It was about three months after Tom left that everything got worse all over again. After he had left, T's Pizza closed for good, and a new pizza place opened in its place called "Violet's Pizzeria." Violet's, like its predecessor, was a themed restaurant named after the head mascot: a white and purple wolf named Violet. Not too long after it opened, there was another child murder. However, Vincent wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty this time.
I was put on the case, as usual. A young girl named Guinevere was visiting with her brother and her aunt when someone who she knew to be an old friend of her brother's, Vincent, approached her. The girl, thinking she could trust the young man, followed him into an employees-only room where he slit her throat and gutted her before leaving her to choke to death on the floor in the locked room.
The girl's aunt was still at the crime scene with her nephew when I had arrived. She stayed long enough for me to figure out the situation and came over to talk to me before I could take my leave. She had rather short brown hair, bright blue eyes, and wore loose clothing. I couldn't help but make note of every small detail of someone's face and character when I met them; that's what made me so good at my job.
"Mr. King, if you wouldn't mind," she sat her nephew down, who I recognized to be one of Vincent's old friends, Seth. "Do you have any openings for an apprenticeship?"
"As far as I know, no," I answered. "Why do you ask?" I manage just fine by myself.
"Well, I was wondering if I could be of any help to you as a sort of assistant. I don't want to see anyone else, especially children, getting hurt. Gwen wasn't even my daughter, but I was the closest thing she had to a loving parent and even I couldn't protect her. I want to help."
I was a stand-alone reporter and detective, but I could tell this woman was serious about her words and her intentions by the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice. I couldn't turn my back to her, not when she was so desperate to do something. After all, I did the work I did for that exact reason; to protect the people of my city.
"What's your name?" I asked. Maybe I could use the company.
"Spencer Maxwell," she said, choking back tears.
"Spencer, I want you to come work for me. I have an office space rented, I can give you the address and you can meet me there whenever I ask you for help."
I gave her a card with my number and office address. A look of relief washed over her face.
"Thank you, thank you so much, Mr. King."
"It's Rollan. I want the same thing as you, Spencer, so we're going to need to do our best if we want to put an end to whatever rampage Vincent has reeled himself into."
