MadameDaphne.com is the most popular website for anyone looking to have an affair. After all, it's only a sin, if you get caught. However, six users have been found dead with their hearts carved out and placed in white gift boxes. The only clue left...
"We believe that she's using that site to contact her victims. We've found messages exchanges between the victims and someone screen named DirtyLittleSecret. We have to assume that's her. She killed again last night; the body was found in his office. He was a psychologist. According to his interactions on the website, she was his first contact. The FBI will be holding a briefing very soon, and this information will be released. We've contacted the site, but Madame Daphne won't give up their client list, it violates their terms of use. There's no way to find her identity, even if we got a warrant. It is completely protected. So that's why we're here. You help us and we'll help you."
A sharp cry from the upstairs bedroom interrupted the conversation. Maria excused herself to check on the baby.
"Tell me agents, will you be releasing her screen name and her hunting grounds to the public?" I asked.
"Not her screen name, but we hope that revealing the link among the victims will scare the site into giving up their client list. We can't risk scaring The Mistress going into hiding by exposing her screen name. It's all we've got."
"Aren't you afraid that by withholding her screen name you're putting innocent lives in danger?"
"Since when do you care about innocent lives?" Agent Porter asked.
This much was true.
"What if releasing the link scares her? She could move onto a new site, or completely change the way she meets her victims. I did. I used to stalk them in person, and then my former lieutenant introduced me to the dating app."
"There are a million things that may scare her into hiding or cause her to switch up her tactics, but this is a risk we're going to have to take." Agent Valentine said.
"How will you help me?" I asked.
"...You'll get off scot-free. We won't arrest you right here in front of your wife if you help us, and we get to put away a serial killer."
Maria was stepping down the stairs with the baby in her arms. It was an easy choice.
"It sounds almost too easy. What do I have to do?"
"You're going to have to go undercover and register on the site. You have to attract this woman, which means you'll probably go through many women until you get to her." Agent Valentine explained.
They looked over their shoulders at Maria who was standing at the entrance of the living room. Jordan was nestled in her arms, his eyes closed, and already falling into another deep sleep. Maria's brow was cocked, her gaze resting solely on me. I had to admire how she managed to set tension in any room.
"As I'm sure you can understand, judging from the weddings rings on your fingers, my wife will not be too happy about this assignment."
The agents glanced down at their hands.
"You two look young, meaning you've been married for only a couple of years, most likely to college or high school sweethearts. You've been on the force for say 2 or 3 years and this is your first big case. You like to believe that you have a unique style of solving cases, so you're coming to me. Your superiors were not happy about this, considering I'm wanted in two states, responsible for the murder of 5 girls, the kidnapping of another, the murder of a patient while serving my sentence, and escaping a federal facility. I am the holy grail of serial killers, and I'm sure you'd love to put away The Mistress and me. It's what careers are made from. So, I'm going to ask you again. What's in it for me, because it's not exoneration."
Agent Porter shuffled uncomfortably.
"No, our director is not happy about it, and exoneration is not on the table as of yet. We wanted to come talk to you first, to ensure that we'll have your full cooperation. If he sees that you're willing to work with us, perhaps he will agree."
"So he doesn't know that you're here?" I asked, a smirk making its way across my lips.
"Don't be a cocky asshole. This is our offer, take it or leave it. If you leave it, we arrest you right now." Agent Valentine snapped.
Maria's eyes widened.
"I won't agree until I know that exoneration is guaranteed. Until then, feel free to take me in." I said, extending my wrists out for them to handcuff me.
They stared at me, seemingly battling with themselves to actually arrest me and risk me not cooperating or letting me call their bluff. The agents stood and walked towards the door. I guess it was option two.
"We'll be in touch, and you better not disappear. We found you once, we'll do it again, and this time, we will take you."
I thanked them for coming and asked them to shut the door behind them. Maria was still visibly tense and from the look in her eyes, if she wasn't holding Jordan, she would be yelling at me right now.
"Why didn't you take the offer? Now we're going to have to run again. Where are we going to go?" she asked.
"We're not going to run, you heard me say I wouldn't cooperate until exoneration was 100% on the table. I'm doing this for you and the baby. I think we've been through enough to where you should trust what I'm doing." I replied.
"It's not about that. They found us." Her tone was desperate.
I understood this, but there was nothing that could be done now.
"To be fair, Maria, we didn't exactly fall off the face of the earth."
"Kris, they could out you to the police department. You could lose your job. You could still go to jail!"
Jordan stirred in her arms at the sound of her elevated tone.
"We're going to be fine. As soon as they promise exoneration, I'll help them find this woman." I assured her.
"I don't like this." Maria said, shaking her head.
"You don't have to be jealous."
"It's not about being jealous! This woman has killed many people, men and women. She's good at what she does."
I cocked a brow at that. She realized what she had said. I decided to bite my tongue for the moment. In the months that we'd shared a home and gotten used to having a baby around, it became clear that the only thing keeping Maria together was completely blocking out who I was.
It amazed me how easily she could forget what I'd done, and what I'd almost done to her. She hated any reminder that I was capable of taking a life as much as I was capable of making one. But right now, she'd been reminded again.
The Mistress may be good at what she did, but so was I.
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Helloooo! How is everyone.
I just finished reading Feral by Jamse De Monaco and BK Evenson and I'm mad AF.
