The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 23

Chapter 23

​O’Reilly and Miller were headed to the nearest airport, hoping to catch the earliest flight out to Peoria Illinois and then rent a car to get to Sadie Keller’s last known address, in Pekin, Illinois. They didn’t have great expectations in finding anything of value there, but they had no other leads to follow. With some luck, Mrs. Keller would be able to tell them more about her adopted son. They could start piecing together any information they had, and maybe, just maybe, they could figure out what caused Jake to suddenly become violent and go on a murderous spree. And then, they might be able to figure out where Jake was headed next.

“Inspector, do you really think that this Jake is capable of killing Jacobs and the trucker in such a brutal fashion?”

“He seems our most likely suspect. There have been murderers in the past that led seemingly peaceful lives, not bothering anyone and just keeping to themselves. Then all of a sudden something happens to make them snap, and they don’t seem to have any control over themselves anymore. When police checked into their pasts, they would find that in about 90% of the cases, these people were loaners who didn’t make friends easily. They also would find out that at an early age, they would hurt and torture animals. It was only a matter of time that they started the same on people.”

“Yeah, I’ve read psych reports on several of these predators. I just never thought that I would be involved in a manhunt for one.”

​“Always expect the unexpected.” O’Reilly said. “You never know when one of these crazies may appear, and they might even be your next door neighbor. Nothing about them ever appears out of the ordinary until they finally do start attacking people, and sometimes they’ll have done it for years before anyone even suspects them. Then they get sloppy, or don’t care any more and suspicion points their way. Sometimes, they can’t control themselves, and sometimes it is just the thrill of the kill.”

​“Do you think he could have been responsible for his mother’s murder?”

​“I couldn’t really say at the moment. One thing is certain; it had a lasting impression on him. I don’t think that a ten year old could do something like this, but you never know. Mass murderers have to start somewhere. And from the reports from the local paper, cats went missing and those that were found were found mutilated with their heads bashed in. Similarities to Jacobs and the trucker are too coincidental, and I don’t believe in coincidence. To me, it looks like he is the most likely suspect in all three murders, his mother years ago and the two most recent ones.”

​“Yeah, I thought the same thing; I just wanted your view on it.”

​“If we don’t find him soon, I’m afraid that the body count will rise.Step on it. We’ve got to catch a flight and a murderer to stop.”

​With that, Miller put the pedal to the metal as they say. He almost lost control at the first turn, fish tailed and continued in a straight line, dirt and stones flying in all directions.

​“Easy Miller, let’s get there in one piece.”

​“Sorry sir. It’s just the thrill of the hunt. Every time we start chasing one of these bastards, I don’t think clearly for a moment. I’m okay now.”

​O’Reilly chuckled. Sometimes, Miller acted like a rookie cop on his first patrol, when in fact he had been on the force for almost as long as Sean himself. That was one of the things O’Reilly liked about Andrew. If nothing else, he was enthusiastic about his job. Sometimes a little too excited, to the point where he reacted a little too irrationally. All in all though, O’Reilly would trust him when push came to shove, and was glad to have him watching his back.

​They continued on in silence, not realizing that Sheriff Higgins had sent some of his good ole boys to teach O’Reilly and his lap dog Millersome respect. Higgins didn’t realize however who he was dealing with.Both Sean and Miller had received several commendations in the line of duty. Miller thought Sean one mean son of a bitch and hard as nails, but in reality, he could take care of himself as well in times of trouble.

On more than one occasion, people had made the mistake of taking the pair of them too lightly, thinking that they were easy pushovers. They either ended up in hospital if lucky, or if not so lucky, they would end up dead. The truth of the matter was that they would shoot first, and ask questions later. On more than one occasion, suspects turned up dead, when a lot of people thought that they could have been taken alive. No one would say this to the pair of them, but sometimes suspicions arose as to the amount of force that was used. But because a lot of hardened criminals were now off the street and a lot in body bags as well, the matter was never pursued.

​No, Sheriff Higgins had no idea with whom he was dealing. Nor did the four men in the pick up who were speeding down the dirt road intent on teaching two big city slickers some good ole country manners. It was a mistake to assume anything. It would in fact, be a mistake that they would regret for a long time to come.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 22

Chapter 22

​It was a few days after Jake had dealt with the trucker. He felt no remorse at all, because in his mind, he had done nothing wrong, nothing at all. In fact, he believed that he again had done the world a favor because the trucker had turned against him, Jake who wouldn’t hurt a fly or any living thing.

​It seems strange that Jake could think like this, knowing how he dealt with Mr. Jacobs, various vagrants, and countless cats unfortunate enough to be within his reach. As a matter of fact, Jake again had repressed all these memories.

​Jake had been day dreaming, collecting his thoughts, not really paying attention to where he was going. All of a sudden, images of death and destruction came roaring into his vision. Thoughts of mutilated cats came rushing to him, vivid in every detail. Blood and gore were everywhere. Then just as quickly, the images faded.

​He gave a muffled scream and pulled over to the side of the road. He was breathing hard, breaking out into a cold sweat.

​“What the Hell was that?” Jake gasped. “I must be tired. I’ve got to get some rest.”

​He sat there for a few more moments and was just about ready to leave when images again bombarded his senses. This time, his mother was there, smiling nicely at him, and in the next instance, she was still there, but this time she smiled through broken, shattered teeth, the left side of her face not recognizable. He could see her left cheek bone beneath a flap of bloodied skin. She pointed an accusatory finger at him.

​“Jake Alexander Caulder, how could you?” his mother, but no longer his mother asked him in an accusatory tone. “All I wanted was to be your friend, and this is how you treat me.”

​Jake recoiled from the macabre scene that seemed to him to be only too real. Almost as quickly as it had appeared, it faded only to be replaced by Jacobs’s bloodied and crushed face.

​“You’re fired Caulder” the apparition smirked, blood and spittle running out the opening of his destroyed face. Jake also thought he saw worms crawling there and maggots inside his mouth. They made a not too pleasant sound as they fed upon the rotting remains.​

​This image also faded but not as quickly as that of his mother. He opened the door, threw up on the side of the road, tasting bile for what seemed like an eternity. His vision started to dim, and he felt dizzy. He couldn’t take in what he had just seen, not wanting to believe it. After a few moments, he started to weep, at last, the full impact of what he had done and become came only too clear to him.

​He felt like he was going to be sick again, but managed to holdback the gorge rising in his throat. He wept for quite a while until he had nothing left. How could he have sunk to such depravity? How could he have become such a despicable creature to have caused such death and hurt to loved ones and close working acquaintances? The realization of all the chaos he had caused was almost too much to bear. His mind again began to block out the details once more until he no longer remembered his sordid past.

         And so once again, Jake thought that he had done nothing wrong, that he was all-around Mr. Nice guy. It was his way of coping with the truth. How soon would he be confronted with it was any one’s guess. All I know is that every time he remembered, the details seemed to be more gruesome and more frequent than the times before. Madness was slowly closing its grip on Jake’s sanity. Soon, he would find it difficult to distinguish reality from his delusions.

         Jake continued on his trek, still unaware exactly where he was, or when he had made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. He was once again driving down the dirt covered road, looking with anticipation to start his new life. Little did he suspect that his life was going to change, but not for the better. Only too soon was he going to find out how wrong he was.

         In the distance, lightning lit up the ever darkening sky. Storm clouds came rolling in. Jake was not the least concerned. He liked the rain. It made him feel refreshed, almost like a child once again. He hummed a tune and drove to meet his fate that waited for him up around the bend, like a wild animal hiding in the bushes, ready to pounce on some unsuspecting prey.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 21

Chapter 21

​They drove in silence for a few minutes. When Andrew figured Sean had calmed down a bit, he asked what they should do now. O’Reilly stewed for a moment, and then spoke.

​“We should try the local paper. Maybe someone there can shed some light on events that are fifteen years old. I don’t hold much hope that we will find anything of use, but I can’t think what else to do. Have you any suggestions?”

​Miller couldn’t think of anything else better and so they headed on over to the local newspaper store. It took five minutes to get there. They pulled in front and got out. When they went in, everything was quiet. There was one grey haired man seated behind the counter.

​They introduced themselves and asked if he knew anything about the Caulder murder or anything else that happened 15 years ago that might be pertinent to their case.

​The clerk went to check his files and fifteen minutes later, came back with a stack of papers. The first article was about the murder of Maggie Caulder. It stated that the murder had gone unsolved and a drifter was suspected of committing the crime.

​Another story told of Jake being adopted by his next door neighbor, a Mrs. Keller. Another article reported that Mrs. Keller’s cat had been killed, but it didn’t say how. Other articles reported that several cats either went missing, or were found dead with their skulls smashed in.

​O’Reilly and Miller looked at each other. Was it just coincidence that Jake’s mother and the cats had all succumbed to the same fate? They didn’t think so.

​Then, all of a sudden, no more cats went missing, and none were found killed. They asked the clerk if any one knew why this happened and he just shrugged and said no.

​They thanked the clerk and left.

​“Miller, something happened 15 years ago and then all of a sudden the killings stopped. What do you suppose happened to change that?”

​Miller stood there for a minute thinking, and then ventured an idea. “Maybe whoever was doing the killings moved away or died?”

​“Sergeant, you’re a genius. Get in”

​“Where to, boss?”

​“We’re going to city hall to see if this Mrs. Keller and Jake moved around then.”

​“Good idea. Let’s go.”

​It only took a few moments to find out what they were looking for. Mrs. Keller and Jake Caulder moved away and after they left, the killings stopped. They also found a forwarding address that Sadie Keller had left.

        It was out of state but this seemed to be the logical place to go next.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 20

Chapter 20

​Miller followed O’Reilly into the office. Miller’s first impression of the place was nothing like he had expected. Having listened toO’Reilly, he figured that they wouldn’t have any of the latest office equipment, let alone computer terminals that were in fact, perched on each of the several desks.

​He glanced at his boss to catch his reaction, but Sean merely walked toward the secretary to have her tell her boss, Sheriff Higgins, that he, Chief Inspector O’Reilly and his sergeant Miller would like to see him.

​After a short delay, the secretary, a Miss Stevens, said that the sheriff would see them right away and let them into his office.

​The sheriff, a man with bronzed skin from years of enjoying the outdoors, shook hands with O’Reilly and Miller. His grip was firm, andMiller thought that this man could take care of himself if he had to.

​“Good afternoon inspector O’Reilly. Sergeant Miller. What can I do for you?” He seemed quite civil and not at all like O’Reilly had madeMiller think that he might be like.

​“Sheriff Higgins, we are investigating the murder of two men and we are interested in one of your former residents. A man by the name of Jake Caulder used to live here as a child. His mother was murdered and the case never was solved. Do you know anything about the Caulders, and what became of Jake after his mother died?”

​“Why would you be asking about a case that was never solved so many years ago and what has that got to do with the two murders you mentioned?”

​“We believe that this Jake may be directly involved in the two murders, and that he may have had something to do with his mother’s death as well.”

​Higgins attitude began to change. “How old was this Caulder boy when his mother was murdered?”

​“He was ten at the time of his mother’s death.”

​Higgins stood there for a moment. His voice began to rise a little. “You can’t really expect me to believe that a boy of ten could murder his mother.”

​He went over to his filing cabinet, and searched through past case files.

​“I have only been sheriff here for ten years, but I know that everything that could be done was done. They figure that it was a drifter that passed through, and then left again without being seen by anyone.”

​“That may have been what was reported,” O’Reilly said, his voice getting an edge to it now “but that is not what I believe happened. How did Mrs. Caulder die, sheriff?”

​“It says here that she was bludgeoned to death. Her face was not recognizable when they found her.”

​“The two murders that we are investigating happened the same way. Caulder’s boss, a Mr. Jacobs, was found with his face beaten to a pulp hours after he fired Caulder. The other man, a truck driver, had stopped at a diner where Caulder was, and two days later he was found with his face smashed in as well. If Caulder didn’t kill his mother, I’m pretty sure that it had quite an impact on him and he is now, I am sure capable of doing such a thing.”

​“Inspector, everything that could be done was done. It was a drifter and that is that!”

​“Sheriff, I’m not saying that everything wasn’t done. I can understand why no one would suspect a boy of ten. But anything is possible.”

​Now, Sheriff Higgins mood was anything but friendly. “Don’t come down here with your high and mighty attitude and think that just because you come from the big city, your methods are any better than ours. We checked everything out and that is that. Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do.

​“Miss Stevens” he bellowed, “show these two out.”

​As they went back outside, they heard the door slam.

​“Well, that went well” muttered Miller.

​“Shut up and get in the car.”

​Miller did as he was told. He had seen his boss like this before, and he knew when to keep his mouth shut. O’Reilly was easy to get along with, but when someone got on his wrong side, he regretted it.

​He remembered a few years back, they had stopped at a roadside diner to get a bite to eat. They were sitting in a booth, waiting for their food when two punks came in. They were loud and obnoxious.

​As the waitress walked past them, one of the jerks grabbed her, causing her to spill coffee all over himself, Sean’s coffee as a matter of fact. The boy yelped because of the scalding coffee, jumped up and was about to hit the waitress when O’Reilly grabbed him and shoved him to the floor.

​If the boy had had any sense, he would have stayed down, but he didn’t. He came up swinging. O’Reilly reacted so fast that Miller hardly saw the punches. Three or four were thrown, all by Sean, and the boy crumpled in the corner. His buddy tried to get at O’Reilly, but Sean wheeled around and with one punch, broke the lad’s nose and one more, he broke his jaw.

​Two weeks later, after they were released from hospital, they were charged with assault by the waitress. It would be a while before they bothered anyone else again.

​Miller learned then and there that if Sean told you to do something, you had better do it. Not a good idea to get on his bad side.

​As they pulled away from the curb, Higgins was still yelling at his secretary and anyone else unfortunate enough to be near him. Higgins was also not a man to be trifled with. He stewed for a while, getting madder and madder at O’Reilly and his flunky, Miller.

​When he got back in his office, he was fuming. “You two assholes will pay for your arrogance. Nobody talks to me like that and gets away with it.”

He started to formulate a plan of revenge to make them regret ever having crossed him. He took out a bottle of whiskey from the bottom drawer of his desk, poured himself a shot, and downed it in one gulp. It burned on the way down, but he didn’t mind. It helped to relax him.

​As Sean and Miller drove off, they didn’t have the slightest idea that Higgins was plotting against them. They were too busy figuring out what to do next.

​

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 19

Chapter 19

2009 July Present Year

​O’Reilly and Miller turned down Main Street in Middletown to the local sheriff’s office. They had arrived at Jake’s home town just before 2:00 in the afternoon, and the sun baked down, causing a trickle of sweat to run down O’Reilly’s back.

​“I hate this heat and I hate these little shit hole towns that people call home. There’s nothing here but poverty and hard times.”

​“Easy does it boss. We came here to get information, not criticize the locals.” Miller smiled. He knew that O’Reilly had come from a town alot like this. He was just uncomfortable, from the long, dusty ride along mostly back country roads, none paved but just dirt covered.

​“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just pissed. I know what these local boys are like when big city cops like us come into town and start poking their noses into what they consider is none of their business. They figure that they can handle cases like this without help, and if the case has gone unsolved for so many years, they would rather forget about it and get on with their hick lives.”

​Miller sighed. He’d had to listen to this type of sermon for too many times to remember. He knew that Sean would settle down shortly. He just didn’t like to be reminded of his roots, because he too had grown up in poverty, but had managed to escape to the big city and had made something of himself.

​They sat there for another five minutes or so, swatting at flies that seemed to gather as soon as the car stopped. Of course, it was Miller’s fault, according to O’Reilly, that the air conditioner hadn’t gotten fixed when it broke down, and so they drove with the windows down to try to survive the oppressive heat.

Miller got out first and stretched. His back creaked and popped. He gave a small moan, and rubbed the small of his back. Ever since he had been in that accident with the drunken driver, his back would seize up if he sat for too long. With another stretch, he felt as good as new again.

​Sean O’Reilly, having griped long enough, got out, squinted and went into the sheriff’s office to begin what he hoped would give them some insight into Caulder’s past to maybe figure out why he was the way he was and maybe be able to figure out where he had gone.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 18

Chapter 18

2007

​For years, Jake seemed to vanish. Then one day, he showed up at Jacobs and Son Manufacturing Firm in Cleveland, looking for a job. He was called into Mr. Jacobs’s office for an interview, and within 20 minutes, Mr. Jacobs had hired Jake as his new employee. He was 23 at the time, and for the next 2 years or so, Jake basically kept to himself.

​He did befriend one of his coworkers named Matthew Brown. He never became close to him, but close enough to say hi every once in a while.

​One day, Jake was called into Mr. Jacobs’s office. He was in there for about 15 minutes before exiting. Brown asked him what the meeting was about and Jake told him that he had been offered a job out west.

​“Hey Jake, that’s great man. Good for you.”

​“Not so great. Jacobs says that if I don’t take the job, I won’t have one because they have to start cutting back in this office, and because I’m junior, it’s me who has to go.”

“That sucks, man.”

​Jake ignored him and walked away, popping 2 antacids into his mouth, to stop his acid from flaring. It didn’t seem to help and so he popped 2 more, and finally, the pain started to subside.

​Two days later, Mr. Jacobs was dead, and Jake was on his way west to start his new life.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 17

Chapter 17

1996

​Jake was turned over to child welfare. No one suspected that he could have done such a thing to his cat and his mother. It was unfathomable to think that.

​When the authorities arrived, the scene was very similar to the one in Maggie Caulder’s home, only this time it was Jake cradling Sadie’s head in his hands instead of Maggie. He was again weeping inconsolably.Nobody noticed the smirk that appeared at the corner of his mouth.

​Because the first murder happened so far from where they now were, the local police department had not even heard of Maggie Caulder’s murder. No suspicions were cast on a poor twelve year old who had just lost his mother, as well as his best friend Casey.

​Jake was put into an orphanage in Peoria for a few years until he was old enough to make a living on his own. And so for a few years, no more cats disappeared; no more unsolved murders happened, and life went on peaceably for the residents of Middletown. That was about to change.

​No one adopted Jake. A month after he was released from the local orphanage, cats once again began disappearing, and an occasional vagrant or two were found with their heads caved in. It appeared that Jake had returned to his original killing grounds.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 16

Chapter 16

​Jake never made friends easily. His only friend now was Casey, who would always curl up in Jake’s lap every chance that he could get. One evening Jake had fallen asleep on the sofa with Casey purring comfortably beside him. Jake began to toss and turn, visions of dead birds and dead cats plaguing his dreams.

​He thrashed about, and in doing so, bumped into Casey, startling him, so that he turned and swatted Jake with his front claws.

​Jake awoke with a start, feeling a burning sensation in his side where Casey had clawed him. Blood trickled through his shirt. He turned to look at Casey who now was hissing at Jake, partly because Jake had hurt him when he rolled on him, but more because of the way that Jake was glaring at him.

​Jake sat up, his side now in agony, and he tried to grab the cat. He was still groggy from just having wakened up and was not quick enough. The cat pounced and struck Jake again, letting go with a spine-chilling shriek.

​Mrs. Keller heard the commotion, and came into the living room, just in time to see Jake hitting Casey with the poker from the fire place.

​The cat fell in a heap, and Jake was just about to strike again, when Mrs. Keller yelled at Jake to stop.

​Jake turned his wrath now on Sadie Keller, who in Jake’s mind was not his friend and needed to be punished, just as his mother had been punished for lying to him.

​He started toward her with a menacing, insane stare that frightened Sadie. She tried to back away but caught her heel on the rug and toppled over.

​Jake was upon her in an instant, and without hesitation, crushed her skull. After several moments, he had his talk with her.

​“YOU BITCH!” he screamed. “Look what you made me do. I hope you’re happy.” And with this he turned his attention back to Casey, but it was too late for him as well. He too was dead. Jake was now alone again, with no friends left to talk to.

​

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 15

Chapter 15

​In the next year, 1995, Mrs. Keller was offered a job in Pekin Illinois, a small town about ten miles outside Peoria at two times her present salary. The offer was very tempting, and with her responsibility of raising Jake, the money would come in handy as well, but she was hesitant about doing it. She wasn’t sure if the move would be wise because of Jake already having been uprooted from his mom’s house.

After careful thought and deliberation, the house was put up for sale and sold quickly. She and Jake moved into a new home, where she hoped she would be able to make life for Jake as good as possible. Now she would be able to afford all those things that she hadn’t been able to before.

Of course, because Jake was so young, she didn’t discuss it with him ahead of time. She didn’t think that it really would matter to Jake because as far as she was concerned, one house is as good as another for a child.

She couldn’t have been further from the truth. What she didn’t realize was that Jake’s favorite place was the field where he liked to kill the town’s cats and birds.

He began to resent her as days turned into weeks, weeks into months. By the time Jake was twelve, he knew that Mrs. Keller was no longer his friend and he was going to have a nice long talk with her about it.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 14

Chapter 14

​The rest of that summer passed quietly for Mrs. Keller and Jake, who appeared to be getting better emotionally after the murder of his mom. He and Casey seemed inseparable. The boy never spoke about his feelings and Mrs. Keller was alright with that.

​After all, Jake was only ten, and if he seemed to be coping with it, she didn’t want to upset him by discussing it with him.

​He and Casey would go and play in the field together, Casey chasing butterflies as most kittens like to do, and Jake would lay there in the sun, watching his friend and laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

​Late one afternoon, Jake decided to go for a walk by the stream.He was throwing stones into the brook when something at the edge of the water caught his eye. It was a small pile of bones and feathers. He wondered what it could have been from, and then, with a rush of vivid remembrance, he saw himself breaking the bird’s neck as if it had just happened.

​He recoiled and shuddered at the thought and the image disappeared as quickly as it had come to him. He went to play with Casey, having forgotten about the bird again.

​Jake played for another hour and returned home for dinner. When he came in, Mrs. Keller looked at him lovingly, thinking how strong Jake was to be able to come through all he had endured.

​On outward appearances, it did appear that Jake was readjusting to life in Mrs. Keller’s home. It was however, that shortly after Jake found the bird in the stream, that the cats in the neighborhood started disappearing again.  

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 13

Chapter 13

End of August 1994

​After Mrs. Caulder’s murder,​Jake was handed over to child services to see what was to be done with him. He had become quieter than normal, not surprising for someone so young to have experienced such a thing as he had. He became very withdrawn and wouldn’t respond to questions from anyone.

​It wasn’t until Mrs. Keller, the former owner of Fluffy, came to see how Jake was doing that he started to appear as if he might be on the road to recovery. He called her by name, and seemed at ease with her. After signing papers for Jake’s release into her care, Jake went home with Mrs. Keller to be the son she never had.

​When they pulled up to the front door, Jake didn’t want to get out of the car. There on the front porch was Fluffy. Or at least he thought it was. With a little coaxing, Mrs. Keller got Jake out of the car and brought Jake towards the cat

​“Jake, I want you to meet the other member of my family. His name’s Casey. Don’t be frightened. He won’t bite.”

​Jake seemed in a daze as he approached the cat that he was sure was Fluffy, but as he got close, he realized that this cat was entirely different from the original one. The cat approached cautiously, not knowing what to make of this boy clinging to its owner, but after a moment, he came and rubbed up against him, purring as he did.

​“You see Jake, Casey likes you. Go ahead and pet him to show him you like him too.”

​Jake hesitated for a moment, certain that Casey/Fluffy would strike out and bite him but the cat just rubbed up against Jake’s leg even more and purred louder.

​“Oh he is nice.” Jake said as a smile came over his face. “You aren’t at all like that nasty Fluffy used to be.” he said in little more than a whisper.

​“What was that Jake?” Mrs. Keller asked somewhat alarmed.

​“I just said that Casey and I will be good friends”

​But Mrs. Keller wasn’t at all sure that that’s what Jake had said and she got a sense of foreboding that she just couldn’t explain or shake. Maybe that’s what he had said. After all, her hearing wasn’t as good as it once had been.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 12

Chapter 12

Present Time

​Sean finished reading the article about the Caulder murder, putting the scrapbook down. “Jake’s mom was killed in much the same way that old man Jacobs was. Is it a coincidence, or is there something more to that case back then? Jake was only 10 at the time, a very impressionable time in someone’s life. It must have been very traumatic for him.

​“He was the one who found his mother. It must have scarred him emotionally. He probably repressed this for some time, and then years later, when someone bothered him, he snapped and committed a crime very similar to that which happened to his mother.

​“I think we had better go to Middletown and talk to the local sheriff. At least now, we have somewhere we can start our investigation.”

​Andrew Miller spoke up. “There’s another article dated Sep. 25th,1994. It says that several cats went missing from the neighborhood, and those that were found had been beaten continually about the head.”

​“Grab your coat. We have to go there and check further into this.”O’Reilly ordered.

​They raced for the door, unaware that young innocent Jake not only had been affected by his mother’s death, he had caused it and a series of others before confronting Jacobs in the parking lot.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 11

Chapter 11

​Jake opened the door to the house as quietly as he could but it slipped from his fingers and closed with a bang.

​“Jakie honey, is that you?”

​Jake remained silent and stepped into the shadow just behind the kitchen door.

​Maggie Caulder called again. “Jakie is that you?”

​Jake said nothing, but stood in the darkness, a deep hatred building inside him towards this woman who was nothing but a cheap whore who deserved nothing more than a good whack or two about the head to show her that Jake was not one to be lied to and treated so meanly.

​Maggie opened the kitchen door to see what the noise had been, and walked past Jake, not realizing that danger lurked there. Jake let out a strange guttural noise just then and swung the stick as hard as he could.​Mrs. Caulder heard this and turned just in time to see the stick coming for her face. She tried to move but Jake was much quicker and when he hit her, a sickening sound came from what had been the left side of her face. She fell backwards, dazed but still conscious. She tried to scream, but before she had a chance, Jake hit her in the mouth with a solid whack that knocked teeth out and left her slumped in the corner. Her body twitched once, but Jake was upon her, repeatedly hitting her again and again until he dropped the stick, totally exhausted.

​“There” Jake gasped. “Now maybe you won’t be mean to me any more.”

​Jake sat down beside the battered body of his mother, no longer twitching or moaning. He must have fallen asleep because when he awoke, it was near dusk, and his body ached from being on the floor for so long. He looked around, not realizing where he was or remembering what had happened a few hours earlier. It was dark in the hallway, and as hewent to get up, his hand touched something hard and wet. He squinted in the darkness, trying to see what was sticking to his hand. As his vision cleared, he could see that it looked like a partial tooth covered in some sort of gore.

​He went to turn on the light, and as he did, he saw that in fact it was a piece of tooth with blood encrusted on it, sticking to his hand. He wiped his hand with disgust and turned to see where this had come from. At first, he couldn’t make out what was laying in a heap on the floor. As he approached apprehensively, he realized that it was his mother or what was left of her. He started to scream and scream until he could scream no more. He fell to the floor, cradled his mother’s head in his hands and started to weep.​

​When the police came, notified by neighbors of the commotion, they found Jake, still with his mother and still crying. The first officer upon the scene went to Jake to get him away from the horror, but Jake wouldn’t let go of his mother. Finally, with help from another officer, they managed to take Jake outside and away from the scene within.

​The story was in the paper, this time with all the details of the murder scene, not like the time Fluffy had been found dead. Every one in town was in shock that a murder so horrible had been committed in their quiet, peaceful town.

​It was reported that a vagrant must have wandered into town, murdered Mrs. Caulder, and then escaped into the night. This seemed to ease peoples’ minds. It was beyond comprehension that someone from their town could do this, let alone a ten year old boy who wouldn’t harm a fly. The date was Aug. 3rd, 1994.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 10

Chapter 10

​Fluffy was found a few days later. It was reported in the local paper that one of the town folk’s cat had been killed and was found in a ditch. No mention was made as to the beating the cat had received, merely that it was dead and its owner had offered a reward to anyone knowing how the cat had died.

​Jake heard the story, but he didn’t seem to know anything more than anyone else. This sounds like a tall tale, but the point is that Jake didn’t remember this or the bird incident either because he would block it from his memory. He started to cry when he heard that the cat had died, and his mother leaned to him and kissed his cheek.

​“Jakie” She said. “I think it is time that we got you a pet of your own. Would you like a cat maybe?”

​Jake hesitated for a moment and said that he would rather have a dog if that was okay.

​“Jakie” his mom said. “Dogs are a lot more trouble than a cat. Wouldn’t you like a cat instead?”

​“No mommy, I could never become friends with a cat. Cats always hiss and bite when you are trying to be nice to them.”

Jake’s mother wanted to ask Jake why he would say that, but she thought it must be that he was upset to hear about Mrs. Keller’s poor Fluffy and so didn’t pursue it further.

​“We’ll see, honey.” Jake’s mom said, but she didn’t really want to own a dog because she knew that it would be her instead of Jake who tended to a dog.

​She didn’t mention a pet again to Jake, and the incident was forgotten, or so Mrs. Caulder thought. She didn’t realize how wrong she could have been or how angry Jake had become with her for not getting him a pet. Jake never forgot about the dog, and he never forgave his mom for that.

​As the summer wore on, more cats died and were found to be beaten the same way that Fluffy had been. The locals began to fear for their pets, not letting any of them wander outside any more. They thought that some crazed person must be living in the area and for some reason, viciously beat cats and threw them away like discarded trash.

​No one suspected that it could possibly be a loner child of ten. Noone, except Jake himself, knew who was doing these foul deeds. He would lay in wait for the poor unsuspecting animals and when they were close, he would pounce like a mad animal and tear and rip and pulverize their faces until they were not recognizable as cats any longer.

​After the last slaying, Jake tossed the carcass aside with a look of disdain. “It’s all your fault, mommy” he hissed through clenched teeth. “You lied to me about my dog and you are mean and deceitful, just like everyone else in this shit hole of a town. It’s time for you to pay.”

​And with that, as he wiped the gore from his hands from the last slaughter he had just committed, he picked up a stick and walked toward the house with nothing but evil in his heart and an almost noticeable cloud of darkness hanging over him.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 9

Chapter 9

​Later that summer, the neighbor’s cat went missing. Notices went up to describe little Fluffy, who seemed to have wandered off and didn’t return home. Nobody seemed to know what had become of the cat, nobody but Jake that is. He had been playing in the same field where he had found the bird when he saw Fluffy. It was chasing a butterfly when Jake called it.

​“Come here kitty” Jake called.

The cat either didn’t hear or was too busy to notice Jake, and went on trying to catch the elusive butterfly. Jake persisted and when the cat looked up Jake leaned down to pet it.

​The cat seemed to back up at first, afraid of this stranger, but after a moment or two, relaxed and began purring. Jake petted it and a smile came over his face, thinking he had met a playmate at last, something he could actually care for and look after. He started thinking about how nice it was to finally have a pet and was not really paying attention to what he was doing. He held onto the cat with more force than he had intended, and kept doing so until the cat nipped him on the hand and jumped down.

​All at once, Jake’s expression turned and he glared at the cat. The cat hissed and backed away, obviously frightened by the change in mood of this boy in front of him.

​“You Little Bastard!” Jake shrieked, “I was a friend to you and this is how you treat me.”

​The cat hissed again and kept backing away from him, not letting him out of his sight, just wanting to get away from this boy/mad dog.

​Fluffy tried to run but Jake was too quick for him. He caught the cat and grabbed him by the neck.

​“Now I’m going to teach you a lesson for being mean to me.” And with that he hit the cat across the head with a stick that was lying nearby. When he had finished with the cat, it’s face looked a lot like poor old Mr. Jacobs’s face would look years later in that parking lot.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 8

Chapter 8

Summer 1994

​Middletown, Ohio is a town of about 50000, give or take. It is located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern section of the state, and is home to a wide variety of businesses and industries.

​It has the distinction of having been chosen for the All-American City Award, a prestigious honor to a city’s citizens working together, identifying and taking on community-wide challenges and managing to overcome them.

​It was just outside Middletown that Jake and his mother lived on a small property. The time was early July,1994.

​“Jakie, come in for dinner before it gets cold.”

​“Okay mom I’ll be there in a minute.”

​Jake Alexander Caulder, or Jakie as his mom affectionately liked to call him, was ten years old and on summer holidays. Even from an early age, Jake didn’t talk much and never made any friends at school. He was a loner even in childhood.

​He looked down at the small bird with the broken wing. He hadn’t meant to hurt the bird, merely catch it and look at it. However, when he found the nest with the bird in it waiting for food, in his excitement, he had grabbed it a little too quickly and torn the wing almost from the body, so that it hung on with no more than a feather or two holding it limply in place.

​The bird cried a heart-wrenching cry, its pain obvious. A tear came to Jakie’s eye as he poked the bird, thinking that this could fix the damage already done.

​“You shouldn’t have struggled. All I wanted to do was play." He started to cry. 

Then, as if someone had thrown a light switch, Jakie’s mood seemed to turn dark and ugly.

“You’re a stupid, little bird. All I wanted to do was play with you, but you just had to go and move and hurt yourself. Now mommy is going to be mad and beat me. I hate you. I’ll show you” and with that, hegrabbed the bird, snapping its neck.

​He held the limp body in his hands for what seemed like an eternity. A tear formed at the corner of his eye, but he absently wiped it away. He threw the bird into the nearby creek, wiped his hands on his coveralls, and ran to the house for dinner. By the time he had finished eating, he had all but forgotten about the small bird.

The Madness of Jake Caulder chapter 7

Chapter 7

​Back at police headquarters, O’Reilly slumped in his chair. The start of a head ache began to throb just above his left eye, and he popped 2 pain pills and washed it back with a slug of coffee that had gone cold and sour tasting.

​“Hey Sarge, make yourself useful and put on a fresh pot will ya. This takes like mud.”

​“Screw you”, Miller replied, but there was no malice in his voice. He and O’Reilly had been best friends for too many years to count.O’Reilly chuckled and went about trying to sort out what had happened to Caulder to cause him to go so violently over the edge in such a short period of time.

​“Sergeant, what do you think about Caulder? Do you think that he’s capable of killing in such a vicious manner?”

​“Beats me sir. Profiling of this type of killing usually comes up with the quiet loners. That describes Caulder pretty well. He had no friends at Jacobs and Son from what I can tell.”

​“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing myself. I think we should find out where Caulder was brought up and see if anyone there knew anything about him and his family.”

​“It says on his application to Jacobs and Son that he lived at 310 Cedar Avenue, apartment 2B here in Cleveland. We should go check it out to see if we can find out anything about him.”

​“Grab your coat. Let’s go.”

​They reached the Cedar Avenue apartment ten minutes later. It was a brown stone apartment in the older section of town. Winos roamed the streets in hopes of finding something to drink to help them make it through the day. Junkies and prostitutes were also noticeable, and when they saw the two police getting out of their cruiser, they made themselves scarce .

​“Great neighborhood” Miller commented.

​“Every city has one. This is Cleveland’s. Watch your back here sergeant. The locals will stick you with a knife and steal your wallet if given the chance, even if you are a cop.”

​“Yes sir, I’ll keep an eye out.”

​They went up to the front door and rang the buzzer for the superintendant’s apartment, a Mr. Turnbull.

​“Yeah, what do you want?” the speaker crackled as the superanswered gruffly.”

​“Cleveland police. Open the door. We need to look at one of your apartments.” O’Reilly ordered.

​“You got a warrant?” the super asked.

​“Open the door now or we’ll get the city inspectors over here to go over your place with a fine tooth comb. I’m sure they’ll find all kinds of infractions that’ll cost you all sorts of time and money to get fixed.”

​The door creaked open and a short, balding man in a greasy undershirt opened the door. “Can I see some identification?” he asked, still somewhat obstinate.

​They showed him their badges and he let them into the front foyer.

​“I’m sorry detectives. You can’t be too careful, what with the neighborhood being the cesspool that it is. Junkies will try anything to get inside. Once that happens, they’ll rob you blind, or maybe kill you or both.” He was apologetic. It was apparent that he had had his share of problems with the locals in the past and was just being cautious.

​“I’m chief inspector O’Reilly and this is my partner Sergeant Miller. We need to have a look inside apartment 2B. Its tenant, Jake Caulder, is a suspect in some crimes and we need to see if we can find anything that might help us with the case. What can you tell us about Caulder, Mr. Turnbull?”

​“I never have had much to do with him. I’ve only seen him once or twice. He’s always fairly quiet and never has any visitors. He’s never been a problem. Always pays the rent on time.”

​“Anything unusual about the way he’s acted lately?” O’Reillyasked.

​“Like I said, I’ve only seen him a couple of times, and not for a while now. He seems like an okay guy. More tenants should be like him. It would make my job easier. A lot of the people that stay here are either pimps or drug dealers. Not the greatest of neighborhoods in case you hadn’t noticed.”

​“Yeah we noticed. If it’s so bad, why don’t you move and become a superintendant somewhere with less crime.”

​“I own this property. It wasn’t always like this, but things change. A bad element seemed to move into the area overnight and before I knew it, I was picking up dirty needles and every other kind of sick crap out of the stairwells every day. No one would offer me any money for this dump and so I’m stuck here whether I like it or not.”

​“That’s too bad, Mr. Turnbull. I hope your luck turns around sometime. You look like you could use a break. Now we really need to see the apartment.” It was Sergeant Miller who had spoken.

​“Life sucks, but what are you going to do. The elevator’s broken, so we’ll have to use the stairs.” Turnbull turned and led them up to the apartment. He opened the door for them and moved aside to let them enter to have a look around.

​“Thanks, Mr. Turnbull. We shouldn’t be too long. We’ll let you know when we’re done.” Miller stated.

​They let themselves in, and shut the door behind them.

​“Turnbull seems like a nice enough sort.” It was Miller. “Life has dealt him some hard times. You never know, I guess.”

​“Don’t let him fool you, sergeant. He’s just a slum landlord who is in violation of a lot of city bylaws. The elevator isn’t working and hasn’t been for quite a while I would think. There are no smoke detectors anywhere in sight and no extinguishers either. Half the lights are out in the hall ways and the railing on the stairs felt like it would fall off the wall if I gave it a good yank. I noticed those things in about five minutes without really looking too hard. If the inspectors did come around to check, he could be in a pile of trouble.” O’Reilly finished his sermon.

​Miller was sorry that he had mentioned it. On more than one occasion, he had to listen as Sean lectured him about the ways of the world. Sean meant well, but Miller found it annoying none the less.

​“Yes sir” Miller stated. “You are right.” Miller had the sense to just agree with Sean when he got like this. If he disagreed, he knew that he would be on the receiving end of more of Sean’s opinions. It was best to just let him get it out of his system and so he never argued with him.

​“Let’s have a look around and see if we can figure out what makes Caulder tick.” Sean suggested. “You take the bathroom and I’ll look around out here.”

​Miller went to have a look in the lavatory, while Sean checked around the living room. The bathroom was clean with a faint hint of toilet cleaner. He looked in the medicine cabinet and found three large bottles of antacid, a bottle of pain pills and various other sundries. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, other than that many bottles of antacid.

​He returned to the living quarters and reported what he had found. “Everything in there seems to be in order. What is strange is the amount of heartburn medication. We should check to see if anyone purchases large amounts of the stuff. It could help us find him.”

​“I agree.” The chief inspector said. “Call it in.”

​“Yes sir.” He radioed into the station. It was Officer Cooper who picked up.

​“Cooper, this is Sergeant Miller. Put word out to pharmacies to keep an eye out for anyone buying large amounts of stomach medicine. Have them call the station if that happens.”

​“Okay Sarge. I’ll get on it right away.”

​“Thanks Coop. Over.”

​“Hey Sergeant, come here.” Sean was looking at a scrapbook he had found in a chest of drawers. “There are some newspaper clippings that are very interesting. The first one is from the Middletown Journal. It’s fifteen years old, dated Aug. 3rd, 1994.”

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