Diary of the Pirate Killer (5 page)

He’s actually lucky her gun dropped just slightly when the water hit her in the face or she would have blown his head off.  Last I heard, he was just getting out of surgery and it looks like he will pull through. 

What a moron!

1/21/09- I can’t wait to see Justin again.  It’s won’t be long now.  I think Brad is definitely going to be good for him.  I’ve been watching him closely.  After he left the department, he started working as a personal trainer.  He really is in fantastic shape.  When he’s not at the gym, he’s either running, biking, hiking, or rock climbing.  Justin used to love rock climbing.  I think this vessel will definitely be able to build up his physical strength.  I’m really glad I didn’t skip over his name on the list.  I bet having him will take months off of the time needed to get Justin back into his own body.  If only the other men on the list were the same.

I’m trying to decide how I’m going to get this one.  He was a cop, so he’ll likely be willing to assist anyone in trouble.  I don’t know how the fact that he knows me is going to play into it.  I think it will actually make it a little easier, but I don’t know for sure.  He does run on the same trails as the last vessel, but I don’t want to grab him there.  I want to keep things random and scattered so no one is able to pick up on any kind of pattern.  The last thing I need is for surveillance to be put up and not to be able to watch any of the men that like to run on that trail.  I will admit that it would be a little amusing to have the department out searching the woods for someone who is abducting men.  They never
even considered for a minute that it could be a woman who can talk them right to her car.  That just shows once again how incompetent they are.

1/23/09- A task force was formed today to catch the “man responsible” for the deaths.  I want to laugh every time I hear it.  Detectives were pulled in from different departments to join it.  In addition to the six already in homicide, I think they’ve added another five.  I think one of them might just be a new homicide detective, though.  He’s a young kid that I’ve seen around a few times.  He ended up jumping in front of a pregnant woman and her toddler during a standoff with a guy and taking a bullet.  It hit his vest, but he received a lot of publicity for it.  It only helped when the woman went into labor, and he went with her to the hospital and stayed with her until she delivered.  She did an interview and made a big deal about how heroic he was.  She even stated that he refused to even let a doctor look at him until after her son was born.  She named the baby after him.

I guess the chief wanted to look good, because he immediately pushed through the papers to make him a detective.  He’s only been on the force for a year!

Well, other than him, I know a few people who got put on the task force.  Detective Butcher is there, as well as Detective Rodriguez.  Last I heard, he was working in narcotics.  I wonder how he’s going to react when I take Brad.  I think they worked together for a few years before he retired.  Detective Ochoa has also been added.  I have no idea why he’s there other than because he’s close friends with the chief.  I’m pretty sure they are golf buddies.  I wouldn’t put it past the chief to move him over just as a favor.  I’m not really complaining, though.  I don’t have a problem with him appointing people who have no great abilities to contribute.  It will just make my job easier.  With any luck, having a rookie and a worthless old bag on the team will actually be more of a distraction than anything else.  Honestly, Butcher is the only one I really worry about.  Though she is actually a capable detective, I’m more concerned with her going feminist in the group full of men and offering up the idea that a woman would be more than able to be responsible.  I need to think of a way to distract her.  Maybe I can tell her I heard a few of the guys talking about how pretty she is.  I’m sure that will do the job.  While I’m at it, I should see if there’s any way I can distract the others.  I’m going to have to be really careful with it, though.  They can’t even suspect for a second that I’m doing anything.  Matthews is a pretty savvy man.  Maybe I’ll send flowers to his wife with a sweet card so he’ll think she’s having an affair.  With the way he dotes over her, I’m sure that will occupy his mind instead of the case.  I just need to see what I could do with the others.

1/26/09- I spent the day following the vessel around.  I must say, I wouldn’t have expected it would be so easy to tail an officer.  Even a former one.  I guess that’s small town living, though.  Even with the news talking about the “Pirate Killer” every other day, people are still just as carefree as they were before.  I guess they actually believed Detective Wilcome when he said they were on the trail of the guy.  I’ll show them.  They have faith in the department now, but I’ll make sure that changes.  They’ll see that it’s the department who is really killing these men.  It’s just one big Pirate Killer!!!

1/27/09- Seriously?!  There were two officers caught making out in one of the back rooms today.  I know, high school’s over!  But they were busted by the chief himself.  He then proceeded to pull them out in front of everyone and very publically let them go.  This is total crap!  You can’t help who you fall in love with.  They have no right to force these restrictions on us.  Nothing good has come from that stupid rule.  Look at those two officers today.  They lost their jobs just because they followed their hearts instead of that idiotic rule.  I just can’t believe they enforced it.  It’s not like the hours we work really allow much time to socialize.  It’s either people from work or guys from the bar.  Even then, the majority of the men at the bar work in the station.  I’m going to make them pay for this!

1/30/09- I feel so exhilarated right now!  Since I was scheduled to work the afternoon shift, I got up early this morning and tracked down Brad.  It wasn’t hard to do.  He was just where I thought he would be.  I checked out the gym last week and made sure there were no cameras.  I guess that’s another perk of small town living.  Well, I knew that he always opened by himself on Friday mornings, so I waited in the parking lot.  I opened the trunk and locked the doors of the car so it would look like I had locked myself out.  As expected, he came right over after he pulled into the parking lot.  He recognized me right away and chuckled with me as I explained that I had thought the gym was already open and was looking forward to getting a workout in before my shift.  I told him I popped the trunk to get my bag but accidently locked the keys in.  He told me it wasn’t a problem because there was a latch in the trunk to drop down the back seat.  When he leaned in to show me, I injected him.  He just collapsed right in and I was able to get him in and leave the note on the door before more than a few minutes passed.

I’m glad I didn’t hang around any longer.  I had barely made it to the cabin when I was called in to go to the scene.  I had to use the dolly I picked up last week to quickly move Brad down to the basement and get him secured before rushing right back out.  This scene was even tenser than the last one.  It took a while before they were able to track down all of the employees and discover who was missing.  After that, things only got crazier.  Wilcome sent every available officer out to try to track him down in town.  He said that he wanted to make sure it wasn’t just an ill humored prank, but I know deep down that he was hoping someone else had been taken instead of him.

What kind of person actually wishes something like that?!  I haven’t had a chance to watch the news yet, but I’m sure they are having a field day with this.  Wilcome had told them that he wasn’t expecting the killer to strike for at least another month.  That’s what he gets.  I love making him look like the moron he is.

Well, I’m on my way back to the cabin now.  I didn’t have time to remove his leg, because I got called in early.  I really would have liked to have done it a few hours ago, but it shouldn’t cause any problems.  I’m just hoping he hasn’t found a way out of his restraints.  Even if he has, he probably hasn’t been able to get out of the room in the basement.  I put in a solid wood door and reinforced the lock.  The only problem I would have is trying to restrain him again before he was able to get past me.  I’m hoping I don’t have to do anything drastic.  I know he wouldn’t
be able to get through the basement door and into the rest of the house.  I have a combination lock on that one.  Even if he is able to get the jump on me, he won’t be able to get out without that.  I’m taking my stun gun out there with me, just in case.

1/31/09- The vessel was wake when I got back out there yesterday afternoon, but he hadn’t managed to free himself.  Unlike the last, this one tried to sweet talk me.  I guess he thought he could appeal to me based on our past together.  When he started saying that he understood the job we worked really took its toll but he knew I was a good person because I was still doing it, I couldn’t take anymore.  I injected him again and got him ready for the procedure.  He doesn’t know anything about me!  I’m not doing this because seeing the things I’ve seen has affected me.  I’m doing this for love and to punish those who deserve it.  He will understand before long.  He’ll see that what I’m doing is necessary.  He knew Justin.  He will gladly do whatever he needs to do to assist me in bringing him back.  He’ll also see how the department is responsible and how they need to face justice for their actions.  Even if it means giving his own life.

The procedure was a little rougher than the last two.  He bled more than the others, but I was able to locate the problem and fix it before things became critical.  It’s looking pretty good today.  The vessel himself is pretty weak, but he’s going to be fine.  I’ve loaded him up on painkillers and antibiotics, so I don’t see their being any problems.  He’s been pretty out of it all morning, though.  I don’t even think it’s really registered to
him that the procedure has been done.  I don’t suspect it will take too long for him to come to enough to see it.

I was thinking about starting the third step today, but I think I’ll wait.  I don’t want to allow Justin to enter him while he’s this weak.  It might end up weakening Justin, which could end up setting us back.  I’m off tomorrow, so I’ll start it first thing in the morning.

I’ve also started looking at the other men on the list in case he isn’t going to work.  I want to have someone I can replace him with right away.  I’m really hoping I don’t have to do that, though.  I really like this one and would hate to have to settle for something not as good because the procedure didn’t go as well as it could have.  Well, I’m off to the store.  I figured I should get him some soup or something to help build his strength.

2/1/09- I spent nearly all day talking to Justin.  We had a nice breakfast together and just talked.  It was clear that he thinks I’m doing the right thing.  He even told me that he would testify on my behalf if it came to that.  I’m so glad he is with me on this.  I didn’t want to have to worry about trying to explain to him. 

It’s so nice having Justin to talk to.  It took me a little bit this morning to get the vessel to relax enough for Justin’s soul to enter him.  I had to explain the entire situation to him twice before he would finally calm down.  I think his head was still a little clouded from the procedure.

When Justin finally was able to enter him, I could see the excitement on his face when he saw me.  He’s getting stronger with every vessel I take.  I can’t wait until the day when he’s strong enough to come back on his own.

Well, I would love to write more, but I really want to spend some more time with Justin.  I missed yesterday, because I was letting him recover, so I need to make it up today.

2/3/09- That guy I saw in my building that I wrote about a couple months ago is now a viable candidate!  I was getting ready to head into work this morning when Ben called to tell me there was a scene in my building he wanted me to work.  It turned out to be that guy!  His name is Derek Hartley.  Someone broke into his apartment today while he was at school.  I almost feel bad because of how badly his apartment was trashed.  On the other hand, he will be a perfect addition to the list of vessels.  His body type is very similar to Justin’s.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about it yet, but I’m sure he will agree that Derek is a good choice.

I haven’t been by to see Justin today, but we had a nice day yesterday.  I made a picnic for us which we ate in his room.  He’s starting to grow a little stronger.  I can see the energy building in the body.  He has much more control over it.  Well, I’m going to head out to the cabin now.  I was going to wait until after I went to the gym, but I want to see him so bad that I don’t want to do anything else right now.

2/5/09- I’m getting ready for the big meal tomorrow.  I had to go to three different stores just to find good mushrooms.  Apparently there is a bit of a shortage right now.  I was almost considering leaving them out, but I didn’t want to take the chance.

The vessel is looking a little run down.  I think he knows what’s coming.  I can’t say I’m surprised.  I knew from the beginning that he wasn’t as likely to fall for the story as the others.  I guess that’s what I get for taking a cop.  He’s too experienced to believe me when I say that I will let him go.  I guess it’s going to be like this from now on, though.  The more men I take, the more they will know that they aren’t getting away.  I guess I just need to make them understand that they are giving themselves for something truly important.  I know it will definitely be easier for Justin to get into the vessels if they understand and accept it.

Well, I better get all of this food over to the cabin so it will be ready for me tomorrow.  I don’t want to forget any and have to make a rushed trip to the store.  I have to get all of this done on my lunch break, so I’m not going to have any extra time.

2/6/09- I got called into work early today.  I wasn’t supposed to go in until nine, but I ended up getting called in at five this morning.  I wasn’t happy at all, but I’m glad that it at least meant that I would get out earlier.  I put off my lunch break for as long as I could, and finally headed out around 10:30.

I made everything last night, so all I had to do was heat it up and assemble.  I could tell that he was looking for a way out when I moved him upstairs.  After I assured him the house was completely secure and there wasn’t any way for him to get out, he gave in and helped me get him to the table.  He downed the first glass of wine in a matter of seconds.  He was almost done with the second by the time I got lunch on the table.  He wouldn’t really talk much during the meal, other than a little small talk here and there.  I think he knew from his connections that the meal was the last thing before the end.

With the three glasses of wine he had, he was pretty docile when the time came.  He didn’t even really put up much of a fight.  I think he knew that it was important that he died in order to allow Justin to come back.  I managed to keep him in the chair while I strangled him, so I just had to wheel him to the bathroom.  As dark as it sounds, I’ve actually started enjoying cutting them up.  I don’t know what it is about it.  Maybe it’s just because I know that it’s an essential part of the process.  I hope it is.  I would hate to think that I’m just enjoying killing for the killing.  Oh, that would be scary.

Well, I only had enough time on my break to get him into the bathroom.  Since I went in early, I was able to get out at three.  It didn’t take me long at all to cut up the body and get the pieces clean.  I’m going to need to seriously load up on bleach.  I should head out of town to get it, though.  I don’t want anyone to notice that I’m stockpiling the stuff.  I got all of the pieces cleaned up really well, then put them all into the trash bags.  I had the perfect spot already picked out, so I ran out quickly and dumped them.  I made sure they were all where they could easily be discovered but still hidden from view.  I’m just hoping it doesn’t take long for them to be found.  It always makes me so anxious when I wait for that call to come in. 

Well, I desperately need a shower.  Or maybe I’ll take a hot bubble bath.  I haven’t had one of those in a while.

2/7/09- It was so great having Justin again.  I feel so alive again when I’m with him.  When it’s time for the vessels to leave, though, it makes me only feel even more down.  For a few moments, I even begin to think that it’s not worth it.  I know that it will be in the end, though.  It’s worth suffering through the pain now if it means that I can have him back.  I mean, maybe my pain is a payment for getting him back.  These men are sacrificing their lives for him, and I’m sacrificing my happiness.

I’ll be honest, though... I’m having a pretty hard day.  I think I’m going to go for a walk before heading to the bar.

2/8/09- So Detective Wilcome has nearly everyone out searching the woods for the vessel’s body.  Right now they are completely on the wrong side of the city.  At first I wished I had put him in that area, but I’m actually glad I didn’t.  I don’t want the vessels found by the department.  That will eliminate the effects on the citizens of Addison Valley.  I want them to feel the horror and know that the department is responsible.  That isn’t going to happen if they downplay the scenes.  Hopefully someone else will find him before Wilcome shifts the search area.  If it wasn’t so risky, I would move him.  I think I might have hidden him too well.  I thought it wouldn’t take more than a few days because it’s a common camping site, but I guess no one is really going out right now.  I didn’t think about the fact that it’s pretty cold out.  I think it will be much easier once it warms up.

2/13/09- He STILL hasn’t been found.  I’m not going to have to wait much longer, though.  I went down to the parks and recreation office and noticed that the spot is booked for Sunday.  Unless the campers don’t show or are completely oblivious to their surroundings, they’ll find him then.  I was considering just sitting back and waiting for the call to come in, but I want to watch the initial shock on their faces when they find him.  Seeing them after being called out is still gratifying, but I don’t think it will be anything close to when they first uncover his body.  I’m going to go out tomorrow and see if I can find the perfect place to hide so they won’t see me but I can see them.  If I can find the perfect place, then I will go out on Sunday and watch them.  I just need to make sure I can get back out without being seen.  Hopefully they will leave to go get help and I can easily get away without anyone seeing me.  I know it’s a risk to go out there, but I really want to see the pain the department is inflicting on them.  I just wish there was a way to make it clear to everyone that these men died because of their connection with the department without the risk that it could get tied back to me.  I’ve been careful only to pick men that Ben was also connected to.  All but the first, that is.  I’m pretty sure he consulted on that one, though. Ahhh!  I’m thinking into this way too much.  I think I need a drink.

2/15/09- Today was so exhilarating!  I found a spot yesterday and hid about half an hour before they got there.  It took another hour for them to actually find him.  It was actually a young family out.  The dad struggled to put the tent together while his wife entertained their toddler.  I thought for sure they would venture out to collect firewood after he finished, but they just sat down and talked.  I was growing impatient when the toddler started wandering around and found the arm.  To my surprise, he actually didn’t react at all.  He just picked it up and carried it back to his parents like it was a toy.  It took a moment for them to register what it was, but the reaction was something I will never forget.  She started screaming and pulled it out of his hands before picking him up.  I swear I thought she was going to throw up.  The dad didn’t seem to know what exactly to do.  He just pulled his hands up to his face and kind of tried to move four different ways at once before grabbing his wife and dragging her and the child away from the site.  I was able to quickly slip out without anyone seeing me and was back at my apartment by the time the call came in.  I’m guessing they got lost on the way out, because it took much longer than I expected for the call to come in.  I was actually worried for a second that the first responder might arrive before I got back to my car.  Detective Wilcome isn’t looking so hot.  I swear he’s lost a little weight.  I think part of him knows that he is in part responsible for this.  It will only get worse for him.  Even if he didn’t have a personal relationship with the vessel, I’m sure it will devastate him.  Before this is all over, he will understand his role in Justin’s death.  It’s going to make it so much worse because of how close they were.  Oh, this is fantastic!

2/16/09- I don’t have much to say today.  My appointment with Dr. Gamboa was interesting.  He actually brought up the case.  It was a little awkward.  I know I’ve considered talking with him about it, but I wasn’t at all ready for it.  It was very hard to act freaked out instead of the amusement that was coursing through me.  There was also another news release about the case.  Detective Wilcome looked like crap.  I heard he had suggested the chief do the interview, but he refused.  He doesn’t want his face associated with this.  What a coward.  He really deserves this.  I would take him as a vessel if I could.  I think he would be counterproductive, though.  It would probably set Justin back a good deal, not to mention it would only increase the motivation from the department to catch me.  I’m sure the feds would be here even before I managed to complete the second part of the process.  It would be so nice, though.  I would love to see the look on his arrogant face when it sunk in.  When he realized not only who was behind it but why.  He’s the one who signed off on that rule.  He’s the one who make it impossible for me to get help from everyone else in the department to push Justin into getting that surgery.  Justin’s blood is on his hands.  I just wish I could make that clear to him.  Unlike the others, I would actually enjoy watching the life leave his body.  It would be too hard to stick to the process, though.  I would want him to hurt.  I do want him to hurt.  Not just emotionally because of what he did, but physically.  I want him to feel the pain that Justin felt at the end.  He wouldn’t show it, but I could see it in his eyes.  He tried to be strong for me.  The chief wouldn’t be the same.  He’s nothing compared to Justin.  He’s a bug; an ant that should be squished.  Before this is over, I’m going to take everything from him.  I’ll take his career and watch as he realizes he brought it all on himself.

Well, I guess I had a little more to write than I thought.  I really should go.  I need to start looking into the other men on my list and try to identify who the next vessel will be.  Hopefully Justin will make it as easy for me as he did last time.

2/17/09- I narrowed it down to two guys.  It’s definitely not as easy to follow them as it was the last two.  Men are being more cautious after the last news report.  They’re being far more observant of their surroundings.  Luckily, the reports have been about a man being the killer, so they aren’t really looking out for me.  I may have to change my strategy, though.  I don’t really know what I would do.  I guess I could try to get some surveillance gear, but that might be a little extreme.  I could also take a more direct approach and try to get to know them a little.  Then I risk the chance of their loved ones mentioning me when they were being interviewed.  If it continues to be this difficult to get to know their patterns, I’ll have to figure something out. 

As for the men, they are both good options, but neither of them are really standing out.  I still have a little time, so hopefully Justin will show me which one.  I’m kind of leaning toward one, but I don’t want to make a final decision yet.

2/20/09- Well, it looks like my decision has been made for me.  One of the men I was considering left town, and by the looks of the amount of stuff me took with him, he won’t be coming back anytime soon.  The thing that really sucks is he was the one I was leaning toward.  He was more like Justin than the one that’s still here.  I guess I’ll have to make do.  Well, off to work.

2/21/09- I got called out on the strangest case today.  This guy had been making noise complaints about his neighbor’s dogs for the past couple months.  Apparently he finally had enough when they once again left all five dogs out in the backyard after going to bed.  He snapped and hanged them all in the large tree in their backyard.  I must admit it was quite a sight.  All dogs were large and were just dangling there when we arrived.  We haven’t gotten the results back on the DNA from the ropes that were used, but they were pretty sure it was the guy next door who had done it.  I can’t really blame him.  There’s nothing more inconsiderate than leaving a yapping dog out to keep the neighbors up all night.  Five of them are only worse.  With months of sleep deprivation because of it, I’m actually surprised he didn’t string up the home owners.