~Lassiter's POV~
"Dear Sweet Lady Justice!"
Walking in on this crime scene nearly made my heart leap out of my chest as I held back the erg to cover my nose and mouth in order to protect myself from the stench of the body that has been rotting for three days. Thankfully, I was able to keep down my lunch as I stared at the gruesome sight. Nailed against the wooden wall, inside of an abandon house, was another victim of rape and murder. She was young, beautiful and in no way deserve such a horrifying death. It wasn't because of the naked young woman that was nailed to the wall, nor was it because of her rib cage was ripped open with her organs laying on the floor right in front of the body, and not even the eyes that were burnt out that make me fell sick to my stomach, it was how much this victim looked like Dominique. This girl could have been Dominique's twin, just like the previous victim. The previous victim, Bethany, was also tall, had long brown hair, and was beautiful. At least until some sick bastard got his hands on her. If it wasn't for the ID in we found in her coat, the only article of clothing the victim had on her, the department would still be trying to some how get a DNA sample from the body which was drowned acid. This is the second victim that matches Dominique's distribution but, what the hell does this mean?
A sudden fear of losing my girlfriend to this maniac hit me like a lightning bolt. I quickly left the house and pulled out my phone. After calling the number, I impatiently waited for Dominique to pick up, which every ring I listened to made my heart pound harder.
"Hello."
"Dominique!"
"Ow, Carlton, what's with the shouting?"
I finally let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding.
"Carlton? Are you ok? What happened?"
I was about to speak when I heard voices in the background.
"Is Spencer and Guster with you?"
"Hi Lassie!"
I wanted to punch something, gag, and be relieved all at once. Mostly, hearing Dominique's voice was enough to just make me relieved.
"Yes. They were so sweet as to give me a ride home. We stopped along the way to grab a quick bite. I've never had a burger before, they're absolutely delicious!"
"I'm glad you're happy. Sweety-Pie, would you be so kind to put Spencer on."
"Of course."
"What's up Lassie?"
"Spencer, I need you to listen to me and listen to me very carefully."
"Sure thing."
"I need you and Guster to keep an eye on Dominique the entire time I'm not there."
"Why? What happened?"
"There's a deranged killer out lose in Santa Barbara and he's been targeting women who look just like Dominique. I will even pay you to stay with her at all times, sense suspicious people if you have to. Just don't let her out of your sight!"
I hung up the phone before Spencer could get a word in. I looked around and noticed the numerous pair of eyes watching me. I straighten out my shirt and went back inside of the house.
"O'Hara, what do we got?"
I looked over at my partner who looked pale and speechless.
"O'Hara?"
"Yes," she finally snapped out of it."
"It's ok. Whoever did this, we're going to nail this bastard."
I gave O'Hara a comforting pat on the shoulder. After that, asked the Blood Splatter Analyst, Doug, to tell me what happened.
"Well Sir, the women was alive when she was brought here. The blood under her finger nails indicate she fought back. The blood on the wall, sprayed out when the attacker kept slapping her, breaking her nose. She was nailed to the wall alive which is why there's so much blood that came from her hands. The bruises on the victims legs are finger marks from where the attacker held the victim as he raped her. Then afterwards, he cut her chest open, breaking the rib cage, and finally ripped her organs out, I'm guessing he used a skinning knife for that."
"Fine, what about the eyes?"
"That was the last then he did. I couldn't tell you why. But what I can tell you is, this man is around 6'4, left handed, very strong and very angry. You want to look for a skinning knife as I said, as well as a pretty powerful electric screw driver."
"Thanks Doug, now I won't be able sleep for weeks."
"I'm just doing my job, Sir."
Doug left when I ordered the body to be sent to autopsy for further review. I was about to leave when something caught my eye. I grabbed a pair of twisters from the one of the forensics guys. I pulled down the lip of the dead girl with a gloved hand. Using the twisters, I pulled out, what looked like, a piece a paper with writing on it.
"Love is like death, it must come to us all, but to each his own unique way and time, sometimes it will be avoided, but never can it be cheated, and never will it be forgotten."
"Carlton, what is it?"
"It's, it's nothing," I said as I felt my voice nearly tremble.
O'Hara grabbed the paper from my hands and read it out loud.
"Love is like death, it must come to us all, but to each his own unique way and time, sometimes it will be avoided, but never can it be cheated, and never will it be forgotten."
O'Hara looked at the paper a moment longer before her eyes returned to me.
"What does this mean?"
"It means, whoever did this is looking for someone."
"How do you know?"
"Think about it O'Hara. We found a note inside the coat of yesterday's victim next to her ID. What did that note say?"
"'"My love for her is so great, that if all the leaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not declare it.', so he's trying to find an ex-girlfriend?"
"Maybe, or an ex wife."
