CHAPTER 11: A Profound Proposition

Fern walked into the police station moments before the clock struck 9am. To her own surprise, she felt a little better now that she talked to the Armstrong's. Fern knew it would be a lie to say everything was okay, but things were at least better than they were before. That much could be appreciated.

Buster was sitting at his desk, which was next to Fern's. Several cops were in the room, but no one paid special attention to Fern as she walked up to her partner. Buster looked up at his female associate. "You went and saw them, didn't you?" he asked with a candy bar in his hand. Fern nodded. "They will be alright, they're just trying to make sense of it all," she replied. Buster took a bite of his snack. "Well, once Petrofus gets here, we can debrief with her and then get moving."

Fern turned to Officer Dominic Cabrera, who was busy filling out some paperwork at his desk. "Dom, how much longer will Burchett be in the hospital?" Dom looked up and shrugged his shoulders. "Another day or two, but I'm not positive. We'll make sure he doesn't leave our sight though," he said. "I want him escorted to our jail cell once he's healthy enough. We're probably gonna need him for more information," stated Fern. Dom nodded. "You got it, Walters."

Fern turned back to Buster. "Petrofus isn't here yet? She's never late," Fern said. Buster looked at his watch. "9:01. Usually she's here by 8," he replied with a hint of concern. The two detectives got up and walked to the back of the room, where Petrofus' office was. Fern put her hand up to the door knob. It was locked, and the office lights were off. "She never called you to say she'd be late?" asked Fern. Buster shook his head. "Nope, haven't heard from her." Fern felt a sharp pain like a dagger in her gut. No, it couldn't be. Did the Chalice Killers get to Petrofus? It seemed unlikely, but if Burchett failed to kill the two detectives, maybe targeting the DCI was the best option? Fern picked up her phone and called her boss. She held her breath and hoped Petrofus would answer.

"Walters, I was just about to call you. Get down to 3rd and Oak. We got more action."

"Did some of our guys already call you?"
"Yeah, I was on my way to the station and they let me know. Apparently, they forgot to call you. Stupid bastards."

"Alright, Baxter and I are on our way."

Fern hung up the phone. "3rd and Oak. Another victim," she said. Buster half choked on his candy bar. "Another one already? Jesus Christ, they are really trying to make a fast statement!" The two detectives rushed to their work car and sped off towards the targeted destination.

The car pulled up to the curb, where several police cars and an ambulance was already parked. Fern and Buster got out and headed inside the house. Thankfully, being private property, no reporters could enter the crime scene. Fern opened the door and stared at the horrific sight. Right in the living room, was Prunella Deegan. She was completely naked, and was impaled in her rectum and up through her mouth with a solid wood spike. Petrofus noticed her two detectives, and turned to them. "Looks like she was attacked late last night," said Petrofus. Fern continued to stare in disbelief. The absolute brutality of the Chalice Killers was unimaginable. Impalement? It was like out of a horror story from the Middle Ages.

"Any traces of semen?" asked Buster. "Yes, we found a little. No pubic hair, and no blood but the victim's," replied Petrofus. She turned to Fern. "Walters, you okay? You look rather off." Fern blinked and nodded her head. "Sorry, DCI. I'm fine, just need some coffee." Petrofus didn't flinch. "We are still looking for any evidence that might be helpful." Fern shook out her daze and turned to the victim. "Any fingerprints? Maybe on the spike?" she suggested. "Nothing. These guys know what they're doing now. No hair, no fingerprints," said the DCI. "Well they must have left some kind of skin or something as they raped her," asserted Buster. Petrofus sighed in frustration. "I've checked for that too. Haven't found anything."

Fern walked up to Prunella's body. She had an idea: she pulled out a small black light she always kept in her jacket. Buster and Petrofus went up to her side to watch the female detective get to work. Fern turned on the light and moved it slowly down the victim. "Nothing on the face, neck, breasts…here!" said Fern, half to herself. On Prunella's abdomen was a message. "Invisible ink. So now they want to show off how clever they are," said Buster. The three detectives carefully read the message. The penmanship wasn't great, but it was still good enough to be read through a black light.

We failed on the first,

But won on the next pair,

We're the Chalice Killers, so beware.

The fourth died in pain,

She deserved to suffer, for she was vain.

Try and stop us, Fern and Buster,

Bring all the strength you can muster.

The fifth will really be fun,

Don't travel alone, or you'll be done.

Fern read the message over and over again. "They are really confident now in their capabilities," she finally said. Buster pulled out a small notepad and began to write down the threatening words. The three detectives stood there and looked at the ominous poem. "DCI, you think they're going to target you or me?" asked Fern quietly. Petrofus pulled out a flask and took a swig. "They sure made it sound like one of us is next," replied the DCI. Fern thought about what the previous victims went through. Drugged. Kidnapped. Gang raped. Brutally murdered through torture. It was truly death from the darkest depths of hell.

"Mae, come take a picture of this please," called Fern to Mae Turk, who was the main photographer for the police force. Mae was taking pictures of the body from a few feet away, but quickly hurried over to the detectives. She took half a dozen pictures of the poem. "This is fucked up, guys," she told them. Fern stood up and lite a cigarette. "Yes it is," replied Fern quietly. She was sincerely worried about herself and Petrofus. If the Chalice Killers got their hands on one of them, then that would spell disaster for the case. Not to mention, it would mean a horrible demise saturated in pain and suffering.

"Where do we go from here? There's thousands of young women in Elwood City. It's almost impossible to predict when and where they will strike next," commented Buster as he pulled out a granola bar. Fern was thinking the same thing. What other leads did they have? Burchett seemed to exhaust everything he knew about his criminal group. Then, something popped up in Fern's mind.

"Wait, we do have something!" said Fern, turning to Buster and Petrofus. "Burchett's criminal record was erased. That means someone on the inside is with the Chalice Killers." Petrofus looked at the victim's body. "Either that or they paid off the mole," suggested the DCI. "Burchett said that he was paid ten grand to join the group, which means the leader has money," added Buster, "it wouldn't be out of the question to suggest that the mole was paid to erase the records." Fern processed the scenario. Erased criminal records…who in the police force would do that? Was a mole the best explanation?

"Jenna said that there was absolutely no evidence of her attack…meaning that the Chalice Killers have extended knowledge of forensics," said Fern. She hit a long drag, and waited for her associates to comment. Buster's eyes widened in epiphany. "Someone on the inside, plus knowledge of forensic evidence…are you suggesting that Powers is a suspect?" asked Buster. Fern nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but Powers has access to the criminal record archive, plus he knows everything about forensics, including how to hide evidence at the scene of a crime."

Petrofus shook her head. "Walters, other law enforcement members have enough knowledge to hide evidence of kidnapping and gang rape. Powers couldn't logically be the only suspect."

Fern knew her boss had a point, but intuition said otherwise. "It's actually a miracle that the Chalice Killers hid absolutely every piece of evidence at the scene of Jenna's attack. No ordinary officer could do that."

Buster and Petrofus looked at each other, then looked back at Fern. "I hate to admit it, but you might be right about Powers," admitted Petrofus.

"Plus, Powers always comments he is in bed before 11pm. Maybe he's just covering up his nocturnal activities with the Chalice Killers?" suggested Buster.

"My thoughts exactly, Baxter," said Fern. "All the attacks took place at night, or at least after the business day was over. There are no contradictions to think Powers is a suspect."

Petrofus took another swig from her flask. "There's one problem though, Walters," she said, "Why would Powers commit kidnap, rape and murder? He has a wife and kids. His profile doesn't match that of a psychopath."

Fern still had confidence in her theory. "Well, Rattles seemed to be normal guy in his late 20's who had a serious relationship with Jenna. Then all of a sudden, everything goes to shit. Obviously, the Balancer can influence even the most normal people."

Petrofus and Buster looked at the ground in deep concentration, as if they were debating whether to go along with Fern's hypothesis. It was a serious matter to make Powers a suspect, but if it was true, then there would be drastic consequences. Petrofus let out a sigh.

"Alright, Walters, we will check out Powers. But, this just stays between us three, got it?" said the DCI as she sternly looked at her two detectives. Fern and Buster nodded. Things just got even more personal, not to mention dangerous. The case was taking a turn for the worst. If the Chalice Killers had a genius with vast knowledge of forensics on their side, then they were indeed far stronger than anticipated. Only time would tell if Powers was truly a Chalice Killer, or just a victim of an inaccurate theory.