Psychocriminalist Chapter 9

Suddenly, a noise came from the room. Derek's police instincts kicked in.

"There's someone else in the house."

With the knife in hand, he walked into the room, following the sound to the wardrobe.

He knocked on the wardrobe door first. Sure enough, a sound came from inside.

I walked into the room. Derek signaled me to stay quiet, which I did. I guessed Liam was toying with him.

Derek tentatively and slowly opened the wardrobe door and saw the hidden door connecting my apartment to the one across the hall.

He looked at me in shock. I returned the same expression.

He paused, then turned toward the hidden door.

I quickly walked up behind him and injected an anesthetic into his neck.

He instantly went limp and collapsed.

I looked up and exchanged a smile with Liam on the other side of the hidden door.

At 11:30 PM on the 24th, Derek woke up.

His hands and feet were tied in the wardrobe. He struggled constantly, the sound of his body hitting the closet door drawing me in.

I opened the door.

He was clearly shocked, staring straight at me, his eyes full of confusion.

And I was thrilled.

"Chloe?" His tone held both questions and fear.

"Yes."

Liam dragged two stools in from outside and handed me one: "Sit."

"You've been in contact this whole time?" Derek said in disbelief.

I sat down casually, exhaled lightly, looked coldly at Derek's predicament, and said coolly, "Law enforcement prodigy, tell me your theory."

Derek was quiet for a few seconds, staring at me the whole time. His eyes held no malice, just disbelief.

His Adam's apple trembled slightly: "Today is the 24th, or rather it's already the 25th, so I'm the eighth victim, your Number 8."

I stared at him, smiled slightly, and shook my head: "No, you're Number 10."

"What?"

"I said, you're Number 10. The tenth person I've killed."

"You've killed others that the police haven't discovered?"

"Mm-hmm." I turned my head toward Liam proudly.

"Chloe," Derek shouted. I stood up, glared at him, and shouted back, "I'm not called Chloe."

Derek was even more confused.

Liam tapped his watch: "24 minutes left."

"Your 'law enforcement prodigy' is nothing special."

Derek gradually calmed down: "This was all planned by you?"

"Of course."