Watch Me (Jefferson Winter 2) by James Carol

Author:James Carol [Carol, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Crime Thriller
ISBN: 9780571302789
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2014-08-04T23:00:00+00:00

36

The guesthouse was quiet when we got back, so quiet I was beginning to wonder if I was the only guest. Except for Hannah, I hadn’t seen any other signs of life. The overhead lights cast a dim glow on the red and white chessboard floor. Long-dead movie stars stared down at us from the walls.

Taylor and Hannah had started arguing and bickering back at Dan Choat’s place. They’d kept this up all the way to Morrow Street and were still going at it now. They’d tried to drag me in a couple of times, but gave up when they realised I was ignoring them. There was something almost comical about the way they stood there toe-to-toe. Taylor towered over Hannah by at least a foot, but she was standing her ground, hands on hips and not giving an inch.

‘The unsub’s rattled.’

That halted them in their tracks. They stopped looking at each other and turned to face me.

‘The big question is why,’ I went on. ‘Why did the unsub feel it was necessary to present us with a viable suspect? And why did he chicken out with his grand reveal? He had everything and everyone in place, and then, at the last second, nothing. It was a total anti-climax.’

Taylor and Hannah were still staring, neither saying a word in case they got the wrong answer.

‘What’s the matter? You both had plenty to say in the car, and now nothing?’

Silence.

‘Okay, let’s look at this from a different perspective. Imagine you’re the unsub. You’ve spent years fantasising and planning. You’ve gone over everything again and again and again, rehearsing what you’re going to do, checking for loose ends. Eventually you reach a point where you’ve done all the planning you can stand and it’s time to take that fantasy and turn it into reality. But you don’t make your move just yet. Once you step over the line, there’s no going back. You’re pretty sure how things are going to play out, but pretty sure isn’t the same as absolutely certain. So you wait a little longer, driving yourself crazy with the anticipation. And then, when you really can’t stand it any longer, that’s when you make your move.’

I went over to the counter and dinged the brass bell. B-flat, but ever so slightly sharp.

‘Okay, folks, fingers on buzzers. Last night our unsub finally put his plan into action. This morning he would have woken up feeling like he was the king of the world. Yet tonight he’s improvising like crazy and making mistakes left right and centre.’

‘Making mistakes?’ Hannah asked.

‘Chickening out of his grand reveal was a mistake because it shows uncertainty, and uncertainty implies weakness. Dan Choat was a mistake, too, because if he thinks I’m dumb enough to buy that then it shows he’s seriously underestimated me. So here’s my question: considering that this guy has gone through all the variables a million times, what’s changed? What’s the rogue variable that’s come into play here?’

Hannah and Taylor looked at each other, then at me.

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