The iFactor (13 page)
Authors: R.W. Van Sant
Matt looked at his watch. Another black-out was underway. He closed his eyes and tried to sense anything out of the ordinary. If the part of him that had been exposed to the mind rip, could somehow sense the event as it happened, it would go a long way toward helping to validate Rishards’ theory. He felt nothing, and then he felt relieved. A small army of homicidal burnouts could have destroyed the entire colony. Except that he wasn’t a burn out, they never had to give him the surgery. If it were the surgery itself that caused sensitivity to blackouts, Rishards might still be correct.
Seeing the increased patrols, however, did not impart a sense of security. Instead, the awareness that a black-out had been occurring for an hour, only filled him with curiosity. The security patrols were unaware, they didn’t have his clearance or “need to know”, but he did. He found their bumbling around in the “dark” nearly comical. The officers would continue to patrol, keeping the masses save, oblivious to the reality of the situation. Still, knowing that for the first time since he arrived on Sirius, the city’s mainframes were not watching every single move he made felt somewhat emancipating. He wondered if that was how the killer felt.
Matt was drawn to the sound of children’s laughter. He saw a small horde of them sitting before of a portable puppet theater in a clearing to his right. They laughed innocently as a small puppet dressed in a toga was presented boldly on the stage before a monstrous apparition that appeared to be a winged lion with a human head.
From behind the stage, a familiar, but disguised voice roared as the creature threatened to eat the hero if he couldn’t solve a riddle.
The children gasped.
Then the voice asked the riddle.
“What goes on four legs in the morning?
And by two legs in the afternoon?
But goes by three legs at night?”
The toga-clad puppet rubbed its head thoughtfully as the children gleefully called out answers.
“A bird” one child called out.
“A trained dog” called out another.
“No,” the hero puppet said to the children in the same familiar, disguised voice that was doing its best to sound more masculine and monstrous. The puppet man turned to face the puppet monster and said. “Man! I think the answer is man.”
“Why is that?” the monster puppet loomed over the hero.
“Because,” shouted another child. “There are no animals on Sirius.”
Out of the mouths of babes.
Matt thought as a few children giggled.
“There are fish.” Another retorted.
“Fish don’t count,” the first child said.
“Why not?”
“Fish don’t have legs.” An older child said with some authority ending the discussion.
“The answer is man,” the hero puppet continued. “Because as babies, we crawl on all four legs. In the middle years of our lives, we walk around on two good strong feet. However, in our old age, we require a cane to walk. The answer is man.” The puppet asserted.
A child in the front row counted on her fingers and said. “No, my grandma walks on six.”
“Grandma, uses a walker.” The boy next to her said. “They didn’t have walkers in the olden days.”
“Argg!” the monster cried. “You have solved my riddle. You may go on your way. Remember, even though you have escaped me, you cannot escape your destiny.”
The curtains closed and the children cheered and clapped their hands. Some called out for more.
“The next show will be at four.” The familiar face of Jill Cochetti appeared from behind the stage. There was still some puffiness around her bruised cheek and she wore her make up heavier than before, but Matt could see that her face was healing well.
“Hi,’ she looked surprised as she looked up to see Matt standing behind the wall of sitting children. “Did you come all the way here just to watch me perform?”
“Honestly, I didn’t know it was you. You’re good with voices.”
“Why thank you.” She bowed. “Now if you’ll just tell the critics I can take my rightful place as queen of the ‘the-at-tur’.”
“I’m sure you’d be great.” He said.
“Oh, you’re sweet, a terrible liar, but sweet.” She turned and closed the curtains to the puppet theater.” Break time. I’m starving. How about a hot dog? I saw a stand over by the fish bowl earlier.”
“I was on my way home.” The dream image of her nude body filled his mind.
Matt was drawn to the sound of children’s laughter. He saw a small horde of them sitting before of a portable puppet theater in a clearing to his right. They laughed innocently as a small puppet dressed in a toga was presented boldly on the stage before a monstrous apparition that appeared to be a winged lion with a human head.
From behind the stage, a familiar, but disguised voice roared as the creature threatened to eat the hero if he couldn’t solve a riddle.
The children gasped.
Then the voice asked the riddle.
“What goes on four legs in the morning?
And by two legs in the afternoon?
But goes by three legs at night?”
The toga-clad puppet rubbed its head thoughtfully as the children gleefully called out answers.
“A bird” one child called out.
“A trained dog” called out another.
“No,” the hero puppet said to the children in the same familiar, disguised voice that was doing its best to sound more masculine and monstrous. The puppet man turned to face the puppet monster and said. “Man! I think the answer is man.”
“Why is that?” the monster puppet loomed over the hero.
“Because,” shouted another child. “There are no animals on Sirius.”
Out of the mouths of babes.
Matt thought as a few children giggled.
“There are fish.” Another retorted.
“Fish don’t count,” the first child said.
“Why not?”
“Fish don’t have legs.” An older child said with some authority ending the discussion.
“The answer is man,” the hero puppet continued. “Because as babies, we crawl on all four legs. In the middle years of our lives, we walk around on two good strong feet. However, in our old age, we require a cane to walk. The answer is man.” The puppet asserted.
A child in the front row counted on her fingers and said. “No, my grandma walks on six.”
“Grandma, uses a walker.” The boy next to her said. “They didn’t have walkers in the olden days.”
“Argg!” the monster cried. “You have solved my riddle. You may go on your way. Remember, even though you have escaped me, you cannot escape your destiny.”
The curtains closed and the children cheered and clapped their hands. Some called out for more.
“The next show will be at four.” The familiar face of Jill Cochetti appeared from behind the stage. There was still some puffiness around her bruised cheek and she wore her make up heavier than before, but Matt could see that her face was healing well.
“Hi,’ she looked surprised as she looked up to see Matt standing behind the wall of sitting children. “Did you come all the way here just to watch me perform?”
“Honestly, I didn’t know it was you. You’re good with voices.”
“Why thank you.” She bowed. “Now if you’ll just tell the critics I can take my rightful place as queen of the ‘the-at-tur’.”
“I’m sure you’d be great.” He said.
“Oh, you’re sweet, a terrible liar, but sweet.” She turned and closed the curtains to the puppet theater.” Break time. I’m starving. How about a hot dog? I saw a stand over by the fish bowl earlier.”
“I was on my way home.” The dream image of her nude body filled his mind.
“Come on, I’m buying.” She grabbed his arm and gently pulled him toward the large aquarium, which held the colonies fresh fish supply. To Matt’s great relief, the crowds were all gathering in another section of the park. “Don’t be so tense, you’re off duty. At ease officer.” She saluted.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s been a long day. I’d love a hot dog.”
“Thought you’d see it my way.”
Matt could see the cart off in the distance. The operator had set up directly in front of the largest of the observation windows. It was a good place. From there a person could eat and watch the fish swim, perhaps even buy more food if not satisfied. Matt’s stomach grumbled and he realized that he had forgotten to eat lunch. They made their way across the grass as the brilliant red light streaked across the cities dome high above them heralding the setting of Sirius Alpha. The sky started to dim as the illumination of the sky was left to dimmer light of Sirius’ companion star. The dimming light was still more than adequate to light their way to the cart.
“Don’t have sunsets like that on earth.” She said.
“No,” Matt looked up. “Sure don’t.”
The amount of security uniforms in the crowd had diminished noticeably, at least to Matt. The augmented patrols were ending, the ‘black-out’ was over. He breathed a sigh of relief. The cities electronic guardian angel was back on line. He didn’t know why, but walking with Jill, a woman he hardly knew, was strangely calming. For the first time since he entered the park, he did not feel like escaping. He had not felt that comfortable around anyone in a very long time. Images filled his mind as they walked. Matt reminded himself that he wasn’t a psychic and dreams were just his unconscious longings prompting him to take chances.
“Got anything with real meat?” she asked when they reached the stand.
“Fish.” The vender offered helpfully.
“Oh, you could at least pretend.” She turned to Matt. “Wasn’t it more fun when no one knew what was in a hot dog? Now it’s all soy and fish.”
“We still don’t.” Matt smiled. “It could have reptile in it.”
“Got any with reptile meat?” she teased.
“No,” The vender’s voice contained a suggestion of agitation. “All we have are standard hotdogs with the condiments listed on the menu.”
“Alright then, what do you want?” Jill asked.
“I’ll take a chili dog.” Matt said, “And a cola.”
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about. “ Her smile spread. “Who knows what the hell’s in that? Make that two.”
The food was premade, and he had it ready seconds. “Ten point five two” the merchant said as he put the paper tray on the counter.
“Can you grab that?” Jill asked Matt as she waved her hand over the reader to pay the bill.
Matt trembled involuntarily as the recollection of the vision of Vanderhaar holding her bloody palm chip in his hand overran his waking mind. “I’m sorry Matt.” Vanderhaar’s voice rang in his ears. He stared at Jill’s hand in fleeting horror.
“Hey,” She said taking the tray as he stood there trying to compose himself. “Sorry I asked.”
“No,” Matt forced himself back into the moment. Just because he dreamed her didn’t determine her destiny.
Dreams are just dreams
. “I’m sorry. I was just… somewhere else.”
“Must have been someplace pretty nasty.” She said. “Are we back now?”
“Yeah,” he forced a smile. “You didn’t buy me lunch just to have me go dower on you.’
“I think I can forgive you for now, “she found a bench and sat down. “No more work thinking, got it. It’s fun thinking time.”
“Yes ma’am,” he sat next to her. She was too full of life to die. If his dreams were precognitive, then he’d find a way to stop to change things. She handed him a chili dog served on an oval paper tray in reverence to the traditional earth venders of centuries past. At least it kept the chili from dripping on to his fingers. “Mr. Buzzkill has left the building.”
“Good” she took a bite of her hotdog, a small splotch of chili landed on her chin. Matt stifled a chuckle. “There is a nice place right over here.”
Jill moved to a patch of grass a few meters from the vender. It was a little close for Matt, but it had one advantage; it had a great view of the tank. Watching fish was always relaxing; it reminded him of the beaches and aquariums he’d been to as a child. If he could afford it, Matt would have had a fish tank in his apartment. That, however, was a luxury well above his pay grade. Moreover, sitting in the park felt too uncovered. Even so, he tried to take his mind off the crowds and focus on the woman who just bought him lunch.
A small school of fish passed before the observation window. Matt could virtually hear the sound of the surf and the feel of the sand beneath him. It was comforting, and he didn’t want to escape back to his apartment. The crowds were still well off in the distance. The person nearest him was one he actually wanted there. He turned from the large window and observed her.
“Thanks,” he said taking a bite of his hot dog.
“Least I could do.” She said. “You did try to save me after all.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you.”
“I’ll live.” She took another bite, staring up at the tank as the light from the sunset played across the dome creating in crimsons and pinks in the water. “I should make a point of coming out for the main sun set more often.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s been a long day. I’d love a hot dog.”
“Thought you’d see it my way.”
Matt could see the cart off in the distance. The operator had set up directly in front of the largest of the observation windows. It was a good place. From there a person could eat and watch the fish swim, perhaps even buy more food if not satisfied. Matt’s stomach grumbled and he realized that he had forgotten to eat lunch. They made their way across the grass as the brilliant red light streaked across the cities dome high above them heralding the setting of Sirius Alpha. The sky started to dim as the illumination of the sky was left to dimmer light of Sirius’ companion star. The dimming light was still more than adequate to light their way to the cart.
“Don’t have sunsets like that on earth.” She said.
“No,” Matt looked up. “Sure don’t.”
The amount of security uniforms in the crowd had diminished noticeably, at least to Matt. The augmented patrols were ending, the ‘black-out’ was over. He breathed a sigh of relief. The cities electronic guardian angel was back on line. He didn’t know why, but walking with Jill, a woman he hardly knew, was strangely calming. For the first time since he entered the park, he did not feel like escaping. He had not felt that comfortable around anyone in a very long time. Images filled his mind as they walked. Matt reminded himself that he wasn’t a psychic and dreams were just his unconscious longings prompting him to take chances.
“Got anything with real meat?” she asked when they reached the stand.
“Fish.” The vender offered helpfully.
“Oh, you could at least pretend.” She turned to Matt. “Wasn’t it more fun when no one knew what was in a hot dog? Now it’s all soy and fish.”
“We still don’t.” Matt smiled. “It could have reptile in it.”
“Got any with reptile meat?” she teased.
“No,” The vender’s voice contained a suggestion of agitation. “All we have are standard hotdogs with the condiments listed on the menu.”
“Alright then, what do you want?” Jill asked.
“I’ll take a chili dog.” Matt said, “And a cola.”
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about. “ Her smile spread. “Who knows what the hell’s in that? Make that two.”
The food was premade, and he had it ready seconds. “Ten point five two” the merchant said as he put the paper tray on the counter.
“Can you grab that?” Jill asked Matt as she waved her hand over the reader to pay the bill.
Matt trembled involuntarily as the recollection of the vision of Vanderhaar holding her bloody palm chip in his hand overran his waking mind. “I’m sorry Matt.” Vanderhaar’s voice rang in his ears. He stared at Jill’s hand in fleeting horror.
“Hey,” She said taking the tray as he stood there trying to compose himself. “Sorry I asked.”
“No,” Matt forced himself back into the moment. Just because he dreamed her didn’t determine her destiny.
Dreams are just dreams
. “I’m sorry. I was just… somewhere else.”
“Must have been someplace pretty nasty.” She said. “Are we back now?”
“Yeah,” he forced a smile. “You didn’t buy me lunch just to have me go dower on you.’
“I think I can forgive you for now, “she found a bench and sat down. “No more work thinking, got it. It’s fun thinking time.”
“Yes ma’am,” he sat next to her. She was too full of life to die. If his dreams were precognitive, then he’d find a way to stop to change things. She handed him a chili dog served on an oval paper tray in reverence to the traditional earth venders of centuries past. At least it kept the chili from dripping on to his fingers. “Mr. Buzzkill has left the building.”
“Good” she took a bite of her hotdog, a small splotch of chili landed on her chin. Matt stifled a chuckle. “There is a nice place right over here.”
Jill moved to a patch of grass a few meters from the vender. It was a little close for Matt, but it had one advantage; it had a great view of the tank. Watching fish was always relaxing; it reminded him of the beaches and aquariums he’d been to as a child. If he could afford it, Matt would have had a fish tank in his apartment. That, however, was a luxury well above his pay grade. Moreover, sitting in the park felt too uncovered. Even so, he tried to take his mind off the crowds and focus on the woman who just bought him lunch.
A small school of fish passed before the observation window. Matt could virtually hear the sound of the surf and the feel of the sand beneath him. It was comforting, and he didn’t want to escape back to his apartment. The crowds were still well off in the distance. The person nearest him was one he actually wanted there. He turned from the large window and observed her.
“Thanks,” he said taking a bite of his hot dog.
“Least I could do.” She said. “You did try to save me after all.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you.”
“I’ll live.” She took another bite, staring up at the tank as the light from the sunset played across the dome creating in crimsons and pinks in the water. “I should make a point of coming out for the main sun set more often.”
Matt looked up. It was pretty, but it wasn’t his native sun. Some part of the earthling in him still objected to seeing one sun set as another was still on the horizon.
“Look at the way it’s reflecting on the fish tank.” Jill commented. Matt turned to see the red flashes playing across the water. It was a strange phenomenon, one he’d never noticed on Sirius before. He didn’t know that you could get sunsets inside the dome. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light. Sirius primary was setting and the water, like the sky in the Arizona desert grew redder as he watched.
“Some people have no respect.” Jill said.
“Excuse me?” Matt turned back to look at her.
A look of displeasure played upon her face, but it wasn’t directed at him, she looked past him to the tank. “Isn’t there a law about swimming in the food supply?” she scowled.
Matt stood up and walked to the view window. About a dozen or so meters into the pool was the form of a human gently moving his or her arms and legs, but the swimmer was being pulled along by the current which was bringing the swimmer slowly toward the observation glass. “I imagine there will some kind of fine involved. There are plenty of witnesses.”
The form drew closer, growing more difficult to see as it approached. The water was growing redder by the moment. The current slowly pushed the body toward the glass until Matt could see that someone treading water did not cause that kind of motion in the arms and legs. The fish were pecking away at the dead man, the force of their feeding moving the corpse’s limbs. Matt could see the man’s dead eyes and blood coming from his head and palm.
“Turn away!”
Jill stared in wide-eyed silence as the dead face moved across the large observation window. She screamed and put her head against Matt’s chest. He waited for her to gain control, and he called it in.
“Look at the way it’s reflecting on the fish tank.” Jill commented. Matt turned to see the red flashes playing across the water. It was a strange phenomenon, one he’d never noticed on Sirius before. He didn’t know that you could get sunsets inside the dome. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light. Sirius primary was setting and the water, like the sky in the Arizona desert grew redder as he watched.
“Some people have no respect.” Jill said.
“Excuse me?” Matt turned back to look at her.
A look of displeasure played upon her face, but it wasn’t directed at him, she looked past him to the tank. “Isn’t there a law about swimming in the food supply?” she scowled.
Matt stood up and walked to the view window. About a dozen or so meters into the pool was the form of a human gently moving his or her arms and legs, but the swimmer was being pulled along by the current which was bringing the swimmer slowly toward the observation glass. “I imagine there will some kind of fine involved. There are plenty of witnesses.”
The form drew closer, growing more difficult to see as it approached. The water was growing redder by the moment. The current slowly pushed the body toward the glass until Matt could see that someone treading water did not cause that kind of motion in the arms and legs. The fish were pecking away at the dead man, the force of their feeding moving the corpse’s limbs. Matt could see the man’s dead eyes and blood coming from his head and palm.
“Turn away!”
Jill stared in wide-eyed silence as the dead face moved across the large observation window. She screamed and put her head against Matt’s chest. He waited for her to gain control, and he called it in.
Chapter 27
“I’m sorry, Dales.” Vanderhaar read the message on the screen once the conference room door closed. “Can you believe it? That bastard aimed the message right at you Matt. How did he know?” He roared.
“Who knew that I was on the case?” Matt was irritated and anxious.
“With all of your running around and questioning people, I’m surprised the whole colony doesn’t know.” Rishards quipped.
“That’s the reason why I called him in.” The chief defended. “I want you to keep it up.”
“Well one things for sure,” Officer Perry said. “Our list just got shorter.”
“How do you figure?” Rishards asked.
“If the killer knows about Dales, then he’s connected with the police department, or was close enough to see him looking over the crime scene.” Perry answered.
“The killer might even be one of the people that we interviewed.” Matt mused.
“I think this new message indicates an escalation.” Doctor Taylor profiled. “Not only has the killer announced that he is playing a game, the killer has chosen his opponent.”
“Why me?” Matt asked. “I just got on this case. Rishards has been on it since the start.”
“Either they do not consider her to be a threat, or as Detective Rishards said, your investigative methods brought you to their attention.” Doctor Taylor said.
“Do you think the killer might target him?” the chief asked.
“Hard to say, but I don’t think so.” Doctor Taylor mused. “I think that the killer either wants the great detective Matt Dales to stop them, or else they want to prove that he can’t. In either case, I think we will be seeing another killing very soon.”
“If the killer is trying to prove he’s better than me, what will be his next move?” Matt didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t the first time he was threatened by a suspect, but he usually had some idea who they were.
“I believe the next murder will be very visible, something hard for you to hide, or explain away. He’ll want to prove your impotence, and that of the department.” Doctor Taylor offered.
“He’ll want to show off?” Matt said.
“Yes,” Doctor Taylor said. “With this last message, I believe that the killer is showing that intent. He wants us to know how superior he is to us.”
“So that means we can expect the killings to grow more frequent and more public.” Rishards couldn’t keep the anxiety out of her voice.
“How much longer can we keep this quiet?” Matt asked. “After today I don’t see how we can stop the panic.”
“We keep up the cover stories.” The chief said. “The first murderer was caught, the second was a suicide. The third was and industrial accident and this last one, well the man had a little too much to drink and dove into the shallow end of the pool and cracked his head on the bottom. That’ll explain the blood in the water. No one in this office is to say different. I’ll have the press put out a public service announcement about the dangers of swimming while under the influence.”
“Is it possible that the motives might be changing?” Matt asked.
“It’s possible, “Doctor Taylor though about it. “The main motivation would be the same. It might however change the way it is expressed; not that we know what it was to begin with. Why?”
“The first two murders seemed to be personal, or religious in aspect. Something that the supervisor in the canyon told me keeps coming back in light of the latest killing. That it was a terrorist act aimed at our food supply. I was there; I saw the fish eating the man. Now the fish are contaminated?”
“We will of course have to have all of the fish tested for human DNA as we harvest. Those fish will have to be taken out of the food supply. Yes, you could call this a terrorist act.”
“How does this get us closer to finding our killer?” Rishards asked.
“Every little piece of the jigsaw.” Matt said.
“Get enough and the image comes together.” Vanderhaar said. “Sounds like something my trainer at the academy used to say.”
“Probably,” Matt said. “I learned it from you.”
“No wonder it sounded reasonable.” The chief tugged on his mustache. “Well let’s get back out there and get me some more pieces.”
“No problem.” Matt pushed himself from the table, his mind spinning. He couldn’t afford this distraction; he needed push everything else out of his mind and focus on the case. He’d fighting off the paranoid delusions of being followed. Now, just as his life was turning around, a nebulous sinister force was indeed targeting him. If the killer knew about him, then perhaps he had been following him, stalking him, learning his patterns and weaknesses for some time. They might even be the ones responsible for the notes on his door. The killer has been playing a game with him all along, but at least now, he knew about it.
Matt continued to gape at the city message board as the others shuffled out of the room. The display contained the latest victims name and code and the simple message. “I’m sorry Dales!” His stomach turned.
As if his life wasn’t messed up enough
. Maybe Rishards was right to believe in god, only a divine being could mess up a person’s life this completely.
“I’m sorry, Dales.” Vanderhaar read the message on the screen once the conference room door closed. “Can you believe it? That bastard aimed the message right at you Matt. How did he know?” He roared.
“Who knew that I was on the case?” Matt was irritated and anxious.
“With all of your running around and questioning people, I’m surprised the whole colony doesn’t know.” Rishards quipped.
“That’s the reason why I called him in.” The chief defended. “I want you to keep it up.”
“Well one things for sure,” Officer Perry said. “Our list just got shorter.”
“How do you figure?” Rishards asked.
“If the killer knows about Dales, then he’s connected with the police department, or was close enough to see him looking over the crime scene.” Perry answered.
“The killer might even be one of the people that we interviewed.” Matt mused.
“I think this new message indicates an escalation.” Doctor Taylor profiled. “Not only has the killer announced that he is playing a game, the killer has chosen his opponent.”
“Why me?” Matt asked. “I just got on this case. Rishards has been on it since the start.”
“Either they do not consider her to be a threat, or as Detective Rishards said, your investigative methods brought you to their attention.” Doctor Taylor said.
“Do you think the killer might target him?” the chief asked.
“Hard to say, but I don’t think so.” Doctor Taylor mused. “I think that the killer either wants the great detective Matt Dales to stop them, or else they want to prove that he can’t. In either case, I think we will be seeing another killing very soon.”
“If the killer is trying to prove he’s better than me, what will be his next move?” Matt didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t the first time he was threatened by a suspect, but he usually had some idea who they were.
“I believe the next murder will be very visible, something hard for you to hide, or explain away. He’ll want to prove your impotence, and that of the department.” Doctor Taylor offered.
“He’ll want to show off?” Matt said.
“Yes,” Doctor Taylor said. “With this last message, I believe that the killer is showing that intent. He wants us to know how superior he is to us.”
“So that means we can expect the killings to grow more frequent and more public.” Rishards couldn’t keep the anxiety out of her voice.
“How much longer can we keep this quiet?” Matt asked. “After today I don’t see how we can stop the panic.”
“We keep up the cover stories.” The chief said. “The first murderer was caught, the second was a suicide. The third was and industrial accident and this last one, well the man had a little too much to drink and dove into the shallow end of the pool and cracked his head on the bottom. That’ll explain the blood in the water. No one in this office is to say different. I’ll have the press put out a public service announcement about the dangers of swimming while under the influence.”
“Is it possible that the motives might be changing?” Matt asked.
“It’s possible, “Doctor Taylor though about it. “The main motivation would be the same. It might however change the way it is expressed; not that we know what it was to begin with. Why?”
“The first two murders seemed to be personal, or religious in aspect. Something that the supervisor in the canyon told me keeps coming back in light of the latest killing. That it was a terrorist act aimed at our food supply. I was there; I saw the fish eating the man. Now the fish are contaminated?”
“We will of course have to have all of the fish tested for human DNA as we harvest. Those fish will have to be taken out of the food supply. Yes, you could call this a terrorist act.”
“How does this get us closer to finding our killer?” Rishards asked.
“Every little piece of the jigsaw.” Matt said.
“Get enough and the image comes together.” Vanderhaar said. “Sounds like something my trainer at the academy used to say.”
“Probably,” Matt said. “I learned it from you.”
“No wonder it sounded reasonable.” The chief tugged on his mustache. “Well let’s get back out there and get me some more pieces.”
“No problem.” Matt pushed himself from the table, his mind spinning. He couldn’t afford this distraction; he needed push everything else out of his mind and focus on the case. He’d fighting off the paranoid delusions of being followed. Now, just as his life was turning around, a nebulous sinister force was indeed targeting him. If the killer knew about him, then perhaps he had been following him, stalking him, learning his patterns and weaknesses for some time. They might even be the ones responsible for the notes on his door. The killer has been playing a game with him all along, but at least now, he knew about it.
Matt continued to gape at the city message board as the others shuffled out of the room. The display contained the latest victims name and code and the simple message. “I’m sorry Dales!” His stomach turned.
As if his life wasn’t messed up enough
. Maybe Rishards was right to believe in god, only a divine being could mess up a person’s life this completely.
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