Murderous Intent

18. A Hit Man

I felt numb. The tears that were falling from my cheeks felt non-existent and so did Anne's arms when she wrapped them around me, placing her head on top of mine as she sobbed. I didn't contact her about what I found, she was already on her way since neither Joseph or I showed our faces at the brunch we pre-planned with her and Bryan.

As loud as an ambulance is, the one full of the EMS team that came to help my friend was no louder than my estranged thoughts and confusion. The cop cars were no different in sound with their sirens and neither was the brunette in heel toed boots that came running to reach me, shoving past heavily armed officers that had to do a double take and realized it was Anne, a junior detective that had rights to cross the yellow caution tape and orange cones.

"Citizens aren't paying their taxes for you guys to prevent us from investigating!" She screeched. "Move it!"

After hearing her familiar voice, the tears that felt like thin layers of ice on my cheeks were once again wet when more started pouring down my face. I didn't want to cry, I wanted to be stern and be able to tell all that I knew just before calling the authorities, but I... couldn't.

Joseph is dead and there's nothing I can do about it. The attack on him seemed so random that my mind couldn't come up with any names to dish up to the officers as a lead. Joseph wasn't a secret millionaire, he didn't have known enemies, he was friendly with everyone and anyone! Even the homeless people he'd let in his Café so they could warm up. He'd offer them pastries with a cup of coffee! For him to just be killed and left to die?

I was beyond appalled!

His cause of death was a severe impact to the stomach. No gun shot, no stabbing, an impact so strong that caused his liver to rupture.

"When your liver ruptures..." Anne started, her hands shaking around the cup of coffee I handed her. "Bile can leak into your body and just more complications will come from that." Our eyes met, her appearing blurred to me because of my tears. "In Joseph's case he had gotten eternal bleeding, too."

Anne was telling me what the EMS had told us before we left the scene of the crime. He explained what happened as well as one of the cops present, but I was too out of it to respond or react to what I was being told. They understood that I was in a state of shock and offered to help provide a therapist if I am left traumatized by what I had walked into.

"What about his left ring finger?"

Anne frowned at my question then her eyes widened in realization.

Yesterday, when I found Joseph... his left ring finger was cut off. You could barely notice under his thick coat, but I did. So did the EMS team I'm sure.

Placing her mug down, she said, "They assumed that he had a ring on and the person who attacked him wanted it."

"That is ridiculous!"

"Jess-"

"No! That is the sign of a hitman," by the lack of shock on Anne's face she and the other detectives must've concluded this as well. "We knew Joseph on a personal level! He was not married."

"We've been good friends for a while..." she said sternly. "I can't deny or confirm that."

For some reason, I felt like Anne was hiding something from me. Her showing up to my apartment the day after I found Joseph's body didn't feel like a welfare check, it felt as though she was put up to watch me. Watch me to make sure that I don't start my own personal investigation on who killed our friend.