Authors: James Neal Harvey
The Headsman (53 page)
A hand seized Jud’s shoulder in a powerful grip.
He twisted his head around, and what he saw was the embodiment of a nightmare.
Emmett Stark loomed there, one hand holding Jud, the other raising the ax. He’d torn the weapon away from his face, but the wound was horrendous. In the dim light Jud could see bone splinters and torn tissue, all of it dripping blood. One eye had been ripped from its socket and was hanging by a thread, dangling against Stark’s cheek.
The other eye was fixed on Jud, burning with a fiery light. The big man swung the ax.
From somewhere, Jud found the strength once more. He slammed his right fist into the center of Stark’s body, forgetting the bulletproof vest until he experienced sharp pain in his hand.
But the force of the blow knocked Stark back a step, ruining his aim. Jud moved sideways, and the ax missed him by inches.
A maniacal cry of rage boiled from the bloody center of what had been Stark’s face. He came forward, lifting the ax.
As hard as he could, Jud poked two fingers of his right hand into Stark’s remaining eye. The big man stumbled, again emitting that unearthly howl. He pawed his face, and Jud tore the ax away from him.
Holding the haft in both hands, Jud swung the heavy weapon in an arc. But this time he brought the razor-sharp steel directly down onto the top of Stark’s head. The blade drove completely through his skull, cleaving it into two gory halves.
The lumbering body stood erect, its hands raised, blood pumping from the place where the head had been. Then it staggered backward and collapsed onto the floor, the ax handle poking straight up from it.
Only then was Jud sure it was over.
EPILOGUE
T
HE MEDIA ATTENTION
focused on Braddock was enormous. Reporters from television, newspapers and magazines swarmed over the community like flies on a compost heap, and Jud MacElroy was held up to the world as a hero.
It was a role he refused to accept. Nor would he accept the contract offered him by the Braddock Town Council, which would have provided him with long-term security in his job and a considerable increase in salary. Instead, he left Braddock to become chief of police in Ardsley, California, an even smaller town than Braddock. He did not choose the position purely on the basis of the warm weather Ardsley offered, although that was a factor. A more important reason was that the town was only a fifteen-minute drive from Berkeley, and he enrolled in the University of California Law School there, taking courses at night.
Sally Benson also left Braddock. The career opportunities that opened up for her as a result of her work on the headsman case were almost unlimited. She joined the staff of
Lifestyle
magazine in New York and became an associate editor.
The lives of many other Braddock citizens changed as well.
Frank Hathaway was called to a hearing by the school board, at which he asserted that after an injury in Vietnam, severe emotional stress had incapacitated him. His claim was supported by a psychiatrist, who explained that what began as psychosomatic illness had developed into a genuine physical handicap. Nevertheless Hathaway was fired by the board. He too moved to New York, and was hired by a private school in Greenwich Village.
The Harpers were divorced, and Jean Harper moved to Boston. Peter Harper was awarded custody of their daughter.
Loring Campbell, not Bill Swanson, became the next elected mayor of Braddock.
Sam Melcher and his business partners were unable to attract a major industrial firm to the town.
Sam’s daughter Betty enrolled at Skidmore, driving to the college in a new Mustang convertible.
Charley Boggs died of a massive coronary thrombosis.
Ray Maxwell also suffered a heart attack, but survived it. He retired, after selling his interest in the
Braddock Express
to the Newhouse newspaper chain.
Inspector Chester Pearson and Corporal Williger were awarded commendations by the New York State Police for their outstanding work in supervising the work of the state police task force as well as coordinating the efforts of the BPD.
Before leaving for California, Jud MacElroy appeared before the parole board in Westchester County and supported Joan Donovan’s request for parole, stating that she had provided valuable help in the investigation. His request was denied.
To the people of Braddock, the death of Emmett Stark marked the end of a nightmarish period of terror and revulsion. They breathed a collective sigh of relief and resolved to get on with their lives, hoping the notoriety would fade and their little community would at last return to normal.
But among them were many who knew in their hearts that the tale of the headsman had not ended, that it never would. The legend was as much a part of Braddock as the fierce storms that roared down upon the town each winter, holding it in an icy grip.
They knew that at some point in the future, perhaps ten years hence, perhaps twenty, a shadowy figure would appear once more, a big man dressed all in black. Black boots, black tunic, black gloves. Covering his head would be a black hood, and from within the slanted holes his eyes would burn with a devilish light. In his powerful hands he would carry a huge, double-bladed ax. He would make his rounds, seeking out those who were living lives of sin.
Then there would be footsteps in the night, and cries of horror. The steel would flash in a glittering arc.
Oh, yes.
The headsman would be back.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1991 by James Neal Harvey
Cover design by Tracey Dunham
ISBN: 978-1-4804-8598-3
This 2014 edition published by
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/Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
EBOOKS BY JAMES NEAL HARVEY
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