Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Nicole:

The last time I stepped into a casino was way before my kidnapping, when we were chasing down a mad man who raped a young girl and bolted for succor in a casino.

It was that long ago, yet I could still remember the lingering scent of alcohol and booze, rich perfumes that mingled with the fake cheap ones so much it became hard to differentiate.

“I'm surprised casinos are not the first place where most crimes are committed. Look at the mess . Ashley  said as she stepped across the yellow tape.

The whole place had been sealed shut after the incident.

I hummed.

Casinos were always a cut throat place. The kind that was always laced with deceit and fake humor.

That was why I was barely surprised when we were called about a murder that happened here the night before.

" Where did the murder take place?" Ashley was already beginning to ask, snapping me out of my thoughts.

All around, the yellow tape stayed securely while the police got rid of whatever they could point out as evidence.

In the midst of the chaos, I saw the lieutenant, his face recognizable from the crowd as the man I have had several discussions with a few times in the past.

" I will go look around," I said to Ashley, walking away before she could say another word.

" Lieutenant Greg!" I called out.

He turned to look at me, a familiar lounge crossing his face along with confusion.

“I'm detective Brooks. We have met a few times in the past," I said, bringing out my badge as the age-old tradition and stretching my hands for a hand shake.

That familiarity in his eyes deepened.

" Oh now I remember you.” He nodded as he spoke.

“The death was not caught by any cameras. We got the report of the death this morning and by the time we got here, the body has been completely broken down by chemicals ...it's rather hard to identify who the person is currently, but the forensics team are in there trying to gather his remains"

I hummed.

Broken down by chemicals?

I gave a curt nod of my head.

" Alright then, if you will excuse me, I will go check around.” I got a stiff nod and a knowing look.

Ashely had taken a different route round the casino and so did I. The Casino smelt of liquor and cash, such a weird combination.

By the time I got to the toilet where the body was found, I could already smell the rot from a mile away.

My nose quivered with disgust as I pushed open the door to stare at the forensics team and the horrendous scene they were trying to bag up.

The ham sandwich I had for lunch instantly threatened to come back out the way it had gone.

I swallowed hard.

The body was now a withering mess of bones and flesh, blood caked to the floor as the entire bathroom filled with that putrid stench of burning flesh and human waste.

Nope. It was going to come out.

I rushed over to the only safe sink in the bathroom, hurtling over it and pouring out the contents of my stomach, my mind flashing with the images of the body and hurtling more until I was empty and my head felt light.

When I stood up from the sink, I was staring at a smiling face.

She handed me a napkin, her forensics suit now rolled to her waist.

" Weak stomach?" She asked.

I nodded.

" Yes that and bad allergies." I muttered, taking the handkerchief thankfully.

She waved my concern off.

" Oh it's fine really. When you work in my line long enough, the only thing that scares you will be a normal crime scene,"

The body was still being dismembered and bagged up, markings now laying on the floor but by now, whatever was left in my stomach was gone.

" The murder was not done in the bathroom. We are speculating that the man was killed, in another place and then transferred to the bathroom. The killer tried to cover up his tracks by pouring acid all over the body for disfiguration, hence the stench and the decomposing.

From his tooth we were able to derive that it's a male, around his late thirties.”

I noted everything down with shaky hands, muttering a small thank you and leaving the casino.

I and the rest of my team had headed back to the station after gathering the witnesses for questioning.

The first thing I did when I got back to the office was drink a large glass of water.

"Was it that bad?" My superior asked.

I hummed.

“Worse. We are waiting for the identification of the victim. All we know now is that it's a male in his late thirties. For now I will look into the file cases and the casino.”

He gave me a small smile.

"I hope you are seeing the therapist?" He asked.

That question always came up after incidents like these... Of course.

I put on a smile.

" Yes I am. We are handling it all very well"

He did not seem to believe me, but must have decided that pressure would do no good because he nodded, leaving me standing there.

I walked over to my desk, gathering my files and my case studies, choosing to call it a day early to study this case.

I had a routine for the things I did the minute I got back home, but this time around, I skipped all that, cracking open the file and staring at the names and faces attached to the casino.

One stood out to me. Alister Morette. Owner of the casino.

I did not waste a minute to check him out.

The same sparkling dark eyes, the identical sharp jaw. The same tattoos that made me shiver. It was the same man from the wedding. Alister Morette.

My heart seized as I remembered his little words at the party.

He had promised to see me again....

Who the hell was this man?!

In the paradox of the moment, my phone beeped  with a message.

I picked it up, eyes not leaving the face of the man on the screen until I stared at the message beeping on my phone.

My blood ran cold and I felt a scream get stuck in my throat. Oh no.