by Mary Stone
The only piece of information Victor gave him that he found worth ruminating over was that Albert Rice had turned out to be the murderer.
Justin wasn’t particularly surprised. Rice was shady as hell, always making deals with the inmates to sneak in illegal contraband. And the man had been quiet. Too quiet.
If anyone could sniff out a killer, Justin could.
What sucked was that he’d used Albert’s services to smuggle in a phone and a few other favors. He always reimbursed the custodian for his unfailing ability to deliver with bitcoin payments.
Both parties had been happy, and the operation ran with seamless efficiency.
But not anymore.
Until another whitecoat showed their true hideous colors and took up where Rice had left off, deliveries were at an ultimate standstill.
Goren’s droning voice was just a background of white noise as Justin considered his new obstacle. He did fairly well at blocking the man out altogether when he wanted to.
He surveyed the installation technicians hard at work, fitting out each room with hordes of video surveillance equipment. Justin stared at the cameras, hate stirring deep in the well of his stomach.
“There’s going to be a lot more security in this place from here on out. You’ll be able to trust you’re safe again, Justin. Secure.” The genuine concern in Goren’s eyes was absurd.
Had the man forgotten he was speaking to a verified, soulless serial killer?
Did Victor think he’d been living in terror for the past few days because of a couple strangulations?
Those barely even counted as murders.
Justin scowled at the cameras.
“What’s wrong? I think you have a lot to be happy about right now. You’re helping the BAU, and as an asset to their unit, you’ll likely be kept at the hospital for the long haul.” Victor studied him, obviously wanting some type of praise for doing nothing at all aside from being a giant piece of shit.
The fuck I’m going to be here for the long haul.
“Well, that does beat prison, Vic.” Justin stared past the attorney. Those installation men were going on about something. If Victor could shut up for two seconds, Justin might be able to assess what all the fuss was about.
The one highest on the ladder appeared the most perturbed. “You mean to tell me we rushed to set all this up, and it ain’t even gonna run today?”
The technician on the floor shrugged. “Ain’t my damn fault. Some type of glitch with the system. They still need hung regardless. Fully operational come tomorrow morning, so get your panties outta a wad.”
Justin considered this information. Tomorrow morning. Starting tomorrow morning, every single thing he did would be on video.
The time had come to act.
“…if you can continue to behave…keep ahold of yourself and—”
“Thanks for the assistance, Victor. I really do believe my life is taking a great turn. I’m gonna go back to my room and take a nap.” Justin left the table without waiting for or caring about Goren’s response.
The door guard eyed him closely when he exited the commons, and the hall guard shadowed him until he’d returned to his room and shut the door.
There. I’m locked in again. You can relax.
An annoying truth of being a serial killer was that everyone assumed you were going to attempt murder at any given second, right in front of the general public. Justin’s IQ was much too high for that type of riffraff nonsense.
In fact, many notorious serial killers had impressively high IQs.
That was his bunch. The thinkers. The planners.
The artists.
Justin went straight to his bed, pulled his knees close to his chest, and began rocking. He even stuck the thumb in his mouth for added effect should anyone glimpse him through the door’s observation window.
He rocked methodically, keeping a soothing rhythm that helped him brainstorm. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…
Rice was gone. His link to the outside world was gone. And once the sun rose on the next day, his privacy was gone.
Of course, many had escaped hospitals and psych wards of this sort even when under constant video surveillance. Dumb as dirt hillbillies escaped actual prison all the damn time.
But that was such a messy way to go. He’d have to kill every single person who tried to stop him. And although he’d enjoy that immensely, he’d lose entirely too much time in the process. And energy.
Time and energy were two tools he couldn’t afford to waste. Getting out of the building was only the beginning.
Exhausting himself with multiple slaughters simply wouldn’t do.
He had to move fast.
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…
Think. Think. Think.
His plan came to him in one clear chunk. No scrambling. He knew what he had to do.
The facility was currently understaffed. Some employees had gone on strike until the all-powerful strangler was revealed and thrown behind bars. Others were suspended for information they had leaked, subtle or otherwise, to the press during the Baldwin witch hunt.
And then of course, there were the two employees who’d been murdered. Those two sure as shit weren’t taking on any extra shifts this week.
Even the nurses and guards who refused to abandon their posts were severely rattled by the murder spree.
No one was operating at one hundred percent on this shoelace staff squad. That made now the perfect time for a getaway. And the impending surveillance about to invade his life in the early morning hours made now the only time for a getaway.
What he needed to send his plan into action really wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility at all. He needed a visit from his sister.
If Winter intended to keep her word and check on him frequently, she’d show her face before the sun went down. And after all the effort he’d dumped into playing that “you abandoned me” card, he doubted she’d be able to disappoint him.
She was already incapable of forgiving herself, which was funny, considering she’d forgiven him. While his moments of tender-hearted sibling time were all a hoax, he knew Winter meant every word she said.
She wanted to have a relationship with him. She wanted to be there for him, whatever that meant.
He didn’t think her decision to meet with him so often painted a very inspiring picture of her intelligence. Even her dipshit, off-brand Captain America boyfriend knew she was behaving like a moron.
Just further proof that the female species is unequal to man.
The fact that they’d both received fifty percent of their DNA from the same woman was unbelievable. An insult, even.
“Weak, simple-minded, hooker-faced bi—”
Tap-tap. Tap-tap. Tap-tap.
Justin turned toward his door and swallowed the urge to scream with unabandoned glee.
As if he’d willed her to appear, Winter stood at his window, smiling and waving through the glass. He returned the grin, but for a much different reason.
Winter’s happiness to see him was genuine. She loved him.
She was, hands down, an idiot.
Her timing, however, was absolutely perfect. The sight of her appearing, just when he needed her most, warmed his blood. He was elated, in fact. Blessed.
“Thank you, Grandpa,” he whispered before waving for his big sister to come into his room.
The time had finally come to make his move.
How nice of Sissy to help him out.
The End
To be continued…
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A killer is watching… Thirteen years ago, Winter Black came home early from a sleepover to find her parents brutally murdered and her little brother gone— taken by a serial killer called The Preacher. Now a rookie FBI agent assigned to her first murder case, Winter has returned to the small Virginia town where she grew up. But when bones found by a hunter lead to the discovery of a secret burial ground containing the remains of children, the investigation suddenly hits close to home. Will they find her brother’s bones in the makeshift graveyard next? Click HERE to Get Your Copy Now!
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In a dark basement, a cold-blooded killer pits friend against friend, torturing one until the other says the horrible words that will end their friend’s suffering. He’s gotten away with murder for years. Until now...Ellie Kline can’t remember most of her kidnapping when she was fifteen, but that night has shaped her life. Now a detective assigned to the Cold Case Unit, Ellie is drawn into the mysterious murder of a young, unidentified college-age woman with no missing persons’ report, no leads, and no evidence. Even more shocking is that, while she was tortured extensively, her death was quick. Someone lurks in the shadows, ready to kill if Ellie’s journey into history gets too close to the cold truth. Click HERE to Get Your Copy Now!
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Autumn Trent Series
Autumn’s Game (Autumn Trent Series: Book One)
Autumn’s Break (Autumn Trent Series: Book Two)
Autumn’s Fear (Autumn Trent Series: Book Three)
Acknowledgments
How does one properly thank everyone involved in taking a dream and making it a reality? Let me try.
In addition to my family, whose unending support provided the foundation for me to find the time and energy to put these thoughts on paper, I want to thank the editors who polished my words and made them shine.
Many thanks to my publisher for risking taking on a newbie and giving me the confidence to become a bona fide author.
More than anyone, I want to thank you, my reader, for clicking on a nobody and sharing your most important asset, your time, with this book. I hope with all my heart I made it worthwhile.
Much love,
Mary
About the Author
Mary Stone lives among the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee with her two dogs, four cats, a couple of energetic boys, and a very patient husband.
As a young girl, she would go to bed every night, wondering what type of creature might be lurking underneath. It wasn’t until she was older that she learned that the creatures she needed to most fear were human.
Today, she creates vivid stories with courageous, strong heroines and dastardly villains. She invites you to enter her world of serial killers, FBI agents but never damsels in distress. Her female characters can handle themselves, going toe-to-toe with any male character, protagonist or antagonist.
Discover more about Mary Stone on her website.
www.authormarystone.com
