Angry residents have protested against the incompetent mayor and police chief. From nine in the morning to five in the evening, boisterous demonstrators march before the four downtown police stations hoisting signs. They have also petitioned for the officials' resignation. "The people of this city elected this mayor and he's done nothing but run this city down! He can't keep us safe. And if he can't get the job done, we should be able to elect a new one! Kick him out of office!" An infuriated mother barked while being interviewed by a local news journalist.
Today marks ten months since Lolani’s death. I remember the shooting as if it were last week. Detective Wu insisted that I’d be compensated with the department’s reward money for leading her to Hoytsworth’s whereabouts. I refused it at first. I didn’t do it for a paycheck. My funds, however, were running dry so I decided to take her up on her offer. There was a caveat; I had to enlist myself as a confidential informant for Capitol City Police Department. In order to do that, I had to take care of an outstanding arrest warrant issued by Detective Bernhardt. Detective Wu took me in. Fortunately for me, she also testified in trial on my behalf. She informed the judge that I have assisted her with closing the “Dry Cleaners” homicide case. With the detective's testimony and having no prior offenses, the Capitol City Superior Court Judge was generous. She placed me on probation in lieu of jail time. She also placed a stay away order on me. I can't be within a hundred feet of the Meridian Motel, the clerk or his security guard.
The following morning, "The Harlot Murderer Strikes Again" fronted the cover page on the Capitol City Press in a sizeable bold font. A note found underneath the victim was posted in the article:
"Oh you should've seen the fight in this one. This by far will be my favorite. You would've enjoyed it too. Maybe I'll start documenting my work. Hmmm... Wouldn't that be something to watch? Maybe then you will notice how talented I am. It is time for me to bid adieu. I will see you next time. I don't know what the future will bring nor can I give you a time or place but we will meet again and again and again and again and again...."
The station wagon had a "For Sale" sign taped to the rear window. I decided to skim through the classifieds. To my dismay, the vehicle wasn't listed.
Lines at the newsstand spanned a city block. Residents wanted to be kept up to date on the developments of the investigation. The police, however, aren't revealing too much; partly because they don't want the "Harlot Murderer" to know where the investigation is going.
Anyone looming around town in wood paneled station nowadays is going catch eyes. I'm certain many have come upon it. I just needed to get someone to talk. It's now minutes after midnight. The thunderstorm isn't showing any mercy. A shirtless elderly male wearing a black leather blazer, with matching pants and biker cap just stumbled out of a sleazy underground nightclub called the "Shack." He's staggering aimlessly through the alley. Suddenly, he faces a brick wall and rests his right hand on it to keep himself steady. He unzips his pants with his left and begins to urinate.
"We need to talk ol' man." I growled just as he began to zip up.
"Oh... Geezus..." He stammered while flattening his back against the wall. "You scared the dickens outta me!"
"Have you seen any wood paneled station wagons around town?"
"Are you... The Legend? I heard about... I didn't think you were... You're real?"
"Ol' man, answer my question."
"Wood paneled... Ahhh... Yeah I have seen it. I see it every now and then." He disclosed.
"Where?"
"No place in particular... just here and there."
"In this area?"
"Yeah, around here. Around downtown."
“You know the owner?” I inquired.
“No, I don’t.”
The ol' man didn't give me much of a lead. Neither did other stragglers wandering the stormy streets at this hour. "Hey man, I don't know what to tell you. I've seen it around but I don't know who the owner is!"
Just when I was about to call it a night, a man leaving a liquor store caught my inquiring mind. He bustled down the street while clenching a six pack underneath his right arm. He's wearing a navy blue jumpsuit with an "Al's Used Tire Shop" patch stitched onto the back. The tire shop is located at a discount gas station. If anyone would know anything about the wood paneled station wagon, it would be him.
"You have a sec?" I asked following the man inside his apartment building.
"Holy crap! Who the hell are you?" The man lurched then stumbled into the hallway wall. The six-pack can of beer slipped from underneath his arm. Two cans burst as they struck the black and white checkered-tile floor. “Got-dammit! I just bought that!”
"I'm looking for someone."
"Are you nuts? Who the hell do you think you arrahhh... Wait a sec... I’ve seen you before... That comic book superhero.... The Urban Legend!" He chuckled. "What is this? Halloween? Wait, where's your grappling hook and stun gun?"
"I'm looking for a guy that drives a wood paneled station wagon." I growled.
"You must be outta your cotton pickin' mind clown. What are you gonna do if I don't talk? Gas me with your 'Truth Serum'? Move outta my way pal."
"Answer me!" I demanded while pitching a right jab into the wall just inches from his head.
"Whoa... Whoa! Easy big guy! Wood paneled station wagon?"
"Yeah!"
"I know the guy. Names Albert... He lives over on Senate Drive... I can give you his address. I was just over his place replacing a flat tire for him. He said he got it from driving through an alley or sum'in'."
I'd pass this four level apartment building for an abandoned one. Some of the windows are boarded up and the brick face is covered with graffiti. Hustler's clenching twenty dollar bills were hunched over the front steps laying money on a craps game. Unfortunately, I don't see a wood paneled station wagon parked anywhere on the block.
I made my way inside from an unlocked roof door. It wasn't long before I caught the malodorous stench from a faulty sewage draining system. I'm trying my best to be stealthy but every step I take makes the stairs creak. Suddenly a passing elevated train rattled the entire apartment building. It caused paint chips from the flaking ceiling to fall. I wouldn't be surprised if the air in here is filled with lead. Albert's apartment is on the top floor. I navigated around buckets catching the leaky rain water from the passing storm. "4B." This is it.
Albert's door was locked evidently but a swift swipe from my pocket knife granted me entry. The apartment had a foul odor of rotting food. I felt for a light switch and suddenly noticed his filthy habits. There were Chinese food takeout containers left on his kitchen sink and counter. Roaches began to crawl out of the cartons then scamper into the cabinets. The hundreds of maggots continued to eat the remaining pieces of meat. A continuous cracking noise came from the flickering fluorescent light bulbs. Horseflies began to circle around it. There was several empty orange prescription bottles discarded on the counter. "Benazepril, Warfarin, Digoxin..." They were the same medications my grandfather used to take for his high blood pressure and heart.
The kitchen light gave some visibility into another room. I stepped inside of it and immediately caught whiff of moldy carpet. I could make out in the center of the room a single light bulb suspended from a wire in the ceiling. I yanked a cord besides the bulb and the light abruptly revealed large red rancorous writings on the white walls and ceiling of the living room: "Die, Death, Murder, Kill Them All..." It was written with a red marker that was scribbled to make the letters bold and jagged. It covered the entire room.
I continued to survey the room and noticed dark moldy blotches on the beige carpet. The only furniture in the living room was a knocked over coffee table and a deteriorated green vintage floral sofa. Various brands of playing cards were discarded on the floor besides the coffee table. After a more thorough look I noticed all of the cards were Queen of Hearts and the hearts were punctured out.
The vile inscriptions covering the living room walls and ceili
ng continued into the bedroom. More horseflies hovered over his sheet-less bed. There were yellowish stains on his mattress and the stench of urine emanated from it. I noticed more empty prescription bottles on top of a journal on his dresser. The journal caught my inquiring mind. I retrieved it and sifted through his entries. Everything was written in red ink.
Before I could finish reading the first sentence, red strobe lights penetrated through the rifted blinds in his bedroom window. I looked outside and noticed several unmarked Crown Victorias pull up to the front of the building. Plainclothes officers sporting police windbreaker jackets swiftly exited the vehicles and surrounded the individuals gambling out front. One tried to flee but was tackled halfway down the block. They were all handcuffed and placed against the building fence. A middle-aged, heavyset detective sporting a green trench coat sauntered towards one of the individuals. He pulled a purple latex glove over his left hand then reached into the individual's pants. Seconds later he retrieved a sandwich bag containing packaged narcotics from the individual’s groin area. This appeared to be some sort of police drug sting.
Suddenly several officers rushed into the building. I didn't want to be a part of this dragnet. I placed the journal back on the dresser and fled out of the apartment. Laden footsteps raced up the hallway staircase. Flashlight beams oscillated along the walls as the footsteps drew closer. I made my way to the roof, leaped to an adjacent building and fled into the night.
"Detective Wu, I found out something you'll find useful. We need to meet." I sent the detective a text message.
"How about the alley by my station in an hour?" She responded seconds later.
"I'm on my way."
Detective Wu was already parked in the alley when I arrived. She noticed me approaching her unmarked Crown Victoria through her rearview mirror. The transmission grinded as she threw the gear lever in park. The driver side door opened slightly and a black ladies walking umbrella unfurled as she stepped out underneath it. She held onto a clear evidence bag as she sauntered to the rear of her car.
"I found out who he is." I disclosed.
"WHAT? YOU DID? WHO IS HE?" She blurted. She snatched a notepad from her rear pocket and fixed the stem of the umbrella between her neck and shoulder.
"His name is Albert. He lives on Senate Drive. Narcos just raided his building."
"You have an apartment?"
"4B."
"This couldn't come at a better time. He just killed another prostitute. A homeless guy found her body in the basement of an abandoned apartment building." The detective uttered while jotting down the information. She stopped writing then handed me an evidence bag with a note inside of it.
"Hello Chief Burke, The Harlot Murderer Strikes Again! I didn't think we would've had this meeting so soon. Everyone thinks I'm crazy. They cast me into the gutter and made me into a monster. Now everyone is aghast at the creation they made. See you soon."
The note was written in the same red bold and jagged scribble as the entries in his journal and the writing on the walls and ceiling inside his apartment.
After the detective noted the tip in her pad, she got on her cellphone and called her sergeant. "...Yes sarge, my confidential informant is very credible. I think we should look into it..." She slapped her flip phone shut, collapsed her umbrella then darted to the driver's side of her police cruiser. "You know, the reward for information leading to this guy's arrest is twenty five thousand dollars!" Detective Wu hollered before slamming her door shut. The Crown Victoria then raced towards the street with its red dashboard strobe light illuminating the alley.
The following afternoon Detective Wu was given the "Go ahead" from her sergeant to look into the lead I presented. For days she staked out Albert's apartment hoping he'd return. Unfortunately, he hasn't. Detective Wu is convinced the narcotics unit might've scared him off during their raid. Without enough probable cause she is unable to get a search warrant for the apartment.
Fortunately, the narcotics unit was able to unravel a complex drug distribution ring involving the landlord and several tenants. Along with the atrocious conditions, Capitol City’s District Attorneys and a housing inspector managed to get the city to condemn the building. Tenants had thirty days to move out. When Albert failed to return within the time period, the city deemed his apartment and belongings abandoned. Detective Wu now had the authority to enter it.
The crime scene technicians seized substantial evidence from his apartment: his graphic journal entries, DNA samples, a box of .38 special cartridges that was half full, all the Queen of Hearts playing cards and photos of the vile inscriptions on his walls and ceilings. Detective Wu now had enough PC to get an arrest warrant signed by the Superior Court Judge for Albert. A photograph of him, a brief biography and his 1982 Ford Country Squire station wagon with simulated wood panels were broadcasted on the late night news and printed in the morning paper.
"...Serial killers usually start off committing petty crimes at an early age..." Detective Wu informed me. "Albert, however, didn't pick up that trait. He's has no criminal history. So the DNA recovered from the victims didn't match anyone in our criminal database. But the DNA found on the victims did match the DNA samples we collected from Albert's apartment."
In order to be more proficient at capturing Albert, Detective Wu came up with the idea of piecing together a profile of him. For the next several weeks, Detective Wu gathered information on Albert by obtaining copies of his school records, military records, interviewing his childhood classmates and studying his journal entries. She spent weeks arranging it in chronological order and analyzing them. In two months’ time, Detective Wu was knowledgeable enough to rewrite his biography.
In Albert's journal, he recalls carrying a lot of animosity for his mother's cats at a young age. "..She always put her cats before me..." Ultimately, he decided to get rid of his mother's pets by mixing the cat food with rodent poison pellets. He found great pleasure in watching them agonize for days before they finally died.
At the age of eleven, Albert became fond of a middle school classmate named Lauren. "...I stare at her all the time. She's the prettiest girl in the world..." He depicted her in his journal as timid and pristine. "...She never talked to anyone and would run into her parent's arms after school..." Lauren and Albert wound up attending the same high school. In their sophomore year, a biology teacher paired the two to be lab partners. Albert was ecstatic. Lauren, however, like the rest of Albert's classmates, thought he was bizarre. She wasn't thrilled by the partnership. Lauren reluctantly traded phone numbers with Albert. Instead of using it to work on their project, Albert seized the opportunity to badger her. "He used to call my house during the late hours of the night. When my parents answered, he'd hang up immediately. If I answered, I'd hear nothing but heavy breathing. It got to the point that my parents had to go to the school and have a meeting with the biology teacher, Albert and his mother." Lauren explained to Detective Wu one afternoon after agreeing to confer with her over lunch.
In their senior year, Lauren joined the cheerleading team. Albert developed animosity for the skimpy uniform she wore around school. It wasn't long before she hooked up with the captain of the football team. One afternoon, while feeding the pigeons on the football field during lunch, Albert caught Lauren surrendering her virginity to her boyfriend underneath the bleachers. He recounted it as watching "An apple rot before my eyes."
After high school, Albert enlisted in the Army where he became a proficient marksman. He was shipped to Vietnam. While overseas he made efforts to persuade a local prostitute to become his girlfriend. However, on numerous occasions, he caught her sleeping with members in his platoon. It didn't sit well with him. Documented cases states Albert ignited fires throughout the camp. Ultimately, his antics caused his disciplinary discharge.
Since his discharge, Albert has been working odd jobs in different cities. However, just like his love life, he's unable to keep anything steady. He writes about getting fired or laid off in a month
s’ time. He's developed a heavy alcohol and heroin addiction that he is unable to curb. Often he arrives to work late and intoxicated. He also writes about being abusive to women.
Using his journal entries, Detective Wu was able to locate a female that Albert assaulted a few years ago. At first she didn't want to relive the account and made attempts to deny it. Detective Wu pleaded with her: "That man that raped you is now killing teenage girls. You're a key to helping me catch him." The female eventually conceded.
She told Detective Wu Albert used to hang around local high schools offering girls a ride home in his wood paneled station wagon. Her parents warned her to stay away from him. One Friday evening, after an exhausting three hours of cheerleading practice, she reluctantly took him up on his offer. She recalled "Before closing the door to his car, he sped off." Minutes into the drive, he adjusted the rearview mirror so he could gaze at her in the passenger seat. She kept noticing Albert's eerie blue eyes peering at her. "It's like his eyes are burned into my memory. That's all I kept seeing. Those... dark... blue eyes." She started reconsidering the offer for the ride home.
"You can drop me off here. I need to run to the store." She directed.
"I'll take you to the store," Albert responded.
Albert suddenly became bold, reached over and fondled her exposed thigh from her skimpy cheerleading uniform. She screamed and smacked his wrist away. Albert felt disrespected. "You thought this ride was gonna be for free?" Albert barked then clenched onto her inner thigh while still navigating through traffic. She struggled to pull away from him but his hold was too firm. She began jabbing him in the mouth. Albert caught her wrist and held onto it as he drove into the alley behind his apartment building. "Then it just happened so fast. I tried to open the door and run but he wrapped his arms around my neck and stomach and carried me over the front seat into the back. He got on top of me and he... He... He ripped my shorts and underwear off and he... He kept calling me 'Lauren' the entire time..."
The Legend Page 7