It all started with a phone call. It was eight twenty-one in the evening. It was already very dark. The street lamps were flickering with their orange glow. Cold rain was splattering the windows of the police station while the wind howled and rattled them.
The station was empty. When the phone rang, it startled her. It was very quiet, which was very rare. These were the moments she enjoyed.
Detective Lin Beifong picked up the phone. She listened to the details. Someone broke into the Sato mansion. Sato's wife had been found dead.
"I'm on my way," she said, hanging up the phone. She briskly put on her jacket and walked out of the door and out of the police station.
She slid into the driver's seat of her car and started the engine. She backed out of her parking space and headed towards the Sato mansion.
It took about twenty minutes to get there. There were police cars already stationed around the mansion and the house was taped off.
She parked her vehicle and stepped out, making her way to the inside of the house, which was so lavish she could not even begin to describe.
She did not have time to take in the details of the residence. She had a case to attend to. What she did notice thought was a broken window and shattered glass strewn on the floor.
Saikhan, who was a rookie cop back then, saw her and ushered her into the living room, where the body was situated and found. The woman's corpse was still lying there.
The dead woman was surrounded by cops. Lin strode to her. She noticed the woman's pale skin, wrapped in an ivory silk robe, which hugged her body nicely. The coroner said she had been dead since seven forty-two that evening.
Lin's eyes roved over the sad scene. She noticed a large singed gash on the woman's neck. Some of the blood mixed with the woman's ebony hair. This murder was the work of a firebender. She was sure of that.
This setting became even more morose when she noticed a little girl, about five, nestled in a man's arms. Both were huddled in a corner. The girl was crying, while tears cascaded slowly from the man's eyes.
Lin realized that this man must be the husband and the little girl must be the daughter. She strode over to them and extended her hand to the man's. He took it and they shook.
"Mr. Sato, I presume," Lin stated. The man nodded, wiping a tear off of his cheek. Lin continued, "My condolences. "
"Th-thank you" he choked. Another tear, another wipe. The girl was sniffling and moved closer to her father.
"Mr. Sato, I assure you that I will find the people responsible for your wife's murder. They will be brought to justice. You can be sure of that."