Here's the next chapter for you all. Sorry for the delay with this, but you know; school and real life get in the way of writing. Thanks for the reviews you've all been leaving, and all the well-wishes. I've finished my antibiotics, and both infections have cleared up, and I had my blood test yesterday. I should get the results next week, so thankfully, not a long wait. Speaking of next week, I can't wait for Monday! It's my birthday! What makes it even better is that I get the day off; it was Open Evening last night at school, and we get the Monday off as a thank you from the staff. So Monday's gonna be great :D
I hope you like this chapter. It is shorter than the last one, I know, and sorry about that. The next chapter will probably be shorter as well, simply because I decided to split it into two chapters. But enough from me; I hope you enjoy.
The next morning, when Steve entered the office, he found Danny on his phone to someone. As he came closer, Steve was able to hear what Danny was saying.
"… Know it hurts, baby, but don't rub it; that'll only make it worse," Danny was saying quietly. "I know the eye drops sting, but they'll hurt less as your eye gets better… Of course I will, Monkey. Tell you what? I'll even bring round ice cream." Steve cleared his throat quietly behind Danny, and the detective twisted around, offering a quick wave in greeting. "I've got to go, Grace, but I'll talk to you later, all right…? Danno loves you, too. Bye-bye."
"Is Grace okay?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, she's okay. She's just caught conjunctivitis, and her eye's really sore," Danny explained, hating that his daughter was hurting and he couldn't help her.
Steve winced in sympathy. He'd had conjunctivitis before, and it was painful. "Poor Grace. I hope she gets better soon."
Danny nodded. "I hope so, too." Steve's phone rang, interrupting their conversation. "Please don't let that be another case; we still haven't gotten anywhere with the Harrington murder."
Steve simply listened to what was being said, and as he did, his jaw tightened and his eyes darkened. "We'll be there soon." He hung up and looked at Danny, who could already tell what had happened. "We've got another body," he said grimly. "It's similar to the first murder."
"Burning? Fuck, what are we dealing with here? A sadistic arsonist?"
"I don't know; maybe," Steve answered as they moved towards the doors. "Call Chin and Kono from the car; let them know what's going on."
Sandy Beach was normally a favourite of the locals and tourists alike; the golden sand and the warn water beckoned many enthusiastic surfers. The beach had earned a reputation for frequent rip-tides and rough currents, but that made it all the more fun for the more daring surfers.
Right now, though, the beach was anything but fun. HPD officers and crime scene techs were moving about the beach, searching for any evidence, while Max was crouched next to the body. This time, it was a woman, but it was difficult to tell, with the combination of the burns and the start of decomposition.
The sight of it was enough to turn anyone's stomachs; as Steve and Danny walked down onto the beach, a rookie officer ran past them and proceeded to throw up on the sand.
Danny shook his head as they passed the vomiting officer. "Normally, I'd feel a little sympathetic for the rookies, but if they want to make it as a cop, they have to get a grip. Especially if we're dealing with a serial killer here."
"I agree," Steve concurred. "Max, talk to us."
"I don't have very much as of yet, Commander. Obviously, the victim suffered burns over the majority of her body, and appear to be a mixture of first, second and third degree burns," the medical examiner explained.
"I know I'm wrong here, but how are you sure that this is the same killer?" Danny asked. "These murders are disturbingly similar, but they're not exactly the same."
"I found this." Max carefully turned the woman's head to reveal her neck, where a '1' had been carved into her skin.
"Shit," Steve murmured, running a hand down his face.
"1. What significance does '1' have?"
"I don't know, but we're going find out," Steve said, a steely, determined glint in his eyes. "Max, do you have a time of death?"
"Decomposition begins around a week after a body has been in water, and based on the rate of decomposition here, I would estimate that she has been in the water for at least 10 days," Max explained. "As for TOD, I would estimate it to be less than 24 hours before she was placed in the water."
"All right; keep us informed, Max," Danny requested, and the short man nodded.
"Max managed to get a fingerprint from the victim by re-inflating the skin on her fingers. We got a hit," Kono started as Danny and Steve entered the office. "Our victim's name is Laura Henderson. She was reported missing two weeks ago by her sister, Charlotte."
"The killer took her first, then Richard Harrington," Danny realised. "1. Victim number 1."
"This psycho's going down a list," Chin murmured with sickening realisation. "He's marking which number each victim is."
"Right, okay, we need to find this guy," Steve said. "Where was Laura Henderson last seen?"
"Her car was parked outside her house, so HPD assumed she was taken from there," Kono replied.
"So either she somehow knew the killer, or he got the drop on her," Danny surmised. "He managed to jump Harrington as well before he even realised what was going on."
"He stalked them," Steve interjected. "The killer stalked them, learnt their routines and figured out when would be the best time to grab them. After he killed Laura Henderson, he had two weeks to learn Richard Harrington's routine."
"We need to find a link between Harrington and Henderson," Chin stated, and everyone silently agreed with him.
"Right, okay; Danny, Kono, you guys see if you can find a link between the victims. Anything, alright? Bank, doctor, club, even where they shopped; anything that might tie Richard Harrington to Laura Henderson," Steve ordered. "Chin, let's go talk to the sister."
Do you know what? I don't think I've ever been quite so angry with TV writers before in my entire life. If you were watching Casualty tonight, you'll know what I'm talking about. I just yelled at the television "You bastards!" Seriously, it's not fair! Why'd they have to do that?
Right, that's enough of me whining. The next chapter is already in the works, and I will get it up when I can; probably some time next week, depending on how much time real life gives me. But for now, read, review, follow or favourite, please x