The Crucifix Killer Read Free Page B

I feel,’ Peter said with a sarcastic smirk.
    ‘Yeah, thanks, you look great too. When is the baby due?’ Hunter asked tapping his hand over Peter’s beer gut. ‘So what have we got here?’ He turned to face Garcia.
    ‘I think you better see it for yourself. It’s hard to describe what’s in there. The captain’s inside, he said he wanted to talk to you first before letting the boys tag and bag the place,’ Garcia said looking unsettled.
    ‘What the hell is the captain doing here? He never comes out to crime scenes. Does he know the victim?’
    ‘I’m as much in the dark as you are, but I don’t think so. She’s not exactly recognizable.’ Garcia’s statement made Hunter’s eyes squint with a new worry.
    ‘So it’s a female body?’
    ‘Oh, she’s female alright.’
    ‘Are you OK, rookie? You look a little shook up.’
    ‘I’m fine,’ Garcia reassured him.
    ‘He’s been sick a couple of times,’ Peter commented with a new sneer.
    Hunter studied Garcia for a moment. He knew this wasn’t his first murder scene. ‘Who found the body? Who called it in?’
    ‘Apparently it was an anonymous call to 911,’ Garcia answered.
    ‘Oh great, one of those.’
    ‘Here, take this,’ Garcia said handing Robert his flashlight.
    ‘Would you like a barf bag as well?’ Peter joked.
    Hunter paid no attention to the comment and took a moment to study the house from the outside. There was no front door. Most of the wooden planks from the front wall were missing and grass had grown through the remaining floorboards, making the front room look like a private forest. He could tell the house had once been white from flecks of peeled paint on the remains of windowsills. It was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time and that bothered Hunter. First-time killers didn’t go to the trouble of finding such a secluded place to commit murder.
    Three police officers stood to the left of the house discussing last night’s football game, all three holding steaming cups of coffee.
    ‘Where can I get one of those?’ Hunter asked pointing to the coffee cups.
    ‘I’ll get you one,’ Garcia replied. ‘The captain’s in the last room on the left, through the corridor. I’ll see you in there.’
    ‘Working hard, guys?’ Hunter shouted to the three officers who glanced at him indifferently before carrying on discussing the game.
    Inside the house a peculiar smell hung in the air, a mix of rotten wood and raw sewage. There was nothing to see in the first room. Hunter turned on his flashlight and moved through the door at the far end into a long and narrow corridor that led to four other rooms, two on each side. A young police officer was standing outside the last door on the left. As Hunter made his way down the corridor, he quickly peeked inside each room he passed. Nothing except for spider webs and old debris. The creaking floorboards gave the house an even more sinister feel. As Hunter approached the last door and the officer standing guard he felt an uncomfortable chill. The chill that comes with every murder scene. The chill of death.
    Hunter produced his badge and the officer stepped to one side.
    ‘Go right ahead, detective!’
    On a table just outside the door Hunter found the customary overalls together with blue plastic shoes and head covers. Next to them a box of latex gloves. Hunter got himself ready and opened the door to face his new nightmare.
    The shocking image that met his eyes as he stepped into the room sucked all the air out of his lungs.
    ‘Jesus Christ.’ His voice was just a weak whisper.

 
Five

    Hunter stood at the door of a large double room illuminated only by two moving flashlights – Captain Bolter and Doctor Winston. Surprisingly the room was in much better condition than the rest of the house. A giant pit welled in his stomach as he stared at the image before him.
    Directly in front of the bedroom door and about three feet from the back wall, the naked body of a woman hung