Wednesday, April 30, 2014

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.

No comments: