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AS HUTCH TRIED TO FORCE the vision to reappear, her body reacted to the impending terror with a shiver of premonition darting down her spine. Her body quivered as she forced herself to watch a sight she desperately wanted to escape.
Ledet watched as Hutch writhed in the chair as she relived the hellish vision. Her face was a mask of confusion that wavered between the fear that threatened to consume her and her own inner strength. She gripped the arms of her chair tightly and caused her knuckles to protrude through her tightening skin. He watched as Mike paced. It must be horrible to witness the violent attacks, but it had to be painful to watch as the woman you loved relived the visions repeatedly. This last attack was so violent that Hutch felt it would be better if she relived the vision in front of others just in case she missed something.
Her eyes and mouth opened wide in terror and for a moment, Ledet feared that she gave into that terror. Sweat beaded on top of her forehead as her eyes narrowed and stared into the vision. Her mouth moved in a silent expression; her breath barely made its way out. They waited impatiently for her to speak. “I’m not sure what I see. It’s just images, shadows really.”
Her skin paled as Hutch wove a story of fear, horror and pain well beyond anything Ledet could have ever imagined. As she spoke about the blind terror the victim felt and the rage the killer displayed, the air in the room changed. The fury the killer displayed was more than he had ever shown in the past.
Even though Hutch knew she was safe, the fear that filled the room consumed them. They all felt as helpless as the victims.
Mike took Hutch’s hands in his, “Grace, listen to me. Look at him. Really look at him.”
Tears spilled from her face. The scenario was exactly like the last. She gasped for air as the knife plunged into the victim’s body repeatedly. Sweat beads formed on her forehead as she felt the pain, “He is viciously stabbing her. There is blood everywhere. Her screams echo throughout the night sky. She’s losing consciousness.” Mike felt Hutch’s hands quiver underneath his, and he squeezed them a little harder. “I’m trying to get her to look up at him, but she keeps slipping back into the darkness. Wait, hold on, I see his face. He is wearing the same white mask once again. All I see is his cold, black eyes. There is only rage in them. I feel so cold when I look into his eyes. There is no joy inside of him.”
Without warning, her head dropped heavily against her heaving chest. She took in a sharp intake of air, “I’m inside of him now. He’s staring down at her; he is breathing hard. He gets up and heads back to his car.”
Her body shook violently. The vision was coming to an end. She squinted hard trying to make out his car. “Wait, he’s mumbling something. I can’t tell what he is saying though.”
Mike asked, “What is he saying Grace. Try to concentrate.”
“His voice is too distorted. I can’t hear it well. It’s as if he is chanting.”
Ledet told her, “Focus on the car.”
“I’m trying to see the car, but the vision is fading.” Her body tensed so hard Ledet thought it would lock her joints. Her teeth ground against one another. Her face seemed to distort in front of them; she became almost unrecognizable. Once more, she slumped into the chair. Mike handed her a bottle of water. She drank from it greedily. She was emotionally and physically drained. She wiped the tears from her eyes. She hated showing weakness in front of her fellow coworkers, but it was hard not to let the emotions take over your body when having such an intense vision.
Ledet plopped down on a chair in the room, trying to curtail the savagery that ate at his soul. He was angry at the lack of details once again.
These killings would continue to happen until they stopped him for good. They just couldn’t do it with what they knew so far. It wasn’t Hutch’s fault, and he didn’t want her to think she wasn’t doing her part.
The silence in the room spoke volumes. It was several minutes before a word was said. Alex walked over to Hutch, “Can you do me a favor and tell me what you felt during this vision?”
She looked up at him in confusion, “What do you mean by what I felt?”
“I know there is something there. When you were inside his mind, you were on the verge of something. It was as if he knew you were inside of his mind and he tried to block you out.”
Hutch shook her head, “I’ve tried to put a name to the feeling when I am inside of him, but I just can’t define it. It is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t place it.”
“What about the chanting?”
“It’s as if he sees the ghosts and tries to get them to leave him alone. There is another presence there, one that terrifies him.”
Alex informed them, “I am certain that he is killing the same person repeatedly. He uses these women by proxy. It is not uncommon for a serial killer to have a problem with their mother or another woman who played a significant role in his life.”
Ledet agreed, “It’s still too vague though. We can only speculate without more to go on.”
Alex agreed. It wouldn’t be long before the town was drenched in horror and blood if this killer was not caught.
Mike informed them, “I am going to get Hutch back home. She’s exhausted and needs to rest.”
***
AS ALEX WATCHED THEM leave, he hoped Hutch could break through whatever barrier the killer put up that kept her from getting inside of his mind. He saw enough violent crimes to know that uncontrolled emotion, such as those displayed by this killer would cause him to make a mistake sooner or later. The outcomes were usually never good. Right now, they could only hope and pray it was sooner rather than later.
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