The Beast of 1977 (Book 1)

It was well past six that evening, close to half past the hour. A surly and numb Detective Bruin, along with three other persons, exited the elevator and stepped onto the seventh floor of Saint Titus hospital.

His crimson red face was still frigid, along with his hands that were lodged inside his coat pockets as he casually strolled down the semi-busy hallway. The hustle of emergencies had all but seemingly died down, at least for the time being. With the exception of a couple of chatting doctors in a nearby corner and four female nurses going on about what they were planning on doing once their shifts ended, it was a relatively peaceful evening.

With every other step Linus found himself slowing down, either to listen to the female voice over the loud speaker paging a doctor or just biding his time to reach Gloria Cohen's room.

The closer he drew, the more his feet wanted to turn and walk away. For the sake of nagging, curious ambition, Linus wanted to see the young kidnap victim face to face one final time. For him, it was peace of mind to find out if she was alright; he wanted more than anything to be assured that the ungodly expression on her face that she was wearing two mornings earlier had forever vanished.

As he approached the room, a sudden wave of searing heat slithered down his spine. His right hand shook as it neared the door's handle. He knocked first.

"Come in!" A female's voice called out.

Gently, Linus pushed open the door and noticed a plump, blonde-haired white woman, who looked as though she were in her early to mid-thirties, seated in a chair next to the bed where Gloria was lying comatose.

Gloria's brunette hair laid flat across her shoulders while her eyes were totally fixated on the television that was mounted up on the wall in front of her. For a second or two, Linus lost control of his own body to where he couldn't even move a single muscle.

"If you're another reporter or yet another police officer, "I've told you people everything. There's nothing more to talk about." The woman impatiently sighed while rising up out of her seat.

Linus blushed and explained, "Well, I am an officer, but I'm not here for questioning. Detective Linus Bruin, Cypress Police."

Instantly, the woman's eyes grew large right before she extended her right hand. "Oh...I'm so sorry, I thought you were someone else." She suddenly caught herself off guard.

"Don't be sorry, I understand." Linus smiled while shaking the woman's hand right back. "My name is Deborah Cohen. I'm Gloria's older sister."

"Good to meet you, Deborah." Linus humbly beamed as his eyes shifted from Deborah to Gloria's motionless body on the bed. "I, uh...I just stopped by to see how the young lady was doing." Linus nearly forgot how to breath.

Looking down at her sister, Deborah feebly snickered, "Well, as you can see, she's taking it the only way she knows how right now."

"I can see that."

"Yep, she hasn't eaten anything or said a single word to anyone since being brought here. She won't even speak to me. All she does is lay there and watch TV." Deborah clarified. "Every so often she'll start to cry, then she'll stop for a few hours, and it'll start right back up all over again."

Trying not to appear rude, Linus redirected his pitiful eyes away from Gloria and pointed them up at the television.

Linus sniggered before saying, "Nothing like a game of basketball to liven things up."

"That's the funny thing about it, she doesn't even like sports. I just got tired of changing channels, so I just left it there. I honestly don't think she even knows it's on. I figure whatever she went through in that man's house must've been pretty damn scary. I'd like to thank you, Detective, for saving her life."

"Don't thank me, something else got to the fella

it's all over the news. Do you think

"We're prepping a task force as we speak. Hopefully we can find it before

family. Four little girls...all dead," Deborah gasped. "How do you cope with all of

Linus breathed in and modestly answered, "You try not to carry

"I'll admit that you're the first officer that's stopped by here just to pay a social visit.

just happen to know

"Someone close to you," Deborah questioned with

that." Linus meekly responded as

sick. A car dealer of all things," Deborah cringed. "I remember watching those commercials with him and

back to Gloria whose facial features hadn't changed in the slightest bit. Her entire body was as

is, as many days as he missed at his own dealership, not

be the running theme

Linus watched as Deborah began shaking her head in dismay before he glanced down at Gloria who had managed to move her bed covers enough to where

"Isn't

at Deborah and then down again at Gloria with a baffled glare on his face, as if to say

a bible, of all things," Deborah

It took a few seconds, but the detective eventually gathered the gist

"Usually, she would be a chatterbox; our parents had to tell her to shut up at least a million times when she was little. Now...now it's just haunting to see her so...quiet." Deborah frowned. "I honestly don't think she'll

He tried ever so gallantly to read her thoughts. He wanted to

across the screen. The young male anchor reported on the weather forecast which called for more snow flurries for the evening. The current score between The New York Knicks and The Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers game, and

bound cover up and down as her energetic photo shined on the screen. Leroy Cummins' image appeared next, dressed to the nines in an all-black suit and smiling while standing beside a

across the screen in a year old photo.

girls bodies being carried out of that house." Deborah griped before spinning around to see Gloria writhing about

down at the horrified young lady and then back up at the TV to see just

at the television. The man had to take at least five more twists and turns of the neck just to gather all of

help us in here?" Deborah said out loud, trying with all

Linus, on the other hand, just slowly began to back away before three nurses

the hallway he turned to his left and began down the floor until he came face to face

clear out into the hallway. Linus reached into his pocket to secure a quarter before inserting it into the proper slot. His shifty contemplations were beginning to weigh him down to the point where his own hands couldn't even hold on to the phone. Seven numbers were dialed. A four second ring sounded before a voice spoke

"This

"This is Linus.