Mystery Case Exploration

The room was pitch-black, filled with the sounds of gunfire and things breaking.

Leonard Brown shoved Sophia Brown out of the room. "They won't let me leave. You have to go!"

The special forces outside were also pulling on Sophia's hand. "You go first. We promise to keep your dad safe."

Sophia was yanked out of the room, followed by a massive explosion, with flames shooting up into the sky!

"Dad!" Sophia jolted awake, trembling all over.

She looked around and saw nothing but white walls and cold machines. No flames, no gunfire. Just an ordinary hospital room.

A woman in her fifties, pale-faced, lay in front of her.

This was her mom, Ella Johnson. Like her dad Leonard, she used to be a researcher on a national-level scientific project.

Ten years ago, a group called Osiris infiltrated the country, trying to steal their research. Leonard died in a lab explosion protecting their work, and her mom was attacked during the transfer, ending up in a vegetative state.

Sophia looked at Ella's still form, and the pain of losing her loved ones hit her again. "Mom, do you think I can catch them and get revenge for Dad?"

She grabbed Ella's hand, trembling as she pressed her head against it.

Over the years, she dedicated herself to capturing members of the Osiris organization. She cut off her beloved long hair, went to the police academy, and joined the special forces.

A month ago, someone told her the person who bombed the lab was seen in a district of Phoenix City. She immediately applied for a transfer, switching from special forces to a local detective, Ms. Brown.

Her phone suddenly rang in her pocket. She quickly pulled herself together and walked out of the ward.

"Hello, Mr. Smith."

"There's a case on the third floor of Building 8 in Tranquil Community. Get there fast." Howard Smith's voice sounded urgent.

Sophia frowned and glanced back at Ella in the ward. "Mr. Smith, isn't it not time for me to start yet? I want to..."

Mr. Smith cut her off. "Don't you want to investigate your father's case? We found the same drug in the victim's body as in your father's lab. If you want to know, come over quickly!"

Hearing this, Sophia didn't hesitate. She hung up and headed to Tranquil Community.

This case was about a headless female corpse.

The victim, Tammy Davis, a thirty-year-old married woman with no kids, was found dead at home by a housekeeper at ten this morning.

When she died, she was completely naked, with no blood in her body. Strangely, there was no blood at the crime scene either, and her head was missing. Because an outsider discovered it, the case caused a huge commotion.

When Sophia arrived, the entrance of the community was already sealed off. A group of people was taking statements at the entrance, and another group was investigating inside.

Seeing Sophia arrive, Joseph Miller, a detective, quickly stepped forward. "Ms. Brown."

Sophia nodded slightly and looked around. "Where's the rest of the team?"

For such a big case, everyone should be here.

"They..." Joseph hesitated, unsure how to explain, but Sophia got it.

"Never mind, let's not worry about them right now. Fill me in on the details." She took the gloves and shoe covers from the security officer, put them on, and walked into the crime scene.

Joseph sighed in relief and quickly followed. "We already sent you the detailed info earlier. Besides the victim's head and blood, her valuable stuff is missing too. Like her necklace, bank cards, and luxury bags. But there were no signs of forced entry, and we didn't find any fingerprints other than hers."

Sophia's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. "What about her exact time of death? Do we have that yet?"

Joseph checked his phone. "Yeah, she died at 8 PM on the 24th. We also found several needle marks on her body and a special drug in her system."

"We think her death is related to those drugs," Joseph said, handing over an autopsy report.

Sophia took it and skimmed through, her frown deepening. "Where's her body? Take me to see it."

Joseph led Sophia to an adjacent room that had a large floor-to-ceiling window facing north to south. The victim lay on the bed, her body twisted in a way that showed how painful her death must have been.

Sophia walked over, lifted the white cloth covering her, and took a look.

According to Joseph, there was no blood in her body, her head was missing, and the cut was clean and precise, likely made with a sharp tool.

Sophia put the white cloth back down. "What about her husband? I see from the info that she was married. Wasn't her husband living with her?"

Joseph replied, "Her husband went abroad three months ago and only found out about her death an hour ago. He's on his way back now."

"Were they in love? What was her husband doing on the day she died? And what did the housekeeper do after finding the body?" Sophia asked while walking around the room. She was about to leave when she noticed something in the corner.

She walked over and picked it up. It was a bear-shaped hair clip. Clearly a child's hair clip.

She held the hair clip and walked around the room, intending to ask whose it was, when she noticed a little girl staring at the hair clip.

The little girl was about six years old. With her puffy dress and pigtails, she looked very cute.

Sophia hesitated for a moment, then approached the little girl with the hair clip.

"Hey there, do you recognize this hair clip?" she asked gently.

The girl's mother, who had been giving a statement, quickly pulled her daughter into her arms.

"Please, miss," she pleaded, "my child doesn't know anything. Don't scare her."

Sophia ignored her, her gaze fixed on the little girl. "Sweetie, you recognize this hair clip, don't you? If you tell me about it, I'll give you some candy, okay?"

Sophia asked gently, but the little girl suddenly pushed her hard, grabbed the hair clip, and ran away.