And Then They Were Dead

by Michael Martin

  Adams grin widens on his face.

  “Yes, it is Teresa, it’s very funny!”

  Teresa lunges at Adam. “You sick bastard how can you find this funny, somebody has just killed my son, you evil bastard get the fuck out of my house, get fucking out now.”

  Adam removes Teresa’s hands from his chest and places her back in her seat firmly.

  “Don’t hit me Teresa, I have never done anything to hurt you.”

  “Adam just get out of my house, just leave I don’t want you here you’re sick!”

  Adam stands firmly in the kitchen in front of her with a wide grin on his face, just staring at her.

  “Why are you being like this Adam? I just lost my son!”

  “I know you did Teresa, and your fat little babysitter had her jaw ripped clean from her face before she had her skull crushed by a man’s size 11 foot!”

  He lifts his foot parading it in front of her. The fear begins to well up in her and bile rises in her throat as she begins to realise that the man standing in front of her has enjoyed the whole experience.

  “Get fucking out Adam, get fucking out now” she screams.

  Adam speaks calmly, and coldly.

  “After stamping on the fat girls face over and over again the man stepped from the living room to find a small defenceless boy standing at the top of the stairs. The small boy asked what the noise was coming from downstairs, the man dismissed the question. It was this boy the man had come for; it was this boy’s head the man standing at the foot of the stairs needed for his collection.”

  Teresa’s eyes widen as she looks up at Adam, her skin tingles with fear, she began to shake uncontrollably and then vomits on the kitchen floor.

  “The boy at the top of the stairs was about to suffer, he was about to suffer unimaginable agony that had only been suffered before by people who now lay rotting in the ground.”

  Teresa looks directly into the man standing across from her eyes, “We were together Adam, we were together that night!”

  Adam continues to speak in a monotone voice, not speeding up or slowing down for any part. “After the man at the foot of the stairs had taken the Childs head with his scalpel and bolt cutters he then had to travel home to get showered and changed quickly. The man standing at the foot of the stairs had a date you see, a date with the Childs mother who he had strategically placed in a Hotel in Leeds.”

  Adams smile grows wider as he sees the look of fear on Teresa’s face. Teresa remains frozen in her chair, unmoving, emotionless, staring into Adam’s face but seeing nothing.

  “Would you like some Tea Teresa?”

  Adam quickly grabs the now boiled kettle from the kitchen side and throws the contents into her face. Teresa writhes on the floor in agony, but doesn’t make a sound, the skin from her lip begins to bubble and blister through the heat, her face slowly turns to one large blister. Now he can have his fun with her. This time Adam is going to really take his time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Still Like a Statue

  Chapter 24 Still Like a Statue

  Small and Falls drive over to Mrs Redgraves house. Small is sure Mrs Redgrave can tell them something of use, all he needs is one little thing which will give them the opportunity to arrest Adam and search the bastards house, just one coincidence is all he needs. Small decides if he doesn’t get the coincidence from Mrs Redgrave today, he is going to travel over to see Adam anyway.

  He hopes nobody is in at Adams house when he gets over there. He will pretend the door was left ajar and enter suspecting a burglary was taking place. That’s what he is going to do actually, it’s a fantastic idea he thinks.

  He needs to find out how Teresa Bennett is involved, she has something to do with this and he knows it. Maybe she is a much better actor than Adam but she is involved, how the hell can she not be, they couldn’t have been together in Leeds all night and in Manchester killing her son at the same time. He knows he needs to speak with her urgently. He decides to head over there once he has spoken to Mrs Redgrave.

  The officers pull their car into the cul-de-sac where Mrs Redgrave lives. They can immediately see the post still protruding from the letterbox. The curtains remain drawn as they have been since last time they were there. The short well kept grass of the front lawn has started to get longer and now looks out of place next to the other gardens. Small steps from the car as soon as they pull in front of the house. “The place looks empty sir”

  “I know Falls, but let’s knock anyway just in case they are inside.”

  Small knocks firmly on the door and waits. After a second and third knock he tries to peer through the letterbox but he can’t see anything.

  “Put your face to the letterbox Falls, what do you notice?”

  Falls bends over to try and look through the letterbox, a foul smell of rotting meat fills his nostrils instantly causing him to heave repeatedly.

  “Sir it smells like something’s died in there.”

  “Exactly Falls, let’s see if we can get in or at least see in from somewhere.”

  The officers try to look through the front curtains, but they are drawn tightly and no gaps are visible.

  “Shall we check the back sir?”

  “Yes I think we have to.”

  The officers make their way around the back of the house, no windows are open. They peer in through the conservatory that has no curtains. In the centre of the dark living room they can make out something, it looks like a man sitting on a chair, it looks almost like a statue totally still sitting silently in the darkness. Small bangs on the conservatory window, but the object does not even flinch.

  “Are we going in Falls?”

  “Too right sir.”

  The two men go back to the front of the house and get into the car. Small picks up the radio from the centre of the car and begins to speak, “Hello this is DCI small we need assistance.”

  A voice comes over the radio immediately, “Yes sir, is it an emergency?”

  “Too right it’s a bloody emergency we need a battering ram over at the Redgrave residence like ten minutes ago!”

  “Yes sir on its way.”

  About 5 minutes later a marked Police van screeches into the cul-de-sac. The officers that exit the vehicle are wearing full body armour and riot helmets. The last man to step from the vehicle holds a large black metal ram. Small points to the front door of the Redgrave house.

  “It’s that one there, break it down.”

  The officer with the ram walks up to the door and bangs hard.

  “This is the police open up or we’re coming in.”

  No response, he bangs again.

  “This is your last warning open up or we’ll break down the door.”

  “JUST OPEN THE GOD DAMN DOOR” Small shouts at the uniformed officer.

  Three loud bangs follow and the door is open.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Billy

  Chapter 25 Billy

  Mr Craven sits behind his large mahogany desk early Monday morning waiting for the 9:00am bell to ring. The school has lost a number of teachers recently and temps are thin on the ground, still, he’s sure he can handle it.

  The bell rings and within seconds the hallway outside begins to silence as children scamper to their classes. A quiet knock comes at Mr Craven’s office door.

  “COME IN” he shouts.

  “Hello Mr Craven” Comes from a high pitched female voice.

  He looks up from his desk to find Denise Richards standing in front of his desk.

  “Hello Denise, please take a seat, how can I help you?”

  Denise pulls out the heavy chair from under the desk with a struggle and perches herself in front of Mr Craven.

  “Well Mr Craven, I am here to talk with you about our Billy.”

  “Feel free Mrs Richards, I’m here to help in any way I can.”

  “Since what the incident he hasn’t been himself, in fact he’s hardly spoken to anybody in the family at all. I’m worried
he’s drifting into himself and might not come back out.”

  “Well Mrs Richards, as he hasn’t been in school I can’t really comment on his behaviour.”

  “No, no I’m sorry Mr Craven I didn’t mean his behaviour in school, me and Mrs Redgrave sometimes talk and she gives me advice. I would usually speak to her, and she would help me find ways around the things I find difficult with the children.”

  “Ahh right I get it, so you’re asking me to help you to bring Billy back out of his shell so to speak?”

  “Exactly Mr Craven. With Mrs Redgrave not being here, you were the only person I knew that might be able to help me.”

  “Yes, I see, being a professional with children I am probably best placed person to help you.”

  “Thank you Mr Craven.”

  “So he’s been quiet lately you say?”

  “Yes.”

  “Has he been going out with his friends?”

  “No, he hasn’t left the house since he found his sister that way.”

  A tear comes to Mrs Richards eye but she quickly fights it down.

  “Has anybody been able to talk to him or get through to him at all?”

  “No not me, not the police councillor, not even the doctor who has known him from birth, no one. He has just sat there most of the time staring into space oblivious to anyone or anything around him.”

  “Have you tried getting him something new? A bike, computer or something he likes?”

  “No it hasn’t really felt like the right time to do anything like that to be honest. Today is actually the first time I’ve left the house since.”

  “Right and how’s his father been?”

  “His father is worse than he is. It’s destroyed him. He’s crippled with grief, he goes to the pub first thing every day and sits there at the bar drinking, not speaking.”

  “Ok Mrs Richards, this doesn’t sound good, is there any chance I could arrange to come over and speak with Billy?”

  “Yes of course I would really appreciate it if you could do that for me.”

  “I will do that for you, but please don’t mention this to anybody. If anybody finds out I might get in trouble or even lose my job. I’m not a trained councillor, although I’m confident I can get through to him, but the authorities might not agree. You understand?”

  “Yes of course I won’t tell a soul and thank you very much Mr Craven.”

  “You are very welcome Mrs Richards, best not to mention it to your husband either, as I’m not very good with drunk people, I would prefer to come when he’s out if that’s ok with you?”

  “Yes of course I won’t say a word. Here is my number, please just call me to arrange a time that is good for you.”

  Mr Craven takes Mrs Richards mobile number and walks her to the front door of the school.

  “Thank you for your help Mr Craven I really do appreciate it.”

  “No, thank you for thinking of me Mrs Richards, I am more than happy to help.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Out With The Old

  Chapter 26 Out With The Old

  Adam sits in his Cellar surrounded by his souvenirs. He has taken the head of his first adult victim now. He can not believe the difference in size when he puts the Adult and Child heads next to one another. It is much more noticeable when the heads aren’t attached to their body.

  The shelf directly in front of his dissecting desk is rapidly starting to fill up. He is acquiring quite a nice little collection now. Every wall in the cold dark cellar is filled with shelves, and every shelf is filled with Jars, Jars containing all manner of trophies that he has collected over the years.

  There is nowhere he can put another shelf, and it wont be long before the one he is working on filling up is full, it wont be long at all. He already has his next victim planned. He has already put the plan in motion and knows who his next victim will be.

  The next victim wasn’t one that he’d selected out of choice. It was one that had kind of fallen into his lap out of pure luck. It was a good job his next victim had arrived this way, as he has been so busy lately he hasn’t had the time to select one. He has been so busy that he needed this stroke of luck.

  Adam has a meeting at school with all the teachers for later in the week, he will try to get over and pick up his next victim shortly after that. Could he wait though? Could he sit around and wait a few days? He wants it now, he wants to masturbate over it, he wants to feel that arousal that he just didn’t get from taking an adults head.

  He looks down at the blistered severed head of a women who only a few days before had orgasmed whilst he lay on top of her. He picks up the head he has taken from Teresa and slams it into the concrete wall of his cellar with a dull thud.

  “YOU FUCKING WHORE” He shouts.

  “YOU DIRTY FUCKING WHORE WHAT A WASTE OF TIME YOU HAVE BEEN, WHAT A WASTE OF FUCKING TIME.”

  Adam leaves the head on the floor and starts up the narrow staircase to his kitchen.

  Shortly after he returns with a large piece of wood and 2 brackets, he knows he needs to put another shelf up now he wants to do it now so he doesn’t get lazy. He knows that a bare shelf sitting there alone will drive him mad and all he will want to do is fill it. Where is he going to put it though, there is no room left, he had decorated an entire room with body parts and now he had no room left. He made the decision then that rather than putting up another shelf up he will have to get rid of some of the animal body parts and slowly fill the room with human ones.

  Which ones meant the least to him, which parts are the least fun collecting? He has parts from all kind of animals, dogs, cats, birds, even squirrels, it is like an itemised shelving system but he uses body parts to itemise it.

  He decides on the birds; they are the least important to him. They were the only ones that never screamed when he cut them, they were the only ones that didn’t seem to feel real pain like all the others.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The Room at The End on The Right!

  Chapter 27 The Room at The End on The Right!

  The smell of rotting meat and a large swarm of flies comes gusting from the door as it opens. The smell quickly fills the street and most of the uniformed officers who aren’t used to this sort of thing begin to heave. Small does not flinch. He is an old hat at this and over the years had become tolerant to the most foul of smell and gruesome of crime scene.

  As Small approaches the doorway of the red brick house, he wonders what horrors he will find inside, what atrocities have been committed just beyond the walls that now stand feet away from where he is. He walks into the dark hallway and heads straight for the living room. Was it a man they had seen seated in the middle of the living room, a man or just a strange ornament he had not noticed last time he was here.

  Small steps into the living room to find that his suspicions were right. Situated directly in the centre of the room is Mr Redgrave. His body is naked and he has been bound to the chair on which he sits. The room swarms with flies, they are everywhere sticking to the officer’s skin and buzzing like bee’s. Blood has run down from the man in the chairs mouth and soaked the carpet directly below him. Maggots are on the mans face and coat the blood stained carpet below. Mr Redgrave had been gagged with a leather belt that seems to have something attached to it on the end of a single screw. All the blood has leaked from the mouth area and drained down his body. The amount of blood suggests the gag and whatever has caused the bleeding, was attached whilst Mr Redgrave was still alive.

  About 3 feet from where Mr Redgrave is situated there is a dark leather Sofa. On the sofa is the body of Mrs Redgrave. Mr Redgrave had been placed in the centre of the room and made to watch what had been done to his wife. He must have struggled and tried to scream whilst watching the man in front of him mutilate his wife.

  Mrs Redgrave was bound by her legs and arms with razor wire. It had cut deeply into her pale skin where she had struggled. She had been placed over the front of the couch face down with her bac
k side facing her husband. The flesh had been removed from her back in patches and shoved into her mouth. Her left ear had been cut cleanly from the side of her head and was missing. The end of the woman’s nose had been sliced from her face and one of her eye’s had been stabbed repeatedly.

  Just then forensics arrive.

  “Bloody hell you lads were quick” says falls

  “Yes we got the nod as soon as you asked for the battering ram. The commissioner wants this case rapped up asap”

  Small stands frozen in the middle of the room just staring down at the couple who had once been in love, who had raised a wonderful family together and who had now been mutilated beyond belief. Falls looks to Small, “Didn’t they have another daughter sir?”

  Small closes his eyes as what Falls is saying sinks in.

  “Take the gag off him.”

  Small looks at a young forensics officer and points to the man strapped into the chair. The forensics officer’s eyes widen and he points to himself with a look of worry.

  “Yes you”

  Falls interrupts,

  “Is that ok with u lads?”

  The senior forensics officer nods in approval and passes his colleague a pair of rubber gloves.

  The officer unfastens the clasp from around the man’s head and begins to peel it slowly away from his face. It has left a deep groove where it has been. As he gets to the front of the man’s head the mouth area is stuck, he tugs at the belt to remove it from Mr Redgrave’s face peeling away some of his skin in the process.

  The golf ball which had been screwed to the leather belt had razorblades wedged into it. Where the blood had dried around the man’s mouth the blades were stuck like they had been glued to his face. This man had died in a lot of pain, this man had experienced what most people would think of as their worst nightmare and he had then been left to bleed to death slowly from his wounds afterwards.

  Small walks from the living room and into the hallway then immediately up the stairs. He already knows where he is going, he has been there before. This time however he was heading to the room directly across the hallway, this time he was going to the room at the end of the corridor on the left.