Third Person POV
"On the morning of November 20th, the deceased body of a suspected 20 years old woman was found dead between the alleyway of two abandoned buildings in Mission Creek, District 3. The gruesome discovery was made by an elderly couple on their way to the local supermarket. What was meant to be a peaceful trip to buy groceries has turned into a nightmare. The local police are on the scene and making all efforts to find the cause of death for this unidentified young woman who was brutally murdered and left to die. Who is this woman? And what could have caused her early demise? This is Amanda Hollins of the Daily News and we will be following closely with this investigation and giving you the viewers regular updates." The news reporter said to the cameraman as the crowd of curious villagers flocked to the scene. The gasps of horror were drowned out by the blaring sounds of sirens. The villagers frantically pushing and tugging at each other as the officers tried to keep them at bay. Death was a normal occurrence in this District. Yet they hurried to the scene each time praying it was not their loved ones.
At the officers' refusal to let them through only a few stayed behind. Some with genuine concern for the family of the dead woman in front them while others with ill intentions wait for the opportunity to take any belongings left on the deceased. The reporters leaving to interview possible eyewitnesses for their next headline.
With the reporters gone the remaining swindlers took what they could get their hands on. Picking pockets and eyeing the small jewels on the dead woman's ripped clothing. The thought of stealing from a corpse did not repulse them. Their minds were clouded by their greed.
Taking a moment to examine his surroundings the head detective of the District made his presence known. Making his way to the woman hunched over the dead body while trying not to step onto anything that could be evidence. The metallic scent of blood and decaying flesh was nauseating. His eyes scanning the disfigured reminds of what he assumed was a high-ranking woman beaten and tortured to death. His mind going over every detail he heard on his way there trying to piece together the information. But nothing made sense.
What could she have done to deserve this kind of death? He thought to himself as the forensic team maneuvered their way around the bags of garbage to collect all possible evidence.
Unable to ignore the unpleasant smell surrounding him anymore he scrunched up his nose in disgust. Taking out a handkerchief from his pocket and covering his nose as he tried to block out the awful smell. This was the first time the sight of a murder victim had bothered him. It was almost unnerving to see how cruel humans could be to each other.
Ignoring his discomfort he asked the specialist before him the question he asked at every crime scene. "What was the cause of death?" The hunched-over figure stood from her spot. Dusting away the specks of dust clinging to her uniform. Turning around to face the detective she fixed the spectacles resting at the bridge of her nose. Her hair was a ruffled mess on top of her head making her look like she had run out of her house without brushing it. Her dark brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.
The detective raised his brow in question. He could never understand her fascination with the dead. "Well, wouldn't you like to know Detective Adams?" She asked in mock innocent as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. Smiling widely at him. Her child like behavior was never amusing in situations such as these.
"Ms. Kennedy this is not the time for silly jokes. Give me a brief report on what you have found." Detective Adams impatiently said. He needed her to confirm his suspicions. Whether he was right or wrong would be determined by what she said. If the dead woman was indeed the daughter of a wealthy family then there was no time to waste in solving her murder. He would have to send a report to the king informing him of the situation before the matter gets worse.
Ms. Kennedy raised her hands in defense. Her team had collected all the evidence and had began to make preparations to have the body removed from the site.
"Even if I wanted to give you the details I wouldn't be able to say for sure which of these injures was the fatal blow. The body will need to be properly examined back at the lab before I can give a formal report since she has multiple stab wounds on her stomach and behind her legs, blunt force trauma to the head as well as other injuries littering her body. And any one of these could have been the cause of her death. Although I would have to say that the killer was quite clever to leave her in a dirty alleyway where little evidence would be found."
"What do you mean little evidence would be found? Are you saying that there are no leads to finding the killer?"
"Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying that you won't be able to find anything. But for now, we have little to no crucial evidence that can give you a clue as to what happened. So, until you have a suspect in mind I would say the most important thing now is finding out the identity of our mystery woman as soon as possible. " Ms. Kennedy said as she fixed her spectacles once more.
"Despite the lack of evidence what do you think happened? Could this have been a possible case of a kidnapping gone wrong?" Detective Adams questioned with brows furrowed in concentration.
A kidnapping case was the most likely scenario when it came to the death of young women in the District. Especially the disappearance of young women from promising families. So It made sense that a young girl from a wealthy was kidnapped and held as a hostage to force her family into paying a hefty price for her return. If the family refused to pay then the kidnappers would torture her using cruel methods to threaten them into getting what they want. If her family continued to refuse then her kidnappers must have seen her as useless and killed her. Then disposing the body in an alley with the least amount of persons passing by. It was by coincidence that the elderly couple had found the dead woman. If not them then her body would have been found much later by someone else when there would be no chances of solving the case. Yet there was still a piece of the puzzle that made no sense.
"Why kill her and leave her in an abandoned alleyway? Why not bury the body. Why take the risk of raising suspicion or getting caught. It makes no sense." The detective mumbled under his breath. Dr. Kennedy smiled at the detective's thinking. He was correct.
No sane killer would leave their victim in the open to be easily discovered. For a murder on this scale, the killer would have properly disposed of the body without leaving a trace behind. Unless they wanted her to be found. To send a warning to the victim's family. A message that only that person would know. Using an innocent life in their twisted games of what Ms. Kennedy could only assume was revenge.
"You're right detective. This is no ordinary kidnapping case. If it was then there would be no need to go to the extent that they went through to torture her. And If the lower class nobles in this District were the target then giving her a simple death would have been best. Besides no killing in this District has ever been this violent. It's as if she had something they wanted but she refused to give it up. Which led to her unfortunate death. And If my assumptions are correct and she is of noble blood as I'm sure you must have noticed by the remains of her attire. Then she must be from the capital or District 2 since the number of nobles living here is small."
"Even if that is true what would a high-ranking woman be doing a run-down District like this?" Detective Adams asked as he thought of Ms. Kennedy's words. Her ability to think of the impossible and solving mysteries was remarkable. It made him wonder why she would prefer to behold up in a lab with dead bodies when she could be an asset to the force.
"Why she is here? I won't be able to say. Maybe she was brought here after she was taken from her home or she was visiting one of the noble families here. There is no way to know at the moment. " She said as shrugged her shoulders.
"What I do know is that this woman was not killed here. The small pool of blood surrounding her body is an indication that she might have been placed here after she was attacked somewhere else. The decaying process has also begun which means that she was here for quite some time before she was found. If the killer had indeed attacked her here then she would bled more than what we're seeing and someone would have heard her screams for help. Given that she had the strength to scream or fight back. My theory is that she was tortured at a different location and her body was left here when she was weak and at death's door. But like I said there is no way to know for sure unless you find an eye witness to the crime or the person who killed her."
Releasing a frustrated breath Detective Adams replied as Ms. Kennedy's team returned to the alley holding a stretcher. "Thank you for your help, Ms. Kennedy. I'll have my team further investigate this matter. And I will be expecting your report as soon as you're done examining the body."
As they placed the body onto the stretcher she remembered one thing she had forgotten to mention. Grabbing a stick off the ground she moved a piece of clothing away revealing a family crest tattooed onto the victim's arm. "Detective one moment before you leave there is something you need to see. It may help you find the family of this woman. Do you have an idea whose family crest this is?"
Turning around to see what she had found his eyes slightly widened in shock. Staring back at him was crest of the family known as the royal family's watch dog for generations. The cursive letter N in the center of a shield as vines with thorns twisted around it's frame. A beautiful yet dangerous design for a family tasked with being a shield. Protecting and guiding the kings and Queens of the past.
Tilting her head to the side Ms. Kennedy watched as the color drained from the detectives face as the reality of the situation sunk in. Clenching his hands into fists at his side as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Her knowledge of the current nobles was almost nonexistent. If not for her interest in only the dead she may have known just how quickly one little family crest had made things worse.
"You could say the Royal family is missing a pup." He vaguely replied. His voice void of emotions. Trying his best to conceal the sudden fear coursing through his body. Without another word he turned around and left the crime scene. His nails breaking the surface of his skin as he squeezed his fist tighter. A small drop of blood gliding its way down his palm. One thought crossing his mind as he left.
What is this girl's connection to the Northwest family?