Chapter 11
The Holy Joe Killer
Korsak met the members of the four SWAT teams at the carpark, and shouted at them while getting into his car:
"It's the Conley Container Terminal, follow me!"
When the detectives realised the enormity of the task ahead of them, with the thousands of shipping containers forming veritable streets and high-rises of containers that they would have to navigate, they quickly discussed their options with the tech guys back at the station. It was decided that it was best to use the helicopter equipped with thermal cameras to zero in on the containers that showed evidence of body heat. As they only had the one suitably equipped helicopter, already en-route, they decided to go straight to the warehouses, one of which was where Jane was. There were several warehouses in various locations at the Container Terminal, so they would have to go to each one.
Fr Stan was busy working on Jane. He pulled out a crown of thorns and pointed to it, and then to Jane's head.
"I am aggrieved that you have chosen not to repent of your sins. The Master will not be pleased. However, it is as it is. So the next step is for me to complete the ritual in the manner prescribed for those who choose not to return to the righteous path willingly."
Fr Stan picked up a piece of paper, reading from it.
"Isaiah 45:7
I form the light, and create darkness:
I make peace, and create evil:
I the Lord do all these things."
Watching from his computer, Frost apprehensively recalled it as the phrase that had been found inserted in all the HJK victims. He leaned forward, horrified, watching as Fr Stan continued.
"As we both know, you have the scars of repentance on your body, except for the final two. So we will do them now. Then, I will insert this phrase in your area of sin." He said it so matter-of-factly that Jane almost failed to register the horror of what he was saying. "Had you repented, it would have been your throat, but no. So it has to be in your area of sin-"
When Frost heard this while monitoring the live feed, he urgently roared the update into his phone, which was kept connected with Korsak's. In turn, the older man barked desperately at the others to hurry.
The helicopter with the thermal imaging equipment was canvassing the second-to-last group of warehouses when one of the detectives sitting behind the pilots saw something on the thermal imaging screen. She cried out,
"We've found it, it's the one at the end of this group, by the wharf!"
The detectives rushed headlong toward that next group of warehouses.
Korsak ran after the SWAT teams, out of breath. He quickly dialled the EMTs to send an ambulance to the location, and gaspingly filled them in with the things he had learned from watching the live feed and listening to Frost - the rats gnawing into her back, being abused and tortured for so long without sleep, and the type of injuries she had sustained.
Fr Stan calmly picked up some ropes, and released Jane's left leg, holding onto it tightly. The captive tried valiantly to kick at her torturer, but he was too strong for her in her weakened state. With ease that showed much practice, Fr Stan positioned her legs in such a way that was reminiscent of Jesus on the cross, right foot on top of the left foot. He then zip-tied her legs together and used the ropes to keep them in position. Picking up the dagger, Fr Stan carefully marked the centre of Jane's right foot with a sharpie. He then returned to the trolley, and replaced the sharpie with the mallet there.
The live feed was shown on four computer terminals, with varying reactions. The sole computer terminal with the host tools was manned by Acolyte Jack, and he smiled with grim satisfaction when the machine showed that the live feed was being transmitted to three terminals. Checking the IPs of these computers, he knew where they were.
Maura Isles was petrified and extremely upset in her office, watching, trying to calm herself down, knowing that help was on the way. When she saw Fr Stan approach Jane with the mallet and dagger, she knew that the chances were minimal that they would make it in time before that insane priest did his damage!
A few floors upstairs, in the BRIC, Frost was monitoring the latest developments with full intent, and finally found the source of the live feed, after eliminating the other computers in the network, but it was moot as the SWAT teams had found the right warehouse by then. "Crisis entry! Go dynamic - go, GO!" he urged into his phone once more, helpless to do anything more.
Acolyte Jack frowned when he noted the location of the IP of the third machine that was connected to the live feed. He suddenly knew he had to leave where he was immediately for fear of being caught, so he fled the scene, leaving everything switched on, taking only his jacket, bag and IDs, not bothering to shut the doors behind him.
The third screen, in the container a few blocks down from where Acolyte Jack was, displaying the live feed, was now watched by one of the SWAT teams, who saw another SWAT team burst into the warehouse within view.
Jane saw only the ancient dagger now poised and centered over her upper foot, and the madman prepared to strike.
Fr Stan lifted the mallet high over the dagger, and with a fierce exhalation he brought it finally, violently, down onto the metal hilt - BAM!
Back in her office at the morgue, Maura recoiled in shock at what she saw. "Oh poor Jane!" she wept. She moved to the privacy of her inner office and locked the door, not being able to watch any more of the live feed, as it was just too much for her. She was glad that Sister Winifred was not there, as she needed to be on her own to process the horror of what she had witnessed on the screen.
Meanwhile, a few floors up, Frost grimly swore to himself, "Goddamn..." before sighing to himself, shaking his head.
Back at the container terminal, the SWAT team in the container saw what happened via the live feed, so they knew what to do. With crime scene tape, they marked this container for the crime scene analysts to process. Collaborating with the helicopter overhead, via live radio, they soon found the other shipping containers that displayed computer and body heat, when viewed through the thermal cameras and cordoned these off as well.
One particular container was of extra interest as it contained mattresses and other personal effects as well as housing a workplace with computers and laptops switched on, attached to a router, powered up by jerry-rigging to overhead cables that connected to a street lamp on the road by the wharf.
Soon, the wailing sounds of sirens indicated the arrival of ambulances. The EMTs ran towards the warehouse, helped on the way by the SWAT team. Once inside, they hurried towards a wooden frame, where they saw the injured person they were sent to bring to the hospital.
Korsak shouted at them in relief, "We need a blanket, hurry!" Covering Jane's nudity as much as he could with his jacket, he cut away at the zip ties, and held on to the barely conscious woman. He was gently but firmly pushed away as the EMTs placed Jane on the ground, in a stretcher, in the recovery position. That same recovery position helped protect Jane's back from further injury. Her foot was not badly injured as the SWAT guys had managed to shoot Fr Stan just before he could carry out his mutilation of Jane's feet. The EMTs quickly carried Jane off to the waiting ambulance. After she was on her way, Korsak couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The police detectives had up to now paid little notice to the slowly cooling body of Fr Stan, which had a hole in the middle of his forehead, blood spilling out, with brain entrails hanging out one side. They carelessly cordoned off the body for the medical examiners to process, both on site and in an autopsy at the morgue. Korsak was glad that Fr Stan had been shot in the head just in the nick of time, but he feared that a lot of damage would have already been done to Jane's psyche, given that she already had PTSD from her previous encounters with Hoyt.
While Korsak and the EMTs looked after Jane, the other detectives, and crime scene investigators on the scene stripped the warehouse of all electronics and other evidence. From a nearby warehouse, Fr McCauley watched, furious, as the police brought out all the removed electronic equipment from the abandoned warehouse. He was already fretting about completing his mission without these devices, and decided he would have to talk to the acolyte about it. Grimly he looked into his pocket and found his old ID. He knew what he had to do and took a deep breath.
He heard another vehicle approach and saw that it was one of Maura's official morgue vans. Fr McCauley looked on with horror as the body of his colleague, covered with a white cloth, was wheeled out by two assistants. He said a brief prayer for the soul of his departed friend, before speaking to himself.
"So I'll have to answer to the Master myself. I hope I do not disappoint."
He slinked off into the darkness and went to his pre-arranged destination.
After the death of Fr Stan, observed via a secret camera on live feed, which was suddenly cut off when the live feed stopped, the acolyte sat down heavily on the bench near the quays, panting. Shaking with fear and incredulity, he pulled away from the cellphone screen and tried to calm himself down. He stood up and paced back and forth until he knew what had to be done. He dialled Fr McCauley but realized it was to no avail as there was no connecting tone. "The number cannot be reached..." He concluded that the burner phone must have served its purpose and was now at the bottom of the Charles River, as per his advice.
Knowing that there was a distinct possibility of his being discovered, he decided to leave the Conley Container Terminal area, and move to the emergency meetup point. After about twenty minutes of walking, he arrived and entered the house. He decided to just sit and wait in the living room until the other man returned from his task.