“I don’t know Terri. The Secretary just told me that she flagged up on the system. Some Ariadna Vasquez, in Fort Prirough.”

“Sorry bud, I’m going fishing.”

“What? Since when have you ever been fishing before?”

“Not actual fishing. I’ve not completely lost my mind. No, Don Waters has resurfaced and possibly killed someone, so I’m going after him. You’ll just have to deal with the Ariadna chick yourself. Plus besides, you’re closer to Fort Prirough in NYC than I am. Fancy expecting me to go!” Terri laughed down the phone.

“It was worth a shot. I hope you’ve got enough tackle with you for fishing.”

“That’s no way to speak about my fiancé,” they both laughed together at her quick response.

“You have previous with Don don’t you?”

“Yeah, he got away from Holt, The Rodeos and I in Far Rompton.”

“You amateurs,” teased Brad.

“Good job on you’re phone, otherwise I’d hit you! No, there was a lot going on and Reuben did his usual and had to be... distanced.”

“Yeah, typical. Fair enough then Terri. You go after Pufferfish Man and I’ll go in check in with Ariadna.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Lucas would have left some files on her if she was on our systems.”

“The Sec said she’s going to send it over, so I shouldn’t be going in blind.”

“What do you know about her already?”

“Only that she was arrested in a gas station robbery. Beat up the clerk, bent a shotgun.”

“Ah right, yeah, that’ll do it.”

“Oh I think it’s come through now. I’m gonna go and read through it. I’ll leave you to it. Take care Terri.”

“You too. Thanks Brad.”

***

The trip to New Orleans was a quick on and the evening heat was a welcome greeting. Terri was determined to get Don Waters this time. She didn’t like it when people slipped through the cracks.

She made her way to the mortuary where a file had been left for her before she got to see the body. The body would belong to a Perry Ferguson who was found with multiple puncture wounds on his arms and upper body, along with lethal amounts of pufferfish poison in his system. With the amount he had in his blood, he would’ve died very quickly. That was part of the reason why Terri was the woman for this job, over Brad. In her rock hard state, her skin would be impenetrable to the puncturing spines and therefore any poisoning.

Perry Ferguson looked to be in his late forties to early fifties. The swelling and ballooning around his face made it tricky for Terri to make a more precise guess. On the table, he lay naked except only for a sheet that covered his entire length.

What a way to go, she thought to herself. She’d seen people who had died in a whole host of ways before but nothing like this before.

“Pretty ugly, eh?”

Terri turned to see a pathologist had come through the door. “Yeah, an unfortunate way to go.”

“The detectives rang, said they’ll be here soon to see you. Have you seen the file?”

“Yes but there was really no guessing by looking at him. Is this the first you’ve seen of this method?”

“You mean, like if there have been others like this here? No. This is the first and only and seems like a targeted attack. Forced entry to the home, in his bed. Couldn’t even manage to defend himself before he was inevitably taken by the poison. Nothing taken. Daughter discovered him the next morning.”

The two detectives arrived, both a similar age and in a similar smart casual attire.

“Detectives,” greeted the doctor.

“Doc, thank you. It’s an honour to meet you, Terri. I’m Detective Racquel Sanchez and this is Detective Rona Philowitz.” Terri shook hands with both women. “I understand you have an interest in this case?”

Terri nodded. “I believe this man was killed by an Enhanced we’re after. Known as the Pufferfish Man. Real name Don Waters.”

“Is our vic enhanced?” Philowitz asked.

“Not that we’re aware of. Don’s only recently been on our radar himself and until now we knew nothing of his whereabouts. I’m hoping we can pull our heads together and get him in.”

“That’s if he’s still about? T-O-D was last night. He could be anywhere by now,” said Sanchez.

She was right, Terri thought, sighing deeply. “Yeah, I know, but this is all I have on him for now. I’m just hoping he’s a sandwich short of a picnic and has stuck around,” she admitted.

“Speaking of food, are you hungry? We can grab something to eat and check out the vic's apartment. We’ve still got door to door enquiries going,” Sanchez suggested.

“Yeah sure. Sounds like a great idea!”

The food was from the detective’s favourite street meat vendor and eaten on the short walk to Ferguson’s place. A uniformed officer met them at the building entrance.

“Evening detectives, evening Ms Turlingston.”

“Evening Officer Cheng, how are the enquiries going?”

“We might have something. Officer Wright spoke to a nurse who upon leaving her building across the street to go to work, saw a man coming out of this building in a bit of a hurry in the early hours.”

“Where did he go from there?”

“Into a car further up on her side of the street. She didn’t see the plate but said it was a dark car.”

“It’s always a dark car,” muttered Philowitz, looking up the street at where Cheng was indicating.

“Are we getting CCTV?” Sanchez asked.

“Already on it. It’s heading back to the station for your viewing pleasure.”

“Excellent, and that’s where we’ll be then. Thank you.”

The trio turned and headed back to their car. “You’ve got them well trained here,” remarked Terri, impressed.

***

“And you say that that vehicle is still in the city?” asked Terri.

The CCTV had beaten the investigating trio back to the station and on viewing the footage that showed Don Waters clearly getting into a car and pulling off, giving everyone a perfect flash of the plate. Checks had been done and showed that the car was registered to his own company.

“It doesn’t mean to say that he’s not still in the city though, but the car hasn’t pinged on any of the cameras heading out,” Sanchez explained.

“We’ve got a BOLO on it now though so we should get some luck,” Philowitz added, entering the room mid conversation.

“I want to know the moment it’s called in.”

“Of course Terri. I don’t think we’ll be brining him in without you.”

She didn’t know what the detectives thought, but she certainly thought it odd that someone would drive across America in a car easily linked back to him to commit a murder, and then stick around in the city after. Was it a trap? Did he want to get caught? She couldn’t work it out, but she knew her goal hadn’t changed.

“I think I’m going to go and get some sleep, but wake me up if you hear anything before I’m back in,” Terri said.

“Of course. See you tomorrow,” said Sanchez.

Two hours later into the early hours, dawn broke, and so did Terri’s attempt at sleep. Her ringing cell had abruptly pulled her out of the sleep she had fallen into, waking her with news that Don’s car had been spotted in the parking lot of a diner.

Terri jumped out of bed and into the waiting police car that was being driven by a uniformed officer who she thought looked like he was fresh out of high school, let alone the Academy. He drove with the flashing lights on to where Don’s car was spotted and where Sanchez and Philowitz were waiting for her in their own unmarked Crown Vic across the street from the diner. When she got there, she jumped into the back seat.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“To be honest, I was hoping for more sleep before you rang.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. A patrol spotted it on their second passing of the area which shows he’s recently been on the move.”

“Is he in that diner then? You think he’s having his breakfast?” asked Terri.

“I was waiting for you to get here before I went across and did a recon.”

“Yeah, or I’ll just go in and check myself. Get him out quick and easy,” Terri reasoned.

“I know what previous you have with demolishing diners. I’d rather less destruction if I can help it,” Sanchez responded, cocking an eyebrow at Terri. “Or we wait for him to come out instead,” she finished.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

But instead of doing what she implied she was going to do, she opened the car door and got out, walking across the street towards the diner parking lot. It wasn’t that Terri disregarded authority, or considered herself above it, but she had a job to do and she wasn’t keen on sitting around.

“Sonovabitch!” Sanchez grumbled, also getting out of the car. “Terri!” she hissed.

“Sorry Sanchez, but I need him in and I can’t just sit around,” she called out over her shoulder as she continued walking.

She crossed the street which was becoming slightly busier as the city woke up. Thirty metres away, the man himself, Don Waters, exited the diner as if on cue. Terri maintained her course, using Don’s unawares to her advantage.

Don dug into his pockets for his car keys and must have sensed someone approaching, their eyes bearing into him, causing him to look up. His reaction was fairly calm, one perhaps of expectation or resignation.

“I’m just surprised you took so long,” he chided Terri, as she walked into the car lot.

He puffed up, his build increasing and spines protruding from his skin. Terri herself altered her state at cellular level into that of a densely packed sediment rock, her appearance not altering in anyway.

“Well, I’m here now, that’s what counts,” she responded, stomping her right foot and sending a crack darting towards Don.

It was fast and he was unable to dodge the eruption of road underneath him, which sent him flying off balance.

“I’ve got you this time, Don.” The Pufferfish Man jumped back to his feet in time to dodge another attack from Terri.

Their fight was one sided, Don’s punches causing him more pain than the recipient of them. Terri fought with a degree of restraint which said ‘I could kill you but I’m better than that.”

Sanchez and Philowitz watched on as bits of parking lot erupted and columns of earth shot up as Sediment Terri fought with the Pufferfish Man. Only a couple of windows broke in the diner and Sanchez was appreciative of the efforts Terri was no doubt making to minimise the damage caused to it. She was fond of that diner, after all.

Back in the parking lot, Terri stood over a battered Don Walters.

“I’ve had my fun now, let’s take you in. You’re wanted for the murder of Perry Ferguson,” she explained. “Among other things.”

Don elevated himself onto his elbows. “You may want to hear this before I go anywhere,” he offered breathlessly.

“Tell it to the cops.”

“It’s about your esteemed colleague, Lucas Ilan.”

Terri frowned and squatted beside Don. “What about him?”

“Well, if I have to talk to the cops, then I’m going to have to tell them it was Mr Ilan who told me where I could find Perry in the first place. You know, give him the credit he deserves for his role in Perry’s murder.”

“You’re lying to me.”

“Well, like you say. I’ll just tell it to the cops then.” Terri looked at Don and then away, her mind racing. She saw Sanchez and Philowitz itching to approach but she signalled for them to hang fire.

“So you expect me to believe Lucas told you where Perry was living? What did you tell him it was for?”

Don shrugged. “I told him the truth. Told him what I planned to do and that I needed to him to find out where he was.”

Terri didn’t believe it. “There’s no way…”

“After the day he was having, you couldn’t blame him.” Before Terri could ask the obvious question, Don continued. “He’d been assaulted by his friend, Proten, in Los Angeles and was sinking the drinks down. It didn’t take him much for him to compromise his values.”

“How did you know about the fight he had in LA?”

“This wasn’t a spontaneous quest, Terri. This plan has been in motion for quite some time. And I just know that after the way poster boy Proten hit out at his colleague… I had my opportunity.”

Terri thought back on what Brad had said about the day that Lucas had taken his own life. Lucas would have been at his most vulnerable that night.

“And if I get taken in, then it won’t be long before the media finds out that one of The Collective had a part to play in the death of a Pure. God, you can imagine what The Purists and their supporters would say about that?” he chuckled.

“I can’t let you walk away. Not now.”

“Sure you can Terri. I go, and no one finds out. Your superiors will understand, I’m sure.”

“I’m not sure those detectives will,” she muttered.

Don got up, unsympathetic to her concerns. Terri glanced over a the two detectives, the look of confusion obvious on their faces. Why wasn’t she finishing the job? It seemed like they were thinking.

Terri was torn. Don confidently started to limp away, and Terri was reluctant to stop him.

“Oi, what’s going?” shouted Sanchez as she starting running over with Philowitz.

“Don Waters, stop there now!” she called out, drawing her weapon.

“Leave it Sanchez,” Terri said.

“To hell I will! I’ll take you in if I have to! Why is he just walking off?!”

“It’s... sensitive. I need to speak with my boss.”

“You’ll speak to me and my boss and explain why a wanted killer just walked off from you!” She was irate and Terri didn’t blame her. She would have been too. Hell, she was as well.

She wasn’t happy that a wanted murderer was walking away from her. But the information he had could be damaging. Was that the price to pay though for the justice that the Ferguson family needed? Terri got her phone out and started scrolling for The Secretary’s direct line.

“Woah, I’m not letting you make any calls, Terri. How do I know you’re not in on this?” Philowitz called out, holstering her gun.

“I get that you’re pissed, but don’t insult my intelligence. Let me make this call and hopefully I’ll be able to explain.”

***

“Well thank you Terri for your time and we’ll sort the rest out from here.”

Terri was leaving the Police Chief’s office with him and the District Attorney. She shook their hands as Sanchez and Philowitz looked on. Terri, still feeling guilty, avoided their glares.

Madam Secretary shared Terri’s concerns for what Don had divulged and arranged for the Chief and DA to be informed, with the matter becoming classified.

“Terri, I will sort this out, don’t worry. But you cannot tell anyone about this. Not Ferris and definitely not Brad,” she had said on the phone when Terri broke the news to her. “I need you to actually forget about it, okay?”

Even Sanchez and Philowitz weren’t to be told why their investigation was dead in the water. Terri decided to just leave and not worsen the situation.

To an extent, she didn’t care that she had ruffled some feathers. The goal posts moved when Don started talking and the priorities changed.

It wasn’t over though. She would get Don Waters again for something different.

His time would come, she was sure of that.