Little Red (17 page)

The hutches were stacked upon each other, the walls that ran to his left and right were hidden by the wooden cells. With three stacked on top of each other and nine running along the walls; he had enough to hold his occupants, their eyes glowing as they peered from the straw beds. He walked ahead, listening to the small animals as they darted in and out of their safe place. The tool box lay under the table at the rear, upon the self-made structure sat several
pieces of plastic scattered in all directions, curled strands of black lay upon the floor. They crunched as he stepped on them. He had made his claw here…..he remembered it fondly. The large box was dragged forward and he flipped the catches open, revealing his collection of tools.

‘Where oh where are
youuuuuuuu?’

His fingers searched through the vast collection as he attempted to locate his desired item.

‘Helloooooooo……I seeeeeeeee youuuuuuuu’ he whispered as the file was seen.

He removed the large metal file from the box, the tolls clanged together as he pulled it free. He gripped the wooden handle, squeezing it tight. Satisfied he turned towards the door, the tool box secure under the table. He walked past the fluffy creatures in their mixture of colours.
The light was extinguished and the door pulled to, the lock snapped shut.

The mask looked back at him through the mirror. He grinned, showing his teeth; tilting his head from one side to another.

‘Are you ready to change?.........are you ready to becommmmmme?’ the reflection asked him the same question, they both nodded at the same time and he readied himself; his heart beating with hope of the results.

***

Nathan couldn’t believe what he had heard in the briefing, the news hit him hard as he starred into the face of the man he hunted. He sat upon the chair, its hard metal frame forced his back to sit straight, he leaned forward to rest upon his knees. His office had begun to appear like a serial killers wet dream, images of the victims sprawled across the walls; details of the method he uses and maps displaying the locations of the finds. He waited patiently for the results of the task he had set…..hoping his theory of the full moon was correct. He turned as the knuckles tapped his door.

‘Yeah, come in’

Jack snuck into the small room, he gazed upon the collage of evidence pinned to the walls.

‘What are they?’ his finger pointed towards the drawings that Nathan recovered from the second victims colouring table. Nathan stood as he followed Jacks finger, his eyes fell upon the desired destination.

‘I found them at the victims house, Abby’s to be precise…..they were hidden in her drawer’.

Jack moved towards them, unsure of why Nathan had taken them and why he hadn’t told him about it. He moved from one to the other, studying the story they depicted.

‘What am I supposed to be seeing here?’…….he paused as he noticed the one thing that lay upon every piece of paper. ‘Is that……
his van
in the pictures?’

‘I believe so’

‘Why the hell didn’t you show me these before?’ his tone became slightly irate.

‘Because I wanted to be certain Jack…..they just prove several points that we know already!’

‘Yeah, well why don’t you fill me in with these points’

‘He drives a van…..and he watches the victim!’

‘What we didn’t know was the colour of the van, also the fact that he changes position to view them……shit Nathan, you could have told me about this!’

‘Sorry Jack, but you can’t rip me a new one over this….you withheld information from me also!’

‘Yes but……’ he chose not to finish the argument, his mind was tired enough already and battling with his friend would have created more damage than good.

‘Smoke?’ offered Jack, attempting to calm the situation.
They moved side by side towards the exit.

‘You knew didn’t you?’ asked Nathan as he pulled a long drag from the small white stick.

‘I did, I apologise for not keeping you informed, but……well, I wanted to see your expression’.

‘
Look, I also apologise for keeping the pictures from you, I just thought it was better than dumping a bunch of drawings on your lap that may have been worthless……so where do we go from here?’

‘
It’s fine……we’re as bad as each other. Well, I applied for a warrant to search Mr Breen’s home…that should be in soon, I hope. We may find more information there, but I’m sending the team back to St Paul’s school. I want the teachers questioned about our fake Oliver Breen….see if they know him’. He exhaled into the wind. ‘Now we just wait, there are several pieces of information we need to receive before we can jump to the next step……let’s hope that the step is one ahead of
him
!’

***

William Lime sat behind his desk, his fingers drummed against the surface. He was still frustrated over the argument between him and Nathan. He felt disgusted at the man’s actions and self-discipline. Deep in his mind he felt the urge to dive into the archives, to do a little background check on Mr Crawley. He thought through the consequences and came to realise that he would suffer no damage, no professional damage anyway. Witnessing the temper that Nathan held inside he warned himself that a beating may follow his choice of action, but a beating he could take; he even considered the trial and court hearing that he could then bring down on Nathan, the charges of Grievous Bodily Harm or even, at a push, Attempted Murder. He closed his eyes picturing the money that would flow and popularity he would receive.

He opened his eyes and fixed them to his monitor, his fingers typed uncontrollably as he searched through the history of case files and personal details. He had access, after all, he was the Psychologist assigned to the department. He watched as the rows of names were dragged up and away by the scroll bar on the left. The names were alphabetically listed, it hadn’t taken him long to find Crawley. He
waited, the arrow hovered over Nathans name.

Click click
…..the folder opened as he tapped the mouse. He was provided with an individual report on his target. The cases he had worked on were listed below, he scanned for the Golden Boy file…..it was missing. Annoyed, he scanned back to the top and accessed the portfolio of personal details…..again, it was empty.

‘Jesus Christ man’ he hissed. Realising that someone had removed the information he had wanted, William stood and paced the room; his hands clenching into fists as he watched the money and publicity vanish from his mind. He knew someone had moved it, where, he was unsure…..but
who, he had an idea of the
who
.

‘Oh Jack….you hav
e been a bad boy haven’t you’.

***

His eyes began to blur as the tears accumulated from the ducts. The metal tool grinded his teeth, the milk white powder fell upon the handle. The pain seared his brain as he attempted to transform himself. He had just begun the process and the ache was becoming unbearable. Knowing that once he was complete he would have the teeth that truly identified him as the beast he longed to be. The salty water snaked down his cheeks and landed between his fingers, making his grip loos
e. He stopped to dry his hands. The voice within his head told him to stop, that he could not take the pain any longer. But the voice he listened too, the guest within his mind; forced him to accomplish the transformation, he would not be a wolf if his teeth remained human.

The file bounced against the inside of his mouth, his flesh was torn in several places as the dragging sound erupted. He pushed the tool
deeper, the gag reflex starting within his throat. His eyes pierced into the ones looking back at him, he would not fail. He pushed and pulled the tool against his K-9 tooth, the tip became pointed as the file slowly chewed away at the surface, he wiped it clean with his tongue. He braced his frame with his spare hand as it clenched the porcelain sink.

He stood and admired the result, one tooth completed. He took a mouth full of water from the tap and prepared himself for the next. He knew it would hurt, but it was a feeling he was willing to receive.
The pain brings a result……a result I am proud of……..I am becoming!

***

Jack had been informed of the next press-conference, he was told to prepare his speech. He collapsed into the chair and rubbed his leathered skin with both hands. His body felt weak, his mind was tiring and it told him to rest. He couldn’t…….not until the killer was caught and dragged into prison. The hustle and bustle within the briefing room brought him back to life. The team were in motion, doing everything they could to help him achieve his goal. He watched Nathan through the open blinds, he paced back and forth from one wall to the next. His mouth and hands were moving as if he were talking to somebody, an imaginary colleague that had been conjured up within his unique mind. It was a mind that Jack was envious of, jealous to a certain extent. His friend had everything, a loving wife and devoted partner; a place to hide away from the chaos and everyday cluster. Retirement, once again, crept into his head. The images of the boat he longed for, a reminder that constantly prodded at him to make him aware that it was an option; one that he began to consider taking.

‘Sir’ the words broke his day dream.

‘Yes’ wiping his eyes free of the image. It was the two female PC’s that Nathan had assigned the task to.

‘We have the results that Mr Crawley requested’ the sheet of paper clamped in one hand. Jack stood and ushered them towards the small box office, his knuckles tapped the wooden door.

‘Enter’ from inside

‘Nathan, the results are in’
. He moved towards Jack and the paper was handed to him as if it were a top secret document for his eyes only. Nathan studied the words, double checking what was in front of him.

‘I was right’, he started. ‘Both victims time of death was on a full moon Jack!’

‘Jackpot’ his grin displayed the satisfying news.

‘The next night is in six days from today……..I’ll bet my life that is when he aims to kill number three’.

Chapter Fourteen

H
e checked, again, the equipment for the night’s event. His mouth had throbbed for several hours, the pain still dwelling within his gums. The changing of his appearance had brought a sense of fulfilment, the first tooth looked better than he had hoped for; his finger tip still help the indentation as he had pushed it against the sharpened point. Satisfied that the inventory was complete he headed back upstairs to verify his new set of teeth, feeling slightly vane as he checked them in every reflect able surface he passed. The grin was frightening, so real. His tongue licked the tips, a slight tingle of pain as he touched them.
I am becoming………I will become!

He gathered his belongings and took them to the van, sitting them upon the passenger seat. The sky was becoming a grey colour, slight tints of clear blue showing as the clouds gradu
ally suffocated the vast space
.
He pushed the gear stick into first and began the journey. The heaters began to warm the cold interior. The night was creeping above and the streets were starting to empty, the cold wind increased and whistled through the trees. He knew the location of his new girl and he had studied the map and all accessible routes to and from her safe place. Tonight he would take an alternate path. It was something he had trained himself to do. His mind wandered back to the days when all of the recent activities were just a vision……a dream.

He had sat in the one bedroom apartment, the walls were stained with a yellow tint; the dried nicotine from copious amounts of cigarettes clung to the surface. He had longed to be somewhere else than there……somewhere meaningful. He still carried the ageing photograph in his wallet, the birthday cake laying in front of her puffed up cheeks…..all prepped for extinguish and wish making. He remembered the time they spent together, reading their favourite stories and trying the odd scare tactic when approaching the frightening parts. He would prance around the room they shared, his thin body bent into an arched shape to imitate the creature from the book. She would pull the blanket higher, leaving just enough viewing space. Her long red hair would hang over the bedding; thin strands clung to her eye lashes. He would pant and offer a low growl as his beast would enter the chapter, her eyes widened with fear. He would stop when he noticed the scarring had become too much.

‘It’s ok red…..these stories can’t hurt you’ he would reass
ure, Red being his nick name for her…..her red hair aiding to the label.

The floor boards would creak from outside the door and the story telling would seize as they anticipated the listening guest. He was aware of the midnight visits, not being woken but hearing the creeping in the room. He would curl his body into a U-shape and place his hands over his ears, willing the shadow to leave them. It didn’t.

On occasion the beast would forget to pay them a visit, the alcohol had been consumed in large amounts and the animal would drag itself to the cave and pass out for the night. Russell would attempt to barrage the door with furniture, the lack of storage proved his efforts to fail and the belt from the monsters trousers would crack the back of his legs. He had only one fond memory of his child hood, many other events would haunt his mind and one would torment him till the day he fills a hole in the ground. The fondest was of his little sister Sarah, she meant the world to him and he would do anything to make her smile. The haunting visions were those of his father……the beast. His body had endured a physical torture that no child should bear or witness. He had no friends to play with and no time for socialising, schooling was ended due to him been the sole carer of his sister.