Chapter One: Crime Scene
Norman pulled up on the crime scene in the early hours of the morning. It was still dark outside and pouring down rain. His eyes were sore from driving straight from the airport across town. He had taken the last flight in from DC and didn't get any sleep on the plane.
Parking just beyond the police barrier, Norman glanced over at the media circus and then the crime scene beyond the fence. It was going to be one hell of a day.
Killing the engine, he stared at his shaking hands- an early sign of withdrawal. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a vial of blue powder. Just knowing he had Triptocain in reach claimed his nerves. He could go a bit longer without taking it, he convinced himself.
Getting out of the car, he waded through the crowd of reporters, the rain quickly soaking him through. The police barrier was just up ahead. Showing his badge to the officer in front of the yellow tape, he ducked beneath it and headed for the opening in the fence. He spotted a woman in a charcoal jacket layered over a grey hoodie standing by the gate. She had a badge hanging from a ball chain around her neck.
"Excuse me!" He called out to her over constant noise of the rain and construction vehicles behind them.
The woman turned to look at him. Wet strands of her long, honey colored hair stuck to her face and the tip of her pixie nose was reddened by the cold. Norman had to admit that she was attractive, but what struck him was her eyes, they were gorgeous- clear grey.
"Hello, I'm Detective Sandra Ellis," she introduced herself, extending her hand to him. "You must be the FBI profiler the Chief requested."
"Yes, I'm Agent Norman Jayden," he said, shaking her hand. She felt as cold as ice. Must have been out here a while now, Norman thought.
"Welcome to the madness, Mr. Jayden," she said, said referring to the crime scene before them. "How can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Lieutenant Carter Blake," he said.
"He's the guy in the black coat." She pointed to a tall man with a goatee at the far end of the yard.
Spotting him, Norman nodded, "Thanks."
"Watch out, he's in a shit mood," she said, crossing her arms and casually leaning against the fence post. She wasn't about to go over there and deal with Blake until the coroner arrived.
"Thanks for the warning," he said, before heading over to the man she had pointed out.
Sandra watched the profiler as he crossed the wasteland and began talking to Blake. He certainly was slick looking, despite his baby face. Not to mention, he had a laced-up D.C. vibe. She got the feeling the Chief might have made a mistake asking him here. He wasn't going to fit in well with the others at the precinct.
...
"Lieutenant Carter Blake? I'm Agent Norman Jayden of the FBI. I went by your office earlier this morning and they told me you'd be here."
"Well if you're looking for rain, freeways, and dead bodies, you've come to the right place," Blake snorted before turning to the officer closest to him. "Mike, would you tell that asshole with the bulldozer to stop it? I can't hear myself think."
"Right away, Lieutenant," the officer said before hurrying away.
Stewing in his irritation, Blake began making his way over to the ambulance by the opening of the fence. Looking behind him he grumbled, "Well, are you coming, Jayden?"
Sandra wasn't exaggerating about this guy, Norman thought as he followed the Lieutenant. He was definitely an asshole.
"So, what happened?" Norman asked.
"A man took his dog for a piss around 6:00 and found a dead body. By the looks of it, this seems to be the work of the Origami Killer."
This would be the eighth victim if it were true, Norman thought.
"Any news on a coroner?" Blake asked another officer nearby.
"No, not yet."
"We've been waiting an hour for fucks-sake!" He snapped.
Norman glanced over to Sandra then. She'd been watching the two from her fence post, her expression unreadable. She must have been hanging around until the coroner arrived, Norman thought.
Blake sauntered over to her then, his shoulders squaring up.
"Look, Sandra, it's not that I don't appreciate you circling like a vulture over my crime scene, but why don't you just go home? We'll have more news later today."
"I'm not leaving, Blake." She told him plainly. That was all the explanation she was going to give him.
"Fine, freeze you ass off," he huffed before turning to Norman. "Look, I've really got a lot to do, could we continue this conversation back at the station?"
"Not a problem. Would you mind if I took a look around?" Norman asked.
"Be my guest. I've already got one investigator breathing down my neck, what's one more?" He said, shooting daggers at Sandra. Being a Lieutenant, Norman found it odd Blake didn't just order her to leave. "Let me know if you find anything, we're on the same team now, Jayden."
With that said, Blake turned and walked away.
"I told you he was in a shit mood," Sandra muttered, a twist of a smile appearing on her lips as her gaze met his. The look she was giving him was almost flirtatious. Norman figured she meant nothing by it, but it give his heart a bit of a jumpstart all the same.
"I'll come get you when the coroner arrives," Sandra told him before she pushed off from the fence and headed for the makeshift coffee station set up under the overpass.
Norman had to smile to himself. She was definitely something else. He pulled out a pair of glasses and a black glove and put them on.
"ARI comment," he said to the AI as the display screen warmed up. First he logged the time and date then walked over to the small white tent and squatted down in front of it. Pulling the curtain back, he revealed the body of a small boy. Opening the right hand, he saw a small origami figure nestled in the victim's palm. Touching the child's fingers to scan the prints, Norman was able to get an ID. "The victim's name is Jeremy Bowles, declared missing five days ago. See reference file." A list of Jeremy's record popped up in yellow on the display screen. "An origami figure in the right hand and an orchid placed on the chest. The victim's face is also covered in mud."
So far, all signs pointed to the Origami Killer. Looking down closer, Norman could see bloody cut on the boy's leg.
"Superficial wound on the victim's right leg, probably made postmortem. Blood analysis shows an elongated period of fatigue."
Closing the curtain, Norman stood up. If there was blood on the victim, there had to be more in the area, he thought. Scanning the wasteland, a golden cloud popped up just right of the tent.
"ARI comment... there's traces of orchid pollen in the air leading toward the body."
Norman began to follow the pollen trail up towards the train tracks, scanning the area as he went. Finally, ARI picked up footprints, possibly the killer's and traces of blood on the fence next to the tracks. Analyzing the sample, it turned out to be the victim's blood. Just as he realized he'd picked up on a trail, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Sandra walking up with a cup of coffee in her hand.
"It's a mess out here with the rain," she commented, taking a sip of her shitty coffee. The only reason to drink it was to stay warm. "There's never much to find when it gets like this."
"I couldn't find much myself. The killer seems to be very meticulous," he said.
Sandra nodded, looking down at her muddy boots. "It's been three very long years," she admitted, her expression slipping into solemness. Norman couldn't help but empathize. Eight victims and no leads, eight families with no closure to give them. It must have been very hard. "Those glasses you're wearing, what do they do?" She asked. This was the reason why she came over in the first place. When she saw him using them, they immediately piqued her curiosity.
"It's a new AI system called ARI. I use the glove to scan the area and the glasses then display the findings. It helps catalogue and analyze possible evidence," Norman explained.
"Interesting. Do you think that tech will ever make it down to the PD level?"
"It's hard to say. ARI is in a trial period at the moment," he explained, his thoughts immediately turning to the Triptocaine in his pocket. "It might not even become standard issue for the FBI."
Sandra had to wonder who this Norman Jayden was if he was given experimental tech to play around with.
"How X-Files," She said with a smirk.
Again, Norman couldn't quite tell if she was being flirty or not. He decided to go with no. It was definitely the safer option.
"It's not much, but I've detected traces of the victim's blood on this fence. The killer probably dragged the body down that hill and snagged the leg on the exposed wire. There's probably more to see up top."
Norman and Sandra proceeded up the muddy hill together, making sure to be careful where they stepped. Suddenly Norman's foot slipped and Sandra quickly gripped hold of him, her fist balling up in his jacket as she held on tightly.
"Thanks," he breathed in relief, regaining his footing.
"No problem," she smiled.
Reaching the top, Norman held out his hand for Sandra and pulled her up. Seeing she was stable, he put on ARI and began scanning the area.
"So, if you don't mind my asking, why doesn't Blake want you on the crime scene?" He asked.
"I make him uncomfortable," she smirked, wiping her muddy palms together to shuck off some of the dirt. "He knows I don't like him."
Norman wanted to inquire further but ARI pinged some clues up by the side of the highway.
"There's more footprints here, and tire tracks. They might belong to the killer's car," he said.
Sandra carefully rounded up on the tire tracks, making sure not to disturb either them or the footprints. Her heart sped up upon seeing the clear tire imprints in the dirt. They, along with the footprints, were nearly perfect.
"That's amazing," she said, referring to ARI. "We have to get forensics up here to take photos and molds of these."
After searching the rest of the area, the two made their way back down the hill, careful not to slip.
"Are you going to wait for the coroner?" Sandra asked once they were safely beyond the train tracks.
"I don't think so," Norman said, looking out over the crime scene. "I need to get to my hotel and go over the details of the case for tomorrow."
Sandra nodded, stuffing her cold hands into her jacket pockets. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Agent Jayden. I'll see you tomorrow at the precinct."
"Good night, Detective Ellis," he nodded before turning and heading back to his car.
Sandra watched him walk away, her brow furrowed in curiosity. She didn't quite know what to make of Norman. She liked him, she thought, but there was something off about him. Those glasses didn't make it any easier to relate to him on a professional level, either. He was a bit alien, she concluded. The rest of the precinct was going to hate that about him. Still, for what it was worth, she liked him.
AN: Let me know what you think!
