Serial Killers

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

By now, someone had already discovered the body on their drive home and called the police. Lisa had been examining the evidence alongside Detectives Levi Hills and Andrew Redbeard.

Detective Levi was growing frustrated with the letters.

“He’s insulting the police’s intelligence!”

“claims on intelligence by the unintelligent mean nothing,” Lisa said, sipping her coffee.

“He’s killing people!” Levi shot back.

“Yes, and while that is terrible, and something we are going to stop, that doesn’t lend credibility to his opinion on police intelligence,” Lisa replied firmly.

Andrew chimed in, “Listen, we could probably catch this guy with relative ease. We know what kind of gun he uses, the radius in which he kills, and we even have his notes. If we find him, we can use those against him.”

Lisa leaned back in her chair. “I trust that you can catch him, both of you. While you’re occupied with that, I’ll focus on the real Toxin of Riverdale.”

Levi opened his mouth, but Lisa cut him off. “I want to make one thing clear: I’m not shifting what I see as Riverdale responsibilities onto you. It hurts me just as much as it hurts you. Every time he kills an innocent person, I have to read the report too.”

A heavy silence filled the room before Lisa continued, “So please forgive me, but I have to focus on this one.”

As soon as she finished speaking, all three detectives heard a news report playing in the other room. Then, they saw a copy of the note that had been in their custody. Levi and Andrew seemed unsurprised, but Lisa froze, horror etched across her face. She whispered the words no one expected:

“He now knows…”

Alan was furious—so furious he didn’t know what to do. Without conscious thought, his fingers tore into the leather of his chair. He wanted to get up and smash the TV with his fist, to trash his apartment until he was out of breath, to go out and poison three people—no, to poison his copycat.

“Who does that disgusting filth think he is?!” he whispered through clenched teeth. Some of his rage spilled into words. “Does he even realize who he just pissed off?!”

As soon as the thought finished, Alan grabbed his keys, threw on a brown blazer, and headed for his car. Every step toward the police department, every second on the drive, he rehearsed his new persona. In-N-Out, backwards and forwards—he had thought of everything.

When he arrived at the police station, to his delight, two other reporters were already there. He wouldn’t look like a black sheep or an amateur in the reporting world—and that was exactly what he needed.

“Sir, there will be no attention from the press or media,” an officer said, stepping to block Alan’s path.

“Excuse me?” Alan asked, feigning confusion. He had expected this.

“Some psychopath just hijacked the media,” Alan continued, “and you expect us not to ask questions about this? One of those questions being—can you keep us safe?” His tone was sharper than intended, fueled by his anger.

But the officer’s response shut him down. “The police force has infinitely more important things to worry about than the doubts of a petty reporter,” he said, glaring at Alan.

Lisa quickly stepped in. “It’s okay, officer. We can let this one through.”

Not wanting to lose his chance, Alan seized the moment. “You must be the lead detective. It’s nice to finally meet the main brain behind this. My name is—”

“Nice to see you too, Alan.” She cut him off with a small smile.

Alan froze, completely blindsided by her recognition.

“Yes… n-nice to see you too…” He stared at her, mind racing, until the pieces clicked together. His eyes widened. He even took a step back. “L-Lisa?”

Lisa’s expression softened, a flicker of concern in her eyes. “Yes, it’s me. It's been a long time. How have you been all these years?”

Alan ignored her question and stepped forward, pulling her into an embrace. His voice cracked as he whispered—whether to her or himself—“I thought I’d never see you again.”

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. This is Chapter 6, so if you are interested in how this story continues, hit subscribe. And all stories are better to talk about with friends so please share the story. thank you again, hope to see you soon.

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