Bloody Riddle

V : The King's Servant

The night becomes very quiet when the corner of the room, which is Fera's bed, is empty. James rolled restlessly on the bed, remembering every detail of the warm brown body which now only remains a name and a memory.

He finally gave up sleeping, choosing to stare at the ceiling, recalling how many victims had been killed seven years ago.

The Painter

The name he gave when the case first appeared. James remembers the case well. For him cases he had never resolved, just hung up. After all, the man had almost forgotten the case, and he did not wish to get back into it. Too many wounds.

James finally sat in the dark, staying awake until morning came. He needs something. If the killer wanted to play with him, James would be more than happy to serve.

**

A blonde haired woman was walking casually as she got out of the black Daihatsu car. Her lips mumbled a song, turned the car keys in hand, while swaying to the music from the headset. The beat of the heels echoed loudly in the silent morning. That morning the fog fell, and not many people came to the office. But the woman deliberately came earlier. Yesterday's job, she wanted to finish as soon as possible.

She got out of the elevator still singing cheerfully. But her steps stopped when she saw the dim light from her office. She looked over, confused to see the computer screen on.

"What the hell." She whispered irritably, taking off the headset and stuffing it into her bag. She turned around quickly and didn't see someone coming her way. Groaning was the first thing she heard followed by the sound of falling objects. The woman walked backwards when the dark liquid almost hit her heels.

"Watch your step, lady."

"Geez, I'm so sorry." the woman shouted in panic and immediately took a handkerchief out of her pocket.

Her hand tried to clean the coffee stain that had soaked into the jacket of a man she didn't know. But the man stepped back and then took off his jacket. "Good thing I didn't take off my jacket." He whispered.

The woman forgot the reason to be angry because she never saw the man. Suddenly a thought ran through his mind. "Are you a new employee?" she asked.

"Is that really important now?" The answer is short. "I'll get the janitor."

The man disappeared before the woman could say anything.

The man returned as Katherine waited in her office. Behind him appeared Louis who had just come. The lieutenant raised an eyebrow as if he knew what had happened. "Louis tell me that he's not the one who will take my job."

Louis chuckled. "No, Kat, he just wants to hitch a ride."

"Please, I'm serious."

James strolled to the table at the end of the room, sat back as if it was his table. Katherine growled in annoyance. "Of course not, Kat. This is James Floyd, he'll be helping us with The Painter case." He smiled. "And James, can you not just walk into someone's office. I would be happy if you didn't flirt with our woman here."

James confirmed his glasses. "I'm too busy with my work." He answered, focused on the computer screen. "Besides, she's not my type."

Katherine scowled. Louis smiled awkwardly. "Then, I take your appearance here as a yes."

James stopped typing. "Like you don't know who I am, Louis."

**

The sliding door opened, making a loud sound. Hugo entered the room, turned on the light. The room was full of files. Louis himself introduced this place, right after James's disappearance seven years ago. Hugo closed the sliding door again, moving towards the pile of boxes on the table. What he's looking for is an old file, Julia Floyd.

Seeing the woman's photo made him never forget. Her sweet smile makes anyone's heart melt. Her friendly character also made James Floyd, the brother, lose the whole world when his sister became one of The Painter victims.

He looked at the photo carefully. Hugo smiled slightly when he first met the woman. The day James took her to celebrate the one year James was in the homicide division. The woman was a little shy, but she was very gentle.

"At least let us find the rest of you, Miss Floyd." Hugo put the folder in hand on the table. He continued reading again, looking for the sheets he needed.

Louis is sometimes reckless, but he's smart enough to keep some hidden evidence, so that no one gets suspicious. In the past few years, this case had stopped. The upper thinks that case is too complicated. The absence of concrete evidence and traces of the perpetrators are difficult to investigate. They stopped investigating when James disappeared from Atlanta. And now the killer is back, so is James. It is time for them to finish all.

The phone ring startled Hugo. Louis calling him. "What’s wrong?"

"James is back, I want you to bring some documents for me.” Louis pause. “You're still there, right?"

"Really? Thank God then. I'm still in the warehouse. Should I tell James the location?"

"No. Let's keep it a secret. Sooner or later he will find out himself. You know him."

"Fine, I'll be right back."

Hugo put the file in a box, led it back to the police station. Maybe some files could help with the investigation, at least that was what Hugo thought. He locked the sliding door, leaving the warehouse.

**

Karin decided to show up for lunch. Her head peeked, looking at Katherine who was investigating the cut leg. Katherine shivered, felt someone peek over her back. She turned around, finding Karin hiding behind the door. "Why are you hiding?"

Karin chuckled. "I brought lunch."

"It's lunch time already? You're on time, come here."

"You're still busy, right? I don't want to bother you."

Karin put the food on the empty table near the computer. There was a laptop, as well as scattered files. One of them is Jenna Foley. Karin took the paper. "Since when have you been investigating Jenna's background, Kat?"

Katherine turned around. "Oh that not me, but James."

"James?" Katherine nodded.

"Where is he now?"

“In here.” The two women turned toward the door. There stood James, carrying a coffee tray in hand, along with a bag of food.

"Didn't your mother tell you not to scramble something that doesn't belong to you." He walked towards the table. Karin put the paper back, looking at James.

"And your mother didn't teach you to be more friendly to women." she replied, no less fierce.

James raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Karin's reply. Katherine tried to hold back a laugh.

"Fine." He snorted.

James gave one of coffee cup to Karin. The detective fell silent. "I don't want coffee."

"Just take it." James smiled. "Think of it as an apology."

Karin took the coffee. James walked over to Katherine, doing the same. Katherine put down her scalpel, drank the coffee.

"I'm sure you got something, right?" James asked, opening the conversation. His eyes looked at the evidence.

"Yeah." Katherine replied. "So far the perpetrator uses formaldehyde to preserve the legs. Then from the cut, he uses an ordinary knife."

"Nothing unusual?"

"What do you mean?"

James put down the coffee. "I'd like to borrow rubber gloves and a scalpel." Katherine gave it straight away. The detective began to scratch the dead skin surface with scalpel. Karin and Katherine drew closer, seeing something gleaming beneath the smooth skin. James's shrewd hands easily pull objects. A semi-transparent thread.

"I didn't notice." Said Katherine.

"Me too at first time it was brought up. But when you turn the leg, it shines."

"And you know what this thing is?"

"Operating thread." Karin replied. Katherine said yes.

James put the object near the foot. "So far we thought the killer was a painter. But our guess is wrong." James smiled a little.

"He is actually both."