Little Red (21 page)

***

Doctor Lime gathered the copies he had printed from the files he viewed. So far roughly twenty sheets had been ejected from the machine, it groaned as more were being produced.
He had started with the results of Nathans Psychological tests. His eyes had widened at the words that appeared before him,
Mentally Unstable, Unfit to perform an active duty
and
must receive Trauma counselling,
were his most favourable. Hidden inside the folder was an un-named file, the first six pages were blank. William had become bored of searching them until he passed the sixth white sheet. The seventh began with bold lettering displaying,
The Golden Boy Case File.
He froze stiff; his limbs were numb with shock. Here, before his very eyes, were the secrets hidden away from the prying eyes of the department. The list of in-depth procedures and methods used by Nathan were shown. The names of the victims and details of each kill were also included. But what William failed to see was that the conclusion to the case was missing.

He spun in an anti-clockwise circle, his legs kicking the chair around. The printer spat out the remaining pages and he collected them in a bundle. He noticed that a paper clip or stable would fail to hold the information together as the amount was too large, he began breaking the information down into categories. The staples were fired into the top left corners and he placed the evidence into a brown envelope. He looked upon the package, knowing that what was hidden inside had the potential to make him famous…..very rich and very famous. He kissed it smack bang in the middle.

‘Thank you’ he said aloud, his eyes looking to an imaginary sky above.

***

Russell awoke mid-afternoon. His slumber had lasted longer than he had planned. The dream had taken up some valuable time. He felt fresh, like an animal that had woken from hibernation. He stretched his toned arms wide and let his chest expand fully as he sucked in the air around him. The thoughts for consideration swarmed his mind once again,
take her now or wait until the planned date?
He stood in complete darkness, his body reeking of sweat. He hadn’t showered for a long time, since the first girl was taken. It hadn’t been a priority for him. He planned the events of the evening and decided to clean himself, personal admin was a must and he had let himself down, his armpits made him aware of that.

The water warmed his skin as it rained down upon his head. His black hair was flattened to his scalp as the shower soaked it. He lathered his body with soap and pondered upon the question he had asked himself previously. He paused to weigh up his options.

‘Fuck it!’ he bellowed, rapidly washing the suds from his skin. He jumped from under the trickling water and dried himself quickly. The mirror caught his eye and he glared at the beast.

‘My, what big teeth you have’ grinning at the reflection. He pulled the same clothing back on and bolted down the stairs, the thuds from his feet echoing through the house. He opened the storage cabinet and removed his black bag. The items were removed and checked thoroughly, his main interest was the Chloroform. Seeing that he had enough of the liquid to proceed, he zipped up the items and gripped the carry handles. The cellar door creaked as he opened it. The stairs were illuminated as he switched the lighting on, he could find his way easily in the dark but he needed to see that everything was in order before his guest arrived. The entrance to his den was open and he poked his head passed the door. The lights came to life and he checked the interior with his eyes,
that’s ready……that’s good to go….it’s all good to go.

The temperature outside was starting to drop but the extremities were no concern to him. He knew that the early capture would be difficult. He didn’t know enough of her patterns to be able to say where she was right now. He would hate to have a wasted journey and come back empty handed, but to him, that was better than not trying at all. The engine roared to life and the road was lit by the headlights, he decided to plan on route.

Chapter Seventeen

N
athan sat in his office, his eye lids feeling heavy. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept, symptoms of Insomnia started to kick in. He struggled to focus on the images upon the wall, he fought to stay awake. The team had worked late, some through the night. Individuals were tasked to comb through the records located at Mr Breen’s home. The evidence required was any of the victim’s names, dates they had been tutored and all other names tutored that same day. Nathan believed that the killer will have known Mr Breen and possible met his victims there also. The light tapping at his door brought him back from his drift off, he turned in the chair.

‘Come in’

‘Sorry to bother you Mr Crawley’ the young PC offered.

‘No it’s fine, good timing actually’ he stood and stretched his weak limbs, the shoulder giving the usual shooting pains.

‘I needed to see you this morning, but with the obvious search, it was a bit difficult’.  He gathered a small stack of notes from the desk and handed them to her, the facial expression showed she required some explanation.

‘This is a list of details I believe would be worth looking into. Seeing as though we have determined that the killer is a collector, we need to establish why he collects the hearts. He may have previous convictions involving young girls or may have been involved with something that matches the MO he uses’

‘Okay. I’ll start in the morning, archives will be the best place to start. Can I get help with this, I mean, can I ask a colleague to help with the searches?’

‘Of course, if it quickens the process I shouldn’t see Jack having a problem with it’ he finished with a smile and the young woman departed his office. He dropped into his chair. He knew Jack would be typing up his report, but in honesty, he didn’t want to visit him……he wanted to sleep.

The house was surrounded by an eerie darkness. He stood at the wall, gazing up through the windows. There was a dim light coming from inside, the brightness dulled by black voiles hanging from the curtain poles. He watched as the snow gathered upon his shoulders, the cold attacking his skin. Movement caught his
eye, he waited to see it again; to confirm his eyes weren’t playing tricks on his mind. There it was, again, passing the window. He looked down into his hands, noticing the torch in one and wheel brace in the other. His body began to float towards the open door, he wanted to stay still, to stay outside with the cold and observe. The blackness swallowed him and he stood before the stairway, unsure of how he entered. The walls were stained with a yellow tint, scorch marks scattered from the ground to the ceiling, a fire that managed to lick its way to the top. His light guided a narrow path to the landing, the beam shook as his fear caused a constant shake. He crept up each step, his mind begging him to turn around and leave. Curiosity controlled his movements, though they were slow; he edged his way closer. He approached the top step and his heart jumped, beating wildly and aching its bone cage. The young boy passed through the beam, paying him no attention and moving down the corridor. Nathan braced himself as the shock of the boys sudden appearance caused an instant scare. He leaned against the wall to gather his courage.

The corridor was empty as he peeked around the corner, the pale boy had disappeared. He moved cautiously over the wooden floor, creaks and cracks greeting his feet. The door was closed as he approached it, a low noise coming from behind. The dripping sound increased as he placed his ear against the burnt wooden obstruction.
Drip……Drip……Drip.

He stood silently, attempting to imagine the cause of the increasingly annoying sound.
Drip……Drip……………

The noise seized, he stepped back and the heel of his foot slipped. He reached out to the walls next to him and steadied his posture with his fingers. The torch was dropped and it delivered a loud clunk noise at it made contact with the wood. It rolled to a stop, illuminating the base of the door.

Drip……………Drip……Drip…Drip.
The sound had returned, increasing in tempo with each drip. His eyes met the base of the door, the red liquid pooling in the light. With each drip the puddle became larger, the thin stream snaking towards his feet. He snatched the torch and stepped to one side as the blood flowed past him, he embraced the handle and forced his shoulder into the wooden structure. The splinters fired up into his face as the lock was snapped free from its home. The room was coated with splatters of life, streaks of blood scattered from the floor upwards. It ran like a tap from the bed, curdling into froth as it hit the floor. The beast knelt upon the large bed, the young boy in his arms. Nathan stepped forward, reaching for the child. Its teeth were pushed into his neck, he screamed a deafening pitch and Nathan stumbled to one side. He watched as the Wolf pulled his throat open, the delicate skin tearing from the incisions of his teeth. He ran towards the monster, wheel brace in hand. The chunk of flesh dangled from its large teeth. He swung hard, bringing the weapon down and striking the beast’s cranium. He followed the momentum had hit the floor, his body soaked in the blood. The body landed next to him, the boy’s lifeless eyes staring into his own.

Nathan woke as his door was opened. Startled, he turned to face his visitor.

‘You’re bleeding’ Lime’s fat finger aimed at Nathans face. He placed a hand under his nose and swiped from left to right. The blood streaked along one finger.

‘I didn’t realise you were asleep’ he began.

‘Neither did I, what is it Doc?’

‘Well, I’m not sure how to put this’

‘Put what Doc?’

‘Well, it’s getting late, maybe we should talk tomorrow!’

‘Look, you just woke me to tell me something so just spit the fucker out and then leave me alone!’ he shouted.

‘Okay, if that’s what you want Mr Crawley!’ William sat himself down upon the corner of the desk, the documents on top were pushed to the floor.

‘Let’s start by saying…..
I know
!’

‘You know, what the fuck does that mean, you
know
?’ Nathan began to feel agitated.

‘I have seen your files Mr Crawley,
I know
!’ nodding his head

Nathan paused before he fired another insult towards him.
He’s bluffing. Jack hid those files…..he’s fucking bluffing.

‘I’m not sure I follow you’

‘Oh you do, the Psychological details, the reason why you left the force. Nathan, I know.’ His smile irritated his opponent.

‘Bullshit!’

‘Ha, I disagree Mr Crawley’, the brown envelope was removed from inside his coat. ‘This here, this is all of your personal details….I mean, the real personal shit. I’ve read it, you’re unfit to be working on this case Nathan. Jack knows it, you know it…..now I know it’.

‘What do you want Lime?’

‘Simple, I want you out of here!’

‘Once the case is closed I will be’

‘No you don’t understand, silly you. I mean now Nathan, I want you gone….NOW’ his face dropped any expressions as he starred into Nathans eyes.

‘You’re fucking with me, don’t fuck with me Lime!’ he edged on his seat, preparing to strike.

‘I’m not, you go now and you don’t come back. If you do, well, this information goes to the Director and he takes you and Jack down. It will then find the desk of a well-known journalist, who, upon receiving, will contact me to discuss the matter. That is when I shoot you down Nathan, and whilst you’re burning in a flame of shame and embarrassment, I will be reaping the benefits and basking in warm rays of publicity and fortune’ his smirk had returned.

‘So, it’s simple really. You leave and get the fuck out of my sight for good, go home and
be with your wife, Elle. Or you smash my face in and stay put, then you go down and drag your prick of a friend along with you…….the option is yours!’ he sat back waiting for Nathans reply. Nathan sat stunned by the words he had just heard. One minute he was dreaming about a beast killing a child and being covered in copious amounts of blood, to the man he despised greatly issuing him a verbal warning to clear off and become a ghost. He was speechless, not knowing how to respond.

‘I’ll take your silence as an answer, I can confirm that it is the correct one Nathan’ he stood and cleared his throat.

‘Well, I bid you fare well.’ He turned to exit the room and stopped sharply. ‘Oh, there is one more thing’ his fist connected with Nathans jaw and sent him to the ground. The blow was unexpected and the Doctor shook his hand as the punch caused an immediate pain to his wrist.

‘Now, pick yourself up and fuck off!’ he exited for good this time, the door slammed shut behind him.

Nathan sat up as the slow trickle of blood escaped his lip. His ear rang from the punch and he pulled himself up onto his feet. He stood, unable to process what had just happened. His heart sank as he came to the terms that it was real, what had happened was no dream, no awful vision from the lack of sleep. He needed to tell Jack, he had to do it now.