"Wow…can you believe that?"
The profound surprise in Steve's voice reverberated throughout the otherwise barren apartment, as the detectives reached the second bedroom turned investigation lab.
Next to him, Mike let his fingers run over the large assortment of newspaper cutouts and magazine covers that adorned the walls top to bottom, as if trying to suck the information right out of the paper.
They'd requested for Horowitz to remain outside during their initial search of the apartment, hoping to limit any loss or damage to valuable evidence. And yet, within a few minutes, the Complex Manager was joined by half a dozen tenants, the curious retirees watching them eagerly from afar.
Not answering his partner's exasperated question right away, the Lieutenant leaned closer, trying to make out the sentences underlined in several of the articles, then moving his attention to the cluttered desk, an abstract sight considering the rest of the apartment was meticulously clean and barely lived in.
The bed had been made and the linens smelled fresh. Dishes were done and the fridge was well organized, although some of the fresh food had begun to go bad.
A calendar and well-used notepad were clear of any information as to where Seavers had gone before disappearing, as well as any sort of contacts that might help them tighten the net.
Nothing in his full closet suggested that he had been planning to leave town for a while, as a matter of fact, it seemed as though Winston Seavers had left his apartment to go shopping and never returned.
And while the thoughts of robbery gone wrong or perhaps even suicide had crossed his mind early on, the second bedroom littered with articles was beginning to sway his opinion into a different direction altogether.
"Severed leg found on Cannon Beach not traced to any missing persons…", Mike read out loud, before moving on to the next article, "Human remains found in Ocean Park. Believed to be a severed leg and arm…very interesting…"
"So, we're not the only ones working on this case…", Steve surmised, then joined him next to a map of northern America, several red dots marking locations where body parts had been found, "This seems to be a widespread problem. Look, we got a handful on the east coast, but a couple dozen on the west coast. That's a lot of…body parts…"
As the newfound evidence sent chills through both detectives, it was Mike who crossed his arms in front of his chest, a worried frown clouding his expression.
"And here we have a guy who, for one reason or another, grew interested in this happening…and next thing we know, his own leg shows up on the shores of Point Reyes. That tell you something, Buddy Boy?"
Looking over to share a glance with his partner, Steve nodded somberly.
"It tells me that I was right and this is murder. At a frighteningly large scale…"
"Mhm hm…"
Running his thumb along his lower lip, Mike let his eyes drift across the dozens of articles one more time, then pointed his chin to the nearby phone.
"Let's get the lab guys in here to grab everything they can on these cases. I want to head back to the office and talk to the Homicide departments of the nearest cases, see if there's a trend of sorts…"