Dennis Larsen - With Cruel Intent

“Seymour Wood,” she said it out loud, and laughed again before getting ready for bed.

“Sheriff, can you give us any more information about the nature of the crime and the injuries sustained by the victim?” the reporter for the newspaper inquired.

Sheriff Angelo Lupo, or 'The Wolf' as he was known by his fellow officers, stood before a handful of reporters gathered at the front steps of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, a two story structure with offices, conference area and a computerized dispatch room. The two-acre facility was dotted with other buildings, including a minimum-security lockup, motor pool and forensics labs with an annex to the main structure. There were a cluster of microphones arrayed before him that he didn’t feel was necessary, but the techno types had insisted.

“Now I know you all are anxious to get the details about the crime in question but we are not prepared to share very much with the public at this time. I can tell you that we believe the episode a short time ago, involving Ms. Riddle, and this latest event are linked. We believe they perhaps involve the same individual or individuals. Our investigation is ongoing but for now our leads are limited and we could use your help in getting the word out to the public to report anything suspicious, and to double check that their homes are secure before turning in for the night. We are not releasing the name of the most recent victim but we can report and stress that she was not harmed as the crime was perpetrated. She was taken to the hospital with minor injuries from a fall she took once she discovered the nature of the crime and she has since been released. Our office will be conducting the investigation with the cooperation of the Valdosta Police Department and the State Police if necessary. The crime was committed beyond the city limits and that is why our department is involved. You’ll note that we had responders from several jurisdictions yesterday and we’d like to thank all those involved that helped us secure the scene, and who are and will help, in the processing of clues found at the location.”

A balding, mousey little reporter interrupted the Sheriff, “So there are some clues that were left at the scene?”

The broad chested Sheriff stared the reporter down, not accustomed to being interrupted, “I said, we are not prepared to release any details at this time and I’ll take a couple of questions but nothing related to the scene, victim or our investigation at large.”

The same diminutive reporter spoke up, a high pitched whine accentuating his nasal tone, “You indicated that you believe the Riddle woman and this latest crime are somehow related, can you expand on that thought?”

“Not at this time. Next question,” Angelo curtly replied, wondering if the dogs in the back were having issues with the reporter’s voice.

A beautiful, young and very eager woman stepped forward, her hand waving in the air, “Sheriff are you able to clarify the nature of the crime. We’d like to inform the public if their safety is at risk? Secondly, does your department handle this type of crime regularly and are you equipped to deal with a serial criminal as it seems we have here?”

“Let me first say that the Lowndes County Sheriff Department is perfectly capable of dealing with this type of criminal behavior. We have seasoned veterans on our staff that have worked similar cases and I have no doubt that we will bring the perpetrator to justice quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, we have been assured if outside resources are needed and requested that they will be made readily available to this office. I cannot stress enough that in both of these crimes; the victims were not physically harmed. They were shaken up, as anyone would be under similar circumstances, but neither victim confronted the subject in question or was assaulted in any way.

We believe the public to be safe for the present time but vigilance is the key. I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that we're not dealing with a classic serial criminal as you've suggested, but I believe as we thought in the first instance, that this is more of a prank, most likely kids with too much time on their hands. Thank you for coming; we will notify you when we are prepared to release further details. Good day.” He slipped his aviator style sunglasses on but gave the annoying little reporter a stern look over the top of the shades before sliding them on fully. Questions continued to be fired at him as he turned his back on the small group and walked up the stairs that led to the front entrance of his domain.

Sheriff Lupo was a very no nonsense kind of guy, from Italian descent but raised in the suburbs of Savannah, he spoke no Italian but could understand some of the older family members that spoke a combination of English and Italian, he liked to call Itanglish. His father had served in Vietnam as a grunt, fighting the Viet Cong in the fields and villages all along the Laos and Cambodian borders. He’d returned home with two Purple Hearts, Silver and a Bronze Star and had taught his son the value of patriotism, love of country and the importance of selfless service. Angelo had learned at a young age that there was a time for patience and understanding and a time to kick some ass. Well into his third term for the people of Lowndes County, Sheriff Lupo was elected rather than appointed, he was not only respected but liked by the populous, and in the most recent election he had run unopposed.

Early in life his friends had nicknamed him ‘The Wolf’, as Lupo denotes wolf in Italian, but more for his tenacious personality, once he set his mind to something he wouldn’t leave it alone until he’d conquered it. This ‘never give up’ attribute had served him well as Sheriff. 'The Wolf' was a big man, 230 lbs, with a broad hairy chest, tight abs and arms that had done their share of lifting. Two tours of duty in Iraq with Delta Force had honed his skills and his compassion for the weak and oppressed. He’d seen battle not only in the streets of Baghdad and Tikrit, but also on almost every major military base on the planet. He’d held the Heavyweight Division Championship belt for 8 years running and his knockout record still held firm.

It had just been over 24 hours since they discovered Ms. Katherine Criddle lying near her entry on the floor, a small bruise on her temple but otherwise unharmed. Finding her living room in its reorganized state with the words emblazoned across her wall, ‘We’re Back’, was more than she could take and she had fainted, hitting her head on the edge of the television. First to arrive on the scene were the Valdosta PD, two squad cars blocked off the street and cordoned off the area so a thorough search could be conducted. Once they were confident that the perpetrator was no longer on the premises, they had allowed the ambulance crew into the house to assist Ms. Criddle and get her to the hospital for a complete assessment. The Sheriff’s Office arrived a short time later, Angelo taking command of the scene after extending his sincere thanks to the men and women who had been first to assist. No one was allowed into the house once the ambulance had departed except for Angelo who did a cursory walk through to get his first impressions while the scene was still untouched.

Several things stuck out in his mind, and without a statement from the owner, he was unsure if they were pertinent or not. She had said, as they were wheeling her to the ambulance, “He moved my furniture. Who does that? Who goes into a person’s home and rearranges their furniture?” It appeared the motive for the intrusion was not theft. Typically a burglar wants to get in and out in the least amount of time, capitalizing on small, expensive items that won’t slow him down as he makes his departure, but here it was in reverse. He still didn’t know if anything had been taken but the perp had spent hours in this home. It would take time and an agenda to perform such unusual tasks. He stood facing the text on the wall, saying the words over and over again, letting it sink in and trying to determine the meaning, “We’re back. We’re back…Who’s back?” He suspected this was in reference to the Riddle woman and the connection between the two, indicating that they had successfully pulled off another break and enter, but he still could not put his finger on a motive other than that which he alluded to with the press. Some individual or group was having some fun at the expense of these poor women and the authorities. Adding to the list in his head, he noted that the furniture was undamaged but simply moved about in what might be considered a functional layout for the items within the room, however, the kitchen was a different story.