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Oh God.
That explained how he knew. That explained how he knew about David and Michael and Gordon. That explained how he managed to stay one step ahead of her all the time. That explained how he stayed one step ahead of everyone. He was getting firsthand information straight from the only agent who had any chance of stopping him.
She had been seeing the Copycat Killer in his office every week for the past year, and he had been learning everything there was to know about her, everything there was to know about everyone she loved.
And she had been fooled blind.
“Faith?” Ellie’s voice cut through the fog. “Faith, are you all right? Do you need me to call for help?”
Faith blinked and focused her vision on Ellie. Ellie stood a few feet away, looking uncertainly at Faith, but with genuine concern. “What’s going on? Are you having an attack of some kind?”
Faith stood. Ellie backed up warily and Faith said, “I’m sorry, Ellie. I made a mistake.”
Ellie blinked in surprise and confusion. “Well, that’s… I mean, it’s okay. You don’t need to be all… um…”
Her voice trailed off as Faith turned and walked away. The fog threatened at the corners of her psyche again, and she forced herself to go through the motions of calling a rideshare to the airport and booking a return flight to Philadelphia.
Images flashed in her mind of Doctor West smiling at her over his glasses. Doctor West laughing as she related an anecdote from a case. Doctor West listening intently as she shared her theories on the Copycat Killer’s motives and likely next kills. Doctor West asking her who was assigned to the Copycat Killer case now and if the Boss was letting her consult.
Doctor West advising her to let the case go, that it was bad for her mental health to continue looking for the Copycat Killer. For him. Doctor West laughing to himself as he wrote her a note over Gordon Clark’s murdered corpse.
Doctor West listening while she described to him the pain and hopelessness she felt under the original Donkey Killer’s knife.
Gradually, the fog receded, replaced by cold anger.
He would pay. So help her God, if it was the last thing she ever did, she would find Franklin West and make him pay. For taking away two years of her life. For driving a wedge between her and David and another between her and Michael. For keeping Ellie on a string for no other reason than to see how it would affect Faith’s friendship.
For murdering a man, she admired and respected as a friend and mentor. For Gordon.
“I’m coming for you, asshole.”
EPILOGUE
It was too bad. He had grown to like being a psychologist. Not as much as he enjoyed his other profession, and Faith, of course, was by far his most interesting patient, but he enjoyed the opportunity that psychology provided to examine the depths of human nature. It truly was fascinating what people would reveal to a complete stranger that they would keep from everyone they loved.
Oh well. All things came to an end eventually. He hadn’t anticipated this ending anytime soon. He had actually hoped he could continue on as a psychologist after Faith Bold was dealt with. He found the mental war far more satisfying even than the killing.
Maybe he could alter his appearance and practice somewhere else. It was something to consider.
But for now, he had a job to do.
He carefully removed each book from its place on the shelf and wiped it thoroughly. He figured he had three to eight hours, depending on whether Faith came here alone or brought the FBI with her. That was more than enough time to make sure he cleaned his prints and DNA off of everything.
He thought that Faith would immediately begin hunting for him when she returned. It never occurred to him that she would go talk to Ellie. She had no reason to suspect Ellie of anything other than infidelity to Michael, and he didn’t think that would matter enough to her.
Then again, Faith’s mind worked in wondrous ways. She would find threads that seemed to make no sense to anyone, even her, and pick at them until she unraveled the most convoluted mysteries. Perhaps her subconscious mind knew that Ellie held the key to the answers she sought and so gave her conscious mind a reason to go talk to her even though logic dictated it was frivolous.
He wondered if he should have killed Ellie. He dismissed the idea before believing such an act would draw suspicion toward him. He still believed it. When an ex-wife died, the first place everyone looked was the ex-husband, and the last thing he needed was people looking at him.
People would be looking at him now. He frowned and straightened, the cleaning momentarily forgotten.
If Faith did bring her concerns to the field office, then people would be looking for him. If they were looking for him, then he would be forced into a corner. He could evade the FBI for a while, but if he remained in Philadelphia long enough, they would find him eventually. It would be incredibly difficult to get to Faith if she brought the Bureau in, as well. Going after her might even be what they expect and play directly into their hands.
If, on the other hand, she took matters into her own hands, then possibly he could get to her before she got to him. There was no way of knowing what she would do, though.
There was one thing he could do, but it would only work if Faith came here by herself first, before alerting the FBI. If she did come here first, then he believed wholeheartedly that this tactic would work to keep her from bringing her superiors in.
It was a gamble, but he had gambled before and come out on top.
He picked up his notepad from his desk and a pen and wrote. When he was finished, he tore the sheet off of his notepad and set it carefully on the already sanitized portion of the desk.
He smiled and nodded contentedly. Faith could simply ignore the note, but he was willing to bet she wouldn’t. He was willing to bet her pride and anger would make her want him all to herself.
And if she did call the Bureau in, well, then she would learn what happened when you cornered a wolf.
Or a donkey.
He laughed aloud and resumed cleaning, taking his time and ensuring that when he left, the only sign of him that would remain was his letter to Faith.
