Murder Thriller: Heart Of A Serial Killer (Murder, Serial Killer Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Gothic, Thriller & Suspense Crime, Mystery, Hard-Boiled Book 1) Read online

  Murder Thriller: Heart Of A Serial Killer

  Suzanne Fillmore

  Brandi was twenty-three years old. A dirty blonde girl with light blue eyes, she had a tattoo of an eagle on her right arm wearing a dirty black shirt and jeans that had holes in them at the knees. She wore black sneakers that had holes in them from walking all the time. With a back pack over her shoulders she went into a small store on the side of the road to get something to drink.

  Looking around the store she noticed the floors were dusty though there was an old man sweeping the store he looked like he was leaning on it to keep himself up instead of sweeping.

  “Is there anything I can help you with?” The old man asked.

  “Just coming in to buy some drinks and hitting the road.” Brandi told him with a small smile, she could feel that her lips were dry as she ran her tongue over it. Her throat dry from walking too far without anything to drink.

  “Where you headed?” He asked her, slowly making his way behind the counter.

  “Meeting some friends not too far from here. I would say about another hours walk. My car broke down and hoping to meet up with them before it gets dark.” Brandi replied, grabbing four waters out of the cooler and bringing them to the front of the store.

  “Didn't ask you who you were meeting I asked where you were headed.” The old man's blue eyes looked into hers. He had gray hair and a wrinkled face. Brandi looked down at his hands and saw they were wrinkled as well.

  “Myers Camp.” Brandi told him politely. Putting the waters down on the counter and pulling her wallet out of her back pocket.

  Brandi thought the old man had given her a scared look for the slightest second. Shrugging it off she asked him for a pack of Camel Wides. As she looked up on the wall at different brands she noticed an old newspaper clipping. Once white was now a faded yellow color.

  “How much do I owe you?” She asked him, taking out a twenty.

  “Myers Camp you say?” He asked her, surely with his hearing not as good as it once was had heard her wrong.

  “That's right.” She stated, her smile fading as she began noticing more newspaper clippings and rewards. As she focused on the titles she realized it was of missing adults. People her age.

  “What's that up on the wall?” Brandi asked him, pointing at the newspaper clippings.

  “You'll never make it down the trail to Myers camp. I warn you with a kind heart and start walking back to your car.” The old man whispered to her, his face growing pale.

  “What are you talking about?” She kept her smile but it wavered just a little.

  “People who head to Myers Camp never make it there is what I'm telling you. He watches, keeps a close eye on that road. That road that leads to Myers Camp.” The old man was getting a little louder each time he talked to her.

  “Sir. Sir, calm down.” Brandi told him softly, reaching out to touch his hand that he had placed on the counter. He hadn't even rung up her items yet.

  “You say your car broke down? Was it in good shape?” The old man squinted at her.

  “Yes it was in pretty good shape. Well I guess it didn't break down. I got a flat tire and I for some reason didn't have a spare.” Brandi rolled her eyes, she was still beating herself up over not being prepared. She could hear her father now telling her that if she would listen to him about being prepared for any trip she took then she wouldn't have to be walking.

  “It wasn't an accident. Was there something stuck in that tire of yours? Did you find out what caused you to have a flat tire?” The old man's blue eyes widened, scaring Brandi a little bit.

  “Look, I don't know what you are talking about.” Brandi shook her head at him.

  “You asked me what those newspaper clippings were about. I'm trying to tell you. All these people who have gone missing over the years he's gotten to them. They were all headed to the same place you were. Its like they just vanished into thin air, never heard from again.” The old man pointed behind him. Wishing she would pay attention to what he was trying to tell her.

  “You're serious.” Brandi said when she realized he wasn't joking with her. There wasn't the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

  “Yes.” He looked out the door and knew that something wasn't right. Even with his red sweater on he was cold.

  “Sir, how much do I owe you for the waters and cigarettes?” She asked him once again. She didn't want to disrespect her elders but she didn't want to stand there and hear nonsense either. She still had some ground to cover.

  “Nothing. Its on the house. If you are determined to go out to Myers Camp there's no way I can stop you. You young kids don't listen to me anyways. I've seen them head that way but I've never seen then come back this way.” The old man told her, shaking his head and giving her a sad look.

  “Thank you sir. Thank you so much.” Brandi told him as she put the waters in her bag and the cigarettes in her pocket.

  Heading to the door he stopped her in her tracks.

  “I hate to see you up here on my wall of missing people. I wish you would have some smarts and head back now. Its not too late.” He told her in such a way that would send chills down anyone's spine.

  She opened the door and heard him yelling to her as the door closed behind her.

  “It's not too late!” The old man repeated himself over and over again.

  Going to the door and opening it a crack he watched Brandi walk down the road further away from the store. He watched as she stopped for a moment to light a cigarette and then kept walking.

  “I warned you girl. I warned you and now the rest is up to you.” The old man let a single tear drop run down his cheek as he went back into the store.

  The more he thought about it the more he thought it would be a good idea to close up shop for the day. It had been a while since he had closed up early, not that there were many customers anyway. Getting the store key behind the counter he locked the front door and turned the open sign over to closed. Taking the back door to get to his car he opened the door and got into his old, beat up, station wagon that he had for years. Glad he was taking some time. Knowing what really made him close up was that girl. Another girl that he would never see again. A girl who had so much ahead of her in life had already chosen the wrong way to go.

  Brandi thought it had been weird of that old man freaking out the way he was. Shaking her head and taking another drag of her cigarette before throwing it down to the ground and stomping it out. The old man was just that an old man preaching to anyone who would listen to him. Though it had been nice of him to give her the waters and cigarettes for nothing she knew he was hoping that she would change her mind and head back to her car. She couldn't use her car and she was sure that everyone else had made it to Camp Myers just fine.

  Brandi took a break, sitting on a huge rock on the side of the road. It was funny that no cars had passed by since she had left the store. Her feet were killing her and she couldn't wait to be sitting beside her boyfriend Mike by a fire cuddling up to him and staying warm.

  Though it was summer time, the summer nights were starting to get chilly and turning into fall. It had been Mike's idea in the first place to go she couldn't let him down now.

  Brandi took another fifteen minutes before she stood up on her feet again. Kicking herself for wasting too much time as she had. If she hadn't taken a break she would be there with Mi
ke and their friends by now. If her car didn't get a flat tire she would've been there and not be worried about what the old man had to say. She wouldn't have had to stop at that store if her car was in working condition.

  Looking over her shoulder from time to time as she heard for any car that would be driving by and hoping to get a lift. Only probably was the road seemed dead to the world. Brandi thought it was odd that no car had driven by her since she started walking by the store.

  “Maybe that old man has everyone convinced that if they go passed his store they will disappear into thin air.” Brandi shook her head and chuckled to herself.

  Looking down at the ground as she walked she saw a wallet on the side of the road. A brown leather wallet. Looking around Brandi knew no one had been around for miles so who could have dropped it.

  Looking inside the wallet there was money, at least a hundred dollars easily. A photo I.D. Everything that would be in a wallet. A sick feeling came over her as she took the picture out and looked at it carefully.

  A young woman with curly brown hair and a pink shirt. She had brown eyes and a nice smile that showed perfectly straight teeth.

  “What is this doing out there?” Brandi asked out loud as if someone would just come by and give her an answer.

  Looking closer at the photo she thought the woman had looked familiar. She was one of the photos on the old man's wall behind the counter. One of the girls who were missing.

  “Strange. Just strange. Why would this be out here now?” Brandi was confused, she looked at the newspaper clippings closely enough to know that the dates had been from two years ago. Two whole years and now her wallet showed up. It didn't make sense to Brandi.

  “Amanda Briggs.” Brandi whispered putting the I.D in her back pocket. Even in the middle of the day with the sun shining and the skies blue she felt nervous. Looking around and not seeing anyone or anything.

  Both sides of the road was lined with woods she hadn't even heard any animals or the leaves rustling around.

  “Weird.” Brandi muttered.

  Caw, Caw, Caw.

  The noise made her jump as she saw a crow come flying out of a tree and landing on a small branch on the ground next to her.

  “Get out of here.” Brandi glared down at the crow as she watched it peck at the wood. Trying to scare it away.

  The crow looked at her like it wanted to attack so Brandi stopped flapping her hands around trying to make it go away. Instead she walked away backward away from the crow slowly, not watching where she was going she tripped over a rock and fell on in the dirt.

  Her heart pounding she went to get up and felt someone grab the back of her arm lightly. Helping her up.

  “What the hell?” Brandi cried out. Not expecting anyone to be around because she hadn't seen anyone all day. Her first thought was of the old man who had warned her to go back to her car.

  “Where's your car?” She heard a familiar voice behind her as she got to her feet and spun around.

  It was Mike. Bleached blonde hair and wild blue eyes. She was glad to see him as she threw her hands around his neck.

  “What are you doing here? You walked all this way?” Brandi asked him almost in tears.

  “Yeah Jen and Maverick asked me to come look for you. We were worried wondering what was taking you so long. I've been walking nearly an hour.” Mike complained as she let go of him and looked into his eyes.

  Remembering the crow she looked over her shoulder and it was gone. Just the thick stick it had sat on remained behind.

  “What did you see?” Mike asked her in a whispered voice. Following her stare.

  “Nothing. It was nothing.” Brandi gave him a weak smile.

  “So where is your car?” Mike asked her again.

  “I walked to the small store miles away from my car. It has a flat and figured I would walk the rest of the way. Hoping to get there before nightfall.” Brandi sighed heavily.

  “That sucks. Well lets get walking. Jen and Maverick are waiting for us.” Mike took her hand in his and began walking quickly. The faster they walked the sooner they would be at Myers camp.

  Brandi didn't say anything but kept pace with Mike so that she wouldn't be dragged along. She kept looking back every few minutes. She just had a feeling that someone was watching them.

  “Why are you so jumpy?” Mike saw her look over her shoulder a dozen times since he had found her.

  “You made it to Myers Camp just fine then.” Brandi looked at him. Searching his eyes.

  “Yes the three of us did. What's this all about?” Mike looked into her eyes and saw that she was worried about something.

  “The store I stopped at for smokes and water there was an old man there warning me to get back in my car and drive the way I had come. Said no one made it to Myers Camp.” She whispered, looking at the dirt as her feet moved ahead of her.

  “You're going to let an old man whose probably lost his mind by now make you worry about making it to camp?” Mike couldn't help but laugh at her.

  “You didn't hear the way he was talking to me. The newspaper clippings I found.” Brandi glared at him and stopped walking.

  “You're not making any sense.” Mike sighed rolling his eyes. He didn't want to be walking after dark.

  “Let me explain it to you!” She hollered at him. He wasn't listening to anything she had to tell him.

  Brandi reached into her back pocket and took the photo of the girl Amanda out of her back pocket, handing it over to him.

  “What's this?” He asked, trying to remain calm. As Brandi took a cigarette out of her pocket and lit one. Handing him one and lighting another one for herself.

  “At the store there were newspaper clippings pinned to the wall behind the register. This is Amanda, she was one of the missing. The funny thing is the newspaper clipping was of two years ago. Why would I find her wallet on the side of the road walking? Money still in it all her personal info? It doesn't make sense to be finding her belongings now after two years have passed.” Brandi pointed out to him, taking a long drag off his cigarette.

  “Maybe she was found and the old man just never took the clipping down. Come on Brandi, you are thinking way too much into this when we are already suppose to be having fun.” Mike stated. It was suppose to be a fun weekend before they all headed back to college.

  “Maybe. There were plenty of women who have gone missing in this area though. I'm wondering if that old man wasn't right and I should just head back for the car now.” She muttered, not wanting to ruin their weekend but she would rather ruin their weekend then have the old man be right.

  “Really?” Mike searched her eyes to see if there was a hint of joking in them.

  “Really.” She sighed.

  “If you think we should still go back when we get to camp then we will all walk back together as a group. Besides either way when we reach your car its going to be dark.” Mike grunted and walked a few steps a head of her tossing his cigarette out into the road.

  “Wait......where's the car you guys came in?” Brandi asked. Knowing something had to be wrong with the car or else he would have went out driving to look for her.

  “Something happened to it........” Mike trailed off. He didn't want to tell her knowing how jumpy she was already.

  “What happened to it?” Brandi didn't walk with him. He had to stop since she didn't move.

  “A flat tire Brandi. Just a flat tire.” He muttered, shaking his head and watched her walk to him and take his hand again.

  “Do you know what from?” She asked him as they continued walking.

  “Yeah, a spike. Obviously we aren't the only ones who thought it would be a good idea to party out at Myers Camp before heading back to school. There was a spike that we didn't see. Two tires gone.” He remembered Maverick getting upset and kicking the dirt wondering how they were going to get out when they were ready to leave.

  Brandi didn't say anything. Her heart felt like it was pounding in her throat. She knew Mike was gett
ing tired of her talking about the old man but the more she thought about it she wondered if the flat tires were connected.

  “I just have a bad feeling is all. I'm sorry Mike, I just want to leave when we get there. Walking back in a group we will be safer.” Brandi whispered to him, looking into his face.

  Mike didn't answer her but she could see him clenching his jaw so that he wouldn't say anything to her. It was suppose to be the best weekend of the summer for them. They were all going back to different colleges and Mike didn't get much time with Brandi all summer as it was. Being patient so that she could visit friends and family and do the things that she wanted to do. They had been dating since their Senior year in high school and it had been a rough road for the both of them. Only seeing each other on holidays, spring break and summer vacation.

  “I love you.” Mike whispered to her. Not wanting to spend the rest of their time together arguing about something that wasn't going to happen. Mike knew that when she got there she would be just fine and they could carry out their weekend.

  “I love you too.” She squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile. Not wanting to ruin the time they had together either.

  “I'm thinking about changing schools. There's no reason for us to be apart when we are together. I know that you want to be a big shot lawyer some day and switching schools for me wouldn't really be a big deal. There are tons of scouts looking at all different schools for the next big football player.” Mike suggested to her.

  Mike had gone to school on a football scholarship. Not only going to college because of the scholarship but he wanted to be a police officer if football fell through.

  “Are you sure? You were the one always saying that you couldn't leave Ohio.” Brandi reminded him.

  “I know that. I just don't think I can finish college without being near you like we are now. I have what five more years of college? There's no reason why I can't change schools and go to Michigan. I miss you all the time.” Mike confessed to her.

  Brandi smiled as they continued walking. They had been thrown together through mutual friends. She was a cheerleader and her best friend Jen had been going out with Maverick since freshmen year. It had taken until their last year of high school for Brandi to finally agree to go out on a date with Mike.