" There has been a murder and we need to head there now." Officer Liam informs me the moment he pushes the door to my office open. I say nothing as I pick up my phone and car key then head out with him.
The ride there is a silent one as I drive into Mr. Daniel's mansion and turn off the ignition, the whole place filled with my team.
" This is terrible Officer." Detective Jane say loudly, her eyes on the pale white body.
I step closer to see him laying still there, in his cold thick pool of blood. My eyes follow every bit of his body carefully.
" Who do you think could do this to him?." I ask curiously, hoping I would get an answer.
" I have no idea Sir but I know this is unlike the last." Detective Jane say and raise her eyes to meet me.
" What do you mean?." I question curiously and watch her point at his stomach.
" Look!." She says and my eyes follow her long slender fingers covered well in the gloves.
My eyes land on the inscription, the writing on his big belly.
" What does that say?." I ask.
" M-O-O-D!." She calls out as she tilts her head to make out the words.
I chuckle softly.
" That makes no sense. Which killer would leave such message behind?." I wonder and tilt my head too. Suddenly it clicks. " Unless of course, it's written upside down." I say and call the letters in my head.
" DOOM!." Detective Jane exclaims.
" Yea, that makes better sense." I reply.
" But this is no clue." She replies and sigh.
" Yea. There need to be something of help nearby, let's just keep searching." I respond and step away from her to inspect the house myself.
" Did you get anything?." Liam asks the minute I get outside.
" Nope. Nothing except some pathetic words from a pathetic killer." I say and sigh. This is the third body we will discover with sayings on them, words and letters that didn't make much use. " You got anything?." I ask too.
" Nay. Nothing at all. Seems like the work of a skilled pathetic killer." He replies.
" Maybe. Let's head back to the office." I add and we head back to the car, leaving the work to the team now.
The office is busy as usual especially when an important figure dies. I get a summoning call into the office of the DCP ( Deputy Commissioner of Police) and head there, pushing the door open and stepping in.
" Yes! Yes Sir. We will definitely see to that." I hear him say into the phone before putting it down to look my way.
" Sit!." He commands and I obey hastily. " The family of Daniel Marshal demands an explanation, a solution, an evidence, a suspect, a criminal, anything at all to get them off my strained neck." He say and my eyes fall on his neck, so full with its flesh folding on one another. It looks anything but strained.
" I will get to the root of it Sir." I say and hear him sigh.
" You are one of my best officers, Tony. I look up to you to solve this, okay?." He says, his eyes glued to mine in what look like a plea.
" Definitely sir." I respond without much talk and watch him wave me off.
I run my fingers through my Brown thick hair as I stare at the pictures on the board in front of me, trying to make a sense out of it all. The pictures of the pale bodies of the victims slit and cut open staring directly at me, begging for help.
I hear a soft knock on the door and push the board around to show the blank side.
" Come in." I scream out and hear the door open, my eyes still glued to the files of all the dead ones. " Any lead on the case?." I say as the footsteps getting nearer.
" You forgot your drugs and meal too." A soft feminine voice say, causing me to look up at the slender beautiful female standing in front of me, dressed in Blue jean and an hoodie, a basket in her right hand. Her Golden hair packed in a rough bun.
She looks just like her late mother.
I had thought it was Liam maybe.
" You didn't have to come drop it." I say, already feeling like a burden to her for always letting her worry too much.
" Mom would have want me to." Cecelia responds and settles in the chair in front of me, dishing my meal out.
" You don't have to. I will just take it when I am done. You just get to work." I plead.
" No Dad. I want to watch you eat and use them." She responds and places the plate of marshed rice and meat soup in front of me.
I know deep down that I can't refuse so I just push the files aside and pick up the spoon to scoop up some and let them into my mouth.
" So what case are you working on?." She ask curiously, the same curiosity her mother once had.
" For a Twenty One years old, you do seem so interested in my job. Sometimes I wonder if you are here for me or the cases." I tease and munch on another delicious scoop.
She chuckles softly.
" Come on Dad. It's not that bad, I just want to help." She replies shyly and a smile fix on her lips.
" Help!." I scoff. " Don't worry Princess. I have a whole team willing to do that." I add and return the smile.
" Okay Dad. If you say so." She replies, a sign of her giving up. She pulls out the drugs and a bottle of water, watching me gulp it down.
" Good. I can leave now." She says and cleans up, placing the plates back into the basket after getting up. " Bye Dad. See you home tonight." She adds sweetly before walking out of the room.
Cecelia reminds me a whole lot of my first love, the woman I had fallen in love with at first sight. Amanda was a calm and easy going girl, who put everything at risk just to be with him. Refusing to heed to her parents and going ahead to marry him even when they threatened her with disowning her. The only woman that ever treated me right is now laying in the Nork cemetery about thirty minutes from here and it's all my fault. In the end, her family was right, I really am the cause of her death.
Maybe I should never have let her love me. Maybe I should never have…..
Grrrrr!.
The phone rings loud, snapping back to the reality of the four brick walls. Without much thought, I pick it up and place it on my left ear.
" You should see this Sir." Detective Jane says.