Page 13 of Girl, Deceived

‘Right. Chances are our unsub has a history of prior offenses, so we need to look into that when we get to the precinct. And then there’s this mask. What does it mean?’

Now that Ella could fully commit her energy to this one case, she made a sudden connection. ‘Pinhead’s from a film franchise called Hellraiser. Demons in BDSM gear that push people to the limits of pleasure, which in their warped vision is eternal torment in hell. And now that I think about it, there are cases of disembowelment in some films.’

Ripley arched her eyebrows. ‘You watch that stuff?’

‘My first love,’ Ella said. ‘I was obsessed with the villains since I was about eight. Once wrote a letter to Anthony Hopkins.’

‘Hannibal Lecter?’ Ripley asked.

‘Yup. Still waiting for a reply.’

‘Maybe one day. So this mask, why’d he leave it behind?’ asked Ripley.

Ella thought for a moment, her gaze drifting towards the window, lost in the inky expanse outside.

‘Symbols,’ she finally said. ‘Horror villains are symbolic. They represent our fears, our anxieties, our nightmares. By leaving the mask behind, he's marking his territory, making a statement.’

Ripley leaned back. ‘So, it's a signature? A calling card?’

Ella nodded. ‘Exactly. He’s taking credit for the kill, but it’s more than that. It's about leaving a message, sending chills down our spines, making us think of the monster lurking in the shadows. He's trying to elicit a specific reaction, not just from the victim but from everyone who comes into contact with the case.’

Ripley tapped a photo showing the mask lying next to the body. ‘A terrorist in a serial killer’s body.’

Ella pursed her lips. ‘There's something else. The precision of the kill, the selection of the mask, the staging – it’s all too deliberate. He's studied his victims and the lore around these characters. He's not making it up as he goes. He's following a script.’

‘Agreed. And if he can lure an unsuspecting victim to an isolated cabin, he’s got interpersonal skills. Judging by the blood, he definitely killed her here, which means he found a way to get her there alive.’

'Yup. This isn't some deluded sociopath. He's fully aware of what he's doing. He can subdue, kill, and stage – in two very different environments.' The comment brought Ella to victim number two.

‘Jessica Owen, twenty-four years old. Student at East Los Angeles College. Killed literally on her doorstep with a…’

‘Shotgun through the stomach.’ Ella’s tongue tied itself in a knot. The comment didn’t align with her rationale.

‘Yeah, what the hell is that about?’

Ella felt a sudden jolt of recognition, her eyes widening. Something triggered in the back of her mind. A grainy old image that she’d kept in storage since she was a kid.

‘Wait,’ she whispered, more to herself than Ripley. ‘I know that... It's a scene. Halloween four. Michael Myers... he kills someone with a shotgun. Not by shooting them, but by stabbing.’

Ripley stared at Ella, contemplation written on her face. ‘Halloween four? How many of these movies is there?’

‘Too many, but I remember it clear as day.’ Ella went back to the photograph of the impaled blonde girl. ‘But in the film, Michael literally rams it through his victim, but that’s not possible in real life.’ Ella caught her partner’s gaze. ‘Is it?’

‘Not unless he’s got superhuman strength.’

‘Right.’

Ripley said, ‘So our unsub is recreating murder scenes from horror movies. First Hellraiser and now Halloween.’

Ella nodded, her pulse quickening. ‘The evidence says so. We need to take a closer look at the scene when we land. A killer this theatric? If he left his masks behind, he might have left some other hidden messages too.’

‘So, he’s staging them like they are in the movies. Each victim becomes a sort of homage to these horror icons. But why?’

Ella frowned. ‘Could be a range of things. Instinct tells me he’s a horror fanatic and wants to recreate these kills in reality. Fans can get pretty obsessive about this stuff.’

‘Nerds,’ Ripley said.

Ella ignored the comment. ‘Or could be a form of escalation – starting from being a passive viewer to an active participant. It might even be a challenge to us. By staging the kills, he wants us to recognize them, to understand his motivation.’

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