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F uck me. I wasn’t exactly sure how I saw all of this going down, but after seeing that crime scene, I guess I had this idea of Neco doing his thing, presenting my father with the body, and demanding the cure since we technically got rid of the Ghoul.

It felt good having the five of us together again, but it wouldn’t last. Neco never changed his mind once he set it on something. It would go back to avoiding each other or screaming matches when this was over. So, I was letting him help and not reading too much into it.

We needed a plan, and it needed to be good or the Ghoul would be moving to Guttertown and there would be nothing we could do about it.

“Honestly, I’d prefer if you’d all just let me handle it. I didn’t just start killing bad people one day. I was trained by the best. You’re all smart and amazing at what you do. I can’t do most of it. I can do this,” Neco said.

Hold the fuck up. Someone taught Neco how to kill people? Neco not only knew a killer in Guttertown, but when he walked up to them and asked to apprentice like it was a job like a blacksmith, they said yes?

What was happening right now?

“No,” I said.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t know who is offering serial killer apprenticeships in Guttertown, but nothing is fucking normal right now.

Use your brain. They might not want their own personal serial killer.

They could have given you that name because they know the Ghoul is one of them and they are planning on pinning all of it on you once that name is dead. ”

“Shit, this is why you need us,” Ollie said. “You totally would have killed that guy and now you know you need to wait. You didn’t already kill him, did you?”

“No. Fuck! I don’t just pick a target and kill them.

There’s an art to it. I have to get a measure of them.

I have to figure out their schedule and how to get into their houses with no witnesses.

I learn their families’ schedules so they don’t catch me.

I haven’t had time because I’ve been chasing Lance. ”

Dick.

“ You’re welcome,” I drawled.

“We need to work as a team,” Ronan said. “I don’t know what excuse you give when you’re outside of Guttertown, but everyone knows I’m an artist. I can give Lance some smaller paintings and that can be his cover. It’ll keep the Ghoul and arseholes off him.”

“I can handle arseholes.”

They all glared at me like I was a fucking idiot.

“What? I’ve been tossing drunks since I was thirteen.”

“Different kind of arsehole. These aren’t drunk, they’re just mad you’re beautiful and they like it,” Neco grunted.

I just ignored the fuck out of that because Neco had been weird since we ended up getting our tasks together. Also, if Ronan also said that was true, then I was more likely to believe it.

“So, you know the Ghoul is related to the Barons. What else do you know?” Beck asked.

I let Neco take this one since this was his domain and sometimes, getting him to talk was like pulling teeth. I was pretty sure he hadn’t shared everything he’d refused to tell me on the walk home.

“I have to visit other crime scenes and talk to more people. Everyone talked about Elsbeth and there’s a rumor there was a girl her age among the victims, but that might not mean anything.

We know he used a wedding in Lower Cutwart to avoid getting caught.

It’s amateur, but I can see the logic in it if you’re a psychopath.

I need to see what he did in the Merchant District. ”

“Explain,” Beck said.

“People have lots of kids and they keep trying until they have several sons. Sometimes, it’s to help run the family business and sometimes, it’s for marriage alliances. Sometimes, there’s a house on the property for the kids, but sometimes, they all live under the same roof.

“It’s possible to get in and take out your target without alerting the whole house, but it’s a skill you have to learn.

The Ghoul enjoys killing. He might just be picking his victims by whoever didn’t attend some big event.

They wanted to keep Elsbeth away from the groom, but there’s always someone who isn’t there.

Someone is feuding and didn’t get invited, the kids are in a bad mood, or someone is sick. ”

Neco was actually really good at this. I might actually be able to pull this off with his help.