"JOURNAL OF A CONTRACT KILLER" "Mi chiamo Stephanie Komack ho ventotto anni," "E sono una ragazza madre, uccido per professione." "My name is Stephanie Komack." "I'm 28 and a single mother and I kill people for money." "I'd killed fourteen people by the time I was nineteen and another ten by twenty-one" " mostly low-lives." "I was obviously good at it because they kept asking me back." "Remember in bed by eight - promise?" "Promise." "Call if you need anything" "love you" "Love you too mum." "Whisky and coke" "Are those for table two" "Yes" "I'll be back in a moment..." "Okay." "Matt, two reds and a white" "Hello Claudia... or is it Stephanie now?" "I think you've got the wrong person." "I'm disappointed, you know," "I expected to find you 'queen of the hill' by now, not slumming it in a shit-hole like this." "Well It's a living." "It's been seven years, don't you want to know how I've been keeping?" "Obviously not but then I suppose you never expected to see me here!" "Umh!" "Its a shame that I have to leave so soon but I have some business to attend..." "Here's my number Chiamami." "You were the best... now you smell of the kitchen!" "Who was that?" "Just some arsehole trying it on." "Zoe..." "Yeah I want you to turn-off the computer and go to bed... yes I want you to do it now... oh and don't answer the door..." "no, no, nothing's wrong I promise..." "Yeah just do as I say..." "Yeah I'll be back at home in a bit..." "OK?" "Alright." "I went to Italy because Carlo, who owned the garage where I worked, had family there." "I only intended to stay a couple of weeks," "but ended-up staying there three years." "That's when I decided to write it all down." "The first thing I wrote was on 16th February 1997..." ""went to a party at Sophia's place"... she was a niece of Carlo..." ""Got wasted and smoked too much blow." "Set eyes on the most beautiful man." "Woke-up in his bed the next morning and I was in love"" "if only it could have finished then." "But the pull of Alessandro..." "the partying... and the drugs..." "I just got sucked further and further into something I couldn't control." "I soon became totally dependant on Alessandro." "I'd have done anything for him, and I did." "Being a young prostitute from London was a novelty in Naples." "They especially liked my posh accent" "and Alessandro exploited it." "His father lived off fucking over other people, so he was just following in the family business although he was a psychotic with it." "You are doing really well." "I just need a break." "Go!" "You look tired... old..." "What do you want, Alessandro?" "Ah, Claudia..." "You've been a stranger all these years." "No letter... no call... nothing." "I brought you luck... made you money." "We were a good team..." "surely I deserve at least a call?" "...You know I still don't understand what it is that I ever saw in you..." "I knew how to Fuck!" "So what do you want!" "Franco sends his regards." "Our two families work together now." "We have something for you." "I don't do that work anymore." "You'll fly to Italy, meet with Franco... he's brief you." "Why me?" "We want a woman..." "a woman we can trust... and Franco always said good things about you... never new why!" "Do I have a choice?" "Your flight is at six tomorrow." "When you arrive, a car will be waiting to take you to Franco." "Driver, stop the car!" "When you get back to London, we must have dinner one night." "I'm going to be in London for a while." "Go!" "One of my clients was Franco Jano, who I found out later was a senior enforcer for the Cantellini Family." "I liked Franco, he treated me with respect." "Franco wanted to set me up in my own place." "But when I told Alessandro, he went crazy... said he'd destroy me if I ever tried to leave." "By then he'd become possessive and violent... felt he owned me." "What made matters worse was that there was bad blood between Alessandro's family and Franco's people." "Then an opportunity came up." "On one of my visits to Franco's weekend place, he asked if I'd be interested in making some extra money on the side." "He felt I'd be good at it." "That's how I got started." "I wrote here, "15th October."" "My first assignment:" "A test to see if I could do it..." "had the nerve for it." "I went out for a drive with two of Franco's men." "We stopped on a back street in Naples and I was handed a gun and he asked me to shoot a man walking down the street" "...a complete stranger"." "Do you know it even made the papers." "Apparently he was a respected school teacher." "The first person I killed for money was a 'john' that I'd been set-up with by Franco." ""18th November, visited Mr B"..." "never knew his real name..." ""at the Nero Hotel" " Room 16." "I shot Mr B in the head as he came - used a small Beretta, ...which Franco's boys had given me"" "I finished by writing:" ""Hairy man..." "small cock... short life."" "I even took a photo of him." "I got paid 10 million lira, around three-and-a-half grand at the time, plus the 'john' fee." "Thankfully I didn't have to dispose of the body." "Franco's boys did that." "But part of my training was to know how to do it." "I used to have to practice on a dead pig..." "By Cutting the body down to size so it could be stuffed into bags and disposed of." "I then had the confidence to confront Alessandro." "When I told him I was leaving, he went ballistic." "Hit me several times - threatened to ruin my face." "The next morning I left anyway - didn't leave a note..." "The truth is If he'd known I was pregnant, he'd have forced me to abort like he had twice before." "The truth is I didn't know he was the father." "That's when I came back to London." "Island of Ischia Naples, Italy" "Claudia" "Franco..." "Its so nice to see you." "Do you like what we've created here?" "It was hard work but worth it in the end." "We have a problem..." "I think you may be able to help us." "It's a sensitive problem so I'm telling you in the strictest of confidence." "It's a problem which needs handling with care that's why I thought of you." "...It pays particularly well." "I explained to Alessandro, I'm retired now from my old life." "Yes, you have a daughter." "How old?" "Seven." "That's such nice age." "Growing up, but still so much innocence." "You have a man?" "No... not a permanent one." "That's a waste - you're still a very attractive woman." "What is it you want me to do?" "Alessandro may have told you, our families are working together now." "It makes good business sense." "But there's been a problem with Alessandro." "It's something yes its something in his character." "He's always had it, but it's now got out of control, and he's 'related' which makes the problem sensitive." "He has become a serious liability to our business, and that cannot continue." "We'd like it done discreetly... out of the country." "That's why he's been sent to London." "If I agree to do this..." "what will be the repercussions... especially from his family?" "I'll look after that." "No one needs to know of your involvement." "It'll be treated as an internal matter... within the family strictly business." "And there'll be no further obligations you'll then leave me alone?" "Do the job right and you'll be left alone." "When do you want it done?" "We'll let you know, the place and time." "You need to tell me how you want to get paid, and where." "I don't have a choice in this do I Franco?" "Gianni will take you back to the airport." "Call me when it's done." "How was Italy?" "Great..." "Thanks for looking after Zoe, she really likes you." "It was only for one night." "Anyway thanks." "I brought you something from Italy." "It's beautiful." "How'd you like to stay at school during the week ...and then come home at weekends?" "What school?" "A new one." "Will I get my own room?" "Yeah, you'll share with other girls." "You want to get rid of me?" "Of course not!" "What makes you think that?" "Promise it's not because you want to get rid of me?" "Of course not, you're the most important thing in the whole world to me." "I only want what's best for you." "We don't have to make the decision now, we'll make it together like we always do." "Yeah." "A coloro che hanno piu' sara dato." "Those that have, shall be given more." "Alessandro's last words to me before I left Italy seven years ago." "I always knew there would be a price to pay for my past" "I always knew that Alessandro would come back to haunt me." "I always knew that he could be the father to my child... and that thought... chilled me." "Sali." "Get in, I'll drive you home, we'll talk on the way." "I waited half an hour - you never showed up." "Sali." "Franco, what did he want with you?" "You work together, so why ask me?" "I ask the questions!" "He wanted a bit of company." "He flies you over just for a fuck?" "He could afford any whore in Italy..." "Don't take me for a fool, or I'll bust your face!" "What the fuck do you want?" "Word is he wants me dead." "Has a contract out on me." "So why tell me?" "Because I think he asked you to do it." "You're still alive aren't you?" "I don't think you understand..." "I can have you killed..." "fucked over in an instant..." "Let me show you how it's done!" "Keep fucking driving!" "Stop the car!" "Stop the Fucking car!" "I know where you live and I know where you work." "I'm watching you every fucking moment!" "Get out!" "Out out out, get out the fucking car!" "Get out what the fuck what are you waiting for take this..." "Out out out" "Go." "This man is a traitor to my family!" "Here's your next job." "If you want Franco dead, do it yourself!" "You dishonour me." "I'm telling you, not asking!" "And I'm saying - fuck you!" "I always like it when you talk dirty." "You make my skin crawl." "There's a saying in our Family - 'see too much and you'll never see again'." "Don't make the mistake of picking the wrong side." ""When I'm pushed into a corner it helps me define what I believe and who I am..." "I've always been led to see what's beyond - what the future might hold." "Convention tries to say that this is what it is and don't go any further - those are the limits." "Beyond is the dark zone - danger, destruction, death." "But I aspire to see beyond what they are." "With every hit you lose a little more innocence, a belief that other things are possible." "The world closes in a bit." "I used to limit it to those that didn't seem threatening, now I do it out of necessity to survive."" "I wrote that the night I killed Alessandro," "the first man I ever loved." "He's inside he's waiting for you" "We have a problem." "What problem, Franco?" "You." "I did what you asked - he's dead." "I asked you to do it in private, not in the fucking street!" "I had no option - he knew you'd asked me to kill him." "Are you patronising me?" "Then how'd he know?" "He went crazy - raped me!" "Well it didn't come from me but as I told you, our families are working together now." "What does that mean?" "I'm a businessman - a pragmatic business man." "I do what I have to do to protect the business." "Are you hanging me out to dry, Franco?" "I'll do what I can to protect you." "My advice is lie low for a while." "Go away for a few weeks." "There's your money." "I'll be in touch." ""There's a side of me that always fell for manic things - the wrong man, psychotic sex killing." "My problem is I'm like a junkie." "I kill somebody and I think it's a fix, and then I don't get the fix." "It never happens." "Then I feel under threat." "It's a basic built- in paranoia." "Every time I go a little bit closer to insanity." "I knew that after my meeting with Franco, I had become vulnerable ...and I had a let a sudden rush of fury smother my thinking," "and I knew there would be a price to pay." "Sam was the first sign of that."" "When I got back from Italy, I took Franco's advice... and took Zoe away for a few days to a small sea side town on the south coast." "That's where I first laid eyes on Sam." "He was in his jeep reading his newspaper trying to be anonymous." "Then, when I got back to London," "I noticed Sam again snooping on me and Zoe." "For fuck's sake." "Move an inch and I'll blow your fucking head off!" "I don't like being spied on." "...Now who the fuck are you?" "I'm your guardian angel." "Don't smart-arse me." "Are you going to pull that trigger or not?" "Don't move a fucking inch!" "I take that as a 'no'." "Any chance of facing you?" "You know if I'm gonna take it in the side of the head I think I'd rather face my assassin." "Fuck You!" "Now you move an inch and I'll blow your fucking head off!" "Now get out." "What if I refuse?" "Then I'll tell the people I work for that you've turned into an ungrateful little shit and had to be disposed of." "Now get out!" "I do this for a living." "So do I." "Yeah, but it would seem I'm slightly better at it, right." "Now get out." "Go on." "It's nice." "I'll keep this in-lieu of the window." "Now fuck off!" "Don't go on those games all the time it costs a fortune." "You should get Broadband, then it'd cost you nothing." "Since when was Broadband free?" "Anyway you've got homework to do." "That's why I'm going on line." "Isn't that cheating?" "Everyone does it." "Well I don't approve." "Anyway Supper is ready." "You've got more pictures mum." "What do you mean?" "I don't want you going into my private mail, private means private!" "Now go and eat your supper." "The next day, after that first confrontation with Sam, he sent me a note asking me to meet him by the river near where I lived." "Why I went, I don't know." "Professional curiosity?" "Whatever." "Haven't you got anything better to do than follow me around?" "It pays well." "So who is paying you?" "I don't know... don't care." "So You're snooping on me and my daughter and you don't know who you're working for?" "I'm looking out for you, not snooping" "Looks like snooping to me." "I report each night to a recorded message." "Pick up my cash at a drop-off point." "I don't ask any questions." "I find that hard to believe." "Yeah well, you believe what you like." "Let me ask you something - if me and my daughter were in danger, what would you do?" "Nothing..." "I'm no longer on the payroll." "Well, that's reassuring to know." "Here," "You might be needing this." "Is that a warning?" "Yeah." "Have you got a camera?" "Not on me, no." "Why, you want to take a picture to remember me by?" "Just wondering." "A couple of weeks passed and things got back to some sort of normality." "Come on, we're late!" "OK..." "I'm coming!" "I'd heard nothing from Franco, which I took as a good sign, and Sam was no longer snooping."" "Okay!" "Have a nice day." "Bye Mum." "See you later!" "Hi." "You alright?" "...How's your daughter?" "OK" " She's back at school now." "Cool..." "And you?" "Fine... good days... bad days." "Look, you want to grab a coffee or something." "You still owe me for the car window, remember?" "Okay." "So, How's the snooping business?" "Quiet." "You're smashed up any more cars lately?" "Tell me, did I see you passing by my daughter's school in a taxi?" "Nightingale Lane?" "Mmm." "Yeah, I do live around there." "Do you?" "Why, is it a condemned area?" "No, I was just wondering." "I thought it was you." "Just wanted to be sure I wasn't imagining it." "I'm flattered you were thinking of me." "I was Actually more concerned you weren't up to your old 'snooping'." "Well look I told you, I don't do 'snooping'." "Oh I forgot - you're a minder who works for a faceless backer." "Right well I've got to go." "Look do you want to er you know go out for an evening maybe dinner or something?" "You asking me out on a date?" "Yeah." "Why is there a law against that?" "No" "Well you know if you've got a spare night." "And How do I reach you?" "You'll find me under 'Lovers' in the Yellow Pages." "Yeah I know pretty shitty line." "There you go." "Well I'm Stephanie but I'm sure you know that." "Sam." "Sam, you haven't been sending me e-mails or photos" "Why would I?" "Yeah You're right - why would you." "Hi" "Wow, I want to know how you are first." "I didn't come here for a news report." "I haven't heard anything for two weeks and all you want to do is fuck!" "I thought that's what we do?" "You don't show up at work... nobody knows where you are ...Steph I've been worried." "What do you want to know?" "What any friend would want to know?" "Are you okay?" "Where've you've been?" "Do you want to fuck or should I go?" "Is that all you want from me?" "Right now, yes." "Do you have some blow?" "I don't do blow." "I don't do casual sex." "Do you have some wine?" "Hey," "I'm sorry." "What else are you good at Sam?" "Gardening!" "Soixante-neuf!" "I fancy a drink." "Tonight..." "Having learnt how to inflict physical pain on another human being I became conditioned to the possibility that I too might suffer the same form of torture or retribution." "It came with the territory." "I saw how my victims coped when staring death in the face." "So to some extent I knew I could cope with the physical pain... the inevitability that my time was up... my punishment was due." "But the pain that I was to suffer the night when they took Zoe away and that look on her face and I was so totally helpless unable to save her... was far greater than anything I could have ever imagined..." "and to compound it all I knew I was responsible." "No mother could ever be prepared for anything like this to happen to her... but if it does happen... when it does happen... it's as though everything has been ripped out... you're in utter turmoil..." "it's as though life has ceased to exist, but you've been kept alive to suffer the worst kind of fate." "Fuck it!" "OK..." "Shall I continue?" "Take your time." "Omerta." "Total submission and obedience... the blind following of orders..." "the code of silence." "The main man would give his command and his word was never questioned." "Omerta - once given, it was sacrosanct."" "I see they're getting younger, Franco." "There's no one there." "They've all gone." "Giovanni..." "Pietro..." "I did it quickly... how you taught me." "So now it's just you and me." "What do you want?" "I want you to imagine a seven year old girl bound and gagged and snatched away in the middle of the night in front of her mother," "I don't know what you're talking about." "That's unfortunate because then I've come here for nothing." "Let me make a call." "The line's been cut!" "...and I have your mobile." "That's careless, Franco." "It must hold a lot of useful contacts." "I make the call or you have nothing." "Give me the names." "Franco." "Fuck you!" "It was local done out of London " "I had nothing to do with it." "Who in London?" "These are hollow tip bullets... and who taught me, Franco?" "The master, of all Capos, now about to be iced by a bitch." "The Family are going to love this!" "I'm going to read out the names..." "each denial you get a bullet." "Acconne?" "Ambrossi" "Daniel ...speak to Daniel." "Who's Daniel?" "Fuck you!" "Is Daniel on here?" "Found him" " Daniel!" "Fuck you!" "So tell me, who is Daniel?" "I want the names, Franco, and I've got all night... until the last drop of your putrid, diseased blood runs dry!" "I WANT THE NAMES!" "Just do it!" "Potenzziano... who is Potenzziano?" "Brambilla..." "Brazzo" "For these people, revenge is absolute." "There is no sentimentality with these people." "The stark reality was that my daughter was gone - gone forever." "Money - the police - there was nothing that would bring her back." "They just wanted me to suffer..." "the worst possible suffering." "And they knew ther e was nowhere for me to go." "What about the names?" ""Brambilla..." "Fiorello..." "Gatente..." "Giacalonne..." "Manfredi..." "Brazzo..." "Tarricone..." "Tresca..." "Vitale... these were the names I text a photo of Franco's dead body with the word 'Omerta'written in his own blood on the wall behind him." "Who knows, maybe I signed my own death warrant." "Hi Mike The usual thanks mate." "Here you go" "Thanks mate." "Cheers." "Well you know where it says..." "you know the usual place..." "Don't you ever return calls." "Oh." "Yeah will just call you back..." "OK yeah" "Hi" "I've left you messages - sent you e-mails." "Yeah," " I'm sorry." "I just needed some time alone." "You alright?" "Yeah Okay " "You want a drink?" "Yeah - a glass of red." "Look can you look after this, I just need to go to the loo." "Sure." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello... hello?" "Fucking bastard!" "Is everything okay?" "Ah..." "Yeah." "Er..." "Look do you mind if we do this another time..." "Something's come up." "Sure." "When you get an hour free, there's something I want to show you." "Oh Yeah, what's that?" "Its a surprise." "I'll give you a call." "Okay." "I forgot to ask - how's your daughter?" "She's at boarding school." "Oh cool..." "Yeah." "I'll be in touch." "Okay..." "And make sure you pick up your messages... yeah?" "Okay." "Who wants to see me?" "Out the back... there" "Cheers" "Hey..." "I'm sorry to drag you away." "Is everything OK..." "I haven't heard from you in a while..." "Look, I need you to do me a big favour..." "Of course." "I need to go away... and I need to go away for some time... but you've got to look after something for me when I'm gone..." "Are you sure everything is okay?" "Yeah... yeah... yeah... yeah" "What is it?" "I just can't tell you now..." "I'll explain everything later." "Yeah... its me..." "Yeah look how do I get into this place?" "You'll see on the right loads of doors... just carry on going..." "and its the last door..." "Oh yeah Okay, I think I see it." "What is this place?" "Its a storage depot... its been empty for ages, so I took it as my office." "What do you think?" "Ah, Yeah... it's interesting." "Do you want a coffee?" "Sure." "Cheers" "I want to show you something." "Do you know who this is?" "No." "Yeah..." "You're right." "It's difficult to make out anything with all that blood." "This is the same man before he was shot." "Recognize him now?" "No, should I?" "Well he definitely knows you has your number stored on his phone." "Dozens of names..." "mainly the elite of the Naples Mob ...and a few foreign names..." "like 'Daniel'." "Nah..." "You've lost me now." "Of course he was careless to have all these names on his phone and for getting them into the wrong hands." "But of course I've transcribed all these names onto this new phone, in fact several phones." "Are you fucking with me?" "You tell me?" "If I were to dial the number that's listed under 'Daniel' who do you think would answer?" "What the fuck is this?" "So you know my number?" "No, the number you gave me is this one." "Two different numbers - two different phones." "Nah... this is bullshit..." "I don't need this." "What is the collaboration between you and Franco?" "They hired me to protect you and your fucking little daughter they left messages..." "recorded messages on a phone..." "I never even fucking spoke to them..." "I just did my job and got paid." "So why the two different numbers - the two different phones?" "Because I keep business and pleasure separate." "Fuck you!" "I figured you'd come back." "Society says that people like you and I should feel remorse." "Do you feel remorse?" "Did you feel remorse when you killed my little girl?" "Seven years old." "Does your fee go up the younger they are?" "How much did they pay you, Daniel?" "You should have done the whole job - killed me at the same time." "But they didn't want that, did they?" "They wanted me to suffer." "Go on what's stopping you?" "A quick bullet to the head and my living hell's over." "Or do you want to get paid first?" "Want a cup?" "Or maybe you're worried of who I might have talked to?" "The Naples Mob don't like being embarrassed." "A job that blows up in their face involving a seven year old girl doesn't sit very well with the Family or their foot soldiers." "No..." "You don't fuck with them." "They'll find you." "And then inflict the pain, and it's slow and cruel." "I know, because I've seen them do it." "They track you down - and all your boys." "And they inflict pain - and they leave nothing to chance..." "There's no escape." "So..." "That's from me and that's from Zoe!" "The last thing I wrote was on Friday 25th of May 2007." "Ironic isn't it, I spent years killing other people and yet when it came to killing myself I just couldn't do it." "I 'Id have to rely on someone else to do the job for me." "Sarah, I am not sure how to start this..." "I was never much one for letter writing." "Zoe and I have gone away." "We won't be seeing you again and that makes me sad - and Zoe too." "We want to leave you something to remember us by... its somewhere I fell in love with and on a whim bought it... felt it could be a place to escape to... my little nest egg." "It's called Pear Tree Cottage." "I think you will like it." "I've had the papers drawn-up, so now it's yours." "But when you find out how I managed to pay for the place," "I'll understand if you decide to sell it and use the money for something else." "Always your friend." "Love Steph." ""..." "For these people revenge is absolute." ""..." "The stark reality was that my daughter was gone... gone forever." " Has she signed-off on it?" " The police..." " Yeah." " There was nothing that" " She approached me to film - would bring her back..."" "Why you?" "We know each other from way back - we went to school together." "She just wants her story out there." "The blind following of orders... the code of silence." "The main man would give his command" " How much material have you got?" " And his word was never questioned..."" "Two 40-minute tapes." "Get me a transcript as soon as possible and I'll clear it with Legal." "In the meantime, don't let those tapes out of your sight they're gold dust." "Well done, Bill." "I'll be in touch." "Thanks mate." "See you." ""..." "Omerta, total submission and obedience... the blind following of orders..." "the code of silence" "The main man would give his command and his word was never questioned." "Omerta, once given it was sacrosanct..."" ""..." "I text a photo of Franco's dead body..."" "Leave me." "You even failed at this." "Maybe God just wanted to spare you." "The first rule of the assassin never rely on just one bullet." "My boys would have taught you always to shoot twice." "But then what do you expect if your teacher was a second- rate looser like Franco Jano." "Where is my daughter?" "Ah, I forgot..." "I've read everything about your life." "You even made a film." "Touching!" "Where's my daughter?" "You were always more appealing when you needed me." "Where's my daughter?" "Where did you take her?" "You should ask Franco." "...but then you killed him didn't you?" "You could ask my father, but then to him you're Satan who mangled his only son." "For him you'd have been better off killing me, at least there's a sense of honour in that." "Instead, he's left with a disabled freak that he cannot even bring himself to acknowledge." "I've been disowned by the Family," "They've taken everything from me - shamed me - abandoned me." "So you see, Claudia, we have both been made to suffer a fate worse than death." "Ironic, isn't it, my father could have killed his first and only grandchild" "Michele..." "There are two bullets... this time don't make a mistake." "No." "Claudia..." "The code of my family is to seek absolute revenge, and there hasn't been a single day since you tried to kill me, when part of me hasn't relished your suffering." "But whatever you may think of me," "Whatever my upbringing and past loyalties." "I would never never kill a child." "I want you to know that." "Did you have to wait all of this time to have a little humility?" "Who knows?" "Maybe because I've been paralysed" "And left like a dog." "Hidden away from the outside world, with just the loyalty of a few that my father allowed to serve me." "I've mellowed a little." "But what I do know... is neither you or I any longer has a place in this world." "Just remember that." "And me..." "I've lost all my self-respect and any reason to live." "So finish what you set out to do the first time." "Kill me..." "Kill me" "Do this for me" "What are you waiting for?" "Shoot!" "Shoot Me!" "I don't do this anymore." "I'm going to go for a long walk." "You can kill me if you like." "I'm glad it wasn't you that took my little girl." "No... no let her go." "Michele, come... lets go." "The only report of the shooting of Stephanie Komack was a short article in a Sussex newspaper, plus a brief mention on regional television" "The local council arranged her cremation." "Nobody attended the funeral." "They never found her daughter, Zoe"