Jessica couldn’t blink, couldn’t swallow. “We didn’t even learn her name.”
Howard felt for a neck pulse, then looked over his shoulder at Jessica and shook his head. “Looks like he killed her in a hurry,” he said.
“He didn’t want to risk us saving her,” said Jessica. “Us chasing him probably lessened her time. Damn it! If I hadn’t let Heinz get the jump on me…” She suddenly lost control of herself, booting the door to one of the stalls, sending it crashing open on its squawking hinges.
Howard jumped up. “Hey, this is a crime scene. Keep your shit together, Bennett! This girl’s family is depending on you now. We still need to bring Heinz in. He’s out there, unarmed and tired.”
Jessica clenched her fist. “We don’t even know who this girl was, so we don’t know she even has a family. As for Heinz, we’re as weak and tired as he is. You can barely stand and my wrist is useless.”
Howard was hunched over and made no attempt to straighten. “Maybe, but there are two of us and we have guns.”
Jessica was about to argue but then realised that Heinz had tossed her Glock when it ran out of ammo. She went back outside and shone her torch where Heinz had fled. She found her Glock buried in the grass. Pulling a new clip from her belt, she loaded the handgun and suddenly felt more confident. The thought of unloading the entire magazine into Heinz’s forehead gave her impetus to carry on.
Howard joined her in the rain. His P45 was freshly loaded and ready to fire. If they couldn’t take down Heinz now, they didn’t deserve their roles protecting the public. One way or another, Heinz was leaving in custody, either in cuffs or a bodybag; Jessica didn’t care which.
In the distance, she spotted several lights. It didn’t take long to realise that they were torch beams.
“Back-up’s here,” said Howard. “I hope somebody brought painkillers.”
Jessica watched the silhouettes of police officers rushing up the hill and wished they’d arrived five minutes sooner. She headed down the path and met Sergeant Young at the head of the pack. He looked at her eagerly, his rotund belly heaving as he caught his breath. “Heinz?”
Jessica shook her head.
“How about the girl?”
Jessica chewed at her lip. “We were too late.”
Young let his head drop. “Bugger it!”
The small group of arriving police officers let out a collective moan. It was then that Jessica noticed a man out of uniform: he was mildly handsome with wavy hair and dark eyes. He looked nervous and sick, not dejected and angry like the police officers. “Who’s this?” Jessica asked Sergeant Young.
“This is Blake Price. He’s an author, one of Heinz’s original victims.”
“You mean his wife was,” corrected Jessica.
“Yes, my wife was a victim,” said Price. “I wasn’t there to protect her.”
“So what are you doing here now?”
Sergeant Young interjected. “When Heinz escaped, we informed Mr Price that he was in danger. His family have gone to stay with friends, but Mr Price was insistent on helping.”
Jessica frowned. “Help how?”
Price pushed his way to the front of the group. He kept his voice low, almost a whisper. “Heinz is obsessed with me. He thinks we’re friends. If I can get close to him, I might be able to talk him round. He’s delusional, but I’m a big part of those delusions.”
Jessica didn’t like it. “Pretty risky. Why not leave it to the police?”
Price stared hard at her for a moment. “Six months ago, my brother died. He was a brave man and died trying to protect other people. At his funeral I promised him that I would do my best to honour his memory. Believe me, my first instinct is to get as far away from this place as possible, but if I can help bring an end to this before anyone else is hurt... Heiz might have information about a missing girl, right?”
Jessica saw a deep sadness in Blake’s eyes, especially at the mention of his brother. She trusted his convictions; Price really did want to help. “Okay,” she said. “Just stay with Sergeant Young until I call for you.”
Sergeant Young bristled. “I think your time calling the shots is over. Two of my officers are lying dead in a stable, your own man is injured, and now Heinz’s hostage is dead.”
“You’re right, I made a complete pig’s ear of this entire thing, which is why I’m not going to allow any more of your men to risk their lives. Office Hopkins and I will get you your man, even if it kills us. You have my word.”
Sergeant Young went to argue, but ended up sighing. “So far, all this is on you. Less I get involved the better, but if Heinz escapes the nature reserve, it’s over to me and my men. We’ll maintain a perimeter until then.”
Jessica nodded. “Don’t worry, Heinz is done escaping.”
She checked on Howard who’d taken a seat in the mud. He was taking slow, steady breaths, but he managed a grim smile as he noticed her approaching. “Hey,” he said. “The cavalry here to take over? I was hoping we had a little more time to fix our screw-up.”
“They’re going to maintain a perimeter while we bring him in. MCU still have the lead.”
Howard raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “How’d you talk the Sergeant into agreeing to that?”
“I used my Southern charm. Okay, maybe it had something to do with Young not wanting to put his name to our mess. We have one last shot to bring Heinz in, and this time we have an added advantage.”
“What’s that?”
Jessica pointed at Blake. “You may have heard of him: his name is Blake Price.”
7
Howard was torn between passing out and wanting to salvage what was left of the MCU’s reputation. When it came to terrorists, Howard knew what to expect: they were maniacs with rules and beliefs. Monsters like Heinz had no rules or beliefs, entirely unpredictable, which was why a half-naked serial killer leaping from the roof of a toilet block had taken Howard by surprise.
The next surprise might kill him. His ribs felt like broken glass, stabbing into him with every movement. The more time that passed, the harder it became to breathe. If he was forced into action one more time, he feared he might lose consciousness.
Jessica was busy checking in with Sergeant Young. It was surprising how much she’d changed in only the last few hours. She’d gone from being his reluctant back-up, to throwing herself into the task with gusto. She’d started to resemble the headstrong woman he knew from MCU’s headquarters. He just hoped her impulsiveness wouldn’t lead to any more mistakes.
The truth was that MCU had been tasked with bringing in Heinz to show that they could operate within a broader spectrum than only domestic terrorism. If they succeeded in bringing the escaped killer in, the MCU’s remit might grow, along with its prestige. There was a lot riding on their success; Palu was counting on them. Sending Jessica into the field to help Howard had been unavoidable. The MCU was recruiting and most of its senior members were recuperating from a previous mission. Jessica and Howard were all that was left, and Howard himself had only just recovered from a fractured radial bone.
Now, Jessica came hurrying over, her eyes lit. “They have Heinz,” she said.
Howard frowned. “They’ve captured him?”
“No, but they have him surrounded at the abbey. They found him there, trying to shake off the effects of the CS gas.”
Howard rolled onto his side and tried to get up. Jessica assisted him, grabbing him under the armpit. “You need to sit this out?”
“I’m good for now. I’ll quit when I pass out.”
“Okay, great, because we’re going to finish this now. I want that crazy son-of-a-bitch locked up for the rest of his life. Either that, or—”
“I know,” said Howard. “I want to put a bullet in the guy too, after what he did to that innocent girl, but he’s sick, right? You said that he belongs in a hospital.”
Jessica nodded, but she was obviously angry. “Let’s get back down to the abbey.”
They headed do
wn the hill and slowly the abbey emerged. This time the harsh stone walls were surrounded by a dozen police officers. Sergeant Young stood in front of the large square tower, waiting for them. “Heinz is inside. He managed to attack one of my men, but it’s nothing he can’t walk off. It’s pitch black in there, though, so it’s going to be risky for whoever goes in there.”
“Is Heinz still unarmed?” asked Howard.
“No, he’s managed to get hold of a metal spike. He may have pulled it from one of the signs in the ground. There’s a ton of them dotted around the park.”
Jessica grunted. “Great. Is there no way we can get this place lit up?”
Young nodded. “Sent some men to fetch a spotlight. It’ll probably take about twenty minutes.”
Howard shrugged. “We have twenty minutes. Heinz isn’t going anywhere.” He folded his arms and shivered. He was covered in mud and soaked through. His reward, once this evening was through, would be a soaking hot bath; but with the endless briefings required after an incident like this, that would likely still be hours away. Dawn would be near by the time he made it back to his flat in London.
Howard took a short stroll and stopped in front of the black rectangle that led inside the ancient abbey. Somewhere inside, Heinz took shelter. Was the man cowering like a trapped animal, or was he beyond fear? Was he waiting inside with no other instinct but to harm the first person to come in after him?
Jessica came up beside Howard and shouted. “Heinz, we have you surrounded. You’re not going to hurt anybody else. You’re going back to the hospital. Throw down your weapon and come on out.”
Silence.
“Richard Heinz, you will be returned to the hospital tonight. The only question is whether or not we have to shoot you first.”
“Whore! You speak to me no more.”
“Oh, I’m going to speak to you, Heinz. I’m going to speak to you like the sad little boy that you are.”
Howard looked at her. “Jessica, what are you doing?”
She shrugged. “What harm will it do? If he runs out to attack me, I’ll shoot him. If not, we’re no worse off. Until then, I want Heinz to know what a piece of slime he is, mentally insane or not.”
Howard wanted to say it was a bad idea winding the psychopath up, but he just sniffed and said, “Fair enough.” Jessica was right, what was the harm?
“Heinz!” shouted Jessica again. “I can see why your wife left you. You’re not a man. You pick on young girls and innocent, unsuspecting women. Why don’t you come out here and try picking on some of these men?”
“Shut up, bitch! I took care of those men at the stables, and no women are innocent. They are all whores.”
“Did those police officers even see you coming, or did you jump them from behind like a coward?”
Silence.
Jessica laughed cruelly. “That’s what I thought. You’re such a loser, Heinz. No wonder Blake Price doesn’t want to know you.”
“Don’t you do that…don’t you talk about him. He’s my friend.”
“Friend? Blake Price hates you. He thinks you’re pathetic.”
“No! Shut your whore mouth.”
“The only whore was your mother.”
Heinz let out a scream. Something flew out of the darkness straight towards Jessica. Howard nudged her aside just as the metal spike embedded itself in the mud, jutting into the air like a javelin.
Jessica turned to Sergeant Young and grinned. “Heinz isn’t armed anymore.”
Sergeant Young nodded and looked at her admiringly. Howard was also impressed. Jessica had obviously hoped her taunts would drive Heinz out, but disarming him was still a decent result.
“Good work,” Howard nodded.
“About time things started going right.”
“Come in here, whore, and I’ll kill you.”
“Why would I do that? I think I’m going to send these men in to get you.”
“No!”
Jessica faced Sergeant Young. “I’d rush him now, while he’s unfocused.”
Young nodded and his men ran inside the abbey. There was shouting, but no sound of a struggle. After a few moments, Howard thought she heard pleading.
One of the officers headed back out of the abbey and hurried over to Sergeant Young. “He legged it up to the bloody roof soon as he saw us coming.”
Just as the officer said it, Howard saw the shadow of a man on top of the square tower.
“I don’t want my officers going up there,” said Sergeant Young. “We’ll wait him out.”
The officer nodded and went back inside the abbey.
Heinz began shouting from atop the tower. “I will not be imprisoned again. I am a great man and I will do as I please.”
“What the hell is he doing up there?” asked Howard.
“Losing it,” said Jessica. “He’s trying to re-empower himself.”
“I would rather die than let you whores take me back to that place. I am not insane. I do not need a hospital.”
“There’s no word for what he needs,” muttered Howard.
Jessica remained silent, staring up at the silhouette of Heinz.
“I will not be beaten and humiliated. I judge the slags and harlots of this world, they do not judge me. I was put here to do great work, but if my work is finished, then so am I.”
Jessica hissed and spun around. “Get Price here now,” she said to Sergeant Young.
Young nodded.
Two minutes later, Blake Price arrived at the scene.
“He’s going to jump,” said Jessica.
“How are you sure of that?” asked Howard. It seemed like you couldn’t be sure of anything when it came to Heinz.
“Believe me. He’s so deluded that he’s romanticised death. He’ll embrace it long before he allows himself to be imprisoned.”
“I see,” said Blake. “Can’t say I wouldn’t like to see that.”
Howard sighed. “Mr Price, I know this man has done terrible things to you, but if we take him alive then we can continue to punish him for his crimes. Killing himself is the easy way out.”
Jessica added her opinion. “The more time we have to study people like Heinz, the more chance we have of protecting future victims. Heinz is mentally insane, and there are biological reasons behind that which we cannot learn if he is dead. Nor can we learn any information about the missing girl he claims to know about.”
Blake rolled his eyes. “Believe me, as much as you think you know about killers, I know more; but I came here to help, so what would you have me do?”
“Talk him down,” said Jessica. “Just like you said you could. Be his friend.”
“You want me to play nice with the man who raped my wife?”
“Yes.”
Blake shook his head and walked off in disgust, but he did so in the direction of the abbey. He approached the square tower and shouted to Heinz. “Hey Richie, what you doing, buddy?”
There was a long silence while the silhouette of Heinz flickered and shifted atop the tower. Howard felt his fists clench while he waited for the author to put their plan into action.
“Blake? Blake Price, is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“W-why…what are you doing here?”
“I came to see you, of course.”
“They…they said you weren’t my friend.”
“Of course I’m your friend. You’re my biggest fan.”
“I am your biggest fan. I’ve read everything you’ve ever written. Even that one with the vampires, Twinkle.”
Price let out a strained laugh. “Yeah, that isn’t one of my favourites. So, how you been? Why don’t you come down and we’ll catch up?”
It was working, Howard saw. Heinz truly believed Blake Price was his friend.
“They locked me up in a bad place after what I did for you.”
“After what you did for me?” Price couldn’t hide his anger for a brief moment and Howard held his breath as he waited for things to unravel.
“Yes. I fucked that bitch of yours with a bottle of your favourite whiskey. I told her to let you be free. She was holding you back, Blake.”
Howard put a hand on Blake’s shoulder. The author was trembling with rage. “You’re helping us catch this son-of-a-bitch,” whispered Howard. “Just remember that, Mr Price. Everything Heinz says, he’ll pay for, I promise.”
Blake nodded. “I know what you did for me, Richie,” he shouted up, “and I appreciate it.”
“You’re glad I did it?”
Price looked like he might vomit, but he said, “Y-yes, I’m glad you did it. My wife was a bitch. She…she…she deserved it.”
“Then why didn’t you reply to any of my letters? Why did you move away to this horrible little town?”
“What letters?”
“I wrote you hundreds of letters, Blake. Hundreds.”
“I…I never got any of them. I sent you letters, too. Did you not get them?”
Heinz sounded confused, like a little boy learning that Santa wasn’t real. “I…I didn’t get any letters. You definitely sent them? You’re not lying?”
“I wouldn’t lie to a friend, not my number one fan. You know what I think happened? I think those bastards, the police, kept our letters from each other. They didn’t like us being friends.”
“They don’t understand us, Blake.”
“Come down here and we’ll make them understand.”
There was a pause before Heinz finally answered. “No, I can’t come down there. They’ll get me. You need to come up here.”
Howard looked at Blake and shook his head.
Blake took a series of deep breaths. “You sure you won’t come down here, Richie? I’d like it if you did.”
“If you’re really my friend, you’ll come up here.”
Slasher: the Escape of Richard Heinz Page 4
