Chapter 11

FBI in Austin

The FBI agents had reached Austin and set up shop in a small room that the police had given them. Each day all reports of sightings were looked over and compared to all others that had been submitted. It turned out that most of these reports were not true and some were even filed out of spite. But each one had to be checked. At least one or two turned out to be real possibilities.

Rather than alert the killer, the good possibilities were kept out and checked very quietly. Nothing was done to warn or frighten the subjects of the reports. One report seemed to be very promising and that one was placed in the hands of the FBI. Brian looked at the report very closely and decided that he would hold onto this one and later that day check it out for himself.

Brian and Rick drove out to the address on the report and drove through the area. Brian took several notes that he thought might aid him in deciding whether to stake the residence out or not. His gut told him that this was the place, but he needed more than a hunch.

The National Tattler was checked and rechecked. The altered photos were copied and passed around to all officers and police departments in America.

Killer in Austin With just three days left until the night of the ritual, James prepared to take the last victim. He had called several escort agencies in the area and thought he had found the right one. James had made arrangements to have an Ingrid Anderson come over to the house at 9 PM on the night of the ritual. He knew that he was taking a huge risk but he was running out of time. A large deposit was sent to the escort agency to secure the desired and promised girl.

As usual, the agency had checked James out and found that he lived in town and had done so for at least six months. The agency felt it was ok to send her out. Due to the fact that the agency was not exactly following the law and was sponsoring prostitution, no report would be filed with any legal agency.

The day of the full moon arrived and James was both elated and nervous. He wondered what would happen if he were stopped before the last of the three victims were sacrificed. No, he had to finish the job so he could be with Shelly again. James prepared the truck by putting his tools and needed items into the back and then cleaned the house and fed Debbie. Debbie was more nervous than she had ever been. There were only two girls and she knew that if another one did not appear, she would die.

Evening arrived and so did Ingrid Anderson. The doorbell rang and James told Debbie to go up stairs to the other small room and wait for him. She followed his directions. James opened the door and there stood a tall blonde woman. Her hair was well past her shoulders; she had dark blue eyes and a hard smile. She was wearing a loose cloak over a soft flowered dress. The money that she had been paid was more than she expected to make and the agency told her that the man who had made the appointment would pay her for her time and talents. James invited her in and asked her to take a seat. They talked for a few moments and then James paid her the fee for her services, then they got down to business.

James sat on the couch and watched Ingrid strip one piece at a time. Once she had removed her clothing, she slowly walked over to James on the couch and knelt down. She smiled as she unzipped his pants. At the right moment James reached down between the cushions, and with quick practiced movement, pressed the tazer to the blonde’s skin and pulled the trigger. As all the other victims had done she jerked and fell unconscious. James retrieved some hand and ankle cuffs and secured Ingrid. Then he carried her to the truck and placed her in the back.

Ken Gets a Call Ken received a call from the paper early on the day of the full moon. The tip was from a man who swore that the killer was one of his neighbors. The paper told the man that the reward would be issued if the tip was true and the killer was either caught or killed.

Ken got into his rented car and drove to the house in question. He cruised past it and took note of the exterior and then left the area. He decided that he would come back at dusk and wait.

Ken returned just after dark and parked his car just down the block from the house. He turned on the police scanner and waited. Some hours later a female drove up and parked in front of the house. A tall blonde got out of the car and walked to the front door, ran the bell and waited. As the front door opened Ken put a set of binoculars to his eyes and looked at the man standing in the door. Ken was sure that it was the same man as the photos and drawings.

The last thing to do was to check the charge on his cell phone. Ken made sure his phone was ready and then he settled back and waited. As he was checking the phone he failed to notice the man in question carrying a large bundle out to the truck.

An hour later he threw caution to the wind and decided to approach the house and ring the bell. Ken was feeling brave and impervious to personal danger. He rang the bell and waited. A minute later a tall blue-eyed man answered the door and asked what Ken wanted. Ken introduced himself and asked if he could come in.

The tall blue-eyed man invited him in, opening the screen door to allow access. The two exchanged a few words of small talk then Ken really threw caution to the wind. In a fit of stupidity, Ken asked if James was the rune killer and offered an explanation as to why he was here and making the accusation. The tall man laughed and smiled. Ken knew he had the right man but didn’t think about the danger he was getting himself into.

Ken was offered a chair. He didn’t see the young woman who had come in earlier and wondered where she was. The tall man left the room and a few moments later came back with a tall glass of iced tea.

As the glass was handed over, he saw the tazer come up and the voltage hit his body. Ken blacked out.

FBI in Austin Earlier that day the FBI and the police had issued warnings to all patrol cars to be looking for vans and trucks that may fit a number of descriptions. The picture of the suspect had been issued and every police officer in the area had a copy. All that was left was for the FBI Agents to find a place to wait for any kind of information that would lead them to the killer. During the course of the day several reports came across their desk and each one was checked out.

The time for subtlety had ended. Brian decided to take a drive out to the house that the best report had come from. By the time he arrived, Brian and Rick found out that the man in question had left for the night. The man and his wife had gotten into their truck and driven off.

A neighbor had copied down the license number and this was given to the police to watch for. With all that done Brian decided to take a walk around the house and see if he could find any clues. As he circled the house, he noticed that all the lights were off and the curtains drawn. The garage had no windows and the door was locked. Brian wanted to get into the house, but he knew he had to do it legally. Brian phoned the Chief from his car and asked if he could get a search warrant. The Chief said he would try but it would take a while.