Chapter 7

Why cause unnecessary work for an overburdened janitorial staff?

Charles stripped off the latex gloves he’d been wearing to avoid leaving fingerprints behind, stuffed them in a pocket, and changed out of his blood-spattered clothes, which he then packed into the briefcase that added to his impersonation of a businessman stopping to visit the men’s room. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror to be certain his hair didn’t look disheveled, then gave the restroom one last cursory inspection. Everything appeared to be in order.

He left, making sure the door was firmly closed behind him. As he walked down the corridor, a maintenance man passed by trundling a trash cart. There was something about him that seemed familiar, the shape of his head, maybe, or his ears, but Charles couldn’t stop to investigate.

He showed the security guard his doctored ID, walked through the metal detector, and left the building.