Detective Matt Durrell stood like a statue in the middle of the crime scene. It was the same as the other five. A small knife had been used to sever the spine of the victim, the chief of police for Christ sakes, and then the paralyzed man had been tortured. The precision of the work meant that he would have had remained alive for hours, helplessly watching as he was slowly eviscerated.        

 

The room was awash in blood but once again, there was no evidence. No security footage, fingerprints, footprints, not even an eyelash. In fact, the only thing they had to go on were the numbers.

 

They had no idea what the number ‘Seven’ written in blood on the wall at the first murder meant. Next came ‘Six’ then ‘five’ and then the newspapers starting calling the murderer the countdown Killer.

 

Every victim worked for the police department. The entire force was on edge.

 

Now the chief lay splayed open in a bloody puddle with the words ‘One More’ scrawled on the floor next to him.

 

Matt’s partner, Rick Walters patted him on the shoulder and leaned in close. “We’ll get him, buddy.”

 

“Yeah, thanks, Rick.”

 

The pressure was on Matt Durrell and everyone knew it. He had been passed over for detective five years in a row and not all of his superiors thought he was up to the job. Now this... six dead cops and not one lead... It looked bad.

 

Matt dragged himself home feeling more tired than he had ever been in his life. He opened the front door to the sounds of his wife Mary humming happily in the kitchen. He forced a smile on his face and hoped it did not look too fake.

 

“I home!”

 

“Hi, sweety! How was work?” she always asked and he always lied.

 

“Great, hon. How was your day?”

 

She launched into a story about one of the neighbours and Matt smiled and nodded in all the right places not really paying attention.

 

When she was finished he asked what was for dinner.

 

“Your favourite... steak!”

 

“Great.”

 

He must have let the smile falter.  Mary frowned.

 

“What is it, Matt? Is it that case again? Another murder?”

 

He nodded wishing he could have kept it from her.

 

“Yeah... this time it was the Chief.”

 

“Oh God! That’s horrible. I’m so sorry Matty!”

 

She kept on talking but he was not listening.

 

They ate and watched T.V. but Matt was tired and he headed up to bed.

 

“I’ll be right up, Matt,” Mary said.

 

He crawled into bed and soon she joined him. They lay in the dark together, spooning. Her back was warm against his chest.

 

“Do you have any ideas?” she whispered.

 

“The murderer hates the police. Maybe they passed him over for promotion. He also hates his wife for not believing in him.”

 

“His wife?”

 

“Yes, she’s the last one.”

 

Slowly Matt slipped the steak knife into Mary’s back severing her spinal column.

 

-~o0O0o~-

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