A/N
I'm trying to keep the first couple chapters as vague as can be, just to make sure there are plenty of details. You'll figure it out soon enough!
Time for some background on Mayor Mills!
(This chapter is a lot darker than the last chapters so be aware, mentions of dead bodies)
Maura Isles may be making an appearance in this chapter….
P.S VENUSTUS is Latin.
Enjoy!
Chapter 3 "The Homicide Detective"
November, 2013
Regina poured herself a glass of white wine and plopped down on her sofa, sinking in. A sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the comfort of her home.
The phone rang. Regina huffed, setting her glass of pinot grigio on the coffee table before she grabbed her phone and put it to her ear with hesitance, "hello?"
"So you're finally home, eh?"
The brunette smirked and rested back against the plush pillows once more. It was comforting to hear her best friends voice. Regina and Kathryn worked together at the station, when Kathryn wasn't spending time at home with her new-born, Alex. Regina listened intently to her friend who was ranting on about how many hours of sleep she had the previous night and the night before that and so on.
"Regina, I haven't slept in almost 54 hours. I'm literally a zombie." The blonde sounded irritated as she spoke about the struggles of having a new born baby.
"Trust me, Kat, you're pretty lucky not to be at work right now" The brunette sighed, "each case just seems to be getting even more vile and grotesque" She sipped her wine and picked up the remote, flicking through the channels.
Slightly intrigued, Kathryn perked up against the phone, "Sometimes I wish I was smelling rotting flesh rather than Alex's poop"
The brunette's face screwed up in disgust, "I doubt that" the TV caught her eye and so she turned the volume up slightly, while continuing to listen to her friend rant.
"No, you don't understand—it's so bad"
"I can't imagine what you're going-" Regina stopped and turned the TV up, quickly. She pressed the loud speaker button on her phone and set it down on the coffee table. "Kat, are you watching the news?"
Kathryn's brow rose and she turned towards the TV in the corner of her living room, "Nope" She grabbed the remote from the table beside her sofa and turned the TV on. A news presenter popped up on the screen looking somewhat disturbed, "Two bodies were found this morning near Cape Cod. Investigators have closed off most of the area and it is now reported that both victims were female"
The reporter continued talking but both Regina and Kathryn were completely silent, until Alex's cries in the background broke the silence.
"Have you gotten a phonecall yet, Regina?" There was a sigh, followed by a "No"
"Kathryn, this is the third one" The brunette took a deep breath and then grabbed her glass of wine, completely finishing it off. "I should go" She set her glass down and shifted off of the sofa "Angelo might be trying to call me right now"
Both women said their goodbyes and hung up. Regina moved over to the counter and poured herself another glass of wine. Moments like these had her wishing that she'd never become a homicide detective but then again, she was the best.
Her phone rang and she picked it up instantly, "Mills"
"Regina, you gotta come in" Angelo's voice was full of despair, she nodded against her phone and whispered a silent "Okay" before she hung up.
The brunette placed her wine glass into the sink before she rushed towards the door, slipping on her heels and grabbing her coat as she went. There were horrible thoughts entering her mind. Thoughts of the bodies, the poor girls who had suffered and the families who would now be completely distraught and without their daughters.
The murders had begun over a year ago. The first murder, back in July 2012, had buried itself inside Regina's mind. She had only just started out as a homicide detective. She remembered that it had been raining that day and that the phone call had come while she was having coffee with Kathryn. They had both been called to the scene, really just to observe the other officers.
It took her over two weeks to forget the smell of rotting flesh and vomit. Three girls were murdered in an abandoned house right by a children's playground. An eight-year-old boy had found them after he had kicked his ball in through one of the windows.
The second murder had taken place at an abandoned museum and had been the most disturbing for Regina. There had been three female victims, one of which had been nailed to the wall. She couldn't get the image out of her head for weeks. She had taken a small vacation after the murder and had only returned to work after Kathryn had practically dragged her there.
Boston PD had worked with other police departments in the surrounding area, hoping to get some answers or a huge breakthrough.
With each murder, came more answers and more questions. Together, they had three definitive answers; There had to be at least two or more murderers, the murders were taking place in abandoned areas and the female victims were being subjected to satanic rituals before being killed. That part scared Regina most of all.
As she entered the station that night, Regina could feel the atmosphere had changed dramatically. This always happened after these particular murders. She couldn't imagine what the parents of the young girls were going through. She didn't want to imagine.
She took the elevator up to the second floor and headed straight into Angelo's office. He was sat at his desk, head in his hands and a steaming cup of coffee sat by his computer. Regina paused for a moment before she coughed, making him aware of her presence. His head snapped up immediately.
"Are we heading out now?"
Angelo took a deep breath, sighed and then nodded his head. "Yeah, let's go"
Angelo had been Regina's partner ever since Kathryn had left for maternity leave four months before. He had completely taken Regina under his wing and the two had grown very close. Plenty of people within the station had mistook them for a couple but both had very good excuses for not being one; they were both gay.
The brunette followed him out of the office and towards the elevator. They stayed silent for a while before Angelo finally spoke up. "This is gonna be tough" He looked down at the floor, completely miserable, "make sure you're prepared for this"
Regina nodded her head slowly and looked over in his direction, "they're always tough"
The drive down to Cape Cod last over two hours. It was around 8.45pm before they arrived. Maura, the medical examiner had been waiting by the coroner's van for over an hour. She approached the detectives as they left Angelo's car.
"Good evening, Doctor Isles" Regina offered Maura a polite smile before she headed off towards the crime scene, down by the beach, leaving Angelo and Maura to talk. The tide had come in but had left plenty of room for the detectives and investigators to move around the scene without disturbing any evidence. She came upon a small, abandoned shack. The investigators had begun snapping pictures and talking between themselves, discussing their findings. Regina braced herself and then turned the corner but there was no way she could really prepare herself for what she was about to see.
The three bodies, naked, blood and bruised, had been hung from the ceiling of the shack. Regina fought the urge to turn and run back up the hill.
The brunette stepped closer to the shack and slipped her hand into her back pocket, pulling out a small torch. She shone the light into the shack and on and around the bodies.
Angelo approached the scene with Maura, who had now been given permission to conduct her examinations. Regina stood back while the doctor did her job. She scanned over each inch of the shack, noticing the satanic symbols carved into the shack. The symbols had become a part of each murder. Yet there had been no other evidence found. Nothing.
"There's a name carved on the upper thigh of this female"
Regina's head instantly dropped to the doctor conducting an examination on the ground. She quickly knelt down beside Maura and looked closer. The brunette's head tilted, leveling up to try and read the name aloud.
The doctor beside her, observed Regina's confused facial expressions and attempted to say it herself, "oiad mahorela avini"
The brunette turned to Maura, her brows furrowed in confusion, "you sound like you're speaking in tongues"
"not quite, Regina" Maura started, while she gestured to the writing on the girl's leg, "this is Enochian" she gathered up her tools and stood.
"What kind of language is that?" Regina asked.
"It very much depends on who you ask" Maura replied, zipping up her bag, "Many say that Enochian is the language of the Angels and some say it's the language of the Devil himself"
Regina had sworn her heart had stopped beating, "Are you telling me that the devil is doing this?"
Maura stared blankly at Regina before she laughed to herself while shaking her head, "absolutely not!" She gestured, again, to the writing on the victim's thigh, "the person or persons who killed these women, mostly like are Satanists"
That didn't make Regina feel any better, she offered a shrug of her shoulders, "we'll just have someone translate this, maybe we have a clue here"
"No need" Maura pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder and smoothed out her skirt, "It translates as 'The Dark Ones'" She stated, matter-of-fact.
The homicide detective shifted uncomfortably while the doctor excused herself. Regina took a moment before she peered down at the name carved into the victim's body. She could feel her heart starting to beat faster as fear crept up on her.
She made sure the investigators took numerous pictures of the name and then she made her way back to her partner who was speaking with Maura.
Angelo looked up as Regina came into view, he offered her a reassuring smile, "looks like we may have a name"
"Yeah" She nodded and looked back over her shoulder towards the crime scene. The wind was picking up. The investigators had set up a tent to cover up the scene while they continued with their investigation. Regina shuddered as the image of the bodies flooded her mind once more, "I'm gonna head back to the station"
"Sure, I'll ride with Maura" Angelo patted Regina's shoulder as she walked past him and into the police car.
Regina spent the next two hours contemplating whether she should actually return to the station or go home. She decided on the latter.
When she finally arrived back in Boston, it was almost 11.15pm. She noted that this had been the longest working day yet. The detectives had been spending so long on each of these cases that vacations had been put on hold, along with their lives.
The brunette stepped out of the car and made her way up the stairs, towards the entrance of Boston PD.
"Detective Mills!"
Regina spun around, her eyes landing upon a much older woman standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was covered head-to-toe in black and gave off a very Stevie Nicks-esque vibe.
"May I speak with you, Detective Mills?" She asked, already making her way up the steps.
The brunette stood on the same spot, "Of course" She shifted to allow the woman to walk on in front of her, into the station, "Is there something I can help you with?"
"I saw the news" She stated, "I know that there has been another murder"
Regina shifted from her left foot to her right, bringing her hands up to her hips, "Is there something that you would like to share with me?"
"My name is Daria Jones, My daughter Eva was killed in December, 2012" The brunette suddenly felt very uncomfortable, especially after almost accusing the woman of manslaughter.
"I'm very sorry" Regina sighed and gestured to the entrance, "Please come in and talk with me"
The older woman shook her head and moved her hand off into her handbag. She pulled out a photograph with a letter attached to it. "This is my daughter and this is a letter she sent me while she was staying with her friends in Paris" Regina took the letter from the older woman and slipped it into her jacket pocket.
"If you thought this would help our investigation, why didn't you hand it in already?"
"I was afraid that they would come for me next" Daria offered, sheer panic in her voice. "They killed my daughter in Boston but they had been hunting her for months"
Regina's head lifted, her attention now solely on the woman in front of her, "and you know this, how?"
"In her letter" Daria replied, pointing to Regina's pocket. "She said she felt like she was being watched and followed but her friends wouldn't believe her" The brunette pulled the letter from her pocket while Daria continued, "I didn't take her seriously but now it all makes sense, doesn't it"
Regina sighed and looked from the letter to Daria.
"The picture was taken in Paris two days before she came home" the mother stated, gesturing to Regina's hand. "Use the letter and picture how you will just—please give me some answers"
Both the detective and Daria nodded in understanding and after a moment, went their separate ways. The brunette pushed the photograph and letter back into her pocket and headed into the station.
Three hours had gone by, Regina had gotten nowhere and she was starting to become immune to the coffee.
She had been given five boxes of evidence from the last two murders and was waiting patiently for the new picture evidence to be brought in.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Angelo appeared in the doorway of her office and held zip-lock bag in his hand. "I thought you might want these"
Regina looked up and then slowly down to the evidence in his hands. Without saying a word, he walked over and placed the bag onto her desk.
"I'll give you an hour with these and then you're going home, Mills" She nodded quickly and snatched the bag up, quickly unzipping it.
Most of the photos showed the same thing; dead bodies. And if there weren't any dead bodies in the photos, it was mostly just grains of bloody sand beside the bodies. Regina continued to go through the pictures.
Until something caught her eye.
She took the picture in her hand and then slid it under the light on her desk. She then plucked the picture Daria had provided and lay them beside one another.
In the background of the Paris picture with Eva and her friends, a scruffy-looking man was hovering. He wore baggy, ripped jeans and a grey t-shirt.
Regina looked from the murder evidence to Daria's picture, then back again.
"It's the same writing" She whispered to herself, "It's the exact same writing" She was yelling now, which caused Angelo to rush out of his own office.
"Mills?"
"I think I found something, I think—" She looked up at Angelo, her heart racing, "Angelo, I think I just found one of our cult members"
Present Day
Regina had been awake since 5am. It was extremely hard to rest up when a million things were running through your mind and none of them were nice. She had spent some time looking through her case files and drinking very strong and very large coffees.
As the sun began to rise behind the trees, she peered out of the window and took in the sight of Storybrooke at dawn.
These were the kinds of mornings where she almost wished she was the mayor of this town. She leaned her head against the window, looking down onto the street.
Regina wasn't used to quiet. Boston was busy and bustling and it was full of accents, nothing like Storybrooke. People were kind here and they listened. Even when you're an undercover detective and no one has any idea who you really are. Well, with the exception of a few.
After a much needed shower, she picked out her outfit for the day and made her way downstairs. She hadn't really taken the time to well, take in the Mayor's home. In the weeks she had been there, she had spent most of her time reading, tracking and waiting for her next set of instructions.
She pulled the front door shut behind her and headed out into the street, stuffing her hands into her pockets. Regina walked along the sidewalk, breathing in the icy air surrounding her. She rounded the corner and glanced up towards the window of the Charming's apartment. The curtains were drawn, which didn't surprise her, it was only 5.45am.
She kept her head down and walked on. Regina watched as her feet pushed the thin layer of snowing covering the ground, onto her boots. She smiled, feeling slightly childish. But that was the least of her worries as she collided with a body heading her way, causing both of them to slip on the snow and fall back, flat onto their behinds.
"Dammit" She mumbled, trying to grab anything she could to get back up.
"Regina?"
Regina's head snapped up, her eyes landing upon shimmery, green orbs. She offered an apologetic smile, "Hello, Emma" She got up and began to brush off the snow from her knees.
"Do you usually get up this early?" Emma asked, shaking off the snow from her hands, she smacked the snow away from her behind and then turned slightly, "Did I get the snow off my ass?"
The brunette paused, wondering which question to ask first. She chose the latter and her eyes fell to Emma's behind. Regina's head tilted to the side and her brows rose as she took in the sight of Emma's perfectly shaped rear, "Yes, it's perfectly fine"
"Wow, are you flirting with me?" Emma joked, turning back to Regina.
Regina rolled her eyes and scoffed with an amused smile, "You'd know if I was flirting with you, Emma"
The blonde's lips curled up, "I don't think you'd know how to flirt, Mayor Mills" Emma challenged, shifting closer to the brunette. She let her eyes slowly rake up and down Regina's fine physique.
Regina shook her head and blushed as she watched Emma check her out. She nudged Emma's side and smiled, "Would you like to join me?"
Emma perked up, her eyes shot up. "I would, yeah" The brunette flashed a smile and continued walking, Emma caught up and they headed off towards Granny's diner.
"So tell me a secret about yourself"
The brunette looked over at the blonde, slightly taken aback. Regina thought for a moment and smiled, "You first"
Emma sighed, a smile found its way onto her slightly-chapped lips. "When I was in pre-school, I used to tell all my friends that my name was Emma Swan because I was part-swan and so-" She caught sight of Regina's smile and continued, laughing, "one day they made me prove it." Regina's eyes narrowed and Emma laughed, "on the way home from school I jumped into the water by the pier and almost drowned"
The blonde looked over to Regina who she was sure, was about to start yelling at her. "Why on earth would you do such a thing?"
"I don't know" She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "I wanted to be a swan so bad and well, it's kinda worker, I mean—people call me Emma Swan"
Regina's brow rose, still slightly concerned, "You're an idiot, Emma Swan"
"I know" The blonde replied, "But that'll be something that'll grow on you eventually"
The brunette smirked and walked up the steps to Granny's, then pulled the door open, "We'll see about that, dear"
A/N
No, this is not a Paranormal Activity fic, there'll be no spooky, ghosty stuff!
No, it's not a horror fic and there won't be any gory killings.
Just painting a picture!