An Evil Mind by Chris Carter Read Free Book Online Page B

‘According to what you told Director Kennedy and Agent Taylor, the real name of the man we have in our custody is Lucien Folter, and not Liam Shaw, as it was stated in his driver’s license.’
    ‘That’s the name I knew him by,’ Hunter confirmed.
    Newman nodded his understanding. ‘So you think that Lucien Folter could also be a made-up name?’
    ‘That’s not what I said,’ Hunter replied calmly.
    Newman waited.
    ‘I see no reason why he would use a false name back in college,’ Hunter said, trying to clear things up. ‘You also have to remember that we’re talking about Stanford University here, and someone who was just nineteen at the time.’
    Newman gave Hunter a very subtle frown, not quite following the detective’s line of thought.
    Hunter read it and explained. ‘That means that this nineteen-year-old kid would’ve had to have expertly falsified several records to be accepted into a very prestigious university, in an era when personal computers did not exist.’ He shook his head. ‘Not an easy task.’
    ‘Not easy,’ Newman agreed. ‘But it was doable.’
    Hunter said nothing.
    ‘The only reason I ask is because of the hidden meaning in his name,’ Newman said.
    ‘Hidden meaning?’ Hunter looked at the agent curiously.
    Newman nodded. ‘Did you know that the word Folter means torture in German?’
    Hunter agreed with a head gesture. ‘Yes, Lucien told me.’
    Newman carried on staring at him.
    Hunter didn’t look too impressed. ‘Is that what you mean by hidden meaning?’ He glanced at Taylor, then back at Newman. ‘Did you also know that the name Lucien comes from the French language and it means “light, illumination”? It’s also a village in Poland, and the name of a Christian saint. Most names have a history behind them, Special Agent Newman. My family name means “he who hunts”; nevertheless, my father was never a hunter in any shape or form. A great number of American family names will, by coincidence, mean something in a different language. That doesn’t actually constitute a hidden meaning.’
    Newman said nothing back.
    Hunter took a moment, and then allowed his gaze to move to the folder on the table.
    Newman got the hint and began reading. ‘OK. Lucien Folter, born October 25, 1966, in Monte Vista, Colorado. His parents – Charles Folter and Mary-Ann Folter, are both deceased. He graduated from Monte Vista High School in 1985, with very good grades. No youth record whatsoever. Never got into any trouble with the police. After graduating from high school, he was quickly accepted into Stanford University.’ Newman paused and looked up at Hunter. ‘I guess you know everything that happened during the next few years.’
    Hunter remained silent.
    ‘After obtaining his psychology degree from Stanford,’ Newman continued, ‘Lucien Folter applied to Yale University in Connecticut for a PhD in Criminal Psychology. He was accepted, did three years of his degree, and then simply disappeared. He never completed his PhD.’
    Hunter kept his eyes on Newman. He didn’t know that his old friend hadn’t completed his doctorate.
    ‘And when I say disappeared,’ Newman said. ‘I mean disappeared . There’s nothing else out there on a Lucien Folter after his third year at Yale. No job records, no passport, no credit cards, no listed address, no bills . . . no anything. It’s like Lucien Folter ceased to exist.’ Newman closed the folder. ‘That’s all we have on him.’
    ‘Maybe that was when he decided to take up a new identity,’ Taylor offered. She was sitting across the table from Hunter. ‘Maybe that was when he got tired of being Lucien Folter and became someone else. Maybe Liam Shaw, or maybe even someone completely different that we don’t know about.’
    Silence took over the room for the next few seconds, before Newman broke it again.
    ‘The truth is that whoever this guy really is, he’s a living, breathing, walking mystery. Somebody who might’ve