Little Red

by Justin Cairns

  ‘All clear….the house is all clear’ shouted Pete from the top floor.

  ‘All teams that’s an All Clear, I say again All Clear’ Jack repeated into the handheld radio. The task teams outside confirmed his last message as he walked through the building. There was no sign of life.

  Nathan walked alone, the top floor being searched by the assigned team. Each room he entered was followed with a shake of the head. The individuals searched through wardrobes and cabinets, finding nothing or relevance to The Wolf. Jack stood in the living room, his fingers secretly crossed out of sight.

  ‘I hate to say it’ began Nathan as he joined his friend.

  ‘Well don’t, please’ Jack stopped him finishing his statement.

  They stood side by side as the pandemonium occurred before their eyes, the vigorous searching and the unwanted results. They were presented with an awkward situation. Both men believed that this was the location of the beast they were hunting, but the evidence failed to show them that they were right. Through the back window they spotted two men at the shed. They were in conversation with each other but the words could not be heard. They ushered the hooligan tool over and began wedging it above the lock. Jack moved towards the rear door and Nathan followed, eager to see what was happening. Jack opened his mouth to speak but his words were drowned out by the splitting of the wooden door, the light brown splinters shooting towards the men breaking in. Jack moved closer to observe.

  ‘Anything?’ he asked

  ‘Not sure Sir, wait one’ the PC entered the shed, his head rotating as he scanned his new surroundings.

  ‘What do you see?’ quizzed Jack as he stepped closer to the broken door.

  ‘There’s a barrel, a large barrel’ came the voice.

  ‘Barrel?’ whispered Nathan. They moved to the doorway and watched the officer drag the container into view. He rocked it steadily from side to side, pulling each time an end was lifted from the ground.

  ‘Fuck me it’s heavy’ he spat as he neared the door. The oil drum was sealed by three metal clasps, the teeth bit around the lid. Wiping his brow, the man who retrieved it stepped aside, allowing Jack to take his place.

  ‘What do you think?’ he asked Nathan without eye contact.

  ‘Could be anything’

  ‘Could be a bomb!’ the words faint from behind them. Everybody turned to face the person who issued the statement. The female officer stood with her hands on her hips.

  ‘Could be!’ she said.

  ‘She’s right Jack. May be worth getting the EOD team down here to give it a once over’ Nathan concerned by her words. Jack pondered the idea, his eyes closed as the cool wind chilled his sweat soaked body.

  ‘No. There’s no time….we need to open it now’ his hand reaching for the hooligan. The people watching the scene began to step back cautiously, as if something was going to spring from within the container. The tool was rammed under the first clasp, wedging it up slowly until it pinged free. Nathan felt himself following suit and moving rearwards. The second ping followed…the third close behind.

  Jack placed both hands either side of the circular lid and shifted it to one side. The smell hit them instantly. Jack curled over to his side, Nathan threw his arm up under his nose; several observers emptied the contents of their stomachs. The pungent smell burned at their nostrils. They blinked away tears as the smell delivered an instant headache. Coughs spurted in all directions as Jack stood to witness the reason for such a stench. The liquid inside was thick, almost curdled. Chunks floated with green and yellow foam upon the surface. He moved in closer to identify the find. Peeking from under the reeking substance was a greying object; he kicked the side of the drum and watched as the insides wobbled. The object rolled in its place. The eye sockets starring back at him, the dead teeth offering an unwelcome grin.

  The barrel was sealed within a sheet of plastic and taped up tight. The contents and smell were hidden, like a gift, all wrapped up for the forensics team to open. Jack sat on a wiry chair in the garden, the cigarette placed between his lips. Nathan strolled over and sat on the grass next to him, the packet was placed in front of him and he pulled a stick from its home. The smell of nicotine helped to clear the previous fowl stench.

  ‘I believe we just found the real Mr Breen’ stated Jack as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

  ‘My thoughts exactly’.

  They sat in silence, different versions of the last hour and a half repeating in their heads. Their bodies relaxed and began to come down from the adrenalin high they had been suffering from. Jack felt like a wall had been placed in his way, the investigation crept further away from his grasp. They watched as the evidence was lifted and carried into the rear of the Forensic van, the doors slammed shut as they container was secured down with several ratchet straps. Jack extinguished the smoke on the freezing ground and placed the butt in his pocket.

  ‘Don’t forget to bring your evidence mate’ pointing at Nathans fag. He stood slowly and stretched his arms wide, grunting as his muscles ached. Nathan got to his feet and followed behind. The voice came from behind as they shuffled towards the vehicle. Both men turned to face the calling.

  ‘Sir’s…….we may have found something of use’ the Constable declared, his eyes wide with a slight tint of excitement. The A4 size books were sealed with several evidence bags, the red print letters warned the holder of the items that they were of importance. Jack turned one over in his hands. The white sticky label, coming free at one corner, sat at the top right of the black book. It offered a date.

  ‘What are they?’ he quizzed, hoping to tear open the package.

  ‘We have one yet to be packed Sir’ the book poised before him. He placed a pair of latex gloves onto his hands and gently grasped the item, his fingers moved cautiously as if it were a delicate artefact of great importance. His eyes met a label similar to the last book, a date hand written upon it. He was provided with a list of names, dates and times as it was opened. The words were clear, all joined with a stylish flick or curl in certain letters.

  ‘It’s a record!’

  ‘A record of what?’ asked Nathan.

  ‘It looks like Mr Breen home tutored in his spare time. These must be the records of his students’.

  ‘Jack……we need to get these back and searched for the names of the victims!’

  ‘I agree’.

  Both men knew that sleep was not an option for them, sleep seemed like a reward that had been taken away since the case began. Nathan didn’t mind, he wanted a night off from the darkness lurking within his mind.

  ***

  Doctor Lime gathered the copies he had printed from the files he viewed. So far roughly twenty sheets had been ejected from the machine, it groaned as more were being produced. He had started with the results of Nathans Psychological tests. His eyes had widened at the words that appeared before him, Mentally Unstable, Unfit to perform an active duty and must receive Trauma counselling, were his most favourable. Hidden inside the folder was an un-named file, the first six pages were blank. William had become bored of searching them until he passed the sixth white sheet. The seventh began with bold lettering displaying, The Golden Boy Case File. He froze stiff; his limbs were numb with shock. Here, before his very eyes, were the secrets hidden away from the prying eyes of the department. The list of in-depth procedures and methods used by Nathan were shown. The names of the victims and details of each kill were also included. But what William failed to see was that the conclusion to the case was missing.

  He spun in an anti-clockwise circle, his legs kicking the chair around. The printer spat out the remaining pages and he collected them in a bundle. He noticed that a paper clip or stable would fail to hold the information together as the amount was too large, he began breaking the information down into categories. The staples were fired into the top left corners and he placed the evidence into a brown envelope. He looked upon the package, knowing that what was hidden inside had the potential to make him famous…..very ri
ch and very famous. He kissed it smack bang in the middle.

  ‘Thank you’ he said aloud, his eyes looking to an imaginary sky above.

  ***

  Russell awoke mid-afternoon. His slumber had lasted longer than he had planned. The dream had taken up some valuable time. He felt fresh, like an animal that had woken from hibernation. He stretched his toned arms wide and let his chest expand fully as he sucked in the air around him. The thoughts for consideration swarmed his mind once again, take her now or wait until the planned date? He stood in complete darkness, his body reeking of sweat. He hadn’t showered for a long time, since the first girl was taken. It hadn’t been a priority for him. He planned the events of the evening and decided to clean himself, personal admin was a must and he had let himself down, his armpits made him aware of that.

  The water warmed his skin as it rained down upon his head. His black hair was flattened to his scalp as the shower soaked it. He lathered his body with soap and pondered upon the question he had asked himself previously. He paused to weigh up his options.

  ‘Fuck it!’ he bellowed, rapidly washing the suds from his skin. He jumped from under the trickling water and dried himself quickly. The mirror caught his eye and he glared at the beast.

  ‘My, what big teeth you have’ grinning at the reflection. He pulled the same clothing back on and bolted down the stairs, the thuds from his feet echoing through the house. He opened the storage cabinet and removed his black bag. The items were removed and checked thoroughly, his main interest was the Chloroform. Seeing that he had enough of the liquid to proceed, he zipped up the items and gripped the carry handles. The cellar door creaked as he opened it. The stairs were illuminated as he switched the lighting on, he could find his way easily in the dark but he needed to see that everything was in order before his guest arrived. The entrance to his den was open and he poked his head passed the door. The lights came to life and he checked the interior with his eyes, that’s ready……that’s good to go….it’s all good to go.

  The temperature outside was starting to drop but the extremities were no concern to him. He knew that the early capture would be difficult. He didn’t know enough of her patterns to be able to say where she was right now. He would hate to have a wasted journey and come back empty handed, but to him, that was better than not trying at all. The engine roared to life and the road was lit by the headlights, he decided to plan on route.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Nathan sat in his office, his eye lids feeling heavy. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept, symptoms of Insomnia started to kick in. He struggled to focus on the images upon the wall, he fought to stay awake. The team had worked late, some through the night. Individuals were tasked to comb through the records located at Mr Breen’s home. The evidence required was any of the victim’s names, dates they had been tutored and all other names tutored that same day. Nathan believed that the killer will have known Mr Breen and possible met his victims there also. The light tapping at his door brought him back from his drift off, he turned in the chair.

  ‘Come in’

  ‘Sorry to bother you Mr Crawley’ the young PC offered.

  ‘No it’s fine, good timing actually’ he stood and stretched his weak limbs, the shoulder giving the usual shooting pains.

  ‘I needed to see you this morning, but with the obvious search, it was a bit difficult’. He gathered a small stack of notes from the desk and handed them to her, the facial expression showed she required some explanation.

  ‘This is a list of details I believe would be worth looking into. Seeing as though we have determined that the killer is a collector, we need to establish why he collects the hearts. He may have previous convictions involving young girls or may have been involved with something that matches the MO he uses’

  ‘Okay. I’ll start in the morning, archives will be the best place to start. Can I get help with this, I mean, can I ask a colleague to help with the searches?’

  ‘Of course, if it quickens the process I shouldn’t see Jack having a problem with it’ he finished with a smile and the young woman departed his office. He dropped into his chair. He knew Jack would be typing up his report, but in honesty, he didn’t want to visit him……he wanted to sleep.

  The house was surrounded by an eerie darkness. He stood at the wall, gazing up through the windows. There was a dim light coming from inside, the brightness dulled by black voiles hanging from the curtain poles. He watched as the snow gathered upon his shoulders, the cold attacking his skin. Movement caught his eye, he waited to see it again; to confirm his eyes weren’t playing tricks on his mind. There it was, again, passing the window. He looked down into his hands, noticing the torch in one and wheel brace in the other. His body began to float towards the open door, he wanted to stay still, to stay outside with the cold and observe. The blackness swallowed him and he stood before the stairway, unsure of how he entered. The walls were stained with a yellow tint, scorch marks scattered from the ground to the ceiling, a fire that managed to lick its way to the top. His light guided a narrow path to the landing, the beam shook as his fear caused a constant shake. He crept up each step, his mind begging him to turn around and leave. Curiosity controlled his movements, though they were slow; he edged his way closer. He approached the top step and his heart jumped, beating wildly and aching its bone cage. The young boy passed through the beam, paying him no attention and moving down the corridor. Nathan braced himself as the shock of the boys sudden appearance caused an instant scare. He leaned against the wall to gather his courage.

  The corridor was empty as he peeked around the corner, the pale boy had disappeared. He moved cautiously over the wooden floor, creaks and cracks greeting his feet. The door was closed as he approached it, a low noise coming from behind. The dripping sound increased as he placed his ear against the burnt wooden obstruction. Drip……Drip……Drip.

  He stood silently, attempting to imagine the cause of the increasingly annoying sound. Drip……Drip……………

  The noise seized, he stepped back and the heel of his foot slipped. He reached out to the walls next to him and steadied his posture with his fingers. The torch was dropped and it delivered a loud clunk noise at it made contact with the wood. It rolled to a stop, illuminating the base of the door.

  Drip……………Drip……Drip…Drip. The sound had returned, increasing in tempo with each drip. His eyes met the base of the door, the red liquid pooling in the light. With each drip the puddle became larger, the thin stream snaking towards his feet. He snatched the torch and stepped to one side as the blood flowed past him, he embraced the handle and forced his shoulder into the wooden structure. The splinters fired up into his face as the lock was snapped free from its home. The room was coated with splatters of life, streaks of blood scattered from the floor upwards. It ran like a tap from the bed, curdling into froth as it hit the floor. The beast knelt upon the large bed, the young boy in his arms. Nathan stepped forward, reaching for the child. Its teeth were pushed into his neck, he screamed a deafening pitch and Nathan stumbled to one side. He watched as the Wolf pulled his throat open, the delicate skin tearing from the incisions of his teeth. He ran towards the monster, wheel brace in hand. The chunk of flesh dangled from its large teeth. He swung hard, bringing the weapon down and striking the beast’s cranium. He followed the momentum had hit the floor, his body soaked in the blood. The body landed next to him, the boy’s lifeless eyes staring into his own.

  Nathan woke as his door was opened. Startled, he turned to face his visitor.

  ‘You’re bleeding’ Lime’s fat finger aimed at Nathans face. He placed a hand under his nose and swiped from left to right. The blood streaked along one finger.

  ‘I didn’t realise you were asleep’ he began.

  ‘Neither did I, what is it Doc?’

  ‘Well, I’m not sure how to put this’

  ‘Put what Doc?’

  ‘Well, it’s getting late, maybe we should talk tomorrow!’

&nbs
p; ‘Look, you just woke me to tell me something so just spit the fucker out and then leave me alone!’ he shouted.

  ‘Okay, if that’s what you want Mr Crawley!’ William sat himself down upon the corner of the desk, the documents on top were pushed to the floor.

  ‘Let’s start by saying…..I know!’

  ‘You know, what the fuck does that mean, you know?’ Nathan began to feel agitated.

  ‘I have seen your files Mr Crawley, I know!’ nodding his head

  Nathan paused before he fired another insult towards him. He’s bluffing. Jack hid those files…..he’s fucking bluffing.

  ‘I’m not sure I follow you’

  ‘Oh you do, the Psychological details, the reason why you left the force. Nathan, I know.’ His smile irritated his opponent.

  ‘Bullshit!’

  ‘Ha, I disagree Mr Crawley’, the brown envelope was removed from inside his coat. ‘This here, this is all of your personal details….I mean, the real personal shit. I’ve read it, you’re unfit to be working on this case Nathan. Jack knows it, you know it…..now I know it’.

  ‘What do you want Lime?’

  ‘Simple, I want you out of here!’

  ‘Once the case is closed I will be’

  ‘No you don’t understand, silly you. I mean now Nathan, I want you gone….NOW’ his face dropped any expressions as he starred into Nathans eyes.

  ‘You’re fucking with me, don’t fuck with me Lime!’ he edged on his seat, preparing to strike.

  ‘I’m not, you go now and you don’t come back. If you do, well, this information goes to the Director and he takes you and Jack down. It will then find the desk of a well-known journalist, who, upon receiving, will contact me to discuss the matter. That is when I shoot you down Nathan, and whilst you’re burning in a flame of shame and embarrassment, I will be reaping the benefits and basking in warm rays of publicity and fortune’ his smirk had returned.