Chapter 2: In the Line of Duty
The scene was cordoned off, and the medical examiner had been called in. Kristoff knelt down beside the body, putting on a pair of latex gloves. He checked Belle's purse, taking out her wallet and looking at her ID. "Victim's name is Belle Andrews," he reported.
"Anything else, Kris?" Anna wondered.
"Well, there were definitely multiple stab wounds. Maybe the doc can tell us how they were made."
"Bring her back to the station. We'll have the coroner take a good look at her." Anna then turned her attention to the white rose. "And bring that too."
Kristoff sealed the rose in a plastic baggie. "Let's move it out."
Anna watched as the body was carried into the van, a white blanket draped over it. Her heart sank as she thought about what this meant. The city of Mirror Falls and everyone who lived there were in grave danger.
As they got back into the squad car, Kristoff exhaled slowly. "Fuck me."
"I know exactly how you feel, babe," Anna replied.
"I bet you do."
Anna sighed. "Let's get back to the station."
"Yeah." Kristoff started the car.
They soon arrived back at the station and went down to the morgue, where the coroner, Dr. Hans Wernholm, waited for them.
"Alright, Dr. Sideburns," Anna addressed him. "What have you found?"
"Well, I can tell you that our victim died from massive blood loss," Hans answered. "Also, judging by the size and shape of the wounds, the weapon used was probably a flick knife. I'm not positive, though."
"Do you know what kind of flick knife? It might help us trace where the weapon came from."
He shrugged. "No, unfortunately. I sent a picture of the wounds up to the lab, though. They might be able to tell you."
"Got it." Anna looked at him. "You might wanna prepare a few more beds. You're gonna get a lot of new friends down here."
"What makes you say that?" Hans asked.
"I'll explain later," Kristoff answered.
Anna and Kristoff went up to the lab. "You think Fletcher will have anything?" Kristoff asked as they rode the lift.
"He might, he might not, but we'll have to wait and see," Anna replied.
They arrived in the lab to see a tall, thin fellow in a lab coat hard at work. He glanced up at them, nodding a hello. His hair had been dyed dark green.
"Yo, Fletch!" Anna called to him. "What have you got?"
"I've been studying the picture that Hans sent me," he replied, his voice laced with a British accent. "From what I can gather, the killer definitely used a flick knife. That's going to make him rather difficult to find. The kind of flick knife used is fairly common. You can find one at just about any outdoors store or flea market."
"Anything else?" Anna inquired.
"No. I did check the rose for fingerprints, but nothing. All I can tell you is that it was relatively fresh; it was probably cut a day before the murder at most.
"So the killer is a good gardener," Anna surmised.
"Either that, or he knows someone who is."
"Well, thanks, Ferb," Kristoff said. "Let us know if you find anything else."
As they went back to the squad room, another officer walked up to them. "Yo, Ellis, Rodgers, the chief wants to see you."
"Tell him we'll be right there." Anna replied. heading to the chief's office with Kristoff.
The two detectives went into the chief's office. "Thanks for coming," the chief said. He was a man of rather average height and build, with short black hair and blue eyes. The brass nameplate on his desk read "DAVID MCCALLISTER, CHIEF OF POLICE."
Anna and Kristoff both saluted him. "You wanted to see us, sir?" Anna asked.
He nodded. "You two investigated the murder behind the grocery store, am I right?"
"Yes sir. We've moved the body to the morgue. Dr. Wernholm is investigating the body now." Kristoff responded.
"Good. Listen up: I'm putting you guys in charge of the case. If anyone can handle it, it's you."
"We'll bring this killer to justice, sir," Anna vowed. "We've read the reports from Danville."
"But we don't know if it's actually them, or just a copycat."
"Sir, I'm positive it's the White Rose Killer," she argued.
"Ellis, look. I believe you, but we can't know for sure."
"We will end this. I promise."
"I know you will. You guys are two of my best officers."
"We'll get it done sir." Kristoff added.
"All right. Now get on it."
Kristoff left the room, and Anna was just about to follow when the chief stopped her. "Anna, listen," he said. "This is one case where I want you to be careful, all right? If this really is the White Rose Killer, then he might try and attack you too."
"If you're worried I'll end up like my father, I won't," Anna replied. "I can handle myself."
"I don't doubt it. Just be careful."
"I will, sir."
"Good." He patted her shoulder.
Anna left the precinct, getting into her car and heading back home. When she got back to her penthouse apartment, she went straight to her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep almost immediately. She slowly began to dream, remembering the last night she saw her father.
xXx
Lieutenant Steven Ellis smiled at his 15-year-old daughter. "How was school today, honey?"
"It was okay. I was with Snow and Aladdin out at the park at lunch," Anna responded.
"Sounds fun."
Anna sighed. "But I feel bad every day."
"Why's that?"
Anna looked at him, silently reminding him why she was sad.
"Oh..." He sighed. "I miss your mother too."
"Why did she go?" Anna wondered.
"I honestly don't know."
"Why did she have to die?" Anna began to cry.
Steven hugged Anna. "Shhh. It's okay." He sighed. It had only been a year since his wife, Anna's mother, had died of heart failure.
Anna hugged back. "Do you have to go out tonight?"
He nodded. "I have to, sweetie. It's my job."
"Promise me you'll be okay?"
"I promise." He kissed her forehead. "Don't stay up late tonight, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy," Anna agreed, nodding her head.
He smiled, walking out the door. "I love you, Anna," he called behind him.
"Love you too, Daddy," Anna replied.
xXx
It was around 2 AM when the doorbell rang, rousing Anna from her slumber.
Anna walked up to the door and opened it to see her father's coworker, Sergeant David McCallister, standing outside. "Uncle David? What are you doing here?"
Regret was written all over McCallister's face. "Anna, I…I'm sorry."
Anna looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. "What happened? Where's Daddy?"
"Your dad…he's not gonna be coming home. He was shot and killed by a drug dealer earlier tonight."
Anna hugged him, crying. "But he promised he would be safe."
He held out his hand towards Anna; in it was her father's badge. "One of the last things he said was to give this to you. And he told me to tell you he's sorry for breaking his promise."
Anna held the badge in her hands and cuddled it, promising to never let anyone suffer the same fate as her father.
David sighed. "I'm gonna need you to come down to the station with me, okay? We need to sort out where you're going to live now."
Anna shook her head. "No, I'm staying here. Daddy wouldn't want me to leave our apartment."
"You're only 15. You're a minor. I'm sorry."
"No!" Anna argued defiantly. "This is my home."
He sighed. "I'll...see what I can do."
xXx
Anna awoke the next morning, rubbing her eyes. Luckily for her, it was Saturday, her day off. She looked at her alarm clock; it was 10:05. She checked her phone and saw that she'd missed a call from Kristoff. Anna pressed the button on the phone to see if he left a message.
Kristoff's calm voice came from the speaker. "Hey, Anna. Just calling to check in on you, make sure everything's okay. I went and talked to Ferb in forensics, but there's nothing new. I'll keep you informed."
Anna smiled. Even if she wasn't in work. at least her boyfriend would work just as hard as her. She took a moment to stare out of the penthouse window. She had lived in this apartment ever since she was a baby. It was a nice day outside and Anna was starving. She decided to head down to the local café and get a bite to eat. As Anna arrived at the café, she noticed a platinum blonde woman who looked to be about three years older than her getting out of a small Toyota Corolla. She was wearing skinny jeans and a white T-shirt with a blue snowflake on it.
Anna walked into the café and ordered herself a coffee. Sitting down, she felt at peace and serene, briefly escaping from the rigours of the week.
Before long, she heard someone say, "Um, excuse me." She looked up to see the blonde woman standing there. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Oh, sure," Anna replied politely.
She sat down across from Anna. "My name is Elsa, by the way."
"Anna."
She smiled. "Nice to meet you."
Anna smiled back. She looked at the woman. She was actually quite beautiful, with her silky blonde hair and light blue eyes adding a sense of cuteness to her. It didn't help much that Anna was bisexual.
Elsa noticed the tired look in Anna's green eyes. "Are you all right? You look tired."
"Had a rough night's sleep." Anna wiped her face with her hand the way a kitten would lick its paw.
"Oh, I can understand that. I have a hard time sleeping sometimes too."
As Anna pulled her eyes away, she noticed that her eyes were fixed on Elsa's breasts. This made Anna blush softly, and she hid her face.
Elsa looked around, exhaling softly. "I like to come here every now and then. Get a little peace and quiet, you know?"
"I heard that," Anna agreed. "So what do you do, Elsa?"
"Me? Well, nothing right now. I'm looking for a new job."
"I'm a cop," Anna stated. "If you need a job, there's a filing job open at the station. The pay should be good."
"No thanks," Elsa said, shaking her head. "I don't really care for working in an office like that. Plus, I don't have the stomach to be a police officer."
"Alright," Anna accepted. "Well, I'm sure you'll find some job to do. Plenty of openings here in Mirror Falls."
"Yeah, I know. I like living here."
Anna smiled at the young woman.
Elsa smiled back. "You're the first person in a while who's been so nice to me."
"Really? I thought everyone would be nice to a girl like you."
"Well, you'd be surprised."
"I don't live too far from here, so if you need a place to stay while you're here, I've got a spare room."
"Thanks, but I've got an apartment. I appreciate the offer, though."
Anna smiled happily. "I'd like to meet up with you again sometime, Elsa."
"Yeah. Maybe soon we can."
"I'll give you my number," Anna offered.
"Sure. And I'll give you mine."
They exchanged numbers with each other, Anna blushing slightly.
Elsa got up, grabbing her coffee. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later, Anna!"
"Bye, Elsa!" Anna replied as Elsa headed back to her car. Anna smiled happily. She had made a new friend, and a really beautiful one at that.
xXx
Author's note: And here's Elsa! I hope you enjoyed the little flashback to Anna's past and I hope you can all guess who the characters are based on. Some are OC some are not.
See ya next time ^^