A final thought

"SEX BEAST RELEASED ON COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS"

"RELEASED CHILD SEX MONSTER ONLY HAS WEEKS TO LIVE"

"ROT IN HELL, EVIL MAN ARRIVING SOON"

"VICTIM'S FAMILY PROTEST LENIENCY FOR EVIL KILLER OF LITTLE AMY"

Screamed the headlines of the tabloids. Jack Doyle did his best to hide in the back of the unmarked police car. His police protectors didn't speak to him other than to tell him how to remain safe. Stay indoors, keep the curtains closed, don't call anyone from the past. They couldn't hide the hatred in their eyes for him.Then they left him without a farewell.

Before they left the jail, the screws had allowed two prisoners access to Jack's cell. He fought them off. Jack had learned how to fight in prison. No rules was the rule, the two prisoners and Jack were all bloodied and bruised.

With his fingers still hurting he called his ex-wife. "Sarah, it's me Jack please don't hang up". He pleaded with her to listen. After she hung up he called again. He begged to see her.

"Please you've got to believe me, Sarah, I didn't do anything to that girl", said Jack. "It's not in me to do something like that. Please you've got to believe me."

The phone hung up again.

He called again, "please Sarah, for the love of God listen", there was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone. He knew she was listening. All I remember was going out for a pint with Charlie. The next thing I knew was him breaking a door down and screaming about a girl."

"You were found naked on the floor of the cottage. Her blood all over you, she'd been raped numerous times and her throat sliced. You're a sick bastard. The sooner you're dead the better," said his ex-wife Sarah.

The phone didn't click, Jack prayed for two seconds, he didn't have much time. "Please Sarah, I don't know what happened, one moment I was in a pub, the next I had cops crawling all over me. I didn't do this evil crime".

"Tell me what you remember," she said.

He had a chance, a possibility.

"Me and Charlie went to the Rooster. We had a laugh and a joke. He seemed particularly happy, I was telling him my plans for a sale the next week. His eyes lit up in joy about it. You remember the big one. Buy a plot of land for €150,000 then sell it the next week for millions. We'd have been set for life."

"I bought him a pint and his round was next, then nothing," he said.

Silence for a moment then she said, "Charlie was a great comfort to me after you were convicted. I married Charlie after I divorced you, we have one child as well as the six I got from you".

She went silent for a second. Jack began to speak, she silenced him. After 10 years of marriage he knew she was thinking about something.

"I'm sending the kids to stay at my mother's for a couple of days, come over and we'll talk. Remember when we're finished talking. I never want any communication with you ever again", she said.

"I understand, can I call in two hours?" he asked.

"Make it three hours," she said and hung up.

Jack cried for a few minutes, then wiped his tears away. He started opening files. They excluded pictures of the girl from the documents given to him because of the fear that he would masturbate over them.. He felt ill at the idea.

He tried to recall the night in question. Something was missing. He had a drink with Charlie. Good old Charlie, he could always depend on his best friend Charlie.

They'd been friends since they were four years old. They swung on swings together, made forts. Talked to each other through tin cans and string. Sword fights, cowboys and Indians, cycling their bikes together. Jack was jealous of the succession of girls on Charlie's arm. He never kept any of them for more than a month. An endless succession of broken hearts.

Then he met Sarah, and his world exploded. He rarely had time for Charlie. He tried some double dates, but Charlie always cancelled. Then he popped the question. Three months later, they married and Charlie was his best man. Soon after, Charlie disappeared.

Nine months later, baby number one. He called the boy Charlie to honour his friend, less than a year later, baby number two. Four more children. They worked hard to build a future. Jack got involved in financing and that was how he began to gamble with property sales.

This was when Charlie resurfaced. He'd changed. He didn't smile as much. Seemed colder. But to Jacks' eyes, same old Charlie.

His mind returned to the night in question. After the drinks, nothing but darkness.

He looked at the files again. There were pictures of the door after Charlie smashed it in. Eye witness statements from Charlie. Searching for his friend after he went out into the night. He spoke about how Jack had hurt him earlier with a punch. Jack didn't remember that. How he'd tried to grapple with Jack to keep him safe. After some hours Charlie called Sarah. She said she was beside herself with worry and continued searching for some more hours. Then at approximately two in the afternoon. Charlie saw signs that someone broke into the old cottage. The door loosly held in place He went in, saw Jack on the floor naked and bloodied.

Then went to the bed and found the seven year old girl Amy Newton completely under the covers. Beloved daughter of Annie Smith. There was a picture of Amy's mother, she looked sad and lonely.

The pathologist report was grisly. Jack felt the urge to vomit at the injuries that little girl suffered before she passed away.

There were comments from the judge. He had not come across a more evil crime and hoped the Lord would give him the justice he deserved.

Jack reread the eyewitness testimony again, to be sure.

The phone rang a gruff voice said, "I'm your taxi driver, are you ready"

"Coming now"

He put on a disguise, a false moustache and a pair of bottle top glasses, he darkened his skin and left the room.

Three hours later he was at his old home. Sarah looked like she always did, beautiful. He resisted the urge to reach out to her. Her eyes looked over his shoulder, he knew who it was. Charlie, his best friend, good old Charlie.

"Why is he here," he asked .

Jack forced a smile, "good to see you old friend,

Charlie replied, "don't call me friend, you're nothing to me."

Sarah looked at Jack, and said, "say what you've got to say then get out and never enter my presence again".

Jack looked at Charlie, "I've had six years to think about that night. I remember nothing about what happened other than drinking with you. Then you banging on the smashed door,"

Charlie's expression changed, Jack couldn't read it. He left the room and came back with a bottle of wine and some glasses. He opened it and poured the wine out. He handed one to Sarah and the looked at Jack before he handed one to him.

"I don't want to drink with a child rapist, killer", stated Sarah. "I don't want him here," she shouted.

Charlie petted her arm, "Just take a sip of the wine, if not for him then do it for me"

Obediently, she lifted the glass and downed the contents in one gulp, "now get out you evil child predator"

Then she went silent. Charlie waved his hands in front of her eyes, nothing. Lights on but nobody's home. He produced a gun and pointed it at Jack.

"No one knows you're here do they?"

It wasn't a question. He waved Jack towards the basement door. Jack didn't move. Charlie pointed the gun at Sarah's head. Jack stood and moved towards the door.

"Don't think that because this is a small calibre pistol it won't do damage. The bullets are soft lead, cross headed, scooped out. One hit from this will leave a small hole where it enters and a gaping hole the size of a hat on the other side of your body"

As they moved forward Jack opened the vent, "it's going to get stuffy down there".

They moved towards the cellar door. Charlie brushed off some tincans hanging on string.

Charlie said, "sit on the ground with your hands under your arse. We're going to have a little question time, how did you figure it out?"

Jack "When you came through the cottage door, you screamed about the girl. You hadn't seen her so how could you have known whether she was a boy or a girl."

"Oh very clever. Too bad you're not going to tell anyone about it. When Sarah comes to I'll be bloodied and you'll be dead. I may have to shoot myself in the thigh to convince them you attacked me"

He shook the gun, "this gun, of course, will be on your person".

"Here's what I'll do for you. I know you have been protesting your innocence for the last six years. You write a letter of confession admitting your guilt for what you did to that little girl."

At this point he licked his lips.

Jack said, "why would I wrote that?"

"Because old friend if you don't I'll shoot my wife through the head. Then myself through the thigh and then shoot you dead".

"It won't be an easy death I'll shoot you several times on areas where it will take time to die. If they ask questions. Who'll tell them different", said Charlie.

"Why did you do that to the little girl and destroy my life, we were friends for Gods sake," asked Jack.

"Because we were friends I'll tell you. It doesn't matter if you know or not. When I went away I joined a Satanic cult and my entry was a human sacrifice, the girl, and the life of my best friend. Getting to dick his wife was the cherry on top. Of course, that deal made me millions. I had to share it with the other members of my temple. The Judge in court and the investigating police officer."

Jack smiled, instant suspicion was on Charlie's face, "why are you smiling?"

"You just admitted to murder, child rape and helped expose corruption", said Jack.

"No one's listening, you fool. You've been a fool ever since I first realised how much more is to be gained through the one true entity. I have power and money influence. Satanism is the way forward," he said. Throwing down a notebook with a pencil attached, "start to write or I'll put a bullet through the woman's neck".

"They've been listening to your confession", said Jack.

Charlie began to laugh, "there's no one listening. That vent you opened is stuffed with fibreglass insulation. Now write"

Jack smiled again, "remember when we were kids and how we played? We used to communicate with tincans and string"

Charlie's eyes widened and his eyes shot to the tincans hanging close to where he was standing.

"No there's no one up there"

"The string you'll note goes in the direction of the open window over there window", said Jack, "by the way, the police are here. I am not dying."

Charlie pointed his gun towards Jack and fired a shot. Jack moved at the same moment, this saved his life. The second crack of a pistol through the window and Charlie was on the ground. The door smashed open and armed police stormed the basement.

The bullet had gone through Jacks' shoulder. Now the blood flowed out through the wound.

"Get the EMP down here", shouted a police man kneeling beside Jack.

He knelt on the wound to stop the blood.

Another police officer tended to Charlie, they had him handcuffed and face up.

His face was a mask of pure hatred.

Jack's face turned grey as his life blood flowed out onto the basement floor. His eyes sought Charlie. The paramedics desperately seeking to stem the flow of blood.

Jack smiled.

"The police didn't really believe your testimony. They couldn't do anything about me in prison. They've been monitoring your circle for months. They couldn't find anything concrete to use. So they thought of me. This has been planned for months. I was here this morning and sorted out the tin cans. I thought it was poetic. You and your chums are going to be in prison for a very long time."

Jack still smiled as his life blood ceased to flow.

~Boris Doyle

 

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