I stared as she walked towards me. The light from where she walked in, blinding. As she walked towards me, I saw the beauty that radiated off of her. In a red gown, she walked towards me. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
Just as she got to where I stood waiting to help take out her seat, I felt myself being drawn into a darkness so deep.
But before I could be submerged wholly, I see Diane’s body sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from her stomach. Losing all sense of the world around me, I ran-walked to her body, taking her in my arms, her arms flailing limply around me, unnaturally cold. Having dealt with corpses a lot, I knew she was long dead. But every nerve in my body looked for a semblance of life as I trembled and held her to my chest.
I couldn’t bring myself to think that Diane is dead. I killed her.
All because of my naivety. I shouldn’t have let this relationship go on for the past two years knowing how risky my job was.
I shouldn’t have let her go to the house alone.
I shouldn’t have taken the threats of a serial killer as empty.
‘Alex’ I opened my eyes gradually to see Mark standing in front of me.
‘Alex, are you okay?’ A nod. That was all I could offer as answer.
‘You seemed to be having a nightmare and were acting strangely so, I thought it best to wake you’ I wasn’t interested In explaining how memories of my dead girlfriend has been haunting me in my sleep for the past two weeks. In the same order.
Our first date and her death day.
I kept on having the same dream whenever I slept.
i am scared to succumb to sleep because waking up to reality is too painful.
‘I’m fine’ I murmured, staring into space.
He had no choice but to leave me, seeing as I wasn’t in the mood for company.
I’m tired of everyone asking if I needed a break.
I need to see to it myself that Diane’s killer is apprehended.
I fished out the piece of paper with the words ‘Alex Neumann, stay away or you’ll regret this - P’ imprinted boldly on it from the drawer and stared blankly at the string of words.
Those were the killer’s message to me, left at the last crime scene before that of Diane’s.
I then picked up the next one that was found under the alarm on the bedside table in my room where Diane was murdered.
‘I Warned You - P’ was all that it said.
Whoever this guy was, he knew me and I was too gullible an FBI agent to have fallen into his trap.
I don’t know how long I sat there berating myself but I knew it had taken quite a while since the clock was indicating 7pm already.
Just then, Mark walked into my office, one hand holding a phone to his ear just as he rounded up the call.
‘Someone sighted our princess entering a house along Fourth Street’ He said to me.
The nickname we gave the serial killer was princess considering he always left a piece of paper with the letter P at every crime scene he was involved.
Nobody knew what P stood for but we settled for princess to spite him.
Thats if he ever came to know what we referred to him as.
Picking up my gun, I walked out my office and into my car.
Seems like others had left already. I walked into my car and drove towards fourth street.
During the 30mins drive, all I could think of was to ensure the killer is apprehended today.
For Diane’s sake and for our love which ended abruptly.
Getting there, like I presumed, my colleagues were here already.
The sound of the state police van polluting the area.
I’ll never understand why they always turn up making that noise.
But that’s that.
I sight Mark and walk up to him.
‘Nobody has come out of here since we received the call. So, I’m guessing he’s either surrendered himself to fate or worse still, killed himself. Lenny checked if there were any other Escape routes but didn’t find any.’
We both head into the one-storeyed apartment and Mark pats my shoulder ‘You’ve got this man’. Giving me the encouragement I didn’t know I needed.
We both walk in, gun in hands but to our dismay, the place is empty.
I drop my hands, and walk further into the house.
I notice the small fridge in the corner.
The door seemed to have been closed hastily. I walk to it and open it, inspecting it.
Like I said, it looked unused. But there was something odd.
There’s a glass cup above it. I inspect it and the inside is wet.
Somebody was here and for the person to have drunk a glass of water, the person didn’t expect to have the police on their tail.
He probably came here to rest.
I walk into the room further to the left and there’s a portrait on the wall.
That’s weird.
There was no other portrait in other parts of the house and that’s when I notice it.
I walk over and touch it.
It trembles.
That’s when I see the hollow behind it. I signal Mark over as I begin to crawl in.
Fitting myself into the black hole wasn’t an easy fit but crawling forward, it began giving way to a room. I feel the rush of adrenaline when I consider the possibility that he escaped already.
Crawling, I feel something give way beneath me.
Below me, there’s an opening and a ladder leading somewhere.
From my position, the place is lit. I climb down, Mark stays at the entrance. Not bothering to enter.
Reaching the floor, I take a good look at the room. This sure looks like a hideout and with the structure, its the least place to expect a basement.
‘I knew you’d find this place. Even if no one did. Today's my last and I knew it but I needed to wait for you’
I heard the voice and turned to where it came from. I was surprised to see the lanky figure standing at the far end of the room.
I didn’t expect him to be so slim considering the nature of his job.
I looked back to where I came from and I notice the ladder’s nowhere to be found.
The opening gone.
He let just me in.
I shoot.
Not wasting time to hear what he has to say.
But he ducks, barely missing it.
‘Shooting already? Don’t exhaust your bullets yet. Cause I’m sure your men are going to have a hard time –‘ I shoot again.
This time, he's slow to dodge and the bullet passes by him, grazing his skin. He’s furious now.
'I didn't mean to kill your girlfriend, you know' He said. We both stood across from each other.
Staring intensely. No one daring to look away.
'Why me?'
'You were always the one everyone on your team gave credit to whenever a murder I was involved in. So I figured if anyone would find me, it would be you. It wasn't hard to find information about you. And you weren't quite discreet with your relationship.'
I was an asset to my team and he knew it.
Everybody knew it.
'How did you know where Diane would be that night?' I asked him. Buying time for Mark and the others.
'Your girlfriend lived a simple life, so her house wasn't hard to find. Then, I followed her to your house. What better way to give you a warning other than in your own house? I snuck in but the bitch was too smart. She noticed that someone was in the house already. And although I pinned her down, she was able to rip off my mask and saw my face. I knew I couldn't let her live'
'So you killed her' I said, struggling to control all the emotions flooding me.
But I failed and rushed over to him.
As he tried to plunge the knife he wielded into my shoulder, I shot him just as swiftly in the arm with which he held the knife.
Leading to a fist fight with me on top. I landed blows over his face and couldn't hold it in anymore.
I only let go when I felt hands holding me back. By then, he was a bloody mess.
I allowed Mark walk me out.
'Shit! You could have killed him if we didn't get in earlier' Mark said to me as we walked out.
I know.
I was too involved in this case.
But I couldn't help the anger that enveloped me in there.
I didn't wait nor give Mark an answer. Instead I got into my car, and drove off.
Away from all the mess, I drove.
It's all over now.
The killer has been apprehended.
No verdict is bringing Diane back. That's the saddest part of all that's happened.