Evolution of a Killer

by Robert Ullrich

  As is the way in that business, the years and drugs took a heavy toll on Katsumi. By the age of fifteen she was losing her appeal, and the Tongs weren’t making enough money off her. They decided to sell Katsumi to a local Chicago insurance executive named Sean O’Brien. O’Brien, who was extremely sadistic, paid the Tong twenty-five thousand dollars for her.

  The next year of Katsumi’s life was a hazy memory of beatings, whippings and rape, sometimes for hours on end. O’Brien would occasionally bring along guests, clients that would take their turn, adding to her shame and humiliation. Soon, Katsumi began longing for the release death would bring.

  When he wasn’t at the apartment, which was sometimes days or even weeks at a time, Katsumi was kept chained to the wall in the bedroom. She had just enough length to get to the bathroom and a little refrigerator. There were times when Katsumi survived on water alone, O’Brien not having left enough food for the length time he was gone. She learned to hoard food when the refrigerator was full, stashing away non-perishables for the future.

  Katsumi met Lazarus, although she had no idea who he was, at her 16th birthday party – if you could call it one. O’Brien had invited some of his acquaintances from the local BDSM club to the apartment where he kept Katsumi under lock and key.

  Lazarus attended the sham of a party as a guest of Dr. Helen Hudson, one of his Professors at the University of Chicago. They’d met in 2001. Dr. Hudson and her husband Darnell often visited the BDSM club. It was there she heard about O’Brien’s “sweet little Asian slut”, as he referred to her.

  The majority of the Leather Community was under the impression that Darnell was the dominant in the relationship. Such was not the case. Dr. Hudson was Dominant to her Darnell and he submitted to her and only her. It was a unique relationship, a white woman who for all intents and purposes, owned a black man that was also her husband. Darnell found release in the place often referred to as “sub space” by those that serve the Dominants. It was there Darnell found escape from the savage world and the darkness that were a major part of his life.

  Lazarus watched Katsumi closely as the party progressed. She was constantly smiling, trying so very hard to appear happy. He could see in her eyes that she was anything BUT happy. She watched O’Brien like a dog that had been beaten into submission, afraid to make a mistake lest the strap come out. Something stirred inside Lazarus as he watched, feeling a connection taking root that he couldn’t explain, nor did he care to. He decided then and there that Katsumi was coming with him. He pulled Dr. Hudson aside and told her his plan. It was simple and direct. He’d come back later that night and take Katsumi away from O’Brien, whether O’Brien was there or not. Dr. Hudson offered her home to the girl and Lazarus accepted. Katsumi would need a safe place to start over, preferably with a woman. The fact Helen was a psychologist made it even better.

  As far as Katsumi knew, Lazarus purchased her from the insurance executive for $50,000.00. He showed up at the apartment at 3:00 in the morning with Dr. Hudson. Helen had drawn up a typical BDSM slave contract to add legitimacy. Katsumi was scared and confused, but so beaten down and her will broken, that she collected what few belongings she had and went with them. They drove Katsumi to Dr. Hudson’s home on the north side. Darnell would be staying with a friend to give Katsumi time to adapt.

  “This will be your home for now, how long I really can’t say,” said Lazarus, “at least until I can find a suitable place for you. One thing I want you to understand, Katsumi, though it will be hard if not impossible to believe, your days of being beaten and used are over.” Katsumi didn’t believe him, but a thread of hope tentatively took root within her.

  Dr. Hudson assured her Lazarus was telling the truth. “If Lazarus tells you something, Katsumi, you can depend on it. He will not lie to you. It will take time, but you’ll see for yourself. For now, you’ll stay with me if that’s okay with you.”

  That totally threw Katsumi. She was being ASKED if something was okay, not ordered or told what would be. She looked at Lazarus. “If that is what you wish of me, I will stay here.” Lazarus nodded.

  Dr. Hudson held out her hand, waiting patiently for what seemed like an eternity before Katsumi took it gingerly. “Welcome to my home, Katsumi Tanaka. Come, let’s get you settled in the guest bedroom and we can chat some more over breakfast.”

  Katsumi glanced at Lazarus and then lowered her eyes. “What about my new Master? Will he be there?”

  Lazarus answered for Helen, “No Katsumi, I won’t. I’d like you to have time to get to know this lady. She’s not only a good friend who I trust unconditionally, she’s also a psychologist. I believe she can help you come to terms with what has happened to you better than I can.”

  Katsumi looked up, trembling as she asked, “Don’t you want me, Sir?” It broke Lazarus’ heart. Something he didn’t even know was possible.

  Lazarus crouched down and sat back on his heels. There was no way to hide the tears that were forming, so he made no effort. “Katsumi,” he said, “you are very beautiful and desirable; there is no questioning that. However, I didn’t purchase you to make you my sex slave. I did it because I detest the man that owned you for the way he treated you.”

  Lazarus paused before continuing carefully, “Yes, you are mine now. That doesn’t mean what you think it does. In time, I hope you’ll be able to understand why I’ve done this. For now, I need you to stay with Helen. That’s what I want for you. Will you do that for me?” he asked, a single tear slipping down his left cheek.

  Katsumi knelt before him and answered, “I will do as you wish, Master.” She got back up and walked into the house as tears of her own began to flow.

  *****

  It took the better part of a year patiently working with Katsumi, for Dr. Helen to get her to accept what Lazarus had told her the day he “bought” her.

  Helen introduced her husband to Katsumi after two weeks in the house. To Helen’s surprise and satisfaction, Katsumi took to Darnell like homeless man to a free buffet. She spent as much time with him as allowed, learning to play domino's, checkers, chess and Katsumi’s new personal favorite, Texas Hold-em. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Darnell, at 6’7” and 300 pounds, the shock-collar for the Chicago Dark Lords made her feel safe. As intimidating a man that had ever walked the earth, Darnell was kind and gentle with what he called “the girlies”.

  Lazarus heartily approved. He was busy with college and daily training to improve his fighting, hunting, stalking, shooting, make-up and acting skills, furthering his fledgling enterprise as a killer for hire.

  After 9 months, Lazarus moved Katsumi into an apartment of her own, one block off Michigan Avenue. It was a building where Lazarus kept a place for himself. Katsumi could see the lake from her balcony on the 12th floor. It was a fairy-tale to her – one she feared would all too soon come to an end. She continued to meet with Dr. Hudson three times a week, growing more comfortable with what she was being told about Lazarus.

  Katsumi didn’t understand Lazarus at all. He treated her kindly and respectfully, not as a slave or a possession. He never touched her, not even to shake hands, let alone anything more personal. She didn’t think of Lazarus as a kind person, but rather as someone who was capable of kindness when deemed necessary. There was something in his eyes that told Katsumi this man was dangerous, far more dangerous than anyone she’d ever met. If you asked her what she meant, she would have said, “It’s his eyes. They turn black when he is angry. The light slowly goes out, and then there is nothing but darkness. When his eyes are like that, you know there is no mercy to be found.”

  Lazarus paid for everything in Katsumi’s life, never asking for anything in return, other than she talk to Dr. Hudson regularly and get her GED as soon as possible. She acquired it two weeks before her 18th birthday.

  Much to her surprise, Lazarus arranged a party to celebrate her achievement and her birthday. Very few people were invited. Lazarus, Dr. Helen, Darnell and two girls that Kats
umi had befriended while obtaining her GED, and a young Cuban named Leonard James that everyone, but Darnell called LJ. Darnell had nicknamed him “Jizzy” for reasons unknown to anyone but him. Katsumi knew LJ often ran errands for Lazarus, but that was about all she knew of him. LJ was always nice to her though, polite and respectful. It made her feel almost normal, and she liked him for it.

  The party lasted about an hour, with presents from everyone but Lazarus to be opened. Katsumi tried not to act disappointed, but it showed. Once the candles were blown out and the cake eaten, Lazarus asked if he could speak to her on the balcony in private. He always asked when Katsumi knew he could demand, and she loved that about him. She followed him onto the balcony.

  Lazarus spoke while gazing out at Lake Michigan. “I’m very proud of you, Katsumi,” he said with a smile on his face. A smile Katsumi had never seen before. It lit up his countenance like someone had thrown a switch. “I have two things for you, well actually three if you will allow me.”

  Katsumi got goose bumps when he said “allow”. She understood this would be no small matter between them. “I would be honored, Lazarus, Sir,” she replied with a bow of her head.

  “First things first,” said Lazarus as he pulled a folded paper out of his jacket pocket. He held it up so she could see it was the contract that gave Lazarus ownership of Katsumi Tanaka. Wordlessly, he put a lighter to it, holding it until the fire burned his fingertips. “Now that we have that out of the way,” he said as a matter of fact, “we can proceed.”

  He ignored the shocked look on her face and handed her an envelope from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her hands trembled as she opened it. Inside Katsumi found brochures and a letter of acceptance for the 2004-2005 school semesters. Included was confirmation she would be attending on a full scholarship provided by the Second Chance Foundation of Miami, Florida. There was also a cashier’s check in the amount of five hundred thousand dollars, also from the Second Chance Foundation. She was in a state of shock, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

  Katsumi looked up to see Lazarus watching her, still smiling. She was surprised to see for only the second time since they met, a single tear spill from Lazarus’ eye and slide slowly down his cheek. Katsumi started to say something, and Lazarus put his finger to her lips. It was the first time Lazarus had ever touched her, and it shocked her to silence.

  Lazarus handed her a second, much smaller envelope. As she took it from his hand, he gestured towards the two chairs. Katsumi was puzzled, but quickly moved to the chair closest to the door and sat down. Lazarus took the other chair and nodded to her, which she understood meant to open the envelope. This time however, there was no smile as he waited. Instead, his eyes grew darker, the light fading but not going out entirely. Katsumi opened the envelope with trembling hands, unable to fight off a sense of dread.

  Inside she found a newspaper clipping from the Chicago Tribune, dated September 28, 2003. She unfolded it and began to slowly read it. As she read the clipping, tears began welling up until they over-flowed. Katsumi didn’t make a sound. In fact, she didn’t realize she’d been crying until later. She was reading a clipping about Sean O’Brien, the man who bought her from the Tongs and brutalized her for over a year. The article read:

  “The body of insurance executive Sean O’Brien was located early Saturday morning, September 27th. Mr. O’Brien had been reported missing on September 20th by his wife when he failed to return home on the 19th. Mr. O’Brien was last seen at the Acadia Restaurant, where he typically dined on Fridays.

  Mr. O’Brien’s badly decomposed body was discovered around 4:00 am by a homeless man, on the third floor of an abandoned building at the corner of 21st and Halstead. Along with Mr. O’Brien, the body of unidentified Chinese male was also discovered.

  One of the officers at the scene told this reporter, under condition of anonymity, that Mr. Obrien was found hanging by his feet from an overhead pipe. The Chinese male was lying on the floor. The officer described the condition of Mr. O’Brien as though he appeared to have been whipped at length and then gutted with a long blade.

  The Chinese male had not been whipped. The preliminary cause of death for both victims has been listed as decapitation with what appeared to have been a single stroke of a smooth-edged weapon, most likely a sword.

  A note, written in Chinese characters, was nailed to both victims’ foreheads. One of the officers who could read Mandarin translated it. “Justice has been served. Remember these men. Remember how they died.”

  The police have no suspects at this time, and no leads as to the perpetrator of these vicious murders. Opinions are divided between retaliation by one of the local Tongs, or a warning from one of the numerous Chicago street gangs. The Tongs have been attempting to expand their area of operations and have met heavy resistance from the Street Kings in particular.

  The Tongs have denied any involvement in the incident, as have the Street Kings. One of the local Tong leaders could not be located. Rumor has it that the missing man, known only as Mr. Tao, is the unidentified male who was found at the crime scene.”

  Katsumi knew instinctively Lazarus had killed O’Brien and the man she knew had to be Tao. She’d always known there was darkness inside of him, a darkness that she believed in her heart she was safe from. The viciousness of what Lazarus had done shocked her. His obvious lack of remorse didn’t. She knew Lazarus saw it as delivering justice. Wordlessly she slipped out of the chair to her knees, bowing her head onto her hands. She remained there motionless for almost fifteen minutes while tears stained the deck beneath her.

  Lazarus eventually reached down and placed his right hand on her head. In a voice so soft she could barely hear he said, “Now you are truly free, Katsumi Tanaka. The future is yours to decide. You can accept the scholarship, or you can take the money and start a new life of your own. Either way, you cannot disappoint me. It is your choice to make and no one else’s, not even mine. I am setting you free without restriction or conditions.”

  When he finished speaking, Katsumi put her hands on his feet, laying her forehead on them. She wept softly as she spoke through the tears. “My life is yours to command, Master. Tell me what you want, and it will be done. To serve you is the only desire of my heart.”

  He reached down, gently lifting her face so she could see his smile. “I accept your submission and your life to do with as I will. It is the desire off my heart that you attend MIT and master the world of computer technology like none other.”

  Katsumi smiled and nodded ever so slightly. “As you wish, Sir,” answering for the first of many times to follow.

  “Then arise my precious, Kat, and let’s return to the celebration of life that is the 18th anniversary of your birth.”

  *****

  Katsumi poured herself into her studies at MIT, wanting nothing less than perfection for her Master. She graduated Summa cum Laude, with a 3.95 GPA and a mastery of computers, code and the internet that amazed even her professors.

  *****

  Lazarus drove to the La Quinta to shower and change out of the fat suit and makeup he’d been wearing. Knowing that Torano was involved required extra precautions. Though Ramon had never been known to enter the U.S., discovering someone was stealing his money might just inspire him to take the risk. Ramon needed to make an example of someone from time to time in order to keep the level of fear high and discourage similar behavior. Lazarus called LJ at the compound in Florida and told him to be ready to travel if he needed him. Leonard assured him he could be on the road in 30 minutes at any given time.

  Lazarus found his thoughts straying to Angelique as he showered. She was stunning. Without a doubt the most beautiful woman he’d ever met in his world travels. There was no question that under different circumstances, he would already be trying to get her into bed. Their first meet and the flirtatiousness led him to believe it wouldn’t be that difficult if he set his mind to it. However, the fact that she was Garza’s wife muddied the waters. It coul
d be a dangerous distraction with so much on the line.

  The fact that Garza was not only the client, but the target for this contract intrigued him. He was going to have his work cut out. It had been a long time since Lazarus had been significantly challenged in the execution of a mission. He liked that. Even killing people can get boring if there’s no real challenge.

  Lazarus left the La Quinta about an hour later as Mr. Ronnebaum, dressed in Levis, Saucony running shoes and a tan Columbia fishing shirt. He had an Astros baseball cap pulled down to his Under-Armor sunglasses. The clerk barely glanced in his direction as he left the lobby. He climbed up into the Expedition where Langston was waiting patiently and headed back to the storage facility to swap vehicles. Pulling out of the drive he headed north on 35.

  “Well, Langston,” said Lazarus. “How about we hit Whataburger for dinner?”

  Langston barked his approval and pawed at the passenger window until Lazarus lowered it.

  “I tell you what, buddy,” Lazarus said grinning, “be a good boy and I’ll throw in one of those apple pies for you.” Langston seemed to get the message and immediately lay down on the seat, his tongue lolling out in anticipation.

  They pulled through the drive through, taking the meals back to the house on Cayman. Lazarus spent the rest of the evening relaxing, watching a Spurs game before turning in around midnight.

  Chapter Ten

  Lazarus woke at 4:30. He’d been an early riser since his days on the family farm in Iowa. He spent the first 30 minutes of each day stretching and doing calisthenics. The next 30-45 minutes he worked with free weights, followed by 20 to 30 minutes of Tai Chi. He rarely deviated from this schedule. If circumstances required, he would make up the time when he was able.

  Lazarus wasn’t so much interested in bulk as he was balance, flexibility and control. He had trained in several of the martial arts, including Judo, Karate, Ju-Jitsu, Nitōjutsu (fighting with paired Katana), fencing, and Filipino Kali knife fighting. Nitōjutsu was his favorite, followed closely by fencing.