"This is the fourth one," Al Harsen said in a low voice in the living room of a townhouse on Noble Street, Jolwood District. In front of him lay the body of a woman in a bright dress. Like the previous victims, including Eve, her abdomen had a large hollow where her internal organs had vanished.
"Same as before," Lorota closed her eyes and sensed the area for a moment before shaking her head slightly. "The spirits here are all gone."
"So, it's likely the same killer!" Simon, also investigating the case, clenched his fists, his eyes filled with deep hatred. The killer had struck again, and while this meant more victims, it also gave him another chance to catch the perpetrator.
"Captain," Borgia walked in from outside at that moment.
"What's the victim's identity? Have you found out?" Al Harsen glanced at Borgio and asked in a serious tone.
"The deceased is named Casey Sommer," Borgia nodded and shared the gathered information. "She was a teacher at an elementary school in Jolwood District. According to her neighbors, she returned home around 8:30 last night and never left the house again. This morning, a neighbor's dog smelled the blood and barked incessantly at the house, leading to the discovery of her body and the call to the police."
"A teacher?" Al Harsen frowned deeply.
"Someone's coming," Ashes suddenly said. Al Harsen and the others immediately became alert. Could the killer be coming back to the scene?
But soon, three men walked boldly through the door into the living room, and El Hassen and the others relaxed. They recognized the newcomers as enforcers from the Church of Storms.
"Hello, I'm Al Harsen," Al took a step forward, extending his hand to the leading enforcer, glancing at Simon, who looked grim.
"Garcia Guion," the young man shook hands with Al, then questioned, "Mr. Harsen, why are NightHawks here?"
Al Harsen smiled wryly. Although the main religion in the Kingdom of Loen was the Church of the EverNight Goddess, the official churches included three: the Church of theEver Night Goddess, the Church of the Lord of Storms, and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. While these churches usually got along, conflicts over believers occasionally arose. As a result, they had divided territories within Backlund. For example, the headquarters of the Church of the EverNight Goddess, St. Samuel's Cathedral, was in the North District, the headquarters of the Church of Storms, St. Wind Cathedral, was in Jolwood District, and the headquarters of the Church of Steam, St. Hilan Cathedral, was in St. George District.
Although in theory, the three churches shared responsibility for Backlund's safety, they avoided each other's territories to prevent conflicts. This unspoken rule meant that NightHawks typically wouldn't enter Jolwood District or St. George District without a good reason.
"We apologize, Mr. Garcia," Al Harsen, aware of the enforcers' temper, tried to placate him before explaining, "But this case in Jolwood District isn't isolated. We suspect it's part of a serial killing spree."
"Evidence?" Garcia didn't let it go and pressed further.
Al Harsen fell silent and looked at Simon.
"Because one of our own was killed," Simon said in a hoarse, low voice. "Last month, in her own home, she was the first victim in this serial killing spree. In the past two weeks, two more victims were killed the same way. This is the fourth."
"A NightHawk killed?" Garcia was taken aback, his expression turning serious. Although the churches' Beyonders members usually respected each other's territories, exceptions were made for cases like this, especially when an official Beyonder was involved. This required a joint investigation by the churches to prevent the killer from exploiting territorial boundaries and to expedite solving the case. No wonder the NightHawks had arrived so quickly, even before the local enforcers.
"I understand," Garcia took a deep breath and nodded. "What leads do you have so far?"
"Very few," Al Harsen shook his head helplessly. "The killer was thorough, taking the victims' spirits, making it impossible for our mediums to discern what happened."
"The only certainty," Al paused before continuing, "is that we initially suspected the killer might be an Beyonder from the Demon Worship Cult or the Rose School of Thought. Now, we believe the killer is more likely from the Demon Worship Cult, and is a Sequence 7 serial killer."
"Demon Worship Cult?" Garcia nodded thoughtfully. The ritualistic nature of the murders suggested involvement from demon-worshipping cultists, either from the Demon Worship Cult or the Rose School.
However, the NightHawks' suspicion of a Sequence 7 serial killer based solely on this being a serial murder case seemed a bit rash. The clues were indeed too scant.
"Do the victims have anything in common?" Garcia asked, knowing that commonalities among victims often provided key leads in serial cases.
"No," Al Harsen sighed. "The only similarities are that the victims are all young, attractive, single women, found dead in their living rooms wearing bright dresses. But there were no signs of sexual assault."
Usually, targeting young, attractive women suggested a sexual motive, but this killer had skipped the assault, directly torturing and murdering them. It seemed the killer's sole purpose was to inflict suffering.
"Captain," Rayleigh, another of Simon's teammates, rushed into the living room with a young man who looked like a student. "This person says he knows who the killer is!"
(End of the Chapter)
50 Power stones =Extra chapter