Calling Upon a Friend

Whenever Gerald Blackburn, known to the public as The Invisible Killer, went to Philadelphia on art business, he made a point of visiting his old friend and fellow serial killer, Clancy Burton..

Gerald and Clancy had a lot in common. For starters, both loved playing speed chess and were tired of playing against themselves; they were well-read, liked Hitchcock movies, and had indulged in their murderous obsessions for three glorious decades without being caught.

The Philadelphia Daily Express gave Clancy a moniker for its headlines, ‘The Whisperer’, because he always spoke in a sinister, almost imperceptible, low tone of voice when he randomly called into the news desk for an informal chat.

You better believe that Philadelphia Homicide had that line tapped, big time, and with the assistance of the telephone company, they were tracking the calls.

Neither the technicians at the company nor the detectives at Homicide knew that Clancy was a now-happily-retired telephone linesman with a collection of equipment to tap into any cable at any time, anywhere, making it impossible to trace his whereabouts. This was a skill he also used to terrorize his victims beforehand and to keep the public on edge, which was ironic considering their voracious appetite for news about the killings.

Amazingly, Clancy had been indulging in his obsession for 37 glorious years without being caught, making him truly a man after Gerald’s heart.

No wonder they were such good friends...up until the very end, that is.

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