on to his activity on her system. And then there was the good Doctor Reid.
Dr. Spencer Reid was different to say the least. In the one interview Dexter had with him, Dexter was sure the Doctor could see right through him; nearly from the start of their conversation even the Dark Passenger was near panic, as if his cover, the story he was using – albeit based in part in truth – and even the Code were being pierced like a sheer, barely translucent veil. It was in Reid's eyes, Dexter saw. It was almost as if Reid had something inside as well; not a Passenger, but something; and that something was able to recognize the Dark Passenger as easily as Dexter could see whatever was in Spencer Reid. The only thing Dexter had n his favor that day was evidence; or more accurately lack of it.
"...was promptly released from custody, and has declined to comment as to whether or not she was aware that Rodriguez, a member of her personal security detail, was in fact the one killing off her opponents..."
"Don't go digging into what the Feds are doing now, Dex." Deb warned. "They were on a case that had nothing to do with you, and they probably have no idea you're even in the state. Leave this the fuck alone."
"She's right, son. There's no reason to go poking your nose into the affairs of the FBI." Harry agreed."Doing that will only risk exposing yourself. Remember the whole point of the Code is to not be conspicuous, to not stick out, and to blend in."
"I know; you're right." Dexter said absently.
"I thought you'd agree, dad." Harrison said, apparently pleased. He had said something that Dexter had missed while lost in his own head, but evidently his son hadn't noticed. "Odds are she knows the media is going to play it like she's some kind Jezebel, so she's gonna work that angle to her best advantage. That's what she does to stay in the spotlight."
p class="MsoNormal"Not sure how to respond, Dexter just nodded and grunted what he hoped sounded like knowing agreement. As the announcer went on to other news, Harrison snapped off the radio and began to fiddle with his mobile device.
"Aha, here it is." He said finally. "I thought I knew the name Bobby Rodriguez from somewhere. He was briefly an MMA fighter. He showed a lot of promise at first, until he got a concussion in a fight and doctors found some kind of blood vessel defect in his brain. Do you think maybe that defect drove him to what he did?"
Dexter glanced at his son as he drove. This was interesting. Harrison was consulting him on murder; more precisely a serial killer. Was he looking for instruction, or is it just a passing interest? Either way, it was a kind of bonding, Dexter supposed.
Not the healthiest of subject matter, but at least it can be an honest conversation, possibly. He thought. Was it so wrong that he liked the idea of being able to really be open and honest with someone about his true field of expertise?
"Well, I suppose it's possible," Dexter answered. "Maybe that defect screwed up his blood circulation and fucked up his reasoning, or something. Sorry about the language; I was just thinking how this is kind of like how your Aunt Deb and I used to talk about cases."
"It's okay," Harrison said, waving off the curse word. "So I was just wondering; how would you have handled someone like that when you...you know...killed people?"
"What do you mean?" Dexter asked back, interested. He wasn't trying to hide his past from his son; he knew that Harrison knew about it. He just wanted to be sure he was hearing the question right. It was obvious this was a difficult subject for Harrison to breach, and thought it might make for a good bridge into discussing the real purpose behind the trip.
"Well," Harrison started, "mom told me that when you did it, you had a kind of criteria for how you chose. Would Bobby have met those criteria?"
"He's asking about the Code." Harry said.
"You're in the shit now, Dex," Deb added."You have to sink or fucking swim now, dear brother."
Dexter saw an opportunity here that maybe both Harry and Debra missed. "What do you think?" He asked.
"I'm not so sure." Harrison replied. "I mean, he did murder four people; but three of those four people were out to hurt someone he loved. Also, if he had a physical brain defect then maybe it would be better to let the cops catch him and put him in a hospital. Maybe they can fix the brain issue and he can rehabilitate. I think maybe he should be given a chance; he might not be bad, just very confused."
The way Dexter saw it that was a very good answer; it suggested there was a glimmer of humanity in his son. That was Hannah's influence; Dexter had no doubt about that. Also important, it demonstrated to Dexter that Harrison already had the makings of a clear sense of justice which could illuminate whatever darkness there is inside of him. For his own part, Dexter would probably have looked no farther than the fact that Rodriguez killed four people.
"That makes sense." Dexter said. "It's a good answer. That reminds me; there's something we need to talk about once we set up camp." He saw Harrison blanch a little in his seat. "You're not in any trouble, I can promise you that. Let's just wait until we get there, okay?"
"Sure, dad," Harrison replied, uncertain.
"I have to admit, Dexter," Harry said."I'm starting to think you might be doing the right thing by passing on the Code."
"Thank you," Dexter said, to both Harrison and Harry.
Once camp was set up, Harrison asked what it was that Dexter wanted to talk about. By then, Dexter had started a campfire, and motioned for Harrison to sit beside him.
"Tell me, son; what was the dog's name?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Harrison asked, putting a reasonably convincing confused looked on his face; he was already getting well versed in mimicking the emotional expressions of normal people, Dexter noted. If he hadn't had to learn the same skills, he might have not noticed the facade. "What dog are you talking about?"
Dexter reached into his pocket and produced both the dog collar and the tube with the bloodied Q-tip inside of it. "This dog, Harrison," Dexter replied. "The one form your old neighborhood that 'went missing' just before that mess that brought me back to Miami."
Harrison averted his gaze into the fire. He knew there was no point in denying he had any idea where the items came from; Dexter caught the look in his eyes as he showed them to Harrison. He mumbled something that Dexter didn't quite catch. He asked Harrison to speak clearly.
"I said," Harrison answered hoarsely before clearing his throat. "I said, I thought I forgot those back in Tijuana."
"That would be careless, and your hiding spot was sloppy; those are both good ways to get caught." Dexter said sternly. "But we'll get to that in a moment; first I want to know the dog's name."
"The dog was called Rico." Harrison answered. Then he hastily continued, "but he deserved it, dad. Rico was a bad dog; and not just because he barked at everything that moved and kept everyone on the block up all night long. I actually saw Rico attack and bite a little kid in a park. I guess he got out of his yard or something. His owners denied it was their dog that bit the kid, of course."
"So you killed Rico to punish the owners." Dexter said.
"No, that wasn't it." Harrison explained. "They weren't bad people, just bad dog owners. I killed Rico because he attacked a little kid and that meant he might do it again. So I got a hold of some dope and put it into some hamburger meat to sedate Rico, and then I cut his throat open. I wore some tissue coveralls to make sure I didn't get bloody, and then stuffed Rico into a storm drain. Since it was a rainy time of year, the rains washed him farther down the pipes, and then the rats would have gotten to him. The tissue coveralls dissolved in the water"
"That's not bad," Harry commented. "Plenty of mistakes, but he already gets the idea."
"Mexico cops aren't stupid, but there's lots of shit they don't give a damn about." Harrison said. "They weren't going to put much effort into finding a fucking dog."
"So he worked the system." Debra said. "That kid of yours is a real chip off the old fuckblock, ain't he?"
Dexter ignored her. "Okay, so you saw it as the way to solve a problem, and figured out how to cover your tracks. You saw an opportunity and got lucky. Like I said on the way here, I'm not mad and neither is Hannah. I just have two questions. First, why did you keep the collar and the Q-tip?"
"So I'd remember that I did something good." Harrison answered. "And because there was a kind of...I don't know..."
"A kind of rush?" Dexter suggested. Both were answers he expected to hear; they were, in many ways, a reflection of his own reasons. "Believe me, I can relate."
Harrison smiled, "Daddy's box," he said nodding in memory. "I think I can guess your next question. The reason I tried to hide it from you and mom was because I thought you'd be disappointed; I know you both wanted something different for me."
"Does this sound familiar to you, Dexter?" Harry asked.
Dexter ignored him; never mind that he was right. Harry always was. "Well, that's true." He admitted. "But now things are as they are. I thought if I stayed away, maybe the darkness that drives me might pass you by even after all you went through." Just like Harry when he took me in, but in reverse. "I guess I was wrong. Now I have to know if there were any others; or any people?"
"No" Harrison answered flatly. "I thought about it, but no. No other dogs deserved it, and if I went to people I'd probably get caught; I know that would break you and mom's hearts."
Then there's still time. There's a chance for the Code to take hold.
"You said earlier today that Hannah told you I had a set of criteria for how I choose who lives and who dies." Dexter began. "Actually, it's more like a Code of Conduct for life; a way to balance out living our real lives and a life that we put forward as cover to make sure we don't get caught. In fact the First Rule of the Code is Don't Get Caught; every rule after that is to make sure we Don't Get Caught. It's worked for me so far, it will work for you. Before you do anything else, you will master the Code that I will pass on to you; the Code will become more than just a set of rules; it will become a way of life."