Angels and crooks

by Nuredhel

Bard and Thran are getting used to their lives as married but they do still have their jobs and it makes things very interesting at times...AU story, sequel to Beast.

10. The great pretender

Chapter 10: The great pretender

Justine Combs was the expert, a person so dedicated to her profession she knew all the tricks within the book and then some. She was proud of her skills and did rejoice in the fact that nobody she had met had been able to compare to her. She was the master of this game, there was nobody above her and she was way ahead of everybody else. They were riff raff, aiming way to low, not daring to really go out there and shine. She had taken it to the next level and as long as she was so far ahead of everybody else there was little risk of being exposed and caught.

She did take a look in the mirror, her make up was perfect, so was her outfit, nobody ought to question her identity. She blew a kiss at her reflection, made a well-rehearsed smile and sauntered out of the bathroom. Today she was the queen, number one, the winner.

She hadn't started off this bold, of course not. She had worked her way upwards from scratch, from a boring job in a firm which sold equipment for offices. Then she had discovered that there were opportunities out there, if you were bold enough and without scruples. Justine had never had those, she barely knew the meaning of the word. She knew one important person in this world and that was herself, period! At first she had gone for the easy tricks, picking out her targets carefully for she knew that this business was risky, but the benefits, oh the benefits. Her first "job" had earned her sixty grand in one go. She had entered a fast food restaurant and slipped on a piece of greased up paper, the result was a twisted knee or so the papers said and of course the restaurant did pay up right away. Rather that than going to court and risk losing more customers.

Justine had tried it all, pretending to have been hit by cars, pretending to have been mugged, pretending to have food allergies and getting allergic reactions….She knew the art of suing people to the letter, and just who to target and when to strike. She had of course had a few set backs, one guy had exploded when she tried to make it look as if he had backed into her in a parking lot, he had blown all his fuses and she had been worried that he would kill her but somebody had luckily seen them and came to her rescue. Another time she had gotten hurt for real, she had twisted her ankle in a stairway and it had forced her to stay at home for two weeks. Which was money lost and she couldn't bare the though.

Over the last two years she had earned more than five millions on scams, and she was shameless. If it could bring money she did it, making elderly people pay up all their life's savings for some made up cause was normal to her, after all, when they were that dumb they didn't deserve any better. Insurance fraud was if not easy doable if you knew just how to work the system to the max, and she knew the system and how it worked down to the T.

But she had upped her game a bit. Now she had entered the very lucrative world of identity theft and she had found that she loved it.

Not only did she steal people's private information like social security codes and card numbers but she did also try to live like them. It was a bit of a thrill really, a challenge to see if anybody could guess that she wasn't the one she tried to be. Nobody had reacted this far and she had found that this was like a bottomless well, ready to be harvested. Getting credit cards in the names of others was just the very start of this, bank accounts and expensive cars the next thing to try and she had even been selling properties which didn't even exist. She always made money, she had never done a job which didn't pay off for she was the best and her acting skills and instinct always made people fall for her lies.

She found the information she needed in people's garbage, on the web, by simple old fashioned spying. You could buy pretty advanced equipment online, for a small money too if you knew where to look and she saw this as her job, as her profession.

She walked by the lines of people waiting for their flights and picked up her Louis Vuitton baggage, making sure to uphold the illusion the whole time. She had picked a good target this time, a very famous actress who was well known for being a bit eccentric and odd. The actress was at the moment enjoying a long holiday in Hawaii with her twenty year younger boyfriend but that was a secret and thus Justine could take her place, for a few days. But that was all that she needed. She walked outside with her chin held high, the actress had the same body shape as her and with high heels and a wig the differences were there but not very obvious. She hailed a cab and waited for the cab driver to place her very expensive bags into the car for her. Then she did enter the car and gave the address to a famous hotel, the cabdriver appeared to be a bit star struck and his mouth did move a few times without him making even a sound.

She arrived at the hotel smiling, this was the critical moment for her. She, or rather the actress, had been there before several times and Justine had studied the everyday life of the actress for several months. By now she knew all about her, her habits, her preferences, how she did treat others, what she usually preferred to eat and practically every little quirk the woman had. She sauntered up to the man working the reception and smiled, a suave smile which was a trademark of the actress. "Hello there Gordon, now how are you today?"

The receptionist was making huge eyes for a few seconds, then he smiled back, a very professional smile. "I am very fine Ms Cloudfield, what may I do for you today?"

She leaned towards the counter. "Ah, I have had such bad luck today, I was supposed to fly to Paris but alas, the photoshoot got cancelled and now I am practically stranded here, with my crew already there. Be a darling and check if my suite is available? I know I haven't called ahead to check inn but you do know how it is don't you darling? When one thing gets in the way everything has to be rescheduled."

The receptionist did smile, he did look a wee bit nervous but did check the computer and now he did smile for real. "Ah, good news Ms Cloudfield, the suite is ready. Should I send your bags up right away?"

She nodded. "Of course darling, and call Mr Peters, I need some gowns and clothes and the rest of my stuff too, the rest of my wardrobe is unfortunately in Paris right now"

The receptionist did bow his head and she walked towards the elevators as if she truly did belong there. The actress did live at this hotel for almost four months a year, she had a storage connected to the hotel where they kept many of her belongings and she did grin to herself as she took the elevator up to the suite. There was an unending demand for things which had belonged to celebrities and everything this woman had worn could be sold for ridiculous amounts of money online, anonymously of course.

She entered the suite and waved her hand at the servant who already was standing there awaiting orders, it was a new one, thank goodness for that. She sat down elegantly and cocked her head. "Bill is it? Be a dear and get me some champagne, you know the type I prefer?"

The servant nodded and returned with a glass, she did take a small sip of it, and she did have acting skills for this did taste like cat piss the way she saw it but she grinned and took another sip. "Perfect, thank you dear"

The servant bowed deeply. "Was that all Ma'am?"

She nodded. "Yes, I will call if I need some assistance. Now I want to rest, jet lag is such a drag"

The servant sent her a very professional smile and Justine put down the glass and made a grimace the moment he left the room. She had the suite and access to Ms Cloudfield's belongings for about two days before anybody would get suspicious, that was plenty of time to take advantage of this opportunity. She called down and ordered dinner, some ridiculously expensive dish made from an endangered fish which had to be imported from Korea and then she sat down to watch some TV. Mr Peters did arrive and since he had met Ms Cloudfield several times she hid in the bathroom and pretended to be having a shower. She just yelled through the door, ordering him to leave the clothes and everything and have some champagne before he left.

That was exactly what Ms Cloudfield would do, and when Justine did exit the bathroom there were several long rows of clothes hanging from portable clothes racks. Some boxes of jewellery. Shoes, underwear, all sorts of accessories. Justine grinned, only a pair of shoes could bring her at least twenty grand, and a pair of nickers? Ah sweet lord, the perverts would be drooling over them. She was standing in the middle of a fortune.

She opened her smart phone and made a list, only the really expensive stuff, things which had been seen, worn by Ms Cloudfield at least once. This would be sweet. She had her plans ready. She had called ahead and the next morning several suitcases would arrive, apparently from the airport, bearing Ms Cloudfield's name. They were seemingly full of stuff but that was just cheap knock offs. She would replace it all with the real things and then she would leave, bye bye, adios, hasta la vista daaarlings!

She had flown in from another of the large airports, incognito of course and used a fake name the actress often made use off, the airports knew who it was and with the disguise it had been easy enough to fool them. One swift flight on first class, arriving in the middle of the day when the traffic was at its worst and it was on. She had to congratulate herself, it was sheer luck that she was so similar to the actress and knew how to use both make up and clothes to become even more similar. The eye colour was wrong but she had contacts and a dentist had put some veneers on her front teeth to make them more straight and white. If you didn't know the actress personally it was not very likely that you would be able to discover that this was an impostor.

Justine did enjoy a peaceful evening within the suite with Ms Cloudfield's favourite TV show which fortunately happened to be her favourite too and when she went to bed that evening she knew that this was the smartest move she had ever made. She would increase her wealth tenfold and nobody would be able to figure out what had happened. The hotel would most likely try to hush it all down and the actress would probably be on TV telling how violated she felt but it would only add to her fame. Justine was in fact doing her a favour. She fell asleep in the certainty of her own cleverness and didn't even for a second doubt herself and her questionable morale.

Bard was groaning, he felt as if his heart was about to pop out of his chest and sweat was pouring down his back, it felt like he had been caught outside in some torrential rain. "Three more Mr Bowman, come on, you can do it!"

Bard felt an intense urge to scream back and ask the personal coach to go fuck himself with a raw iron but didn't. Thran was just some feet away, lifting weights and Bard didn't want to lose his temper in front of his husband. "Ghaaa!"

He was shivering, the human body wasn't made for this sort of punishment and he was dead sure that his kneecaps would pop loose like hubcaps there and then. Why had he agreed upon this torture? Thran did turn his head, he was sweating too but grinning, for some bizarre reason his beloved did actually enjoy pushing himself. "Think about the task ahead, just that, clear your mind"

Bard growled. In just one week it was time for the physical check up all officers had to go through once a year, it did include both a visit at the doctors and some exercises which had to be done with a minimum of errors. If you failed you risked being sent out on foot patrol, the police corps had decided that it was time to get rid of the age old image of police men as donut chewing fast food loving slackers and thus this, each officer had been assigned a personal trainer who made a training program designed for each person's level of fitness.

Apparently Bard was regarded as a couch potato for this was worse than the training you had to go through to become a Navy seal, he was dead sure of it. Thran snickered. "You should have seen yourself, a tomato wouldn't look that red ever"

Bard pushed back against the goddamn torture device with all his might, the weights did rise, about half an inch. The coach was jumping up and down. "Come on, use your legs man, tighten you core muscles and push!"

Bard rolled his eyes, he hadn't heard that many orders for pushing and that many moans and groans since he visited a maternity ward. This was just silly, no amount of training could fix his lack of "explosive strength" and "questionable endurance" in just a week. Besides, Thran never complained about neither of those so why did he really care? The entire training room was filled with sweating men and the smell in there could have made an ox faint. Thran finished his round and sat up, the long blonde hair was braided and tied back and he grinned, eyes shining. "You really feel alive when you have pushed yourself this hard"

Bard groaned like a cow in labour" Alive?! Damn you, I feel like the mortuary is my next destination"

Thran laughed and got up, stretched out and Bard forgot how to breathe for a moment, damn, he did it on purpose or else you could call Bard a donkey. The sight was mouth watering and Bard started making plans for the evening. The kids were visiting Jean's cousin by the coast and they had the house all to themselves. It would be…hot! Bard was sure of that, hot and sticky and….

Thor came inn through the entrance door, waving his hand. "Bowman, Oropherson, my office in five!"

Thran sighed. "That was the end of the fun for this time, let's hit the showers shall we? I doubt that Thor want's to wait any longer, it looked as if he meant business"

Bard closed his eyes in silent thanks to whatever God it was that had looked down upon him in mercy and decided to intervene. The torture was over, yes!

The shower had to be quick and it was and when the two of them showed up at the office they were at least clean if not dry. Thor did look intense. "Guys, we have a case, and it is….gruesome"

Thran did tense up. "Gruesome?"

Thor did nod. "Yes, I have hardly ever seen anything like this"

Bard felt that the joy did exit him, now he had to think like a cop again, darn it!

"Murder?"

Thor nodded "Yes, a celebrity. Ms Cloudfield"

Thran did gasp. "Are you kidding me?! She has been nominated for the Oscars three times! And is very secretive"

Thor leaned his chin onto his hands. "She was found murdered this very morning, in a hotel room, her favourite suite at the Danleigh hotel"

Thran did blink. "A suite? That hotel is expensive as fuck!"

Thor just shrugged. "She is loaded, has more money than the bank, her last movie was a block buster and she earned more money on it than any actress has before for one movie. "

Bard tried to think. "So we are going to the Danleigh?"

Thor nodded. "Yes, you are going, Judith is already there"

Bard sighed and Thran shrugged. "Come on, we better hurry, we have a corpse waiting for us"

Bard just couldn't get over the fact that Thor had called the scene gruesome, it did take quite a lot to get that sort of statement out of him. He did rarely use such strong expressions at all. Thran did drive and the hotel wasn't that far away from the police station, they were there in just a few minutes and they saw the huge group of police cars and other vehicles which were assembled and Bard made a grimace. If this truly was a dead celebrity he knew that the journalists would descend upon the case like a WW2 bomb raid.

They entered the foyer and was greeted by a very visibly shaken hotel manager, he was close to tears and his face ashen white. Thran became all professional. Taking the man by the hand, talking in a low and very compassionate tone and the manager did swallow and managed to speak coherently. He did lead them towards the elevators and they did take it up to the suite where a bunch of other police men were hard at work securing the scene. Judith had already arrived as she usually did and she did stand in the door, waiting for the first CSI technicians to declare the room as safe.

Bard did see that one of the young technicians ran out the door, looking greener than a meadow in summer, he aimed for the hallway bathroom and judging by the sounds he didn't reach it in time. Bard did brace himself, this could be really bad then.

They saw that the suite was very exclusive, the furniture very expensive, the view wonderful and the luxuries there top notch, no doubt that Ms Cloudfield had money. The manager was sobbing. "She arrived yesterday, unexpected. She had been heading for a photo shoot in Paris but it got cancelled and she decided to stay here until further notice"

Bard just nodded, celebrities were infamous for doing things their very own way. Thran did take a deep breath, then they entered the bedroom and Bard let out a yip, he had seen horror before, lots and lots of it, including the case which brought the two of them together but this…Judith let out a squeal behind them and covered her mouth with one hand, eyes huge and filled with shock. "Oh sweet Jesus!"

Bard knew why the CSI technician had bolted, the smell alone… It did smell like a slaughterhouse, raw offal and blood, mixed with perfume and alcohol. The technician who had been first at the scene stood there with his camera, he had already sent photos to Thor and he was making sure to capture the scene from every possible angle. He did tilt his head and there was something about his expression which made Bard turn to him. "Is anything wrong?"

The technician did shrug, his face contorted. "No, or yes, I am not sure"

Thran frowned. "Do explain?"

The man lifted his camera, it was an expensive digital one and he pointed at the lights in the ceiling. "I am a photographer, it is what I do for a living. If you are to get good pictures you need to make sure that the light and everything is just perfect right? And this…the light is adjusted so it is absolutely the best possible for a photo shoot"

Bard had to look at the scene again, he swallowed, hard. Thran was pale and Judith was already putting on gloves and a suit, she was cussing to herself. "Getting it all with us will be hard!"

The corpse of what had been Ms Cloudfield was arranged, no other word could describe it. It was an artistic message there but an grotesque one, one which was completely inhuman. Bard had never seen anything worse than this. The dead body was placed on the bed laying across it. The head was twisted into a sort of very unnatural position and the eyes were open, staring with an expression of utter horror. The torso was arranged with its arms straight out to the sides, the legs were open and spread as far as possible, in fact they were way too far apart and Bard wondered if the pelvis had been fractured for that to happen.

The dead woman was completely exposed but the real horror was her mid section, her abdomen had been cut open and all her entrails were pulled out and arranged over the head board of the bed and the huge wrought iron decoration hanging above it. Some of the organs were placed neatly beside the body and Judith was staring at the whole mess, her lips were moving all the time as if she was praying. The woman's breasts had been removed, only bloody wounds did remain and they were apparently missing.

Thran stared at the horrible sight, he was breathing rather fast. "This one is completely and utterly mad, and he is enjoying it"

Bard just whispered. "No shit, we are talking Hannibal Lecter grade madness here aren't we?"

Thran shook his head. "No, worse, way worse!"

The photographer sort of groaned. "Whoever did this, pictures were taken, many! Perhaps even film. There are some small marks on the carpet which indicates the use of a tripod, could be a camera with both movie and photo recording"

Thran nodded. "The perpetrator wanted to document what he was doing, it gets him off. He is in control, and he wants to relive the scene again."

Bard felt sick to the core and he had to leave the room. The manager was outside and Bard tried to think clearly. "Alright, when was she last seen?"

The manager lifted a small hand held computer. "At eight last night, she called room service for a cup of warm cocoa with cinnamon and rum. She always does that"

Bard walked over to the living room, it was undisturbed and he saw that there were several movable clothes racks there. The managed tried to smile. "She had sent her luggage ahead of her, needed some things and she does rent a storage room here at the hotel, in the basement. She was one of our regular customers, and we were all very fond of her"

Bard nodded. "So she wasn't some diva?"

The manager did grin again, a real smile this time. "Oh she was a diva but also a lady, to the very core. Always polite and always very nice to everybody, even the servants. Of course she had her odd quirks but we loved her, not only because of her money if that is what you think"

Bard made a note of it. "The suite is the only one on this floor?"

The managed nodded. "Yes, and it is sound proofed too, we do take care of the privacy of our guests!"

Bard sighed, she could have screamed for help and nobody would have heard her, poor soul!

Thran did walk around the room and he did stop, stared at a coffee table by the window. "She did order a cup of cocoa? "

The managed nodded. "Yes, it was a habit of hers?!"

Thran pointed at a cup standing on the table. "It is here still, full. She didn't drink it!"

The manager frowned. "That is odd, she loved that cocoa so much"

The elevator doors did open and one of the receptionists did enter the hallway, he did wave his hand at the manager. "Ah Sir, her luggage, it has arrived from the airport, what are we to do with it?"

The manager stared at Bard with an expression of helplessness on his face, not knowing what to do. Bard smiled, a stiff smile. "If you have some spare room place it there, under lock and key. The technicians will probably like to take a look at it and the contents are the property of whoever is to inherit her stuff"

The managed let out a thin wail. "Oh gods, this is horrible, if this gets out we are screwed, nobody would want to come here now!"

Thran did shake his head. "On the contrary Mr, people flock to the places where a celebrity has died, you will be able to double the price of this suite now, or even triple it and still people will come"

The manager did look aghast! "God! no! This suite….It will be demolished, completely, we will turn it into ordinary regular rooms. I cannot stand the idea of having it cleaned and put back into service"

Bard realized that the manager in fact was a very decent person, not only interested in making a profit. They stood there when there was a yell heard from the bedroom and Bard and Thran turned and ran back inside of it, Judith was standing there holding a lump of bloody tissue and Bard had problems identifying it until Thran made a sort of groan" It is one of her breasts, where…?"

Judith was ashen grey and her hands were shivering. "It was…it was placed within her….vagina"

Bard felt dizzy. "Jeeez, a pervert?"

Thran nodded. "The very worst kind of pervert. The murdering kind"

Judith put the tissue into a evidence box and closed the lid, she was dark eyed and shaking all over. "This woman was tortured before she died, probably for hours. The injuries I have found…God, if you don't catch this bastard I am gonna fry you both, you hear?"

Judith didn't usually make such statements and Bard nodded. "Duly noted."

Judith did walk over to the other side of the bed and her face was stern, cold, expressionless. "She has been raped, several times I bet, both vaginal and anal rape, also with some sort of object. A very large one. She is torn up on the inside, I am almost one hundred percent sure that the cause of death is blood loss and shock."

Thran moaned and Bard had to look at the view again, just to clear his mind. This person had suffered for a long time, it was just too awful to think about. "Who does something like this to a living human being?"

Judith's voice was hoarse and Thran cleared his voice before he answered. "A monster, someone who isn't human anymore, not in the sense we normally define humanity. This is a person who is obsessed with something about this scene, and her."

He snapped his fingers, turned to one of the police officers. "Do me a favour, check if there are any scenes like this in any of her movies, her on her back across a bed, spread out like a sacrifice?"

The officer nodded and ran off, thankful that was allowed to leave the room. He did almost collide with one of the hotel staff who was exiting the elevator, looking very uncertain. "Ah excuse me? Uh, there is something…"

Bard nodded. "Yes? Go on?"

The young man did look down, obviously embarrassed. "We were placing the suitcases in one of our storage rooms in the basement and…well…the luggage handler did slip and one of the suitcases did open up. And it…the contents were just pieces of cloth, no real clothes at all, just cheap cotton"

Bard frowned and the man was red in the face. "Uh, we did open one of the other suitcases, just to make sure that it wasn't some mistake and …that too was filled with rags"

Bard was about to answer when Judith let out a sort of squeal yet again and Bard rolled his eyes, hard. What sort of horror had she now uncovered?

The coroner did enter the hallway, her eyes huge. "Guys, we are in trouble, we are in such deep shit that I cannot even begin to describe it!"

She turned to the manager. "Please, tell me that the police is the only ones who knows about this yet? If not…"

The manager did look very scared. "Ah, we haven't notified anybody except the police no, our employees are very well trained too, nobody will speak to anyone, our discretion is a guarantee, no matter what happens, what is wrong?"

Judith was breathing hard. "Guys, the woman in there, she isn't Ms Cloudfield!"

The manager gaped. "WHAT?!"

Bard gaped too. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Judith help up a small glass tube, inside of it was two small pieces of plastic, coloured brown. "Ms Cloudfield has brown eyes, this woman was wearing contacts, her eyes are blue! And she is about an inch and a half shorter than Ms Cloudfield too. And about fifteen years younger too I would recon "

The hotel manager was just opening and closing his mouth, he did look like a fish. "That…that is…how is it possible…"

Judith sighed. "Don't ask me how, but the real Ms Cloudfield is alive somewhere and must be found asap, and nobody must learn of this, if the murderer find out he murdered the wrong woman he'll got after the real Ms Cloudfield again, that is a guarantee"

Thran sprang into action. "Right, I know who her agent is, he has to know where she is at the moment. But Bard, this has to be handled in a different manner than a usual case. The media has to find out"

Bard frowned. "Uh? Why? That will… "

Thran stared at him. "This murderer wants recognition, he wants fame, he wants to bask in his triumph. If we deny him that he will try again, and again…he is insatiable Bard, we must give him what he wants, to keep him at bay until we can identify him"

Bard nodded. "Alright but how?"

Thran turned to the hotel manager. "Do you have any employees speaking a foreign language? With a heavy accent?"

The manager did nod. "Ah yes? We have a lady here who is Polish, her accent is very broad?"

Thran nodded. "Wait until we have cleared out the suite and removed the body, then get your employee to call the largest news papers, anonymously from one of your phone booths. Tell her to just claim that Ms Cloudfield has been murdered here in your hotel this morning"

The manager was sweating. "Dear lord, they will gather here like vultures but alright, if it is to protect the real Ms Cloudfield"

Judith bowed her head. "We would be very grateful yes, this woman was an impostor and if I am not wrong a very good one. She was probably going to replace the rags in her luggage with Ms Cloudfield's things and then sell them online."

The manager did look a bit nauseous. "Gods, that is horrible, and yet, I cannot help but feel sorry for her, poor woman, whoever she was. Nobody deserve to suffer thus"

Thran grasped his cell phone, his face was stern. "Exactly. Judith, do you think you can identify her?"

Judith nodded. "Yes, if she is a con artist I bet she has been arrested at some point, her finger prints could be in the data base"

Thran was searching the web. "Call me when you find her true identity? She may have family somewhere who needs to be informed of this. I am gonna call Ms Cloudfield's agent here and now. Before the shit hits the fan"

Thran left the hallway to have some peace and quiet and Bard helped the officers remove things which could be crucial to the investigation. Judith and her employees were removing the body and she shrugged and sent Bard a sad grin. "Her left boob is still missing, I bet the perp did take it with him"

Bard nodded. "Yeah, as a sick souvenir I bet"

Judith pulled off her gloves and put on a new pair. "I am glad I am a coroner, working with dead corpses. A celebrity has no real life anymore, these days there are cameras everywhere, and I bet that there are paparazzies stalking the poor woman every day."

Bard nodded. "Yeah, not being able to leave the door without looking perfect has to be a burden, I would have gone mad"

Then a though hit him, hard. "Damn it, the perp, he has to have seen her arrive at the hotel!"

He almost shook the hotel manager like a ragdoll. "Fast, how often does Ms Cloudfield stay here?"

The manager blinked, a bit shocked by the passionate outburst. "Ah at least twice each month? Sometimes even more"

Bard tried to control himself. "Who else uses the suite?"

The manager tried to smile. "Few, very few. It is expensive and we try to keep it just for her. We have had two or three other guests this year. A Saudi Arabian princess and then a CEO from a Chinese Oil company"

Bard was thinking fast. "You said that you do prioritize the privacy of your guests, does the suite come with anti-spying equipment?"

The manager nodded. "Of course? That is something everybody does expect these days. We have a closed Wi fi system which has to be logged into and it is safer than fort Knox. There are scrambling devises placed within the suite, nobody can leave things like microphones or hidden cameras without us finding them right away"

Bard smiled. "Good, the perp was outside then, and he saw that she was inside of the suite and then he decided to strike"

Judith stared out of the window. "Ah, how could he see that…"

Bard pointed. "See that building? He was on the roof, you can call me a piece of butter if I am wrong. He has kept the hotel under watch for weeks I bet, waiting for the right moment to strike"

The manager blinked again. "That is also a hotel, a nice one but not as nice as ours of course, and it is also a casino"

Judith nodded. "And it houses conferences too, Bard, you are onto something"

The manager did look uncomfortable. "But…how did the…perp…get up here unseen? We have surveillance camera's everywhere outside of the suites and we haven't seen anything at all."

Judith made a grimace. "Yeah, he has brought some equipment too, I bet that he had at least one camera and maybe even some movable lights. And rope, perhaps handcuffs, she has some abrasions which indicate that she was forced to wear some sort of garment, a very tight one, probably rubber. "

Bard closed his eyes. "He really made every sick fantasy come to life now didn't he?"

Judith nodded. "Yes, and he did use a condom so there is no DNA unless she managed to scratch him. He must have taken the used rubber with him"

Bard sighed. "He had it all planned, to the smallest detail. He must feel like the master of the world now. "

Judith looked down. "And if the truth gets out? Oh he will explode"

Thran did return to the room, holding his phone. "Guys, I have talked to her agent. Ms Cloudfield is on Hawaii, with her new boyfriend. She will stay there until further notice and keep her head low so to speak. But the agent did tell me something very interesting"

Bard cocked his head. "Oh? What?"

Thran sat down. "She had her fair share of stalkers, stars usually does, but lately she has gotten some letters which were very disturbing"

He did open the phone and showed them a pile of papers, all written with the same bold letters and the same message. "It should have been mine. Bitch!"

Under the written words was an image, from a movie and Bard recognized it. It was from the most popular of Ms Cloudfield's movies, about a rich heiress who against the advice of her posh family marries a man from a lesser family only to discover that he is doing it only for her money. She almost nailed an Oscar with that one. The image showed Ms Cloudfield laying across a bed with her body stretched out and she held a razor in one hand and appeared to have slit her own throat.

The police officer they had asked to check the movies did return and held an image in his hand. "It is this scene, from the movie "The final kiss" It is five years old"

Bard saw that the police man had found that same image as they had. "We already know, thanks for the effort. "

The police man did look a bit disappointed but nodded and left and Bard grasped Thran by the shoulder. "The perp has been watching this suite, from afar. Probably the hotel to the west of here"

Thran did turn around. "It is more than two miles from here?"

Bard nodded. "Yes, but I bet he had a telescope."

Thran turned to Judith. "Alright, find out who Ms Doe here was and we go to check that other hotel. Maybe somebody there has seen anything"

Judith just nodded and the two did enter the elevator and pushed the button for the foyer. Thran was thinking very hard. "He has entered this room sometime last night, before midnight I bet"

Bard frowned. "Why do you think so?"

Thran made a grimace. "This perp is a perfectionist, I bet he sees himself as someone who is above the rest of humanity, and he has made good preparations, he would hate to be disturbed by anything."

Bard still didn't understand. "And?"

Thran made a gesture out towards the open space in front of the hotel. "He wanted to take photos right? The windows were not covered and at midnight the hotel does have a fireworks show each night. It is quite spectacular and noisy too, a perfect cover really."

Bard bit his lower lip. "He entered before the show started and attacked as it began?"

Thran nodded. "Yes, to be absolutely sure that she didn't detect him until it was too late. The light from the show must have been almost blinding at that floor, and the windows are huge and turned in the direction of the plaza"

Bard sighed. "There was nothing on the surveillance videos?"

Thran nodded. "Yes, so he must have entered some other way, but how? And from where?"

Bard tried to think. "Ah, could there be secret entrances to the suite?"

Thran raised an eyebrow. "And the manager doesn't know of them? I doubt it"

Bard just shrugged. "It was just an idea"

They entered the foyer and left the hotel, Thran was driving and he was quiet. Bard knew him well now, he was thinking, and he was scared and fascinated. It was very rare to encounter a truly monstrous human being and this could easily be one of those. The other hotel wasn't that luxurious but it was nice still and the clerk at the desk did smile at them as they entered. She was a small and rather trim woman with a name sign telling everybody that her name was Sindy and Thran did put on his most charming smile. She saw their police badges and raised an eyebrow but she didn't look alarmed at all. Thran did introduce himself and Bard and the woman gave them her full attention. "We have a question for the staff here, have anybody seen a person carrying something which can be a telescope?"

Sindy frowned. "A telescope? Oh sweet lord, we have had a conference here for the last two weeks, amateur astronomers! It would be more odd to see someone without a telescope than one with one"

Bard groaned. "Alright, how about your roof? Does anybody have access to it?"

The clerk shrugged. "Everybody? We have a nice little garden up there, it is open at all hours?"

Thran turned to Bard. "He isn't using the roof Bard, he would be discovered. But he is most likely renting a room here, on one of the top floors"

He turned back to Sindy. "Listen, we are looking for a man who may have murdered somebody, and he must have been staying here rather often, and he has probably been spying on the surrounding buildings"

Sindy made a sort of pout. "I am not really allowed to give this sort of information to anybody but since you are the police, I can check it out?"

Bard nodded. "You would be an angel if you do, we are very grateful"

She went over to her computer and started typing. They had to wait for a while but she did seem like a person who likes to be thorough. "Well, nobody has stayed in the same room over time but there is a few guests here who has returned quite often over the last months and they have stayed in different rooms each time?"

Thran smiled. "That is great, any on the upper floors?"

She was typing again. "Three people, you are sure that this information won't be shared? It is my job on the line here"

Bard did look sincere. "I give you my word!"

She pressed a button and a printer started to whine and shriek. A piece of paper left it and was handed over and Thran did take it and stared at the three names on it. He did frown. "Two men and a woman, I think we can ignore the woman for now. Women doesn't do such things, and besides, the victim was raped"

Sindy frowned. "It was a rapist? Oh Gods, is the person dangerous?"

Thran sent her a calming smile. "Yes, but not for the common person, this is a person with a very unhealthy obsession with a certain somebody"

Sindy let out a small sigh of relief. "Good, I don't wanna have the night watch if there are crazy bastards running around here"

Thran was about to say good bye when one of the elevators opened and a man wearing overalls and a sort of harness did enter the foyer. He smiled at Sindy and ignored the two men and Thran stared at him with huge eyes. "Oh God"

Bard frowned. "What is it?"

Thran did grasp his phone. "I know how the bastard entered the suite!"

He called a number and when it answered at the other end he did speak very fast. "Fred? It is Thran, do me a favour, if you still are at the suite check the bathroom window, is it possible to open it, from the outside? Is it loose somehow?"

There was silence and Bard heard the sound of feet and a door was being opened. Then they heard a man grunt and moan and a creaking sound, it was rather loud. "Yes, there are a set of extra attachments on the window, these bathroom windows aren't really made to be opened? And there is a sort of handle here too"

They heard the sound of wind passing by and Thran sighed. "Thank you Fred, dust the handle but I bet the perp used gloves. We know how he entered now"

Thran turned to Bard. "He used the windowcleaner's elevator. It is noisy but has room for much equipment and the fireworks would camouflage the sound of it moving, and also the window being opened."

Bard closed his eyes. "And the shape of the façade makes it impossible to see it from the livingroom. Clever bastard"

Thran made a new call. "It is Thran, check the roof, somebody has been up there and tinkered with the window cleaner's elevator. Yes, it was the perp. Check it thoroughly, each bolt and nut!"

Bard swallowed hard. "So, who are the suspects?"

Thran held out the list and Bard did read it, very fast. "Mr Jaamal Hasreet? Of Cairo Egypt. He is a businessman dealing with Egyptian cotton sheets. I doubt this is the one"

Thran nodded. "So do I, I cannot imagine that a person from a foreign country has the opportunity to stalk a celebrity thus"

Bard did read the next name. "Mr Bartholomew Downs, retired school teacher, in town to help the local museum with an exhibition about the natives?"

Thran did type very fast on his smart phone. "Yes, I found the museums home page, Mr Downs have helped them before and it says here that he is eighty four and almost deaf."

Bard sighed. "Hardly our guy then, could it be an employee?"

Thran shrugged. "Not very likely! Who has time to spy while on the job? Somebody would notice for sure. No, this is odd. "

Bard did read the last name. "Ms Beatrix Lindenwald, occupation dancer?"

Thran nodded. "Women doesn't kill like that, she is in the clear."

Bard sighed, he felt a bit down, how were they to catch this one? "So what now?"

Thran opened the car door and entered. "I haven't got a clue, let us return to the station, I bet Thor want's an update"

They drove back in silence and Bard wished that he still was sweating it out under the not so tender care of that goddamn trainer. It would have been easier to deal with. Thor listened to everything they had to say and the officers left at the scene did call inn too, no fingerprints and the elevator was in pristine shape. Not even a single fiber left. The person had to have entered the rooftop during the day when the doors had been opened so the window cleaners could do their job and probably hid somewhere, presumably behind on of the AC units. The only thing they did find was some gravel which had been disturbed, but there were no footprints at all. The perp had probably taken one of the elevators down and replaced the original window with a new one when the suite was empty, there was always some sort of maintaining work being done so nobody would react to a person in an overall carrying equipment.

Bard and Thran did go to eat and then they wrote a quick report of what they had seen. Some officers would check the alibi of both the men on Sindy's list but it was very obvious that neither of them could be regarded as a suspect. Thran just sat there thinking when Judith did call them and they went down to the morgue right away. She was done with the initial examination of the remains and she was cleaning the bench as they entered. She made a grimace. "I have seen a lot, but this…I cannot even begin to comprehend such sadism. It is completely inhuman!"

Thran took a deep breath. "Talk us through it"

Judith seemed to brace herself. "Right, where do I start? Ah, let us start at the top shall we?"

She grabbed a piece of paper. "She wore a wig, a very good one for it didn't come off even if it must have been pulled at, hard. Her scalp had some bruises, she was a natural blonde by the way. She had veneers and contacts as you already know."

She did look uncomfortable. "Ah, the boobs were cut off her, and here the perp has made a mistake"

Thran suddenly looked like a hunting dog on a fresh scent track. "Oh?!"

She nodded. "Ms Cloudfield has implants. It isn't widely known though, I called her plastic surgeon to get the information. So the perp doesn't know absolutely everything about Ms Cloudfield"

Thran did almost sneer. "He is thorough, that is odd, he should have known if he is a real stalker. When did Ms Cloudfield have the implants done?"

Judith shrugged. "Ten years ago, before the career really took off"

Thran snapped his finger. "The perp haven't bothered with Ms Cloudfield's past then. He has become obsessed rather recently, perhaps when her movies became popular"

Judith nodded. "Yes, Ms Cloudfield was a nobody for many years, not very famous at all. It was the movie Hidden dancer which made her a star, over night"

Bard frowned. "I don't think I have heard of it?"

Thran smiled. "Really? It was a very good movie, a tear jerker I have heard"

Judith tilted her head. "I can vouch for that yes, I saw it and cried for hours afterwards"

She lifted the sheet again. "The rape damage you already know off, she had broken ribs, torn muscles and tendons, bruises and cuts and then the disembowelment of course. Her toe nails were torn out, one by one, so was her finger nails and I do also believe that the perp used a sort of small metal object to make burn marks on her. It was very round and only about five mm in diameter."

Thran closed his eyes. "Show me"

Judith did pull the sheet aside, and let Thran see a hand, it was grotesque but there was a row of marks around the wrist, like a beaded bracelet only that the beads were burn marks. Thran stared at them. "This is rage, this is punishment, deliberately done. Not only to torment but to settle a score of some sorts. It does speak of an intense hatred, on a personal level. I think I know what the perp used!"

Judith stared at him, with an open mouth. "You do?"

Thran did reach into his pocket and pulled out a very expensive pen he always carried with him. "The hotel has some very nice pens in the suites, made from steel. The perp heated a pen with a lighter and used it, I think I sense some sort of symbolism here."

Judith was pale. "A screenplay?"

Thran nodded. "Or a role which got snatched from somebody? Or simply an obsession with a role character. I have seen that before"

Bard swallowed. "Really?"

Thran sighed. "Yes, a case some years ago, a man who was stalking a local actress, he couldn't separate between her and the character she played in a TV show, he wanted to punish her for her infidelity. It took months before we were able to make him realize that it was just a TV show, make believe, the result of somebody writing a very popular novel the company wanted to turn into a series!"

Judith shook her head. "Humans, sometimes their stupidity is unbelievable."

Thran snickered. "Yes, Einstein said that there only are two things which are infinite, space and human stupidity and he wasn't so sure about the first. "

Suddenly a computer beeped and Judith did run over, hope written all over her face. She stared at the screen and let out a sigh of relief. "Guys, she is identified. Meet Justine Combs, she is a professional scam artist, damnation and thunder, this woman has done it all!"

Thran did cock his head, his eyes very keen. "She has been arrested?"

Judith nodded. "Oh-yes! Several times, once for trying to presume the identity of a police officer and another time for insurance fraud. She tried to sue a restaurant for having sold her a meal which did contain nuts but the restaurant didn't use nuts at all so it was exposed as a fraud rather easily"

Bard stared at the sheet which covered the earthly remains of this Ms Combs. "Still, she was a human being and deserves justice. What was done to her…"

Judith sighed. "Yes, she was only thirty one, believe that? So young!"

The intercom did beep and Judith answered it, they heard Thor's voice. "The hotel manager called me, they are gonna make the anonymous call now, get ready for a storm"

Bard and Thran stared at each other, now anything could happen.

It took exactly three hours, then the media was buzzing like a bee swarm, nobody did really believe that the dead person was Ms Cloudfield, even if the hotel did confirm the identity of the deceased person. The real Ms Cloudfield was safe in Hawaii and the hotel she lived on had closed down in order to prevent anybody from seeing that she was there and alive. Now it was a good thing that she was such a private and secretive person, very few knew she was there and the other guests had barely seen her at all. The staff did keep their mouths shut and Ms Cloudfield had been ordered to lay low by her agent, until the perp was apprehended.

The TV reporters did gather around the hotel where the murder had happened and the internet was alight with all sorts of theories. Some were absolutely outrageous like the ones which claimed that the actress had been murdered by the Illuminati for having portrayed Mary Magdalene in a movie. Others said that aliens had killed her since she was to play in a sci fi movie come the spring. It was a chaos and the movies she had played in become even more popular within a few hours. Some streaming sites did crash and the movie companies must have thought that people were insane for suddenly they made money on movies which had been almost forgotten for almost a decade.

Bard was at the phone arguing with some nosey reporter when Thor waved his hand at him, he did look pale and Bard hung up and ran over to the office. Thor was staring at the screen of his computer and Bard felt dizzy, almost to the point of dropping to the floor. It was a video, and it was horrible. Thor was staring at the wall, his expression one of barely controlled horror. "It is several videos and a heck of a lot of photos, it is…"

Bard made a croak, his voice didn't work at all now. "Ah, Gods, it is just gruesome"

Thor did push a button. "Look at this"

A piece of text appeared, white on black. "It ought to be mine!"

Bard saw that Thran did enter too and he stared at the text, eyes narrow and there was a quivering in his jaw muscles, as if he was grinding his teeth. "God! I recon the videos are graphic?"

Thor nodded. "Even if they had been CGI this would have been deemed as too graphic for viewing, I just pray that the perp only sent it to me, not to the media"

Thran shook his head. "Sorry Thor, he has sent it everywhere, he wants to be famous, he wants to be remembered, to be looked up to, feared and admired. This is a person who is so twisted I can barely begin to describe it."

Thor swallowed. "Psychopath?"

Thran shook his head. "That is just the first letter"

Thran turned to the screen. "I need to watch those videos, and the photos. The perp must have done something which can reveal something about him. At least I can try to get inside of his mind"

Bard cringed. "Are you sure you want to…"

Thran sighed, his shoulders did sag. "No, I don't really want to do this but I have to, I am the only profiler available. Don't worry, I can handle it"

Bard grasped his arm. "I will watch it with you, you shouldn't have to carry this burden alone"

Thran just smiled and squeezed Bard's hand back in thanks. Thor did close the door to the office and pulled down the shades. "Alright guys, go ahead but if it gets too much don't hesitate to leave, I want you up and ready to work, not curled up in a corner with severe PTSD"

Thran gave Thor a thumbs up and hit the start button on the keyboard. Bard swallowed hard and it took about twenty seconds before he did regret his decision, a lot!

Thran was staring at the screen, his jaw set and his gaze like steel, cold and intense. He did make notes, hastily scribbled letters upon a piece of paper and Bard wished that he had owned Thran's ability to distance himself from what he did see. The video was horrible, Bard felt sick to his gut and he couldn't believe the horrors he did watch. Torture didn't even start to describe it and all the time they saw the face of the woman, staring at the camera, eyes wide open with terror and pain.

She was forced to wear a sort of rubber cat suit and the perp was standing there with a gun, aiming for her head, making her crawl on the floor like an animal. Bard tried to concentrate upon the perp. It was a tall person, perhaps six foot four and very slender, dressed in a black army suit and a ski mask. The skin around the eyes was painted black and Bard could see that the eyes were dark blue. Thran made a grimace. "He is wearing contacts, the colour is too intense."

Bard nodded and tried to see something else which told him anything about the person but it was hard. The thick black cloth did cover the body and the movements were powerful and yet elegant. Every move seemed to be almost rehearsed and Thran was grunting. "He is very careful, and yet there is such a display of anger here, wild untamed wrath. Just watch him whip her? He isn't holding back, he is giving it all that he has got and yet he isn't stepping out of line even once, he wants this to last, to keep her alive for as long as possible while making her suffer. And he is set upon humiliating her, dehumanizing her, making her into an object, he is trying to ruin her reputation I think, and also feeding his own wrath."

Bard nodded, he was staring at the wall, the perp was raping the victim now, with just his fly open. Thran was frowning. "What the fuck? Did he arrive there already wearing a condom?"

The profiler did pause the video and then he did zoom inn, the image became rather grainy fast but he did squint at the screen. "Bard, do you see what I see?"

Bard tried to smile. "Uhm…an erection with a condom on it?"

Thran shook his head. "No, look! Where the shaft meet the body? It is visible for just a few seconds"

He did wind back a few seconds and started the video again, Bard had to get really close to see what Thran was referring to. "Is he wearing a cock ring?!"

Thran nodded "Yes, he was hard already when he did get it out of his pants, I am starting to think that he was more prepared than we think"

Bard frowned. "Uh, what do you mean?"

Thran turned off the screen. "Listen, what makes a man wear such a devise?"

Bard shrugged, his face turning slightly red. "Well, to avoid losing an erection? To last longer?"

Thran nodded. "Yes, and also, to get an erection and keeping it, in cases of impotence"

Bard gaped. "Are you serious?! Could the perp be impotent?"

Thran nodded. "Wouldn't surprise me at all, that sort of problems can cause some men to become very frustrated and even violent, they feel as if they have lost their masculinity and power and seek to regain it, to whatever cost. They have to prove to themselves that they are still men, still in control."

Bard closed his eyes for a second. "I have heard about that yes, so you think he has problems with keeping an erection?"

Thran smiled, his eyes were shining. "Oh yes, and to do this to the actress he had to be able to get it up, he couldn't risk it being unwilling to function so he made sure that it stays up"

Bard nodded. "And?"

Thran did look frantic. "He is desperate Bard, willing to risk serious injury to get his vengeance or whatever it is he is after. What man is willing to risk losing his ability to fuck just for the sake of getting even or fulfilling some sick fantasy?"

Bard stared at his partner, it was dawning upon him. "Uhm, someone who has nothing to lose?"

Thran nodded and did look like a school teacher with a very good student. "Exactly! He is either completely impotent already or he is going to be unable to get an erection soon. I am starting to feel that this perp was in a hurry to get it done"

Bard frowned. "Ms Comb was in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Thran sent him a sad grin. "Yes, if she hadn't chosen to visit that hotel posing as Ms Cloudfield he would have had to wait for the real actress to arrive."

Bard sighed. "Poor woman, that is bad luck at its most extreme."

Thran was obviously thinking hard. "I just cannot get it all to add up. The text he sent to the actress, and showed in the video. What was he talking about? I cannot wrap my head around it?"

Bard made a grimace. "Well, it cannot have been a role? Ms Cloudfield was a woman after all and if the perp is male…"

Thran suddenly looked as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes were huge and he did grasp Bard's hand, so hard it actually hurt. "Oh shit, we have been idiots, no, we have been blind!"

He did start the video again and zoomed inn again, in one shot you could see the perp in profile and Thran froze the picture. "Bard, what do you see?"

Bard didn't understand. "Uh, the perp?"

Thran was grinding his teeth. "NO! goddamn it, his profile!"

Bard tried to think like a cop again, and then he frowned. "Uh, he is a bit chesty for a slender guy?"

Thran nodded. "Yes, exactly ,there it is! The whole truth!"

Bard was blinking. "Excuse me? I don't understand anything, nada!"

Thran closed the screen again, he was almost panting. "The movie, about the dancer. Ms Cloudfield does portray a trans woman, trying to become a ballerina. She almost got an Oscar for that job."

Bard just stared at Thran who stared back, eyes wide as saucers. It would have looked absolutely ridiculous if the situation had been different. "The list of names, it is the woman!"

Bard couldn't believe his own ears. "Are you serious?!"

Thran nodded. "Yes! Bellatrix is a trans woman, probably an actress and not just a dancer."

Bard swallowed. "And still technically a male?"

Thran nodded. "Yes, probably impotent due to female hormones but with a ring and a pump the old willy is still capable of working, if only once"

Bard felt a bit faint. "I can hardly believe it"

Thran sent him a faint grin. "I understand but I am sure of this. The rage and the violence is all male, a real woman would act differently, with much more subtle methods. She is taking away the things which made Ms Cloudfield so beloved by everybody, her lady like behaviour and decency."

Bard could only whisper. "Bitch!"

Thran nodded. "Yes, hell hath no wrath like that of a woman scorn and if she used to be a man expect something spectacular"

He did grasp his phone and called Elisa. "It is Thran, do me a favour. See if you can find the address of Ms Bellatrix Lindenwald?"

Elisa was on it and Thran turned to Bard. "This is rather special, I have never heard of a similar case ever! People who are trans are usually not this mad, but there is a rotten apple in every barrel or so they say. The rage and the violence is typical for a male who feels that he has been betrayed somehow."

Elisa came back on. "Thran? She has a registered address in the next county, a small farm. She is working for a company within this city, Ithildin dancing company. Right now they are staging "The nutcracker". "

Bard and Thran took a collective breath. "Then she is most likely there, we have to work fast, before she realize that she killed the wrong person."

Bard did wet his lips. "What do you think will happen if she does find out?"

Thran made a grimace. "A complete meltdown, possibly a violent one too."

He ran out the door and called out to Thor who did look a bit like a deer caught in the headlights for a few seconds. Thran could be terrifying at times and now he was ablaze with zeal and also a sort of anger. "We need all the available men, sent to the old Theatre downtown. The killer is there Thor, and it is a trans woman named Bellatrix Lindenwald"

Thor gaped. "Are you nuts?"

Thran shook his head. "Not more than usual no, I think she must have applied for the role in a movie which became very popular and Ms Cloudfield got the role instead of her. To some that sort of thing can grow into a obsession."

Thor did nod. "Alright, I will send all units to the place but God help you if you are wrong on this one"

Thran grinned. "Trust me, I am not!"

He did wave a finger. "And no sirens or lights, just very quiet approach. The perp cannot know that she is about to get caught before it is too late"

Thor ran off to give the orders and Thran did turn to Bard and gave him a swift kiss, his eyes were aglow with eager energy. "I just pray that we are able to catch this person without any bloodshed. "

Bard ran to get his gun and Thran did find a couple of flak wests and then they did find the fastest police cruiser within the garage. Thran did drive as usual and now he did really reveal that he could drive like a race car driver. He did use the road like nobody else Bard had ever encountered and while they were driving Bard did google the name. After just a little searching he did confirm that Bellatrix had tried to get the role in the famous movie but the company had decided that Bellatrix was too masculine for the job, in spite of having gone through hormonal treatment for many years and being a very good dancer. They wanted someone pretty and Bellatrix hadn't been in any movies after that. She had just danced for several companies but never got further than that.

Thran was quiet and his eyes were distant. "There is yet something here which doesn't add up, I just cannot understand it"

Bard frowned. "What?"

Thran didn't turn his head. "A real trans woman is in fact a female at heart, a real woman when it comes to psyche. This person doesn't act very feminine at all, it is very weird"

Bard just shrugged, he wasn't some shrink and had no idea of what Thran truly meant.

The old theatre was downtown, next to the town hall and it was a grand building which once upon a time had been regarded as one of the finest in the whole country. It was impressive and very important historically. Now huge posters did cover the façade telling of the grand ballet which was being performed there each night and Bard and Thran did pull into a parking lot and waited until at least four other units joined them. Two of the officers did go with Bard and Thran and the others did cover all entrances and did prepare themselves rather well. Thran whispered to them over the com units. "The suspect can be very dangerous, don't let the fact that she is a female fool you. This is one sick individual and she is not going to go down peacefully if triggered"

Thran and Bard did hear music and they did walk slowly towards it, the officers at their backs and Thran did look very tense. They entered a great hall with a stage and there were rehearsals being held at the moment. There were dancers scurrying around and Thran and Bard did hide their guns and so did the officers. They walked down to the stage casually and relaxed and the dancers didn't really notice them at first. A woman who did look as if she never had enjoyed a decent meal in her life did approach them, her eyes were narrow and she didn't appreciate any sort of disturbance, that was very clear.

Bard did put on his best smile. "Ma'am, sorry to disturb but we do need to find Ms Bellatrix Lindenwald, it is very important"

The woman did frown. "She is in the wardrobe, I do not like it when my dancers are being distracted so it better be very important indeed"

Thran did show the woman his police badge and she did frown even deeper. "Has she parked in the wrong place again? We have told you before, the parking lots are marked in the wrong manner."

Bard shook his head. "I am sorry to say that it is more serious than that"

The woman did look as if she was trying to suck the last drops of juice out of a very sour lemon, she made a sort of grimace. "Alright, but be quick at it. The performance starts in just an hour"

Thran did smile and Bard felt like rolling his eyes, they could only hope that the woman didn't have an important role for if that was the case this show would have to be cancelled. The hallway leading towards the stairs was filled with dancers and helpers and Bard and Thran did move through the crowd as gently as possible. The wardrobes were placed within a very narrow corridor and there were at least twenty doors. And the corridor was packed, if something went wrong here people could get hurt, seriously.

The officers were nervous and Thran did bite his lower lip, the room with Bellatrix name was at the end of the corridor and rather elegant with nice painting and Thran did whisper. "It is a fitting room, rather large I bet."

Bard knew that this was where the workers got their costumes fitted and made and he did make a grimace. He would have preferred a small room. Thran nodded at the officers and opened the door, there was a row of low tables with mirrors on them placed along one wall and then the room opened up into several rows of clothes racks and Bard saw hundreds of places to hide right away. Three women sat by the tables in their costumes, putting on make up and Thran stared at them. Neither of them were very tall, just small willowy ballerinas and he did smile, his most relaxing smile, the three did smile back. "Excuse me my ladies, Ms Bellatrix? Is she somewhere to be found?"

One of them pointed at the back of the room. "She is working on a costume back there, she is to play the nut cracker you know"

Bard had to cringe. Ouch, the show would be without its main attraction for sure. Thran did saunter off as if nothing was amiss and Bard was straight behind him and saw a very tall figure standing by a clothing mannequin, obviously trying to attach some pieces of cloth to the uniform. Bard did almost gape, the person was very feminine in spite of the height, in fact she was gorgeous. She turned her head and saw them, first she frowned and then she obviously realized that something was off for she did bolt.

She was heading for a door in the corner but Thran got in the way and she let out a hiss and grasped for something from a box on a table. It was a sword and she did stab after Thran but he did evade the attack easily and grasped a sword too. He did parry like a master and the woman did reveal that she was no fencer at all. Before long she got forced into a corner and Thran did hit her sword and got it out of her hands. She screamed and tried to reach Thran but the officers did storm forth and grasped her and managed to get the cuffs onto her. She was screaming like a banshee and the voice was surprisingly light. Bard had to look at the face again, tried to see it as a man's face and it wasn't impossible but this person had to have looked very androgynous to start with.

Thran sent her a cold grin. "You are hereby arrested for murder, I bet you already know that don't you?"

She screeched. "You goddam fucking idiots, she deserved it, she snatched the role right before me, I should have had it, it should have been mine. I took it back, all the fame, all the praise!"

Bard stared at the tall woman who was struggling against the cuffs as the officers did haul her off. "That doesn't justify murdering somebody in such a horrible manner"

The woman did sneer at him. "What do you know about that ha? I did it all to be like her, to get it all. The fame and the wealth and the respect! It was for nothing!"

Thran was staring at her, his face like stone. "You aren't really a trans sexual now are you? You just wanted to be a woman to get the good roles"

She laughed, a shrill laughter. "Of course! Goddamn bitches, they get it all don't they! They ought to be raped the whole bunch of them, they get the jobs, they get the fame and they don't have to pay for a single fucking thing!"

Thran was silent and Bard just shook his head. He had heard of so called " incels" before but never anybody so crazy he had tried to become a woman to reap the benefits of being female. She swore again. "Goddamn cunt, but I showed her, she was a whore, they all are. Spreading their legs for anyone with power and being goddamn nuns when an ordinary guy tries to get some. Fucking sluts"

Thran did smile, a very sinister smile. "Know what, for anybody trying to live as a woman you have a very un-ladylike language, and perhaps your choice was a bit hastily made for trying to pose as a female while hating women…well, that is a bit…self-contradictory."

The officers were struggling to hold her as they hauled her into the squad car and Thran did take a deep sigh of relief. Bard did pat him on his back. "I didn't know that you knew how to fence?"

Thran just shrugged. "I had to learn it as a kid, and I was good. It was actually fun"

Bard smiled. "I could see that yes, it was impressive"

Thran sighed and sat down, closed the car door behind him. "I was thinking that the perp was a crazy and sick person, a psychopath of extreme volatility and I was right. This is one who lack any form of empathy and hates women with such a ferocity that he chose to become one thinking that women automatically gets all the good jobs."

Bard shook his head. "And got very disappointed indeed, when Ms Cloudfield got that role he must have lost it completely"

Thran almost giggled. "Yeah, talk about disappointment, seems as if it isn't enough to have boobs to get a job, you have to have talent too"

Bard nodded. "So what now?"

Thran drove onto the street. "She will be interrogated, I will be there of course and then there will be a trial and so on. I bet that they will place her in a top security prison."

Bard did frown. "A women's prison?"

Thran had a devilish grin on his face. "No, for she isn't really a woman, just a man pretending to be trans, because he believes that being a woman automatically gives you great benefits. Guess if he is gonna be popular in jail"

Bard had to cringe and then he had to laugh, it was mean but for somebody who had done something that horrible the fate would be well deserved.

Thran was caught up in the interrogations for a few days and the news spread that the dead body had been an impostor and Ms Cloudfield did return from Hawaii and when Bellatrix did hear about this she refused to believe it until Ms Cloudfield did call Thran on skype so the woman could see that it was in fact her and that she was very much alive.

The reaction was worthy of a price, if not an Oscar then at least the price for loudest roar of the century. All femininity was thrown out the window as Bellatrix did scream the worst insults anybody had ever heard and Ms Cloudfield did end the conversation by in a sweet voice saying "Ditto my dear"

That made the officers and Thran burst into a fit of laughter for Ms Cloudfield did once again prove that she was a lady to her very fingertips and in every way a person of impeccable manners. Thran did stare at Bellatrix who was red eyed and almost boiling. Since she hadn't been given any hormonal injections since the apprehension she was starting to grow two day shade and there wasn't much about her which reminded them of a ballerina now. "Now there you had a real lady, a woman with a capital w. You see, trying to be the great pretender isn't very wise, your victim did pay with her life and I am sorry to say it but you will pay with your virtue. That pretty face of yours and those fake boobs will make you everybody's darling once you are behind bars. But maybe it will teach you a lesson or two, about the everyday life of way too many women all over the world. Think about that when they rape you in the showers"

Bellatrix did just stare, if a gaze could kill they would all have been dead but Thran did just wave his hand at her. "I will give the judge a full report on your mental state, don't doubt even for a second that you are heading for jail. You are a depraved and sick and evil person but not mentally deranged and I wish that you will stay there and rot for the rest of your miserable life. But I am not a bad person so I will give you a piece of advice, just to be nice. Make sure to make the biggest and meanest guy your boyfriend, then you may be safe from gang bangs. Or else your ass will be the place everybody in the prison do visit on a regular basis"

He did turn and smiled at the fuming person, blowing her a kiss and closed the door looking very pleased, listening to the impressive tirade of cuss words. He had been unprofessional but it had been worth it.

Elisa had managed to get a hold of Justine's family and they were flying in to claim the body, they had always known that Justine would end up dead sooner or later, in their eyes she had been a sinner and a depraved person but they had to agree that not even her wrong doings did justify her terrible end. Judith didn't share the most graphic details of Justine's demise and the funeral workers had managed to hide the worst damage so she did look relatively normal when her parents came to see her for the last time. Judith was very grateful for their assistance for she knew how to cut open a body, not to fix it to make it look alive again. The missing breast had been found in Ms Bellatrix freezer so it too would be buried with its owner, Bellatrix had sent the files to Thor just to mock the police and she had also sent her videos to several sites for people like herself, men who hate women because they are unable to see their own short comings and blames the world for their problems instead of taking a look in the mirror and trying to change.

The trial against Bellatrix was held just two weeks after her apprehension, she had already confessed to the crime and when they did interview the workers on the hotel she had stayed at they did confess to having seen a telescope within the room, and she had often acted very strangely whenever Ms Cloudfield happened to be at her favourite hotel. That Ms Combs did show up when she did was the chance Bellatrix did wait for, the actress being alone without her entourage had been perfect and Bard had to wonder about the odd dance fate sometimes tread. Two impostors, being caught by obsession. One by greed, the other by hatred and it had ended terribly for them both.

Thran and Bard did get some days alone and enjoyed them to the fullest and a few months later Bard did speak to a police officer who had visited the prison where Bellatrix did serve her time, which was ten lifetimes and then some. They had kept her in isolation for a while but then they had to release her out among the other prisoners and it had taken about three hours before the other inmates did gang up on the former woman and had their way with her as the police officer politely put it. Now she was the bitch of one of the gang leaders there and he would often allow his followers to make use of her to keep their loyalty. Thran giggled when Bard told him. Sometimes Karma does come back to bite you and she can indeed be quite a bitch.