As the late afternoon sun crept across the blue northern Washington sky, Todd sat back and waited. Waited for what his instincts told him would inevitably come.
8:05 p.m.
The sun has descended on its path into obscurity. It was now a beautiful night in Monroe, Washington. Javier was growing restless. The park would be closed in two hours. As soon as he saw him he knew. He knew he was the one. He was a husky, healthy boy of about eight years. He was in a group with two other children, probably siblings, both too young, too skinny. They were all with a woman who was most likely their mother. The oldest, thickest boy was holding a giant stuffed elephant that he could barely keep off the ground. Javier watched as the woman handed the child keys, keys to their car, Javier assumed. His attention was directed at the young boy as he shook his head in an affirmative gesture at his mother and started walking towards the parking lot. Javier's mouth watered a bit as he took a quick inventory of the happenings around him. A cop eating a sandwich in the food midway. A cop facing the other direction at the far end of Kiddie Land. Another walking the perimeter away from Javier, toward the RV parking lot and the green gate area to the south. Now was the time. The police were tired from a long day. Their attention spans depleted. Javier knew that it was now or never. He got up and followed the young boy carrying the oversized stuffed elephant.
8:10 p.m.
Todd watched it all unfold. He saw the lone man, noticed the mother with her three children. He saw her hand over the keys to her son and heard him answer that he would be fine taking the stuffed animal to the car as he shook his head up and down. He saw the young boy walk away happily, pleased that he had won the elephant and delighted that his mother thought him mature enough to be trusted to trek to the car by himself without getting lost or without locking the keys in the car. Boys always remember that first time that they are treated like an adult. It is a rite of passage, the foundation to build on while striving to become a man. Watching the boy walk with a spring in his step and a wide smile on his face, Todd knew this was a time that the boy would remember and a step that would start his growth to maturity. Todd now followed the man's eyes tracking the young boy with the elephant. When the man got up to stalk the boy, Todd followed.
8:13 p.m.
Javier followed the boy past the last slide in Kiddie Land, past the gate entrance and into the blue parking lot. He could feel his blood pumping through his veins. Each step that he took seemed to last an eternity. This element of the hunt was the most exciting part. What Javier felt was akin to what a normal man would feel the few moments before they have intercourse with a new woman for the first time. The moments leading up to the act. The anticipation. The short, electric period of time when the outcome hasn't been decided yet to the moment that he knows she will let him enter her body. That feeling of victory and domination. Those were Javier's feelings the few moments before he attempted an abduction to the moment that he secured the prey. It is an addictive, electric euphoria. The boy, whose sight and senses were muffled by the huge toy he was carrying, had no idea that he was being followed. Javier closed the gap as they passed the tree line that sheltered the blue parking lot. The boy walked up to a mid-sized SUV, midway through the lot. As the boy placed the elephant on top of the vehicle to place the key in the lock, Javier struck. It was like a viper striking its prey. He instantly had his hand around the boy's mouth while the other arm wrapped around his waist and picked him up, carrying him away from his vehicle, away from the fairgrounds, away from his family, towards Javier's van at the back of the lot. All that was left in the wake was an oversized stuffed elephant overlooking the parking lot from its perch atop an SUV.
8:15 p.m.
Todd followed the man and the boy. His adrenaline started to pump as he saw the events unfold before his eyes. He followed them into the parking lot, being sure to stay far enough back so the man wouldn't notice him, become suspicious and abort the abduction. If this was the kidnapper, Todd needed to catch him in the act. Todd saw the child place the elephant on top of a vehicle and put a key in the lock when it happened. The man grabbed the boy so quickly and effortlessly that Todd had to wipe his eyes, stumbled, almost fell over, then steadied himself enough to regain his balance. He started running as the man quickly moved towards the back of the parking lot. The man was unaware as holding the boy blocked his vision and hearing from his backside. Todd broke into an all-out gallop, cutting the distance between them with every stride. Fifty feet, forty feet, thirty feet. Todd ran faster and harder than he had ever before, fueled by adrenaline. Adrenaline to stop this monster. Adrenaline to save the child. Adrenaline to free John from his own, personal prison. Todd was now fifteen feet away. Now five. I got him, was his last thought as he readied himself to pounce.
8:17 p.m.
Javier was a few strides from his van and he could start to taste the boy's tender, sweet flesh when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a moving shadow play on the ground. He turned his head just in time to see Todd close the last ten feet and dive straight at him and the boy. He swung the child around with all his might and connected. He heard something crunch as he let go of the boy and jumped into his van. He quickly started it up and pulled out onto Cascade View Drive. As he turned onto the street he took one last look back and saw the boy struggling to get to his feet and Todd, a jumbled mess, on all fours with his one hand covering his face. Javier turned his eyes back to the road and continued his getaway. As he proceeded on his drive to freedom, his empty stomach growled. It would be a long, hungry, disappointing night.
8:20 p.m.
Todd measured then dove at the waist of the abductor. As soon as he left his feet something connected with his nose and he heard and felt a crunch. He saw black for a moment, followed by intense pain and blood. Startled, confused and dizzy, he worked his way up onto his hands and knees and brought his hand to his nose. Blood gushed through his fingers, down and off his chin, onto the pavement. As his senses slowly returned, Todd looked up at the last instant and caught a quick glimpse of a black van pulling away from him onto Cascade View Drive. He was able to get a brief look at the license plate. Now that the van had driven off, Todd staggered to his feet and looked at the boy. He was shaking and had tears streaming down his cheeks. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Todd asked.
"Yes. My knee." Todd assumed that was what connected with his nose.
"Son, everything will be fine." Todd then called John on his radio and filled him in on the events that had taken place.
"I'll be right there," John said.
"Son, what's your name?" Todd asked the boy.
"Peter Wallace."
"Okay, Peter. We are going to have a medic look at you and then we will take you to your family." At that moment Todd saw three police cruisers and an unmarked detective car pull out of the parking lot and onto Cascade View Drive in a hurry. A pair of medics ran up to both of them. "Check out his knee, that's what connected with my nose."
The medics checked out the boy and determined that he would be fine. As the medics were tending to Todd's nose, John arrived. "You alright?"
"Yes. Broken nose but other than that, fine." The medics finished patching Todd up and the partners walked the boy back to his mother.
"Take care of things here partner. I'm going back to HQ to wait on word from our cars," John said. “Meet me there for debriefing. Todd, good work and thank you."
8:50 p.m.
Todd walked into HQ, sat down across from John at his desk and said, "Anything?"
"No, nothing yet. The piece of shit got away."
"John, I'm sorry. I had him. He slipped through my fingers," Todd said as his chin dropped to his chest.
“Don't talk nonsense. You saved that boy's life. Your determination. Your attention to detail. You saved his life and you saved my sanity. If he had gotten away with the boy, with us knowing he would strike here, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. You saved that boy and you saved me."
&nb
sp; "I did my best. John, he's smooth. Fast. Strong."
"I understand. Now you need to fill out a report. Is there any information that you can give me that will help us find him?"
"Yes. Caucasian, in his late twenties to early forties, 5'5" to 5'9". Maybe 150 pounds."
John was writing the info down. "Anything else?"
"Yes. I got one quick view of his license plate. The first number, I'm not sure of, but the rest was 68-MDX."
"Okay, are you sure about the rest?"
"Ninety percent sure."
"Okay, I'll run the final five digits and see what we come up with. How's the boy?"
"Scared. Startled. His mother was very grateful and ashamed that it was her decision to let him go alone that lead to this. She felt very lucky that we were there," Todd said.
"Todd, you did great. Thank you."
9:30 p.m.
Todd filled out his report and went home for the night. John was still at the fairground headquarters. He ran all of the plates that ended in 68-MDX. Four came up as inactive. One was a seventy-two-year-old woman. One was a seventeen-year-old boy. One was a forty-three-year-old woman. Of the last three, one was a fifty-two-year-old male, Richard Sullivan, whose residence was listed as 12 Pine-crest Drive. The second, twenty-five-year-old Nick Holloway lived at 212 West Main Street. Lastly, thirty-two-year-old Harvey Mendes of 13 Elm Street. John ran background checks on all three. The first two came up clean, with Nick having a few minor traffic violations. John then searched Harvey Mendes. Nothing. No info. Just a name. No family. No past residence. No occupational history. Nothing. John almost fell over in his chair. The new software keeps any and all information on every citizen in the country. There was only one reason why there would be no info on a person. They are here illegally and they do not want to be found. How Mr. Mendes got a registration for a vehicle John didn't know yet, but he could guess that it was something illegal. John jotted down all the info that he had on Harvey and was on his feet and out the door in a flash.
11:30 p.m.
Todd was collapsed on his couch and replaying the evening’s events in his mind. I should have confronted him. Told him to halt. Todd thought. He didn't want it to turn into a standoff and risk him taking the boy hostage. He thought his best chance at stopping the abduction and catching the perp, without anyone getting hurt, was exactly what he did. Son of a bitch was lucky that he felt me coming at the last instant. His thoughts continued. "Todd?" Jacqueline, who had been sleeping in bed, walked into the living room. "Oh, baby, your nose! Are you ok?"
"Yes. It’s just a broken nose. Other than that, physically, I'm fine. Mentally, I have some regrets." Todd proceeded to fill Jacqueline in on what had occurred.
"Todd, you made a decision that instant that you thought was your best course of action for everyone involved. It wasn't wrong, it just didn't turn out the way that you had hoped it would.”
"Maybe, but that's my job. To make things turn out the way that I plan them to."
"Oh, Todd." Jacqueline then held Todd in her arms. At that moment Todd's phone rang.
"It's John," he said to Jacqueline as he pressed the button to answer it.
"Hello."
"Todd. I got him. 13 Elm Street. I'm sending a team in. Meet me there."
"I'm on my way,” Todd replied.
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
Thirteen Elm Street was a small ranch house on a humble plot of land. John and Todd arrived at roughly the same time. The black van with the license plate #368-MDX was sitting in the driveway. The team had arrived five minutes before the partners arrived and had the house surrounded. "Okay, junior. You ready for this?"
"Absolutely," Todd said. They drew their guns and slowly walked up to the front door. John knocked.
"Mr. Mendes. We have your house surrounded. Come out slowly, with your hands up!" John yelled. Nothing. Not a sound. Not a movement. John waved for the battering ram to hit the door. Once the entry was breached the partners let the team clear the house before entering. The small house had only four rooms: living room, bedroom, kitchen and a small bathroom. Todd inspected the bedroom and John took the living room and bathroom. They both met in the kitchen. As they worked their way through the kitchen Todd came to the refrigerator. Just to be thorough, he opened it and looked inside. What he saw sent shivers up his spine. He picked up the plates that contained the last of Cindy's fingers, a kabob and hamstring steak. As Todd set it on the table to get a closer look, his fears had come true. Human fingers. A child human's fingers. Todd lost control of his stomach, ran into the bathroom and vomited in the sink. John bagged the evidence and placed a knowing, understanding hand on Todd's shoulder when he returned from his visit to the bathroom. "Mother fucking sick piece of shit! I should have killed him when I had the chance!"
"Todd, let’s keep our composure. No emotion. Remain calm, partner. Let’s check the basement."
What they found in the basement was exactly what John expected. A butcher block with every type of cleaver needed to slice up a body and buckets filled with human bones. The partners returned upstairs. "I want his DNA. From wherever we can extract it. Toothbrush. Hairbrush. Toilet. Bed. Also, somewhere in this shit hole are his fingerprints. Find them."
Outside a morbid, dark, gloomy cloud cover had overtaken the sky. A slow, haunting rain started to fall on Northern Washington.
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
John and Todd sat at their desks on Monday morning, the day following the near capture of the child abductor. "John. Really? He eats human flesh? To top that off, children? How far into the depths of evil will these freaks go?"
"There is no rational or logical explanation to that question. As long as DNA is passed on by mentally unstable parents who then raise their mentally unstable offspring, we will have the perfect storm for evil."
Captain Johnson stopped by their desks on the way to his office. "Gentlemen, I know that you are upset and feel responsible for that nut escaping our grasp but the truth of the matter is that we saved a child. Nothing, and I emphasize, nothing, is more important than that. I am proud that you two work for me. Good job men."
With that being said, the captain headed to his office.
"I wish I felt the way he does," Todd said.
"Todd, the only thing that you did wrong yesterday was lose your lunch. Keep it together, rookie. You did well. It was the right decision."
"Yeah, yeah. Now he is still out there. Lurking. Fucking freak show. I'd like to snap his neck myself."
"Don't worry, partner. We will get him," John said. “Not to change the subject, but you do realize that your wedding is only two weeks away right?"
"Of course I do. I'm ready."
"That’s exactly what I want to hear, partner."
CHAPTER SEVENTY
October 8, 2000. Davis, California
Silas had just started his second year at U. C. Davis. It was a Saturday evening and Silas was on a date with a young woman who attended school with him. Silas was still a virgin at the age of twenty. He didn't understand why, but his desires just weren't there for anything sexual. He wasn't homosexual, he felt attraction for women, but not in a way that made him desire to enter their bodies. When Silas would masturbate he would imagine strangling women, not fucking them. That would always bring Silas to an orgasm very quickly. He was heading to the beach with his date when she asked, "So, Silas. What is your major?"
"Forensic Entomology," Silas said.
"Isn't that something to do with bugs?" she asked.
“Yes. They are amazing creatures. Blow Flies. Maggots. Beetles. Fascinating really."
"Um...okay." They pulled up to the beach and Silas grabbed a
blanket, bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses. "Let's go," he said.
Silas was never a drinker but he would make an exception for this occasion. He spread out the blanket, popped the cork, poured her a glass, and sat down. "So, have you told anyone about me, about our date tonig
ht? Family? Friends?" he asked.
"No, nobody. Kind of makes it more exciting, don't you think?" she said as a little smirk appeared on her lips and she let out a small giggle.
"Sure," Silas said with a charming, slight smile. "Drink up," he said as he topped off her glass. Silas then looked into her eyes, put his arm around her and they touched lips for the first time. They kissed passionately and Silas became aroused. Not aroused because he could feel her tight body against him or because he enjoyed kissing her. He was aroused because, in his mind, he was imagining taking her life, watching her die. He pulled her down on the blanket while still kissing her. His hand came up to her neck and slowly wrapped around it. The other soon followed. He pressed, softly at first, then more intensely. His erect penis was pressing against her midsection. With all his strength, Silas tightened his grip around her neck and she began gasping and grabbing at his wrists. There was no stopping Silas Alvah tonight. As the last breath had been expelled from her lungs, the last bit of semen was dripping from his penis. Silas Alvah had made his first human kill.
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