Deceitful (Rules of Deception 1)

I shrugged. “Maybe I look like my father.” My tone of voice was petulant and one I didn’t usually use with Major. But my family was taboo. No one brought them up. Ever. And everyone knew that.

Alec straightened in his seat, his muscles tense.

Major considered my point. “Maybe. But that’s not important now. The only thing of importance is that you won’t be alone in this mission. Alec will be at your side. And Summers’ main job will be to divert the police’s attention. We don’t want them prying about too much. They don’t know what they’re doing, and this case is the FEA’s business. Especially if there’s Variant involvement.”

“Has Variant involvement been confirmed, sir?” I ventured.

“No, but I prefer to take all necessary precautions. Two of the victims show extremely atypical pressure marks around their throats. That’s our only lead so far.” Major scanned my face, then Alec’s. What was he looking for? “I hope this arrangement will guarantee the swift success of our mission.”

Major started pacing, his arms crossed behind his back. “Let’s go over our possible suspects again.”

“I thought we didn’t know anything conclusive about the murderer, now that he’s started killing men,” I said.

“That’s mostly true. As you may know, the profilers are still trying to narrow down the list of possible suspects. They told me that the killer is almost certainly a man and probably knew all four victims.”

That wasn’t helpful. Livingston was a small town; everyone knew each other somehow.

“Kate’s exploration of Mrs. Chambers showed that she isn’t involved, and neither is Madison’s aunt Cecilia or Madison’s best friend, Ana. As for the rest of her friends and family members, they’re all suspects unless proven otherwise—especially the men.”

“Why only men? I thought the women didn’t show signs of . . .” Alec glanced awkwardly at me. “ . . . sexual harassment?”

“No, they didn’t. We’re not dealing with a sex offender.”

“So why only male suspects?”

“Strangling someone requires considerable strength, and serial murderers are typically men. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t keep an eye on the women in Madison’s life, but I don’t want you to waste your energy on unlikely suspects. The killer might have gone to school with Madison, or might be involved with the school in some capacity. After all, one of the victims worked in the high school and the other was a senior.”

Mr. Chen and Kristen Cynch.

“What about the first victim? Did she have any connection to the high school?” Alec asked.

“No, she was a pediatrician in St. Elizabeth’s hospital. The only possible connection is that she’s probably treated most of Livingston’s students since they were kids,” I said.

It was scary how in the dark we were. Anyone could be the murderer. So far the only connection was the A cut into the victims’ skin. “Does Madison have the same mark as the other victims?”

“Yes, above her rib cage just like the others.” Major cleared his throat and stopped behind his desk chair, hands gripping the backrest. “I think you should keep a close eye on Madison’s boyfriend, Tessa. He might be the only one who knew what was really going on in the last few months of her life.”

“A boyfriend?” Alec asked, incredulous. “You can’t expect Tessa to continue someone else’s romantic relationship.”

I glanced at him. Was he jealous?

“She won’t have to. As it turns out Madison broke up with him a few weeks before the attack. That puts him very high on our list of suspects.”

“But what motive might he have for the other murders?”

“We’re not sure about that. But maybe he killed them without reason, and when Madison broke up with him, he chose her as his next victim.”

“But why the A?” I asked.

“That’s for you to find out. The mission starts in two hours. Prepare yourself.”

My eyes snapped up to Major’s. “So soon?”

“Madison died half an hour ago. The doctors and the machines will keep the Chamberses believing that she’s alive. But we only have so much time until the first signs of death begin to show.”

I gave a numb nod. Why hadn’t I felt anything? Shouldn’t I have known when she died? After all, her DNA was part of me now. It was all that was left of her.

“Read the papers and be ready in an hour, Tessa,” Major said before he zeroed in on Alec. “I’d like to have a word with you.”

What did they want to discuss without me?

My feet carried me out of the room but my body felt like it was encased in a bubble. I barely heard the outside chatter, the laughter from the common room, and the music blaring from somewhere down the hall.

Holly froze when I came into our room.

“I have to go,” I managed. My legs, my entire body were numb. Since hearing the news of Madison’s death, it felt like the life had slid out of me too.