A Dangerous Life (EDITING)

Chapter Four

My heart stops beating. I have become paralyzed. I can't believe what I am seeing with my own eyes. I should have known. 

She wasn't only the love of his life. She was also his therapist! 

"Collin! I got something in the bedroom! You're gonna want to see this!" I yell, scanning the page over and over again. 

Dear Faith Lynne Kingsley, 

I know this may seem awkward. It may even seem a little bit wrong, considering you're my therapist. But I feel like I need you. I need you like the ocean needs waves. I need you like the bee needs pollen. I need you like the galaxy needs stars. Faith, you understand me like no one else. All the other girls are frightened of me. They don't understand what I went through. They don't understand how I think. But you, Faith, you know how I work. You know everything about me, including my deepest secrets. You know how I am wired. Hell, you even know me better than I know myself. I can trust you. I can confide in you. Most importantly, I can love you. I can love you like no other. 

Faith, please give me a chance to show you how I can love. Please give me a chance to show you how fixed I am. I know I can make your life adventurous and bold. I know I can make your life even more lovable.  Faith, please. Just give me one chance. You will not regret it.

Love,
Your Daniel Maxie Luderock (The future husband of Faith Lynn Kingsley).

Faith Kingsley was a therapist? That never showed up in any of the records that Grace had pulled from the database. Was she off-record? Was her degree erased from the system, if she has one? Or was she just someone who listened to his problems? Give him some friendly advice? 

On another note, Daniel seemed so sure he would be Faith's wife... or was he that obsessed? That delusional? Schizophrenia? 

"What do you have there? A note? With burn marks?" Collin asks, gently grasping the note. 

I study his eyes as he reads the sheet of paper. He squints, and when he squints his forehead scrunches up. He's already trying to determine what Faith Kingsley truly was and why Daniel refers to her as his therapist. If anyone could figure the answer out before me, it would be Collin. He knows everything.

"So the next step would be to ask Daniel about Faith. Clearly, they knew each other. So there's something worth finding out between the two." Collin blandly states as he runs his fingers down the burn marks on the paper. 

The burn marks... Did he try to burn the letter before he gave it to her? Did she try to burn the letter, but couldn't bring herself to it? Another jealous man? Anything is possible.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

"Collin."  

A few seconds of silence fills the room of our victim.

"Thanks, doctor." Collin hangs up.

"Alright, so our victim is for sure Faith Lynn Kingsley. The interesting piece of information is that these stab wounds were self-inflicted, based on the angles they entered the body. The doctor said that the chances of this still being a murder case is high, considering these wounds could have been forced. The unsub could have done it as a forensic countermeasure. Or they simply get off on self-infliction. I mean, they basically would have pointed a weapon at Faith, and watch her essentially kill herself." Collin spits. Oh that Collin. He is always full of ideas, but not just any ideas. Not subpar ideas or unreachable ideas. He rather produces viable ideas. 

I bring my mind back to the victim.

Stab wounds that are self-inflicted? Something is not adding up. Why would such a sweet and innocent young woman stab herself so many times? Why would she be Daniel's therapist? 

"I think we're done searching here. It's time to go ask Daniel some more questions, back at the office." Collin blurts, as he tilts his neck back and forth, letting out four loud cracks. Oh, the familiar sound of a neck breaking.

I close my eyes and count to three. 

One... Two... Three...

And I take a deep breath. Before I start to head out with the rest of the crew, and scan the apartment one last time, to make sure nothing was missed. If Faith was my therapist and I was madly in love with her, where would I hide more evidence? Did I burn it? Did I lock it up? Did I store everything inside my mind? 

I start to make my way out of the apartment, along with Justin and Collin. While they're discussing different vocabulary words, bucolic and bungalow, I brainstorm about what questions we need to ask. Why were you in love with Faith? Was she a real therapist for you? Was she just a friend? Were you ever jealous of her? Were you ever jealous of another man she might have associated with? 

"Let's load up and head back to the station. We will question Daniel there since it'll be slightly more comfortable. It will also get him to think that we didn't find anything if we don't drill him right away. Hopefully, it will catch him off guard." This time, it's Justin that's leading us to a plan. Justin? A leader? Now that's what I call a joke. 

Justin, Collin, and I all hop into the SUV, one by one.  After the last one buckles their seatbelt, we begin to take off toward the station. 

Oh Daniel, you better have a damn good lead for us.