The massacre

Chapter 3

Mac stood in the elevator, it finally landing at the right floor. The doors opened with a set of movements and a happy noise, which he ignored and made his way for the scene of the crime for the second time tonight.

He went to the door and shared a few words with the deputies and officers around to keep the peace. He kneeled under the yellow and white "caution" tape once again and looked around the apartment Scott Baldwin had for a home.

It sure didn't look homey to him. He was in the middle of the intersection between the rooms and the living room. There was no signs of struggle in this area, no body either, so the murder must have happened in another room.

He took care, glimpsing around, touching nothing. Anything could be considered evidence at this particular scene. He met with the young, amateur officer who called him to report this find.

"Officer Murphy, where's the body?" He asked point blank, not wasting time. Officer Murphy silently stepped aside and let Mac see the damage and corpse of the former district attorney.

On the while tiles that consisted of the floor in that particular room, was covered with blood. In the middle of the mess was Scott Baldwin, his limbs at weird angles, pale and very much dead.

His white shirt and shorts were covered with blood, the bloody knife lay near him. He looked back to the officer. "I take it he was stabbed to death?" Mac supposed.

Officer Murphy nodded. "That's what we suspect. We don't know for sure, but the angle that those knife wounds are at, it would be impossible for it to be considered suicide. Those angles and marks usually mean that someone else had to do it." The officer explained, motioning slightly to the body.

Officer Murphy was no veteran in the police department, but then again, he was no newbie. Mac took that information at arm's length. They'd know that when the autopsy was done.

He looked back at the living room. "There are no signs of struggle?" Mac supposed, asking the officer another continuous question.

"No, sir. We believe it was a surprise attack, no time for Scott Baldwin to fight." The officer explained.

Mac looked at the ground for any signs of footsteps. It was carpet, no way to tell shoe size, no evidence in that area. He looked to the door, which the forensic team was working on.

He left Officer Murphy and went to see if there was anything there, any clue who did this. "Did you check the lock?" He asked them.

One of the forensics people, a man named Joseph Riley, answered for the group. "Yeah, we did. Nothing, no force whatsoever, it must have been unlocked when the murderer came in, he got in easy. No fingerprints either, must have been wearing gloves." Joseph added, knowing that question was coming eventually.

So that meant also none on the murder weapon, a big butcher knife, one probably from Scott Baldwin's own collection. This case wasn't looking good at all.

Meanwhile, at the hospital a weepy and very emotional Carly was in the lobby, waiting for the okay to go see her husband for the last time.

It finally hit her that morning when Sonny never came home. Mac was telling the truth last night. Michael asked in the morning if his dad ever came home, but she couldn't lie to him and told Michael he hadn't, but didn't reveal that he was dead. She just said that she was going to find him while he was in school. She didn't want Michael to know of his dad's death until she was absolutely certain he was dead, even though her instincts and feelings knew it was true.

Someone had finally gotten rid of her husband, as she thought this she broke out in another sob. Emily, who had just gotten off one of the elevators overheard her sobs and went to investigate.

She stopped when she saw it was Carly and hesitated to approach her and ask what was wrong. They weren't friends, they weren't enemies, but she couldn't just ignore what she was seeing either, so she made her way towards her anyway. The worst that could happen was that Carly would scream for her to go away and she would gladly do so if asked.

Carly didn't acknowledge another person's presence before Emily called her name deafly. "Carly?" Emily asked, waiting for the worst.

Carly turned quickly to face Emily and frowned. Carly was a wreck. Her eyes were red and glassy, there were bags under her eyes. Emily sat across from her on the love seat. "Carly, are you okay?" She asked, pitying Carly at this given moment.

Carly couldn't speak at first, a sob stuck in her throat. When she did though, it was hard to understand anyway. "Sonny…he's…" She couldn't finish, the sob coming again.

Emily grimaced and fished in her purse for a tissue that Carly could use. She found one and held it out; Carly took it gratefully, nodding her thanks. Emily waited for Carly to finish her sentence when she was ready.

Carly blew her nose loudly and wiped her eyes, trying to compose herself some. "Sonny's dead." She said, her voice faltering a bit.

Emily frowned again, shocked though. Sonny was finally dead? That was hard to believe at this point, Sonny had escaped death so much before. Carly probably thought the same. Still, despite Emily's doubt, she told Carly, "I'm so sorry, Carly." She was sympathetic, she had lost Nikolas herself. It was absolutely heartbreaking but she was dealing.

Carly practically ignored her and continued on with her story. "Mac told me, but I didn't want to believe him. I thought it was just a scheme to get Sonny convicted finally." Carly paused for a moment, continuing a second later. "But he never came home." She confessed finally.

"Oh, Carly…" Emily stopped, not sure what to say. When she was just beginning her grieving for her fiancé, Nikolas, she hated the I'm sorry's and all the condolences people gave. They absolutely drove her nuts. She didn't want their sympathy and maybe Carly didn't either. It was hard to say, she didn't know Carly all that well.

So Emily went for a neutral topic. "How did Michael take it?" She asked, knowing Michael loved Sonny so.

Carly shook her head dramatically, as if in denial. "I didn't tell him, I just couldn't until I knew for sure. I don't want to put all that hurt on him if it was just another false alarm." Carly admitted and Emily had to understand that one.

Emily offered her services. "If it's too hard for you, I could always do so. Take him off your hands while you deal." Emily asked, offering help in this time of need.

Carly shook her head stubbornly again. "No, I can do it, but thanks for the offer anyway." Carly told Emily and became silent.

Emily stood up, leaving to give Carly some alone time. "Okay, call me if you change your mind though." Emily prepared to leave, grabbing her purse and walking a few steps before Carly called her back. Emily turned and waited for Carly to say what she wanted to say.

Carly didn't disappoint her. "How do you do it?" She asked but Emily had no clue what she Carly meant.

"How did I do what?" Emily asked, curious.

"Grieve, move on with you life, be happy. I mean you just lost Nikolas a month or so ago and here you are happy and keeping on going. I don't know if I can do it." Carly voiced her fears and Emily frowned, looking for an explanation that Carly could understand.

Emily went and sat back down on the loveseat. She set down her purse and answered Carly's question. "I know, at first you don't think you can go on. It's hard, to see a future without your loved one, you loved them so much you made it all about them and then they just...leave." Emily stopped, sad now but continued anyway. "But then one day you wake up and you can just tell that everything's going to be okay. You need to give it time, to help you heal. It hurts now, I know, but it's going to be okay." Emily explained, though from her own ears it seemed like she was someone else.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks Emily." Carly told Emily as the coroner approached her to take her to identify her….husband. She just couldn't say the words yet. Carly got up and prepared herself, trying to call all her strength and courage that she had up until today.

Carly looked down as Emily placed another tissue in her hand and smiled encouragingly. Carly managed a small smile of thanks, for the tissue, comfort and advice, and followed the coroner a bit hesitantly.

Emily watched Carly go and wished her the best of luck. She never actually got to identify Nikolas's body, so she couldn't offer any comfort there, but she was beginning to wish she could. It might have brought more comfort, more closing after his death, but she would never be able to do that. There was no body to identify and that made this loss that much worse.

When her mom died, it was much the same story, but she actually got to see the body, actually got to be there when she died. She didn't know how Nikolas died, whether it was of too much smoke inhalation or being crushed by a pillar, or maybe he got burned to death. She would never know though.

That was the hardest part of moving on this time around. Sure she woke up in the mornings, she ate, she slept, she lived, but it wasn't easy. Some days she didn't want to get out of bed, sometimes she just didn't want to eat, sometimes she wished she was with Nikolas, but she always found some reason to get up or eat or live. It kept her strong and she knew Carly would make it through, besides the fact she had to for her children's sake. Carly would be just fine.

Author's note: Okay, yeah, that Carly and Emily scene would never happen, but I thought it would be a nice interlude, I mean this story has been way too serious so far. I had to lighten the negativity and dark themes, or at least try to. Did it work?