I took my seat at the back of the room. Within ten minutes the rest of the seats were filled. The defense attorney was there in the same row as myself.  The front two rows were reserved for the victims’ family members.  

There were so many people there. And yet only half of the victims were represented. 

One minute before midnight the curtains opened revealing a man handcuffed to a chair.

He was clearly sedated and yet he cried. “I didn’t do it!” He yelled. 

I could hear sobs from the man as well as victims as gas began to rise from vents around the inmates chair.

“You’re killing an innocent man.” He mumbled and then went limp.

The executioner let the gas continue for another minute until the state coroner called the official time of death.

A few of the family members thanked me for bringing them justice.  They thanked me for convicting the serial killer that killed their loved ones. But for the most part there was silence. Just the sound of sobs as people tried to grasp the last bit of closure.

A few detectives shook my hand as they exited the room. Even the defense attorney gave me a nod of approval before leaving the room.

I was the last one there. I watched as they incurred the inmate and loaded his corpse onto a gurney.

I felt a certain amount of pride as a District Attorney being able to bring such a high profile killer to justice. Elections were next month and this is exactly what I needed to secure my reelection. 

I also felt a certain amount of relief knowing that I had gotten away with all of those murders. Nobody would ever know I was the Seaside strangler and I pinned in on someone else.