Kimberly Nevett stood shakily, still in shock. It just didn’t make sense, it couldn’t be true. Her smart suit hung loosely on her slender frame, giving a shadowy image that she hadn’t been eating right. Two lines of tears streamed down her cold cheeks, the young woman had probably given up wiping away tears that kept on sliding down. Her nails were profoundly short, bitten right down to the nub.
Chief Constable Bekken noticed these small details as soon as he saw Kim stumble in to the room – instantly recording them in the long list of entirely useless information in his head alongside the facts that Jessica Katan was cheating on her husband, for the third time, and that Jack Harple had bribed the jury for the lawsuit against him by his secretary for physical harm, both things that he would never be able to prove. Those two watched their backs alright, those with something to hide always do. But he had been taught how to sniff out ‘the wrong ‘uns’ as his mentor would say. Bekken was also trained to tell someone bad news, but he couldn’t deal with this. They had never taught this, how to tell bad news to such a close friend.
“Kim, I am so sorry, but there was nothing anyone could have done. All the neighbours were in and didn’t hear anything, plus not a fingerprint was found. We have absolutely no proof, none what so ever! But Kim, are you alright? You look a mess…” He began to babble, quickly switching the topic.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She sounded detached, and who wouldn’t be? They had moved the body but you could still see the large pool and random splatters of blood which hade now stained on to the floor. And Bekken’s own hands were the pictures, the horrible, ghastly pictures. He dealt with murders every day but this was just sickening.
“Do you have somewhere to stay in town?” She nodded and flashed a confident smile, but looked small and frail. Scared. As she looked up to match his gaze, something flashed in her eyes, to quick for the constable to see, but there had been something there, none the less. “Now I have to go, but you call me if you ever want to talk. And try to look after yourself dear, now poor Edward might be gone, but you’re still here and people care for you. Make sure you eat right and try to put on a happy face, but if you ever need anything…” He paused, leaving the sentence unfinished. Chief Constable Bekken tipped his hat and shuffled out the room, trying to avid thinking about the carnage which had happen in the room just days before. He roughly shoved his hand deep into his pocket and found what he was looking for. Popping out two aspirin pills he flicked them into his mouth and swallowed them, whole and dry. Bekken wasn’t going to sleep tonight, but atleast he would sleep in a few weeks or months – poor Kimberly may never sleep again.
It was worse for Kim than it was for anyone else, but not for the reason everybody assumed. They looked her in the eyes and told her they were sorry for her, losing her husband so horribly after ten years of marriage. But it wasn’t that. It was the fact that she could see it. Her mother always told her she had an excellent imagination, but this wasn’t imagination. She could see it. Physically see it. She knew that was what happened, and it killed her to replay it over and over again in her mind – but she had to.
She didn’t picture the murderer as a leanly built, six foot man with predominant cheek bones and piercing green eyes (the same as hers). She knew that was what he was like, she couldn’t say why or how she knew, she just did. Kim hadn’t seen the pictures, didn’t need to. She slid down on to the one of the breakfast bar’s chairs and just stared deep into the blood stain.
Before her eyes it swirled, with lights flashing around on its surface, “Rush hour” Kim whispers, the thick red mess slowly rises up and evaporates, vanishes, just as her husband steps briskly into the flat, a thick layer of snow on the bottom of his boots. Time speeds up, Edward reading a book, on the phone, sitting, thinking, crying, a deep knocking sound, Edward sits up, a light entering his bright, wet, eyes. Standing up, Ed gets the door, no, please don’t, please don’t leave me, and flashes a bright smile at the man in front of him, staring at his eyes, his bright eyes, his lips move, but no sound comes out.
A brief squeaking noise slips from between her lips, snapping her back. She quickly checked her watch before standing and swiftly leaving the apartment, her heels clicking with every step – echoing across the empty rooms. Every click clearing the picture in her mind, what she knew happened, and strengthened her resolve. She was going to do this. She was going to do what the police could not. She was going to catch this madman and make him pay, ohhhh how he would pay for what he did to her husband. Nobody crossed Kimberly Nevett.
Newbolt street looked cheerful, happy and welcoming during the day. But at the hour Rotas Sator was standing there it looked dark and dingy with menacing shadows darting around corners. He breathed deeply, enjoying the sight of his breath as he exhaled – it was a frosty night and he was chilled to the bone, but in every situation there was something to make you smile.
“Tenet said that.” He whispered, with not a sole to hear him. But as soon as the thought of lonely crept in to is brain, he saw a man dart out of an alley not three meters from where Rotas was standing. He smiled, he had always known he was special. That it was God himself who helped him along his way, but he had never known why. But now he did.
“Hello!” Rotas called happily, a ridicules grin on his face. The man turned towards him, allowing Rotas to see him more clearly – or more specifically his gun. The man cocked his head, confused, then smiled revealing his rotten teeth.
“I never knew that alley was back there, thanks mate.” The smile widened and he flicked Rotas a coin from his bag which contained at least £500 judging by the size of it. Rotas Sator was a good judge. Both with maths problems and of character. That might have been why God choose him, but Rotas believed it was because he would do whatever necessary to cleanse the world. Rotas Sator grinned, but it was not redicules and it didn’t show his teeth – this grin made his eyes sparkle in a way that only a madman’s can.
“You’re a dirty little so-and-so, aren’t you?” Rotas called as the man began to jog off “Tenet said that.” He slid a serrated knife from the holster on the inside of his leg. “You’re a dirty little so-and-so, but that’s just in my opinion. I’ll leave the damnation to the almighty.” The man had stopped now, frozen in horror. Rotas walked forward, smiling at the sound of his footsteps slowly echoing around the street – there was always something to make you smile.
“Did you know my name is the same forwards and backwards? Tenet told me that.” Rotas Sator waved slightly with his right hand and thrust the left one straight into the mans gut. First the blood dribbled out, but then Rotas removed the blade and it poured out. A lot of damage for a relatively blunt knife – but then again, Rotas did have God on his side. The young man began to cough it up too, Good, thought Rotas he won’t scream so I can take my time. He slowly wiped his blade clean on the mans jacket and then slung it back in the holder. It was too tight and caused him blistering pain, but everything requires sacrifice.
“Tenet said that too, Tenet was very wise.” He told the young man, who was now probably beyond hearing or seeing anything. Rotas sighed, the man was very handsome, probably had a girlfriend. But when you’re a dirty so-and-so you have to be punished, swiftly. Rotas checked the surrounding area before lumbering off in to the maze of alleys. Thinking of everyone who had shared the young mans fate – there were the four planned ones, and then lots and lots of dirty little so-and-sos he had just seen on the street like this one, but they didn’t count. Just one quick stab and they’re gone, minor crimes, minor punishment. But for major crimes, major punishment was needed. Those needed to be planned, organised. Rotas didn’t like those types, but His will be done.
“Three done, just four to go.” He whispered, a big grin stretched across his face and the first rays of sunlight reflecting off his bright green eyes.
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