Chapter One: Rita

A scream rippled through the cold room. “Please,” the girl in the chair pleaded. She attempted to stand and yelped as her skinned wrists brushed the rope binding them back. “Why are you doing this?” She cried.

   In a moment’s time, the blindfold was slipped off the girl’s face. She panted, observing the room for anything familiar, but had nothing. Where was she? She knew it was cold, but that could have just been the metal chair she sat in. The room was sinisterly dark, too, like the man.

   The man behind her began to walk. He paced in a circle around the girl for a little while, being completely silent. As quick as this had all been, he placed a gun to her head and took pride in watching her screech and squirm before pulling the trigger.

 

HURST, TEXAS

Alleyway off W. Pipeline and Harrison Lane

January 7, 3:48 p.m.

“C.O.D. is shot to the head. It’s almost too difficult to get a straight identification for her because of the wound and blood, but another investigator told me that the victim’s Margaret Valor, twenty-nine, from Bedford, not too far away. She’s been missing for a week.” Tamara, a medical examiner, slipped the plastic cover over the dead woman’s body. “No solid evidence yet so far. There wasn’t rape, and there’s no saliva or excrements at this scene, just on the victim. She was dumped here. Time of death is about thirty-three hours ago. I’m surprised she’s hasn’t been found yet. It’s a damn open city and a damn open alleyway,” Tamara walked off mumbling angrily.

   Halle Hardy nodded once, staring at the blood stain surrounding Margaret’s head like a halo. This was the first case since her accident last winter, and it just happened to be a headshot- Lucky her.

   Margaret had the same look in her eyes that every victim had. It was glossy, somewhat fogged. Blood had dribbled into one of her eyes, somewhat disgusting Halle. Yeah, she saw dead bodies all the time, but she could never be used to them- especially when they just stared up at you. Other than that, the rest of her face was a little… blown away. Chunks of skin and meat stuck to a nearby dumpster. Somewhat disgusting once again… Maybe Halle wasn’t ready for being detective again.

   Halle bit her lip, knelt beside Margaret, and took out a pair of tweezers, plucking a hair from Margaret’s fingernails. “Hey, vic’s got an unidentified hair under her nail. Girl fought back, I’d guess,” She announced. Halle let the strand of hair fall into a small evidence bag and handed it off to another medical examiner. Halle was about to stand up when a shadow blanketed her. “Ed?”

   Her partner held out his hand and pulled Halle up. He was much taller, at least a foot, but she had never minded looking up at him. The man was adorable. His hair flipped out in brown curls and his eyes sparkled olive. Ed exposed his lustrous smile at her. “Hal, you’re so fashionably early- always, always. It’s a little offensive. You’re making me feel horrible, I can say.” He smirked, looking down at Margaret. “Is that Rita Valor?”

   Halle’s face furrowed. “You know her?”

   “No, but she was all over the news. She got kidnapped last Saturday. Her friends made a public statement asking for her to be brought back. We’ll talk to them first. Have you lost contact with the world when you were on leave?”

   Halle looked at her feet. She stood, replying, “Have you become even more of an a*s?”

   Ed chuckled, taking out a newspaper from his suit jacket and reading. “Her friends are Shiva Sarek Shadan and Linda Fenmore. They shouldn’t have been contacted yet, so we should do that when we get to Shadan’s place.” He sighed softly, glancing at Halle again. “Hal, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be impeding on the investigation, or on your mental health, I just want to know that you’re finally okay.”

   Halle shot an irritated glare at him and grumbled, “I’m fine, okay? I am fine. I took my break, and now, I’m fine.” She pulled at the hem of her shirt absentmindedly. “Are we taking your car?”

   “I thought you’d never ask!” Ed went all doe-eyed and sprinted to his dark Impala. From inside the car, Halle saw him tap the passenger seat. “I set up my new radio while you were on leave! It’s too damn cool!”

   Halle rolled her eyes, walking up to the door and getting inside. “Jesus Christ!” She exclaimed, crossing her arms and shivering. “Do you ever turn the heat on in here?!”

   Ed shrugged. “I’m a man. I can’t feel temperatures.” He snorted at his own lame joke and leaned forward to add heat. “How was staying at home forever?”

   Halle rolled her eyes. “I didn’t stay home forever.” A sigh of content rolled through her as the heat made its soft sound. Ed began driving. “I disagree.”

   “I was home for two weeks, Edwin,” She drawled. After a small look of contempt shined on Ed’s face, giving Halle complete bliss, she added, “And anyways, I was sick for one of those and pissed off the other.”

   Ed nodded, turning a corner. “Enlighten me.”

   “I got this stomach virus. Now that’s screwed up if I’ve ever heard of it- half of my vacation- I got sick. That was the first week, so it didn’t leave me too much room to be jumping in joy as I got out of the sickness- and hey, I got no calls. My parents are in Florida, the b******s, and you have too much to deal with to take a slice of your life out and… I don’t know-”

   “Bring you soup? Would that have made you happy? I work, Hal. I can’t consistently take care of you.”

   Halle burst out in laughter. “I save your a*s all the time!” She looked out of the window. “But it doesn’t matter, Ed. I’m fine now, like I said.” She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. “I got over it. It’s not a big deal. Lots of cops have to shoot kids- and he wasn’t even a kid. I tried to save him-”

   Ed stopped the car in front of an apartment complex. “Don’t talk about it, Hal. I know you don’t want to. Everything's okay, Hal, I promise, but don’t pretend like you are over it. You aren’t. You’re just lying to yourself, hon, and to me.” He brushed Halle’s hand and tugged it. “C’mon, let’s go meet Shiva Sarek Shadan.”

 

HURST, TEXAS

Shiva Sarek Shadan’s Apartment

January 7, 4:02 p.m.

Shiva Sarek Shadan opened the door cautiously. She peered through the small crack, frowning. “Are you the press?” The Indian girl rushed. Her eyes darted from Ed’s badge to Halle’s. “Good. These reporters are pissing me off.” The girl let the door swing open and she sat on the black sofa in the middle of the living room.

   On the perimeter of the room, boxes lined up. Other than the boxes and the sofa, Shiva was the only thing in the room. Her wavy blonde hair fluttered as she stood back up. “I forgot- I took out my lamp earlier. Excuse me.” She exited the room.

   A slow, chill draft crept up to the detectives. Halle pulled on her cardigan, but knew it would be utterly unhelpful. Why was everywhere so cold? Halle really had become a hermit on her vacation…

   “She’s pretty,” Ed commented, closing the front door. “How is she blonde?”

   “Hair dye, Ed, you ever heard of it?” Halle looked at the written titles on the boxes. “She’s moving to Michigan. So do you maybe think that she’s moving because she knows something about Rita’s death? Suspect number one?”

   “I’m not a suspect,” Shiva defended, walking back in. “I was at a party with my sisters on Saturday. I was there nine to twelve and it takes me forty or so minutes to get back here. Rita was taken at twelve-thirty, or, that’s what the other officers told me. I don’t know why you’re here.” She bit her lip, glaring angrily at Halle. “I didn’t see you last time. You’re a new cop?”

   “She was on vacation from vocation. Please, we just need your statement.”

   Shiva shot her cold glare at Ed. “If you want my statement, go to your little files and find them.” She ushered the two out of the door, slamming it behind them.

   “She never even brought out the lamp…” Ed mumbled. He walked back to his car slowly. “She’s suspicious, but I don’t think she killed Rita- and anyways, she’s a toothpick. I highly doubt she could pick up a dead body and dump it.”

   Halle agreed, adding, “Moving on such a quick time slot is definitely a sign that she knows what’s going on.” Halle pulled the car door open. “If she was at a party with her sisters only a week ago, this move probably wasn’t planned.  We should check her file and speak with her sisters, too.”

   Ed nodded, climbing inside and turning on the heat again. “So who’s next- Linda Fenmore? I remember on the news: she was absolutely distraught. Maybe it’s a cover-up? Linda and Shiva worked together?”

   Halle chuckled. “Or it’s not a conspiracy theory at all, Ed. After all, no one suspected yet even works at that auto shop beside the alley. We haven’t even looked into them yet.”

   “They were at a company Christmas party. They were all accounted for. Have you not read the whole case?” Ed pursed his lips. “That’s unlike you.” He gripped the back of Halle’s seat and watched as he pulled out of the lot. “We only have two suspects, and that’s Shiva and Linda.”

   Halle turned red, staring at her pale hands folded in her lap. Every little crease and crack and wrinkle just seemed deeper and deader. “I just arrived this morning when Tamara called me. I haven’t been to work in two weeks, Ed. Don’t act like I don’t care about this case, though. This is the last thing I need.” Halle was tempted to roll her eyes, but decided against it. A catty thing like that wasn’t going to help a thing.

   Ed’s knuckles hardened and turned white on the wheel. “It’s not about you. It’s about your work ethic. This messed you up, Halle-”

   “I’m fine!” Halle snapped. “I’m fine, I’m fine- I’m fine! Okay?!” She shook her head. “I am fine.” She was shaking, but kept her other emotions on a leash. She did not need to break down in Ed’s car. No.

   Ed tongued his cheek. He turned the knob on the stereo and the almost inaudible saxophone tune became louder. He pressed a few buttons and his usual 80’s rock cassette tape played through the speakers. “That’s better,” He said softly. A man screeched on the tape. Ed took an exit to the highway. The partners rode silently for a few moments before Ed spurred up a conversation. “Did you hear that Tamara’s pregnant? Yep, our first med examiner in-”

   “Fourteen years, Edwin, I know. Do you honestly feel so down that you resort to the medical examiner pregnancy talk?” Halle scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m just trying to figure some things out and your incessant pestering doesn’t help me.” She pushed his shoulder playfully. “It’s my first day back, Ed. Give me a break.”

   Ed shrugged. He glanced at the glove box. “Would you get the case file out for me, please? I can’t remember Linda’s address.”

   “Sure,” Halle replied, clicking the glove box open and sliding out the thin manila folder, handing it over to Ed. Their fingers brushed and Halle smirked, liking the feeling.

   Ed glanced down and took another exit. He set the file on Halle’s lap and sighed loudly. “I can’t stay mad at you.”

   Halle laughed. “Of course you can’t. Have you seen this precious face?” She grinned jestingly.

   “Was Rita pretty?” Halle asked after a minute of silence.

   Ed raised an eyebrow and looked at Halle. “Why do you ask- you’re jealous?”

   Halle burst out laughing. “Go to hell. I’m not jealous, simply curious. She was terribly bloody when I saw her, and half of her face was sort of on a dumpster. I couldn’t tell.” She glanced in the file and searched through. “Her picture is in here, yeah?”

   Ed nodded, pointing to a page.

   There, held to the edge of Rita’s file with a paperclip, was a picture of Margaret Valor. She was smiling big, holding up a GED. Every tooth was straight, every sparkle in her eyes were genuine. Her chestnut hair blew in the wind, and her eyes stared straight at Halle. “She has heterochromia.”

   “Speak English.” Ed retorted. “What’s that?”

   “It’s when you have two different eye colors. One is this light cyan color and the other is brown.” She closed the file. “She was pretty. So, have we arrived?” Halle glanced out of the window, looking at the building before her.

 

BEDFORD, TEXAS

Linda Fenmore’s Flat

January 7, 4:49 p.m.

It was five stories tall, and the blinds of a window ruffled as they drove up. It was a cold, desolate place.

   “Neat way to hit it out of the park, Fenmore,” Ed uttered, turning the key and jingling them back into his pocket. There was a thick, fairly large, key ring holding each key. He had a key for everything. Halle didn’t know why, but he did. Maybe it was something in his head, but he was secretive sometimes. Hell, what person on Earth wasn’t?

   Halle exited the car and glanced over the hood to Ed. “She’s potential suspect number two?”

   “Yeah, when I saw her on TV, she was way over-acting. We’ll have this case wrapped up soon in a tight little murderous bow.” He shot a grin at Halle and approached the buzzer. He pressed a number. “Hello, Linda Fenmore...?”

   A slight static rumble came out of the little festering box. It was a blanched yellow color. Halle swore she could see a leg of some kind of insect crammed into the third button. “Who asks?”

   Ed replied, “Edwin Signe-Diara and Halle Hardy. We’re detectives and we need to speak to you about Margaret Valor. Can we come in?”

   “No, that’s not necessary. I was going down for a smoke anyhow. I’ll be… down in a few.” Linda Fenmore’s honey-dripped voice disappeared.

   Ed shrugged. “She’s just peachy. A smoker, though, oh yes, that’ll be great for my asthma.” He rolled his eyes, leaning on the wall. Ed flipped his badge wallet back and forth impatiently. “I forgot my inhaler at home. Damn it!” He chuckled, moving as the doors opened to reveal Linda Fenmore herself.

   A small, silver Monroe piercing hung over her chapped lips, where a short cigarette sat between. Long, curly black hair ran down her back and shoulders, messily thrown in a half-bun. Her eyes were drooped with tiredness and the rest of the whole upper and lower areas of her eyes were caked with black makeup. The girl’s tan face glowed as she lit the end of the cigarette.

   The girl’s thick leather, rhinestone studded clog heels clicked as she stepped out from the threshold. “So, you copper’s here ‘bout Ritz?”

   “Um, we’re actually here about Margaret. Margaret Valor… she was found recently-”

   Linda cut off Ed, saying, “Actually, I know ‘bout that. Ritz was my best and all.”

   Ed nodded. “We send our condolences, Ms. Linda, but we wanted to ask you some things about Margaret’s death. Now, where were you when Margaret was taken?”

   Linda shrugged. “I was at a party with Shadan. I got drunk that night, ordered a few of those college cups that they sold. I had them.”

   “No need, the other police officers should have taken it in as evidence.” He glanced at Halle. Two suspects down almost immediately. Halle begged to differ.

   “Where were you yesterday and the day before?” She retorted.

   Linda swallowed. “I was northwest. My mom’s boyfriend may have died because of this car accident. I don’t know a way to prove any of that to you, though, ‘cause I drove partway, Mom called and told my Ted was fine, and then I came back.” She glanced at the two officers like a bug under a microscope.

   Ed pursed his lips. “Well, we-” He stopped, looking down. Ed pulled out his phone, which was ringing. A loud electric guitar played a solo. He excused himself and walked some paces away. Ed muttered on the phone and had a short conversation with someone. He finished and said, “Thank you, Linda, that’s all for now.” He grabbed Halle’s wrist and pulled her away, unlocking the doors to his car. After they got in, Halle began questioning Ed.

   Ed held up his palm. “Tamara found something. It’s important. She won’t tell me what until we get there.”

   “The medical examiner’s office, you mean? I hate that place.”

   “Tell me about it.”

   Ed looked back at the road. He sighed, pressing his lips together. The man was deep in thought. He thought of somewhat that aching feeling in his gut that Tamara’s news would put a stint in their investigation, and that she’d simply make their job harder. He also thought of Linda. Why was she so beside herself when she asked for Margaret to be returned, but completely normal when asked about her friend? She was plain suspicious. So was Shiva, though, Ed remembered. Blonde and moving to Michigan in an instant- what was she hiding? She didn’t need to hide anything at all- she was at a party. It was all a dead end.

   “Damn it,” muttered Ed, digging in the console and swallowing a pain reliever he had found there.

Reviews

[Sigyn]

This is very well written. I love the feel of the story. I love shows like CSI, and this totally made me think 'Well here's an idea for an episode!' I