From Beyond The Rift

Chapter 17: Arrived On Scene

[Lee's POV]

Dang, our killer's craving the spotlight, huh?

Normally, you'd expect a killer to cover their tracks and dump the body, but not this one... sort of. Bodies are MIA, but leaving two heads smack dab in the middle of town? That's really throwing norms out the window.

Thaijou:
What do you think? Anything of note?

He's acting like he's in the dark, but let's be real, he's got the inspectors' report. Even if he's not the brightest bulb, he probably knows the whole deal about these heads since the ones that got here before us already investigated the matter and told him about it.

Who gives a crap. I'll humour him for a bit.

Lee:
Gus Stonefree's head looks like it's been on a date with acid. Must've been ripped off by some creature and gulped down, bathing it in stomach juice galore.

Thaijou:
WOAH!

Looks like I'm on the right track.

Lee:
Len Roltim's case, though, now that's a head-scratcher. His head got sliced clean off, but here's the kicker: a teeny layer of tissue around the cut is singed. Looks like the decapitator used some kind of blade with serious speed and power, but there's a twist – it was imbued with a magic that releases heat. And I'm not talking your run-of-the-mill warmth, we're talking inferno-level heat! For tissue to crisp up like this from a quick slash where the blade's probably not even touching the tissue for a fraction of a second is wild! That's probably why the inspectors called you in without investigating further! Either that or the killer was sadistic enough to try and barbeque the head after cutting it off.

Thaijou:
Amazing! You not only got everything in the report, but you also figured out the exact reason they called us in!

Lee:
See, aren't I amazing?

Thaijou:
Totally!

Putting aside the smug remarks, those inspectors definitely made the right call. If they had pressed on and approached the killer, both they and the soldiers accompanying them would likely end up as ghost stories. And the next investigation team? Well, they'd be facing the same fate. I've been chilling in Olvia for a few months now, and trust me, this level of danger is way above what your average soldier can handle!

Riece:
Yo. I'm back.

Lee:
Ah, lieutenant! Welcome back.

Thaijou:
Finished questioning everyone? Find any leads?

Riece:
Not yet. There's still two more people left, one of them goes by the name Rog Stonefree, father to one of the victims and was supposed to be the father-in-law of the other.

Damn, that's gotta be rough for him. I can only imagine the amount of trauma he's dealing with right now, unless, of course, he's the one who did the deed.

Lee:
Yeah, maybe giving him some alone time could help him sort through everything.

Riece:
Mhm. Especially considering the third victim.

Eh!?

Thaijou:
Third victim!? The killer struck again!?

I was all geared up to hear about another gruesome piece of evidence, but instead, all I got was a solemn shake of the head from the lieutenant, his expression growing increasingly sombre.

Riece:
Let me fill you in on the relationships of the three victims. Victim one: Gus Stonefree, Victim two: Len Roltim and Victim three: Arlia Stonefree.

Stonefree?

Lee:
Sister wife?

Riece:
Sister. She was engaged to Len and was one month pregnant. The cause of death is suicide. The body was discovered only a few minutes ago, which is why I think we should give Rog a few.