warning for mild gore and such stuff!
Life is not easy
Put on a smile
And push through the day
For when the clock strikes five
Clock out and check out
Question is will you be here
Again, tomorrow?
Lucy stared at the piece of paper in front of her. She had read it over at least five times, trying to understand its message. This is and the unknown number that called her on Saturday delivering the same message, was starting to bug her. It wasn't a riddle, in fact Lucy wasn't even sure what it really was. It was a strange message and it was definitely creepy. But even stranger yet was that Alfendi hadn't arrived yet.
"He is either late or wasn't going to come at all," she realized.
"But Prof practically lives here! Maybe he called in sick? He did look awful last week." She thought to herself, pulling out her phone and setting it on her desk. "No new messages…"
A knock on the door broke her thoughts. "Come in!" Lucy said, shoving the paper into her coat pocket.
Sniffer entered the office, "Morning, Luc!" He greeted her and looked around, "Al's not here?"
"No, don't know why though, this is his home now a days."
Sniffer laughed, "Yeah that is true. You think he's sick?"
"Maybe, but he didn't call me. Anyway, what brings you here?"
"This." Sniffer held up folder.
"There's a serial killer in the loose. The killer took his third victim this past Saturday-"
"I heard about the case, but what's this got to do with us?" Lucy interjected.
"The killer left a significant piece of evidence behind. A note."
"A note?" Lucy asked confused.
Sniffer nodded, "We analyzed the ink, the paper, everything! And instead if helping us, it only left us more confused."
"I see, so you want Prof's help."
"Yes. And yours too Lucy."
Lucy smiled, "Follow me, we'll set up the crime scene room."
"Lucy, one more thing, this note had fingerprints on it," Sniffer said hesitantly as he followed Lucy to the back room.
"We're they someone's prints we knew?" Lucy asked worriedly.
"Oh no! Nothing like that!" Sniffer exclaimed, raising his hands up.
"Oh God no. The note has the victim's prints. We think that it's their handwriting too."
"Sniffer, I don't understand, why is it weird? Maybe they left their so we can catch that damn killer."
"Yes, but how can a dead man write?"
"So the body was found-"
"At 45° angle."
"Okay, any wounds?"
"Trauma to the head, but the victim was stabbed to death."
"Once or..."
Sniffer shook his head, "No. The freak stabbed him multiple times, cause of death was loss of blood."
Lucy and Sniffer were going over all the facts on the case. So far the killer had killed three people in a span of three weekends. Every victim was murdered on a Saturday and strangely found on a Monday. The victims had no connections between them. They all lived in different parts of the city, worked at different jobs.
"But they were all found dead around the same area, why?" Lucy asked as she set up the final details to the crime scene reenactment.
Sniffer shook his head, "Don't know. Convenience maybe? But that is just another slip up."
"What is if they were placed there in order to throw us off? It is possible he killed the victims in one specific location before leaving there bodies around the city's alleys."
"Yes…it is possible and we have already taken that into consideration. Problem is we can't find any evidence to support that claim."
Lucy let it all sink in as she set up the crime scene reconstruction. "Okay Sniffer tell me where exactly was the note found?"
Sniffer thumbed through the data and pulled out a photo, "Under the victim's left hand."
Lucy took the photo from Sniffer's hand, "Are you sure? Judging by the angle...something seems off."
"Of course! Look I even have a copy of the note!" Sniffer exclaimed as he placed it under the mannequin's left hand.
"That how it was found this morning."
Lucy walked around the crime scene. "Think and look at everything. Look at all the different angles, don't want to miss anything."
She looked at the body from all sides and angles and finally bent down next to the mannequin's left hand. Lucy pulled out the note, "Handwriting's slanted a bit and some of those letters are written as if the person was right handed."
Sniffer groaned, "Ugh we just left the guy's apartment! Now we are going to have to go back and collect his papers and anything that might help us figure out his writing style?!"
"I hate this case." Sniffer said hotly. He looked down to Lucy who had gone completely silent, "Hey, Luc, are you alright? You look like you would have seen a ghost."
Lucy felt her entire body go numb, a strange cold feeling set her heart leaping to her throat. With a shaking hand she took out the crumpled piece from her pocket.
"Sni-Sniffer," she managed to say, her voice barely coming out.
"Lucy, are you okay?"
She stood up and handed Sniffer the copy and her own paper. All color was drained from her face, "Sniffer, oh my God…look at this…please."
Sniffer was now extremely worried for his friend. Never had he seen her in such state and it concerned him. He took the two pieces of paper, "What about them Lucy?" He asked hoping to calm her down.
"Read them."
Sniffer obliged, however he went straight to Lucy's mysterious piece of paper (since he already know what the copy said) and as he read over the note, his own eyes widened in disbelief. The notes were identical.
"Lucy…where did you get this?" He asked, his voice gentle in order to calm her down.
Lucy's eyes were brimmed with tears, "It was on my desk this-this morning."
"Lucy, listen to me, we have to tell the Commissioner, okay?"
Sniffer took one of Lucy's hands, "Please come on."
Lucy felt like she was in a dream, a horrible nightmare that was only just beginning. Was she being followed? Was she next? Was this the reason Al was not here in the morning? What if he was...there was only one person that could have left the note...
"No! Lucy! how dare you think of such things! Prof isn't that type of man!" Lucy scolded herself, "One thing is for certain, this is no simple killer. And whomever they are. They seem to be one bloody step ahead of us!"
The first thing Alfendi felt was a searing pain flood through his head. The second thing: a rope taut against his wrists.
"Why does this keep happening to me?" Alfendi thought, strangely calm.
"It's as if someone has a very strange fetish with me and ropes."
He slowly opened his eyes and let the dim light in. He winced as a searing white hot pain flooded through his head as he moved.
"Where am I?!" Alfendi said a loud, his own voice sounding foreign in his ears. His throat burned and felt dry.
A dim shaft of light filtered into a dingy, musty room. Deep red velvet curtains hung over a window, the small slit permitting the light to shine through. The room was empty, except for the chair he was currently tied to and an old desk pushed against the wall. The desk was placed to the right of Alfendi, the window directly in front of him and a door to his left.
Alfendi stilled himself and tried to hear any sounds that could help him figure out where he was.
"No sounds that would place me in the city. I must be out in the country. It must be morning or at least mid-afternoon judging from the light."
Heavy laden footsteps echoed outside of his room and broke his reverie.
Alfendi closed his eyes, counting the footsteps.
"Those footsteps don't necessarily belong to one man. There are at least two men walking out in the hall...and they should enter...now!"
With a click the door's lock was released and Alfendi turned his head to the door.
He saw a man dressed in a fine black suit enter the room, but due to the poor lighting, he could barely make out his face.
"I see Sleeping Beauty has awaken." The man smirked, his tone condescending and not one bit amused.
"Good to know that the great Layton has been so kind and generous to pay me a visit."
"Who are you?" Alfendi asked all of a sudden, he was in no mood for petty games.
The man placed his hand over his heart as if to feign being hurt. He let out a short mocking gasp, "Dear me, where are my manners? I see to have misplaced those years ago!" The man said raising his voice.
Alfendi winced at the loud voice, "Great, he's insane."
"I am shocked that the son of the one and only great Professor Layton does not know who I am."
"I am afraid we have never met before," Alfendi said with a slight tinge of annoyance.
"No need to get your knickers in a twist, all will be answered soon."
"Where am I?"
"Not in London." The man replied testing Alfendi's patience.
"I already figured that out."
"And you still don't know who I am? My, my and you call yourself brilliant-"
"We have never met before."
"No, you are right. But I am your biggest fan, and I know everything about you," the man said with a Cheshire cat-like grin.
Alfendi stiffened, he did not like the sound of this at all. He closed his eyes and tried to remember anything that would help him figure out just what was going on. All he remembered was talking to Hilda and saying how things would be better if they remained as friends.
Hilda.
"Where is Hilda?"
"Who?" The man said coolly.
"My friend," Al said through gritted teeth, "if you hurt her I swear that-"
"From what I know Hilda is you friend, but that is where all forms of sentiment end. Your heart lies in another direction, right?"
"Where is Hilda?!" Alfendi snapped, already fearing the worst.
"No need to shout, weren't you thought to be respectful?"
"Hilda Pertinax is safe away in London."
"And how do I know you are telling me the truth?" Alfendi retorted.
The man walked over to Alfendi and gave him a patronizing pat on the head, "She is not the one I want. Plus she'll be useful as the game rolls out. Granted she won't have any recollections of happened to you or on that Saturday, but she is fine and alive."
Alfendi locked eyes with the man's piercing green eyes. They seemed to bounce in a mischievous way, and held an air of slight madness.
The man eyes turned dark and he whipped Al's head back out, pulling hard on his hair, "I would be more worried about a certain little baker."
Alfendi grunted at the sharp motion that set his head swimming once more. "Little baker?"
His eyes widened, "Lucy," he said in a low whisper.
"Oh yes, if my calculations are correct she has to already found a very disturbing note on her desk. Tell me Layton, are you afraid of death?"
A/N: Holy guacamole I am back and better than ever! (okay well...not really I am right know sick with cold and my throat burns...but after a loooonnng time I updated!) Hope you guys like it and and constructive criticism goes a long a way to help me improve as murder and mystery are rather hard to write! Was the suspense good? hehehehe next update...this weekend? Yes! see you guys later!
sorry if it's short, but hey its chapter 2! bet you thought I had abandoned this story! ;)