Page 38 of Killer Knows Best

The streetlights hardly reach into this alley. Shadows cling to every corner like gossamer, and the air is thick with the stench of decay. It’s quiet here—too quiet for Denver, but that’s why I chose this place.

These grimy passageways are like veins in a dying body, pulsing with filth, addicts, and broken souls. A perfect breeding ground for destruction.

That back alley hooker wasn’t hard to take down. She’s just another in a long line of throwaways. She’s the type that no one misses, and if they do, they don’t search long.

I don’t know her name—I don’t need to. She was simply a stepping stone in the right direction. She won’t be mourned, and that’s the way it should be. Of course, had she lived and gotten away, she wouldn’t be able to pick me out of a lineup. I’ve altered my appearance with a few easy moves, donned a wig, and shrouded my identity to the point I hardly resemble myself. It wasn’t hard to do and perhaps not all that necessary. It’s so very dark out.

But the back alley whore did not get away. At present she ismeeting her maker, and now, I need to find someone else. Someone different.

Tonight wasn’t supposed to end in blood. That whore’s death was just an annoyance, but a necessity as well. Her pathetic existence had no place in my plan, not tonight.

No, tonight is for something far more important. It’s a transfer assignment. Something I’ve been working toward, crafting, for months now. It’s the crescendo to this demonic dream.

The basement is finally ready. I’ve been working on it for so long, preparing for the right moment, for the right subject. It’s time to turn up the heat in my wicked scheme. I’ve waited long enough to do it and the time is now.

It was good to eliminate those silly college girls. They served their purpose. The feds came sniffing around, just as I expected. But then, I’ve been expecting them for a good long while now. It’s about time they showed up.

But they’re not digging deep enough. They’re not working hard enough. They’re not doing my dirty work the way I had planned.

Maybe I gave them too much credit. Clearly, I assumed they valued the dead more than they do. Apparently, I was wrong.

If they won’t chase the ghosts of any of those women, then it’s time to go after the living.

I considered taking the alley whore tonight. She was certainly an option. But users are a waste. Addicts without their poison do nothing but shake and scream throughout withdrawals.

I don’t have the time or patience for that. I did her a favor by putting her out of her misery. Quick and dirty. No need for theatrics.

But now I need someone different. Someone I can nurture. Someone who I can make see the light. Make them understand exactly how filthy they are. I need to help cleanse them of theirsins. I need to offer more than an absolution that an alleyway or a drug could ever give them.

I’m not a fool. I’m not deluded enough to think I can actually convert anyone to see the light. Women like her are addicted to their own nonexistent self-worth. She wouldn’t have changed her mind or her evil ways. You know what they say—a dog returns to its vomit.

People do, too. They always return. Always. I learned that the hard way.

As much as I’d like to believe I can turn them around, that’s not the point here. No, I need to turn up the heat. I need to get this show moving. I need to pluck these women of ill repute off the streets, one by one, until someone does something about the true root of my troubles.

They think I’m just some random madman, but they have no idea how deep this goes. How far reaching my intentions are or where they truly come from.

In the meantime, these women—these creatures—will understand exactly where I’m coming from. They will feel my disapproval. They will reap the consequences of their actions. And I will not be kind.

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

That’s whatshedid, and that’s why I’m in this mess. That’s whyshewill pay a price far greater than death.

This is my destiny.

My revenge.

And I won’t stop until justice is served.

Now where is this woman I’m about to save from herself…

She made her sickening choice to sell her body. And now she won’t have a choice.

She’s coming with me.

27

MARSHA WARREN

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