I Warned You
*Ranked 5th place in Short Story Competition*
Hello. My name is Harold Bilboe, and this is the story of how I ended up this way. I was a Homicide detective in Las Vegas, Nevada in a station that was possibly closing down because of lack of cases. There was one case though that was the worst out of all the ones I had in the thirteen years that I had been in the service.
It was a normal morning, I got up, took a shower, got dressed, and went to work. I poured myself some coffee and got a donut out of the company lounge. CLANG! Sadie threw the door open, and my coffee cup smashed on the floor.
“What happened?” she inquired.
“I just dropped my coffee, you scared me,” I responded.
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry. Should I get you another one?”
“No, I didn't want it anyways.” I paused. “So,” I said, “Why did you come in here anyway?’’
“Oh yes. Well, we have another case and we need you in the briefing room.” We both made our way to the briefing room, and inside the room, the TV was on with the info about the case on the screen. Jeff, Max, Rachel, and Katie were all sitting in their seats. I made my way to my seat and sat down and Sadie started the briefing. “Ok guys and girls,” said Sadie. “Please buckle your seatbelts because it's going to be a bumpy ride,” she said with haste in her voice. “So, there have already been two victims, a Victoria and a James. They were found in an abandoned warehouse where their… their ahh… their bodies were mangled. As you can see on the screen the crime scene looked as if they were there for weeks. Their bodies are in the lab now.” She continued. “There were no prints nor any sign of anyone that could have done this, and we have no suspects.”
Their bodies were mangled, torn to shreds.
“Are you sure that this wasn't an animal attack?” I said.
“The only way it could be an animal attack is if an animal could bound people to chairs.” retorted Sadie.
“They were bound to chairs?! You never told us such! So this was probably an act of aggression then, right?” said Rachel with a fear emanating from her voice. At first, I thought this was a normal case, just a little bit of a horror show with how the bodies were presented.
“So we know the facts,” Max announced. “Where are we going - is the number one question. Where is the scene?”
“You guys are going to Henderson. The warehouse is over in that area near the I2 15.” We all headed over to the garage to get in our black SUV to head to the sight. We drive for what seemed like hours and hours. We listen to some country song - She Thinks my Tractor’s Sexy or something. We finally arrive, and we see some caution tape. We go under it and move into the warehouse. We see blood splattered all over the walls, and you could tell where the bodies used to lay because of the lack of blood in a certain place, and the chairs with chains being hooked to it. We inspected the chairs and took samples of all the blood. We took pictures with the camera Katie, a new addition to our team, brought in case we needed it from the station.
“Where is Sadie?” Katie asked.
“Sadie runs all the computer hardware stuff from the station. She's, uh, not that keen on being out in the field.” I replied.
“I understand,” she continues. “Well let's get back to the case I guess.” Rachel and I start hitting the nearest homes and stores to see if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious going on near the warehouse. Tom, one of the store clerks, saw a security van pull up to the warehouse and he brought out some kind of duffle bag, he said it looked heavy. We thanked the man, then headed back to tell the others. We soon got a text message from the doctor saying that the murder weapon was likely to be an ax or something of the sort, and then some kind of blade they would use to hack up a pig with. We looked up and we could see our team looking through the trash. We ran over and shouted so they could hear us over all the construction next door.
“Hey!” I yelled. “What are you guys doing?”
Max replied, “We found what looks to be the murder weapon, and we are looking for anything else that could help us with our investigation.” It was a hatchet and two butchers blades. The two were covered in blood, it was exactly what the doctor examining the two corpses said it could have been just moments ago. We search, and search, and search but we find nothing. We head back to the station with the cargo and bring them to the doctor for her to see what we found.
We bring them to her and she says, “These match my description alright. It will take me a day or two to examine them and look for fingerprints thoroughly.”
A couple days passed and they were finally done. Sadie walked into the briefing room with all of us sitting there.
“We found prints on the murder weapons. They match to a James Towcane criminal record who some very naughty habits over the past year.”
“Ok!” agreed Max with excitement filling into his voice. “Let's go get him! Where does he live? We will go pick him up.”
“He lives near Henderson. Sending coordinates to your GPS now.” Sadie replied. As normal, we go down to the car, hop in, and head to his house. We arrive at a beaten up house that can barely stand up on its own. We knock on the door and yell, ‘’POLICE! OPEN UP!’’ CRASH! The left window breaks and we hear a loud BANG! We all threw the door open, weapons drawn, and we see him jumping out the back window. Jeff grabs him in the nick of time and handcuffs him. We shove him in the back of the SUV and head back to the station to interrogate him.
We arrive at the station and we shove him into the hard metal chair
“OW! Can you be a little gentler?” he complained harshly.
“SHUT IT!” I snap at him. We walk out and close the door.
The chief walks in and says, “Hey Harold, do you want to interrogate the suspect?’’
“Sure,” I say in joyful ecstasy. I grab his file and the pictures of the dead victims with the murder weapon. I walk in and set the file with the pictures in front of him. He looks down at them.
“Why are you showing me this? I don't want to see-”
I interrupt him. “Your prints were found on a murder weapon in an ongoing murder investigation. Can you explain that?”
“I didn't do it! I was framed! I’m telling you, I was!” I looked down when I got a text on my phone. The text was from the doctor saying that the time of death was the morning that we found the bodies at 2:30 am.
“Ok, where were you at 2:30 am December 4th?”
“Uhh, sleeping what do you think?”
“I think you were at this warehouse killing Victoria and James, and ripping them apart like the animal you are.”
“I want my lawyer!” he yells.
“Fine. Don't talk. It's only making it worse for you.” I walk out of the room and set the files down on the table. I walk over to the station's chief, Gabriel, to tell him what I think about the suspect. “So,” I say, “I think that he's not the one who did it.”
“What!” he yells, “That's preposterous! It has to be him. The prints match and he's asking for his lawyer! Look at the facts!”
“I know, but it's just a gut feeling. I jus-’’
He interrupts me. “Gut feeling or not, look at the facts! It's him!”
“Ok fine! Didn't know that you say who's innocent or not,” I mutter under my breath.
“What was that Harold?” he exclaimed.
“Nothing.”
Now, you may think this is the end, but no, you’re just getting to the best part. I go into the briefing room with my team all sitting there, and Sadie comes in to tell us about two new victims.
“Hey guys,” she says with a strange voice that I have never heard before. “We found two new victims. They are alive and in the ER. They were pretty beaten up. It is a Jackson and Mary. I have already sent the coordinates to your GPS to get to the hospital.”
“Has anyone taken their statements yet?” Jeff blurted out.
“No, no one has yet,” Sadie said.
“And no one does. Rachel and I will head over there,” Max announced. They head over to the hospital and I decide to call it for a while and rest. When I arrived home, I take off my shoes and take a shower. After that, I head over to the couch to watch some TV. CRASH! I look over and see the window curtain knocking over a vase.
Just the wind.
But that was all but true. All of the sudden the lights go out. The TV goes to white noise then changes to a straight white screen with someone standing in front of the camera in a mask. They had a ballistic vest with military grade weaponry.
“We know your name Harold Bilboe. Drop the case and send James off to prison, or we will make sure that you will know ways that will make you beg for death,” they said with a voice modifier.
“Why should I? You messed with the two new victims that we found so I'd be scared if I were you.”
“Really? Well, don't say I never warned you...” The TV goes to black and the lights turn back on. I hear movement behind me, and I turn around to see nothing. Suddenly, I hear it again to my right, then to my left. It sounded as if it was right behind me. I reach for my gun and then BANG!
I wake up two hours later with a big gash in my head and an injection mark on my neck. I look over and see a note. ‘I WARNED YOU.’ It sent shivers down my spine. It was written in a red liquid that looked like blood, but I couldn't say for sure. I got up but fell back down. My legs were sore so I used things around me to help make my way over to the car. I got in and drove as fast as I could to the station. When I arrived, I ran into the elevator went up to the 10th floor, and went into the briefing room. No one was there. I went to the lounge. No one was there. Lastly, I went into the computer room where Sadie was stationed, and again, no one was there.
Where was everyone?
I called Rachel. No response. Then I called Ma. Surely he would pick up, I thought. He did, but he sounded as if he was crying.
“Rachel was knocked out. She's injured, and she’s, uh, in the ER now. She’ll be ok,” he said sobbing.
“What happened?” I said with a bit of fear in my voice.
“We were driving and someone drugged me. I crashed and she got injured. It was a homemade drug, one of a kind, injected in on my neck.”
“I'm heading over there now,” I said with haste. “I need to tell everyone something and it's very important about the case.”
“Ok see you here." I get in my car and I gas it all the way to the hospital. I arrive and my team is sitting in the lounge. They all have a sorrowful look on their face. “Hey guys,” I say with a shortness of breath. ”We need to talk. I was drugged in my home and talked to the assailant. He left a note. We need to find this guy! He threatened me and he is now threatening the safety of you guys.”
“What!” Max shouts. ”Are you ok? Do you need a doctor or anything?”
“No, I'm ok. We just need to find this guy. When we get back to the station I need to give the doctor the note to look for prints or anything.”
“Ok,” Jeff said. “You go ahead. We'll catch up. Max stay here with Rachel.”
“Ok,” Said Max.
I get in my car and head back over to the station. When I arrive, I head straight to the observatory where the doctor was working. I give the note to the doctor. “I need to see if this red writing is blood or something else,” I say.
“Ok, well, it will take me about 30 minutes to process it.”
“Thanks,” I say as I walk out of the room. When I walk out, I see all of my team standing outside. We all wait for the processing to be done. Soon We get a text saying that it is blood and that it belonged to Harold Bilboe.
“What? How? That's not possible,” I say in a fearful voice.
“So, we have no leads and no way of figuring who did this. Really?” Katie says in an annoyed tone. SNAP! The lights flicker then completely turn off. All the computers flicker, then go to a straight white screen.
“Did you miss me, Harold? Oh! It's your team! Wow! You're all like a big happy family, aren't you? Well, you guys have no leads I presume. You, and you only, can come and get me. IF YOU DARE!” The computers faded to black and then had red writing on them with coordinates to where he wants us to go.
“This has got to be a trap,” Jeff said in a straightforward way.
“Possibly, but we literally have no leads,” I said.
“I understand that, but it's a trap. We will need weaponry.”
“Ok! Then let's go down to the armory and get some.” We head down to the armory to get guns and ballistic vests. Afterward, we go down to our SUVs. We get in, get ready, and drive out to the house. When we arrive, it is deathly quiet and the windows were boarded up. The house was heavily fortified. CREEK! The door opens.
“COME ON IN!” A voice said with a horrific screech. We move into the strange house with our guns drawn. We threw the door open. SLAM! It closes behind us. We turn and see no one. We move in. It was pitch black, but the flashlights on the barrel of our guns helped us to see. Our lights abruptly flicker then turn out.
“AHHH!” Katie screeched as she was dragged down the hall and pulled out of sight.
“Katie!” I yelled. No response.
“We have to get out of here now,” Jeff said with slight of fear in his voice.
“We need to find Katie,” I said. BANG! The door blew open with Max behind it. “What are you doing here Max?” I said.
“I'm here to catch the criminal. Wait, where's Katie?”
“The assailant has her. We need to find her,” Jeff says.
“Ok, well let's get started.” We move into the house and we see nothing at first. Soon we see a spiral staircase and Katie hanging from the ceiling by her foot. She looked unconscious.
“Hey, are you ok?” I yell up to her. She stays silent. We move up the stairs and see a man. The man is just standing there. He was turned around and, from what I could see, was not armed.
“Hey,” I say in a loud voice. “What are you doing? Put your hands up or we'll shoot!” He turned around, looked me in the eyes and mumbled something. I looked closer and saw that his mouth was sewn shut! My face grows pale, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. He runs at us we dodge to the left and he goes over the stairwell railing. We look over and nothing is there.
“Where did he go?” Max said fearfully.
“I don't know. He's not down there, but there is blood and it looks as if he was dragged out of sight,” I replied. “Ok. I think it's time call for backup.”
“The phone's dead! We can’t!” Jeff said nervously.
“Well then, uh...Ok. Let's keep going. We have to find this guy, and we have to find a way to get Katie down safely,” I said.“Wait. That looked like the chief's brother! Remember his Father sewed his mouth shut because he was talking too much right? I remember the pictures.”
“Yeah, I do, but that's crazy! There's no way for that kind of coincidence,” Max replied. We move through the big door and push through. We come to this room with computer hardware and a white screen and a camera facing it.
“This is where he did the hackings I think,” I say, interested.
“Yeah, I agree,” Max said. We continue and we are moving through this long hallway. CRACK! Max gets bashed over the head by the assailant. I turn around and see no one. I look forward and he's drugging Jeff! All of a sudden, this green gas knocks me out. I can only see a blurry bit, but there is this big dark figure hovering above me dragging me and putting me in a chair. I wake up, but who knows how long I was out for. I look around and see Jeff, Max, and Katie.
The assailant creeps slowly over to me, creaking the floorboards under him, and he says in a modifier, quietly into my ear. “I told you I would do this. It all could have been avoided, but guess what? You had to make it difficult. You just had to argue with me.” I couldn't speak. It was like my mouth was taped shut. Suddenly, I wake up in the hospital. The doctors are looking over me, but I still couldn't talk. I wanted to say so much! They allow me up and I look out the window. The something in the reflection scares me.
Wait!
That's not something I see, that's me! My lips were sewn shut! My station chief walks in.
“I WARNED YOU…”