Speak No Evil

slow.”

He bathed Leah, but couldn’t stop thinking about Elizabeth. She’d asked for his help.

He itched to get back to his computer.

He could drown Leah. That would be fast. Just hold her underwater a couple of minutes and that would be it.

But that didn’t do it for him. He wouldn’t have the connection with her. He wouldn’t get the same high.

He began to understand now what he’d been doing wrong. The watching, the waiting, that was the anticipation. That’s what he needed more of. He was patient, he needed to be more patient. He’d been a little reckless, he could admit that now that it was all becoming clearer. He should have waited longer before taking Jodi. And Leah.

After this, he’d take some time off. Months. Plan the next one more carefully. Find someone innocent, unused. Like Becca.

It was the watching that turned him on. Then the killing that completed it. The games in between were fun, but they didn’t give him that intense rush.

That’s why Becca worked. He’d been watching her for a long time and he must have sensed her freshness. Though he hadn’t planned to kill her until Jodi screwed everything up, it had all worked out in the end. He had killed her quick, felt her die, his body one with hers.

He wasn’t going to drown Leah. He was going to regain that oneness he had had with Becca.

Leah whimpered.

“Shhh, Leah. It’ll all be over really soon.”

“What’s taking him so long?” Patrick asked, slamming his coffee mug on his desk. Cold coffee sloshed over the sides.

“He might be upset that it took her a while to respond to him,” Dillon said. “Give him time. He’ll definitely go into the chat room. He won’t be able to stop himself.”

“I hope you’re right. We’re pinning everything on this trap working.”

“I’m right. Just wait.”

Carina’s cell phone rang as soon as she stepped out of the shower. The after-sex glow disappeared as soon as she listened to the distraught voice on the phone.

“What happened?” Nick asked when she hung up.

“That was Maggie Peterson. She said her sister, Leah, never came home last night and when she called Leah’s boyfriend, he said she’d left at five this morning because she wanted to go home to change before work.”

“Maybe she went straight to work.”

“Her car is still at her boyfriend’s.”

“You think it’s our guy.”

“If it’s not, it’s a huge coincidence.”

“Where’s Kyle Burns?”

“With Maggie. She said he was there all night.”

He tied Leah back on the bed, on the sheets he’d bought just for her, and dried her off. Touching her made him feel good. Her breasts were small and soft. Her stomach flat, smooth, so fair. A navel ring protruded from her stomach. He frowned. Why hadn’t he noticed it before? He’d been too preoccupied thinking about Elizabeth.

He hooked the ring with his finger and ripped it out.

Leah’s back arched and a scream vibrated in her chest. Tears rolled down her face.

“Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t mean it.

Becca and Jodi didn’t have navel rings, but he’d kept one of their earrings. He looked at his own navel. Three hoops, two gold and one silver with charms, protruded from his stomach.

He reached into his desk and took out the piercing gun. The first time he’d had it done professionally, then he’d swiped the handheld device.

He pierced himself and put Leah’s ring in the hole. He wiped the small drip of blood off his stomach.

This was no good. He couldn’t get his blood on Leah.

He went to the bathroom and bandaged the spot. Washed his hands. Much better.

Now he could get started. He took out the plastic wrap and started unrolling it on one of Leah’s legs. With every turn of the wrap he grew antsy with anticipation.

Maybe this was going to be better than he had thought.

He glanced at the computer screen. Elizabeth’s message was still up there. She’d been waiting for his response.

He bit his lip. He wanted to help her, but he had to take care of Leah first.

Just one quick message.

“He responded by e-mail,” Patrick said, disappointed.

Dillon looked over Patrick’s shoulder.

Hi Elizabeth. I’m in the middle of something important, but I’ll go to the chat room as soon as I’m done. It won’t be too long.

“What is he doing?”

“He could be doing anything,” Dillon said, “but he’s obsessed with Elizabeth. I don’t see him making her wait.”

“What should we do?”

“Try to get him to respond faster.” Dillon typed out a message.

Hi Scout, I’m so glad you can help me. You’re so smart in math. I’m really desperate. I need to leave in ten minutes, though, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. I’ll wait for you in the chat room as long as I can, but if you’re too busy I understand. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find someone else to help.

“I think that’ll do it,” Dillon said.

“I hope so. I’m getting a bad feeling about this.”

“So am I.”

He finished wrapping Leah’s body. Just like Becca. He unzipped his pants. He was semi-hard. Not good enough.

He went to launch the slide show on his computer that he’d made from pictures of Becca. He turned the screen at an angle so he could watch her die again as he strangled Leah.

Another message. He clicked on it. Elizabeth.

He read her note and frowned. She could only wait for him ten minutes! What did she have to do that was so important? Certainly nothing as important as what he was doing!

He angrily replied.

Okay, I’ll come by but I don’t have a lot of time. Why do you have to do this now? Do you have a date or something?

He hit send before he really thought about it. It sounded mean. He didn’t want to scare her off. He instantly logged into the chat room.

Hi, Elizabeth, I’m here. What do you need?