The Killer Among Us

Chapter 20

Eleven days left

Jacob

Before I knew it we arrived at Eddie's apartment once again.

We took an unusual route, throwing off the police cars that were following us.

"I know, Eddie. But you need to keep him in order. I can't have him mess up the whole investigation." These words still echoed through my mind, piercing my heart like a knife in my back.. Still, I didn't say a word, didn't give away that I knew of his treason. Was there an explanation to this treachery or was it pure, unfiltered hate that drove him to stand against me?

Could he be The Solemn Serpent, the killer that walked among us, stealing our women in the deception of the night? Could Eddie truly be this evil?

His green eyes pierced through me, ever calculating, ever pondering.

"Are you okay? You look a little spooked, man," He broke through my suspicions, my fears.

Slowly my eyes locked with his.

"I'm okay," I stated with finality, throwing back a testing, "How about you, Eddie?"

He shrugged with casualty, "Yeah, I guess. Anything noteworthy happen at the station?"

I let out a puffed chuckle, "No, nothing noteworthy."

Eddie stared at me in confusion, eyes never leaving mine.

"So, are you gonna show me those files? I could help you look over them," his posture stiffened. Was he nervous?

"I think I will do this on my own," I finally said in a calm and steady voice.

I decided to keep his treason to myself for the time being. If he really was who I thought he was, it would put me at an advantage, finally putting me one step ahead in this game.

He nodded slowly, breaking the intense eye contact.

"Whatever you need, man," he spoke softly. With that he got up from the couch and walked into the other room, closing the door behind him.

After waiting a few heartbeats, I spread out the files on the coffee table in front of me, overwhelmed by the vast amount of information.

The horrific crime scene pictures burned their way into my mind, leaving a permanent mark. Looking at them clearly didn't help my anxiety.

Thirteen victims, all tortured to death, all abused. They died a painful, cold death. They died alone at the hands of a monster. Nothing about their deaths was human. The monster showed no mercy to his victims. What evil could have possibly been behind this?

I glanced at the closed door. Behind it was what I always considered a loyal friend. Could he have one day turned against me, stealing from me the only thing I truly cared for?

The gun that was still tugged between the waistband of my jeans felt heavy, searing even. If I held it up against his head, would he speak the truth?

I vigorously shook my head, banishing these thoughts for another day and concentrating once more on the pages in front of me.

The more I read, the more I realised how densely webbed this storyline was, every piece of information crucial to the mystery, every picture pointing to the predator that was at large. Real people with real lives were affected by this. Somehow that always gets lost in this. What people seemed to forget was that families were torn apart, shattered for the rest of their lives. This predator left behind nothing but suffering and mayhem.

"Not Aria, not our family," I repeated like a chant in my mind.

Nothing, not the times of death, not the ways of torture, not the witness statements, absoloutely nothing in these files brought me any closer to unveiling the face of The Solemn Serpent. I slowly began to realise that, at least in my mind, he already had a face - the face of my best friend.

Yet one of the facts, the fact that they were all found in the woods of 'Meadow of Eden' national park, clung to me. I took a mental note to remember that clue, maybe it would assist me in the future.

Imagination is a cruel thing. We think we are the masters of our minds, the creators of our thoughts but really, we are mere servants of our own trauma, slaves of the very thing we are trying to control. Is there a cure out there for us, something that can truly heal our scars and not just simply medicate, treat, the symptoms of our broken souls?

After researching for a while, popping a few pills and drowning my fear in numbness, I suddenly realised a difference between the cases in front of me and Aria's abduction. None of the other victims received any calls or threats beforehand. If they did, there was no evidence of that.

"Why?" I whispered as I flipped through the pages.

Adding to my worry was the fact that there was no mention of a severed finger anywhere in the autopsy reports, leaving me with the surmise that it might have actually been Aria's finger that I found.

The last victim, Esther Hartley, the youngest of them all, was a college student. Judging from the pictures, she was a perfectly ordinary girl with an average life. She was beautiful - beautiful like the setting of the sun on a summer day, ordinary yet innocently pleasing to the eye. Her passing left her family in the dark, in a never ending night with no source of warmth or comfort. The day the Serpent took Esther from them he also robbed them of their sun, extinguishing the light of their life forever. Will they ever see the light again?

Maybe they knew something that I didn't, maybe their personal story can unriddle this mess of information even in the slightest. Tragedy isn't about cold, hard facts, after all. The emotions the affected were forced to endure deserve just as much to be heard, to be acknowledged.

Digging through the files, I came across the Hartley's address and determined that it would be well worth hearing them out, if they are willing to share.

"Eddie?" I called out for him.

"Yes?" he responded as he opened the door to his room, sleep still evident on his freckled face.

"Can I use your car? I want to go check out a lead."

"Sure, man. Go for it. Uh- where are you going?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

At that moment, I spontaneously decided to set up a trap, a way of determining whether or not he was on my side.

"I'm going to speak to the family of the first victim - Clara Hulls."

At that he nodded understandingly and threw me his car keys.

I caught them, a triumphant smile plastered on my face and thanked him.

Then, with the files under my arm and the missing person's flyer carefully folded in my pocket, I went on my next endeavor, curious to hear what Esther's family experienced and even more curious to learn how deep Eddie's betrayal truly ran.

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Thank you so much for reading this chapter! What do you think of Jacob's idea to find out if Eddie is loyal or not? Leave me your opinion in the comments. Oh, and don't forget to vote and share the story with a friend :)