Little Red (22 page)

He left the office and headed to Jack, he spotted him leaning against the wall by the coffee machine. Jack turned to see the person moving around in the shadows.

‘Jesus
Nathan, can’t sleep?’ his face looked worn, the bags collecting under his dry eyes.

‘Jack……we have a problem, a huge problem!’

The phone that sat upon Jack’s desk crumpled into several pieces as it connected with the far wall. The news of William Lime’s current threat had hit him hard. He had finished cursing as the communication device was launched with fury, his head now sat in his hands as he leaned upon the oak table top.

‘Fucking Lime’ the words muffled as his palms absorbed them.

‘Jack, what are we going to do?’

‘We don’t have much of an option, do we?’ Jack stood and patrolled the
office, his foot gently kicked the handset of the phone as he passed its remains.

‘Nathan, we can’t let this obstruct the case. I know it may sound harsh, and your my friend and stuff, but this is a huge cluster fuck…..a cluster fuck that shouldn’t have re-surfaced. How did he find out?’

‘I’m not sure, he didn’t say. He must have seen the files Jack, he had a printout of them. If the files were in your personal folder, then he had access to it.’

‘Which means he was given the authority from higher, the sneaky little shit’. Jack interlocked his fingers behind his silver hair and paced back to his chair. Nathan sat upon the guest seat, his elbows balanced upon his knees.

‘We know how this is going to end, right?’

‘I think so Jack, there’s not really another option’

Jack played with the scenario in his head, it was early in the morning and he still had the report to finish writing.

‘Here’s what we can do’ he started. ‘The hotel room is still being paid
for, you use that as your office, a secret hide-away. The updates that the team receive will be delivered to you so that you are kept up to speed. If I need your assistance with anything, I’ll call you on the mobile. Nathan you can still help me, I need it. You’re just going to be out of sight’.

Nathan pondered the idea, he didn’t want to pack up and leave, the case was feeling more like a personal vendetta that he needed to finish. But another part of him toyed with the idea of calling it a day and going home to Elle, back to the tranquillity of his Spanish Villa. He looked Jack in the eyes.

‘Okay, I’ll do it’.

***

He stopped the van at the entrance to his new girl’s street. He had a clear sight of her safe place. He sat patiently, deciding on the way that he would remain static for thirty minutes at a time. Once his watch beeped that the time was up he would complete a lap of the estate, parking in a different location but still keeping his eyes on the target. He set the stop watch and made himself comfortable. The clock in the dashboard displayed the numbers sixteen and twenty two, he gazed up to the darkening sky and hoped that his choice of time for the abduction was not a bad one. He sat in silence, the small furry creature in the back scurried in its cage.

‘
Sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’ he whispered, the finger placed upon his lips.

The children threw snowballs at each other, the white balls erupting as they made contact with the receiving child’s body. He watched them play, jumping happily and rolling in the glistening powder. The guardians would gradually appear from their homes and beckon their children inside, the kids pretending not to hear and would carry on playing. The streets slowly began to empty as the night pulled closer. The engine sprang to life as his watch
beeped, it rolled from its position and drove slowly down the road. His eyes observed Megan’s home, the lights were on…..they were home.

The lap took only several minutes and he was back on the street, moving the vehicle closer to the house. He parked it and killed the engine, his
passenger unaware of its planned use. He set the timer as before and gazed upon the front of her safe place, noticing movement in the bottom left window. The darkness began to move in over them, he started to doubt his decision to act sooner than later.
If it gets too dark, she won’t come out to play. Her guardian won’t leave her side. I won’t be able to get her.

The front door was pulled open and he seized all thoughts of doubt. He watched as the man stood at the entrance and shut the door. The flame from the lighter lit his face as the cigarette burned. The Wolf timed the man’s habit.

Two minutes, just over……two minutes, that’s enough time……isn’t it?

Her father entered his home and closed the door behind him. Russell now had to make a command decision. It would mean throwing the tactics and rules that he gave himself and
going off instinct, something he had yet to try. He started the engine and began another lap, driving slowly to look into the windows.

The van stopped short as he turned
from the road, the small back street sat to his left. He manoeuvred the large vehicle and tucked it tightly on the pavement and up against the wall. He climbed from his seat and gave a quick look in his surroundings. All was quiet as the night engulfed them. He patrolled the thin street as it ran through the back gardens of each home, several bins had been left by the wooden doors, the entry points to the back of the house. He stopped as he reached the bin with the number twelve painted upon it in a murky white. He gave another check for prying eyes and slowly pulled himself up the wall. He peered over into the garden, the ground was dull as the moon was yet to appear. He reached down to the dead bolt fixed at the top of the door and slowly shook it from its home, the gate was now open. His boots gave a low thud as they connected with the ground, he moved quickly back to the van.

The back door clunked as he opened it slightly, attempting to save time when the snatching occurred. He retrieved his bag from the passenger side and gathered the chosen weapon, the clear liquid swayed from left to right as he moved it. The black rag was soaked in the Chloroform and he tucked it deep into his coat pocket. Everything was ready, he double checked to ensure.

The light snow fall began as he stood at the end of the street, his eyes fixed on the front of the house. He waited eagerly, his heart racing within his chest. This was not an option when he planned the abduction’s. He preferred everything to be in order, precision was a key factor and so far it had worked. Tonight was a by chance abduction, it was also one that could jeopardise the future takings. He waited, his body shaking with anticipation.

***

The collage of evidence was pulled from the wall. Nathan rolled the sections and secured them with elastic bands. He and Jack had decided upon the option to re-locate him. It was obviously breaking the rules that Doctor Lime had set in place, but he could remain on the case as a ghost. His face still ached from the fist that William threw at him, he was still slightly stunned by what the Doctor did. His hatred for the man had maximised and he looked forward to being out of sight from the obnoxious little man. He could work freely and best of all sleep in a real bed, his body yearned for it. The taxi had been booked by Jack and he gave Nathan half an hour to collect the necessary items. He didn’t realise that all he had in the building was the evidence, no spare clothing, no wash kit of sorts, it made him feel un-clean.

He stopped by Jack’s office as he departed the building. They shook hands and Jack placed a full packet of cigarettes into his pocket,
just in case
, he had assured. It had felt more like a good bye than a see you later, but they both knew it was for the best. Jack sat down behind his desk as Nathan walked along the corridor to the exit. He was happy to see the taxi waiting by the door, the amber light illuminated on top of the roof. He pulled the rear door open and placed his belongings in first before lowering himself upon the leather seat. The car pulled away and Nathan looked forward, his eyes eager to look back at his old place of work.

***

The light from inside was cast upon the front garden as her father exited for another smoke. Russell came to life, his legs moving like coiled springs released. He waited a second or two until the tip of the cigarette glowed. He moved with speed along the previously selected route and arrived at the door he had unlocked. He pushed it open and walked cautiously through the garden, hoping that no security lighting was poised ready to light him up. He peered through the back
window, there she was, playing on the carpet with a slack handful of toys. He stepped to the door and tested the handle, the small clicking sound told him the catch had been opened and he could now enter. He did, sneaking into the darkness of the kitchen. He stopped by the door as it lay ajar, the light from the next room peeking through the gap. He could see her, her back towards him.
Got to do it now, time is nearly up…..go man, go!

The door moved silently, the floor offered no creaks. The potent rag was removed and sat in his right hand. The left extended with his fingers wide. He approached her
back, she played unaware to the unwanted guest. The rag smothered her small face, the spare hand clasping her torso. She gave a fight, wriggling with a burst of energy. The front door slammed shut, he moved back into the kitchen and into the garden, the rag still placed tightly against her mouth and nose. Her father stopped, looking for his child.

‘Megan……Megan where are you?’ he quizzed

The kitchen door sat fully open, the breeze from outside chilling his skin.

‘Megan!’ he shouted, moving into the garden. The back street held shadows, the path hidden within the darkness. The engine growled and he ran towards the sound, the wheels screeched as the accelerator was forced fully down. He neared the vehicle as it bounced from the
curb, the smoke from its exhaust engulfed his face. She was gone.

Chapter Eighteen

T
he vibration caused him to stir. The sleep had been a restless one as usual; he was neither asleep nor awake when the text message came through. The screen lit up and the name ‘Jack’ was displayed. He grabbed the small device and rolled onto his back, the mattress gave a comfort he hadn’t felt for a long time.

Hi it’s Jack. We got a call late last night. The bastard has taken another one. I’ll get as much info to you when possible. Wait out mate.

Nathan rubbed his eyes as he sat upright. He felt useless, as if he should be doing something other than sitting on his rear. He couldn’t do anything from the room apart from wait on the details of the new girl. He decided to kill some time and showered himself, his phone remained at an arm’s reach.

Jack stood in front of the usual crowd, their faces displaying concern for the new victim. The briefing room held complete silence as the last person entered, William Lime closed the door behind him and gave Jack a smile.

‘Wanker’ Jack cursed under his breath.

He took a sip of the warm coffee and placed it back upon the table. His shirt was slightly un-tucked and held multiple creases. He hadn’t changed his clothes for several days now, his appearance displayed his exhausted mind. The tie that once sat straight and over the top button, now lay at an angle, pulled open to allow his neck to breathe. He felt withered, the sudden change of circumstances taking its toll.

‘You probably are aware of the recent update, I’m just going to clarify what we have’ he took another sip of coffee.

‘Last night, around twenty forty-five hours, the Wolf struck taking another girl. The girl, Megan Crowe, was taken from her home as her father smoked outside. He didn’t see or hear anything, he ran outside see if she had just left the house on her own accord, nothing was found’.

‘How do you know it’s the Wolf then?’ asked Lime

‘Because, Doctor, it fits his MO’.

‘I see, so now, every time a child is abducted we are to assume it’s the Wolf?’

‘No, we don’t assume….it makes an arse out of you and me, doesn’t it. We had a beat patrol question the father last night upon receiving the call. His statement is being printed as we speak. I want task team one to head over to the house and speak with the father, also see if you can have a look around the house and its extremities’.

The team members acknowledged.

‘For now, that’s all we can do. We are still waiting on the coroner’s reports from the second victim and the remains found at Mr Breen’s home. Once the information is in, I will update you again’.

The room erupted with movement as the teams dispersed. Lime moved toward Jack.

‘No Nathan Crawley today?’

‘Excuse me!’

‘I said….’

‘I know what you fucking said, listen to me and listen
good. You’re a fucking reptile…a lizard, and I don’t give two fucks about your involvement with this case. For all I care, you’re just another cog for a spanner to fuck up, you are of no relevance to me. So Doc, I highly advise you turn around…..and piss off!’ Jack’s nose neared the tip of William’s. He noticed the doctor’s hands shaking slightly. No reply was fired back as Lime exited the room, Jack’s frustration boiled his core.