I thought I’ve seen every case but this one was different. I had four murders on my hand and they were connected by one thing each were killed with a sword not just any sword so they say, a 17 Century Parisian made. I didn’t care what kind it was I wanted to know why? I wanted to know what the motive was. This wacko couldn’t have a motive either maybe he was just trigger happy or in that stab happy. I didn’t want to joke about the case but it made my life a little better.
“Hey Pete, how’s it going?” His friend Helena came over by his desk.
“What you think?”
She gave a smirk, “I heard, weird case hey?”
“I have no clue what to think myself.” I put my hands on my desk.
“Good luck,” she left me alone.
I had notes everywhere on my desk and none of them had helped me. Besides the murder weapon one thing was clear that the victims were all males. I decided to go to the antique shops and talk around. I put my coat on and took it on the rode.
I drove in my police car and the fresh air still didn’t help. This case gave me headaches and sleepless nights. My wife told me that I try to hard I guess she’s right. I want to clean up the world from trash and sometimes it took a lot. I’ve seen it all hoods, druggies, gangsters, mobsters, and just robbers. I didn’t think that it was this hard to find a person who runs around killing people with a sword. But there were never any witness even when it happened in broad daylight.
I drove up to a antique shop that had the name Lee’s Shop and Things, I thought wow what a stretch. I walked in and waved to the dealer, who had a prune look on his face. He seemed bitter.
“Hello, what can you tell me about a 17 th Century Sword that was made in Paris? Did you have one and sell it to anyone”
The dealer thought and opened up his books. He looked at the names and then spoke to me, “I haven’t sold anything in the last two weeks. The last thing I sold was a vase.”
“Alright sorry to hear about that. See I’m on a case and that’s the murder weapon.”
“How do you know?”
I thought wow that was a good question, “Because we have the murder weapon but now we have to find the murderer.”
“Oh that’s quite interesting. I’ve heard of one person named Donald Kip, he owned one but he died two nights ago.”
“Yeah it’s weird because why would the killer leave the murder weapon? I don’t know.”
“Maybe he wanted to get caught?”
This dealer he was a smart one I should have gave him my badge.
“Yeah maybe, well hope that you get some business soon.”
I walked out of the shop and went back to my car. A note was on the window, it said:
Hey Pete,
Come to my place I have some interesting news I found.
Sincerely, Robert.
I looked in my car and Robert sat there. The ravened hair Robert who I wondered why I talked to him. He was neurotic but he was smart. He helped me on my cases a lot and normally was right when he said something.
“Hi, Robert. So you want me to drive to your place?”
He grinned, “Yes, you will be pleasantly surprised.
“I better me, I’m tired and cranky and my wife hates me for it.”
“I bought you some coffee.”
“Thanks.” I took the container and drank it with a smile on my face. Coffee was my go to thing.
So I drove to Robert’s place, it was one story home that had a broken gate that he said would be fixed in a month which he told me that two years ago. I parked in his driveway and turned off the engine. Robert had blabbed all the way there and he acted like he just found a cure of some disease. He was sure that what he found was going to help me. I hoped that he was right and not off in the deep end again.
Robert opened the door for me and led me in his home. His living room was a mess full of papers and beat literature on the floor. I stepped on Howl and Robert gave me a look. I smiled and picked it up.
“Tell me your amazing plan or whatever you want to tell me.”
“I know who your murderer is.”
“So you do, that’s great.”
“You don’t believe me. Oh Robert is just going crazy again.”
“Actually Robert your already crazy, you remind me of that movie Psycho.”
“Norman Bates?” He questioned me.
Yes, your Norman Bates, that charm but watch out ladies. A mama’s boy who kills.”
“Wow you think I would kill people?”
“No, I just think that your a mama’s boy. I like your girlfriend Christy and she’s still alive right?”
“Yes, she’s upstairs sleeping. So your inconsiderate but I’ll just say that your tired.”
“I’m sorry I’ve finally got the film yesterday.”
He gave a little laugh and opened up a black folder, “See I’ve mapped out where all the killings have took place at, looks what in the middle.”
I analyzed the map that he gave me and noticed where it was my house. It was my house!! I dropped the map.
“I’m not the murderer,” I started to panic.
“I know that dummy, so it has to be someone in your house.”
I was stunned to think about that someone in my house. I had to sit down, my legs felt weak.
“Pete you have to face the facts. Your the only one who knows.”
“But you told me you know who it was why can’t you tell me?”
Robert didn’t answer my question. I stared at him and waited to hear something come out of his mouth. I felt hot and dizzy, my mind swirled.
“Alright Pete I was lying to you but I had to tell you you know that person. You have to know that person. Each of the murder sites are close to your house.”
I pondered the idea and thought about my wife and son. They couldn’t be murderers, they were good people. They wouldn’t hurt a fly or would they? Could my family be murderers? I pondered that. My son what does he do when he’s not at school? I thought hard he goes out at night and comes back. I ask him what he’s been dong but he has no rhyme or reason. Oh my god my son is a murderer. I wanted to collapse on the floor but kept it cool. Robert shook his head at me like he knew what answer it got.
“So tell me who it is?”
“My son I has to be.”
“I guess you will have to see then. I don’t though but it’s someone close to you I have to think.”
I didn’t say anything and went to my car. This came to fast and I wished that I didn’t go to his place to talk. Why would my sixteen year old son kill people? He’s so sane, it didn’t make sense. It can’t be him he’s mild mannered, he’s smart, he speaks french and Italian, he’s friendly, and he never gets in trouble. I didn’t believe that it could be him and it wasn’t my wife either. Robert was wrong but he might have had it right with someone close to my home.
I went straight home and saw my family at the kitchen table with lunch close to them. I looked at my wife’s oval delicate face. She smiled back at me and I saw my son Louis.
“Hey Dad, so how’s your case going?”
“Not good, I got some shocking news. My colleague who works at the coroner office you guys know Robert well he told me that it’s someone that lives close here or in this house. I saw the map and it makes sense. I just never brought two and two together.”
My wife looked shocked almost bad as I did at Robert’s house, “Oh dear.”
“I know it’s shocking and I thought well it was one of you guys. I know I’m wrong but I don’t know where to begin.”
“Wait dad, you thought that we killed people?” Louis rose his eyebrow at me in questioned.
“Yes, I did. I’m stumped okay and what would stop you anyway?”
“That it’s against the law and God’s Law.”
“Fair enough.” I sat back down and felt calm that Louis wasn’t even close to the killers stage. He was just a normal teenage boy.
“Dad, I wouldn’t put it past mom killing people.”
My wife got mad, “Excuse me young man do you want to be grounded?”
“Stop it you two, now this is serious.”
“Dad why don’t I help you figure it out. I’ll talk to the neighbors it’s always the least you expect it. The creepier the guy the saner he is. The normal the guy the crazier the guy is.”
My wife stepped in, “Oh dear, this may sound strange but I know who the killer is.”
We both had stared at her in shock then I spoke to her, “Who? Tell me?”
She put her hands on her apron and wiped some tears away,”It’s you dear.”
I almost fainted at that thought and that accuse she gave me. She accused me but I didn’t kill anyone even Robert said that. It couldn’t be me.
“Dawn what are you talking about? I didn’t kill anyone.”
“See good point that’s exactly what you did to us. See it isn’t nice to point fingers.”
“Oh Dawn really?”
Louis laughed, “Mom that was good.”
“I am going by what Robert told me that’s all.”
“Maybe Robert is lying?” Louis gave his point.
“He’s not I saw the map it points to our home. So….” then I stopped and thought our house, the new house we just bought. The house that was half priced and it was a nice house. The house that we got for a steal. The retailer and bank basically threw it at us.
“What’s wrong dear?”
“Somebody is living in this house that we don’t know about. They are killing off our neighbors now think about it each of these males lived alone. They were our neighbors and were next. Were next!”
“But where wouldn’t we have heard them?”
“That’s the scary part.”
Louis said in a flash, “I think I know where, the attic. I hear noises and I thought those were rats. I was going to say something before.”
“I’ll take care of this once for all.”
I grabbed my police pistol and told them to get out. I sent them away to Dawn’s sisters house. I opened the stairway to the attic and climbed up there. We hadn’t use it or looked up there yet. It was musty and smelt like death. I looked around and just old stuff nothing like someone was living there. I noticed though that there was another doorway. I crawled over to the door way and pointed my gun out. I was right there was someone who lived in that space. They weren’t home though. I felt sick from the smell but waited for the person to come back.
I heard something and knew it was time to get in that mode to shoot if necessary. I heard the little door creak open and felt my heart race. This was unbelievable that someone would live in my home and murder people.
I didn’t breath for a moment while the door had opened. I smelt must and death in the room. This would be why the house was so cheap. This town kept it’s secretes too well. The thing that walked in was a black clad person. I wasn’t sure if it was a person. I just saw black, the face was covered. I pointed my gun at the object.
“Your under arrest.”
The thing came close to me I had to hold my breath from the smell and then it hit me with a left. Not with it’s hand but a blunt object that I failed to see. I fell flat on the ground and blacked out.
I woke up outside the cool air hit me in the face. My wife was there.
“How did you find me?”
“I called you like six times and it’s not hard to find you when your at our home.”
“I don’t know but we can’t live there anymore. Something or someone did this to me.”
“Oh Pete this is just awful.”
“You telling me, I’m getting a team this time.”
“That bad?”
“I don’t know what I’m dealing with.”
“I hope that we don’t have to move you know that’s my childhood home well before we lost it. Now I’m home again. My mother would have been so happy to know, she died in that home you know. Our neighbors they didn’t care or help us when we were going to lose the place. It was over who owned it after mom died. They sided with my uncle they knew he was a crook.”
“Sweetheart I think that I have to go now back to my office or back to your sister’s house alright.”
She nodded and I left her to go to my office.
I read over the four guys who died, I looked up each of these men on my computer and figured out that one was her uncle, a judge, a lawyer, and just a nobody he was probably on the trial. I wondered why it never hit me before that their ages were in there 70s to 80s. What if mother dearest never died? This wasn’t a horror film but sure sounded like it. The sword was what I should have read before Donald Kipp that must have been her uncle. This had gotten interesting.
I called Robert right way and he told me he would meet me at my place. I got out of there after my new found knowledge. I drove fast back to make sure that Robert didn’t get killed. I almost ran over some people but apologized. This was a nightmare.
Robert waved to me when I drove almost 70 miles in my own driveway.
“So it has to be your wife, she’s getting her vengeance.”
“I don’t know I think that her brother never died. I think she lives up there.”
“That’s weird.”
“You think? This is a nightmare.”
I showed him the place and even weird Robert was frighten. I deiced that we had to wait for this mask thing to attack us.
We didn’t have to wait long the door flung open and the black clad person was now a gray haired masked woman, she ran towards me with a butcher knife. This time I had the upper hand and knocked out the “thing.”
“Robert, I don’t want to look please help me take the mask off.”
“Alright.”
Robert tore the mask and yes he was right it was someone I knew, my wife!
