'Is there no CCTV in the area?' ' Asked the lady.
'I'm afraid there aren't any,' a police officer said.
'All right, we'll transport the body to the xxx Hospital for an autopsy,' the woman said.
'I understand, ma'am.'
'Are you the new transfer here? 'Inspector Carreon asked the woman.
'Yes, I am, my name is Jennifer, and I believe you seem to be Inspector David Carreon, am I correct?'
'I see you're well-informed.'
'We'll do the introductions later,' Jennifer replied before asking the police to patrol the area for additional eyewitnesses.
[At the xxx Hospital]
The stench inside the autopsy room is unfathomable, and it clings to your clothes and hair long after you've left. The smell of blood, feces and rotten flesh produces a distinct, sickly-sweet odor that is instantly recognizable and difficult to forget.
'Are you all right? ' Inspector Carreon asked SPO II de Leon.
'I don't think so; I'm going to puke here at any time.'
'You have to get used to it; it's not like it's your first time here.'
'I understand, I understand.'
'So, what do we have? '
'There are no defense wounds or external injuries, so doing an autopsy on an almost rotten body is difficult,' said the coroner.
The coroner is an attractive young man with wavy hair and slanted eyes hidden behind eyeglasses.
'However, can we find out what caused it?' '
'Yes, it's a heart attack, but something bothers me.'
'What is it?'
'I found this.'
The coroner presented a photograph of the body.
'Does it have an injection mark?'
'Yes, I'm still testing to figure out what it's for.'
'Thank you; are there any other marks?'
'No, there isn't; this is the only mark on the chest.' Oh, I almost forgot! Look closely; can you see a distinct mark on his back? '
'Yes, it appears to be a crescent moon, a birthmark, I suppose.'
'That's right, I've never seen anything like it before.'
'I hope this will help us figure out who he is.'
'Yeah, his family must be looking for him.'
'Just give me a call when you find something new, Dr. Lim.'
'And who is that woman?' Dr. Lim points to Jennifer.
'Oh, she's our new Senior Inspector,' says the officer.
'Nice to meet you, ma'am. My name is Dr. Lim, but you can call me Paul.'
'I've heard good things about you. By the way, my name is Jennifer Ramirez, and you do an excellent job for your age.
'Thank you for the compliment.'
'Well, we'll see you around sometime,' Inspector Carreon says as he waves goodbye to Paul.
'I'm hoping not for a dead body.' They both laughed, and SPO II de Leon simply smiled. Jennifer was quite disturbed by their reactions.
'Ehemm, So, how long have you been in the country?' 'Inspector Carreon asked Jennifer as they drove through the congested streets.
'Three months'
'Are you a half-American?
'
'No, I'm not.'
'At such a young age, you must be extremely intelligent and talented. I've been a cop for a long time, but it took me a while to get here.'
'Yes, and you're pretty, too, hehehehe,' SPO II de Leon interjected.
'I'm just a hard worker,' Jennifer replied.
'You're humble as well, I see,' Inspector Carreon said softly.
'Oh, you can call me Nate if you want,' said SPO II de Leon cheerfully. 'And you can call him David.'
Jennifer simply nodded and looked at them.
'You can drop me off here,' Jennifer said.
'Is here where you stay?'
'Yes, it's there,' she says, pointing to a high-rise condominium.
'Alright, take care.'
'I appreciate the ride.'
'No worries.'
'She's a beauty, intelligent, and well-off,' Nate remarked.
'She's from the United States, anyway.'
'And she'll be on our team from now on, which will be exciting.' Hahahaha! Nate laughed, but David just shrugged.
Nate's phone rings, breaking the silence inside the car.
'Sir, it's for you; the Chairman from the xxx village has something to say.'
David answered the phone.
'Yes, how can we help?
'
David has pulled over to the side of the road as he listens intently to the man on the other end of the phone.
'What! Do you have a photograph of the crime scene? We'll be right there; just wait for us.'
David drove as fast as he could to meet this informant.
'How come you didn't say so you have what we need?'
'I'm very sorry for this inconvenience, Sir. You see, I'm keeping this secret from the neighborhood. Some used to dump garbage at that abandoned house, but I want to keep that place clean. I always tell them to stop, but people are hard to talk to even if there is already an ordinance. That's why I installed this hidden camera to catch those stubborn folks. If I told you about this sooner, word would spread, and they would be furious. I apologize for calling you this late evening.'
'It's ok; it looks like you really cherish that place.' David asked curiously.
'Yes, Sir. The owner of that house is a well-respected family. The parents died in a massive fire 15 years ago, leaving their only child, a boy, alone. That cheerful boy would pay me a visit when his parents were not home. He has a distinct birthmark on his back that I will never forget, even though I have forgotten what he looks like hehehe, I'm quite old, you know. His relatives took him when his parents died, and I haven't seen him since he went missing ten years ago.'
'This birthmark, you say, what does it look like? '
'It appears to be a crescent moon.'
David paused for a moment, deep in thought.
'Where is the video?
'Here'
Nate put the video on a computer and carefully watched it with the two. The four men in the video are wearing masks and caps.
'We can't see their faces,' says Nate.
'They are professionals.' Here! Look at this one's hand,' Nate says in the video, pointing to the hand of a stout man.
'It's a tattoo,' she says. Where could I have seen something like this before? Can we have a copy of this video? 'David inquired of the chairman.
'Sure,' he says.
'Thank you very much for your help.'
'No, it's my pleasure; I hope you catch these men and identify the victim; his family would undoubtedly be terrified.'
'We'll do it; justice will be served.'
'Well, goodnight, mister,' Nate said, his eyes sleepy.
'Goodnight'
The two officers left and drove away.
'How did Jennifer know there were accomplices?'
' David is concerned about the status of the case.
'Yeah, she mentioned being "them" earlier; we'll find out tomorrow.'
'And, thankfully, we now have some leads. I'm hoping this case will be resolved soon.'