Blue Blue Eyes: Crime Novel

by Helena Anderson

  What the hell was she lying down on and where? Instinctively she tried lifting her arm but realized to her great fear that she was tied. She lifted her head and looked in panic at the leather straps around her arms and legs. The pain in her groins was brutal and she couldn’t understand why the legs were open so wide. Nikki started shouting at the top of her voice.

  ”Help! Help! Let me free! Help!”

  ”So you are awake now.” The voice was mild and when Nikki met his eyes she started shaking even more. Nikki was terrified and an ice-cold anguish was pressing hard over her chest.

  ”You bastard. What the hell do you want from me?”

  Theo Aristou didn’t reply but stood with his arms crossed smiling viciously. Now that Nikki knew that Theo and Petros were brothers she could see a certain similarity between them. But Theo was quite a lot taller than his brother and his face was shaved. Nikki who had only seen him in a suit thought he looked funny in his shorts and worn short-sleeved shirt.

  ”We are far out in the wilderness. You can shout as loud as you wish without anybody hearing you.” Theo’s tone of voice was neutral and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of round sunglasses. But Nikki could still feel how he looked at her in an evil way. Her heart was racing and the feeling of not being free was claustrophobic. She pulled the leather straps until she could hardly breathe. Horrible memories of her ex-husband were fluttering past.

  Stefan had also preferred binding her both to control and beat her. Nikki hated being tied up. Hated. Oh God this is not happening to me, she thought petrified while turning her head from left and right. Terrified she tried finding a way to escape but couldn’t find one. She then recognized the power game about to take place. Stefan had done it exactly the same way. He had loved looking on while she became smaller and smaller and hadn’t stopped beating her until she was completely broken. She had to break the pattern right now. Nikki tried thinking clearly, she knew that she had to look strong because otherwise she would die.

  ”What do you actually want from me?” She was surprised at the strength of her voice but could feel the pain shooting like arrows through her hips. She tried closing her legs but the few millimetres didn’t help much.

  ”Because you are a little too curious for my taste. I don’t like curious people in general. And least of all not cop whores”. Theo pushed the sunglasses up on his forehead and Nikki witnessed a couple of flashing black eyes. She followed him with her eyes as far as she could and saw how he went and got a black bag standing close to the grey concrete wall. There was grey concrete everywhere and Nikki supposed she was in a housing complex the brothers hadn’t finished yet.

  She turned her gaze and noticed dark spots where she was lying and guessed that it was blood. A shiver went through her body and she could feel the fear the murder victims probably had felt too. Think, she told herself while seeing how Theo took out different tools and scalpels. Nikki felt like vomiting. She had a problem breathing and her body started fighting the too tight straps. Calm down. Use your brain. Nikki flexed her muscles in the hands, arms and legs to try and ease the straps a bit. She repeated this over and over again.

  That was one of her chances and she knew that it was more or less useless. The other alternative was to talk and distract, asking questions and interrupting for further questions. Her body was in pain and resisted every effort and she tried breathing calmly and methodically so that her body’s muscles would cooperate. But her legs were far apart, just on the border of what she could take. It hurt. Terribly painful. Every-time she flexed the front of her thighs and butt it burned in her groins.

  ”Unfortunately that will not help”, Nikki heard behind herself. ”You will not get free however much you try. You should have seen how both Sten and Karl were fighting”, Theo grinned proudly.

  ”Bloody hell”, Nikki murmured. He is really sick. She quickly realized that she would have to drag out the time as much as possible so she continued talking. ”And what about your father? Why did you actually kill him?”

  Nikki felt Theo stopping his preparations. ”Father? I don’t have any bloody father.” Theo stared at Nikki as if she was a disgusting hairy insect. He clenched his fists and Nikki thought for a brief second that he would hit her but instead he continued?” That devil was no father to me. Maybe on the paper but not in reality.”

  His voice was now very bitter and he looked worried.

  Nikki felt at once that she was on thin ice. She didn’t want to trigger his personality problem so he became even more aggressive than he already was so she chose to change the topic. How she would be able to get Theo to admit to murdering his father had to come later.

  ”What about your brother, where is he?”

  ”Don’t bloody mix him up with this. He only thinks of money and totally flipped when the idiot was lying here.”

  ”The idiot? Who are you talking about now?”

  Theo stared down at Nikki and something sad came over him. ”The one who has never been there for us. The monster.” Theo’s face contorted with pain and he looked really grotesque.

  ”You mean your father? But why?” Nikki stared up at the grey concrete ceiling and thought of Linn. Shouldn’t she wonder where she was and maybe call her? The mobile. Where the hell was her mobile? Nikki thought and tried looking around. In the corner she could see her handbag and next to it were the remains of her telephone. Theo had of course destroyed it in case she had some tracking device in it. How would they find her now? She could feel the tears emerging and blinked. She couldn’t seem weak.

  ”Have you ever felt a rage within you coming by surprise like a powerful tornado?” Theo clenched his teeth and he looked dangerous.

  Nikki shook her head scared and started quietly affirming to herself. Thanks for being alive and not being harmed. She repeated the sentence like a mantra while hearing the dark voice continuing:

  ”You see, it’s like a fire which can’t be put out. It’s as though I walk into a black hole and there I am transformed…Unfortunately I can’t direct my dark actions since it’s the peace I want and the peace, it’s only afterwards that I can enjoy it. After I’ve harmed or killed somebody.

  Nikki heard the words as if in a fog and wondered what he was talking about. She felt the atmosphere getting more and more aggressive and repeated her mantra a few times until coming up with her next question.

  ”But why did you kill your father?”

  At first Theo burst out laughing but then there were flashes in his pitch black eyes.

  ”Don’t call that swine our father again. Understand?” Nikki remained silent. She was shaking and realized that she was dealing with a really sick person. Would it really work to talk away his evil intent? Hardly.

  ”Sorry”, Nikki whispered barely audible and then realized she had just shown herself as being weak. Damn it. But for some strange reason Theo had not felt her but was completely engulfed with his dead father.

  ”To answer your question his time had come. Both my brother and I felt that we wouldn’t have peace otherwise. You know that peace I spoke about before…so we took things into our own hands and killed him.”

  Now Nikki knew and started to see the thread through all the cases.

  ”What kind of building is this anyway?”

  ”This? I’ll tell you now you curious bloody cop.” Theo’s mood drastically changed and the old wrath surface again. ”This is a dream being crushed. Do you get it? My first building project which went straight to hell. Guess whose fault it was?”

  ”Your father” Nikki whispered terrified. Damn it, she shouldn’t whisper but she was crossing her fingers that Theo hadn’t noticed the sign of weakness. She felt the man was speaking incoherently and didn’t understand everything he said. But she also knew that she had to keep up the conversation because otherwise she would be finished. So as long as he was babbling she could win some time.

  ”
Now let’s see”, Theo said sweating and took out the smallest scalpel.

  ”I’m babbling too much so I almost forgot what I should do.” The panic came the same second as Theo showed her the sharp knife and Nikki frantically tried to think of something to ask him about.

  ”By the way, tell me more about your father. Why was he no father to you? Did he treat Petros in the same way, or?”

  Theo stiffened with the scalpel in the air and turned his look to Nikki.

  ”Do you really want to know?”

  Nikki swallowed and swallowed and could barely move her head in an affirmative reply.

  ”What do you really know about growing up in a heartless family where your father only wants to see his family suffer?”

  ”Quite a lot actually, don’t forget that I’m a police women.” Nikki thought about her time with Stefan and shivers came crawling along her body. ”Tell me, what happened?”

  Theo studied her, unknowingly put the scalpel to the side while he sat down leaning on the wall. ”There is not much more to say than that mine and Petros’ childhood was a hell. A pure bloody hell. Our father was our tormentor and he really enjoyed hurting us.” He pulled up his legs and put his arms around his knees. His knuckles became white and his jaw tense. ”My mission in life has been to take revenge on Dad and now finally I can breathe. Start living my life without him finding me or Petros for that matter.

  Nikki felt sorry for the man. How strange it might sound she felt sorry for him. No, it wasn’t anything like the Stockholm syndrome but she felt that all kids should have the right to a safe and loving childhood. During all her years in the police force she had seen so many children faring badly and she hated it.

  ”What about your mother?” Nikki tried sounding neutral but her shaky voice exposed her. She hoped he wouldn’t notice it...

  ”Mum...she was really as guilty as him. Don’t think she did a bloody thing to help us. The only thing she cared about was where her pills were so she could flee into her world of drugs and denial. But finally she got daddy’s medicine too. He beat her to death.”

  Hell to grow up with such an animal as a father. She didn’t know what Theo and Petros had been through but she knew what Stefan had done to her and the kids. That was something that Nikki didn’t wish even for her worst enemy. Nobody should have to be scared in their family. Without warning Theo screamed out his anguish and his look became dark as the night. A few seconds later he turned into the same devil as his father. Nikki who had been lying there flexing and trying to get out of the leather straps got so scared that she too started screaming.

  ”Shut up you bloody cop. You have no right to shout at all.” Theo once again picked up the scalpel. Slowly rose and with a face like a possessed demon went up to Nikki.

  She continued screaming hysterically like a tortured piglet and then felt how Theo took a hold of her naked foot. She twisted as much as possible but without results and soon she had cramp in her whole foot. Suddenly Nikki felt a burning pain in her big toe and then she fainted. Theo continued methodically cutting along the big toe’s nail while the blood was making puddles on the concrete floor.

  ”Then we just have to loosen the other nail as well”, Theo said at the same time throwing a bucket of cold water over Nikki. ”I want you to be awake you see, because otherwise it’s not fun .” He took the scalpel and put it under the other big toe’s nail and started sawing down to the root.

  Nikki screamed and screamed. The pain she felt was a reminder of her years with Stefan. She gasped for air and felt the fear of death quickly choking her.

  ”Then I’ll just loosen this nice little nail and then I’ll let you breathe for a while.” Theo smiled happily, put the knife under the toe-nail and carefully loosened it.

  ”Look”, he said fascinated and showed the bloody bit lying and dangling on the edge of the knife. ”Isn’t it beautiful?”

  Nikki felt the nausea welling up inside her and she threw up. She closed her eyes and turned her wet face to the side so as not to suffocate while Theo grabbed her head.

  ”Look, I said.”

  Nikki lifted her eyes and vomited again when she saw her bloody toe-nail with pink nail-polish on the edge. The sympathy she had just felt for the man was gone and she wished he would leave her alone. Can’t somebody find me soon. Please, she was begging silently.

  ”That’s it, that was the second nail, now there are only eight left to go.” Theo laughed out loud while grabbing the other toe. His eyes were wild and he seemed to be the devil himself.

  Nikki screamed all she could, she was dead scared. She felt the blood pouring between her toes and closed her eyes hard. Was she really going to die here? Was this her lot in life?

  ”I really scared you there.” Theo grinned viciously and messed Nikki’s wet hair. ”Do you know what I actually do with curious people?” Nikki didn’t want to hear the answer so she remained silent.

  Theo went back to the black bag and started looking in it. Meanwhile Nikki opened her eyes and started repeating the exercises. She flexed all the muscles in her body and relaxed. Flexed and relaxed. Affirmed and begged the superior authorities for somebody to save her. A few minutes later Theo returned with a chisel and a hammer in his hand. He had an evil look on his face and the fear Nikki now felt could not be described. The pictures of the victims’ empty eyes danced in front of her and she was breathing with difficulty.

  ”OK then let’s see what we can do. I think I’ll try something out which my father did to me. I will never forget that pain.” His voice was thick and Nikki didn’t know what to do. She opened her eyes which were full of fear widely and saw how Theo sat down on her stomach. She wriggled as much as she could until her muscles were screaming with tiredness and her hips almost dislocated. Her panic was building within her. She was absolutely petrified. Theo just continued smiling, and let her be overtaken by panic.

  ”OK, I’ll start from below, are you ready?” He lifted the hammer and carefully aimed with the chisel.

  It took a few seconds for her tongue to be loose from her palate and her scream sounded inhuman. Then it all went dark and Nikki fainted from the horrible pain. Theo got up and once again filled the bucket with cold water. He enjoyed seeing the fear in Nikki’s eyes when she woke up from the cold shower.

  ”How was that? I think we’d better continue with another one, or what do you say?” He gave her an evil grin and raised the hammer. The second shot came as a shock and she lost consciousness again.

  ”Hello, I want you to be awake so as to experience what pain is, you curious idiot.” The hatred was extruding like sharp knives from his eyes while he tried getting his victim awake. Then he emptied the rest of the bucket over Nikki’s face and slowly she came too. Theo smiled at the damage. He had once again managed to recreate what his father had done to him.

  ”What do you say, isn’t it better if we take another rib?” Nikki was panting loudly. She could hardly think clearly since the excruciating pain was pulsating in her body. ”Might as well get it done”, she said panting. Theo stopped in the middle of a blow and looked at Nikki in surprise. ”What did you say?”

  Nikki gathered up her courage to play along while at the same time almost fainting from fear.

  ”Why don’t you take them all.” Her pulse was beating so fast her field of vision was blurred and Nikki hoped that Theo would fall into her trap.

  He shook his head not really understanding and put the hammer down. ”No, we are not going to have that kind of fun. Do you really think I’ll do something you ask me for?” Theo shook his head without understanding and pondering went up to the black bag. Nikki breathed with relief. She had won time but knew it was limited. Soon it would be too late. Was there really nobody missing her? Not even her colleagues at the station? She listened carefully but couldn’t hear any sirens or sound of traffic at all. It was quiet. Quiet as in the grave. The tears started
pouring down her cheeks and she started crying without any control.

  ”Ah, stop that nonsense.” Nikki didn’t care. She cried even more.

  ”You’ll see, or rather you might never see again after this little game. Are you ready?”

  Theo’s laughter echoed in the empty building and Nikki looked up with red, swollen eyes. The tight leather straps had rubbed off the skin on the inside of her wrists and the taste of blood in her mouth was tangible. The only wish she had was to be saved so she could go home to her children and safety again. When Theo took out different pliers Nikki wanted to sink through the floor. She tried not to hyperventilate but her heart was beating so hard and she lost control.

  ”Stop it, nobody hears your bloody primal screams anyway”, Theo said and squatted behind Nikki. She started wriggling as much as possible but he was much stronger and closed his legs even harder around her head. Nikki continued screaming until she felt a good slap burning her cheek.

  ”Maybe now you’ll shut up for a while.”

  Nikki looked into Theo’s mad eyes and when he laughed she couldn’t stop staring at his crooked yellow teeth. Pictures of Dracula started circulating in her head and once again she started screaming when she saw the rusty pliers in front of her eyes and the fear of death held her in an iron grip. Petrified she shut both her eyes as much as she could while she felt how Theo’s knees pressed even harder around her head.

  The man’s chubby fingers were all of a sudden fast despite three of them being wrapped around with bandages. He forced one of Nikki’s eyelids open without a problem and then she felt the cold blade of the metal against her cornea. Now I am going to die. A second later a gun-shot rang out in the air. Nikki screamed like a wild animal and then everything went silent apart from a high frequency ringing in her ears. Was she alive or was she dead? She didn’t know. The pressure over her head eased up suddenly and when Nikki opened her eyes she saw Theo falling to his side with his hands on his stomach.