The Night Is Cold

by Brandon Enns

  He stepped out of the car and stared at the trunk, the scratching noises had ceased, now replaced by muffled crying. Eli patted his pocket gently to make sure he had his bottle of chloroform/Diazepam if it was required. When he popped the hood open, the woman froze in horror, covered in a man’s large jacket. Her eyes were wide. Eli stood there calmly with cloth in hand. The woman's arm was wrapped in a bandage with blood completely soaked through. Unfortunately, Eli

  had been forced to hurt her before the chloroform had come into effect. The knife was supposed to be used as a scare tactic while he held her in a headlock, but she had put up a surprisingly strong fight and the knife slipped accidentally, cutting her rather badly. It was nothing he couldn't fix though.

  She was very pretty. Plump. Breasts full. Her eyes were a sharp green.

  Derek had been a special kill. Danny Adams, not so much. This one, Mia, she was another special one, without a doubt.

  She didn't attempt to jump out, which he appreciated. Finally, she spoke, "What do you want?"

  "Are you cold?"

  Her voice was shaky and weak from all of the screaming. "Yes, I'm cold."

  "My apologies. I have a nice fireplace."

  "Are you going to kill me?"

  "We should really go inside. At minus thirty-five Celsius there is a certainty of frostbite to skin exposed for seven to ten minutes."

  "Please..."

  He just wanted to get her inside without a commotion. "It's very painful."

  Her trembling body stopped and stiffened for a moment, and then she began to sob.

  "I do apologize for these unpleasant conditions. I have hot chocolate inside."

  She was still sobbing uncontrollably, spit forming around her mouth. The saliva lowered to her chin. He reached out to wipe it off, but she jerked away violently.

  "Your hair is very nice. I like that you haven't tried to alter

  your natural color. Bright like the sun."

  Unfortunately, his kind words hadn't made her feel any better.

  "Just take me home, okay?"

  "I can't do that, Mia."

  She flinched at the sound of her name. "How do you know my name?"

  "Just climb out of that awful trunk. I should line that with a softer carpet. Terrible. Here, take my hand."

  Her eyes went clear, then switched to primal. She screamed at the top of her lungs for help, but no one would hear her. She had nothing left in her voice, not even close. He grabbed her tightly by the shoulders. "I'd really like to warm you up, miss."

  "Why are you doing this?!" she spat.

  "Thou shall not...do what was done."

  She looked at him like he was a freak. "What?"

  "It's something that is required of me. I'm without choice. You understand?"

  "Please let me go."

  "I wish it wasn't you. I like your hair." Again, she looked at him like he was some deformed creature, spawned from two horrific monsters. He didn't like being looked at like that; it wasn't kind.

  "What wasn’t me? What does that mean?"

  "Frostbite will be setting in soon," said Eli, rather menacingly this time. He was losing patience. She better have a soft singing voice. But her vocal chords were already damaged, so there was little hope. He extended a hand to help her out anyway.

  She snapped. "Get away from me, you freak!"

  Eli paused and absorbed her outburst. He jolted forward with revolting aggression, ramming the cloth to her mouth as she fought it, flailing her chubby arms about. After a short struggle, she was knocked out yet again. There would be no singing this evening.

  ***

  Mia was lain down on Eli's metal table, tarp strapped down to prevent her from going anywhere. Eli walked up to her with a blanket. He covered her half-naked body and opened the red-hot oven, the warmth washing over him. He hit play on his cassette player and put his headphones in to listen to Patsy Cline's “Crazy” as he started his electric razor. He shaved her head with a slow stroke and thought he caught her mouth move in the corner of his eye. It was nothing though. She was still asleep.

  A red light flashed from the corner, glowing the entire basement. It was the first time the alarm had been triggered. He installed it for obvious reasons, as he didn't want to get caught off guard by any surprise visitors while he conducted his cremations. Trying his utmost to remain calm, he set down the razor and stared at Mia for a moment, assuring himself that she was still unconscious before heading for the elevator.

  ***

  Jennifer stood at the front door. She had decided to go alone. Brian would’ve controlled the conversation. There would have been no digging. She turned and looked around at the field and surrounding spruce trees, remembering the last time she was out there. The way he waved at her...

  Each tree line went on farther than her eyes could see.

  This time she was in her formal attire on official duty, so

  hopefully, he wouldn't recognize her. She turned back and hit the doorbell again. Finally, Eli answered the door with headphones around his neck.

  His eyes emitted surprise. He remembers me. "Cool cassette player," she said.

  "Thank you, Officer...what can I do for you?"

  Officer. Is it my blazer? Did his eyes catch the gun on my hip? Or he knows who I am. "I'm Corporal Allen with RCMP. I'm sorry to bother you, but I actually have some bad news, Mr. Baker."

  His face was blank as he waited for her to follow up. "We got called into Dennis Walowski's shop last night. Well, this morning, I guess. He was found dead."

  "What happened?"

  "He was shot."

  Eli's face was stone.

  "I'm very sorry for your loss, Mr. Baker."

  "Thank you for coming in person. That was very kind of you."

  "No problem at all. You have such a beautiful home here."

  "Yes. Thank you."

  "Yeah..." Come on Jennifer, turn on the charm.

  "Anything else, Officer?"

  "I was hoping to ask you a few questions, actually. May I come in?"

  "What about?"

  "It's just protocol, Mr. Baker. We will be talking with all of the Walowski employees. Figured we could start with you."

  "And why is that?"

  "Oh, just alphabetical. Baker."

  "Oh, I see. Not based on my prior false conviction then?"

  "No, of course not. So may I come in?"

  Eli looked down at Jennifer's boots. "One second please." He went back inside and came back with slippers that he placed in front of her feet. They were moccasins with fur around the ankles and fake beaded jewels in a diamond shape on top. Her mother had a pair that was similar.

  "Boots off outside, please."

  Jennifer put on the slippers and followed Eli inside. She examined his beautiful interior and the extreme level of cleanliness. "Looks like a show home."

  "I guess you could say I'm particular about presentation."

  "So, what have you been doing with your free time?"

  "Some charity projects. Most of that settlement goes toward others. No sense being selfish just because one catches a tough break."

  "That's a great attitude to have."

  "Those less fortunate should be helped. Balancing the scales is important."

  "Refreshing to hear a more liberal way of thinking. What are some of your charities?"

  "Children's Hospital, Cancer Research and Breast Cancer Foundation, Autism Services. To name a few."

  "Well, I thank you for your selflessness, Mr. Baker. Truly a terrific thing you're doing."

  She looked passed Eli to get a view of the rest of the place. "Basement and upstairs?"

  "Oh, yes that's right."

  ***

  Back in the dungeon, the heat of the oven was starting to burn Mia's right side. The hot ambers sizzled her pale white skin, her right shoulder feeling as though it would catch fire at

  any moment. She was awake and alert, her head twisted to the left to avoid the fire. Sweat pooled down her
neck, cooking. Her head pounded, the taste of chemicals had soured her mouth, leaving a pasty residue on her tongue. The smell of rotting red wine lingered around her nose and refused to leave.

  Mia reached with her fingers to access the strap mechanism, but it was just out of reach. She tried to wiggle around to change her angle and discovered that she had a bit of room to work with. She cried, breathing strands of saliva onto her dried lips as she struggled, her strength drained. His robotic stare. His polite words. He is going to kill you.

  After everything she had been through with her brother Kyle going to prison and the heartbreak of her mother, she could not believe what was happening. All she wanted was to be at home with her mom. Mom will faint when she finds out I'm gone.

  Anger kick-started some much-needed power as she reached for the latch. With great effort, she managed to flip it. She wiggled around angrily as she slowly loosened out of the tarp strap. Her whimpering came to an end.

  Mia finally broke through the strap across her chest. She ripped it off, exposing her breasts. She stopped and touched a small shaved portion of her head and looked over at the oven, throwing tremendous heat at her. Her arm had bubbled up with yellow blisters, and she could feel that her neck had sustained even worse.

  ***

  Jennifer should have prepared more for her discussion with Eli. She needed to dig deeper in a way that wasn't too obvious.

  "You had questions regarding my whereabouts, Corporal Allen?"

  "Yes, that's right. Lay out your day for me. Today."

  "Pretty standard. No work. I went for a long walk out in the country here. Then I rewarded myself with a nice sit by the fire for a couple hours, enjoyed some tea."

  She could see his mind drift momentarily, his gaze locked on the kitchen counter.

  "You didn't travel anywhere else?"

  He replied rather quickly. "Yes, actually. I'm rather private about it, but I have family that's buried in Regina. I left work early and spent some time at the cemetery and then came back home."

  "Too bad you didn't have a nicer day for that. Damn wind chill is hard to take."

  "I like the cold," he said monotonously.

  "Could anyone vouch for your trip?"

  "Afraid not."

  "That's all right."

  His blank stare, the trees outside, the sparkling countertops. Suddenly, she didn't feel as much in control.

  "Which family members were you visiting?"

  "A distant cousin."

  "I see. You got any folks around here?"

  "No, Corporal. Never got to know my parents. I supposed that puts an ax to the family tree somewhat. Hence the visit to a distant cousin. We had never met, in fact. I don't have anyone in my life, so I like to feel connected. The visit brings me comfort and clarity."

  "Sorry to hear that.” She almost felt sorry for him. "Where did you grow up?"

  "It's quite all right. I like my privacy." He truly meant it, it seemed. "I moved around as a child, several foster homes in the city."

  "I see."

  He was too calm. An ordinary innocent person would be on edge with an officer standing in their kitchen, continuing to ask questions. But, Eli was no ordinary person. Innocent or not, ten years of prison will have an effect on a man. Devoid of emotion. It wasn't far off from her father. Different, but similar. She didn't hold any fond memories of her dad, to begin with, but there was an incident long ago...

  He had been involved with a shootout situation in the middle of his career. Her mother had only spoken of it once. He was in a little reserve in BC, very remote. He was posted there for a year by choice. He had enough seniority that he could have worked anywhere, but they needed a quick fill-in and he jumped on the opportunity for some unknown reason, likely to get away from Jennifer and her mother.

  He had earned the respect of much of the community, and the elders would often take him out on fishing trips, catching salmon at a rate that he wouldn't have otherwise garnered. They would guide him all day and keep him fed, until finally returning back to his home where they would fillet the fish and have a fry for him and their family. For a while, it seemed it was the only topic of discussion that Jennifer had with her father after he had returned home.

  One day, he had been immersed in a drug bust, guns drawn in some beaten-down little shack (certainly a rare occurrence). The one young man was a son to one of her father's guides. He had talked him down, but his friends showed up and they had other plans. He managed to keep

  them all at bay outside the house as they fired on him. He took cover in the kitchen and used his bullets wisely, making random moves to the windows to take his shots when he could. He was almost out of ammo when backup finally arrived to chase them off. It wasn't the long hour being held up in that place taking on gunfire that seemed to have bothered him, it was when it was all over and he walked outside.

  He had killed three. They were just kids, no older than sixteen.

  One night, after his return home, her father got home late and flopped down beside her on the couch. They had never been touching like that before in her life, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch. He stunk of booze, his eyes glazed. She had never seen him drunk before, not once. Jennifer was fifteen at the time. She was watching a movie, Rush Hour. He told her the story that differed from her mother's version. He spoke words that were rather memorable, "The first one I shot clean through the head. Didn't know it until after. He had been lying there for over an hour. Doesn't take long for a body to stink. He was just rotting there in the front yard. Really hot day. Stray dogs would have been foaming at the mouth in not long. So many fuckin' mutts roaming around."

  He had told her those things without any emotion, just stating the event as a simple fact.

  Eli was still unreadable.

  "Tell me, Eli. You ever hear about these satanic murders?"

  "Can't say I have. I don't hear all that much though. How are they satanic?"

  "It's really strange. I'm not supposed to give away information about the case but," she leaned in to whisper,

  "between you and me, blood was used to draw satanic symbols in two different locations."

  "That is strange, indeed. I've never heard of anything like that. What a peculiar thing, darkness in such an obvious form."

  Her stomach was in knots.

  "Sorry I can't be of help with that. But I can help you with one thing."

  He stepped in close. "What's that?" she asked.

  He stared deep into her eyes and grabbed hold of her hands tightly, palms up. His grip was strong, constricting slowly. Jennifer was ready to rip her hands away and pull out her piece when he spoke. "I did not kill my boss," he said. A smile followed. His teeth were straight, but his lips slanted more to one side.

  "I never thought you had. Just gotta be thorough."

  "Of course. Thanks again for coming out, Corporal. It's quite nice to have visitors."

  "Yes, of course. If I come back to you with some dates from almost a year back, you think you could trace your steps?"

  "Yes, I do, Corporal. I have an excellent memory." Another forced smile manipulated his face in a way it shouldn't look.

  "I better get going. Thank you for your time, Mr. Baker."

  Jennifer was shaking as she removed her slippers and put her boots on outside. She could tell that Eli noticed, his devilish eyes getting satisfaction from it. She did a better job tying up the second boot with assertiveness. "Thanks again. I'll be in touch."

  "Make sure you are careful out there on the roads. It is especially frigid out tonight."

  "I will."

  Jennifer turned and walked down the driveway without looking back. She could feel his gaze was still on her.

  ***

  The strap around her feet had been tied off in a knot around the latch. She worked her fingers raw until finally, she pulled her feet free. Mia rolled off the table and scrambled toward the elevator at the end of the hall as she put the coat back on over her naked body. She jabb
ed the button and the elevator traveled down and opened for her. She stepped in, wanting to cry but held on, the extreme hot to cold making her body tremble hard.

  The door slid open and the cold wind roared in on her face, freezing her eye lashes and tears. She fumbled her way around the house and discovered a vehicle that was parked directly across the road, a white SUV. It was an RCMP vehicle. They came for me! This was her only chance. She broke into a clumsy sprint toward the road, screaming as loud as she could, but she wasn't certain if any noise was actually coming out. As her legs churned, she felt the cracking of her burned skin, like sandpaper grinding up and down on her wounds, flesh breaking open. The intense pain turned into an aching numbness, and the wind tunneled against her, holding her at what felt like a standstill. The SUV started to pull away. Please look. Please, please, please.

  She tried to scream. Words wouldn't come out.

  As the car picked up speed, she could hear the crunching of snow behind her. It sounded as though a rabid dog was in hot pursuit of her heels, ready to tear its sharp teeth into her.

  She was thrown into the snow, his hard body crashing on top of her. Her ribs gave way under the pressure. He quickly

  rose and glared down at her. His face softened into a pitied look. She screamed through dry rasps, tilting her head to see if the officer was still close enough. They were gone.

  "You need to get back inside. You're going to freeze to death. Please, let me help you."

  "Just let me go."

  "I want you to be warm."

  She howled, the sobs hurting her ribs.

  The man snapped. "Fine! Go!"

  He took an exaggerated step back and circled around her to block her from the road. The only space available was out in the field behind his house. She gave no second thought. Anywhere away from him was the better option. Her bare feet were on pins and needles as she ran with desperate pace out into the field. The wind raged into her back at least, giving her face a break from the blistering cold.