Episode 4 Continued - Make it Mine
“Cameron Maddox,” the coroner said, sighing as he pulled the sheet back over the victim. “Murdered by a strike to the chest with a kitchen knife. Lacerations indicate that the knife was thickened by three inches and rugged around the edges. It stabbed right into his heart, causing his death. Although, I did find something odd. Cameron’s fingerprints were burned from his hands shortly after his death, and his teeth were ripped out and fractured, as well.”
I gazed down at Yumi as she glanced up at me, clearly getting the same question.
Yumi just pressed forward. “Why would the killer rid of Cameron’s prints and teeth? That would indicate that he wanted to make the victim unidentifiable, but he left the face intact which would give him an identity, and his DNA, too.”
“We also found his license on him,” the officer behind me said, making both of us glance back. “It clearly stated that this was Cameron Maddox, and the DNA matches, too.”
“That’s even more peculiar,” Yumi remarked, brows drawing together as she thought for a moment. “The killer had such precision with ridding of the prints and dental records… but didn’t bother removing the license? That just doesn’t make sense. Why would he be so intelligent with the body but not check his surroundings?”
“What’s your name, sir?” I said then, nodding to the officer.
He blinked and then straightened. “I am Officer Clington,” he then gestured to the superior next to him, “and this is Capitan Craig.”
Capitan Craig nodded to me, and I gazed down at his fingers to find the corners of his nails fraying and clearly bitten, and there were small scabs forming around the wounds.
I just nodded, lashes lowering as I gazed back down at Yumi.
“There’s another thing,” the coroner said, making us glance back.
“What is it?” Yumi urged.
“The DNA,” she explained, “it was damaged.”
Yumi just blinked, brows drawing together. “What, now?”
“It seems the body had been exposed to high concentrations of radiation a while before his death,” the coroner said. “It damaged parts of his DNA and made it mix with other results. We identified him as Cameron Maddox from his appearance.”
Yumi just stared forward. “You’re sure it’s him then? You’re sure it’s Maddox?”
“Yes, Lord Phantomhive. This is Cameron Maddox.”
Her lashes just lowered, and she narrowed her eyes. “They even damaged the DNA of the victim? How?” She just pressed her finger to her chin, thinking. “The basement of the building has radiation in it in its past, though… from an explosion a while back. It’s no doubt that it spread through the entire building itself.” She just thought harder. “But the records were cleared because there were no signs of radiation. That’s odd, though… because if there was no radiation in the building itself, how was Maddox here exposed to it for such a long period of time? It must’ve been forged or a mistake.” She then lowered her lashes. “Followed by the fingerprints being erased, and the dental records, as well. And they just left the driver’s license, there? After all that, they were careless?” She just thinned her lips, clearly reading everything over in her head. “If they were smart enough to burn off the prints and ruin the records, then that would suggest that the murder was premediated. The driver’s license, though… that seems so obvious.”
She just gazed up. “But the other murders, were they all the same?”
“No,” the coroner shook her head, “the other ten murders had no tie to this one. None of them had their prints burned, and none had their dental records broken either.”
“What about the DNA?” Yumi pressed. “Was it the same?”
“Yes,” she nodded, gazing up, “all of their DNA was tainted with. From radiation poisoning.”
“And all their licenses were on them?”
“Indeed,” Captain Craig said, voice gruff. “All of their belongings were found next to them.”
“When we examined the crime scene,” Officer Clington continued, “we determined that all the deaths were at the heat of the moment. It seems that there was a mess made in every scene, signifying a fight, and they were killed with objects from the room.”
“So the killer did not bring the weapon,” Yumi finished.
“Indeed,” Officer Clington stated, “in fact… the only murder weapon we didn’t find was Maddox’s murder weapon.”
Yumi just gazed up in surprise. “That’s the only weapon missing?”
He nodded.
“So Maddox’s murder was premediated and the other’s weren’t?” She just squinted her eyes. “That just doesn’t make sense. Was the killer targeting him directly, but the others were in the way? Could he have lost control after killing Maddox and got sloppy? But… he was sloppy with the first, as well… that’s just odd.”
“We have reason to believe that there’s two murderers, my lord,” Captain Craig explained. “The murderer for Maddox and the murderer for the others.”
I watched Yumi think this over for a moment. “Sebastian, any thoughts?”
“None, my lord.”
She just glanced up suspiciously. “Really? You answered quite fast.”
“Indeed, I did.”
Her eyes darkened, and I just smiled, knowing she realized what I figured out.
Yumi just sighed and shook her head, gazing up at the room. “I need to look the case files over, Sebastian. Let’s go back to the manor.”
“Yes, my lord.” I bowed, standing up seconds later.
“I need to think through this carefully,” Yumi said as we walked out the door together. “So I can solve this correctly and not have someone innocent behind the bars.”
“That wouldn’t be good, master,” I stated as we exited to the main hallway.
Yumi just continued walking, remaining by my side. “You looked suspicious of them. Capitan Craig specifically, it’s like you couldn’t take your eyes off him.”
“Observant as always, aren’t you, master?” I smiled, closing my eyes. “But, yes, he indeed piqued my curiosity.”
“Why?” Yumi questioned.
I just smiled. “When human’s keep secrets, big ones, they tend to have small habits of sorts. Especially the twiddling of the thumbs, biting of the lips, and sometimes a slight tremor.”
“You think he’s hiding something?” Yumi questioned.
“Indeed, I do.”
“About the case?” she pressed.
I just smiled down at her. “I do not know the answer to that, my lord.”
We just continued walking. “Whatever it is, I’ll figure it out. I know I’m close.”
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