Silhouette Massacre

CHAPTER I - Millie Collins || The Assignment

I sat at my desk, fighting the urge to pass out. I was exhausted. Working all day on a homicide case, just to be told that it's a closed case now.

Junie Hopkins. A 26 year old woman, whose body washed up in a lake in the outskirts of Manhattan. She had already been dead for two weeks. I spent everyday trying to find out who murdered her, and it was hard considering we don't know where she was originally murdered. The criminal probably fled. Or they're just good at murdering.

Either way, my partner, Sebastian, and I were unable to find the criminal. It became a cold case this year, and now the case has become closed. They said it was solved, that we found the murderer, but that is untrue.

I sighed, looking at all the files, until I was interrupted by Sebastian Parker, my partner in fighting crime.

"You looked distressed," he said.

"Distressed wouldn't be the right word to describe how I'm feeling right now."

"What's the right word, then?"

I shrugged. "I am feeling quite perturbed," I quipped, trying to make light of the situation for myself.

He sighed and pursed his lips. "Yeah, that happens. I wish we could continue with the case. It felt like we were so close to finding the murderer."

"Really? Because I felt like we were going nowhere with the case," I say, with a light chuckle. But then I remember someone died. I shouldn't be laughing.

I became a homicide detective to solve murders, to help the innocents, not letting the dead be another closed case victim. I half-expected Junie's case to show up in a cold case documentary.

"It's the price you have to pay when being a homicide detective, Millie. We're not going to solve every case, y'know." His New York accent was thick today. Sometimes it's less noticeable, and sometimes it's more noticeable.

Sebastian Parker was born and raised in the state of New York, although he wasn't born in NYC. Sebastian was born in Albany, but moved to the city when he was thirteen, with his brothers and his mother. Sebastian is thirty seven, only two years older than me.

I'm thirty five. I'm quite new to being a homicide detective, as I've only began at twenty two. I wouldn't say I particularly enjoy it, but I do get decent money. Plus, I like the feeling of solving another case, however. It's like avenging someone's death.

Which is why I feel empty when my case becomes closed.

"Yes. I know that," I admit. "But that doesn't stop me from the guilt I feel knowing we'll never find the person who ended that young woman's life." I sigh.

My heart feels heavy for Junie. She didn't deserve to be murdered, I think. Although I know nothing much of her; I feel like I've known her all my life. I don't feel like a detective; but I feel like a loved one who found out she died, and now I find out they won't be continuing the case.

What made the case harder is that her only family was her sister, who committed suicide two days later after it was confirmed that it was Junie Hopkins body who turned up just outside of Manhattan. In fact, they're saying she murdered Junie, even though we have pretty much no evidence for it.

A friend of Junie's sister marched up to this station the other day, shouting, "Savannah didn't murder anybody! Especially not her sister!" No one listened. I felt bad for her friend. I wasn't there that day, I was home, in bed with a flu.

"You know Laurier?" Says Sebastian. "He thinks the sister murdered her." He shrugged. "Probably because she committed suicide after her body turned up."

"I don't think it's her," I say. "But...I guess there could be a chance." I rub my eyes and look over to Sebastian. "Shame we'll never figure it out."

"That's just the way it is, Millie. But the case may be reopened, y'know."

After our conversation I took the subway and went home. I lived with my older sister. She let me move in when I was struggling to find a place to live at. New York City is expensive. I make good money, now, as a detective, and I plan to move out when I can, although finding an apartment is really hard here. Plus, I hardly have the time as the homicide rate is very high.

And I wish I could move. Maybe I'd live in the countryside, or I'll move to the west coast. New York is not for me. Maybe I'll even move out of the country.

"Hey, Sis," my sister, Avery said. She was cleaning the apartment, which is something Avery does whenever she's bored. Avery is older than me. She's thirty eight.

"Hi, Avery."

"How was work today?" She said, scrubbing the kitchen counters.

"Stressful. Yet another closed case," I say as I put my bag down on the table with a sigh. I take off my coat and hang it up.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said. "But it happens when you're a detective."

I groan. I'm getting quite tired of hearing the same thing. "Maybe I should quit," I say. I don't actually think that, though. I don't want to quit.

"What? Millie, no. You know how hard it is to find a job in New York City, don't do that to yourself."

"You have it more easier when you're just working in an office, as a finance broker, answering calls and such, in a chair all day."

I'm called into work the next day. Me and Sebastian are being assigned a new case. Apparently it's a big one. I found it ironic. I can't solve a case I've been working on for four years, and they assign me a case that should be big?

I take the subway back, and I end up arriving early. It was raining today, and I forgot an umbrella, so when I arrive, I'm soaked.

"What in the world happened to you?" Said Sebastian. He appeared to have arrived early as well. Which is a first, he's usually late.

"Rain. That's what happened to me."

"Do you not have an umbrella?"

"I do. But I forgot to bring one," I reply.

"Yikes. Wouldn't want to catch a cold," he said. Sebastian was eating a breakfast sandwich, he took a large bite.

"Why are you so early?" I ask.

Sebastian took another bite of his sandwich, and said, "Lost track of time. Thought I was runnin' late, but as you can see I'm here early."

We hung out in the station for a few hours, until we were called in by our boss, Chief Thatcher.

"Detective Collins," he had said. "And Detective Parker!"

We entered his office, and he signaled for us to sit down.

"Good morning," he says. "Yesterday the Junie Hopkins case was unfortunately closed after nearly four years of investigation, correct?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I'm assigning the two of you a new case. It's a bigger case that has been going on for almost two years."

"What is it?" Said Sebastian.

"It's called the Silhouette Massacre Case."

Chapter One End
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