The 10th Kingdom

A New Story

By Bigdisneyfan23

Chapter two: The Dead Start it All

Cereza was kneeling down next to the dead body. The victim was a twenty-three year old woman, callcanshion, and black hair. She lived in a small apartment, in Queens. Cereza looked over at her friend and was also the Chief Medical Examiner.

"Sara, Time of death?" Cereza asked.

Sara petted the dead girls head before answering. "Judging from how the discoloration of her skin she's been dead for about three hours."

Cereza ran her hand through her hair looking at the body. "Well at least we know how she died."

Sara shook her head. "That's not how she died."

Cereza looked up at her in shock. "What?"

Sara pointed to the stab wounds on the body. "I'm not sure but if you look at the wounds, there's not a lot of blood lost. Meaning she was all ready dead before she was stabbed. I won't know exactly what killed her until I get her to the Lab."

Cereza nodded her head; she got up and walked over to her partner, Eddy. Eddy was twenty-nine, 6'7ft, good looking, and happily married. With a baby girl on the way.

Eddy looked at Cereza as she walked up to him. "You're not going to like this."

Cereza sighed in frustration. "What now?"

"She had a kid." He looked down at his notice. "The child's name is Bella, her mother over there Victoria Smith. No husband or boyfriend, parents are dead. She worked as a waitress at a nearby dinner, Called Harvey's Dinner. Bella is six years old, height 3'7ft; she has short black hair, blue eyes and carries all was a brown teddy bear."

"You got that all from the neighbors?" Cereza asked. She looked over his shoulder and saw a police officer talking to a woman who was crying.

"No…I got that info from a woman who is the sister of our victim." He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "She was living with them, just got out of a bad relationship with her Ex-husband." Eddy looked up from his notice.

Cereza looked at him. "I'm guessing he beat her."

Eddy nodded his head. "Are victims sister name is Erica, she had just come home from work when she found her sister dead and her niece gone she called 911. She spects her Ex is behind it all." He said.

A small unhappy smile appeared on her lips. "Let me guess, he was not happy that his wife left him."

Eddy nodded his head.

"Okay, I want you and a couple of officers to go and pick him up and bring him downtown all so I want the rest to go looking for the girl. The Ex may have her but I just want to make sure she didn't just run away when the attacker broke in." Eddy stood awakly.

"What, what is it." Cereza demanded.

"Well, that's why we think the Ex did it because there was no forust entry."

She rubbed her hands on her face. "Oaky, then, uh well still look for the girl and get me the Ex husband. I'll take the sister down town to ask her more questions and maybe notice anything odd over the few days."

Cereza walked out, and then turned around to Dr. Sara. "Sara, once you found out what killed her, please let me now emitly."

Sara nodded her head. "HEY! Are you heading back to the police office?"

Cereza shook her head. "No not, I have to check on a little genius."

Sara smiled. "Tell Niko-chan, I said, hi."

"WILL DO!" yelled Cereza as she walked to her car.

Cereza drove to her home. She had her step-sister lived in a large mansion. It was best place for her and her sister. It had secrete doors, passage ways and hiding places. Great for hid and seek and for anyone who broke in. It belong to Cereza's Great Grandmother who was a bit of a nut. The wonderful great house had one problem. It was all the way in Long Island. So commuting to New York City, Boston was very tiring.

five years ago Cereza and Niko-chans parents and their brother were murdered. Niko was two years old then and she was staying with the grandparents at that time. Niko was adopted from Japan 2 months before the murder. They lived with their grandparents until Cereza was of age. She was paling on going to college but when her grandparents died she gained custody of Niko-chan. So Cereza decided to go in to law enforcement. Both of their parents and grandparent left them a large sum of money to them. So they moved to Long Island and Cereza became a detective.

She drove in to her drive way. She wasn't going to be long. She just wanted to make sure the babysitter was okay and still there.

Niko-chan was a sweet little girl it's just a lot of people thought she was odd. So she didn't like talking to people her own age. She is a very smart girl. Cereza could remember every teacher that she meet for Niko that it was unhealthy or not right for a little girl not talking or playing with kids her own age. Cereza thought that could home school her sister but when would she have the time. She was smart kid that could read books in half a day and loved talking to her sister on the books she read.

What was wrong with that? Cereza got her key out and walked the house…Something was wrong, the house was way to quit. And there was no sigh of the babysitter or Niko-chan.

"NIKO-CHAN!" she took off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

A small voice answered came from behind the wall of the stairs. "Here, underneath the stairs."

Cereza walked over to the small door that was hidden by a book case. She pulled on one of the books and the door swung open. Inside was Niko-chan reading the one of her books.

Cereza leaned against the door "Where's the babysitter?"

Without looking up at her sister Niko-chan answered. "She left, with her boyfriend."

"She had her boyfriend over?"

Niko looked up at Cereza. "I told her that he can't be here."

Cereza rubbed the back of her neck. "So what did she say?"

"She said I was a little brat and it was none of my business."

"So what did you say back?"

Niko-chan smiled. "I told her I knew about her and friends starting the fire down the street. So she left." Niko-chan looked back at her book. "She wasn't happy and she also told me that the next time you talk to her she'll have her Lawyer present."

Cereza shook her head. "Well since every evidence has burned to the ground, I can't arrest her."

Niko-chan looked back at her sister. "You knew?"

"Of course, I questioned her and her friends that night and they were all drunk and high but I could not arrest them for that."

"But you did arrest them?"

"Of course, we just didn't have enough evidence to arrest her for the fire."

Niko-chan nodded her head. "So are you home for the night or do you have to go back?

Just then Cereza cell phone rang. "No I'm not and you may have to come with me. Okay."

Niko-chan nodded her head. "I'll get dress and grab a couple of books." Niko-chan got up and ran up stairs.

Cereza watched Niko-chan run up the stairs and answered her phone. "Detective, Pond."

"It's me Eddy."

"So what do you have for me?"

"We haven't found the girl yet but we do have the Ex husband in interview room 1 and the victim's sister in interview room 2."

"Good, what else?" Cereza looked out one of the windows in the hall way.

"All so a note was found inside the victim's pockets. Along with a gold coin."

"All right I'll be…" Cereza saw a face looking through the window. Then Niko-chan came jumping down the stairs, Cereza looked up at her then looked back at the window. The face was gone.

"CEREZA, IS SOMETHING WRONG?" Yelled Eddy.

"…Its nothing I thought I saw something. I'll be there soon okay."

"All right." Eddy hung up.

Cereza closed her phone and looked at her little sister. "You ready?"

"Yep" she was wearing a purple shirt, jeans and white tennis shoes.

They walked to the car and got in, just as they got out of the neighborhood Cereza turned on the sirens and drove to the police department. Niko-chan was the seven years old, with long black hair and pale blue eyes. She was short for a normal seven year old but that never seemed to bother her. She loved the sun and her tone of skin showed it. And Cereza was worried. Her sister fit the description of all these missing girls. Black hair, pale blue eyes, height, and they were all girls. And last week Cereza and her team found out that the age mater. Every girl was either five or seven, no lower or higher. It all happen two weeks ago, with the first murder of a man who lived with his five year old daughter. His wife had died and all he had was his daughter. Now if they found the daughter alive who would she have? All the victims either lost someone or didn't have someone to take care of the child. Except for this last case. The killer made a mistake or he was braking his pattern. It was so confusing and scary for Cereza. She looked through the review mirror and saw Niko-chan ready away in one of her books.

They arrived at the station, they got out of the police car and walked in. They took the elevator up to Cereza department and office.

"Onē-san, did you find the girl." Niko-chan asked

Cereza sighed, of course her sister would find out about the case. She was a smart girl, why would she not know. "Nope, she's still missing but we're still looking for her."

Niko-chan nodded her head. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Eddy was waiting for them. "Hey, Niko-chan." He smiled at her.

Niko-chan smiled back. "Hi, Eddy."

Eddy looked at Cereza. "The victim's sister wants to talk to you."

"Okay, uh can you take Niko-chan to my desk?"

"Sure," Eddy handed her a folder. "Here's the file on her. No criminal record, her name is Debby she's a year younger than her sister, had a child but died in childbirth." The elevator door began to close but Eddy pushed it back. He stepped out of the way and let Cereza and Niko-chan to walk out.

"I'm guessing the husband had something to do with that." Cereza rubbed her tired eye's

Eddy nodded his head. "He on the other hand has a large file of criminal records." Eddy handed her another file but this one was larger. "Trouble maker throughout his child year drop out of high school, dealt with drugs, and the list goes on. He wants his lawyer."

"They all do." Said Cereza, she looked down at her sister. "Eddy is going to take you to my office and you can sleep on sofa in there or read." She looked backed at Eddy. "I'll talk to the sister.