Eastwood
10:05 p.m.
As darkness fell, an eerie silence prevailed throughout the area. Despite this, Thami Esteban could still hear the drop of his blood on the floor. Blood drops, carelessly splattered on the floor of the abandoned warehouse. He had long since stopped shouting. He had long since stopped asking for help.
The tears on her cheeks had also dried for a long time.
Deep breathing. He no longer cared about the bloating of his stomach. Food is the least of her priorities now. It's hard to think of anything else when your life is in danger.
He forced himself to calm down. Her arms are almost giving up. Earlier, Thami swore she heard a crack in her joint.
She was hanging from the ceiling of the warehouse, arms tied up in chains above her. He had been in his position for more than a day, and the large wound in his chest.
'How can I escape here?'
He was losing hope. He was unable to remove the cloth covering his mouth, almost sinking into his skin with the tightness of its binding.
'A demon on earth ...' his mind whispered as he remembered the look of the man who had done this to him. Its eyes were lifeless, and he was mercilessly dragged into it.
Thami has heard rumors from her boyfriend --- her real boyfriend --- before. It said there was a serial killer in Eastwood. Known as the "Heartless Killer" who kills women. At first, Thami refused to believe.
But now, here she is ... witnessing the nightmare herself.
"Sorry I kept you waiting, Miss Thami. I'm surprised you're still alive with all that blood loss."
Thami's eyes widened at the familiar voice. Fear and trepidation enveloped his heart again. He looked up when he heard the footsteps of the shoes. Approaching him.
He didn't like what it was carrying.
'Shit!' With his remaining strength, he tried to struggle with binding her. Her attempted screams were muffled by the dirty cloth. He is weakening and running out of air in his body.
The man laughed. A deep and uplifting laugh.
'He has the face of an angel, but the soul of the devil.'
Who would have thought that this man could kill a man?
"I'd rather do it when you're dead, but it's also fun to remove your heart while you're still breathing."
That evil glint in his eyes. He took a table in a corner and rearranged some utensils there. The man was weakly depreciated and rearranged. 'He seems to be obsessed with organizing.' Later, the Heartless Killer turned on him again and aimed a knife at him.
The knife had dried blood on it.
She cried when the blade cut through her flesh.
"Everything is going just as planned. A few days from now, I will be able to take revenge on him." The man laughed demonically and drove the blade in. Thami felt like she was about to faint.
And he stabbed her.
Again, and again ... and again.
---
W E D N E S D A Y
---
February 27, 2019
Eastwood
4:45 a.m.
Minnesota Gervacio's night shift ended earlier. She yawned and stretched her arms, a diet soda in one hand. 'Why was there an emergency earlier? 'I didn't go home right away!' She knew it was bad for her health to drink softdrinks on an empty stomach, but could you really blame her? She's been struggling with her graveyard shift lately and she needs something to wake her up.
"Fe is still fine, wide awake," he said bitterly remembering what his friend was asking. If yesterday he suspected that his best friend was flirting with someone else, now Min is sure that Feralda is flirting again.
"Thank him Renzo didn't steal his cellphone. Tsk!" Min yawned again and walked down an alley. He didn't want to go through here, but this place was the closest to the boat.
The nurse was about to text her mother when she smelled something rotten.
"Spicy ... Like rotting meat?" He stopped opposite the dirty alley. The moment she spotted what caused that foul stench, she immediately let go of her cellphone.
Even her soda can landed on the floor, the beverage spilled on the dirty pavement.
Next up was the shout of Minnesota.
---
DEATH's headquarters, Eastwood
5:00 a.m.
"Nicodemus, it might take me a while to match the victims' DNA to the DNA of the blood sample you got. Dried blood stains are a little more complicated, and the polo shirt you brought me doesn't have enough."
Scorpio's voice drifted from the other end of the line. Nico just sighed as he leaned back in his seat. The expensive leather did nothing to ease his impatience, "When will I know the results, Scorpio?" He asked the forensic scientist. Frankly, the young detective has more faith in the old man than he has faith in advanced forensic technology.
"Probably by tonight. I even got my assistant the DNA prints of Covaline and Mrs. Javier."
"Tonight? That's far too long for my standards."
The old man laughed softly, "Then come and play jackstone with me again, Nicodemus. Let's see if you can beat me."
Nico smiled. He could almost imagine the old man sitting in a chair next to several corpses. The teeth they use on the jackstone, and the rubber ball with the scorpion design, are scattered again. He was tempted to step up to the challenge but, "Maybe some other time. I still need to take care of something here in the office."
"I'll just call you later, Nicodemus."
"Don't call me that."
"Aye. Good luck with the paperwork."
And Scorpio's voice disappeared along with the teasing in its tone. 'He knows me well.' The young man frowned and threw the cellphone in the nearby trash can. It was a perfect shot. He yawned and turned the hell on his desk.
There are still a lot of reports that he needs to take care of.
"What in the name of Sherlock ?! Seems inexhaustible!" To think that he stayed up all night to finish it! But his activities seem to have no end.
After a while, he tried to turn DEATH's calling cards into a house of cards. This agency has heaps of it, lying around everywhere. 'I don't see the point in using calling cards when people barges in on a daily basis!' Stupid business. Nico really can't understand the meaning of it!
"I hope a case comes up."
As if on cue, his ringtone broke the silence. He quickly scraped the trash and answered the call. When Inspector Placido Ortega's voice rang out, he immediately guessed what he was going to say before the HELP chief could even speak.
"The Heartless Killer killed someone again."
Isn't there even a "good morning"? Nico sighed and started walking out of his office. "Just text me the address, chief. I'll be there faster than you can shave your mustache." And he made his way to the elevator.
Nico yawned and weakly prayed that there would be a coffee shop nearby at the crime scene. Nonetheless, he was expecting it. He expects the Heartless Killer to move again as they turn around. Such kinds of individuals themselves are dangerous.
'Typical moves for a typical serial killer.'
Nico smirked, "If he wants to play hide and seek, then so be it."