Little Red (11 page)

Chapter Eight

T
he camera was set and ready to record. He had prepped in silence as his new girl slept in the upright position. He watched her chest expand as the deep intake of oxygen, via her nose, had filled her lungs. The Polaroid camera sat on the cabinet ready to be collected and used, his snapshots of torture for the police. His tool aid sat next to the girl, the metal trolley held his favourite instruments.

‘Abbbbyyyyyyyyyyy’ he called softly

‘Aaaabbbbbbbbyyyyyyy’ this time he spoke a little louder but still no sign of life.

‘ABBY’ he bellowed. The girl threw her head rearwards as the voice startled her. The Wolf moved in front of her, his face covered with a Balaclava. She wriggled, the binds ripped into her skin again. He noticed that she
had begun to cry, he liked this as to him it was an expression of fear, fear of the Wolf.

He turned to the camera and pressed the small red button on the side. The session was now being recorded, he could begin.

The flash from the Polaroid blinded her small pleading eyes. The camera focused back into view and caught her blinking rapidly to shake away the blurred image. Then the second flash.

The music had started, the room aiding the acoustics
with its sound proof walls. The Wolf had, like before, moved out of view from the camera. He removed the mask from its holding place and raised it above his head. He inhaled deeply as his new face slid gently against his skin, he felt the power of the monster and was certain that parts of his body also changed when his facial appearance did. He stalked the girl as she squirmed in the chair, the lens caught every moment. The rush conquered him as he laid his eyes upon the glove. He moved towards it and stood with his back towards the camera, the girl watched every move he made. She spotted the garment of razor blades as he stood in ore of its power, her scream unheard as the music over-powered it. His hand slipped slowly into its new home, his fingers located their desired places. He turned the new hand into the light and it glimmered as the razor’s caught it. He turned to his side and starred at his prey, his weak……..frightened prey.

The first slash was deliberately
soft. The razor pierced her cheek and tore the skin as it exited. She screamed with pain. He ran a finger over the bleeding wound and raised it to his mouth, pretending to taste it. He lowered his face and sniffed at her, smelling the fear as it poured from the wound. The gag was cut free and Abby gasped, pulling as much air as she could take. The Wolf circled her, more for show. He gripped her hair with his free hand and tugged it back, her chin tilting towards the ceiling. The sharp finger was pushed into her jaw. The trickle of blood coated his finger. He drew it towards him, creating a small incision. Her face had opened up slightly as the razor dug deeper into the flesh, the air stinging the nerves that were on display. He gripped tighter to her hair as she fought him, he didn’t want to kill her…………..not yet. He gazed into her eyes as another opening was created and the crimson liquid trickled from the wound. Her cries fed his hunger, the blood pleased his beady eyes.

***

Nathan awoke as the
eye of his dream-self had been punctured. The sweat rolled down his forehead and landed on his grey t-shirt. He sat up and rubbed the drops free from his brow. His mouth was dry and he smacked his lips together, the clicking sound produced every time. The dreams were beginning to worry him, he was afraid to sleep. It was like the Wolf had climbed into his head and lay in wait for his eyes to close. He needed a coffee, more importantly he needed to catch the man who had also taken his dreams hostage.

He left the room and made his way to the coffee machine, Jack stood with one hand leaning against the wall as he waited for his cup to fill.

‘What’s the outcome so far?’ Nathan quizzed as he rubbed his eyes free from sleep.

‘Nothing was recovered apart from a neighbour of the school spotting a black van static for the whole morning
. The interview with the parents and the school came up with nothing strong………….it’s like he’s a fucking ghost!’

‘He’s good Jack, he won’t make mistakes’
.

‘I know. I had the big man from the Yard on the
phone whilst you were sleeping’.

‘Ah, not impressed I take it?’

‘No, not at all, he wants to hold a press conference again by the end of the week. If we don’t get enough evidence to give him a boner he’ll shut the team down and bring someone else in’.

‘Shit………by then there could be another two…maybe three girls added to the collection’.

Jacks eyebrows formed into arrows as he agreed with Nathan. The coffee machine spat the treacle black liquid into Nathans cup, splashes ran down the side and landed in a pool under the cups base. Nathan picked it up and wiped it with a piece of tissue paper.

‘You sleep alright?’

‘No’ he chuckled at the question.

‘Jack…….I need
to go to the victims houses. Just to take a look, may help trigger some stuff!’

‘Right, well I’m sure we can do that. I’ll call the parents now a
nd set it up, be ready for……ten…ten thirty?’

‘Sounds good
, I’ll freshen up first’.

***

The brown envelope was sealed by several strips of heavy duty tape. The contents were packed tightly at the bottom of the rectangular package. The Wolf had kept some gloves on whilst preparing the contents and adding his desired address. His name was written in large black letters, being sure that the receiving person knew who had sent it. He stopped the van next to the chipped-red post box. Checking his mirrors first he then climbed out of the van, package in hand. The contents struck the bottom of the box as he pushed it though the slit at the top. He jumped back into the driver’s seat and headed back home……….he was excited, tonight was the night he would let her run free……….the night he would give chase…………….the night he would claim her heart. The taste of blood was in his mouth, the white blobs accumulated in the corners of his lips. He licked them free, knowing that he needed to quench his thirst. He decided to stop at a nearby petrol station. Killing two tasks at once he fuelled the vehicle and purchased several drinks. He had spotted the CCTV cameras positioned in several locations of the garage, his black balaclava had been rolled up and positioned atop his head, being sure to hide as much of his face as possible.

The van rolled from the fuelling point, the needle upon the dashboard rose to the full mark, satisfied he unscrewed the cap of a drink and swallowed a large mouthful, the gasp escaped after the liquid had landed within his belly, h
is lips feeling moist and fresh.

Chapter Nine

T
he door was pulled open after several knocks. Jack had the impression that the occupants needed no visitors. The young woman poked her head out from behind the PVC door, her face seemed jaunt and her eyes held ripples of exhaustion underneath them. He noticed that her hair had been unattended to for some time. The strands were shooting in all directions as if she held an electrical charge within her.

‘Lindsay Clough
, I’m Chief Inspector Jack Dawson, we spoke on the phone earlier’ he introduced.

‘Yes Sir, do you…….would you……… like to come in?’

‘Please. Mrs Clough, call me Jack……my position and rank hold no meaning for you’.

‘Thank you, please come in.’ she moved back, opening the door wider.

‘Can I introduce you to Nathan Cawley, he is helping us on this case’ his open hand directed to Nathan. Lindsay smiled and Nathan nodded as he entered the home.

The men stood in the hallway as the door was closed and secured. They wait
ed for their host to move past and followed her into the living room. The lights were dim and parts of the room were hidden by the blackness. They located the three seat couch and lowered themselves into the comfy cushions.

‘Can I get you some tea, coffee maybe?’

‘Please that would great……coffee please, milk and two sugars’ Jack advised.

Lindsay
turned and headed for the kitchen.

‘Can we help at all?’ offered Nathan

‘No it’s fine’ the voice came from the other room.

She entered holding a small tray,
the three porcelain mugs balancing on top. The tray was lowered and they collected their cups. The steam swirled from Nathans as he moved it to his mouth, exhaling through his nose.

Jack took a small sip and found himself thanking the woman,
the coffee was an unusual taste and one that he liked.

‘That’s lovely…..you wouldn’t believe the type we have been drinking recently’

‘Thank you’ she mumbled.

‘I know you have already spoken to my team, we wanted to visit you and talk in person………if that’s ok?’

‘Yeah……it’s fine’.

‘Sorry to butt in’ spoke Nathan. ‘Is it possible to look around Abby’s room whilst you talk……….I won’t be two minutes’
.

Lindsay pondered the question for several
seconds. Her top row of teeth caught her lip as she nibbled it.

‘Ok………do you want me……
?’

‘No it’s fine, I’m sure I’ll find it……thank you though’ answering her question before she could finish asking it. He stood and moved to the hallway, he could hear Jack breaking into a conversation with her as he ascended the stairs. The landing housed three doors. The l
eft was a bathroom and toilet. He turned the light off when leaving. The two doors on the right, he presumed, were bedrooms. He stood in the centre between both doors. He extended his arms and placed open palms upon the glossed wood. He attempted to guess which room belonged to the missing girl.

The left would face onto the garden, small garden though. It is opposite a row of houses, the rear of these visible. No means of access via transport other than on foot.

The right window would face the street. The road has several parked cars either side. Trees planted at least fifty metres apart, perfect for a reconnaissance of the target. He could watch her in her room………in her safe place. The watching of the girl may take time, she may not be in her room……..he is a wolf…….a wolf would wait….would stalk…….he would sit in the van and follow her movements.

He chose the right
door.

The pink walls deflected the light as he pressed the switch, locating it on the left side as his hand searched in the dark. He stood looking around from the doorway. Her bed, neatly made, sat at the far left corner and ran against the wall. The white wardrobe lay at the foot of the bed, also against the wall. Under the window was a small wooden desk
, the various coloured pencils and crayons were placed in a cup which sat on the window sill. He moved into the centre of the room and performed a slow three hundred and sixty degree turn, taking in his new surroundings. He was surprised at how tidy the room was, especially for a ten year old. He decided that the girl’s mother must have tidied to occupy herself. He sat at the foot of the bed, the mattress absorbing his weight. The smell of Strawberries entered his nose and he closed his eyes whilst inhaling. He could see her face in his mind, the poor girl unaware to her stalker.

He scanned again from his new position, deciding to check the desk
. He stood and moved behind the chair that was tucked in between the table legs.

He dragged a hand over the top surface whilst looking out the window. The street lay in view, around one hundred metres
from left to right, at a guess. He looked up and down the road, picking an ideal watching place. There were many to choose from. The snow gathered upon the extremities of the window, the fine powder scattered on the front garden and road side.

He lowered his eyes to the desk. The small white handle was hidden from view
by the back rest of the chair. He located it and pulled the obstruction free, placing it by the bed. He kneeled and slid the draw open. Inside contained many sheets of A4 paper, all with an array of pictures. He removed the pages and sat them next to him on the bed. He began sifting through the bundle. The yellow cat was on top, then a house with bright blue walls. He kept flicking through, placing the ones he had seen to one side. He stopped at the sixth piece, the grey track running from left to right, the sky was black with large twinkling stars. The van, black in colour sat beside a very thin tree. Nathan stopped, holding the paper in his hands……
a van…..thee van?

He sat it on his legs and continued. The van had appeared on five consecutive pages….black in colour. It had remained on the left
side for the first three pictures, then it was moved to the right for the last three. They all appeared the same…..apart from the last. The van was larger, the black coloured lines more prominent and darker, scratched into the paper as if hurried. The grey rails ran across the top from the windscreen to the rear. The rear windows were shown by two rectangular shapes, the dark grey filling the rough viewing boxes. The front window, a lighter shade of grey, had something drawn lightly into it. Nathan lifted the paper closer to his face. The small circles were next to one and other, joined by a small line. The oblong behind them donned a black hat, the stick lines came from the small circles and finished at the bottom of the window.