Pamela sat at her sat in the cramped office looking over the reports from the crime scenes and the coroner reports. Anon waited on the small couch. The buzzing of the lights was the only sound in the room. Finally Pamela put the report down.
“Give me your thoughts on it.” She said.
He looked at her confused at first.
“You’ve read the reports, right?”
“I did. But you were there in person. Tell me your thoughts.”
Anon sighed.
“For starters I don’t believe the victim found in the river is related to the other two.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Aside from her being strangled there are no other injuries while the others were assaulted with objects and had multiple injuries on their bodies. I don’t think it was the same killer.”
The red haired woman remained silent. It always made him feel nervous, like he was being interrogated.
“The killer is not a magus, probably.”
Pamela shot him a glare and Anon mentally slapped himself.
“What did I tell you about magic residue detectors?”
He let out a frustrated sigh and repeated the line as if reading it from a text book.
“If magic was used in the same room as the person the residue detector will pick it up, provided that it was a person’s own magic and not a magical tool. “
“So, in other words you can’t claim that the killer is not a magus.” Pamela stated.” You can only say with certainty that they did not use magic in the same room as the victims.”
“From what I read the crime scenes were clean too.” Anon argued.
“Magical tools could have been used instead, there plenty of mages who are aware of the tool the police uses in their investigations. The existences of this loophole is an issue and because of this you can never dismiss the possibility.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s going to be your job to think.”
“There’s something that’s been bothering me about this case. I can’t quite figure out what it is though. It’s just a hunch but I know the first victim and the one found under the bridge were killed by the same person but I can’t find anything that would prove it.”
“What is reasoning based on?”
“You already know. Both of them had an object used to sexually assault them. They were both found naked with no identification or personal items. No finger prints or DNA was found on the bodies or at the scene where the bodies were found. One was stabbed and died from blood loss while the other was strangled. One of them was sedated while the other was not. I know there aren’t many similarities. “
“If you’re basing your entire rezoning on them being assaulted by placing an object between their legs then you’re right – it’s not much.”
“However,” Anon continued.” They were both killed around the same time. Maybe few hours apart. The detail about the wood found in victim one was never made public so there couldn’t be a copycat. One was found on the north east side of town in plain sight near a river while the other was found on south east under a bridge and hidden in a pile of leaves. The locations are far apart but if he has a car then it’s not really an issue.”
“You’re right to assume the killer has some means of transporting the bodies. Most people do these days. “
He sighed again and leaned back in the sofa. It was obvious that Pamela had figured the whole thing out but she kept nagging him to think more about things until he pieced it all together.
“I think this guy hated them. It’s looks personal to me. Like maybe he was hurt by those women. He probably knew them, maybe dated one or both them at some point. Figuring out the identities of the victims is much more important right now. it would make it easier to figure out the connection if we knew who they were.”
“So, in other words you think the women were intended targets of a planned murder and likely knew the killer. Do you have evidence of this?”
“I don’t….” he sat up straight.” I do. Their hands! There were no defensive wounds on either of them. They did not fight back but only one of them was sedated. That’s what bother me. Why did he use an injection when the usual method is crushing it and putting it into someone’s drink at a night club or party? Why use a needle?”
“Now you’re asking the right questions.” Pamela smiled.
“Could it have something to with the place? There weren’t any other drugs in her system and no other injection marks that would indicate she had a history of drug use. He injected her with a needle and she let him do it without fighting back. The drugs still require some time to work. “
“Was she perhaps restrained?” Pamela suggested.
“No marks on her body that would indicate that. So she was not restrained and she didn’t fight back. She must have known who the killer was, and I’d say she knew him well. So well she trusted him to put a needle into her arm without it setting off any alarm bells.” Anon fell silent for a moment.” I think he might be a nurse at a hospital or some similar institution. “
“Bravo.” Pamela said. “ Although you still missed something.”
“I did?” he bowed his head.
“One of the victims was found out in the open near the river while the other was covered with leaves. Why?”
Anon felt another jolt in his brain.
“Could it possibly be that he wanted to throw her body into the river but got interrupted?”
“That’s probably what happened.” Pamela said.” You know what the means, right.”
“That means that somewhere out there is a person who saw something that nigh but might not know it’s significant.”
“Right again.”
She finished writing down all the suggestions and handed the files back to Anon.
“You have potential but you need to learn to use your instincts more.”
“I was told multiple times not to really on my instinct. “ Anon argued.
“That might be true for regular police who do things by the book but you are trying to become a mage hunter. Don’t forget you are a mage; you have abilities and insight that go beyond those of normal people. You should develop them more.”
“And what am I supposed to do?”
“Trust yourself to know when the time comes. “
He left feeling more discouraged than anything. Anon liked police work but magic was something he struggled with. He’s parents were ordinary people so he grew up with the values and mindset of a normal person. Using magic was something of a last resort and not something Anon took lightly. The type he had trained in was mostly for combat.
“Use my insight? How am I supposed to do that?” he wondered.
Anon had handed in the suggestions from Pamela to Detective Hill and headed home. It had been a long day and tomorrow after three months classes were going to start back up.
“Yo, Anon.”
He yawned and waived at Toshi. It was weird being back in class when there was an active murder investigation going on.
“So, did you get to do anything fun?”
“Well, some people got murdered. We still haven’t caught the guy.” He said yawning again.
“Cool! You’re gonna have to give me the more on that.” Toshi said with a level of excitement that way too much for Anon to handle.” I thought going to a bigger city would lead to more action but it was totally boring. They had me doing checkups at the airport and street patrols while you land a murder case!”
“Keep it down, Toshi. It’s not as fun as it sounds. People died. We don’t really have any leads yet.”
“I mean, yeah, of course it’s not fun but this the serious stuff. This kind of thing we need to learn the most in our line of work. The sooner we get real experience the better. I mean we’re gone spend out live chasing after killers, you can never be too prepared, right.”
“You’re right” Anon agreed.” I guess experience is the best way to learn. I guess Pamela has been trying to tell me the same thing in her own way.”
“So, you’ll tell me the details later?”
“Sure, but class is about to start.”
“I saw they added combat classes to our schedule. “ Toshi said.” Like I need those. Grams makes me train every day.”
“ This might come off as weird but how do you use magic outside of combat?”
“Huh? You don’t know?”
“I didn’t grow up around mages so I don’t really know much about it to begin with. I had combat glasses in the police academy. I know the basic stuff like force enhancement and acceleration, but not much else really.”
“You know you’re magic type right?”
“Transmutation.”
“That is a fairly common one. You should ask your mentor to teach you how to use it more efficiently. “
“She’ a different type.”
“Aren’t you supposed to pick a master of the same type?”
“She had good recommendations, besides I had no idea that was requirement. Just doing regular detective work is a lot. I don’t know how I’m supposed find time for magic lessons. ”
“You don’t really need to learn it. You just kind of know.”
“Know what?”
“It just kind of happens. It’ll come to you.”
Anon sighed.
“I hope you’re right because Pam is going to fail me if I don’t figure this out.”
“Just try a bunch of things, eventually you’ll figure it out.”
Toshi ended up leaving early due to a stomach ache. Combat was never a problem back in the police academy but seeing the two guest instructors fight in a demonstration was unforgettable. It was just speed and strength of physical movements- it was everything. A man stood on the ceiling like gravity didn’t exist, disappeared and appeared somewhere else in the room. His opponent made a copy of himself that shattered into glass and the individual pieces launched themselves at the target. Anon felt like he finally understood. This that a fight between mages looked like. This what he and every one of them will have to face in the future. Use every trick you have to bring in your target before they take you out.
Those in their class that came from mage families already had something like that developed. Anon realized he needed to have his own trick. His magic specialty was transmutation- the transformation of things and properties. It was a common thing however it also had the biggest variety of uses thus was the most versatile. From change your hair color or the name on your ID to transforming mana into pure elements of nature and much more. He needed to come up with his own use for it and the sooner he did that the better. Anon trained until it got dark and the security guard kicked him out.
The beeping of the alarm dragged him back into consciousness. It was morning and it was Saturday but he promised to give Toshi the details so the two agreed to meet up in a café. Every muscle hurt, making him regret the decision to train but he wasn’t one to break a promise just because of sore muscle.
Anon looked down at his phone. Toshi was late. Then he noticed a message
"Sorry, will be late."
He was surprised he didn’t notice it before.
Looking up from his phone he noticed a woman walking his way. She had long auburn hair and wore a light dress of yellows and greys. Her makeup was laid on thick and didn’t go with what she was wearing.
"You must be Anon." She said smiling.
" I am-"
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"You're just like he said. You're all he talks about these days. "
"Sorry, who do you mean?" He said utterly confused.
She made a shocked expression for a moment then went back to smiling.
"He hasn't told you about me, has he? My name is Toshino Kageyama."
Anon looked at the woman shocked.
"Toshi never said he had a sister."
"I figured as much from the way you reacted. He doesn’t like talking about me."
“Well’ I’m supposed to meet him here soon.”
“Oh, I won’t bother you for long. I just want to thank you for being his friend. He’s never had one before. He’ll never admit to it but you mean the world to him.”
Anon felt himself blushing. This was making him feel really awkward but he could also understand how someone like Toshi wouldn’t be liked much.
“It’s no problem. I’m honestly not good with making friends either so really I’m the one who should be thanking him.”
“Don’t be so modest. I’ve never seen him this happy before. I’m really glad he has you.”
“Happy to help.”
“We’ll I wouldn’t want to get in the way, so I’ll be going. Maybe I’ll see around some time.”
“Sure. See you.”
Anon sat there still trying to wrap his head around what just happened. Why did Toshi never mention having a sister? There was something in the back if his brain that just didn’t feel right but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. While sat there pondering over this encounter Toshi showed up.
" You never said you have a sister,"
There was a look of fright on Toshi's face. He looked around as if still expecting to see her in the crowd.
" What did she say? "
"Nothing in particular. Why the reaction?"
"Anon, I’m serious you need to stay away from her. She's serious coo- coo upstairs. I mean completely psycho crazy. Don't believe anything she says. She's a liar. She's not my sister. She's only half related to me. We had the same dad but her mom is different from mine."
The woman did seem a little bit odd but Anon wasn’t sure what to think at this point.
"I told you that I come from a clan of demon hunters and exorcists. Well we have this tradition. It involves sealing a demon inside a pregnant woman. And her mother happened to be it, " Toshi said," normally everything is just fine but — that time the woman went into labor right in the middle of the ritual and died giving birth. They say that the demon is still inside her. Toshino's been fucked up since we were kids. She cut up another girl when she was four and then acted like she didn’t remember what she had done. She's been doing stunts like that all the time. That bitch has been nothing but a nuisance to the whole clan. They keep her in separate wing under a special barrier that should keep her locked up. But somehow she still slips out. “
“She didn’t seem that bad.” Anon said.
“Trust me, there is nothing good about that woman.”
Toshi didn’t have a reason to lie to him, but Toshino didn’t seem all that dangerous. Anon decided to trust his friend, after all he knew her for years.
“All right, Toshi. I’ll be careful.”
They ended up discussing the case at length until late afternoon.
“Damn, I’m jealous.” Toshi said.” I hope I get to work on a big case soon.”
“Well, it’s not big. But the guy was well prepared so it’ll make him hard to catch. Speaking of which I need to go to the station and see if anything came from looking into the things Pamela suggested.”
“Looks to me like you’ll catch him soon. “
“Well it depends on the witness, if they don’t come to the police with what they may have seen that night – it’s a dead end.”
“Really, when you think about it,” Toshi said,” I think you’re wrong to exclude the one in the river. It’s the same river isn’t it. He wanted to dump the body in there with a weighted net like he did before.”
“I mean - it’s a river, and easy place to dump a body. “
“Dead bodies float unless you weigh them down. He was planning to dump her so had to have something to weight her down with.” Toshi said.
“Well yeah, what’s your point.”
“If he got spooked by somebody he could have dropped it.”
“The police already searched around the area and found nothing. “
“Maybe they missed it. I mean have been to any of the scenes yourself?”
“No.” Anon admitted.” I’ve seen the photos of the scenes.”
“So how do you know they haven’t missed anything? You’re working police lever here, when you need to be FBI, bro. Mage hunters work with the police but we’re supposed to do our own independent investigations.”
Toshiko acted like a delinquent so often that Anon could forget how smart and observant he actually was.
“You’re right. I’m not thinking about this like a mage hunter. Everybody treats me like a rookie and I guess Pamela’s the one who really expects me to do any work.”
“Dude, I expect you to make it to the top with me. Don’t let me down.”
There was that look in his friends eyes that really shook Anon. It was like a mix of admiration and something else. He thought back to that Toshino had said “ He thinks the world of you.” She was telling the truth.
“I’m sorry. I was feeling kind of tired lately so I let myself slack. It’s a good thing I got you to keep me on my toes.”
“Any time.” Toshi grinned.
Anon dialed the station on his phone while scanning the riverside. Was Toshi right and the killer dropped something while running away?
“Anon! Hey I was just about to call you.” Hills said.
“Did something happen?”
“We have the identity of the girl under the bridge.”
“Really! That’s good. I’ll come by the station soon; theirs is something I need to check first.”
He looked around again. There was the main road out of town, and a dirt road that connected to it on the right. The killer like likely drove here and parked his car on that dirt road. Did he turn of the lights? It was night; a car with its lights on would have caught attention. The ground here isn’t level, it turns into s a slope gradually. Walking down a rocky slope in the dark was dangerous and the killed would have had to carry a body with him. Did he have a flash light? Could he have dropped it somewhere?
Anon looked around the reeds but found nothing. The police had search the immediate area of where the body was found. If there was something he dropped it had to be outside the area that was searched. It had rained since then so things like blood traces and finger prints would be washed off. However it was unlikely the killed left any fingerprints behind on the item he dropped. He didn’t leave any traces on the bodies, it meant he was cautious of being caught. There was some level of knowledge about things like fingerprints and DNA that the killer had. The murders were planned out in advance and yet they seemed to be committed in a moment of anger. It was becoming clear to Anon why detective Hills had a bad feeling this case. In fact he was starting to have the same bad feeling.
He stood by the river, the water was almost reaching his shoes, then turned back on the road. The spot where the body was found was in clear view and so was the dirt road. A car speeding away would have caught attention. The best escape route was obviously the main road that leads out of town. Anon shook his head. Something didn’t add up.
“No, no,no.” he said as several scenarios popped up in his head. “ that’s not what happened. If the car had its lights on the witness would have seen the plate. If he had a flashlight it would have been seen but getting into the car and driving away would have brought on more attention.”
He turned to the road, then looked at the dirt road.
“What would have spooked him away from the water? If a car passed by on the main road they would have been driving too fast to really register anything going on by the river. Maybe they would have seen the flashlight but that’s not all that strange. People could be fishing or walking a dog. Whoever spooked the killer was not on the main road. “
He stood there and continued to thing to himself.
“ Perhaps this person came towards the location from further up the dirt road.” Anon shook his head again. “ No. if they came up to a light on the river side and saw a car driving away from the scene they would have seen the body too and the police would have found the flashlight in the immediate area. “
He looked over the roads again then turned to face the other way.
“The thing that spooked the killer didn’t come from the main road or the dirt road. So that leaves the other shore of the river and the river itself. Could it have been a boat? Let’s say he see a boat approaching on the water, he drops the body, kills the light and runs back to his car. Still anything he could have dropped would have been right here. Still, Toshi is right if the killer was going to toss her into the river he needed something to weigh her down. There was nothing attached to her body so maybe he took it with him or–“ Anon looked at the water.” –he panicked ant tossed it into the water. Whatever it was probably sank to the bottom.”
He went back to his car parked on the dirt road. Something still didn’t feel right. The man scanned the area one more time. Then he looked down at the mud he was standing in. Car tracks. There weren’t many. The police should have taken photos but he didn’t recall there being any attached to the files. It would at least help identify the type of car. Did they just forget to take them? There could have been shoe prints from the killer too. Now the rain had damaged anything that could have been there. He really needed to have a word with Hills.
Once he got to the station it was already dark.
“You took your time.” Hills sounded displeased.
“My apologies. I was investigating the possibility that killer dropped something at the river crime scene. “
The man looked at him with surprise.
“ The scene was clean, there was nothing there.”
“I have reason to believe otherwise, sir.”
“All right then, let’s hear it.”
Anon told him his conclusion.
“This is why I would like to have a list of ships that left port that night, a team of divers to inspect the river around that area and I noticed there were no photos of the tire tracks on the scene.”
“There were no photos because there were no tracks.” Hills said. “I was there. the only tracks from the police vehicles.
Anon felt like he had brain freeze from those words.
“There weren’t any tracks. But that can’t be right. He had to carry a body and something to weigh it down. Without a car– but a boat makes no sense either.”
“Look, I can tell that you’re trying and I appreciate it.” Hills said.” It’s possible he got spooked by boat but we will likely need a warrant to get those ship schedules and without good reason we can’t do that. “
“I understand.”
“No, like I said on the phone we found who our ginger Jane Doe is. Her name is Caroline Jacobs. 22. She wasn’t local. Officer Johnson went to Seattle on his day off and saw her face on missing person’s poster. She was a student at the university there. She also worked part time in a nursing home. As to how she ended up dead 400 miles away is still anyone’s guess.”
“I assumed all her friends and coworkers already been questioned after her disappearance. “
“They’ll send us the full information later.”
“How about the connection between Jacobs and the River Jane Doe?”
“We’ve sent the photos of her to the Seattle police and they are looking into it.”
“Then it’s likely the killer is from Seattle as well.” Anon said.” Still, how did he do it without a car?”
“Don’t sweat the details for now. This case is already complicated. We should have more details soon. However there is one detail you I still need to mention. Jacobs was diabetic. She was on insulin. She didn’t have any on her when she disappeared. “
“The injection site.” Anon said.
“Insulin is typically injected into the abdomen but doe to the injuries there the marks would not have been visible.”
“I think she knew her killer. He might have lied to her and told her it was insulin then injected her with the sedative.”
“I think that could be likely.” Hills agreed.” Seattle police will investigate this further since the suspect is likely from there.”
“He had to use car if he came all this way to dump her here. “
“We’re already looking into cars with Seattle plates that were in the city around the days of the murders.” Hills said.” Don’t worry about it. Just be prepared that we might have to hand this over to the guys at Seattle.”
“I know. It’s fine.” Anon said.
He felt stupid. Why was it that he kept missing the obvious? Instead of going home he went back to the river. No car tracks meant he didn’t park on the road. But parking on the well-lit bridge with a no parking sign would have gotten attention. Even parking further on the side of the main road with the car well lit up and the plates in clear view would have been out of character for a cautious killer like this one. He would have had to carry a dead body in a plain view of the upcoming cars– too risky.
Seeing how things looked in the dark, how they looked when the killer was there could bring new insight. Anon walked down the dirt road further, after all a road had two ends. Where did the other of road end? He knew was probably overthinking things and acting out of desperation more than anything. The killer was likely from Seattle so the main road was an easy bet. He wasn’t local so he wouldn’t know the local back roads. But there was a strange feeling that he was missing something again.
The road went on for a good twenty minutes. River on the right, trees and shrubs on the left. The dirt road went towards the city, on the opposite of the river port cranes and buildings could be seen. On the side Anon was walking, illuminated by lights from the other side were abandoned buildings. He stood there looking at the metal gate that was rusted and old “keep out” sigh. It was port property but it wasn’t used anymore. Something just pulled him to investigate further.
He repeated the facts over in his head. The River Jane Doe was killed somewhere else and then brought to the river to be disposed of. The killer got spooked by a boat, dropped the body and ran. He didn’t leave any car tracks in the mud. He didn’t come back to finish disposing of the body once the ship passed. So in other words he had already made a mistake but one that didn’t lead to immediate capture.
Old warehouses looked creepy in the dark of the night. Anon looked inside one of them. Something caught his attention. It was a net for lifting heavy cargo, several heavy metal hooks and chains were lying around too. Suddenly something inside him clicked. The killer could have just used walked in her and used something like this. He didn’t need to transport the body either, just stash her close by and carry her to the river and toss her in. Anon was almost certain now that that was what happened. That meant the crime scene also had to be somewhere around here, only he probably cleaned it up by now. He didn’t come back to dispose of the body because he was too worried about the crime scene being found.
He took photos of the net. The logo on the net will make it easy to identify. Anon was almost positive that it was the same king of net that the River Jane Doe was found in which would mean that she in fact killed by the same person. The police could not search the port buildings without a warrant but if he could prove that this was the potential crime scene then getting one should be no problem. Now he just needed to get that one last piece of evidence.
Anon went back to his car and took out the wet suit and diving equipment. He took some diving lessons for cases like this. Sometimes there just wasn’t time or enough funds to hire certified divers. He didn’t want to wait to have his request for a dive team approved, especially when it was no priority and likely to get denied. Going through the official channels was frustrating, too much bureaucracy. However it was necessary, only legally obtained evidence could be used in the court of law. Since this was a public area he didn’t need a warrant or special permission to search. He wasn’t doing anything illegal. If he happened to find something during his dive that could count as evidence – even better.
He turned on the headlight and put the mouthpiece in. the water was cold since it was fall but he didn’t care. The river got deeper after just a few steps into the water. Anon looked through the underwater weeds. The net would have had weights attached to it so most likely it was heavy enough to sink all the way down. However, if the killer threw it from where had dropped the body it wouldn’t have landed too far from the shore. There were pants, fish, some trash, an old sunken fishing boat. Anon wondered if the current was strong enough to carry the net further downstream even with weights attached to it. If that was the case finding it could be nearly impossible. However there was another possibility that it just got buried under all the sand.
He searched though the sand, causing it to rise up and reducing visibility. Anon was starting to lament not bringing a metal detector for this. Then something popped into to his mind. Pamela told him to act like a magus.
“Right,” he thought” Use every tool you have to get the job done. But if I use magic I might contaminate the evidence with my residual magic. Shit. Then again this guy is not a magus so….But Pam said to never dismiss that possibility. Just what am I supposed to do?”
Then he remembered that residual magic from magic tools doesn’t transfer. He got out of the water and walked away from the river , across the dirt road into the shrubs then picked up a branch.
“Right, this should be far enough. The residual magic detectors will detect magic even if it wasn’t used on victim directly. They can pick up even faint residue of magic used within the square area of a room. “He recalled.” I should be out of range.
He focused. This was the first time using magic outside of combat. Anon had been practicing bus was still hesitant on using it. Transmutation or as it’s sometimes called – transformation magic allowed to change the size, shape and other properties of living and non- living beings. He focused on the branch, maintaining a full transformation from branch to metal detector would be demanding. Not to mention all the other metal trash that was there. Anon realized he didn’t really need a metal detector– he needed to find whatever the killer had dropped in other a tool for finding items regardless of their material. The branch changed, shrinking in size and becoming two metal rods. He went back into the water focusing on the rods. Dowsing was something they had a class in but he didn’t particularly trust the method. He never though he would be using it himself in an investigation.
For what felt like eternity he swam around but there was no reaction. Then at one point the rods crossed. Anon was surprised, it was in a spot where the riverbed deepened again and it a closer to the middle of the river than the shore but he dove down and felt the rods vibrate. Soon his headlight’s light shone on something that looked very much like a net partially buried in the sand. Anon Swam back to the surface not wanting to risk anything. He made sure he was far enough away and stopped the spell. There was still oxygen left for one short dive and now that he knew the location he was certain he would get the net out in one dive.
He found his way back and began pulling the net out of the sand. It was a lot heavier than he thought it was. Anon struggled in lifting it. in the end he grabbed a part of it and tried to drag it rather than lift it. There were metal hooks, bits of chains and even dumbbells attached to the thing. He had to untie a few of them to get the net out of the water. It was the same as the nets he had seen in the abandoned warehouse, and so were the hooks. It was enough evidence to link the victim found in the river, the girl found murdered by the river and the old port warehouses together. Anon felt exhausted and cold. All he wanted now was sleep. Tossing the net into the trunk of car and took of the diving gear and got changed to his normal clothes. Then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. There were several missed calls.
“Hello?”
“Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.” Hills sounded desperately
“What happened.”
“They found another one.”