Chapter 5: All That You Need
Sidebacker sat at his desk and sighed again as he stared at the bulletin boards. The helicopter was going to be there in ten minutes. He stood up finally but was stopped when he saw Jackson walking towards him with two envelopes. He dropped them both on Sidebackers desk. "One from Hamlet and one from Jester."
Sidebacker picked up the one from Hamlet with slightly shaking fingers. He almost thought the envelope was empty but he drug his finger along the bottom of it and that’s when he felt the small slip of paper brush his finger. He took it out and examined it. It was a small slip of paper from a fortune cookie. "You now have all the clues you need." He stared at the little smiles on the sides of the fortune and then tacked it to the bulletin board.
He now picked up the letter from Jester. It was a small index card with a picture of the girl taped to the back. She was a very pretty woman. He had her wearing a tee shirt and a pair of jeans. She was sitting on a medical table with her hands tied together in front of her. "Alisa is fine. You have two weeks. 100 somewhere in the world." It was written in marker. Without even looking, Sidebacker knew there were no fingerprints on it.
He turned to Jackson. "Find all the 100`s in that town. Street names, house numbers, phone numbers, everything!" Jackson nodded and hopped to work. Sidebacker went up to the roof and jumped on the helicopter.
They landed a little ways away from Cardinal and there was a police officer waiting there for him. "Hello sir." Cardinal was a small town. It did contain a large dam though. The houses were well spaced and set back in woods. The grass swayed around them, it would have been peaceful if not for the death surrounding it.
Sidebacker acknowledged him and his phone rang. He picked it up and Jackson’s voice came on. "Sir there is only one 100 in that town, it’s a street. There are a lot of warehouses there; most of them are abandoned. That is our first and probably best bet."
Sidebacker sighed to himself. This was taking a lot out of him. This girl had a lot to offer and she couldn’t just die without someone trying hard to find her. "I hope she’s there. We’re on our way now." He ended the conversation and turned to his driver. "Step on it!"
They got to 100th street in a matter of minutes and then began to drive through it very slowly. The only warehouse that he could think would be a hideout for Jester was one called Eagle Trekers*. He stopped the car and dashed in, then recoiled back at the stink that slapped him in the face. The warehouse was deserted except one occupant, a dead woman. She had been killed by Hamlet. The only difference was the she had a frown drawn on her skin in red ink.
He kicked at the dirt furiously and then let out one helpless sob. Hamlet was watching, and he was laughing about this. Sidebacker could almost hear him. He walked over to the dead woman. She was slightly different from the others. There was blood streaming from her wrists and there were no pillows under her spine. Her hands weren’t to her side; they were splayed haphazardly on the ground. He saw a note and so he bent down and picked it up.
Dear Sidebacker,
This street is not. It used to be, but no more. Bring Elis with you, he fits into this play. Also, you will notice that this woman is not killed in my - what do you call it - style? She was a nasty woman, and so she deserved to die. I thought I would help you out a little more. Here is a poem I have written. Mind you, I have watched Jester for months. His name is Kenneth Williams. My name - you may never know.
A finch is light.
All year long it is in flight.
It can’t be heard at night.
They like to stay in barns with a dim light.
They like to in water fight.
Your Criminal Mastermind:
Hamlet
Sidebacker ripped his phone out of the case. Jackson’s voice came on the other end. "Jackson get over here with a team! We have a lead! Meet us at 100th street with an ambulance!"
They were all there within a half an hour. Sidebacker explained everything and then looked at Elis. The man was sad, that much could be seen, but he nodded regretfully. He now wished that he hadn’t been so mean to her when she was alive. He was living in his world of regret. Sidebacker wished he could tell him to go home but he couldn’t, he fit into it all somehow.
They started off to finch drive and began looking for a barn. It didn’t take long until they found it sitting in the field alone. They pulled in and everyone dashed out of the car with guns out. Elis had his eyes lit in rage.
Sidebacker was the first to go into the barn. It was empty except for the hay from animals that used to live there. Sidebacker was about to give up when he looked at the ground with a sigh. In the dirt someone had scratched out a message for him. "Go down, find what you are looking for."
Sidebacker turned to his men. Was she buried? "Look for a tunnel or pipe." They all began to fan out but the ground was solid with no tunnels or holes.
The officer that had driven Sidebacker walked up to him. "Sir, we have a lot of water lines that goes to the dam. It’s under ground." Sidebacker thought about that little poem and then took off at a dead run to the car. They drove to the first man hole in the street, which was actually not far from the barn. The officer explained that the government had put it there because they were planning on making a city here, but they didn’t have the funds.
Everyone jumped in and began to wade in the deep water. There was a shrill scream from up ahead suddenly. Sidebacker began to wade towards it but then stopped as a man rounded the corner holding the girl by her wrist. The girl looked as healthy as if she were never kidnapped to begin with. Sidebacker wondered why she had screamed. The man chuckled and over the rushing water they heard the deep rumble it made. "Welcome to the jester’s lair."
Sidebacker barely heard him. He was too busy studying the girl. She had her lips curved up into a smirk. Jester brought out his gun but Elis shot it from his hand before he could raise it. He grinned and brought the girl close to him, pressing her against him with his hand around her throat. "Don’t try it gentlemen or she dies."
She smirked wider and looked at Elis as though she were curious. Her eyes were dull and narrowed. "She screamed in pain Elis." Elis gasped and gripped his gun tighter. Jester’s face filled with realization and his hand tightened but she could still talk. "I had so much fun with her too. She said she hated you and that she would never forgive you. She wanted me to kill you actually."
Sidebacker moved to the boy who was clutching his gun in rage. "Elis, give me the gun." The boy didn’t budge and finally, his finger found the trigger and he fired. Alisa, or rather, Hamlet, ducked to the side making the bullet hit Jester in the chest. She started to run towards the dam.
They followed her through the twisting tunnels and passages but she had a lot of time on them because they had to get Elis under control. She ran until she came to a ledge and then turned to face them as they entered the tunnel. She grinned and spread her arms. "I’m dead." With that, she bent her knees and gave a slight jump that sent her flying off the ledge and into the rushing waters below.