At exactly half seven in the morning I woke up to the alarm clock ringing, and I had a great desire to throw it out the window. I just hate getting up early, and if it were up to me I'd get up at one o'clock. But at eight o'clock in the morning I have to be in the lab doing expertise, so I have to get up at 6.30. Switching off the alarm clock, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom.
-What a nest I have on my head. -said I, looking in the mirror at my so to speak 'crumpled' and sticking out blonde hair.
-Rose, are you awake yet? -shouted my sister from her bedroom.
-Yes.- I shouted back.
When I finished my morning routine, I changed and went into the kitchen where Ashley was having breakfast.
-Is the kettle still hot?
-Yeah. -After taking a sip of coffee, my sister said.
-Great.
For me and my sister, coffee is the best thing in the morning.
-So, I'm gonna go take a shower. -said Ashley as she finished her coffee and finished her toast.
My sister went to take a shower, and I made myself some coffee and started breakfast. About 40 minutes later we were ready to leave the house. As soon as we closed the flat door behind us, Ashley got a phone call.
-Hello...Can you text me the address? -Okay, we're on our way.
-What's up already?
-Silvio called. We got another murder. -Ashley said before we got down to the ground floor and out of the driveway.
-What's the address?-I asked when we got in the car.
-Via Camilla 9.
-What is it, a block of flats?
-No, the five-star hotel 'Appartamento da sogno'.
-Okay. Is it starting to rain? -said I, looking at the windscreen where a few drops of rain had fallen and switched on the wipers.
-It's great, it's going to start raining. -said my sister sarcastically.
-Yeah, so much for good morning.
It took us 30 minutes to get to the hotel and just as Ashley thought it would, it started raining. When we arrived, we saw the last thing we wanted to see. Journalists, if there are journalists near a crime scene, it's a clear sign that we're going to get a lot of nerve and work.
-How do we get through all this crowd? - my colleague asked me with a sigh.
-We'll get through somehow.
-It's raining crazy, do we even have an umbrella? -In the glove compartment, there should be an umbrella.
-There should be an umbrella in the glove compartment. - I said, and Ashley opened the glove compartment and pulled out a black umbrella.
I parked the car not far from the hotel, and my sister and I got out of the car (not forgetting to open our only umbrella, of course) and headed to the front entrance where the journalists were already crowding in.
-Chief Inspector Ashley Grace. - Ashley said and showed her ID to let us through.
-Forensics expert Rosalind Grace. - I said and did the same as my sister.
-Do you think this murder is connected to the murder of Francesco Salvione?
-Is the killer someone from the 'Way to the Truth' sect?
-You must give an interview to our TV station.
The journalists' questions were pouring in, but we still managed to get to the entrance without answering any of them or getting wet from the downpour.
-Good morning. -Dante greeted us, waiting for us by the lift.
-Good morning. -said my sister and I almost simultaneously.
Me, Ashley and Dante got into the lift and went to the fourth floor.
-What room was the murder in? -Ashley asked.
-Room 32.
-Do you have any surveillance footage? -I asked Dante.
-No, the manager said there was a glitch in the system and the cameras on the fourth floor were out of order. -As soon as Dante spoke the lift stopped and the doors opened.
When we got out of the lift, we heard a woman in the corridor outside room 32, where the murder had taken place, shouting ''The hotel's reputation is ruined'', 'Who's going to want to stay here now?', "And those reporters, now all Rome will know that a man was murdered in our hotel.". Silvio was standing beside this indignant person, and it was evident from his face that he had been listening to these cries for a long time, and was tired of explaining that he could do nothing about the reporters or the reputation of this hotel. When Silvio saw us coming out of the lift, he called out to us with his hand.
-I repeat, I can't do anything, I don't have the authority. -that was the last thing Silvio said before he went back to the room and continued to inspect the crime scene.
-Good morning. I take it you're the manager? -said the Chief Inspector to the woman.
-Yes, I'm the manager, but it's not a good morning. The hotel is going to make a huge loss. Who are you? Get the person in charge of this case, I have to talk to him. -said the woman in a very haughty voice.
-I'm Chief Inspector Ashley Grace, and I'm in charge of this case. What did you want to talk about? -When the manager heard that, her face changed instantly.
-So it's you? Well, I wanted to talk about what... -I didn't hear what they were talking about as I went to examine the corpse.
While Ashley was talking to the manager, I called Alice over to me and we started looking at the body. This time it was a woman in her 40s and again a blade to the heart. Same as the first murder. Same strangulation groove and the same stab wound. As in the last murder, she was strangled first and then stabbed in the heart.
-So I take it this is the second Monica Fabbri sect leader. -said I, looking at the bloody ring on the victim's ring finger. The exact same ring we found at the previous murder scene.
-That's she. -Dante confirmed my hunch.
-Somebody's killing sect leaders, and I think it's obvious that the motive is revenge. These fanatics must have a lot of enemies. -I said as I approached Dante.
-So next up is Gerald Linswand.
-We need to find him, but how? Those fanatics we held up yesterday were talking about a meeting that's happening today.
-We'll have to interrogate them again when we get to the police station. -said the inspector, sighing.
-And I've told you ten times that I'm not going to use my official position for your gain. - Ashley walked into the room, followed by the manager.
-Look, I'll pay y...
-I don't even want to hear it, please get out of here and stay out of the way. -After Ashley said that, the manager left the room.
-This is just awful.
-I almost lost my mind listening to her screaming. -said Silvio, who was taking pictures of the murder scene.
-All right, what do we have on the murder?
-Monica Fabbri was murdered and she's the second head of the Path to Truth sect. Same murder method as the previous murder. And I found a bloody ring on her ring finger. Exactly identical to the ring you found at the first crime scene.
-Yeah, I see, so we have a serial killer. What do you think the motive is?
-We think it's revenge. The leaders of this sect must have a lot of enemies. And we need to find Signor Linswand, he'll probably be the next victim.
The three of us discussed the details of the case for about half an hour, then we began to examine the crime scene.
-Can we take the body to the morgue now? -Alice asked me as I was looking through the bathroom cabinets.
-Yes, and ask Janine to do the autopsy for me today.
-Okay. -she agreed.
We searched the crime scene for another 40 minutes and in the end all we had was a bloody ring. It was obvious that the blood on the ring belonged to the victim. We had no idea how we were gonna find the killer. But we could find possibly the next victim. All we had to do was re-interrogate the two fanatics we arrested yesterday.
-So I suggest we canvass the neighbouring tenants, see if they have anything interesting to say about this Monica Fabbri.
-I think they all know her by another name. She's still a wanted fugitive.
-The manager said she showed a passport in the name of Vincenza Fiorello when she rented the room.
-Well, at least there's something we can find out. Rose, will you come with me to interrogate the neighbours?
-Yes, of course. -I responded positively to Dante's question.
Dante and I left room 32 and knocked on the room across the hall. A man in his 30s, a brunette with green eyes, opened the door.
-Hello, I'm forensics expert Rosalind Grace.
-Good morning, I'm Inspector Dante Marini. -said Dante, and he and I showed our IDs.
-Hello. -said the one who didn't give his name.
-What's your name? -said I and took out of my pocket a small notebook and a pen to write down my statement.
-Gianluigi Danieli. -said the guy, and to be honest, he didn't inspire confidence.
-Were you at the hotel all night today?
-Yes.
-Have you heard any screams or strange noises? -asked the inspector.
-Yes, I heard a scream and nothing else, I don't even know the woman in this room and I have very little time, goodbye. - The guy mumbled very quickly and then he literally slammed the door in our face.
-What the hell is this? -I said indignantly and tried to open the door, but it was already locked.
It was good that we had a good old Beretta 92 and we opened the door the obvious way and ran into this secretive guy's room. But instead of him, all we saw was an open window.
He's run away...