Chapter 11 - The Mind Of A Killer (1/2)

Halia parked her car in the parking lot of her apartment block and headed upstairs.

As soon as she opened the door, there was a bark to welcome her home. A little brown toy poodle ran up to her with its tail wagging happily. Halia picked it up and sighed. This was the big and protective dog that she told Isaac about; this little thing couldn't even hurt a fly!

Halia put the little dog back on the floor and it quickly ran to fetch a ball.

”Not today,” Halia said as she walked straight into the bathroom. She was completely exhausted.

But, even when she was standing under the shower and she knew it was time for her to relax, she still couldn't help thinking about everything that happened that day.

It was just her first day and she had already experienced two episodes of paranoia. First, she thought Jackson Wu poisoned her. Second, she thought Isaac Yan was trying to stalk her. But, neither happened.

After her shower, she walked into her bedroom and lay down in bed. 6 suspects. What was the motive? It was currently March 28th. According to the killer's pattern, he wasn't killing again until April, so she had 3 days to hone in on a final list of suspects.

She turned on the television and the news was playing. The police chief was being interviewed; they were finally announcing the death of Sara. Obviously, he did not identify her as an undercover detective.

”At 4pm yesterday afternoon, we were called to the scene of a horrendous crime. A young nurse lost her life to the same killer that has been terrifying our streets the last 3 months. The police urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible and, until we find the killer, please don't wander around on your own at night.”

Sara's photo showed up on the television screen and Halia felt a little emotional. Although they had never met before, she felt a deep connection to her. After all, she had been experiencing her memories.

”Don't worry, Sara, I'll definitely get justice for you.”

Halia pulled out a box hidden under her bed and took out the case files that the police chief had given her earlier. 6 victims, 6 suspects.

Halia looked at the pictures of the 6 victims. What did they have in common? It couldn't have been a random killing.

As she read the files, she understood why the police suspected a doctor. It was because of the precision of the cut on these women's necks. It was one clean and deep cut from ear to ear (no jagged edges or hesitation). It went in just deep enough to sever the carotid artery on both sides of the neck. The pain would have been unbearable, but death would have occurred within a couple of minutes.

The killer knew what he was doing. He wanted them to die quickly. As soon as his knife went in, there was no chance of survival. There was no mercy! His cut was fast, accurate and confident; almost arrogant in a way.

Halia shook her head and closed the files. What would drive a person to such extremes? And why these particular women?