Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Now you’re speaking more like a cop than a Medical Examiner, but I’m willing to listen to your theories. I’m guessing we’re probably aligned. So, what are you and your colleagues thinking?”
“There’s a consensus. We think that when he believes it’s safe again, he’ll be hunting for his next victim. He won’t be able to help himself. He won’t be able to stop on his own.”
“I agree. Most of these victims were drug addicts, but he’s an addict, too. Addicted to causing agony.”
“Yes… yes!”
“He also feels superior in some way to the victims. He hates their lifestyle, Dr. Carmine. Trust me, we’re working hard on this. I’m not going to let this go until I get answers.”
“Captain White said the murders have stopped, Ms. Lee. I think you and I know, that’s just wishful thinking.” He shook his head. “Just like I said, he can’t stop.” The man’s eyes sheened. “Someone is going to have to stop him. Someone smarter than him, but understands him… how his mind works.”
“I had a mentor tell me once, ‘To catch a killer, you have to mentally become the killer.’ Unfortunately, there’s truth in that, but it comes at a hefty psychological cost. Each time an officer has to hunt down a murderer, they lose a bit more of their sanity, Dr. Carmine. We lose our friends. Our families. It becomes our religion. We follow the leads, the evidence, and a chance for justice right off of a cliff, even to our own detriment.”
“Then let God lead the way, and order your steps… Please find him, Ms. Lee. I’ve already crossed the line by supplying information that technically, I’m not really supposed to under these circumstances.” His complexion deepened. “But I don’t think I can stand for one more poor soul to be rolled into my examination room after being murdered by this monster. People around town are saying the police are being disingenuous. Stashing away information. Keeping the public in the dark.”
“I’m telling you this in strict confidence, Dr. Carmine. The captain, several officers, and the lieutenant have received multiple death threats regarding these murders. Please believe me when I tell you, they want nothing more than for this to be over.”
“Then someone had better get their butt in front of a TV news camera and tell the truth to the people of Portland. I already explained this to them, but it’s falling on deaf ears.” She didn’t disagree with the man. She’d told Captain White multiple times that the admittance there was a serial killer at work wouldn’t cause long-term pandemonium as they feared, but would increase cautiousness and a need for safety amongst members of the community. Keeping them in the dark was backfiring. They deserved the truth. “I take one case, in particular, personal.”
“Oh? Did you know one of the victims?”
“My granddaughter, Shyla, did. Kenneth Chambers. He was the third guy to show up on the beach. He was beaten so badly, only dental records could be used to accurately I.D. him.”
“Yes, I reviewed Kenneth’s crime scene information thoroughly. I’m sorry for your granddaughter’s loss.”
“She was with him a couple of days before he disappeared, at a coffee shop with some mutual friends. It was just an ordinary day. Nothing unusual happened, she said. They always met there. She grew up with him. Now she replays that last encounter over and over in her mind. She’s terrified that this guy is still out there, and who’s to say his absence isn’t because he is somewhere else doing the same thing? Who’s to say he won’t hunt in other cities, and then come right back here once the dust settles? Everyone who leaves Portland always comes back. It calls to you…”
As she stood there listening to Dr. Carmine, she found herself agreeing with many of his opinions and philosophies—including those relating to Portland. It was like a little world within the world. It was refreshing. Calm. It perhaps lulled you into a false sense of safety, and therein lay the problem.
“As long as he’s still free in the world, none of us are safe, Ms. Lee. No one in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Ohio, New York, Florida, California, Texas… everywhere can be his playground if he sees fit. The police department is struggling, and since they won’t publicly label these crimes as the work of a serial killer, the FBI isn’t involved to the degree that they should be. I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but I know people, Ms. Lee.”
He reached for her and held her hand in his. “I believe you can find out who’s responsible. I believe that you’re here, in Portland, not just as a private investigator for your client’s brother’s murder, God rest his soul, but as a lead homicide detective to help bring this bastard to justice. You quit the force, but the force didn’t quit you. As soon as you came into town, people began talking. You command respect. You’re the only one that has reached out to me personally, and that says a lot about you. I looked you up and read about your achievements. I’m impressed. You hung up your officer hat back in Boston, but I think you’re still on the job, Ms. Lee. And I thank God for that…”