‘Everything you said fits with what we’ve found in the journals. They’ve been a big help in determining method and motive,’ Beck replied.

‘But still, if the journals started in 1991 and spanned eight years, that only takes us to 1999?’ I countered, my own investigative brain spinning rapidly.

‘Yes, as you know, there was a botched attempt in October of 1999. The one time someone got a firsthand look at TSK and gave us a vague description. From his journal that year, he spoke of the failed attempt and wrote about needing to update his methods. Watching them only on weekends when his travel schedule allowed, he theorized, hadn’t given him enough information and that is what he believed had caused the failure. This is where it gets interesting,’ Hannigan said, a smile on his face.

I glanced at Cris and then back at Hannigan, ‘I’m not sure interesting is the right word.’

Hannigan pursed his lips. ‘Sorry. Interesting to us from an investigative standpoint,’ he replied giving me a wry smile. ‘In the box alongside the journals were a number of video tapes and, in later years, DVDs. The videos chronicled the movements inside the homes of all his victims and several other pairs he was contemplating abducting, starting after the failed kidnapping attempt. He kept the same pattern, following two to three pairs of women, then narrowing down to the pair he eventually abducted. But he started using technology so that he could watch them, even when he wasn’t in town, and track their whereabouts more precisely.’

‘So, he installed cameras in their houses? How was he not caught doing that over so many years?’ I asked in disbelief.

‘The videos appeared to be shot from somewhere near the television,’ Hannigan explained. ‘It took us a while to figure it out but after interviewing Zoey and Addie and looking back at the crime scene inventory, we now know that he was sending the pairs fake invitations to become Nielsen households. You know, the Nielsen ratings for television? Well, the normal protocol in most cases, would be a technician coming to set the box up in your house but our victims didn’t know that. They were sent a letter with a fifty-dollar bill inside, requesting that they fill out the survey and if accepted, a box would be mailed to them with instructions on how to set it up and they’d receive a monthly stipend for their participation.’

‘Wait, are you saying he installed cameras in these boxes and the women set them up themselves? They unknowingly put the cameras in their own living rooms?’ Cris’s eyes were wide.