Stan: Chapter Fifteen

Anderson and Morris were on the road. Driving back in Anderson's Volvo from Bayview. Both were still a little shaken from the interview with Alice. The things this poor girl had been through chilled them to the bone.

"How could parents treat their own children that way?" Morris asked.

"Only God knows." Anderson replied. "How anyone could bring a life into this world, and then treat it as if it was a piece of dirt had always puzzled me."

"Do you think Alice will recover?" Morris said.

"Honestly? No." Anderson answered honestly. "What that girl has been through, and seen. She will take that too the grave."

Morris's phone rang. It was Larson again. Anderson could tell by the look on her face, and the tone in her voice, it wasn't good. Morris hung up.

"There's been another." Morris told Anderson. "Number 21. It's at the University. And by all accounts, it's worse then the others."

"Shit." was Anderson's reply. "The University? We are about an hour out."

He took a turn. Taking them off the main road and onto the network of country roads. The street lights disappeared and they were left with the pitch black of night. Anderson switched on the high beams.

"Did he give us any details on what we are going to be walking into?" Anderson asked.

"Sadly, yes." Morris answered. "One girl, a student. Her name, Alicia Davis. She was found cut into six, and then strung up, like a puppet."

"A puppet??" Anderson repeated.

"A puppet. Apparently the victim had been due to unveil some art work she had done." Morris continued. "But when the art work was revealed, it was found to be her, not the artwork."

"Somebody must have seen something? Surely he couldn't have snuck into the university, arrange a body like a puppet, and then leave, without being seen!" Anderson ventured.

"Larson is going through CCTV with the head of campus security now" Morris said, "And uniform are interviewing witnesses. But so far nothing"

Anderson sped up alittle. Bushes and trees whipping by. The harshness of night revealing itself fully without the aid of street lights. The country road winding left and right.
Suddenly Anderson slammed on his brakes. The Volvo's ABS kicking in, but on the dirt road the wheels still skidded to a halt.
On the right was a small red car. It's drivers door wide open. In the middle of the lane, pretty much straight in front of them lay someone.
Anderson had unbuckled his seat belt, and was out the door before Morris had even seen what was going on.
Anderson reached down to the body to feel for a pulse. Nothing. Hardly surprising seeing the huge wound on the poor woman's chest. Her eyes still wide, as if she had been startled. Anderson looked at her face.

"Fuck!" Anderson shouted, making Morris jump. He stood up quick, and drew his gun. "Look at her forehead Morris. And she is still fucking warm!"

Morris looked down. Staring at the crudely marked twenty two on her forehead. She too quickly drew her gun.
Looking around the car it was obvious to them the car had hit something. There were dents and scratches over the bonnet, roof and boot. At the back of the car there was a small pool of blood. And just to the side, a small trail. Leading into the woods.
Anderson stopped and called it in. He told the dispatcher what they had discovered. He requested a forensic team and requested back up immediately. Hanging up he looked at Morris, who nodded and they slowly made their way into the wood. Both holding flash lights to cut through the everlasting dark.
Outside of the flashlights beam it was pitch black. They could barely see a foot in front of them. Not even the moonlight was piercing the woods. They stayed side by side. Both moving slowly, trying not to make a sound. Finding the blood trail was hard in this light, but every couple of strides or so there was a splash of blood.

"You think he got hit by that car?" Morris whispered.

"It's likely." replied Anderson. "But I've always been told to be wary of injured animals."

They continued making their way through. Trying not to slip or trip on the forest floor. Listening around they could hear nothing. All the creatures of the wood had fallen silent for the night, and they were far enough now from the country road not to hear any traffic, even if it did happen by.
Ahead they could make out a clearing. The blood seemed to be leading them to it.

"What's that?" Morris asked, her flash light pointing forward. Just out of reach of the beam, they could make out a stooped figure. It looked like it was kneeing down. It's arm was held in the air. Anderson shone his light towards the figure. When his light hit the arm of the figure, the light was reflected back on something shiny, like a blade.

"FREEZE!" Anderson shouted, "POLICE! PUT THE WEAPON DOWN"

The figure seemed to turn, his arm coming crashing to the floor. Then it quickly stood and sprinted deeper into the wood.
Anderson and Morris quickly moved into the clearing. Morris had her light shining where the figure had been. It revealed Lucy's naked body. A knife buried deep in her breast, the number twenty three, carved into her stomach.

"Stay here." Anderson shouted and Morris. And with that disappeared into the wood, following the direction the figure had gone.

Morris bent down over Lucy's body. She felt her neck for a pulse. It was there. But very faint.
She holstered her pistol. Putting the flashlight between her teeth. She checked for breathing. None. She removed the knife from the girls chest. A small spurt of blood followed. The blood flowing between the bare breasts. She started compressions on the naked body in front of her. She was unsure if it would make any difference, but she had to try. This could be the only living victim. The amount of knowledge this girl could hold on Stan could be huge.
Morris pumped up and down on Lucy's chest. Stopping every so often to give her the kiss of life. Her lips tastes metallic, the unmistakable taste of blood.
There was a crack behind her.

"Anderson, I don't think she has long." said Morris, almost out of breath. "She needs medical help now."

There was a large thumping sound echoing around the clearing and Morris fell to the floor.

Anderson ran as fast as he could. He was heading in the vague direction the figure had ran. His flashlight was almost useless in this dark.
He stopped. Leaning against a tree. He was out of shape. To be fair, he had been out of shape years ago. But he had never listened to his body. He continued to eat rubbish, drink way to much beer and coffee, and he never gave up smoking, even though he promised himself every new year he would.
He figured it was pointless to continue. The figure had had a head start, an had been much faster then him. In this light we wouldn't have noticed if he had past the bastard or not.
He finally caught his breath. Shining his light around in vain hope he might catch sight of something.
He didn't even see a squirrel.
He turned back and started to make his way back to the clearing. The batteries on his flashlight fading fast. The bright white light had changed to a warm yellow. He figured he had ten minutes best of light left. He hoped Morris had remembered to change her batteries. Or else they would struggle to make it back to the car.
He could just make out a light ahead. It must be Morris. Even from this distance he could see her light was still white. He was glad at least one of them had come prepared.
Stumbling slightly over a couple of logs, he walked back into the clearing. He was still panting slightly, but nowhere near as bad as he had been. He had made a promise to himself to get a gym membership when this was over. He might not go, but at least he would have a new card in his wallet.

"I couldn't find him. It's too dark and he had too much of a head start on me" he said stepping out of the trees.

But he couldn't see Morris. The girls body still lay in the middle of the clearing. The knife had been taken out of her chest, but he couldn't make out where Morris had gone.

"Morris!" he shouted, shining the rest of his dying flashlight around.

And then he saw it. About a foot from the body. A small pool of blood, and Morris's police badge and weapon.