My phone rings its obnoxious tune, startling us both out of our almost kiss.
Fuck my life. I grab it and answer it roughly, I almost crushed in my hand instead.
"Hello." I say irritated, maybe sexually frustrated is the real term I should be using.
"Detective Spring, sorry if I woke you but there's been a murder that I believe is connect to your case. A Marcus Hadden, his body was just found near the warehouse you sent us to pick up that vampire this afternoon, and there's more..." I rubbed my eyes and sighed, well I guess my night is shot.
"We'll be there in fifteen, you can fill me in on the rest then." I said and hung up the phone as I stood, I turned to Arden who had also stood, "I guess you heard all of that."
"Yeah, I'll go change and break up the love fest downstairs." He said and tried for a smile but I could tell the last thing he wanted to do right now was go investigate a murder. Then dashed down the stairs yet again. I rushed into my closet, threw on the jeans and ankle boots I had been wearing earlier in the day and switched out my sweater for a simple black long sleeved v-neck shirt. I threw my hair up in a messy bun and found my black half trench jacket and pulled it out, it would be considerably colder out now the night had fallen. I grabbed my shoulder holsters and threw them on and then the jacket, I'd grabbed my micro once I got out to the car, I had left my purse in it by accident.
I rushed down the stairs and found the three of them standing in the living room, Arden had changed into a pair of jeans that hugged him perfectly, but still wore his button up white collared shirt, just had rolled up the sleeves. He also had a black leather jacket in one hand. John and Cadence were straightening their clothes and I nodded to Cadence, most would just think I was saying hello, but she knew what I meant even if the boys had no clue. I needed to know if she had slipped up with John or if we were still in the clear. She nodded back with no reason to worry as usual.
Fifteen minutes later we were pulling up in front of the warehouse we had rescued John from earlier that day, but now that the sun had set this was a very different place, dark and eerily quiet, my guards were up and I had to actually remind myself that the murder had already been committed. I took a deep breath and walked around the building to find the police cars parked in the back and the warehouse doors to the next warehouse wide open. One of the officers came running up to me, I assumed it was the one who called me only minutes ago.
"Detective Spring, the body is just inside. But the other information I had to share was that Marcus Hadden owns or owned not only these two units but also the next five in this row. We checked both of these and their clear but I don't have the man power to send anyone to check the others. Not at this hour anyway, maybe in the morning but we both know by morning any useful information could be gone." He said as we walked over to the open doorway, Marcus's body was spiralled out across the cement. No blood just like the other murder, this one though had two large slashes across his chest instead of one in the shape of an X. I had to wonder if this was part of some kind of spell or if the twisted psycho just liked to label them with which count in the murders they were.
I slid on a pair of gloves and investigated further, I picked up the hands, skin under the nails once again. Some kind of oil type substance on his jeans and his phone next to him, were the main similarities I noticed, I picked up the phone and swiped it open, it was the same as the girls phone just before he called 911, he was on the phone with Mark but even curiouser still, the number dialed before that was Mark's mother. Arden came to stand next to me and I stood showing him the three numbers on the phone.
"Who is the one before Mark?" He asked and knelt down next to me, looking over the body.
"That's Mark's mother, the one to put me onto the case. She thought our vic was the one that may have murdered her son, but that would have taken place over two weeks ago and she came to me only last night. She would have no reason to call him, unless she was involved somehow...time stamp places the call an hour before death." I trailed off in thought.
"We should go talk with her in the morning, we'll have to see what her reaction is to letting us see her phone." Arden said, I guess he had been at this a while.
"Right, we also need to find a good address for Mark before he turns up dead too. We should check the other warehouses, while we have probable cause and before someone forces us to warrant them." I said standing and moving over to Vini, who was looking over some samples from the crime seen. "Got anything for me Vini?"
"Pretty much the same as the other vic. Except for the oil which I will have to identify back at the lab and I put time of death between eleven, eleven thirty. I'll give you a call when I get more information." Vini said and started loading up his car.
