“Kablammo!” The detective shouted, a broad smile upon his face as he handed the criminal over to the guard. This was the detectives famous catchphrase, and everyone in the city knew about Frazer Webb. He turned back to face the commissioner of the police department.
“Another great solve detective!” It wasn’t easy trying to keep the smile on his face. Frazer Webb had caught the serial killer from right under his nose. Again.
It always seemed that just as soon as The Commissioner was narrowing down a list of suspects, Frazer Webb would appear out of nowhere, and would be calling him down to wherever the criminal was. The Commissioner had no idea how the detective did it, but he was damn sure he wasn’t going to let the next one get away.
Sitting in his office, cup of coffee beside him, reading the reports of his detectives, he called in Stephen Crawford, his protege, the one who would take over when he’d had enough of the force.
“Crawford! Get in here!”
He heard him come running towards his office.
“Yes sir? You need me?”
“Yes.” The Commissioner had just had a sudden thought but he needed to know if he was correct about it first. “I need any and all news on possible serial cases, and straight to me first. Understand?”
Crawford looked slightly confused, but nodded his head firmly, and left the office.
The Commissioner was thinking back to all the criminals that Frazer Webb taken right from under his nose. All had been cases where the criminal had killed three or more people. That couldn’t just be a coincidence. And hadn’t all of the criminals swore under interrogation that it hadn’t been them? Obviously, the police just believed them to be lying, but that in itself was odd enough. The Commissioner had been on the force for many years now, and he knew that at least some of the criminals he caught, wanted people to know it had been them. But, all of Frazer Webb’s cases had seemed sure they weren’t the ones we were looking for, that they had been framed.
These were brushed off as lies, naturally, because the evidence was too damning in the case against them. But now…
A few days later, Crawford came running into The Commissioner’s office.
“Sir, there’s a new case. Possible serial killer.”
The Commissioner jumped out from behind his desk, grabbed his coat, and was out the door, walking alongside Crawford.
“So? What’s happened?” He picked up his pace, he wanted to be first on the scene.
“A murder, body found 10 minutes ago, thrown into a dumpster behind a store, 11PM last night. There was another murder 2 nights ago, and thrown into a different dumpster, behind a different store. But it’s possible the killer is trying to get our attention.”
The Commissioners mind was racing. Alright, let’s go and check out the crime scene from last night, and then we’ll go to the first murder scene.”
“Yes sir!”
They drove down to the scene from the previous nights. The body had been dumped in the dumpster in the alley behind an antique store, called Agatha’s Antiques. The Commissioner and Crawford went through the antique store and into the alleyway behind it. The body was grotesque. Hanging halfway out of the dumpster, throat cut, unknowing. The Commissioner had gotten used to gruesome sights like this, and wasn’t too bothered by it. After finishing the report of this case, he got the forensic teams to take over and do a sweep. He called over Crawford, and they walked back to their car, discussing the case.
“So you say the murder from 2 nights ago was also in a dumpster? Where?”
“Yes sir, and it was behind the Keely’s Bike Repairs. Also left in a dumpster, with the throat cut.”
“Let’s go then.”
A short ride later, they had arrived outside Keely’s Bike Repairs. It was the same kind of dumpster that had been behind Agatha’s Antiques. The Commissioner had just wanted to see whether he could spot any patterns between the two locations. Besides the fact that the bodies were left in dumpsters, he couldn’t see why they had been left there, in such open view.
He and Crawford left, and returned to the station. Before entering his office, he pulled Crawford aside, and said: “I still want to hear any news first about this case. Got it?”
“You got it, Commissioner.”
Days passed, and finally, he had Crawford coming into his office again, looking panicked.
“Again sir. Another body has been found. This time behind the ‘Baby Needs’ store on 3rd Street. In a dumpster. Exactly same as the last two sir.”
“Let’s go.” Said the Commissioner.
And it was the same. Exactly the same. Body left half out for all the world to see, no bother trying to hide it. And again, The Commissioner made sure he was kept up to date on any happenings regarding the case.
Over the next few weeks, more and more bodies were found in dumpsters, always behind some sort of store. After the body was found behind the Baby Needs store, the next one was found behind ‘Lewis’ Art Store’. Not long after that, there was a body found behind ‘Arties Odds ‘n Ends’. And then behind ‘Marzipan Outlet’.
The stress of trying to find out who was behind these killings was beginning to get to The Commissioner, and he was still no closer in finding out who might be behind them. And then the news he had come to dread appeared in the form of Crawford again.
“Sir. There’s been another one.”
The Commissioner didn’t even answer. He just stood up, and followed Crawford to the car. Once they were driving, The Commissioner asked where the body had been found this time.
“Behind the ‘Milk and Beef’ sir. The team that found it say it’s the same as all of the other cases sir. In a dumpster.”
The Commissioner groaned, and for what seemed the millionth time, racked his brains on who it could be.
When The Commissioner arrived back at the station, he phoned his wife and child and apologized, saying that he would only be coming home a few hours later than expected, and to not wait for him to eat. He needed to do some long hard work.
Long after everyone had gone home, The Commissioner was sat behind his desk and was looking through all the reports of he current case. They were all the same, except for one thing. The location of where the body would be dumped. And suddenly, he had an idea. A crazy idea, but it made sense. And there was no harm into putting his idea into action. He picked up the phone and dialled Crawford.
It was a few seconds before he answered.
“Sir?” his voice sounded groggy. He had probably been asleep.
“I need you to organize three stakeouts immediately. Send out a team to wait behind ‘O Neils Sneakers’ , then another team to behind ‘Orange Galore’ and then a third to wait behind the ‘Olive Garden’. And quickly Crawford. Keep me updated.”
Two days passed, and the teams were working around the clock watching those stores. And finally, he got a call from the team that was watching ‘O Neils Sneakers’ at midnight.
“Commissioner, we’ve just caught someone dumping a body behind O Neils, sir. You better get over here now.”
He hung up, and dressed at top speed. He rushed over to ‘O Neils Sneakers’ and saw a police crime scene already in full swing. He jumped out of his car and ran up to the team in charge. They had the culprit already in cuffs.
Frazer Webb stood beside the police, trying to get free from the grips of the officer holding him.
“Frazer Webb… so it’s been you killing all of these people? Why?”
He heard panting from behind him, and he turned around to see Stephen Crawford come running onto the scene. He gasped when he saw who had been caught.
“Frazer Webb? What? This doesn’t make any sense? Commissioner what’s going on?!”
“Crawford, our friend here has been the one killing all these innocent people, and who knows how many more that go beyond this case. Ever wondered how he always knew who the killer was at the most convenient times? He was framing them all. Every last one of them.
Crawford was stunned.
“But, but, how did you know he would bring the next body here?”
The Commissioner smiled. “What is Frazer’s catchphrase?”
“That’s easy, Kablammo… Oh…”
“Yes. The store names that the bodies were dumped at. The first letter of each was the next letter of dear Frazer’s catchphrase. First was Keelys, then Agatha’s Antiques, and then ‘Baby Needs’… well, you get the gist. Take him away, boys.
And that was the end of that. The Commissioner had caught one of the craziest serial killers of the decade, and was a hero. Not long after, he decided to retire, leaving Stephen Crawford in his place. A perfect end to a perfect career.