Chapter 32 NINE: DARK STAIN OF BLOOD

Derik received the news of the incidence with dismay. Lawrence’s escape from custody was something he’d seen coming. Drove down to the scene to see for himself the extent of the damages.

When he arrived, he found that the road had been completely sealed off by the police officers that were on ground. They were wrapping the bodies in plastic bags.

Derik gawked at the number of corpses that were aligned on the road. An intense feeling of revulsion grew within him. They lay like slaughtered animal in a waste of blood. Every officer in that vehicle had been butchered like animals. None was spared.

Seeing them that way bothered him. He needed to find wherever they’d taken Natasha, lest she turn out this way. Time was running out, and he was getting really desperate. Couldn’t imagine how he’d react if Natasha’s body turns up—like these.

An uncanny feeling spread throughout his body at the thought that he would be too late by the time she’s finally found. Couldn’t let that happen.

He drove down to Cedric’s apartment—the last place he should be at that moment. But he had no choice. He needed to find some clues that could help pinpoint where they’d taken Natasha, and he had a feeling he might find something here that Kevin may have overlooked.

On second thought, he wanted to drive down to TCU headquarters to search Lawrence’s office again, but he knew he’d find nothing there. They had earlier turned the room upside-down and had found nothing.

He parked his car on the sidewalk opposite the building. Glanced through his window at the Cedric’s apartment. The place looked deserted, like no one had been there for several days. He climbed down from the car and walked towards the door.

Opening the door, he inched into the building. Felt so vulnerable without his gun. The photograph that hung on the wall caught his attention. Turned to gaze at it. Observed Cedric from the photograph, giving a handshake to an elderly woman clad in a tailored button-down suit jacket and a knee-length skirt.

Derik wasn’t sure he recognized the woman. He noticed that all the photographs hanging on the wall had Cedric’s first name written on it, but none had a surname attached. It struck him as odd. It seemed almost as though Cedric had no real origin.

Just then, he stopped dead in his tracks. Thought he heard a faint thud coming from one of the rooms. He became fully alert and conscious of the fact that he wasn’t alone in the house.

Pressing his back against the wall, he moved cautiously through the dark passageway, into another room. Empty. His eyes fell on an old rifle that hung on the wall. Edged toward the gun and took it.

Taking off the back strap, he confirmed that it was loaded. He returned the components to its original position and disappeared through the door into the next room.

The room he entered looked scanty and abandoned. His eyes were drawn to a familiar drawing scattered on the linoleum. Picked them up and glanced through them—they were the drawings Kevin had given to him. Derik quickly figured this room belonged to him.

He suddenly heard footsteps moving about in the room far across. Keeping the rifle at ready, he moved with great stealth through the door, exiting the room. Sauntered down the dark passageway, his eyes darting in all directions.

The sound of the footsteps intensified as he drew nearer. And when he came upon the door, he heard the footsteps, loud and clear. There was no mistake. Someone was definitely inside that room—but who?

Cedric?

He stood by the side, leaning his back against the wall, afraid to step inside. He hesitated for a moment before reaching for the door handle. The footstep ceased—whoever was pacing the room was now aware of his presence.

Derik quickly pushed the door open and dashed inside. Barely after he’d crossed the doorway, something—or someone took him by surprise, picked him up and threw him to the ground. Kicked the rifle off his tight grip.

Derik pushed him away with his leg and quickly got back on both feet, ready to engage his attacker in a fistfight.

“Derik?” his attacked called out to him in a surprised, but appreciative tone.

Derik recognized the voice. Looking over at him, his brows drew together. “Inspector Alex?” he stretched his hand to help him up. “I could have killed you. What are doing here?”

He stifled a chuckle that was meant to mock. Made it seem as though Derik was incapable of what he’d just said.

He took Derik’s hand and grunted as he got back on his feet. “The mayor hired me to investigate Natasha’s kidnap at his daughter’s request. I thought of coming down here to look.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he turned to him. “What brought you down here?”

“Same reason… Mr. William has placed me as the lead detective to find his daughter.”

Alex’s brows furrowed. And at that moment, it hit him.

Derik observed his feature and immediately knew something was off. “What’s wrong?”

Alex, wordless, walked to a table at the corner. A book was opened to its centre on top of the table. He watched as Alex flipped through the pages as if searching for something. He finally stopped at a particular page, his eyes widening. “Of course!” he mouthed.

Derik walked over and stood by his side, staring down at the pages, trying to make sense of what had taken him by surprise. It was a page on the full biography of Murphy and Leonard. His brows knitted. “Did you find something that could help us track where they’d taken Natasha?”

“Everything that has been happening these past few days is not a mere coincidence. Someone has been working really hard to recreate a past event.”

Derik became dumbstruck. “What are you on about?”

“Detective Murphy and detective Leonard were never assigned to be partners from their precinct. They became partners the day they found Loretta’s corpse. Detective Murphy worked with state security in Fallout city, while detective Leonard worked for the local police.”

Derik didn’t seem to understand what vital information Alex was trying to pass across. He was feeling more puzzled by the moment.

“Murphy was hired by the mayor of Fallout city to investigate Loretta’s kidnap, while Leonard only started working on the case right after the girl’s dad reported her kidnapped to the local police. The two detectives came to meet each other when they got the same lead on the warehouse where Loretta was held. But when they had gotten there, they were too late. Loretta had already been tortured to death, and her corpse was already decaying.”

He turned to Derik, his eyes widening. “We are the Murphy and Leonard of this story, and Natasha is Loretta. The mayor hired me to investigate Natasha’s kidnap, just as Murphy was hired back then. And you were tasked by William to find his daughter just as Leonard was tasked by his commanding officer. It is all starting to make sense now.”

Derik marvelled at how he could figure that out. “If we are Murphy and Leonard of the past, then we already know how this all ends. We’ll both be too late when we finally find Natasha. And it also means, just like them, we’ll both die in the end.”

Alex’s forehead puckered. “We can change that—especially now we know how this ends.”

“We already know how this ends, but can we do anything about it? We have not a clue where they might be keeping them. God knows what T-Rex might already be doing to them as we speak?” Derik said, pacing the room nervously.

“C-Rex had kidnapped Loretta two days to her wedding, and he also waited two days to Kevin’s birthday to kidnap Natasha.” Alex thought aloud. “T-Rex tortured Loretta on her wedding day, which means he is also going to do the same to Natasha today. Murphy and Leonard arrived at the scene a day after she’d been killed, which means…”

“We’re going to save them.” Derik took an optimistic view.

Alex evaluated their chances for survival rather pessimistically. “God knows if we aren’t already too late.” he panicked.

He glared with hawkish eyes. “You’re not helping.”

Alex fell silent.

Derik closed his eyes, pressurizing himself to think hard. “Derik think! Derik think!!” he continued pacing. “Where could they be holding them? What piece of information could we be missing, what am I not seeing? T-Rex is trying to recreate a murder from a year ago, which means he’s following the exact same pattern as the last time. Everything is going to be exactly the same as the last time.”

That last sentence piqued his interest. Eyes still shut, he ran a deep analysis in his mind. “… exactly the same as the last time.”

“Exactly the same as the last time.” he repeated in a low, inaudible whisper.

“Exactly the same… as the last...” his eyes wrenched opened when it finally clicked. “Of course!”

He turned to Alex and said, “The warehouse—T-Rex is going to use the same warehouse he’d used a year ago.”

Kevin awakened in his seat. His temple ached as if a thousand drums were being played on his head. Groaned as he tried to reach for his head, but couldn’t. Something had restrained his arm.

Finally realized he was sitting upright in a chair, and both hands and feet were strapped to it. Tried to struggle, but the leather was too thick to break. The tightness of the rope around his arms and feet caused him great discomfort.

Kevin’s eyes were drawn to the chair on which he sat. It felt so familiar. His brows lifted when he realized it was the same iron chair he’d sat to watch T-Rex torture Loretta a year ago.

He looked around the room with nervous eyes. At the far end were windows in brown rusty metal frames, could only be opened at the top. He recognized it.

At the door were dispensers for rubber gloves, hand sanitizer, and soap. These familiar items from a year ago only reinforced his fear. Wasn’t long before he realised it was the same warehouse he’d once been tied in—the one he’d shown to Alex a few days ago. His mind boggled trying to rationalize everything. The puzzle didn’t add up right.

Am I dreaming?

Is history repeating itself?

Why am I sitting in the same room I once sat in a year ago?

Am I reliving my past again?

All these questions flooded his mind. Then he suddenly remembered the writings on the wall.

Happy Deathday.

It was all coming back to him. He remembered everything. C-Rex had knocked him out with a shovel. His eye widened when he realized he wasn’t dreaming or reliving his past—it was really happening. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Kevin figured he wasn’t alone. Felt another presence in the room. Peered into the dark corner to see who it was. Caught a vague figure of a man watching him from shadow.

When the figure realised that he’d finally been seen, he stood and walked towards Kevin, his face brightening in the light. Heart pounding against his ribcage, Kevin looked up at him. T-Rex. Panic struck his brain. His breath felt short.

The words that came out of his mouth were almost automatic and natural. “Where is Natasha?” fear lingered in his voice.

T-Rex said nothing. He remained still, watching him with a beady glare. Then he moved over to the table and grabbed a rag.

Kevin quickly recognized the rag as the one he had used to gag him a year ago. T-Rex pressed down the rag to his mouth before he could utter another word.

Kevin let out a muffled scream through the rag.

“It’s your birthday, Kevin,” he finally said. “Cheer up.” his voice held an upbeat note and natural warmth that caused his body to shudder.

T-Rex walked over to the light switch. “I have a pleasant surprise for you.”

Pressing a finger on the switch, the room brightened.

Kevin’s eyes bulged at what he saw. Natasha was tied to the same pole Loretta had been tied to a year ago. The sweat on his forehead shimmered in the dim light.

He turned to Kevin, and his lips drew back in an unholy smile.

“Now, shall we begin?”