Torn Apart

by M A Comley

  He almost screeched his response, “Just get on with it, for fuck’s sake.”

  She pulled her hand out of her purse and lowered her head so that her eyes were level with his cock. She ran the flat edge of the knife across the tip of his manhood, and he moaned in ecstasy, presumably caught up in the moment and thinking the cold metal was her tongue.

  “Hmm…that’s good. Take it all in. Let me feel it at the back of your throat.”

  She fought back the urge to vomit. The blade tickled the length of his cock, back and forth in a teasing motion. “You like that?” She looked up to see him nod. “You like that?”

  As if the penny had dropped, he opened his eyes and gazed down at her.

  She tilted the knife, ensuring it glinted in the shadowy light.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” He frantically tried to push her away from him, away from his vulnerable manhood.

  However, she had prepared herself for this result and stiffened her body as she watched his cock shrivel before her eyes.

  “Get away from me, you crazy bitch,” he shrieked.

  She stood up, pinning him against the wall, but held the knife at the base of his cock, close to his balls. Moving it back and forth, she taunted him, “Who’s in control now, big boy?”

  “What do you want? Don’t hurt me…please…don’t hurt me.”

  “Why? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t hurt you. You love hurting other people, don’t you? Spend your days hunting for people to hurt, by all accounts. That’s how you get your thrills, isn’t it, big boy?”

  “No.”

  She dug the length of the knife along his now-flaccid dick. “Don’t lie to me.”

  “Ouch! Don’t hurt me.”

  His snivelling angered her more. She grabbed the collar of his shirt with her free hand. He seemed surprised by her strength. Anger had a knack of making people stronger. She placed her face close enough to his and felt the heaviness of his terrified breath against her cheek. “How many people have you hurt in the past week?” She knew he was the one who had laid into the prostitute the week before, after she’d handed over her “wages” to him.

  “How the fuck should I know? I don’t keep count.”

  “You bastard! You don’t even care, do you?”

  Rather than wait for his answer, she plunged the knife into one of his balls. His scream almost pierced her eardrum. If he thought she would back off after wounding him, he was very much mistaken. Her forearm, which was across his chest, pinned him to the wall as she pierced his other ball with the blade. Again, he screamed.

  “This is punishment for all the people you’ve hurt or degraded in the last week, month, year, and throughout your miserable lifetime, you no-good piece of fucking shit.”

  His eyes, which were filled with pain, grew wide with the realisation that she was about to finish the job. And she knew he’d discovered her secret.

  “That’s right, big boy.” She nodded and snarled at him. “I’ll see you in hell.”

  With that, she jabbed the knife into his gut several times and twisted it before she withdrew the bloody article. His body slumped ever lower against the brick wall, and he said only one word before his last breath left his body. “Why?”

  “Retribution,” she replied before his breathing ceased and she finished the job properly.

  After completing the task, she wiped the blade on a hanky from her handbag. Then she wrapped the knife and her trophy from the crime in the handkerchief and tucked it back in her bag. Walking away, she let out a satisfied breath and headed for the main road to flag down a cab.

  When she returned home, she made her way up the stairs and to her bedroom. She sat down at the dressing table and studied her reflection in the mirror. She should have hated herself at that moment for taking someone’s life, but she didn’t. She felt a calm—a sense of elation that made her nerve ends tingle. Her eyes glistened with a murderous stare as she removed the wig from her head and put it on the dressing table beside her.

  “One down, three to go. Each one will have his turn and end up in hell. They can rule that place, if they dare.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  He should have felt exhausted by the weekend’s events. Instead, Hero felt revived and ready to hit the ground running on Monday morning. He even found himself whistling as he made his way through the dingy station and into the incident room. That was where his good mood came to an abrupt halt.

  Julie glanced his way, looking anything but happy, and Hero tried to push down the ominous feeling that bubbled to the surface. “Okay, let’s have it. Another prostitute murder, is it?”

  “Not exactly, sir.”

  “Come on, Shaw. Out with it.” He perched on the edge of the desk next to hers and watched her take a picture from a file in front of her.

  She handed it to him. “It’s another murder. This time, however, the victim is a male.”

  Hero took a brief look at the photo. “I see. Any ID on the victim?” When Julie remained quiet and nodded at the picture in his hand, he studied it closer. “Bloody hell.” His eyes widened when he glanced up at his partner. “Is that who I think it is?”

  “Yep! Jez Barrett, sir.”

  “Well, well, well, this certainly throws a different light on things, doesn’t it?”

  “I’d say so, sir.”

  Foxy joined in the conversation. “The question is who killed him? For all we know, he might have outlived his usefulness to the Krull Gang. Maybe he couldn’t deal with what happened the other day, you know, when they torched that member of the opposing gang.”

  “Hmm…that’s feasible I suppose, Foxy, but highly unlikely. Let’s get his address and head out, Shaw. Did Susan attend the scene?”

  “As far as I know, she was the duty pathologist, sir.”

  “Let me see what she has to say before we leave. Be ready in five minutes.”

  He marched into his office and rang the pathologist right away. “Susan, it’s Patch.”

  “Ah, I thought you’d be contacting me first thing.” In spite of the time, Susan sounded tired instead of like her usual cheery self.

  “Are you all right? You sound rough.”

  “How to win friends, huh? I’ve been up all night dealing with the victim, whom I presume is why you’re contacting me.”

  “Yeah, I just got in. What can you tell me apart from he’s dead and lying on a slab at the mortuary?”

  “I can tell you that it was overkill, a hate crime.”

  “Go on.” He picked up a spare sheet of paper and started making notes as Susan read out the victim’s injuries. Then he worked through a probable scenario with her. “So, he was stabbed numerous times in the stomach. Could it have been an argument that went wrong? A knife wound that he didn’t see coming maybe?”

  “Well, there is that. Although I’m inclined to think something else entirely.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I was a naughty girl and left something vital out of the information I just gave you.”

  He could hear a smile in her voice and prepared himself for what she was about to tell him next. “And what piece of vital information was that, Susan?”

  “His dick was cut off and missing from the scene.”

  “Jesus!” Without realising he’d done it, Hero crossed his legs and winced. “Shit, can you tell me if it was done pre or post mortem?”

  “Definitely after death, not long after, though.”

  Hearing that, Hero’s mind spun off in a specific direction. “Okay, thanks, Susan. Julie and I are heading out now to inform the family.”

  “Don’t envy you that task. You might want to leave out certain facts. I would if I were you. Let me know if I can help further, Patch.”

  “Thanks, Susan.”

  He hung up and returned to the incident room. “Well, that was interesting.”

  Julie and Foxy looked at each other in puzzlement. “Sir?” Foxy asked.

  “Have you managed to find his
family’s address?”

  Julie held up a piece of paper with writing on and waved it in the air. “His mother’s address, sir. It’s on the edge of the Brickfields Estate.”

  “Great, let’s go, Shaw.” Julie hesitated before she picked up her bag. “Something wrong, Julie?”

  “Two things, really, sir. One it’s the Brickfields Estate we’re going to, and second, I thought you were going to tell us what the pathologist had to say.”

  “Ah, I see, on both counts. Well, as to venturing out to the estate again, it’s just something we’ll have to do. Make sure you have your truncheon, handcuffs, and pepper spray handy. His mother has a right to know he’s dead, like any other mother, right?” Julie gave a reluctant nod. “And secondly, Susan said the victim was missing a vital part of his anatomy.”

  “Which is?” Julie asked, a deep frown creasing her forehead.

  Hero’s mouth twisted a little before he told the two women. “His penis.”

  “Oh, my, God.” Julie and Foxy said in unison.

  “Yeah, not nice, is it? Which got me thinking that we’re definitely looking at some kind of gang war here.”

  “Really? I’m not sure I agree with that,” Julie said, screwing up her nose.

  “Why?” Hero asked, unsure in which direction his partner’s mind was going.

  “Let me rephrase that. Maybe I half agree with that, sir. I can’t really see a guy doing that to another guy, but a girl carrying out the crime would be different. I’m thinking of the Bobbitt case in America. I can’t think of another case where it has happened, can you?”

  Both Foxy and Hero thought for a few seconds before Foxy said, “Maybe a Mafia case or two. They tended to cut the penises off their rivals and shove them in their mouths. I’ve heard that happening several times on the true crime programmes on TV.”

  Surprised, Hero raised an eyebrow at her. “You watch crime programmes in your spare time?”

  Foxy blushed and nodded. “Afraid so. Have you ever seen those shows? Bloody hell, the crimes we deal with are really tame compared to some of the ones they cover. I’m more inclined to think this girl has something to do with Barrett’s murder. We still don’t know if she’s connected to another gang or not.”

  “I was kind of thinking along the same lines, Foxy. While we’re out—”

  She cut him off with a raised hand. “I know, check the CCTV of the area to see if I can spot her in the vicinity.”

  Hero smiled. “That predictable, am I?”

  “You can be sometimes, sir. I’ll get on it immediately and call you if I find anything.”

  “Thanks, Foxy,” he shouted back as he and Julie left the incident room.

  Before getting in the car, he searched his car boot and retrieved a steel bar he always kept hidden under a blanket. He placed it in the passenger foot well and leaned it against Julie’s seat.

  “Just in case we need it.”

  They reached the estate approximately twenty minutes later. Julie gave Hero the directions to the victim’s mother’s house. They were both on high alert, scanning the area nervously as they travelled through the deserted streets. “Christ, it’s like a ghost town. Is it always like this?”

  “Probably,” Julie mumbled. “There, that’s the house we’re after.”

  Hero pulled into a parking space outside a tiny terraced house and hesitated before he got out of the car, unsure whether or not he should take the bar with him. He relented, deciding it might provoke more aggravation than it deflected.

  He rapped his knuckles on the wooden front door and wiped his hand down the side of his trousers.

  “Just a fucking minute.” A woman shouted on the other side.

  The door opened to reveal a woman in her late thirties, wearing a low-cut T-shirt and a mid-thigh skirt. Her eyes immediately ran the length of Hero’s taut body, and he cringed. If any other woman had surveyed him the way she had, he probably would have welcomed the attention, but the thought of this woman finding him attractive simply turned his stomach and sent acid racing up to the back of his throat.

  “Mrs. Barrett?”

  “Ms. Who wants to know?”

  Hero produced his warrant card and introduced himself. “DI Nelson and DS Shaw. Mind if we come in?”

  “Yeah, I do. What do you want? You lot are always coming round here badgering me about Jez. Why can’t you just fuck off and leave us alone?” Her heavily made-up eyes bored into his, challenging him.

  “I’d rather go inside, but if that’s the way you feel, Ms. Barrett, I regrettably have to inform you that your son Jez Barrett has been murdered.”

  The woman laughed and tilted her head back. “Wait a minute. What’s the date? April Fool’s Day was last month, wasn’t it? Go on, piss off, the pair of you.” She tried to shut the door on them, but Hero stuck out his foot to prevent it from closing.

  “I’m not, I repeat, I’m not in the habit of giving people news like that without it being true. Now, can we come in?”

  The woman dropped her bravado and stood back to let them in. Julie closed the front door behind them, and they walked into the tiny lounge at the rear of the property. The woman immediately crossed the room and picked up her mobile. She punched in a number, and before Hero could ask her to put it down, she spoke to someone on the other end. “It’s Trish. Get over here, now.”

  When she hung up, Hero asked, “Who was that?”

  She glared at him. “A friend. Is there a problem with me calling a friend?”

  Hero smiled tightly and let out the breath he’d been holding in. “No problem. Actually, I was going to suggest it.”

  The woman wasn’t reacting as a mother who’d just learned of her son’s death should be. Hero felt awkward, tongue-tied even, about how to proceed. He looked over at Julie, who merely shrugged back at him.

  “Would you rather wait until your friend arrives before I tell you what happened?”

  “Yeah, that’d be good.” She sank into a leather sofa and lit up one cigarette after another for the next five minutes or so, until a youth in his late teens barged into the room to join them. Two other boys followed, looking as though they had just crawled out of bed after only getting about an hour’s sleep between them.

  Julie inched closer to Hero when visitors entered. He could hear her ragged breathing. Or is that mine? He recognised the other members of the Krull Gang immediately. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  “What’s going on? What’s the filth doing here?” the taller one asked Ms. Barrett.

  Ignoring his question, she scowled at him and asked, “Where’s Jez?”

  “Out on a job. Why?” With a confused expression, he glanced first at Ms. Barrett and then at Hero, who decided to remain quiet and continue to assess the proceedings.

  Ms. Barrett nodded in Hero’s direction. “He’s just told me he’s dead.”

  The leader stormed across the room towards him, but Hero stood firm. “Is that right? He’s dead? Did your lot do it?”

  Hero placed his hands in front of him and motioned for the young man to calm down. “Please, keep calm. Contrary to belief, no, we didn’t do it. You say he was out on a job. What job?”

  “Like I’m going to fucking tell you. He works for me and was out on a job, end of. Where? How did he get done over?”

  Hero looked over the youth’s shoulder at the dead man’s mother. “I was just about to inform Ms. Barrett of the circumstances of her son’s death. Nonetheless, it would help us in our enquiries if you told us what type of job he was on last night.”

  “I ain’t fucking helping the filth. You get to the bottom of why he was killed,” he leaned into Hero, their noses inches apart, then added, “or I swear, I’ll come and hunt you down.”

  “Are you threatening a police officer?”

  The leader glanced over his shoulder at the two shell-shocked youths leaning against the wall. “Did you hear me threaten the nice police officer, boys?”

  “Nah, didn’t hear a word,” one of the youths said wi
th a shrug.

  Hero squinted, and he and the leader of the gang glared at each other, sizing up one another, for a second or two. “He was found stabbed in the street, not far from here. If you’re not willing to co-operate and tell us what job he was carrying out last night, then the case will come to a halt right now. It’ll sit in the vaults as yet another unsolved murder. We seem to get a lot of them around this area. Any idea why?”

  A smarmy smile lit up his peaky-white face. “Might do. Push this case aside, mate, and I’m warning you, your life won’t be worth living.”

  Ms. Barrett stood up and tugged the youth by the arm. “Shut the fuck up with your mind games, the pair of you. I want to know what happened to Jez. Tell me?”

  The leader of the gang moved back to the entrance of the lounge and leaned against the wall next to the other members. Hero tried to refrain from showing how relieved he was.

  “I can’t really tell you any more than I have done already. Jez was found stabbed near here sometime yesterday evening. Without knowing what his movements were last night, there is little we can do to track down the murderer. There have been a few incidents involving prostitutes in this area lately. Do you know anything about that?” His question was aimed at the gang members, who all eyed him with contempt.

  “For fuck’s sake, tell him,” Ms. Barrett ordered, but her words fell on deaf ears.

  Hero turned to Julie. “Then our job here is finished. We’ve done what we had to do, Ms. Barrett. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  He nudged his partner ahead of him, and they started to leave the room, but the leader’s arm shot out to block their path. “And that’s it, is it?”

  Hero nodded. “We’ll work on the case as and when we have time in between more pressing cases already on our agenda.”

  “Like that snotty bitch and her son’s case, you mean.”

  Hero’s eyes searched his. “You know about that case?”

  The leader laughed. “Only what I’ve read about it in the papers and seen on the news. Terrible incident. I hope you catch the bastards who did it.”

  Hero held up his thumb and forefinger. “We’re this close to catching the bastards.”