"I'm not concerned about Aarons. I'm concerned about if he has some unknown way of contacting Parker."

"...if he gets out, and he knows that we know--" He can't be sure of what retaliation will happen, or if Roby would, but...

"You know... I don't think we ought to give up on Roby, even if he's a murderer? If we keep finding out information about the supernatural... maybe we can find out ways to help people like Roby. But for now I really don't know. I don't want to imprison him but I don't want more supernatural murders."

"...That's reasonable. I suppose."

Out of all the people in the world trapped in cages, the one who even while imprisoned keeps having people mysteriously and horrifically die around him is the one you don't want to give up on? Seriously, Oscar?

(She is aware that this is the kind of thought you have if you've been spending the last few weeks considering and rejecting plans for rescuing every zoo lion in the world but goddammit she's right.)

"I think that has to take a backseat to making sure people in the short term don't die horribly more than we can prevent," is what she actually says. "In the long term-- I would love to find ways to help people like Roby. But we can't rely on that happening and we certainly can't rely on it happening before he kills more people."

Not like Oscar has any personal stake in "people whose minds have been fundamentally altered by reading magic books".

"Yeah. I mean the alternative that comes to mind is Chris Parker and Parker is acting atrociously. We don't have any good options, do we."

"And the monuments look more like intent than horrible unpredictable accident."

"Okay, but just - suppose I'm right, suppose we talk to Roby and he realizes we know what's what, and he.... tells us that... say, Chris Parker did the murders and threatened him, and actually he's been trying to stop further deaths, and he confessed in order to get a small amount of protection the asylum afforded him - I'm making up a story here but something like that - well, he could be lying and we won't know. But we'll have about two minutes to decide between all of us what to tell Aarons. If he has a plausible story, can we rally behind him now and dig into it later?"

"That's the other thing, that we kind of only get one chance at this. I hate it."

"I am not promising before I hear the story that I'm going to rally wholeheartedly behind it."

"We can dig into it while he's imprisoned?"

"I'd like him to be convincing, at least."

"Certainly. If it's a good story."

"Even if it's a good story I'm not promising that!"

"If he has a story, I'll hear it out and evaluate it, and won't dismiss it out of hand. But I can't promise to have a particular belief about it, and even if I could I wouldn't."

Terrence stares at her. "Alright. You know, I trust you to be fair."

"...Just - well, broadly speaking I'm inclined to err on the side of not keeping people locked up indefinitely, rather than keeping the innocent or downtrodden imprisoned. And right now, today, before giving our piece to Dr. Aarons, we will not have the time to assess it properly."

"I'm just saying, to all of us, recall that those are the stakes here."

Yes we know those are the stakes Terrence.

Personally Sal thinks murder is much much much worse than imprisonment. But arguing with Terrence is feeling like a losing game.

He isn't unsympathetic to 'they would kill me if I didn't kill them first' but... He knows the experience. He also knows how easy it is to rationalise everything you do because of it, too.

"If the stakes were just that, and not significantly higher than that, I would agree with you. But in fact there is more than one life in the balance here and you can't ask me to not weigh that."

Most of her other thoughts are extremely bitchy and wildly unfair so she's keeping them to herself. But that one she's willing to actually stand by.

I mean, I can, thinks Terrence, but he doesn't say that, since that would be unreasonable and she doesn't not have a point.

He settles for looking torn and thoughtful and grumpy instead.

Not long after they arrive, Dr. Aarons invites them into his office.

"What are your findings?"

"We have found some things, but we'd like to talk to Roby to... Contextualise them, if possible."

"Of course, you'll be welcome to."

Terrence nods. "...If he's free. Thank you."

Nurse Edwards escorts them to Roby.

Roby stares at his desk.