His hands grasping the large brass handle, Detective Dorough opened the heavy glass door, leading in to the department store. It was early afternoon, the day after the victim’s body had been found, and there were plenty of associates, to the young woman, that he would need to question. The memory, of a fellow worker, may hold a tiny piece, to this obscure puzzle…and in The Defacer case, any piece, no matter how tiny, was crucial.
Straightening his tie, and suit jacket, Howard stepped out of the warm afternoon air and peered around the lobby. It was a slow business day, by the looks of it, and that would surely work in his favor. His black dress shoes made hardly any noise, upon the tiled floor, of which he walked. Within moments, an employee stood before him, ready to welcome him.
“Good morning!” The cheery woman greeted him, with a warm, yet saddened, smile. “How may I help you Sir?” Her eyes seemed dull, as she met his gaze. He gathered that this employee had been greatly affected by the horrific events…it seemed obvious, to him, that she was close to the victim.
“Good morning Miss….Rose.” Taking note, of her name tag, he greeted her, in return. “My name is Howard Dorough, I’m with the Homicide Department. I would like to speak with a manager or supervisor, on duty, please.”
Several hours, and more questions than imaginable, later, Howard exited the building with no more information than what he had gone in with. None of the employees had seen anything unusual, or known of any enemies the victim may have had. Everything seemed in order…nothing stood out, to anyone. He was, at the least, discouraged and he hadn’t been on the case for a whole two days, yet…but he was no where near ready to give up. Running his fingers through his hair, he made his way to his car, and slipped into the plush interior.
Little did he know that the man he was ultimately looking for was boarding a bus, a mere ten miles away. His jeans were tattered and his worn ball cap pulled low, as he hung his head trying to conceal his face, from the public. He absolutely hated going out, into the public…he hated the stares and the stifled giggles…he hated how people looked at him. Finding an empty seat, in the middle of the bus, he discretely surveyed the other passengers, looking for his next target.
It was an hour later when he saw a young woman, no older than he, step onto the bus. He looked at her from the distance, taking in her appearance. She was a little different than the others, he had selected…not quite as skinny, but yet still very pretty. Allowing his eyes to roam over her body, he took in the sight of her curves, and shoulder length black hair. Her black jeans were paired with a black and red shirt, and clung to all the right places, making him decide she would be the one…the one that would be another number on his list. The woman was soaked, to the bone; he hadn’t even noticed that rain had started coming down in sheets, outside, nor had he paid attention to the lightening that streaked across the sky.
”She’ll do just fine.” he thought, as she drew closer. He let his head drop back down and he made sure his ball cap was pulled low, helping to hide his face. Now that he had chosen his next victim, he would have to do his research on her and…
“Excuse me…” Without thinking, he let his head pop up, to take a look at the woman that now stood next to his seat. “..is anyone sitting here?” She looked him straight in his eyes, giving him a warm smile.
“Uh…wh…what?” He stammered with his brows furrowed, in confusion, surely she couldn’t be talking to him! No one ever did, unless they had to. Inside of him, his stomach flipped around, doing summersaults, as he quickly dipped his head back down.
“I was asking if I could sit here.” The tone, of her voice was so warm…so friendly…so unlike anything he was used to hearing, these days. Making no verbal response, he scooted his body as close to the window, as he possibly could. “Thank you so much!” Out of the corner, of his eyes, he watched the woman slip into the seat beside him, taking notice of the small red purse that she placed on her lap. Red polish adorned her fingernails, and he couldn’t help but think of how well the color looked, on her.
“Y…yeah…sh..sh…sure…” Refusing to look up at her, again, he nodded his head before turning to stare out the window. He used to be so good with women, now he couldn’t even form a sentence around one…he couldn’t be sure if it was because of the way women treated him now or if it was just because he had never associated with a victim before they became…well….his victim. No matter what the cause, of it, his nerves were getting the best, of him.
“I just can’t believe how quickly this storm rolled in! I decided to walk, to the store today, since it was so nice out…and I mean, I knew there was rain coming in today, but I thought it would be later in the evening!” Was she talking to him? There had to be someone else, on this bus that she knew…yeah…she was surely talking to someone that she knew. He felt her shift in the seat and cautiously glanced over, at her, again, to find that she was looking right at him.
“Looks bad.” Turning his head, slightly, he unintentionally locked eyes with her. ”The prettiest light brown eyes.” His thoughts drifted, only for a moment, before they were interrupted, again, by her soft voice.
“A man of few words, I see.” A light chuckle bubbled from her throat…the very throat he had thought about wrapping his hands around, only a few minutes before. “Well, I’m hoping the weather will be nicer tomorrow…I have the day off from work and I was hoping to spend some time outside. The sunshine is so much nicer than the rain, don’t you think?” She sent him another smile that caught him by surprise…maybe she was blind, because she sure didn’t seem to notice his face.
“Uh…y…yeah…I…guess.” His shoulders shrugged, as he broke the eye contact, to stare at his fiddling hands. This woman was being so kind, and he couldn’t understand why, unless…it was pity! Inside, his blood temperature began to rise, when he thought about this woman taking pity upon him. He hated being alone, but he didn’t want pity either!
“Well, don’t worry…I’m not that scary, and I really don’t bite.” Another giggle escaped her throat, as she reached over, resting a hand on his shoulder. His body stiffened, and he jerked away from her delicate touch. “Oh come now! Surely you can’t be afraid of me, you look like you’re taller and obviously in better physical shape than me…and I know I’m not pretty enough to make a man get all tongue tied.” His head tilted, to glance at her…his eyes full of surprise. He could agree that she was no super model, but she was most certainly a pretty woman. The light brown eyes staring back, at him, had a slight twinkle to them that caused an uneasy feeling within him. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure about her being his next victim.
“I tend to be…quiet…uhm…people don’t…they don’t like to…talk to me.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted saying them. Like he needed to explain himself, to this woman…like she would even care. Why would he bother to her anyone that…let alone a stranger, on a bus?
“Well…my stop isn’t for another half hour, and I would like it, very much, if you’d talk to me.” For the first time, he lifted his head, fully, sitting up straight and pushing up his cap slightly. He figured she would get up and switch seats, now, after seeing the disfiguration, from his scars. Wearing a frown, on his face, he waited a moment, preparing for a crude comment, before she left. “Now, see…you look much better when you sit up straight, like that.” Once again, her eyes remained on his. Realizing that she wasn’t going to move, he quickly pulled his cap back down, and turned to stare out the window.
As the bus came to a slow stop, at a red light, he noticed a gorgeous grey Bentley outside his window. Letting out a sigh, he let his mind drift back to what the woman beside him was talking about. There was no way for him to know that the driver, of that Bentley, was thinking about him.
Howard turned down the side street, as soon as the light turned green. After the long day, of questioning people who knew nothing, he was headed back to the office. He would go over the audio recordings, in hopes of finding something he hadn’t picked up on during the actual interviews…those hopes weren’t high, though. It was going to be another long night, and it was barely eight o’clock.
Only a few minutes later, the detective was pulling into the parking lot, and slipping out of his luxury car. His feet slightly dragged, as he slowly made his way through the entrance. The elevator seemed to take forever, just to go up a couple of floors. When the bell dinged and the doors opened, Howard stepped into the office. Most of his co-workers had left, for the night, already, but there were still a few bustling about. Making his way, to the office, he let out a heavy sigh, setting his items on the desk. He let his fingers run through his short hair, as he plopped into his chair.
Letting his eyes drift shut, for a moment, he tried to collect his thoughts, before setting to work. There had to be something…somewhere. There was no such thing as a perfect murder, but this serial killer was as perfect, as Howard had ever seen. He tried not to allow himself to become discouraged, but it was hard not to, with this case. Opening his eyes, he saw the clock hit 8:45, as he then set himself to work.
On the other side of town, the bus came to another slow stop. The young woman said a soft good-bye to her travelling companion. One more, warm smile and a wave were sent his way, before she stepped out, into the evening air. Luckily, for her, the rain had ceased…however, she had failed to notice that her wallet slipped out of her purse, and onto the bus floor, when she stood up.
After watching the woman’s figure fade into the night, something small, red, and shimmery caught his eye. Leaning down, his long fingers grasped the small wallet. Holding it in his hands, he just stared down, at it. This could be his key…surely it would have not only her name, bet her address and many other key pieces of information, about her. Trembling slightly, he let his fingers pop open the tiny metal clasp. Once his unsteady hands had opened it, he saw her staring back at him.
“Theresa.” His voice, no louder than a whisper, he uttered her name. Letting one of his slender fingers graze across the picture, on her license, he continued to stare. Now that he had all the information that he would need…what would he do with it?
Chapter End Notes:
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