Murderer's Row

by Rashad Freeman

  “I did it. I had sex with him,” Kathy mumbled. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  “Kathy, shut up. Don’t say another word,” Henry yelled to her.

  Agnes gave him an angry glance then turned back to Kathy. “Go on.”

  “What else do you want me to tell you? It was wrong. Please just let me go, I won’t tell anyone a thing. I swear.”

  Agnes stepped back towards Henry and began to stroke his face with her fingers. “My sweet, sweet Daniel,” she whispered.

  “Get your hands off of me you crazy bitch,” Henry growled.

  Agnes smiled and yanked the scalpel from his leg. “Certainly Daniel,” she laughed.

  Henry roared as blood gushed from his thigh.

  “You should have that looked at,” Agnes said.

  “Just let us go. Just let us go you psycho,” Henry cried out.

  Agnes twirled the razor sharp blade between her fingers, grinning as she looked from Kathy to Henry. She opened her mouth then closed it, making a clicking sound with her tongue. “You two really do make a nice couple Daniel,” she said as she frowned.

  “I’m sorry, please let me go…please.” Kathy continued to plead.

  Henry lay in silence. His breathing was slow and shallow. Blood still gushed from his leg like broken plumbing and his skin was ghastly pale.

  “Please…please. I don’t wanna die. You can have him back. I swear I’ll never touch him again,” Kathy’s high-pitched voice screeched like a dying cat.

  Agnes huffed and ran her fingers over the hard steel of the scalpel. She traced the edges delicately, her eyes twinkled with a hint of misplaced lust. The flickering red light on the ceiling gleamed off of the silver blade, sparkling and illuminating the stoic guise on her face.

  “Please…” Kathy’s voice trailed off.

  “Shut her up Daniel,” Agnes snapped. “Shut her up now!”

  “Henry…Henry who is she talking to? Henry please tell her to let me go. Tell her we’ll never do it again. Tell her you’re sorry,” Kathy continued.

  “Daniel, I said to shut her up,” Agnes fumed.

  Henry was hardly conscious. He was moaning on the table, his voice barely audible. His eyes were glossed over and unfocused. For a moment Kathy’s voice seemed to have found him and he turned his head and stared towards her.

  “Please Henry. Please,” she cried.

  “I told you to shut her up,” Agnes screamed.

  She turned and raised the scalpel into the air. The look on her face was scathing and malicious. Her dark eyes narrowed like slits, her lips curled into a snarl. “Enough,” she growled.

  She thrust the scalpel into Kathy’s chest with all her might. It plunged through her with a dull thud and a snap as the blade speared into her ribs. Kathy jolted against her restraints and yelped in agonizing pain.

  “Shut up!” Agnes yelled again.

  She stabbed her over and over, jabbing the scalpel into her torso like a pin cushion. Agnes was possessed, her face contorted with an inhuman darkness. Kathy’s screams shrilled in the small room like a fire alarm, but Agnes didn’t stop.

  “This is what you wanted Daniel? This is what you wanted me to do?” Agnes said hysterically, her face dripping with blood.

  Henry could hardly open his eyes. He mouthed the words stop, but was too weak to do anything else. His face was pale and his lips had a slight tint of blue. He could feel his life fading away with every labored breath.

  Once Kathy had gone silent Agnes dropped the scalpel and rubbed her hands across her face. She smeared the blood into her skin as she let out a dark and eerie heckle.

  Kathy’s lifeless body looked unreal, like something from a horror movie. Her face was frozen in a terrified mask, speckles of blood riddled her skin like freckles.

  “That’s better,” Agnes said while breathing heavily. She ran her fingers through her hair then turned to Henry. “Now, what do we do with you?”

  ~~***~~

  It was midafternoon and a swab of dreary clouds floated across the gray sky. A gust of wind blew in over the river and rustled Eve’s loose hair. She was sitting on a bench facing the Hudson. Her eyes gazed out over the horizon with a sense of eager anticipation.

  A light rain started to fall across the water. It made the river come to life as ripples exploded from the heavy droplets.

  “We’re gonna find him kid,” a deep voice called from behind her.

  Eve turned her head and nodded. Sal gave her a half-hearted smile then took a seat next to her.

  “Does it ever become just too much for you?” Eve asked softly.

  “All the time.”

  “So how do you…how do you keep going?”

  “One foot after the other,” Sal said and put his arm around her.

  “Look at you sounding like Confucius,” Eve laughed.

  “Somebody has to. You ready?”

  Eve took a deep breath and composed herself. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  A week had passed since the mayor’s announcement. Little had been done by his taskforce to produce any results and the mayor’s reelection was looking less and less likely. To make matters worse he was fighting drug scandal accusations and trying desperately to salvage his reputation.

  Sal and Eve had decided that if anything was gonna get done, they’d be the ones doing it. Along with several other detectives they’d been scouring the sewer systems in search of the captain. Up until now the only thing they’d found was the most populated rat hideouts.

  Today they were trying something different. Thanks to a lead from an old friend of Sal’s they were heading to an abandoned water station with underground access. It had been closed so long, hardly anyone that worked with the city even knew it existed.

  “This is it,” Sal said as they pulled into the abandoned parking lot.

  It was surrounded by a rickety chain-link fence that looked like it had survived several bombing attempts. A shredded “no trespassing” sign clung to the gate by a metal rung. Weeds and grass sprouted up from the concrete, overgrown to the point that the pavement was hardly visible.

  In the center of the lot was a small, square brick building. It was beige with a dark brown roof and a gray metal door in the center.

  “Ladies first,” Sal said as he pushed the wobbly fence open.

  Eve rolled her eyes and stepped into the lot. Without looking back she headed down the sidewalk towards the control station. Sal waddled behind her, his dress shoes making him clumsy over the broken, weed infested pavement.

  “Where’s the fire Rosario?” Sal huffed.

  “Stop dressing like a used car salesman and you could keep up,” Eve jested.

  She stopped at the front of the building and waited for Sal to catch up. It seemed like he was moving in slow motion. Grumbling and out of breath, he finally made it to the door and leaned against the wall.

  “Think I broke my damn ankle,” Sal said as he doubled over.

  “You ready?” Eve huffed as she pulled out her pistol.

  Sal nodded, gripping a snub-nosed revolver is his meaty hands. Eve moved forward and grabbed the silver doorknob, but it didn’t turn. Sal grumbled.

  “Are you kidding me?” he groaned.

  Eve took a half step back and raised her gun. Before Sal could stop her she let three shots rip from the barrel and the entire door lock fell to the ground with a clunk. She kicked the door and it swung open.

  “I’m sick of waiting for shit,” Eve said then stepped inside.

  “Hmph,” Sal snickered then followed after her.

  The little rundown building seemed to be a lost part of some industrial warehouse. Thick metal pipes hung above them attached to steel cables. Steam hissed from the joints and the metal whined as it grew and shrank. Fuse boxes and control panels were secured to the wall. And at the far end of the room was a single elevator.

  “I thought they said this place was condemned?” Eve asked.

  “They did,” Sal responded. “Come on.”

  He w
alked towards the elevator and pressed the call button on the wall. The door opened with a ding and Eve shot him a skeptical gaze.

  “You’re getting on that thing?” Eve asked.

  “Of course I am. I thought we were trying to find someone.”

  “Sal that thing is like fifty years old. We step on it and it’s gonna fall apart and kill us.”

  “Look around Rosario. Someone has been here and I don’t think they’ve been hanging out in this room. We follow the case kid and the case is down that elevator shaft. So get your skinny ass over here and let’s go,” Sal said and then winked.

  “You’re gonna get us killed,” Eve groaned as she followed him onto the elevator.

  “All the way down I guess.” Sal punched the button and the doors rolled closed.

  When the elevator stopped and the doors opened the first thing Eve noticed was the echoing sound of running water. They both raised their guns and scanned from side to side like a pair of watchdogs.

  “Clear,” Eve whispered and stepped out of the elevator.

  They shuffled onto on a concrete walkway that was about five feet wide. It ran both ways for a hundred yards before fading into the darkness. Thick concrete walls were on one side, a yellow guardrail on the other. Beyond the rail was a slow moving stream of cloudy water as wide as a highway.

  “This looks ominous,” Sal said as he stared into the murky water.

  “We follow the case right,” Eve said mockingly. “You go that way and I’ll go this way. Holler if you need me old man.”

  With her gun at the ready Eve headed down the shadowy walkway. Sal sighed and walked off in the other direction.

  There was a moldy smell in the moist, warm air. Water seemed to drip from everywhere playing a melodic pitter-patter that echoed throughout the underground tunnel. The metal pipes that intertwined overheard made a throaty groan like an angry elephant.

  Sal moved slowly, constantly checking over his shoulder. He kept one hand on the guard rail and his other clutching his revolver like it was a lifeline.

  The wall to his right had doors spaced out every twenty feet. They were all red and made of a heavy iron. Each one he tried to open was locked. A good sign, Sal thought.

  Eve was moving quickly in the other direction. Her earlier hesitation had turned to an eager determination to find something worthwhile.

  She stopped at one of the heavy red doors and gave it a nudge with her shoulder. The door didn’t budge. “All of these fucking things are locked,” Eve yelled.

  Sal jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around. “Jesus kid,” he griped.

  He wasn’t the only one that was startled by Eve’s screams. In the room right behind him Agnes had just finished cleaning up after Henry. She heard Eve yell and quickly moved to the door and peeked out. Sal’s back was to her, standing only a few feet away.

  Agnes slipped back inside and put on her black jacket. She grabbed a scalpel from the table and a plastic cup filled with cold water. Tip toeing she moved back to the door and cracked it open.

  Sal still had his back turned. He was yelling to Eve although he could no longer see her down the walkway.

  Agnes quietly slipped out of the room and locked the door behind her. Using the scalpel she pried open a small gray panel attached to the wall. It exposed a series of wires and circuit breakers.

  She crouched down like a hunting cat. The scalpel was in one hand, the cup of water in the other.

  “There’s nothing down here Eve,” Sal yelled. “Let’s go…I was wrong, the case is now leading us to a pizza shop.”

  Eve screamed something inaudible back and Agnes seized the opportunity and flung the water onto the circuit breakers. There was a loud pop and sparks fired into the air. With a crackle the lights shut off and everything was cast into a nebulous black void.

  “What the hell?” Sal groaned as he turned around.

  Agnes blindly leapt forward, slashing through the air like a ninja. The razor sharp blade sliced across Sal’s face. He stumbled backwards and fired his revolver into the darkness.

  Eve gasped as gunshots echoed like thunder. She whipped around and charged down the walkway as fast as her legs would move. “Sal!” she hollered.

  There was another gunshot and Sal groaned. Suddenly, a red glow erupted all around her as the backup floodlights kicked on.

  Eve could see Sal lying on the floor and a dark shadowy figure running the other way. She squeezed the trigger on her pistol, firing several shots that ricocheted from the concrete walls. Fire flared from the barrel like an angry dragon.

  The unknown assailant vanished around the corner as Eve stopped next to Sal and knelt down.

  “Oh my God,” Eve cried and lifted his head in her hands.

  He had a jagged gash running across his face, a river of crimson streaming into his eyes. His jacket fell open, revealing his white button up shirt that was soaked in rose colored plasma. The metallic hilt of a scalpel was barely visible, just protruding from his stomach.

  Sal took a ragged breath and looked up to Eve with a half-smile. “Guess I better stop letting the case lead me places,” he croaked in a harsh voice.

  “You’re fine. You hear me? You’re fine,” Eve stammered.

  Sal swallowed and licked his lips. He stared up at Eve as her tears splashed onto his forehead. He could feel his heart weakening, his pulse beating slower and slower like the echo of a marching band getting further and further away.

  He took another rattled breath, his throat slowly filling with his own blood. Eve stroked his cheek and he frowned, then his face went slack. His eyes unfocused and his body fell limp into her lap.

  CHAPTER 27

  UNPUZZLED

  Eve looked down and frowned at the cold, dead face. She took a deep breath and shook her head. She’d lost so much, seen so much death that she was almost numb to it. What was one more victim in the sea of faces that haunted her dreams?

  She’d known him for years. Watched him curse, kick and scratch his way from the bottom to the top and right back down again. He was a fighter, a persistent force that one way or the other got what he wanted.

  He’d been a constant pain in her ass, but had been a plentiful source of information when she needed it. He’d probably made dozens of enemies in his line of work, but Eve never imagined he’d die this way.

  “I just don’t get it?” Tony said as he stepped next to Eve. “He was a good guy I thought.”

  Eve nodded. “No one deserves to die like this,” she said.

  The body was lying at the edge of the river. His limbs were twisted, his fingers broken and smashed. He’d been at the wrong end of some maniacal fit of rage. An obvious crime of passion Tony called it.

  Eve leaned her head back and sighed, soaking in the picturesque scene above her. The clear skies and beaming sun made the waterside an ideal location for a picnic. Ironically enough it also made it a clear and uncluttered crime scene.

  “How’s Sal doing?” Tony asked.

  “He wasn’t awake last time I called. They’d just finished his third surgery. He’s a stubborn bastard, hard to kill type,” Eve said. “I’m gonna head up there in a few.”

  Tony nodded then turned back to the deceased man lying in the grass. “Henry never stood a chance,” he mumbled.

  “This is just so out of character. You think we have some kind of sadistic copycat or something?” Eve asked.

  Tony shrugged and stared back at Henry’s body. “All’s I know is he pissed someone off for the last time.”

  Henry’s ears were missing, crudely cut off leaving jagged slivers of skin. His eyes had been savagely ripped out and his face was covered in gashes. His shirt was missing and carved into his chest was the word “liar.”

  “No card this time, just the message on his chest. We’ll run the labs and see what we can get,” Tony said as he started to walk back towards the other techs. “Oh,” he suddenly stopped. Did you want to be the one to tell Agnes? I know you two are pretty good frien
ds.”

  Eve looked at him strangely. “Why does Agnes need to know?”

  “Because Henry is her boyfriend. You knew that right?”

  “No. How the hell did you know that?”

  “Geez Eve, she came to the station every other day looking for you. She’d wait around when you weren’t there. Us girls do love to talk,” he laughed.

  Eve looked at him with a worried face. She wrinkled her brow and bit her upper lip. “Call me if you find anything else. I gotta run to the hospital.”

  “Wait,” Tony yelled after her. “Does that mean you’re gonna tell Agnes.”

  “Yeah, yeah I’ll tell Agnes. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing her soon. Just don’t forget Tony as soon as you find out anything you call me.”

  Tony looked confused, but agreed. He returned to the water’s edge as Eve hopped into her car and sped off.

  Driving to the hospital brought back memories that she fought to suppress. Purposefully, she hadn’t been there in a long time. The image of the building, the very smell in the hallways made her think of Marc.

  Eve sped up and pushed the thoughts of Marc out of her head. She had more pressing matters to worry about. “It can’t be,” she whispered to herself.

  Thoughts of a tiny homicidal woman seemed absurd, but for reasons Eve couldn’t explain, it all fit together. Agnes had access to the drugs, she had the free time and the skill to keep her victims alive while she tortured them.

  “But what could her motive possibly be?” Eve asked herself. And Agnes was certainly too small to have overpowered so many capable men, she thought.

  As she parked her car in the underground garage and headed to the elevator, she laughed and pushed the idea of Agnes as a murderer out of her head.

  “Detective,” Harper the scruffy-faced officer called. “You here to relieve me?”

  Eve rolled her eyes and huffed. Sal’s room had been under guard since he arrived. With the captain missing and the murderer still at large, the mayor was afraid of losing another officer. His approval rating was already in the toilet and he’d lost all hopes of reelection.