Texas Emergency Care Centre, Houston, Texas 25^th October 2015 15:23

 

Detective John Harrison and Sheldon Matthews were closing on the emergency care centre in Detective Harrisons sedan. They were set to meet with Captain Talbert, Dr Fletcher and three FBI agents. Detective Harrison had been up all night in his office at the homicide department trying to trace as many Panacea family members as he could in case they needed to find them quickly. Contrary to the captains orders he had not collected Detective Matthews right away there would have been little point, he had picked him up an hour ago and only now was he drying out.

 

Detective Sheldon Matthews seemed cold and unconcerned but Detective Harrison had been his partner long enough to know that he hadn’t always been that way. Sheldon had been compassionate and empathetic but over the years that had been knocked out of him, he turned to the bottle when a little girl had been mutilated at the hands of her uncle. To everyone other than Captain Talbert and Detective Harrison, Sheldon seemed like an uncaring arsehole only they knew that in order to function as a detective Sheldon had to keep a distance mentally even then he had to hit the bottle.

 

Detective Harrison was unaffected by the horrors he witnessed on a daily basis because he grew up in a violent environment his mother died at the hands of their drug trafficking father. He and his brother were taking into care, his brother took to crime and John had an ardent sense of right and wrong. The worse day of his life was when he had to arrest his brother for the gangland slaying of a rival gang member, his brother was serving a life sentence and had threatened to have John killed, as much as it felt like betrayal when he swore to uphold the law he had meant it.

 

‘It looks like a fucking circus.’ Said Detective Matthews, gesturing to the scene they were driving into.

 

They turned onto the access road for the hospital and all along the road were sat-trucks with reporters and cameramen milling around everywhere. They closer they got to the hospital the more sat-trucks they were and the closer they got the more well known the news firms were. When they got outside of the medical centre there were national news corporations whom had staked their claim closest to the main entrance of the hospital.

 

‘Remember what the captain said.’ Stated Detective Harrison, before opening his car door. ‘We don’t tell them anything.’

 

‘I ain’t saying anything to them.’

 

They got out of the vehicle and they were barely fifty feet from the hospitals entrance but they were swarmed by reporters who had no respect for personal space they were bumping into one another to get at the detective.

 

‘Detectives!’ shouted a female reporter. ‘Who are the victims who have not been named?’

 

The detectives didn’t answer they just powered through the crowd not paying heed to the shouted questions, Detective Harrison knew that they would ask provocative questions to try and get any sort of response. They got to the ramp for the hospitals entrance but the reporters were still all around them.

 

‘Is it true your captain got his nephew killed!’ shouted a male reporter.

 

Detective Matthews face darkened he shoulder barged the man who had shouted the accusation, the man landed on his ass. Detective Harrison couldn’t help but laugh the man had gotten what he had deserved.

 

There were wild theories and speculation that pointed towards the captains decision to keep the identity of the victims of the first murder a matter of confidence contributed to the death of his nephew but that was horseshit. It was standard procedure they followed and they couldn’t have anticipated the murders on Addison road but at least now they had a lead.

 

‘I am going to sue your ass!’ roared the reporter as he struggled to get to his feet.

 

‘For what?’ asked Detective Matthews. ‘You’ll are hounding us like jackals you got in my way it was an accident.’

 

Even before the reporter could offer a retort the detectives turned around and headed for the entrance of the hospital.

 

‘You know he could file a report.’ Said Detective Harrison.

 

‘It was an accident.’ Sniggered Detective Matthews. ‘Besides the mans an asshole.’

 

 ‘You know him?’

 

‘He is Bruce Jenning.’ Replied Detective Matthews. ‘He is a reporter for ABC13 news he will do anything for a story.’

 

‘I don’t get to know their names.’ Said Detective Harrison.

 

‘Just like the captain.’ Said Detective Matthews. ‘How is he holding up?’

 

‘I can’t believe you are asking after another human being?’ joked Detective Harrison.

 

‘You know I care.’ Countered Detective Matthews, he looked visibly hurt.

 

‘I know I am just messing around.’ Replied Detective Harrison, he patted his colleague on the back. ‘I’ve not seen him since the early hours but when I saw him last he was headed to tell Paul and Maria.’

 

They entered the hospital they were making their way to the stairs that lead to the morgue.

 

‘I hope they weren’t hard on him.’ Said Detective Matthews, he looked to the CSI team in the corridor. ‘Why the hell are they meeting here anyway?’

 

‘The bodies of the victims have to be stored somewhere.’ Replied Detective Harrison. ‘Considering that fifty percent of those murders were already here it probably seemed like a good place to store the rest.’

 

‘I get that but why are we here.’

 

‘The boss is here.’ Replied Detective Harrison. ‘So is Dr Fletcher she has been examining the bodies of the victims in greater detail perhaps she’s turned up something or maybe they’ve got a fresh lead from questioning the medical staff again. I think they must have something as the feds are here too.’

 

There was a strange atmosphere in the hospital as there were no patients and all the hospital staff had been called in and they were being interviewed by the police. Considering the killer must have been wearing hospital scrubs when the murder to place in the hospital all employee alibi’s had to be pursued as it could be a grudge between employees but with the skill of the killer that was highly unlikely. Also in the hospital’s corridors were crime scene investigators they were painstakingly going through everything trying to catch a break that might shed some light on the killers identity.

 

Detectives Harrison and Matthews entered through the a door that denoted it was for staff only, they descended two sets of stairs making their way to the morgue. As detectives they had been to this morgue hundreds of times but this time it felt different, it might be the fact that this was the first serial killer they were dealing with but Detective Harrison couldn’t put his finger on it.

 

They reached the basement level of the hospital then walked through two more doors then they were in the morgue. The room was a large sterile space with tables and benches with instruments on them. There were six morgue tables with bodies on the slabs, also in the room were Dr Fletcher, Captain Talbert and to Detective Harrisons surprise two men and a woman in plain clothes.

 

‘Detectives.’ Said Captain Talbert, becoming them to come over to join them. Detective Harrison noticed that his captain had a bruise and a cut under his right eye. When they joined the group the captain introduced the people in plain clothes. ‘This is Detectives Matthews and Harrison. I would like to introduce Senior Agent in Charge Clarence Pickard. Agent Xavier Nichols who is a specialist in violent crime and Agent Hayley Lawrence, she is a behaviour analyst.’

 

‘What’s with the getup?’ asked Detective Matthews, gesturing to their clothes.

 

‘With the media frenzy already reaching fever pitch.’ Said Agent Pickard. ‘I thought it would be best if we did not disclose the involvement of the FBI just yet.’

 

‘Makes sense.’ Agreed Detective Harrison. ‘What you got I am assuming we’ve made some kind of breakthrough as we’re down here.’

 

‘Well we believe the killer is a man.’ Said Agent Nichols. ‘I know you suspect as much but from the witness statements from Addison road they mention the person having short hair and also there are very few women who could inflict such a catastrophic injury to Officer Talbert.’

 

Captain Talbert’s face darkened for a moment and he unconsciously looked to where his nephew was lying on one of the slabs. ‘I think Agent Nichol is right but that’s not the main reason why we called you boys down here. Dr Fletcher has been examining all of the bodies since last night she has turned up something promising, Alice if you will.’

 

‘It might not be anything.’ Said Dr Fletcher, she moved to the bodies of two victims who were Alistair and Andrew Panacea. ‘At first there was nothing distinguishable between the victims but I found something by accident when I was zipping up Andrew Panacea’s body bag.

 

‘If you look at Andrews neck there is a deep but extremely narrow puncture wound it could possibly be a needle like implement. I have examined all other bodies and on the right side of Alistair Panacea is also a puncture wound of the same type and depth.’

 

‘Could they have not just fell on something?’ asked Detective Matthews.

 

‘No.’ replied Dr Fletcher. ‘They are deliberate puncture wounds.’

 

‘Then the killer’s intended targets were these two people.’ Stated Detective Harrison. ‘And what the rest were just in the way?’

 

‘Officer Talbert certainly.’ Put in Agent Lawrence, she looked to the captain. ‘As the brave officer sought to intercede but the rest I think the killer was using staging.’

 

‘What?’ asked Detective Matthews.

 

‘The killer and the way he committed these murders are at odds with one another.’ Said Agent Nichols. ‘The sheer brutality meted out suggests an unhinged sadistic madman but the first murders on ward 13 the killer showed great skill in that he got away cleanly and without detection. The man we are dealing with is highly trained which may suggest perhaps a contract killer.

 

‘I believe that the killer brutalised the bodies in such a way as to sell the idea of mindless killing, especially the way the killer dragged the axe down the street wearing the face of Nurse Richards. Such theatrics seem ludicrous unless you look at it from the viewpoint that all of it was staging to deflect attention from the killers true purpose.’

 

‘And what is the killers true purpose?’ asked Detective Harrison.

 

Agent Lawrence shrugged. ‘Beats me but I can tell you that whatever motive the killer had it was to do with Andrew and Alistair Panacea.’

 

‘How can you be so sure?’

 

‘I can’t well not a hundred percent.’ Answered Agent Lawrence. ‘But it is safe to say that Andrew Panacea was the intended target of the Addison road attack. Plus the side of Andrews body the killer was dragging outside was the side the puncture wound was on.’

 

‘Why the puncture wounds?’ asked Detective Matthews. ‘The fucker had killed them why stab them again?’

 

‘Maybe the killer was testing for something?’ put in Agent Lawrence. ‘Who knows but it was a deliberate act.’

 

‘What have you boys found out about them?’ asked Captain Talbert. ‘Are they related?’

 

‘Yes well loosely.’ Replied Captain Harrison. ‘They are second cousins twice removed I got that from city hall records I daren’t look further as to not arouse suspicion considering their identities haven’t been announced yet.’

 

‘I think their family must be a strung out bunch considering that every victim has been named by the tabloids save for the Panacea family members. Hell I have spoken to every dispatcher and call taker we have and no one has rung in either reporting them as being missing or checking on their welfare.’

 

‘I think it’s time to release the identities of the victims.’ Said Captain Talbert.

 

‘I don’t think that’s a good call.’ Countered Agent Pickard. ‘We might spook the killer into going to ground we have a lead I say we place all Panacea family members under surveillance to see if the killer targets one of them.’

 

‘I will only agree to keeping their identities secret.’ Said Captain Talbert. ‘So long as we can carry out physical welfare checks of the Panacea family members if they’re the intended targets and the killer isn’t done I’m not going to have their deaths on my conscience.’

 

‘Very well I agree.’ Replied Agent Pickard.

 

The agents started talking to Dr Fletcher about the forensic side of the killings and Captain Talbert closed with his detectives.

 

‘Who did that to your eye?’ asked Detective Matthews, he was always to the point.

 

‘It was Maria.’ Said Captain Talbert. ‘She lashed out at the first person she could I can’t blame her I hit poor boy last night didn’t I. I hope he is ok.’

 

‘Yeah he is I checked on him.’ Said Detective Harrison, he hadn’t but he knew it would make his superior feel better. ‘What do you want us to do captain?’

 

‘It’s below your pay grade.’ Said Captain Talbert. ‘But I want you to find all of them if you can especially the ones in Houston. Then I want every one of them to have a welfare check then we will go from there.’