by CM Thompson
Brandi Parr is having an insufferable Christmas. She is back to being the office weirdo again. She hasn’t had so much as a Christmas card from Mike Jones, and he had spent the Christmas party locking eyes with Marcella. Slut! He is walking her home every day now, has been since Kim Donaghue’s murder. Bet they are doing more than kissing under the mistletoe. What was it going to take for her to be noticed?
To make it worse, her sister has invited everyone over to her mansion. “You don’t want to spend Christmas alone, Sis.” Yes, yes, she does want to spend Christmas alone. Alone, away from her mother and her constant ‘helpful’ tips. Her sister will insist on giving them a tour of her massive, luxurious mansion and her mother will give Brandi nose-hair trimmers for Christmas. Her sister’s man will be irritating. Her mother should give him the nose hair trimmers.
Kain has been saving the last turkey-flavoured noodles for Christmas and sits slurping down the warm strands eagerly. Kain had wanted to order in a few special things for the occasion but the door bell has been ringing a lot lately, and Kain can’t face going upstairs just yet. Not while Kain still has cigarettes, coffee and an internet connection. Why did they keep coming? How did they even know? Kain is not enjoying Christmas, well hasn’t enjoyed Christmas in a few years. But now, this one is the worst one. Even Kain has heard about the murders, has spent days frantically searching the internet for more information – all the more reason to stay down here. But then is it really safe down here? The cooling remains of the noodles are abandoned for the twentieth cigarette of the day. Fear sets in again. Kain begins frantically assessing and replanning escape routes out of the house. Should Kain stay in the cellar? It feels like the safest room, no windows for people to break through. It would be the last place anyone would think to look, the cellar’s door is almost completely camouflaged. If anyone did break in, Kain would hear their footsteps upstairs and have enough time to … but what if they saw the cellar door and came downstairs first. There is nowhere to escape to if they did that. Maybe Kain could hide somewhere down here, the cellar is dark, lit only by computer screen glare. But then how hard is it to remain quiet and hidden? They could be in the house for a long time, waiting … what if they lit a fire? There would be no escaping but then upstairs, upstairs … can’t go upstairs. But the disused kitchen, that has cupboards, doesn’t it? Or would that be the first place they looked? They could already be watching the upstairs couldn’t they?
No, an inner voice tries to soothe, it’s OK, no one is watching, that’s crazy talk. It’s OK, no one knows we are here. It’s OK. We are safe. I am safe here. I am safe here. I am.
Bullface has no time for Christmas. She had asked her sons to decorate and they had, technically, if putting two strands of tinsel on the tree was decorating. They knew they were getting gift vouchers anyway. They have never really been a Christmas family, not since the boys were little. Bullface and her husband had agreed not to do presents. He understood exactly why she wasn’t feeling very Christmassy and to be fair, it wasn’t as if Bullface was easy to buy for anyway. She never liked anything he bought. He is actually quite happy to relax on the sofa and watch movies with the boys. Chewing chocolates and sipping a beer. Today and tomorrow would be the only days when he could be irresponsible.
Bullface has nowhere to go to escape. They had finished working on refurbishing their latest house but have to sell it before buying another. Not that anyone wanted to move into the city right now. It will be a while before it sells, a long while. She wants to give this house to the boys. Just to get them away from her for a while. But they are still too young. They would kill each other before the last box was unpacked. Bullface is feeling a little frustrated. She really just wants to go somewhere and take her mind off everything. She just wants to spend a few hours away from the murders, away from Christmas. She can’t just sit with the others and watch mindless nonsense. She isn’t a relaxing type of person, can’t switch off – can’t go into work either. She has looked over everything to do with the case to the point that she can almost recite it. Bullface closes her eyes, they are missing something. There is nothing to tie these women together. Nothing they had in common. That is what made some things even more difficult. They can’t warn anyone to take precautions because everyone is in danger. Everyone who is female.
2- Jane Doe 217
Age 17-25 (estimated)
Trauma to the left hand
C.O.D – Unknown
She can clearly picture the polaroid of a young woman, lying naked on the ground. The woman is covered in bruises and deep interlacing cuts, twisted jagged lines lay slashed across her throat. Her hands had been carefully placed across her chest, the palms face down, so that the number two so cautiously carved can be clearly seen. Is he still taking photographs? He couldn’t be, could he? He could be. What trophies had he taken from her? Will they ever even find out who she was? They are trying. Yes, they are definitely still trying but then no one is missing her. No missing reports match her details. Possibly she was illegal, possibly she was a prostitute, possibly she had been homeless. She was young, possibly a runaway? No one recognises her, despite the reconstructed face, despite the carefully cropped picture from the Polaroid … Polaroid? Who even had Polaroid cameras now? That would be a distinctive feature in the killer’s house wouldn’t it? If only they could put out a news bulletin like that, police are searching for someone with a Polaroid camera. Jane Doe 217 was estimated to have been killed between two and five years ago. That means that he had been killing for a long time and they have only just noticed. That was the biggest disappointment, that they have only just noticed.
22- Fran Lizzie Taylor (March 9th)
Age 22
Number inflicted on left hand
C.O.D – Throat cut
His first public kill. Killed around 1 am, a near-instantaneous death. Bullface can still remember standing on the grass looking at the girl. She had been thrown over a fence. The first indicator that he is strong, stronger than most people. If they ever corner the guy, they can expect one hell of a fight. More caution needs to be shown if they are ever to apprehend another suspect. They cannot make a single mistake against this one. What else? He had taken her purse hadn’t he? He likes his trophies. More evidence if they should ever find him. Bullface thinks that he might live alone. Surely, if he lives with someone else, they will have noticed these strange comings and goings. They would have seen some kind of bloody clothing, maybe even an idea where he would be hiding these trophies. Unless, unless he really was working with someone. She doubts that, only one person had ever been seen leaving the crime scenes, only one person.
Number Not Known – Adelina Sasha (August 21st)
Age 38
Trauma to the left hand
C.O.D- Throat cut
Possible trauma inflicted to face, stomach and arms
Three of his known victims have been subjected to a prolonged attack, the others suffered quick near-instantaneous deaths. Is there something about these ones? Or is it merely time and opportunity? He had given them Jane Doe 217’s picture with Adelina. He wanted them to know what he had done. Did just one photo mean that there had been only one previous kill before Fran Lizzie Taylor? Or had they missed other bodies? Adelina had been found in the woods, a picnic spot. They have patrolled other picnic spots but the possibility of missing something is high, too much land, too much litter. No one wants to be out in the woods after what happened to Shannon. He is doing this on purpose, to scare them, to confuse them, to taunt them … to control them.
They don’t even know what number Adelina was, or if there had been a number. There must have been. Not knowing what it was means the number sequence is harder to figure out, or that they are missing a lot more bodies.
28- Stella McQam (August 24th)
Age 37
Number inflicted on right hand
C.O.D – Stab to the heart
The stabbed-twice prostitute. She had been killed in a busy location, well, in
an alleyway in a busy location. Not like anyone was really going to look too closely at what a man and a woman were doing in an alleyway, were they? Not unless she had screamed her head off. Even then … large amounts of DNA found at the scene but nothing useful. So many dead ends on this one. So much time wasted checking alibis. Should have just arrested everyone who was a DNA match, they were all guilty of something anyway.
Had he taken a trophy from Stella? It is likely. She hadn’t been carrying much on her but then girls these days weren’t. Too many men eager to take everything. She had probably hidden her takings and personals somewhere. Her friends said she hadn’t left anything with them, but then that was relying on their honesty … then there is that business with the Missing poster. DNA showed that the cigarette stubbed out on the poster was from Stella … but they hadn’t found any cigarettes or a lighter on her. Had he taken her cigarettes as a trophy? Or had she merely got the cigarette from her last customer?
Stella is number 28, Fran Lizzie is 22. Doesn’t take a genius to see what is going on here, did it? But then their search for more had led to …
30- Shannon Leona (August 30th)
Age 29
Number inflicted on left hand.
C.O.D – Exsanguination
Trauma inflicted across the body
Shannon had been knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. Scrape of gravel indicated it was a rock from the scene of the abduction. The bastard had been there, with them, waiting for someone to move away from the herd. Had he been someone helping them? Or had he just known about the search because of the bloody media and took an opportunity? They had to be seen doing something by the public, yes, but maybe broadcasting exactly what they were doing had been a mistake. It had stopped them searching even more in the woods hadn’t it? Was that what he wanted? Had Shannon stumbled onto something incriminating?
Did he know Shannon? Did he know Adelina? Was that why their attacks had been more brutal? Shannon didn’t seem like the type to cheat, but then … he had really beaten her. Bullface has seen the autopsy report. Cause of death – exsanguination, blood loss. A frenzied kill, multiple stab wounds just like Adelina – well what they guessed had happened to Adelina. Why? Why inflict that much pain? Had it been opportunity? Why hadn’t anyone seen Shannon being carried away? Why did it take them so long to realise she was missing?
Shannon seems like a personal kill but then this killer, he likes to play them doesn’t he? Takes what he can get to keep them guessing. He had taken a trophy from Shannon too hadn’t he? They thought he had taken her purse but no, Robbie had found that in their car later on. He has taken something else, something much more personal.
34- Isobel Hilarie (November 11th)
Age 19
Number inflicted on left hand
C.O.D – Throat cut
Their youngest known victim, same age as her oldest son. The girl who was drunk, an easy kill. The girl known as Sir Izz the Mad, who carried a wallet not a purse, because she was Sir Izz. The girl covered in beautiful bright drawings of aliens, butterflies and dinosaurs. The girl who only wanted some chocolate and not to get her throat cut. Back to the throat slices, he seemed to like that method. It was convenient. Speaking of convenient, did she die because she seemed like an easy kill – she looked drunk in the CCTV footage or had he been stalking her, waiting for the right moment? Stalking certain victims would explain the time lapses between kills, but no one had noticed anyone following these women. How was he choosing them? Stalking took a lot of time as well, there was no way he could have been stalking both Madison and Isobel. Madison was meant to be in classes at the time she was killed, it had to be him choosing women at random. But, he had arranged to meet Adelina hadn’t he? This killer definitely planned things. He would look for locations, look for opportunities. He probably already had a place picked out for the next and was just waiting for the fly. But then that would explain two different killers, the stalker who killed Adelina, Isobel and Shannon, and then the opportunist …
Then there was the trophy he took from Isobel. They had thought he had taken her purse. What a fiasco that turned into. If only John Roberts had handed that wallet in to the police or to the convenience store. If only he hadn’t recognised the face and taken it home. No, that would have made things too easy wouldn’t it? Another dead end checking out a dead beat. Now they have to keep an eye on John Roberts too. Now they have to deal with too many people jumping to the wrong conclusion. Why do people always have to blame the loner? Why do normal civilians have to get involved? Unless they are an eye witness, she has no time for their ‘suggestions.’
The killer had taken a trophy, he had probably looked for Isobel’s purse but then settled on something else. It took Bullface a while to figure out what he had taken, because they had all presumed it was a purse; they hadn’t looked too carefully at the CCTV footage of Isobel. After the John Roberts fiasco, she went back to the CCTV again. The video footage they have shows Isobel entering the shop wearing a necklace. The footage is too blurry and small to make out what kind of necklace, but there is something there. Isobel was not wearing any jewellery when she was found. Bullface has practically interrogated the clerk to see if he could remember any more about it or if anything had been found on the floor that night. Nothing! Frank was too drunk to remember what his girlfriend had been wearing but her bedroom was filled with artsy jewellery. She wore something different every day. Bullface is certain that the killer has taken Isobel’s necklace. Unfortunately they can’t add that one to the search warrant, too vague.
36 – Madison Albrook (November 11th)
Age 20
Number drawn on right hand
C.O.D – Throat cut
Then there is Madison, they actually saw the killer on this one. Bullface has watched that over and over again as the seemingly young couple comes on screen, she is clutching at his arm as if afraid or unable to support herself. They appear out of the bushes from the other side of the screen, the male purposely keeping his head down. He is dressed in a dark outfit and wearing a dark beanie. A dark black mass moving across the screen over and over, always abandoning her, throwing her down onto the memorial poppies. Nothing is sacred to this man.
They are still unsure on this one. Madison’s number was done in felt tip. Was it a very clever copycat? Or more likely was it because he knew how little time he had to act, or was it the second killer? They would know for sure if they found his trophy case, wouldn’t they?
This murder had the most witnesses. So many people have seen a man waiting around, dressed in winter clothing. On the previous kill, they had heard what she presumed was the killer, as he phoned for an ambulance and now visual – useless visual. So many men frequented the park dressed in dark winter clothing. People had said they thought someone was waiting around, reading the paper and drinking something. Well nothing found in any of the bins had DNA matching to a previous site, nothing matching to DNA found in the phone box. So much DNA and just not knowing which DNA was his. But then one slip up, one slip up and then there would be DNA linking some of the crimes.
That innocent man had been killed around this time too, the first of the fatal paranoid attacks. His wife had hit him with a golf club when he tried to sneak into his own home. Several other men had been beaten up on the streets just for looking at a woman the wrong way. They have increased the patrols as much as they can, but Bullface knows that these paranoid attacks will continue until they catch him. If they catch him? What had she said at the time of Madison’s death? In that briefing?
“What we do know is that he has killed two victims in less than forty-eight hours, as Adelina Sasha was killed on August the 21st and Stella McQam on the 24th, now he has killed two victims in less than twenty-four hours. Something is making him speed up. These kills are well planned and well executed so it is unlikely that he is giving up. I think we can expect him to continue at this pace and he won’t stop until he is caught.” He seemed to like showing off. But nothing
for nearly a month, had they made him slow down? Was he losing control? Losing opportunities? But then Kim had been number 38. Where is 37? Where is number 35? Had he killed three women in just one day? It just doesn’t seem possible.
38 Kim Donaghue – December 4th
Age 35
Number inflicted on left hand
C.O.D – Throat cut
Talking to Kim’s husband had been hard. The fact she had been found alive was hard. If that paramedic had just been a few minutes quicker. It had been Kim Donaghue’s first outing since her youngest, Emily had been born. First time out in over a year. Kim had gone to meet some friends for dinner and a catch up. Her husband had said she was meant to take a taxi home, had promised him that she would take a taxi home. But then the restaurant had been too hot according to her friends. They hadn’t finished catching up and thought that a little walk would be enough to help cool down, they were all going the same way after all. When they parted ways, Kim only had to walk three streets and she would be home. She managed a street and her friends didn’t see a thing.
He took her purse. He also took a mother away from her three children just before Christmas. What a fucking bastard. Bullface had to talk to those children. Only one of them really understood what was going on. She had to face them and talk to them. They were Mr Donaghue’s only alibi after all.
What did they really know about this killer?
Anna Stevenson had said she thought he was a young man, but what was young to Anna? Probably mid-thirties. They thought he was a jogger or a runner, knew he had met Adelina jogging. If he was a jogger that would explain why he had such detailed knowledge of the city. Bullface thought if they could get more CCTV footage then he would appear all over … along with several hundred innocent joggers, walkers and runners. He probably had lived in this area for a long time though, they weren’t looking for anyone transient.
