"You think he’s involved?"
"He thought he didn't leave us any clues, but the way he wrote in the reports is like a signature.He warned me about my emotions back then, and he’s doing it again, but he’s angry about it now.He’s changed, and his thoughts have become stronger.He’s the one who’s letting emotions dictate his drive.His name is on theist, isn’t it?"
"Yeah," Moore said, reaching for her jacket.
"He’s the one I need to talk to," Alison said.
***
They couldn’t take any chances.Alison and Moore headed straight for Keller’s house, but they still sent patrol cars to the other houses in case Alison was wrong.
When they arrived at Keller’s home, the lights were out, and there was no car in the driveway.Detective Moore knocked and knocked, but there was no one home.They looked in through any windows they could, and the house looked lived-in but empty.
Alison looked up to the stars as the hour approached midnight.Dr.Keller was out there somewhere, but she had no idea where he was or what he was doing.
His words went around and around in her mind.What would have become of Alison if she had detected from her sister’s case?Would she be in the position she was in now?Would Dr.Keller?
Does emotion claim us all at some point?We can't work in a position like this and not be affected by emotion.
Alison was affected by emotion every day, but she only let a small part of it through.Dr.Keller had let emotions consume him, namely a desire to show the flaws in the field of forensic psychology, and he was using Alison to point out those flaws.
You’re out there somewhere, and you’ve let emotion get the better of you.I sometimes let emotion get the better of me, but it’s that emotion that’s driving me to find you, and I will find you.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alison sat in the police station, waiting for any news on Raymond Keller.Seven houses had been visited close to midnight, and six had yielded results.
Detective Moore arrived at Alison’s desk with a fresh cup of coffee.They were nearing dawn, and it was another sleepless night for them both.
"We’re slowly eliminating people," Moore told her."Three of the men we picked up last night…this night?The days are starting to blend together.Anyway, three of the men have airtight alibis, and we’ve sent them home.The other three are cooperating fully so far."
"It has to be Dr.Keller," Alison said."I know it’s him from the most recent report.He let his thoughts slip into his report, thoughts that others might have had, but thoughts that only he has vocalized to me, and it’s why he’s targeting me.We go to his home, and he’s gone?That doesn’t prove anything conclusively, but it’s suspicious timing.We need to find him before he’s backed into a corner and does something bad."
"There’s an APB out for him and his car," Moore told her."We’ll get him.He has nowhere to go."Moore looked hopeful at Alison."He won’t kill anyone else now that he’s on the run, right?"
"I don't know," Alison admitted."Maybe you were right about me being the finale for him, but he won't be able to draw me out now, and he must know that.Either he tries to flee the city, knowing he’s been caught and his mission has failed, or he tries to go out with a bang.We must remain vigilant."
"We will," Moore said."We’ve a lot of police presence in the city.We can't watch everyone, but they’re making constant rounds around the suspects you pinpointed.It’s only a matter of time now."
"Yeah," Alison sighed.She hated when it was a matter of time.She needed to be out there, facing the danger, bringing the criminal in.
Who have I become?When I started this work, I consulted and helped lead Derek to killers, and now, I want to face them down.I’m not the strongest, I have no real self-defense training, and I don't have a weapon.But I do have pluck!
Alison almost laughed as she thought the word.The tiredness was getting to her.Having pluck, courage, gumption, gusto, or whatever else she wanted to call it was great, but that was not the first line of defense against a man who had killed three people and almost certainly wanted to kill more.
Allegedly.
Alison knew that if they brought him in, they wouldn't have anything to pin on him other than the profile they had created and the wording used in the reports.She was sure it was him, but without a confession, it would be hard to fight in court.
They could do with some physical evidence, and they didn't have any that tied him to any of the crime scenes.They were waiting for a warrant for his home address, but the lack of evidence made it hard to obtain.
Not if I use myself as bait.He’s out there, knowing he’s out of options, and if I offer myself to him, it might draw him out.He let his emotions get the better of him.If those emotions are still running high, I can goad him into a mistake.
Alison thought about her own emotions.She was thinking about using herself as bait and using his emotions against him, but was she getting ahead of herself?They had no physical evidence to tie him to any crime scene.What if she was wrong about him being the killer because she’d let her emotions dictate her thoughts?
Alison’s phone dinged, and when she checked it, she found a message from Derek.He would be getting up for work.
No more from the DNA evidence, but I have another lead I’m following.I don't need to bother you with it while you are deep in this case, but I can share what I have when you get this guy.
