The Curse Of Eden
Chapter 29- Aching Truths

Kristen let out a deep sigh, exposing of almost all the air in her lungs.

"You okay there?" Elliot asked, placing a kind hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Kristen sighed again, "I just never thought we'd see one of us sitting that room." Her eyes maintained their unwavering stare at the old man sitting in the room on the other side of the mirror.

"Human beings are quite unpredictable." Elliot commented.

The opening of the door turned their attention to the detectives making an entrance.

"Hey Adam, how's Collette?" Elliot asked as he turned fully around.

"She's fine. I made sure she was rested and asleep at home before I came."

"These past few days have probably taken their toll on her." Ruby commented.

"She's a tough girl. She'll make it out fine." Adam retaliated in favor of his wife. His eyes kept a hard gaze on Franco Newman as he fidgeted in his place. His arm wrapped in white bandages, yet the white material couldn't stop the seeping of blood through its holes. The wound he got from the fire exchange was thankfully just a simple graze. Adam wanted him healthy and going.

"You ready?" Ken asked, standing by the door.

"Let's go." Adam left the room along with Ken, marching with determination to the black room.

"You're making a mistake!" Newman announced first thing while Adam silently sat down while Ken took his favorite place by the wall.

"Listen to me Woods, this is not just some brainwashed cult! There are more secrets that we know nothing about!"

"And was that what E told you?" Adam asked with arms extended on the table in front of him.

"He's not just killing abusive men Woods, he's trying to expose a bigger underlying compound."

"Did you meet him? Saw his face?"

"You're just not listening are you?" Newman sighed as he rested back against his chair.

"No, no. I'm listening." Adam played along. "Walk me through it bit by bit. Tell me, where did you two meet for him to tell you all that?"

"We never met. He sent me everything I needed as proof and that was more than enough to believe him."

"Sent you what exactly?"

"There's a folder attached to my desk in the mortuary. You'll replace it at the bottom of the first drawer." Newman replied calmly.

Adam turned to look through the two-sided window, sending a silent order for the folder to be fetched.

"What will I replace in that folder doc?" Adam asked.

"All the answers you need detective. You'll understand why you've been on the wrong side all this time."

"I've sworn an oath doctor, just like you, to protect the people and never betray my integrity and this includes stopping a serial killer even if he was running a good cause. I know that I'm on the right side." The door opened with Avery popping herself inside, a beige folder in her hand. She silently handed it to Adam.

"Thank you Avery."

Avery sent a brief smile towards Adam before her gaze turned sadly towards Newman who refused to return it. With a sight, Avery made her exit.

"Open it Adam." Newman urged.

Ken, interested, walked towards Adam and took a seat on the chair beside him.

Adam, carefully, opened the envelope as several papers, some stapled together while others stood solo fell from their confinement.

Adam and Ken shared silent, understanding looks as they rummaged through the papers.

"All the names of every cult member there is, proof of how all their data have been either changed or completely erased from the system and some even had their real names changed." Newman noted. "What's this?" Ken asked no one in particular as he caught sight of some photos.

"Your proof on Mrs. Blake Jilles' killer." Newman shrugged his shoulders.

The pictures showed Jessica Elman standing in front of Mrs. Jilles' house late at night in a scene where it looked like she was taking something from the man standing in front of her.

Other photos showed her standing inside the house, placing something in Mrs. Jilles' tea, not once, but on several occasions. And another showed her crouching besides Mrs. Jilles' dead body, minutes before the paramedics got the call. "E doesn't just kill for the fun of it, he's trying to stop an organization, neither you nor I can start to fathom the extent of who they are or what they're doing."

Adam was about to reply when the door suddenly opened, Elliot urgently poking his body inside.

"E's phone has just been turned on."

Adam and Ken were immediately on their feet.

"Where is it?" Adam urged as he walked towards the door.

Elliot paused for a second, not knowing what the best way was to convey that information.

"It was near your house boss."

Adam didn't need to hear anything else as he started running towards his car, ignoring Newman's yells of 'not doing anything stupid!'

Adam didn't even realize Ken had already mounted the car with him as he flew by the vehicle, Avery and Alex hot on their trail.

"Call Collette. Tell her to go hide. She'll know where I mean." Adam ordered, knowing that Collette will understand. The couple was smart enough to have a safe place in their own house to hide when the need arises. "On it." Kristen replied.

It was his fastest trip from HQ to his house ever and he knew he probably got at least three or four speeding tickets.

"He's still in the area boss." Elliot announced through the earpiece.

"Collette's not answering Adam."

Adam didn't bother with parking the car properly, readying his gun, and flying out of it.

He fumbled with his keys to try and open the door. He could hear Collette's phone ringing from inside, but that was the only sound he could hear.

For a second, Adam blamed himself for leaving Collette alone in the house. He should've taken her with him to HQ where she would be in his line of sight all the time.

"Collette!" He called out once he opened the door, making a sprint up the stairs, towards their room.

His heart stopped beating for a moment and his body felt stiff. The world around him turned, threatening to make him lose his grasp of reality.

The bed was empty. Collette was gone.

Ken, Avery, and Alex stood behind him, watching the empty room.

"We'll take the back of the house." Alex proposed. She and Avery, waiting for no response from Adam, turned on their heels and ran to the back.

"I'll go search the from area around." Ken said as he too left, running down and out to the street.

Adam clenched his fists, trying his best to control his raging emotions, yet nothing helped.

He suddenly heard a thump from above him and his mind suddenly ran to the roof.

Noticing that the window was opened, he knew it must've been E's route out. Using the window sill as leverage, he propped his body up so he climbed up to the roof.

Adam's heartbeats quickened when His eyes caught the figure standing with its back to him.

"Freeze!" Adam called to the hooded figure, his gun in his hand, and pointed towards E. "It's over E, place your hands where I can see them."

Adam was slowly, and carefully approaching E who was still standing calmly and never turned around once.

Adam was finally only a step closer to E. He made sure to keep his gaze on E as he touched around for the cuffs but before he could finish that task, E turned around and Adam was finally able to come face to face with his biggest challenge to date.

Yet what Adam saw was not something he expected. Not a truth he was ready to comprehend.

"Wha- you...what..." Adam gaped out, his mind not able to form any words. He tried to form words but he felt knocked out of all reason. He didn't even feel the moment when E pushed him off of the roof, making his body fly into the air and descend down to the ground in an unconscious pile of confusion.