Jenn stared at her reflection in the mirror, uttering a grunt when she saw the dark circles under her eyes. Then she huffed and turned away from the mirror, running her hand through her tousled black hair. As another wave of exhaustion filled her foggy mind, she put a hand to her mouth and muffled a yawn. She dragged herself out of her room and into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

She had been tossing and turning all night, but she just couldn't fall asleep. She couldn't get her mind off the case since she saw his name on the chair. That one single name was the key evidence to solving this whole mystery. Yet she found it so hard to believe her own eyes.

She had even found a few witnesses who saw the third victim, Leigh Burnham, leaving a party with a guy the night before she died. When she asked for a name, all of them gave Jenn his name.

Ray Darce.

She narrowed her eyes as the name entered her mind. She recalled the way he acted that night in the restaurant when they talked about the murders and she figured it out. So that was how he got the information. He was the devil himself. How smart of him to act dumb all this while.

However, something felt wrong about this whole thing. How was it possible for Ray to stay under the radar for so long? And what could be his motive for causing such kind of uproar around the town? There must be a missing piece, she thought firmly. But what was it?

It occurred to her suddenly that the killer used a most unique way of ending the victims' lives. Her earlier suspicion was further confirmed when she visited the crime scenes yesterday. She thought about the enclosed room in a quiet area, the chair, the victims' body with no signs of physical trauma and drug toxicity. There was only one way of killing them – using their minds against them.

However, she found it hard to understand how Ray could have managed to perform this level of hypnosis. There was no record of his taking lessons on hypnosis, nor did he leave the town for long periods to learn it. Even if he did manage to master it through the internet, it usually took many years of practice and professional guidance to be able to put people in such a deep trance. Unless, of course, he was naturally gifted in hypnosis.

Another question popped up in her mind. If Ray really was the guilty party, how was she going to bring him in? She had consulted the situation with Agent Turner and Agent Potts. According to them, a carved name on a chair was not solid evidence to be used in court to take him down. It could easily be brushed off as planted evidence. She was going to need to find stronger evidence in order to pin him for the crime in front of the judge. She was going to need a confession.

And she would get it from him.

~

Getting out of the taxi, Jenn tipped the driver, asking him to wait for her. Then she turned around and took a good look at the house in front of her, remembering how often she had been there for friendly visits and parties up until four years ago. And now she was here for an interrogation. The wonderful twists of life, she thought cynically.

Breathing a deep sigh, she went forward and pressed on the doorbell. A few moments passed before someone answered the door. It was Ray. Great.

"Jenn?" His eyebrows lifted in surprise. A curious smile crept onto his face. "What brings you here today? Think about me much?"

He had no idea. "Yes, I do, and I need your help with something," Jenn said, plastering a smile on her face. "Can we talk inside?"

He hesitated. "My parents aren't home today. You sure you want to come in? It'll be just us, you know."

Jenn's instinct told her that he wasn't faking his uncertainty about having her in his house when his parents weren't home. This was a good indicator that, albeit he was now a flirt, he rarely brought girls home. She sighed inwardly, wondering if he was deceiving her with his innocent reaction. She feigned another friendly smile. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"If you say so." He mumbled and stepped aside.

She entered his house and went to take a seat in his living room. Shutting the door behind him, Ray asked, "So how can I be of your assistance?" He walked into the living room, wearing a curious look.

"Have a seat first." She watched him as he sat down on the couch opposite her. Zipping open her backpack, she took out a few photos and arranged them on the coffee table. They were the victims' photos. She studied his demeanour as his eyes scanned the pictures. Almost immediately, she observed his eyes glazed over – again.

Bingo.

Ray gave her a stiff smile, his body rigid. "Why are you showing me these?"

"Do you know who these girls are?" Jenn asked, ignoring his question.

He frowned, keeping his eyes on the photos. "No ..." he said slowly, shaking his head.

She saw through his feeble pretence of puzzlement. "You're lying," she stated flatly.

Ray clenched his hands into fists on his lap involuntarily, his eyes flashing between the photos and Jenn. He attempted to smile at her calmly. "What makes you say that?"

"You were avoiding eye contact, which meant deceit. Your eyebrows rose slightly when you saw the photos, implying recognition. You were rubbing your palms on your laps, which is a display of insecurity – aftermath of lying. Your clenched fists show that you're nervous." Jenn paused to take a breath. "Shall I continue?" She gave him a pointed look.

Automatically, Ray unclenched his fists, only to cross his arms in front of him. He exhaled a long breath. "Are you really Jenn?"

"That's beside the point," she merely said. "So tell me, how did you know these girls?"

"I don't." He shrugged. "Am I lying again?"

"No," Jenn observed. Something was off about the way he was acting, even for a killer. She studied him closely, maintaining a relaxed pose. His behaviour was too inconsistent for a normal person. Unless he was a sociopath, there was no way he could jump from panicking to being composed within just a few seconds. Finally, she noticed the way he was looking at her. Something was definitely not right.

Sighing, she leaned forward. "All right. I'm not going to beat around the bush anymore. Did you kill them?"

Surprisingly, Ray merely raised his eyebrows at her question. Jenn saw this, and she was sure that Ray had given up covering himself. Sure enough, an eerie smile crept onto his face, giving himself away immediately.

"Bravo, Jenn. You solved the mystery."

There was not a hint of anxiety in his voice. It was almost as if he was glad that he was discovered. She looked deep into his eyes, searching.

"Why did you kill them?" she prodded.

The smirk on his face morphed into a grimace. "They deserved it."

"Why did they deserve to die?" she pushed on, determined to get to the bottom of this.

Uncertainty displayed on his face. "They ..." Ray shook his head and tried again. "They were ..." He choked on his own words.

Just as she had predicted, he didn't know. How could he?

He made an exasperated sound, frowning at the floor. "Why does it even matter?" His eyes flashed to her, and a hint of desperation flickered across his face. "I killed them. You already have my confession. Just cut the crap and cuff me already."

Now this was getting interesting. Ray was afraid that she wouldn't bring him in.

"I don't believe you." She cocked her head at him. "I don't think you killed them."

"What?" Ray stared at her, clearly dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me?"

She sighed. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Ray, but you're not a killer. What I see in you is just a person who is desperate to take the blame."

"But I did kill them." He sounded pretty sure of it, but his wild eyes said otherwise.

She could see that he was getting flustered. It was time to change her approach.

Jenn stood up and walked around the coffee table, her eyes never leaving Ray. She stopped right in front of him and knelt down. When he tried to back away, she took hold of both his wrists and held him in place. She locked her gaze with his. "Ray, you are not a killer," she murmured gently. "I know who you really are, Ray. You are a good guy. You care about your friends. You love your family."

His gaze softened as her words filled his mind. "But—"

She shook her head, silencing him, but she kept her expression calm and tranquil. "You remember who you are, how you treat others." His breathing started to slow down.

"You rarely get upset," she continued, keeping eye contact as she slowly released his wrists. "You smile at almost everyone you see." Her hand went to his shoulder and gave it a light tap. No response. "You love to help others." She slid her hand down to his elbow and tapped it lightly again. Again, nothing. "You feel happy when your loved ones are happy." She lowered her hand and held his hand, squeezing it gently. When his body didn't respond, she moved on to his leg, resting her palm on his knee and patting it. "You know it, Ray. You did not kill the six girls."

Suddenly, he snapped out of his trance. "No, I did." His glazed eyes started to go wild again, and he brushed her hand off him.

Jenn was losing her grip on his mind, but she was already halfway through this. She couldn't stop now. So Jenn did the first thing that entered her mind. She leaned forward and kissed him.

How to distract a flirt? Play his game.

Immediately, Ray responded. He kissed her back as his hand went to her face, caressing her cheek. Jenn placed a hand at the back of his neck, squeezing it gently, and moved her hand down his back slowly, sending shivers down his spine. He groaned in pleasure at her skilful touch. She smirked against his lips as she grabbed his thigh and tightened her grip, causing him to gasp. Ray wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his torso. She realised that it was time to stop this. She had done what she could to distract him, so now was the time to proceed with her plan.

Gently, she pushed him back, ending the kiss. Ray stared at her in wonder, looking out of breath. Jenn looked down and bit her bottom lip, feigning embarrassment. A blush would have perfected her façade, she thought.

Ray started to speak. "What was ...?"

She took his hand and squeezed it lightly, managing to cut him off. "Come with me."

He blinked twice, and she saw his wide eyes glaze over. "Okay," he mumbled, staring at her with dilated pupils.

Relieved, she quickly put the photos back into her backpack. Then she took his hand once again and led him out of the house. In a daze, he followed her obediently. Her taxi was waiting for them outside the house. Together they got in the car, and she gave the driver instructions to go to her hotel.

"Where are we going?" Ray asked as the car started moving.

Jenn took a glance at him and saw that he was still stupefied by the whole incident just now. It would be very easy to lie to him right now. He was gullible and credulous, so even if she told him that the president was his father, he would have believed her without a doubt, not that she was going to do that.

"We're going over to my place," she answered, smiling at him.

"Huh?" He looked confused. "What's wrong with my house?"

She laughed gently. "It's not safe for you to be there anymore. That's why I need to bring you somewhere safe." From a corner of her eye, she saw the taxi driver watching them in the rear-view mirror. She ignored the driver's weird stare and focused on Ray. The trance that she had put him in wasn't deep enough to fully hypnotise him. She could easily lose him again if she became distracted.