As forensics began the arduous task of going over the crime scene, the homicide detectives questioned Maggie’s sister, Lily. The poor, middle aged woman seemed to age a few years just talking to them. One could tell she was holding back a lot of grief. Alice waited as the other detectives asked pointed questions about who might have done this, but Lily didn’t have the slightest idea. She insisted that everyone had loved Frederick and Maggie. The couple hadn’t reported any suspicious people nearby, no strangers around the house, or anything. Frederick and Maggie had just stopped getting in touch.

When the homicide detectives finished, they left to start looking for any potential suspects or leads as Alice and Gary began their own interview. The two of them stood with Lily in front of the Benjamins' house. They asked for the usual information about Maggie, which could be summed up as a detailed description. While Gary spoke with compassion, Alice had an intense look in her eyes as she hung onto Lily's every word.

“Are there any other places your sister might have gone in case of an emergency?” asked Gary.

“Of course,” said Lily, holding back tears. “There's me, family, and friends, but I made a few calls before the police arrived, and no one's seen her.”

“Alright,” said Gary. “Just give us a list of anywhere she might have gone, and we’ll keep an eye on things.”

Alice frowned. Such steps were lucky at best and a formality at worst. The only way they were going to find Maggie Benjamin was to find whoever did this.

“Are you sure your sister never mentioned anything suspicious?” asked Alice.

“No,” said Lily. “Nothing.”

“The homicide detectives already went over this, Detective Hayes,” said Gary.

“Think,” said Alice, ignoring Gary. “Anything at all, even the slightest thing that seemed odd or out of place.”

Lily struggled to think for a moment, but then something occurred to her.

“Well,” said Lily. “I suppose…Maggie did mention seeing…a shadow.”

“A shadow?” asked Gary.

Alice gave Lily her full attention.

“Yes,” said Lily. “In the light of the kitchen window. Maggie said she saw something cast a shadow as it ran from the house. It didn’t seem important enough to mention before, but maybe...”

Lily swallowed nervously, staring off into space as she thought about it.

“Whatever it was," Lily went on. "It was fast, and when Maggie mentioned how it moved, I could hear a shiver in her voice.”

Gary felt a shiver of his own, while Alice narrowed her eyes.

“But it was probably just an animal or something,” Lily added, though she looked uncertain.

“That’s it?” asked Alice incredulously. “Just an animal?”

Gary looked at Alice, surprised, while Lily looked up in shock.

“You…you said anything,” Lily protested.

“I need something I can work with,” said Alice. “Come on, there must be something else.”

“I…I don’t’ know,” Lily stammered.

“Detective Hayes,” Gary warned.

“A suspicious person,” said Alice. “Windowless vans driving near her house, someone Frederick owed money to. Anything.”

“I…uh…”

“Can’t you remember anything?!” Alice snapped. “Do you want to find your sister or not?!”

“Alice!” Gary shouted.

Alice’s turned to him, and despite the anger she was feeling, Gary's face made her just a little uneasy. Gary never used her first name at a crime scene, much less in front of a witness.

“Can I speak to you for a moment?” asked Gary.

Alice rarely heard that tone in his voice, but she knew what it meant. He may have been asking, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. With an angry look in her eyes, Alice stepped away with Gary, leaving poor Lily flustered.

When they were a fair distance away, Gary rounded on her and asked, “What has gotten into you?”

Alice realized she didn’t have a good answer and crossed her arms. “I just want to find the victim, that’s all.”

“Alice, I’ve never seen you act like this, much less on duty. Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Alice insisted.

Gary gave her a suspicious look for a moment.

“Fine,” he said. “But tone it down, unless you want to get suspended for harassing a witness.”

Alice took a second to answer, “Fine.”

Gary turned and walked back to Lily. Alice watched him go, her arms still folded as Gary began consoling the witness. Alice watched him, and for the briefest of moments, Alice wondered if Gary had a point. She dismissed that thought, however.

She had a killer to find.

###

Back at the station, before Alice and Gary even had a chance to process things in the evidence room, the officer working the front desk got their attention.

“Alice, Gary,” said the officer. “Chief Dalton wants to see you, and before you ask, he does mean now.”

Calling them to the office before they had a chance to process the evidence? It must be serious, Alice thought.

Minutes later, both Alice and Gary entered the chief’s office. Chief of Police Joseph Dalton was an older gentleman with mostly gray hair, aside from a few stubborn strands that clung to their dark color. He sat at his desk, looking through a file folder with his lips pursed in displeasure. Alice had seen that look before, and she wasn’t looking forward to whatever he wanted.

“Officer Hayes, Officer Frasier,” said Chief Dalton, looking up. “Please sit.” They took seats as the chief continued. “You’ve got quite an interesting case today.”

Alice frowned. “We only just got back. How…”

“Officer Fraiser gave me a call,” said Chief Dalton. “And filled me in on a few…unsettling details.”

Alice turned to look at Gary angrily as he turned away with a guilty look on his face.

“I didn’t notice you make a call,” said Alice. “Gary?”

“You seemed different today,” said Gary. “You snapped at a witness. I’ve never seen you snap at a witness.”

“And it seems he was right to be worried,” said Chief Dalton. “Because the case he described reminded me of another case from…oh I don’t know…about ten years ago?”

Alice felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her.

“Sir…”

Chief Dalton put his hand up.

“Three victims,” said the Chief. “The Baxter family, all of them completely drained of blood through two puncture wounds in the neck, and found in a house that had the power cut. It’s a case I remember well.”

Alice looked away, unable to respond, as Gary looked on incredulously.

“This has happened before?” asked Gary.

“Indeed,” said Chief Dalton. “And just like the Benjamin case, there was a disappearance as well. The night before they were found, another boy had gone to their house for a sleepover. After the Baxter’s were found dead, this boy was reported missing and never found. His name,” Dalton paused, “was Arthur Hayes.”

Gary was rendered speechless as he stared at Alice with his mouth open. Alice cringed. She really didn’t like where this was going.

“You knew about this case?” Alice asked. “About me? You never said anything.”

“The name Alice Hayes sounded familiar,” said the chief. “From back when I was just a beat cop. I wasn't on the case myself, but a lot of us couldn't stop talking about it back then. Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why someone whose brother went missing would be interested in becoming a missing person’s detective. I remember how hard you pursued that position, and I’ll admit, I was a little worried that you’d have trouble remaining objective.

“That being said, you had already been working here for three years by then. You passed all your psychological evaluations, and you were good at the job once you got it. Ultimately, I didn’t see a reason to bring it up. It wasn’t my business. It wasn’t, that is, until now.”

“Sir,” she said. “I assure you, this won’t be a problem.”

“I’m afraid it already is a problem,” said the chief gravely. “Snapping at a witness is absolutely unacceptable.”

Alice considered her words carefully. “I may have gotten carried away today, but it won’t happen again. I promise.”

“Alice,” said Dalton sternly. “This is a chance to bring the man who kidnapped your brother to justice, or perhaps even discover what happened to Arthur. After your outburst, do you seriously expect me to believe that you can remain objective on this one?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I’m not emotionally compromised, sir,” said Alice, a little more aggressively than she intended.

“Honestly, I want to believe you,” said the chief. “I really do, but I can’t just take your word for it. For goodness’ sake, you’re the one who found the bodies. A teenager, walking in on that, how could that not have affected you?”

Gary looked away.

“Gary,” said Chief Dalton. “Tell me again. Did she seem herself outside of that outburst?”

“No,” said Gary reluctantly. “She seemed off. She was moving faster than normal and got irritable when we couldn’t find any leads. She came off as…obsessed.”

Alice clenched her fists.

“Obsessed?” she asked him, offended.

“Come on, Alice, what do you want me to do? Lie?”

“Maybe have my back,” she snapped, making Gary wince.

“Alice,” said Chief Dalton. "This hostility is just proving my point.”

Alice froze, realizing that he was right. She tried to relax but couldn’t stop herself from feeling tense. Then Chief Dalton said the last thing Alice wanted him to say.

“I’m taking you off this one.”

“No!” she said too quickly.

“I’m taking you off this case,” he said sternly. “And ordering you to undergo a psych evaluation before you take on another.”

“You don’t need to...”

“Alice, don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“I can solve this case!”

“Alice…”

“You can’t do this!” and she slammed her fist on the table, making Chief Dalton and Gary flinch.

Alice instantly knew she’d made a mistake. She pulled her fist down and desperately tried to think of a way to diffuse the situation as she looked back and forth between the others. Gary seemed bewildered, while Dalton had disappointment written all over his face. No matter how hard she thought about it, Alice couldn't think of anything to say.

“Alice,” said Dalton. “You’re suspended for a week and will be required to undergo an extensive psych evaluation before you can return to work. That’s an order.”

She wanted to protest, but once again, she couldn’t think of anything to say.

“I…yes, sir,” said Alice.

Chief Dalton nodded silently. Gary just watched Alice, wanting to say something encouraging but lacking the words to do so.

###

Chief Dalton sent Alice home immediately. Gary would have to finish processing the evidence since Alice wasn’t operating at a hundred percent. She accepted this, albeit reluctantly. When other officers realized she’d been sent home, they gave Alice sympathetic looks, though she would have preferred that they didn’t. As she got her things from her desk, Gary came up to her, wearing a guilty look.

“Alice,” he said. “I’m sorry about this. I just…”

“No,” said Alice, taking a deep breath. “No, I’m sorry for how I acted back there.”

Gary nodded. “Listen…when I solve the case, I’ll tell you everything I find. Okay?”

“Yeah,” said Alice. “That would be great. Thanks.”

Gary nodded.

###

Alice went straight to bed, not feeling up to doing anything else. That, however, didn’t translate into a good night’s sleep. Even without setting her alarm clock, she woke up feeling exhausted. She lay in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling and reflecting on what had happened yesterday. The more Alice thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt.

Alice had snapped at a witness and then lashed out at her boss. In all her years on the force, she'd never done anything like that before. What had she been thinking? Even knowing it was old emotional wounds being opened didn't make her behavior seem any less strange now that she'd calmed down. As time went on, her own actions the previous day began to feel like those of a stranger.

Gary was right. She'd gotten obsessed.

Maybe a vacation would be nice after all, even if it was technically a suspension. She could set up that mother daughter day she’d been thinking about. However, before Alice could decide what she wanted to do, she heard a knock at the door.

Who would be looking for her at this time of the morning?

She put on some slippers and a robe over her pajamas and then went to answer the door. Opening it revealed a pair of men in suits with sunglasses standing in the apartment hallway. One was a tall, bulky man with dark hair and pale skin. He reminded Alice of a wrestler for how sturdy he looked and the grim, no nonsense expression he wore on his face. The other was a slender, dark skinned man with round sunglasses and a shaved head. He also had a friendly expression on his face, even with his eyes hidden.

“Detective Hayes,” said the bulky man, pulling out a wallet and revealing a badge. “I’m Special Agent Thompson, this is Special Agent Walker, and we’re with the FBI.”

Alice had a feeling she knew what this was about and sighed in exasperation.

“You’re taking over the Frederick Benjamin case, aren’t you?”

“You guess correctly,” said agent Walker, impressed.

Alice wondered how Gary was going to feel about this.

“We’re also reopening the case you were a witness to,” said Agent Thompson. “The Baxter Case. We believe both that case and this new one are connected to murders committed in other states.”

Alice frowned.

“This was a serial killer?” she asked, surprised. “Why haven’t I heard of this? A single murder in a random city is one thing, but several murders across state lines sounds like it should make national news or something, especially if it’s gone on for ten years.”

“Normally, yes,” said Agent Walker with a soft accent. “But these murders are committed years apart, and when they do go national, they tend to get relegated to supermarket tabloids due to their…ahem…more eccentric methods.”

Making them look like vampires did it, Alice thought bitterly.

“We just wanted to ask a few questions,” said Agent Thompson. “May we come in?”

Alice felt a small spark of amusement. It had been a while since she’d been on this end of witness testimony.

“Sure,” she said. “But if it’s alright with you, I’d like to get dressed first.”

The agents didn’t mind. Soon Alice wore jeans and a modest blouse while she sat in a comfortable chair and the agents sat on the couch. Alice, as law enforcement herself, knew precisely what to expect from this sort of thing. Talking about how she found the Baxter family’s bodies wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t her first time doing it, so she managed. They asked her if she ever saw Baxter’s interacting with someone they didn’t know or if they ever saw someone suspicious in the neighborhood. All standard stuff. They did, however, have one question that Alice wasn’t expecting.

“At the time,” said Agent Thompson, writing in a notebook. “Did you notice the Baxter family acting strange?”

“I didn’t interact with them much,” said Alice. “I just knew them as the family of Arthur’s friend. I don't remember them cutting off contact with people abruptly, but I can't be certain.”

“And have you noticed anyone around you acting strange recently?” asked Walker.

Alice raised an eyebrow.

“Someone I know?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Agent Thompson. “Have you seen anyone acting distant or withdrawn?”

“Suddenly avoiding contact with friends and family?” added Agent Walker. “Like the Benjamins did.”

Alice frowned. “You said that this murderer strikes only once every few years and in different states. You don't think this murderer is going to strike again now, do you?”

“Just a precaution,” said Thompson. “We're not expecting more murders, but this murderer has returned to Saint Vivia after all this time, so we figure we can't be too careful.”

Alice suddenly got an ominous feeling, and she crossed her arms to rub her forearms nervously.

“You may have noticed that both murders showed no sign of a struggle,” said Agent Walker. “We suspect that the murderer gains the confidence of his victims, partially through the use of drugs.”

That ominous feeling started to grow.

“What drugs?” asked Alice.

“Admittedly,” said Agent Thompson. “We don’t know. With all the victims’ blood drained, any direct evidence of foreign substances is nonexistent. We believe drugs might be involved because the behavior change is so consistent between cases. It's likely a drug that increases suggestibility, but again, without evidence, we can’t be sure.”

Alice slumped back in her chair, the ramifications of this dawning on her. What if something like that had been used on Arthur?

Alice pushed those thoughts away. She'd already suffered the consequences of obsession recently and wasn't eager to go down that road again. She considered the question and was glad to have her answer right away.

“No,” said Alice. “I haven’t noticed anyone acting out of the ordinary.”

“Alright,” said Agent Thompson. “Thank you for your time. If you do notice anyone acting strangely, please give us a call.”

He handed her a business card with an FBI logo and his contact information, which she pocketed.

“Before we go,” agent Walker added. “Let me give you a word of advice. We suspect that whoever is behind this initially gains trust by presenting themselves as someone in need. Car broke down, phone not working, et cetera. Given that the killer is likely here in Saint Vivia, I’d recommend that you do not, under any circumstances, allow any strangers into your home, no matter how much help they seem to need.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Alice.

The agents nodded and then let themselves out. Alice watched them walk down the hallway outside her apartment curiously. Something was bothering her about this, but she couldn’t place what it was. This new information had rattled her, sure, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more going on. Exactly what that was, she couldn't say.

Alice shook her head. She needed to get this out of her mind. It was time to make good on her previous plans.

###

Alice texted her mother, and they agreed to meet at mom’s house, the very place Alice had grown up. The only car Alice used was the one issued to her by the police, and Gary was using that, so Alice used a rideshare app to get there. As she sat in the backseat, she looked out the window as houses passed her vision. Soon Alice saw the Baxter house go by, and she quickly looked away. Another family lived there now, naturally, but she still couldn’t bear to look. There were just too many bad memories associated with that place.

The driver dropped her off, and Alice walked to the front door of her old house, a white one with old fashioned décor. As Alice stepped onto the porch, it creaked just as she remembered. When she knocked at the door, Alice expected her mother to open it up with a cheery disposition.

When Mom opened the door, her disposition was the exact opposite of cheerful. The woman looked like an older version of Alice. The only differences visible were her graying hair, the wrinkles on her face, and the tear marks staining her makeup. She looked up at Alice sadly, sniffling.

“Mom?” asked Alice, astonished. “What happened?”

“A pair of FBI agents came by this morning,” said her mother, wiping her nose with a handkerchief. “There’s been a murder. One that’s just like…just like…”

And she started crying again. Alice stood there hesitantly, uncertain of what to do. Eventually, she put her hands on her mom’s shoulders, and Mom quickly moved in for an embrace. Alice comforted her mother for a moment and then led her into the living room, where they took seats on the couch.

“Oh, I’m sorry, dear,” said Mrs. Hayes. “I’m such a mess right now. Agent Jackson and Agent Brown were so patient with me, but that didn’t stop me from making a fool of myself.”

As Alice’s mother wiped more tears from her face, Alice momentarily wondered just how many agents were working on this case. She quickly returned her attention to her mother, though. That was more important.

“Don’t apologize, Mom,” said Alice, sighing. “I’m not much better. I’m on mandatory leave because I yelled at my boss.” Alice sighed. “He took me off the very case that brought the FBI."

Mrs. Hayes chuckled, still wiping tears from her eyes. “I would have thought you’d want to be taken off that case.”

Alice didn’t respond. It wasn’t an unreasonable thing to assume, but it made her wonder if she’d been just a little too distant with her mother lately. Sara Hayes didn’t know her daughter very well, and Alice had no one to blame but herself. Seeing her mother crying over this, Alice was suddenly grateful she'd been suspended.

“Alright, mom,” said Alice. “I think it's time we took our minds off of this. I have at least a week off, so what do you want to do?”

###

Alice and Mom did a couple of things that day. They went shopping at an antique store, finding all sorts of rare and beautiful things. They had lunch at a little café styled after the ones in Paris, and finally, they took a trip to the Saint Vivia Art Museum. All in all, it was a productive mother daughter day. As they drove back through the city in Mrs. Hayes’s old station wagon, they chatted for a bit until Mrs. Hayes decided to turn on the radio. She switched channels for a bit until they both heard something from one of the local news stations.

“…another gruesome set of murders on the outskirts of the city.”

Alice, who had been smiling, slowly frowned as she drove. Mrs. Hayes froze, her hand over the channel dial, as the reporter continued.

“The first victim, Frederick Benjamin, was found a day ago by his nephew. These newest victims were found by their neighbor early this morning. Just like the first victim, all of their blood was completely drained through two pricks in the neck. What mechanism was used to achieve this is unknown at this time. However…”

Mrs. Hayes turned off the radio and looked at her daughter. Alice saw Mom's despondent look in the corner of her eye and felt the same way. Could this really be happening?

The two of them sat in silence for the rest of the drive.

###

Over the following week, Alice took it easy, or at least tried to. The day after she visited Mom, Alice heard about two more murders, and then the next day, four more. Five days into Alice’s de facto vacation, it became clear that there wasn’t just a single murderer behind this. Alice turned on the news that morning for the most shocking report she’d ever heard in her life.

“And with seven more murders reported to the police this morning,” said the newscaster, a woman with a fearful look on her face. “It brings the total number of deaths to nineteen. The FBI has given no indication that they know who is behind this, whether it’s an individual or a group effort, but one thing is certain. The City of Saint Vivia is going through dark times.”

Alice agreed as she stood in the middle of her apartment. She hugged herself, suddenly feeling very cold.