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twelve stories to her death? And before that, seen fit to humiliate her with a
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dog leash?
Each one of you watching this film is guilty of murder. Each one of you is
as guilty as your cowardly president. As guilty as your congress and your
lying secretary of defense. Certainly as guilty as the pathetic American and
British soldiers who defile my streets and kill my people, because you believe
that you own the world.
And now, you will pay with your lives. The blood of Americans will be
spilled in America this time. Blood that I will spill myself. Make no mistake,
there is much that one man can do. Just as none of you are innocent,now none
of you are safe .
The man got up and approached the camera, staring out at us as if he could
see right into the den. Then he beamed with the most horrific smile. A second
later, the screen went back to static.
Christ, Sampson said into the ensuing silence. What the hell was that
crazy piece of shit? Who was that maniac?
Just as Bree was reaching for the stop button, another image came up on the
screen.
A double feature, said Sampson. Man believes in giving us our money s
worth, anyway.
Chapter 16
AT FIRST, IT WAS A BLUR someone standing in front of the camera. When he
stepped back, we saw that it was the same man, only now dressed in plain green
coveralls and a black baseball cap that saidMO .
The scene was obviously Tess Olsen s living room.Today . Mrs. Olsen was in
the background on all fours, naked and visibly trembling. Her mouth was taped
shut. And around her neck was the red dog leash.
He had filmed everything, playing to an audience the whole time he was here.
The feeling in the den went from bad to a lot worse. The killer or the
terrorist, as I d already begun to think of him approached Tess Olsen. He
pulled hard on the leash, and she struggled to her feet. The woman was sobbing
uncontrollably. Possibly she knew what was going to happen now.Did that mean
she knew the killer? How would she know him? Because of a book she was
writing? What was her latest project ?
Seconds later, the man had pulled her out on the terrace. He first peeled,
then ripped the tape off her mouth. We couldn t hear much from this
distance not until he grabbed Mrs. Olsen and hung her over the edge. Then her
piercing screams reached the camera s microphone, which was set up maybe
twenty feet away.
All the while, the killer kept checking over his shoulder, looking toward the
camera every few seconds.
See that? How he moved back into the frame? Bree said. He wasn t just
putting on a show for the crowd on the street. This was meant for us as
well for whoever found the tape, anyway. Look at the bastard s face. Now he
was smiling. Even from this distance, his eerie grin was clear and
unmistakable.
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The next few seconds seemed to stretch on forever, as I m sure they did for
Tess Olsen. He pulled her back inside and then set her down on the floor.Did
she think there would be a reprieve? That she was to be spared ? Her shoulders
heaved once, then she began to cry again. A minute or so later, he brought her
out on the terrace again.
Here it comes, Bree said gravely. I don t want to watch this. But she
did. We all did.
The killer was a powerful man, probably over six feet tall and well built. He
shocked me by lifting Tess Olsen like a barbell, straight up over his head. He
looked back at the camera one more time Yes, you bastard, we re watching then
winked and threw her off the balcony.
My God, Bree whispered. Did he just wink at us?
He didn t leave the terrace, though. Or the picture frame. I could see by the
angle of his head that he wasn t looking straight down to where she fell. He
was looking out at his audience, at the people down on the street. He was
taking chances that he didn t need to take.
In the scheme of things, that was good for us. Maybe that s how we d find
him, catch this bastard. Because he was reckless and liked to preen in front
of an audience.
Then I analyzed my own thought: We,not they,were going to get this
sonofabitch .
And then, the killer spoke to the camera, and this was the eeriest part of
all. You can try to capture me, he said, but you will fail . . . Dr.
Cross.
Sampson, Bree, and I turned to one another. John and I were speechless, and
all Bree could manage was Holy shit, Alex.
Ready or not, I was back in the game.
Chapter 17 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]