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‘That too,’ Hunter agreed. ‘And to stamp his superiority. To remind us who is in control of this game. He is, not us, and he can change the rules anytime he wants, just like he did with the Internet broadcasting and the online voting. But there were other things he said that hinted at something else.’
Garcia frowned. ‘Like what?’
‘He talked about how personal your reaction was. He wanted you to lose control. He wanted you to allow your emotions to take over, and for you to feed on them. He wanted you to forget who you are, who you’ve always been . . . and you did just that.’
Garcia knew Hunter wasn’t being critical of his actions. ‘I wasn’t bullshitting, Robert. If he touches A
‘I understand. And I don’t blame you. But when you told him that if he ever harmed A
‘What?’
‘It pleased him,’ Hunter repeated. ‘He even congratulated you, remember? His words were – You did well, Detective Garcia. I like your reaction. A reaction of a man who cares. But you didn’t do anything other than threaten him with death. So what was he so pleased about, and why?’
‘Because he’s a fucking psycho?’ Garcia was still feeding on his emotions.
‘No. It was because you gave him his little victory.’
‘Victory? What the hell are you talking about, Robert?’
Hunter’s eyes peeked at his watch again. ‘As I said, he had no real interest in A
‘What?’
Hunter shook his head. ‘I don’t remember his exact words. We can play the recording back later, but he said that when a threat or harm comes to someone close to us, nothing else matters. We will even forget who we are. We may even act like monsters. We’ll do anything to protect those we love. Your reaction proved that . . . And it pleased him.’
Garcia said nothing.
‘One of the last things he said before disco
Garcia still remained silent.
‘He also talked about people not always having a choice,’ Hunter said.
Garcia nodded. ‘I remember that. He said that sometimes choices are made for us by others, and there’s nothing we can do about it. He gave A
‘No, not nothing,’ Hunter countered. ‘He said that we can react. That’s what you did. And I think that’s exactly what he’s doing.’
Things started to frantically move around in Garcia’s head, searching for the right place to slot in. ‘You think something happened to someone close to him? That’s why he’s going around torturing and killing people? He’s reacting?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Hunter replied. ‘Right now we can only speculate. But in the past, every time he called us, he was always calm, never excited, never angry, never remorseful . . . never nothing. His tone of voice never gave anything away . . . no emotion. But not today.’
Garcia had been too angry and scared for A
‘Today, for the first time, anger crept into his tone when he talked about people not always having a choice. He said that anger and emotional pain were good things. It proved that we, as humans, are still alive inside. That we still care for something. He used A
Silence.
‘He wasn’t talking about me and my anger,’ Garcia finally said. ‘Or my reaction to what I would do if A
Hunter nodded and looked at his watch for the third time. ‘Carlos, look, I understand that I’m asking you to trust me with your wife’s life, and that is asking a hell of a lot, but if you still don’t want to trust me, trust yourself. Forget about everything I think I picked up throughout your conversation with the killer. Take a step back and do what you know how to do – analyze the whole scenario. Analyze the facts. Right now A
Sixty-Two
‘So . . .’ Patricia said matter-of-factly. A devilish smile curving the edge of her lips. ‘When are you going to properly introduce me to that detective, you know, Carlos’ partner?’
A
‘What?’ Patricia said. The smile was still there, just a little bit more pronounced now. ‘Everyone knows he’s hot. And I know he isn’t hitched ’cos you told me.’
Patricia had met Hunter only once before, two months ago, during A
Someone riding a black and red Harley-Davidson motorbike turned the corner and decided to park it just a few yards ahead of them. For a moment no one could hear anything over the double-barrel exhaust noise.
When he finally switched his engine off, A
They began walking again.
‘I was, but not anymore. Hence the request.’ She smiled again.
A
‘He was just a fling. It lasted a few weeks, that’s all. Don’t worry about him.’ Patricia gave A
They both stepped onto the street to avoid zigzagging through the many tables set outside a bustling Italian pizzeria. A
Patricia followed.
‘Now,’ she said, catching A
‘Are we still talking about this?’
‘Yes, we are. He’s not seeing anyone, is he?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
A renewed, suggestive smile from Patricia.
‘I can introduce you to him if you want,’ A
Patricia looked hurt.
‘Oh no, it’s not you. Nothing to do with you. I know you could charm any man alive. I’ve seen it.’