CHAPTER 2
That morning Brian stood in front of the mirror, talking to himself. With eyes squeezed tight and hands on the sink, he let his head fall, the sweat rolling off his face and neck.
Then he stood up and raised his fist on the glass, but not with enough force to break it. Looking at his image in the mirror he nodded to himself.
As he left he grabbed the towel from the rack to wipe his face. Taking the gun from his desk he pushed it in behind his jeans.
From his closet he picked out a black jacket. Once he had it on, he grabbed the collar to straighten it, then wiped his hand over his mouth.
With the wig and makeup on he looked 20 years older. Adjusting the helmet cam from under the wig, he positioned the camera between the bangs, using a bobby pin under the bangs to keep them from covering up the viewfinder.
Driving up to the mini mart he turned on the camera and waited for Jana. He saw her coming out of the supermarket, watched her get into her car, then followed her.
When they turned on a quiet street, he revved the engine and hit her from behind. As they walked toward each other to exchange information, he pulled out his gun and shot her.
"Sorry, bitch," he grunted, "It just wasn't your day."
He leaned forward to get close-ups. When he was done, he turned and walked toward the car. Then, looking back one more time, he got in and turned off the camera. A few blocks later he called Mrs. H.
"This is Brian, Mrs. H!" he said, "I just have to say, your concept is by far the most amazing thing I've ever done!"
"It sounds like you had fun," she answered.
"Oh my god, it was a total rush! I had so much fun pretending to be a serial killer. And the photo of Jana made it easy to find her. I mean, she's amazing; she really looked like she could've been dead, you know?"
"Yes," she said, "That's why I chose her; she's very convincing. And I'm glad you enjoyed the experience. Do you think you can stop by my house to drop off the video before you go home? I know it's late, but I'd really like to start work on the next scene."
"Absolutely!"
Inviting him inside, Mrs. H asked, "Would you like some tea?"
"That'd be great, thank you."
"Please, take a seat on the couch. I'll just be a few minutes."
In the kitchen Mrs. H mixed rat poison, a crushed sleeping pill and honey with his tea. Taking an aspirin for herself, she smiled as she gave him his tea.
"So, tell me more about what it was like for you."
"Oh, it was awesome! I'd never done anything like that in my entire life!"
In about half an hour he started to feel sick and sleepy. Clutching his stomach he ran to the bathroom she pointed him to and threw up. He felt suddenly heavy and needed to sit down. Clutching the toilet he threw up again, then laid his face on the seat and fell asleep, his body sliding to the floor.
Before he'd knocked on Mrs. H's door, Brian had removed the makeup and wig. If someone had seen him, he would've looked like any middle class college kid.
Mrs. H didn't waste time, however. As soon as he slipped into the Sandman's arms, she stabbed him in the neck, grabbed his keys and left to remove evidence from his apartment. She'd clean up the mess when she returned.
Driving into Seattle, she heard the report of Jana's murder on the radio. Smiling, she began humming as she turned the corner to his street, parked his car and went upstairs.
As she fumbled with the keys, a guy asked her, "Hey, are you a friend of Brian's?"
"I'm kind of his girlfriend, and I left my cell phone inside. How lame, right?"
Laughing, he said, "Yeah. But, hey, when you see him, can you tell him James stopped by? It's game on tonight!"
"Sure, but why don't you come inside and leave him a note?"
"Why? You need a little somethin' somethin'?"
With coyness she opened the door, raising the hem of her skirt. James grinned at that, quickly following her inside.
When she closed the door she turned and let him kiss her. When she pulled his shirt out of his pants she pulled back, looking up at him as she unzipped his jeans.
"How about we move this into the shower? I like my men wet."
"Hell, yeah!" he shouted, pulling her over his shoulder and walking to the bathroom.
The first one naked under the water, he watched in anticipation as she gave him a strip tease. She walked in with her hand behind her back. As he reached to push himself inside her she stabbed him in the stomach, then pressed the blade into his neck as the drain drank all the blood away.
She waited until the basin ran clear, then stepped out of the shower and dried herself. Stuffing the towel in her bag she wiped the bathroom down, took the bus to the city center and flagged a taxi.
Starting the shower at home, she plugged in the drain, took off Brian's clothes and struggled to get his body into the tub. Washing his clothes by hand, she took the wet bundle and warmed it in the stove for about half an hour.
In that time she scrubbed the bathroom floor with disinfectant and added heavy strength bleach to the water. Then she went out and bought flowers from different shops to preempt the stench of decay.
When the clothes dried she dropped them in the box she used to collect clothes that she donated to her local church three times a year. Opening the drawer of the night table she took out an agena planner and crossed off: Kill Jana.
Then, taking the digital file Brian had used to record Jana's murder, she hooked her laptop to the TV, opened the file and pressed play. She watched everything unfold on the screen, enjoying the popcorn she made with olive oil and melted caramel.
When it was over she saved the original file with an encrypted security code. With the professional video editing software she made a copy and replaced Jana's face with Emily's, who would be playing the role of a cop to scope out the house.
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