Chapter 7

• She muttered something under her breath as she walked into the building, mentally prepared to face her boss and partner. But as she walked in, the chaos and tension in the air told her that she might after all slip and walk away unnoticed.
• Emma watched as people darted back and forth within the department. Heads were huddled together in a corner as they spoke in low tones discussing an event or occurrence that seemed to hold much importance. Her boss was speaking to someone on the phone, pacing hurriedly in his office and her partner's attention was undivided as he read through files.
• 'Serial Killer...' her ears picked up from the group in the corner. Emma swallowed heavily, she had no idea what had happened but she knew it was devastating. She prayed silently, that it wasn't as gruesome as everyone's reaction made it seem.
• Walking to her partner at his desk, she greeted him. "Morning Allen, How are you?..."
• Looking up at her, he replied immediately. "Where have you been all morning?.." He gave her the usual look of disappointment.
• "I had-" her voice sounded strangled. "I had some complications this morning..."
• "Yeah, Um, you've arrived at the perfect time, a little bit late, if I must add..." He said to her, rising to his feet. "You should go see Jeffrey, we are working on one of the worst cases we have received in years..." He pointed to her boss, his hands returning to the files he was piling up.
• "Ok. Is he aware that I'm a bit late?.." she asked, her cheeks burning. She anxiously waited for his next word.
• "No.." he replied huskily, walking away immediately. She didn't feel as relieved as she thought she would feel.
• The tension and stern look everyone wore were starting to affect her too. She blinked rapidly, as she stared at her boss, noticing he was no longer on his phone call.
• Fortunately, to her relief, as she walked into his office, his gaze seemed to be normal. He didn't appear to be furious.
• "Morning Sir..." She said, standing before him, her eyes scanning his face for any unwelcome reaction.
• "Morning Ms Watson..." He breathed. "Have you discovered any existing links between the murdered victims?.." Behind his thick glasses, Emma could feel his attention riveted upon her.
• Murdered victims? Who said anything about murder?
• Emma's mouth parted with a small puff of air as she hesitated, oblivious of what to say. "Not yet Sir but I am making progress..." She sucked at lying and her rapid eye movement wasn't helping.
• "Well then, what are you waiting for?.." he retorted. "Are they some sort of hindrances?..."
• Emma shook her head forcefully as she replied. "No Sir, Allen may have believed you had some more information from your phone call..."
• "Nothing to speed up this case yet..." He replied. "I want everyone working on this case immediately, I would not like to risk another attack or find eleven more bodies before we capture this killer...Now Go.."
• Nodding briskly, she slipped silently out of his office.
• 'Eleven more bodies.' The words rang in her ear. It pummeled her mind like wasp stings. They had been a homicide case and eleven bodies were found. She heard her heart pounding loudly against her chest.
• How many men had stayed back in the warehouse? Eleven. How many men had tried to kill her? Eleven. How many men had their heads ripped off by the man who saved her? Eleven. Well, it just had to be a crazy coincidence.
• Glancing around the cramped office, she noticed her partner was back at his desk. She made her way towards him, her heart pounding in her chest. If it was indeed her attackers, a simple autopsy would reveal she was in that very warehouse when the murder happened. She didn't want to think about the possibility of that.
• "I just spoke to Jeremy and he said we have a murder case up on our hands..." She said to Allen, reaching his desk. "Can you fill me in? I missed the briefing but you already know that..."
• "Murder?..." He threw her a sarcastic look. "We have a serial killer on the loose..."
• Emma spoke in a clipped manner. "When was the first attack? And how many victims?..." She took a seat beside him.
• "For now, we are saying eleven but we can't be sure, right? They could be more..."
• Emma found herself feeling a bit relieved. They could be more bodies. Maybe this case had nothing to do with her.
• "Odd that they were killed last night almost at the same time...." Allen continued, and she froze. "The angles are not right...It doesn't make sense..."
• "How?.." Emma whispered, licking her bruised lip. "A shooter could kill eleven men in a minute..."
• "That's exactly what we're yet to wrap our heads around..." He snapped. "These men were not killed by guns. No. We are yet to understand.....you know what? Look at the files..." He said, pushing some files to her. He felt words weren't enough for an explanation.
• Emma had barely started reading the files when Allen continued. "The forensic report read that they were killed by a human but look at those pictures. Are they saying a human did that?.."
• Of course, Emma knew the answer. She stared at him, her mouth wide open. Despite her efforts, she looks petrified. The pictures were gruesome but they were enough evidence for her. Lying in a pile in the photos, she observed the dismantled bodies of her attackers. But yet, her mind questioned her too.
• Was the killer human? The dark veined eyes, were they human enough?
• Emma stared at the photos for a long. There were already running an autopsy on the bodies. There was a chance that her blood would be found in the system. Her hands were trembling as she held the files. Could she be paying the price for her stubbornness and sheer stupidity?
• She looked at Allen. "Who found the bodies?..."
• "A woman rang 911 when she found them behind her cafe. She has made a statement and she knows nothing. She was cold as ice when she was brought in..."
• "Have you found a link between the victims?..."
• Allen shook his head. "Nothing...These people are Russians, Emma. They practically have no identity here and we have minimal information about them...It's just one pile of dead bodies with no lead..." There was true wrath in his voice when he was done speaking.
• "Do you think there's a motive?..."
• "To these murders?...." He asked, then continued. "Yes. They were not killed behind the cafe. The killer had found pleasure in dumping them behind the cafe. And you can not believe there's a head missing from the pile..."
• Emma knew she was going to throw up. It was like she was back in the warehouse, surrounded by these men.
• "I see..." She didn't speak again but simply turned her head away, her eyes focused on the file before her. A lump had risen in her throat and she was cold with fright.
• With horror, she realized that the man had not only killed them to save her but dumped their body behind a cafe. Who did that? Emma found herself having thoughts she couldn't have as a detective.
• Her job was to uncover the truth about crimes, especially murder. Unfortunately, she was entangled in a murder case and she had to choose between saving herself and seeking justice.
• The obvious hurt in her heart accused her of being stupid. She tried to believe that those men would have been murdered if she hadn't snuck into the warehouse. She tried to convince herself that the man didn't kill them to save her. That there was no chance that eleven men were murdered because of her. Had they been innocent? But instead, her mind accused her. Her mind accused of her killing them. Deep down, a voice was yelling that they would have been no deaths if she had simply moved on as everyone else did.
• She said nothing as Allen stood to leave briefly and also when he returned. She was struggling with thoughts that she wanted to keep away from her mind. Thoughts that were unnecessary but equally too necessary.