Red Ribbons (Chapter Seven part 2)

Posted on | Sunday, August 14, 2011 | No Comments


Chapter Seven (Part 2)

It was dark when they arrived at the state veterinary clinic. Somewhere in the distance an owl hooted, breaking the silence of the warm night. Lawrence's was the only car in the car park.

“How do you know he'll show up?” Lawrence asked.
“He will. He knows I have evidence now. Trust me, he'll be here,” Venkath said.

“I still don't like the idea of leaving you here with him. The kid's a psychopath.”

“It's the only way. I can't get a confession out of him unless he knows I'm alone. I'll be fine,” Venkath assured Lawrence. The trouble was, he wasn't sure either this was going to work. This wasn't the movies; Nicholas Lim was a very intelligent and meticulous killer. Things could go badly for Venkath very quickly even if he was careful.
Lawrence sighed. He knew there was no arguing with his cousin once his mind was set on something. “All right, here's how it's going to go down; you get in there and get a confession and the moment something feels off, get the hell out of there. I can't afford to take any chances.”

“I hear you, I'll be all right. Don't worry, cuz,” Venkath smiled weakly at him.

Lawrence didn't smile back. “You know this is a bad idea.”

“Yes, but it's the only way to stop Nicholas from killing again,” Venkath said. He watched Lawrence drive away. As soon as the car was out of sight, he began walking towards the clinic.

The clinic front door was open. Venkath stepped inside; it was dark and unwelcoming. In the air lingered a faint odor of antiseptic, along with the smell of dogs.

“Hello? Is anyone in here?” he called out. His voice echoed throughout the corridor, fading away into silence.

It was then he noticed a light at the far end of the clinic. Someone was in one of the examining rooms. He walked up to the door.

Inside, he saw Nicholas Lim seated in a chair next to a grey medicine cabinet. He manufactured a thin stretch of the lips, more a snarl than a smile when he saw Venkath.

“Where's your police sidekick, doc?” he asked.
“I'm here alone,” Venkath replied.

“What can I do for you on this fine evening?” Nicholas' smile grew wider, but there was nothing friendly about it. Just hatred that contorted his features, making him look far older than his years.

“You know why I'm here. I want answers.”

Nicholas laughed, a thin, ugly sound that turned Venkath's blood cold. But Venkath ignored it. “I know you killed Shoba and the other women. It's over, Nicholas.”

The younger man laughed again, then face took on a nasty, twisted look. “You've got nothing on me and you know it.”

Venkath smiled at him. “You messed up when you killed Shoba, you left some evidence without knowing it,” he said.

“You're lying.”

“For a while there, you had us on a wild goose chase by framing Paul. You covered your tracks so well, but what you didn't count on was Shoba stealing a roll of red ribbon from your little flower shop in Seremban. When it comes back from the lab, they're going to find your prints and sweat on it. There's no escape this time, Nicholas.”

“That doesn't prove anything and you know it. I work there, it's part of my job to use ribbons for flower baskets and bouquets. It doesn't mean squat,” Nicholas snarled, rising from his chair.

It was then that Venkath noticed Nicholas holding a long strip of red ribbon in his right hand. The latter took a step towards him.
“What I want to know is why you did it, even sociopaths like you have their reasons,” Venkath said, not moving despite Nicholas taking another step towards him. The latter's eyes were like little glass beadsm cold and empty as they glared at Venkath.
Nicholas threw back his head and laughed again. “You're wearing a wire and you expect me to confess to something I didn't do?”

Venkath reached inside his shirt and removed the wire taped to his chest. He laid it carefully on the examining table. He turned the tape recorder off. “There, no wires, no tapes. Now, tell me what you've been dying to say all along.”

Nicholas still stared at him suspiciously but his ego got the better of him. “That's better. Now, ask me anything.”

“Why did you do it? Why kill Shoba after all these years?” Venkath asked.

“Because she bloody started it! She fired me just because I was in love with her. She broke my heart and ruined my medical career. She should have just stayed in Penang and moved on, given us both another chance. Instead she laughed at me. No one laughs at Nicholas Lim,” he said menacingly.

“And the others?” Venkath asked, taking a step back. A bead of sweat started rolling down his back from the effort of keeping his emotions in check. For anger was slowly bubbling in him.
“Collateral damage,” Nicholas said, shrugging his shoulders. He took another step towards Venkath. “How did you know it was me?”

“The first time I suspected you was when you said you had two jobs. Seven years ago, one of Shoba's medical interns fell in love with her. He would send her flowers with a signature red ribbon. She got sick of it and had the person fired. When I saw the roll of red ribbon Shoba left me, I realised it was you. Your second job was at Simply Floral, the florist that Shoba had bought flowers from for the charity dinner.”

“Very good, Dr. Venkath. You should have been a police officer, like your cousin,” Nicholas sneered.

“You didn't have to murder Shoba, if it was me you were after. We were both separated. You could have tried wooing her again, why did you have to kill her?”

“Because she was back here looking for you!” Nicholas slammed his fist on the examining table. “I left her a note pretending to be you to meet me in the park at eleven. She told me she was back here to get back with you. I killed for her and she broke my heart all over again. The next thing I knew, she was lying dead in my arms.” A tear rolled down Nicholas' left cheek, but his eyes were cold.
“Why my mother-in-law and Sruthi, the student you killed in KL? You didn't even know them,” Venkath prodded further.

Nicholas took another step towards Venkath. He began winding the ribbon tautly around his wrists. He's trying to intimidate me, Venkath thought to himself. Best if I play along.

“That skinny bitch was having an affair with you, which upset Shoba. So I got rid of her. But then your stupid mother-in-law tried to get you and Shoba back together, she was an easy kill,” he said, smiling coldly at Venkath. “Just like you're going to be.” He lunged towards Venkath.









Category:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Search This Blog

Followers