Chapter 51

Chapter 51
Killer

Boy, the city was a mess. Like a big bruise, throbbing and raw. That stunt at the precinct, hitting the detective right there – that really messed with everyone’s heads. No one felt safe anymore, not even the cops. The news was just a constant scream, all about how scared folks were, how messed up the city was. It was perfect. Just perfect.

The detective, my main guy, was laid up in the hospital. He needed that, even if he didn’t know it. That little dart I gave him. Just enough to make him crash, get some forced rest. Not enough to really hurt him bad, just enough to put him on the sidelines for a bit. He needed to clear his head, see things straight, away from all the noise. And while he was out, it left Rhodes out in the open, totally on his own.

And Rhodes? he was a total basket case. You could practically smell the fear coming off him, even through the TV. He was doing all these press conferences, trying to sound tough, trying to tell everyone it was fine. But his voice was shaking, his eyes were darting all over the place, like he thought I was gonna pop out from behind the cameras. He was losing it, big time. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

He was the next piece I had to break. Not like the others, Worse. Rhodes was useful, scared out of his mind, forced to spill his guts. He was the face of the police, the guy who covered up all Davies’s garbage. He chose to hide the truth, to keep everyone quiet, to protect all the dirty secrets. So, he was going to get a special kind of hell.

I watched him, every move he made. He got more bodyguards, changed his routes to work, checked his back every five seconds. Like that was gonna help. I could get to him whenever I wanted. I showed him that with that broken compass on his pillow, and almost sending his car into the construction site. He knew it. Every minute of his life was just a living reminder of all the messed-up stuff he’d done.

The city around him was just melting down. Schools were closing early; people weren't going out at night. Newport, usually so busy, was like a ghost town after dark. Folks weren't just scared of some killer; they were realizing that the very people supposed to protect them were just as weak, just as rotten. And Rhodes, panicking and looking lost, just made everything worse.

My next move? It was going to be a bullseye, aimed right at his pride, at the last bit of control he thought he had. It was going be violent, Yes . It was going to be worse.

While the detective was out of commission, trying to get better, I worked fast. Every little thing was planned out, down to the last detail. The tools were ready, the way in was clear, the message was sharp as a razor. This wasn't about fighting him; it was about messing with his head until it snapped. Make him crack, right in front of everyone.

It was funny, in a dark kind of way. The detective, the only one smart enough to figure out what I was really doing, was stuck in bed. And Rhodes, the big shot who tried to shut the detective up, was now my puppet, jumping whenever I pulled a string. His fear was gonna open all the doors I needed.

Newport City. It was a giant lie, built on greedy schemes and broken promises. Its whole foundation was built on hurting people and keeping secrets. But now, those cracks were showing. The truth was bubbling up, like bad gas from a sewer. And the main guy, the one who sat at the top, shaking in his fancy office, he was going to be the one to tell everyone before the end. His big public meltdown. That was the last piece of the puzzle. The show was about to start.

The raw, panicked scream that exploded all over the news was even better than I thought it would be. Rhodes, trying to look tough on the steps of City Hall, just totally broke down. He was supposed to calm everyone down, act like the big boss, but instead, he just fell apart. It was perfect. Everyone saw him just lose it, right there live on TV.

I just made sure this old, secret letter from Davies, the one that showed Rhodes was in on some shady money deals years ago, popped up on the TV screen right when he was talking. He was looking at his teleprompter, ready to say his fake lines, and then boom. His own dirty past showed up right in front of him. He froze, his eyes bugged out, freaking out.

He couldn't stop himself. All that fear I’d been giving him, all that pressure – it just made him crack. He started yelling, not even about the Killer, but about them. About "Davies's crew," about "the truth that wouldn't stay buried," about "the people who made him do it." He didn't say names clearly, but the panic in his voice, the crazy look in his eyes, it told everyone everything they needed to know. He was talking about "lost souls" and "foundations built on lies." He was totally losing his mind, right there for everyone to see.

Newport City went crazy. First, people were just shocked. Then, they got mad. The news anchors, who were all confused at first, quickly figured out what Rhodes was really saying. Everyone started talking about it. People were out in the streets, protesting, yelling for him to quit, for people to get arrested. All over the internet, people were just blowing up, demanding answers. The trust between the city and its leaders just broke apart. This wasn't just messy; it was like a full-on war for the city's soul.

And the detective, my smart, stubborn detective, was still stuck in that hospital bed. I’d gone back to check on him, just a quiet shadow in his room while he slept. He was okay, getting better, but he couldn't do anything from there. He was definitely feeling the city go crazy, though. He’d hear the news. He’d connect Rhodes’s breakdown to all those clues I’d given him – the "LOST PATH" message, the "FOUNDATION" clue. His brain, even tired, would be putting the last pieces together.