D&C 2.2: Age is not the factor

Age is not the factor

"It doesn't get any better even you tried to tell yourself you see it all; its just never enough for all to be seen."I recalled those words of my good friend, Dan the good forensic expert, but if he sees this, he would puke. Dan did not but cursed at everyone there on the scene. I walked to him but kept my distance from him lest he spits at me. Frank was there; his rare occasion to leave the desk. The one at the crime scene called for that occasion.

"Don't they know when a person is young? Damned, don't they even cared." Dan was into the mood when he gets a victim that was too young to die.

"Victim name..." The uniformed officer stepped up from behind me. Frank stopped him and took the notebook from the guy. He then read the details.

"Sandy Bloom, age five. Address given was from Pasadena......." Dan cut him off. He had just pulled himself from the body of the child left in a shallow grave. Her body was mauled by some night creatures before she was found by morning joggers.

"I need her back on my table in the lab. Pronto." Dan had walked back to his official car; a new Taurus but he had given its body some dents by the second week. That day was the third week, and Dan left some thick tyres marks when he drove off. I looked at the scene more thoroughly while they cleared the body. There was nothing to tell me who and why it was done. The victim was the seventh in two years; they appeared on the solstice and equinoxes. All of them were young girls below six years in age. They were all killed with seven deep cuts into their body including the neck and left bleeding till they die. There were strips of cloth to hold the wounds but they were not effective, or was just stuffed there.

The Press name the killer; the Quarterly Killer.

There was no clue to the killer but there was seven parents had new members to their grieving club.

"Ms Bloom died of the internal injuries; most of her innards ruptured or punctured by blunt force. Then the killer had her gutted." Dan dropped the liver onto the scale and noted the weight. He picked and looked at it. "Waste not, want not."

"Are we looking at the same MO?" I asked Dan. We have not spoken much for three months; all works and no play. Since I met Bernice at her bedside. I have not been back there since. Dan ignored me and looked at the left kidney he had just extracted. Then he replied.

"She's the latest." Dan walked away after dropping the kidney. "All the signs are there. Any suspects yet? Or are we been paid to do post mortem."

I saw him till his back disappeared into the bathroom. He probably needed the break with Bernice still sick and himself worse. I went back to my section and roused up the officers to scout the area. I was taking my drive to sought out the ones I can released my hatred on.

She was the only one I could had sex with. We needed no introduction, nor foreplay; just plain simple sex.

"We got number eight today." I told her while she laid next to me on the couch in her living room. We never made it to the bedroom; after all it was late afternoon, and we did not want to ruffle the covers. Who knows who else may sleep in tonight. My relationship with Rose was perfunctory, and also for information.

"Tell me what you know." I asked of her. She was an activist on women rights. Among her informants are whores, social workers and criminals. She knew more pervs than us in the Precinct.

"Not confirmed, but there was one rumor I got. The person comes into the city once every few months, and does the round before leaving in a week." Rose told me. "She was an activist but more faith driven. She cursed at those who do not repent. She kept on reciting the seven sins of man. That was what caught my attention."

It did to me.

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classification of vices (part of Christian ethics) that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin. The sins are recognised as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

But these victims knew nothing about it. They are just kids.

I could not haul the lady into my Precinct without probable cause, so I created one. I checked on her background, and staked her out. She was into her sixth day and then the inevitable happened. She got into a fight with Rose. It was a probable cause to dragged in two ladies involved in a cat fight. I had the suspect in my favorite room with the large mirror and small table with two chairs; one was riveted to the floor.

"Penny Martin, please tell me your whereabouts of last Wednesday." I threw the bait in; the kid was killed on Wednesday. The lady seated there looked like any housewife with a loving husband, and one kid plus a caring heart to speak of the evils of life. But this one was divorced with her son of twelve in tow on her interstate travels.

Looks can be deceiving. She spew hatred with more venom than any criminals I ever met.

"Evils reigned in this city. Your streets are lined with filth and demons. You ought to be ashamed to live here." Penny was not without hatred for my city. "Yet you propagate with those innocence life to be let loose on the streets. Don't you have any parental concerns?"

I looked at the lady. I wanted to tell her, I was without any child; I had not propagate with my Jenny for weeks now. It was then the Forensics called me up. They had something. I left the 'saint' in there as spew out more righteous views.

"Jim, you asked for a search on her car." The forensic lady held up the evidence bag. "We found these in there."

It was a young girl's panty and there was a portable phone. She showed me the photos in it. My face went to rage but I soothe down my anger when I recalled my role. I walked back in and read the Miranda Rights to Penny Martin for murder of first degree.

'Murder? I did not kill anyone." Penny went hysterical. She lashed out with me but before the others arrived, I gave her a punch in the left ribs. I hoped it would had punctured her heart but it did not. I guessed my pugilistic skills needed more training. When she was dragged out, she screamed of her kid who was on the streets.

"You can't leave my son out there alone. He could be led to the way of the evil ways." Penny screamed out.

I had the patrol cars searched for the son. His photo-fit was released and then we worked on the mother. She denied everything and even damned us to Hell for our works. I was going to call in the priest from the nearby church when my lady forensics walked back in.

"Jim, I have some new results."

I read the lines printed and sighed. I thanked her and was to walked back to see the suspect when Dan walked in.

"I heard you got the murderer." Dan was in one of his foul moods. He also reek of alcohol. He sensed my thoughts and replied.

"I washed my equipment today. So f*****d your assumption." Dan pushed past me to peek at the suspect. "It can't be her. The last victim was raped."

I looked at the man I knew as a friend. He looked better that day.

"I am sending up the seminal fluids for DNA." Dan turned to walked away and then stopped. "I thought you ought to know before you get your ass burned."

"Thanks." I muttered out at my departing friend. I got the call then. The boy was sighted and presently holding a kid as a hostage. I grabbed my overcoat and sped over there. The shed was at the back of the house and then was surrounded by five patrol cars with officers. I was the senior to arrive and without hesitation, I walked to the shed.

"Come any closer, and I would kill her." The voice of the boy came out loud and clear. I stopped before the doorway and spoke to him.

"David", That was the name given by the mother. She named him when he was born; the father had skipped town then. She wanted him to be a champion, against the gigantic odds in life. "My name is Detective Barnes. But you can call me Jimmy."

"Go away..." I had it with the boy. I opened the door and walked in. I may had looked like Goliath standing there, but I was more concerned with the nine inch screwdriver at the younger girl's throat. David had his left arm holding the girl by the shoulder while his right hand held the screwdriver. The girl was whimpering and looked like she had been been beaten up.

"She deserved to die. They all do." David shouted out. "Like what mum said; we are innocent lambs in this land. We must be protected and not left running alone on the streets. Who knows what would happened if we meet bad people. They would do bad things to us."

"David, did you do it like what the bad people would do?" I asked him.

"Yes..... No, I was role playing to them. I showed them the ways these people would do them." David's hand tightened on the screwdriver. He had it pressed harder against the girl's throat. "Just like mum did to me."

"Your mother?" I asked back while my foot moved ever slightly forward.

"Yes, she did things that hurt me. She told me it was to teach me that the sins of this world hurts. Do not others lest you want them to you."

"Why did you kill them?" I asked.

"I did not kill them. I was role playing. I was showing them that they should not do those things. They always fall asleep after I taught them." David sighed and it showed in his restraint; he was more relaxed then. Then he suddenly tensed up.

"I did not go to sleep when she did me. I cried but did not sleep." David spoke up. "I guessed I was braver."

"What did your mummy do, David?" I lowered myself to my knees.

David did the unexpected thing; he let go of the girl who ran to me. I held her in my arms and let her cry on my shoulder. My eyes was on David. He had removed his shirt to showed me the scars. And then he lowered his pants. He was castrated.

"Mummy did all this, and then patched me back." David looked at me. "I had a boner last week."

"Was that why you did it to the girl?" I asked him.

"Sort of, but she was all screaming. I told her that some people do this. I was by some men the last time were here. Mum promised me never to tell." David looked down at himself. "Mum said, I would shoot blanks."

Later back at the Precinct, I confronted Penny Martin.

"Why do you come back here every three months? Was it to visit someone?"

"My ex-husband holed up here. I stopped by to collect my quarterly alimony and spend some time talking to the lost ones. I have my own job in the other place." I had that information told to me after I returned back here. She was a Nurse in an Elementary School where her son also attended before.

"Its a better place that yours. We had clean streets and nicer people." I guessed you can't fault a town with a population of 4,000; where everyone knew anyone who walked by.