Heartless Love

Chapter Seven

Detective Hayes' eyes scan back and forth between Tamara and Bryce. They sit in front of him, eager to hear his opinion on their finding. "So, the two of you believe that the skin patches removed on the three victims are signatures," Detective Hayes states. Bryce slides over in his seat, while resting a hand on his right knee. He responds, "Yes Sir. In fact, I personally believe that by following this speculation..." Detective Hayes cuts him off, "And that's all it is Detective Gates; a speculation." "We can find no photos in which Dr. Sutton had a tattoo on his neck or anything to suggest that there was a tattoo there at any time. Now, we do have to find photos of Barlowe and Thorton to verify our suspicion. However, if we are correct, then we might be able to solve this case a lot faster," Tamara informs. Detective Hayes exhales deeply and looks out of the window. After a while, he looks back at Tamara. "Very well then," he proclaims, "Make your hypothesis a thesis and then we can move forward on this discussion." Bryce and Tamara nod, before getting up from their seats and leaving Detective Hayes' office.

As they enter the elevator, Tamara and Bryce both sigh. "So, now we head to Ms. Barlowe's home," Bryce suggests. Tamara shakes her head and receives a curious look from Bryce. "We are getting lunch first," Tamara says as the elevator comes to a halt and the doors open. Bryce exits the elevator after Tamara and asks, "What you want to eat?" Tamara thinks for a bit, then replies, "Deep-dish pizza."

Once the car pulls out of the station, Bryce asks Tamara, "Have you thought of any reasons why Doctor Sutton would be involved with a gang?" Tamara shakes her head and sighs slightly. "We have so many other pieces to put together before we even begin to find the answer to that question," she replies, "For now though, I want to focus on eating.

A big pan of deep-dish jalapeno and pepperoni pizza is set in front of Tamara, while a bowl of grilled chicken salad is placed in front of Bryce. "Are you seriously just going to eat salad?", Tamara asks rhetorically. "I find salads light and refreshing, unlike that pizza of yours," Bryce responds as he puts a forkful of lettuce in his mouth. Tamara shakes her head. "So, since you don't want to discuss work, what would you like to talk about?", Bryce asks. Tamara looks up to the ceiling, as she continues to eat her pizza. Before she can respond, her work phone begins to ring. "Detective Lewis," she answers. "Miss Lewis. It's Alyce. Detective Hayes wants you and Bryce to get to Rochester General Hospital immediately," Alyce states on the other end.

As Tamara and Bryce walk up to the hospital entrance, a police officer asks for their credentials. They show him their badges and ask him what happened. He lifts up the police tape and guides them to the first-floor bathrooms. "A visitor found the lady dead in one of the women's bathroom stalls. Until the official coroner's report, it seems like the cause of death was a single bullet wound to the heart. Turns out, our victim was the assistant to a one Doctor Jim Sutton. Tamara's eyes widen slightly, and she rushes into the bathroom ahead of Bryce. When she enters, the smell of blood fills her nose. She continues to make strong strides to the stall where a female police officer is taking pictures. Once she reaches the stall, she sees Karla's body seated on the toilet seat, and her upper body resting back against the top of the toilet. Tamara's eyes look over Karla's blood-soaked blouse, which leads down to the black pants that now shimmer with a slight tint of red. The backs of her heels are submerged in her blood, while the tops stick straight up towards the ceiling. Tamara's eyes then move to Karla's neck. There she sees a piece of skin missing. It's cut in the exact same shape as Barlowe, Thorton, and Sutton. "Detective Gates," Tamara calls urgently. Bryce rushes in and stands beside Tamara. "Look," Tamara says as she points a finger to Karla's neck. "Looks like we have another victim to add to the list," he states seriously.

Tamara and Bryce walk into Detective Hayes' office for the second time that day and brief him on their findings at the crime scene. "So much for rapping this case up faster," Detective Hayes says in a slightly frustrated tone. "Detective Hayes, I think Karla Stanton's murder was meant to be a warning," Tamara states. Detective Hayes looks at her with curiosity. She continues, "Unlike the other three victims, Karla died because of a gunshot wound, not arsenic poisoning. As far as the skin patch goes, I can state with complete certainty that Karla did not have a tattoo anywhere on her neck. Furthermore, the skin patch was removed below the ear lobe on the right side of her neck, not the left. Clearly, the gang wanted us to know that she was not murdered for the same reasons as the other three victims." Detective Hayes slowly nods his head. "Makes sense. Therefore, until we get any evidence that negates your conclusion, we will continue the investigation on the other three victims," he says. Bryce and Tamara nod their heads and leave his office.

"Good work in there partner," Bryce states politely. Tamara is shocked by his compliment and asks, "Where's the joke?" Bryce furrows his eyebrows. She clarifies, "You know, the joke that you always say right after a half decent compliment to make me regret thanking you." Bryce laughs and replies, "There's no joke this time. I honestly think your evidence was very compelling." Tamara looks at him in hopes of finding humor in his eyes, but there is none. So, she thanks him, before parting ways and heading back to her office to pack up for the day.