13th Avenue

by Cyrus Winters

  Not long after midnight, the house was dead quiet. Not a whisper. Not a sound. Stasia sat on the bed in the spare clothes Wendy had given her. Jumper, track pants, t-shirt. She didn’t suppose she’d get much sleep in them.

  She fumbled about with her phone, responding to a couple of texts and then setting her alarm. Once that was done she put the phone on the table by the bed and lay down to rest. Closed her eyes. Tried to relax. Tried to pretend what was happening.

  Wasn’t…

  Tap, tap, tap.

  Not five minutes had gone by. Stasia opened her eyes and sat up on the bed, facing the window on the side.

  A large, shadowy figure was standing on the other side of it.

  Adrenalin shot through her blood.

  Could it be –

  Surely not –

  “Stasia.”

  The voice came muffled from the other side of the glass.

  When she realized who it was, she couldn’t help but grimace.

  “I’ll come out,” Stasia whispered back. She put on her boots, scooped up her phone, and a couple of other accessories. She exited the room, walked down the hall and out through the lounge. Wendy walked out from the kitchen in the dim lighting. Still putting the place to bed.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re not going out, are you?”

  “Yeah, I have to,” Stasia replied.

  “Why? What’s happened?”

  “It’s – look, I’ll be back. Just … Don’t worry about me. And, thanks for everything.”

  “Stasia,” Wendy whined, following her. “You shouldn’t be –”

  “Enough,” Stasia snapped. “Alright? Jesus.”

  She went through the front door.

  “Should I wait up?” Wendy asked from the edge.

  “No need,” Stasia said.

  She waited until Wendy had closed the door before descending the drive and walking down the footpath to where he’d parked.

  He was leaning against the trunk, arms crossed.

  “Are you ready?”

  Stasia swayed left to right. “For what?”

  “For the truth.”

  “The truth about what?” Stasia asked.

  Graves stepped away from the car.

  The night had suddenly gotten that much colder.

  “The truth about everything,” he said.

  CHAPTER 33

  “I’m drunk, you drive,” Graves said throwing her the keys. He stumbled around to the passenger side and got in. He heard Stasia open the driver’s door, but she didn’t get in.

  “You’re not still drinking, are you?”

  “Yes, Stasia, I’m still drinking,” Graves said. “I’m an alcoholic. It’s what I do.”

  “You never told me that before.”

  “There’s a lot about me, you don’t know. Get in the car. Come on. The night is dying.”

  Her feet shuffled on the concrete. Then he felt her presence slide into the seat next to him.

  The door banged shut.

  “Turn on the ignition,” Graves said. “Start the car. Let’s get some heat in here.”

  Stasia complied.

  “Alright. Make a right down there. Go onto the main road. I’ll give you directions.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see when we get there. Don’t worry. I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Stasia pulled her seatbelt on. She switched the car into drive and began following his directions.

  Graves breathed in heavily. “You just had a shower.”

  “A bath.”

  “You smell nice.”

  “Thanks.”

  A pause. “It’s all over, in a way,” Graves said. “This is our last case together. I had to turn in my gun and badge just to get out of the precinct. Along with a whole lot of bullshit.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “The obvious. I confessed to the minor crimes. My general, flat out corruption. But there’s only one truly terrible thing I’ve done. The thing that haunts me. The thing that I just can’t escape from.”

  Stasia glanced at him. “13th Avenue.”

  “How did you –?”

  “You’ve forgotten already, have you?”

  Graves had to think. “Of course. Sorry. Well. It’s not a secret anymore. Not between me and the killer. Not between me and you.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I pulled some guy over. His car matched the description of a vehicle I was looking for in relation to an abduction. I thought for a moment the boy in his car was the same boy in the photos I’d been given. It was a momentary lapse in judgment. By the time I’d figured out my mistake I’d already scared the kid and he was running off into the woods, me and his father chasing after him. Little did we know what was on the other side.”

  Graves shook his head.

  The memories still so fresh.

  “Ice,” he said. “All this fucking ice and snow. The kid was already too far out. We probably could have saved him if we’d thought on our feet then and there, but we didn’t. I don’t know what happened, but I wound up accidently shooting the father. I can’t even remember when the boy fell in. Whether it was before or after. But then it was clear we couldn’t save him. And the father was just there on his back, wounded by a bullet from my gun, telling me I’d killed them. So. I had to finish it.”

  “What does that mean?” Stasia said, urgency in her voice.

  Graves exhaled. “It means I executed him. I pushed the father’s body out into the ice where it broke and fell in. Then I found a place to get rid of the car. Ran it off into the woods. It turned up eventually, but they never found the bodies. They never knew it was me. The only person who knew was…”

  “Who?”

  “A few months ago I started getting these weird emails. All these creepy pictures of stick figures. Stuff that would remind me of what happened that day. I just – I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. But someone else was there that day. Someone saw everything. And now they’ve made my life a living hell…”

  “I hope you’re not looking for any sympathy here,” Stasia said.

  “I suppose not. But it was time to tell you. It was long overdue. I’m sure I came close so many times. Especially when I’m drinking. It’s a wonder it never came out before. I think about it all the time.”

  Silence.

  “Left here,” Graves said. “All the way to the end. Then left again.”

  Stasia grunted. He could tell he’d upset her.

  “I’m sorry,” Graves said.

  “For what?”

  “My sins have ruined your life now. They’ve taken your family.”

  Stasia hesitated. “It … You weren’t directly responsible.”

  “Yes, I am. I’m a crook. A criminal. A corrupt piece of utter trash. Not like you. Not like Christian. You were so much better than me. I’ve ruined it.”

  “But you’re not him,” Stasia said. “You’re not the one who was there at the golf course.”

  “No,” Graves said. “I’m not him.”

  “And he is a real person, right?”

  “Right.”

  “You haven’t taken on this … persona … have you?”

  Graves’ jaw dropped. “Stasia! Yeesh. God. Seriously. This is me being the most honest I’ve ever been with you. I swear to Christ. This creep is real and he’s out there. It’s not me, it’s not some other person we know. This is just a fucked-up, weirdo stranger who saw me on the ice that day. And decided to base his killing spree on it.”

  “How is it based on it?”

  “Pitfall Productions. The Trapdoor Master – that’s what he calls himself. It’s all about the ice breaking. It’s all about the ground you’re standing on, getting ripped right from under you. He’s a lunatic, yes. But there’s a theme in all this. He’s trying to teach me a lesson.”

  “But why you? Why does he care so much –?”

  “No, Stasia. You’re thinking about it the wrong wa
y. It’s not my dead brother come back to life, it’s not some distant enemy of mine from the past. It’s just a random maniac. Trust me.”

  No response.

  Graves forced himself to sit up.

  Stasia was looking at him sideways. “Where do I turn here?”

  “Right,” Graves said. “We’re almost there. Just up the hill. Round the bend.”

  Silence. He clenched his teeth together. “Can you accept my theory then? Can you get behind me on this?”

  “I don’t have an alternate theory,” Stasia said. “But I think you’re missing something. A huge piece of the puzzle. Random insane person seems a bit coincidental.”

  “That’s what life is! A bunch of messed up coincidences. Let’s not argue about it. Anyway. The truth will show itself eventually. I ain’t giving up.”

  Graves sat up and looked outside the window.

  “Okay, move us off the road.”

  “Off the road?”

  “Yes. Down there. Across the field.”

  “Okay…”

  The car bumped along as they made their way into the open space.

  Eventually the barn came into view.

  “Is that it? Is that where we’re going?”

  “Yes,” Graves said.

  Stasia glared at him, worried.

  “I’m not going to do anything.” He opened the glove-box. “Take my gun.”

  Stasia snatched it out of the box. “I thought the Captain –”

  “This is my other gun. I have more than one, you know.”

  They slowed down.

  “Yeah, just here,” Graves said.

  Stasia pulled them up outside the barn.

  “What’s in there?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

  “What I’ve been saying all along,” Graves said. “Answers. And the truth.”

  CHAPTER 34

  The barn smelled of dirty water and metal. Even with both doors open, there was very little light to be found within. The entire second half of it was engulfed in black.

  Stasia didn’t want to go inside. She hung round the entrance while Graves sauntered in, picking up a bottle of whiskey from the corner and dragging a chair out from the dark. There was someone sitting in it with their feet tied to the front and hands tied to the back. Once the chair was in clear enough light she saw it was the kid they’d picked up earlier – Cody.

  “What the fuck?” Stasia gasped. “He has blood on him! What have you done?”

  “Calm down,” Graves muttered. He tore away a piece of sticky tape from Cody’s mouth and slapped him around. “Wake up, sleepy-head.”

  Cody’s eyes stirred. He winced at Graves on sight.

  “Jesus!” Stasia said striding over. “Untie him at once.”

  Graves lifted his finger. “Hold on a second there. He was the one who led your daughter to the killer, remember?”

  “I don’t care. He’s only a kid. He should be interrogated at the precinct.”

  “Look, Stasia. Look at the state of him. Look at what I’ve already done. You know what he’s given me. Nothing. Not one thing. Which means he knows a lot.”

  “Please, Miss,” Cody wheezed. “Get this lunatic off me.”

  “Nicholas,” Stasia said sternly. “Don’t make me pull that gun on you.”

  “Alright, alright, I’ll untie him,” Graves said moving behind the chair.

  Stasia looked over anxiously.

  Graves stopped after a moment and peered over Cody’s shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to ask him why he led Mei-Lee to the golf course.”

  Stasia frowned.

  Anger flashed in Cody’s eyes.

  “Why – why did you?” she asked softly.

  “I didn’t do nothing,” Cody barked. “This is police brutality. I’m gonna be fucking famous tomorrow. Your asses are going to jail.”

  Stasia stooped down to his level.

  “Well, he is at least,” Cody muttered.

  “Just tell us why you led Mei-Lee to the golf course. Just…”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, bitch,” Cody yelled.

  Stasia slapped him. “Show some respect.”

  Cody laughed. “Is that all you got?”

  She looked at Graves.

  “You see what I’ve been dealing with?” Graves said, standing. He unscrewed his whiskey and took a drink.

  Stasia turned back to Cody. “You took us to the golf course, where you left her. Remember?”

  “Yeah, after you fucking tazed me.”

  “Oh my God, you don’t know, do you?” Stasia whispered.

  “Know what?”

  “Mei-Lee’s dead. You led her right into the killer’s trap.”

  Cody scoffed. “So what? It’s not like I knew her.”

  Stasia stood upright. She felt her eyes widen. Her whole body went stiff.

  Graves moved round to her side. “Let me have a go at him, alright? He’s our only lead right now.”

  “I – I can’t be – I can’t be present –”

  She stumbled away, clutching her stomach, her face squished together.

  She staggered outside the barn. She bent over, hands on her knees.

  Graves’ voice drifted away into the background.

  Stasia took another breath and then walked around the side of the barn, back where they’d come in.

  There was another car there.

  Headlights dying.

  “Oh shit.”

  CHAPTER 35

  Wendy pushed open the driver’s door and stepped out of the car.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Stasia cried. “Are you – are you completely nuts?”

  Wendy walked around the front of the car towards her.

  “I was worried about you, pumpkin,” Wendy said. “Fae called while you were in the bath and told me all the things this horrible man has done –”

  “Fae’s not on her way here, is she?”

  “No,” Wendy said. “It’s just me.” She sighed and looked around. “What are we doing here? I was afraid he was going to try and murder you.”

  Cody’s scream rang out from the barn.

  “Who is that?” Wendy exclaimed. She raced around to the barn’s entrance, Stasia lagging behind. “Oh no! NO! Nicholas!”

  Both Cody’s eyes were suddenly bruised, with blood spilling from his lips.

  Graves walked towards them, flexing his reddened fists.

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” he said with an odd tone.

  “Nicholas, you’re drunk,” Wendy accused. “Get the fuck away from that child. You monster. Stasia, tell him.”

  “Best get away,” Stasia murmured.

  Graves was already next to them, at the edge of the barn. “He’s going to talk. I just need another hour.”

  “That’s it,” Wendy snapped. “I’m calling Fae.”

  She charged away, back around the side of the barn.

  Stasia turned to Graves, almost apologetically.

  He reached into her jumper pockets and grabbed something.

  “No!” Stasia shrieked. “Don’t!”

  Graves stormed around the side of the barn.

  Stasia ran after him. “Wendy! Wendy –”

  Wendy turned to face her, phone in hand, as Graves aimed the pistol and shot her in the neck.

  “WEENDEE!!!” Stasia screamed.

  Graves ripped the phone away from Wendy’s fingers as she collapsed to her knees. He then put the gun to the side of her head and finished it.

  “MOTHERFUCKER!”

  Stasia ran at him, foaming at the mouth, trying to reach his pistol.

  But he was way too strong for her.

  Graves grabbed her by the throat and smashed the butt of the gun against her forehead. She fell to the grass, choking for air, Wendy’s dead eyes staring back at her.

  “Do you want me to kill you?” Graves asked. “Do you want to die?”

  He picked up Wendy’s discarded phone and threw it further away. Then h
e went into Stasia’s pockets. He ripped her wallet and ID out, throwing it to the side. He grabbed her phone and tossed it away also.

  He grabbed her notepad and tossed its pages into the wind.

  He forced her onto her back.

  “I liked you, Stasia,” Graves said. “I always liked you. I could just talk to you for hours.”

  “You’re insane,” Stasia wheezed. “You’re an insane man.”

  “SHUT UP! I’m trying to think!”

  Graves got off her and stumbled away.

  Stasia tried to sit up.

  His back was to her.

  “Do I have to kill you?” Graves whispered. “I have to, don’t I?”

  Stasia got to her knees.

  Graves whirled around. “Are you thinking about running? Running back to Captain Cuntmichael and Agent Suck My Dick? To tell your story? To tell them everything about me, because you’re like them. You always were, weren’t you?”

  “Nicholas,” Stasia said softly.

  “What?”

  “I – I understand. I do. Really.”

  “You understand what?”

  “Why you – why you had to hurt Wendy.”

  “I didn’t hurt her!” Graves shouted. “I shot her in the fucking head!”

  “Right. And I … I understand why. I do. I really, really do.”

  He looked at her cynically. “And why is that?”

  “Because she followed. She was spying on us. She was going to rat us out. Both of us. Me and you. She was betraying us both.”

  “And yet you tried to attack me.”

  “I – I was confused. At first. She – she was my sister.”

  Graves sighed deeply. He looked up to the moon. “Things are different, now aren’t they? We’ve crossed a line together. I really have shown you who I am. I really have.” He looked back down at her, tears in his eyes. “No one sees this! No one! You’re the only one who gets to see! I think. I think I’m in love with you.”

  Stasia nodded. “Okay…”

  “It’s alright. I don’t expect you to have feelings for me. I’m an asshole, aren’t I? Plus, I’m married. There’s that. But forget the sexual stuff. I feel like I have a connection with you. You’re special. You make me feel like…” He trailed off. “Oh, who am I kidding? You have to die, don’t you?”