Walking toward a killer?

We walk our dog on weekday mornings along the paths around the university where I work. The paths weave in and out of forested areas and along a creek. They are covered with pea gravel or cedar chips, but a few sections are wood-slat walkways through high grasses. In the mornings, the grasses and surrounding flora and fauna are covered in dew. Our dog loves to chase the birds, squirrels and rabbits through the high grass--coating his fur in a layer of dew, grass, and pieces of blackberry bush. His joy is contagious, even on a Monday morning.

Today, near the end of our walk, I found a laminated list on the ground. It was a 3"x 3" typed, laminated list with 23 names- they were numbered with 12 names on the front and 11 on the back. I didn't recognize the names, but that means next to nothing. I wondered aloud at its origins-- the names and numbers of players on a sports team, a seating chart, rankings of students by grade, etc. (A theme emerged, influenced by the proximity to a college campus.)

My partner, JJ, automatically went dark. His prediction? A hit list. 

Let's move forward on that assumption. A picture of this assassin is beginning to form. I am working on some possible scenarios for the lost list:

• They are working on his organization skills. The first step is admitting you have a problem.
• They were supposed to memorize the list and then burn it, but their memory isn't what it used to be.
• They're a list maker and finds pleasure in crossing off a task- but they only use dry erase pens just in case something doesn't work out.

What do you think? Any good reasons an assassin would carry around a laminated list of their victims?