The Beardsmith Slasher E2

Jillian walks through park at night.

The next morning at work, he struggles to conceal his impish smirk as the barbershop buzzes with the latest local news. Some customers joke that they hope it’s not anyone in the shop with a razor. Geoffrey lets out boisterous laughter in response.

After a week, he is ready for his next victim five miles away. Hana is a Japanese night jogger, so she’s physically fit. He plans to have her see him also jogging a few times at a distance. On her penultimate evening, he says hello while jogging past her. Hana’s final evening has arrived, as the gloom of dusk envelops Geoffrey’s senses. Her turn to smile at a familiar face is met with one quick motion that inverts her expression.

Hana falls to her knees while jogging.

The next morning, news reports outline four common threads. Both victims are females, attacked at night with a razor with no sign of sexual assault. Third victims are always the toughest for perpetrators of canonical events. Should he draw the search further away or surprise everyone by circling back to the original area?

Geoffrey decides to map out a star shape, which at first will lead detectives to believe he is working within a triangle. Connecting the dots to complete the five-point star in non-sequential order will require 10 victims. If he’s successful, he plans to retire from his dark deeds with a star tattooed on his jugular.

Anita seems to be easy picking but she puts up a fight with scratching, punching, and kicking before succumbing to the blade. This means there is trace evidence beneath her fingernails.

So in the dark of night, Geoffrey gives the corpse a manicure, soaking and scraping beneath each fingernail. He then thoroughly bleach-scrubs her hands before applying lotion. This certainly alters the clues. So he is curious to hear news reports the next day when long sleeves and makeup conceal his wounds.

Body of a woman after Geoffrey’s abuse.

The public information is always less than everything the police have, and sometimes it’s meant to mislead a perpetrator. Rather than mentioning the manicure, reporters indicate that police discovered trace evidence beneath the victim’s fingers to identify the killer.

There is heightened outrage within his shop of customers. Burly men begin talking about forming vigilante posses to prevent danger from coming to their loved ones.

Changing the Pattern

Although Geoffrey doesn’t believe he left any evidence, he skips the next week. Avoiding local vigilantism, from his notebook he selects a victim on the other end of what will eventually map out a star. For her, he must travel 20 miles away.

When he confronts Nancy, she suspects the outcome. A life-or-death situation is the great equalizer, irrespective of beauty, power, or monetary worth. Instead of screaming, she begins pleading for her life, rattling off numerous reasons for extending mercy.

Nancy comes face-to-face with the slasher, unwilling to accept her fate.

“I successfully recovered from a seven-year battle with breast cancer following a radical mastectomy. I lost my first child in an automobile accident and am pregnant with my second. I’m a caregiver for my disabled mother….”

She keeps inventing heart-wrenching stories to weaken his resolve. With a hoodie casting a shadow on his face from the streetlamp behind him, Geoffrey concludes she can’t identify him. So he folds his blade and turns away, expecting her to flee.

To his surprise, she kicks him in his back hard enough to propel him face down onto the pavement. Before he can turn over, she stomps his ankles and kicks his ribs while screaming and dialing on her phone.

The injuries hinder Geoffrey’s ability to stand, leaving him wondering whether this was a police sting operation or if he just met his match with a crafty martial arts opponent. After dragging himself with his elbows a very short distance, he hears sirens in the distance. He hasn’t achieved the aspired legendary status, nor completed his geographical star.

This leaves him with few options. When the police arrive, they discover the fourth victim. This one is a male. In his backpack are all his meticulous notes, manicure tools, and a notebook describing his relationship with his stepfather, another notorious killer who claimed multiple victims. In the case of the Beardsmith Slasher, one potential victim stood up to the perpetrator of fear, saving the lives of seven others.

A Heroic Victory

The town exhales a collective sigh of relief to learn that young women are no longer in danger from such a diabolical mind. The police chief states that people should no longer live in fear due, in part, to the heroic actions of Nancy. Although police patrols continue, their presence diminishes in response to a calmer atmosphere.

The Beardsmiths Salon sees a decline in business as customers grapple with the notion that they sat in the seat of a throat slasher. Since the remaining expert groomers can’t hide from their reputation, they decide to capitalize on it. Social media begins posting photos of smiling customers who bravely got their “throats slashed” (beards trimmed) by beardsmiths.

Though there is a focus on some of their female barbers, women are not keen on obtaining pedicures there. Within a few months, the marketing strategy gains traction. There is enough business to open a second location with a small percentage of their proceeds going to families of the victims of the Beardsmith Slasher.

The End

Although unanticipated harm can come to anyone, there is usually more safety in numbers. Stay fit with a group.

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