Hacking Love (Book One, Eye Candy fanfic)

chapter 5 - IRL

---Marisa--- 

Connor had come by the apartment to tell us that Connor and his boyfriend, Oliver, had gone to this restaurant that was completely pitch black. Connor had left to go to the bathroom, and supposedly the killer had shown up and killed a girl, slit her throat, cut out her tongue, and left it on their table for them to see before disappearing. 

Nate and I were sitting down on the couch.

"This has to go down as one of the all-time worst dates ever," Connor told us. 

"Slow down," Nate told him.

"Slow down?" Connor repeated. "I think I have the right to be the slightest bit riled up. My date turned into a three way with a madman. We could have been killed! I finally meet this hot guy who's kind and incredibly present and emotionally available. You know how hard that is to find in this city? And for what? So he can be served a woman's tongue as an appetizer. You think I'm gonna get another date after that?" 

"And you saw nothing?" I asked.

"The police asked me all this," Connor told us. "The point of the restaurant is that it's dark, as in pitch black." He sighed, sitting down. "That poor woman. Do you know how long a tongue actually is? I'll never get that visual out of my head." 

Lindy walked closer, handing him a glass of tea. "Here. It's lavender and chamomile, plus our grandmother's secret ingredient. I'll calm you down." 

Lindy and I exchanged a knowing smirk.

Connor picked up the glass of tea, taking a drink. "Wow, that's strong." 

"It's the secret ingredient," I told him. "Whiskey chaser." 

"What I need to know specifically," Connor told us. "Was he after me, Oliver, or that woman?" 

"We don't know yet," Lindy told him. "The victim matches the profile, but all of you do. I mean, you met Oliver on Flirtual, right?" 

"Yes," Connor answered. "But that was weeks ago, before any of this psycho, insane madness." He leaned forward curiously. "I should call him, right? Calling would be good. Apologize?" 

Lindy nodded, sitting on the other side of me. 

"You said the woman had an annoying laugh?" Nate asked.

"News flash, it's called being from New Jersey," Connor told us. "But, that doesn't merit a death sentence." 

"Maybe he was sending you a message," Nate told him. 

"Message?" Connor repeated.

"Would it be clearer if he cut off your fingertips?" I asked.

"Oh, that's cute," Connor told me sarcastically. I gave him a sarcastic smile. "Because I'm a writer? Because of my articles?"

"Writing is a generous term," Nate told him. "Saying bad things about bad people, it doesn't always end well. Maybe you shouldn't have written them." 

"Well, I didn't write all of them," Connor told us. 

"Then, who did?" I asked.

Connor hesitated. "Hamish." 

ღ

The next morning, they brought in Hamish to question him. 

"One of my employees was almost butchered," Hamish told us. "I feel it's only right." 

"A serial killer party?" Tommy asked skeptically. "You're out of your mind."