Codename: Jumping Spider [Published]

Six

Jenn stared at her reflection in the mirror, uttering a grunt when she saw the dark circles under her eyes. Then she huffed and turned away from the mirror, running her hand through her tousled black hair. As another wave of exhaustion filled her foggy mind, she put a hand to her mouth and muffled a yawn. She dragged herself out of her room and into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

She had been tossing and turning all night, but she just couldn't fall asleep. She couldn't get her mind off the case since she saw his name on the chair. That one single name was the key evidence to solving this whole mystery. Yet she found it so hard to believe her own eyes.

She had even found a few witnesses who saw the third victim, Leigh Burnham, leaving a party with a guy the night before she died. When she asked for a name, all of them gave Jenn his name.

Ray Darce.

She narrowed her eyes as the name entered her mind. She recalled the way he acted that night in the restaurant when they talked about the murders and she figured it out. So that was how he got the information. He was the devil himself. How smart of him to act dumb all this while.

However, something felt wrong about this whole thing. How was it possible for Ray to stay under the radar for so long? And what could be his motive for causing such kind of uproar around the town? There must be a missing piece, she thought firmly. But what was it?

It occurred to her suddenly that the killer used a most unique way of ending the victims' lives. Her earlier suspicion was further confirmed when she visited the crime scenes yesterday. She thought about the enclosed room in a quiet area, the chair, the victims' body with no signs of physical trauma and drug toxicity. There was only one way of killing them – using their minds against them.

However, she found it hard to understand how Ray could have managed to perform this level of hypnosis. There was no record of his taking lessons on hypnosis, nor did he leave the town for long periods to learn it. Even if he did manage to master it through the internet, it usually took many years of practice and professional guidance to be able to put people in such a deep trance. Unless, of course, he was naturally gifted in hypnosis.

Another question popped up in her mind. If Ray really was the guilty party, how was she going to bring him in? She had consulted the situation with Agent Turner and Agent Potts. According to them, a carved name on a chair was not solid evidence to be used in court to take him down. It could easily be brushed off as planted evidence. She was going to need to find stronger evidence in order to pin him for the crime in front of the judge. She was going to need a confession.

And she would get it from him.

~

Getting out of the taxi, Jenn tipped the driver, asking him to wait for her. Then she turned around and took a good look at the house in front of her, remembering how often she had been there for friendly visits and parties up until four years ago. And now she was here for an interrogation. The wonderful twists of life, she thought cynically.

Breathing a deep sigh, she went forward and pressed on the doorbell. A few moments passed before someone answered the door. It was Ray. Great.

"Jenn?" His eyebrows lifted in surprise. A curious smile crept onto his face. "What brings you here today? Think about me much?"

He had no idea. "Yes, I do, and I need your help with something," Jenn said, plastering a smile on her face. "Can we talk inside?"

He hesitated. "My parents aren't home today. You sure you want to come in? It'll be just us, you know."

Jenn's instinct told her that he wasn't faking his uncertainty about having her in his house when his parents weren't home. This was a good indicator that, albeit he was now a flirt, he rarely brought girls home. She sighed inwardly, wondering if he was deceiving her with his innocent reaction. She feigned another friendly smile. "It's okay. I don't mind."