"I told her it was a web series. I think that's more believable. I'm going to gain her trust. If things work out and I can do it safely, yeah, she gets to be Victim #9. But more likely than not I'm just setting the stage for getting her in the future. Building her trust. She won't go anywhere with me tomorrow, but if I can convince her that I'm legitimate and we set up a place for filming, maybe she'll drop her guard and show up."

"What happened to the whole idea of random victims only?"

"That's still my overall plan. I think this is worth making an exception, don't you?"

Vivian just gaped at him. "No. I absolutely do not. She's exactly the kind of person where you don't make an exception. The police know she was trying to lure you into attacking her. If she disappears, they'll know who did it."

Ken shook his head. "No, they'll know that the mystery man kidnapping women did it. They won't know it's me."

"It adds a connection to you. She'd tell people about you. You didn't have multiple encounters with any of the others. This is getting too close."

"Have a little faith in me, Viv. I'm not telling her my real name. I'll be wearing a disguise."

"Do you really think witnesses couldn't identify you just because you had a fake beard?"

"It's a gigantic fake beard. With that and the glasses, no, people who would have no reason to try to remember my face won't recognize me." He also liked to wear a conspicuous bandage. If somebody said that he had a bandage on his neck, but had no wound there if he was questioned out of disguise, it was one more detail to throw them off the track. "I'm not going to take any chances. If we meet more than once and I think the second time is too risky, I'll drop the whole idea. She gets to live."

"So it's just one of them?"

"Yeah. The one who wore the wig. The other one said no."

"Where are you meeting her?"

"Red Lobster."

"Did she pick it?"

"Yeah."

"So she could be a regular there?"

Ken hesitated. "Maybe."

"So people could recognize her? Maybe a favorite waiter? People who could say, 'Oh, I wonder who she's with?' Those kinds of people?"

"I wanted her to choose the place so she'd feel more comfortable. She'd have no reason to be suspicious. I wanted her to know that we'd be in a safe, public spot."

"Well, that's good for her, but that could blow up in your face. I don't care if your fake beard covers your entire face, you don't have dinner with a victim where people might know her. That's just idiotic. How did you get in touch with her?"

"E-mail?"

"A secure address?"

"Of course."

"Are you sure?"