The next morning, Bryan woke up with a headache. It took him a great deal of time to sort out his clouded mind. Last night he had stayed awake till 3 a.m. and even after he sprawled himself on the bed, it still took him at least 50 minutes to fall asleep.
He pushed himself up from the bed and stretched, it was 9 a.m. yet the street was still as quiet as it would be at night.
First, breakfast.
Bryan wanted to have a bite first before washing up but froze when he realised that he hadn't actually stocked up.
"So much for breakfast..." He grumbled and his stomach protested even more by growling.
He went straight ahead to the bathroom and got ready; he planned on grabbing a bite later.
When he finally arrived at the busiest part of the city, he felt like it had been ages since he last came here...
...
After arriving at the police station, he went straight to his desk and slumped into his chair gently rocking it back and forth.
He was picturing the routine of the killer through the little clues they had gathered.
What would people with blue eyes and black hair with receding hairline do?
Probably should be at a salon or something, it's must be really hard on the poor guy...
Bryan unconsciously curved the corner of his lips as he closed his eyes a little.
"What are you smiling about?" Bryan almost jumped out of his chair when he heard the voice speak so close to his ears.
It was Jason who had a mischievous look on his face.
"You scared me!" Bryan protested and didn't find it funny at all. He had thought it was Bernadette since she was the only one who would do such childish things.
"Geez! Why are you so jumpy?" Jason asked and leaned even closer and added, "Or do you feel like someone is following you?"
Bryan sighed as an image surfaced in his mind: "the exorcist".
"No. I was just trying to concentrate when you disturbed me." Bryan decided not to play his games this early.
Jason was a very fun guy to be with. He would occasionally make some jokes, try playing tricks and would even do some silly things like putting gums on your seat.
Now that he thought of it, he hadn't checked his seat this morning...
"The chief wants you in his office." Jason dropped his playful face and took on a more stern expression.
"Alright." Bryan replied and went over to the office.
"Good morning Mr Denise." Bryan didn't stand on ceremony as he pulled a seat and sat down.
"Good morning, Detective." The chief greeted passively and pushed a file towards Bryan.
Bryan knew what it was immediately. He had asked for the police to re-question the victims' family members to see if they could draw a general conclusion based on the abnormalities discovered about the last victim.
He didn't wait for so long and flipped the pages. He was only interested in one thing. As he read through the file, his eyes sparkled in anticipation and excitement.
This is it....
This is the only clue that could link the other victims together apart from the obvious marks left behind at the crime scene.
"Your suspicion was rather accurate. All the victims seemed to have felt an overpowering presence of someone or something watching their every move and following them." Bruce took the initiative to speak first.
"...and it happened between two to three days before the actual murder..." Bryan added and felt his heart beat faster.
"So, how does this help you?" Bruce asked unsure of what this piece of information could do to help fish out the murderer.
"It might not help directly, but I think we can use this to our advantage!" Bryan spoke hurriedly.
"How so?" Bruce felt he had an idea of where this was headed.
"Let's tell the media about this. It will not just help in preventing further murders but would help us catch the killer.
"If everyone knows of this watchful eye, they will know when they feel followed and will immediately contact us within a three days' time frame that way, we might just be lucky enough to catch the killer red handed!"
In as much as this idea seemed very interesting, Bruce didn't want to agree with it.
"We can't let anyone know about this!" Bruce said after a brief thought.
"Why not?" Bryan dropped his ecstatic smile.
"Because, we would only be creating unnecessary panic among the citizens.
"Imagine we tell everyone that before you get murdered, you'll feel someone watching or following you, what do you think will happen?
"Everyone will become apprehensive; they will become paranoid and begin seeing or bearing things that aren't there!
"Worst of all, we have to deal with thousands of calls from paranoid people who feel they're being watched, this will reduce our efficiency!" Bruce spoke with utmost seriousness. Why is this "famous" detective so dumb?
"Sir, I still think that we need to take precautions. People should know!" Bryan insisted. He felt that his plan was the most ideal.
"No one must know!" Bruce slapped the table and added in a stern voice, "Not even the other members of the team. Or do you think this is Wakeville where you could set up a riot by just snapping a finger?"
Bryan felt that he was being insulted. Was he planning on having more murders on his conscience?
"If we tell no one, then we'll have to keep running in circles with the killer, looking on as he kills more people. And of course you know that he doesn't leave any clue that can help the police at all!" Bryan barked. He felt depressed. He got up and left the office.
How can the chief do this? Bryan kept asking himself.
He, however, decided not to tell anyone. He would take another approach in solving this case.