Chapter 154: A Fitting Timeline

"I'll rip your eyes out if you try to touch me," she hissed. Her lips curled up over her teeth and she sneered.

"Oh?" I took the challenge. I moved the chair right beside her and touched her arm. "You can't do a thing, can you?" I asked. "You were never able to do anything on your own."

"What do you mean?"

"Something about me made you think would interest that lover of yours, didn't you? That's why you took me," I emphasized. She stared and then shook her head. "How did you get our address? There is no way you could have followed Charlie Lewis. The man looked over his shoulder more often than a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder. You didn't tail him and his address was a government secret. How?"

Her lips trembled as I squeezed her hand.

I got a sick pleasure from the flinch she gave. By no means was my pressure enough to hurt her or leave marks, but the fear that I would damage her was enough to scare her out of her wits.

"It wasn't confidential. He had no problem getting the location without being spotted." I could distinctly tell that she was holding back. And I didn't expect anything less from her.

"Let me guess, he made you think that he was this high and mighty being who could get any information he wanted with the snap of his fingers. That, even though you didn't wear gloves and left evidence all over the crime scenes, no one would catch you because he would make it disappear. He's not that good, you know?" The last part was whispered by me.

Her eyes widened. "You didn't do a single murder on your own. He inspired you… forced you to commit them and he told you that he had the power to make all traces leading to you disappear." I chuckled. "But that was not true. Charlie Lewis sniffed out every little detail and traced it back to you, didn't he?"

"He was lucky," she hissed.

"There is no such thing as luck in investigations, Alicia. It's experience and evidence that talk and give definite answers. That lover of yours wasn't half as good as he thought. He was new to this… just like you… and you knew he wasn't that good because my father was going to catch you."

I shook my head. "That's why you got rid of me. You probably told him that you wanted to threaten or frighten him. But then when you killed him, you knew he would be furious. So, you took me back. You took me back because he would find me and my background fascinating."

I looked deeply into her eyes and spouted the story that came to my mind. From the panic in them, I could tell that I was close to the truth. So close that Alicia was struggling.

"What about my background could have intrigued him?" I wondered. "Maybe he had a father in the government or a mother who kept the family together. Maybe it was a major difference in how we were brought up despite the similar circumstances that made me the ideal lab rat… maybe he thought of me as a soul mate because despite being loved and cherished, I had a darker side to me."

It was the truth. I could see it in his eyes.

"You placed me right in front of him… on your own accord and you axed your own foot."

Alicia nodded. "I shouldn't have let you live. It was the greatest mistake I made." She gulped. "I have a feeling that he was the one who untied you," she whispered. "He wanted me gone and he wanted to be your hero… so he let you go."

She shook her head. "And you fucking released everyone and ran. You saved them in your own twisted way and I got caught. The funny part? Even after all this time, you have no idea who he is."

I met him. I had definitely met him.

The confession gave me a few clues. He had been near me to the days leading up to my escape. Which meant, I saw him clearly because he wanted me to remember him.

The timeline fit.

Now, I needed to remember every face I came across.

"I don't remember him. Aren't you happy?" I asked.

She was humorless. "Once he sets his mind on you, he will do his best to steal you. He doesn't lose, so he will reach you soon and make you love him."

I shook my head. "He inspires people to be evil. But the choice is theirs in the end. You were susceptible to his charms, therefore you fell prey and you became useless to him. He used you as a tool to quench his bloodthirst without getting his hands bloody. Don't you get it? He might be living a comfortable life, with friends and family and even kids and you are rotting here."

The image was jarring even in my mind. "Your cells will degenerate and you will die slowly, only left to your thoughts. You must be satisfied: your urge to know how the body decomposes might just get granted. And you will feel death, confined in that small box, without anyone who cares about you. You will never see him again and he will be happy to have you gone. What do you think of that, Alicia Williams?"

Why was I so chatty? It was therapeutic. The things I wanted to say to her for so long came tumbling out of my mouth, filling her with venom and doubt about her already bleak life.

I took in a cleansing breath. "Or, you could condemn him and make him rot here with you. You can watch him slowly die… right beside you." I tilted my head.

No, there was no love between Alicia and the man. She found someone perfect to obsess over and he used her for his pleasure. If she loved him, the frightening gleam of happiness at the thought of condemning him to jail and her hatred would not have overcome her. Instead, she would have been devastated.

"I don't know if his identity is real. But he is around Dr. Butler's age. His father is a man of power and his mom is a good-old housewife who has no idea the spawns of the devil reside under her roof," she laughed. "I don't know anything else."

I raised a brow. "What did you call him?"

She had clammed up.

"Aren't you a great detective? Find him yourself. Once he is inside, I want to tell him I had no hand in him getting caught. I can't lie to him, you see…" she trailed off and her laughter grew louder and louder.

I got up from my seat and dragged it to the farthest corner.

As I left the room, I saw Sebastian leaning against the wall already.

"Are you okay?" Was the first thing he asked.

I nodded. "I feel… unburdened. Like I am finally free from her clutches." I looked at the bright light hanging from the ceiling. "It is like I had my wings injured and didn't dare to fly… like I couldn't dream to be happy because I knew it would hurt if I tried. But now, seeing her, I know that the wound was in the past."

Sebastian smiled. "I don't know if I should be upset that you are speaking in metaphors or not," he breathed.

The superintendent looked ashamed as he made his way to me. "I am so sorry, I didn't make the connection." Which was stupid. "I slipped out your name and led to trouble."

I shook my head. "It's fine. I didn't intend on her finding out who I was, but the results of her knowing my identity brought me more information than I anticipated." And it liberated me. "And please don't be frightened. I don't hurt people I interrogate. I have a grudge against that woman in there. She killed my family and tortured me for seven months."

The man nodded nervously. "You have every right," he said quickly.

"I'll trust you not to let the word spread that she spoke about an accomplice," Sebastian interjected, a warning clear in his voice.

"Dr. Butler. I will ask everyone to not speak of the matter," he tried to please.

"I also want the list of guards who have been on duty over the years," I said quickly.

Sebastian's eyes sparkled. "Yes, do you mind giving us the list?" he asked. "It would be better if you could help us identify someone. We are looking for a man around my age, with powerful allies. He should have an average appearance and gets along with people easily. Can you think of anyone?"

The superintendent scratched his head. "We didn't have anyone with powerful parents of family and your description matches most of the recruits over the years."

Sebastian went silent. "It means he was hiding his family," he told me.

I nodded. "Anyone who spoke of an overbearing father? Maybe they hated their father or missed him. Like an obsession with a male figure?" I prompted. "And a lack of female partners," I added.

"All the delinquents and people looking for a power trip come here. Your description matches most of the prison guards. No one stands out… but I will give you the records."

"I want everyone's name," Sebastian pressed. "Even if the person worked for a few hours or works part-time, I want to know."

I smiled.