by Jamal Shakur
It was all set; his soldiers in the field of endeavor were all set and knew their status. The professor had wisely created a systematized killing machine based on the thoughts and actions of previous scholars of mayhem. He followed Gacy, the Ripper and other serial murders as if they were former scholars. Each man had his own job and was separated in cells. The cells were created so no one would know about the directions of the other participant, even if they were standing side by side; this was done to alleviate the likelihood of snitching.
The professor was a spiritual and meditative man even though his murder streak was long and wide an interesting oxymoron indeed but he didn’t see the contradictions. Wasn’t Hitler a charismatic and spiritual man even though he was considered a mass murderer? These are the contradictions that the professor could live with because he sees himself as an individual that would change the world. He had began his journey to the world by espousing many viewpoints of ancient spiritual thought albeit even if they were antithetical to most moralistic religious movements but a lot of them have their own faults , even the European Christians slaughtered Jews , Muslims and their own brethren during the Crusades. Hence, the Thuggie Cult and belief in Khali is no different. It would be a matter of time he thought to himself that Lomax and the world would know what he was all about and tremble at the mention of his name.
Ch 26
I was sitting at my office desk watering the one lone plant on my desk; it was growing slowly, just like this case. There would sometimes be a mountain of information and sometimes it would be just like today, nothing happening but as they say no news is good news. I was the first one in this morning, the rest of the detectives usually come twinkling in the office at about 10:00, I was here since 8:00, why so early, I guess it’s because of some crazy work ethic that I seen my mother perform, she was often up at 5 a.m. in the morning making breakfast, lunch and dinner for the evening and off to work. I think I get that type of agenda from her. I often sit at the same spot and look outward on to the bustling street of center city. If you passed by anytime in the morning when there is a down time in the precinct, you could see me sitting here.
My old rotary of twenty years started to ring excessively, I often answered on the third or fourth ring with petrified reluctance. “Hello, my man Lomax , there’s no need in telling you who this is and there’s no reason trying to trace this call even though I know you will but I have something to tell you specifically ‘At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a
time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered ‘”, he immediately hung up. It was strange I recognize the verse; I think it’s from Daniel in the bible, an end of time verse from revelations, how strange. At this point I was ready for anything. Suddenly a loud crashing, the five windows in the front of the window shattered and a flashing light proceeded.
Body parts and whole bloody bodies strung throughout the office floor, I only suffered an abrasion to the head and scalp, luckily my desk is near a twelve inch wide pillar structure that supports the building and acted as a shield to the blast. Fortunately, I was leaning over towards that beam. I’ve seen this type of explosive result before from the military, it wasn’t a bomb but it seemed more like a grenade or some type of tossed incendiary device. The device explodes quickly, more quick than I’ve ever seen before. After hours of investigation analysis , it was determined that the device used was The M203 which is a single shot 40 MM grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. With the closed in office and the personal just arriving in the morning, the device did a lot of collateral damage. There was one from my squad killed, detective Joanne Travis and five were staff that has worked in homicide for over ten years, this is close to a family tragedy as one could get. I knew these people personally; I had as a part of a mental makeup birthdays anniversaries and other personal stuff that one would only know if you were in close contact with individuals for years. This was an attack on the homicide police force an act of aggression and war, I could see no other way than that and I’m sure that the perpetrators meant it to be seen that way. There was only two that survived; the rest of team hadn’t arrived yet, thank God for that. The phone rang again, I found it under my destroyed table still ringing, I guess life goes on. This time I picked it up quickly. The phone on the other end seemed to let out a joyful gasp, “Damn, I guess I just can’t get rid of you, Doctor Lomax,” the voice giggled and then hung up.
I looked up with desperation and almost jump to elation in seeing the face of Omar, I was glad to see he was one of the survivors of this morning’s catastrophe. He noticed my exultation and simply nodded to me in recognition and said, “I was across the street with the boys from the bomb squad and a couple homicide guys and discovered the device was launched from a M203 grenade launcher mounted on a rifle, it would appear that one lone individual was the perpetrator.” I simply looked at him in disbelief but with a tinge of appreciation. This whole thing seemed to have a feeling of an army operation to eliminate an enemy which for me took it out the realm of just a lone serial killer mode. The killer was bringing it to us on a different level, where one would be confused and maybe not know how to use our collective investigative analysis to capture him. The whole affair seems cultish and organizational as if the unsub was trying mass manufacture murder and mayhem.
We made a makeshift meeting to gather our thoughts and out next form of action. The only room that was available was the little small area that we designated as a cafeteria. Out of the former five in my squad, there were including me only three. Joanne Travis would be the only female killedsince the death of detective Miles. As the leader of the squad I had to reassure the troops, if I could. I was unsure of this whole situation myself but I couldn’t show it. Everyone was in shock and was staring at me, Omar was staring more than anyone else but you couldn’t tell with him because the big guy often wore his emotions under his sleeves. But the consensus with the nine people in the group minus Detective Denise face had shown a tinge of shock. I began, “The perp or monster has turned it up a notch, instead of attacking civilians he is now attacking members of homicide. I have one thing that is important for all of us to know, first be careful, when investigating anything; don’t go alone take a partner with you. As far as the investigative part of the scenario we will follow the same analytical patterns as before, the scope of these crimes is unusual, these are not ordinary serial killers, this is more similar to a cult and the leader is leading these people like mental drones. By analyzing the content of the murders we have determined that the murders were committed by different unsubs, simply by the way the signatures were developed, they were different as one could be.”
The tall man met with his squad of killers, he was accessing his troops and was about to give them their orders of the day. He thoughtfully and sincerely began , “ Most of you don’t know who I am but today I will dispel all notions of suspense and bring to you all the transparency that any group of soldiers deserve. My name is Dr John Sinclair, while the professor has done an excellent job, I’m here today to tell you that I am your leader and the professor is my top student. You will all receive your orders and the next moves we are about to take, this is a war of the new order and we plan to win”
They couldn’t believe their ears and look at the man with unbelief and astonishment but here he stood bold and alive with a new message.
Ch 27
A year ago
Doctor Sinclair kept up with his right hand man by perusing the media outlets about crimes and activities in the Philadelphia area. He noticed that his man was taking it to the next level and his newly formed group of murder scholars was doing quite well. But that’s as far as a student could take them it was time for the master of all to take them to the next level. He spent his days developing and studying the ways of past masters of human carnage, from the writing
of Hitler, Himmler and the examples of the Ripper and Gacy he surely had a clear path.
Monday 9:00 am
The present
The master has revealed himself and it was time for the professor to show his skill and nerve to him and the rest of the students; he would pick something difficult and unheard of. The killing must be something that no one has ever committed before and this would show the others why he is positioned right behind the master.
Doctor Strauss stood on the corner of 5th and Vine Street, there a few pedestrians at this time of the morning but not many, he had just missed the morning rush, so the employed were mostly nonexistent. There was a police car parked on the car idling with a prisoner in the back. The two officers in the front seat were off guard drinking their morning Joe without a worry in the world. The good doctor simply took out his broad sword and proceeded to slice the neck of the driver and then step to the side and with a forward thrust stab the second officer in the passenger seat in the side. He left the prisoner alive and with a message, “Tell detective Lomax that you have witnessed an action of a God.” He giggled as he walked away. I was the first to arrive on the scene; it was probably because I had two functions, coroner and head homicide detective. However, this was something special and horrific, I had to be here and show my face first. I talk to the officer’s dispatcher; they made an arrest, of all things a shoplifter. He was still in the back of the squad car obviously still in shock after witnessing two cold blooded murders. He glanced up at me as if he still couldn’t believe what had just happened. I shot a glance back and asked him four simple questions, “What did you see.” He looked around as if he was scared to snitch and answered me slowly, “ I seen a very tall man with sword who sliced one guys neck and stabbed the other one in the stomach, and then he paused and asked , are you , Lomax?”
“Yeah, that’s me, why?”
“He told me to tell you that I was witnessing God and then he laughed,” he said with a lot of exhaustion in his voice. I looked over the perps arrest form and came across something very curious, “I see you were arrested for shoplifting art supplies, are you an artist” .
“Yeah, I been drawing and painting for years.”
This might be the break I was looking for but only if this guy could really draw and not stick figures either. I had him sit in with the sketch artist, the perp drew a picture of the unsub. It took him about five minutes to draw the sketch; he was obviously good at art work because he painstakingly created the sketch as a trained artist. Our precinct sketch artist glanced at me though the window and gave me the thumbs up sign. “This guy should be working for us, he’s the best artist I ever seen, a real professional,” Kenny said with a noticeable gush and a smile. The sketch was an exact replica of Professor Strauss, it was no doubt now, and we had him dead to rights. The only thing now is to get the warrant and arrest him. It was 9: 00 a.m. and his first class begins at 10: 00, we’ll be there waiting for him. I took Omar and Denise to accompany me with SWAT just in case things get hairy. This wasn’t anybody to be playing with; all total eight officers have been murdered.
Class begins with students strolling in slowly taking their seats. The professor was already there sipping on his morning coffee. He was joyful and bubbling over with enthusiasm almost too happy for my taste. I decided not to bum rush him and used a little tack. For some reason I decided to use Denise as the arresting officer to give a feminine noninvasive touch, I was the only officer to accompany her. The rest of the group including SWAT awaited him outside the open door of the classroom. On seeing detective Denise approaching him, his eyes almost bugged out of his head. He was so surprised it didn’t give him time to react. “Professor David M. Strauss, I have a warrant for your arrest for the murders of Officers Craig Klein and John Bishop.” she announced with authority. He glances at me and tried to give his best contrived effort to smile as though the whole affair didn’t mean anything but we had him dead to rights and he knew it. However, he was still in a jolly mood as though the whole thing didn’t mean anything. I put the cuffs on nice tight and ruff, then jerked him off the desk and handed him to the big man Omar who grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out the classroom like a rag doll.
Ch 28
We placed him in interview Room 1 to question him. The whole squad was delighted, finally we had something clear to go on, the leader of this homicidal cult was in our hands. I entered the room and noticed that Strauss was relaxed and humming a tune, like he was on a job interview but that seemed to be false bravado, he knew he was captured and the only thing left in his path was the gas chamber. “I bought you a cup of coffee black with the sugar and milk on the side; you do drink coffee don’t you?” I said as if I really cared. “I’d rather drink your blood but the coffee will suffice but as a well known author once said ‘“There are 4 kinds of Homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy.” He said with an aura of conceit. The quote was from the author Ambrose Bierce, I whispered to him after his little speech, “You’re an educated fellow but that doesn’t solve the moral quandary that you exist in now. You are killer and a killer without mercy; I hope that the judicial system doesn’t show you any compassion likewise.”
“As far as I know, you don’t have anything on me , Mr. Lucky, a drawing , I can give you eyewitnesses as to my whereabouts when you claim I was killing the officers, isn’t that pretty,” he laughed out loud after his statement.” But he was correct, we would have to put him in a lineup and have the sketch artist identify him.
We gather men for the lineup some were police officers and convicts together with Strauss. The witness looked at each perp. “Take your time,” I said. He was sort of reluctant to id Strauss. The professor looks him straight in the eyes without blinking. “I don’t see him, he’s not here,” he said.
“Wait a minute now, you just drew a perfect match to one of the men behind this glass and you mean to tell me you don’t recognize him,” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Don’t coach the witness detective,” was the sentence announced from his attorney from the back of the room.
Strauss was in the perp line laughing his head off as if knew what was happening, this seemed to spook the witness more than before, I could see he wasn’t saying anything; this had become a dead end.
Omar stepped up to me and gave me one of his patented stares and nodded his head for me to join him outside alone. “We have your man on camera in the hallway when you first bought him in, take a look and see what incurs.”
There was a tall figure who stares at him and moves his hand around his neck to signify cutting his throat and that’s all it took and this guy clams up like he didn’t see anything. We wanted to keep him longer but couldn’t , he lawyered up and it was his right to be either be charged or released , the later was our only alternative which was to our reluctance. Other than the attack on the PD this had to be the lowest of the low points to our morale. However, with something like this we couldn’t let it go, we were too close, the only thing we had to worry about is if some cowboy would take it upon himself to kill the good professor without waiting for us to discover evidence to put him away.
It was the next day and at the university it was incredible that this asshole was conducting class, his ego was on fire; he believed he could not be stopped and for awhile it looked exactly like that. He had committed a ghastly act of murder that we knew he committed and we couldn’t do anything about it whatsoever. The professor went on like this for weeks and finally he disappeared. He didn’t resurface until someone discovered him teaching on the west coast. He was teaching at a little college in California. None of the students knew of his run-ins with the Philly PD but the school administration knew of it. He was slick; he had applied and gotten the position long before he committed the crimes we were seeking him for. It was odd but the murders stopped also, I don’t know what conclusions we could come to but the obvious is that the main perp was gone and the murders had ceased but we will see, we will see.
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