The Professor sat at a table, his laptop open before him. He scrolled slowly through the latest analysis of his activities. All the top news outlets were featuring articles about him now. A self-satisfied smile lit his features. He relished the stories, fascinated by the thoroughness. Murderer, monster; all the labels weaker men used to distance themselves from their own desires. He switched to the State newspaper’s web site to get the local interpretation. The site was freshly updated. He stared, dumbfounded, at the sketch displayed on his computer screen. Where had this come from? He checked the heading. The document had posted only minutes previously. He switched to CNN and refreshed the page. The sketch wasn’t there, only the articles he’d already read. He returned to the State site and quickly read the accompanying article. Someone from the mall had described him. He ran a brief mental review of the food court that morning. No one had paid attention to them. He’d planned it out too carefully.
