Picture Perfect

In the small town of Oakley, everything was perfect. The place was surrounded by lakes and people would come and go as they would like. Some people would see it as a place to start a family, or a place to settle down after having lived the American Dream. People would stay up watching the stars or the sunset and others would awe as they saw a rainbow form in the sky. It was known as the next silver spoon gated community. The next Beverly Hills. Everything was perfect. Until one day, everything shattered.

There had been a murder, and in the idyllic town of Oakley, it was unheard of. The victim was seventeen year old Kelly Donovan. She was found murdered in her home and in horrible stab wounds. She had been stabbed over thirty times in the chest, back, and lower waist. Blood was everywhere, on the floor, the whitewashed walls, and even on Kelly's clothes. Detective Denise McCarthy arrived at the scene almost immediately, shocked to find out that a murder had rocked the sleepy town of Oakley. It was her tenth case as a recently hired detective, and just looking at the crime scene, she's reminded of her sister Olivia. It was because of her that Denise chose to become a detective. The more she looked at the scene, the more something seemed off. When she looked closer, she noticed a small, black heart carved in Kelly's chest.

The third call came in a week later. Sabrina Hayes was found dead with forty stab wounds. It wasn't until then that Detective McCarthy realized she was dealing with a serial killer. All the victims had a black heart carved in their chest and they were all found dead in their homes. Same MO. Same black heart on all the victims. They needed to catch him before it was too late. Denise held a meeting in the conference room.

"Three victims. First one is Kelly Donovan, 17, stabbed to death. The second one is Gianna Porter, 20, also stabbed to death. Third one is Sabrina Hayes, 18. Guess how she died. All were found dead in their homes. No ID or connection to one another. All of them were found with a black heart carved in their chests. Murdered by the same person. All young adults."

"Is that all, Detective?"

"That's it for now. I'll let you know if there's any new updates."

"Okay. Thank you for your time, Denise."

"So...what happens next?" Officer Gray asked.

"We take matters into our own hands. We investigate."

The next day, officers went to the victims' houses. They talked with parents or siblings to see if they knew something the police didn't. Everyone's statements were the same and their alibis checked out. They were either at home or with a friend. Nothing useful. When questioned about enemies or possible suspects, everyone said the same thing. They didn't know who could've done it. With only three dead bodies and no sign of the killer, the police had nothing. They were about to give up when the fourth call came in later that day.

"The fourth victim was called in today. Jane Baker, age 19. She was found in her home with twenty seven stab wounds and a black heart carved in her chest. No sign of the murder weapon and no fingerprints."

"He's getting better. We need to find this guy. What did McCarthy say?"

"She has a potential lead. Kurt Webber. 34. Lives in Portland. She found him out through an eyewitness."

"Thank God for Denise. Is he our guy, though?"

"Only one way to find out. Bring him in tomorrow."

************

He sat in the waiting room of the police station. They were going to question him. They were on to him. But how? They didn't have any evidence. They couldn't legally arrest him. They would say this was a big misunderstanding and let him go.

"Did you know Sabrina Hayes?" Detective McCarthy asked him.

'No," he responded plainly.

"Gianna Porter?"

'No."

"Kelly Donovan?"

"Look, whatever it is you're trying to accuse me of, just say it."

"Okay then. We think you did it. We think you killed them."

"You can't prove it. You don't have any evidence."

"How do you know that?"

"I followed the case on the news. You don't have anything. No fingerprints, no weapon, not even witnesses. No leads."

The sudden realization hit. As much as they didn't want to admit it, he was right. They had nothing. They couldn't legally arrest him. So, they had no choice but to let him go.

"Well then. Sorry about that, Mr. Webber. You're free to go."

And just like that, as quickly as he arrived, he was gone.

**********

He went back home after they let him go. He felt good. He didn't lie to police, just told them the mere truth. They didn't have any evidence and they couldn't arrest him, no matter how badly they wanted to. He was a free man. Free to do whatever he wanted. Free to kill just one more victim.

He had already killed four people along the Brentwood-Oakley area, so who's to say he couldn't kill one more? This one was going to be different. More thought out. He had a plan. First, he needed a note. A suicide note. He needed to make it believable. Like they were struggling and lost their sense of living. When he finished writing it, he mailed it to the police station, directly to Detective McCarthy.

Now came the suicide part. How would they die? Stabbed? Shot? Overdose? Falling? Yes. That was the safest option. The most believable one. It was the most dramatic one, and everyone would fall for it, including the police. He drove to a nearby bridge that had a lake. Perfect. He parked his car in rear and got off. Before jumping off, he did one last thing. He drenched his car in gasoline and threw a lighter in it. The car blew up, and without another word, he stepped off the bridge and fell down into the lake.

************

The police got the suicide note the next day. It was all over the news. Serial killer Kurt Webber, also dubbed The Black Heart Killer, jumps to his death after killing four people in the Brentwood-Oakley area. They read the note in their office. It stated in graphic detail everything he did to each victim and how he did it. It was signed with his name and a black heart at the bottom.

His body was never found.