Page 46 of Wicked Riddles & Bitter Heartbeats

“Okay. I trust you, Atty.”

I kiss the top of her head. Her words are more important to me than she’ll ever know.

Chapter Twenty-One

Atticus

I have five names and addresses burned into my brain. They’re the five people I will kill to gain my brother’s attention. I’ve used Lilah’s plan as a base, but I had to change it slightly. I focused on streets around his area that start with those letters, rather than the specific ones she pointed out. Otherwise, I’m not sure he’d notice. Local police don’t deal with murders like this, and so the only way he will notice is if there is something worth noticing. Being close to home, a place that is supposed to be safe, is something worth noticing.

Over breakfast this morning, Lilah dug through the pedophile database to choose the victims. Boston has a shit ton of pedophiles, which is disgusting, but not one on every streetwe need. However, she was able to find less than upstanding citizens, which we both found acceptable.

I don’t care who I kill. Lilah’s the one with the conscience, and since I care about her, I’ll do as she pleases. Lilah will come with me and is well aware that she needs to listen to everything I say. I don’t foresee it being a problem, as it hasn’t been before, but having someone come along for this is new and so it makes me even a little nervous.

I still worry that my dark side will do something to her, but she assures me she can handle it. I’m still not so sure.

“Atty!” she calls from the living room, and the tone of her voice has me moving quickly.

“What’s wrong?” I ask once I’m in the room.

I find her on the couch, sitting on the edge, staring at the TV.

"—mystery is unfolding in the Boston area as the FBI steps in to investigate a string of brutal murders. With no witnesses and no known suspects, authorities are racing against time to find answers. Officials say the killings appear to be connected, but so far, the case remains a puzzle. Here is Ian, who is on scene of the most recent murder.”

I sit beside Lilah on the couch as the screen changes to a man outside in front of a dark house. Yellow crime scene tape flutters in the wind, and the house sits quiet, the police long gone. The only light comes from the streetlights around him, and whatever lighting the camera crew has.

“Yes, thank you, Samantha. I’m here in Somerville at the location of the most recent heinous crime. State police now have the help of the FBI as they claim to have a serial killer on their hands. Authorities are asking for everyone’s help to stop this killer before they strike again.”

“And they have no leads, is that correct, Ian?” the anchor, Samantha, asks. Her face takes up the small picture-in-picture at the top left of the screen.

There’s a brief pause before Ian nods and says, “That is correct, Samantha. There are no leads at this time. Police are combing through evidence and databases, but from what we’re told, there has been no DNA left behind and no cameras in the vicinity.”

“How do the police know these murders are all related?” Samantha asks.

“That is a great question, Samantha, and one we were asking ourselves as well. Earlier in the day, we were able to speak with a few of the police on scene. Take a look at what we got.”

The screen changes to a clip of when it’s day time, the house still taped off in the background. The same reporter is there, only this time he’s standing next to a Boston PD officer.

“We hear there is word of a serial killer,” Ian says. “Can you speak on that?”

“Unfortunately, we have found evidence that leads us to believe one person is responsible for multiple murders in our city.”

“What kind of evidence?”

“I’m not at liberty to say at this time, but we can confidently report that this person is targeting men between the ages of thirty-five and fifty. There are no other links between victims at this time.”

He moves to walk away, and Ian steps after him. “Officer, if I could just—”

The officer holds his hand up, shaking his head as he walks away.

The clip ends and we go back to Ian now.

“It seems the police aren’t releasing everything they’ve found, Samantha, which isn’t uncommon. Not giving all information helps them weed out fake confessions and prank calls regarding the case.”

“Well, thank you for your work, Ian. If you take a look at the screen now, you will see photos of the victims.”

Eight photos pop up on the screen.

“All of these men are in Boston and surrounding areas, going as far as Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Providence, Rhode Island.”

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