Page 57 of Can You Take It?

Noah, who had been listening quietly, pipes up, “Maybe she got it after she turned twenty-five and moved to Virginia?”

I consider the possibility, but something doesn’t add up. “No, the scar is very old. I’ve seen it up close, and it’s not something recent.”

“Even if it is, it is not related to our case in anyway. Maybe it’s time to clear Izel off the suspect list. It’s not fair to keep her here if she’s innocent,” Noah finally speaks up.

I feel a knot forming in my stomach at the mere suggestion of letting Izel out of my house.

“I can’t let her go. Not yet. There’s too much we don’t know,” I deflect.

“We’re just looking out for her. We can continue our investigation without her being a suspect. It might even help us gain her trust.”

“No. Not a word about this to Wilson or anyone else. I’ll handle this on my own.”

Noah nods, a hint of understanding in his eyes. “Whatever you say, boss.”

“You mentioned your visit to Hollowbrook was weird. What else did you discover?” I turn to Colton.

“Well, it’s a bit of a long shot, but around seven years ago, there was a killing spree in the town, just like our very own Ghostface Striker. The strange thing is that it abruptly stopped, and the case went cold because they couldn’t find the killer.”

“A killing spree? Why have I never heard about this before?”

“It’s a small town, Rick. You know how it works. They tend to put things under wraps to avoid drawing too much attention.”

“We need more information about this spree in Hollowbrook. Find out everything you can, Colton. The timeline, the victims, the modus operandi, everything.”

“I’ll get on it right away.”

I pull up the case files on the Slasher, Ghostface Striker, and Billy Brooke’s case. It’s been a nagging thought in the back of my mind, and I can’t ignore it any longer. Billy Brooke’s case had been officially closed about a year ago, with him being convicted of the murders. But something had always felt off to me about the whole thing.

I can't shake the thought that the detective on the case might have made a mistake. Billy never quite fit the profile of a cold-blooded killer, at least not to me. He looked like a bit of a sleaze, but to commit the murders with such ease, it just didn’t add up.

Sure, he had confessed to the crimes, but there had always been that lingering doubt in the back of my mind. Something about the whole situation felt wrong, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story than what had been officially concluded.

I start going through the case files, looking for any discrepancies or red flags that might have been overlooked. There has to be something that could shed light on what really happened.

As I dive deeper into the case files of Billy, the Slasher, and Ghostface Striker, a chilling pattern begins to emerge. It’s not just the timing of the murders that catches my attention, it’s the age range of the victims that hold my attention.

Billy had targeted victims in the age range of 18 to 20. The Slasher had targeted the victims in the age range of 21-23. And now, Ghostface Striker’s victims fall within the age range of 24-26.

The pattern is too consistent to be mere happenstance, and it raises red flags all over the place. But as I dive deeper into the files, I’m struck by the differences in the methods used by these killers. Billy had preyed on his victims in dark alleys. The Slasher, on the other hand, had chosen parking lots as the stage for his gruesome acts. And Ghostface Striker invades the homes of his victims, leaving behind a trail of terror.

It’s not just the brutality of the actions that varies; it’s the entire MO. Billy was an opportunistic killer, targeting victims in vulnerable situations. The Slasher seemed to enjoy the public spectacle, hunting in plain sight. And Ghostface Striker was a home invader, striking fear into the hearts of his victims and leaving his sinister message behind.

I start to question if the connection lies beyond the killers’ methods, perhaps hidden in something deeper and more elusive aspect. Is there a hidden motive, a dark undercurrent that links these seemingly disparate cases?

I turn to Noah. “When did the killings start in Hollowbrook?”

Noah furrows his brow, recalling the timeline. “Around six to seven years ago, I think. They stopped about five years ago.”

“Right when Billy started,” I mutter to myself. It’s a chilling coincidence, one that I can’t simply brush aside.

Turning to Colton, I issue a command. “Get all the case files related to the killer in Hollowbrook. We need to know everything about those murders, every detail. There might be a connection we’ve overlooked.”

I sit down, cracking open Billy Brooke’s case file, even though I’d rather be diving into the Hollowbrook killer's case. But that file’s out of my reach right now, so I’ve got no choice but to start with Billy. Fourteen victims, all girls, mostly twenty to twenty-two. As I’m flipping through the file, a bundle of letters falls out. Fourteen in total, each one neatly folded and carefully placed inside. These letters look eerily familiar. I grab one, unfolding itslowly. The handwriting, the style, the way the words are slashed across the page—it’s fucking identical to the letters I’ve been getting.

“Holy shit,” I mutter, pulling out the letter Izel gave me from my side drawer. I hold it up next to the one in the file. There’s no doubt about it; they’re the same. Except for one small difference: the lipstick mark.

The letters I’ve been receiving, they all have that lipstick mark—bright red and unmistakable, like someone kissed the paper just to fuck with me.

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