The Noir Evil

by Richard Paul Caird

  Ness ran his office like the Nazi party in Germany ran their political party, through the ideal of ‘survival of the fittest’ because he wanted his men to seek out his approval and attention in order to gain favour and better the group as a whole. He obviously did not agree with their Nazi policies but admired there efficiency at getting tasks complete with great success and wanted to apply this within his own work environment. Any whom did not meet this high level of expectation or live up to this ideal where doomed to fail and he had always expected this failure from the dishevelled looking Merlyo whom now sat uncomfortably across from him. Ness then spoke again with more authority after a few seconds of taking in the anxious looking appearance of the obviously concerned looking detective “These three unsolved homicides, you think there connected?’’

  Merlyo replied with some trepidation within his shaky voice “Yes sir” before Ness momentarily continued to speak after thinking for a silent moment and leaning back in his squeaky chair “Humm, I’m going to put you and Zalewski on the case full time with detectives May and Musil ok? Matowitz was wrong to take you off it. Make it your number one priority! I’ll give Trunk your current cases so don’t worry about them” Merlyo eagerly replied with a less shaky and more determined voice because he wanted to express his strength to the famed lawman upon the right decision that he had just made “Yes sir! Thank you sir! You can count on me! I won’t let you down!”

  Ness reassuringly smiled as he released his eye contact and continued to fiddle with some paperwork upon his desk before finally speaking again “Ok! That’ll be all detective and please keep me informed on your progress oh! And keep up the good work!” Before Merlyo could reply Ness then continued, wishing to add something of an important emphasis to the case “This year I have the Great Lakes Exposition, Republican National Convention and the American Legion Convention coming up so I need this case to be solved! Time is of the essence here and as yet May and Musil have only identified one of the three victims and have no leads. Last thing I need is some unknown killer stirring up resentment within the local media. The press adore such dramatic things!”

  After a few seconds of silence whereby Merlyo still could not believe that he was within Ness’s office, the detective replied with his still trembling voice “Yes sir!” Ness then proceeded to look at some more papers upon his desk and replied after he noticed that Merlyo was not leaving “Thank you, that’ll be all detective”. A nervous Merlyo immediately nodded and hastily left the room, happy to escape the double nightmare scenario of meeting both his new boss and his ex-love.

  The tired Merlyo felt cold, overworked and physically exhausted as he eagerly took another puff on his warm cigarette whilst standing in the ice cold snow. He stood in front of his still running Ford whilst he leant against its warm bonnet and starred at two large burlap bags that were placed haphazardly against a factory wall in front of him. This morning was particularly cold and the icy wind was ominously howling as it blew, giving the impression that is was a lot colder than it actually was.

  He however had arrived prepared with his trusty long and thick panelled warm brown coat, fluffy black scarf and his thickly warm red and woolly beanie which he had spent considerable time selecting all at his favourite department store late last year. His thick panelled coat was inner-lined with oriental duck feathers of the highest quality and these feathers also stick out around the area of the neckline, unnaturally creating an imposing vision of its unfortunate wearer. His scarf and fingerless grey gloves pleasantly accompanied these colourful brown neckline feathers and gave the impression to his partner that he looked humorously reminiscent of a large chicken that was about to give birth.

  The sight he beheld before him however was far less amusing because yet another grisly homicide scene greeted his unprepared eyes, oddly making him reluctant to proceed further. The macabre scene was blissfully covered in a concealing blanket of early morning fresh snow as the unforgiving icy wind blew against his naked facial skin which comfortingly distracted his troubled mind. There were two old tatty burlap sack’s just visible by the red brick wall of the old Hart Manufacturing factory building and this is what he focused his attentions on as it leant against the humming engine of the old Ford which comfortingly radiated the blessed heat that he desperately required. Close by and near East 20th Street there were some recently discovered and neatly wrapped newspaper parcels that had been haphazardly thrown over a vacant homes’ fence and these “grim gifts” ultimately proved to be the dismembered remains of yet another unfortunate victim.

  These remains had only been recently discovered when Merlyo had ordered the other three officers to do a quick search of the immediate surrounding area. This had proven to be a wise decision because they had soon discovered a variety of dismembered body parts of an unknown female victim. The detective instinctively knew that the victim would have been disposed of within the immediate area, judging from the previous unsolved cases which he had already linked together within his troubled mind. He had not yet looked within the foreboding twin sacks that now sat uncomfortably ahead of him but already knew that there unseen contents were linked to the unsolved homicides of the Lady of the Lake, Andrassy and his unknown, unfortunate companion.

  He had cleverly taken this golden opportunity to get a first look at what was before him within these packed burlap bags whilst Gerber, May and Musil where otherwise preoccupied in the surrounding area. Unfortunately Zalewski had called in sick earlier that day, probably with a hangover knowing him due to a female colleague’s birthday party the previous evening. Merlyo allowed himself a rare smile as he imagined his unconscious partner lying on the floor with his mouth open as saliva dripped into the poor female officer’s bellybutton, solidifying yet more forthcoming drama within Wohl’s café.

  This momentary amusement was however suddenly cut short as the cold wind blew up against his unprotected cheeks which caused him to slowly wrap the scarf over his face some more to shield himself from the ever harsh and bitter wind chill. All he knew about the foreboding twin burlap sacks is that in the early hours of that morning the incessant barking of a neighbour’s dog had alarmed a woman whom had then inspected the dog after being irritated by it. She had found the chained animal trying to tear open one of the old burlap bags in front of it and minutes later, after she had briefly glanced inside, she had told a passing neighbour that the bag contained some fresh looking “ham meat”.

  The neighbour, being hungry and wanting a free meal, then went to inspect the meat herself and instantly recognized that this so-called “ham meat” was in fact the top of a dismembered human arm. After discovering the horrifyingly macabre find she then bravely decided to investigate further and opened the adjacent burlap bag to discover a true horror of unimaginable proportions. The partially wrapped and bloody dismembered full female torso which head, left arm and lower legs were all completely missing. The terrified and shaken women had then immediately sealed the grim bag to alert the police, unwittingly condemning herself to years of sleepless nights and troubling nightmares.

  A concerned looking Merlyo continued to actively survey the snowy cordoned-off crime scene in a stoic silence as the thick snow gently covered the area, hiding the true horror of that lay beneath. The veteran detective then looked up as the thick snow gently floated down and coated all in its path within a blissful layer of pure white translucence, actively attempting to conceal the nightmare that had now taken hold of the city. The thick snowflakes accumulated up to make visibility extremely low and appeared to smother the reluctant detective within a shield of sightless white, only occasionally showing his presence as he stood motionlessly transfixed before the twin burlap bags ahead of him.

  He had always immensely loved snow’s purity since he was a child and played in it almost every year because to him it made everything look pretty and hid all the filth that only humanity could create. The snow was like a comforting blanket of unparalleled purity that covered the ugliness of life and
the harshness of its struggle, naturally shielding all judgemental gaze and making even the most horrid environment that much more beautiful. Such a blissful illusion of escapism was needed, especially here within the depressing confines of Kingsbury Run whereby mountains of garbage and human misery coexisted in grotesque unison. After a while of this momentary departure from the troubling reality that was awaiting his further inspection, he noticed that the three officers in the just visible distance were eagerly awaiting his instructions.

  He attempted to ignore their troublesomely distracting gaze as the thick snow came down harder and deliberately took his time to absorb the environment of the crime scene in all its entirety. He speculated how it would appear to the killer the previous night and how he must have felt as he hastily deposited of the wrapped body parts in the black stillness of the cold night, moving from shadow to shadow as he quickly completed his macabre task. He theorized that there could hopefully be a potential witness if the killer was comfortable enough to leisurely dispose of the body parts within this particular area but immediately put down this hopeful notion about identification because deep down he knew that this particular killer was not prone to such acts of naivety.

  A good example of this was the handful of people whom had come forward after the Andrassy murder and stated that they saw a suspicious looking dark green Ford trunk roaming the area around the time that Gerber had stated the bodies would have been disposed of. Merlyo’s optimism about this new line of inquiry was quickly dashed as they had found all the licenced dark green Ford trucks within Cleveland and tentatively cleared all the owners of wrongdoing after the witnesses had retracted there statements, feeling unsure about their given details. The killer’s obviously unspoken familiarity with his environment showed in his actions, possibly indicating that he was local resident here or that he may have lived here in the past. Merlyo then tried to put himself inside the killer’s mind and imagined what he saw and how they might have behaved during their disposal of the body parts, attempting to get a breakthrough within this stubborn case.

  The three silently observing police officers had heard stories about the eccentric detective and simply just observed him standing there in the snow as he looked transfixed at what lay ahead of him. They briefly speculated amongst themselves what his expert observations might deduce as he stood fast within the heavy snow that fell around him, theorizing that his calculating mind was probably in overdrive as it was being barraged with numerous theories of complex design. An occasional gust of powerful icy wind attempted to move his immovable frame and ruffled the fur that lined his neckline duck feathers as only his focused eyes could be barley seen through the thick beanie and scarf combination.

  The calculating Merlyo continued to speculate and eventually determined that the killer had already murdered and dismembered the victim at another location due to the familiar lack of blood in the surrounding snow. The body parts where initially neatly wrapped in newspapers for quick and easy disposal and so even if there was a witness to this grim disposal process, they would have probably only seen the killer casually dropping off the parcelled body parts and not lingered around. Only time would tell if this line of inquiry would bear any fruit once they had questioned the all the immediate neighbours and any vagrants whom may have frequented this dilapidated, industrial area. He desperately wished to write down his numerous theories but decided against it due to the unbearably cold weather, deciding to write them down only when he was nearer to the burlap bags and concealed behind the factories protective brick wall.

  Only a few weeks had passed since he had the unforeseen nightmarish meeting with both Poppy and Ness and he knew now that because he had drawn Ness’s attention, this whole case could jeopardise his career if he did not get some positive results soon. He knew that ambitious Ness would not tolerate some mysterious killer jeopardising his potential successful future career here in Cleveland, especially seen as he had more pressing concerns to deal with such as the department corruption, department modernisation, organised crime and the preparations for the upcoming Republican National Convention and Great Lakes Exhibition.

  Merlyo stood there hesitantly for another moment longer as the icy cold wind blew unrelentingly against his face whilst he slowly finished his comfortingly warm cigarette. He then disposed of its glowing remains into the unknown whiteout void which now surrounded him, took in a deep breath and proceeded to slowly walk towards the twin burlap bags. The three distant on looking officers then all got excited as the statue like detective finally started to move and where adamant that they were watching a maestro performing his forbidden art before them. The cruel snow then hid Merlyo from there observant gaze as it blanketed the detective, and his nearby Ford, within a sightless white that none could hope to see through.

  The preoccupied Merlyo then knelt down and momentarily paused above the burlap bags before he bravely opened one of them to get a detailed view of its macabre contents, determined to persevere with this grim case no matter what horrors lay within. As he opened it an unexpectedly powerful gust of ice cold wind instantly closed the bag again which further added to his sense of foreboding about this entire macabre case, especially knowing that Ness was keeping a keen interest upon its progress. He then heard a small crowd of onlookers in the just visible distance and paused to see that they were now being actively held back by the three curious officers whom had previously been so keen to observe him.

  He did not like this constant feeling of trepidation that Ness and the Lady of the Lake had unwittingly perpetuated within him because he liked to solve cases at his own methodical pace, examining every detail and every potential avenue of inquiry. Such as with Andrassy’s two last photographs before he died, which were eventually found to be taken by a young female admirer of his whom was cleared of any wrongdoing because of her rock solid alibi. He simply did not like to be rushed and felt like his every move was now being monitored, even by the three curious officers whom where now thankfully preoccupied with the barely visible crowd. He the curiously recalled that he had read somewhere once that some murderers like to watch the police at work and so he turned and squinted his eyes as he attempted to look at the shadowy faces of the unruly crowd.

  The crowd was apparently angry at the police for a variety of reasons, mainly for the lack of security within this downtrodden area and he had sympathy for their plight because he understood the terror that such crimes could bring to a community. Especially an impoverished community which had more pressing concerns to worry about other than some deranged and rampaging madmen. After a moment of inspecting their unknown and barley visible faces through the thick snow, his interest soon waned and he once again reluctantly turned to face the sealed burlap bag.

  As the veteran detective finally looked inside he did not notice the ominously large shadowy silhouette within the indistinguishably distant crowd which was standing there motionless as it keenly watched his every move. All others around the shadowy stranger jostled for a better view of the homicide scene whilst he remained steadfast in his direct viewing of the detective, primarily due to his immense height. This brief window of viewing opportunity within the snows merciless embrace was a blessing for the shadowy stranger as the suns early morning ambient light filtered through the concealing haze, filtering out cascading colours of brilliant purples and light blues.

  The only just visible feature on his silhouette’s impressive frame was the ambient light that lit up his round spectacles which gleamed a hollow and cold light back through the thick snowflakes. The cold and chilly air swirled around him and appeared to avoid his very touch as he stood there motionless, totally transfixed upon the wily detective and keenly observing his facial expression of disgust as he opened the bag before him. This momentary viewing was then broken as a thick haze of covering white snow yet again concealed him from the large strangers gaze, shrouding him within a whirlwind of white sightless snow.

  Merlyo immediately pulled back in disgust as t
he tightly sealed bag released its overwhelming foul odour directly upon him, filling his lungs with the distinctive odour of decay and rotten flesh. The distinctive smell of death flooded his nostrils as well as the alarming sight of dried smeared blood against the bags interior, doubly attacked his heightened senses in a combination of corrosive horror. This deadly combination simultaneously overwhelmed him as he tucked his face deeper into his thick scarf before he scanned the open bags contents. He saw a large and blood smeared newspaper wrapped parcel with a small wooden basket sitting next to it which also containing a smaller parcel.

  He then reluctantly proceeded to tentatively unwrap the larger parcels top that had so unnaturally greeted his reluctant eyes. Every now and then he rubbed his hands together as he struggled with the twine that loosely bound the grim parcel, feeling more foreboding about its macabre contents with the passing of every struggling second. He tentatively opened it to reveal the gruesome sight of a naked, blood smeared dismembered female torso which attacked his vision as the snows light deeply penetrated the shadowy contents and illuminated it in its full horrific clarity. The torso appeared to be protesting about its untimely unveiling as the howling wind whistled through its various violent knife holes that littered its flesh, soon eliminating the stench of death that once emanated from within the bags centre.

  The whistling torso almost appeared to be complaining at the detectives rude entrance into its final resting place as he then keenly noticed that its head, left arm and lower legs where all indeed missing. He slowly closed his eyes in a fruitless attempted to get rid of the nerves which were causing his fearfully cold hands to shake before he then decided to inspect the smaller parcel which lay deeper within the bag. He quickly pulled it out because he did not wish to be near the disgruntled torso’s whistling sound, which subversively disturbed him, and quickly unwrapped it to discover that it contained a bloody dismembered left foot.