AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“One of your victims?” Harris asked.
“One of the blackmailer’s victims,” Mr. White clarified. “My client was—”
“Coerced, yeah I got it.” Harris looked back at Langford. “Who was it?”
“Hannah Williams. This guy told me he’d set her up on a date through one of the dating apps using a fake profile. When that guy stood her up, I would swoop in and flirt with her. Then I’d drug her drink, get her to leave with me, and transport her using the van. We’d go to whatever park I could get into without being noticed and slit her throat, collect the blood, and cut out her heart.”
“Just like that?” Harris asked. “Why not admit to Lucy’s accidental death and go to the cops with the information you had on the blackmailer?”
“I had no information,” Langford said. “And I was scared for my life.”
“Scared for your life?” Harris looked as incredulous as Cassie felt. “Did the blackmailer threaten your life? Other than when he told you he’d turn you in for Lucy’s death?”
“He made it clear that he would ruin me if I didn’t do what he said.”
David growled. “Bullshit.” He was shaking his head. “This guy gets off on it.”
“Gets off on what?” Cassie whispered.
“Look at how calm he’s been this whole time. He’s like a freaking robot. He deals in life and death every day at the hospital. Probably doesn’t bat an eye at it anymore. I bet he killed his girlfriend and liked the rush of getting away with it. Even if the letters are real, I doubt he put up much of a fight when this guy came to him.”
“Klein, that’s enough,” the Police Chief said. Cassie had almost forgotten she was there. “Save it for when we’re building the case against him.”
David shook his head as he chewed his lower lip.
“What did you do after you killed Hannah Williams?” Harris asked.
“I put the blood and the heart in two separate containers and left them in the van in the parking garage. By the time I was sent the next person, he’d already taken them out of the van.”
“I can understand why you murdered Hannah Williams,” Harris said. When Langford looked confused, she continued with a shrug. “Yeah, I mean this guy was threatening you, right? He was the only one who knew you were involved with Lucy’s death. He knew you covered it up, and if he exposed you, your life would be over. So, you were willing to do whatever he asked. The letters came, and you figured buying a van and stealing some tools from work were a small price to pay, right?”
Langford sounded like he knew he was being led into a trap. “Yeah.”
“And when this guy told you to kill Hannah, you figured you’d be done with it, right? A murder for a murder.”
“Where is this going, Detective Harris?” Mr. White asked. He shot her a dirty look, but she wasn’t paying attention to him.
“What I want to know is why you kept going. When did you think it would end?”
“He said he needed seven girls,” Langford said. “And he assured me that once it was over, I’d never hear from him again.”
“And you believed him?”
“Mutually assured destruction.”
“Come again?”
Langford leaned forward. “Mutually assured destruction. He knew what I’d done. He took a risk by reaching out to contact me. When I did what he said, I also had something hanging over his head. He knew if I got caught or turned myself in, I’d be able to point in his direction.”
“And can you?”
“Can I what?”
“Can you point in his direction?” Harris crossed her arms. “What do you know about your blackmailer? Do you have any idea who he is?”
“No.”
“That’s awfully inconvenient for you, Dr. Langford.”
