Chapter 47
It was finally time. The sun had gone down, and Alex needed to get to the spot he’d found on Saturday. The drive would take an hour.
Maybe any spot will do as long as it’s off the road and away from a trail. In hindsight, the park probably wasn’t the best choice, although it covers thousands of acres and is heavily wooded. Now it’s too late to change my mind.
Alex had paid an entrance fee at the ranger station on Saturday, but he needed to get in undetected. Having a record of him being there twice within a few days wasn’t wise.
I’ll cut through the woods and leave the Jeep at one of the observation turnouts. I’ll back in as far as possible and hope the tree cover hides the vehicle.
Once he arrived, and with no intention of being there more than forty-five minutes, Alex got busy.
He heaved the backpack along with the shovel until he found a good spot.
Digging first then returning for the backpack seemed like a waste of time.
He wore a headlamp but planned to use it sparingly.
Alex didn’t want to attract attention, and a light flickering through the woods would do just that.
Figuring he was about a quarter mile into the woods and away from the trailheads, Alex dropped the backpack and speared the dirt with the shovel.
He got lucky. The spot had soft soil, likely from decomposing leaves, and very few tree roots that got in the way.
He hit the light for a split second just to assess the area then turned it off again.
He noticed an old fence line from many years back, probably before the area was designated a state park.
Rocks lined the rotten wood and rusty wire.
He would use those rocks to cover the patted-down dirt then put limbs and leaves over that. Nothing would look amiss.
It took a half hour before the hole was large enough and deep enough for him to confidently drop the backpack into it.
He flicked the light one more time. Satisfied, Alex dragged the backpack to the edge, pushed it with his foot, then made sure the bag was lying flat and evenly within the hole.
Wasting no time, he shoveled the dirt over the opening.
With that done, Alex smacked the dirt, filled it in some more, then smacked it again.
It was packed down perfectly. He placed a dozen flat rocks on top of the soil then scattered downed limbs over that.
He finished off the grave with rotted leaves, smacked the ground again, then added more.
He gave the spot one quick flash of light to see the end result before he walked away.
Nothing about that spot looked disturbed from nature, and there was no detectable odor either.
It was time to get out of the woods and meet his client at the car drop-off spot.
Once at the Jeep, Alex placed the shovel in the back, climbed in behind the wheel, and drove several hundred yards before engaging the headlights. He was in the clear, and the night had gone exactly as planned.
The next day, someone would discover the abandoned vehicle and report it to the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office, and they would take it from there.
It would be Wednesday before the mainstream media caught wind of the mysterious disappearance of the car’s owner and put together some report for the evening news.
By then, Alex would be in Waukegan securing an apartment and buying a used vehicle with plenty of cash to hold him over.
Alex was elated. That contract had been time-consuming, the riskiest one to date with four targets to eliminate, and he’d had to be one step ahead of law enforcement at all times.
He’d succeeded, and he was pleased with the outcome.
On Wednesday, before leaving town for good, Alex would meet with his client and show the pictures of victim number four’s final resting place before deleting all of the pictures for good.
With a handshake, they would thank each other, and he’d get the last installment of their agreed-upon payment before they parted ways.
Several months of hard work would net him one hundred thousand dollars, soon to be added to his growing stash.
Alex arrived at the meeting spot. He killed the Jeep’s engine and waited in the dark.
Before long, he noticed headlights in the distance.
His client was almost there. That lonely stretch of road with no houses, cameras, or witnesses was the perfect place to leave the car.
He would tell the client to pull off to the shoulder and park, wipe everything down thoroughly, and take the keys. Alex would dispose of them himself.
Before they drove away together, he needed to check the seat position. Forgetting that would be the most critical mistake they could make—not adjusting the seat to the owner’s position.
They had completed their checklist for the car ten minutes after the client arrived. The car was clean, the seat position was correct, the glove box and console were empty, and the keys were in Alex’s possession. It was time to go. He would drive the client home then return to his apartment.
Nothing would reach the Milwaukee police right away.
First, the car would have to be discovered.
The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office would be called, and once they tracked the VIN, they would let the Milwaukee police know about it.
The local police would contact the client. If not, so much the better.
Alex spoke as he drove. “Did you disable all of your cameras before you came out here?”
“Yes.”
“The car has no tracking software, correct?”
“It does not.”
“Good. Very good. I’ll get rid of the keys and everything from inside the car tonight. You have nothing to concern yourself about. Did you get a different phone that you left home tonight?”
“Yes.”
“And you destroyed the old one?”
“I did.”
“Wonderful. Then I’ll meet you for the last time on Wednesday morning at nine a.m. behind the art museum. You may have been contacted by law enforcement by that time, but just play ignorant. You don’t know anything about anything.”
“Absolutely. If I am contacted by the police, I’ll tell you in person on Wednesday. No phone contact ever again.”
Alex reached River Hills and the winding wooded road. He dropped off the client a quarter mile from the home and drove away.
Ten minutes later, Alex pulled to the edge of the road and parked. After getting the shovel from the back of the Jeep, he slipped on his headlamp, walked down a ravine with the contents of the glove box along with the car keys and wallet, and buried everything in the woods, including the shovel.
There. No evidence of anything anywhere. We’re good to go, and I’ll sleep like a baby tonight.