Chapter Text
Four in the morning.
Alice wanted nothing more than to drive off a cliff possibly taking the one who called her with.
She liked her job, she really did, but not on times like this.
This better be worth my lack of sleep. She thought, as her red car came to a stop before an alleyway.
Alice quickly made her way towards the yellow police tape. She went under it, careful not to catch her blond hair in it. She couldn’t see, but the irony smell hit her right away.
Someone’s dead? That’s new. Looks like it IS worth disturbing my sleep schedule.
Her emerald green eyes scanned the scene. The black haired man, whose eyes were dark and tired, politely smiled at her. Bingo.
”Kiku, hello” The Englishwoman said as she came closer to her colleague. “What do we have here? Suicide or third person involvement?”
”Alice-san” He greeted. “It seems like a murder, whether accidental or intentional we won’t know until the autopsy.”
They both moved towards the bloody scene. Now Alice could clearly see the victim. A woman, wearing two long ponytails just like she is. Her skin was pale, but it’s obvious, when alive, she was rather tanned. Her eyes are foggy staring into nothingness, her lips are ajar and her cheek along with her throat appears swollen. It doesn’t look like she tried to fight back, although her scraped knees and torn leggings suggest running away. Or trying to. Biggest and most noticeable is the ragged wound on her back, probably not a knife, something bigger, sharper. The wind blows, moving the edges of the jacked and shirt where they were brutally cut. If Alice wanted to she probably would be able to see the victims spine.
The blond haired detective shivers, partly because of the cold, but mostly because of the brutality of the act.
“Whoever did this, has to be strong-“ she hesitated “- or they have access to specialistic tools. Either way it’s not good.”
“Indeed. Victim is around 21, they couldn’t be dead for more than a day.” voice monotonous, yet Alice was certain Kiku was frightened, everyone would be, used to scenes like this or not.
After a bit of silence, the Japanese raised his hand and pointed to their colleague, sitting with someone Alice did not recognise.
“The person who found them is with Feliciano.”
Alice nodded, but didn’t go in their direction.
Instead she turned her head to the body.
It laid on its stomach, giving easy access to their back. The unfortunate person wore a black denim jacket, blue dress, dark leggings and white sneakers. Her dark brown hair were tied with two red hair bands.
There isn’t any jewellery, but I don’t know if it was there in the first place. However the lack of any kind of bag is suspicious, so the possibility of mugging is high.
Dried blood was all over the victims back as well as under the victim. Alice came closer to one of the walls, where a massive splash of presumably blood was. It seemed weird. When you’re cutting something open blood gets everywhere randomly, like it pleases even. This however looked like a painting, a cursed, sick and twisted, but a painting. Made with a brush, soaked in the blood.
Alice took her glasses off, cleaned them and put them on again. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the wall, studying it. Imagining someone using a brush soaked in blood and painting. As she was staring at it, she came to the realisation that it wasn’t an image, it was a word.
Finalis.
Finalis? As in final?
“Kiku! Have you done a photo of this wall already?” Her colleague turned to her and nodded his head. “Okay, thank you.”
Now that she looked over the scene, she should ask the person who found her.
Alice sighed. It was probably one of her least favourite moments, asking people, who were mentally unprepared for such scenes, to recall the moment.
She started walking towards Feliciano and her first suspect, everyone who is connected to a murder scene is always a suspect. Her brown haired colleague was smiling softly and speaking to a rather pale figure, covered with a blanket.
She stopped right before the two men. They both turned their heads upwards. When Feliciano noticed who it is he got up, letting Alice take his place, and left her to her business, greeting her and saying his his goodbyes to the other man.
“Hello, my name is Alice Kirkland-” she showed her badge “- and I’m the detective for this case. Can you tell me how you found the victim?”
Violate eyes, hidden behind rectangular glasses and a bit of dark brown hair, scanned her.
“I’m Roderich Eldenstein” he introduced himself instead of answering her question. His fake confidence did little to nothing, in favour of hiding his shakiness. “I was on my way home, when I caught the smell. As much as it disgusted me, I thought better than it and went to see what it was” his voice broke a little more “and than I saw…”
For someone who supposedly thought better of it, the decision wasn’t thought out at all. The Englishwoman noticed. The possibility of the killer still being near was high. Anyone who REALLY thought about it would surly notice.
“Did you know the victim?” She asked instead, going for a safer question, leaving the ugly ones for later.
“No, I did not. If I did I wouldn’t be so calm.”
Alice mentally raised a brown, calm? I guess we have different definitions of that word.
She sight. “Okay. You mentioned going back home, from where?”
The elegant mans face went back to its previous expressions, one might say supposedly professional.
“I was returning from giving a private piano concert.”
“Where was this concert? Can anyone support your alibi?”
“Elizaveta Hedervary. It was at her house I’ve been.”
I’ll have to asks for her address later. I want to be done here as quickly as I can.
Alice took her phone out and opened her note app.
“Would you mind spelling her name for me?”
“Not at all-” he yawned, apologetically looking at Alice. “Please excuse me, it is rather late. As for my client it’s E-l-z-a-v-e-t-a H-e-d-e-v-a-r-y”
Moving her fingers over her phones screen, illuminating her blue nails fitting with her light blue overcoat.
“Thank you” she slipped her phone back into one of her pockets. “I do understand that it is quite late, I myself would prefer being in bed, however I do have two more questions. Firstly, when did you leave your house and your clients?”
The questioned thought, rubbing his white gloved hand against his chin, which had a mole, for a bit before answering.
“I left my house around 5 p.m. as it was agreed I would start at half past 6. I started heading back around 2 a.m.”
Alice nodded, mentally slapping herself for using her phone only once, but she didn’t want to look unprofessional by starting now. Hopefully she remembers.
“This is the last question. I take it when you left around 5, you did not notice any strange smell?”
“Certainly not, but I do admit to being a little more in a rush”
Alice nodded.
“This was all” she reached for her business card and gave it to the man. “If you remember anything significant please call me. Thank you for your cooperation and have a nice sleep.”
With that she turned around and started walking quickly towards her car.
I doubt anyone would have a nice sleep after seeing this, but I cannot take it back now.
When inside she pulled out her phone and noted the most important information, the ones that seemed at least.
Looks like tomorrow I’m starting with this Elizaveta. Hopefully Mei has the autopsy soon, because there isn’t much I can do without it.-
Except of course talking to relatives…
Telling people that their loved one is dead isn’t easy, especially when they were brutally killed.
Starting her car, Alice set her navigation home and left the crime scene. Everything she saw and heard fresh in her mind, constantly jabbing her brain.
Oh my sleep schedule won’t be back to normal for long I fear.