Page 12 of Once I Find You

Gabi

Weird update. Someone was found dead in their apartment this morning by their girlfriend. But…he only killed two nights ago. What’s going on? >>news.link<<

What? Already?

I click on the link, and immediately I see the face of a man at the top of the news article.

Holy shit. No way. No fucking way!

Man, Samuel Green, found dead in his apartment building. Police suspect that the assailant is “The Hangman,” a local serial⁠—

I knew it. I knew I was right. Every hour and late night I spent plotting and researching has not been for nothing. Samuel Green is a one-off for him, and he only does those right before he switches his pattern. And next on his wheel…

Me

why do you guys think he did that? It’s weird right? he’s never done this before

Gabi

Well…maybe he’s panicking. The photo really is a huge lead.

Crap! That’s right! He must be worried the police are catching up to him, so he’s rushing some of the killings now so that he can figure out what to do next.

Wait…if that’s what he’s doing, then is he going to do another quickly?

Me

thats true…but isn’t that dangerous?

Gabi

I mean, he’s clearly smart. Maybe he’s doing it for a reason. I’ll let you know if I come across anything else.

I have to spend some time preparing today. If he really is panicking and changing his pacing all of a sudden, then I don’t have a lot of time left. I can maybe figure out the following victim again if I miss this one…but it isn't a guarantee. I’m sure of this next one, though. If I don’t find him, it’ll take months to get ahead of him again, if I even can.

It’s settled.

The bus finally reaches my stop, and I head out and then into the tall building,

“Hi, I’m here for Mrs. Benedict,” I say with a smile to the receptionist. She nods and tells me she’s ready for me. I walk over to the wooden door, and knock.

“Ah, Layla, you’re early,” my therapist says with a smile as she opens her office door for me.

I walk in, heading to my usual spot on the couch. “Yeah, I was looking forward to updating you!”

“Oh?”

“I finally did it. I bit the bullet and…I bought a vibrator and I used it.”

“Wow, that’s amazing to hear! I really want you to know your sexual health starts with your mind first, being able to feel open again to pleasure is a huge accomplishment.”

I nod, letting out a relieved sigh. “Yeah, I…guess it was hard. I kind of made myself do it at first. But now I’m happy I did. I think I had built it up so much in my head that it became scary.”

“Sometimes we have to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. It’s hard, but to build your way through trauma you’re going to be uncomfortable. You’re going to be scared. That’s totally okay. Even if you end up needing more time, that’s okay too.”

“It’s just…um, I guess I…have a reason. I mean, there’s a guy I kind of like.” Is that even a good way to describe him? A guy I like? Because that doesn’t even seem worthy.

“Really? You haven’t mentioned him before,” she says as she changes her posture to a more comfortable position.