Erik had his assignment memorized and knew exactly where to park to stay out of sight of his target and the restaurant cameras. He would watch from the parallel parking spot he’d chosen a half block away. The woman had to walk to the employees’ parking lot, which was right around the corner from the restaurant. It was also in perfect view of where Erik had parked.
He arrived fifteen minutes before she would leave. He knew her schedule. The restaurant stopped serving at nine and closed at ten, and she stuck around until the last employee went home. She’d kill the lights, set the alarm, and lock the door just after eleven. With her leaving last and her car being the only one in the lot, there would be no mistaking his target for anyone else.
Erik could easily hide behind the trash bins, approach her from the back, and wrap the garrote around her neck, but the singular pole lamp positioned in the middle of the lot would give away the attack. He was well-aware of that risk and not willing to take it. He would hit her car as she drove toward the lake. There were plenty of side roads that snaked around the homes in that remote area northeast of the city along Lake Michigan’s shores. Earlier, he’d decided on Hidden Cove Way just because it was on her way home and he liked the name. He’d ram her car down the deep ravine and kill her once she was physically stunned.
The anticipation almost made him giddy, especially since he’d been able to stop the FBI in their tracks that morning. They had nothing on him. Their team didn’t find one shred of incriminating evidence in his apartment, and he, as well as those amateur agents, knew it.
Erik stared blankly out the windshield until movement caught his eye. It was her, and she was headed to the parking lot. He whispered in enthusiasm. “Here we go. It’s showtime.” Erik watched as she unlocked the door of her midsized sedan and climbed in. Seconds later, she exited the parking lot and turned right, and when she was halfway down the block, he pulled out. According to his online search, she lived six and a half miles north of the restaurant in a cottage overlooking the lake. The area was densely wooded, and ravines were plentiful. The narrow roads leading to the cottages weaved around those deep dips. He would go with his plan to run her off the road then come to her rescue as if he’d seen a hit-and-run vehicle speed away. Then he’d pull out the garrote, wrap it around her neck, and twist the handles. Erik would drag her to his car, toss her body in the trunk, and drive to a sketchy area of Milwaukee, where sooner or later, she would be found by drug dealers, thieves, or somebody with a less than desirable reputation.
He looked in his rearview mirror at the city fading fast behind him. The woman’s taillights were a half dozen car lengths ahead with no cars between them. After she made several turns onto those back country roads, he would strike. Nobody would be around to witness his actions, and as long as he got to her before she could call for help, she’d be at his mercy.
Twenty minutes later, he saw her pump the brakes several times before the right turn signal blinked.
We’re getting close. Only a few miles to go. Two more turns and then I’ll smash into the back of her car and send her careening into a ravine.
Erik pressed the gas pedal deeper to the floor and sped up. She turned right and then left, and he saw his opportunity. An S curve was coming up with deep ravines on both sides of the road. He gunned it, jerked the steering wheel to the right, and smacked the driver’s rear quarter panel. He slammed on the brakes so he wouldn’t get tangled in her spinning car. Her tires hit the shoulder, causing gravel to spray everywhere. The small stones pelted his windshield like summer hail.
Erik involuntarily flinched. “Damn it!” He caught sight of her car just as it teetered on the edge of the shoulder then slid on its side into the ravine.
“Perfect! Now to help her out of the vehicle like the concerned citizen I am.”
Erik jammed the garrote into his pocket, put on the gloves, and inched down the hill while yelling out to the woman.
“Hello, hello! I’m coming down the hill to help you. I just called 911, and they’re on their way.” Erik reached the passenger-side door and yanked it open.
The dazed, bloodied woman turned her head as she fumbled with her words. “What happened? Who are you? Did you cause this?”
“No, ma’am, but I saw the vehicle that ran you off the road. Let me get you out before the gas fumes overtake us. Can you unfasten your seat belt?”
“Um, maybe, but I’m so disoriented.”
“That’s because your car is lying on its side. Your door won’t open, so you’ll have to crawl over the console to reach me. I’ll help you up the hill.”
Her agonized moans nearly made Erik laugh.
You haven’t seen anything yet.
“Grab my hands. We have to hurry.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without your help. Nobody would have seen my car down here.”
Erik silently snickered.
That was the plan, idiot.
He took her hands and, with a pull, got her out of the car and to her feet.
She wobbled then looked back. “Wait, my purse and phone.”
“Let’s get up the hill. I’ll come back with my flashlight and find them for you.”
“Thank you. You’re truly a lifesaver.”
He grinned. “I’ll be right behind you, but you need to grab every root and branch you can to pull yourself up. We don’t need you sliding back down the ravine.”
It took nearly a half hour to get her up to the road, and as soon as he did, Erik pulled the garrote from his pocket. There wasn’t a logical reason to kill her in the ravine and drag dead weight all the way up the hill. While she was exhausted, he acted with lightning speed. He looped the cord around her neck, then he twisted the handles.
Even in her confused and injured state, she did her best to fight him off. She swatted the air behind her head. Erik leaned back. He couldn’t allow her fingernails to connect with his face and leave claw marks. She scratched at her neck and thrashed with every ounce of energy she had, which was minimal. It didn’t take long. Erik felt the fight leave her body as she went limp. He gave the handles another twist and held the pressure for a minute longer just to make sure.
“There, that ought to do it.”
He let go. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground. Erik popped the trunk, opened the emergency tool kit, and pocketed the flashlight. After scanning the road, Erik dragged her to the car, lifted her over the back bumper, and dropped her into the trunk. He scurried down the hill again and, with the help of the flashlight, quickly found her phone and purse. He couldn’t linger there any longer, and within ten minutes, he was behind the wheel and heading to the wrong side of the tracks with her dead body in his trunk.