DANIEL HERON: BECOMING

10 - There's no room for remorse.

Two police cars stopped at the Mayor Eber's house with the sounds of the sirens and flashing lights. Four vehicles were already there. A man in a dark blue uniform emerged from one of the newly arrived cars. He put a police hat on his short hair, and with determination walked towards the open front door. When the policeman standing there greeted him, he responded accordingly and entered the house.

Scattered throughout the house, there were numbered markers that indicated possible clues, and several officers were still diligently documenting the ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­physical evidence. They paused when they noticed that the sergeant Leopold Novik himself joined them. Normally, burglary wouldn't require his presence, but this time the victim was a person of high position.

"I want detail list of the stolen items," sergeant Novik requested from the policemen that were at the crime scene. "I want surveillance on every pawn shop and every second-hand store in town. I want every garage sale checked. I want men on each road leading out of the town. Check every vehicle. I promised the Mayor results, and results he shall get."

The officers rushed to meet the sergeant's requests. They were very well aware of the gravity of the situation.

Just as the sergeant exited the house, another car pulled over. Black, shiny, practically new. The sign on the front hood cover let everyone know that the person driving a car like that was one of the elite. When the rear door opened and a foot in a glossy, leather shoe stepped on the pavement, there was no doubt that the man was one of the privileged ones. His hair combed back, hints of grey in the temples, his shaven face and confidence he projected attracted attention.

"Mr. Mayor!" The sergeant walked up to him as soon as he spotted him. "Let me assure you that we're doing everything in our power to find the culprits and bring them to justice."

"What did they take?" the Mayor asked without equivocation.

The sergeant looked at the notebook one of the officers gave him and replied, "For now we can say with certainty that several electronic devices have been taken, but we will need your help with determining the real damage."

The Mayor took a decisive step in the direction of his home, but the sergeant thwarted him. "I cannot allow you to enter, not until my officers finish processing possible clues."

The thought that common policemen are walking through his house, stepping on his expensive rugs and touching his valuables, was not to Mayor Eber's liking. He started pacing, his hands tightly crossed in front of his chest, as if he didn't care that he might wrinkle the suit he was wearing. "Possible clues...'' he repeated mockingly. "Can't you assume who's behind this? For months we're witnessing the situation in the town getting worse and worse. That gang became much too arrogant. Just look at what they dared to do! They robbed me! Me, the Mayor!"

"I know, Mr. Eber. I understand all of this, but if we want to put them behind bars, we need evidence. Solid evidence.''

The Mayor looked deep into sergeant Novik's gray eyes. He stared at him while his jaw was clenching with rage. "We know who's terrorizing my town. That Veles and his punks are behind it all. It can't go on like this any longer. I want them stopped. Once and for all." His eyes flashed when the last words were spoken.

Sergeant Novik glanced around, making sure no one was listening in on their private conversation. With the Mayor, you could never be too sure that there wouldn't be at least one pair of unwelcomed ears nearby.

He verified that they were alone, yet he took a step closer and with a whisper he said, "We haven't asked for such a favor in a very long time. I'm sure there has to be something we can do on our own. Something much less... drastic."

The Mayor shook his head. He lips smiled, but not his eyes. "How long has this been going on? These lowlifes are doing whatever to hell they want. You've had... how long to deal with them? A year? More?"

"You need to understand restrictions of the policework," the sergeant tried to explain. "We have to follow the law. If there aren't any solid evidence, we have no grounds to lock them up."

"Evidence..." The Mayor turned and walked three steps away, only to turn back and say, "At this point I don't care about the evidence. They are behind this!" He extended his arm and pointed at his house. ''I know it. You know it. The town knows it. I don't need evidence. I need justice."

Sergeant Novik knew exactly what kind of justice the Mayor was talking about. It filled him with trepidation.

He lived in this town his whole life. This was where he grew up. This was where he went to school. He made his first friends in this town. Here he fell in love for the first time. He married in this town and his daughter was born here.

But the town he loved so much had a secret. A hidden, dark secret only he and the Mayor knew about.

There was someone who could solve all their problems without asking questions.

Leopold Novik worked in the police since he was nineteen years old, for almost two decades, but the secret of his town wasn't revealed to him until he became a sergeant, when on one winter night it became obvious that four brutal murders that happened in relatively short time span were not unconnected.

A serial killer was on a rampage in their quiet little town. His victims were women, unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The killer liked to play with his victims before the final blow. Their bodies were unrecognizable. Such acts of violence were unknown in sergeant Novik's town.

That was the first time he was invited to the Mayor's office for a private conversation. That was the first time he heard those sinister words – We're gonna make a call.

Novik did not know who they were calling, nor how that someone would solve what the police could not, but he decided to give the Mayor the benefit of the doubt.

Four days later, a visibly distraught woman walked into the precinct. Without a coat in the middle of the winter, she was shaking like a leaf. The dress she wore was torn at the shoulder and two of the buttons were missing. When a policeman brought her a cup of warm tea, her trembling hands were unable to pick it up.

She told them about a man who attacked her. He tried to drag her into an alley and succeeded. She simply wasn't strong enough to fight him off. Somewhere during that futile struggle, he ripped her coat off. He had her pinned, back against a wall. She still remembered how he leaned closer, his hands all over her body. Her screams were becoming quieter as her hope was fading away.

Then, when all seemed lost, someone pulled him away. Someone threw him on the concrete with a loud thud. Someone told her to run and she obeyed.

Who was her savior, the woman was unable to say.

A patrol car was sent immediately to the alley a woman spoke of. There, a body of a man was found lying on the ground. He was no longer alive.

After that, such gruesome murders ended in the quiet town that had a special place in Leopold Novik's heart.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sergeant Novik took a deep breath. "Has it really come to that? We haven't asked for such a favor in years."

"We haven't needed such a favor in years," the Mayor replied.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Sergeant Novik was still hesitant.

"Things have gotten out of hands. There's no room for remorse. This time they've crossed the line."

The sergeant took the cap off and scratched the back of his head. "If you really think it's come to that..."

"I do." Mayor's voice was pure ice. "Make the call."

Thank you for reading on!

Ten chapters are done, but there's  more to come.

I'm sure you're all waiting to meet my vampires, and I'm gonna tell you - they're coming soon.

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