Abacus

bailing you out of jail and being stolen from, so they won’t care. But until you die, I need to ensure that the good people in our community are protected from the likes of you.”
    The prisoner now grimaced in severe pain. “Fuck , this is hurting. Please,” he begged.
    “Greg , you are going to jail. I will make sure of that. When you do get released, be warned, if I see you anywhere in my area of concern, I will take it as a personal affront, and will deal with it appropriately. And when I am finished with you, my large friend over there will tear you another asshole. Do you understand me?”
    Th e prisoner looked up and nodded. “You won’t see me, Sergeant. I won’t be back.”
    Randall jumped to his feet and pulled the chair off the prisoner. “Excel lent, Greg,” he said cheerfully. “We have an understanding then.”
    Nodding at Hobbs as he left the room he called out, “He’s all yours, Detective.”
    * * *
    As the afternoon progressed, Randall still thought about his run-in with Digby at the hotel the two nights prior. It still troubled him deeply that Digby was enjoying freedom, even having the gall to gloat about his next victims. The judicial system had failed the two girls who had been raped by him. Its decision made him seethe. He now felt compelled to do something himself, to dish out some summary justice.
    Later that evening on his way home, he took a detour. Sitting on a darkened park bench opposite Digby’s unit block, no one would ever have picked him as a police officer. Peering from under the hood of his old baggy jacket, he seemed to blend well with the vagrants scattered throughout the park. He closely watched each person come and go from the street. But he only had eyes for one.

    CHAPTER 11 - TOASTED

    Mozart’s powerful Requiem eerily resonated through the cold building, giving it a true cathedral feel. The intermittent roar of the gas fired furnace periodically masked the powerful classical compilation. Through its wide-opened mouth, the red-hot burgeoning belly of the furnace could be seen.
    Hogtied and partially blindfolded with a combination of gaffer tape and thick cable ties, there was no escape for the career felon. If only he had chosen another path in life. But it was now all too late.
    Peering through a small gap in the blindfold, he could see his captor waving hands in the air as if conducting an imaginary orchestra.
    Waltzing over to the control panel and flicking the switch, the captor called out, “Let’s get this party started.”
    He felt the conveyor belt on which he was tied, jolt, and then inch its way towards the blistering hot furnace. This was not built for the living, he thought, eyeing his fiery end. Inching towards its gaping mouth, he yelled so hard he could feel his eyes bulge from their sockets. But there was no point. No one could hear him scream. Wriggling desperately to untie his hands, he now felt the hot breath of the fire lick the soles of his feet. Burning rubber filled the air as his shoes smoked and melted, searing his feet. Yelling and crying uncontrollably, he felt the conveyer stop, and was further relieved to feel it slowly reversing. He now prayed that his captor would see reason and release him.
    The tape was ripped from his mouth. “You didn’t think it would be over so quickly, did you?”
    The felon remained silent, not wanting to agitate his captor.
    “I got you out because there was a question I forgot to ask you. I wanted to know if there was anything you want to say before I fried you?”
    The felon remained silent. His bottom lip trembled. “Aren’t you going to let me go? You’re meant to protect people not kill them.”
    Wi th chin in hand the captor said, “Perhaps I’ll rephrase the question for you. Is there anything or anyone you would like to apologize to before you become dust?”
    His screams echoed through the cold building as he struggled to free himself. His mouth was taped closed. “I guess not, that’s a shame.” The blindfold was tugged off. “There you go, you can see now. I don’t want you to miss out on the next bit. It’ll be very exciting for us both.”
    T he switch was flicked on again, causing the conveyer to again creep towards the fire. Running to the first glass viewing porthole, the captor watched the felon twist and struggle as his shoes melted and pants disintegrated. Travelling deeper into the furnace, the hair off his legs sizzled and the flesh started to bubble and melt from his