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Magnus Archives Episode 049 - The Butcher's Window

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  1. Magnus Archives Episode 049 - The Butcher's Window
  2.  
  3. (Mostly a dump of an auto-transcription, a very few edits.)
  4.  
  5. ---
  6.  
  7. statement of Gregory Pryor regarding his investigations into one Hector Laredo during the summer of 2007 original statement given March the 11th 2008 audio recording by jonathan sims head archivist of the magnus institute london
  8.  
  9. statement begins
  10.  
  11. you don't mind me drinking in here d no of course you don't there half the guys roll in here a leaking scotch all over your precious paperwork I'm sober enough to write it down for now at least and that's all the matters to you isn't it I'm a private investigator
  12.  
  13. it used to be police but not anymore none of your business why you can draw your own conclusions if you want but it's not something I care to talk about
  14.  
  15. anyway last June I got a job from one Nicola Laredo she was the wife of a lowlife by the name of Hector Laredo and was keen to change that to ex-wife except that there was some kind of prenup in the mix and she was looking to catch him cheating which is where I came in
  16.  
  17. standard stuff pretty boring really but it keeps the wolf from the door my first investigations didn't turn not much checking Hector online was pointless
  18.  
  19. if he owned a computer it wasn't for hooking up or making friends impersonating him - the phone company was also a waste of time only numbers he called regularly were his brother his wife and the Chinese takeaway at the end of his road lazy ass
  20.  
  21. I reckoned he had a second mobile but couldn't find any obvious paper trail for it so I decided to take my investigation to the next stage I began to tail him
  22.  
  23. Hector was exactly the kind of guy I always end up following heading into middle-age with nothing to show for it but half a head of hair and a beer belly straining against work shirts that always have some kind of food or sweat stain proudly on display a loser
  24.  
  25. I know I'm not one to talk but I couldn't help sympathizing with the wife not just because she was the one paying me
  26.  
  27. Hector worked IT for some shipping and delivery company with this admin Center down in Liverpool Street I say he worked there but that could easily be a lie even though I wasn't able to get past the front desk the sheer number of smoke breaks Hector took out front cast some serious doubts on whether he was doing his job at all
  28.  
  29. according to wife Nicola Hector had recently had a sudden series of working late nights and based on what I was seeing of him at the day job she was right on the money with her suspicions there was no way this guy was staying a minute past closing
  30.  
  31. sure enough hanging around his office I saw him shuffling out the building shortly after 6:00 I started shadowing him carefully although after a few minutes it became clear that I really didn't need to be cautious as all that the man was completely oblivious to anything that wasn't inside his own head or in front of his face and after a while I found I could walk literally 15 feet behind him the whole way and he had no idea
  32.  
  33. I knew I was in luck when I saw him head into the underground his route home should have taken him down the central line but instead he headed on to the Hammersmith & City riding East
  34.  
  35. whatever or whoever his illicit liaisons involved I was pretty sure that me and my camera were following him right to it he got off the train at barking which was promising it was exactly the sort of place I would have expected the lover of someone like Hector to live residential depressing and cheap for London at least
  36.  
  37. it was almost 7 o'clock by this point it was late June so there was still a while before nightfall and I got more careful about my pursuit there were less people here so blending in to a crowd was no longer an option and I made sure to keep a bit more distance as he walked down streets of terraced houses
  38.  
  39. we've been walking for about 20 minutes when I began to realize that he wasn't going into any of the houses instead he made his way south until he reached the a13 he made his way over the motorway now choked with commuter traffic and headed down into what looked like a warehouse or industrial estate on River Road
  40.  
  41. I was becoming less and less convinced that this was a simple screwing around job which made me uneasy but it was still a long way from scaring me off besides I was curious so I followed Hector over the a13 and down river road I was going very slowly now as I was the only one walking down that road except for Hector if he turned around well idiot that he was I don't think even he could have failed to spot me
  42.  
  43. so I stayed close to the buildings and doctor behind them whenever I could I'll be the first to admit I'm not as fit as I was back when I was on the force but I was still quick enough to keep up with Hector's slow meandering pace after another five minutes he reached a warehouse with a for sale sign on it there was nothing else notable or distinctive about the place and the sign looked like he'd been up for years
  44.  
  45. I spotted a small hole in the decaying concrete wall that divided it from the adjacent lot and made for it through the hole I watched as Hector stopped and for the first time looked behind him when he saw nobody in nodded like he was congratulating himself on a job well done I almost laughed so hard I gave myself away
  46.  
  47. Hector checked his watch clearly waiting for someone and put down his briefcase it was only then I realized how odd it was that an IT tech would carry an old fashioned leather briefcase to work
  48.  
  49. still I didn't have much time to wonder about it before a red SUV pulled up and two white guys and track suits got out and started heading towards Hector I couldn't make out what they were saying but I was snapping pictures anyway
  50.  
  51. I had a pretty good idea as to what was going on and I was not at all surprised when they handed Hector a brown envelope obviously full of money in return he opened the briefcase to show a tight white brick before snapping it closed again and handing it over
  52.  
  53. I'd have plenty more pictures before slipping away unnoticed drugs complicated matters but not necessarily in a bad way theoretically pictures of the crime could get Nicola out of her doomed marriage just as quick as any sleazy snapshots and if I played my cards right I could even make a good bonus out of him myself in the form of some hush money
  54.  
  55. blackmail is an ugly word but it does pay the bills given how bad Hector was at spotting me it was only a matter of time before he was behind bars so I might as well get some use out of that sweet drug money before it was taken by the courts
  56.  
  57. I mean he took the briefcase to work for God's sake the trick was going to be making sure that Hector wasn't connected in a way that would make it's difficult from what I could see he was pretty low rung and expendable enough that a bit of blackmail wouldn't piss off any of the bigger fish trafficking what looked to be heroin
  58.  
  59. still drug dealers and their bosses can be unpredictable so I decided to keep watching the poor slob for a while to make sure I wasn't going to be stepping on the wrong toes so for the next week I watched Hector all day every day and I can confidently say that he was the worst drug mule I've ever come across
  60.  
  61. I knew some real screw-ups back in my police days but nothing that even came close to Hector Laredo I genuinely had no idea how he ended up working for these guys who I eventually pegged as Ukrainian mafia
  62.  
  63. I suppose he did look like the last person he'd suspect of running drugs but that was the only thing he had going for him in addition to being unbelievably oblivious he was also sloppy and forgetful I once watched him leave the suitcase drugs and all on his front porch for three hours in broad daylight before he remembered and came back for it
  64.  
  65. ironically I didn't actually see him lose the drugs I needed to use the bathroom in a coffee shop I'd followed him to and when I got out he'd moved on sometime in the two hours it took me to find him again he'd managed to put the suitcase down and forget it it was gone
  66.  
  67. I saw realization across his face as he began to panic this was bad news for both of us worse for him of course but it didn't mean that I wouldn't be making my bonus I followed him a while longer out of morbid curiosity and watched as he tried to explain himself to the Ukrainians
  68.  
  69. I expected anger of beating maybe even a murder right then and there but instead they just exchanged a look mumbled a few words to Hector and handed him a small slip of paper then they drove away
  70.  
  71. Hector looked at the paper typed something into his phone and threw it away as he walked off it was an address in Stockwell and instruction asked for Jarod
  72.  
  73. I didn't follow him that time I was pretty sure they'd just handed the poor idiot a death sentence
  74.  
  75. when Nicola called the next day to say Hector hadn't come home I was sure at this point I came clean to her about her husband's activities although I did lie about the timings to make it seem like I don't he just discovered about the drugs no need for her to know why it kept it to myself when I told her about the loss and the note she sat down clearly trying to process everything
  76.  
  77. she didn't seem particularly broken up over the fact that her husband was most likely dead something that was quickly confirmed she started moving on to talking about savings and life insurance
  78.  
  79. that's when I should have taken my payment and gone if I hadn't gone greedier to have my arm so I was all set to leave when Nicola asked me how long I thought it was going to be before they found a body
  80.  
  81. stupidly I said that if the Ukrainians were any good there probably wouldn't be a body to find at this Nicholas seemed to panic slightly asking a lot of questions about missing persons and being declared legally dead without a body which is a long drawn-out headache she clearly didn't want to wait and asked me to try and find some evidence that Hector was dead
  82.  
  83. I said no of course then she named a price that well let's just say Hector Laredos life insurance policy must have been a hell of a thing
  84.  
  85. even at the time I knew I was making the wrong decision but that much money... I said yes
  86.  
  87. so the next day I found myself in Stockwell the address listed on the note staring at a butcher's shop no name was written over the front but the display of chilled carcasses and slabs of meat and the window made it perfectly clear what it was
  88.  
  89. I started to wonder if the Ukrainian mafia was involved in some full-on Sweeney Todd body disposal but quickly remind him myself that even if and it was a big if they were killing in disposing of bodies there it didn't mean they were selling the meat to the public. that would be a massive and unnecessary risk and organized crime wasn't big on unnecessary risk
  90.  
  91. it was a sunny day and the smell of the hot tarmac mixed with the odor of raw meat that drifted from the door it had a closed sign displayed prominently despite the time of morning and there were no interior lights on
  92.  
  93. I couldn't see anything inside except the old poorly refrigerated meat hanging in the window dripping silently onto the trays below I reminded myself how much money was on the line and tried the handle
  94.  
  95. to my surprise it was unlocked I slipped inside the shadowed storefront before anyone spotted me the smell was rancid but not as strong as I had expected a quick glance around the place told me why aside from the window display the room was devoid of meat. in fact there didn't seem too much there at all aside from a refrigerated counter and drinks cooler both sat empty
  96.  
  97. I waited and listened prepares to bolt through the door at the slightest sound but it was quiet I gathered myself and made my way around the counter to open the door into the back
  98.  
  99. I was keeping an eye out for anything that might have given a hint as to Hector's fate as soon as I had proof I was gone
  100.  
  101. the door to the back opened with a puff of air like there was a change of pressure I noticed how thick the steel door was even the glass porthole of the top seemed a few inches it was only later I realized it must have been soundproofed
  102.  
  103. the room behind it was lit by several bright fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling and walls and much as I suspected looked closer to a morgue or an operating theater than a butcher's shop
  104.  
  105. despite the well kept and razor sharp tools hanging on a nearby rack there were several large lockers along one wall a steel chair in the corner and though there were no stainless steel drawers the tarpaulin covered shape that lay awkwardly on the central table was disconcertingly familiar I took a breath and pulled back the plastic sheet hector laredo lay there on the table
  106.  
  107. he was naked utterly still though he seemed to be in one piece his skin had the sickly pallor of a corpse I sighed relieved at this discovery which from my perspective was about the best result I could have hoped for
  108.  
  109. I spent a minute or two taking pictures funicular and headed back towards the door and that's when everything started to go horribly wrong
  110.  
  111. when I reached the doorway back into the shop front I took a second to glance through the window and I froze
  112.  
  113. in the entrance to the shop stood a huge hulking silhouette it reached to push it open I staggered back into the room looking for another way out there was only one other door apparently into the rest of the building but it was firmly locked and I didn't have time to try and get through
  114.  
  115. without any other options I covered Hector back over with the tarpaulin opened one of the lockers and squeezed myself inside
  116.  
  117. luckily for me they were large and didn't seem to have any shelves I stepped on something soft and looking down to a rough pile of clothes at my feet
  118.  
  119. I didn't have time to consider this before I saw the door begin to open I had to shut myself in I stood there in the dark trying not to make a sound as I heard heavy footfalls approach and the door to the room slammed shut from my position I could just about see out through the vents in the locker and I very much hope the huge guy now strapping on an apron could not see in
  120.  
  121. he was immense almost seven feet tall with thick limbs that look like they being bad be carved out of lumpy rock even his head was massive but there like everywhere his skin was on show it bothered slightly when he moved hard bumps forming and stretching his skin in odd places. was this the Jerrod mentioned in the note
  122.  
  123. he pulled back the tarpaulin covering Hector's body and cracked his knuckles I don't think I'll ever forget the sound of him doing that
  124.  
  125. then he reached into Hector no cutting no sauce he just reached in and I realized why the room was soundproofed because it turned out Hector wasn't dead
  126.  
  127. it was going to be a while before Jared got around to his lungs or throat Jared pulled out what appeared to be a handful of ribs he considered them for a few months before he began to twist them like warm putty making them into some sort of braid he considered his handiwork silently as Hector lay screaming on the table before he shook his head and walked towards my locker
  128.  
  129. for a terrible moment I was sure he was gonna wrench open the lock and pull me out but instead he grabbed a crowbar that had been resting against the wall leave it up one of the metal floor tiles from where I was standing I could see there was a hole underneath that seemed to disappear deep into the ground
  130.  
  131. there was something not right about that hole the texture of the walls was too smooth to be earth and it seemed to glisten wetly it was when I saw the teeth that studded the inside of the fleshy throat that I realized what I was looking at and I choked back a scream
  132.  
  133. Jared casually tossed the bones he had been twisting inside and they disappeared into the dark opening without a sound
  134.  
  135. and so it went on for four grueling hours after the first Hector wasn't conscious enough to scream anymore but Jared continued to bend and warp him occasionally pulling bits out and throwing them into the pit. once I even saw him take one of Hector's femurs and after twisting it into a corkscrew spiral he reached into his own torso and left it there with a sigh of contentment
  136.  
  137. at last Hector died and I almost wept with relief. Jared sighed in what sounded like disappointment and then wrecked the butcher tools from the wall it took in another half hour to fully dismembered the corpse tossing each piece into the pit when it was small enough and hosing the blood down into it
  138.  
  139. he removed his apron walked to the chair and sat down his movements were sluggish now uncoordinated almost like he was drunk
  140.  
  141. once in the chair his huge frame slumped forward and his eyes closed it looked like he was asleep I should have waited longer should have made sure he was fast asleep but I was close to breaking point at this stage and I could think of nothing but escape
  142.  
  143. I opened the locker and walked quickly silently over to the door and opened it as I did so the gentle sounds of the street at night filtered through from the shop front
  144.  
  145. compared to the grim silence of the butcher's workshop it was beautiful at least it was until an ambulance roared past siren blaring and full volume I heard a roar from behind me and turned to see Jared charging towards me
  146.  
  147. it was like a strange lumpy freight train bearing down on me I tried to close the door but I was too slow. just before it slammed shut he grabbed my arm and tried to pull me back.
  148.  
  149. there is no way to describe what it feels like to have bone pulled out of you through your unbroken skin. if you've ever been stabbed or had a decent sized object embedded in you maybe you can remember how it felt to have it removed but even then the pain is of a different quality. the nerves aren't being torn or cut they're being pushed aside like water imagine the feeling of removing a rubber glove from your hand but you're the glove not the hand and it hurts like the worst toothache you can imagine it that's as close as I can get to putting it into words
  150.  
  151. I slammed the door shut and ran into the street through the people still wandering Stockwell in the evening and away my now empty left arm hanging limply by my side I didn't stop running for a very long time
  152.  
  153. I guess in many ways it was a happy ending the photos combined with what the police found when they raided the butcher's shop were enough to declare Hector dead even without the body and I got my payday from Nicola Lorado
  154.  
  155. they never did find Jared though he was long gone when they arrived the doctors amputated the arm in the end and I'm getting used to the prosthetic but I can still feel it sometimes like it's still there
  156.  
  157. I know it's just phantom limb syndrome but sometimes I swear it feels like my bones still out there twisting in someone else's arm
  158.  
  159. statement ends
  160.  
  161. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume this butcher to be Jared Hopworth it seems that if mr. Eric oIA's account from statement nine nine nine ten oh six is accurate then hot with has found new ways to profit from his abilities in the eight years since his acquisition of the Boneturner's Tale
  162.  
  163. the book itself is conspicuously absent from this account though it may simply mean Hopworth no longer needs to keep it with him
  164.  
  165. no idea about the pit though that's new
  166.  
  167. its description puts me in mind of some of the more meaty statements but there isn't enough evidence to make any direct connections
  168.  
  169. mr. Pryor was unavailable for a follow-up interview as he emigrated to New Zealand in 2013 tene following a four year jail term for tax evasion he seems to have largely dropped off the map
  170.  
  171. Nicola Laredo confirmed the basic details of the job she had given to mr. prior although she was unaware of any of the more gruesome aspects of her husband's murder at least she was until Martin interviewed her I should warn Elias to expect another complaint
  172.  
  173. the police aspect of this statement has been the hardest to follow up Sasha has recently been having problems with her normal backdoor access to police records as despite I t's best efforts her computer has broken yet again making this the third time in the last two months
  174.  
  175. until we can source some more reliable equipment we may have to rely on other methods.
  176.  
  177. Basira has refused to compromise her position any further so we're having to rely on Tim's involvement with certain staff at the police records office apparently he has involved both with one of the young ladies there as well as the gentleman who manages the other shift
  178.  
  179. this is useful for acquiring information but I am uncomfortable with how easily discovered this arrangement might be the last thing I want is for the archives to become involved in pointless personal drama
  180.  
  181. still he has managed to get copies of the appropriate files the police did raid the butcher shop following mr. price report but found no one there it had apparently been abandoned shortly before they found articles of clothing belonging to roughly 14 people five of whom could be tied to active missing persons cases
  182.  
  183. they did tear up the floor in the end but rather than any sort of pit they found the body of one Harry Gough the registered owner of the business he had apparently been dead for six months
  184.  
  185. Jared Hopworth remains at large
  186.  
  187. End recording.
  188.  
  189.  
  190. supplemental.
  191.  
  192. Elias Bouchard is a difficult man to pin down certainly since he became head of the Institute in 1996 taking over from James Wright who round the place from 73 until he passed away
  193.  
  194. it was a remarkably fast climb to the top as from what i can find it looks like he only joined the Institute five years before in 1991 working in the artifact storage
  195.  
  196. perhaps he was simply that impressive. certainly the Elias I know now is almost unmatched in terms of paranormal knowledge well theoretical knowledge at least and yet everything I found out about his life before the Institute seems an ill fit with the austere man I know
  197.  
  198. he apparently graduated with a third from Christchurch college in PPE and I found an old gossip column in the student newspaper that sure well that mentioned him if I'm not reading too much into it the implication seems to be that he was something of a pothead
  199.  
  200. was he like that when he first came to work here the difficulty comes from the fact that the only person in the Institute who worked here before he took over was Gertrude did he kill her because she knew something about his past? and if so how can I prove it?
  201.  
  202. end supplemental
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