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The only person capable of killing for a decade without being discovered was someone with insider knowledge of how police investigations worked. Someone who could ensure the files never got linked together. Someone who could nip speculation in the bud before it got out of hand. You.
I realised they were marking the resting places of your victims.
how did you keep track of people once they were in the forest? How did you follow them and find where they fell?” “Motion sensors,”
Mhmmm I said
“I have a network spaced through the forest. Not too close together, but near enough that I can pinpoint someone’s location down to a square kilometre.”
Of course you planted them… the costume ahead of time, the paper during the confusion around Gabon’s death.
I did say
Only one part of the setup wasn’t convincing.”
“The costume. I guess it must have been a spare or maybe an old edition you no longer used. You’re what? Six-four? Wearing the boots, you’d be nearly seven feet tall. Gabon is only just over five feet.
You wanted to move me out of the station, get me distracted with another city’s work, and hopefully make me forget the whole ordeal.
I did say
And once everyone directly involved in the investigations was gone, you’d start killing again.”
then started killing again.” “That’s one thing you’re wrong about, Delago.”
“I never killed anyone. I never so much as touched them.”
“Are you sure about that? Hailey’s been sliced u...
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“What I did to Hailey was self-defence. She attacked first. Bleach in my face. In my own home. I had every right to defend myself by whatever means necessar...
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“Let her go to bleed out in the wo...
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“Like I said. I have never killed a person.” “You just put them into a situation wher...
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People don’t know what you are—human or monster—but you look threatening, so they run. And you herd them into the forest. Deep enough that they can’t find their way back out. You created a bank of sinister markings on the trees to deter them from walking in the right direction. Then you leave them out there. Lost. It’s just a matter of time until they die from natural causes.” “No blood on my hands.” Decker
“It’s not my fault if they don’t find their way out.”
“It is, though. What you do is intentional. It may not be murder, but it’...
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“Can you prov...
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“There are no laws against being scary. It’s perfectly legal to wear costumes while you visit the forest. Motion sensors are fine, even in the numbers I was employing. Perhaps, at a stretch, you could get me for vandalism, for cutting and painting over the trees. But even then, you may find that the knives and paint were bought with cas...
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“You planned this so well.” “I’ve had a long time to think through possible outcomes.” “Your loopholes and excuses won’t be enough, though. If this goes before...
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“If it goes before...
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have some good friends in this town. The DA and I have drinks every Friday. He wouldn’t want to see me go through court...
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“Delago, exactly what evidence do you have?”
You can’t tie the deaths to me. You can’t tie the paint, the knives, or the vandalism to me. I’m an officer, Delago. I know all of the methods I would use to nail a perp. And I’ve protected myself from them all.”
“You probably have alibis set up too. Layer upon layer of protection.” “Correct.”
“And right now, the only person who knows the truth is you.”
“Right now, it’s your word against mine.
“If you even whisper a hint of what you know, I will ruin you. There are so many ways I could do it. I
hold all of the power in this situation.”
“I was afraid our conversation might end up like this.”
I guess I wanted to be wrong. So thank you for putting that to rest.”
“I have one more question. It’s the same one I had for Gabon. I want to know your why. What makes you do this?”
“I have two nephews. They’re twelve and fourteen. I visit my sister twice a year during my annual breaks, and while the other adults get drunk, I watch the kids play on the computer. They love simulation games. Theme park simulations. Zoo simulations. Life simulations. The games seem innocent; the purpose is to build the best park or zoo or home you can manage. Then you watch simulated people interact with what you’ve created. But inevitably, those kids always turn to the same question… can we kill someone?”
“They build a rollercoaster with no end and watch as the patrons sail across the screen before crashing in a ball of fire.
When the game creators added those features, they were intended as a punishment. You did something wrong, and now people are dead, how horrible. But the kids playing the game don’t see it as a punishment. It’s a challenge. How many creative ways can you kill those simulated humans?”
“This is a game to you?”
“No. It’s basic human nature. Remove our inhibitions—remove consequences—and we want to watch someone die. If you can get over the squeamishness, it’s surprisingly satisfying. Like cracking your neck. Releasing tension. Feeling a little rush of exhilaration. And once y...
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“You want to see how many you can kill before you lose the game.” “Exactly.” “You’re at ...
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“Sixty here. I’ve been doing this for a while longer than I’ve been chief of your statio...
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“I’m not a monster. I don’t expect you to continue working for me, knowing what you know. So I’ll let you choose. Early retirement or transfer?”
“It’s not a challenging question. This is in exchange for your silence. Do you want to retire early and take a substantial bonus or transfer and get a raise?”
“You think I want either?” “I think you don’t...
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“I think you will be grateful for this concession. I’m not trying to ruin your life. But I won’t hesitate t...
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“Once you walk out of here, you’ll never have to speak to me again. I know you can put this whole business out of mind. You’re not an idealist. You’re practical. Cynical, even.” “I guess I’ve made that pretty clear over the last year or two.” “And I respected you for that.”
“If anyone else had confronted me, I would have gone ahead and ruined them pre-emptively.
you’re capable of making hard choices. Which is why I know you’ll be able to accept this choice. Compartmentalise it, just like you’ve compartmentalised all of the other unpleasantness in your life.”
“Can’t decide?” Decker said. “I’ll make this easier. Go home, sleep on it, and send me an email when you know what you want. I’ll put you on paid leave until then.”
“I’ll just need one thing before you leave. Your recorder.”
I knew she had one
“I’m not stupid, Delago.
