Chapter -3 (pt-2)

This officer was not very new in the station; within a few months, he made a strong acquaintance with the others in the station. Officer Jamie Bennett is a respected, strict frontline. Alex watched the recruits being helped in the scene.

“What are you thinking?” Orion asked as he pulled the belt to buckle in the car.

“I am thinking of what the boss will do with this.” Alex was a carefree one, but there was one other person who could stop him in his tracks, and that was the deputy commissioner of Station 16. Thaddeus Cole is a man in his fifties who would not accept any nonsense.

Orion had no answer to his question. He gulped down a bit of his spit as Commissioner Cole could put fear in everyone’s heart. Alex noticed his expression, put his hand out, and motioned for Samantha to come closer. The girl came running over. Her hair flowed like a cloud as she ran to the car, trying her best not to let her glasses fall. She leans closer to the open glass of the police car.

“Find out whose device it is that leaked the information on the crime scene to the reporters.” Samantha blinked but nodded her head.

Alex took some time, then added. “Try to get any passing-by interviews, even if it is further away from here. A CEO from the company is here alone in a lonely area, which is a reason for suspicion.”

Samantha straightened and started to walk back to the crime scene. Alex watches her talk to Officer Jamie before starting the car.

“You are a bit hard on her. Maybe be a little more lenient?” Orion asked. Alex tilted his head, eyeing his partner.

“Yes, sure, as if 100 faces would be lenient to the people he kills only because we need to be softer to our people.” The sarcasm made Orion chuckle as Alex took the wheel and started the car. The engine roared, but instead of driving forward. Alex turned the wheel and pushed the car back at the crowd. It made a sudden screeching sound and pushed back toward the reporters. The crowd screamed and ran out of the way. The car sped into the crowd, which made them jump and roll out of the way, scared of getting hit. However, the car did not hit anyone. Alex felt his hand grab on the wheel tight. He did not care as the car almost hit the reporters; instead, he put his head out of the window to scream.

“The car started the yellow tape means you are supposed to be at least five feet away from it. What are you doing here?” He screamed at them before getting in the car and quickly driving away. The officers watched in surprise, but in the end, everyone knew the temper of Detective Alex. They resigned to what fate brings and decided to help the people fallen on the ground instead.

Some of the reporters took advantage of this and decided to scream and complain about the attitude. Some even screamed curses and threatened to sue.

“You were too close to the yellow line even after we warned you.” Officer James mentioned to one of the screaming personnel even though he helped the man up. Just a few feet away stood a cameraman taking pictures of the scene. He did not try to get close to the crime scene but took pictures of the surroundings. Officer James watched him. The attitude of the reporters was to get the news as much as possible; this one, on the other hand, was just taking pictures. He wanted to approach the man but decided to let it go for the moment. He focused on the screaming reporters in front of him instead.

**************************************************************************************************

The car sped through the road. There was no siren, but the hold on the wheel relaxed as he focused his mind on the road. “This case has moved you for some reason. Do you want to tell me what makes you think this is the 100 faces without a doubt?”

Orion felt the need to ask. His partner is someone who can solve cases without wasting much time. With Alex, it is more like a riddle game. The first time Orion met him, it was harsh as Alex would criticize him and make him run around taking notes and even go for taking results from the lab. Now, he is making Samantha do the same thing.

“I just have a feeling the murder scene was simple; it is as if he is calling me to find him,” Alex said. His eyes were on the road, but half of his mind was in the memories. He bites his bottom lip, thinking of the chaos 100 faces made just a year ago. That was the time when 100 faces first showed up. The bodies fell; there was a mask with an expression kept beside the murder weapon, and it was always a knife. A sharp, small knife stabbed the victim in a fatal area. The heart, the neck, and even the backbone leave the victim to bleed to death.

There was never any human touch around the scene; no DNA, no prints, nothing could be found, and no traces of the man. The fact they established the murderer is a he is also a complete speculation. It was only based on the idea that the 100 faces would have a hard time overpowering the victim due to their body strength, which is the reason why they concluded that the murderer was a male. However, nothing gave any idea who it was. There is no video evidence of the murderer. Only once did a homeless man act as a witness that a man with a white masquerade mask killed someone before their eyes. However, the statement was still not clear as the homeless man was drunk himself, and the body that was found was dumped in the river, destroying any option of keeping any trace of evidence left.

For a year now, 100 faces have been terrorizing the city of X, and Alex, being one of the detectives engaged in the murder, is not happy, as this is that one case he is racking his brains on and can’t find even a single clue to the serial killer and what the reason for the killing is.

“Alex, do you think he is a serial killer? I mean, every killer has a motive, a drive, or a reason to kill the person. This one I can’t find any reason.” Orion’s words broke Alex from a trance; he was half into the world of his trance, thinking about the past cases on the 100 faces. Even the wanted board in their station only has a black shadow with the word 100 written at the bottom.

“This has baffled us for a long time. I haven’t found anything to link the murders.” Alex replied as he took a turn.

Orion took a peek at Alex and then on the road. There is a fear of crashing in the back of his mind, but there is also the fact that Alex is good at multitasking. Orion always has clashing thoughts when he makes decisions regarding Alex.

“Where are we going now?” He rolled his eyes and focused on the screen next after glancing at Alex trying to look normal; however, anytime his partner took the wheel in the car, Orion felt fear gripping in his heart, then relaxed again.

“We would be visiting some old places before visiting the company. I want to get some traces first.” Alex grumbled again. His eyes were determined about something. Orion sighs,

“You are the expert on this; I will trust you for now.” He pulled the seatbelt and leaned back, looking at the phone screen. The mysterious 100 Faces: the notorious killer is out again to take victims from the streets of city X. The headlines flashed on the screen of the floating billboards in the sky, giving the latest news to the townspeople.