Born, Madly (Darkly, Madly 2)

Not everything I do has to be an elaborate design. For me, essentially, the simplest things are the most beautiful.

But this one aspect gives us very sharp insight into the copycat killer.

If we look closely, we might even see where the lines overlap and where they don’t, creating a new pattern: his signature.

Today’s newspaper has an interesting cover feature: Officials Confirm Two Homicides Linked to Same Perpetrator.

A second murder victim was discovered in another park in Rockland. Same MO—throat slashed; body dump—but the press isn’t giving away any further details. There’s no mention of whether or not there was a word written in blood across the victim’s chest.

I need this information.

It’s only been a week since Larry was discovered and Agent Nelson and Detective Foster raced each other to the crime scene. Seven days between victims.

I wonder what London thinks. How she’s evaluating our little imitator’s escalation. Is he angered over the lack of news coverage; the refusal from authorities to announce my presence in Maine?

I’m so curious over her thoughts that I’m looking for clues in the papers. Online. News broadcasts. Only the Feds are keeping London safely tucked away. No statements from the good doctor.

Ultimately, what this proves is that the copycat has inside knowledge. The DNA discovery was never revealed to the public. I can’t be sure, but I believe a purest—as the copycat has proven to be so far—wouldn’t act on theory alone. Especially a hyped one from the media.

Our copycat has access to the crime scenes.

Nelson arrived in Rockland first, staking the FBI’s claim on the scene, despite the local police objecting and pissing all over their territory.

Foster followed closely behind, always coming up in the rear. He has no official authority in Rockland, but he’s not working on the clock—he’s feeding his obsession. He’s been chasing me since the New Castle murders, and he’s not about to let some FBI hot-shot swoop in and steal his glory.

We can’t get too close to either of these characters; they’re too aware, too volatile. So we need a third party perspective. A way inside the crime scenes without physically entering them ourselves.

I look up from the paper, marking our objective right on time.

Forensic technician Michael Lawson works for the Rockland Police CSU Department. He’s twenty-five, just had a baby with his wife of a few months, and buried beneath a mortgage his salary can’t really afford. He’s perfectly preoccupied with life.

An ideal candidate.

What do you fear?

It’s the question I ask of all my victims. It’s my first move on the chessboard—our first interaction. The answer is the precursor to the design. The exchange doesn’t need to happen in person. We give our answers away freely. One only needs to pay attention.

We can break anyone down to their most basic attributes by simply uncovering their fears. Every choice we make or will make is rooted in what frightens us. Those fears direct our course.

Take our target, for instance. Let’s break him down.

Right now he’s seated on a bench. The afternoon sun to his back as he thumbs through his phone. He’s not really interested in what he’s looking at; he’s avoiding staring at the woman in the elegant suit standing two feet before him.

She’s beautiful. Shiny blond hair rolls over her shoulders in bouncy waves. Her gray pencil skirt hugs her curves; not too revealing, but leaving little to the imagination. She’s classy, and sensual.

The other pedestrians standing around the bus stop notice her, too. One man has no qualms in ogling her outright.

Lawson lifts the bill of his ball cap just enough to get a glimpse of the woman. Then he returns his gaze to his phone. This is the second time he’s checked her out since his arrival.

Because humans are governed by fear, we are exposed.

The ogling, confident man approaches her from the side. There’s a brief exchange between them. She tilts her head, her expression apologetic, then he nods before returning to his original post.

We don’t have to be behavioral specialists to understand what occurred.

In the background, our target has followed along as we have. His conduct has shifted slightly. He thumbs his phone more emphatically. Touches his forehead repeatedly. His leg bounces with a nervous, jittery tic. The alpha male was rejected, so what hope does he have in winning her affections?

Rejection: it’s one of our fundamental fears.