LoveClub

2 Dr. Lengyel-1

2

Dr. Lengyel5:00 am

Surrounded by forensics, detectives, and dead bodies, Luca wasn’t bothered in the slightest. She sat on her web, calmly, as if this were an everyday thing. Well, that’s a spider for you. They really don’t care about anything other than eating and breeding. This black widow lived in Carmen’s room. That girl used to spend hours in front of the terrarium, admiring her pet. She found it fascinating how nature could squeeze so much wickedness into one, ugly little creature; free of emotion, living only on instinct.

With arms crossed and in civilian wear, the broad shouldered detective carefully observed the small, red dotted arthropod with a cold look. He had seen on the Discovery Channel that this particular species was especially lethal, and that one sting was enough to kill a person. Not that long ago, they had found one at a playground in Budapest. It was a terrible thought, what could’ve happened had a curious child recklessly poked or touched it. Despite the illegality of keeping black widows in Hungary, people with an interest in such creatures could easily find them on internet based black markets.

In the reflection of the terrarium’s glass, Kovacs watched as his forensic colleagues rummaged the room searching for fingerprints, hair and any other useful evidence.

The doctor had only arrived five minutes earlier. It was clear from her drained look that she was quite tired. Still, she wasn’t one to complain about the early wake up call. With an anxious look, she quickly started to examine the body. Her precise movements were those of a professional.

They had kept the body untouched until the expert had arrived. The scene was horrifying, and the puddles of blood pooled around the corpse had started to darken and turn black. With all things said, it was going to be impossible to properly clean the carpet and the bed trim. Even if, somehow, they had managed, the memories would always remain. The young girl was in bed, her right arm hanging down towards the floor, with her fingertips barely grazing the knife that had slit her throat. Her glossy eyes were staring up at a mirror mounted on the ceiling. The thought of the poor thing having to witness her own death made Kovacs shiver. Her face had turned pale in the past couple of hours. Her colorful makeup from the night before made her corpse look even more bizarre than the past bodies. It was fortunate that they found this body in time. With the warm weather, it was horrendous to think of what the scene would’ve been like had they arrived a few hours later.

The doctor examined the girl’s throat, and after jotting down a quick note, she proceeded to take a couple of pictures. With the camera flashing, Kovacs hoped the doctor’s expertise would lead to answers.

“For f**k’s sake, another one!” said a rose scented woman as she stepped to detective Kovacs’ side.

The perfume’s tickling aroma quickly drove out the smell of death from the room, much to Kovacs’ relief. Ignoring his partner for now, the detective looked towards the body and addressed the forty year old Dr. Gyarmatos.

“What’s happened, Ilona?”

“In order to give you an accurate answer, I’ll have to examine the body much more thoroughly. But, unofficially, I would assume…” the specialist sighed deeply. “We’re dealing with that monster.”

Kovacs gulped.

He knew the perpetrator’s habits well, but these circumstances were different. Not only did he deviate from is habitual two week period between killings, but the amount of violence was new. The murderer had never left his sexually abused victims at the crime scene before. Instead, he would put them on display somewhere busy; like a misunderstood artist, waiting for recognition.

The detectives working on the case wanted to end the serial killings as soon as possible. The first victim had been found about two months ago. It seemed like a routine job at first. They had suspected that the motivation was jealousy or revenge. Even though Kinga Gáti was only seventeen years old, her death was more shocking to the police than it was surprising. Most teenage boys think they’re alpha males, so they find it difficult to cope with rejection. If things don’t work out the way they had planned, they consider it an upsetting experience. Kovacs and his team had searched for suspects, questioning the girl’s classmates, neighbors, and relatives, but they always ended up in a dead end. Two weeks later, there was another victim, then another, and finally, this was their fourth. They’d been working on the case for exactly six weeks, and not a single suspect had been caught. They were dealing with a delirious monster.

“Laura, what did you manage to get out of them?” Kovacs asked the rose scented woman.

“Not much, the girl’s still in shock,” she started, adjusting her blouse. “But what I did manage to find out is that we aren’t in the victim’s room. She was only a guest. The girl called her Nicole. According to the victim’s ID card, she’s called Nikolett Nádori, aged seventeen. She was a friend of the two girls renting the flat.”

Laura hated the fact that one of her duties at The homicide division was not only to do the interrogations, but to also inform the victims’ families. She’d still, however, rather do this unforgiving job than let Kovacs undertake it. Even though she considered the man to be a brilliant detective, he was lacking the nerves and ability to calm others down.

“I also found out that before the girl had discovered the victim’s body, she saw someone rush out of the apartment,” Laura continued, staring at the mirror fixed over the bed.

The ceiling – unfortunately – reflected Nikolett’s body, making it perfectly visible. The reflection made the cut on her throat look even worse. Laura started examining the corpse, searching for marks that would confirm rape. s****l abuse was the only thing so far, which kept the victims’ relatives from talking much. The police department was lucky that most of the families understood the importance of confidentiality, not to mention that no one wanted to talk about the defloration of their daughters. Laura had some trouble with the father of the third victim. He had threatened to tell the world about what was going on with the whole freaking case unless the murderer was arrested soon. Every time he called the detective, she had to calmly listen to the man wishing her away to another f*****g planet. She had to persuade Mr. Szabados over and over again that everything was under control, and that for the sake of the investigation, it was wise to keep the case out of headlines. She managed to keep him quiet for now, but she had no idea when the understandably upset father’s patience would run out. And here we go again. In a couple of hours, she’d have to stand in front of another family, making them believe that the police are in control of the case.

“So, where’s the other roommate? The one who owns this place?” inquired Kovacs, who was taking a look at the layout of the tiny room.

On the wall opposite the entrance was a window covered by red curtains. The left wall was almost fully occupied by a wardrobe, and the corner next to the door was where the terrarium stood. Next to the window was a little table, draped in a red cloth, on which there stood a red candle. Along the right hand side of the room was the bed with the mirror above it, and a computer desk stood by the window. Kovacs, however, noticed the absence of a computer. There was only a printer, and the wood carving of a dwarf with a gigantic, erected p***s. The remaining spaces of the wall were scattered with band posters, artistic photos, and copies of abstract nude paintings.

“Apparently, the other roommate went out partying. Nikolett would’ve joined her, too, but she had a headache, so she stayed here,” The room’s humid air made Laura wheeze at the end of her sentence.

Kovacs shook his head, a muscle on his thick neck twitching.

“Do you think it’s possible that the assailant is a female?” Nikolett’s death is obviously not a s*x murder; it’s more like a fight. Maybe Ilona’s wrong, and this homicide is totally unrelated to the others.

Laura avoided answering.

“Sir, come, take a look at this!” shouted one of the forensic assistants, rummaging through the desk drawers. He held a red paperboard folder in his hands. Kovacs and his team examined it for a couple of minutes. What they found astounded them.

“Try to get what you can of it,” said Kovacs finally. “We’ll take the boy and the girl in. We need to question them thoroughly. Laura, you go and see the victim’s family. Take someone with you.”

Kovacs gave his instructions. Laura just sighed. Finally, they had a clue. Even though the circumstances were different, it was the work of their serial killer.

5:40 am

Lili was spinning a paper cup on the hardwood tabletop. She thought coffee would make her feel better, but the caffeine only made things worse. Up until now, she only saw Bence’s haughty smile when her eyes were closed, but now, the image of Nicole’s lifeless face was haunting her.

What the f**k is going on?

No matter how much she was attracted to crime-journalism, or how much she tried to prepare herself mentally for the occasion of seeing a dead body, it was still a feeling she wouldn’t wish even on her worst enemy. The whole thing felt like a terrible nightmare, and instead of it ending at the police station, it only dragged on. The officers had separated her from Bence so they could question them individually. They started off with the boy, so Lili had no choice but to wait. It seemed like an eternity. She was doing better earlier on. Maybe the shock she’d been through had kept her mind in place, allowing her to close out the outside world. As time passed, though, she started to drift back to reality, which made her more and more tense. The narrow interrogation chamber made her feel like she was a dangerous convict, isolated from the public for the sake of humanity. The air conditioning wasn’t working either, despite the room seeming to have been newly renovated. The only thing circulating the trapped air in this tight space was a buzzing old ventilator. The icing on this awful cake was the yellowish tint from the fluorescents above. Please, let it end! Lili smoothed her hands over her jeans, adjusted the top she had hastily put on at home, and was constantly redoing her ponytail. She didn’t have the time or strength to take a shower at home, so her hair was scruffy and she could still smell Bence’s sweat on her skin. More than anything in the world, she wanted to take a relaxing candlelit bubble bath with her favorite soap, quietly listening to the latest Muse. She began humming one of the band’s songs, Uprising, while unwanted thoughts about Bence and Nicole popped up in her mind again. Preferably, she would’ve denied knowing them. It would be so much easier to just run far, far away, escaping the problems. The cops, though, were coming to question her soon, and this was something that she found absolutely pointless. She had already told the female detective everything she knew back at the apartment. She couldn’t tell them anything more, even if they threatened to crucify her. They were wasting her time for no reason.

“Hello there!” the door swung open, and an enormous figure came in.

Lili jolted, nearly knocking her cup over. She remembered the man. He had already introduced himself as Kovacs. Simply Kovacs. He seemed hostile back at the apartment. Compared to the female detective’s kindness and understanding, Kovacs didn’t seem to have a drop of empathy in him. His brisk movements and strident voice masked his arrogant approach.

“I hope you feel comfortable here,” said Kovacs, grinning.

“I couldn’t imagine a better place to be,” replied Lili grimly.

Before saying anything, the detective placed a camera stand between the two chairs in front of Lili and mounted a digital camera.

“I hope you don’t mind if I record the conversation,” stated the man.

“No, but I doubt there’s anything else I can tell you…”

Lili tried to cut back on her own surly mood, but she couldn’t help it. During her work at News, she experienced how superior the police thought themselves to be compared to everyone else. By the looks of it, detectives were even worse. Her experience with Kovacs only further confirmed this theory. She could tell from his tone that the man didn’t think much of her, and Lili felt disrespected by anyone who thought of her as naïve. She glared spitefully at the bald headed man. He was probably old enough to be her father. Detective Kovacs was around forty. Time had wrinkled his sun burned forehead. He had glowing blue eyes paired with eyelashes so long that even women envied them. He looked like a star character from some television crime series. Lili had to accept the fact that the man was handsome. Strong, protective and raw: the perfect specimen for someone who had a thing for jerks. Lili liked boys with dreamy eyes. The macho man types, like the detective, made her want to vomit. Men like him believe that raw manpower is enough to satisfy a woman. They think they’re irresistible, but in most cases, women resent them.