you too slow? I think you were toying with her.
No, that doesn’t feel right. You wouldn’t toy with her
–
this is all too important to you. You set about it all too deliberately. You’re not just acting on impulse … You see this as your
work.
At the top of the stairs Jake had the choice of right or left. He chose left and walked down the landing, past more crooked pictures. Two doors led off on either side. Three bedrooms and the master bathroom, he guessed.
She was running towards her bedroom, her place of sanctuary. But it’s a dead end. She wasn’t thinking clearly. Who could, with you behind? Not a knife. Something blunt and heavy, something to crush and beat her skull.
The final door on the right. Jake didn’t need his inner voice to tell him it was the one. The bedroom door handle was lying on the floor, broken, and the door was half off its hinges.
She was still ahead of you. She made it to the bedroom. She was inside, pushing the door closed against you. She got it closed. She was locking it, probably had a telephone in the room. You couldn’t have that. You kicked in the door, using your relentless strength. The strength of a man on a mission. Whatever your purpose is, you needed her for it. Your purpose gives you a reason to remove their eyes and their teeth. That’s your signature.
But why Belinda Harper?
She was screaming. Begging you not to do it. Asking why. She wouldn’t stop. You’d make her stop.
Jake stopped at the mangled door. He composed himself, then put a toe on the lower edge of the door, and swung it open. The stench hit him like a punch in the face.
Mills stood behind him and drew in his breath.
The bedroom looked more like an abattoir.
24
Wednesday, 10.50 a.m.
A satisfying
plunk
sounded as the spoon dropped into the cup. He fished out the tea bag and put it on the saucer. Then he stirred in the milk and two spoons of sugar. He had considered a shot of Four Roses, but he found tea so calming. He needed calming. He was still high.
You planned this so well
, he thought.
They would have found her by now. It was well past ten. They might even have identified her. When they did, they would be stunned. Struck dumb. Clueless as to how to proceed. Big, smart detectives trying to second-guess the motives of a man of far superior intelligence.
When he knocked, she had opened the door for him. Unbelievable. She had let him into the house. But then something spooked her. It might have been the look in his eyes as he tried to engage her in conversation. The determination in them – had she seen it? Perhaps she just knew on some level that she was finally going to get what she deserved.
She hadn’t run right away. She had slowly backed away from him.
‘You knocked over the phone, Mrs Harper,’ he had said. Then she was running up the stairs. She had made it so easy. If she had gone into the kitchen and out to the backyard she might have made it to a neighbour’s house.
And then how would I have continued with my work?
He smiled as he remembered, sipping the tea and slowly feeling a sense of peace suffusing him.
She was fast, I’ll give her that. She made it up those stairs well ahead of me. She threw the mirror but she was clumsy and missed. Bad luck. She went down the landing, but that was a mistake. It was a dead end. She had nowhere to go.
She just stood there outside the door, looking at me. Terrified but still brazen. Even the way she was standing as she looked at me – she deserved it. I walked slowly towards her, and she stood there. Right up to the moment I reached out and touched her cheek. She jumped then. She got into the bedroom and nearly got the door locked.
‘Please don’t do this! Why are you doing this?’
She’d screamed the words. Pathetic!
The door wasn’t going to keep me out. She got the bolt home but she never got to turn the key. My second kick sent her flying back into the room. She had no place to run. But she didn’t give up easily. She
No, that doesn’t feel right. You wouldn’t toy with her
–
this is all too important to you. You set about it all too deliberately. You’re not just acting on impulse … You see this as your
work.
At the top of the stairs Jake had the choice of right or left. He chose left and walked down the landing, past more crooked pictures. Two doors led off on either side. Three bedrooms and the master bathroom, he guessed.
She was running towards her bedroom, her place of sanctuary. But it’s a dead end. She wasn’t thinking clearly. Who could, with you behind? Not a knife. Something blunt and heavy, something to crush and beat her skull.
The final door on the right. Jake didn’t need his inner voice to tell him it was the one. The bedroom door handle was lying on the floor, broken, and the door was half off its hinges.
She was still ahead of you. She made it to the bedroom. She was inside, pushing the door closed against you. She got it closed. She was locking it, probably had a telephone in the room. You couldn’t have that. You kicked in the door, using your relentless strength. The strength of a man on a mission. Whatever your purpose is, you needed her for it. Your purpose gives you a reason to remove their eyes and their teeth. That’s your signature.
But why Belinda Harper?
She was screaming. Begging you not to do it. Asking why. She wouldn’t stop. You’d make her stop.
Jake stopped at the mangled door. He composed himself, then put a toe on the lower edge of the door, and swung it open. The stench hit him like a punch in the face.
Mills stood behind him and drew in his breath.
The bedroom looked more like an abattoir.
24
Wednesday, 10.50 a.m.
A satisfying
plunk
sounded as the spoon dropped into the cup. He fished out the tea bag and put it on the saucer. Then he stirred in the milk and two spoons of sugar. He had considered a shot of Four Roses, but he found tea so calming. He needed calming. He was still high.
You planned this so well
, he thought.
They would have found her by now. It was well past ten. They might even have identified her. When they did, they would be stunned. Struck dumb. Clueless as to how to proceed. Big, smart detectives trying to second-guess the motives of a man of far superior intelligence.
When he knocked, she had opened the door for him. Unbelievable. She had let him into the house. But then something spooked her. It might have been the look in his eyes as he tried to engage her in conversation. The determination in them – had she seen it? Perhaps she just knew on some level that she was finally going to get what she deserved.
She hadn’t run right away. She had slowly backed away from him.
‘You knocked over the phone, Mrs Harper,’ he had said. Then she was running up the stairs. She had made it so easy. If she had gone into the kitchen and out to the backyard she might have made it to a neighbour’s house.
And then how would I have continued with my work?
He smiled as he remembered, sipping the tea and slowly feeling a sense of peace suffusing him.
She was fast, I’ll give her that. She made it up those stairs well ahead of me. She threw the mirror but she was clumsy and missed. Bad luck. She went down the landing, but that was a mistake. It was a dead end. She had nowhere to go.
She just stood there outside the door, looking at me. Terrified but still brazen. Even the way she was standing as she looked at me – she deserved it. I walked slowly towards her, and she stood there. Right up to the moment I reached out and touched her cheek. She jumped then. She got into the bedroom and nearly got the door locked.
‘Please don’t do this! Why are you doing this?’
She’d screamed the words. Pathetic!
The door wasn’t going to keep me out. She got the bolt home but she never got to turn the key. My second kick sent her flying back into the room. She had no place to run. But she didn’t give up easily. She
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