Free Dead Men (and Women) Walking by Anthology Page B

and listening for people coming down the hall. Eric knew
it was a risk, but by the time anyone knew that he'd broken into
the place, they'd never find him anyway. Not when he was going to
be bunking with the detective from now on, that is.
    When Graham Wilson finally
came to his front door at 6:30 in the evening, Eric could see that
the detective had a bad day. His shoulders were slightly slumped
and his head was leaning down slightly. Slow uncertain movements
confirmed that indeed, the detective was going to be off guard
tonight. Eric could only lick his lips and watch intently. There
was nothing between himself and Wilson except a wooden door. Eric
saw the detective's hands fumble around as they dug in his coat to
find the keys to open the door. They were strong hands, and would
serve Wilson well in the days to come. Wilson was also much taller
than Hicks and would need to feed more often, but that wasn't a
problem. London had more neglected people than almost any other
city in the world, and with such resources as those readily
available to a detective, finding food would be much easier. Before
Wilson could open the door, his mobile phone buzzed. As Eric
listened, he heard how Wilson's sister was coming over in around
two hours for some rest and relaxation, as the two hadn't seen each
other in some time. A twisted grin lit up Eric's face. So, company
was to be expected, was it? What lovely news he thought, and family
no less. Eric looked forward to meeting Wilson's sister so he could
get a more broad knowledge of Wilson's familial contacts. Things
were looking better all the time. Eric watched Graham's body
movements to see when the time was right to sneak up to the door.
As Wilson's conversation with his sister geared up about recent
events, Hicks readied his bubble gum and half a credit card for the
right moment. As Graham opened his front door and walked through,
Eric quickly stepped up and pushed the top of the credit card to
the inner doorframe and pulled his body back around the corner in
the hallway. The top of the cut up credit card had bubblegum stuck
to the back of it, and, when the door swung to close, the credit
card would stop the metal tongue of the door from connected with
the doorframe. Eric realized early on in his stay in England that
most doors, even when not locked with key, still wouldn't open,
having built-in locking mechanisms in the door handles where you
could only open the doors from the inside. It was an annoying
feature of these doors, but one that could still be dealt with. As
Eric listened, Wilson continued his conversation on the phone and
was walking further and further away from the door, so Hicks could
only assume his plan worked.
    Eric opened Graham's door
ever so gently and peaked in. Graham was still talking to his
sister as he walked into the kitchen. Eric swiftly opened the door
and shut it with care, making sure to take off his little device.
He crawled over behind Graham's couch and stretched his body out
along the length of the nicely made piece of furniture. As Eric
listened to the rather monotonous conversation, he took his shoes
off and tucked them neatly under the couch so he could move around
easier if the need arose. Eric took a quick peak around the couch
to watch as Graham opened his freezer to find something suitable
for dinner. Eric took care of the next potential problem that could
hinder him later. He reached over to the lamp table and unplugged
the wire from the phone and the wall and rested behind the couch
again.
    Most people didn't realize
that they had so many instruments around the house that could spell
their own doom. In a day and age where people carried guns and
knives, Eric really saw no need, though the occasional blade did
come in handy at mealtime. He folded the phone wire back on itself,
halving its length and tying one end together. He then wrapped each
end around his hands 3 times. Eric's garrote wire was now at
hand.
    As Eric listened, Wilson
told his