“10-4 Alpha Bravo #21.”
Donnie puts the radio back in its holder. He’s pecking away at the computer. “This is a shit show," I say. "The crowd could get hurt if this is The Mad Hatter.”
“Yeah, you’re right Drew, but if it is, then we’re lucky. Maybe we can catch this son of a bitch and be done with this bullshit.”
I don’t believe it’s going to be that easy. The Mad Hatter has eluded us at every corner. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Donnie.”
“All units. Respond to Royal Grand and Heart. All units, respond.”
The dispatcher’s radio crackles. “Fuck, something big just happened,” Donnie says as I put the sirens on full blast.
The radio crackles again. “Alpha Bravo #21, copy.” Delta #5’s commander sounds out of breath like he’s just ran a marathon.
“Alpha Bravo #21, what’s y—” The radio crackles, then goes silent.
Donnie slams his hand down on the dash. “Dammit, what just happened?”
“Not sure, but we're about to find out.” I take the corner way too fast, but I see a short body running in the opposite direction of the crime scene. I unhook my seatbelt, and I'm out of the car.
“Donnie, check on the Delta #5 team. I’m going after the runner.”
Someone from behind me screams, “Get that person!” They are pointing to the person I saw running away. They are fast, but I am determined to get them.
“Stop, WPD!” I shout but they keep running, so I’m forced to take out my gun. “I said stop! Don’t make me shoot.”
The person looks back at me and winks as they take the corner of Heart and Joker. Damn, I can’t believe how bold this perp is. It’s amazing I can see their eyes over the shine of the face mask they are wearing. Fuck, I wish their face wasn't covered.
A throwing knife flies by my head, and I duck. Fuck, I’m armed, and they don’t care. I take a shot, but it’s too late. They’ve ducked around the corner.
“Dammit,” I growl into the dark alley as I run around the corner. The alley is clear.Fuck.I pull out a pair of gloves and an evidence bag. Putting on the gloves, I bring out the flashlight and start looking for the knife. I find it about three feet away from where I was standing. Gulping, I pick it up, and I realize that this is a custom-made blade. Which means it may not be traceable.
I need to get a sketch artist to the station because I have a profile. If they weren’t wearing a mask, I would be able to give a better description but now I know the killer is a woman.
“Dispatch, have the sketch artist at the station.” I keep canvassing the area, but it’s clear. The person disappeared into thin air.Fuck!I walk back to the crime scene with the throwing knife in an evidence bag. To have solid evidence means we may be able to catch The Mad Hatter … finally.
The closer I get to the crime scene, the louder the hustle and bustle gets. Witnesses are being questioned all over the place. Some of them are crying and others are getting their wounds tended to. At least crowd control has been done, and we don't have to worry about the unruly nature of a crowd being left unattended.
Hell, Donnie looks a bit green around the edges when I step up next to him. “What do we have?”
“A fucking freak show. Main male victim is under eighteen and has no dick anymore. It’s been cut clean off.” He points toward the first body. We walk a little farther to where half of a female body is upright. The other half is almost a foot away.Fuck.
“This is the second victim. She’s female, eighteen according to someone who knows her. She died of asphyxiation before a car hit her, and that took the lower half of her body off. By the way, the first victim’s cock is still in her mouth. Allegedly, the driver thought they were pulling the entire body out from under their car. When someone screamed, they saw that it was just the top part, and they freaked, letting the victim go. The body slumped against the wall and the driver got back in their car, traumatized.”
Who the fuck tries to pull a body out from under a car? I look between the two victims and shake my head in denial. Or at least I think it’s denial. How did she get his dick in her mouth?
“The person driving the car is over at the ambulance station, getting checked out. They said there was a person wearing black and pink that shoved the girl in front of them. There was one witness that stated the killer killed the male victim and cut his cock off while the girl was pushed down onto it. That’s how we know she died of asphyxiation.”
Donnie stops talking and walking. I turn to him, and he fiddles with his pen. “I wish we only had two victims, but we aren’t that fortunate. The other victims have been brutally slain.” He continues walking until we get to the alley.
“Victims three, four, and five. They impeded the perp trying to leave.” When he said brutally slain, he’s not lying. The first victim doesn’t have a leg. The second is missing a hand and foot, andfuck me, the third is missing their head.
The carnage is savage. So much fucking carnage. I turn away from the scene and walk back toward the road. Donnie follows me, continually talking.
“We have a ton of witnesses. Some have minor cuts and bruises from the perp running through them. The Delta #5 team is questioning them.” I already see that, but I let him talk. When he doesn’t have control over a crime scene, he gets nervous. When he’s nervous, he jabbers.
The commander comes over and tips his hat. “Sorry to interrupt, but we wanted to let you know something important. The witnesses, while they disagree on a few things, all agree on one thing; the killer is a female. As they were trying to stop the perp, they ripped the shirt, exposing a bra.”
I figured as much. The person I chased had such a petite frame. There was too much of a curve to their hip to be a man. I keep seeing that wink. It was too flirty and familiar but I can’t place it.
