Eat the Rich [Supernatural]

[The Math Wizard]

The city of Jericho, Kansas--recent population 20,000--was relatively peaceful. It was located at least 100 miles from any other city, but was also the only place to rest between a few of the surrounding cities, so it saw its fair share of traffic. In the past month, Jericho has experienced an outbreak of sleep paralysis and freak nightmares--in its citizens and those passing through. Local chat rooms are on fire with teenagers and young adults sharing their nightmare experiences, and while they all have their variants, they have one thing in common: everyone talks about seeing a green-skinned man with golden eyes hovering over them just before they wake up.


Several deaths have sprung up over the past few days and have also made the news. The cause of death has been heart failure, but the nature of it makes the local authorities suspect foul play. The coroner reports indicate that the hearts of the deceased beat so fast that they caused heart attacks or just stopped beating, though a few reports also say the hearts beat so fast that they burst open. The majority of the reports claim that the deceased were missing their adrenal glands--either surgically removed or tore out by brute force. Police officials have kept that last detail from going public in order to prevent a panic.

 

[cremora]

Cremora kicked shut the passenger door of her old, cherry kubelwagen, arms full of her road gear. The door snapped shut with a good smack as she made her way to the front trunk to stow the rest of the gear. She carefully balanced on one foot, easing the trunk door open before opening her arms to empty them haphazardly into the bin. She frowned at the pile and kicked it down a bit, slamming the trunk down against the protesting goods. With a good push it clicked shut and she nodded at it emphatically.


When she opened the driver door she caught sight of the newspaper clipping which sparked the current trip she'd be on. "Six Confirmed Dead in Mystery Heart Attack String," she read aloud again, shaking her head. "Blah blah blah... Adrenal glands forcibly removed... Police still investigating possible leade... Anonymous tips call-" the abrupt screech of her car's horn startled her. She had slipped and pressed it in her aloofness. "Bah, I'll find the son'bitch doin' this. I ain't worried," she said to herself, stubborn lips pressed into a confident grin as she slipped into the driver's seat.


For the next 16 hours she drove along the interstates, heading away from her hometown to the west where the city of Jericho, Kansas held the possibility of a hunt. It was true that she'd heard of spooks eating certain body parts before, but she couldn't recall what the things might have been. If it was one that she knew, though, it wouldn't have put her on edge like this trail did. The last adrenal problem was when the Leviathans escaped and started on their food infiltration. Cremora had heard about that through the grapevine, about three months after the whole thing had been taken care of.


The harsh beats of Combichrist, Helltrash, Darksiderz, and the historical hymns of Sabaton kept her good company throughout her drive before she hit the "Welcome to Jericho" sign at 9 a.m. the next morning. She made a pit stop at a rest area to change into her F.B.I. uniform and freshen up before heading into town, and boy did she look the part. Crisp and freshly roused by the jug of coffee she'd downed, Cremora, aliased as F.B.I. agent Dianna Stonewell, parked in the police station lot and strode into the precinct.


With a quick flash of her badge, agent Stonewell was directed to the coroner's office and got a good first-hand look at the damage. It wasn't pretty, but neither was it as bad as some werewolf attacks. She took notes on the bodies and spent the majority of her morning looking through medical records, finding nothing of interest except the reoccurring name of a general care physician, a Elias Mehr. After nothing else popped out at her, Cremora put the files away and decided it might be best to pay a visit to the doctor in question.


A 10 minute drive later, she was in the doctor's office, chatting up the receptionist for an appointment. "Ma'am, I really need to see the doc'. I'd like to keep this civil, but I'll have you know I'm here on official business and if you continue to impede a federal investigation, we'll have to press charges," she said when the petite woman behind the desk refused Cremora's initial civilian ploy. The desk attendant blanched under the threat and at least appeared reproachful. She scurried out of her chair and into the back office, presumably to get the doctor.


She hoped that the doctor was in today. It would only look worse for him if he conveniently had left after all these bodies turned up with his name attached.

 

[The Math Wizard]

Elias sat at his desk in his office--hunched over the desk, hands curled in his hair as he stared down at the various papers. More details of the ongoing-investigation had gotten out, and there was no shortage of people pointing fingers at the doctor. To make matters worse, now the receptionist was walking in and informing him of an FBI agent asking to speak with him. It was at that moment that Elias was glad that his face was angled down.


His mind and heart began racing. "I'll be right out," he'd say to her, and listened for the door to close before giving himself a moment to collect himself. The receptionist passed on the message; Elias stopped at the restroom to wash his face--taking time to make sure he looked as normal as possible--before walking out to meet with the FBI agent.


"Can I help you, Agent...?" he'd gesture for her to give her name before crossing his arms defensively. He wouldn't be surprised if the case had gone federal, but given how involved he had become, Elias wasn't about to do someone else's job for them.

 

[cremora]

Cremora held up her badge with a curt flourish, flipping it open, then closed and sliding it into her breast pocket. "Agent Stonewell, Doctor Mehr." She offered a hand to him to shake, then retracted it. Regardless if he'd taken it or not, she continued to speak. "I'm here in regards to the ongoing investigations of the late Jessica Walker, Harold Gruber, Keith Pierce, Ezekiel Padamente, Alena Jones, and Jared Iyanchenkov. I saw that you were listed as the primary care doctor for all of them. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?"


The tone she used was inquisitive but could be taken as accusing as well. She stared at him darkly, analyzing the way he held himself in confrontation with her own stature. His eyes were calculating, perhaps from working as a physician for so long, or perhaps for being a sneaky human killer. She didn't give two shits which it was, it was the defense mechanism of crossing his arms over his chest that made her truly suspicious of him. It wasn't uncommon for people to be stand-offish with FBI agents, but the combination of mannerisms was enough to confirm her hunch.


This doctor was involved somehow and she would find out.


(EDITED FOR CONTINUITY, SEE NAMES OF VICTIMS)

 

[The Math Wizard]

Elias shook the agent's hand as she offered it, then listened to her as she spoke. His expression was a mix of surprise, confusion, and finally defiance as she asked about his patients.


"Agent Stonewell," he repeated the name she had given, "I wasn't aware the investigation had gone federal. As I'm sure you know, I can't discuss the treatment or purpose of visitation for my patients. Doctor-patient confidentiality, could lose my medical license for breaking it, and the last thing I need on my plate is to be slandered as unprofessional." He'd pause, take a breath to steady his nerves, and ran a hand through his hair. He was definitely feeling guilty about the recent string of events, so much to the point that he didn't realize his own mannerisms.


"I'm afraid without a warrant, the best I can do is give you a general idea about their state of mind. After all, I took an oath to preserve life, and if this can help catch their killer... Well, I'll let the legal department sort this out. They like arguing. We can discuss this in my office." He'd gesture for her to follow as he opened the door and started heading for his office. Once there, he held the door open for her, provided she had followed him.


The office was simple: desk in the center, shelves of medical books, filing cabinets, the usual. His desk had a laptop on it, with a little logo bouncing around as the screen saver; some pharmacy and dollar-store clutter that patients had given him; a little cup filled with pens and pencils; and a single framed picture of a woman bearing a strong resemblance to Elias. There was a cork board on the wall next to the door decorated with pictures of people of all ages, framing a tear-away calendar that only displayed the days of the month.


Once in his office, Elias took a seat behind his desk. He was much more relaxed here, what with the large chunk of wood between him and this Agent Stonewell. "So...what would you like to know about them?"

 

[cremora]

Cremora grinned to herself as she followed the doctor to his office. The confidentiality agreement was void post-mortem, something the doctor failed to realize. She'd play along to see what was worth gleaning before springing that bit of information on him. If it came down to it, she'd go back to the police department and have one of the desk attendees file for an information warrant.


As they both filed in she took a quick glance around and noted the room was fairly modest. They both sat in their assigned chairs, Cremora placing herself in such a way as to appear larger than she really was. Sitting up and pressing her elbows to the arms of the chair, she peered back at the doctor, eyes curious. He appeared a bit more at ease in a familiar room, no doubt having spent days in this room during his career. Like many animals, this was a habitual thing, and humans nor otherkin were any different.


Cremora inhaled, adjusting her tone so she sounded a bit different than her normal accent. In a formal voice, she addressed his question. "I'd like to know how long you were involved with the victims and if there was any history of heart disease in any of them. Anything else you can provide would be great."

 

[The Math Wizard]

"Heart disease?" He raised a brow curiously. "I suppose that would make sense..." He rolled his chair over to the filing cabinet and began pulling out the files. Back at the desk, he'd look through them. He couldn't be expected to remember everyone he saw, after all. "No, they all had rather healthy hearts. It could have developed over time due to stress, and the men I'd be more concerned with developing heart disease."





Elias closed the files and leaned back in his chair. He looked across the desk at the agent and took note of her posture. Was she going to start pointing fingers at him, next? He was surprised she wasn't already. But the reason of death would have been included in a coroner's report... His paranoia started kicking in. As his heart began beating faster and his mind began racing, Elias got up from his chair to refile the folders and to tear his eyes away from the agent's analytic gaze.


"Look, Agent, most of my patients come to see me because of a cold or fever. The only thing those patients had in common was a mild case of insomnia. Bad dreams make it hard to sleep at night. I prescribed them something to help them sleep, gave them tips on how to alleviate stress, wished them luck, and sent them home." He placed a hand firmly on the filing cabinet to steady himself. He should have realized what was going on a lot sooner, but he had grown slack. His breathing became shaky the more frustrated with himself he became. "And now someone's killed them." His free hand clenched into a fist and he felt his disguise slipping--eyes reverting to their natural, amber-color with cross-shaped slits. He kept his gaze away from her.


"...Not everyone who's died recently was a patient of mine. Was that something they had in common? The nightmares?"

 

[cremora]

Insomnia? She hadn't seen that in any of the files at the station. If they had something like that, there would likely be more paper trails in a specialist's office. The hunter made a mental note to check back with the locals about that. She let the doctor talk himself into a corner before replying. She changed stances, leaning back into the cushion of the chair, hands clasped and legs crossed out in front of her.


"Doctor Mehr, six people are confirmed dead in this case, and there are two more we're like to include upon their autopsy results," she began, keeping her eyes trained on the doctor's back. She could almost see the strain spread over his shoulders and down his entire body. Clearly he'd never been put in such a difficult position. That only made her job easier. "The only one that didn't have your name as their primary care was underage. I appreciate speculation as it has its place in any investigation, however I will still need those records for the victims you had in your care up to time of death.


"Our current information has four of the six people confirmed in this case as good friends- people that might have had cult dealings in their off time. We need the information you have in order to ascertain whether they were a danger to the public, and whether or not we'll need further handling of their bodies upon this case's closure. I need not remind you of HIPAA's consent in such cases as this." Cremora smoothed the front of her suit down casually, confident the subtle threat would gain his attention.


When she was confident the silence had made his predicament worse, she added her final piece and then sat back to watch him unfurl. "Now, I would love if you made this easy for us, but if you insist on a warrant for information, I'll be happy to get one and come back. It just doesn't reflect kindly on you, with your involvement already being questioned and all..."

 

[The Math Wizard]

"Cult dealings? Danger to the public?" Elias was so frustrated that he started laughing. "You want to talk about a 'danger to the public'? The person killing people is the dangerous one." He gave a frustrated sigh before finally opening the cabinet drawers back up and taking the files back out.


"I will have copies made of the most recent visits, but for legal purposes alone, just to make sure everything looks nice and pristine for the lawyers, you'll need a warrant for the original copies." He moved towards the door, files under arm, and looked at the agent. As much as he was trying to appear calm, he was still seething inside. "Will that suffice?"