Deadly Past (A serial killer novel) - FINISHED

Chapter 1

It is cold in the dark warehouse. The only sound in the air is the crickets chirping outside. There is a girl tied to a chair in the middle of the warehouse. All her energy was wasted on the hours spent calling for help. Little does she know that no-one can hear her screams, no-one knows about the danger she is in. Her dark hair is greasy and messy, and her clothes dirty and sweaty. It's been days since she's seen the inside of a shower or even the warmth of a blanket. The door slowly opens and he appears in the doorway. He slowly walks closer with the familiar knife visible in his left hand. The black hoodie is pulled over his face hiding his identity. Fear fills her body. She keeps thinking that maybe tonight is the night he slaughters her. "Good evening. Have you missed me?" the man asks and his laughter fills the room. He walks closer and stops a few feet from her. "Someone isn't in the mood for talking. I guess I will do the talking then," he says and kneels down in front of her so that he can look into her hazel eyes. "Please let me go. I don't know what you look like, and I won't tell anyone about you. I will say that I ran away from home," the girl begs and pleads, "Please, I am not ready to die!". Tears roll down her cheeks as the thought of death fills her mind. "How stupid do you think I am? I know that you will run to the cops as soon as you get out the door. Besides, you know what I look like," he says and quickly pulls the hoodie from his head. She catches a glimpse of him before she looks away. "Look at me!" he grabs her chin and forces her face towards him. "I want my face to be the last thing you see before you meet your maker," he says as he forces the knife into her chest. Her eyes open as the shock runs through her body. The fear in her eyes bring joy to the heartless killer. He loves the look of defeat in their eyes. He slowly pulls the knife out of her body and stabs her again, but this time in the abdomen. "All women deserve this death. They are the most evil creature that have ever walked this planet. Tell the others I send my love when you reach the burning fires of hell!" he yells as the knife enters her body one last time. She gives her final breath as she closes her eyes for eternity. The adrenaline runs through his body as the thrill of the kill comes over him. This victim was boring compared to the previous ones. She was weak and pathetic. She wasn't like the others. They put up a fight and battle against death. This victim just gave up so quickly. He hopes that the next one will be his biggest thrill yet. He cuts the ropes binding her to the chair, before placing the knife on the ground.

It is cold outside as the killer arrives at the dumping site. He gets out of the white Toyota Corolla and walks towards the trunk. He opens it and looks at his freshly slain victim with a flashlight. All the color is drained from her skin, and the blood on her body and clothing is dry. He puts on his gloves before he takes the corpse out of the trunk. He carries her into the forest. After a few minutes of walking he finds the perfect spot. It is next to the hiking trail. Someone will find her here, and with all the footprints here it will be impossible to determine which ones belong to him. The world must see what should happen to women. Maybe it will motivate other men to do the same. He places her on the ground and starts taking off her clothes. This will remove all the trace evidence that could possibly be on her. He makes it a point not to touch the victims with his bare hands, but this is just a precaution. The last thing he does is to place his trademark bracelet on her wrist. He stands back to admire his work before he goes back to the car.

Detective Hugh Brown slowly opens the door to his new office. It is his first day on the new job. Everything feels strange to him. He can't get used to the LA traffic, or the people. It is nothing like the countryside back in Essex. He will have to get used to the busy city, and its people. With his English accent and pale skin, he stands out like a sore thumb. He walks into the office with a box underneath his arm and shuts the door behind him. The office is roomy with a bookcase, two desks and two chairs at each desk. He sits down behind the empty desk and places the box on the table. The room looks dull with its navy carpets and white walls. There is also no art on the walls and the office smells like old cigarette buds. He already hates it here and he hasn't even started working yet. When he asked his boss for a transfer, he would never have guessed that this is where he would end up. Back in Essex the office was modern and the people friendly. When he arrived here he received a cold greeting and a quick finger point in the direction of his office. He looks over at the other desk. It is a mess. The whole desk is covered with piles of paper. At the corner of the table is a photo frame and ashtray. It doesn't look like his partner is the organised type. He hasn't heard a lot about his new partner yet. All he knows is that his name is Peter Johnson and that he has a very short temper. He starts unboxing his belongings. The first thing he removes is the photo frame with the picture of him and his children. Louise is the oldest at 15 years old, and Jack is 12. He places the photo next to the computer and packs out his stationary, books and other ornaments. The door opens and a man enters the room. He is much shorter than Hugh, and he is completely bald. "Welcome to the department. I am your new partner, Peter Johnson," he says and holds his hand out for Hugh to shake. Hugh shakes his hand and the strength of Peter's grip surprises him. The subtle smell of alcohol fills the air around Peter. Hugh notices it, but doesn't say anything. A cop is not supposed to drink on the job, but it seems as if his partner doesn't follow the same rule book. "Pleased to meet you," Hugh says as he lets go of Peter's hand. Peter sits down on the only open space at the corner of his desk. "So, tell me more about you," he says and takes a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket. Hugh hates smoking and really hopes that Peter won't smoke inside the office. "There is not a lot to tell. I came here from Essex after my boss got me this job. I am a divorced 42-year-old man with 2 kids and an unfaithful ex-wife. She got custody of the kids in an ugly court battle. I just had to get away from her and her sharp tongue," Hugh says, "Now it's your turn". Peter takes a cigarette out of the packet and lights it. "I don't like talking about myself to people I hardly know," he says and lights the cigarette. Smoke fills the small office. Hugh is starting to get angry. He asks Hugh to talk about his life, but refuses to do the same. Then he smokes in a space shared by them. "Fine then. Would you mind smoking outside?" he asks, trying to be as polite as possible. Peter blows out a big cloud of smoke and just looks at Hugh. "I don't smoke and it really bothers me," Hugh explains. Peter starts to laugh and puts out the cigarette. "You will be smoking soon when you see what goes on in this city. It is a sick place. If you have a problem with my smoking, I won't do it in your presence, but you can't just order people around like that. You are the new guy around here. People still need time to get to know you and decide whether they like you. If you don't loosen up, you will be seen as an old fart," Peter says. Hugh sits down behind his desk. "I am not an old fart, but I do have certain things I don't like. Just because I don't smoke doesn't mean that I am different. I just never been able to see the use in smoking," he explains as Peter just shakes his head. "You will have a lot of changing to do before you fit into this place," Peter says.

Sara Klein is walking home from her boyfriend's house. She is still furious about his accusations. He accused her of cheating on him just because she was talking to a guy on the phone. It was just a friend from school, but he didn't understand. He told her that he will never be able to trust her again and that she is not the girl that he fell in love with. She doesn't understand why he is so jealous all of a sudden. She will never cheat on him, she loves him! She stormed out of his house and slammed the door behind her. They fight a lot, but this time it was different. It was more heated that the others, and the words were cruel. She wants to cry and scream at the same time, but she won't give him the satisfaction of upsetting her. She suddenly gets the feeling that she is being watched. She turns around and notices the red Ford Pickup truck slowly driving behind her. It is almost as if he is following her. She remembers seeing the truck before. It was standing outside the supermarket entrance yesterday, and also outside the house of her piano teacher. She thought it was a coincidence, but this time she isn't sure. What are the odds of seeing the same vehicle three times in two days. He is following her. She stops to see if the car will stop as well. It doesn't. It just drives past her. She quickly memorizes the registration number of the car, before walking further. Her mind is racing with questions. She doesn't understand why anyone would be following her. She makes it off as being her imagination. After five minutes she reaches her home. The garden is beautiful with rows of differently coloured flowers in front of the house. The double story house is beautifully maintained and the roof is freshly painted with bright red paint. Her mom says it makes the house stand out between the others. Her mom obsesses over their house being the most beautiful in town. She opens the front door and goes inside. The house is modern and always spotless. She heads to the kitchen to greet her mother, but she isn't there. Her brother Chad is there making lunch. He is a handsome, well-built young man. His brown hair is messy and his hazel eyes look naughty. He is a first-year medical student at UCLA. "Afternoon Sara. How was the visit?" he asks as he puts the butter back in the fridge. "We fought again. I think that answers your question," she says as she grabs an apple from the fruit bowl next to Chad. "You guys seem to fight an awful lot the last few weeks," Chad says as he takes a bite out of his sandwich. "He is just childish sometimes," she says. "You should enjoy the holiday. Just ignore him until the holiday is over next week. He will realize how stupid he is being," Chad suggests. Sara just shakes her head. "You don't understand relationships. You haven't been in a relationship since tenth grade," Sara says just before she heads upstairs towards her bedroom. Chad is just trying to help, but the fact that he hates Dan, doesn't help at all. Sara opens the door to her bedroom and sits down behind her desk. Her room is bright and colorful with lime green curtains and purple walls. Her large room is neat and organized. The double bed next to the window is made and there are no clothes laying on the floor. Her desk is covered with papers and books. She opens the bottom drawer and takes out her diary. She starts writing about the day and the suspicious vehicle. She writes down the registration number so she won't forget it. Even if she thinks she is being silly, she has to be careful. She looks out of the window just as a red pickup truck drives past her house. She can feel the panic fill her body. Why is he constantly there? 

A/N I will update the story every Saturday.