The pool had been drained, and a section in the center of its bottom dug up. But the digging halted after just two meters. The workers paused and then someone informed Luke Prescott.
"Sir, you have to see this yourself." The foreman, a hefty man who wobbled when he walked, wore a grave expression. He found the listless Luke Prescott in the living room, "You'd better come."
At the mention, Luke Prescott immediately sat up, as if pricked by a needle. He asked the foreman, "Of course... What happened?" He then followed the man outside, whispering a silent prayer - "God help us."
In the center of the pool, a pit had been excavated, and inside was a body. A corpse that hadn't decomposed, its face sunk in, muscles withered, eyes just two dark pits exuding an eerie chill that gave Mr. Prescott the shivers. The corpse was like a mummy. Its clothes were tattered, barely discernible as a red dress. Yet, anyone could tell - it was a woman.
"This..." The foreman pointed at the female corpse in the pit, shaking his head, "Mr. Prescott, I have to say, we need to call the police. Do you want to make the call, or should I?"
"My God!" Luke Prescott exclaimed, covering his mouth, "How is this possible, oh my God. Call the police, quickly. Damn it, how did I never know about this?"
Not only was Luke Prescott terrified, but the workers were also on edge. Who the corpse was, no one knew, perhaps they would have to wait for the police's DNA test results. But for now, they didn't care, as this person surely had nothing to do with them.
Luke Prescott was the first to call the police, then waited anxiously. After a while, he thought for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed Joseph.
"It's me, Joseph!" Joseph's voice came from the other end.
"Oh my God, you finally pick up. Damn it, everything's been predicted. I'm scared to death, that damn previous homeowner knew and still sold the house to me..." As soon as the call connected, Luke Prescott began to complain incessantly.
Indeed, his resentment came swiftly. Clearly, in this matter, he saw himself as the victim.
"Hold on, Luke, what are you trying to say? Say it again from the beginning, don't rush, speak slowly." Joseph urged, "I'm listening. Tell me everything that happened."
"A body was unearthed from under the center of the pool, a woman's body!" Luke Prescott steadied his breathing, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible, "I feel like I've been dragged into trouble. Damn it, what should I do now?"
"I'll tell Jason, we'll be right there!" Joseph, realizing the severity, immediately hung up and turned to Jason, "He found a body as per your instruction, a woman's body. What do you plan to do?" He looked at Jason, waiting for his decision.
Jason nodded, pondering for a moment, then stood up, saying to Joseph, "Let's go and see."
Police cars, sirens blaring, sped past on the town road, brushing past Jason's beat-up pickup truck. The police car was fast. After all, in the small town of Harrold, this case was a big deal.
By the time Jason and his party arrived, the police had cordoned off the area. The pool vicinity was marked off with police tape. The body laid next to the pool, with medical examiners performing a preliminary examination.
"The corpse's injuries are not very clear, it has shrunk, meaning some minor wounds can't be seen here, we'll need to conduct an autopsy. At least for now, there are no external injuries. As for whether it was murder, I can't judge that yet. But the time of death, can be approximated to about three years ago. The lack of decomposition over such a long period has a lot to do with the construction of the pool." A medical examiner reported to Police Chief Louise on the scene.
"I see, carry on!" Chief Louise's eyes scanned the surroundings.
"I think there might be some clues, but the scene is too chaotic. Those workers, and the homeowner Luke, they've destroyed everything." Deputy Chief Patton complained, shaking his head, "These clumsy idiots."
"Do you think a corpse that's been dead for three years would still let you find any traces?" Chief Louise couldn't help but chuckle, "Don't bother, I've already searched around. There's nothing."
"Damn... It's the FBI, they're here. This case..." Suddenly Patton cursed under his breath, then said to Chief Louise, "I knew it, they would smell the blood and come. This case is going to be handed over to them again!" Chief Louise remained silent, watching as an SUV drove up. Two individuals, clad in jackets bearing the FBI insignia, alighted and presented their credentials to the police guarding the perimeters before ducking under the police tape. Addressing the crowd, they asked, "Who's in charge here?"
Chief Louise stepped forward, one hand on her hip and another tucked into her belt. She told them, "I'm in charge here. Chief Marlene Louise."
"Nice to work with you, I'm Detective Bell Jensen, this is my partner Edgar Page." The man who had spoken was tall and thin with curly chestnut hair and piercing eyes. His companion was somewhat overweight, his belly protruding, a typical Caucasian male with some spots on his face.
"This is an old case, what's blown the FBI in?" Chief Louise shrugged, "But now it's all your problem. We haven't figured out the identity of the deceased yet, but it's confirmed it's a female. Judging by the teeth, she was probably between 21 to 28 years old when she died. She was wearing a red dress."
"Why a red dress?" Bell Jensen asked casually as he walked towards the edge of the excavation.
"I don't know, maybe because of personal preference, or it could be what the killer forced her to wear. Who knows?" Chief Louise shrugged, "I can ensure that order is maintained here. No one will tamper with the crime scene. However... when we received the report and got here, it was already like this."
Looking at the disarray of the crime scene, Bell Jensen furrowed his brows. Seeing this, Chief Louise couldn't help but laugh, "That's how it is. If you have any questions, feel free to ask." With that, she turned and left.
Detective Jensen examined the body carefully and then sank into deep thought. After a while, he said, "Hey, buddy, we've got work to do. Old cases are my least favorite thing."
"This is our mission, though," Edgar Page nodded, smiling, "Did you piss off the boss recently? Why were you dispatched here? It's such a godforsaken place, even the drive takes forever... and the toilets in the café aren't even clean."
"If I were you, I wouldn't complain!" Bell Jensen shook his head, then stood up, walking over to Chief Louise, "I need the DNA test report of the body. We need to identify this woman as soon as possible. And... protect the crime scene. This is crucial, Chief."
With that, he brushed past Chief Louise.
Chief Louise watched him and said, "Yes, I'll get it done. Protect the crime scene. Who doesn't know how to do that?"
Detective Jensen and his assistant got into their car and drove off. Standing to one side, Officer Patton couldn't help but shake his head at Chief Louise, "I just don't get it. What's there to show off about those two? Is it just because we're in some remote rural area?"
"Yes, that's exactly what they're saying." Chief Louise told Officer Patton irritably, then headed off, "You're in charge of protecting the crime scene. Dammit, I've already stepped in a pile of mud." The soil dug up from the pool had been soaked by water, turning the surroundings into a muddy mess.
She had only taken a few steps when a police officer approached her, "Chief, I think you should hear this."
Startled, Chief Louise walked over to the officer who handed her a notebook, "This is the statement I took from Luke Prescott. He said it's Mr. Jason who told him what to do. It's as if he could predict what was going to happen."