Chapter Three
The little black line blinked at Ty as she stared at the window of her work computer. Lack of sleep made it hard for her to focus on her many reports that littered her desk. She rested her fingers on the keyboard, not really trying to start anything. She had found little sleep after calling Bobby, but she had managed to have another dream. Another chase to save Dean, a man she hadn't even met. She clicked a few keys, starting the basic first words, but her mind kept going back to her dream. She had never been close to anyone, except Bobby. In her line of work, it was not easy to get close and stay that way. However, there was something about Dean that made her feel like she was connected to him. She shook the thought from her head and began to type.
"Hey, Hawkins," another detective called from across the room. "You got a call. Someone named Murrdock."
Ty nodded and picked up the phone. She nestled it into her neck and started to type. "Hey Lily."
Lily sighed on the other end. "Ty, look, I'm over here on the corner Racine where they put in those new apartments. I think you need to get over her."
Ty finished putting in her case number and stopped. "Why? That's your part of town."
There was a loud intake of breath. Ty knew the sound well. She looked down at the stack of reports she needed to finished. Then, she looked at the computer. The report that she started stared at her. It was the one case that kept eating at her. A mother, father, brother, and cat all found dead. The only person that knew anything was a little, nine- year-old girl, who was found, covered in blood with no memory of what happened. Not only was she the daughter, but she was also the only suspect. Something just wasn't right about the whole thing.
Finally, Lily let out a loud breath, snapping Ty back to the problem at hand. "Ty, we just found a family dead. The only one is…"
"The daughter?"
Lily stayed silent for a minute and then recovered. "How did you know?"
Ty hit the save button on the computer and grabbed her coat off the chair. "I'll be right there."
She hung up the phone and threw on her coat. The walk to her car was spent with her thinking. Two cases like this in the same area always meant trouble, and she knew it. She walked into her garage, pulling out her keys to her red Camero. It wasn't exactly a cop's car, but it worked well for her other job. She got in and quickly drove to apartment that Lily had told her about. She looked around. The streets were quiet, however, it was the quiet that always meant something was wrong. She stepped toward the apartment when she heard the rumble of an engine. She turned to see a black car come around the corner. It was long and sleek with a loud, powerful engine if an old muscle car. She smiled as she watched the 1967 Chevrolet Impala pass by.
"Nice car," she whispered as she walked into the building.
Lily stood at the bottom of the stairs when Ty walked in. Her red hair was pulled back in tight ponytail. Her badge was at her side stuck in the belt loop of her jeans. Ty could see Lily's gun in her shoulder holster and smiled a little.
"Glad you're here," Lily said, starting up the stairs.
Ty followed her and took in the apartment building. It was small and clean. The stairwells were almost spotless except for the occasionally cigarette butts and broken glass. They walked up two flights and stopped in front of a black door with a red numbers painted on it.
"This is?" Ty asked, popping a compartment on her belt and pulling out a small bottle.
"Yeah, I'm warning you," Lily started. "This is bad."
Ty nodded. She heard what Lily said but didn't really listen. Her mind raced with thoughts of what was behind the door. She kept hoping it wasn't like the last case like this. She pulled on her latex gloves and reached for the doorknob. There was a sudden, almost blinding pain in her head. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the images.
Ty could smell the sharp metallic smell of blood. It lingered in her nostrils and made her tongue heavy with coppery taste. She moved through the small apartment, the white carpet crunching under her boots. She looked around at the pictures in their small, cute frames. There was one that caught her eye. It was of a little blonde girl with pigtails and a huge smile. She was smiling and her two front teeth were missing. Ty turned away and moved down the hall toward the bedrooms. She pushed the first white door open and her breath caught.
The white wall, sheets, and carpet were stained with dark red. The mirrors were busted and shards were spread all over the floor. She took a step in and the sweet girl from the picture looked at her. There was blooding running down her pink dress and spread all over her face. She looked at Ty with eyes that were not hers. They shaded and gray.
"Hello, Tyler Jo," she said in the little girl's innocent voice.
Ty's eyes popped open as Lily shook her shoulders. She shook her head and turned to Lily, pushing her off.
"I'm alright," Ty said heavily.
"What just happened?" Lily asked.
Ty shook her head and went inside. "Nothing."
Her insight had been bad enough, but it was nothing compared to the true horror. The living room had been turned into a battleground. Pictures littered the floor in broken frames. Blood stained the carpet, the couch and chair cushions, walls and even the ceiling. There was even a few stray hairballs mingled with the blood.
Lily moved around Ty and started toward the hallway. Ty followed, noticing the blood and was smeared all the way down the hall. Ty felt her head start to throb as they reached the first bedroom.
"Who's bedroom is this?" Ty asked.
"This was the grandmother's," Lily said.
"Grandmother?!"
Lily nodded somberly. She pushed in the door, allowing Ty to see inside. The scene wasn't much different from the one in the living room except the mirrors were all broken. An antique one sat on the dressing table with only one piece of glass in it. Ty slipped under the yellow tape and moved toward the bed. Glass was everywhere along with blood. She looked over at the nightstand and froze. Everything was in a sort of disarray except one small picture of a little girl with pigtails and a big smile.
"Is this the little girl?" Ty asked, nodding toward the picture.
"Yeah, we called social services," Lily replied. "She doesn't remember a thing."
Ty listened, but her eyes kept wondering around the room. There was no way a child could have done the crime she stared at. There was too damage and blood. She turned back to Lily.
"What about the parents?"
Lily sighed. "You don't want to see that room. It got a coat of fresh paint today."
"Blood red?"
Lily nodded as Ty slipped back under the tape and went back to the living room. She looked around one last time. The damage wasn't so bad in there. "The fight must have started here."
"That's what I thought too," Lily said walking over to a cross with the Lord's Prayer engraved on it. "Whatever did this doesn't like God."
Ty looked over and found the cross was busted right in the middle, causing a huge crack to run through it and was inverted. Beside the cross was a picture of an angel that was also busted down the middle. Ty walked closer to it and shook her head. Then something caught her attention. There was a yellow powder near the window. She took her glove off and ran her finger through it. She stared at it for a minute and then held it up to her nose. The stench of rotten eggs almost gagged her.
"Oh crap," Ty whispered.
Lily looked over her shoulder at the powder. "Is that?"
"Sulfur."
