Killer's Revenge

Leaning against the window, Carl pictures the payback in his mind. He first imagines all the blows he'll deliver. How good it'll feel to release years of pent-up rage. He then envisions his enemy on his knees.

Blood trickles down Marcus' face and a great portion of his body when he begs, "Please, Carl, please, no more."

"You deserve everything I dish out, and more you low-life piece of shit," Carl snarls.

Headlights glimmering down the wet, deserted road brings him out of his dream-like state. He glances at the digital clock on the dash. You got here quicker than I thought. He grabs the remote beside him and flips it on. Blue lights brighten the cab. He hears the drones' propellers hum.

Leaping from his vehicle, the distraught man bolts up the stairs.

Carl plunges the joystick forward. Hurry, hurry, he anxiously thinks. The drones sputter and then gradually rise off the ground. His victim continues to close the gap. They'll never make it up there at this speed. Carl's beefy hands begin to tremble. Go, go. The drones refuse to move any faster. The man is a short distance away. I bet the fog is making them bog out. The drones begin to sputter. I better drop the net before he sees them and runs. Carl moves the devices forward and pushes a button. The cover falls over the man.

He tries to get out of his restraint but tangles himself up more.

The drones break into tiny bits when they plummet to the ground. Glad I brought reinforcement.

He scoops up a second remote and flies two larger drones out of the pickup bed. Grabbing the net's drawstring, the devices lift Marcus into the air.

The victim falls backward; his head crashes against the pavement. The man screams a few choice words.

Carl's round belly shakes when he laughs. "That's what you get for threatening my wife."

Victim's faces flash through Carl's mind. Young, innocent girls sold in his prostitution ring. Their grieving families standing over their graves. He imagines the young widows and their fatherless kids, and then all the law-abiding citizens whose lives were completely torn apart.

Carl recalls what Marcus had done to him soon after. Several of Riviera's lackeys went down for it all, but since there wasn't anything solid to connect him, Marcus was never charged.

Carl lifts him in the air. He pushes a button. The drones release the net.

Air whooshes from Rivera's lungs when his brawny body bounces across the cold, damp ground.

Please, no more, please, I beg you." The man cries.

"I'm just getting started." Carl chuckles, rereleasing the net. Carl is about to drop him for the third time when he sees car lights piercing through the heavy fog. I guess I'll have to finish you off at the lab. Laughing, Carl airlifts him to the pickup bed.

***

The sun is slowly climbing the clear-blue skies, sending a vast array of yellows, oranges, and pinks across the broad horizon. A cool morning breeze whips through the cruise. It's a welcomed change after the merciless heatwave they'd just had. The two detectives sip their coffee, trying to prepare for what's promising to be a grueling day ahead.

The car thuds off Pebble Brook Lane onto a rugged, dirt path heavily border by rows of thick, bushy trees. Slowing their speed to a mere crawl, Mike pushes on. "The captain would kill me if I tear this one up to," He explains. He swerves around a pothole splashing coffee on his pants. "Just great."

Randi glances at her partner. He's a toothpick of a man who transferred from narcotics a few months ago. He has short, curly black hair, a dark complexion, and hazel eyes. "He'd have your head for sure since this will be the third this month." She's twenty-two. Her long midnight-black hair is pulled tightly at the nape of her neck. She has olive-toned skin, almond-shaped eyes, and a thin, athletic build. She transferred from Savannah four years ago, claiming she wanted to see what the big city has to offer and to get away from the horrors of her past.

"Two of those weren't my fault."

Randi laughs. "Says you."

The detectives pull up to a two-story farmhouse engulfed in flames. An exhausted group of firefighters is doing their best to get the massive blaze under control.

Climbing out of their car, Randi and Mike walks over to the fire chief.

Randi taps him on the shoulder. "The captain said you found something."

"They're over here. He leads them over to a large oak tree in the center of the yard. He stops at a blanketed heap. He sniffles and then turns and explains. "I had my men cover them out of respect." He pulls the canopy back.

The detectives look down to find a dozen battered young girls side by side. Bits of makeup tinted their pale, bronze face. A bouquet of wildflowers lay across each of their naked bodies. Their arms are crossed over their chest.

They're all babies. She's guessing the oldest might be ten. Memories of her baby sister come to mind as she stares at the victims. She recalls all the fun times they'd shared; how she and her sister would spend hours at the park. The way she'd always beg her for money when the ice cream truck came around. She might still be alive if I'd been with her.

After four years of searching, a neighbor found her decomposing body in an abandoned building. The ME said she'd been beaten and raped. Her killer was never found. Randi wipes a tear from her cheek. She clears her throat and says. "Whoever put them here must've cared a lot."

One of the volunteers runs up beside them. "You need to see this, sir." He leads them to a small lean-to that was nothing more than slivers of rotten wood held up by a rickety frame. A thick, white film covers the windows, making it impossible to look in.

Mike flashes his light around and finds a naked man secured to a chain dangling from the rafters. Slash marks cover his rounded body. A bloody horsewhip lies a few feet away.

Randi checks for a pulse. "He's dead, but I don't think he's been gone long. His body is still warm, and rigger hasn't set in."

The chief turns towards a first responder. "You, grab a saw and help me get him down."

"I've got it right here, sir." A second man walks towards him. Freeing him from the chain, they lower him to the floor.

Mike notices a large cardboard box on the otherwise empty shelf. Unlike its holder, the container was dust-free. He walks over and peeks inside. "Take a look at this, Randi."

His partner walks towards him. "What'd you find?"

"There's a laptop, cell phone, and these." He hands her a stack of photos.

She skims to the pile and quickly realizes they're all pictures of underage children dressed in provocative clothes. "We need to get forensics in here to process this and get an ID this man."

Pulling out his phone, Mike scans his prints. According to this, his name is Mark Hensley."

Randi taps a few keys on her cell. "Says here he was the mayor of Stockton, retired ten years ago."

"How did a retired mayor get involved in a kiddie porn ring?"

Toni glances at the man. She shakes her head and says, "It happens more often than you think."