Fic : The Blacklist : The House You Live In Chapter 3
The House You Live In
Chapter 3
Liz was still crumpled up on the floor, inconsolable, when Baz came in with his update. “Tunnels. Just like at the summer palace.”
Red ordered. “Run them down. Find out where they lead.”
Instead of leaving, Baz stared questioningly at the glasses in Dembe's hands. “What do you want us to do about all the bodies? We didn't kill them. Do we just leave them?”
Reddington shook his head. “Get rid of them.”
“Mr. Kaplan isn't answering.”
Dembe admitted. “Raymond, none of Mr. Kaplan's girls are.”
Reddington's voice was dull as he answered. “Then get new girls.”
Baz was still just standing there looking at the glasses.
Reddington tipped his head towards the door. “Baz, the tunnels.”
Baz left.
“Kirk is dead. Mr. Kaplan is dead. So who has Agnes?” Tom asked.
Shaking his head, Reddington admitted. ”I don't know. Someone else who had it in for Kirk.”
“Or someone else who has it in for you.” Tom suggested.
Reddington nodded. “It could be someone who wants to hurt me or it could be someone who knew I wanted Agnes and wants something from me. I don't know.”
“Well try to think.” Tom prompted him. “Because I would say leaving Mr. Kaplan's glasses makes for a pretty big clue.”
Still staring at the glasses, Reddington just shook his head.
“What about Mr. Kaplan's family? Her friends?”
Reddington still offered nothing.
Tom continued to pepper him with questions. “Did Mr. Kaplan have children?”
“Had.”
“Had?” Tom repeated. “She had children? But not anymore?”
From the floor, Liz asked. “Did you kill them too?”
Biting the side of his mouth, Reddington looked away without answering.
“Oh God!” Having caught the look on his face before he turned, Liz cringed. “You did, didn't you? Oh my God! You killed her children!”
Raymond gave a halfhearted shake of his head, but he didn't outright deny it.
Tom pushed him again. “Reddington, you've got to give me something! Leaving Mr. Kaplan's glasses in the crib had to mean something! I mean if it wasn't Mr. Kaplan why would someone try to make it look like she was responsible? Who would do that? Who would try to frame a dead woman?”
Picking herself up off of the floor, Lizzie interrupted. “- I can't stay here. I need to go! Tom, take me home!”
Snapping out of his daze, Reddington agreed. “Tom, get her back to the warehouse. Dembe and I will finish up here.”
“No -”
“- Tom, please!” Liz begged. “I need to get out of here!”
Looking frustrated and torn, at Liz's request, Tom finally relented.
Before they reached the door, Reddington stopped her by touching her arm. “Lizzie, I will get you answers.”
Liz jerked her arm away and kept walking.
OoO
Getting into the car, Tom tried to reassure her. “Liz, we will -”
Done sniveling, Liz wasn't interested. “- Start driving. Take the left up ahead.”
“That's not the way back to the warehouse.”
“We're not going back to the warehouse.”
“Where are we going?”
Checking the rear view mirror, she told him. “First, you need to lose our escort. Then we are going to see Vanessa Cruz.”
OOOOO
She needed to figure him out.
There was something more than a little off about anyone - herself included - who would want to hide themselves away from the world. People who chose to live all by themselves in the middle of the woods usually had a reason. It was seldom a good one.
Kate tried to figure him out between bites of his gamey soup.
What was his dysfunction? Was he looking to act out some kind of wounded bird or damsel in distress fantasy? Or was he looking to play the Most Dangerous Game and needed his prey to be in top form? Was he just your run of the mill serial killer? Or worse - some kind of sadist?
She needed to figure him out - and quickly - so she knew what part to play.
tbc