Page 81 of Monster in Disguise

I raise an eyebrow at Vlad's observation. He's right; stabbing someone through the heart is not an easy task. It requires not only a sharp blade but also a perfect angle and just enough force to penetrate layers of fat and muscle.

"So our killer is not only intelligent but physically strong as well," I muse, already strategizing our next move in this perverse game of cat and mouse.

"I've been running some scenarios in my head," Vlad starts pacing in front of me.

"Do tell."

"The coroner only mentioned lacerations, not holes or anything that might singularly identify it as a stabbing event. That means the wound wasn't too big to begin with."

"Or she didn't get stabbed through the heart," I point out the obvious.

"But if shewas," Vlad continues, "then our copycat purposefully used a narrow blade to perforate the heart, but ultimately delay death."

"What are you trying to get at?"

"So she bled out. But she didnotbleed out immediately. It takes time. You and I both know that."

"And?"

"Look again at the report. There's a list of all her injuries. But you know what there's not?"

I wait, knowing he will enlighten me.

"Defense wounds. None. The toxicology report came back clean too, so she wasn't drugged. If the wound was shallow, she would have had enough time to fight."

"So there wasn't a struggle." I frown, processing the information. "That would mean..."

"The perpetrator was someone she knew."

"You're reaching," I say. There could be a million other reasons she didn't fight him, right?

"Am I? I spent the entire night running through all the possible scenarios. It's all right here," he points at the file, "no defensive wounds and no restrictive wounds either. So her hands were free, yet she did not so much as scratch herkiller. Her fingernails were clean. And I don't mean clean as in someone cleaned them on purpose. There was simply no foreign tissue underneath."

I can see that Vlad is getting excited, so I just wait for him to continue.

"There are two likely outcomes. One, she was too shocked to react. Possible, but not entirely probable. It's reflexive to react, especially in self-defense. Two..." He pauses and turns to me. "She was a willing participant." His face is serious as he says this, and I can't help but burst into laughter.

"So she wanted it. Do you hear how absurd that is? Who would willingly agree to be chopped up and displayed on an altar?"

"Someone brainwashed. Someone who believes there's a higher purpose to their death?" Vlad shrugs. "Humans have given their lives for less," he says in a bored tone.

"You sayhumansas if you're not one," I retort drily.

"I might as wellnotbe." He smirks and then walks to the back of his car and opens up the trunk, revealing a sleeping man.

"What is this?" I groan, knowing exactly what Vlad has in mind. So this is why he wanted to meet here. I shake my head.

"As I said, so far it's only a theory, but I'd like to put it to the test."

"Couldn't you do this by yourself?"

"You know I can't. I need someone to keep me in check."

Vlad then tells me that the man in question is a rat and he would have received a similar punishment anyway.

I reluctantly agree, and we set up all the variables for Vlad's experiment. He sure thought of everything.

When the man is awake, Vlad proceeds to stab him with a long, narrow knife. The man struggles in Vlad's hold, his hands flailing about, trying to latch onto Vlad.

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