Chris Carter - An Evil Mind

‘They’re close enough,’ Kennedy replied.

‘Maybe to most people,’ Hunter said. ‘But not for Lucien.’

‘Are you telling me that you think he’s noticed the color of the buttons on yours and Agent Taylor’s shirts?’

‘Trust me. Lucien has noticed everything, Adrian. He’s like a sponge.’

‘Well, this is the best we can do given our timeframe,’ Kennedy said back. ‘I need ears with you at all times, so we’re going to have to roll with this.’

This could be a costly mistake, Hunter thought.

Everything was already in place by the time Lucien was escorted out of the security exit by two US Marines, ten minutes later. He was wearing the same orange prisoner jumpsuit he’d been wearing throughout the interviews. His hands and ankles were shackled by metal chains that looped around his waist, restricting his movements — his arms would not come up past his chest, and his step would never go beyond one foot, making it impossible for him to run.

‘Something is missing from this equation,’ Lucien said to Taylor, as she opened the back door of the SUV to allow him to climb in.

‘Detective Hunter will meet us in the plane,’ Taylor said, knowing exactly what Lucien was referring to.

Lucien laughed. ‘But of course. He needs time to find himself and maybe check his emotions before this whole thing turns into a total fiasco, isn’t that so, Agent Taylor?’

Taylor didn’t reply. If she were to allow her emotions to take over, she would probably punch him in the face right there and then, and shoot both of his kneecaps off. Instead, she simply held the door open while both Marines helped him onto the backseat, locked his chains to the metal loop on the car’s floor, and handed the keys to Taylor.

‘I love your sunglasses, Agent Taylor,’ Lucien said, as Taylor took the passenger’s seat. ‘They’re very. . FBI. Do you think I could get a pair, just for the sake of this trip?’

Taylor said nothing.

‘I guess that will be a “no” then.’

Lucien looked at his cuffed hands for a short instant; when he spoke again his voice was controlled and measured — no excitement, no anger, just a robotic flat tone. ‘How do you think this is going to end up, Agent Taylor?’

The driver, an African American Marine who looked like he could probably bench-press that entire SUV got the car in motion.

Taylor kept her eyes on the road.

‘C’mon, Agent Taylor,’ Lucien insisted. ‘It’s a fair question. I’m very interested in knowing what your expectations are. You’ve done great so far. You’ve managed to obtain information that has led the FBI to retrieve the lost remains of three victims.’ His eyebrows popped up and down once. ‘Assuming that your team is competent enough to follow instructions, you should also find the remains of the five victims I left in New Haven. And you have also managed to acquire information that might lead you to a live victim, which, if you succeed in saving her, will make you into a hero, Agent Taylor. That’s not bad going at all for just two days of interviews. So I think my question is quite fair. How do you think this whole thing is going to end up? Do you think you and Robert will become heroes, or will this turn into your worst nightmare?’

Taylor saw the driver’s questioning eyes flick toward her for a fraction of a second.

What she really wanted to do was to turn around and tell Lucien that they were going to find Madeleine Reed and finally put an end to her torture. Then they would bring him back to the BSU so that he could tell them where to find the remains of all his other victims. After that, he would either rot in prison or be executed by the state. Either way, it made no difference to her because she would never have to look at his face again. But she kept her composure and didn’t say a word. She didn’t even look at him.

Lucien wasn’t deterred.

‘Do you think he will do it?’ he asked in the same robotic tone. ‘Do you think Robert will avenge Jessica’s death? Do you think he’ll forget everything he’s upheld for most of his life and let his anger take over?’

No reply.

‘Do you think he’ll shoot me or will he use his hands — beat me up until I stop breathing?’

Taylor didn’t look, but she could tell that Lucien had that sickening smile on his face again.

They exited the FBI Academy compound heading north toward Turner Field landing strip.

‘How would you do it, Agent Taylor? If I had violently taken the person who you were so desperately in love with away from you, and left you with nothing but doubts and a lot of blood, how would you take your revenge on me?’

Taylor felt her blood warming inside her veins, but still, she swallowed every word that threatened to come out of her mouth.

Lucien swopped tactics.

‘How about you, Muscle-Munch?’ he addressed the driver. ‘If I’d broken into your home and savagely murdered your wife, and you’d been searching for me for twenty years, what sort of revenge would you take when you finally came face to face with me? You look like you could crush my whole skull with one squeeze of those banana-like fingers you have. I bet you and your wife have great fun with those.’

The driver frowned angrily and his eye sought Lucien through the rear-view mirror.

‘Don’t even think about answering the prisoner, Private,’ Taylor said, looking at him. ‘You will completely disregard whatever he says, no matter how offensive. You understand?’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ The reply came in a deep bass voice.

Lucien laughed out loud.

‘Let me tell you what I think, Agent Taylor. I think he will do it. I think Robert will break, and he will finally get his revenge. And I think that the only way you will be able to stop him, is if you shoot him. The big question is — will you?’

Hunter and two US Marines were waiting by the small, custom-made, five-seater Lear Jet when the black SUV with Taylor and Lucien pulled up next to the plane.

In the sky, heavy clouds were starting to gather, making it feel like the whole day was changing moods — bright was being substituted by dark, blue by gray.

Taylor stepped out of the car and handed one of the Marines the keys to Lucien’s restraints. They took charge of unlocking him from the backseat and taking him onboard. As they walked past Hunter and took the few steps that led up into the plane, Lucien turned and looked into Hunter’s eyes. He saw nothing but hurt and anger, and he had to fight an internal battle not to smile.

Only when Lucien’s chains had been securely locked to the special metal loops built onto the floor of the plane by one of its seats, did Hunter and Taylor board the aircraft.

Lucien’s seat was at the rear of the cabin, enclosed by a metal cage equipped with a military-grade, assault-proof electronic lock that could only be activated through a button by the pilot’s cockpit.

Taylor placed her jacket on the seat just ahead and to the right of Lucien’s cage, but didn’t sit down. Hunter took the seat across the aisle from her. The pilot was patiently waiting in his cockpit.

‘So, where in Illinois are we going?’ Taylor asked Lucien.

‘We’re not,’ he replied matter-of-factly.

Taylor hesitated a beat. ‘What do you mean? You said we were going to Illinois.’

‘No, I didn’t. I said we needed enough fuel to cover the distance from here to Illinois. If we have enough fuel to get to Illinois, that means that we also have enough fuel to get to New Hampshire. That’s where we’re going.’

Lucien’s seat was stationary, but all the others in the plane cabin could swerve a full 360 degrees. Hunter didn’t swing his seat around to look at Lucien, he kept it facing forward, but he wasn’t surprised that Lucien was still playing games.