Super Psycho (Chapter-7)

“Do we really have to meet with Dr. Bullock again? I don’t think I want to be around when he falls over and dies.” Harley was concerned that that old man will have a heart attack today since we are storming his school for the information we needed but didn’t get.

There were cops behind us as we walked up the steps of the building. It shouldn’t take long to get the missing files if he didn’t hide them. I heard the comments from the others, how it was a beautiful day to raid people’s belongings.

“I think I might go home and take a nap after this.” I said quietly.

I didn’t really get that much sleep because of Raven. Good thing was he wasn’t around when I woke up.

“Are you kidding? Aren’t we going to find those five people and talk to them?” Harley asked.

As much as I wanted to, I really just wanted to go to sleep.

We walked the hallways of the main building, where the Dean had his office. There were people watching as he walked, and they began whispering. It’s not like we’re going to arrest someone, but if we could, we definitely would. It just seemed like there was something bad about to happen because there were so many police officers.

It was definitely a surprise for the Dean when we got to his office, only to start moving around the room and searching for the missing items we legally needed. We’re not here to arrest him, he doesn’t even have long left to live.

“What are y-you-” he couldn’t get up to stop us.

Already he was out of breath from the shock as the police officers tore his office apart to get those missing files.

“You remember those five students that never returned. Where are their files?” I asked.

“I c-can’t give those to you-”

“Well we have a court order that says you do.” I set a copy of the paper down on his desk and looked around to see if any progress was made.

“Dr. Bullock, just tell us where the missing files are and we’ll be on our way.” Harley was always the good cop in situations like these.

Of course it doesn’t look good that we had to barge our way in here and mess up an old man’s office. I do feel bad for him. But we specifically told him what we wanted the first time and he refused to comply. Harley is too soft at heart.

He got up slowly, using his cane to stand up on both feet. The other police officers stopped so we can give him room to walk around and give us what we need. He took slow steps over to the other side of the room, his hand pressing on the wall where there was a small knob. I actually had to squint to see it from where I was standing.

There was a safe behind the wall.

To be honest, we would have never seen it unless Dr. Bullock had told us.

He put the combination in and opened the small silver door to expose everything he had hidden in there. The only thing we can touch are the files. He held the manila folders in his shaking hands. Harley went to get them. She checked her list to see if it matched. When she looked up at me, she nodded.

Well, now we’re good to go.

I gestured for the others to leave; Harley and I followed behind them.

“Did you want to look into all five of them today?” Harley asked.

I still have a plan that’s pending. Davis is out and about but is being kept hidden. There aren’t people that know about his release. Right now, it’s just me and Michael who are aware. We decided to place him in one area of the city. Depending on how long it takes for him to be tracked down, we definitely might get our killer.

What we’re looking for is suspicious activity.

“Give me a few days before we start. Find out where all of them were the day before Linda Bullock’s murder.” I said.

I needed to talk to Michael first. I need to know if Davis is being watched. He is a criminal that wasn’t supposed to be let out of prison, but I want to make sure that we don’t lose sight of him for any reason at all.

I told Harley that I would be back in a few hours. Wherever Michael was, it better be good. I called him a few times to get a hold of him but he hasn’t responded yet. I get that he does a lot of things but his job shouldn’t be last on the list.

I was on my way to the district attorney’s office when I saw something that made me stop. Through the crowd of people moving, I found Michael. But I found him with Raven. They were talking to each other. I tried to think of ways they would know each other, then it hit me that Raven doesn’t really have the greatest job in the world.

Then again, I was a little curious and wanted to know what they were talking about.

By the time I was going to make it over to them, Michael would be gone. So I wasn’t going to talk to Michael. He also has this thing about talking too much when it comes to personal matters so I wasn’t going to go to him.

Raven, on the other hand, I need to talk to him.

My hand stopped him from walking away. He looked at me, a little confused, but then he smiled at me.

“You know Michael?” I asked, curious.

“Yeah, I know Michael.” He laughed. “He still hasn’t paid up for my services and I sort of need the money.”

Well it did look like Raven wanted the money. It wasn’t a friendly meet up. Knowing Michael, he does have a reputation of making a mess.

“Does he work with you?” Raven asked. “He walks around with a flashy badge just like you.” He smiled wider. “He’s actually really dirty-”

“Let’s not talk about my coworker.” I stopped him.

There are things that I don’t have to know and things I don’t want to know. It would be nice if I don’t know deep things about Michael. I’m fine with speculating.

“Ever had an orgy?” He asked.

I can’t believe that I decided to come here and talk to him. What was I thinking? Why did I think that he would have a normal conversation with me.

“We’re done here.” I was about to turn away to leave but he grabbed my arm to stop me.

“I’m sorry. No more obnoxious comments.” He said, hoping to get on my good side again. It’s like every time he opens his mouth, I hear something alarming.

I don’t believe Raven will hold back on anything he says even if he promises me.

“I’m actually having a good day today. Do you want to get lunch with me?” He asked kindly, actually being sincere for the first time I’ve known him.

I was worried about his gesture.

“In a public place?”

“Nothing dirty will happen. I promise.” He let go of me. “I’m not wearing any vibrators if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Hm.”

A number of things could happen no matter what he says. I didn’t do anything though, and that’s when he decided to pull me along and bring me somewhere so we could have lunch together.

The last time I was in a restaurant with him publicly, it was not a good day. I’m hoping I don’t have to worry like that again.

Because it was such a nice day out, he wanted to sit outside. I didn’t complain since he promised to be on his best behavior while with me. I don’t know what has him in such a good mood but he does seem giddy. It was like the first time I’d genuinely seen him happy. I wonder what happened to him.

I’m just hoping that having him in a normal setting for the second time will make him realize that there’s nothing wrong with doing something that’s not crazy. He doesn’t always have to be wild.

Apparently, Raven likes being out in the sun, though to me that seems like a lie. It’s like he gets his energy from low lighting but today seemed different. He was smiling. And it wasn’t because of something downright disgusting.

“Are you going to tell me about your fiance?” He asked like he’s been dying to know.

We weren’t going to discuss this.

“Not really.” I said.

“I know nothing about you, Morgan. For all I know, you might be the one killing people and I might be your next target.” He joked around.

I never intended to talk to him about my personal life. It’s personal. Raven really doesn’t need to know anything about me. But his comment made me narrow my eyes and wonder why he would think that. He says I’m mysterious but that’s because I tell him nothing. I have nothing to say, that’s all.

I took a breath because I was actually going to unpack my baggage.

“Four years ago I was supposed to get married.” I started slowly.

Some people tell me that wasn’t a long time ago, that my wounds were still fresh, that I’m still healing.

“It was the night of my wedding, and before anything started, one of her ex-boyfriends came to the church screaming and shouting.”

Now it’s like I can remember as it happened moments ago.

“He was...crazy." I don't know if I used the right word, but what he did, was crazy. "He had a rifle in his hands and started shooting everywhere. And he... shot her.”

My arms felt heavy.

There was so much that happened that night.

I remembered her white dress staining red, how I had to hold her up in my arms, how she couldn’t even say anything as she quickly died right in front of me. That's the most vivid memory I keep with me. Everything else is a blur now.

I haven’t talked about it with anyone. I don't talk to my old friends anymore, I stopped speaking to her family, and I decided to be alone. I barely talk to my own parents now because I don't want them to ask me how I'm doing. I got over it, more so because I couldn’t keep grieving when I knew it wouldn’t change anything.

My fiance died moments before I could say “I do” and it completely ruined me for some time.

“What was her name?” Raven asked. I forgot he was even here.

“Alessandra, but I...she went by Ally.” I had to stop myself from smiling at the old memory because there was this pain in my chest that I hadn't felt in a long time. It was like picking at a scab I tried so hard to ignore. “She was a lawyer, she was the only reason I was going to become a lawyer.”

It seemed like a crazy idea but she believed in me more than any of my friends and family did. I wasn’t book-smart but because of her, I was determined. When she died, I didn’t have a reason to keep going so I never took the BAR and decided to switch career paths.

“I don’t think about this much. I don’t talk to people about it either. No one at work even knows I was engaged.” I laughed quietly to myself.

It wasn’t till now how much I kept to myself.

“Why don’t you tell anyone?”

“So I don’t start grieving again.” It was that simple for me.

The more I talk about it, the more I’ll want her back. And I know how life works, how death works, so that’s why I try not to think about it and grieve about it too much. There are some days where I don’t think about her, there are others when I do. I’m okay for now. It’s been four years since that night.

I don’t tell people because they’ll worry too much or they’ll pry into my business, or they’ll think I should start getting back into the whole dating world when I don’t want to.

I’m fine on my own.

“Is that why you’re a detective now? Because you want to be the symbol of justice for your loss?” Raven asked.

“I’m not that cliche,” I said.

“So tell me.”

“Well, I never became a lawyer but this job is okay. It’s like I get to see everything first.” I shrugged.

It wasn’t the original plan. It wasn’t what I wanted in the beginning. But I happened to like it more than I thought I would. I liked the problem-solving and working with other departments to get justice. It happened that I fit where I am. So I stayed here for years.

“What about the guy?”

“Her ex-boyfriend?”

“Yeah, what happened to him?” Raven asked, a little more than curious.

This was the part that made it so hard to grieve.

“He got away,” I said quietly.

“He what?” Apparently, Raven was appalled by that. “That can’t be right. People don’t just get away with murder.”

Considering how things are going now, I would beg to differ.

“The last he was seen was somewhere in Nevada, but after that, he’s completely disappeared.”

“We should go find him.”

“Ah, no, we shouldn’t.” I said before he could get the wrong idea. “He’s gone. I might as well stay here and work with what I have on this case.” I said.

I’ve grieved enough and I moved on. I’m not going to get myself angry again because I couldn’t get the justice Ally deserved. I can’t open that up for myself again.

Raven was staring at me, like right at me without looking away. He looked confused and worried and a little shocked. Was it because I let one killer get away? I wasn’t going to get into it anymore. If I do, I might go on a rampage and there’s no need for that. I’ve spent years holding down my anger and I can’t feel it again. Raven continued to stare at me without saying anything. Was he that stunned?

“What?” I asked.

He was about to say something but he closed his mouth and looked away for a second.

“I just never knew you were the type to fall in love.” He said.

Though, that’s not what he was going to say to me before.

“I thought you were the come-and-go type. Like relationships aren’t your thing, like all you really need is a quick fuck to stay alive and you move on with your work.” He explained.

That’s how everyone thinks I am so I wasn’t surprised by his observation.

“You have the whole vibe or whatever.” He looked at me again, this time smiling.

I don’t understand the vibe but I wasn’t going to ask. He might give me gruesome details.

“Let’s not talk about my life.”

“But I want to know more.” He pouted.

“What else is there?” I asked. Other than my failed attempt at being able to start a family, there’s nothing more I actually need to discuss.

“Are you an alcoholic?”

“How many times do I have to tell you no?” I asked.

He gestured to the drink that I had. I looked down at it but I hadn’t realized how strong it was. I’ve just been able to handle alcohol. Like him, I have a high tolerance. I don’t know what else he expects from me.

“Alcohol isn’t my thing,” he sat back. He’s lying. Everything is his thing. He probably just like drugs more and I know the kinds of drugs he enjoys doing.

“I can have you arrested for possession of drugs.” I said.

“You can arrest me for anything you want.”

I was just about to get up to leave when he stopped me quickly. He was laughing so I didn’t think his apology was serious. I know for a fact that he really couldn’t hold on to his sexual innuendos, that he just had to say something. I wasn’t shocked.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized. “You really have to stop provoking me though. You keep walking into traps.” He was still laughing.

“Do you ever stop?”

“Sometimes I actually do feel ashamed.” He said.

I doubt it.

“I promised I won’t go overboard. I’m serious.” He was making an effort to have a normal day with me.

I don’t understand why but I didn’t want to ruin it by saying something else he could take the wrong way. I could use some time away from work for now. It’s good to clear my head and think about other things to do.

I just needed a minute to myself.

Raven isn’t terrible when he’s doing his best to hold in his inappropriate behavior. He’s very smart and passionate about the things he likes. I actually felt bad about what happened to him, how he was expelled from school, how he had his dreams ruined. I actually wished for some justice for him too because he deserves it as much as anyone else.

He loved what he used to do.

For him to not do it anymore, it broke him.

I know what it’s like. I know what it’s like to have something taken away in such a quick second, to have the world be cold and unkind. We actually have a lot more in common than I thought.

Near the evening, I walked back into the station, completely forgetting what I needed to do at the district attorney’s office. Harley had the information about where each person was last seen the day before Linda Bullock was murdered. We buried the other information that didn’t seem helpful. Now that we know about the five other people, it might point us in the right direction.

It was just the two of us for now and we sat in the conference room together as she laid out all the information and pictures.

“Fiona Dawson was last seen upstate. She lives far away from the city so it doesn’t seem likely that she had anything to do with Ms. Bullock’s murder.” She said.

“What does she do?” I asked.

“She has a bachelor’s in behavioral science. Since she didn’t graduate from her school of the choice she transferred to a state college.”

I looked at her picture. If it was her, we would’ve known quickly. My gut says it’s not her.

“She lives alone and rarely comes to the city. We did facial recognition on some of the cameras and got nothing.”

I moved her picture to the side and picked up another photo. A male with red curls and a patchy mustache. Blue eyes, freckles, a strong jaw, a big nose, and a birthmark on his neck.

“Is this a mug shot?” I asked her.

Harley laughed quietly and went right into explaining this guy.

“Wesley Sawyer was seen at a club on the night of the murder. And it wasn’t on the party side of the city either. He was there for a party and has a lot of witnesses ready to test his alibi.” She had multiple pictures of him at the club or with people that night. The time stamps were accurate.

It wasn’t him.

“He was arrested for dealing drugs that night, but he was framed. That explains his mugshot.” She pointed to the photo. “He does have a lengthy disciplinary file; he was mostly written up by Bullock multiple times.”

“Aggressiveness and violence against her?”

“On multiple occasions actually.” Harley answered.

We’ll keep his file but I don’t think he did it. If he did, then we’re going to have a long chat about how he’s probably going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“Olivia Jones moved a while ago once she was accepted to a different performing arts school. During the time of the murder, she was at a recital.”

I moved her picture aside and went for the next one.

“Mellie Nguyen was at the hospital during the time of the murder. She has to have monthly checkups due to her injury, and she decided to stay overnight at the hospital.”

There was actually proof of Mellie being there that night. Harley had pictures and a note from her doctor.

“Jaymin Rose was actually seen at the same convenience store Bullock was at the day befor

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e.”

I was staring at the picture she had of Raven. It was an older photo from years ago. His hair was black and both his eyes were brown.

“The man that owns the store had to kick them both out because they got into a verbal fight.”

“You couldn’t start with that?” I looked at her.

“Well, the thing is that Jaymin left the country that same night and hasn’t been seen since.” She said. “The last thing tech could trace on any of his accounts, emails, phone records was an acceptance letter for a school in England. He bought a plane ticket and left. His accounts were closed and everything. He just moved.” Harley explained.

I opened my mouth to say something but I stopped short of myself.

His records say he left the night before Bullock’s murder.

I’ve seen his multiple IDs, everything else is in a different name. His accounts, emails, phone records, and everything is under a different name. That’s why Harley can’t track him.

“Can you find any images of him on any street cameras?”

“It came back with zero hits.” She shook her head.

I wanted to know what he was doing. There’s no way that there are no hits on the cameras we have around in the streets. He’s the first person we should bring in just because he’s getting away with fraud.

Did he actually leave that night or did he kill Linda Bullock? Did he kill all those people?

I got up abruptly and left the room, seeing an entire team of detectives and cops walking around. I was looking for someone but again, I didn’t see him. Michael was supposed to be here.

I have no idea what he’s doing.

He didn’t get killed by the rapist, did he?

“Where the hell is Michael?” I asked loudly to get everyone’s attention.

They all stopped what they were doing and turned to me abruptly. No one was saying anything and I needed them to say something! Where the hell is Michael?

“He went down to that old club. He said he was feeling bored and wanted something to do.” One of the officers spoke up.

He’s talking to Raven.

Right now, they need to be separated. Raven can be incredibly manipulative and the last thing I need is Michael being the leak just in case he actually is the murderer. I had my doubts but I also had a reason to believe Raven is involved in this.

I got down to that club as quickly as I could, hoping to catch them but it seemed like I was already too late. It was crowded so it was difficult enough to make my way around.

The smoke clouded the air. People continued to push me, rub me up against me, and got in my way. Why is it always when I have something to do, I can never do it?

Though the lighting was low, I could see Michael talking to Raven again, but he just turned away to leave before I could even get close.

I have questions for him. Again.

I walked over to the platform he was sitting on. We were back to these encounters. Today, his wrists were bound tightly to the metal railings on the platform floor. He was blindfolded but not gagged. I could hear the vibration but I ignored it.

My hands lifted to his face to take off the blindfold that covered his eyes. I undid the rope around his wrists, too.

“How long is it going to take for you to get it?”

“We need to talk,” I said, more concerned about what I know now than whatever he wanted to do. “When was the last time you left the country?” I asked.

He stared at me.

Does he not have an answer?

“A couple of months ago. There was a school I wanted to look at so I went to check it out.” He answered plainly.

“You have someone that will attest to your alibi?” I asked.

“I sure hope so since I think you’re accusing me of something.” He caught on rather quickly.

I don’t think he left that night. I think he saw Linda Bullock, got in a fight with her, and killed her the next night. That’s the only explanation that fits him. I hope to God that he didn’t do it. I want to hope my entire life that he was just in a bad place at a bad time and that he has nothing to do with this.

“You think I killed Ms. Bullock, don’t you?” He smiled. “I’ll be happy to testify and help you figure out who did it, but anything I say to you right now is inadmissible in court, right?”

There is just so much I need to know right now. He’s definitely playing me. And as much as he knows that he can tell me whatever he wants and call it hearsay, but he won’t admit to the big question.

“Which identity are you using for your information?” I asked.

“Not my real one, that’s for sure.”

“Take this seriously.”

“I didn’t leave the country, okay.” He sighed and leaned his head back. “I was supposed to go, but a friend of mine got hurt in a car accident so I went to the hospital instead and missed my flight.”

“Why can’t we find you on any surveillance cameras?” I asked.

“I know a few guys that take care of that for me. I’m telling you that my line of work ain’t the greatest, and your cop friends make it difficult for me to protect myself.” He explained himself.

He’s being cooperative. Maybe that means he doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on. Or maybe it’s something else.

He hasn’t mentioned his psycho-boss friend in a while. Maybe that means he has no relevance whatsoever.

“Anything else, detective?” He asked, and it was the first time I felt a bit of hostility coming from him.

This was definitely new. He didn’t want me around. Is it because I threatened his secrets? He has a lot he’s not telling me and at first, it wasn’t a problem, but now it is. It’s a big problem. There are holes and gaps and it seems like he fits all the pieces together. Unless he has an alibi for the day of Bullock’s murder, he’s going to be brought in.

This was work. He was challenging my line of work now. I’m going to have to bring him in to question him with the law on my side.

That’s the only way I can use any of the information.

“Looks like you do have the whole daddy persona going for you.” He said, not smiling at his newfound information.

He was not happy. And I figured that there was nothing to fix his attitude.

“Why don’t you stick around so we can work with that?” He asked. “Unless you’re going to arrest me right now.”

I wanted to but I wasn’t going to. I need to know more. I had to make him talk more so I can get more information. He’s making it seem like he doesn’t know anything but he does.

He has to.

“We need to go to a private place and talk now,” I said seriously. This isn’t over.

“There’s no way-”

"Now, Raven. Or I will arrest you here.” I said over him when he tried to tell me no.

I left immediately so I could go wait outside for him to put clothes on. I don’t have time for him to mess around. I’m not joking with him either. I didn’t want to consider him a suspect but with what I just learned, he should be at the top of the list. I am giving him the courtesy of knowing what will happen to him within a couple of days but I also need to know that what he’s telling me is the truth.

If I bring him in and everything he said to me is a lie, I could get in serious trouble. We’re at the point in the case where the chief thinks it would be a better idea to give this to the national government instead.

This murderer is a threat.

Raven isn’t helping himself if he’s only going to blow me off.

Within just minutes he was outside and he walked around, making me follow behind closely just so he doesn’t do anything he shouldn’t. He walked around the corner and moved into a dark alleyway just so no one else would bother us.

“So you really think I killed her.” He said.

It wasn’t a question.

“If I did, my first mistake would be letting you get away.”

No. His first mistake would be letting me find out he did it, and he’s not blatantly denying the claim.

“I’m flattered that you think I’m capable of taking down all those people but I don’t have a vengeful bone in my body.”

That was a lie.

The murderer likes killing. Raven likes everything. Not all of it had to do with revenge. And he didn’t like Bullock either.

“Did you get into a verbal fight with her at a convenience store?” I asked.

“You mean that night I called her out on being a bitch?” He spat out. This was the first time I’d seen his anger and there was nothing more real than that hatred he felt. “I hadn’t seen her in a year, and finally I got my chance to tell her off, so you damn well better believe I did.”

“What’d you say to her?” I asked. Raven wasn’t quick to respond. “What did you say to her?” I asked again, this time demanding an answer from him.

He didn’t want to talk. Did he threaten her life?

“I told her I’d be the one to kill her, that I would stare her in the eyes as I watch her struggle to take her last breath before I slit her throat.” He said through his teeth.

I was shocked and it was more like I knew I shouldn’t be shocked but I was. I really was. Hearing Raven say that just made all the puzzle pieces fit together.

“My first mistake would be letting you get away, Morgan.” he came closer to me. “If I did kill her, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Do you have an alibi for the night she was killed?” I asked.

“I do.”

“So you have no problem proving it in court?”

“Go ahead and arrest me.” He tried me.

He says his first mistake would be letting me get away. If he needed to, would he kill me? He wasn’t trying to now. I stared him in the eyes, hoping to feel an ounce of doubt but I didn’t. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure but I was sure enough that Raven should be a suspect.

It wouldn’t be hard to explain the other murders either.

I have to bring him in someday this week.

“What’s going on with you?” I asked because he’s been moody all day. He’s not one to have a temper with me. This was a surprise.

Well, I wanted to be surprised.

I have a feeling that Michael said something, both earlier during the day and when I caught him just thirty minutes ago. What did he tell him?

“I’m not answering any more questions till I get something in return.” He turned to walk away. “You know what I want, Morgan.” He left to go back to work.

I do know what he wants.

This is not how it’s supposed to work, and as much as I wanted to threaten him, I couldn’t do it. So I know what he wants and I’ll do whatever I need to get the answers to my questions.

I went home and waited. It wasn’t till three in the morning that I got a call from Harley which wouldn’t be a surprise. I know what happened already. The only reason I would get a call this late at night is that someone has been murdered.

It wasn’t till three thirty that I made it to the crime scene to see what was going on, to see who it was, to know what I was dealing with. There were a bunch of police and paramedics. There were even news outlets here. It’s three in the morning. What are they going to report on? Who are they going to report to?

I moved under the yellow tape and went over to Harley who was talking to the lead cop and paramedic.

“What happened?” I asked.

The body was further down the alleyway, no one touched it yet.

“Well, there’s been another hit,” Harley said. “But we can’t explain why a convicted rapist was killed in the streets and not in jail.” She said.

I didn’t believe her.

I had to see it for myself.

There were a few other police officers around the body, mostly to hide it from the people trying to get pictures. Michael was there and when he saw me, he was quick to try and explain himself.

“I lost him.” He said.

“Clearly.”

“I tried to trace calls from the phone we gave him, but he received an unknown call to his regular phone.”

“His phone was still open?”

“He’s rich, he’s not going to notice a little bill like having a phone,” Michael said. “Anyway, it was from another burner phone so whoever it is, they knew he was out and that it wasn’t on good terms.” He said discreetly and looked around.

“Who gave the tip about his body?” I asked.

“It came from his burner phone. This murderer is messing with us, Morgan.” Michael was just as frustrated as I was. I was about to ask where the phone was but he beat me to it. “It’s not on him. It was definitely confiscated after he was killed.”

I’m just pissed off now.

What really got to me was that he served his purpose. He was killed like I thought he would be, but he was supposed to be watched. We were supposed to track his every movement. I thought Michael had him today, but I should’ve known he wasn’t in his right mind since he didn’t even come to work today.

Davis Bitmore is dead and that’s before I was supposed to get what I wanted.

I looked down at his body to see what we were working with. The weapon was a sharp object but the cuts weren’t clean. Was it a machete? The cuts were deep enough so there was enough force to get the wounds as big as they were. His hands and feet were cut off. His eyes were gouged out so all I saw were the dark holes leading to his skull.

His blood was pooling on the ground but it looked like some other bodily fluid was on him. The smell was pungent so I didn’t notice that I could smell urine. It wasn’t his because it was on the upper half of his body. He was urinated on.

I looked at the hands that were cut off. They were covered in blood too but my eyes went right for his fingernails. They were dirty.

I abruptly turned away to get gloves. I haven’t touched any of the bodies yet because I didn’t have to but for the first time, I may have found something useful. When I found a box of gloves, I took one and put it on my hand as I walked back over to the body.

I lifted the hand and looked at the fingers. There was broken skin under the nails like he clawed at the person while he was being dragged away.

There was a sign of struggle.

This was the mistake I was looking for. At least Davis served his purpose.

I wanted to show Michael but he didn’t like how I so eagerly wanted to show him a hand so he walked away immediately.

“Check to see if the skin sample under his nails is someone else’s.” I put the hand in an evidence bag and handed it to the only person working forensics tonight.

I walked back over to Harley who was talking to another officer and a reporter. They always want a statement for these killings but we can never issue one. Then again, I know the questions that will be asked now.

“...so for the three men you’re charging for the murders of those fourteen people, are they going to be released?” The woman asked Harley.

“At the moment, I can’t give a statement for the three of them. If we conclude that this murderer may be the same as the one that killed those other people, I’m going to have to refer your questions to the District Attorney.” Harley explained before turning to me so we could leave.

I could hear other police officers answering the reporters' questions. We haven’t given out a statement about the person being Davis Bitmore but I can expect it early in the morning. No one will know how he got out of jail or why.

He’s dead now so it doesn’t matter.

I got the evidence I needed for the first time in months. Now we have something to work with.

It’s wrong of me to be in a good mood over a person’s death but right now I did not care. I was in a good mood. After so many months of being at a dead end, I have evidence. We can match it to the people we arrested, and if it’s not them, then we have a few more suspects to arrest.

With this, we’re pretty much on the right track. We have everything we need.

I was going to stay in a good mood. I was probably going to sleep with a smile on my face. I don’t like being stressed and I certainly don’t like going to sleep stressed.

When I got to my apartment, I saw Raven sitting by my door. He was asleep. It wasn’t till then that I remembered that he wanted to talk in exchange for doing stuff with him. Has he been here since I left? He brought food too, so he expected us to be up all night.

He actually waited outside my door. That just means he’s mad at me if he has respect for my personal space.

I was curious to know where he was at the time of the murder. I assumed he was at work. His hair was still wet from the shower he took.

I looked down at his face and wondered what he was thinking about in his sleep.

Then I wondered how mad he was at me for accusing him of being a murderer. It’s my job and I do have a right to believe my gut, but he really must be angry with me. If he is innocent, I wonder how mad he will be with me then.

“Hey, get up,” I said to him as I got my keys out. He just barely shuffled awake at the sound of my voice.

“You came back.” He murmured quietly.

“Did you still want to talk?” I asked as he got up slowly, holding onto the plastic bag of food.

“I’ll answer all of your questions.”

“In exchange for...?”

“Nothing. You’re just doing your job.” He said as he walked inside behind me.

I’m surprised he was understanding now. Before, it seemed like the only way to get him to talk was to give him something in return. What changed his mind? It’s nice that he gets it.

And if he really isn’t the murderer I actually want to help him. Right now, the evidence is stacked against him, so I want to help. They won’t be so kind to him if they think he did it.

The evidence from the murder tonight should help solve that.

I took a shower and changed clothes. I wasn’t really tired though I did have a long day today. It was six in the morning and Raven planned on telling me I needed to know. I walked out of my room and heard the TV on.

Raven was watching the news.

Today will be the day the new murder victim is broadcasted to everyone. It’s like the murders resumed after a few days of hiatus. Again.

They announced that it was Davis Bitmore, the convicted rapist that was murdered. No one knows how he got out of prison but he ended up dying a gruesome death all because a killer had a grudge against him.

This murderer is moody.

When I thought that, I looked at Raven. My intuition was still telling me he should be a suspect at the top of the list.

I should suspect that he’s the one behind it all.

Because while he watched the news, hearing how Davis Bitmore has been brutally killed, he was smiling.