"It feels like uncovering buried treasure after all these years," Alison admitted."We’ve been down so many roads before with dead ends, but this is something.It’s really something, isn’t it?"
"It is," Derek said."We just need to put it in context.The analysis doesn’t tell us who killed Katrina Sands, nor does it mean there is any connection to Emma’s murder."
"I don't care," Alison admitted.She felt the tears coming to her eyes."It’s finally something real.We have something, and I don’t care about any of the unknowns or anything else; it just feelsreal!"
"We can't show that the DNA sample belongs to Emma’s killer, but if it helps us to bring in Katrina’s killer, then it’s been worth it, and perhaps it all comes out at that point.The sample does indicate a killer who would have been old enough to kill Emma twenty-two years ago.It also tells us that Katrina’s killer has no prior arrests or record, at least after DNA was collected.There could be a record previous to that, but for someone to evade the law for this long, we know they’re careful, and unlikely to have been in trouble with the law a lot, if at all."
"This makes me feel good, Derek," Alison told him."It’s not been easy for me recently, and I know you know that, but this helps.I’ve been feeling like I’m losing my mind, and I’ve barely been on this case for any time."
She could see Moore staring straight ahead through the conversation between her and Derek.She knew the detective was listening to everything she said to Derek, and she didn't care.Perhaps it was a private conversation, but she had something real that might be connected to her sister, and she wanted to shout that from the rooftops.
"I’m always here," Derek said."Just…I know I don't need to tell you not to get your hopes up, and I’m trying not to either.We take this one step at a time, nice and slow, as we’ve always done.We do it right, and if there is anything to find, we’ll find it."
"We will," Alison agreed."I love you."
"I love you, too.I’ll keep you updated."
Alison ended the call, and a big smile grew across her face.Then, she burst into tears.She had spent years pushing down her emotions about her sister, and they flooded back all at once.
"Hey, are you okay?"Moore asked, reaching out a hand to touch Alison’s arm.
"I’m good," Alison assured her."I’m happy."
It was a terrible thing to be happy about, and there might not be anything there, but she was happy all the same.It helped to ground her amid her current crisis.It wasn’t the good news that grounded her, she realized, but Derek.She only needed patience and perseverance.
Alison took a deep breath."Let’s find this killer."
***
The man sat in his small home and watched the news on TV.He considered the lack of news about a serial killer in their midst to be a greater failure on Alison’s part than anything she had done before now.Two people were dead, and a third victim had been threatened, and none of it was being reported as it should be.The people of Oakland didn't know what was among them, and that was her fault.
He smiled when his cat jumped up onto the kitchen table and took a step toward him over the psychology books before arching his back and purring softly.He reached out and stroked the cat's back, moving his fingers back and forth near the tail until the cat flopped down onto its side and stretched out, almost matching the length of the table.
"Do you see how they try to hide from me?"he asked the cat."Do you see the lies they tell to hide the truth?It is not that which I fight against, but perhaps I should.There are so much injustice and untruth in the world."
The cat remained in the stretched position as he ran a hand the length of its belly.The cat had no such problems in its world, nor did it understand any of its troubles.The cat was fine as long as it had food, sleep, and a little companionship—only when it decided it wanted it.
"I wonder about bringing her sister into it?"the man mused as he stroked the cat.The cat did not respond, but the man could feel the response from the cat, a projection of his own thoughts onto the animal."No, that would be wrong.That is something else entirely, and who’s to say what I’m campaigning for is not directly tied to what happened to her sister?We know those who commit crimes are more likely to repeat them.Was the person who killed Emma Payne someone who had broken the law before?"
The cat responded by deciding it was tired of being petted, and stood up on the table, walked to the edge, leaped off, and stalked away toward the darkness.
"One battle at a time," the man muttered to himself."One battle at a time."
For now, he had to show everyone how wrong the system was.He had to end the notion of early release.He’d heard all the arguments before about rehabilitation and the cost to the taxpayer.He firmly believed that if someone committed a crime, they should be punished.The rehabilitation was part of serving the full sentence.And the cost to the taxpayer?With so much taxpayer money going to unimportant things, the price to pay for keeping criminals in jail was a small one to ensure the safety of the populace.
The cat, the news on TV, his inner monologue, and the responses from Dr.Payne and the law enforcement around her so far have helped hone his mind.He brought it back to the single matter that was more important to him than anything else he had done in his life or career.
The only question was what came next?
He had killed two people and threatened a third.It felt like casting a lure out into the water after buying two fresh fish from the market.As they chased the bait on the line, they would never know where he got the fish from.As they concentrated on Harold Jenkins, they would conflate it with the murders.Sure, he had been released from prison too early, but he was merely a distraction.While they questioned him and offered him protection, the two dead bodies sank into the past.
The only question now was whether he should kill another or threaten them.What would occupy the police the most and distract them from coming after him, and what would help to get his message across?The threatening letter would likely not make it into the press, and when the deaths were connected, they would report two dead bodies, and not two dead with a possible third targeted.
Was it time for a distraction or another nail in the coffin of his ultimate message?Was it time to focus on the short game or the long game?
The man picked up the files before him and went through them.A part of deciding whether someone should die was selecting the person who should be targeted next.Part of that was the victim's fate.He needed to have them alone so he could kill them, and that was dependent on access and timing.There were some he would never have the chance to kill, and he could threaten them, or he could leave them alone completely.
Just the thought of killing got his heart racing, and he licked his lips.It had been hard to break into Harold Jenkins’s house and not wait around to kill him.When he closed his eyes, he could see the knife sliding into Jennifer Hayes’s chest.He had wondered whether it would be hard to kill a woman, but it hadn’t been.
