The Eustice Murders (Complete)

*Chapter 21*

The guys were just about to unlock and open the office door when captain Beesley appeared heading towards them.

"Ah, perfect timing," he stopped short of a smile but his eyes widened as he greeted the two detectives. "Listen, I'm not sure what plans you've made for this afternoon but you might want to change them," he continued. There was a sympathetic tone to his voice but his demeanor suggested this was serious.

"Another body?" Sam asked, after checking the area to make sure there was no one within earshot. The captain remained silent but nodded his response confirming that Sam's suspicions were correct.

"Have you heard anything from the F.B.I?" Hank queried.

"The F.B.I? Why would I have heard from the F.B.I?" The captain frowned, unsure what Hank was referring to. Sam continued to open the door and gestured for the captain to enter the office. Once inside, they finally shared their thoughts and theories on Anthony Drummond and how he could still be involved despite being under surveillance as part of the FBI's ongoing investigation into a human trafficking ring. The hope was that if he was a part of this, the F.B.I would have potentially witnessed something and would have then contacted them with the details. The captain remained silent and listened intently as both detectives put their ideas forward and explained their reasons behind them. Afterwards, he gave his honest and frank opinions on both suggestions.

"The first one," he began, "I don't like at all. I think you may be clutching at straws on that one. The second one, however, regarding the original accomplice stepping up to become the killer," the captain then paused, stroking his fingers down his chin before continuing. "Now that is quite believable. I can see exactly where you're coming from on that one.

"Now then, I'm going to be honest with you guys, I've actually had a similar conversation with detective Brookes recently. While they have nothing to suggest that Drummond is the killer in her case, she does, in fact, believe that he may have been the one to have given the order." Sam and Hank both nodded their acknowledgment; it wasn't the first time the two cases had been linked together but they were both feeling curious and maybe even a little anxious as to where this was heading. The captain paused again making eye contact with each of them in turn before letting out a long sigh. "Now how do you feel about sharing some of the case info?" he asked them.

"Such as?" Hank asked.

"This case, and the one that Brookes and Moorland are working on, appear to be connected. Maybe even a little closer than we care to admit. This isn't the first time their paths have crossed, so I think we need to get the four of you working together. And the only way we are going to make that happen is to let detective Brookes in on the real reason why you guys are here in the first place."

"Well, if I'm honest, anything that helps the case has got to be a good thing so I say go for it," Sam responded.

"Yeah, I agree," Hank added. "And to be fair, it wasn't us that kept the details secret so if you want to disclose anything then that is up to you entirely. If it helps to lift the atmosphere in here and get things moving a little smoother, then I'm all for it." The captain thought for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Ok, I guess we're all in agreement then," he told them. "Leave it with me and I'll get something set up. See if we can arrange a meeting or something. Any time preferable for you guys?"

"Nope all good, you know where we are," Sam told him.

"Nice one, I'll get straight on it. Now then, in the meantime, I believe you have a crime scene to investigate. And while I'd love to accompany you down there, I'm pretty much snowed under here so I'm going to have to leave this one with you two." He then gave them the details and left them to it.

Once they arrived noting they were the first ones there and similar to the previous occasion, they saw the victim was a male. Again, he had been laid out on his back, in a straight line with his arms down by his side, the t-shirt he was wearing had been cut from the neck down to the navel and then folded back into, place covering up what was underneath. Once again, a bright red mark around his neck was clearly visible. A first glance at the victim had, however, suggested that this time he was much younger and was someone who probably should have been enjoying the prime of his life rather than playing a starring role in a police investigation with a twisted serial killer.

Hank stepped forward and gently lifted up one half of the t-shirt and sure enough there it was, just as they had feared. Embedded into a cut just below the victim's chest was a bright white ball with a yellow stripe running through it. Right at the top and positioned dead center was a black number nine pointing towards the ceiling. Neither of them was remotely surprised by this, of course, but the confirmation had still caused them both to grimace. Hank gently replaced the t-shirt to its original placement, although as he did, he heard a kind of a soft rustling sound.

"What the hell was that?" Sam asked, clearly hearing the same noise himself. Hank once more lifted the t-shirt although; this time he took hold of both parts, opening it fully. Below the nine ball, a piece of paper could be seen over the victim's stomach. Hank carefully removed it and stared at what was printed on it. In the middle of the paper, there was a full set of pool balls set up into a diamond shape with the nine ball in the center. Above it was what appeared to be a score line reading 'Me-1 - Eustice P.D-0' and beneath that was the line 'are you ready for frame two detectives?' Hank held the paper up for a moment and Sam shuddered as he saw its content. Hank finally sat the paper back down where he found it, not wanting to mess up the scene for the coroner or the photographer.

"Wow. Not only taunting us but essentially telling us they intend to restart back at ball number one again," Sam grumbled.

"Exactly," Hank shook his head as he rose to his feet again, his frustration growing.