Chapter 4

FERRIS DIPPER

Ferris Dipper steeled his expression into something neutral at Sprague's warning of they will come for us all. He knew Kristin was only one wrong word away from snapping, and Ferris couldn't blame him.

"What do you mean they will come for us all?" Charlie asked, voice hard steel. She took a step forward toward the gate at the entrance to the camp, and Sprague flinched back.

"You can't go to the Precincts. You can't."

"Why can't we?" Charlie crossed her arms over her chest.

Ferris saw Kristin take a deep breath out of the corner of his eye. He hoped it would help Kristin.

"They'll know. They're watching."

"Who is watching?"

Ferris could hear the strain in Kristin's voice. How he wanted answers. How he wanted to be able to piece everything together so maybe it would all make sense even though that wouldn't happen. Ferris felt the same way but knew his desire for answers didn't hold a candle to how Kristin felt losing his brother.

"Th-they-..." Sprague stuttered to a stop. Panic flared in his expression and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Ren tilted their head to the side.

"Is it the Trinity?" they asked.

Sprague's shoulders drew up and he went completely still. His silence spoke for an answer.

"The Trinity is watching?" Ren asked, glancing out at Silverlight Forest and back to the dogs' house.

Sprague nodded. "Yes."

"If they're watching and you say we can't go to the Precincts, then what are you doing here?" Ferris asked.

He didn't know what Sprague's end goal was, but he wanted to. Sprague might truly mean no harm, or he might just be a good actor. Ferris hoped the former.

"I don't know," Sprague whimpered. He buried his face in the crook of his arm. "I don't know. I just came here. I shouldn't have, I know, but I couldn't not."

"Why shouldn't you have come here?" Charlie asked.

"Because I shouldn't have! They'll come here, too, and they don't want to. It's... it's like-. No, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, I'll be... I'll be going."

Sprague ducked his head and started to get to his feet.

Ferris held up a hand when he saw Kristin starting to move.

"Hey, Sprague," Ferris said. Sprague had admitted to Ashley's murder and something just didn't sit right. Ferris couldn't let Sprague go, and he hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "Come inside. Let me get you something to eat."

Sprague stiffened. "No, it's ok. You don't have to do that."

"Alright. How about just to get warm?"

Sprague hesitated, and a flurry of emotions flickered across his gaze. Seconds ticked by, giving way to minutes, and Ferris held his breath, hoping that he could keep Sprague at the camp until he could be convinced to go to the Precincts. He didn't like the thought of an admitted murderer right where he slept, but the alternative was not having his eyes on Sprague and letting him go. Ferris didn't have the ability to arrest and hold someone like the Precincts did without a wildlife offense charge, so Sprague just had to stay of his own free will. With Sprague where Ferris could see him, he could then figure things out.

"Ok," Sprague softly agreed.

"Great," Ferris replied. "Right this way. I'm Ferris. It's nice to meet you, Sprague."

"You, too." The words sounded parroted, rehearsed. Sprague waited as Zip opened the gate to the camp, then slipped inside, carefully stepping over the track.

xxxx

Once inside, Sprague eyed everything when he thought he wasn't being watched. He stood close to the wall right by the door and didn't touch anything, keeping his arms close to his body, and his gaze raked over every bit of the house.

"You can sit down, if you'd like," Ferris offered.

"It's-." Sprague paused. "I... ok."

Hesitating, Sprague stepped toward the couch. He passed by Ren, who watched him from the kitchen table. Kristin and Zip stood by the kitchen stools. Charlie kept her distance and leaned against the wall by the group's rooms, but Ferris knew she still paid close attention.

Sprague curled up on the corner of the couch, legs pulled to his chest and feet away from the edge of the cushion. He pressed his back into the couch, as if he wished for the fabric to swallow him whole.

Ferris watched from the kitchen. He peeled a banana and focused on the careful, repetitive movements to calm himself so he didn't lose his focus. Charlie padded over to the fridge, keeping half an eye on Sprague, and grabbed a slice of cheese.

"Ain't much we can do for him," Charlie murmured, voice nearly inaudible as she leaned against Ferris's arm.

He gently pulled her in closer, slow enough that she could pull away if she wished. She didn't.

"No," Ferris replied softly. "No, I don't think there is."

"Gotta see what he knows. Gotta get all the details and see where that leads us with Ashley."

"Do you think he really murdered Ashley?"

Charlie shrugged, picking at the cheese and eating little nibbles. "I don't know. Dunno all the details of the case. Want to but also don't. Want to know what happened, but don't wanna to know what Ashley was forced to endure until the end. I want to go back to the morning before he left and never let him go. Feels like I could really just turn back the clock and see him again. Feels like I was so close to being able to save him."

Ferris huffed a breath of agreement as he shook his head. "I feel the same way. I want answers but don't at the same time because I don't want to know but still need to know and I feel like I'm going to suffocate if I have to wait another moment without knowing." He sighed. "I feel like I could've done something and I still can, even though I know there's nothing I can do to change it. I can only get answers."

Ferris turned his attention from Charlie back to fully on Sprague. He hadn't moved from where he sat curled up on the corner of the couch, staring straight through the tv remote on the coffee table.

No one spoke, and seconds ticked by in virtual silence.

Sprague flinched when he knocked a pillow off the couch, whites of his eyes flashing, and he swiped it from the ground before it had even stopped moving. He carefully patted it down back into place, and gave it several moments to make sure it wouldn't move before returning to his former position.

Ren switched between watching Sprague and the dogs' house. Zip leaned against the kitchen island, and Kristin stood in the corner near Zip, arms crossed across his chest and fingers tapping out breaths as he kept his gaze locked onto Sprague.

Ferris knew Sprague had answers in some form, but he also knew they weren't easy answers. Sprague wasn't a suspect who would offer every answer in sick detail to show what had been done, and he wasn't someone who saw something terrible and just had to share to help. Either he was telling the truth and was responsible and was acting to try to displace suspicion, he wasn't acting and was terrified but still knew something, or some other entirely that Ferris did not know.

Perhaps if he could somehow ease the fear, real or acted, then he could get answers. Perhaps if Sprague felt comfortable enough, he would be willing to share.

Ferris didn't know how he would get to that point, and he knew he should be dialing Larson right now to get the Moonfall Precinct in contact with Sprague. But Sprague had made it so clear they couldn't call Larson. That they were watching. The Trinity.

He didn't know if that was true, but he still knew the Moonfall Precinct had the resources to take safety measures. Even if they had failed in Felix's case.

By the end of the day today, Ferris vowed. By the end of the day he would call. He had until then to get Sprague to agree of his own free will to talk with the Moonfall Precinct. Or really any Precinct since they all communicated. But he needed to get Sprague to agree and talk with someone at the Precincts.

They needed whatever information Sprague had. Perhaps it would be enough to break open Ashley's case, or Alaska's case. Or any case they had open— Ferris would take it.

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xxxx

"Felix Fisk is still missing," Ren stated a few minutes later as they scrolled on their phone. "Waverwell News just published an update about it."

Sprague drew in a sharp breath, the first sound Ferris had heard him make since sitting down on the couch.

"What is it?" Kristin said, and Ferris could tell how much effort it took to say the words in a calm manner, not the demand Ferris knew everyone —including him— felt tempted to give. Sprague seemed to know something, and Ferris wanted to know what. He needed to know what, even if he wouldn't force someone to speak. Even if he couldn't force someone to speak, especially when he knew that any wrong move could mean that Ashley and Alaska wouldn't get justice.

"Felix Fisk is missing?" Sprague asked.

"Yes," Ren replied. "Did you not know?"

Sprague shook his head. "No. I came right here and don't often check the news."

"You don't?" Charlie asked. "It's everywhere."

"There are so many lies. Laz-." He cut himself off like the air got punched from his lungs, paling as he pushed himself into the back of the couch. He lifted his chin and squeezed his eyes shut. Sprague gulped down a deep breath and swallowed, throat clicking as he did so.

Ferris frowned as he watched Sprague try to calm himself.

Ferris crossed the room, pulled the coffee table away from the couch and toward the tv, then sat down on it. Charlie stayed in the kitchen, bracing herself on the kitchen counter and continuing to pick at the slice of cheese.

As Sprague wrapped his arms around his torso and pushing further into the couch, head tilted to the side with a pleading expression, Ferris leaned back.

What the hell is going on?

Ferris couldn't understand, and he felt like he was missing just a handful of little pieces that would connect everything. Things might not ever make sense, but at least he would know and could say that he helped bring those responsible to justice.

"Have you seen the Trinity?" Ferris asked slowly.

Sprague stiffened and went as still as a statue. He shook his head in a clear no, but how the blood drained from his face and his shoulders drew up told a different story.

"Is the person you almost named earlier a part of the Trinity?"

"I'm sorry," Sprague blurted.

Ferris resisted narrowing his eyes and kept his expression neutral, but he saw Zip subtly squirm out of the corner of his eye with a sad look. Charlie grimaced in the kitchen and ripped her slice of cheese in half. She ticked her head to the side in a movement that told Ferris she could understand at least part of this better than he could ever hope to.

"I'm sorry," Sprague repeated, trembling. He pulled his limbs close to his body and scratched his fingernails down his forearms, leaving behind red lines. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied. I know that! I should've just responded!"

"Ain't no problem here, Sprague," Charlie said. "Gonna take a guess that whoever you're talking about is a pretty damn scary person."

"I shouldn't have lied. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Charlie murmured, forcing a calm look, but Ferris could see its cracks. "Fear's valid. Sucks to no end, but it's valid."

"Who did you see?" Kristin asked. "Who have you seen that's related to Ashley Baok's murder?"

Panic flared in Sprague's eyes as he whirled around.

"Please," he pleaded. "They're gonna know. Don't make me tell you. They'll know."

Ferris watched Sprague and tried to puzzle out what was going on.

Kristin groaned and ran his hands through his hair, stalking around in a circle. "If you say you can't tell us anything, then what the hell are you doing here? Why did you come if you aren't going to say anything?"

"I don't know," Sprague said. "I don't know why I came here. I felt like I should, but I don't know why. I wanted to say it was me and tell you that I'm the one who killed Ashley Baok, even though... even though La-. Even-even though he-they-... even though you don't... do that."

Ferris filed away every word Sprague said to piece together for what might've been hidden away that he didn't pick up on the first time around, and he waited for Sprague to continue.

"He said this would happen," Sprague whispered to himself. He chewed on a nail as he stared at the arm of the couch. "He's right."

But before anyone could react, Sprague spoke again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I... I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have come. I apologize. I'm sorry. I'd best be going now..."

Sprague stood up as he trailed off, but Ren got to their feet and acted as a subtle barrier beside the kitchen table and in front of the doorway. When he saw Ren, he went back to the couch, sitting on his knees with his head ducked.

Zip tilted his head to the side. "Why shouldn't you-you be here?"

"They're gonna find out!" Sprague exclaimed, eyes wide and wet with unshed tears.

"Who will?"

"The Trinity. They're gonna find out." Sprague choked on a breath. "I'm gonna kill you."

"I'm gonna kill you," Sprague repeated, voice distant.

Everyone stiffened, but Sprague didn't seem to notice. He looked too far gone in his own world.

Ferris paused at Sprague's words and his tone. The wording didn't make sense with his body language and how he said it. He seemed to believe the words, but nothing about him struck Ferris as either someone expressing their frustration in a playful way or a cold killer making a threat they could and would back with lethal action. Ferris had spoken with many criminals, albeit wildlife offenders, and most either denied their crimes or boasted about them. A few just sat in silence, but none acted like Sprague did.

Sprague could be acting, and Ferris knew that. How someone said something meant nothing if their words didn't line up with their actions. At the end of the day, I'm gonna kill you still meant a threat.

"You're gonna kill us?" Charlie echoed. Her whole body stilled into an eerie calm, and as Ferris glanced over at her, she almost seemed to be daring Sprague to say yes.

The tension in the room was palpable, and Ferris didn't think anyone was breathing. Ren fixed Sprague with an intense stare, and they watched him much like their dogs watched those they tracked— following every movement, never wavering for an instant. Kristin did the same, and he widened his stance. Zip stopped fiddling with his pen.

"You're gonna kill us?" Charlie repeated, pressing further.

Sprague nodded. "Yeah." He ran his hands over his face as his chest heaved and he scanned Silverlight Forest outside the window. "I came here. They're gonna follow."

"The... the Moonfall Precinct can-can get here in..." Zip trailed off as he bit his lip and thought for a moment. "Under ten minutes. Probably... probably more... like five. Get here fast."

"No." Sprague shook his head.

"Why not?" Kristin asked, voice quivering and his fists clenching tight enough that his knuckles paled. "My brother deserves answers."

Sprague paused and went still. He tilted his head to the side. "Your brother?"

"Yes, my brother, Ashley."

Sprague hummed, squinting his eyes. "Are you Kristin?"

"Yes," Kristin replied slowly.

"Oh." Sprague looked down at the couch.

No one spoke as Sprague seemed to think over something.

Ferris had assumed Sprague at least knew something about the group, or at least that Ashley had a brother named Kristin considering the widespread coverage of his murder. But Sprague didn't appear to have known Kristin and Ashley were related.

"He mentioned you," Sprague eventually said.

Kristin froze, and his expression fell slack. "He mentioned me?" Ferris heard the shake in Kristin's voice.

Sprague ducked his head once in a nod, though his gaze stayed on his hands. "He did. He seemed to care very deeply about you."

Pain rippled across Kristin's face, and he closed his eyes as he swallowed thickly. He took a breath before responding. "Forgive me for not taking someone who just confessed to my brother's murder at their word."

Sprague didn't react past how his shoulders sank. "I know, and I understand. I only talked to him for a minute, but he told me about you and he seemed very proud of his brother, Kristin."

"We have to call the Moonfall Precinct, Sprague," Kristin said.

Ferris could hear the fractures in his voice. The exhaustion, the need for answers, the frustration of trying to play nice but it not working how he wanted. The slipping control.

Ferris knew they needed the Moonfall Precinct.

"You can't," Sprague pleaded

"We have to," Kristin repeated. He took a step forward, and Sprague sat back onto his feet.

"You can't," Sprague repeated.

"You admitted to Ashley's murder, you said you were going to kill us, and now you have said you talked with Ashley. The Moonfall Precinct needs to talk with you."

"You can't," Sprague repeated. "Please, you can't call them."

Kristin took a breath. "Why not?"

"Because the Trinity will know!" Sprague cried. "If they have Felix, then they can get anyone who knows who they are."

Ferris stepped in. "They know how to deal with people like the Trinity. They can keep you safe."

Sprague shook his head. "No one is safe. They got to Felix, and they can get to anyone."

"Are they going to go after you?" Ferris asked.

Sprague shrugged. "Probably. Not in the same way as you all."

"Sprague," Kristin said, "we're calling the Moonfall Precinct. Talk to them. They'll listen. I hope you realize we can't let you out of this house until they get here. At a minimum, you have admitted to a murder."

Sprague watched as Ren stood up, dialing Larson's number on their phone, and stepping just outside the front door. They left it propped open. Zip and Charlie each moved closer to the kitchen table to block the exit in case Sprague tried anything.

"Why?" Sprague asked. He didn't look upset that Ren called Larson, more scared. To Ferris's slight surprise he didn't seem to consider running. If anything, he didn't seem to have fully registered that Ren had left.

Ferris hoped the Moonfall Precinct would get to camp soon. Sprague seemed to need assistance beyond what anyone at the camp could offer.

Charlie responded before Kristin could. "Because the best people for you to talk to right now are with the Moonfall Precinct. They'll listen and get you whatever help you may need. No shame in askin'."

Sprague looked off to the side. "Can't I just keep talking with you guys? I know... I know I've messed up, but I promise I'll keep talking. I promise I can do better. I-I... I'd tell you the man's name, but... h-. I-I can't-. He doesn't..." Sprague took a breath of air and started to speak, then hesitated for a moment. "He doesn't like it when people talk about him like that. Sorry."

Ferris offered a small smile that he hoped put Sprague more at ease, but he didn't really know what to say. He went with sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Sprague, but you can't. The people who can do something with everything you have to say are at the Moonfall Precinct. We can't do what they can. They can protect you, listen to what you have to say, and use the information you give them."

Sprague stared blankly through the floor and didn't respond. Ferris knew he didn't want to know what Sprague saw instead of the hardwood in the NYTE house. But a part of Ferris still did want to know— who knew if there was some little detail that could crack open what happened to Ashley and who was responsible.

No one in the house spoke, and the silence weighed down like a crushing boulder. Ren stood just outside the front door and continued talking on the phone, too quiet for Ferris to listen along but just loud enough that he knew they carried on a conversation. Zip watched from the kitchen stool with one of his legs pulled up. Kristin bit down on a knuckle as he stared at Sprague.

"I know the Trinity." Sprague choked on the words.

"What are their names?" Kristin asked the question before anyone could react.

Ferris froze, breath catching in his throat. The words stunned him, but he shouldn't have heard them, or at least not now. Larson and the Moonfall Precinct should've heard them first, not him. He couldn't do as much with the words, and he wished he hadn't heard them when he held so much less power than most anyone else at any of the Precincts. Ferris had the power to track down and arrest poachers. Larson had the power to arrest anyone with a warrant and solve crimes throughout Waverwell.

Ferris felt like he stood on the edge of a cliff, where he could see the other side of the plummeting canyon. Answers to what happened to Ashley hovered so close, almost within reach, but he couldn't quite piece everything together. With Sprague having come to the camp, here with information few could offer, answers felt closer than ever, yet still so far away since he hadn't talked to the people who could do something real with the information he had, provided he would share it.

"The Trinity?" Sprague asked, shifting on the couch and pulling his knees ever tighter to his chest.

Kristin nodded. "Yes."

Seconds ticked by, each feeling like an eternity, and Ferris forced himself to stay calm.

And, eventually, Sprague replied:

"They go by the Lionheart, the Set, and the Destiny."