An Evil Mind by Chris Carter Page B

under his eye, gave him a rough, ‘bad boy’ look that Hunter was sure would come across as charming to many people.
    ‘Lucien,’ Hunter said, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
    The staring continued for several seconds.
    ‘It’s been a very long time,’ Lucien said, looking down at his shackled hands. ‘If I could, I’d hug you. I’ve missed you, Robert.’
    Hunter stayed quiet simply because he didn’t really know what to say. He’d always hoped that one day he would see his old college friend again, but he’d never imagined that it would be in the situation they found themselves in at that moment.
    ‘You look well, my friend,’ Lucien said with a renewed smile, his eyes analyzing Hunter. ‘I can tell you’ve never stopped working out. You look like . . .’ He paused, searching for the right words. ‘. . . a lean boxer ready for his championship fight, and you barely look like you’ve aged. Looks like life has been good to you.’
    Hunter finally shook his head, just a subtle movement, as if awaking from a trance.
    ‘Lucien, what the hell is going on?’ His voice was calm and composed, but his eyes were still showing surprise.
    Lucien took a deep breath and Hunter saw his body tense uncomfortably.
    ‘I’m not sure, Robert,’ he said. His voice was a little weaker.
    ‘You’re not sure?’
    Lucien’s eyes returned to his cuffed hands and he shuffled himself on his seat, looking for a more comfortable position, a clear sign that he was struggling with his own thoughts.
    ‘Tell me,’ he said, avoiding eye contact. ‘Have you ever heard from Susan?’ For an instant he seemed surprised by his own question.
    Hunter frowned. ‘What?’
    ‘Susan. You remember her, don’t you? Susan Richards?’
    Flashes of memory exploded inside Hunter’s head. He remembered Susan very well. How could he not? The three of them were almost inseparable during their years at university. Susan was also a psychology major, and a very bright student. She had moved from Nevada to California after being accepted into Stanford. Susan Richards was one of those happy-go-lucky kind of girls, always smiling, always positive about everything, and very little ever fazed her. She was also very attractive – tall and slim, with chestnut hair, beautiful almond-shaped hazel eyes, a petite nose, and plump lips. Susan had inherited most of her Native American mother’s delicate features. Everyone used to say that she looked more like a Hollywood star than a psychology student.
    ‘Yes, of course I remember Susan,’ Hunter said.
    ‘Have you ever heard from her in all these years?’ Lucien asked.
    Hunter’s psychological training took over, and he finally realized what was happening. Lucien’s defense and fear mechanisms were kicking in. Sometimes, when a person is afraid, or too nervous, to talk about a delicate subject, he/she might, almost unconsciously, try to steer the conversation away from that fragile topic, and avoid talking about it, at least for a little while, until their nerves settle. That was exactly what Lucien was doing.
    As a psychologist, Hunter knew that the best way to deal with that was to just play along. Nerves would settle in time.
    ‘No,’ he replied. ‘After her graduation, I never heard from her again. Did you?’
    Lucien shook his head. ‘Same here. Not even a little note.’
    ‘I remember she’d said that she wanted to go traveling. Europe or something. Maybe she did and decided to stay over there for some reason. Maybe she met somebody and got married, or found a career opportunity.’
    ‘Yes, I remember she talked about traveling, and maybe she did,’ Lucien agreed. ‘But even so, Robert. We were together pretty much all the time. We were friends . . . good friends.’
    ‘Things like that do happen, Lucien,’ Hunter said. ‘You and I were best friends, and we didn’t keep in touch after college.’
    Lucien looked up at Hunter. ‘That’s not entirely true, Robert. We did keep in