Phantom

When a gruesome crime rocks a small town, Detectives Harbour and Andrews are tasked with solving the darkest case they have ever been given.

Chapter 3:

Detective Harbour threw a portfolio down on Detective Andrews’ desk. “Fresh off the press.” The middle-aged man said with a grim look. He had a cup of steaming coffee in his hand; he was often judged for how much sugar and creamer he put in it. But for him, the bland taste of coffee was always too strong, and it was not for him, but he needed the caffeine. Andrews looked up at Harbour with his eyebrow raised. Grabbing the folder, he asked, “How fresh?” Harbour took a sip of his coffee and replied. “This morning.” As Andrews was looking through the folder at three kids hanging from the Ferris wheel by their necks, Harbour was explaining the situation to him. “Three teens. Killed and put up for display for the whole town to see. Luckily, we were able to get em down before anyone showed up.” Andrews sat back in his chair with a big sigh. “Any statements?” Harbour took off his campaign hat and sat in the chair that was situated in front of Andrews’s desk. “From what the carnival ride operators told me; they didn’t hear anything during the night. And they sleep out there. We don’t know how he got them up there.” Harbour and Andrews locked eyes. “He?” Andrews asked.

“A guess. I don’t think a female could have pulled this off.” Harbour admitted. Andrews glanced over the photos one more time. It would have been nearly impossible to figure out what footprints belonged to the suspect. There were probably thousands of different prints at the crime scene. “What if someone who works with the carnival is the suspect?” Andrews was spitballing ideas. Harbour was rubbing his beard thinking about it. “I don’t think so. Reports say that the attack was in the field at their car.” That is when Andrews pulled the photograph of the car out of the folder. “And sure, I mean it’s possible an employee did it. But most of em were working the rides or sleeping in their campers. These are long shifts they got these people working.” Andrews looked back up at Harbour. “So, it’s possible?” Harbour went to speak, but nothing came out, and then he raised his arms. “Sure. To entertain your theory, yes, it’s possible.”

Andrews got out of his chair and took his badge from his drawer. “Let’s get more officers out there. Especially around the parking lots. And especially at night. Now let’s get to the impound.” Harbour got out of the chair and put his hat back on.

Sam’s car was taken to the police impound for further investigation. One of the property owners who lived near the fairgrounds noticed it still sitting in the field at seven in the morning. Once they got closer, they noticed the blood that was all over the dashboard and windshield. It was a bloody mess and had horrified the property owner, who then immediately called the police, and that is when they discovered the bodies.

Andrews was driving, and it was his favorite car, ignoring the fact that it was his only car. A 1995 brown Bronco. He had his own light. The one that you could attach and detach to the roof of the cab. It made for good investigative work. Harbour was in the passenger seat blowing cigarette smoke out the window. The radio was on, and it seemed the news had finally broken. The town now knew that there was a killer on the loose.

Harbour turned up the radio.

“Reports are coming in that three local teenagers were killed last night after leaving the Wapakoneta Carnival. Very little is known at this time other than that the killer is still at large. We will keep you updated as the story breaks.”

Andrews began to speak. “Thank God they didn’t say how they were put on display.” He felt disgusted, even thinking about it. “Surprised they didn’t. The news loves stirring shit up.” Harbour commented, throwing his cigarette out the window. A smile formed on Andrews’s face. “Remember that news outlet that was run by a single man?” Harbour started laughing in his hands. “And the public put him out of business because they discovered he was making up more than half the shit he was posting.” They both laughed together.

They pulled up to the impound, stepped out of the truck walking through the front door. “Hello, fellas.” The desk clerk Vinney greeted them. Harbour tilted his hat to him.

“Where is it?” Andrews went straight to business.

Vinney, not saying a word, took them in the back to where it was sitting. All the doors were open, including the trunk. Andrews took circles around it to analyze every inch. Harbour and Vinney stood on the side, talking about the case. “Someone who works with the carnival?” Vinney had the same question that the entire town probably had. Harbour was watching Andrews go through everything. “We discussed that possibility. Ridiculously small possibility but still one.” Vinney had his arms folded across his chest. The skinny brown-haired boy in a mechanic’s jumpsuit had always seemed too young to Harbour. “Are they going to hold a press conference?”

Harbour nodded his head. “Sometime this afternoon. Chief doesn’t want to deal with mass hysteria.”

Andrews walked back over to the two. “It looks like the kids were killed before they were hung. There’s enough blood in there to supply a blood drive for weeks.”

Harbour took a minute to think about what he was going to say. Once he got it, he looked at Vinney. “Did anyone find a weapon?” Vinney nodded his head no. “Whoever did it, they didn’t want anything leading back to them.”

Chapter 4:

The town had been strangely quiet ever since the murders that had rocked the Wapakoneta Carnival. In the last few days, no one had gone; the increased law enforcement didn’t help the parents feel better about sending their kids alone. It had cost the carnival a lot of money, and they had ended up shutting down four hours earlier on the last day, which had only peaked near four hundred people. For anyone under the age of eighteen, there had been a curfew put into effect. Cop cruisers would patrol the city around the clock, setting up a hotline for any suspicious activity reported immediately. The streets were empty; the stores held only the employees; there was no one partaking in a night out on the town.

Olivia sat still on her bed. She hadn’t even had her phone out to distract herself. It was just her and those thoughts. She was worried about Eddie. And it hit her harder that if she hadn’t taken him back to meet her parents, he would have been dead too. But it wasn’t fair to contemplate the “what ifs.” She fell back on her pillow, took her phone off the nightstand, and dialed Eddie’s number. There was no answer. She decided to leave a message asking him to let her know if he needed anything. Putting her phone back on the stand, closed her eyes, and slowly drifted into a nightmare.

She saw Eddie walking away from her at the fair. The last thing they did was hug and exchange numbers. He then told her that he was going to find his friends. What seemed like moments later, she and her family were walking in the parking lot. They found Eddie, his friends, all lying in pools of blood next to their car.

Olivia jerked awake with her heart nearly pumping out of her chest. She looked over at her digital clock that sat next to her lamp on the nightstand. It read “6:36”, she had only been asleep for eighteen minutes. With confusion and concern, she grabbed her phone. Eddie had texted her back, telling her he was fine. She knew the I-want-to-be-left-alone signal better than anyone. She was tired of people asking her if he was all right herself. Olivia had not talked to Charlotte or Sophia since that day. It had shocked her that a day full of laughter and joy would end with such horror. And that it would haunt the entire town for months to come.

Eddie was standing in the shower. Using his arm to lean against the wall that held the showerhead, and the water was falling down his head. He had been in that position for almost an hour, trying to use the steaming water to combat the nightmarish thoughts. There was usually music playing through the bathroom speaker that their father had installed for them the past Christmas, but he had wanted complete silence, or as close to silence you could get with water splashing in the tub and television shows coming from the other rooms on the second floor