"That’s okay," Alison said."If you remember anything about the cabin or if he tries to get in contact with you, please let me know."
"I will, of course," Carver said."It was good talking with you again, Dr.Payne."
The call ended, and Alison walked toward the house, thankful that she hadn’t been chastised this time like back at the hotel.
When Alison walked into the house, she found it to be lived-in.She walked through the living room first, studying the bookcase she had seen from outside and noting multiple textbooks on forensic psychology.She went to the kitchen next, finding a plate and a cup by the sink.There were crumbs on the plate and a brown stain in the bottom of the mug where coffee or tea had dried.Then into the bathroom, where nothing looked to be missing, and the bedroom, where no clothes looked to have been packed in a hurry, though that was almost impossible to tell for sure.
"It looks like someone was living here until recently, and no sign that he’s making a run for it," Alison noted when she reconnected with Hartley in the bedroom."There’s every chance he’ll come back.In the meantime, we need to find out if there’s a cabin registered in his name or in a family member’s name.If Sterling is not here, then he could have gone to the cabin.Either to escape talking with us, or he could be out there fishing."
"I’ll have a team come down here and search the house thoroughly," Hartley said."And I’ll have Carson find that cabin for us."
She left the bedroom to make some calls.
Alison wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but when she glanced over at the bedside table, her breath caught in her throat.She moved quickly and reached out, but drew her hand back before touching it.
The pamphlet was from the Baltimore museum, something they would hand out to visitors.Sterling had been there.They had to find him, and find him quickly.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The killer sat in the basement, thinking about the new direction the case was taking.
"I didn't plan it all out from the beginning," they said."No, that’s not true.I did plan what I might do, and that was to kill enough people to get them to listen.That was the best way to go about it.There was no timeline, no numbers, no nothing except what needed to be done to get the message across."
The person in the chair facing them grunted in reply.
The killer picked up the remote and turned on the TV to check what news was being given to the masses.They knew what would happen if too many details were released.People would panic.They would wonder if they were next.
The killer didn't want that to happen, but perhaps it needed to happen.The more coverage the case got, the easier it would be to get the message across.It wasn’t the populace who needed to listen, but those in charge.And if the public were afraid and asking questions, it would force those people to listen and make changes.
Too many mistakes had been made, and things needed to change.It was no longer enough to be good at what you did.It was more about luck and opportunity.They lived in a world where one mistake could ruin your career, and one set of fortuitous circumstances could make a career.
"I see it all before me now," the killer said."I want them to see the mistakes they make, but I need something more powerful.I didn’t understand that until today.She must be the one to fall for it to come to a climax.Do you understand what that means?She has to be the last great mistake for them to finally see they are the ones who make mistakes, and not us."
Another grunt from their companion.
"I knew you would see it that way, but you might not be in a position to see it any other way, right?"they asked.
Their companion didn't say anything this time.
The killer watched the TV screen as they covered the latest double homicide in the museum.They hadn’t released the names of the victims yet, but the deaths have been connected to the other two murders.It had finally become a national case, with media in multiple states reporting on the serial killer who was making his way across the country.
Not the entire country.I can't travel too far, or I won't be able to remain incognito.That is one way they will be able to trace me.If I go too far and have to be away for a noticeable amount of time, it makes me look suspicious.
The killer smiled as they listened to a prominent psychology expert from California.She was talking about the type of person who could commit the crimes, and the consensus was that it was someone with a background in criminal psychology and a grudge.
Very good.You are on the right track, but there are so many of us that fit that bill that it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.Look for me all you like, but by the time you get close to figuring it all out, I’ll already have diverted your attention elsewhere.
"I see it now," the killer said, talking to their companion once more."I see that it needs to be here, and you’ll help me take her down.Then they’ll see that they’ve made too many mistakes, and the system will be changed."
Her companion grunted again.
"I know, I know," the killer said."It looks like I bear a grudge against her, but that’s not the case at all.I need to use her because of her celebrity status.If it were anyone else, the media would cover it, of course, but not in the same way they’ll cover Dr.Payne.She’s not only famous in California, but across the country.Once her name is attached to this, and all of the details are finally released, they will be forced to look at it, like directing a child’s attention by grabbing the back of their head and turning them.And the beauty of this part of the plan is that when they look at the evidence of past wrongdoings that I’ve left for them, they’ll look at them more seriously with her name attached.Don't you see the brilliance?"
Another grunt.
The report on the screen changed.They still focused on the case, but they interviewed law enforcement to talk about past crimes where killers weren’t caught or weren’t caught quickly enough.Law enforcement scrambled to check they hadn't made any mistakes that were now obvious.Past case files were being pulled from old storage rooms to determine whether the serial killer could recreate them.To try to figure out where the killer might strike next.
"Don't worry about that," the killer said."I’ll show you exactly where I’ll strike next.That’ll come soon enough."
