‘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.
‘Sir?’ the tapping on the door was drowned by the chatter in the corridor.
‘Excuse me Sir’ a little louder.
‘Sorry, I was miles away, what is it?’
The woman approached him and handed him a file. He received it and began flipping through the array of information.
‘What am I looking at?’
‘It’s for Mr Crawley, just things he had requested Sir’
‘Okay, I’ll see that he gets it, thanks’ he placed the file down upon a spare table and collected his cup of coffee. The liquid had begun to lose its heat and Jack swallowed it in one gulp. He needed something to do, a pro-active task to keep his mind ticking over. He decided to call Doctor Brough for an update from the Forensic Team. The file was picked up as he spoke with Sal, he tucked it under one arm and carried it to the receptionist.
‘Can you get this over to Nathan Cawley please, just ask my driver to deliver it for me….thanks’ he had whispered over the conversation with his phone.
***
The room harboured a distinct odour. Megan was unsure of the smell, but she recognised it from somewhere. She attempted to shout for attention, the gag obstructed her words. His new girl sat strapped into the chair. Her hands and feet were bound to the wooden structure, she rocked in an attempt to wriggle free. The room was in darkness, her eyes burned as she tried to focus in on her new surroundings. The Wolf stood at the closed door, his ear placed against the wooden divide as he listened to her whimpers.
Fear……I applaud you!
He began to excite himself at the thought of having spare time to kill. They risk he ran last night had paid off, it could have gone the other way and ended up with him being caught. But he chose not to dwell on his actions, after all, his new girl was a closed door away. His belly grumbled to remind that it needed fed. He now looked forward to another activity, the eating of a small animal.
The squeal had lasted only seconds as the rabbit’s throat was torn open. It had kicked and scratched all the way from its cage in the large shed, to the kitchen where the killer stood. The blood gushed from the wound, running down his chin and dripping upon his bare chest, matting the hair that lay upon his skin. He drank violently, sucking as much as he could from the hole he had created. The creature hung limp from his hand, he raised it to the sky and caught the droplets with his mouth. His heart raced with excitement, the rush overwhelming him. He needed another, he wanted more crimson life within his body. The dead animal was placed in the fridge upon an empty shelf and he made his way back outside. The cage was heavy and awkward to move, he fumbled with the frame and managed to squeeze it through one open door. He had decided to move the hutch as a complete rather than dragging his food in individually. The occupants ran back and forth as their home was dropped to the kitchen floor. The top was lifted ajar and his large hand pushed inside, he felt their smooth bodies under his fingertips. Come on…..where are you? I’m not going to hurt you. The words repeated in his head as if he were sending them a telepathic message. He felt the fur, he gripped tightly, the small teeth nipped his finger, he pulled his hand free, the rabbit was clasped in his fist.
The lid gave a thud as it closed shut, causing the animals to scatter in fear. He turned the creature to face him in the light, its tiny eyes were wide with terror. The blood from his previous kill was drying upon his mouth, he swiped his lips with his tongue. The rabbit looked into his eyes, the beast within revealed itself as he grinned, the sharp teeth stained red in his mouth.
***
Nathan contemplated calling Jack to see if he could hurry an update along. He grabbed the phone from the bed and searched for the number. The phone began to ring as he located Jack’s details.
‘Hello’ he answered
‘Nathan, its Jack’
‘Ironic, I was just about to call you’
‘Great, look, there’s a package on its way to you now,’ the sound of cars passing were heard in the background. ‘My driver will deliver them to you once he has dropped me off. There’s a file in there that you requested from one of the girls in the office, anything you would care to update me with?’
‘File……I’ll let you know when I see it’ confused by what could be on its way.
‘Nathan, when Malcolm, my driver, gets there, don’t hang around. Get in the car and he’ll bring you to me’
‘Where is it you’re going Jack?’
‘Sal called about five minutes ago. She’s halfway through completing her report, she wanted to know if we wanted to come down and get a sneak peek before it’s published……I said yes, of course!’
‘Great, I’ll see you there’
‘Will do, bye’ the call was ended.
Nathan felt the familiar excitement enter his body. Fears of being room-bound slowly began evaporating as he darted towards the wardrobes and got dressed. He pondered over the details that were being sent to him, attempting to remember if anything had been requested. He couldn’t think at the time. Just have to wait and see I suppose.
***
The door was opened from the other side, the figure entering through the wooden frame. The girl watched as he moved to her side, blocked by the long cabinet. They were in darkness together, her and the guest. Silence filled her ears, she forced herself to listen harder, attempting to pick up any noise from the room. The ringing sensation began to deafen her and she shook her head to break free of the irritating pitch. The muffled growl came from behind, she tried to turn to face it, her binds restricting her. The growling neared her, the scraping of boots coming closer. She moaned as the rope around her wrists cut into the skin. Its breath warmed her ear as it sat behind her, faint cries of no came from the gag in her mouth. He placed his nose to her cheek and sniffed her scent, the wolf mask remained on the hanging rack. He pushed his tongue from between his lips to taste her fear, the tip connecting with her skin.
Her temple connected with his nose and sent a sharp pain through his skull, his eyes began to leak tears. She had swung as hard as possible, striking a sensitive part and causing him to stagger rearwards.