Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What does it mean to murder someone? Are all murders cold blooded and bad? A cop would say that every murder is bad no matter the cause. Well, I don't share the same opinion. What if it's from self defense or.. or just because the person killed is bad in general? See, detectives and cops only blame the murderers but they never know the story or meaning behind it. I, Dexter Morgan, am taught just to punish the people who deserve it. Right now I'm waiting, patiently waiting for my next victim. Covering behind a bush isn't really great but I won't give up now, this is the perfect opportunity. Everything was prepared, I am just waiting for her to arrive. Oh, did I mention who she was? Monica Emmet, the monster herself. She forces her kids from 6 - 12 to sleep with adult men so she could get money. A more common name for it is child prostitution. The men are anonymous so I can't get to them easily, but to her..oh, I sure can and I cant wait. The house itself was ordinary and the inside was..messy. She should be grateful I cleaned and removed some things out of it. You might wonder, what did I do to the kids? Fuck me if I know, they werent even there, possibly with her. I already planned out my moves if the kids do arrive with her. A car was coming over to the house and who else would it be than her.. I peaked out a little bit behind the bush, just enough so I could see what's going on. It indeed was her, perfect. My excitement was growing second by second even though you couldn't see it on my face. She got out of the car slowly and steadily for some unknown reason. It was scraping my ears, the sound of car doors opening. The kids were in fact with her, three of them. They looked terrified and traumatized. I knew exactly why and soon those kids won't be forced to do all of the unspeakable things they did. Monica was the first in the line, kids lined up behind her. Nope, this isn't good. They are behind her and I'm supposed to distract them somehow, it has to be clean. That's not how it went, no. While she was busy unlocking the door which she was doing slowly, testing my patience. The fingers around my M99 were gripping more tightly than before. The lock clicked and that's when I reacted. No, I didn't attack her from behind if that's what you thought I'd do.

One by one they went inside, locking the door behind. Too bad for her, I already broke in before, through the backdoor. Sneaking was my specialty, I was great at it, I just had to be careful. Her bedroom was the last room in the freaklishly big hall. That's where I do my work.. From what I heard, her kids immediately went to bed. And God, was she really this slow with everything? After about 15 minutes of her preparing to go to bed which felt like an eternity, she was finally done. I never understood why women, hell, even men, took this much time to get ready for sleep, it was stupid. Focus Dexter, focus, you know why you came here. Monica walked into the dark room and before she had a chance to turn on the light I grabbed her by the shoulders with my left arm. She gasped loudly, almost sounding like a scream. My hand covered her mouth and with my other hand I precisely injected the needle into her neck, letting the etorphine flow through her blood system. Her body collapsed on sight.

Body wrapped in plastic, just laying there, its brain just yet to be aware of its surroundings. My elbows were subtly rubbing against my knees, fingers brushing my jaw. I was leaning in a bit, I always do the same thing, same pose, same conversation flow. This time it will be different, I won't let her speak but not for the obvious reason. Kids are still in the house, completely unaware of what's going on. If I let her speak for even just a second she will try to scream and I don't want that happening. My patience was wearing thin, it seemed like the dosage I gave her was taking too long to stop working. Everything is slow about her, huh? Enough of waiting, time to do this the old fashioned way. A bag of salt was on the other table, I took it and put it close to her nose. For some reason I felt…annoyed? Why do I feel annoyed? Maybe I'm finally starting to feel? Bullshit Dexter, stop thinking nonsense. From the corner of my eye I could see a hand twitching, she's up. Oh and also, she's doing the oh so original talking while clearly being incapable of talking. Fascinating.

“ Muffling words isn't gonna save you, Monica. “ Her eyes drifted up, now looking at me. She looked terrified, I loved it. Tears started forming and sliding down her cheeks, as if that's gonna save a whore like her. I got up, now leaning over her:

“ I'm giving you one chance to talk and If you try to call for help or anything similar to it…I will kill you in front of your children. And after that I will kill them, one by one and cut them piece by piece. You know that story with three poor pigs and wolves? That's exactly how I will be towards them, merciless. “ Before I let her speak I did my usual ritual. The sharp knife was moving swiftly between my fingers, it felt really good. With a swift movement I cut her right cheek, taking her blood afterwards. This was my trophy, every victim is a trophy. Putting the one drop of blood between the plastic was going smooth as usual. That's the only memory that will be left of her. God, I feel like I gonna regret my next move but fuck it. I took the tape off of her mouth and stepped back.

“ Wha- what have you done to me? Where am I? Who are you- “ I covered her mouth with my hand, shushing her. “ Too many questions Monica, too many questions. Now, tell me, do you regret the things you forced your kids to do? “ Then I removed my hand from her mouth, waiting for an answer. When she answers this - no matter the answer - she will still die. Monica's face expression changed but not to what I expected. Most of the victims usually deny the accusations but she..she didn't, weird. “ I don't regret it one bit. Those kids..I didn't want to have them, I was forced to have them, don't you get it? I was raped. Are you gonna rape me, is that why you came here- “ The tape was back on her mouth, I cant listen to this anymore. And to be honest, I couldn't care less what happened to her. She was still guilty, her actions are far worse than what happened to her. And what's with women and rape? Do they think every man is a rapist?

“ Seriously? Is that what you think? “ I didn't expect an answer, especially not a gesture. I didn't get any response nor gesture just as I thought. And now for my favourite part. The most odd thing is that while I was doing my business, she wasn't resisting. Not even moving an inch, just letting it happen. Getting the body out of the house, or getting out of the house was generally easy. Monica wasn't really heavy, she was light so that made it easier. Instead of dragging her like usual I could actually pick her up and walk over to my car. I opened the bunker and put her inside, shutting the door lightly. The car key was in my left pocket so I took it and went inside the car. Before I started the car I remembered, what about the kids? If I wasn't, well, a murderer and a blood splatter analyst I would call the DEA or the police but this way..I can't really do anything. Besides, I came here to kill Monica, kids are none of my interest. I drove over to the sea bridge, my usual spot. The first thing I did was check the time..2:12 AM. Hm, I took my sweet time didn't I? It would be illogical to just take the body and drop it in the water, I had to check if there was anyone else around the area. So I did, I got out of the car, walking further away from it then stopping. No noises raised my suspicion which indicates that it was safe. Step by step I walked over to my car, unlocking the bunker. Ah, I almost forgot, gloves. It would be a rookie mistake not to wear gloves. I took the body yet again and swiftly threw it in the sea. Such a relief, this night has been going amazing so far. Instead of going home immediately I stayed a bit, looking at the sky thinking about nothing, I was just relaxing my mind. Gotta go home, dont wanna be late for work tomorrow morning.

It was Thursday, just like any other day. I never understood why people even give names to days of the week. It's pointless and it didn't make much sense. It's true that people know better and are more organized about their activities but it's just stupid. I woke up around 7:20 AM, barely got any sleep. That was fine, not like anything serious will happen today even if I do want a gut wrenching and a mastermind case so I can occupy myself with something. The black coffee tasted amazing on a cold early rainy day. Matched the depressing vibe which was every morning for me. Every morning of my life was and will continue being like this. Ever since I was adopted and have been with Harry it has been super strict. You know, conversations about the day that he already planned out. I never really got to make decisions for myself, wasn't allowed to. He knew the best, he always did, I still think that. I arrived at work about 5 minutes late. While walking to my office someone tapped me by the shoulder. I turned around, it was Deb.

“ Where have you been? You didnt answer any of my fucking calls and plus, youre fucking late! “ She was super energetic and seemed angry.

“ Debra, I've just been super busy and I'm really sorry that I didn't answer your calls. “ she sighed dramatically, I hate it when she does that.

“ I was worried Dex, it's unusual of you to be so distant all of a sudden! “ No, it's quite usual but you never notice it, you only notice when it's about you. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, putting hands on my hips.

“ Just, don't worry, I'm fine. Do we have a case? “ Debra took the file from her hand, skimming through it. “ Uhh, yeah, we do and I think it will interest you. Doakes is already there for the record. “ Great, just great. I'm glad I have a case though, and she also mentioned that it's interesting which means that it's definitely a genius one.

“ Oh really? Then why are we still here, let's get going. “ Debra lit up immediately. Who knew a murder case could make someone like her so excited? I didn't really say anything afterwards so it got quite awkward.

We arrived at the bridge of the sea. Doakes was looking at the body in the bodybag. That bodybag looks oddly familiar. Then the realization hit, that's Monica. How did they find her that fast? I walked over to Doakes and he looked at me with that look like he was suspecting something.

“ Are you gonna keep staring or are you gonna fucking tell me something about her wounds? “

“ Sorry, uh.. “ Ah yes, very hard, explaining my own crime scene. I won't let myself say any details and I'll switch it up a bit. “ The killer was precise, he knew what he wanted and it looks planned. “ I crouched a bit, leaning in and “ examining “ the wounds. “ Seems like he wasn't rushing at all, took his sweet time. Also seems like he had a motive. “ I took some pictures of the wounds and got up. Doakes was looking at me, inspecting.

“ You're fucking weird, you know that? “ He left after that. Out of all people it was only him that suspected me. Doakes is definitely a threat but he doesn't know anything and I hope it stays that way. There was no reason to kill him but I feel like he'll find something eventually. Maria came up behind me, looking at the body.

“ Oddly enough, her kids were still home. Untouched. The killer obviously had something against her. “ I indeed had something against her and I don't regret doing this one bit. “ I guess so. “ I responded. “ Uh, I'll go back to the lab, gotta run the tests for, you know, the usual. “ Maria looked back up at me and nodded.

Back at the station they were talking about the crime. “ The Bay Harbour Butcher “, aka. the infamous killer, aka. me. They still didn't get me, they won't. It's hilarious honestly, all of their assumptions and debates. Doakes sat up from his chair, whistling.

“ Come on people, what do we have? “ They had nothing but I'm curious about other people's thoughts. Angel was the first one to talk: “ It's obviously the Bay Harbour Butcher, everything aligns. The wounds, his signature cut on the victim's right cheek. And the way the body was disposed of. “ Hm, stating the obvious, boring. Masuka sat up and decided to join the conversation: “ I've seen some salt in the victim's house. You might ask why is that important, well, there was some salt on the victim, right up her nose. It is way different than sea salt and it matches perfectly with the salt in her house.“ Oh. I may have underestimated him. This doesn't prove anything though. Doakes raised an eyebrow, tapping his foot: “ It could've been used to wake her up from whatever dose she was given, good job. “ It was my time to join in the conversation. I was staring at the floor, it obviously got Doakes attention.

“ What was that Morgan? “ My view went right up to Doakes: “ Where was the body found? “ He thought about it for a minute then answered: “ A person found it floating, why is that important? “ How is that not important? I need to know when the body was found.

“ When was it found? “ Doakes sighed yet again: “ Around 7:30 AM. And before you ask who reported it, it was a jogger that noticed it. Now, why does that interest you, Morgan? “ He leaned in, practically breathing in my face, I awkwardly lowered my view to the floor.

“ Uhm, nothing, just curious. “ Then he walked away, finally. God, this was embarrassing. Debra chuckled, I was just looking at her plainly. Later in the hallway Debra ran up to me, laughing.

“ What in the sexual tension was that? “ Okay, what kind of a question is that? I was confused, stopping in the middle of the hallway. “ What the hell are you talking about? “ Debra shrugged, crossing her arms:

“ Come on Dex, I'm just joking, it's funny. “ Her sense of humor is..interesting so to say. I never understood it. “ Not really. “ I said softly. Debra just rolled her eyes: “ You're no fun. “

Later that day I was reviewing my crime scene in the office. Everything leads to a dead end no matter the case. Rita has lately been distancing herself from me. I honestly don't know why but I don't mind it. If she needs space, she'll get space. Not like I crave for sex that much or at all. Her not wanting to have sex is completely fine with me. Besides, I have bigger things to deal with. The jogger is my main suspect right now. The body can't just float, none of the dead bodies float if you put pressure on it, which I did. So that means.. someone definitely got it out of the water. Seems like I have a secret enemy on my hands. Or maybe I'm just overthinking and I didn't put the pressure on the body. No, I definitely did, there's no way I didn't. I'm a professional, not an amateur. Then an idea came to mind. I'm going to the morgue, I need to check for bruises just in case. As I was preparing to leave I was interrupted by Maria.
“ Dex, do you have a moment? “ Can't really say no, she's my lieutenant.

“ I do, what's up? “ She took a file and before saying anything she was reading it. I started tapping my foot nervously, this is a waste of time.. “ Are you familiar with the infamous murderer Red John ? “ It did sound familiar. I nodded: “ I did but I never got too deep into it. “ She smiled for some reason, creepy.

“ He's going on a killing spree, around 40 people killed in the last week by his hands. “ What. I never killed that much in 6 months, this is insane. My face had a shocked expression, I couldn't believe it. I blankly stared at her, fighting the urge to smile. That's extraordinary, that many kills.. but I don't see how that's important to what we're dealing with now.

“ I'm pretty sure we're dealing with The Bay Harbour Butcher now. How is this important? “ Maria clicked her tongue, looking back at the file. “ Well, these aren't just any murderers Dexter. “ Then she flipped the page and shoved it in my hands. The bodies were perfectly lined up on the floor in the shape of a.. smiley face?.. The blood was smeared around the bodies perfectly, like an art piece. I let out a chuckle: “ It looks so perfect and..like a masterpiece.. “ then I looked back at Maria, her smile dropped “ I mean, in an unsettling way.. obviously.. “ It's not unsettling to me, I found it perfect. The file was back in her hands, I said my goodbyes and went to the morgue. While I was walking through the hallway she was watching me from my office with an unreadable face expression.

Chapter Text

It was around 10 PM when I arrived at the morgue. They still kept her in the DEA morgue so that was a pleasant relief. If she was transported anywhere else it wouldn't have been able to get to her. While I was walking in the lower half of the building the security guard was in front of the morgue door, waiting. I've met him multiple times, seems like a nice guy, surely he will let me in. My steps were slow and careful like I was sneaking up on someone, it's a habit I guess. I was close to the main hallway, thankfully the lights were still on but flickering. The paint on the walls is starting to fall off even though it's not even a year old. Tiles on the floor were as clean as sea water ( in most cases it's clean and transparent ). I got to the main hallway and there he was, standing with a flashlight in his right hand. He got into a defensive position for some reason, why does he do that?

“ Dexter Morgan, DEA. “ I took my badge showing it to him “ Im here to check a body for some details, I'm maybe onto something over here. “

Then he relaxed, letting me pass through the metal door. Then it hit me instantly, the cold breeze and a slight taste of dead human meat in my mouth. Well, holy hell, I wasn't thinking about how many bodies were here. Around 10 were on the metal tables, white blankets over them. The other bodies were in what I like to call “ human disposal drawers “. One by one I removed the white blankets from the bodies. Most of them seemed like natural deaths, heart attacks, cancer and so on. Monica had to be here somewhere, I was about to uncover the last body in the line. And…goddamnit, it wasn't her. Did they already take her to the other morgue? It can't be, it's too early. But also, Masuka said that the operation was done which indicates that she was definitely in one of those drawers. Without thinking I started pulling the metal pieces out of the place they were shoved in. It was starting to get really cold in the soulless room which was normal but it was ticking me off. I started doing everything faster and I eventually got to Monica. She was as pale as a ghost, maybe even more pale. My fingers started moving below her neck with an intention to roll her over just so that I could see the bruises - if they were there. With ease I rolled her over, I was expecting bruises, there were none. I repeat, there were none. My heart - if I even had one - dropped. How did I forget to do the most important thing while disposing of the bodies?.. Just to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating and that this wasn't a nightmare I had to double check. There were indeed no bruises. Fuck.

This is eating me out, such a foolish mistake. On top of that Rita called me saying that she “ needs me “, whatever that meant. Besides, I'm not in the mood to do anything with anyone. Rita will definitely be offended if I decline but she'll have to face someone saying “ no “ to her. I'm not like this usually, I'm generally calm and relaxed but now I'm pissed and I have a reason for it. I was gripping the car wheel tightly, knuckles turning white. No, you cant fuck this up, dont let your uncapability of controlling yourself get ahead of you Dexter. After about 10 minutes I arrived at her house, it was around 10:20 PM which wasn't as early as I thought it would be. Not even 5 seconds after I knocked on the door, she opened it. Smiling like she's the happiest woman on the planet. Too bad I'll change that even if I don't mean to. She ran straight into a hug:

“ Where have you been for so long? “ Pretty sure I responded to that over the call but why not answer again: “ Work. “ She pulled her face away from my neck, looking worried.

“ Is everything okay? “ Not really but it also isn't any of your business. “ Yeah, everything's fine. The kids are sleeping? “ She lit up again: “ Yes, they are, now we have time for ourselves.. “ Oh? She wants to spend time with me?

“ Well, listen, I gotta go, I'm full of cases unfortunately. “ Rita shrugged, looking disappointed. “ Come on, risk it a bit.. “ I was looking around the house, still not changing my mind: “ Sorry, I really can't, maybe next time. “ While walking through the house I saw something that caught my interest. Paul's number was written on a piece of paper. It was on the table, before I got the chance to look at it more clearly she took it in her hands.

“ Uh, that's nothing. “ Okay Rita, seems like you're hiding something from me. I'll deal with it later. “ I'll get going, I'm tired. “ She seemed sadder than before but oh well.

I unlocked my apartment around 10:30 PM. It was dark and cold and for some reason I felt uneasy. Is it the fact that I messed up my own murder and crime scene or is it something else? Still, I had nothing to worry about, they had nothing on me, I made sure of that. Nonetheless, the thing that interests me now is Red John. My laptop was turned on since this morning so I didn't need to go through the pain of typing the password. Hm, well, he certainly isn't a new killer, he's been doing this for a long time, 15 years possibly. The news is mostly from 5 years ago when he had his moment of fame. In most cases it's the families that got murdered, mostly wives and kids, girls. It was never boys, it was always girls. His signature mark is the big bloody smiley face on the wall which has this specific eye shape, it's always the same. But this one case in particular has got my full attention. Guy's family got murdered but the guy ( who's name I still don't know ) was researching Red John ever since he started killing. Now that guy is working with the FBI and has been trying to catch Red John. So, I have to dig in deep, I need to find out his name and possibly what he looks like. Finding his name wasn't easy. It's like he wants to be anonymous. Too bad I'm such a curious being. I went back to 2004. Newspaper online,trying to find information. After a bit of digging I managed to find his name, Patrick Jane. There was a picture in the catalog. The curious press did their job jet again. His face wasn't visible in the photo, he was covering it with his hands, it seemed like he was crying. I mean, who wouldn't.. I wouldn't but that's besides the point. It was easy to find what he does in the FBI. Simply said, he's a manipulator. Well, that's a harsh way to say it but he does know how to read and manipulate people quite well from what I can see in the news catalog. That's all I knew about him, his name and what he's good at. It's getting late, I'll continue this work tomorrow. No idea why I am this interested in a case that I only found out about today.

I woke up to a loud banging on my door.

“ Morgan, are you there?! “ Great start for the day. What time was it again? I turned to the clock on my bedside table..9:24 AM. Wow. I really was falling off the edge.

“ Morgan, answer the fucking door! “ That was Sargent Doakes, I guess someone sent him. God, he's the last thing I needed. My feet slowly reached the floor, I'm not going to get ready faster just because I'm late to my job. Before I knew it, he broke into my own apartment, uh-oh. Doakes quite literally sprinted into my room.

“ Where the fuck were you, Morgan? “ Well, in case you can't see, I'm on my bed, just got up, so you can connect some pieces in your head.

“ I guess I overslept. “ That was it, that was the only truth I could offer.

“ You overslept? Your sister is panicking in the police station. She can't fucking function normally. “ That's.. pathetic. Well, time to act surprised. “ What? “ I tried to look as sympathetic as possible. Doakes grinned:
“ Drop the act, you don't actually give a shit. “ I do care but it seems like I don't care enough but that won't change. Yes, she's my sister, step sister, I spent my life with her, of course I care, only a little bit though. “ What act? “ Doakes chuckled, facepalming himself: “ I'll find out, I'll find out what's wrong with you. And also, go get ready for the fucking job. “ That's the only thing he said before he left. I'm getting less and less professional which is no good at all.

The drive to work was peaceful and quiet, actually, I'm lying, it wasn't. For an unknown reason I keep remembering my fuck up when disposing Monica. I had no idea why I was reacting like this. It was cold and it was raining outside which means I'm not going to the beach with Astor and Cody. They've been anticipating it for a long time and now this happens. We'll do something else for sure.

When I came to the office almost everyone was sitting and doing nothing. I'm not lying, they were doing quite literally nothing. Batista was on his usual spot reading the newspapers. Masuka was nowhere in sight, Maria was talking with..Debra. I better prepare myself for good 2 days of Debra acting like a bitch towards me. I cleared my throat, trying to get Maria's attention. Both of them looked at me, Debra rolled her eyes:

“ About time you fucking showed up. “ Oh my God.. This is exactly what I was talking about. I rubbed the back of my neck, thinking about what to say next. Maria, thankfully, ended the awkwardness: “ Hi Dex, usually when you're late to the job you apologize and promise it will never happen again. “ Goddamn, I wasn't even safe from her.

“ Yeah, sorry, won't happen again. “ Then I went back to my office. I literally had nothing to do until I get a case which is either tomorrow or later this week. Nervously I was tapping my foot while looking at the clock, 10:34 AM. As if this day couldn't get worse, I forgot to bring donuts to Camilla. At least I found something to occupy myself with.

The usual spot where I buy donuts was flooded with people for some reason. It was almost 11 AM, come on people. Some kids were shoving in between the line, annoying. A teenager shoved me from the line. I was resisting the urge to smack him back. Calm down, it's just a kid Dexter. But I can't calm down if I'm in a hurry and my day has been going bad since the morning. Usually I don't mind long lines at all, I like them, they're calming. Eventually it was my turn to order, without looking at the cashier I proudly said: “ The usual. “

“ Sorry? “ Only then I looked at the cashier, it seemed like a new one. I sighed, getting embarrassed for messing up.

“ I'm sorry, I didn't know this shop had a new cashier. I reacted out of habit I guess, I apologize. “ She smiled, chuckling a bit.

“ It's okay, tell me your usual order then. “

Back at the office I was walking through the small hallway, heading to Camilla. She was at her spot, reading some kind of book.

“ Here's the usual! “ She looked at me and greeted me with a smile:

“ Thank you, Dexter. “ Hm, surprisingly she wasn't mad at all. “ You're not mad at me? “ I said before sitting down. “ No, why would I be mad? “ She genuinely seemed confused by my question. “ Oh, it's just.. you know, surprising because today I didn't talk to anyone who didn't scream at me. “ Camilla chuckled a bit: “ Oh, tell me about it! Happens literally every day to me. “ Do regular people actually talk like this to people who have had a bad day since the sunrise? I guess so and I just witnessed it. It's not what I came here for though. I'm interested in Patrick Jane, maybe she knows more about it.

“ Does the name Patrick Jane seem any familiar to you? “ Her view went right back at me: “ I've met him actually, a charming guy. He's also so polite, why do you ask? “ I don't care if you think he's charming but good to know you've met him. “ Oh, it's just, you know, Maria mentioned him once.. So, famous much? “ Camilla grabbed her donut, took one bite and continued: “ Very famous among policemen and maybe some people, yes. “ Not surprising by any means honestly. “ Thank you for cooperating. “ She chuckled again: “ You're thanking me like I'm one of your serial killers Dex. “ I chuckled back and left. It was time to find Maria somewhere, I need to ask her why she told me about the Red John case.

Back in the office I was looking at the Red John case files. The guy is quite professional, no crime scene of his has any evidence left except the dead bodies. Damn you Maria, you really got me interested in this case. That was until someone interrupted me, it was Masuka.

“ Yo Dexter, who's your daddy? “ Interesting way to start a conversation. My view went from the file back to Masuka: “ Uhh..Harry Morgan? “ Masuka groaned, rolling his eyes: “ No man, your real daddy, who is it?“ This time I didn't respond, I was just looking at Masuka plainly. Masuka sighed: “ It's obviously me dude. “ That was..weird. I awkwardly laughed, putting my eyes back on the file.

“ By the way, you know that chick Monica? Her kids supposedly saw the murderer. “

I slowly closed the file, looking at Masuka yet again: “ Really?.. “ This was no good, I made sure that they were asleep. “ Are they so sure of it? “ God, that was a stupid question for me to ask.

“ Yes, they said they've seen his shadow supposedly. I doubt it will be of any use though. “ Oh, a shadow? Okay, seems like I'm safe either way. “ Well, I wish them the best with identifying the..Bay Harbour Butcher. “ God, that name really was awful, I wish they would change it to something else already. Like, “ The Dark Deceiver “ or something. After a few beats of silence Masuka spoke again: “ What file are you looking at Dex? “ I shrugged: “ Just a random case, nothing important. “ Not important to you at least. “ Okay then. “ After that Masuka left to do his business.

I was almost done with my shift but before I leave I have to find Maria. She wasn't in the main office, she wasn't in her office, neither was she in the halls. I went outside in hope to find her anywhere close. It was freezing and on top of that it was raining a lot. Ah, great, just what I need. I'll go and try to find her at the usual smoking spot. My body started shaking like it's never experienced cold weather. It was almost 6 PM so I gotta hurry, I promised that I'll hang out with Astor and Cody.

“ What are you doing out here? “

It was a familiar voice. I turned around slowly, it was Maria.

“ Oh, I'm just.. resting my thoughts you know? “ She hummed, filling in the awkward silence.

“ Uh, I have a question for you, if you can provide an answer to it.. “ Maria looked away, staring at the clouds: “ Sure, what is it? “ Then she looked back at me.

“ Is there a reason why you gave me the Red John case? “

“ I knew you would ask me this question. “ Oh, did you really? I looked at her curiously. Seems like she was thinking about the question for quite some time.

“ You know, I'd really like it if you.. “ she stopped for a few seconds “ If you maybe go investigate that case in Sacramento. You'd be a lot of help if you, you know, start an investigation. “ Oh. That was surprising.

“ Really? Are you sure, should I call anyone else- “

“ No. Just you. This is something I was thinking about for a long time. “ Is she actually serious? What about Debra, what about Rita?

“ What will I tell my sister or..Rita? Hell, even the kids, how will I explain anything to them? “ I want to go but I can't just say that I'm going to Sacramento to investigate a serial killer.

“ I already told Debra, she's fine with it. She'll visit now and then. You deal with your girlfriend and kids, it's your responsibility Dexter. But also, it's fine if you don't want to go. Unless you're interested? “ Maria looked at me, waiting for an answer. I am interested indeed, but not for the murder. Technically I'm more interested in a person than a murder but it's the same thing.

“ I'll think about it. “

“ You have two days, got it? “ That's enough I suppose, I just have to make up a lie that I'll deliver to Rita.

“ Got it. “

Back at Rita's we were eating dinner without talking like usual. The kids were sad, I don't know why and Rita.. she was also off. Astor left the dining room first but Cody stayed.

“ When are we going to the Amusement Park?.. “

I looked at Cody with a stoic face expression:
“ Sadly we won't, the weather isn't letting us. “

Cody let out a sigh: “ We never go anywhere with you, we always used to go with Paul.. “

I know that, I really know that Cody, no need to mention it. Objectively speaking, it's okay that he says that, he doesn't remember what Paul really is like.

“ You're the worstuhh “ said Cody before leaving the dining room completely. So much about being a good father. Rita was unusually quiet, picking around her plate with the fork.

“ Are you okay? “ I assume she will say that she is but we both know that it isn't like that at all. Rita looked at me with her tired eyes: “ Not really, let's say I'm just tired. Pressure from..let me be honest, Paul keeps pressing on and calling me from prison, It's so tiring...I..I didn't tell you that right? “ No, you didn't but I assumed it was something similar to it.

“ Hm. “

I don't know what to say to be honest, I'll let her talk.

“ Are you mad at me?.. “ I chuckled a bit. This is the millionth time she asked me this question. She frowned, she didn't find this funny in any way I assume. This was the call not to laugh when someone remembers sad/traumatic events, Dexter.

“ Sorry, I just..remembered something. " After a few beats passed I continued “ I have something to tell you, it's about work, uh.. I'm probably going to Sacramento to solve a murder case, it's a big deal, I might even get a promotion. Don't worry though, I will be calling you and kids.. And when you need it, it won't be a problem to give money. I'm also going immediately, for three days probably. “

I scratched the back of my neck nervously, continuing: “ This is too much information at once, right? “ RIta smiled, and shook her head as in “ no “.

“ Don't worry, if it's gonna be positive for your career, I'm all for it. How long will that last though, how much time will you be there? “ That I did not think about, so..

“Until I solve the case I guess, that's what I was told. “

Rita nodded in understanding and got up, taking her plate. I got up after her, taking the other things from the table. When I sat on the couch my eyelids were fighting for their lives to stay open, they failed. I quite literally collapsed on the couch, falling asleep immediately.

The next morning I woke up super early, around 5 AM. My shift starts at 8 AM, I had about two and a half hours for myself. Maybe even less considering that the building opens around 7:30 AM. I'm hoping that we are having another case, I can't stand another day without a case that isn't investigating me. Doakes is wasting so much time on it, it's hilarious. But they had witnesses, the two kids, they saw my shadow. I doubt that it will help them in any way. Every 4th male in America has a hairstyle similar to mine so that is a long shot. I was making myself a coffee which was, by the way, harder than making it at my apartment. Rita has this older model that takes more time to heat and for the mechanism itself to work. My phone was blowing up with voicemails from Debra.

“ Come to the station now. “

“ You gotta see this, don't tell me you fell asleep. “

“ Jesus fucking Christ, where are you? “

That was at 10:30 PM, I was deep in sleep. I finished my coffee and went straight to the station with yesterday's clothes. It was sunny and cold at the same time, about 8 degrees.

The elevator was full of people, too cramped for me. Oh well, I still have to go in it. The smell was catastrophic, it stewed off those cheap perfumes you buy in random shops. I was standing in between a woman that definitely used the most of the perfume and a guy that has never heard of a shower in his life. He looked like a criminal, probably in for questioning. The lady on the other hand looked professional, maybe a lawyer? Anyhow, I finally arrived at the 3rd floor and Debra was waiting, leaning on the wall. She clicked her tongue, looking at me with a devious smirk, like she was planning something.

“ Why didn't you answer my calls yesterday bro? “ Oh God, again with that “ bro “, Jesus.

“ Well, I fell asleep really early, maybe around 8 PM. “

She snorted, rolling her eyes: “ I don't buy it. “

I crossed my arms: “ Debra, I'm not lying. I've just been very tired the last few days. “ Debra pushed herself off of the wall, standing up straight. I wonder what was so important yesterday.

“ What did you find? “ I asked, expecting an answer. This time she held a serious face expression.

“ The kids described the murderer. We managed to pick up an identity. “ Oh no. I nodded: “ So..who is it? “ She cleared her throat: “ They've described a guy that runs a strip club, you know, with strippers and sometimes hookers…We will bring him in soon. “ Oh thank God even if I don't believe in God. Them describing him is a pure trauma response, trying to go against your enemy, or in this case, going against a pedophile.

“ I'm glad to hear that. “