Harley~
Hot tears blur my vision as I pull out of my apartment's parking lot, heading to the docks. Even worse than the hurt I caused Ben is the fact that he thinks I was only using him. Being with him was indeed selfish, but I never meant to hurt him. I assumed he was in the same place that I was. Guess that's what I get for thinking!
As they say, hindsight is 2020. Perhaps I should have, but I never considered that he would fall in love with me; his proposal was the furthest thing from my mind! Ben has never shown me that he was the getting-married, settling-down type.
If I hadn't already decided it was time for me to move on, winding up on the unemployment line would have done it. When Commissioner Darren finds out I have betrayed his son, I'm sure I will be on a short track to get there.
Rae butts into my thoughts. 'Don't be so hard on yourself, Harley. What's done is done. A clean break is for the best,' she offers.
'You didn't help the situation, Rae. What if Ben had seen you before you ripped his chest open?!'
'I wasn't going to hurt him, and I had to teach you a lesson; it doesn't matter anymore, anyway. Now maybe we can find our real mate!'
'Shut it, Rae!' I scolded her as we pulled into the crime scene.
The old t-shirt in the front seat serves as a cloth to wipe my tear-stained cheeks and prepare to face the music that is my life. Sirens and police radio chatter fill the air as I flash my badge and pass the barrier, searching for my ME. Belinda is waiting and finds me.
"What did you find, Belinda?" I asked her, putting on examination gloves as we walked to the water's edge.
"I wish I had better news, but your number eleven just floated in. It gets worse; the stalker is evolving."
I couldn't imagine. My brows arch in curiosity. "How so?"
"I will know more once I get him on the table, but it would seem our stalker is now into torturing before the bullet meets the back of the head." We kneel beside the body.
"See these wounds here on the abdomen and shoulder?" Belinda showed the jagged yet round holes with a gloved finger. I nodded.
Belinda continues. "Notice the burned skin around the holes. I believe something electrical was used to make them, like a cattle prod, for instance. Also, there are ligature marks around his wrists and neck." She lifted his chin, and the air went stagnant. "The stalker, I believe, hogtied him and stabbed him with a live one."
'Ewwww, he stinks!' Rae says as she picks up the scent. I shush her. "How long do you think the stalker had him?"
"Judging by lividity and water-logging, he hasn't been in the bay for long. The clotting around the wounds suggests he sustained them within the last few days."
"Detective," Officer Scott calls to me, heading our way.
"So he had this guy held up while he was killing the one from last night," I asked, and Belinda nodded.
"What do you have, Scott?" I asked, standing up and facing him.
"We found this floating in the waves; it could be the stalker's DNA." He hands me a latex glove.
I raised my eyebrows, not putting too much stock in it. I pinched the glove out of his hand and held it for Belinda to spray it with Luminol. The glove lit up like a Christmas tree. We have DNA. Belinda grabbed an evidence bag and held it up while I slipped the glove inside.
"Good work, Scott." The three of us head back up the beach.
Rae snarls in my head. 'Harley, he's here!' she insisted.
'Stop that, Belinda will hear you! Who is here?'
'This stalker person or your dead dude is one hell of an actor. I can smell the same blood from the glove, only it's fresh. He's close, and I think he's watching you.'
Rae's instincts have never led me wrong before. It doesn't draw attention since it's my job to scan in all directions, but I see nothing or anyone out of place.
"I will let you know when I have anything more," Belinda told me. Taking the bagged glove from me, she heads towards the coroner's van.
'Can we get the hell out of here now, Harley!' Rae insisted. 'This guy is giving me the creeps.'
"Keep searching the shoreline. Let me know first if you find anything more."
"Yes, detective," Scott says with a nod and heads back down the beach.
The captain was right about the media feeding frenzy; they are out in full force. Rae doesn't like it when they shine their camera lights in our eyes. Thankfully, Mitch is getting ready to address them as we walk up. By the look on his face, they are already testing his patience. He raises his hand to silence their overlapping voices.
"One at a time or not at all!" Mitch warned them.
"Can we assume the stalker has taken another victim?" One reporter shouted.
"You can assume what you like, but the police department won't issue an official statement until we have a definite answer. Detective Gibson has just finished her investigation of the scene."
"Any evidence as to the stalker's identity, detective?" Another reporter shouts at me.
Before I can respond, I feel Rae stirring restlessly, her signal to me that she's about to make an appearance. 'Don't do this, Rae!' I do my best to push her back.
"Not at this time," I answered. "It will take a couple of days to analyze all the evidence. What would be helpful is if you all would clear out and let us do our jobs!" I barked before striding across the parking lot, getting into my car, and slamming the door behind me.
'Rae, what the living hell has gotten into you? You're going to get gutted, cleaned, and mounted nicely on some rich eccentric asswholes' wall!'
'I am sorry, Harley, you know I don't like it here, and I don't like the humans! Can we please go see Melinda? If I am wrong, we have wasted nothing but a little time. Lauren said I am a wise source, and you should listen to me!'
Thats the one thing I didn't need reminding of!