Chapter 42: The End of the Case, but Not the End of the Story

After she finished speaking, Judy collapsed on the floor and began convulsing, accompanied by screams. The scene was heart-wrenching, but I had no time to assess the situation. I rushed to her, trying to help. Quickly, I removed my jacket and sweater to make a makeshift pillow to cushion her head. While doing this, Samuel said: "I've called an ambulance and the nearest patrols. We just need to wait for them."

I was about to do the same. I couldn't restrain her, as it would only cause her more harm, but I tried to remove anything that might hurt her, especially the knife that had fallen from her clothes.

As the ambulance hurried to us, I examined the knife found with her. It had fresh blood on it, expected since she had struck me with it. I carefully bagged the knife and watched the corridor. "How did you find her?" I asked him.

"I had an idea of where they might keep her under constant tension, and this building is one of those places. Drug addicts have made it their den, and girls working for local gangs frequent here too. They are as addicted as the others here," he replied.

"Understood. I'll head upstairs to help the ambulance get to this room faster, and you make sure she doesn't hurt herself any further," I said.

I was no longer concerned about the addicts lying in the corridor. I simply ran past them. What took me over 10 minutes earlier, I covered in a minute. I ran as if my own life hung in the balance.

Bursting outside, I looked around for the flashing lights of the ambulance. The police patrol arrived first. I sent them down to clear the corridor in the basement, and I waited for the ambulance, which took just over 5 minutes.

With the doctors, I rushed back to the basement where Judy lay. By the time we arrived, the police had cleared the addicts from there. The doctors hurried to Judy, still convulsing. One of them, a female doctor, immediately checked her breathing, while another prepared a sedative. After a while, Judy calmed down and fell asleep. Then I asked them, "May I carry her to your vehicle?"

After getting their permission, I carefully picked her up like a daughter. Gently and cautiously, I carried her to the ambulance, trying to walk slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake her. At that moment, I realized that this was probably the first time she had slept peacefully since her abduction and descent into this hell.

After leaving her in the ambulance, I turned to Samuel. "Did you get the warrant?" I asked. "Yes, it arrived recently," he said. "Then let's go after him. I won't let him spend another second in freedom," I said angrily.

As I got into the car, I asked where Riley was. "He's currently at the occult club," Samuel replied quickly. I laughed in anger. This bastard dared to enjoy life while sending such a young girl into a world of suffering. I turned on the siren and pressed the gas, speeding through the traffic, unable to contain my anger towards him.

We arrived quickly at the occult club. Several police cars were already there, waiting for us. I burst out of the car, followed swiftly by Samuel. Ignoring the distance, I quickly made my way to the second floor, where only two people were present – Alex and Riley.

Riley stood near Alex, holding a gun. He looked at him casually, as if nothing had happened, while Alex appeared pale as if drained of blood. Samuel addressed Riley. "You're surrounded, Riley. Surrender. There's no need for more bloodshed." "Ha, no need? Where were you when that bastard killed my wife? You didn't even arrest him, and now you say no more bloodshed. What about my wife? Was her blood unnecessary, huh?!" he yelled.

"She died of cancer. Don't make things up. You didn't even know about it until after her death, right?" Samuel said.

I didn't know that Riley's wife had died of cancer. I thought Rutven had driven her to it. "Ha, he drove her to it," he said. "Maybe so, but is Alex to blame?" I asked. "Yes, I was here in the evenings because of him. He's just like me, but his wife is alive, and mine is not. It's unfair," Riley said, pressing the gun to Alex's temple.

"And what about those you killed? What were their faults?" Samuel asked. "They? They didn't love their wives, husbands, or even their lovers. I used their lives for something greater," he said. "Greater?" Samuel questioned. "Yes, he should know," Riley replied, pointing at me with his free hand. "You mean the ritual?" Samuel asked. "Ah, so he told you. Yes, the ritual. When I learned that one could bring back the soul of the dead by sacrificing just thirty people, I was ecstatic," Riley said.

"There's no such thing, you maniac!" I shouted. "You're just a mere mortal, I am above you. The shadows contacted me. They told me about the ritual and helped me find those to kill while I performed the rituals," Riley said. "Who told you about such nonsense, even killing a hundred people won't bring back your wife," Samuel said. "NO!!! THEY SAID!!! I've already filled twenty-two gems with magic. I only needed to fill eight more," he replied.

"As Samuel said, kill a hundred or a thousand, and you'll gain nothing but wasted lives," I said angrily. "You just don't understand. You don't," he continued. "Put the weapon down and surrender. I promise we'll help you get the minimum sentence if you drop the gun now," Samuel said.

Hearing his words, I grew even angrier, understanding that he was saying this to make Riley release Alex. I clenched the gun so tightly I almost pulled the trigger but relaxed in time. Then Alex spoke. "Riley, buddy. Surrender. You and I both know it's all our imagination. We imagine our rituals can do anything, but they can't. That's why I never showed such rituals in our club. Because of my sick fantasy of magic, I lost my wife. She divorced me, leaving me the children," he said, trying to control his fear.

As if awakening, Riley began to frantically hit his head with his hands. "Riley, stop, just surrender. You'll get help. We don't want to spill blood," Samuel continued to persuade him to surrender.

After a while, Riley stopped hitting himself and threw the gun to the floor. I, waiting for this moment, rushed to him to handcuff him. 

"Where's your accomplice?" I asked, gripping the handcuffs tightly. 

"I don't know," he replied indifferently. 

"You must know. That bastard helped you for over a year," I said. 

"Even if so, I don't know," he continued calmly. 

"Then how did you find him?" Samuel asked. 

"He found me. As I said, the shadows reached out to me. They told me about the ritual, provided assistants, even made plans. I just did as they said," he answered. 

"How did they contact you?" Samuel asked.

"Through a video message in an email. He called himself the 'merchant of happiness' and said he was ready to fulfill my wish. I simply agreed," he said.

Realizing he knew nothing more we handed him over to the police and headed to Judy's parents' farm. The journey to the farm took about an hour.

We arrived at the farm and parked the car at the entrance. If Riley's accomplice was still holding Judy's parents, we might catch him if we didn't spook him.

Walking through the farm, we noticed a house behind the field. We cautiously approached it, trying to remain unseen. Closer to the house, we saw that all the windows were covered with curtains, obscuring the view inside.

Quietly sneaking up to the house, we split up. I went to check for a back door, while Samuel looked for a basement entrance, in case there was one to sneak through.

Reaching the back door, I gently pulled it. Realizing it was open, I opened it even more slowly to avoid making a sound. Gently opening the door, I was hit by a smell that assaulted my nostrils.

The stench of decay and rot. Sensing this, I rushed inside, forgetting about safety. I understood that most likely, the accomplice was not here. He had killed them. He had killed her parents. Almost sobbing, I ran into the house and, passing the kitchen, I saw her parents' bodies in the living room. He had butchered them, splitting them into two piles, each topped with the heads of her parents.

The horrific scene made me vomit into a nearby urn. I felt sick. My breathing quickened, and, as if losing consciousness, I fell to the floor. I was overcome with an indescribable pain.

At that moment, Samuel burst in. Seeing all this, he calmly approached me and tried to help me stand. Realizing he couldn't, he moved closer to the remains and found a letter. The letter bore the initials SJ. He put on gloves and carefully bagged the letter as evidence.

By the time he did this, I had calmed down. Seeing that I had regained my composure, he helped me up. Waiting for the others to enter the room, we left. In the car, I thought about everything. Although we hadn't caught the accomplice, we had Riley. I would make him tell everything, even by force.

As we drove, Samuel received a call, and after the conversation, he said, "They managed to unlock the file..." "And? Why do we need it now? We've caught Riley," I asked. "There was a message from him," he said. "From whom?" I asked, stopping the car. "From the 'merchant of happiness.' He had been helping Riley all this time, recording all the murders on camera, and that file contained recordings of all the killings," Samuel replied.

Hearing this, I began pounding the steering wheel, shouting obscenities. I only calmed down when my hands started bleeding from the blows. Samuel asked me to switch places and took the wheel.

We drove back to the city in silence. He took me to the hospital, where my hand injuries were treated and bandaged. After the procedure, he came to me. "James, you said you were planning to leave the police force," he said.

I looked at him, and he continued, "If you still plan to leave, I invite you to join us. I've seen your file and even your application to work there. If you agree, I'll ask them to skip the initial selection. You'll just have to go through the other stages," he said.

I kept staring blankly at him. "Since you promised to catch the accomplice who abducted that girl for Riley, this is your chance. I'll wait for you to pass all the stages and take you as my partner," he said.

Hearing this, I cleared my mind a bit and replied to him, "You say it as if it's an honor." "I've never had a partner. I always worked with local policemen. You will be the first true partner for me," he said, adding: "I'm flying out today. I'll leave the rest to you. I hope you'll consider my offer," he said and left the ward, leaving me alone.

I spent the night in the hospital, then discharged myself and went home. As I couldn't use my hands, I was given medical leave. While at home, I had time to think about Samuel's offer. After several months, having passed tests and undergone various training, I became the partner of Samuel Nats, who in the future would be...