The metal door opened up with a “bang”.
Carter was holding her gun upwards. She looked to her right and to her left and
walked slowly, trying not to miss whatever she was supposed to found there. The
day was perfect, almost no clouds in the sky and a shiny sun glistening above
her head. She was wearing the uniform and sunglasses, as she was very sensitive
to light. As she walked, more like a crab than like a human, the sound of
several police patrols could be heard on that rooftop. They were possibly trying
to contact Carter but she had left Johnson downstairs and had made him promise
he wouldn’t let anyone in until she was done with the criminal. Johnson was
younger and eager to help. He was kind of the ideal partner.
Finally, Carter saw Frost sitting on the edge,
looking at the office building in the distance. As she grew closer, she noticed
he had no gun, no weapon to defend his life. She had a bad feeling about all of
it and made a full stop when Frost talked in a loud and clear voice:
- Your gun is not necessary. You can
come closer but leave your gun somewhere over that vent. – He indicated one
pipe that had a cubic shape.
Carter held her gun for a few more minutes
until she realized the best thing to do was to follow his advice. She left the
gun on one side of the small vent and then, slowly, walked up to the criminal.
He didn’t stand or looked at her, he just spoke from his seat.
- I guess you are aware that I lured
you to this rooftop?
Yes, Carter knew that. It had been obvious
from the beginning that he wanted to be caught, that he wanted someone to
notice where he was and Carter had been the first and only one to realize what
he had meant. Frost had sent a letter to many newspapers, each one very
different but having a secret hidden among the letters. Being an avid reader,
Carter was able to break Frost’s code and know where he was going to be next.
However, she had made the mistake of leaving a note on her desk about it and
now every member of the police was there.
- Poor Johnson. He’s not that strong.
– Said Frost, looking down.
Carter got nearer and looked over the edge.
She could see a large group of men dressed in blue and they seemed to be
arguing. Her eyesight was not so good but she thought they were talking about
how to get in. Johnson had probably locked the door, blocking their entry for
some time. Frost was right, Johnson was too young, to new to know how to handle
these kinds of situations.
Frost finally turned around and looked at
Carter. She pulled back a bit, scared by his scar. He had a large scar running
from the left corner of his mouth to his ear. He smiled, which made him look
insane, much more evil than she knew he was.
- I am sorry. Enemies try to make
their marks you know?
He didn’t wait for an answer from Carter, who was
too scared o say a single word. The man stood up fast, putting his legs with
agility over the edge of the building and standing up, revealing that he had
been seating on a big envelope, the kind they used at office for reports and so
on. Carter’s scared face changed to a curious one. She thought, for a moment,
that he was inviting to grab the envelope but then realized he was just taking
his time and letting her see what he wanted her to see. He took the envelope
and pulled out one random paper. Carter could see it had a big seal on top of
the page.
- This is from Saint Mary’s hospital.
No that you should feel bad, but I have an incurable disease. They told me I
could live my life normally if I take pills forever and have the life of a
monk. And I won’t have that.
Frost
looked straight into Carter’s eyes. She felt a bit hurt by then, as they were
bloody, as If he had been crying for a long time. Maybe he had cried a lot,
maybe he was thinking about his chances and that’s why he had decided to leave
the hidden message. He just wanted someone to join him and to know how bad he
felt or how sad he was. Although that didn’t really corresponded to a man that
had activated a bomb in a very crowded mall less than one year ago. His
disease, whatever it was, didn’t change a single thing about him and the
justice system.
- I have to take you in. – Carter saw
him straight in the eyes too. – You have done too much. You cannot get away.
- Yes I can. You know that.
- But you wanted someone here with
you. Why do that if all you wan is to keep vanishing?
At
first, Carter’s hands had been trembling. But that had disappeared. She was not
nervous or scared anymore. She had a job to do and she was determined to
actually do it, even if it meant running back to her gun and kill the terrorist
right there. She was supposed to respect his life but she couldn’t allow him to
keep escaping as he had been doing for so many years. He had fled so many
horrible events he had caused, he was very insane and unstable, a person that
could be trusted. Frost could not really believe he had the cards to come on
top this time.
- You’re done Frost. Come down with
me, calmly.
- No. I need to tell you something
first.
She walked towards him and he didn’t move.
Carter proceeded to taken his arm and made him kneeled before her. He didn’t
really complain, he just seemed exhausted, tired somehow. His scar turned a
little bit redder and she was disgusted to see it so close to her face. She
took out some handcuffs she had on her back pocket but then Frost did a very
fast move, pushing her by a vey loud punch on her chest, leaving her with no
air on the floor. Then he got near her and asked her for silence.
Frost took out a cellphone from his pocket and
dialed a number. He waited for a bit and then someone answered in the other
end. He asked for someone named Carly and then he waited again. Carter could
hear he had called to a hospital or a hotel, somewhere where rooms were
numbered. He talked with Carly for a while, smiling a bit and laughing. Maybe
she was his wife or maybe a very close friend. Was she doing all of this for
her? It didn’t make any sense. And if it was true he didn’t want to come in
peace, then why bother doing all of this.
When he finished his conversation, he told
Carter to get up. He helped her but she let go of his hand as fast as he could.
She demanded to know what was going on. And he complied explaining everything
he had to explain. It was a long monologue, with precise details like times and
days and even places and descriptions that made al seem so real. Carter thought
he was playing her again but somehow he seemed honest, more than any other
person she had witnessed confessing such a big part of his life.
When he was finished, he just smiled at her
and told her to keep the envelope. Downstairs, they were finally able to open
the door but it was too late for that. A body crashed into one of the police
cars, scaring ever-single man and woman there. Frost had jumped a few seconds
ago, running towards the edge and not even doubting for a second. He had
planned it like that all along and he had chosen that building because he knew
how the police would park, how long they would take to bring the door down, how
much time his body would take from top to bottom and so many other variable
that he had loved to unravel. That had been him, through and through.
A few weeks later, Carter visited Saint
Mary’s. She met Carly there. She happened to be only nine years old and
suffering a very rare disease. The best doctors in the world treated her and Carter
was told it had been a difficult process but that the child would live. She was
Frost’s niece, his only living relative. The envelope also revealed his
disease, which was revealed by the police in the media creating a wave of
hatred and proof, the irrefutable kind, that he had been forced to do every
single one of his evil deeds. So his death was just one step of many on a game
no one knew they were playing.
