Inked by death

Chapter One

Hi everybody. I'm writing this story with my sister and it's the first story we are writing together. We are both dutch so there can be some mistakes in the language if there is you can put that in the comments or you can dm us on instagram at daynaschram or at rowrow96. Thank you

It's still dark when I wake up covered In sweat. It's that same bloody nightmare again. The clock on my nightstand says it's 4:30 in the morning, might as well get up considering my alarm is about to go off in about half an hour. I throw off my soaked covers and decide to take a shower. To wash off the dread that is still lingering in my mind. Just as I'm about to step into the shower I hear stumbling from the room next to mine. A moment later my daughter stumbles in, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 'Mommy? Why were you screaming?'. 

I kneel down in front of her 'Mommy just saw a spider and got scared for a bit. How about we get dressed and I make some pancakes?'. 

She smiles and jumps up and down 'Okay mommy! I love pancakes!' She says as she walks back to her room. Her long hair bouncing with every step. She reminds me so much of her father, thinking of him still hurts me every day, even though it has been almost seven years. I take a quick shower and dry off, I take my suit of the door which I hung there yesterday after picking it up from the dry cleaning. I comb my hair and pull it in a tight ponytail, put on some eyeliner and mascara to define my silver eyes before I'm all ready to go. I sneak a peak in Olivia's room as I walk to the kitchen and see her getting dressed. Most of what she is wearing is purple which is not odd considering it's her favourite colour. I get started on the pancakes and after a few minutes I have a plate full just as Olivia takes her seat at the table. I eat in silence as Liv chirps loud as if it's not 5:45 in the morning. Speaking of the time, almost time to go. '

'Mommy? Am I going to unlce Brady or to uncle Cameron today? Before I can anwser, two cars pull up in the driveway. One of them a standard black SUV which means my partner Caleb arrived and the other, a matte black audi r8 with tinted windows so that could only mean one thing. My oldest brother Cameron. I open my front door to let them in. Olivia runs to Cameron, jumps in his arms and yells 'uncle Cam-Cam! What are we going to do today?' I intervene, 'Well the first thing you are gonna do is put on your shoes missy, and grab your bag while you're doing that.' 'Okay mommy.'

While Olivia is getting ready, Cameron steps inside giving me a kiss on the cheek, 'Morning sis.' 'Goodmorning Cam-Cam.' I whisper back as I give him a kiss back. He looks at me and shakes his head with a grin. I look at my partner who is looking back with a grim face and ask, 'What's wrong?' 'I'll tell you in the car, it's not something to discuss while Olivia is here.' 'Alright just give me a moment to put on my shoes.' After zipping them up I kiss Liv goodbye. I watch her and Cameron drive away. I get my coat and briefcase and get in the car with Cal.

'So what's wrong.' I ask him. Last time you had this look on your face was six and a half years ago. My voice trails off. He hasn't started the car yet and is avoiding my eyes. While looking out the window he says 'We think he has started again.' I freeze while gripping the armrest as a hot feeling burns through me veins and the scar on my chest start to itch. We sit in silence for at least ten minutes before my brain restarts. 'let's go.' Cal looks at me with uncertainty. 'Are you sure?' 'I'm fine.' I say while fighting the tears in my eyes. I look out of the window the whole ride to the station.

After driving twenty minutes we arrive at the station. I get a cup of coffee and walk to my desk. Cal sits at his desk which is across from mine. I see the captain walking towards us with a disturbing look on his face. 'Come with me please.' he says. We follow him to his office, where we all sit down. 'I don't know what Cal has already told you, but you better get ready for what you're about to see at this crime scene.' he says. 'I've been there captain. I know exactly what to expect.' My voice comes out sharper then I expected. 'I just wanted you to be prepared. It has been a while for you.' he reassures me. 'It still feels like yesterday captain.' I fidget with the hems of my jacket as this conversation turns way too personal way too quick. The silence turns akward and I nod to the captain before standing up making my way to the bathroom to splash some water in my face. I stare at the reflection in the mirror and sigh "you got this Vic." I walk back to my desk to get my coat before Cal and I make our way to the crime scene.

We drive through an archway of trees, up ahead to a big abandoned house. We step out of the car and walk underneath the black and yellow tape that marks the crime scene off. The first thing I see is a heart shape tattoo with two people in it. One white, one black although the black person is barely visible giving the fact that it's been carved through with something sharp. Next I look at the body that it's been carved in and for a moment I lose my breath. My legs buckle and if it wasn't for Cal holding me steady I would have fallen to the ground. 'I got you'. he whispers. The body that is on the floor is a latina woman. For a moment I thought it was my best friend Catalina. The woman's hair is to short for it to be her. And Cat wouldn't be caught dead wearing sneakers. While Cal is talking to forensics I walk to the First responder. An agent who seems way too young for this kind of thing. 'Goodmorning officer..' I trail off letting him catch a moment to get himself together. 'Officer Jonas ma'am'. I observe him. He is barely twenty-seven, maybe twenty-eight but I'm not nearly old enough for him to call me ma'am. 'Officer Jonas, alright, first please don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old. Second what have you got?' 'When we got here we found a female body and a male victim tied to a chair both with the same tattoo carved into their chest. He was barely alive when we untied him. We gave him some water to calm him down so he could tell us what happened.' he points to the front steps of the house where I see the paramedics standing with a man on a strechter. 'It's a married couple.' 'Let me guess' I interrup him 'newlyweds?' He looks at me surprised. 'Yes, indeed. Mr and Ms Jackson. They got married just a week ago. They were supposed to go on their honeymoon.' 'Okay, thank you officer Jonas.'

I walk to the paramedics and ask for a few minutes with Mr Jackson before they take him to the hospital. 'Hello Mr. Jackson. My name is det. Victoria Gray. I understand the pain you're going through but I have to ask you some difficult questions. I understand you just got married and were supposed to go on your honeymoon.' That's right.' 'What is the last thing you remember before you got here?' 'Well,' he says, 'We had just packed our suitcases and had called an Uber. Once the driver arrived we got in the back and after a while noticed it smelled a bit strange, something sweet-like. That's the last I remember before I woke up here.' Mr Jackson got quiet again and I saw tears starting to form in his eyes. 'Thank you Sir. I am so sorry for your loss.' I say as I grab him by the shoulder slightly squeezing it hoping to show some comfort.

I look around for Cal and see him standing with forensics. I walk towards them and think about what the husband just told me. A strange smell? A sweet smell? We were always baffled on how he was able to get two people so obedient. He wasn't the kind of guy who uses a gun. But what the husband just told me gave us a huge breakthrough. Gas! He must be using has to subdue them, which would also explain the memory loss. But either he was getting sloppy on the details or he didn't calculate the height of the husband, cause with six foot four he is one hell of a man. Which means it would have taken longer for him to pass out. I look at the coroner, 'what can you tell me?' He kneels by the female victim, 'rigor mortis has already set in which means she has already been dead for at least four hours,' he pulls the thermometer out, 'liver temperature sets time of death roughly five hours ago. She has been tortured pre-mortem. She has five broken ribs, a fractured wrist, bruises around her wrist and ankles and stab wounds in her right leg and torso. The tattoo on her chest however was done post-mortem. The stab wounds to her torso were most likely fatal but I won't be sure of that until I've performed her autopsy.' 'Thank you. Cal can I talk to you? It's quite important.'

We walk back to the car. 'The husband told me something interesting. When they got in the Uber to go to the airport, he smelled something strange before passing out. It seems the killer uses some kind of gas to subdue his victims.' Cal looks at me with big eyes, 'That's big. He has never made a mistake, what do you think happened?' I think about it for a moment, 'Either he miscalculated the fact that the husband was bigger and therefore takes longer to pass out of this wasn't a mistake at all and it was delibarete. But one thing is for sure and that is that he is back.'