She rolled the handle of the knife in her hand, considering the situation before her. Where to make the next cut? She needed information, so nothing too deep or bloody. She wanted to make sure he knew she meant business, so it had to have some bite. He whimpered slightly, and her mouth curved into a smile, as sharp as her blade.
“This can end quickly, you know,” she said softly, almost kindly. “Just tell me what I need to know, and you can go. The pain will stop.”
“I don’t know anything!” he whined, and the smile dropped from her face as quickly as it had appeared.
“Don’t lie to me,” she snapped, and the knife swished as she drew it across his cheek, a trail of ruby blood in its wake. “I hate it when people lie.”
He began to cry, and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, come now. That was barely anything.” Her eyes lit up, and her new smile was almost feral. “You want to really feel a cut? Do you want to feel your skin and flesh peel apart, feel the blood bathe your skin, feel the rush as your body begs you to fight or flee?” She almost sounded giddy, and she ran her fingers along the flat side of the blade, caressing it. “Because I can make you feel that. And so, so much more.”
He was crying in earnest now, and babbling something she couldn’t understand. She huffed out a sigh. She had gone too far. He was talking, but so terrified that he was unintelligible. She ran her fingers through his hair, and murmured soothingly.
“There, there, I won’t hurt you anymore. Just take deep breaths, in and out, that’s it, just breathe, get yourself under control. We can’t have a nice chat until you pull yourself together, can we?”
His sobs turned to sniffles, then hiccups, before finally he looked up at her with bloodshot eyes.
“I’ll tell you everything. Please, just let me go?”
“Oh, all right,” she smiled comfortingly. “As long as you tell me everything you know, and as long as you tell me the truth, I’ll let you go. I’ll even help you on your way.” She leaned down so they were eye to eye. “Tell me everything you know about Henry.”
He spoke in a rush, spilling all he knew about his employer, his movements, security and financial details, even about his favorite restaurants and mistresses. He finally finished speaking, and sagged back on his chair. “That’s everything. Please, you have to let me go. You have to help me! He’ll kill me if he finds out what I told you.”
“Oh, honey,” she said, walking around him, running her hand over his shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about anything.” Her knife glinted in the dim light as she slit his throat, blood gushing down his chest. “I told you I’d help you on your way. Henry will never know that his second-in-command was so disloyal.”
She smiled as she wiped her blade clean on a soft handkerchief, then dropped it gently in his lap before walking away, humming slightly to herself.
– – –
The handkerchief was a soft yellow color, hand-stitched, with the letter “M” embroidered in the corner. Detective Ruiz had found five other handkerchiefs just like it on five other bodies, all cut up to different degrees. Each body belonged to someone higher and higher in Henry Anderson’s organization, and Anderson was understandably getting concerned. Ruiz glanced around the scene.
He couldn’t get a feel for this killer. The kills were so bloody, so precise, that it seemed like a hit. But the handkerchief? That made it seem personal. What guy would leave handkerchiefs like this? Someone who lost a wife or daughter to Anderson’s cronies? He just couldn’t figure it out. He pulled a small cell phone from his pocket, for all intents and purposes untraceable. He punched in the numbers carefully, then waited as it rang.
“What?” Anderson said crisply on the other end of the line.
“Boss, I don’t know what to tell you. The stiff is Levi.” He heard Anderson swear on the other end, and Ruiz flinched. It was never good for anyone when Anderson was angry.
“What the fuck, Ruiz? You were supposed to nail this guy. What with all your police resources? How hard is it to catch this psycho?”
“Boss,” Ruiz started, hoping it would placate Anderson, “I’m on it. This guy is just good. Never leaves any physical evidence, besides the body and some stupid yellow doily or something.” Ruiz could almost hear Anderson making a connection – apparently the handkerchief message wasn’t for the police.
“With an ‘M’ on it?” When Anderson’s voice was that smooth, it meant someone was going to die very soon.
“Ye-yeah,” Ruiz gulped.
“Thank you, Detective. Your assistance in this matter is no longer needed.” The line went dead. Ruiz stood still, watching blood drip off Levi’s chin from the cut on his face. Poor Levi. But if he told his killer anything about Anderson and his operation, being dead was a mercy. Ruiz shook his head, and turned, leaving the body to the crime scene unit and coroner to clean up.
– – –
Henry gently put the phone down. He rarely reacted erratically with anger. Throwing things and yelling were for weaker men. He had gotten this far, created his empire, by always being cool and rational in all his choices. He ignored the way his hands shook slightly as he rearranged his desk. There was no way she could get to him. Even if Levi spilled everything he knew, which was a considerable amount, there were things even Levi didn’t know, things that would protect Henry from anything that might be coming his way.
There was no way she could get to him. He had too many protections in place, for this exact reason. He strode over to the large mirror hanging on the other side of his office, and straightened his tie and watch, the familiar movements reassuring. He was in control. He had all the power in this city. Nothing could touch him. He frowned at his reflection. Hadn’t he worn a blue tie today? Why was it red… He staggered against the wall, struggling for breath. What? How? He turned back to the room, and saw her standing there, on an antique Serapi rug. Her head was cocked to one side, watching him as if he were a mildly interesting TV ad.
“You know,” she said thoughtfully, as he slipped further down the wall. “You are taller than I expected.” His vision began to blur and narrow, and he could barely see as she dropped a pale yellow handkerchief in his lap.
© The Lightning Tower, 2020