From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 63: Murder in Marley

//Murder, death, gore.

Rosanna calmly sat in her comfy armchair in the corner of her room. Her hair is down slippers are on and wearing soft lounge trousers. She leaned deep into the chair, reading a small book while enjoying the last of her cup of tea. The intense week on suicide watch had exhausted her and with much groveling and convincing the officials she got two days off to do whatever she wanted and rest up. She sighed deeply, sniffing the crisp, cleanness of her room before she settled back into her chair and flipped the page to the next chapter.

She froze when she heard yelling come from downstairs, panic, men trying to get a word in-between the yelling and panic. Rosanna leaped out of her chair when she heard the men stomp up the steps, knocking on doors and screaming names. She threw on her coat and her boots, noticing a slight shiver in her fingers and arms. She had never heard of such a skirmish, this only happened in the barracks when there was a serious threat. Rosanna ran to the door as soon as someone smacked it with his fist. She threw it open and looked up at General Magath.

"Sir?!" she exclaimed.

"We need you, come with me." He looked at her lounge clothing underneath her coat.

"Just put on your armband and go!" he ordered her, stomping away. Rosanna shot back into her room, retrieve her armband and ran outside, slamming the door shut with her foot as she pulled on her armband.

"This way, Bauer!" Magath yelled from downstairs.

Rosanna swished down the stairs, neatly folding her armband correctly.

"Sir, could you tell me what happened?" she asked as they walked out the door.

"No time, but we need you on the scene!"

"The scene, sir?"

Magath grasped the young woman's arm, putting pressure on her wrist.

"There's been a murder, in Rebellio." He whispered.

Rosanna's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, there were never murders in Rebellio, the police force was always on top of whatever was going on.

Rosanna nodded slowly and followed the large troop of military police out.

"Why aren't the Marleyan doctors picking this up? Wouldn't that be more ethical?"
"They are not trained to give autopsies, you are," Magath grumbled.

Rosanna could feel the hateful glares as she walked by, women looked up as they saw a glimpse of the handsome, dark-haired woman before lowering their eyes to see the armband and immediately their expressions soured. Men immediately turned away from her, two boys spat at her as she passed. She huffed and shrugged it off.

The group of police turned into a small alley, and a tall figure at the end of the alley walked their way. Their deep, smooth voice was soothing and polite.

"May I pass, please?" they asked.

Rosanna stood close to the wall of the alley, letting the tall person through. She spotted their face, a soft smooth chin with blonde strands of hair that reached the tips of their ears.

"Thank you, Madam." The tall individual said as he passed her.

"No problem," Rosanna answered, she looked as the stranger left the alley, she never had seen such a tall man before. Even Bertholdt hadn't been that tall. She watched as the dark figure left the alley, and immediately the whole group of policemen started running again. Rosanna tailed them. She was startled when she heard the loud wailing of children and the desperate voice of their father trying to calm them down. Their mother had been shot through the head and left in the doorway of the bathroom for her youngest daughter to find. The little girl was the only one who did not weep, she just glared ahead into nothingness. Rosanna brushed past the little girl; the girl's eyes shot up staring at Rosanna with the emptiness of a blue ocean.

"Hello, my dear. I am just going to look at your mommy, okay?" Rosanna asked before stepping foot in the house.

Rosanna smelled the stuffiness of the small kitchen; it was small for a family of 6. She carefully walked up the stairs, followed by two soldiers. One of the soldiers was startled and jumped back when he rounded the corner. He pointed at the door before turning around and throwing up. There the woman lay, eyes ajar, her mouth open with the teeth bare in a terrified scream she could not out due to her larynx being shot to pieces. She wasn't shot through the head as Rosanna had thought, she must've been screaming at the top of her lungs when the intruder came in. She checked the woman's hands, underneath her sharp nails there was blood... she had tried to veer off her attacker. She saw the scratches on her upper arms, the attacker had tried to grab her and keep her in place. She carefully put the woman's arms over on and another, resting them on the woman's stomach. She closed the cold, staring, scared eyes so she appeared as if she was resting. She tried to close her mouth too, but only succeeded to push the woman's mouth closed so it was ajar. Rosanna sighed, standing up slowly and rubbing her hands together. She walked to the door, meeting the two shaken soldiers at the doorpost.

"She was attacked by an intruder, shot through the larynx when she tried to scream for help."

Rosanna looked downstairs, the children were inside, two on their father's knee small one staring up at Rosanna.

"How did the child find her mother?" Rosanna asked.

The two soldiers shrugged.

Rosanna sighed, walking downstairs, thinking of what to tell Magath and his crew. She walked past the little girl, who still stared at her. Rosanna froze when she felt a tug on her coat.

"Will the tall man return?" the girl asked, staring up at Rosanna with her icy eyes.

"Tall man?" Rosanna asked, turning to the girl and crouching down.

"The man upstairs with mommy, will he come back?"

"No, darling. The tall man will stay away..." Rosanna reassured the child, and she looked to the landing.

"What is your, kid?" Rosanna asked.

"Rose." The girl whimpered.

Rosanna smiled, "I am Rosanna." She replied.

The girl smiled at the likeness of their names.

"Can you tell me where you were when the tall man was here?"

Rose shivered, "Upstairs... in the linen closet. Mommy and I were playing hide and seek." She whispered.

Rosanna felt a pang of shock go through her; the girl had witnessed firsthand the murder of her mother. Rosanna gently ruffled the girl's hair

"I am so sorry, Rose." She apologized, slowly stood up, and faced her father.

"My condolences, sir."

The man looked up, a sneer on his face, before his face relaxed and he nodded.

Rosanna turned away from the family, stepping outside to find Magath smoking.

Lost in thought Rosanna made her way back to her room, trying to get rid of the image of the icy blue eyes of the girl. She walked in the door to HQ, getting surprised by the uproar in the halls.

"What is happening?" Rosanna asked a soldier passing by.

"The Tybur family." He responded before running off.

Rosanna sighed. "Of course."

Rosanna stomped up the steps, leaving behind the hustle and bustle and stepping in the door.

Putting her foot down on a letter... from her aunt.