They sat down, taking a cup of coffee, as they discussed and went through the evidence one at a time. Another team had already gathered the evidence from the scene; now it was up to them to catch the culprit.
"Ok," Chloe said as she finished looking at the papers. "The body looks choked. There is no sign of a weapon used or any weapon at all. 3 killed by lethal strikes mostly to the head, damaging the skull, and finally the main target, killed by choking."
Lux looked over her shoulder to check. "I think you're right on all counts."
"Alright, so he was after Mr. Jackson." Chloe asked, looking at the victim's name on the paper.
"Well, we can't be completely sure, but that is the only thing that makes sense," Lux answered, and they continued talking about what they knew.
"I heard all detectives were called as soon as possible on the case yesterday, but somehow you didn't show up. Why is that?. The chief told me that it was because you had some kind of problem." Chloe said, trying not to sound too accusatory.
"Yeah, I kind of blacked out throughout the whole thing, I guess."
"Blacked out?" She asked.
"Yes, Chloe, I mean blacked out. It's a word for when you lose consciousness without knowing it."
'I know what it means. I mean, why?"
Lux shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know. I was in the middle of talking with someone over the phone, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground when I woke up."
"Did you tell Earl everything that happened?"
"Yes, he's already got all of the details."
"Back to the case, Mr. Jackson was part of a group of scientists who took tests and ran experiments on humans. Do you think the murderer was one of their experiments?"
"It's a possibility. I mean, Iwouldn't be surprised if it was based on revenge."
Chloe shook her head and then nodded. "That's what I thought as well."
"Do you know anything else?" Lux asked.
"There is another important person in the experiment, and she will be arriving in a few days to discuss the findings from the experiment with Mr.Jackson." Chloe said that and took another sip of coffee.
"What?" Lux said, forgetting himself as he blurted out the question. "Didn't the chief already mention that?"
Chloe rolled her eyes and stood up. "No,he didn't."
"Well, since the victim is probably after those involved in the experiment,I think it would be the best option to meet up with those who could be the next victim."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Lux said as he pulled out a pen and wrote down the name and address of the woman in the experiment. "I think it'd be smart to find out if she's staying here in town."
Chloe looked at Lux's paper and said, "Ok. Sounds good. You think the others are going to be safe until we are done with one?"
"We can't do all at once; we have to focus on one." Lux said.
"Yeah, but it seems like it's going to be hard to get any work done today," Chloe said, looking around.
"Not at all." Lux laughed. "You just need a little help, and I can give you some."
"I never asked for your help."
***
As soon as she got off the phone, Chloe rushed over to the police station. She knocked on the chief's door, and the chief appeared and said, "Come in. Come in. Sit down. What can I do for you?"
"Do you know who the scientist is who will be arriving? If so, I need to find her."
"She is a scientist. Her name is Dr. Valerie Grant. She arrived yesterday."
"Where's she staying?" Chloe asked.
The chief thought for a second. "I think she was staying at the hotel on the east side of the city."
"Thanks," Chloe said as she headed back to her office. She took out her phone and called Lux. He answered immediately, and Chloe told him about what she needed to find. He told her he would be there soon and hung up.
She grabbed a piece of paper and started making a list. She had a few things to take care of before she left, so she didn't leave until a good hour after lunch.
When she finally made it to the east side hotel, she ran to the desk and asked if they knew where Dr.Grant was. The front desk clerk gave her the room number and said she wasn't there yet.
"What do you mean she isn't here yet? I heard she arrived yesterday."
"Well,she arrived early this morning. Apparently she has something to do first."
"I see." Chloe sighed. This just wasn't going the way she wanted. Maybe she should get someone else to help her.
Lux. No. But there wasn't any other choice. Besides, she already called him.
Chloe took her phone and dialed another detective's number. The person picked up immediately.
"Hey Chloe, is everything alright? You've been calling me all day, and I haven't seen you around the station. I hope everything is okay."
"Yes, I'm sorry, but I need your help. Can you come over to the hotel on the east side of the city in a couple minutes?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
*********
"I received a tip that Dr. Grant is going to be targeted this night. It's up to me and you to take the culprit down.
"Wasn't Lux supposed to be on this case instead?"
"He, um, had something to do." Chloe replied,trying to cover up.
"I don't want to be a bother. I just think that there's no reason for us to risk our lives. The police can do this job better than us."
"Hey, look, I know that you aren't comfortable with this, but we can't just wait around for the police to catch up and then give them the credit when it could have been us who found the clues."
The detective couldn't believe what he was hearing: "Are you crazy? Do you understand what you are saying? That isn't how things work. And anyway, you were the one who made the connection between the victims, so why didn't you follow it up?"
"Well, I did. But apparently it's too hard for you to deal with." Chloe said, in a sarcastic tone.
"Oh, really? Well, if you say so, I guess you just know more about this stuff than me, huh?"
"No, I'm not trying to be mean, but that is just how it is. Now, you're right. There is a good chance that we will both die tonight, but let me tell you something: I wouldn't have it any other way.
Chloe walked over to the desk where they were working and turned off the lights. "We have less than 2 hours."