The Target

A Lead!

I invited her into the house. Adam was still angry at her. I assured everyone, "It's ok. She won't hurt me. Not anymore." Hopefully, completing the sentence in my brain. Beverly moved around the house trying to take in everything she left behind. Dad could not greet her after everything he heard, but mum felt sympathetic towards her and gave her a short hug.

"We should probably head out now. It's a long ride and I don't wanna be late." I said as tears started welling up again at the thought of Lewis. Mum and dad nodded while Beverly looked sad. I walked to her, gave her a hug.

We reached in the nick of time. The memorial was about to start but Harry requested it to start ten minutes later so I and Adam can attend.  Another memorial. A beautiful one. I don't know how many more memorial I will have to endure? Hopefully, not many. With every funeral, I am losing my sanity. Adam is my only connection to reality. These last five months have been so hurtful, devastating, and gruesome, that all I could think about is adding another cut to my already scarred wrist. The idea of pain comforts me. I know it is a bad sign but, that's all I think about- PAIN. My hand constantly grips my scars, straining them, hoping one of them will open up. But Adam makes sure I don't do anything stupid.

When we reached Harry's apartment, I saw a message from Detective Kurtz, the detective that was handling the killings of my friends. I settled down on the couch while Harry talked with the relatives and Adam was somewhere else but sat beside me soon after.

Ms. Grant, there have been some developments in the case. I am sorry to ask you this at such a time, but would you be able to come down to the station as soon as you're done with the memorial? -Detective Kurtz.

"Hey. What is it?" Adam asked when he saw my enlightened yet guilty expression. "It's the detective. She has asked me down to the station. But I don't wanna leave Harry alone," I said. "Go. I'll stay here with Harry. You should go and see if the killer can be caught or not." He said running his hands around in circles on my back.

Yes, I'll be there in ten minutes. The memorial has ended.- Amy.

I told Harry that there was a lead in the case and that I have to go. He understood. He said, "Go! I want the killer caught as soon as possible."

I drove down to the station. I don't know if I was exceeding the speed limit because I was desperate.

I always hated police stations. The dark and dingy cells, the putrid stench of the loo. But I have to focus. Priority, Amy I thought. When I entered the inspector's cabin, I saw the detective standing in the front of a table, covered in photographs, looking up at me. The inspector, who was standing next to her, was biting his lip. Behind the detective was a murder board, one filled with pictures of my friends. I greeted both of them and went over to the table, eyeing all the photographs on the table. The photographs were pictures of Grace's, Dylan's, and Lewis's bodies.

"So, what is the lead?" I asked.

"The killer seemed to have changed the pattern," The detective said, handing me three pictures, one of each.

"How so?" I asked, observing the three pictures.

"Grace and Dylan's index and ring finger were cut off, whereas Lewis's thumb and ring finger were cut off,"

I furrowed my eyebrows. And then I noticed. She is right. There is a change in the pattern. I thought.

"Do you think there is a motive to this... finger-cutting?" I asked.

"I think the killer is keeping it as a self memo. You know, a little something to remind him of his victim." The inspector spoke up.

"That is the prime motive, usually," she said. After some more discussions, I headed back to Harry's apartment.

The murder board was lingering on my mind.