Death By Degrees

by Harrison Drake

  “If there even is one,” Eddie said. “I’ve tried a few things with the program to see if I can find a link, but no luck at all. I hate to say it, Lincoln-”

  “Then don’t. We aren’t just going to wait around for him to kill again. He told me he had two to go and then his grand finale. We don’t have time to dick around. I don’t give a shit if we have to start staying here all night and day, we’re going to find something.”

  “Link,” Chen said. “Let’s take a walk.”

  “Yeah, alright,” I said, a sheepish look forming on my face. “Probably a good idea.”

  I walked out of the office with Chen right behind me.

  “They aren’t used to this, buddy. Kara and I, we know the score, same as you. But Eddie and Najat, they’re new to this. They aren’t used to the long hours, the constant sense of failure, the fear of being targeted. We pluck them out of their safe little environments and bring them here, put them under guard and try to get them to solve the biggest serial killer case of the century – hell, maybe all of history.”

  “I know Chen, I’m just pissed off. And I’m taking it out on them instead of myself.”

  “None of us are doing much here, Link. We’re all faltering.”

  “I fucked up though, Chen. Never should’ve given him a hard time on the phone in Japan. He hung up on me and we haven’t heard from him since.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe he’s laying low. Maybe he’s still trapped in Japan waiting for a chance to get out. You don’t want to become his lapdog anyway, you stood up to him and didn’t give into his shit.”

  “And may have lost the only bone we’ve been thrown the whole time.”

  “But you didn’t give him the yes sir, no sir bullshit lines. You made sure he knew he wasn’t the one in charge.”

  “Are you kidding me? Look at us, you really think we’re in charge? He’s out there somewhere laughing at us while we sit in here twiddling our goddamn thumbs. Crawford is in charge, Chen, and he’s calling every shot.”

  “What else can we do? We really don’t have a choice here. We’ve exhausted every option, Link. Every one. Eddie has been over the e-mails and phone calls hundreds of times. Najat has spent the last two weeks staring at all the bone moulds that have been sent to her. And the three of us have gone through every shred of evidence multiple times.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be making me feel better? Giving me some hope or something?”

  Chen laughed. “Nope, making you realize we’re all in the same boat. But you’re used to it, so take it easy on the civilians. Not to mention you’re supposed to be the unshakable leader.”

  “Fuck that.”

  Chen and I both started laughing. He gave me a hearty slap on the back. “Let’s get back in there and solve this fucking case.”

  “Alright.”

  I was always fascinated by the way cops talked. Together, we swore worse than truckers (who apparently were the worst for swearing according to the phrase ‘to swear like a truck driver’) but as soon as we were out with the public, we were as polite as could be. My theory was that it was how we dealt with things. You could only remain polite to someone who was swearing and screaming at you, calling you a pig and saying they pay your salary for so long without snapping. Being able to go and talk with a colleague and swear like crazy was a way of letting it out.

  It was the same as the dark humour. To the uninitiated some of the jokes police officers made would shock and appall, but it was a way for us to deal with the things that we had to see every day. One could argue whether it was right or not, but if it took our minds off of things like collecting the body parts of a person who had been hit by a train, could anyone fault us for that? We all do what we have to do in order to get through the trials life throws our way.

  Chen and I walked back into the office to the waiting stares of everyone else. I felt a little bit like the kid who had to be taken into the hall for a chat with the teacher. The stress was getting to all of us. We needed a break in the case and we needed it soon. Either that or we were all going to start to lose it.

  And we all needed a break. We hadn’t had a full day off since we landed in Lyon two weeks ago. Eddie and Najat looked exhausted and Kara, Chen and I were getting worn out as well. It was time for a break. All the work was also crippling any chance for the budding romance to continue between our computer genius and our anthropology student. The gazes across the room were unmistakable, the sitting together for lunch, the interrupted moments when someone else would come into the room, it was all too obvious.

  “Eddie, Najat, you guys head out. Take the day off. We’ve been working you to the bone and you guys need a break. But, make sure you stay under guard.”

  “Thanks, Lincoln, we will,” Eddie said. He took Najat by the hand and they made haste to the door, likely hoping to get far enough away before I could change my mind.

  “What about us?” Kara said, a pleading look on her face.

  “Yeah, we’re out of here as well. Thought I’d give them a head start and let them have some alone time.”

  “You playing Matchmaker, Lincoln?”

  “Something like that. Never been any good at it before.”

  Kara laughed and I knew what she was thinking. After she’d been attacked and almost killed by Saunders, after my fight with Kat, after adrenaline, fear and pure, unbridled stupidity led to Kara and I having an one-night affair, after the resultant fallout and after the dust had settled, I tried to set her up with a patrol officer. It lasted half a date. Turned out he wasn’t the decent guy I thought he was. Instead he was a misogynistic douchebag with entitlement issues.

  “In your defense, he did seem like an okay guy until we went out. First time I’ve ever bailed on a date midway.”

  Chen was leaning in, listening intently. “How have I not heard this story yet?”

  Crawford was nice enough to let us have our day off. Eddie and Najat… well I’m not actually sure what they got up to. Kara took her two male guards with her and dragged them through store after store after store. I really hoped they were getting paid well, as I’m sure standing guard in women’s clothing stores wasn’t high on their list of fun jobs. I wondered if she convinced them to help carry her bags.

  Chen and I decided to pick up Kat and Julie then head to the school to pull the kids out for the day. It was only eleven in the morning when we got there, giving us almost the whole day to spend in the park. We didn’t bother to take the time to pack a lunch, it was too beautiful a day to waste any time inside making sandwiches. There were enough places within the park to get a bite to eat that it didn’t matter anyway.

  We did our best to relax and enjoy the time with the kids, but it wasn’t the easiest thing to do with four French police officers in suits following us around everywhere we went. Chen and I had kept our guns with us, concealing them as best we could beneath shorts and t-shirts. It got in the way at times, but I was so used to having a firearm with me that it had become almost second nature.

  I couldn’t stop scanning the park and the trees to see if Crawford was watching us. That was the main reason I decided to remain armed. If we saw him again and if I had the opportunity, I was going to take the shot. It was a replay of Saunders. We knew Crawford was going to kill again, we knew he had something big planned. If I didn’t take the shot and people died, I would be criticized more than if I shot an unarmed man.

  It wasn’t anything new. The day in the park when we had seen him and given chase, if I’d had a clear shot I would’ve taken it. I could’ve put an end to all of this right then and there.

  I stood there pushing Link and Kasia on the swings thinking about what had happened. Maybe I should have taken the shot. Maybe I would have missed Crawford and hit someone else, but if I took enough shots, I would have hit him as well. Would the deat
h of an innocent have been worth stopping Crawford?

  The thoughts racked my brain and I couldn’t focus. I needed to make a decision in case the situation arose again. I needed to know now what I would do then, otherwise I wouldn’t be prepared. There were too many variables, too many unknowns. Crawford had two more people to kill. If I killed an innocent or two to take him down, there would be no way it would be worth it.

  But what of his grand finale? How many people would that affect? What the hell was it he was planning anyway? If I knew it was going to be a massacre of thousands, how would one innocent life weigh against that?

  I had to stop thinking like that. It wasn’t my job to make these decisions. The choice of who lived and died was not up to me. I had to leave it to acceptable risk. If I could make the shot with the chances of hurting anyone else being very slim, then I would take it. But there was no way that choosing one life over another – even over thousands – was the acceptable thing to do.

  With every push of the swings I tried to force the thoughts out of my head. Time off with the family was a rarity and I was going to enjoy it no matter what it took.

  “Daddy, I’m done,” Kasia said from the peak of her swing.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  I stopped them both and let them hop off then got onto the swing Link had been sitting on.

  “What are you doing?” he said, trying not to laugh.

  “It’s my turn. Someone needs to push me.”

  They both ran behind me and fought for the best position. It appeared that pushing their father on the swing was far more fun than being the one swinging. Their small hands dug into my sides and back as they did their best to push me; if it wasn’t for me helping I doubt I would have moved much. They laughed and carried on as I, slowly and painfully, made my way to what could be considered a decent swing. Once I was moving, they were happy and ran off to the climbers to celebrate their new victory.

  Chen came over and sat down on the swing beside me.

  “It’s nice that the kids are getting so much time together. They’re going to hate us when we have to go home and they only see each other a couple of times a year again.”

  “Then move to London.”

  “You move to Ottawa. You’re the ones without a house right now. It’s a little easier for you.”

  I tried to hit him in the shoulder but my timing was off and I almost fell off the swing.

  “Serves you right,” Chen said, pumping harder to try to stay out of strike range.

  “Maybe… but that was a bit of a low blow.” I tried to catch up, to get into rhythm, but it wasn’t working. “Why don’t we just say screw it and all stay here? Not much keeping me tied to Canada anymore.”

  I was almost there, almost in sync. Chen noticed this and repositioned himself in order to throw himself from the swing. He caught the bottom of his shirt as he jumped and although it didn’t tear, it held on long enough to throw him off balance. Chen flailed his arms trying to regain control before landing on his side in the sand.

  I cancelled my jump after that and dragged my feet until I came to a stop. I could barely breathe I was laughing so hard. Julie and Kat were sitting at a picnic table a short distance away and I could tell they were almost in tears from laughing as well. Even the kids ran over to see what was going on.

  I reached out my hand and Chen took it, using me as leverage to pull himself to his feet. He dusted the sand off of himself and turned out his pockets which, by the amount pouring out, must have been almost full.

  “You’ve… your face, Chen.”

  He brushed at his face only to realize there was sand stuck to his cheek. “Didn’t even know I’d hit my face. So… how’d it look?”

  “I’ve seen better. I’d give you an eight out of ten on the dismount, maybe a seven on the landing.”

  “Thanks,” Chen said. He walked over to the grass and began spitting.

  “Some in the mouth?”

  “No, just spitting because I’m bored.”

  I had a few words for him, but saved them since the kids had arrived.

  “You okay, daddy?” Anya was a lot like Kasia - even from a young age they were extremely empathetic to the point of it almost being a sixth sense.

  “Yeah, sweetie. I’m fine. This is why I tell you guys you shouldn’t jump off of the swings.”

  “Supposed to be setting an example, Chen,” I said.

  “I blame you fully for this.”

  I smiled. “Perfectly fine with that.”

  Chen took his phone out of his pocket, looked at the screen then put the phone away again. “It’s past noon already, time to grab some lunch?”

  “Everyone hungry?” My voice carried across the playground. A chorus of assent came from the kids and from Kat and Julie who stood up and walked over to us. The kids weren’t far behind.

  “Where to for lunch, honey?”

  I tried to whisper, but I swore the kids could read lips. “Are we going to the zoo still?”

  “The zoo?”

  “I want to go to the zoo!”

  And so on.

  “I guess so,” I said. “Why don’t we head there? We can eat first and then explore.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”

  “The kids have spoken,” Julie said. “I guess we go. You guys coming?”

  I felt bad for the four of them, it was a hot day for following us around. It didn’t help that Julie and Kat both found the whole idea of being under constant surveillance absolutely bizarre and took the chance to make the occasional joke about it. They barely spoke though and while I knew some of them were bilingual, I wasn’t sure which of these four would have even picked up on Julie’s sarcastic comment.

  They just walked when we walked and stopped when we stopped. It was like having a well-dressed and armed shadow.

  We ate a quick lunch of hot dogs and French fries – fitting given where we were – before setting off to see all the animals. The zoo wasn’t remotely as large as the Toronto Zoo (which made for a lot less walking), but the selection of animals was very good. The newest addition, which had opened only a few years prior, was the African Plain. It consisted of over a hundred animals living within an open area a couple of acres in size that consisted of savannah, wetlands, an island and a separate enclosure for the crocodiles.

  The most interesting part for me was seeing the Barbary lions which had been extinct in the wild since the mid-1900s. Mating programs had been set up with hopes of eventually being able to reintroduce them to the wild. They were different from other lions in that they tended to live a solitary life as opposed to in a pride, something that had likely been forced upon them due to the scarcity of food in their previous habitat. They were also considered to be the largest of the lion subspecies with the males apparently reaching over five hundred pounds.

  They were beyond impressive. For some reason the idea of a very large, solitary lion sat better with me than the idea of a pride. Maybe it’s because I was used to anti-social housecats, or maybe the solitary life was simpler. I watched the kids running between the animal exhibits while the four of us tried to stay on top of where they were at all times, while the other four adults tried to keep an eye on the eight of us and everything around us all.

  Alone you only had one thing to worry about: your own survival.

  Our time at the zoo was finished just before dinner and by that time we were all hungry again. We decided to meet up with Eddie, Najat and Kara for dinner at a Syrian restaurant called Alyssaar. It was located to the south a bit and then just across the Rhône river off of Quai Jean-Moulin. The restaurant was owned and operated by a Syrian-born chef and the food was fantastic, better than I could have expected. Kat and I both had the kharouf, a dish consisting of lamb in a sesame cream sauce. The best part of it was that th
e kids actually behaved the entire time, and ate all of their food, allowing us all to enjoy our meal in near-silence.

  All in all, a wonderful time spent with family and friends. Kara regaled Kat and Julie with tales of her shopping trip while Chen and I both tried to prepare for the demands of shopping-deprived spouses as well as the drain on the family finances. Kat had been through hell in the last little while, so I was sure I could allow a semi-reasonable shopping trip. The problem I knew was going to fall upon the definition of semi-reasonable and just what that meant in terms of how many pairs of shoes she could buy. I knew I’d end up losing anyway, and at that moment I resolved myself to not put up a fight when the time came.

  Chen I wasn’t so sure about. Chen was far more financially responsible (read cheap) than I was, but he was also way ahead on paying off his mortgage than we were. Well, until our house burned down and the insurance paid out. So technically we were ahead of the game now, only by virtue of being homeless.

  Eddie and Najat had spent the day at the same park we were at, although they stayed around the lake and away from the zoo. We didn’t get a lot of details from them other than they spent most of their time on the lake after renting a little rowboat. I wanted to pry, but at the same time I figured it was nice for them to have what they did. With everything going on around us, having something safe to cling to was a necessity.

  We all walked home after dinner, opting for some fresh air instead of trying to cram ourselves into a couple of cabs. It wasn’t a long walk and at night with the streets along the river lit up, it was a beautiful sight. We walked north and decided to take a longer route, crossing the Rhône along the Winston Churchill Bridge. This meant a short backtrack south to our apartments on Rue Barrème. When we arrived at the apartment block Eddie and Najat went off together and Kara went on her own. The Chens came up to our apartment where the day off continued. We plopped the kids down in front of the television and they eventually managed to come to a consensus on what movie to watch, settling on Despicable Me.