Chapter 62

Chapter 62
Killer

Getting him inside was hard work, even with him out cold. He was a big guy. But I managed. I had a spot set up for him, a simple chair bolted to the floor, just enough to keep him put. I tied him up, not too tight to hurt him, just enough to make sure he couldn't go anywhere when he woke up.

I put a bucket of cold water nearby. He’d need that soon. We had things to talk about. Big things. And this time, he wouldn't be able to run, or yell, or argue. He would just have to listen.

I sat back, watching him, giving the shot time to wear off a little. He looked so different now. Not the sharp detective who chased me. Not the angry, broken man who hurt Gracie. Just a sleeping guy. It was a strange mix of feelings swirling inside me. Pity, maybe. A little bit of satisfaction. And a whole lot of cold, hard purpose.

He stirred a little, groaning. His eyelids fluttered. Good. Show time.

I made sure my voice modulator was on, set to that low, raspy tone. It stripped away everything that made me sound like… me. Made me sound like nothing and everything, all at once. Just a voice from the shadows. No gender, no age. Just the Killer.

His eyes blinked open, slowly at first, then snapping wide. He looked around, confused. Saw the ropes. Saw the empty warehouse. Saw me, standing in the shadows, just out of reach, a dark shape he couldn't quite make out.

He tried to yank his hands free, testing the ropes. He grunted, pulling hard, but they held. He looked at me again, his eyes finally clearing, filling with confusion, then fear, then the familiar detective's glare.

"Who are you?" he growled, his voice rough from sleep and rage. "Where am I? What the hell do you want?"

I took a slow step forward, just enough for him to see me a little better, but still shrouded. My voice came out low, distorted, like gravel scraping on concrete. "Hello, Detective. Or should I say… David?"

He froze. His eyes narrowed. "You know my name."

"Of course," I said, my modulated voice echoing slightly in the vast space. "I've been watching you for a very long time. Watching all of you. You, Rhodes, Davies, Thorne, Sterling. All the players in this rotten game."

He pulled at the ropes again, harder this time, testing them. His breathing was heavy. "You're the Killer. The one who did all this. What do you want? Why me? Why am I here?"

"You're here because you were getting too close," I told him, my voice flat, holding no emotion. "And because you lost your way. You became a danger. To yourself. To others. But mostly, you're here to finally understand why this all happened. The real reason."

He scoffed. "A danger? I'm trying to expose scum like you! You poisoned me, you Broke and Killed Rhodes, You think you're some kind of hero?"

"Hero?" I chuckled, a dry, humorless sound through the modulator. "No. Just someone who saw what needed to be done. Someone who decided to clean up the mess no one else dared to touch. You want to know why you're here, David? Because you're going to see it all. From my perspective. The complete picture. The truth behind the truth."

He pulled again, straining against the ropes. "I don't need to see anything from your twisted perspective! You're a psycho! A murderer!"

"Am I?" My voice was calm, almost bored. "Let's talk about it. Let's talk about how this all began. Not just the headlines, not just the names you know. But the very first stone. The first lie. The first rotten piece of the foundation that made Newport City what it is today."

I leaned back against a dusty pillar, watching his face. His confusion was slowly turning into a mixture of frustration and a creeping dread. He was trapped. He knew it.

"It started a long, long time ago, David. Before your time, even. Back when Davies was just a young, ambitious cop. He built his empire on the backs of the innocent. But he wasn't alone. He had help. People who looked away. People who covered up the worst kinds of evil."

I paused, letting my words hang in the air. "You see, this city has a very dark secret. A cancer. A hidden sickness. And the people I targeted? They were all part of it. Every single one of them. They were abusers. Pedophiles. Monsters who preyed on the weakest, the most trusting. And the 'higher-ups' you've been chasing? Davies, Rhodes, all of them? They knew. They covered it up. They let it happen. They even helped it happen."

David's eyes narrowed. This wasn't what he expected. This wasn't about land deals or dirty money anymore, not directly.

"My first real targets were the ones who hurt the most vulnerable," I continued, my modulated voice taking on a cold, steady rhythm. "The ones who should have protected, but instead, destroyed. Like the youth soccer coach."

His eyes flickered, trying to place the name. "We had a cold case on a coach a few years back. Child molestation. Never went anywhere, charges dropped"

"He was being protected, David. He was dealt with. He was a monster. He used his position, his trust, to prey on little kids. And when parents tried to speak up, they were laughed out of the precinct. Their complaints went into a black hole. Because Davies and his friends made sure they did. They protected him. Said it was 'unsubstantiated.' Said the kids were 'making it up.' Can you believe that? Blaming the victims."

I took a step closer, just enough for him to feel the weight of my words. "That coach kept hurting kids for years, all because people in power turned a blind eye. Or worse, because they were getting something out of it. He was the first clear message. The first sign that someone was watching. Someone who wouldn't forget."

"Then there was the landlord. You probably know him as that slimy guy who owned half the apartment buildings downtown. Looked all innocent, right? Like a normal businessman."

David just watched me, silent, his face grim.

"He wasn't innocent. Not by a long shot. He used his power over poor families, over single moms trying to make rent. He demanded 'favors' in exchange for keeping the roof over their heads. He preyed on desperation. And when one brave woman tried to report him, tried to tell the police what he was doing, she was threatened. Her apartment flooded. Her job disappeared. She lost everything. Because he had friends in high places, friends who owed him, friends who made sure his name stayed clean while he ruined lives."