In Love with a Serial Killer

“This is the Willow Crest Police Department, are we speaking to Cassidy Blake?” a male voice asked sharply, from the other end.

“Yes, sir.” Cassidy replied instantly, straightening her spine.

“Report to the station…” he paused briefly as if speaking with a colleague. “Report to the ally right behind the station.”

The line went dead before she could reply.

Cassidy exhaled softly, luckily she hadn't killed the engine of this junk of a trunk if not, it would have been another story. She swerved the old brown trunk around and drove straight towards the direction given.

Minutes later, she arrived at the direction. There were police cars and a little crowd which confirmed her suspicions, there had been a new murder.

A knot twisted in her stomach as she killed the engine and quickly got down, pushing through the crowds. “Cassidy Blake,” she said to the officer holding the line.

The line was raised and she stepped inside. The sharp stench of blood and something she couldn't say filled her nostrils.

“Blake right?” a lanky man asked, approaching her.

She nodded quickly, closing the distance between them. “Cassidy Blake,” she introduced, stretching out her hand for a handshake.

The man tossed a glove into it instead. “Captain Draco, put that on and follow me.”

Cassidy hummed something under her breath, shoving her hands into the gloves as she followed him. Her eyes scanned the surroundings and she noticed it was only the police officers that were on the scene.

He suddenly stopped, causing Cassidy to jerk back sharply. “You know who did this?” he asked, pointing ahead.

Cassidy lifted her gaze and froze, her pulse hammering in her ears. She had seen murdered victims but it was nothing like the body before him.

The body hung straight up like a doll on strings, a thin fishing line cut into his wrists and ankles to keep him standing even though one of his legs was bent in a weird angle. Two of his own severed fingers were jammed into his eyes.

In his right hand, the curved knife that killed him rested like a sword of judgement. In his left hand, a small kitchen scale held the rest of his severed fingers and toes — perfectly balanced. A gaping hole had been carved into his chest, exposing his heart and right below it sat a small branded brass stamp.

Cassidy's stomach lurched as she took a step backward, bile rising in her throat. This wasn't just murder. This was someone showing off… someone playing god with a body.

“Blake?” Darco called, snapping her back to reality. “I asked a question.”

“The Arbiter,” she replied, struggling to swallow the bile in her throat.

“Are you still ready to catch him?” he pressed further, brows raised.

Cassidy hesitated, if her father couldn't stop him, how the hell was she supposed to? The thought hit her hard but she shoved it down remembering she had made a promise.

“Yes, captain.” she answered, voice steadier than she felt, even though her mind was screaming ‘No!’

“Then get to work,” he ordered, turning away just as the forensics arrived.

Cassidy moved toward the body struggling to keep her hands still. The smell of blood was less now as something stronger… something she couldn't name overshadowed it.

The blood, both on his body and the murder weapon were still fresh as if the murder happened two hours ago.

“Move aside,” one of the forensics said, dropping his equipment.

She took a step back and then began rounding the body from a distance hoping to note down anything as the murder had happened in an abandoned factory.

“Time of death; 2:53 p.m.” she heard one of the forensics say.

Her eyes flickered to the watch on her wrist. “5:10p.m.” Her breath stuttered, “Who kills someone in broad daylight?”

“The arbiter,” a voice answered from behind. “This is actually his fifth time but first time in a factory.”

Cassidy glanced behind her and there stood a tall guy with glasses. “Any leading clues?”

The man shook his head. “None. It seems like he's invisible.”

She clenched her fists tightly beside her. “More like a god.”

The man chuckled slightly. “You must be the new officer. I'm Sam Dutch,” he introduced, stretching his hands out for a handshake.

“Cassidy Blake,” she replied, taking his hand. “Nice meeting you.”

Sam opened his mouth to reply but then Draco’s voice rang out.

“Are you on a crime scene or on a date?”

“See you around,” Sam said, heading towards Draco.

Cassidy inhaled deeply. ‘This wasn't going to be anywhere near easy.’ she muttered under her breath, joining Sam.

“Any other observations?” She heard Draco ask.

“Not really. But it seems like his bones were shattered with something before he was stabbed,” the head of the forensics department said.

Her skin prickled with goosebumps at the thought of it alone. She bit her inner cheeks hard, reminding herself that she was a detective and had seen countless murders, this was no different but deep down, she knew this was anything but different.

“Shattered?” Draco repeated, his brows knitted.

“It’s not confirmed but most of the victim's bones also seem broken.” the forensics guy added. “If there's nothing else, we'll be moving the body.”

“Blake,” Draco called sharply. “Follow them.”

Cassidy's brows pulled together in a deep furrow. She had just moved into town today and didn't know how things worked here. “Captain, I—”

“The report should be on my table, first thing tomorrow morning.” he cut her off, exiting the scene.

Cassidy let out a deep breath as she followed the forensics out and back to the hospital.

It was past 9:00pm when Cassidy pulled up in the garage of her new building. She killed the engine and got off the truck, rounding it to get her boxes from its truck.

The journey up the stairs with the boxes was an entire story for another day. And by the time she made it to stairs across her apartment with her boxes, her body was trembling more than aching.

She dragged the last box towards the rest, about to head toward her door when someone bumped into her. She was quick to catch her balance but the three boxes tumbled down to the foot of the stairs.

“Are you kidding me?!” she yelled, her voice echoing in the building as she spun around to meet the culprit.

Her gaze locked on sparkling ice blue eyes but then something else hit her, that unfamiliar smell from the crime scene.