Gone After the Wind

1

CHAPTER ONE

Detective Eric Sautney had never once got a problem on looking over a lifeless body, no matter how gruesome and head-aching the set-up was. The ten years he spent working under Homicide Unit had taught him enough of the basics on how to properly deal with a new and recently determined crime scene without getting flipped out. It had been hard to master, but he managed well. He became less and less empathetic as murder cases mounted on his list. For him, victims are no longer the innocent lives they failed to protect but rather an unfortunate piece of the puzzle that he needed to solve so the story behind the murders would come to light.

Because of this, many police officers from their department often labeled him as a cold and stolid officer. Some even hated him for being one. But Eric didn't take umbrage on that, for he's partly aware of his incapability to understand the nature of human emotions.

But as he stood longer in front of the oak tree, his eyes glued to the eccentric figure beneath, he could feel the impassiveness he masked all those years slowly peeling off, and the emotions that he rarely expressed are beginning to take form inside his body. The twisting of his stomach and the need to pull away were both new, he was confused for a moment whether he should sate those urges or remain stoic. The pungent stench mixing up with the cool breeze, flies swarming around the body—some touched his cheeks—and the number of cuts and bruises that were giving off the victim's flesh, all had become too much for him to adopt at once.

The woman's poor body had been sophisticatedly propped against the tree, dressed in a crimson-colored jumper with no shoes covering her bare feet. The perpetrator posed her in a very peculiar way. Her head was tilted oddly to the left side—making the black stitches puncturing her neck somewhat visible to human eyes— and her arms were placed at both of her sides. Her legs were also splayed out as if the killer wanted her to mimic the pose of a doll caged in a display.

Large stitches varying in sizes covered some parts of her body, particularly on her limbs that seemed to be cut off by the perpetrator but connected it once more. The stitching was rather tight, her skin had been ripped off in the process. It was clear to Eric that whoever did this dismembered her first before transfiguring the poor woman into something doll-like. He wouldn't be surprised if the coroner would indicate that she was beheaded as well. After all, the slit from her throat is the most significant cut he'd seen so far.

"Damn, that looks genuine. Isn't it?" Officer Jake asked beside him, stepping forward and crouching down to see it.

Eric flinched as he looked to his subordinate, annoyed by his sudden arrival. He followed the direction of Officer Jake's eyes to see what he was referring to. He shook his head slowly when he realized Officer Jake was pertaining to the victim's head where a nicely combed hair sat upon it. Few clear drops of blood etched visibly on its ends, disturbing the perfect hue of the seemingly real blonde color. Both corners of her lips were lifted, two vertical lines signed beneath the points of her lips, producing an eerie forced smile that is, no doubt, disturbingly familiar to Eric.

Eric grunted, pissed that he must confirm it for the sake of protocol he must convey with his so-called partner. If only he had been looking well, he would eventually know the answer to that question. "No, it's a wig. An old and wretched one. Her head had been shaved."

From the corner of his eyes, Eric could see the discomfort on the officer's face. He immediately straightened up his back.

"And her eyes?" His voice betrayed the way he inquired earlier.

Eric chewed his lower lip and shifted on his weight, quite hesitating if he must answer that. Given the first reaction the young man has offered, it's irrefutable to tell he would easily swallow the following information he could give. But then, the years of training he spent in the academy would be put to waste if he won't get used to this.

"An artificial eyeball. The killer plucked out the real-ones," Eric said in a grim voice, getting more uneasy. "He removed the eyelids so he could widen her sockets. Look at the stitches beneath her eyebrows."

Officer Jake grimaced in horror upon hearing. He did not bother to take a second look at it. He immediately recoiled at his back, groaning as if his intestines were twisting inside. Eric sighed in disappointment. Jake just happened to give Eric the impression that he has never set foot in a horrific crime scene before. He's a young lad and a fresh graduate. It's a rare chance for newbies to withstand a tortured corpse, more so, a sick and premeditated murder case.

But although Eric was the senior, he, of course, shared the same feeling. Of all the cases he handled, this one is, by far, the most unsettling of all. He could never forget how his hair rose and how his spine tingled the moment he saw the crime scene. The fragility he showed made him remember his previous partner, Cara Black, who could do better than anyone at the unit. She wasn't apathetic like him, but she knew very well how to control her fear and see the best in a crime scene.

Unfortunately, she's on a current suspension due to severe problems that took a toll on her life.

She was a magnificent detective in their department and the wisest woman Eric has ever had the fortune to know. Known for her intuitive and sharp thinking, she solved almost half of the complicated and cryptic cases the Albreska State PD has ever encountered. From the usual criminals to the most sinister, Cara had managed to imprison them without having any conflict. Everyone praised her for possessing such integrity and astounding talent, but it all changed with just one blink.

A sudden misfortune halted the smooth flow of her career. That's when things around her life took a terrible turning point.

Even if that was only two months ago, Eric could still feel how heartbreaking it was to see his long-time partner being stripped off from her precious job.

I should've kept in my mind that no one else could handle this better than her.

Shaking his head bitterly, Eric pushed all those thoughts behind, focusing his attention on the overall structure of the surroundings. He looked back to Officer Jake, who was still retaining his energy beside him. "Who discovered the body?"

"Those park rangers," Officer Jake croaked, pointing at the two males wearing brown uniforms. They stood several meters away from them, near the group of police officers combing through the series of undergrowth, searching for potential clues that the killer may have left the place. The detective in charge of the local police was interviewing them. Extreme fear masked the two poor rangers.

Taking deep breaths, Officer Jake pulled out his small notebook, avoiding to look at the body. "They were supposed to patrol at the other side of the forest when they spotted a strange figure from afar. Initially thought that someone forgot to leave and chose to stay for the night. They even fell to the assumption that it was just a mannequin prank from youngsters who wanted to have fun by scaring people. However, they soon realized it wasn't a mere mannequin to begin with after they smelled the solid foul scent and removed the rice sack covering the head of the mystery figure. And that's when the local cops were called in.

"They discovered it this morning. But the Redvine PD was too polite to remove it until we see it."

Eric nodded. "Too polite that even peeking at the body became a scary thing to do for them. I wonder how long they will chit-chat until they join us here. Their response is nowhere near proficient, if I'm going to be honest."

For a small town known for being serene and sleepy, this type of crime never existed in their minds. No one would even think that someone could commit such an act, for the town was always peaceful, and as Eric understood it, the citizens were disciplined correctly in any way. How could a poor woman end up murdered in a seemingly harmless town?

Eric observed that the police became incompetent and spineless because of their reputation. He never encountered a police force who's too afraid to see a dead body that not even a single cop approached the crime scene. They stayed meters away, standing up at the side of the creek and grumbling quietly as they stole occasional glances at Eric and his partner. As much as they put the facade that they don't want any outcast to lead the case, Eric knew they badly needed the help.

No wonder why Chief put us in here, he thought as his eyes continuously roamed around the place. These guys lack everything they need to crack this case.

"But they looked like they want to eat us alive, though," Officer Jake pointed out. "Are you done, by the way? I'm starting to get sick, you know. I can't be here any longer."

Eric didn't answer because he was already engrossed in studying the forest part. It wasn't crowded with trees as the other parts of the forest were. The effects of the snowstorm that occurred days ago were still apparent to the trees and the vast bed of undergrowth on the ground. Piles of unmelted snow sat on top of the boulders, glistening as the sun rays bounced on it.

Not deeply isolated as Eric had expected in the first place. The killer didn't seem to mind that the body could be seen without difficulty. Anyone could discover him if he placed the body last night or some nights ago. The rangers could even identify him. Still, he took the risk and chose this place.

He's bolder than I thought. That makes him more dangerous.

"We need to wait for the forensics team first. We'd wrap this up once the job is complete. We can't leave while the body is still here. I also need to talk with the medical examiner," Eric answered and put his hands on his pocket to lessen the chill that kept drilling his skin. He turned to the body once again. "Let's just hope they're not that stupid to disregard our help."

"That left me wondering why they discovered the body today," Officer Jake suddenly said. "Didn't you notice? The body was already in bad shape. I'm not as expert and experienced as you are but I know what's recent or not. And man, that wasn't new. It already smelled bad."

Eric didn't need to be informed. He had thought of that and of course, tried his best to discern it with all the possibilities his mind could give. But none seem factual to be considered.

"The killer must've hidden her. We have yet to know the answer to that," Eric answered.

Officer Jake shot him a curious look, his arms crossing over his chest. "I'm still confused as to why we're here. We should be out on our turf, solving less creepy cases. I know you had some impressive reputation but... I never thought you could be assigned this far. I wonder what made Chief think that you know better than these locals."

Eric didn't expect that speculation from a rookie. Nevertheless, he nailed some points there. He was baffled at first, too, when their Chief called and sent him outside of Rosegold City and into a far town to investigate a case. It all started to make sense when he first saw the body.

"Because I do know better than them," he answered and gulped. "And it won't be too long before another victim shows up."

"What are you, a clairvoyant?" Jake scoffed at him. "How could you think of that?"

He took a long and deep sigh. He stared back at the fake blue eyes of the woman. "Because he's done this before, and it's the third time I've seen his work."