Notches on the Headboard - Part 7

Story by Magna Vulpes on SoFurry

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#7 of Notches on the Headboard


Detectives Leo Lowenstein, Jay Shannon Jr. and Assistant District Attorney sat in the room the entire time Isaac gave his video confession, going into very explicit detail about the names of the females he killed, when he killed them, and where he buried them, all of them with the exception of Aurora Marquez had been interred in the wooded area that Isaac had named "Slut Cemetery". Because the graves were outside the city limits, Captain Murray sent Detectives O'Connor and Byrne to go with the state police to begin excavating the burial site. Forensic teams were also dispatched to take dental impressions of the corpses and collect DNA samples for positive identification. It was going to be a very long, painful process digging up all the bodies and then making notifications to the next of kind, many of whom had waited for years to find out the fate of their loved ones.

As Isaac finished up his confession of the ten murders, he felt the need to ask something of the detectives. "Could I make a separate confession about why I did this?" he asked.

Leo whispered over to Ms. McCoy, who in turn whispered back to him. "Yes, Mr. Burwell," agreed the leopard. "I'm sure the judge will want to see this when you're formally sentenced."

The video technician went to get another camera, as the one he presently had was almost full. Returning, he set up the camera again and got ready to record the second part of Isaac's confession. Detective Lowenstein gave him the green light to start talking again.

"I was born in this little shit hole town in Texas almost thirty years ago," began the tiger. "My parents were Jeremiah and Sarah Burwell. My father was a traveling evangelist who was hardly ever home, and my mother . . ."

"Yes, Mr. Burwell?" said Leo, wanting the tiger to continue.

"My mother was a stay at home mom who would cheat on my father every single time he went out on the road. I would come home from school some days to see cars in the driveway. Sometimes she would have two, three, even four males over . . . at once."

"So your mother was sexually promiscuous?" inquired the leopard.

"My mother was a fucking slut!" yelled the tiger, sweat forming on his forehead from reminiscing such painful memories. "Not only was she a slut, she used to beat me because I was a fat kid. She told me I was a "glutton" and that I wasn't right with God because I ate too much! Can you believe that? Here she was, spreading her legs for several guys at a time, and she had the nerve to call me a sinner!"

"So you had a miserable home life, Mr. Burwell?" asked Leo, scratching at his nose.

"I had a miserable existence, Detective," answered the tiger. "I was picked on, beat up at school and at home. I'd come home from school most days to hear my mother moaning from being fucked. We didn't have a television or even a radio, so all I could do was sit in the living room or my bedroom and read the Bible or stuff my face. And when my mother caught me stuffing my face, she'd get out an extension chord and hit me over . . . and over . . . and over. I'd even pass out at times from the pain."

Leo remembered what Henry Beaumont had told him about seeing the scars on Isaac's back in the shower room. He had been right. "Did you ever confront your father about what your mother was doing? The beatings and the infidelity?"

"I tried to," said the tiger, wiping the sweat away from his face.

"How did he react?" Leo asked.

Isaac responded with a mixture of tears and laughter. "He beat the shit out of me," replied the tiger, wiping a few tears away from his eyes. "He told me I was a liar, a glutton, and that if I was living in Old Testament times I would be put to death for being an unruly child."

"Where are your mother and father today, Mr. Burwell?" Leo asked, knowing the answer anyway.

"My father died of cancer over ten years ago. I had just graduated high school and was living on my own. I didn't go to the funeral or anything. I was glad he was dead."

"And your mother?" Leo asked.

Suddenly, the leopard saw a cruel smile showing on the tiger's face. "Funny thing about that, Detective. When I was twelve years old, I came home from school like I would any normal day, thinking that my mother would be entertaining her "gentleman" guests like usual. But something is very different about this day," He paused, grinning even wider. "I see that my mother's car is there, but so is my father's car. That was very strange because he was supposed to be in Oklahoma preaching, but here he was at home for some reason. I go inside and see him sitting on the couch, just staring out into a void. I notice my mother is nowhere to be found. So I ask him where she is. You know what he tells me?"

"What did he tell you?"

"He looked at me and said," at this point, Isaac drops back into his original Texas accent. "Son, your Mama's gone and she ain't never comin' back home," Isaac now went back to his normal voice. "That's all he ever said about it and I never saw my mother again."

"And you didn't press your father for more information about what happened to your mother?"

Isaac cackled at the question. "My father wasn't the type of man that you . . . pressed for information, Detective."

"Do you think that your father killed your mother?"

Isaac leaned in, smiling sadistically. "I sincerely hope he did, Detective. It would be the one decent thing that son of a bitch did in his entire life."

Leo Lowenstein was beginning to see just why it was that Isaac had killed all those females. "So, when you killed those females . . . did you feel like you were killing your mother?"

"Oh yes," breathed the tiger in a hushed voice. "My mother, all those nasty little cunts at school who teased, taunted and ridiculed me for being overweight. They're all trash as far as I'm concerned."

"So you don't feel any remorse for your crimes, Mr. Burwell?" asked the leopard, feeling sick.

"Not at all," said the tiger with a cackle. "Why should I? Every female I've ever known has been a bitch, whore, slut or cunt to me. If I had to do it all over again, I'd kill even more of those bitches." At this point, Isaac Burwell leaned back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief. "Ah, I tell you, Detective," he said laughing. "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

"John Chapter 8 Verse 32," responded the leopard.

The big tiger smiled at him. "Very good, Detective! I'm surprised you know that, given your heritage."

"I studied the New Testament in college, Mr. Burwell," replied Leo, growing ever more disgusted with the tiger's display. Isaac just laughed.

"What's wrong, Detective? Don't you realize what this will do to your career? Why, you'll need to figure out who will play you in the movie they're going to make about me. Shit, as soon as I get to my cell I'm going to start work on my autobiography! I think I'll call it, Isaac Burwell: How I Lost Weight and Killed Bitches in the Process! What do you think, Detective?"

"I think you can ramble on without me being here," said the leopard, heading for the door. "Good bye, Mr. Burwell," he said, slamming the door behind him as he went to go find something for his stomach.

Later that evening, before Leo was about ready to leave, he was called into the office by Captain Murray. The serval bid him to sit down, wanting to brief him on the progress of the case.

"I just talked to Pat and Brian. They're still exhuming the bodies with the state police," the serval informed him.

"I'm glad that I don't have to be the one to tell those girls parents," said the leopard, frowning.

"Yeah," said the serval. "I just thought you should know," the Captain looked out through his office window into the squad area. "How's the kid working out?"

"Good," said Leo. "Great detective and much nicer than his old man."

Al chuckled at the assessment. "You be interested in taking him on as a partner?"

Leo smiled for the first time all day. "Yeah," said the leopard. "I'd like that a lot."

"Good," replied the serval. "Monday the two of you are back in Robbery/Homicide."

"Thanks," said Leo, "I think I'm ready to go home now."

The leopard went to walk out the door, but was halted by the Captain. "Leo?"

"Yeah?"

The leopard watched as the serval extended his paw. "You did a hell of a good job and I'm putting you up for a commendation."

"Thanks," said Leo, shaking his boss's paw. "And, um, sorry about those things I said about you . . . and your wife leaving you."

"Ah," said the serval with a smirk. "You know what they say, better to have loved and lost than it is to live with that bitch the rest of your life."

Leo laughed at his Captain's unusual outlook. "Thanks, Al. See you tomorrow."

Walking out to the squad room, Leo stopped by Jay's desk. "Hey, you did really good work on this case, Junior."

"Thanks," said the jaguar. "I'd like to think that I'm learning from the best."

"Ass kisser," joked the leopard. "No wonder I said yes when Al asked me I wanted you for a partner!"

"We're partners now?" asked Jay.

"Yep," said the leopard. "And as my new partner, I was wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner tonight. Ayala's making brisket."

"Sure," said the jaguar, grabbing his coat. "Can I date your daughter too?"

"Watch it," said the leopard, pointing a paw at his younger partner, then quickly patted him on the back. "Come on, let's go have a nice meal, partner."