What Did She Do To Warrant A Death Like That?

Chapter Two -- what did she do to warrant a death like that?

Poppy walked into the room prepared specifically for this, and she stared at the glass partition, no one was on the other side yet, and she waited. She was wearing a ear plug, that she covered with her hair, but she was sure that Markovic Pierce was not a fool, he would be prepared for her and she had to be prepared for him too. 

She had seen pictures of Markovic Pierce, but she stared as he was led in to the seat, in chains, wearing the uniform inmates wear and all she could do was stare at him. At that moment, she convinced herself that it was purely professional, and perhaps it was professional.

Markovic Beau Pierce was a thirty-three years old American man, he had chiseled features, strong jawline, prominent cheekbones, straight nose, his eyes were described in the file as piercing and bright blue, thick eyebrows and full lips -- She tore her gaze away from the file when it bordered on the line of inappropriate and she watched as he was spoken to by Agent Reed.

"Are you comfortable, Dr. Ellis?" Kate Patel's voice came and Poppy nodded, but she said nothing, all she could do was stare at Pierce. He had tattoos all the way to his neck, she glanced at the file, where how far the tattoo went was not mentioned, he had a small scar across his nose and she wondered how he got it.

Soon, it was just them in the room, and she stared at him. She adjusted her posture, crossed her legs and sat with her back straight, and she finally spoke "Hello, Mr. Pierce." Her voice was clear and he finally looked up slowly, almost menacingly and she wondered if that was supposed to scare her and make her run away.

"I am Dr. Poppy Ellis, and it seems we will be seeing each other for the next couple of weeks." She told him, she was not smiling, smiles could be misinterpreted. 

"Hello, Poppy." Markovic uttered and she frowned, at the familiar way he said her name, at the slight curve of his lips, he was taunting her, he was trying to mess with her mind, he was trying to disarm her.

Poppy Ellis didn't know then, but Markovic Pierce would wreck her life to the core, in the craziest ways imaginable.

"That is quite a unique scar, care to share how you got it?" She asked, and stared at the black page before her and as expected, Pierce said nothing. She stared at the file before her, at his background information, he grew up in a simple family, with no evidence of any traumatic experience, no PTSD, Anxiety or any mental illnesses, or so the files claimed.

"I find that you can know a lot about a person by their daily routine. Perhaps you can tell me about your daily routine, before the arrest, of course." She said, and formed a smile on her face, as she looked at Pierce. 

He smirked and said "Show me yours and I will show you mine." He was manipulating her, and she could see it, but she knew she had to indulge him, give him the illusion of control, of power, so she nodded "I have a very simple morning routine, I cherish fitness and nutrition, so Yoga, Pilates and fruits are something I hold dear. Now, show me yours."

"I eat the shitty meal made to keep me alive, and I spend my days working out, reading, then I repeat the processes, anything to keep a man sane." He answered and she looked down, and wondered what to scribble, he was luring her into his web, and she could resist the pull, but why, resist?

"What do you read, Pierce?" She tilted her head, staring at him and he smirked, it was not a full smile, never a full smile.

"Currently reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, I'm thinking Crime and Punishment on my next list." He said, then glanced at the corner of the room and said "Take note, Reed."

He was speaking to Ryan Reed, he knew that there were cameras in the room, and their conversation were currently being listened to, he was smart, and she was done playing his game.

"Rachael Kim was a twenty-five years old woman, she worked in an Art Studio in Manhattan, she was an artist, who loved painting and photography, she was a single mother to a little girl, and had a younger brother. You murdered Ms. Kim in the Art studio she worked by stabbing her repeatedly, in the same spot, over and over, then you used the knife, the murder weapon to draw a check mark on her cheek. You were captured by the cameras in the Art Studio." She articulated, Rachael was just one of the people he murdered.

He said nothing and she continued "Rachael was found dead in the studio by her personal assistant who also doubled as her babysitter, and guess who was with the personal assistant? Rachael's little girl, who found her mother's body. 911 was called, but with the nature of her murder, there was nothing that could be done and the little girl watched as they wheeled her mother's cold body away."

"If you are trying to appeal to my humanity, you will have to try harder, Poppy." He exhaled and she nodded, she hated the way he used her name, the way he spoke her name, he was saying it like that to drive her insane, to get under her skin. Joke's on him because she was made of steel.

"Of course, I know better than to appeal to your humanity, however, something that has gave a lot of the FBI Agents a massive headache is the motive behind the murder of Rachael Kim, what did she do to warrant a death like that, Mr. Pierce?" She frowned, curious.

He leaned on the table before him, and smiled, she narrowed her gaze at the smile, and he spoke "You are a bit young for a Criminal Psychologist, aren't you?"