The Darkness

has nothing to do with you. It's just that I work alone I don't like partners." Jimmy had left out the how and wh

~

victims were clowns, and after that, each body was found dressed as a clown. The departments had been making strides and were getting closer

ime to call it a night. Jimmy had driven Sophia back to her home in Huntington since he had a Blazer. The snow was already three feet deep and he struggled to kee

ll of Sophia's family slaughtered. In the living room was the dog laying as though it was asleep. Her oldest son was placed at the kitchen table, his throat sliced, and a red nose placed on his chin. Peter, her husband was nailed to the wall in the hal

cus was on the door to his left. Peeking around the corner, he could see a pool of blood. But before he got a good look, a strange gurgling sound ca

e woman who he had seen seconds before was not there. Inching closer the barrel of the gu

outh. The killer had run the showerhead through the baby's head. Jimmy felt his stomach convulse. As he spun to empty it on the floor, as he did, he saw

not been found, and within a week of the massacre, Jimmy had started to receive body parts. Sophia was being mailed, bit by bit, back to Jimmy

~

as a lie. He had no witness in mind, he just needed space to recover from the memories of Sophia. He paused at the door looking b

k Russian, so her words were stressed harder. "I do not l

ittle girl and don't touch anything while I am gone." Jimmy started

we can be enemies. But I am here for one year, and I think you should knock that

on her shoulder. "But let me paint the picture for you, I don't need a partner, and I don't need you." He d

treet just as the sun began its nightly descent. The night was his time; he was friends with the darkness. Jimmy found his

indow half expecting Natalia to be st

e alleyway behind Turner's

ell the woman in my office to me

l before I could and

n the table and carried the coffee cup through the cafe and finished off the last few drops before setting it on the c

same woman greeted him. She was older, in her sixties, and she was still the best server around. Jimmy ha

g up. He waved to her while he placed his badge in plain sight on his hip. "Hey Mike, do me a favor," he said calling out to a youn

n in with a nod. "Over there, ma'am," he said holdi

y. He stopped at an overturned trash can before noticing the bags were crushed. He moved further into the alley and found fresh blood. Wi

had been bashed in making it hard to tell the features. He walked around in a circle and side-stepped splatt

ave here, Cur

attacked by an unknown animal and one large person." Curtis knelt and using the edge of his pen pulled back the collar and exposed what could only be called teeth pri

o Josh who was just arriving. "Get your boys to do the normal search. I know the street people don't like us, but if one of them saw who did this, they could be next. Let's use

side-stepped Natalia a

nd the arm y

fair end of the ally. "Verspea," Natalia called. "Over here, I found the missi

ticed just off to the left of the limb was a partial track mark. It looked like a large dog print. "Natalia, make sur

said kneeling beside Natalia. Even in this

and our mystery visitor brought along a large dog. Those teeth spacing on his shoulder are too big

bear?" Natalia offered. "The print is too large for a normal canine, and knowing th

edly. This was Georgia after all and maybe a coyote or two sne

the cleanup crews in here. I want everything you find bagged, checked, and logged before daybreak." He looked at the police line thinking the chief was going to pop Tums over the overtime they were going to pull. As he watched the crowd a thought came to him it had been his exp

tated with a nod. "And no way am I pissing her off again, do you remember last year,

ghed, walking bac

e seen things like this before back in Russia. I have a few friends who

his shirt was ripped open. It looked like the victim's clothing had simply spilt apart. "Have yo

ome checking. So where are we headed now?" Na

to walk away but stopped. "I think we star

you, I'm not so sure a