Target
The TV screen flashed back to the police captain, who spoke vaguely about some bodies being found in a backyard.
Breathing heavily, the man twisted his napkin so tightly, his skin caught in it. He threw it on the coffee table and swore.
They knew about his graveyard.
But the question was, how much did they know? Had they stumbled upon one of the sets of twins? Or had they found a bunch of the bodies? All of them, even?
This was bad. Very bad. Not only were they going to take his treasures away, but that home would be under surveillance for quite some time.
He wouldn’t be able to return to visit his prizes.
They were used to him coming and soothing them. He liked returning to make them feel better, even though they weren’t alone. They had each other. He’d given them plenty of others for company underground. But they liked his visits.
It was something he could feel in his bones.
What would he do now? He hadn’t given any of his treasures another resting place. They were all together at the house.
The man got up and paced, watching the news coverage. They either weren’t saying much, or they didn’t know any more than the police captain had said on camera.
Maybe there was a chance they had only found a handful of the treasures. He could hold onto the hope of returning someday, even if it wouldn’t be as soon as he wanted.
It might be time to start anew. He was running out of places to bury his prizes, anyway.
This was clearly a sign, maybe directly from his precious treasures themselves. They were warning him.
They didn’t want him to get caught. To get into trouble. They loved him as much as he loved them.
He stopped pacing and flipped through the channels, looking for more coverage. Maybe another station was saying more. He stopped at the first one, but there was nothing new.
He plopped on the couch and checked social media for more information. Everyone was an armchair detective these days. Someone had probably posted findings that weren’t being released officially.
But there was nothing other than what the news stations were saying. There were theories flying around, but they were obviously the ramblings of attention-seekers. Nothing more. No truth to any of them.
So far, he was the only one who knew what was really on that property. He intimately knew the stories of each of the girls. Despite the years, the decades, that had passed, no detail escaped him. In fact, he knew them more now than before. He’d relived every glorious moment time and time again in vivid detail.
It was so tempting to post something. To prove to everyone how wrong their pathetic theories were. But that would do no good. He would only out himself and get arrested.
Then what? No more treasures. No more sweet prizes.
No. What he needed was a plan—and to stick with it. His best option would be to follow the case as closely as possible. Maybe even volunteer somehow to see if he could find out what the authorities knew but weren’t saying to the public. Keep your enemies close, and all that.
His hands shook. The tremors moved up his arms and throughout his body. His stomach heaved and a wave of desire ran through him.
He hadn’t been planning to find his next treasure for a few months, but now with the latest developments, he needed a fix. He couldn’t wait that long.
He shook harder, desire pulsating through him like a drum.
Problem was, he needed to be more careful than ever. One misstep, and he’d find himself on death row. The fact that he’d buried all his prizes in the same place meant they could tie him to them all.
If they caught him.
He would have to make sure they never would.
So far, he’d been careful enough not to get caught. Now he would need to be twice as cautious. It wouldn’t be long before the cops figured out he found his treasures out of the area and brought them back with him.
Once they made that discovery, they would know to keep an eye out far and wide. Every other city where he’d gotten his prizes would be keeping a lookout, too.
He would either have to go farther away or somewhere new entirely. Going into Canada had been the perfect cover until they tightened the borders. Though he still might be able to get across in the vast woodlands.
No. It wasn’t worth the risk. He needed to stay within the bounds of the country.
The tremors grew more intense, until he could hardly breathe.
He needed to find a new prize soon. Now.
Desire twisted and squeezed his insides. He would have to be extra careful, but he didn’t have time to put into the pursuit that he usually did—and that was at least half the thrill.
The man went back to his phone and scrolled through random people on social media. People in the surrounding states who posted public pictures of their kids. Nearby cities. Maybe closer would be better this time since he needed a quick fix.
He saved several who looked like good options and kept searching until he had close to a dozen prospects. Then he narrowed them down to people who had posted photos with the location embedded into them.
That only cut out three from his list.
Next, he narrowed it down further by choosing the ones who posted everything. They would be the easiest to track their schedules.
Three were just outside an area he knew well. If one didn’t work, that would leave him with two others in the same general area.
Perfect.
Now it was time to hit the road and find his next treasure.