Cannibal Man

by Dorothy Knight

Hobbs lazily turned his back to the woman behind the counter and looked at the variety available.

  “Definitely the one with the fat chick being harpooned by the black stud,” Hobbs said and laughed.

  They stared at the videos waiting for the assistant to show up.

  “Perhaps we should enter through the secret door and go find the assistant ourselves,” Sauer said out loud.

  Just then, the satin door opened and the scrawny Englishman walked out followed by a tall man. The tall man was indeed very handsome with pitch-black hair, the palest blue eyes, broad shoulders and the gait of a super athlete. A nervous tingle ran through Sauer’s stomach. He trusted his instincts. People often laughed at him when he said that he could smell the culprits, like other people can smell fear or pedophiles. Sauer knew that this handsome man was involved. He just had to figure out how.

  “Hi, I’m Henry,” he extended his hand towards Hobbs. His smile was broad and his teeth flawless. His handshake was firm and dry. His eyes stared straight into Sauer’s without a flinch or hint of guilt. Henry’s eyes were awake and aware of every movement, like a snake’s. Untouchable.

  “Andrew tells me that you are here about Jimmy Love. He said that he died,” Henry continued. “That’s very sad. He was such a good customer.

  “His throat was cut,” Sauer said nonchalant.

  “When?”

  “Two nights ago?”

  “That’s terrible,” Henry exclaimed, “just too terrible for words. But I suspect in his line of business these things do tend to happen from time to time.”

  Just like that, Sauer thought, no emotions—just a shrug and off we go on with our lives. Then again, live is cheap on the streets.

  Sauer looked at Henry’s face intensely. The hairs on the back of his neck were rising fast. He’s acting. He knows more.

  “Did you know him well?” Sauer asked.

  “He came in here most evenings between clients.”

  “When did you last see him?”

  “On Friday night, early. Said he had a client at eleven. Bought K-Y Jelly, batteries and thumb cuffs.”

  “His clients…did he have regulars or did he just cruise the streets in the hope of getting lucky?”

  “His women were regulars,” Andrew chipped in.

  Henry stopped abruptly and gave his assistant the death stare.

  “Jimmy did women?” Sauer asked with mock amazement.

  “He spoke of them sometimes…did them with vibrators.’ Henry was composed.

  “And where do we find these women? Are they local? Nearby?”

  “I don’t really know…”

  “But you drove Jimmy to them,” Andrew said, too eager to answer.

  Bingo!

  Henry’s head yanked up.

  Sauer continued to watch the younger man. Then, very uncharacteristic of him, he put his arm on Henry’s shoulder. “It must have been a severe blow for you to find out about Jimmy like this.” Henry shrugged his shoulders. He tried to get the big detective’s arms off him.

  Hobbs frowned for a second, but knew immediately what Sauer was doing. Henry nodded his head in sympathy. “Yes, sometimes our clients almost become friends.”

  “You don’t perhaps have the names of his clients?” Sauer probed the subject again.

  “No…I know he had a BlackBerry…and that he picked up his clients from the streets.” Henry thought for a moment. “He was not one of the high class earners.”

  Sauer patted Henry on the back.

  “Look I am going to leave my card with you. If you think of something, please give me a call.” Sauer tried to shove his card into Henry’s hand.

  “Sure, just leave your card with Andrew.” Although he always wore gloves, he was petrified of prints. One can accidently leave them anywhere.

  “Hope to hear from you soon,” Sauer said as he placed the card on the counter in front of the scrawny Englishman Andrew, who realized his job at Luscious Love Sex Shop was over. Maybe even his life.

  Chapter-Forty

  The detectives left the sex shop without glancing back. Once in the Turtle, Hobbs said, “You know you are not allowed to collect specimen for genetic sampling without the person’s knowledge or a court order.”

  “I have a hunch,” Sauer said as he proudly held the tiny bundle of hair in his hands. He then carefully placed them in his top pocket. “Besides, he should get an Oscar for his performance tonight. He knows something.” The roar of the Turtle forced them into silence.

  “Shall we have a night cap?” Sauer asked.

  Hobbs nodded.

  Before Sauer went into the office the next morning, he stopped at the government mortuary. Doctor Mayer was sitting in her office, scanning a pile of documents in front of her. She looked up in surprise to see Sauer standing in her doorway.

  “My goodness, looked what the cat dragged in so early in the morning,” she said smiling at him. “Coffee?”

  Sauer sat down opposite her and held the steaming cup she handed him tight in both hands. “I have a favor to ask,” he said in a mock sweet voice.

  “I’m not concocting your weight,” she said. “You weight what you weigh.”

  “No, no,” he exclaimed. “This has nothing to do with George’s stupid bet.” He slowly pulled the plastic bag from his pant pocket and placed it in front of her. She picked it up and saw the two hair’s inside. “You want me to do what with this?”

  “My intuition tells me that those hairs belong to the killer.”

  “Is he in custody?”

  “No.”

  “Then how did you come by these hairs?”

  “Off his back when Hobbs and I had a friendly chat with him.”

  “This is illegal.”

  “I know.”

  She scanned his face for any further information. “Okay, I’ll do the genetic test. But under what name?”

  “How about Face Lifter? Please compare it to the genetic material found. Please, please. When will you be able to tell us the results?” Sauer asked eagerly.

  “These tests take a few weeks.”

  “A few weeks?” Sauer exclaimed. “We might not have that much time.”

  “That the best I can do,” she said.

  * * * *

  Sauer found Hobbs in the office. He looked up as Sauer walked in. “Now we wait,” Sauer said. “Your girlfriend said that it will take a few weeks.”

  “A few weeks?” Hobbs retorted.

  “Yes, she explained the whole process to me. It has to do with cultivating protein and all kinds of things, but it was too involved for me to understand really.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  The intense heat of the late summer subsided into a mellow winter. One could tell that winter was not far off as the sun would rise later and set earlier in the day. One could also tell that it was getting cooler by Mrs. Smith’s attire. At the slightest whiff of a cold breeze, she started wearing the thickest cardigans.

  Sauer sauntered into the office with a wide grin on his face. Hobbs looked up into the smiling face.

  How he hated people that were so happy first thing in the morning.

  He ignored Sauer who chewed his breakfast open-mouthed and slurped his coffee loudly. Every time he looked up at Sauer he was greeted with a wide grin. I am not going to ask him what he’s smiling about.

  Sauer started whistling and throwing case files loudly around on his table. Hobbs ignored him. Sauer picked up a huge pile of old case files and threw it in front of Hobbs.

  Hobbs looked up at him, leaned back into his chair and stared at Sauer.

  Sauer was still grinning from ear to ear. Hobbs decided to ignore him a while longer.

  Sauer now stood in front of Hobbs, swinging his backside from side to side, grinning at Hobbs. Hobbs looked at him in amusement.

  “Yes?” Hobbs eventually asked.

  Sauer stopped swinging his backside and sang, “Amy’s now officially my girlfriend.”

  Hobbs nodded his head and continued read
ing the case file in front of him.

  “You’re jealous because you haven’t managed to get a leg over for a few years now, hey?” Sauer teased. Hobbs ignored him.

  The phone rang. Without thinking, Hobbs stretched and picked up the receiver. He announced himself and listened intensely. He replaced the phone and looked at Sauer.

  “The results are back,” he said as he walked out the office.

  It had been six weeks since Sauer handed the bundle of hair to Doctor Mayer.

  The two detectives barged into the mortuary. Doctor Mayer sat behind her desk, reading a document. She waved at them to sit down.

  “Gentleman,” she said formally, “you got yourself a killer.”

  Sauer and Hobbs gave each other a high five slap.

  “We matched the genetic material from the hairs to the skin we found under Zeller’s fingernails, which you fished out of the toilet, and from the samples taken from Jimmy Love’s fingernails. So if nothing else, you have a killer for two of the murders.”

  “And the rest?” Hobbs asked.

  “Unfortunately the other three were buried before samples were taken. But at least we have a start,” she said. “I’m sure you boys will find a way to persuade the man to talk to you.”

  Sauer looked at Hobbs. They smiled coyly at each other.

  “We will just slap the rest out of him,” Sauer scoffed.

  Superintendent Hansen was elated by the good news. “When are you making the arrest?”

  “Much later tonight,” Sauer said explaining the hours that Henry kept.

  Neither Hobbs nor Sauer could concentrate on other work that afternoon. They organized back-up teams should the Luscious Sex Shop have hidden back entrances. They planned for everything.

  By eleven that evening they climbed into the Turtle, court interdict in hand to search the Luscious Love Sex Shop, and drove down town. Several marked police vehicles followed them.

  Sauer parked as usual on the pavement. He jumped out and marched after the lithe Hobbs, who was a few paces ahead of him. The yellow doors of the Luscious Love Sex Shop stood wide open. Sauer entered two paces behind Hobbs. The scrawny Andrew jumped up as the detectives stormed into the shop, followed by a horde of uniformed policemen.

  Sauer threw the interdict onto the counter and trotted after Hobbs towards the satin door. Hobbs grabbed the door wanting to rip it open, but it was locked. Sauer took a few steps back, and with his full body weight, slammed into the door. The door creaked in its hinges, but did not really move. Sauer stepped back and slammed into the door again. This time it gave way. Hobbs kicked it out of its existing hinges and stormed through the door. The room was pitch-dark. Where is my flashlight when I need it? He felt the walls for a light switch. Nothing.

  “Will someone please pass me a flashlight,” he roared.

  A flashlight was passed to Sauer. The strong beam scanned the interior of the room. The detectives walked deeper into the dark interior. It was clear from what was visible that this room was used to make porn films. Digital video cameras stood like tin soldiers on tripods. Several king-sized beds stood around in the huge room against different backdrops.

  Just then, a bright light illuminated the room. Both Hobbs and Sauer sheltered their eyes against the light. Two uniformed policemen helped the scrawny Andrew into the room. “May I be of assistance to you people,” he stammered.

  On one of the beds nearby a dark-skinned woman stirred. She covered herself with a sheet and looked completely dazed at the ongoing about her.

  “We want Henry,” Sauer bulked.

  Andrew clicked his tongue at the detectives and rolled his eyes backwards. “He has gone to the premier of one his skin flicks. He is one of the local industry’s top producers, you know.

  The premier was held at a well-known whore house in the affluent suburb of Sandton. It was miles away. Their interdict stated that they were allowed to search the shop only, and on that day only.

  “Fuck,” Hobbs swore under his breath.

  “Let’s go.” Sauer barged out the shop.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The security officers at the entrance of the whore house wouldn’t let them in. “There is a private function here tonight.”

  “Yes, we know,” Hobbs lied. “We were invited by Henry Harper. He said he would leave our invitation at the gate.”

  The security officers searched through a pile of papers on his desk. “What’s your name?”

  “Real ones or the ones we come here as tonight?”

  The security officers laughed and lifted the boom for them to enter. It was as easy as that.

  Sauer and Hobbs walked through the wide Atlantis themed entrance into the entrance hall.

  “How may I help you gentlemen?” The voice belonged to an older woman, neatly dressed and hair tied in a modern bun. Everywhere else half-naked women pranced around.

  “We are here to see Henry’s newest release. I hope it is as good as his last one,” Hobbs said without much emotion.

  “Oh, it is…I had a little sneak preview this afternoon. All anal. Very, very good.”

  “Can’t wait…” The sarcasm dripped.

  They took the escalator to the penthouse. The doors opened onto an imposing parlor. The walls were papered with ancient prints from Kama Sutra in pale pink. A darker pink carpet covered the floor. Two entrances lead from this area. An arrow to the right indicated ‘Conference Room’, and one to the left, ‘Show Hall’. Soft music floated in from the Show Hall.

  “Show time!” Sauer whispered softly as he followed Hobbs.

  Porn queens dressed in fluffy, brightly-colored feathers that barely covered the essentials freely mingled with a variety of men—some old, some young, but all definitely horny as hell. Some of the men openly fondled the porn queens as they walked pass. Nobody noticed Sauer and Hobbs at the entrance of the hall. The detectives scanned the room. There at the back, on a blood-red, satin-covered settee, they spotted Henry.

  He sat with his long legs wide apart. In between them a blond had her face buried deep in his crotch. The topless brunette next to him laughed at something he said. He fondled her one breast.

  “There he is,” Sauer said with a smirk. He started making his way towards Henry through the mingling hordes. A few of the girls groped at his crotch as he walked past. One offered him a drink off a tray.

  “Not tonight honey…I still want to be able to get it up later.” He reached the settee and plonked himself down next to Henry. He could see Hobbs still standing in the entrance, now with a swarm of girls vying for his attention. He had to admit it, Hobbs was a damn good-looking man.

  Through a haze of ecstasy, Henry looked at him. Sauer lifted his glass at Henry and smiled at him. “Hi, big boy,” the brunette cooed at Sauer. Henry looked again at the face next to him. Horror slowly registered on his face and he sat up abruptly. The blond between his legs moaned softly and reached for his limp phallus.

  “Evening Henry,” Sauer said triumphantly. His face was that of a victorious detective.

  Henry was too shocked to talk. His mouth gaped open as he tried desperately to find words. He pushed the blond completely away from him, tucked his genitals into his pants, fastened his pants, and looked at Sauer again.

  A cold, calculated glare greeted Sauer. It was that easy for him to compose himself. The relaxed, sex-induced look was gone.

  “Good evening inspector,” he said coldly, “you’ve come a bit late. We already had the premier. But what can I offer you? A blond with tits and a penis, or perhaps you would like a straight looking man to fuck you in the ass so you can be less anal?”

  Sauer laughed out loud. “Sorry to have interrupted your blow job. It will now be a while before you get another one from a blond.” He hesitated for a moment. “That is, a real blond. Of the real, female kind.”

  Hobbs slowly walked over to the settee where Sauer and Henry were sitting. Henry saw the captain, and in spite of the low lighting, Sauer could see him pale visibly. Henry s
traightened and looked around. Sauer got up. He took a step closer to Henry and placed his huge hand on Henry’s shoulder. Henry got up, looking at his shoes the whole time.

  Without a word, Henry started walking towards the entrance. Sauer followed him, his hand still on Henry’s shoulder. Henry walked past Hobbs, and out through the reception area.

  At the top of the escalators, Henry turned abruptly and faced Sauer. His light blue eyes glared into Sauer’s. “What can I do for you?” he icily whispered at Sauer.

  Sauer took his hand off Henry’s shoulder and stared him right in the eyes. “For one,” he stated, “you can tell me what kick you get out of eating tongues and eyeballs.”

  Henry’s mouth was now a thin, white stripe. He said nothing. Sauer might have been mistaken, but a sneer glared at him from Henry’s eyes.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Back at the police station, Henry was taken straight to the interrogating room. Sauer pushed him onto a wooden chair. The icy stare never left Henry’s face. Sauer sat behind the desk. He leisurely started filling in forms.

  “Full name,” Sauer bellowed.

  Henry’s glare was as murderous as ever. “What exactly am I here for?”

  “For killing four women and old Jimmy Love, raping them and then eating their faces off.”

  The look on Henry’s face did not change. Fool! I ate their faces off them while I fucked them. And my body count now stands at six, you stupid cop, not four.

  “Name,” Sauer bellowed louder this time.

  “Henry.”

  “Henry what,” barked Sauer

  “James Harper,” he said coldly.

  “Date of birth?”

  “1998.”

  “On what day in that year?” Sauer stressed.

  “Somewhere in September—I don’t know. My biological mother dumped me after my birth.”

  Sauer looked at Hobbs. “Shall we take a moment of silence for the poor rejected asshole? Ah shame—nobody loves him. That is why he has to commit these evil crimes—so that he can get the much needed attention he never got as a baby.”

  “Fuck you,” Henry said.