AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It wouldn’t. Be better to do it at the fountain dedication, I mean.” My words are barely above a whisper but they’re strong. Confident. If only my voice would sound it. “Let me talk to him.”
“He’s not going to listen to you, Andi. He’s a stubborn bastard.” Spencer lets out a guttural growl, and then slams his fist against the counter in frustration.
“Yeah, but maybe I can stall him,” I state, standing. Both of them stare at me in confusion, as they should. “I work for the State of California, but he can grant me special privileges here in Tennessee. I’m a criminal profiler. I interview and study the behavior of criminals after they’re caught. I analyze every detail of their crimes from their choice of weapon to their method of attack. I study their personalities, what aspects of their life made them the way they are, and create a profile. We use those profiles to help catch other criminals. Maybe I can stall him by offering my services. If he agrees, I could put together a profile for your team to use. It’s a last-ditch effort, but if it helps, I’d be willing to put one together. It normally takes me more than a few days but I could try.”
“You interview criminals?” is all Spencer asks after a few seconds.
“Yeah. From serial killers to car thieves and everything in between. The goal is to get to a point where we can predict what a person will do next based on their previous behavior and prevent it from happening.”
“And I thought a degree in psychology was going to be a waste of time,” Mia adds, stabbing a few noodles of her forgotten macaroni and shoving them in her mouth. Her words are muffled, more than likely on purpose, as she says, “I can admit I was wrong.”
“Shall we go have a talk with your boss?” I ask Spencer, who’s still currently staring at me wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open in shock.
After thanking Mia for lunch and promising to meet her for dinner that night, Spencer and I walk the three blocks to the Great Falls City Complex. It houses the police and fire stations as well as the courthouse and city offices. Basically, all the government offices are crammed into the three-story, historic building. In a town this small, that’s more than enough space to accommodate every department.
“Happy birthday, by the way,” I say as we cross the street.
“Thanks. Not much to celebrate yet.”
“Aside from how fantastic you are.” I nudge him with my shoulder. “I get that the timing of … everything is a little shitty but don’t let that ruin your special day.”
“I’ll start celebrating my birthday after this is over. Once the asshole is behind bars. Once I know the people of this town can sleep soundly again at night. When people don’t have to worry about walking in the park alone after dark. Then and only then will I celebrate today.”
The anger in his voice rises with each word. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nod my head in acceptance of his answer. If he doesn’t want to celebrate, I’m not going to force him.
Our meeting with the chief is short and sweet but not without conflict.
He pressures Spencer to sign the papers to close the case, thrusting them in his hands as soon as we walk in his office.
Spencer refuses, tossing the paperwork on the chief’s desk, knocking over an empty coffee cup.
They argue about the merits of making the announcement when the majority of the town is gathered for the ceremony. If I weren’t personally affiliated with the case, I’d side with the chief. Telling everyone at the same time will make it easier for some people to take the news. Still, I side with Spencer and explain why, offering my services.
The chief refuses before I can even explain what I want to try and do.
Spencer attempts to make him a deal, agreeing to sign the papers on Monday if he allows me to create a profile. The chief relents after I give him a brief summary of my work over the last four years. How it can potentially help the case. My resume speaks for itself. I’ve worked some high-profile cases in California. One led to the capture of a serial rapist and the other stopped a potential serial killer. He had his victim, and we were able to save her because of the profile I put together in less than two days.
Which is what I’m going to have to do again. I have roughly seventy-two hours to study Sam’s case from beginning to end before I have to present a complete profile to the chief along with Spencer and his team.
“That’s impressive, you know,” Spencer says as he walks me back to my car that’s still parked in front of the Java Bean.
“What is?”
“What you do. Don’t get me wrong, I know there’s honor and merit in being a police officer, but what you do, getting in the heads of criminals and figuring them out, that’s really amazing. Scary at times I’m sure, but amazing nonetheless.”
All I can do is nod.
I can’t confess I took the job because of Sam. Or that I get creeped out sometimes when I’m alone in a room with someone who’s killed twenty people before getting caught. I can’t confess I have nightmares more often than not or that in most of those nightmares the victim is always Sam.
