SHADOW MAN - Angie Bartoni Case File #6 (ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILES Book 1)

by Marshall Huffman

  “Kenny, I can’t do that. I’m not wired that way and neither is the law.”

  “The law? The law? The law sucks. The law protects the criminals and doesn’t care a hoot about the victims. The law is a joke.”

  “Well, thank you for your time. So very sorry about the accident.”

  “Yeah. Me too,” was all he said.

  Brandon walked us to the door.

  “Pop is still pretty mad. And then the accident hasn’t done much for his personality. Don’t take it personally.”

  “No problem. I doubt I would have been as gracious,” I told him.

  **

  “I can certainly see why he is so bitter,” Dan said when we got in the car.

  “Must be rough.”

  “First his wife; now being in a wheelchair.”

  “Life does deal some sucky cards at times.”

  “I know rule one,” Dan said, looking over at me, “But...?”

  “We go back to the station and take a look at the victim’s spouses. I remember most of them but not all. I need to refresh myself with the case files. Miller was easy because he was so darned big and the most vocal. I hate this part. We are going to have to drag them back into this all over again. It is hard enough putting it out of your mind but to suddenly become a suspect has to really suck pond water.”

  “I don’t see any way around it,” Dan replied.

  “Unfortunately, neither do I.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Ralph Carry had been stalking the woman for over a week. She was totally unsuspecting until one of her co-workers asked her about the man when they were having coffee together.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “That guy over there. He is in here every time we have coffee together.”

  “Oh big deal. I mean we have coffee about the same time each week. Maybe he has the same break time.”

  “All I’m saying is that you need to be careful. You need to be more aware of your surroundings. You always think everyone is good and they aren’t”

  “Stop it Sally. I don’t want to be one of those people that sees bad in everyone. He certainly looks harmless enough.”

  “Mary Ann you need to wake up. The world is getting uglier every day. All I am saying is keep an eye out.”

  “Fine. I will. Look, I need to run. I’ll see you here next week.”

  “Sure but keep an eye out will you?”

  “I will, I promise,” Mary Ann said.

  She left thinking that her friend was one of those people who always sees the glass half empty. She suspected that everyone was up to no good.

  She walked along sixth avenue and stopped in front of the Blocks Department Store to look at a purse in the window. Out of the corner of her eye she caught movement and saw the same man from the coffee shop stop and lean casually against the side of the building.

  What the hell? Was Sally right? She turned and picked up the pace and crossed the street trying to look back. Her first glance turned up nothing and she took a deep breath. She was letting her imagination carry her away.

  When she got to her office she quickly checked and saw nothing of the man. Definitely just imagination, she thought, that and the power of Sally’s suggestion.

  **

  It was going on 6:00 p.m. when Mary Ann decided to call it a night. She closed up the shop, locked the money in the safe and turned off the lights. She locked the doors and headed to the parking lot to get her car.

  She was just getting her keys out of her purse when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Something had caused her to feel like someone was watching her. She quickly unlocked her car, looked in the back seat then got in, locked the doors and took a deep breath before starting the car.

  Her hand was shaking so badly she had a hard time getting the key in the ignition. She was letting her imagination get away from her. She started the car and backed out of the parking space. She drove to the exit and stopped at the booth to pay.

  “Evening Ms. Douglas.”

  “Ray.”

  “Ticket?”

  “Crap. I always place it on the dash. Hold it,” she said searching the dash.

  “Got it,” she said handing it to him.

  Why she even needed it was a mystery to her. She was there at almost exactly the same amount of time each day but Ray always wanted it.

  She paid and the gate started to rise. She glanced into the rearview mirror and almost drove into the barrier. It was the same guy she had seen at the coffee shop and leaning against the building earlier.

  Her hands were shaking as she put it into gear. Once the gate was up she floored it and shot out into traffic almost clipping two other cars. Horns blared but she kept it floored and shot through a yellow light heading down 16th Street. At the first street she made a right and shot down to the next light. She made another right, pulled into the Burger King lot and parked. She just sat there, not getting out of the car.

  She sat for almost thirty minutes before she decided it was safe to go. Go? Go where? How long had he been following her? Does he know where she lives? Her mind was racing but she was coming up with no real solutions. She needed to know what to do but whom could she turn to? She decided to text Sally.

  U were right. Followed to and from work. Help.

  Where R U now?

  BK 16th St.

  Come to my house. Do not go home.

  On my way. Thx.

  B careful.

  K

  Mary Ann drove watching the rear view mirror more than out of the front windshield. She almost rear ended two different cars.

  **

  Ralph was furious. How in the hell had she made him? He knew how to stalk a woman without her ever knowing it. What the hell happened? This was a setback and he hated it when his time schedule was thrown off.

  Now he had to make a decision. Should he keep on going after the Douglas bitch or abandon her and look for someone else. He had already invested three weeks in following her. The decision was a difficult one for him. She now knew she was being stalked so she would be alert. She could even go to the police but that wasn’t much of a concern. They don’t care or have the inclination to look into those types of claims. If he abandoned her, he would be right back at square one. It could take as long as three weeks before he could strike again.

  No. He was not going to give up. He had too much time invested in the Douglas broad to walk away at this point. He would have to do it differently with a more direct approach. He would break into her place while she was as work and then grab her when she came home. It was a little out of his comfort zone but at this point he didn’t see what else he could really do.

  **

  Mary Ann was a nervous wreck by the time she got to work. She thought she had seen his car half a dozen times but each time it turned out not to be the case.

  She had considered going to the police but wondered what good that would really do? She had no proof that she was being followed. That wasn’t going to accomplish a thing. She considered getting a gun but the three day waiting period wouldn’t do her much good if he grabbed her before then. She decided she would just have to be vigilant and totally aware of her surroundings.

  **

  Ralph had watched Mary Ann leave in the morning. That gave him plenty of time to get into the house and get everything ready. He would have time to look through her clothes and underwear at leisure. That was always a turn on for him. He sat and waited another thirty minutes before getting out of his car.

  “Ralph,” a voice said as he got out of the car and a fist slammed into his kidney causing his knees to buckle.

  “You never learn,” the voice said and a fists drove into his kidney again.

  “Ralph my boy, you can’t imagine how long I’ve wanted to have a little conversation with you.”

  “Who are you? I ain’t done nothing to you,” he whined.

  “Actually you have. We’ll talk about that as well,” the man said and yanked him to a
white van and shoved him inside. He quickly used plastic ties to truss him up like a chicken ready for the spit. He slapped duct tape over his mouth, around his head and over his eyes.

  It was going to be a very bad day for Mr. Ralph Carry

  CHAPTER NINE

  Ralph’s hands were holding him suspended from a steel beam overhead. The tape was still covering his eyes but had been removed from his mouth.

  “I see you are still up to your old tricks Ralphie boy.”

  “Look, I was just going to leave her a note to see if she had any interest in going out with me.”

  “Really? So all the stuff we found in your car was just to leave a note? The duct tape, rope, and tools to break in? Those were so you could leave a note.”

  “Man, you have it all wrong. We have been flirting back and forth, I just figured it was time to see if she was really interested.”

  “So you guys had this thing going but she didn’t happen to know about it. You are such a shit Ralph. You can’t even come up with a good lie. You’re pathetic. You always were dumber than a box of rocks.”

  “Look man. Just let me go and I’ll fade away. I won’t bother her anymore.”

  “Sorry, no can do. If it isn’t her it will be some other poor woman. No Ralphie. It ends here today.”

  “I can change. Really. I just need a chance.”

  “You know Ralph, I believe you. You are going to change. And you are never going to stalk or harm another woman again. You are going to be rehabilitated. Obviously prison failed but my method is more permanent.”

  “Don’t do this please. I’m begging you.”

  “How many woman said that exact same thing? How many Ralph?” he asked.

  “I was wrong, okay. I admit it. I won’t ever do anything like that again. I’m sorry for everything.”

  “Not yet Ralph, not yet.”

  **

  Ralph screamed.

  “You remember doing this to Miranda, Ralph? Did she scream like that? You did it over and over. How does it feel? Are you enjoying it now? No? Not as much fun when you’re on the receiving end is it?”

  “Please. Please stop.”

  “Stop? You want me to stop? Did Miranda ask you to stop? Did you stop? No, I don’t think so. You see Ralph, I’m not going to stop until you are absolutely out of your mind with pain. I am going to do it over and over. This is just the beginning you worthless piece of crap. You tortured Miranda for hours before you finally raped her and then killed her. Do you really think I am going to show you any mercy? Any compassion? No, I don’t think so. What I am going to show you is pain beyond your wildest imagination,” he said and relit the propane torch.

  **

  The room was permeated with the smell of burnt meat. Ralph's limp body hung there with large blackened areas of scorched flesh covering him from his feet to his underarms.

  “Come on, wake up. Don’t be a wimp. Miranda lasted longer than this you chicken shit,” the man said sticking his thumb in one of the deeper burn marks and pushing his fingers together.

  Ralph tried to scream but only a croaking noise came out.

  “I guess it is true. Women are tougher than men.”

  “Please. No more.”

  “But Ralphie, I still have one more operation to perform. Ha...I made a joke. Operation. Get it?”

  “Please.”

  “Please? Please what?”

  “No more,” Ralph managed to get out.

  “No problem dude. Just one more thing then I’ll leave you alone.”

  Ralph was still screaming when the man left the building, but not for long.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The captain was waiting for us when we got in the next morning.

  “Good morning boys and girls,” he said.

  Warning, warning. Something was up. My radar was on full alert.

  “What?”

  “Can’t I just say good morning?”

  “No. What?”

  “Bartoni you are just too suspicious.”

  “Oh give me a break. Just tell me.”

  “Ralph Carry.”

  “From the Honeymooners?”

  “Very funny. That was Ralph Cramden, not Ralph Carry you dork. Ralph Carry is from the Stillwell thugs.”

  “Just kidding. I know Carry. He turned up dead?” I surmised.

  “Deader than a doornail.”

  I’ve always wondered how dead a doornail is anyway. I mean were they ever really alive? If all they did was nail a door what other jobs are available to them? I often wonder about these kind of things. Usually when I forget to take my meds.

  “Where?” Dan interjected.

  “A warehouse in the 156th Street Industrial Park. Building C 124.

  “Okay. We are on our way. The ME notified?”

  “He is on his way along with the crime lab.”

  “Alright. We’ll keep you informed,” I told him as we headed for the car.

  I drove and Dan worked the radio to let them know we were en route.

  “Can I ask you something Bartoni?” Dan said after a few minutes.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this case. Someone is getting revenge for what happened to not only his wife but to the others as well. I mean could all of the survivors have gotten together and are doing this as a group?”

  “I guess anything is possible but I think it’s highly unlikely. When you have that many people involved someone is going to talk. I doubt they would all go along with it and that would create a heck of a problem for them. Could one or two of them be involved, you bet. Maybe as many as three but after that the danger of someone talking is just too much of a risk.”

  “So who are the most likely guys to do something like this?’

  “The most obvious was Miller, but you saw the condition he was in. After that I would think James Jakes or Martin Fisk. Both are physically fit and are the type that could get hard core pretty easily.”

  “Okay, so we can eliminate Miller but should look at Fish and Jakes?”

  “Fisk, not Fish. And I’m not eliminating anyone at this point. They may be the most likely but there are still relatives, siblings, and even grandparents that could be so fed up with the system that they are willing to take matters into their own hands.”

  “Grandparents?”

  “Yeah. Look Dan, a lot of older people grew up in a time when an eye for an eye was considered acceptable. Someone did something to the ones you love, you struck back. While today that’s not considered politically or morally correct, it doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to do such a thing under the right circumstances.”

  “If that is the case we are going to need more people.”

  “Maybe. I need to give that some thought. You know how that goes. You start getting other police involved and the case takes on a life of its own. I want to hold off on that a little longer,” I told him.

  **

  “It’s another bad one Bartoni.”

  “I figured as much.”

  “Some sort of torch. Probably a propane one.”

  “Is that the cause of death?” I asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. He was castrated and bled out.”

  “So he was tortured and then castrated.”

  “That’s what it looks like.”

  “I guess that makes sense in a sick sort of way. He liked to torture women with a cigar. That was his thing,” I told Dan as we headed into the abandoned building.

  “So someone inflicted the same type of revenge,” Dan said.

  “That would be my guess.”

  Inside the limp body of Ralph Carry hung with a pool of blood under him. I could see large black places on his body where the torch had done its work. We could smell the burnt flesh immediately.

  “Damn,” I heard Dan mutter.

  “Yes. He was still alive when he was castrated,” Sorenson told us.

  “Anything else we should know?” I asked.

  “I
’ll send anything else I find in the report.”

  “Thanks Doc,” I told him.

  I didn’t need to get closer or inspect the burns. I could see from half way across the room how bad they were. Why subject myself to that crap, not to mention Dan and his weak stomach. Instead I steered Dan and I back to the station for a skull session.

  **

  “Okay, so what do we really know?” I asked.

  “One, they were all part of the Stillwell bunch.”

  “Correct.”

  “Four have been killed and after going over the records, it is evident that they liked to torture their victims and the same thing is happening to them more or less.”

  “Right again.”

  “First they grabbed Stillwell, the ringleader and then the other three. That makes four out of the seven that have ended up dead.”

  “Keep going.”

  “It is most likely one of the relatives. A father, husband, or sibling of one of the victims. The biggest and most aggressive was Miller but he is out of the picture. That means it is one of the others and we really have nothing to go on.”

  “That about sums it up perfectly. That also means the other three are living on borrowed time. You said we may need more people and after thinking about it, I figure you’re right. We can’t keep an eye on all three of them twenty-four, seven. We need more manpower.”

  “You know that’s not going to be easy to get.”

  “You’re right. What we have to do is talk to the captain about putting them in protective custody. Of course he will balk and the idea due to cost. The three scumbags will resist as well, so in the end, he will have to give us the manpower. We just don’t want to ask for it. He needs to believe he thought of the idea.”

  “Damn Bartoni, remind me to not try to outfox you.”

  “You can’t so don’t try.”

  **

  The captain was sitting with his hands folded across his lap while leaning back in his chair. I could tell he was thinking hard because of the noise coming from the rusty wheels turning in his head.