Judas

by Caleb Meeks

  I did as he instructed. Both removing and replacing clothing was a challenging and painful trial, but it was nothing compared to some of my previous injuries. I did my best to wipe the dried blood from my leg, but bending over was not what Dominic meant by ‘careful.’ He came back a while later to make sure I hadn’t ripped any stitches. Fortunately, I hadn’t. He escorted me into the living room and set me down on the couch.

  “Alright, normally I’d tell you to sleep, but we both know that’s not going to happen. I do still want you to stay for at least tonight, though, so I can keep an eye on that. If it starts bleeding again, I don’t want you two and a half hours away from me at a location I don’t even know.”

  No one knows where I live. Not even the most trusted in my regime. Not because I’m worried about my safety, but it’s more for theirs. If those around me knew my location, they would be in much greater danger. It’s a widely known fact that no one knows where I live. So, no one goes looking for it, and no one is in danger for harboring the information.

  “I’d argue, but you put up a valid point.”

  “Good.” He walked away, again back to the kitchen.

  I laid back on the couch, letting myself loosen the tenseness I carry everywhere. For now, I was at least somewhat safe. Somewhat.

  Chapter Five.

  Detective Cadman sat in his office, tirelessly looking over old case files, both from the Judas case, and from other cases he was working. No matter what, though, he couldn’t get his mind off the Judas case. Wisdom told him he should talk to the captain. While he appreciated the case load, he knew he wasn’t giving any other cases his full attention. The pile of cases had started to swirl in his mind, which meant he needed to take a break. Fortunately, his phone rang just as the overwhelming stress started to kick in.

  “Yeah.” He said.

  “Sorry to disturb you, sir,” the deputy on the other end said, “we’re at a scene and I think you need to get down here.”

  Cadman’s ears perked, and he stood from his chair. “What’s going on?” He said as he grabbed the keys to his car and his jacket.

  “A lot of live witnesses, I just think you really need to get down here as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Cadman hung up the phone. He walked out of his office, hastily making his way through the building. Every scenario, from one end of his career up to the Judas case, flooded his mind. Normally, he might have prodded the deputy that called him for more information, but he was already looking for a way to get out of his office. This was the first option he got, so he was eager to jump at it. People all throughout the building gave him brief concerned glances, but he gave them no attention. His attention was entirely focused on the scene he had to get to.

  He sped down the highway to the address the deputy had sent him. It would normally be about an hour and a half drive, but he pushed the limits of the legal speed. He wanted to be there already. The thoughts running through his mind were both exciting and disturbing, thoughts of the Judas case crime scene photos. He knew this wasn’t a Judas crime scene, but at this point, it was hard to look at any kind of criminal activity without seeing some kind of connection to him.

  Cadman eventually arrived at the dingy gated entrance. The rusted signs, dead greenery, and abandoned building was an atypical crime scene location, almost ironically cliché. Driving further in, he noticed a swarm of vehicles. At least five police cars were lined up, as well as the emergency vehicles both leaving and arriving, and three unidentified black cars. The sight made Cadman’s heart speed up and his whole body was flooded with adrenaline. He swung his car behind the line of other police vehicles, turned it off, and flew out of the car.

  As he got out of his car, he noted the tire tracks dug into the soft ground. Three distinctly different tracks marred the dirt. A few quick bouncing glances from the tracks to the present tires, and he was able to match two of the tracks to the police vehicles, and the unidentified vehicles deeper in. The third track was unidentifiable. He logged it in his mind, but continued walking towards the scene.

  He ran to a deputy speaking on the phone. When she saw him approaching, she quickly ended her conversation. “Hello, I’m Detective Leo Cadman.”

  The deputy’s face lit up. “Yes, Detective Cadman,” she reached out and shook the detective’s hand, “I’m the one who called you. I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Me too.” Cadman agreed, eager to hear what was going on. “What’s happening here?” She started leading Cadman towards the building across from the cars.

  “We got a call from an anonymous person tipping us off to the scene. The woman who took the call said all she was able to detect was that the caller was male, and sounded slightly out of breath. He just said that we needed to get down here quick, or we might regret it. A squad car got down here almost immediately after the call and found the carnage. He called for backup, and it’s a good thing he did.”

  “How many victims?” Cadman asked.

  “Good question. We’ve rounded up a total of nine victims, but there’s one odd consistency.” Cadman looked at the man with a confused curiosity. “All nine of the people we found were alive. Some were in critical condition and are in the ER right now, but they’re all alive so far. It didn’t seem like the person who did all this wanted anyone dead. Either that, or he was just a really bad shot.”

  “I agree, that’s strangely consistent. But I do have to ask, there are a number of other’s who could have taken this, why’d you call me?” Cadman asked.

  “We’ve got a guy here who asked for you by name.”

  Cadman’s ears perked up. “By name?” The deputy nodded. “Who is he, one of the victims?”

  “An assassin. Jackson Cartlett.”

  Cadman’s eyes widened. “Really? Jackson? How does an assassin like him get caught in a place like this?”

  The deputy shrugged. “Add it to the growing list of questions.”

  “Where is he? Was he one of the ones who was taken to the ER?” Cadman asked, eager to find him.

  “No, sir. He didn’t have a scratch on him, aside from a lump on his forehead. We’ve got him in this back room. Follow this hallway down and you’ll find it. Just look for the room filled to the brim with security.”

  Cadman turned to the woman, “Thank you.” The deputy walked away, back to the car she was originally posted by.

  Cadman looked around the scene at all the scrambling police officers trying to help the paramedics. There was blood spattered on many of the walls. It was clear that there was some kind of serious altercation, and apparently the guy who did this was dangerous. The name Judas crept into his mind, sending chills down his spine, but he buried it as quickly as he could, trying to convince himself that it was just a coincidence. He was just overreacting.

  He wandered down the hallway the deputy had directed him too, and just like she had said, there were six men guarding the room. Four were inside the room, and two were stationed outside the room. He walked up, and the guard outside motioned him inside the room.

  “So,” he said while entering the room, “I hear I have a fan.” Cadman took a seat opposite the Hispanic man. A large swollen lump had appeared on the man’s head, just as the deputy had said.

  “We have business to discuss.” Jackson said.

  Cadman laughed. “I’m sorry, when did the police and assassins start doing business deals?”

  “You have me there, but most assassins don’t have details on your buddy Judas.” Cadman’s whole body froze up. He had been reassuring himself this whole time that it wasn’t Judas, all just so that this parasite could drop his name without any hesitation.

  He took a deep inhale, then looked up at the security detail surrounding them. “I’ve got it from here, guy’s.”

  One officer stepped up, “Sir…”

  Cadman immediately cut him off. “I’ve got it from here. You may excuse yourself and your unit for the time being.” The officer nodded, accepting th
at he wouldn’t win the argument. The men all left the room and then walked back down the hallway.

  “Sensitive topic, is it?” Jackson said, a smug grin on his face.

  “What details on Judas do you think you have?” Cadman asked.

  “Well…” Jackson gestured around the building as best as he could with his hands cuffed together.

  Cadman smiled. “You were the one who tried to kill him? Jackson, you know better than me what this guy is capable of and you still thought you could take him? The last people who tried to do that ended up with more holes than a golf course.”

  Jackson was unamused by Cadman’s sentiment. “He’s good, I’ll give him that.”

  Cadman snickered. “You think? You’re lucky all you got was that little bump.”

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Except, that means I have to be here, talking to you.”

  Cadman shrugged. “Perspective. Now, what are these details about Judas you have? I don’t have all day to spend fighting with you over who’s the bigger man.”

  “Well, what kind of bad guy would I be if I didn’t try and negotiate a little something for myself.”

  Cadman wanted to shoot him right there. He, of course, saw it coming, but it didn’t mean it was any less frustrating. “What is it that you could possibly want, Jackson?”

  “I mean, we could start with negotiable jailtime.”

  “I can probably arrange that.” Cadman said, through gritted teeth.

  “I think I’ll want to be comfortable too, during that negotiable jailtime.”

  “I’ll make sure you’re not roomed with someone who eats little boys like you for breakfast. Anything else, your highness?”

  “Well…” Just as Jackson was about to rattle off another surely outrageous command, he heard the clicking of a pair of heels coming down the hallway. It made it’s way closer, until a woman rounded the corner, followed by two hulking officers.

  Cadman stood to face her. “Excuse me, ma’am. My name is detective Leo Cadman, this is my witness, and I’d appreciate it if I could speak to him in private.

  The woman in front of Cadman removed her sunglasses and waved her hand to the two men behind him. “Detective Cadman, my name is Special Agent Jessica Donohue. I’m with the FBI. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take your witness.” The two men she waved over walked to Jackson and gripped him by the arms, standing him up and escorting him out of the room.

  “Who gave you this case? It was my guys who found the scene, and I was the first detective on scene, that makes it my case.”

  “I’m aware of that, Detective, but given the very particular nature of this case, I have been given authority on it. You can keep the rest of his crew, but we need him.” Cadman inhaled and opened his mouth to object further, but Donohue stopped him. “Leo, don’t make this any harder than it needs to be. Just accept it.” She slipped her sunglasses back on and followed the men out the door. Cadman soon followed, and watched them drive away.

  The deputy who called Cadman originally came over. “What was that all about?” She asked.

  “We just lost our most valuable witness.”

  ▪

  I managed to slip in and out of sleep all night, though the unfamiliar landscape provided a slight sense of security, it also brought an even stronger sense of discomfort. Dominic had left hours ago, but left me with exact orders to stay put. While I would have originally disregarded his opinion, I decided to listen. At the moment, no one needed my attention, and with all this upheaval happening, I needed to be as strong as I could be. Especially if more people like Jackson were going to start getting the idea to take me on. I was always on guard, but everything going on had me even more on edge.

  Dominic eventually made it back to his house around midday. He walked in the door holding his phone to his ear, but once he heard me rustling around in the kitchen, I heard him quickly say that he had to go.

  “I’m surprised you’re still here.” He said, walking around the corner.

  “Doctor’s orders.” I said, eliciting a smile from him.

  “Yeah, you just usually ignore those. Guess I’m just glad to see you starting to listen to me.”

  “Don’t get used to it.” I said.

  He noticed that I had turned his granite island into gun cleaning station. “You know, you don’t have to clean that thing every time you use it, right?”

  “While that may be true, I don’t miss. And, aren’t you the one who said it was good for me to find things to do that calmed me down, or at least got my mind off my life?” I asked.

  “You’ve got me there. I mean most people take up running, or guitar, but I guess this works.” I cracked a smile, a genuine one. It lingered for a moment, but fell just as quickly. “I got a phone call today for you.”

  “And?” I asked.

  “Some low life trafficker, wants to meet with you. I think he wants help moving a shipment, or something like that.”

  I inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I’m tired of traffickers needing my help, it’s getting old really fast. What did you tell him?”

  “I told him you were unavailable.”

  “I appreciate the concern, but I am available. Whether or not I want to talk to him is one thing, but I am available.

  “Judas, you are in no shape to be doing these things right now.” He said, surprisingly confidently.

  “Like I said, I appreciate the concern, but you don’t dictate what I do and don’t do.”

  Dominic inhaled, settling down. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Though, I thought you were listening to me in deciding you wanted a low profile, especially with everything going on.”

  “I want a low profile, yes, but that means I still have to be on the radar. If I disappear completely, it will be a louder statement than if I gradually slow down. As much as you hate it, and believe me, I don’t want to do it either, I should at least go meet the guy.”

  Dominic inhaled, digesting everything I had just told him. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I overstepped. It makes sense. At least these kinds of meetings are low risk.”

  “Right. I’ll be fine, and it will show I’m still out here. What’s the guy’s number, I want to call him. Dominic pulled his phone out, and rattled the numbers off to me.

  The phone rang a few times, but eventually a gruff sounding man picked up. “Hello?”

  “Hello, my name is Judas. I do believe you were looking for me earlier.”

  The man sounded surprised to hear my voice. “Judas, yes. I was informed you were unavailable. I also didn’t think you made personal calls?”

  “Well, you aren’t wrong. I had an opening. As for calls, I definitely don’t make them often.”

  “Well, that sounds encouraging. I would love to meet with you. I’ve been a fan for a long time.”

  I smiled. Of course he has. When they try to kiss up it just makes them more repulsive. “When would you like to meet?”

  “Whenever is convenient for you, I’m certainly in less high demand than you are.”

  “Send me where you’d like to meet and I can leave right now.”

  “Excellent. I’ll get that right over. I look forward to meeting you.” I hung up without another word. They all say the same thing, yet they mean it less and less every time.

  “I don’t imagine this taking too long. These things usually don’t.” I said.

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and please, be careful.”

  I grabbed his shoulder. I wasn’t an affectionate person, but I could see he was disturbed by what I was doing. I understood why, but I had to do what I had to do. “I’m going to be fine, Dom. Trust me, I’ve been doing this a long time.”

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  I nodded my head in agreeance, then turned towards the door. I grabbed my jacket and keys, and left.

  ▪

  “Detective Cadman?” Leo Cadman sat behind his desk, holding his head in his hands. He looked up to the young officer standing in his d
oorway.

  “Yeah, hey Matthew, what’s up?”

  “I got that Judas case file for you.” Newman said.

  “Oh, I didn’t expect that for a while, thank you.”

  “I’ll be honest, being the new guy hasn’t garnered me much to do. It would have been here sooner, but it took me a while to find the file. It was wedged down in cold cases.”

  “Cold cases?” Cadman asked, surprised.

  “Yeah.” Newman answered.

  “How weird.” Cadman subtly shook his head. “Anyway, thank you for getting that for me.”

  “Of course.” Newman walked forward and extended his hand the Cadman. He reached out and took the file from the young man’s hand. Cadman noticed the young officer quickly look away from the desk.

  Cadman quickly pieced together his reaction and looked down at his desk, seeing the crime scene photos that were laid out across it. “Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have just had those lying out.”

  “That’s what this guy does to people?” Newman shakily said, having looked back at the pictures. “I mean, I’ve read all the reports, but I’ve never seen the pictures with my own eyes.”

  “Yeah, that’s what he does. At least most of the time. Some of this is severe, some of it is child’s play.” Both men took a moment to let the horror pass, then Cadman stood up, causing Newman to come back to his senses. He walked over and gripped the young man’s shoulder. “Look, Matthew, this is not protocol, at all, but I’m aware of what a case like this can do to you. You were clearly not informed very well before getting assigned to this case, so if you want, I can arrange for you to be removed from it. And don’t look at it as weakness if you want to back off from it, I totally understand. No one would judge you.”