Inferna Nuntius

Chapter 8

8

The first time he saw her it was a magical event. He couldn’t exactly figure out what it was about her that attracted him to her, but the world stood still when she first crossed his path. Maybe it was the w­­­­­­­ay she walked, exuding confidence like he had never seen before, especially not in any of his previous victims.

Not even that fag bodybuilder had this kind of confidence, Eddie thought to himself. He admired her from a safe distance, across the parking lot and watched her as she went about her business. He studied every detail of her body, the curves of her hips, her sculptured shoulders, her strong yet feminine hands. He took note of the jewelry she wore, a simple watch and a wedding band. Good, a family. He chuckled to himself and lowered his sunglasses to get a better look at her face.

She stood out among the crowd, like a sunflower in a concrete jungle. There was nothing ostentatious about her. She wore a simple, professional pantsuit with low heals. Practical. She was becoming more and more interesting to him by the minute. He had been following her since she had gotten out of her car at the drug store, more than five blocks away from where they were now. That was much shorter than he had ever followed anyone before, but he felt drawn to her. He knew within moments of first seeing her that she would be his last.

Now to figure out the details, he thought to himself. Details meant following her for a few days and that meant money. Money meant Jimmy and Jimmy made him sick to his stomach. The thought of having to rely on Jimmy, or anyone for that matter, made him nauseous.

He slid his glasses back up and reached back, unlocking the car door. She had just left the grocery store, two bags in hand. She placed the bags in the passenger side seat and rounded the front of the car, pausing before she opened the door. She made a sweeping glance around the parking lot, surveying her surroundings. She paused and stared in his direction just long enough to make his heart flutter before she got back into her car.

Eddie knew she was going to be his last.

In the months since his first attack, Eddie had grown accustomed to blending in with crowds, to allowing himself to become lost in a sea of people. He did just this as he followed her car on foot, taking shortcuts when traffic eased up and she was able to speed off. He knew the traffic patterns in Virginia well enough to know that she wouldn’t get very far at this time of day without running into gridlock. He resisted the urge to grab a cab and instead stayed on his feet, tailing her car from a safe distance. He had followed her for an additional twenty blocks before her car came to a stop outside of hotel on the outskirts of the city. Eddie hid himself slightly outside of the entrance to the parking lot, concealing himself behind a row of hedges. He watched with excitement as she once again exited her car and rounded the car again for her groceries.

Eddie carefully crept around the bushes and stayed hidden behind the front of cars and SUV’s. He watched as she grabbed the groceries, but instead of heading to the front of the car, she instead made her way to the rear, popping the trunk. While the hatch was lifted high above her head, Eddie thought for a brief moment of ambushing her in the parking lot, but quickly caught himself and chose not to. It was the best decision he had made about his victims in a while. A gasp escaped his mouth as he saw her pull a shoulder holster from her truck and then fish for her gun.

He slumped down behind a car and let the thoughts race through his head. He had been bold with his last kill, but this would top everything. She was a cop. He quickly glanced around from the back of the car, catching one last glimpse of her before she disappeared inside the hotel. There was a giddy sensation that flowed through his body. His last kill had been in broad day light on a busy street, but killing her would surely make him famous.