The woods were hot, humid and dense, visited only occasionally by merciful gusts of wind. Isaac adjusted his cap, realising the gravity of the situation. He snapped a shot of the puddle and dashed off to report the news to the rest of the team.
Agent Auditore got on all fours, in search of potential clues. Bingo. Tyre tracks. Ideally, soft and loamy soil made tracks more distinct and easy to follow. The scorching sun, however, worked against him, drying up the soil. This made the tracks virtually invisible. He checked the vicinity for footprints. Not a chance, his men had left footprints all over this path, oblivious.
"Damn it!" Agent Auditore cursed, digging his fingers hard into the soil. The puddle was too obvious a hint. For a man of his intellect, Auditore knew the Ripper left it there on purpose.
It was a message.
--
Jane squinted through the peephole. A young man in his mid twenties stood outside, bearing a familiar cyan cap and uniform. In his right hand, he carried an old, rusty toolbox. In his left, a slip of paper he was reading intently from. Jane opened the door ajar, leaving the door chain on. "Good evening, is this... Janson's residence?" He looked up. A pair of emerald green eyes centred on Jane, leaving her temporarily lost for words.
"Yes, that would be my dad, and you are..." Jane couldn't get over how incredibly green his eyes were.
The man crushed the paper, stuffing it into his side pocket. Extending a hand, he cracked a half-smile, "The name's Jeremy. Jeremy Low. Your dad called for Swiftair aircon repair services?"
Jane shook his hand, eyeing the logo on his uniform. Swiftair Services. Her head tilted, Jane replied, "There must be some mistake... My dad didn't inform me about this."
Jeremy perched his lips. "Well that's strange, because it says so here..." From his breast pocket, Jeremy whipped out a neatly folded pink slip. True enough, the date of appointment indicated 20th June 2015, 16:00.
Jane bit her lower lip, double checking it's authenticity. It had the company's stamp. Dad must have arranged this without telling me. She scratched her head, recalling that the aircon in Dad's room hasn't been functioning well for the past few weeks. "Well... I guess you can come in," Jane said, "But before that, can I check with my dad real quick? It won't take a minute, I promise."
"By all means, go ahead!" Jeremy laughed, revealing two rows of neatly arranged pearly white teeth, "I've got time." Jane smiled back, reaching into her back pocket - empty. She checked her sides, empty too. Shit, must have left my phone in the dining room. Jane slapped her forehead with her palm.
"Is everything okay miss?" Jeremy asked, his right eyebrow raised.
Noticing the beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead, Jane lifted the door chain. "You know what, forget it." She pulled the door wide open, making way for his entry, " It's a hot day, why don't you step in? I'll get you something to drink before you start work."
Jeremy removed his cap, taking his first step into Jane's residence.
--
"You guys found anything?" Agent Auditore marched back into the building, scrunching his nose at the stench of decaying wood. His men were hard at work, scavenging the area like vultures for any possible leads. Willson was busy rummaging through the closets while Isaac had his camera glued to his hands, analysing and photographing every bit of potential clue visible to the naked eye. Kelvie, on the other hand, was busy admiring the antique figurines on the shelves by the fireplace.
Hunched over, his eyes were peeled to the figurines, brightened with awe. "Sir, how old do you think these antiques are?" he asked, dusting one of them with his hands. "Whoever stayed here in the past... They must have really loved Renaissance antiques..."
Agent Auditore suddenly shut his eyes tight, fighting the mounting despair that welled up in his chest. A hand placed against the wall to steady himself, he struggled to maintain focus. 'The Nation's Best', they called him. Yet there he was, barely able to stand on his own two feet. Auditore's head spinned. He leaned against the wall, head tilted towards the ceiling. The numbness spread throughout his body, turning his legs to mush.
The message - it dawned upon him. He was certain this was the place. He could almost hear her screams. Hands trembling, Agent Auditore cupped his mouth.
This was where Emma died.
TO BE CONTINUED
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