The Phantom Ritual (DCI Morgan Chester: Case One)

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Why?" Morgan asked.

Aaron stood in the kitchen with his back to her. On the counter, he laid out the kitchen knives and a pair of meat scissors. His index finger traced gently along the blades as he contemplated which one would be perfect to use on her throat.

Morgan used her elbows and the leg that was not broken to drag her body further into the gap between the kitchen island and the sofa.

"Is that what you ask all the criminals you encounter?"

"Only the ones I do not understand."

Aaron scoffed. "I find it adorable that you do not understand me, Morgan."

He walked around the kitchen island and crouched down to her level. Morgan noticed the pair of scissors in his hand; she glared at him and steadied her breathing. Aaron could not sense any fear radiating off her, which in turn infuriated him. He was about to end her life; she should be terrified and begging for her life as the others had done. Instead, she was calm.

"You want to know?" he asked, and Morgan nodded. "Fine. Emma was fun. I could control and manipulate her to do my bidding. The silly girl was infatuated with me, did absolutely everything I asked without batting an eyelid. The sex was amazing - not as good as the fucking we had to be honest. But then her friends started to poison her mind to turn her against me, telling her I was not good enough. The final straw was when she got pregnant and refused to get a termination. It was sad, but she had to go."

"What about Olivia James and Yolanda Aya, the two sex workers from the market?"

"The first whore looked exactly like Emma; the tatty blonde hair and skimpy dress. Truth be told, I thought it was Emma coming back to haunt me from the grave. I saw red, and I lost control. The other girl was an honest mistake; she surprised me, and the next thing I knew, she fell through the glass panes."

"You didn't do a good job as Olivia survived."

"Yes, I was pretty angry about that. I had no choice but to finish the job. Oh, you should have seen the fear in that girl's eyes when she saw me. It was priceless. I can still feel her warm blood on me."

"And your wife? She stood by you, even came after me when she found out about the affair. Why would you kill her?"

Aaron's body stiffened; Morgan noticed this, and his eyes averted from hers. Morgan thought he would regret killing his wife for a second, but then a grin slithered onto his lips.

"Oh, Jane, my beautiful and obedient wife. Your boss is to blame for her murder. If he kept his mouth shut about Emma and the pregnancy, she would still be alive as she would have been none the wiser," he rubbed his index finger over his top lip. "she was going to leave me, and I knew she would be going to the police. I have to be honest in saying that killing Jane was the hardest choice I ever had to make. So many years of marriage and memories. But it didn't stop me from murdering her this morning in the basement in our home."

Morgan was stunned. Aaron was undisturbed about the murders as if it was an everyday ritual for him.

"What part do I play in this sick little game you made?"

Aaron reached over and cupped her cheek. She mentally fought against the urge to slap his hand away. Her lip almost trembled as she looked him dead in the eye.

"It was only when you got involved with the case, Morgan. Think of how happy we could have been if you kept your nose out of it." He opened the pair of scissors and gently placed the blade to her jaw.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as he bent further towards her. His face was inches from hers, and he closed his eyes. She saw his lips pucker. It was now or never.

Morgan threw her head back and launched it against his. Her forehead connected with his nose, and she heard the sickening crack of the cartilage. Aaron screamed in pain and pushed her away.

Without hesitation, she reached under the sofa, pulled the gun she taped underneath with velcro and pointed it at him as he rose to his feet. Blood poured from his nostrils, and his eyes looked black to her.

She pulled the trigger, sending a bullet just above his kneecap. He let out a deafening growl as his body collapsed to the floor. His eyes connected with hers, she took another shot that pierced his shoulder. The impact of the bullet caused him to drop the pair of scissors he was holding onto the floor. He gasped, pulled himself into a sitting position and rested his back against the wall. One hand covered his shoulder, and the other now on his leg. Morgan kept the gun aimed at him.

"You should have gone for the heart." He teased her.

"It was tempting, but you need to pay for the four women you slaughtered. One of them being my friend."

Blood dripped from Cole's arms where the broken glass in the main doors had sliced into the skin. His first focus was the man in the lobby as he approached and checked for a pulse, it was weak, and blood had pooled around the victims head. He keyed the information back to Hallie over the phone, who would let the ambulance team know.

Cole heard the gunshot as he entered the stairwell of the building. Another shot followed directly after it. He sprinted up the rest of the stairs and pulled open the fire exit door that brought him to the hallway of the second floor. Residents had started to linger outside their front doors after hearing the commotion. One resident said he heard screaming coming from Morgan's flat. Another reported the gunshots to Cole.

He approached her front door and pushed against it. Cole assumed it was locked from the inside as it would not budge against his weight. He warned the shocked residents to return to their homes. Once everyone was safely inside, he pulled back and started to kick at the front door until it flew off its hinges.

"Morgan!" Cole called out and raised his gun in front of him.

"Kitchen." Morgan's weak voice replied to him.

He sighed in relief as he trudged carefully through the hallway. Morgan was sitting upright against the sofa with her legs extended and her gun pointed at Aaron. He looked up at Cole and smiled, showing his bloodstained teeth.

"Have you come to help us, detective?" Aaron joked.

Cole turned to him and crouched down to his level.

"Beaten by a woman, not so much of a tough guy now, are you?" he replied.

Aaron chuckled and spat blood and saliva in Cole's face. Morgan watched closely and ground her teeth as Cole bit his lip and rose to his feet. Cole aggressively pulled Aaron away from the wall, landed a punch into his stomach, causing Aaron to gasp before pushing him to the floor. He straddled him and strapped Aaron's hands in handcuffs.

Morgan panted heavily and placed the gun onto the ground beside her. It was finally over.

"Are you hurt?" Cole asked as he rushed over to her. His eyes scanned over her for any injuries.

"Bastard broke my leg." She growled. Sirens wailed outside the window.

"Why am I always the one saving your ass, Chester?" Cole mocked a the Armed Forces Officers stormed the property checking every room in the flat.

With the scene secure, the paramedics wereallowed into the flat. They moved Morgan onto a stretcher and carried her outof the flat and downstairs to the awaiting ambulance.