Chapter 11: Illegal

Chapter 11: Illegal
The moonlight was dimming and Chyler stood in the shadows of the alley, bidding her time. She was tense, her pulse quickening with the thought of what they were about to do. The station was only a block away but it felt like miles. This wasn't exactly the kind of thing to do on a normal Monday night but these were desperate times.

Beside her, Brye leaned against the brick wall, scrolling through his phone like they weren't about to commit a felony. Chyler shifted as the last person at the station finally got out at his usual time, started his car and left.

"Alright. It's go time," she announced.

Brye got rid of his phone and payed attention. "Okay, but just a reminder. If we get caught, I'm not going to jail. I'm too pretty for that."

Chyler rolled her eyes. "Relax, it will be just in and out."

"Oh, I'm relaxed," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Totally. I'm just, you know... preparing myself for the possibility of a police chase."

"You are ridiculous. Just keep an eye out, don't make any noise and we will be fine."

Brye nodded. "Alright, let's go play hero."

Chyler turned and motioned for him to follow. They walked quickly, the familiar neon lights around flickering around them as they approached the station's back entrance. They crept through an open window near the entrance where the security guard was too busy watching something on his phone to notice them.

Once inside, Chyler didn't hesitate to march over to the evidence room down the hallway, even with her heart pounding. She had done rebellious things before but not like this. She had her heart in her sleeve but only remained confident for Brye's sake.

"Are you sure about this?" Brye's low and anxious voice came from behind her. "What if someone shows up?"

"Then I'll just talk my way out of it," she whispered. "But I'm counting on getting out of here as fast as possible. Now, do your job and warn me if someone actually comes down this hallway."
"God, I hope I don't get a criminal record just for being here," he said, sighing dramatically.

Chyler was seconds away from regretting bringing him as her wingman but she didn't show it. Instead, she focused on opening the door with the faintest squeak, then held up the flashlight of her phone scanning the shelves. Luckily, she didn't have to search long. The file labeled Maddie Howard was in her hands within a minute.

"Hey, hurry!" Brye muttered from the doorway. "I'd hate to blame you but the fact that you dragged me here is a crime in itself," he said as she joined him, tucking the file inside her jacket.

"Will you quit whining? I got it," she shot back. "Let's get out of here." Once they were safely back outside, Chyler smirked, letting out a relieved sigh. "That wasn't so bad."

Brye wasn't so relaxed. He wiped his brow, his face pale under the streetlights. "That was not just a crime!" he breathed. "That was beyond... I felt like I was in a true crime story. Like a real one!"

"It was real," Chyler said. "But don't worry, I'll protect you."

"So this is what you want to do with your life? Breaking and entering, stealing police files? Solid career choice. Real upstanding." His tone melted with sarcasm.

"Desperate times, Brye. Let's go home."

Back home, they sat at the kitchen table, the file spread out between them. The silence between them was heavy with the weight of the night's actions but Chyler was too focused, flipping through each page in detail to notice it.

Brye slurped hard from his juice box. Chyler ignored him, her eyes scanning through the postmortem report of Maddie. Her fingers hovered over the crime scene photos, not sure what she was looking for. Looking at them made her feel sick but she fought through it. She had been trained for this and she had definitely seen worse.

Then, she saw it. Like a blurry line that had finally come into view.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed.

"Breakthrough?" Brye asked, now actually paying attention.

"Yes, I think so. Here, look at this." She pointed at the photos of Maddie's wrists.

"Oh God, I can't look at that straight," Brye said, half his face contorted.

"This cut on her left hand makes sense. But this on her right hand?" Chyler went on. "The angle is all wrong. If she had used her left hand, it would have been different— jagged. Both cuts were made with a right hand. How could she have cut her right hand with her right hand and make such a deep cut?"

Brye's face went a shade paler. "Hold up... you are saying that someone else did it? Maddie didn't kill herself?"

"No," she affirmed. "And her death, Jason's and Serena's are all connected. Three murders, all of them classmates, all of them bizarre."

"No," Brye shook his head firmly, as if trying to shake off the truth they were getting to. Chyler's expression remained firm. Brye's face fell, almost pale beyond recognition. "Are you seriously going there?"

Chyler felt a shiver run down her spine. She wished she wasn't going there but this... the murders, the message and call earlier... The methods were all different, which didn't fit the profile of a typical serial killer but how else could it be explained. The three knew each other. That was enough link.

"Someone is killing my former classmates," she said it out loud for the first time. "And right now he or she could be moving on to their next victim. I don't know how exactly he or she is picking them. I might be next even," she added, her voice low and chilling.

Brye gagged suddenly covering his mouth. "I'm... I'm gonna be sick," he muttered, barely finishing the statement when he rushed to a bin at the corner of the kitchen. The juice he had just taken and the dinner that was still in his stomach was gone, just like that.

"Are you okay?" Chyler asked, handing him a glass of water.

Brye wiped his mouth and took a long sip. "Yeah, sure. Except that this is like the worst episode of CSI ever. Too much."

"I'm sorry I dragged you into my shit show," she said, offering him a slight grin. "But I needed someone to help me on this, someone I could trust."

"I don't know shit about true crime investigations, Chy. I think you are in way over your head," he chuckled. "Maybe next time, pick a less stomach-turning event, okay?"

Chyler stood back, her gaze flicking to the file at the table. Her mind was racing. The answers she wanted were still far out of reach but she was determined to get them. "I just want these people to get the justice they deserve," she said almost to herself. "The justice no one else is willing to go far enough to find."

"Yeah," Brye sighed, watching her decisive expression. "But this... killer. What if you make yourself a target? Oh God, what if I become a target?" he asked, becoming more frantic. "I'm too young to die. I still haven't met my Flynn Rider."

Chyler chuckled and patted his back. "You will be safe because you have done your part and I don't plan on dragging you any deeper. Go get some rest, champ."

As Chyler returned to the files, the front door bell rang. Her heart skipped in alarm. It was well past eleven, an odd hour for someone to be at the doorstep ringing the bell. She grabbed a kitchen knife walked there slowly, taking caution with each step. She opened the door, ready to strike if need be.

The first thing she saw was a hooded figure that sent her heart thudding off the rails. Then the familiar face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, more confused than alarmed.

"What did you say to my wife?" Caden demanded pushing past her. "Where is she? Is she here?"