The Naturals, #2
Killer Instinct
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
Chapter 32
Overview
Cassie, Dean, and Michael visit Trina Simms, who idolizes serial killer Daniel Redding and imagines an appeal and future with Dean. A tense clash with Trina’s son Christopher erupts when he grabs Cassie, prompting Dean and Michael to intervene. Trina’s attitudes rule her out as the copycat, while Christopher’s black truck becomes a new lead.
Summary
Cassie, Dean, and Michael enter Trina Simms’s immaculate home, noting a wall photo of Daniel Redding. Trina fixates on Dean, praising Daniel and speaking as if an appeal and a home with Dean are imminent. Dean remains polite, masking the hurt, and asks about her history with his father.
Christopher Simms bristles at their presence, grabs Cassie, and Dean pins him to the wall before Michael separates them. Michael warns Christopher off, and Christopher storms out. Trina minimizes the incident, framing herself as a supportive single mother and stressing her relationship with Daniel.
Cassie steers the conversation to Daniel and the Colonial-copycat case. Trina dismisses the FBI, claims searches were illegal, and romanticizes Daniel’s “brilliance,” insisting he would never act so sloppily as the public lawn display. Her reactions reveal loyalty to Daniel, contempt for the copycat as a plagiarist, and a controlling, meticulous nature.
From Trina’s attitudes and demeanor, Cassie concludes Trina is not the UNSUB, whose profile indicates a subjugated male in his twenties. As they leave, Cassie asks about Christopher’s vehicle and learns he drives a black truck, aligning with prior leads. Trina pointedly approves of Cassie, further underscoring her fixation on Daniel and Dean.
Who Appears
- Cassie HobbesNarrator; probes Trina, de-escalates, and steers questions to assess culpability and extract the black truck lead.
- Dean ReddingFaces Trina’s fixation on his father; protects Cassie by pinning Christopher; follows Cassie’s lead in questioning.
- Trina SimmsMeticulous Daniel Redding devotee; insists on an appeal; dismisses FBI; reveals attitudes that rule her out as UNSUB.
- MichaelBacks Cassie and Dean; restrains Dean, warns Christopher, and observes Trina to gauge threat and truthfulness.
- Christopher SimmsHostile son; grabs Cassie, is confronted by Dean and Michael; storms out; drives a black truck, a potential lead.
- Daniel ReddingImprisoned serial killer; idolized by Trina; photo displayed; central to Trina’s delusions about appeals and family.