Undying Devotion

Jessie and Desmond arrived hurriedly after she had called them each in turn. She needed the whole team on this, and one she could trust. The scene was still fresh, it was the most recent murder they had ever encountered. Once they arrived she had filled them in completely, or at least a version of a story they would believe.

Jessie shook his head at her as he handed her a change of clothes, the same set that his team wore on the job. She didn’t mind, anything was better than the blood-stained uniform she was wearing now.

But first things first. “Jessie, you might wanna get the imprint and saliva off my arm before we attack the scene.” She lifted her arm with a smirk.

He cringed at her outstretched arm seeing the damage for the first time. “He really took a bite out of you, didn’t he?”

“She did manage to shoot him though.” Arion defended.

“Oh, I don’t doubt you put up one hell of a fight.” He glanced over at Arion who had turned his head slightly away, clearly looking ashamed. “Hey man, we don’t blame you okay? You’re a civilian informant, this is not your fault.”

Shannara hissed as her torn flesh was swabbed and documented. Desmond took some photos from all angles with different lighting. “I’m no odontologist but I can at least take the impression of the bite mark and send it to someone who can analyze it." He told her.

Once he was gone and her wrist wrapped up, she immediately started stripping off her clothes to get changed, causing all the men to panic and turn away.

She huffed. “You do know a bra and panties is no different to a swimsuit, Jesus!”

“It’s only polite,” Jessie called from over his shoulder.

“Man has a point,” Arion added.

“I feel awkward around swimsuits...” Desmond confessed.

Rolling her eyes she bagged her uniform and shoved it into Jessie’s back. “I’m getting a lot of your clothes today.” He muttered turning to take it.

The scene inside was anything but pleasant. But it was time to run over it, collect the blood samples then find this asshole. They already had guys on the street following leads of a man holding his arm, fleeing the scene. It was only a matter of time. The killer had slipped up and she wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

The click of the camera at her site echoed in her mind as everything around her seemed to move in slow motion. She looked up at Trisha. A bed frame had been bolted to the wall, her body strung up and tied to the four posts. Her limbs spread wide, her naked form restrained and wrapped in leather binds. She had a pretty face, one that now held a forced smile that made her heart clench. Her body was covered with scars of torment under the wounds that had been inflicted only recently. The girl had been heavily abused before this torture section.

This case was beginning to take a toll on her, normally she could cut herself off from her feelings. She needed to be a detective and yet she felt helpless looking up at the dead girl. She felt she was failing. Shaking the feeling off she focused.

Sex toys littered the room. Trisha’s blood was sprayed on the wall behind her, it had dripped and pooled to the ground behind her. Only to have spread out across the room, coating the wooden floorboards and soaking into the rugs. Whips of different varieties lent up against both sides of the frame that was void of a mattress. Some had spikes, others chains, some just straight leather strips. Each one coated in blood. Trisha’s body on display, riddled with torn flesh, limply resting against the bare springs. All but her face was untouched.

The wounds were constant with whipping. Different types had been used repeatedly. Taking a step closer she noticed the red marks around her chin, neck and mouth. She had been gagged while she was being wiped to death. After she had passed away he had somehow rigged her mouth into a smile, the lips closed, small remnants of surgical thread at the edges of her lips.

Frowning she also noticed that the lips were slightly sunken in. “Jessie.” She called.

He was there in seconds, by her side. His attention focused on what she was.

“Her mouth, can you open it?” She asked.

He reached up a gloved hand and gently opened the poor girl’s lips. As she expected her teeth were missing, each one had been pulled and taken as his souvenir.

No one said anything as they worked, they didn’t have to. With Masie sick, Shannara filled in where she could. They pulled down the body and placed her in a body bag after confirming it was indeed Trisha Marquis. Wheeling her out to the van, Desmond had followed.

“We still don’t have anything that connects all the cases right?” He asked.

“Aside from the killer himself, no-” She cut herself off as her head shot up, her mind clearing. “That’s not true anymore. He’s not picking them at random, there’s a purpose. They are for his rituals. We just can’t see it yet, or rather we don’t know which ritual he’s following.”

She felt her old self coming back to her. Her determination, her drive. She could figure this out and she would do so tonight!

“And you saw the guy, you can identify him!” Desmond joined her enthusiasm.

She frowned. She had indeed seen him clear as day, but every time she tried to in-vision him, his face was blurry, clouded. She couldn’t remember a single feature about him, only that it had been a man.

“He wore a mask, so his features are blurry at most,” Arion answered for her as he joined them. His head reached, lighting touch her arm as she turned her head to look at him from over her shoulder. “We know his height, his voice and his build. Not much else, sadly.”

She eyed him curiously, he was covering for her, which meant this was something he knew about, something she couldn’t explain away. Magic?

Finally, the four finished with the crime scene, sealing it up they all headed back to the station. It was going to be a long night. Everyone was determined to get a head start and find the next person he was going after and catch him.

Jessie said very little as he trolleyed bags upon bags of evidence down the elevator to the labs below. Desmond and Arion made a start on the paperwork for everyone so Shannara could start her research. They were the perfect team, but still, they were missing one person.

Typing at her desk she glanced at her phone, one phone call wouldn’t hurt. She dialed Masie’s number. It rang out again, looking at the screen she frowned. She opened up the messenger app and typed her a message. Turning the screen off she focused on her work for a time.

It was a few hours before Arion and Desmond came by her office. Desmond dropped off a coffee which she appreciated very much and Arion made himself conformable next to her, ready to help in his own way.

“Found anything?” He asked looking over her notes that were now scattered across her desk. colored post-it notes were plastered everywhere with photos of each of the victims.

“Mmm, I think so. I’ve been looking into more occult-related beliefs, Something stood out to me but I wanted to run it by you and get your thoughts.” She tapped the pen on her chin.

“I’m listening.” He scooted closer eyes the the screen she was lost in.

“What do you know of the seven deathly sins?” She asked taking him by surprise.

“It’s a fable folk tale to scare children into being... decent?” He frowned.

“There’s no truth to them where you’re from?”

Shaking his head. “No, they are associated with demons sometimes but we have no beings that go by the sin’s names if that’s what you mean.”

“I think our killer might believe otherwise.” She turned her screen slightly toward him so he could read the paragraph she was on.

It explained that in order to gain immortal enlightenment you must appease the sins and make sacrifices that would please them. The text went on in detail about how one might do that. Even making an effigy with human pieces as a conduit. He was deep into the read when the screen suddenly went blank, she’d turned it off.

“What-” He cut himself off as he noticed her gaze was firmly planted on a man whose face she had seen in a certain van. “CIA?” He asked catching on fast.

She nodded but remained silent as the man slowly approached, his hand behind his coat and a sly smile on his face. “I see you’re alive and well. Can’t say the same for some of my men.”

His eyes darted across her desk and she quickly placed some files over her notes before glaring at him. “If you had asked me to co-operate you wouldn’t have been attacked. You’re not the only one who was after me that night, the bloodshed could have been avoided.”

“Indeed, I realize that now, given how... entwined you are with-” He eyed Arion suspiciously. “-This case.”

“Mr CIA, as much as I would like to entertain you, I have a job to do. What do you want?” She asked rather sternly.

“I want the case where you found the substance, you know the one.” He didn’t need to elaborate.

“You can have it.” She responded.

“What!” Arion looked at her shocked.

The agent raised a brow. “That was easy.”

She picked up a file from the desk behind her, signed and dated the front of it and handed it over to the man. “All yours, glad to be rid of it.”

Opening the file he made a disgruntled sound. “This is only one of the victims.”

“The only victim.” She corrected.

“I want the others!” he demanded.

She shook her head. “The other 5 victims are unrelated, and we have DNA evidence pointing to the killer. Human blood and a dental imprint that we are running for a match as we speak.” She emphasized the word human. clearly showing that she knew what he was after. “The CIA coming to a small town like this and taking over a serial killing case would cause quite an up rawr, better take what you can get.”

His bottom jaw moved as though he were grinding his teeth. He closed the file and spun on his heels. Before walking away he looked over his shoulder to speak. “Watch yourself Detective Lankis.”

The two watched him leave and they both visibly relaxed when he was out of site. “I thought you were gonna hand over everything,” Arion admitted.

“Please! That case I can’t solve in any means now, but I know it’s closed.” She smirked. “But they don’t know that.”

He let out a huffed laugh as he exposed her notes again.

“You don’t want to follow him?” She asked.

“Hardly, the only relic that they had in their position was stolen.” He rolled his eyes.

“Wait, how do you know it was stol-” She cut herself off. “The circle thing is in there isn’t it?”

“Ever the detective.”

She sat back in her chair. “So he has that journal, the one full of old secrets, the one you want destroyed. No wonder he’s so versed in all this stuff.” She turned her monitor back on. “Does it have anything in it about the seven sins?”

“No, the cardinal sins are something humanity created, not us. It’s been merged with devils and demons over the years, stories fueling more stories.” He remained silent for a moment frowning deep in thought.

“What is it?” She asked.

“There’s a possibility that he could have mistranslated or misinterpreted the seven Princes as the seven sins. The Princes have often been referred to as cardinal in old documents.”

“The seven Princes of hell?”

He laughed but continued to explain. “For humanity yes, for us more like the seven houses that rule the realm. I am a part of them, my son would be said Prince when he is born.” Looking over her notes on the victims he still couldn’t see a pattern. “But these victims don’t fit the profile of the cardinal sins.”

“That’s because you’re looking at them wrong.” She told him. Picking up her sticky notes she started jotting down her theory.

1 – Rosalie. Eating disorder. Opposite of Gluttony. Wouldn’t eat. Eyes Taken.

2 – Evelyn. Drug addiction. Opposite of sloth. Couldn’t slow done. Belly button cut out.

3 – Rachel. Domestic abuse. Opposite of Wrath. Could never get angry. Fingernails taken.

4 – Emily. Chronic OCD. Opposite of Pride. She hid it. Ears taken.

5 – Trisha. Forced sex worker. Opposite of Lust. Wanted out. Teeth taken.

She placed the last two notes on her desk not attached to any photos.

6 – Opposite of Greed. Someone who gives back? Activist?

7 – Opposite of Evy. Someone completely content?

Whose blood did we find at the ritual site?

Body parts being taken for effigy. Another ritual to be done?

“I’ll be damned, how did you figure that out.” His mouth was slightly agape as he looked down at her work. It makes so much sense now.

“When most people think of the sins they think of people committing the sins. His goals have always been so much more. It’s like he is making an offering to the sins, he sacrifices someone that does not sin in that way.” She paused a moment. “Though, it’s sad to think that one more is already dead, having found the blood at the ritual site we know he has killed six so far. What I don’t get is why he would try a ritual with only five sins...” She trailed off.

“This only cements my theory of bad translation.” He looked at her grimly as he spoke the next words. “Appease five cardinals and be granted an audience with thy ruler of the realm. Before thyself sacrifice of thy bloodline and bask in pleasure, only then will thy gain what is so desired.”

She made a disgusted face. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not, it was an old barbaric ritual that granted power to the demons of old. It was a trick, through blood sacrifices they would gain longer lives and stronger magic.”

“I’m seeing the link to the ritual, but what of the missing body parts?” She wondered out loud.

“The effigy is a good theory, maybe he is using that to appease the cardinal sins. There’s every chance he could be mixing beliefs from this world and mine.” He offered.

“He doesn’t think that he has appeased all five, he’s going for all seven now, as a backup. He’s going to try the ritual again.” She felt a chill run up her spine. “He only needs one more victim to have all seven, and we have yet to find the sixth.”