At least you go out doing what you enjoy.So many people die in misery.
The killer listened for anyone coming their way, a security guard doing the rounds, or a colleague of Maria’s approaching.Then, they reached into the bag and pulled out the gun.
The killer took a deep breath, then pushed open the door.
Maria had her back facing the door, and it took a second for her to realize that someone had entered.She turned, but not with any urgency, expecting someone else—not expecting a gun pointed at her head.
That gave the killer enough time to take three large steps forward and close the gap between them.
Maria’s mouth opened, perhaps to scream or to beg for her life.No one would ever know what her last words would have been.
The killer fired a single shot into the middle of Maria’s forehead.
For a moment, nothing happened.A black hole formed on the researcher’s forehead.Then, a drop of blood emerged and trickled down to the bridge of her nose.Right after that, Maria’s knees buckled, and she dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
The killer let out the breath, then put the gun back in the bag.
It was not done yet.Sneaking through a mostly empty museum by themselves was easy.Sneaking through the museum with a dead body was another prospect entirely.They could have left her in the research room and surrounded her with the photos of the idiots who’d tried to solve the initial case, but the scene would have made much more impact on the museum floor.
They knew that the public wouldn’t find the body.A security guard, cleaners, or some other museum personnel would find the body before the museum opened.Still, when the news reached the media, it would be far grander and scarier than if the body was found in a back room.Fear was the perfect motivator.
The first two bodies had been positioned where they fell.They had been awkward to move, and as they picked up Maria from the floor, taking her under the arms, they expected more of a dead weight.That was not the case.The killer found it easy to drag Maria from the room, as if more than just her soul had left her body when she’d been killed.
The killer moved Maria from the back of the museum to the middle.The position in the main area of the museum wasn't important, only that she was placed somewhere visible.They didn't pay attention to the artifacts and artworks around them when they reached their destination.What mattered was the artifacts they placed around the body, and then the escape route through the building.
The killer, when they saw the shadows, reached out before retreating.
They heard the man before spotting him.
"What are you doing?"he demanded.
The killer froze to the spot, the gun in the bag over their shoulder suddenly weighing them down.
"You shouldn’t be here," the man said.
The killer was hunched over the body, facing away from the man.The light was pointed at the killer’s back, and the killer quickly stood up and turned to face the man, bringing the light up with them.
"You shouldn’t be here," the security guard repeated.
The killer glanced from the flashlight in the man’s hand to his belt, where he had a short baton, a set of keys, but no gun.
The security guard lowered the flashlight, staring at the scene beyond the killer, and his eyes narrowed in fear.
The killer finally saw the man’s features when the flashlight was no longer pointed at the killer’s face.The guard had soft and pudgy features, and the narrowing of his eye suggested he had never dealt with the scene he now saw before him.His lower lip dropped half an inch as she struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
"What…," the guard muttered.
The killer drew the gun from their bag and pointed it at the security guard.
"Youshouldn’t be here," the killer told him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Alison reached the bottom of the stairs and walked through the hotel lobby.The large reception desk sat to her right, and to the left was the hotel restaurant, where breakfast was served, with a coffee bar occupying the space between the two, serving hot drinks to restaurant patrons and those who sat in the large lobby.
Alison recognized Dr.Carver immediately.Carver stood as soon as she saw Alison, her eyes widening slightly and a slight smile crossing her lips.The movement immediately drew Alison’s attention, but she would have recognized her peer anyway.
What happened next shocked Alison.
