Little Red

every word he spoke. He then realised it was the first time he had told anyone apart from his wife.

‘Nathan…….that’s deep. But its normal mate, some people suffer from it for long periods of time……some never get over it!’ he tried to reassure.

‘Suppose’

‘What happened in that house though mate?’ he knew it was wrong to ask but the moment was perfect. His friend had just opened up to him for the first time in their history together………he was intrigued to know more.

‘Jack……..you don’t need to know mate. Elle doesn’t even know the whole story. All she knows is that I went to catch the killer and save the boy. Then I ended up with severe lacerations and shock trauma. To be honest I’m not sure what happened!’ he lied.

‘Right………but you did save a boy’s life!’

‘Yeah……Theo Jameson…..poor fella.’ he remembered the boy well. His golden blonde hair was cut in a mushroom style. His weak body was battered and bruised. The small cut to his chest was bleeding lightly, allowing a constant trickle to escape the hole.

‘Well I suggest we keep it under wraps……last thing we need in this case is Doctor fucking Lime screwing things up when he requests to perform a Psycho Analysis on you!’ his tone attempting to create a slight humour. It failed.

***

The van’s engine offered a light purr as the ignition was switched off. It rumbled to a halt, the working parts inside tinkered as they cooled down. The Wolf climbed out of the seat and gave a glance over each shoulder, checking his surroundings, all clear. The van had been backed up as far as possible, laying ten feet from the rear entrance to his house. The previous kidnap had gone well up to this point, he had miss- judged the parking and had to carry the girl double the distance to hide her inside. This he wanted to avoid as it was still daylight. He gave another check to confirm his concealment and pulled on the back door handle, the clunk told him that the catch had been released. The doors swung open and he entered the back, being sure to duck slightly to stop his head colliding with the wooden interior. The girl was still unconscious as the Chloroform had been a high dosage, especially for someone so young. He imagined it swirling around her lungs like small puffs of smoke performing a dance. He reached down and grabbed her wrists and her torso was heaved up into a seating position. She slumped forward unaware of her current situation.

He turned the girl so that her back was facing the back doors and dragged her to the rear bumper. He climbed down carefully and lifted her into his arms. He turned and fled inside the building, now she was out of sight. The interior of the house was dark, as usual. He liked the blackness surrounding him, it helped in his development. The guest within his mind gave courteous words, encouragement and praise. His task was accomplished to a rewarding standard and he was slowly becoming what he longed to be. The girl lay in his arms, her body felt light as his biceps hardened. He shuffled down the steps to the den, needing to secure her before she awoke, to save himself from scratching finger nails and kicking feet.

The van’s back doors were slammed shut, the vehicle rocked slightly from the force behind it. The Wolf entered the driver’s seat and wound the window down by hand. The squeak rang in his ear as the glass caught the rubber seal. He relaxed his body, forcing the adrenalin to exit him. The key slipped into its home and the engine sprang to life as the key was turned. The black van rolled slowly out of the drive.

***

Nathan pulled the car onto the curb being careful as the front wheel connected with the concrete block. They bounced slightly inside as the suspension absorbed the blow. He revved the engine gently to push the car up onto the small grass patch. The voice on the Sat-nav had told them that they had reached their destination. Jack spied for the number that Anne had given him. He noticed the area was a clean and welcoming environment. The houses seemed new looking, an array of well-trimmed hedges and mowed lawns surrounded them. It offered the picturesque images from an estate agents brochure, the enticing fresh looking buildings, their double garages and large bay windows. Nathan was surprised to find a lack of white picket fences.

‘Well that’s the place’ pointing across the street to number seven.

They sat for a while observing the location. They noticed the bright yellow Mazda parked outside the front of the house. The once clean rooftop was littered with brown leaves and splashes of bird excrement, the greenish white colour running down the windscreen.

‘Well it’s not a van!’ stated Nathan.

‘Noticed, it also appears that the car has been static for a long period of time, a week or two maybe, judging by the crap upon the top’.

‘Yeah, noticed!’ he smiled to Jack.

‘Come on, let’s take a look’.

They exited the car and walked towards the building. They could see that the house was well taken care of. The driveway had been swept and kept weed free. The windows were clean and blinds were closed. They approached the door and rang the bell. Nathan removed his finger from the button and Jack slapped the brass knocker against its plate several times. They waited……………………

‘Let’s take a look around the back’ Jack decided when there was no answer.

They followed the drive down the gable side of the house which led to the rear. The garden was a small size but had been well nurtured. In the far corner sat a shed, the trees covering the rear to add privacy for the occupant.

‘See anything?’ Jack asked, as he patrolled the garden.

‘Nope………nothing’ replied Nathan, his face pressed against the kitchen window as he scanned the interior. He caught Jack’s reflection as he walked to the shed and watched as he clasped the bulky padlock in his hand and pulled it.

‘Locked’ he stated.

‘Doesn’t mean anything………the guy likes to keep his doors locked to stop pinching!’

‘I know. I just had my hopes up that’s all’.

‘But still………….what happened to Mr Breen?’

‘Maybe he saw the Wolf in action and was taken too!’

‘Possible’ agreed Nathan, ‘but I doubt he would risk it, surely his face is covered when he takes them?’

‘Yeah……we can stand here all day throwing suggestions at each other……but we won’t get anywhere will we……come on, let’s head back, we can see what the team retrieved from the school.’

They walked back to the car, not a word was spoken. Both men were expecting something from the lead, but the result was disappointing, these things are never easy. Jack slammed the driver’s door over enthusiastically, the results affecting his temper. There was nothing to take away from the scene, no helpful pushes to advance with the investigation.

‘Maybe a surveillance car would be worth a shot, for a couple of days, see if anything happens!’ he suggested, the bony fingers brushed over his scalp and combed his hair.

‘Don’t see why not, shows that we’re doing something more than sat on our arses in the office!’ Nathan assured as the vehicle was started.

***

The team were typing away as Jack entered the room. Their heads remained down as they organised the evidence and statements from the school.

‘Please tell me we have something?’

The typing stopped and heads were flicked to the direction of his voice. Their faces displayed the answer he didn’t want.

‘There are still teams on the ground Sir. They are conducting the door to door questioning. We’re awaiting a sitrep anytime now!’ the PC informed him.

He turned back and headed for the door. The windows shook as he slammed it closed.

The coffee seemed thicker today and Nathan chose to bin the cup he had poured. He felt exhausted, he hardly slept and when he managed to catch a few winks it was terrorised by his dreams of blurred figures and dead children. He sat upon a hard back chair in the corridor and watched the water dispenser, the bubbles gurgling their way to the top of the clear blue container. He felt his mind falling into a trance-like-state.

The visions of home crept in slowly, of warm sand between his toes. His wife preparing a healthy salad lunch,