The Killer

- -

It's amazing how physically exhausting it can be

to do nothing.

If you are unable to endure boredom,

this work is not for you.

Paris awakens unlike any other city.

Slowly.

Without the diesel grind of Berlin or Damascus.

Or the incessant hum of Tokyo.

Popeye the Sailor probably said it best.

"I am what I am."

I'm not exceptional.

I'm just…

apart.

Consider yourself lucky if our paths never cross.

Except…

luck isn't real.

Nor is karma, or sadly, justice.

As much as I'd like to pretend these concepts exist…

…they just don't.

One is born, lives their life.

And eventually, one dies.

In the meantime,

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

To quote…

…someone.

Can't remember who.

A hundred and forty million human beings are born every year.

Give or take.

The worldwide population is approximately 7.8 billion.

Every second, 1.8 people die.

While 4.2 are born into that very same second.

Nothing I've ever done will make any dent

in these metrics.

["I Know It's Over" by The Smiths plays on headphones]

Skepticism is often mistaken for cynicism.

Most people refuse to believe that the great beyond

is no more than a cold, infinite void.

But I accept it,

along with the freedom that comes from acknowledging that truth.

I've come to realize that the moment

when it's time to act

is not when risk is greatest.

The real problems arise

in the days, hours, and minutes leading up to the task

and the minutes, hours, and days after.

It all comes down to preparation,

attention to detail,

redundancies,

redundancies,

and redundancies.

Leave nothing for the elves

with their tweezers, forensic baggies, DNA kits.

And avoid being seen.

Which is impossible in the 21st century.

So, at least avoid being memorable.

Keep calm.

Keep moving.

My camo is based on

a German tourist I saw in London a while back.

No one really wants to interact with a German tourist.

Parisians avoid them like the rest of the world avoids street mimes.

There are 1,500 McDonald's in France.

A good enough place to grab ten grams of protein for a euro,

alongside the other 46 million they serve each week.

I wish I could tell you when he's going to show,

but according to every bit of information I've been able to get, he's expected.

Best I can do.

Hello? Still there?

It's been five days.

I'll give it today and tomorrow.

Fair enough.

I needn't remind you, if we don't meet our commitment--

- We? - Yes, frankly.

We don't invoice, we eat the expenses to date.

Just call if the next 24 hours pass…

uneventfully.

We'll go from there.

- Hell-- -

"It's a dog-eat-dog world. "

To reuse the apt cliché.

"Every man for himself."

"Kill or be killed. "

"Survival of the fittest. "

Isn't it all just human nature?

Of those who like to put their faith

in mankind's inherent goodness,

I have to ask,

based on what, exactly?

I used to book a lot through Airbnb.

Not anymore.

Those Superhosts love their nanny cams.

- -

Take comfort in the fact that 70 to 80% of wrongful convictions

are the direct result

of eyewitness testimony.

Still, it only takes a few episodes of Dateline

to know that there are countless ways to trip oneself up.

If you can think of a dozen, you're a genius.

I'm no genius.

From the beginning of history, the few have always exploited the many.

This is the cornerstone of civilization.

The blood in the mortar that binds all bricks.

Whatever it takes,

make sure you're one of the few,

not one of the many.

- -

On Annie Oakley jobs, distance is the only advantage.

Everything else, the popping sound like fireworks,

the breaking of glass, the screams… all disadvantage.

- -

When it comes to bystanders getting involved,

everything becomes a blur.

Combat veterans call this "tunnel vision."

- I call it "occupational good fortu"-- -

- -

[second man replies in French via speakerphone]

Fuck.

It's the idle hours that most often lead a man to ruin.

That's not Dylan Thomas, but it oughta be.

Somehow, jobs that are designed to rattle a cage

are always the most tedious.

I've actually grown to appreciate "proximity work."

Staged accidents, gradual poisonings.

Anything with a little creativity.

When was my last nice, quiet drowning?

Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer,

murdered at least 49 women over two decades.

He couldn't spell "cat" if you spotted him the A and the T.

But he was conscientious.

I've done my 10,000 hours.

Beyond which, I'm aided and abetted by law enforcement fatigue.

Sheer caseload.

Ted Williams batted .344 lifetime.

I'd be batting a thousand,

except I won't take credit for watching some mob bookkeeper

drop dead of a coronary.

The only time nicotine, red meat, and marital stress

did the hard part for me.

Of the many lies told by the US military-industrial complex,

my favorite is still their claim

that sleep deprivation didn't qualify as torture.

Vigilance is essential.

Even the most disciplined mind can become weary,

impatient,

hurried…

Sloppy.