Chapter 21: "Signs of Struggle"*

The morning was gray and cold when Marie arrived at the scene. A thin mist hung in the air, making everything feel damp, heavy with the weight of what lay ahead. Officer Green was already there, standing by the crime scene tape, a grim look on his face. The body had been found just outside one of Kevin's warehouses, and it was a different scene than what they were used to.

"Not as badly beaten this time," Green murmured as Marie joined him. "It's almost like they didn't have time to finish."

Marie crouched beside the body, her eyes scanning the wounds. The victim—another young man, possibly homeless based on his ragged clothing—had severe bruises, but it was the marks on his wrists that caught her attention. Rope burns. As if he'd been tied up at some point. His face was bloodied, but not to the point of obliteration like the others. Whoever had done this hadn't completed their usual routine.

"Something interrupted them," Marie said aloud, more to herself than to Green. She stood, looking toward the large warehouse looming nearby. Kevin's property. "This is too close to his turf to be a coincidence."

"You're thinking this one didn't get moved far," Green nodded. "Maybe the fight happened inside and they dumped him when things got messy?"

"Maybe," Marie said, her mind already racing ahead. "But if this body was left here, there might be evidence inside the warehouse. Blood, a sign of struggle."

Green radioed the team to start processing the scene while Marie walked toward the warehouse, her gaze sharp. A staff member was already waiting near the entrance, unphased by the police presence. He looked like a regular Joe, showing up to his nine to five but needing to wait for the elevator.

Marie approached him, offering a hand as she introduced herself. " I'm Detective Kanker, this is Officer Green. We just need to take a look inside. You can open it up for us."

The staff member shrugged, "Sure thing. I'm Wes, by the way. Came over to haul some crates for the boss, weren't expecting to find a dead guy outside."

As they stepped inside advising Wes to stay put, the warehouse felt almost cavernous. Their footsteps echoed softly, and the smell of old metal and oil lingered in the air. Marie walked slowly, scanning the space, waiting for something to stand out.

It didn't take long.

At the far end of the warehouse, near a set of large metal storage crates, there were signs of a struggle. Overturned boxes, equipment knocked askew, and most telling of all—a trail of blood. The streaks led from a cluster of crates to the large loading door that faced the alley where the body had been found.

Marie knelt beside the blood trail, her gloved fingers tracing the edges of the dried stains. The drag marks were clear. Whoever had done this hadn't bothered to clean up after themselves. They had been in a hurry.

"Looks like they fought here," Green said, coming up beside her. "Dragged him out the back when it got bad."

Marie nodded, her gaze moving toward the crates stacked around them. "This wasn't a planned fight. It's too sloppy."

As she stood, her eyes flicked over to the nearby crates. There was something about them—almost like they had been used to obscure part of the scene. She motioned for Green to help her move them. Together, they shifted a few of the boxes, revealing a large scuff mark on the concrete floor. It was subtle, but to Marie, it looked like something had been dragged or pushed across the floor.

"More blood," she said quietly, pointing to the dark stains hidden beneath the crate.

Wes, who poked his head in and could hear them in the large open space, looked pale. "I—I didn't know about this," he stammered. "I swear, I just move shipments."

Marie straightened, casting a sharp glance his way. "And you've never seen anything suspicious here? No one hanging around who shouldn't be?"

Wes shook his head quickly. "No, no. Just the usual guys. Sometimes Kevin comes in for meetings, but it's all business stuff. I don't—" He swallowed hard, clearly rattled by the bloodstains and their implications. "I don't think any of the crew knows."

Marie exchanged a look with Green. This warehouse was clearly more than just a storage facility for Kevin's businesses. There was something else going on here, something dangerous, and now they had solid evidence that tied at least one murder to this location.

"We need to get a full forensic team in here," Marie said, stepping back. "If there's more blood, more signs of a struggle, we can link this place to the body."

Green nodded and radioed the request while Marie continued to survey the scene. Whoever was behind this wasn't just operating in the shadows anymore—they were getting sloppy, making mistakes. And that gave her hope that they were getting closer to the truth and that the someone was Kevin.

But something gnawed at the back of her mind. Kevin's drunken visit the night before hadn't been just about her investigation. He had been rattled, unhinged, like he was losing control. And now, with a body turning up on his property, the cracks in his careful facade were starting to crack.

As the forensic team arrived and began processing the scene, Marie's thoughts turned to Kevin's properties, the shell companies, the hidden connections they'd been uncovering. They were close—so close to unraveling it all. But she knew Kevin wouldn't go down easily. He was already feeling the pressure, and that made him dangerous.

Marie glanced one last time at the bloodstains, her mind racing with possibilities.

Whatever Kevin was hiding, it was bigger than they realized. And it was time to dig deeper.