Inspector

Chapter 2

 Chapter 2

As I awoken on the couch in my sweatpants, I stared at the clock again to see it ticking away at three PM. As rubbed my hair back I stood up with a yawn and began to strut like a zombie until I got to my bedroom. It was a decent sized room for a married couple, but it was just way too big for me. But I still cope with it seeing as that I have too. Grabbing my suit and jacket I can’t help but notice my redwood box in the corner of the top shelf. As I place it on the bed to open it I see all my grandfathers’ arrangements. From his old slouch hat, to his flintlock pistol, and documents of unsolved crime he passed on to the next generation to solve. I believe I’m so very close to the solving this case I can taste. Reading the old copperplate writings I notice the writings and sit on my bed. I had to have read the thing over eighty times ever since I inherited it with the house. But as I looked closer to what was in the box, I saw my motivation; A clear vial that had its cork attached to a copper chain. And inside was the sign of my grandfather nemesis; the day flower extracted from the mouth of Matilda Becker. Pushing aside more of the documents I had found four more vials with the exact same flower and attached to chains were letters. But to the one I held there was no letter at all, and I do believe that is the letter that’s holding me back from solving that heinous crime. As I held the letter into the light I began to read its strange words.

  
 Dear Inspector Reese.
    I must say that this catch has been splendid indeed, for she didn’t even try forcing me off of her, nor did she scream as my hands wrapped around her throat. Her name is Delilah, and I remember how her skin felt as her head arched back gasping for air like a cod in this town’s shore. It was soft, creamy smooth, and warm to the touch.
How does it feel now detective? Is it cold as ice? Her body cannot be paler than it was before for I have not pressed a blade to her throat. I must say Mr. Reese that you really are taking your time to solve my murders. How many more of these women must die for your eyes to see that they are in peril? Or are you like the others and you see them as nothing but concubines who lives do not matter. In short my dear lad, the more you wait the more flowers you will find.
I want you to have a bouquet of my work. I overhead the sheriff saying the words,” That’s One less whore to worry about.” Be sure to tell him that I say he is welcome for my services. And that I’m more than happy to do it again.
  From whom you may call,
The Romantic Brute.

To me it was as if Brute was screaming for Reese’s attention, yet he also sounded concern. He had to have known that deep down in his heart that his killings were wrong. If he did then he certainly wouldn’t have taken the lives of prostitutes to begin with it. He seemed so gentle through the use of his words but he was still a murderer. But another half of me still thinks that it was cry for attention, a cry to begin the daring chase of cat and mouse. I placed the letter and vile back into the box and slid them back on to the shelf only to hear my phone ring. Answering I look at the clock to only see that it was only three thirty. “Hello?” “Yes, Detective Reece, its Marcus from the Sand Dollar County Sheriff’s Station.” Being a detective, and a good friend, I still don’t know how Marcus can stomach the things he see’s at times. “Yeah Marcus what’s going on?” “Yeah hi, um…..we gotta small situation you may want to check on, actually it’s critical… Kind of, mandatory you know?” Most cases Marcus can tell me whatever it is on the phone, but whenever he calls it in on the phone I know that things are more serious than it seems. “What is it exactly?” I ask him. “I can’t tell you that over the phone. Just get to autopsy and see for yourself.” “Alright, I’ll be there in ten minutes exactly.”
I heard a sigh of relief break out over the phone,” Thank you, see you in a bit.” And like that he hung up and I got redressed again. I slammed the phone on the hook as I left the house again; it seems that life for a detective just never ends until he or she are rested in their grave. When I got to the Sheriff’s Station I Immediately went to the very first floor. When you walk in the station your on second level where there are some phones ringing, officers walking about, and down stairs on the first floor is the coroner’s office. On my first day going to that room I had to admit I couldn’t sleep for a week. When I get out the elevator I saw Marcus wearing his spectacles and green scrubs, he was leaning against the wall twiddling his thumbs like a frightened child and rubbing his forehead. “Hey, Marcus what’s up?” When he heard my voice he looked up at me and with no warning had nearly dragged me into the lab. “You gotta see this; this has to be one of the most single disturbing things I’ve ever seen in my life.” He brought me to the body of the young girl were the rest of her body was covered by a sheet. After he had finally released his cobra grip on my arm he had placed on a fresh set of gloves and had given me a flashlight. “What are you doing?” “Where ever I tell you to shine it, you shine it. I keep saying to myself that it’s just my imagination. I hope I’m right to be honest.” He peeled back the girls pale blue lips to reveal her mouth,” “Now, put on some gloves and shine the light down there.” Doing as I was told I had placed on the purple gloves and shined the light to see something shining. “It seems that there’s something stuck in her throat.” I nodded my head,” What is it?” Marcus sighed and grabbed a pair of clasps. “I don’t know that’s why I called you. Now, some light please Mr. Reese.” I had shined the light again for him to see as he reached down with clasps. “Almost…. I got it!” It was at that moment when he pulled out the claps the world had slowed down and everything had gone silent. My heart had gone frozen stiff with shock and fear. Looking at Marcus I had taken the clasps from him. “Do you know what that is, Todd?”
I swallowed my fear and had looked him straight in the eyes. “This my friend...... Is commenlina erecta. As known as the sand hill dayflower.” Marcus had looked at the flower and back to me, and his eyes had lit up like the night sky. A realization had come across his face. “No. That can’t be right.” I nodded my head. He took off his gloves and had thrown them in the trash with a nervous pace. “Shit… Son of a bitch this is bad.” I nodded at him,” You’re exactly right, it can mean only one thing.” I had placed down the clasps and threw my gloves in the trash can. Storming out of the lab I had mashed the elevator button for my friend to keep pace. “Where are you going, Reese?!” “To get some old files,” I said. “Get the Sheriff and captain O’Dell. Tell them that after two hundred years, he’s finally come back.”