***
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
Nathan 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.