“Repression is a breeding ground for serial killers. Him denying anyone could be something other than who he wants them to be isn’t going to help us find this unsub before he strikes again.”
“I said almost the exact same thing. But he didn’t budge from his stance. He thinks it’s a coincidence those ‘poor boys’ got killed. He blames it on moving away from home, because the rest of the world is full of evil. Pretty sure he’s working with a cult mentality, and I wouldn’t be surprised if all the small towns he’s sheriff over drink that water.”
“We’re going to have to profile the whole town if someone doesn’t talk,” I grumble.
“You think the unsub is still a resident there?” he asks as he takes a seat in front of my desk.
“I think it’s unlikely but possible. We don’t have enough information to use for a more specific profile.”
He steeples his hands in front of his mouth, his eyes vacantly staring at the top of my desk.
“The media will spin all sorts of theories if they get ahold of this story before we’re ready to deliver a concrete profile,” he says absently.
“Well aware. At least we know the sheriff isn’t going to be spreading the story before we’re ready.”
He nods, still staring at nothing in particular.
“I don’t get how you do it,” he says, moving his eyes away from one of the photographs. “How do you get inside someone’s head that is this sick and sadistic?”
“How do you handle a thousand and one questions from the media?” I ask with a shrug. “We all have our strengths. I don’t get inside their heads. I crawl into their psyche. It’s the only way to understand their delusional mentality, because you can’t think like a rational person would. A convoluted mind is one that forms its own reality. That’s why I need to know more about these kills. He’s not leaving behind enough clues to piece together the puzzle.”
Chapter 6
I admit that thoughts influence the body.
—Albert Einstein
LANA
My life has started revolving around the chime of a phone. Well, for the past five months, it’s been like that, but a different phone. Usually it’s the cloned phone that has me leaping and rushing around to grab it. Not my actual phone. Not until Agent Logan Bennett a couple of weeks ago.
LOGAN: Craig just asked if you were gay.
ME: Who’s Craig?
LOGAN: You have no idea how much I enjoy that answer. In fact, I just drew a few curious looks about why I’m laughing.
I have no clue why he finds that so funny.
ME: Seriously, who’s Craig?
LOGAN: I really want to see you again.
ME: Well, let’s just both quit our jobs so we can finally have a date.
LOGAN: With the dead ends I’m finding on all my cases, I’m starting to wonder if it isn’t time for a career change.
ME: If it makes you feel any better, I contemplated a career change too. Met a guy yesterday who was trading all his wife’s dildos for a pressure washer. -.- The wife was furious when I showed up to inspect the quality of her “toys.”
At least that’s true. I hate the times I have to lie to him.
LOGAN: I just spat coffee all over my desk.
ME: How coincidental. She was apparently a spitter too. The husband informed me of that as if I wanted to know. #overshare
LOGAN: Stop. Please stop. Everyone here thinks I’m insane for laughing this hard.
ME: It wasn’t the most awkward encounter I’ve had, but it certainly won’t make any of my highlight reels either.