HE STEPPED back into the darkness, smiling at his own handiwork. The nurse had deserved to die, and his police band radio told him all he needed to know. Granted, he had thought that it would take longer for the authorities to find the body, but still, he was sure it was in bad enough shape that they were going to have a difficult time figuring out what had happened. Not that it mattered; he hadn’t left any evidence. He was confident of that.
Taking a few more steps back, he turned and continued deeper into the shadows. “Hey!” a police officer called, and he stilled, turning around. “What are you doing here?” The officer came closer.
Keep calm. “I saw all the lights and wandered over.” He pointed across the street to an apartment building. “It looks like you found something.” He forced a yawn and turned away, trying to keep his face in the darkness.
“You need to keep back,” the officer said as he stepped closer. “I’d suggest that you just go home and stay there,” the officer said, and he nodded. There was nothing more he could do here, and his curiosity was satisfied.
“I’ll do that. You have a good night.” He turned away and walked over the berm and out toward the building. His heart raced, and he had to stop himself from running. Keep calm! Don’t draw any suspicion. Yes, the body had been found, and that meant he needed to move on to his ultimate goal as quickly as possible. He just had to eliminate the last obstacle, and then Phillip would truly be his. But how?
His patience was coming to an end. Besides, one thing was becoming clear: the longer he continued, the greater the chance that he was going to be caught. Granted, he was gifted at covering his tracks, and as far as he knew, no one had even begun to put together everything he’d done. That alone was brilliant on his part. He reached his car and got in, shutting the door quickly to keep the lights off, and then slowly pulled out of the lot and away from the scene. His heart rate returned to normal even as his foot became heavier and his hands gripped the wheel tighter.
Phillip was his and always had been. And though there was one last obstacle in his way, thanks to patience and a little luck, he knew exactly where he could find him—or more importantly, find the one person closest to him. It was a matter of time before he showed up there, and then Barry Malone would be no more. And then it would be easy, with Phillip emotionally weak and vulnerable, for him to swoop in and pick up the pieces. Phillip would love him then. It was inevitable.