Chapter 5: Luck or No Luck

I was staring at Samuel, feeling a boiling rage and despair inside me. I couldn't believe that someone could commit such cruel actions, playing with the lives of other people so mercilessly. But if our suspicion is correct, then it's even more horrifying. We're searching for a killer, but it could be just a puppet, and someone behind the scenes is pulling the strings, controlling all this horror.

"I agree that this is very dangerous," Samuel replied. "We need to find a way to stop this chain of murders before it's too late."

My thoughts returned to the victims. If the killer is under someone's control, who knows how many people have already died because of this madness. I couldn't even imagine how many innocent lives could still be destroyed.

"I'm afraid to think about how many victims there have already been and how many there will be," I whispered. "We need to act quickly and find suspects before they commit another horrible murder."

"If that's the case, then things are bad. The psychotype of such people confirms one thing: after their games of manipulation with the victim, they often kill their manipulated victim and then look for a new victim to manipulate," said Samuel.

"I thought the same," I said. "I'm scared to think that the potential killer could be a local resident who is being forced to kill. And if that's the case, then people who committed murders in other cities could already be dead," I said.

"Such concerns are justified," Samuel said.

"So, the circle of suspects is increasing and affecting all the residents of the city. And there are over 200,000 people living in my city. We can only hope that your team will study the video footage and choose those who have been captured on camera several times in those places," I said.

"They are already doing this. My colleagues know what to do. Since we didn't have any leads on the killer from the beginning, we're exploring all possibilities, including the possibility that a copycat killer from your city is responsible for the murders," said Samuel.

"What do we do now, considering the new possibility?" I asked. "We need to continue gathering information and hope to find a lead on the criminal while my colleagues run the data through the AI, which will filter the records and select the most suspicious and recently arrived citizens in the city. Fortunately, the AI will sort this out quickly, possibly by the time we finish our trip to the occult club," Samuel said.

I sat and pondered possible criminal profiles when Samuel spoke up, "Well, we have time for hypotheses in the meantime."

"If we assume that this bastard is a manipulator who enjoys these killings, then the profile would be a man or woman aged between 35 and 50. These monsters likely use the guise of a good Samaritan, known throughout the district for helping the needy and finding victims," I continued until Samuel interrupted me.

"We must consider the possibility that the killer may choose victims from any age group and any gender. We must also consider that manipulation of the victim may not be the only motive for the killer. For example, the killer may seek revenge for something or simply derive pleasure from the deed," Samuel said.

He started scribbling something in his notebook again, I thought to myself.

Nevertheless, if we take into account the possible identity of the manipulator, we can assume that it is a degenerate who dominates relationships and has a tendency for control. Maybe, he even possesses some psychological knowledge that helps him manipulate his victims," I said.

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In that moment, Samuel was thinking to himself, "So, if we assume that the killer is manipulating women aged 25 to 30, then it's likely a man between 30 and 40 years old, a sociopath inclined to violence and control over others. He's probably smart and cunning, capable of using various manipulation methods to achieve his goals. We can assume that the killer has a rich inner world, hidden from everyone, and may have access to various resources that allow him to plan and commit crimes without extra risks and mistakes. He probably has a higher education and knows how to cover his tracks." He listened attentively to James.

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"Anything is possible until we have accurate information," Samuel said when Emma walked in with food.

"I overheard your conversation by accident," Emma said. "I have a missing acquaintance who invited me to an occult club. He disappeared about two months ago, and I stopped going there. Is it possible that he was killed?" she asked.

"I have a list of victims that you can check, but please don't tell anyone, or you might scare off the culprit," I said.

"Unfortunately, we can't do that," Samuel interrupted me.

"But it could help both her and us, even if he's not on the list," I argued with him.

"If you think so, then maybe we'll get something," he said.

I opened my folder, pulled out the list, and handed it to her. It only took a few seconds before I heard her sobbing. My heart seemed to drop, loudly echoing with pain. I saw tears streaming down her eyes, and snot running from her nose. Her pain resonated with me.

I got up and hugged her to calm her down. She hugged me back and began to sob even harder. After a few seconds, I heard Oliver's voice.

"What's going on here? Why is she crying, James?" Oliver burst in on us.

Sobbing, she said, "Oliver, Michael...he's dead. I told you he couldn't have left me."

"I'll leave Emma in the rest room and come talk to you, James," he said.

As he left with a weeping Emma, Samuel said to me, "Now we have two civilians who can ruin my chance of catching this criminal, and I still haven't got any leads. But if you hadn't given her the list, this wouldn't have happened," he said with disappointment.

"Give her some time to calm down, and maybe we'll get some leads. Besides, Oliver might know Michael and can tell us about him," I said.