Masquerade

I arrived at the crime scene in record time, fifteen minutes to be exact. If you have ever visited or lived in San Francisco you would know what I was talking about. It's not the driving part thats hard, hell thats the easy part. It's finding a parking space thats near the place you want to go that'll drive you mad.
I got out of my Thunderbird in a tucked black shirt,pair of faded blue jeans with a black silver buckled belt,boots and to finish it off I had a black leather jacket. My police identification hung around my neck as I went to the trunk, and like clockwork I took off my leather jacket and pulled on my jumpsuit and a pair of surgical gloves. It was just a precaution, I didn't want to get any blood on what I was wearing or tamper with evidence if anything from what I wore feel onto the scene. I had my forensic kit in hand as I headed to the scene, a bunch of uniforms were hanging around the front of an alleyway. There flashlights piercing through the darkness as the reds and blues of there police lights cast multi colored shadows upon the silent scenery that lay around.
One of them lifted up the yellow tape and I nodded my thanks as I passed through. I was instantly greeted with the smell of rotting garbage with a hint of stale urine, ugh does every alleyway have to smell like garbage and urine? It's probably one of those hidden rules related to a city packed with people.
Then again it could just one of the problems that a metropolis will never be able to solve. I took out my heavy duty flashlight from my forensic kit as I waved the light back forth through the darkness, looking for any clues that could have been scattered into the dark corners of the alleyway, I noticed that the red brick walls that surrounded me on both sides were covered in crude spray painted designs, they were all worn with age so they wouldn't be connected to crime scene itself. Though in some sense they did fit with the atmosphere that the alleyway emitted. In a macabe way.

I noticed another city dumpster in the distance as there was a small crowd of uniforms and unmarked officers nearby. They had the smarts to just guard the crime scene from intrusion and not stand within range to see the body itself, if only I could have that luxary.

"Jacob!" I heard my name as I turned around, I knew it was Bruce who had called out but I was surprised that he wouldn't be hovering over the body that lay near the dumpster. Bruce briskly walked over to me as he looked down at me, literally.

"Where the hell were you?"

I raised my right eyebrow as I looked at him, apparently my early arrival wasn't that early at all. I never could please someone, early or late. It didn't matter I would always get this. Though I guessed he didn't see my disapproval in the darkness that shrouded my face.

"I arrived early Bruce."

My disapproval was ignored as he continued on with his tirade. In my mind I knew he was going to do that, why I knew this. I have no idea, but I was probably going to get some speech about tardiness and my lack of dedication to the STF squad. Blah blah blah.

"Yeah well at least your here now, go check out the scene and tell me what you think..."

I nodded as I turned my attention to what lay twenty feet away from me, behind a grungy dumpster. A halogen bulb from a nearby socket that lay over a metallic door cast light upon the dumpster and in the light I could see a womans white high heel, the toe slick with blood. My stomach twinged with discomfort as I gazed at it. I knew I wasn't going to like what I was going to see tonight.
With a deep breath I began my journey towards the dumpster, each step echoed within the alleyway. The few uniforms that stood guard near the dumpster saw me and made room for me as I passed them by, only ten more feet to go. Another deep breath as I felt a bead of sweat slowly cascade down my brow, I wasn't going to like this one bit. I stood near the corner of the dumpster, the white high heel slick with blood stood out against the paved ground. Blood splattered on the victims shoes ment there had been alot of blood loss, this all from what I interpreted from the heel that lay before me. I took a deep breath and made my way around the dumpster.
My view of the deceased just cascaded together, in my mind it fit perfectly with the lone blood splattered high heel though upon reflection this one wasn't that bad. I knelt infront of the body as I studied the scene and her. She still had her face intact which would make identification easier, she had fair facial features. Cheek bones that rose high enough to give definition but still remain undetectable in the right light. Her auburn hair hid most of her face as she was slouched against the brick wall, I brushed aside her hair with my index and forefinger to look more closely at her face. If she wasn't a bloody corpse I would have sworn that she was just asleep, though now she would never awake. There was no time to regret as I continued on, her right and left hands lay by her side gripped in a limp fist. Her legs in a semi spread eagle, though that could have been from the collapse as there was a trail of blood half way up the brick wall. Though I would still suggest that the forensic specialist check for signs of rape. Blood pooled around her body which soaked into her white business dress suit which made parts of it the color of dark drying blood. Her blouse underneath the jacket had been torn, her chest mostly hidden by the remnants of the white now blood soaked dress shirt. The base of her spine shone slightly but her inner organs hid most of the skeletal fraher her organs spilled out of her back. Much in the manner of the first victim, though his face had been torn off and all that was left was a bloody empty socketed face. I shook my head to try to lose that mental image, it partially worked and I just hoped it wouldn't become a nightmare. Please god just don't let them return in my dreams.

I arose from my kneeling position, the smell of blood was strong to my nostrals as I took a step back taking a deep breath. I turned away and almost started to walk away but I had forgotten my forensic kit at her feet. I returned and bent over, trying to limit my view of the deceased as I picked up my kit. There were many questions forming within my mind, I would just have to write them up in my report and talk to Bruce. I just had to gety asy as soon as possible, I turned around and made my way past the uniforms, my eyes locked upon the dark ground.

"Jacob, wait up." I heard Bruce's voice as I looke, he, he stood infront of me. His face expressionless as we were both cast in a dull light. From the halogen bulb and head lights from the patrol cars.

"Yeah?" My voice emotionless, I just had a twinge of pain in my stomach. I never did like looking at crime scenes, it was just something about the general disregard for life and how the victim was treated before and after death that just made me sick.

"What are you thinking?"

I'm going to hurl and then curl up into fetalitioition in the darkest corner I can find. Though I knew he was talking about the crime scene. "Well first off the victim was murdered in the same manner as the male, though her face was still intact. It can either be a serial killer, there motives are unknown until there is pattern set in place. Though that'll have to have alot of victims..."

Bruce nodded as I paused, I took a deep breath as it released some of the tension in my body.

"Though it can also be one of the paranormal entities as well, vampires and lynthropes have the strength to do something like this... and the wounds caused weren't by man made materials. There aren't any cut ligitures that could be caused by an knives out there... the death blows were done by forceful strikes. As if someone just punched through there abdomines..."

It was becoming easier to speak as I just though of the victims as some far distant memory, as if they only existed in some medical textbook. If I kept on thinking like this it would make my life easier, maybe.
Bruce nodded as he scratched his chin, the forensic team had finally arrived to pick up the body and bring it back to the forensic lab to be studied by the resident forensic specialist.

"Is that all?"

"No... I would check tomanoman for signs of rape and any other signs of forceful penetration. Just in case..."

I just hoped I was just being over cautious, to be raped and then be killed was one of the worst ways to die. They take away your dignity, your last shreds of humanity before they kill you. It was toe ine in the highest degree.
I took off the surgical gloves as I motioned towards a forensic team member who came over with the biohazard bag, I placed the gloves in there and nodded my thanks with a weary smile upon my face. I brought my right hand through my black hair as I sighed, tonight really was to much.

"Just make sure you do a report upon the scene and you your comments, can you do it this int?\nt?"

I looked up at Bruce, emotions had drained from my eyes as I shruggSureSure I can do it, but do I want to? "Yeah I can, but it's getting late and I haven't had a decent nights rest in a long time." It was alittle lie considering I had a nap, which lasted eight hours. Though I needed alittle rest after running into the master of the city and then taking a look at a murder scene.

"You can come in late tomorrow, but I want you in around six in the afternoon. You got that?"

I nodded, tonight was going to be a long night. I left the scene and headed to the office, I wrote my report and placed all my findings and all side comments so the coroner or anyone that would read the report would find that I was giving a complete statement. I had spent three hours writing and after that I planned on talking to Lilith tomorrow night, I just wanted sleep. Before I headed home I made a little prayer to God. Please let me have a dreamless night.