Jacks eyebrows formed into arrows as he agreed with Nathan. The coffee machine spat the treacle black liquid into Nathans cup, splashes ran down the side and landed in a pool under the cups base. Nathan picked it up and wiped it with a piece of tissue paper.
‘You sleep alright?’
‘No’ he chuckled at the question.
‘Jack…….I need to go to the victims houses. Just to take a look, may help trigger some stuff!’
‘Right, well I’m sure we can do that. I’ll call the parents now and set it up, be ready for……ten…ten thirty?’
‘Sounds good, I’ll freshen up first’.
***
The brown envelope was sealed by several strips of heavy duty tape. The contents were packed tightly at the bottom of the rectangular package. The Wolf had kept some gloves on whilst preparing the contents and adding his desired address. His name was written in large black letters, being sure that the receiving person knew who had sent it. He stopped the van next to the chipped-red post box. Checking his mirrors first he then climbed out of the van, package in hand. The contents struck the bottom of the box as he pushed it though the slit at the top. He jumped back into the driver’s seat and headed back home……….he was excited, tonight was the night he would let her run free……….the night he would give chase…………….the night he would claim her heart. The taste of blood was in his mouth, the white blobs accumulated in the corners of his lips. He licked them free, knowing that he needed to quench his thirst. He decided to stop at a nearby petrol station. Killing two tasks at once he fuelled the vehicle and purchased several drinks. He had spotted the CCTV cameras positioned in several locations of the garage, his black balaclava had been rolled up and positioned atop his head, being sure to hide as much of his face as possible.
The van rolled from the fuelling point, the needle upon the dashboard rose to the full mark, satisfied he unscrewed the cap of a drink and swallowed a large mouthful, the gasp escaped after the liquid had landed within his belly, his lips feeling moist and fresh.
Chapter Nine
The door was pulled open after several knocks. Jack had the impression that the occupants needed no visitors. The young woman poked her head out from behind the PVC door, her face seemed jaunt and her eyes held ripples of exhaustion underneath them. He noticed that her hair had been unattended to for some time. The strands were shooting in all directions as if she held an electrical charge within her.
‘Lindsay Clough, I’m Chief Inspector Jack Dawson, we spoke on the phone earlier’ he introduced.
‘Yes Sir, do you…….would you……… like to come in?’
‘Please. Mrs Clough, call me Jack……my position and rank hold no meaning for you’.
‘Thank you, please come in.’ she moved back, opening the door wider.
‘Can I introduce you to Nathan Cawley, he is helping us on this case’ his open hand directed to Nathan. Lindsay smiled and Nathan nodded as he entered the home.
The men stood in the hallway as the door was closed and secured. They waited for their host to move past and followed her into the living room. The lights were dim and parts of the room were hidden by the blackness. They located the three seat couch and lowered themselves into the comfy cushions.
‘Can I get you some tea, coffee maybe?’
‘Please that would great……coffee please, milk and two sugars’ Jack advised.
Lindsay turned and headed for the kitchen.
‘Can we help at all?’ offered Nathan
‘No it’s fine’ the voice came from the other room.
She entered holding a small tray, the three porcelain mugs balancing on top. The tray was lowered and they collected their cups. The steam swirled from Nathans as he moved it to his mouth, exhaling through his nose.
Jack took a small sip and found himself thanking the woman, the coffee was an unusual taste and one that he liked.
‘That’s lovely…..you wouldn’t believe the type we have been drinking recently’
‘Thank you’ she mumbled.
‘I know you have already spoken to my team, we wanted to visit you and talk in person………if that’s ok?’
‘Yeah……it’s fine’.
‘Sorry to butt in’ spoke Nathan. ‘Is it possible to look around Abby’s room whilst you talk……….I won’t be two minutes’.
Lindsay pondered the question for several seconds. Her top row of teeth caught her lip as she nibbled it.
‘Ok………do you want me……?’
‘No it’s fine, I’m sure I’ll find it……thank you though’ answering her question before she could finish asking it. He stood and moved to the hallway, he could hear Jack breaking into a conversation with her as he ascended the stairs. The landing housed three doors. The left was a bathroom and toilet. He turned the light off when leaving. The two doors on the right, he presumed, were bedrooms. He stood in the centre between both doors. He extended his arms and placed open palms upon the glossed wood. He attempted to guess which room belonged to the missing girl.
He chose the right door.
The pink walls deflected the light as he pressed the switch, locating it on the left side as his hand searched in the dark. He stood looking around from the doorway. Her bed, neatly made, sat at the far left corner and ran against the wall. The white wardrobe lay at the foot of the bed, also against the wall. Under the window was a small wooden desk, the various coloured pencils and crayons were placed in a cup which sat on the window sill. He moved into the centre of the room and performed a slow three hundred and sixty degree turn, taking in his new surroundings. He was surprised at how tidy the room was, especially for a ten year old. He decided that the girl’s mother must have tidied to occupy herself. He sat at the foot of the bed, the mattress absorbing his weight. The smell of Strawberries entered his nose and he closed his eyes whilst inhaling. He could see her face in his mind, the poor girl unaware to her stalker.
He scanned again from his new position, deciding to check the desk. He stood and moved behind the chair that was tucked in between the table legs.
He dragged a hand over the top surface whilst looking out the window. The street lay in view, around one hundred metres from left to right, at a guess. He looked up and down the road, picking an ideal watching place. There were many to choose from. The snow gathered upon the extremities of the window, the fine powder scattered on the front garden and road side.
He lowered his eyes to the desk. The small white handle was hidden from view by the back rest of the chair. He located it and pulled the obstruction free, placing it by the bed. He kneeled and slid the draw open. Inside contained many sheets of A4 paper, all with an array of pictures. He removed the pages and sat them next to him on the bed. He began sifting through the bundle. The yellow cat was on top, then a house with bright blue walls. He kept flicking through, placing the ones he had seen to one side. He stopped at the sixth piece, the grey track running from left to right, the sky was black with large twinkling stars. The van, black in colour sat beside a very thin tree. Nathan stopped, holding the paper in his hands……
He sat it on his legs and continued. The van had appeared on five consecutive pages….black in colour. It had remained on the left side for the first three pictures, then it was moved to the right for the last three. They all appeared the same…..apart from the last. The van was larger, the black coloured lines more prominent and darker, scratched into the paper as if hurried. The grey rails ran across the top from the windscreen to the rear. The rear windows were shown by two rectangular shapes, the dark grey filling the rough viewing boxes. The front window, a lighter shade of grey, had something drawn lightly into it. Nathan lifted the paper closer to his face. The small
