Page 32 of Dead Man's Wish
“Can you make one for our current serial killer?” Grady asked with intrigue.
“I could, but with the lack of information, it wouldn’t look very alarming. For instance, Hale’s psychopathy score is a thirty out of forty-four. His high-risk areas are his lack of remorse and empathy, no emotional depth, and the early childhood behavior discovered from Detective Westcott’s investigations.” Jaiden pushed off the wall behind me and joined the others on the couch. I gave him a soft smile, letting him know that I felt it too.
“Do you think there’s overlap between Hale’s psychopathy and our suspect?” Andy asked as she scribbled in her notebook as well.
“I do.” I continued the assessment. “My best estimation is a white male in his late twenties to early thirties. He’s a loner type, and people feel uneasy in his presence even if they can’t discern why. Two narcissists can’t operate so close together, which means unlike Hale, this guy is not out and about charming the pants off people. He’s secluded, isolated, and pulling the strings from the dark.”
“Why would they wait so long?” Jaiden looked around the room, his sudden input startling everyone.
“My first thought,” Bishop chimed in, “is that they were incarcerated. Serial killers only stop by force, so it’s possible the guy just started.”
“As I warned, the profile is both a help and hinderance. I can’t answer the questions without more information, and it’s like the guy just doesn’t exist.”
Stan typed on his laptop before offering more clarity. “We had around two hundred suspects with priors and behavior escalations that could lend to this type of crime. I added in the race and age ranges you gave, but that only brought us down to one-fifty.”
“Okay, how about location and interaction? Is there a way to focus on people predominantly from Cape Haven with history with Old Oaks? I want to say Ridgeview predates this behavior. Maybe address history could help us.” I waited as Stan added my next specifications and his program eliminated names.
“One hundred. It’s a lot, but we’re down to half.”
“Do you have photos?” I asked, hopeful that I could place a face.
“Yeah, I can send you over a file for visual identification.” While I waited for the email to come through, I thought over any significant information.
“What about the idolization aspect here? Did Brent’s mother receive any deranged fan mail, threatening letters, or anything out of the ordinary that she reported to the police after his death? You can track mail down to a geographical location at the very least, even if they used forensic countermeasures.” Bishop thought it over while the others took notes and listened.
“From my recollection, no. I believe she only came by to collect the things we were willing to release to her. Since then, I don’t think she’s even called my office. She’s always been cooperative with evidence collection and the forensic team.” His answer was honest but not helpful in the slightest.
It felt like I was pulling teeth from the universe to drop me any lead. The newly aggressive escalation in behavior worried me. Going over the past weeks in my mind, I couldn’t find a moment that would’ve triggered such a heinous act.
“What if we bait him?” I blurted. It was a half-cocked idea and better suggested in a different setting.
“Absolutely not!” Jaiden objected, his hands clenched tight. Panic lit his eyes at the thought. Mouth drawn tight, he left it at that and looked around the room for support. Worried eyes met his, but they didn’t object.
“Bexley, that doesn’t seem like a safe option given the recent events,” Bishop countered after a beat.
“I can take care of myself, mind you. It’s not like I’m proposing I go at this alone. We devise a plan and keep all eyes on me in a small, controlled environment.” My defenses were raised at the implication of weakness.
“I don’t like this.” Jaiden crossed his arms over his chest and averted my gaze.
“He’s a ghost on paper, and we’re making guesses,” I reasoned. We were backed into a corner and had nothing to pull us out. “We’re trying to fit someone to a profile and find ways theycouldbe guilty. The profile is a tool, and right now the tool doesn’t fit the project because we don’t have all the pieces.”
Jaiden’s neck flushed, a visible sign of his distress. The trauma flashing back for him was a fear I felt too, but we were out of time and options.
“I hate that you’re making sense.” Bishop turned it over in his mind, analyzing all the possibilities and risks.
“Noah, you can’t seriously think this is a good idea.” He didn’t answer Jaiden right away, struggling with pleasing all parties. At his silence, Jai dropped his head in his hands, running them through his hair. His shoulders were tense, and he fought the objections that sat on the tip of his tongue.
Bishop’s phone cut through the tense silence, causing a few people to jump. We were wound tight with this case. Standing, he excused himself, and the one-sided conversation was muffled from the hallway.
“Please,” Jaiden whispered to me. “I can’t do it again.”
“Nothing and no one can keep us apart. I’m not doing this alone—we’re doing it together. Only a stupid man would think he’d get away with hurting me.” I moved beside him, taking his rough hands in mine. He squeezed hard enough for it to sting, but I welcomed it.
“I won’t survive losing you.”
“We can’t let him stay in the shadows. Too many women have died already. We can end it here,” I reasoned. Green eyes blazed as tears welled.
“I’ll kill him if he touches you. Anywhere, anytime, for any reason—”
