Chasing A Phantom

We sat in the Squad room...….

''It's been 48 hours and we haven't made any traction on this murder...It seems so simple, like a lovers quarrel...We've cracked a million such cases.."said Detective Kylie White..

''We've got grainy video footage from the street

 and the subway of a man in dark clothing, wearing a slicker and a rain hat , with no view of his face, We have no fingerprints or other trace evidence because of the rain....and we have no credible eyewitnesses." I said.

"Add to that that nobody she knew, worked with or is related to knew much of anything about the guy she was engaged to, Who we met or this guy she was seeing presently, we can't get anything about this guy...even his name right."said Monica.

"We scanned Facebook, Twitter and Instagram...Even her LinkedIn account...Not a photo or a mention of this guy....I don't get it.." I said.

"I didn't mention you and me on my social media until we got engaged..."said Monica..

"But there was photos of us together.." I said.

"It sure was....enough that I figured out that you two were more than just partners before the news came out that you were engaged."said Kylie..

"There aren't even any photos of the man we know she was engaged to...Dr. Hank Edelson.."said Monica..

"Unless He, Her or somebody took those photos off..." I said..

"It wasn't him.....I went on his social media accounts and there are hundreds of photos of the two of them....even some racy photos he took of her in her panties and bra..look…."said Kylie..

as we stared at his accounts on the monitor..

"Maybe she took them off after they broke up.."said Monica.. "Any recent girls on there?" asked Monica.

"No....." said Kylie..

"That's strange...He told me himself he was seeing other women and that is why they broke up.."I said..

"Hmmmm He likes my sister, I know that..."said Monica.

''Maybe Monique had better watch out.." I said..

The three of us laughed..

Lt. Cotton came in...He Had Coffee and doughnuts...

"What's up guys...Anything new on this case?" he asked..

"Nothing...We are chasing a phantom.."I said..

"My sister said  the murder victim scratched the killer and got dried blood under her fingernails , she's testing for DNA as we speak.."said Monica..

"Something's gotta break our way.."said Lt. Cotton..

 "Thanks for the coffee and the doughnuts.."said Kylie..

As we dug in....






II-

In the morgue...Dr. Hank Edelson finally stored the body of Murder victim Rachel Lawson, his one time fiancé away in one of the drawers..

 "So Cold, So Final..."he mused..  "This is how we all wind up..." He looked around... All of these drawers filled up with people who all had plans, all thought they had all of time in the world." he said aloud..Unaware he was being watched..

"I told my sister that once...She was a little afraid of getting married...I said to her..."Go for it sis..he loves you....All of these drawers are filled up with people who all had plans, all thought they had all of the time in the world , until they didn't....They didn't have time any more."said Monique..

He looked at her and smiled..

"God you're so sexy..." he said..."You take my mind off of anything that gets me depressed." he said..

"I'm Happily Married and there for off limits...Don't get too happy.."said  Monique..

"And your gorgeous sister is married too isn't she?  You have any other female siblings?" he asked half jokingly...

"No I'm afraid it's just us two..." said Monique...

Just then Monica and I walked in...

 "Hey sis, Hank?" said Monica..

"Hey Monique, Hank...Anything on that DNA yet?" I asked.

Hank was intruiged...

"DNA? What DNA?" he thought..

''Well it's definitely not a match for anybody in the system...But get this...It's unlike any human DNA I've ever seen before..and I ran it through Decks...I called Interpol....

It's a match for DNA in two other murders...Committed almost a decade ago in London..." said Monique..

 "LONDON?" asked Monica...

"London?" I asked.

"Yes..a streetwalker was brutally beaten to death in just as horrific a fashion as our victim and like our victim she fought and clawed and tried to save her life...She was strangled and beaten viciously...Left a lot of blood at the scene...Hers and the killer..Nobody got a good look at the killer,but like your murder..It was a man overheard arguing with a woman...in a back alley... The second victim was another streetwalker some six months later...same M.O. ,killed in a back alley, a brutal horrific and vicious beating..a lot of blood at the scene, hers and the killers...same DNA...Scotland Yard determined they were looking for the same killer...Then the killings stopped and there was never another one that fit that M.O.  The Killer was never caught and both murders are still open."said Monique.

 ''So we could be hunting for the same killer?" asked Monica.

"A serial killer.,who has awakened and started all over again.."I said.

"It's the exact same DNA... Same M.O.  You guys are after the same killer..."said Monique..

"You mean the same Phantom.."I said.

Monica sensed a great feeling of dread and fear all of a sudden coming from Hank..

but she scanned his thoughts...There was no thoughts of murder...just fear and dread...she wondered what was going on with him?


Then he stared at her up and down...

 her and her sister..

Monique..

"God, Twins...Imagine that, Identical Twins...They are both turning me on...Why would they both have to be married?

 I could see myself sleeping with either one of them....

or having a threesome..

I bet Monica drives Nate out of his mind in the bed.." he thought.

Monica just smiled and shook her head.. Hank was a real horn dog...….but no killer she mused.





III-

That night at home, we had dinner at Monique and Lt. Cotton's 1st floor Domicile of the Duplex we shared..

Monique among other things was a fantastic cook...She fixed Turkey Cutlets....

 ''Sister in law this is delicious.."I said..

"Thank You Nate..." she said, smiling..

"Sis this is Delish!" said Monica..

"Well thank you.."said Monique..

'' So we are chasing a serial killer, possibly somebody who killed two women in London a decade ago.." said Lt. Cotton..

 "Looks that way..Monique said the blood had DNA , a weird strain she'd never seen before.."I said.

''She checked Interpol and Scotland yard and it's a definite match to a killer who beat to death two women in London, Ten years ago and was never caught.." said Monica.

"That makes Three murders....Let's stop this clown before his body count piles up..."said Lt. Cotton as we continued eating..

"My phone is vibrating...

I have to take this...It's Kylie.."said Monica..

"I hate to bother you guys...but we got another murder...pretty brutal...It's a man.."said Kylie..

 "We got another murder!" said Monica..

"Damn!" I said..I was tired and was thinking about a night with Monica in the bed....Why would this killer have to strike again...

She heard my thoughts and whispered to me..

"I'm sorry baby...I was looking forward to spending some time with you too in bed...but...duty calls."she said..

IV-

and so we took off...

across the city to yet another site,.

a shopping mall...

Uniformed Officers and

Crime Scene Investigators  and Forensic specialists were already on the scene.

with Detective Kylie White...

'Hey Guys over here.." she said, waving us over..

 "Oh My God" I said , looking at the badly beaten body of a man in his late 40's, early 50's....

 "Oh My God...Sooo much blood, This is worse than the other night..."said Monica.

 "His neck was broken, but so was his spinal cord...and his ribs...and he appears to have been beaten with a blunt instrument.."said Monique..

"This was a lot of anger...Who is he?" asked Lt. Cotton.

"His drivers license says he's Daniel Carew...He's a Chemist...Teaches at the University....He's from LONDON!.....He's been here for 9 years..." said Kylie..

"Any witnesses?" I asked...

"None that we can find...The Mall was closed.."said Kylie..

"The Mall Cameras and the Street and Traffic Cams will reveal something...I'm sure..." said Monica.

"Mo Mo, Nate, let me get him out of here...All this blood.."sighed Monique..

"Go Ahead." I said.

The body was removed...

 ''I don't like this.."said Lt. Cotton...

 "Me Neither."I said.

"There has got to be a pattern here...Some kind of rhyme or reason."said Monica...

So Far none of us could find either...

(TO BE CONTINUED)