Two Miles to Heaven

-Chapter 6- «New Victim»

Her name was Alice Studman and she used to be a professor of astronomy in the Marymount Manhattan College. She's been married for thirty years and had four children. She was happy with her life, in all likelihood, until some twisted guy rips her soul out of her body by stabbing her in the belly with what it seems a kitchen knife.

We went to inform her family, the next day, and it was heartbreaking to see them crying in shock.

I think that the worst feeling in the world is to know that someone you love and cherish will never come back, because someone else decided to.

The oppressive discovery was quickly transformed into articles in the newspapers with big bold titles such as "The Woman Found In The Trash" or "Another S Victim", letting the residents around the locations of the crime scenes know that a mysterious killer, who may have an S initial to mark his passing just to piss the officers off, was prowling near them.

Larry was instructing his teammates to patrol the area, as the New York Police Department's team leader of the 19th Precinct, in the Upper East Side.

I was standing in one of the police station's corners, gazing at him and writing down his words on my scratch pad. He was talking with an authoritarian tone, somehow imagining himself as a very important politician giving a press conference in front of the journalists with mics everywhere.

The doors opened and Kendall stepped inside, taking off her sunglasses and throwing them in her purse. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

It felt good to see her.

-"Ken, come here!" Larry called her out, making me stop smiling and clenching my teeth. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Kendall Jones, she works for Mr. Harold White as a private detective and she's investigating on the recent murders that occurred in Manhattan. I want you to treat her well."

They all smiled at her, extending their hands and presenting themselves.

Nice... She's meeting his friends. What's going to come next? Meeting his parents? A wedding, maybe? I shook off that disturbing thought out of my mind as I approached them.

-"This is Miles Montgomery... Her assistant." Larry announced, not looking at me.

-"Soon-to-be private detective." I corrected him, even if that doesn't change anything, it felt like it did. He smiled hypocritically to me and I did the same, as a way of firing back at him.

His team left to do their own work and Kendall and I followed Larry to his office where a laugh almost skipped my mouth as we stepped inside. He had a collection of small-sized race cars in different shapes and colors on one of his book shelves and a framed picture of him and his poodle in the park. How cute, how "brave" of him, knowing that the other officers might see it and laugh at him.

Oh wait, they wouldn't. I almost forgot that he's the police leader of the 67th Street.

He took several files from his desk then asked us to follow him to the interrogation room.

-"The man who found Alice Studman's body is Ted Grove, one of La Grenouille's restaurant waiter.", he informed us as we entered the room where Ted was seated.

He was a man in his late 30's with a Turkish mustache, still wearing his uniform of yesterday. I assume that he didn't sleep, considering the bags under his eyes. He also looked quite stressed.

-"Don't be afraid of Officer Larry's presence, Ted. He's not going to gulp you." I joked, earning a discreet giggle from Ken.

-"Tell us how you found the body." Larry interrogated after rolling his eyes, glaring at me.