Case 10: Under The Knife
The world was turning dark when they were called in. A dead body had been found in a backstreet at Caribou Corner.
They stopped the wondering hands and quickly got ready, driving to the address.
The dirty alley was decorated with a battered body, they also found a wallet that identified the victim as Alan Cardwell, as did the passport they found. David also spotted a wedding ring and up.
As they were about to leave something caught green-eyes and he pulled it from a garbage can. The small no sense to him but was bloodied so of course he bagged it for the lab.
They drove to the station which was far quieter then during the day with half the officers and none of the detectives, there was only a few techs in the lab so it was JJ who got to work.
David was at the computer looking over the victims passport while JJ looked through the wallet finding a business card for a local barber shop, and swabed blood from the object/tip and started the process of putting it in the system.
Finishing that he noted down the address for tomorrow and went to sit beside his partner, watching as he got the victim's info.
"Alan Cardwell was a plastic surgeon. No criminal records. His address is 21, Alistair Street.
And he had a wife, Sarah Cardwell, I hate these calls." David sighed and the red-head leaned down, gently kissing his lover before they pulled away.
"I know Doll, but the day ya get use to it is the day you need to stop." Another sigh escaped his lips and he cupped the younger's cheeks, kissing him tenderly for a moment, only to be reeled in again.
Neither of them wanted to pull away but unfortunately that wasn't a luxury they had,
Finally they pulled back and left for the victim's address.
Sarah Cardwell was a plain but good looking woman wrapped in her dressing gown for now.
"Mrs Cardwell?" The women nodded. "Were sorry to inform you but your husband was found dead earlier in the evening." She gasped, hand clasping her mouth as she looked between them.
"Ma'am, we know this is a shock but is there anyone you can think of who would hurt your husband?" The woman seemed to be caught in shock
"As a matter of fact... He got this letter just yesterday, but he refused to take it seriously. Here, take it." They did and excused themselves, looking it over.
"I warned you to stop seeing her. You didn't listen. Tomorrow you die." David raised his eyebrow at the cliche.
"Back to the lab?"
"Back to the lab."
Both men walked in sync, the little pup at their feet, they didn't stop speaking with each other but never mentioned their destination and still made it to the same spot, the lab.
"Morning Angel, have my results come through?"
"Yes they have." She smiled before pulling away from her microscope and grabbed a file, handing it over. "Under the letters for the letter was coffee, so it's from your killer. Furthermore as suspected the blood matched your victim, Nathan wants a word with you on that."
"Alright, thank you Grace." They waved and went down the floors to the morgue.
Nathan was stood over their victim, sewing the last few sutures, looking up when he was done he smiled and stripped away the gloves and bloodied apron.
"Morning guys."
"Morning Nathan, what have you got for us?" Jones grinned.
"Well your body's been pretty talkative! While bruises indicate that Alan died fighting. Thethe cause of death, however, is from a punctured liver. The instrument was sharp and long, that's all I can determine, but the instrument you found gave me a clue, I. N. R. I."
"How th hell did I miss that?" JJ face palmed. "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. It's what you find on a crucifix."
"So we'll go to the church near by next." Jones told him, nodding his head.
"I extracted glass fragments from cuts in his hands, I've sent them up to Grace for analysis. Last but not least I have these."
He handed them a plastic bag filled with shreds of paper.
"They were stuffed down the victim's throat."
"Thanks Nathan." JJ grinned before jogging upstairs to the lab.
The red-head worked his magic again putting the pieces together to form a picture of a very beautiful woman, the words 'Your little hummingbird,Samantha Warner' on it.
He also swabbed something off it and handed that over to the lab techs.
"Lets go to church."
The church proved fruitful when they found a blood stained candlestick and the churches security footage, the Catholic crossing himself as they called in the crime scene.
They made it back to the lab where Ramizer informed them they had Samantha Warner in interrogation.
"Morning Ma'am, our apologise for the setting." JJ turned on the southern charm. "I'm Sargeant Jensen and this is Inspector Jones, but you can call me JJ."
The woman beamed at them, lighting up the room.
"And what would your name be handsome?" Before he met JJ the inspector would have loved the attention but now it merely annoyed him but he played along.
"David, Miss Warner." He wore a soft smile and she seemed to make up her mind, turning to the darker, more dangerous of the two.
"Well JJ, what can I do for you?" She sipped her coffee.
"I'm sorry to inform you ma'am."
"Please call me Samantha." JJ threw her that dark sexy grin that sent shivers down your spine before continuing.
"Samantha, unfortunately Alan Cardwell was killed recently and it appears you knew him."
She gasped, dantily bringing her hand to her mouth.
"Of course I knew Alan! He was my surgeon. I can't believe he's dead!." She seemed genuine but by no means heart broken.
"We have reason to believe that the killer was connected to you, can you think of anyone who would kill him Miss Warner?" Jones asked gently and they watched her pause and think it over.
"I'm afraid not but I'll keep thinking on it, is that all officers?" She smiled, chipper considering someone was dead.
"Yes thank you Samantha." And she was out the door.
"Femme Fatale anyone?" David snorted and crossed to his partner, wrapping his arms around the other's shoulders and pressed lips against his temple.
"Nicely done, lunch then the barber's shop."
After lunch at what they called their park, they headed to the barber's shop not far away.
It was a nice place on the edge of the financial district and appeared empty. It only to took a few glances to find the briefcase and the schedule by the trash.
"This is yesterday's schedule... Here we are, Alan Cardwell, 2pm." JJ holding the case.
"How dare you search my place without me here!" A grey haired man stalked in.
"This a public shop and both objects are in plain view, and evidence in a murder investigation." That stopped him in his tracks as he looked from one detective to the other.
"Murder investigation?"
"Alan Cardwell was found dead yesterday, we were under the impression he was a client of yours." JJ pursed his lips slightly at the end, the question implied.
"Yes he was one of my best clients. He was here yesterday." The man spoke sharply, obviously wanting them gone.
"And did anything happen yesterday? Anything concerning our victim? Out of the ordinary?" JJ pressed.
"Well... He did have a pretty heated argument with our Golden Boy Curtis Newman yesterday." He mussed thoughtfully.
"Well, thank you." And they left David taking out his phone and having Ramirez look up Curtis Newman for them and his address.
The younger detective opened the boot and greeted Dorian happily, who was relaxing after his run at the park.
Unlocking the case he storted through it until he found a flyer for a life insurance policy.
A quick ring to Alex and he was on it.
JJ had barely hung up when his phone rang.
"Hello Angel, how's your day been?"
"Busy, but good, your on speaker phone with me and Nathan. Fisrt I have the trace off your photo, it's polish paste, used for cleaning golf clubs."
"Sweet, your Amazing, Grace." David grinned.
"So bad Doll, so bad, but not wrong." The woman laughed at them over the line as Nathan spoke.
"Hey guys, the tip from where the body was recovered is a match to the candlestick and the candlestick a match to the victim's wound."
"Awesome thanks Nathan." And they hung up only for Jones' phone to go.
"Hello."
"I got your info. The camera's view was limited, but I still found out a few interesting things. Alan enters the church at 9pm. 5 minutes later, he starts arguing with someone standing get heated, and Alan gets stabbed with the candlestick. A man then kneels next to him and pushes something in his mouth. The video's too grainy to make out his face, but I'm sure of two things: your killer's a man and, judging by the hand with which he struck, he's right-handed."
"Great work Alex, anything else?"
JJ didn't hear the next part as Ramizer called him, informing him that Samantha Warner had called, saying that a man called Paul Oaster was the only she could think of who would kill for her and that he was in holding.
"Let's go to the station."
David furrowed his brow in confusion before nodding, he trusted JJ and so far his instincts hadn't lead them wrong.
Paul Oaster was an aging man who looked world weary, but also wore evidence of his golfing hobby.
"Mr Oaster, Detectives Jensen and Jones."
"Yes, forgive me if I seem nervous, I drank to much coffee earlier." He apologized, and incriminated himself further.
"Understood, however we have a better reason for you to be nervous." Jones smiled darkly. "Samantha Warner stated that you're the only person she can think of who would kill for her, and Alan Cardwell is dead."
Something savage flickered over the suspects features and JJ nearly smirked.
"Wait, just wait a second! Now this woman... you've gotta understand. She's got under my skin. I love her, so so much but I'd never kill for her. Besides, I wouldn't trust what she has to say about me. Ever since I caught her and Alan having sex, she hates my guts."
There was that flicker again.
"And what we're you doing the night of the murder?" They purposely didn't say when the murder was.
"Playing golf, I won this dependent for best right handed swing." Ding, ding, ding.
"So you wouldn't mind us takingyour finger prints to match them against the ones on the murder weapon?" David asked.
"There weren't any prints on the candlestick." The man snapped and the grinned savagely themselves.
"Now how would you know that?" JJ walked up to his side. "Not only that there are no prints but that it was a candlestick, we never let anyone know that."
The man bolted up swing at the red-head only to have his arm twisted behind his back, cuffs slapped on.
