going to die…I want you to feel all the love I have for you.
“Now…on a serious note—you know, a logical one. What the fuck do you mean?” Page was grasping at any hope it wasn’t Mano. It wasn’t because she had slept with him. He had connections; people who could kill her and she’d never see it coming. If Mano had written this, then she already had a price on her head.
Judy continued processing her thoughts aloud.
“It’s so vindictive. A man just does the deed; he decides he’s going to kill you and then does it. A woman wants to ruin you and then finish you off with death. Also, she’s shrewd enough to say you’ll be forced to go on jobs alone. If you were killed on a job, everybody would just think it was because you were in a dangerous area. They’d never think you were murdered. This is someone bent on revenge—like it’s personal. This is a well thought out plan. The only other thing you could be dealing with is a serial killer. Maybe the fixer who was killed was her brother, and she blames you. Maybe it’s just a serial killer who doesn’t want the truth about drug dealing getting out to the public. I really hope it isn’t a serial killer.” Judy looked at her friend candidly as if this all made sense to her.
“Like I said: you just have this way of making me feel all warm and fuzzy. I really feel safe now. Thank you, Judy. You’ve been such a good friend. Would you like to do my Eulogy?
“We need to do some research on fixers—see if there’s been a string of killings. Judy… I’m wondering why I’m the voice of logic now. We’ll have to dig deep because it isn’t something that would make front-page news. Nobody seems to give a shit about poor families overseas; until they need someone to point a finger of judgment at about the drug crises or human trafficking.” Page shrugged her shoulders, “just sayin’.”
Judy was on board with that—after all, research was logical.
“We need to research the fixer first, Page. Study his timeline, his associates, even study the family he went to do a story on. It isn’t just about who hired him. Somebody knew enough about him to track him down. Either they knew him, or there’s a damn good stalker out there who has you in his sights now.”
Page rolled her eyes, “Fabulous. Now I have two stalkers. It just gets better and better.” Page looked at Judy with eyes full of sincerity. “Please be careful, Judy. If he thinks he can get to me by hurting you, then you’re in danger too.”
“Or she. Remember, it could be a woman. It could be a man or a woman after us.” Judy’s eyebrows were raised as if proving a valid possibility. In all possibility, it was valid.
“We’ll know after we research.” Page nodded her head and squinted her eyes in resignation. “Research is the answer. We need to do some stalking of our own. Three kills, and it’s a serial killer. Judy. I don’t care who or what this guy is, I’m in it for the long haul. If I need you to go overseas with me, are you in?”
Page could see the conflict on her friend’s face. She watched Judy bite at a fingernail as if contemplating what all it entailed. She was thrilled when Judy passionately bobbed her head up and down, “Yes. I’m scared, but I’ll do it afraid.”
Chapter Ten
Tadias looked around at his office space. The walls were covered with pictures of his victims. People who had no idea they were being watched. He knew more about them than they did themselves. It was easy if you knew what you were doing. Digging through people’s trash provided a world of information. Aerial views of homes with Google Earth provided an intimate picture of how families lived; their personalities were evident in the location and layout of their homes. Following a subject taught their habits and schedules—people were creatures of habit he had learned. They went by the same newsstands and bought their coffee from the same coffee shop every day. People liked normal—it made them feel safe. Stalking made him feel safe—because control made him feel safe. He was doing the world a favor. You’re welcome, world.
Most people had schedules and had to be at work at a certain time. They had a certain time when they came home, and