Her Callous Nature
A young man entered the office, closing the door behind him. He looked at the older man who sat at the desk. The older man had dark cherry red hair, brown eyes and a pale complexion. “You wanted to see me, boss?” Emigdio asked the older man, standing near the closed door. The older man looked up at the younger man, “Yes, please sit down Detective Crow,” he said, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk.
“Am I in trouble, sir?”
“Oh no, I wanted to assign you a new case.”
The older man grabbed a small stack of folders and handed it over to Emigdio. “I needed you to investigate into these murders or you lose your job,” he told the younger man. Emigdio looked at his captain in shock, gripping the folders a bit tightly, “Captain, are... Are you serious? I’m your best detective!”
The older man shrugged, interwinding his hands together and placing his chin on top of them, “Then this shouldn’t be a problem for you, yes?” he stated with a wide grin. Emigdio shook his head, trying to process what was happening. “Captain, I haven’t had any problems! Why am I on the verge of losing my job!” the young male asked, gripping onto his necklace.
“Detective, you have a file of complaints against you. Lying about your gender is another thing, how can I be sure you aren’t a Russian spy if you’re lying about you being a man. I don’t hate your people, but your partners are uncomfortable with it,” the older man said, gesturing to a large pile of paperwork on his desk.
“That is not fair! Captain, you know damn well that I’m a man.”
Captain Syphus snickered, “Are you sure you’re not on your period? You’re acting differently than usual.”
“Captain-”
The older man slammed his hands onto his desk, standing up from his chair, “Enough, you will solve this case or you’re out,” he ordered Emigdio. The detective gripped on the case files tightly, bitting his lips to stop himself from saying anything. He almost drew blood, “Yes, Captain.” He nodded in a silent respect before leaving the office. He walked over to his own office, and closed the door behind him once he was inside.
He threw the files onto his desk, letting himself fall onto his chair. Emigdio rubbed his temples before opening up the files in front of him. In the first file, pictures of the crime scene, along with a picture of the victim, and the autopsy report were ready to be viewed. Jaren Smith. The detective flipped through the pictures, a sick feeling crawling up his back. “Right, so let’s see... How did you die?” he asked himself, as he started to obverse the pictures.
The door swing open, “Detective, are you here?” the young officer asked, appearing to be out of breath. “Officer, what can I do for you?” Emigdio asked, closing the file. He stood up from his chair, walking closer to the young officer. “There’s been another murder... I believe it’s connected to the other two murders,” they said, looking into Emigdio’s eyes. The taller man furrowed his brows together, “And how do you know that?” he asked. The young officer hesitated a bit, “The victims are too similar to each other, but I can't figure out why.”
“Right, has forensics been there yet?”
“Yea, they just finished up.”
“Well then, want to show me where it is?”
The officer nodded as he turned around, jumping in surprise. “Detective Walters, you scared me!” they exclaimed which made Faye smile at them. “You have to be more aware of your surroundings, Officer,” she said.
“Right, I'm sorry ma'am.”
***
Emigdio looked around the quiet house that the new victim was found it. He took slow steps, taking in the environment. One of the neighbors called the police when they saw the victim’s front door wide open. A lot of clutter made the home cozy and lived in, a few plushies and figurines on the shelves. “Officer, do you know who this was?” he asked.
“According to the landlord, her name was Ivy Newton.”
“Is there anything else you know about her?”
The officer and Detective Walters stood at the entrance of the house, “Not much, just that she was a hermit. None of her neighbors saw her leave, but they did say that a man kept coming and going every other day.” Emigdio hummed, “So this random guy killed her, why are we here?” Detective Walters questioned, seemingly bored out of her mind. She was slouching on the doorway, her arms crossed and a scowl resting on her face.
Emigdio ignored her, opting to crouch next to the body while putting on gloves. He looked over the body; Ivy had short hair, like she had a men's haircut. While examining the body, he noticed something on her right arm. Only thinking it was a tattoo, he moved it to reveal a carving of a bunny.
How odd... Wait why does it look so familiar? “Did ya find anything?” the older woman asked him, pulling him from his thoughts. Emigdio furrowed his brows together, “Kinda? I'm not sure if it's anything, but it's a craving of a bunny.”
“A bunny? That's fucking weird.”
“Yeah, but I can only guess it means something to the killer.”
“What if it doesn't mean anything?” Detective Walters said causing Emigdio to look back at her. “And now why do you say that, Faye?” he asked her. The older woman shrugged, not bothered by the gruesome scene in front of her. “Maybe he just likes bunnies,” she answered him.
“And he just decides that he wants to cut one into the arm of his victim?”
“Who knows? It's just a waste of time to overthink something like that.”
Emigdio scoffed, shaking his head as he stood up, “Officer, are the other two victims in the morgue?” he asked the younger man. The officer stood straighter, “Yes sir! They're both ready to be looked at as well.” The older man nodded, walking towards the two. Faye looked at Emigdio, “Do you want me to go with you?” she asked, he shook his head.
“No, can you finish up here?”
“Eh, I guess,” she answered, putting on her own pair of gloves. She got off the doorway, “Thanks, I'm going to see the other two victims.” he informed her.
She smiled at him, “Have fun!” Emigdio furrowed his brows a bit, looking at her with a perplexed expression before walking out of the house. The young detective took off his gloves and threw them away in a trash can that the crime scene folks were using.
***
Emigdio walked into the morgue, feeling a shiver go down his spine. It was always cold in the building. The mortician led him to where the two victims were. “I have done an autopsy of both of the bodies,” she stated.
“Did you find anything?”
The mortician gave him the autopsy reports, “Besides the obvious stabbing in the chest, they both had scars on their chest. Both healed.”
“Scars? Can you show me?”
The mortician pulled back the sheet covering the bodies. It was top surgery scars, one of them had a double incision mastectomy while the other had a breast augmentation. “I see... Is there anything else?” he asked her. The mortician placed her clipboard on the table besides her, “I did find that they had a high amount of sedatives within their system before their death.”
Emigdio looked over at her, “Question, did they have an abnormal amount of hormones?”
“Yes, they did. How did you know?”
“I think I know why they were murdered...”
***
Emigdio stood in front of a cork board in his office, pinning pictures of each crime scene onto it. He made sure he had the pictures under the same victim to not mix them up. “It seems that only trans folks are getting killed... Jaren got his named changed before moving here... Rachel Powers was a transwoman who was just visiting her mother, and our most recent victim is Ivy who was starting to transition into Max,” he explained to himself, holding a small tape recorder.
“Rachel is the only one without the bunny craving...”
“Hey! Whatcha doing, Emi?”
Emigdio looked away from the board and over to the door. Faye waved, walking towards him. “Faye,” he turned off the tape recorder, “I’ve told you not to call me that.” The older woman rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah,” Detective Walters waved him off before looking at the cork board, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
He looked back to the board, “Just... Coming up with some theories.”
“Care to share?”
“Ah... it’s all bare bones at the moment.”
Faye groaned, “Boring... Hey... Don’t you have a sister?” she asked him, a grin on her face. Emigdio looked at her, his expression unreadable, “Why do you ask?” Faye grabbed a strand of her hair, “Well, I’m just wondering is all...” she answered him. The younger man narrowed his eyes at her, tilting his head a bit.
“Right... Well, either way, my family isn’t any of your business.”
“Woah there, no need to be rude,” she said, walking closer to him, “Anyway, I wanted to give you this.” Faye handed him the note, winking at him, “See ya later!” The woman then left him alone to his thoughts.
“Keep going, you can do this!” it read. Emigdio stared at the bunny drawing, the same one that was craved into the victims.
“I don’t know if I can say anything yet...”
***
Two more men were killed, their bodies were left in a brutal manner than the other three victims. So much blood surrounding the body. Emigdio stood in the most recent victim’s house, holding a note that was left behind.
“Stop trying to find me or she’s dead.”
The detective gripped the note tightly, he had to find Faye. The handwriting, and god fucking damn bunny drawing, were the only thing leading him to her. She had to be the killer. But with no real witness placing her here, how could he truly prove it was her? Would anyone believe him? He took the note with him as he left the house. Once he arrived at his office, he pinned the note next to the one Faye gave him a few days before.
“Detective, are you any closer to closing this case?” Captain Syphus asked the younger man, leaning against the doorway. Emigdio looked at the older man, “Captain... With no witness, I cannot make an arrest.” Syphus raised one of his brows, “I thought you were my best?” he questioned.
“Captain-”
The older man raised one of his hands to stop Emigdio from talking, “Solve it or you’re gone.” The young male pressed his lips together and nodded, “Yes sir.” Syphus left the office, leaving Emigdio to his thoughts.
“What is it bout this case?”
“I can’t lose this job...”
“Not now...”
“I need to confront Faye...”
He grabbed a sticky note off his desk alone with a pen and started to write.
“Need to talk, meet me at my office at 3.”
Emigdio walked out of his office placed the note onto her desk.
***
Emigdio turned on a tape recorder that was siting on his desk, hiding it wit a stack of papers. Faye entered the office, “Whatcha wanted talk about?”
“I had some questions for you.”
The older woman looked at him, “Okay, ask away.”
“Why do you always draw a bunny on your notes?”
“Is that really your question?”
“I’m just wondering.”
Faye hummed a bit, “Well, I feel like I’m a bunny at times, plus they’re cute!” Emigdio nodded a bit, looking away from her. “Huh... Well, what do you think of the victims?” he asked her. The older woman had a confused expression, a small laugh escaped her as she looked at the board.
“In what way?”
“I just want to hear your thoughts on them, maybe you can help me see a different point of them.”
Faye looked back at him, “I see them as weird, like why would anyone want to be a transgender? Like why can’t they jus be normal!”
“Anything else?”
“You get what I mean, right? They got what they deserve, being transgender is a sin and they’re going to hell for that,” Faye answered, a scowl rested on her face. Emigdio hummed, messing with his necklace, “Hm... You wouldn’t do anything reckless to prove your point?”
“Like what?”
“I dunno, like telling them what you told me.”
“Maybe, if I ever met one of them folks, I’ll make them regret being one of them transgenders.”
“Right...” Emigdio started to say before being interrupted by a knock, “Come in.” The young officer entered the office, staying by the doorway, “I’m sorry for interrupting, but the captain wants to see you ma’am.” Faye hummed, looking at the officer, “Right now?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you later Emi!”
Emigdio hummed in response, staring down the photos on the board. Once the two left him alone in his office, “Am I wrong to assume it’s her when it leads to her?”
He turned off the tape.
***
Another day has passed, and it was now December 19th. Emigdio was putting on his coat when his sister came up to him, “Emi, are you sure solving this case is still a good idea?” she asked. He stopped and turned to the younger woman, “Vivi... We have no other choice. You’re still in school and this is the highest paying job around,” he answered her.
Emigdio placed his hand on her face, “Just... Be careful,” she told him, placing her own hand over his.
“I’ll try, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He hugged her tightly before letting her go. Emigdio grabbed his keys and waved his sister goodbye. Vivi watched him drive away as a woman walked up to the house. She was dressed similar to Emigdio, but was wearing gloves. She smiled at the younger woman, “Hi, I’m Detective Walters, I work with your brother. Is he here?”
Vivi hesitated to answer, her brows furrowed, “Um... No, he just left.”
“Perfect... Can I come in?”
The young woman started to close the door, “No...” Faye pushed open the door, letting herself in. Vivi stared at her with wide eyes. The older woman pulled out a knife from her coat pocket, a wide grin on her face.
“Wrong answer.”
***
Emigdio rushed home after hearing one of his neighbors called the police to his home. “No, please don’t be what I think it is,” he mumbled to himself, gripping the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white. He parked his car next to the police car, getting out to look at what is happening. He noticed the young office and walked up to him.
“Officer, what’s happening?”
“Sir... Your sister was killed.”
Emigdio felt something inside him crack within him. He felt himself become numb, “No...” The officer place his hand on Emigdio’s shoulder, “I’m sorry sir...”
Emigdio walked into his house, bitting his lip to stop himself from breaking down. His sister laid in the living room, blood surrounded her lifeless body. “Why...” he questioned, staring at the body. It seems that Faye beat her before stabbing her in the chest. A drawing next to her body that was drawn in her blood caught his attetion. It was that same fucking bunny.
“I have nothing to lose now. I will make you regret this.”
He walked out of his house, “I knew, and yet I didn’t do anything. I’m sorry Vivi...”
***
Emigdio grabbed the landline phone and dialed Faye, “Hello?”
“Hey Faye, can you help me at a crime scene?”
“Oh? Sure, where at?”
“At Chimney Rock and Hillcrest, the last house at that street.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Emigdio hung up the phone, looking around the empty safe house. “I have nothing to lose now,” he told himself. The young man grabbed the gas canister and started to cover everything in gasoline. He finished in the guest bedroom once he heard Faye enter the house.
“Emigdio?” she called out to him. He left the empty gas canister in the guest bedroom, “I’m here Faye,” he called back, walking back to the living room. She smiled at him, “Oh, there ya are! So, what happened here?” she asked him. Emigdio shrugged a bit, looking around the room.
“Not really sure, I got a call to come here. I only checked the living room, kitchen, and the guest bedroom, but I haven’t found anything.”
“Huh... Who called you here?”
Emigdio shrugged again, “Not really sure, but they claimed to be the killer I’m looking for.” Faye looked at him in shock, walking closer to him after locking the front door.
“That’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m the killer!” Faye answered, anger flowing through her. Emigdio let out a laugh, “I fucking knew it.” Faye stuttered, her face flushed red, “You actually admitted it! Oh, if only I still fucking cared about my job to have you arrested,” he added.
“You ticked me!”
“You fucking killed my sister,” he replied, glaring at her, placing his hands into the pocket of his coat. His fingers touched something cold, keeping him level-headed.
“Well, you should’ve stopped looking for me.”
Emigdio pulled out the lighter, “Maybe you should’ve know what type of person I am.” Faye’s eyes widen, “Maybe you shouldn’t have locked yourself here with me.”
He dropped the lighter onto the gasoline covered floor. A smile rested on his face as fire stared to eat away at everything, the gas making it stronger.
“I’m sorry vivi...”
