Gunnar and Emmett took the two desks. Bryn dragged in a black furry beanbag.
“Where did that thing come from?” Gunnar asked. “It looks like some kind of dead animal.”
“My room. It’s comfortable.” He positioned it against the wall then flopped onto it. “So where do we start?”
Gunnar shook his head. “Emmett, I want you to make a list. This will be a bit of a brain dump then afterward you can tell me how much of it you can manage, okay?”
“Okay.” Emmett already had his fingers poised above his keyboard.
“Right then, we’ll need any security camera footage from Walmart, all parts of the store and the parking lot. A list of all vehicles parked in the lot and their owners. Flags on any of those people with a record. Facial recognition from the camera footage once we have it and another list of people identified from that which will need to be cross-referenced with vehicle owners.”
“You want camera footage from the surrounding area as well?” Emmett asked, tapping away.
“We’ll need to narrow down the list before we attempt to track vehicles, but yes. Get the footage anyway. I don’t want any of it getting wiped before we have our hands on it.”
“On it.”
“I want a list of unsolved murders from the Boston and surrounding areas. Lists of suspects, details of investigating precincts, FBI field offices.”
“Might need Warden to get me some extra processing power,” Emmett muttered. “You don’t need to worry about that, though, I’ll sort it out.”
Gunnar was impressed. Emmett was clearly in his element. “Bryn, is there anything you can give us that will help narrow the search parameters?”
“White male.”
Gunnar threw a pencil at him. “Seriously? Is that it?”
“It was a brief flash. I saw a man’s hand, holding a knife. It was his left hand. There was blood on the knife, on his hand and sleeve. Traditional pale-blue, long-sleeved, cotton shirt, double button on the cuff. There were no scars or tattoos on the back of his hand.”
“That’s good. Very good. Were you seeing memory or the future?”
“Memory, I guess. I can’t be one hundred percent sure but that’s my default setting, if you like. I have to consciously switch to look for the future and I don’t think I did that.”
“What about this person’s surroundings, could you make anything out?” Emmett asked. “Sorry!”
“Don’t apologize. That would have been my next question and you’re part of this team now, so don’t hold back,” Gunnar said.
Emmett’s cheeks reddened. “Okay, thanks.”
Bryn closed his eyes. “It’s dark. There’s some sort of plastic or rubber sheeting on the floor, splattered with blood, fresh and dried. Brick walls. Not much light, can’t see the source, but it’s flickering. It’s cold. Not freezing, but chilly and…damp. There’s a white marking on one wall.” He opened his eyes. “I could sketch it. Also, I need coffee in the worst way.”
“Good idea. How do you like your coffee, Emmett?”
“I can go make it,” Emmett offered.
“No, you have work to do. Bryn can do it.”
Bryn struggled to his feet, grumbling. “Strong and black for Gunnar, same for me but with three sugars, how about you, Emmett?”
“Cream, one sugar please.”
Bryn ambled out of the room and Emmett glanced across at Gunnar. “I had no idea. I mean, Warden told me what he could do, but I can’t imagine what it’s like to live with that stuff in his head.”
“He’s learned to deal with it, but if he ever does anything that worries you, tell me. Part of my job is to make sure he’s okay but I can’t have eyes on him all the time.”
“Noted. So, from what Bryn has told us I can put together a list of locations in Boston that might fit these parameters. Once I have his drawing of the symbol, I can look into that too. I’ll get a map of the greater Boston area to go on the wall and sort out some pin boards and other stuff for this office. I don’t see a printer in here so I’ll get one of those too.”
“I think you’re going to be a great asset, Emmett. Remember to take breaks and feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen, okay?”
