Talmer-Grey Terrace (or Hilter and his Beating Heart)

Chapter Six: Come Out and Play

They found the body this morning. It was on every channel, and everybody recognized the body to be Mr. Haltford, President Marilyn Haltford's husband. Mother wasn't home last night, and I can imagine why. I would be devastated too if my husband was brutally slaughtered in the hands of a criminal. Of course, Madam President would be more devastated, I would imagine, but it's best to leave the imagine left to the mind.

          I walked down the stairs, and I could hear the newswoman talking from the television from our living room. I stood at the doorway out of sight and watched her speak. My interest was raised at the name of Jonathan Haltford and Alfred Hilter in the same sentence, but my attention slowly ceased during her speech. It wasn't long until I was completely taken out of my state of being and was brought into my world of thoughts, as usual.

          Hilter began filling my mind again, and Mr. Haltford was fading in and out of my thoughts like a ghost in a room. I could hear the newswoman speak, and I could understand what she was saying, but every now and then, I would pay attention, and I would completely forget what she was talking about. The first murder was all I could think about. What did he mean? I couldn't put my finger on it. If he meant by number one, then surely there would be another one. But who? is the question. His first victim was the husband of a very successful Government Official. If he was smart, then he wouldn't go for the person related to his first, then there would be a pattern. He wouldn't kill another husband of a Government Official, again he would leave a pattern that could easily be traced. What if he will kill someone of lower ranking? But who would that be? I didn't have the slightest idea. I thought all jobs were the same. Women always worked their hardest. I couldn't see what kind of job would be the lowest-then it hit me.

          It wasn't the job any woman could possess, even though she could if she wanted, but it would be that of a man. I didn't what kind of jobs there were for a man to have. There weren't any at the top of my head, but there was one buried in the back of my mind.

          I paid attention to the newswoman again and left when the picture of Hilter and Mr. Haltford disappeared. I barged into my brother's room and saw a man sitting at the edge of his bed. They both looked at me with their fading laughs.

          "I better go," he said, seeing the serious look across my face, as he got to his feet.

          Caleb met his eyes one last time and gave him a gentle kiss. I turned away to be polite until he left and locked the door behind me. Caleb threw himself onto his bed and sighed happily. He propped his head up and watched me look at him with furrowed brows.

          "Is there anything that I can do to be of service to you, dear sister?" He said as if he were drugged.

          "There's going to be another murder," I responded instantly.

          The smile on my brother's face disappeared, and he sat up to be leveled-eye with me. "What? How do you know this?"

          "'Number One'," I repeated. "That's his clue. That was his first murder, and there is going to be another one, I know it." I began pacing across the room. "The body was found and examined. It was recognized to be Madam President's husband. Now, if Hilter was smart at all, he would avoid killing anymore husbands that belong to any more Government Official to prevent creating a pattern. He wouldn't kill an actual Government Official, because he knows it's a suicide ticket. So, rather kill another Government Official's husband, he is going to target someone of a low job."

          "Why wouldn't Hilter kill them all together?" My eyebrows automatically furrowed towards his stupidity. "You know, mass murder?"

          I shook my head. "It's too messy. He's making it clear and obvious."