Page 12 of Praying Mantis

Educators United

Did I just read she? I’m not surprised too much since I have handled women in the past, but they are rare. I told the handler I would be out of town, but I printed out all the paperwork included to see what was so important. As I read through the documents, my heart instantly breaks. How could one woman be so careless? She is a sixty-eight-year-old woman from Spring, Texas, whose daughter wants to set the hit up. Reading further down the paper, I see why she went this route and I’m torn from wanting to hug the daughter or having her come with me to help kill her mother. She should be the one to end it to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was the one who ended her mother’s life. Her own mother caused her grandson’s death. She’s an alcoholic that one day was so drunk she passed out and her three-year-old grandson got into some chemicals and ingested them. They found him unresponsive and, sadly, he died two days later. The negligence of one woman caused a ripple effect of devastation. The paperwork shows she still drinks to this day despite losing her grandchild and her family for her carelessness on that day.

I need to plan on how to plan and execute this hit while I’m in Lake Conroe and not let Matthew catch on. Well, nothing has been easy in life, so why start now?

I spent the weekend planning my assignment while we’re in Texas, and how I’m going to execute this woman without Matthew finding out about my alter ego being a serial killer.

I had some packages delivered to a PO box under an alias for the items I know would never pass security. Double and triple checking my suitcase since we leave tonight to spend the week relaxing and reading, as Matthew puts it. Thinking that Matthew should be here shortly, I hear someone knock on my door. I walk out of my bedroom and head to the front door.

“Coming.” Matthew doesn’t disappoint.

“I’m just breathing heavily.” Smartass, but a funny one. Opening the door, I’m greeted by Matthew smiling and hopping around like he’s a kid being told he’s going to Disney World.

“A little excited, are we, Matthew?” I shut the door after he walks into the living room. He blushes and asks if I’m ready to go.

“I’m all ready to go and I triple-checked everything. Before you ask, yes, I downloaded a few eBooks from some of the attending authors you recommended for our plane ride and a week of reading.” Seeming to suffice his question, he went back to looking at his phone. “Are we taking an Uber Matthew?” I call out from the kitchen. I can hear him walking into where I am.

“Hell no, girl, we are taking a limo to the airport and from the airport to the hotel.” Matthew was smiling like a kid on Christmas. “My best friend is paying for everything for this trip and I want her to know I appreciate her, so we’re riding in style. I want to treat her like the Goddess she is.” Now it is my turn to blush. How did I get so fucking lucky to have a best friend like him?

“You realize we are roughly twenty minutes from the airport, right?” I tease him.

“And your point is? We are riding in style! Plus, this is a special occasion.” Matthew sounds almost offended by my question when he answers me, which makes me quirk my eyebrow at him.

“I’m excited about the author event too.” I know I don’t know or stalk the authors like Matthew does but I love a good book especially if it sucks me in to make me forget about being “The Praying Mantis” like the media is now calling me or having to deal with my mother when she calls me to remind me I’m her daughter.

“Not just that, but we are going to see women that turn me on.” My mouth opens in shock as he talks about women turning him on. Is he not one hundred percent gay? Do I turn him on? My eyes dart around the room trying to think of something to say, but Matthew must sense my nervousness and rushes out. “I mean with their words, but it still counts.” My heartbeat returns to normal because it would be a long week of sharing a room with him if he starts to be turned on by women.

This man is nuts. “Okay, well, we need to leave for the airport soon, so where is this limo we are taking?” It was a quarter to four and our flight left at seven tonight.

“I have the company set to be here at four fifteen to pick us up. And before you say anything, I know our flight leaves at seven.”

“Well, since we have half an hour, let’s have a glass of wine and discuss author table strategy.” I know there are some authors Matthew is salivating over meeting this coming weekend.

“First stop will be Sapphire Knight.” Matthew calls her the Queen herself.

Sean

“It’s been over two months and nothing, Sean?” Tony is stalking around the office like a lion on the hunt.

“I know, Tony. This has my hackles up waiting for the next shoe to drop.”

“Or a head to roll.”

“Now is not the time for dad jokes, asshole.”

“I’m sorry, Sean, but something is off. We go from eight headless bodies, and now nothing. Something smells funny.”

Pulling back the chair in front of my desk, Tony finally sits down. I keep replaying it in my mind.

“This is what I don’t understand, Tony. How in the hell does this woman overtake these men? I mean, some of these victims would require a hoyer lift, even from us.” I hear Tony scoff, “Do you think she has a partner? Maybe affiliate herself with someone more underground? Mafia perhaps?” The hairs on the back of my neck tingle when I think about a connection to the mafia. Could the Praying Mantis have ties with my father? He has old-world chauvinist views about women. They are to be seen and not heard, tend to the children and home, and he views them as second-class citizens. That man has nothing without a good woman by his side.

“Private citizen for hire? I’ve heard of the dark web and hit men or in this case women for hire.” Tony taps his fingers on the table performing a drum solo as he spitballs some ideas. “I remember a guy from my days in major crimes and finding a serial killer through a website or a coded message. Everything seems to be high-tech these days.”

“There are lots of ways to go undetected these days. We’ll need to contact someone at cybercrimes to pick their brain. Let’s make a list of questions. I think the dark web or coded message board is the way we’ll find this killer. The bodies and crime scene give us nothing but a case of vigilantism.” Tony drags a pen and paper to him and jots down some questions. My phone buzzes in my pocket.

Lou: sitting at the airport and bored already.

I chuckle at the message. These past few months of texting and meeting at the gym when we can make plans to do it have been great. I want to date this woman and see where it’s going but every time either there’s a fresh case to jump on or my mom is finding new ways to talk to my dad. Lou doesn’t like crowds, and she tells me about her OCD which makes traveling difficult sometimes especially when she’s so early to the airport.

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