In the following days, justice took its course.

Percy was relocated to Wilton, and Mickey was also arrested as he walked out of the Wilton Inn’s lobby.

Percy had confessed that Leonard was the one who stole the blood from the hospital, and Mickey was the one responsible for the murders. It was maddening to me that he had others do his bidding, but although it lessened his years in jail, he would still be sentenced for a long time.

The camera was taken back to the FBI for further analysis, but no one could figure out how to get it to function in any of the labs. It was marked as my responsibility, and I could choose what would happen next with the cursed device. I didn’t tell anyone a word about what it could do. The magic of the camera was kept a secret, but I still had a lingering curiosity about it. There was an idea still brewing in my head about the camera, but for the moment, I wanted it to be tucked safely away in storage.

The FBI gave me some time off, but before I took a break, I informed the six families what happened to their children, and I confirmed with them that the killer had been captured.

It was heartbreaking to deliver the news to so many families. While they all cried, at least they were relieved and felt a sense of closure. No, it wouldn’t bring back their loved one, but no longer would anyone else suffer the same fate as they did.

The monster had been caught.

I had done my job.

And while I wished I could do more for those families, I did the most I possibly could. At least that’s what my colleagues told me.

I stayed in Wilton at the inn as everything transpired. It was beginning to feel like a home for me. Even though it was just a temporary home, I grew to enjoy the small interactions I shared with the staff at the inn and working alongside Martha.

But there was another reason that I stuck around.

Vicky gave me the information about her grandfather’s funeral. I attended the viewing and the mass before his internment. I didn’t get to talk to Vicky very much as everything was happening. Still, I went to the burial at the cemetery, and I stood the farthest back from her family and friends there. Everyone cleared out once they had lowered the casket in the ground after exchanging hugs. I stuck around thinking about leaving until Vicky approached me. Her eyes were a little red, and she had bags underneath them.

“Hey. I just wanted to say thank you for coming. It’s really nice to see you.”

“Of course, I’m terribly sorry for your loss.”

Vickey tightened her lip and nodded. “Would you like to get dinner later this evening?”

“Absolutely. I’m happy to treat as well.”

Vicky nodded. “Well, I have to get going back to my family. I think we’re going to visit for a little while, but I should be free around 6:00.”

“See you around then.” I smiled.

I was excited to spend another evening with her after everything that happened, but I wished the circumstances were different. Why did we have to go through such tragedy? Why couldn’t we just be two locals in Wilton enjoying a simple life?

We went out to dinner in a lovely country restaurant serving classics like meatloaf, steak, mashed potatoes, fish, and a variety of other dishes. It was a quiet restaurant, a simple design, low hanging lamps, and dark green curtains and on top of the wooden booths in between tables.

We had a seat by the window. Vicky smiled at me as if relieved for the first time in what seemed like a while.

“I feel like there’s so much to tell you,” Vicky started. “But you already know everything. It’s hard losing him. Some people have been telling me that they thought I’d feel alleviated that I no longer have to worry about him or take care of him, but he did a lot of help with raising me, especially with my mom working at the hospital all the time. There’s a lot of memories there, and it’s just tough to lose someone in general. He was a great guy.”

I nodded.

“And as it was all happening, I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to talk to you and see you again.” Vicky smiled. “This is some much-needed relief for me, being here with you now.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said.

“But that’s the thing that scares me. I like you a lot, and I’m feeling emotionally vulnerable, and it sounds like your case is already done.”

“Yeah, and?”

“I’m just worried we might spend more time together, and you might leave. That would be really difficult to handle, especially after everything that’s been happening with me.”

“I see.” I took a deep breath, my heart sped up, and my chest tightened. The conversation took me by surprise. “Well, I’m thinking about staying here for a little while longer. I’m finding Wilton to be a cozy town, and I’m still involved with the police department here for a little while.”

“Yeah, but what’s going to happen after that? How long do you think you’ll stay here for?”

I took a moment to think about it. I hadn’t thought too far ahead in the future.

“Won’t you have to go back to the FBI offices in Chicago? Won’t you be assigned to something else, and then you’ll be gone to another city or state?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s how the job typically looks.”

Vicky didn’t say anything for a moment, only stared at me with her warm eyes, but her lips were on the verge of frowning. I was getting lost in my own thoughts.

“Perhaps we can still keep seeing each other and keep doing things until I get word on what might happen next?”

“But aren’t we kinda prolonging the inevitable? I’m not sure if I’d want to be with someone who’s gone so much.” Vicky took a drink of her beer. “I know, I know. I’m probably getting ahead of myself talking about all this stuff, but I feel like I’m already developing some feelings, and I wanted to know where we might stand.”

I smiled. “It’s okay Vicky, I think we can relax. We haven’t even kissed yet. Let’s take things slow and hang out. Who knows, I might be around here for a while.”

Vicky giggled dryly. “You’re right. We can just take things slow.”

“I still have to tell you about what happened to me that wrapped up this whole case. But I’ll tell you about it after dinner,” I said, scanning the restaurant. There were other people around, sitting at tables. I didn’t want anyone else to potentially overhear the conversation. The waiter arrived, delivering our food.

After we finished eating, we decided to take a walk in the park a few blocks away. The sun was setting, but there was still plenty of light outside. Fireflies hadn’t made an appearance yet. The park was wide open, sprinkled with trees and other people walking further away. There was a boardwalk along the river that we walked on together. A small ice cream shop was in the center of the park where a line of people had gathered, ranging in all ages. We considered waiting in line for ice cream, but it didn’t sound too appetizing since we had a couple of drinks each.

As we moseyed along the boardwalk together, I told her about everything that happened the night I arrested Percy. I even included all the information about Charles Green and how Percy had someone steal blood for him. Then I told her about the camera that Percy had invented.

Vicky stopped walking, we sat down at a bench together. “Sorry, Eddie, I’m just having such a hard time understanding. The camera could take pictures of the past?”

“I know it sounds insane, but it’s true. The camera is currently in evidence storage at the FBI offices,” I said.

“Wow. This is just so surreal.”

“You’re the only person I’ve told so far about what this camera can do.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“You didn’t tell Sheriff Martha or anyone else?”

“I don’t think anyone else would believe me.”

“Honestly, I’d have to see it for myself. I don’t think you’d lie to me though about this, but you do understand how insane it sounds, right?”

I chuckled to myself. “Yes. I’m keenly aware of how ridiculous it sounds. In fact, part of me thinks what I saw was an illusion. It all certainly seemed like a dream, but it wasn’t. I’ve questioned my own sanity over it, but I can’t figure out how to operate the damn thing.”

“Do you want to?”

“Yes, more than anything in the world, I need to learn. But it uses a resource I don’t really feel comfortable with expending unless it’s my own.”

“Just try not to get too obsessed over what that camera can do. I feel like it could lead to a dark path.” Vicky reached out and held my hand.

My heart was whole, and I felt like I was on cloud nine. My lips curved up. It was the first time we had held hands. “I promise, I won’t let this get the better of me.”

We stared at each other, lips curled up until our faces hurt from smiling, but even then, we continued through the discomfort.

“Let’s talk about something a little happier, eh?” Vicky said.

“Sounds good. I think we owe it to ourselves.”

We talked about some of our favorite music, films, and television shows we grew up watching.

As the lights in the park turned on and the sun fell below the horizon, I walked Vicky home.

When we made it to her doorstep, we stopped and gazed into each others eyes.

“Goodnight,” Vicky said. “I had a wonderful time with you this evening. You were a nice change of pace from all the other emotional -for lack of a better word- bullshitery I’ve been going through.” She giggled.

“You’ve been a breath of fresh air for me as well,” I said.

We continued our playful staring contest. She leaned in, and I leaned in as well, and we kissed for a brief moment.

She pulled away. “Perhaps we can get together this weekend?”

“Yes, of course,” I said.

Vicky grinned. “I’ll see you later then. Goodnight, Eddie.”

“Good night, Vicky.”

***

Back in my room at the inn, I couldn’t stop grinning. I kept thinking about how Vicky held my hand and how we finally kissed. After many complicated years, this felt long overdue. Always focusing on finding missing persons and criminals linked to disappearances, finally something to smile about.

But my life’s work and mission were still not over. Even though I felt quite accomplished, there was still much to be figured out.

The following day after my blissful date with Vicky, I received a phone call from my friend Foster at the FBI offices early in the morning.

“Hey, Eddie, sorry it’s taken me some time to get back with you, we’ve just been trying understand the camera you brought in.”

“Did you figure out how to operate it? It runs on a liquid. I know that for sure,” I said.

“No, we haven’t discovered its operations, and we’re confused on how we’d get any liquid inside this thing. Eddie, we’re not sure how to get the camera to accept any sort of input. Do you have any other information that might be able to give us a clue?”

“Not really.”

“What’s the deal with this camera anyways? I mean, it’s certainly bizarre-looking and freaky, but was there anything special about it? Does it just take regular pictures or really high-def pictures?”

“I don’t know. Percy said he wanted to show me what it could do.”

“Yeah, but don’t you think it’s weird he wanted to show you how to use it in a random city in Michigan?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with that. Percy knew where I grew up, and something happened to me there a long time ago, and I guess he wanted to trigger some sort of emotional response. He claimed that the camera could take pictures of the past. He was trying to emotionally bargain with me.”

“Ah. That’s pretty weird. Do you think this thing can really take photos of the past?” Foster snickered.

“I don’t know. It sounds like science fiction to me, but Percy was confident. He also dispersed that fog in a nightclub with a makeup that we’ve never seen before, right?”

“Psh, yeah, you’re not wrong about that. The lab people are still dumbfounded about what drug was in that fog.”

“See? This guy Percy is a genius. He worked on things and made his own inventions without publishing any of his work.”

“Yeah, I feel like we have a big ball of yarn that we have to unwind with this guy. Well, I just wanted to let you know at the moment, the camera is in storage. We’re not going to spend much more time on it unless you tell us to do so or get any new information about it.”

“I understand. Thanks for doing what you could.”

“You bet. Until then, I’ll talk to you soon. Congrats again on catching this guy and his cronies.”

We ended the call. I stood in my room a little longer, contemplating my next move. My next adventure seemed to be coming along the horizon faster than I anticipated. Knowledge about this camera gnawed at my brain. Perhaps I was on the verge of obsession. Vicky’s warning echoed in my head.

I had a chance to go to Perseus’ holding cell because a question burned in my mind. Walking down the hallway of locked doors and gray walls, a guard walked me to Percy’s cell. Inside was a glass partition protecting me from Percy. He sat in a chair staring up at the ceiling with his legs resting on his bed.

“I’ll be right outside if you need anything,” the guard said.

It was just Percy and me. He looked at me as soon as the guard left, a crooked grin, but it seemed sincere and not diabolical.

“It’s nice to have a visitor. Time certainly drags on in this place.”

“I can imagine. That’s why I do my best to follow the law.”

“We can’t all be upstanding citizens like you, Agent Wright. Some people need to steal food to feed their families. But many people would consider that illegal, and those trying to serve their families to keep them from starvation are arrested. Are they criminals?”

“In my eyes, no. But, you weren’t stealing bread to feed a family.”

“I invented the camera that can help find your best friend. Did my miracle tool really cross the line?”

“It uses human blood. So yes, it crosses the line.”

“I think we can get in a morality debate here. I’m sure some people think we are both right and righteous. Much like the highly contested debate of capital punishment or the legalization of recreational drugs.”

I paused for a moment.

What could I say that would catch him off guard? “Would you tell me how to operate the camera?”

Percy exhaled one laugh. “I do like you, Agent Wright. But unless I can leave this cell, I’m not telling anyone how to use my invention.”

“Understood. You might be surprised to know that it’s not the only reason I’m here.”

“Surprised? Have you seen my inventions? I don’t get surprised much these days.”

I smirked. “So I did have a question for you though that I wanted to ask. I noticed quite a few people in Wilton had tattoos of a Greek mythological character or monster. You were giving tattoos from your club like lollipops. I couldn’t figure it out.”

“Yes, I see your curiosity. But if you must know, it was part of my brand.” Percy shrugged. “They were my employees, and I liked the idea of having my employees marked eternally. We were all part of the same band of misfits. And I’ve always had an affinity with Greek mythology, and I thought it would be a perfect way to tell who’s on what team. They looked to me as their leader, and I paid them handsomely for any occasion they could find someone from out of town passing by. They would give those people passes to the club. And I always told them to never tell locals about it, but some slip through the cracks. And of course, I offered the club to my helpers whenever they wanted to come in or work a serving shift. There is good money to be made with a serving shift. Some of the servers were locals, but many weren’t. None of them knew why I wanted out-of-towners stopping in, but I always ensured they knew little about what happened behind the curtain. Travelers were the perfect specimen to work with. No one knew where they stopped on their road trips because it’s a minor detail in the grand scheme, and so it made it much harder to find anyone. Especially if they were paying cash? All the better. Often, I told the servers to pay for tabs even if the out-of-towner did have a credit card, and of course, I reimbursed my employees.

“Unfortunately for me, my close associates grew lazy and made some idiotic mistakes, which had me switch to trying to acquire blood from hospital banks. My partner in crime––” Percy chuckled. “It’s funny because The expression actually works. But yes, Leonard reached out to his old buddy who had a limousine in his garage, and he borrowed it for a little bit. We always wanted to make it as insulated as possible. Don’t use any companies, rely on word of mouth, meet with people face to face, you know, typical criminal behavior, I guess.” Percy sighed. “Still wasn’t enough. Is that all you had questions for?”

“Yeah. You had quite the system all worked out.”

“Everything good must come to an end.”

“I don’t know how much good you were doing experimenting with human blood.”

“Again, we could debate ethics all day. One thing that cannot be argued is I made inventions beyond the imagination.”

“You murdered six people. You forever ruined the lives of their families and friends. You cannot argue that what you did was virtuous.”

“The technology, though. You can’t deny the miraculous ability of my device.”

I shook my head. “I could ask a million questions about how it worked and its science, but I figure it would go over my head.”

“Probably. I quickly learned not everyone is as intelligent as I am.”

“I appreciate your modesty.”

Percy and I stared through the glass for a few silent seconds. I took a deep breath. His focused, widened eyes made my skin crawl.

“I’m afraid I have to get going, but I’m sure I’ll see you again soon,” I said.

“Come back and visit anytime. Always a pleasure to see you.” Percy waved, and his devilish grin reappeared.

I left Percy in his cell, and an idea crossed my mind.

I decided I’d go to Charles Green’s house. I hadn’t contacted him beforehand. I just pulled up on his driveway and once again drove through the thick tall grass until I was behind his garage. Getting out of the car, there were no signs of life from his house, but that wasn’t anything different from the last time I paid him a visit. Climbing over the wooden fence, I made it to his backyard. Everything looked the same.

I knocked on the back door, and Charles Green answered it but didn’t say anything. He just stared at me, stone-faced.

“First, I just want to say thank you for all the help you gave me. If it wasn’t for you, we probably would not have arrested Percy for a while or even discovered all of the information we’ve uncovered about him,” I said.

Charles nodded but still didn’t look happy in the slightest.

“Anyways, I was wondering if I could ask you something?”

Charles walked away from the doorway into his kitchen. “Feel free to come inside if you’d like,” he said.

I stepped into the kitchen, and again the pungent odor in his house of tobacco and something rotten hung in the air. His cat Bella came up to me, meowing.

“Someone is happy to see you again.” Charles smiled.

“I’m happy to see her again too. It’s a pleasure being back here.”

“What can I do for you, Agent Wright?”

“You can call me Eddie or Ed if you’d like.”

“Calling you Agent Wright is a little more fun. I feel like I’m in a movie or something.” Charles smirked.

“I have a question I wanted to ask you. I think I need your help with something.”

“And what’s that?”

“I want to figure out how to operate Percy’s inventions.”

Charles drew in a deep breath and stared at me, expressionless.