Looking For an Editor.
Finding a publisher would be even better.
This is the introductory chapter of my work in progress. The working title is The Memory Box. I am looking for an editor to help me go over the entire work. I am currently about 1/3 of the way complete with the first draft.
Sitting silently in the dark cover of the tree line that divided the yard of the house Frank Wills currently watched with heightened anticipation, felt himself begin to relax, ever so slightly, as the moon slid behind one of the numerous clouds that now seemed to conspire with him to turn this evening into the opportunity that he had been planning with increased anticipating for the last several days.
All he needed now was for the object of his desire to make her appearance.
Katie Stilson had first caught his attention while she stood on a street corner holding a cardboard sign, asking for money.
Her clothing, while not dirty, had obviously been left in a ball on the floor the night before from the numerous wrinkles that were still visible at this hour of the day. Cotton shorts, slightly too big and an equally oversized T-shirt made it obvious that she would wear about anything she could come by.
Her long, brown hair, pulled back in a slightly messy ponytail, blown by the stiff breeze of the late summer storm that was quickly approaching had added to her helpless look.
Watching her as he waited in line at Dunkin for his late day pick me up coffee, Frank suddenly found himself wanting to learn more about this girl. She had all the makings of a potential project. He just needed more info first.
As he paid his bill and was handed his coffee, she began to put her sign in the old bag she had sitting on the ground next to her feet in preparation to move on. Perhaps he would get the rare opportunity to interact in private with her.
As Frank pulled out of the lot, the girl looked in his direction, raised her thumb and began to smile as she saw him slow down.
As Frank pulled over and she tossed her bag into the bed of the truck, her fate was all but sealed. As the idle talk about where she was headed, if she needed some food, or if she was just passing through opened her life to Frank in ways she could never imagine, he knew he had found his next special girl.
A self-described drifter with no real family and no desire to be tied down with commitments, she was always looking for her next adventure. Finding a spot to sleep for a couple of days was her biggest worry, yet not one she had ever really had to worry about.
She knew enough people that were willing to let her spend a few days sleeping on their couch or a spare bed in exchange for cleaning, painting or other chores. She could always find someone that needed a hand.
After dropping her at the end of the long driveway leading to the older ranch-style house she was currently calling home, he now had all the info he needed to begin his planning.
She was going to be perfect.
A transient girl that spent her days doing odd jobs for cash or begging for money on the side of the road was not the type of person who got a lot of attention from the police, let alone the news media, if they happened to disappear.
Tracking her movements over the next few weeks, he quickly discovered she was harder to keep track of than he had first anticipated. Her drifter lifestyle had him working hard to follow her movements as she moved from place to place, couch to couch, always moving on after a brief stay, never lasting longer than a week.
She had bounced around between Columbiana, New Middletown and Lisbon before ending up back here, the home he had dropped her off at just a few weeks earlier, on the outskirts of Columbiana.
If she kept up her pattern, she should be grabbing her meager belongings and moving on to a new crash pad tonight or the next.
As he waited for her to make her move, he began to fantasize about what he had in store for her. From binding her and locking her in the dark room to placing her body in its final resting spot, he had planned out the entire act that would make this kill his most involved yet.
All that remained now was for her to make her fatal move and leave the safety of the house where she was currently residing.
As midnight approached, it became clear Katie was not going to make her appearance tonight.
Frank began to make his way back to his truck when the sudden appearance of a light coming from the home a quarter mile down the road drew his attention. Perhaps a second option was about to present itself.
The light was coming from the bedroom window Frank had found himself distracted by while passing the time, hoping his Katie would make an appearance. The now familiar face, a welcome distraction from the boredom of covert surveillance, that called this room hers now flashed between the curtains.
As he let his attention shift from the home Katie was obviously not going to be leaving this evening, he began to focus on the window, fantasizing about the person behind it. These fantasies only increased as the curtain opened two more times while he watched from the safety of his hiding spot.
Seconds later the light went out. Whatever had gotten the attention of the person behind the curtain must not have been enough to keep them up any longer.
Too bad thought Frank. The occupant of the room that he had learned was named Amber, had become a subject of his interest in her own right.
When she had snuck out of the house two evenings earlier, meeting up with what Frank assumed was her boyfriend, his interest had gone from hoping she did not observe him to hoping he could see more of her.
As he now sat there, transfixed on her bedroom window, he began to question whether he might consider changing the target of his next project. It would be fun going after a younger, more challenging subject for a change.
Not that his Katie wasn’t young. 26 would be considered young in most instances, but Amber was only 18, and a recent graduate from high school.
Amber had a stable, two parent family that she lived with. Her disappearance would make for a major police response, media coverage, questions that could lead investigators to reassess the others that had disappeared in the last three years, and the inevitable discovery that someone had been killing vulnerable young women without anyone realizing it was happening.
Would the chance of this scenario coming true be worth it? Just to have the chance to go after someone as amazing as Amber.
Frank had played and replayed the scenario over in his mind numerous times over the past two days. Each time it was the same sequence of events.
Amber’s parents wake up to find her missing and place a call to the local police. They initially blew them off due to Amber being 18 and considered an adult in the eyes of the law. As the day turns to the next, they continue to contact the police until they finally agree to come out look around, eventually open a missing person’s case for Amber.
The officer that shows up is an ambitious type and takes the time to do a perimeter search of the property and surrounding tree line. This search reveals the spot where Frank has been taking up his nightly watch, waiting on Katie before noticing Amber.
Having no reason to suspect that the person who had been standing there for what looked to be several nights in a row had been stalking someone other than Amber, the police go on a full force offensive to try and find her before it is too late.
By the end of the day her picture is appearing on billboards, the local news outlets are running stories about her disappearance as the lead story each broadcast, people begin coming forward with information about any strange vehicles they had seen on her road.
Before long an ambitious detective or reporter begins to look at other missing people reports and discovers a pattern.
Soon stories of a suspected serial killer stalking young women in Columbiana County Ohio are being reported in the Cleveland and Pittsburgh markets.
The CBI gets involved and after doing an exhaustive search of the area where he had been standing, they find the path he had been using to get from where he parked to his little hiding spot. Along the path they find the thorn bush that he had gotten pricked with and recover a blood sample.
This blood sample gives them DNA that they use to track him down using genetic genealogy.
His cousin’s obsession with genealogy, coupled with the numerous DNA tests he has taken and shared the results of with sites like GED match soon lead investigators in his direction.
The police begin to tear his life apart, looking at each male in his family, trying to decide which one to focus on. Discovering that Frank is single, lives alone, and has time to stalk and abduct his victims without anyone in his life being aware makes him their prime suspect.
They begin to watch him, hoping he will leave something with his DNA on it so they can collect it and compare it to the blood found on the thorn bush. They observe him discarding a Dunkin coffee cup and collected it for DNA testing. The results confirm he is the one that left the blood on the thorn bush
Finally, they make their move and arrest him. Searching his home, they find DNA evidence that link him to multiple missing girls, charge him with kidnapping, murder, and any other charge they can pile on.
Given the option of taking his chance at trial, with a needle in his future if he loses, or a plea deal that would keep him in prison for life, his attorney urges him to take the deal. Opting to save his own life, he takes the plea deal and agrees to show the authorities where he had buried the bodies. He gets a few minutes of notoriety before being forgotten by everyone other than his family, and the families of his victims.
Knowing this was not how he wants his story to go, he has fought his growing urge to turn his sites to Amber, no matter how hard it has become. Seeing her in the window tonight, he could sense the fight was not in this better judgements control.
A minute later, he watched as the side door opened and Amber slipped through the opening and closed the door behind her. As Amber Swenson made her way silently down the sidewalk, Frank knew this would be the best chance he would have to snatch her up and make her his.
The urge to make his move was rising, pushing the well-reasoned argument he had for letting her be to the side. Trying to fight it off, he raised his binoculars to his eyes.
Watching her through the binoculars he found his desire to possess her unbearable.
The black stretch pants she was wearing only served to accentuate her perfect, heart shaped ass and the cutoff white t-shirt was just high enough to reveal the top half of the blue butterfly tattoo on the small of her back.
Getting a chance to see this tattoo up close and personal made the well-reasoned decision to abandon the ill-advised plan to grab her, unwisely bringing in the unwanted attention that would come with abducting her, suddenly vanished from his thoughts. He had to act now, before he could talk himself out of it.
The first rumble of thunder from the approaching storm helped to urge him on, making the change of plans, and the risks that came with this new target seemed acceptable.
Lowering the binoculars, he placed the lens covers on them and slid them into his jacket pocket.
Taking a quick look to make sure he had not dropped anything that could lead back to him, Frank rose and prepared to make his way from his hiding spot to the break in the tree line. From there, he would be in the perfect position to use the darkness to creep up on her, leaving no opening to make a dash to the safety of her parents’ home.
As Frank looked over the space between where he now stood and where Amber was headed, he had two possible routes to choose from.
The safer, less noticeable would take him closer to the house. The second would be more direct but leave him more open as he tried to cross the yard to reach the hedges that separated the yard from the corn field next to it. The only bit of cover being a large maple, nearly even with the front corner of the house and less than ten feet from the hedgerow.
Emerging from the tree line, he silently made his way across the yard and along the back side of the house.
Having done a daytime examination of the exterior of the home, he was certain there were no cameras to worry about.
Reaching the far end of the house, he paused and began examining the end of the house for any signs of life. Seeing none, his attention quickly turned back to his prey.
He could feel his heart rate accelerating as he made his way past the cover of the house and into the open expanse of the yard. At risk of being totally exposed if she were to turn around, he did his best to keep the large Maple tree that stood between him and where she now walked as cover to hide his advance.
If he could reach the safety of the tree, the shrubbery that marked the boundary of the yard would provide cover from that point forward, if she continued to make her way down the poorly lit road and away from the only houses along this quiet stretch of rural Ohio road.
Working hard to keep his breathing in check, Frank slowly peered around the side of the Maple tree. To his joy, Amber had kept walking and was slipping past the end of the shrubs as he caught sight of her.
A second, louder rumble.
Amber continued to move away from the house. Luck was smiling on him. Or so Frank believed.
As he gathered his thoughts and planned his final move before making his way from behind the tree to make is surprise attack, a pair of headlights suddenly appeared, leaving him caught between an unwanted car and where Amanda now stood.
As the car was making its way along usually quiet Camelot Road, Frank froze. He could see his hastily conceived plan beginning to fall apart.
What if the approaching vehicle caused Amber to turn suddenly and head back toward the safety of her home?
What if she had turned and was now running along the other side of the hedgerow, planning to pop out across from where he now stood?
There was no time to run back to the house and take cover. The only option was to stay where he was and hope the unexpected passerby would not derail his plan.
As the lights got brighter, Frank felt his heart rate rise once again. This was by far the biggest risk he had taken in obtaining a victim for any of his kills. The closer the lights got to where he now hid, the more he regretted talking himself into making this unwise abandonment of his original plan.
Watching the shadows move across the yard as the car passed just yards from where he stood, Frank felt his body suddenly relax as the lights crossed the hedge line.
As the lights disappeared behind the shrubbery, he had made his way to the hedges and was quickly nearing the end of the hedgerow.
Just a few feet from the end of the row, Frank noticed the red glow of the brake lights. For some reason, the car had stopped.
What was happening?
He had to know.
He also needed to take cover before someone happened to come around the corner and see him.
Turning to head back to the safety of the tree, he suddenly heard voices.
“Daniel, I was starting to worry that you would not show up.” came a female voice, most certainly that of Amber.
“Oh Amber,” came the reply, “there was no way I would not show up. I have been looking forward to this day for weeks.”
As they talked, Frank realized that he was witnessing Amber make her own break. A break that was obviously not something she had shared with her parents.
Slipping quietly through a small opening in the hedges, he found safety in the cover of the corn that covered the short distance between him and where the clandestine meeting that the two young lovers had planned was now happening.
Daniel exited the driver’s side of the vehicle and made his way to where Amber stood.
As he came around the front of the vehicle, Amber moved toward him and greeted him with a long hug.
After ending their embrace, Amber quickly made her way back to the front porch to retrieve the duffle bag she had hidden behind the swing earlier that evening. It was clear that this was no chance meeting. It had been well planned out.
As she made her way quickly toward the waiting car, Daniel opened the passenger door for her before making his way back to the driver’s side and sliding behind the wheel.
Tossing her bag into the back seat, she was soon in the passenger seat, ready to head somewhere with Daniel, destroying the plans Frank had for her.
As the car slowly pulled away with Amber in it, Frank sat still, waiting to see if the car would turn around and pass back this way.
After five minutes of waiting, he knew he was safe to make his way back to his own vehicle and head home for the night. There would be no special girl going back with him tonight.
As he made his way across the yard toward the path that led to his vehicle, Frank was unaware of the presence of a second figure who had been watching this planned meetup with heightened interest. Not due to his interest in Amber, but rather to the problem her presence had brought to the project he was working on.
It was during the second week of his observation of Katie this second figure had first noticed Frank and realized he appeared to be keeping an eye on Katie as well.
Not sure if it was a coincidence, when Frank showed up at the next location Katie was staying, his suspicion was confirmed. Frank was on the hunt for a special girl, the same as he was.
Given what he had just witnessed, it was clear Frank was either getting desperate or had yet to gain the patience that comes with years of killing.
Regardless, he now knew Frank was not going to stop until he got what he was after.
He also knew there was only one way this could end. Frank needed to go away. Permanently.