chapter 43

“-Is this really okay?”

“They told us to do it, what can we do about it.”

“Oh, my God, I should have opposed it until the end.”

Biting his lips, Tim jumped up from his couch. Glancing at the restless figure, Jude only managed to take a big sigh.

What was decided after such a long meeting was straightforward, but it made Jude’s head throb. The rationale for the conclusion of the meeting was simple: ‘Let’s expose the location of Jude.’ The copycat chased Jude, and Alvin Jones chased the copycat, so they said, if we release the location of Jude properly, we’ll be able to put the two together in the same place. -It was a conventional method, but Tim strongly refuted it, calling it a “false logic.” Where is the guarantee that Alvin Jones won’t be able to find the copycat until the copycat comes to Jude, and if they gather together in the same place, how do we know what it’s going to look like, and how do we intend to handle the consequences?

But there wasn’t much the police could do. Without even knowing the identity of the copycat, the methods that could be taken were extremely limited. Under silent pressure, Jude had no choice but to acquiesce, so he has been staying in Tim’s house for about four days now, and since the old apartment where Jude lived was structured with no escape exits properly secured, he had no choice.

“This is such a ridiculous trap. I don’t know how he’s gonna get caught…”

“Tim, that’s enough. Sit down. It’s distracting. Well, they assured me not to worry, so everything will be fine. They don’t carry badges around for nothing. Any evidence to identify the copycat? From the body.”

“Well, I haven’t heard that yet. He killed a person then claims to be Alvin Jones, wouldn’t that means he wants to be recognized as Alvin Jones? I don’t think there’s any reason to leave his fingerprints. And in the case of copycat crimes, it’s more difficult because very few personal traits are revealed in the crime. I don’t know why he wants to be like him. Isn’t it normal to feel creeps out when there is such a human being?”

“Well, there’s a lot of freak in the world. By the way, he knows when and how the copycat will come and he’ll keep an eye on me here. What if ‘I will step back for a while’ in the letter was meant to be for months. I’m living here, but to those people who work out there……”

He was going to say, ‘It’s pretty much a nuisance,’ but the cell phone cried in his pocket. Looking carefully at the unregistered phone number, Jude casually pressed the accept call button.

“Yes, this is Jude.”

[……how do you feel?]

“Uh… Not very good.”

The man’s voice was hoarse. It was hard to guess his age because of the tone of his voice, but it was not a very good voice to hear. He only shrugged his shoulders to Tim who asked him who he was, and the man’s voice scraped his ears again.

[I don’t think you’ll feel good under the threat of death, but I recommend you to enjoy it a little before it’s going to happen.]

“Are you the one who wrote the letter? A copycat of Alvin Jones?”

As he deliberately emphasized the ‘copycat’, the sound beyond the cell phone was silent for a moment. A hoarse sound came out quickly as Tim, beset by Jude’s words, was about to pick up his cell phone.

[Oh, I think it’s better to warn your partner. Be aware that a single movement of my finger could blow your head off.]

“Tim, Tim, wait, stop.”

With a quick wave of his hand to divert Tim’s attention, Jude gestured his head out of the window, forming a small gun with his thumb and index finger. Looking out of the dark window with a startled look, Tim reluctantly put down the cell phone he had in his hand.

“Are you a sniper? Your identity conditions are narrowed down drastically. Profilers will love it.”

[I’ve been training as much as I need.]

“So, you came to kill me with that? It’s not Alvin Jones’ style. Or are you regretting sending a letter first and threatening me?”

[No, I’m not going to kill you with this. If things go wrong, I could kill your partner. Think of it as just a small means for an end. I just want to talk to you for a while today, so I’ll be happy if you don’t say a word.]

“Typical, but okay, I’ll admit it’s effective. Tell me, I’m good at counselling.”

[……I think I know a little bit how you managed to catch him.]

“That’s a compliment, isn’t it?”

[……interpret as you like. You must have already known that Alvin Jones wasn’t the one who wrote the letter. How did you know?]

“Your vocabulary and behaviour are a bit different. Oh, I’m even more curious. Why did you name Alvin Jones? No, I mean, if it’s a crime committed with a grudge, we can treat it as a copycat crime, but I don’t understand your case. Why did you have to name him? Do you like it that way?”

[Alvin Jones. Alvin Jones.]

He slowly repeated Alvin’s name. With a voice that pronounces it as carefully as if savouring the name, soon he began to speak with a tremor.

[Doesn’t that name appeal to you? Don’t you know what power that name has in this society? It’s not just a murderer’s name; it’s a collection of all the inscrutable fears and malice in this society. It is said that the “Bad Seed” theory that evil people exist from birth is only an illusion, but he is the closest person people have ever seen. A good life in an ordinary family, isn’t it?]

“Oh, yeah. That’s great. So what?”

[The name has become an icon, a pronoun that encompasses the dark things of this age. Like Jack the Ripper in England. If you think about it, this is more stimulating. He’s different from the clumsy serial killers who simply stab prostitutes with a knife and give off sexual impulses.]

“Oh, yeah. That’s awesome. So what?”

[I’ll take over the name.]

The voice was shaking, but it was trembling for joy and excitement, not for negative emotions such as fear. Had that man’s gun had a laser sight attached to it, would that red light be shaking too? No, actually, it’s a little questionable whether he’s really aiming the gun outside. While muttering inwardly, Jude quietly listened.

[I don’t know why, but he’s not in action right now. I don’t know if he’s dead, or if he’s no longer interested in murder, but then I wouldn’t have a problem keeping his name. Isn’t that right? What’s wrong with being at the centre of the same level of fear as Alvin Jones? Alvin Jones might be interested, too.]

Actually, the person who might be interested is now looking to kill you. Swallowing back the words that had popped up to his throat, Jude nodded to Tim who had a very nervous face, saying it was okay.

[I’m slowly getting myself equal to him now. In fact, I’m about to rip another person off before I kill you. I haven’t set a target yet, but it doesn’t matter who in the sense of polishing the skills more. Oh, and this time I’ll allow the police to take a look at the process, because they need to know that the Alvin Jones concept is reviving. By the time it’s over and I feel like my skills are almost perfect, I’ll be looking for you.]

“Well, that doesn’t sound very pleasant.”

[You’re the last gateway I’m going to go through, because you were the one who got rid of the fear that engulfed this city for an instant. Do you understand? I…..]

A little excited voice left a gap for a while. The unstable voice, which was split here and there, was strangely clear to Jude.

[- I will be complete by killing you.]

“Isn’t this a complete turn? He’s going to kill you and become Alvin Jones?”

In response to the message from the copycat carried by Jude the next morning, the Chief spat it out in a chilling voice. Suffering from severe sleep deprivation for the past few days, he frowned slightly under his darkened eyes. While Tim also looked at Jude with uncomfortable eyes, the blond detective shrugged his shoulders.

“Uh, Chief. That’s not what’s important.”

“What do you mean, it’s not important? What’s more important than a life-threatening situation?”

“He said he’d kill another one before he kills me.”

“In addition, he said he would consider the police to see the process.”

When Tim helped to explain, a long sigh came from the Chief’s mouth. In the life of an ordinary police officer, there is very little chance of encountering brutal field photographs. Unless you’re an FBI agent in charge of such cases, there can’t be many instances where you have to chase after serial killers who seem to be out of the human category. It was natural for the Chief to feel uncomfortable now that even a copycat of such a man appeared.

“Well, what, he’s going to do a live demonstration in front of the police station?”

“Well, I don’t know for now, but maybe he’ll send a video.”

“Oh, I’m going crazy. All we can do is strengthen the patrol, knowing that someone could die? I’d be so relieved if people knew.”

“Well, sir.”

At the sound of a rookie police officer murmured, the Chief, who jerked his head with a face full of hostility toward the world, made him flinch. “Why?”–The newcomer, who stood on his watch for a moment as if he was sapped with the tired voice asking sharply, soon mumbled and presented a box to the Chief.

“Here, there’s a package.”

“By the way, well. You want me to sign the delivery man? You can do it, can’t you?

“No, it wasn’t delivered… it was just on the back door. Just in case it’s an important thing…..”

“No one delivered it? It doesn’t even have a name on it?”

The Chief’s eyes were not very good, and the newcomer glanced at him and held out a piece of paper he had held in his hand.

“It doesn’t have a name on it. It only had initials on it. It’s A. J.”

“A. J.? Give it to me!”

Hurriedly snatching the box from the rookie’s hand, the Chief placed it on the desk. To the Chief, who was holding the edge of the tape attached to it, Tim spoke in a slightly anxious voice.

“Will it be all right? The possibility that it’s dangerous…”

“He wants to be recognized by us that he looks like Alvin Jones, so he won’t do anything unexpected. There’s no reason to kill people who will pay attention to him, it’s okay. Open up, let’s see what it is.”

Jude’s insincere remarks made the Chief, who had paused, tore the tape off. Appearing in the midst of a couple of anxious gazes, was only a dull-lit laptop. When the Chief took out the laptop with a careful hand and put it on the desk, another note on the bottom of the box appeared. The bold characters with the same thickness as the initials earlier, were conveying brief instructions.

– 9 p.m. Wait with the laptop on. I’ll show you something good.

“……that means……”

The Chief was a little out of breath. Just like feeling an excessive increase in blood pressure, his forehead turned red.

“……he already picked out the next victim?”

“Well, maybe.”

“Damn it, I told them not to walk around so late at night on the news! Who the hell did he take?!”

“I hate to say this, sir. But over 1.5 million people live in New York City alone, and many of them work at night, and from his point of view, there are plenty of choices, and we don’t even know who he is.”

“So?”

Looking into the eyes of the middle-aged man wide open with an ominous premonition, Jude shrugged once.

“Until he shows it, it’s incredibly difficult to figure out who he took.”

* * *