Arc 1: The American Psycho [VIII]
Chapter: The Thorn's Target.
"Who hired you to kill me?" Hikigaya asked again.
"Nobody hired me to kill you." Yor Forger stated, her voice completely devoid of any emotion. "I made an executive decision."
Hikigaya grumbled. At the moment, Yor Forger was under the influence of the truth potion. It wasn't the knock off which Yukino Yukinoshita had slipped into his drink back at Anteiku. That was used by wizarding children for a game of truth or dare. What he had given Mrs. Forger right now was Veritaserum, the most powerful truth potion known to man and it was used to get answers out of spies and criminals.
"Why do you want to kill me?" Hikigaya asked.
"Because you have seen me in my underwear." Mrs. Forger stated. "Not even my husband has seen me in my underwear. Therefore you deserve to die."
"Okay." Hikigaya had to remember to phrase his questions better. What Mrs. Forger was saying was in fact the truth, but it was not the truth he was interested in. "Let's try that again. Who hired you?"
"Yukino Yukinoshita."
Back to square one. But it was better than where he was with her right now. Now that he thought about it, this was actually his fault. He had lost his composure when Mrs. Forger had said that Yukinoshita had hired her. He had expected her to tell him it was either Izaya Orihara or Kanra. Not for the first time, he had to remind himself that in this line of work, if you made assumptions beforehand, without having all the facts at your disposal, you ran the risk of making a total ass out of yourself. Lesson learned. Now he just had to ask the right questions.
"Why did Yukino Yukinoshita hire you?"
"To kill 'The American Psycho'."
Hikigaya's eyes widened. Needless to say, he hadn't expected the answer. Just to be a hundred percent sure and leave no room for doubt, he asked the obvious question. "The serial killer?"
Even though Mrs. Forger was restrained to the bed, her eyes blindfolded and she was unable to move her arms and legs, the professional assassin managed to nod her head once. "Yes. He is my current target."
"Hurm." Hikigaya fell silent.
During his stay in America, he had heard about the notorious serial killer. At first the tabloids in New York had started calling him 'The Psycho', but that caused a bit of a small misunderstanding and by that he meant mass hysteria and panic, as there was already another serial killer nicknamed 'The Psycho' and his hunting ground was believed to be California.
Before long rumours and fake news and misinformation started to spread through social media like wild fire. People had so many questions – Did 'The Psycho' from California shift to New York? Were there now two 'Psychos' in New York? Were 'The Two Psychos' gonna compete and see who was the better serial killer? Did that mean more and more people were gonna die? Was this new serial killer a copycat?
If people followed the news carefully, they could have gotten some of the answers themselves, but who had time for that in their busy lives. There were many cute cat videos online. By then, Hikigaya was involved with the law enforcement scene, so he had some of the answers.
No, it was definitely not the work of a copycat. The two serial killers had completely different modus operandi. And no, he didn't need to be acquainted with a police detective or two to know that particular bit of information. He got that just by following the news like your normal, average citizen, who was more than a bit concerned with the rising crime rate in the country.
What he did got to know from his boss back then, who just so happened to be the detective lieutenant of the special crimes unit, and his landlord was something a little more interesting. Psycho Number 1, the one from California, had been inactive for a long time, way past his usual cooling off period. The police believed he was either dead or in prison, serving time for some other crime. In other words, Psycho Number 2, the one from New York, had no connection to the serial killings in California. This was someone completely new and based on how he raped and tortured his first few female victims before killing them, the people of New York were dealing with a real monster.
Unfortunately Hikigaya wasn't involved with the case. He just followed it from the sidelines. He had no idea how the tabloids had come up with the new moniker, 'The American Psycho'. He had seen them run stories with the headlines, 'The New York Psycho Strikes Again!' and 'Is The California Psycho Still At Large?', but if he had to guess, it was probably the folks at the BBC who came up with the name 'The American Psycho!' and it kinda stuck. From what he could tell, the journalists from London hadn't heard about 'The Psycho of California'. And they were being typical Brits, never missing a chance to shit on the Americans.
But Hikigaya wasn't in New York. He was in Ikebukuro. Which begs the obvious question. "Woman, are you crazy?" Real smooth Hikigaya, real smooth. The ladies are gonna love you. "He is called 'The American Psycho'. What the hell are you doing trying to find him in Ikebukuro? In case you are really bad with directions and don't know how to use a GPS, we are in Japan."
This was getting embarrassing. He had lost his composure again. But he couldn't quite help it. For all he knew, he was dealing with a crazy woman, who happened to be a professional assassin, who instead of going after her target in America, was coming after him, because she had clearly lost her goddamn mind.
It also took him a second to realize that he hadn't asked her a proper question yet. But instead of being greeted by more silence, he heard her speak in the same monotone voice, which was induced by the truth potion.
"L thinks he is in Ikebukuro."
He wasn't imagining things right? She really said that, huh? He didn't know what to believe anymore. He looked at his wristwatch. The potion was still in effect. Mrs. Forger wasn't lying. Which meant one of two things - either Yor was really good at her job or L was getting sloppy.
"How do you know L?" He asked.
"I don't know him personally." Mrs. Forger stated. "But I have read his notes on 'The American Psycho'. He did his own private investigation. It was very thorough. He figured out everything, except the killer's identity."
This warranted a follow up question.
"How did you get access to his notes? Did you break into The Kira Task Force Building and threaten him to hand over the files?" He spoke half serious, half jokingly.
"That was Plan B." Mrs. Forger stated. "But then I remembered something I heard being discussed online in a chatroom – 'Nothing happens in Ikebukuro without Izaya Orihara knowing about it'."
Things were slowly starting to fall into place. "Correct me if I get anything wrong, Mrs. Forger." Hikigaya told her. "Yukino Yukinoshita hired you to kill 'The American Psycho'. I'm guessing she got ahold of you by using some of her connections in the ministry."
"I work in the ministry myself." Mrs. Forger stated.
She had become quite talkative lately, freely dispensing vital bits of information, and it was not because of the truth potion. From what he could tell, she wanted him to know certain details about the case. Good, he thought. They were establishing a good rapport. But in this instance, she remained rather tightlipped. Now he had to decide, whether to push her for more information or let her keep some of her secrets. In the end, he decided to be a gentleman.
"Any reason why Yukinoshita wanted you to kill this particular serial killer?" He asked.
"I don't know. I didn't ask. I never do when I take on a job." Mrs. Forger stated.
He figured that was some kind of coping mechanism. It was better if your target was just a name on a piece of paper. Made them seem less human. Made the job easier. He figured that's how a professional assassin functioned. But he still wanted a real answer.
"Guess."
It was not a question and he didn't want to frame it as a question either. He wanted to see how Mrs. Forger would respond without the compulsion of the truth potion. And she didn't disappoint.
"Yukinoshita-san has a strong sense of justice. We talked over coffee and she told me that ever since Kira showed up, people seem to have forgotten that there are other serial killers around the world who haven't been caught yet. I don't know why she chose 'The American Psycho' for me to kill. Maybe it's because he targets the homeless and prostitutes, people the police don't really care about. There is no public outcry either. Most people think he is an American problem. They don't know that he has recently changed his MO. It's mentioned in L's notes that 'The American Psycho' has broadened his hunting grounds. He now travels to different countries, kills one or two people, mostly female prostitutes in these foreign locales and then returns to America."
This was news to him. Almost every serial killer stuck to the same pattern, picked similar victims, used the same murder weapon, killed people using the same method. They couldn't help themselves. It was a part of their psychosis. An untamable urge. But it wasn't exactly unheard of for a serial killer to switch things up and change his MO. The first example that came to mind was Jack the Ripper, the most infamous and well known serial killer in the history of mankind. No wonder he never got caught.
But that was in the 1880s and this was now. The times were different. Things have changed a lot and mostly for the better. He was alive and kicking and had a particular set of skills at his disposal. And whether he liked it or not, he had somehow gotten himself involved with the case.
He made up his mind and made a solemn resolve. The American Psycho will pay for his crimes. His days of torturing, raping and murdering women were over. This time around he will be caught. And Hachiman Hikigaya was gonna be the one to do it.
P.S.: Did you notice that whenever Yor said something, I used the word 'stated' - I did this on purpose to show she was under the effect of the truth potion.
Also, in this chapter, I referenced both 'Psychos' - Patrick Bateman and Norman Bates. Yeah, they are both in this universe. Also, if you have been paying close attention to this arc, then you might have already noticed that Norman Bates had made a small cameo appearance. Check the first chapter of 'The American Psycho Arc'.
And finally, The Jack the Ripper mentioned in this chapter is from 'The Record of Ragnarok'.
I hope you liked these extra details.
Take care.