6:2
Sgt. Lunderman ducked under the yellow tape and stepped into the crime scene. He carefully scanned the entire area, noticing alley entrances, nearby windows, parking areas and street lighting. The closest overhead light was out on the corner of Main Street, which was a half a block away. That would�ve made the alley very dark at 2:45 a.m. The only vehicle entries were at each end of the block, other than the small parking area behind Bernie�s Liquor.
The dumpster sat close to the building, a foot away, maybe less. The shadow between it and the brick wall would�ve been pitch black. Lunderman assumed that�s where the attacker would�ve been standing when Sandy Coleman was leaving the tavern. She lived in an apartment above Charlene�s Book Nook, on Main. That meant her walk home would�ve taken her right by the alley.
He walked to the dumpster. Two boxes of rotting lettuce fumed the air. The pavement was covered with broken beer bottles, paper, and trash of every sort. Walking around behind he saw the police photographer snapping off pictures of the dead woman. She was lying face up and arms at her sides. Her mouth and eyes were both open slightly. The lower half of her body had been covered with a sheet.
The torso had been split from the pelvic bone up to the sternum. The upper and lower intestines had not spilled out during the struggle. They had been removed, after death, and carefully set out. They sat in a neat pile beside the body. The heart also had been taken out. It lay on the other side of her. The entire surrounding area was dark, congealing red.
A white van pulled up. The big blue and red logo on the side read Channel 12 News. Lunderman watched as the cameraman and the reporter climbed out.
�Shit. Fucking bloodhounds.�
The officers at the perimeter kept them out of the crime scene. The woman with the microphone recognized him.
�Sergeant Lunderman! Can I ask you a couple of questions? It�ll just take a minute.�
He recognized her too. It was Lana Jennings. He couldn�t stand her. She was notorious for reporting unconfirmed facts and making law enforcement look like idiots on the air. Lunderman knew because she�d done it to him once. After that, he swore that pigs would fly, hell would freeze over and they would have an honest president before he�d speak to that bitch again.
�Sergeant Lunderman! Please!�
Randal tapped Lunderman on the shoulder, �Hey Sarge, it looks like you�re wanted for an interview.�
He turned, �That slut can go to hell.�
Tom smiled, �I�ll take care of it.�
The light on the front of the news camera came on and the lens focused on Tom. Jennings quickly looked herself over in a pocket-sized mirror. Satisfied with her appearance she raised the microphone up and spoke.
�On me in three�two�one��
The cameraman pointed at her and she continued, �Another brutal murder has devastated the once quiet town of Canon City. As we told you on lasts night�s broadcast, a young woman, only 17 years old, was found mutilated and stabbed to death near Red Canyon road, just eight miles north of the city limit. Her body was discovered yesterday morning, having been slain just a few hours earlier. And now, in an alley behind the five hundred block of Main Street, another horrendous murder has taken place. Standing here with us is a local detective. Sir what is your name?�
�I�m detective Randal.�
�What can you tell us about these crimes? Are they connected? Is this a serial killer we�re dealing with?�
�We have not yet established a connection between the two crimes. Once we�ve had a chance to analyze the evidence we�re now collecting, we will know if it�s the same attacker.�
�We�ve had two murders in two days. Shouldn�t we assume the crimes were committed by the same person?�
�No, not at all. In homicide cases, it�s dangerous to assume anything.�
Jennings gave the officer a sarcastic grin, �I�d say what�s dangerous is being anywhere near Canon City at night. Wouldn�t you agree Detective?�
Randal glared at the reporter, �There is no reason for a panic situation. The police and Sheriff�s departments will both be out in full force tonight. We are however declaring a county-wide curfew of nine O�clock for all residents, as a precaution.�
She turned back toward the camera, �With a ruthless killer still at large, Canon City and its residents remain paralyzed in fear. I think it�s safe to say that these crimes are connected. It�s just a matter of time before the murderer strikes again. We can only hope that the FBI will step in. It�s this reporter�s opinion that the small town of Canon City doesn�t have the experience or the resources, to handle this type of investigation.�
The camera light went out and she lowered the microphone.
Randal was steaming, �That was completely irresponsible! The people here are already nervous without you fanning the flames!�
�What you call fanning the flames I call drama; and drama equals ratings, Detective. It�s that simple,� she smiled confidently.
�Lunderman was right. You are a bitch.�
�Yeah? He�s a prick. What�s your point?�
�We�re doing the interview again, and this time leave your opinion out of it.�
She walked to the van, �We�re finished here. Thanks for your time, Detective.�
Lunderman put a hand on Tom�s shoulder, �You�ll take care of it, huh?�
The van pulled away from the curb. Jennings sent them a stiff-palmed, Miss America wave through the window as the vehicle made the corner at Macon Avenue. The sergeant looked back at the dumpster.
�Who was on graveyard surveillance last night?�
�Officer Robbins was on till six O�clock this morning.�
�His report?�
�Holland was home all night. She went to bed at nine.�
�Where was he parked?�
�On the street, in front.�
�Who was in the back?�
�John, you know our staff problems right now. We didn�t have anyone available��
�Bullshit, Tom. Don�t feed me that crap. I want two on night shift tonight. You got me?�
�Yeah John, I got you.�
Lunderman pounded a stiff finger into Tom�s chest, �I don�t give a fuck if it has to be you. Just make it happen.�
�John, I��
�The bitch is getting away with murder. Or she least has something to do with it. This shit is happening at night. I want the second officer on at six. No later.�
�Are the Feds getting in on this?�
�Yeah. I spoke with Agent Richardson a half-hour ago. They�ll be here Friday morning.�
�Friday?�
�Yeah, I guess they�ve got staff problems too,� he patted Randal on the back, �Let�s catch the fucker before they get here, huh?�
�That only gives us today and tomorrow.�
�Yep. So let�s get busy.�
The two investigators walked back to the dead woman. The sheet had been pulled back over her face. Even in the daylight the shadow behind the dumpster held the thick feeling of midnight.
6:3
Sally sat leaning against the counter with her head propped up in her hand. She stared down into the book she was reading, completely absorbed in it. Finished on page, she quickly flipped to the next. She was all alone in the store. The frigid weather kept most would-be shoppers at home. The local radio station could be heard faintly in the background. They were talking about school closings, icy streets, and naturally, murder.
Sally looked up from her novel. The large front window was totally fogged over. Through the moisture she saw headlights. The Nissan pulled into a space and the yellow blur of the lights was turned off. A dark silhouette exited the car and approached the door. The tinkle of the overhead bell. The powerful blast of bitter air. Inside, under florescent glow, the figure became a man. It was Jack. Sally smiled as she stood up to greet him.
�Hi Jack. Did my grandma get a hold of you?�
He swiped the wet snow off of his head.
�No, she didn�t�
�Damn, she said she would.�
He looked up at her, �She said a lot of things. But more importantly, she�s left a lot of things unsaid. That�s why I�m here.�
Her smile faded while she waited for him to continue. He pulled the velvet box out of the pocket of the thick winter coat.
�I know that you won�t help me until you believe me, so here,� he held it out to her, �Do it now but don�t take very long. Please.�
He creaked the lid open and Sally saw the necklace inside the dark velvet.
She lifted it out and held it up in front of her, �This is it, huh?�
�Yeah, like I said, as soon as you believe me you have to come back. I�m in trouble and I haven�t got long.�
�Trouble?�
�Please put it on. There�s no time.�
�Alright Jack, alright.�
She hung it around her neck and sat back onto the stool. Jack watched as the soul expelling sensation came over her. He quickly went around the counter and caught her just in time, before she fell off the stool. He gently laid her down on the floor. She was watching from above as he lifted her head and removed the necklace. He looked up and around the room.
�Hurry Sally. I�m in real trouble.�
She heard him. His words seemed faint, distant, but she understood him just the same.
In a kind of shocked amazement she floated up through the ceiling. The snow passed through her astral body unaffected as she gazed up into the overcast sky. She could feel the gusting wind pass into her and out the other side. It was freezing, yet not uncomfortable at all. It has an almost calming vibration to it. Many energies not unlike her own, buzzed around above her. It was a multi-colored light show of dancing vapor. Each one whizzed around and back, as though they were buzzards circling a carcass. Sally guessed that there were a least thirty of them, some flew very high, while others were just above her head. She gazed around the town, over the buildings. There were no other astral bodies in sight, just the ones circling above the bookstore. It was like they were drawn there by something unseen.
Are they attracted to my light?
They formed a great spiral in the sky.
Sally remembered Jack saying that he was in trouble. He�d wanted her to hurry. Perhaps the lights above them were a kind of spiritual flare, calling for help or�maybe they indicated something else. Maybe they were the things Jack was afraid of. She got an awful feeling that something bad was about to happen. She descended back down into the shop. Her body still rested comfortably on the green carpet. Jack was at the window with nervous, alert eyes. She sank down into the flesh and found herself staring up at the ceiling fan. It spun gently, circulating the air. She sat up.
�Jack?�
He turned and quickly went to her. With a hand on the stool she pulled herself up.
�It�s all true. God Jack, you were right.�
He set the rope and the duct tape on the counter.
�I know, but now there are things we have to do, quickly.�
A metal-framed chair was sitting in the center of the room. The small table in the front of the store had been set aside by the bookshelves. The closed sign was hanging in the window. Jack had used his time wisely while she�d been gone.
�I need you to lock the door and then tie me up��
He sat down with his arms straight down at his sides, ��to this chair.�
�What the hell? Jack, what�s going on?�
�Please just trust me. I�m begging you. I�ll explain while you do it.�
She could see that he was afraid, terrified, and desperate. Something was happening above them. A rumble, a vibration of some kind was starting. It was like a distant thunder that wouldn�t end. A biting wave of static electricity came with it. The overhead lights flickered momentarily. Sally thought the energies above them must have been causing it. She didn�t know what was happening but whatever it was, it was getting close.
She walked around the glass showcase and starting unwinding the rope. She tied the end of it securely to the back of the chair and then wound it tightly around his chest three times. Then she tied each of his wrists to the chair legs. Finally, she bound his ankles. Jack pulled against his bonds, testing it. It seemed secure. In fact, the only free movement he had was his head and neck. She picked up the duct tape from the smeared glass.
She turned, �What do you want me to do with this?�
�That�s for my mouth, if you need it.�
He told her about the previous night�s events. She listened intently as he spoke. She told him about the circling entities above them. Jack thought that the energies must have been spinning with a purpose. They were a living beacon showing Jack�s position. They were telling the powerful evil that was already on its way where it needed to go. Jack was starting to realize that there would be no hiding from it. He only hoped that it would be limited by his own physical strength. He couldn�t stop it from coming.
All he could do was try to contain it.
copyright �2002 Brian Holtz
All rights reserved