"Hmm? Did anyone call me?"
Forensic Chemist Professor Stone looked around the scene of the crime amidst the wash of powered lights shining the pocket of space around him. He glanced at every one of his teammates in the forensic unit, all of them head down or eyes on other matters around them, barely any time or mood to hold idle conversation. So, Professor Stone shrugged and turned his head back at the situation around him.
Still, he can’t help but feel a small shiver run down his spine as he adjusted his gloves, “...That’s what you get when coming to a murder scene in the middle of the night. Just the wind. It is just, the wind.”
The stench of the trash pit right next to him was of no concern. He was used to it in the line of work. Besides, his attention was already drawn to the corpse lying some distance beside it, laid on her back with hands on her stomach.
Looked like she was taking a nap, so peaceful despite the danger around her. Alas, her ‘nap’ was mostly interrupted as the coroner kept examining her face, hands and fingers, and especially the vicious purple bruise coiled around her slender and twisted neck.
He was about to talk to the coroner, until someone intercepted him.
“Oi, Stone, you’re forensic. I’m the detective. I think it’s clear who needs to do what right now, right?”
“Evening, Detective Fraulein,” Professor Stone chuckled, “Can’t help it, I like being curious.”
“God dammit Stone stop smirking. I regret spoiling you too much. Stop pretending like you’re in charge!”
Professor Stone came across a Detective Fraulein, who appeared by pinching the bridge of her nose for various reason. One look at the victim as the coroner put the body in a bag changed her mood entirely.
“Third victim this month,” She shook her head, her voice dropping from irritated to appalled, “Sick bastard is almost everywhere in this mountain.”
Professor Stone hummed, “Now, now, Detective Fraulein. Let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t know if this is actually the same guy, or some glorified copycat either idolizing the guy or using his crimes as a smoke screen for a separate murder.”
“Come on, Stone, look at her. Look – at – her! Belt wound around the neck is undeniable, I recognize those markings! The beatings, the damages – you can never mistaken an M.O. like that!”
“While I agree with you Detective Fraulein, there is one thing I would like to note even though it is preliminary. Do you notice just how clean this place looks?”
Detective Fraulein rolled her eyes, “What the hell are you on about? There’s a trash pit only five steps away, leaves and tree crap all over. What is your definition of clean!?”
“Exactly.”
“Stoooooone!”
“Do you see any sign of struggling?” Professor Stone gestured a hand around him. “Assuming it is the same guy, the victim would be thrashing and fighting for their life when they are strangled alive. Do you see heel scraps in the dirt, do you see marks of fingers raking the ground. Hell, even the leaves look like they’ve been here all morning and untouched.”
Detective Fraulein looked around, scowling, “Are you suggesting this isn’t the first scene of the crime? Impossible, the first two victim were always found where they were strangled. Up in the mountains and whatever. Barely a mess, always cleaned up. Never a trace of evidence left behind. Always chasing after a ghost.”
“Something about this feels different, Detective Fraulein. What if—”
The detective just waved a hand to stop all the noise so she could massage the pain out of her temples. Getting the idea, Professor Stone kept his theories to himself. Another day, or at least next morning. Still he chanced to ask, “Any witnesses?”
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“What do you think? This is the middle of nowhere. This place is far away from any regular hiking trail so of course there be nobody! It’s the perfect place to commit murder in broad daylight even!”
“Except for the beggar who called us.”
"...Right..." Detective Fraulein pinched her nose, for a good reason. "You. Beggar. Are you SURE there was no body here when you left?"
A certain beggar wearing a garland of crushed pop cans was detained by several officers on site. When asked, he stamped his foot as if he was called a child out of the blue. “I keep tellin ya, there ain’t no body when I left to piss! This is my trash, my land! Ain’t nobody tresspassin while I’m alive! Hell, just the other day I gave a random squatter a black eye and told him to stay out!”
"Can you at least tell us what happened? When you did stumble on the body? About this guy you mentioned on the phone."
"Oh! Came out of no where, that creepo! Carrying that body over there to my property like luggage! I be like: who does he think he is!? I tried to scare him off, I did, but then I be seein that woman - dead - I panicked. He killed her, he had her blood all over him, I swear it! E-even tried to kill me! Chased me down through the woods, he did! Like some Angel of vengeance!"
"Oh for the love of--" Detective Fraulein groaned, "English man! Do you speak it!?"
"H-hold on Detective," Professor Stone stepped in with a peaceful smile and asked the beggar, "Hi. Good sir. Mind telling us more, about this Angel of vengeance?"
The beggar be flapping his arms, eyes wider than saucers, "Wh-why he was dressed in white, like a cloud! He was all gucked up in red and dirt as if he just marched out of a battle with hell itself! Hair as long and black as snakes of charcoal! A-and he flew!"
Professor Stone raised a brow, "...Flew?"
"Ye, ye! Angel of vengeance! Kept crying out th-that I be a Disciple of a Beggar God. H-he tried to seek me to ask for aide, to redeem me-self and my evil ways! Kept coming after me like a bat out of hell! N-never seen a man fly like that!"
"...Flew?"
Detective Fraulein snapped again, "This is a waste of time. This guy is either drunk or delusional."
"No, no, NO!" The beggar stamped his feet some more and slapped his palm to his head like some enraged gorilla, "You ain't listening! This angel kept chasing me through the mountain nonstop! It was only did I ducked under a tree root did-did he miss me! H-he's still out there, up in them mountains! P-probably taking lives like the reaper!...Jesus, he's probably waiting for me! Oh Jesus, Oh Lawd! C-can ye all t-take me into protective custody or something!? I-I can testify against this angel!"
“Angel or reaper, make up your mind!”
Professor Stone lunged to keep Detective Fraulein from tearing a new a new on into the beggar. While calming her down, he struggled to re-assure everyone, "W-we'll consider your offer. Might even give you a good citizen reward for your help! Hahahahaah! Excuse us, we have some uh details to discuss."
It was only did he pull the detective away for some privacy, did he soften his tone, "Detective, breathe. Breathe. I'll treat you to coffee for your up and coming all nighter. Okay?"
“That beggar wasn’t making a lick of sense!” Detective Fraulein howled, “First angels of vengeance, mountain reapers – what next? Aliens from another galaxy riding in a spaceship resembling a phone booth!?”
“Whoa now, let’s slow down for a bit. Just a bit.”
“Slow down? Slow down!? How can I slow down, Stone? This is the third victim, the THIRD victim! The serial killer is getting out of hand! We have to hunt him down fast and stop him, before there is a victim number four, five, six, seven, and so on!”
“If it makes you feel any better, Detective Fraulein, I’ll have my team work around the clock and update you with ANYTHING we find to be useful. I can say with confidence, we already got something good.”
Detective Fraulein perked her eyebrow, “Good? What do you mean? The killer rarely left anything before. He’s too careful.”
Professor Stone held up a couple of evidence bags, “Found some hair that doesn’t belong to the victim. And this water bottle seems to have some finger prints. It looks old, my guess it came from that trash pit over. But we got lucky—”
“How can we be lucky with a trashed water bottle? Could have anyone’s finger prints on it. Hell even the beggar’s.”
“That’s just it. There was a rain show some time ago. If what the beggar said is true, about not letting anyone near his place, there is a chance any old fingerprints on this bottle prior the murder were cleaned off by the rain. Most likely any fingerprints we find now, could be narrowed down around the time of the murder. Again, I’ll get the labs to find any matches that could help us.”
“...Make it so, Stone. Make it so.”
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