Paul Lantar

Chapter 5

 “Your job is that hard?” she laughed.

“Someone isn’t getting any tonight,” Carina called over her shoulder. 

Just listen to your IPod.

“We’ll watch a movie,” Paul reassured Veena.

 The next morning Paul arrived to work like a zombie thanks to Veena who just had to have her way. He was fifteen minutes early though as usual, and he was thankful Trish was stressed enough not to notice his lack of sleep. Cleaning the shop he realized this place was another connection he had to the Church since Alvin had discovered it.

Should I quit? No it’s too soon an investigation would piece it all together, and it gives Alvin more credibility. Then they would question Trish about me.

He was sure he saw Alvin’s right hand man Angelo walk by the front entrance.

You are being paranoid! Don’t let them get to you.

“Paul! Did you hear the radio?” Trish snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“A special police task force is coming to the city. They think there is a serial killer living here,” she almost spat the words out.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, since that girl from the church went missing they think they’ve linked her disappearance to another girl around the same age,” she explained.

No!

“Crank the volume,” she ordered.

Paul turned up the volume in the front counter area, and there it was breaking news.

 “Wasn’t that the church you were going to?” a shocked Trish asked.

He couldn’t open his mouth to give her an answer, so a nod would have to suffice. Paul sat on the chair behind the desk his legs felt like jelly, and he was struggling to breathe normally.

“You okay Paul?” Trish patted him on the back.

“Yes, I’m just shocked,”

“Me too, Image that…a serial killer active in our city,” Trish seemed to be thinking about something.

 “What is it?”

 “Nothing, I’ve just always been curious about serial killers. I’m always reading about people like Ted Bundy, and the Zodiac Killer,” she was embarrassed, as she said this.

 “Really?”

 Hopefully you won’t be reading about me any time soon…though I guess you are unknowingly listening about me.

 The day dragged out longer then it should have, and Paul found himself sitting opposite Veena both sipping coffees in her shop.

  “You know, when I first met you I thought you were a serial killer,” she said, embarrassed.

 A shiver ran throughout Paul’s entire body, and he tensed up, “Are you serious? That is ridiculous,” he laughed, weakly.

 Fuck.

 “I know. It was just a thought you just appeared so calculating, and meticulous with everything you did,” she took another sip.

 I can’t escape this talk of serial killers.

 “Yeah I guess I was a just a bit of a perfectionist,”

 Paul observed everyone who entered the shop. He wondered if certain customers were part of this special police task force assigned to track him down. Paul gave them the fall scan, analyzing postures, speech, and behaviour leading him to the conclusion they were all regular citizens.

 Paul made it home in time to make himself a green tea, and tune in to the evening news. He eagerly awaited the latest update on the investigation being launched after a few minor stories the anchorwoman introduced Bill Darsen. Serial Killer profiler, and catcher he was regarded as a tough guy with unorthodox methods of catching his targets.  Paul observed the man with scars on his face; he was in his early forties but looked weathered. Most likely from the stress of the job he had also been rendered bald.

 “We have nothing solid as of yet, but we are certain that there maybe a strong possibility that the disappearances of these two young girls are connected. I have put together a special taskforce in order to find the meaning of recent events that have occurred in this wonderful city. My team and I will be working alongside the cities police force, and we strongly urge anyone with information to come forward. No information is too small. If you have seen or heard anything in regards to the two girls pictured please contact us,” Bill Darsen stepped down from the podium. His speech was quick, but his voice was strong and the message was sent to every newswatcher in the city. 

 Paul felt like an insect under the microscope of everyone in the city.

 Bill Darsen. What am I going to do now?

For the first time Paul felt a genuine emotion fear had taken over him. He needed thought of all the things he needed to do starting with getting rid of any books that seemed suspicious at his grandmother’s house. All the NLP books, the anatomy books, and tidy up the yard again. All of the clothes he had worn at the crime scenes had already been destroyed. The only thing he could think of that would bring him down was Alvin, and his disciples.

He didn’t care about the impact being caught would have on the people surrounding him. It was the thought of not ever being able to do what he does again. Being locked up unable to observe the people, and perform his extracurricular activities.

Now was the time for a cool of period, and that meant no stalking, killing, and cleaning. Paul was going be as normal as possible he needed to utilize everyone around him to become invisible.