“Not just some author,” said Howard. “Blake Price. He wrote Twinkle. It was amazing.”
“I didn’t read the individual crime reports,” admitted Jessica, “but Mrs Price was Heinz’s final victim before he was captured, correct?”
Howard nodded. “Heinz turned up looking to meet Blake Price, but only his wife was home. After she tried to make Heinz leave, he attacked her with a bottle of Scotch. I won’t go into detail about what he did, but he said afterwards that he did it for Blake—that his wife was restricting his brilliance.”
“That fits with the paranoid delusions,” said Jessica. “Heinz probably believes that he and Blake are best friends—even soulmates.”
Howard shook his head and sighed. “He wrote Blake Price over three-hundred letters from the hospital. He didn’t get a single reply.”
“Paranoid schizophrenics tend to fixate. Every single letter Blake Price ignored probably made Heinz’s obsession even worse. He’ll be wanting to meet Blake Price and find out why he doesn’t value their friendship the same way.”
“Maybe because he raped the guy’s wife,” said Howard.
“That was a favour in Heinz’s mind, remember? It was a way to cement their friendship, like a cat bringing its owner a dead mouse. An animal’s love is not like our own.”
“Let’s just find the guy before he hurts anybody else.”
Jessica slid a hand over the Glock beneath her sodden blazer, ensuring it was still there. “Or hurts us,” she said.
They headed along the path for another five minutes, at one point crossing over a quaint wooden bridge spanning a stream. Then the woods got thicker. Every crunching twig, rustling bush, and hooting animal made Jessica flinch, ready to grab her weapon and shoot. The endless pitter-patter of the rain on leaves was disorientating and made her even more uneasy. Howard had quietened and started walking with a slight bend in his knees. If Heinz appeared, Howard would let his training take over. By watching him, Jessica hoped she would know how to behave and when to act. She was still mad at Palu for sending her out here in the wind and rain—and danger. This was not the place for a doctor.
A shadow skittered across the path. It was only a rat, but that didn’t stop Jessica’s stomach from lurching. The small rodent paused briefly to look at them and then disappeared into the thicket.
Howard sniffed the air. “I think we must be getting nearer the lake.”
Jessica smelt the faintly pungent stink of standing water. Would Heinz be heading to the lake, or would he be moving deeper into the woods? He’d been heading for Blake Price’s home before the police chased him towards the nature reserve, and that would still likely be his ultimate destination. Richard Heinz was a brazen sociopath; he wouldn’t hide in the woods. He might hunt in them, though, which Jessica thought about as she glanced around at the grey and black shadows. The leaning trees and tangled bushes provided a hundred places for a killer to hide. She felt like an extra in a horror movie—one of those airheads whose only role was to be hacked to pieces.
Several more rats scurried across the pavement and into the bushes. It was unsettling enough to stop Howard in his tracks, who held up his hand.
Jessica allowed her fingers to hover over her Glock. “Rats are solitary animals,” she muttered. “You only find them in packs if there’s—”
“A food source,” Howard finished. He yanked his sidearm from the leather holster at his thigh.
Jessica followed suit and snatched her Glock from beneath her blazer and pointed it at the ground, ready. The two of them stepped forward carefully, treading softly, creeping silently. Jessica’s heart pumped against her chest, her stomach turned over in an endless wave, but she remembered her training and concentrated on it now. Her safety was off, a round was in the chamber, and she kept a smart distance from Howard. If Heinz was nearby, there was no way he could jump one of them without being shot and killed by the other.
More rats appeared. They scurried away as soon as they spotted Howard and Jessica. It wasn’t long before the source of the rodent-gathering became clear.
At the edge of the path, half-buried in the weeds, was a backpack. Howard grabbed his torch and shone it. The backpack was purple, suggesting a female owner. Rats had gnawed a hole in its side and dragged out a packet of crisps and what looked like a cellophane-wrapped sandwich. The straps were adorned with an assortment of whimsical patches and shiny badges: PORN DESTROYS, FUJI FILM, BAZINGA! REDLAKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, GOOFY’S GIRL.
Howard turned a circle, sweeping the area with his torch. The only thing with them was the wind, the shadows, and the looming woods.
As the torch beam cut through the darkness, Jessica spotted a dark patch on the ground several feet ahead. Her fear gave way to curiosity and she found herself heading towards it.
“Jessica, where are you going? Stay close to me.”
She ignored Howard’s warning and kept on going. “There’s something over here,” she said.
Howard gave a brief hiss of frustration, but he followed her. By the time she reached the dark patch on the path, he was right by her side. “What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Shine your torch on it.”
Howard did as asked, revealing the stain.
“It’s blood,” said Jessica flatly. There was perhaps an entire pint of it staining the pavement, by her estimation. She knelt and prodded the stain with her finger. It was sticky and cold. “It’s fresh,” she said, “not completely fresh, but still pretty recent. It hasn’t washed away in the rain.”
Howard scanned the area with a clenched jaw. “About two hours ago, then?”
Jessica nodded.
Howard kept his gun raised, but placed the torch through a loop fastener on his shoulder. He pulled the radio from his belt and hit the ‘talk’ button. “MCU Officer Hopkins to local Redlake authorities, pick up, over.”
A voice came back immediately. “Sergeant Young, reading you, over.”
Howard took a breath, then said, “Check missing persons reports. I think Heinz has a hostage.”
2
Jessica searched inside the backpack while Howard kept watch. She found a sketchpad and some pencils, as well as an expensive-looking camera with two different lenses.
“I think maybe she’s a photographer or an artist. There’s no ID. From the look of these professional camera lenses, I’d say we’re looking for an adult.”
Howard frowned. “Anything else we can use?”
Jessica shook her head. “Perhaps she’s a student. We should check the roster of local art classes, see if anybody’s missing.”
It was the only lead they had, so Howard passed the info on to Sergeant Young, who said he would get right on it.
“We have to find Heinz,” said Jessica once Howard was done on the radio. “If he has a hostage, the best way to save her is to find him quickly.”
“I don’t know,” said Howard. “We’re here for a manhunt, not a hostage negotiation.”
Jessica straightened and stepped away from the backpack. “There won’t be any negotiation. Heinz is a deluded sadist. All he wants is to satisfy his urges. If he has a girl with him, she doesn’t have long for us to rescue her. Even now it might be too late to save her from whatever sick games he’s playing. If we hang back and do nothing, the girl will have no chance at all.”
Howard seemed to sense her despair and held a hand out to her. “We don’t know for sure he even has a girl with him, but you’re right. We’re here to bring in Heinz, so let’s bring him in.”
Jessica nodded. “Times already a-wasting. Let’s move.”
They picked up their pace, the possibility of an innocent girl in peril spurring them on. The rain kept hammering, but Jessica found the weather comforting now; it kept her in touch with her senses, prevented her from relaxing.
“The fact that Heinz encountered someone on the path tells us he’s not hiding in the woods,” said Howard. “If we keep heading towards the lake, we might find him.”
<
br /> Jessica was about to agree, but a voice in her head couldn’t. “No…no, he’ll be in the woods now.”
Howard stopped and faced her. “The girl was attacked on the path.”
“Yes, she was. Heinz wouldn’t usually hide, I agree, but now that he has a girl things are different. Once his sadistic urges take over he won’t want to be disturbed. He’ll take her someplace where he can take his time: the woods, not the lake.”
Howard seemed to momentarily doubt her, but then he nodded. “Alright, you’re the one that understands these sickos. You say he’s gone into the woods, I believe you.”
“Good, because I’m sure of it.” She turned towards the woods, staring into the unbroken shadows that faded to absolute black. “Problem is, finding a killer in the woods is a lot like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
“Yeah,” said Howard, “and usually when you find the needle, it pricks you.”
Jessica took a breath and stepped into the woods. Howard was one step behind her. Beneath the canopy, the rain fell in clusters instead of in an unending torrent. The ground here was uneven, thick with roots and weeds, but the trees were spaced far enough apart that it was possible to walk in a mostly straight line. The problem was visibility. It was impossible to see more than five-feet ahead and, if they used their torches, Richard Heinz would see them long before they saw him.
Howard tugged Jessica’s blazer and took the lead. He was the senior officer and this was her first time at the rodeo, so she was relieved when he walked ahead. She remained three steps behind Howard and concentrated on not tripping as they crept far enough that the pathway completely disappeared. Five minutes later, Howard put his hand up to stop.
“What is it?” whispered Jessica.
“I think you were right. Look.”
Jessica had to scan the area for several seconds before she spotted the flattened bushes ahead.
“He’s probably carrying the girl,” said Howard. “He must have gotten tired and taken a rest here. He dumped her down in the bushes, by the looks of things.”
Jessica sighed with relief. “Sounds like the girl is unconscious. That’s good. He’ll want her awake, so it’ll buy her some time.”
“He may be near, so hand signals only from here.”
Jessica chewed at her bottom lip. “Yeah, I…think I remember most of them.”
Howard wheeled on her. “Damnit, Jessica. You need to remember all of them.”
“This is my first time in the field. Tell the truth, I never expected to ever be out like this. I’m a researcher.”
Howard stepped right in her face. “No, Jessica, you’re a member of MCU and you need to be battle-ready. Things are gearing up and Palu wants all of his senior agents to lead from the front. You can’t hang back at base while everyone else risks their lives. How do you expect new recruits to respect you?”
Jessica took a step back. “Well, I…never really considered.”
“Look,” said Howard, “our headquarters was hit not so long ago, I’m sure you haven’t forgotten. There’re no guarantees anymore that being behind a desk is safe. You need to be able to defend yourself, and right now I need to depend on you.”
Jessica raised her left hand and made a circle with her thumb and forefinger—okay.
Howard nodded. He gave the okay signal back, followed by a hand wave that meant come.
They crouched down and trekked another hundred metres or so until they made it over to a large oak tree in a clearing; the rain once again became ferocious. Snagged against one of the tree’s bulbous roots was a wool scarf. Several feet away, lying in the bushes, was a purple fleece. They searched the area for a few more minutes until Howard signalled that he’d found something else. When Jessica made her way over she saw her partner was holding a knitted jumper in one hand and a bra in the other.
Jessica felt bile in her throat and it made her speak in a harsh rasp. “He’s stripping her,” she said. “She must be waking up.”
As if to mark her theory correct, a shrill scream echoed from the trees in the distance.
Howard pulled his weapon and tried to pinpoint the sound. Jessica’s senses were quickest. She raised her Glock and started sprinting in the direction of the screams. Howard took off after her, apparently torn between shouting at her to come back and remaining silent, so he settled on a weird warbling pitch that was neither shout nor whisper. “Officer Bennett, stand down. Stand down!”
But Jessica couldn’t stand down, not while screams still pierced the air. She dodged between trees and leapt over bushes. The thought of a poor girl being tortured consumed Jessica’s mind and controlled her body. Palu had been right to send her into the field. She needed to help the innocent, not just patch them up after they’d already been hurt. Her job was to stop monsters like Richard Heinz, and that was exactly what she was going to do.
She managed to pick up even more speed as she hurdled the hanging branch of a dying ash tree. She didn’t realise it was a trap until it was too late.
The screams stopped and were replaced by spiteful laughter.
3
Howard tried to stop Jessica from running off half-cocked but she was as bull-headed in the field as she was at the office. At MCU headquarters, known affectionately as the Earthworm, Jessica was the smartest member of the team and in charge of the facility’s infirmary.
Out here she was a bag of nerves and unbridled emotion. That emotion had sent her barrelling off in the direction of a scream that Howard thought sounded too deep to be female. It was shrill and high-pitched, but there was a throaty quality that made Howard think it belonged to a man; a man trying to scream like a girl. Howard chased after Jessica, but struggled to catch her in the dark labyrinth of the woods.
The screaming stopped abruptly. Howard couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard laughter. His foot caught on a tree root, sending him tumbling to the wet mud, but his momentum brought him back up again. He forced his way through a crop of thorny bushes and emerged inside a clearing. The rain flooded down his forehead into his eyes. He blinked.
“Welcome,” said a voice. “Welcome to my party.”
Howard skidded to a halt and raised his gun. Jessica was sprawled on the ground nearby, holding the side of her head and trying to get up. In front of Howard was the man they were searching for: Richard Heinz.
The escaped killer was topless, with deep gouges down each side of his chest that glistened in the moonlight. He was also barefoot, his feet blackened and muddy. In front of him, on her knees, was a young girl wearing only muddy white knickers. She was sobbing pitifully and had obviously taken a beating. Her swollen, bloody face was a picture of misery.
Heinz had a screwdriver pointing at the top of the naked girl’s head. “Come any closer and I’ll pierce her skull. I won’t allow her to escape punishment.”
Howard took a very cautious step forward. “What punishment?”
“I said stay back,” shouted Heinz. “You’re disobeying my rules. This is my party.”
Howard stepped back. “Okay, I’m sorry. You’re in control here, Richard, but you wouldn’t want to hurt anybody, would you?”
“Of course not. I don’t want to. What kind of a man do you think I am?”
Heinz seemed to think that wasn’t a rhetorical question, but Howard was stumped. What kind of a man? A sick, twisted nut case. “I think you’re a…good man. I think you want to let that poor girl go.”
Heinz huffed. “Poor girl? What kind of girl walks around in the woods after dark? Good girls should be at home, not flaunting themselves around in too much make-up and fake nails.”
“I know,” said Howard, “but this girl is a photographer. She’s out here to take pictures.” He didn’t know for sure it was true, but Jessica had seemed sure enough.
Jessica had now recovered enough to make it onto her hands and knees. She was shuffling through the wet leaves, spreading out her hands. Howard knew what she was doing: she was looking for her gun. She must’ve droppe
d it when Heinz clocked her. If Howard was aware of her movement, Heinz would be too.
Heinz shook his head and looked at Howard like he was a fool. “The girl had condoms in her purse. She’s just another slut like all the rest. She’s out late at night looking to lead men to their ruin. She needs to pay. They all need to pay.”
“Okay,” said Howard. “Then let me take her in. I’m a police officer. I can punish her.”
“No, you’ll let her off with a warning.”
Howard had to tell Heinz whatever he wanted to hear. “No, I won’t. She’ll get what she deserves, I promise.”
Heinz’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Show me.”
“What?”
“Show me you’re telling the truth. The girl deserves to suffer for her sins, so come over here and beat her.”
Howard swallowed. This could be his chance. If he could get close enough to Heinz, he could move the girl away and take him down. All Heinz had was a screwdriver, and that could be taken care of easily enough. The naked girl looked up at Howard with her swollen eyes and trembled. She seemed to sense that her rescue was about to go down. Whether or not the girl would ever get over this was another matter.
“Please…” she whimpered.
Howard glanced down at Jessica through the corner of his eye. She was still searching for her gun, still a little clumsy from the blow to the head. If she could find her weapon while Heinz was occupied, they might have a chance of taking in their fugitive quietly. But there was no way Heinz couldn’t have spotted her moving. So why was he behaving as if he were unaware.
“Come on!” barked Heinz. “If you understand that this slut needs punishing, then show me. Show me or I’ll pierce her skull right now.”
“Okay, okay. Just stay calm.” Howard approached slowly.
“Wait!” Heinz pressed the screwdriver’s tip against the girl’s skull, which made her whimper. He nodded towards Howard’s gun. “Drop it.”
Howard looked at the Ruger P95 in his hand and was suddenly aware of its weight. Often it felt like an extension of his arm, but right now it was like a heavy lump of metal and plastic in his hand. Could he let it go? Was it a bad call? Would refusing to drop his weapon result in the hostage’s death? Heinz was crazy, there was no way of telling what he would do. Howard’s best bet was to play into the sicko’s fantasies and keep him calm. With a bit of luck, Jessica would find her gun in the dirt and regain control of the situation.
The BIG Horror Pack 2 Page 129
