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** The Untouchable**
** Chapter 12**
The morning air was thick with frustration as I entered the precinct, the tension palpable among my colleagues. Edwin Myles had been arrested again, and the familiar cycle of anger and helplessness settled over us like a storm cloud. Myles was a name that sent shivers down the spine of every officer in Riverton—a child molester who seemed to slip through the cracks of justice time and time again.
He had been caught loitering near the local elementary school, his presence a sinister shadow that sent parents into a panic. Despite being arrested over a dozen times for crimes against children, Myles had a knack for evading long-term consequences. Each time he was brought in, he seemed more emboldened, more convinced of his own invincibility.
As I approached the holding cell, I could hear his voice, dripping with arrogance and disdain. "You guys just can't get enough of me, can you?" he taunted, leaning casually against the bars. His eyes were cold, calculating, and utterly devoid of remorse.
"You're going away for a long time this time, Myles," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, though my anger simmered beneath the surface.
He laughed, a harsh, grating sound that echoed through the precinct. "That's what you said the last time. And the time before that. Face it, Detective, I'm untouchable."
The booking process was routine, yet every step felt like a mockery of justice. Myles continued to mouth off, his words a litany of insults and provocations. He seemed to revel in the chaos he caused, feeding off the frustration and despair of those around him.
Hours later, as expected, his grandmother arrived to bail him out. She was a frail woman, her face lined with worry and denial. Despite the evidence, she refused to believe her grandson was capable of such horrors. Her unwavering support was a bitter pill to swallow, a reminder of the complexities that allowed Myles to continue his reign of terror.
As he walked out of the precinct, a free man once more, the atmosphere was heavy with defeat. My colleagues and I exchanged weary glances, each of us grappling with the knowledge that Myles would likely harm again. The system had failed, and we were left to pick up the pieces.
Adding to the weight of our burden was the shadow of the unsolved murders by the serial killer known only as MIDNIGHT. The killer's trail had gone cold, and the fear that gripped Riverton was palpable. Each day without answers felt like a failure, a reminder of the lives lost and the families shattered.
Back at my desk, I tried to focus on the mountain of paperwork that awaited me, but my mind kept drifting back to Myles and the haunting specter of MIDNIGHT. How many more children would suffer before Myles was finally stopped? How many more victims would fall to MIDNIGHT's blade before we uncovered the truth?
The answers were elusive, but one thing was clear: we couldn't give up. We had to find a way to break the cycle, to ensure that both Myles and MIDNIGHT faced the full weight of justice. The children of Riverton and the victims of the serial killer deserved better, and we owed it to them to keep fighting, no matter how insurmountable the odds seemed.
With renewed determination, I resolved to dig deeper into both cases, to uncover any overlooked evidence that might finally put Myles behind bars for good and bring MIDNIGHT to justice. The battle was far from over, and I was ready to do whatever it took to protect the innocent and bring these predators to justice.
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