Chapter 16. The Merchpant of Hapiness

I asked Samuel if he had found a place to stay and waited for his response.

"Mm... No, I haven't even looked yet," he said.

I sighed and offered him to stay with me, as it was already late at night.

"Since it's late, I suggest you stay with me. Besides, I live alone now," I said.

"I won't refuse your offer then," he said.

We got into the car and drove to my house in silence. As we drove, I thought about many things, until memories of her flooded my mind. We had been separated for six months now. Even yesterday, she had asked for some time apart.

I opened the door and walked in. As always, the atmosphere in my house was gloomy and lonely. Every time I came home, I felt even more shattered than anywhere else. A home without her was just a forgotten place where I merely slept, but this time I came home with him. Although I wouldn't say I was glad about it.

Taking off my shoes, I instinctively threw my jacket and sat on the couch, turning on my laptop. There were dozens of unread emails in my inbox. I opened a few and skimmed through them quickly. Mostly, they were newsletters and a few emails from my family. I read them, scrolling down until I reached an email from yesterday's guy, or rather a bastard who had killed an innocent girl with a smile.

My hand tensed up, as did my whole body. I remembered yesterday's scene, which was now mixed with the feelings of the place where bloody rituals were held. I was already trembling with the tension that had gripped me.

I carefully opened the email, which had the subject of rats. The word "rats" was written in capital letters. To me, it looked bloody, although I could clearly see the black color of the letters. My face tensed up as I looked down at the email. I yelled out a curse before slamming my laptop shut.

After completing everything, I noticed Samuel sitting across from me on the armchair, watching my angry face. "What's wrong, James?" he asked.

"I don't remember if I told you or not, but yesterday I received a letter with the subject 'Doll.' The bastard dismembered a girl, cutting her up to the skin. And then this monster sent me another letter, with the subject 'Rats,'" I said, holding back my rage.

"Is this by any chance the Happiness Dealer?" he asked.

"What the hell is the Happiness Dealer?! Do you know this bastard?!" I yelled.

"He's been sending these letters for a long time, but I'm surprised he's sending them to you as well," Samuel said.

"For a long time?! And you still haven't caught him? How many people has he killed already?" I shouted my questions.

"Calm down, James. He does it once every few weeks, recording it on video and later sending it to his buyers. The videos you received were recorded a long time ago, and you can expect at least 20 more letters like this, if not more. His favorite pastime is to taunt the police, especially my group. He mocks us with this, but soon I'll catch him," he said, his tone turning slightly angry at the end.

For the first time, I saw a real emotion from him. Anger, that's what I saw. This bastard had mocked his pride and arrogance, and he was angry about it. Although I understood the reason for his anger, I could never accept it. I was angry because of my powerlessness to help those he kills, while he was angry because of his worthless pride. That's what I thought at that moment.

While I was thinking about this, Samuel's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I wanted to ask where I could get a job," he said.

"First, explain what's in that video," I said, as if trying to understand if he was lying to me.

"You could take a look for yourself," he said.

"I don't want to see that filth, but can you tell me briefly what's there?" I replied.

"Rats, right?" he clarified.

"Yes, the Rat theme, and this time written in big letters. As if purposely emphasizing them even more," I answered.

"He'll show how he kills a bound victim with rats, which start eating the victim through small cuts on the body. The victim is a man, approximately 40 years old. We still haven't figured out who he is," he said.

"It disgusts me that you're not even trying to catch him right now, but I'm also grateful for your help in my city. I hope you catch this bastard, because of him I saw something I haven't seen in all my time working in this city's police force. I had even forgotten that such animals exist among us," I said.

"I'm glad you're grateful for something, but as I already said, I'll catch him, even if it takes more time than catching your psycho," he said.

"But I would like to repeat my question, where can I get a job? I need to unpack my things, start reviewing the clues in this case, and also work with my team," he said.

"Aren't you going to lie down?" I asked him.

"I'm not sleeping, although technically I am sleeping, but only for half an hour at best. As you can see, I always look tired because of this, but that's the only way I can catch them," he said.

"I'll clear everything off the table and you can settle here. Also, if you do end up sleeping, you can lie on that couch," I said, pointing to the couch in the corner of the room.

"Thank you," he said, picking up his bag.

"Do you need my help?" I asked. "I believe I can reflect on this matter with you, as I was with you today and have already pointed out several things."

"I'm going to take a look at the videos from various parts of the city. If you want, you can join me. You have access, right?" he asked.

"Since you got permission today, yes. I can connect to the database," I replied.

"Then take a look at the latest locations from various cameras. Perhaps we will come across someone, and I will look at the lists of temples in this city, as well as the lists of drone owners, dangerous believers, and animal sellers. After all, someone was selling animals for these rituals. I doubt they were buying them dead," he said.

"I hope we find the bastard who is terrorizing my city," I said, burying myself in my laptop, which thankfully remained intact after that blow.