The Butcher Box Set

by Sian B. Claven

  Smith looked at Chadsworth, and he responded with, “She saw the file, I think she read it.”

  Luell held her daughter firmly and chided the two officers. “She had questions about the murder of people in her life, you’ve told her to fear for her own life, and you leave her alone with all the information at her fingertips?” Her eyes were fiery with rage. “What the bloody hell did you think she was going to do?”

  The two officers cowered at the looks she gave them before she put her arm around Tatum’s shoulder and informed them that they would be leaving. She led her daughter out without a backward glance at the sheepish cops.

  “What if he comes for me?”

  The car drive home was silent until they were a few blocks from home and Tatum finally found her voice to ask the questions burning deep inside her.

  “What if these are not the only people he has hurt, mom?”

  “What do you mean, sweetheart? Did the police say there were others?”

  “No, but I saw photos … I have a feeling …”

  “What kind of feeling?”

  She shook her head because she didn’t think she could explain to Luell that Skeleton had not been a figment of her imagination. The evidence was too similar. Skeleton died as Jacqui died. Darren had clearly murdered her too and now she was trying to save Tatum. Tatum wished she had listened earlier, maybe then Jacqui and Mr Wild would still be alive.

  “Tatum, you need to get out of your head, you’re going to drive yourself insane. You’ll be safe at home.”

  “Jacqui was at home when it happened.”

  Luell didn’t have a response for that because it was true. Jacqui had thought she was safe in her own house when she was murdered. Her mother pulled into the driveway, took off her seatbelt and turned to face her.

  “We’ll just have to be very careful. Keep the doors locked, don’t leave you at home alone. Everything will be fine, love.”

  Tatum didn’t believe her because she understood the warning Skeleton had given her was real and that Darren was going to come after her next. The only thing she couldn’t figure out was why? Why had he killed Roger and Jacqui? Mr Wild had a fight with him, so she could understand his crazy logic there, but what had his best friend and girlfriend done to him that was so bad? Maybe Darren thought they were fooling around? But that still didn’t explain why he would come after her.

  She felt dizzy from all the thoughts swirling in her head like a great whirlpool sucking her into an abyss she would never rise from.

  Luell touched her shoulder, bringing her back to the ‘now’.

  “We will get through this, sweetheart. As mad as I am with those incompetent excuses for officers, I will call them now and ask them to arrange protection for you until they catch him, okay?”

  All she could do was nod, but knew she needed to make sure she was ready for when Darren came knocking at her door. She didn’t want to be unprepared. She had spent so many weeks confused and lost in what was happening, yet if she had just been smart enough to research what was happening immediately, she would have been ready to help her friends. At least now, armed with the knowledge of what he was capable of, she would be ready for him.

  Fear would no longer cause her to blackout.

  Darren’s face was on the evening news across their city. A huge manhunt started for him and everyone who had access to the news was in on the search for his face in crowds so they could be the ones to call the police and have him arrested. There was no greater feeling in the world than being the person responsible for putting a madman behind bars.

  Tatum didn’t really care. She was too busy prepping herself for the eventuality that Darren would come for her. Her mother had kept her word and a police car was parked outside. When Tatum left the house he would often escort them. When they came home he would go inside first to check everywhere before they were allowed in.

  She felt like a prisoner in her own life, unable to do anything without the worry of Darren attacking her hanging over her head. She wasn’t eating, she took medication to force herself to sleep, and she wasn’t required to go back to school until the whole debacle was over.

  Although she hadn’t seen Skeleton in a while, now that she had the information of what had happened, she realised the skeleton girl had always been around when Darren was about to strike, so she kept her fingers crossed she would be around to warn Tatum when he came for her.

  Kallista and Sylva were also kept at home for their own safety and, although Sylva didn’t mind, it was driving Kalli insane. All she wanted to do was be anywhere but home. She couldn’t understand why she was imprisoned when it was her older sister that was the target, but Luell was very clear and very strict about keeping them all together all the time. Luell had even taken time off of work to take care of her family.

  Within two weeks the news of Darren being wanted went from the front page of the newspaper to the ninth page of the local press, and from the top of the TV screen to the nine o’ clock news bulletins. The hunt was still on, but there was nothing new, and he was no longer the present threat. Most people speculated that he had fled the city and no longer posed a danger.

  Tatum hadn’t seen Skeleton in those two weeks and was feeling more like herself. She slept through the night, ate heartily, and even enjoyed spending time with Sylva. It felt like things were getting back to normal.

  Luell decided it was safe to go back to work in the third week and even allowed the officers to recall the patrol car sent out to protect Tatum. There had been no sign of Darren and everyone felt it was finally safe enough to venture out again.

  School had already broken up for the mid-term break and the girls would only be returning two weeks later.

  Tatum and Sylva spent their days at home, either enjoying the last summer days by lazing in the backyard in the sun or by catching up on their favourite series. Kalli was generally nowhere to be seen, always out at the skate park with her friends and returning just before Luell got home. Her sisters never said anything though. Tatum understood this was what made Kalli happy and, after everything she had been through herself, she understood they could all use a little self-happiness now.

  In the fourth week since Mr Wild’s murder, Sylva went back to her scout’s meetings and Tatum was left at home alone. For once though, she wasn’t worried or scared. She spent most of the time napping on the sofa or researching what university she could apply for the following year. She wanted to explore the mysteries of life and the mind, so she was looking at studying psychology or philosophy.

  Everything was great.

  Chapter Nine

  “Tatum.”

  “Tatum, wake up.”

  “Psst, Tatum, wake up.”

  Tatum groaned as she stirred from deep sleep. Someone called her name, but she couldn’t make out who it was. She felt groggy and tired and knew it couldn’t be anywhere near time to wake up yet.

  “Tatum. Please wake up. I need your help.”

  Her eyes cracked open and she saw a blurry shape standing above her. She blinked, once, twice, and the room slowly came into focus, as did Darren looming over her.

  He placed a hand over her mouth and whispered, “Don’t scream.”

  She was awake now; her eyes wide with fear.

  “Don’t scream,” he said again. “I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth.”

  As he did that she scrambled up and back from her bed, screaming her lungs out, “MOM! MOM! HE’S HERE, HE’S HERE, HE’S HERE!”

  Darren tried to shush her, but realised it was futile. He made to go back out the open window he had used to get in, but Luell was already in the room with her baseball bat handy.

  “DON’T YOU MOVE!” she threatened.

  Darren looked at the window, looked back at her, and dived for it, but she was faster than she looked and swung hard, catching him on his knee. He went down and she ran to the window shutting it.

  Tatum scrambled off of her bed and stood by the door shouting, “KALLI, PHO
NE THE POLICE!”

  Her sister came out of her bedroom and said, “What’s going on?”

  “Call the police, Darren broken into my room and he’s still here.”

  For once her sister listened to her and ran for the phone. Tatum turned to watch her mother, who had moved to stand between the groaning Darren and her daughter.

  “Don’t you move, I will not let you hurt my daughter.”

  “I don’t want to hurt her, I didn’t hurt anyone.” He groaned, holding his knee. “I came to her for help.”

  “You’ll say anything to get yourself out of trouble.”

  “I’m not lying; I came to her for help. I didn’t hurt anyone.”

  “SHUT UP! I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR LIES,” Luell screamed. She held the bat firmly in her hands, ready to fight him off.

  Darren sat up and stretched his leg out, wincing, before he slowly got up. “I came to tell Tatum that it wasn’t me. I didn’t kill anyone. I loved Jacqui, I could never hurt her.” He wasn’t looking at Luell, he was looking at Tatum, pleading with his eyes. She hugged herself and didn’t respond, so he continued, “I’ve seen her too. The Skeleton. I haven’t stopped seeing her since Mr Wild was murdered. Tat, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, I’m sorry I got mad at you, but I didn’t kill anyone.”

  He tried to take a step forward, but Luell raised the bat. “One more step and I’ll take your head clear off your shoulders.”

  Darren stopped with his hands raised. “Please, I just want to stop seeing her.”

  Tatum shook her head as she heard the sirens nearing her house. She finally spoke in a whisper, “She told me you were coming for me, Darren. We know why you are here and you will not get away with this.”

  Kalli must have opened the door for the police. It wasn’t Smith or Chadsworth, but the officers also looked friendly. The one went to arrest Darren while the other one went to pry the baseball bat from Luell’s firm grip. She didn’t seem to want to let it go. Once he had managed to calm her down and get the bat from her, she strode over to Tatum and pulled her into a tight hug.

  “It’s over. Tat, it’s over, sweetheart.” She rocked her daughter slightly as she said the words, comforting herself more than Tatum.

  It was over and Tatum relaxed into Luell’s arms; it finally was over. She watched as the police escorted Darren away in handcuffs. He was still pleading with her to believe him, but she knew he had heard about the skeleton woman she had seen and was just using that to get to her.

  The news of Darren’s apprehension spread like wildfire. He had been arrested and was waiting for his trial date to be set. Luell and her daughters settled back into their routine and Tatum felt she could move forward with her life and enjoy every day of it.

  Summer came to an end and autumn set in. The leaves on the trees turned into beautiful shades of gold, brown and red and littered the pavements where she walked. All her neighbours would be out on Saturdays, raking up the leaves into giant piles. It was Tatum’s favourite time of year.

  One Saturday she was home alone and at her desk, not doing anything in particular. She noticed how beautiful Mr Wild’s garden looked with the blanket of leaves and thought it a pity he wasn’t around to clean it up. Although he had been a grumpy old man, she always liked looking at his well-kept garden. Now everything was overgrown and wild.

  She smiled to herself and was about to get up when she thought she saw someone walk past a window in the house. She stood for a while watching the window opposite her room and shook her head. She glanced at the other windows and as she looked down at the living room window her blood ran cold.

  Skeleton stood there, her eyes wild with fear, her hands pressed against the glass. Tatum felt goosebumps rising on every possible surface of her body.

  She frowned. What could she be trying to warn her about now? She decided it was time to find out. She was no longer scared of being haunted by Skeleton; if she had a message for her, then she would go across to Mr Wild’s house and get it herself.

  Tatum dressed warmly, putting on her thick coat, her beanie and her boots before she went downstairs. It was starting to get dark and there was a slight chill in the air. She closed the door behind her and walked briskly to the house next door

  For a moment she stood outside the front door, not sure of how she was going to go in … when the door swung open on its own. She peeked inside the dark house and shivered slightly. She scolded herself and entered, looking around for a light switch. She found it along the wall and flicked it - nothing happened. The electricity must have been turned off.

  She glanced around the house. It was getting dark quickly and, without lights, she wouldn’t be able to see anything. She took a few steps forward and found the living room to her right. She stuck her head in, but didn’t see anyone there. She turned around and looked down the hall to the kitchen and then up the stairs.

  There she was, standing at the top of the stairs. She opened her mouth, but she had no tongue and simply appeared as if she was screaming silently.

  “What’s wrong?” Tatum asked. “Darren was arrested. I’m safe,” she added, moving up the first few steps and lingering there. Skeleton shook her head, which scared her. “What do you mean, no? I listened to you. I survived his attack.” She took a few more steps.

  The skeleton girl held her hands up and shook her head again, opening and closing her mouth as though trying to say something. Tatum became frustrated with not receiving a direct answer and walked up a few more stairs, now just below Skeleton.

  “Is it upstairs? Is there something else I need to know?”

  Skeleton just shook her head again and turned around and faded into nothingness.

  Tatum shrugged and sighed, wondering what the stupid ghost was trying to warn her about now. She considered going back home, but she wanted to know what was up here. She didn’t see the harm in looking around. She took the final step to the top of the landing and as she did the door at the very end to the right swung open on its own.

  “Okay, I am guessing whatever you want me to see is in there.”

  She got to the end of the hallway, pushed the door open fully and looked around.

  The first thing she noticed was that the curtains were open and the window looked directly into her bedroom at her house. It was probably the room she thought she saw the shadow in. Obviously, Skeleton was trying to pull her here. It was nearly completely dark outside and she could almost make out the room. There was a single bed pushed up against the window, a desk and a cupboard. Photos covered the wall by the window.

  Tatum moved closer to take a look, but it was hard to make out the photos. She pulled a few off and went to the window to use the moonlight to see them. What she saw made her nauseous. It was a photo of Jacqui and herself sitting on her bed. The photo had been taken from the very window she was standing at. She went to the next photo and saw the tender kiss she and Roger had shared the night he had been murdered. She flipped the pictures again and saw a photo of her teacher standing outside the house cleaning the garden.

  She dropped the photos; she could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. She needed to call the cops so they could collect the evidence. Clearly, Darren had been staying here the whole time and this was where he had worked from after Mr Wild had his stroke.

  Backing out slowly, Tatum made her way down the dark hall. From the top of the stairs she could see the open front door. She padded down and reached the bottom just as the door slammed shut. Now plunged into pitch darkness, she raised her hands in front of her and tentatively stepped forward. She found the hallway wall to her left and felt her way forward towards the door.

  She must have reached a coat rack because she could feel a warm jacket hanging in mid-air. She felt a little more and her hand touched a warm torso.

  Tatum screamed, falling backwards.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Tatum,” a deep voice said in the darkness.

  She didn’t know how close he was, but she scrambled backwards
as quickly as she could, banging her head against the opposite wall. She attempted to feel her way back, all the while trying to get to her feet properly.

  “You’ve been a very bad girl. I’ve been here the whole time and you never even saw me. You’re so blind.”

  Tatum found the staircase again and tried to climb the stairs as quickly as she could. She could hear the heavy fall of his footsteps behind her. She thought she had reached the final step, but there was still one to go. Tripping over it, she hit the carpeted floor hard and then he was right behind her.

  “I’m going to hang you like my other little trophies; somewhere everyone can admire your beauty.” He smelled horrible, like cigarettes and sweat, and the smell made Tatum want to gag.

  Then the cloth covered her mouth and she took a deep breath of chloroform and everything went dark.

  Epilogue

  Kallista stood at the edge of the grave, her arm around her mother in a chair beside her. Kalli’s eyes were red from crying over the photos of her sister she had watched play across the screen in the church. Now they were here, laying her sister to rest, and she was thinking about the image of walking into her sister's bedroom to find her hanging in her closet by her wrists, her head sitting neatly at her feet frozen in a silent scream, her tongue missing.

  Kalli would have nightmares about that for the rest of her life.

  No one was able to explain it. Darren had been arrested and in jail at the time. Some people speculated he had always been working with an accomplice, but without sufficient evidence of that, or of him actually committing the murders, he had been released.

  Kalli was now the eldest child in her family and suddenly hanging around boys and skate parks lost its appeal. She had spent the last few days helping her mother organise her sister’s funeral, answering countless questions from the police about how someone could have possibly gotten into the house, and where her sister had been.