Cry Wolf
"Mother I'm telling you I saw him, it was the axe murderer," Victoria growled into the phone, dragging her hair by the roots with frustration as the older woman gave a soft sigh, "sweetie, have you been working too hard again? Remember what the doctors said about you returning to work so soon after..." There was a painful pause, heavy with meaning and she closed her eyes, "Mom I know what I saw." Her mother made a sound of assent and gently intoned, "Yes darling I understand that but you have to remember we were all there at the sentencing. We watched as they gave him the death penalty...now I know it has been very stressful for you the past few weeks, returning to the city and all but Victoria you've got to let it go now." But I can't let it go! She screamed inside, he's still out there and no one believes me. Nevertheless she sighed softly and replied, "You're probably right mom, I'm sorry for calling so early."
She grimaced with chagrin upon glancing at the clock and realizing it was barely past two in the morning but as usual her mother poohed her apology away, "I understand sweetie, I really do, and we have got to stick together, we will get over this in time." There was no mistaking the rasp of unshed tears in her voice and it sent a pang of guilt through the younger woman. "Thanks mom, I gotta go... good night." She hung up the phone and leaned back against the wall, closing hr eyes against the maelstrom of emotions whirling in her head. They can't be right! I am not going crazy or seeing things, I know what I saw! There was a loud and sudden thump and she jerked upright, eyes scanned the room for any sign of the intruder but it was only her handbag falling unto the floor from the chair. "I can't keep going on like this," she muttered softly and walked to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. The stinging cold of the tap water cleared the blurriness between her eyes and she stared into her reflection. Her red hair had been cropped close to her ear, glasses discarded in favor of contacts...everything done in the bid to reclaim herself from the torture of the past few months.
Calvin Mclean they called him now but for two years the country had known him as the axe murderer who preyed on young women, preferably redheads, all over the west coast. And Victoria had known him as the man who stalked and hunted her, made her waking moments misery and eventually took her twin sister from her. But it was all over now they said, he was in a maximum security prison made special for hard core psychopaths like himself...at last count they estimated that he'd killed at least forty five young women in the span of three years, first with sporadic murders of call girls and then with renewed vigor within the next two years... her sister Melanie had been his last victim- he was caught red handed in the act- and the tragedy of it all was that she could have been saved. Then came the arraignment and nerve wracking trial, which ended only six months ago but she'd thrown herself back into work and her beat at the Times simply because she couldn't bear staying home and thinking about Melanie and it seemed like it was the wise decision to take until four ago. First it was the ringing phone; she'd hurry to pick it up but the line always went off just as she said hello. She told herself not to be paranoid and go looking for associations where there were none but then it became more and more frequent, almost three times... just like in the beginning when he started stalking her. Then came the feeling as if she was being watched, even in her own home, and the messages on the answering machine that were mysteriously erased whenever she played back. She talked to the police and they came but all they could find was the overactive imaginations of a traumatized young woman.
She knew they only came around any more just to be nice...but even if the others were all a figment of her imagination, what about this evening? She was walking back from the gym around nine, there were people still about so she didn't feel too nervous about it, until her ear picked up on the fact that a pair of footsteps had been constantly following behind her. She turned swiftly around and gasped; there he was, in his red jacket with the hood thrown down, the trademark red axe in his gloved hand...she remembered quickening her pace and looking around her, searching for a crowd-any crowd. He quickened his steps as well until she was forced to break into a run, crossing the street without looking out for traffic- she heard his footsteps behind her all the way into the small restaurant where she'd eventually hidden in the bathroom for hours until she summoned the courage to call her neighbor Christian to pick her up. By the time the other woman arrived the restaurant had closed and she was nearly petrified with fear, waiting on the sidewalk. There was no way it could be a figment of her imagination; she'd lost her gym bag in the scuffle and her wallet was missing. She would have to call the bank to cancel her cards now, not to mention make a statement to the police and have to endure the pity in their eyes...She walked out of the bathroom and jumped again when the phone suddenly began ringing. Should she pick it up, what if it was him again? She let it ring until the answering machine picked it.
"Um hello Vicky is me Chris, I couldn't sleep and just wanted to check up on you....looks like you're sleeping now and that's a good thing-" she hurriedly snatched the receiver and murmured, "Chris?" The other woman made a sound of assent, "I thought you were already asleep" there was a note of accusation in her voice and the redhead smiled in spite of it. "I can't but it's not for lack of trying. I think I'm still a little keyed up because of, well." She didn't need to elaborate; Chris was the one person she'd been able to turn to since the stalking began again who hadn't waved her fears aside as figments of her imagination. The other woman had moved into the apartment complex about four months ago but they soon became quick friends, especially upon discovering a shared love of cats. "Would you like me to come over?" Chris murmured and she hesitated, "Won't I be asking too much of you?" the other woman chuckled at that and Victoria imagined her shaking her head, short tight curls bouncing around her face, "Nah I don't think so, you see I keep an account of the askings and once it hits too much, I'll let you know. I'll be over in a moment." She was over in record time, bearing a blanket in her arm, "Just in case we need to keep vigil," she joked, green eyes twinkling with humor and Victoria rolled her eyes. They settled on the living room sofa, side by side, double blankets thrown over each other, mugs of hot chocolate on the table in front.
"So he chased you down the street- wait did you get a look at his face?" Chris broke in as her friend recounted the story for the third time and the other woman shook her head, "N-no he had a hood on- that was how I recognized him, plus he also wore these dark ski masks." Her description made the other woman shake her head in amazement, "That is crazy and you said you've lost your wallet? I seriously hope it doesn't get into his hands- you need to talk to the police first thing in the morning." Her advice only made the redhead's eyes well up with more tears, "I will but you know they won't believe me. They all think I'm going crazy because no one else seems to see these things except me. Even my own mother doesn't believe me any more." Her voice cracked with tears and Chris reached out to pull her closer, patting her back reassuringly, "It's okay Vicky, I believe you. But you still have to make a report come morning, whether or not they say they believe you, as long as you know the truth and keep pushing for it. Maybe then they'll give you protection."
Victoria wasn't sure exactly how long she lay weeping but eventually the tears subsided and she became very aware of the strong arms wrapped intimately around her waist and the fact that she was clinging to the other woman. A flush of heat passed through her at that and she gingerly began pulling away, looking up to meet Chris's eyes, "I'm-" she didn't get to finish those words as the other woman dipped her head to give her a kiss, effectively turning her thoughts into mush. The kiss deepened and lingered for a moment before she hastily pulled away and slid off Chris's lap. The other woman cleared her throat and shifted away, "I'm sorry that was entirely my fault- I thought you're gay-" but the redhead swiftly turned to clarify, "Oh it's not that, I am but that's not the point. You've been so good to me and I'm carrying so much baggage, I honestly can't encourage you until I have everything cleared up...I'm sorry." Chris nodded and grinned, elbowing her in a friendly manner, "It's alright, no harm done."
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"So you say he chased you down the block, right Miss Sanderson?"
Victoria couldn't help scowling at the detective sitting across from her but she made an effort to be polite, "Yes, from my gym all the way to the Lucky Star restaurant. I already put that in my report two days ago Detective Hunter." Rachel Hunter was the lead investigator in the Axe Murderer case and so the redhead could understand her reluctance to believe the killer was somehow on the loose again, but did she have to be such a condescending hard ass about it. The other woman shrugged and leaned back against her chair, "We know what you wrote but when your guys went back to the scene and asked around, no one could positively identify the description you gave to us." Her words made Victoria stiffen, "In other words, you don't believe the person I described exists."
"Now I didn't say that-" the detective began but she got to her feet, "You don't have to but it's written all over your face. You don't believe me and you all think I'm becoming a nutcase who can't get over something that happened over six months ago." Hard as she tried, there was no holding back the tears in her voice and soon they escaped down her eyes. Rachel got to her feet and moved closer, continuing in a softer tone, "No Miss Sanderson, that's not what I believe at all. I know you've been through a horrific experience and things like that don't go away over a couple of weeks. Here's what I'll do, I'll assign a cop to your apartment for the next few weeks." The redhead looked up, not bothering to wipe the tears from her face, "And then what?" and the detective shrugged, "Pathological serial killers like Axe don't go underground for any long period of time; if he is indeed on the loose, he'll have to come up eventually. Until then all we can do is wait. Wait like you did until it cost me my sister? She questioned silently but nodded all the same, picking her bag from the floor. "Now you said something about messages on your answering machine," Rachel ventured and she nodded, "Yes, early this morning, I double checked to make sure I still have it."
The detective nodded and picked up her jacket, opening the door for her to pass first, "If you don't mind, I'd like to see this answering machine of yours." But on getting to the apartment, they found that the message had been mysteriously erased like all the others. Victoria grabbed her face as she earnestly tried to convince the detective of her sanity, "I swear it was still here, I don't know what's going on but I am not crazy- YOU'V GOT TO BELIEVE ME!" it was as if her whole world as crashing over her head and there was no one around to witness it happen. Rachel nodded once and made for the door, her face without any expression, "It's alright Miss Sanderson, I'll get on the police security detail as soon as I get back to the office." She stepped out and nearly collided with someone coming in the opposite direction. Chris quickly apologized for getting in the way and turned to her neighbor, "Did anything happen again?" upon seeing the detective's questioning look, Victoria pointed out that it was the other woman who came around to pick her from the restaurant and Hunter nodded, "Okay then, I take it you didn't see him either?" Chris solemnly shook her head and the detective bade the two women adieu. "What was that all about?" she questioned the redhead once they were alone and the latter shrugged, "They are going to assign me a police guard for a while....just until they can smoke him out."
"Oh that's good, that's really good news."
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The first thing she noticed upon stepping out of the elevator was that the hallway was dark; apart from the glow of the exit sign there was no other source of illumination and that was unusual. She reached into her purse for her keys and can of mace and began tiptoeing down the hall, ready to release the contents of the can with the slightest sound. Soon the came to the end o f the hall and stood in front of a door- hers or her neighbor's she wasn't sure which- but her hand came in contact with something wet and sticky on the door knob. She withdrew it quickly, her stomach cramping with sick fear and reached out further, tripping over a solid mass sprawled on the floor.
"Oh my God!" she let loose, realizing it was a body, a human body and she stumbled and hit the post of the next door, which was ajar. She walked in step by step and reached for the light switch, gasping out loud when she turned around and recognized the body. "Oh no, it's the police guard." Just then the phone began ringing and she jumped, letting go of the keys and mace in fright. She let it ring into the answering machine and then a familiar voice whispered, "Vicky, are you there?"
Chris! She rushed for the phone and picked it up, babbling incoherently "Chris oh Chris he's been here! He killed the policeman they just sent to me yesterday and left his body- he took out all the lights in the hallway and left me to find the body-" she continued to rant and the other woman weakly murmured, "I know, oh Vicky he's got me! I heard the noise outside my door and went out...he grabbed me and knocked me out OW!" Victoria began hyperventilating as the import of her friends words sank in...he had Chris- he had Chris!
"Hello Red, it's been quite a while"
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Rachel looked up as her partner walked into the station with a homeless man in tow, "What you got there Erickson?" The other detective shrugged and gestured to the frightened looking hobo, "I just went back to do a sweep of the place the Axe murderer woman said she was attacked and I found this guy there. Apparently he saw the victim and our perp." Her eyes sharpened with interest and she moved closer, "You mean you saw her being chased by some axe wielding guy?" The unkempt looking man looked around and liked his lips, suddenly wishing he was anywhere but in the station, "Yea I saw a lady running down the street, remember her because she dropped her bag- it was a gym bag, I checked! Then a few seconds later this guy comes running after her, I take one look at his axe and make myself scarce if you now what I mean. But then a couple minutes later he comes back running into my alley where I'm laying low and then funny thing, he takes off his jacket and stuffs the axe inside it- he had ski masks on too- and I realize it aint a man, it's a woman!"
Rachel felt a sudden chill radiate down her spine; it as a familiar feeling, cultivated after years of walking down the same dark dirty street, and it usually meant something was going horribly wrong. She turned to her partner, "Get him an artist; I need a drawing of this woman yesterday!" And with that she reached toward the phone and began dialing Victoria's number.
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She hastily parked the car and jumped out, hesitated and reached for her small switch knife...just in case. No cops he'd said, and she didn't even bother contradicting him, knowing that the cops wouldn't buy her story anyway. She made her way to the single standing rundown apartment and fearfully looked around, the first true pangs of fear striking through her. He had Chris and he was going to kill her if she didn't obey...one more person was going to die for her sake NO! She grasped on to the knife and walked toward the single white van in her path. Just like he said...she knocked against the van and shakily whispered, "I-‘m h-here" the door swung open and Chris jumped out. "Vicky" but Victoria hastily grabbed for her as if to make a quick get away, "Come on, before he comes out!" The other woman looked confused by her frantic actions and raised an eyebrow, "who are you talking about?"
The redhead stopped and stared at her as if she was crazy, "The axe murderer! He's going to kill us..." her words trailed away as a sudden creeping feeling ran down her spine. Chris chuckled and took a step closer, revealing a small red axe in her other hand "Oh you mean him? That's okay, he won't be springing out of the shadows or anything." Victoria took a trembling step backward and looked around, "what are you talking about Chris?" she gasped when the other woman swung the axe at her, "Why are you-why have you got-"
"Oh this? Why, the better to chop you up with"
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"Yeah that's the woman I saw, I got a real good look at her too-"
But Rachel had stopped listening, a terrible feeling sinking into her stomach. She knew that face; she'd seen it only recently-oh shit! She grabbed for her gun and hailed her partner, ignoring the protestations of the hobo as they raced out the door and to their car. "All this while we never figured he'd have an accomplice, because there was no evidence of there being anyone else. No finger prints, no hair or nails, no DNA...nothing...it didn't seem right, how he managed to keep track of them all but that's why his killings became so frequent the past two years- she was helping him!" Her angry ranting meant little to the other man and he held out a hand, "What are you talking about Hunter?" She came to a screeching halt in front of Victoria's apartment and jumped out of the car, "Mclean, he had a partner!"
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"Why are you doing this?" Victoria rasped through the cloth in her mouth and the other woman looked up, "Because I had a perfect streak and you ruined that! Twenty nine in a row, I stalked them so carefully, I found their weaknesses, and their fears... they opened up so easily to me. I knew them like the back of my hand." Her green eyes glittered manically and she leaned closer to press a kiss against the redhead's cheek, "Don't you know the story of the big bad wolf? And then there you are red, the perfect prey...so oblivious you couldn't even see what was right in front of you. You were supposed to make thirty, the perfect number but then you just had to give her your car!" An unbelievable amount of anger bled into her voice and Victoria cringed. Melanie..."You may look alike enough to fool him but I knew she was not the one I hunted down. It's nothing personal but your sister was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and then he got sloppy and the caught him. No matter, I thought, I'll finish up the hunt on my own. You were stupid enough to return to your old apartment and lookee see, nice sweet Chris just happened to turn up when the apartment coincidentally became empty. Old Mrs. Beats didn't know what hit her."
"It was you, it was you all along...the phone calls, the messages-" Victoria whispered and Chris chuckled, "Making a copy of your keys was not difficult, I could come in and erase them while you slept or while you were out. Oh it was so funny watching you fall to pieces, whining about how everyone thinks you're crazy" she laughed and shook her head, making mocking sounds at the captive, "Look at me, I'm Vicky, no one believes me...the world is out to get me! I nearly cracked up laughing so many times. But I had to let you ruin your own case with everyone, including the cops, so when you really did fall of the face of the earth no one will think to search for you." She laughed out loud and then leaned closer, removing the gag in the redhead's mouth to give her a hard kiss before replacing it.
"And now, for the finishing act," she raised her axe and was swinging it down when two shots rang from outside and she jerked in recoil, turning around with an expression of surprise. Rachel took a step closer and called out authoritatively, "Lupe Raoul drop your weapon now!" Just as her partner intoned, "This is the police, don't make me!"
Chris took another step forward and two more shots rang. The weapon slid out of her hands and clattered to the ground just as she stumbled and fell. Rachel closed her eyes and winced, knowing what had just happened, but hurried over toward the van while her partner faced the murderess.
"Miss Sanderson, Vicky are you alright?" The redhead opened her eyes and nodded faintly, heaving a sigh of relief as the detective cut through her bounds and helped her to sit up. "Is it finally over?" Rachel smiled faintly and nodded, gesturing toward the still figure on the ground, "It's over, she's dead and you're safe."
Detective Erickson succeeded in turning the killer over and his eyes widened with surprise, "Wow, she clean gutted herself."