Warning: Possibly a very graphic and dark chapter. Read at own risk. You have been warned.

The massacre

Chapter 3

Mac stood looking over the files of the recently deceased Sonny Corinthos and Scott Baldwin. He desperately needed a break in this case.

Both men had gained so many enemies before their death, so there were plenty of area to search but no solid evidence. Nothing, no clues whatsoever, the corpses were no help. Sonny was killed by a bullet to the head and Scott Baldwin, stabbed to death.

He had no doubt that it had been a sniper who had knocked off Corinthos, and he considered the thought that these deaths were similar, but there was no proof of that. Different weapons and cause of death, different death places, different times of death, the only thing similar was they got murdered on the same night.

So he had absolutely nothing to go on. That butcher knife said it killed Baldwin, the ex-district attorney, but no fingerprints. Everything else was a no go, the cases were already cold and they had plenty of suspects, but with no evidence, what good was the suspects?

Motives were numerous; hatred of the men, revenge, land and power and money, their job. Who was to know which the correct one was? But he had nothing to go on. IF indeed there was a killer going around, all of Port Charles was in danger, his wife, his friends, and his children.

It was up to him to find this murderer, but there was no proof that the crimes were connected so he couldn't announce to everyone that there was a killer on the loose and that you needed to watch out and be careful. For all he knew, it may have been two separate murderers.

A knock slammed on his door. "Come in." He called and a frustrated, edgy Ric Lansing stalked in, slamming the door behind him.

"Why hasn't my brother's murderer been captured yet?" He asked Mac straight forward.

"You know that is privileged information." Mac said firmly.

"Screw privileged. Sonny was my brother and I want justice served." Ric argued angrily but Mac barely flinched at his tone.

"Well, tell you what Ric. You give me some solid evidence and we can arrest some suspects." Mac taunted Ric, knowing full well that any evidence he gave couldn't be used.

"What do you call his body? The bullet that got logged itself in his brain?" Ric asked.

"Inconclusive evidence." Mac said, knowing full well that was the truth.

"How is the bullet inconclusive? Couldn't you track down the serial number?" Ric continued his questions of justice.

"Custom made, we can't even tell what gun was used with it." Mac told Ric. He had one of his guys' track it down and he found it wasn't on the list, so he came to the conclusion that it was custom made. He had to credit the murderer, they covered their tracks well.

"So they're rich. Go on that." Ric insisted.

"I tried; Lorenzo Alcazar was out of the country. Edward Quartermaine was in a board meeting that went late, Monica and Alan were working the night shift. Alan Jr. is out of the country as well." Mac thought at all the basics.

"What of the five families?" Ric asked.

"They all had alibis." Mac asked, wondering if Ric thought him incompetent. He may be the District attorney but he was the commissioner and knew what he was doing. He'd been doing this for years.

"Fine, what about Baldwin?" He asked, slouching in one of the chairs in front of Mac's desk. "Does anything connect both of the murders?"

"No, but my gut says their connected, but we have yet to find the evidence that proves that." Mac glared at Ric, hoping he'd get the message that nothing could be done for the moment.

"It's been days, why haven't you found anything that could even lead to an arrest?" Ric still asked, not seeing the big picture. This was why he couldn't be on the case, too bias.

"Whoever did these murders, Ric, they were good. They left not one little hair that would help in his arrest. They were rich, obviously, but they weren't stupid when they did the actual acts." Mac argued.

"Everyone makes a mistake sometime." Ric persuaded Mac. He made them himself.

"Yeah, well, obviously not this time around. So until this murderer or both of them at this point strikes again, we have nothing to work with." Mac explained.

"And who's to say they will kill again, Mac? If both my brothers and Baldwin were murdered for revenge, then what's to say this murderer wants more revenge?" Ric argued.

"Trust me to do my job Ric. I've been in this profession for years and I know what I'm doing. Most killers will kill again, and when this one does we will..." Mac got interrupted by his phone ringing.

He sighed and picked it up, saying "Commissioner Scorpio here." Ric waited in the chair to finish their conversation, besides the call might mean something to his brother's case.

Mac frowned paling slightly. "I'll be right there." He hung up and got up from his chair.

"We'll have to finish this conversation another time." He told Ric.

"Was there another murder?" Ric asked, standing up, following Mac as he left his office.

Mac just ignored him and went to a desk officer and spoke with him briefly before turning to leave the station, Ric following him like a dog.

"Mac!" Ric screamed. "Would you answer my question already?" He asked as Mac got into his car.

Mac started it up and after saying "no", drove away on assumed police behavior, leaving Ric in the dust.

He made his way towards the main Corinthos coffee warehouse where Sonny Corinthos used to do his major dealings. When he got there, the big warehouse had the same black and yellow caution tape, all around it.

He gained access by going again under the tape and went to the nearest officer. "What happened here?" He demanded almost automatically. It was best for his sake to get straight to the point.

"A man who worked for Mr. Corinthos came by under the order of Jason Morgan to take care of the last shipment. He came around the bend, to open the door where he found what he thought was an unconscious woman." The officer reported, gesturing to the man by his partner.

"And let me guess, she was dead." Mac supposed, wanting to roll his eyes.

"Yes, sir, she was indeed dead. Decapitated, in fact." The officer swallowed at that mention. He wasn't much for blood and especially a body without a head. He really should have watched another movie other than sleepy hollow last night, but who was he to guess that he'd report to a murder scene where the victim was indeed without a head?

Mac blinked. "Decapitated? You care to tell me our victim is without her head?" Mac was shocked. Something like this was rarely seen.

"Well, it was found amid some boxes and crates, a few yards from the doorway and body, but yes her body is without the head attached." The officer replied, subconsciously winding his free hand around his neck in effect.

"I take it that's not the whole story." Mac responded, knowing something was missing; there was no ending to the young man's report.

"No, its not, sir, in fact there is two bodies." The officer gulped and told Mac.

Mac rubbed his eyes. Enough of surprises already, if he got one more he was going to consider retirement at this point, forget the huge college bills he would receive in a few years.

"Give it to me straight. Who is the second victim?" Mac advised him.

"That's why the guard who came here was so surprised, besides the decapitated body. It was Mrs. Corinthos, she hung herself." The officer reported.

"Are you sure?" Mac asked, maybe the light was off. Those warehouses were dark with all those high, dirty windows that were rarely cleaned.

"Well, there's not much light, but it was most definitely Mrs. Corinthos. I doubt the guard wouldn't be able to tell that, he did guard her a few times from what I heard." The officer answered truthfully.

"Where is she?" Mac asked, rubbing his temples from an upcoming headache. He wasn't joking when he said if he got one more surprise he'd consider retirement. It sounded pretty good right now.

"Inside the warehouse, a few feet from the door, look up." The officer pointed to the door and Mac left him without another word.

Mac stepped over the body and went around where the forensics team hadn't looked and entered the warehouse. When Mr. Corinthos died, he still had quite a shipment to sell off. He swerved through all the stacked boxes and wooden crates for a few feet, making him think this was a maze.

He stopped short when he noticed something indeed hanging. A body, the head angled, attached to a rope attached to one of the high placements. It was Carly Corinthos, newly widowed and a mother of two sons. A dead Carly Corinthos.

A/N: thanks to lovekitty for changing their story summary, it was looking too similar to mine, but now i'm satisfied. thanks again if ur reading.