Homecoming

Chapter Sixteen

It would seem that her assumption was correct. Amirah had been found stabbed to death in her apartment. The same apartment she brought so she didn't have to join her husband or daughter on their vacations. May didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry, she had wanted to be wrong.

　　So very much so. Amirah might have been bitch to her daughter, but that didn't mean she deserved to be stabbed in the back with a cheap kitchen knife.

　　"Rich people need to chill on the security," Diana muttered next to her, as the photographer took pictures of things that May pointed at, she might not have been to Amirah's apartment. It didn't mean that she didn't know the woman's taste.

　　"Or they need to invest in the right kind of security," May corrected her. "This would have been easier if she had cameras. It's privacy they need to chill on."

　　"This case is being a pain."

　　"Don't have to tell me twice."

　　Amirah owned the apartment complex, so she had the whole floor to herself. According to the building manager most of the apartments belonged to foreign families for their holidays.

　　"I think we're missing something," May told Diana as they walked down the stairs. "That we got the motiviation wrong. If we're right, then both Rodrigo and Amirah are outliners. According to one of my sources, they had nothing to do with Rihanna and Mikolaj since his brother's death."

　　"And the others."

　　"Nothing to do with Chevell Media. Well, almost nothing, I'm sure Judge Dovidas would've happily put Hirohi or Rihanna behind bars."

　　"There goes our lead," Diana growled putting her hand against her forehead. Diana glared at the wall, before grabbing May's hand and dragging her out of the building.

　　Sean was wonderful. Along with Myles, Ellie-Mai and some unknown number. May just assumed it was Myles' wife, Alyssa, but she could be wrong. All of them would sent her random bits of information, anything they thought would help.

　　"Captain, May thinks we're following the wrong lead," Diana said as she stopped in front of Isaac, who waved off the cops he was talking to.

　　"May?" Isaac asked.

　　"Everyone whose been stabbed as mentally, physically, emotionally or sexually abused someone," May told him. She wouldn't put it past Mikolaj to sexually abuse Ellie, he gave her the creeps when they were in high school. She doubted he'd changed; much. "Can't be because they had anything to do with Chevell Media. Most know that Rodrigo was waiting for the perfect change to get most of the staff into jail."

　　"Why kill the person who hates the same person," Diana muttered, pinching her nose. "Unless they don't know. Or they're mentally unbalanced."

　　"Rodrigo's sister-in-law worked for Chevell Media," Isaac pointed out taking a pen out of his jacket. "Amirah worked there before she got married to Rodrigo."

　　"Then Rodrigo should have been stabbed," May pointed out, that was the only way their pattern would still work. Murders rarely change tactics, more so if they were a Pattern killer. "Not poisoned. If Amirah worked at Chevell Media, why was she the one who got stabbed in the back?"

　　"What about Hirohi then?" Diana asked.

　　"Hirohi's always liked being the odd piece out, it's the reason he's such a pain," May explained. "At least he was until I went over Ellie-Mai's interview."

　　"And?" Diana asked pulling her over to a table. Isaac following behind, a notepad in his hands.

　　"We have two killers. Someone whose going after the abusers, another whose going after those who, most likely, knew about it and did nothing to stop them," May continued. "So far the their victims are Ellie-Mai, Aarav and Nikola."

　　"It'll be better for the Media to think it's because of their work," Isaac added. "Public might not help if they think it's because they've been abusing their children. Or girlfriends."

　　"So it's either because of a business rivalry or because their abusive dicks," Diana said, sighing as she took a pen out of her pant pocket, tapping it on the table. "And/or didn't know how to deal with their abusive partners/mother. I don't know which one is worse."

　　"Murder is murder. Revenge is revenge," May said her hand moving her hair out of her face, phone vibrating against her leg. "Unless it's self-defence. It's still a crime."

　　"They do fee like revenge," Diana agreed. "Stabbing someone in the back. Poisoning their drinks. Both are underhanded ways to kill someone."

　　"It also means they trusted their killer. Or didn't think they'd be capable of doing such a thing," May added. "Faith didn't trust a lot of people to stand behind her back. Rodrigo didn't trust a lot of people around his drinks. Besides poison used to be known as a woman's weapon."

　　"It would explain why we found nothing in their accounts," Isaac told them before sighing. "I've been sending Zettel and Ahdieh to occult shops know to sell Belladonna. Along with tracking down those knife sets."

　　May sighed as she looked at the building. Clear glass, a man cleaning the windows. A normal day, for everyone besides Amirah. She knew it was going to be a long case.

　　Taking her phone out of her pocket, she saw she had a text from Ellie-Mai. Asking her to come to Karl's funeral, since he was as a much of a father-figure to her as he was to Ellie's father.

　　"It looks like I'm going to Karl's and Faith's funeral," May announced, yawning as someone put coffee in front of them. "I can use this to gather more information. At least on Faith and Karl."