AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Can you tell me aboutRebekah?’ Ella asked.
Jade shrugged. ‘Whatcan I say? Rebekah was great. Modern in her approach. She welcomed all kinds ofissues, never pushed anyone in a direction they didn't want to go.’ Her handsmoved animatedly as she spoke, painting a picture of a woman both dedicated andrespectful. ‘Her office was a sanctuary, she always said. A place for people tounravel their thoughts. She believed in letting patients find their own paths.Rarely gave advice unless patients asked for it.’
Ella listenedintently, this description of Rebekah sketched a professional who valuedautonomy above all, a listener more than a prescriber. It was a practice ofpatience and understanding. Rebekah's ethos suggested a passive role in herfinal moments, one of reception rather than provocation. This piece of thepuzzle made the act even more confounding; the killer had come with a purposethat wasn't provoked by Rebekah's methods.
‘Thank you, Jade,’Ella said softly, her mind working tirelessly behind her calm exterior. ‘That'svery helpful.’
Her thoughts circledlike vultures over a fresh carcass. If indeed the killer was propelled by someuncontrollable fury, what part had Rebekah played in it? Ella couldn't shakethe image: Rebekah, the new therapist, sitting across from a seething client offeringnothing more than a platform for his anger to unfold.
‘Miss Dark?’ Jade'svoice cut through her contemplation, pulling her back to the present. ‘Rebekah...she had a husband. They lived on Maplewood Drive, not far from here.’
‘Maplewood Drive,’Ella repeated, committing the detail to memory.
‘I'm sorry I can'tgive you more. I wish...’ Jade faltered, her voice thinning into a frailwhisper, ‘...there was something more I could do.’
‘Sometimes thesmallest piece can complete the puzzle,’ Ella reassured her, maintaining thedetective's facade while internally sifting through the fresh data. ‘Every bithelps us get closer to the truth.’
‘You’ll find who didthis, won’t you?’ Jade asked.
Ella placed a gentlehand on Jade's shoulder. ‘Yes, we will. We'll get justice for Rebekah.’
She felt the quiver ofdoubt that always accompanied promises made in the shadow of tragedy, butburied it beneath layers of steely resolve. In her years on the force, Ella hadlearned that confidence could be as contagious as fear, and right now, Jadeneeded to catch a little hope.
‘Trust me,’ Ellacontinued, allowing conviction to seep into her words like the final piecesnapping into place within a puzzle. ‘This isn’t the first psycho we’ve hunted.We're going to catch him.’
Jade managed a smallnod, a fragile smile trying to break through the clouds of her grief. ‘Thankyou, Miss Dark.’
‘Call me Ella,’ shereplied, offering one last reassuring squeeze before stepping back, theprofessional barrier clicking back into place. ‘If you think of anything elsethat might be useful, please contact the local police.’
With a deep breath,Ella turned and left the scene. She found Ripley leaning against their car, eyesglued to her phone. Ripley glanced up.
‘How’d it go?’
‘Nothing to reallylatch onto. Rebekah’s only been in the job for a few months, so this isn’t someold grudge. This is a fresh hatred.’
‘Good to know,’ saidRipley. ‘The chief is working on getting us access to the first victim’spatient records. He knows a guy who knows a guy.’
‘Excellent. Whilewe’re waiting, we need to pay a visit to Rebekah's husband,’ Ella stated. She unlockedthe car door. ‘He lives on Maplewood Drive, a few miles away.’
‘Let’s go,’ Ripleysaid.
Ella slipped into thecar as she pondered the dichotomy of the situation: a therapist who listenedmore than she spoke, murdered by someone who seemingly needed to express anuncontrollable fury. What trigger had been pulled in that quiet, confidential space?Why Rebekah?
The profile was comingtogether, piece by jagged piece. Unbridled rage, yes, but also a chillingproficiency in harnessing it. This wasn't the work of a novice; it was someonewho knew exactly how to inflict pain and terror. A predator skilled in the artof violence, and one who might soon escalate if not stopped.
Ella's grip tightenedon the steering wheel, the leather cool beneath her palms. Time was slippingby, each second ticking towards an inevitable conclusion she dreaded toenvision—a conclusion where the killer's rage spilled out unchecked,endangering anyone who crossed his path.
‘Ripley. We have toact fast. We’re up against the clock here, massively.’
Her partner clickedher seatbelt in. ‘I was waiting for you to arrive at that conclusion.’
‘Soon, individualvictims might not be enough. If he can’t control his rage, we could be lookingat mass violence. A rampage, a shooting spree.’
‘Then we need to makesure he doesn’t reach that point. We’re two victims deep, so we could behalfway to that point already.’
This wasn’t just aboutcatching a murderer. This was about preventing a catastrophe.
‘Let’s get going. Weneed to figure this unsub out, quickly.’
