Page 37 of Unhinged Cain

CAIN

The cleaning cart’s wheels rattled as I pushed the large plastic thing down the hall. It always amazed me how, when given the right outfit and circumstance, a person could blend in just about anywhere and not raise suspicion. I had to admit, though, that even for me, this was the biggest risk I’d ever taken, and the thrill was a little intoxicating.

I finished changing out the full garbage bag in the hall across from Kirby’s class. It was about to start, and I saw her out of the corner of my eye as she made her way inside. More students filed in, and leaving the cart where it was, I walked into the darkened classroom almost the same time that Kirby’s mother, Margaret Lawson, did. The alleged super agent didn’t know she was only a few feet away from the man she was hunting, and I smirked at the thought. I’d seen her photo in the news, and her name was always mentioned when they found mine or Abel’s bodies. I looked the woman over. Kirby looked nothing like her mother.

Kirby had a ton of helpful information on her phone, like her conversation with her mother about how her investigation was going with the Chameleon Killer case. It really was a catchy name. Margaret didn’t reveal much other than the name of her new partner, an agent Hanson, but it didn’t matter. It just made this entire situation that much sweeter. I was going to take Kirby, and I could only imagine the frantic outcry from her mother when her daughter disappeared into thin air. Or would she? They didn’t seem to have a good relationship. All the texts I read were cold as if they’d been sent between two strangers rather than a mother and daughter.

“Welcome, everyone,” Margaret started as I moved toward the silver can at the back of the room.

I made sure to keep my head down, and as the lights went out, I stood among the shadows to see this super agent at work. Kirby was sitting off to the side and halfway down the steep auditorium seating, but she was perfectly positioned for me to watch her. I needed to keep a close eye on my slippery little bunny.

Her mother didn’t know it yet, but Kirby was trying to run off to another country, and that was something I simply couldn’t allow. My cloned version of her phone showed that she called her dad in England, and she tried to purchase a plane ticket after the call. Unfortunately, as soon as Kirby finished placing the order for the flight, I immediately clicked on the confirmed purchase link and canceled the reservation. I was highly entertained by envisioning the look on her face as she continued to receive canceled notifications. I’d been even more amused when the credit card company froze her card. But I couldn’t stop her father from buying her a ticket, so I needed to get my Sunshine in a cage before that happened.

Sorry Sunshine, but you’re not sprinting off that easily. I have big plans for you.

“Today, I’m going to put up images on an unsolved case, and I want you to tell me what you see,” Margaret said to the class as the first image appeared on the massive screen.

I turned my gaze from Kirby to the screen and sucked in a deep breath as my cock stirred in my pants. The image on the screen was mine. Well, it wasn’t one of my photos, I took much better photos than the flat and unimaginative one on the screen, but it was one of my kills.

The image was of a woman I’d left leaning up against a tree with her arms pinned above her head. The artwork I’d carved into her body was that of a ballet dancer with flower petals falling around her. I’d taken the time to sew her eyes shut, so it looked like she was sleeping, but you could tell by the slightly concave look of her eyelids that she was missing her eyeballs. I remembered this kill clearly, but I remembered them all in HD-like detail.

“What do you see,” Margaret asked and pointed to a random guy in the front row.

“The body looks clean, so I’d say they are methodical, and they have a large ego, or they wouldn’t display the body for everyone to see,” he said, and my lip twitched at the pathetic response. I should put the FBI out of their misery and permanently remove him from the class.

“What about the image on the body?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s someone that wanted to be an artist and feels scorned and takes out their frustration on their victim.”

Margaret tapped her finger on the wooden podium. “Interesting, but I don’t think that is what our killer is saying.”

Margaret pointed to someone else, and I leaned back against the wall and crossed my arms as each one of the students she pointed to tried to come up with their own hypothesis for what and why I did certain things with my art.

“Kirby, what do you think?”

I perked up and fixed my stare on her face. She looked like she’d rather be anywhere else as she squirmed in her seat. Everything she did was intriguing to me. The way she took a deep breath and straightened in her seat spoke much more about being called out by her mother rather than participating in the class itself. I wondered if this was why she was not applying herself, and I rubbed my chin as I contemplated the possibility and best to use the knowledge.

“I would say that you’re looking for a male. Someone that is skilled with a knife.”

“Is that all?” Margaret prompted.

Kirby bit her lip as she stared at the image.

“No, the killer is someone that is highly focused and kills without remorse.” She pointed to the soft bruising. “It’s also someone that didn’t just take this person for sexual pleasure, yet I’m sure the killer was aroused or even assaulted the victim. This individual sees themself as an artist and has a natural talent in expressionism. There is a dark beauty with the dancer.”

Kirby pointed at the screen.

“Her movements are elegant, but her face is drawn like she may have been an ugly personality or wearing a mask. So I would think that this person had secrets, maybe wasn’t a good person, but all those around her thought she was wonderful and perfect.”

My lip curled up as Kirby continued to speak.

“The body was left in a well-trafficked area. That building in the background is near a park downtown, but I’m assuming no one saw anything?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then he is someone that is local and probably has been local his whole life. He knows how to blend in and most likely works a job we see him doing daily. He also knows where the cameras are and is aware of the time of day that would be optimal to leave a body without being discovered. Whoever did this is highly intelligent and someone that is taking pride in the fact that we, as the FBI, haven’t found him yet when he is right under our nose. Maybe he has even shaken our hands.”

A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth as she finished speaking. I heard a student close to me snort. Finding him, I became irritated when he crossed his arms over his chest.