Page 124 of A Forgotten Mistake

I head out of the room with Gabriel. “I don’t blame Sadie for tossing her off a balcony,” I grumble.

“Uhhhh… I don’t think you’re supposed to say that out loud.”

“Yeah? Well, apparently she thinks that Mitch saying he was done with it should win him good guy of the year. That asshole Kenny who held me hostage and stole my money did the same fucking thing. They think there’s some magic button that fixes it all. All they have to do is turn around, and suddenly, they’re absolved of everything. They’re a good guy.”

“I know… It doesn’t make sense. But we’re going to end this before anyone else gets hurt or dies. We just have to figure out who else is involved.”

“I want to speak to Anthony’s older brother. He could know how deeply Anthony was involved, or more about Anthony designing the tattoo. Hopefully, he knows something that could get us the answers we need.”

When I reach the department, I harass the team until they have the videos set up. Then I park my chair in front of the screen and start watching every single video that Anthony had lovingly added to his collection. Each one is a version of his own trophy. They aren’t all videos of people dying. Many are of people before they were taken. It’s clear that whoever was in charge of recording them enjoyed watching their target for a long time. In some cases, seasons changed around them. They weren’t rash. They were meticulous and paid attention to the smallest details. That doesn’t mean all of the videos are like that. Cameron obviously didn’t spend much time researching his victims before he took them. I wonder if that’s why Jane Doe ended up being tossed from the bridge. Was she just a rash choice that Cameron made and the person who records them didn’t approve of it?

“How would it be working with a group like this?” I mutter out loud. Gabriel understands what I mean, and Matthew just thinks I’m talking about the fact that a group of people would have to share the same desires. The same sick obsession with watching someone suffer and die.

“Hell, history is full of people… I guess you just generally don’t see it nowadays,” Matthew says. “And it goes on for a while. Like… this started twenty or more years ago. It almostseems like a tradition… like the person who picks them out records them for weeks or even months and then once a year or something, they get together and kill someone. We don’t have any dates, but we can see the evolution of tech as the videos progress.”

“So Sadie set them off, right?” Gabriel asks. “Sadie’s threat made them kill more and faster.”

“Seems like it,” I agree. “From what I’ve noticed, they all seem to be people who are better off, at least in the more recent tapes. Some of the older ones are random, but that makes sense. Killers don’t always start off knowing exactly what they want. But as the years progressed, it’s clear they’re targeting people who are well off or appear to be. They’re generally stylishly dressed, well groomed, and aren’t afraid to show it.”

“This is… so fucked up,” Matthew says. “I need a break.”

I glance up from the screen I’ve been fixated on for hours and see Matthew getting up and Gabriel looking upset.

“I agree. Why don’t we all take a quick break?” Gabriel asks as he sets a hand on my shoulder.

I look over at him, positive a break is the last thing I want. No, I need to see every fucking shot of these videos because I’m going to destroy this person. I’m going to tear them apart. I’m going to hunt them like they’ve hunted these men and women.

“Why don’t I keep watching while you two get some sandwiches for us,” I say, implying that the more I watch alone, the less they have to watch. I have to assume I’d catch most things.

Matthew looks highly interested in this idea. “Are you sure, man? This is… a lot. This is… I mean, I’ve seen some fucked-up shit and it’s a lot for me. I feel like you shouldn’t have to watch them alone.”

“Just get me a cookie to make up for it,” I order. “At least twelve cookies. Brownies are fine too. I’m craving chocolate.”

“I thought we were getting you a sandwich,” Gabriel says.

“Yeah, and cookies,” I tell him.

“Alright. Sandwich and a dozen cookies to share, coming right up.”

“I never said they were to share.”

“A dozen cookies for you to eat while looking everyone else in the eyes, coming right up.”

“Perfect.”

Gabriel grins and then pats my head before leaving the room. He understands me enough to know that I can separate myself from what’s happening, unlike the two of them. To me, this is a means to get answers. These people all died for no other reason than to fulfill some sick desire.

I suppose some could say I share a similar sick desire, but it’s different. It’s very different.

Quickly, I start the next video. The older ones are a bit rougher, with no rhyme or reason to the people they pick. But the more recent ones follow a pattern, like I told Gabriel and Matthew. There’s a similar look about them and the way they die gets more… creative. Some are meant to look like accidents, while others couldn’t possibly be seen as anything besides homicides, making me wonder what they did with the bodies. They don’t record any part after their death.

I grab the next one and slip it in. It’s clear these are copies someone made for Anthony because they’re older videos on newer tech. It at least makes my part easy. I press play, and suddenly, I’m looking at myself… my sixteen-year-old self.

“Oh?” I ask, interest piqued.

There are very few videos of people who didn’t end up dying.

“This motherfucker had me on their kill list. Oh, how fucking hilarious.”

---