“I will love you forever,” he said.
“And I will always love you back,” she replied.
THREE DAYS LATER,Slash walked into the Arlington County Detention Center, Carrera by her side. Carrera stopped by to thank Malcolm for his help.
“I run Carrera Cruises,” Carrera said to Malcolm. “Call my office, ask for Jilly. She’s expecting your call. If you’re interested, you can bring a guest and enjoy one of my cruises. Brunch, dinner, whatever you want.”
Malcolm grinned as he shook Carrera’s hand. “All I was doing was my job, but I appreciate the gift.”
“You helped catch a serial killer,” Carrera said.
“Wow, maybe I should try my hand at law enforcement,” Malcolm said.
“Maybe you should,” Carrera replied handing him a business card. “Let me know how I can repay the favor.”
Their next stop? The detainee visitor center on the third floor. Malcolm escorted them, and they said their goodbyes.
After Slash and Carrera were seated, Karen was led in by a guard.
She rolled her eyes as she sat in the chair. “Back again. I’m not talking.”
“I’m not here for information,” Slash said. “I wanted you to know that your boyfriend Greg was actually Russell Fitzpatrick,” Slash said. “He was running for US Congress.”
Karen’s eyes flashed with surprise. “Liar.”
“I don’t care if you believe me,” Slash said. “I wanted you to know the full story.”
“You don’t deserve this,” Carrera said. “You blamed Slash for getting fired, but you fucked up your own life.”
“Go to hell, Claude Amos,” Karen bit out.
“Russell was watching the dancers from his house, then going to the club in his disguise,” Slash continued. “There, he got to know the women, built trust, and brought them home. He murdered all seven women. They were discovered in hisbasement, in a walk-in freezer he used to keep their bodies intact.”
“Ohmygod,” Karen blurted, her face turning ashen white.
In order to get closure, Slash wanted the extent of Russell’s crimes to be well known. She also wanted the families to get the closure they needed, and she wanted everyone to know what kind of monster Russell really was.
“He was using you,” Slash said. “He was using everyone. Recently, he married someone?—”
“WHAT!” Karen bellowed.
The guard warned her to pipe down.
“He married a woman for her last name,” Carrera said. “He was obsessed with winning the congressional seat so he could springboard to the White House, but he needed the club to feed his addiction.”
Karen was stunned into silence.
“He was a serial killer,” Slash said.
“Is he in prison?” Karen asked.
“No, he’s dead,” Slash replied.
“Good,” Karen bit out. “I thought he loved me. I thought he was going to marry me.”
“I want you to do something,” Slash said.
Karen regarded her across the glass. “What?”
