A Distraction

Rachael's POV

I've been so excited to get the results of the blood test since I returned from the morgue.

I just had this great feeling that the samples weren't going to match.

"You seem really happy today." Christian walked to the dining with a bottle of champagne in his hand.

"So I thought we should celebrate it." He added, popping open the bottle.

"Awwww, that's so sweet of you." I smiled, going to the kitchen to grab some wine cups.

"I'm happy that finally, the love of my life has a smile on her face." Christian joked as he poured the wine into the cups.

It was relieving to know that I was making progress with the case now and the best thing was that I had Dolores' support too.

As long as we continued to work together, we will definitely bring that motherfucker to the law.

"So how are things going? Anything yet?" Christian asked once he had settled down.

"Yes, you were absolutely right about working alone. Not only was I able to get something from the crime scene, I was also able to convince Dolores to work with me." I answered.

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. Turns out, the killer didn't completely clean up his mess. Well, it's not been proven yet but I have a hunch that we'll get something on him this time around." I took tiny sips from the cup as I spoke.

"How did you get her to work with you in just one day?" Christian was surprised.

Who wouldn't be?

I was just as surprised too when she apologized and decided to take the case seriously.

"Surprising, right? I know. I was just as surprised when she apologized for being nonchalant towards the case and decided to work hard to catch this killer. It's surprising but then, I'm happy that she realized how much the lives of those women mattered. It didn't matter how terrible their sins must have been, they deserved mercy and not being killed so brutally." I had a flash back to those dead bodies and I shut my eyes tightly, afraid for the next victim.

"Although, I don't know if we would be able to save whoever might be the next victim of this psychotic killer." My happiness suddenly vanished when I remembered the faces of those girls.

They looked so harmless and happy.

Why would anyone want to hurt them, especially Tina?

"What do you mean?" Christian came closer to me with a concerned look on his face.

"This is a case of a serial killer. After our investigation today, Dolores and I found out that these death cases might have a link with a death case from several years ago." I explained.

"Damn, this shit is deeper than I had imagined. It just gets tougher with every mystery you unlock." He sighed.

"What death case, if I may ask?" He asked quickly.

"Come with me." I dropped the cup and walked to the room.

On my investigation board, I had already spread out pictures of the seven members of the cheer group, their school, pictures of the dead victims and everything we got from Mr Steven during our interview with him.

"Woah! This is a lot babe." Christian took a seat by the bed, staring at the board in shock.

I had never had to go as crazy over any case before.

This one was worse than anything I had read or seen.

"The first victim was a member of this only girl cheer group; the blue Angels. An interview with the father of the dead victim proved what everyone else had said about Tina. She was nicer than a warm blanket and her friends were kind too. Eventually, they all graduated from high school and moved to different cities to further their education in college."

I started my explanation, pointing to their pictures at different times.

"After successful years in college, they returned to their home town- Brooklyn.

Few years after their reunion, a member was supposed to get married." I sighed loudly, remembering that I had forgotten to ask Tina's father to point out each of the victim and state their names, especially Brittany.

"Sadly, I was too terrified to ask the victim's father to point out each member and state their names. Although, Dolores went back for that." Remembering how she had left the car earlier today warmed my heart.

She was beginning to care for something other than herself.

"That's fine, everyone makes mistakes. I mean, even the killer made his mistake." He was always so supportive.

"An unfortunate event took place before Brittany's wedding. She was found dead in the basement of her house. But that's not what worries me. Brittany had been killed in the same fashion as Tina and the other unidentified body. To add to it, the remaining members fled afterward. Everything's just so connected and I feel this is more than a psychotic Killing."

"What do you think it is then?" Christian asked.

"A revenge plan." I answered.

That was the perfect explanation for the similar killing patterns, the time slot between Brittany's death and Tina's death, the connection in the cases, every damn thing!

"But you can't be so sure. What if it's all just a coincidence? I'm talking about Brittany's death pattern with Tina's and the other lady." Christian tucked his hands in his pocket as he walked to me but with his eyes on the board.

"What do you mean? It's all so obvious Chris." I responded.

"Babe, I know it seems like someone seemed to be taking revenge for Brittany's death. But what if the same person who had killed Brittany was the same person killing the other members? Have you thought of that?" It was confusing yet right.

If there was anything I've learned from different murder cases I had encountered, it was that you could never trust one theory and the most likely theory mostly ended up wrong.

"You said it yourself Rachael, you're dealing with a psychotic killer, not some random revenge maniac. He obviously doesn't just want to mess with the mind of his victims but also the police." Christian explained further.

If he was right, did this mean that the blue nail was just a distraction?

This could make sense.

There was no way a killer would make the same mistake twice.

Leaving blood stains at the door wasn't something the killer would do more than once.

He was probably just trying to mislead me to find some time to kill the third person on his list.

"I'm not trying to discourage you babe, but I think you should work with facts more than theories on this case. I know it's not as easy as it sounds so I'll be more than willing to help you with whatever assistance I can offer." He kissed me at the end.

"You're right. It's a good thing I have you, thanks. Speaking of help……" My mind drifted back to the one time I and Christian got to hang out with his friends.

"What was the name of the dude who puked after taking so much soju on your last birthday celebration?" I asked him, snapping my fingers continually as I equally tried to remember.

"Mark?" He furrowed his brows.

"Exactly, Mark. His wife worked as a journalist, didn't she?" 

"Yes, Estella worked and still works as an investigative journalist only now, she was transferred to Brooklyn. Is there a problem?" He answered.

"Perfect!" This was just perfect.

"Hunh?" Christian was obviously confused.

"I was thinking if she could help me with some report records about Brittany's case."