Chapter 2 Dino pt 2
Julie Finlay felt jittery. Seventy-two hours without sleep and endless cups of coffee had left flitting between wanting to nap for a week and staying awake for a month. Finn wanted to stand under a hot shower and let her mind go blank but right now she had a killer to catch.
The universe had made her first case in Seattle complicated, not one or two suspects but eight. They all had motive and opportunity to have done it. Every new bit of evidence added another suspect.
"We can rule out Tanya Smith, CCTV had her studying in the library at the time of the murders," DB told her walking into the room with a bottle of water in his hands.
"One down, seven to go," Finn groaned, running her hands through her hair. DB offered her a small smile, her refusal to go home until she solved the case both impressed and worried him. She was dedicated, but he had seen dedication burn CSIS out.
The two surviving victims statements were the same.
They were drinking and dancing, the music was full blast and they were having a great time then they felt pain in their back. Fell to the ground and that's all they could remember.
In the space of fifteen minutes the killer, killed five and injured two people in a room full of two hundred people yet no one could identify him or her.
"Okay let's go over again what we know about the victims," DB suggested, fighting back a yawn. He wanted to go home and sleep, the image of Barbara in the garden digging sprung up in his mind. DB pushed it away and focused on Finn.
"First, we have the three S's Sandy, Sophie, and Sasha they made our suspects lives hell over the years the most recent incident when they forced suspect number two Alex to eat cat faeces with the help of George and Andy the two victims in the hospital," Finn told him pointing at the photographs of each one.
What they had done to Alex sickened Finn, it was cruel and twisted. She could understand why after all the years of torment why Alex or the others had snapped but by killing they had themselves as bad.
"The last two killed were twins Luke and Laura who until four months ago they were model students then Luke dated Sophie. That's when he and Laura joined in the bullying,".
Finn tilted her head and looked at Laura's autopsy report again. An idea, a motive they hadn't thought of struck her.
"Laura was stabbed in the front while the others in the back like the killer wanted her to know who it was," Finn began.
"And the others stabbed in the back. The way they stabbed the killer in the back," DB finished.
"We should talk to the victims friends again see who thinks they were betrayed by the group,".
Matt Blackton sat there calm with an arrogant smirk. His chilling, detailed confession hung in the air making the atmosphere heavy and icy.
His piercing green eyes looked bored. Fourteen years old and he killed five people over a disagreement about a camera.
Laura had lent it to him for a school project. He broke it when smacked another student in the face with it. She asked him to buy her new one and when he refused; she got her mom to contact his parents breaking the golden rule of the group, no snitching to parents. The others sided with her.
None of the victims were innocent, but they were children who might have grown up ashamed and remorseful about how they treated people.
But Matt had robbed them of the chance to grow up over something petty and Finn wanted him to see a flicker of guilt however the more she looked the more she saw he looked proud.
"You know my biggest regret about this Mr. Russell?" the boy asked coldly. "Is that I only killed five, not seven,".
Finn wanted to wipe the smug look off the boy's face. Rage and disgust bubbled in her stomach. Almost as if Russell could read her mind he placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her seated and told detective Toby to take Matt away.
"The case is over, go home and sleep," DB suggested standing up.
"If it's over then why do I feel like we achieved nothing? We both know with his parents money they'll get a good lawyer and they will argue he's insane, he'll be walking the streets again before he's twenty-five," Finn replied, where was the justice for those dead, where was the justice for all they people they bullied.
DB let out a sigh mixed with exhaustion and anger, the close Finn looked at him the more she saw that he felt that same as her but hid it better.
"Yeah, and it isn't fair but our job is to find the evidence. The rest is to judges and juries, " DB told her softly. "Now go home, shower, eat and sleep that's an order,".