Chris Carter - An Evil Mind

‘Yeah, if that’s what you really want, go for it, Lucien.’

Lucien tilted his head to one side and shrugged at the same time. ‘I just might.’

‘Talking about Robert,’ Susan said, adjusting herself in her seat, ‘it’s a pity that he had to go back to LA today.’

Young Robert Hunter had been there for their graduation ceremony and for the first three nights of their week-long party spree, but he had taken the bus back to Los Angeles that morning to spend a week with his father, before he had to go back to Palo Alto to start his summer job.

‘Yeah, I know,’ Lucien replied, sipping his new cocktail.

They were sitting at The Rocker Club in Crescent Park, on the north side of Palo Alto. It was their favorite lounge — the staff were friendly, the booze was cheap, the crowd was usually young and up for a good time, and the music was rocking and upbeat.

‘He does miss his father quite a bit,’ Lucien added. ‘It’s the only family he’s got left.’

‘Yes, I know,’ Susan said. ‘His mother passed away when he was very young, didn’t she?’

Lucien nodded. ‘I think he was about seven or eight, but he never really talks about it. Even when he’s a little drunk, Robert still manages to avoid the subject. I think that there’s more to it than just standard trauma of losing a parent when young, you know?’

Susan paused halfway through sipping her drink. ‘Oh, please don’t.’

‘What?’

‘Please tell me that you’re not going to be one of those dopey psychology graduates who can barely have a conversation with someone without psychoanalyzing them, Lucien. Especially your friends.’

‘I. .’ Lucien shook his head with a half-embarrassed smile on his lips. ‘I wasn’t psychoanalyzing Robert.’

‘Yes, you were.’

‘No, I wasn’t. I was just saying that we’ve shared the same tiny dorm room for four years. He’s an odd person. Brightest guy I’ve ever met, but odd nonetheless, and I think that his mother’s death might go a little deeper than he lets on.’

‘Oh, really?’ Susan said, putting her drink down on the table and pulling a face. ‘Like what, for example, Doctor Lucien? Let’s hear your theory.’

‘I’m not a doctor, and I don’t have a theory,’ Lucien replied, pulling a face of his own. ‘I was just saying. .’ He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. ‘Look, never mind. I’m not even sure why we’re talking about this. We’re here to party and celebrate.’ He reached for his drink. ‘So let’s party and celebrate.’

Susan raised her glass. ‘Yeah, I’ll drink to that.’

Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ started playing through the speakers. Lucien finished his cocktail in two big gulps.

‘C’mon, let’s go dance,’ he said, getting to his feet.

‘But. .’ Susan pointed at her drink.

‘Drink it down, girl. . rock and roll style,’ Lucien replied, urging her with a series of hand movements. ‘C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.’

Susan gulped her drink down, took Lucien’s hand and allowed him to drag her to the dance floor.

A couple of hours and several drinks later they were both ready to leave. Susan looked to be really drunk, while Lucien looked in much better shape.

‘I think we should leave your car here and take a cab,’ Susan said. Her words were starting to skid into each other. ‘You can pick it up tomorrow sometime.’

‘Nah,’ Lucien came back. ‘I’m still good. I can drive.’

‘No, you can’t. You drank just as much as me, and I. . am. . wasted.’

‘Yeah, but I was drinking cocktails, not double shots of JD and Coke. You know the cocktails here are mainly juice with a splash of booze. I could drink them all night and still be OK to drive home.’

Susan paused and regarded Lucien for a long instant. He did look quite steady on his feet, and he was right, the cocktails at the Rocker Bar weren’t very strong.

‘Are you sure you’re OK to drive?’

‘Positive.’

Susan shrugged. ‘OK then, but you’re driving slowly, you hear? I’m going to keep my eye on you.’ She made a V with her index and middle fingers, pointed at her eyes, and then slowly moved her hand in the direction of Lucien’s.

‘Ten-four, ma’am,’ Lucien said, giving her a military salute.

Lucien had parked down the road, just around the corner. At that time in the morning, the street looked deserted.

‘Buckle up,’ he said, taking the driver’s seat. ‘It’s the law.’ He smiled.

‘Says the man who had a truckload of cocktails before taking the wheel,’ Susan joked, struggling with the seatbelt.

Lucien waited, giving her the look.

‘I’m trying, all right?’ she said, a little flustered. ‘I can’t find the goddamn hole.’

‘Here, let me help you.’ Lucien leaned over, grabbed her seatbelt buckle, and quickly slid it into its lock. Then, with no warning, he moved a little closer and kissed her full on the lips.

Susan pulled back, surprised. ‘Lucien, what are you doing?’ It looked like she had gone sober all of a sudden.

‘What do you think I was doing?’

A very awkward few seconds flew by.

‘Lucien. . I’m. . very sorry if I’ve given you the wrong impression tonight, or any other night. You’re a fantastic person, a really good friend, and I get along with you great, but. .’

‘But you don’t have those kind of feelings for me.’ Lucien finished Susan’s sentence for her. ‘Is that what you were about to say?’

Susan just stared at him.

‘What if instead of me being the one sitting here, it were Robert?’

Susan was taken aback by the question.

‘I bet you wouldn’t pull back like you did. I bet you’d be all over him like a two-dollar whore. Your clothes would probably be gone, and you’d be sitting on his lap, undoing his belt with the utmost urgency.’

‘Lucien, what the hell is going on? It’s like I don’t even know you right now.’

Lucien’s eyes went stone cold, as if all the life and emotion had been sucked out of them.

‘And what makes you think you knew me at all?’

The arctic tone of Lucien’s words made Susan shiver. She was still struggling to understand what was happening when Lucien exploded into action, violently launching his body forward, and using his left hand to pin Susan’s head against the passenger window.

Lucien hadn’t fastened his seatbelt, which gave him a lot more freedom of movement.

Susan tried to scream, but Lucien rapidly slid his hand over her mouth, muffling whatever sounds came out of it. With his right hand, he opened the small compartment that sat between the two front seats and reached inside.

Susan grabbed at Lucien’s left hand and tried to push it away. . tried to free her mouth. . her head, but even if she’d been sober, he’d still be way too strong for her.

‘It’s OK, Susan,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘It’ll all be over soon.’

With incredible speed, Lucien’s right hand shot toward Susan’s face. She felt something prick the side of her neck, and in that instant their eyes met.

Hers full of fear.

His full of evil.

Lucien recounted the events that took place that night with the same enthusiasm as someone recollecting what he’d had for breakfast. All the while his eyes were locked on Hunter.

Hunter tried his best to remain impassive, but hearing Lucien’s account of how he had subdued Susan had started to slowly tighten a knot in his throat. He shifted his weight in his chair, but never once broke eye contact with Lucien.

Lucien paused, had another sip of his water, and said nothing else.

Everyone waited.

Silence.

‘So you drugged her,’ Taylor said.