Gone After the Wind

Chapter 2 - Approved

CHAPTER TWO

Eric watched the outgrowing trees replaced by numerous houses as his car continued to drive onto the inky pave road leading to the center part of the Redvine town. Just when he thought that the forest park was the less safe and most accessible place for the locals, the wide range of woodlands behind each neighborhood he saw crushed his whole expectation. More isolated areas, more chances that anyone might cross paths with the unnamed perpetrator.

He understood that security is not something to be discussed intently for a small town, for the citizen's sincere compassion with one another had strengthened their trust within the community. Eric suspected it could be the trigger point of the culprit's sudden strike. He employed that opportunity to perform his schemes and sate his grim desires. As a result, the enforcement is now facing a difficult conundrum that will, undoubtedly, put a tremor on this simple town.

Eric felt a pit in his stomach when he passed by in one neighborhood, he saw children at different ages doing their best to enjoy the heat from the scorching sun, playing games, and running pompously around the street. Parents who watched over them sat on the wooden porch of their house, either engaging in a hush conversation with a neighbor or drawn reading books.

It was such a peaceful and cut-and-dried sight that Eric wished to preserve until the case was over. He couldn't afford to witness these children and their families hiding under the roof of their house, trembling with terror and hopelessness as the perpetrator continued terrorizing this place. He hoped before this case went to that, the culprit was already behind bars, paying for the crimes he did.

Gripping tightly to the steering wheel, Eric clenched his teeth as he felt the pressure from the case getting heavier on his shoulders. He doubled the speed of his car and turned it to another corner until he saw ahead of him the two-story building where the station of Redvine police department nestled.

There, he saw a familiar man standing outside the double doors, fidgeting to the precinct lawn and obviously pacifying the agitation he was dealing with. When he saw Eric pulled up to the parking space, he instantaneously marched towards him, releasing a bit of his weight with each step he made.

Eric didn't waste any time as he was eager to inform Faucalt what he found at the crime scene. He got out from his car to formally extend the courtesy to none other than the supervising officer of Homicide Unit: Wilson Faucalt, for exerting such a visit. He hadn't heard from his supervisor since he departed from Rosegold, and to see him in flesh and blood, he couldn't help but gnaw the anxiety slowly conquering his system.

Whatever pushed him to come here, Eric is not on the right mind to receive any news that would make things worse.

"Sir," Eric called out, nodding to the fifty-five-year-old man as he closed the door of his car.

"Where's Carlson?" Faucalt asked in a hurried voice, pertaining to Officer Jake, who traveled back to the Rosegold.

"He traveled back to Rose gold as you requested, Sir. You didn't see him?"

Wilson Faucalt shook his head, a frown emerged on his plummeted lips. "I didn't drop by at the station. I went straight here as soon as I finished the meeting with the chief." He glanced at Eric as they strode across the front lawn. "How did it go? Any initial thoughts?"

"All fine. The coroner just collected the body a few minutes ago, and the local police have already determined the victim's identity. They are running a search for those who saw her before the perp abducted her." Eric sighed, dreading to admit what he must confess. "There's no reason to be skeptical anymore. We're back on track, I'm sure of that. The nature of the crime scene told everything we need to confirm that it was the work of the same man."

"s**t," Wilson muttered under his breath.

Eric swallowed hard. He eyed the respectable supervisor as he ambled beside him. "And I firmly believe that we need the help, Sir."

"I won't entertain that suggestion, Sautney," Wilson said with his disapproving voice. He pushed the double doors and walked inside. "My decision is firm. It won't falter just because you told me to, and the situation requires it. Until the higher-ups have no opinion about that, I stick with what's right. Leave the poor woman alone, Eric. I assigned you here because I trust your capability to solve it without any assistance from anyone. Got that?"

You've trusted the wrong person, then. I'm not the one who should be leading this case. You know that. Everyone does.

Eric shut his lips tightly. Rage filled his head, and as much as his body was requiring him to prove the essence of his suggestion, he chose to swallow the comments he was about to spill. He had been trying to convince the chief to consider his piece of advice, but Faucalt never faltered on expressing his disapproval every time Eric brought it to his ear. He's fixated on insisting that they can close the case wherein the reality is precisely the opposite.

Eric kept his mind relaxed and followed behind Wilson. Only seconds had passed after they came in, he had already infused the silence to the lobby.

"Now, let's focus what we have as of now," Wilson added as they continued walking amid in busy office where a bunch of police officers scattered at every corner and cubicles. They eyed Eric and Faucalt with pure contempt, murmuring hateful words that didn't escape Eric's ears.

"I have made several arrangements to these folks. They are willing to have our asses investigate the case and lead it with all the resources they could offer. I already talked to Captain Rico, and he will be appointing his best detectives to accompany you, so I expect you'd disregard the idea of taking her back. These lads don't know a thing about what we're dealing with. They never saw one before so try not to scare them."

That was the other thing that kept worrying Eric to the core. Dealing with the vacant position of a partner was already an exhausting fact to bear. Confirming that he's also bound to administer the unparalleled knowledge of the police force in this town, he couldn't stop his indignant complaints from piling over his head. He felt hopeless. He knew what he needed to shake off that feeling, yet, he couldn't do anything to make it real.

After they passed through countable halls, they stopped at the glass door that looked like the conference room because the officers were going in and out from it. The supervising officer went in first, making an entrance that didn't seem polite. He burst the door open with such force, the people occupying the room shot their attentions immediately towards them. Eric followed suit behind Wilson Faucalt, not being optimistic that this meeting would go well.

The space inside was not far too different from what they have in Albreska. The walls were painted with pure white, and a gray rectangular table sat in the middle where several police officers sat silently. One of which stood up when Eric and Faucalt made their presence known. The man approached them with such authority Eric instantly concluded that he was the commanding officer Faucalt was talking about.

He was in his late fifties, sporting a clean-cut black hair stained with gray ones on the side. He had a sturdy build—the primary cause why he had such a domineering aura.

"Mr. Faucalt," Rico said as a greeting, extending his hand to Wilson, which the supervisor grasped lightly. "I'm glad you made it safe."

"Let's drop the niceties, Rico," Wilson said, and the man called Rico smiled in return. "We're here to start the investigation right away. I'm sure you know time is of the essence, yes?"

"Of course. I have briefed my men on what sort of dilemma we're dealing with. We already prepared the reports you needed, so the stage is yours now, Wilson. "

Wilson nodded appreciatively, turning to Eric. "Before we start, I want you to remember the name of this man beside me: Eric Sautney. Starting this day, he's the lead detective on this case. I'm sure you're aware of it now. If you might be so polite, submit to all of his commands, and we'd be done here by tomorrow. He knew this better than anyone of us here."

Though displeased with the last words he heard, Eric still shook hands with the commanding officer, resisting the urge to correct Faucalt had said. But Rico Parson concealed his chance to speak. He introduced Eric and Faucalt to the whole police force sitting there. After the short intermission as to why the state police have been involved, Eric and Wilson finally took seats to the farthest part of the table.

Set of folders was already placed on the table containing tidbits of information about the case. As Eric delved into it, Captain Rico took control of the room, snatching the spotlight. He began stating the victim's profile and the essential details regarding the circumstances that took place before the murder happened.

"The victim's name was Sandy Hupman, the thirty-four-year-old residence of Hansen Ville. She's married and has a son. She was a waitress in a diner not too far from where she lived. From what we could tell, her relatives reported her missing when after the night she was supposed to arrange her son's birthday party, she didn't make it home. The family thought she spent the night in a local motel because of the storm. But when she didn't show up at work the morning after the storm had passed, they started to think that it was something serious. That was four days ago," Rico said, leaning to the table as the picture of the victim played behind him. "There's no trail we can follow that might provide us the answers on how and when's the exact time someone abducted her. No security footage and no witnesses. So we're on the assumption that she was taken somewhere between the location of her work and the usual waiting place she visits."

He suddenly turned his gaze at Eric. "Detective Eric Sautney, would you mind describing the crime scene for us?"

Hearing his name, Eric straightened his back, pushed the chair, and stood up. He glanced at Wilson, who gave him a subtle nod and a pat to the shoulder. Taking that little cheer into consideration, he walked across the room, his mind actively replaying the scene before his eyes. Thankfully, the images were clear, he won't have any problem reciting the details even if it was too horrendous to do so.

He surveyed the room first to make sure anyone was listening. To his surprise, each attention from the packed officers was on him, waiting and looking desperate for the information to be revealed.

Just in time that he began speaking, the projector behind switched the images. From the lively photo of Sandy Hupman—smiling and full of vibrant, it changed into a series of dreadful pictures that, if possible, anyone would definitely wish for it to stay hidden. Some flinched and recoiled at their seats when each picture showed on the screen.

"The victim was propped under a tree. Her limbs were dismembered and connected again through the use of stitches. Deep scratches and wounds covered her entire body, and it looked like someone had worked her up before finishing her off with the cut on her throat. We noticed the artificial body parts the killer implanted on her as a replacement to the ones that he removed, such as her eyes and hair." Eric sighed heavily, tearing his eyes off from the screen.

"She had been there for days, as you can see to the way her body was decomposing. While we can't be sure about the time of death and what the cause was, we're deeply certain that this was not circling s****l connotation. The slit on her throat could be the last blow. She was covered with a crimson dress that was different from her clothes on the day before she disappeared. Those garments were nowhere to be found in the scene, though."

The room fell with silence when he was done speaking. He saw a few officers grumbling quietly on their seats, almost wishing that they should've not opened their ears to him. The words struck them good, Eric could see the disgust on their faces. Their whole reaction was too somber, Eric hesitated if continuing it would be the best choice at this moment.

Heaving a deep sigh, he shifted his weight and looked around once more. "Judging from the amount of aggression that the victim went through, our killer is probably male. The victim went missing four days ago and was found today, so the time stamp in between is short. That makes our killer more difficult to find. He's relentless. He won't waste any time, and he will commit murder again."

Finally, one male officer from the long end table broke the no-talk game challenge and raised his hand. "Are you implying that this is not a random murder and we're dealing with a serial?"

That question raised some murmurs across the room. Rico Parson, the commanding officer, hung his head low when all of the eyes went to him, asking for confirmation if it was true. Eric glanced at Wilson, who uncomfortably shifted on his seat, a troubled expression covered his face. Then with a sigh, he did a perfunctory nod. Eric took that as a cue to disclose the information they just asked.

"Two months ago, the body of Nelia Resco was found in a public park near the suburban area of Bakinsley town. She was posed upright on a bench like a lady waiting for her date." Eric swallowed hard as the memories gushed inside his mind like a waterfall. His chest felt like it was getting stepped on. "Her throat was slit, too, from ear to ear. Although the nature of the murder was the same, it wasn't neat like this one. The perpetrator killed her in the same place where the locals found her. Her head was covered with a dirty rice sack, too, the reason why the locals had a hard time calling it to the police because they thought it was a prank. So, the answer to your question is yes; we're dealing with a serial killer. And it won't be long before it would happen again."

"Two months ago? You had tons of days to investigate it. Why didn't you catch him yourself?"

Eric licked his lower lip. He felt as if someone had just punched his stomach. "We couldn't solve the case."

The room suddenly filled with thick air.

"Why? What was the problem?"

"It was too complicated for us. The crime scene and the victim's family didn't give us much information to narrow our search. It went cold immediately." Eric fell silent as guilt crept slowly within his chest. The image of Nelia Rasco's lifeless body flashed in his mind. And automatically, his mind wandered off to Cara, who had been savagely hell-bent on closing the case during the time of their investigation. She wanted nothing but to unravel the mystery surrounding Nelia Rasco's case. But the horror of life stepped between them, and the most unfortunate thing happened in Cara's life. It sent her to the pit of despair under the possibility of not coming back.

And now, they are back to zero. The killer is back, and he has taken another life behind their backs. He even became much more skilled than before. And in just the course of two months, he had fully developed his M.O, one thing that the police feared the most to come.

"Nonetheless, we now have some data to go on," Captain Rico butt in when he noticed Eric succumbing to his deep thoughts, leaving the room with intolerable silence. "It's not that much but—" He didn't finish his sentence when out of a sudden, a loud ring emerged. The cellphone was from Wilson, who had been confused at first before he politely excused himself to answer the call.

Captain Rico awkwardly continued, replacing the stale air by continuing what he didn't finish. When he saw Eric already going back to his seat, he seized the opportunity to dissipate the several tasks they must carry out in order to start the preliminary investigation of the case, including the questioning of the relatives and all sorts of legwork they could think of.

Eric tried his best to keep his focus intact, forcing himself to listen to Rico, but as if his mind had its own desires, it kept going back to the palace of his memories. Particularly to that specific time when Cara had become so desperate to find a break in the case, to the point that every suspicious man appeared to be a suspect. The frustration had worsened when, on the day Cara was supposed to revisit the old crime scene, she discovered her husband had disappeared from their home. And then, days after, the locals found him near the garbage bin of an apartment building, soaking in his pool of blood and bludgeoned to death.

That tragedy was the starting point of the worst happenings. Cara almost imprisoned an innocent man, she lost all the precious things she had, and most of all, the higher-ups removed her authority to go back as a detective.

Eric's cable of thoughts disrupted when Wilson came shuffling back to his spot, startling Eric a bit. He looked much more troubled than before. His puffy cheeks were scarlet, and his eyes couldn't focus on one vision.

"It's bad," he said as soon as he settled on his seat. Eric leaned over because his tone was hushed as if he would say something secretive. "Carlson just confirmed the victim's family. As it turns out, she was the eldest daughter of State Senator Meredith. She moved in here years ago after her father was appointed senator. Rumor has it that there's some bad blood going on between them. As if that won't put us under ugly pressure, Chief just alerted me that Meredith would be keeping an eye on us. Meredith wants this to be done by Monday."

"And?" Eric probed.

Wilson sucked a breath, his shoulders lumping as he held his gaze to Eric. He leaned back to his seat. There was some flicker of annoyance to his face as he struggled to construct his words. "He approved of your request. He wants Black to lead the case."

Eric's eyes widened, and a jolt of joy pumped his heart. He couldn't take in easily what he had just heard. After weeks of investigating alone, he could finally listen to the voice of his long-time partner.

But his ecstasy didn't last long when the reality of their situation embraced him completely. Having Cara Black back to his side would only mean she needed to face the source of everything that had happened to her. Eric wasn't sure if she had gotten over that tragedy. It's been two months, surely, her spirit as an officer wouldn't hinder her from going back in the force.

Would it?