7:30 pm

Nikki’s Townhouse

 

Thankfully, Nikki was so busy yesterday and today contacting the families of the child killer victims and closing the open cases that she didn’t have much time to dwell on Simon, just every other second and all night long. Not much dwelling at all really. She was processing so many unfamiliar emotions that she was having a hard time telling up from down. The story of what Simon did to the killer was out almost as soon as it happened, no doubt thanks to the blog, and every single family member Nikki spoke to in the last 2 days asked her to thank Simon for what  he did if she ever got a chance to speak with him. Little did they know. It only served to further complicate the feelings she was already battling. The other agents at the FBI were on cloud nine after closing this case, everyone takes a personal interest when someone is hurting children and it was a huge relief to everyone to have this case closed and the monster off the street. While Nikki shared in the excitement, she kept feeling like there was a huge sucking hole in the center of her chest, she missed Simon. Steeling her resolve, Nikki opened up an email and began,

 

“Dearest Simon,

 

I don’t know where to begin. Thank you for my pendant, it is beautiful and you couldn’t have picked anything better to remind me of you. I can’t believe you were in my house, my bedroom, the country’s most wanted criminal and all I can think is how much I would have loved to see you, heard your voice, smelled your scent, felt your arms around me. How crazy is that? It probably is better that you didn’t wake me because as much as you said you didn’t want to leave, I don’t know if I am strong enough to have let you leave even if you wanted to.

 

I went to the site where the truck was located, 4 of the victims are from an open case I was working. We didn’t connect the other 7 victims because they were from several states. I saw what you did to that man and as much as I tried to let revulsion, anger, and disgust take over, I couldn’t. I could only see the girls being tortured and I felt what I am sure is a fraction of the rage that you feel all the time. To be honest with you, you accomplished something that the FBI has been working toward for several years and wrapped it up into one nice bundle. Every family member I spoke with over the past days asked me to thank you for what you did.

 

Now to the subject I have been dancing around for the past several days, love. I thought I was in love when I was with David all those years ago, but in retrospect, I think it wasn’t. It wasn’t anything like I feel now, about you. I haven’t even met you and you are the most important person in my life, not my professional life, my life. I am so scared what that means for my future, for me, for you, but like you say, I don’t have much control over the feeling. I don’t know what all this means but I hope to one day figure it out. Please be safe.

 

Yours,

 

Nikki”

 

Nikki hit the send button and was staring into the webcam, absentmindedly rubbing the butterfly pendant between her fingers.

11:55 am

 

The more our project progresses, the more our central hypothesis is proven, these people really live like they drive. After some in depth investigation into what makes up the almost former India, I found out that this douche nozzle works for Sprint. That is unfortunate for old India because that just upped the ante so to speak. The last time I spoke with Kevin, he told me a tale of his last interaction with the not so good people of Sprint and if you thought the rage disliked the new colonel, that is nothing compared to his thorough disdain for these fuckers. No one messes with Kevin, no one! They tricked him into getting one of those tablets when he got a new cell phone and a month later, his bill came and it was almost double what it was prior. He tried returning said device , which they claimed was “free” and they wouldn’t accept it back because it was after their 14 day return policy. Who in this day and age has a 14 day return policy?? Do you think that shit would fly at Wal Mart, there would be anarchy. While the tablet itself was free, what they didn’t properly explain to Kevin was that they were charging him for a cellular plan for the tablet that was almost as much as the cell phone bill. Kevin is on a very tight budget and it is really a financial strain on him. Thankfully, Kevin is a friend of ours and we take care of our own. Kevin now has a nice credit on his account and Sprint just donated a million dollars to the families of the 11 victims of the child killer. We might make a road trip to Overland Park, KS, that would be unfortunate….for Sprint.

 

India has no wife or kids but he does have 2 convictions for reckless driving over the past 5 years and 3 speeding tickets. Not a one-off is he! Just for shits and giggles, we followed him one more time, just to see. We saw him talk on his cell without a hands free, he flipped off 2 other motorists and when someone pulled in front of him EXACTLY like he did with me, he sped around the car and started brake checking the other driver. Really.

 

While I was smiling at all of the fun we are going to have with India, I saw a sign for a place offering acupuncture and an idea was born. The rage is excited….

9:30 am

Frederick, MD

 

Nikki was walking the site where they found the Semi truck of the predator that Simon told them about. Nikki was informed by the lead agent who was processing the truck that several of the victims of this man were from a case Nikki had been working for over 18 months. 4 of the victims had been found during this time and were all linked to the same unsub due to the MO and how the bodies were killed and displayed. What she didn’t know was that this killer was so much more prolific than they ever thought, the other 7 victims they found trophies from were never linked to this killer. It was readily apparent to Nikki that this monster would never have stopped until he was caught or killed and she was thankful that Simon came across his path. He was a long distance hauler and never stayed in the same place twice so it was just luck, his bad luck Nikki mused, that Simon spotted him. Once Nikki made sure all of the trophies were collected and processed, she steeled herself before walking through the trailer of the truck to the workshop at the front. She was halfway into the trailer when the smell hit her and then she caught sight of all the blood. Taking ragged breaths through her sleeve, Nikki stood in the doorway and took in the scene in front of her. Strapped to a table that this man did so many unspeakable things to these small children was what could loosely be considered the remains of a human being. Human might be stretching it. Simon had been accurate in his blog depiction of what he did to this man. There wasn’t any skin left on the body and hanging in a jar over the head was a pair of testicles. 8 fingers were lined up neatly on a surgical tray for easy printing she assumed. Nikki took one last look and turned and quickly exited the trailer in search of some fresh air. Once outside and with her lungs filled she waited for the revulsion to what she had just seen, the disgust at the man who could have done that to another, but she couldn’t feel anything other than relieved that this person was done killing, that 11 families would have some closure after all these months and years not knowing who killed their loved ones. Nikki walked back to her car not realizing she was clutching the butterfly pendant hanging underneath her blouse.

 

Nikki wanted to email Simon, to tell him everything she was feeling right now, but she wasn’t fully sure what it was that she was feeling. She would have to give this more thought before emailing Simon again. Nikki looked into her own eyes in the rear view mirror and saw a different set of eyes looking back at her than she had ever seen before. These eyes saw shades of gray, not just the black and white that had made up Nikki’s life thus far. So many rigid beliefs that had been the cornerstone of Nikki’s life were crumbling before her and she wasn’t sure that was not a good thing. Nikki swung her car around the parking lot and headed back to Quantico.

3:55 pm

 

Happy New Year to all my readers, I hope you are spending your time well….and off the roadways. Always safer, you never know where Simon might be spending the holiday. A couple of you have inquired if I have any New Year’s resolutions and one of you even suggested I give up bird hunting…really, have you read the Rage? Not happening so remember that when you hear that horn, it just might be me telling you your ass is in my sights. Other than brutally killing fuckhole drivers, I don’t really have any bad habits. I eat well, exercise, I don’t smoke and I only drink occasionally as I have shared. By the way, I took an Uber when I was out drinking. Someone I loved very much from my past was killed by a drunk driver and if you think the rage has disdain for texting and driving, you don’t want to get him going about drunk drivers, not pretty. The reason I bring this up is because one of you shared a story with me a couple of weeks back in your comments and the story struck a chord and has been niggling around in my melon for awhile now. I am thinking about intervening if all that was told turns out to be the truth, it sounds like there is a nice “learning opportunity” here for all of you. I can’t share much more for now because I am doing my research. I will remind you, again, that it isn’t in your best interest to lie to Simon…

 

So on to a lighter, much more fun topic. I met India today, our first guest of the new year. I was in a good mood, just coming from the grocery store where I picked up a pecan pie. The rage loves pecan pie…almost as much as archery so we were heading home to have a nice slice when India pulls out right in front of me from a business on the side of the 3 lane 45 mph road. Mind you there were no cars behind me and had India waited a couple of seconds for me to pass, he might have seen February. I had to slam on my breaks and my magnificent pie went flying into the dash and ended up all crumpled on the floor of the passenger seat. Another example of why I don’t carry a gun, I would have used it right then and there. But, India wasn’t done yet, not even close. Traffic was heavy, apparently the non-readers didn’t see a problem being out driving like idiots and I was still in the right lane behind India. A half mile later, India slows to a stop without his signal on and then makes a right turn into a parking lot. If you can’t make a right turn without coming to a complete stop, you might want to consider public transportation, it might just save your life. This is actually our second hat trick if you have been keeping score. What a way to kick off the new year.

 

I wanted to get a better idea of India so we followed him into the parking lot and pulled in next to his car. When he got out, I got out of my car and said, “excuse me sir, I was on the road back there and you pulled out right in front of me and I almost slammed into the rear of your car, my pie was thrown into the dash and it’s now ruined.” I held his gaze and said no more. He blinked a couple of times and said “get another fucking pie asshole, leave me the fuck alone.” He turned and walked away and into the business. Huh, that’s one way to play it I guess. I removed his license plate, I will need that later. After I installed the GPS tracker and emptied my iced tea into his gas tank and let the air out of 2 of his tires, I headed back to the store for another damn pie.

7:45 am

Nikki’s Townhouse

 

Nikki slowly opened her eyes as the sunlight was just starting to peek through her curtains and she glanced at her bedside table and saw a red rose laying there. She immediately sat up and quickly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes so she could focus and saw that under the rose there was a note and a small black jewelry box. Nikki’s heart was slamming into her ribs and she reached out a shaking hand and picked up the note:

 

“Dearest Butterfly,

 

I am sorry I came in the middle of the night, but I didn’t think I would be able to turn around and leave if I had looked into your eyes, spoken to you, kissed you. One of the hardest things I have ever done was to turn away from you and walk out of your bedroom, your house, hopefully not your life, I would miss talking to you, dreaming about you.

 

I have loved two women in my life and you know how the first one ended. I am in love with you Nikki and I don’t know what to do about that. It was the absolute last thing on my mind when I started this project, but having the sensation a second time, I realize that I had no more control over falling in love than I do trying to control the rage. I know this has to be an extremely difficult position to put you in but I think you might feel something towards me and I wanted you to know that you are a wonderful person and someone who deserves to be loved. I left you something to remind you of me, I hope you like it. I will be watching over you and if you need me, you know how to reach me. I will be back for you one day if you will have me, stay safe until then.

 

All my love,

 

Simon”

 

Nikki wiped a tear that she hadn’t realized was sliding down her cheek away with the back of her hand and she slowly reached over and picked up the small box. Nikkie stared at it for several long seconds and then slowly opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond pendant of a butterfly. Nikki slowly pulled the necklace out and held it over her heart as she laid back against the headboard and let the tears fall for real.

6:45 pm

Nikki’s Townhouse

 

Nikki had just finished placing her dinner dishes in the dishwasher and was finishing straightening up the kitchen when she heard Simon’s email notification. After wiping her hands and pouring a glass of wine, Nikki opened the email:

 

“Dear Butterfly,

 

Thank you for your email, I was hoping the girl would be ok. I can tell you that I’m not ok. Not even close after meeting this….thing. How can someone hurt a child like that? I might have went a little overboard with him, but I just couldn’t help it. I kept picturing my unborn child at the hands of this sick bastard and, well I am sure you read the post.

 

I have also been thinking about us. Everything I have said to you Nikki I truly meant, but after what just happened, I am sure that you couldn’t be with someone like me, someone capable of doing what I did. I think you are too good of a person and it would eventually hurt you in ways that I certainly don’t intend or want, but will hurt you nonetheless. I can’t be the cause of anything that will bring pain into your life, I respect you too much for that.

 

Nikki, send your team to the attached address in Frederick MD and look for a black and gold Peterbilt truck, you can’t miss it! You tell your team that you were able to get this information from me because you are Special Agent Monique Sebastian and that is what you do! I hope this helps keep your people off your back for at least a little while.

 

Be well Butterfly.

 

Love,

 

Simon”

 

As Nikki finished reading the email, she felt like someone just kicked her in the stomach. She felt like she just got dumped on the night of the prom. What the heck is wrong with her she thought even though she knew exactly what was wrong. She had real feelings for Simon and him trying to stay away from her to protect her just made her want him more. Nikki knows in her heart of hearts that Simon is really a decent man underneath all of the rage…and homicidal tendencies. What the heck is she thinking, she is in love with a serial killer.

1:45 pm

 

I thought it might have just been the tequila but as it turns out, vodka wasn’t much kinder to us. We found ourselves in a little club outside of a “college town” and decided to have a drink and see what the club scene was like. Well, we had a couple of drinks and then they started playing some Flo Rida and the rage just had to get his dance on, still upset about the karaoke debacle. Pretty soon, it was the rage and about 20 college girls getting down on the dance floor. If you think the rage can dismember a body like no one’s business, you need to see him in full on dance mode. Intoxicating. My head is still pounding.

 

Speaking of pounding, I am sure you want to know what became of the former sexual predator. He is extinct! I am going to share something personal with you so you can understand why I do what I do. I told you before that everything I loved in the world was ripped from me. What I didn’t explain was that one of those taken from me was my unborn child. When I see someone hurting a child, let’s just say the rage is in the driver’s seat and Simon is taking a nap. Or would be if not for all of the screaming. The first thing the rage did was remove his balls, with a not very sharp knife. We hung them in a jar above the table so he could stare at them for the remainder of his remarkably painful life. Since satan’s stooge never flipped me the bird, because he never saw me coming, I left those birds in the nest. I did cut off the other 8 fingers because they had no business touching anyone’s children though. Now we were ready to get to the punishment phase.

 

If you think I am being too harsh, this sick fucker had trophies from 11 other girls that he raped tortured and killed. I know where each is buried, all of the details, and he expressed sincere regret. It might have been because he truly felt guilty, but I think it had more to do with the rage systematically removing his skin inch by painful inch. Foxtrot, I wasn’t kidding about that, consequences.

 

It took 2 days, 3 I/V’s and 4 units of blood but eventually our friend decided he had enough and went back to hell from whence he came. The rage is thoroughly sated…for the moment. I couldn’t dispose of the body because 11 families are out there wondering where their beloved is. I will tell each and every one of those family members that I was your anger, your vengeance, and your RAGE. I returned as much pain as humanly possible on the one who caused your suffering. I am sorry for your lose and am glad that at least this piece of anal lint will not hurt another human being. The FBI will have all of the details on this fucker shortly.

3:25 pm

FBI Headquarters

 

Nikki had heard about the girl earlier in the day before she saw Simon’s post. She was found exactly where he said she would be at a hospital in Harrisonburg VA and other than the residual of a tranquilizer that they figure she ingested with some tainted water, the girl was physically fine. She had no recollection of anything after walking her dog at the rest stop and she was back with her family now. She was taken at a rest stop outside of Richmond VA which didn’t have security cameras so there was no way to identify the suspects truck. Nikki figured that it didn’t matter because she was sure Simon would tell them where to find it eventually, once he was done. Nikki shuddered and couldn’t figure out if it was because of what the predator almost did to that young girl, and has most assuredly done to others, or because of what Simon was about to do to him. As much as she tried to let that thought disgust her, it wouldn’t. Someone who preyed on young girls was not considered human as far as Nikki was concerned.

 

Nikki sat at her desk and queued up a new email to Simon:

 

“Dear Simon,

 

I wanted to let you know that the young girl is fine and is back with her family. They found some residual tranquilizer in her system but other than that she is fine. You saved her life Simon, if you hadn’t come along and found that monster, he would still be doing these horrible things. I am sure he will understand the error of his ways soon enough.

 

You were right, I would have wanted you to stop this monster. Thank you Simon, be safe.

 

Nikki”

4:00 pm

 

No Q&A today, no glib comments. I AM Pissed! You can only imagine what the rage is going through. We followed our target and he was indeed a sexual predator. He drives a semi truck and had, let me emphasize the word HAD a workshop of sorts in a fake room at the front of his trailer. I followed him for 2 days and watched as he snatched a young girl no more than 9 or 10 right from a rest stop. She was walking a small dog in the grassy area while the rest of her family was using the bathroom and he walked over to her and hit her with a stun gun and pulled her to his side and quickly walked back to his truck where he was able to pull her inside without raising suspicion with anyone at the rest area. Well, almost no one. Unfortunately for the walking dead, I was paying attention. He was out of the rest stop within 2 minutes of abducting the girl.

 

I followed him to an abandoned warehouse where he pulled her from the cab of the truck and into his room in the back of the trailer. She was bound and gagged and looked to be unconscious. I waited to see if he was just leaving her in there or if he was planning on doing something to her right there. The rage is not patient. After about 10 minutes, we disabled the generator on the truck so that he would have to come out and check on it. It was a hot day and without a/c in the trailer, there is no way he could stay back there. Sure enough, he came right out to see what was going on. What was going on was the beginning of the most painful death the rage could come up with and the dude is extremely creative.

 

First things first, we quickly went to the girl and got her out of the truck and put the living abortion in his own little room in the trailer. Quite uncomfortably for him. I left him there to saute in his own juices while I take care of this little girl.

 

The girl had been drugged and was still unconscious so I drove her to a hospital and found an ambulance out back that was empty. I left her in the ambulance and quickly called the hospital and told them where she was and where she was taken from. Burner phone of course so don’t get your hopes up. Within a minute several people were scrambling out of the hospital and they quickly found her. Now to go see to her former host. I can’t even give him a nickname, he just needs a one word obituary:  Dead! It will not be quick.

7:10 pm

Nikki’s Townhouse

 

Nikki had been reading for about an hour and was completely engrossed in her book when Simon’s email notification went off. Nikki laid her book down and with a grin she didn’t realize played along her lips, she opened the email:

 

“Dear Butterfly,

 

I was planning on coming to see you, I haven’t stopped thinking about what I wrote you about but something came up. Something that I can’t ignore and I don’t believe you would want me to. I am sure most would disagree but I don’t consider myself evil. Sure I know killing someone is considered a mortal sin in most religions, I am still trying to wrap my head around religions that would kill someone in the name of that religion. Kind of seems counterintuitive doesn’t it but people are dying all over the world in the name of religion every day. Anyway, I found true evil that is targeting children and I am not going to let that continue. I am sure your team is looking for this guy and I will wrap him up all nice and tight for you. I have a feeling he is going to make the Delta pornography ring look like small potatoes in comparison.

 

I am disappointed that I won’t see you sooner but it just builds the anticipation. Take care of yourself Butterfly and I will be in touch soon.

 

Love,

 

Simon”

 

Nikki reread the email again and if she was being truthful with herself, she was disappointed that she wouldn’t be seeing Simon anytime soon. She felt he was very close and would be calling on her but if what he said is true, she would rather him go after someone preying on children, even though she knew what Simon would do to him. Nikki was having a hard time condemning his actions. The pain to the victim’s families a trial would bring would be great, not to mention the thousands and thousands of taxpayer dollars for a trial. Nikki thought if she were a parent and her child met their end at the hands of a sexual predator that she could see herself doing exactly what Simon was planning on doing. This case, this man, has turned Nikki’s life completely upside down and she still didn’t know what all this was going to mean for her, for her career, for her future.