The Crucifix Killer - Chris Carter [142]
‘Wow. You are quick.’ She put on an impressed face.
Mike Farloe had been arrested just after the seventh victim was found. An aspiring young lawyer, daughter to one of the jurors. The closest relation to a juror out of all the victims. With just a little more time Hunter and Wilson would surely have hit upon it, but why try to establish a link between victims when they already had a self-confessed killer in custody? With Mike’s arrest everything about the Crucifix Killer’s investigation came to a halt.
‘She was supposed to be my last victim,’ Brenda snorted. ‘But how was I to know she had a photographic memory? She recognized me from the courtroom when I first approached her. She even remembered the clothes I wore. She became an immediate threat, so I had no choice but to move her up on my list. After that I needed time to reorganize my plan. Framing somebody at the end of it all was always my intention. I found Mike Farloe preaching the gospel on the streets just after I killed that piece of shit accountant.’
The fifth victim, Hunter thought.
‘Mike was easy. A sick pedophile who idolized the Crucifix Killer. I prepped Mike for months, feeding him all the necessary information. Just enough for him to sound convincing when caught. I knew he was ready.’ She shrugged her shoulders. ‘I wasn’t counting on him confessing though, that was just a bonus. It completely stopped the investigation dead. Just what I needed,’ she said with a chuckle. ‘But with his arrest came the opportunity for me to get to someone else on my list. One of the main protagonists of my suffering . . . your stupid fucking partner.’
Hunter’s eyes filled with sudden horror.
‘Oh, I forgot,’ she said with a frozen smile. ‘You didn’t know that was my doing, did you?’
‘What was your doing?’ Hunter asked with a trembling voice.
‘That little boat explosion.’
Hunter felt his stomach churn.
‘With the end of the Crucifix Killer’s case I wasn’t surprised when you and your partner decided to take a break. It was only fair after such a lengthy investigation. All I had to do was follow him.’ She paused and watched as Hunter battled with his own repugnance. ‘You know, they invited me up onto their boat. You can always count on a cop to help someone in need, especially a woman. Once on board, the killing was child’s play. I had him tied up, just like you are now, and then I made him watch. I made him watch while I made the little bitch suffer. There was so much blood, Robert.’ She stared at Hunter for a moment, savoring his pain. ‘And yes, I knew she was your only cousin. That gave me even more pleasure.’
Hunter felt nauseous, a sick taste regurgitated into his mouth.
‘He begged for her life. He offered me his in exchange for hers. The ultimate love sacrifice, but that was no good to me. I had his life in my hands anyway.’ A short silence followed before she continued. ‘She died slowly while he cried like a baby. I didn’t kill him straight away you know. I left him for a few hours so he could soak in the pain of her death. After that, the only thing left for me to do was bring some fuel barrels from my boat onto his, create a little leak, set some timers and . . . boom. The fire would destroy any evidence I missed.’
The pleasure in her voice was arctic.
‘The greatest thing after that was watching you take the ride straight to rock bottom, it was beautiful. After their deaths I thought you would do it. I thought you would give in and blow your brains out. You were close to doing it.’
Hunter could voice no reply.
‘But then you were given a new partner and it looked like you were starting to bounce back. I still had two more on my list, not counting you, so I figured it was time for us to start playing our game again.’ She ran her hand through her hair in an overly casual way. ‘You were a tough one to get to. A real loner. No wife, no girlfriend, no children, no lover and no family. So I created Isabella, the slut. The one who’d pick you up from a sleazy bar. The one who’d make you fall in love with her.’ Her arrogance was majestic.
‘Do you have