Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
‘They think the public should leave the policing to the men and women in blue. Whichever side you’re on, the atmosphere here is very volatile at the moment.’
‘As you can imagine, the police department, is not very appreciative of his efforts, and neither are a handful of bystanders here tonight.’
‘Though I must report that the shift seems to be heading more in this vigilante’s favor, as more of the city’s criminal element has ended up at the end of his knife. Back to you in the station.’
‘Yes Terry, it would appear that the winds have shifted more and more in favor here in the last few weeks since it appears he’s only targeting the criminal element. What, if anything, are you hearing from the detectives on scene?’
‘Well Peter, in contrast to a few weeks ago when this all first started, law enforcement is no longer too keen on divulging much to the media.’
‘I can tell you that unnamed sources have informed us that there is no forensic evidence on the scenes, which leads one to think that ‘The Savage’ has a very extensive knowledge of the way crime scenes work.’
‘The general consensus from that quarter as you can imagine is that this can very easily get out of hand. In other words, today he’s targeting the city’s less savory characters, but what happens when he’s through there? Will his thirst for blood lead him to knocking off anyone who gets on his bad side? Over to you…’
I turned off the TV and put away the carousel before grabbing a beer. There was no emotion in my movements as I walked through the house.
My gut rumbled, a reminder that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, but I wasn’t hungry. I hadn’t been hungry since the day I stood at the gravesite and watched my son being lowered into the ground.
No! I shifted my mind, pulling it back from the path it was heading, as I kept moving, one foot in front of the other.
The time for dwelling on that scene was over. I had work to do and getting lost in my head would get me no closer to my goal. Still. It was hard not to let that memory intrude every once in a while.
Sometimes it was that very thing that kept me going, that kept me focused on the path I’d taken. One that was so different from who and what I used to be before my life turned to shit.
I didn’t register anything as I moved through the house, though I knew where everything was and could’ve navigated the space blindfolded.
It was one of those skills I’d honed in the last few months that came in handy in certain situations. I still felt the burn from my workout, as my mind moved steadily through what came next. Just keep moving.
In the shower, I ran the water as hot as I could stand it before switching to cold. I did that back and forth switch for the next half hour until the hot water became tepid.
With my body now awake, it was time to get to work. After a quick rub down with the towel, I grabbed a pair of shorts and headed for my office. Still on autopilot!
I pulled up the files I needed for the job ahead, going over everything with a fine toothcomb. I didn’t miss a detail, going over everything twice no matter how small, changing things up here and there where needed.
The niggling voice of conscience that had plagued me in the beginning had long given up since all I did was tune it out. I wasn’t interested in second-guessing or convicting myself for the things that I was now forced to do.
Once, not long ago, I would’ve frowned on anyone who took the law into their own hands. I would’ve stood firm in my belief that civilians should leave such things to the law.
That man no longer existed. The man who believed in the system that he had served so valiantly and honorably. In his place was one who still believed in justice yes, but not the sort of justice that could be bought and paid for by the highest bidder.
Instead, circumstances had forced me to take justice into my own hands and to mete out vengeance on all those who had had a hand in the destruction that had turned my once peaceful existence into ashes.
When I was done, I looked at the words I had written, the coded instructions, making sure I had missed nothing. It was funny, but after all my years on the force, until lately, I had never been as diligent or as focused as I am now.
I’d always prided myself on doing the best I could to solve the cases that came across my desk, but these days I think that had all just been a precursor for this. Something I could never have been prepared for but had been dumped on me because in the end, I had been too good at my job.