Dark Purpose - V

Part 1

V.

               

Erika Darrows caught her breath and slowed her pace after two blocks. No way that stiff would follow her this far on foot. She could duck into a café or side street if she needed to evade a car but she was sure she lost him. The look in his eye was fierce though. Fiercer than what she thought possible for any man, save…him. But even that man was a myth, and not wholly a man. Both however were far from her now and she needn’t worry. With this task done she could lay low for a week, maybe even get out of town for a little while. Her “shift” being over and her task completed they wouldn’t need her for much else, at least she hoped as much.

                The Union wasn’t always cut and dry with their tasks, especially when it came to cases such as this. She and her twin sister, Angela, had been working overtime scouring the city for clues, or any leads for the case. Angela had started on the northside of town and Erika on the southside. They were to meet in the middle with their findings and present it to Victoria McMaster’s before the quarter was over. Rotations were muddy and Erika sometimes found herself on a longer quarter some cycles. This cycle was getting to be more and more tiresome as it went along. But with the files in her bag she was ready to meet Angela at their predetermined place: Highrise Hotel.

                They each had their leads to follow up on. Erika was sent to the local hospitals to pinch some files for reference. Looking for any doctors or surgeons that left on bad terms or were discharged for misconduct. The list wasn’t long but acquiring the files were a pain. she had to infiltrate the hospital as an intern, gain access to their storage room, subdue the caretaker, find the right files, (firings, discharges, resignations, etc.) and leave before she was found out. Aside from a close job at the state hospital three days ago, they had all gone off without a hitch. All except this one. She had been spotted. Stupidly. Why the hell was a stiff there anyway?

                It was a detective.

                “Obviously you idiot.” Erika said aloud berating her thoughts. Of course, the cops would follow similar leads, they were slow on the uptake but they weren’t stupid.

                “If only they knew what they were getting themselves into.” Erika said turning the corner to her hotel.

                “Who are you talking to?” A woman, the mirror image of Erika stood leaning against the wall next to the hotel entrance. She was dressed rather scantily smoking a cigarette.

                “Angela! You scared the shit out of me. Why are you still dressed like that?”

                “The damn door man won’t let me, thinks I’m a ‘night woman’ as he put it. You have to vouch for me.”

                “Just go around the back. I’ll let you in. What will they think? I’m bringing home a ‘night lady’ that looks just like me? They’d throw us both out, from the thought we were lesbians alone. You know these stuck up city types, so far behind. Just go around, I’ll let you in,” Erika caught a whiff of her sister, “and please take a shower.”

                “Oh shut up! I was planning on it! Just hurry up.” Angela tossed her cigarette into the street and headed for the alleyway to the side entrance.

                Erika rolled her shoulders, letting some tension go and entered the hotel lobby. She navigated the building towards the back door, let her sister in and they made their way to their room. Once inside Angela did what she said and went straight for the shower. Through the bathroom door she filled her sister in. Erika spilled her bag out onto the bed. Stacks of old files from the other hospitals had been sifted through and discarded already to the bin in the corner.

                “No real leads. They were all clean…well relatively. No unusual activity. It’s so strange. We know they were working girls. But none of the girls I spoke too said any of their ‘co-workers’ had gone missing.”

                “Maybe they’re too afraid to talk.”

                “Afraid of who? Why would they keep anything from me?” Angela stepped out of the shower drying her hair. Steam rolled out into the room and made the room stuffy. Angela opened the window a crack and stood stark naked letting the cool air from outside hit her body.

                “Who knows? Maybe they’re territorial. Or maybe they just don’t want to talk to a strange woman especially about a murderer targeting working girls.”

                “Territorial? They aren’t animals sis.”

                “Well technically…”

                “Technically blah blah blah.” Angela put her hair up and threw on a bathrobe finally getting a chill from the autumn air.

                Erika sneered and Angela met her look with a childish grin and exposed tongue.

                “Shame it didn’t pan out though. What are you going to tell Victoria at the meeting tomorrow?”

                “I’ll tell her the truth. I didn’t find anything because there was nothing to find. Frankly, I feel like this whole job is a sham. When was the last time we had a ‘real’ case worth investigation? Five years? Even that was barely a spark on the wind. It feels more like we’ve been relegated to private eye work instead of our actual title.”

                “Titles don’t really mean anything. It’s all too bureaucratic to me. I wish we could have worked with great grandmother. Either way it’s better to be safe than sorry, ya know? Doing our due diligence and all that. What do you think would happen if we didn’t do this work and it turned out to be a real problem? Like Angola.”

                “We weren’t around for Angola either!”

                “I know but I’m just trying to make a comparison. They didn’t do their job and half the population of those villages are gone now.”

                “I know, I know. But there aren’t any leads. No reason for us to be here. I haven’t seen any signs, have you?”

                “Not yet…wait.” Erika flipped a page over reading it quickly, turned back to the first page and flipped back again.

                “What?” Angela asked sitting on the bed.

                “Look at this.”

                “Dr. Grayson Childress. What’s so special?”

                “Look at his face. Remind you of anyone?”

                Angela’s eyes widened.

                “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

                “We have to check it.”

                “Fine, I’ll get dressed.”

                “Let me take a shower. Then we can go out.” Erika said tossing the other papers on the floor. She wanted to wash the sweat off her body from running away from that cop.

                “I’m surprised at you sis, getting all riled up about a lead. You’re never this cocksure about anything.” Angela chuckled and laid back on the bed.

                 “I just have a feeling that I need to run with.”  

                Erika placed the loose page down on the desk and got herself into the shower. She hoped that she had found a lead. Seeing that face could only spell one thing. This wasn’t an aberration, and she wasn’t going to let this be another Angola. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Stolen?” Dr. Thomas asked flabbergasted as Greed stormed into his office. The doctor had barely time to sit down at his desk before Greed burst through the door.

                “The clerk we saw wasn’t a clerk at all. She stole a heap of files, the exact files I was planning to look at. Your actual clerk was knocked out cold two racks over.”

                “What the hell is going on? Who would steal those records?”

                “Has anyone come around recently? Anyone you don’t recognize?”

                “I’ve already told you that I see so many interns and student doctors, I can’t tell who’s who some days.”

                “Do you have a log?” Greed hissed growing impatient.

                “Yes, yes.” Thomas rang his secretary and she entered with a ledger.

                “These are the sign ins from today. Anyone who comes in for work needs to sign in.”

                Greed snatched the ledger and thumbed through it. Only three female names popped out to him.

                “These, if they were interns would you have a record of their information? Where they live?”

                “Yes, I should, that’ll take time to find. Are you sure she wasn’t just a thief? A random occurrence.”

                “No, I think she must have been here a while to learn how to get around. No way she would be able to climb up the building or pick the lock. Plus from what I saw she was dressed like she worked here. I need the records on these three names. Now.”

                “I’ll do what I can.” Thomas was back on the phone and Greed lit another cigarette, hospital regulations be damned. If he didn’t smoke now, he’d no doubt crack his own jaw.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Don’t be gone too long.” Alfons called out from his desk.

                “Yeah, yeah.” Misty said waving her hand over her shoulder. The luxury she had, working for Alfons, was the ability to go out to eat every few days. She didn’t always take that chance, she preferred to stay in when she was “off the clock” and read but after meeting that weird doctor she wanted to get out. The idea of staying cramped up in that place when someone might be enticing girls out for loans made her cautious. She wasn’t an idiot and didn’t put herself into any needless harm. And she wasn’t lying when she said to the good doctor that most of the clients were gentle men but there was always that one that found his way back who’d beat up a girl and leave her out of work for a week. That’s why Alfons was so adamant about protecting his girls. What was bad for them physically was bad for him monetarily and he wouldn’t have that.

                The evening was brisk as Misty walked towards her favorite watering hole. Winter always felt like it came on sooner and sooner each year. The wind bit at her exposed skin, uncovered by her short dress and coat. She wanted to look nice, but that usually meant taking hits when it came to function. She shivered in silence though as she pushed the door open. Thankfully inside Sullivan’s the air was warm and smoky, just what she loved about the place. It reminded her of a painting she saw once on a date years ago, before she joined Alfons. A group of men sat around a table smoking cigars talking about politics or women or money, the things all men seemed to talk about. It reminded her of her father, the same kind of man, strong and stern but fair. The comfort that setting gave her helped carry her along. Probably why she always came back to this little place instead of venturing out beyond to other nicer places. The food was cheap and greasy but the atmosphere is what she craved more.

                She took her usual seat at a booth and ordered a beer. Sully, the owner of Sullivan’s smiled at her from behind the bar and Juliet, his wife, waited on her. She smiled showing a few missing teeth. The pair were a peculiar bunch, polish immigrants, but the nicest people this side of the river. She was happy to be welcomed by them without judgement.

                Waiting for her sausage and toast, the prime dish from the joint, she sat thinking about the murderer lurking the streets. She of course had heard about The Butcher, as the papers called him. Only one body had been reported but she was sure that wasn’t the only one. How many she couldn’t know, or would want to know. There was a comfort in the insulation being with Alfons gave. A level of security in those thin walls that she felt wouldn’t exist without them. Alfons wasn’t a saint but he cared for his girls in a special way. Made sure they were healthy, and fed and safe for what it was worth. Being out in the world, alone, now that scared her. But from what that doctor said, the danger was infiltrating what she considered a haven. She had dealt with violent men before, but nothing like this. She had no idea how to react. Any man could be the guy. Any man had the potential but before the first report there was a level of dismissal that the men that came in for sex were going to do anything violent. Now though, a tension was brewing. She could sense it in the other girls and felt it even in herself.

                Misty was the oldest employee of Alfons, going on seven years. The other girls looked up to her, leaned on her, and respected her. Alfons too gave her much more freedom based on a trust built for so long. But that level of respect wouldn’t save her in the worst circumstances. She had been thinking for a while that maybe she should try to leave and do something else but the feeling of being naked to the world outside her little room scared her that much more than being murdered. It was a strange feeling. To be stuck between feeling helpless and hopeless.

                She caught herself looking around the smoky room to the men peppered throughout, gauging their demeanor, wondering if even now the Butcher was sitting in having a sandwich and a beer. They all looked normal to her. What would a murderer look like? A madman? Deranged and feral? Probably not, a man like that would stick out like a sore thumb and be picked up in a snap. No, he had to be normal looking. Someone who wouldn’t raise an eyebrow or if he did he was dismissed just as easily.

                Across the bar she heard a familiar voice but it was distorted. The radio was playing a program. She tugged on Juliet’s sleeve as she passed by carting some food she asked her to turn it up.

                “Of course dear.” Juliet smiled.

…discussed that a man can hide many forms under the skin. We see this in patients of schizoid and depressive syndromes. Formulating and adopting differing personas to better adhere to life in a successful way. It’s very simple. The mind isn’t as binary as we like to assume. It runs on my different levels, and wavelengths, early research has shown. It’s not simple to say, especially in an ailed mind, that one is ‘all there’ as the colloquialism goes.

“That’s the doctor.” Misty said under her breath.

So, you’re saying these criminals, and The Butcher included, are suffering from multiple personalities?

Not suffering. That’s not the right word. To suffer is to be in a detriment by it. No, these personality shifts are a mechanism to cope with trauma. In fact, some might say they are made sane by the occurrence. Where in the inverse without those coping mechanisms their brain would simply cease to function.

Do these coping mechanism manifest in a physical sense as well?

Most times yes, there is a changed demeanor and complexion to the subject. As though the skin and body change to fit the new personality. It’s not drastic enough to say a whole new person is created in the physical sense but there are stark differences. I have seen patients that have multiple personalities that had one that needed eyeglasses and another that felt they were seeing perfectly. Their eyes didn’t change, mind you, only their perceptions. So, a physical change in appearance is almost a given.

Can these instances be treated?

I’m afraid not. Once a mind is fractured it is almost impossible to stitch the pieces together again. The only way to ‘cure’ the split is to overwrite the brain itself. With a lobotomy or other brain incisions. These methods do work in destroying the different points of view in the patient but they also tend to destroy all faculties as we know them. To be lobotomized is to be ripped of all sentience in my estimation.

So, you wouldn’t recommend using that to deal with someone like The Butcher?

That’s not what I’m saying at all. Evil such as this must be quelled at all costs. I’m simply stating the realities of the situation. There is no rehabilitation for such a man. There is only destruction. In the realm of the brain or wholesale. Whichever path is presented first. Though, in my research, I hope to examine the man further before he is disposed of. There is much to learn from a healthy fractured mind. More we could decipher from the madness with proper science.

I look forward to the book that would come of that endeavor Doctor. Speaking of which, your latest book…

“Turn that shit off Sully.” A drunk man called out from a booth across the diner.

                “Yes my friend. Whatever pleases you.” Sully said snapping the channel from the discussion to some music. The discussion played over in Misty’s mind as her food arrived at her table.

                A man with two personalities, that looked and acted differently? That could be anyone. Misty thought trying to force down some food. Her anxiety spiked at the thought any man who she encountered could be a monster in disguise. Even the atmosphere of the diner that comforted her on so many long days and hateful nights barely stifled the fear growing inside her. She wanted to get back to her room, her haven and stay there until this monster was caught.

                She took a few bites of food, losing her appetite from the fear, payed her fare and left back to her home. The street was colder now as if the weather was growing worse with her worries. She wouldn’t venture out again until the streets were ‘safe’ again. Or if it was spring.

                The sidewalk was crowding up around her and she felt safer in numbers until she looked over her shoulder. A silhouette of a man followed behind her some feet away. At first she chocked it up to coincidence. People are just walking, around her, behind her, in front of her, beside her. But a chill ran up her spine at the look of the man. His face was obscured by a hat pulled down. His shape was obscured as well by his clothes. He seemed large but that could be a trick of the light. It was growing dark and she sped up her pace to get home quicker. It was only three blocks away but that felt like miles with someone behind her.

                Feeling exposed in the crowd she turned into an alleyway and ducked away from view. She spied from behind an electrical box on the side of the building the man skulk away without pause. She breathed a sigh of relief and felt stupid for being so scared.

                “Come no Misty, get it together.” She closed her eyes and breathed slowly to calm her rapid heart beat.

                Then she heard him. It was so fast. Before she could see what it was a dark form was upon her in the alleyway. She had no time to scream or fight or run. The hands grasped her mouth and arm tightly. She felt the life drain from her as the eyes of the man were illuminated by the dim light. She screamed into the palm of his hand but it was muffled beyond recognition, barely a murmur compared to the busy street. Tears streamed down her face and her mind raced fighting for a solution. But she was helpless.

                The strong hands grasped tighter and tighter and without a word the man slammed her against the wall. The last thing she recalled running through her head was Juliet’s smile and the smoky smell of the diner. Then darkness.

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