Gnawing on a soft pretzel, Richard sat on a bench at the Grand Avenue subway stop and watched people come and go. His eyes darted left and right in search of those men from the sketches. He would ride the rails day and night until he found one or both of them. They weren’t about to ruin what had worked perfectly for him in the past and hopefully for the foreseeable future.
Richard hadn’t decided how to kill them, but it had to be at a time when they were each alone. Although he was a large, stocky man, he wasn’t about to push his luck by taking both of them on at once. Tipping his wrist, Richard glanced at his watch—12:57. His stomach churned with emptiness. The pretzel he’d eaten two hours earlier was all he’d had since waking up that morning. He needed more.
Checking the board for the next arriving train, Richard saw he had seven minutes of free time. He would hit the men’s room and snag a few snacks from the vending machine since there wasn’t time to wait in line at the hot dog stand.
Entering the men’s room, Richard spotted him right away. The bigger of the two cops who had walked Ninety-Fifth Street on Saturday stood at the sink, washing his hands. Doing his best to maintain his composure, Richard crossed to the urinals, where the other cop relieved himself only inches away.
The big cop, who reminded Richard of Ronald, ripped paper towels from the dispenser and dried his hands. “I’ll grab a couple of coffees, Jesse, and find a spot to watch from.”
The detective who stood next to Richard nodded. “Leave room for cream in mine.”
Richard was so close to him, he feared the man would hear his heart thumping. Exhilaration combined with fear and laugh-out-loud humor nearly overpowered him. He had to hold it together to avoid drawing attention.
The cop walked to the sink, washed his hands, and left the men’s room without giving Richard a second look.
That was almost as exciting as killing someone. There I stood, only inches from you but still as invisible as a ghost. Let’s see who gets to those copycat killers first—you or me. I’m guessing I’ll have the pleasure of watching their blood spill from their bodies since I have much more time on my hands than you do.
Richard exited the men’s room and scanned the waiting area. He spotted the cops on a bench fifty feet away doing their own scanning. Each one had his head on a swivel.
Let’s see how astute they really are. While they’re watching for the killers, I’ll be watching them, and I doubt if they’ll even notice me. What a trip.
Finding an out-of-the-way place to plant himself while able to see the station entrance and the cops, Richard took a seat and ate the vending machine sandwich he’d bought.