hurled again. It was petrol. Guess he didn't like it very much. So the bastard was ungrateful for my help. So I pulled back his head and forced the petrol into his mouth. He was a wriggler. So I jammed the bottle hard into his mouth hoping it would go deep enough. To my luck it did. He suffocated. I watched. The sight of his gasping for breath gave me an awkward pleasure. I knew that he was dead because his eyes stopped shining."
Adam tore his eyes away from the screen and caught sight of Simon who displayed obvious signs of nausea. He forgot he was young and had never seen anything like this before. To be honest, neither had Adam. The old man in the video rubbed his eyes and yawned. He seemed tired but he was so fuelled by the arousal of his memories that he was compelled to continue.
"You're probably wondering what became of the other three. Well, I saved the best for last. There was only room in my car for two of them so I disposed of Jack. He was a boring one. He laid there and let me do it. He wanted to be put out of his misery. It was just a quick smack with the rock because I enjoyed using it so much on Jimmy. Then for fun, I dented his face. By the time I had finished he was faceless. So, I had my two prizes waiting for me in the boot of my car, but I couldn't just leave them out here. I piled them all together and set them on fire. I read somewhere teeth and bone can survive, so I made a plan to return. Then I got into my car and began driving. Where I was going, I wasn't too sure-"
The sound of a doorbell interrupted the old man. He put his hand over the camera lens for a second then seemed to pull the camera off its perch. The screen went blank but continued to play for ten seconds. Then it ended.
Simon had been right. This was definitely worth being woken up for! They had in front of them a video confession. You can’t get better evidence than that! All it would take it some further investigating and they would put a name to the face. They would have a killer behind bars. Assuming the killer was still alive.
So absorbed in the video, Adam had failed to ask Simon a very important question.
"Where did you get this, Simon?" he asked.
Blood finally found its way back to Simon's face; he replied "I was at the public library this afternoon; I must have taken out the wrong memory stick. When I got home I wanted to take a look at some of my downloaded files but I found this instead. I came straight to you. No one else knows."
"Do you recognise the man in the video? Did you see him today at the library?"
"No, I don't think so-"
"Think Simon, think! Who was sitting near you on the computers?"
"There was a girl, or a guy, I couldn't really tell" sweat began appearing on his hairline.
"So, is this the only memory stick you picked up? What about the one you took with you?"
"I left it behind. I looked everywhere. I must have left it behind"
Panic jolted its way into Adam's nervous system. Simon looked as though he was going to be sick.
"What was on your memory stick, Simon? What did you have saved on there?"
His bottom lip quivered. His voice became a whisper.
"Oh God" he started, "I was writing a piece about you and my placement at the department and that you're a detective and one day I know you'll crack a huge case and I'll be there to help you."
"Were there any personal details included? Addresses? Telephone numbers?"
Simon shook his head, "No, I don't think so. But I did lose your card. I couldn't find that when I got home either. But luckily I made a copy" feeling slightly pleased with himself for being so organised, Simon soon realised that now the murderer could have Adam's address.
"For Christ's sake Simon! So are you telling me that there's a psychotically unhinged OAP out there with my address who knows you took his murder confession memory stick?" Adam was standing now and yelling through gritted teeth.
He grabbed Simon's malnourished frame and began to shake him. A knock at the door broke the moment. This was no coincidence. Simon and Adam knew who was at the door. They knew what he wanted. Adam gestured with his finger over his mouth, "Shh." The world seemed to stand still. The knock came again. The metal flap of the letterbox was held open. A familiar voice came from the other side.
"Good morning, Detective Constable Lyttle, I believe you have something that belongs to me. I would very much like it back. I need to finish it."
Adam continued to hold his mouth shut, and made sure Simon did the same. They could get out of this. They had their phones. They could go out the back door if they need to. But something magnetic was forcing them to stay where they were. They were drawn to the voice on the other side of the door.
"I really don't wish to lose my temper Mr Lyttle, I'm a reasonable man. I'm sure we could come to some kind of arrangement."
Adam knew this wasn't an option. You cannot reason with a psychotic murderer. Even if he takes on the form of an innocent grandparent.
Adam heard the letterbox flap go down. The man had grown impatient of waiting for a response. He knew this. He just couldn't find his voice.
The flap went up again, this time he could hear the sound of trickling water. Suddenly he remembered the video, "I piled them all together and set them on fire" It wasn't water. It was petrol! He was going to burn them alive with his confession. "Get back!" shouted Adam and pushed Simon toward the back room. He went to open the door but it was stuck. The bastard had somehow sealed them in! They ran upstairs, almost falling over each other. They didn't have much time.
They had no choice but to try for the windows. The drop was decent, enough to maim if you landed wrong. Simon went first and hung onto the window ledge for as long as he could before dropping to the ground. He yelped and his leg twisted. He was alive.
It was Adam's turn. He was bigger than Simon and it was harder for him to climb out of the window. When he fell he partially landed on Simon and heard an almighty crack come from some part of his body. Poor Simon, he was all bones.
Adam draped his arm around Simon's broken body and carried him off into the darkness.
In the early hours of the morning, a team was sent to gather evidence and clear up the debris. The memory stick was missing.
"You're lucky to be alive" said Detective Sergeant Banks, "I'll have someone take your statements" she placed a reassuring hand on Adam's arm and smiled.
The confession had vanished. They no longer had their weapon for justice. So from that day on, neither Adam nor Simon mentioned the man or the memory stick again. A nagging thought clung to inner walls of their minds; the old man knows who they are. What if he comes back?
Several months passed and things began to take their normal shape again. Adam Lyttle heard the letterbox go, he was expecting some important mail today, it was his birthday after all.
There was a brown envelope with a lump inside lying on the floor. He opened it and read, "Happy Birthday, Mr Lyttle. Ps. Heard from Simon recently?" The envelope contained a small red memory stick.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends