by Chris Carter
Hunter nodded slowly. That was one task they both could do without.
‘I’ll do it tonight,’ Hunter said.
As Garcia parked his car back by the RHD building Hunter wondered if he looked as tired and defeated as his partner did.
‘I’ll talk to Captain Bolter about the warrant and hopefully we’ll have it first thing tomorrow morning,’ Hunter said. ‘I’ll meet you here at around ten-thirty, first I’ll try and get another list of patients from one more hospital.’
Garcia rested his head against the headrest and took a deep breath.
‘Go home, rookie,’ Hunter said stealing a peek at his watch. ‘It’s not even nine o’clock yet. Spend the night with your wife. You need it and so does she. There’s nothing more for us to do tonight.’
There was always something to do in the office, but Hunter was right. There was nothing else they could accomplish tonight. Garcia thought of what had happened the night before with Anna and he could do with being home before she’d gone to bed at least once this week. They’d been working on casino time for weeks, never knowing what time it was. Even a tiny break would be welcome.
‘Yeah, Anna will appreciate me being home tonight.’
‘That’s right,’ Hunter agreed. ‘Get her some flowers on the way home. Not some cheap bouquet, something nice. Remember, buying somebody a present indicates your knowledge of that somebody’s personality, so get her something that you know she’ll like,’ he said with a reassuring smile.
Fifty-Three
Garcia took Hunter’s advice and dropped by Markey’s, a small convenience store on North Rampant Boulevard. It stocked just about everything, from flowers to booze, and their meatball sandwich and freshly brewed coffee weren’t bad either. Garcia had stopped there plenty of times back when he used to be a detective for the LAPD. It was a small detour from his way home, but he was sure Anna would appreciate his effort.
The tall, very attractive blond behind the counter greeted Garcia with a wide smile showing beautifully formed teeth. Garcia smiled back and ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to look a little more presentable.
Garcia decided to take a nice bottle of red wine home as well as the flowers. It’d been some time since he and Anna shared a bottle and she loved a nice bottle of Rioja. The flowers were displayed right at the store entrance, but Garcia ignored them for the moment.
‘Excuse me, where do you keep your bottles of wine?’
‘Right at the back,’ the blond girl replied with a new smile.
Their selection wasn’t exactly impressive, but then again Garcia wasn’t exactly a connoisseur. He chose a bottle by price. The more it costs, the better it should taste, he thought. He went back to where the flowers were and chose a nicely arranged bouquet of red roses.
‘I guess this will be all,’ he said placing everything on the counter.
‘That will be 40.95 please!’
Garcia handed her three twenty-dollar bills.
‘She’s a very lucky lady,’ the blond girl said, handing back his change.
‘Excuse me!’
‘The lady those flowers are for . . . very lucky lady.’ She smiled again and Garcia noticed how young and pretty she was.
‘Oh! Thank you,’ he blushed.
‘Do you live around here?’
‘Umm . . . no, I just needed to get a few things. This is on my way home,’ he lied.
‘Oh . . . that’s a pity, but maybe you can stop back here again some time?’
Garcia had no reply but a timid smile.
Outside, as he approached his car, Garcia couldn’t believe the store attendant had come on to him. That hadn’t happened in a very long time.
Other than a brand-new-looking Chevy van there was no other car on the parking lot. He opened his passenger door and carefully placed the roses on the seat. His thoughts going back to the day’s developments. He still found it hard to come to terms with how alike Jenny Farnborough and Victoria Baker looked. Garcia didn’t believe in coincidences, but he also didn’t believe that both women going missing at the same time had been planned. This killer didn’t keep his victims for long. Once they were abducted, they would turn up tortured and dead within a few days. Vicki Baker had been the victim. Jenny Farnborough had probably just gone missing, he thought.
Suddenly Garcia remembered they still had a police tail on D-King. With the events of the past few hours happening so fast he’d completely forgotten about it. He’d have to call them off as there was no need for them now. He grabbed his cell phone and searched its address book for the correct number. He’d been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the presence behind him. The reflection of the dark figure against his shiny car came too late. Before Garcia had a chance to turn around and face his attacker he felt a sharp prick against the right side of his neck.
The drug reacted almost instantly. Garcia’s vision blurred and he felt his knees buckle. He dropped his cell phone and heard it smash as it hit the ground. He tried holding on to the car door for balance but it was all too late, the stranger was already dragging him to the nearby van.
Fifty-Four
Jerome had one more stop, one more person to see before he went back home to face another nightmarish night. D-King had given him one job and one job only – find the people who’d taken Jenny.
He’d seen many people die in many different ways, a good number of them by his own hands and it had never bothered him. Their dying faces had never lingered in his memory, but the scenes from the DVD he’d watched inside D-King’s limo had never left him. He found it hard to sleep, to eat. He missed her. Jenny had been his favorite girl. She was always smiling, always positive about everything. No matter how bad any situation might’ve looked, she’d always find the good, the funny side to it.
Jerome had been at it for almost two weeks. He’d called favors from every dirty underground contact he had on the streets. All information leading to another scumbag. The newest one on his list was a low-life junkie named Daryl.
The web of filth that surrounded the snuff-movie business was weaved tight. No one seemed to know anything, or if anyone did they weren’t talking. The information Jerome was given was that Daryl wasn’t involved with snuff movies, but he might’ve come across something that could give him a lead.
Daryl lived on the streets, sleeping in any hole that would offer him a shelter for the night. Tonight he was sharing the luxury ruins of a semi-demolished building in South Los Angeles with a few other homeless junkies. All Jerome had to do was find him.
He’d been waiting patiently, observing the building from a safe distance. He’d been given a good enough description of Daryl, but it seemed that everyone around there looked pretty much the same. Jerome’s advantage was that Daryl was supposed to be six-foot four and that would make him an easy target to spot.
It wasn’t until just past one in the morning when Jerome noticed a tall, awkward figure crossing the street and moving towards the ruined building. Jerome quickly doubled his step to catch up with him.
‘Daryl!’
The man stopped and turned around to face Jerome. His clothes were dirty and torn. His shaved head was covered in scars and scabs. It was obvious he hadn’t shaved or showered in a few days. He looked frightened.
‘Who wants to know?’
‘A friend.’
The man looked Jerome over from head to toe. Jerome had dressed down, swapping his usual thousand-dollar suit for a regular T-shirt and blue jeans, but he still looked too well dressed for that part of town.
‘What sort of friend?’ the tall man asked, taking a step back.
‘One that can help you,’ Jerome said, pulling a small cellophane bag from his pocket containing some brown powder inside. He watched as the man’s eyes lit up with excitement.
‘What do you want man?’ he asked, still looking skeptical.
‘I want to know if you are Daryl or not.’
‘And if I am, am I gonna get that bag?’
‘Depends if you can tell me what I need to know.’
The tall man stepped closer and Jerome noticed how weak he looked. It was obvious Jerome could simply beat the information out of him at any time.
‘Are you a cop, man?’
‘Do I look like a cop?’ Jerome had always wondered why people would ask that question – as if an undercover cop would just come clean and say ‘Yes, you got me, I’m a cop.’
‘Cops can look like anything these days.’
‘Well, I’m not one. Are you Daryl or not?’
The tall man hesitated for a few more seconds, his eyes fixed on the brown powder bag. ‘Yes, that’s me.’
Oh! The power of bribing, Jerome thought. ‘Good, so now we can talk,’ he said, placing the cellophane bag back in his pocket.
Daryl’s eyes saddened just like a little boy who’d lost his candy. ‘What do you wanna talk about?’
‘Something you know.’
A new doubtful look came over Daryl. ‘And what is it that I’m supposed to know?’
Jerome sensed a hint of hostility in Daryl’s voice. More bribing was needed. ‘Are you hungry? I could certainly use some food and a cup of coffee. There’s a twenty-four-hour cafe just around the corner. How about we go talk in there, I’m buying.’
Daryl hesitated for a second before nodding. ‘Yeah, coffee and food would be nice.’
They walked in silence, Daryl always two steps in front of Jerome. They reached the empty cafe and sat at a table at the back. Jerome ordered some coffee and pancakes and Daryl a double cheeseburger with fries. Jerome took his time with his food, but Daryl devoured his.
‘Would you like another one?’ Jerome asked as soon as Daryl was done. Daryl finished the last of his root beer and let out a loud burp.
‘No thanks. That hit the spot just right. So what is it that you’d like to know?’
Jerome leaned back on his seat looking relaxed. ‘I need information about some people.’
‘People? What kinda people?’
‘The not very nice kind.’
Daryl scratched his bushy beard and then his crooked nose. ‘Everyone I know fits into that category,’ he said with a half smile.
‘From what I heard you don’t really know these people, you just know where I can find them.’
Daryl raised his eyebrows. ‘You gotta tell me more than that, man.’
Jerome leaned forward and placed both hands over the small table. He waited for Daryl to do the same. ‘Do you know what a snuff movie is?’ he whispered.
Daryl jumped back, almost knocking Jerome’s coffee off the table. ‘Fuck that, man. I knew this was bullshit. I know nothing about that.’
‘I’ve heard differently.’
‘Well, you heard wrong. Who the hell told you that?’
‘That’s not important. What is important is that I need to know what you know.’
‘I don’t know nothing, man,’ he said gesticulating aggressively while avoiding Jerome’s eyes.
‘Look, there are two ways we can do this.’ Jerome paused for a second and took out the same cellophane bag he’d shown Daryl earlier. ‘You can tell me what you know and I’ll give you ten of these.’
Daryl shifted his weight on his seat. ‘Ten?’
‘That’s right.’
That was more heroin than he’d ever had. He could even sell some of it and make a small profit. He ran his tongue over his cracked lips nervously. ‘I’m not involved in it, man.’
‘I never said you were. I just need to know what you know.’
Daryl started to sweat. He needed a hit.
‘The people that deal with that shit . . . they are bad motherfuckers, man. If they find out I said something, I’m dead.’
‘Not if I get to them first. You’d never have to worry about them again.’
Daryl ran both hands tensely over his mouth as if wiping something off. ‘I guess the other way we can do this is a painful one, right?’
‘For you . . . yes.’
Daryl took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘OK, but I don’t know names or nothing.’
‘I don’t need names.’
‘You know, I’ve been down on my luck for a little while now.’ Daryl’s voice was low and sad. ‘It’s not every day I have a meal that hasn’t been someone else’s leftovers. If I could manage to have a shower every day I would, but it’s not that easy when you’re really broke. Most of the time I have to sleep rough, so any place would do, but a sheltered place if I can find one, is much better.’
Jerome listened.
‘A few months ago I was high, drunk and I ended up in some abandoned old factory or something like that in Gardena.’
‘Gardena? That’s way out of town,’ Jerome interrupted.
‘Well, I move around a lot, one of the perks of being homeless.’ Daryl forced a cheesy smile. ‘Towards the back of the main building you can still find part of a roof covering a room, so that’s where I crashed. I was woken up by the sound of a car approaching. I have no idea what time it was, late I guess, it was still dark. Anyway, out of curiosity I peeked through a hole in the wall to see what was going on.’
‘What did you see?’
‘Four guys dragging a tied-up woman out of a big van.’
‘Where did they take her?’
‘Around the back, down a little dirt track. I got curious, so I followed them. I never knew there was an underground area to that building, but there is. A heavy iron door hidden behind some high grass at the end of the dirt track. I waited about five minutes before following them down.’
‘And?’
‘The place was filthy, full of rats and shit and it smelled like a sewer.’
Coming from Daryl, Jerome thought that was priceless.
‘They have this whole thing set up down there, man. Lights and cameras and things like that. The room is all fucked up, full of holes in the walls, it was easy to watch everything without being noticed.’
‘What were they doing?’
‘Well, I thought they were filming a porn movie, man. They tied this girl to a chair. She was kicking and screaming, putting up a real good fight, but they kept on slapping her about. Two of the guys were working the camera and the other two went to work on the girl. But it wasn’t a porn film, man.’ Daryl’s voice weakened. ‘After they were done beating and fucking her they sliced her man. They carved her up like a Halloween pumpkin, and that was no special effect either.’ His gaze was distant as if he could still see the images of that night. ‘They were all laughing afterwards, man, like as if they had just finished a game of b-ball. It was sick.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I panicked, but I knew that if I made any noise, I’d be next. So while they were cleaning up their mess I sneaked back up and hid in the old factory until daybreak. I never went back there again, man.’
‘But can you remember where it is?’
‘Hell yeah,’ he said, nodding slowly.
‘C’mon, let’s go.’ Jerome got a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and left it on the table.
‘Let’s go where?’
‘To Gardena. To this old factory.’
‘Wow, man, you never said anything about going back there.’
‘I’m saying it now.’
‘I don’t know about that man. I told you what I know, that was the deal. That’s worth the bags right?’
‘If you want the bags, you’ve gotta take me there.’
‘That ain’t fair, man, that wasn’t the deal.’
‘I’m changing the deal,’ Jerome said firmly.
Daryl knew he had no choice. He needed a hit – badly. ‘OK, man, but if those motherfuckers are there, I’m staying the fuck in the car.’
‘I just wanna see where it is.’
Fifty-Five
Darkness was absolute and wakening had come very slowly. The residue effect from the drug still lingered in his aching body. A throbbing invaded his head, reaching down into his neck and sho
ulder blades and even the smallest of movements felt like agony. He was trying to come to terms with what had happened and where he was, but his memory was still fuzzy.
Confusion reigned for several minutes before details started to emerge.
He remembered the store, the attractive blond shop assistant, choosing a bottle of wine and a bouquet of roses for Anna. Anna . . . he hadn’t called her to let her know he’d be coming home earlier than usual. She wouldn’t be expecting him.
He remembered someone’s dark reflection on his car window, but not being able to turn around quick enough, the sharp pain on his neck and then nothing.
Squinting in the darkness he tried to understand where he was but nothing made any sense. The air was humid and foul with a fetid odor.
He had no idea how long he’d been unconscious. He tried looking at his watch, but he couldn’t make out its hands.
‘Hello!’ He tried calling out. His voice was too feeble. ‘Hello!’ He tried once again and heard the sound reverberate off the walls. As he struggled to sit up he felt something grab at his right ankle. He tried to pull clear, but whatever it was it just snapped taut. He ran his fingers over it.
A chain.
A very thick chain attached to an iron ring on a brick wall. He tried pulling it as hard as he could to no avail.
‘Hello, is anyone there?’
Silence.
He took a deep breath trying to contain his nervousness. He needed to stay calm and think clearly.
What’d happened? Someone had attacked me, but why?
His gun was gone, but his wallet and detective badge were still with him. Suddenly the realization of who could’ve taken him made him shiver.
The killer – the Crucifix Killer.
If he was right, he knew he was as good as dead. No one would ever find him until the killer was done with him.
He closed his eyes and thought of Anna.
He’d never be able to tell her how much he really loved her, how much he would miss her. He wished he’d given her a better life. A life of not having to wait up wondering if her husband would come home or not. A life that wouldn’t have required her to play second best to his job.
