Echoes of Lily
Part one
By Sean Lennon
“Where are they?” Michael Scarlini asked the man sitting opposite of him. A single low watt bulb that gently swung back and forth over the small metal table lighted the room they sat in. The walls were colored a slimy green except for where a large mirror hung on one wall. And the man sitting across from Scarlini was slouched in his chair with several days’ worth of stubble and dirt on his face. This was just the type that Scarlini was used to dealing with. He was not surprised when one of the local beat cops brought him in with the suspicion that the crime he had been caught committing was of the same M.O. as the crimes that he was assigned to solving.
“Define ‘They’.” The man spoke as if it were a bother to him. It was as if this whole routine of interrogation was putting a cramp in this man’s evening. He twitched his nose and sniffled every minute. Scarlini knew that this was to only get on his nerves. But it wasn’t working. Scarlini was better than that. He was a professional at his job. And for that reason, his chief had given him this case and placed him in the interrogation room that he and this man currently occupied.
“Don’t play games with me. We have you nailed to the wall. The only way you can lighten your sentence is telling us what we want to know.”
The man sat quiet, thinking to himself and staring off into the murky depths of the ugly walls behind Scarlini. Then he spoke up. “What’s your name, detective?”
“That’s not important.”
“Well, I think it is. What’s my name?”
Scarlini looked down at the folder that lay open in front of him. It had the man’s life in so many words. He read straight from the top sheet.
“Your name’s Charles Raymond Burke. You reside at
“See? That’s what I mean. You know all this about me. I think it’s only fair that I, at least, know your name. Or would you rather I call you Mr. Detective the entire time?” Scarlini rolled his eyes. He hated that this criminal was acting cocky and trying hard to get under his skin.
“The name’s Detective Scarlini. But sir will do just fine by me.”
“Scarlini? A full-blooded Italian. I figured as much. It shows in your features. Just verifying is all.”
“Well, let me congratulate you on figuring that out. Now how about you help me figure out where they are before it’s too late.”
“Again, Detective Scarlini, I’d have to ask you to specific exactly who you’re talking about?” Scarlini clenched his jaw. This guy was good. But he was better.
“The seven children that you took from their bedroom in the middle of the night. Just like little Justine Browne. You remember her, right? You killed her trying to escape from the cops that caught you crawling through her bedroom window with her in your arms.”
“She deserved it. The little pain in the ass bit me. Besides, I spared her from all the pain and suffering that she would have had to deal with in life. All the heartaches, verbal abuse, mental anguish. I did her a favor, gutting her like a fish.”
“Is that how you see it? Saving her from a painful and torturous life ahead? The same life that you had top deal with as a child? Being beaten by your strict father? Verbally abused by your mother? Teased by all the other kids in the playground?”
“Detective, that is so stereotypical. My childhood was quite the opposite. I had everything I wanted as a child. My father never beat me, my mother never made me dress up in girl’s clothes. They pretty much let me be, alone and free to come and go as I please. I even attended a private school. Saint Joseph’s in Union City. I’m not like the others, Detective Scarlini. My name is not Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. I’m different from them. I’m me.” Scarlini sat wondering where Burke was going with all this. He sat, waiting for more dribble from this monster’s mouth. But Burke sat there, finished.
“And exactly who is Charles Raymond Burke?” Scarlini bit, waiting for more insight and a door into the mind of the madman before him.
“I’m the one person who knows the truth about the human race. We are a ridiculous species, detective. I read this magazine once. It was called Weird New Jersey. It’s all about these haunted mysterious locations in the state. Did you know that in the early 1930’s there was a little café built into the cliff on River Road in Hoboken? They called it Sybil’s Cave. Who would purposely spend time eating in a cave? It’s ludicrous.”
Scarlini’s patience was running thin. There was the small detail yelling at him in the back of his mind. The case was taking too long to be solved and the parents of the seven missing children were making a ruckus over it. It was this morning that his boss told him that if they didn’t get a break within 24 hours, the FBI was going to step in. And then his promise to the parents would be broken. He would not find their precious little ones. Someone else would. He never broke a promise in all of his thirty-six years. And he was damned if he allowed the man before him to ruin such a strong running streak.
“What’s your point?”
Burke noticed the sharp tone in Scarlini’s voice. He smiled. The inane prattling was scraping the detective’s nerves thin. Burke knew it wouldn’t be long before he had him feeding out of his hand.
“Society has life all wrong. Murders occur every day. And the news reports that those who kill were off-kilter, not right in the head. But that’s not it. You see Detective, ever since the days of the caveman, man has lived with the seed of evil within. But the individual, himself, is given the choice to kill the seed or allow it to flourish. You have chosen the path of good while I have embraced my little seed.”
“Then you know that in order to do good, I knew to know where you’re hiding the children.”
“But if I told you, then the evil within me would shrivel up and die. And then I would be as good as you.”
“Well, we can look at it this way. If you tell me where they are, you go to jail for a long time, giving you the chance to water your seed. If you don’t, then I will see to it personally, along with the parents of the children that you get the chair. Then that little seed of yours dies.”
Burke shifted in his chair and stared Scarlini in his eyes. He remained speechless, doing nothing more than reading Scarlini for a bluff. Scarlini knew that he would get the chair either way. That was due to the protesting of the anguished parents who hounded his sleep and every waking moment since he was given the case weeks ago. But now he had the end of the case in this room and regardless of the crumbling of his personal life and the stress of this case, he was not going to let this slip away.
“Ah, but you see, Detective Scarlini, it would be a while before I even get put in the chair, so either way, I can still find a way out into the world and given the chance to kill again.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it, Burke. I’ll personally be keeping my eye on you from this moment on. Guys like you use your fifteen minutes and burn out after a few murders. You kidnapped seven children and murdered one. You’re caught. It’s over for you. And you can bet your evil seeded ass that I’m going to find those missing children and sit in front of you while you fry, you son of a bitch.”
Burke laughed, “You’re such a cliché, Detective Scarlini. The rough scarred cop, always fighting the good fight. You’re old news, a wounded horse, a sixteen year-old dog. Your time is over. I can see it in your eyes. Your faith is gone. Something bad happened to you in your personal life.”
“What?”
“I can tell. The eyes of a man are the windows into his soul. Yours are depressed. They’re sagging. What happened, Detective? Death in the family?”
Scarlini had had enough. In one swift motion, he jumped to his feet, knocking the chair backwards, grabbed Burke by the hair and slammed his face into the table between them.
“Where are they?” Scarlini questioned through clenched teeth. All he received as an answer was Burke’s insane chuckling.
“That’s it Detective. Give in to the anger. Slam my head into the table some more. It feels good doesn’t it? Let the evil control you. Feel the rush.”
Scarlini took Burke’s words to heart. He was letting Burke win the battle of minds. And it was all because of what was going on in the past three weeks. His life was crumbling apart and so was his career. Scarlini released Burke’s head and stepped back. Burke raised his head and looked at Scarlini. His smile made him feel dirty inside. He had dropped down to Burke’s level just like Burke had wanted him to.
The silence was interrupted by the tapping on the one way mirror. Both Scarlini and Burke turned their heads at the noise. Scarlini knew that it only meant that his boss was unhappy of what had just occurred. He had screwed up and possibly ruined their chance of retrieving the information they were trying to obtain from the monster named Charles Ray Burke.
“Uh-oh. Someone’s in trouble,” Burke said playfully. He looked back at Scarlini and smiled. “Go on, run off. I’ll still be here waiting when you get back.”
“I’m not leaving here without knowing where they are.”
“But it won’t matter. If you go and get yelled at or if you stay to interrogate me some more, it doesn’t change the fact.”
“What fact?”
“That they are already dead.”
TO BE CONTINUED……….
Part Two
By Sean Lennon
“They’re already dead.”
The words echoed throughout the room and through the one-way mirror. They were praying that they would find the children before they died. But Burke’s statement destroyed everyone’s hope in their safe return. Burke watched Scarlini’s face drop when he heard the news.
“Wait, let me rephrase that. They will be dead at 9a.m.”
Scarlini looked down at his watch and saw that it was 4:30a.m. That gave them a four and a half hour window. Possible but by the skin of their teeth. His thoughts were interrupted by another knock at the door. Then his actions came flooding back to him. He was in trouble.
“For whom the door knocks. You’re up, detective.” Burke smiled and glanced to the side, trying to get the door in his sights. Scarlini walked over to the door and opened it. His boss, Chief Wayne Genn, stood in the doorway with a scoured look on his face. He raised his hand and brought his finger back and forth, motioning Scarlini outside for a talk. He closed the door behind him and looked at the tiled hallway floor.
“I knew this was going to happen. But I let you go anyway,” Genn muttered.
“Look, chief, I’m sorry. He got under my skin and I shouldn’t have let him. It was my fault and it won’t happen again. I promise.”
“You’re damn right it won’t happen. Because I’m taking you off the case,” Genn told him. Scarlini stopped short. Genn couldn’t be serious.
“You’re kidding right? I mean, no one else is going to be able to crack this guy like I can! I promised those parents that I would find those kids! And you have the balls to pull me off this? I’m going back in there and staying in there until I find out where he’s keeping those kids.”
“Am I talking Greek here? You take one step in that room and you’re fired. Do you understand that, you stubborn bastard? I should have forced you into a leave of absence when Anne died. But I knew you were a good cop and would figure that out yourself. But instead, you bury yourself in this case; threatening the chance that this could be closed without any more children dying. I’m not letting you fuck this up any further.”
“How did I fuck this up? The kids are still alive. We can still get the information out of him in time.”
“Mike, you slammed his head into the table. AND that’s on tape. The fuckin’ Assistant D.A. is gonna flip when he hears that,” Genn wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled a cigarette from his shirt pocket. “Now as of this moment, you’re on a leave of absence indefinitely. Wogkowski will take over from here.”
“Woogy? You can’t be serious?”
“Mike, shut up. It’s over. Get the hell out of my face.”
Hearing his wife’s name, Scarlini flashbacked to that day a week ago. He was sitting at his desk in the station house, going over the information of the kidnappings for the first time. His partner, Arnold Wogkowski, entered the office quietly. Scarlini had not heard him at first but when Woogy came into his sight, Scarlini looked up.
“Hey, glad you’re here. I need your help sifting through the evidence on this kidnapping case.” Scarlini ran his hands through the photos and reports. But Woogy stood over Mike, not saying a word. Scarlini stopped everything and his partner’s silence hit him like a steel bat.
“Mike, there’s something I need to tell you,” Woogy said. Mike looked up, his eyes full of confusion and worry.
“What is it?” Scarlini’s mind shot through several terrible scenarios. He knew what his partner was going to say but refused to think of it.
“It’s Anne. She’s been in a car accident. She’s hurt real bad.”
Before Woogy could finish what he was saying, Michael Scarlini stood up fast, knocking his chair back. He bolted out of the stationhouse and hurried to the hospital. By the time he arrived, she had died of her wounds. Rather than stay home and let the pain take over, Mike had planned the funeral and went right back into the kidnapping case. He ignored his friends’ advice and delved further into finding the missing children.
“Chief Genn, is it true? Did they find Lily?” said a voice from the end of the hall. Scarlini and Genn looked over to see Sebastian Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt’s daughter, Lily, was one of the missing children. Vanderbilt was also Scarlini’s neighbor. Scarlini had known Lily and had taught her self defense on her father’s behalf. Genn mumbled a curse under his breath at the sight of Vanderbilt and headed towards him.
“Sebastian, how are you?”
“Cut the small talk, Wayne. Did you find my daughter?”
“I’m sorry, not yet. But we have a suspect in custody and strongly believe he knows where your daughter. We’re interrogating him now. I’ll call you when we know more.”
Vanderbilt was not going to take that. He looked past Genn and saw Scarlini. His eyes went soft and he reached out towards him.
“Michael, please, find her. I’m counting on you. Don’t let me down. She doesn’t need to die like Anne did.” Scarlini’s heart screamed at the words of a man he called friend. He couldn’t deal with the constant reminder of Anne’s death.
Genn saw the effect of Vanderbilt’s words and helped Vanderbilt back into his office where Scarlini could have a moment to himself.
“Mike, go home!” Genn shouted as he disappeared through the doorway. Scarlini looked over at the door where Burke hid behind. The room called to him. He could almost hear the children’s cries echo from the other side. Lily’s young voice pleading for help reverberated though his head. He couldn’t turn away from this. He owed it to the parents, the kids, and more importantly, he owed it to Anne.
Scarlini reached out and took hold of the doorknob. Then he walked back into the interrogation room, locking the door behind him. He’ll be damned if he let anyone take him off this case before he could finished what he promised. He motioned to the mirror for the others to turn the camera back on.
“Well, well, well, I thought you had gone and left me here for good,” giggled Burke.
“Guess again, dickhead. You’re not getting off that easy.” Mike pushed the table to the side and sat down straight in front of Burke. Burke stared into Scarlini’s eyes and noticed a new hardness. The smile on his face melted away. The kid gloves were off, he realized. That made things more exciting.
“My, someone’s a little angry now. Did you just get yelled at? Want a hug?” Burke jumped right into the cat and mouse game that he had started minutes ago. But Scarlini was stronger now. His mind focused on one thing: crawling into the mind of this monster who had taken seven children from their families.
“Answer me this one, Charlie. For a man who obviously doesn’t believe in God, why did you attend private school for 12 years? I mean that must have annoyed you a lot.”
Burke squinted his eyes, unsure of where this was going. But he decided to follow Scarlini down his path for the hell of it. “To watch the pathetic sheep and learn more about them. The same reason fishermen watch shows about fish, to learn about their prey. It became quite entertaining after a while. I had a hard time keeping in the laughter.”
“Well, that’s pretty common. Guys like us, we’re loners.”
“You’re nothing like me, Detective. You’re one of the sheep. I’m the wolf that slaughters the herd. I’d watch my ass if I were you.”
“Now, that’s not nice, Charlie. What have I done to you? I’m just doing my job like a good old drone.” Scarlini smiled a goofy grin.
“What happened to your wife, Detective? How did she die?” Burke asked him. Scarlini held his ground and refused to let the mention of Anne weaken him in any way. Lily and the other children were depending on him.
The conversation was once again interrupted again by another knock on the door. Scarlini knew it could be one of two people. Either Woogy was ready to continue the interrogation or Genn had found out that Mike disobeyed his orders. But no matter who it was, Scarlini had no intention of answering it.
“She passed away,” Scarlini told him, ignoring the knocking. The knocking soon turned to banging and Scarlini could hear Woogy calling through the door. But he pushed it out of his head.
“Hmmmmmmm, defying the boss, eh? I’m impressed, Scarlini. Maybe you’re not the drone I thought you were.”
“Thanks, that warms my heart.”
“So what was it? A murder? Freak accident? I know, death at childbirth?”
“Why so interested in my personal life, Charlie? Jealous?”
“Oh, absolutely not. There’s nothing to be jealous of. I’d rather be alone than have my supposed loved one die horribly.”
“Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.” Scarlini was trying to scratch the information he needed to the surface. But Burke was a tough one to crack.
“Love is overrated. It’s a crock of shit, Scarlini. Wake up and smell the coffee. Now tell me how she died or you’ll never reach those children in time.”
“I tell you about my wife’s death and you’ll tell me where they are?” Scarlini was weary on Burke’s word. But if it got him what he needed, he would tell Burke his mother’s social security number.
“You have my word. Tell me what I want to know and I will give you the location of the kids.” Burke leaned back in the chair and smiled like a politician.
TO BE CONTINUED…….
Part Three
By Sean Lennon
Mike Scarlini sped down Tonnelle Avenue in a race to reach his destination as quickly as possible. He had the information that he needed finally and still had a little less than three hours remaining. That was enough time to save the seven children that were being kept hidden by Charles Ray Burke. Scarlini had spent the last two hours interrogating Burke in the hopes that Burke would reveal the location of the children. And just like no one else could, Mike had gotten it. But with every save there comes a sacrifice.
“You have my word that if you tell me about your wife’s death, I will give you the location of the children,” Burke said, leaning back in his chair and grinning like a politician. Scarlini breathed deeply. He didn’t want to talk about Anne to anyone, especially some sociopath like Burke. But the child-like screams in his head told him that he had no choice. Scarlini leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“Fine. My wife died in a car accident a week ago. She was coming home for lunch because she had forgotten her purse that morning. A guy driving in the opposite direction had just gotten out of a nearby bar for a liquid lunch and crossed the lines.” Scarlini felt a lump in his throat but fought it back down.
“So why do you feel guilty? Forget to remind her about her purse?” Burke questioned. Scarlini looked up and stared into the eyes of the man sitting in front of him. He wondered how Burke knew that he felt responsible.
“I don’t feel guilty. She just shouldn’t have gone so soon.” Scarlini only told what he needed to for the location.
“Come on, Detective. It’s painfully obvious that you feel responsible for it. The fact that you refuse to speak of it, the tough yet fake exterior, and the fact that she has been dead a week and you’re already back to work. I’m not stupid, Scarlini. I managed to kidnap seven whiny kids without anyone knowing.”
“Yeah, but we still caught you. You’re not that smart either.”
“Who’s to say that I didn’t let you catch me? Now stop avoiding the questions. I want the details.”
Scarlini wanted to pound on Burke’s face but continued regardless, “I, I told her that I would drive over and bring it to her. But I was distracted and ended up at the stationhouse. She wouldn’t have been there if I were more focused. So, yes, I am responsible.”
“Well, Scarlini. It wouldn’t have mattered if you delivered her purse or not. She would have died eventually. Just like those children that I took. Even if you do find out where they are, you’re only delaying the inevitable.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think, Burke. My job is to make sure that those kids are returned safely,” Scarlini told him with a firmness that was lost on him. He could have cared less whether or not they were found in time. This was all a game to Burke.
“Ever the shining knight, Scarlini. Well, here’s a bit of news for you. This world no longer deserves or cares about your dying breed. There’s too many killers like me out there and so few guys like you that it’s futile. So give up, you can’t win.”
Scarlini knew there was some truth to Burke’s babbling. But since he was young, Mike knew that his calling was to be a cop. He was born to help people and that was what he was planning to do until the day he died. Though, now, the secret to helping these children and their families was finding the weak spot in the madman’s guarded exterior. He ran the conversation over and over in his head, searching for clues.
“Racking your brain for answers, Scarlini?” Burke asked, staring at the knitted brow of the detective in front of him. Burke smiled at him, knowing that if he tried hard enough, he would find them. But Burke would delay that for as long as he could.
“I told you what you wanted to know. Now tell me where to find them.”
“Let me tell you a story, Scarlini. There once was a frog on the edge of a stream. And this Frog had come across a Scorpion who was looking to cross the stream but couldn’t swim. So the Scorpion asked the Frog for a ride on his back to the other side of the stream. But the Frog knew damn well, the Scorpion would sting him dead, so he replied no. But the Scorpion told the Frog that if he were to sting the Frog, the Scorpion would sink and drown. So the Frog realized that he was safe. But halfway across the stream, the Scorpion stung the Frog anyway. As the Frog and the Scorpion sunk into the stream, the Frog asked why did he sting him if he knew he was going to die as well. The Scorpion explained to the Frog, ‘That’s my nature’.”
Scarlini felt his face go red. He had been had. Burke was not planning to tell him the location. He stood up and faced the mirror. Then he pointed to the camera and gave a slashing motion across his neck. Burke looked up, puzzled at the signal that Scarlini had just given.
“What are you doing?”
Scarlini grabbed Burke by the front of his shirt and threw him across the room and into the far wall. Burke bruised his arm and slid to the floor, injured. Scarlini saw the shocked look on his face before he recovered and hid his surprise at Mike’s actions.
“You are going to tell me where they are, even if I have to beat it out of you.”
“Do your worst, Scarlini,” Burke coughed, “I have a high threshold for pain.”
“We’ll see about that,” Scarlini replied, kicking Burke in the ribs. Burke gasped as all the air was forced out of his lungs. Scarlini pulled Burke to his feet and punched him in the mouth. Burke spit blood onto the floor by his feet and smiled.
“You hit like a girl, Scarlini. Who taught you, your corpse of a wife?” Scarlini hit him again and again. Burke’s left eye began to swell shut and blood dribbled down his chin.
“Okay, I’ll tell you where they are,” Burke mumbled. Scarlini held back his anger to hear him out.
“There’s a train tunnel in Fairview that runs under Fairview to Edgewater. It runs directly under Tonnelle Avenue and Fairview Cemetery. It was used by the Susquehanna and Western Railroad to transport materials to the docks in Edgewater. But it’s been closed off since the 60’s, due to an accident. You can find them in the tunnel. There’s a worker area about halfway through on the left side.”
Scarlini dropped Burke back to the floor. He recovered himself and turned to leave the room and save the children.
“I still won, Scarlini,” Burke laughed.
“How is that? I know where they are now,” Scarlini said, without even turning around to face the criminal.
“Because I helped you to unleash that evil seed within you. You’re just like me now.”
“Let’s get one thing straight, Charlie Ray,” Scarlini told him. He was now turned and facing him, “We will never be alike. I have a conscience, you don’t. There’s the difference. And that is all that matters.”
It was twenty minutes later and Scarlini pulled into the self-storage building beside Tonnelle Avenue. Behind the storage facility was the tunnel that Burke had spoken about. He prayed that nothing had happened to the children while they had Burke in custody.
Scarlini opened his trunk and retrieved the heavy-duty flashlight that he kept in case of emergencies. He trekked into a long forgotten area and soon came upon the entrance to the train tunnel. A cold wind ran from it and through him. There was a chainlink fence barring entrance, yet the fence was closed with a measly padlock. Scarlini pulled his gun and fired it. The padlock shattered and the gate opened slowly. He turned on the flashlight and headed inside.
The inside of the tunnel was musty and extremely damp. As Scarlini trekked further into the tunnel, he found that the ground was covered in muddy water. He waved the flashlight around and found that there was a thin platform running along side of the tunnel, above the giant puddle.
Scarlini took small steps over the tiny platform, careful not to fall into the deep puddle. God only knew what was lurking in the filthy water. He continued into the tunnel, occasionally calling out to the children, in hopes that they were near and would hear him. But he never received a response. That didn’t stop him from finding the worker’s area.
It was twenty minutes from the moment that he first entered that he found a door on the platform. The door opened inward and through the small opening, Scarlini could see a light flickering inside. He threw the door open and pushed in. Mike found himself in a revamped room. It was slightly decorated with plain, old sheets and furniture. In the center of the area was a long table. On the table was an oil lamp that gave off the room’s only light. And sitting at the table was seven small figures. He had found them!
“Children, don’t be afraid, I’m a police officer and I’m here to take you home,” Scarlini told the little people at the table. As he approached the table, he noticed none of them had moved or spoke to him. His heart beat faster. Was he too late? Were they already dead like Burke had joked?
Scarlini reached out and took hold of one of the chairs placed around the table. He shined his light onto the small figures and saw something that gripped his heart tightly. His jaw dropped open and his hand clamped over it quickly.
Placed on the chairs around the table were seven life-sized dolls. A photo on each missing child’s face replaced each doll’s face. It was the most frightening thing Mike had ever seen during his years on the force.
Burke had been right. He had won. The children were not there. They were still missing and time was running out.
TO BE CONTINUED…….
Part Four
By Sean Lennon
There was an hour remaining before Burke’s little timer on the safety of the children expired. And it was right then, that Scarlini was brought back to the stationhouse in handcuffs per Genn’s request. Mike was shocked and pissed at the same time. How could Genn treat him like a criminal? He may have broken some rules but it was all for the children. Everything he did in the last few hours was for Lily and the others missing. Why could no one else realize this?
“Chief Genn? What do I do with Scarlini?” asked the cop who returned Mike to the stationhouse. Genn looked up from the huddle he was having with Woogy and Detective Warren Prinske. He looked at Scarlini and snarled.
“Put him in Holding 3. We’ll deal with him after this.” Genn then turned his back and returned to the huddle. The cop took Scarlini down to the holding cells and walked him past the cell holding Burke.
“Ho ho! If it isn’t the shining knight Scarlini! What happened, not find them?” Burke howled.
“Fuck you,” was all Scarlini could say. His life, his career was over now. And he would never get the chance to see this case through to the end. Anne would be so disappointed in him. He couldn’t bear the thought that she was presently looking down on him in such a state.
The cop opened the cell and uncuffed Scarlini as he entered. He looked sadly at Mike, shrugged and left.
“Looks like we have matching rooms, huh?” Burke giggled from two cells down. Mike ignored his ranting and sat on the thin, hard bunk. What could happen in the next hour was something he would never find out. No one else could find those children in time. Now all hope was lost.
“Why so quiet now, Scarlini? Come on! I gave you the answers you wanted! Is it my fault that you’re too dumb to figure it out?”
Burke had given him the wrong answers. This was a game to him and he was doing everything he could to win it. The prize was the lives of seven innocent children. But Scarlini knew that he had become too obsessed with finding them when he stood in that dark room where the table with the dolls lay. Looking at the photo faces of the dolls chilled him to the bone. It proved that they were nothing but innocent pawns to Burke.
“What are the answers?” Scarlini asked.
“Oh, come now, detective. Game’s not over yet. Do you really believe I’d give it up now? We still have one hour remaining on the clock. Tick tock tick tock, time’s running out for the little monsters, Scarlini. How are you going to save them from the insides of a cell?”
“ You said that you gave me the answers. But they weren’t there in the tunnel. You know that. So what answers did you give me?”
Burke sighed and paced the cell, “You only hear what you want. If I tell you something in a roundabout way, you don’t listen. What more can I tell you? Someone has to die today, Scarlini. I won’t have it any other way.”
Their conversation was interrupted when the door to the cells opened. Scarlini couldn’t tell at first who it was because of the cell wall. But he soon found out.
“Be careful of that one! He’s crazy!” Burke told the visitor.
“Quiet down, Burke,” spoke Woogy, the visitor. Scarlini thought of him as a way out and threw his hands behind his back. Woogy walked up to Mike’s cell and looked inside. “Hey,”
“Hi.”
“I’m sorry it had to be this way. But you really gave Genn no choice.”
“I know. But if given the chance, I can find these kids. You know that.”
“Yes, I do. But it’s not necessary. We’ve figured it out. We looked back on the tape with you and Burke and heard him mention a place called Sybil’s Cave in Hoboken. That’s where he’s got the kids.”
“See, Scarlini! Some people do listen correctly!” Burke yelled. Woogy looked over in his direction and then ignored him again.
It made sense. Burke would have thrown that in there for spite. It would have made him a genius to give the location in the midst of babbling in Burke’s eyes. Scarlini felt like a fool for not seeing it earlier.
“Do me a favor before you go. The cop who brought me down here forgot to release the cuffs. Could you at least undo them for me?” Scarlini asked Woogy kindly.
“Yeah,” Woogy replied. He opened the cell and retrieved his ring of keys from his pocket, “Listen, I’m going to fight to get you back on the force after this kidnapping case is over. Genn can be a bit of an asshole but I don’t think dropping you is a wise choice.”
“Woogy, thanks. You’re not so bad yourself. And I’m sorry for this.”
“Hey, I understand. We all want these kids found.”
“No, sorry for this,” Scarlini swung his fists around him and punched Woogy in the face. Woogy slumped to the ground, unconscious.
“What’s going on over there? Scarlini? Are you abusing people again?” Burke shouted from the other cell.
Scarlini picked up the ring of keys and headed out of the holding cell. There was no way he was going to miss out on saving the children. Besides, knowing Burke, there would be a trap set up. And he wasn’t going to let a rookie cop endanger Lily Vanderbilt. He had promised Sebastian that she would be returned safely and he was going to stick to that promise. Scarlini was passing Burke when he decided to stop.
“My, Detective, you are learning quite well! A chip off the old block!”
“You’re wrong. Want to know why? Because I AM going to save those kids. And then I’m coming back to nail your ass to the wall.” And with that, Scarlini grabbed Burke’s shirt through the bars and pulled him forward, slamming his head into the metal between them. Burke yelped in pain and fell to the floor, holding his forehead. “And you can hold me to that.”
Scarlini crept through the precinct and out into the parking lot where Woogy’s car sat, unused. Mike unlocked the door and got in. This was it. There was forty minutes left and it only took fifteen to get to Hoboken. He started the car and released the parking brake when Genn walked in front of the car. Scarlini looked up and saw the chief, staring at him with anger in his eyes. Mike couldn’t believe that he was so close to rescuing the children and had it taken away in the blink of an eye. He put the parking brake on and turned the car back off. Genn walked around to the driver-side window. Mike rolled the window down and looked up.
“I can help those kids. You have to let me go.” Mike pleaded.
Genn leaned forward on the car and sighed. “Alright. But we have to talk. Well, I have to tear your head off in front of the others, you know. Can’t have me looking like a sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Wayne.”
“But, you are taking time off after this is over. No buts.”
“Agreed,” Scarlini nodded.
“Now, get out of here, there’s not much time.”
Mike drove out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. Turning on the detective light, he was able to weave through the early morning traffic with ease. Checking his clock, he found himself with thirty minutes remaining. Mike figured he could be on River Road in seven minutes, giving him enough time to free the children.
Genn walked back into the stationhouse and was stopped by one of the rookie cops.
“Chief, bad news! It’s Burke! He’s having a seizure!”
“Dammit! Get Maryann to contact Meadowlands and have them send an ambulance immediately.” Genn then headed straight downstairs to the holding cell area. He’d be damned if he was going to let Burke die before paying for what he’s done.
As Scarlini sped down 32nd Street, towards the Lincoln Tunnel, he ran the interrogation over and over in his head. There were some things that didn’t make much sense to him. Obviously, the Chuck E Cheese job was a place to scope out potential victims. But why send him to the tunnel in Fairview? The set up in the tunnel showed that he almost knew that he would be caught. But why? What was it that Burke was looking for? And why was he targeting children?
Mike was forced to focus back on the road when a bus almost ran him off the road.
“You’ll never get to them in time,” Burke told him. Yet, he knew that they found out about the location of the cave. Was he trying to tell him different? Or was it a game?
Minutes later, Scarlini turned onto River Road and drove past the old coffee factory and around the bend where five or six police cars blocked off the road. Suddenly, it hit Mike. He stopped short and caught the attention of the police wandering around.
You’ll never get to them in time.
It clicked. He couldn’t believe that he had missed the discarded puzzle piece. Grabbing his cell phone, Scarlini punched in the number for the stationhouse. Maryann picked up and shouted into the phone. Mike could hear a riot going on in the background but didn’t have time to ask about it.
“Maryann, I need some info immediately! It’s about the kids.”
“Mike, I don’t think now is a good time. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“I can’t talk right now.” Mike hung up the phone and dialed another number. Within a minute he received the information that he figured out to be true. Scarlini turned the car around and sped off, away from the location of Sybil’s cave and towards the real location of the children.
The clock read 8:57a.m.
TO BE CONTINUED………
Part Five
By Sean Lennon
Scarlini sped up the Viaduct to Union City. He knew where Burke had left the children. It was the one place that he mentioned that he didn’t send them. Burke had given him the location hours ago but Mike had not picked it up. And now, he was racing against time to save the children. He couldn’t be late. Vanderbilt wouldn’t be happy. Anne would not be happy. And Scarlini would never be able to live with himself if they died.
Mike punched the horn, swerving around people on their way to work. The flashing light on his dashboard was useless. They still flipped him the bird as he drove around them. But he didn’t care about them or anything other then Lily and the other children.
Once Scarlini reached Union City, he checked the clock again. It read 8:59a.m. He was really cutting it close but with some luck, could still save them before the building was destroyed.
Scarlini remembered what Burke said about his childhood when he saw the police cars waiting for someone to tell them what to do. Then his mind screamed with the answers that he had been searching for all night. He had picked up the cell phone and called the stationhouse for verification of his suspicions. But apparently something else was going on there, so he hung up and dialed the number of Creamer Construction. Creamer was the most used Construction Company in Hudson and Bergen Counties.
“Creamer,” answered the receptionist.
“This is Detective Mike Scarlini, I need to know if you are scheduled to tear down the Saint Joseph’s school in Union City today.”
“Um,” the receptionist checked her sheets, “Yes, Detective, it’s actually scheduled to be torn in a few minutes. The schedule says 9a.m. sharp.”
“Thank you.” Scarlini hung up before the receptionist could respond. He was right. Burke had hidden the children in the schoolhouse that he had attended when he was younger. The same schoolhouse that was scheduled to be torn down to become a mini mall. Burke had planned this perfectly. But something still ate at Scarlini’s thoughts. Did Burke plan to be caught? Mike would think about that later. After the children were rescued.
Scarlini hit 15th street and turned onto it at speeds allowed only on racetracks. He had to only several blocks before he reached the building. And there was only a minute left. He would make it. There was no other choice. He had to. He sped across New York Avenue and passed the Union City Public Library. And that’s when the unthinkable happened.
A van ran the red light on Bergenline Avenue and Scarlini could not stop in time. In slow motion, Mike watched himself run into the van head on. The front of Woogy’s car caved in, as did the side of the van. Luckily, Scarlini had his seat belt on and the air bag in the steering wheel went off.
Mike quickly recovered from the accident and looked at the extent of the damage. The car was totaled. There was no way he would be able to drive it to the schoolhouse. He freed himself from the driver seat and staggered over to the van to check on the driver. As he reached for the door handle, the door flew open and the driver of the van crawled out.
“What are you, friggin insane?”
“Shut up asshole.” Scarlini then punched the driver in the jaw. “If they die, I’m coming back for you.”
And then Scarlini took off, running the remaining three blocks to the schoolhouse. It was 9a.m.
Ralphie Perez couldn’t wait to get the job over with. Today, he was only scheduled the one job and then he would have the rest of the day off. And seeing how it was a Friday, he could hit the local bar early and not have to worry about working the next day. Now, all he had to do was knock down the old schoolhouse across from the Saint Joseph’s Church. The same church that his son was baptized in. Ralphie was a bit nostalgic about the schoolhouse. He had gone there and had grown up in the neighborhood. He remembered the days when he would get out of school and they would head on down to Kennedy Boulevard to play two hand touch football in the unused parking lot of the closed-down Two Guys store. Of course, times change and the empty building was turned into a Waldbaum’s, with a shoe store and video rental place along side. He was disappointed about his childhood being removed and replaced but, hopefully, it would make the neighborhood better for his son.
Ralphie got on the Nextel radio and buzzed the man in charge. He had gotten tired of sitting in the cab of the wrecking ball and just wanted it done. But, everything had to be perfect. After all, it wouldn’t be good if they accidentally knocked down the apartment building behind the school along with it.
“Yo, Chris, we ready or what?” Ralphie asked the radio.
“Just about. Now, keep your pants on and give me a minute,” Chris replied.
“Keep your pants on, he says. Douchebag,” Ralphie muttered to himself. He checked his watch and saw that they were already behind schedule. It was 9a.m. They were supposed to start knocking it down right now. But because his boss was lazy bastard, he had to delay it.
A minute later, Chris got on the radio and told Ralphie to start the ball. Ralphie smiled and started the machine up. Once it was up and revving, Ralphie moved the joysticks and the wrecking ball swung back, gaining momentum. Then the ball came crashing into the side of the schoolhouse. The third floor’s wall crumbled along with one of the classrooms. Ralphie tipped his hat to the building and brought the ball back for another hit.
As the ball smashed into the building a second time, he was alert to his right, when he heard a pinging noise. That was when he noticed a man standing near the wrecking machine, aiming a gun at him.
“Holy Shit!” Ralphie grabbed the Nextel by his side and yelled into it, “Chris, there’s a guy by the machine shooting at me!!!”
“What?” replied the boss.
“There’s a guy shooting at me!”
“Whoa, stop everything.”
Ralphie pulled the wrecking ball back and kept it from swinging into the schoolhouse. The man in front of him saw this and flashed something at him, before bolting to the entrance of the schoolhouse. Ralphie could have sworn that the man had shown him a badge.
“Hey, Chris, this guy’s a cop and he just ran into the schoolhouse.”
“What?” the radio squawked.
“You’re a Douchebag, Chris,” Ralphie sighed.
Scarlini saw the man in the cab pull the ball back and he knew that the operator had gotten the message. Mike flashed his badge for safety and then turned and ran for the entrance to the schoolhouse. The doors were chained shut and Mike was not going to let that stop him. He aimed the gun and shot the lock. The chain clattered to the ground and Scarlini threw the door open. He headed for the stairs and climbed up to the first set of classrooms. He reached the third floor and saw the classroom to his left was a giant gaping hole. Part of the hallway floor was crumbling away to the emptiness below.
Slowly, Mike crept down the hall and glanced into each classroom that was still part of the building. After reaching the last one at the end of the hall, Mike was losing hope and feared that the children were in the classroom that was already destroyed.
But as silence took over for a brief moment, Scarlini’s ears picked up noise above him. Looking up, he saw that some dust gently fell onto him. There were upstairs! Mike carefully ran back down the hall to the stairs and jumped up the steps to the top floor. When he reached the hall, the classroom to his left shook. It no longer had anything supporting it and, in the blink of an eye, vanished. Scarlini knew that he didn’t have a lot of time left before the rest of the building crumbled to pieces.
He ran to the last classroom and tried the door. It was locked. He looked into the small window on the door and saw the kids pushing up against the other side of the door. Mike held his badge to the window to calm the children down. That’s when he saw Lily Vanderbilt.
“Mista Mike!” she screamed.
“Lily! Tell everyone to move away from the door! I’ll get you out!” Mike watched her move the other children back, calming them with words of freedom. Once Scarlini saw them safely enough back, he shot the lock on the door and kicked it open.
Once the door was open, the kids ran forward, straight at Scarlini. Mike blocked them from running out into the hall.
“Hang on! Listen to me, the building is dangerous. If you want to leave safely, I need everyone to get into a single file line and follow me. Okay?” The children understood and all nodded. Once he was able to get them in a line, he led them down the hall and kept his eye on them.
Unfortunately, the other classroom on the right began to fall away as well. The sight caused the kids to scream and panic. Scarlini quickly huddled the children together and rushed them to the stairs. He guided them safely down the stairs and to the front entrance.
“Okay, now everyone run across the street. Now!” Scarlini watched the kids shot across the closed off street to the houses across from the school. He noticed the operator of the wrecking ball climbed out of the cab and rushed over to the children, making sure they were alright. He had done it. The children were safe and Burke’s game was over.
“I did it, hon. For you,” Scarlini said, looking up at the cloudless spring sky. He could feel Anne’s loving eyes looking down on him and she was smiling.
Minutes later, the police had shown up with ambulances. The volunteers examined the children for any injuries. And Scarlini stood back, leaning against the fence of one of the houses across the street. He scanned the crowd and saw Lily leap into her father’s arms. Tears ran down his cheeks and around his grinning smile. Mike knew right then that he had done good.
A local cop walked up to Scarlini. Mike looked over and read his nametag. It said GOOD.
“Detective Scarlini?” Officer Good asked.
“That’s me,” Mike nodded to the cop.
“Sir, I have news for you.”
“Well, I hope it’s news like your name,” Scarlini grinned.
The cop gave Scarlini the news that he was told to give him. As he did, Mike’s grin slowly melted off his face. His eyes grew with each word spoken. Suddenly, everything around Michael Scarlini faded out of existence. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Are you fuckin kidding me?”
“No, detective. I’m sorry.” The police officer was then called away, leaving Scarlini alone with the dreadful news.
Charles Ray Burke had escaped from the stationhouse, murdering Chief Genn and two other officers in the process.
The game was not over yet.
THE END?