“That would take years.” Stone yawned. “Give me specifics.”
“Sure.” Jo made a note in her book and smiled at him. “You mentioned the breakup with Jenna triggered a killing spree, so although you’ve told psychiatrists you had no empathy toward the people you murdered, this would indicate you’re not a person lacking of feelings, or are you?”
“Jenna would have slid into my life perfectly and she’d have been the wife of a wealthy lawyer.” He slid his gaze over Jenna and snorted. “She was an ornament is all.” He turned his gaze slowly back to Jo. “I have empathy, so I can’t be classed as a psychopath—is that right? Don’t answer, because I know about the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. Trust me, most of the high-profile people in this country wouldn’t pass that test.” He chuckled.
“Do you want the truth or are we playing games?” Jo shrugged. “You know as well as I do psychopathy isn’t an exact science. Many I’ve interviewed can turn empathy on and off like a tap. Tell me, did you have empathy for the people you killed at Bear Peak?”
“See, you’re looking at what I did all wrong, Jo.” He let out a long sigh. “It’s simple to understand. If I went out hunting to put meat on my table, do you think when I sink the bolt into an elk or whatever, I care about its feelings or if its friends will miss it?” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “When you eat your burger or cut into a prime ribeye, do you feel sorry for the steer who gave its life so you could eat? Do you worry over how it felt being shuffled onto the killing floor and getting a bolt in the brain?”
“No, that never enters my mind.” Jo didn’t show any emotion. “I’m not a vegan. I don’t have a problem with eating meat.”
“And what do you think about the people who slaughter animals for food, Jo?” Stone leaned forward, watching Jo’s reaction closely.
“It’s business.” Jo made a few notes. She appeared relaxed and in control.
“Exactly.” Stone gave Jenna a triumphant smile. “Business. What I did was business. I ran a hunting business to make money. Once the transaction was completed, I walked away and didn’t have a reason to think about the contestants in the game.”
/> “What about the ones you left in the cave and visited?” Jo looked up, an interested expression on her face as if she were hanging on his every word.
“Have you seen elk heads hanging on walls, Jo?” Stone opened his hands wide. “I’m no different to anyone else who likes to keep trophies of his kills. Tell me, are all the folks with taxidermy in their homes psychopaths?”
“No, I guess not.” Jo wet her lips.
“What else do you want to know?” Stone smiled at Jenna. “I like her, she understands me.”
“The method of keeping your targets alive while increasing their pain levels was ingenious. How did you learn how to do that?” Jo stared at Stone.
A shiver of disgust slid down Jenna’s spine and she moved her eyes to the mirror. Knowing Kane and Carter were just outside helped some. She found herself leaning forward a little, waiting for his reply to Jo’s question.
“Practice.” Stone leaned back in his chair, relaxed, and then moved forward and leaned on the table. “I didn’t start in Black Rock Falls. I was in foster care and there was a lot of kids coming and going. Some would tell me about how they’d been treated and so we got together and killed their foster parents.” He laughed. “They never expect it. They think they can do whatever they please and many do, but you should have seen their faces when four or five kids arrived with knives. I showed them what to do, most times.”
“How wonderfully interesting.” Jo smiled at him. “How old were you when this happened?”
“Eight, maybe ten.” Stone shrugged. “Many more followed, and then I received a scholarship to attend law school. I like to study and the urge for blood died down some. I was quiet for a couple of years and then a bunch of girls started to mess with my head. One girl, I kept alive for five days before I pushed her into a wood chipper.”
“You did that alone?” Jo took notes.
“Yeah, that one I did, but her friends knew she’d dropped by the ranch where I was living and I had to get my buddies to deal with them. We enjoyed the hunt so much, and everyone wanted more, so I devised the plan to use the dark web. There are so many likeminded people out there. People who want to hunt down and kill humans, so I decided to make it into a business.”
“Do you often encourage people to kill for you?” Jo looked up from her notes.
“Ah, if I say yes this could be construed as entrapment. I’m in jail for murder. I know this, but the lawyer side of me is very astute.” Stone’s eyes changed from soft to hard in a flash. “Trying something like that would be a very stupid move.”
“I’m only here to listen to your story and if I’d wanted to use anything you say, I’d have read you your rights.” Jo shrugged. “I have no reason to lie to you. You must have heard about the FBI’s behavioral analysis program? We want to learn from you is all. There is no ulterior motive.” She smiled. “You must have quite a few admirers in here and outside. Do you communicate with them?”
“Outside the prison?” Stone shook his head. “I have no way to communicate with anyone on the outside. I don’t mix with other inmates. I’m not allowed visitors. You see, I’m considered too dangerous and I spend most of my time in my cell. My only respite is the library.”
Jenna stared at him. It couldn’t be true, he had to be lying. Stone must have a partner in crime they didn’t know about. “If you didn’t communicate with anyone on the outside, how come we have a killer using the same methods you used out of Bear Peak? Unless you’re the copycat?”
“They were all mine. I don’t need to copy anyone else.” Stone’s eyes flashed with anger. “No one before or after me has ever devised such a plan. Before me, no one knew how to disable a person and keep them alive. Paralyzing a man is incredible fun. I can tie a torniquet around any part of his limbs and remove them while he watches. There’s no pain and they take forever to die, but the look on their faces makes up for it. They fight for life, but not the women. Those usually beg me to finish them.”
Jenna laughed. “That’s not true, James, and you know it.” She slid a photograph out of Jo’s folder and pushed it across the table to him. “Look at this: he has the same MO as you, right down to the severed spinal cord.”
“This isn’t my work, but close.” He sniffed the image and ran a fingertip lovingly over it. “They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Can I keep it?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Jo lowered her voice. “What if I told you this happened just the other day. How do you feel about someone imitating you?”
“I love it… mmm, I can smell her: perfume and the metallic scent of blood. Nothing like it.” Stone looked at Jo and a slow rumble of laughter spilled from his lips. “Can you hear her screams? How many got to look at her before Wolfe took her away? Has he cut her up yet? Can I see the autopsy photographs?”