‘I’ve done the “drink spiking” thing quite a few times before,’ the man carried on. ‘And I can say that I’ve got my technique and timings down to perfection. We had already finished our drinks and were just exiting the bar when the drug started to take effect. By the time it rendered you unconscious, we were right by your car. No witnesses. Getting you inside was a piece of cake.’
‘I… I don’t understand.’ Fear had clearly taken over Shaun’s tone of voice. ‘Why? Why are you doing this?’
‘The short answer?’ the man replied. ‘Because I’m going to hurt you, Shaun. A lot.’ There was no play in his voice.
Shaun tried moving again, but no muscle in his body responded.
‘And this is the great thing about the state you are in, Shaun,’ the man explained. ‘No matter what I do to you – shatter bones, rip your toenails out, crush one of your testicles, whatever… you won’t feel a thing.’ There was a deliberate pause. ‘For now… butthe neuromuscular blocking agent that I’ve administered, which has paralyzed you from the neck down, will wear off in…’ The man checked his watch. ‘About an hour and fifteen minutes. Then, the painwillcome… mild at first, as your nervous system slowly regains its sensibility. It will probably start with muscle aches, which will gradually turn into spasms. Then, your joints will feel like they’ve been ripped out and replaced with shards of broken glass.’
Shaun’s petrified eyes were on the man, who was once again towering over the operating table.
‘Next…’ The man clearly wasn’t done. ‘Your stomach will fill with bile and you’re going to vomit. There’s nothing you can do about that, but vomiting will feel like someone is ramming a burning fist down your esophagus, scorching and tearing at its walls, sending blood dripping down the back of your throat, which will choke and gag you, making you feel like you’re drowning. The more your nervous system awakens, the more pain signals it will send to your brain… the more pain signals your brain receives, the more you’ll vomit because the pain will be unbearable, I’ll make sure of that. But in your case, I’ve got a real cool surprise for the grand finale.’
Shaun felt as if the air around him had become heavier… harder to breathe.
The man once again reached for the hammer and chisel on the instruments cart. Even though his nose and mouth were covered by his surgical mask, Shaun could tell that he had a smile on his face.
‘I’m sure that you’ve realized this by now,’ the man said. ‘But you’re not really in a hospital. And I’m not really a doctor, but I’ll do my best.’ He turned and consulted a piece of paper on the instruments cart. ‘OK, shall we start?’
‘Please…’ Shaun begged, his voice strangled by tears. ‘Whatever you’re thinking about doing… please don’t. I don’thave much money, but you can have whatever I’ve got. Please don’t do this. Please… just let me go.’
‘Shhhhh,’ the man breathed out, as he placed the chisel against Shaun’s right thigh and lifted the hammer high in the air. ‘Don’t close your eyes.’ He nodded. ‘Watch this.’
Two
Thirty-two days later
Located on the fifth level of the famous Police Administration Building in Downtown LA, the LAPD’s Ultra Violent Crimes Unit’s office sat at the far end of the Robbery Homicide Division’s floor. Even though it was named a ‘unit’, Ultra Violent Crimes was composed of only two detectives: Robert Hunter – the head of the unit – and his partner, Carlos Garcia. They were both just about to exit their office when Barbara Blake, the division’s captain, appeared at their door.
‘Going somewhere?’ she asked. Her long jet-black hair was elegantly styled into a bun, pinned in place by a pair of metal chopsticks. She wore a silky white blouse, tucked into a well-cut, navy-blue pencil skirt. Her flat-heel shoes were black and shiny, with a silver detail at their tip.
‘Just about to go grab some lunch,’ Garcia replied, instinctively checking his watch. It was a quarter past two in the afternoon. ‘Why, Captain? What’s up?’ he asked, quickly noticing the yellow folder that Captain Blake had with her. Usually, investigations assigned to the UVC Unit came either in a black or dark-gray folder.
‘I wanted you two to have a quick look at something for me,’ the captain replied, stepping into the office and closing the door behind her.
‘Sure,’ Hunter said, standing up to meet her. ‘What is it?’
‘It’s an autopsy report,’ Captain Blake explained, handing a copy of the report to each detective.
‘Linked to which case?’ Hunter asked.
‘At the moment, to a traffic incident,’ the captain replied.
Hunter and Garcia both frowned at her.
‘About forty-five minutes ago,’ Captain Blake clarified, ‘I got a call from Dr. Hove. She had just finished a post-mortem examination on a Shaun Daniels, forty-six years old and a resident in Lomita. His body was found by the side of Lake Hughes Road in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, victim of an apparent hit-and-run.’
‘A hit-and-run?’ Garcia asked, flipping open the report. Hunter did the same.
‘Anapparenthit-and-run.’ Captain Blake re-emphasized the word as she nodded at the files in their hands. ‘Just have a look at it and tell me what you think.’
‘Well,’ Garcia said, even before he started reading the file. ‘If the LA County Chief Medical Examiner called the LAPD Robbery Homicide Division’s captain with anapparenthit-and-run, something clearly didn’t sit right with her at the autopsy.’
Captain Blake lifted her hands in a surrender gesture. ‘Like I’ve said – have a look at it and let me know what you think.’ She pulled a chair in front of Hunter’s desk and took a seat.
Garcia’s eyes widened at her. ‘What, like right now?’
Silence.
