Carlos' residence
4:49 a.m.
"Sis?"
"...."
"Sis?!"
Nirvana's voice broke her out of her reverie. Nova immediately turned to the younger sister who had been calling her earlier. She smiled, "Why?" At the same time, she straightened her pink hair. While she braided her hair, the little girl scowled. "You've been stunned before. What are you thinking?"
Nirvana can be a bit bitchy sometimes --- mana sa ate, of course.
'I've been thinking about what I would do if my ex was Heartless Killer', but he couldn't say that to his brother. First, Nirvana did not meet Lelouch. Second, it would just get too awkward. Nova just sighed and looked at her sister in its reflection in the mirror. "I'm just thinking about work. 'Don't worry.'
The child frowned even more. "Maybe you already have a boyfriend, sister? Ayieeee!"
Nova laughed. In the case she is handling, does she still have time in love life? "Not gonna happen. All right, have breakfast there. I'll be right next."
Nirvana bounced off her fluffy pink bed and ran out of her room. Nova just smiled at her sister. Just as he was about to stand up, his cellphone suddenly rang. The female detective frowned upon seeing Inspector Ortega's name on the screen.
'HK seems to be paying attention again.'
*
"Thami Esteban, 26. She works at a fast food chain near town. Her live-in partner reported her missing a couple of days ago. She has not returned since Thami went to the gym."
Nico listened to Chief Inspector Placido Ortega's rants while examining the body. Police lines have surrounded the dirty alley where the woman's body was found recently. 'Interesting,' Nico thought as he admired the work of the Heartless Killer.
The victim was stabbed several times until it was almost impossible to recognize its appearance. It's really good to see his ID. A handbag was near the crime scene, so it was safe to say that it was hers. "Too damn bloody. Our killer seems to be obsessed with blood." Blood splattered everywhere, oozing out of her wounds. Like the previous victims, a large raven on his chest caught their attention.
No more heart.
Nico then averted his eyes towards her feet. There were traces of liver mortis on his feet. "She looks like she died while hanging somewhere. Her blood dripped from her legs, an indication that she was hanging from the ceiling for a while."
Nico stood up and scanned the area. His eyes narrowed upon seeing an abandoned warehouse nearby. "Chief, try to find evidence inside that warehouse."
Inspector Ortega frowned, "You think that's where he was killed?"
Nico nodded, "Most likely. From here, I can see a scratch on the door padlock of the old warehouse. A sign of forced entry."
"Tsk. Maybe he was killed somewhere else and just thrown here? That's what other killers do."
Detective Nico Yukishito smirked, "The Heartless Killer is different. That's exactly what he expects us to think. But since he's obviously mocking the authorities, he won't be cliché."
Eventually Inspector Ortega did nothing and immediately gathered his staff to inspect the abandoned warehouse. He saw to one side the witness, a nurse who had just come home from nightshift, as she was talking to a police officer.
'Interrogation.'
Nico was glad he didn't need to endure that boring task.
"She has almost no fingers on her hand. From the looks of it, it seems that HK melted her fingers in muriatic acid."
Nico didn't have to look back at the voice. He already knew who had suddenly stood beside him while examining the corpse of the poor girl.
"Indeed. Do you want to know my theory, Ms. Briannova Carlos?"
Nova glared, "Even if I don't ask, you'll still gossip. So quit beating around the bush, Nico"
Detective Nicodemus Yukishito smirked and glanced at the bloody woman again, "Based on his previous crimes, Heartless Killer always has a reason for the things he does. He's a smart and cunning man, who is particular with even the smallest details."
"Then why did he dissolve Thami Esteban's fingers in muriatic acid?"
"This is where my theory comes in. We know Heartless Killer as a demon who doesn't leave any evidence. If he melted Thami's fingers, it just means' non he erased important evidence that could have helped the case." His DNA. Thami Esteban most likely scratched his face, leaving skin particles under her fingernails. Heartless Killer knew we could be lead, so he immediately dissolved the victim's fingers in muriatic acid ... leaving no trace of DNA behind. "
'That bastard.' Heartless Killer is even smarter than Nico thought. In any crime, the DNA that gets under the nails is of great help in case the victim scratches the suspect. Especially when it is injured by scratching.
Nico glanced at Nova, who fell into silence. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes drifted off to nowhere. I was stunned and seemed to be deep in thought. Then, she spoke ...
"Lelouch had a wound on his face when we talked yesterday."
---
Nico turned to Nova. His full attention now hers. His forehead furrowed at what was heard. "So, you're telling me, that that stupid and incompetent attorney has a wound on his face yesterday?" The girl frowned at the adjectives she used, "Yes."
"And, damn Sherlock, you didn't even tell me about it yesterday ?!"
"I didn't think it was a big deal! It was just a wound. I didn't know it was possible to be the lead in a serial killing."
Nico just frowned, clearly frustrated. His head is running wild with theories and information. One possible evidence, but it's still not enough. He was still not sure. The results from that dried blood stain will tie things up --- whether Atty. Lelouch San Andres is the serial killer or not.
He turned over Thami Esteban's corpse again. "If my suspicion is correct, Heartless Killer has a strong motive for doing this. It's foolish to believe that he's doing this just for fun. I can sense a deeper meaning behind all of this."
Nova silently averted her eyes. Until now he was still not used to seeing corpses, let alone, a one this bloody. If anyone is the demon behind these killings, he is sure to block his intestines. 'This is immoral, to the highest degree.' "What's your criminal profile?"
Nico was busy looking at the corpse. He was crouched down beside the corpse when he answered, "The Heartless Killer is obviously a man. Well-educated and smart. He knows a lot about crimes and he's particular about small things. He acted carefully, and definitely planned He has it all. From his style of killing, it seems that he likes to organize things. "
Criminal profile is the name given to what investigators do whenever a crime occurs. Based on the method of murder, type of victim, crime scene, and other "factors", they can predict what the characteristics and personality of the suspect himself will be. Guessing the description of the suspect using the small clues he left behind. This is a big help to the authorities so that they know who or what kind of person they are looking for.
This time, it was Nova's turn to frown, "Organize things? How did you say that? Her way of killing is too brutal, bloody, and chaotic. Where's the order in that?"
Nico smirked, stood up and pointed towards the body. "Look closely. The victims are in only one position. Decubito dorsal. Their bodies laid on their backs. Notice how Thami's hands are folded ontop of her stomach? Covaline and Mrs. Javier were in the same position when they first saw them." Nico examined the corpse. He could not be wrong. The three victims had only one position. Whether the Heartless Killer has a twisted taste in death positions, or he is an organized man who loves to keep things in order.
'I have my bets on the latter option,' he thought.
Nova took a deep breath, seeming to understand what she was saying. "N-Now I just noticed. The positions do have similarities."
"Thus, the masterpiece of the Heartless Killer of Eastwood! Not only did he get the attention of the cops, but also my respect as a detective." Nico said softly before walking away.
"Where are you going?"
"Since the dead hasn't left us any dying message, we'll just have to settle with the witness." He said without looking back as he approached the nurse's position who was still trembling with fear.
Nova glared at him, "He's going crazy. Tsk! But I don't trust him with the interviews. Not one bit." And he immediately followed Nico. It's hard and maybe the "best" detective in Eastwood will be annoyed again. Especially since it doesn't seem to be sleeping well yet.
*
Nico walked towards the nurse, brushing past several ECU personnel. 'They're late again. Tsk. I'm surprised they still have a salary! ' He took a deep breath and approached the girl. Her eyes darted towards him, but it also immediately averted its gaze. "I've been interviewed by the police before," he said softly.
Nico nodded, fished his wallet and showed his badge. "Detective Nico Yukishito of DEATH. I'm handling this case, and I need your cooperation, miss ...?"
"Minnesota Gervacio," the nurse replied and frowned at the young man, "I told you, the police interviewed me before. I-I don't want to worry about the details again."
"I don't trust the police, especially their guillible newbies." At the same time, Nico turned to the newcomer who had talked to Minnesota earlier. It even dropped some notes while joking with the comrades. The detective just sighed, "Just repeat whatever you narrated earlier. Did you notice a suspicious person wandering around earlier when you found the body?"
Minnesota shook her head, fear in her eyes, "W-Nothing. Like I told HELP, I was on my way home from the hospital earlier when I passed by here. I noticed the smell of decaying meat, so I peeked into that alley. Then, I found her. " He hesitantly glanced at Thami Esteban's corpse. Minnesota is just closing in and looks about to get angry. "What's going on?"
Nova's voice answered from behind Nico, "There's a serial killer here in Eastwood. The demon goes by the name 'Heartless Killer'. As you can see, he likes taking his victims' hearts." Nico ignored him when the detective stepped aside from him. Nova's expression was also serious, but she still managed to smile at Minnesota.
"Don't worry, we'll catch him. By the way, I'm Detective Brian Carlos from SHADOW." And he shook hands with it.
Min was silent for a few moments before he broke the silence, "Why her? You said a serial killer kills. Does he choose any victims?"
Two detectives heard apprehension in the girl's voice. They couldn't blame her. Anyone, however, would be afraid of such incidents. Nico sighed, "We have a guess that he's targeting women who commit infidelity. Women who cheat and cheat in their relationships. But we still need to verify things first."
Minnesota's eyes widened at what was heard. He suddenly remembered the friend. 'Shit, Fe! He might even be called 'the killer!' Minnesota tried to calm herself. What are the odds of Feralda being the next victim? He was about to tell the two detectives when the voice of an Eastwood Crime Unit member rang.
His voice was anxious and terrified, "We saw something here. It was stuck inside the victim's chest cavity ---"
A loud and shocking explosion cut off what he was about to say --- and his arm. Chaos arised in the form of an explosion, smoke, and blood.
---