Detective Sarah Blake sat at her desk, the dim light of the office casting long shadows over the case files spread out before her. The room was quiet, the only sound the soft rustling of paper as she turned the pages, her eyes scanning each report with meticulous care. The unsolved cases weighed heavily on her, a constant reminder of the justice that remained elusive.
The first two victims, sisters, had been found dead, their faces serene, as if they had simply fallen asleep and never awakened. There was no sign of struggle, no visible cause of death. Then there was Max—discovered alone in his home, with no signs of foul play, yet lifeless. The reports were almost too clean, devoid of the usual clues that might indicate what had happened. All three cases, though separated by time and circumstance, shared eerie similarities that gnawed at Sarah's instincts. Something was tying them together, something subtle and sinister.
Then there was Robert. The cold case had always haunted her, a decade-old mystery involving a lab assistant found dead under similarly baffling circumstances. It had been shelved, classified as a natural death, but the lack of clear evidence had left it lingering in the back of her mind.
As Sarah flipped through Robert's old case file, something caught her eye—a detail so small it was almost overlooked. In the margin of one of the reports, a note had been scribbled by the initial investigator: a faint garlic-metallic smell detected at the scene. It was a detail so minor that it had been dismissed, but now, in light of the recent deaths, it stood out like a beacon. That same scent had been noted in the reports of the recent victims, though, like before, it had been considered insignificant.
Her heart began to race as she realized the implications. This wasn't a coincidence; there was a connection between these cases. The same toxin, the same method—someone had found a way to make death look natural, leaving behind only a faint trace that was almost imperceptible.
Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She was no stranger to the darker side of human nature, but this—this was different. The precision, the cold calculation behind these deaths—it was terrifying.
she looked around her… no one was there even Maya was gone home… she thought for a while and then looked at her phone… Her mind worked quickly, considering her next steps. She needed confirmation, and she needed it fast. There was only one person she trusted with something like this: Dr. Lavine Dorothy, an expert in forensic toxicology and her friend who had helped her on difficult cases before.
Without hesitating, Sarah picked up her phone and dialed Lavine's number. The phone rang twice before Lavine's familiar voice answered, full of warmth and a touch of amusement.
"Hey, love! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Lavine's voice was a comfort in the midst of the chaos, a reminder that she wasn't alone in this.
"Too long, Lavine," Sarah replied, though her voice carried a tension that was impossible to mask. "But I need your expertise—this is serious."
Lavine's tone shifted immediately, the playful edge giving way to professional concern. "Tell me everything."
Sarah took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts before speaking. "I've got three dead bodies and a ten-year-old cold case, all linked by a faint garlic-metallic smell. No clear cause of death, no struggle, nothing—but I'm sure they're connected. The smell—it's the only common thread, and I need to know what it is."
There was a pause on the other end, followed by the sound of rustling papers as Lavine presumably pulled up her own resources. "Sarah, that smell—well, it could be a clue. Some toxins leave behind a scent like that, but they're rare and often undetectable in routine autopsies. We'd need to run a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis. It's one of the most sensitive methods we have. If there's even a trace of a toxic substance, we'll find it."
Sarah's mind was already racing with possibilities. "It's been over three weeks since the deaths. Is it too late?"
"Not if the bodies were preserved properly," Lavine replied, her voice thoughtful. "We might still have a chance. But we need to act fast before any remaining evidence degrades."
A sense of urgency gripped Sarah. She knew this was their best shot at uncovering the truth, but it would require the director's approval to bring Lavine in officially. "Thank you, Lavine. I'm going to request special permission for you to assist in the examination. I'll get the paperwork started right now."
After hanging up, Sarah sat back in her chair, her mind still racing. She could feel the weight of the victims' lives pressing down on her, the need to bring their killer to justice. She took a moment to steady herself, then turned to her computer and began drafting the request.
Each word was chosen with care, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she laid out the case for why Lavine's involvement was crucial. She detailed the similarities between the cases, the importance of the faint metallic scent, and the potential it held for uncovering a rare toxin. Her tone was both respectful and urgent, conveying the seriousness of the situation without veering into panic.
After this all she gave it a final look and started reading it so as to clear any typos or mistakes… she got out an envelop and was ready to stamp it with her seal, when her phone rang… she looked at it.. it was John Blake, her husband… she looked at time…
it was 12 in the night… she picked it up…. "love, I have something urgent to do I will not be home today" he said, quickly "okay take care!.. let me know if anything happens"… sarah said, without asking anything more… to which john quickly turned it off. It has been since a year when john was rafely at home and were on stake out. But sarah never really felt bad about it, maybe because she believed him more than she should have…she was aware of the dark side of the humanity that was darker than her own color but never saw the dark aura his close one was exhibiting…