The Cruise Ship Serial Killer

By James M. Glass

The drug addicted mother gave birth to the future killer in a back alley on skid row. The mother wanted to throw him in the dumpster, but a friend interceded by wrapping the baby in an old rag and pacing him on the top step of the church. The baby grew up in the orphanage where the Nuns discovered he had a brilliant mind and a uncanny gift of being able to duplicate any great artist.

What they didn’t discover is his lack of compassion and his fascination with death. He honed the skills of a killer during his period in the orphanage. He went on to become a serial killer where he took his vacations on the luxurious cruise ship Ellen Jean.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365713286

Book preview

The Cruise Ship Serial Killer

The Cruise Ship Serial Killer

by James M. Glass

© 2017

Chapter 1: Willard Stone

No one knew her real name, most of the other derelicts called her Meg.  She appeared several years ago on skid row as another lost soul addicted to drugs.  Once an attractive woman, she slowly degenerated to an unkempt street person.  She supported her drug habit through prostitution.  She had always been a proud woman, but the drugs slowly destroyed her will power.  She had become the very thing she despised the most, a prostitute.  Her day, now, consisted of pan handling, prostitution and garbage dumpsters for scrapes of food.  She lived in the  allies or any place she could keep warm in the winter time.  Her only friend was the woman called Blonde.  They shared each other’s needles in the back allies where they slept.

Meg became pregnant by one of her many customers.  She hated being pregnant because it prevented her from making money to buy her necessary drugs.  When it was time for the baby, her friend was by her side.  She gave birth to the baby, in the darkest part of the night, with her friend doing the necessary assistance.  Both of them were still under the influence of drugs.

What do you want me to do with the baby?

Throw it in the dumpster; I don’t want it.

It’s a little boy.  I’ve got an old rag to put around him; what if I put him on the step of the church and give him a chance to live?

That’s alright with me.  Go ahead maybe he will live a better life than we have lived.  Our lives have turned out to be a living hell.  It’s hard for me to remember, but once in my life I was happy before the drugs.  Maybe he will live a better life.

Meg died two years later of a drug over dose.  When they found her body the needle was still sticking in her arm.  The coroner took her finger prints in the event any one was ever searching for her.  He ordered the cremation with her ashes being placed in an inexpensive urn with a number.  This number would identify her ashes with her finger prints.

Father Joseph hurried to open the front doors of the church by six o’clock in the morning.  Several months ago he had made the decision to close the doors of the church at ten o’clock in the evening and open in the morning at six.  The vandalism in the area of a church, by drug addicts, looking for items to sell had forced him to come to this decision.

He opened a homeless shelter next to the church to accommodate homeless people during the night hours.  This was staffed by volunteers from the church.  Coffee, tea and soup were provided for the homeless.

When he opened the church doors to see if anyone was waiting to enter the church, he saw a baby on the top step of the church.  He walked out, picked the baby up and re-entered the church.  He immediately called Sister Sara.

I have a new born baby for your nursery.

Wonderful.  Is it a boy or girl?

It’s a boy, but it’s a very strange looking baby.

I don’t understand.  Why is it strange looking?

I think most people would consider him a very ugly baby.  His head is egg shape without any hair.  He has very large dark eyes already fully open.  His arm reaches almost to his knees.  Yes, he is a very strange looking baby.

Father you and I both have known many unattractive babies who have grown up to become very attractive adults.

I know you’re right, let’s hope it will be true in this baby’s life.

Father we need a name for the birth certificate.  Do you have a name?

My father was named Willard.  I have always liked the name.  We are situated on Stone Street; so why not Willard Stone?

That’s a good suggestion.  We will name him Willard Stone.  I’ll send one of the sisters come over for the baby and include a bottle of special milk for a baby.

Thank you Sister.

Willard’s life in the nursery was uneventful, but no one ever heard him cry.  When he was hungry or needed to be changed, he lay until someone attended him.  When the Sisters noticed he never cried, they checked him more every time they checked the other children.  As he grew older the Sisters noticed he was extremely bright.  They discovered Willard was a gifted artist when he was eight years old.  He could accurately copy any painting or item.  A very bad habit of his, they were unaware, was finding insects to perform his experiments.  He spent part of each day searching for any type of insect he could dissect or disable to satisfy his curiosity.

The orphanage was situated on five acres of land with several unused buildings.  It had originally been a manufacturing plant which had went bankrupt.  The county had decided to deed it to the church for an orphanage.  The land was bordered by a fence.  Several acres of woods surrounded the property which was located five miles from the nearest town.  The main usable building was six stories high containing sleeping quarters and dining facilities.  The boys were rotated monthly to kitchen duties, vegetable gardens, serving in the dining room or keeping the grounds clean.

Willard developed the habit of patrolling the fence line where he would find insects for his experiments.  He once captured a cat.  Using some string he hung he cat from the fence to see how long the cat could live.  When it was dead he removed it from the fence throwing it over the fence where predators would find it. He once captured a field mouse setting it on fire after spraying it with lighter fluid.  His fascination continues for several years while he continued his drawings and reading every book in their limited library.

In all the years Willard had been at the Orphanage, he had never made a friend.  Other children were afraid of him, because of his strange appearance.  Therefore, he was surprise when two boys approached him wanting to be his friends.  They introduced themselves as Tom Bowman and Pete Warren.  They explained to Willard they belong to a social club where other children got together to get to know each other.  They invited Willard to go with them to join their club, Willard gladly accepted, following them to a vacant building on the property.  They met with another older boy who they introduced as Ralph Edwards.  Tom referred to Ralph as President of the club.  Ralph extended his hand in friendship as he gave a quick explanation of the club.

We are a social club helping members get better .acquainted with each other.  We call ourselves the Forgotten Angels.  Before joining our club each member must go through a secret initiation.  Are you willing to go through our secret initiation?

I don’t know.  What’s involved?

We can’t reveal any facts to you.  You must accept the initiation on blind faith.  Do you accept the initiation?

I guess so.

No, you must make a positive statement.

Yes I accept.

Ralph then instructed the other boys.

Hold his arms tight and bend him over the chair.

Willard felt Ralph’s hands undoing his pants and pulling them down.  He didn’t know what was happening.  He was unaware Ralph had an erection which he was covering with an ointment.  He felt extreme pain as Ralph penetrated his rectum.  He knew he had been tricked, but was powerless to do anything.  When Ralph was finished he told the boys to release him.  They all laughed when Ralph told Willard he had now been initiated.  During the time Willard was pulling up his trousers he stared intently at each boy.  He turned and walked out without commenting.  Tom felt uneasy about the incident.

I think we might have made a big mistake with him.

Nonsense, there’s nothing he can do about it.  Ralph assured him.

I don’t know, but he really scares me.  I wish we hadn’t done it to him.

You worry too much.

Willard left the building furious.  He vowed to himself they would pay the supreme penalty for what they did to him.  They promised him friendship which he had always longed for, and then they used this promise to sexually abuse him.  He began watching them.  He was looking for any opportunity to get even with them.  A few months later he observed Tom going up to the roof of the six story building.  On inquiry to another boy he found out Tom was addicted to cigarettes.  He either swiped these from visitors or bummed them.

Willard watched closely until one day he saw Tom on the stairs going to the roof.  He waited several minutes before following him.

What are you doing up here?

I come up here often to walk the roof.  It lets me see the complete area, Willard responded.

Well, I don’t want you here.

I will be gone in a minute.

Willard stopped at the roofs edge overlooking the parking lot.

I can’t believe my eyes.  Sister Mary is in the backseat of a sedan making out with some man.

Tom hurried over.

Where is she? I don’t see anything.

Bend over; look at the back seat of the black sedan.

When Tom bent over, Willard shoved him as hard as he could shove.  Tom went flying over the roof edge landing on the concrete six stories below.  He was dead on impact.  Willard carefully returned down the stairs to join the crowd forming below.  He made sure there would be witnesses to testify he was below with the crowd and not on the roof.

Sergeant Jack Kerry was having a hectic day.  He was overloaded with work, before being assigned to investigate the death of Tom Bowman.  The Coroner had ruled it a possible suicide.  The Sherriff, who was politically motivated, insisted the file be complete with a positive conclusion.  He assigned Jack to do a short investigation and close the file with a definite conclusion. 

First he had interviewed the mother who was on drugs and definitely not interested in the death of her son.  She told Jack it was the responsibility of the county to bury him.

When he checked with the school, Jack was referred to Pete Warren and Ralph Edwards.  After introducing himself and the purpose of his visit, Jack began questioning the boys.  Ralph was the spokesman for both boys.

Do you have any information on the death of Tom Bowman?

This was the perfect opportunity for Ralph to destroy Willard Stone.  He despised Willard for his appearance.  He considered him a freak who shouldn’t be living with normal people.  The other thing which bothered Ralph was Willard’s reaction to the initiation.  Other boys had cried or begged them not to tell anyone.  Willard said nothing.  This scared Ralph.

Willard Stone killed him.

Do you have proof of your statement?

No, but we know he did it.

Did anyone see him do it?

He’s too clever to be caught killing someone.

How do you know he killed him?

Because, he hated him.

Why?

It was over a secret initiation which Willard took offense.

What happened?

We can’t discuss it. We are all sworn to secrecy, but Tom was scared of Willard.  He worried about what Willard might do to him.

You’re not giving me any proof Willard did anything wrong, but I will talk to him.

Sergeant Kerry had no problem locating Willard Stone.  He was a little surprised by Willard’s appearance, but he had seen many strange looking people in the past.  Willard was calm in answering the questions.

How well did you know Tom Bowman?

Not very well, but I did know him.

Did you like him?

No. I had contempt for him.

May I ask you why you felt this way?

He was one of two boys who approached me to join their social club.  They escorted me to a vacant building where an older boy waited for them.  They told me I had to agree to a secret initiation and like a fool I did agree.  The two boys grab my arms, forcing me over a chair.  Then, the older boy performed a sex act me.

That’s terrible.  Did you file a complaint?

"No.  I realized it would be useless against the three of them?

Did you want to get even with them?

Yes, but there’s no way I could do it.  All three of them are scared of me and are constantly on guard.

Did you have anything to do with the death of Tom?

No.

Ralph Edwards thinks you pushed Tom off the roof.

I would expect him to make stupid statements.  I was unaware Tom smoked or did so on the roof until after he died.  He was afraid of me and would never allow me to be on the roof with him nor get into a position to push him off.

In your opinion, what do you think caused him to fall off the roof to his death?

I think he went to the roof to smoke, than decided to be a daredevil.  He started walking the edge of the roof and fell.

That makes more sense than anything else I have been told.  You have been a big help Willard.  By the way, were the other two boys who assaulted you Pete Warren and Ralph Edwards?

Yes.

I thought so.

Sergeant Kerry returned to headquarters marking the file accidental death.  He closed the file with the Sheriffs permission.

Willard was part of the group transferred to duty in the garden for the next thirty days.  Searching for a hoe he came across a container of rat poison.  Knowing he would be transferred to kitchen duty in thirty days, he developed a plan.  He carefully poured a sizable amount in an old envelope he found.  He put this in his pocket and secreted it in his sleeping area. Thirty days later he was transferred to the kitchen area.  This was a preferred duty, because the boys got more to eat working in the kitchen.  Willard had no trouble in trading his kitchen duty to the boy serving the table Ralph Edwards was assigned to sit.  When breakfast was served, Willard mixed in a teaspoon full of rat poison in his oatmeal.  Ralph didn’t even bother looking up to see who was serving him.  During the next week Willard was able to feed Ralph the poison four times.  When Ralphs’ nose starting bleeding, Willard knew the poison was having an effect.  He intensified his effort.  He put the poison in Ralph’s soup, salad, and his vegetables.

Ralph fell very ill.  He was pale, he had trouble breathing, his gums were bleeding and his weight diminished rapidly.  He was carried to the nurses’ station by some of the boys. The nurse couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but knew Ralph was dying.  She called the hospital for an ambulance.  This was a big event for the boys; they gathered to watch Ralph being loaded into the ambulance.  Ralph couldn’t talk; his vocal cords had been destroyed by the poison.  He looked out over the crowd until he spotted Willard.  The question formed in his eyes.  Willard smiled nodding in the affirmative.  Ralphs’ eyes reflected horror as he realized Willard had destroyed him.  The hospital did very little for Ralph.  They were overloaded with nonpaying charity cases.  Ralph died two weeks later of allergic complications.  He was cremated with his ashes placed in an inexpensive urn.  The coroner maintained a wall of shelving for ashes of people who were known but unclaimed.

Pete Warren, standing near the ambulance, didn’t miss the eye exchange between Ralph and Willard.  There was no doubt in his mind Willard had destroyed Ralph and he was the next victim.  He had to get away which was difficult, but he thought he knew a way.  His parents were dead, but his uncle always liked him.  He got permission to make a call to his Uncle explaining he would like to visit him and paint his large house free.  His Uncle quickly accepted the idea, because this would save him several hundred dollars.  He promised to make arrangements with the school and have a ticket waiting for him at the train station.

Pete told only his close friends he was leaving.  He forgot how quickly rumors spread throughout the Orphanage.  He made arrangements with one of the vendors to get a ride into town where the station was located.  He was unaware Willard, wearing a floppy gardening hat, had arranged for a ride with the gardener.  A crowd was gathered next to the tracks to watch the express train go through before the passenger train.  Pete felt someone push him on the tracks below in front of the fast moving express.  No one could hear Pete scream out the name Willard before the train chopped him to pieces.  Willard felt no emotion on the death of Pete.  To him this was just something he needed to do to get even. The police investigator deemed it an accident with the remains of Pete being cremated and placed in an inexpensive urn.  The coroner added the urn to his wall of shelving for unclaimed ashes.

Chapter 2: The Development of a Serial Killer

Rumors, gossip and speculation thrived in the Orphanage.  The subject was almost always about Willard and the death of the three boys.  Most of the boys were afraid to do anything to offend Willard.  They avoided any contact with him because of the rumors of his deadly reputation.  There were several boys who considered Willard a hero.  These were the boys who had suffered sexual abuse by Ralph and his friends.  They were certain Ralph had abused Willard as he had abused them.  They went out of their way to say a pleasant hello to Willard when passing him in the hallways.

The next two years Willard concentrated on his drawings.  He often visited the library to study some of the great drawing in the books on art.  Quite often he would copy these pictures.  It was impossible to tell the difference between his copy and the original.  Another area which fascinated him was books on life and death.  He thought it had to be an awesome power to determine the life or death of a person.  Does the executioner get a thrill of putting someone