My Life with Death

John Hopkin's Barts Warehouse, Bennsville, Maryland

 I placed cameras all over the warehouse area, which I connected to a laptop. I also had a GPS radio ready, which I planned to attach to the killer's car to continue tracking him. I had no intention of arresting him today, nor could I. I was still off duty and didn't even have handcuffs on me. I wanted to follow him for a few more days, find out everything about him, and then arrest him with the FBI.

I was sitting in the car not far from the warehouse. I was waiting to see if he would show up.

7:06 p.m.

"The game has started."

- You know who

I already thought she wasn't coming when I got a message and a silver Mercedes appeared out of the darkness at the exact moment. A man stepped out of it at about 70 inches. It was dark, and he was standing too far away. You couldn't see his face. I couldn't find out her skin color, let alone more information. I could barely tell by the body's build that it was a man.

He stepped inside the warehouse. Before he came in, I tried to photograph him several times. I was hoping that the people in the lab would get something out of the photos and the footage from the cameras at the entrance and inside the building. He used the flashlight on his phone to light the way. He was wearing black latex gloves. He looked around. He was looking for me.

7:15 p.m.

"The mouse is running out of time. The cat soon burns her. You must become a cat if you want to survive. Be resourceful, but first, you must find a cat to become one."

- You know who

He wanted to lure me in. He wanted me to come to him. I felt calm until now, but this started to make me nervous. I stopped liking it. I looked at the screen. I followed him. He walked through the corridors to the main hall of the entire warehouse. And then I noticed it. Every time he passed a camera, he waved at it or looked at it, but it was weird because you couldn't see his face, the distorted image in the area of his face. It was weird. It looked like he was manipulating the cameras I had set up the whole time. How could he know they were there? And how was he able to do it? Suddenly, one of my cameras went out. It was a camera in the main hall.

I got out of the car. I walked towards the warehouses. I wanted to see what happened to the camera. I went inside. I strolled. I looked around me. I held a pistol in my hands at thigh height.

7:20 p.m.

"Look for the mouse... look."

- You know who

The warehouse was large and spacious. Each step caused an even louder echo. There were several boxes near the north corner. A shelf hung above them. It was one of the places I hid the camera. I looked around me. I climbed on the boxes so she could see the camera better. The camera was turned, and next to it lay a DVD on which the text was written in black marker: "For Alex. May you live long enough for me to torture you."

That was weird for many reasons.

7:22 p.m.

"You're smart, but I'm smarter."

- You know who

7:30 p.m.

"Nice try, but you're off again."

- You know who

Before I realized what had happened, he was gone. He evaporated like steam. He disappeared like a ghost. My whole plan was foiled. He knew what to do. He knew how to confuse me so he could leave without a trace. He knew my every move exactly.

7:41 p.m.

"You were so close; now you're miles away and lost."

- You know who

9:16 p.m.

I went out of town on a state road. I put the disc in the player on my laptop. My phone has rung several times. Samantha tried to call me. There was a video recording on the disc. I started it. Nothing happened. The screen remained black.

"I knew you'd be following me. I hope you enjoyed it. Once I let you in charge again. Did you enjoy our cat-and-mouse game? When you watch the whole record, notice my sweet smile. It was for you. He will love it. I know it. I know you better than anyone, better than you think. I've known you all your life."

- You know who

A light started to appear on the video, and then a photo. At first, they were out of focus but began to focus and color over time. My family, my friends, and my colleagues were on them. In different situations. And often in very humiliating situations. For example, I was lying drunk on the floor in a bar, in the trash, or completely naked in a motel.

"How does health serve you? Are you worried? I sure do. I'm watching you and know you're always hiding in the corner. Why is it? Your daughter must miss you. Christine, right? But I digress. Prepare for hell. No one will help you. No one will come to your rescue when I want to kill you because when I want to kill you, I will kill you, and no one will stop me. I know you were used to someone helping you, saving you, but that's over...," said a distorted voice in the video. "If I kill you, no one will help you. You will be alone, just as you are now," he added.

It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female. I couldn't make out who it was. And this was precisely the moment I realized how much I needed Samantha's help. I needed to get the disc and the camera footage to the nearest FBI branch as quickly as possible for audio-visual analysis. I wanted to see that person's face. I wanted to know who he was—learning every day of his life so far.