Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a silhouette moving in the folds of her clothes. Felix cheerfully peeked out from under the dark blue cotton T-shirt and started playing with the straps of one of here dresses. Scarlett burst out laughing and scratched him behind the ear. He purred contentedly.

She glanced at her closet again and sighed desperately. Here, she is overtaken by a problem that catches up with every woman once. There is nothing to wear. Of course, there is, but she does not know what to wear for this occasion. Is it a business dinner? On the other hand, did he invite me on a date? No, Scarlett, do not be stupid, he certainly will not talk about Sebastian's biological parents between courting and cuddling your hand. It is a business dinner!

She wondered why she cared at all what a dinner invitation was. She swore she would not allow herself such things, especially not at work. However, life always seems to have a way of throwing at you what you said like a boomerang. She finally decided to take a simple black tight dress that reached to her knees and a beige coat over it.

At exactly eight o'clock, a black Chevrolet with Detective Calligan behind the wheel was parked in front of the building. Accurate as a clock. She saw him leaning against his car with his arms crossed. He was dressed in black pants, a simple navy sweater and a black leather jacket. How many navy blue things does he actually have?

When Thomas saw her, his lips parted and his eyes widened like a child seeing the most beautiful candy in a pastry shop window. Although he tried to check her out discreetly, a stunned face betrayed him. He held out his hand to her with a smile and opened the car door.

"You look beautiful, Scarlett," he said in the wind as he closed the door of his Chevrolet. She was grateful that it was pitch dark and that he couldn't see the redness rushing to her cheeks. She does not remember the last time a man gave her a compliment. She knew that a good part of men looked at her lustfully, she was not blind. However, a flattering compliment from a man who attracts your attention is invaluable and cannot be measured even with a thousand insignificant looks.

They drove in silence, which was complemented by muffled jazz music from the radio. She tried to persuade herself not to think about the man next to her in any context other than business. That would be wrong. She decided to end the silence between them because her thoughts were swarming more and more every minute and that was not a good thing on any basis.

"Do you like jazz?" She asked him, following his gaze. He nodded, focused on the road.

"Why, I don't seem like a guy who would voluntarily play a jazz radio station?"

"Not at all," they both burst out laughing. ''It's nice.''

''It relaxes me. After a hard and stressful day, very few things can stop me from getting depressed or taking my own life. "

"Very dark thoughts occupy your life, Detective."

"Believe me; if you saw the things I see every day, you would feel the same. Maybe even worse. "

For a moment, images of the mutilated victims of Sebastian Carter flashed through her head. She shuddered imperceptibly and swallowed a lump. She had nothing but compassion for this man who may have seen even worse things than those heinous crimes committed by Sebastian Carter.

They parked in front of the luxury restaurant Riviera and Scarlet wondered if the location might not be a little too glamorous and intimate to talk about the serial killer case. He went out to open the door for her and praised his courteous attitude in her head. Of course, everyone is great and fabulous at the beginning - and this was not such a meeting either, so it is not hers to even think about it. They entered the restaurant and within seconds, the head of the restaurant directed them to their table.

The ambiance was breathtaking. They were surrounded by wallpaper dipped in burgundy paint, marble tiles and a few ferns in the corners of the room. Golden candlesticks were on each table, and light music was playing in the background. Luxury screamed from every little thing in the restaurant.

They sat facing each other and when their eyes crossed, Thomas smiled gently at her. He bit his lip and nervously shook his leg under the table, and she realized he was nervous.

Is this really a date? THAT KIND of date?

"I'm sorry, I haven't been in the presence of such a beautiful woman for a long time," he said, looking at her like a boy. She bowed her head in embarrassment. "I hope that is not inappropriate. Feel free to tell me if I crossed the line. "

"No, on the contrary," she told him. "Thank you for the compliment. Very nice of you. "

She could see from his smile that she had encouraged him a little, and the stamping of his foot stopped. He took the menu from the table and started flipping through it, and Scarlett did the same. She glanced around the menu with dishes that mostly have complicated names, often written in French, and decided on a simpler variant that she actually knew what it was - cordon bleu and white wine.

"What did you want to tell me about Sebastian's parents?" She caught his eye and realized she had caught him unprepared.

"Oh, you want to talk about it right now," he wiped his full lips with a napkin. "I told you they died when Sebastian was seven."

''Yes?''

"Well, the father was a former Marine and the mother was a housewife. His father, Clark Carter, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and did not sober up. His mother suffered violence because Sebastian's father would often beat her and little Sebastian watched it all. Of course, he was beaten many times too. "

''That is horrible.''

"Yes," he agreed.

"It could have been one of the triggers," she said. "But you still haven't told me how they died?"

"Well, that's where it gets interesting," she looked at him curiously, taking a grateful sip of cold white wine. She believed that she would need alcohol in her body for what was to follow. "His mother died first. She fell from the steps of their house in Nevada one morning. There was no one in the house. His father was drunk somewhere, and Sebastian was in the neighborhood. That was when Sebastian was five years old. "

"Oh my God," she said. "Do you think he...? "

"That he beat Sebastian after that? I do not know'', he shrugged. "But knowing his history of violence and the fact that his mother reported the violence only once and never again ... Very possible."

"And the father? How did he die? "

"He filled the tub, drank a handful of antidepressants and cut his veins," he said softly, letting his voice die down in the notes of music that surrounded them. "Sebastian was the one who called the police."

He insisted on taking her home as she drank too much after an all-night conversation about events that may have shaped Sebastian into what he is today - a monster. After the conversation about the case was over, very quickly the atmosphere became full of tension and there was not much to say to each other. She learned that he was thirty years old and single. The lack of a wedding ring on his hand betrayed him, and the fact that he himself hinted at it in the end.

He wanted to escort her to the door and Scarlett, although she would have refused it earlier without pardon, allowed him by grabbing his firm muscle. The faint scent of cologne and mint tickled her nostrils and lungs. She thought about what it would be like if her lips wandered on his slender neck, which was a few centimeters from her face, but she noticed that out of the corner of her eye, Thomas was watching her and giggling, and she returned to reality. Loneliness is a silent companion, and alcohol is a way to make it speak.

"You're staring," he said, revealing teeth gleaming in the building's dark hallway.

"I'm sorry," she said in a whisper.

''I do not mind. In fact, it flatters me a lot,'' she paused when she saw number 43 on the door. They arrived. She lowered her hand from his arm and stood opposite him. Darkness cast a shadow over his face, and it was almost impossible to read his expression and guess what he was thinking, but the fact that he approached her a few inches from her face spoke for itself. She could feel his breath mixed with the coffee he drank just before they left. Something in her womb flickered and she began to breathe shallowly, intermittently. It will happen, she knew. She knew that his rough-looking hands would gently touch her face and tilt his head to connect his lips with hers. However, at that moment, when she felt his warm lips, she realized that it was wrong. It was wrong that she didn't want to stop him; she wanted to hold him tightly and kiss every part of his body. It is something she would not forgive herself.

She pulled away from his touch and took a step back. Although she didn't see his face, she knew he was watching her in amazement at the moment.

"Did I do something wrong?"

''Yes. I mean no, '' she said nervously. "I just ... I can't do this."

"Sorry if I misinterpreted the signs."

"That's the problem, you didn't," she said honestly. "It's just something that's considered a luxury in my life right now."

He was silent for a few moments, but she caught a glimpse of him nodding. "I understand," he said quietly.

"Sorry, Thomas," she called him by name for the first time, feeling it was the right thing to do after a recent kiss.

"No need to apologize, Scarlett. It's okay, " he put his hands on her shoulders. "I completely understand you. We will not go back to that if you are not ready. "

''Thank you.''

They stood facing each other for a few more moments, then wished her good night and disappeared in his Chevrolet deep into the night.

She sat back in the uncomfortable wooden chair and watched the silhouette in front of her. He looked back at her, but this time something was different about him. The beard he had grown since seeing him for the first time was gone. His face was smooth and revealed his childish face. If she had not known what disgusting things he was capable of, Scarlett would have said without thinking that this was a true portrayal of an attractive young man. Unfortunately, he was not close to any ordinary young man. His fists were set in the shape of a pyramid, and his back was straight like an arrow.

"Don't you ever wonder why I decided to talk to you, Scarlett?" He said softly. ''Why?''

"Because we are very similar, Doc. Much more than you think. "

''Really? How come? ", She considered it another of his games and decided to respond to him with the same measure.

"You've suffered as much as I have," he said. ''I see it in your eyes. Broken people know how to recognize each other. "

"You're wrong, Sebastian," she denied.

"Am I really?" He asked her, looking at her critically. When he looked at her like that, Scarlett felt naked. That would make her feel uncomfortable, and Sebastian was amused by it, even though he didn't show it. "Why are you trying so hard to cover it up? We are very similar, you know. "

'We are not the same, Sebastian. We will never be the same. "

"Yes, you are right. I am just a deranged killer, and you're a respectable psychiatrist, " his face looked defeated. "We did not choose the same means and we did not follow the same path in life, Doctor. You ran away from your pain to study, but I did not have such conditions. I had to decide on something that would help me drive away the pain. However, I don't seem to have succeeded. "

His words greeted her incessantly. She didn't know what to think. Was it true? On the other hand, is it another of his manipulations? But when she thought about it, she wasn't sure he'd lied to her since they started talking. The fact that she found herself in unfamiliar terrain made her swallow a bitter lump.

"Did your biological father, Clark Carter, abuse your mother?" A shadow flashed across his face that Scarlett couldn't recognize. Maybe anger? The bitterness of the past?

"Yes," he said, as if trying to keep an enormous amount of anger inside. It was the first time Scarlett had seen him in another edition.

"When your mother died, how old were you?"

"Five," he said. "As I remember.''

"Were you around when she ... passed away?"

"I was the one who found her."

She fell silent. Her voice seemed too cold, too callous. For the first time, Sebastian was so naked in front of her and she didn't know how to approach it. She tried to remind herself repeatedly that there was a monster in front of her, but this in him was a broken seven-year-old who had suffered for years and was under the mental and physical torture of his father, and later the adoptive parent.

"After your mother died, did your father abuse you?"

He was silent for a few moments and watched without expression. She thought she was exaggerating. He stood up slightly and turned his broad back on her. "Why don't you see it first hand?"

He took off his T-shirt and the whitish scars engraved all over his back made Scarlett put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming.