Authors: Jesse Abundis
“ No sign of her, no letter, no attempt to get the track off her, until now.” Karen kept her voice calm as possible, she wanted to make sure Peewee understood the theory she was about to toss his way. “ Of the women you looked at, have you ever seen that type of behavior in the killer, simple yes or no.”
“ Well, no.” Peewee admitted. “ Three, four days tops, something turns up.”
“ Let’s assume, the killer is busy, forgets.”
Peewee quickly jumped on where this was going. “ No, this guy has been taking women left and right, what makes you think he’ll just forget.” He snickered.
“ No matter how much of a monster this guy is, he’s still human,” Karen shouted at him. “ for what ever reason, he didn’t get to know Janet as the rest of them, he just jumped head first into the unknown, it was out of his routine,” Peewee waved off Karen’s reasoning over this. “ Think about it, she met him in a club. None of the other victims did.”
“ What if he was stalking her already, and we just don’t know, maybe he choose to take her that night at the club, skip the whole song and dance.”
“ That‘s not his style, he woos them, Cindy and Lisa are proof of that.” Karen took a deep breath to calm the tension in the air. “ Yes, he got to know his past victims up close and personal, But Janet, he goes into a strange nightclub looking for anyone he can get and he finds her. It makes sense. Janet wasn’t his first choice, she was just a random act. A needed correction to fix his fuck up.”
“ Then who was the first?” He asked.
Karen’s mind raced back to the days leading to Janet’s disappearance, knowing another crime had taken place, the same one Peewee was so sure was one of the victims. “ Angela Denning. “
Peewee was stun to hear that name reappear. “ That was ruled a hate crime from some psycho Nazi, they found his DNA all over her.”
“ She’s the closest we have to Janet’s disappearance.” Karen was doing her best to open his eyes to this, but it was starting to become a hard sell.
“ Ok,” He took a seat on the edge of her couch. “ Let’s say you’re right, but who's that girl on the tape, her doppelganger, because that looks like Janet, one hundred percent.”
“ He could of found anyone that looks like her.” Karen said.
Peewee didn‘t want to believe this, him of all people, he knew it was crazy but this theory was too far left for him. “ What, he holds America’s Next Look Alike. ” He chuckled. “Who would be crazy enough to go along with it?” Peewee asked.
“ Are you kidding me,” Karen chuckled. “ There’s a group of young women selling their bodies for less. Someone comes to them offering a life changing moment and all they have to do is slap on a wig, run to the ATM, make a boat of cash and not have to gag on some old fat guys dick.” Karen tap her head, knowing that was a no brainer. “ No matter what the outcome, they would take it.”
“ Where does that leave us?” Peewee asked.
“ We either wait for another body to turn up,” She pulled the disk out and toss it to Peewee, who wasn’t ready for the catch, he almost slid ass first to the ground just to save the disk. “ or you print us a clear picture of that woman and we head into the streets asking every hooker if they’ve seen her.”
Peewee eyes bulged. “ Walk the dark streets in the middle of the night, asking hookers if they seen a girl that could be tie to a serial killer, well I can’t see what could go wrong, we’ll either find us a serial killer or get stabbed by someone’s pimp.”
Karen shrugged her shoulders. “ There is a third option,” She pointed out to him. “ We could keep reading Cindy's diary again.” That was enough to win him over.
“ So, street hookers it is. Sweet.” He tossed his boney arms in the air, pretending to be on board.
Now that was settle, her mind went back to where it was before he arrived. “ There’s still a long time from here and there.” Karen said to him. “ I got to do something’s before we head out.” The detective hiding outside, watching her every move. “ You should really pay Maggie Donner a visit, give her this new piece of evidence and just check on her as well.” She knew if she wanted to draw the rat out, Peewee had to be out of her range, safe from the fallout, safe from of everything that needed to be said and done.
“ I guess you’re right, wouldn’t hurt.” Karen exhaled with joy. “ I’ll go check on Mag’s.” He looked at his watch, it was almost nearing the lunch hour. “ She should be at work right now. I might catch her before her shift, if I‘m lucky.”
“ Alright, you go do that. While I take care of things on my side.” And she planned to put it an end to once and for all, she was tired of looking over her shoulder for so many years, it was time to put to rest an old chapter in her life.
Chapter 60
Prey
“ Yeah, I’m not feeling well. Just running some chills and my stomach is in a up roar. I‘m no good to anyone in this state.” Klecko told Harkness over the phone. “ I just need a day to rest, get myself back in tip top shape.” He was hoping his performance would win a sympathetic ear.
“ Boo fucking hoo,” Sadly, it did not. “ We got a pile of shit raining down on us and you can’t come in because of the Hershey squirts, man up.” Harkness was in a fouler mood than usual, he only became so irritable when one of his routines were disrupted and Klecko could only guess one of those routines was sex. “ You think I ever let a stomach bug throw me off, hell no, I’m a cop God damn it. My job comes first.”
“ Tell Rita if she needs me to call my cell,” Klecko talked over Harkness, knowing he had no choice, the Sergeant would ramble on for a good hour if someone didn’t step in. “ It’s the least I can do.”
“ When I see that bitch, she‘s going to an get ear full too.” Harkness continued
“ She’s not there?” That was a shock to Klecko, but he did recount his guardian promising to keep her away, could that have been it? “ Well, just pass on the message.” Before he could finish talking, Harkness hung up. “ Fucking asshole.”
He stared at his watch, it was nearing the lunch hour, he played with the idea of calling his mistress to indulge in each others homicidal fantasy, something to ease his mind before this grand revelation that his guardian was promising. He was dialing in the number, when the cell phone that was given to him vibrated in his pocket, he could feel his heart freeze, he knew who it was and what it meant. “ Show time.” Klecko slowly whispered.
TIME TO MOVE
GET IN YOUR CAR AND DRIVE
He grin at the text, knowing the moment had arrived, he would finally come face to face with this illusive soul that claimed to be an old friend, one that he happen to save.
question is, what do we do when we have him in our sights?
Klecko had never ponder that great question, he was more interested in the why, but now this moment was here, he had a chance in tying up the only loose end that could bring down his career and his life entirely.
“ Can’t risk blowing a golden opportunity.“ He walked over to his sock drawer to collect his 9 MM pistol, enough to bring down any man, get close enough, this small little weapon would do the job. And with his need to kill still lingering in his loins, it was the perfect remedy to what ailed him.
Klecko grabbed his trench coat, put on his slacks and headed outside to his car. Before he got inside, he texted his Guardian as to where he was going.
WHERE DO YOU WANT ME TO DRIVE TO?
He waited for a minute until a reply came back
DRIVE TO 40TH AND MADISON, TEXT ME BACK WHEN YOU GET THERE.
XOXO
“ Now I‘m glad I brought my fucking gun.” He said at the replied text as he entered his vehicle.
Chapter 61
Book Of Memories
Traffic was bumper to bumper during the lunch hour. Every New Yorker was hungry, tired, in a foul mood and ready to shoot you between the eyes if you tried to merge in front of them. Klecko took his time arriving to the location, the last thing he wanted to do was have his journey cut short because of reckless driving.
To tone out the madness around him, he blasted the Beatles in his car, letting the sooth voice of John Lennon calm his nerves. Even for a cold blooded killer, he was entitled to little R&R from time to time.
He reached 40
th
and Madison under forty minutes flat, not perfect, but it would do. He was about to text his Guardian that he had arrived when his phone began to ring. He smirked as the hello kitty vibrated in his hand with the flashing ID of an unknown caller. “Careful as always
“
Klecko said before answering the phone. “ Hello ?”
“ You made it.” His Guardian voice was no longer masked. This brought a gleam of joy into Klecko's eyes. Was this a sign that there would be no secrecy between them, perhaps even a new found friendship, he could only wonder. “ Park your car and walk up a block.”
“ Where am I heading?” Klecko asked. Only to have his guardian hang up on him. It seems he wasn’t up for questions. Klecko grasp the gun under his jacket, making sure it was there and ready to go. He couldn’t take the risk of walking into this blindly. “ Let‘s see what you have for me?” Klecko shoved the phone back into his pocket.
He exited his car and wasted no time in heading up 40
st
street, pushing through the crowd of people who lined up shoulder to shoulder, each one yammering on their cell phones, spewing meaningless conversations about the person they slept with last night, arguing over who should pay the bills, how Mr. Whiskers the cat was getting older and the riveting mystery of their bowel movements. “
I’m sure the world would thank me, if I killed a couple of these people.”
He couldn’t help but grin at that thought,
“ Klecko preserving the world, one murder at a time.”
Klecko raced up 40
th
street until he made it to his destination. The New York Public Library was in his sights, though he had his doubts whether this was the place his Guardian wanted him to be. “ This can’t be it.” He said out loud, only to have his cell begin to ring once more. He reached into his pocket fumbling for his phone, he felt like a child waiting to be surprised on Christmas day with his big shiny red bike. “ I’m here.” He said in a high pitch voice.
“ This was her favorite place in the world.” His Guardian’s sounded nostalgic. “ It feels like ages, but I can still sense her. She would spend hours and hours reading those books, never resting, never taking her eyes off the pages, like she was punishing herself, like she was hoping her eyes would bleed out and she’d die. She was beautiful.”
“ Who?” Klecko asked, but he got no response. “ Talk to me.”
“ Walk into the library and make sure to put your cell on vibrate, you don’t want to be rude. I’ll call you when you walk in.” His tone was cold as ice. It was eerie for Klecko to hear his guardian actual voice, it was dark, yet soothing to hear. He pictured God sounding the same way, so much wrath, but a voice of an angel.
Klecko turned his cell phone on vibrate as instructed. He made his way into the Library, but for some odd reason he could feel someone watching him in the distance, he snapped his head quickly, but there was no one there. He wondered if his Guardian was hiding among the cars and people. He brushed the paranoia away and continued into the library.
He was eyed from head to toe by the book worms reading away at the tables, some wondering what this misplaced gentlemen might be doing here, after all, he was the last person in the world that looked like a book reader. They would have a point. Klecko spent most of his days reading police reports rather than a book of fiction written by some four eyes with a vivid imagination.
Klecko hovered around, taking his time, trying to see if he could spot out his Guardian in the room, if he was in here. “ Jesus,” He jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. “ Hello?”
“ Go pick up Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.” He instructed Klecko.
“ What the hell are you talking about? “ Klecko said to him. “ What is that ?” The title alone, made him think of a bad porno flick.
“ You’re not a big reader are you?” His Guardian asked.
“ No, not really.” Klecko admitted. “ So, tell me what I’m looking for.”
His Guardian sighed on the other side of phone. “ You might know it by it’s shortened name, Alice In Wonderland.”
“ Yeah, the cartoon?!” Klecko spoke too loud, he got a couple of angry looks his way. “ The cartoon, I’ve seen it.” He said again, this time in a lower voice.