I run up the stairs of the building to Elenore’s floor. When I open the door, an almighty scream echoes through the hallway. I quicken my pace. The silly girl didn’t wait for me. I pass her neighbors, who come out of their rooms, their focus of where they heard the scream.
“Stay in your rooms. Police are on the scene,” I yell as I pass them.
Finally, I make it to Lewis’s room. Stepping through the doorway, I see Elenore collapsed to her knees. Her loud sobs chip away at my heart. When I get closer, I see what’s caused it. Lewis lies before her, and there’s blood everywhere. It looks as though he’s been cut the same way Elenore and that previous victim were. I race to her, enveloping her securely in my arms. She turns into me and I hold her as she cries.
Elenore pulls back and looks up at me, so much hurt on her beautiful face. I wish I could take that away from her, even though I’m the one who’s caused all this.
“Why is this happening to me? Is Suzie next?” Her eyes widen at the mention of Suzie. “Oh no, no, no… not her, please,” she wails.
“It’s alright, Elenore. I won’t let anything happen to Suzie or your biological parents.”
She pauses, looking back up at me. “How would he know about them? I’ve only just found out about my parents.” I panic.
“I couldn’t say. This person obviously knows things about both of us and I’m not sure where to start looking. Elenore, I have to call this in.” I pause pulling my phone from my pocket, before dialing something registers about what Lewis had put in the email. “In the email Lewis mentioned something about stuff he’d found out and only you know where that is.”
Her tears stop. I hop up, helping her also. She runs her hands down her clothes. She’s wearing a little nightgown that doesn’t quite hug her body, but sits perfectly against it. The hem is short enough to see her sexy legs. I release a groan.
“Are you alright?” she asks, her puffy face turned in my direction.
“Ah, yep. All good,” I lie.
She rushes off to the main bedroom and I follow closely behind her. Lewis’s body looks as though he’s been here roughly twenty-four hours. It must have happened just before she got home yesterday so he was dead last night when I walked out of this building.
Elenore goes to his bedside table and pulls out the two drawers. Reaching into what appears to be an empty box, I hear the shuffle of something, and then she produces a folder with a USB drive attached.
“How did you know about this spot?” I ask.
“Well, one night a few months ago, we were joking about hiding things in our apartments. I told him that I had a hiding spot in my apartment, and then he told me about this.” Elenore rests on her knees, about to open the folder.
“Wait.” I stop her. “We need to report this. Go and put that in your room somewhere safe, and I’ll call my partner. This place is going to crawl with police. I want you to stay in your apartment as well. Only talk to me.” Hell, right now I don’t trust anyone. Until I look at the information Elenore holds in her hands, I’m as much in the dark as she is.
I take her free hand and escort her back into the safety of her apartment. Pulling out my phone, I hit Pierce’s speed dial.
“Aren’t we off-duty today?” He laughs into the phone.
“Something’s come up. Elenore’s friend has been murdered in his apartment. Elenore came over to check on him and found him on the floor. Pierce… it looks like the same killer we’re looking for. He’s cut up pretty bad.”
Pierce curses. “Did you find the pocket knife? Hasn’t he just started leaving them?”
He’s right. “I haven’t checked. Hold on, I’ll go have a look now.”
Elenore looks at me with questioning eyes. “I’ll be back,” I say. She clutches the folder to her chest, and I help her sit on the couch. This whole situation is getting out of control.
I race out of Elenore’s apartment and back into Lewis’s. Looking around, I now notice there was a struggle, the couch is crocked, and glass pieces are shattered over the cream carpet, which is now smeared with dry blood. It’s possible the intruder was after the information Lewis had because it may implicate him in some way. Thankfully, Lewis was prepared. He possibly thought I was after him, but he was so far off my radar.
“Is there anything there?” Pierce comes through the line again.
“Not yet.” I move slowly around Lewis’s dead, bloody body, being careful not to disturb the scene. I open the curtains to let some light in. Squatting, I hurt for Lewis. He was trying to help his friend and now he is dead. Something catches my eye, under the couch. I take a pen from my pocket, and reach under, I slide out the bloody knife using the pen, so I don’t touch it. “Yeah, it looks like the same person. There’s one here.”
“Damn. I’ll rally the troops and be around. You get Elenore’s statement?”
“Not yet, but I’ll do that while I wait for you. I’ve got some crime scene tape in the car. I’ll secure the area.”
“Sounds good.”
We end the call, and I stare at the knife. I analyze it as best I can without contaminating evidence. I reach into my pocket and pull out the other one I got from storage. They are identical. Black handles with a silver strip on either side of the hilt. These look exactly the same as the one my father gave me many years ago. Someone is taunting me. This is all about me and something I’ve done. Now they’re hurting those close to me.
I’m going to give this person a slow, painful death.