Chapter 26- Murder

"That is f**king ridiculous" I chuckled as I took another swing of my beer. Sean was actually doing a good job at distracting me, and he was currently telling me about a case he had years ago.

"Believe it. The woman thought she was a saviour by murdering all those people." He added, while we both shook our heads at the thought.

There are some crazy murderers out there. But the worst ones are the one who think their acts are justified.

"Well. It's all a part of the job " I concluded as I placed my second empty glass down. I knew I wouldn't get another, though the aura was demanding it.

I was actually happy I took him up on his offer. I still didn't like him, but he was a decent drinking partner. And he didn't mention Cianna once, which I appreciated. Maybe we still couldn't work together without being at each other's throats, but I appreciated the company.

My phone rang in my pocket, and I picked it up after seeing that it was the station.

"Deckor" I said as soon as I answered, my signature greeting.

"Detective. You and your partner might want to come down here ASAP" An officer rushed out, getting me alert.

"What happened?"

"You want to see it instead, trust me" And with that, the line was dead.

I eyed Sean with a knowing look, and I was glad that he understood as we stood simultaneously, and headed for the exit.

***

I couldn't believe what was in front of my eyes. I was extremely stunned into silence from the minute I stepped into the jail cells.

All I could hear were the mumbling of cops, Jason screaming in grief and the click of pictures from the CSI as they all investigated the crime scene. Sean had the same reaction as me, as we watched her lifeless body on the ground.

How the hell was she murdered?

"No camera footage? Over thirty officers in the building and nobody saw who did this? " Sean asked as he circled her body.

"No Detective. There was a diversion put in place, and most of us left the building."

"What diversion?" I asked, not really sure how a single person got past that much security, into a section of the building that isn't easy to find, and killed a woman we had in here.

Mia was a bad woman, but she didn't deserve to die--she didn't deserve to be murdered. As much as I despised her for what she tried to do to Cianna, and what she actually caused, I wouldn't wish this on her. Nobody deserves to be murdered.

"There was an explosion outside. We have reason to believe that the person planted it there before coming into the building, because it had a timer on it. While most of us were on our way outside, he was going inside" The officer explained. "It sounded real, like an actual bomb"

"And footage?" I repeated my partner's question.

"The man had on a large trench coat, and his face was hidden in all of it under a huge hat. He knew the building too well to know exactly where the cameras were, and know where she was kept"

"So we might have another mole" I mumbled in conclusion, feeling utterly conflicted.

"But who in the force would want to kill Mia? She didn't do us anything" Sean reasoned, and I couldn't help but agree.

Mia did nothing to us. Up until today, she had a clean record. She was never involved with any cops either, from her and Jason's testimonies. But then, something caught nudged at my brain.

"Wait did you say he had on a large trench coat, and a hat?" I asked, realising it sounded oddly familiar.

"Yea why?"

"I think...I think the murders are connected"

"What do you mean? Sheldon and this?" Sean asked and I nodded.

"The cameras of Sheldon's apartment were mystically out that night, so we didn't get footage. But when I questioned a janitor about seeing anything weird that night, he said the only thing he saw that seemed shady, was a man in a large trench coat and a hat. But I didn't look into it, because he made it quite clear that almost everyone in the building dressed like that from time to time. It's just that this man didn't look familiar to him."

I turned to Sean to see if what I was saying made sense, and he surprisingly seemed to agree. "And it would give some connection. Mia and Sheldon were involved after all. But, who is the only person that is connected to both Sheldon and Mia?"

I saw where he was going, but it was impossible. "Cianna" I voiced my thoughts. "But for crying out loud she's in the hospi-"

"I know I know" He quickly redeemed himself. "I know it's not her. But if you really look at it, both Mia and Sheldon hurt Cianna. Who is connected to Cianna, who might have a vendetta against the people who hurt her?"

I knew the question was sort of a rhetorical question, because realization hit me before he even finished. I ran my hand over my stubble as I tried to process it. "This is..."

Sean patted my back as we both stared at Mia's lifeless body. Even her murder was similar to Sheldon's. They both died from stab wounds. We just needed to get the results from the autopsy and forensic report to know for sure if they were connected.

"I know mate. But it's a possibility. We have a new suspect"

I nodded, since I knew there was no going back. We will have to go upstairs and add a new picture to our board, and analyse our evidence all over again to see what we could make clearer.

"New suspect" I confirmed with a sigh. "It just kills me to know how much this will crush her when it gets out"