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Authors: Richard Jay Parker
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something that Bookwalter would never confirm one way or the other – Laura’s real presence was something that could be confirmed in seconds and it was these definitive questions that Bookwalter was aggravated by and continually evaded.
Leo thought he was past deriding his lies but theludicrous pretence upon which their exchanges was based was sometimes so conspicuous that Leo had to fight his own reflex to attack him. He was either a delusional egocentric, a professional fraud who recognised the virtues of his grossly inflated claims attracting advertisers to his site – or both. However, Bookwalter’s theories masquerading as accounts of his exploits were actually the closest thing Leo had to a plausible explanation for Laura’s disappearance, and their convincing rationale meant he had to suppress a constant urge to needle him. A continually refined narrative had been emerging over months of mutual indulgence, and as Leo helped him fill in the gaps it became more credible than anything the police had speculated.
Why is it that nobody but you cares for the fate of Laura Sharpe? Ive murdered many people, more than Bonsignore confessed to after he throttled his boyfriend and took the credit for my work.
This was the point at which Leo held the punch bag. He’d never asked Bookwalter why he’d murdered the people he declared to have. His claim to be holding Laura was the only focus of their dialogue and he often wondered if that rankled with him. Bookwalter was a crank and a liar and Leo felt no need to grill him about crimes he hadn’t committed. It also seemed bad taste to ask why he no longer killed because he knew Bookwalter’s well-documented disgust for hismedia coverage was such a convenient excuse for suspending his activities. Leo did, however, genuinely wonder who he was. Had he dispensed with his real life wholesale in favour of his fictional persona and warped celebrity? There was very little on the internet that Bookwalter hadn’t generated himself. News reports had simply described him as an ‘out of work actor with an unhealthy fixation for serial killers.’
He’d never been remotely aggressive towards Leo but he often wondered if this was more to do with the fact Bookwalter was keen to nurture their relationship for financial gain. He’d watched a few of his grainy home-shot rants on YouTube – in fact, Bookwalter had once embedded all of them onto his own site – and all of them had revolved around his dissatisfaction with his media perception which he laid squarely at the feet of Bonsignore. The venom directed from one proven liar to another potential fraud was either the ultimate illustration of his performance skills or an indication as to how completely unhinged he was.
Why have you now stopped attacking Bonsignore on the site?
Leo tried to improve Bookwalter’s mood by accommodating him so he could gear the conversation back to Chevalier’s.
Bonsignore was an amateur but Ive been dealing with second hand charlatans since I began. I now understand the trick is not to give them oxygen .
But if they’re claiming to be responsible for acts they couldn’t possibly have committed surely they can be immediately dismissed?
Leo guessed the comment wouldn’t have the resonance with Bookwalter that he intended.
There was only a brief pause before he responded.
Not if people are determined to believe them.
Leo doubted he was responding to his barb and thought it far more likely that Bookwalter was still caught up in his own mortification.
So you think people don’t care about the truth if their desperation can be satisfied?
Exactly. Its why you puzzle me, Leo. If you care so much for your own wife why have you never accepted my offer of hospitality?
C HAPTER 12
Leo wondered if Bookwalter’s repeated offer to pay for a flight to New Orleans was as carefully calculated as he believed it was. As far as he knew, none of the other victims’ families had had anything to do with
Leo thought he was past deriding his lies but theludicrous pretence upon which their exchanges was based was sometimes so conspicuous that Leo had to fight his own reflex to attack him. He was either a delusional egocentric, a professional fraud who recognised the virtues of his grossly inflated claims attracting advertisers to his site – or both. However, Bookwalter’s theories masquerading as accounts of his exploits were actually the closest thing Leo had to a plausible explanation for Laura’s disappearance, and their convincing rationale meant he had to suppress a constant urge to needle him. A continually refined narrative had been emerging over months of mutual indulgence, and as Leo helped him fill in the gaps it became more credible than anything the police had speculated.
Why is it that nobody but you cares for the fate of Laura Sharpe? Ive murdered many people, more than Bonsignore confessed to after he throttled his boyfriend and took the credit for my work.
This was the point at which Leo held the punch bag. He’d never asked Bookwalter why he’d murdered the people he declared to have. His claim to be holding Laura was the only focus of their dialogue and he often wondered if that rankled with him. Bookwalter was a crank and a liar and Leo felt no need to grill him about crimes he hadn’t committed. It also seemed bad taste to ask why he no longer killed because he knew Bookwalter’s well-documented disgust for hismedia coverage was such a convenient excuse for suspending his activities. Leo did, however, genuinely wonder who he was. Had he dispensed with his real life wholesale in favour of his fictional persona and warped celebrity? There was very little on the internet that Bookwalter hadn’t generated himself. News reports had simply described him as an ‘out of work actor with an unhealthy fixation for serial killers.’
He’d never been remotely aggressive towards Leo but he often wondered if this was more to do with the fact Bookwalter was keen to nurture their relationship for financial gain. He’d watched a few of his grainy home-shot rants on YouTube – in fact, Bookwalter had once embedded all of them onto his own site – and all of them had revolved around his dissatisfaction with his media perception which he laid squarely at the feet of Bonsignore. The venom directed from one proven liar to another potential fraud was either the ultimate illustration of his performance skills or an indication as to how completely unhinged he was.
Why have you now stopped attacking Bonsignore on the site?
Leo tried to improve Bookwalter’s mood by accommodating him so he could gear the conversation back to Chevalier’s.
Bonsignore was an amateur but Ive been dealing with second hand charlatans since I began. I now understand the trick is not to give them oxygen .
But if they’re claiming to be responsible for acts they couldn’t possibly have committed surely they can be immediately dismissed?
Leo guessed the comment wouldn’t have the resonance with Bookwalter that he intended.
There was only a brief pause before he responded.
Not if people are determined to believe them.
Leo doubted he was responding to his barb and thought it far more likely that Bookwalter was still caught up in his own mortification.
So you think people don’t care about the truth if their desperation can be satisfied?
Exactly. Its why you puzzle me, Leo. If you care so much for your own wife why have you never accepted my offer of hospitality?
C HAPTER 12
Leo wondered if Bookwalter’s repeated offer to pay for a flight to New Orleans was as carefully calculated as he believed it was. As far as he knew, none of the other victims’ families had had anything to do with
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