He placed the steaming cup of coffee on the nightstand, stacked the pillows against the headboard, and crawled into bed. With the remote in hand, he powered on the TV and pressed the channel selector until he reached his favorite news station. He checked the time—6:57 a.m.
“Three minutes before the local news begins.”
He knew it would be sensational. People would agree to interviews with the station anchors, if for no other reason than to see themselves on television. Two more cops had died overnight, and as usual, the rescue squads couldn’t get close enough to the scene to save their lives. Not that the officers would have survived head shots, anyway, but it was the principle that mattered.
He took a sip as his eyes locked in on the TV screen—the news had begun.
The morning anchor, Bill Cavanaugh, stated how yet another police shooting had taken place last night but this time in the well-populated Magnificent Mile area of Michigan Avenue. Spotty footage played from the night before as reporters vied for position close to the scene. Other than police scanner information stating what had taken place, the only thing cameramen could zero in on was the large SWAT and CPD presence and flashing blue lights a block away. The money shot they all wanted so badly wasn’t going to happen.
Two people who specialized in serial killers sat alongside the news anchor that morning. Bill turned to Risk Analyst Daniel Newnan to get his take on the shooter.
“Dan, can you give the TV viewers your opinion of these recent events?”
“Sure thing, Bill. What is obvious at this point is that the offender is strictly going after law enforcement. Either he’s making a statement that hasn’t been deciphered yet, or he has a real vendetta against Chicago’s men and women in blue. His actions could be personal, but since he hasn’t actually contacted law enforcement with comments or demands, we’re still in the dark as far as why he’s committing these heinous acts.”
Bill shook his head. “Scary stuff, that’s for sure, and our condolences and prayers go out to all branches of law enforcement that are trying to protect this city. And now a few words from Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Spelling from the Serial Crimes Unit of the FBI. Agent Spelling, thank you for joining us this morning. What can you tell us about this offender? What kind of weapon does he use, and have you found the locations where he shot from?”
Agent Spelling nodded. “At this point in the investigation, we can’t go into detail about those questions. What I can tell you is the Chicago bureau of the FBI and their team of trained agents will be working alongside the police force to apprehend the suspect as soon as humanly possible. The killer is a risk taker, which makes him extremely dangerous, meaning concerns for his own life and the fear of being caught are secondary to the mission he’s on. He could possibly have a military background, and I believe that theory has already been added to the profile the police have aired. The man is looking to instill as much fear as possible and wants to immobilize your city. He’s hit three police districts now, so that’s telling us he isn’t pinpointing any particular area. That in itself is a cunning move.”
The anchor raised his brows. “How so, Special Agent Spelling?”
“In essence, he’s telling the police department that nobody is out of his reach. Rest assured, though, with hard work from the CPD and FBI, the shooter will be caught and brought to justice. Until he is, I’d advise the public to be diligent and cautious in their everyday movements. Without knowing his true agenda, everyone is at risk. Please call the FBI or any Chicago police district if someone or something seems off. We’ll broadcast those phone numbers at the end of this segment.”
Bill faced the camera. “And that, good people of the Windy City, is your Saturday morning update about the Chicago shooter. Stay tuned for breaking news as it comes in to our station. And now, here’s Pete Fuller with your weekend weather forecast.”
“Time to mix things up.” He clicked off the TV, set the remote on the nightstand, and threw back the blankets. It was time to plan and perfect his next round of assaults.