by Luis Samways
"How did she know it was a man?"
"Because, apparently, he was wearing overalls. Sleeveless overalls. And his arms were large and muscular, whilst also covered in tattoos."
Hunt shook his head.
"So, let me get this straight, this girl, this young girl says she saw a man wearing a pumpkin on his head whilst also dressed as a scarecrow?"
Ronson shrugged.
"Hey, it's all we’ve got. So, we have to run with it."
"Run with it? It's Halloween for fuck’s sake! There's gonna be a million-people dressed in a million costumes. It's like a needle in a bloody orange-coloured haystack."
"Yeah, but how many of those needles are dressed in a pumpkin head?" Ronson said, jotting something else down on the clipboard. He then nodded his head at the two detectives and turned on his heels, quickly exiting the room.
Both Detective Inspector Hunt and deputy Ian gazed at the bodies on the floor and then up at each other. They were both dumbfounded, not quite knowing what to think. But one thing was for certain, this couldn't get any stranger.
Chapter Nine
"Is that a pumpkin costume?" Dan asked his brother Dean as he grabbed a can of Stella out of the mini fridge in their room.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, it is. Do you like it?"
Dan didn't look too impressed.
"Are you really going to turn up in that? It looks weird. And why the hell is the pumpkin on your head? Surely it should be around your chest, like a large all in one suit?"
Dean laughed.
"That's the thing, you don't have any style, do you? It's Halloween! We’re supposed to put a little effort into the way we dress. Besides, the way you look, you’ll never pull!"
"Who said anything about me wanting to pull? I just wanna have a good time. That's it. I’ll leave the pulling to you."
Dean laughed as he picked up his prop knife on the dresser.
"Wow, that looks real!" Dan said, mesmerised by the detail on the blade.
"That's because it is real."
Dan made a face that his brother Dean picked up on.
"What? Don't tell me that the knife’s too much. It's literally the most important part of the suit. Without it, it doesn't make sense."
"Whatever you say, Dean. But I just don't think that walking around with an actual knife on Halloween is a good idea. Why don't you just get one of those plastic ones?"
"Authenticity, my young brother. Authenticity. It's all about being authentic to the genre."
"What do you mean, what genre?"
"The slasher genre. I'm a killer pumpkin."
Dan began belly laughing, nearly spitting a mouthful of Stella all over his older brother."
"Come on, man! There's no such thing as a killer pumpkin! You look ridiculous! Besides, if you wanted to do a slasher costume, then why didn't you just dress like Jason, or Freddie? They're two of the most iconic slasher killers around."
Dean shook his head.
"You know nothing about the slasher genre, my friend. Freddie is not a slasher killer. He is an aberration. An aberration in somebody's dreams. He kills you in your sleep. Therefore, he is not real. He is a figment of their imaginations. I'll give you Jason, he is a slasher. But I wouldn’t say that he's the most famous one. You're missing out on the number one slasher. So, if you’ll forgive me, I don't think I’ll take advice from you."
"Who the heck am I missing? Freddy, and Jason. Those two are legends."
"Nope. You're wrong. I cannot believe you forgot about Mike Myers. His slasher film series is named after the damn bloody holiday. Halloween! Do you even watch movies!?!"
"Jesus. How the hell did I get that wrong?"
"I don't know, Dan. I ask myself that every single day."
"So, are you looking forward to Lucy's party?"
Dean shrugged.
"Not really. They’re all idiots. All they do is talk shit. But you know me, I can't say no to a fancy dress party! So, I guess I'll grit and bear it."
"Just don't embarrass me tonight, Dean. I know what you're like. Once you have a few drinks, you go off the handle. I don't want any trouble tonight. Just keep yourself to yourself. I’m tired of pulling you out of functions by the scruff of your neck."
"Trust me, Dan. I'm not gonna be any trouble tonight."
Dan nodded his head and then downed his can of Stella. Minutes later, the two of them were in their hallway, putting on their shoes. It was cold outside, but they weren't wimps. Halloween was one of their favourite times of the year. And even though they were fully grown men, they still enjoy dressing up and looking the part. Tonight, they were determined to have a good time.
Dan reached for the handle and opened the door.
"Pumpkin's first," Dan said, laughing uncontrollably.
"Good one. Be sure to remember that gem for the party. I'm sure you'll have them all in stitches."
Dean barged past him, grazing his subpar Jack Sparrow costume.
"Is that blood on your pumpkin head?"
Dean turned around rapidly.
"Fake blood, obviously. Now come on, don’t start lagging. Let's get moving! The night is no longer young. And I'm in need of a drink."
"I hear that!" Dan said, slipping outside and shutting the door behind them.
Chapter Ten
"Glad to see that you made it, Ashton," Detective Inspector Hunt said as he stretched his hand out, ready for the shake.
But the shake never came. Instead, Ashton Black just sighed inwardly. It was quite the sight, a suited and booted Metropolitan police officer standing in the middle of nowhere holding a briefcase, looking more than just lost.
"So, remind me why I am here again?"
Hunt bit his tongue.
"I thought the Met informed you of what was going on here?"
"Well, they said something about some bloke wearing a pumpkin on his head, killing some boy in a barn? Am I on the right track?"
Deputy Ian stepped forward.
"Something like that. Well, there's been a few developments. Namely two more victims."
Ashton looked confused.
"So, there were more people in that barn? Not just the boy?"
Hunt shook his head.
"No. We are talking about a second murder scene."
"There's been another? Where?"
"Just up the road there. We were summoned to meet you halfway. The barn is just down the road, you see the lights in the distance?"
"Yes. I can see them. So, the second murder scene is up there?”
"Not only that, but now we have a description. As you said earlier, we are indeed looking for a man wearing a pumpkin on his head. As soon as the second murder had come in, I rang the Met up to inform you about it. They didn't tell you anything?"
Ashton shook his head.
"No. They rang me again just to tell me that they just received a description on the suspect. I pulled up my emails and saw that they'd sent me a JPEG of the witness sketch."
"There weren’t actually any witnesses to the murder in the barn. But the second murder wasn't exactly witnessed by anyone per se, the couple that got iced had a daughter sleeping upstairs. She heard a commotion and snuck a peek through the banister, managing to see this man wearing a pumpkin on his head."
Ashton still looked confused.
"I just don't get it. Why the hell was he wearing a pumpkin on his head? Is this some sort of disguise meant to blend in with the nights spooky festivities?"
Hunt bit his tongue once again. Ashton Black was either the sort of person that thought out loud or he wasn't qualified enough to run with him on a case like this. To detective Inspector Hunt, it was obvious that the killer was using Halloween night as a cover for his murderous spree. But he'd chosen a costume that stuck out like a sore thumb. The area was rural. Sure, there was a small town up East, but the likelihood of seeing a bunch of people wearing pumpkins on their heads was slim. So, Hunt didn't think that the killer was that smart after all.
"So
, are we heading up to the second murder scene?" Ashton said, adjusting his tie.
"Don't you want to see the original murder scene? The one in the barn?"
Ashton shook his head.
"Not particularly. Kinda like movies, isn't it? If everyone's going to see the sequel and you haven't seen the first one, the likelihood is you'll never end up watching the first flick. You’ll wanna fit in with the crowd. So, the best thing to do is to just see the second one and be done with it, don't you think?"
Hunt looked at Ashton and then at his partner, deputy Ian.
"It’s up to you. They're both similar scenes anyway. All three murder victims have been disembowelled or dismembered. It's like he's carving them up."
"Like a pumpkin…" Ashton summarised.
All three men remained silent for a second or two as they thought about the state of decay manifesting around them.
"Well, let’s head to the scene, then. Just follow me, we’ll be there in a jiffy."
Hunt was about to turn around and lead the way when his mobile phone rang in his jacket pocket. Darting his eyes toward his partner, the both of them stared at each other in anticipation.
"Are you going to answer that?" Ashton black asked, blowing air into his cold hands. The temperature was really beginning to drop.
Hunt nodded and reached into his jacket, pulling out the Samsung, pressing the green button and holding it to his ear.
"Please, don't tell me there's been another," Hunt said, his lips all of a sudden feeling awfully dry.
There was a pause. On the other end of the phone the station chief cleared his throat.
"I'm afraid there has, Detective. You should probably get into your car for this one."
"My car? Why, where is the scene?"
"In town. East Street. On another cul-de-sac. Well, technically, just outside the cul-de-sac. Two victims. Each of them gutted from bow to stern. Enjoy this one, it's a doozy."
The phone went dead. Hunt found himself shaking his head. He turned to the others, his face pale white.
"What the hell is going on? This can't be happening!" deputy Ian cried, fidgeting with his keys once again.
"I'm afraid it is happening. And there's nothing we can do about it. There’s two more victims. If we don't get a handle on this soon, then we could have a record breaker on our hands here. And this isn't the sort of record that the region is going to be proud of holding."
Ashton reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his mobile phone.
"What are you doing?" Hunt asked.
Ashton ignored him, dialling a number rapidly and placing the handset to his ear. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and began talking.
"Hey Sarge, it's Ashton. I'm gonna need around 12 boys down here. We’re going to war."
Ashton hung the phone up and placed the mobile back into his jacket pocket.
"Who the heck are the boys?" Hunt asked.
Ashton smiled.
"Uh… the boys? Just a few Scotland Yard flying squad types. They should be here within the hour. Base is flying them in."
"You do realise Ashton that the Devon and Cornwall police have armed units at their disposal, right?" Hunt chimed in.
"Well, these guys aren't just armed. They're trained. Trained in dealing with incidents like this."
"This isn't an incident, Ashton. I know what you're playing at, you're wanting headlines here, aren't you? Scotland Yard comes in and saves the day! Poor old Devon and Cornwall police, they can’t get the job done… Well, you're barking up the wrong tree, boy. This is my area. I make the calls around here. You're just here to tag along. So, you either call your guys with guns off, or I bring my guys with guns in and we end this now."
Ashton shook his head.
"I expected more from you, Inspector Hunt. This isn't some stupid competition. This is a matter of public safety. And the public aren't safe unless this guy is off the streets. So, by all means, call your guys in as well. We’ll have a little duck hunt, see who catches the bad guy first."
Hunt laughed, shaking his head.
"So much for this not being a competition, ay? Don't worry about it, Ashton. I'll call my guys in. You seem to be forgetting we have a few military barracks around here. Not to mention that in this region we train some of the most elite fighting squads in the world. So, if you really want this to be a competition, I’m game. We can take this fucker down in one fell swoop."
Deputy Ian stepped in between both men who were practically chomping at the bit as they peacocked in front of each other.
"While I understand that both of you want to catch this guy, maybe it's best if we focus on the third crime scene? Maybe that way we’ll know exactly what we have to do next… Then, and only then should we start thinking about how we're going to track this sicko down."
Hunt nodded.
"You're right. Let’s stop pissing about and make our way to East St. These crimes aren’t going to solve themselves."
"Fine. But I still think it's a good idea if we keep the armed units around this area. Both yours and mine. With somebody this dangerous, it would be foolish not to."
Hunt nodded.
"Agreed. So, let’s get going. Waiting around is only going to make things worse."
All three men jumped into Detective Inspector Hunt’s 4x4. Within minutes, they were roaring down the country roads, headed toward the town centre.
Chapter Eleven
"Hey ladies, you fancy some pumpkin pie?" Dean shouted at the top of his lungs before guzzling two bottles of Corona in one swift motion.
His brother, Dan, was watching through splayed fingers, facepalming his embarrassment away.
But no matter where he stood, or where he hid, people knew that the two of them came as a pair. They were one and the same. Brother’s till the end. Blood wasn't the only thing they shared. They both looked alike. And sometimes, just sometimes, they were mistaken for each other.
Dan just hoped that he wasn't mistaken for Dean tomorrow morning. Or he'd never hear the end of how he was hitting on women at a Halloween party dressed as a bloody pumpkin!
"Do you have to talk like that?" A girl standing next to Dean said as he finished off another bottle of Corona in quick succession.
Dan watched as his brother started dancing seductively around the obviously uncomfortable beautiful girl at the party. Thankfully, nobody could see dean's stupid expression he usually donned whilst drunk. It was an expression that his brother Dan was very familiar with. He could more or less bet a million bucks that right now at that very second as Dean danced around the girl, he had his tongue sticking out of his mouth, licking his lips, like some perverted sex crazed maniac.
It was just how his brother was when he was drunk. Dan was pretty certain that Dean was harmless. But not harmless enough to escape the concerned eyes of most people at this party. It was then and there that Dan knew that their time had come and it was probably best if they left. He'd made Dean swear that he'd be good tonight, that he'd behave, but unfortunately his brother had broken yet another promise.
"Come on, pal, it's time to go home. Our pumpkin carriage awaits," Dan said, grabbing his brother gently by the arm.
But Dean wasn't having none of it. He pushed Dan back, letting him fall onto the sofa, next to a couple who were making out. His sudden hard landing didn't faze the young couple, they continued to kiss and grope. But it wasn't the couple that Dan was wary of. It was the many faces staring at him and his sibling. Faces that wore shocked expressions. Faces that were obviously disgusted at the actions of the pumpkin wearing idiot in the middle of the room and his obnoxious and aggressive brother.
But Dan wasn't trying to be an alpha male, here, he was just trying to save face. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, he knew that saving face was the least of his problems tonight.
"Don't you think you've had enough to drink, Dean?" Dan said, slowly getting to his feet, brushing himself down.
His second-rate Jack Sparrow costume
hadn't held up well during the drinking festivities. Some young chick had spilled red wine down his front and now he looked like he'd been washed ashore. Maybe that was the look he should have gone for in the first place…
"I'll decide when I've had enough to drink, Dan. How about you stop mothering me and go and have some fun? You’re supposed to be the crazy one here, not me!"