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“I have aproposition for you,” she told him, leaning forward.
Mark tried to actcool but found it impossible to pull off.
“Color meintrigued,” he said eagerly. “Please go on.”
“I don’t know howmuch information you have access to in here, but I wanted to share a fewupdates,” she told him. “Since your manifesto was released a month ago, twopeople close to me have suffered. My friend Kat Gentry's fiancé was murdered bya fan of yours who was trying to kill her. And just today, Dr. Janice Lemmonwas attacked. Luckily, she survived and is recovering well.”
Mark held up hismanacled palms to her. “What can I tell you?” he said. “I’d like to say I’msorry to hear that, but it would be disingenuous. This is exactly what I washoping for, after all.”
“I realize that,”she said. “That’s why I’m here. I need for these attacks to stop. I need you tomake them stop.”
“Why would I dothat?” he asked.
“Because of myproposition,” she told him. "Here's my offer, and it's not open tonegotiation.”
“Look at you, allbusiness,” he couldn’t help but tease.
She ignored thecomment and pressed ahead.
“You disavow themanifesto, publicly, in a video that will be posted on the internet,” she said.“You tell your followers that your mission has been accomplished and that anyfurther attacks on me or others in my orbit would be in contravention of your wishes.In exchange, I will allow you to work with me on cases.”
Mark waitedseveral seconds to see if she would tell him she was joking. When she didn’t,he replied.
“Wait,” he said,still not sure he’d heard her correctly, “what does that mean exactly?”
“It means that youwould finally get what you wanted, Mark: to be my protégé. Obviously, therewould be limits. You're about to go on trial for multiple murders. You willlikely spend the rest of your life in prison. And I would still be working afull-time job as a profiler. But I would be willing to periodically come to youwith cases, ones where I thought that your skills and insight could beparticularly useful.”
“That’sinteresting,” he conceded.
“We’re not talkingweekly visits here, Mark, especially considering that after you’re convicted,you might be sent to a prison some distance from L.A. But I’d be willing tocommit to working with you, say, monthly. That would allow you to make a realdifference, even behind bars. You would get the appropriate recognition foryour efforts. You could help save lives rather than take them. And who knows,maybe your help could ultimately prove so valuable that you’re moved to abetter prison, where you’d get more perks and not have to worryabout…accidents.” she said nodding at his hands.
It was referenceto the broken middle finger on his left hand and the broken ring finger on hisright, both courtesy of his cellmate, Oscar, who didn’t like it when he got toochatty.
“How do I know Ican trust you?” he asked. “How can I be sure that once I make the video, youwon’t just forget about me?”
“Do I strike youas the kind of person who welches on promises, Mark?” she asked, soundingoffended. “If I commit to working with you, then I will hold up my end of thebargain. But you need to do the same thing. If I agree to invest in yourpotential, and then someone I care about is harmed in any way by one of yourfollowers, then the deal is off for good. So you need to be damn convincing inthat video. What do you say?”
She leaned backand folded her arms. He studied her face. She didn’t appear to be lying. Hereyes weren’t darting, and her brow wasn’t furrowed. And why would she lie? Itserved no purpose for her. If she didn’t follow through, word would get out,destroying her credibility.
“Can I think aboutit for a second?” he asked.
“Of course,” shesaid. “Take all the time you need.”
“He has to be backin his cell in five minutes,” the guard by the door noted.
“Okay, then takeabout three minutes,” she said, correcting herself.
Mark could hearthe voice whispering off to the side. He tried not to look in that direction.He didn’t want to give away his advisor’s presence.
You can’t trusther,his Jessie said, her lips brushing his ear gently. She’ll use you and betrayyou. Just like she betrayed you before, when she wouldn’t let you in her class,when she stopped teaching at the university without warning. She can’t betrusted.
He was usuallyinclined to follow her advice. This version of Jessie had been with him formonths, guiding him, warning him about the dangers he faced as he pursued hismission of vengeance. She'd been with him as he planned his murders, and shehad stayed by his side in his cell.
But now hecouldn’t help but question her motives. Was she jealous of Jessie Hunt, sittingacross from him, finally willing to bury the hatchet? Did she fear that shewould be replaced? Was she truly looking out for him, or was she more concernedwith her own well-being?"
You know that’snot it,she hissed quietly. My interests are your interests, always. We're one andthe same.
Mark wanted toreply out loud, but he knew that Jessie Hunt and the guards in the room wouldfind that odd. Jessie Hunt had already caught him talking to his Jessie onceand asked about his “imaginary friend.” He couldn’t have that again. So hesimply responded though thoughts. His Jessie would hear them, after all.
