REVENGE

PERSONAL FEELINGS

She got into the passenger seat in the back of Carnie's car since her partner sat in the front and closed the door with a bang. She looked up to find her two companions looking at her questioningly but sat back as if nothing had happened.
               "So, you'd rather ride in the back than go with your new partner?" Carnie asked with a raised eyebrow.
                 "She is not my partner as far as I am concerned," she replied automatically but the moment Carnie made no move to start the car, she added, "Can you just drive?"
                 "Alright, I'm driving."
  Several minutes later, she led the way towards the crime scene whereby a small crowd had gathered. The county coroner had already arrived but thankfully, he knew not to touch the body before their work was done. If everyone she worked with was like him, she would have no trouble getting along with them. For so long, she had worked alone on cases, the captain only intervening once in a while. All those years, she had been capable of doing all that work alone and always produced good results in the end. He had always trusted her and she had never disappointed him or anyone. Now, she just didn't get why all of a sudden he wanted her to work with that... Just, why now?
                  "This victim doesn't seem as fresh as the priest yesterday. I don't think he died anytime between today and yesterday," Amari commented as she leaned down to take a closer look at the body.
                  "What are you now? A crime scene expert?" she asked without giving it a single thought which made everyone around them look at her with questioning glances. It wasn't like she had wanted to say that, she was just annoyed by her 'know it all' attitude which she had picked up since the previous day. She had already noticed the same yellow roses like the ones that had been left next to Father Anthony's body but these ones were wilted. Sure the climate had been hot mostly but their appearance said that they must have been out there a while. She ignored their gazes and went ahead to examine the body. He had the same patterns of claw like marks across his neck. Deep, but not deep enough to reach his throat.
                  "Detective Hunter is right," Carnie said in a low voice as she joined her. "The body is already starting to decompose so probably it has been out here for at least a week."
                   "I know, I'm just-" she stopped herself, stood up and sighed. "What else have you noticed? Anything from the lab yet?"
                  "No, nothing, the results came back nil. Although looking at this, the way he was laid out, the placement of the roses, everything... Do you recognize how similar it is to yesterday's scene?"
                  "Oh, please don't call it," she said immediately realizing where Carnie was going with this.
Carnie however went on regardless, "We might be dealing with a serial killer."
                  "Three bodies make a serial killer. We've got two only."
                  "Blake, what are the chances of these victims suffering the same gory death? As far as we know, they are not related as in family but this he, she, it or whoever seems to have planned this. And the lack of evidence?" she raised an eyebrow with a grin, "Our guy here is being extra careful with his performance. Probably because he wants us to dig deep before we pick up his trail."
She knew that the possibility of everything Carnie was saying was high and she wasn't ruling it out. She just didn't want to jump into a conclusion before they got all the facts right.
                 "Oh, now it's a guy, not a werewolf?" she asked sarcastically which made Carnie roll her eyes at her. She chuckled and turned away. Something protruding from the man's skin near the neck caught her attention and she leaned back down with a frown. Using a gloved hand, she reached for it and dislodged it. "Oh, I'll be damned!" she exclaimed.
                 "What did you find?"
She stretched out her hand displaying the small object, "Looks like a broken claw or something."
                 "Yes!" Carnie exclaimed in excitement. "I might be right after all. Werewolves do exist!"
                  "I'm sorry- werewolves?" Amari asked, narrowing her eyes at each of them in turns. "That's just crazy!"
                    "Well, at least we agree on that one," Blake said absently as she bagged the mysterious- whatever that thing was. She handed it to Carnie, "This should bring out something at least. Call me as soon as you get back the results." She then started heading away only realizing that she had no car after several steps. She needed to head to the victim's family. "Dang!" she closed her eyes in frustration. She had no other option than to join her new partner which she did but the whole drive was made in silence until they got to the victim's home.
                  "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"  They were headed to the door but she turned around. She didn't know what Amari wanted to say to her especially during that moment but she sighed anyway and listened. "I know you think that I'm here to take your job which technically isn't yours yet-" she shook her head and disbelief. Was that her idea of talking or was she just aiming to piss her off more? She raised a hand up to stop her.
                   "Can you just let me do the job I'm supposed to be doing?" she asked, trying to keep calm.
                "I don't care about the captaincy, alright?" Amari went ahead anyway, raising her voice slightly. "I just want to work on this case and I think we have a better shot at it if we work together. We don't have to be rivals."
                   "We don't have to be friends either, as long as the job gets done."
                  "I'm not here for friendship either. I just know how to keep my emotions in check and set my personal feelings aside when I'm working," she shot back then made as if to bypass her to the door. "I suggest you try it because the last thing this family needs is two detectives who cannot even conduct themselves to work together and explain what happened."
Blake stood there for a minute longer in silence, her eyes glued to her as she knocked at the door. Amari was pissed and it felt damn good to see her like that. What didn't feel good was her way of talking, everything she had said to her was burning from the inside. She knew that she had always had a temper but someone else reflecting it like that, that didn't feel good. Right then and there, she made up her mind. Rivals or whatever, if that was the game she wanted to play then she was ready for it. She wasn't just about to stand there and be bossed around by someone who had found her there. She hadn't seen personal feelings yet but now she would.
                   "You know I never asked for a partner. If my attitude is too much for you, if you find it so hard to work with me I'm sure the rest of our colleagues would readily take you as their partner." She said. "I'm sure daddy is going to give you what you want if you just ask." Amari turned once to her, fixed a long hard look on her without saying a word then turned back to the door where a frail woman stood. Amari's face turned from rock hard to soft and smiling in a matter of seconds.
                  "Hi, we are detectives Amari Hunter and Blake Tanner with Central police. We need to ask you a few questions about your husband. Can we come in?"