Blood Thrill Page 15

  Brian and team immediately grouped together in the room and planned a recovery operation. They had the location, it was in an abandoned area on the outskirts of the city, mainly an industrial area that had been long-forgotten. One of those buildings that had wire fencing all around held the key to this mystery. Down in the basement was a room without electricity, this place had a generator and Crab was using this space as his kill Station. There was supposed to be a lot of communication equipment also to be found, if Crab was actually being truthful.

  Brian was sure that things could go either of two ways. It would either be a ‘Quick Smash-and-grab,’ or a ‘Full-on firefight.’ There was no saying now, as there was no time to conduct a recon. The DA, Mayor, and Ellen were desperate for a real break in the case, not to mention the citizens of the city. Five cars with the entire team would leave to this area; only two people from Andreas’ team would stay behind to look after communications and coordination. The five cars quietly moved out of the PD, there were no blaring sirens or blazing lights. They located the industrial area, the type of place where all the buildings looked alike, with large compounds and a concrete structure right in the middle. The team now needed to find the building that Liam worked out of. They decided to spread out and search, staying in constant communication. Andrea instructed the team to keep a lookout for any shadowy movements, or a suspicious window that might have, even the slightest hint of a light on behind it. Matt the profiler was asked to use all of his skills to help pinpoint the exact location of the correct building.

  The team had begun to create a greater distance between themselves, so as not to scare away any of Liam’s associates. ‘Switch off all lights,’ Brian ordered. The cars were now cruising with eyes and ears open, there were no signs of life however. Brian figured that this could go on all-night long with no luck. ‘Guys we need another plan, this is not working,’ He was sounding disappointed, until a single shot rang out. The bullet grazed the top of the car, the one in which Brian and Andrea were in. Greg from tactical brought the car to a screeching halt; it had definitely come from the right of the drivers’ side. ‘Shots fired, shots fired,’ Brian’s voice came over the radio. ‘Let’s get the bastards,’ the team scrambled out of the car and waited for reinforcements, as the other cars began to pull up.

  Greg was the first to scale the fence and enter the compound. Brian was behind the car providing cover. His eyes were scanning the roof, as the trajectory of the bullet hitting the top of the car, proved that it had been fired from the roof of the single storied warehouse. Being a big-box-warehouse that single box was as high as a three storied normal building. Jackie was using a large bolt cutter to cut through the hook of the lock, throwing the large twin gates open, the cops were now swarming the compound and surrounding the building. The main door was locked with an industrial strength door; which was not too much of a problem for Greg who was in possession of battering ram, strong enough to smash through any door. The door gave way on the third bash; the cops had their torch lights on as they entered the large warehouse. The big space was sinister at this hour, with the only light spreading across the area now coming from the torchlight of the cops. They stayed by the door, only Jackie and Brian began to circle the space. This was to avoid getting caught in crossfire, in case something took them by surprise.

  They completed the circle and returned to the team waiting near the entrance, without any luck. ‘If we go back anticlockwise, there are stairs leading to a basement. Greg you and team, take the roof and clear that area. Jackie, Andrea, and me, will hit the basement.’ Without saying another word the team took positions and followed Brian’s orders.

  Brian went first, leading the way to the basement. All three had their guns drawn and ready for anything that might come at them. They reached the bottom of the stairs and shone their torches all around. Toward the wall on the left, attached to a socket in the wall was a freezer, there was also a light switch located above the box. Brian reached out and turned it on; a rather dull light came on in the center of the room. Jackie opened the box and true to Liam’s word, there was a headless body, well frozen inside. There was no question in their minds now, as this was indeed the body of the dead chief. ‘Let’s get an ambulance and take it back.’ Jackie said. It was at this point that they heard quick spurts of gunfire coming from off the roof; it was quick and fast and stopped abruptly. ‘Greg got him,’ Andria commented. That sounded very much the way Greg operated, he was quick and precise and had never missed.

  ***

  The next morning the team had assembled in their specially designated room. The person Greg had shot on the roof, turned out to be a petty criminal, and not a lead worth following up on. The chief’s body had been shifted to the morgue and was being prepared to be handed over to the family.

  Brian and Andrea were in interrogation with Liam, as Brian began. ‘We got the body. Were you the one who beheaded the chief?’ ‘No man, I already told you, it was Snake.’ ‘Why would he be so careless all of a sudden? Besides he’s never actually killed anyone before?’ Andrea was questioning Liam. ‘I don’t know, he wanted the police chief taken out, and he wanted it done fast. His message came over one evening and I just went to the warehouse and started-up the generator.’ ‘Has this place been used before to store dead bodies?’ ‘No, not too often, this was a special freezer used only for special people. The chief was what you might call… yeah a VIP. Snake used this freezer only for the bodies of VIPs. Hey I hope my confessions are being recorded, I want a reduced sentence, but… but… I still think Snake is coming. Once he comes, I'll go free.” ‘Not a chance in hell,’ Andrea said sternly. ‘You’re here to stay, the only thing you can expect is leniency in your sentencing, because of all your cooperation.’ ‘I’ll let you go free, if you give me Snake.’ Brian was sounding excited. Andrea gave him that look, ‘The fuck… you crazy.’

  ‘I don’t know where he is, no one knows man… he might not be a man, he’s like an undead spirit. He’s here, there, and everywhere man…’ ‘Cut the crap, Liam’ Brian shouted. Tell me where to find him.’ ‘Fuck you man… give me my cigarette.’ Brian moved in to hit Liam, when Andrea stood-up and stopped him. ‘No,’ she said, almost raising her voice. ‘Keep it civilized.’ ‘So what, are you going to listen to this pussy?’ Liam retorted. ‘You shut the fuck up,’ Brian blazed. ‘Tell me, tell me, where the fuck is Snake. For fucks’ sake you better start talking man.’ Brian now began pacing in front of Liam, from left to right in front of him. Andrea and the rest of the team did not know what to expect next. Stopping all of a sudden in front of Liam, he now turned to face him. He walked straight up to him and sat down in front of his face. ‘We have no time, the DA has asked us to bring charges against you. You’re going to go in for life motherfucker. Do you know what happens in jail to cop killers, and you stupid fuck… you killed the chief. The cops will put you in the deepest darkest cell with Ape. We have this big ugly ape, stored away in a very dark and long-forgotten cell. He hasn't had sex for two years now. Guess what he’s going to do to your asshole, when you’re thrown in with him. We keep him just for people like you, he’s going to tear your asshole open and cover your face with it. Give me something now or by god I’ll have your transferred there immediately.’

  Liam just kept staring back at him, everyone waited with bated breath in anticipation of Liam’s reaction. You could hear a pin drop; the silence had started to become deafening. ‘Snake had spoken to the chief… he told him that all the murders in his city would stop if he paid-up…’ ‘How much did Snake ask for?’ ‘I don’t know man… I think… ten million.’ ‘What did the chief say?’ ‘He said no man… he said the cops would get him… he brought him in just to threaten him… your chief was just too stubborn.’ ‘Why didn't the chief tell us?’ ‘We have tapes man… the chief was having sex with a prostitute one night… ha-ha-ha horny old bastard. Snake paid the prostitute to start a fight with the chief. She hit that old motherfucker, she hit him good… he fought back
and hit her man… he punched the bitch and left. Snake moved in and killed her… he had the tapes man. It looked like the chief murdered that dumb fucking bitch. Snake had him by the balls.’ ‘So he wanted him to pay for the tapes and to stop the murders in this city?’ ‘Yeah… then why didn't he wait for the money?’ ‘He had the money… 10 big ones in cash. Everything was going to stop. Snake found a device on the chief man - his cell phone was on and someone was listening.’ ‘Who was that, come on who was on the other line.’ ‘It was the motherfucking mayor.’ ‘Does Snake have dirt on the mayor?’ ‘Yeah… he’s worse than the chief… he’s gay man… he picks up all these male prostitutes… Gigolo you call them I think and then he shoots them up with drugs.’ ‘So the mayor is the next target?’ ‘The mayor is going to die.’ ‘But we have you here, so who’s going to pull off the hit?’

  ‘There’s a new guy in town.’ I don’t know him, only Snake knows him. That’s all I’ve got man.’

  Later that evening, Brian was apprised of the search results, after a through scan of the warehouse, in one of the dark corners, hidden under some packing boxes and carpets, blood was found along with a knife. The knife had blood and prints, the prints belonged to Liam.

  Snake had given the orders and Liam had followed. This murder could not be tied to Snake but was enough to charge Liam and keep him in jail, which was the safest place for him, as the team still had much they could learn from him.

  18. Mr. Mayor

  Snake had asked me to off the mayor and had given me a week in which to do it. I wasn't sure if this had to do with enmity or if someone had ordered an actual hit. I now had to make a decision and make one fast as I was running out of time.

  I had many cell phones at my disposal, picking up the cell phone that belonged to the prostitute I found at Nick’s place. Switched it on and dialed the mayor’s number. It was already 1 am and I hoped that he was wise enough to answer. He did, ‘We need to speak.’ ‘Who… who… who is this?’ He stammered. ‘I am your savior; meet me at the marina near the pier in an hour from now.’

  He came as expected and had his phone with him; he kept walking down to the boats awaiting further instructions. I called and guided him on how to reach the boat I was in, without being picked up by the cameras at the marina. He reached the boat and I bid him to sit on a chair located on the bow. Coming out of the darkness I was not standing behind him. ‘I’ve been asked to saw your head off.’ He continued to remain seated in silence. ‘Give me a good reason as to why I should not; I think you know who put that hit on your head?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied meekly. ‘Why does he want you killed?’ ‘He has video footage of me, like he had on Chief Mark Johnson.’ ‘What tapes - and you had better not be lying, If not I’m going to pull your heart out and divide it into two.’ ‘He has a tape of the chief murdering a prostitute.’ ‘And you, what does he have of you?’ ‘I’m a married man…’ ‘Shut the fuck up and don’t give me shit.’ ‘I have the unholy habit of sleeping with gay men.’ ‘You mean male prostitutes?’ ‘Yes,’ he said sounding rather guilty. ‘Now he wants me to pay him fifteen million to make it all go away, or meet with the same gory end as the chief.’ ‘Have you seen Snake?’ ‘No, but the chief had on one occasion.’ ‘Describe him.’ ‘He said he was tall… long blonde hair… strong hands and well muscled… he only had one defect.’ ‘What the fuck was that?’ ‘He walked with a bad limp. Something was wrong with one leg, his left leg I think’

  What the fuck was the mayor talking about, I’ve already met Snake and there was no limp. He was perfect in all aspects of the physical form, and I might also add that he was perfectly fit both mentally and emotionally; these poor bastards were dealing with the wrong motherfucker.

  ‘There’s someone in holding - tell me about him.’ ‘He’s known as Crab, close friend and confidant of Snake.’ ‘Is he talking?’ ‘Yeah, he’s singing like a canary.’ ‘Do both of your descriptions of Snake match?’ ‘Yes, I’ve not spoken as yet to the cops about all of this, but there’s a sketch, it’s the same person.’ Snake had tricked the lot of them - he was sending them on a merry dance, a fruitless errand, chasing the wrong person. All of them were pawns in his hands - this was the fucking gold standard of serial killing. The fucking police, FBI, and everyone else involved, were blind motherfuckers, this was brilliant and I was now really beginning to appreciate his work. ‘No wonder he told me that I had much to learn.’ There was just one small problem though, I didn’t have the time - there was college and I needed to be done with this.

  This stupid mayor needed to be disappeared for a few days now. ‘This boat has everything you might need, food, water, a bed to sleep, and a nice bathroom. Will you stay here for the next couple of days?’ ‘How can I believe you?’ ‘Your heart's still beating and blood is still flowing through your veins right?’ ‘Yes Sir,’ he whispered softly. ‘If you want, you can turn the engine on and make a run for it. Do that and lose everything, your family, your money, your reputation. And you know I will find you and slit your throat. So sit tight and when this over, you will get everything back. Switch your cell phone off, I will call you on the boat’s radio.’ ‘Okay, if you promise to get me out of this jam.’ ‘Fuck you; I’m not your buddy.’ With that he sat quietly - I have a safe place to keep your car, so hang tight and when I call, answer the fucking thing.’

  The mayor would be safe on this boat, as long as he kept his head down. It belonged to one of my parent’s rich friends, which meant that the official keeping of the boat fell to me. They were out wandering the globe and might not return for another two years at least. His car I would need to transport to the farm. This was to keep the police from finding it and if Snake visited the farm to spy on me, the mayor's car would make him feel secure - if he indeed had such feelings.

  It became clearer to me now; Snake did indeed have an inner circle, a brood of vipers if you will. He also had someone who matched his description, doing all of his dirty work. He was devious and a true mastermind. Doing the math for me was not too difficult. He had the mind of a terrorist, with sleeper cells and all. He had a close group of baby snakes that he had been personally training and who were always available to him. This individual he had, the one that looked like him, was the greatest play of all. I could see it all clearly now, when this shit finally hit the fan, everything would be pinned on that poor bastard, while Snake would crawl into a new forest and find a new hole to live out off, ‘Brilliant…absolutely fucking brilliant.’ He had masterminded everything so beautifully. The police were now going to go after their fake Snake, while the real creature was hidden away in some safe place. I had a strong and strange feeling however, that there was an endgame in his plans. Crab getting caught was by no means an accident, Snake had planned it. He had got his own man into a trap, and I had no doubts that everything was going to lead back to this individual who kind of looked like him. Snake was going to make a run for it. Things had heated up way too much for him. The heat was becoming just too much for his cold blood to handle.

  Snake was planning a clean break. Unfortunately he had tied me into his final plans; this might turn out to be that one fatal mistake made by him. I was not one of his clones, to be subdued and used. Far from it, this might be the final gamble that he could never win. Hey the dice doesn't always roll the number you want it to, sometimes you get snake-eyes. In this profession nothing was left to chance. I do acknowledge that he treated me as a friend and tried to convince me about his good intentions. I did not however have these kinds of emotions, as I live by the brain and not the heart. He should have known that, once a killer always a killer. The only thing that made sense to me was blood, it was everything. I was slowly starting to get on edge as I had not seen it flowing for a while now. People had religion, love, and other emotions to subjugate them to living a normal life. I had none of these, you would think that I lived an empty and cold life, but nothing could be further from the truth. I lived form kill to kill, and this was very enlightening to me. It opened my
eyes and soul to the universe, and answered all of my questions. Blood was the answer and it always has been. Christianity also had the blood of Jesus; everything was based on his blood. I guess all of us need blood in one form or the other. We are all werewolves with Dracula like tendencies; I just pushed the envelope further than anyone else. This was my specialty - a monster most sincere. What you call light, I call darkness and what you call darkness I call light, it’s all just a matter of perspective.

  I wasn't sure if Snake had remained in the city or had gone off to continue his anxiety inducing work in another faraway place. He was capable of anything, always cunning and displaying guileful moves that were most deceitful in nature. He had to make contact with me however and it was time now for him to come calling.

  On the am tomorrow, news would break of the mayor's disappearance. All hell would break loose, the cops would make a huge effort to locate the individual they believed to be Snake. The press would tear into the PD. Brian and team would unfortunately have to bear the brunt of it, all the while facing the burnt end of a stick.

  ***

  Brian was first to receive the call, it was the mayor's wife, calling to tell him that the mayor was not to be found. ‘We’ve been calling his cell phone but it’s turned off.’ ‘When do you realize that he was not traceable?’ ‘As you know we sleep in different rooms, when he did not come down for his morning coffee… I went up to his room… it was, it was empty. You need to find him Brian.’ He could now hear her sniveling over the phone. ‘I’ll be right over,’ he told her, disconnecting the phone call. While Brian was driving over to the mayor’s house, he appraised the rest of the team as to the disappearance of the mayor. The Vice Mayor would now have to step-in to perform his duties.