Heartbeats of a Killer

by Michael Merson

  Should I go into my bedroom or should I sleep in one of the other bedrooms?

  Axel entered the house and walked toward the guest bedrooms, trying not to make a sound as his heart pounded. As he moved through the house, he stepped on a squeaky board. He paused and waited.

  “Axel, is that you?”

  “Yes, it is. Where are you?” He answered in a surprised voice.

  “I’m in the kitchen.”

  Axel turned and walked back toward the living room. He stood there and surveyed the kitchen. There she stood wearing a t-shirt from one of his dresser drawers with her long legs displayed. The shirt just covered the bottom of her buttocks, and he could see more than he should when she leaned over. She looked up from her coffee cup and smiled at Axel as he walked toward her.

  “I made coffee, and then some breakfast from some things I found in the refrigerator. I replaced my flat tire with the spare,” Amanda said as Axel stopped in front of her and took the cup she was holding.

  “Is there any sugar in the coffee?” Axel asked as he drank from her cup.

  “Well I did put my lips to the rim before you came in,” she replied as she traced her finger down the front of his shirt toward his pants.

  “It tastes sweet,” Axel said as he leaned forward into her inviting lips.

  He placed his left arm around her waist and brought her close to him. Amanda closed her eyes, ran her arms around his back, and held on to him. Their lips met, and he placed the coffee cup down on the counter. He then used his free hand and ran it around and behind her as well. The t-shirt started to rise higher up when suddenly her cell phone started ringing.

  Amanda slowly pushed herself away from him and reached for her purse to retrieve the phone.

  “Hello? This is Amanda. Yes…, I’m on my way…, I know…, I’ll be there as quick as I can… Okay, good-bye.”

  Axel figured that his work was done at the crime scene and now it was time for Amanda to go to work and report it to the public.

  “Axel I’m sorry, but I need to go.”

  “I thought you might’ve left last night when I got called out.”

  “I didn’t know that you were going to a possible PPK murder scene when you left last night. Although I thought it could be. I really wanted you to know that I wasn’t here with you for a story. So, last night I gave you your space to work without me being a reporter.”

  “Thank you for that, but now I feel like shit. I didn’t want to give you the impression that I thought that. I don’t think for a minute that you are that type of person.”

  “I’m not that type of person.”

  “I know you’re not, and I’m glad you’re not,” Axel said as he looked into her eyes.

  “I need to get dressed and go out to Black Forest,” Amanda responded as she forced herself to pull away so that she could finish getting ready.

  “I know. But I still wish you could stay.”

  “Me too,” Amanda said and then crossed the floor over to him and kissed him once more.

  “I got to go,” she whispered and pulled away once more.

  “By the way, don’t wear high heels. It’s really muddy out there!”

  “I won’t, and thanks for the tip,” Amanda said as she started up the stairs toward the bathroom.

  Axel moved toward the living room from the kitchen carrying the coffee cup. When he looked up toward the balcony from below, he saw Amanda go by and caught a glimpse of her open bottom. He was caught off guard, and Axel quickly looked away, spilling the coffee on his shirt and wrist in the process. He walked back into the kitchen and washed his hands in the sink. He grabbed a dishtowel and began to wipe up the floor. He started smiling as he pictured her running by the balcony. Commando.

  He stood up, placed the towel in the sink, and slipped out of his shirt. He then went into his room and put on a t-shirt.

  “I wore one of your shirts last night. I hope you don’t mind?” She yelled from upstairs.

  “No, not at all,” Axel yelled back.

  “Axel, can you get the outfit from my car for me please?”

  “Sure.”

  “My keys are on the bar.”

  Axel found the keys and walked outside. He then found the outfit, took it from the car hook, and walked back inside the garage.

  “Axel!” Axel heard the unmistakable voice of his neighbor.

  “Hi Jill, how are you this morning?” Axel asked as he walked back out of the garage and waved to Jill, who was loading her kids into the van.

  “I see that you just got back. Was it a long night?” Jill asked while she climbed into the van with a smile on her face.

  “Yeah,” Axel answered.

  “Nice outfit!” Jill yelled as she pulled out of the driveway.

  Axel shook his head and walked back inside the house. He made his way up the stairs to the bathroom and announced himself from the door.

  “Thank you. Can you hand it to me?”

  “Yes,” Axel said and handed it to her from the other side of the door.

  He then walked over to his bed and noticed that it was made. He began to think about everything that was going on and what he was seeing.

  She had a change of clothes and her make-up bag for in the morning. Was she planning on staying the night last night?

  No, she’s got to have that stuff with her just in case she gets called out, Axel debated.

  Turning the television on, Axel caught the latest news from the crime scene he had just left. The news desk reporter announced to viewers that they would have the complete story within an hour. Axel was flipping through the channels when Amanda walked into the bedroom from the bathroom. She stood in front of the window. He looked at the beautiful woman as she stood there next to him. She smiled at him and tilted her head. The light from the window created a warm glow around her.

  Wow, he thought.

  “I’ll give this shirt back to you now. I’m sorry that I didn’t ask to wear it or to get it out of your drawer without your permission, but I didn’t have anything else to sleep in.”

  “No, that’s okay. I wanted you to make yourself at home.”

  “Well, I did. I mean, I slept in your bed. I sat on the other three beds like Goldilocks trying to find the right one, and then I ate the pizza after you left. I also watched your television and used your shower,” Amanda admitted as she stood there looking down at him while swinging side to side. He stood up from the bed, pulled her over to him, and kissed her.

  “I hope you come back and use more of my stuff.”

  “I think that I would like that, but right now I gotta go,” she said.

  “Ok. I’ll walk you out.”

  After he walked Amanda to her car and the two kissed good-bye he went to his bedroom and finished undressing. Climbing into bed, he looked to the other side where he had tossed the t-shirt she had been wearing. He reached over, picked it up, and smelled her perfume. He allowed her scent to carry him into a deep sleep.

  ***

  Jeramiah woke up on the couch, and he could still feel the pain in his leg. He slid his feet to the edge of the cushion and placed them on the floor slowly. He made every attempt not to bump into anything. When he looked down, he saw the huge purple bruise on his thigh.

  Shit. How am I going to explain this? He thought.

  Without moving his leg, he slowly reached for the phone with his uninjured arm. After dialing the number, he shook his head in disgust.

  “Hey boss, it’s me. I’m going to need to take a sick day today. I played in a softball game last night and hurt myself. I got plenty of sick time to use… No. I don’t have anything important going on in the office…Yes, I can afford to miss the day… Thanks. I appreciate it, and I’ll see you later.”

  Jeramiah placed the phone back onto the receiver and carefully laid back against the couch. He began to slowly rub his leg with his hands. He then reached for the remote and turned the television on.

  “I’m here now at the gruesome scene of a doubl
e homicide. People close to the investigation say that it may be the work of the monster that we’ve come to know as the Pikes Peak Killer. The evidence collected thus far is being compared to evidence from previous cases, and the police hope to have a suspect soon. The names of the victims are being withheld until notification can be made to the next of kin.”

  Jeramiah watched and listened as she referred to him as a monster.

  Monster!

  He rubbed his leg harder as he imagined how he was now being viewed by others. He grew angry, and he began to imagine what it would be like to spend time alone with Amanda Crosse. Then he thought about the investigating detective.

  “Some of you may be wondering how a nice family with a nice home, like the one I’m in front of right now, could be targeted by a monster who may be living here in the Pikes Peak Region. Hopefully, the police will have those answers before PPK strikes again. I’m Amanda Crosse with Channel Fifteen, and we’ll have the complete story of what happened here to this family tonight at six."

  Yeah. I will have her heart!

  ***

  The news camera shut off, and Amanda shook her head in disbelief. She only caught a glimpse of the inside of the home when they were setting up for the shot. Amanda saw into the garage and then further into the house, and she wasn’t prepared to see all the blood. She wanted to call Axel and talk to him, not about the crime but how she felt.

  ***

  “What are you thinking about, boy? Don’t look at me that way, son. I’ll slap the piss out of you. You ungrateful bastard! Who fixed you up last night? I’ll tell you who…It was me. I undressed you when you came limping in here. I put the ointment on your leg and shoulder. Your lousy mother didn’t have the stomach to deal with it. I knew when you left last night that you were going to get into trouble. It was raining, and I said you should stay home and that it was too dangerous. Did you listen to me? No!”

  “Yes, father, you told me, and no, I didn’t listen to you, and I’m sorry. Can you please forgive me?” Jeramiah begged as he closed his eyes to prepare for the headache that was building inside his skull.

  He hoped his father would have mercy on him and not beat him when he was already in so much pain.

  “Are you staying home from work today?”

  “Yes, father, I am.”

  “You have one lousy work ethic. If I was like that when you were growing up, we’d have all been homeless and starved to death.”

  “I know father. Please. Can I just lay here and relax right now?”

  “I don’t care what you do!”

  “Thank you…and I love you, daddy!”

  Chapter 23

  The alarm sounded, and Axel reached over to turn it off. He had set it to wake him up at two, giving him enough time to reach the office and to contact Beck to learn what he had discovered at the scene in Black Forest.

  After sitting up, Axel placed his feet on the floor. He sat on the edge of his bed, rubbed his eyes, and reached for the T.V. remote control. As he stood up and began to stretch, he listened to the national news.

  “In Washington D.C. Senator William Davis was killed late last night in a fire at his home. Senator Davis was alone at the time of the fire. His wife was visiting family in New Hampshire. The fire is being ruled an accident at this time. Investigators from the fire department believe the blaze started from a lit cigarette. The Senator was known to be a smoker and friends close to the family described him as a chain smoker who would often fall asleep with a cigarette still burning. His family asks that his supporters remember him for the good he did in helping Colorado on major issues that affected them and their state.”

  Axel remembered the Senator as he watched the news display pictures of him on the screen. Davis had worked hard as a representative for Colorado. He led the way for many issues that affected the state to include the death penalty.

  After a shower, Axel dressed and left his house at close to three o’clock. He climbed inside the car and backed out of his driveway. Pulling out onto Highway 24, he looked to the sky as the sun shined down from above. The road looked hot, and it had already dried from the previous night.

  The radio was on, and the local news reporter began to cover the news and events going on in and around the Colorado Springs area. Axel was thinking about calling Amanda when he got to the office when suddenly his attention was brought back to the news on the as details of the double homicide was described.

  “The police say that the homicide is possibly the work of PPK, the serial killer who continues to prey on the citizens of our community. I ask you listeners; what are the police doing to protect us from this maniac? Really! This has been going on too long now. Our police department is stumped as to the identity of this killer.”

  Axel listened to the radio announcer badger the department for a little while longer and then changed the station. He was upset with the commentary, but deep down he knew that it was right.

  Once he reached the police department, he discovered that the parking garage was full and that he had to park on the street near the building, though he felt it was a bad idea with what had happened to his car the other night.

  “Good afternoon Axel,” Lt. Wilson said, greeting him as he exited the elevator.

  “Hello, LT.”

  “I’ve something to tell you, and I wanted you to hear it from me,” Wilson said as he pulled Axel around the corner into his office.

  “The FBI has sent a man over to assist with the investigation.”

  Just the sound of the letters ‘FBI’ made Axel’s stomach turn. He slowly looked away from Wilson, ran his fingers through his hair, and tried to take a deep breath, so he could compose himself before speaking.

  His face showed his disgust, and suddenly every victim’s name, their mutilated bodies in the morgue, and their families crossed his mind. Axel pictured the bloody bodies at the scenes. He felt that the victims were discarded like trash. Axel had to speak to each victim’s family while they cried and asked him ‘why' each and every time. Unexpectedly he let it all come out at once in an unfiltered tone.

  “That’s bullshit! I’ve been on this case for months now. Every agency has turned their cases over to us, and then this department throws them on my desk. MY DESK! When the media needs someone to blame at the end of this, it’s going to fall on ME! Then last night we get some evidence that can help further our investigation, and they want to send someone over from the FBI to assist? That’s bullshit! You know it, and I know it!”

  Wilson turned and calmly shut the door to his office.

  “No Axel, it’s not, and I do know! I told them we could handle it!” Lt. Wilson yelled back. He then collected himself, knowing that yelling at each other wouldn’t solve anything. “Look. The FBI sent over a profiler, and he has some information that could be useful. Do me a favor and just listen to what he has to say. When he’s done tell him thank you and do what you want. I need you to go along with this for now. People higher up are watching the investigation very closely.”

  Wilson opened the door after Axel nodded in agreement, and both the men walked out toward Axel’s desk. Gary was standing next to a man wearing a polo shirt, and dress slacks. He was tall, with dark hair, and he looked young. The FBI Agent carried a briefcase in his left hand and had a notebook under his arm. Gary, as usual, stood by and smiled at Axel as he approached with Wilson.

  “Detective Frost, this is Agent Jaxson Locke. He’s here with some information about PPK and the investigation,” Lt. Wilson said as he introduced the two men to each other.

  “Hello, Detective. I’m glad to meet you,” Locke said as he simultaneously shook Axel’s hand and dropped his notebook to the floor.

  “Hello,” Axel replied as he bent down to help the Agent pick up his papers that fell out of the notebook.

  “This is great! You guys are already working together, and here I thought it’d be awkward,” Gary remarked as he stood over the two of them with a smirk on his face.

  After mo
ving into a conference room, Agent Locke began to explain what he had on the killer thus far from the information he had collected.

  “Detective Frost…” Agent Locke began to say.

  “Call me Axel, and he’s Gary.”

  “Okay, then. Please call me Jaxson.”

  “Agreed,” Gary stated.

  Jaxson sat down and opened his briefcase and then his notebook. He then organized the files on the table before speaking while Axel and Gary sat there patiently.

  “Now. I know that you received a profile from Quantico, but I don’t think it’s completely accurate.”

  “Then why did you send it?” Gary asked.

  “I didn’t. A profiler in the BAU sent it,” Jaxson answered cautiously.

  “Then why did they send it, if it wasn’t accurate? Axel asked.

  “Because they think it is.”

  “I don’t understand,” Gary stated in frustration.

  “Okay. Let me explain. The profile you received is partially accurate, but I believe there is more to the killings in relation to the offender.”

  “Like what?” Axel asked.

  “The profile you received resembles the one that was put together for the serial killer Robert Hansen. He killed women in Alaska in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He’d fly them to remote islands and hunt them down with a rifle. There are many similarities between your offender and Hansen. Your offender is an organized serial killer, and he is a white male. Likely he is between thirty and thirty-five, was and still is physically awkward. He was made fun of as a kid. His discipline as a child was inconsistent; most likely, he was abused by his father…Still with me?” He asked.

  Both men nodded.

  “Good. He’s a loner most of the time, he keeps track of the investigation, and he doesn't like being made fun of or being the butt of a joke. He’s a hunter, he’s socially competent, and he likely was an only child. He has a functioning automobile. He has above-average intelligence. He’s sexually competent,” Jaxson continued.