A/N: This was the second week's solo challenge for Fairy Fest. The challenge was to write a detective story in 1500 words or less. I managed to shave it down to 1500 words exactly, lol.
Detective Scarlett scrutinized the evidence spread on the table before her with her lips pursed to the side in thought. She leaned forward on her hands, her long scarlet hair falling over her shoulder. Her partner, a man with hair as black as coal, and eyes that were so blue they looked as dark as his hair, looked up at her from where he casually reclined in his chair with his arms folded across his chest and his feet kicked up on his desk. They'd been staring at the evidence for hours. His eyes burned, and his neck and back ached. He was ready to go home.
"You'll give yourself wrinkles if you keep frowning like that," Gray Fullbuster, Erza's partner, teased.
Erza's chocolate eyes never left the documents sprawled across her desk. She was missing something. She had to be! And an odd feeling in her gut told her it was staring her right in the face! "Get your feet off the desk, Fullbuster," she snapped.
Although he'd never admit it was because he was told, Gray rose to his feet and towered over his bent over partner. "Take a break, Erza," he quipped right back.
"If I take a break now we'll never crack this case."
Sighing, Gray folded his hands behind his head. He wasn't lazy – he was quite the opposite – he just knew when his mind needed a break and when working more was actually detrimental; something his partner was yet to grasp in any aspect of her life. "If you don't take a break, we'll never crack the case," he argued.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Erza finally forced herself back from the desk with an aggravated huff. Her back protested the sudden change in position, causing her to flinch as her hand went to her neck, the bones popping wonderfully as she stretched. "All right, all right," she finally relented, her voice devoid of the frustration from a moment before. "I'll pack this up and head out in a minute." Her eyes traveled to the documents and horrid pictures scattered across her desk. "They won't be going anywhere."
Even as she said the words, her heart lurched. Five people were dead. Five. It'd been pure luck the bodies even turned up at all – all of them had been found in bodies of water or the pouring rain, their wounds mottled and soggy, their remains swollen with water and the beginnings of decay. Some exhibited signs of a struggle, some didn't, but there was one thing they all shared – the victims couldn't really be considered victims. All of them were bad people, criminals that the justice system had let escape or had been unable to convict based on technicalities or missteps of the police force itself. It was humiliating, to say the least, that someone was taking the law into their own hands; and even though a part of her felt that justice had been served, the cop in her knew it was wrong.
Gray hesitated, unsure his partner would truly leave once he did. His eyes narrowed, his dark hair falling across his forehead, tension evident in his shoulders as he peered at his partner. After another moment, his feet shuffled, and he muttered, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Night," she replied automatically, barely hearing him. Her mind was racing. The victims being criminals wasn't the only thing they had in common… Their wounds were similar, all puncture-like in nature, leading them to bleed out to the point that there was no blood left in their bodies. As yet, they hadn't been able to determine what could have caused such injury – no weapon or tool fit the injuries and the crime lab was stumped. There were no witnesses, at least none that would come forward – so far, the public was rather relieved to have the scum bags off the streets.
Once she heard the solid close of the door, Erza sat back at her desk, focusing on the pictures and the locations the bodies were found in. Even as she read, her eyes grew wide, her mouth falling open. "Of course!" she hissed, her heart hammering in her chest. "How could I have missed it?!" Regardless, she didn't want to believe it, even as she shakily pulled out her phone and tapped out a hasty text to her boyfriend. 'I need you here. Now.'
Jellal Fernandes was also a cop, working some of their most dangerous SWAT and undercover missions, which often necessitated the use of a mask to conceal his identity. He showed up moments later, bursting through the office doors like he expected to find Erza under attack, his eyes wide and his hair wild. "What's going on?"
"It's Gray," Erza breathed, sinking into her chair as she voiced her conclusion out loud for the first time. Her heart ached, her stomach felt tied up in knots, and her hands would not stop shaking. Gray was an enigma in his own right – quiet and reserved, even around those he considered his friends. She'd worked with him for years and still felt like there was a great deal she didn't know about him. Perhaps the closest anyone had gotten to him was the woman that worked in the crime lab, Juvia, although it appeared to be considerably one-sided. Regardless, this was her partner they were talking about. Her partner! How could he be capable of something like this?!
The shock in Jellal's hazel eyes mirrored her thoughts. "Are you sure?" he questioned, cautiously stepping forward as he saw the despair in her eyes. From that alone, he knew she was certain.
Her hand fell, unseeing, to the pictures on her desk. "The wounds. They're all the same, and yet different. The bodies were all found in bodies of water or in the rain. Gray uses ice magic. He could easily create a weapon that would melt and leave no trace behind, especially if left in those circumstances."
Jellal's brow furrowed as he followed her train of thought. It made perfect sense. "But why?" he asked the most obvious question – the one she didn't have an answer for.
Rather than dwell on what she lacked, Erza jumped to her feet, gathering the case files, and immediately moving to the door. "Come on. We need to see Lucy in the crime lab."
Jellal's eyes narrowed as he followed her. They were already in the hallway, speaking in hushed tones when he asked, "Why Lucy? Why not Juvia?"
Erza's jaw clenched as she walked quickly and with a purpose. "Because Juvia might be helping him."
A deep gasp was her only response, but Jellal kept quiet as they entered the lab. Lucy, one of the techs, looked up from her microscope and quickly got to her feet. "Hey, Erza! Jellal. What can I do for you?"
Without wasting any time, Erza indicated the box of evidence for their current case, locked in the cabinet at the back of the room. "Have you made any further progress identifying a weapon in the murders?" she asked, careful in how she worded her question while Jellal checked the room to make sure they were alone.
Lucy sighed and shook her head, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. "No. Wendy thinks there's something strange about the wounds, but we can't figure it out."
"You think," Erza hesitated, "there could be cold damage?"
Lucy frowned. "Cold damage? Like frostbite?" Erza nodded and Lucy put a finger to her chin in thought. "I suppose…" She moved to the box of evidence, pulling out pictures identical to the ones on Erza's desk as well as reports from their autopsies. Wendy, the medical examiner, had conducted thorough autopsies on all of the victims, but Lucy was looking for something in particular. "Here!" she exclaimed, pointing to where Wendy had noted, 'Bluish discoloration around the puncture wound(s) of unknown origin'. "This could be exactly what you're looking for. If they were exposed to extreme cold, even a short time before death, it'd be enough to kill the surrounding tissues, resulting in localized necrosis." Her eyes narrowed. "What're you thinking?"
Erza sat heavily in the chair Lucy had been occupying. Jellal was immediately at her side. She flipped open the case file on the top, looking at the autopsy. There was nothing on her copy about discoloration around the wounds. Someone had tampered with her reports. Wendy certainly wouldn't do that – she took capturing villains so personally, Erza didn't understand why she wasn't a cop, despite her extensive knowledge of medicine. That left the only other logical explanation. "Juvia's helping him."
Jellal's eyes grew hard. He knew what had to be done despite how Erza might feel about it. "You want me to bring him in?"
Tears shone in Erza's eyes when she looked up into the eyes of the man she loved. But she loved Gray like a brother… "No. I'll do it." Closing her eyes, she sighed, her face pinched in pain. "Go get Juvia."
There you have it! I know it's such a horrible cliffhanger, but I didn't have a choice! I hope you enjoyed it anyway. If there's enough demand, I may definitely expand (include what I cut out) and/or continue the story! Please let me know what you thought! I will admit I definitely drew some inspiration from Dexter for this!
As always, I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. They all belong to Hiro Mashima.