Three days after Jill's funeral, Victor managed to get out of bed. Looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, he looked much older than his thirty-five years. His dark hair had a good shimmer of silver through it now, and since he hadn't shaved for nearly a week, those pesky strands of age now littered the starting of his beard too.

He'd dedicated so much of his life to catching the worst of the population and where did that leave him now?

No where.

Years of hard work were for nothing as he had become the one responsible for so many deaths. it was more than a game of catch me if you can. He'd done that before, but this was different. It was personal and had been since Carlee was dragged into the game and then the others after her.  

Why?

He had no idea and it was eating at him nearly to the point of insanity. Every case had a reason, a clue; but this guy? He was like a ghost. The only evidence he existed at all was due to the victims he left behind.

The victims. 

The pattern was easy to see now and going into his office, Victor found the list of places he frequented. He was onto something with this. He could feel it. It was going to get him that one step ahead and at the prospect of finally turning the tables, Victor managed to smile. That soon gave way to hysterical laughter, which lasted until he finished his shower.

Getting control of himself, he knew he had  found a way in. He was going to end it. After finding clothes that didn't need washing, like everything else in his home after days of abandonment, he was on the phone to his director as he rushed out the door with the same enthusiasm of a child getting out of class early.  "Leo, I have an idea. See you in twenty!"

                                                                            -x-

 No one spoke once Victor revealed his plan. The director and two of the other agents that sat in on the meeting were in agreeance with Victor, yet Carla sat there stone faced and unwilling to go along with the idea of setting up a possible target. The killer was always a step ahead of them, they were literally grasping at straws so what's to say this wouldn't end up as nothing more than another dead end?

"Vic, you're too close to this case! Are we really contemplating putting another woman's life at risk?" She snapped, glaring at the three men.

"I don't think we have any other choice," the director said, leaning back in his chair. Pulling out a white hanker-chief, he dotted his forehead and the fever from his cold left him aching to return to bed. He wanted this bastard caught more than anyone, the pressure he was under probably what bought on his illness in the first place. Victor's plan made sense and he was going to support it.

"Seriously?" Carla whined, looking at the other duo for the support she wasn't going to get.

"Do what you need to do Victor."

 So he did. A new girl was hired at his favourite lunch bar. An extra effort went into talking back to her, two weeks on you'd think they were friends. She started to draw a smiley face on his sub wrapper, which was always ready for him to pick up. They'd share a laugh, and she'd shamelessly flirt with Victor. Keeping true to character, most of it was lost on him as it always had been until one Friday.

"It's probably not very professional, but maybe we could grab a drink after work?" Larissa smiled, her cheeks warming as she blushed.

"Ah," Victor hesitated. "No. Sorry."

He told Carla later that afternoon; confused more than anything else. "You have to be the thickest man on the planet! They all flirt with you. You just don't see it."

"Why me?" He didn't think he was anything special and years of being turned down and ridiculed at high school came back to haunt him; just like Toni Parkins who had not only rejected him, but declared, "Not even if you were the last guy on earth!"

"You're a catch. Good looking, successful; the only thing you're missing the majority of the time is a real personality!" She sighed, "I'm not the only one who can see the potential in you."

Years of their non-existent relationship became clear to Victor. Just like how she never referred to the mouse in this game, by her name and how angry this whole conversation seemed to make her. Carlee had never liked his co-worker; threatening to disown him if he ever gave in to her advances. She never had a boyfriend for long. He was positive he'd have grounds for some kind of workplace harassment case against her too. Plus she knew all the victims so far; victims who has seen his potential.

No.

Surely not!

He refused to believe it and yet that only made it more obvious. Could Carla, a proud, talented agent in her own rights, be... the killer? It explained so much and she definitely had insider knowledge to cover her tracks. So Victor set the bait. He told her that he was going to accept Larissa's offer and her reaction was enough to convince him that following her that night was the right thing to do.

Victor watched her go and see Larissa before going home. He waited outside her place until it got late enough that he was going to change his mind. Yet it was then she left, walking a few streets away to a bar where she met up with their paid victim. They shared a taxi to Larissa's home, and said goodbye, yet he saw her take a picture of the house before returning home.

He couldn't do it anymore, he had to know what was going on and knocking on the door, Carla didn't hide her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?" Victor mumbled, already moving inside.

"About?" She asked cautiously.

"What were you doing tonight?"

"Nothing, just at h-" Carla lied.

"I followed you." His voice darkened, making her nervous.

"Followed?" She realised what catching up with her friend would have looked like."I-"

"Is this what you want? Me?" Victor yelled, "Is that why you've been taking out the competition?"

"Have you been drinking?" She went to move to the door, eager to get rid of him except he grabbed her arm. "I think you need to go!"

"Don't you want me now?"

"No! I don't and especially if you're accusing me of what I think-" 

Victors hand covered her mouth as he pulled her struggling form against him. Fear had her paralyzed as Victor was positive he saw someone go down the hall and after telling her to stay quiet, the duo headed in the same direction, ending up in her bedroom. His suspicions weren't wrong when something hit him from behind and Carla was thrown towards the bed. She hit her head against the frame; slumping to the floor.

From where Victor fell, he was unable to help her as the shadow formed into a person. Carla fought. Like all the others; but it wasn't enough to save her life. Just like Carlee and images of getting to the motel room in time to save his sister filtered through the blurry haze of his vision. She was alive when he got there, the killer not quite finished with her. Yet by the time Victor had the cord of the bedside lamp secured around his throat; she had died.

Now here he was with Carla. She was still alive; just, but he couldn't save her either.

He didn't want to. Because like Toni and the others, even Jill; Carla rejected him.

"This is the last time Vic, I'm moving. It's too scary to live here anymore."

"Leaving? You can't leave. What about me?" He had argued.

"This has always been a casual thing. I'm going; you're not enough of a reason to stay!"

Just like he did with the Barbie Butcher, Victor wasn't going to display this kill. Carla was taken to a nearby building site and with a concrete pour scheduled at six am, she wouldn't be seen again. His mind was in pieces, like broken shards of glass; deadly if moved the wrong way.

Loosing Carlee, as well as making his first kill had done something to Victor. The voice in his head controlled him, taunted him; pushing him closer to the brink of his sanity if wasn't already over it.

After all, you can't catch a killer when that person is you; no matter how much you don't want to believe it.

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I know, not the best plot twist ever. I love a good twist as you may have gathered from reading, well nearly all my other stories, but now that I had to base my whole story around one, writers block doesn't eve begin to cover it..... But it's done!!!  *faints*