“The most terrifying individual I’ve ever run across.” Coffman’s words came out slow and his brown eyes narrowed, drilling into Newcastle. She could see fear in both the dilated pupils and his fixed stare. “He presents an imminent danger to all he comes into contact with.”
They were on the fifth and top floor of the main building. Behind him, the floor to ceiling glass walls showed the never-ending Piney Woods of east Texas that completely surrounded the Barrow’s Psychiatric Institute. The doctor nodded at her absently, lost in his anxious thoughts about Tate Diller running loose.
Coffman leaned across his desk and looked as if he wanted to say something more but stopped himself. At that moment, lightning over his left shoulder splintered and spidered in the darkening clouds above the woods. There was a heavy pause then a deep roll of thunder mumbled.
“Well, that has to cover a lot of ground. Weird and scary is the kitchen you cook in…so to speak. I mean, you know, right?” Olivia Newcastle sat back in her chair and chewed on the end of her pen and then twirled it in the air. “And I mean that with like, you know, all the respect in the world.”
Michael Coffman’s eyes broke away from Newcastle. “Yes, that is my…kitchen, as you put it. Still is. The criminally insane and how we deal with them can present unique challenges to say the least. I’m curious, how long have you been, like, you know, a DPS special agent, Ms. Newcastle?” His intended sarcasm had a bite.
Tucking a long strand of auburn hair behind one ear, she just smiled at him. “You’re thinking I’m just some college girl trainee, right? Well, not that I have to explain anything to you, but I graduated from UT Austin with a degree in Criminal Justice, top of my class, 2022. I’ve been with the Texas DPS since then, right out of school doctor, but I seem to get assigned to the biggest cases. Go figure.”
“I see.” He fidgeted despite himself, opening, closing then reopening the Diller file folder. Coffman was not necessarily a fan of this Special Investigator Newcastle. She was brash, too aggressive and very controlling. She was also the type a team captain would choose first, out of a group of kids he didn’t know, for a sandlot pick-up game.
“What I lack in experience and vocabulary skills, I make up for by being pretty damn audacious and just confident as hell. I get asked that age question a lot but you know what, let’s you and I stick with Diller, shall we? Now, I need to know anything about him that you can share with me. Something that might not be in that paper file…” She pointed out the window and raised her eyebrows. “He’s out there, and it’s pretty clear we need to find him. Posthaste, as my grandpa used to say.” Her smile had evaporated.
His expression now was a mix of embarrassment and exasperation. “Of course and please accept my apology for being curt with you. I’m an older man, who’s frustrated because the time has almost come for me to call it quits. I suspect they’ll have to forcibly drag me away someday.” He smiled bitterly.
“Hey, no problem. I can be a young little smart ass…and bitchy, sometimes. So look, let’s start over. I know the inmate escaped very early this morning. Warden Kline thinks between 2:00 and 3 a.m. The time gap is important, but I could give a shit how he escaped so I won’t waste time on that. Besides that’s the institute’s ‘tire to change’ not ours. Again, besides that file you’re gonna give me, how about a three minute bio? Include anything you deem pertinent. Start anywhere, end anywhere, I’ll patch it all together. I’m all ears.”
“Yes, first though, Tate Diller was not really an inmate. We consider him a patient and use that term to identify everyone who has been declared criminally insane and housed at Barrows.”
“Okay, fine. I stand corrected. Tate Diller, the patient, who tortured and butchered no less than 14 victims over a two-year period. Bio please. We’ve got roadblocks set-up and an expanding radius on the map. Every minute that passes that radius gets bigger. Anything other than the file right there, you think might help?” She stood and held her hand out. “I gotta go.”
Coffman stood too and handed her the file. “I’m not the naive intellectual you think I am Olivia. We just live in two different worlds. There is a lot in this file but what you won’t find is that Tate Diller is an individual with just average intelligence but he’s an incredible physical specimen. At 6’2”, with virtually no body fat, he is extremely well fit. A weightlifting, psychopathic, monster to be blunt. He just arrived a week ago so a medication regimen was still being formulated.”
“Alright doctor. Understood. I’m going to be on my way…”
He continued, not quite done. “Absolutely no conscience. No empathy. No remorse.” Coffman looked over his glasses. “Be careful, Investigator Newcastle. Use extreme caution. I can’t stress that enough.”
Whoa! Just jump right in there and smack us, Jim. I feel like a mouse who's been shaken in the jaws of a cat. I like Newcastle already and am looking forward to being terrified out of my wits here.... ha ha ha
The stage is set. I see some bad stuff about to go down here, Jimbo. I'll be waiting.