Little Red

by Justin Cairns

  ‘Hey Jack, how are you holding up?’

  ‘I feel great Sal, but it would be better to know who that body is and where the girl is!’

  ‘Agreed, it’s strange isn’t it?’

  ‘What is?’

  ‘Well, it’s like we have all the answers right here. We have his van, the blood at the rear entrance and a body inside, which was wearing the Wolf mask. There’s the blood located a couple of hundred metres through the woods and into the fields. But we don’t have the girl!’

  ‘Sal, break it down for my old brain to understand’

  ‘Right, if that body in the back is the Wolf……where is the girl and who killed him? If it isn’t the Wolf…..where is the girl and where is the Wolf?’

  ‘It’s like someone beat us to it…..that’s what you mean!’

  ‘Exactly Jack, but who?’

  Jack’s brain conjured up possible suspects, one of which was currently on a plane back to Spain….the other…..

  ‘Get the car, were going!’ he ordered to a static constable

  He offered a little wave good bye to Sally and headed for the passenger side.

  ‘Take me to the Crowe’s house, the third girl to be abducted….now!’

  The car sped off from the scene, eyes from within the woods observed the sound.

  ***

  The vehicle was parked in an empty space. The car park of the airport was still busy as flights came and went. Richard removed the key given to him in secrecy by Nathan. He turned to Megan, her eyes fluttered between being awake and asleep.

  ‘Megan?’

  The mumble escaped her swollen face.

  ‘I just need to run into that building there and get something, okay, I won’t be long!’ he assured. Unaware if his wounded daughter understood what he told her, he opened the door and climbed out of the car. He didn’t want to leave her, but couldn’t carry her into the airport. He ran, shielding his face from the snow, the cold flakes turned to drips of freezing water as they rested upon his skin. The electric doors slid open as he approached them, the heaters from above his head blasted the cold away. He stood, his eyes searching for the lockers. He moved slowly as he scanned, they sat in the corner, sectioned off from the busy arrival’s lounge. He walked quickly towards them, his pace increasing slightly as he neared his destination. He patrolled passed the array of metal storage boxes, stacked upon each other three high. D15…D15. The words repeated in his head. He stopped as he located the locker, it sat in the middle row, its assigned number in black pen. He removed the key and pushed it into the lock, the mechanism inside clunked several times as it was opened. In the dark hole sat another envelope, larger than the last, he removed it and checked for any more items, it was empty. He exited the building, package in hand, and ran back to the car, the light displayed his daughters bruised face.

  ***

  The car screeched to a halt outside Richard’s house. Jack ran from the vehicle and banged a fist against the door. He banged harder, no one answered.

  ‘Fuck’ he shouted as he ran from the front of the house, passing the homes next door and finding the back street. He moved cautiously up the street, looking for the house here desired. He stopped outside the back gate, noticing it was open. The back door was ajar and he pushed his way in.

  ‘Mr Crowe?’

  ‘Richard Crowe it’s Chief Inspector Dawson!’ still no answer.

  He walked through the bottom floor, checking each room. His feet pounded up the stairs, the clothes were scattered upon the floor.

  ‘Shit’ he pulled his phone from his trouser pocket, the number for task team one was called.

  ‘It’s Dawson, I need two teams circling the area, push out to the furthest extremities, check the nearest towns and hotels, check the hospitals…..find Richard Crowe!’ he ordered.

  ***

  The contents were packed tightly, the package bulging slightly. He ripped open the top and looked inside. The boarding passes were secured by a staple in the top left corner, he read the details upon the front. He removed another list of instructions and dissected the information, not believing what he was reading, the small envelope was removed from inside. He pulled it open and the bank notes fell upon his lap.

  ‘Fucking hell Nathan’.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  The waves carried a brilliant white froth, the clear water churning as it rolled to the beach. The sun beamed down upon the decking, the solid wood warmed as the heat soaked into the cracks. Nathan sat upon the reclined chair, the cushion absorbed the sweat as it rolled from his shoulders and down his back. He tipped the brown bottle of ice cold beer to his lips, the chilled liquid cooled his throat as it fell to his stomach. He chuckled to himself as he heard Elle singing from inside the house, her habit when occupied with something else. He rested his head, the sun glared at his darkened glasses, the rays still stinging his eyes. The crunching of wheels upon the gravel caught his attention, he turned his head to the side, waiting to see the visitor as they passed the under the pergola. The footsteps came closer, he sat upright, the sun glasses raised from his eyes. He smiled, a fluttery sensation filling his chest.

  Richard walked hand in hand with his daughter, his face, clean shaved, the large Ray Bans upon his nose. Nathan stood and moved towards them, Megan edged back slightly as he approached. Richard knelt down to her ear and whispered, her smile slowly showed. They greeted each other with a hug, the palms patting each other’s backs.

  ‘I’m glad you made it, both of you!’ he smiled toward Megan

  ‘I’m still shocked mate, now I see why you had to leave London’

  They walked to the decking and Nathan pulled some more chairs around the table. He asked them to sit whilst he entered the house through the open patio doors. Richard held her hand, his thumb stroked her delicate limb.

  ‘Like I said hun, he’s a nice guy, he helped me… helped us!’

  She smiled back to her father.

  ‘Okay daddy’.

  Nathan returned, Elle’s hand clasped in his. Richard stood to greet her.

  ‘Richard, it’s so nice to finally meet you, Nathan’s told me so much!’

  ‘Not everything I hope!’ he chuckled, his eyes met with Nathan who shook his head slowly.

  ‘You must be Megan, nice to meet you’ her hand was met by the bruised skin of the girl. Her heart sank, her emotions exploded and a tear formed in her eye.

  ‘Nice to meet you too’ the girl replied from a swollen jaw.

  ‘I’ll get you some drinks’ Elle moved around quickly and removed the tear.

  ‘We have prepared the spare bedrooms, we have two if you would like your privacy?’ he informed.

  ‘One is good for now, thanks Nathan’

  ‘Richard, you’re both welcome for as long as you need, we would like the company!’

  ‘I know mate, I’ll hold you to that’.

  Elle returned with a plastic cup of deep orange coloured juice and two bottles of beer. She placed them at the centre of the table and smiled.

  ‘I’m just making some dinner if you’re hungry?’

  ‘Great, thanks Elle’ smiled Richard as she left.

  ‘Megan darling, why don’t you go wet your feet for a bit, I bet the water is lovely!’

  ‘It is!’ confirmed Nathan. The young girl walked slowly to the crashing waves, her sandals kicked off and the water cooling her feet. She stood motionless.

  Richard removed the parcel from his bag. He sat it upon the wooden table, avoiding the puddle from his beer. He nodded towards the gift, Nathan acknowledged and picked it up.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked intrigued.

  ‘Something I think you deserve Nathan, I didn’t want to give it with Megan around, she suffers from bad dreams!’

  ‘Understandable!’ the package was opened slowly, the contents removed. The small leather bag was placed upon the table, the clicking sound from inside. The Polaroid photo was pulled out next. He gazed upon the image of the Wolf, bound and beaten.r />
  ‘Jesus Richard, what exactly did you do?’

  ‘Took my time……he deserved much worse!’

  The bag was untied, the contents confused Nathan to begin with, he couldn’t make out what they were.

  ‘It’s his teeth Nathan, he kept a keep sake…..I keep mine!’ he informed.

  ‘Shit…..they’re pointed!’

  ‘The sick fuck must have filled them down!’

  He reached into his pocket and removed the other gift. He gripped the photos in his fingers.

  ‘I got something else for you’ the pictures handed to his friend, ‘Remember the favour you asked of me in the hotel room?’

  ‘Yeah, of course……’ his eyes met the image. The first displayed a naked body, the throat had been sliced from ear to ear, the blood flooding the chest. The piercing eyes of the Wolf’s mask starred back, the teeth glistened under the camera flash. The second photo was of the same surroundings. In fact the image was identical apart from one detail. The mask had been removed.

  ‘Is that……?’

  ‘Yep!’

  ‘I don’t get it?’ he quizzed Richard about the photographs.

  ‘You told Jack the house location right?’ asked Richard

  ‘Yeah, you told me too!’

  ‘Good. Well when he got there he would have been able to pinpoint our exact location. The map in the den told us where to find him, this is what greeted Jack…….he wanted the Wolf…..so I gave him the Wolf. The person underneath the mask was obviously innocent of the proposed crime, but his status and reputation aided in forcing people to believe that he could possibly be the Wolf…….Jack has found the Wolf and your reputation is safe!’

  ‘What about the real killer?’

  ‘He isn’t the only one who knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood Nathan, the wolf dies the same in most of the Grimm stories. I sent him off in style. I doubt his body will be found for a while, and when it is…..well, it should be bones!’

  ‘I can’t believe it’ he laughed. He brought the image to his eyes once more and stared in relief at the victim. The Wolf’s van…the bloody body, the lifeless face…………………………………………

  ‘Good bye Doctor William Lime’ he smiled.

  The Last Nightmare

  The house swallowed him, his body engulfed by the nightmarish shadows. They swirled around him like taunting demons. He moved up the stairs, the feeling of fear escaped him, leaking from his pores. He neared the top, the music began but fell silent………………………….

  The door hid a light, it crept underneath the wooden obstruction. The walls offered a blood red colour as he edged closer. The handle turned its self as his hand moved into grip it. The young boy stood, his golden hair blew across his face, he smiled. Nathan entered the snow covered ground, the woods sat either side of him. He scanned his surroundings, unaware of his location. The howl filled the sky, the blackness slowly creeping in from the horizon. He ran toward the sound, the snow crunching beneath him. He dodged the trees as they looked down upon him, the thick trunks partially blocking his view. He stalked to the edge of the wood line. The figures stood in the snowy field.

  He moved closer, his movements slowed down. His breath escaped in plumes of mist. His body floated closer, he couldn’t control it, he wanted to stop…..to awaken before another brutal attack.

  He watched as one of the blurred figures came to life. Russell starred into the eyes of his opposition and he fell to his knees, the ground sunk below him. The second blur slowly appeared, Nathan close to his side. Richard turned his head to face him, the smile greeted Nathan as they stood side by side.

  He watched as Richard gripped the throat of the beast, the whole time its eyes focused on something in the wood line, he called to it, pleading for help. Richard pushed down upon the killer, his body sinking into the brilliant white ground. The water splashed up, soaking his torso. His arm outstretched to the thing he looked at, his words unanswered by the invisible guest.

  The head was under, the snow covered the hole. Richard stood and they gazed at the space where the Wolf had knelt.

  He was gone. Removed from their minds, the anger withdrawn from their hearts. It was over. The boy with golden hair waved to them, Nathan acknowledged and his hand slowly moved, offering the reply as the figure disappeared in to the woods. He said his goodbye to the haunting image, but wandered, was he saying goodbye, or saying hello?

  Nathan awoke, his eyes peered open and his pulse remained calm. The moon shone through the large glass doors that led out onto the small balcony. He starred at the view, the moons light danced upon the calm waves as it slept, the relaxing sound emitted with every strike upon the beach. He felt tired, his body still recovering from hunting the Wolf. His finger traced the scar down the right side of his body, the reminder of a previous case, the golden boy within his mind triggering a haunting past. His eye lids fell and he drifted to sleep with the tranquil sounds surrounding him, his wife’s warm body tucked up next to him.

  Several Weeks Later

  Megan ran through the waves as they curled up against her small feet. Her appearance had mended itself well, the faint scar upon her cheek, a reminder of the beast. Nathan sat with Elle, they listened to the giggles offered by the young girl playing. Her father kicked the shallow water, the splashes landing upon his daughter. The couple sat upon their chairs, the sun warming their skin. Their hands came together and they interlocked the fingers, they welcomed the noise, it brought life to their tranquil surroundings.

  The van stopped upon the gravel, the grinding of stones alerted them.

  ‘The postman?’ he thought.

  Nathan stood and walked to greet the guest, the blue outfit standing out in the morning sun. The parcel was handed to him and he drew his squiggle upon the sheet, accepting the package by signing for it. It was light, he squashed it together with his hands. He carried it back to the table and sat down again, his bones creaking under the strain.

  ‘What is it?’ quizzed his wife. The shrug of his shoulders offered the answer.

  He pulled open the top corner, revealing the newspaper. He gripped it and pulled it free, the note fell by his feet.

  The front page of the Sun newspaper showed the heading.

  What time is it Doctor Wolf????

  His eyes darted through the information, the page gave an insight to the search of the beast’s house and discovery of his body. Elle could see by his silence that he needed some space, she stood and placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. Her feet offered a low patting sound as she ran onto the sand.

  The police had reported a body found within the house of the Wolf. The remains were located within a large freezer that sat in the kitchen. Upon further test the victim was identified as Adrian Crane, owner of the house. The small black and white picture showed a constable holding a bag that he had removed from the inside of the large box, the steam escaping behind him. Difficult to make out, the contents of the bag held the severed head of Mr Crane, the rest of his body lay in pieces in other bags. The paper delved into the likely hood of the Wolf feasting upon the victim as the entire body was not recovered.

  He read on as the information of the Wolf’s finding was revealed. It stated that his body was located at his chosen sight of execution, the body of his victim had not been found and that a search was still in progress. The Wolf was located in the rear of his own van, his throat cut wide open and the blood covering his chest. They revealed the identity of the killer as Doctor William Lime, Psychologist and case profiler aiding the police. Reports stated that the reason the killer wasn’t caught quicker was due to him having a place on the task team, he had obviously sent them in circles as they attempted to hunt him down.

  Nathan sat back, he couldn’t believe that Jack would fall for such a last minute and simple plot, he didn’t understand why the identity of the killer was offered as William Lime. He retrieved the note that came with the paper and began to read it.

  Nathan, />
  Whilst you read this letter there are some changes occurring. Let me start by applauding your success. It took a while to dawn on me, but whilst at the crime scene I realised something, you had conveniently disappeared the day the Wolf was found, along with Mr Crowe and his daughter. I am pleased for him and his girl, but not so with the outcome. It surprised me to find Mr Lime in the back of that van. I must admit I chuckled to myself. But the truth hit me hard at that point, you screwed me over! I had such admiration and respect for you, my friend. You, unbelievably, do not. I find this hard to write and even harder to imagine, but the truth is what it is. Your loyalty to me no longer exists, it was burned when you decided to inform Mr Crowe of the address before me. But, your friendship I will always treasure, for the outcome of the case has relieved me of my duty, my boat has long awaited its captain. I am sure that we will meet again, someday, but for now, I believe it is goodbye.

  Take care old friend and stay safe. Look after Elle and your guests!

  You don’t think I’m that stupid…..do you?