Kallie’s face became stark white, while my husband sat forward in interest. Charlie wouldn’t have noticed, because he couldn’t look at the pictures, and from Kallie’s perspective, this would’ve been something easy to overlook, because she wouldn’t consider herself part of the investigation. But to Marcus and me, it was obvious.
“I… this isn’t real. Ican’tbe the object of this bastard’s obsession,” Kallie insisted.
“I’m sure others have said the same thing about other serial killers,” I pressed. “These people aren’t hermits, Kallie; they live normal lives when they aren’t out destroying people, in order to stay hidden behind a mask.”
“Let’s play along with this theory,” Charlie said. “Kallie, if the girl the Dollmaker is trying to impressisyou, then who could he be?”
“She might not know him personally,” Marcus objected. His tone became protective. “Kallie was a princess back home, and one of the most famous people in her country. The Dollmaker could be some stalker she’s never met.”
“No,” Kallie said hollowly. “He’s not.”
The defeat that had overcome her form made her shoulders slump forward, and she staggered into a chair. In the few seconds since we’d come up with the theory, she’d figured it out.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize…”
“Who is it?” Charlie insisted. “Kallie, come on. If you don’t tell us, we can’t catch this guy.”
“It’s Valen,” she said miserably. She put her face in her hands and leaned forward, completely falling apart.
“What?” I was shocked. “The guy you participated in the King’s Contest with? Yourex?”
“Yes! It has to be him!” Kallie wiped frantically at her eyes, which were starting to tear up. “And because I was sostupid, I let him get away! It’smy faulthe killed those girls!”
“You seem so sure,” Marcus said. “How do you know?”
Kallie sniffed. She steadied herself as she said, “I gave him a dagger before the King’s Contest. One I’d made. It had an edged blade. There wouldn’t be any other like it.”
“Do you think the edge of the dagger could match the wounds the Dollmaker gave his victims?” I asked.
Kallie swallowed, and Charlie said, “If it does, we have our killer.”
“I never got to inspect the bodies. If I did, I might’ve been able to piece it together,” Kallie whimpered.
“This still seems like a long shot,” Marcus said. “What else do you know?”
“I know what traumatized him.” Kallie gave a bitter huff and said, “Well,hemust consider it traumatizing. A normal fucking man would consider it a simple no.”
“You’re gonna have to clue us in,” Charlie said.
“When I offered Valen the opportunity to be my partner for the King’s Contest, I made it clear I strictly wanted a business relationship, but he didn’t see it that way,” Kallie said. “I can’t describe it, but shiftersknowwhere their mates are, even before they’ve met them. I sensed my mate wasn’t in Malovia, but I misinterpreted what I felt. I believed that my mate didn’t exist at all, and there wasn’t anyone out there for me, so I could pick and choose who I wanted. I was the only female shifter, so this idea made sense to me. I had no idea my mate was all the way across the ocean.”
She gave a miserable look to Marcus. “After the date for the King’s Contest was set, I knew I couldn’t wait to find a proper mate, because I couldn’t compete for the crown without one. So I went with the strongest male of the noble class I could find, one I knew somewhat well. I figured if I couldn’t have my true mate, it didn’t matter who I married, so it might as well be anyone. What a colossal mistake that was.”
“Let me guess, he couldn’t take no for an answer,” I said flatly.
“That’s putting it lightly. His behavior was downright creepy,” Kallie replied. “My brother had to scare him off a couple of times. You guys remember I told you in group therapy that he’d cornered me once. I’d gotten my magic by then, so I was able to get him to back off, but he still wouldn’t leave me alone. And it wasn’t like I could get rid of him, because we were competing in the Contest together, and after that, we were supposed to become king and queen. A crown wasn’t good enough for him, though. He didn’t just want Malovia; he wanted me.”
“So what was the inciting event that made him start killing?” Charlie asked.
“I rejected him,” Kallie stated. “A couple of months before the Contest, while we were still training to win, he demanded more. He didn’t want to act like a couple for the public’s sake. He wanted tobea couple, and he had no interest in taking it slow.”
“What are you talking about?” Marcus sounded deadly. I heard his knuckles crack under the table.
“I’msayinghe was trying to manipulate me into sleeping with him. I had absolutely no interest, and made that clear. He changed into a wolven and attacked— but I was able to shift, and I was stronger, so I put him in his place. I don’t think his ego ever recovered.”
“Defeating him in battle, after he wanted to conquer you, must’ve driven him into a rage,” I replied.
“I think so,” Kallie said quietly. “The first victim of the Dollmaker was discovered that night. I didn’t connect the two events, because they didn’t seem related, but it’s so obvious now.”
