Gerald was still at the crime scene where he was sure he could find him. A scene like this would a an all-nighter. The street before the alleyway was blocked off and filled with cars. People and reporters were trying to sneak a peek. Drawn to the attention like moths to a flame.
After he had been waved through, he parked his car and walked towards the building, where he ran into the detective. “the girl is awake, DT is watching her, but she seems fine. A little shaken” he said to Gerald when they made eye-contact.
“Did she say anything?”
“Yes, she asked if we got the 3 men”.
Gerald eyes looked up a little, indicating that he was thinking this through. “So, she was aware those men were there, and she also wanted to know if we ‘got them’. That would mean she was not involved with them, more likely their victim. Men that we would want to get. Was your impression she hoped they were captured or the hope they might have gotten away?”.
Gerald’s question was valid, her asking if they got the three men could be asked out of the hope they were not, but it did not feel that way. And if you want them to get away, why ask the question, that would only draw attention to them. On the other hand, she had just woken up out of being unconscious for 5 hours, so he doubted she had time to gather her thoughts and think things through. It felt more as a question from the heart, direct and open. Like she wanted them caught.
“I think she asked the question because they did something to her or threatened her. It was the first thing she blurted out. But I cannot be 100% sure. Her question also implies she thinks the men are still alive, if indeed we are talking about the same three men. She also said that there were two older men and one about her age. Did you find out anything about the identity of the men in the house yet?”.
Gerald shrugged “It will probably take a few days to get DNA results back. I doubt we can reconstruct what they looked like, maybe the cloths will give us a clue or the coroner can find a tattoo or something, but my bet is on the DNA. And if they hang out in buildings like these I will also bet they are in the system.”.
Dei was not going to take that bet. He had seen what was left of the three men. They were way beyond recognition.
And the question kept coming back. Who or what could have done this to these men. He was not a religious man. Sure he believed there was something like a higher being, but he doubted it was anything close to what the different religions made out of him or her or maybe even it.
There could be something that had shaped the universe, maybe initiated the big bang. But with more stars then we could possible count, he doubted very much that this higher being would be interested in what happened on a singular planet and even far less into the life of a single human being living on that planet. No, he had learned that if you wanted something to happen, you had to do it yourself.
And he also did not believe in ghosts or monsters. The only monsters he had met in his years on the force were of the human kind. Dealers, killers, traffickers, wife-abusers, rapist. Those were the monsters he was familiar with. And every time he took one of the street, was the day he made the world a little better. It was not an easy job, definitely not a well-paid one, but one that mattered.
While his mind wondered off, Gerald had been talking to another cop. Once he was done with that Gerald turned back to him and asked “What is your take on what happened here? You were the first at the scene, and I trust your instincts. What is your gut telling you?”.
Dei took a moment to gather his thoughts before he replied and answered “There is something off with this case. Not just the carnage, that is way beyond anything we have had since, ehhhh, well, since forever. The picture does not fit, nor does the timing. Maybe those bodies were already there and the girl found them, screamed and fainted, but my guess is she was there when the slaughter took place, but she has not a scratch on her. She was covered in gore and blood.
You don’t get like that if you just faint and fall down into it. She was right there in the middle of it all. My gut is telling me that death danced around her, while those men were beaten to a pulp. It makes no sense. And all that in under three minutes, that makes even less sense, if not make it impossible.”.
“I had a little hope you would have an easy answer for me. Most of the time I get a feel for the crime scene, what happened, who were involved, but here, I have got nothing, except for 3 dead bodies and one girl without a scratch. I heard the techs are almost done and the bodies will be taken out soon. I will wait for that to happen and go home after that to get a bit of sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day, that’s for sure. But we will get more answers, from the techs and hopefully from the girl too. As you were first on scene and already talked to the girl, you will join me, right?. Let’s say about 10 am? That would give us about 3 hours of sleep”.
Three hours would have to do. Dei drove to his home, took a quick shower and hit the bed. He was not the kind of guy that had trouble sleeping after a bad day, especially when he was tired like this, but still. It took some time before he truly fell asleep and you could hear him snoring softly.
