He poured through the pages, hoping it might reveal what Mr. Clean had done with Rachel and Wayne. It read like an instruction manual to a washing machine, the words dry and to the point. The last page gave him pause.
Step #7: The Killing of the Victim.
The killing of the victim is the culmination of the Program. Certain details must be adhered to in order to avoid failure and disappointment.
Never forget that this is a new experience for the boy. Before this, his killing has been impulsive, and fueled by an uncontrollable rage burning inside of him. This killing will be different, and will be
controlled.
It must be well-planned, and methodical in its execution. Like a symphony.
The victim you choose is one of personal taste and convenience. Try to pick someone small, who will not give you a hard time. It is important that the boy enjoy himself. A fighting female will not do.
At first, the boy may react negatively to the idea of killing an innocent female. Do not be surprised if this happens, for it is a natural reaction. To prepare him, place him under the influence of alcohol or drugs, so his defenses are down.
The most important aspect of this step is the physical act itself. Study these points, and if possible, memorize them.
* The killing must be violent in nature.
* A knife or bat or even the hands can be used.
* No guns!
* There must be direct physical contact between the boy and victim.
* The boy must help in disposing of the body.
Good luck!
He flipped the last page over. There was writing on the back. A hand drawn calendar, with notations for Step 1 through Step 7 penciled in for different days.
He stared at the date for Step 7.
It was today.
Linderman closed the folder. He told himself to start looking around the house for clues. There had to be a thread here that would tell him where Mr. Clean had gone. A slip of paper in a trash can, or a saved message on the answering machine.
He shook his head. Deep down, he knew it was too late. Mr. Clean was two steps ahead of them. The generator in the garage had shown him that. Vick was a goner.
Linderman felt his shoulders sag as the blackness settled in, its vastness ready to swallow him whole. The day he’d lost Danni had felt like this; the heart-wrenching ache of knowing that no matter what he did, it was probably not going to be enough.
“Linderman.”
Moody entered the dining area, cell phone in hand.
“What’s up?” the FBI agent asked.
“We just got a 911 call from the manager of a McDonald’s in Lauderdale Lakes,” the sheriff replied. “A car came through the drive-through and a teenager threw a bag of garbage out his window. One of the employees picked it up, and found a note. It was written by Wayne Ladd.”
“What?” Linderman said.
“He gave us an address, and asked us to hurry.”
Chapter 54
“Why do you want to dump the body there?” Renaldo asked.
“It’s near my highschool,” Wayne replied.
They sat behind the abandoned shopping center. Dusk had turned to darkness, the hot night air murderously still. Renaldo had lit up another bowl of dope. He took the last hit and banged the pipe out in the ashtray.
“Would you like your friends to see the body?” Renaldo asked.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“It would fuck with their heads, you know? Do you see the movie River’s Edge, where a highschool kid offs his girlfriend and shows off her body to his friends for a few days? That actually happened someplace in New York.”
“Would you like to fuck with your friends’ heads?”
Wayne smiled loosely, his eyelids heavy. He looked ready to fall asleep. “You bet. They’re all assholes. They have cars and nice clothes and are always complaining. It would break them out of their comfort zones, you know?”
Renaldo laughed silently. Wayne wasn’t content to just kill the girl in the trunk; he also wanted to hurt his friends. These were all good signs.
“Where is your highschool?” Renaldo asked.
“In Lauderhill Lakes. Get on 41 and head north.”
Soon they were on the road. Vick had regained consciousness and banged around the trunk. As he drove, Renaldo watched Wayne out of the corner of his eye. The boy was cool with it.
“Tell me more about this movie,” Renaldo said.
“What do you want to know?”
“Did the boy who killed his girlfriend keep her in his bedroom?”
“No. He dumped her body down by the river. That’s why it’s called River’s Edge. His friends took field trips to see her. They acted like they were visiting a haunted house.”
“Like it was a game.”
“Yeah. After I saw the movie, I found a story on the Internet about what really happened. It said half the kids in the highschool knew about the girl’s body, but didn’t tell anybody. The principal who ran the highschool freaked out. He brought in a team of psychiatrists to figure out why nobody reported it.”
“Do you think your friends will report the body when they find it?”
“I think they’ll shit in their pants.” Wayne laughed.
Renaldo laughed as well. He could not remember how long it had been since he’d done that.
They came to Wayne’s highschool, which was named after a dead president. It was surrounded by a fence and flooded with low-wattage halogen lights. Wayne pointed at a grassy field next to the property which abutted the football stadium.
“That’s the spot,” Wayne said. “No one hangs around there at night.”
Renaldo spun the wheel and drove down the two-lane road next to the school. He came to the field and pulled his car up into the grass. A chorus of crickets competed with the hiss of traffic from the nearby highway. A good spot, Renaldo thought. He removed the Taurus from under the seat and got out. Slipping the gun behind his belt, he walked around to the back of the vehicle and found Wayne waiting for him.
“Ready?” Renaldo asked.
“No time like the present,” Wayne said.
Renaldo threw him the keys. “Unlock the trunk.”
Renaldo stepped back and drew his gun. He aimed at the trunk using both hands. Wayne unlocked the trunk and opened it. Vick had rolled onto her side, and was writhing frantically from side to side. Her body grew still, and she shut her eyes.
“Take her out,” Renaldo said.
“You’re not going to help?”
“Do as I tell you.”
Wayne dragged Vick out of the trunk, and made her stand against the car. Renaldo sensed an electricity between them as Wayne touched her.
“Do you want to fuck her again? You can if you want.”
“Not here,” Wayne said.
Renaldo pulled away the carpet covering the spare tire cavity. Lying inside the cavity was a knife, a long piece of chain, and a tire iron.
“Pick your weapon,” Renaldo said.
Wayne stared into the trunk. “You’re not going to let me shoot her?”
“No.”
“In the movie he shot her.”
“This is not a movie. Pick one.”