Death List
by
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At the crime scene in Springfield, Wayne and Sam scoured the area. “Sam, nobody saw a thing. Strange, but this seems a little like the one the other night. It would not surprise me if there is a ballistics match. It was definitely a small caliber bullet. He suffered two to the head at close range. Not a thing was taken. Not his wallet, which had $500 in it, or his cell phone. Nothing. I mean, it looks like another execution. No shell casings. This was clean hit. What do you think?”
Sam scratched his chin in thought. “Boy, what would tie these two guys together? That’s what we have to find. Did they work together? Know each other? Piss off the same guy? I just don’t see it now, but the computers may tell us different. Tomorrow I’ll personally check out where he lived. You do your computer thing and we’ll have ballistics by then.”
Wayne was a quick study. “I would bet my next paycheck that this guy is a former sex offender. Here he is at this shit hole, covered in prison tattoos. This is another guy that we would have likely been chasing in the future. Someone is making our job a bit easier. It‘s like the gang wars. If they were better shots and didn‘t hit civilians, I‘d vote to let them kill each other.”
Sam chuckled “Heh, don’t let the darn press hear that--or the Chief!”
The next day brought Wayne’s hunch to fruition. When Sam got back from Jason Davis’ apartment, he had a shopping bag of potential evidence. “Wayne, this guy was bad…really bad. Duct tape, rope, plastic ties, child porn, drugs, various shirts with blood stains and God knows what else. There is nothing on the surface to tie him to the other murder, but lots of evidence to possibly link him to other crimes.”
“Sam, he was a registered sex offender. Maybe it’s just coincidence, but that makes two victims killed in a similar manner. However, the bullets on this one are .25 caliber. He took two to the head. Forensics say there would have been a blood splatter on the killer, because he was so close. There were powder burns on the side of his head. Again, he either knew his killer, or was taken completely by surprise, by the position of the shooting. No shell casings anywhere in the car, which is likely where they would have fallen. Possibly a revolver, but if it is a semi-automatic, this guy somehow collected the shells without leaving prints or disturbing the blood traces. I tell you Sam, both these are way too clean. Both appear professional.”
Sam responded. “Boy, don’t out think it. Both these guys were scum. Both ran in bad circles and dealt with bad people. I don’t see either of them dying as any strange occurrence. We both know guys like this get dead long before old age. The only strange thing I see is two within such a short timeframe. Small caliber revolvers can be considered professional, but let’s face it, they are also cheap and readily available on the street or in pawn shops. Here are two guys that the taxpayers won’t have to pay to store them in prison, as I see it. You can spend some time on this if you like, but we got a guy running around the north side spraying 9 millimeter bullets at people’s houses. I got a description and partial on the plate. We can bag this one today if we get to it.”
As Sam and Wayne decided where to channel their efforts, Jack was parked outside a cheap motel on the seedier part of north Springfield. John Bramus had no idea that the little old man sitting in the car across the street was watching him. He left his room only to walk next door to a Burger King, and quickly returned with his bag of food. Jack was surveying the scene. It was perfect. It was on a busy street with the rooms going toward the back, where no one from the street could see. There were strip malls and fast food restaurants all down the block. Jack could easily walk over to the motel unnoticed after dark. This was another guy that made one bristle by looking at him. He sported a long, unkempt ponytail, along with a tee shirt containing obscene words on the front, and arms covered in tattoos. Jack was definitely coming back tonight to kill this pedophile bastard.
Joe was on the west side of Springfield off one of the main highways. He was following a gravel road that ended up at a trailer. Outside the trailer was a rusty old pickup with current Missouri plates. As Joe turned around, he saw there was nothing within sight. There was no one within range to hear a gunshot. Not even a residence or another trailer anywhere along the gravel road. It was perfect. Tonight he would return to blow Allan Brock to hell. Given the rural scenario, he would finally get to use his new shotgun.
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About the Book
When incurable pedophiles are released into our society, does it give you comfort knowing where they live? That is…if they bother to register. It is only circumstance that allows some dying senior citizens to realize they are exempt from the penalties associated with making the sex offender registry their Death List! Targeting the worst of the worst, they decide to make the world a bit safer for the children. In their rationale, even if they are caught, they will be dead before they are sentenced. This group of flawed, unhappy Baby Boomers, made up by a cast of very different characters decides that if the law itself is broken, then breaking the law does not apply. This is a very original story that incorporates many aspects that this gray generation is faced with, as well as their personal feelings, which transition as they bond in a common cause. Make no mistake, this is a violent book. No one is spared, as this heinous disease has spread to those in the most respected positions. The solution? Personal justice dealt out in large doses. Think about it. If a tiger was loose in your city, what kind of response would it bring from those in authority? Yet an incurable pedophile can be a multiple offender and living next door to you. The characters in this book are tired of watching the heinous crimes against children on the news. They realize they are immune from punishment, which for some offers a chance at redemption. This book also offers a glimpse of the world from the perspective of those that are a ‘lost’ generation. Losing their jobs to younger workers and without insurance, stuck at an age where they are too young for government benefits, and recipients of the separation syndrome that has affected so many families. These are grandparents that refuse to accept that their grandchildren could become prey to these predators. Expect the unexpected, as they proceed with assistance and divine intervention. This book should make you cheer, laugh, think and even shed a tear. The first book marketing person that read this work, called me to say it was in chapter two that he went online to find the 15 sex offenders lived with a two mile radius of his home. “I have two little girls!” he told me. I hope it makes some people aware and more protective of their children. I hope it causes some to write or call these judges that put these incurables back into our society. Given the proliferation of these crimes, this book may contain the only possible solution and become prophetic.
About the Author
Edwin F. Becker was born in Chicago, Illinois, a Baby Boomer. Coming from an abusive broken home, he spent a number of elementary years in Maryville, a Catholic children's institution. There, he learned Latin and became an altar boy. He went on to become a professional musician and spent his later teen years traveling the states with an R&B Show band. He worked with the Byrds, Temptations, and Chicago, to name a few groups. During his travels he met and married his wife of 46 years. Entering college, he studied the emerging field of computers and eventually progressed to a programmer, systems analyst, telecommunications specialist, operations manager and finally to a VP of MIS for a major health care corporation. He assisted the Department of Defense in automating their procurement department in Philadelphia in the early 1980's. He became president of a software company that catered to the sales and development of health care inventory management. Suffering a near fatal heart attack, he retired to the Ozarks where he opened a collectible store for a number of years. He has been writing original stories for over two decades for pure enjoyment. He has two daughters that have given him four granddaughters which he considers God's ultimate gifts. His youngest daughter is involved with fostering abused children and rescuing animals, including horses. He has a son-in-law involved in law enforcement. His life experience and interests run the gamut. During his life, he has enjoyed boating, martial arts, ballistics, comics, guitars, motorcycles, religion, and the paranormal, to name a few personal interests. Today, this best-selling author resides in Branson, where he enjoys the year around activity and entertainment. He is very opinionated and many of his works contain a strong social subtext. Missouri, the “Show Me” state, seems an appropriate place to reside. His personal philosophy? “Leave everything and everyone better than you found them.”