Past Unveiling

by Audrey Walker

  Robin’s elation was short-lived, though. As she stood there, she realized that she had no friends here anymore. Everyone in this building blamed her for the Captain’s death. And even though Abby and Jim’s evidence was enough to clear both her and Kyle’s name, the officers still didn’t trust her. They still looked at her suspiciously, avoiding her, whispering when they saw her.

  “Robin,” Kyle said, coming over to stand next to her. “How did it go?”

  Robin told him what the Captain had said, and Kyle rolled his eyes.

  “He is an ass,” he said. “He thinks he is someone special because of his record. He is not even half the man Captain Roy was. Have you been summoned before the investigative team?”

  Internal Affairs was running an investigation into the incident, and Robin was supposed to appear in front of them soon to give evidence. Even though she had been reinstated, it was temporary. If Internal Affairs decided she was guilty, she could still be arrested. But she knew that wouldn’t happen. There was too much evidence against James now.

  “I have to meet them tomorrow,” Robin said, her breath hitching. “I don’t know how I am going to sleep tonight. I have nightmares about internal investigations.”

  “I already gave my testimony,” he said, patting her back. “Don’t worry; everything will work out.”

  “Hey, Andrews,” Robin said as Andrews passed near her. He shot her a terrified look and then scuttled away, and Robin sighed.

  “He still hasn’t gotten over the fact that I held him hostage, huh?” she asked.

  “Nope,” Kyle sighed. “I am afraid not. You know everything is going to be okay, don’t you?”

  “I don’t think so, Kyle,” she said. “Things will never be the same again. James and the Captain are both dead. So much has happened, and for what? The real killer is still out there. What have we achieved?”

  “We will get him this time,” he said. “His plan failed, and now we have time to make our plans before he strikes again. We know what he wants now. We will do this.”

  “What about Gary Dane?” Robin asked, “Did you find him?”

  “He is still on the run,” Kyle said. “But we will catch him, don’t worry.”

  “We are starting the conference,” one of the officers said. “You coming, Detective Grange?”

  “See you there,” Kyle said.

  Strangely, Kyle was still rather popular among the officers even though he had sided with Robin. Robin had an idea that it was because he had a charismatic personality, and people couldn’t help but like him.

  “Come on,” Kyle said. “Let’s see what evidence has been discovered about James.”

  Chapter Four

  “Alright,” Andrews said. “Today’s meeting is to discuss James Carrow, the FBI agent who has been implicated as the killer. James has been working as an FBI agent for over fifteen years, and recent evidence has suggested that he has been taking bribes for over ten years now. He was rather corrupt, and we believe that he was involved in more crimes, but the FBI is refusing to release any more statements. We have had a look at his finances, and we discovered a hefty amount being transferred to his offshore accounts monthly. This started the same month he joined the investigative team with us.”

  “We believe that the actual killer hired Agent Carrow to try and frame Detective Matthews for the crime,” Kyle said.

  “Why?” one of the officers barked. “Why would he do something like that?”

  The mistrust was obvious in his eyes, and Robin sighed before saying, “Because he wants revenge.”

  “It’s about time the truth came out,” Kyle said. “Detective Matthews?”

  “You are all well aware that ten years ago, I was kidnapped and held captive by the Butcher. During that period, I met someone there, a child.” Robin said.

  “A child?” an officer whose name was Burke, scoffed.

  “Yes,” she said. “A child. Specifically, the child of the Butcher and a young woman who he kidnapped and abused for eight years. I have submitted the Butcher’s diary and all the pictures I found at his house. The diary gives a very good idea of how the Butcher became so twisted. He killed his mother, his school teacher and continued living in the same house, during which I assume he only got worse. Then he fell for a woman who refused to have anything to do with him. In return, the Butcher held her captive in the basement for eight years. Then one day, heaven knows why he finally killed her. That was when he started his murder spree of finding girls and torturing them before killing them. He believed it would purge him of his sins, a twisted idea that was implanted in his mind by his own mother ever since he was a little child.”

  Everybody was listening to her with rapt attention, and Robin moved on. She didn’t want to talk about any of this, but she had to. There was no other choice. The truth needed to come out.

  “I have a birth certificate stating that the child was born to the Butcher and the captive woman. I remember meeting him in that basement. He was a starved, frail little thing. The Butcher mostly ignored his existence, not wanting to have anything to do with his own child. From what little I managed to find out, the child was raised by his mother in the basement. He is a brilliant individual, and his genius is greater than many. I am sure if tested, his IQ would be off the charts. I would go as far as to say he is one of the very few people in this world to possess this level of intellect,” Robin said.

  “You seem to be giving nothing but praises for him,” Detective Lory, one of the newer people, said.

  “I am not praising him,” Robin said. “I am telling you how he managed to outwit us so well. The killer plans ahead, seeing things that we never see. He is a strategic master. The child was taught to read and write by his mother, who was the only one who loved him. He grew up, barely getting anything to eat. Seeing his own mother abused by his father every single day, the child only saw extreme violence and indifference from his father. His father not only ignored him; he didn’t have a father who even hated him. That is how horrible he felt; not even deserving of his father’s hate. I think the child was born with psychopathic tendencies, but his childhood made him worse. His father’s indifference, his mother’s abuse, that horrible basement–.”

  Robin trailed off, unable to continue.

  “Are you trying to make us feel sorry for him?” Andrews asked.

  “No, I am trying to explain him to you,” Robin said. “To explain how a child grew up to be this monster. When I was in the basement, he was in the habit of torturing and killing animals as most serial killers are.”

  “So, he was always a psychopath,” Burke said. “And you are saying his childhood further corrupted him.”

  “When his mother died, he had no one to love him or look after him,” Robin said. “He survived on scraps and morsels. I was the first one after his mother to show him any kindness. I could see that there was evil in him, but I thought I could change him. I told him about my own life, about Abby, and about my childhood. I don’t know why I did. I think it was the only way I could keep my sanity. I told him a lot, more than anyone else knows. That’s how he knew which locations were important to me. That’s how he could get so personal. He wants revenge from me, for one reason or the other. He had me framed and arrested, and he had James set it all up. He kidnapped Abby and blackmailed Jim into confessing crimes to me that he did not commit in hopes that I would shoot him. He lured me into the basement, hoping that he could blame Abby’s murder on me. Take away the people I love and then let me be arrested for it as well. But his plan failed.”

  “You expect us to believe some psychopath child did this?” Lory asked. “With your mental health, Matthews, how do we know you didn’t hallucinate the child?”

  “The birth certificate,” Robin said. “The stuff we found at the Butchers–.”

  “Yeah, but that child could be long dead?” Lory asked. “This sounds like madness to me.”

  “The killer knew things about my life and about what happened in the basement
that no one else could know,” Robin said. “So, it’s reasonable to believe the killer is still alive.”

  “Or, the killer is Matthews herself,” Lory said. “That seems more believable than the fact that some child grew up to be a killer.”

  “We have the evidence of Abby and Jim–,” Robin said, but Lory cut her off.

  “Yeah, we have the word of the accused’s sister and brother-in-law,” Lory said. “For all we know, they said it all to save Matthews. That it was all a lie, can we really trust the evidence of her own family? Come on!”

  “Detective Lory, you are stepping out of line,” Kyle said.

  “Detective Grange,” Lory said. “I like you. I do. You are a damn good Detective, and I respect you. I know your work, and I know you are a good person. But I am starting to think that you are just as bad as Matthews. I still believe she is the killer – a mentally sick, unhinged killer. It’s more plausible than some child in the basement. I don’t care what anyone thinks, but I continue to believe it.”

  “Then you are failing as a Detective,” Kyle said. “Look at James and what he did. Can you deny his role in all this?”

  “It seems more likely that Matthews bribed him than some manic child!” Lory said.

  “Why would she do this?” Kyle shouted.

  “I don’t know? Maybe because she’s crazy?” Lory shouted back.

  Both the men glared at each other, panting as the tension rose within the room.

  “It doesn’t add up,” Burke said, frowning. “If it is the child, how did he manage to get so much money to bribe James. He would be what, twenty? How does a twenty-year-old get so much money? And the murders started so suddenly. If his feud with Robin was so old, why didn’t he start earlier? No, this doesn’t make sense.”

  “So, you don’t believe me either?” Robin asked. “You think I am the killer?”

  “I am not sure yet, Detective,” Burke said. “The evidence doesn’t add up. If I view you as the killer, it still doesn’t seem to fit all the facts. No. I think something more is going on here. For now, I am on your side.”

  “Then let’s start an investigation into the most recent murder,” Kyle said. “Let’s catch this killer!”

  “I will submit a report of the meeting to the Captain,” Lory said before walking away.

  Robin turned to look at Kyle, and he sighed.

  Everything was just getting more messed up.

  Chapter Five

  “Detective, you know why you are here, don’t you?” The Internal Affairs board sat in front of Robin, all with grim expressions on their faces.

  Robin nodded, feeling nervous as they examined their documents.

  “I am the head of Internal Affairs, Agent Fears,” the man at the center of the table said. “I want you to state the events that occurred two weeks ago with clarity and accuracy. Any attempt to lie will be punished.”

  Robin took a deep breath and started from the beginning, telling them about the child and the Butcher and all the evidence she found. As she talked, she couldn’t help but think how tired she was. She had been telling the same story again and again, and she didn’t believe she had it in her anymore to repeat it one more time.

  “We have here the evidence of Jim,” Fears said. “And Abby. We have the earpiece used, the gun provided, and we have fully investigated the basement, even though it was mostly burnt down. We have looked into the evidence you provided. I want you to understand something, Detective. You are in no way cleared of the charges. You are still in danger of being charged for escaping detention, harming police officers, and obstructing the course of justice. The only reason you are free right now is that we need to catch this killer. You are being observed very carefully. If we decide to press charges, this will go to trial, and you will be handled accordingly. I hope I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, of course,” Robin said.

  “If you do anything that we find suspicious,” he said. “We will take you into custody until the investigation is completed. I advise you, Detective, to be very cautious. Any wrong move and it can be very costly for everyone, but especially you.”

  “Yes, I understand,” she said.

  “In that case, you are dismissed,” he said. “We will let you know when you are to appear next.”

  Robin walked out of there, her heart heavy and body and mind tired. The killer was still roaming free, and Robin needed to find more clues before the killer put his next plan in motion. She wasn’t going to let him kill any more people.

  __

  “The police are no closer to catching the Executioner, who struck one more time last week,” the reporter said. “Which once again begs the question, who is the murderer? While Detective Matthews is still under investigation, recent evidence suggests she was framed for this by the killer. We tried to get her for an interview, but she refused to appear. Despite the evidence, though, there is growing unrest among the people. Detective Matthews is still under investigation by Internal Affairs, and most people still see her as suspicious. We can’t help but wonder, what is really going on here?”

  “Just shut off the TV,” Kyle said. “No need to waste your energy listening to this.”

  “I am fine, Kyle,” she said. “I had another session with Evan Rosemond today. He helped me think clearly and said that I needed to keep my mind open. I have a killer to catch, and I can’t afford to collapse right now.”

  “I see,” he said. “How did the meeting with Internal Affairs go?”

  “I wish I knew,” she said. “Their faces were so hard to read, you couldn’t tell what they are thinking.”

  “I know,” he said. “They can still press lots of charges against us if they want to. I think the only reason they haven’t yet is to prevent public backlash. An FBI agent was corrupt, and two of the police officers are suspected of various offenses. The public is already lashing out at the police, demanding reforms and thorough background checks. They are asking how they can trust a police force that has so many corrupt officers.”

  “Where do we stand in our investigation?” Robin asked. “What about the recent murder that happened? Brief me, please.”

  “The murdered woman was one Eline Gob, a librarian and a tourist from another city. She was here to visit her sister from the town of Hamsewille. She resembles you, having the same hair color and same color eyes, and slightly similar features. She had the post-mortem Tattoo as well,” Kyle said. “Once again, she was last seen at the local library, and no one saw her being taken. She was found dead near the cliffs, where you had the stand down with Jim.”

  “I see,” Robin whispered. “And we have no forensic evidence?”

  “None whatsoever,” Kyle said.

  “He is clever,” Robin said. “Very clever. He makes sure he leaves no evidence. His initial plan was to frame and destroy my reputation. What is he going to do now? He won’t just kill me; he has to do something deeper.”

  “Let’s investigate from the beginning,” Kyle said. “The mother. We will start with her and see what we can find about her. We will move on from there and try and track this child’s footprints. We will go to the last suspected location of the Butcher, see if we can find out where he was staying and if the child was with him. It should give us some clues.”

  “That sounds good enough,” Robin said. “Let’s get to work.”

  At that moment, Robin and Kyle’s phone started to ring at the same time. Her heart sank. Robin picked her phone up, as did Kyle.

  “Matthews here,” she said.

  “There has been another murder,” Andrews’ voice echoed from the other side. “And it’s bad. He went after the Mayor’s daughter.”

  Chapter Six

  Robin looked at the body of the poor girl sprawled on the ground. Her head was severed and lying near her, the vacant eyes staring at the sky.

  “Christ!” Kyle said. “This is messed up.”

  “It is,” Robin whispered. “Was there a note with it?”

  “Yeah, there
was,” Andrews said. “It’s a Greek quote about redemption. It makes no sense whatsoever.”

  “The woman has the same black hair as Robin,” Kyle said. “But her eyes are green. That’s odd.”

  “Not only that, the post-mortem tattoo is done shabbily,” Andrews said, “as if done by someone who hasn’t done it before.”

  “Look,” Kyle said, holding up a magnifying glass. “He is right. You can’t tell unless you look closer, but the lines are rather shabby. Blowouts and skin punctures. The previous tattoos were perfect.”

  “Maybe done by someone who has a hand tremor?” Robin asked, frowning. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “And now he is re-using old locations?” Kyle asked. “Another murder outside the old church?”

  “I know,” Robin said, her mind racing. “I have a suspicion that this isn’t the Executioner.”

  “What?” Andrews asked.

  “I think we have a copycat killer on our hands,” Robin whispered.

  __

  “Come to study your own crime, Matthews?” Lory said as Robin walked into the conference room.

  “Enough!” The Captain said. “This is no time for jokes! We have a serious matter on our hands. I have a record, people – a record that will remain untainted. We must find this killer, and we need to do it now! He went after the Mayor’s daughter! Do you realize what this means? Damn, if we don’t solve this soon, all our jobs might be at stake. What we got, Burke?”

  “The victim was found in the forest outside the old church, where Matthew’s parents got married. It had already been used as a sight for murder once before. The woman has dark hair but bright green eyes, one of the distinguishing factors from the previous murders. The incision itself, severing the head, is identical to the Executioner’s one but with a few differences. For one, the coroner claims that the blade used to do this was different from the others. Secondly, the incision itself is rather jagged instead of being a precise, sharp line it normally is,” Burke said. “We have retraced the steps of the victim. She was on her tour of various factories around the area. It was part of the Mayor’s campaign to get re-elected. After, she asked her guards to drop her at her friend’s house and ordered them to leave. The friend claims that she left her place around midnight, saying she planned on taking a cab and going to her boyfriend’s house. The boyfriend claims she never showed up. We have used CCTV footage to verify that both these claims are accurate.”