Chapter: Q & A

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…..Few Days Later: …..

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The students are filing out of the morning class of Mythology after Anastasia had told them to have a good weekend with no homework. It was much to their pleasure, but also, hers. She didn't have to grade anything.

Sliding her notes into her messenger bag, Anastasia zips it up before slinging the strap over her right shoulder while turning and she heads towards the door. Until she comes to a sudden stop when she makes eyes contact with familiar bluish green eyes that are staring straight into hers before glancing away.

"Mr. Graham, I'm starting to think that the FBI and you are stalking me."

"I just want to know more about you." Will lowly informed her, taking a glance at her before staring down at his shoes.

Anastasia eyebrows rose with curiosity but she nods a little at him. She can tell that he is a person that doesn't personally get to know people and that he isn't a people's person.

"Well, alright. That was my last class of the day, so how about we go to the café and talk a bit. If you don't mind, that is."

"Lead the way." Will said, holding the building door open for her. Anastasia gives him a smile while she exits the room with him quickly following her.

They walk side by side beside each other while dodging incoming students. They begin to make their way out of the building and straight outside.

"Tell me, Mr. Graham—"

"Please, Will."

"Tell me Will, do I interest you or are you still wondering why I wouldn't take in Abigail."

"Both. I…I can't understand you."

Anastasia looks at him with raise eyebrows, trying to figure out what he meant by that. However, she quickly takes notice of how he keeps glancing at her then averts his eyes away and he begins to look around, not meeting her eyes again.

"You're not one to look into people's eyes, are you, Will."

"No. I see too much."

"I see. But I can't blame you. Some people are good at observing others and can read what they are like. I assume you have the gift of putting yourself in others shoes." Anastasia said and figuring out that Will must have a very good sense of empathy when looking at people.

Will looks at her with shock causing her to glance at him with a wink before she looks back forwards as they are making their way up stone stairs that went through a small flowery garden.

"Yes." Will said, seeing how she doesn't seem to be affected or show any emotions towards his gift like any others would.

"I find it fascinating that you can do that. Must be helpful yet must suck to put yourself in others shoes."

"In better words, yes." Will couldn't help but let out a few chuckles while tucking his hands into his pant pockets.

He is feeling his body relax as he has this calm yet stimulating chat with Anastasia. He is thinking that she is going to be vicious like she was towards Abigail and others, but she isn't. At this moment, towards him, she is keeping up the innocent personality act that she looks to be. He feels like deep down, the viciousness is like a snake, coil up and hissing, waiting to strike.

They soon came to a building where Will holds the door open for her again and he fidgets a bit in his spot. He feels his face beginning to heat up as she gives him another soft smile. Once inside, Anastasia leads them through an opening in the wall where a café was nestle inside.

"Good, no line." Anastasia gets an extra hop in her step as she steps up to the counter and tells the worker behind what she'll like. She turns to Will with a smile still gracing her smooth light pink lips and her eyes seem to have a twinkle in them.

"What would you like, Will?"

"Regular coffee, black." Will said, reaching to pull out his wallet but Anastasia waves him off and she pulls out her debit card. Quickly, Will steps forwards and hands the cashier worker a ten dollar bill, paying off Anastasia and his.

"I could have gotten it."

Will shrugs her off and he takes the change back from the cashier, but he does slip only the coins into a tip jar. He takes his coffee while Anastasia grabs her ice coffee. She leads Will out to an area away from the students and professors that were sitting around at small café tables. She brings them to an area in a corner and near a window that looks out at a pond.

"So, Will, tell me about you." Anastasia instantly said once they sit down.

"About what? I assume you read about me as you did about Abigail's case."

"True. But I know about what you do, not who you are. So, tell me, who is behind those mysterious glasses of yours." Anastasia asked with slight amusement and a matching smile to go along with it.

The corner of his lips cannot help but twitch up a bit. He had only met this woman a few days ago and he already feels something beginning to form. Maybe it is her interesting personality of being innocent yet vicious when threaten. Or maybe it has to do with the Hobbs family and him forming a connection with them. Then again, Anastasia makes it clear that she is not a part of the Hobbs family. She had kept her last name and she only seen the Hobbs family as someplace to live for a few years.

"Hobbies? Pets? Significant others? Favorite color?"

"I like to fish." Will simply answered.

"Salt or fresh?"

"Both, but I mostly do fresh water."

"Regular or fly fishing?"

"You know your outdoor activities and I do fly fishing." Will eyebrows peek up with interest as Anastasia leans back in her seat and sips her ice coffee. When her lips came off her drink's straw, she eyes him with a smirk.

"When I used to live with my uncle at his manor in Italy, we lived out in the forest. We lived near a river and forest where he would do a lot of fishing or hunting." Anastasia informed him while clasping the ice coffee cup in either of her hands.

"What are your hobbies?"

"Swimming, biking, watching movies, baking, and sketching." Anastasia told him, tilting her head to the side and causing her chestnut wavy hair to tumble down over her right shoulder in this chocolate waterfall.

"Pets?" Anastasia asked him next.

"Dogs."

"How many? You said that in a plural form."

"Seven."

"Seven dogs?" Anastasia eyes widen slightly at his answer.

Will nods while staring down at his black coffee and his fingers poking the sides of the cup.

"Well, you know what they say about dogs. They are a man's best friend and they are the most loyal companion. Always listening and being there…" Anastasia stops talking as Will continues her sentences.

"When you need the most and always keeping their loyalty." Will finished and he looks up to see her looking at him with a nod of her head.

"Correct."

"You got a dog or dogs? Or should I say other animals. Like a cat?"

"Don't sound so dreadful about a cat. But yes, I do have a dog. His name is Hades and he is a two month old all black German Shepard. He is my man of the house." Anastasia answered him with a slight pout of her lips.

"Man of the house?"

"He trots around like he owns it…we should have a day to walk our dogs. Or I can bring Hades over."

"Sure…Hades? Very fitting for your profession."

"Indeed." Anastasia winks at him while taking another long sip out of her ice coffee.

The two look out of the window to stare out at the pond where sidewalks were around it and students walk on. The students are either going to their dorm buildings or going to their next class where one of the buildings is next to the pond.

"Why did you come today, Will?" Anastasia is the first to look away from the calming scenery and she stares at the side of his head.

"Abigail seems interest in you now." Will lowly told her, turning his head and sees that she is looking at him. Will looks away and he stares down inside his cup of coffee.

"Of course she does. She wants to get out of the psychiatric hospital that she is in. She knew about me, but never reaches out to contact me." Anastasia said, looking back out the window and she stares at the pond where a group of ducks are now paddling around.

"Jack believes that she had something to do with the killings of her father." Will told her.

"Why tell me this?" Anastasia turns her attention to look back at Will, who is now staring out at the pond with tired look to his eyes.

"Because I was wondering if you could help solve this case."

"Really?" Anastasia slightly snorted as she cannot believe that he said this to her.

Will turns his attention away from the window and glance at her before nodding his head and glancing away. HIs eyes frantically searching for something to look at instead of her.

"Yes."

"Honestly Will, she might have and she might not. If she was spending a lot of time with her father, I wouldn't doubt it. Garrett wasn't the popular guy in school. He was that normal kid that no one knew about till someone introduces him to a group of kids or in front of the class. He always liked to keep to himself and always go outside doing fishing or hunting. Always was the crafty one with his father. His father was a craftsman for a side job. They always made things and sell them after." Anastasia explained to Will while finishing off her ice coffee right after.

"Did he have any tendencies that led up to him being the Minnesota strike?"

"Well, I remember that I had taught him how to make small traps to catch game. See, living with my uncle in Italy in the forest areas, I was taught a few things as a kid. I think it was to keep me occupy, but anyways, I taught Garrett how to make these small traps to catch rabbits or squirrel. He kept bugging me about it to the point I just taught him to get him off my back." Anastasia explained, staring down at the empty ice coffee cup and she is now watching the ice slowly melting away when the sunlight from outside is hitting it.

"Then I had taken notice that he had been spending too much time out of the woods. I would see him taking the necessary equipment or rather tools to make traps. I remember following him one day, taking note of how he was catching rabbits and squirrels in more than usual. A bit too much and I asked him what he was doing. He thought it was fun to have control."

"Control?"

"Yes. If you had the power to conquer over something that you knew that you could conquer over and you're careful about not getting caught and no one could stop you, would you give up that power? You feel too powerful and power feels to damn good." Anastasia explained to Will while setting the empty cup on a side table that was next to her seat.

"You didn't stop him…"

"Trust me, when Garrett had something on his mind, no one could tell him to stop. I was glad to move out of that house, especially when he was becoming a bit obsessed with me. He liked my eyes, the color of my hair and my lips. Freaked me out to the point that I had threaten to punch his lights out. I almost got grounded for that but I was twenty at the time. So, that wasn't going to happen." Anastasia explained with a slight snort of amusement and she glances at Will with a raised eyebrow.

"All the girls that he had kidnapped and killed all had relevance to Abigail. What if he killed girls before that had relevance to you?"

"Then you got more bodies on those case files, Will. I couldn't tell you. Just that he started to gain this obsession at the age of eighteen. He met his future wife then, but he always became obsessed with things." Anastasia said, staring a bit in the distance as if she is thinking before shaking her head. Her pale mint green eyes land back on Will and she gets a slight grin onto her lips.

"That's all I got right now. Unless you have more questions."

"Not right now."

"Well then, Will. I need to head back to my office. I have to stay another hour for office hours with students. But here." Anastasia pulls out a napkin from a side table then takes a pen from her messenger bag side pocket. She begins to write her office number then her cellphone number on the napkin and then she hands it over to Will.

"Call if you need anything. But also, let's set up a doggy date for our dogs. Hades needs to learn to deal with other dogs. See ya, Will." Anastasia winks at him, adjusting her messenger bag on her right shoulder and then she walks away.

Holding the white napkin in his hand with two of her numbers, Will looks after her with raised eyebrows. Anastasia glances over her shoulder to look at him one last time and she sends him another one of her brilliant smiles before leaving the building.

"Damn." Slips through Will's lips.

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