noticed a new photo hanging on my wall. He must have seen it first.
There was an eleven by thirteen-inch black framed photo of a blue forget-me-not, with a white card tucked in the corner. When I reached for the envelope, Mark stopped me. He pulled his gun and began searching the apartment.
My anxiety should have been higher, but my curiosity was overriding every other emotion I could have conjured. After Mark cleared the apartment, he took tweezers from my bathroom and pulled the envelope from its spot. He placed it on the island and stared at me.
I went into the bathroom and retrieved gloves from a hair dye kit Kate had left behind. In the kitchen, I opened the envelope to find a small white card with calligraphy writing on the front in black. Mark and I read it over and over again in disbelief.
Hello Brooklyn,
I wanted to extend a cordial welcoming to the game that has begun. It took five victims to get you to come out and play. I wonder how many more will succumb to the game before you catch me. Remember as the game unfolds the fear you will feel is merely a myth. These women are not the one I want, they merely look like the one I want. Can’t wait to have you all to myself.
I looked up at Mark in silence. I wanted him to tell me everything would be okay. I wanted him to say he would catch the bad guy. He said nothing. Instead, he gathered me into his arms and held me close. His chin rested atop my head while his comfort surrounded me.
Once I was a little more composed, I pulled back and stood up on my toes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. Then I went to make coffee as he called for the crime scene crew to come and look for any evidence.
Within half an hour, my apartment was crawling with police and crime scene investigators. Even the coroner came out to see how I was doing since the police psychologist and chaplain were working with someone else at the moment.
“How are you, Ms. Montgomery?” James asked.
“I am stunned, but I am all right. How are you, Dr. Garie?”
“I was worried about you. It seems you are handling this better than I gave you credit for,” James replied as he poured a cup of coffee.
“It’s not that bad. Some insane serial killer broke into my apartment and left me a picture with a note telling me he wants me to play along.” I spoke quietly, letting him know that I was perfectly capable of handling this.
“Ms. Montgomery, I think you are in denial about the severity of the situation. Please sit down.” James indicated the small chairs along the table across from the island. I went with him to hear him out. “I am not a psychologist. I only did one psych rotation in medical school, but I think maybe you should be taking this seriously.”
“Dr. Garie, I assure you I am taking this seriously. The answer is evident, don’t you think?”
James tilted his head and studied me for a moment. It seemed he didn’t understand what I was trying to say. The answer was crystal clear in my head. It was so simple.
“Dr. Garie, I merely have to exclude myself from the case,” I whispered, to make sure no one else heard me.
“Ms. Montgomery, do you really think that is a good idea?”
“I don’t want to, but it is clear what needs to happen. In the note, he says it took five victims to get me to come out and play. Therefore, he wanted me to be the one who would prosecute. Then he goes on to say ‘before I catch him’ instead of saying ‘if I catch him.’ If I walk away, he won’t have the one thing he has been trying to get.”
James nodded at the conclusion I had drawn. After a couple sips of coffee, his face looked stricken. He seemed to be pondering something that I was unaware of.
“Ms. Montgomery, if you excuse yourself from the case, wouldn’t psychology dictate that he would kill more people to try to get you back? If he thinks of this as a game, then how do you forfeit the win against an unknown opponent in a game with no rules?”
I sat and thought
There was an eleven by thirteen-inch black framed photo of a blue forget-me-not, with a white card tucked in the corner. When I reached for the envelope, Mark stopped me. He pulled his gun and began searching the apartment.
My anxiety should have been higher, but my curiosity was overriding every other emotion I could have conjured. After Mark cleared the apartment, he took tweezers from my bathroom and pulled the envelope from its spot. He placed it on the island and stared at me.
I went into the bathroom and retrieved gloves from a hair dye kit Kate had left behind. In the kitchen, I opened the envelope to find a small white card with calligraphy writing on the front in black. Mark and I read it over and over again in disbelief.
Hello Brooklyn,
I wanted to extend a cordial welcoming to the game that has begun. It took five victims to get you to come out and play. I wonder how many more will succumb to the game before you catch me. Remember as the game unfolds the fear you will feel is merely a myth. These women are not the one I want, they merely look like the one I want. Can’t wait to have you all to myself.
I looked up at Mark in silence. I wanted him to tell me everything would be okay. I wanted him to say he would catch the bad guy. He said nothing. Instead, he gathered me into his arms and held me close. His chin rested atop my head while his comfort surrounded me.
Once I was a little more composed, I pulled back and stood up on my toes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. Then I went to make coffee as he called for the crime scene crew to come and look for any evidence.
Within half an hour, my apartment was crawling with police and crime scene investigators. Even the coroner came out to see how I was doing since the police psychologist and chaplain were working with someone else at the moment.
“How are you, Ms. Montgomery?” James asked.
“I am stunned, but I am all right. How are you, Dr. Garie?”
“I was worried about you. It seems you are handling this better than I gave you credit for,” James replied as he poured a cup of coffee.
“It’s not that bad. Some insane serial killer broke into my apartment and left me a picture with a note telling me he wants me to play along.” I spoke quietly, letting him know that I was perfectly capable of handling this.
“Ms. Montgomery, I think you are in denial about the severity of the situation. Please sit down.” James indicated the small chairs along the table across from the island. I went with him to hear him out. “I am not a psychologist. I only did one psych rotation in medical school, but I think maybe you should be taking this seriously.”
“Dr. Garie, I assure you I am taking this seriously. The answer is evident, don’t you think?”
James tilted his head and studied me for a moment. It seemed he didn’t understand what I was trying to say. The answer was crystal clear in my head. It was so simple.
“Dr. Garie, I merely have to exclude myself from the case,” I whispered, to make sure no one else heard me.
“Ms. Montgomery, do you really think that is a good idea?”
“I don’t want to, but it is clear what needs to happen. In the note, he says it took five victims to get me to come out and play. Therefore, he wanted me to be the one who would prosecute. Then he goes on to say ‘before I catch him’ instead of saying ‘if I catch him.’ If I walk away, he won’t have the one thing he has been trying to get.”
James nodded at the conclusion I had drawn. After a couple sips of coffee, his face looked stricken. He seemed to be pondering something that I was unaware of.
“Ms. Montgomery, if you excuse yourself from the case, wouldn’t psychology dictate that he would kill more people to try to get you back? If he thinks of this as a game, then how do you forfeit the win against an unknown opponent in a game with no rules?”
I sat and thought
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