*Warning: This has references to rape and other sexual things. Rated for language*
Sorry it took so freaking long to post this. I completely forgot about it + the first half of it sucked, so I redid it. I hope you like it. I would advise you to read part one first.
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Discovery of the Murder
Andrew Baxter is used to ‘whodunits’. They’re simple to discover, and even simpler to solve. First: the victim. Find out why, how, when and who.
Looking at a clipboard that Detective Manyes had given him, Baxter reads off the victim’s name. “Holly Eva. Fifteen. Resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Born July 13, 1993.”
Baxter nods to an officer who is holding the yellow “CSI: DO NOT PASS” tape above Baxter’s head. Baxter resumes looking at the clipboard.
“Murdered in the Atlanta High schoolyard. Victim of rape.”
There is a swarm of police and EMTs. On his way by, Baxter notices a man and a woman. The woman is crying in the man’s arms.
“Mr. and Mrs. Eva?” Baxter says. The couple fearfully glances into Baxter’s hard eyes.
“Before I take a look, I would like to ask you a few questions.” Baxter’s voice is toning down sympathetically. “Would Mrs. Eva please join me for a bit? It’s only going to take a minute.”
Mrs. Eva looks at her husband and wipes her eyes. She nods and stands up, shakily. Her husband supports her. Baxter smiles and shakes her hand.
“Hello. I am Detective Baxter from the Atlanta Police Department. I need to ask you some questions about your daughter,” Baxter says, leading Mrs. Eva away from her tearful husband. This is the first time that Baxter sees her eyes. They sparkle, even through the tears. They are like blue gems, contrasting with her ravishingly red hair that falls to her shoulder.
She wipes her eyes again, leaving a smear of mascara.
“Was your daughter participating in any sort of drugs, alcohol, or anything of the sort?” Mrs. Eva shakes her head silently, her red hair dancing. Her eyes are red and swollen. Bloodshot.
“Was she in any sort of a relationship?”
“She was, but that was a while ago. They’ve broken up,” Mrs. Eva whispers.
“Were they sexually involved?” Baxter sees Mrs. Eva’s jaw drop. Her eyes search his.
“Of course not!” Her voice is hoarse.
“It’s just a question, ma’am. Was your daughter in any position to commit suicide?” This question has the same affect the last one had.
“Of course not! Why would Holly—”
“As I said, it’s just a question. Thank you for your time.” Baxter smiles warmly, motioning his arm to Mr. Eva, who was staring at two of them. Mrs. Eva leaves without looking at Baxter.
He glances at his clipboard once more before entering the murder scene. There are pictures of the girl attached, and he shifts through them. She looks exactly like her mother. Beautiful red hair that flows past her shoulders and a long, delicate nose. Baxter tries not to notice the markings around her neck: obvious signs of strangulation.
“Tony?” Baxter asks and taps an officer on the shoulder. The man cranes his neck to look at the detective.
“Oh! Hello!” he says, and shakes hands with Baxter. They exchange smiles.
“Would you mind showing me the murder scene? Is the body still there?”
“Yeah, the body’s been identified by her parents. We have her taken care of. The murder scene is just around this bend. By the canal. You can’t miss it,” Tony states, pointing his fingers across the schoolyard. Baxter nods his thanks and takes off towards the crime scene.
When he arrives, he flips open his badge, and the officers allow him to pass through. He sees Katy Winston, his niece. She has been working for the Atlanta Police Department ever since she graduated from college.
“Katy?” She turns around at the mention of her name, and a smile appears on her face.
“Hey.”
“Found anything useful?” Baxter is eyeing the crime scene with his skilled eye. He was standing in a field of grass. There is a barbed wire fence to his right, and a canal rushes past him. The remains of the morning fog are vanishing slowly.
“Yeah. We’ve found fingerprints on Holly Eva’s bag. They’re being sent to the lab right now. We’ve also found semen on the grass. It’s with the fingerprints.”
“She was raped?” Baxter cries, and looks at his clipboard. He must’ve skimmed past it, because it clearly stated that she was a victim of rape.
“Yeah. Poor girl. Raped in her schoolyard. Of course, no one could see it because of the fog. It’s just horrible what people do, you know?” Katy says, and then resumes checking for evidence.
“Where is the body?”
“Uh, I think that they took her to the lab, also. For the autopsy. We should have results by tomorrow morning? At the latest, I think.” Katy wipes her forehead and curses the sun. “It’s so hot…”
Baxter chuckles as he begins to leave. Then he adds: “Hey, Katy? Will you call me if you find anything new?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks.”
*
Gregory Mandel jumps when Detective Baxter knocks on the glass door. The pathologist waves to the man and invites him in. Baxter pushes the door open and nods his head.
“So, Greg, do we have any leads so far? Fingerprints? DNA?” Baxter walks around the table where the corpse of Holly Eva is laid. A thin sheet covers her nakedness. From her chest up is exposed, revealing nasty wounds on her neck.
“Yes. Apparently, our killer wasn’t that bright. He left traces all over her neck, her torso, and vagina. Fingerprints literally are abundant,” Mandel states, writing notes on a clipboard. Baxter nods and walks around the body, examining the strangulation marks on her neck. They are bright red.
“Well, not all the murderers and rapists are the smartest cookie in the cookie jar,” Baxter whispers. “Do we have suspects?”
“Three. There’s, ah, Heber Smeltzer. Thirty-two. He has a record of being a pedophile before. He was released from prison two years ago. Probation didn’t last long. He’s been quiet since then.
“There’s also Roger Beck. Twenty-nine. Got in some deep shit a while back. Drugs and stuff. He’s raped before, but was released after serving his time. He’s a rather strange man.”
“They all sound the same,” Baxter laughs and eyes Holly.
“Yeah. Anyway, the last is her ex-boyfriend. Bradley Keetch.”
“Her boyfriend?” Baxter asks, pausing. His eyebrows begin to scrunch together. “Why is her ex-boyfriend a suspect?”
“We found his semen in her pubic hair. I don’t know why he’d want to kill her or something. We’re interrogating the suspects right now,” Mandel says, eyeing Baxter. “It isn’t unusual for teens to go at it, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s not the problem. Holly lied to her parents. Well, I guess she didn’t lie if she never told them…”
“Teens tend to do that,” Mandel reminds him. He then returns to scribbling notes in his clipboard.
*
Baxter opens the door into the interrogation room. Detective Marley is sitting in a chair across from a man with scars running up and down his face. The sight makes Baxter pause before taking another step into the room. From his knowledge, the man was Heber Smeltzer.
“Detective Baxter?” Marley asks, turning around in his chair. The scarred face man glares at the two detectives.
“Hey, uh, I was just coming in to see if I could help at all here?” There is a certain bitterness in Baxter’s voice. Marley replied with the same bitter tongue:
“No. We are doing fine.” He then turns back around in his chair and waits to hear Baxter close the door and leave. He doesn’t hear it. “Do you need something, detective?”
“I would like a word with the suspect.”
Marley turns back around. “I am in the middle of something. Will you please wait outside until I am through?” Baxter breathes through his nose and stares into Marley’s eyes. There is a silent battle between them, and Baxter gives in. He exits out the door, and Marley turns around to face his suspect.
“I can’t stand that lousy sonofabitch,” Baxter whispers as he walks away. He passes a young man with bleached blonde hair. Baxter doesn’t give him a second thought until he reaches the receptionist, Carla.
“Do you know where I can find the suspects for the Holly Eva case?” he asks, placing his arms on the counter. Carla looked up behind her horn-rimmed glasses. She flicked her finger over to the young man seated.
“That’s that Ketchup kid. Or whatever is name is.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
Baxter makes his way over to Keetch. The young man raises his head and stands up. Baxter could tell through the boy’s eyes that he wasn’t meant to be here.
“Do you mind if we take a step into my office? The interrogation room is full.” Keetch nods curtly and follows Baxter through the police station. When they reach Baxter’s office, he opens the door for the suspect and offers him a seat. The detective makes his way to his desk, where he sits down and sighs.
“Listen,” Keetch begins, “I didn’t kill her. I swear to God that I didn’t kill her!”
“I know. I just need to ask you a few questions first,” Baxter states calmly. Keetch sighs and leans back in his chair. He is wearing a tight T-shirt and long jeans. The shirt bears the words: If my music is too loud, you’re too old.
“First off, were you sexually involved with Holly Eva?” Keetch instantly groans and puts his hands over his face.
“I-I didn’t know what I was doing, alright? We were drunk. Alcohol makes me do stupid things. Things that I wish I’d never done.”
“So you will testify that it is your semen in her pubic hair?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Keetch is shaking now.
“How long ago was this?” This question takes him by surprise. His eyes widen, but they quickly looked around the room, avoiding Baxter’s eyes. There is a horribly long pause.
“Bradley, please answer my question.”
“I have the right to remain silent, right?” Keetch questions, still refusing to look into Baxter’s eyes.
“Well, yes.” Keetch keeps silent for the remainder of the interrogation.
*
Baxter meets up with Marley in the hallway. The other detective is drinking a mug of coffee, and nearly spits it out when he hears Baxter’s voice.
“Marley, I think we need to have a word.” Marley turns to face him, setting his eyes upon him.
“What about?”
“The suspects. Let’s just get this over with. What did you learn about Smeltzer?”
“He’s a total psycho. He just hasn’t done anything yet. From what I can gather, he’s a family friend. The Eva’s would invite him over for dinner, sometimes. They probably didn’t know about his jail time. Nothing would ever come up or anything. Why did he become a suspect, again?”
“Holly’s parents found a chat room conversation saved on her computer. It talked about her meeting a boy named Josh by the canal by the school. Apparently they went to the same school and had the same interests. If Smeltzer wanted to rape and kill her, he would know everything he needed,” Baxter says, referring to his clipboard for support. Marley nods.
“I’ve also had the time to interview Roger Beck. He’s one of those guys that get caught up in drugs and crap like that. Apparently, he’s the one that got her caught up with meth. He’s been her drug dealer for a while now. So, either way I see it, he’s going behind bars no matter the outcome of the Eva case is.”
Baxter is amazed at Holly. Lying to her parents. Getting mixed up with illegal drugs. Having sex with her ex-boyfriend. And still, she was on the Student Body Office for her high school. It shocks him how low a pretty little girl could get.
“Now, tell me all you know about Keetch,” Marley says, and Baxter nods. He speaks about his interrogation with the ex-boyfriend and how he admitted to having sex with Holly, but refused to comment when.
“I see,” Marley sighs and wipes his brow. His coffee is getting cold. “What’s the next step?”
“We have to wait for the fingerprints. Only then will we find out who it was. And then we’ll take him and Beck to jail. Case closed,” Baxter says. Marley nods and sips his coffee.
“When will the results come in?”
“Tomorrow morning at the latest,” Baxter replies.
“Alright. We’ll keep them locked up ‘til then. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Marley asks, dully. He already knows the answer.
“Of course you will.”
