At the time of her death, Georgia wasn’t married, but she was dating a man named Dave Brinkley. He’d been in trouble with the police a few times before with petty theft. Brinkley was arrested, tried, and found guilty of her murder. After a month in prison, he was shanked by another inmate and died in the hospital a few hours later.
“Agents O’Reilly and Henderson?”
Aidan glanced up to see a young woman heading their way. She looked to be in her early twenties, but by her confidence and authority, he guessed her to be in her early thirties. She kept her dark brown hair in a tight bun and the only makeup she wore was light pink lipstick. She had diamond studs in her ears, which sparkled as she swayed in their direction.
Her name tag read Fiona.
“Yes, ma’am,” Shaun said as he rose.
They shook her hand and she asked what she could do for them. Aidan told her about their interest in speaking with Marcia Rivers.
“I don’t know if you’ll be able to get anything out of her,” Fiona said, “but I’ll take you to her.”
“How long has she lived here?” Aidan asked.
“Since her husband died,” she said as they began walking. “She has had a lot happen to her in her lifetime and couldn't be left alone. She found her daughter in bed, murdered. When her husband was killed, she closed herself off to the world. She wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t sleep. She even cut her wrists two days after she buried her husband.” They turned a corner. “A neighbor found her when she went to check on her. She called the ambulance. After she was released from the hospital, she was taken to a mental institution. She’d been saying, ‘if I don’t kill myself, he will.’”
“Do you know who ‘he’ is?” Aidan asked.
She stopped at their destination with a frown. “She kept muttering, ‘The Carnations Killer will come after me.'“
“Does she know who The Carnations Killer is?” Shaun asked, still staring into Aidan's eyes.
“If she does, she never mentioned his name. But I’ve kept a close watch on her for years.” Fiona sighed. “The mental health facilities wouldn’t keep her because when she stayed there, she seemed fine. So they released her to us. She wants to go back there.”
“It’s the only place she ever felt safe,” Aidan surmised. “Mental health facilities keep a close watch on their patients to be sure they don’t hurt themselves. And they do hourly rounds to make sure everyone’s accounted for. Even if The Carnations Killer wanted to go after her, it wouldn’t be very easy to kill her with eyes everywhere.”
Fiona nodded. “While we do periodically check on our patients here, it’s less secure. We have cameras at the exits and in our PT room, and we check to be sure they don’t need anything before lights out. But we like to give our patients a sense of freedom. When I first met Marcia and heard her story, I decided to watch her myself. It helps her feel a little safer.”
“That was nice of you,” Shaun commended.
“I saw something in her eyes when she mentioned The Carnations Killer. He scares her. It’s almost like something takes over her and she becomes fanatical. I care for all of the elderly we have. If one wants ‘round the clock care, well, I’m going to make sure she gets it.”
Fiona opened the door and they piled into the small room.
A stick of a woman sat in a wheelchair, gazing out the window. Her white hair glistened in the light. Aidan couldn't tell if she was alive or not.
“Marcia?” Fiona said softly. “You have company. They’re FBI agents. Will you talk to them?”
Marcia slowly turned her head. Aidan could see the sleepiness in her black eyes. Her face was wrinkled and pale, and he saw the terror that took permanent residence. Her lips quivered.
“Mrs. Rivers?” Aidan said. He continued to stand a few feet away. He didn’t want to risk frightening her. “My name is Agent O’Reilly. How are you doing?”
She didn’t respond, only stared at them unblinkingly.
“We have a question for you,” Aidan continued. “It’s about your daughter.”
“My daughter.” Her voice was low and harsh. “He killed her.”
Inching closer, Aidan asked, “Who killed her, Mrs. Rivers?”
She shook her head as though memories she’d long since forgotten began to force themselves to the surface. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and her bottom lip began to quiver.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Rivers,” Fiona assured her. She reached for the elderly woman’s hand. “You’re safe here. They want to help you. Can you tell them who killed your daughter?”
“My daughter,” Mrs. Rivers repeated. “He killed her.”
“Who?” Aidan asked again.
She shook her head, whimpering. “I can’t, I can’t!” Mrs. Rivers grabbed a fistful of her silver hair and pulled. She rocked her body, a moan escaping her lips.
“Who killed your daughter?” Aidan pressed her.
She kept her head covered in her hands when she answered: “He did. My son.”
“Your son?” Shaun echoed. “Do you know why he did?”
“She tried to warn me. I didn’t listen,” Mrs. Rivers wailed. Her words quivered as she spoke, a mixture of fear and age. “I should have listened. And now, now he’s going to kill me.”
“Why would he want to kill you?” Aidan asked.
She didn’t answer.
“What’s your son’s name?” Aidan pressed.
She lifted her head and Aidan saw the tears fall from her eyes as she continued to moan.
Fiona knelt next to her, putting a hand on the elderly woman’s knee.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Rivers,” Fiona said. She turned to Aidan. “I think that’s enough for now. She needs to rest.”
After a hesitation,
