The Psychopath Maker

Chapter Thirty-Three

Hollow Creek wasn't really a creek. It was an abandoned railroad that sprawled miles behind Dawson Prep's campus. No one knew how the locals came up with its name but it stuck. A couple of minutes after nightfall and the moon was already hanging in the sky like a disco ball. Isabeth stopped digging dried clay out of her hands—from pottery class when she saw Benny walking down the tracks.

"What took you so long?" Isabeth rose to her feet dusting gravel off the back of her yellow pleated skirt. "You texted to meet in two hours and that was forty minutes ago." She folded her arms as he stopped in front of her. "I was about to leave."

"I'm sorry." Benny held his hands together as if he was praying. "I moved my things to Eagle and Malachi insisted.... ordered that I unpack everything."

"Eagle?" Isabeth asked. "You moved into the dorms." She couldn't conceal her smile. She let it claim her face.

Benny had more restraint but Isabeth noticed the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. "Can't be the weird boy forever." He twisted his mouth. "Damn. It was kinda cool...being a bad boy and all."

"Bad boy." Isabeth's head dipped back as she let out a laugh. "You were never a bad boy. People thought you were a twisted nerd at the most."

"Tell me how you really feel." Benny rammed his hands in his jacket pocket then looked at her like she was made for his eyes only. As if God crafted her out of clay, molded her to perfection and placed her in his realm to be adorned by his admiration. Isabeth's stomach grumbled ejecting him from his hallucination and back into reality. "So, I texted you because Brad Washington dropped by my room today.... at the hospital."

"Brad Washington the sheriff." Isabeth placed her hand on her abdomen. Her hunger pangs turning into anxious queasiness. "What did he want? Wait." She held up her hand. "I thought we weren't supposed to talk about this." She stepped closer to him so he could hear her whisper, "about Fulton."

Benny took a step back. Isabeth's lilac, lavender redolence made his heart pound faster than the threat of any lawman.

"Normally, I wouldn't but Washington had this picture of Fulton with some girl at some coffee shop...." Isabeth looked at him strangely but he continued anyway. "They think he left his wife for some redhead...just skied up."

"But that's impossible." Isabeth shook her head as she held the back of her neck. "You know that's impossible. Maybe, it's an old picture."

"It's not an old picture. This girl had an unforgettable face...I mean gorgeous." Benny elaborated.

Isabeth frowned, "Do you want her number?"

"I mean...Fulton and I...my parents are in the same circle. It's a small, elite circle. Everyone knows everyone, and if I saw this woman I would remember her but...I don't."

"Which means...." She hoped he got to the point.

"It's fake and someone knows what we did." Benny proclaimed. "And they're covering our tracks."

"The Psychopath Maker," Isabeth mumbled.

Benny nodded as he trained his vision on the tracks running behind Isabeth, "We're being watched."

A branch snapped and their heads simultaneously twisted to the right. Isabeth latched her hand onto Benny's bicep as she stared at the curtain of trees. Her heart sped in her chest as her breath was trapped in her windpipe. She prayed it was a deer. Hoped it was a deer. Wished it was a deer. A shadow was cast onto the wildly grown grass as a being moved closer, out of the darkness and into the moon's luminescence.

"What, the hell do we have here?" Faith's freshly blonde hair glittered like platinum. "I thought we were supposed to be a team."

"Why the hell would you think that?" Benny snarled. "Your exact words were Fuck this shit if a recall correctly."

Faith climbed onto the railroad track, "That was until..." She stuffed her hand into the pocket of her denim shirtdress and then held out her palm. "I found this in Fulton's office on campus. Plus, a picture of him, Dr. Weiss and Lucas."

"Lucas?" Isabeth breathed out.

Faith nodded then stopped once she discovered Benny's face wasn't riddled with shock-like Isabeth's. "You knew already? Didn't you?"

"About Lucas?" Benny nodded. "Yeah...he was my roommate at the hospital I use to be at before I came here."

Faith balled the key in her hand, "You're just full of secrets, aren't you."

Benny ignored her accusation and focused his attention back to the matter at hand, "We need to find what that key opens."

A coy grin flourished on Faith's face, "I think its time we visit the good doctor's place of residence."

"Why his place of residence?" Isabeth's voice became shaky. "Didn't he have an office at the hospital. That key could go to anything."

"Yeah," Benny affirmed.

Faith stroked her finger over the key, "This is a Walcott key." She held it up so they could see the engraving. "The Walcott's are known for two things; banking and lockboxes. And theirs no Walcott Bank in this county." Faith started walking backward. "So...are you coming?"

Looks like The Trifecta are going sleuthing. Should they sneak into Fulton's house?