Confessions of a Murderess

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Kimberly, I hope you see this message. Mom and Dad separated this week, so I'm feeling kind of alone. I miss you. I wish you could come to see me so we can talk about what happened.

Leise Avlis

On the day Adam and I met, I remembered the Central's request not to reveal our real names to any residents of Virginia. Not until the FBI found out where Quinn Solo was. However, his intense gaze on me made that task difficult. His initial advances were subtle, true. He only called me two weeks later when I introduced myself again as Jacqueline Kathefelon, a journalist and researcher from the museum. The beginning of our relationship was strange. He was almost always watching me, and I was always acting with a country girl accent.

Adam said he was a partner in a pharmaceutical company located south of Virginia. I don't know if that made him rich, but he wanted me to believe it did. However, I didn't fall for it right away. I was cautious to avoid being labeled as a gold digger.

— Are you from Portsmouth, Jacqueline? — Adam asked me on our third meeting.

— I was born in Laguna Beach — I said. — My family came from there.

— And yet you don't like the beach?

— We lived by the sea. I woke up to the sound of the waves, smelling fish and hearing the fishermen's conversations. But I confess I prefer fields and farms.

— Is that why you're so keen on visiting your friend Max?

Adam, my conversations with Max are fun. He and I have a lot in common. We both like plants, the smell of rivers, and taking photos of foxes. We like plowing the land and horseback riding. We've become good friends. But I also followed his request, as being on the farm is a good excuse for me to be in Rox. I can visit the shed as many times as I want and investigate Mrs. Mesdra.

My intuition is telling me that the mysteries of Kimberly's murder will be solved on the farm, and the identity of the Red Rose Demon is tied to that place. I don't find Kimberly more important or better than the other girls. Stacy was an up-and-coming model with a bunch of secret admirers, people interested in her work who mourned her death deeply. However, Kimberly and Lucy were the only ones who were so close to Quinn Solo. The memories of that evening, when I heard footsteps in the pine forest, only confirmed what I already knew — Adam Fredie Penrose seems to be the killer.

Initially, Adam didn't show any interest in my visits to the farm. He thought Mrs. Mesdra was just a shopkeeper and Max just a teenager. However, my actions ended up triggering his jealous instincts. Of course, he didn't say anything directly to me. His actions, like inviting me to dinners or taking trips during the season, showed that he had a desire to keep me away from the farm.

I still remember when Adam met Collie in the woods. That day, Collie ended up peeing on the bench we were sitting on, and his suit got damp and smelled like urine for a long time, which made him quite nervous.

Our first date seemed more like a comedy sketch than anything else. I tried to make it not work out. There were no hugs, no kisses, no interesting topics. A torrential rain near sunset did happen and sent us back to our homes. After that, we stayed away from each other for a while, and I turned my attention to the police. I presented the evidence I gathered in Portsmouth to the Washington delegation, trying to convince Commander Agatha that the investigations were nearing completion.

Agatha was childless and familyless, devoting her entire life to combating organized crime, which made her a stern woman. She had solved many complex serial murder cases throughout the United States and made it a point to assemble teams with great insight and a winning spirit.

Victor and William were the other agents responsible for the progress of the Quinn Solo case. They analyzed the clues, tracked down most of the witnesses, and assembled the sequence of videos from the security cameras of the Art Center library, located in Portsmouth's upscale neighborhood. Videos that I spent an entire night analyzing.

— The letter the supposed killer wrote doesn't seem suspicious — I stated. — No witness recognized the handwriting.

— If the killer felt compelled to write an apology to Lucy for killing her daughter, it could mean that Kimberly did indeed date this man — Sarah admitted. — However, if Kimberly got into the car with her boyfriend, why did she scream when the doors closed, as if they were strangers?

— That's a good question — William turned on the notebook and played the video compilation —, watch and see.

— Is there a problem there? — I asked.

— There's a cut in the second camera. First, Kimberly enters the library accompanied. Then she walks through the bookshelves while her companion heads toward the attendant. On the front camera, she appears alone. — Victor pointed at the notebook's screen.

— That means someone entered the library and deleted the images where their face appeared — Sarah gave a thumbs-up gesture.

— It's still too early to say. But we can recover all the images from the database — the commander said. — A new search and seizure warrant will be issued in a month, and we'll know what the killer looks like.

Why did Quinn Solo kill Kimberly on such a busy day? Did he already plan to kill her at that hour? Was there someone inside the library who was his accomplice?

In the recordings from the front camera, a few minutes before leaving the library, Kimberly is seen talking to the attendant one last time. Rebecca raises her hands and points outside. Kimberly turns her head, takes the books, and disappears. Obviously, Quinn Solo didn't plan to kill her there. He killed her because Rebecca said something about the fake document. And perhaps Jim Fricks had a direct connection to the killer.

However, why didn't Quinn Solo erase all the camera videos? Did he forget, didn't have time, or does he consider his actions impossible for the police to catch, a display that, even though he left such incriminating traces, no one can arrest him?

— Ellis, I want you to do the reports on the other victims — Agatha ordered.

— I'll leave that to Inspector Billy Nortgen. He's leading the other investigations.

— You know the Rox police isn't reliable.

— We don't have another choice, Commander. We can't wait a month for the images to be recovered. Plus, Kimberly is the key piece in this game.

— So that's why you asked the director to let you infiltrate the museum as Jacqueline? Listen, Ellis, it doesn't matter if you're good. It doesn't matter if you're one of the best investigators we have. If you don't do the other reports, I'll have to take you off the case. This isn't a game.

Max didn't lie. Kimberly was indeed dating a man named Fredie the same week she was killed. Although her cellphone was never found, there was a message from her on Leise Avlis' phone. Leise was in the same class as Kimberly and considered her a close childhood friend, but her family decided to leave Portsmouth after the incidents. However, she contacted me when she found out I was from the FBI and investigating the deaths.

Leise, I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry. I want you to know that we're still friends. Today I'm going to visit Fredie's family. He's really thinking about getting married in a year. Tomorrow I'll stop by your house to see you, so we can talk about what happened.

Kimberly Lancaster