And Victor would doanythingto make them happen.
* * *
It tookVictor the better part of the evening and next day to stage the house properly. He made sure to leave no evidence of his presence behind. Though he had a feeling Agent Cannon would tie this murder to the others.
He smiled. Casimir liked her. She was smart. Not like so many others who had no idea August Kaminski even existed.
After leaving his most recent masterpiece behind, Victor glanced at the dog in the backseat. “Let’s find you somewhere to live, Lassie.”
The dog smiled at him, a sweet creature who only wanted a boy to love.
Thinking of the perfect person, Victor went back to the one boy he trusted to find Lassie a good home.
It didn’t take long. He found Christian wandering on the streets with two other boys his age. They played some odd game with sticks and rocks.
Though it was light out, Victor wore a ballcap to shield him from the sun, not to hide his features. Since Agent Cannon had seen his face, hiding didn’t matter much anymore.
Hmm. He had forgotten to mention to Casimir that she’d seen his face. Oh well. He’d tell his cousin later.
He parked his borrowed car on the side of the road, leashed the dog, and sought his quarry.
“Boy. Christian. Come here.” Victor motioned to Christian, who’d stopped with his friends, staring with suspicion at Victor.
Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that had seen better days, Victor figured he blended in better this way. His long overcoat provided protection against identification, but it made him stand out too much. Especially in the awful August heat.
“Do I know you?” Christian asked as his buddies bolted, leaving him alone.
“Yes. I gave you Bandit.”
The boy smiled. “Oh yeah.” Then he had a blank moment, and Victor saw fear wash over his features before the boy pasted a fake smile on his face.
Ah. So the boy had talked to the police.
Steps might have to be taken after all.
Christian glanced at Lassie and her pink leash and smiled shyly. “Hey, girl. She is a girl, right?”
Victor sighed. Monster that he was, he knew what he needed to do. But he didn’t know if he had the heart to do it. Not in front of the dog.
“Lassie is a girl, yes.” He knelt by the dog, waiting.
Christian moved slowly, but he approached.
A cautious animal sensing a larger predator waiting to pounce.
Yet he moved closer all the same and reached out to pet Lassie, who licked him into a laugh.
“Man, she’s cute. She need a new home?”
“I cannot keep her.”
Christian sighed. “I get it. But it’s hard to let them go.”
Victor saw himself in the boy, saying goodbye to his dog so many years ago.
And yet, he had a job to do.
He rose to his feet.
