Ava's phone buzzed, breaking the silence. She answered, listening intently to the voice on the other end.
"What is it?" Ryan asked, noticing Ava's expression.
Ava's eyes locked onto Ryan's. "That was the ME's office. They've finished processing Langley's body."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What did they find?"
Ava's voice was low and even. "A small note, pinned to Langley's chest. It reads: 'Justice has been served'."
Ryan's eyes widened. "The Shadow Killer's signature."
Ava's jaw clenched. "This just got personal."
Ava's eyes blazed with determination. "I want to see the note," she told Ryan. "And I want to know everything about the ME's findings."
Ryan nodded, already typing away on his computer. "I'll get the report sent over."
Ava stood up, her mind racing with possibilities. She knew that the key to catching the Shadow Killer lay in understanding their motives, their methods.
Just then, Thompson walked in with Sarah, the witness. "Ava, we're ready to start the interview."
Ava nodded, her eyes locked onto Sarah's nervous expression. "Let's get started," she said, her voice firm but gentle.
The interview room was dimly lit, the only sound the soft hum of the recorder. Ava's eyes never left Sarah's face as she began to ask her questions.
"Sarah, can you tell me exactly what you saw last night?"
***************
Sarah hesitated, her eyes darting nervously around the room. "I was walking home from work, and I saw someone lurking around the Langley Industries building. He was wearing a black hoodie, and his face was obscured."
Ava leaned forward, her eyes locked onto Sarah's. "Did you see which direction he went in after they left the building?"
Sarah nodded. "He headed towards the alleyway on 5th Street."
Ava's mind was racing. The alleyway on 5th Street was a dead-end, with no surveillance cameras nearby. It was the perfect escape route.
Ryan scribbled some notes on his pad. "We'll canvass the area, see if anyone else saw anything."
Ava turned back to Sarah. "You're doing great, Sarah. Just one more question: did you notice anything unusual about the person in the hoodie?"
Sarah's eyes narrowed, as if she was concentrating hard. "Now that you mention it, there was something weird. The way they moved, it was... fluid, like a dancer or something. And they seemed to know exactly where they were going."
Ava's ears perked up. This was new information. "That's a great detail, Sarah. Anything else you can remember?"
Sarah shook her head. "No, that's all. I'm sorry I didn't see more."
Ava smiled reassuringly. "You've been incredibly helpful, Sarah. We'll take it from here."
As Sarah left the interview room, Ava turned to Ryan. "What do you make of that?"
Ryan's eyes were thoughtful. "Sounds like our Shadow Killer might have some martial arts training. And the fact that they seemed to know the area... that suggests they might have scoped out the location beforehand."
Ava's mind was racing. This was getting more interesting by the minute.
Ava's eyes locked onto Ryan's. "I want to review the security footage from Langley Industries. See if we can get the Shadow killer's face."
Ryan nodded, already typing away on his computer. "I'll get the footage pulled up."
As they waited for the footage to load, Ava's phone buzzed. She answered, listening intently to the voice on the other end.
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Ava's expression was grim. "That was the chief. He wants to see us in his office. Now."
Ryan's eyes widened. "What's going on?"
Ava stood up, her mind racing with possibilities. "I don't know, but I have a feeling this case just got a whole lot more complicated."
Ava and Ryan walked into the chief's office, the tension palpable. Chief Michaels looked up from the file on his desk, his expression stern.
"Ava, Ryan, I've received a call from the mayor's office. They're breathing down my neck about this case."
Ava's eyes narrowed. "What do they want, sir?"
Chief Michaels leaned back in his chair. "They want results, and they want them fast. The mayor's office is getting heat from the business community, and they're demanding that we catch this killer ASAP."
Ryan spoke up, "Sir, we're doing everything we can to track down the Shadow Killer. But we can't rush the investigation."
Chief Michaels' expression turned glacial. "I don't pay you to tell me what you can't do, Ryan. I pay you to get results. I want you both to work around the clock until you catch this killer."
Ava felt a surge of determination. She was going to catch the Shadow Killer, no matter what it took.
Ava nodded, her mind already racing with strategies. "We'll work around the clock, sir. But I need to ask, what's the mayor's office's involvement in this case?"
Chief Michaels' expression turned guarded. "Let's just say that Richard Langley was a... prominent figure in the city's business community. The mayor's office is feeling the heat from Langley's associates and family members."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "And what about the FBI? Shouldn't they be involved in this case?"
Chief Michaels shook his head. "The mayor's office wants to keep this case local, at least for now. But I'm warning you both, if we don't get results soon, the FBI will be called in, and this case will be taken out of our hands."
Ava felt a surge of determination. She was going to solve this case before the FBI even had a chance to get involved.