Richard pressed the button for the lighted dial on his watch. It was coming up on midnight. He watched from the tree cover of the dead-end street as people came and went—likely the residents of those few houses. Somebody had banged on Brad’s door an hour back, possibly the person he had spoken to on the phone earlier. Richard sighed with relief when the man eventually drove away. Since then, all had been quiet.
I need to get into place and be ready to spring out when Manny gets home.
By that time of night, most lights in the neighboring houses had gone out. The area was a working-class neighborhood, and people had to get up early, so by midnight, the majority of them were likely fast asleep. The upstairs tenant at Brad’s house had never shown up that day or night—possibly out of town—which worked perfectly for Richard.
He checked his surroundings before stepping out onto the sidewalk. With only a hundred feet to go before hiding behind the shrubbery beside the front porch, Richard didn’t feel too exposed, yet he still walked at a fast clip.
A minute later, he settled into a spot, well-hidden but unobstructed enough that he could spring out and catch Manny off guard. His folding tactical knife with the six-inch blade would work well, just like it had with Callie. From his vantage point, he could see to the end of the street and would know when Manny was approaching. He placed the opened knife on the edge of the porch and waited.
Richard thought back on the job he loved best—killing women, preferably blondes, but most women would do. He could envision anyone being blonde in his mind.
Cheating, nasty bitches just like Amy are what get my juices flowing. I have to be in control, to overpower them and to show them who’s boss. I need to make them bleed and watch them die.
Richard sucked in a deep breath. He longed to get back to it, and as soon as Manny was dead, he would focus on the girls on the train.
A distant voice caught his attention. Richard squinted toward the end of the street and saw him. Manny crossed to his side and headed for the house as he talked on the phone. Preparing himself, Richard picked up his knife, crouched in the bushes, and stayed out of sight. He was ready to end Manny’s life. Through the shrubbery, Richard saw movement only feet away as Manny stepped up to the porch, still talking on the phone.
“Yeah, hold on a second. I have to find my house key. Brad forgot to turn on the porch light again, damn him.”
Manny pocketed his phone as he fumbled with the key and felt for the slot in the doorknob. It was time to act. Springing out of the brush, Richard lunged at the man and tackled him. After falling off the porch, Manny quickly got his feet under him and had only a second to stand. He swung at his attacker and connected once, but Richard had the advantage—his tactical knife—and plunged it deep into Manny’s gut over and over again until the fighting stopped. Richard pulled the phone from Manny’s pocket and disconnected the call. With a final slice across the neck to make sure he would die, Richard watched Manny bleed out.
“You could have been an equal match if you’d had a weapon. Good thing for me, you didn’t.” Richard wiped his bloody knife and hands on the grass, turned off Locations on Manny’s phone, and powered it down before pocketing it. He took to the sidewalk and disappeared into the night.
After a good night’s sleep, he would be raring to go tomorrow, and that redhead kept popping into his mind.