The murderer smiles when he feels the ground rumbling beneath him. Everything is progressing better than he thought. Nobody will find Betsy beneath the rubble in the caves. Anyone arriving on the scene will require excavation vehicles to move the amount of dirt on her. Despite burning her, having over a hundred pounds of dirt landing on her is the best forensics countermeasure.
He returns to the house where he's living until he captures his prey. None of his sensors indicate someone is inside, and he knows it's safe to enter. The house is in disrepair. Someone should tear the structure to the ground and rebuild it. He parks in the garage, which is missing the roll-down door, but it's dark enough to conceal his car. Dark sheets hang in the window, covering them sufficiently to keep people from seeing inside.
After entering the house, he checks the windows and door, closely examining them for signs of tampering. When the task is complete, he retreats to the dark corner to sleep. His dreams consume him. The brunette with curly hair haunts him as he sleeps.
She teases, "You're losing your touch."
"I'll get you," he threatens.
"As if," she laughs. "You couldn't catch me at the cop's house. He came home too early. Were you there for me?"
"I was there to punish Terry because she didn't listen. You being inside the cop's house was a pleasant surprise, a bonus target. The woman didn't have the sense to back off. One day, I will own the mob," he replies.
The woman laughs harder and derisively says, "You'll own the mob when I become the president. Vito Gilman, Harry the hammer and Alexander Ramos will never bow to you."
"They will comply once I torture Terry into giving me everything I want," he claims, making the curly apparition in his dream cry from laughing.
"You will never succeed. Terry will never take over her uncle's mob. She doesn't have what it takes to be a crime boss," she laughs. "The only person suitable for the job is Vito's godson. I don't see Vito handing over the reins anytime soon. Ramos and Harry will kill you before you try infiltrating their business. Good luck getting past their guards."
The woman continues laughing and confirming his worst fears and inadequacies. Her taunts scare him. She predicts his death if he doesn't stop murdering women. The woman insists he's impotent since he has to kill to get an erection and suggests buying Viagra or Cialis. "I don't need enhancement drugs," the murderer yells, reaching into his pants to grab himself. Despite giving himself a rub and tug, his dick remains flaccid.
Laughing harder, the woman says, "You should see a doctor about that problem."
"I am The Hunter. Men and women cower to my desires," I yell.
She continues to laugh as she replies, "Add that to your manifesto. You're nothing but a bottom feeder using men and women above you to gain power and control." The woman is silent for a few seconds before correcting herself. "Oops, I meant you kill men and women you feel are a threat to gain power and control. Haven't you realized that they hold the power? You can't function without the thrill of the kill."
He wakes with a start. His skin is slick from sweat. The need to shower increases as his skin erupts with goosebumps. He goes to the washroom, where he takes a cool shower. Unfortunately, the shower doesn't wash away the thoughts of inadequacy.
Unable to sleep, he leaves the house believing he's invincible. Nobody will find him. Most of all, nobody will dare to cross his path. He's narcissistic in thinking everyone is beneath him, and as a superior man, they will fear him.
There's only one way to stop that woman from tormenting him in his dreams. He must kill her. The man relaxes as he imagines ways to get to the woman with curly hair. Looking in the mirror at his reflection, he says, "Marion Lindsay Floyd, you are not bound by your heritage or name. Mom and Dad gave me a sissy name, but they will soon learn I am The Hunter."
He decides to leave the safety of his hideaway and contact the vapid redhead who stupidly gave him a business card. The hunter opens his burner phone. He masks his number and dials, smiling when the woman answers on the second ring. "Hello, sexy. Are you calling to play with me?" Joyce asks.
Growling, he replies, "I'm ready to play with you all night long." Joyce giggles and asks where to meet him. "At the Pachetco Inlet Marina and Cold Storage parking lot." He hangs up without waiting for her to reply.
Joyce grins as she stares at her phone. She rolls over and pushes Dickie's back. "You need to leave, lover," Joyce purrs.
"I'm ready for another round," Dickie replies, moving Joyce's hand from his arm to his crotch. "Besides, this is my house, not yours."
"Oops. I forgot. I'll see you tomorrow," Joyce promises. "I've got a live one on the hook."
"Does he have money?" Dickie questions.
"Lots. His pockets bulged from the money rolls," Joyce replies. "Once I screw him, he'll be too exhausted to notice me robbing him blind."
Dickie kisses Joyce and releases her. "Don't stay away too long," he says. Joyce rolls her eyes and climbs out of Dickie's bed. She uses the washroom to clean herself. It only takes a few minutes for Joyce to leave Dickie's house. He watches her hips sway as she leaves the ensuite bathroom. Dickie's too lazy to get out of bed to watch Joyce leave. She has a key and can lock the door. He never notices Joyce palming his wallet. Her grin widens as she reaches the front door without him approaching. Joyce removes his bank cards and quickly transfers money from his account to one she has set aside for this purpose.
Chuckling, Dickie reaches for his phone. He opens his account information and watches Joyce take his money. It's precisely what he expected from the greedy gold-digger. Dickie grins and contacts his friend. The money Joyce took will be returned to him, plus all the money from her secret account. Joyce is unaware that Dickie put a trace on his account. It was the easiest way for Dickie to make money. Her account will register a zero balance in the morning, and Joyce won't know Dickie emptied her offshore account. Joyce will soon realize she isn't as bright as she thinks. She will assume the man she's meeting tonight took her money.
After Dickie's friend confirms the transfer and takes his cut, Dickie shuts down his phone. He places the device on the nightstand and rolls onto his back. In his favourite pose, where he entwines his fingers behind his head, Dickie stares at the ceiling. He imagines the oneway trip to the Bahamas on Joyce's dime. Everything is coming up smelling of roses. It's the first time anything has gone his way since his divorce from Stephanie.
Meanwhile, in the Pine Barrens, Ranger and the others are trying to remove the debris from the person lying beneath the rubble. The ambulance waits for the search and rescue team to excavate the body. Their goal is to identify the victim and notify the family.
"He isn't here," Ranger says.
"The man never stays long enough to watch the aftermath of his destruction," Tank says.
"Hey, do you know who this reminds me of?" Lester asks, catching Ranger's attention. Ranger raises a brow, too, as he makes the connection.
"Floyd," Ranger says. "Has anyone seen him lately?"
"I don't know," Bobby says, using his phone to ask Rodriguez to look into Floyd's military career. Stephanie lacks clearance to view the military records. However, if Rodriguez finds a photo, Stephanie should be able to identify the man from the funeral.
"Did you ask for a complete background?" Lester asks, reading Rodriguez's response over Bobby's shoulder.
"Rodriguez will collect everything," Ranger replies.
"I hope it isn't Floyd," Tank says. "He's crazy and never follows the mission parameters. Why do you think it's him, Lester?"
"It feels like him," Lester replies. "I can't pinpoint it, but nobody found evidence at Morelli's house. The only people I know who are that cautious are special operatives like most of us at Rangeman Trenton."
"Nobody at Rangeman is responsible for this, so it has to be Floyd or another mercenary just as crazy," Ranger says.
Ram groans. He knows how many mercenaries go crazy after running their missions. Too many refuse treatment for PTSD. "I hope it isn't Floyd," Ram says. "He's crazier than a bag of feral cats. Floyd was a Green Beret during his prime years. He did unspeakable things during his missions."
"Do you know him?" Lester asks.
"I had to help with cleanup after one of his missions. The man enjoys strangulation and cutting," Ram says. "He prefers the up close and personal attacks."
"What about fire?" Ranger asks. They watch the excavators remove buckets of dirt and trees from the cave. One hits the top of a metallic item and stops.
"We need to use shovels," the excavator operator yells.
Ranger and the others move forward to grab shovels. It takes a few hours to move enough dirt before Ranger's shovel connects with the edge of the mattress. "Here," Ranger shouts. Everyone moves forward to help Ranger remove the rest of the dirt covering the corpse.
Bobby grabs a blanket to wrap the body, protecting any evidence the body might contain. He doubts they will find anything if Floyd is responsible for the woman's death. "Female," Bobby says as he secures the blanket around the burnt body.
"Who?" Tank asks.
"I don't know," Bobby confesses. "We'll have to wait until someone reports a missing female for identification."
The medical examiner arrives to determine the initial cause of death. "Strangulation," he announces, feeling her neck with his fingers and looking inside her mouth. "Her trachea collapsed. I don't see any smoke or soot in her throat. Someone cut her body before strangling her. She died before getting set on fire."
Lester and Ram exchange a look. They know Marion Floyd is responsible for the woman's death. "Do you need help?" Bobby asks.
"I've got it from here, Bobby," the examiner says. "I'll send the homicide detectives a complete report in the morning."
"Do you have a suspect in mind?" Detective Gus Dembrowski asks.
"We do. He's ex-military," Bobby says when Ranger indicates he should answer.
Dembrowski rubs a hand down his face. "Is he responsible for Morelli's death?" Gus asks.
"In my opinion, yes. We're waiting for confirmation on his identification," Ranger replies. Dembrowski nods. He knows Stephanie saw a man leaving Morelli's house on the day of his death. It's in her statement with a description.
"You guys are ex-special ops with the Rangers. Surely you can track this man down easier than anyone else," Dembrowski says, feeling hopeful that Rangeman would use their skills to capture the murderer.
"Yes, but the man we think is responsible for murdering Morelli and that woman is ex-Green Beret. He has more training than me," Ranger replies.
"Damn," Dembrowski grumbles. He waves dismissively and returns to the medical examiner for a preliminary report.
Ranger feels his phone vibrating in his pocket. He smiles once he sees it's Stephanie calling. "Babe," Ranger answers. Lester, Tank and Ram guard Ranger while he quietly talks to Stephanie.
"Hector and I spent the past few hours watching the funeral home's footage. I found the man, though his face wasn't clearly visible in any view. We put the picture in our program for potential matches," Stephanie explains. She hopes Ranger picks up on what she isn't saying.
"You found a match," Ranger says.
Laughing without her usual humour, Stephanie replies, "Yes. On a search Bobby asked him to run tonight. Rodriguez only confirmed the identity. He isn't allowed to share details of the file on Floyd, which means I don't have the necessary military clearance to read the details of his life or even his full name. You should receive everything in an encrypted email."
"Proud of you, Babe. Thank you," Ranger says before ending the call.
Stephanie smiles as she sets her phone on the coffee table. Hector raises a brow. "Something tells me Ranger and the others aren't surprised with my news. They must have found something to point them in the same direction," Stephanie reasons.
"Does he have a signature?" Hector asks.
"He must have if Bobby thought about Floyd as the potential suspect," Stephanie replies. She points to the laptop with the redacted intel from Rodriguez. "Have you read what he does to the bodies?"
Hector reviews the report from Rodriguez. Details about the targets' names and locations are blacked out, preventing Stephanie and Hector from reading confidential information during the special operative missions. However, it's easy to see Floyd's specialty. "He enjoys being up close and personal," Hector observes. Stephanie nods.
"He has wicked knife skills, too," Stephanie replies. "It takes a lot of practice to cut with that precision."
"And a sharp knife," Hector adds. "It's late."
"I can't sleep until Ranger gets home. Do you want to watch a movie?" Stephanie asks. She yawns and stretches. Hector knows she needs to sleep, but she's fighting it.
He grins, grabs Stephanie's favourite movie from her DVD collection, and adds it to the player, knowing she will fall asleep within a few minutes. Stephanie giggles and grabs the blanket off the back of the couch. Hector places a pillow on his lap and taps it. Taking the hint, Stephanie lays on the sofa, resting her head on the pillow. She closes her eyes and falls asleep before the opening credits finish. Hector chuckles and uses the remote to change the output to watch a movie on Netflix. He turns down the volume and watches over his chosen sister until Ranger gets home.