The scene around the figure began to focus slowly. The walls to his left and right came into view. The bright lights above bounced off the smooth white interior. The floor, a black tile effect, gained in detail. He could see the cracks and chips in the stone slabs and he followed the pattern to the feet of the unknown guest. Nathan began to walk sideways, moving to his left one foot at a time, his feet offered a low click as the heel of his shoes connected with the tile. The blurred figure remained still, whistling his tune over and over again.
He watched as the detail of the floor and walls neared each other, his vision was nearly in focus. The metal table legs glimmered as they caught the light. The beams from above displayed a copious amount of dust, the tiny particles dancing above the figure’s hair.
The table top came into view and he noticed a pale blur moving at the end. He squinted, edging slightly closer with the wheel brace vibrating as it built up tension in his hand. The closer he moved, the clearer the scene became, his heart urged him to stop, to turn around and flee. His mind, on the other hand, was intrigued by the vision before him, he needed to see, to know what he was being shown.
He froze, unable to move……unable to breathe.
The young boy’s face turned to look at him. The golden hair matted with blood on one side. His eyes appeared black……..distant. The boy’s mouth slowly opened. Nathan tilted his head to one side as he attempted to read the words the boy was speaking……..he focused harder……………….HELLLP MEEEEE.
The crunching sound startled him and he watched as the boys head fell to the side. The crimson liquid pooled up under his naked body, the fragile bones within his body were cracked in two, the rib cage snapped open piece by piece, the blurred figure operated messily. The table was too shallow to hold the child’s escaping life and the blood began seeping over the edges. Small puddles began forming under the figures feet, he remained still.
The wheel brace connected with the stone flooring and sent a clanging noise through the room. The figure turned sharply, its dark red eyes fixed on Nathan. He turned to run but couldn’t……….the beast closed in one step at a time, the blood overflowing rapidly and covering the floor. The figure was closer now……Nathan tried to scream…….he couldn’t breathe……he was choking.
Jack shook his shoulders violently. The gasp awoke him and he stumbled from the chair to the carpet below. Startled he scanned the room quickly, trying to gather himself. Jack kneeled next to his friend, shaken by what he just witnessed. He waited until Nathan had come to, his eyes wide with fear.
‘Nathan…..hey, you okay?’ he placed his hands gently either side of his face.
‘Nathan look at me man…….that’s it……now breathe.’ He watched as Nathan began to recognise his surroundings, still slightly disorientated.
‘Holy shit Jack……..I couldn’t breathe!’ gasping.
‘Hospital now…..come on’ attempting to pull him up.
‘No……I’m fine’ he struggled.
‘Bull-shit you’re fine…..up now!’ Jack pulled him up and lowered him down onto the seat.
‘Just breathe slowly mate…….tell me this is the first time this has happened’
Nathan shook his head.
‘Okay, how many times?’
His friend shrugged his shoulders.
‘Come on you old fool, stop acting like I’ve just smacked your ass…….how many?’
‘Hey……….I’m forty six years old Jack…..these things happen!’
‘Bollocks they do…….I’m pushing fifty!’ a glare fired towards him from Nathan, ‘Ok fifty two……and that has never happened to me!’
‘Look……take a seat!’ Nathan advised.
Jack lowered his body to the floor. He leant his back against the wall and brought his knees up to his chest, still frightened by what he walked in on.
‘You remember what happened last time I helped you?’
‘Of course’.
‘Well you didn’t get the full story……..the reason why I ended up the way I did and what happened to me after it……………it’s because of that why Elle doesn’t like you so much!’
‘Ah, I see………….care to share?’
The mobile phone in Jack’s coat pocket began ringing an annoying tone. He dug deep to retrieve it.
‘Hold that thought a sec’ his finger held up towards Nathan who was still dazed.
‘Dawson…………………..WHEN?’ the call ended shortly after.
‘What is it?’
‘The Wolf…………He’s got another!’
Chapter Six
The Mercedes sped down the busy street, the siren blaring wildly to instruct the blocking vehicles to move. London was the worst place to drive when in a hurry. Nathan felt himself reaching for the driver’s headrest, something sturdy to help support his position as he began sliding to the opposite side of the car. Malcolm gripped the steering wheel and appeared to put all his body weight into each turn, the wheels skidded upon the gritted roads.
‘The call came from a Primary School located three miles out of London. This afternoon a girl was reported missing………..so is her teacher!’
‘Do you think there’s a connection?’
‘Possible…….we can assume for now that there is. The headmaster called the number from the pamphlets we had dished out………good call that mate!’
‘Common sense really’.
‘How you feeling?’ his face displayed concern.
‘Jack……I’m fine…honestly!’
‘Good….we can finish that chat once we catch this prick!’
‘Deal!’
They stopped outside the school entrance. The children were still inside as the end of school was slowly approaching. The young Constable made her way to the car as Jack and Nathan were climbing out.
‘Sir’ she began.
‘Talk and walk…….what happened?’
‘The kids were out on their lunch break. The bell rang, they all came in apart from one…….a ten year old girl called Abby Clough.’ Jack looked at Nathan.
‘Her parents were called in by the school, they’re inside now.’
‘Okay’.
‘I also suggested that the children and staff remain here as to question them’.
‘Good, thank you……….what about the missing teacher?’
‘Well….he was a substitute teacher brought in this morning. The teachers noticed he was also missing when the head count order came to each class……the children were just sat in the room on their own. We searched the school and perimeter, but they’re not here. There’s no sign of a struggle on the premises or around the school for a fifty metre radius.’
Jack was impressed. The relay of information from the woman and her attention to detail was impeccable.
‘Great work….stay with us, we could use another clear head on this’.
‘Yes Sir’ attempting to hide a smile.
They entered the double doors noticing the smudges of tiny hands as children had dragged them down the glass. Nathan spied the collage of art work pinned to the boards, the long wooden panels had a blue fabric background although only tiny segments could be seen from under the paintings and small child hand prints, all in an array of colours. This was a place that should never be the hive for an investigation. The building had a welcoming feeling, like a home away from home. It was the type of school he would have liked to go to when he was a child. Paintings of smiling kids and wagging tailed dogs belonged…….not a crime scene investigation for an abduction case. The corridors were cluttered with uniformed officers, each and every one had their own designated task, none of them seemed wasted, they all moved with speed to accomplish their orders.
The teachers were segregated from one and other, a protocol which had been played for a long time when interviewing a possible witness…..keep them separate so they can’t converse with other possible witnesses, that way, the stories that are relayed to the interviewers are fact from the witnes
ses perspective, if they talk with friends beforehand, other events come in to play, ones they may not have seen. Every room had been occupied as it was a small school. With the children, stood a police Constable, making an effort to engage with them and keep them distracted from the new visitors. Whilst chatting and appearing friendly they fired some vital questions for the class to answer, so who played with Abby at lunch time?......what did you play?.....where did she go after you finished playing?
It was a long shot but on some occasions a child has provided a small piece of evidence to help push them in the right direction. It was the teachers who received the interrogation full force, especially the Head Master. Jack had entered the Head’s office with Nathan. The parents of the missing girl were sat at his desk, their heads turned as the men entered. The small, balding man stood from his chair to greet them and Jack flashed an un-convincing smile. He motioned to the PC stood in the room to exit, the door clicked shut as he left.
‘Mr Mundon, Simon Mundon?’
‘Yes Detective’ he answered timidly
‘Chief Inspector’ his eyes connected with the Head Masters.
Nathan looked the small man up and down. He didn’t come across as an ideal Head. He wasn’t much of a frightening figure for the children to fear. He remembered his Head Mistress, Jesus she was evil!
‘Sir, we have a situation here as you may well know’.
‘Yes we do’.
‘What can you tell me about the Sub Teacher who has also disappeared?’
‘Well, it was the first time I had met him. But he came highly recommended by St Paul’s Primary School………he was a teacher there for a long time, so they told me’.
‘Right, how did he appear?’
‘Well at first I thought he was too young to be a teacher, never mind a substitute. He was a charming man and knew his English Literature very well. I was surprised to be honest, but he seemed ideal for the position.’
‘Do you have any records detailing his place of residence, a CV maybe?’
‘Yes of course, we complete a thorough check of any possible teachers, to ensure they are the best person for the job. He has been on our records here for several weeks. We needed an English teacher to cover for Miss Carrigot. We received a text message this morning from her, saying that she was too sick to come in. The receptionists had to find a replacement and quick, Mr Breen was the ideal person for the job!’
‘When was he noticed missing?’
‘Well, it would be after lunch. We complete a head count every time the children return from outside. We noticed he wasn’t in the classroom when the receptionist had set out to collect the numbers……that’s also when we noticed that Abby had gone’.
Jack had been taking notes throughout the whole conversation, barely raising his head to face the man.
‘I see. Can you arrange a copy of Mr Breen’s personal details please?’
‘I’ll ask Anne to get it for you…….Breen, Oliver Breen…..that’s his name.’
Jack extended his arm, thanking the mole like man.
‘Afternoon, I am Chief Inspector Dawson, you are the girl’s parents?’ he asked, talking to the couple.
‘Yes, what’s going on….where’s our daughter?’
‘We are doing everything possible right now. I will see that a member of the team speaks with you, I will be speaking with you both at a later date also, there is information that I can possibly act on now. So I apologise if I seem abrupt, it is not intended!’ he offered a small smile as they exited the room.
‘Is that it?’ Nathan quizzed.
‘What?’
‘We were in there less than five minutes!’
‘Look, I’m not wasting time here. We have a team to continue with the interviews…..and we may have an address to go to!’
Nathan followed Jack to the reception as he requested the address for Oliver Breen. Anne had finished printing the personal information and handed Jack the pages, he winked and folded them into his pocket as they left the scene.
The female constable met them at the school gate, she stepped towards Jack as they neared. Her posture showed that she awaited another task, Jack gave her one. He assigned her the objective of door to door enquiries, as many PC’s as she needed. He believed somebody on the street must have seen something. He confirmed that the task was understood and climbed into the vehicle, Nathan stood at the driver’s side the whole time, observing Jack as he buzzed with adrenalin. The navigation system beeped as Jack entered the details of the address into the locate menu. Several seconds later the destination appeared.
‘Forty minutes away, the other side of London’ he said to Nathan who was sat in the driver’s seat.
‘Roger, just give me the heads up if we head off course…..it’s being a while since I drove in London’.
‘Brilliant’ the sarcasm created a war of stares between the two men. The car pulled off slowly leaving the pandemonium behind. They could feel the familiar buzz of closing in on a lead. The excitement showed as Nathan’s foot began to push harder down onto the accelerator, Jack allowed it……he also felt the thrill pulsing through his veins. It had been a long time since the two had worked side by side. The partnership was a strong bond, one that was impossible to break. They fed upon each other’s rush of adrenalin, boosting one and other further into a case. They both hoped that it worked this time.
The car came to a halt as they caught the tail end of traffic. The snow had caused a vehicle to spin and collide with another. The holdup aided in the recent adrenalin rush to expire. The men found themselves moaning, Nathan slapped the steering wheel with his hand as the other rubbed his forehead.
‘Well, we have a bit of time to kill……….how about you fill me in with the reason you were choking in the room!’
‘You want to know now?’
‘Why not, it’s a better time than any’
‘I suppose’ Nathan shuffled in his seat, pulling the small black lever by his left leg, the chair reclined slightly.
‘Last time you asked for my help…..whilst Elle and I still lived in London, there were a few issues I….no, we had to deal with. That’s why we flew to Spain, to get away from the past’.
‘You’re on about a fresh start yeah?’
‘Pretty much yeah, well, I suffered from severe nightmares for close to twelve months. I mean these things were in full detail, I would wake up dripping and soaked in sweat…….sometimes I would sleep walk and Elle had to find me when she realised I wasn’t there.’
‘This is what was happening in the room?’
‘Similar……..they started the first night I landed’.
‘The same dreams as before?’
‘No. Not quite the same but there are similarities. When I worked on the Golden Boy case, remember the house I located him in?’
‘I think so, the derelict building?’ his memory fuzzy.
‘Yeah, well, the old dreams were based in that house. The detail was exactly the same as what I saw…..so good I even smell the same stench from where the bodies were found in the cellar and the walls. The dreams I am having at the moment are the exact same house, same smell…..same everything, apart from the room.’
‘The room?’ his eye brows raised slightly.
‘I get to the top of the stairs and there is a door to a room. That is the room where I found the killer and young boy. But this time the room is bright, I mean I can’t see shit to start with……….but I can hear the song.’ he shuffled once again.
‘Hey there little red riding hood….you sure are looking good….you’re everything a big bad wolf could want. It’s on repeat too. I can see a figure at a table, but it’s blurred and I can’t make out who it is. I get closer with a weapon in my hand. On the table is one of the Golden Boy’s victims. Not the last one, it’s a boy we didn’t save…..second or third I think. Well he looks at me and mouths the words help me………….’
‘Jesus Nathan’ Jack bewildered by his friends story.
> ‘Yeah I know. But the figure then does something to the boy and a shit load of blood starts flowing onto the floor. The figure turns to me as I drop the wheel brace and walks up slowly…………I can’t breathe or move. That’s when you woke me!’ he told the story looking through the windscreen, he felt his friend’s eyes watching him with every word he spoke. He then realised it was the first time he had told anyone apart from his wife.
‘Nathan…….that’s deep. But its normal mate, some people suffer from it for long periods of time……some never get over it!’ he tried to reassure.
‘Suppose’
‘What happened in that house though mate?’ he knew it was wrong to ask but the moment was perfect. His friend had just opened up to him for the first time in their history together………he was intrigued to know more.
‘Jack……..you don’t need to know mate. Elle doesn’t even know the whole story. All she knows is that I went to catch the killer and save the boy. Then I ended up with severe lacerations and shock trauma. To be honest I’m not sure what happened!’ he lied.
‘Right………but you did save a boy’s life!’
‘Yeah……Theo Jameson…..poor fella.’ he remembered the boy well. His golden blonde hair was cut in a mushroom style. His weak body was battered and bruised. The small cut to his chest was bleeding lightly, allowing a constant trickle to escape the hole.
‘Well I suggest we keep it under wraps……last thing we need in this case is Doctor fucking Lime screwing things up when he requests to perform a Psycho Analysis on you!’ his tone attempting to create a slight humour. It failed.
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