Madame Marvelous

Early Morning Phone Call

Dean opened his eyes, feeling groggy and somewhat confused. He sat up and sighed, leaning back against the headboard on his bed. It was dark in his tiny apartment. The only light that was shining throughout the room was from his alarm clock- it made the room appear to have an eerie red glow. Dean had looked at the clock, slightly annoyed at how the light stung his eyes; the screen read 3:23 AM. Dean let out another annoyed sigh before remembering what had woken him up. He quickly searched the white sheets for his phone, finding it under his leg. After turning it on and wincing at the light, Dean read that he had missed a phone call from a Lucia Oliver. Lucia...? It took his sleep deprived mind a few seconds before connecting the name to the person behind it. Oh shit.... Dean quickly called back the number while jumping out of bed and turning the light on in his room, getting ready to prepare himself for what would be a very long day. 

He felt his heart beat in his chest as he held the phone up to his ear, waiting as it rung once... twice.... three times... before a woman on the other end finally picked up. 

"You won't believe it!" The female voice, Lucia apparently, said nervously on the other end. "That body that we found last week, you know the one- young guy, in a dumpster- well we found another that was laid out in the same way. The higher ups are saying that it's some sort of serial killer based on the coroner's report!"

Dean had pulled on some pants and buttoned up a dress shirt the best he could while holding a phone in one hand. He had started brewing a pot of coffee before rushing towards the bathroom. The quicker he got to the station the better...

"What? Another one?" Dean had replied 

He had run his fingers through his hair to tame it before looking at himself in the mirror. A tired looking twenty eight year old looked back. Dean Curtis had an athletic build and lightly tanned skin. His sandy brown hair was a mess due to sleep and if he were a vainer man he would have taken more than three seconds to make it look presentable. He had sharp deep brown eyes and light lashes. His nose was crooked due to being broken in a wrestling match in high school. Dean wouldn't consider himself attractive or unattractive. Maybe somewhere in the middle. He didn't really know or care. His priorities were on his work.

Dean tore his eyes away from the mirror, focusing back on getting ready for work. He took his toothbrush and quickly brushed his teeth while listening to the surprisingly energetic Lucia continue talking. 

"Yeah... I was hoping that this would just be some random single event but I had a feeling it wasn't that simple. Not that one murder isn't awful because it is but having a possible serial killer puts more people on edge... I'm still working on that drug busting case so I don't think I'll be able to do a lot to help solve this one..." Lucia replied, pausing halfway through to sip at something. 

"I want to solve this one, Lucia. This is my case I can feel it."

Dean Curtis had been a detective for a year now and he knew he was still looked down on for being young and impulsive. He had become a police officer at twenty one after dreaming of being a cop since childhood. Six years later he was finally promoted to detective- something he hadn't realized he wanted until he had actually joined the police force. Dean had been trying to prove himself since day one however it was much harder than he expected. This case could be his chance to finally gain recognition. 

"You say that every time. if you are serious about it, get your butt down here so you can learn the case facts." Lucia had replied "I've got to go. I'll see you in fifteen right?"

Dean had pulled on his shoes and his jacket, glancing around his apartment again before opening the door to leave. 

"Fifteen... See you then." He replied before hanging up and closing the door behind him.

Dean briskly walked down the streets, lighting a cigarette and shoving his free hand into his pocket. This late at night, or early in the morning, the majority of people on the streets were either drunks or tourists. He felt his stomach growl and eyed a convenience store as he past, seriously considering a candy bar and a coffee... A coffee would be great right now... Fuck he forgot the pot of coffee in his apartment! It was too late to go back so he bitterly picked up his pace and tried to clear his mind from coffee and chocolate. 

Entering the police station, Dean had flashed his badge to the security guards before deciding that jogging up the stairs would be faster than taking the elevator. Making it up to his designated floor, he was panting and slipped off his jacket. A thin woman had been waiting by the stairs, holding two mugs of coffee. 

"Seventeen minutes, Curtis, I've seen you do much better." Lucia said with a smile, handing Dean the orange mug.

Dean gladly accepted the mug before looking the woman over while taking a deep sip of coffee. Lucia was slim, fair, and had shoulder length, straight and deep red hair. Her eyes were a light hazel and she had thicker brows. She was dressed professionally with a pencil skirt and pale blue dress shirt but she wore handmade lemon shaped earrings she had gotten during a recent trip to Italy and hadn't taken off since. Lucia was another detective in the police force but she was a few years older than Dean, at thirty one. They had been friends for a few years and Lucia was the most excited out of his co-workers when Dean was finally promoted. Dean would consider her one of his closest friends. 

"I'm not even fully awake right now I'm surprised that time wasn't doubled. Wait you actually timed me?" Dean said as he felt himself become more aware of everything due to the caffeine. 

"Well yeah. Moretti said that the briefing on this case would start at 4 AM... Which is in two minutes. We should get going." 

Dean had practically choked on his coffee before grabbing Lucia's arm and dragging her towards the meeting room where the majority of his co-workers were already at. This was Dean's big shot and he wasn't going to miss the first meeting about it.