drunk or stoned. He’d come to college to take a break – but a break from what? Now hopefully Grace would be pleased with him. He’d made a U-turn in his life before he crashed out of existence by driving too fast and recklessly.
Chris had always had a thing for Grace. It refused to go away even after so many years. He realized he wanted everything just so and perfect for her when they were to meet after so many years. She was special. And Chris was thrilled to be finally getting to see her again.
The computer-generated, virtual face that kept popping up on his phone every time there was a message or posting from her to all her friends, was not the same as seeing her in person.
And now, things were so different. This college reunion night could be his special night. Surveying the party site in the warm sunshine, he quietly slid away into the vineyard when he was sure no one was looking.
He quickly walked through a thicket and out of the vineyard. After about half a kilometre downhill, he looked around to ensure he was alone before fishing out a small, intricately designed, gold box from his pocket. He opened it and gazed at the contents smiling.
‘For Grace’, he said softly, caressing the beautiful jewel box, ‘this is my eternal gift to you, my love.’ He heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and Chris wrapped the little box in his handkerchief and pushed it back into his pocket, before hurrying back to the clearing.
Unwittingly, he had dropped a small, white zip-lock packet on the ground where he had stood. The packet contained a few pills and the day’s date neatly labelled on it.
The Morgue
The attendants trundled the stretcher noisily into the morgue and went off to hunt for the doctor on the graveyard shift. Inspector Khan and Joe stood transfixed in the cold, dank, dimly lit morgue. Another body, this one brutally murdered, had joined the endless rows of cadavers.
Inspector Khan was off duty, therefore not in uniform. He looked as casual as he could ever get, with his towering frame clad in a brown tweed jacket and his favourite five-pocket, blue denim jeans which hung loosely from his hips. His brown, neatly polished, leather shoes screamed cop, nevertheless.
His blood boiled at the sight of the young, dead girl.
He wondered what kind of people would commit such a heinous crime and why. This was the fifth such incident this year. The sheer brutality of the crime seemed mindless.
‘Gang-raped and brutalized for days by savages. She died a horrible death. Must have bled for days and lived through endless hours of agony and shame. Look at the burn marks above her left breast? She was branded like an animal … perhaps that was what finally killed her,’ murmured Inspector Khan. He covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief. Monica’s post-mortem report would only confirm Inspector Khan’s assessment.
Joe bent closer to scrutinize the scorch mark on the body, took a deep breath and said in a flat voice, ‘It’s the number six, three times, joined at the circles, branded on her with a hot iron rod. She’d been missing for six days. It’s the number of the beast. Perhaps, the legend is true and there’s something supernatural about her death … ’
‘Really? You seem to know quite a lot about this stuff, Joe. Any other expert observations? Do you really believe that crap? Also, it’s a sinister tattoo thing that many youngsters seem to be sporting these days. Your son has one too. A coincidence?’ quizzed Khan. It made Joe distinctly uncomfortable. He looked away and stared at the body of young Monica again.
‘It’s freezing in here, mind if I step out?’ asked Joe, rubbing his arms with his hands. He was in a red flannel shirt, cargoes and sandals. He glared at Inspector Khan and continued, ‘you cannot arrest someone just because he has a tattoo that resembles a carving on some slut’s tits!’
‘Watch your mouth, Mr Bigshot. Roam free for now, Joe! I know you have
Chris had always had a thing for Grace. It refused to go away even after so many years. He realized he wanted everything just so and perfect for her when they were to meet after so many years. She was special. And Chris was thrilled to be finally getting to see her again.
The computer-generated, virtual face that kept popping up on his phone every time there was a message or posting from her to all her friends, was not the same as seeing her in person.
And now, things were so different. This college reunion night could be his special night. Surveying the party site in the warm sunshine, he quietly slid away into the vineyard when he was sure no one was looking.
He quickly walked through a thicket and out of the vineyard. After about half a kilometre downhill, he looked around to ensure he was alone before fishing out a small, intricately designed, gold box from his pocket. He opened it and gazed at the contents smiling.
‘For Grace’, he said softly, caressing the beautiful jewel box, ‘this is my eternal gift to you, my love.’ He heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and Chris wrapped the little box in his handkerchief and pushed it back into his pocket, before hurrying back to the clearing.
Unwittingly, he had dropped a small, white zip-lock packet on the ground where he had stood. The packet contained a few pills and the day’s date neatly labelled on it.
The Morgue
The attendants trundled the stretcher noisily into the morgue and went off to hunt for the doctor on the graveyard shift. Inspector Khan and Joe stood transfixed in the cold, dank, dimly lit morgue. Another body, this one brutally murdered, had joined the endless rows of cadavers.
Inspector Khan was off duty, therefore not in uniform. He looked as casual as he could ever get, with his towering frame clad in a brown tweed jacket and his favourite five-pocket, blue denim jeans which hung loosely from his hips. His brown, neatly polished, leather shoes screamed cop, nevertheless.
His blood boiled at the sight of the young, dead girl.
He wondered what kind of people would commit such a heinous crime and why. This was the fifth such incident this year. The sheer brutality of the crime seemed mindless.
‘Gang-raped and brutalized for days by savages. She died a horrible death. Must have bled for days and lived through endless hours of agony and shame. Look at the burn marks above her left breast? She was branded like an animal … perhaps that was what finally killed her,’ murmured Inspector Khan. He covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief. Monica’s post-mortem report would only confirm Inspector Khan’s assessment.
Joe bent closer to scrutinize the scorch mark on the body, took a deep breath and said in a flat voice, ‘It’s the number six, three times, joined at the circles, branded on her with a hot iron rod. She’d been missing for six days. It’s the number of the beast. Perhaps, the legend is true and there’s something supernatural about her death … ’
‘Really? You seem to know quite a lot about this stuff, Joe. Any other expert observations? Do you really believe that crap? Also, it’s a sinister tattoo thing that many youngsters seem to be sporting these days. Your son has one too. A coincidence?’ quizzed Khan. It made Joe distinctly uncomfortable. He looked away and stared at the body of young Monica again.
‘It’s freezing in here, mind if I step out?’ asked Joe, rubbing his arms with his hands. He was in a red flannel shirt, cargoes and sandals. He glared at Inspector Khan and continued, ‘you cannot arrest someone just because he has a tattoo that resembles a carving on some slut’s tits!’
‘Watch your mouth, Mr Bigshot. Roam free for now, Joe! I know you have
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