The Perfect Woman

by Abundis, Jesse

  For men that dealt in death and carnage on a daily basis, they were having a hard time holding in their breakfast as they walked around the pool of blood left in the apartment, one of the men name Twiggy tried hopping over the sticky mess only to slip and fall into the pool of plasma, he cried out like a frightened child thrashing back and forth sending blood in all directions, none of his friends dared to help him back on his feet, their first instinct was to distant themselves as far as they could from him, almost treating the blood that was on him as cursed. Their boss Hector Pardo stood out in the hallway taking deep breaths, trying to undo the image of the heads that were left hanged like Christmas stockings around the living room.

  Pardo had come down to see the haul they made from last night auction that was handed by Richard Torres, the selling of underage boys & girls were at an all time high in these down and trouble times. Mainly all their top buyers where wealthy wall street investors, oil tycoons from the middle east , as well here at home and some soon to be US Senators. Children were a safer bet than the stock market. Torres had text Pardo after the event, he claimed they made a killing and this was what Pardo wanted to see with his own eyes, but instead he saw the head of his Lieutenant hanging there, with the last moments of fear in his eyes.

  “ Who did this, you think it was the Italians? “ One of Pardo’s business associates stammered. “ I told you, you should have cut them in the porn video racket!”

  “ This wasn’t any fucking Italians.” Pardo screamed at him, shoving the man against the wall, he was tired of hearing his men ramble about nonsense, about their theories in who was out to get them. “ The fucking dog who did this, isn‘t in our circle.”

  “ How do you know?” His associate stuttered to finish his words.

  Pardo smiled devilishly, he knew what it meant to get someone’s attention, if this was business related they would have struck a much different cord. This act was just a message, someone in the shadows wanted him to know, that his crew and women were just the tipping point of things to come. “ I just do.”

  “ Boss,” Pardo groaned and dug his hands into his face, he knew that cowardly cry, he knew what it meant, his pockets had gotten a lot lighter. “ It’s gone, the money isn’t here.”

  Pardo turned to his associate thumbing his finger into his chest. “ Get the crew, tell them to start passing the word about what happened here, you got it. Tell them there’s 50k for the person to have real fucking intel about what happened here, anyone who leads us into a goose chase, is going to end up in a ditch.” His associate just shook his head, letting the beads of sweat poor down his face, when Pardo spoke everyone fell silent or they better have damn well. “ If people don’t start talking in the next twenty-four hours, then you start breaking fingers. I want my money back and the head of the pinche puto who did this.” Pardo grabbed his associate by the throat. “ and you don’t show your face until you bring me something back !” The streets of N.Y got a lot less safer after that moment.

  Chapter 84

  The Last Stop

  Peewee followed Maggie’s directions, took the left at the Italian restaurant and kept going five blocks down and made the right on Jefferson, which led him to the worn out art studio that Lisa Donner had visited on many occasions before her death. These were the same streets their serial killer had once walked, the faceless man who charmed his way into his victims hearts, who made them believe he was their salvation from their lives, only to be the force that would snuff out the light from within them.

  He called Maggie a few times to tell her that he had arrived, but she wouldn’t answer. He could only imagine how painful this experience might be for her, the last thing you wanted to do was talk over the phone.

  He parked the car at the side of the building, the entire placed seemed isolated from the rest of the city, there was no activity at all, Peewee couldn’t help feel a bit on edge and a bit paranoid needless to say. He wondered if he should call Karen and let him know he was here,

  come on up, my phone isn’t working in here. Flashed the text from Maggie, that was enough to at least settle his paranoia.

  He Turned the ignition off and stepped out. Whatever took Karen from the apartment must have been important, but he couldn’t focus on her right now. He needed to be here for Maggie and keep his mind on the task at hand, for all he knew there could be a clue leading to the serial’s killer identity hidden inside that studio.

  The moment he opened the door into the studio apartment, the hot muggy air from inside washed over him, it was enough to make Peewee gag, he rushed inside bracing the smell, as the door closed behind him. He could feel the cold droplets of water from the pipes fall on top of his head, the lights flicked on and off begging to be replaced. The entire building was in dire need of demolishing, Peewee could see why their killer would chose a location like this, it was quiet and free from wandering eyes, he was surprised he would let something like this go to waste. “ I would have used this place like some sort of bat cave.” Peewee said to himself, but for whatever the reason for abandoning without covering his tracks meant he slipped up, there was something out there that could be traced back to him. That he was certain of.

  He thumbed his finger at the elevator button to call the freight down, but it just chimed loudly. “ Can you send the elevator down? ” Peewee texted, letting Maggie know that he was in the building, but couldn‘t get to the top. He didn‘t need to wait for a reply, the shaft of the elevator began to screech to life, it was descending gradually.

  He glanced at his phone to see if he had any texts from Karen, only to stare at an empty screen. “ We’ll talk about what’s bugging you when I get back.” Peewee said as he put the phone back into his pocket.

  The elevator came to it’s stop, he could hear someone inside opening the gate, he smiled knowing he would see Maggie’s warm face as she stepped out from the elevator, he knew the first thing he would do was hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright, he promised to himself to keep her closer than before, because times like these friends were running thin.

  As the doors were pulled opened he was welcomed by an unfamiliar face, a tall broad man with short brown hair and a gentle face that smiled upon him. “ Hello,?” Peewee shockingly said. Confused in what this person was doing in the studio. “ Are you a friend of Maggie or do you rent here? ” His first gut instinct should have been to run and find help, it all just dawned too lately on him.

  “ Just here to take care of one loose end.” This charming man said as he impaled a cold steel blade in the belly of Peewee. “ You should have backed off when you had a chance, but you‘re a persistent little fucker.”

  Peewee’s eye’s widen as he stared down to see the knife caved into his stomach, he could feel the coldness of the blade deep inside him, he wondered to himself if this was real. “ Maggie, I have to see Maggie.” He pulled himself off the sharp cold blade, hearing the wet sound it made as it pulled out of his intestine, he stumbled back to the walls looking for support. “ I need to call Maggie.” He reached into his pocket, ignoring the blood that was forming under his shirt. The charming man took another step closer and impaled the blade once more under the rib cage, forcing Peewee to drop the phone and cry out in agony. “ No, stop.” He sobbed as he felt the steel twist and turn inside him as he squirmed around.

  “ I really wish it didn’t have to come to this.” The Charming man yanked the blade out, sending a quick burst of blood flying into the air. “ This isn‘t me you know,” He pointed at his disguise. “ I just put it on for them, give them the person they want to see, but I don’t mind, I love them all the same, and once she's here, it will all be perfect.”

  “ Whose she ? ” Those words became clear to Peewee, he understood it all now. “ No, leave her out….” That was the final word to come of Peewee’s mouth as the blade sank into his chest, piercing right into the heart. The only thing he could think of in his last seconds was what awaited for him on the other side, heaven, dark
ness , was their a God, he wonder what Karen would do without him, and if she would miss him. As everything began fade into black, he could hear his cell phone chiming to life, leaving him with one final question. “ I wonder who that is?”

  Chapter 85

  Chain Reaction

  She hated herself for not answering when she should have, she was wrapped too much in her mother and her old life that she allowed the past to become the center of attention, now it seemed like a fatal mistake. Karen wasn’t trying to avoid Peewee, she just wanted time to process everything on her own, but to hear her friend say he was walking into the apartment that their serial killer lived, set her heart racing in sheer panic.

  She called his cell, waiting for him to answer, every second that passed by she could feel the guilt strike deep into her soul, she knew if anything happened to him it would be all her fault. You have a knack of dragging people down, sometimes it was better to be alone, that’s what we set out to do in the first place, but you broke that truce. Karen tried to ignore the voice in her head. wishing to God that Peewee would answer, but no such luck she was sent to voicemail. “ Peewee, don’t go in there, look, Please for the love of God tell me you’re alright. Just tell me where you are.” She sent the message as urgent, hoping to get a response back.

  She held her breath waiting for anything to come through, it wasn’t until deep into the night a text was received. “ I’m fine, I’m taking Mag’s back to a friend’s house over in Jersey, I’ll stop by tomorrow night to pick you up and show you the place. I just need to be there for her.” That was music to Karen’s ears, she could feel the guilt come undone from the back of her skull. It was a godsend to know he was busy, than to fear the worst. At last she would be able to rest tonight, prepare herself for the next step in her journey.

  *****

  As Karen thanked her lucky stars, across town Klecko was settling in bed, getting ready to rest as the day was just a mere hours away. But the ringing of the hello kitty phone resting beside his head lit a fire under Klecko , he swoop to grab the phone as fast as he could, knowing what this call meant, he knew who it was. “ I’m here.” He said out of breath.

  He could hear his Guardian laughing at the other side. “ My, aren’t we worked up for this grand day.” He could hear his Guardian walking in the streets, the sound of the honking cars and chattering voices could be heard in the background. “ I promised you a kill, but this won’t just be for pleasure, no this one is going to set you on your path to a new life. I need you sharp and a top of your game, are you ready ?”

  For the first time Klecko wasn’t sure if he was, he build himself to this moment but now that it was here it felt too soon. “ Yes, I’m ready.” He forced those words to come out, he needed to be closer to his Guardian, so he could lay eyes on the man for the very first time and do what needed to be done, end the only threat that loomed over him.

  “ Good, that’s what I like to hear. I want you to eat something before you come, you’re going to need your energy.” How those words sounded like a warden telling an inmate to eat his last meal. “ For now just wait for my next call, I’ll tell you where to go. Be proud Detective, not a lot of people are brave in taking this next step.”

  Klecko was left to ponder and wait for hours on end until the stroke of 4PM as his next call directed him to the Brooklyn Naval Yard for his last test.

  * * *

  While across town, a pink haired devil named Jasmine was walking into the halls of the deadliest Kingpin estate, Hector Pardo, to inform him about the people responsible for taking his money. “ You know where my money is?” He would ask her.

  She’d smile, play the frighten lamb while divulging the intel she had. “ One of their men came for my services last night, he told me where they would be, I can’t be certain for sure if they‘re there or not.” She throw the bait into the water, waiting for him to bite.

  “ Get the car, let’s check the place out.” Pardo's men jumped back, protesting that their Boss should hang back while they looked into it. “ I wanna see these killers up front.” He barked at his men, because sometimes a demon needed to see the devil, to see who was the bigger man.

  “ Should we bring the whole crew ? ” One of his men asked.

  “ No, just the four of us and Lue and Marcus, they can take our little street rat in their car and put a bullet between her eyes if she’s trying to pull a fast one over us.” Pardo grinned at her, wanting to see the bluff in her eyes, something to tell him she was in on this, but he would get no sign whatsoever. “ Your story sounds a little far fetched, you suck a guys cock and he tells you everything?”

  “ You wouldn’t be doubting me if you ever had a blow job from me.” She nervously smiled.

  “ Puta, how many are they!” One of Pardo’s men slapped Jasmine at the back of the head.

  “ Only two, just two, I promise.” She let the tears run down her face to sell the act, it was all worth it.

  “ Take her down into the car,” Pardo said as he collect his handgun from his desk. “ We’ll have the element of surprise if these fools are there. Let’s move!” The chain reaction of events were set into motion, what they’re outcome would be, was still unwritten.

  Chapter 86

  New Beginnings

  The Naval Yard in Brooklyn was the location for Klecko’s last trial and tribulation. For what test awaited for him inside was anyone's guess, all he had to go on was his Guardian's warning. “ Once you’re there, take your time, because there’s no going back after this.” This wasn’t to be taken lightly, this next spill of blood wasn‘t for pleasure, it was for answers to his questions.

  “ Warehouse 28, that’s where it begins.” He almost jumped out of his skin as he walked aimlessly around the old worn out district, as the message buzzed to life on his cell. Not many people ventured here into this old relic of New York, a lot of the buildings had been long forgotten, with promises of reopening to flourish new life and create jobs for the struggling economy. It was a nice dream, but that’s pretty much what it was. You could be shot and dumped into one of the buildings without anyone noticing for weeks, one of the reason he was on edge. “ Get it together.” He growled at himself.

  His heart thundered as he proceed slowly towards the warehouse, his mind fluttered with images of lost chapters in his life, memories when a young Klecko decided to join the force at the age of twenty one, “ you want to be a cop, why you wanna be a cop?” He could here his drunken father’s voice yelling at from the front porch, a man tired working in a steel mill for the past thirty-five years and all he had to show was a worn out two bedroom apartment with a fridge of empty bottles of beer. He could never face reality and admit he failed in life, instead he would just take to beating his children when the memories became too much to bare.

  “ I’m nothing like you old man, I’m different.” He could see the image of him knocking his father to the ground, his face covered in blood, his mother holding him back, as he became his own man.

  More images of his past came flashing back, hitting him like a bolt of lighting, images of when Klecko was sworn in to uphold the law and protect the innocent who would look to him for protection.

  “I’ve taken lives, not for me, but for the lord and he is pleased.”

  He could see that young detective working late night, staring at the photo of a six year old girl who went missing, her name was Melissa Reeves, one day she‘s with her parents in the supermarket, mother yells at the girl, Melissa runs into the parking in tears, that‘s the last they see of her. People who last saw little Melissa kept identifying a known child molester, Alan Smith, a man that had been on the run for years for killing and raping his victims, they all swore they saw him take Melissa from the store.“that monster was smiling, he smiled at all of us.” Each witness he interviewed had the same horrified voice in their tone, knowing they stared a monster in the eye, never knowing what he was there for.

  He can’t remember how, but on one winter night he went
on a hunch, he tracked down all the adult book stores, flashing Alan Smith's photo, until one store owner recognized Smith, he even told him that Smith lived just a few blocks from here, he gave him the address without thinking twice. A young Klecko wasted no time, he stormed the apartment on his own, catching the murdering child molester in the middle of the act, little Melissa was tied to his bed, she was still breathing, bruised but alive, Smith had a tray of tools all lined up ready to use, sex toys, whips, everything he could think of. “ Don’t take her from me please, just let me have this last one.” His final pleads to Klecko as they ended there one on one chat session alone in the living room. Alan Smith proclaimed to be a monster, but when he heard the sounds of police sirens, he crumbled in defeat.

  Klecko smiled at him, letting fear take a hold of this monster. But Not once did Klecko take a moment to concern himself for the girl’s safety, he was just pleased in how he tracked this monster, his pray, it was like nothing else existed.

  Everyone on the force couldn’t wrap their heads around on how he did it, this was a serial killer people searched for day and night for two years non-stop. It took this young green beat cop one night to find this illusive monster. They’d ask him time and time again how he knew where to look, all he could say was “ I got lucky.” But it was more than luck, he had a knack for sensing these monsters out, quite frankly he enjoyed the hunt. How they would try to run and hide, while he was right behind chasing after them, it was like the wolf trying to catch the rabbit. But he never told a soul about those feelings, he kept that secret to build his career and build his legacy.

  “ I know where he lives, I followed him one night, he never saw me.” That voice, he could hear it rumbling at the back of his skull, he could see flashes of the past trying to pierce back into his mind.