When a mugger picks its victim, it is the same as a hunting cat selects its prey. It looks to the old, the weak, the vulnerable. It picks from those that stray too far from the herd. Its mind is focused on that one instant, bringing all its skill to bear in that one defining moment. The difference between a natural predator and the mugger is intent. What they have in common is the inclination to change their mind when posed with another threat or filled with the fear of personal injury.


Jason Shaw, a petty crook who enjoyed the thrill of theft and burglary, with a tendency to attack and rob unwitting, late night citizens, was one such predator. He also liked to carry a switchblade to threaten. However, the usually cool and swaggering Shaw had been spooked these last few nights, looking over his shoulder, glancing to shadows. His heart raced every time he heard footsteps, saw something out of the corner of his eye or thought he heard his name whispered while on the prowl. It was enough to dissuade his activities on several occasions.


By the seventh night, Jason Shaw, so confident and brash, was a nervous wreck. He hadn't even left his home, falling asleep with a microwave meal on his lap. When he awoke, a polaroid photo rested upon his lap, his unfinished dinner moved to the floor. It was of him, alseep. Someone had taken it within the last hour. It had a note attached to it.


What the note says



Jason Shaw never broke the law again. Jayant Nagaraj had no reason to keep an eye on him any longer.