You don't have to wait long before Hawthorne, true to his word, turns up with Grey behind him. The step inside, close the blinds, and settle down.

"I can tell by that pissed off look on your face that you're not looking for small talk." Hawthorne starts gruffly.

"I'd be pissed off if I was in a coma for three days..." Grey comments.

"Yeah well... I found out some pretty bad news when I woke up." You hold up the recorder. "I know you're gonna be pissed but you made it pretty clear that even if I'm being stupid I gotta be smart about it."

Hawthorne catches the recorder as you lightly toss it, not quite as far as you'd have liked. He and Grey lean in as he clicks play. Their faces settle into grim scowls as they listen to your entire conversation with Rogers. The more Rogers speaks the tighter you see Hawthorne's fist getting. Finally the call reaches it's conclusion with the recorder's muted click.

"Jesus Christ." Hawthorne spits. "He's off his fucking rocker, this kid."

"Crazy like a fox." Grey counters. "He's picking off people who he knows won't be missed. Won't stir up a big enough mess to get him in the crosshairs. He's worse than crazy. He's smart."

"At least until it comes to me." You interject. "All this time chasing him and he still thinks he can win me over. That we can be friends or some shit."

"Work the beat a few more years you'll see it plenty. If the stories he told you about Mandragora forcing him into the button-man business are true then it makes sense. Spent most of his life in an abusive relationship, you come along and speak to him in the language he knows best. Violence. During that you also showed him you're more similar than he thought." Grey speaks slowly, measured. Like he's approving every word before it leaves his mouth.

"How so?"

"Well you told us that when you connected you got shivers, some visions of what might have been his childhood, who's to say the same didn't happen to him?"

"Yeah..." Hawthorne growls. "The little shit did switch up pretty quick after you dropped him in the ring. Got real chummy."

"He wants connection, wants someone to validate him.." Grey mumbles, eyes distant as you see the familiar expression of shifting gears.

"So what, he wants a friend? Someone to tell him he's not a lunatic?"

"More like, he wants a brother. Someone who understands him more than anything.. it's something we could use."

"Woah woah, you heard him on the tape. Mark works with us on this and Stabby is gonna get mad and someone innocent is gonna pay." Hawthorne interrupts with a passion in his voice. "As his TO I'm not signing off on him doing any work on this case. Not when it puts innocent people like his folks or his lady in danger."