Participants:
| Scene Title | Police Records |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Some small dots are connected together to get… a piece of a story? Why it's important is still unknown. |
| Date | Aug 5, 2009 |
Belvedere Castle, Central Park
Constructed from the same stone as the Vista Point which supports it, Belvedere Castle seems to rise out of the earth itself. The miniature Gothic castle is easily visible from a distance, courtesy of both its height and the American flag fluttering from the turret's pinnacle. Its windows overlook views of Turtle Pond, the Delacorte Theater, and the Great Lawn. The interior, however, is anything but Gothic; the halls on both floors are filled with telescopes, microscopes, paper-mache birds, skeletons, and feathers, all laid out as parts of an interactive exhibit. In the Henry Luce Nature Observatory, visitors can borrow binoculars, notepads, maps, and guidebooks with which to study the wildlife of the park.
Belvedere Castle is not exactly a normal meeting place for them, but it seemed like a decent enough place that would be quiet and shady enough outside to have a conversation. And the file Elisabeth has with her is potentially an explosive piece of information. She's wearing work clothes again — this time a pair of black slacks with a peach blouse tucked into them. Her badge and weapon are nowhere in evidence, she's just a blonde on her lunch break while she waits for the person she's meeting today.
In the shadows spilt down over one wall, Cardinal is noticed; perhaps he wasn't there, until a moment or two ago when none were looking to see him emerge from the shade. "Elisabeth," he calls over easily, one hand raising up in a casual wave of greeting from his lean.
She turns at the sound of his voice, and Elisabeth grins slightly. "You so owe me. I've found your link," she tells him, holding up the file in her hands. "I want to look at the string setup again, but … I'm pretty sure I've got at least part of it. Norman White's going to be key to this."
"Whatcha got?" Cardinal pushes off from the wall, heading over in the direction of the detective with both brows raised upwards curiously, "Norman White… he's the kid, right? Father tried to murder him?"
Elisabeth nods quickly, clearly pleased with having accomplished something on a case in her hands. Still nothing pinging on the murder, but… that's probably really GOOD news in point of fact. "Right. Norman was seven when his father put a bullet through the back of his mother's head at the dinner table one night. The papers played up at the time that she was having an affair, though there's no evidence to support that. Norman took one to the chest, and Pop blew himself away after. Norman was in and out of the foster system up until he was 18, and he then became a resident in the penal system. Specifically the Santa Rosa mental correctional facility."
She pauses only to make sure they're on the same page. "During the 15 years he was incarcerated there, he complained of a variety of problems, such as the walls were breathing, that he was sinking into the concrete. These were all chalked up to schizophrenic hallucinations. He told doctors there was something wrong with the world, that he was 'special' and 'chosen for a higher purpose' — direct quotes there. This was all pre-2006, but in a post-2006 world, SOMEONE should have caught it. There are other mentions of — and here I quote — 'odd misshapen areas of concrete' when he went outside. Sand castles, bodies trapped in cement, all kinds of shapes. He's a fucking Evo, Richard. He escaped from the mental health facility in the aftermath of a fucking earthquake at the hospital. I am betting you money that if we can trace this guy's movements, he's been steadily moving east — through Utah and various other places that have had quakes recently."
Cardinal's lips purse in a tight line. "An earthmover… shit. The earthquakes — you're right. Motherfucker," he mutters under his breath, turning to look across the park, "And from the sound've it, one with a fucking messiah complex on top've it all."
Elisabeth shrugs a little bit. "Not sure about the messiah complex, but he's definitely out to prove something. He always told the counselor they'd all understand someday."
"The whole 'chosen for a higher purpose' thing…? Yeah, this is bad," Cardinal shakes his head a little, one hand rubbing to his face, "Okay. Hopefully there'll be another clue in Cambridge — and I'll put out the word to watch for this sonuvabitch."
Elisabeth laughs at him quietly. "As if it's ever that simple," she chides mildly. "Here…. I brought you a copy of the report, but bear in mind that it's a freakin' police report, will you? And don't let it get out of your hands."
Cardinal reaches out to accept it, a chuckle tumbling past his lips as he replies, "No idea what you're talkin' about. I've never seen this folder in my life."
With a nod, Liz releases it to him. "Of course not." She then tilts her head and asks, "Are you planning on moving the whole string array to the library? I'd like to study it some. Being as we completely blew his endgame out of the water,… I'm curious about this setup. He had to have put this in place on the off chance that we would thwart him. And his manifesto sounds like Edward Ray….. at least had part of the right idea?"
"I'm going to try," admits Cardinal, his tone rueful as he opens the folder, paging through it slowly and murmuring, "Ray had the greater good in mind. Do the ends justify the means? It's a… good question. If he'd told me everything, I might — " A hesitance, uncertain, "— I don't know. Maybe he did." The folder's snapped closed. "This is obviously his back-up plan."
Elisabeth glances at him and says quietly, "You saw something. From that pastor. And it made you think you had to stop it or people would die. It wasn't the wrong thing to do…. but it does underscore the danger of a little bit of future knowledge, that's for damn sure. Second-guessing what we do means wondering if we've destroyed a world that for the most part was supposedly damn good."
Cardinal exhales a rough snort. "We didn't do shit," he says grudgingly, looking back up to her. "Edward two thousand nine did. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't've been able to stop him."
Elisabeth mmms quietly. "So … again with the second-guessing ourselves, hmm?" she points out. She steps forward and puts a hand on his arm. "Let me know what you find in Cambridge, all right?" She squeezes lightly. "I'll see you when you get back."
Cardinal leans briefly against her, shoulder to shoulder, his head tilting to rest against hers briefly. "I will," he promises her quietly, "I'll let you know as soon as I find something. Good luck with that killer, babe." A pause, "Maybe ask Parkman to help? Telepath against telepath."
Elisabeth turns her face into his and kisses his cheek. "We'll see. Matt Parkman hasn't exactly been anywhere near a case in months, that I know of." She offers him a faint smile and a wink. "But I promise to try to not get dead."
Cardinal exhales a low chuckle, hand sliding down her hip before he steps back. "Good. Say h'lo to your friend for me, from the library."
Elisabeth laughs out loud at that. "OH, that reminds me. I have a message for you from her. She says, 'Tell Library Cutie I'm glad he's alive.' I'll pass along the greetings, though." She reaches her free hand up to cup his cheek and pat it lightly. "Have fun in Massachusetts." And then she slips away and heads back to work.