The Grudge:Dead Man Walking

"What the hell happened here?" Detective James held the cloth over his nose.

Sgt Irons checked his notes. "Name was Gary Mullins," he gestured to the body stuffed into the chair," 31 years old. He was the graveyard shift janitor on death row. Sometime around 3am he was beaten, dragged back here, strapped into this electric chair and then executed.

"Jesus H Christ." Any leads on who did this"

"There were 4 cells that were mysteriously unlocked, the men in each would make Charles Manson look like a saint.

"Are you saying anyone of them could have done it?"

"All of these men have the psychological makeup to perform such a crime. None, however, has a motive nor is their any evidence that any of them left their cells."

"If one of those 4 didn't rip this poor bastard apart Sarge, who did?"

"No idea."

"Helpful"

"There is one other piece of evidence that might be useful"

"Let's have it."

The Sgt pulled a disk out from a well labeled package.

"What is that?"

"This, my good deceptive, is a recording of an execution. Whoever was hear last night watched it over a dozen times"

"Are you telling me that the poor bastard's death is recorded?" Bobby wasn't sure if this was good or terrible.

"Unfortunately not."

"Whose execution is it then?"

"See for yourself."

Bobby watched transfixed as the video started. The focus was on the man in the chair. The detective recognized him immediately as Richard Larson, the software design mogul who was convicted for murdering his son, Richard II. Richard Sr looked terrified, wide eyes searching the crowd. Eventually they stopped moving, fixed on someone and then the pupils suddenly narrowed. Bobby wasn't an expert in facial expression, but the change he witnessed was dramatic and unnerving. The face of the convicted child killer had been transformed from one that invited sympathy to one full of unbridled hate. A hood was then placed over the father's head, the juice was turned on and Richard Larson began this final dance.

With the sought after killer shot captured, the focus shifted to Richard's wife Isabel. She watched, tearful eyes confused but defiant, refusing to look away from her soon to be ex husband, paying for the death of their son. The close up became a panoramic crowd shot before ending by showing the slumped over figure.

"Rewind" Bobby ordered. Freeze right there. Zoom in on the man beside her. Amplify.

"I'll be damned" came the Sgt's startled expression. The two were actually holding hands.

"Can you do a search on who that is?"

"No need detective." Bobby raised his eyebrows.

"That is Jeremy Mullins. He is a longtime friend of the Larson family and the one who found the body of the murdered boy. He also happens to be the brother of our mangled janitor."

Bobby closed his eyes. "Tell me Sgt, what would you do if you were about to die, scared and alone, and the last thing you saw was the woman you love flirting with another man?"

"I'd vow to destroy them."