Abraham studied the list of names he’d been given and learned about each person’s background. Every one of them deserved death, and the murders would be a good distraction for the cops, his client said. They would be chasing their tails, but even if those victims didn’t deserve to die, it was only a job. He didn’t let emotions or feelings of right and wrong get in the way. He provided a service and got paid handsomely once the deed was done. His only exception was that he wouldn’t kill anyone under age eighteen.
He randomly chose the second name on the list, John Keller. Since he’d just killed a couple, and prior to that a woman, a man would die next. Abraham didn’t want law enforcement making something out of it that it wasn’t, like a killer preying on the women of Savannah. John, the next victim, had been in and out of jail a half-dozen times. He was a predator who enjoyed stalking women, beating them, and having his way with them, yet oftentimes, his crimes had gone without consequences. At least half the women had recanted their statements and changed their minds about pressing charges. They were likely afraid of retaliation. John was a bully, an abuser, and a control freak who needed to be put down like a rabid dog.
Abraham would enjoy that task. He paged through his journal, which often came in handy. He noted the dates of each killing, the weather conditions, the city where the killing took place, the person’s name, and the method of execution. Women were easy to overtake, usually because they were weaker than him. Each man he’d killed was listed by height, weight, and approximate age along with notes about how well his killing method had worked. It was a handbook of vital and useful information.
From his DMV research, Abraham learned that John Keller was five foot nine, one hundred ninety pounds, and forty-seven years old. He wouldn’t be hard to control since Abraham was six foot six and two hundred fifty pounds.
Now, let’s find the method that works best. I could just sneak up behind him, choke him out, or snap his neck. That would be easy, bloodless, and quiet, but I’d have to take him by surprise in a relatively private location.
Abraham decided that method would work well. He just needed to surveil the home or apartment John Keller lived in and find out how private the area was. He would begin that night, and according to the DMV records, John had a light-blue VW Beetle, an easy car to notice.
Abraham checked John’s name off, wrote a number one beside it, and moved on to the next victim—another man. He would be murdered next week to keep the kills distinct. That man, Brandon Ellis, also preyed on women—like other cowards did. He would follow the women from the bus stop and, once they were alone, knock them to the ground and make off with their purse. Credit card purchases would skyrocket. He took all their cash, and by looking at their driver’s license, he knew where they lived. That alone made women fear for their lives. He could show up at their houses at any time and attack them again.
Within a few minutes, Abraham had Brandon Ellis’s address on his computer screen. He would decide on a murder method once he scoped out where the man lived, but that would come later in the week. Right then, he needed to learn more about John Keller. Abraham had to find out if he worked and, if so, where and what hours. After that, he would sit on John’s house and watch his comings and goings. That night, John Keller would breathe his last breath.
Abraham took a minute to check the Savannah police blotter to see if anything had advanced on the pawnshop murders or in Kim Whitman’s murder. He found no progress on either case.
That’s just the way I like it, and it tells me I’m doing a good job. I can outsmart the police whenever I need to, and they’re left chasing their tails.
After more research, he found out that John worked at a local big-box hardware store between two and ten p.m. Since the VW was the only vehicle registered to John, Abraham would watch for that vehicle.
Abraham left his motel room and went to find that hardware store. Later, he planned to drive the route from the store to Keller’s residence of record. In a few hours, he would follow John to work, walk the aisles to see how John behaved and observe his movements, then wait for him to return home that night. While John was working, Abraham would check the neighborhood to see if he could spot cameras at the house or along the block, and he could choose the best place to lie in wait for John’s return after his shift ended.
He had a busy day ahead.