Maura rushed home in a daze. She hadn't the closest idea how she had arrived home - the truth was that she had no recollection of the last couple hours in any shape or form. Her memory was fleeting. She was shivering wildly. Her skin felt bare, cold, and clammy to the touch, but thin beads of sweat were gathering ruthlessly about her flushed face, making her feel vehemently agitated and feverish. The sun had set with such timidity and trepidation that the moon had an overwhelming entrance. She slammed against the apartment door in sheer exhaustion. With her back against the rough wood she slid all the way down, with her head in her hands, until the rough ground grated against her lower back. She felt repulsed - sick to her stomach from what she had done.
I always told Jane that I must take after Paddy...and here I am...pushing away the only person I know who is best at putting the bad ones behind bars. Maura took a deep breath, straining with every movement. Every fiber of her being was aching. She tried to fight back the tears that were collecting as tiny globules near her lacrimal glands.
No, Maura. She was threatening herself. You can't do this now. Stay in control.
She would have to conduct this professionally. She couldn't lose that attribute now - it was vital to Jane. It was Jane's life that was in danger. She, on the other hand, was the one who fell disgustingly under the safe umbrella of being the daughter of a mob-boss freak show, who would do anything in the name of "an eye for an eye..." A life for a life.
"Why!?" She slammed her fist against the rough door behind her as a desperate sob cracked menacingly from her chest. It gave a might thud and died without any proper resonance. Her loud cries faltered by her need to control her breathing. She felt light-headed and dizzy. It had been hours since she left the hospital, but she was deeply frightened.
I'm not safe here, not even in my own home. I'm being watched. She gasped. Her tears let a loose stream of saltwater run down her flushed face - she felt her own tears sting her cheeks. Anxiety consumed her. She was startled by a foreign sensation running along her thigh. Her phone was vibrating strongly in her bag, which she had placed neatly on her lap. Maura's heart stopped for a split-second. An enormous chill worked its way from her chest to the tips of her fingers. She paused for what seemed like an eternity.
Answer it, Maura.
She reached, hands shaking, to her purse to pull out the vibrating object. Her phone did not recognize a contact. It only read the words "Incoming Call." Her finger hovered over "reject" button for about two seconds, but independently shifted to "answer." She cleared her voice, even changed her stature, and began to speak.
"Yes?" She spoke calmly.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. A loud, malicious voice severed the peace.
"Why hello there Doctor Isles...I suspect you've attracted quite some attention onto yourself in the past 24 hours. Care to explain?" It was pure evil. She could not interpret it.
"I've only had some medical issues, it's noth-"
"Nothing indeed. I see you have yet to understand how to follow instructions, Doctor. Just to show you how things work around here, I've stationed about two or three, maybe five of my closest friends to keep a very very close eye on your detective-friend. I would hate to see anything happen to her, wouldn't you?" He sounded as if he was sneering with the utmost content.
"Don't touch her! Please, just don't hurt her." Maura began to lift herself up in a frail attempt. She wanted to run to Jane's place. If teleportation were possible, it would be the first on her list.
He gave a hearty laugh. "Ah ah ah! I believe you lost your privileges with your little stunt yesterday evening. You spent quite a bit of time with Rizzoli, but I give you credit for the lies you told her, although do recognize that you will be a bit more convincing next time, won't you?
Maura stayed silent. She was shaking in fear. She was angry, tearing from the inside out.
"Won't you!?" He repeated with a sweet voice. Dripping in evil.
"Yes." Maura breathed.
"Do pull a stunt like that again, and you will find out slowly but surely how disadvantaged you are to have your poor old man in the hospital, with nobody at all to protect you. Not even the detective, who you seem to be driving away quite effectively...but don't you worry, she's the first on the list to go, so you'll know when it's your turn." Maura's entire body shook with rage.
The man continued, sounding ravenous for any sign of weakness. "Listen closely, and your friend keeps on living. You will act normally, do you understand? You will wake up in the morning, you will go to work, and you will come back. You will transfer all your documentation and accounts of the ongoing murders to a hard drive each day and leave it outside your window at night. We will update it kindly and send it back the following morning, and you will build your case from there when you go to testify. Your work could use a couple corrections. Do you understand, Doctor Isles?"
Maura paused. He was the serial killer. He wanted to alter the evidence by working with the medical examiner. Genius.
"I cannot..." Maura faltered on her words. She couldn't testify with a stack of lies. It would be too obvious. She could not tell a lie. The trials were a source of pressure with even the most accurate information, not to mention the disaster they would be when all the accounts are fabricated.
"My friends are having a wonderful time keeping an eye on your detective-friend. She's a smart cookie, that one. I'm sure my kind would be a lot better off without her on our tail all the time!"
"Okay! Okay! Just listen to me, I will do whatever you want, just please. Please don't hurt her. She has nothing to do with this - leave Jane out of this! -" Maura gave a deep throaty cry of desperation. Her fingernails dug deep into her skin.
"Well we have to have fun sometime, right Doctor?" The man was sincere to his word. She could tell he was experienced in the way of manipulation.
"Why are you doing this!?" Maura cried out.
"Do what you are told, Doctor Isles, and we won't hurt your friend too badly. In the meantime, you can keep up your ongoing feud - we'd like to get on the detective's trail before she gets on ours, if you get our drift. Hide the evidence, Dr. Isles, and we'll keep her safe. Fail to do so, and your loss will be slow and grueling..." He laughed and the phone gave three beats to indicate an ending call. She leaned back - her eyes were dark with fear and fatigue. They were full of tears. Her hazel irises contrasted heavily with the surrounding pinkish hue of her sclera, and her eyes appeared lighter in the flickering light.
She look to the side for a split-second, only to notice a dark plastic bag tied in a knot near the side of her door. She leaned for it slowly, surprised by the hard object it contained inside. Her eyes closed slightly as she undid the knot with care, despite the shakiness of her limbs.
Her eyes focused on the object. It was cold and glossy.
A hard drive.